𝘞𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘴: 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 (𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘒 2) (ROS)

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 5

When it reached dusk, the sun disappeared into the drowning place. The darkness of the night took ahold of the sky, and the stars gleamed in various colors, mainly the color of jade green.  Sunflower eyes wandered. There were firelights roaming in the forest, and cats sharing tongues as they sat open in the clearing. Cats weren't always this territorial. 

The forests were split in different areas, the mountains, the marshes and beaches, the grasslands, and the woodlands. Ghost'paw was following the stream towards the beach where the caves reside. This had given an idea that these cats were something more than just clans, but it was strange that she had accepted a Softpaw like him. Someone who relied on his parents and the two-legs, someone who ultimately made a selfish decision to run off. 

He could hear voices of his father scolding him, the fearful look of his mother's eyes when he had run off from that home. It made him wonder why they isolated him from going outside.

 Ghost'paw noticed the silence they had during the walk. She saw the look of his face and asked. "Are you alright?" Her eyes looked concerned; Sunflower quickly glances at her. "Oh no! I'm fine... I'm-... fine." His eyes appeared to be unsure if he was actually alright. "You don't seem fine." She said, observing his face and noticing the sadness in his eyes. "You can always talk to me about anything." 

"Anything?" He stared. Sunflower wasn't the type to express his feelings openly. Ghost'paw gave him a nod. "Everyone has stories to tell if they came here for a reason."

"It has something to do with my parents." Sunflower lowers his head, staring at the tall grass. The wind touched his fur when they were getting close to the caves near the beach. When the gray she-cat heard about his parents, she stopped walking. She had assumed the worst when it came to parents, especially with her own. "Parents?" Her voice became meek. "You don't think..." She mutters.  "Think?" Sunflower tilts his head, confused of what Ghost'paw was saying. She shook her head and turned around, letting the wind hit her face. "Never mind, continue on." The she-cat urged. "It's your story, not mine." 

The tom looked at her. He purred humorously from her awkward demeanor. Something that he can relate to. "You ever had overbearing parents before?" He asked. Ghost'paw stared into the small puddle in front of her, and the mention of her parent made her hesitant for some reason. "I have." She spoke. "Just one. My father." Her eyes stared at Sunflower, leaving with a morose silence. His expression changed. "One? You only have..." He stopped instantly when he realized something about her that made him rethink his wording. "I'm so... sorry. I didn't mean to -"

"It's fine." She spoke with reluctance and guilt. "My mother wasn't meant to live long anyway." She said, her voice faded off when she felt grief, and it hurt. This made Sunflower wonder about her father or anyone who was close to her. Did she have a support system? Did she have anyone that she could be around? It gave a sour taste in his maw to realize that someone was alone, he could tell she didn't want to admit it. 

"Is your father still well?" He asked, his eyes filled with curiosity, as if he even knew her father at all. Ghost'paw shook her head. "No, he's been blocking me off ever since I left WaveClan. He doesn't see me as his daughter anymore." She grunted, just hearing the words of her father's existence really makes a question about her own. And for Sunflower, this all reminded of his father and his uncle. 

"You know..." He began. "There's always a light in everything. I'll be the one to lead the way." 

The she-cat could feel hope coming from his warm aura. He seems to look at everything in a positive way, and that made her feel... happy? It was a very strange sensation, but she couldn't help but purr.

"Hey!" A tom spotted the two, his green eyes gleaming through the darkness. The two cats stood up to see a large tuxedo tom approach them, and his eyes looked somewhat suspicious.  "Oh! Emerald'glare.." Ghost'paw stood up and stood in front of the Softpaw. "He's with me." She spoke in a formal way, the complete opposite of her quietness from earlier. Sunflower gazed at the tall tom; he raised his head, wanting to touch noses. "Sunflower." He introduced. 

"Hmm..." Emerald'glare grunted, inspecting him slowly. The tom was feeble and slender. But he did notice his webbed paws, which sparked his interest. Only the true WaveClan cats had webbed paws. 

"An interesting individual, it seems. And yet, I thought you'd bring another slacker from the two-leg nest." The tom gaze at Sunflower in an amusing way. "Emerald'glare, an eye of a gem. Greetings to you." He touched noses with the newcomer. "I assume you're looking for somewhere to be. Maybe in the waves like us?"

"Well, no, I'm... kind of... staying for the night. Sunflower said. "I need to get back to my elders by sunrise, or they'll tear my head off."

"Oh?" Emerald'glare tilts his head. "I suppose we can house some cats." He replied. "Follow me."

Sunflower's ears perked up when he was given the chance to go with the clan cats. But then he was worried for Ghost'paw, who appeared to be proud of the tom, although it was a sting in the heart that she wouldn't have to see him anymore soon. "You can carry on. Just make sure you get that scar checked out, alright?" Ghost'paw nuzzled her head against his. "Alright!" Said the black tom, who eagerly followed the tom into the caves. He'll hope to see her again soon.

Ghost'paw watched as the two disappeared into the caves. For some reason, she almost felt as if he was a missing piece to her loneliness for a long time. But she needed to move on. She had responsibilities to do.

When she heard a voice of a TerraClan spirit calling for her name, her eyes grew green, hearing the wildcat's voice before scurrying off. 

"Come, Ghost'paw. We need you."