Time You Knew {Closed}

Breezebranch sighed, breath puffing into puffs of miniature clouds that faded and drifted in seconds. She hadn't meant to keep the secret from Brindlepaw for so long, but, well... Things happened, and there never was a just right time. "Brindlepaw.. Love, can you come here? I'd like to chat for a bit, lovely." She mewed gently, guiding her daughter out, briefly registering Mudpaw's snores with an amused chuckle. Brindlepaw deserved to know who her father was. It was only fair.

Breezebranch was not ashamed of what she'd done. She'd do it again in a heartbeat. She truly loved Mudmask-- still do!-- and he wouldn't apologize for following her heart. Guiding her innocent tortoiseshell daughter to a shady, secluded area, she lay down, beckoning Brindlepaw close, as she did when Brindlepaw was still a kit. She licked her head softly, blinking affectionately at her.

"Brindlepaw, sweet dove, I'm going to tell you of your father. Now, you must behave, alright, my dear? Settle down, now. You can ask questions later." Flicking her long, thick tail around her kit, they sat encompassed to each other, as if the outside world had melted away in a single moment and all that existed was them.

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(OOC: ahhhhh my muse was drying up,, ;; but here's the very, very late,, topic I promised! ^^

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Frizzy fur splayed, framing the plump apprentice in tangled tousles. A mellifluous hum tingled in her ear tufts as glinting needles of light prodded her from her dreams. Brindlepaw's eyes fluttered open, faint quivers tickling her back as she adjusted to the illumination. She blinked drowsily, sighing as she wallowed around on her springy nest. The spongy bedding engulfed her in a blanket of warmth; a cloak of moss clutched adamantly to her pelt like static, threatening to lull her back off into a slumber... until a voice shivered her mind into consciousness. Brindlepaw was sleepy. Maw agape in a squeaking yawn, the flecked she-cat arched her spine in a lopsided stretch, hastening in a clumsy scramble to her paws. All-too-familiar snores bubbled faintly from nearby, nodding her into vague alertness. She groggingly fixed her attention onto the visitor, obscure against the blurred morning haze. "Mama! In an instant, her expression morphed tenderly. Purrs quavered in her chest, wafting soothingly into the air, as the apprentice nudged against her mother in an affectionate exchange. "Hi! Yes, yes, I'd love to!" A placid, clumsy strut weaved into her exuberant stride, her paws veering into an awkward lumber. Her ruffled pelt poofed, plastering uncomfortably against her limbs, bloating into rowdy disarray. The faint humidity made her skin itch. And her fur tangled excessively. But that didn't matter anymore, as they settled together, her pelt pressing into her mother's velvety mane. It all melted away, warping as serenity enveloped them both. Reminiscence. She purred quite audibly at the queen's gentle lapping, akin to when she was a kit - Brindlepaw always treasured Breezebranch's company, and always would... forever, and ever!

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"Oh darling, you know I love you? Fidgets and all, my love." A purr encompassed the two, symphony of love and affection as the tortoiseshell pelts blurred together, green meeting amber in a loving embrace. Pure, unadulterated love flowed from both entities, overwhelming to those around them perhaps. A tender blink sent more affection and love than any amount of words could, and Breezebranch felt her heart swell with joy at Brindlepaw's goofy grin, her throat constricting at the innocent words in which tumbled from the beautiful mouth of her kit.

The goofy grin reminded her of a certain tom, whom she'd dearly loved. "Indeed, one could say your father is on a mission of sorts. He can't come home because he is always with us. I know he really wishes to meet you as well. He loves you all. While his heart belongs with us, his family, he was born a moor-runner. His spirit runs among the Stars, love. I don't know about ultra-robins, but I suppose StarClan must have good food sources, if their pelts shine like that." An intake of breath; a pause, before she continued. Her eyes saddened, darkened, as she looked down. "My little dove, your papa is no more. He is dead."

"Shortly before you were born, your father was killed by a rogue, protecting his apprentices, Fernpaw and Yewpaw. Yewpaw died as well, though Fernstep lives as a queen. Your father was WindClan. His name was Mudmask. And... And he was the most amazing tom in the forest. I loved him. And I mourned him greatly, not just for me, but for you all, as you never got to meet him. But don't worry; I know he is watching. Swiftbranch and Lilypaw met him at their Moonstone journeys. I have faith he'll see you, too, little one."

No doubt, her mind would be swimming with questions. Her little Brindlepaw, curious to the last drop, innocence spewing from her. Brindlepaw would question her until the questions couldn't come to her; needless to say, they would be here quite a while. "I know you must be bursting with questions. Ask away; anything your heart wishes to know, I will answer, honestly, and as best as I can." With that final murmur done, she gently licked the top of her mottled head, a purr in her throat, her tail never leaving her daughter's pelt.