Pass the Tea, Will You?

Sunset.

The time between dark and light, morning and nightime, pale blue and midnight purple. Yellow smudged against the blue surface red rippling under it. A pastel rainbow. Then the music began. It started with the crickets, chirping a lullaby. The owl provided the bass, hooting in low tones every four heartbeats. Clouds danced to the orchestra as a robin bid it's goodnight to the world, two baby bunnies curling together at their mother's side in an open overhang where they made their burrow, listening to the song of sunset. Whispers floated in the wind, carrying sweet echoes of goodnights and sleep-tights, sending every little creature into its burrows for the night.

One cat was up though leading a second through the trees in their moonly routine. "Lilypaw, I do believe the crickets are singer louder tonight than they did last moon." She mused, looking back at the tortoiseshell-tabby behind her. "After you." She gestured with her tail to their usual tree, one Breezebranch had climbed the day before with her other daughter, Swiftbranch.

Lilypaw smiled, and nodded. It was nice, just her and Breezebranch. The tortoiseshell she-cat started to scale the tall tree, leaping from one branch to another. She enjoyed it, climbing was one of her favorite things. Ever since her Moonstone, she had been yearning to tell her mother about her encounter, but the right time had never happened. Now would be perfect! As soon as her mother joined her, she would explain it.

Breezebranch scaled the tree easily, expertly, only resting once she reached the top. "Isn't sunset just beautiful?" She mewed, breathlessly as she stared at the pale rainbow colored sky, the sun dipping below the horizon at its center. "Swiftbranch and I watched sunrise yesterday, the starlings, cardinals, robins, and kestrels sang together wonderfully, much like the owls and crickets now, but much more upbeat. The crickets prefer lullaby tones." The broad tortoiseshell-tabby mused, easing her muscles as she watched the clouds dance across the sky.

The apprentice smiled, sitting next to her mother. ”So beautiful.” she paused for a moment, before turning to the warrior. ”I know I’m not supposed to tell you this, but I talked to Mudmask. He said that he misses all of us, and he wanted to tell you that he loves you.” she said, recalling when she had met her father.

With a small 'mrrow' of surprise, Breezebranch turned to face Lilypaw, her relaxed stature going rigid. "You met Mudmask? Cheeky furball, figures he'd tell you to break a couple rules," She mused, chuckling at the thought. "Even in StarClan." After a couple heartbeats, her eyes softened, and she looked at Lilypaw with a look filled with such longing and love.

"Mudmask met with Swiftbranch as well. I think he's made it his goal to meet you all, I'm glad. You all deserve to meet him, he's wonderful, isn't he? So much like you." The she-cat meowed, thoughtful as she wrapped her tail around her daughter.

Lilypaw smiled. ”Really! I love him...I wish he was alive.” her gaze turned downwards sadly. Looking back up, she asked. ”How did he die?” she remembered being told he died...but she didn’t know how.

"Amberberry, a WindClan cat, told me he was dead at a gathering- do you remember? It was your first gathering, and I said we were going to meet someone very important- she told me that a couple of rogues had ganged up on him and his apprentices, Fernpaw and Yewpaw, and he told them to run while he handled them. They... They murdered him and Yewpaw, because she refused to let them get away with killing her mentor. Fernpaw got away safely, but badly injured, though." Breezebranch explained, a somber and sad tone filling her voice as she gazed upward towards the sky, three starry warriors barely visible in the brightness of sunset.

Mudmask, is that you and Yewpaw up there? Is Spottedoak with you? She wondered/

Lilypaw nodded. At least he had died honorably, like a warrior. But really...she wanted to have met her dad. As a living cat. She supposed she had met him in Starclan, and it was is similar and all, but it wasn’t the same. ”I...well, I’m sorry about everything with Smoke.” she said. She hadn’t had a fantastic time when he was kicked out, that’s for sure. She felt responsible for everyone’s feelings of fear and sadness.

"Oh, sweetheart, that wasn't your fault." Breezebranch mewed, a stern tone in her voice. "Mistakes will happen, you'll fall down, but you just have to get back up. As your mother, I will always help you back up. So will your littermates." She assured her, resting her fluffy tail on Lilypaw's shoulder.

Lilypaw smiled, feeling reassured by her mother. ”I miss him...but I feel like I’ll never see him again.” she mewed, her breathing slowly down to a relaxed pace.