Daisydance gazed back toward her homeland, the constant buck and sway of the boat beneath her feeling like the turbulence inside her mind. A whirlwind of thoughts threatened to drown her and drag her down into the murky depths of the water. Her stomach turned uneasily as Zephyr's Anchor crashed through another wave. What few tales Daisydance had heard of the ocean and its gentle lull were nothing but lies. There was nothing peaceful in the miserable ship; this wild beast was no safer than the land she'd stood on when the volcano erupted. Lifting a paw to her face, the calico touched the burnt skin, shuddering in disgust. Her fur fell in patches across her body, singed by the unbearable heat that she had faced with the rest of WindClan. She was now laide -- ugly. Velvet-soft paws had been unable to carry her away from the fire fast enough. She'd stumbled and tripped, trampled under the paws over her Clanmates. She could hardly blame them, honestly. It was her fault she had hesitated in her hurry. One tiny pause to glance at the cats around her had sent her tumbling down. By the time she'd regained her senses, the smoke had already torn into her lungs. Here, on the boat, she could breathe. But that did not change the fact that she'd lost her beauty. Call her selfish, call her stuck-up, call her whatever you liked. Her pretty face had meant so much to her. And now it was gone. Perhaps only temporarily, perhaps not. Daisydance wanted to sink her claws into the faces of those around her, let them see how it felt. Was that proper, however? No. Instead, she just lifted her muzzle and kept her maw shut. Daisydance had lost a home before. Abandoned on the streets by a mother who had lost her mind. Three tiny kittens in an equally tiny box. Wildflowerspring had saved them. So, when she faltered during the flee towards the shore, it was to check that her beloved Father was running with them. She had longed to check for everyone else: for Coneflowerfaith and Dandeliondust; for Amorepaw; for Applehug and Parablecrown and Cantripflutter and all the other cats who made her feel welcome. There was no time. Watching the smoke rise from the abandoned land made Daisydance feel the tiniest bit relieved. Though she had no future in sight, at least she could wash her paws of her past. No more Mélusine haunting her memories. Guilt should have been clawing at her then -- how wrong to wish harm upon another! -- but it wasn't. Maybe she truly was selfish. Laide inside and out. The constant spray of salt-water burnt her fresh wounds, forcing her to turn and face her Clanmates. Tears rolled down her mangled face, but she did not blink them back. Let WindClan believe she was mourning the loss of her home, not the loss of her fur. She dared not imagine what would happen if it did not grow back -- waiting for it to heal would be painful enough. At least some of her Clanmates sported the same look.... Rising and padding through the weeping crowd, Daisydance made her way toward her assigned sleeping area. It did not feel like a home. Perhaps she would get to live under the open sky once the Clans reached the new lands. The dark of WindClan's tunnels had not been her preferred home. Though her paws would touch solid ground again soon, poor Daisydance would remain perdu en mer for a long time.
