Part 1: Memories “You’re back, mr seacat!” The seacat from the night before appeared before the young two moon old Fire-Lilykit, a calm and patient smile upon his face as she bounded through the grassy clearing towards him. “I didn’t think you’d come! I.. I thought it was just a dream.” Flily meowed. “Well.. It was a dream, and so is this.” The seacat responded, a twinge of… Something to his timbre, but what it was, Fire-Lilykit couldn’t quite make it out. Whatever it was, it was gone as the seacat returned to Fire-Lilykit another smile. “But dreams.. Can be dreamed again.” He said. “So, Fire-Lilykit.. What would you like to dream of tonight?” “I get to choose?!” Fire-Lilykit gasped, her tiny downy wings fluttering. “But I thought you couldn’t choose dreams!” “Well.. These are *special* dreams, little one.” The seacat purred. “And in special dreams, we play special games with *special* little kits.” Fire-Likykit gave a small giggle as the seacat tapped a paw to her nose. “So, Fire-Lily.. What will it be?” … “Keep your posture tall, but make sure your shadow doesn’t hit the edge of the water, or else you’ll spook all the fish away.” The seacat, Epi, meowed as he and a three moon old Fire-Lilykit sat by the edge of a pond, the dreamscape around them quiet other than the chirrups of crickets and the ribbits of frogs. “Like this?” The kit asked, mimicking the way he sat while Epi gave a small chuckle. “Yes. Like that. Now, when you see a fish, you-“ “There’s one!” Before Epi could respond the kit already dove into the water, startling the seacat to stand. “Fire-Lilykit?!” He yelped, and let out a breath of relief as she resurfaced, surprisingly with a small fish wriggling in her jaws. “Well.. I suppose that’s certainly one way to do it.” He chuckled. “You’re oddly good at it too, you sure you’re not part seacat?” “Nah, that’s your thing, Epi.” Fire-Lilykit snorted as she pulled herself out of the pond, shaking out her fur and feathers. “Besides, how could I possibly be part seacat? I’ve never even met one.” Something in Epi’s smile faltered at that. “Ah…” … “Epi!” The sound of three paws pattering against the earth sounded in the clearing as Fire-Lilykit, four moons of age, bounded up to the seacat, practically barreling into the blue tom. “Woah!” Epi laughed, pretending to stagger back dramatically before settling onto his hindquarters. “Careful now, firelight, you’re nearly getting big enough to knock me over.” “Psh- yeah right. I’m the smallest cat in falconclan, doubt it.” Flily snorted. “And I’m not a falconcat, remember? I’m-” “Yeah yeah, I know, you’re a *seacat*.” The young hybrid interrupted with a roll of her eyes. “Don’t you sass me young lady” Epi replied, but the lack of any real heat and the faint trace of mirth behind his tone told Fire-Lilypaw that he was far from mad at her, so the kit’s lips curled into a teasing, coy smirk. “Whaaaaat? Me? Sass you? Please, when have *I* ever sassed *anyone*?” “Do you really want me to answer that question?” “Uh, it was rhetorical, bassfin.” “Language, firelight,” Epi chuckled with a raise of his brow, “and I don’t believe that quite fits the definition… Now then, what will we do tonight?” … “I don’t think my mom likes me all that much.” Flily watched as Epi blinked, looking down to the five moons kit in surprise. “No? Why do you think that?” “Because…” Fire-Lilykit mumbled, shuffling her wings at her sides. “She.. Found another kit recently. Silverkit.” Something in the kit’s gaze darkened at the name. “I’ve never seen her so.. Happy.” A pause. “..She’s never looked at me the way that she looks at him. Like.. He’s the most perfect thing to have ever existed. And then there’s me. Her.. Flawed, imperfect daughter…” Fire-Lilykit dug her claws into the dirt and grass, the same soft dew-covered grass of the same dreamscape they always were in. “If how she looks at Silverkit is what love is.. Then what do you call how she looks at me? Maybe she doesn’t.. Maybe I don’t deserve it..” Fire-Lilykit fell silent, before she slowly felt Epi’s tail curl around her, pulling her closer to his side. “Well, I say that’s her loss.” Epi meowed, a small yet slightly sad curl gracing his lips. “She doesn’t see the Fire-Lilykit *I* see.” Fire-Lilykit found herself leaning into his side, his pelt cool to the touch, like always, yet a thousand times warmer than anything she got in the waking world.
… “So, Fire-Lily*paw* now, hm?” Epi hummed with a smile as a 6 moon old Fire-Lilypaw came up to him, her face twisted into a sulking frown that made the seacat’s own smile slowly wane. “...What’s.. What’s wrong?” “What’s *wrong*? Oh I’ll *tell* you what’s **wrong**!” Fire-Lilypaw huffed, plopping down. “What’s wrong is that Darkstar gave me the WORST mentor!” “Oh.. Did she now?” Epi blinked. “What’s wrong with them? Are they unkind to you?” “No!” Fire-Lilypaw hissed. “That’s the problem! They’re the nicest cat in the dang clan!” Epi blinked, his brow twisting into confusion. “Then… What’s the problem…?” Fire-Lilypaw rolled her eyes. “The PROBLEM, is that now I have a goody two-paws optimist as a mentor named *Sunsetcourage* that believes that all problems can be fixed with the MaGiC oF fRiEnDsHiP or whatever.” Epi let out a small snicker at that, shaking his head lightly. “Now firelight, don’t you think you’re being a *little* harsh?” “I don’t think I’m being harsh enough. In fact, I’m being quite civil about this.” “Mhm. Sure.” Epi hummed, tapping his tail on the ground. “...Tell you what, promise me to at least *tolerate* your mentor… And if she’s *really* that bad, I’ll teach you some things too.” Fire-Lilypaw raised a skeptical brow at that. “Really? What can you teach me?” “Wow. Rude.” Epi scoffed, but by his tone it was easy to tell he didn’t take offense to Fire-Lilypaw’s blunt comment. “Well, I taught you to fish and swim, didn’t I? And a bit of a hunter’s crouch, though we… Didn’t get very far on it… I say that’s a pretty good track record, hm?” “But this isn’t even *real*.” “It doesn’t have to be.” Epi meowed. “You’re still learning them.” “..I *guess*.” Fire-Lilypaw relentless with a mumble. “..Fine. I’ll *tOlErAtE* her for now as you so eloquently put it.” She sighed as Epi snaked his tail around the smaller cat to pull her closer to his side. “That’s the spirit.” Epi purred. “Now then, with *that* settled, how about we put these blues aside and have some fun tonight, hm?” … “-And then I glided down the mountain to the barrens!” A seven moon old Fire-Lily chattered while Epi listened on in poorly veiled horror. “You- You went to the *barrens*?? Firelight that’s-.. That was *incredibly* dangerous-!” “Oh quit your fussing Epi.” Fire-Lily scoffed. “What are you, my dad? Hah…” She snickered, though her face settled into a more pensive expression after the words left her mouth. “..It *was* pretty scary, I guess.” Fire-lilypaw mumbled. “I could imagine so.” Epi returned with a meow. A silence fell over the two, as the hybrid and the seacat sat in the dreamscape clearing, listening to the chirp of crickets as the night breeze blew through their fur. “...Y’know..” Fire-Lily spoke up, a break the quiet that caught the other’s attention. “I.. Don’t think anyone actually even cared that I went missing for a week. I mean, Sunsetcourage *said* she did, but also she’s, like.. My mentor. I feel like she just was scared she’d get into trouble with Darkstar because I was gone.” “...Fire-Lilypaw, why are you so determined to believe that no one cares about you?” Epi meowed, and a silence fell over the two once more. “...Because I don’t deserve to be loved.” Fire-Lilypaw said, tone hollow, almost resigned sounding. “Because I’m an awful cat, and when others finally realize that, I’ll just drive them away. It’s gonna happen.. I *know* it is.. So why pretend?” Epi opened and closed his mouth several times, as if trying to find the words, and coming up with nothing every time till he finally spoke again. “..Well, you haven’t driven away that little friend of yours. Water-Lilypaw, was their name? You two are quite close. They care about you, and from how much you talk about them, you care about them as well it seems- now don’t even try to deny it to me.” Fire-Lily’s mouth, opened to retort or deny, shut with an audible click and a sigh as she looked away. “...And you haven’t driven away me.” Epi said after another moment, earning a slight turn of the apprentice’s head. “And you won’t. Because *I* care about you, Fire-Lilypaw. And no matter what happens, no matter *what* you do, that won’t change. And I will *always* be here for you.” “...Yeah, sure. You’ll eat those words one day, Seacat.” “No, I won’t.” “...Heh.” Fire-Lilypaw’s shoulders hitched with a small, mirthless chuckle, before she turned and shoved her face into Epi’s side. “...Sometimes I wish you were real.” The young cat mumbled through Epi’s fur. “That’s way you could be my dad..” “...” Epi sat there, but other than curling his tail tighter around the younger cat, there was no response. But if one were to look closely, maybe his guilt would be apparent… Part 2: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1238425608/
