Previous Part: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1334981834/ [CONTENT WARNINGS: This SRP features a variety of topics, such as depictions of depression, grief, mentions of child loss, injury and death/near death experience.] ... “…I don’t belong here. I don’t deserve to be here. I don’t want to be here.” Wlam meowed. “I was a good cat. I am a good cat. And I am a loyal member of Falconclan… So if this is truly the end of my life.. Then I will go where I belong. With my ancestors in Starclan.” A quiver came from the fire lily. Before it retreated into the void with a ripple… … And in its place, emerged another flower. A blanket flower. Wildfirelament blinked, before she touched the flower. It did not disappear like the others, instead, a trail of them bloomed, illuminating the darkness around them. Wlam followed it, no hesitation in her stride. Wildfirelament followed the trail for what felt like hours. Or then again, perhaps it was only seconds. But soon, the void around chirp began to brighten. Growing brighter and brighter and brighter.. Until the light ahead grew near blinding, and the deputy screwed their eye shut before marching straight into the bright… … …They were in Falconclan. That was the first thing Wlam noticed as her vision came back into focus, and the hybrid stumbled out of a clump of thickets. Well.. Not really Falconclan? Obviously falconclan, with the way she was on a forested cliff face overlooking the majesty of the mountain range, but Wlam had been in enough dreamscapes to clock it as that, a dreamscape. …Wait- dreamscape..? Wildfirelament’s gaze zeroed in on a spot near the ledge of the cliff. …Where there sat a figure that made the hybrid’s heart jump in chirp’s throat. …A wedgewood blue seacat, back facing towards them, tail curled around and over his paws, messily braided fur and fins swaying in the quiet, tranquil breeze. “..Dad..?” The seacat tom froze, going utterly rigid. And his head quickly turned to face Wildfirelament. ..Turquoise. His eyes.. They were turquoise. “..Firelight..?” And his meow was just the way Wlam remembered it. Wildfirelament stared at Krakenvirtue. And Krakenvirtue stared right back. Neither spoke. Not for a long while. ..But in the end, there didn’t seem to be words that needed to be said. Wildfirelament moved first, racing across the cliffside as Kraken turned towards them, and chirp practically threw talonself to the seacat. “I-I never thought I would see you again.” Wlam sniffled, burying their scarred face into Krakenvirtue’s shoulder as his tail pulled her closer to him. “...Neither… Neither did I...” So long. So, so long had it been… And yet, in that moment, it was like nothing had ever changed at all. “..I’m sorry.” Wildfirelament murmured. “For.. For everything. For all that I said, I-“ “Shh.. Shh.. No. No no. Don’t apologize.” Kraken cut them off gently, running a paw up and down the feathers on the hybrid’s back. “You have nothing to apologize for.. The blame is entirely with me.. I never should have.. Lied to you, the ways in which I did.” “You had a reason to.” Wlam countered. “And that still doesn’t make it right.” Another long moment of silence. “..No more lies then. No more secrets. From either of us.” Wlam murmured quietly, wiping their face with a paw. “No. No more.” Kraken replied. And after another beat of pause. (Cont)
(Cont) “..I missed you.” The seacat’s voice cracked, his hold on the cat he had grown to call his own tightening. “I missed you so.. So much..” “I missed you too.” Wildfirelament murmured, breath hitching with a poorly bitten back sob. “..But. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up now.. Won’t we..?” Krakenvirtue paused, looking down at Wlam with confusion. “Whatever does that entail?” Now it was Wildfirelament’s turn to be confused. “I’m.. I’m dead.. Aren’t I..?” “Oh..” Kraken blinked, before he quickly shook his head. “No no- well.. Not *yet*. **Dying**, yes. But **deceased**? Well.. You haven’t gotten *quite* that far yet, fledgling.” “I’m.. Does that mean I’ll live?” Wildfirelament looked to Krakenvirtue with a hopeful glitter in their eyes that made the tom hesitate, before he sighed. “... I… Don’t know.” He meowed honestly, before he turned his gaze out over to the mountains of the dreamscape. “That.. Is entirely out of the paws of Starclan at the moment..” The hope in the deputy’s eyes dimmed. “Oh.. I.. I see. Of course..” The hybrid murmured with a sigh, glancing away as well, quiet for a few moments before speaking and looking back over. “…Then.. Can we stay here for now..? Until it’s time for me to either go home or.. Go..?” Krakenvirtue looked back over to Wlam, and with a bittersweet yet warm smile he nodded. “Of course, of course..” He said as he settled into a loaf, tapping his tail on the ground in motion for Wildfirelament to sit. “I believe we have lots to catch up on, after all… For now, would you like to hear how your son is doing?” Fresh tears sprang into Wlam’s eye, and with a shuttering breath she settled next to Krakenvirtue, wiping their face with talon’s paw. “Y-Yes.. I would love that..” … Wildfirelament was far from perfect. Even now, after all of it. The things she had loved, lost, fallen and risen from. Every mistake that chirp had ever made, all the more that talon was bound to make. But it didn’t worry them anymore. Let the future come, and all the ways that it will inevitably hurt her. Knock them down and pull the wind right out from under their wings. Because Wildfirelament had faith. That each time she tripped and staggered, every time life pulled the earth out from under chirp’s paws, it was to teach them to find a way to rise up once more, stronger than before. Talon wasn't perfect, she never would be. Wildfirelament still had so, so much to learn, but that was alright. Right now, chirp was just happy to be right where they were. They had all the time in the world. … End! Thank you all so much for reading, this SRP and the conclusion of the character arc I started nearly a year ago is very near and dear to me. Especially big thank you to all the cats mentioned in the rp for being such major parts of Wlam's life <3
