- - - - - - - - - - ○ Drip. Drip. Drip. It was the closest sound a cat could get to the ticking of a clock. To the sound of time passing as he sat ever so still. Drip. Drip. Drip. Everything felt…muffled. Everything but the sound of time continuing to tick onward in those water droplets. Onwards, with one less cat to count down for. It had always been a thought so foreign, this day. This fated day. When Ghost had been named deputy all those moons ago, Bellflowercharm had been thrilled for his friend. When she had gone to become leader he couldn’t have been more proud of how far she had come from the loner he had met by a lake he could no longer recall the name of so long ago. Her leadership had certainly had its ups and downs. But she had pushed through. She had carried on, stronger than ever. Time had a tendency to strike when you didn't expect it. He knew that she had been older than him by a few moons, but with the added 9 lives, he had only assumed she would be the last leader he served under. Drip. Drip. Drip. He had long ago accepted that death was just a part of life and that those he cared for would one day be gone, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. He still felt heavy hearted as he grieved the loss of such a great cat. Of a great friend. He would carry on, though. As he always had. He would let himself grieve and then he would pick himself back up and keep going. Now Ghost had been wise. She had almost always been wise. She had left the clan to a strong, capable leader. One to follow in her footsteps and bring their clan to greatness. So, Bellflowercharm wasn't worried. He was optimistic for the future under Strongstar. With the passing of Ghost, it almost felt like the end of an era. There were fewer and fewer of them left, the cats who traveled the sea to bring these generations somewhere safe to live. They would be no more than stories soon enough. If he could be certain about a few things it was these; Ghost would be missed, her legacy safely secured. And most importantly? Time. Never. Stopped. Ticking. Drip. Drip. Drip. - - - - - - - - - - ○ Got some motivation and wrote this tonight. I'm not mad about it. I think the thoughts aren't too widespread? Hopefully it seems concise but I'm writing this at nearly 2am so I'm just hoping for the best. Thank you, Crow. Thank you for Ghost and thank you for you. You were and will continue to be amazing. <3 And for Emmi congrats on Strongstar!! Okay off to bed now. - - - - - - - - - - ○