swarmswirl
not a plant can grow
Swarmswirl isn't sure when they got to the river - if it was a quick walk in silence or if she wandered with Starlitpath trailing after her. All she knows is that eventually, the cool water splashes against her paws, and she finds herself present again. Her throat is still hoarse, and she feels she may croak like a frog if she tries to speak at all, but that doesn't stop the subtle, "Oh," that leaks from her maw. The river does well to sweep away the fresh ichor she's been drenched with, but much of what isn't hers has dried and crusted into her already dark fur.
After a longer moment yet, Swarmswirl seats herself at the water's edge. Her eyes flick over to Starlitpath who, surprisingly, has decided to act like an anchor for the time being. It'd be too easy to return to their usual snide banter - and perhaps, in some ways, the tortoiseshell grows greedy for the drops of normalcy it would provide for her. But instead, the warrior tilts her gaze away again, uncertain of what she wants at all. It's so sudden, but it feels as if her world has been mashed beneath some muddy paws. It's unfair. Starlingtrail shouldn't fear being a widow, the kittens shouldn't fear losing a parent.
"What happens if she doesn't live?" Swarmswirl asks. Her voice is terse, but not angry. It just... is. "I would... I would..." be without a sister, yes - but there's more important bonds that would be severed. Her jaw tenses, "My kin... they'd need me more, wouldn't they?" Another pause. She finds her jaw hurting but she can't loosen the hinge at all. "I'm here... washing her blood off of my paws instead of - being there, where they need me. I don't... I don't..." she trails off, uncertain what more there is to say.
@starlitpath
After a longer moment yet, Swarmswirl seats herself at the water's edge. Her eyes flick over to Starlitpath who, surprisingly, has decided to act like an anchor for the time being. It'd be too easy to return to their usual snide banter - and perhaps, in some ways, the tortoiseshell grows greedy for the drops of normalcy it would provide for her. But instead, the warrior tilts her gaze away again, uncertain of what she wants at all. It's so sudden, but it feels as if her world has been mashed beneath some muddy paws. It's unfair. Starlingtrail shouldn't fear being a widow, the kittens shouldn't fear losing a parent.
"What happens if she doesn't live?" Swarmswirl asks. Her voice is terse, but not angry. It just... is. "I would... I would..." be without a sister, yes - but there's more important bonds that would be severed. Her jaw tenses, "My kin... they'd need me more, wouldn't they?" Another pause. She finds her jaw hurting but she can't loosen the hinge at all. "I'm here... washing her blood off of my paws instead of - being there, where they need me. I don't... I don't..." she trails off, uncertain what more there is to say.
@starlitpath