Quote:
Originally Posted by Duskflight
{Sorry about the lateness!!}
A comfortable silence seemed to fall between the two as the leader took the time to rest, looking upwards at the sky, focusing on his own breathing and getting it back to the pace it should be at. He could see small puffs of vapor escape his mouth with each exhale he released, each one audible but given a few minutes they would be like any normal breath. The silence was broken by Shinefang muttering something that Grousestar didn't quite hear; the brown tabby looked over curiously but didn't press for him to say it louder. Perhaps it wasn't meant for him, perhaps those words were only meant to stay to him and him only, a slip of the tongue. But then, the medicine cat decided to speak up, the leader listening quietly, curious as to the wisdom that the tom might give him.
And when he heard, truly heard, what he was saying, he found himself agreeing. Looking back at his own life, aside from the quiet grieving for his missing brother, he longed to grow up all of his life. He was excited to be an apprentice, then he was eager to be a warrior, then he was eager to put more moons under his belt, hoping to one day be a senior warrior. Of course his path changed slightly when he was named deputy, and shortly after that, leader. It was never something he quite expected, but he had been eager for that next step in his life. The next goal. And now, sitting here, over 40 moons under his belt, he realized how rushed his life really did feel. There were moments in time where he felt it slowed, and those were prominent memories in his mind, but every other part of his life was a blur. And the thought saddened him. There was so much more to life than just rushing for the next goal, the next milestone. You just had to slow down to see it. "Very well spoken Shinefang." He murmured quietly, his head turning slightly, to look at the mostly frozen stream.
"I think I am getting to that point in my life, where I want things to slow down. There's not much of a goal to reach for. No next ceremony to look forward to, aside perhaps, of becoming an elder and retiring but I don't want to rush towards that. I want to slow down." |
(How dare you! Jk, life happens. School is kind of important
)
Shinefang listened to Skyclan's leader. There was nothing more to add. The younger tom was just getting his first taste of contentment and seeing how the flavor compared to the sharp tang of speed and longing for more and more that every cat spent his younger days chasing. The old tom wondered if the leader would look back on talks like this someday, and think of him as a wise old medicine cat spouting profound truths by a stream. He couldn't help but grin to himself.
Wise? Me? Even the smartest kitwit is still a kitwit. But never underestimate the power of hindsight to make you sound deep. Enjoying this time simply sitting quietly by the stream, Shinefang opted not to interrupt it until a particularly strong gust seemed to cut right through his fur. He shook out his pelt. "Well, maybe we ought to speed up just long enough to get back. You know,
before you catch cold." The old tom pulled his gaze away as he turned back toward camp, sorry to leave the view of the treetops against the sky, and the gentle whispering of the water under the ice. He turned back, checking to make sure the brown tabby was following.