"Plumstorm! And SPIDERSTORM WOOO!! YOU ROCK!" After the initial excitement died down and the meeting moved on, Baypaw was left confused. Should they be happy or sad? Both at the same time? Two cats had just become warriors but two cats had also died. At any normal meeting, they would've bounced up to their friend Spiderstorm and thrown a makeshift celebration party, but that wouldn't be right in this case.
So, they drifted over to the two fallen felines along with the rest of the clan. Cats were grieving and giving small speeches of tribute, but sadness was just something they'd never had to feel before. Everything in their life up to this point had been sunshine and rainbows, so this new wave of emotion hit them like a brick. It wasn't an overwhelming sadness, but seeing everybody else so downcast made them feel rather upset too. And they hadn't even really known Fawnsqueak or Lionstorm that well, so they could only imagine the heartbreak some of these cats were experiencing.
Ultimately, they decided it would be best if they didn't get too close. They didn't want to get in the way of cats who were truly lamenting these losses, instead opting to sit in solemn silence and think of the dearly departed from afar.
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Triumph and tragedy back to back. An interesting end to the meeting. For Berryscorch, grief was the overpowering emotion in this scenario. As much as the two new warriors deserved to be celebrated, cheerfully chanting their names didn't feel quite right when the one they were named in honor of lay dead mere tail-lengths away.
When a space opened up for her to pay her respects, she briefly crouched down in front of Lionstorm. Did she consider herself as having been "close" to him? No. Yet her fondest memories had occurred back under his leadership, whether they'd involved him or not. She would never forget the way the clan had thrived or the opportunities he'd given her. And even during the more rebellious moons of her apprenticeship, she'd always secretly looked up to his vigorous personality. "May you rest in peace. You will be greatly missed." Her voice came out as a mild whisper as she silently withdrew to allow someone else to pay their respects.
As for Fawnsqueak... despite having known about him since kithood, she didn't really know him. Couldn't even remember whether they'd ever actually interacted. But, of course, the other tom deserved to be mourned and remembered as well. This time, she didn't crouch beside the body, instead taking a few moments of silence from a few tail-lengths away. She didn't want to disturb those who'd known him a little better. After all was done, the molly paced off to a quiet corner of the clearing, her mind lost in thoughts of sorrow and reflection.