[lost]

The words Lostpaw said made Badgerpaw feel warm, happy, and welcomed. Wanted. Contented. His yellow hues sparkled as he looked at his friend, and he swallowed as an uncomfortable heat came over him. How could he say anything after that? What was there to say? I really like you. I think... I think I might even love you. I think I do love you. Those were the thoughts that came to mind. Tell her. Tell her now. Before it's too late, tell her. But it would never be too late for Badgerpaw. Because he would always put this off. Wait until the last possible moment to tell her how much she meant to him, if he would actually get around to it this time. Last time he had waited too long and he had lost her. He wouldn't lose her again. He couldn't. So he stood there, watching Lostpaw with his unspoken emotions shining in his yellow hues before he lowered his head and lightly touched his nose to her ear.

"You're welcome."

Somehow, it seemed appropriate, and Badgerpaw had to bite his lip to keep the rest of thoughts from tumbling out of his mind. Yet, some of them came anyways. The ones that he didn't keep carefully locked away where they wouldn't hurt him or her. "You're incredible, you know that? I mean... getting around the way you do, and being as smart and... and as p - pretty..." That word didn't slip out as easily. He felt as though he were choking on it, like it was going to kill him to compliment his best friend. This is what best friends did, though! They complimented each other! "You're just amazing." Now was not the time or place for Badgerpaw to suddenly decide to confess his adoration for his crush, but it seemed as though he might not get another chance.

If this rain were to claim them both, he would regret never getting to tell her how he felt. Bright yellow eyes stared at her for another moment before he kept close to her, his tail around her, helping her to move fowards through this frightening new territory. It was scary. The fact that they were going to a new Clan, a new territory, a new place... everything about it was scary. And Badgerpaw wasn't sure whether they would ever get there. Would the unforgiving waters wipe out an entire Clan? His yellow eyes shone with fear and worry as he looked up at the dark, hazy sky. Halestar and Goldeneye would get them there. He had to believe that, he had to believe that they would. They were going to be okay. They... had to be okay.

Lostpaw didn't reply to Badgerpaw, not quite knowing what to say to him. So instead she let a silence overcome them. Her focus went to moving through the flood. She noticed that it was growing easier to navigate, and a relief washed over her that they would soon be reaching RiverClan and be safe, at least for now. She wanted to say something, but no words came to her. So the silence continued as they moved throughout the territory.
Suddenly she seemed to process the last two words Badgerpaw had said, calling her amazing. Her head snapped towards him. Did he really say that, or was she just imagining things in the silence?
"Uh... Did.. did you say I was a amazing?" She felt awkward asking this, because then it meant she wasn't paying attention to him at all and that was wrong of her. "Sorry, I was listening, but... I didn't realize what you said until now. I was trying to focus on walking and uh... Sorry. I should have been paying attention to you."
She felt awful for asking if he had said what she thought, but that was the only way she knew to break the silence without trying to conjure some weird topic from the inner depths of her mind. Her face felt hot, and she flattened her ears a bit as she turned her head to face forward. She felt horrible for asking what he had said.
"Oh, did I ever tell you about two of my siblings? I don't remember them much, since they died when we were pretty young. But I had a brother and a sister and we got along really well. Toad, my brother, always kept mom's attention away from me since she always took her anger out on me. And Petal, my sister, she just told me all about the world. I didn't understand I was eyeless at the time, but I knew that I was lacking the ability to see. No one ever really told me I had no eyes until I was in ShadowClan for a while. But Toad and Petal got sick, and mom didn't try to take care of them so they passed on. After they died, I escaped as fast as I could. Life without them in that place was unlivable." Lostpaw had no idea when she started talking or why. She had no idea why she decided to share a part of her past that she never talked about before. But the words tumbled from her jaws and she didn't stop them. Badgerpaw deserved to know about her life.