Don't Let Me Fade Away [p]

[Galelight]

Fadingnight

Sunny couldn't help but fall back into his usual submissive demeanor as he walked along the border shared with Fireclan. With Moon shouting abuse into his ears, he had a hard time remembering what Thistlefang had said. He hadn't had dignity or confidence for more or less as long as Moon had existed. With hearing words putting him down thundering in his ears at all hours... It was hard to believe otherwise.

Especially here, where Moon's voice somehow intensified in volume and rage. He could hold him back alright, but with the scent of Fireclan filling his nostrils, it sparked Moon's violent anger. Unlike Sunny, Moon wanted revenge on Starry who was in Fireclan.

He sighed sadly.

[Fadingnight]

Fadingnight never actually new why she walked the Fireclan border when she did. Most of the time when she found herself upon the border she figured it was because she missed it. Maybe it was the slight regret about never having a relationship with her mother. Or possibly wanting to see how her kit was turning out, at least the one she knew was still around. There was also always her best friend, she hadn't seen Thistlefang in awhile, probably over three moons. But at the same time she hadn't seen Sunheart. The last time she had seen the ginger tabby had not been the best encounter, in fact, seeing him again scared her slightly.

But she continued along the border anyways, her jaw hanging open and drinking in all of the scents of her first home. She was particularly looking for any of the scents of her kin or close friends, but Sunheart's was the only one that crossed her. Stopping dead in her tracks she stood still as her heart dropped to her stomach. Looking over slowly she met the deep blue eyes of the first cat who wasn't her kin who she called friend.

[Galelight]

Unlike the last brief encounter, it was Sunny looking back at Starry, not Moon. You could always tell who it was by looking, even though his golden tabby stripes never changed. Moon was angry, confident, and cruel. It showed. The way he looked at others, the way he moved. Sunny's eyes were always sparkling. Whether it be with hope, hurt, or awe. It was clear to anyone that the threat was Moon, not Sunny. Sunny would never be a fighter. Not unless he could rid himself of Moon.

His eyes avoided Starry's, his entire demeanor screaming submission. He remembered Thistlefang tried to show him how he should stand to retain some dignity... But it was hard when you don't feel very dignified. He absentmindedly pawed at the ground. He waited for her to go first.

[Fadingnight]

He definitely looked hurt, that was both a plus and a factor that proceeded to rip the tabby's heart strings. This was not the same portion of Sunheart that she had experienced last time. This one was softer, not angry. Definitely the side he preferred to call Sunny, Moon seemed to have receded.

No words came from his jaws, the Treeclan cat merely stood there and pawed at the ground. Whatever he had done to get rid of his other side, it had obviously worked. So, she stepped forward, stopping just before the border as the rival clan's scent blew towards her. "Sunheart..." She mewed, trying to match his gaze, although he would not bring his eyes to meet hers. She didn't blame him at all, what she had done was abrupt, was without warning. Nothing was his fault, but it was her decision. "Can we talk? Sunny to Starry."

[Galelight]

Sunny lifted his head again. His ears twitched uncertainly upwards. Starry approached the border, just barely not crossing it. Then she spoke up. His eyes met her's as she spoke. She wanted to talk to him. He pawed at the ground one last time.

"U-Uhm... S-Sure..." He replied softly and nervously. "C-Can you j-just call me Sunny?" He asked uncertainly. He wasn't sure how she'd take it. As far as she knew, he was fairly sure he was fine with his name, Sunheart.

[Fadingnight]

Fadingnight paused for a minute after his stuttering reply, putting on a shy smile and she broke from her paused state and mewed a small, "Sure." Before she continued.

Sighing she sat down, letting her tail lay out behind her. At first she looked at her paws. Now covered in the raw soil of Fireclan, no longer the more watery and less barren soil of the forest. Pulling her gaze away from her paws she looked up at the tom. "I'm sorry." She started, her ears slowly folding back, finally letting her emotions show through after hiding them all this time. "I should've told you... I know I shouldn't have left so abruptly... it wasn't fair..."

The former Treeclan cat was having a hard time finding words. Not exactly knowing how to explain herself. She really hadn't thought the move through all that much. Just that her relationship with her mother and kits wasn't really going anywhere, and she had only really ever been close to her father. So of course, that was where she went.

[Galelight]

Sunny was glad his request was accepted. He managed a shy smile. Starry began to get comfortable and he flinched. He supposed they would be here for a bit. After a brief moment's hesitation, he awkwardly took his own seat right where he stood. He swallowed.

She was... Apologizing? She was apologizing for not telling him before she left. She seemed upset, which was uncharacteristic of her, she was not very outwardly emotional. Tears began to form at the corners of his ocean blue eyes.

"S-So... I-It's not m-me?" He asked, even as he choked back a sob.

Was it possible she had another reason for leaving?

[Fadingnight]

Wait... this entire time her poor former mate had thought that it was him that had made her leave...? Her heart sank even further now that she realized this, and agaain she looked towards her paws.

"No Sunny... no it was never you please don't think that." She began, feeling a little torn up now that she had let him go on thinking that. Fadingnight could just imagine how much Moon had been tearing the poor cat's mind and body apart with hatred. "I just needed to get out, see the side of my family that I was actually close to..."

[Galelight]

Sunny sniffed and he raised a forepaw to wipe away his tears from his ocean blue eyes. "O-Oh okay..." He replied softly. So... Moon was wrong? That was where most of his anger was based. Suddenly Moon fell quiet. Then he started muttering mutinously, though strangely for once, Sunny couldn't make out what he was saying. Moon always made a point to make sure Sunny knew what he was saying.

"S-So... A-Are you h-happy...?"

[Fadingnight]

Fadingnight was happy to know that he could finally know why she had left, that he could finally stop blaming it on himself. That just gave his alter ego all the power. Now that she was reassuring him of this she felt much better, although some stains of guilt still plagued her heart.

Nodding she replied to his last comment, "Yes... I am happy here. You know, besides the relentless sun and lack of trees." She purred, adding a little light to the conversation so it wasn't all negativity.

"How's Sunset?" The tabby mewed, asking randomly about her daughter.

[Galelight]

Sunny smiled sadly. "I'm glad you're happy there." He replied softly. He blinked at the sudden question. He wasn't sure how close exactly Starry had been to their remaining daughter, what with their other kits making a disappearing act.

"O-Oh..." He shifted his weight awkwardly. "D-Did you know she's k-kinda like me?" He asked, his stutter becoming slightly less intense. He wasn't sure if she knew of Sunsetshadow's voice. Honestly, he didn't know much about Sunnyset's voice aside from the fact that it clearly was not her better half, similarly to the voices of Sunny himself and Vixenleap.

[Fadingnight]

The ginger tom's reply didn't exactly answer her question, shrugging it off she smiled to herself before licking a paw and bringing it over her head. "Kind of like you? You mean Sunny and Moon right?" She replied, waving her tail behind her as she spoke, twitching back and forth when she mentioned the words Sunny and Moon. Kind of like she was using gestures to prove there were two sides.

"My craze haze kinda started to fade away with old age." Fadingnight mewed, thinking back to the old days when she would have the urge to kill everything and anything. And it wasn't just killing swiftly it was more like, slow death that really got her blood flowing. But for the mean time she actually felt what she called 'normal'.

[Galelight]

Sunny nodded quietly. He didn't know what to say to Starry's latter words. That apparently she wasn't crazy anymore? He supposed there was more than just borders separating them like this. Unfortunately, in made Moon's screeching even worse. He suddenly got a throbbing headache and out of reflex, he brought a paw up to his head. It was hard to hear anything but Moon's screaming.

It just hurt. All he could do was listen. He forgot what he was talking about. He forgot Starry was right there.

[Fadingnight]

When he didn't reply at first she didn't know exactly what to do or how to handle it. The original Fadingnight probably would've done something harsh and told him to stop being such a mousebrain. But for once in her life she actually felt this wonderful thing called compassion. It's like the heat of Fireclan had melted the ice off her heart.

"Sunny?" She mewed, getting lower so that if he casually lifted his head she would be able to see him and he would be able to see her. "You okay?"

[Galelight]

It didn't reach him. Sunny had practically fallen to the ground, clutching his head in his paws, trying to muffle sounds by covering his ears. But alas, Moon was not an external source of noise. His screaming and screeching made it impossible to hear anything else.