H O N E Y W I S P
Every day, she could feel the tension between herself and Darktorrent. It felt like they were growing further and further apart and her heart ached with each passing moment. The fragile foundation between them was collapsing and the reality of it was almost too much for her to bear. I shouldn't have confessed, she scorned herself. She knew that there was a high possibility that Darktorrent would reject her feelings, either because he didn't feel the same that she did or because he felt he was unworthy of love, she didn't fully know. She would have carried the burden of one-sided feelings for eternity if it meant that she could have him even just as a friend- she didn't want to be without him at all. Honeywisp felt his absence like one missed the warmth of the sun in Leaf-Bare. It was almost worse than when he was creating a family with Sorrelember, because then she at least understood her place. A friend. A supporter. Someone who you would greet in passing from afar. Now, though- now, she felt less than that.
Initially when she had finally declared her feelings for the warrior, Darktorrent had reacted airily, as if he had thought it a joke. But the moment he realized that she was serious, dread befell his expression. Since then, he had quietly dismissed himself and had avoided her like Greencough at every opportunity. Today was no different, when she left the warrior's den to grab breakfast for the day and had run into the dark-furred tom, he avoided eye contact with her and went the other way. The round molly parted her jaws to say something, but she lost heart before any words came out. What more was there to say that hadn't already been said?
Honeywisp was feeling completely disheartened. Her paws felt weighted like lead when she forced herself to make her way towards Spottedkoi, who was assigning patrols for the day. "- Darktorrent, and Honeywisp." Her head jolted up at the sound of their names being listed together, she hadn't even been paying attention and she didn't know what the assignment was but the moment she heard that she would be put together with Darktorrent, her heart raced in anxiety and anticipation. Obediently, she headed towards the clustering group and as she did, she understood that they would be patrolling their borders to reinforce the scentlines to dissuade possible invaders. The thread Hawkstar gave them during the Gathering still held their hearts tightly, after all. The golden-and-white feline swallowed thickly, trying to keep a calm face under the reality of sharing a patrol with Darktorrent for the first time in a while.
However, when they left camp and began their duties for the patrol, nothing was different. The distance was still the same. It discouraged her of course, but somehow, deep down, Honeywisp found strength. She had been patient thus far and respected the space Darktorrent had put between them but at a certain point, she needed closure too. "Are we just going to avoid each other for the rest of our lives, or are we going to talk things out properly?" She asked him, her voice quiet and soft but garnering attention at the same time.