Private Thread Barnyard Bargain

A little bit of elegance never goes out of style
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The afternoon had grown warm enough that even Monty had taking an oppertunity... He trotted back to the barn, his fur darkened where the pond water dampened it still. His whiskers were still damp and every few steps he gave a flick of a paw.

The old tom rounded the corner of a hedgerow and was halfway around when he spotted the flame point she-cat. "Basilflame?" His surprise melted almost immediately and approached her with his tail held high in greeting. His concern for her had only increased when he heard what was happening in WindClan.

"I'm glad to see you." He glanced down at his paws before he met her gaze again. "I heard you'd been through hard days. Emberdawn passed along your Clan's sorrows... and he was kind enough to carry my thanks to you."

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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Basilflame's ears pricked as the tom approached, half drenched in pond water, but there none-the-less. "Emberdawn kept his word." She replied, giving Monty a few licks across his pelt, ruffling his fur the opposite way of where it naturally flowed to dry is faster. "It dried faster when its ruffled the opposite way." She purred softly before working on the rest of his damp pelt. It had been some time since she had last seen Monty, if she was being honest with herself, she missed the company and was happy to see him again, evident in her purring.

"It's been a while, how have you been? The barn treating you well, Monty?" She asked politely, flicking her tail for a moment before leaving the ruffled fawn fur to dry in the sunlight with a soft chuckle to herself. "It works better on kits I suppose." She snorted out a chuckle "It reminds me of little pinecones when their fur is all ruffled." she spoke again, almost giggling to herself at the thought, pinecone kits, only she could come up with something like that. "I wonder if the longer the fur is, the larger the little pinecone 'bristles' are!" she chirped lightly.

Basilflame then flanked his side, not pressing herself against him, but standing as a steady presence, there one moment, and gone the next, but always returning, like the sunrise and sunset, Monty simply took the time to admire it, and she would thank him silently for that. Or perhaps... in another way. She chose not to mention the reasons for her grief, it wasn't important to him, just... WindClan issues.

A little bit of elegance never goes out of style
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As Basilflame fussed over him, Monty remained still even as he leaned into her actions. A soft rumbling purr escaped him despite himself. "So that's the trick - Two is better than one.And here I was letting the sun do all the work." Once he looked comically fluffed he laughed.

He couldn't remember how long it had been, really. Each day blended evenly into the next as routine settled into his new life. He wandered less and remained where the company was pleasant and the cushions were soft. "The barn has been kind with enough pidgeons for company should I not have a cat to speak to."

"It's been more lonely without a certain warrior keeping tabs on me...." He mumbled with an airy jest before his voice lowered. "Basilflame, have you ever looked at your reflection in the water? Your fur, every scar...the water reflects everything about you, but it's only surface level. A single drop can ripple out and ripple far and give you depth - I think you've become my ripple."

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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Basilflame's smile faltered a little when he mentioned that he felt lonely when she wasn't checking up on him, she supposed that the loss of Aspenberry and Cedarpaw took a big toll on both herself and the clan. But that didn't stop her from feeling guilty. "I'm sorry... a lot has just been happening, I lost two very important cats to me. I failed to protect my apprentice from being taken away by twolegs... and my foster sister, Aspenberry... she died a couple of moons ago." Basilflame didn't specifically share how Aspenberry had died, as much as she wanted it, it wasn't her place. "The cause has been vanquished though. The clans are safe from that." She added, trying to uplift the mood a bit.

Her thoughts of grief melted away slowly as Monty began to weave a scenario and that poetic way of his. Her ears perked with interest, talk of water, reflection, depth... it wasn't somethin she had really thought about beyond the surface of it. "I'm honored to have made such an impact on you, Monty. Truly." She replied, suddenly, the tips of her ears felt red with embarrassment, she knew why, the question still ebbed away at her mind, but she put a smile on, an awkward one, at that.

"You've made quite the pawprint in my life too. One wouldn't notice a pawprint in the ground at first but after a while of stepping on that path, you start to notice that the path is becoming more open, as if marked by the steps you make. Funny, how that happens. Your like that... metaphorical path. I didn't realize how important and prominent you'd be in my life until now." She stopped when she noticed that she was rambling, she wondered if her metaphor made as much sense as Monty's probably not, he was much better at those than she was, but the question still rested stubbornly in the back of her mind.

A little bit of elegance never goes out of style
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Monty's smile faded with hers as she spoke of the losses of her Clan and to her heart. "I'm sorry, Basilflame." No grand speech came after, but he meant every word. "You didn't fail...A cat can do everything right and still lose someone special..." Life had a cruel habit of not making it easy. "

Pawprints came and went, but if only Basilflame knew the extent of it. He settled in his coat, pleased that her attention was having an effect on the dryness of his coat. Yet he was still feeling heavy as the tips of his warmed even hotter. "The barn is treating me well...but....It never made me hope for tomorrow." He slid a paw over the grass, tickling the strands as he inhaled slow.

Holding a breath as he blinked up at the sky. For once he felt at a loss for words wondering how she would take it.

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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Basilflame's ears lowered when Monty spoke of having little hope for tomorrow. Her heart broke for him, truly, the fluffy, creamy-coated she-cat then pressed her muzzle onto Monty's shoulder, a gesture that she hoped would be considered comforting "No cat should feel that way." Basilflame replied, rubbing her face against Monty's shoulder before lifting her head to face him.

Her mind went back to the hypothetical kits again, for some, it gave toms some purpose, reason to look forward to something, the continuation of a bloodline, perhaps... the question that had been sitting in the back of Basilflame's mind could assist in Monty's dilemma, at least slightly, something in the future to look forward to. "I was thinking about the future recently actually. Perhaps..." For a moment, Basilflame was silent, in a search for the right words.

"I may have a question that could change that for you." he replied softly, unsure if it would sound like a proposition or something to be forced on Monty, she didn't wish for it to be something that she forced onto him, but rather, something she would politely request. "If you would like to hear it, of course. You'd be allowed to decline."

A little bit of elegance never goes out of style
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Monty closed his eyes as Basilflame rested her muzzle against his shoulder. The gesture was so simple...and everything folded in this moment their shared. Two cats from different worlds. Without realizing, Monty found himself purring as he blinked in apology. "I didn't mean...Not that I have no hope." He was grateful for everything the Madam had done for him, and that of her kin.

Their presence was a balm at the best of times. Instead his eyes met hers. "I only meant...it's easier to look forward to tomorrow when you know someone might be waiting there." With a chuckle and a casual nuzzle into the she-cat he continued.

"You've given me a reason to wander the borders between us...Moreso than the scenery." Whenever he felt pulled towards WindClan, which was frequent enough to warrant a path between the bushes, he found himself wishing to run into her.

Then something in her voice seemed to change...but Monty was vigilant to it. "Then...Go on." He dipped his head ever so slightly to try and seem not so serious as her tone may have conveyed.

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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Well... here goes everything. With a sigh, Basilflame opened her maw to speak, no words came for a moment before she took another deep breath to compose herself, of course now was the time that her nerves were getting the better of her. "Monty, I know you have your own life at the barn, with your 'Madam', I know you admire me and the life I live... I've also been thinking of the future of my clan." She began, hopefully this didn't sound like she was rambling about nothing.

"With the rogue gone, and... so so many changes happening soon, I'd like to ask you something important." She finally spoke, her voice nervous, but certain. She wanted this, as risky as it was. "Part of a she-cat's duty to the clan could mean... baring a litter for the clan to continue its survival." She added... now she was rambling, perhaps to avoid the question itself, but there shouldn't be a lot of formality behind it, the act itself wasn't exactly formal. 

Her paws shivered for a moment and she shook her head, as if trying to rid her mind of the nerves. "What I'm trying to say is... I've been thinking of having kits for a little while now, among the possible risks, I'd like to have them for WindClan... and I've thought... about you..." her paws shuffled awkwardly, she knew the clans view on mating and kits, but what of Monty's? Was it a more formal affair to him? Or was it something else entirely? Only one way to find out. "I was hoping you would sire them. If that would be something to take your interest. If not that's okay too! You don't even have to answer right away, I'm not trying to rush this on you... it's a big ask, I know."

"I just thought... you might be interested is all. I like you, Monty, and I'd like my kits to carry your traits, perhaps knowing you have offspring to live a life you can't could wonder a little more about tomorrow, As well as myself taking a part of you back with me to the clans." She stated, she worried that her speech had overall been to much for the older tom, but deep down, she hoped that she had explained herself enough for him to understand her perspective. Hopefully.

A little bit of elegance never goes out of style
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Monty mouth opened once, then closed again with an almost embarrassed chuckle once he was sure that she was being sincere. "Basilflame...I never imagined any cat would trust me with somethin' so precious."

His chest swelled with a slow, uneven breath. "Well...I. I'd be honored." Emotion caught in his throat. Monty blinked rapidly before offering her the gentlest smile he could manage. He stepped closer until only a whisker's breadth separated them and he lowered his head. "I won't pretend I know your Clan traditions...or what StarClan might think of an old barn cat, but from my travels to Italy they'd place a paw over their heart and offer it to the one they cherished."

For a moment his gaze drifted to the barn in the distance, but it quickly returned to her."It means...my heart goes with you."He drew a breath, his voice catching slighelt in his throat."So...Yes. I think you've given me far more than a reason to wonder about tomorrow."

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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"A paw over the heart, then gifting that love to another, the cats of this Italy place must be magnificently poetic like you are, Monty." For a moment, Basilflame hesitated to move further, but her expression softened "For us clan cats, we show we care by doing things a lot less... poetic." She added with a soft, almost amused chuckle. "We are many and are there for one another, there needs to be trust or we will all fall apart. But that doesn't mean that I don't treasure every life I meet. 'Old barn cats' included." 

"As for affection," Basilflame purred softly, rubbing herself against Monty's side, gentle as anything so that he was free to pull away if he wished and firm enough that if he leaned, she wouldn't tumble. "Sharing tongues works fine for a lot. But some of us tend to take a more physical approach, I think both are valid." She added softly, she then looked down at her belly, her plain old belly, it never made sense to glance down at it in longing so often, but now that Monty had accepted her offer, it warmed her heart to imagine the growth of life, sustaining living beings and raising them into warriors for her Clan, their Clan.

Perhaps, she was thinking too far ahead however, she let out a soft chuckle to herself. "I'm glad... glad you would do something like this for me, Monty. You don't know how much this means to me, and to WindClan." She added, she loved her clan as much as any other, WindClan always came first, but her loyalty never stopped at her choice of sire. "For that, I thank you."

A little bit of elegance never goes out of style
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Monty's purr deepened as Basilflame brushed against his side. The contact was soft, gentle, but ultimately tangible. Eyes lowering behind their lashes he chuffed warmly. "So that's how WindClan does it... I reckon I could learn."

He could only imagine what she was thinking; a bittersweet sort of happiness that he wasn't so sure he could share with her. "They'll be WindClan cats. Strong...Kind because of you." His voice was quiet, but carried no regret. He heaved a small sigh against her, the length of his tail resting over her flank. "They don't need to know my name. I just want what's best for you...For them."

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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At Monty's words, Basilflame's choice felt more and more like the right one, she had already spoke with Boldclaw about the litter, he accepted, in spite of the shock he displayed about it. And now that Monty had, her heart felt warm, full, kits or no kits, she knew that she would be able to trust both with something so precious as new life. It made her swell with that type of affectionate warmth that made cats feel like they belonged, it felt nice.

"They'll be loved in WindClan, you can also love them from a distance, even if the farmhouse side of their parentage is left unknown. I'll know. I'll see you in them, I'm sure of it, and once I'm out of the nursery, we'll see each other again, and I'll tell you all about what it was like." Basilflame purred fondly, nuzzling against Monty once more, his scent filling her nose comfortingly "I won't forget this favor you did for me, Monty, even if things go sideways." she added, she didn't enjoy thinking about something that could happen to her or the kits, but there was always a chance. She had thought of that too. She was happy to do this for her clan, as bittersweet as it could be.

All Basilflame could really do was hope that she would be fine through this, and the kits would turn out fine, and that she would turn out fine, only in a perfect world, but a cat can hope for the best and still expect the worst, but right now, the present was all shew as concerned about. "Thank you, for this, it's an honor."

A little bit of elegance never goes out of style
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Monty closed his eyes as Basilflame nuzzled against him once more, he knew these were the little things he'd find himself looking back on. "You don't owe me thanks. If anything I'm the fortunate one." He never expected his path to leave him here. Of a warrior of all things that would be the one to offer him so much kindness.

"Life has a funny way to surprise us." He only wished he could be the one to tell such kits stories as he appreciated the change in seasons. Basilflame was an integral part of her Clan and he was a member of the Household, awaiting the needs of the Madam Gnome. There was no sadness in the distance he put between them just an understanding between two cats.

"Maybe you can bring them by like you did your mother. - I could regale them in old tales while batting pidgeons." Tomorrow wasn't feeling like another day anymore, but something to look forward to

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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Monty's offer perked Basilflame's ears ever so slightly, take the kits to the barn, Stars, what would the clan think of that, a queen taking her kits on an adventure to StarClan knows where, wouldn't that be a story. "I'm sure they'll meet you Monty, when the time comes." She purred, once more pressing her muzzle to him, his cheek this time. "I don't think I want anything to happen today, but I will definitely come back to you when the time is right." Basilflame replied softly, allowing herself to settle into Monty's warmth for a moment.

The Basilflame took to thinking back to her clan. How long had she been gone? Would her clan start looking for her soon? Oh great StarClan, if any cat found her cuddled up with a loner, she would never hear the end of it. Basilflame then pulled away, her fur brushing against his as she pulled herself from him with a hint of hesitance. It would be so much easier if the two of them were in WindClan, but she guessed that StarClan had a funny way of making things difficult. As is the way... I suppose, she thought before shaking off her partly ginger fur.

"I should get going, prey isn't going to catch itself for WindClan." She chuckled softly, she remembered Beewhisker seemed a lot more drawn back, reasonably, Basilflame was intent on picking up whatever slack they left behind, as much as she possibly could without making it too obvious, to make sure Beewhisker knew she was there for them. "I'll come back, when the time arrives. You have my word." She chirped softly before turning to make her stride back to WindClan, but not before turning her head to face him and giving him a fond smile and a flick of her tail before slipping under the worn fence into the moor, humming to herself all the while.

A little bit of elegance never goes out of style
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Monty smiled as she promised they would meet him someday. He'd be sure to hold her to that, or at least he'd try. There was no forcing a queen. He returned the gentle touch against his cheek with one of his own. "They'll always be welcome here." he reassured her, his amber gaze drifting to the barn behind him.

"... and I've got a Madam who'll wonder why supper's late." He purred after her as sheslipped beneath the fence even as he felt a familiar ache of longing to have her stay. "Safe travels, Basilflame." As he turned away with a farewell flick of his kinked tail.

[END]