Open to Join Like Basil to a Flame

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

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The wind brushed against Basilflame's long fur, the flame color of the points flaring like leaves set ablaze like they always had, but it still had the silky and soft look to it. She questioned if wondering this close to unclaimed rogue territory was the right idea, especially by herself after all the deaths that had happened recently. She had been at the gathering, all the other clans have been hit before WindClan had, but she supposed it had been inevidable.

A rustling sound caught Basilflame's ears first, making them twitch uncomfortably as she crouched in the moorland grass like her life depended on it. She crept closer until she caught their scent, it was not the scent that was reported back to the clan, not the scent that covered Doveflight and Pinesteps bodies. Something much cleaner, more familiar. 

Basilflame knew who this cat was, and had no bad blood with him, but that didn't mean she couldn't toy with him a bit, all in good fun of course. She let out a low growl, though there was no real bite behind it, simply one of mock threat. 

Then, her leap came quick, she made a landing right next to Monty like a swift ember flying across the sky in a wildfire. As she landed she nudged his shoulder softly. "Seems that leg of yours is doing much better, that's good news" she purred, lifting her striped tail in greeting "It's nice to finally see a friendly face that isn't from WindClan"

A little bit of elegance never goes out of style
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His ears twitched, and the fur between his shoulders prickled with alert tension, thawing only when the source of the sound landed beside him in a blur of motion and warmth. Her presence earned her a heartfelt smile. "Well, now..." He murmured, turning his head to take her in. The wind had ruffled her fur, casting her in the wild elegance of someone carved from the windy moors. "I might’ve thought I’d been hunted!"

His amber gaze dipped briefly to the moor beyond them, then back to her. "Leg’s better, yes. Thanks to a bit of rest and some very convincing advice from my healer friend." Monty gave her a long look...measured, appreciative, not quite searching but nearly."I’m glad you’re alright... with everything happening, I wasn’t sure if I’d get to say that to you again."

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

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"I must have to work on my form then!" She let out a tender and warm laugh as she gave her fur a few compulsory licks to keep it neat and clean, well, as much as possible at least. When her laughing came to an end, it was replaced with relief that her friend was healthy and well, and most importantly alive, she was glad Monty was alive.

Basilflame was quick to sit herself beside the fawn colored tom and curl her tail neatly around her paws. "I'm glad you have your own medicine cat to help you when you need them, not many rogues are that lucky" she explained, admiration in her voice as she kept eye contact with his amber eyes, there was something in them that she couldn't quite find, but she didn't want to search for too long out of fear of being considered ignorant or impolite.

As Monty spoke, it was as if he knew, like he knew about the rogue killing off the cats within the clans... and if anything, Basilflame was glad he did, as much as she wanted him to be careful, she wanted the killer's face to be known as well. "You speak as if..." Basilflame paused, letting her words float in the air and hold the weight that they deserved

"As if you know that a rogue has been taking from the clans?" she ended her words with a questioning tone, as if asking if what she was suggesting was the correct information, even if it was something that Monty didn't know, surely he wouldn't worry for no reason.

A little bit of elegance never goes out of style
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Monty’s expression shifted, softening at her laugh. That sound felt like something rare, something the moors didn’t get to keep for long. "You’ll have to forgive me..." He said with a wry tilt of his head. "But if that was you slipping up on your form, I think I’d be doomed if you ever tried in earnest."

He watched her settle beside him, the closeness grounding him in a way that was difficult to name. Her presence was warmth, a comfort that didn’t ask anything of him. It made it easier to speak plainly. "Kosmo's no clan cat..." He admitted, tone quiet but sure."-And I don't know much about medicine..."

He hesitated for a breath, then added."He was the one who gave us barn cats warning."His gaze dropped to the crest of the hill for a beat before meeting Basilflame’s own. His tail brushed the grass faintly behind him."Do you know who it is?"The fawn sepia tom inquired softly, voice quieter still."Or why?"

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

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Basilflame's ears twitched gently at his words, her whiskers lifted in a quiet amusement, though a warmth settled behind her eyes that lingered even after the chuckle passed. She didn't speak right away, letting the moment breath between them, soft and grounding like the grass beneath their paws. But as her friend's tone shifter, so did hers, though never unkind. She blinked slowly, the breeze catching her fur, and she glanced down the slope as if the wind might carry the answer they both wanted.

"I don't" She admitted gently, meeting his gaze again. "Not really. There's talk, of course. Bits of tortoiseshell fur found near where the bodies were, just tufts, caught on the bark or bramble. No clear scent trail. No name. Just... a she-cat, dark-furred. That's all we have" she hesitated, brow furrowing slightly "It's not much to hold onto when lives are at stake." Her tail curled neatly around her paws, the tip twitching "But I'd like to know why, too. Why anyone, clanborn or not, would do something so cruel. It doesn't make sense" Her voice was still quiet, still kind but there was something studier beneath it now, shaken but still sturdy.

Her gaze softened again as she looked at Monty. "I wasn't aware that you'd heard it from anyone. That must've been hard to carry, but I'm glad you know, everyone needs to be cautious." Her expressions flickered with sympathy, real, open and unwavering. Then quieter still, she looked out across the moor "If she's out there... we'll stop her. But we'll do it the right way. I won't let fear turn us against each other" She didn't add 'even if it means I get hurt' but it was there, in her voice, in the way she sat, calm and steady against the wind.