private big, big girl in a big, big world || howling wind

[ACORN]

Ever since the day of the fire, she wore a big pearly smile.

Mama lost Mommy so she'd smiled for her; Lilypad already looked sad and despondent.

Sis was.. coping in her own ways. She rarely saw her older sister anymore.

ThunderClan was shaken and in mourning so she smiled for them.

Gamma was busy doing cool deputy stuff so she smiled for her.

For them, at them; her smile never wavered. Especially now that she was a big girl. She wasn't Acornkit any longer. Instead, she wore the name Acornpaw with pride. This was what she wanted, wasn't it? To be a big girl and the best warrior to ever live.

Why, then, did a wild waterfall of years cloud her vision and floor down her cheeks? Why did her body shake and tremble as she struggled beneath the weight of her silent sobs.

She was a big girl. She needed to smile for the others, especially her mama. But, tucked alone in between roots of a tree nearby camp, her facial features were tainted by negative emotions: fear, despair, pain, and more.

The fire consumed more than the forest that day, evident by the burns seered deep into her heart.

@HOWLING WIND​

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[HOWLINGSTAR]

As soon as she'd heard that Acornpaw was nowhere to be found, Howling Wind had been on the search. She didn't seem to be anywhere in camp, so she has now taken the search outside the wall, jaws parted as she scents the air. She finally catches the familiar scent of her granddaughter nearby, and swift pawsteps carry her to a towering oak tree just outside of the hollow. The girl's tabby coat blends in with the warped tree bark - the deputy had almost missed her! The shaking of her shoulders is immediately obvious, as is the soft sounds of cries.

Her heart aches. Stepping gingerly towards her, the dark-furred molly settles just behind the apprentice and softly mews, "Acornpaw...come here." A gentle white paw moves to guide the child towards Howling Wind's chest. She wants to embrace her, comfort her. She can guess what has brought on this bout of sorrow. The girl had lost her mother, and the whole family could feel the effect. She would be there for her granddaughter through it all. "There, there, shhhh," She coos some more, voice gentle and quiet.​

 

[ACORN]

She was a big, big girl who didn't need comforting. She earned her apprentice name and was even assigned to Emberstar - the ThunderClan leader! So it was embarrassing and unacceptable that Gamma found her in such a pitiful state.

She tried to smile but her lips curled the opposite way. When Howling Wind brought her close, all false pretenses dropped. The brown tabby sobbed into her gramdma's soft coat. "Why did StarClan have to take Mommy?" she croaked through the years and fur.

"They're.. They're bi-big meanies!" Wasn't her family already fractured enough? She wasn't close with either of her older sisters, especially since one decided to abandon them. StarClan decided to prey on her and her family because.. Well, because they were big meanies!​

 

[HOWLINGSTAR]

"Shhhh, shhhh," She hushes her granddaughter further, getting to work grooming behind her ears. This always worked with her own kits when they were upset. She listens to her cries and her own ears fall back against her head, heart breaking for the girl. Howling Wind pauses the licking to lean down and nuzzle her softly, a frown pulling at her lips. "Some things...are out of even StarClan's control," She responds solemnly. Her mate (she believes) is up there. Hare Whiskers is up there. Tempest is now up there, and many other friends from her time in the marsh colony. They are StarClan. She refuses to think they are anything but just. They did not cause the fire, she is sure of that. There will always be danger, and it's terrifying that she can't protect her kin from it at all times. Wrapping a foreleg around Acornpaw, she pulls her close and purrs, hoping to comfort her. "Your mother is looking down at you even now, darling. She will always be with you."​