birthday [★] by the sea

DEAR FRIEND as you know,  your flowers are withering
your mother's gone insane, your leaves have drifted away.
    but the clouds are clearing up
        and i've come reveling, burning incandescently,
                                              like a bastard on the burning sea.

YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER,
BURIED DEEP UNDER THE WATER.

Three years in a row, the former captain's birthday had been missed. This year, she'd tried some semblance of a small celebration, when she'd been forced to stay in Tanglewood to heal. But, it hadn't really felt like much of a celebration in the end. Not that she had ever disliked their ally or being in their company, she had appreciated their help, but things were different. She hadn't been home since they'd ripped her leg, thrown her in the bunker to die, watched her fellow leaders be executed in front of her, and finally when it'd came to her turn, he'd fled and thrown her back underground with no means of escape until her family could find a way to her. She was beaten in every sense of the word, and there was only so much more she could push. She couldn't truly celebrate, not in good faith, until she'd known her home was safe once more. And finally, they'd done it, they'd won. Maybe then could be a celebration, a cheer for their victories, joy in that the female's hunt for the snake, two years in the making, had finally come to a close. But it didn't turn out that way, still.

Had she known it was Keona's birthday, perhaps she would have gotten something for the other. They'd known each other since they were both incredibly young, being almost the same age and being around the same times. They'd grown up together, in a way. But, the tigress hadn't known - not until the day of, that it was her birthday, and even so, she had none of the memories of them growing up together anymore. All she had was the sight of a small, blind feline, trying her best. Presenting herself how she needed, being strong, with them, for all of them. She wasn't sure what she liked, she'd hardly even gotten the chance to have a proper conversation with her. Not to mention...anything Goldie truly held to her name, they were all stored in rooms she did not have the capacity to even attempt to enter yet. She had nothing to offer, in the end, except for a small visit.

The tigress would approach after Michael quietly, looking over the gift he'd gotten her curiously. Her ears perked forward, she'd offer a nod to them both, not that Keona would necessarily see the gesture. "Ah, happy birthday, miss Keona." The female would offer in a friendly, but cautious tone. She wasn't sure what the other made of her since everything, but she'd hoped they could be on good terms, since she'd seemed to be a good person.