Poppypaw remained with her feet on the ground, astonished. Now they all were heading back home. She tended to believe even more that she was dreaming.
She turned on her paws and penitently headed towards her clanmates. What should she tell Twilightstar? Deffinitely the truth! Or...? Probably her leader didn't even notice her absence. But what about her sister? What about her mentor? What will she do?!
«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»
__________________
"I have travelled so far and loved so much, and yet I am still following the Sun Trail, heading for my new hunting grounds"
Frostpaw quietly lifted her head slightly at Twilightstar's words so this battle had been for nothing after all...and one of her clanmates had died...silently the young she-cat limped towards her clan following slowly a sad look on her face.
Nightspark
RiverClan Lionheart Purrks: Just a scratch (permanently active), Rapid Recovery (permanently active)
He was hearing everyone saying their goodbye to Kestrelpaw, his heart was beating fast, he was in shock, and babling uncontrollably... He was staggering away, slowly, he couldn't see her go, not his apprentice...
In his head, there was a fight, a part of him said that he should remain near her, he was her mentor after all, he was close to her no? He had to remain with her in her last moments.
But his other part couldn't stand to see Kestrelpaw go, he couldn't see or hear her knowing that she wouldn't be there soon.
Finally, he took a breath, calming himself enough to stop mumbling and shaking, the massive wounded and blood-covered Lionheart turned back and returned toward the large group of cats, as he arrived, he just had the time to hear a name... Kestrelskies... He held back tears, it was a great name, he nodded toward Gingerfrost with a sad smile... He lowered himself near Kestrelskies and spoke up, his voice was... affectionate and gentle "It was an honor, Kestrelskies, to train you, I am sorry for not having been here today when you needed my help... You are strong, fierce. You are always positive. Rest in peace... May StarClan welcome you in his eternal hunting grounds...", he backed up a bit, retaining his tears with great difficulty...
Gingerfrost stepped back after giving the fallen apprentice, now warrior, a name. He knew these weren't the usual words, nor the usual circumstances - but she deserved it. Kestrelskies had worked to get as far as she'd come, and if anyone deserved a warrior name before passing, it was her. He allowed space for Lilycreek, Birdpaw and Nightspark to grieve. He didn't want to impose, and as much some part of him wanted to watch over them, matters needed to be tended to. "...Once your wounds have been treated, will you be able to handle her burial?"
He spoke in a low, careful voice to the Lionheart, Nightspark. He looked to him, eyes searching the feline for answers -- if he couldn't, then Gingerfrost could handle it himself. He just wanted to give the grieving ones a chance to privately say goodbye to their dear friend; he himself... He preferred to keep his distance from burials.
After receiving some form of answer from the Lionheart, Gingerfrost had to tear himself away from Krestelskies' side. His gaze was solemn as he slowly stepped away, swallowing the lump that was forming in his throat. But he had matters to tend to. An exile to question. Turning away with a last respectful nod, he searched for the cat in question: Snowfall. "What are you doing back here?"
Finding the cat, he approached her with a now serious gaze, eyes locking on the exile's form.
Snowfall looked towards Gingerfrost as he approached, anxiety yet determination in her green eyes. "I- I- . . I wanted to try and earn RiverClan's trust back, and . . I thought that maybe . . by helping RiverClan fight off WindClan . . that I could earn RiverClan's trust back . . and rejoin RiverClan . ." She meowed, a slight tone of anxiety in her meow. She looked down at the ground and sighed. She looked back up to Gingerfrost. "I've changed. Trust me! Over the moons that I've been exiled . . I was thinking . . about my actions . . I was lonely, starving . . and . . I knew I couldn't stay like that . . RiverClan is my home . . " She sighed. "If you don't want me to rejoin . . than I guess its fine . . I'll just leave . . but if I can rejoin, I'll do anything to prove my loyalty!" Snowfall sounded genuine, like she really meant it. She stared at Gingerfrost, waiting for an answer.
This was an utter mess, and frankly, Gingerfrost wasn’t keen on what just happened. While… Fair enough in some aspects, the timing was just horribly off. At least Crowstorm and Otterslash backed off, no longer taunting or attacking the WindClan pair (which earned them a brief nod of thanks) though not without a few sharp words sent their way. Gingerfrost ignored the remark, assuming Twilightstar may do the same. She had to understand that tensions were high, that they were tired and worn and a battle in such a state was aggravating, whatever the reason may be. Hopefully, the leader wouldn't take it the wrong way.
“Try to help any wounded back to…”
He cast a quick glance around, not seeing anything of Stonepaw. “Back to Sedgestorm and Snowpaw. Gather herbs if they need it.”
He told the warrior as she offered her help. He gave her a grateful nod; he’d have to remember to thank his apprentice and the senior warrior later, too.
[ @Neso ]
That’s when Larkwing arrived, her voice reminding him of the injured Lionheart he had at his side. It was evident, even to him, Pebblesplash was in pain. Would she even be able to walk? A grimace briefly flashed over his face. He leaned down, offering his shoulder to help her up should be able to before turning his gaze to Larkwing. “Think you can get her to them?”
He briefly signalled with his eyes to the pair that had been handling the healing before returning his undivided attention on the WindClan leader, head ever so lightly dipping in apology for the interruption – even if it was natural, the injured and the clan’s well-being had to be his first priority.
[ @Larkwing @Sakura. ]
Finally, Twilightstar spoke, and for once in his life Gingerfrost hung onto every word the leader spoke. His ears were angled her way, as a slight grimace crept its way onto his face. So that’s what truly happened. He was well aware the WindClan leader could be lying, but after the lie Beansprout spoke? He was far more inclined to believe this side of the story than his. It made more sense.
Assuming the clan wouldn’t care for an apology rubbed him the wrong way – especially when he’d been thinking WindClan may be due an apology at the gathering. At least, that was before all this. She was angry over a life cruelly lost, anyone would be angry, he could understand where WindClan was coming from but all the same, attacking a clan that was already beat down did not sit well with him. It wasn’t difficult to see they’ve been through some things the past moon, and not just been camping out here for fun.
But maybe the leader made a point. One fool or a few, one death or a few, it could bring about war. It had brought about a war. By one fool and one death. And yet those who stood behind the fool never wanted for this war, did they? It was death’s choice to retaliate in fairness, but beating down those who never asked for this in the process. Frankly, were they not both in the wrong? RiverClan for allowing this to ever take place, and WindClan for raining down rage upon a clan already weakened, and unwanting of this war. Oh well, it didn’t really matter now, did it? She was right in saying it wasn’t fair; but is that really how clan life is? Wasn’t there another way? he still had a lot to learn, evidently.
What’s happened, happened. He can’t turn back time to avoid this. One way or another, WindClan needed their revenge because they respected their leader, and trusted her. Maybe RiverClan would have done the same if the roles were reversed, maybe not. There is no point in dwelling on that what-ifs when cats were dying over this. At least they were on the same page when neither of them wanted war. ...And yet it sounded like she was declaring war on them. It sounded like her anger did not subside, like she still sought compensation for what happened even if the culprit was long gone.
He wouldn’t blame WindClan for defending their leader when she’d been unrightfully murdered; he wasn’t as daft as to pretend what happened wasn’t a crime. But the stance they seemed to be taking, the path they were walking. It looked an awful lot like the start of a war no one wanted and that he may have to remember. And should this escalate into war, well, no one ever remembers how they started, did they? So what’s the point in playing the blame game when no one cares, and it only leads to death? Gingerfrost would make a point to remember where the start of all this lay with; Beansprout.
He was tired of this. The only light in this darkness was that it sounded like WindClan was leaving, and that’s where he’d keep his mind on. Their future with WindClan could wait even just a moment. “If that’s all;”
The tabby mew, expression returning to being stone-faced and neutral as he regarded the WindClan leader with pensive air. “And you do have our apology for what happened.”
Not that she seemed to care about it.
As he began to sweep his gaze around the clans, trying to gauge the injured and fallen, he was relieved to see the kits gone and everyone – save for one WindClanner – alive. And when Sedgestorm spoke, his ears angled the senior warrior’s way. He wouldn’t stop the warrior from speaking, not when he was voicing part of the leader’s own thoughts. He only feigned a sharp look, but frankly, as much as he respected the WindClan leader, didn’t care whether she heard this or not.
And that’s when he noticed Kestrelpaw, at the senior warrior’s side, surrounded by mentor and friends. He took in a sharp breath, his heart dropped. The state she was in, her weak voice he could barely make out from the distance… No, they did have a loss. One loss of an apprentice. Those WindClanners. Attacking when they were weak; an eye for an eye they say but he would have much preferred if both clans kept their eyes, if neither had suffered loss, to not have lost Kestrelpaw. He gave the WindClan leader a last, respectful nod before he had to excuse himself, moving towards his niece’s cousin, trusting WindClan would see themselves out as the leader had said.
[ @Moonraven ]
He got closer, looking over Lilycreek to the older apprentice. She looked weak. Her eyes were growing dull. It was as though he could see the force of life slowly seep out of her, enveloping him in a subtle fear. It was similar to when his sister died. That dull look. That sadness but a smile. He couldn’t bear it. A lump formed in his throat, one that he swallowed down. He needed to be strong. His faltering expression hardened, allowing himself to step closer to the apprentice. To the warrior. She’d started her assessment, she was a formidable apprentice. Had he any right to do this? He didn’t know. But if he was to be leader of this clan, then let this be his first act. Hearing her words it tore at his frozen heart. But he kept it together, if anything not to make another show of grief like he once did.
“Yes… You can.”
He mew, voice surprisingly gentle as he looked down at Kestrelpaw. She wasn’t going to make it, that much was evident. “But rest not as Kestrelpaw… Instead, as Kestrelskies, a warrior of RiverClan. You've served your clan well. We couldn’t be more proud.”
He spoke, careful not to let his voice waver as he briefly leaned down his head in respect to the new warrior.
[ @sol. @WhiteDawn @poppy. @Abyssopelagic ]
Quote:
Originally Posted by poppy.
"come on, come on
don't leave me like this
some things go terribly wrong
you're all I wanted"
Birdpaw
The ragdoll felt her fear-whitened face flush as she let out a pained breath, tears springing in her eyes. Kes liked her back. Kes loved her, and now Kes was dying. Kes was dying, and Birdpaw couldn't stop it. She felt useless, and she could see the life draining from the bleeding gray tabby. "No... th-thank you. I'm s-so grateful for you." She whispered, worried if she spoke any louder her heart would shatter.
The pain twisting Kestreloaw's face, and the fear and agony lacing her voice had Birdpaw's stomach churning and twisting and tying itself into knots. Turning her head as a familiar scent filled her nostrils, it took all of Birdpaw's strength not to bury herself against Gingerfrost, her wonderful, amazing mentor, and try to force herself to wake up. Because this was a nightmare. It had to be.
"G-g-gingerfrost." She choked out, her voice so broken that it cut through her like shards of glass. But she froze as Gingerfrost spoke, lips curving up into a heartbroken, proud smile. "Kestrelskies. It's beautiful." Reaching forward in a shaky attempt to gently hold Kestrelskies's paw, she echoed Gingerfrost's words. "S-so, so proud." This was a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare. Please be a nightmare. Birdpaw felt her voice come out in trembling gasps, stuffing her selfish pleas away.
"You can rest now, Kes. We love you." Her voice was gentle, the calm before the violent storm of grief that awaited her. She inhaled a long, shallow breath, and that breath was all that was holding Birdpaw together as her brain waited for the horrible inevitable and her heart screamed for it to be a sick joke.
Nightspark
RiverClan Lionheart Purrks: Just a scratch (permanently active), Rapid Recovery (permanently active)
He was hearing everyone saying their goodbye to Kestrelpaw, his heart was beating fast, he was in shock, and babling uncontrollably... He was staggering away, slowly, he couldn't see her go, not his apprentice...
In his head, there was a fight, a part of him said that he should remain near her, he was her mentor after all, he was close to her no? He had to remain with her in her last moments.
But his other part couldn't stand to see Kestrelpaw go, he couldn't see or hear her knowing that she wouldn't be there soon.
Finally, he took a breath, calming himself enough to stop mumbling and shaking, the massive wounded and blood-covered Lionheart turned back and returned toward the large group of cats, as he arrived, he just had the time to hear a name... Kestrelskies... He held back tears, it was a great name, he nodded toward Gingerfrost with a sad smile... He lowered himself near Kestrelskies and spoke up, his voice was... affectionate and gentle "It was an honor, Kestrelskies, to train you, I am sorry for not having been here today when you needed my help... You are strong, fierce. You are always positive. Rest in peace... May StarClan welcome you in his eternal hunting grounds...", he backed up a bit, retaining his tears with great difficulty...
Gingerfrost stepped back after giving the fallen apprentice, now warrior, a name. He knew these weren't the usual words, nor the usual circumstances - but she deserved it. Kestrelskies had worked to get as far as she'd come, and if anyone deserved a warrior name before passing, it was her. He allowed space for Lilycreek, Birdpaw and Nightspark to grieve. He didn't want to impose, and as much some part of him wanted to watch over them, matters needed to be tended to. "...Once your wounds have been treated, will you be able to handle her burial?"
He spoke in a low, careful voice to the Lionheart, Nightspark. He looked to him, eyes searching the feline for answers -- if he couldn't, then Gingerfrost could handle it himself. He just wanted to give the grieving ones a chance to privately say goodbye to their dear friend; he himself... He preferred to keep his distance from burials.
After receiving some form of answer from the Lionheart, Gingerfrost had to tear himself away from Krestelskies' side. His gaze was solemn as he slowly stepped away, swallowing the lump that was forming in his throat. But he had matters to tend to. An exile to question. Turning away with a last respectful nod, he searched for the cat in question: Snowfall. "What are you doing back here?"
Finding the cat, he approached her with a now serious gaze, eyes locking on the exile's form.
She could see spots dancing in her vision. They were fuzzy and they made her sleepy, as if they were poking her eyes, forcing her to shut them. Each interval was longer and longer, her hold on life struggling. She was so.. so tired. Like a kit in the nursery. So tired, so unaware of the life that buzzed around her. So stuck in her own little pocket of life as her siblings tussle with each other, and unaware of the queens. It had been lonely, in the nursery. Herongaze was gone. Baysplash was gone. Meadowbush was dead; dead like her littlest siblings. She didn't remember them.
Those fleeting snatches of clarity when she did remember her parents were disappointing. An eye, a paw, a shape. And even though she thought she saw them, she could not focus on the details. Blurry blobs of color. She knew them, yet didn't know them, either.
God, she hoped none of the other kits would have a childhood like hers.
But, the gray molly turned her head, her paw still clasping Birdpaw's to peer up at her aunt. Lilycreek's tears were back. Shimmery, she thought. So strange against her aunt's pelt. So out of place. Lilycreek leaned forward, pressing her nose into Kes' cheek comfortingly. It didn't take an edge of the pain, but she leaned into the touch all the same. Lilycreek wouldn't let the kits be lonely or sad, not if she could help it. That was reassuring.
The apprentice closed her eyes again. So tired. She hoped she'd be able to take her nap. She felt like she hadn't slept in years, when in reality, it had probably only been a few hours since rest. Was death like rest? Comforting and quiet? Was it dark? Was it soothing? A part of her wanted to know, to seek all the answers her heart desired, so she could tell everyone else. Death isn't so bad. It's warm, and youll never go hungry or worry about how you spend your time. Was Starclan real? Was Fennelcall there? Or Gullpaw, or Egretpaw? Were Mom and Dad there?
She closed her eyes for a moment, nearly slipping away in those brief seconds. But she forced them open again as she heard pawsteps. Straining, she looked up to see Gingerfrost. She gave him a weak smile upon seeing his expression, as if trying to say she was okay.
She wasn't though, but maybe if she believed hard enough, everyone would think she was.
So tired. So scared.
"...hi." She whispered into the air at the deputy, a pained smile stretching across her face. "...sorry." What she was apologizing for, she didn't know. She didn't know who she was apologizing to, either. Maybe to Gingerfrost. Maybe to everyone. Maybe to herself.
Rest, her mind begged, and she carefully brushed the thought away. Why did she bother with that, anyway? This was the end. The real end, this time.
But as Gingerfrost spoke in a low voice to her, oh boy was she glad she stayed awake. Her blue eye widened a sliver- that was all she could manage in her state. The name that popped out of Gingerfrost's mouth was not her name. Not the name of anyone surrounding her. But...
Kestrelskies. Her warrior name. Hers. Hers.
Kestrelskies. Kestrelskies. "...Kestrelskies." she whispered, unbelieving. Hers. Hers. Kestrelskies. Hers.
It sounded so right.
Gingerfrost bent his head in acknowledgement, and with her last shred of decorum, she bent it in return. "...it was an honor.. to serve." She said softly, a warm smile breaking over, her elation overpowering the pain for a few moments. She turned her head to Birdpaw, who was shaking. A smile, but pain in her eyes. She gently squeezed the molly's paw back, a shy smile molding itself to her face. "..thank you." She whispered. "It means a lot. But I'm sorry... we won't.. be able to be warriors... together."
She looked up at Nightspark, who said his congratulations. "..Thank you, Nightspark." She said, her breathing starting to slow. It hurt less now... and she could feel the weight pressed harder on her. "..you were the best.. mentor. I... it's not your fault. I'll.. see you in.. Starclan. We'll hunt.. together... okay?"
Was this it? The end of the line? Lilycreek squeezed her a little bit, shaking. She looked up, a sad smile on her face. "..m'sorry, Auntie. I.. I'm gonna rest.. now." She let out a tiny sigh, shifting a little bit and letting her head loll to the side, a sad look suddenly glazing her eyes. "...d'you thin..k.. Mom and Dad and Fennellcall'll... be proud?"
Lilycreek, amid her tears, gently pressed a kiss to her niece's cheek. "The proudest," she promised, her voice wobbling. "So proud. Oh, Kes... we're all so proud of you."
Kestrelskies smiled waterily. Proud. They were proud. It felt good. Proud. Proud.
Despite the direness of her situation, she managed a small yawn, like a kit. "..I'm glad," she whispered. "..I'm so glad. Thank you.. I love you." She said to Lilycreek, turning her head to make eye contact with Birdpaw, who still held her paw. This wasn't a bad way to go. Not at all. She thought death was scary. But being surrounded by the cats she loved... it was peaceful. So peaceful.
She sighed one last time, her blue eye slowly closing. "..good night." She said softly. "Tell Larkpaw... not to stay up.. for me.." As she blocked out the light, her last thoughts were calm. Slow, but calm, and comforting.
Mom... Dad... Fennelcall..wait for me, okay?
I'll see you soon.
---
She was gone. She really, really was gone. Lilycreek felt tears well up in her eyes again. She nudged Kes's cheek once, as if to make sure, and when there was no reaction, she let out a strangled cry, her vision burning. Her choked csobs carried themselves through the wind, drifting across the range. She had shed so many tears in this life, and lost so many loved ones. But she never expected Kestrelskies to be one of them.
"..Kes. Kes. Kes." The forever queen wept. "Kes. I'm so sorry..."
So many deaths. So little time. So much blood spilled on the ground.
So, so much blood.
[YOU'VE REACHED THE FINAL CHAPTER. THANK YOU FOR READING.]
claw marks along right side and a severe belly wound from a kick
Once Winterpaw had been moved and was being seen to, the sudden appearance of Springpaw startled him momentarily, causing the fur along his back to raise in alarm, fearing that WindClan was returning to cause more trouble until he saw it was only one of their apprentices, assisted by her vocal concern for Winterpaw. He made the fur along his spine to flatten to avoid startling the apprentice.
His tail came up to brush against her shoulder to encourage her to follow him a few steps away from the other apprentice so he can start on her own healing. Her belly wound in particular had him concerned. ''Winterpaw will be alright. We've gotten him patched up and he is stable, breathing well, simply passed out. We will have someone keep an eye on him until he wakes up. He will be okay, right now, you need some healing yourself. That kick on your belly in particular has me concerned.''
He grabbed a cobweb, marigold, a poppy seed, and moss before trotting back to the apprentice. ''Here, take the poppy seed. It should start helping with the worst of the pain and help you sleep if you wish to.''
While she was chewing that, he began chewing on the marigold to turn it into a poultice and when it was a fine poultice, he applied most of it to her belly and then he began padding her belly with moss to trap the bleeding, then secured it all with some cobwebs.
With the worst injury taken care of, he applied the last of the marigold to her side and paused, wondering if he should apply more cobwebs, but a look back at the stores, and the distinct lack of more cobwebs made his blood run cold.
Out.... they were out. One of their most important herbs.... by the salamanders belly....
He swallowed, trying to hide his concern and turned back to Springpaw. ''Alright, as long as you don't lay down on your right side, the marigold should be able to do its job. Now that you're patched up, if you'd like to, you can sit beside Winterpaw. I'll sit with you if you like, while it's still quiet.''
For now, it seemed, there weren't as many milling around in search of healing and everyone with serious wounds were told to sit in the area so they could make sure they were all stable. So he could afford to let his haunches rest until the next injury walked by. To remind himself he still existed outside of a vacuum.
To let Springpaw have someone to speak to about her worries and grief if she wished.
The appearance of Stonepaw was the biggest relief, herbs in tow as he ran in. He stood and ran to the Medicine Cat to intercept him. He wanted to ask him where he'd been, why he hadn't been there, but he was just glad the apprentice had returned and he and Snowpaw and Marigoldleap weren't just scrambling around trying to fix whatever without some sort of real direction.
He was just glad Stonepaw was here. ''Damn am I glad to see you. Marigoldleap and I have been healing as many as we could find, Snowpaw has been helping direct those that needed it to us when we couldn't wander around ourselves to find them.''
His tail swished as he noticed the herbs.
So that's where he'd been?
It didn't matter. They desperately needed what he had, those cobwebs especially.
__________________
Profile picture drawn by Rani and used with permission
Add me on PokémonGo: K9WVBVJYJ
While I do not (currently) have any cats in the Clan's, I try to have at least a few role plays with my outsiders (Sedgestorm, Woollyfeather) and my StarClanner Coldamber. Most of my role plays until I feel well enough to keep up with sweeps will be related to Covenant of the Sky duties.
Last edited by Abyssopelagic; September 9th, 2023 at 07:11 PM.
"i'd fall to pieces on the floor
if you weren't around
too young to know it gets better
i'll be a summer sun for you forever
forever winter if you go"
Birdpaw tw: death, extreme emotional distress
The molly had been in this Clan for almost 19 moons. (give or a take a few). She been tortured to death, she had lost her grandfather, her best friend, countless mentors, many foster parents, her father, she had almost drowned, had been attacked at gatherings, threatened by insane clanmates, and hurt over and over and over again. She had seen so much death, so much loss, so much pain, and had experienced what she had once considered the worst pain anyone could bear.
But nothing compared to this pain. Nothing came close. The helplessness, the horror, the way she still begged for it to be a nightmare. She would sell her soul to the devil for this to be a nightmare, for this to be fake and something she could wake up from. Recover from. A high pitched, croaky whimper was her brief reaction to Gingerfrost leaving, wanting to reach out to stop him. Don't leave me. Please don't leave me. Those same thoughts turned into her mantra, the words beating in time with her pounding heart, eyes feeling unbearably full of tears, she could feel the motions of her heart shattering mar her face, twist her expression to the point that she needed to look away so badly, but she couldn't. She couldn't move her eyes from Kes's, locked on like a vise, unable to look away.
Her breathing grew faster, and she shook her head, biting her lip to keep her face from crumpling. "D-don't be sorry." She was silent through it all, watching as Kes finished her goodbyes (oh god, her goodbyes. the last goodbye. she would never hear a hello from kes again. no. no.) Desperation turned to utter despair as she listened to the troubled breaths. "G-good night, Kestrelskies." She whispered out, voice cracking with heartbreak.
"Sleep well, Kes." She whispered, the unreal situation becoming more and more horrifying as her brain caught up and realized that this wasn't a dream. She was never going to wake up from this reality. Her eyes were frozen on Kestrelskies's gaze, searching for the light in them that was becoming harder to find. it was like fumbling in a dark room, reaching for the nightlight as the battery died. As the light dimmed.
The labored breaths came, and Birdpaw listened to them, not believing that the inevitable would come. The paw she held so gently, yet so desperately, went limp, and Birdpaw kept waiting for the next breath. She waited. And waited. And waited.
Leaning closer, she listened for the next breath because this wasn't real Kes had to breathe because Kes dying wasn't possible it just wasn't possible. She searched for that next breath, letting out pained whispers, pleading for Kes to breathe. The paw she held was limp, and she clung to it, the realization hitting her that Kes, the cat she loved, her best friend, was dead. Not missing, not hurt. Dead, and never coming back. Birdpaw's body that had been so tense this entire time went slack, and it was like every bone in her body shattered, and she crumbled to the ground, her legs giving out, unable to move anything, burying her nose in Kestrelskies's chest fur, a high pitched, broken wail like she was in the most immense physical agony breaking out of Birdpaw's mouth, the wail turning into a howl.
The bravery she had forced herself to have, the mask of calm she had tried to keep for Kestrel's sake was all gone. Ripped away.
No being warriors with Kes. No becoming mates. No kits with Kes. No growing old. No going on walks. No more flower picking. No more talks in the clearing. No more getting up in the morning excited to see her beautiful best friend. None of it. It had all been ripped away. Her bawls turned to screamed pleas as she lay there, a broken cat. "Kes no, Kes no. Please come back, please don't leave me. Kes, please wake up, it can't end like this." But it had ended. It had ended in the most soul shattering way, torn away in her youth, without a chance of a future.
The sobs came, and she could barely breathe. Her mind was vacant of any logical thoughts, and she held on tight to Kestrelskies's paw, screaming and sobbing like the world was over. It felt like all her bones had turned to mush, and she was unable to move or say anything except sob, tears pouring down her face like an endless river of heartbreak, shaking her head in disbelief but also shaking her head because deep down, she knew Kes was gone. Forever.
The back of her mind said that she wanted, she needed her mom (she forgot all names and the fact that pebblesplash wasn't really her mom, she just knew she needed her mom and her mom was somewhere close) but everything else just howled that she needed Kes.
[ @sol. @Estelle - sorry if i missed anyone, only mentioned those that birdpaw are interacting with! @Sakura. - pebble mention]
Mousefern bit down another whimper as her eyes darted up to look at Deadmoon–and then Hollyfang who appeared soon after. She let out a half-hearted laugh that turned into a squeak of discomfort at Hollyfang’s words. “...Suppose I could be better,” She mumbled half-heartedly, and yet she was still offering up some dry words of humour to try and lighten the mood.
“I… I think it’s okay if I just lean on you guys,” She mumbled, shifting to sit on all four paws rather than on her side–it hurt, specifically on her right side. It hurt within and on the outside, where a long slash of claw marks ran along her pelt. On shaky paws, she rose up, stumbling a bit into Deadmoon’s side, to which she whimpered. “Sorry– ‘m sorry,”
[ @gs29513 @~'Atlas-The-Lemon'~ , sorry for the super late response! Do either of you want to take Mouse to see cow/lightning? I just want to know who I should mention in the healing request form hehe ]
Re: ♕The Queen's Justice♕
]
