[squidz]

| BERRYSHINE |

small & nimble dark brown she-cat with darker flecks and light, leafy-green eyes | the collector | dreamwalker |

[ riverclan medicine cat | she-cat | 15 moons | timid, kind, hardworking ]

—

Berryshine was practically in a daze. Denial, for some reason, had already been skipped over in her mind by now. Why? She didn't know. Perhaps the medicine cat had been so used to RiverClan's misfortune that, at the back of her mind, she'd always known there'd come a tragic fall from the restored grace they'd built up to. Like the stressed and lone medicine cat apprentice she'd been over the past greenleaf during exile never left her, the anxious voice whispering in the back of her mind.

And even when she'd received her name from Fawnlight at the Starcave that day, with Stormstar—Dusklion, then—beside her, maybe she'd always seen through that burst of hope and happiness she'd felt that day. RiverClan's restoration had lasted for awhile, but now...

No. She couldn't let herself fall that far. Into hopelessness... she'd been there before, and it wasn't pretty. But everything felt so raw and painful right now that it threatened to swallow her up, staring almost blankly at Stormstar's body by her paws. No, no no—

Even as Berryshine did her best to hold herself together, she'd begun to tremble again, tears involuntarily leaking from her eyes. She wasn't broken out of her daze until she'd heard the yowl of her name from her best friend and apprentice, Cobwebfern—the cries, the wails, the screams of grief and denial—and her heart shattered all over again, seeing the raw anguish on Cob's face.

"C-Cob..." Berry tried to croak out, broken from her haze by the sound of her name. "I-I'm here... I'm here—" She whispered thickly, voice cracking, trying to reach for her friend with trembling paws, unable to yet move from Stormstar's side... but Cobwebfern had already dashed off to the medicine den. Her limbs felt as heavy as stones, unable to run after her, as much as she wanted to. Berryshine sank back down to the grass, and as she did, found a vaguely familiar face beside her, also sitting quietly. Eaglepaw, was it...? Yes, Berry could faintly remember the 'paw. When they'd first been exiled from their territory... but it was a passing thought in the haze of her brain, and she could only spare a saddened glance at the other cat before her head hung low again over her leader.

Owltalon had approached next, demanding Seabreeze for the answers that Berry had been unable to. She listened in silence, her shoulders hunched and her ears flattened in despair. A coyote...? That explained the unfamiliar scent; she'd never actually encountered one of those. The herbalist hadn't even registered the predator's odor in her nose as she'd hurriedly examined Stormstar's corpse. But now, she could taste that dog-like tang on her tongue, and knew she'd never forget it. Never would she forget the smell of the wretched creature mixing in with the scent of death and blood, of her lifeless leader losing warmth before her very eyes.

Brokenstream had spoken to her, and his words managed to break through some of the fog as she weakly lifted her head. The leafy-green eyes, usually tinged with the brightness of life and cautious hope, were dulled with grief as she met his. But there were truth in his words that even her irrational mind could hold onto; Stormstar had done so much... and she'd be watching them from StarClan, no doubt. Stars... that ached her even more. To think that she would only ever hear Storm's voice in her memories or in dreams, to never have her affectionately nudge her and call her 'Berries' again—

Berryshine's throat closed and she could only nod numbly to Brokenstream, head hanging down. She was grateful for his support, his stability when it felt like the world was shattering outside right now. Stormstar had always been another figure like this for her, a beacon of strength and confidence when she felt like she had none to spare. And now... one of those fires that burned so brightly had been snuffed out prematurely.

Time seemed to pass impossibly slowly, the Clan seeming to come to terms with this cruel reality and saying their goodbyes, until Cobwebfern returned. Berry rose to her paws stiffly, going to speak with her, but saw Eaglepaw and Wisteriawren already at her side. Eaglepaw looked solemn, and Wisteriawren looked... broken. Seeing the distraught expression on the sweet she-cat's face ached Berryshine's heart further. Not wanting to overcrowd at the moment, the medicine cat finally found the ability to move numbly padded off to the den, returning a moment later with a pungent herb that could only be associated with one major thing for the disturbed RiverClan -- death.

Lavender. Dried and crackly due to leaf-bare's debilitating frosts. Berryshine set it down beside Stormstar's limp body, her hollow eyes turning to Cob. She padded over, gently touching noses with her apprentice, a silent gesture of comfort and empathy that spoke volumes for the words she couldn't say. She was here... and she'd make her presence and support known. As much as Berry herself was hurting, she knew Cob's grief was even deeper, so much more raw... Stormstar had been her sister, her last remaining family. And she'd already been through so much...

"I-If... i-if you want to do this, Cob...w-whenever you're ready." she whispered as she nudged the lavender bundle, not wanting to rush her best friend, knowing that Cobwebfern didn't want anyone else to touch the leader. But the scent of death was already clinging to Stormstar's gray fur, an awful scent that had become all-too-familiar, and it made Berry's throat close. "If not, I... I-I can do it for you..." she added quietly, doing her best to not show the total despair in her darkened eyes, the tear tracks down her cheeks.

[ @finley , @Rose , @Mica - for small interactions / next to cob ; @korok - brokenstream ]