Cicadapaw
| He/him | ThunderClan Apprentice (32/100) | #BugFamily
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Cicadapaw's heart thudded against his ribs as he watched his father stumble up the Stormcrest, each pawstep seemingly like a struggle against his own failing body. And still, he shouted. Still, he stood. Even when his voice cracked, even when the coughing doubled him over, he forced himself upright again.
Cicadapaw was struck by a storm of emotion: relief that Spiderthroat was still alive, awe at his father’s relentless will, and terror that this might be the moment it finally broke him. That this speech, this climb, would be the end of him. This was too soon.
He surged forward, weaving through the gathering crowd until he reached the foot of the Stormcrest. His legs trembled as he looked up, eyes burning with fear he refused to let spill into tears. Not here. Not now.
"Spiderthroat - Dad, please -" he hissed, voice low, desperate to keep the him from hearing the quake in it. "You have to go back. You have to rest."
In Cicadapaw’s mind, the Clan could wait. Whatever message Spiderthroat needed to give, whatever fire still burned in his chest - it meant nothing compared to the danger of losing his father too.