Daisydream smiled as the young warrior smoothed her nest out. They looked around and smiled at everything in the world. Today was going to be a good day.
The den was quiet, most warriors still out from the meeting, a single soft sound reaching the molly's ear, breaking her heart right in two. Her gaze softened as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, settling on Hawkbite covering his face with a paw, to little avail of hiding what was happening. His voice sounded strained, bitter to a point Nightshiver physically took a flinched step back, but her brows knit together.
Tired he said. Tired. Every anxious part of the white queen told her to leave, to let him be in peace, and yet her paws wouldn't budge. She stood there, in the den's entrance, watching the poor tom. Her heart ached for him. Tired, he said. Why couldn't she leave? Maybe... Because she wasn't able to help him before, when he came to the nursery, already dishevelled looking. That had been the first sign. And maybe because this answer sounded so painfully familiar, she could tear up herself just thinking what he might be going through.
If this had anything to do Vixensnarl then she could only assume the stoic feline had been close to her, perhaps closer than anyone had thought and the idea that may be true killed her. Because Vixensnarl was not here now. And truth be told, maybe she could phantom what that was like. To lose your only family, your only friends, to watch them come and go again and again until one day you just have to accept that they're gone and will never come back without ever knowing what truly happened to them. It's a horrible feeling she wouldn't wish upon anyone, and yet here he was, assumingly feeling just that.
Without a second thought, Nightshiver slowly approached the grieving tom, quietly settling herself beside his nest. She hesitated - only for a moment as she bit her inner lip in thought - then carefully placed a gentle paw between his ears should he allow, softly caressing the paw over his head, creating a repeated pattern of gentle brushes. She was unsure why, where it came from, and even feared his reaction. But she didn't quite care. She could only hope it may soothe him as intended, that he wouldn't chase her away for it, speaking not a word in the silent den until her own choked-up throat finally let her speak.
"...When I.. feel... tired..., I look... at.. the moon. It... helps. When... there... is.. no moon.., you... can close... your eyes.... and still... see.. her. It is.. like... a light."
She briefly paused. "Feeling... tired.. is... difficult. But. it... is.. alright. It... is... okay."
Another pause, her throat was running dry, uncertain. This time, the silence stretched on for a few heartbeats before she hesitantly spoke up again. Briefly, should he have let her continue gently running a paw through his fur, she would lift her paw in thought before resuming the continuous movement. "You... can feel... tired. "
She wanted to say more - ask him were you close?, tell him I know it's hard,; tell him... He will make it through. But the words weren't spoken, remaining on the tip of her tongue as she silently glanced down at the group. She so wanted to help him, but how? Mind a jumbled mess she took in a quiet breath, refocusing on Hawkbite, his emotions. Offer support. Let him know there's nothing to be ashamed of - to hide. Let him cry, let him feel. And listen if he wished to speak. And yet the only certain was that she felt incapable of leaving him all alone in his grief.
The Enforcer didn't breathe for a moment following Nightshiver's approach. It was clear she wasn't going to leave him alone and in reaction, the tom tried to bury his face further in his paw and nest. She didn't need to see him like this. He felt so vulnerable. Most clanmates might've shamed him. They weren't supposed to express weakness and yet here he was in his nest feeling everything.
Hawkbite nearly recoiled at the queen when a paw gently found it's place on his head. His head jerked upwards just enough to signal that he nearly recoiled; that he nearly snapped at her. He was sure he would've ruined their friendship right then. Something stopped him. He wasn't sure what kept him from doing it, he didn't question it either. Hawkbite's head held steady, halfway out of the nest, but low enough that Nightshiver couldn't get a good view of his face. Low enough that he could only see her legs and paws from the corner of his eye. His vision was blurry, but the queen seemed to glow despite the darkness of the den and the watery vision.
The soft, steady, strokes between his ears kept his body rigid for a moment, but what sent him over the edge was the words. Almost immediately, Hawkbite was shaking. He was fighting back the tears and emotions. He was doing his best to not break in front of Nightshiver. He couldn't even find the words to speak right now.
The night they sat in the clearing looking at the night sky came back to him. Had she remembered that? Was that why she said to look at the moon? He enjoyed the stars the most. He would sometimes suggest that his closest friends were his personal stars: Starrypaw, Vixensnarl, Woollyfeather. For a moment, he would stop shaking and look up towards her. Nightshiver. A star sat before him right now. Perhaps that was why she seemed to glow for him.
The shaking overtook him once more, but Hawkbite weakly half sat up and leaned out of his nest and into the fur of Nightshiver. His eyes and nose hidden in her fur had she allowed it and small whimper escaping him as he just let himself feel. The words that would manage to escape him were barely a whisper but filled with so much grief:
Lynxshade
Shadowclan
27 moons old | she/her
Shadow Fiend | Primal Instincts | Beefed Up (T1)
A cold wind blew among the fir and pine trees, reaching the entrance of the warrior's den that was placed neatly in a rocky cave covered by ferns and other leafless bushes.
Lynxshade was crouched down in a corner, keeping a vigil gaze over the cats who came and went from the den. She was looking for a specific cat in particular, and she knew he would probably come by in the late evening. After all deputy was supposed to work hard all day, wasn't it?
She waited patiently, playing in the meanwhile with the bones of some mice or rats. A few wings were piled up in a heap, feathers going in all directions from it. She gnawed at the biggest bones with her tiny teeth, leaving deep marks, trying not to break them so she wouldn't get splinters into her mouth.
Suddenly a very peculiar figure entered the den; Lynxshade couldn't not recognize the scarred face of Vulturefang.
She rose to her paws, walked over the prey leftovers toward him, and dipped her head to the deputy before addressing him. "I want to become Thornpaw's new mentor." She said suddenly, uninterested in little chitchat like many other cats she knew. "The young fellow has potential, but his mentor is as lazy as a frog-brain." And who cared whose name they had. Lynxshade didn't care about such details as long as she could do something about the apprentice's situation.
She tipped her head to one side as the deputy thought for a moment about her words. Was he unconvinced? What if he refused? She couldn't disappoint Thornpaw now. I've never done such a thing as teaching anything to anyone in my life. What if I'm not fit for it? She had many questions such as this, but of course voicing them would be useless now. She was taking an important role now, a responsibility.
Batflight stretched her legs out in front of her with a yawn, feeling well rested. She shook out her stiff back leg - she had bruised it while hunting the other day and it was still feeling a little tender, and the cold certainly wasn't helping.
She sat down in her nest and wrapped her tail around her cold paws, mentally bracing herself for the cold outside. Maybe she could check the ThunderClan border while hunting? With their recent battle over Sunkissed Creek and the leaf-bare prey shortages, she was sure ThunderClan would be pushing their luck.
"I'm going to go hunt at Sunkissed Creek and make sure ThunderClan is staying on their side of the border if anyone wants to tag along," she mewed, not so loudly as to wake anyone still asleep, then padded into the clearing to look for a few cats to accompany her.
Batflight stretched her legs out in front of her with a yawn, feeling well rested. She shook out her stiff back leg - she had bruised it while hunting the other day and it was still feeling a little tender, and the cold certainly wasn't helping.
She sat down in her nest and wrapped her tail around her cold paws, mentally bracing herself for the cold outside. Maybe she could check the ThunderClan border while hunting? With their recent battle over Sunkissed Creek and the leaf-bare prey shortages, she was sure ThunderClan would be pushing their luck.
"I'm going to go hunt at Sunkissed Creek and make sure ThunderClan is staying on their side of the border if anyone wants to tag along," she mewed, not so loudly as to wake anyone still asleep, then padded into the clearing to look for a few cats to accompany her.
> THE GOLDEN PRINCE •°.. 《 Mind Reader : Inactive | Chill of death : Inactive | Ultimate Predator : Inactive 》
|| he/bark* || * Dogskull is NOT out to anybody about his bark neos. Please only have your oc refer to Dogskull using he/him.
Dogskull was laying in his nest trying to get some sleep. Though it turned out to be fruitless. Dogskull let out a quiet annoyed growl as he sat up and started to groom barks fur. Dogskull turned his attention to Batflight who was offering to go hunting along with making sure that Thunderclan wasn't testing their luck. Dogskull stood up and stretched before following Batflight.
"I'll go."
Dogskull said. Perhaps bark will find his mothers body. Maybe they'll run into that one ugly looking cat that Dogskull never properly got the name of. Its been a bit since Dogskull had seen him. Bark wouldn't be surprised if he died somehow. A shame really.
__________________
--- "fret not, mother. the hunt of the 'gods' ended on the night the blizzard laid waste to the plateau of leng."
•
| pheasantkit |
---
> THE GOLDEN PRINCE •°.. 《 Mind Reader : Inactive | Chill of death : Inactive | Ultimate Predator : Inactive 》
|| he/bark* || * Dogskull is NOT out to anybody about his bark neos. Please only have your oc refer to Dogskull using he/him.
Dogskull was laying in his nest trying to get some sleep. Though it turned out to be fruitless. Dogskull let out a quiet annoyed growl as he sat up and started to groom barks fur. Dogskull turned his attention to Batflight who was offering to go hunting along with making sure that Thunderclan wasn't testing their luck. Dogskull stood up and stretched before following Batflight.
"I'll go."
Dogskull said. Perhaps bark will find his mothers body. Maybe they'll run into that one ugly looking cat that Dogskull never properly got the name of. Its been a bit since Dogskull had seen him. Bark wouldn't be surprised if he died somehow. A shame really.
Batflight | 35 moons | she/her | Dogskull
"It will be good to have you along, Dogskull," she mewed. "I'm going to see if I can't find a few more cats who aren't afraid of getting their paws a little wet. I'll see you out in camp!"
Her belly rumbled as she thought of fish for breakfast - with any luck, ThunderClan would keep their noses out of ShadowClan territory and they would have a peaceful morning. If not... Well, she was sure they could handle themselves.
Re: ShadowClan Warriors' Den
