Username: ☁Lady Raincloud☁
Cat Name: Roosterkit
Gender: tomcat
Age: 2 moons
Clan: NocturneClan Rank: Kit
Prompt:Sometimes silence is deafening.
Roosterkit would dread when Snowsight and Grebekit would start preparing for bed. It was the same routine; Grebekit would yawn and mumble something about a story, and Snowsight would call Firefern, their father, over to the den. He'd come in, and curl around them, his fiery pelt bringing a warm, dull glow to the den. It was all very cozy- yet the idea of drifting off into sleep- into either nothingness or nightmares- terrified him.
For when he slept he always had bad dreams. That, or silence. Utter silence, and blackness, and no recollection of a dream- yet he'd still awake with an odd dread that made his tiny heart beat faster and his paw pads sweat.
The nightmares he did recall? They were strange ones- trees, and white, and black, and whispers. Then silence. Silence and loneliness; the whispers would stop and the white, or the blackness, would seem to block his vision. He couldn't speak. His mouth would open and he'd scream, yet silence was what he was met with.
He never shouted or anything when he woke up. Sometimes he'd jolt awake and made a small, chirping noise, but it was as if some lingering quiet of the dream still choked back his fearful cry. His mother and father both noticed this, and Crimsonsparrow commented he was a nervous little kitten, but it was nothing serious.
He was ashamed to tell of his dreams. The fear of absolute silence, of the only sound being the blood in your ears and the steady breathing, was embarrassing to him. It reality he didn't realize it wasn't so much silence, but being alone he was afraid of. For in those dreams he was always alone.
His father would tell them stories to sleep, and they'd be about his dreams. Roosterkit was always curious about them; his father's dreams didn't seem like nightmares. Even the scarier ones; they seemed more like adventures, with both danger and fun! He hoped that someday his thoughts would be free of the repetitive quietude of his nightly phantoms.
One night was especially bad; he woke up in a cold sweat, his paws shaking as if ice had come and gave him a hug. Firefern was sitting close to him, his amber eyes staring out into the night, when he felt his son move.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
Roosterkit shook his head, moving closer to Firefern as he came out of his panic. He didn't want to admit his fear.
"A bad dream?"
Roosterkit shrugged; he was a kit of few words. Besides, what is Firefern laughed at his dreams if he told him?
"... Son, you can tell me. Something's been bothering you for awhile, so we should talk about it. You'll feel better."
It took a few seconds before Roosterkit finally said. "... My... my dreams?"
"Yes? What about them?"
"They... they're not like yours. No.. no fun, or anythin'."
He shuffled his paws, and felt his throat seem to go dry, and then an odd choking feeling. He shook himself slightly.
"They're so quiet I can only hear myself, and I... I can't speak, anyways, just my heart beating and my ears ringin' an'... an' the silence, the silence..."
He shook again as he added. "I don't like the lonely feeling... the lonely feeling the silence gives me! It'..s... it's like only I exist, nothing else, not you or the clan or anyone!"
Firefern moved his face closer to Roosterkit's, letting the small ginger kitten push his tiny face against his. They stayed like that for a bit as Firefern spoke.
"It's alright... calm down, there's nothing to fear. Listen carefully now; even when I'm not speaking, and when all's asleep, can't you hear more beyond yourself?"
Roosterkit lifted his head slightly, his tall ears straining for some sounds. He caught the strong sounds of crickets. He could hear an owl hooting off, somewhere, and some late bird letting out a shrill, but falling, call. There was rustling; bush, tree, branches, twigs- all was moving. All was alive and even the slightest swish made a sound. He closed his eyes and somehow heard them even more- a chorus as beautiful as any song.
He smiled faintly and nodded. "I hear... I hear the forest talking!"
Firefern let out a small snort of amusement and licked Roosterkit on the forehead. "It so much talking, but if you'll call it that I won't disagree! Now- you see?"
"See what?"
"There's no true loneliness in the world." Firefern continued softly. "Even if we can't always be with you- and sadly that time will come; even then, you won't be alone. There's always someone. I can't guarantee they'll all be friendly, or that they'll all look out for you. Yet they'll keep any night terrors of silence away."
Roosterkit, the rest of the night, slept more peacefully. The dreams came back- bit they time, he recognized the initial whispers as the voice of the forest. Even as it began to dim into silence, somehow he realized it was still there; it was only his fear of the black whiteness, or blackness, which initially brought up the thoughts of loneliness. And when he cleared his fear away he could hear the distant sound of the trees.
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