I.C. wrote:____________________________
☂ ＴＥＭＰＥＳＴＣＬＡＮ ☂
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the air was heavy with the scent of grief.
it had been some time since the sky had been so clouded and heavy, tiny, drizzling drop of rain falling from the stormy horizon above and wetting the coats of tempestclan cats as they rested, lying in wait. in their very camp, two cats fought for their lives, and few could do anything at all about it.
leopardflank had perhaps the heaviest grief.
she sat alone, off to the edge of the camp, her sleek, spotted coat damp from the precipitation. she could feel the chill of it in her bones, despite the warmth of the air, and the patter of drops striking leaves felt like roaring waters in her heart. she did not cry. she did not wail. she mourned like a soldier, head bowed in grief, eyes clouded, but jaw set and expression unchanging. her paws ached--she hadn't been able to save her own apprentice.
she was crushed by the branch, blazenose had said, trying to comfort her as she'd stared on in horror. she wouldn't have survived even if she hadn't hit the ground.
something inside leopardflank just couldn't accept that, and her claws dug into the soft earth.
"...leopardflank?" a voice called out, and the she-cat turned her head, her gaze falling on the only other warrior that had been with tempestclan as long as she. a small spark of anger lit in her chest, but it died quickly when she saw his expression. a mixture of sorrow, of pity, of something warm. it made her more annoyed than he ever did on his own, but she couldn't bring herself to speak, whispers quivering. if she opened her mouth now...
"i'm sorry. loss is a difficult thing." the grey tom breathed, not looking her in the eye, as if he knew it would be too much. "everyone grieves in their own way, and i can tell that you are." he took a step closer, and she bristled, eyes burning.
"but grieving alone--it's too much for you to bear the brunt of it on your shoulders. please let me help. please talk to me. please say somethi--" his voice broke, and the she-cat blinked in surprise as he sat beside her. "please don't torture yourself."
at the words, leopardflank bared her teeth. "i'm not!" she spat, and it was over. she began to sob, floodgates opened, tears spilling freely. "i-i'm not!" she cried, and, for the first time, truly accepted flinteyes's warmth, leaning heavy against him as he watched, pain in his eyes.
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"what's going to happen to him?"
"he's not going to make it without more cobwebs. swiftfern, can you get them, please?"
"of course!"
blazenose sat quiet as swiftfern darted out of the den, eyes focused on something distant. he said nothing and pinefur turned towards him, frustration and worry on his features. "blazenose," the dark gray tom huffed. "he needs tormentil immediately or we'll lose him by the end of the night. his condition is only worsening by the minute and--"
"it won't help him." blazenose whispered, and pinefur blinked, taken aback.
"what in starclan's name are you saying?!"
"...look."
pinefur glanced back, and his eyes widened. brindleclaw had been sitting silently at the young medicine cat's side, and now she finally spoke, gaze even, voice steady.
"tempeststar is already gone."
the black tom's body was still with death, his eyes, just barely open, milky and sightless. his flank did not rise or fall, his battered body stiff, blood still dried around his nose and ears, on his head. guilt struck a cord in pinefur, and he flexed his claws. their lack of action had costed tempeststar a life?
"blazenose, why didn't you--"
"waste his herbs saving our leader?" brindleclaw finished for him, and the former medicine cat looked appalled.
"you dare say such a thing? he's losing a life!"
"...you don't understand, pinefur. saving rainpaw was more important than treating tempeststar." blazenose returned, still watching tempeststar with a soft gaze. "i know how that sounds, but can you imagine if he'd woken up and he'd gone through that pain for nothing? and even then, we might not have been able to save him. look at him, pinefur."
the tom did as he was told, gaze drifting to the leader's twisted, broken back legs.
"it's better that he lose his first life and be able to carry on his duties after he heals than for him to live and be paralyzed. he'd be forced to retire, and we would have lost rainpaw. everything--everything he loves, that he wants, that he works for would have been in vain."
understanding crept across pinefur's expression, turning to awe. this young medicine cat, no more than a kit, was perfectly capable of handling whatever life threw his way. his faith would see him through. vaguely, he wondered if by some off chance blazenose and tempeststar shared blood.
"blazenose! blazenose, come quick!" came a sharp yowl, freckleheart bursting into the already crowded den, eyes wide. "sweetpaw- sweetpaw is giving birth!"
immediately, both medicine cats were on their feet. "pinefur, head over there right now. i'll grab some herbs and meet you there!" blazenose huffed, and the older tom nodded, before the two dashed off.
the young medicine cat looked up at brindleclaw, who nodded politely. "...i'll watch over him. go where you are needed, little one."
"thank you. we'll return soon."
the tabby-and-white deputy watched as blazenose bounded after freckleheart and pinefur, her amber gaze locked on the entrance of the den even after they had gone. silence filled the den, and it felt wrong. she turned her head back towards the lifeless leader, and took a long, deep breath, before close her eyes, determined to stay with him until his eyes opened once more.
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tempeststar blinked open his eyes.
a gentle breeze ruffled his coat, and the grass under his paws felt warm despite it being night. the air was cool, and filled his lungs with life, and the foliage seemed to glow, the moon so close it felt like he could touch it. for a moment, he had forgotten all the things that weighed upon his heart, and when he took a step forward the clearing exploded with the appearance of stars. translucent figures, constellations in their fur, surrounded him on all sides, and he glanced about, watching each one of them with awe.
a snow white she-cat approached, paws gliding over the grass, and his attention was drawn onto her.
"berry," he breathed.
she purred, leaning up to nuzzle him, tail flicking once. had she always been this small compared to him?
"tempeststar."
rather suddenly, tempeststar's mind felt clear.
"if i'm here, now, then--"
"yes, tempeststar." came the gentle, quiet reply. "you are losing your first life." she gestured, and he followed her gaze, turning to look behind him. he could see his den, his body lying still and silent in his nest, brindleclaw's hulking form unmoving as she sat beside him, a silent guardian.
"your body is healing. until it is time for you to return, your spirit shall stay here, with us."
emotions came flooding back to the black tom, and his heart ached in his chest.
"berry, i couldn't save them both. i couldn't do anything."
"what are you talking about!"
the familiar response made tempeststar whirl around, where riverpaw sat a ways away, smiling widely. "you can't save everyone, tempeststar! besides, i'm glad it was rainpaw. she's going to live such a full and happy life, really!" the young she-cat mewed, her enthusiasm as bright as ever. "it's not bad being here. i'm sad, but i think everything will be okay. i believe in you--everyone does!"
tears pricked at tempeststar's eyes, and he raised his head, standing taller now.
"the life i gave you was for protection, tempest. continue to protect them. continue to have faith. those of us here will always be watching, and we'll always stand beside you." berry purred, stepping back, looking content.
"never regret anything, and depend on your clanmates. they need you--it's okay to need them sometimes, too!" rainpaw chimed back in, whiskers glimmering with light. "tempestclan is going to become something amazing--just you wait!"
feeling was beginning to return to the tips of tempeststar's extremities, a dull ache, and he gave a soft mrrow of laughter, chuckling as star-filled tears dripped from his muzzle.
"...it certainly will. keep watching, riverpaw. we'll make you proud!"
[ tempestclan rests ]
[ swiftfern goes to look for cobwebs ]
[ tempeststar loses his first life ]
[ sweetpaw goes into labor ]
[ the clans consumes one eel and one crawdad ]
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