Fawndapple watched as Nightwhisper tore away and started after him at a light trot, trusting that her other ancestors would keep the scene from spiraling off the rails entirely.
Nightwhisper was at her side in an instant. ”N-no. No way!“ He began to laugh, tears streaming down his face. “I...I can see her.” He hugged the she-cat tightly. “Oh, thank you thank you THANK YOU!” He tore off across the fields, heading for Earthclans camp.
A ghost of a smile appeared on Fawndapple's lips. "And yet I'm standing before you. The warriors of StarClan came to the clans this morning to offer up a new code, one which we hope will stop the senseless bloodshed between the clans. We are staying with the living clans until the full moon. Silversplash is with her mother, repairing EarthClan's camp."
The black cat whirled around. “But...StarClan cats...how...how do you mean? Starclan cats can’t just interac with the corporeal world! ....Can they...?”
"I can pass along your message, but I think that both of you would be better served by you telling her yourself," Fawndapple told him. "The clans have ended the war; you will not be in danger."
Nightwhisper nodded. “If...if you are returning, please. Tell her I think of her, always. I want her to remember that I wont forget her.” He looked away, his voice choking up a bit. “I just...I was a fool to leave her behind.”
Fawndapple nodded, her eyes knowing. "You should not shut yourself off to life, though, and think only of what you will do in the Starpelt. You both are so young, you have more life ahead of you than you have behind you. She wouldn't want you wasting your moons away."
Nightwhisper sighed. “Yes. I suppose I simply must be patient. My time will come, and I suppose, someday in the distant future, I will see her again.” He smiles, if only for a moment. “I will hold her in my heart until then, and I can only hope she will hold me in hers.”
"You could have given up the entire forest and it would not have saved her," Fawndapple sighed, drawing a bit closer to the younger cat and licking his forehead in a distinctly maternal gesture. "Even StarClan could not have saved her; it was her time to join us."
“I could’ve saved her...” He mumbled, trailing off. He looked so dissapointed in himself. “I really and truly would gave up everything to have saved her.” He sighed. “But here I am, sounding like a lovestruck idiot.”
"It's always a hard adjustment, especially with a cat so young and full of life," Fawndapple answered, her smile falling. "In time, she'll be content again."
Eyes opening wide in surprise, he scrambled to his feet. “Oh, I see. Well, thank you.“ He looked around for a moment, mumbling something about looking foolish. ”Um...tell me, is she well...?”
"I'm Fawndapple, a DawnClan warrior," She introduced herself. She drew a little bit closer, the stars in her pelt twinkling more clearly as she stepped into a shadow.
"Silversplash is my ancestor. I've come to thank you." She dipped her head to him, "You were a great comfort to her as she joined StarClan... but now it seems that you're the one in need of comfort."
Nightwhisper‘s ears flicked, and slowly, like a boxer unwilling to give up the fight, he stood, thinking he was needed. “This is he. I’m assuming you need medical attenti-“ He paused, staring at Fawndapple. “You...you look familiar...do I know you from somewher...?”
Fawndapple stepped through the underbrush, her calico pelt gleaming in the darkness of the thick leaf-fall litter. She shared some resemblence with Silversplash, in the set of their jaws and their expressive ears, but the resemblence was only slight, owing to their many-times-great kinship. She opened her mouth to better scent the air and adjusted her course to approach Nightwhisper. She slowed as she neared, approaching with a lowered tail.
"Nightwhisper...?" She meowed, her warm voice barely above a whisper.
Nightwhisper lay in a ditch, his entire body weighed down from the feeling of absolute crushing sadness that resided in him. After Silver had died, he‘s done his best to bury her, and then he started walking. He remembered only fuzzy images of memories. He didn’t remember when he had last eaten, or drank, all he remembered was finally having to collapse when his paws started bleeding from walking so much. And there he lay, in a muddy pit, dirty and bleeding, dying of a broken heart.
"Uh- okay!" Heatherpaw chirped and tore out after the strange tom, not considering for even a second that it could be a trap. "We're looking for a queen, a young cat, and an elder!" He shouted. "Have you seen any sign of them?"
Fallenpaw had heard about the rescue mission patrol and snuck off despite the fact that his father hadn't added him to it by name. The dark gray tom padded after his brother, Heatherpaw and Ivywhisper and screeched in surprise as a strange smelling cat jumped out at them. He could smell something familiar about the brown tom... he couldn't quite place it, but whatever it was urged him to follow the cat. "Come on!" he called to the patrol as he bounded off.
The tortoiseshell she-cat followed closely behind the apprentice, doing her best to keep he teeth from chattering. The cold was starting to get to her. Her fur clung to her sides and her paws ached from the journey. Ivywhisper paused to scent the air, a frown marring her face. She started to cough slightly, the smell of death overwhelming her. "I believe it's coming from this way." She moved to push through some bushes when a havanna brown cat jumped out, panic written all over his face.
"Thank goodness!" He breathed out. "I need your help!" and without a response, he turned and dashed through the forest again- what the patrol was unable to see was a wicked grin spreading across his face.
Heatherpaw lead his patrol through the dark territory, his legs beginning to shake with cold and exhaustion as the night drew on and they made slow progress along the border. He opened his mouth to scent the air, more out of habit than actual hope that he'd catch anything through the overwhelming scent of mud and rain, and was greeted by the thick stench of cat blood. "Can you guys smell that?" He asked, walking in a tight circle as he tried to pinpoint it.
Fawndapple watched as Nightwhisper tore away and started after him at a light trot, trusting that her other ancestors would keep the scene from spiraling off the rails entirely.
Nightwhisper was at her side in an instant. ”N-no. No way!“ He began to laugh, tears streaming down his face. “I...I can see her.” He hugged the she-cat tightly. “Oh, thank you thank you THANK YOU!” He tore off across the fields, heading for Earthclans camp.
(EarthClan Camp time?)
A ghost of a smile appeared on Fawndapple's lips. "And yet I'm standing before you. The warriors of StarClan came to the clans this morning to offer up a new code, one which we hope will stop the senseless bloodshed between the clans. We are staying with the living clans until the full moon. Silversplash is with her mother, repairing EarthClan's camp."
The black cat whirled around. “But...StarClan cats...how...how do you mean? Starclan cats can’t just interac with the corporeal world! ....Can they...?”
"I can pass along your message, but I think that both of you would be better served by you telling her yourself," Fawndapple told him. "The clans have ended the war; you will not be in danger."
Nightwhisper nodded. “If...if you are returning, please. Tell her I think of her, always. I want her to remember that I wont forget her.” He looked away, his voice choking up a bit. “I just...I was a fool to leave her behind.”
Fawndapple nodded, her eyes knowing. "You should not shut yourself off to life, though, and think only of what you will do in the Starpelt. You both are so young, you have more life ahead of you than you have behind you. She wouldn't want you wasting your moons away."
Nightwhisper sighed. “Yes. I suppose I simply must be patient. My time will come, and I suppose, someday in the distant future, I will see her again.” He smiles, if only for a moment. “I will hold her in my heart until then, and I can only hope she will hold me in hers.”
"You could have given up the entire forest and it would not have saved her," Fawndapple sighed, drawing a bit closer to the younger cat and licking his forehead in a distinctly maternal gesture. "Even StarClan could not have saved her; it was her time to join us."
“I could’ve saved her...” He mumbled, trailing off. He looked so dissapointed in himself. “I really and truly would gave up everything to have saved her.” He sighed. “But here I am, sounding like a lovestruck idiot.”
"It's always a hard adjustment, especially with a cat so young and full of life," Fawndapple answered, her smile falling. "In time, she'll be content again."
Eyes opening wide in surprise, he scrambled to his feet. “Oh, I see. Well, thank you.“ He looked around for a moment, mumbling something about looking foolish. ”Um...tell me, is she well...?”
"I'm Fawndapple, a DawnClan warrior," She introduced herself. She drew a little bit closer, the stars in her pelt twinkling more clearly as she stepped into a shadow.
"Silversplash is my ancestor. I've come to thank you." She dipped her head to him, "You were a great comfort to her as she joined StarClan... but now it seems that you're the one in need of comfort."
Nightwhisper‘s ears flicked, and slowly, like a boxer unwilling to give up the fight, he stood, thinking he was needed. “This is he. I’m assuming you need medical attenti-“ He paused, staring at Fawndapple. “You...you look familiar...do I know you from somewher...?”
Fawndapple stepped through the underbrush, her calico pelt gleaming in the darkness of the thick leaf-fall litter. She shared some resemblence with Silversplash, in the set of their jaws and their expressive ears, but the resemblence was only slight, owing to their many-times-great kinship. She opened her mouth to better scent the air and adjusted her course to approach Nightwhisper. She slowed as she neared, approaching with a lowered tail.
"Nightwhisper...?" She meowed, her warm voice barely above a whisper.
Nightwhisper lay in a ditch, his entire body weighed down from the feeling of absolute crushing sadness that resided in him. After Silver had died, he‘s done his best to bury her, and then he started walking. He remembered only fuzzy images of memories. He didn’t remember when he had last eaten, or drank, all he remembered was finally having to collapse when his paws started bleeding from walking so much. And there he lay, in a muddy pit, dirty and bleeding, dying of a broken heart.
"Uh- okay!" Heatherpaw chirped and tore out after the strange tom, not considering for even a second that it could be a trap. "We're looking for a queen, a young cat, and an elder!" He shouted. "Have you seen any sign of them?"
Fallenpaw had heard about the rescue mission patrol and snuck off despite the fact that his father hadn't added him to it by name. The dark gray tom padded after his brother, Heatherpaw and Ivywhisper and screeched in surprise as a strange smelling cat jumped out at them. He could smell something familiar about the brown tom... he couldn't quite place it, but whatever it was urged him to follow the cat. "Come on!" he called to the patrol as he bounded off.
The tortoiseshell she-cat followed closely behind the apprentice, doing her best to keep he teeth from chattering. The cold was starting to get to her. Her fur clung to her sides and her paws ached from the journey. Ivywhisper paused to scent the air, a frown marring her face. She started to cough slightly, the smell of death overwhelming her. "I believe it's coming from this way." She moved to push through some bushes when a havanna brown cat jumped out, panic written all over his face.
"Thank goodness!" He breathed out. "I need your help!" and without a response, he turned and dashed through the forest again- what the patrol was unable to see was a wicked grin spreading across his face.
Heatherpaw lead his patrol through the dark territory, his legs beginning to shake with cold and exhaustion as the night drew on and they made slow progress along the border. He opened his mouth to scent the air, more out of habit than actual hope that he'd catch anything through the overwhelming scent of mud and rain, and was greeted by the thick stench of cat blood. "Can you guys smell that?" He asked, walking in a tight circle as he tried to pinpoint it.