[BlooRey DVD]

I will wander 'til the end of time,

A single black ear flicked as a gentle breeze whispered through the makeshift medicine cat's den. The petite tortoiseshell stirred from her sleep, where she lay perched on the edge of her mate's nest. Off-green eyes cracked open, blearily peering against the brilliant light piercing through the entrance. The dark shape of her mate lay before her, outlined by the light filtering in from behind him. She couldn't help but find the atmosphere in the den off-putting; sometimes, it was filled with ragged breathing and terrible coughs, sometimes it was silent, lifeless.

White walls surround us,
No light will touch your face again.
Rain taps the window
As we sleep among the dead.

Shadowpaw and Smokefur had told her the previous day she was healthy, that she could return to camp again. For the briefest moment, she'd considered it, desperation to see her three other kits washing over her in a tidal wave of emotion. But she couldn't leave Hollowcry, couldn't bring herself to walk away from him. A solemn determination rooted itself in her heart, like dark vines too painful to dislodge. She wouldn't leave him, couldn't leave him. Not like this. To part from him now would be to leave a piece of herself behind, even if the distance separating them was more than walk-able.

Days go on forever,
But I have not left your side.
We can chase the dark together,
If you go, then so will I.

A groan caught her attention, roughened by sickness but familiar all the same. Lifting her head from the nest, Echobreeze held her breath for a moment. The feather-light wings of hope fluttered in her chest; that he would return to consciousness, that he would shake away this sickness and they would return to NightClan camp together. But it was torn away from her just as quickly, hearing the heavy wheezing that her beloved Hollowcry's breathing had become. Sorrow tightened her chest, as though she'd been struck with the weight of an enemy far larger than she.

Cold light above us,
Hope fills the heart and fades away.
Skin white as winter
As the sky returns to gray.

But he did stir then, a chorus of torturous coughs wracking his frame. His once-lithe frame, now ghostly thin, writhed among the bedding, face contorting feebly as he fought another faceless enemy in his nightmares. Scrabbling to her paws, Echobreeze dragged herself to his side, pushing her nose into his fur. "Sh-Shh, Hollowcry, shh... I-I'm here, I promise..." She murmured to him. Echobreeze had no idea whether he could hear her or not, but at the very least speaking the words provided her a sliver of comfort. Worry glimmered in her eyes, and she looked across the den. "Sh-Shadowpaw..?"

Days go on forever,
But I have not left your side.
We can chase the dark together,
If you go, then so will I.

Their son's bright eyes flickered to existence, the young tom immediately closing the distance separating them. He pressed close to Hollowcry, listening a moment before casting an uncertain, even scared glance towards Smokefur's rising form. The more experienced medicine cat approached, but Echobreeze could already feel her stomach roiling with dread. For a moment, there was silence. "Shadowpaw, go fetch your sisters." Came the gray medicine cat's whisper. Echobreeze's small body shivered beneath a silent sob, and she pressed her face into Hollowcry's  fur in a desperate attempt to stifle the sound threatening to escape. Smokefur backed away, presumably to offer even the illusion of privacy.

You're dead alive, you're dead alive.
You're dead alive, you're dead alive.

"Ech-obree-ze..?" Hollowcry's hoarse rasp startled her from the grief threatening to destroy her. "H-Hollowcry?" She whispered, climbing closer to him, shifting to meet his eyes. What she saw, however, was a feverish delirium warring with her mate's usual stare. He seemed to see her and look right through her all at once, the strange glassiness frightening the small she-cat. The dark furred tom's features twisted in agony, eyes rolling to the back of his skull as he trembled beneath the wrath of another cough. The sound was so hollow and unnatural, it made her heart sink further.

There is nothing left of you,
I can see it in your eyes.
Sing the anthem of the angels,
And say the last goodbye.

His claws curled, as though the tom were reaching for something, reaching for the last fragments of sanity he could find. Glassy yellow eyes drifted back to her, an he struggled with a single word. "C....Closer..." Unable to lift his head, he beckoned her closer with a strangled rasp. Shuffling forward, she pressed her head to the bottom of his chin, desperate to feel his presence despite his feverish warmth. "I told you.. I would a-lways catch you... I'm g-glad I did." Images of their first true meeting flashed through her mind, when he'd chased her down as though she'd not been running her absolute fastest. A warmth burst through her, an emotion desperate the be voiced.

I keep holding onto you,
But I can't bring you back to life.
Sing the anthem of the angels,
And say the last goodbye.

"I.. I l-love you, H-Hollowcry. So m-much..." For a moment, he watched her, considering her as though he had more to say. But  the air seemed to rush from his lungs, his belly deflating as he sunk into the nest and his eyes dropped hers. "H-Hollowcry..?" She whispered, slowly lifting a paw to prod his shoulder. Even the gentlest push caused his body to roll, no resistance left in his muscles. "Hollo-w-c-cry?" She mewed, a little more loudly and brimmed with panic. And then she saw his eyes; once sharp and brilliant, now glazed and empty. Lifeless. "No.." She breathed. "No no n-no.." She pressed herself against him, her muzzle desperately nosing at him, pulling him to her as though she could drag him back to life herself.

Sing the anthem of the angels,
And say the last goodbye.

She hadn't been aware of the sound building in her throat. It began as a soft whimper, something akin to the 'No's she'd been chanting. But it was quick to gain momentum, and before long a keening wail, bordering on a shriek, ripped from her throat, shattering the silence of the morning air. And as her small body tremored beneath the weight of her sobs, she clung to him, burying herself in everything Hollowcry had once been.

Sing the anthem of the angels.

Torn away from you

NightClan - 64 Moons - Senior Warrior

Echobreeze

~1000 || Fawn || </3

Song: Anthem of the Angels by Breaking Benjamin

[Fawn]

curiosity is not a sin...

...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity

Shadowpaw

"Please, hurry. He doesn't have much--" Their mother's shriek pierced the dawn, and the pine forest went deathly quiet. As if holding vigil. Shadowpaw's eyes, already round with worry, began to glisten with the crashing weight of realization. "...time..." The word came out a whisper, lost in the full body shudder that passed through the slender tom's blackish-brown fur.

Shadowpaw stopped dead in his tracks, his stomach and his vision pitching in opposite directions, unsteadying him. I failed. Oh StarClan, I failed. I didn't--I didn't get to say goodbye. He couldn't go in there. He couldn't see his mother's sobs. Couldn't lay eyes on Hollowcry's body, on the remains of what had been his father.

He was numb to the gentle press of fur on either side of him, watching without seeing as Darkpaw took the lead, and he was flanked protectively by Cobrapaw and Thornpaw. There was silence between each kit. Shadowpaw feverishly longed to know what they were thinking - if they blamed him for Hollowcry's death. If they thought he should have tried harder, or-or run faster to fetch them.

But the words were stuck. Trapped in some awful place between his tongue and his heart, for he feared the answer almost as much as he feared seeing his mother's misery. Shadowpaw squeezed his eyes shut, letting his paws carry him forward until he was surrounded by sickness again. And grief.

He involuntarily took a breath, and his father's scent wafted in, with a heavy coating of illness - but Shadowpaw could sift through it enough to still find what was distinctively Hollowcry.

Shadowpaw's eyes opened. He stared so hard at Hollowcry's body, watching desperately for the shallow rise and fall of that dark brown flank, that his neck started to hurt. But there was only stillness and his mother's sobs ringing in his ears. "I'm so sorry," he whispered to anyone who would listen. "I-I'm sorry. I did my best..." These words were lost in the gloom, following his father's spirit to StarClan, and leaving only a profound emptiness behind.

medicine cat apprentice of nightclan

BlooRey DVD , nimble , @zen | jk rowling | background image | table by phoenix

[Deleted]

Are you with me after all?
Why can't I hear you?

---

The trio had been sharing tongues when their brother burst into camp, calling desperately for them. As one, they had risen to their paws to meet him, and the news he brought had Darkpaw's burning gaze wide with disbelief. Their father was dying. That couldn't be right. Hollowcry was stronger than this stupid illness. Following after Shadowpaw, he urged them to hurry, and as they drew near the temporary medicine den and Echobreeze's pained wailing reached them, Darkpaw took off as fast as her paws could carry her.

He couldn't be dead. It had been days since they had been able to see their father. He couldn't be gone. As she raced into the pine needle clearing, she leaped right over another sick cat that lay in her path, her burning gaze seeking out her mother and father. They weren't hard to find, especially with Echobreeze wailing like she was. She skidded to a halt beside them, pushing forward to shove her nose into Hollowcry's fur, waiting, waiting for the signs of life she expected to see, to hear. But they didn't come.

Her head whipped around to her siblings as they approached and then back to her mother. This had to be a nightmare. There was no way Hollowcry would lose a fight with some dumb sickness. She refused to believe it. She closed her eyes tightly, willing herself awake. Her sisters would be beside her. Hollowcry would be alive. She waited some time, even as familiar pelts brushed hers, before she finally opened her eyes once more and was forced to accept that the nightmare was real.

Her pelt bristled and a rising fury began to burn in her fiery eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen. They hadn't even been able to say goodbye! He wouldn't be there when they finally earned their warrior names. How DARE StarClan take their father from them! She didn't know the way, but for a long moment she thought about running straight to the Moon Tree, forcing StarClan to explain themselves, to give him back. Then her furious gaze came to rest on Echobreeze again. She couldn't stand seeing her mother like this, and it renewed her desire to take Hollowcry back from StarClan by any means necessary. But she also couldn't bring herself to leave her mother right now, and Shadowpaw's whispered words reached her ears.

She turned to press her nose into her brother's cheek fur, her voice rough with emotion, “It's not your fault, Shadowpaw... don't you ever blame yourself.” It was someone's fault, Hollowcry should have been able to defeat this enemy, there was nothing any cat could say to convince her otherwise, but it certainly wasn't her brother's. She would see whoever was at fault pay for this blow to her family, even if it was StarClan themselves. Stiffly, she moved to Echobreeze's side and pressed against her mother's calico fur. Her family needed her right now and so she corraled the flames of her anger for their sakes. Her fiery eyes fixed on her father's lifeless form as if she could force the life back into him by the strength of her gaze alone.

---

Are you with me through it all?
Why can't I feel you?

[Deleted]

We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.

The night air was crisp and fresh, a light zephyr whispered beneath the spiky, pine boughs of Nightclan territory. Pinewhisker was nearing the Pineneedle Clearing with a turtle shell filled with water clasped awkwardly between her jaws, the cold, clear liquid splashing on her chest and in her face when her footfalls grew rash. She had chosen to visit the sick cats with fresh water from the Rainclan border and hunt for them; she was confident that the warriors on patrol could handle themselves without her for tonight. I need to keep an eye on Smokefur and Shadowpaw too. She noted distractedly.

The ginger she-cat almost dropped the water as her paws clipped a fallen branch, but Pinewhisker was agile enough to catch herself without too much of a scene. She was trying to focus, but all of the death and sickness had her even more hasty and restless than she already is on a regular basis. How much longer will this last? The she-cat breathed to herself. To see all her clanmates grieving over the dead and dying? It was beyond hurt. It was agonizing. She knew the pain of losing family. Her mouth grew dry and her heart started to patter when she heard a bloodcurdling wail. Oh no. Pinewhisker thought to herself, picking up the pace. When she reached the Pineneedle Clearing, the she-cat made sure to give the water to a cluster of her clanmates, pelts dull and bodies weak from the constant battle of illness. At the bottom of her heart, Pinewhisker knew very well a cry of that magnitude and tone defined death and despair. She felt it. A dreadful stillness and heartache. She noticed Shadowpaw and his siblings approach the origin of moaning and lament; the chocolate brown tom paused and hesitated, though his sister, Darkpaw rushed ahead aggressively. She could only assume that Echobreeze had lost her beloved mate. The deputy bowed her head.

Pinewhisker couldn't find it in herself to approach the grieving family. Her heart twisted in anguish. She only remembered a couple times that she felt so empty and powerless; so lost and alone. Father, mother, brother...greet Hollowcry in Starclan for me. He was an honorable warrior. She prayed, green eyes catching faint glimpses of pure starlight through evergreen branches. I know what it's like losing a father. She thought achingly, her chest and throat tightening with sorrow and empathy for the young apprentices. Memories of Cedarheart flashed through her head; all the times of fun and joy, tussling in camp; all the times of comfort and guidance that had abruptly ended. It was a shock for everyone, finding Cedarheart amidst a horrible battle between two foxes, his ginger pelt splashed in venetian red, body limp and torn between the jaws of two hungry beasts. The patrol managed to claim his body, but his life had long since been stolen from the world; from her world. Pinewhisker sighed. The melancholy mood of the Pineneedle Clearing was exhausting. It took all the effort in the world not to curl up and bury herself under her paws in misery and helplessness. Though Pinewhisker sat still, eyes illuminating a rich, fern green in the darkness. Her mind raced.

We must endure. We will endure.

48 Moons - Deputy - NightClan

PIneWhisKEr

Fawn

Notes: xxx

[nimble]

THORNPAW

NightClan || 9 Moons || She-Cat

He doesn't have much time. The world around her began to crack, fissures spreading like breaking ice. The she-cat's paws were beneath her at once, carrying her towards her brother. Then, her mother's cry made her pelt stand on end. That can't be right, she thought. I haven't got to say goodbye yet. She stood frozen in place, watching mutely as her sisters rushed in to the forest. Her pale gold eyes opened wide, acutely aware of her own heart beat sounding in her ears. She struggled to take a step forward, almost stumbling.

Then, all at once, she began to run, streaking after her siblings. Her entire body felt numb. She could scarcely feel her paws hitting the earth, tears blurring her vision. She began to stop, but her hind paws skidded on the layer of pine needles that covered the forest floor, and she fell awkwardly. Claws scrabbled at the earth for a moment while she got back to her paws. She could see her mother, nose buried in her father's pelt, and her siblings, too. Darkpaw, Cobrapaw, and Shadowpaw all stood before her. The tortoiseshell apprentice cautiously padded towards her father's lifeless body. She paused for only a moment before going to crouch beside Echobreeze, brushing her pelt close against her mother's, pressing her muzzle in to her shoulder. But there was no peace, no comfort she could give her mother now.

Thornpaw squeezed her eyes shut, determined not to look at Hollowcry's body. Her mother's shaking body was proof enough for her. He's gone.

To the ends of the earth would you follow me?
There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see.

258 || Fawn BlooRey DVD @zen @jet @poptart

[BlooRey DVD]

Disbelief seized her muscles as a cry, familiar and laced with indescribable agony, ripped through the morning air. The reddish-brown she-cat staggered forward a pawstep, struggling to hold herself upright. For a moment, she felt as though the breath had been knocked out of her lungs. Her paws burned to take off running after Darkpaw, but her brother's devastation was tangible. Tightening her jaw and her restraint all at once, the white-chinned apprentice pressed against her brother's trembling frame and began leading him toward NightClan's sick camp. Time unfolded painfully slow, her tail tip moving in jagged snaps.

An eternity later, and yet all too soon, they arrived. She could still hear Echobreeze's quivering sorrow, the sound rising in pitch as her body succumbed to violent tremors. Stopping at the entrance to the den to nose Shadowpaw forward, Cobrapaw squeezed her fierce eyes shut, unsure of whether she was prepared to see her father so lifeless. A few sunrises ago, she would never have thought their training session would be their last one. Eventually, she ducked into the entrance, taking in the heartbreaking scene. Thornpaw was pressed to their mother's side, the small warrioress' head still pressed against Hollowcry's lifeless form.

Darkpaw was nosing Shadowpaw, and Cobrapaw's ears picked up the tail end of their conversation. Their brother's grief crashed into her in waves, and she had to force herself to step closer. Using her nose to guide him once more, she nudged him toward their mother's other side. "No one blames you, Shadowpaw. Not a soul." She rasped, and the glower in her eyes indicated she would shred anyone who dared say differently. As another warm body pressed against their mother, Echobreeze seemed to come out of her daze. She pulled her head back from her mate's fur and glanced slowly to each of her kits.

When the small tortoiseshell's green gaze landed on her, Cobrapaw nearly buckled beneath the weight of its despair. Inhaling sharply, she glanced toward Darkpaw and signaled with her tail toward the small group before moving closer to her family. This would be their final moment as a whole; their father may have been here only in body, but for a moment, they could pretend he was still here. Wrapping herself around Shadowpaw protectively, Cobrapaw ground her teeth, laying her chin on his flank so she might press her nose to Echobreeze's fur.

And as their mother sobbed, alternating between burying her face into Hollowcry's fur, Thornpaw's fur and Shadowpaw's fur, the siblings sought comfort in each other. Cobrapaw's yellow gaze stared straight ahead, but anyone who thought to look at her would read them clearly. We have to be strong. For mother. For Shadowpaw. We will protect them, father. I promise.

Fawn @jet nimble @zen
This was kind of to close the thread up. Anyone who wants to reply one last time is welcome, but I'm done with this thread ^^ Thank you to all who partook, it means a lot to little Echo to have her kits with her <3