Post by Fawn on Aug 27, 2018 8:09:07 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin...
...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity
Shadowchaser
Tigerpaw's ceremony was concluded. The procession of healers made their way to the frosted roots of the Moon Tree, and Shadowchaser breathed deeply the cool cavern air that seemed concentrate right here. The heat of the day seemed as distant a memory as a melted flake of snow. Shadowchaser's pelt brushed against Smokefur's, and he chose a spot to curl up beside her. Dewpaw's distracted behavior was almost as sharp in his mind as Tigerpaw's nerves. One, he understood. The other? He had a feeling.
But feelings could wait.
Luminous eyes closed, and peace swept over him like a blackbird's wing, blotting out all light until the next time he opened his eyes, he was somewhere else entirely. Relief surged through him as he rose, and gave his pelt a soft shake to reorient himself in this world of starlight and spirits. It was like an escape, a momentary escape, from the trials and tribulations of his life in NightClan. The mist-sodden forest beckoned him deeper, in, and Shadowchaser heeded the call, content to let StarClan find him if he did not find them first.
"Shadowchaser."
He turned. His breath caught, though he had no need of it here.
It was Sootfeather. "I'm sor--"
The late queen held up her tail for silence. He choked on his words, guilt and sorrow sinking claws into his heart and squeezing.
"It was my time," she said, and the certainty she radiated jarred him, and began to pull him from his remorse to consider what she meant.
"I do not regret my kits, or that it cost me my life to bring them into this world - and you shouldn't either."
Shadowchaser forced a pained breath through his teeth. Her eyes wouldn't let him go. Wouldn't let this meeting be over until he saw the truth she was telling him. Shadowchaser's heart yielded; what else could he do? He would still always feel a few fragments of guilt, of failure, but ultimately... He had done as much as he could. Sootfeather's life had not been his to safe. Acceptance was a hard thing to come to terms with.
"Thank you, Sootfeather." She had released him from his pain. "Your kits are thriving, Starlingcry is taking excellent care of them. I hope you are at peace."
"I am," Sootfeather purred, and began to wind her way through the slim black trunks of the pine forest. The faintest whispers of a goodbye tickled the delicate hairs inside Shadowchaser's ears, and he stayed where he was, just until he could no longer see or feel Sootfeather's presence.
That's it, then. It had been a short but meaningful moment. He thanked StarClan for allowing him to find closure. Shadowchaser dared to hum softly to himself, a tuneless expression of the ease with which was beginning to settle into his heart.
Something moved out of the corners of his eyes.
Shadowchaser's pelt prickled. Paw steps, the brush of fur through thick foliage and the low, aggressive huff of an animal taking in their prey's scent.
"Who's there?"
A cat materialized out of the mist, and Shadowchaser's fur began to lie flat. A bit dramatic, don't you think? It was Pinefur, of all cats. The late brother of NightClan's deputy, and someone Shadowchaser hadn't laid eyes on since the greencough epidemic.
Pinefur looked anxious. A reluctant messenger who could not meet Shadowchaser's gaze fully.
"You need to be careful," said the brown-furred warrior.
Shadowchaser's brow furrowed.
"Why? What's happening?"
Hungry shadows flitted around them. Pinefur's ears flattened a little, and Shadowchaser was given the distinct impression that there was so much more he wasn't being told.
"Please, if this is important, I need to know."
Pinefur sighed. "I'm... Just be careful. Mind what's hiding in the night." The StarClan cat retreated, taking Shadowchaser's newfound sense of relief with him. "...Peace seldom lasts..."
Shadowchaser woke as abruptly as the others, another victim to StarClan's worrying prophecies and lack of clarity. His pelt was prickled, giving his normally sleek outline a ruffled look. The RainClan medicine cats looked locked in their own thoughts, their own heavy feelings. Shadowchaser looked at his mentor's sleeping form, unease settling in his senses like the faintest whiff of fox. Had that been a message for all, or was something coming for NightClan?
Something he was meant to stop?
But feelings could wait.
Luminous eyes closed, and peace swept over him like a blackbird's wing, blotting out all light until the next time he opened his eyes, he was somewhere else entirely. Relief surged through him as he rose, and gave his pelt a soft shake to reorient himself in this world of starlight and spirits. It was like an escape, a momentary escape, from the trials and tribulations of his life in NightClan. The mist-sodden forest beckoned him deeper, in, and Shadowchaser heeded the call, content to let StarClan find him if he did not find them first.
"Shadowchaser."
He turned. His breath caught, though he had no need of it here.
It was Sootfeather. "I'm sor--"
The late queen held up her tail for silence. He choked on his words, guilt and sorrow sinking claws into his heart and squeezing.
"It was my time," she said, and the certainty she radiated jarred him, and began to pull him from his remorse to consider what she meant.
"I do not regret my kits, or that it cost me my life to bring them into this world - and you shouldn't either."
Shadowchaser forced a pained breath through his teeth. Her eyes wouldn't let him go. Wouldn't let this meeting be over until he saw the truth she was telling him. Shadowchaser's heart yielded; what else could he do? He would still always feel a few fragments of guilt, of failure, but ultimately... He had done as much as he could. Sootfeather's life had not been his to safe. Acceptance was a hard thing to come to terms with.
"Thank you, Sootfeather." She had released him from his pain. "Your kits are thriving, Starlingcry is taking excellent care of them. I hope you are at peace."
"I am," Sootfeather purred, and began to wind her way through the slim black trunks of the pine forest. The faintest whispers of a goodbye tickled the delicate hairs inside Shadowchaser's ears, and he stayed where he was, just until he could no longer see or feel Sootfeather's presence.
That's it, then. It had been a short but meaningful moment. He thanked StarClan for allowing him to find closure. Shadowchaser dared to hum softly to himself, a tuneless expression of the ease with which was beginning to settle into his heart.
Something moved out of the corners of his eyes.
Shadowchaser's pelt prickled. Paw steps, the brush of fur through thick foliage and the low, aggressive huff of an animal taking in their prey's scent.
"Who's there?"
A cat materialized out of the mist, and Shadowchaser's fur began to lie flat. A bit dramatic, don't you think? It was Pinefur, of all cats. The late brother of NightClan's deputy, and someone Shadowchaser hadn't laid eyes on since the greencough epidemic.
Pinefur looked anxious. A reluctant messenger who could not meet Shadowchaser's gaze fully.
"You need to be careful," said the brown-furred warrior.
Shadowchaser's brow furrowed.
"Why? What's happening?"
Hungry shadows flitted around them. Pinefur's ears flattened a little, and Shadowchaser was given the distinct impression that there was so much more he wasn't being told.
"Please, if this is important, I need to know."
Pinefur sighed. "I'm... Just be careful. Mind what's hiding in the night." The StarClan cat retreated, taking Shadowchaser's newfound sense of relief with him. "...Peace seldom lasts..."
Shadowchaser woke as abruptly as the others, another victim to StarClan's worrying prophecies and lack of clarity. His pelt was prickled, giving his normally sleek outline a ruffled look. The RainClan medicine cats looked locked in their own thoughts, their own heavy feelings. Shadowchaser looked at his mentor's sleeping form, unease settling in his senses like the faintest whiff of fox. Had that been a message for all, or was something coming for NightClan?
Something he was meant to stop?
medicine cat of nightclan
@poptart Silver BlooRey DVD @zen Hellion williams
Taxx (Sootfeather scene! I hope it's okay?)