[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Hell raising, hair raising I'm ready for the worst His claws were bleeding. The scrape... scrape... scrape... of his paws against the rough earth were only just audible above the helpless roar of blood in his ears, but he couldn't seem to shift the earth on his own. Every pile he scooped out crumbled back in, and Birchspots wanted to scream each time his efforts were destroyed. Alone, he couldn't even make a dent in the earth. He was aware of the silent presence of the patrol who had given up digging ages ago, staring at him with those wide, piteous eyes. They had all been digging for far too long now, and Birchspots was the only cat who had not yet fallen back, who still scrabbled at the ground like a frightened rabbit. "Birchspots." Someone meowed close to his ear. He was too dazed and too concentrated on digging to even recall who the voice belonged to. "Please stop." A cat pressed against him, trying to heave him away from the hole. He shoved them away from him, an uncharacteristic snarl surging up from his throat. "No! I have to get them out! We have to..." He staggered, exhausted, barely able to keep on his paws. "It's been too long. No cat can survive being buried that length of time." Another quavering, frightened voice came from behind him. "They're gone." Birchspots shook his head in refusal, continuing to claw helplessly at the soil, his silver legs matted brown with dirt. "Briartail! Gorsebelly!" He yowled as he worked, his voice sharp with anguish. "Can you hear me?!" The cats around him flinched, gazing at eachother with horrified confusion, knowing that the two tunnellers had long gone on their way to StarClan. "Gorsebelly! Briartail!" He called their names several times, as though by repetition he could reverse what had happened, retrace his steps all the way back to that morning, to when his mother and brother had been alive and sharing a meal with him in the comfort of LightningClan's camp. His head was spinning with horrifying images, of his mother and brother attempting to outrun the tunnel collapse, of soil weighing them down and choking the breath from their lungs. He collapsed, unable to support his own weight, his pelt so caked with mud that the small tom was barely recognisable beneath it. With every last scrap of strength he had, Birchspots threw his head back towards the coldly glinting stars of Silverpelt and screamed. words: 406 / tags: BIRCHSPOTS

[Deleted]

Birchspots' bloodcurdling wail made Greenpaw hollow inside from the shock of it all. Her emerald gaze looked on in desolate, detached wonder as she watched a son, a brother, groveling in the dirt that now marked as his loved ones' grave. Her paws too were coated in grime. They were as raw as her heart, and the older tom's cries felt like salt on that open wound. Tears threatened break over a delicate verge, but she quickly closed her eyes, feeling grief burn at the crease of her lids like hot acid. A soft sniffle was the only sound she could offer the world. The tight grip of sadness squeezed her throat and lungs, exhaustion and shock forcing her back on her haunches in a ragged sit. Greenpaw's body ached from the frantic work, and the bone-chilling silence from the cats around Birchspots was almost as strangling as the agony he emanated.

It contaminated the gathering of cats like a disease.

The work would have all been okay if they had something to show for it, but the absence of Gorsebelly and Briartail were proof of their absolute failure. Greenpaw's gaze was blank, though her emotions surged forward, erupting from her maw like fire.

"StarClan is cruel." The apprentice hissed, tone laced with poisonous fury. "They did nothing to deserve this. We did nothing to deserve this."

Guilt began gnawing at her entrails, tearing at her heart and mind like the beast it was. She could have dug more. She could have dug faster. She could have...

Couldn't she have stopped them from going into the tunnels in the first place? If she had done something different, maybe Gorsebelly and Briartail would still be alive.

Greenpaw sat numbly, green gaze sinking to her mud-caked paws. Starshine and moonlight showered the moor with a surreal, silver sheen. For a few moments, tt felt like she was sitting in the meadows of StarClan. The apprentice half expected to see Gorsebelly and Briartail jump out of the heather with celestial pelts. Folly. She thought, though a rustle in the grasses made her head spin around and ears perk. Greenpaw looked just in time to see a cat push away towards camp, likely to break the news ahead of Birchspots' arrival. A shadow fell over her heart. Clouds briefly passed across the moon, darkening the world back to its terse, tense reality.

LightningClan was down two warriors. They couldn't recover their bodies, and Birchspots was stricken to the earth with a torturous realization. Greenpaw inhaled shakily, closing her eyes.

The realization that both his mother and his brother were dead.

♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 Taxx  (Maybe Shadeheart and Greenpaw passed by or were apart of this somehow? Or just Greenpaw, lol.)

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Owlmind

LightningClan || 69 Moons || Deputy

A large ear flickered at the faint cry of a cat being swept through the open camp on the breeze, causing wide amber pools to narrow. The long legged deputy stood from where she had been sitting with Firesky and Rosefire near the entrance to the Elder's den. The scent of fear fear from the entrance was only seconds ahead of Cloverstreak as the tunneler came bursting in, fur on edge.

"The tunnel... collapsed..." The ginger and white tom's amber eyes were wide, and overwhelming hopelessness within his gaze and grief across his face at what he had witnessed. His startled stance was enough to cause the gray pelted she-cat to bound over with alertness, her long tail methodically shifting behind her.

Greenpaw!

Her stomach lurched when she heard his words, terror of who had been trapped below the earth worming it's way within her lean form. As stoic and proper as she was, Owlmind was still a mother that loved her kits and one of them had been sent on the patrol underground with Cloverstreak, Birchspots and the others.

"Someone get Kindleflare or Tigereye, now!" Owlmind barked the order in a quick, swift tone before darting past Cloverstreak and out onto the moors, following the direction of his fear scent. The deputy made quick work of racing through the open grasses of the moors, her heart running ramped within her chest as she tried to quell the fear within the back of her mind.

Her lengthy strides slowed as she came over a slope within the moor, wide amber pools immediately finding the tabby and white form of Greenpaw as the apprentice stood shell-shocked and frozen in place. Relief, like a flood in Newleaf, quickly washed over her body before the aging feline made her way towards her daughter.

Offering a silent comfort and a small amount of affection, the senior warrioress made her way to Greenpaw's side and softly pressing her nose against the apprentice's shoulder. Within the small amount of time that the action occurred, the gray feline sent a silent thank you to Starclan before turning her attention to the more serious problem.

Birchspots...

Padding forwards quietly, the deputy slowly approached the distraught tom's side. Claw marks scored the freshly turned earth, rubble and rocks moved to the side in a frantic attempt to uncover what had been sunk. It didn't take much for the aging she-cat to figure out what happened, as Gorsebelly and Briartail were missing.

The familiar rise of grief made it's way throughout Owlmind's body as she lowered her haunches to sit next to the heartbroken warrior. Though she had not been close to either that had been lost, she knew the pain of losing a loved one. Russetfall's death still stung her heart when she thought about it, despite the moons since his passing.

There was honestly nothing the deputy could say to make this any easier for poor Birchspots.

"Lighningclan has lost two great warriors today, but Starclan will gladly welcome them. Gorsebelly and Briartail will be honored for their bravery, their loyalty, and their dedication to their clan and kin." Owlmind's rasp lacked its normal sharp tone, but was replaced with a gentle and humble sound as she spoke.

Wisdom. Courage. Strategy.

542 Words || ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 @jet Hellion - Firesky Mention BlooRey DVD @zen - Kindlelare/Tigereye mention and if you want to throw one of them in

[BlooRey DVD]

KINDLEFLARE

May StarClan Guide Your paws

Even from camp, she heard the scream. A familiar pang of dread hit her core, dark eyes flashing toward where the sound had come from. S-StarClan, wh-what could c-cause such anguish? She thought to herself, pushing her alarm-numbed frame into motion. Moving as quickly as she could, the ginger and white medicine cat gathered some cobwebs with her tail, along with a small bundle of basic healing herbs. She hoped to be able to bring back whoever needed treatment for proper care, but having something to work with on the go was always good.

With a glance toward Tigereye, she rasped softly. "Stay h-here, prepare the n-nests and some h-herbs. M-Make sure th-there is m-moss for w-water too." When a form appeared in camp, identifying that tunnels had collapsed, trapping two of LightningClan's own below, her heart sunk further. With a shaky breath, she looked to Tigereye one last time. "A-And... N-Notify the e-elders there m-may very w-well be a vigil t-tonight. A v-vigil w-without bodies." Stiffly, Kindleflare followed Owlmind's scent, the deputy having already run off to assess the situation. Her gait was hurried, expression brimmed with worry as countless imagined scenarios flashed through her mind.

What she saw made her shiver. Despite knowing what had occurred, seeing the monstrous pile of rubble where a tunnel should have been, and knowing two souls had been alive when it all came crashing down... It brought her incredible discomfort. She could only imagine the fear as the earth shifted to swallow you whole. But those lost were not her concern. Her concern was the health, both physical and emotional, of those who'd bore witness. Those who still breathed. Owlmind was next to the prone form of Birchspots, the tom's grief almost tangible in its intensity.

Pausing momentarily next to Greenpaw, the medicine cat checked her over gently, asking basic questions to ensure the young apprentice was alright. Kindleflare could scent blood, though something told her it was mostly from Birchspots. Still, it was obvious Greenpaw had been digging desperately, just as the tom had. Her paws were muddied, pinpricks of crimson visible wherever she'd snagged a stone with a claw. A ginger striped tail gently touched the apprentice's chin, avoiding the sticky mess that was the cobweb bundle, forcing the younger she-cat to look her in the eyes. She could read grief, but otherwise Greenpaw seemed... There. Time would heal eventually, Kindleflare hoped.

"Y-You d-did everything you c-could, Greenpaw." She cooed, offering a sad smile. "L-LightningClan i-is lucky to h-have one as b-brave as you. N-Now, I need y-you to.. To g-go wash your p-paws off, o-okay? Back at c-camp, I'll be s-sure to p-properly t-treat you, b-but I n-need your p-paws clean first." Her eyes moved to the deputy next. "O-Owlmind, c-could you g-go with her? E-Ensure her h-hind paws are cleaned p-properly too." White paws moved to take Owlmind's place next to Birchspots. Lowering herself next to him, she leaned her forehead against his.

"B-Birchspots? I-I n-need you t-to f-focus o-on me f-for now, o-okay?" She mewed gently, dark amber eyes opening as she created a bit of space between them to meet his gaze. She waited for him to focus on her before she continued. "B-Breathe with m-me. In f-for two h-heartbeats." A pause to breathe in exaggeratedly. "A-And out f-for two m-more." A soft rush of air as she exhaled, moving to repeat the process a few times, waiting for him to join her. After a moment, she touched his forehead with her nose. The good news was he didn't seem to be showing feverish symptoms. "C-Can you t-tell me if you a-are in p-pain anywhere? A-And, if I h-help you, c-can you w-walk back t-to camp? Or would y-you prefer I s-stay here w-with you f-for a while l-longer?"

: ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 @jet Ghost the Undead Goddess : 

ELL

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Hell raising, hair raising I'm ready for the worst There was a horrible stillness about him, as his heart beat furiously against his ribs, like it was trying to get out. And he wanted to get out, for never before had he felt so trapped beneath the wide, oppressive sky. He opened his mouth to say something, as if saying any sort of sad words of denial would change what was happening, convince StarClan to alter the fate of those two cats buried beneath the earth. They were talking, walking, breathing only that morning. Briartail had made some half-hearted attempt at a joke to lift her son's spirits, and Gorsebelly had promised they'd share a meal later. All of that seemed so stupid, so hopeless now. If he had known that was the last time they'd ever speak, would he have come up with something more meaningful to say? Why hadn't he told them he loved them before they headed out for the patrol? He had been too distracted, too wrapped up in his own selfish thoughts and now they were dead, they were dead, they were dead. It was all nonsense, there was no possible way that Birchspots could ever have known that his kin would be called to join their ancestors so soon. But blaming himself, hating himself, raging against himself in his thoughts felt so much easier than thinking about what was really happening. The deep, choking silence following his screech felt like water flooding into drowning lungs. He was surrounded by the mournful silhouettes of his clanmates, but he was isolated and alone in that small dip in the earth, his paws muddied with the soil that had taken their lives. "StarClan is cruel." The voice came from behind him, a venomous and hateful tone. "They did nothing to deserve this. We did nothing to deserve this." Birchspots knew it was Greenpaw speaking. He did not raise his head to respond, and he didn't know what words he would have for the younger cat anyway. Briartail... Gorsebelly... It should have been him, drowning under the soil. If a StarClan warrior drifted down from the heavens right that moment Birchspots would make any bargain to bring them back. "It's not your fault." The words came emptily, like he forgot what they even meant. In fact, Birchspots wasn't even sure who he was addressing. Was he offering Greenpaw reassurance? Was he trying to convince himself that he wasn't to blame? Was he talking to the patrol, who had dug as fierce and surely as Birchspots did to try and unearth their clanmates? No matter what his intention, it felt empty, like a whisper of breath falling on deaf ears. He wasn't even sure anyone heard what he said. He was dimly aware of a feline form sliding next to him. No questions were asked. Either every newcomer arriving had already been told what had happened, or they were afraid to do anything but guess. They were probably right. Birchspots felt on the verge of slicing his claws off the next maw that asked him who was lost beneath the moors. "LightningClan has lost two great warriors today, but StarClan will gladly welcome them. Gorsebelly and Briartail will be honoured for their bravery, their loyalty, and their dedication to their clan and kin." The familiar voice of Owlmind was far gentler than he expected, but Birchspots's horror rose to the surface as an unchararcteristic tide of anger. He jerked himself away from Owlmind, turning his back on his deputy with a deep-throated and mournful snarl. "They were far too-" He choked on his words, unable to steady himself on his bleeding paws. "-too young to die! Gorsebelly had hardly even lived yet!" His grey tabby fur bristled with anguish, and his teeth flashed in the cold light of the moon as he turned a vehement glare on Owlmind. "What use is StarClan's honour to them now?" His voice broke mid-snarl, unable to properly complete his words. He tom sank to his stomach once again, shaking his head. He didn't even have the energy to apologise for his outburst. Regret washed over him, his useless anger melting away. It was far too easy to take out his misery on the nearest cat to him, for of course the soulless earth couldn't answer for the lives it claimed.  It felt like an eternity pass when he heard the slither of paws sliding over the earth behind him. The familiar ginger and white tabby feline pressed her head against his before he even had the chance to remember that she was Kindleflare. Though the two cats were never close, the simple comfort of a cat pressed close beside him was enough to make him feel a little more grounded in reality. Ashamed of his trembling pelt, he lifted his gaze to meet hers, barely aware that she was speaking to him. He imitated her, sucking in shuddering breaths that reminded him too strongly that Briartail and Gorsebelly would never breathe again. He choked, unsheathing his claws as though to root himself to the spot. "I-" He gagged on the words. "I want to stay with them." He stared bleary eyed at the medicine cat, hating the pleading, kit-like note to his voice, hating that he was exactly the cat Tawnybelly had always tried to mold him not to be. "Please." words: 889 / tags: Ghost the Undead Goddess BlooRey DVD @jet BIRCHSPOTS

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Owlmind

LightningClan || 72 Moons || Deputy

There was truly nothing the older feline could possibly say or do to ease the pain within the heart and soul of Birchspots. Part of his life had been forever shut out just as the earth had closed in on his mother and brother. The lanky deputy couldn't even imagine what it must feel like, either to lose a sibling in such a way or to succumb to the will of the unpredictable tunnels. 

She let her warrior rumble through his frustrations, the emotion within his wide and watery gaze was enough to pull at her heart strings once more. As much as she hated thinking it, the senior warrioress could only thank Starclan that her own daughter had not been one of the unfortunate ones. As much as she tried not to be bias in any of her daughters' favors, she was still their mother. 

Flickering a large ear, the Oriental turned those wide pools of hers towards Kindleflare as the senior Medicine Cat made her way over after checking on the trembling tabby tuxedo form of Greenpaw. Owlmind dipped her head towards the older she-cat, pleased with the swiftness in which she had brought herself out onto the moorlands. 

This wasn't their first bout to lose cats to the tunnels below, the red tabby would know how to soothe and comfort the grieving Birchspots to the best of her ability. For now, the deputy had a task of her own passed down from the soft spoken Kindleflare, as the lanky she-cat made her way over to where Greenpaw stood with her paws caked in drying mud. 

"Come with me little one." Owlmind's rasp was soft as she leaned down to let her nose touch her youngest daughter's ear for comfort. She had often called the tabby and white she-cat her little one as she grew and developed during her time in the nursery as one of Lightningclan's energetic kits. Goosepaw and Goldenpaw each had a different name of affection. 

Sweeping her long, slender tail across her daughter's shoulder, Owlmind led Greenpaw back towards Lightningclan's camp where she was sure there was to be a buzz about what happened out on the moors. Tunnels were a specialty to the clan, they were used and remembered by the slender and smaller cats of the clan, but they were still dangerous to the lives if their structure became compromised. 

The art of Tunneling had only recently been brought back into Lightningclan's culture after being forgotten for several, several moons. 

Wisdom. Courage. Strategy.

♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 BlooRey DVD @jet || 430 Words 

[BlooRey DVD]

"Some people see scars, and it is wounding they remember.
To me they are proof of the fact that there is healing.”

KIndleFlare

Her heart squeezed for the broken tom she saw before her. Despite her own sorrow, despite the emptiness in her belly that could only come from a genuine understanding of loss, Kindleflare's features did not break. She wore a mask of understanding and of worry, but she did not let her pain for Birchsports take over her. Now was not her time to mourn the loss of two clanmates. For now, she was to be the support bough for her Clan. It was a role she had struggled with in the early days of her career. And although she was far from a confident she-cat, she had come to accept and embrace the strength needed to do so.

Pressing back close to the tom as he seemed to crumble next to her, Kindleflare rested her chin on the tom's head and wrapped her tail around him to pull him to her. "O-Of course, B-Birchspots. W-We'll b-both s-stay with th-them h-her for a l-little longer, a-alright?" She mewed gently. Although the healer desperately wanted to treat his physical wounds, knowing that he'd likely torn several claws as he had fought the caving ground to get to his family, she knew his physical health would mean little if his emotional self remained as shattered as she'd found it.

"C-Can you t-tell m-me where y-you're hurt?" She rasped softly, dark amber eyes flicking down to him as she leaned away to properly see him again. She could guess that his heart hurt far more than any of his physical extremities. But that did not mean his physical ailments could simply go on ignored. She hoped that she might succeed in getting him to speak to her slowly, to reveal the bits and pieces of himself that had begun to fall away so that she could begin to put him back together.

Loss meant he may never truly return to how he'd been. But maybe, just maybe... She could prevent him from breaking any more than he had already.

Medicine Cat of LightningClan

70 moons. ~340 words. ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

[♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟]

Time and again boys are raised to be men The pale-furred tom was surprised by the throbbing pain he finally felt in his claws. With all the adrenaline, all the energy he had put into trying to unearth Gorsebelly and Briartail, he hadn't noticed just how hurt he was. His paw pads were scraped from small pointed rocks and he was certain that at least two of his claws had been wrenched too far. We tried so hard. And even then, it wasn't enough to save them. He thought, feeling every last scrap of energy in him deflate. One ear twitched. He could hear cats begin to depart, and he knew Owlmind was one of them. He felt guilty for having turned on her, but he hadn't the will to turn and apologise. A blend of exhaustion and loyalty to his lost kin kept his paws rooted to the spot, like he had become part of the moor and would never move from there again. Besides, he didn't want to return to camp just yet. He didn't want to listen to the whispered gossip about what had happened today, as if Gorsebelly and Briartail were now only stories to be passed back and forth between queens.  "O-Of course, B-Birchspots. W-We'll b-both s-stay with th-them h-here for a l-little longer, a-alright?" Kindleflare murmured. Birchspots nodded numbly as an answer. The long grass rustled in the wind, crickets chirruped in the dim evening. It was like any other day. He closed his eyes. After several minutes of simply breathing and allowing his thoughts to fizzle into nothingness, welcoming the numb wave that washed over him, Kindleflare spoke again. He opened his eyes to fix on her genuine ginger and white face while she spoke, his whiskers still trembling. "C-Can you t-tell m-me where y-you're hurt?" Oh. He kept forgetting he was hurt. He extended his paw, the pads raw and inflamed, three claws bleeding from their base in his toe. "I... I think I wrenched my claws." He meowed quietly, distantly. "Don't waste your medicines on me." He added, ears lowering slightly. "I-It'll be Leafbare soon. Y-you'll need them." Impatient they start and fearful they end words: 348 / tags: BlooRey DVD, Ghost the Undead Goddess BIRCHSPOTS

[Deleted]

The warm press of her mothers fur eased the grief that ravaged Greenpaw's heart, and Kindleflare's preening cleared away the shock that had weighed the apprentice down like a bundle of stones. She couldn't imagine what Birchspots was feeling, and cowardice convinced her she didn't want to know. Didn't want to hear the sadness dripping from his voice like a cold, solemn rain. Didn't want to see the pain in his eyes, ripe as a rotten apple. All Greenpaw had the strength to do was look away and flee from the wreckage, and when Owlmind offered an escape, Greenpaw didn't dare to hesitate.

The walk back felt like a dream, or rather, a nightmare. The territory was dark and still, and the scent of earth was suffocating. Not as suffocating as... Greenpaw's thoughts trailed into nefarious corners of her mind, and part of the way back she felt her spirit give out. She wanted to curl up against her mother and forget the flood of fear and dread that took over the clearing when Birchspots' family vanished under a wall of soil.

How easy it had been. Greenpaw wondered what the last breath felt like. She wondered if she would feel grateful, or scared. Or angry. She felt the fur rise along her spine. She didn't realize she had pressed closer to Owlmind for comfort until she saw camp looming ahead in the distance, rustling with curious and frantic chatter.

The last thing Greenpaw wanted, after an entire day of work ended abruptly with an unfathomable loss, was to have to explain why she couldn't save them to the entire clan. When the first inquiry came, the questions didn't stop. Sparkjaw pushed in too close, and Greenpaw exploded with a flurry of swats.

"B-back off!" She yowled at the ginger and white tom, fur spiked up along her spine. The clearing grew quiet, and that eerie silence drove Greenpaw to the apprentice den at a brisk, shaky trot with her eyes burning, the gaze of a thousand warriors boring into her tabby and white pelt.

Her nest never felt so soft. She collapsed into it with a soft huff, closing her eyes and praying to StarClan for it all to be a bad dream. Praying that she would wake up with clean paws, and Briartail and Gorsebelly pressing out of the warrior's den with Birchspots shedding a happy smile. Her feelings grew shallow.

They'll probably be happier in StarClan than Birchspots will be here. Greenpaw thought, tail curling tightly around her body.

Ghost the Undead Goddess ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 BlooRey DVD