[Taxx]

Smokestorm

This gal right here's gonna rule the world
No, I won't sit still and look pretty

The day had started normally enough. Smokestorm had woken at dawn with the intent of leading the first patrol of the day out. The noise, quiet as she'd tried to be, woke Snowfeather. The small pale she-cat, instead of going back to sleep, left her nest. She wasn't assigned to a patrol this early, but when Smokestorm told her she could go back to sleep, she waved off the words with a sweep of her tail and kept on her way, heading toward the den Hawkstar and Frozenrain shared.

Smokestorm settled down to grab a light meal before the patrol with the other cats she'd assigned. She'd just swallowed the last bite when Cloudfall lifted her head, eyes wide in confusion on something over Smokestorm's shoulder; when the deputy turned, it was to see Snowfeather standing outside the leader's den, her whole body trembling.

A wary glance shared between the two she-cats and both ran to the younger warrior at the same time, pausing in front of her; Cloudfall spoke first. "What's wrong? Snowfeather?"

Snowfeather's eyes alone sent a chill through Smokestorm as the white she-cat looked up at the two: they were completely blank, devoid of any emotion, and the two words she spoke in explanation held every bit of leafbare's frozen touch. "They're dead."

Then she broke. As if the words had been a dam holding back everything, and her body shook, harder with every second as her breath grew ragged, sides heaving on sobs that rose like a tide. She collapsed, eyes wide but shining with a level of loss and grief Smokestorm understood all too well. "They're dead, they're gone, no no no- why- they can't be gone..." The words broke around the rasping sobs, eventually settling to a repeated "no, no, no" as she lay on the ground in the middle of the Clan's camp.

"I'll get Sandblaze!" Cloudfall darted off, and Smokestorm did too- but not in the same direction. A flash of black just ahead of her and Vipertail's scent in her nose; the two entered the leader's den together, paws scraping as they halted just inside, eyes adjusting to the dim light.

Hawkstar and Frozenrain were lying curled together, the bigger tom lying with his mate tucked against his belly. Vipertail approached, a last hopeful light in his eye as if he hoped Snowfeather had been mistaken, but when the slender tom called out neither responded or gave so much as a twitch.

It was awful watching him deflate; his raised tail drooping as he sank to his belly, pressed to both cats. Smokestorm shifted, glancing away, momentarily at a loss of what to do- to say- to think.

Elders. Struggling to pull herself together, Smokestorm held that thought in her mind. The elders needed to know; they would bring Hawkstar and Frozenrain out. "Vipertail, I'm going to get Nightpetal and Slatescreech. If you want to help..." she wasn't sure how to end that comment, and the jet-black tom gave no sign he'd heard anyway. After a moment, Smokestorm turned to exit the den.

If the Clan didn't know already, given Snowfeather's state, then they would shortly enough. When their leader's body and that of his mate for seasons upon seasons were brought out for them to hold vigil over.

Deputy of StoneClan

All SC Cats Notes

[Ghost the Undead Goddess]

Ebonyheart,

Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams

The black feline and her mentor had already been awake when the startling motion of Cloudfall crashing into the den entrance brought alert and panic with his scent. Sandblaze gave a sideways glance at his newly named apprentice before returning it to the wide eyed warrior, there was a fallen look on her face and fear within her gaze.

"Hawkstar and Frozenrain... Snowfeather said..." She couldn't quiet continue that sentence but it was enough for Sandblaze to dart off past the white pelted she-cat and towards the den where the leader and his mate slept.

The younger she-cat didn't move for a minute, letting the news sink in. It wasn't something that she could say shocked her, the figurehead and his mate were well along in moons and their age was quickly catching up to them. But at the same time, there was an odd numbing feeling that started within her belly. 

She was young, fifteen moons of her life she had spent in Stoneclan, and within her time as Sandblaze's apprentice she had done regular check ups on the two senior cats within the last pawful of moons. Especially Frozenrain since her heartbreak at the loss of Minkfire, where ever that birdbrained she-cat had ran off too.

Her red furred mentor had told her not long ago that he feared Hawkstar was reaching his last few legs of life, gray eating at his paws and muzzle as age ached within his bones and joints. Even during her last meeting with the other healers, Mintleaf had offhandedly mentioned something about Stoneclan's new rein for the future.

The young Starclanner could have easily been talking about Smokestorm's succession to rule.

Gathering a pawful of herbs that Sandblaze would likely want to smooth fur and add fresh scent over that of death in preparation for the clan to mourn them before she made her way past the shell-shocked Cloudfall and into the openness of Stoneclan's camp.

Setting down her supply, Ebonyheart watched with an unreadable green gaze as the elders made their way towards Hawkstar's den. It was their job to preform the burial ceremonies for cats that had passed onto Starclan, the black feline could only imagine how painful this one would be for the entirety of the clan. 

How long had Hawkstar ruled Stoneclan with a gentle paw and a strong heart? Far longer than many cats had lived, she could only imagine. 

The familiar scent of her mother wrapped it's way around her nose as Ebonyheart turned to see the senior warrioress make her way forwards. The black and white feline had a look of loss upon her usually emotionless face. It was times like this that she remembered how old her mother truly was, as gray crept along her muzzle and paws.

"Starclan has gained two wonderful warriors today." Rabbitfur rasped in that proper tone of hers, settling down next to Ebonyheart. The black healer didn't miss the faint tone of sadness within her mother's voice as the older feline's green gaze never once left the entrance to the leader's den, waiting to see the frozen lifeless bodies of Hawkstar and Frozenrain.

Not in a morbid way, but in confirmation that they had indeed passed from the land of the living. 

15 Moons StoneClan Medicine Cat Apprentice

Fawn Taxx BlooRey DVD || Made by Fawn || 565 Words

[BlooRey DVD]

HERONDIVE

Grief.

It had never been a stranger to her. From loving a tom whom she would never be allowed to love openly, to losing someone she had considered a second father, to her younger sister disappearing seemingly without a care. Grief was something with which she was familiar. She'd hardly expected to come face to face with it yet again early one sunny morning. The first rays of sunlight had just begun to filter down into the camp, casting strange shadows across the stone-strewn terrain. The air was cold, a clear signal that the chill of Leafbare was marching toward them.

But things seemed... Peaceful. Until the camp came alive with an uneasy murmur that sent a chill through her body. By the time she shoved her way through the waking warriors, pale fur on end and heart in her throat, Smokestorm was up on the Rock Pile with Snowfeather and Vipertail, and Cloudfall was running full tilt to the medicine cat's den. Her breath caught in her lungs as an awful thought weaseled its way into her head.

No.

Her paws were simultaneously feather-light, and stone heavy. It was a strange sensation, like she didn't truly exist on this plane. She had no recollection of moving, yet somehow she ended up atop the Rock Pile too, brilliant blue eyes wide in her disbelief as she stared inside. Just passed Smokestorm's frame, she could make out a black shape shuddering next to the immobile figures of Hawkstar and Frozenrain.

It was strange, how when the world collapsed beneath your very paws, it seemed to happen in slow motion.

Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach, a pebble thrown into the depth of a bottomless lake. She felt every muscle there seize, and she was certain that, had she had any time to eat something this morning, she would have thrown it up. Nothing made sense. Nothing wanted to function. She couldn't even put her anguish into a sound, for she felt as though she were choking on the very air she breathed.

She remained suspended in this strange oblivion, the sounds of Clanmates moving frantically about camp faded to white noise as though her ears had been stuffed with cobwebs. And then she was nearly overcome by an intense feeling of being so incredibly alone. It was suffocating, like an adder had wrapped around her heart and sought to crush it in a vice-like grip.

Instinctively, she stepped backward, away from what she saw before her like that would make it go away. Her leaden paws were awkward, however, and she stumbled mid-motion. It was here she felt the first tear fall. With a soft whine, she tore her blue eyes away, her shoulders beginning to shudder beneath the weight of grief and the panic of loneliness.

Spiderheart. She wanted Spiderheart.

He was the only thing that made sense in her life anymore. The only one who always seemed to be at her side, no matter the mood she was in. He'd been there since... Since.. He'd been there. And now more than ever, she wanted someone there. She didn't want to be alone in the hell that her life was crumbling into.

Somewhere in her backpedaling, her flank bumped gently into a smaller frame. Jerking her head up in alarm and blinking through a sea of tears, she managed to make sense of the white blur before her. And her heart seized once more. Sudden guilt at her own selfishness nearly drowned her again, yet she could not find the words on her tongue. Her cream and white features twisted in a mask of sorrow as she pushed her shoulder into Snowfeather's more firmly.

If you were to ask her what prompted her next move later, she wouldn't know the answer. But in that moment, she thought she heard a voice whisper as an achingly familiar scent wrapped around her. Comfort her. Shifting to pull her younger sister to her side with her muzzle in an embrace, Herondive grit her teeth and closed her eyes. For now, she would ignore the thrum in her hear that told her to run to Spiderheart. She didn't have the words to share with Snowfeather, not on her best day and certainly not now. What she could give to Snowfeather, even as she cried, was herself.

Their world had been shaken to its core that morning. But they were not alone. They had each other, always.

warrior of stoneclan

Taxx Ghost the Undead Goddess @jet Fawn   | background image | table by phoenix

Note: 54 moons

[Abyss]

One can never expect what will happen when you wake in the morning. Some would wake to rays of sunshine basking their sleeping form in a warming light. Some would wake to the feeling of the moon casting a cool light down into their den. Some would wake to the sound of voices, voices that they loved, bringing them from their peaceful dreams into reality. Those were the good days, the mornings that all cats wished to experience daily.

But not all times would one wake to a cheerful scene. Some would wake to screaming, others to darkness, others to loneliness. That morning, a large figure within the Stoneclan Elders Den woke up to whispers. As bright yellow eyes slowly opened, voices did indeed fill his large and furry ears, but they were not joyful voices, nor were they loud voices. They were merely...there. Many of them sounded empty, some were broken, and others were laced with sadness. The large black tom lifted his head from his nest, gaze turning out to the camp where he saw faint movement, suggesting that many of his clanmates were about. But something was different. Something felt wrong.

There was a different kind of aura in the air, one that suggested this was not an average day in Stoneclan. Nightpetal felt an almost lost feeling creep its way through his long fur, a shiver going down his old spine and causing the fur on his neck to raise. The old tom slowly shifted his weight, making his way to his paws as quickly as he could without hurting himself. He took only a few steps forward, the front of his body emerging from the den, only to find new voices filling his ears.

The sound of crying. Wailing. Voices heavily laced with sadness and grief. Suddenly growing more alert, the black Maine Coon’s head turned directly to the Rock Pile. Atop the pile of stones that Hawkstar had used as both a den and a calling place for generations were a cluster of cats, only two of whom being Smokestorm and Herondive. Just seeing the scene laid out before him caused the Elder’s heart to squeeze within his chest, but his face did not change in expression.

Has...Has the time come? The question was merely a thought in his head, and he could only hope that it wasn’t true. Yet the whispers that echoed through camp contained the names of Hawkstar and his dear mate Frozenrain. The large tom allowed a deep sigh to exit his maw. So it has indeed come…

He knew that this day would come one day. If he were honest, he had hoped that he would be alongside his dear Petalwish when the day came. Yet it appeared this was not the case. Without another thought or word, the black tom made his way towards the Rock Pile, his old bones cracking at the movement to ease away his aches that came with age. The closer he got to the den, the more he could hear it. Snowfeather’s cries within the den and the hushed voices of the cats above sent another shiver down his spine. He reached the bottom of the pile right as he heard his name spoken from the jaws of Smokestorm.

“I am here, ” he called up to the dilute calico, his voice much less happy or perky as it normally was. His voice had taken on its natural deepness he had grown up with, a hint of concern laced within it.

He couldn’t say that he had ever been atop the Rock Pile, nor had he ever really had a desire to do so. But that was to change this day. His large paws lifted, slowly allowing him to gingerly climb his way up to the top of the pile. The continuous sounds of his bones cracking and a slight grunt each time he heaved himself upwards could be heard. Yet he did not ask for help. He climbed up on his own, the determination and feeling of need he once had as a younger Warrior seeping into his heart.

As he reached the top of the pile, his eyes fell on the cats in front of him. Smokestorm seemed to be getting ready to go get the other Elders. Herondive and Snowfeather huddled together, both shivering and shaking. A portion of Vipertail stuck out from what he could see of the den.

A deep sadness formed within the tom’s yellow gaze, shoulders slowly relaxing as he peered into the darkness of the den. He could just barely see the still forms of his Leader and his Leader’s mate within the den, neither moving in any way. Not the slight shift of nuzzling their heads together, not the brief movement of placing their paws together or wrapping their tails together. Not even the gentle rise and fall of their chests as they breathed. Both were completely still. Slowly, the tom lifted his large head, eyes turning to the sky.

Hawkstar…..Frozenrain…..two of the most genuine cats in this whole valley. One of the best mothers that I could ever think of, and one of the greatest Leaders this valley has ever seen. Together, their love for their clan, for their family, for each other, was unrivalled. Frozenrain raised some of the best cats in this clan. Her beauty, grace, intelligence, and will to put others before herself was unmatched. And Hawkstar...I have known him my whole life. He was one of the cats who I went to for advice when seeking Petalwish’s affections. He was one of the first to congratulate me when both of my litters were born. For most of my life he has been the Leader of Stoneclan. One could only dream of ever becoming half the Leader he was. No one will ever forget them. They will live on in the heart of Stoneclan for as long as Stoneclan still stands…

“Petalwish...take care of them, ” the tom whispered, eyes closing. “May Starclan watch over them always.”
1011

BlooRey DVD Taxx Ghost the Undead Goddess
*sobs*