Post by Fawn on Aug 26, 2017 15:17:56 GMT -5
curiosity is not a sin...
...but we should exercise caution with our curiosity
Shadowpaw
Despite feeling as wide awake as a honey-bee in newleaf, when he finally curled up next to Smokefur beneath the roots of the glowing starlit tree, sleep came surprisingly easy.
Shadowpaw's first steps into StarClan were peaceful, and at first he was confused, unable to see anything particularly out of the ordinary or reverent. The dark pelted tom found himself in a forest not unlike the kind in NightClan's territory, though the scents in the air were... difficult to place, but familiar. He walked slowly between the trees, keeping his senses primed for anyone who wished to interact with him. I'd like to meet the medicine cat before Smokefur. Or even one of the healers who first arrived in the valley. Shadowpaw, with a head full of questions and a heart full of excitement, was completely unprepared for the cat leaping out at him.
The apprentice hissed in surprise, only to let fly a shocked mew as he recognized his father, Hollowcry, looking triumphantly down at him with a coat as sleek and well-groomed as it had been in life. Shadowpaw's heart burst into a sprint, pounding at his ribcage as he rushed forward to press his muzzle into his father's familiar dark fur.
"Dad!"
Hollowcry purred, the sound quiet but deep.
Shadowpaw couldn't speak. This was more than he'd ever hoped for. Grief had always been at the edges of his psyche since that terrible greencough epidemic. Always. Echobreeze smiled again, but it didn't have the same sincere glow and warmth that it used to; his mother missed him maybe even more than Darkpaw did.
He thought of his sisters, and wished more than anything that he could share this moment with them. Give them their chance to say goodbye.
"We miss you. Mother misses you so much. I'm..." Shadowpaw's tail hung low, curling around his back right leg. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
Expecting a scolding look, as if Hollowcry shared that sentiment, Shadowpaw's ears pricked forward as he felt his father's tongue gently rasp over the fur on the top of his head. That gave him the courage to look up, golden eyes matching golden eyes, though one carried the strength of the stars behind them.
"It was my time." Said Hollowcry. Shadowpaw's throat tightened.
"What do you do in StarClan?" He couldn't resist asking. Though the gift of speaking with his father was wonderful enough, if he could have some questions answered while he was here... Then tonight would be a moment he would never, ever forget.
Hollowcry wore a cryptic smile. "Wait."
Wait? Wait for--oh. Shadowpaw's heart stopped. "M-Mother? She's not going to die soon, is she?" StarClan, no!
Hollowcry laid his tail over Shadowpaw's back. "No. When her time comes, I will be waiting for her." Something as mundane as life and death could not separate them for long.
Shadowpaw exhaled the breath he'd been holding, though it took a few heartbeats more for his fur to lie flat again. He felt the first few rays of dawn touch his coat. Hollowcry withdrew, looking to the horizon line to watch the night begin to fade.
Shadowpaw didn't know how, but he sensed it was time for the dream to end.
"I'll make you proud, father." He promised. "I'll work hard to serve the Clan, and take care of everyone."
Hollowcry's final words came with a seldom-seen smile. "I already am."
Shadowpaw drifted back to consciousness. Goodbye, Dad...
He awoke in the moonlit cavern of the Moon Tree, surrounded by sleeping cats and the scent of his father's fur still wreathed through his fur. Shadowpaw sighed softly, keeping quiet beneath the tree as he tried to replay that moment over and over again.
Shadowpaw's first steps into StarClan were peaceful, and at first he was confused, unable to see anything particularly out of the ordinary or reverent. The dark pelted tom found himself in a forest not unlike the kind in NightClan's territory, though the scents in the air were... difficult to place, but familiar. He walked slowly between the trees, keeping his senses primed for anyone who wished to interact with him. I'd like to meet the medicine cat before Smokefur. Or even one of the healers who first arrived in the valley. Shadowpaw, with a head full of questions and a heart full of excitement, was completely unprepared for the cat leaping out at him.
The apprentice hissed in surprise, only to let fly a shocked mew as he recognized his father, Hollowcry, looking triumphantly down at him with a coat as sleek and well-groomed as it had been in life. Shadowpaw's heart burst into a sprint, pounding at his ribcage as he rushed forward to press his muzzle into his father's familiar dark fur.
"Dad!"
Hollowcry purred, the sound quiet but deep.
Shadowpaw couldn't speak. This was more than he'd ever hoped for. Grief had always been at the edges of his psyche since that terrible greencough epidemic. Always. Echobreeze smiled again, but it didn't have the same sincere glow and warmth that it used to; his mother missed him maybe even more than Darkpaw did.
He thought of his sisters, and wished more than anything that he could share this moment with them. Give them their chance to say goodbye.
"We miss you. Mother misses you so much. I'm..." Shadowpaw's tail hung low, curling around his back right leg. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
Expecting a scolding look, as if Hollowcry shared that sentiment, Shadowpaw's ears pricked forward as he felt his father's tongue gently rasp over the fur on the top of his head. That gave him the courage to look up, golden eyes matching golden eyes, though one carried the strength of the stars behind them.
"It was my time." Said Hollowcry. Shadowpaw's throat tightened.
"What do you do in StarClan?" He couldn't resist asking. Though the gift of speaking with his father was wonderful enough, if he could have some questions answered while he was here... Then tonight would be a moment he would never, ever forget.
Hollowcry wore a cryptic smile. "Wait."
Wait? Wait for--oh. Shadowpaw's heart stopped. "M-Mother? She's not going to die soon, is she?" StarClan, no!
Hollowcry laid his tail over Shadowpaw's back. "No. When her time comes, I will be waiting for her." Something as mundane as life and death could not separate them for long.
Shadowpaw exhaled the breath he'd been holding, though it took a few heartbeats more for his fur to lie flat again. He felt the first few rays of dawn touch his coat. Hollowcry withdrew, looking to the horizon line to watch the night begin to fade.
Shadowpaw didn't know how, but he sensed it was time for the dream to end.
"I'll make you proud, father." He promised. "I'll work hard to serve the Clan, and take care of everyone."
Hollowcry's final words came with a seldom-seen smile. "I already am."
Shadowpaw drifted back to consciousness. Goodbye, Dad...
He awoke in the moonlit cavern of the Moon Tree, surrounded by sleeping cats and the scent of his father's fur still wreathed through his fur. Shadowpaw sighed softly, keeping quiet beneath the tree as he tried to replay that moment over and over again.
medicine cat apprentice of nightclan
Skip Dawnblossom this round
Silver
BlooRey DVD
Hellion
Justice
@poptart