[KARAZHAL]

He died.

Poppytail could hardly swallow the lump in her throat as the medicine cat said those devastating words. Her father lay there in the dirt and he wasn't coming back. He was so young, far younger than her mother Cygnetwing, and yet death had not spared him. It was as merciless as her brother. She crumpled against her older sister to muffle the unbecoming sounds of her sobs into Carpleap's long white hair. Those soft green eyes wouldn't gaze dotingly upon the girls any longer.

Poppytail's face twisted, and she pulled away from Carpleap's side to squat down on the ground next to the corpse. She pressed her face into her paws. How could this have happened? She thought that since she'd helped get that cache of seeds and dried leaves to Dewfrost, everything would be okay and everything would go back to normal in the medicine cat den. "You're just as stupid as you are naive," Perchpelt snarled at her, cruel in his grief.

She tore away from them with a loud sob and left the medicine cat den, shoving past the warriors who had gathered at the entryway. Sniffing, Poppytail's liquidy eyes looked up at one of warriors and found herself face to face with Emberlight, the clan's deputy. "S-sorry," she stammered. "I'd help you bury him b-but..." Trailing off, she lowered her head and rushed off to the nearby elder's den, now empty with the absense of RainClan elders. There were plenty of senior warriors of the Clan, but none of them felt ready to enter these quarters just yet. Poppytail curled up into one of the empty nests and covered her face with her tortoiseshell tail.

tagging Ginger with emberlight. lionstride was poppytail's father and died after a leafbare illness just as newleaf was coming to the valley. may he rest in peace.

[Ginger]

Emberlight

"In the darkest times, hope
is something you give yourself."

Times had been somber as of recent. Leafbare had brought with it a heartbreak that Emberlight did not know was still possible after all those moons. Losing Sparrowfoot, the closest he had ever had to a daughter, had changed something in Emberlight.

For a few days, the tom had lost his cheery demeanor, staring at the sky for what would feel like forever. He would think about everything in those moments, whether it be the little ways he could have prevented Sparrowfoot's death, or the massive ways that he simply could have been more present in her life. 

And her son. Her son would hate him forever. 

But after a few meaningful conversations with RainClan's other members and some deep reflection on his own side, Emberlight was ready to return to his usual state of mind, though the memory of Sparrowfoot would always tug at his heart when brought up.

He was a survivor. And he would live in her honor in the hopes that his "grandson" would one day come to see him as family. 

But Emberlight was not trotting over to the medicine den to reminisce on old memories with a loved one. He was going to do something even more present: lay Lionstride to rest and wish him good tidings as he joined StarClan's ranks. Emberlight had not expected to be such a crowd of warriors at the entrance. As he approached the den, however, they parted to let him through. 

In the middle of the warriors was a grief-stricken young she-cat: Poppytail. Emberlight's eyes immediately warmed at her - the ginger tom knew what she was going through. 

Before the deputy could even get a word in, Poppytail skirted off to the elder's den, ducking inside and curling up. Emberlight exchanged a glance with Storkleg, who had been standing outside of the medicine den, before following Poppytail to the elder's den. Storkleg then quietly held the other warriors off from getting Lionstride's body.

The entrance to the elder's den was small, but Emberlight was smaller. The tom walked straight into the den, eyeing Poppytail's balled up form.

Instead of speaking, the tom simply sat beside the grieving she-cat, his tail delicately placed over his paws.

It was a long time before Emberlight spoke, not looking at Poppytail, but instead looking straight forward. 

"There may come a day when you are old enough to spend your nights burrowed in this den with old friends." The ginger tom sighed. He did not have faith that he himself would make it that far, what with the bad luck that seemed to surround his family. "Or there may not," he added after a moment. 

"In the end, what matters most is not how long you live or the great deeds you accomplish, but the love you give."

Emberlight looked now at Poppytail, his eyes warm and empathy tugging at his heartstrings. "Lionstride loved you dearly. Anyone could see that."

Another pause. This was not an easy time for the young warrior. Emberlight wished he could absorb all of her pain so that she could feel nothing but joy, but all he could do for now was offer his presence. 

"I know it's easier said than done, but you cannot blame yourself for his death."

59 Moons. Deputy. RainClan

Notes.KARAZHAL.543 words

[KARAZHAL]

With her eyes squeezed shut, she did not see Emberlight follow her and enter the den of woven reeds. However, the she-cat's whiskers and ears twitched at his arrival. She smelled him, but she didn't move or speak first, listening to the soft, soothing bubbles of the nearby stream. The mostly white she-cat lifted her face up from her brindled tail. She sniffled, quickly running a paw across her nose in a vain attempt to look presentable. She was grateful Emberlight seemed to be staring into the muted gloom of the elder den instead of directly at her.

The sensitive young molly straightened with a loud gulp as she swallowed the heavy stone of emotions. At times, she felt carried away by the waters of her feelings. She hadn't always felt that way, but her brother Perchpelt reminded her enough times that she was stupidly hysterical, so she felt silly crying in front of Emberlight. She hadn't expected the deputy to follow her.

A smile wobbled onto her face, and another sob burst unwittingly from her as he told her Lionstride loved her very much. Poppytail scrunched up her face, looking down and quickly rubbing her face with her paws. "I... I know." Although her father had been a good warrior, he hadn't had many friends, but Poppytail had only known him for the way he doted upon his children, even Carpleap to whom he hadn't been related to by blood. Lionstride's reasons for doing so were entirely his own, but to Poppytail, his attention had meant the world to her.

"I..." The calico sighed and cleared her throat. "I suggested.... that he go to Dewfrost for his breathing, but he refused." She shook her head. "Said he could handle it... Said she didn't need to be bothered with something so minor. He kept socializing with others and going on patrols, working like everything was normal."

Poppytail shrugged uselessly, hanging her head. "He didn't listen to me. I wish I could be bossy, but Perchpelt is the leader type, not me." Her pretty green eyes flicked up to Emberlight's, desperate for validation and advice. "How do you get cats to listen when you know it's for their own good?" Lionstride was so stubborn. Although Poppytail had never seen the jerk side of him, it was clear to any older warrior that her brother Perchpelt had inherited their father's insufferable pride.

Ginger

[Ginger]

Emberlight

"In the darkest times, hope
is something you give yourself."

Emberlight sighed. "It can be hard to watch the ones you love go down a road you know in your heart they are not meant to take." His kind eyes looked directly into Poppytail's, all the empathy in the world pouring from them. 

The glowing tom readjusted his paws. It was story time. "Say, do you love eating?" He didn't wait long for Poppytail's response, knowing it would just be confusion of some sort. So many cats seemed to react to his advice that way. "The most successful hunter is one who lets the fish come to him. Those who try to jump into the water, scare the fish off its path, and swim after it, tend to not do so well." His stomach rumbled ever so slightly. This food metaphor was making him hungry. 

"When we try to control the actions of the fish, we go hungry, and the fish never comes back to that part of the river again. However, when we let it come to us, we return home with full bellies." He chuckled ever so slightly as his stomach rumbled yet again. "Maybe I need to go wait for a fish."

Back to a more serious note. "Do not beat yourself up for being unable to do an impossible task. Lionstride was headstrong and perseverant. Two qualities that he will continue to have while he watches down on you from StarClan."

59 Moons. Deputy. RainClan

Notes.KARAZHAL. 235 words

[KARAZHAL]

Poppytail had wished many times that she could be Dewfrost's medicine cat apprentice. Maybe if she'd been, Lionstride would have obeyed her because who disobeyed a medicine cat? She'd briefly thought about imploring Silverstar, but she hadn't wanted to be an inconvenience so she shut up and kept it to herself. Now Lionstride was dead, and the normally cheerful (if shy and insecure) she-cat was stuck holding all this in. "I'm sorry for bothering you about this, Emberlight," she mumbled. She admired the deputy a lot, and it felt embarrassing to selfishly occupy the tom's time when he could be out there doing his actual job.

He seemed to be starting a parable so the little calico settled into a loaf position before him, tucking her paws under herself. She tilted her head in confusion. "Of... course?" she replied questioningly. She looked very much the part of an apprentice sitting in front of a mentor. Emberlight gave her the lesson of the successful hunter, and even his belly growled in response. Poppytail's sad face broke out into a smile and she giggled as his stomach continued to rumble. "Maybe I need to go wait for a fish." "That's a good idea," she replied, thinking I wouldn't mind hunting right now. It would be a welcome distraction, and she could take Emberlight's advice to heart about waiting by the river.

The she-cat's brindle tail swiped like a metronome hand back and forth across the dirt. "You think so?" She smiled, tears beading at the corners of her eyes and spilling down over her smile. She looked up at the ceiling, watching shadows play across the interwoven reeds. Far above the roof and the trees was the neverending sky, and that was where her father was, now that his spirit walked with StarClan. She hoped that he would scold Perchpelt in his dreams for being so mean to her.

"Thank you, Emberlight, for hearing me out. Maybe you should be my new dad since I don't have one in the Clan anymore." Poppytail spoke jokingly. "I think I'm going to go fishing to take my mind off everything. Sitting by the river just waiting sounds like it will calm me down."

Ginger

[Ginger]

Emberlight

"In the darkest times, hope
is something you give yourself."

The friendly tom couldn't help but purr as Poppytail looked upwards. He knew what was going on in her heart, as the same thing had happened to him many times. Accepting that your loved ones were gone was a very hard thing to do. It made Emberlight feel a surge of warmth to see that his pain and empathy could help the younger warrior get through hers. Her joking comment about him being her dad made the orange cat widen his amber eyes for just a moment. Sparrowfoot had spoken like that to him back when she was Sparrowpaw. And now she was dead. 

It was okay. She was up in StarClan with Lionstride, watching down with loving eyes on the cats of RainClan.

"All this talk of fish has made me want to eat," he admitted, although that had been pretty obvious from the start. "Maybe I should choose better analogies," he mumbled sheepishly. 

But this moment was not about him. It was about helping Poppytail in whatever way he could. What kind of deputy would Emberlight be if he didn't connect with the warriors that he had to organize in patrols? 

"If you need someone to be there with you, even if it is just to sit and be quiet, I would love to accompany you. We all grieve differently, however, so I understand if you would like to hunt alone. Just do not forget to let others in after a certain point." 

59 Moons. Deputy. RainClan

Notes.KARAZHAL.245 words