Post by BlooRey DVD on Oct 17, 2020 16:59:10 GMT -5
However far you feel from me, you are not alone.
Her tri-colored pelt shifted in the wind as it blew over her, filling her chest with every breath. A sense of peace drifted over her as she settled further into the seated pose. It was strange... Here, she felt no sense of urgency. She had no place to be except exactly where she was, and it was... Refreshing. Her tail tip twitched from where it rested over her small paws, her muzzle tilted up toward the sky despite the little calico's closed eyes. The wind stirred again, bringing with it a scent she hadn't encountered in all her moons.
Yet... The unidentified tang on her palette did little to disturb her peace.
Instead, her mind wandered to Darkstar. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as her daughter filled her thoughts. Oh, how far her little birds had gone, each sprouting wings of their own and taking flight in a world that could be wracked with darkness. Darkstar had climbed her way to Clan leader. She'd always thought Cobrastrike to be the most ambitious of her kits. How interesting it was to her that it had been Darkstar that climbed the highest.
Not that she valued Darkstar's accomplishments over any of her other kits. Pride swelled warm in her chest as her thoughts journeyed on to Thornscar. Thornscar had been the first of her kits to bring more kits to the world. Moons ago, Echobreeze would never had thought she'd find herself a mate to have kits with. Life had had further plans for her, gifting her grandkits that she'd been lucky enough to watch take their first steps through Clan life. Bramblesnow, Breezewhisker, and Hollowmask. Her heart squeezed slightly at the thought of her sweet, little grouse.
His life had been cut far too short, and she mourned for him still. But she'd known that grandfather would not forsake grandson. Hollowmask had been in capable paws, and she knew that one day, they would meet again. She would get to hold her little grouse once more and tell him all the things she may have left unsaid. A shudder disturbed her breath, but she pushed herself to move on, leaving only well wishes for her two granddaughters. Her eldest granddaughters.
That same warmth bloomed in her chest when she thought about Darkstar's kits. How had she become a grandmother twice over? Although she had grieved the missed chance of seeing Dawnkit's first steps into this world, she thanked StarClan every day for the lives that had been added to her family tree. Not every step she'd taken had been a happy one, but the little she-cat had enough sense within her to know her life had been blessed. She had been happy, at least to a certain extent, for so many moons. She'd experienced first paw that it was possible to live with only half your heart. Because joy came in so many forms, from so many individuals... Family had shown her light when she'd thought only darkness possible.
Cobrastrike was perhaps her greatest concern. The headstrong she-cat had always struggled to accept things as they were, and lived a life of competition. Hollowcry's near doppelgänger never thought herself good enough, always strove to be faster, stronger, better. What Echobreeze would do to let her beautiful daughter know she was good enough. Her osprey had always been good enough.
And lastly, Shadowchaser. Her beautiful boy, her little starling. Her son.
She took another shaky breath at the thought of her dark-coated boy, remembering when he'd come to her so very distressed about his heritage, about who he was. She wasn't sure if she'd managed to make him see the world in her light; she'd never been very good with words. But she had done her best, and she could only hope that in time he would understand. It had never mattered to her that she'd birthed Cobrastrike, Thornscar, and Darkstar, but not him. He'd lived in her nest, suckled at her belly, grown up under her watchful eyes. And grown he had. It had been his choice to pursue the path of a medicine cat, and she'd supported him every step of the way. And she would continue to support him, always.
She would continue to support all her children, so long as their paths did not end in darkness. And even then, she would love them. For love transcended good and bad, light and dark. And a mother's love was undoubtedly the strongest.
Something cool, but not uncomfortable brushed against her side. She didn't flinch, for her breath had already registered the new presence. Instead, she leaned to the side, her muzzle slowly lowered from where it had been trained upon the sky. Green eyes peeked open, her pupils adjusting to the serene light around her.
It was now that she let herself take in the landscape sprawling before her. She could see trees, cast in darkness by a claw-strike of a silver moon. Although she was certain she'd never been here before, it was strangely familiar. As though she were meant to be here, as though she were home. Her forehead pressed to a form at her side, resting on a shoulder she'd so often missed in life. A cool breath danced over her ear as her companion leaned down to whisper.
"Once again, I've caught you. And this time... This time, I will not be letting you go."
Green eyes turned up to a grin that had always made her heart stop. Unable to keep herself from smiling in return, a strange giddiness slipping through her veins as though she were falling in love for the first time...
"I-I wouldn't h-have it any o-other way..." She whispered in return, relishing in his touch as he bowed his forehead to hers.
"Come, love. Hollowmask is waiting."
Those words jolted her heart in something akin to excitement, though it was muted by the knowledge of what this all meant. Hollowmask would never live again, yet now... Now it would not matter. She would see him shortly. Grandparents and grandson would be united for the first time. And together, they would wait. Wait for as long as it may take. Some day, moons from now, they would all exist as a family.
Wordlessly, she rose with her mate. Paw for paw, she matched his step, which he shortened for her sake. Deeper they moved into territory she would come to know as her own. And as their star-flecked pelts disappeared into the undergrowth, a light glittered in the sky above the mortal Clans.
That night proved even the smallest of lights could shine brightest.
I will always be waiting; speak to me
NightClan - 101 Moons - Elder
Echobreeze