Event everytime you get close, i run away — temporary camp: bulldozer

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DIMMINGSUN

WIPE THE SYSTEM
WindClan
Medicine Cat
66
12
Freshkill
480
Pronouns
HE/HIM
Profile
TAGS
Played by
▸ KARMEN
IMPORTANT
It appears the Clan has been separated into small groups in the chaos! Please keep in mind that your character cannot be two places at once and should only reply to one camp thread to avoid confusion! Takes place the night of the flood, Oct. 5th.



Dimmingsun blindly leaves the camp behind, barely able to payi attention to anyone that may have followed behind him. He half-carries, half-drags Merrystalk with him, whose breathing is now steadier. Dimmingsun is not the type of cat to grow tired easily—endurance has played a vital part in his survival, after all—but he feels his limbs grow weaker and weaker as adrenaline leaves him spent.

The dead, yellow monster looms ahead of them like some sort of bad omen... though Dimmingsun doubts that there is room for anything worse to happen. He had no set destination in mind when he had set out, but he supposes this will have to do for the time being. There is no chance to scout the moor now and join the rest of WindClan, not when everybody is too exhausted to consistently put one paw in front of the other. Dimmingsun stops directly before it, staring it down like he expects it to roar back to life. It doesn't.

"We should stop here to... rest,"
he announces, spatting that last word out like it's poison. Merrystalk's body is gently put down so that Dimmingsun can face the other refugees. Any other scenario like this, he would be overjoyed with the chance to command his Clanmates... but now, he simply stares at them like he barely has energy to continue talking.
"As much as we can."
His ear flicks, picking up the sound of rain gliding down the worn-down sides of the monster. How eerie. At least predators are unlikely to attack in a location like this.
"I want to meet up with the others as soon as possible."
 

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ Jaypaw ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☽⋆⁺₊⋆-




Jaypaw can do nothing as he follows Dimmingsun further into the territory, away from their flooded camp. He wanted to help carry Merrystalk, pleaded with the large medicine cat to let him help for once, but one stern, tired look from Dimmingsun was enough to make him shut his maw. The medicine cat was right, of course - Jaypaw could barely stand on his feet, he would be of no help, just another burden once his legs gave in, but he still can't help feeling guilty. Merrystalk is limp, unmoving, because of him and he can't even do anything to help. Not then and not now.

They stop at the base of a giant monster. Its maw threatens to capture the tired cats in its fangs, were it not alraedy dead, its paws bigger than even the biggest among them. But Jaypaw is too tired to ponder about it, the moment they stop, his legs give out from underneath him and he all but crawls towards Merrystalk. He couldn't carry him, but he can stay with him at the very least, sharing his body heat with the tom. Jaypaw swears to himself that he won't leave Merrystalk's side until the Gale Guard is better. Until the Gale Guard can forgive him. If he can forgive him at all... Jaypaw isn't sure he deserves to be forgiven.

"I'm sorry, Merrystalk." he sobs quietly into the other's fur. "I wish I could take it all back and never call out your name..."


 
It's only Dimmingsun's eye that moves, gluing itself to Jaypaw's side.
"Don't say that,"
he warns.
"If you hadn't called his name, we would be preparing for your vigil now."
Perhaps there is little need to remind the 'paw of the somber reality, but Dimmingsun deems it a better alternative. He doesn't want Jaypaw to lament- to sit with survivor's guilt. The strong live, and the weak perish; that's simply the nature of this world. To toss and turn at the idea of what-ifs is entirely pointless.

Plus, Dimmingsun can't leave out the most important part.
"He's alive. Both of you are. That's what matters."
It had seemed to take an eternity to push on Merrystalk's chest hard enough to get him to cough, but it had worked in the end. One of Dimmingsun's limbs cramp at the mere thought. He knows there is still a lot for them to face—a lot of cats to take care of, Merrystalk included, once he finally regains full consciousness... tiring duty, but at least it's not the burying kind. Dimmingsun will take this. Consider it a victory, even.
 
It felt like her paws were made of stone by the time they reached their new - albeit temporary - camp, tail dragging behind her as she tried as hard as possible to keep weary eyes open. When she had been rescued from the waters by the medicine cat, she had quickly decided in that moment that she would follow his lead, follow him out to safety as much as she could for it seemed as though he knew what he was doing, and although she still believed that in this moment, she couldn't help the fear that radiate through her as they had moved away from WindClan, away from the new home she had found herself in, and realized there were less cats with them than expected. Less faces that she realistically knew the names of, and of the ones she did and trusted fully... well he had been half-dragged here unconscious due to the flooding.

"Do you think everyone's ok?" Kitten-soft voice couldn't help but question out as they came to a stop, after it had been announced this would be their resting spot so close to the large yellow monster that had she not already been soaked to the bone and cold would be causing her to shake from fear. Eyes wandered around to those there, ears pinning to her head as she realized Goldenroar's face was not amongst them and she can't help the soft whimper that escapes her throat before she's plopped on the ground, shoving herself next to the now-damp fur of Merrystalk as he lie there, paws cramming themself underneath her chest as the kitten looks bleary-eyed at the others once more before looking to Merrystalk, willing him to wake up if only for her own kitten selfishness so that she wouldn't be alone with so many she didn't quite know yet, even if she truly wasn't.
RUBBLEKIT she/her, WindClan 4 moons old.
a round kitten
mentored by none // mentoring none
NPC x NPC / sibling to ???
peaceful powerplay permitted
"speech" // "thoughts"
penned by tikki ↛ rabbitcake on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
 
Everything was still rather distant, a bleary mind and aching lungs.

He was still conscious enough to realise he had been dragged out of camp, at some point regaining his footing as he tried to alleviate the weight from Dimmingsun's side.

Merrystalk was still alive, that much he could tell. Every shuddered breath caught the familiar and now frankly comforting scent of the medicine cat, someone he once regarded with apprehension, who had saved his life. And, to the relief of the gale guard, he caught the glimmer of grey fur that was Jaypaw. "Yer okay..." He muttered, water dripping from his muzzle, a smile tugging at his lips. Even if he had died, he would have never forgiven himself if the apprentice had perished too.

Then, all of a sudden, they all stopped, and the gale guard was let down slowly to the ground. He hadn't realised how much he ached as he took a deep, shuddering breath before wincing in pain. The ache in his chest was more than just from the water, but from Dimming bringing him back; he had no idea how it all worked, but whatever the tom had done had made him cough the water back up. But oh, Starclan did it hurt-

"Starclan..." Merrystalk breathed the name like a prayer; it was in all reality. "I-I saw them, they-" His words caught in his throat as he found himself choking again, hacking up more ice-cool water that dripped from his lips, bitter and foul. It was impossible to deny what he saw, what he discussed; it had felt like a hazy dream, but now? That star-speckled pelt was real; there was no denying he really saw what was to come, someday.

His ears were still clogged from the water, painfully so; the words of the cats around him were muffled and distant. Merry blinked hard, trying to refocus his vision as something else tore through his chest. But whatever it was felt... Strange. It wasn't the searing ache of the water, but something dull, like an extra weight had been placed in his chest. It could have been guilt if there was nothing for the gale guard to regard with sorrow for.

That was, until he felt pressure at his side. The tortoiseshell felt the shuddering breaths of Jaypaw curled up beside him. Merrystalk breathed to talk, only for his throat to tighten. For a moment, it felt as if he could cry, having to blink away tears that stung at his eyes. "I wish I could take it all back and never call out your name..." It was distant, but he couldn't mistake the words that slipped from Jaypaw's maw.

His heart dropped, jaw tightening as he leaned over and pressed a reassuring nose to the apprentice. "Now don't ya' dare say nothin' like that, Jay." His voice was strained, but still as firm as he could muster without it breaking. Feeling the welling of sorrow in his chest, he couldn't seem to pinpoint it. "Ya' better not be blamin' yerself fer my state." Merrystalk muttered, weakly bringing the apprentice close to comfort him.

He couldn't blame the tom for being upset, it's not like the sudden flooding wouldn't leave a wound on everyone's heart but- "Oh Starclan, he must've seen me-" He held the apprentice closer, they were all just lucky to be alive, but the poor thing wouldn't leave this night without scars of his own.

The tortoiseshell let out a small sigh, turning to speak to Dimming, only to feel something else burrow close to his fur, his heart aching to see little Rubblekit. Shaking like a leaf as she tried to hide from the world with her little face pressed close, just like Jaypaw. "Oh lil' darlin'..." He bowed his head to rasp the kitten's ear, tucking a paw around her to hold her close.

His heart continued to ache with something outside his reach, enough to make it impossible to steel the tears that pricked at his eyes. "This ain't the first tragedy Windclan's been through, Rubble." Merry paused, taking a deep breath, stopping his voice from wavering. "We're strong cats, 'nd 'm sure we're gonna come out've this strong as always." Swallowing hard, the two youngesters of the clan tucked close to him, like he might slip away all over again. It killed him inside. He dread to think of Goldy or Sunny, or Harefoot or even Meadow's reactions. He had survived, but they would only see his moment of demise and grieve at the thought.

But, as he looked up to Dimmingsun, that was the worst they would have to grieve. "Thank you, Dimmin', ya' saved my damn tail back there 'nd I don't think I can ever thank ya' enough fer it." Merry's voice was nothing but a whisper, the stinging pain from the flood water and the tightness he couldn't decipher meant he couldn't speak the least bit louder. He wasn't all there, not yet, but for a semblance of his lucidity back, he smiled to the medicine cat. If were was any suggestion of distrust for the tom, it was more than gone by then. Dimmingsun has truly proved his place in Windclan; Starclan had chosen right indeed.
MERRYSTALK He/Him, Windclan Gale Guard, 32 moons.
A lithe, tortoiseshell cat with green eyes and pelt speckled with rye grass.
mentored by none // mentoring Talonpaw
sibling to Goldenroar and Sunnyspring
NPC x NPC / parent to no one / mated to Harefoot
"SPEECH" // "THOUGHTS" // ATTACK
penned by Pheo ↛ phoenixwashere on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: Jaypaw ⏾
'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head, a sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread

.


Cricketpaw walked stiffly after Dimmingsun, her one blue eye wide and almost vacant, paws dragging through the mud. She still clutched the herbs she'd managed to save, jaw aching from how tightly she held them. Dimmingsun was here… and if Dimmingsun was here, then Meadowpaw had to be too. That was logic, right? Where Dimmingsun went, Meadowpaw would follow. She had to. She just… had to. Voices blurred together around her, muffled and distant through the ringing in her ears. Was that Jaypaw? It sounded like him. And another, smaller, higher, one of mama's kits? One of her siblings?

Her gaze darted upward, searching for something, anything, to hold onto. Merrystalk. Rubblekit. Jaypaw. Dimmingsun. No mama. No papa. No siblings. No gramps. No Meadowpaw. No, no, that wasn't right. That couldn't be right. Meadowpaw was supposed to be here too. She had to be here. She had to be. Cricketpaw blinked rapidly, her head shaking again and again until the world finally started to come back into focus, or maybe it didn't. Maybe everything was still spinning. She looked at Merrystalk, staring at him for a long, blank heartbeat before her expression cracked. The words around her still didn't make sense, like they were being spoken from under water. She sniffled hard, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, trying to be quiet, trying to be strong, but the sound came anyway, sharp and broken. She sank down where she stood, herbs still clenched between trembling teeth.

She couldn't let go. She couldn't let go. Meadowpaw needed them. Meadowpaw always needed them. " D… D-Dimmin'sun… " she finally managed between hiccups and soft, choking sobs, the words garbled by the herbs she refused to drop. " M… M-Meadow… " Her voice cracked. And then she broke. The wail that tore out of her chest was raw and painful, an echo of every loss that had ever hollowed her out. Their home was gone again. All her precious trinkets, gone. Her family, gone. They were gone.

They were gone, they were gone, they were gone-- They were dead. Just like before. Just like the fire. Gone.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis


8 MOONS
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WINDCLANNER
𖧧
SONG
𖧧
bio
 
  • Sad
Reactions: Jaypaw ⏾

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ Jaypaw ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☽⋆⁺₊⋆-




A raspy voice reached Jaypaw's ears through his own sobs. A voice close, a breath upon his fur. "Me..Merrystalk?" he looked up with tearful eyes. It was true - Merrystalk's green eyes stared back at the young tom sympathetically, almost pathetically, on the verge of tears. Is this what he looked like? It was like looking into a puddle, seeing his own feelings reflected right back at him - but what was Merrystalk feeling guilty about? "Oh, Merrystalk!" Jaypaw buried his face in Merrystalk's fur. He would not leave his side, not until everything was okay again. If it could be okay again.

Merrystalk's next words make him pull back - they had survived a tragedy before, hadn't they? He knew, but he couldn't remember - he kept telling himself he was too young to recall the events, but now... maybe he simply chose to forget the night of the barn fire. If it was anything like this, or worse, no wonder he would wish to forget.

Would he wish to forget this too? No.. If he forgot this, he would feel no guilt over what he had done. He couldn't forget the guilt - Merrystalk almost sacrificed himself to save him and Jaypaw would forever owe the Gale Guard with his life. That was something he could never forget, no matter how terrible things were.

Merrystalk's voice was barely a raspy whisper, uncomfortable to listen to and probably even more painful to talk with. "Please," he nudged the tom. "don't exhaust your voice. You only just woke up from...- you need to rest."


 
Clayspots was caked in mud. The underside of her multi-coloured pelt soaked in a wet mud that threatened to drag her down. She had been in the tunnels when the flooding struck, it was the worst experience she had ever been through. It felt like some sort of vacuum, trying to pull her deeper, absorb her body into its walls like her namesake. As she clawed her way through the wet mud, she caught sight of the medicine cat --- the large tom dragging the body of one of the Gale Guards on his back, flanked by an apprentice and kit. She didn't know their names, she had always flanked the outskirts --- never in the spotlight like her sister. She followed behind, thankful to at least be with some of her clan after what had befallen them.

As the medicine cat slumped down the still wet body of the Gale Guard, she moved closer. There was another apprentice she didn't spot right away, another name she had never learned. "Dimmingsun," She began, her paws leaving muddy steps in grass. One of the apprentices was sobbing, a mess. Merrystalk had awoken, a black tom firmly beside him. "I can scout, or hunt." She continued, seeing how shaken up everyone else seemed. Merrystalk needed his rest, and while she herself was still reeling from almost being absorbed into the tunnels --- a distraction seemed like a good idea. She realized that the only adults here were herself, Dimmingsun, and Merrystalk; she'd be damned if she let the toms leave her with the apprentices, she was never the best with young cats or kits. She knew she probably looked a sight, but someone needed to do something.

"Y'all can watch the little ones, but a meal might do us some good." She continued, looking over at Merry, still shaken by his ordeal. He reminded her of the engorged rat she had once seen in a small burst of water in the tunnels, soaked and sputtering as it climbed out of what was almost his grave. She found her mind wandering to the other tunnelers, the little ones... and then to her family. Despite her mother's favouritism of her sister, she hoped they both got out alright. She leaned closer to the exhausted looking medicine cat, "Maybe there's more of us scattered about." She murmured, hoping the apprentices and kit wouldn't overhear. She didn't want to offer too much false hope.


  • ooc
    —— xxx

  • we really ought to wander
    away
  • CLAYSPOTS she/her
    an oddly patterned calico molly whose pelt resembles raw clay, has piercing brown eyes
    ♡ tunneler of windclan
    ♡ 40 moons; ages on the 19th of every month
    speech thought attack
    ♡ peaceful & healing powerplay allowed
 
Dimmingsun's ears twitch, surprised by Merrystalk's admission. He had seen StarClan? It's impossible to tell if they had meant to make themselves known to gale guard, or if it had been a necessity—born from a near-death experience, only to get pulled back onto the living. Dimmingsun doesn't want to think about how close it had been. He had began his attempts at saving Merrystalk's life from the first second, and yet... and yet StarClan had, evidently, been lingering all the while.

It makes him think of vultures. The comparison would surely come as something akin to blasphemy, so he keeps it strictly to himself. Nobody needs to hear bitter remarks about their ancestors right about now.

"Don't mention it,"
he says simply, and means it. Dimmingsun tracks Rubblekit's movements as she gets all but plastered to Merrystalk's side. He always thinks of these things as a transaction of sort; a debt to repay. That is precisely why his relationship with Meadowpaw had started out the way that it did. And yet... he can't find it in himself to hold it over Merrystalk's head. Not now. Perhaps not ever. The fact that Dimmingsun had jumped in to save a Clanmate without a second thought still clings to him; makes him wonder.
"You saved Jaypaw's life. Someone had to return the favor."


He makes a mental note to check on Merrystalk later, when they are settled in. The others, too, of course, but his ragged breathing could be a sign of an underlying problem still.

Dimmingsun turns sharply at the sound of Cricketpaw bursting at the seams. He remembers talking to her when he had barely remembered her name, and how unphased she had been by the stranger that had come to share a den with her sister. That confident 'paw is nowhere to be seen now. His heart oddly twisting with sympathy, Dimmingsun wraps a paw around her, pressing the side of her cheek into his fur as an attempt at comfort. He won't tell her to stop crying, or to pull herself together—she deserves the opportunity to let out all her pain without judgment. He hopes that his presence can help her in that.

He raises his gaze when Clayspots approaches him. Right. They will all be looking to him for orders now, at least until Merrystalk regains full strength.
"If you're uninjured."
A quick sweep of his eye over Clayspots tells him that she isn't.
"And if you're not too exhausted."
Collapsing from fatigue will not help any of them in the slightest. Dimmingsun peers out into the distance, half-hoping to find a shape moving along the steep hills.
"Take someone with you, if you can. We shouldn't be alone when we are this... vulnerable. I'll check everyone over for wounds in the meantime."
 

Harefoot had not been in the camp when it started. He'd heard something on the wind, carried from one place or another, and curious, had snuck out from his and Merrystalk's nest to investigate. He hadn't gotten very far before the weather took a turn for the worse, soon so bad that he could hardly hear anything over the sound of it– it came from all sides, thundering, not so much a pitter patter of rain as a waterfall. He turns on his heel and takes off back towards the camp, arriving too late, far too late. By the time he's there the camp is empty. Empty. No Merry.

He stands there at the edge of it, panting hard, the rain still pelting down. Where had Merry gone? Harefoot closes his eyes, focusing with all his might on the sound of the wind, praying it'll carry to him what he needs. Merry's voice, sweet and lilting, alive and well. He does not find it, but he hears his name, just barely, a smattering of voices, their owners indistinguishable over the sound of the storm…

I'm sorry Merrystalk… vigil…

Lightning strikes somewhere, and Harefoot's heart does something painful in his chest. He can't bear to listen anymore so instead he just takes off running again towards where it came from, hoping against hope that what he'd heard had not been right.

He sprints through the mud as fast his paws will carry him, but he is no moor runner like Merry. His paws were better suited for tunnelling, though what use had that been? The tunnels had betrayed them.

After what feels like hours, he finally spots the shapes of cats in the distance. He picks up his pace, and does not slow down even as he nears them, resulting in him nearly crashing into the wheel of the yellow monster, missing by a hair.

"Merry?" He gasps, stumbling forwards, eyes searching desperately for the familiar mottled pelt of his lover.

He spots him crumpled in the grass, more lump of fur and mud than cat, and limps towards him before collapsing at his side. He's barely making sense as he speaks between steady and almost stubborn licks to Merry's fur, trying to clean him off, to be useful in some way.

"Wasn't there… I am sorry… you…" he stops for a moment, staring at Merry. There is something changed about his gaze. Something he has seen. He does not ask what, not here, but tucks the question away for some other time. "You are still you," he says instead, quiet enough that over the storm, no one else will hear. You are still you; alive, in spite of everything.
HAREFOOT. 26 moons
peaceful powerplay allowed
ooc -


 
Everything was still rather distant, a bleary mind and aching lungs.

The hubbub of their temporary respite rang in his ears, nervous chatter between cats, reassured by Dimmingsun. There was a pang of guilt, his own it finally felt, that the tom had to handle the panic, knowing that he also would be heading the healing of the many injured, including himself. But, Dimming didn't need sulking; he would help how he could, in the smaller ways.

As Jaypaw hiccuped at his side, trying to assure him not to speak, Merrystalk's attention was caught by Clayspots. "Scouting. Hunting. Smart idea." He wordlessly commended the tunneler; those with a level-headed demeanour, even in the face of disaster, were those who would be the biggest help rebuilding the clan. Then, his gaze flickered back to Jaypaw. An idea came to mind, something Goldy used to do when Merry was young: send him to chase mice. He'd always huff and grumble, but by the time he came back with three plump mice, whatever had sent him over the edge seemed far less dire. While Merry's own reasons for being upset were dwarfed by what Jaypaw saw, the kid needed to distract himself.

He leant over again and nudged the apprentice to look at him, giving him a watery smile. "If ya' wanna help, do me a favour 'nd go huntin' with Clayspots." He motioned towards the molly, he would be in good paws with her. "I ain't gonna be able to help fer a while, but ya' got a good set've paws on ya', 'nd I trust ya' can help bring somethin' good back."

Gingerly again, he nudged the apprentice, stirring him to get to his paws. "'m safe now, we all are. I'll be here when ya' get back, 'nd Dimmin'll keep 'n eye on me." There was still a wheeze in his chest as he spoke. It's not as if he would spring back up overnight, but he was okay. Jaypaw would do nothing but work himself up, feeling guilty about the whole thing.

Merrystalk watched as Jaypaw went to join the makeshift patrol, sighing a little. The ache in his chest aleviated slightly, but still, like claws wrapped around his heart, everything felt so heavy. He wondered if it might be a result of his brief visit to Starclan, if the weight of his death would settle on his very being for a long as he lived his second chance. Was he even still the same cat in the end...

The thought rested heavily in his throat; instead, he busied himself carefully comforting the kitten still curled in his paws. Where was his brother, his sister? His nest was empty when he awoke, a chill ran down his spine, where was Har-

Just as he felt nausea overwhelm him, a voice broke through his clouded thoughts. "Merry?" For a moment, his heart was lighter. He tried to stand, but his paws gave in before he could even turn to his mate. Though he didn't need to, Harefoot collapsed at his side, and their fur melded close as the other desperately tried to clear mud from the tortoiseshell's pelt. "Oh Harefoot-" The gale guard's voice broke, his heart welling in some distant sensation of relief and sorrow. Though it was something the other said that made the breath catch in his throat. "You are still you." As if the other could read his every worry - he could, well and truly.

Burying his face into the fur of his better half, all at once his own temporary demise and the horrifying idea of never getting the chance to curl close to him again broke the dam. It was neither loud nor wild, but a quiet sob that shook the shoulders of the gale guard. He had already been saved, but now he was truly safe. His Harefoot was here; if all the world was against him as long as his mate was at his side, he could go against it all. They had survived one tragedy; they would get through this, too.

Still, with Rubblekit tucked close to his chest, he feared for his siblings, for the rest of the council, for his clanmates. He hoped he had been the worst off if his life had been sacrificed enough to the storm for his clan to be left intact. They could repair the camp, after all. Windclan wasn't the territory, or the camp; it was the cats that built it from the ground up. Without them, there was no clan; they couldn't bring cats back- again, that is. His re-life felt like a fluke, but it wasn't something he was willing to waste now. Not after being given a second chance. But, for now, he had to rest.

Eyes now bleary as he curled up exhausted at the side of his mate. Exhaustion tugged at his eyes, nothing like the dulling feeling that had torn at him, but the sort he found comfort in. When Harefoot retreated to their nest and he could sleep comfortably, or growing up hearing Sunny and Goldy snoring nearby. The comfort of home was enough to allow Merry to relax, if just for a moment.
MERRYSTALK He/Him, Windclan Gale Guard, 32 moons.
A lithe, tortoiseshell cat with green eyes and pelt speckled with rye grass.
mentored by none // mentoring Talonpaw
sibling to Goldenroar and Sunnyspring
NPC x NPC / parent to no one / mated to Harefoot
"SPEECH" // "THOUGHTS" // ATTACK
penned by Pheo ↛ phoenixwashere on discord, feel free to dm for plots.
 
'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head, a sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread

.


Cricketpaw barely registered Dimmingsun's approach at first, she was too caught in the sound of her own heartbeat, too lost in the ringing in her ears and the storm that wouldn't stop roaring inside her head. Then there was warmth, solid, steady warmth and her trembling frame was gently pulled against it. For a moment, she froze. Then the dam broke again, and she pressed into Dimmingsun's fur, shaking, wet, gasping like she couldn't quite remember how to breathe right anymore. The herbs were still clamped between her teeth, crushed and soggy now, but she refused to let go.

When she finally found her voice, it was small and broken and came in stuttered bursts between hiccups and shallow breaths as she slowly let go of the herbs she salvaged. " I... I g-got them... " she managed, words nearly lost against Dimmingsun's chest. Her jaws trembled, hurting. " F-for Meadow... F-for you... For everyone… I-I saved them.... I tried... " her words broke into a shudder, her one bright eye wide with panic as she finally looked up at him. " Wh-where's Meadowpaw...? " Her voice cracked on the name. " She was right behind us... Sh-she was right there, I-I saw her! I... I c-can't.... " she hiccupped again, a sound more like a sob, her breathing starting to quicken.

" D-did I lose her? Did I.... " the panic in her tone spiraled upward, faster, sharper, almost strangled. " Did I lose everyone again?! " Her claws dug into the earth beneath them as she pressed harder into Dimmingsun's side, chest heaving as the tears came anew. " I don't... I don't w-want to lose everyone again! " she cried, her words breaking apart, dissolving into sobs and gasps that came too quick, too shallow. Her body shook with each one as if she could barely hold herself together anymore.

" I t-tried... I tried to save them... I tried to save something! " she choked, voice almost gone to the wind. Her breathing hitched again, too fast, too tight, she was spiraling, barely getting air between the sobs as the world seemed to shrink around her.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis


8 MOONS
𖧧
WINDCLANNER
𖧧
SONG
𖧧
bio