Private nightmare on the elm street — coalstrike

[MIREPURR]

Nowadays, sleep comes to Mirepurr in waves. When they manage to tire themself out properly with duties—almost every day now that ShadowClan struggles with the lack of prey—, their eyes shut themselves before they can even settle in their nest properly... but just like how water gradually recedes from the shore, so does sleep leave them cold and aching after just a few hours. They're troubled, that much is certain. There are too many things to worry about... and too many bad things that have happened. It's only natural that they worry themself sick over what might be next.

Not for the first nor the last time in their life, Mirepurr wishes they were different. Stronger and more confident, like their Clanmates... somehow, it always feels like others have it all figured out, or at least capable of going through a difficult phase without drowning. That doesn't come so naturally to Mirepurr.

They're not surprised when they feel the need to open their eyes again. What does surprise them is the scenery that awaits; it's not the familiar darkness of the warriors' den, with their Clanmates quietly snoring or tossing around them. The darkness seems to blend into itself. Mirepurr's eyes narrow in concentration. Any of the tree trunks that they manage to make out stretch into an endless sky above... and much to their fright, they cannot find even one single dot of light up there. It's empty.

"Hello...?"

Their voice shakes. This must be just a bad dream- but why does it feel so real, then?

"Anybody there?"

@Coalstrike

 

[Coalstrike Coalstrike]

That's the price you pay
Leave behind your heart and cast away
Just another product of today
Rather be the hunter than the prey
And you're standing on the edge, face up

.

Curses... Again, he had failed to connect with the ShadowClanner he wanted to reach. Every attempt slipped through his claws like smoke. Perhaps Sablestar was too entangled with the living, too entangled with that cat from the Dark Forest to feel the cold brush of a dead tom on his fur. Perhaps it simply wasn't time. Whatever the reason, the stubborn pull toward the leader dissolved... And left him drifting instead toward someone far less impressive. Not Jadethorn. Not Wolfpack. Not Fleafire or any of his promising little bug-eyed brood.

No. It was Mirepurr.

The skittish creature who couldn't stand in a stiff breeze without jumping like a startled bird. The cat whose spine existed only in theory. The one who flinched at shadows, unfortunate, considering he himself was one now. Coalstrike lingered, unseen at first, golden eyes burning through the dark like coals stoked by an unseen wind. His gaze was unblinking, predatory, carrying the weight of something far older and sharper than life. His presence pressed close, heavy and suffocating, before he finally tore himself free from the shadows.

His form expanded as he stepped forward, massive, fur bristling, a silhouette of violence stitched together with dried blood. The killing bite marred his throat like a badge, dark and permanent. His pelt bore irregular distortions too, subtle warping left by the monster's strike. You could sense something was wrong with him, even before you understood what. A wrongness in the way his shoulders carried. In the way his fur hung. In the way the air chilled around him.

He stared down at Mirepurr with a slow, deliberate blink. " Mirepurr. " The name left his mouth like a judgment. He rolled his eyes as he began to circle the trembling cat, paws silent, steps flowing like smoke. " Can you possibly look even more uneasy? " he scoffed, voice low, gravelly, almost amused by the discomfort he caused. His tail lashed once behind him, the movement sharp enough to cut the air. " Briar brain.. I've seen mice with more composure. "

He tilted his head, lowering it slightly to get a better view of Mirepurr's expression, of the way fear clung to them like a second pelt. Disappointment flickered through his golden gaze, followed by something else. Something darker. Something curious. Fear was weakness, yes. But fear... Was also malleable.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

69 MOONS

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DARK FOREST

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bio

 

[MIREPURR]

Mirepurr can't tell how much time passes between their awakening and the moment where their companion makes itself known. It seems to stretch on endlessly, like their very surroundings. Just in time—a wail surely would have arisen from their throat, unable to deal with the terror of it all.

Their mouth hangs agape for a moment.

"Coalstrike...?"

They had no expected to see the former night guard. Definitely not in their dreams; they have been recalling those agonizing moments of Coalstrike being discovered, bloody and broken, but that was it. At first glance, Mirepurr thinks that Coalstrike is whole. It's only when that sickly, gloomy light hits his frame right that Mirepurr decides he is even more different than when he had been at the edges of death. Long-dried blood sticks to the dark part of his coat, and his body is marred with what had ultimately dragged him to his eternal slumber.

Somehow, Mirepurr feels relief for a moment. To gaze upon a cat who no longer breathes in the real world... that's a privilege.

"You are...!"

They do not finish, for it would be wrong to say that Coalstrike is alive.

What little comfort they had received from seeing their fallen Clanmate evaporates the moment he speaks. Of course... Coalstrike had not been friendly in life. He would certainly not start in death.

Mirepurr thinks their gulp is audible. Their fur burns with shame as the (rightful and accurate) critique begins. Like a kit scolded by their parent, they force themself to look a little more put together, a little taller.

"Forgive me..."

Blue eyes scour the dark forest around them before settling on Coalstrike again, head bowed like they are afraid to directly look him in the eyes... fearful of what further disappointment they may spot there.

"I had not expected to see you in... this place. Is this where you roam now?"

 

[Coalstrike Coalstrike]

That's the price you pay
Leave behind your heart and cast away
Just another product of today
Rather be the hunter than the prey
And you're standing on the edge, face up

.

His eyes bored into the other, ears flicking back for a brief moment before pricking upright again. " You bow... " he said at last, his voice low and rough, dragging through the dark like a blade over stone. " At least my death has not robbed you of manners. " He stepped forward. The ground did not answer his paw. No sound, no shift. Just a shadow moving where a body should not. A silhouette cut from darkness itself.

" You looked relieved to see me... " he continued, studying them as though they were something half-formed. A faint snort escaped him. " That is a mistake. The dead are not meant to comfort the living. " His gaze slid away for a heartbeat, toward the endless dark that stretched around them. " Roam... " he repeated, tasting the word with distaste. " As if I wander without purpose. " A short, humorless sound left him, not quite a laugh. " No. I linger. I watch. I endure. Even here, there is strength and there is rot. " His eyes snapped back to them. " And I do not belong to the latter. "

He leaned down then, close enough that his shadow swallowed Mirepurr's paws entirely, pressing in on their space, their breath. " You fear. " he rumbled. " I could smell it on you before you ever spoke. The same fear you carry while awake. The same fear you dress up as politeness. As apology. " A soft snort, sharp with contempt, as he straightened slightly. " You ask where I am now. The better question is why you are here. " His tail flicked once, irritation clear upon his face. " A cat does not wander into places like this without weakness dragging them along. "

He stood taller again, looming, his eyes burning like embers. " So tell me, Mirepurr. " he said quietly, tilting his head. " Is it guilt that keeps you trembling... Or the knowledge that ShadowClan is fraying at the edges, and you do not know how to stop it? " His gaze hardened as he spat out those words, body tense.

" Choose your answer carefully... I have little patience for lies. "

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

69 MOONS

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DARK FOREST

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SONG

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bio