Territory WindClan Searching in the dark // open

[Pebblespaw]

{$title} pebblepaw snuck out of camp in the dead of night and is trying to find mama alder

PEBBLEPAW

You taught me the courage of stars before you left. How light carries on endlessly, even after death

The camp was wrapped in a heavy, quiet darkness, every shadow thick and still beneath the cold gaze of the moon. Pebblepaw moved like a ghost, paws barely making a sound on the soft earth as he slipped past sleeping cats, careful not to wake anyone. But his heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst, chasing the hope that somewhere, somehow, Mama Alder was still out there, waiting. " Mama? " His voice was small, cracked with fear, but he forced it out into the night. " Mama, you can't be gone. You just… you must be lost. You're lost, right? But you'll find us again. " He kept moving, his legs carrying him farther away from the safety of camp, into the shadowed woods.

He didn't want to believe the truth, the burning barn, the smoke, the silence where faer warm purrs should have been. It didn't make sense. It couldn't. Mama Alder would never just leave him and Ice and Nip. They were still out there. They had to be. " Mama, please come back. " Pebblepaw whispered, his voice breaking, desperate and raw. " I'll help you find your way home. We'll be together again. I swear. " His words felt hollow even as he said them, but still he clung to them like a lifeline in the dark. His tail twitched, a tear slipping from the corner of his eye and falling silently onto the cold ground. The night swallowed his cries, but Pebblepaw refused to stop. He wouldn't stop until he found faer. Because Mama Alder wasn't gone. She couldn't be.

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[Meadowpaw]

I know that I've been sleeping
And I know that I've been dreaming

.

Meadowpaw tossed restlessly in her nest, straw scratching against her ribs, the bedding never quite right—too cold on one side, too hot on the other. Sleep hadn't come easily since the fire. Nights like these were becoming more common, where her body ached and her thoughts refused to quiet.

Usually, when she couldn't sleep, she'd try to find her way back to the dark forest—to Deadwood. Slipping into that mindset had become second nature, even if it left her worn down and left her feeling more exhausted than if she'd stayed awake by dawn. But she didn't care. As long as he was there, Meadowpaw would keep going back. Being near someone who understood what she was going through, made her feel a little less alone. And she liked to think maybe he looked forward to seeing her too.

When she heard pawsteps shift quietly from a nearby nest, she was already awake. Eyes half-lidded, her ears twitching with recognition. A flash of silver fur slipped through the night.

Pebblepaw?

She blinked, then slowly began to untangle herself from her bedding. Meadow crept carefully, not wanting to wake the others. Her steps were uneven, jostled with every hobble forward, but she pushed through the stiffness in her limbs. Pebblepaw was faster than her. She struggled to keep up, and his scent kept slipping away from her dulled senses. The darkness was disorienting, tugging her in too many directions to nce. She wasn't afraid of it, not after spending so much time in the dark forest. The darkness there was a whole other sort, but Pebblepaw... Where could he be off to so late? He must have a reason.

A flutter of worry swirled in her chest. What if he got lost? What if something happened to him? Her breath quickened as she glanced back toward camp. She didn't want to get Pebblepaw in trouble, but if she couldn't find him... Should she wake someone? Another apprentice? Sparrowpaw, maybe? Or—

Charred ears twitched, head swiveling toward a small sound. She followed, drawing closer to its source, and then she saw him. Standing alone, swathed in shadow, stood Pebblepaw. Relief loosened the tight knot in her chest. "Pebblepaw?" She called hoarsely, hopping a few steps closer. Her voice was soft, careful not to startle him. She brushed her tail against his flank, craning around him to search his face with worried eyes. "I was worried about you. Are you okay?" Even in the dark, she could make out the tears glistening in his eyes.

Pebblepaw seemed his cheerful self lately. Maybe too cheerful after what they went through. She knew that Alder was a mother to him, so it'd been strange that he hadn't seemed sad. But Owlbear said that everyone dealt with tragedy differently... so maybe... "Do you... miss Alder?" Meadow asked gently.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

9 MOONS

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WINDCLAN

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SONG

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bio

 

[Pebblespaw]

PEBBLEPAW

You taught me the courage of stars before you left. How light carries on endlessly, even after death

There was a sharp jolt in Pebblepaw's chest as Meadowpaw's voice pierced the quiet night like a claw raking over stone. He spun around so fast his paws nearly tangled, fur bristling in alarm. For a heartbeat, his expression cracked, wide-eyed, raw, flickering with irritation and something like fear. But it vanished almost instantly, smoothed over with that too-bright smile he wore like a second skin. " Meadowpaw! O-oh, jeez! " he exclaimed with a shaky little laugh that didn't quite reach his eyes. " You really startled me, haha. What are you doing out this late, huh? Couldn't sleep either? " His voice was light, a little too light, like he was trying to float above the weight of everything pressing down.

His tail flicked anxiously, and for a heartbeat, his gaze flitted past her, scanning the trees behind like he expected Mama Alder to step out from the shadows. " It's... it's not safe to be wandering, you know? " he added with forced ease, brushing up against her in a gentle bump. " I should help you back to camp! Wouldn't want you getting in trouble! " He didn't mention what he was doing. He couldn't. She'd say the same thing they all said. That Mama Alder was… was gone. But she wasn't. She was just out there. Somewhere. Waiting to be found.

" Wind's sure chilly tonight, huh? " he went on quickly, voice tightening at the corners as he turned his face just slightly from hers. " Keeps stinging my eyes… stupid breeze… " He rubbed at them with a paw, trying to blink away the tears that kept threatening to fall, stubborn and hot. Don't cry. Don't ruin it. Keep smiling. Because if he stopped smiling, he might have to say it out loud. And if he said it, it might become real. And Mama Alder couldn't be gone.

She just couldn't.

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[Meadowpaw]

I know that I've been sleeping
And I know that I've been dreaming

.

He didn't answer her question. That alone told her plenty. Her suspicion of what was going on with him deepened, but she didn't push for answers. Instead, she sighed softly, eyes flicking across his face. "It's not safe, is it? Doesn't that go for you too?" She mewed soberly. "Besides, I don't care about getting into trouble." Her tail swept the ground in a slow arc, stirring through the leaf litter as she sank back onto her haunches.

He wouldn't shake her off that easily. Pebblepaw was acting like himself—and he wasn't. She'd known him for a long time. He was always a cheerful, happy kit. But things were different now. He lost someone he cared about. If the fire and the cats they lost had left her in pieces, then she didn't have to imagine what it did to him.

Meadow tried to pretend too. That she was brave. That there weren't times when she wanted nothing more than to give up. Pebblepaw was better at hiding than she was. Good enough to fool her, but he couldn't keep her convinced with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Pebble…" Her voice trembled as she watched him turn away, tears gathering in her lashes. She shifted forward, inching closer, delicately pressing her cheek against his shoulder.

"It's okay to be sad when you miss someone." She coaxed gently. "I miss faer too… and Chicken… and Hoot…I miss our home." Meadow missed even some of the cats that were still with them. None of them escaped the fire unscathed. Some even lost themselves. She missed Merry and Dusty… She missed Sassy—Mare—Meggie—Peafowl—Mama… Meadow sniffled softly, peeking up at him from the corner of her eye. "You don't have to say anything you don't want to, but you shouldn't be out here alone… so um... I'll just wait here until you're ready. She stayed still, hoping that he wouldn't try to run off again to do who knows what. Meadow promised that she would look after Owlbear for Hoot, and she intended to do the same for Alder. Someone had to, in faer's stead.

Speech, thoughts/emphasis

9 MOONS

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WINDCLAN

⟢

SONG

⟢

bio