TW: Sensitive Content TW: Death Open Event Camp so don't yet say goodbye // NIGHTMARE

[SABLESTAR]

{$title} sensitive content for blood & injuries & descriptions of drowning. death instances are all within the detailed dream below, as those affected will all experience the same thing. NOTE: YOUR OC IS NOT OBLIGATED TO EXPERIENCE THIS NIGHTMARE

//takes place the night after the meeting !!

The sun had set below the horizon, and with it the springtime sun as the moon brought a cold breeze with it. The pond pines swayed this way and that, leaves trembled as they fought against the bitter grasp that leafbare still held on the night. Sablestar waited for his ranks to return to their dens, most of them that he knew rose and fell with the sunlight, at least. Stoatpaw may have to get accustomed to his own routine and in time, she would find herself attached to the moonlight as he was.

He would allow her the night to rest with her denmates until she settled, it would not be long before she was dragged away from their nests to join him. He would take the quiet that fell over camp for a short rest himself before going on a hunt, curling himself over the mossy floor in the oak. His mind quieted easily, unusual, and Sablestar floated somewhere that felt... in between. Not all quite in a deep sleep but not awake, either. He could hear the rustle of the buttonbush outside his den but when he moved it made him woozy, and slowly, the black expanse opened up into a split of shadowy pines.

Sound erupted from behind him in a thundering clash of yowlings and shrieks. Bodies thrown left and right, faces contorted in pain and wrath. Cats standing over another, claws tucked deep into fleshy throats, teeth sinking and tails lashing. Sablestar doesn't move but his body floats to the center of it all allowing him to be swallowed up by the noise. The heavens above crackle in a flash of lightning, rain pours down on the bloody battle and cats unused to the muddy scape were at a further disadvantage than before. It was ruthless, it was merciless as Sablestar felt their stares on him. Forcing him to see as their life faded behind furious, glinting eyes, paws and muzzles bloodied but in vain.

Another burst of lightning creased against the raven-pitch skies and thunder followed, sounding hollowed, sound enraged. Sablestar looked around him, trying to understand as each boom of thunder rattled in his ears, slowly forming into a chorus of overlapping shrieking wails and groans. They spoke, words of the dead pleading to him.

"WE ARE FORGOTTEN NO LONGER. SOULS LEFT TO LINGER, INSULTED BY THE DAMNED."

Sablestar winced against the noise.

"LET US BE FREE OF THESE SHACKLES, GIVE US PEACE."

"RELIEVE US FROM THESE BURDENS, RELIEVE US FROM THIS PAIN."

The ground beneath his paws flooded below him in a warm, dark substance and the scent of iron filled his nose. blood. His paws were rooted to the ground while the flow of ichor rose higher and higher, the cries of the spirits continuing their spiral.

"SHAKE US OF THESE LANDS. BRING US OUR DEMANDS."

Sablestar's chest heaved for air as he descended into a river of blood, struggling to keep his head afloat as he thrashed and kicked his legs. He could feel claws loosely grasp at his coat, gentle teasing into pulling him down below but he could not focus on fighting off the unseen attackers and the threat of drowning. He isn't given the choice, when something sharp grasped at his sides and plunged him into the depths. His eyes open against his better judgement. His vision is blurred, an endless sea of red as the shadows of countless bodies thrash and claw their way up to the surface beside him, the chanting screams dulled but still echoed.

The tuxedo pawed at his throat as he struggled to hold his breath against the pressure and now he, too, mimicked the apparitions that surrounded him with useless attempt to fight. His strength wanes from his limbs, exhaustion tugged back on his efforts as each swipe and kick became weaker and weaker. He is lulled back by a cold touch down his spine, finality stilling his movements.

Sablestar gasped awake as he returned from the in between, the fur along his back rising in quilled spikes as the nighttime breeze mirrored the last sensation of his dream- nightmare, more like. The bicolor tom stumbled out of his den, feeling as though his body truly fought with every ounce of strength within it. Spittle flew from his maw as he lowered his head to the ground, struggling to keep air in his lungs.

"Th-the bones." He coughed out, to nothing, to no one. "Bury... the bones."

this heart beats cold like the devil his own

• "mew"
• 

  SABLESTAR— he/him ･fifty-four moons ･leader; shadowclan ･penned by gonkpilled

  a black and white tuxedo with dark amber eyes

 

[Stoatpaw]

——————————————— Together, we'll make our way home ✦

cw // blood, injuries, description of death of an apprentice (NOT STOAT), descriptions of drowning, emetophobia​

There was still an excitement that welled in Stoatpaw's chest- Stoatpaw. She'd really been apprenticed. It felt so surreal even now, but with the falling of the sun, her eyes grew heavy. Instinctually, she'd turned to head to the nursery before realising almost with sadness that, no, she'd be in the apprentice's den now. Right... She watched with an ache as her father and Monsterkit vanished into the nursery. Thought the apprentice shook her head, no, she was so excited for this and it meant she got a nest of her own now! It probably wouldn't be much now, but she could make it her own if she went on more herb patrols with Cicadabuzz. Just the realisation was enough to make her purr, woes pushed aside. Soon, she'd go train with Sablestar, be allowed to join patrols without being coddled, getting to do something for the clan. That put a pep back in her step, not much though as sleep still tugged at her eyelids. With a smile creasing her face, she followed the apprentices inside the den.

Maybe if she hadn't had such a knack for sneaking around and out of the nursery, she would have been in awe of the den, but she'd been in there plenty of times to come to pester Fleapaw or find Tickpaw to come along a herb patrol. Now, she would sleep amongst them as an equal. Cats settled in their nests, and it seemed there were extras now. Maybe the other had been tasked with setting up nests for the new apprentices? She knew there'd be time she'd have to gather her own bedding, but for now, she was grateful to her peers for the help, so it meant she could curl up and sleep with ease. Maybe cats were trying to speak to her, congratulate her or address her, but she was too tired to process many of the faces around her. She'd gladly talk with her peers in the morning, she'd worked herself up all day in excitement, and just to sleep was all she longed for. For once, she realised, there wasn't a chill in the air. Even sleeping alone for the first time in a very, very long time, it didn't feel cold. She breathed a sigh of contentment, for everything that'd been happening as of late, she felt... Calm. Serene even. An ease in her chest that she'd missed.


Sleep came... Easily? No, she wasn't asleep yet. She'd only just lay down. Her mind was that funny haze, the kinda heavy fog you feel when you're dosing off. She wasn't asleep yet. The air was heavy, breathing becoming a heave if anything. Stoatpaw couldn't help but whine, that tired feeling gone the moment she settled. Her eyes parted, a huff of frustration leaving her lips. There was an ache that gnawed at her bones, a familiar kind that she knew she needed to walk off, so maybe taking a lap around the camp would help...

Taking bleary, wobbly steps out of the camp, Stoatpaw couldn't help but grumble. Her sleeping was already getting all kinds of messed up but with Sablestar as a mentor? Well, she probably had to expect it to get worse, really... "Huh?" Her eyes narrowed, seeing the bushes at the edge of the camp rustle. Stoatpaw's ears flattened, looking around camp; no one else was out there; even after the patrol, a creeping fear still crawled up her spine. She swallowed hard, trying to back up. That was until the ground thundered beneath her paws. Her mind fell back to almost a moon ago now, the thundering roar of whatever passed through camp. By instinct, Stoatpaw dropped to the floor, flattening herself in case it really was something dangerous stampeding through the camp.

Prying her eyes open, her blood ran cold with fear. Around her, where there were no cats before, stood a clearing full of figures, strangers digging rage-filled claws and fangs into throats. Viscera and blood staining the mud a sickly rich red. Stoatpaw tried desperately to claw her way backwards, away from the fight she'd found herself in. In that moment she was thankful she couldn't hear, from the mouths parted in snarls and eyes clouded with fear, the sounds would have been ingrained in her mind. Not as if it was any better than the sights she was forced to behold.

A flash of bright light - lighting - struck fear into Stoatpaw's soul, a terror she'd never felt before. The cat had never been put into fight or flight like that before, and oh stars, she needed to run. Desperate to hold back tears, the apprentice pivoted and tried to run, only to strike into something hard, stumbling head over paws with a thud. She cried out, struggling desperately to capture her heaving breath. She didn't want to turn and see what it was, but she moved without thinking before a cry fell from her lips. A far too familiar curled-up form splayed from where she once stood. An apprentice, bloodied and torn up. Throat streaming red from a fresh wound, terrified, glassy eyes stared up at her. Lips moved, as if to try and speak to her, she could not tell if they managed to utter a noise. But she knew what they spoke.

"H E L P M E."

Stoatpaw was useless to help as the cat fell limp at her paws, their blood pooling where she stood, empty eyes still looking up at her. She couldn't cry, even if she tried. Though the apprentice was snapped from the horror, she beheld when lightning snapped again in the air, lashing the air. She closed her eyes tight. She wasn't asleep yet. She knew she hadn't, right? Oh please, tell her she'd fallen asleep. She wouldn't dare to even open her eyes now as her pelt grew wet; with lightning comes rain. It lashed against her body, sending cold to her bones like she'd never known before. Where was her father? Sablestar? Anyone? Her breath caught as the apprentice realised something that sent a new wave of terror through her whole form; she could feel eyes. Pairs and pairs of furious eyes digging into her flesh. She was next.

The apprentice moved without her own volition. Eyes opening and being met with the gaze of the cats. Their eyes were glassy, like the apprentice. They were... Were they really?- Before she could finish the thought, a roar in her ears, blood rushing, making her dizzy. A voice. A voice?. It spoke within her mind; she could barely comprehend what was happening.

"WE ARE FORGOTTEN NO LONGER. SOULS LEFT TO LINGER, INSULTED BY THE DAMNED."

Her head darted around. "Who is that." She pled, body heaving, wracked in sobs. None of the cat's lips moved, and no one spoke to her. Then who?

"LET US BE FREE OF THESE SHACKLES, GIVE US PEACE. RELIEVE US FROM THESE BURDENS, RELIEVE US FROM THIS PAIN."

The voices overlapped, from a life of silence to voices growling in her mind. A rage she thought she had no hand in fueling. It was between her heaving sobs that Stoatpaw realised something terrifying. Water pooled around her paws. That downpour that thundered all around her wasn't any simple storm. The water began to rise, not a gentle trickle, a slow stream, but as if the ocean itself. Full of her own rage, she had lashed to shore and grasped at every cat, living or dead, and clawed at their bodies to submerse them beneath the murky waters. The corpses of the murdered cats bobbed atop the thrashing water. "Wait...". She was barely able to whine, the word slipping from her lips like a prayer that what she was seeing wasn't a reality. This was no water. That acrid, iron smell was something she'd never forget. Stoatpaw was forced to recall the very omen to this moment, the dead hawk she tried to move. The blood that soaked into her coat. The carrion and blood that bittered her lips. The crimson rose, her white pelt soaked a deep red. She tried desperately to paddle to the surface as it rose, to realise she couldn't move. She couldn't move

"SHAKE US OF THESE LANDS. BRING US OUR DEMANDS."

The apprentice flailed desperately, trying to free her paws of whatever held her from the surface. Her chest heaved as the pressure of the flood pressed against her as if it were to snuff her from existence in one fell swoop. "Please. Please, I'm sorry we didn't know-" Stoatpaw cried out as if these vengeful spirits were to forgive her for her crime. The desecration of their resting place. The dishonour her clan brought to them. "No- Please wait-" Her pleading cut short as the blood lapped against her face, leaving her a spluttering mess with the metallic taste of blood filling her every sense. For a moment, a second even, she dislodged herself. Paws slapping desperately at the surface. She couldn't stop the yowl that slipped from her throat as she felt claws dig into her pelt, soft flesh pierced by unseen claws that dragged her down. She tried. Oh, how she tried to stay at the surface. The flicker of the moon being clouds was the last thing she saw before dipping below a murky crimson ocean. Stoatpaw had no training; she had no idea how to fight off these unseen spirits dragging her beneath the waves. She stood no chance. Another claw dug its way deep into her side, and the young cat couldn't help but cry out, her mouth and lungs filling with blood. Her panicked failing only grew as she clawed desperately, aimlessly at the unseen cats below her. Her vision grew cloudy; she hadn't been able to breathe for so long... She wasn't ready to die yet.......

•​

•​

•​

Stoatpaw's chest burned as she spluttered awake, her face sodden with tears, and her body ached. Was she awake? Was any of that real? Was... Stoatpaw felt her stomach churn, a dizzying feeling clouding her mind. Without a thought or grace, the apprentice fled from the den and thankfully was able to escape before the freshkill she enjoyed hours earlier, which had now dripped from her lips, an awful mushed mess left on the floor. Tears still rolled from her eyes as her body wracked with sobs, burning from her throat made it only so more painful. The apprentice didn't dare to close her eyes. She'd see everything all over again. Though bleary eyes, she looked to the leader's den; Sablestar stood there, just as horrified and dazed.

They'd all made a terrible, terrible mistake in that graveyard...

Her whole form ached, she wasn't sure how long the nightmare had lasted, how real it was but Sablestar was awake now too. With heavy paws and a heaving chest, she wobbled her way to the leader and looked up at him with teared-filled eyes. "Please." Her voice small, shaking with every breath. "They're upset. We need to put them back." Stoatpaw couldn't help but sob again, any joy from that day lost from the nightmare that plagued her every thought.

——— While you were sleeping,

Everything changed at once. ———

• 
  Stoatpaw
  ✦—Shadowclan apprentice | 6 Moons
  ✦—She/Her
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A slender white cat with faint lilac markings and blue eyes.
  #96d5f1
  
  ⤷ Written by Phoenix ​

 

[Tickpaw]

TICK

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?

Tickpaw jolted awake with a strangled gasp, his body seizing with terror. His breath came in quick, shallow bursts, his chest rising and falling as if he had just clawed his way out of deep water. But the darkness, it clung to him. Suffocating. Smothering. Pressing against his ribs like a vice. The nightmare still coiled around his mind like a snake, refusing to let go. Yowls... Horrific, bone-chilling yowls, they screamed in his ears, drowning out his own panicked cries. Claws raked through shadows, reaching for him, pulling him under. The scent of blood, thick, metallic, overwhelming, it filled his nose. It coated his fur, seeped into his skin, poured from wounds he couldn't see. He was trapped in it, sinking, sinking, sinking--

With a violent shudder, Tickpaw lurched upright, a sharp, broken screech ripping from his throat. His wide, frantic orange eyes darted around the apprentice den, but it was too dark. Too dark. Too much. The walls felt like they were closing in, swallowing him whole. He needed to get out. Now. His paws fumbled beneath him as he bolted, stumbling out of the den in a wild, feverish panic. His claws scraped against the ground as he half-collapsed outside, gasping for air. The night stretched around him, thick and heavy, but at least it wasn't as black as the den. His heart slammed against his ribs, the echo of that terrible dream still whispering in his ears.

' Focus. Focus. FOCUS. '

Where were they? Where was Flea? Where was Web? Where was Lost? His eyes darted desperately through the dim light until... There. Stoatpaw. She stood near Sablestar, her shoulders hunched, her face streaked with tears. She had felt it too. She had seen what they had seen. She knew. A fresh wave of fear rolled over him, thick and suffocating.

They had made a mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake. And now, something was coming for them.

═════════════⊹⊱ ⟡ ⊰⊹═════════════

 

[Marbleshine]

MARBLE OF SHADOWCLAN

Marbleshine sat trembling near the warriors' den entrance, her sleek fur bristling as shudders wracked her body. Her eyes were wide, unfocused, rimmed with unshed tears. Her ears pressed flat against her skull, her breath coming in uneven gasps. She tried to be quiet, tried being the right word.... But the occasional sniffle betrayed her distress. Too much. Too much had happened. And it wasn't stopping.

They should have listened. They should have buried the bones. She had told them. Pleaded. Warned. Wolfpack had listened, at least partially... but it hadn't been enough. Not nearly enough. A violent shiver rolled down her spine, and she pressed herself against the nearest solid surface, as if trying to anchor herself to something real. Something that wouldn't shift beneath her like the shadows in her dreams. That dream...

Her claws flexed against the ground as the memory surged back, suffocating, smothering, deafening. The wailing. The clawing paws of something long dead, dragging at her fur. The overwhelming sense of wrongness. And yet, she had woken up to find that the nightmare had not truly ended. Her body warred between two choices, stay here, rooted in fear, or run. Not just anywhere. To the graveyard. To the bones. She wanted to dig, bury, fix what they had left exposed to the world. They deserved peace. They deserved peace.

Then... movement.

A blur of fur bolted from the apprentices' den, and her breath hitched. Tickpaw. She could feel the fear radiating off of him like a storm, thick and suffocating. She forced her limbs to move, each step shaky and uncertain. Dignity. She had to have dignity. She couldn't let them see how shaken she was. She found herself near Stoatpaw and Sablestar, hovering, unsure how close was too close. A safe distance. Far enough not to crumble.

" I... I will help... " Marbleshine murmured, her voice small but steady.

Her throat tightened, but she lifted her chin.

" I will help put them to rest. "

GO ON AND TRY TO TEAR ME DOWN ——･ﾟ✦​

･ﾟ✦ —— I WILL BE RISING FROM THE GROUND

 

[WOLFPACK]

AND I AM SORRY MY CONSCIENCE CALLED IN SICK AGAIN​

---

When Wolfpack finally tore his way out of the nightmare he'd been having, it was with a heaving, choking breath and claws that tore his nest asunder.He hauled himself to his feet, trying to cough up the liquid in his lungs, only for his dream-confused mind to realize they were already clear. Around him his clanmates seemed to be waking in a similar state, and he took a minute to try and catch his breath while the sound of voices screaming and the taste of blood worked its way out of his system.

What the hell had just happened?

A nightmare, his mind supplied easily. And he would have been inclined to agree; had he woken up in his nest with everyone else sleeping peacefully. Instead, he could see the confusion and panic written on their faces as plain as day– could see some of them still twitching and thrashing in their nests while it happened– and he knew the answer wasn't as simple as just 'a nightmare'.

Eyes of blue and gold found Marbleshine huddled in the entryway of the den, trembling and looking terrified– but alive– and wondered if her dream had been different from his. If it had still ended in a river of blood and a chanting chorus of demands.

Pointed ears twitched as the sound of cat shouting in camp reached him, and he drew in one last steadying breath before following the shecat out.

Sablestar and several of the apprentices and kits were already out there, talking about the bones and burying them,so the dappled feline made his way over to join them. "It'll take a group out now to bury the ones Smogmaws patrol found." Wolf offered, knowing most of the clan wasn't going to be able to sleep anyways."Border and hunting patrols will have to stay vigilant for any others the storm might have washed up."

That damn storm. That's when all of this started.

He made his way over toward a hovering and uncertain Marbleshine, moving to stand beside her, fur brushing against hers. Steadying. Wolfpack might be confused and wary regarding the situation, but he hadn't lost his confidence by any means. Whatever was happening, he wouldn't let it get the better of him.

"Vulturepaw, let's go!" he called to his apprentice, knowing they were likely awake or wanting to be if the current state of everyone else was anything to go by. And even if they hadn't been, there was no way Wolfpack was letting them skip out on the work.

---

shadowclan deputy - male - a large, monochrome chimera with mismatched eyes and several scars​

​

​

 

[Sealpaw]

You Say That You Are Close

Is Close The Closest Star?

x

Her ears were ringing from the chorus of the nightmare, paws itching from the sensation of dried blood between claws that were not her own though when she finally opened her eyes all that greeted her was her own grey paws. It did nothing to settle her nerves and Sealpaw shakily stood to stumble out of the den to find Marbleshine already awake amidst a slowly growing crowd. Had...had they all had the same nightmare..?

Fur on end, the tabby moved to press against the other side of Marbleshine since Wolfpack seemed to be comforting her."Marble... The bones we dug up... I had a dream about them..." Even as the words left her she suspected everyone already knew. Why else would everyone be talking about them like this?

They'd woken the ghosts somehow after who knew how long they'd all been resting and now it was up to them to put them back to rest. Wolfpack had the right idea. This needed to be done now. "I-I'll come too. I'll help bury them, since I dug them up."
The fear from the nightmare was still lingering, but now there was a faint wisp of guilt in her heart that maybe if she had said something- anything- about digging up the bones perhaps this wouldn't have happened.

You Just Feel Twice As Far

SEALPAW

— Shadowclan Apprentice
— She/They
"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
— Grey Rosetted Tabby With Blue Eyes And A Bobbed Tail.
#4c66bf

 

[SABLESTAR]

Stoatpaw emerged first with several of their Clan following after, and Sablestar reeled his head back to force himself to stand straight. His pupils thinned as they met him with faces twisted in horror and fear, his own pelt bristling from the nape of his neck down to the tip of his tail. Sablestar hadn't realized he had been keeping his jaw so tight, teeth clenched together he was surprised that hadn't snapped. "We will." He promised them with a shaky step back.

Each look his way felt like an accusation on it's own. He had disregarded it all for stories and weak reaches for amusement, and it felt all too real far too fast. Had the nightmare been his alone, that would be easier to ignore. But more and more felt it, crumbled alongside him in the same moment.

Wolfpack called for his apprentice, already leading onward a patrol for them to meet their demands. Sablestar looked to Stoatpaw and gestured with a sway of his muzzle to follow suit as he took to padding after the mottled tom into the shadows. "I encourage all of you to make an effort with us." Sablestar gave one last sweeping look across the clearing of shaken cats before leaving camp, sinking his paws into the muck in each stride.

The rain had picked up again, and he saw before them exactly as Smogmaw had described. An abandoned mass of bones left for nothing. Damned for eternity in lands far from their rightful home. They would make things right here, and he made that intent true as he scored his claws across the mud. His touch brushed against an aged, yellowed bone with a crack down the side. A rib, by the looks of it, and he lurched as he felt a pierce in his side as if a lung had been poked through. That must have been how this warrior died in that vicious battle. Sablestar gently swept the collection of what remained of this cats skeleton into the dip he had made and began to pad the soil back over it.

The tuxedo took a deep breath and bowed his head, his movements feeling outside of himself. Another influence of the area, he wondered. "Rest your soul, wayward spirit. May you journey to the place your heart calls home." He felt a cold breeze clutch his muzzle, so cold his nose leather burned for just a few moments before it ebbed away. Something felt lighter here, felt absent. Whatever cat that died here was no longer there.

this heart beats cold like the devil his own

• "mew"
• 

  SABLESTAR— he/him ･fifty-four moons ･leader; shadowclan ･penned by gonkpilled

  a black and white tuxedo with dark amber eyes

 

[Stoatpaw]

——————————————— Together, we'll make our way home ✦

Stotpaw's face ached from the tears, and a pang of pain curled in her chest at the calculated response to it all from Sablestar. Looking at her clanmates, they seemed as distressed, too. Clearly, she wasn't the only one burdened with the cruel nightmare. Part of her was comforted. It wasn't only her, but terror unfurled with every failed attempt to catch her breath that the clan might carry this on their shoulders for longer. A blur of thoughts mottled in her mind; she wanted nothing more than to curl up at her father's side, welcomed by the babbling of her younger brother. But she didn't have that luxury now, not as Sablestar finished addressing the clan and looking to her, motioning her to follow.

Right, she was an apprentice now; she didn't need to be comforted or coddled. She wasn't a kitten anymore. She couldn't show she was scared or weak. Taking a deep, though shakey breath, Stoatpaw hardened her expression again. This couldn't happen again; she had to make Sablestar proud. The apprentice took a moment to dry her face; flickers of viscera and blood spattered her vision as she closed her eyes, sending a shiver down her spine. 'Grow up[/B] Stoatpaw, it wasn't real. Stop acting like a soft belly.'[/I][/B] She scolded herself internally; she couldn't allow herself to falter again. Swallowing hard and walking with resolve as if she wasn't a panicked mess a short while before, she followed her leader and mentor suit.

---

It didn't take long for the patrol to end up back at that dreaded opening, where she curled up like a fearful little thing at the mound's edge. Try as she might, for the front she was determined to keep up, it didn't stop her mind racing and heart pounding in her chest as if it were ready to burst forth. Particularly as she approached the clearing, she could see the hole she'd fervently dug; remnants of the mud and silt still clung like a reminder to her claws. Her father had helped clear her fur of the mud, but the memory of it all had seeped into her bones and very being. She'd never be clean of what she'd had a part in until she'd righted what was wronged.

Stoatpaw stood over the grave, the apprentice's body still nestled in the hole. Cradled by the earth, as if they were still kittens curled at their mother's side. A mother who never saw her baby again... Stoatpaw looked out to the gravesite again; these cats never returned home after the bloody fight. Never got to say goodbye. To kin and clanmates alike. Her heart ached at that realisation. She never got to say goodbye either, even if she had the privilege of life there was a painful kinship with the bones at her paws. For a moment, she watched Sablestar return a bone to the earth and mutter something, she couldn't tell what, but she'd been taught to respect everything that had given to the world and now had to leave - and so that respect should be given to those long gone too.

The apprentice bowed her head, barely a mouse-length from her head pressed to the earth as she spoke gently. "I'm sorry you could never say goodbye, but you can rest now. Go home. Whoever is waiting for you surely misses you. Sleep and be at peace." For a moment, the visage of the apprentice, no older than she was and would never be older than her again, flickered through her mind. Instead of her blood running cold, there was a calm. She didn't know where cats went after dying, but she hoped wherever it was, it was a kind place. Where this cat - all these cats - could find peace again in a new clan somewhere else. Somewhere, they'd never be hurt again, never feel fear. Never have to tear flesh from fellow cats all for the sake of survival.

With the apology and tears again threatening to prick at Stoatpaw's eyes, the apprentice gently pushed the dirt over the grave again. With a gentleness and kindness the apprentice didn't feel in death, she padded down the soil with a careful paw. Again, she bowed her head and spoke aloud. "Good night." As the words left her lips, the apprentice felt a cold breeze clung to the air that rustled her fur; if she didn't know any better, it felt as if someone - for just a moment - pressed against her side. The air that hung heavy, thick with something indescribable grew light. She looked to Sablestar, whose expression changed too; she couldn't help but feel a weak smile tug at the corners of her mouth. She hoped these cats could find rest wherever was next after death, they deserved peace after the suffering they had been put through.

——— While you were sleeping,

Everything changed at once. ———

• 
  
• 
  Stoatpaw
  ✦—Shadowclan apprentice | 6 Moons
  ✦—She/Her
  ✦—"SPEECH", 'THOUGHTS', ATTACK
  ✦—A slender white cat with faint lilac markings and blue eyes.
  #96d5f1[/B]
  
  ⤷ Written by Phoenix ​
  
  

 

[Marbleshine]

MARBLE OF SHADOWCLAN

Marbleshine pressed herself close to Wolfpack, her face briefly burying into his shoulder. Just for a moment, just long enough to breathe in the familiar scent of the tom, grounding herself in his presence. Then, she gathered herself and turned to Sealpaw, offering a soft, gentle smile. " I did too, sweet thing… But I think it's time we lay them to rest. " Her voice was quiet, reverent, a whisper against the rain. " Let them journey onward until their paws find the place they need to be. " She rasped her tongue over Sealpaw's ear, a soothing gesture against the weight of sorrow.

" That's very brave of you. You can walk with me and Wolfpack if you'd like? " Her tail curled gently around the young one, a protective embrace before she looked over at Sablestar. And then, they were off. Marbleshine's paws felt heavy, but she marched on, determined.

The rain was relentless, drumming against her pelt in a steady rhythm, seeping into her bones. She knew she'd be cleaning Sealpaw before bed, knew the young one would be drenched through by the time they returned. But they had to do this. The scenery shifted as they finally reached the clearing. The clearing. She hadn't seen it before. But now she did. Now she would never forget it. Her heart ached. No.... It throbbed. Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she stepped forward, carefully burying some of the long-forgotten remains. A cat who once walked, once breathed, once lived.

For a flicker of a moment, she felt herself slipping, like she was dying, too. Like something ancient and tired was pulling her down, whispering in the wind, clawing at her paws to drag her into the earth. Limp. Paralyzed. She couldn't move. A sharp shake of her head, no. That wasn't her. She forced herself back to the present, dipping her head as a hushed prayer left her lips. " May you walk in the stars now… " The words trembled, but they were steady enough. " And find the rest you deserve. " A shudder coursed through her, a light chill ruffling her fur. And then... It passed.

She exhaled, quiet and heavy, praying the lost souls had finally found their peace.

GO ON AND TRY TO TEAR ME DOWN ——･ﾟ✦​

･ﾟ✦ —— I WILL BE RISING FROM THE GROUND

 

[Tickpaw]

TICK

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?

Tickpaw followed in silence, his expression heavy with grief. His throat felt tight. Too tight. The sight of the others, their solemn faces, their quiet movements, it only made it worse. They had made a mistake. All of them. Every cat who had been there that day… They should have left the bones alone. Finding them was one thing. But disturbing them? Digging them up? No. They never should have. Even if he hadn't done it himself, the guilt clung to him like cobwebs, sticky and suffocating. He could have said something. Stopped it. But he hadn't. And that failure stung deeper than he could ever explain.

When they arrived, he lifted his head slowly, watching as each cat stepped forward. He swallowed hard, then took a step of his own. A chill ran through him as he gazed down at the remains before him. For a moment, he just stood there. Then, softly in a broken voice, he finally breathed out: " I am so sorry. " His voice was barely above a whisper, yet it felt deafening in the silence. " You... did not deserve this. " Dipping his head, he finally, very carefully, ever so gently, began to put the cat to rest. His paws moved with deliberate care, as if each motion could mend the damage done. As if he could undo the pain. A quiet murmur slipped past his lips, a farewell, a prayer: " You don't have to linger here anymore… You can stretch your legs and be free. Go home, to your mother, to your siblings... to those you love. Maybe even a mate who still waits for you among the stars. "

His voice wavered, but he pressed on.

" You can be free. "

As he placed the last bit of earth over them, he dipped his head once more, low and reverent. And for the first time since it all began, he let himself believe they could finally rest.

═════════════⊹⊱ ⟡ ⊰⊹═════════════

 

[WOLFPACK]

AND I AM SORRY MY CONSCIENCE CALLED IN SICK AGAIN​

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Wolfpack did not offer any words as he reached the gravesite and went to work. It would have felt wrong– dishonest- for him to offer a eulogy or parting comforts to a spirit he didn't know or really even care about when he would have been hard-pressed to offer the same for any of the cats who stood beside him now. The only one who might hold any sentimental value to him was Marbleshine, and whatever words he could offer at her funeral would likely lack the softness his peers were showing here.

But the nightmare had been proof enough that he would suffer if he didn't fix this wrong, and so, like most other things Wolf chose to do, he did this more for himself than the spirits calling out for rest. Had they not disturbed him and his clan, the bones scattering their territory would have been left as a macabre decoration of warning to their enemies.

Regardless of his motivations, Wolfpack did his job and he did it well, burying the bones deep where they wouldn't be easily uncovered again and placing them with enough care to pass as respectful. He didn't have as much experience witht he dead as Cicada or Sable did, but he was slowly starting to believe the two cats might not have heads full of fluff after all.

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shadowclan deputy - male - a large, monochrome chimera with mismatched eyes and several scars​

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