{$title} It is the 16th of July and Wavesong is bringing the body of their daughter Shellkit to Adder.
I hope you know we had everything
When you broke me and left these pieces
When you broke me and left these pieces
.
The night had been unforgiving. The day had left her feeling hollow. Wavesong had known, deep down, that she would have to let go of Shellkit. That her daughter deserved a proper burial and she knew RiverClan would have given her one. They would have honored her. But something deeper, older, more instinctual pulled at her. The sea. The sea that had cradled Coral in her final rest. The sea that had once been her home. The sea where she would now return, with her third daughter in tow, no longer with the living...
She had asked Littlebrook to deliver a message to Adderf-- No... No longer Adderfang. Just Adder. To meet her at a spot near the RiverClan border, quiet and familiar, where they could be alone. Littlebrook had hesitated, protested at first, but Wavesong had been adamant. Firm, though gentle. Her eyes said more than words: this is something I must do myself. Many clanmates had offered to go in her place. She'd met each offer with a tired smile, a kind word of thanks, and a quiet refusal. She understood their worry. She truly did. But some journeys must be made alone. This would be the first time she'd see him again. Her mate. The father of her kits. The cat who had been exiled. It was cruel, she thought, that their reunion should come under such a heavy sky.
RiverClan had shown her grace, held her up when she had nothing left. They'd stood by her through Shellkit's death, through her heartbreak. But the grief remained, clinging like fog, and she carried it now in her tired limbs and aching heart as she padded forward. Peachtrot and Hydrangeabloom had woven a beautiful little basket for Shellkit, lined with moss, adorned with delicate shells and flowers. A tiny cradle of rest for a life too short, too fleeting. Wavesong had gently laid her silver-furred daughter within it. Every step since had been a farewell.
She had promised her kits she would return safely. Especially to Crescentpaw, who had begged to come. But she had pleaded in return: not this time. If there was a next time, Stars willing, she would not go alone again. If there was a next time. The trek had been long and grueling for a queen who had kitted not so long ago. But she took her time, stopping when needed. Each break, she would check on Shellkit, touching the downy fur, brushing away leaves that dared to settle near her. Sometimes she smiled. Often, she cried.
Then she walked on.
And now, at last, she arrived. The spot was quiet. Lonely. Familiar. The wind whispered across the reeds as she set the basket down with trembling care, her chest rising and falling with exhaustion and anticipation. She didn't look up. She was afraid of what... Or who she might see. " ... I am sorry fer callin' ye here on such short notice, Adder… " she murmured, eyes low, her voice brittle and thin in the open air. Then, finally, she glanced toward the scent she knew so well and her heart cracked. Those golden eyes. Still sharp. Still beautiful. Still his. Her resolve nearly broke.
" I… I didn't know how t'reach ye otherwise. Littlebrook... She didn't mind helpin'. I would've done it m'self, but… " She gestured faintly at her form. The weariness. The weight. Her kits. " I couldn't. Not with me current situation… " A shaky breath. " … Ye look terrible. " she added softly, and though the words were blunt, her tone was not. It was weary, tinged with something too raw to name. How was she to push this basket forward now? How could she look him in the eye and say that one of their children was gone? That their daughter, his daughter too, would never laugh, never swim, never open her eyes?
There were so many reasons things had turned out like this. So many cracks that could have been mended. So many moments where someone could have truly listened, without fangs bared and claws out because they didn't agree.
All of it… and now, this.
" I needed t'see ye… " she whispered, swallowing back the sob that clawed at her throat. " I have a request… "
Speech, thoughts/emphasis
