Morning's Fog and Dawn's Approach

Dawnpaw stretched as she clambered out of the apprentices den. Looking around, she noticed the camp was rather quiet, but perhaps it was just because all the cats were tired - Leaf-bare was cruel and unforgiving, as many cats had learnt then last moon. Dawnpaw included.

She shook her pelt with a yawn and head toward the nursery. She had so much on her mind, she just wanted to talk to someone. Anyone really. Though the silver tabby felt her paws drag her to see someone she'd always trusted and relied on - her mother, Morningfog. She crept over to the den, curious to see whether the Queen was inside. "Morningfog?" She whispered, not wanting to wake up the kits if they were asleep.

Morningfog lifted her head from her paws, looking at Dawnpaw. She knew the look of someone who needed to talk and skillfully slipped from the kits to meet her at the opening. They wouldn't notice, she always put feathers in the nest to trick them into thinking she was still there when she needed some air. It was a trick she had learned after her first litter was born. Squirreltuft was too easy to wake up as a kit. "Yes, dear?" she mewed quietly, looking at the apprentice who was quickly meeting her in height. She smiled at that thought.

The she-cat sat down at the entrance of the nursery where it just barely got cold to let it wake her up a bit more.

Dawnpaw breathed a sigh of relief as her mother stepped out of the nursery. She sat down beside her mother and wrapped her tail around her paws to keep them warm. "It's just... So much has happened.... It's all so confusing.." she began. There were so many things the young cat wanted to say, and yet, she struggled to find the right words to do so.

It seemed right that she start with Fernpaw, the memory of his thin pelt and dimming eyes seemed to haunt the tabby she-cat. Sighing, she pressed close to her mother's side. "I met a rogue... A-a few days ago..." She said, feeling her paws tremble at the loss of his presence. "His name was Fernpaw.. he was so sweet. So kind..." She held back a sob and bit her tongue."I.. I think I started to feel something for him. Except that.. he was only an apprentice and he wouldn't survive Leaf-bare on his own."The silver tabby closed her eyes, feeling the pain inside her that didn't seem to want to go away. "I asked Fishstar if he could join Riverclan. I said that he'd be completely loyal and she rejected him! She cast him away, during Leaf-bare, too!" A single tear fell from Dawnpaws cheek and she felt a pang of loss. "N-now he's dead! He's gone, all because Fishstar wouldn't let him prove himself to her!" Her bitter sentence only caused the young cat more grief, turning her head into her mother's soft pelt. Her voice was kept as quiet as she could keep it, not wanting to wake the kits or any other cat who might be sleeping, but the last part was hushed down to a quiet whisper.

With a sort of croon, she wrapped her long downy tail around Dawnpaw, purring to comfort her. "That's horrible..." she mewed, nuzzling her kit. She thought for words to say, knowing that Dawnpaw was expecting guidance out of her. "Times are really tough right now, and, as much as I'd wish otherwise, Fishstar must have had a reason. I would have liked her to perhaps take him in for a bit to get his strength up at least but, Fishstar has little tolerance for possible traitors. She was simply looking out for the clan I suppose, Cloudstone is struggling with his herbs and cats are there are so many mouths to feed right now in the dreaded weather.'' she meowed, remembering how the Dark Forest leader she looked up to was killed.

"I guess... but it doesn't help. I mean... Fernpaw could have helped! He would have hunted and fought for the clan, I know he would..." A sigh escaped her jaws but her sobs had stopped. She knew the best way to get over the tom would be to continue clan life and continue her chores, etc, but it would not be easy. The she-cat had barely stopped thinking about him and it hurt so much.

"Thunderclan wouldn't take him back - he told me. He was all alone..." The tabby apprentice felt a pang of pity inside, but pity couldn't help him, nor bring him back. He was gone.

Morningfog wrapped her tail around her daughter a bit tighter as her crying slowed to a stop. "You can't dwell on it, nothing will change because of that." she mewed, the mother sighed and looked up into the dark sky. "There are just things that will happen even if we try our hardest to change that. Floods force us out of camp and we can't fight it. But, we come back stronger, build better dens. Learn from them. We can predict them and prepare for it. We cannot stop them, just as you could not change our leader's judgment.'