Goodbye Is a Bitter Pill to Swallow {Closed}

The light of the late afternoon sun bathed the riverside in a warm golden glow. A breeze rustled through the nearby reeds, causing them to whisper softly. On the SkyClan side of the river, Tigerleaf sat alone by herself.

The young warrior's eyes were glazed over and seemed to be focused on a point far beyond her surroundings. Every now and then, her long tail would twitch slightly. It was a habit of Tigerleaf's to escape into the forest when she needed time to think. The hustling, bustling camp was home, but at times it could just be too much to handle. The forest was much larger, and seemed to be able to hold whatever troubles she had. Ever since Ashpaw's death only a moon ago, she had been spending more and more time alone, especially on trips out like this one. Whatever progress she believed she had been making in talking to others had been wiped away by her best friend's death. She had withdrawn into herself, and was almost always alone now. It wasn't that her clanmates stayed away from her, but she stayed away from them. She spent time with Wasppaw, but that was only because she was his mentor and had to be resonsible for his training. Sometimes she wondered if Mistyrain's purpose in giving her an apprentice barely a few days after Ashpaw had been buried was the deputy's attempt to ease the pain.

Although he was gone now, life went on as per normal. Every day she still had to get up at the same time, still had to carry on the same duties. It was as if nothing had changed at all. Time never stopped to wait for anyone. It wasn't tied down by fragile, mortal bonds; no matter what happened, it kept on moving. It was a blessing in a way, but also an incredibly painful one. It reminded her of the river - strong, powerful and impossible to stop. Every time she thought of him and the time they had spent together, it felt as if a heavy weight was crushing her heart. She missed him, and she had never felt more alone. Foxhunter's words still rung in her head, but it had gotten harder to believe them. She wished that she could speak to her father again, but the only way to do so would be to die.

Just over the river was RiverClan territory. They were the clan that Ashpaw's murderer was possibly from. The steady rushing of the river was comforting to listen to, but the thought of RiverClan sent a wave of repulsion through her belly. What happened had been the actions of a single cat and not the whole clan, but she couldn't help the sense of aversion she had towards them now. Perhaps a corner of her heart did blame RiverClan for the gray and white apprentice's fate. Absently, she dragged one paw through the water before her. The wetness of her fur was an unpleasant sensation.