passepied [O; mourning]

The sun was beginning to rise, hinting to Harrierpaw to turn in for the day. As she finished up her task of putting finishing touches on the elders den, she noticed one extra nest had been left open. Odd... She was sure she counted them right. She had fluffed them herself. "Excuse me... There's an open nest. Who are we missing?" She politely mewed to the elders who had begun to turn in for the day. They answered with a name she had heard in passing and had seen a few times before: Webshadow. They said he'd taken rest alone, tails flicking in his general direction. An elder she wasn't close with, but she would wait for him.

But as the sun kept creeping higher, the snow fall growing heavier, worry had begun to eat at her heart. She shouldn't have allowed him to lay there for so long. "Webshadow! Webshadow? As the dark she-cat padded closer, she noted that the snow collecting on his dark tabby pelt showed no signs of melting. Using a paw to uncover the older tom, she leaned in closer and held her breath

...The cold cloud that formed from her own breath moments before was not mimicked by Webshadow. She hung her head. This cat was no longer with ShadowClan. What else could she do but let out a saddened yowl, hoping someone besides her would notice the tom.

Swiftheart was returning from the last of the hunting patrols for the night. She was looking forward to a nice rest and sleep her paws ached from the cold and felt numb. She wanted nothing more than to curl up next to Duskflight and doze off and sleep way late.

However, on her way over to the elders den to go see her mate, she noticed Harrierpaw tending to Webshadow.

Aww that was sweet of Harrierpaw, very thoughtful indeed. Swiftheart purred, she was so happy that Webshadow had gotten back home safely. She was so worried about him up at highstones and had tried so so hard to keep him going and get back home again. He seemed to be doing better now that he was home, she would keep telling herself.


She trotted over to the pair with some of the catch she had just caught. A nice dinner for him before their day napings since shadowclan is the night shift crew.

But something was not quite right... as she got closer and closer she noticed she could see the whisps of breath from harrierpaw the warm air swirling into the cold bitter air that the night had left behind just before the sunrise... but no whisps rose from Webshadow.


Her stomach felt like it just dropped off a cliff. She dropped the prey she had held forgetting all about it as her jaw dropped hearing Harrierpaw yowl a little sad cry.

She rushed to Webshadow's side. She nuzzled at him desperatly "web?? web!! she shuddered feeling his pelt so unnaturally cold. Maybe he had just choked on something and thats why he couldnt breathe? she thought scrambling.

She she checked but nothing appeared to be blocking his airways... Tears flooded her eyes as it all slowly set in. She knew for awhile now that he was unwell and that he was getting older. She had tried so hard to be there for him and take care of him at highstones and several times when they were there she was worried he would pass... but he had gotten home okay and made the journey back, she was so filled with hope that he was on the mend and would recover.

The reality of this was like a cold splash of water bitter and shocking.

Webshadow had always been there for her, even when she was a kitten. He was her father's friend and she thought about all the times he had helped her through things. The time he helped her rebuild the nursery for her kits or the time he played little puzzle games with her that he had learened from his mate Froststar.

She burried her nose into his soft but now cold fur. The fact that she knew this might come didnt make it any easier. She had convinced herself that now that they were back home and away from the highstones he would get all better. What was their home if it couldnt heal him?

"what am I supposed to do without you?" she whispered quietly into his ear.

The last time they had really spoken in depth she had sung to him a luliby that he would have known from the nursery. She was too heartbroken to sing right now but she did her best to hum it gently while by his side now. She only got halfway through it before she couldnt continue breaking down entirely in quiet little sobs. She had always been pretty open with how she was feeling or her emotions and this hadnt been the first time she had openly cried in front of her clan and probably wouldnt be the last.

But she didnt care about any of that, appearances meant little to her, if others thought she was too soft, let them.