Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu

The chill of leaf-bare was slowly creeping up Briarthorn's spine, however, it wasn't the cold that bothered her. The constant dull ache in her bones and the way her joints seemed to want to simply give out at times was a much larger source of concern, and one that she was reminded of daily. Tasks that used to come to her easily, even naturally, were now things that took conscious effort and she struggled far more than she once had. Physically, she'd seen better days. Her once bulky frame and thick, plush coat were nowhere near as fearsome as moons ago. Her fur was now coarse and much thinner, and seasons of muscle had been lost to time. Even her eyes seemed dull comparatively, sunken into her face without the spunk and fortitude of former days.

The loneliness hardly bothered her- truthfully, she almost preferred it- but the unknown was an unnerving sensation that she couldn't shake. Not knowing what she had left behind, being trusted with the safety and prosperity of the Clan, and failing to protect it... That consumed her. Moons upon moon had passed, and yet she still thought of it no less with every passing day. As each falling pawstep left an indention in the ground, she focused on the scent in the air, searching intently for some sort of prey. She'd had little luck as of recently, but continued on her path, weaving in and out between rocks and trees. The crisp leaves covering the ground underpaw made it difficult to sneak up on what prey she could find, but she kept walking until the snap of a nearby branch caused her to immediately freeze. As far as she could see, there was no one around, but that was far too loud to be a mouse or other small prey animal. Ears alert and eyes scanning, she stood, waiting for whatever it was to make itself known, one way or another.

Wolfblossom had left the mass of cats behind in a desperate attempt to find prey. With such a huge group traveling together, prey only seemed more scarce, and with the bitter cold and on and off rain plaguing their travels, the deputy had found little success. To say the circumstances were discouraging was an understatement, but the deputy would push through. For her clanmates, for Falconmoon and Sunfire, for her grandkits, for Paledove and her unborn kits. For her mother. For Stormwatcher and Birdstar.

Her clanmates had grown dangerously thin, just as Wolfblossom herself had, and it hurt to look at her loved ones and see them in such a state. They had walked from one terrible situation and into another, and arguably to Wolfblossom this journey was worse than if they had stayed in the territory they knew.

There was a single squirrel in one of the trees, and Wolfblossom carefully made her way toward it. It was a scrawny thing, but it was food. Food Skyclan desperately needed. A branch snapped as she leapt from it, and the deputy landed precariously on the branch she had wanted to reach. The squirrel fled.

Wolfblossom bit back a scream of frustration, striped tail lashing once behind her. With a low sigh, she turned away, tired blue eyes scanning her surroundings. Movement was quick to draw her attention, and Wolfblossom's focus snapped toward it immediately.

A cat, she realized. And a familiar tabby pelt, one she hadn't seen in seasons. Her first disappearance had led to Wolfblossom becoming deputy while Birdstar went to receive her lives. Her second... Wolfblossom shook her head.

"Briarthorn!" She called, a slight rasp to her voice. "Stars... It's a good thing I saw you all the way out here - you'd be returning to an empty forest."

The moment she heard a voice behind her, Briarthorn's head snapped around to find the source, locking eyes with Wolfblossom just a short distance away. For only a split second, relief flooded every part of her being, tensions in her muscles relaxed, and the world felt like it might just be okay. That all came crashing down, however, when she began to run through all of the possible scenarios that would've led Wolfblossom to be standing in front of her today. Her concerns were far from alleviated when Wolfblossom continued, citing that the forest was... empty?

"What on earth are you talking about?" Her voice was hoarse from disuse, but her expression painted her emotions clearly enough that her tone was of no concern. She realized that was perhaps not the most polite greeting, but niceties had never been her forte. "Is SkyClan here?" She asked pointedly, not moving from her position. Worry for Wolfblossom and her Clanmates (or... former Clanmates?) was at the forefront of her mind, especially considering how thin the she-cat looked.

Briarthorn's reaction was one of mixed emotion and confusion as Wolfblossom spoke, something the deputy couldn't blame her for. She had been gone a while now, and seeing one of her clanmates so far from home must have been quite the surprise.

"We are. All the clans are, actually." She grimaced, knowing the explanation would not be a pleasant one. "The prey in the forest disappeared at the start of leaf fall. Then the river turned foul, the territory was... completely unsustainable, for everyone. So at the last gathering it was decided we would leave. No other option, really, as much as I hate it." The deputy shook her head. Stay and starve, leave and starve. Some choice they had been given. "You've been gone a while... I think two moons might be the limit on any peace Skyclan gets. We're surviving though. Birdstar will be happy to see you." She added.

Brairthorn’s heart dropped when Wolfblossom confirmed her suspicions, her head sinking between her shoulders, shaking in disbelief. The Clans must be traveling together, and she shuddered at the idea. Though some believed that the Clans working in such close quarters would bring peace and good will, Briarthorn was of the opposite opinion. Keeping cats with such differing traditions and views brewed tensions and discontent, and peace under those conditions can only last so long. Surviving was the bare minimum- her goal had always been for SkyClan to flourish. ”Were there any deaths?” She mewed, hating the morbidity of the question, but finding it a necessary detail.

Birdstar. She supposed to thought should’ve occurred to her that her successor would have earned her lives, but to hear the name made it all more real than it had been prior.”Yes, it’s been many moons.” She responded quietly to the she-cat’s observation of her absence. It seemed that Briarthorn hadn’t even needed to ask to be taken back to wherever SkyClan called home for the night- Wolfblossom was already thinking of that. ”Very well, then. Let’s be on our way, if it’s of no trouble to you?” Her eyes remained locked on Wolfblossom, waiting for her response.

Deaths... She thought of Plumleaf and Trufflesnap, of Bloodstrike and Dawnfeather. "Not... Not from this. Not yet, anyways." She responded grimly. Wolfblossom prayed that they would keep it that way, but she knew better. The clans were starving, the weather was nasty, it was only a matter of time before cats started to succumb to one thing or another.

"Come, then. It's not far." She mewed. There would be time to talk and catch up, for now, Skyclan would welcome their former leader home... Or not home, but still.