I'm Not Ready To Say Goodbye... [Open]

As the first rays of sunlight started to show on the horizon and the cats of RiverClan started to wake up and carry on with their daily routines, the figure of Sootwhisper made itself present as he stepped into camp. However, this wasn’t the aloof warrior everyone knew, tears ran down his usually emotionless face, his paws nearly dragging on the ground as if he didn’t even cared about lifting them at this point.

His back was stained with blood coming from the lifeless body of his mate as he carried her to the center of the clan so the rest of the clan could mourn with him, and firmly yet gently grabbed by the scruff between his jaws was a small grey kit.

He placed Thistleblaze’s body on the ground once he finally arrived to the center of camp and sat before her as he placed Viperkit between his front paws to keep her warm. His rational side knew he should look for a medicine cat and queen to help Viperkit, but grief had taken a tight hold of the black and white tom and muffled this voice of reason. He couldn’t think correctly, not knowing that the she-cat that he had loved so much, the she-cat for which he had tried so hard to show his emotions, was now gone.

Little Viperkit had no idea what was going on.. She didn't seem to realize that her mother was dead, Thistleblaze was dead.. All she knew that familiar sweet scent was fading and she was a bit hungry. The solid gray kit let out a small cry of hunger as she sort of moved closer to her father's paw. She needed the warmth from him more than ever though she could feel secondary warmth as the sun was rising, but she didn't know what it was.

Swiftheart prepared to do some solo fishing, but he saw Sootwhisper with Thistleblaze, except that Thistleblaze was laying there dead. The she-cat flattened her ears as she walked over to Sootwhisper and sat down next to him. "I'm sorry about your loss..." she sadly mewed. She looked down at Viperkit and felt more sad. She didn't want this kit to grow up without her real mother, but she had to.

Duckpaw poked her head out of the apprentices' den, her ears pricked out of curiosity despite the fact that what was going on didn't involve any chaotic yelling or noise. Her eyes landed on Sootwhisper, and then on Thistleblaze... an unmoving Thistleblaze... a bloody Thistleblaze...
A dead Thistleblaze...
Duckpaw could heart her heart thudding harshly against her chest, and she could feel the thumping of it as she stared with shock at the dead body of Thistleblaze. She never knew the older she-cat well, but Thistleblaze had still been one of her Clanmates, and a death in the Clan was something that she should mourn anyways. Her eyes glittered with sadness as she padded over to the body of the dead she-cat. However, Duckpaw kept her distance. She had never seen a dead cat before, and she knew that she'd have to see one soon... just why in this way?
In silence, the apprentice crouched close to the ground, lowering her chin onto her paws, and staring at Thistleblaze with watery eyes.

At the scent of blood in the air, Ivystar jerked awake in the leader's den in fear. 'Please let this be a dream,' she thought to herself as she forced stiff muscles to move despite the chill that was slowly turning them to ice. She didn't want to deal with this reality, she didn't want to deal with another warrior, apprentice or kit mauled at her camp entrance. She didn't know if she could cope with it.

And when she finally got out to see what had happened, she found out she was stronger than she thought. Because half a moon ago, before StarClan had touched her with nine lives, she would have been wailing in fury and grief. But she managed today to find the strength to stalk over with icy fury to find out what had happened to her daughter. To find out who she was going to shred into pieces to bring justice to Thistleblaze. Only to see a kit mewling next to Sootwhisper, who seemed to be in a catatonic state.

"Oh." She shudderingly took in a breath, her rage fading into a heart-stopping ache in realisation what had happened. Under her breath, she whispered in frustration. "StarClan be damned."

To think she'd lost her daughter to kitting, something she herself had survived so many times without flinching. The fates were cruel. And her son, her poor sweet son. Sootwhisper had taken too much after her, being quiet, awkward with words at times. Unable to connect with everyone as easily. When she'd found out that her adopted daughter and her son were together, there was nothing but pure joy in the revelation that Sootwhisper and Thistleblaze had found love in each other. They balanced each other well, and she'd never seen them so happy before like this. But that was all gone now due to fate's cruel intervention.

She wanted to scream, lash out at something. But she wasn't just another face in the crowd, she had duties as a leader and a mother. Pressing her nose to double check that Thistleblaze was truly gone, she then picked up the tiny grey kit, pressing it to Sootwhisper to pick up. "Soot, enough. Thistle is gone, but this kit needs us. Needs you. Get her to the nursery, get her milk and warmth or you will lose them both."

Sootwhisper failed to hear any of those around him in his grieving state, or at least that was true until the voice of his mother and a small nudge made him snap out of the apparent trance he was in. With an expression that reflected nothing but pure sadness he slowly turned his head towards her, her words being slowly processed by his mind. However, when the words fell in place he couldn’t hold back a couple sobs before the tears that had been pooling inside his bicolored eyes ran down his cheeks “S-she’s gone…Thistleblaze is…is g-gone mom…” The cat before Ivystar was no longer the Sootwhisper she knew, completely overwhelmed by the emotions he never before had shown to have to anyone but Thistleblaze, his neutral whispers and polite way to refer those around him gone. For him to refer to his mother as mom instead of by her name, it was clear he was not fine.

If the words took long process, it took him even longer to process his mother’s order even if she was pressing Viperkit against him. For a second or two, everything but him and the small kit ceased to exist, nothing else mattered…Viperkit…his kit, Thistleblaze’s kit, their kit…his treasure.

He slowly nodded before taking the kit from Ivystar and getting back on his paws. His legs, weakened by the overwhelming sadness and grief, shook for a couple seconds, threatening to give in under his weight. It took him some time to regain enough strength to start walking towards the nursery, he, however, didn’t stepped inside before giving Thistleblaze’s body one last sad glance.

Once inside the nursery he made his way towards the first queen he could see “P-please…my kit needs…Thistleblaze is d-de…please, don’t let her die too…” He had more trouble than he expected when making his request before placing Viperkit between the queen’s kits after her approval. She would be warm and would be able to eat…but deep inside he couldn’t help but feel that this was wrong, Thistleblaze should be the one giving warmth to Viperkit, feeding her, watching her grow and become a strong warrior, not a foster queen. Of course he was careful to not say any of this out loud, not wanting to offend the she-cat that had been kind enough to take care of a kit that wasn’t even her’s.

Smoke Kit opened her grey eyes, the harsh, bright sunlight causing her to squint. The young she-cat looked up at the stranger, then down to the other kit who she did not know. She looked around them outside, and saw a warrior lying on the floor.
Smoke Kit was confused. What was happening? Why was that cat in the middle of camp? Why did this strange cat have tears in his eyes? Only after seeing the red on the body outside did Smoke Kit fully understand what was happening.
She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. A cat, dead. This was the first time she had seen a dead cat. Her tail flicked, still a little dazed by the recent events. Smoke Kit looked to the other kit, remaining silent as she assumed what she hoped was a respectful, yet sad, expression.
Smoke Kit remained lying in the soft moss, as he shifted her position. Barely a moon old, she did not know why any of this was happening, or how, or what caused them to happen. All she knew for certain was that the cat would be feeling sad. Her large, round eyes turned to face them as she tried a small, comforting smile.

From inside of the apprentice den, Ashpaw noticed the air of despair and hushed commotion near the center of the clan clearing. Standing up from where she had been resting, she padded over curiously to where she saw many cats congregating.

At the center lay a completely motionless, bloodied cat. Her eyes widening, Ashpaw stared at the body for a moment or two. Ah... This cat is gone. The young apprentice had never seen a deceased cat before, but she recognized the lifelessness from her diet of fresh-kill.

Her eyes turning towards her mother, Ivystar, Ashpaw watched her handle the situation with the distraught-looking tom and the small kit for a while. At Sootwhisper's wail, Ashpaw realized that this tom was also Ivystar's son, and thus, her older half-brother. While still in the nursery with her and her sisters, her mother had briefly talked about her older children, Jaystream, Sootwhisper, and the adopted Thistleblaze. Ashpaw had never met Sootwhisper before, but she felt some sympathy for him. Listening some more, she realized that the deceased cat was called Thistleblaze, and in addition to being her own older adoptive sibling, was likely Sootwhisper's mate and the mother of the kit. She became saddened at the loss of a kin whom she had never known and would never know except in the context of StarClan. The apprentice turned her head away from the scene to scan the crowd of cats. Seeing many cats hunched over, presumably in grief, the silver she-cat followed their example and too bowed her head to pay her respects.