Dappled Feathers {Closed}

The camp seemed quieter these days. How many moons had it been since Riverclan had stormed into their camp and ripped his family apart? Featherpaw prodded a twig with his white-tipped paw. Some days, the hole in his chest felt so raw that he wanted to scream into the trees about the injustice. He took a deep breath and watched as the steam rolled from his muzzle. As much as he desired it, he had to be there for his siblings. The ones that still lived in their camp. The ones who needed him, and one of them was Dappledpaw. He stood slowly, his gaze observing everything in sight to see any sign of his brother. An elder sunning himself, Mapleleaf padding around with herbs, Wisteriapaw and Wildpaw were out on the border patrol. He sighed, then spotted his brother's pelt inside the apprentices den.

He padded over to him. The snow crunched beneath his paws, giving his presence away, but he didn't mind that. He had to pull himself together and keep his family closer. Still, he glanced at where Flickerpaw's nest had been. He wanted so badly to see her back in their den that it felt as though the weight was physically crushing him. He coughed, feeling that pressure before it faded as he focused back on Dappledpaw. Featherpaw nudged him, then licked his forehead with a small smirk.
"Come on Dappledpaw. We should go hunting." He suggested, then licked him again, the gesture no more than simply grooming physically, but he saw it as a comfort as well. "We should get out of the stuffy camp for awhile at least."

A brown tabby tom was curled up in the apprentice den, his breathing slow and rhythmic. He was asleep, but one could tell it wasn't a good sleep by the twitching and whimpering. Dappledpaw was having a nightmare. First, he could see Flickerpaw daring Wisteriapaw to go to Snakerocks, even though he wasn't there. He could see the group of siblings crashing through the forest, laughing and having fun. He could see the whole, happy family. He could see himself and his sister out on a patrol. And that was when the dream turned to a nightmare. He saw again Flickerpaw as she killed the warrior, he saw Shrewheart's body, his beloved father. He saw RiverClan in their camp, anger on their faces and murder in their eyes. He saw Specklefang, such a strong warrior, eat deathberries. And he saw Flickerpaw leaving for the RiverClan camp. Then, he began to see things he had never even heard before. His sister getting clawed and hurt by the RiverClan monsters in their camp. Shrewheart getting pushed onto the Thunderpath by a nameless, faceless warrior. His mother get slaughtered by a gang of cats. His siblings all dropping dead. ThunderClan crumbling into ruin. Everyone was in pain. Everyone was dying.

His eyes snapped open at the sound of paws crunching on snow. Just a nightmare. He told himself, even though he was still panting. It was Featherpaw. Just Featherpaw. It was safe. His breathing g slowed as his brother licked him, and a purr rumbled in his throat, a rare thing nowadays. "Sure. Sounds good to me." He fought hard to keep his voice from wavering. He got to his paws, slowly shaking out his fur and returning the lick between Featherpaw's ears.

He purred as the lick was returned and nudged him casually on the shoulder before he turned to lead the way out of the apprentice's den. Featherpaw lead the way through the entrance tunnel and kept a slow pace up the ravine. The last time they had raced up hadn't faired all that well for Dappledpaw, and why make a hunting trip more miserable? He tried to stay strong as sadness clutched his chest. Remembering Flickerpaw had passed this way so many times... and now never would. The painful thought almost made him stop, so he spoke instead.
"Have you met mother's new litter?" He asked as he dug his claws into the ice as he walked over it. "I haven't yet..." He confided, feeling a little guilty that he hadn't spoken to Sharptooth since that wretched morning. She was too busy with the new kits to worry about her old ones. He frowned at the thought, all at once realising that was unfair. She had to love them too... right?

Featherpaw's orange tail brushed against Dappledpaw's flank. It didn't matter. He had his other siblings, and that was who he needed the most right now. Once they reached the top of the ravine he stopped to sit down safely away from the edge.
"Do you need to catch your breath?" He asked softly with concern. He didn't want to push Dappledpaw too hard, the poor tom had slept badly as of late. That wasn't surprising, Featherpaw's dreams hadn't been all that pleasant either. A constant dread rose in his chest, now that Flickerpaw was going to Riverclan... he feared the idea of having to fight her. He knew he'd have to, but it didn't feel right. He still cared about her.