Hazy Night With A Chance Of Rain [Closed for Alexcentria]

Skyclan's territory was rather beautiful at night, almost mystical and enchanting. She wasn't one to be awake during such an hour but lately, she'd been having difficulties remaining asleep, occasional nightmares plaguing her dreams and rudely awakening her. Her mind never really shut off and the bad dreams weren't helping in the slightest. At first, she just laid awake in her nest, trying to force herself to fall asleep again. The more it happened, however, the less she tried. It was a rather fruitless endeavor. Instead, she recently began to sneak out and explore the territory, curious to see it in a new light, or, in this case, lack thereof. She only had a few glimpses of it as she had marched with her clan to fight against Windclan but never really got to appreciate it. At least she was enjoying the beauty now. Sadly, it was starting to feel a little too lonely for her tastes. As a result, her walks got shorter and shorter the more time she spent alone. The Rainy from before the battle wouldn't have minded some time by herself, in fact, she'd have truly enjoyed it. After the time she spent fighting though, she ached more and more to be closer with her family. Perhaps it was the fear of losing any one of them that gave her that drive. No matter what it was, it was the reason she was currently sneaking over to her Nighthaze's nest with the intent of waking him up and attempting to drag him with her to satiate her desire for company.

"Nighthaze? It's me, Rainypaw. Sorry to wake you up. I...I just need a favor from you." There. She made sure she was quiet enough so nobody else could hear her but loud enough to help stir Night awake. Just to make sure he awoke, she accompanied her words with a few gentle prods from her paws. She hoped he'd agree to do this with her but she didn't get her hopes up in case he shooed her away. She loved the rest of her brothers just as much as well as her parents but there was something about Nighthaze that drew her to him more. Something about him screamed protection and comfort and it was what she needed right then.

Nighthaze was within a dreamless sleep, something that would've lead to a quick morning, except he was roused by the voice of his sister. Slowly, he raised his head, staring at her in the darkness for a moment. "Mmm?" His sleepy noises quickly turned more forceful as he was poked. "Mm! Ok I'm, uh, up." Rising to his paws, he stretched his long body for a moment before beckoning Rainypaw outside the Warrior's Den, not wanting to wake anyone within. He was barely visible in the lack of light, only his eyes shining in what little moonlight there was in the darkness.

"Hey Rainy, what do you need?" Nighthaze's tone was soft and quiet as he looked at her, wondering what favor she required from him. He was more than happy to help his family, and spending some time with his sister wouldn't be so bad anyway. He did love her after all.

A faint smile overtook her maw as she watched her older brother rouse from his slumber. It seemed like her pokes were the force he needed to finally arise from his nest. She felt bad for having woken him up from what looked like a good night's rest just to have him by her side during that night's walk but she was a bit selfish like that. At his beckon, she followed closely behind him as he led them out of the warrior's den. This was it. She was still a bit nervous to ask for his companionship but her nerves calmed down once she heard his soft tone of voice.

"Oh, um...I was wondering if you could join me on a walk tonight? I couldn't sleep and felt like going by myself wouldn't really help me much...So...will you be joining me? Y-You can go back to sleep if not. I won't be mad." the lithe she-cat shuffled her paws as she anxiously awaited his response. She really hoped he wouldn't question why she asked him first and not anyone else in their family.

Nighthaze was momentarily surprised that his sister had come to him, but it was certainly not unwelcome. His voice was soft once more when he spoke again, "Of course, I'd, uh, never make you walk out there alone. Come on, let's go." With a small flick of his tail, he beckoned her to follow him out of camp, doing his best to not trip over his own paws. He had always enjoyed walks at night, it was peaceful. Especially after the fight against Windclan. There was an opening of time where it was unlikely that Windclan could retaliate, meaning that there was little chance of meeting a whole patrol of Windclan there to attack them.

After a few moments outside camp, Nighthaze spoke up. "So... do you, uh, wanna talk?" He was concerned about Rainypaw's anxious exterior, he could only hope that nothing bad had happened to her! Maybe she was just nervous about waking him up? She shouldn't be, he loved her! He'd never be mad about that!

Her shoulders sagged and her head bowed, a silent way she expressed her thanks, as he agreed to join her. She swiftly followed him out of the camp and into the tranquility of the night. All the while, however, she couldn't stop all the ugly thoughts that she had shoved away from reappearing.

She nearly jumped when the voice of her brother broke through the haze in her mind. She managed to compose herself just in time and offered Night a slightly shaky smile. It soon disappeared as she sighed and looked away. She was certainly not about to lie to or hide anything from him. She was out here with him for a reason. She needed someone to talk to and unleash her struggles out on. She was not about to let herself back down from it either.

Feelings...were hard. How could she even explain to him why she'd awoken him? Well, guess she had to just wing it. "Um...I've sort of been struggling with...sleep...I guess. It began a bit before the battle with WindClan but after that, it's only gotten worse. I...I just don't know... talking's hard for me but I need to, you know? Guess the battle really messed with my head and I've been having...nightmares..." She looked a bit ashamed at revealing that but quickly changed her expression to something more neutral as she continued, "I'm just...well...I'm just scared of losing you guys...my family...The battle really opened my eyes and I now realize how easy it is to lose someone or just how easy it is for others to jump straight into a fight for things that could've easily been rectified and drag others down with them. The more I think like this, the harder it is for me to sleep. I-I just need to know how I can make these thoughts and nightmares to go away." She...was utterly lost and she was desperate for some sort of guide. She didn't want to eternally lose herself in the dark pit she'd fallen into.

Nighthaze gave a sad glance as his sister finished speaking. She was having nightmares? It made him angry, mostly at Wolfstar and Bloodstrike. They could've said at any time to talk to Windclan instead of fighting. Especially once Dawnhawk was gone. Now his sister was having nightmares! He looked away, glaring off into the quiet, dark woods. He would never glare at her, and he didn't want her to think he was. When the anger had passed, he looked back at her, eyes glinting in the slight moonlight.

"Rainypaw... I'm really sorry that you're having trouble sleeping. I, uh, don't think you can just make the nightmares go away though. Everyone has different, uh, tolerances I think. Some cats can go into battle, and have a really great time even if they get hurt, or hurt someone else. Some cats, though, care so much that it bothers them to see all that. I mean, I'm ashamed myself of what happened in that battle. I hurt one of the Windclan cats really badly so I could get to Bumblepaw, and then I got knocked out. I was terrified of losing him, and then I did the one thing I never wanted to do."

"I think the best way to help with the nightmares, is to confront what happened. You are afraid of losing us, just like me! I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you. But we love each other, and knowing that we'd be watching each other from the stars gives me a little comfort. Thinking like that, and confronting the idea of it happening, and finding what good thing could come of it, could, uh, help you. I love you Rainypaw, and I know that everyone else thinks that too. If I ever lost you, I think the only way I could deal with it was knowing that you'd want me to keep going, right? Death isn't really the end for us, even if we're gone. We would all see each other again... one way or another! I hope that helps... maybe?" Nighthaze's lanky form stumbled over his own paws before catching himself, narrowly avoiding tripping on a rock. He returned his gaze to his sister, watching gently. His speech had maybe gotten a little rambly, but he just wanted her to know that she was loved, and that even if she lost anyone, that they'd still be there for her. He knew he certainly would if anything ever happened to him.