Clouded be the Moon [C]

Ashfall had arrived back from the gathering with many thoughts, most terrible. Though, she couldn't fathom she was doing worse than Dayspring, who had seemed terrified during the gathering. It hurt her to see Dayspring this way, it was a vast chasm between what she normally seemed to act like. So after everything had calmed, and most warriors had gone to their nests, she sought her out. She'd probably still be awake, wherever she was.

Once Ashfall found her, she brought her over to a corner of camp, untouched by other warriors, awake or otherwise. "Hey... are you doing alright? The gathering was, uh, not great. You just seemed off, that's all." Her words came softly, something that felt unnatural for the normally severe warrior. She doubted that Dayspring was alright, but maybe it would help her to talk about it.

The return to camp after the Gathering had been nothing short of quiet and gloomy. Dayspring was rattled, almost to the point that she had to pause every few minutes on the way to catch her breath, but she had said nothing and kept walking the entire way home. Ashfall and Swiftspirit's presence had managed to lower her stress levels by a small amount, but not enough to be monumental. Between having to speak on WindClan's behalf under such short notice and witnessing StarClan's fury firsthand, Dayspring was unsure if she would ever have the energy to leave camp ever again. She had stayed as calm as possible in front of the judging eyes of dozens of cats from all the Clans, including her own, but returning back to camp gave the opportunity to finally sigh in relief and relax both her shoulders and her spirit. Cats had said their good-nights before heading to their nests to catch up on sleep, and Dayspring wanted nothing more than to follow suit, but her body refused to fall asleep no matter how many times she squeezed her eyes shut.

So, she had stayed awake, held back the tears that were building up in her eyes, and stared up at the full moon for what felt like forever. As she peered directly into the white light, all she could see being reflected back at her was scenes from the Gathering. She remembered the jolt of fear that went through her body as she padded into Fourtrees to see Bloodstrike on top of the Great Rock, she saw Lilacstar standing in silence while Dayspring gave the announcements from the base of the rock, she saw Cloudpaw marching forward to call out the entirety of SkyClan, and she saw the claws of the unknown SkyClan apprentice and the flames from the Great Oak. She could practically still feel the smoke in her lungs. She hadn't stuck around long enough to hear or see Bloodstrike's reaction to her explanation at the Gathering, but that was the last thing on her mind. What was going to happen to WindClan? How were they going to rebuild and rebrand themselves after that spectacle?

Apologizing to Bloodstrike and throwing Lilacstar under the bus... had that made WindClan seem weak? Probably. However, Dayspring felt as if it was the right thing to do at the time. A simple apology would never be able to undo the pain and suffering that Dawnhawk had caused or the web of lies and manipulation that he had spun, but the she-cat felt as if it was the least she could do. Perhaps morals were more important than the reputation of the Clan sometimes. Besides, it was only basic decency. She had been raised to apologize to cats that she wronged in one way or another, and that was exactly what she had done tonight. It was a basic first step.

When Ashfall approached her and brought her to one of the corners of the camp, the deputy didn't hesitate to follow. She nodded her head and flattened her ears as another round of tears threatened to escape. 'Not great' was definitely one way to describe the Gathering, but Dayspring knew that she would've used harsher words than just that.
"I'm fi-" She began, but cut herself off.
She had lied back at Fourtrees when she announced that WindClan was doing well, and she was about to tell another lie to her own friend. The she-cat was tired of telling lies. The truth was that she as an individual and WindClan as a whole was suffering, and she desperately needed to talk about it.

"No, I-I'm not fine, actually. I completely blew it at that Gathering. I had no idea I was even going to speak until two seconds after Flintstar gave his own report. I thought that everything would end peacefully, but Cloverpaw decided to pull her stunt. Don't get me wrong, I understand the fact that she felt wronged, and I still think that it was cruel for a leader to target a medicine cat apprentice, but surely she could've saved her announcement for another time. It only ended up backfiring. Now, SkyClan is still mad at WindClan, WindClan is still mad at SkyClan, every other Clan is probably mad at us, especially after what Bloodstrike shared, and StarClan is mad at the entire forest." Dayspring spoke hurriedly as she began to panic once again.

She hadn't unintentionally rambled in a while, but that was a habit that she found herself returning to that night.
"Everyone's just... mad at each other, and I don't even blame them. Even I'm mad. I mean, um, wait, I'm not mad, that's a really harsh word. Sorry. I'm just a little upset. Lilacstar stood there and she watched and heard what was happening, but she didn't say anything. She accepted Dawnhawk after he revealed himself, and the Clan suffered greatly because of it, but when it was time for her to explain herself, she didn't. I would never, ever purposefully speak badly about Lilacstar, but I don't know what to do anymore. I made the Clan look terrible up there!"

Ashfall listened quietly to Dayspring's words, feeling distraught herself. Dayspring was just going through so much, it hurt to see her that way. After a few moments of silence, she began to purr, pressing herself up against her panicked friend's side in an attempt to calm her. She remained that way for a little while longer, before speaking softly. "You didn't. Windclan may have looked bad, but that was not your doing. It's okay to be angry, at circumstances, or at Lilacstar, or Bloodstrike, or anyone. Cloverpaw made a decision that made everything worse, but I have to believe that it was good for the other clans to know how dishonorably Skyclan fought. They needed to know. Not then, but I'm glad that it's been said. You were so brave, being able to speak on such short notice. You did the best you could with what you had. That's all anyone in the clan should ask for... and if they don't then they'll answer to me."

"I think the only way to fix this is to catch Dawnhawk at this point, and even then, Skyclan will probably dislike Windclan for moons to come. That's just life though, I think. My father is a monster, and justice must be served. It's now I wish that I hadn't tried collecting information about my father first, that I had just gone ahead and told Skyclan he was here. It would've prevented all of this, Skyclan may have even liked us. I was too scared to break the code though, too desperate to be completely unlike him... I'm getting off-topic. The point is, you did great, and we're all okay. You're okay. The clan is safe, and now every clan knows just how dangerous Dawnhawk is. Starclan also delivered retribution on Skyclan, even if they were mad at all of this. That lightning bolt hit their medicine cat. It's not that I want her to die, but perhaps it is an ample warning against their brutality." Ashfall bumped her head against Dayspring's, a feeble attempt to make her feel better. Dayspring deserved... better. So much better. This was too much stress for her to bear on her shoulders alone, yet she had.

Dayspring leaned against Ashfall for a few moments, remaining appreciative of the warmth and support that the she-cat held for her. She listened silently as the warrior spoke. The words of encouragement were pleasant, and they made Dayspring's heart glow with gratitude, but there was still heavy turbulence in the back of her mind. She didn't want to be angry at anyone or anything, and she didn't want her Clanmates to feel the same. All she wanted was for WindClan to be happy and prosperous, but it seemed as if they were the exact opposite. It was unrealistic that believe that all five Clans were capable of existing in perfect harmony all the time, but surely there were supposed to be better days than this. Dayspring had grown up in the era of the Asylum, and right after their reign came to an end, there was only a short amount of peace before Nightwind had revealed himself to be Dawnhawk, and life had gone downhill once again. It seemed as if trouble was all that Dayspring knew.

For a cat that desired serenity and joy, her life was not ideal, but the duties that she carried out every day in order to support her Clanmates was what encouraged her to keep going.

Dayspring lived for others, not for herself.

"I just wish there was a way we could make amends with SkyClan and make sure that Dawnhawk is dead. Listening to everything that he did to SkyClan... stars, I completely understand why they were so angry. They have every right to be. I never thought that any cat would be cruel enough to kill kits and elders, but I guess I was proven wrong. I didn't say anything in fear of breaking the code, either. I feared that that the outcome of going behind Lilacstar's back would unpleasant, but I was wrong again." Dayspring lowered her head, sighing.

"I suppose we can't return to the past and fix our errors, though," The she-cat began, thoughtfully, "so all we can do now is be on the look out. If Dawnhawk is ever seen on WindClan's territory again, then we won't make the same mistake twice."

Ashfall sighed, hanging her head for a moment. "Yeah... Skyclan does have a right to be angry. So much destruction caused by one cat... if I'm being honest, I'd form a patrol and search for him myself with permission from Lilacstar. I suspect she'd disapprove though. I just need to get rid of him. He's going to come back eventually. I need to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else."

The warrior raised her head, this time raising her eye to the few stars that poked through the cloud cover. She was tired, not the type of tired that came from staying up so late into the twilight hours, but the type of tired that came of constant chaos since the day she had received her warrior name. Even her name seemed to represent the fall of sanity between the clans, in herself. Even with this exhaustion came more thoughts, more ideas. No matter what she tried, she couldn't turn them off. She spoke softly, not even talking to anyone in particular. "I'm tired, I've been tired for so long. And for what? Every time I think a problem is dealt with, it pops back up. Or another comes in its place. Nothing just ever... works out, does it?"

Her gaze turned back to Dayspring, apologetic. "Sorry, I was trying to comfort you, it just feels like everything sucks most of the time. I'm not great at being optimistic I guess. You're right though, about the past. I guess Windclan just has to move past it. Skyclan will always feel like we wronged them, and we'll feel like Skyclan wronged us. We wronged each other, and Skyclan is too stubborn to admit that themselves. So we'll fight, but we don't have to stoop to their level at least." Ashfall's tail flicked anxiously, she hadn't meant to be so open with Dayspring. Dayspring just felt... good to be around.

Dayspring hesitated for a moment before wrapping her tail around Ashfall's shoulders as a show of support. It seemed as if the entire Clan was stressed and pessimistic, so she certainly didn't blame the she-cat for feeling this way. In fact, Dayspring found it difficult to offer up any useful advice to her friend considering the fact that she was feeling the exact same way. It truly was exhausting.
"I'm sure this isn't the first time a Clan has suffered through something. The Clans as a whole have existed for so long, I'm sure every Clan has been through something that they would rather not remember. I'm sure WindClan will move past this. Everything will be just fine." She mewed, her voice sounding more certain than she actually felt.

The deputy was more than glad to call Ashfall a friend. She had made this tough period the slightest bit better. WindClan was beyond to lucky to have her, and on a personal level, Dayspring was lucky to have her, too.

"I think that things work out sometimes. I mean, it's all a matter of looking for the good in the midst of the bad, right? Like... us ending up in the medicine den together made us friends, and I think that's a really good thing."
She managed to put on a soft smile as she glanced over at the white warrior beside her. The tension from the Gathering had practically been forgotten by now, and instead Dayspring felt peace in her heart.

Ashfall stiffened for a moment, not expecting the tail around her shoulders, but relaxed shortly after. She had been a bit jumpier lately, maybe something about not being able to see like she used to. Blinking slowly, she thought about things for a moment before speaking. "You're more certain than I am. Windclan will move past it all in time, time is good at erasing things anyway." Dayspring's optimism was infectious to an extent, she just made everything better somehow. She really was a light in the darkness.

The warrior threw her own soft white and gray tail over Dayspring's shoulders in turn, a smile gracing her lips. "Yeah, if anything good came of what happened, at least we're friends now." She fell silent for a moment, simply enjoying Dayspring's company before continuing. "Feeling better about the gathering?" Ashfall had felt much better after airing her own fears and annoyances to her kind friend. Despite the fact she was supposed to be comforting her, but maybe her own problems had given Dayspring something else to think about, at least only for a little while.