gain no ground, hold no home [open]

Thick tendrils of billowing steam hung heavily atop the lesiurely twisting rapids of the swollen river, a gossamer blanket of dampness that eagerly devoured the soft drizzle of frigid rain that wept from the dreary afternoon sky. The somber atmosphere of the waters was plagued with the constant low-rumbling of high-flowing currents; the roar and howl of quick movement ringing out sharply, dark waters spilling and frothing hungrily at the cool mud of its crumbling riverbanks.Seasonally barren reeds, wind-lashed and webbed into intricately made knots of decay, slouched softly under the lingering weight of constant rain, the continuous frothing of the spitting sky battering the perpetually wilting foliage into a miserable state of submission. The dreary, overcast late afternoon sky was laden with the lingering weight of cloying humidity- an unpleasant and unwelcome stillness bearing down upon the forest with all the welcome of a carrion bird, the continuous threat of doom lingering high above. The prickling presence of dampness slunk beneath the bones and curled low in the gut, a frigid chill seeping deep and fierce under the skin and residual muscles which trembled in a futile attempt to keep away the nagging chill currently growing only stronger. Somewhere in the distance, so far beyond the highstones that it was nothing more than a quavering outline, a dark smear of coiling energy was gathering just out of reach, the tremulous threat of building tension eagerly awaiting its chance to unleash a torrential downpour of poor weather upon the already sodden territories.

The current conditions of the forest were so viscerally different that it was practically alien in the weary eyes of the estranged Jayshriek. Had it really taken him so long to return home?

Brushing through the prickly and wilting grasses that congregated together in pitiful masses, Jayshriek made certain to keep several tail-lengths of distance between himself and the sharp slope of the riverbank, instinctually aware of the risk of treading upon rain-slick mudbanks. After several moonrises of strenuous journeying, the last way he was hoping to spend his afternoon was to find himself floundering the chilly currents when the long-lost familiarty of his home was just beyond the rise.  Resisting a shiver at the thought of plunging into the waters after such a grueling itinerary of travel, the willowy tom simply continued upon the achingly familiar routine, dark gazed fixed upon the horizon in a desperate search of confirmation that he wasn't actually dreaming. That he was actually here once again, not entrapped within the longing dreams of his own mind.

It had all happened so quickly- one heartbeat he was out searching for woodland prey that would help settle the worst of Kitefire's miserable pregnancy illness, and the next he was caught within the confines of an unfamiliar twoleg trap. One singular careless step had suddenly vaulted him into the confines of a strange metal trapping, with unyielding steel fangs that refused to let him go free no matter the ferocity and desperation that which he fought the alien structure. In the frenzy of the moment, it had felt like an odd tomb had yawned open to swallow Jayshriek alive. And perhaps it was a grave of some sorts, meant to ferry him away from the blossoming tree of his newly cherished family and into the sterile, lifeless stone forest that which twolegs reside within. It had taken days for his captors to realize their hunting endeavor was successful, yet had taken even longer so for him to find an opportune chance for escape- for him to find a way to flee from the strange place they had brought him to, an odd stacking of countless rows of metal bins that housed all sorts of different creatures.

It was during those long hours of dismal nothingness, perturbed only by the rancorous howling of imprisoned rank dogs and odd city-dwelling cats, that Jayshriek often dwelled upon thoughts of his family to occupy the monotony. He dreamt of Kitefire, as radiant and all-consuming as the sun, and he dreamt of his yet to be born children, faces shrouded as though they were already nothing but ghosts lost to him. He dreamt of the deeply-scored disappointment that yawned between himself and Ivystar, and he dreamt of the snarling smiles of the Asylum cats he had practically grown up alongside. Jayshriek dreamed and dreamed and dreamed, for it was all he had in those days leading up too and immediately following his desperate escape into the strange brimstone night. And because fate was never kind enough to allow him to back away from the crown of thistles that wound around both his throat and skull, he had managed to not only survive in the bleak corpse of the unfamiliar lands he ventured through- but to somehow return to the forest, despite the leagues of distance that had blossomed between himself and the invisible beacon of his lost homelands.

It did not feel like a victory to brush through the welcoming embrace of the protective reed barrier, and whatever low-furling relief he felt at the prospect of returning home was further diminished by how unfamiliar his home felt. It felt like trespassing upon the soul of a ghost town, faces so familiar yet so unreadable and lost to him. Rain-heavy pelt shagging low and limber against the soft drizzle of rain, Jayshriek paused in the center of camp, exhaustion heavy gaze seeking out the face of one who was already unknowingly lost to him. "Fetch Ivystar," Jayshriek rasped out to an unfamiliar cat lingering within his proximity with an obvious air of uncertainty, voice rough from long-standing lack of use, "and Kitefire as well."

Entirely unknowing of the awaiting disaster circling above his head like an eager carrion bird, entirely unaware of the grief that was waiting to pick upon his barren bones.

It was a dreary day, a gentle drizzle having fallen through most of it. Dewlight had been speaking to a returning patrol, receiving their reports as her kits napped. Ivystar had gone out on a patrol of her own not long before with little explanation, so she made note of anything that seemed important before dismissing the warriors to rest. A call sounded near the entrance to camp, and she turned to see a face that was both familiar and foreign at the same time. She blinked a couple times at him, uncertain if he was real, before stepping forward and lowering her head in greeting. "Jayshriek, welcome home." She mewed, pausing before lifting her gaze to meet his again. "I'm sorry, the news I carry is likely not the news you'd like to hear. Kitefire walks with the stars now, I was among the patrol that found her as she was dying. It seemed as though she was running from one of the twoleg's dogs and was trapped by a falling rock... There was nothing that we could do. Ivystar left camp, and didn't specify where she was going, but I'm sure she won't be long. I'll send some patrols to try to track her down so she returns more quickly though, I'm sure that she wants to hear what happened to you." She offered, turning to some nearby warriors that were listening in and nodding as they gathered some others and left camp in pursuit of their leader.

The late afternoon sky, a choppy wreath of droll seasonal humidity and roughly hewn wisps of turbulent cloud movement, was perpetually laden with the resounding cacophony of drizzling rain- a foul spattering of wetness that wept endlessly from countless leagues above, the entire forest encased within the chilly grasp of an unrelenting frigid rain. Silver droplets of leisurely lingering rainfall and speckled mist clung heavily to the sharp, skeletal outline of Jayshriek, dusting the wild-maned tom in a gradually strengthening halo of glimmering white light, a faint shimmering that protruded sorely against the dismal setting of the unfortunate day. Full consciousness blossomed suddenly within his bones at the sight of Dewlight, the singular familiar face within the sea of judging apparitions and vengeful tongues, a violently jarring slipping down the weary length of his spine with all the grace and serenity of a seasonal flood, his exhausted synapses and neurons sparking to life at full throttle at the bright flash of recognition, at the bright flash of realization, at the bright flash of relief that yes, he was finally home.

What little joy to be gleaned from this exceedingly minimal reunion was quickly dashed within moments, all prospective hope and relief promptly thrown to the rapids that twisted below the bellowing Gorge, broken and torn apart on the sharp rocks of the reality spoken forth by his Clanmate. Kitefire walks with the stars... found her as she was dying... trapped by falling rocks... there was nothing that we could do. Terse silence yawned in the absence of any coherent, visible reaction on behalf of Jayshriek- rapidly shrinking and expanding pupils trapped within the confines of a fiery grief-strung gaze, pinpricks of darkness within pools of lascivious molten amber, an odd glassiness seeping across the wild depths of his unflinching stare. There was a soft clamoring within the darkened recesses of his whirling mind, countless whispers and murmurs, sharpened by a sense of latent urgency, resonating within the tight confines of his pounding skull. The pressure built and strengthened with each additional whisper, with each cry, rising to a tremulous roaring that befit the sky that quavered under the strain of such profuse noise- the first clap of thunder roaring across the darkened sky as the storm began to gather intensity.

In that moment, Jayshriek was undone; heart and blood aflame with the white-hot intensity of his rapidly brewing grief, dimming soul gathering sour on the limp weight of his effectively useless tongue. It truly felt as though some soft, sad, vulnerable part of himself had died, like the only good and genuine element of his soul had been ripped clean from the center of his being, left out in the open on exposed rocks for the carrion birds to pick apart. His faltering lungs were constricted under the mounting pressure of an anguished scream seizing him low and tight, the once stable earth under paw was rapidly giving way to a trembling wound of sand and darkness surely meant to swallow what little of him now remained, the silent gazes of the few cats left in his ghost town of a home leaving him all the more exposed and vicious in this terrible vitriol. "I understand," Jayshriek simply croaked out in lieu of any true disposition of an emotional reaction, low voice cut in an entirely unfamiliar attitude that so deeply contrasted the cat he once was, "thank you for informing me." Tilting his head skywards towards the steadily strengthening downpour, the dark-furred tom welcomed the frigid embrace of the sorrowful rain that crept beneath his unkempt coat like the stinging teeth and claws of an invisible enemy as the hurried pawsteps of the hastily gathered patrol swept by.

It felt as though his entire journey had all been for naught; like Jayshriek had wrongfully evaded his fated death in foreign lands, only to return home to find that the one he truly called home had gone to the one place he could never truly follow. The sun had set, leaving nothing but tremulous memories and the lost faces of children he had never even gotten to know.

Dewlight's heart broke once again for the tom as she watched his expression, the realization washing over the tom. The way his pupils expanded and shrank, the joy of returning home being dashed by the terrible news that had awaited him. What would she do, how would she react, if it was Bearspirit? If she returned to camp one day to such news? The lump in her throat didn't disappear with a swallow, but she croaked out the words anyway. "I'm so sorry, Jayshriek. I.. If you like, once you're ready, I can take you to where she lies. That way... That way you know where you can find her, at the very least. I wish I could have done more." She choked out, watching the tom with rain mixed with tears trailing down her face. She had never been exceptionally close to Kitefire, but still... Her death had not been one that Dewlight would wish upon anyone, and the news was one she had never hoped to be the one to share. "Would... Would you like to come to Ivystar's den? I can ask Cloverheart to come look over any wounds you may have, and you can tell me what happened and get some rest... I can report back to Ivystar when she returns."