No Sign of a Rose [C]

Batsong met Whisperkits eyes with wide sad eyes of her own and shook her head a several tear drops fell from her. "i---im trying as h--hard as I can... but there is no signs of her." she stuttered as her voice turned to a sob.

She drew in a shaky breath as she walked alongside Whisperkit. She subconsciously led them both to the apprentice den although upon arriving there Batsong was unsure how subconscious it truly was.

Batsong sat quietly at the opening of the apprentice den in camp next to Whisperkit. Rosepaw's nest lay empty at the pairs feet and it had been that way for quite some time now. Rosepaw had gone missing and during the first few days Batsong had looked for her relentlessly without sleep, often staying out all night scouring the moor for her lost apprentice. She searched the entirety of the borders several times checking every possible place she could have thought of. She checked in every tunnel that ran beneath their land to all dead ends of the tunnels. She tried every tracking trick in the book from trying to follow scent trails to following pawprints in the snow that was starting to soften up... all of them came up empty. As the days of her missing turned to a week Batsong had given into despair. She still searched for her every day but deep down she knew with each passing day the odds of ever seeing her friend and apprentice again lessened exponentially quickly. She squeezed her eyes shut and rested her head on her front paws in front of Rosepaws now abandon nest. The scent of her was old and it would not be long now before Batsong would lose that too only to be a memory. None of this was fair. She had failed her apprentice. Rosepaw had always been there for her, even at her lowest points such as after the rouge attack. Rosepaw had held her secret of her relation with Slightfrost. She remembered back to the day she told her that, the day they met. She had saved the young kitten from getting swooped up by a hawk. It seemed like just yesterday but at the same time it also felt like lifetimes ago.

OOC: The topic for that is here for those curious enough:
https://warriorclancats.forumotion.com/t46670-get-back-in-the-nursery

Something flickered when a wind blew into the apprentice den and it caught Batsongs eye making her jump a little what was that! She focused on the object floating in the wind and her heart went heavy with grief recognizing it as the blue feather she had gifted Rosekit to replace the one she had lost. Rosepaw must have kept it all this time and put it in their moss bedding for safe keeping.

OOC: Again, for those curious, this is that topic... explaining more background https://warriorclancats.forumotion.com/t46705-hollow-gaze-open

It floated a short distance in front of Batsong but when she went to try and grab it a strong updraft wind blew it just out of reach and it sailed out of reach into the sky lost forever just like its owner. "noooo" she protested as it escaped her grasp. Batsong couldnt help but cry as she watched it slip beyond her, she would have liked to hold onto it... it seemed a little silly to her but it was something of Rosepaws that she could hold onto as if in some small way she could keep some amount of her friend as silly as it sounded. Now it, just as Rosepaw was beyond her reach or aid. She felt so helpless.

She tracked it with her eyes until it all but faded out of sight, looking to the sky following the feather she saw the pink dawn of the sun slowly rising, lighting up the clouds in a pinkish orange glow of radiance. The sunset looked like the pelt color of Rosepaw and she watched it slowly turn to darker and darker night in silence and memory of her now lost friend. "G...goodbye Rosepaw" she said in a whisper.

She turned to Whisperkit and wrapped her tail around them. She had lost one friend and she made a silent promise to herself to protect Whisperkit no matter what. "i--im so sorry w--ww...whisperkit" she muttered looking down to the kitten. "I---I c--c...cant find her as h--hard as I s--..search" each word hung heavy in her mouth as she talked and she kept Whisperkit close to her feeling an even higher sense of mothership for the kitten in an odd way. She had failed Rosepaw... she would not let herself fail Whisperkit.

OOC: for closure of this post and this in general I will switch to a higher level of narrative (meaning further disconnected from Batsong)
Batsong would never learn what became of Rosepaw, she would continue searching for many moons afterwards always holding onto the slightest amount of hope even though the logical side of her knew it was over. Over time she would convince herself that Rosepaw had made it out of the forest alive and well and was living somewhere happy as ever. Perhaps a twoleg family had adopted her Batsong would think on some days. On other days Batsong would believe that Rosepaw had found Flamepaw and that the two of them lived happily ever after. Still on other days she believed that Rosepaw had found true happiness in a quite separate forest and lived happily ever after till the end of her days in isolation but contentment. On all days however, she looked to the rising sun colors in the sky and remembered her in the earliest moments of the day.

Batsong felt Whisperkit nuzzle into her and she cried uncontrollably. Whisperkit tried to tell them it was not her fault and while Batsong knew that was true, she would always carry some amount of guilt for her gone apprentice. She was reminded how suddenly things could occur and this reminded her all to well of how her parents died. One moment they were fine the next greencough had taken them.... ever since then Mistysky and Swiftspirit had raised her in the most unlikely of relations that would likely never had arisen if not were for the unique circumstatnces...

Now that she thought about it... Whisperkits mother was gone too, Sundrop who had passed away while Whisperkit was so young... even younger than when Batsong lost her parents.

Perhaps this is why she felt so protective of Whisperkit... and now with the forest being filled with such terrible ... things... she had good reason to be. If any of those Dark forest cats did so much as to touch Whisperkit she would send them back to their end for good this time if it was the last thing she did.


Whisperkit was wise beyond their age in alot of ways and they were right... Batsong and Whisperkit did have to let Rosepaw go as much as it hurt to do so.

She held Whisperkit close with her tail as the wind continued. The wind annoyed Batsong... ironically as that was but Whisperkit had always seemed to like it and they's ears always perked during heavy wind as if listening to it for secrets. She nodded listending to the kits advise. "You are probably right." she murmmored.

Still... she felt as if she owed Rosepaw something more... the usual shy black furred molly was not one famous for her words or talking at all really but this once she felt she owed something said.

"R-rosepaw, y-y...you always saw the best in us. Your kindness and energetic positive nature i-i...is something I will always h-hold close. I h-hope you find a h--...happier life somewhere out there away from all the troubles of this forest... someplace warm where the prey always runs as free as your spirit always did. ... Im sorry we d..d...didnt have more time together but ill cherish what we had till the end of t--t..ti" the last words refused to co-operate as she fell to silence. That was the longest she had ever talked really in a long time. The disaperence or Rosepaw had made her go even more silent than usual and it would likely be the longest she would talk until they were reunited in another lifetime far beyond the stars.

She nudged Whisperkit toward the nursery "Speaking of cats who need rest!" she muttered with a little grin on her mouth for once. She gave a signature mischevious wink to Whisperkit.

Once at the nursery she knelt beside them... "Whisperkit???" she said in a hushed tone that only they would be able to hear and even with they's large ears would be quite.

"I know these strange cats are scary... I'm scared too ... but I p---rp...promise.
I wont let them h--hurt you" she said in the same quietness.

Batsong gave the breifest of smiles hearing Whisperkits words before it vanished again as per the usual during such dark times of late. "S...w...swiftspirit took me in w-when I was all alone" she meowed "M-...mistysky too." she stuttered. She rubbed the top of Whisperkits head gently with her tail. Whisperkit had a bit of a distant gaze as per usual but Batsong knew they could still hear her and follow the conversation "If any of t--those t..things bother you, you t-ttell me" she meowed quietly.

"g..g--..get some r...rest" she encouraged. She knew Whisperkit tired easily and the missing of Rosepaw and the recent return of the literal undead was a heavy topic sure to tire them... it tired Batsong for sure. She lay nearby Whisperkit keeping her tail wrapped around them as if trying to shield them from the nightmares that stalked outside the nursery in the evil forms that they now were.