pallid moonlight [closed]

His pelt still instinctively itched when walking through the open clearing of camp. The Dark Forest's grip on their clan, on his life, had been so consuming that it was simply a way of being. He missed the tunnels, wishing to dive deep into their mysterious depths with a companion at his side. Underneath the surface of the moonlands, there were no prying eyes or expectations. A consuming darkness was a comfort, limitless freedom for a wandering mind like his own.

Lavenderdrop let out a sigh of exasperation through the sides of his maw. It passed over the fur of the scrawny hare between his teeth. The night had just fallen and stars graced the sky above. He still had to blink to adjust to the sight, given how abnormal it was. And the moonlight... it seemed less daunting and frail now in comparison. Pausing briefly to glance up at the scenery above head, his whiskers twitched and his eyes widened. For as distant as they were, Starclan was now made to be so close. Windclan had always had the deepest connection to the ancestors. That had become a reality for the tom now. Despite focusing on his rescue of Whisperpaw, the tom had seen the firsthand the devotion the late cats held for their clan.

And he was sworn back to them.

Blinking finally, the warrior continued on towards the medicine cats den. When he laid eyes on the pelt of the apprentice, his eyes lit up, "Whisperpaw. Hey!" The hare dropped from his maw. Ears flushed in embarrassment but he quickly recovered it to bring the other cat prey like he'd intended. Of course, even as a warrior, he could still manage to make himself look like a fool. Flicking his feathery tail, he settled down at Whisperpaw's side so their pelts were comfortably touching. There came a soft and warm purr, pushing away the embarrassment as he pawed the prey over, "How are you healing? How are you feeling?"

Lavenderdrop had to strain to hear Whisperpaw, leaning in closer and perking his ears up to draw in the frail sound of his friend's voice. Even though their medicine cat had worked hard and the wound healed up, it seemed there was lasting damage to their voice. His eyes softened slightly and he butted his head into the wounded cat's cheek, "Does it hurt a lot? You don't have to talk much if it hurts. I don't mind." His feathery tail flickered over Whisperpaw's back, a comfortable familiarity. As he realized how close the pair of them were, the warrior's ears heated and he grew slightly flustered but didn't move away. It was odd to be so at ease around another but he could feel himself slowly opening up to those around him.

"The clan seems to be doing okay. It's... odd to not have creatures always looking over your shoulder. Sometimes it almost feels like they're still there." He shuddered, "I'll get used to it one of these days. Such a weird thing for there not to be instant relief when they're gone, right? Sorry I'm rambling... I'm fine. You should eat." Lavenderdrop's claws snagged the hare and pushed it closer to Whisperpaw, tipping his head slightly, encouraging them to take it. He'd never had such severe injuries and hardly knew what it took to recover from such a thing but he imagined it to be quite the exhausting endeavor.