Starry Night [OPEN]

A few days had passed, just long enough for Brackenwing's wounds to be half-healed and not long enough for her to forget the stench of blood in the air. Not long enough for her to get used to the sight of stars high above while she sat near the edge of camp gazing up at them as the sun vanished from view.

She'd never known the night could be so bright.

Sagepaw had done that. Her and Specklepaw and Mistysky. Swiftspirit was gone, her ghost seemingly no longer haunting camp. She and Brackenwing's sister were up there, or so her clanmates said. She'd seen the starry warrior that had fought alongside Windclan to help drive out the dark forest... But part of her remained skeptical and doubtful. As if the stars would simply disappear again and the dark specters would return.

Brackenwing found herself jumping slightly at the movement of a shadow in the corner of her vision. The dark forest was gone, seemingly, but she had yet to shake the wariness she felt in her own camp. She was relieved to turn and find only one of her clanmates however, giving them a small nod and apologetic half-smile, ducking her head in slight embarrassment.

Coyotegrin stood before Brackenwing, and dipped her head. It was hopefully taken as a request to sit beside her, but either way she sat down besides the other she-cat. Glancing up at the sky, she sighed for a small second. Goldenstar has yet to return, and the anxiety knawed at her stomach. The lost clanmates hit hard, but thankfully, they weren't her closest friends. She had no idea what she would have done if Hawkheart, Fallowpaw, Shrikestorm, or Whisperpaw had died. A small smudge of blood remained on Coyotegrin's nose- it was Whisperpaw and she had just returned from visiting them. "It's finally over." She said softly, still looking up at the sky.

Coyotegrin sat, and Brackenwing was somewhat grateful for the company, to just not be alone with her own thoughts. "For good, I hope." Brackenwing nodded, dark-tipped tail flicking absently against the ground. Her gaze returned to the stars above, a sigh escaping her. "I just wish our clanmates didn't have to sacrifice themselves in order to get rid of them." Sagepaw and Specklepaw would never earn their warrior names, Mistysky would never be among the stars. Goldenstar hadn't resurrected yet, which had to hurt what family she had left just as much as it had to be straining Windclan's deputy and medicine cat. "I don't know... The victory feels a bit pyrrhic, doesn't it?"

Coyotegrin nodded solemnly. The sacrifices was hard to swallow. Such young cats, too. When Coyotegrin thought of Goldenstar with the mention of her clanmates who would not be returning to a Dark Forest-free life, she tensed up. Goldenstar still hasn't risen. Her body was still laying in the leader's den, untouched and undisturbed. What did that mean? Maybe StarClan wasn't strong enough yet. Time would tell, but the loss and worry made her heart ache. "I was hoping that with the returning of the stars, Goldenstar would return as well. Maybe she lost more lives than we knew, before her most recent passing. Maybe that was her ninth life. Maybe she really is dead." If this was the case... Her family was gone.

Brackenwing nodded as Coyotegrin spoke, sympathy shining in her green eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't know... Maybe she just needs more time? If her body were truly dead it would have shown a while ago, right?" She hadn't known Goldenstar at all, too young to really remember her, but she understood the pain of losing family all the same. She hoped the leader would in fact resurrect, but she was unsure how much power Starclan really held after dealing with the dark forest. The dead were clearly powerful, but wouldn't Goldenstar have resurrected by now? All she could do was try to offer some comfort in her own way. In a way, she was almost grateful that there was no uncertainty with her own family members, no hope of seeing them alive and well to cling to only to have it dashed were something to happen.

The sympathy from Brackenwing was comforting and she took a moment to relax her shoulders and her jaw. With the other warrior's words, she wasn't sure on how to reply. She didn't know the answer, she couldn't even speculating. Clearing her throat, she wanted to change the topic. "How are you holding up with all of this? It's a lot for any cat." Admittedly, she knew very little of Brackenwing, but maybe she should change that. She was incredibly sweet, and Coyotegrin noticed she took a liking to her clanmate. She really could use more friends.

Ooc; mobike

"It's a lot," Brackenwing agreed quietly. "I'm glad Raisha and those other foxhearts are gone for good. They can go back to wherever they came from and rot there." She didn't think anyone could possibly disagree with that. But while it was good they were finally gone, grief still weighed on her, too. She missed Swiftspirit. She missed Sagepaw. It hurt, not having them around. And the sudden quiet in camp, the sudden peace... It felt strange. She'd been born when the dark forest already had their claws in Windclan's camp, she knew nothing else. "I keep thinking I'll wake up and things will be back to the way they were." She admitted. She didn't want to acknowledge that thought in the back of her mind, but maybe doing so would make it go away.