Feather on the Wind [O]

Batsong approached slowly. Looking at the mourning warrior that she cared so much about broke her heart.  Losing another of her clanmates she felt helpless and terrible, it was her job to keep the clan safe and she felt she was failing them.  Already, Golden and Hawk had been taken too early and now new of Mallardduck being another recent casualty that she could not prevent was devastating to hear. She had tried so hard to be against the tunnels being reopened, and had thought that something like this might happen... but they were.  This was all her fault for not putting her paw down sooner.  She should have never allowed Shrikestar to let those retched death traps be reopened in the first place.  She sat there stunned grieving for the newly appointed warrior who was taken from them all too soon.  Batsong thought back to when she was an apprentice and Daisypaw
(The original daisypaw played by sprout) had died from a tunnel collapse as well.  Daisypaw was Coytegrins sister.  Batsong could not help but be angry about this... Coyotegrin should have listened to her that this was a bad idea! She should have known of all cats how dangerous the tunnels were... Right?



Daisybreeze couldn't belive that this was happening to her again, first her brother, then her father... now a friend she had trained with since apprenticeship.  Everyone she cared about went away in the end it felt like.  The most frustrating thing to her? The fact that she couldn't rip a tunnels pelt apart like she could a foxes.  She couldn't sink her fangs into a collapsed tunnel and rake her claws to shred it to pieces in revenge like she had been training to do against what stole her father and brother.  There was nothing that she could do to bring justice for her friend who now lay dead for them to grieve over.  There was nothing to blame for this...


Batsong sat next to Whisperear trying to comfort them but she couldnt think of anything to make the hurt of losing an apprentice any less sevear, she knew from losing Rosepaw the pain it held but even still there was nothing she could really do but to let them know she was still here for them, she always would be. "Im sorry Whisperear, I should have known this might happen" she sighed.


Daisybreeze's ears flicked as she glared at the black molly, "Known and did nothing!" she spat angerly. "Its always reactionary with you isnt it Batsong!" she spat the name as she spoke as if it was dirty on her tongue.

"Always an I should have and never a time you were actually prepared to help anyone in need of it! the warrior stalked over to her getting into her face.  "All your time gathering this little dainty plant and that and when have you ever done your job of protecting anyone!?" she challenged hair along her back raised.

"Stars must have been crazy picking you as our medicine cat, perhaps they just want us all to die! ... That is, if they even exist and you havent just made them all up.  You probably would do something like that, make believe friends in your dark little cave talking to you in riddles! You do that because you have no real friends".  Hissing Daisybreeze spun and stomped away out of camp.  She couldnt stand being around others right now and especially not batsong.  Claws raking into the earth was the closest revenge she could have on the tunnels... it wasn't nearly enough but it would do for now.

Another day, and it seemed as though there was another cat meeting their end doing things they had no business doing. Brackenwing's claws flexed, digging into the ground as a sigh escaped her. She was tired of losing clanmates, tired of the senseless stupidity that drove cats to explore the tunnels when they knew perfectly well the tunnels were not fit to be explored.

"I'm sorry," She mewed quietly to Whisperear. She hadn't been the first to approach, sitting next to the medicine cat with her tail twitching back and forth over her paws. "It wasn't your fault, Batsong. How were you to know?" Brackenwing had never thought much of Starclan personally, to her it seemed whatever power they held was limited at best, or simply tuned to such specific purpose that no medicine cat would receive news about something so... Minor, in the grand scheme of things. This hadn't been a murder, it hadn't involved the other clans, and there had, as far as Brackenwing was aware, been no breaking of the code. Just one cat and their curiosity, or naivete, or stupidity. In the end, the reasoning didn't matter. Mallardduck was gone.

She was lost for what to really say, but it seemed Daisybreeze had ideas of her own. Ideas that Brackenwing couldn't agree with. Rude, impulsive kit. Couldn't she see that her vitriol was needless? "Enough, Daisybreeze." Brackenwing snapped, tone sharp. "Batsong can't protect cats from themselves. None of us can. Take your vitriol elsewhere."

Blazefang crept up to Whisperear, ignoring the squabbling she-cats. News of Mallardduck’s death had hit the whole clan hard, but of course their mentor had it worst. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to lose Silverpaw or Hickorypaw, both of whom she loved like they were her little sisters. “Hey,” she whispered. “I’m here if you need me.” After all, Whisperear had been there for her when she was grieving Mapleleaf. This was the least she could do to repay them.

The news had fallen on camp, just like the collapsing tunnel had allegedly fallen on Mallardduck. The other apprentice of Whisperear... a cat Flutterpetal had been hoping to be friends with for moons to come. With so much life ahead of them. Just a moon ago, they had sparred together in front of the Clan. He'd bumped into their flank, pinned them down, felt their heart beating fast with adrenaline through their pelt. Now their heart wouldn't beat again. Why? How-- how did this keep happening? First Goldenpaw, and now.... Now....

All these thoughts and more had gone careening through Flutterpetal's head when he first heard the news. However, his own fears about mortality and his deep shock had all paled in the face of his concern. What about Whisperpear? Last time, when Goldenpaw had died, Adderpaw had been devastated. Coyotegrin and Daisybreeze too. Now that Whisperear's apprentice had passed away, so shortly after their warrior ceremony, wouldn't his friend be feeling bad? They had probably been one of the closest cats to Mallardduck, that he could think of. His worry for Whisperear consumed him, and shortly, he found himself racing around camp to find them.

When he approached, it suddenly became apparent he wasn't the only one who had thought to console Whisperear. Batsong and Blazefang were on either side of the tall cat, offering quiet words of comfort. Flutterpetal arrived at the tail end of Daisybreeze's screeching fit, after which she ran off in a huff, and Brackenwing hissed a condemnation after her. Tempers were high... this death was not easy for anyone to bear. But why was his friend Daisybreeze being so selfish? How could this be Batsong's fault? She had nothing to do with the tunnels. Flutterpetal found himself secretly wishing that the tunnels hadn't been opened up... but, no matter. He wouldn't yell at anyone about it. He'd never yelled in his life. Instead, he walked up to the crowd of mourning cats. A soft brush of the tail to Brackenwing's flank communicated that he appreciated her words. "Don't worry, Batsong," he agreed quietly. "You do many good things for the Clan. No herb could have saved Mallardduck. No cat could have saved them, either. It was simply an accident." With that, Flutterpetal's gaze returned to his mentor... his friend. It pained him to see the blank, distant look on Whisperear's lanky features. What words could he say? Just like the time with Adderpaw... the young warrior felt himself unable to speak. Instead, he simply put his small black paw on the other cat's wide, pale one, and offered a gentle nod. Something in his chest felt tight at the gesture. His heart... it hurt.