That was a mistake

Adderdawn

When he did not hunt, did not patrol, did not spar or find anything else necessitating his attention, Adderdawn sat watchfully on the rocks. It was all he could think to do, to sit and watch over WindClan. As of late, he'd started finding himself utterly immobilized when he was not given a set task. He had no interest in wandering the craggy slopes (twolegs and sharp-tongued rogues were abound, anyway), nor in a midday nap, nor sharing tongues and eating. He needed to keep his paws busy, somehow, but... without directive, he did not know what to do with them. The muscles in Adderdawn's shoulders twitched, growing stiff and sore from spending so long in this position.

There was some benefit to it, though. From his perch, he could spy most cats that wandered up to Highstones long before they reached what makeshift camp WindClan had established. Small ears turned forward at the sight of a figure approaching, and he was about to call a warning when he realized it was only Batsong. Or– was it only Batsong? Adderdawn leaned forward slightly, squinting. Something... no, someone was draped heavily across her back. As the medicine cat drew closer, the tang of blood caught on the air, and Adderdawn's nose wrinkled at the scent. As hurriedly as he could unwind taught muscles, he got to his paws and hurried off the rocks to greet her.

She had made it to the rest of the Clan just moments before he did, lowering her passenger gently from her shoulders and unto the earth. Two warriors shuffled away from her, and Batsong went stumbling away towards what space had become serviceable as a den. On her way, she passed by Flutterpetal, beckoning him with her. Adderdawn's ears lowered, and he registered just how sharp the blood-scent had become, acrid on his tongue. His stomach was starting to turn, that familiar dread and anger settling in his gut. Without looking at the body that had been delivered, he knew the cat was dead. He had seen this display several times; it never changed, just the faces in the middle of it did. With bristling tail and vision starting to blur, he took a step closer to the body and tipped his head down to see who had joined Silverpelt this time.

Immediately, his breath hitched in his throat. Standing right beside her, he felt a wave of sickening guilt that he had not recognized the body immediately. Under all the blood, he hadn't been able to make out the soft calico fur. Daisybreeze, her body marked with countless wounds and thickly matted from whatever fight she had gotten into. As still as any other corpse. Adderdawn could feel his heart pounding hard against his ribs, heat and pressure behind his eyes, legs starting to shake. His own words started ringing violently, incessantly in his head. Know I will spend the rest of my breath cursing you to the Dark Forest. Know I will spend the rest of my breath cursing you to the Dark Forest. Know–

Shuddering, Adderdawn stooped. With his nose just a breath away from her shoulder, he could smell the fox clinging to her fur, and see more clearly the gruesome tear in her neck. He couldn't help it; he laughed. A joyless, wounded noise, but he laughed. Was that their family's birth rite, to be slain by foxes? Would it be Coyotegrin's turn soon?

The laughing turned into heavy sighing, and then one rage-filled sob as he touched his nose properly to her shoulder. It was so senseless, all of it– all of it. How many WindClan cats were meant to die these horrible, early deaths? How much were they going to suffer? And stars, even though he'd announced for the whole Clan to hear he could not stand to be Daisybreeze's friend, his heart felt tight. He had never got the chance to apologize (not that he had been ready to), and now he never would. Stepping away, the tom closed his eyes against the sight of her. If he looked any longer, the horror combined with his exhaustion and rage might force up what little bile was left in his stomach. "You're a foxheart for dying now," he whispered, wincing as he said it. Was it wrong to insult the dead, even teasingly? "I'll see you in StarClan, one day."

When he opened his eyes again, Adderdawn's attention immediately went towards Batsong and Flutterpetal– what he could see of them, at least. Oh, Flutter. WindClan as a whole did not deserve this suffering, but his brother especially... he was the best among them, but the stars were determined to break that spirit. Perhaps that was their birth rite: Coyotegrin's family would get swallowed by foxes, and he and Flutter would lose anyone they cared for except each other. On wobbling paws, Adderdawn stepped past Daisybreeze, moving past other cats that had come to mourn to linger a few fox-lengths away from Batsong and his brother. Subconsciously, he'd seated himself between Flutter's line of sight to Daisybreeze as he sat down, head bowing while he waited for their more private conversation to end.