the morning always follows the night [OPEN]

It had been far too long.

Dawnfeather’s fever dreams had been long and tiring, spiraling memories mix-matched into a mash of tears and pained yowls, the smell of lightning burning flesh from bone, the metallic scent of blood, the very earth shaking beneath her paws and the smell of death and decay. Even once the sickness had abated, the golden she-cat had been exhausted, confined to the den for moons.

Finally, though, her strength had returned, and although Dawnfeather was wary of patrolling quite yet, she was curled up in a patch of warm sunshine, head on her paws, soft smile on her maw. It had been so long since she’d been able to speak with those she loved: indeed, she didn’t even know the names of half the kits! So much had changed while she’d been ill, and understandably, keeping a delirious molly up to date on Clan happenings wasn’t exactly high priority, and the most recent news she had was that she’d missed her own apprentice’s ceremony. For all that she knew, Prima could’ve returned!

(She couldn’t have. She would have known.)

Dawnfeather purred softly. The moment reminded her of sitting with Olive and Smokema under the leaf-fall trees, speaking quietly amongst themselves and smiling. Oh, she missed them- but she’d see them soon enough, wouldn’t she? Someday- someday soon.

The golden she-cat was starting to doze off in the sun, clear blue eyes drifting shut.

Quickpaw had fallen asleep, and with a reluctant sigh the deputy exited the medicine den as quietly as she could. Her daughter had been sick for moons now, and the only thing she could do was sit with her, which felt akin to doing nothing at all to help. Quickpaw's illness, Falconmoon's increasing avoidance... The deputy frowned. That was one thing she might be able to help, if only she had the reassurance that she wouldn't make things worse in approaching him. Bloodstrike's words still weighed on her mind, and yet she was still paralyzed with indecision. She wanted desperately for the old tom to be wrong and did not like that his words made as much sense as they did. Wolfblossom shook her head. She could twist her mind in knots over it... But not in the middle of camp.

Plumleaf and Dawnfeather both seemed to be doing better, though neither she-cat had escaped her worry either. It felt as if sickness stalked among their family like a shadow, and though she didn't know Dawnfeather as well as she knew her own siblings, seeing the golden she-cat curled in a pool of sunlight brought a small smile to Wolfblossom's face.

She padded over and sat, careful to not obstruct the sunlight the older warrior was enjoying. "Hey Dawnfeather, feeling a bit better?" Wolfblossom asked, keeping her tone soft.

Movement in the corner of her eye caused Dawnfeather to jolt back to waking, turning to Wolfblossom with a welcoming purr. The white-grey deputy reminded her of her aunt in more than just physical resemblance- the way she always thought of others before herself. Dawnfeather sat up fully, stifling a yawn, and turned her sweet smile to her cousin. It was odd to think of Wolfblossom as a deputy- if anything, Dawnfeather thought of her as a friend and little cousin!. Still, surely, they were close in more than just Dawnfeather’s own thoughts.

“Thank you for asking, Wolfblossom,” Dawnfeather purred, gently headbutting her cousin’s shoulder. “Much better. What else have I missed, cooped up in the medicine den for simply ages? Not that I’m ungrateful, of course, but that really was a while, wasn’t it?”

She’d slept through Mistpaw’s ceremony (and really, she would’ve preferred to be woken for that, but she supposed their medicine cats knew better than she did) but surely there was more that she’d missed. Even more moons wasted, spent away from her life and loves- not wasted. StarClan, she was grumpy today, wasn’t she?

"I think Smokepetal has settled into her role as medicine cat well. And Foxtrot earned his warrior name too, you must be proud of them both." Dawnfeather had been down and out a while, but she was recovering. She'd have time and energy to spend with her family now, she hoped. "My kits have earned their names too, with Graywind being the most recent... It feels like I was just making them apprentices yesterday."

"Gatherings have been more dramatic than ever, honestly I'm starting to wish we could just skip them entirely. I suppose I'm just glad the drama doesn't involve Skyclan, as much as that Windclan medicine cat tried to involve everyone. Like the other clans should care about Nightstar and Mottlestar having kits. If we had a bird for every time cats from different clans had kits I don't think we'd ever go hungry again. And that medicine cat went on about so much that only involved her dislike for Nightstar. I don't like him either - he's rude and brash and most of his clanmates seem to share his lack of social grace, except his deputy. But great Starclan... I don't know what Windclan thinks disrupting a gathering is supposed to accomplish... Certainly not gaining good will from the rest of us. I won't have Skyclan involved unless we need to be." She scoffed, then paused and gave her head a shake as she realized she'd gone on a bit of a tangent. "I didn't mean to rant, sorry." She sighed, paws scuffing at the grass.

"I suppose I'm glad that it's not our clan causing problems. Not to say we don't have our own problems, but I think our warriors are capable enough to not cause scenes at gatherings." Wolfblossom sighed. "We've had so many recent warriors... Newleaf has been good to us."

Dawnfeather nodded at the mention of her kits, sweet smile gracing her face. They were both doing so well in SkyClan, even when she was sick- they’d have to have a proper catch-up as soon as they could find the time. Wolfblossom’s own kits… yes, time had the tendency to fly blazingly fast, especially over those moons one could now only savor and remember the taste of sweet memories.

“No need to apologize,” Dawnfeather purred. “It’s good to talk about things. WindClan has always had a penchant for speaking out… I think your grandmother told me once that one of their old medicine cats spoke out in the midst of a Gathering, causing quite the ruckus. Nightstar- ugh. I’m somewhat biased against him, I think? Which is rude, but he’s rude- oh dear.”

Dawnfeather shook her head, as if she could get the offending thoughts out of her fur. “New-leaf is often kind,” she agreed, tilting her head back to watch the breeze.

“It’s wise to try to stay out of quarrels,” the golden she-cat said softly. “Let StarClan’s will be done. You and Birdstar have led us well these past moons- I have not been out much, of course, but the fresh-kill pile is never empty and disturbances few. Oh, isn’t new-leaf wonderful? Look at how green the leaves are! And the sky’s so blue!””

Dawnfeather flopped onto her back, staring up at the sky with a rather dopey grin. She’d been cooped up for far too long, hadn’t she? No true SkyClan cat could go long without seeing the sky and the trees and feeling the breeze on her fur, and even when she’d been missing she’d at least been outside, under the sun and the moon and the twinkling shades of her ancestors.

"Their elders attacked Beechfang while she was helping deliver Briarthorn's kits... That was my first gathering, actually. I think the resulting hailstorm - in late newleaf! - even took out one of their own warriors. Seems like they have a history of being undisciplined." Wolfblossom shook her head. She was glad that her own clanmates showed more sense. A soft laugh escaped her at Dawnfeather's words on Nightstar. "I think his medicine cat is worse, actually. But he did well in picking Leopardsun as his deputy, she's reasonable and seems to have a good head on her shoulders. I wish she didn't have to deal with whatever mess Windclan just caused, Thunderclan too but... I'm glad it's not us."

"Leafbare was harsh, but I think the clan has recovered well." Wolfblossom smiled as the warrior rolled onto her back. "And I'm glad you're well enough to be out of the den, being cooped up while it's so nice out should be against the code, if you ask me." She joked.

Dawnfeather’s eyes widened at her cousin’s words. “Their elders? That- hmm. I haven’t even met ShadowClan’s medicine cat, I don’t think- I doubt it’s Rookfire anymore. Yes… whatever quarrels the other Clans get into, may StarClan light their paths, it’s best if we stay well out of it. It’s so easy to get dragged into another Clan’s war…”

The golden she-cat grinned brightly, tail-tip twitching happily. “I’d be all for that! It’s so clear out, bright and pretty, and the breeze is gentle. If you look up, it’s like falling into the sky, so impressively blue. Oh- Wolfblossom, I haven’t been able to go by the nursery in so long, I haven’t seen the kits in moons- what are their names now, and our new warriors? I’ve missed a lot, again, haven’t I? What- catch me up on our news, will you? I feel like I hardly know half the Clan, nowadays- Ravenaunt is the only one left from my kithood, now.”

With a slight clearing of his throat, Firepool gingerly stepped up to the two warriors. Wolfblossom he knew, of course, but Dawnfeather was a bit more... unknown to him. He had been hunting with her once when he was still a very young apprentice, but she wondered if he was even completely recognizable. He had grown into quite the tall warrior since they had last really conversed. "I- I heard that you wanted to know some new warriors? I'm- uh, one of them, since you haven't been able to come out in some time." Gritting his teeth together, the anxious tom went closer, sitting near the pair. He had to face his fears head-on, and Dawnfeather was a member of his clan. Surely she was easier to speak to than some random cat in the gathering... progress was slow!

"I'm- well, Firepool now. I guess you've probably seen Smokeste-" He paused, finding his words for a moment. "Smokepetal, but there're others like Crookedlight, Falconmoon, Foxtrot, a whole bunch." Clearing his throat again, his eyes darted to Wolfblossom. "S-sorry if I interrupted your conversation, I just haven't seen Dawnfeather out in a while."

"Yeah, that gathering was something else." Wolfblossom chuckled at Dawnfeather's surprise. It had truly been absurd to see three creaky elders try and attack Beechfang, but Starclan had seen fit to punish them accordingly. They had been old, but they clearly weren't immune to the enforced peace on the night of the full moon. "Burdockroot, I think the new one's name is. Though Rookfire is still around, I believe." Unlike his successor, Rookfire had waited at the border rather than traipse into Skyclan territory and scare off prey. It had been appreciated, though the news he and Leopardsun brought was still bone-chilling, even if the situation had been dealt with as best they could hope for.

"Hi, Firepool!" Wolfblossom greeted the younger warrior cheerfully. "Oh, don't worry about it, it's fine." She added. Firepool was quick to apologize for interrupting, but Wolfblossom was always glad to see her clanmates joining in on conversations. Particularly the more introverted ones.

"Lionstripe and Juniperheart, too." She nodded at his words, "And there's been a few new apprentices; Celandinepaw, Emberpaw and Fogpaw. The nursery is smaller than it's been in a while, but at this rate I think we might need to extend the warrior's den." The kits had grown quickly, and many of them seemed to leave the apprentice's den just as quickly as they entered it.

A young ginger tom approached the two warriors, introducing himself, and Dawnfeather smiled brightly at his words, sitting up and shaking the dirt off her pelt. It was alright to play around with someone she already knew, but someone new? It was always a good idea to show she was listening by making eye contact and smiling. “Firepool,” she echoed, cut ear flicking. “Depths of flames- ooooh, that is a very very cool name!!! Like Wolfblossom- opposites that somehow work together, and very prettily too.”

Dawnfeather’s eyes lit up at the mention of her daughter. Another wonderful name, that one, and an equally wonderful cat. “Crookedlight- oooh. Falconmoon? Oooooh… Foxtrot? I can’t speak to the others, but I think his name fits him. Lionstripe- Wolfblossom,” she asked candidly, turning to the deputy, “Do lions have stripes? Or was that the, um, tigers? Or the leopards? I can never remember.”

“It’s wonderful to see you, Firepool,” Dawnfeather continued brightly. “Goodness, they do shoot up, don’t they Wolfblossom? We’re going to have to balance a rock on your head at this rate!”

She didn’t quite remember this tom, apart from a hazy familiarity, but she was quite certain that he absolutely could not have been this tall last time they spoke. SkyClan was known for their height, after all, and none of the three cats were an exception- although, admittedly, while quite the height of the others, Dawnfeather lacked much of their stocky bulk that let Beechaunt and Bloodstrike be such absolute terrors in battle.

Firepool couldn't help but snort, trying to hold back laughter. "I would... like to see that. The balancing a rock on your head. It would be-" Silly, completely unprofessional for a deputy, kittish? "-entertaining. Maybe Skyclan needs a new trial to become a warrior." He laughed lightly, a little embarrassed about cracking jokes. He wasn't sure why he was embarrassed, but he was nonetheless. "I jumped in and never, uh, quite asked how you were doing Dawnfeather. I mean obviously better! But how are you feeling after being cooped up so long?"

Shuffling his paws slightly, Firepool made an effort to make eye contact with Dawnfeather, who had so graciously sat up when he approached. He wasn't about to be rude just because he was socially awkward!

((OOC: I'm laughing, I missed you Dawnfeather <3))

"I-" Wolfblossom blinked at the question, "...Tigers. I think. Don't tell Birdstar, I think she was proud of that one." Her lips twitched, threatening laughter. At Dawnfeather's next words, she did laugh, and Firepool's response had her grinning. "Maybe we do. Maybe I should... Bet you I could too. Oh! Maybe we ought to turn it into a competition?" She smirked at the two warriors.

Wolfblossom stretched her paws out in front of her, an ear flicking at Firepool's question. Not hers to answer, but she was glad to see the warrior getting to know his clanmates.

Tigers. Right. She knew that.

Dawnfeather’s eyes lit up at Firepool’s suggestion. “Oh! Ohhh, can we, Wolfblossom, please?” She pleaded, like a kit asking its mother if it could go outside and play. “It would be so fun, and no-one would expect it! I know where to find ro- well, we’ve some right in camp, haven’t we? Could- could we?”

Her bright blue eyes glanced sideways at a large pebble near the three cats. ”Really, Wolfblossom, wouldn’t it help with balance, and things? I think Hawkuncle told me that once! It makes you better at balancing on tree branches? I think I would dominate a rock-balancing competition- although I’m sure you two would be great at it, too!”

Dawnfeather was seriously considering trying it out herself (she wouldn’t make SkyClan’s newest warriors do something she wasn’t willing to do herself, anyways) when Firepool asked how she was doing, and that was the sort of question it was only polite to answer! ”A little restless, but it’s better than the time I got kitnapped by Twolegs! Both times, really. Ready to go tree-flying, as soon my paws are a bit steadier.”

Dawnfeather glanced at the pebbles again, almost comically slowly, trying to draw the other two’s attention over to the rocks some kit had probably piled up yesterday and completely forgotten about. Even if it was a joke, she honestly thought this could be great fun, and maybe even beneficial! To balance, and things. Wasn’t it Hawkuncle who’d told her that?

"I'll go get some rocks! We'll see who is best at balancing!" Smiling, Firepool bounded a short distance away, eyes to the ground in search of small, flat rocks. Those were certainly not in short supply, with rocks being plentiful in Skyclan's territory. After collecting a few, he trotted back, bringing one rock after another. He set them down gently in front of the two warriors, allowing them to choose which they would balance.

"Should we go one at a time, or at the same time? It might be hard to get the rocks on all our heads at once though..." Firepool's words drifted off as he became lost in thought, seriously considering the logistics of such a ridiculous undertaking.

"Balance is important, isn't it?" Wolfblossom couldn't suppress her grin as she eyed the rock that Dawnfeather's gaze had turned to. An ear remained focused on Dawnfeather as she continued however, and Wolfblossom nodded. "I can't imagine being trapped by one of those. I'm glad you're not anymore, and I'm sure you'll be back on your paws in no time." She had no plans of rushing Dawnfeather back into her duties however. To do so too soon would only be detrimental, she knew.

Before she could say anything further, Firepool had trotted off to collect several of the rocks that were so abundant in Skyclan territory. "Let's try this, then. Since you brought it up, it's only fair you do as well, Dawnfeather." Wolfblossom smirked at the golden warrior. "And you, for egging her on." There was no admonishment in her voice, however. She was sure this would look absolutely ridiculous to anyone watching, but Wolfblossom... Didn't care in the slightest.