Twinkle Twinkle Little ....[open]

Stormwatcher couldnt fall asleep. This hadn't ever been an issue for him before at all. When he was a younger warrior he was sleeping all the time. Now, this night he couldnt fall asleep at all which was deeply unsettling to him. He narrowed his eyes annoyed heaving himself to his paws and stalked out of the warriors den.

It was a clear night with no clouds at all overhead. The stars flickered overhead above him and he gazed upwards narrowed eyes staring at them.

He held up his paw covering part of his vision. "Let the dead stay dead" he whispered in a somber tone.

The stars, so far away they are and yet so much control they held over his clanmates lives. The little specks from above seemed to be manipulating his loved ones he still had left alive. He cared about his clan though he had troubles saying that aloud.

He would fight for any of his clanmates, even if they were full star believers he would. His issue was not with them, it was with the stars themselves, how they incisted to insert themselves in all his loved ones lives and when needed the most were not there for them.

That was no way to treat friends, to abandon them when needed most, to let the wolves descend on them quite literally while just sitting shimmering overhead. They were either much less powerful than they claimed which made them liars or they were more evil than they let on. Perhaps they were closer to the dark forest than they liked to think.

It sent chills down his spine as he fluffed out his pelt. He closed his eyes shut and wished the night sky would look just like this, dark and empty as night time was supposed to be. He wished to extinguish the stars, to let the dead truely rest and be free of the trickery and to let the alive cats of the forest no longer be used as puppets for some mystic reason. He was convinced now that gatherings were a trap at worst and just a show for the stars at best. The stars must think it funny that even as little specks how much we fear them.

He let out an annoyed growl staring at them. "well I don't fear you, and I will no longer let you hurt my clan"

Stormwatcher was not the only warrior who'd had no luck finding sleep. Sunfire was restless, too, even after a day full of patrols, and no matter how hard he tried to lay there with his eyes closed, hoping to fall asleep... it just wasn't happening. He'd resigned himself to just laying there awake the rest of the night, when he heard another warrior shuffling in their nest. His eyes flicked open, catching the tail end of Stormwatcher as the other warrior quit the den.

Sunfire watched him go, an itch growing in his paws to follow his old friend. They'd been close, before he left, yet Sunfire hadn't gone out of his way to spend any time with Stormwatcher since his return - though that held true for a great many members of SkyClan. It wasn't that he didn't want to reconnect... he just didn't know how.

Maybe this was his chance.

It only took another second of deliberation before the yellow tom was on his paws and following after Stormwatcher. He hadn't gone far, and Sunfire padded up behind him on silent paws, close enough to hear him speaking to himself but not to catch the exact words. He brushed his shoulder against Stormwatcher's and sat beside him, but words had never been his strong suit, and he eventually just grunted, "I can't sleep, either."

Mistyflash lay awake, restless tonight. What had happened to her perfect life, her perfect family? Were they among the stars now? That thought was a cold comfort. If they were among the stars, she’d never really know their love again, would she? With a million thoughts in her head and nothing better to do, she slipped out after the two older toms. She shuffled her paws a little. Was… this okay? Was this a private conversation? Stormwatcher was a family friend, so at least he’d be nice. She cleared her throat.

“Nice night,” she mewed, trying not to be sarcastic. “I mean, the weather’s good. Apparently the sleep sucks.”

Stormwatcher briefly felt like he was a single warrior challenging the army of stars that lay overhead. He felt like he was the only one that was beginning to see just how corrupt they were or at the very least, complacent to watch the clans suffer while demanding they carry out pointless traditions that lead to loved clanmates injuries and deaths

Moments later his close friend was right at his side and he jumped a bit having been so focused in his own little world. Oh, hey he breathed trying not to let on how out of focus he was.

It’s funny, I never used to have a problem falling asleep at all he agreed - he was mainly just glad that sun was home.

His ears flicked and glanced over to mistyflash and nodded a dip of his head of welcoming to her.

The shift he felt was palpable and felt like a surging triumph. He was not alone in this at all. If the state continued to choose to be fickle he wouldn’t have to be alone in this.

He was a much more refined warrior compared to his past. As much as it pained him to admit it, wolfstar and birdstar had gotten his tail into gear and he actually cared about his clanmates now something he previously thought impossible.

As such, he felt destined to defend his clan and clanmates from any foe, including one as tricky as convincing his clanmates that they had to target themselves once a moon in a big gathering.

He took a deep breath in through his nose and flicked his ears.

Indeed, sleep now feels elusive and like a luxury

He pretended to examine his front paws but was really debating if he wanted to share more of his inward thoughts… he knew Stoneheart felt the same way about the stars as he did. Would others be able to see that the stars were not necessarily friends of skyclan best interests?

Too much on my mind for sleep he started out

I can’t help but notice an unsettling pattern. It feels as if a curse is cast over us. he whispered quieter

I do not intend to allow for it to continue