private EVER JUST THE SAME \ quillstrike


Everything had been fine when he'd drifted off to sleep. His breaths had synced with Quillstrike's and he was convinced it had helped soothe him to slumber, without thoughts of what was outside waiting to get him barring him from falling into dreams. Those horrors, though- they'd waited for him in his nightmares. Gnashing jaws, flashing claws- the rogues were back, mangy and ready for revenge. Their ranks were bolstered. They had no mercy, this time. One, ghoulish and ragged, looked at Twitchbolt with scars torn across their eyes- screaming you, you!

Death danced around him. Faces he knew and loved grew still and soulless- Doompaw, Butterflytuft, Quillstrike. The last ripped a scream from his soul that was so distraught he was convinced it had torn his lungs out, and then- and then...

And then he was awake. The fear of death, the sight of everything he loved being taken away- with an iron grip it constricted him, squeezing his lungs until he couldn't take in any more air, couldn't- couldn't do anything. The warm pelt at his side was forgotten- he needed, needed to get out of here. Needed to be awake and alert so nothing bad would happen, so- so he could calm down or something, remind himself that it wasn't real, it wasn't real.

Of course his brain would taunt him. Wouldn't leave him with a moment's peace. The second he had something good, he was haunted with visions of it being taken away. Twitchbolt broke into the cold air of late night- everyone, everyone was asleep. At night, this late- someone could sneak in so easily. For not a moment were they ever safe. Danger laid dormant in every minute, and he, and he...

Wide eyes struck upward to look at the sky. Tears, panicked and prickling, arrowed down his face, slicking his fur, and hyperventilations set his lungs ablaze. He couldn't think straight, couldn't- couldn't calm down at all. And he was stupid and pathetic, wasn't he? That this- it's not real, he heard his mother's voice- this could ruin him so much.

\ @QUILLSTRIKE <3
penned by pin ✧