camp I try to shine but its never gonna last | stargazing

[MALLOWPAW]

The only memory she had of her mother was being told a story about Windclan cats running across the night sky, she couldn't remember the entirety of the tale but the gist of the story always stuck with her; Windclan and its stars. As a kit she wanted to be cool and called the whole story rubbish, but when she first bore witness to a clear night sky she knew her mothers stories had to be true. They were close to the stars for a reason. And ever since then she dedicated to a night or two to watching the stars, hoping that maybe shed catch a glimpse of her mom running through the clouds, Tigerfrost too wherever he was. Tonight was no different.

Under the guise of a stretch, Mallowpaw slowly and quietly slips past her two snoring siblings, choosing her paw steps carefully as she goes to tip toe closer toward the camps center. She knew her mentor would never allow her onto the moors at this time of night, she could only imagine what kind of view she would have out there, but it seemed the natural divot of their camp made for an equally beautiful view. The inky blackness of the sky above them was peppered with small, twinkling balls of light, helped by the shine of the moon that sat at the center of it all. Some of the stars shined brighter than the others and some even made funny pictures in the sky if you squinted at it hard enough, her amber eyes trace one of the pictures in question; a dip like shape that she proudly declared to be a snake. If only snake paw was awake, he'd probably enjoy seeing his namesake written in the stars. Or probably not, he was always fickle like that.

Mallowpaw purses her lips together, the breath of her sigh ghosting the air with subtle vapor. New leaf might as well be over but the bite of its freezing nights refused to leave the land just yet, it was refreshing to be cold after laboring all day in the suns heat. Her eyes begin to trace the shape of a flower in the sky when the paw steps of something behind her rob her attention completely, she looks back at the noise with a frazzled expression. Fear interweaved throughout her stoic features over the mere thought of being punished.

"speech"​

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[PEONYBREEZE]

✿ — Peonypaw is not one for night terrors, thank StarClan. If he remembers any of his dreams, they mostly consist of the very moor he lives in or the mysterious skies above, courtesy of his pre-sleep musings about the stars. Sometimes it's vague fantasies about how the other Clans' homes look like, sometimes it's him crawling through the underground tunnels and ending up in various places, or sometimes it's about rabbits gaining flight and soaring through the clouds.

...That is to say, nothing too compelling.

Despite this, Peonypaw rarely slumbers for a longer period of time uninterrupted. He often finds himself sensitive to the tussing and turning of his Clanmates, resulting in him taking a careful look over the resting bodies and most notably his siblings.

That's exactly why his eyes soon open after Mallowpaw's departure, and Peonypaw forces himself to not panic and let said panic run wild with ideas over his sister's fate - instead he quickly catches whiff of her and climbs out of his nest to meet her, not looking too bothered that she is out of the camp's safe bounds. "What are you thinking about?" he asks her in lieu of a hello, ever curious about whatever is pressing on his siblings' minds.​

❝ I DON'T WANT TO RUN — JUST OVERWHELM ME ❞​

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[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 It is beautiful on the moors during the deepest hours of the night, and he has woken early at times merely to watch the sunrise catch in the dew balanced on the grasses. But it is fortunate that Mallowpaw has chosen to watch the sky from the center of camp, rather than venture outside its boundaries; Tigerfrost's death has, once more, raised concerns of security, and the shroud of night would be the perfect opportunity for nefarious creatures intending WindClan harm. To lose another apprentice after Dazzlepaw would be a blow too many.

He is awake when he notices the two apprentices, first Mallowpaw, and then her brother in her pawsteps. He watches them for a moment, and once he is confident they do not seem intent on leaving camp, he approaches the pair. He hadn't managed to overhear Peonypaw's question in its entirety, able to recognize only that he had spoken.

"Perhaps I can ask your mentor to escort you out onto the moors one evening, when we are more certain danger is not so near," he offers, his rasping voice a murmur. "The stars are not so different, but it is much quieter and the breeze carries nicely."
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[Badgermoon]

Sleep had not been coming easily to Badgermoon of late. The large bicolor tom had spent many star-speckled hours simply laying and thinking, intermittently hopeful and fearful of the future, his paws tingling with apprehension. Sometimes he slunk to stand near the nursery, listening attentively for any signs that Scorchstreak was disturbed; sometimes he simply sat at the entrance of camp and stared out into the night's depths. Tonight, he was curled in a tight ball, his dark tail obscuring his face: only the sudden rotation of his white-tipped ears indicated that he heard the soft rumble of Wolfsong's voice. An excuse to get up. he figured, rising and padding towards the trio of cats on soundless paws.

Better to talk with his Clanmates than lay in his nest and fail at sleeping. The stars seemed to be the topic of the moment, and Badgermoon gave a low hum of contemplative appreciation, tilting his head back to admire the view - familiar, perhaps, but always splendid. "We are blessed to see them so clearly." mewed the deputy in a low, almost awestruck tone. "Other Clans are almost hidden from StarClan's view...I cannot imagine being so far from them." it was one of the most compelling pieces of evidence in his mind for the fact that WindClan was StarClan's favorite Clan.​