- Dec 28, 2023
- 172
- 27
- 28
Just like when the pair had left in secret, the night is quiet. A veil of darkness drapes itself over RiverClan's camp, nonchalant as it does, settling over tired eyes and limbs and hearts. It is a respite for most... and it would be for Eveningpaw too, if her heart wasn't so eager to jump out of its place. The inside of her rib cage might as well be fractured with the intensity her vital bounces with.
Everything would be okay, if Eveningpaw hadn't been so stupid.
The territory had never felt this endless, not even when she had left it as a clueless kitten without a single idea on how to orient herself — it keeps dragging on as she thunders through the undergrowth and the shallow rivers, not even bothering to find quick detouring paths. As far as she's concerned, doing so would be a waste of time; and every single second matters more than anything now. She cannot linger or slow down, not even when thorns and other sharp plants cut into her paws.
"Help! Someone..." Anyone, she wants to add, but breath has been stolen from her lungs as she explodes into the camp's clearing. She does not even pay any mind to whoever guards it... they would want her to explain, in detail, and then she would have to do it all over again to the rest of the Clan, because camp guards cannot leave their post.
Eveningpaw's entire body moves with the effort it takes to breathe. She has to regain some resemblance of control, she knows, because she needs to explain. Already, curious and alerted faces alike turn to her — if panic hadn't already settled in, she would be soothed by the knowledge that helpful pairs of paws are always just around the corner. "Puh...please... someone, come with me, get Moonbeam-" Tears tickle the side of her cheeks and trail down her whiskers and snot stains the whites of her muzzle; there is little hope for complete, concrete sentences. They just have to understand and follow her.
"It's- it's Magpiepaw, they're fighting off a fox, and I couldn't do anything, because I..." Because what? She had wanted to fight alongside them, to face that predator head-on... but instead, she had frozen in place, and had allowed him to usher her away into safety. She abandoned Magpiepaw. For all she knows, ze might be dead already.
No! Don't think that. Magpiepaw has to be alive.
The few moments of calm for her heart and nerves are over. Eveningpaw burns all over again, throat and head pulsing in sync with her fear. They have to leave now. "Please! Hurry!"
This thread is open to everyone!
Happens simultaneously with this thread, in which she will be returning with @Moonbeam & reinforcements.
Happens simultaneously with this thread, in which she will be returning with @Moonbeam & reinforcements.