private NO ONE IS ALONE // skyclaw

[Scarletpaw]

// @skyclaw

Scarletkit sits alone at the edge of the camp, her fur fluffed against the chill of the greenleaf evening. The weight of her mother's absence feels like a stone in her chest, each breath a painful reminder of the loss. Her mother had been strict, and colder than the other queens in the nursery, but she was still her mother…she still loved her. The sun dips low, casting shadows that dance around her, a stark contrast to the light that had once filled her eyes.

Pawsteps sound nearby, and she can tell by the glimpse of tabby and black fur next to her that it’s her uncle. She sniffs, tears gathering in her eyes. "Why did she have to go?" The tortoiseshell whispers, voice trembling. Memories flood her mind - her mother's purrs, the way she'd groomed her fur after a long day, the praise she’d give after a hunting crouch well-performed. The world around her feels dull and heavy, the vibrant colors of the towering trees muted in her grief.

At least Skyclaw’s presence is steady and reassuring. She presses against him, the warmth of his fur offering a slight comfort. After a long moment she finally glances up from the ground and settles her teary gaze on him. "I just…I don't understand. Why did StarClan take her from us?"​

 

[skyclaw]

Skyclaw does not handle grief well. He had been there when Moonwhisper passed - and though it was quick, it was messy and his memory is so desperately foggy that he cannot discern if he properly dispatched her murderer or not. The tom has never had issue with harming another and yet in the light of his sister's death, he fears more that he did not honor her by letting her attacker get away. He worries that his work as a ThunderClan warrior will all be for naught, should he continue to let her image be muddied by little mistakes.

Her kittens - they are not little mistakes. He would almost doubt that his sister would call them blessings, either, but they're each proud, outspoken, and needlessly brazen in their own ways. Meadowkit significantly more than her sisters, no doubt, but nonetheless. They are spitting images of their deceased mother, and he fears that without proper guidance... they will diverge from paths created for them.

He approaches Scarletkit with no real ill intent. An uncle hoping to make up for his shortcomings, he sits beside her as she asks her first question. Children are an anomaly to Skyclaw, and so he resists in replying right away. She shifts her weight to lean against him and after a beat, he loosely holds her tail around her. Comfort - she needs comfort. He can do that. She mentions StarClan and the tom sets his jaw, focusing on the dirt beneath his paws.

"StarClan... Sometimes, they have different journeys for different cats," his faith may waver, but he will not steal a child's flourishing one from them. Amber eyes float away from the child, "It's sad that Moonwhisper was taken the way she was, but... do not worry, Scarletkit, for she's still there. She can still watch you from the stars -" a fact that makes him tremble. Little Wolf is watching him, isn't she? Does she approve of what he wants, what he's willing to do? "You would do well to behave then, yeah? You're to be an apprentice in under a moon now. Moonwhisper would want nothing more than to see you thrive and persevere..." a deliberate pause, and he lets the tip of his tail twitch.

"She wouldn't be to too happy to see you fitting in to the wrong crowd, however," Skyclaw says, and he stops there - waiting for Scarletkit to bid in.​

 

[Scarletpaw]

Scarletkit sits quietly, ears perked as she listens to Skyclaw's words. The grief hanging in the air between them is palpable, the weight crushing her nearly unbearable. She fidgets with her paws, still looking up at him. "I just don’t understand,” She whimpers, her voice small. She feels his tail wrap around her and it does well to comfort her, even if she can sense his uncertainty. "Do you think…do you think Moonwhisper is proud of me?" She wants to believe that. More than anything, all she’s ever wanted to do is make her mother proud.

Skyclaw talks about behaving and fitting in, and she nods slowly. "I promise I'll be a good apprentice.” There is a spark of determination growing within her, an intense need to honor her mother’s memory. But something her uncle says confuses her. A grow quirks and her ears fall back as she glances back up at Skyclaw. “What do you mean…wrong crowd?” Against her will, her heart begins to thud against her chest. Is she doing something wrong? She spends time with her sisters and her cousins. She spends time with Hopekit and Coalkit and Fadingpaw. She spends most of her time with Ivorykit, who’s become her best friend. Are they the right crowd?
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