PALACE IN THE SKY - ghostpaw's vigil

[Starlingheart]

How is she expected to prepare the body of one she had loved so much? For a long time she had stared at that pale colored pelt, tears filling her eyes. She had pressed her face to the familiar shoulder and wept into his fur then when she had spent all the tears she could afford she had pulled away, groomed his fur in gentle rasps, cleaning the muck and the dirt from it one last time. There are no herbs to mask the scent of death in ShadowClan, but she does what she can by weaving small flowers into his fur. Its an arduous task, but it is a labor of love. And also a way to keep her mind busy by putting her paws to work. When she is done he looks ephemeral. He looks peaceful, as if he had merely fallen asleep after a day of letting her decorate his pelt. If not for the lack of a gentle rise and fall of his chest, she could almost pretend.

It is worse to see Ghostpaw's body in the clearing, sunlight giving it a soft glow and only serving to remind her that he was with the stars now. She once again lowers her nose, but this time it is to gently touch his forehead. "Goodbye my friend" she says quietly, her voice raw from her grief but she does not cry now. She had nothing left to give. Shakily she stands, backs away and looks over the rest of the clan, her gaze sweeping over them briefly before returning to rest again on Ghostpaw's all too still form. "Today we say goodbye to- to a friend, to- to a clanmate, Ghostpaw re-rests among the stars now and I know- I know in my heart that he is- he's watching over all of us" it has to be true. She turns her gaze to the sky for a moment, though the stars are not yet out. After a few seconds have passed she turns her watery green eyes back on the rest of her clanmates. "I-if anyone wants to say their goodbyes please- please do be-before sundown" before they had to take him to be buried in the earth forever, in the same dirt her brother was now resting in.

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[GRANITEPELT]

Granitepelt enters the camp in silence, a marsh rat dangling from his jaws. He eyes Ghostpaw's body in the clearing, shaded in orange from the rays of the dying sun, then lifts his gaze to Starlingheart. Her head is bowed, her sorrow palpable even from this distance. She's done her best to mask the stench of death and bloat, but Granitepelt can hardly keep from wrinkling his nose upon his approach. He drops his rat into the freshkill pile and goes to her, brushing his gray flank against her ebony.

"I'm sorry," he says, and for a moment, he is. He is not sorry Ghostpaw is not here anymore -- that couldn't be helped. But for all of a fraction of a heartbeat, Granitepelt is sorry he has caused Starlingheart so much pain. He searches her tender green eyes for some recognition, but there is none. "I never thought something like this could happen in our territory." He flicks his gaze back to Ghostpaw's body, layered with floral scraps.

He supposes he should pay his respects, as the medicine cat tells the Clan. Granitepelt pads forward, entirely expressionless as he presses his nose into cold, stiff white fur. "I hope you found all you wanted in StarClan," he murmurs. Shadowed forest-dark eyes flash with meaning that none but he could know. "Good hunting." He lifts his face and backs away, staring at the body of the cat who had been his denmate since birth before turning his back and padding away.

"When you're done, I'll bring you something to eat," he says gently to Starlingheart. "You must be exhausted."​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[Magpiepaw]

Pure white, as pristine as the very stars they looked up to and sought guidance from; there was no notion in his mind that Ghostpaw went anywhere but StarClan but all the same he toddled forward to place another of his stick effigies alongside the pale body. Similar to the one he made Pitchstar, but far less elaborate as the solid ivory cat did not need much help to be drawn to the stars and guarded when he was already as bright as them; it had been their past leader's dark fur that worried him the most, that StarClan might not see him and welcome him upward in time to be spared the pecking of the carrion birds.
Magpiepaw stepped back carefully once he had set down his amalgamation of twigs and feathers and his blue-violet gaze wandered over to Starlingheart being comforted by the steelgray form of the newly named warrior.
Granitepelt leaves as quickly as he arrives, his words plainly solemn and his concern for the medicine cat apparent to even a cat as naive as Magpiepaw was.
Drowning in ShadowClan wasn't exactly a common occurence, he heard Forestshade almost walked into the creek once but it was terrible that Ghostpaw had been so far out and alone that no one could save him his untimely demise.
Starlingheart asks for words and he obliges though he isn't much one for talking or longwinded speeches, "Ghostpaw is a good memory, like sun through leaves and the smell of fresh moss and I think he found StarClan easy because a cat so white can not be missed in the sky."
StarClan must have wanted him back for some reason, surely. They wouldn't just allow a blessed cat like this to die for no purpose, his destiny lie in the sky above them now and surely he would visit them again in quiet whispers and cold winds.
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[✧ Siltcloud.]

THERE'S A HOLE IN MY SOUL ( I CAN'T FILL IT )
siltcloud | 12 months | female | she/her | physically medium | mentally hard | attack in bold #905d5d

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Siltcloud harbors her own suspicions, but she keeps them hidden, jaws clamped tight. Green gaze is saddened, though her face hardly changes as she strides forwards. She stares - there is nothing beautiful left about the dead body laid out before her - twisted and mangled from what it once was. While she's never felt strongly about the boy, his presence is one she will miss - for as long as she had been alive, so had he. A familiar face, an unchanging mind. And now he was gone. A quiet hum leaves her lips and she bows her head - the smell of death and herbs not even registering. "Goodbye," she says tonelessly, but she means it. This is the end of a clanmate, and of a chapter in their lives. What cruel timing.

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[Needledrift]

She had been the one to find him, the one to stumble upon his body as simply as if he were a stray root. She stares blankly at his body now. It looks like Starlingheart had fixed him, fixed him back to what he had been before whatever happened.... happened. She should be grateful to Starlingheart for sparing the clan of the gruesome aftermaths that drowning did to a cat, but she couldn't pull herself to be happy.

He haunted her vision - an aptly named cat, huh? - even as she bent to touch her nose to his cold, cold fur. Distantly, she wondered if StarClan would give him a warrior's name before he entered their ranks. Ghostpelt, for his complexion. Ghostgaze, for his unwavering stare. Ghostpool, for his watery grave....​

she smells like lemongrass and sleep​

 

[CHITTERTONGUE]

જ➶ He has nothing to say. Nothing to give the deceased flight upon to reach their destination to the skies. Nothing to be nice and remember them by. He remembers having so little to say when his brother was taken from them. Yet his face is stressed with a grin, pulling his muzzle taunt and he feels sick on the inside. It hurts honestly and he looks down at the ground trying to take un a solid breath or two that doesn't hitch. Despite not knowing Ghostpaw he saw the other easily enough, a clanmate, one growing into his own and it makes him grieve to see that they didn't make it there. Dreams cut short to become nothing but stardust. What bad luck to draw. Sighing the tom looks upon the vessel that used to be the apprentice and he bows his head. Throat quivering to burst forth keening giggles that he struggles to keep at bay. Then after a moment he steps away, to tuck himself into the warrior den ​

 

[GECKOSCREECH]

yesterday's hunting patrol had returned much earlier than anticipated and by the grim looks shadowing each member's expression it was clear that something was wrong, had they run into that fox family again or maybe a rogue came to cause trouble? oh how she wishes that were the case. what she saw once those brambles parted was something that made her blood run colder than any blizzard.

ghostpaw, this strange and gangly kid that she's trained for so many moons, was being carried in covered in muck and grime to the point where they looked almost unrecognizeable. clanmates around her shared shocked words and mortified gazes between eachother, asking what everyone wanted to know.

what happened?

"a freak accident." was the only conclusion that could be made, they explained how needledrift had come across the apprentice floating facedown in stagnant waters and with no signs of wounds or struggle any other possibility is quick to be ruled out but something about it felt off. ghostpaw was always careful in what they did, never straying too far or throwing themselves into any needless danger so it didn't make sense for him to die in such a bizarre manner and knowing so left a sour taste in her mouth. a part of geckoscreech wanted to refute the claim but with no substantial evidence at her side it would only fall flat so she remained silent.

when it came time for the vigil she couldn't help but feel like she's been here before. a child laying motionless at her paws covered in an assortment of flowers, taken away too soon by the greedy hands of death. "starclan has enough of us in their ranks. why did they feel the need to take you too?" she questions softly, taking a moment to settle down onto her belly besides ghostpaw before resting her head gently upon his shoulder. "i'm sorry i couldn't do more for you, ghostpaw." geckoscreech whispers, unaware of the tears that have spilled over her cheeks. to lose an appprentice who was so close to becoming a warrior enchances the feeling that she had failed him as mentor and honestly, she wouldn't blame him if he thought so.

geckoscreech would remain in this position, tucked close and mourning in silence.

'please take care of them leaping toad.'​

∘₊✧ ONE LAST LIFELINE, I'M HANGING HIGH. ✧₊∘​