- Nov 27, 2023
- 150
- 35
- 28
CW: mentions of death & depression
What was supposed to be a heartful reunion resulted only in a night of grief, loss, and broken trust.
Gladefrost proposed, last time they met, to meet Slateheart before the kittens were estimated to be born. He was excited, sure, but fussed about it in the days and nights before the moon phased. And - he was damned right to fuss. Anger simmers in the tom as he reaches the peak of the small hill that surrounds WindClan's hollow. It is the only way he feels he can process his grief.
He is angry at his mate, who is being carried home with the rest of their kits as they speak, for endangering herself so - angry more at himself for allowing it, for relishing it. He is angry at Sunstar and Lichenstar, for denying his kits the right to be together, and by extension denying his rights to be with his kits. And then, simultaneously, angry at himself for being so.. selfish. He had not learned from his childhood, it seems; all the grief he felt when he was separated from his sister and mothers, and all the longing he endured upon realizing Ashpaw lives in RiverClan, and Silverfoot lives stubbornly in the barn.
Gladefrost's life, his kits' siblings, all torn away in one night, the trust of Dimmingsun and Sunstar - Stars, how could he be so selfish?
It is only the kitten in his jaws, and the one that Dimmingsun carries as he follows him into camp, that stops Slateheart from abandoning WindClan entirely, just as he felt the need to do every time he'd done something horribly wrong. Like Bluepool's death, and Lilypaw's death, both of which were no doubtedly contributed to by his own neglect.
There are eyes upon him as Slateheart hurriedly bounds down the slope to camp. The pitiful wails of his kitten pierce the deafening silence of surprise that takes place before the interrogation must begin. " I need - Cottonsprig, " he pleads through cold kitten fur, to make sure that the cold they rested in did not seep into them in the form of terrible sickness. They are all he has left, he feels; he can't lose them now.
If he dares look at the cats around camp, he fears he'd see faces devoid of warmth. There is no Rattleheart to instruct him, like she did all those moons ago when he carried Lilypaw to the barn just as he carries his daughter now. Sunstar, who followed them home, only seems to look at him like a disappointed stranger. I don't know what to do, he longs to cry out, just like he did to Dimmingsun when Gladefrost's warmth left her body. Just like he did when Bluepool died, like when he found Lilypaw in the snow.. his heart aches for those he lost, and those who are on the verge of being lost. All my fault.
SLATEHEART ( he/him )
What was supposed to be a heartful reunion resulted only in a night of grief, loss, and broken trust.
Gladefrost proposed, last time they met, to meet Slateheart before the kittens were estimated to be born. He was excited, sure, but fussed about it in the days and nights before the moon phased. And - he was damned right to fuss. Anger simmers in the tom as he reaches the peak of the small hill that surrounds WindClan's hollow. It is the only way he feels he can process his grief.
He is angry at his mate, who is being carried home with the rest of their kits as they speak, for endangering herself so - angry more at himself for allowing it, for relishing it. He is angry at Sunstar and Lichenstar, for denying his kits the right to be together, and by extension denying his rights to be with his kits. And then, simultaneously, angry at himself for being so.. selfish. He had not learned from his childhood, it seems; all the grief he felt when he was separated from his sister and mothers, and all the longing he endured upon realizing Ashpaw lives in RiverClan, and Silverfoot lives stubbornly in the barn.
Gladefrost's life, his kits' siblings, all torn away in one night, the trust of Dimmingsun and Sunstar - Stars, how could he be so selfish?
It is only the kitten in his jaws, and the one that Dimmingsun carries as he follows him into camp, that stops Slateheart from abandoning WindClan entirely, just as he felt the need to do every time he'd done something horribly wrong. Like Bluepool's death, and Lilypaw's death, both of which were no doubtedly contributed to by his own neglect.
There are eyes upon him as Slateheart hurriedly bounds down the slope to camp. The pitiful wails of his kitten pierce the deafening silence of surprise that takes place before the interrogation must begin. " I need - Cottonsprig, " he pleads through cold kitten fur, to make sure that the cold they rested in did not seep into them in the form of terrible sickness. They are all he has left, he feels; he can't lose them now.
If he dares look at the cats around camp, he fears he'd see faces devoid of warmth. There is no Rattleheart to instruct him, like she did all those moons ago when he carried Lilypaw to the barn just as he carries his daughter now. Sunstar, who followed them home, only seems to look at him like a disappointed stranger. I don't know what to do, he longs to cry out, just like he did to Dimmingsun when Gladefrost's warmth left her body. Just like he did when Bluepool died, like when he found Lilypaw in the snow.. his heart aches for those he lost, and those who are on the verge of being lost. All my fault.
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( ooc ) @SUNSTAR @dimmingsun @valleykit @GORSEKIT but no need to wait! takes place after this thread