the moon will sing | night walk

[Dandelionwish]

In his dreams the earth was layered in blood and not earth. The tall grass still peered up from the depths of the red swill, swayed as if still caught by the winds of the moors. His paws would slosh through the thick pools of it, he could feel it prickling his fur as it coated his lower limbs in the viscous crimson substance. With each step he felt like he was moving slower, like the blood was beginning to thicken not quite unlike the ice of the river; freezing over to trap anything in its depths beneath the surface to choke. Dandelionpaw would fight it, push his limbs forward, feel the strain as muscles tightened to resist against the impending drag downward. He felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into it until it sloshed around his neck and lapped beneath his chin. He continued to frantically dig his paws into whatever he could for any kind of traction, any kind of support. As always the dream ended as the red liquid drew him down, until only the tip of his nose was just breaking the surface and when he dropped below it he would bolt upright from his nest with a gasp for the air he had been deprived of in the lucid landscape of his mind.

He didn't need StarClan to tell him he was having nightmares about the state of WindClan, that they were reoccuring was new though. With a jolt Dandelionpaw was out of the den, he needed the crisp air of the night to clear his head, he needed to move so he could feel his blood flowing once more through his veins and not swilling around his paws; he needed something, but he wasn't sure what. Guilt was a heavy wound, there was no greater judge for his own mistakes as himself; he held his own life in such critical regard that sometimes he wondered why he managed to maintain his optimism. Why he smiled, why he continued to move as if he held any purpose outside of destroying what he touched.
But if he did not try to live for something then why live at all. He wanted to be happy. Eventually, his smile would feel more fitted for his face.

The apprentice moved into the moon-spotted earth of the camp, blinked sleepily at the ground before tilting his head up to stare at the mist cloaked sky that hung overhead and he wished so desperately that StarClan was more vocally prominent in their lives. Wished they could tell him what to do exactly and none of their vague messages. But they wouldn't, he had only himself to depend on to decide how to act, so he shook his head and continued on his silent trek to the edge of camp; perhaps a walk would be enlightening.
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[Irispath]

Yewberry was often as quiet as the stars themselves, silent but always watching. So when he saw Dandelionpaw heading for the camp entrance, he wondered why. He figured.....He should go with him. It wasn't safe to go out alone currently, and he didn't want anything to happen to one of the only rays of sunshine in the clan. He trotted over to the apprentice with a soft smile.

"A nice night night for a walk, isn't it?" He spoke quietly.
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[Galeforce]

↞ RACE THE WINDS

It was hard to avoid taking notice of the shuffling of paws leaving the spot near him. Galepaw had been drifting the lines between lucid consciousness and the waking realm for a while anyway, which meant that his ears were listening acutely to his surroundings at the time that Dandelionpaw decided to depart for a walk. The tom lifted his head, curiosity blurred with sleepiness spurring him to rise and follow on clumsy paws. Only StarClan knows how many other slumbering cats he had stepped on when he passed by during his bleary pursuit. At least he wasn't the only one going after the other apprentice, already Yewberry had taken the lead.

Galepaw hurried to catch up, blinking away the sleep from his eyes. No doubt they would hear him coming as he thudded along on large paws. "Hey guys, wait up!" He called out with no attempt made to stay quiet. Just what was going on anyway? Was everything alright?
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[SHREWTUFT]

shrewpaw had just gotten comfortable in her spot with a relaxed sigh, head resting upon crossed paws while eyes began to flutter with the promise of being whisked away into sleep.

until there was the sound of thudding paws and the loud voice of galepaw who had broken the silence, ultimately jolting the apprentice awake again. even worse, the big lug almost trampled over her trying to catch up to stars know who! annoyance prickled up her spine, head twisting to see the figures of a few cats heading towards the heather tunnel and one of them happened to be her brother.

well, it wasn't like she was going back to sleep anytime soon so she ultimately decided to join them. shrewpaw made sure not to step on anyone who was still sleeping as she made her trek towards the more empty edges of camp and when she made it, she'd shoot little daggers at the brown tabby before thwaping him lightly on the flank with her feathery tail. "watch where yer puttin them big ol' paws next time, done almost trampled me running over here!" shrewpaw would huff out in a whisper.

she'd lengthen her stride for a brief second to brush against dandelionpaw's side, ears swiveling towards the voice of yewberry who she didn't know very well but thought it was nice that they decided to accompany her brother first.

[ penned by cobi ]​

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[Echolight]

Sleep was a fleeting thing. After what felt like hours of work of simply trying to get to sleep, the calico felt herself being jostled awake by something… something…
Groggily, she tried to pull her focus together, blinking a few times to adjust to the darkness of the night.
Hey guys! Wait up!
Squinting against the lack of lighting, Echolight was just able to make out Dandelionpaw, as well as two other apprentices following him towards the outskirts of camp. Uncomfortable with the idea of three apprentices scampering around in the dark, the calico rolled herself out of her nest with a yawn before trotting towards them, relief manifesting as a soft exhale when she see’s Yewberry with them, thank the stars- another warrior.
Gently, she aims to flick her tail against Galepaw’s shoulder in order to catch their attention. "Remember other cats are sleeping, Galepaw." Her warning was soft-spoken and tinged with amusement, despite her intimidating appearance, the stars and moon only highlighting her particularly tall appearance. She looked to Dandelionpaw then, head tilting slightly. The young tom looked troubled- much more so than usual. Yewberry joins the apprentices side and Echolight finds herself sitting next to Galepaw and Shrewpaw. "Shouldn’t you lot be asleep? I hear mentors don’t take kindly to sleepy apprentices."
"Speech."
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[ WHAT A TIME ]​

 

[Dandelionwish]

Yewberry was a cat he often mistook for an apprentice since he was a fair bit taller than the lilac-colored tom, but Dandelionpaw was tall for his age and Yewberry was small; it made for quite the jarring shift in size and age and any other time he might have made a joke about it but he was still listelessly in a haze of his thoughts and wondering how to respond to the question. It was not a nice night for a walk, he wanted to be asleep, but he was too restless to do so and he would not admit as much. "Reckon it is, I wanted to see the stars." Maybe if he basked under them long enough he would feel less apprehensive about it all, but so far they had been alarmingly uncomforting. Perhaps it was foolish to think otherwise.
While he had planned for some quiet alone time, he was not about to begrudge company and he watched as the other tom and then Shrewpaw came stumbling along behind him and he raised his tail in a hello and also in surprise at the noise.
"Galepaw, ye'll wake every cat from'ere to out across the river with lungs like those!" His words were scolding but his voice was lighthearted, joking even. He leaned briefly into Shrewpaw in a warm greeting, smiling at his sister's presence; they hadn't gotten to see eachother often due to two very different paths in life and he sometimes missed the good old days or rolling around the wheat fields without a care in the world. He felt, now, that he had too much to care about-to many things to think about. It was a lot at times.
Mismatched eyes turned at the softer voice speaking up, Echolight approaching with gentle chiding and he offered up a bright smile, "Fancy a walk?"
If the other two couldn't wake up for their training it was not his problem, he ran on a different schedule as well as path so he couldnt help but tease slightly when given the chance.

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[Galeforce]

↞ RACE THE WINDS

Oh, he had annoyed quite a few of his fellow clanmates then, a point made even more clear when he felt the smack of Shrewpaw's tail against his flank. Galepaw ducked his head down in a sheepish manner and he offered up an uneasy smile. "Sorry." He offered up the apology in his quietest voice, which wasn't all that quiet in truth, but he was trying to make the effort. Though he visibly shrank back when Echolight mentioned how their mentors would be displeased with their actions. It was still a raw wound for him and he didn't like there being any sort of reminder about him lacking one. It took him a moment to push back the negative thoughts, and with them gone he allowed a spring to return to his step as he prepared to keep following Dandelionpaw. "I can manage a walk!" There was that booming voice again, something he realised and it caused him to screw up his face as he internally scolded himself.
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[Irispath]

"It is." Yewberry agreed. It was a wonderful night. The open sky and the gentle breeze was comforting in its own way.

"The stars are quiet, but they are pretty." He said.

He smiled softly as others joined them, laughing lightly. He didn't feel any stress or anxiety for the moment. Just happy to be in good company.

"Staying up late is fun, though." He said. To Echolight. A wonderful influence. "And sometimes you just can't sleep..."
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