the night she left ;; sparrowpaw.

[Fireflyglow]

@sparrowpaw!

Fireflypaw is guiding the new apprentice through the camp on a breezy night, the stars above them sparkling despite the clouds that overcast. They pass one at a time, obscuring the beautiful little fireballs in the sky. One certain star shines brighter than the rest, right overhead- Fireflypaw draws his head upwards, squinting. He can barely see it, but it's there. "Look, Sparrowpaw." Firefly meows softly, a paw raising to the sky as he seats himself upon a small slope. "The stars are proof that our ancestors are watching over us." He remarks, tail drawing over his paws. He'd never thought much about it in this recent moon, but Morningpaw must be going insane up there.. Watching everything fall apart, watching their father become a ghost of who he used to be. He blinks. "Do you know of StarClan?" He asks the smaller cat, allowing them a chance to really get a good look at the sky above them.​

 

[sparrowsong!]

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The night was serene. Warm, breezy. With Fireflypaw at their side, it was also a comfortable one, happy to spend their time with their newfound friend. They liked the point; they were easy to talk to.

As the fellow apprentice raised their eyes to the sky above, so too did Sparrowpaw. The stars seemed brighter out here, the sky bigger. It made them feel warm in a way they couldn't explain. They soon switched to looking ahead of them as the two walked, only until the tom took a seat and they followed.

Look, Sparrowpaw, they said, and the tabby dutifully followed the pointed paw back up to the sparkling expanse. The stars are proof that our ancestors are looking over us. "Our ancestors?" the echoed softly, turning to look at them. Before they got a proper response, Fireflypaw offered them a question. StarClan.

After a moment, they shook their head. "No, I don't think I have," they admitted. "I've heard cats mention WindClan or other Clans before. Is StarClan one of them?" Their chin raised to the stars again. Did they name themselves after night sky, then?​

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[Fireflyglow]

Religion was.. An odd subject for someone like Fireflypaw- who believed StarClan was less a religion and moreso a way to connect to ones ancestors. Mother was his religion, the grass whispering to him beneath his paws as soft breeze brushed past him. Night time was safety, tranquility. He listens to his friend as they ask him if StarClan was much different than WindClan; he shakes his head, smiling towards them. "StarClan to some is religion. To others, a way to connect with those long deceased. To many, a comfort in trying times." He remarks, paw smoothing over a long blade of grass. "StarClan is the afterlife, where deceased cats go when they die. My sister Morningpaw.. She's amongst the stars. Has been for many moons now." A fact he'd gotten over long ago, but yet continues to haunt him even now. His baby brother and sister in ThunderClan blamed his clan for the death of her, and for the longest time, Fireflypaw couldn't forgive himself for not saving her. His lip trembles as he thinks of her wide eyes looking up at him. Tell them not to cry. Don't cry.

Another wisp of wind pulls him from his thoughts; Mother's words touching him. Pay attention to the present, child. Fireflypaw huffs through his nostrils, before he draws his blurry gaze upwards to the stars once more. "I'd like to think that our deceased family members.. They all go to StarClan, if you believe they do." He thinks aloud, paws shuffling in place as he leans into Sparrowpaw's side. "Safe, never having to go hungry again."​

 

[sparrowsong!]

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Religion. A term they were unfamiliar with, but they said nothing and instead let him speak, head tilting ever so slightly to the side. Gray eyes held a gentle curiosity, ears angled forward. A way to connect with the deceased, or simply a comfort during difficult times. The afterlife.

The young tom's voice adopts a waver, and they admit the loss of their sister. A frown settled on their maw then, and Sparrowpaw shuffled closer until their pelts touched. Inevitably, their thoughts drifted to their own family, gaze dropping to the ground.

All lost family members go to StarClan, Fireflypaw liked to believe. A place they would never hurt again. Would their family be there too, then, in the stars? They hadn't... considered it before. It had felt as though their family was just gone, forever leaving an aching void in their heart.

Sparrowpaw hadn't replied yet, but they could feel the growing heat in their breath and the tightness in their throat. If their family went to StarClan, were they truly not hurting anymore? Happy, up in the stars? If they went too, would they see them all again someday?

"You... you think so?" Their voice was watery, quiet. "My family went to StarClan too?" It was a new concept, a foreign one, but one they had never wanted to believe in more in their life. It was an idea for them to cling to, a possibility that their family wasn't truly gone.

Sparrowpaw sniffled. "They're... they're up there? And I can- and I can see them again? Someday?" Despite the tears dampening their cheeks, there was a newfound hope blooming in their chest, almost childish with how brightly it began to burn. They weren't truly gone then, not really.​

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