camp TO THE RIVER 𓆩♡𓆪 Daisyflight's Vigil

[DAWNGLARE]

How did death reach you, within walls packed so tightly? How did it come, under watchful eyes; minds belonging to little more than beasts, but beasts made to persevere and keep what's theirs. They would let no dog harm her. No monster, no wayward thing; perhaps a blade, but it would somehow be under the cover of night. Slipping so seamlessly it's like it was never there at all. So he's been told, anyway. So he's been told... What could've happened, but death by those flesh-paws, themselves?

Ghastly shrieking – a horror for those uninitiated. The lingering thought that you would find yourself taken, and then never awakening again. Foolish think to think you'd be met by anything besides warmth, and if not that – anything other than untimely demise. No, this is only because she'd deserved it. Her deeds carried on the winds. Sins laid to all, forest - bound or not. Sealed the very first day he had met that wretched green gaze. The very first time... ]

His head only swims in bliss at this justice delivered at last. Nothing would ever get past Mother. Not now, not ever; but it was not always that you could bear witness to that retribution within a mortal lifetime, much less, so soon. Lavender fills his lungs as he snakes a path from his den to camp's center. There is no corpse to truly be prodded or petal - ridden, and in a way, that's more beautiful than anything else she's ever done. The petals are less for the covering of death, and moreso to remind them all of that death that had happened. Body or no, he would remind them of her passing on; draw circles in the ground in hopes that her ghost would pass through the woven sigils. Moment of silence, moment of rest... Though, he is not positive if rest will be an option, wherever she is going.

Decidedly done, he'd utter a hum. The others may say what they like, but his own paws would be clean and dusted lavender. He lifts his head; nods to those present to say as they wish. His eyes have a humorous slant to them, gaze is askance and half-lidded. His lips spell nothing, though. Maybe. Who's to say? " There are innumerable things I could say... " The thought is not completed.

[ ooc: all ic opinions he has an unnatural hate for this woman ; detect ily ily ily and daisy so much, ty for being a legendary first deputy and fab lead warrior ] ​

 

[TWITCHBOLT]

It was a sendoff of sorts, but... it still did not feel like enough. There would be no way to bid goodbye to her physically- only to hope that she looked down upon them now, star-threaded, ghostlike form woven with silver spark and misted eyes. Was it better not to have to see her dead? Cold- mauled, whatever they'd done to her. Would it have tainted his memory of her to see her eyes without soul?

He sat, head bowed- little moved him except the involuntary jitters he was always overcome by. Even with- with all that, though, she'd never given up on him. Had kept toiling away at his education ceaselessly, even when he'd yelled at her on impulse or sputtered startled when she woke him up in the mornings. It couldn't have been easy, and yet- she'd never stopped being there. Hadn't thrown the towel in, a task his own wretched parents couldn't even manage.

To think of her gone- it would be odd evermore. Would never feel correct; there would always be something tainted about a world without her in it. But as he sat, staring at the floral arrangement and wondering whether she would have liked it or not, he could not think of what his feelings might be in the distant moons to come. All he could do was feel that ache of grief, sprawling through his body and bones like an infection. Claws picked at the ground, and his fangs fastened around his tongue in an iron lock.

"Thank you," he murmured, olivine eyes looking dead forward, voice brushed through with the rough fray of tears. Wide eyes twitched once, and flickered closed. His tail swatted at something invisible. Had he ever really thanked her? And- was this too little, too late? To wait until... until she was gone for him to express how much he appreciated everything she had done for him? He'd never thought to do it before. Never fathomed a day when he would have to say goodbye, let alone it being so soon.

He hoped it was enough. Hoped everything he did from this day forth would be, somehow, enough to crack that proud smile upon her spirit's star-spangled face. ​

penned by pin ✧​

 

[Fireflyglow]

Fireflypaw follows his mentor's steps obediently, tail tracing the ground behind him as he makes his way over. The air smells faintly of Lavender, an herb used for the dead. A beautiful, calming scent. Before the sigils and writings, there is no body to mourn. Fireflypaw turns his head to peer sightlessly towards Dawnglare. "Lavender for the dead," He whispers softly to nobody in particular, though it's pointed towards his mentor underhandedly. He could remember this scent, could practice these purposes in the future. But for now, they would mourn a great Deputy, a wonderful Lead Warrior, a Mother, a Mentor.

"Daisyflight was a wonderful molly, may she rest in StarClan." He lays his words bare, then seats himself beside his mentor dutifully. Would Morningpaw see her, when they reunited? Stars, he hoped Daisyflight wasn't lonely up there. His paw smooths over the ground, claws raking through a few blades of grass, through sand, then rests. "Rest easy." He murmurs. ​

SKYCLAN MEDICINE CAT APPRENTICE ✦ 9 MOONS ✦ CHUNKY, BIG-FOOTED SEAL POINT ✦ TAGS​

 

[Howlfire]

Howlpaw is not unaccustomed to death. Tragically, she had known it all too soon when Morningpaw was taken from the world.

Her father had spoken of a vigil in his recent meeting so Howlpaw knew this was coming. There is no body to mourn over sadly but that does not seem to stop clanmates from appearing to speak their part. Howlpaw lingers back in the crowd her head bowed in mourning. A few cats speak before taking her own chance to say a final goodbye. "Thank you Daisyflight for everything that you did for SkyClan," Howlpaw says with a soft voice. "Wherever you are, know that you will be missed and always loved."​

 

[SILVERSMOKE]

As he stared at empty air, an ashy feeling settled at the bottom of the tabby's mouth, drying all moisture from it and leaving his throat crackly and hoarse. He didn't know Daisyflight, not on the level of a friend or a family member, she'd just been a peer, and yet her loss still hurt. He didn't know how much was grief for the Lead Warrior, grief that they'd been powerless to save her, or grief for the emptiness he felt. Two of them were selfish, it was the StarClanners time to shine, but with no corpse to mourn over, it was a difficult thing to remember. Seated with his plumy tail wrapped around his paws, Silversmoke kept his gaze low, occasionally flicking towards the flowers laid out instead of a body. 'There are no daisies,' he observed in a grim irony, his claws naturally popping out to flex at the soft camp earth. An accident, or a deliberate ploy by their treasonous medicine cat? He decided it was best not to decide, lest the moment be ruined. He bowed his head lower, closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the ill-timed accusations that threatened to fly towards Dawnglare.

"We weren't close." He admitted plainly. There were few SkyClanners he could confidently say were friends: Auburnflame and Ashenclaw, a small list, a valuable list, but one that couldn't help but feel pitiful when he'd give his blood for most of the group. 'It's better this way.' He told himself as he heard mumbles through the crowd of voices even tauter than his. The price of vulnerability was high, it was worth asking if it outweighed the price of loneliness. It almost did. To feel grief was to know you had loved with every fiber of your being, and that had to count for something. "But you earned your place here so many times over that I don't know the number for it. Rest easy, Lead Warrior. Queen. Inspiration." He fell silent as he tried to imagine her lying still, at peace in a world that loved to take but relied on the living to give.

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[BLAZESTAR]

A burial without a body. A vigil without confirmation. Dawnglare has scattered petals, though Blazestar does not know if his intention is macabre or honorable. He only wishes he could push his nose into her fur one last time, if it must be for the last time.

He listens to his kits, Twitchbolt, his lead warrior, all of them paying respects to empty space. Daisyflight had been in SkyClan since before he'd become leader. She'd hailed from the streets of Twolegplace, taken in by Rain and his colony. She'd fought for this land numerous times, for the cats she cared for, and it seemed she had with her final breath as well.

Blazestar can almost imagine a grayed tortoiseshell body. He presses his nose into the petals Dawnglare has left, imagining there's more than the scent of nectar and snapped stems. Imagining he can feel her now, her spirit wrapping around him, seeking her former apprentice and her children with starsmoked eyes.

"You never left my side, not once, after I named you deputy. No matter how many times you wanted to, and even after you chose to step down... you were here." His eyes are veiled, misty. "I know how you felt about StarClan, but I hope-- I hope you're there, watching your kits become the kind of SkyClan warrior you were."

He doesn't wipe the tears away. They drip and dampen the earth between golden paws.

"I can't promise to only mourn you once," he whispers. "I think I'll be mourning you until we meet again... and I hope we do. Daisyflight."

His body shudders with a stifled sob.​

[ PENNED BY MARQUETTE ]​

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[SLATE]

❪ TAGS ❫ — This was a first for Slate; the first time he's truly participated in a clan vigil. He feels like he shouldn't be here, as he hadn't known Daisyflight too well in the first place, but the Maine Coon figures that he could manage to seat himself somewhere in the back of the crowd and just be silent for a while.

Other cats are paying their respects; even Silversmoke, who seeing so genuine and thoughtful with the few words he had decided to share. Blazestar was stricken with grief and struggling to hold himself together. Daisyflight had impacted the lives of many SkyClanners, and although he couldn't bring himself to truly mourn, he was sorry that she had gone out in the way that she had. Slate had heard many stories of cats who never came back from the shelter and, unfortunately, Daisyflight was now one of many. The twolegs were cruel, selfish creatures. Did StarClan even have an answer as to why this had to happen?​

 

[QUILLSTRIKE]

DARK BLUE, DARK BLUE, HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ALONE IN A CROWDED ROOM?​

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OOC- retro to quill and bananas announcement

Death wasn't something Quill could say he was overly familiar with- not on a personal level, at least. He'd seen it rear it's ugly head a few times in his young life, but never had the loss been directed at him in particular. Even now, despite the somber feelings clinging to him as he made his way to stand among his clanmates in a last farewell to Daisyflight, he knew he wasn't feeling the full affects of her passing. He hadn't been close enough to the shecat to feel the full effects, but he respected her enough to stand there with them all just the same.

How could he not, when her death had been the catalyst to these new feelings of his?

The day she'd been pulled away from her children and carried off to that room never to be seen again, something in the chimera had shifted. Whatever pride or old pain had been in the way, keeping him from saying and doing all the things he should have been doing and saying from the start, it'd been burned away in the rage of watching them ruin the lives of Daisyflights family.

He didn't have any words for her, but he leaned against Twitch in solidarity, knowing his friend was hurting, suffering through yet another fucking loss they didn't deserve to have to shoulder.
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skyclan - male - 14 months (Feb 17th) - bisexual - homoromantic - single - a very tall, dark chimera tomcat with mismatched eyes and several scars. has bluejay feathers woven like spikes along his spine and neck.

 

[GREENEYES]

Greeneyes hasn't attended very many vigils in his lifetime, but he knows the scene before him isn't typical. He knows the flowers he sees in front of him - lavender, for the dead, he hears Fireflypaw whisper - are typically placed over a body, not strewn over an empty patch of soil on the ground.

None of this is fair, this he knows. It isn't fair that Daisyflight didn't return. It isn't fair that he has to be thrown into mourning. It isn't fair that his mother doesn't get a proper vigil - a proper burial - under SkyClan's pines. He can only wish they'd given her a proper one there, wherever it is she took her last breaths, though he isn't so certain of the likelihood of that, in a place where twolegs cage up cats.

It still doesn't feel real, this. It doesn't, as his clanmates gather around the barren patch, as they speak so highly of his mother in their thoughts and prayers.

And, when his time to speak to the soil before him, he hesitates. Hesitates, as his eyes start stinging with tears. How could any of this be fair? What had he done to deserve this curse? What had Daisyflight?

Finally, he steps forward, placing a paw among the lavender. Silent, he tries to gather his words - tries to figure out what a son is meant to say to his fallen mother. "Thank you for being my mother," he says quietly. Soft, as if he's scared to speak louder, as if his voice will falter at any higher decible. "I... I wish you could've seen me - us - become warriors. You... You deserved to see that." You deserved to be here for everything, forever.

Tears finally fall from blurring eyes, and a shaky breath is taken.

"I'll keep you with me, wherever I go. Always."

Greeneyes stands close to the memorial site for a moment longer, before stepping back for the next cat awaiting their turn to say goodbye to Daisyflight.
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[Snowpath]

Snowpaw does not approach to say his peace, he does not move like his clanmates do in tradition; he does not grieve out loud, but he is inside deep where no cat can see. It had felt as though life was slowly getting back to normalcy despite the shroud that hung over him for so long, yet again the world deems him worthy of its challenge and throws more hardship in his path. Would he ever be able to walk without tripping, would he be able to claw his way from the sorrow that clings to everything he touches. He's not foolish enough to think he could have saved his mother, iron bars and two-legs made for obstacles no cat can overcame, but he feels an emptiness as though he should have had more to say. 'Look after your sister'. He would, 'I love you', he knew. What else was there to live for. He could never have the life he wanted, too burdened with the past and his future currently in ThunderClan; he now understand Blazestar's self-imposed solitude. Was he as strong as the leader? Could he too send away the one she-cat he cared for most of all? Snowpaw didn't know. All he knew was he missed his mother, he missed her stern chiding, the silly remarks she would make in a gentleness only a mother can; he missed her presence. If he closed his eyes he could imagine himself a kitten again nestled against her side.
Why did time have to continue onward?
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[Coyotecrest]

Angry at all the things I can't change

Daisyflight was amongst one of the very first skyclan cats he'd ever met along the border. That day she'd welcomed not only himself but Leopardcloud into the cozy confines of their camp. Extended kindness and opened up her home. It was a debt he never would be able to repay. His gaze trails over Snowpaw quietly as cream paws lead him to the silver apprentice's side. He'd lost his mother before. Went through the motions of grief, anger, and eventually acceptance. He knew what it was like to keep it bottled inside because at the end of the day the extent of the circumstances were out of any cat's control. His silent approach leads him to take a seat beside Snowpaw, hoping that his presence acts as a grounding sense of comfort. Turning his attention towards the sky he looks on, wondering if Daisyflight was looking down on her children along with his own mother. ​

When you're lost in the universe don't lose faith​

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[Orangestar]

The announcement that Daisyflight had been lost in the shelter had rocked SkyClan's very foundations. Their first deputy, a constant since the start - gone, and never coming back, and with no body to bury. Orangeblossom sits among her Clanmates, waiting for her turn to say something - but when she steps forward, no words come out. Instead, she thinks.

Not sure if StarClanners can read minds, but if you can, hi. I hope you're safe now. Her shoulders shake slightly. I hope you're not hurting anymore. I hope if you want revenge on whatever those twolegs did to you, that you get it. I wish we could have talked more ... I would have liked your guidance since I'm due. Maybe I'll name one after you. She never thought she'd miss the calico's terrible health advice, but Orangeblossom suddenly finds herself longing to hear the instruction of sitting in the freezing leaf-bare rain as if it would heal instead of make a cat sick once more.

You watch over your kits, alright? We'll do what we can from here, but ... they'll miss you a lot. We all will. You ... I hope you come give Fireflypaw a prophecy next time. Tell him you say hi to us.

— info

•  
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  orangeblossom. tags.
  — she/her, skyclan deputy.
  — mentor to eveningpaw.
  — attack in #e08550. uses trees as an integral part of her fighting style.
  — mean enough to note that her thoughts don't reflect my opinions as a writer haha.
  — penned by mercibun; @ me in any official tabbytales discord for plots. :]
  — art by merc!<3
  

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[Snowpath]

He is not sure what compells him to do so, but when he realizes who had moved to sit next to him Snowpaw lifts his head enough to meet the cream tabby's gaze. A long time ago, he had stood there and watched Coyotepaw grieve his own mother's passing, went to fetch flowers for her vigil to give them space. If anyone knew hoe he felt right now, in this moment, it was the apprentice he had once been cruel to when they were younger; but he was warrior age now, despite still carrying the paw in his name, and he had grown enough to realize that life was more complicated than good and bad. Life was not often fair. Snowpaw turned, pushed his head into the other tabby's shoulder and flattened his ears in a silent thank you for his presence; a place he could hide his face for just a moment before the world had to keep moving forward and him with it.
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