Here we go again! Stuff is getting real heavy in real life so that kind of leaves no time for things like this fanfic. Sorry. Also, Molting Feathers is underway and I'm planning a comic adaptation for it. Any OC's submitted in here or in No Wings to Fly will automatically be put in Molting Feathers from now on. Dawnstar's Legacy and No Wings to Fly are completely full of characters! A special thanks goes out to all of you who have submitted characters over the years!
Relatively long chapter this time, but I wanted to get out all of this scene to set up the next chapters.
Leopardbreath and Amberheart belong to Leopardbreath.
Wolfheart belongs to starrysunsets.
The "Feel my Pain" segment is coming in the next 3 chapters.
"Guest Reviewer": Honeybranch will have to appear in Molting Feathers, if you're ok with that. She's a perfect fit for one of the protagonist's kits.
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Dawnflight dragged her paws across the sandy shores of the lake's edge, jaws clamped tightly around a few doses of raspberry leaves. She hissed at the small pebbles and sand that clumped up on her wet, pure white paws. She sighed, hauling her heavy, waterlogged body out of the waves and onto dry land. She shook her fur a bit, spraying the cool water droplets onto the banks and nearby patches of grass. Dawflight's belly swayed a bit and she scowled.
Fat again, I suppose.
The silvery she cat padded out onto the grass, letting her wet tail drag behind her. ThunderClan's musty scent assaulted her nostrils as she took a deep breath in. Clutching the raspberry leaves tighter, Dawnflight dragged herself closer to ThunderClan's hunting grounds. She slowly lowered her heavy body onto the forest floor and waited. The silvery she cat fidgeted when she felt a small twinge in her abdomen; her fur itched and she shook her pelt a second time. Impatiently, Dawnflight picked at the grass with her claws, carefully flaying them. She placed the raspberry leaves onto the grassy patch of ground beneath her and sighed. Her tail fur prickled upwards as she fidgeted, but Dawnflight quickly made her fur lie flat when the sound of careful paw steps padding over the grassy soil. Seemingly materializing out of thin air, Breezepaw's sleek, silvery and black striped form stalked through the trees and over the grass to Dawnflight. Upon seeing her friend, the ThunderClan apprentice bounded forward and greeted the gray queen with a quick nuzzle. Dawnflight returned the gesture eagerly.
"I was starting to think you'd never show up! And here I thought RiverClan cats were slow." Dawnflight purred. Breezepaw smirked.
"Hey! I'm fast! I'm half WindClan after all."
Breezepaw shot back at her friend. Dawnflight was glad her friend maintained a somewhat positive attitude about her heritage now. There were some days where Dawnflight thought the silvery and black striped she cat would topple over with the weight of the truth. Now that Breezepaw had accepted her mixed blood, she seemed happier. With a slow blink, Dawnflight pushed the raspberry leaves she was carrying onto the forest floor near Breezepaw's forepaws. The ThunderClan apprentice pulled the herbs closer to her. Dawnflight scowled a bit and Breezepaw gave her friend a concerned look.
"I can't come out here anymore, Breezepaw." Dawnflight started, averting her gaze for a moment. Breezepaw's bright azure gaze lost its usual sparkle.
"Oh. That's okay. I'm actually going to have my final assessments in the next few days anyway. I think you've taught me everything I needed. I guess it's only a matter of time before someone missed you. Unlike me." Breezepaw's mew drifted off at the end the sentence. Dawnflight felt her heart twist with guilt. The RiverClan warrior barely caught Breezepaw's quiet whisper of the last few words.
Hesitating, Dawnflight tried to remain sensitive with her words.
"Did your parents….?"
Breezepaw stopped her by shaking her head. Dawnflight lifted an ear quizzically.
"They kept it a secret. No one knows but us," Breezepaw paused and took in a long breath, "but that doesn't make anything better."
Silence spread between the two cats. Dawnflight couldn't help but break the deafening quiet.
"Hey, you're going to be a warrior at last!" Dawnflight said, trying to appear cheery. Breezepaw just blinked at her.
"Yeah, I guess."
The silver tabby she cat looked down at her paws and fidgeted into the grass. Dawnflight kept trying to cheer her.
"All that hard work you did finally paid off! And now at the next Gathering you can tell Emberheart and Applestem about your new name-"
"I'm so alone, Dawnflight."
Breezepaw cut into Dawnflight's meow. The apprentice's icy, azure blue eyes hardened. Dawnflight shrunk back a little at her friend's sudden coldness. At the sight of her friend pulling away, Breezepaw withered.
"I'm so alone in my own clan, my own family. It doesn't matter if I'm not ThunderClan born. I was never able to make connections, let alone friends! You, Emberheart and Applestem were the best things to ever happen to me, Dawnflight. You guys are the only ones that actually care about me."
Breezepaw clawed at the grass beneath her paws, slicing the green strands. Her striped tail lashed back and forth violently and her face contorted into a half snarl. But her halfhearted attempt at rage faltered as she sniffled. Alarmed at Breezepaw's reaction, Dawnflight instinctively leaned over to cover her belly, which twitched and stung in response. Breezepaw didn't seem to notice Dawnflight's reaction. Despite not wanting to upset Breezepaw any further, the grey and white she cat let her curiosity get the better of her.
"Is it because you feel like you shouldn't be in ThunderClan?"
Breezepaw shook her silver striped head. Dawnflight shut her jaws.
"Even before all this happened, I didn't exactly have many friends. The only friend I ever had was Leopardbreath. But she became a warrior before me and ever since then she's gotten closer to Amberheart. The two are inseparable now! Leopardbreath scarcely even acknowledges me anymore. And now Rosemoon and Tigerface, my own adoptive parents, barely even talk to me like they used to. I'm too old for the other apprentices, Dawnflight! They barely feel comfortable around me as it is!"
Breezepaw took in a ragged breath, then curled her lip, showing her fangs for a split second. Dawnflight put a forepaw in front of her belly at the sight. Breezepaw whipped her head around and gave a hard, icy blue glare.
"And now you're leaving me too," the silver and black striped cat accused with her eyes blazing, "you're going to have another litter. That's what you were going to tell me, wasn't it? You're abandoning me for Timberclaw and your kits! For your apprentice too!"
Shocked, Dawnflight took a tentative step back at her friend's sudden animosity. She had no idea Breezepaw felt this way for this long. For moons, Dawnflight thought her ThunderClan friend was just stressed about failing her assessments. It had never occurred to her how little Breezepaw had actually shared about her personal life outside of training or the most recent revelation about her blood origins. Unsure of what to say, Dawnflight gaped for a few heartbeats. Breezepaw continued to stare her down, her pretty, slim, silver body crouched low as if she were going to pounce. Dawnflight found herself adopting a defensive stance. The silvery queen's heart lurched as Breezepaw took a step forward, stomping a clawed forepaw on top of the forgotten raspberry leaves sitting in front of her.
"N-no, Breezepaw. I'd never abandon you, for anyone or anything. You're my friend." Dawnflight said as confidently as she could. The tabby across from her didn't seem moved.
"Admit it, Dawnflight. You're never going to see me again after this!" Breezepaw cried. The last mew turned into a choking sob. Tears flowed from her bright blue eyes in streams, but the ThunderClan apprentice didn't even bother to blink them away. "No one cares about me!"
Dawnflight stood up straighter, blinking slowly at the now sobbing tabby heap before her. Taking a pained breath, the grey and white queen spoke slowly and carefully.
"Breezepaw, listen. ThunderClan cares about you! If they didn't, they would have thrown you out moons ago, even if they found you as a rogue kit in the forest. I care about you. Why else would I even come all the way across the lake when I'm expecting kits? Why else would I lie to my own father and mate about where I've been all this time? I've been passing my apprentice to some other warrior so I could have time to see you. Applestem was the one who thought you needed help, you know. She's the one who cared enough about you to tell me about it."
Breezepaw sniffled and finally blinked away some of the tears. She gave a frustrated hiss, but Dawnflight kept going.
"Your parents care about you too. That's why they bothered to tell you the truth. They trusted you to understand. They could have just kept you out of it forever, but they didn't. They probably just want to give you time to process it is all."
Dawnflight took a small step forward towards her friend. Carefully, the silvery queen pulled the shredded raspberry leaves from under Breezepaw's claws. Guiltily, Breezepaw shrunk down a bit, her belly grazed the grass beneath her.
"I'm sorry."
The silver and black tabby whispered. Dawnflight gently prodded her with a paw, causing Breezepaw to flinch.
"There's more cats in ThunderClan than your parents and Leopardbreath," Dawnflight started, "you can give them a chance too."
"No one seems interested in me." Breezepaw mewed quietly, avoiding her friend's dark amber gaze by looking down at the forest floor. Dawnflight huffed.
"They don't seem interested to you because you don't bother to look! They won't even know you're interested in anything if you don't show them, either."
Breezepaw silently stared at her silver striped paws. The two she cats sat in silence for a few heartbeats. Dawnflight parted her jaws to speak again, a thought emerging from the silence.
"You could join RiverClan." The silver and white queen suggested. Breezepaw perked up, her blue eyes shimmered for a second in thought, but the apprentice shook her head.
"I can't," Breezepaw started, Dawnflight tried to protest, but Breezepaw just talked over her, "the secret would be out the, remember?"
Dawnflight quieted herself.
She's right. Plus, how would Blackwing feel? How would Wolfheart feel to know her daughter wasn't happy and that she made the wrong choice by giving her to ThunderClan warriors?
Dawnflight gently padded up to Breezepaw and gave her a light embrace. Breezepaw breathed in her friend's strong, marsh laced scent as she pressed her nose into the silvery fur. After the two cats parted, Dawnflight looked her friend in the eyes.
"I think we should go now." She mewed. The gray queen nudged the raspberry leaves towards Breezepaw. The tabby apprentice scooped them up and grasped them in her teeth, nodding.
"I'll see you around, Dawnflight. Come back and visit, ok?" Breezepaw's meow was muffled a bit by the herbs, but she managed to crack a small smile. Dawnflight purred.
"I promise I will. I'll tell you all about the kits when they're born. I'll let them meet you as soon as they're able to."
With the last word, Breezepaw turned and stalked off into ThunderClan's forested territory. Dawnflight watched her striped tail disappear beneath the undergrowth before turning to pad across the sandy lakeshore. The cool water lapped at her fur again as she waded into deeper waters. Steadily, the RiverClan warrior began to swim. Her legs kicked, propelling her through the water. Dawnflight relished in the feeling of the liquid sliding over her body, cooling her now heated pelt. Panting, the silver and white queen made her way through the waves and over towards RiverClan's side of the lake. Her back paws and white tipped tail dragged behind her when she trotted over the sandy banks and back onto dry land. Dawnflight shook her fur, letting all the droplets scatter into the grass.
Feeling refreshed, the silvery gray queen padded through the reeds and long grasses that lined RiverClan's lands. She pushed her body through the plants, nosing her way towards RiverClan's camp. Her white tipped ears perked, however, when she heard hisses and loud meows from a she cat that she didn't immediately recognize. Dawnflight hurried and leapt through the camp's barriers the moment she heard Waterstar's yowl in response. Alarmed, Dawnflight burst into camp with the strong must of WindClan filling her nose! Goldenstar stood in the center of the clearing with a large group of WindClan warriros, staring down Waterstar, who had her ears flattened against her head in subtle defiance. Her dark blue eyes blazed and Dawnflight noticed a confidence in her leader that she hadn't seen in moons. Silently, Dawnflight felt proud of Waterstar. But the grey and white queen was pulled from her thoughts as Goldenstar bellowed at Waterstar. RiverClan warriors and apprentices crouched down low in anticipation with several of them body blocked the nursery and elder's den. Dawnflight's dark amber gaze widened as her eyes met Timberclaw's emerald green eyes from across the clearing, relief visibly lined his face. All eyes focused on the two leaders, the air thick with tension among all the cats.
"Give us your raspberry leaves. WindClan is suffering." Goldenstar nearly growled. A few WindClan warriors sidled up next to her. Waterstar huffed.
"Why? Your warriors look healthy enough." The light grey she cat responded flatly. Goldenstar bared her teeth.
"Give us your medicine or we'll take it by force." The golden tabby leader hissed. Waterstar was unmoved.
"You still haven't answered my question, Goldenstar."
"It doesn't matter. We're sick and need medicine."
A tense silence sat between the two leaders. Mossclaw strutted up beside his leader, narrowing his eyes at the WindClan cats.
"No," Waterstar started, "RiverClan needs them more. After all, our medicine cats found them on our own territory. We have kits on the way and our own elderly and sick members need it." Waterstar mewed confidently. She stood tall, meeting Goldenstar's green gaze. Surprised, as if she wasn't expecting a rejection from Waterstar, Goldenstar recoiled slightly, but her composure quickly returned. Rage appeared on the WindClan leader's face as she crouched back and gave a yowl.
"WindClan, attack!"
Goldenstar launched herself at Waterstar, who easily swatted her away with a well-timed swipe. As soon as Goldenstar hit the camp floor, Mossclaw clawed at the WindClan leader. Another warrior jumped at Waterstar and the two locked each other in battle. Dawnflight ran over towards Timberclaw, but was met with growl as a WindClan tom behind her clawed at her hindquarters. Turning around with a hiss, Dawnflight clouted him in the ear, causing the tom's claws to loosen. Dawnflight bent over for another swipe, but her claws met nothing but thin air! The WindClan warrior gave her shoulder a nip, causing Dawnflight to yowl in surprise. Using her weight, the silvery queen forced her body forward and the tom slipped onto his back. Dawnflight brought down a white paw to strike the enemy warrior, but he latched onto her forlegs, locking her into a deadly embrace. The two cats wrestled, the tom tried pushing himself upwards, trying to knock Dawnflight back. But Dawnflight anchored her back claws into the soil and pushed for forelegs forward. Her muscles cried in protest. Pain and exhaustion shot through the queen's body as her effort faltered. The swimming she had done prior wore her out, much to the she cat's dismay.
I should have stayed in camp! I was so busy worrying about Breezepaw and ThunderClan that I forgot about my own clan!
Thinking quickly, Dawnflight leaned down to bite the WindClan tom's chest. She dug her fangs into his short, dappled fur. Giving a snarl, the tom retaliated by clawing the side of her head! Dawnflight resisted the urge to yowl in pain and ripped off some of the tom's fur. Shocked, the tom slackened his grip enough for Dawnflight to run her claws down his shoulders and flanks. Yowling wildly, the tom wiggled his way out of Dawnflight's grip and ran off out of RiverClan's camp. Dawnflight stood for a few heartbeats panting. She wanted to lie down and sleep, but she couldn't. Not when the camp was under attack. Timberclaw seemed to materialize in front of the silvery, grey queen. Dawnflight placed her head against his shoulder as he gave her licks on the forehead. A few cuts near his cheeks rubbed some of his blood onto Dawnflight's fur, but she ignored the feeling.
"Where have you been? I was worried when I didn't see you in camp when WindClan arrived." Timberclaw chided. His emerald green gaze sparkling with concern. Dawnflight felt guilt prod at her heart.
"I'm sorry, I should have told you. I went for a swim in the lake and I didn't realize how long I was gone." Dawnflight meowed. Timberclaw gave her one more lick before urging her onwards.
"Tell me when you plan on going out for a long while, ok? Now come on! We have a camp to defend. Let's see if Blackwing and Leafstep need help defending the medicine cats's den."
The two warriors bounded over towards the island that the medicine cats had claimed as their den. Much to Dawnflight's relief, a bleeding WindClan she cat was streaking across the clearing, chased out of the medicine cats' den by Blackwing. The enemy she cat's face was lined with pure terror as Blackwing leapt across the camp and clawed clumps of fur off the poor warrior. Dawnflight felt a pang of pity for the WindClan warrior. She briefly remembered all the stories of Blackwing's warrior days. Dawnflight had hoped she'd never, ever have to meet her dark pelted friend in battle.
Leafstep stood near the den's entrance, body blocking it from intruders. The light brown and white tom seemed relieved and almost elated at the sight of Timberclaw and Dawnflight's approach.
"Thank StarClan you two are here," Leafstep's mew sounded tired and anxiety ridden, "that was the second warrior Blackwing managed to chase off."
Timberclaw gave a small chuckle.
"Are you sure she's not a warrior? She sure does seem to scare the whiskers off anyone who comes near here."
Leafstep let out a short purr in response.
"She'll always be a warrior at heart, I suppose. Anyway, Timberclaw, help me bury these herbs under these rocks. Your paws are the smallest and mine and Dawnflight's won't be able to fit them in."
Leafstep bounded towards the back of the den, pushing along piles of leaves and berries. Timberclaw nodded and followed the senior medicine cat. Dawnflight moved out a bit into the light of the den entrance, watching for more intruders. She poked her head out a hole between the roots and soil of the roof and flicked the extra dirt off her ears. All around her, the RiverClan's camp was a flurry of chaos! Cats everywhere were struggling against each other. Dawnflight thought she saw a glimpse of her parents somewhere in the fray, but she wasn't sure. The sea of pelts and bodies didn't reveal Waterstar either. Scanning her gaze outwards, Dawnflight felt a cut of worry for her leader and friend worm her way through her chest.
Where is she? WindClan brought more cats than I thought was possible! Is that all of their warriors and apprentices?
Dawnflight mentally shook herself and pulled her head back down into the den.
No. Waterstar is a fully trained warrior with moons of experience. She has Mossclaw by her side too. I shouldn't need to worry about her so much.
The sudden sound of paw steps jerked Dawnflight's attention to the den entrance. The shadow of a slim, streamlined cat filtered through the gap. Tensing herself, Dawnflight let out a hiss and crouched down, ready to strike. But the queen's fur flattened and her snarl faded when a familiar pair of green eyes peered at Dawnflight's dark amber gaze.
"Wolfheart!"
Dawnflight exclaimed as she made her way closer to her friend. Wolfheart seemed just as elated. A few cuts and bites lined her fur, but the dark grey warrior seemed to be doing fine. The two cats touched noses for a heartbeat before breaking away from each other. Behind Wolfheart, Dawnflight noticed Blackwing's dark, feathery form pad into view. Blackwing gave the two she cats a small smile. Then, she called out to Leafstep, who was still busy hiding his medicine supplies.
"Look who I found!" Blackwing meowed out to her mentor. Leafstep stopped and turned to face his apprentice. Leafstep let out an audible, relieved sigh.
"Good. We need as much help as we can get. Blackwing, help Timberclaw put these leaves under these rocks."
Without another word, Blackwing step passed Dawnflight and Wolfheart and scooted down next to Timberclaw. The three cats turned their backs towards the entrance and hid the medicine. Dawnflight looked back at Wolfheart, who seemed to have a pensive expression.
"I convinced the other warriors that I would try to raid the medicine den," Wolfheart started, "that should keep others away from here for a while. But I'm not sure how long that will be."
The slim, gray she cat poked her head out of the medicine cats' den and quickly drew it back in. Her green eyes sparkled with worry.
"WindClan is starting to retreat a little," Wolfheart mewed, "eventually I'll have to flee with them."
Blackwing and Timberclaw turned away from their task and approached the two she cats by the entrance. Timberclaw padded a few steps ahead, blocking the opening.
"We've finished hiding everything." Timberclaw said. Blackwing nodded beside him. Her azure gaze held a small glimmer of relief. Wolfheart pushed herself aside from Timberclaw and stepped out into RiverClan's camp. She turned towards Dawnflight and Timberclaw, a serious expression lining her features.
"I have to go now, I need you guys to scratch me up so Goldenstar doesn't think I was a coward."
Dawnflight hesitated.
Am I really willing to hurt a friend?
As if sensing her unease, Wolfheart gave her friend a small nod.
I guess I have to.
Dawnflight slashed Wolfheart across the muzzle, drawing a fair amount of blood in the process. Wolfheart winced slightly, but otherwise looked unbothered. With her other set of claws, Dawnflight gave the WindClan warrior a long, shallow scratch down her shoulder. Timberclaw stiffened himself beside the she cats and gave a bite her near the chest and pulled off some fur near her flank. Satisfied with the results, Wolfheart meowed her thanks. Blackwing and Leafstep gave Wolfheart a quick nuzzle before she leapt back out into the battle. Timberclaw and Dawnflight followed her. As the trio leapt over the small streams back towards the heart of RiverClan, Wolfheart turned around and hissed to Timberclaw.
"Pretend that you're chasing me off!"
The brown tabby tom nodded and pelted after the lanky, grey warrior. Wolfheart let out a convincing yowl of alarm and forced herself through the reeds. Timberclaw gave a hearty hiss and leapt after her. When both cats were out of sight, Dawnflight looked around for Waterstar, but instead found a white, WindClan tom holding down a RiverClan cat. Dawnflight's heart sank when she recognized the dappled pelt and shrill meows of her own apprentice!
"Pebblepaw!" Dawnflight yowled as she barreled into the muscular, white warrior. The WindClan cat bit her ear and sliced her nose, causing blood to drip down the side of Dawnflight's face. The silvery queen growled clawed the soft fur beneath his eye. The tom growled back at her, and reached forward to retaliate, but was dragged to the dusty ground by Pebblepaw. His golden gaze swam with triumph as his claws hooked into the warrior's white fur. Pebblepaw jumped on top of the white tom and clawed at his flanks. Yowling in frustration and defeat, the WindClan warrior shoved Pebblepaw off of his back and nearly knocked Dawnflight on her side in his scramble to escape. With a protective, motherly feeling sweeping over her, Dawnflight rushed towards her apprentice and licked him on the cheek. Pebblepaw purred and nuzzled his mentor's forehead.
"Dawnflight! You're ok! I knew you'd come and save me. I remembered everything you taught me! I even the leap and hold technique right."
For an apprentice who had been fighting multiple enemies and sported lots of bleeding cuts over his spotted pelt, Pebblepaw was surprisingly energetic. Dawnflight purred at him, wishing she shared his vigor. Sighing and finally taking a breath, Dawnflight gazed at her apprentice.
"Good, job! I'm proud of you. You've been a true warrior today, Pebblepaw."
Pride lit up on the gray dappled tom's face.
"Thank you, Dawnflight. I wouldn't have been able to defend our camp without your training. I was so worried when I couldn't find you. I was sure WindClan had taken you hostage!"
The two cats chuckled for a heartbeat. Dawnflight smirked.
"Oh, I don't think those skinny things are strong enough to haul off a heavy cat like me." Dawnflight mewed. Pebblepaw titled his head to the side.
"Oh, right! Your kits are making you heavier, aren't they? When are you going to move into the nursery?" Pebblepaw asked.
Dawnflight paused and blinked. She didn't have an answer to her apprentice's question. Considering that Pebblepaw was able to notice her pregnancy, she would have to stop her warrior duties soon. Though, the thought of her having kits filled her stomach with a seed of dread, especially with the memory of her first litter still present in her mind.
Dawnflight was about to form her answer when a screech stilled the air. Dawnflight and Pebblepaw abandoned their previous space and rushed to the heart of camp! Cats from both WindClan and RiverClan stood rigid with shock. Dawnflight pushed her way through the crowd, trying to make space for Pebblepaw to stand next to her. The silver and white queen gaped at the sight before her.
Waterstar lay curled over the ragged body of Mossclaw. Her jaws were smeared with blood and golden striped fur lay on the ground near the two cats. Goldenstar lay close to the RiverClan leader's head with a bleeding gash along her throat. Dawnflight's heart twisted at the pitiful wails Waterstar bellowed out into the camp. The RiverClan cats bowed their heads mournfully. A few WindClan cats did the same out of respect for the fallen warrior. A few heartbeats after, Goldenstar coughed. The gash on her throat knitted back together and was no longer bleeding. Dawnflight braced herself in case Goldenstar would go so low as to attack Waterstar while she was mourning her now dead mate. Pebblepaw stiffened beside his mentor. His sides trembled and Dawnflight could her his worried, saddened breaths at the sight.
Waterstar, in tears, glared at Goldenstar as she shakily stood up. The golden WindClan leader stared back at her. Her emerald green eyes looked blank for a moment while studying Waterstar's anguished face. Goldenstar narrowed her eyes when the situation soaked in. The tabby warrior let out a huff.
"So, this is how it ends." Goldenstar mewed with an eerie calm. Waterstar curled her lips into a snarl.
"If you think we're going to give up herbs for you know, you're sorely mistaken."
Waterstar's response shook with sorrow, though Goldenstar seemed unmoved.
"I won't forget this, Waterstar. WindClan, we're leaving!"
With her final meow, Goldenstar stalked out of RiverClan's camp. WindClan cats streamed out after her. The camp, while generally unharmed, seemed desolate to Dawnflight now. Pebblepaw rushed over to his siblings, leaving Dawnflight's side. Other RiverClan cats reunited with their friends and families as well, letting out relieved purrs and mews. Blackwing and Leafstep leapt out into the center of camp, gathering the injured towards them. RiverClan seemed to be jumping back to normal, though Dawnflight still felt shaken and chilled.
Numbly, the grey queen padded over to Waterstar, whose face was still buried in her dead mate's dappled fur. Dawnflight laid her tired body close to her leader, making sure their pelts were touching. Dawnflight began licking the blood off Waterstar's fur, though the pale gray cat barely noticed amongst her sobs. Dawnflight pressed her face into Waterstar's pelt, wordlessly trying to give some sort of comfort and companionship to the mourning warrior. Dawnflight whispered meows into her leader's fur.
"I'm sorry I wasn't their earlier. But I'm here now. I'll always be here now."