The clan stood dumbfounded in the clearing, staring at the place where Greysight had been standing just moments before. Roseclaw blinked out of her stupor and hurried toward the elder's den, letting out a wail as she saw what awaited her inside.
Mintpaw stood between Moonfur and Browneyes, her tiny frame shaking as she looked up at the pale she-cat with wide, glistening eyes. Moonfur could only look back down at the apprentice with her own sorrowful expression as they waited for Roseclaw's return.
Browneyes watched the elder's den anxiously, looking between it and his clanmates while Darkpelt stood emotionless, a stony expression set in place. Thistleprick and Raggedear stood to the side, and the calico tom shook his head in despair. They were too late.
Roseclaw padded out of the elder's den with a pained expression, hardly meeting the eyes of her clanmates. "Longtail is dead." she meowed sadly, blue eyes moving to look toward Mintpaw sympathetically.
The small cream colored she-cat let out a small gasp, her eyes growing wide and her body beginning to tremble lightly. Lostheart stood to the side of the group, having watched the entire exchange silently from afar.
Longtail was dead.
The she-cat had never been particularly kind to her, but she couldn't help the small twinge of sadness she felt. If not for Longtail, then for Greysight. She had just lost her mother. It was a feeling that Lostheart had not forgotten to this day, as it forever plagued her memories.
The shadow, the crack, the blood...her mother's last smile.
"I have to go after Greysight." Roseclaw meowed, turning towards the dark trees. Moonfur blinked, looking away from the apprentice that was now sobbing into her fur. Roseclaw met Moonfur's eyes and she suddenly seemed to deflate, seeing her heartbroken apprentice.
Looking between Mintpaw and the forest, Roseclaw padded back towards Mintpaw, pulling the apprentice close to her. "Shhh. It'll be alright, Mintpaw." she meowed softly.
Mintpaw moved from Moonfur to bury herself in Roseclaw's fluffy, white pelt. "I want my Mom..." she sobbed. Moonfur gave the apprentice a sympathetic glance before meeting Roseclaw's eyes.
"...Should I?"
"No. You need to stay in camp for your kits." Roseclaw meowed.
Browneyes and Darkpelt had already moved to bring Longtail out of the elder's den to prepare the vigil, while Raggedear and Thistleprick stood by wondering what, if anything, they could do.
"Do you want us to go find her?" Thistleprick meowed, stepping forward. Roseclaw shook her head, "No. Greysight is very fragile right now, I don't think it would be best for you to-"
"I'll go."
Four sets of eyes turned in surprise to hear Lostheart's quiet voice. The she-cat padded up to the group, her ever present expression set in place. She glanced briefly at Mintpaw's crying form, but quickly met her sister's eyes.
"I'll find her."
Moonfur and Roseclaw were both silent for a moment, but each conceded with a small nod. Without another word, the lithe, black she-cat turned away from the group and quickly disappeared into the same darkness that had previously swallowed Greysight's form.
Moonfur continued to stare into the trees. She knew that if anyone could bring Greysight back, it was Lostheart. An eerie sort of silence then took over the camp as the Darkpelt and Browneyes laid Longtail in the center of the clearing in preparation for her honorary vigil.
A loud caw quickly broke Moonfur from her thoughts, and she looked up to see a large, black crow watching from an overhanging branch. She watched it for a moment in silence, before turning away and focusing on Longtail's body once more.
From behind, she could hear the flutter of wings, signaling it's departure; and for a moment, everything was silent.
"What's going on out here?!"
The branches whipped at her face, but Greysight didn't care. She needed to get away. It felt almost like déjà vu as stumbled blindly through the forest, too upset to focus on her surroundings. It was as if her entire world was spinning on it's edge.
Her paws quickly began to stumble, causing Greysight to trip over herself and barely catch her balance against the side of a tree. She breathed heavily, her heart pounding in her chest. Slowly, the she-cat slid down to the ground, letting out a cry of frustration.
'Why did she lie to me?!
Tears slowly began to trickle down Greysight's face, staining her pelt. More than anything, she felt frustrated, and angry. "Why does StarClan keep doing this to me?!" she yowled, tearing into the dirt with her claws. 'Was being blind not enough?!'
She had always thought Longtail loved her, but now she felt more confused than ever. If Longtail wasn't really her mother, then who was? Where did she come from? Was she even a clan cat at all?
The thought nearly made her heart stop all at once. She had always dreamed of being a warrior...but what if she didn't have warrior blood at all? Why didn't Longtail tell her?
Greysight wanted to hate the she-cat. She wanted to hate her for lying to her, and raising her to believe a story. But...
Another tear rolled down her face, staining her claw marks now embedded in the earth. Greysight blinked in an attempt to clear her jumbled mind, now trying to figure out what this all meant. 'This means...Mintpaw isn't my little sister...' Sunstar wasn't her father, and she wasn't related to Lostheart.
The thought of Mintpaw hurt her the most, what would she tell her? She had been so happy to be a big sister, but she had been cheated. Both she and Mintpaw.
What would happen now?
She allowed herself to sink further into the ground, laying on her stomach feeling completely and utterly alone. 'I don't even know who I am anymore...'
The sound of pawsteps echoed behind her, causing Greysight's ear to twitch. She had been so upset she hadn't even felt the approach of another cat.
"Go away." she hissed venomously, not even bothering to look at the other cat. Greysight became increasingly frustrated as the cat stood there, not moving an inch. Growling, Greysight rose to her paws, unable to stop the tears dripping down her face.
She whipped around to face the other cat, fur bristling. "I said go away!"
"Is that what you want?"
Slowly, Greysight's fur fell flat as she recognized the voice. "Lostheart..."
Lostheart stood silently for a moment, taking in Greysight's disheveled form. "We're going to hold a vigil for Longtail soon...Mintpaw is very upset, she needs you."
'Mintpaw...' Greysight's dull eyes seemed to fall for a second before narrowing into angry slits. "You don't understand!" she hissed. "Everything I've known is a lie! She lied to me!" Greysight's eyes shut painfully. "I'm not Longtail's kit, and Mintpaw isn't my sister!...I had always thought-but she told me...in her final breath."
Lostheart stood quietly for a second, blinking slowly as she processed Greysight's words. A part of the strangely eyed she-cat felt surprised, but another seemed to accept the information without question. It was just...Longtail had always been so protective of her.
"...Not Longtail's kit?" Lostheart questioned.
Greysight hung her head low to the ground, despite her blindness, she didn't think she could meet Lostheart's gaze. "No. It was all a lie. Everything!" she hissed, digging her claws into the ground. "How could she do this to me?! I have no real family!"
Greysight shook her head violently, she was too confused. It felt like her body was going to explode. 'I can't take this...'
Lostheart watched as the blind she-cat let out a long breath and padded back over to the trunk of the tree, leaning back and letting out a heavy sigh as she stared up through the canopy with sightless eyes.
'I thought she loved me...Everything she said, everything we did together...Did it all mean nothing?'
"I don't know what to believe anymore."
Greysight felt Lostheart's pawsteps as the she-cat moved toward her, sitting down by her side. Lostheart was silent for a moment as she followed Greysight's gaze up through the trees. A single opening shone through the darkness, revealing the warm orange light of sunset.
They sat like this in peace for a few minutes, simply listening to the sounds of the forest around them, watching as the sun's warm glow faded from the sky.
"...Family...isn't about whose blood you carry."
Greysight blinked slowly, turning her head away from the canopy and listening impassively to Lostheart's words.
"...It's about who you love, and who loves you."
Greysight was silent, her jaded eyes revealing nothing of what she was thinking, or feeling. She felt Lostheart rise to her paws beside her, and as the she-cat turned toward her, she did the same. Then the two black she-cats walked in silence through the forest, returning to DarkClan's camp, Greysight mulling over Lostheart's words in her head. As she walked, she turned her head toward the sky, where she knew that despite the cover of the trees, the stars of Silverpelt were shining brightly over them.