Chapter 57: Siren of Thunderclan
Darkstripe's top three orders that he hated following were in order, don't move, watch over this injured cat, and retreat. Here he was stuck in the medicine den having to complete two of those three orders. Every cat in camp was busy preparing for an invasion by those giant dogs, so Darkstripe was left alone in the medicine den with orders to yowl if something changes with the two apprentices. It was somehow both mind numbing and stressful for the experienced warrior. From his experience, wounds could turn sour in an instant within the first few days of having them. Infection could sneak in to even the most well-dressed wounds if a cat was not careful, but he wasn't allowed to move, to peek, to assuage his worry. Instead, he could only listen to their breathing. That sick whistle from Swiftpaw was nerve wracking. He wasn't breathing entirely clearly, but he was stable. It was a tense vigil.
Longtail decided to check on the cats in the medicine den since Cinderpelt and a patrol were gathering last-minute herbs. What he found inside was his old mentor. Darkstripe had his eyes open, watchful and waiting. Longtail had seen this look before. It was the same way Darkstripe looked before a battle, the inevitable clash of claws and spreading of blood. Darkstripe was waiting for something to go wrong. It showed with how his pelt was slightly standing on end and his muscles were tense. Longtail looked longingly at his injured apprentice wishing he had time to comfort the cat, but currently his old friend needed the aid more.
Longtail settled himself by Darkstripe. The cat hadn't even glanced at Longtail, his vision fixed on the two apprentices. Longtail knew not how long Darkstripe had been watching, but the way his muscles felt in their tension reminded him of the dead. He'd gone stiff with tension from observing too long. Longtail could only answer the one way he knew how. Darkstripe had a weakness only Longtail knew. Longtail began grooming Darkstripe while humming a nursery rhyme. He could hear Darkstripe mutter the lines quietly as he set the melody.
Hush now dear kitten,
The stars are out,
It is time to sleep,
Tomorrow will bring,
All new things,
And we will play,
But until then,
We must stay,
And wait for the day,
Let us now dream,
Of a million things,
The freedom it brings,
Then we can see,
What we could be,
So, hush now dear kit,
Let's wait for the day.
Darkstripe had gone lax over the course of the melody. His eyes were drooping heavily. It was an old trick taught to him in privacy by Darkstripe. Sometimes he needed to be coddled like a kit. This was also one of the only times he'd hear Darkstripe's feminine but melodious voice without him deliberately lowering it or adding gruffness to it. Longtail enjoyed these moments as much as Darkstripe did. If Longtail heard that same voice elsewhere, he'd swear it was a river siren luring him away. It was one of his own secret joys to behold such singing. He let his own mind drift back to his kithood and apprentice days.
Long before Fireheart joined the clan, Longtail was known as Longpaw. Even before then, he was Longkit. One old legend the elders told was of the river siren who wandered the forest. It was told the siren had an irresistible voice. No cat had ever seen the siren.
Longkit woke from a nightmare in the nursery to hear a melody drifting in on the wind. His own curiosity got the better of him as his nightmare faded from memory. He quietly snuck free from his mother's presence and emerged from the nursery. The voice lingering in the camp was unintelligible, but it was filled with emotion. Even though he didn't know what the voice was singing, it held a deep sadness and feelings of betrayal. Despite that, underneath it all, was a quiet hope. It was how every line sung was soft and dissonant but would swing up a tinge at the end of the line. It was a hope for change, for something to stop.
Longpaw followed the voice out of camp. Its words were clearer, but the emotion they carried drowned out the original meaning. It was just old nursery rhymes, but these were said, not with the purpose of conveying the words, but to vent the emotions the singer was bearing. In truth the words didn't matter. It was the melody that was important. It spoke so much of suffering and pain, but it also whispered of happiness to come. If he could explain the idea of the melody, it would be that it was a solemn wish.
Finally, Longtail caught sight of the singer. The cat was not full grown. The form sat uncaring of the world, venting all that it was out into the darkness. He quietly padded forward to get a better glimpse of the siren. The fur was dark and a faint stink of medicine hung around the cat. Finally, he had gotten close enough. It was not a siren. It was the senior apprentice Darkpaw. On him clung cobwebs thick with herbs. His scent slightly stank of blood.
He dared not move away. Darkpaw had always been known to be aloof and standoffish. He did not play with the kits or other apprentices. It was always like the apprentice had something better to do. Darkpaw must have noticed his presence as his head turned to observe the kit. They did not bear that same coldness he saw when kits asked him to play. Instead, he saw that same feeling and tone the melody had carried. Quietly he walked up and sat next to the apprentice. Darkpaw did not seem to mind as he began singing again. It wasn't quite the same now. It didn't feel lonely. Longkit found himself humming along as the apprentice continued singing. Then it was over. It had petered out like the end of rainfall. Darkpaw gestured for the kit to follow, and he guided the kit back to camp.
From then on, Longtail and Darkstripe had something special. Longkit would be woken up by the apprentice with a gentle nudge and they'd go out of camp to sing. It had no real purpose, but it was their thing. When Longkit was apprenticed to Darkstripe, he'd thrown most of teaching the apprentice to Whitestorm, but there was one thing he didn't give up. They'd keep going out to sing out their feelings. It was cathartic to be able to vent out all his frustrations, sadness, everything when they went out. It was how he knew Darkstripe feared being a bad mentor. It was how he knew Darkstripe was willing to take risks, but feared what consequences they bring. Everything came out on those nights.
A few nights after Greystripe was born, they left to sing. It was one of the most memorable melodies he'd ever heard. The melody for once sung of such a deep love, but on top of that was an intense heartbreak and feelings of betrayal. Longpaw at the time had always noticed how Darkstripe looked at Willowpelt, but he had never broached the topic. When he heard the song, he knew the truth. Darkstripe desperately wanted to love then, but his own isolation and feelings of betrayal kept his heart locked away. It was one of the few nights Darkstripe let himself be touched. Longpaw groomed him. His own words could not give an answer to what Darkstripe felt. He could only convey that he was still here for him. They fell asleep out there instead of returning to camp. The excuse they gave was to practice night hunting, but the way Bluestar and Whitestorm looked at them hinted that they knew the truth.
Longtail left his sleeping mentor with a smile. They shared a unique bond that required no words. They were a duet who knew each other more than they knew themselves. Longtail sung of truth and actions while Darkstripe was the bearer of feelings of which there was always hope.