WindClan Camp

He’d been going through his herbs already, searching his vast stores of knowledge for what these wolves put on their dead. Finding a stranger herb, he nosed it back into its place, getting sidetracked. There’d been a pack of wolves very far to the north that had used that on their dead, and he had been sure to keep a sample of it in case he found it elsewhere in his travels. Shaking his head a little, he nudged that memory back away, and collected the herbs that Honeybadger had mentioned. Padding out in time to hear Larkstar’s orders, he ignored the pups that the elder was shepherding towards the nursery. Healthy pups were none of his concern, and neither were healthy adults. Murmuring quiet words that were from his own puphood and that his mother had taught him, he carefully tended to the body, laying Lilacsplash so that it looked like she was sleeping. She’d held on so bravely, long enough to wean her pups, and despite being stuck where she was, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t do what was normal for her body. Perhaps one day she’d escape, for he didn’t believe that she of all wolves would be stuck there forever. She’d been a smart female, she’d find her way out.

Finished with his job, he took a few steps back, aiming a narrowed look at the two warriors. “It’s been long enough,” he snapped, flicking his tail impatiently. Noticing the shadow that Wrenclaw had found, he gave a sigh. Great, another other-wordly thing to keep an eye on so the idiotic clan wolves wouldn’t freak out. “Chase it out and bury her,” he grumbled. Perhaps he’d take a stroll to the Moon Cave and see if there was anything he could learn from the other idiots in the sky. Although they could occasionally be helpful, he never really counted on them for anything.
Once Wrenclaw and Thornfur were busy with their job, the old greying wolf padded over in time to hear the end of Honeybadger’s story, a small rabbit in his jaws. Depositing it down next to Honeybadger, he surveyed the sleeping pups, satisfied that he didn’t have to do anything more with them. He was running low of a few herbs stocks, and he was planning to go for a wander that night and see what he could find, and just finally have some time to himself.

Bouncing to her feet, the little leggy pup danced over to the nursery, bolting in first and snuggling up as close as she could get in between her favourite wolf’s front paws. Watching Honeybadger eagerly, Blackpup focused on the story, committing it to memory like all the other stories she’d been told. Fascinated by it all, she had so many more questions, but a quick look at the other pups told her that question time was not now. Licking at the elder when she was nuzzled, she yawned widely and curled up happily wedged between Honeybadger’s front paws still. Spotting Ashfrost come in as she began to drift off to sleep, she studied him very curiously. All his mannerisms seemed to make so much more sense now, but she was still going to pester Honeybadger with questions later. After her nap.

Avalanchepup's blue eyes widened in shock at the sight of Lilacshade's lifeless body. The tiny white fluffy pup slowly padded over to her body and laid his forehead against her soft belly. He whimpered and whined and then fell into a silent vigil. Who was to be his mother now that she was gone? All her pups were more like strangers than they were adoptive siblings. He lowered his ears and closed his eyes, silently wishing he could hear her heartbeat once more, though he heard nothing and felt nothing but her now cold fur. He nuzzled her muzzle and licked it lovingly and then curled up at her side once going between her fore-legs and then he laid there, tears dripping from his eyes. He will miss her dearly, for she had protected him from the cold and was there for him up 'til now. He licked his lips and then covered his eyes with his soft fore-paws as his white body shook with his silent sobs.

What was he to do now? Was he to live on with her in memory or was he to find somebody else to call "mom"?

Lilacpup had been rather excited for the Clan meeting—she had never seen one before, after all. What would it be like? What would Larkstar tell them? She couldn't wait to find out. She took a seat close to the front of the crowd, her gaze focused on the WindClan leader expectantly. Oh yay, it's a ceremony! She had heard about these. One day, it would be her turn to step forward before she started on the path to becoming a warrior. For now, she was content to watch. The promotion of a new Clan deputy was quite interesting to see, as well. The pup cheered out with the rest of the Clan when the time came for it.

That must have been the end of the meeting. Lilacpup was about to leave in search of her siblings when Larkstar spoke up again. The mention of her mother caused Lilacpup to glance up. What did the leader have to say about Lilacsplash? Larkstar's next words caused Lilacpup's heart to plummet. "What...?" Her blue eyes were wide with shock. Surely Lilacsplash was fine? At that moment she heard Dappledpup crying, which further cemented the fact that Lilacsplash was gone. "But... but.... It can't be true." Her words were a whisper, hardly audible even to her own ears. Lilacpup stood still, her face devoid of emotion for a few moments before she started to sob. She tried to stop herself; she needed to be strong, especially for her siblings. She was the oldest.

At the thought of her littermates, Lilacpup glanced about for them, trying her best to keep from crying again. She noticed Honeybadger leading them into the nursery, and padded after them. The elder began to tell a story, but Lilacpup found it hard to focus on it. All she could think about was Lilacsplash, the one she'd been named after. How could she be gone, just like that? Lilacpup had seen her earlier in the day, and she'd been alive then. And now she wasn't. It took every ounce of restraint she had to keep from crying again. She shivered slightly and curled up next to her siblings, but she couldn't sleep. Not now.

Wrenclaw bristled at the stranger and raised his tail, his eyes narrowing even further. The ominous wolf-creature responded spitefully, throwing an insult at the male's intelligence. Although offended, Wren said nothing for a moment and simply watched, the ever present feeling of eeriness seeming to only intensify as the being took on a more wolf shape. "A Dark Forest wolf? But how could've it have gotten here?" He could figure out that whatever this 'wolf-creature' was, it was obviously something unnatural and from another realm. The way it moved and behaved, the way it took on different forms and slipped in and out of camp like some sort of liquid, these traits did well to identify it as something out of the physical and mortal coil of their reality. But the male could not understand how on earth such a being could even come to the physical world in the first place.
Ashfrost spoke up from behind him, telling him to chase it out immediately. The stranger made another sharp retort, this time to the Medicine Wolf, telling him not to stress his 'herby brain.' With those words the creature left, slipping out of camp as easily as it had snuck in.
"It said it was observing? It had what it needed for now?" The male felt something dreadful creep up his spine, an uncertainty to what the wolf was referring to. "It must be a scout for other Dark Forest wolves. If they are Dark Forest wolves that is." Since there existed Starclan and the Dark Forest, there were always the possibility of another realm existing that the clan wolves knew nothing about. Yet from the way the stranger had addressed him and its knowledge about the Medicine Wolf, Wrenclaw had an idea that the stranger may have had known or at least heard of clan life.
Turning away, the male decided that he would warn Larkstar about the danger after he and Thornfur were done burying Lilacsplash. Letting out a sigh, Wrenclaw padded over to the body of the queen and began to drag her away from the camp. The two warriors buried the she-wolf between camp and the Bristle Hollow, the ground near the hollow being soft and easy to dig up. When done, the brute and his clanmate returned to camp. Wrenclaw then made his way over to the Leader's Den, poking his head inside. Larkstar laid curled up on some bedding, her features appearing grieved and mournful. She twitched and vaguely moved her paws while she slept, a soft whine escaping from her muzzle. The male fronwed, feeling sorry for his sister who he had one time had been very close to. "I've been neglecting our relationship. If I'm going to be loyal like Weedfang said, I need to start being close to her again." Letting out another sigh, Wrenclaw stepped inside the den and prodded the she-wolf gently with his nose. "Lark? Wake up, you're only having a bad dream.." He nudged her some more, noticing for the first time some of the wounds she had recently gotten. "Where on earth did those come from?" He wondered, worry flickering in his gaze.

Deciding that yes, it was very much time to go for a wander and be away from the idiotic clan members, Ashfrost took a brief stock of his herbs and wandered out. It had been too long cooped up with others, and he was getting even grumpier than normal. Pleased that for once the pups were all quiet, and satisfied that no one else needed his immediate attention, the many hued grey wolf padded out of the camp, not even bothering to let anyone know where he was going. He was used to being on his own and fending for himself, and didn't see the point in having someone trot after him like a babysitter.

The brown fay slept with little peace, her thoughts restless and disturbed. She wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping, but the feeling of something prodding her made her eyes fly open and in a moment she was completely awake. She sat up and blinked at the male who had awoken her. "Wrenclaw?" She asked, her amber eyes meeting his. In his eyes she saw worry and the idea of something dreadful that had happened while she slept made her nervous. "What is it? Did something happen?" Lark still felt weary, but the sleep had been good for her. The wounds she had gotten earlier had stopped stinging, but there was still a dull ache that clung to her pelt. Wrenclaw seemed hesitant on telling her, but replied. "No one's hurt or anything. There was just... a stranger in camp a few minutes ago. They didn't have the scent of any clan, and I don't think they were...real?" He frowned as he tried to get his thoughts together, but the she-wolf felt a course of dread run through her as her brother continued. "They didn't appear physical and took on a different shape, but they were definitely a wolf." Larkstar felt some anxiety well up inside her, but she did her best to push the feelings down. Instead she gave Wrenclaw a long, hard look. "Are they gone now?" She asked, her voice steady despite her worries. "Yes, I chased them out myself." He replied, tilting his head somewhat. There was a long moment of pause before he continued. "You've seen them before, haven't you?" His eyes scanned the fay, gazing to each wound she had accumulated from the fight earlier. "Is that where you got all those wounds from?" There was a small amount of accusation in his voice, but it was mainly tinged with concern. The She-wolf sighed in reply and turned her gaze downward, feeling the same grief from earlier come back over her. "I've never been good at keeping secrets have I?" She responded, her voice softer. Wrenclaw still waited for an answer, so she continued. "I met them a while earlier, when I went out to search for Heavypaw. But not in the physical world. When I found Heavypaw, we were attacked by some twolegs. I.. well, I lost a life." She could almost feel her brother's piercing gaze as he stared at her in shock. "You lost a life?!" He parroted back, his voice low but filled with worry. Glancing at him, she could see the mixture of upset, hurt, and anger clear in his eyes as he processed what she said. "Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded, the anger in his gaze quickly giving way to more hurt.
Larkstar felt flustered and shook her head, letting out a sigh. "There was no need to, I was fine after, really. But when I did lose a life, I wasn't sent to Starclan. I.. met a dark forest wolf instead." The notion of unease came back to her as she recalled the traumatic event to mind. "I'm not sure why, but ever since the eclipse, the Dark Forest wolves have had an abnormal amount of power. And.. whoever has died since then has.. has gone to the Dark Forest, whether they deserve it or not." She finished quietly, her ears flat and her head facing downward in a somber position.
Before Wrenclaw could reply, Lark heard the sound of another she-wolf, her voice soft and full of grief. She listened as Embershard told her brother of tragic news, unaware that the leader was already awake. With widening eyes, Larkstar heard every word herself, feeling her heart beginning to shatter at the news. "No... Silentpup too?" She murmured, the same sentiments from earlier filling her with sorrow.

Diamondfang slowly trudged her way back into camp. Her eyes locking on the turmoil around her, a rabbit fresh in her jowls. Concern hinted at her features as she dropped the prey on the fresh-kill pile and went to see if there was any way to help. What in the name of StarClan had she walked in to? She hadn't been out of camp that long. "What's going on?" She asked with a softer demeanor as she headed towards Honeybadger who was telling the pups the story. Silentpup. Lilacsplash. "Is there any way I can help?" She could go get the pups some food, or find Ashfrost to find herbs to calm their minds for just a little bit.

Wrenclaw listened as his sister continued her explanation of events that had happened. "She... lost a life. Where was I when this happened? I don't remember her leaving. Was it during the eclipse?" Guilt coursed through him as he took in her words, feeling the weight of when he lost Weedfang crushing him back down. "If she wasn't a leader, she would have died already. I... I can't handle losing them both. Why wasn't I there to protect her?" He thought, anguish filling his heart as he reflected on the idea of both Lark and Weed dying so close together. He couldn't stand it. Especially if what Lark said was true about wolves automatically going to the Dark Forest when they died. "So I guess that means Lilacsplash went there..." He thought, finding the thought of the fragile queen ending up in that cruel place completely horrifying.
Embershard came up behind him, letting him know about the passing of Silentpup. "Another one?" He thought grimly, turning and briefly stepping out of the den to meet the fay's gaze as she spoke. She seemed hesitant to continue, but finally spilled the details of the young pup's death. "She was eating him?!" He replied back to her, giving a look of disgust and shock. She seemed very disturbed herself by the event, so Wrenclaw decided not to press her but instead dipped his head to her. "I'll let Larkstar know." He responded, watching as she padded off. The male then stepped back inside to deliver the bad news, but from the look of dismay on Lark's face, he could guess that she had overheard their conversation. Her murmured words confirmed it, and he could see tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She looked at him in agitation, lowering her head to gaze at the ground. Wrenclaw moved closer to her, dipping his head to her shoulder in a comforting manner while she grieved.

Diamondfang's maw turned to a frown as she gazed upon the children. It was tragic, losing a parent at such a young age. It wasn’t fair to any of them… not to the children and certainly not to Lilacsplash. Oh, how her children still had yet to grow and blossom into the warriors she knew they could be, or a medicine wolf if they so choose. She acknowledged Honeybadge’s words with a nod as she quickly sat back up, heading over to the fresh kill pile, grabbing two rabbits off the pile to take to the den for when they woke up, setting them down carefully near the elder and pups. “Just caught one of them myself… both still look fresh.”  Her mind instantly went to the children, how they were going to survive without their mother’s milk… it was something they’d have to figure out soon. “How did she pass? I saw her… it looked… I don’t even know how to properly describe it, Honeybadger…” The warrior was not often at a loss for words. She looked to the elder for some form of advice, or perhaps for an explanation. Many seemed to find themselves annoyed with her, but Diamondfang could see the wisdom of time in each of those who’d done their duty to the clan. Perhaps after this, she'd seek out Larkstar. The leader surely knew more about this, right?

Avalanchepup was currently sitting outside of the nursery. The fluffy white dog puppy was around apprentice-aged but he wasn't at all ready to become an apprentice yet. Plus he worried if his mentor would be prejudice against dogs. He felt as if he was the only dog here and he wasn't sure if he was. He stood up and groomed his fur slightly. His eyes had once been blue but now they had matured to their brown color he would have for the rest of his life. He didn't know what his name would turn into but he was certain it would fit it well. His curly tail was getting thicker-furred and it was starting to annoy him for he knew soon when it wagged it would get in the way of everything.

The woman was only drawn away from the pups to Embershard’s words. When the warrior turned to gaze at her friend, she saw hints of horror, a frown firmly planted on her muzzle as she nodded. “We’ll get something fresh for the elders and the pups.” She answered with one last gaze at the children. “I’ll be back, Honeybadger.” She murmured as she rose to her paws to follow the other warrior out, letting her pick the location. It’d been a long while since her own mother passed, and she’d never known her father… at least, not official if she ever had met them. She still knew that pain, and she’d help the pups as best as she could. She took off running. The breeze swept through her fur as she left camp with one last glance behind her at the bodies of her fallen clanmates.
~~Windswept Prairie~~