The Sunlapse (A Light in the Mist AU/rewrite)

VII

Song of the Chapter
Dark Tranquility - In Tears Bereaved

Over lone hills, and over sorrowful woods, night enwrapped the sky. How the curse of death had claimed his friend, now slain by Ashfur, and nevermore would he feel the love of Rootspring's presence. How that vile spirit had left him lone under an elderly moon, with eyes that forevermore would overflow with tears from the curse he'd been deserted with.

Yet, now that Tree's words had met his ear, a dawn arose over the lakes vast within his heart. Even though the dark atmosphere, healed only by the enlightened flock of stars still held the crowd. But deep in his hope's depths, dread and woe together dwelled, in an omen to invade.

"Wait, his spirit might still be alive? Really?" Bristlefrost gasped, with hope flickering in her gaze through the veil of darkness upon her face.

"The Sisters are with us," Tree spoke. "And they have the ability to summon his spirit. It's midnight, when the summoning ritual may work."

Tree's companions now stood around him, with forms large and powerful. Soon, a circle in the darkness had been created, and with no dawning it began. "Oh, spirit of Rootspring, come to us!"

And within a moment, their song struck his ears. Yet, a lullaby wasn't what was to be said of it, but more a lamentation. It burst like thunder through the abyss, and upon their cries for the lost soul to reach, winds began to pace. Like fragile wings they flew upon this night of dread, as though the spirit of Rootspring that they called to was soaring upon the clearing as a mere essence. Perhaps this hope was simply the imposter of denial, but somehow, the violent winds seemed like an omen of Rootspring's coming.

But alas, as through the mournful night their song echoed, the spirit of his friend did not show. No warmth had come to heal the wretched darkness. Only snowfall came on the shaded wilderness, with the majesty of the stars holding no light to behold. And yet, from the depths of his heart, a savagely wrath burst forth and gained force of him.

"You were supposed to summon him!" Shadowsight hissed to Tree, who's head bowed forth in woe. "Why couldn't you do it? My friend is dead, and you couldn't even let me meet him!"

"I'm...I'm so sorry. We...tried our best," Tree spoke in clear sorrow, dark eyes filled with fragile tears. Upon this sight, the wrath which tainted his soul vanished, and it left behind only pity, yet with his voice he could not speak of it.

Bristlefrost let out a lamentation which caught him in his woe, and he turned to see her, eyes alight with wild wrath. She turned and swiftly fled the miserable crowd, her form vanishing into the darkness. "Wait!" Ivypool called, and in dread she lurched forth toward the dark pathway her daughter had fled upon. Shadowsight, compelled by fear that Bristlefrost too would meet death, tossed himself forth to run after her as well.

They ran from the clearing once open to starlight and into a savage wilderness, its pathway shrouded in the black gloom of night. Ivypool dashed with more swiftness than he did, and poisonous thorns laid tangled in the frost, with the naked silhouettes of bare trees veiling their sight as they continued to run, guided only by Bristlefrost's scent through woods of the leafbare snow.

Until finally, Bristlefrost's shadow revealed itself to them, distant until she stopped upon the gloomy road. Her face turned to see theirs, nimble feet trembling upon the frozen earth. As the two finally stepped for her on the snow of ocean's hue, Shadowsight and Ivypool met her face of the nightly dyes.

"Bristlefrost! Where were you going? I know you were upset, but you shouldn't just run away like that!" Ivypool hissed, emotion bursting like a blast of thunder within her voice. Bristlefrost's fangs bared in fury, and she darted forth for Ivypool. Shock sent its waves turning through Shadowsight as her claws met her face, as though she was a gray eagle swiftly stretching its talons for helpless prey. Ivypool lurched back as her grip let go, and Bristlefrost turned to retreat once again.

"Bristlefrost!" Shadowsight howled as Bristlefrost vanished into the shade again, and Ivypool quickly rose from her stunned state, her face so dark in the melancholy shade that he couldn't sight any vermillion from her wounds. They turned, and swiftly ran through the tangled black again, until a river of glass stopped them in the midway of their path. Crystal composed the rivulet, and not dark water, but yet still the silhouette of Bristlefrost leaped out onto the ice.

Ivypool leaped forward, now in wrath, and dread of her peril flooded Shadowsight's soul. The ice broke apart beneath the weight of Bristlefrost's paws, with murky waters rolling from beneath the frost. The cracks in the black glass devoured the rest of the icy veil, with the river's dark fluids flowing freely again and barring them from reaching the shores that Bristlefrost pounced for, and now on the other side she glided into the freezing night, as if she was never to be found.

Shadowsight's head bent forth in terror and sorrow, only death itself could cast more bitter a feeling. Though demise, not even injury, had not come for Bristlefrost in his sight, it was bound to claim her within her soul's eluding through this vast woods. And with the wretched river barring them amid their path, there wasn't one way to pursue their benighted companion.

"We lost her," he spoke, the taste of Bristlefrost's vile doom poisoning his tongue. "I let Rootspring die, and now Bristlefrost's going to die too because of me."

"We need to get a search party," Ivypool hissed.  "Not all hope is lost for Bristlefrost. We can still get  some RiverClan cats to swim across, I really doubt she's going to die. I don't think she'll run too far for us, either. A cat walking all night? I'd like to see that!"

Shadowsight tried to dwell only in his await for discovery, but this hopeless woe had clasped his heart. If Bristlefrost still ran through this shadowy wood, not dead nor wounded, he wished to be within the band of cats seeking her. Already he'd let demise take one friend, and after that bitter tragedy, he would not let it take another within his eyes.