𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁.
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abandoned as a helpless kit and left to the mercy of the wild, hollyhockfang's early life was marked by solitude and struggle. found and nurtur...
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the heart-wrenching wail resonated within the back of hollyhockfang's mind as he sprinted across camp to the gathering crowd. cats stood should to shoulder in a large bundle, fur bristling in fear as one by one, everyone gradually congregated.
murmurs buzzed like bees around the ever-growing cluster of bewildered warriors.
toward the backside of the confused assemblage, hollyhockfang wrestled with a cascade of worrying thoughts. thoughts of what could have happened ran in his mind like a raging river, and he felt his fur prickle along his spine, and a lump settled in his throat.
sweetpaw approached. the she-cat padded lightly behind hollyhockfang, careful as to not spook him, as she could tell by his stiffness that he was on edge.
❝ has anyone said what's happened? ❞ she mewed quietly from behind him. the warrior turned, quickly shaking his head.
a heavy onset of thunderous paws carried in the quietness of the camp. mothroar darted past the both of them, his eyes ablaze with worry.
❝ move out the way! step aside! ❞ mothroar said with such urgency in his tone, and a deepened growl rumbled in his throat as he slithered his way through the crowd, all the way to the front.
the solemn stillness in the leaders' den spoke louder than the harrowing cry from brindlefur.
in the middle of his nest, stormstar laid still. his fur no longer rising or falling. the deputy couldn't believe the sight: his leader: a strong tom-cat, well-respected and adored, now cold and motionless, a rigid shell of his former self.
❝ stormstar... ❞ he barely murmured, before silence fell once again and everyone seemed to have ceased a breath in that moment.
❝ h-he'll, he'll, he'll wake up right, he will? he'll wake up?! ❞ brindlefur choked on her tears as she stared at the stiffened grey fur that lay in the centre of stormstar's freshly fluffed nest.
❝ i- he- ❞ the she-cat gargled. her chest heaved heavily with each breath. a strange, tightening feeling smacked her lungs. ❝ he was okay! he was fine, i was coming to give him some herbs. he-he... he complained of a sore throat! ❞ brindlefur wailed before dropping into stormstar's body, her nose deeply nuzzling into his fur.
❝ just give it a moment... ❞ mothroar uttered under his breath. silently, he prayed. his tail twitched over the medicine cat's back and he gently nudged for her to come closer into his embrace. mothroar held her close while she wailed and whispered to starclan to bring stormstar back.
mothroar's eyes narrowed. he stared down at his leaders body and tentatively raised a paw, pressing it firmly onto his side. no warmth. no heartbeat. just stillness.
terror flooded mothroar's veins and he drew in a long and shaky breath.
❝ he's dead! stormstar is gone! ❞ choked flypaw. the black apprentice stood stiffly and his eyes wavered over stormstar's body, before water glazed his eyes, and tears slowly trickled down. the tom-cat stood as still as a statue, smacked by a wave of shock, after he forced his way through the crowd.
