The WindClan Tragedy [ALL CLAN!]

[Suma♥]

Night had only just began to swallow the sun whole on the horizon of WindClan's grassy moors when a lamenting moan echoed through the camp, an eerie sound that left people in awe and misery. Mintreverie sat mourning over the cold, still body of Whitestar, while her brother, Resilientfrost, sat quiet in the shadows of the Medicine Cat's Den, void of its necessary workers, staring at the slowly stilling body of his father.

Whitestar had died at approximately moonhigh, and no one had thought to check on her. The cause of her death was uncertain. The cause of Shadefrost's soon-to-be-death was because he was growing old. Very old. He was reaching his end, and he knew it. His breath was ragged and slow, his body was trembling, but he was not afraid to die. No. He welcomed death with hungry eyes. He wanted to see his love again.

"Father..." Resilientfrost murmured softly, "what will become of the Clan? You were to be our leader... Whitestar is dead, now you're dying. What can WindClan do without a leader?" Resilientfrost stared out of the den to where Mintreverie stood, arranging a small group of Whitestar's nearest friends to have a burial ceremony. He glanced back at the sound of his father's deep breath, and then the gravelly voice of faint speech.

"My son... Resilientfrost..." Shadefrost opened his eyes, staring ahead at a dark crevice in the den's wall. "I knew when Whitestar chose me that I wouldn't survive to lead this Clan... I was too old and frail already... I couldn't..." For a moment, it seemed like Shadefrost had already faded away, but then he took in another breath and said, "But I knew... that you could."

Resilientfrost's emerald eyes shot wide. "Father, no..." he whispered.

"I say these words... before the spirit of Whitestar..."

"No, Shadefrost, please!"

"So that she may hear and approve my choice..."

Stunned into silence and submission, Resilientfrost watched his father breathlessly.

"Resilientfrost will be the new deputy... the new leader..." His eyes began to flutter shut, and he finished with all the effort he had left, "of... WindClan."

At the death of his father, the world Resilientfrost knew and loved began to crash down, but the dreamer he knew as Mintreverie pulled him out of the darkness that had nearly consumed him in only moments. As Shadefrost had uttered his final command, Mintreverie had slipped into the darkness. Her eyes, usually so lively, full of spark and fight, were dull and cold.

"You are the new leader of WindClan," Mintreverie murmured serenely, staring right through her brother. "There's no need to be afraid. We'll be guiding you the whole way." She glanced to the entrance of the den, to where others were watching them.

[Smoke]

A young orange she-cat had her head down. Shadefrost had been a loyal warrior, brave deputy and a great cat in total. She looked up to the new deputy, now leader. She smiled up to him.

"Mintreverie is right, all of WindClan know that you are the rightful leader of WindClan and will stand up with you until our last breath. You will be a great leader Resilientfrost." Lavawind smiled and gave a bow of respect to her new leader.

[Suma♥]

Sheepishly, Resilientfrost dipped his head gratuitously to Lavawind. He wondered if his mother knew... Firesong was in StarClan now. Maybe she'd planned this since the moment she'd risen to the heavens. Resilientfrost found himself looking at the sky, and Mintreverie followed his gaze. The moon was beginning to show now, a luminous orb in the night.

"They're together now," Mintreverie whispered, her mint eyes thoughtful. They had to be without each other for so long, but they're finally home. They're home... She began to purr thoughtlessly, a little smile creeping across her face.

[icefur]

Nightfury watched the others from a distance, feeling strangely detached from what was happening. The small black she-cat felt a terrible grief well up in her throat, for both Whitestar and Shadefrost. One had been her leader, the cat she had looked up to most. Then, there was Resilientfrost and Mintreverie's father. She had not known him as well as his kits, but he had been a noble warrior and deputy.

She turned away, guilt confusing her sadness. The young warrior wondered if Shadefrost would have wanted his son to be the mate of a cat of her heratige. She belonged to not one, but three Clans by birth. Taking this thought and shoving it to the back of her mind, she pushed herself up onto her white paws and padded over to where her mate and his sister sat, stilled by their grief and shock.

[Suma♥]

At sight of Nightfury, Resilientfrost turned to her, pressing his forehead against her neck and sighing. A silvery tear slipped off of his white face, but that was all that he would allow. He nuzzled her once before raising his head and calling out hoarsely to the Clan, "It is my honor, an honor that comes with much sorrow, to travel to Highstones tonight and take my place as the leader of WindClan. Nightfury will accompany me. Mintreverie will be in charge of the camp while I'm gone." Mintreverie and Resilientfrost exchanged a look, and then Mintreverie nodded.

Resilientfrost pressed his nose into his father's fur one last time, his eyes clouding with grief. "You were the greatest Warrior I ever knew. The Clan will miss you greatly..." Shaking his head softly, feeling the creeping death in his father's fur crawling over his muzzle, he whispered more quietly, "I'll miss you the most." Resilientfrost turned and slipped out of the Medicine Cat's Den, his tail-tip brushing Nightfury's shoulder softly. She and Mintreverie now had to be second after the Clan. How could he do that to them? He was the only thing either of them had left. Well, Mintreverie had her dreaming, but she still needed him, whether she knew it or not.

[hawkfire]

Wonderspirit stood watching the gathering of sad cats silently, but he knew that he was part of it as well. Even though Shadefrost had been his adopted father, he thought that he should ot say anything to his real children as they talked. He bowed his head, then looked up to the sky. He gasped as a shooting star went by. The starry cats were beckoning wonderspirit to move forward. He walked over to Resilientfrost. "I think that it is time for you to go. You don't have time to waste; WindClan needs their leader. I think the starry cats- I mean StarClan... needs to see you." He paused. "ALL of StarClan." He smiled. He meant to say that Shadefrost was waiting to speak to Reslientfrost. Wonderspirit had always had a silent attachnent to the "starry cats", even if he was no medicine cat.

[Suma♥]

Resilientfrost blinked as Wonderspirit stepped forward, and he nodded solemnly. "I will. Thank you, Wonderspirit." He turned and looked around at the Clan. "I'll be back by sunhigh tomorrow. Nightfury," his voice lowered to a soft, loving murmur, "Let's go now."

[icefur]

Nightfury dipped her black head in acknowledgement and touched her nose to Resilientfrost's. His emerald eyes were dulled with grief and moist, like her own. She knew that the white tom's sorrow was much deeper than her own, but she also knew how he felt, and empathised with him. The unmistakible scent of death and Shadefrost's limp body reminded her painfully of her own father's death.

He had died the day before her apprentice ceremony, killed by foxes. Nightfury had been devastated; he had been her only living family. Her mother had died giving birth to her. The black polydactyl could remember lying beside her father's body, all night long. The little warrior she-cat now rested her tail on her mate's shoulder. "I'm so sorry," was all she managed to say, as she fought to choke back tears.

[Suma♥]

Resilientfrost shook his head. "Don't be sorry," he whispered hoarsely. He stopped again for a moment and pressed his forehead against hers, staring deep into her eyes. "Though one light has left my life, another more brilliant shines before me now." He brushed his muzzle along her cheek and meowed, "Promise you'll always be by my side and I'll do everything I can to keep your light shining. The Clan won't get in the way of how I love you, if you just promise to let me be yours forever." He licked her ear and waited for her answer, watching her eyes carefully.

[hawkfire]

Wonderspirit watched them go. He turned to Mintreverie. "I'll be sitting vigil. If you need anything, just... let me know." Wonderspirit turned from his adopted sister and sat down silently by Shadefrost.

[Suma♥]

Mintreverie nodded once. She gazed around the camp of confused and heart-broken WindClan cats. Her Clanmates. This was the first time she'd had to come to grips with reality since her mother had died. She didn't like the feeling. Sorrow. Guilt. Anger. Regret. Yet, somewhere in the midst of the turmoil, there was peace and happiness. Father's in a better place now, Mintreverie reassured herself.

[icefur]

Nightfury felt determination swelling inside her. Determination to protect the Clan, to ever be by Resilientfrost's side, to never leave him. "I promise," she whispered fiercely. The black she-cat licked her mate's cheek and let her fourteen front claws slik into the ground. Any cat who wished to harm the white tom in any way would have to face her first. The young warrior knew that Resilentfrost's path would be long and hard, but she vowed to walk with him every step of the way. Even if she could not hare dreams with StarClan as he would have to.

[Suma♥]

Choked with emotion, Resilientfrost pressed his cheek against Nightfury's, and then he stepped back, mewing, "We better get to Highstones if we want to make it back by sunhigh tomorrow. Let's go." He turned and moved towards the entrance at a brisk pace. "Moonhigh's near, too. We have to reach Highstones before the moon begins to set or I won't be able to speak with StarClan."

[icefur]

The black she-cat glanced at her mate, and for the first time that day, a small, sad smile crept across her face. "We'll have to run, run like the wind itself," Nightfury told him, as she troted towards the entrance, her shorter legs not stopping her from keeping up with Resilientfrost's longer stride.

[Suma♥]

Feeling his powerful muscles ripple under his pelt, Resilientfrost breathed, "That, my love, is why we are WindClan." Stepping out of camp and into full moonlight, he waved his tail like a starting beacon and shot off like a bolt, kicking up dust as he sped up to his full potential, looking back over his shoulder to watch for Nightfury.