everything i've loved has turned to stone // P

[peach_mochi]

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thes code

ten moons old

[b]♦

[b]baby

[b]crow

At their arrival, Crow had watched as Heron went up to their mother to report the failure of their mission. Head lowering to the ground as his body soon followed. He hated hearing his mother scold his sister over the littlest things. He looked from his mother to his sister, wondering who he should follow.

With a yawn, he started to crawl towards his mother, he softly greeted her as he went to press his nose on her cheek. But the sudden screech of an unknown figure had snapped him from his tired daze at caused him to scramble back.

Fur standing on end, he stared with wide eyes at his mother, but seeing that she had the same confused horror on her face had made him understand that his mother had not been the one that screeched. Whipping around to find the source of the horrible noise, his claws dug themselves into the soft ground instinctively, shrinking back as he recognized the tom from before.

Watching in horror as Swiftclaw leaped towards Ravencloud, Crow stood where he was, hearing the shrill shrieking of his mother that turned to choked gurgling. His eyes had been fixed on the growing puddle that dripped from his mother's dark fur, as she slumped to the ground as the white tom left his grip slack. "[b]Momma" he managed to croak.

Crow was left paralyzed, his eyes stinging with tears as he was focused on the slowly advancing rouge, his white fur stained. Closing his eyes and letting a sob escape his throat, he whispered a short prayer that was quickly interrupted by another yowl and a shove, fur pressing against his body as he felt the harsh breeze of Swiftclaw's own body just missing him by a whisker.

He felt his claws strain against the movement, feeling as if they were torn from his paws, his eyes snapped open as he hit the ground and listened to Heron's frantic yell of an order. Following her frantic scrambling, Crow heaved himself onto his paws, wincing in pain as he weaved after his sibling. Reaching the small slope that exited the den, he paused to look back, feeling his mother's dead eyes piercing into his own, mouth gaped open in a frozen scream.

Holding his tears back, his eyes focused on Swiftclaw as he began to run towards him. Turning and pushing himself after Heron as they fled to the safety of an unknown territory's border. 

As they ran, everything felt slow and heavy, staring up at the ever changing sky. Heron's screaming at him to run faster felt so far away. The angry yowling of "get back here! wait till I get my claws on you!" felt muffled, the last scream of his mother being the only thing that filled his ears.

The path they took not too long ago led them to the strong markings of trees, seeing Heron jump over the invisible border so quickly and easily while Crow had paused and stared after his sister. Run, jump, hide. Get away from here.

It seemed like a moon past until they had finally lost the enraged rouge and had found safety in the base of some roots that gave way enough for the two siblings to curl up in. The night had been rough, full of loud sobbing and frantic licking of his paws, crying of the physical and emotional pain.

It felt like another moon had passed until Crow had tired himself out, weeping for his dead mother and had eventually blacked out. Their first real outing of the den had not been as bright and exciting as he had hoped it would have been. Instead, it had been full of scary noises, unfamiliar surroundings, an aching heart and body, and a crushed soul.

[finnibble]

s☼l

[table]

[peach_mochi]

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thes code

ten moons old

[b]♦

[b]baby

[b]crow

The deal that Honeybreeze had made with Turtlepaw to get him up extra early in the morning for a patrol had been to take him looking for a pretty rock he had seen a couple of days ago while he had been on a hunting patrol. She had said she'd help him look for it and let him take it back to the camp.

Another member of the family! I get to show Willowspots something new! the young apprentice thought, excitedly trotting along the small patrol made of three. Applepaw had agreed to join him and Honeybreeze as well. It was an exciting time, the birds were up and about, a few jumping from one branch to another, singing their songs as they did.

The gentle morning breeze made Turtlepaw a tad chilly, he had short fur that didn't help to warm him all that much. With a shiver, he pressed against Honeybreeze to share some warmth for a second before he dropped back to examine the area. His nose was raised to the air when he heard Honeybreeze stop in her tracks, listening. He froze and began to shrink back as he watched her head point to an area and she crept towards it.

Choking back a cry of a question, Turtlepaw soon followed after Applepaw. 

His chest grew tight as he began to pick up a new scent. It didn't feel right. It didn't belong. "[b]Honeybreeze?" the apprentice whispered, but fell silent as she quickened her pace when a scream sounded.

Tripping over his paws, Turtlepaw curled into himself, ears flat against his skull. "Honeybreeze! Applepaw! Are we under attack? Do I run back to warn the Clan?" he whimpered, but was reassured by a glance from both mollies and a shake of Applepaw's head as they ran towards the distressed scream.

--
When they arrived, Turtlepaw couldn't see what was in front of them, he only listened to the warrior as she spoke softly. Then turned to Applepaw when she then spoke. Squeezing himself in the middle of both, he peaked his head to see a seemingly frightened white cat. She didn't look much younger than him.

Glancing at Applepaw, he leaned to her, "Who is she?" he whispered, turning back to the white cat as she relaxed a tad. While being so focused on the white cat and her display of bristling fur, he had nearly missed the other cat. Turtlepaw blinked in surprise when he saw a tuft of black fur that went against the white fur of his sibling "Two?"

Growing more and more wary yet curious, the tom was tempted to go against his gut and run to the two cats in hopes of comforting them. But not seeing the second cat made him more nervous, why wasn't he reacting to their presence? For what he knew, the patrol could have been a mean patrol that would have chased them off their territory with a stern nip. The black tom just laid there, and from the slow reveal of him, he could see he was heaving, fur looking unkempt as both siblings looked underfed.

Pressing against Applepaw, he whimpered "I don't have a good feeling about this"

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s☼l

[table]

[peach_mochi]

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thes code

ten moons old

[b]♦

[b]baby

[b]crow

On the way to the camp, Crow limped after Heron, eyes glued to the ground as he took careful steps over the unfamiliar path. He refused to look at the new cats. He refused to look at his dear sister.

Tail dragging in the dirt and paws landing heavily, he winced at the source of such a scent, it filled his nostrils and choked him. Where are they taking us? Are they going to kill us? Is this a trick? He stopped and lowered himself to the ground, burying his face into the fluffy chest fur that stuck out the most. But with more urging to get him to his paws again, he stood and continued to follow.

At the camp, his ears were filled with near silence. Only soft whispers exchanged from the entrance of dens, but still he kept his eyes on the ground. He refused to raise his head, belly fur dragging, getting dirtier and dirtier with each step. His eyes stung with the threat of tears again as they approached the medicine cat's den.

---

---

Panting softly from the sprint back to the camp, Turtlepaw laid outside the elder's den with Willowspots sitting next to him. "[b]Son, you have to steady your breathing, or you'll run out of breath like this." they placed a paw on his side, "You can eat a bit more, I can nearly feel..." their voiced trailed as they saw Heron and Crow being led to the cozy den that healed so many before. They held their tongue as they saw the poor state both the kits were in, Turtlepaw shook the paw off of himself as he sat up, "We found them on a patrol. They were hiding in a small den made in the roots of a great tree." he reported, looking up with a tint of sadness "Do you think Froststar will allow them to stay with us?"

Feeling himself get antsy, he inched close to Willowspots, the elder already lowering their head to give the apprentice comforting licks, "I'm sure she will" they said between licks. Only pausing when Turtlepaw pulled away, "Do you know where Russetfur is? We weren't able to find the rock and want to ask if he can take me." the young tom was still set on getting the rock, it was going to be a gift for his dear friend.

Eyes lighting up and as his posture perked up, he then asked "Or Spottednose?" but was told that both had been sent on separate patrols.

---

---

Collapsing into the nest next to Heron, Crow only sighed at how comfy it was. The black tom then buried his face into the bedding and began to shake. We were followed! We were attacked, we watched our no good father rip his mate's throat out! he wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to go back to Ravencloud.

He stayed silent. Too tired to speak, to move, to think. Hell, he barely had the energy to breathe. And with that, he passed out once more.

[finnibble]

s☼l

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[peach_mochi]

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thes code

ten moons old

[b]♦

[b]baby

[b]crow

Feeling his sister digging into him, Crow squirmed. He didn't want to be touched, he couldn't handle being around anyone else, he just wanted to be alone. He wanted to go back to the den, he wanted to be back in his nest. He didn't care that this nest was much more comfy, he wanted to smell his mother one last time, before the stench of sickness took over. He wanted things to be like they were before, he wanted his momma, he wanted the comfort she showed, he wanted her back. He needed her back.

He stifled a cry when he felt the hot breath of a new cat on him. An unknown tom that smelled of earth, he had a calming scent, but it was unfamiliar. Strangers were dangerous. He should have remembered the lessons his mother taught him and Heron. Never trust strangers. If he hadn't cried to Heron on finding outside help, maybe his mother would still be alive. Or at least, she wouldn't have died the way she did.

Leave me alone. Let me die, I want to see momma

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---

After being comforted by Willowspots, Turtlepaw had gone to find another apprentice to play with, calmly walking around the clearing while he checked for anyone awake or still in camp before they went training. When he couldn't find anyone, he sighed and went to retrieve a rock from his nest and took it out, doing a little dance as he left the apprentice den.

But the excited little dance stopped eruptly when he noticed Heron glaring at him from the fresh-kill pile, eating a mouse from it. Shrinking back, he whimpered softly as he crawled towards the nursery, barely missing Honeybreeze as she went to greet the white newcomer. Looking up at Badgerfang, the calico set the rock down near her paws before he whispered a greeting and asking if he and Lizardkit could play for a while.

---

---

With the day continuing, a large tom pushed through the thickets with a soft grunt, annoyed of the path they had to take to secure that the territory was untouched by unwanted visitors. He raised his head and looked at his patrol, a warrior and her apprentice, as well a senior to him. With the four cats, they looped around the eastern part of the territory before heading back.

Although the warrior did fall back as he looked for a patch of flowers that were always blooming at this time of the year, always giving out a lovely smell. And as everyone in the Clan well knew the morning routine of him searching for the prettiest flower in the forest, the patrol went on without him, giving him some space. They would meet him back at the camp like always.

When the russet-colored warrior found a flower fit for his mate, he gingerly picked it from its stem and began to trot back to the camp, long tail waving in the air as he hummed a little tune. He imagined that the senior warrior would handle the report back to the deputy, Sparrownose, so he was in no hurry.

Back at the camp, Russetfur scanned the clearing for signs of his mate, a purr swelling in his chest as he spotted Turtlepaw batting a rock across the little area surrounding the nursery, Lizardkit running behind it as he did. Then he saw Honeybreeze, the love of his life. His purring grew as he watched her for a minute, admiring her beauty, before he looked down to see an unfamiliar coat pattern. His purr stopped as he began to walk over.

Greeting his mate first, the large tom purred as he began to fix the flower behind the ear of the gentle she-cat. Rubbing his cheek against hers before he looked down, a look of confusion and distaste, he felt a low growl coming. "[b]Who is this? They don't look familiar. Another barn cat, I assume?"

But before he could ask any more questions, he felt a set of small paws poking his back as a small apprentice climbed onto him, excitedly chattering his ear off, "Russetfur, you're back! Is it okay if you take me out today? We were supposed to look for that cool rock that I was going to give Willowspots, but then we didn't and now I'm stuck at camp until I'm taken out by a warrior! I was going to ask Spottednose to take me since he said he wasn't told any plans for the day, but he's gone! So, is it okay?" the little apprentice was squeezing between both cats, purring a greeting to Honeybreeze before he looked up at Heron.

Seeing the apprentice's eyes light up with surprise, he began to press himself against Russetfur, crawling under his leg as he continued to make himself small. "Turtlepaw, I'll take you to look for that rock, go back to playing with Lizardkit, you looked like you were having fun before." the older tom purred, bending to give his son a lick between the ears and sending him running back to the nursery, hearing him loudly apologizing to Badgerfang and her kit for leaving.

Russetfur sighed heavily, chuckling at the excitement for a simple outing his kit showed, but his expression grew serious once more as he lifted his chin and looked down at Heron. "Well? Where did you come from, outsider. You don't smell like any of the other clans, so you can't be a prisoner."

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[table]

[peach_mochi]

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thes code

ten moons old

[b]♦

[b]baby

[b]crow

Seeing that Heron's facial expression had changed made Crow's heart swell for a second before it felt as someone had taken a grip on it. The day's adventures had come to crash on him and it made him suddenly very tired, paws feeling like rocks had been tied to them, he dragged them after Heron. Head lowered as his mind began to race with different possibilities.

If they ran into the patrol they had met earlier, the friendly cats that had offered help, would it be possible to ask for the help they had refused not too long ago? Would it be too much, or was it a little too late by now?

Feeling his eyes sting with the threat of tears and his tongue itching to scream, he dug his claws into the ground as he paused to stare at the sky. "[b]Why is this happening, Heron. Why won't any cat help us?" he asked softly, mind starting to grow darker as he imagined the miserable time that remained for their mother. Shaking himself vigorously in hopes of energizing himself before he began to walk again, now more like a trot.

Ravencloud would be okay, they would find help, or they would do their best finding the right herbs that would help their mother to get on her paws once again. She always found ways to keep them alive, keep him happy and loved. But glancing at Heron, he felt the guiltiness that came to him every now and then start to creep on him. Heron was loved. She was cared for. He loved her more than anything, she was the reason of them leaving the den to look for help after all.

But then again, a mother's love is like no other, and their mother didn't shower her in the affection that she well deserved. If only Ravencloud saw two kits instead of one.

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