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Shadowclan was in shambles, Mercuryrose was deceased, murdered no less. It was as though the very roots of Shadowclan had been upheaved. The entire clan was shaken to their very cores. During dismal times such as these, Petalchaser fancied the ideals of uplifting whimsy, coupled with compassion and understanding. Â
However, this loss pierced deep into her very heart and soul. Mercuryrose was her kin, was part of her family by way of Snappingfox. Though Petalchaser and Mercuryrose hadn’t been as close as other members in the family, it didn’t mean that the young she-cat didn’t feel the ache of the loss.Â
She was a natural born empath, and she could feel the grief of her other kin like it was her very own. After the murder of Mercuryrose by the claws of Twilightfoot, the clan had been struggling to pick up the pieces left behind. Not only that, a strange tom by the name of Moonlight had suddenly appeared right after Mercuryrose’s passing, which was quite suspicious and led many of the clan to believe that somehow Moonlight meant ill will.Â
Petalchaser didn’t know what to think anymore. Â
The diluted orange-cream tabby she-cat also didn’t know why she had come here, to the starlit cave. Her blue eyes shimmered like sapphires as she stared up at a large fissure that opened to Silverpelt’s starry canvas, the silvery light of the moon and the stars glittered off the surface of the cavern walls. Embedded within the walls were sparkling crystals, of all different shapes and colors.Â
Maybe Petalchaser came here to feel closer to Starclan? Or did she perhaps come here to collect some of the glittering stones inside the walls to bring back to camp to share their beauty with her clanmates, to uplift them in their darkest hour?
She couldn’t rightfully say. Her body tremored softly, and she felt a pang of prickling pain within her chest. Her sapphire blues glistened.Â
Not by way of the moon’s light, or the stars, or even the gleaming jewels- but with silent tears. She wished she had spent more time getting to know Mercuryrose before her death. Â
Regrets ravaged her thoughts, and it was only a matter of time before the she-cat was overcome with sobs.Â
Moonlight padded into the open cavern, his pale fur nearly as reflective as the glimmering stones. He was handsome, he knew, and he moved with grace, hoping to show Petalchaser the image of a capable and caring tom. He wanted her to be comforted by the sight of him, though he wasn't sure why.
"I heard of Mercuryrose," he said. "Many cats admired her." In truth, Moonlight couldn't quite understand the hero-worship these cats employed for their dead leaders. But from what he'd heard, Mercuryrose's death had its share of glory, as she'd defended the Clan from an old enemy, whom she'd killed in the same battle. That was worth respecting, at least.
But, his own opinions aside, Moonlight found that he didn't like how sad her death made Petalchaser. "It's never easy to lose kin," he said, sounding as though he spoke from experience.
Moonlight
Mysterious stranger
Moonlight was never hunting a frog again.
The thing smelled like dirty water, and it was slimy in a way that he was sure would linger in his teeth. He couldn't imagine actually eating it. That, he supposed, was one advantage of the Clans' way of doing things: he could pawn this off on somebody else.
He'd been separated from his unting patrol by an honest mistake, losing track of them while he stalked the frog. But while his fresh-kill wasn't worth the trouble, another opportunity to explore Shadowclan's territory was. He knew the forest must jut up against the mountains somewhere, and he was determined to find their border. He thought he must be getting close, as the ground had begun to tilt upwards, and he saw an occasional mottled stone peeking out of the needle-strewn forest floor.
He stopped when he heard crying.
He set down his frog and licked his lips to try and get the scent out of his mouth before tasting the air. There was a cat nearby, he thought, or there had been recently. He twitched his ears, trying to catch the sound's direction.
He tracked the sound to a small opening in the ground, and flattened his ears back in dismay. Moonlight hated small, dark spaces, and going underground seemed... less than delightful. But he recognized the scent now. It was a Shadowclan warrior, a she-cat named - what was it - Petal? Petal something, he thought. She'd been quicker to trust him than the other warriors. Whatever had her crying in a hole, he wanted to know what it was.
Luckily, the tunnel opened up quicker than Moonlight had feared. As his vision adjusted, he thought he saw light just ahead of him. He approached cautiously, followed a turn in the tunnel, and found-
Okay, he thought, color me impressed.
The cave was large, and an opening at the top let light filter down among numerous glittering stones. It was almost as though the cave itself were made of starlight. Petalchaser - Chaser, that was it - sat among them.
Moonlight padded silently into the cave, and sat down a few tail-lengths away from Petalchaser. "Are you alright?" he found himself asking.