Bone Keeper had been busy all day, patrolling the tribe's new borders and making sure their new scents were fresh and that no cat would dare cross them. Not FireClan, whom her tribe mates had recently cast out, nor TreeClan, who they'd fought alongside, but as far as Bone Keeper was concerned, could turn out to be an enemy at any point. She'd stayed behind to protect her tribe, lest the FireClan warriors try to escape up the mountain, but as she'd been told after the fact, they instead ran towards the river.

Let them be RiverClan's problem. She'd thought dismissively and carried on marking her new borders as usual.

She'd been so tired when she finally tucked into her nest at the end of the day that she'd barely glanced at the available prey and instead closed her eyes immediately. She intended to sleep in a dreamless darkness, so that she could rest properly, but it would seem that the Tribe of Endless Hunting had other plans for her.

When her eyes opened, they were not facing the smooth rockface of the wall before her den, but instead they were gazing out onto many trees. Many dark trees and there was the distinct sound of crying echoing through the forest. Her paw went immediately to her side, searching for her bone club, when she realized it wasn't there, nor was her protective head trophy. She hissed lowly, feeling exposed without her trophies nearby, but she still had her claws - had her fangs too. She was no less of a Huntsmaster without her trophies, and she proceeded with the right amount of caution.

What her tracking eventually led her to was a small, golden kit, sitting in front of a dark puddle - despite there being no rain - and weeping into it. Bone Keeper's eyes softened and she proceeded forward, coming up to stand beside the kit. She extended a paw and pulled the little one towards her stomach. Despite herself, Bone Keeper had always had a soft spot for kittens. Even mysterious ones like this were no different.
belloblossom — 02/12/2022
Rosewood hadn't intended to dream walk that night. She felt the need to be comforted, but knew that she wasn't going to get it from Burningnight. She didn't really know any other ForestClan cats. Ravenstrike, maybe, from when she'd picked him up after he'd died, but they hadn't really spoken after that. She fought down the feeling that maybe he resented her, for being the first thing that she saw when he died, instead of someone more grown up like her father.

She'd almost intended to seek out the dreams of her birth parents - she barely knew their names or faces, but Burningnight had found them once and figured out what they'd intended on naming her from observing one of their dreams before. Maybe they would still love her, even after all of this time. Maybe they'd see her and scoop her up and lick her fur until all her worries melted away! Even if she was only able to sit with them and lean into her mother's fur, she'd be all too happy to!

Instead, she found a puddle in the forest and sat next to it and began to cry, little mewling, pathetic cries. She didn't feel very strong, she felt small and alone and helpless. She thought that growing stronger physically would make her feel more grown up, but while she may have become more mentally aware of the dark world around her, she was still stuck in the body of a kit. It was unfair that she had to die! Why did she have to? Whose decision had it been?

She didn't look up when she felt a body settle down next to her - she didn't know who it was, but she wanted to pretend it was her mother, not another strange living cat she'd never get to know. She buried her muzzle into the soft belly fur of the adult cat's.

"It's not fair - it's not fair - it's-it's not-f...fair." She squeaked helplessly. "I'm stuck here and everyone else gets to grow up and get stronger and I'm stuck here!" Her squeaking mews began to grow few between as she started to wear herself out. She closed her eyes and leaned against the soft fur, spent.
belloblossom — 02/13/2022
Bone Keeper wasn't quite sure what to make of this whole interaction, but she stayed by the crying kit's side and set to purring softly as the kit leaned against her and eventually quieted. Bone Keeper wasn't much of a talker, never had been, but she knew how to comfort the little'uns. Purring helped, of course and keeping them nearby, if she could, but also...

Bone Keeper bent down over the kit and began to lick rhymthically at the young one's head and ears. The kit relaxed into her and then, without another moment, the forest and the kit all disappeared, leaving Bone Keeper in a comfortable darkness.

For a moment, Bone Keeper wondered if she had passed some sort of test that the Tribe of Endless Hunting had tried to bestow upon her. No, she wasn't nearly as special to have that honor graced upon her. But she was left feeling at ease and, at the very least, like she was able to impart some good on a lost, wandering spirit. Settling back down, she closed her eyes, where Bone Keeper would have one of the best night's of sleep in her lifetime. (fin)