The Fifth: Nighthound.

[lio]

Don't let the past change who you are.

Moons. Moons, he had been searching. Barely sleeping, barely eating, just wandering aimlessly in search of his child. Morningpaw… he had disappeared, and Nighthound had left ShadowClan to search for him. He… regrets leaving Eveningpaw and Midnightpaw behind, simply praying that they were safe in the paws of the Clan. It had been so long since he had left, so long since he had begun his search, and he was beginning to grow hopeless. A small part of him desperately wanted to believe that Morningpaw was still alive, that he would be able to find his son and bring him home. Nighthound just wanted his family back. Blazingswirl’s abandonment, even after so long, had still left a gaping wound on his heart, and he just… he needed his family. He needed to be sure that all of his children were safe.

Nighthound had promised to himself that he would be better than his parents, yet here he was leaving his children without a goodbye. He was no better than those he called his mother and father. Could he even truly be called a father? What had he done for his children? Nothing. He was hardly a warrior, hardly an Enforcer, and much less a father. Stepping down from his rank only to disappear without a trace- the only thing he could be called was a coward. Perhaps Blazingswirl had been right to leave when they did.

The exhaustion had been getting to him lately, but he refused to sleep. He would remain awake until he physically couldn’t anymore, only to sleep for a short time and begin his search once more. He had to keep going. He had to find Morningpaw, no matter how long it took.

Nighthound stumbled through the Outskirts, having not a clue of where he was. His senses were muddled. His eyelids were in a perpetual droop, fighting to stay open. His body had weakened in the last moons, making it obvious that he had not been caring for himself. It was dark, the moon high in the sky but he held no care for the time. He continued forward, vision blurring and pawsteps unstable. No, no, he couldn’t fall asleep. He had to find his son. He had to be better than his parents. He had to keep his children safe. He had to know that Morningpaw was alive.

In his exhausted state, Nighthound didn’t realize the odd device that he had ambled toward- not until it was too late. The trap shut around him, locking the massive tom into a small space and leaving him unable to escape. Wait, no, no, where was he? He needed to get out, he needed to keep searching, he had to!

Before he knew it, the strange trap was being lifted. Nighthound tried to get out, but to no avail. No matter how much he clawed, hissed, and attempted to force himself from the trap, he couldn’t free himself. The exhaustion weighed him down far too much. He cursed himself for being so tired. His kids needed him, he needed to get back to them. He needed to find Morningpaw and they could return to ShadowClan and be a family again and he could be a better father and he could prove that he isn’t like his parents. He wanted to be a good father to them, he wanted to be different, he wanted to watch his children grow into warriors.

No matter how hard he tried to fight it, Nighthound fell asleep. When he awoke again, though, he was in an… odd place. He didn’t know where he was. The area was unlike anything he had seen before. There were no scents of prey, of grass or trees or anything. It wasn’t right. He didn’t belong here, wherever here was. He could hear other cats yowling, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. The unfamiliar scents of this place and the sounds of others and his need to escape, they were all overwhelming. The odd den trapping him was too strong for him to get out of. No matter what he did, it wouldn’t budge. Nighthound huffed, weak and out of breath.

He resigned himself to curling up in the corner of the ‘den’, wishing nothing more than to see his family again.