i'll be the light to guide you [p]

[ophelia]

[ @Estelle @iliri - posting order ]
TW - fear of death, blood, injury

AUTUMN

She was sad to leave Kestrel behind, that was true. Or, she supposed she should call him Copperpaw now. But there was also an immense weight off her shoulders knowing that her son was in Thunderclan's paws now. He would have Starclan and the fully fledged warriors to guide him. Autumn loved him, and she knew Pax did too, but they were much too young to be the parents he needed. Besides, Autumn was still an apprentice when she left the clan, and Pax was still adjusting to providing for a family of two. It would be better this way.

The patched tabby she-cat hummed to herself as she trotted through the unmarked woods, thinking of Bumblestar's words. Springlight, carried off by an owl. It was awful, really. They had just reconnected, and it seemed impossible to Autumn that her sister could be dead. Perhaps the reality hadn't sunk in yet. Autumn was expecting sorrow and grief, but instead she felt a sort of numbness, punctuated by waves of dread. It was almost worse.

She tried to bring up memories of her eldest littermate. Autumn didn't actually remember which of them was born first, but Springlight had always been the caretaker. Summer was the goofy one, Winter the grumpy one, and herself the feisty one. Springlight had always been there to get her out of trouble. Although Autumn didn't find herself in much trouble these days, it had always been a comfort to think that Springlight was just a day's travel away if need be.

All this recollection was bringing to life images of her sister in her mind so clearly Autumn swore she could smell the familiar she-cat. She raised her muzzle to the wind, inhaling fondly...wait. Her blue eyes shot open in surprise. Wait. That wasn't her imagination. There was definitely a Thunderclan scent on the breeze. Besides herself, Autumn didn't know of any other former Thunderclanners that would be this far into the outskirts.

Quickening her pace, Autumn made a sharp left, nearly losing her balance without the guidance of a full length tail. Ignoring the stumble she raced through the trees, following the track. It grew stronger and stronger until other scents began to mingle with the clan marking. Herbs...dirt...bird...blood.

"Springlight!!" Autumn shrieked, "Springlight!" Her blue eyes scanned the foliage in frantic search for her sister. Instead, she spotted a dark spot in the grass. She crouched to sniff and immediately winced at the acrid poignancy. Oh no. She was a pretty brave kitty, but she didn't know if she could stomach finding her own littermate dead.

A wheezing sound was heard. "Springlight?" she said again, this time in a whisper as she rounded the leafy shrub. There she lay, chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Autumn gasped softly, stepping gingerly around her sister to examine her properly. Bumblestar had certainly been right about the owl. Feathers were strewn chaotically around and on top of Spring's pelt, and the scent of raptor was strong. Spring's eyes were closed, but Autumn could tell she wasn't just sleeping. The owl must've dragged her all the way out here before the finally got away. At least this bush had provided some shelter, otherwise who knew what predator could've gotten to her. Knowing Springlight, she'd probably done that on purpose. Even on death's doorstep Autumn could imagine her sister making a sensible decision like that.

And now it was time for Autumn to make a sensible decision of her own. What was she going to do? She began lapping gently at her sister's wounds, trying to clean out some of the blood and dirt. Autumn was no medicine cat, but she could tell this was bad, The gashes were deep, and her breathing was irregular. Thunderclan was hours away, there was no way Autumn could drag her that far, if Spring could even make the journey. So the only option was onward. Spring would get to see her new home after all. Assuming she woke up.

"Stop that," Autumn scolded herself bluntly, shaking her head. This was a lot. Heart pounding heavily, she craned her neck to take Spring by the scruff gingerly, heaving until the other she-cat's mass was distributed across her shoulder. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but this way she could travel without Spring's injuries scraping the ground. And so they went off, the trip considerably slower than anticipated and with one extra molly in tow.

...a couple hours later

Home. They were home. Autumn crossed the border of Pax's territory, inhaling he familiar scent. She stumbled towards their den, stopping just outside the entrance. It was an old monster trailer, left in the middle of the forest clearing, perhaps on some whimsical camping trip years ago. The metal box itself was locked tightly, but a large rock leaned up against one side provided a narrow entryway into the shallow tunnel Pax had dug beneath the trailer. The territory stretched from the tree-line backing the trailer to the other side of the clearing where the overpass of a quiet monster path began.

Panting with exertion, Autumn carefully lowered her sister just outside the entrance, positioning her on her side. Raising her muzzle, she called out. "PAX!" she yowled, assuming her mate was either in the den or nearby. "I NEED WATER AND COBWEBS!" she ordered, the volume of her voice more instructional than crazed. Springlight was still breathing, but also still unresponsive. Autumn knew little about healing, but she remembered how to use cobwebs for cuts and it was common sense that water was crucial.

( sorry guys this is crazy long, just wanted to set up some context and exposition. by no means do y'all need to match this, my posts will probably shrink after this one )