G̶r̶i̶e̶f̶. / Songbirdsigh SRP

Instructions

F̶o̶l̶l̶o̶w̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶Q̶u̶a̶i̶l̶h̶y̶m̶n̶’̶s̶ ̶“̶d̶e̶a̶t̶h̶”̶ . . . The sun was sinking low, casting a dull orange glow over ShadowClan’s camp. Songbirdsigh's paws drug the earth. The remnant flickers of joy from his previous days with Nymphpaw lingered in his mind. He had allowed himself a moment of respite, and this is the toll he had to pay for that. As he neared the center of camp, he spotted his littermate Balladblithe standing alone, his posture unusually stiff and rigid. A deep dread began to coil in Songbirdsigh's stomach. Something was terribly wrong. He quickened his pace, his heart pounding harder with each step. He didn't need words; one look at his brother's face told him everything. Bal’s eyes were red-rimmed, wet with unshed tears, and filled with a sorrow so profound it was almost crushing. The world seemed to slow down, the sounds of the camp fading into a distant hum. The tortoiseshell’s breath hitched in his throat, a painful lump forming that made it hard to swallow. He felt the ground sway beneath him, the earth falling completely off its axis, threatening to pull him into an abyss he couldn't swim up from. "Father?" Quailhymn. The cat who had raised him, believed in him when nobody else had. Voice seemed to inhale sharply, then softly rasp the dreaded word before Birdie himself could. Ḓ̴̀ě̷̺a̵̪͠d̶̥͛.̸͔͛ Songbirdsigh stumbled backward, his legs giving out beneath him. His vision blurred, and a high-pitched ringing flooded his pinned ears. The air felt too thick to breathe, his chest constricting painfully. The tom tried to draw in a breath, but it came as a ragged, choked gasp. Every inhalation felt like he was filling his lungs with thick, black tar. His heart raced, pounding so hard he genuinely thought it might explode. No, no, no, nonono, it can't be true. This isn't happening. Oh, how delighted Voice was now. Y̷͎͘o̶̻̓u̸̢̚ let this happen. Y̷͎͘o̶̻̓u̸̢̚ weren't there. Y̷͎͘o̶̻̓u̸̢̚ failed him. Now he’s d̷e̵a̵d̸, d̴̛͜e̴̘̒ä̷́̈ͅḑ̷̖̍, D̶͙͕̤͕͌Ě̷̳̥̣A̷̙̓̈͝D̵͇̥͒̒. Songbirdsigh's jaws parted in a scream, but no sound came out. He felt tears streaming down his snout, hot and unchecked. His mind was a cruel typhoon of snarls and tears, haggard emotions colliding in a violent storm of demons and pitch. He clutched at the ground, his claws digging into the dirt as if he could anchor himself to reality. But the world was spinning, slipping through his grasp. Slipping, s̶l̶i̷p̵p̷i̴n̸g̴, ṣ̷͠l̴̖̓i̶̛̜p̶̦̈p̷̲̃i̴͚̿n̷̰͋g̷͈̓… "Da-…Dad?" The word was a broken whisper. His body convulsed, shuddering with the force of this poor creature’s agony. "No... no..." His voice cracked, and a strangled sob escaped his lips. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Dead. Gone. Forever. F̸O̶R̴E̷V̵E̶R̷?̴ ̸ H̴A̴H̵A̶H̵A̶!̵ ̵ F̴O̵R̴E̸V̵E̷R̴!̵ ̶ Y̴O̷U̶ ̴F̶O̴O̸L̸!̷ His vision tunneled, dark spots dancing at the edges. The reality of it hit him like a physical blow, stealing the air from his lungs. Voice seemed to have wrapped physical talons around his head, forcing the cat to the dirt. "NO," he cried out, voice raw. His breaths came in short, shallow gasps, each one a struggle as his tears bubbled into his nose. He coughed raggedly, trying to get at the air. He felt like he was drowning, the weight of his grief pulling him under. His chest constricted, and he wasn’t sure if he’d last. Part of him didn’t care if he did. At this point, most of him didn’t. It would be a merciless miracle if he did. H̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶’̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶. Bird’s body quivered uncontrollably, muscles seizing in the grip of his panic. He curled into himself, trying to make himself as compact as possible. "Dad..." he whispered again, the word dissolving into a choked sob. Tears blurred his vision, his eyes wide and unseeing. His mind was a fractured mess, each thought more painful than the last. Voice was having a hay-day with this one. T̷h̷i̴s̴ ̷i̴s̵ ̶w̸h̷a̴t̷ ̴y̷o̵u̵ ̸g̵e̴t̷ ̶f̴o̵r̴ ̵t̷h̷i̵n̸k̷i̸n̶g̵ ̶y̶o̶u̷ ̶c̴o̴u̵l̸d̶ ̸b̸e̸ ̸h̵a̷p̷p̷y̶ ̴f̶o̶r̷ ̷o̵n̴c̸e̶. He felt himself spiraling, the darkness pressing in. He wished it would take him sooner.