✧ tw : death, general grieving dark clouds blotted out the light of the sun as darkness descended upon the woodlands. the forest, once brimming with vivacity, was now nearly wholly devoid of life. now, only the silhouette of a lone figure as she made her way across the rocky terrain was discernible through the shadows that had settled over the land. her paws dragged across the ground with every step, as if the very effort of walking was utterly exhausting. it was. cherishedmirth's gaze, of which was once filled with such joy and enthusiasm, had dulled, leaving behind nothing but a husk of her former self. grief tended to do that to cats. tears hovered in the ruddy felidae's gaze as she forced herself to keep walking, the ground beneath her growing blurry as she stared ahead with unfocused eyes. it had felt like she'd been hit by a twoleg monster when she first received the news. when she'd first heard that peonypath and tsvitochik had died, stolen from her by time and illness. she'd been there when petalpounce passed. she had watched as the life faded from her eyes. a small, hollow laugh built in cherishedmirth's throat at the very thought of them. they were her family, her pillars in life. for a moment the whole world seemed to still. then she felt her legs buckle from beneath her, as if the weight of her grief was too much for her to stand anymore. her tears had finally broken free, slipping down her cheeks as her body shook with sobs despite her attempts to suppress them. she curled into a ball, wanting desperately for everything to be okay again. but they were her world, and now she was crumbling along with it. . . . ✧
