krillpaw lay curled up in a small tide pool, submerged halfway in the water, letting the subtle ripples rock him gently. his head listlessly lay on the edge of the pool, gazing, unblinking, at the bright sky. he didn’t like that it was bright today. he would be fine with it if it was never bright again. was the treasure harespring found as a ranger not enough? couldn’t he hold on until his kits were warriors? someone had found him under a tree that morning, and the news spread through camp like wildfire. of course, krillpaw knew this was unavoidable, but he wished he could’ve been there, just to protect him. no. he was still too small. he knew in his bones that- despite what he wanted to think- he wasn’t a warrior yet. he didn’t know if he ever could be without harespring by his side. the apprentice curled into themself tighter, submerging their head beneath the water to gaze at the sky from a different perspective. their father was up there now, they supposed. there was really nothing else to say. krillpaw stayed under the water until his lungs hurt, then slowly rose up from the tidepool, halfheartedly shaking out his pelt and laying down on the sun-warmed sand. maybe if he kept staring into the ocean, the krill would call for him back.
