⁺˖✧⸝⸝ The Final Chapter⊰ Tori had spent the last few days in a cave near the shore. High tide brought small waves lapping through the mouth, low tide exposing the soft sand making up the floor. The flat-topped stones made great steps to reach higher onto the walls, an invaluable asset to him. Sharp rocks, jagged shells, paints made of various combinations of crushed florals and seaweeds, anything that left a mark visible in the cavern's shade. He'd written all over the walls, high enough so the tides wouldn't wash it away. He'd carved it into the walls, etched it into the shells of larger mollusks which he hung on outcroppings, painted it onto any surface that wasn't already obscured. His knowledge. His learnings. His legacy. Everything he knew was displayed here, preserved for others to one day find and add to their own collection of tales and testings. He left them all a library filled with the knowledge of his time, and of times before him. Dustbunny's tale. The burning of Mossclan. Habitats of hermit crabs, collections of clan details, and names of leaders and deputies and medics and brave warriors who'd lived a life of legend. Everything he ever learned was here. Above the cave's entrance- or was it the exit if you were inside? He carved a message for the next student of the clans, using the name he hoped would be remembered. His name was Victoryspark. He lived a life of war and wonder. All he learned throughout his whole life is catalogued here. This place is not reserved for his knowledge alone. Learn, and teach. Give your gift to all who should come after. Welcome to Victoryspark's Archives. At last, he was satisfied. His wound had been worsening. Left by his best friend- now deputy- in a sparring match, it never quite faded. Hah. You always were the strongest of us, Happyvoyage. He limped through the territory, wondering if he could see someone he treasured one last time. He never saw the ravine. Falling, falling, falling down. He'd been floating peacefully for a while now, patching the holes in his boat of life whenever he could, but now the holes were not in his boat but the ocean itself and it was leaking leaking leaking through the floor the bottom the bottle that he'd been confined to and never knew and now he was part of those blissful waterfalls that would become someone else's ocean to float on. The water will ebb and flow. The search for knowledge will never end. The cats of the future would live such wonderful lives, full of discovery. ⁺˖✧⸝⸝ To be continued⊰ Tori loses his life to the infection of his wound, falling into a ravine while searching for a familiar face. He never feared death. Since kithood, since his father died, he viewed it as a chance to move somewhere new, to gain more rather than leave it all behind. He dies happily in rangerhood, choosing to take his warrior name with him instead of the ranger suffix. He'll do his best to check up on his friends and family as a Shade. He lived his dream to the very end. ⁺˖✧⸝⸝ Victoryspark - 27/10/25 - 12/1/26 - Generations⊰
