tw, death )) It had been a terrible leaf-bare. Iris felt like she'd never seen the prey pile so low, or the bellies of her clan so empty. And as if the snow wasn't enough of a curse for MossClan, wolves had been relentlessly picking away at them. She didn't know what was even coming for them. She barely had the energy to hunt anymore, or even to laugh, or at least smile. Her previous anger with StarClan seemed to ebb. While she didn't understand why they had to take her kit...she still knew that they were the last hope for her clan. What more could be done? She begged them to end the suffering. To let Mossclan survive. Despite the roaring of her belly, she trudged through the storm of leaf-bare. She tried to search for the optimism she used to have that let her always hunt no matter what would weather, but it just didn't seem to be there anymore. She wanted to believe that there was hope...but she just didn't see how she could anymore. Not after everything that had happened. Her body felt cold as snow gripped her fur. Everything seemed so foggy. So distant. But something so tempting-- like a warm bite of fresh prey after a long hunt-- felt like it was calling to her. It felt so familiar, yet she didn't know what to call it. Her eyelids softened. The world seemed to gently slip away, slowly as the drip of dew in the morning after a new-leaf rain. Softly as the hum of songbirds in the dawn. The roar of the wind eased, caressing her into a sleep that promised dreams lovelier than she'd ever had before. Though her cheeks were too numb to feel it, she knew that she was smiling now. Her body landed in snow. A breath escaped her mouth. One tear ran down her frozen muzzle. And then she was still. What happened next, she wasn't sure how to explain. Her head was fuzzy. All the world was dark. But she still...felt. She just felt...different. Sad. But happy at the same time. Not cold, or mad, or hungry. Her eyes blinked open, and a blinding light greeted her. A testing pawstep grounded her. She could feel warmth flood her body and restore her fatigue-- she felt grass-- grass!! And all around her was a never-ending lushness dotted with starlight and fireflies. No one had to tell her for her to know. It was StarClan. ___ Dang I actually started crying when I wrote this. I love you so much, Izzy <333 Audio: And it was all yellow by Coldplay
