The night was quiet. The den was quiet. Everything was quiet. The silence ate at her mind. The silence ate at her heart. The Clan did not care. The Clan had moved on. The Clan lost many lives And this was just one more body to the pile. But he was not just a body. He was her brother. Tracks were left in the snow as she ran, far away from the camp where she knew she could find the stone near his body. The stone she had chosen to lay there the day he had died. The feline was adorned with black roses. She hated black. It was a color of melancholy. But tonight, it was the one color she knew she must wear. She had left everything behind in her home, not caring for who would find her. She did not question her mentor when he left the den, and she just prayed that he would not ask her anything once she had returned either. The snow was a chill. It was an unfamiliar feeling. Her first leafbare. Her first leafbare without him. One paw before the other. All she had to do was keep moving. She paused, turning herself to face where she knew the camp would lay in their slumber as the moon sat high, guiding her path. Her disappearance may cause the Clan panic, but she would return. He would not. The Clan was of no concern for her tonight. There was only one thing on her mind, and she would reach it before the sun rose. Her paw steps had slowed a long time ago. Maybe it was the cold. It didn't matter. The snow covered the stone. She could see its very peak. It is what had guided her here. . . . "I'm sorry, Snaresnapdragon," she whispered to the unveiled stone, carefully brushing the snow off of it. She pulled a rose from behind her ear, admiring its dark colors in the moonlight. "They did not treat you fairly." She realized this, yes. The Clan had lost too many cats to give them all proper funerals. But he deserved one. They all deserved one. They were all loved by different cats, even if the entire Clan did not know their name. She could feel the cold liquid trickle down her cheeks. She blinked the tears away. They should be here, but she did not welcome them. "You have missed so much." "Brother." The word tasted odd on her tongue. She did not have any brothers. And yet, he was one. Still, the title held meaning. The title made her feel something. The unwelcome droplets fell into the snow. She stared at the ground, watching the drops roll off her face and scatter, silently melting the snow as they fell. "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." The words became quieter as she said them. She was speaking words she did not deserve to say. Her eyes squeezed shut. The world fell quiet. The night fell quiet. . . . She was young. Young and stupid. But she always had her pillar. She always had her brother. She remembered when she was young, and he would play with her. She remembered when she was young, and he would tell her stories. She remembered. She remembered. She remembered. . . . The words kept coming, even as her eyes remained closed. "You didn't even get to see my ceremony." She was an apprentice. A medic apprentice. And he didn't even know. "I have friends." He was her first friend. And now she has more friends. But did he still count as a friend? "I promised to show you my first scar." He didn't even get to see it. She made a promise, and couldn't fulfill it. Because he was dead. Because she would never see him again. She sat there and cried. Cried and cried. And her heart still hurt when she stopped. . . . She sat in the silence for a while. A silence that she couldn't enjoy. At least... not for a while. She had things to do. She had... revenge to take. Looking back at the stone, at her brother, one last time, she wasn't sure she was ready anymore. "I'm sorry."
