⭒-.⋆ꕀ ꕀ ◯ ꕀ ꕀ⋆.-⭒ it was quiet that night. all of riverclan was asleep, save for the few silent insomniacs, curled tight to dissuade the freezing breath of leaf-bare. a lone sentinel among the empty landscape of riverclan, pipitpaw wandered the endless waves of sand. pale moonlight bounced off of the grey winter sand, a silvery glow veiling the ground. it was as if they walked on the moon itself. beyond the horizon, the clouds hanging over the desert like a layer of frost had parted, letting through a sliver of moonlight. with no real guide, pipitpaw followed an unknown road, trailing the frozen path of the sunfish. reeds whispered in the wind, a silent melody unheard by any other. pipitpaw stopped. just above—the split in the clouds, a tear in the universe where silvery light spilled through. in the distance, the rhythmic lull of ocean waves called out. with each step, the call grew louder, its siren song pulling, pulling. they moved forward, steady pace quickening as anticipation flooded their body. then a hush. winded, the apprentice tentatively approached a towering dune, glowing like a star. paws slipping in the rocky sand, pipitpaw pulled themself up to the top. the symphony came rushing back, a wonderful chorus more magnificent than anything they had ever heard. the vast expanse of ocean lay before them, an ebbing, shining sight that seemed to fill up with the light of the moon. pipitpaw stood, transfixed, heart pounding. for this moment they had dreamed their entire life, of finally seeing the endless expanse that they had been told of. but.. as they stood, gazing at the waves of glass, a pang of emotion shot through them. dread? fear? it was the exact same pit they felt in their stomach after what had happened with laurelventure. the feeling of how much he had changed. but... the realization settled in. they had changed. they were the different one. what.. what had happened to the wide-eyed kit, the one who had dreamed of this moment so long ago? where had evedaisy gone? was this all their own fault? this was all.. this was all wrong. what /happened/? pipitpaw's breath caught in their throat as a wave of confusion and despair washed over them. this wasn't how it was supposed to be. they had spent so long, working so hard, just to prove their worth. but where had they stumbled? what had they done wrong? "no, no, no," they whispered, voice barely audible over the crashing of the thundering waves. shaking, pipitpaw staggered back, tail lashing behind them. turning away from the writhing sea, pipitpaw's eyes widened as they felt a tug on their tail. time seemed to pause, held frozen, suspended, as they watched as the ring of star shards burst in the air. with an echoing crack, the beads scattered, breaking into a million tiny pieces of stardust. at their paws lay fragments, glinting like gold among the cold desert rocks, thousands of reflections staring back at pipitpaw. hesitating for a breath, pipitpaw stood before scrambling in the sand, reaching desperately for any intact shards. with trembling paws, they gathered a pawful of miniature stars, glowing in the moonlight. in the golden facets, pipitpaw could see faces. eve. laurel. pa. and.. theirs. in that moment, the realization dawned. while the past version of pipitpaw may have shattered, fragments of hope still remained. clutching the shards tightly, pipitpaw felt a flicker of determination. even though they changed, they would redefine themselves. be resilient. unbreakable. turning back to the view of the horizon, the sea had calmed. still waves crashed against the rocky shore, but it ebbed and flowed. moonlight danced on the waves like a thousand twinkling stars. the noise was beautiful. ⭒-.⋆ꕀ ꕀ ◯ ꕀ ꕀ⋆.-⭒ AHAHHA DONT MIND HOW CHEESY IT IS!!! PLEASE!! i just needed something to finish the emo arc and so... cheesy positive thing ig :} basically the arc went from happy go lucky --> obsessed with training for their true potential, pushing others away --> positive, but calmer yeah um the tn isnt really accurate cause the star-shards just go all over the sand but it looks cool so :) also inside the costumes theres a bunch of different versions if you want to go take a look
