Goodbye, Ash Clan
Leaves and twigs that littered the undergrowth crackled beneath his paws as CreekClaw ran. His lungs felt as if they would burst from his chest with each breath he gasped for. Thorns and branches rustled loudly as they clawed at his body while he carelessly scrambled away. His breathing was heavy and ragged, and while he struggled for breath, he could feel his legs slowly giving out from under him. He stopped, unable to move another paw-step further. Choking and coughing, his chest burned. He could swear his heart would thump out of his chest. Even though he could hear the rushing of his own blood there was still a persistent rigging in his ears. The hatred he had felt, the anger that had blinded him and carried him this far, was now fading, leaving only tremendous sorrow. For a single heartbeat, the forest was silenced and his body trembled, before he could hold his emotions no more.
He wailed out into the night until it felt as if his throat had been carved away. Each scream carried all the pain and frustrations he had bottled inside himself for moons, each one draining his energy more until he could no longer hold himself upwards and he collapsed. He clawed at the ground while he took in quickened shallow breaths. Why did this have to happen? Why had he allowed it to get this far? Why did she have to suffer for his own foolishness? Why had he been such a coward? CreekClaw wept for her as if his heart would break. He wept and wept, shaking on the forest floor. The ground beneath him slowly became a russet red, the wounds from his fight still trickling. There he laid throughout the night until the sun began rising. He had gone quiet at some point but the mistakes he had done clung around his mind like twisting vines of bramble, painfully jerking him awake.
Before CreekClaw realized it, the forest had been blanketed by sun’s dappled warmth, seeping through the tree’s canopy. His paws slipped from under him as he tried to stand up. A sudden rush of pain overflowed his aching body. His wounds still stinging. He gave himself a couple of heartbeats to adjust to his injured body before trying to stand up again. It was quite the effort for him to stand and take his first couple of steps. His body now felt heavier than ever.
His once soft and silky fur was now caked with patches of dried up blood that crackled as he moved. In another instance, he would have turned his nose away in disgust at his filthy appearance, but right now, his mind was clouded with ache. Hesitating, he took a closer look at his fore paws. His creamy white paws were now a dark red. Clumps of white fur still clung to his claws. He winced at the sight, before quickly turning away. Embers of anger still burned inside him but pain visibly showed in his face. With uneven breaths, and shutting down his eyes tightly, he remained quiet for a couple of heartbeats, his body tensing up despite the slightest of movements sending waves of pain all throughout. Suddenly, with narrowed eyes, he struck at the ground with his forepaw, claws unsheathed, sending fallen leaves fleeing, letting out a frustrated hiss. He wondered if the pain in his heart would ever leave. He took a deep breath, hoping to settle his nerves but as his breathing shook, tears began to well in his eyes. The burst of frustration, sadness, and anger with which he had broken down the night before, was now gone, leaving behind a hollowed feeling. Exhausted, CreekClaw made his way to the only place he could feel the slightest glimmer of comfort, tears flowing down his eyes.