{Living in the Past} a one-shot short story
Jun 18, 2020 3:22:39 GMT -5
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Post by [~Ghost Writer~] on Jun 18, 2020 3:22:39 GMT -5
{Thrushpaw wiggled in between his two littermates as they all gathered in the elders' den for a story. It always filled the tiny tan tabby with excitement when Lilyfrost told them tales about their home from long ago. they always seemed so out there, like the time from those stories were as far away as the stars themselves. Often afterwards, he would catch himself daydreaming about the kind of things he'd see himself when he became a warrior. It tended to get him in a lot more trouble in his training though. He was a distracted hunter and fighter, and the medicine cats told him they hadn't been given a sign saying that he's meant to be one.}
{"You're always in your head!" His sister, Dapplepaw, would tease when they were in battle training. He wasn't interested in learning how to knock your enemies off their paws or how to keep your tail in as close as possible to avoid it from being clawed. He already knew this from their father, who was contently giving him and his littermates extra training. "How about you live in the present for once!" Dapplepaw was always irritated at him for not taking it seriously. "How am I suppose to learn when you won't help me." She'd yowl, frustrated and would stomp away.}
{Thrushpaw knew his sister was right. One day, he might miss his life by dreaming it away. He was already less than a moon away from his warrior assessment, but he didn't feel the same excitement as his siblings did. He found more in the dreams he had at night and the stories he was told.}
{"Did you Paws' know that there's a legend about a ghost wandering the territory?" Lilyfrost's voice cut through the tom's thoughts and worries, his ears perking up.}
{"A ghost? You mean a Starclan cat?" His other sister, Tabbypaw asked, her eyes skeptical. Lilyfrost shook her head very slowly. The she looked like she would break if she moved too fast. Her pelt was dull and patchy and she shook when she stood. She was the oldest cat in the clans and was very well respected, especially by Thrushpaw. He wondered how many stories the elder held and how many she had forgotten because of old age. If only he walked in her paws, he could have seen history happen. Instead, he was born during the most peaceful time in clan history.}
{"No, no. This cat didn't have stars in their pelt." She mewed, wrapping her scruffy tail around her paws. "But she was indeed an old clan cat. You see, when i was about your kits ages they were still perfecting the warrior code." Lilyfrost said, amusement in her milky eyes. Thrushpaw's ears twitched. She was there when the warrior code was being decided! That was so many seasons ago, he couldn't even imagine the feeling of pride the elder must have had.}
{"Back then, cats would fight all too often with others in the clan. The medicine cats' den were always filled to the brim with injured cats who fought over who got what prey and the best sleeping spots. Any kind of nonsense reason for a fight you could think of really." Her features fell when she spoke, as if she was reliving the memories she was talking about.}
{"And then one day, a warrior named Foxstrike went too far. In the middle of camp, he and another tom named Buckheart had an argument. Things had gotten heated and Foxstrike lost control. He was always a strong warrior while Buckheart focused more on helping cats in camp and taking care of his mate, Robinsong. When he fought Buckheart he ended up killing him. Before that, no cat had died from the injures they got from their clanmates. Bloomstar, the leader at the time, decided this would but the first and last time a cat would die by the claws of their own clanmates. She called for a clan meeting and told them she had a new part of the warrior code she wanted to be followed. 'Any cat who harms a clanmate is to be exiled from the life as a warrior.' That's including any chance into Starclan. It's one of the reasons things are so peaceful nowadays." Lily frost sighed. Thrushpaw couldn't make out if she was sighing because she was thankful for the calm or if it was because she missed how her life was before.}
{"Buckheart's mate had been out hunting when he was killed, however. And when she came back and found her mate being covered with rosemary, she had unsheathed her claws and was making her way toward Foxstrike. Before Robinsong could do anything, Bloomstar warned her of the new code. She told her this was to prevent more deaths and to forgive Foxstrike if she wanted to be a clan cat." Lilyfrost took a a heartbeat to lick a stray tuft of fur on her chest back into place before starting back up. "Robinsong ignored her leader's warning, she felt avenging her mate was more important than her future. She leaped onto Foxstrike and killed him, as easily as you would a mouse."}
{Thrushpaw heard Tabbypaw gasp while Dapplepaw just continued to pick gravel and mud out of her paws, uninterested in the tale. He turned his attention once more to the old she. How interesting it must have been to be alive during that time.}
{"Bloomstar was furious with her. She had just lost two warriors and now she would have to lose a third. She banished her from the clan and told her if she ever saw her again, she would treat her just like Robinsong treated Foxstrike. After she left, there was no evidence that she was still on the territory until long after. They found a patch of her fur snagged on a fox den, the stench of blood wafting from it. Most believed she was dead, and the ones who thought she might be alive and went looking for her, never found her. But there was one cat who never gave up." The elder's eyes looked down with sorrow and she shook slightly more than usual.}
{"My brother was the only cat that stood up for her when she was banished. They were friends since we were kits. every night he'd go out into the forest to look for her, only to find nothing. He was so sure that he'd find her, and even more so when everyone declared her dead. One day, he told me he swore he saw her spirit. He said that he wanted to find a way to get Robinsong to Starclan. I asked him to stop thinking about the past. I told him he was chasing a ghost, a phantom. I told him he was wasting his life as a warrior. But he kept searching, so certain he had to live in the past. I knew he loved her, but he and Buckheart had been great friends as well and he wanted her to be happy. even if that meant giving her up to someone else. I think he regretted doing that because of how hurt she became after he died. My brother wanted to give her peace, but instead he lost his own. He lived only in the past, missing out on having a mate, kits, and even the shot of being deputy. And then one day, we found him near the fox den where she may have died. He joined Starclan with a smile on his face. I believe he found her that night and so he was finally able to let go. And although he found what he was looking for, he never lived his own life. He just kept chasing the past until in consumed him and there was nothing left of my brother." Her milky white eyes locked onto Thrushpaw's green ones, which sent a chill down his spine.}
{"If you live in the past young one, you'll never have a future." Her words sounded eerie, as if they weren't her own. But before he could question her, Lilyfrost flopped down on her moss and bracken nest they had made for her, and rolled so she was facing away from them. "That's all these old bones can stand for now, come back later and i'll tell you a tale another day." her grunted, her tail waving them away. Tabbypaw and Dapplepaw stretched and hurried out of the den to get some prey and the freshkill pile. But Thrushpaw lingered for a bit longer.}
{"I'm not your brother Lilyfrost, I'll be fine." He said, trying to assure the old elder. Lilyfrost didn't budge from her spot but mewed in a slow, sad voice;}
{"For your sake Thrushpaw, I hope not.I hope not." She muttered.
And with nothing else to say, He left the elder to wallow in her own past.}
{"You're always in your head!" His sister, Dapplepaw, would tease when they were in battle training. He wasn't interested in learning how to knock your enemies off their paws or how to keep your tail in as close as possible to avoid it from being clawed. He already knew this from their father, who was contently giving him and his littermates extra training. "How about you live in the present for once!" Dapplepaw was always irritated at him for not taking it seriously. "How am I suppose to learn when you won't help me." She'd yowl, frustrated and would stomp away.}
{Thrushpaw knew his sister was right. One day, he might miss his life by dreaming it away. He was already less than a moon away from his warrior assessment, but he didn't feel the same excitement as his siblings did. He found more in the dreams he had at night and the stories he was told.}
{"Did you Paws' know that there's a legend about a ghost wandering the territory?" Lilyfrost's voice cut through the tom's thoughts and worries, his ears perking up.}
{"A ghost? You mean a Starclan cat?" His other sister, Tabbypaw asked, her eyes skeptical. Lilyfrost shook her head very slowly. The she looked like she would break if she moved too fast. Her pelt was dull and patchy and she shook when she stood. She was the oldest cat in the clans and was very well respected, especially by Thrushpaw. He wondered how many stories the elder held and how many she had forgotten because of old age. If only he walked in her paws, he could have seen history happen. Instead, he was born during the most peaceful time in clan history.}
{"No, no. This cat didn't have stars in their pelt." She mewed, wrapping her scruffy tail around her paws. "But she was indeed an old clan cat. You see, when i was about your kits ages they were still perfecting the warrior code." Lilyfrost said, amusement in her milky eyes. Thrushpaw's ears twitched. She was there when the warrior code was being decided! That was so many seasons ago, he couldn't even imagine the feeling of pride the elder must have had.}
{"Back then, cats would fight all too often with others in the clan. The medicine cats' den were always filled to the brim with injured cats who fought over who got what prey and the best sleeping spots. Any kind of nonsense reason for a fight you could think of really." Her features fell when she spoke, as if she was reliving the memories she was talking about.}
{"And then one day, a warrior named Foxstrike went too far. In the middle of camp, he and another tom named Buckheart had an argument. Things had gotten heated and Foxstrike lost control. He was always a strong warrior while Buckheart focused more on helping cats in camp and taking care of his mate, Robinsong. When he fought Buckheart he ended up killing him. Before that, no cat had died from the injures they got from their clanmates. Bloomstar, the leader at the time, decided this would but the first and last time a cat would die by the claws of their own clanmates. She called for a clan meeting and told them she had a new part of the warrior code she wanted to be followed. 'Any cat who harms a clanmate is to be exiled from the life as a warrior.' That's including any chance into Starclan. It's one of the reasons things are so peaceful nowadays." Lily frost sighed. Thrushpaw couldn't make out if she was sighing because she was thankful for the calm or if it was because she missed how her life was before.}
{"Buckheart's mate had been out hunting when he was killed, however. And when she came back and found her mate being covered with rosemary, she had unsheathed her claws and was making her way toward Foxstrike. Before Robinsong could do anything, Bloomstar warned her of the new code. She told her this was to prevent more deaths and to forgive Foxstrike if she wanted to be a clan cat." Lilyfrost took a a heartbeat to lick a stray tuft of fur on her chest back into place before starting back up. "Robinsong ignored her leader's warning, she felt avenging her mate was more important than her future. She leaped onto Foxstrike and killed him, as easily as you would a mouse."}
{Thrushpaw heard Tabbypaw gasp while Dapplepaw just continued to pick gravel and mud out of her paws, uninterested in the tale. He turned his attention once more to the old she. How interesting it must have been to be alive during that time.}
{"Bloomstar was furious with her. She had just lost two warriors and now she would have to lose a third. She banished her from the clan and told her if she ever saw her again, she would treat her just like Robinsong treated Foxstrike. After she left, there was no evidence that she was still on the territory until long after. They found a patch of her fur snagged on a fox den, the stench of blood wafting from it. Most believed she was dead, and the ones who thought she might be alive and went looking for her, never found her. But there was one cat who never gave up." The elder's eyes looked down with sorrow and she shook slightly more than usual.}
{"My brother was the only cat that stood up for her when she was banished. They were friends since we were kits. every night he'd go out into the forest to look for her, only to find nothing. He was so sure that he'd find her, and even more so when everyone declared her dead. One day, he told me he swore he saw her spirit. He said that he wanted to find a way to get Robinsong to Starclan. I asked him to stop thinking about the past. I told him he was chasing a ghost, a phantom. I told him he was wasting his life as a warrior. But he kept searching, so certain he had to live in the past. I knew he loved her, but he and Buckheart had been great friends as well and he wanted her to be happy. even if that meant giving her up to someone else. I think he regretted doing that because of how hurt she became after he died. My brother wanted to give her peace, but instead he lost his own. He lived only in the past, missing out on having a mate, kits, and even the shot of being deputy. And then one day, we found him near the fox den where she may have died. He joined Starclan with a smile on his face. I believe he found her that night and so he was finally able to let go. And although he found what he was looking for, he never lived his own life. He just kept chasing the past until in consumed him and there was nothing left of my brother." Her milky white eyes locked onto Thrushpaw's green ones, which sent a chill down his spine.}
{"If you live in the past young one, you'll never have a future." Her words sounded eerie, as if they weren't her own. But before he could question her, Lilyfrost flopped down on her moss and bracken nest they had made for her, and rolled so she was facing away from them. "That's all these old bones can stand for now, come back later and i'll tell you a tale another day." her grunted, her tail waving them away. Tabbypaw and Dapplepaw stretched and hurried out of the den to get some prey and the freshkill pile. But Thrushpaw lingered for a bit longer.}
{"I'm not your brother Lilyfrost, I'll be fine." He said, trying to assure the old elder. Lilyfrost didn't budge from her spot but mewed in a slow, sad voice;}
{"For your sake Thrushpaw, I hope not.I hope not." She muttered.
And with nothing else to say, He left the elder to wallow in her own past.}