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Description
Trigger warnings:
Mentions of miscarriage.

Dovewing sat outside the camp entrance, her body stoic and still, her eyes traveling across the open forest as she watched intently. She didn't dare use her powers, except for when the occasional rustle of leaves was rewarding with her watching carefully for movement further than she would have originally allowed herself before resuming her normal activity. The cool night air felt pleasant along her lengthy fur, the summer day having long since descended into night, painting the world with dark shadows that made everything look dark and foreboding if not for the moonlight that spilled along the treetops. She breathed the pleasant night air, before breathing out through her nose, a soft smile on her features.

Thornclaw had been assigned to be the guard for the night, and although he watched intently he could not help but glance around occasionally, as if sensing something that Dovewing didn't. He let out a soft sigh after a moment and turned to face her, leaning his back against a tree as he watched the blue-eyed she-cat for a few moments. "I'm glad that the battle is finally over," he admitted after a moment, disturbing the quiet of the empty camp as the moon hung high in the air, moonlight dancing through the trees and making his eyes shimmer as he didn't remove his gaze from her. Dovewing did not glance over. "Although we didn't need so many cats dead, I think."

"I know," she commented after a moment, twitching her ears in his direction without removing her gaze from the forest that surrounding their camp. The golden-brown tom blinked at her before letting out a soft sigh and getting up onto his paws, curling his tail and stretching his paws.

"I can't stand the quiet, it reminds me of the silence of the dead; I'll even take the snoring of the cats in the den. I'll see you there, I guess," he meowed, flicking his tail as he dismissed himself from his post, completely trusting Dovewing to be capable of substituting as both guards; she did not bat an eye at his leaving.

It was quiet for a long while after he left and she almost wanted to call him back, because his words were now haunting her and it almost scared her. The silence of the dead - wasn't that what he said? Suddenly she found the air too chilly and shivered despite herself, almost regretting that she didn't offer to go to the first gathering after the battle with the dark forest - it probably would have helped calm her nerves now.

"Dovewing? Where's Thornclaw?" Came a meow of surprise in front of her and Dovewing froze, her grey fur bristling as she narrowed her blue eyes, for a moment forgetting that she even had her powers, just for a moment, before the back of her mind whispered that it was a familiar voice and she calmed herself. She watched until the frame of a cat stood out against the darkness and waited again until the cat stepped into the light, her pelt looking like it was made of moonlight, her eyes glistening like ice coating the riverbanks, her large body moving forward to greet the younger she-cat. With a quick bump of the noses, the snow-pelted she-cat sat herself next to Dovewing, watching her for a moment.

"He went to his nest," Dovewing admitted after a moment, realizing that Icecloud had still asked a question. The she-cat nodded as if she had expected nothing less and simply pressed her back against the trunk, just watching the grey warrior with soft eyes. "Do you need something, Icecloud?"

"No," the other she-cat murmured, causing Dovewing to snap her head to look at her, her eyes holding confusion as she eyed the older warrior. "Truly, there's no need to worry about me," she promised, her smile looking gentle and sad, causing Dovewing to completely turn to look at her.

"No, there must be something," Dovewing pressed and in that moment, she had wished that she had Jayfeather's gift to peer into minds so that she could press into Icecloud's and see what was troubling her, but with that gift came a price - being blind. She didn't know how he dealt with it, really.

"... I lost my kits," Icecloud finally meowed after a moment, her eyes glistening like running water, her body shaking and her bushy tail curling around herself as if for protection. "During the battle. Jayfeather - he knew about them, and warned me not to fight. But I did, and I lost them, when one of the dark forest warriors ... when one of them shoved my belly and ... they were Mousewhisker's."

"I ... I'm sorry, Icecloud, I didn't know," Dovewing meowed, reaching forward to comfort the other she-cat. Icecloud cringed, as if struck, and that shattered Dovewing's heart, and she, herself, recoiled and slowly began to shake her head. "None of us knew."

"He didn't know - we weren't even mates; I wasn't plan on telling him," the moonlight-pelted she-cat meowed, taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves but ending up closing her eyes in silent defeat. "It just happened and now they're gone."

"Icecloud, everything's going to be okay, you're fine now; you can become pregnant with new kits," Dovewing promised, moving from her post to prop herself next to the blue-eyed she-cat who flinched at the close contact. The grey warrior didn't know exactly what Icecloud was going through, but she knew that it must have been horrible.

"No, you don't understand - I wanted those kits. I needed those kits." Icecloud babbled, her voice was gentle and soft, like a whisper on the wind; Dovewing's heart ached. The white warrior had stopped shaking but her eyes had gone wide and misty, and her tail was twitching at the tip rapidly. "Mousewhisker had never loved me, Lionblaze had never loved me, I wouldn't be surprised if my own brother didn't loved me. But these kits ... I could have loved, and they would have loved me. Nothing is like being loved, and that was all I ever wanted. Having those kits would be the closest I would have been able to get to that love, and even then, it would have been enough for me, because then I would finally have someone to love."

Dovewing pressed her muzzle to the other she-cat's shoulder, hoping to provide comfort during her friend's troubling time. "Icecloud, I -" she stopped after a moment, her heart aching, and her throat feeling tight. She could feel her ears droop a little as she couldn't find the words to express her sorrow to the other she-cat. "I'm sorry," was all that she could muster.

"I know, Dovewing, I know," she meowed, her gentle voice cracking a little on the grey she-cat's name before she abruptly stood up. "I wasn't intending on telling you, you know. So it'd be helpful if you just ... if you forgot what I just said, okay? I better do what I was originally planning to do when I left the gathering - go to sleep." Icecloud half-stumbled towards the warriors' den, then stopped. "Thank you, Dovewing, for listening to me." Then she disappeared into the den like dark storm clouds covering the moon, and suddenly Dovewing's world felt a whole lot colder as her heart ached for the she-cat, and silently, she told herself that she would help Icecloud's prayer come true.

Description
Trigger warnings:
Mentions of miscarriage.

Dovewing sat outside the camp entrance, her body stoic and still, her eyes traveling across the open forest as she watched intently. She didn't dare use her powers, except for when the occasional rustle of leaves was rewarding with her watching carefully for movement further than she would have originally allowed herself before resuming her normal activity. The cool night air felt pleasant along her lengthy fur, the summer day having long since descended into night, painting the world with dark shadows that made everything look dark and foreboding if not for the moonlight that spilled along the treetops. She breathed the pleasant night air, before breathing out through her nose, a soft smile on her features.

Thornclaw had been assigned to be the guard for the night, and although he watched intently he could not help but glance around occasionally, as if sensing something that Dovewing didn't. He let out a soft sigh after a moment and turned to face her, leaning his back against a tree as he watched the blue-eyed she-cat for a few moments. "I'm glad that the battle is finally over," he admitted after a moment, disturbing the quiet of the empty camp as the moon hung high in the air, moonlight dancing through the trees and making his eyes shimmer as he didn't remove his gaze from her. Dovewing did not glance over. "Although we didn't need so many cats dead, I think."

"I know," she commented after a moment, twitching her ears in his direction without removing her gaze from the forest that surrounding their camp. The golden-brown tom blinked at her before letting out a soft sigh and getting up onto his paws, curling his tail and stretching his paws.

"I can't stand the quiet, it reminds me of the silence of the dead; I'll even take the snoring of the cats in the den. I'll see you there, I guess," he meowed, flicking his tail as he dismissed himself from his post, completely trusting Dovewing to be capable of substituting as both guards; she did not bat an eye at his leaving.

It was quiet for a long while after he left and she almost wanted to call him back, because his words were now haunting her and it almost scared her. The silence of the dead - wasn't that what he said? Suddenly she found the air too chilly and shivered despite herself, almost regretting that she didn't offer to go to the first gathering after the battle with the dark forest - it probably would have helped calm her nerves now.

"Dovewing? Where's Thornclaw?" Came a meow of surprise in front of her and Dovewing froze, her grey fur bristling as she narrowed her blue eyes, for a moment forgetting that she even had her powers, just for a moment, before the back of her mind whispered that it was a familiar voice and she calmed herself. She watched until the frame of a cat stood out against the darkness and waited again until the cat stepped into the light, her pelt looking like it was made of moonlight, her eyes glistening like ice coating the riverbanks, her large body moving forward to greet the younger she-cat. With a quick bump of the noses, the snow-pelted she-cat sat herself next to Dovewing, watching her for a moment.

"He went to his nest," Dovewing admitted after a moment, realizing that Icecloud had still asked a question. The she-cat nodded as if she had expected nothing less and simply pressed her back against the trunk, just watching the grey warrior with soft eyes. "Do you need something, Icecloud?"

"No," the other she-cat murmured, causing Dovewing to snap her head to look at her, her eyes holding confusion as she eyed the older warrior. "Truly, there's no need to worry about me," she promised, her smile looking gentle and sad, causing Dovewing to completely turn to look at her.

"No, there must be something," Dovewing pressed and in that moment, she had wished that she had Jayfeather's gift to peer into minds so that she could press into Icecloud's and see what was troubling her, but with that gift came a price - being blind. She didn't know how he dealt with it, really.

"... I lost my kits," Icecloud finally meowed after a moment, her eyes glistening like running water, her body shaking and her bushy tail curling around herself as if for protection. "During the battle. Jayfeather - he knew about them, and warned me not to fight. But I did, and I lost them, when one of the dark forest warriors ... when one of them shoved my belly and ... they were Mousewhisker's."

"I ... I'm sorry, Icecloud, I didn't know," Dovewing meowed, reaching forward to comfort the other she-cat. Icecloud cringed, as if struck, and that shattered Dovewing's heart, and she, herself, recoiled and slowly began to shake her head. "None of us knew."

"He didn't know - we weren't even mates; I wasn't plan on telling him," the moonlight-pelted she-cat meowed, taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves but ending up closing her eyes in silent defeat. "It just happened and now they're gone."

"Icecloud, everything's going to be okay, you're fine now; you can become pregnant with new kits," Dovewing promised, moving from her post to prop herself next to the blue-eyed she-cat who flinched at the close contact. The grey warrior didn't know exactly what Icecloud was going through, but she knew that it must have been horrible.

"No, you don't understand - I wanted those kits. I needed those kits." Icecloud babbled, her voice was gentle and soft, like a whisper on the wind; Dovewing's heart ached. The white warrior had stopped shaking but her eyes had gone wide and misty, and her tail was twitching at the tip rapidly. "Mousewhisker had never loved me, Lionblaze had never loved me, I wouldn't be surprised if my own brother didn't loved me. But these kits ... I could have loved, and they would have loved me. Nothing is like being loved, and that was all I ever wanted. Having those kits would be the closest I would have been able to get to that love, and even then, it would have been enough for me, because then I would finally have someone to love."

Dovewing pressed her muzzle to the other she-cat's shoulder, hoping to provide comfort during her friend's troubling time. "Icecloud, I -" she stopped after a moment, her heart aching, and her throat feeling tight. She could feel her ears droop a little as she couldn't find the words to express her sorrow to the other she-cat. "I'm sorry," was all that she could muster.

"I know, Dovewing, I know," she meowed, her gentle voice cracking a little on the grey she-cat's name before she abruptly stood up. "I wasn't intending on telling you, you know. So it'd be helpful if you just ... if you forgot what I just said, okay? I better do what I was originally planning to do when I left the gathering - go to sleep." Icecloud half-stumbled towards the warriors' den, then stopped. "Thank you, Dovewing, for listening to me." Then she disappeared into the den like dark storm clouds covering the moon, and suddenly Dovewing's world felt a whole lot colder as her heart ached for the she-cat, and silently, she told herself that she would help Icecloud's prayer come true.