The rain falling after the beavers were chased away, blackclaw laying dying in the mud with a smile on his face as mosspelt, willowshine, reedwhisker, voletooth, beechfur, icewing and graymist stand beside him. Dawnflower is stretched out against his side
Once I was seven years old,
Blackkit and skykit lay yawning together beside shimmerpelt
my mama told me,
shimmerpelt leans over them, as blackkit frowns up at her
"Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely."
Shimmerpelt goes out of focus to show the kit squad behind her
Once I was seven years old
Blackit and skykit scramble up over their mother to join them
It was a big big world,
A wide zoom out of riverclan’s camp / territory (the barn in the distance out of focus)
but we thought we were bigger
blackpaw and skypaw standing before hailstar
Pushing each other to the limits,
The two rush into the river, water leaping up their chests
we were learning quicker
breaking into an even swim, skypaw ducking into the water
By eleven smoking herb and drinking burning liquor
Flash to riverclan’s camp and the apprentices laughing and eating
Never rich so we were out to make that steady figure
Hailstar walks past them and crookedjaw steps up to block his figure looking down at the apprentices
Once I was eleven years old.
After the rat battle, blackclaw seated in camp with his ears back
My daddy told me,
Piketooth comes to sit beside him, smiling comfortingly
"Go get yourself a wife or you'll be lonely."
Piketooth says this, nodding towards mosspelt, and blackclaw looks flustered
Once I was eleven years old
Blackclaw shrugs him off, turning to call to skyheart
I always had that dream like my daddy before me
Blackclaw standing beside heavypaw, leaning down to touch his muzzle to the apprentice’s head
So I started writing songs,
Lifts his head to gesture to the sky above himself
I started writing stories
Heavypaw looking up beside him they both have stars in their eyes
Something about that glory,
Blackclaw looking down to glance at crookedstar and timberfur off to the side
Just always seemed to bore me
Blackclaw turns his attention back to heavypaw when the apprentice leans into him
'Cause only those I really love will ever really know me
Heavypaw stands up to push his forpaws into blackclaw’s shoulders trying to get a better look at the sky
Once I was twenty years old.
Blackclaw walking up to mosspelt, heavystep at his side
My story got told
Both of them are laughing, and blackclaw looks mildly embarrassed
Before the morning sun, when life was lonely
Mosspelt stands beside blackclaw as they both look down at skyheart’s body
Once I was twenty years old
Mosspelt leans into him, and heavystep comes up with reedpaw to stand alongside
I only see my goals, I don't believe in failure
Blackclaw leading a patrol over sunning rocks, reedpaw in tow
'Cause I know the smallest voices.
Reedpaw, Hawkpaw and Mothpaw standing behind him, hissing at a thunderclan patrol
They can make it major
Reedwhisker, Hawkfrost and Mothwing standing alongside Leopardstar and Mistyfoot out of focus in the new territory
I got my boys with me at least those in favor
Blackclaw standing with his apprentices (heavystep, reedwhisker, voletooth, and beechfur) heavystep fades to a ghost and reedwhisker begins to shine with starlight
And if we don't meet before I leave,
Reedwhisker standing with duskfur and their kits, looking up
I hope I'll see you later
Blackclaw giving reedwhisker one of his nine lives
Once I was twenty years old.
Blackclaw standing on the edge of the bloodclan battle with his family, tail lashing
My story got told
Mosspelt fighting alongside blackclaw, teaming up against a bloodclan warrior
I was writing about everything I saw before me
Mosspelt joins tallpoppy and morningflower as blackclaw falls behind to watch featherpaw and stormpaw fight with dawnflower at their side
Once I was twenty years old
Dawnflower leaning into his side, as he limps away from the finished fight
Soon we'll be thirty years old,
Blackclaw and mosspelt watching riverclan during moonrise
Our songs have been sold
Dawnflower stands with her kits, laughing as they play around her
We've traveled around the world
The mountains rise up before them, and blackclaw looks determined
and we're still roaming
stormfur stands before the riverclan camp entrance
Soon we'll be thirty years old
Blackclaw looks hurt and angry standing alongside hawkfrost, turning away
I'm still learning about life
Blackclaw standing beside the stream, watching the water flow with robinkit
My woman brought children for me
Mosspelt leads icewing and willowshine across the river all of them carrying herbs
So I can sing them all my songs
Greymist pads up to sit beside them while blackclaw leans down to point something out to the kits gathering around him
And I can tell them stories
Blackclaw’s entire family gathers around him as the ageing man talks
Most of my boys are with me
Blackclaw flicks his tail around icewing’s kits, looking deeper into the water
Some are still out seeking glory
Stormfur’s face flashes in the river, mud speckled and determined
And some I had to leave behind
Skyheart and feathertail stand together in the water, their spirits shimmering
My brother I'm still sorry
Hawkfrost stands just beyond feathertail, his chest bloody
Soon I'll be sixty years old,
Blackclaw standing before leopardstar as he retires, looking tired and sad
my daddy got sixty-one
piketooth’s spirit stands alongside him for a moment before shimmering away
Remember life and then your life becomes a better one
Mosspelt brushes up against him, smiling warmly as she helps him limp back to his waiting kin
I made a man so happy when I wrote a letter once
A younger blackclaw standing beside featherpaw and stormpaw, greystripe in the distance with his back to them
I hope my children come and visit once or twice a month
Blackclaw ages back to his old age, and willowshine sits next to him grooming his ears
Soon I'll be sixty years old,
Blackclaw lays alone on the edge of riverclan’s camp watching the reeds sway
Will I think the world is cold
Dawnflower is obviously sick, as she settles beside him looking weak
Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?
Willowshine and beechfur join them and willowshine smiles gently as she presses against dawnflower’s side, beechfur dropping down beside her
Soon I'll be sixty years old
Blackclaw lays his chin against dawnflower’s back, looking sideways as mosspelt and reedwhisker approach
Soon I'll be sixty years old,
Mosspelt settles stiffly alongside them, tucking her paws under her
Will I think the world is cold
greymist and heavystep limp towards them, injured sick and weak
Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?
They settle down behind blackclaw, yawning as icewing, pebblefoot and voletooth trot up to meet them
Soon I'll be sixty years old
Blackclaw lifts his head and closes his eyes as the sun slips out from behind a cloud bank to bathe them
"Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely."
Shimmerpelt leans forward to whisper in his ear, and blackclaw opens his eyes slowly
Once I was seven years old
Mosspelt lays beside him, shoulders brushing as they watch their kin settle and begin to share tongues around them, the starclan cats becoming starker in the background
Once I was seven years old
Blackclaw lays his head on mosspelt’s paws and closes his eyes once more
ah, random thought as i have been rereading about and byf pages all morning while i calm down but if we're mutuals and for some reason i unfollow you please message me or like shoot an anon or something about it because there is like a 9,000% chance my dumb ass hit unfollow by accident because i blog almost exclusively on mobile;;;;
im the fucking worst at convos like im super sorry if we're talking at any point cause i exist in this constant state of 'no i definetly replied to that' 'fuck i didnt and also my trigger finger is hard af right now''well hopefully at some point they'll think im dead' which doesnt exactly work online or with people i live with
