Poisonberry's Vengence

Taken by the Stars

Sad Hopepaw. Art by me.

This chapter contains dark themes such as death, injury, and hysteria. Reader discretion is advised. 

The air was thick with dust and snow as Hopepaw regained consciousness. It was dim, although not completely pitch-black as she blinked, coughing violently. Her head spun and her eyes as she attempted to asses her injuries and situation. Immediately, it was clear that there was a huge problem. Two, big ones actually. The very rock that had saved her from being completely crushed or suffocated by the wave of snow had shifted, trapping her bushy tail under its massive weight. That same rock had created an air pocket that cradled Hopepaw, keeping her safe, but also imprisoning her.

How long was I out...? Oh stars, Screechpaw! I have to find him. What if he didn't make it to safety? He'll be suffocating! Panic nearly choked her as she strained against the rock that pinned her to the ground. I have to get to him! Her mind screamed, but the pain screamed louder. The bones in her tail felt like they'd been turned to powder, and the pure agony made her vision swim and go black around the edges. Tears leaked down her face, making tracks in her muddied fur. 

She twisted violently, using her paws to push the massive stone up from her pulverized limb. And just barely, she felt it shift. "Yes..." Hopepaw muttered through gritted teeth, giving one hard yank on her tail. She felt the pressure release, and she was free. 

She let a whimper escape her, as she laid eyes on her tail. It was absolutely ruined, flattened and practically reverberating in pain. Despite the utter hellfire raging in her appendage, she began to dig out of her frosty prison. A prison that could have easily become her tomb. 

Her claws struck out at the stone and snow trapping her, and her paw pads stung from repeatedly being scraped. Light filtered palely through the last layer of snow, and she dug more furiously until her face was bathed in golden rays. Gasping hungrily at the fresh air, she looked around in horror at the destruction the avalanche had wrought. The sweet pines were gone, and the mountain seemed to have been torn apart. But she didn't stare at it too long. All that mattered was finding Screechpaw.

"Screechpaw!" She called, hoping he may have dug himself out. "Screechpaw, are you there?" Where do I even start? Glancing around wildly, her eyes darted from rock to rock, snowbank to snowbank, hoping to see him standing to the side with relief in his golden eyes. 

Then, her eyes caught a black-and-white form, higher on the mountain, near where the avalanche had started. She could make out green eyes, and an unusual pattern on the cat's fur... Is that Emeraldpaw? "Help! Emeraldpaw, get a patrol! Please, hurry. It's Screechpaw, he's..." She trailed off. "He- We need help!" She saw Emeraldpaw give a slight nod, and disappear from view, When she looked around again, she found what she'd been hoping for, and yet, at the same time, dreading.

A paw sticking out of the snow. 

It was just three toes, but they were his, alright. She raced over, prayers to all that was holy echoing around her head. Please be okay. Please be in an air pocket. Please don't be gone. Please, please, don't let me be too late. She dug frantically, snow spraying into the air behind her. She felt two claws snap in rapid succession, and her lungs ached from the dust, the snow, and the movement. 

Hope was the only thing keeping her from totally breaking down and giving up. Hope that somehow, her beloved brother was alive in some incredible twist of fate, But the hope she'd been clinging to like a mother to their only kit, sheltering her from reality, came crashing down as her paw touched a cold, leaden shoulder. There was no airspace around it, and she knew that no cat could breathe through solid, hard-packed snow.