.. creekguard didn't expect this. he didn't want this to happen. it was just a normal day. nothing needed to happen. but something DID happen. this something triggered everything inside of him. this something cracked creekguard's heart into a thousand pieces. it broke his wall of fake smiles, and his lying words: ' i'm okay! ' this shattered all of his defenses. his insides were shattered, and now everything was spilling out. all his bad memories... fadingphenomena on his deathbed, eyes growing paler and weak. him waking up one day to find ashflounder gone. missing. she NEVER came back. she NEVER tried to see how her beloved kits were doing. and now-- suddenly, is the absence of furzeflicker. creekguard had no idea as to where he went, but he knew one thing. furzeflicker was never coming back. he was gone. invisible. dead. creekguard would never see his brother's smile, his goofy hairstyles, his smooth black fur. creekguard wouldn't see ANY of them again. fadingphenomena, ashflounder, furzeflicker... they were all GONE. creekguard stood up, tears building in his eyes, but then he ran. he ran out of thunderclan, and away. somewhere where he could forget all about them. he ran, ran, ran, then his bounding strides were broken by a shuddering cough that he still had from his very recent and still lingering illness. the cough shuddered throughout his body, and he collapsed to the ground, body shaking with his coughing. tears were now streaming down his face, hesitating on his cheeks then finally falling to the forest floor, drowning an ant that previously scurried across the leaves. creekguard couldn't help but feel like the ant. trapped, drowning, failing to see a point in living. failing to understand WHY to fight the pain. why to keep going? why not just allow the force to push him to the ground, ending his life and leaving him to wander-- leaving him to be alone for eternity. creekguard slumped down, his eyes growing dull and is vision blurring. suddenly, he saw the ant. it was fighting the water. it was SURVIVING. he watched, his heart beating in his head. suddenly, out of nowhere, three other ants came. they surrounded the drowning ant, keeping as close to the water as they dared. creekguard sniffed, his crying coming to a cease as he watched the ants. the drowning ant had FRIENDS. it had a life. it had meaning, and so did he. creekguard sat up straighter, his eyes finding a new light as he wiped his tears away in his fur. creekguard, like the ant, had a REASON to keep going. he had russetbloom, and zealzip, and miracledance. oh... he had miracledance. his heart fluttered at the thought of her. he HAD to fight the force. the sadness. the anger. he had to fight it all, he had to fight it for them. for her. he couldn't fall down. not now. never. his promise still stood-- he would NEVER leave his family and friends behind. that promise he made with miracledance... he needed to follow it. to stay alive, since they all needed him. he needed himself. creekguard needed to stand strong. he needed to fight. he needed to survive. creekguard stood up, his eyes gleaming with new-found determination. he was going to stay alive, fight the water. he was going to survive. ..
