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Description
There was a ghost wandering the ruins of Pheasant Wood, wailing plaintively. Rumours had started to circulate, slowly at first and then with shocking speed. It had become the talk of the land, cats whispering to one another about whether the story was true, or about who they thought the ghost might be. Some refused to investigate the claims, certain that no good could come of such activity, while others boasted about their chance of success. Who was fastest, who was strongest, who was the best? In the dead of night, felines from all of the tribes had started to sneak away, eager to be the first to find the supposed ghost.

Yue didn't believe the rumours...

Or so she kept telling herself. Whenever someone made mention of the ghost she would laugh mockingly, shake her head in feigned disinterest before wandering away to think. Deep inside, she was curious, intrigued by the stories that she had heard. But, more than that, she was afraid. Yue worried that the ghost could be that of her father, that her forced faith in Kintsu's wellbeing may have been misplaced. She couldn't stomach the thought of her father's spirit, wandering around hurt and broken in the wake of destruction.

It wasn't him.

News had arrived shorty after the supposed first true encounter with the ghost. It wasn't Kintsu. It wasn't anyone that she had known previously. Mild disappointment mingled with her relief, and Yue found herself trying to gather as much information as she could. She eavesdropped on whispered conversations, and listened raptly to the recounting of the tale several times over. Her heart ached for the broken spirit, unknown by all, alone in the ruins of what was once a beautiful forest. It seemed that the ghost was not at all in a good state of being, and many were eager to try and calm him down.

Yue couldn't, in good conscience, leave him to suffer alone. Perhaps everyone was going about it the wrong way... As the sun slipped slowly below the horizon, the flame-point she-cat gathered a few items together and set out on her way. No one attempted to stop her from slipping out, and Yue made no move to explain her intentions. Against her side bounced the sling made of moss that she used for crafting, gems rustling and clinking faintly with each step. On her head rested a crown of flowers, fresh blooms collected from the Flower Fields and woven together using a simple trick of her abilities.

The night was dark, few stars winking in and out of sight behind the clouds that drifted in front of them. The moon, a silver sliver in the sky, peeked in and out of sight in a game of cat and mouse. Closer to the woods, Yue's heart shivered in despair, her breathing pained. The area, once green and fertile with life, had been scorched away, leaving a dark scar upon the earth. Trees were reduced to damaged stumps, the earth coated in a layer of ash that plumed up behind her after each step. Her prints looked pale amid the darkness and the cloying scent of fire that had once reminded her of her birth home.

She wandered through the mangled remains for what felt an eternity, her heart heavy with the knowledge of what had once stood. Perhaps Cafall ached for the same reasons. Eventually, paws dusted black from wandering through the soot, Yue drew to a halt in the midst of an area that was nearly devoid of ghostly trunks and ruin. Careful not to spill its contents, she lowered her sling to the ground and cast an appraising glance over the landscape. She wasn't sure how to go about communicating with the ghost and wondered, vaguely, if he would reveal himself.

"You must be lonely out here." Talking had always been a strong point for the she-cat. Beginning to clear away some of the ash the surrounded her, Yue carried on speaking, her voice echoing oddly in the silence of night. "Have you been here for a long time? I grew up in the tribe that lives beside the volcano... I remember when the woods were beautiful and green and full of life! There were so many different birds, all of their different songs could make your head spin!"

When she was satisfied with her efforts, the Pink-Water wandered back to her crafting sling and started to remove the gems that she had tucked away inside. Each glinted faintly in the pale light of the moon, tiny sparks of beauty set against a backdrop of heartache. "I'm sad to see the forest gone, but some day it will grow back. New life will sprout here... I've brought some crystals with me, and I'll be leaving them hear. I think that they'll help draw the bad out of the earth."

In a small circle she spread the assorted stones, pressing them into the ground to keep them from being kicked about by wandering paws. "Some gems can purify, you know. They have their own energy and healing abilities..." Yue moved to sit in the centre of her makeshift circle, tail curling over her ash-covered paws. For several heartbeats she said nothing, listening to the wind whistle through the creaky skeletons of the trees in the distance. A cloud flitted over the face of the moon before drifting away, driven by the winds that scoured the landscape. An owl called, hunting in spite of the meagre amounts of prey.

"I've brought some flowers with me, to remind you that the land is resilient. A bigger forest will stand here someday, growing stronger than its predecessor. I hope that the cats who walk here after I'm gone take good care of it." Lowering her head, Yue let her crown of blossoms slide to the ground. A faint smile graced her muzzle, and she tipped her head back to stare up at the distant stars. "Everything will be okay..."

Description
There was a ghost wandering the ruins of Pheasant Wood, wailing plaintively. Rumours had started to circulate, slowly at first and then with shocking speed. It had become the talk of the land, cats whispering to one another about whether the story was true, or about who they thought the ghost might be. Some refused to investigate the claims, certain that no good could come of such activity, while others boasted about their chance of success. Who was fastest, who was strongest, who was the best? In the dead of night, felines from all of the tribes had started to sneak away, eager to be the first to find the supposed ghost.

Yue didn't believe the rumours...

Or so she kept telling herself. Whenever someone made mention of the ghost she would laugh mockingly, shake her head in feigned disinterest before wandering away to think. Deep inside, she was curious, intrigued by the stories that she had heard. But, more than that, she was afraid. Yue worried that the ghost could be that of her father, that her forced faith in Kintsu's wellbeing may have been misplaced. She couldn't stomach the thought of her father's spirit, wandering around hurt and broken in the wake of destruction.

It wasn't him.

News had arrived shorty after the supposed first true encounter with the ghost. It wasn't Kintsu. It wasn't anyone that she had known previously. Mild disappointment mingled with her relief, and Yue found herself trying to gather as much information as she could. She eavesdropped on whispered conversations, and listened raptly to the recounting of the tale several times over. Her heart ached for the broken spirit, unknown by all, alone in the ruins of what was once a beautiful forest. It seemed that the ghost was not at all in a good state of being, and many were eager to try and calm him down.

Yue couldn't, in good conscience, leave him to suffer alone. Perhaps everyone was going about it the wrong way... As the sun slipped slowly below the horizon, the flame-point she-cat gathered a few items together and set out on her way. No one attempted to stop her from slipping out, and Yue made no move to explain her intentions. Against her side bounced the sling made of moss that she used for crafting, gems rustling and clinking faintly with each step. On her head rested a crown of flowers, fresh blooms collected from the Flower Fields and woven together using a simple trick of her abilities.

The night was dark, few stars winking in and out of sight behind the clouds that drifted in front of them. The moon, a silver sliver in the sky, peeked in and out of sight in a game of cat and mouse. Closer to the woods, Yue's heart shivered in despair, her breathing pained. The area, once green and fertile with life, had been scorched away, leaving a dark scar upon the earth. Trees were reduced to damaged stumps, the earth coated in a layer of ash that plumed up behind her after each step. Her prints looked pale amid the darkness and the cloying scent of fire that had once reminded her of her birth home.

She wandered through the mangled remains for what felt an eternity, her heart heavy with the knowledge of what had once stood. Perhaps Cafall ached for the same reasons. Eventually, paws dusted black from wandering through the soot, Yue drew to a halt in the midst of an area that was nearly devoid of ghostly trunks and ruin. Careful not to spill its contents, she lowered her sling to the ground and cast an appraising glance over the landscape. She wasn't sure how to go about communicating with the ghost and wondered, vaguely, if he would reveal himself.

"You must be lonely out here." Talking had always been a strong point for the she-cat. Beginning to clear away some of the ash the surrounded her, Yue carried on speaking, her voice echoing oddly in the silence of night. "Have you been here for a long time? I grew up in the tribe that lives beside the volcano... I remember when the woods were beautiful and green and full of life! There were so many different birds, all of their different songs could make your head spin!"

When she was satisfied with her efforts, the Pink-Water wandered back to her crafting sling and started to remove the gems that she had tucked away inside. Each glinted faintly in the pale light of the moon, tiny sparks of beauty set against a backdrop of heartache. "I'm sad to see the forest gone, but some day it will grow back. New life will sprout here... I've brought some crystals with me, and I'll be leaving them hear. I think that they'll help draw the bad out of the earth."

In a small circle she spread the assorted stones, pressing them into the ground to keep them from being kicked about by wandering paws. "Some gems can purify, you know. They have their own energy and healing abilities..." Yue moved to sit in the centre of her makeshift circle, tail curling over her ash-covered paws. For several heartbeats she said nothing, listening to the wind whistle through the creaky skeletons of the trees in the distance. A cloud flitted over the face of the moon before drifting away, driven by the winds that scoured the landscape. An owl called, hunting in spite of the meagre amounts of prey.

"I've brought some flowers with me, to remind you that the land is resilient. A bigger forest will stand here someday, growing stronger than its predecessor. I hope that the cats who walk here after I'm gone take good care of it." Lowering her head, Yue let her crown of blossoms slide to the ground. A faint smile graced her muzzle, and she tipped her head back to stare up at the distant stars. "Everything will be okay..."