Fern felt his paws tremble and slip from under his weight as he clumsily ran back to camp. He felt thorns stabbing his pads and heard leaves crunching beneath his paws.

A large, twisted knot in a root caught his paw and threw him to the floor, scattering leaves and throwing up dust. Fern scrabbled to his paws, a stabbing pain shot through his paw.

Limping back to camp hopelessly, he was greeted nose-to-nose by Russet. "Where were you? Where's–– " Russet titled his head, looking over Fern's pelt.

"Blue's in trouble!" Fern barked at Russet.

"Where?"

"In the bramble. . . clearing!"

"I'll get some others. Go talk to Swift Blossom if that paw is hurting at all." Russet's eyes were full of unidentifiable emotion.

Fern felt his veins flood with warm rage and fur begin to spike up, but ignored the feeling. Blue was all he could think about. Please, please, please be okay. I love you.

He could instinctively feel that his paw would heal naturally; it was just a bruise. Fern surveyed over the tranquil camp, Ebony basking in the sun, sharing a rabbit with Pale Light. Flame and Darkened Hope joined them joyfully.

Leopard sat with Shaded Clover and watched her kits dart around with Feather Pelt while Whisper and Sparrow chatted quietly in a shaded corner. Willow, Clear Sun and Swift Blossom softly gossiped in the sunlight. Where is Timber?

Russet soon returned with Burnt Elm and Red. "You coming?" His strong voice made Fern jump.

Fern nodded. Red and Fern ended up padded behind Burnt Elm and Russet. Red's long, shining coat brushed against the longest parts of Fern's pelt. Her stubby legs waddled her forward.

"Fern." Red spoke quietly to Fern as they passed between two great oak trees. Fern noticed Burnt Elm's ears prick. Does she not want the others to hear her?

"Yeah –– what?" Fern replied in the same tone.

"What exactly happened out here?"

Fern lifted his head and recognized the clearing up ahead as the clearing Blue was in.

"That's the clearing!" Fern barked, lifting his head slightly and gesturing his muzzle towards the clearing. Russet nodded in acknowledgement, veering to the right towards the clusters of brambles ahead.

Turning back to Red, Fern whispered, "I'm pretty sure something . . .  hurt her." A pang of sadness stabbed his heart to admit what he truly believed.

Maybe, just maybe, they could find Blue alive.
Maybe nothing even happened.
Maybe Blue was bleeding to death that whole time and could be saved.
Maybe she was not dead yet.
Maybe a bramble snagged her fur, too.

Russet raised his tail to stop the others from looking, and parted the brambles with one delicate paw. Fern felt his heart start beating faster.

Russet let out a small gasp and Fern felt a bitter claw slice through his heart painfully. Burnt Elm rushed forward quickly, but Red looked softly at Fern and licked his shoulder.

Russet looked as if he knew how Fern felt, completely lost and utterly heartbroken. The young fox must have lost someone before.

Russet was shaky and frantic, his words stuttering and breathing uneven. The forest was completely silent except for Russet's voice. "Can y –– Red, go get Ebony. Fern, can y-you –– "

His head turned to see the sorrow-drenched eyes of Fern and Burnt Elm padding up to Russet with his tail low.

Fern's felt shredded with pain and turned around, leaving the crime scene. He gave a look to Russet, "I'm going home".

Russet nodded and turned back towards the clearing. As Fern walked alone through the looming forest. Every tree, every fallen leaf, every weak pawstep he took reminded him of Blue.

The thoughts replayed in his head. The nightmare of the death of his lost love repeated over and over, tearing at his heart and weighing down his pawsteps.

And tonight I have to say goodbye to her tonight.
Will the vigil for Blue be too much to handle?

Fern slipped into camp with his head down. Curious animals flooded him with questions.

"What happened?"
"Where's Blue? Is she okay?"
"I heard what happened!"
"Are you okay?"
"Where are the others?"
"Why are you alone?"

Ebony pushed to the front of the crowd. "Let me talk to Fern alone." Her strong words left a metaphorical disciplinarily scratched the muzzle of each gathered animal.

The crowd backed off as Fern tried to reach the back of the warriors den where he decided he could sit and rot until he forgot the whole situation entirely.

"Now, Fern." Ebony spoke like a mother calming a frightened kit after hearing a scary story. But this isn't just a story.

He lifted his head to greet her soft yellow gaze. They could explain a troubled life just in one heartbeat.

"What happened? I never got to talk to you before you and Russet left."

"I heard a scream for help from . . . her . . . and just ran back to camp."

It would cause too much pain to speak her name again. Every time he thought of her name the vision flashed in Fern's head again and again.

Ebony nodded in acknowledgement. Her breathing went funny for a moment. Fern caught Pale Light's eye as he slipped into the den.

"I'm heading to the warriors den." Fern notified Ebony. She nodded as she turned away.

Fern slipped into the dark den, glancing over at all the empty nests that will be filled tonight, all except Blue's. She was gone.

𖠇 𖠇 𖠇

Fern watched the day pass from the back of the den. Eyes gave him condoling, heartfelt glances. Most warriors kept their head low.

It'll be even more strange in camp without Blue.

She was a ray of sunshine in his darkened, weakly moonlit nights. Fern's paws felt heavier with grief every time eyes had that stare.

"We're so sorry."

You're sorry? It's nobody fault by my own.

"It'll get better."

Get back to me when your family dies.

Every greeting given to Blue seemed more dry and fake. They were heartless but just wanted to help him get better; just wanted everything to be okay again. And I don't blame them.

Maybe if I didn't start to leave this never would have happened. Maybe it would have been me. She'd be better off without me, anyways.

𖠇 𖠇 𖠇

When the vigil was announced from Ebony's hoarse voice, all of the group gathered. Except Fern. He couldn't bring himself to see the cold, stiff, lifeless body of his dead love.

The dead love he will never be able to confess his feelings to. The dead love that thought of him as another friend; another animal in the forest.

In the end, she probably would run off with Timber. But she'd be alive.

Fern would be heartbroken, but he could move on in that situation. Heartbreaks are a natural thing for most animals, right?

The end of the vigil came, animals giving him strange looks. They were probably wondering why he didn't want to say goodbye to Blue. After all, they sensed his fondness of her.

Though his eyelids were heavy with sorrow as he lay in the back of the den, he couldn't bring himself to sleep. The vision replayed in his head again and again. It burned into his memory.

Fern began to think of what really happened. Of course, in his head she was murdered.

But why would a murderer target Blue?

That honest question was asked over and over to himself as Fern drifted off into sleep.