Littlestar had been sleeping soundly, having been up most of the night dealing with the needs of her newborns. She had risen to do he morning prayers, send out patrols, and check in on patients before returning to her own nest for a much needed nap. The five kits were all doing well, and all things considered so was she. Along her forelegs were fresher cuts, that wouldn't be able to escape the critical eyes of a trained healer like Foxbane. However, she was regaining her weight,  her pelt filling in and healthy, covering some of the scars that she had sustained over the past several moons. 

The quiet voice of her mother, wasn't quite enough to wake her from her slumber. Her sides rising and falling softly, her fluffy tail curled protectively around the little one.

It took a few minutes for her to stir, it was only when her head was lifted that her eyes began to flutter open. At first she assumed that it was Skipstep, but I was not his blue eyes that she was staring into “Mom” she murmured softly, lifting her head up as her warm scent mixed with the tangy herbs reached her nose. She hadn’t seen Foxbane since her mother had decided to return to DayClan after  helping Littlestar retake SunClan from Bloodystar that day at the ceremony springs “What are you doing back here so soon? Is everything in DayClan ok?” Glimmers of concern shining in her eyes, She at least presumed that nothing bad was happening here in SunClan based on her unhurried attempts at treating her wounds and that she had been allowed to sleep through the treatment thus far. 

The silver queen relaxed into Foxbane’s touch, now that she had confirmed that nothing was wrong. Yet her mother’s gaze didn’t falter, remaining on her legs that she had just bandaged so carefully.  Her ears fell back towards her head under the harsh gaze, simply waiting for the lecture she was no doubt to receive. Perhaps that was the worst part, being able to see the concern and disappointment written all over her Foxbane’s face and yet the harsh words she expected never came… instead it was almost as if she had been the one to hurt Foxbane…. Concern dripping from every word 

“It wouldn’t have changed anything…” she answered after a few moments

”Even if you had been directly by my side, you wouldn’t have been able to talk me out of it ” her words were soft and delicate, trying to find the right ones to say nearly impossible “I had to face my failures”

"It's not what you think...." but it was to late, tears were already streaming down Foxbane's face. She leaned forward licking the salty tears away as they fell gently rasping across the ginger fur "Don't cry, mom" she pleaded between gentle licks. It wasn't often that Foxbane cried, but as she spoke she began to piece it together. Foxbane thought she had done this to hurt herself, to use pain as a coping mechanism. Perhaps in a way she was right, but also so very wrong "This wasn't to hurt myself" her licks becoming more desperate, but now she was crying to unable to stop the flood of tears streaming down her mothers face, becoming more upset the longer she continued to cry "I was pregnant, I wouldn't have have put them in danger like that"

"Mom, don't cry like this" 

The tears hadn't stopped, but at least Foxbane seemed to be listening now. Littlestar let her nose burry into the mother's fur, her own kits squeaking in protest at the movement "A lot has happened since you left... I hoped that I had been wrong, that thing whom tortured me had moved on... but it hasn't" she had very little physical proof of this, but it was still apparent that this demon...creature.. entity... It wasn't done with her nor SunClan just yet, it wouldn't rest until the vision it had shown her that day came true "Honestpaw is dead... He was one of Lionpride's children, a grandchild that now I will never get to know" she couldn't top her own tears either, visions of his broken corpse fresh on her mind

"He was found murdered in the bone yard, his skull crashed in and body mutilated. I tried to contact his spirit, but he was nowhere to be found on the isle and StarClan is now closed to me. I have no way of finding his killer..." she paused trying to figure out how to express her concerns "but it's not just Honestpaw, none of cats whom have have died recently have found their way to the isle. Sunnysmiles... she died of an infection, and even she hasn't been found. I thought it was because the Sun God hadn't awakened to guide them there, but Bravewolf can not even find them. It is as if their souls have just vanished"

"It my job to help guide these cats to the isle, and I have failed them Foxbane. I don't know where they are or what is happening. Right now, I don't know what happens to those that pass on, only that it isn't good. I sent Bravewolf and a patrol to MoonClan to bring the souls of our cats that died there back to the isle, and they were attacked. Every member of the patrol heard Honestpaw's voice... the swore to me that it was him. Begging, pleading for someone to end his torment.  It could have been a trick of Selenes....but..." she paused trying to figure out how to say it "The thing that hurt me... It tried to kill Bravewolf, and very well near succeed"

"What I did, wasn't to hurt myself. Yes I am grieving, yes I am sad... but it wasn't to harm myself... I..." her throat began to burn, a warning that she was speaking to much about things related to the Temple of The Sun. Foxbane had been demoted, her right to enter into the temple stripped from her. Her memories of even it's existence fading by the day. How she wished that she could ask for the former High Priestess' advice.

Ignoring the warning she continued to speak, her voice cracking worse as she continued until at the end it was little more than harsh whispers... but Foxbane needed to know... She needed to know that this wasn't for the sake of self-mutilation "I did a ritual" her voice already becoming raspy "to try and find the souls that have been lost, the cost... My blood" 

Littlestar tired to answer, but this time her voice was to hoarse to continue. The words nothing more than breathy rasps. Her ears fell back, gaze falling onto the kits nestled at her side. She knew Foxbane would be frustrated by the lack of answers, but she wasn't able to give them. Not now anyway... If she pushed much farther it was entirely possible that she could loose her voice permanently, her vocal cords being irreparably damaged. Instead she pressed her nose to Foxbane's before pulling back with a slight shake to her head. The wounds she had inflicted upon her self were deep, but nothing that wouldn't heal. She doubted that they would even leave a scar once it was all said and done.  But slowly and idea came to her, a metaphor that she only hoped the former High Priestess would be able to understand how the ritual worked. She rose to her paws, returning with a sunflower in her jaws sitting it down beside of her nest. Carefully she plucked some of the seeds, lining them in a winding path that she then traced with her claw. 

This ritual allowed her to follow the traces of a soul on it's journey through the spirit world. The subtle signal of where it had once been glowing bright red and easy to follow it's meandering path. The cost of doing so, her own blood soaked into the grave of the one whom had been lost. The more blood you spilled, the farther you could follow the trail. The ritual itself was rather harmless, but following the trail... well that was an entirely different thing entirely. The spirit world was a confusing place, and walking between skies was dangerous. Creatures would try and consume your soul along the way, you could get lost, doomed to never awaken. This time though, it had been a success... She had found where the souls were being kept, only she couldn't enter. At least, not yet. It was similar to how she had found Skipstep while captured by omega and Inno. Following their soul bond into his dreams. 

She nodded taking a few of the petals and placing them at the end of the trail, before drawing a line around them. She had found them, but actually getting to them… that was a different story entirely. The realm was inaccessible, enclosed in a thick mist that steered everywhere that it touched. It wasn’t hot, but cold. Taking your energy, almost making her to weak to return to her own body. At the very least she had confirmed her theory, the souls were not in the isle, StarClan, nor the dark forest…. But somewhere else entirely.  A place she was all to familiar with, the mist eerily familiar to the entity that had attacked her that day. 

No one is going to hurt you or your family and get away with it...

But hadn't they? She had already been strung up as life was drained from her. Her grandson killed. Her daughter's soul gone... How could you fight an enemy you couldn't find? How could you defend your family from something powerful enough to harm a God? Something wicked enough to take souls of the dead... She wanted to believe Foxbane, that everything was going to be ok. That they would take this thing down, but the former High Priestess didn't understand what they were up against, not until she experienced it herself... 

"Break in" she manage to croak out,tracing a claw around the circle before grabbing the seeds and pulling them out of the circle