It was well past the appropriate time to sleep in MireClan, but sleep slipped through the tomcat's paws like a fish in a stream. He was tired, of course he was, but found It impossible to make himself doze off.

Everything felt numb and static - like, as if the ability to put forth effort to fall into slumber had been blanked from the warrior's mind. Instead, the only thing that filled Lynxfrost's head were the downy feathers of worry, pouring wildly out of his ears and maw like a suffocating sickness.

The brown and white feline shot a few glances around the den, briefly watching the silent bliss carved into the even breathing and lax faces of his Clanmates. While the warriors surrounding him were curled snugly into the moss - lined nests, dreaming of what only their minds could provide, he was stuck here.

The weight of MireClan's numerous problems drenched the tomcat's mind and weighed his spirit down. It felt as if a boulder had been pushed onto his chest, leaving him here to gasp in the last few feeble breaths he could before death claimed him.

True, Lynxfrost did have a right to worry. The Clan could collapse in on itself one day, split apart at the fraying seams barely keeping it together, even now. Innocent lives could be stolen from them in the throes of bloody wars or pointless battles, souls ripped away from this world like fresh - kill during the harshest of leaf - bares.

All the while, trapped in the pleasant realms of their minds, we're his dozing Clanmates. They dreamt of silly things, of useless things. Everyone seemed blissfully unaware of what could be taken from them with one swift blow, one angry storm.

There always seemed to be the voice in the back of the warrior's mind, telling him to never get attached to the warm bodies filling the den. Against this creature's wishes -- and maybe even his own -- he does; it feels necessary.

Lynxfrost pushed an annoyed breath through his clenched teeth and bored holes into the ground, lashing his tail as he shredded the mossy nest under his paws. A soft sound at his side, almost like a quiet breath, quickly captured his attention, however.

The white - pelted tomcat curled at his side began to stir in their shared nest, his tail twitching to and fro as he carefully rubbed at his eyes. Gazing down at the warrior beside him, Lynxfrost could feel his own pelt smooth and the nagging voice in the back of the brown and white warrior's mind become just a little quieter.

Cloudburr -- as the two had jokingly decided after a trek through the marsh one day -- had always been the center of a storm. Peaceful and calm, a blessèd sanctuary to hide from all of the chaos raging around them. An anchor, someone to trust and who trusted Lynxfrost in turn.

After scrambling to his paws, his mate arched his back to stretch, letting out a short yawn in the process. When finished, the white - pelted warrior settled back down beside the other tomcat, turning his head to state at the brown and white feline intently. "Are you feeling any better, Lynxfrost?" he questioned, voice quiet so he didn't rouse any of the other warriors.

"Of course!" Lynxfrost replied, forcing his words to sound chipper and not at all exhausted. It didn't seen to work, if the pointed 'oh, really?' look on Cloudburr's face was any sign of it.

Cloudburr sighed softly and shook his head, smoothing down a wild bit of the other's fur with a deft rasp of his tongue. "Please, don't lie to me. You always used to sleep until Dusk Patrol. What's wrong?"

Lynxfrost didn't want to force all of his petty little problems onto anybody, didn't want to weigh anyone down with his silly, pathetic burdens. But, after hearing someone ask, someone care about this, the brown and white tomcat found it impossible to stop the words springing from his parted jaws.

Honestly, it freaked him out a bit, how quick he was to break. He couldn't even tell if he was lying or not; he just wanted the questions to stop.

"Just stress is all," the warrior replied, ducking his head. What would Cloudburr think of him now? Would be think that Lynxfrost was a dirty liar, would be leave? Run? Ignore the brown and white tomcat for as long as he could? "I have a bad habit of letting it fester."

The fluffy white tomcat regarded him for a moment, head tilted slightly to one side. His eyes were unreadable, and made the other feline want to squirm. "I have an idea," he said after a long moment of silence. It was cryptic, strange.

His mate stood carefully, weaving through the right throng of bodies lining the floor as he made his way to the den's entrance. Cloudburr urged the other warrior to follow with a flourish of his fluffy tail, and Lynxfrost quickly complied.

Once the brown and white feline had joined him at the front of the den, the two settled under the overhanging mass of hastily arranged brambles and reeds for shelter. Cloudburr leaned into the other's side, reaching up to lap at the tomcat's ears.

Thunder cracked loudly outside, quickly perused by a brilliant flash of lightning that illuminated the rivers of rain that poured down. Droplets of chilly water pelted the uncovered soil and swept it away in mere moments, while streams of the stuff burrowed through the tough flora to fall atop the two tomcat's heads.

Lynxfrost set his head on his paws, watching in silence as the storm raged on outside. He could feel the waves of warmth just at his side, and felt as the worries simply melted away.

For the first time in a long while, the warrior felt at peace. The anxious nagging in the back of his mind had been silenced, the unruly fears shedding from his fur like water to a duck's feathers. Calm, lulling sounds of the rain pelting the earth just outside kept everything at bay.

There was no real reason to worry, the brown and white feline thought as his eyelids grew heavy. It felt as if stones were settled on the delicate tissue, gently pushing them down until nothing remained. MireClan is entirely capable. We are all safe, and we will survive. The Clan will thrive for many more seasons to come.

The new cacophony of voices whispered their words into his mind, promising him safety, warmth, and company. He couldn't help but listen to their sweet murmurs as he buried his head deeper into his paws, curling his tail tightly around Cloudburr.

His eyes inched shut. All the while, the rain fell in droves and forced everything to stay back. It felt great, blissful even.

If felt right.

Maybe this is what he needed all along. A little peace, a little rain to wash everything away; his mate curled at his side, and everything finally clicking together.

After all, you can't have any growth without a little rain.