Crickets chirp as the night air swirls around the damp trees. A burst of wind sweeps the forest, which is still wet from the rain that day. All seems to be normal in TwilightClan, the Clan of the night and mysterious. Yet, a sense of magic was in the air. Fireflies danced in the moonlit sky, shaded only by clouds which stretched across the moon like twoleg fences.
Silentheart blushed at Twigfur, her pale grey fur seemed illuminated in the light. Twigfur, a handsome tabby tomcat, licked behind her ear. The two cats were polar opposites, but they seemed to fit in so well together.
Silentheart was the quiet, shy type. She was the runt of the litter, standing out like a sore paw compared to her brothers Bramblewhisker and Shadefur. She was passive, great at hunting but less than remarkable at fighting. Another of her talents was constructing dens and helping out around the medicine cat den, although the mate-less life did not suit her.
Twigfur was strong, with broad shoulders and dark tabby fur. His eyes smoldered with a liquid fire compared to Silentheart's chilling blues. He was outgoing and athletic. He loved to fight, sometimes to the point where he was aggressive towards other clanmates. His outstanding combat skills, though, made him one of the Clan's favorites. He was always chosen for border patrols and never was left out of a gathering.
Some may ask why cats so opposite of each other managed to even be in the same mossy clearing together. Twigfur admired Silentheart's patience, her sensitivity and quiteness, while Silentheart wished to be more outgoing and have a higher selfworth.
"I love you, Silentheart." stammered Twigfur, his fur blazing with embarrassment. Silentheart blushed, quietly responding with an I-love-you-too.
They both felt terrific, like a light had opened in their lives.
Four months passed. Silentheart was more outgoing, willing to join patrols and be more active in her Clan. Twigfur was less agressive, more patient and caring. They had changed, formed around each other. Silentheart felt secure in Twigfur's fur, like the space was meant to be filled by her lithe form. She truly loved him.
Yet, not all cats agreed with their relationship. Twigfur's friends saw him change. They were like him before he fell in love with Silentheart. They were hotheaded, aggressive, and bossy. One day, two of them named Brokenstripe and Sparrowtail approached him while he was eating in the TwilightClan camp. "We need to talk to you." said Sparrowtail.
Twigfur turned to face them. "What's up?" he asked, finishing his finch with one bite. The two sat down next to him.
"We don't think that Silentheart is a good mate for you. You have changed. You don't have time for us anymore, let alone that Silentheart is a slut." spat Brokenstripe. "She had mated with Icetail before she went onto you, although it was more for lust than it ever was for love. She is using you." Brokenstripe lied. Silentheart had never been with any cat other than her mate.
Twigfur gasped, not wanting to believe what Brokenstripe said. "That was in the past." he said, not willing to question them.
"And besides, what happened to your ambition? Don't you want to become the clan deputy? You are weaker now." Sparrowtail added in. In the past, the three of them had planned to take over Briarstar's position as leader and rule the clan under bloodlust.
Twigfur just shook his head. He didn't want to admit it, but what they said changed his opinion of his mate. Maybe they were right? She made her weak and cowardly.
This went on for weeks. Twigfur was emotionally drawing away from Silentheart. She had no clue why he did what he did, but she pulled away too. She was feeling hurt by his lack of caring. Brokenstripe and Sparrowtail put lies in Twigfur's head, revving him up. He ate their lies like a kit suckles at it's mother's teat.
One day, Silentheart came up to Twigfur with a smile on her face. "Guess what Twigfur?" she chirped excitedly.
"It's over." Twigfur snarled, cold and caustic.
"W-what?" said Silentheart, her voice broken and hoarse.
"It is over. Us. We are over. I need to focus on my goals, my ambitions. I want to lead this clan one day, but I cannot do it with you. I do not have the time that you need." Twigfur fed her lies, not wanting to tell her what he really felt.
"Please t-tell me you are j-joking." she stammered. Her legs trembled, weak and unsteady.
"No. I am not. Now... goodbye." He turned around, starting to pad away.
"I am expecting your kits..." she murmured loud enough for Twigfur to hear. He turned to look at her, glancing over her body and twitching his ear, then continued to walk away. Silentheart stood there, crushed beyond repair.
Silentheart went into her den, sitting there stunned. She didn't even feel like she was there anymore. She was a shell of her former self. She had tried to talk to Twigfur, telling her how hurt she was. But he ignored her like she was the plague. All she got was a twitch, his way of acknowledging that she was there. But he never responded. Weeks later, he actually spoke to her.
"I still love you. But I cannot be with you, I need to focus still. Now... bye."
This time Silentheart knew he was lying. If he really loved her he would stay with her. Those friends of his, they changed him. They turned him away from her. She could only imagine some of the lies they told him about her. Twigfur was just stringing her along, hoping that she was dumb enough to fall for his ploy. It looked good to have a mate in TwilightClan. It showed power, and a bond unmatched by others.
This festered inside her brain for days, eating away at her. She fell into a deep depression, numb to the world. A few days later, she went out alone into the forest.
The night air chilled the pregnant she-cat to the bone. But it didn't matter. Nothing seemed to anymore. She had nothing to look forward to. She could not see any light at the end of the tunnel, only a never-ending darkness coming to consume her. Her body was fragile and frail as she had been neglecting herself over the past few weeks.
Tears hit the frosty ground. One plopped after another, landing on her ruffled fur. She paced forwards towards the gorge, staring into the murky waters below. The water ran fast and powerful, a current stronger than the greatest swimmer could conquer.
She thought of her memories. The day that Twigfur confessed his love to her. When they finally became mates. That one day when he had pounced on her from behind, and both of them had tumbled into a bush together. Then the day that he had left her, not caring about her good news at all. She thought of the kits in her womb, how they would grow up without a father. She didn't care anymore, about anything. All she knew was the pain in her heart.
It is my fault her mind chanted. She blamed herself. She blamed herself for something that she didn't even do, she took everything onto herself. It overwhelmed her, and she verbally cried out softly. She opened her eyes, vision blurry from the tears. Her brain was clogged with guilt, shame, and hurt. Her legs swayed, being pushed gently by the wind.
Her mind was made up. With one fleeting sprint, her paws hit the air. The last thing she felt was the water hit her fur, and the stab of a rock hit her head before everything faded to black and nothingness.
"Who is going to get her?" murmured Snowflight. Her fur was white, littered with stars. She was Silentheart's mother, who died in a battle between TwilightClan and their neighboring clan, FireClan. Two other cats surrounded her, Scarletfur and Ashclaw. Scarletfur was Silentheart's father, and Ashwillow the old medicine cat who Silentheart grew up knowing. Both of them had the same starry pelt.
"You should go, Snowflight. She needs her mother the most right now." Ashwillow said, his fur shuddering at what the she-cat had done just moments ago. Snowflight nodded, walking towards the gorge.
Silentheart stared at her body, her fur starry and transparent. "M-mom?" Silentheart said as she saw her mother padding towards her. "Welcome to StarClan."