Last oneshot meant for Dawnflight's surviving kits and for the Dawnflight's Sons miniseries. This miniseries is meant to be readable for those of you who are not following Dawnstar's Legacy and No Wings to Fly. They should be relatively understandable as their own stories. Sort of backwards, but this story focuses on Wolfshade, the daughter of the family, and how she's tied to her brothers. Her brothers are still there and their story is told, it's just told from Wolfshade's point of view for the outsider view of a family dynamic. Lots of dialogue, exploring thoughts and character personalities. Not necessarily action-y, so feel free to skip this entirely if you'd like.
Let's do a recap of what happened in the previous installments:
Feel My Pain: Dovekit (the fourth sibling) dies and Thunderstorm and Dawnflight don't have the best relationship, causing conflict. The other three kits survive and Dawnflight loses sight in her left eye.
Off screen: Dawnflight and Thunderstorm reconcile with each other and decide the events in Feel My Pain should remain a secret to the rest of the clan. Thunderstorm unofficially renames himself to Stormblaze to signify the change under the guise that he hated his birth name and the current leader refused to officially changed it (she thought disliking a name wasn't a good enough reason). Timberclaw dies and joins StarClan. Dawnflight becomes deputy.
Rain Falls from Silver Clouds: Silvercloud gets a visit from the elderly ShadowClan leader, Torrentstar (owned by Nightmask), who prompts him to live the life he wants to live as opposed to the life he feels pressured to live. Silvercloud decides to become a medicine cat instead of living as a warrior.
Dry Branches Fuel a Fire: Branchfoot and Silvercloud have a falling out due to clashing ideals and family expectations. Branchfoot destroys Silvercloud's left eye and Silvercloud rips off part of Branchfoot's ear. Branchfoot's views about family lineage and the meaning of a fulfilling life become clear.
Dawnflight's Sons pt.3: We Were Once Bright and Beautiful
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Wolfshade pushed her way through the reed and brush barrier that surrounded RiverClan's camp. Her thick, dark gray fur shielded her skin from the claw like thorns. Behind her padded her brother, Branchfoot, wordlessly shifting aside the plants in his way as he noisily stomped through the barrier. He seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face after the night he and Silvercloud, their brother, had a fight. Silvercloud refused to come within a tail length of him and Wolfshade also found herself shying away from her brother. The two had once been close, though now she bonded with her other brother more than Branchfoot. Most nights, Wolfshade would notice Stormblaze attempt to approach Branchfoot, but her uncle would end up being pushed away as well. Wolfshade's dark gray pelt shivered a bit at her brother's transformation. He no longer smiled and he accomplished his warrior duties silently and dull eyed. His enthusiasm and bright dedication disappeared. A new cat stood in her brother's pelt and it frightened her more than she let on.
Wolfshade stopped and glanced back at her sibling. He trotted behind her with the same expression he started with. His normally bright amber eyes looked a shade darker. Wolfshade felt her heart clench briefly at the sight. She mentally shook herself and led her brother over towards the WindClan border. She had volunteered Branchfoot and herself for a border patrol. She insisted that they could do it alone and that it was good for the younger warriors to do patrols without senior warriors to learn about patrolling and appropriate behavior. But Wolfshade just wanted to have some alone time with her brother. She was worried and wanted a chance to talk to him and the patrol would corner him into a situation where he would have to answer her.
A few fox lengths from the camp, the vegetation that normally grew around the swampy wet lands and surrounded the lake and streams on RiverClan's territory grew sparse. Rough moor grass sprouted from the drying earth. The horseplace and fences slowly came into view as the two cats silently padded through the grass. Wolfshade stopped directly in front of her brother and faced him. Her dark amber eyes felt hot, tears threatened to all from them but she quickly blinked them away. Branchfoot stared back at her, his expression blank. Wolfshade resisted the urge to cringe away from his menacing, unfamiliar presence. Despite his slim frame, Branchfoot had strength running beneath his fur and Wolfshade knew it. She also knew he had little self-control, especially over the more volatile emotions like anger and sadness. As an apprentice, she found herself in countless squabbles and fights with Branchfoot and after the conflict with Silvercloud a few days ago, Wolfshade was afraid of Branchfoot. Or, she was afraid of the cat he became. Steeling herself and straightening her stocky legs, Wolfshade felt determination blaze beneath her pelt.
I'm going to put a stop to this nonsense.
"What's been going on with you, Branchfoot? You've been acting weird these past few days." Wolfshade started. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly. Branchfoot didn't react. His white paws aimlessly poked the long grass beneath him.
"Nothing. I'm fine. I'm just tired from all the patrolling and hunting lately. I'm trying to work hard so Waterstar will give me an apprentice." Branchfoot mewed his reply without moving his gaze. His voice was steady and flat. Wolfshade flicked her tail in annoyance.
"It's not nothing, stop making excuses. You and Silvercloud haven't talked in days. Don't think I haven't noticed." Wolfshade had to keep her voice from rising. Branchfoot's face flashed for a heartbeat before returning to its neutral phase.
"We were never that close to begin with. He and I just don't see eye to eye. Plus, he has new duties to attend to." Wolfshade detected a hint of a hiss in her brother's response. She almost giggled at the irony of his "eye to eye" explanation, considering how Silvercloud only had one functioning eye left.
"What did Stormblaze want to talk to you about?"
"Thunderstorm is misguided and blind. He wanted to teach me nonsensical things."
Wolfshade decided to cut to the chase. She didn't want to dance around his feelings (or lack thereof) till moon-high.
"Quite it with the frog dung, Branchfoot. Tell me how you really feel." The dark gray she cat commanded. Her short lived patience had already died. Branchfoot twitched his whiskers and blinked at her. He still didn't answer here. Wolfshade huffed and felt her muscles tense. Her fur and skin prickled as unease wrapped itself around her. "If you won't talk, then I will," she mewed sternly, "you've changed, Branchfoot."
The brown tabby's eyes flashed brightly at his sister's as his faced morphed into a deeper scowl.
"I've changed?" he nearly snarled. "I'm not the one who's changed, Wolfshade. Silvercloud is the one who changed. He's the one ruining our family!"
Wolfshade's dark eyes widened in shock at her brother's declaration. The intensity of his anger and range rippled off him in waves Wolfshade could feel. But she resisted the newfound urge to leap at him or cower from him. Where was the strong, stable brother she knew growing up? Wolfshade flicked her ears back against her head.
"Destroying our family? Where did you get these frog brained ideas? We all know Silvercloud's true calling was never that of a warrior's. Dawnflight and Timberclaw are proud of him for taking his life into his own paws."
Branchfoot brought his face close to hers. Their whiskers brushed against each other.
"He's corrupted them." Branchfoot growled. Wolfshade felt her eyes glare at him. "Silvercloud isn't my brother if he's going to change our family." Branchfoot pushed his shoulder into Wolfshade's, causing her to stumble slightly. "Why can't you see that he's ruining us? He's destroying all that our family has stood for!"
Wolfshade went silent, momentarily baffled. Her family had stood for clan loyalty and caring for others, or so her mother had said. Blackwing wasn't a warrior and she was part of their eclectic group of cats. Dawnflight was friends with cats in all of the clans, even medicine cats. The gray she cat didn't understand how Branchfoot had skewed her mother's original message.
"What is it that he's destroying? He's done nothing wrong, Branchfoot!" Wolfshade found herself hissing at the brown cat. Branchfoot just flashed his fangs at her. His claws slid out of his white paws and his fur stood on end. Wolfshade flinched slightly at his display.
"He's doing everything wrong, Wolfshade. Our family is supposed to be warriors. Warriors that RiverClan can be proud of, that StarClan can be proud of."
The tom raised a paw, claws still unsheathed. Wolfshade felt defiance slip out of her mouth. Whatever fear she felt before dissolved into hot frustration.
"What are you going to do? Slash my eye too?" She challenged. Branchfoot hissed at her and put his paw down. Wolfshade felt a heartbeat's worth of satisfaction. Her brother looked like he wanted to fling her into the lake. He smoldered and his fur fluffed up in frustration and rage.
"If that's what it takes to make you understand, then yes."
Wolfshade felt her resolve shrivel. She gaped at her brother standing before her, who in turn just growled.
What's wrong with him?
"Why do you care so much, Branchfoot?" Wolfshade asked honestly. Her mew wavered. The dark gray cat let her fur flatten. The tabby's light amber eyes narrowed at her when he meowed his response.
"Why wouldn't I care? Don't you want approval from our parents? From Waterstar? From StarClan? Don't you want your life to mean something, Wolfshade?"
"Of course I do! But I also want my own brother to be happy with his life."
"Silvercloud isn't my brother."
"He's still my brother. He's the brother you never were!" Wolfshade snarled without thinking. Her eyes widened when she realized what she just blurted out. The gray she cat flicked her ears back guiltily, frantically searching for apologies. Branchfoot's striped face contorted in shock. To Wolfshade, he looked insulted. But the jolt faded when he hissed at her and lashed his tail angrily.
"I can't believe I lost both my littermates within the same moon, Wolfshade," Branchfoot hissed through gritted teeth, "family is everything; clearly you aren't family and you don't care about me or the rest of us."
Unable to produce a reply, Wolfshade made her way past her brother and over to the WindClan border. She wordlessly marked it and turned back towards camp. She refused to look at her brother again. Her resolve to make him understand had crumbled under his conviction. Wolfshade mentally wilted at the thought that she was too weak to tone down her emotional response. Her guilt slowly burned away into resentment towards her estranged brother.
It's all his fault. If he'd never been like this in the first place, Silvercloud would still have his eye and Branchfoot would have never left us like this. We're broken because of him now.
Branchfoot quietly walked back to camp beside her. Wolfshade could hear his breathing, still heavy with emotion.
I'm so stupid! Why did I say that?
The two cats pushed their way back through the thick barrier surrounding their home. Cats milled about in the fading evening sun. Waterstar stood at the center of camp beside Dawnflight, while the silvery gray cat organized the last few patrols for the day. Wolfshade felt a pang of sadness when she remembered the times her father stood beside her in that space before he died.
I miss Timberclaw. At least mom is finally doing alright after all these moons without him.
Aside from Timberclaw's absence, the camp looked normal. It looked calm and peaceful. Oblivious and dumb, even. The dark gray warrior envied the cats who lazily shared tongues and the cats going out on patrols. Anxiety, guilt and anger swirled beneath her pelt that she swore tore at her heart.
I bet none of them have to deal with a broken family. We were once bright and beautiful, until Branchfoot shattered it all. Or maybe I was just blinding myself to the kind of cat Branchfoot always was.
Wolfshade noticed Silvercloud proudly carried a bundle of herbs to the medicine cats' den. The she cat's spirits lifted for a moment, then fell again when she saw the swatch of cobwebs and herb pastes on his left eye, likely a patch job Silvercloud had done himself. Wolfshade felt her pelt burn with resentment as she broke away from Branchfoot and settled down to a bluegill from the fresh kill pile. She ate quietly near the warriors' den. Silvercloud had padded away from the medicine cats' den to join her. He took a few small bites of the fish with her, his green eye sympathetic. Wolfshade felt the burning feeling blaze harder. Then, it smoldered when she remembered all the times Silvercloud had been the one who got her cobwebs and marigold after she had scrapes with Branchfoot. Silvercloud was the one who listened to her during long and exhausting nights after training. Silvercloud comforted her and shared a nest with her when she was rejected by a tom she fancied. Silvercloud was more Wolfshade's brother than Branchfoot ever was or could be. The gray she cat felt her heart drop with guilt when she realized she wasn't as close to her gray tabby brother as she should have been. Seemingly able to read her thoughts, Silvercloud gave her a lick on the cheek and briefly embraced her. Wolfshade breathed in her brother's new, grassy scent.
"Branchfoot made his choices and so can we." Silvercloud mewed quietly. Wolfshade sighed.
"I can't forgive him." She said sadly. Silvercloud nodded and slowly blinked.
"You don't have to. I can't forgive him either. But we can still accept and care about him."
Wolfshade stayed quiet as she and Silvercloud finished their fish.
"How do you do it?" Wolfshade broke the silence. Silvercloud looked confused for a heartbeat, then responded.
"I don't. I forgive myself. I think you should also forgive yourself as well. You've been the best sister we could ask for. It's not your fault Branchfoot is the kind of cat he is. There wasn't anything you could have done for me or for him to prevent this." Silvercloud meowed soberly. Wolfshade admired his rationality. Regret still plagued her. Her posture wilted a bit.
"Branchfoot isn't our brother anymore." Wolfshade mewed flatly. "I wish Timberclaw was still here. He could have knocked some sense into him."
Silvercloud purred a little.
"I don't think anyone could get sense into that cat," The silver tabby said, "but if I see him tonight at the Moonpool I'll suggest it."
"I'm going to fix this," Wolfshade vowed, "I'm going to do it for the both of us and for Timberclaw, too."
Silvercloud gave her a look, but didn't linger on her face for long. The silver tom sat in a comfortable silence with his sister for a few heartbeats before speaking again.
"Branchfoot will turn around when he realizes what he lost. The only cat who can teach him is himself." Silvercloud said to Wolfshade. The she cat looked unconvinced, but nodded at him anyway.
"When did you become so wise?" Wolfshade purred. Silvercloud smiled at her, his remaining emerald eye brightened.
"It's part of being a medicine cat." He chuckled.
"Maybe we all should become medicine cats then."
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Wolfshade lay in her nest, keeping her body completely still. She breathed in and out quietly, listening to all her den mates sleep. The half-moon sat high in the sky above RiverClan's camp, filling the warriors' den with dim light. Wolfshade turned over in her nest. Energy and vigor coursed through her body and she couldn't sleep. Her dark amber eyes blinked wide awake, adjusting to the darkness. The cats' pelts around her looked black and silver under the darkness; their backs rose and fell rhythmically in their slumber. No cat stirred except for her.
Perfect.
Slowly, she stood to her paws, making sure the cats around her weren't disturbed. Wolfshade carefully picked up her nest, ensuring the moss didn't make any rustling sounds. From underneath the moss, she slipped some bright crimson berries that she had kept hidden under her nest between the stems. Satisfied with her silence, she stepped over the other cats and made it to the other end of the den where Branchfoot slept. His body was curled into a tight ball with his white paws tucked neatly underneath him. Next to him slept their mother. Dawnflight snored loudly with her back turned towards her kits nests. Wolfshade was confident that she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. The dark gray she cat stepped over her mother's sleeping form and stepped into Branchfoot's nest. She placed one paw near his face and the other paw near his back and shoulders. Wolfshade dropped her mossy parcel close to her paw and Branchfoot's face. With her other paw, she prodded his shoulders. The tabby tom blinked his bright eyes open, confusion lining his features. As soon as his jaws parted to ask her what she was doing, Wolfshade shoved the berry laden moss into the tom's mouth with her free paw. She brought her muzzle close to Branchfoot's ears to whisper to him.
"If you make a sound, those death berries will be down your throat." The she cat hissed very quietly. Branchfoot obeyed and remained silent. Wolfshade stepped over the tabby again and grasped his scruff, pulling him out of the den and around the sleeping warriors. Branchfoot stayed quiet, fear evident on his face. Wolfshade felt grim satisfaction rise up her throat when she noticed. The gray she cat dragged her littermate out of the den, his tail and legs dragged behind them. Soft swooshing sounds appeared after each step. Wolfshade found her flanks heaving with effort, as Branchfoot was not a small cat. Slowly and quietly, the gray warrior pulled Branchfoot to the edge of RiverClan's camp and pushed her body out of the rough barrier. She dragged the tom with her, letting a few reeds tug off tufts of his stripped pelt. The tom didn't protest. Wolfshade relished his compliance, even though she threatened death on her own littermate if he fought her back.
"Don't you dare call for help." Wolfshade growled. Branchfoot nodded at her, his striped fur stood on end and fear scent had finally started to waft from his pelt. Wolfshade was mildly surprised that she didn't smell her own fear, considering that her heart wildly in her chest.
The two cats finally arrived in a clearing close to the log that connected dry land to the Gathering Island. The night was silent, save for the swishing of the long, marsh grass and the breaths of the two cats. Wolfshade carelessly dropped Branchfoot's scruff and let his body tumble down onto the earth. The tom's shoulders hit the ground with a dull thud and he flinched at the sudden impact. Within less than a heartbeat of releasing her littermate, Wolfshade threw her weight onto Branchfoot, immobilizing him. Claws slid out of her dark, gray paws into the brown tom's fur. With a free paw, she forced the stray moss spilling from his jaws back into his mouth. Branchfoot froze underneath the she cat's hold, his flanks heaved with anxiety and his fear scent was so strong, Wolfshade could barely smell the lake a few fox lengths from them. Realizing her dominant position, Wolfshade let out a hearty, half nervous laugh. Branchfoot didn't move or struggle beneath her, too fear stricken to make any attempts.
"I could end this all right here and right now," Wolfshade started, her laughter dying, "I can get rid of you and make our family whole again."
Branchfoot said nothing back, his white paws flaring under the half-moon's light. For a brief moment, Wolfshade looked down at her silent, immobile littermate. The fear in his light amber eyes were as evident as the fear scent that laced his fur. His face quietly pleaded at her. Euphoric adrenaline coursed through Wolfshade's body. She felt strong, powerful, and alive. She grinned a little to herself, causing Branchfoot to wither a little beneath her claws. The gray she cat leaned her muzzle close to Branchfoot's. She felt his whiskers quiver against her face.
"You don't belong in this family." Wolfshade growled. Branchfoot sucked in a panicked breath. "When you're gone, Silvercloud can finally live a life free from you and your fox-hearted expectations."
Wolfshade lifted her head back up straight and raised a paw, claws poised to strike. Branchfoot cowered beneath the she cat's glinting claws. Wolfshade erased the smirk on her lips and gazed down at the now pathetic warrior beneath her. Despite his frazzled fur fluffing out in fear, Branchfoot looked small. His bright eyes shivered and blinked, giving them a kit-like appearance. To Wolfshade, her littermate looked like a six moon old apprentice, shivering under her strong, adult form. The gray warrior frowned; the previous moment's excitement drained her like a waterfall. Gazing down at the pathetic looking tabby tom, Wolfshade dug her claws into Branchfoot's pelt slightly.
What am I doing? I'm about to claw the throat of a cat who can't even fight back.
The she cat didn't want her resolve to fade. She snarled at Branchfoot again. The tom cringed at her.
If I kill him now, he won't be able to hurt Silvercloud or me every again!
Wolfshade's mind prepared to strike the cat under her paws. But her forelegs wouldn't budge. She let her claws slacken their grip on Branchfoot's striped fur.
What's going to happen then? He'll just rot in the Dark Forest. And what about mom? She'll always love Branchfoot. It won't fix Silvercloud's eye.
Wolfshade removed her paws from Branchfoot at the realization. She swiped the moss from her littermate's jaws, causing the bright red death berries to spill out onto the marshy ground. The tabby warrior closed his eyes, awaiting Wolfshade to slash him. He blinked his bright amber eyes open when he realized the thorn sharp claws never grazed his fur. He quickly stood up to his paws at his sudden feeling of freedom. Wolfshade glared at him.
"Everything is your fault," she started, her voice faltering a bit, "You're ruining our family! My family!"
Tears formed in the gray she cat's dark eyes. Her shoulders sank as she whimpered. Branchfoot just stared at her, bewildered. More tears streamed down Wolfshade's face.
"I hate you! You're not my brother! You're a monster who's ripping us all apart! Timberclaw would be ashamed of you if he was alive!" Wolfshade nearly yowled, words pouring from her jaws. Branchfoot visibly flinched at the last sentiment. He let out a tiny mew of shame. Branchfoot had always wanted to please their father and Wolfshade knew it. So, she verbally struck every nerve she could find. Despite hearing her littermate, she continued her tongue lashing.
"You care so much about our family's heritage, but you never saw how much of a disgrace you've been. You bring shame on our bloodline. You crippled Silvercloud, your own brother! How could you be such a horrible cat, Branchfoot?" Wolfshade's dark amber eyes blazed in fury. Branchfoot just looked at his white paws, tears threatening to fall from his light eyes. He sat silently, avoiding his littermate's gaze.
"…I-I-I'm sorry, Wolfshade…" Branchfoot finally let out. Wolfshade didn't react at his words.
"Do you feel how Silvercloud must have felt all these moons? How I've felt all these moons?"
Branchfoot nodded in response. Wolfshade growled.
"You'll never be able to fix what you've broken," the gray cat meowed harshly, "you've broken me. You've broken our family."
Wolfshade whirled on her brother, shoving him backwards and onto his haunches. Briefly dazed, Branchfoot tried to force his shoulders against hers to gain the upper paw, but failed when Wolfshade grasped his scruff in her jaws and launched him into the lake! With a cry, Branchfoot tumbled into the dark, cold lake water. He thrashed for a moment and then rose to the surface. He coughed up the water from his lungs and gazed back at Wolfshade. The gray warrior stood at the banks, water lapping at her ankles. Rage lined every feature of her face. Branchfoot shivered at the sight again. Instead of leaping at Branchfoot, Wolfshade turned her back towards him. The tom flicked his ears back indignantly, his tail flicking water back and forth.
"I hate you, Branchfoot. I'm sure Timberclaw would hate you too, if he saw who you were now." Wolfshade hissed. She padded to the pebbly shore of the lake and stepped back out onto the grass. She bounded away from the lake, tears still forming in her dark amber eyes. She let the thrumming her of paws on the moist ground drown out the splashing paw steps in the lake behind her. The sloshing water noises grew fainter and fainter as she leapt further and further away until the lake shore was silent altogether. Wolfshade halted in the wet grass, listening to the sudden silence. She looked side to side, checking to see if Branchfoot had followed her. The white pawed tom was not present beside her. The gray warrior didn't look behind her. Wolfshade's gray paws lightly touched the wet grass beneath her. She bounded forward under the waning moon's light towards RiverClan's camp, wondering if she had fixed her family, or made it worse. She fought with herself; convincing her mind that she had solved everything and that Branchfoot wouldn't approach her or Silvercloud again. The gray she cat approached RiverClan's camp entrance. The thick layer of reeds and brush stood still, highlighted silver in the night. Wolfshade breathed in and then out before pushing her shoulders through. She didn't look back towards the lake or to see if Branchfoot was on his way home behind her.