3,645 words.
I know this was slightly over the word limit, and uhh, yeah, sorry about that, but well... here's my entry for the November Writing Competition for Fallenclan. The prompts were first snow, sunset, battle, and guilt, and I managed to hit at least three. I really hope you all like it and consider it!
TW for blood, and death. Do not read if you are uncomfortable with those themes.
"Honestly, if it was up to me, we'd be warriors by now."
Rosepaw said it so easily, as if she knew that she'd end up being in the position that it was up to her, that it made awed Violetpaw.
Her best friend was probably the most confident cat she had ever met, and it made Violetpaw blush. Sometimes, she imagined Rosepaw caring about her the way that Violetpaw cared about Rosepaw, and maybe them sitting together near a sunset, and Violetpaw reaching over, and then they'd-
No. It'd never happen.
The patched she-cat frowned to herself, wishing she could forget her delusional fantasies.
"Violetpaw!" Rosepaw's cheery voice sounded again, and the other apprentice brushed against her side, glancing at her curiously. "Were you even listening to me?"
Violetpaw's mind went blank at the contact, and she only sat there, mouth open, looking like a fool, before managing a small "of course" in reply.
"Really?" Rosepaw squinted at her curiously, her dark blue eyes shining (Violetpaw could get lost in those eyes). "What did I say, then?"
There was a teasing lilt in the other apprentice's voice, one that made Violetpaw's mouth curve into a small smile as she replied, her ear tips bright red.
"I… You said that the invasion on the other Clan wasn't even necessary… you said that we should be warriors by now!" She sat back on her haunches proudly.
Rosepaw nodded. "Still, it's an honor to fight for Skyclan!" She puffed out her chest proudly. "Think about it, Violetpaw! Me as Rosestar, and you as…" She surveyed Violetpaw curiously. "Hm… what name would you have?"
"Uh… Violetrose!" Violetpaw blurted out, before flushing with embarrassment, shaking her head almost immediately. "Oh, right! That's your name!" She giggled, shrinking down in fake amusement, though her heart was pounding.
You idiot! You literally just gave away how you felt!
The other apprentice only grinned back. "Ooh, has a nice ring to it! Unfortunately Roseviolet wouldn't work as well… Honestly, at that point, we might as well change the Clan name to Roseclan." She snickered. "I like that name too…."
"Down with Skyclan!" Violetpaw chirped, springing to her paws and glancing at Rosepaw playfully. "Up with Roseclan!"
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out over the camp, one that drowned out Rosepaw's response and the chatter from the other warriors.
"Cats of Skyclan!" Sunstar's authoritative voice made the clearing quiet down almost immediately, and Violetpaw bit her lip, casting an excited glance back at Rosepaw, who's gaze was glued to the leader, admiration shining in her eyes.
"Thunderclan has been creeping up on the border! We may be the newest Clan here, but we will not stand for this!" The golden-brown leader paused, puffing her chest out proudly as the yowls of approval sounded down below. Shocked by the noise, Violetpaw cowered a bit, ears flattening slightly.
Waiting until the noise died down, Sunstar stayed silent, her voice quieter when she spoke again.
"Now, I cannot promise this will be an easy battle. But it is one that I trust in all of you to fight your hardest, and some of us-" Her gaze flickered towards Violetpaw and Rosepaw. "May even earn their names from it."
Violetpaw straightened up considerably, standing stiffly and trying to keep her eye from twitching as the rest of the Clan turned to look at the two of them. Rosepaw was standing almost luxuriously, a confident smirk plastered on her face. Violetpaw tried not to drool as she stared at Rosepaw, that beautiful rose-gold fur, and those dark blue eyes…
"What?" Rosepaw hissed out of the corner of her mouth as Nettlestar began to speak again. "Do I have something caught in my fur?"
Violetpaw furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head. "No… why?"
"You were staring at me!" The other apprentice chuckled, shoving Violetpaw good-naturedly. "It was distracting!"
Flushing crimson with embarrassment, Violetpaw cleared her throat awkwardly. "Sorry… it wasn't intentional."
That was a lie. It may have been the most intentional thing she had ever done.
The patrol began to file out of camp, Violetpaw springing to her paws and trotting beside Rosepaw determinedly, flinching a bit due to the light from the setting sun shining in her eyes.
"Y'know, tonight would've been a good night to find a nice tree, and watch the sunset together…" Violetpaw started quietly, staring at her small paws as she walked. "Just… it would've been nice."
Rosepaw paused, something flitting into those crystal-blue eyes of hers, before replying, her voice oddly soft.
"That would've been really nice…" She murmured, before forcing a small smile at Violetpaw. "Don't worry, we'll go when we get our names! Hmm… call it a date!"
Violetpaw nearly fell over. "What?"
Rosepaw paused. "Oh, y'know, as friends!" She beamed at Violetpaw. "Best friend date or something!"
Violetpaw's heart sunk, and she turned away, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Blinking them back, she forced a teary smile at Rosepaw, as if everything wasn't crumbling around her.
"Right." She croaked out. "As friends. That… that'd be nice."
Oh, Starclan, why? Are we doomed to never be more than friends?
—-
The sunset had bled away by the time they reached the border, the soft pastel pinks and purples being swallowed up by the inky black of the night, the only light being from a sliver of the moon that hung over them.
Sunstar stopped, the rest of the patrol hesitating as well. Violetpaw didn't move, barely daring to even breathe, her breath billowing in the air in front of her.
Suddenly, there was a rustle of bushes from the other side, and a slim figure stalked out, silhouetted by shadows. Stepping forwards into the moonlight, the small deputy of Thunderclan stared down the patrol evenly.
"This is unexpected." Blackfrost tilted his head, perching on top of the rock that marked the border, holding his tail high. "Sunny, do you have something you'd like to say?"
The larger cat flattened her ears, stalking up evenly to Blackfrost and shoving her muzzle close to his.
"You know what this is about." She hissed. "And get off the rock. It's not on your territory."
Blackfrost blinked, before staring down at the rock, patting it with a fluffy paw.
"It… it's a rock, Sunny." He said, grinning a bit before looking up, icy blue eyes traveling over the patrol. Violetpaw shrunk back, pressing into Rosepaw's side, who, for once, didn't look confident, her eyes not leaving the dark Thunderclan deputy for a minute.
"Where is Mudstar? I'd rather speak to her myself then speak to you, Blackfrost." Sunstar snapped, lashing her golden tail.
"Mudstar's dying!" Blackfrost chirped, twirling around elegantly on the rock before sitting down, curling his tail around his paws. "Greencough, they said it was. It's a shame, because she really really wanted to talk to you about it."
He paused, letting out a long sigh. "Unfortunately, since it seems it's come down to me, plus the fact that you seem much more keen to fight, it seems that's what we must do."
He turned, flicking his short tail effortlessly, before whirling around, smiling at Sunstar as the sounds of rustling leaves sounded behind him, the sound of Thunderclan cats approaching growing louder.
Violetpaw's eyes went wide, realizing that they were desperately outnumbered. Sunstar seemed to realize the same thing, but only set her jaw determinedly, obviously not wanting to be outdone by Blackfrost.
"You won't win this battle." The Skyclan leader warned, going nose to nose with Blackfrost again. "Take your patrol, go home, and tell Mudstar that we will move the border back to where it was. Those are my demands."
Blackfrost exhaled loudly, rolling his eyes dramatically before pulling away from Sunstar. Examining his claws lazily with a paw, he stayed silent for a second, before looking up at Sunstar, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Nah." He shrugged. "Your demands are stupid." He lunged towards Sunstar, and Violetpaw saw the battle begin. Oakstream was signaling for Skyclan to go forwards, and Violetpaw hesitated, sharing a panicked glance with Rosepaw.
"I've never done this before-' She whimpered, trying to muster the courage to go and fight.
Rosepaw patted her head with a paw, forcing a daring smirk.
"Don't worry." She murmured. "Just think about getting our names! I'll… I'll stick by you, okay?"
Violetpaw nodded shakily. "O-Okay."
Heading forwards, the battle seemed much like a blur, blood flying into the air and the surrounding noise being nearly defeaning for Violetpaw. Flattening her ears, she glanced around.
Sunstar and Blackfrost were fighting, the former finding it hard to hit the small black deputy, who weaved out of the way of her attacks, uppercutting her in the jaw harshly before pouncing again, blue eyes glowing in the moonlight.
Suddenly, there was movement behind her, and Violetpaw found herself staring into the wide green eyes of another apprentice, who's claws were unsheathed, but she could tell that the smaller cat was shaking, tears filling her eyes.
"I uh…" Violetpaw glanced at her own small paws, unsheathing and sheathing her claws awkwardly, before crouching, preparing to spring, though her bottom lip trembled.
Suddenly, a rose-gold blur flew past Violetpaw, slamming into the apprentice, who let out a screech of fear, blood spraying onto the ground as Rosepaw raked the other's cat's underbelly, a crazed look in her dark blue eyes.
Violetpaw started forwards, not sure if she was going to help Rosepaw or the apprentice, but the latter flipped over, squirming free of Rosepaw and darting away, panting.
"Violetpaw!" Rosepaw snapped, getting to her paws."You can't just stand there! This is a battle, remember?" Her gaze turned pleading. "I know you're scared, but c'mon!"
Violetpaw only let out a shaky breath, trying to nod. "I.. I'm okay. I'm okay."
Suddenly, she felt eyes burning into her back, and whipped around to see a warrior preparing to pounce at her. Bracing herself, she ducked, managing to get under and scrape their underbelly before popping up again, sinking her teeth into their tail.
The warrior let out a loud yowl, and clawed blindly at her, accidentally scraping a long line across Violetpaw's cheek, but she shook the drops of blood away, digging her claws into their flank before ripping them free, several tufts of fur coming off as well.
As the warrior fled, Violetpaw stared after them triumphantly, before turning, crowing out a victory. "Rosepaw, I won! I beat them…"
Her voice trailed off as she saw that the other apprentice was already gone, but she forced herself to glance around the battle, seeing where anyone needed help.
The two leaders were fighting up against the rock, and as Violetpaw watched, Blackfrost slammed Sunstar back against it, blood staining the gray rocks.
Violetpaw started towards them, and she realized Rosepaw had joined her, but before she knew it, the other apprentice was yanking her backwards.
'What are you thinking? You can't take on Blackfrost alone!" She hissed.
"I have to protect my Clan!" Violetpaw squeaked, though she was trembling with fear.
"Fine, well at least let me help you!" Rosepaw shot back before they continued towards the deputy, who was mercilessly hitting Sunstar repeatedly, an insane look glowing in his eyes.
Violetpaw wiggled her haunches, and rushed forwards, though her heart pounded with fear. Unsheathing her claws, she launched at the deputy, feeling her claws snag fur.
Blackfrost hissed, whipping around so suddenly that Violetpaw nearly lost her grip, but she only aimed a clumsy blow at his face, shaking.
The black deputy sidestepped easily before leaving Sunstar, facing her wordlessly. Violetpaw saw Rosepaw creeping behind him, and felt a new burst of confidence; they could do this, they had to do this.
Violetpaw lunged forwards again, but Blackfrost anticipated her move, and ducked easily, aiming a vicious blow upwards, his claws meeting his target.
Red-hot pain shot through her, and she let out a high scream of pain as blood soaked her belly fur, collapsing to the ground. Hot tears sprung to her vision, and she curled into a ball, shaking and trying to find some way not to focus on the burning pain that was shooting through her.
"Ow, ow, Ow…" She whimpered, sobbing.
"VIOLETPAW!" Rosepaw's loud voice caused her to glance up through tear-filled eyes, and she only let out a low wail in return, not sure how to say how much pain she was in. She had never experienced this before, and it was burning, relentless, and no matter what she did, she couldn't not focus on it.
"Skyclan!" Sunstar's shaky voice rang out. "Retreat!"
"I, uh… Violetpaw, c'mon, you have to get up…" Rosepaw shook her shoulder, tears filling her vision, and Violetpaw only shook her head desperately, because it hurt, and everything hurt…
"N-No." She replied, sinking further into the grass. "I can't… Rosepaw, it hurts, it hurts… p-please…"
"I-I know…" She noticed that Rosepaw was bleeding from one shoulder, and wanted to say something about it, but she barely could breathe, much less utter a sentence.
"C'mon, Violetpaw, please…" Rosepaw was pleading to her now, before looking around. "Someone!" She called to the Skyclan cats. "P-Please….!"
Oakstream, the deputy, came up beside Rosepaw, eyes widening with shock and fear when he saw Violetpaw.
"What… what happened?" He asked shakily, before helping Violetpaw stumble to her paws, giving his shoulder to lean on.
"Owowowowow…" Violetpaw forced out frantically, the pain increasing, and she tried to lay back down again, feeling blood drip down her legs, but Oakstream kept her upright.
"You're going to have to walk, okay?" He said to her gently as Rosepaw came up on the other side, blue gaze shining with urgency.
"I-I can't…" Violetpaw whimpered, but forced herself to limp forwards, legs shaking from the effort.
—-
The battle had been a crippling defeat. Thunderclan still held the territory, and Skyclan trudged home beaten and battered, lining up outside the medicine den.
Violetpaw swam out of a haze all night, finally waking up in the middle of it, her wound having been patched up haphazardly with cobweb and marigold. Sitting up weakly from her spot near the entrance, she glanced at Rosepaw, who was sleeping lightly in a nest near her.
Smiling softly, she edged into the quiet clearing, where snowflakes were drifting down softly. Smiling softly, she sat there, feeling the cold flakes brush her fur.
She was glad that she was alive, and feeling better. Her wound still burned, but the cold feeling of the snow on it made it better.
Rolling onto her back carefully, Violetpaw let herself be exposed to the cold air, purring softly at the contact of her back against the cold ground, having been in the den for too long.
There was a legend that with Silverpelt, and Starclan, that you could see the stars of ones who had died. A new star winking into existence, a new death. Violetpaw believed it, personally.
Staring up at the stars, she let herself exhale quietly, still smiling, though it faded quickly.
Because, far, far, above her, a new star appeared in the sky, almost as if it was out of nowhere.
Who's that? Violetpaw squinted up at the sky, before shrugging, heading slowly towards her nest again.
Everything was going to be fine, she told herself. She made it through the battle alive, what could possibly go wrong?"
—-
The next morning was cold and sunny, the drops on the trees having frozen, the sun shining through them and onto the forest floor.
Violetpaw stretched her legs, before sitting up further, glancing around the small den. Her gaze flitted to Rosepaw, who still seemed to be sleeping. The rose-gold apprentice always was up earlier than her…
"Rosepaw!" She chirped, poking the other apprentice with her paw. "Get up!"
Rosepaw's flank was cold.
Violetpaw's expression fell considerably, and she felt her heart race. "Rosepaw!" She said louder, shoving the apprentice roughly. "C'mon… c'mon, Rosepaw! I'm okay! I…"
Rosepaw was motionless, her eyes closed and mouth slightly open.
"GODDAMNIT ROSEPAW, please say something!" Violetpaw pleaded, her voice breaking, because it couldn't be happening, it was supposed to be her, and not Rosepaw…
"Why are you making all that noise for?" The medicine cat, Creekpool, grumbled, getting to their paws and stretching, their back cracking.
"R-Rosepaw w-won't…" Violetpaw made futile gestures with her paws, tears filling her eyes. "She's not getting up! P-Please, you have to have something, you can heal her, right… right?"
Creekpool made their way over to Rosepaw, putting a cautious paw to her muzzle before moving it to her chest. Violetpaw watched their expression fall more and more, until they only glanced up, shaking their head at Violetpaw.
"She… I gave her thyme for the shock of battle last night. That was it." Creekpool explained in a solemn tone. "She must've had an allergic reaction or something. She's… she's gone, Violetpaw, I'm so sorry… there's nothing I can do."
"You… you killed her!" Violetpaw shrieked, stumbling backwards. "I…" She collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably, chest heaving as she tried to breathe. She dug her claws into the ground for balance, but everything was swaying, and everything was collapsing around her.
She heard Creekpool explain to Sunstar and Oakstream what happened. How they had had no idea that this would happen, and that it was a rare freak of nature, an unfortunate, unfortunate accident.
But none of that mattered, because Rosepaw was gone, and Violetpaw wished with all her heart that it'd be her instead.
"Violetpaw… is there anything I can do? I know Blackfrost got you pretty bad last night, and now this…" Sunstar's voice came from above her, and Violetpaw peeked up, sniffling.
"N-No… I just…. I just…"
She took a deep breath. "I want my name. Because.. for Rosepaw. I w-want to be named Violetrose."
She bit her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks again. "P-Please."
Sunstar seemed taken aback, but forced a shaky nod, touching her tail to Violetpaw's flank in a futile attempt at reassurance. "If you're sure."
"It's… I can't forget her. I deserve it. She deserves her name too… please…"
Sunstar only sighed. "I know Violetpaw. I… I know…"
—-
The sun was shining, but Violetpaw barely felt it.
It had been a beautiful day a few hours ago, but all the sunshine that she had seen had gone. The dewdrops were emotionless and gray, just like the pit inside her.
She still had that lingering feeling of uncontrollable grief, the feeling of wanting to burst into tears and say "Fuck all" and give up. Join Rosepaw. It was easier said than done, though, and…
And at the same time, she owed it to her friend, her crush… she had to get her name.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Hightree for a Clan meeting!" Sunstar called from her perch, her voice solemn, and gaze rather resigned. Violetpaw limped over, despite several surprised glances from her clanmates, obviously surprised that she was getting her warrior name right away.
"I… I don't want to give this like any other ceremony." Sunstar's voice was soft, and laced with grief.
"I don't know if this has been officially stated, but Rosepaw passed away last night."
Violetpaw got hit all over again, a sob was torn out of her, and she stared at her paws, shivering. Cats around her were glancing at each other in shock and surprise, and grief-filled mews filled the air.
"Creekpool reported that they think the cause was from an allergic reaction to thyme. It is a tragedy to lose a young cat so close to warriorhood, among the aftermath of the battle as well."
Sunstar paused, swallowing.
"Rosepaw was a brave and loyal cat, and most importantly, an extremely kind one. She was a fighter, a warrior at heart, and even though she is not with us any longer, I promise that she will not be forgotten."
She motioned for Violetpaw to step forwards with a flick of her tail, and Violetpaw did so, her paws trembling violently. Taking a shaky breath, she forced herself to look up, because this was for Rosepaw, it always had been, even when she had been alive.
"Violetpaw, do you promise to uphold and defend the warrior code and your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Sunstar asked, staring down at her.
Violetpaw opened her mouth, but nothing came out except for a small squeak, and she swallowed, tears clouding her vision as she replied, wishing that she could hear Rosepaw's high voice chiming with hers.
"I do."
"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give your warrior name, Violetrose." Sunstar announced, her voice level. "And I'm sure Rosepaw is very proud of you." She added quietly.
Violetrose nodded shakily, forcing a teary smile at the Skyclan leader. "Thank… thank you."
There was a brief murmur of dissent within the Clan, some of them obviously concerned about the name, before the chanting started, getting louder as more cats joined.
Violetrose stood in the middle, tears freely running down her cheeks and dripping onto the ground, leaning heavily on her left leg, but she could almost feel the ghost of Rosepaw next to her.
"I always knew you'd be a great warrior…"
She hoped she could be. Things would never be the same without Rosepaw, but she knew that she had to keep going.
Because that's what Rosepaw would've wanted, and honestly, that's what Violetrose would try to want.
Because she was that new star in the sky. And she was there, looking down at Violetrose, and that was enough. That's all that she could hold on to.
Sometimes, when you've lost the ones you've loved, you feel that they're gone forever, but hovering right beside you.
Violetrose knew she was there, though. She'd always be there.
Anyways, if you read through that, thank you so much! Please shoot a review telling me what you think or ways I can improve, and stay safe, everyone!
Have a good day (or night) and keep writing!
-Mintflight