A/N: School sucks guys, don't do it. (Jk, stay in school.) But, yeah. So much work every week is a killer. AND I definitely think my wisdom teeth are coming, I'll keep y'all updated on how that goes throughout the week. Here's hoping I don't die. My head hurts a lot. (Update: Had an appointment, got an x-ray, and apparently my dentist doesn't do removals there so now I have to go to someone else. Got a consultation over zoom on Friday for… some reason, I don't even know. Costs a butt-ton of money… Good news: I only have one wisdom tooth. His name is Reginald.)
Anywho, we got a birth coming y'all. Strap yourselves in for this mess. (And I have no apologies for the beginning of this chapter. I needed cuteness.)
Thanks to warRiorwinGs and SittingHereReading for following and adding this story as a favorite!
Reviews
WolfFang-Of-Windclan: I completely forgot to answer this review before uploading the last chapter, so I'm doing it now :). My sole emotion while writing that was pain, so that fits lol. Thank you! I am very content with myself now and I'm not losing sleep thinking myself in circles. (Still haven't told my parents, working on that. Eventually.) Inter-rank relationships are a thing but very looked down on. He mostly did it because the mother was a Royal, if she wasn't, then Reddit would've been a Noble and would not as likely have been a part of the running. Yes, oddly familiar… For no particular reason *cough cough* I think a lot of us would volunteer for those jobs, honestly haha. Honestly, same. Line up everybody, we're gonna kick Wolfstorm into the ground. (Fun fact; her punishment was Target Practice, and I was gonna write it in but I couldn't make it fit, unfortunately.) I mean, her views on kids and relationships are lowkey mine as well, just a little more amped up. Yep, giving all that info for y'all. Been sitting on that since the very beginning. XD 0/10 If that ain't the truth. It really hurt to write. One of my biggest fears would be that the chapter wouldn't flow cause it was so long, so I'm glad you enjoyed it :). What an epic way to go. I'd wanna go out by longsword (now I just imagine an old person having a basement filled with sharp weapons). Ooh, Atlas actually fits Redstar there. That's awesome. Hera just sounds like a powerful name. I dig it. Thanks for reading :).
warRiorwinGs- Thanks!
Someone (Guest)- Looks like things are looking up! (Just don't look down, don't look down.) I wonder who this certain author could be… Tis a mystery XD. I hope I'm not that predictable anymore and that this chapter actually surprises you lol. XD I'm a special bean. Great names btw (scary good guesses too). That's one way to look at being named after someone. Not a bad way of looking at it though. I don't think I would want to be named after someone, personally. (Lowkey seems a tad lazy to me, but that's just my opinion.) I just had to write out that reunion, the actual next Stormclan arc will happen in a chapter or two. It's more that the "monster" simply wants to fight and kill things and the thought of going back to being Cloudstar's little puppet didn't sit well with it. It sees Stormclan as a prison, essentially. (And it tolerates Windpaw, likes to make her submissive, but I wouldn't say it approves of the relationship. It sees her as a fun thing to play with.) A very serious dilemma XD Well… that's the point for that. Some of it is Flarekitty improving, but some of it is also to show that Whiteshadow is not invincible as she once thought him to be (now that they're a lot closer, she sees all his flaws instead of that invincible, mysterious character he once was). I hate having to think about myself. Whenever a quiz or someone tells me to talk about myself I just malfunction for five seconds. I think we are all different depending on who we interact with. There's a "face" we put on for different people. I mean, I am proud to be a quiet individual. Well, the City's best fighter (single) would probably have to be Phantom if we're just going on sheer skill alone. And at that rate… Leafstar will still beat him. By a reasonable margin, if circumstances allowed it. Whiteshadow stands a good chance too (as did Willowflame undoubtedly). We're almost to 1 mil words! That's wonderful. Gotta keep on keeping on.
Rainbow Badge (Guest)- Your reviews are honestly a blessing XD. Bless your soul. It has been a while since I had a perspective from another clan (considering the last few chapters feature death and sadness and I wanted to focus on Blazeclan). I just… Your reviews make my day XD. No, Whiteshadow does not know what a horse is lol. Honestly, I miss writing their banter. As much as I loved the White-Rain shenanigans, I am really starving for White-Flare interactions. Oof, being two seasons behind, I felt that one XD. I was originally gonna have it be Rowanpaw, but the more I thought about it, the more Ginger would make sense in the long one (very strong, capable, his father is good friend's with Wild. What more do you want from a boy?) Ah yes, someone noticed that tidbit of info. Ginger is indeed ace/aro :). Honestly, write a story, upload the story, I'll read it. Where can I buy? XD I don't mind reading rambles, they make me laugh. One thing I can't stand is a very imbalanced/toxic relationship for the main characters, and I want to try to make Soot and Flare as healthy as it can be (considering they're both messed up individuals with their own problems). That is the perfect way that conversation would go XD Whiteshadow do be eager to kill everyone's favorite dad. Watch the cholesterol XD Looking at it that way, yeah it does seem like I made her have a heart problem, whoops. She doesn't, I swear. RainWind will always have a special place in my heart no matter what. They are each other's safe places. Honestly, if Roseberry was in charge of everything, all of the clans' problems would be fixed XD. She's too powerful for this universe. I mean… that's one way to view a clan lol. (And yes, Windpaw would absolutely wear flannel if she were a human. Do with that information what you will XD). (...and raindrop will steal them and wear them all the time, but Windy doesn't mind.) I agree, we should all just vibe and then all the world's problems would be solved. I mean, you can have my spinach. (Greens, what are those? They look funny.) (Eat yo vegetables kids… is spinach a vegetable? I don't even know.) I am honored and enjoy every second of your fanfiction for my fanfiction XD It doesn't bother me, so you don't have to stop. It cheers me up. I'm glad you enjoy the story so much! It helps keep me motivated (and to stay consistent with the deadlines). Second Review: I'm still blown away that people go back and reread certain chapters of this. That's crazy. He is such a brat tbh, and if Wolfstorm wasn't… what he was… then Swiftpaw probably would have turned out a lot better. Never read the actual series, so I have no idea who Breezepelt is. But the way you described him… that really sucks what his character came out to be. Gotta love the brats, even a little.
Pineshadow (Guest)- Gotta have some fluff before the next bad thing that comes around. Helps to give everyone a small break. Whiteshadow is her unofficial father, es canon XD. Might get back together. Love that you added the might. Reunited once again! Honestly, who gave me the right to write? Brain? Brian, what're you doing? Don't you dare decide to kill another character. XD Ah, wouldn't that be a dream if everything just ended happily (*laughs nervously*) a great dream. I will be very sad once this story is over, it's been such a big part of my life and has helped me through so much. I do have the ending in mind and we're steadily approaching it, slowly but surely. Hmm, might have to try that tactic myself sometimes lol.
Songmistle (Guest)- At least the kindness is attempted, some people never attempt. Those are good things to be proud of! Possibly, we'll see. We're coming for you 1 mil! Glad you look forward to updates. That sounds… very complicated XD. The last science class I had was technically geography in college and that was very boring. I have a love-hate relationship with science (still get war flashbacks whenever I hear anything chemistry-related from AP Chem in my Junior year). Cats don't like me, unfortunately. I think I'm a little scared of them, honestly XD. Good guesses. My email is right, yes. I just don't check it that often (whoops) but I have checked out what you shared with me! Wolfbreeze sounds nice, I like it :). Aww, sorry about your cat. Hmm, I'm not the best when it comes to naming things, I usually take forever. Nice names for your cats' bye. I really like Lionsnow, it's a unique one. Those are good traits! And Darkpaw is having a grand old time- Leafstar is a much better Master than Wildfire could ever be. Yup, that's my email. Huh, I didn't know you guys read each other's comments lol. They're great. I personally am not a fan of spinach and you can fight me on that XD.
Fernsong (Guest)- Why do y'all think I'm that evil? XD Have I scarred you guys enough? Thanks for reading!
Hissing Mist- Huh, not a lot of people will say that. But I guess it is good to have pride in yourself. I'm proud of myself. Windpaw is gonna hold onto raindrop and never let her go. I wouldn't just make her leave like that… yet… :).
FrostedShadowx- Yeah, it is sad, it's just that with the way my life is going and where my interests are shifting, I don't really see myself writing so much for this fandom after this story. I do want to finish this one though. Of course you can guess! I probably won't say if you guess it right, but you can totally guess. Why do you guys think I'm so evil? XD I'm innocent, I swear. Let's see what raindrop will do- might not be anything good, but here's hoping.
reading at 3am is normal- Technical difficulties. Yeah, the pain/discomfort is not fun. I'll be having an appointment on Monday so let's see what they say. (And the dentist I go to apparently don't do removals there, so like… what the hell. Just point in the right direction and I'll take it from there. Give me the pliers, I'll do it myself XD). It was a lot of work, but I am very proud of the outcome. I'm surprised I didn't burn myself out. Well, she had to go through Target Practice, so they kinda stabbed her in the back? We need a bit of smooth sailing for a while before we hit more turbulence. Maybe we have already reached that point, but we'll see if her mindset changes in the future. Commence the amping! Oh sh*t. I can't talk about myself at all. Uhh… uhh… I'm proud of… my dedication? Yeah. My dedication to the things that I work on and the people I care for. Is that a thing? Idk. I hate talking about myself XD. (I also like that I'm protective? Of the people close to me? And… I'm decently smart.)
Echofire (Guest)- I was holding out on a lot of information just for that backstory chapter. It was a long time coming haha. Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. Second Review: RainWind will always have a piece of my heart for many reasons. All hail RainWind!
DarkMatter242- Please get some rest if you're tired haha, but thanks for catching up. Thank you for that, it's been a huge weight off my shoulders discovering myself- because I'm always someone who needs to find the answers to my own questions and I tend to hyper-fixate on that. I think it's the right thing for you to say lol. Yeah… yeah, I went a little overboard with that chapter haha. But I'm happy with how it turned out. It was a lot of work but it was definitely worth it. I enjoyed writing the progression of their relationship, even though it most certainly hurt me to do that. Ayy, I'll take that as an accomplishment. Oh if Cinderfrost had raised Sootboi there would be so many things different right now, I'll say that much. Not just increased chaotic events, but a whole lot of other shenanigans. I suppose that's true. Whiteshadow is gonna have to find a way to rebuild himself after the whole city thing. Will he ever be the same as before? Most likely not, and he and everyone else will have to learn to be okay with that. Reunions and potential making up for our favorite pairings, such fun. Lol, it's only been five minutes. Welp, that's all the break we need, let's get going XD. That is a very useful skill to have, how nice :). Not a lot of people are as logical as you think, we need more of those. Life is rough but what's new? It's a bumpy ride, but at least I have my writing to keep me sane :). Hope everything is okay with you.
Thanks to everybody who reviewed, followed, and/or added this story as a favorite!
Let's get started!
…
Stormclan
…
Windpaw swore she was in a dream of some sort.
She was afraid she'd wake up soon, that she'd open her eyes one time and be all alone in her nest and her den, and Rainpaw would be gone again.
But copper eyes fluttered open, hesitant and terrified, and-
She was still here.
In her warm embrace. Bodies pressed close together in the roots of a hollowed tree near their meadow. (It was theirs, it belonged to them. They claimed it.) The scent that her love carried- of a peaceful night after a harrowing storm- shrouded her, suffocating almost, but Windpaw willingly drowned in both it and her desires as she only pulled Rainpaw all the closer, bodies melding together at every inch of skin.
Gentle shudders overtook both of them, of passion and relief and just the overwhelming idea that they were together again, and Windpaw's heart pounded against her chest that she was for damn sure Rainpaw could hear loud and clear. The smaller apprentice had her head on her chest, dozing in and out of consciousness and always clinging just a little tighter each time. (She didn't know if Rainpaw did that out of fear, thinking that this was still a dream just like her, or out of gratitude because she knew it wasn't a dream- it was evident in the warmth and the sound of her heart.)
"Did I hurt you?" Windpaw spoke quietly, paws drifting over some of the haphazardly placed cobwebs that she had tried her best to avoid touching despite how much she wanted to adore every part of the other she-cat. It had been difficult, containing herself, especially with how urgent Rainpaw had been.
The blue-furred apprentice stirred, tilting her head to press her nose along her throat and Windpaw closed her eyes at the sheer touch, emotions clogging her ability to breathe for a few moments and a sob of relief wanted to escape from her again, but she was done crying. Rainpaw was back. There was no reason to cry anymore.
(Right?)
Rainpaw inhaled greedily, a slight tremor coursing through her body before she blew out a small breath, pressing herself closer.
"You could never hurt me."
It wasn't really the answer Windpaw had been hoping for, but it seemed that it was the only one she was going to get as Rainpaw went quiet again, moving her head quickly to listen to the Grand Royal apprentice's heartbeat again. A subtle tension rippled through her body and a frown flickered across Windpaw's face, but it went away as quickly as it appeared so she could not find the source of it.
As happy as she was, undoubtedly so, there was a lot to process and the more she looked at all the facts before her, the more unsettling it became.
Rainpaw's repeated apologies that seemed to be to the entire world more than Windpaw still echoed in her mind, each one coming out worse and worse and worse and the grey-furred apprentice didn't know when it was going to stop. She wanted to ask what Rainpaw was apologizing for, who she was apologizing to, but something told her she wouldn't get the answer (and if she did, she wasn't going to like it).
So, she just held Rainpaw close and indulged in her own tears.
Endless days of solitude and anxiety and grief coming to an end and Windpaw had said her own apologies in her mind. (She didn't know who to, though.)
And now, with silence settling over the two of them with a comforting embrace less reassuring than the one they gave each other, questions and concerns were returning and Windpaw didn't know how to process everything.
Something was different about her love and she didn't know if she wanted to find out what.
She didn't think she was ready for the answer.
She didn't think she was quite ready to share Rainpaw yet either, but restlessness borne from worry over the disorderly placed cobwebs- just the sheer amount of them as well made panic slowly sink into her veins like a poison that ate her alive- made the itch to move and take care of the she-cat in her arms flare to life. Windpaw stirred, shifting them a bit so they were side-by-side and smiling to herself at the little whine that Rainpaw made in response to being moved from her comfortable perch.
"I was cozy," Rainpaw huffed, immediately latching onto Windpaw and pressing all the closer to her, hiding her face in the crook of her neck and taking in her scent with another deep inhale. Another tremble ran through her body and she relaxed even more.
"As much as I want to keep you all to myself," Windpaw purred, pressing her muzzle to the top of Rainpaw's head and closing her eyes serenely. "I would feel a lot better if Ripplewave had a look at these. Especially the one around your face."
Rainpaw was quiet for a few moments before grumbling, "Why can't you just be selfish for a little longer?"
"Because I love you," the answer came out easily and without thought as she nuzzled into the top of her head, "and I want an expert's word that you're okay."
"...Say that again," Rainpaw's voice came out quieter, noticeably shaky, and Windpaw frowned to herself.
"That I want you to be okay?"
The scarred she-cat gave a shake of her head, pressing her face closer as if she was trying to meld herself to Windpaw. Her ears twitched back, falling flat, and her grip on Windpaw tightened noticeably.
"The other part."
Copper eyes blinked down at her before her features softened in understanding. Oh, Rainpaw… What did you go through in that place? She swallowed back another surge of emotions before beginning to pull back, and the she-cat trying to hide from the world stiffened and initially tried to cling tighter. A gentle urging of her name eventually coaxed her to release her hold, tilting her head up until their eyes could meet.
Windpaw really hated the covering over Rainpaw's right eye, vitriolic anger and sheer loathing writhing within her chest, shooting through her veins and making her want to hunt down whoever in the world did that to her love and rip them to shreds. She swallowed that down too, finding it much easier to do because right beside those negative emotions came the chilling sensation of guilt.
Guilt that she hadn't been there when Rainpaw needed her. (And yes, she knew it was entirely out of her control, but still… Still, she could not stop the emotion from stabbing into her heart like a million tiny claws.)
Her single visible eye seemed to quiver with something like fear and something like desperation. Hopeful and pleading and silently begging Windpaw to say those words again.
Who was Windpaw to say no?
"I love you," the Grand Royal apprentice breathed out, lungs burning and heart clenching and sheer devotion sweeping her away to be lost in the depths of compassion and worship.
Rainpaw's breath hitched, and her voice came out tight and strangled like she was about to sob, "Again."
"I love you."
That single eye drifted shut, the she-cat swallowing visibly, before whispering once more with a barely-there voice. "Again."
Windpaw pressed closer, their muzzles brushing and foreheads bumping together, and her own voice shook as she murmured, pleading, "Look at me."
Rainpaw looked like she wanted to shake her head and Windpaw repeated herself, twice more before she finally listened, light blue reappearing and shining with unshed tears. So scared, so hopeful, so broken.
So beautiful.
"I love you," her voice came out rough and it felt a lot like her devotion was trying to manifest itself to visibly show Rainpaw that she truly meant her words. Each and every time. Yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever.
She didn't think she could ever stop loving Rainpaw.
(No matter how many times she was hurt.)
She didn't know if Rainpaw believed her this time, but at the very least, she heard her loud and clear and it seemed to calm something down within her. She let out a shuddering sigh before pressing forward, squeezing her eye shut as if in pain and Windpaw kept her careful gaze on her face at every available moment.
Something's not quite right with her.
She just hoped that they would be ready to talk about it soon before it destroyed Rainpaw from the inside.
Windpaw wouldn't press her. Not yet at least.
For now, she was simply allowing herself to relish in the fact that Rainpaw was back.
"Let's get you to camp," Windpaw murmured after a moment of silence, taking in another deep breath of the after-storm night and smiling to herself. It felt a lot like coming home. "So Ripplewave can check on you."
"I just want to be here," Rainpaw responded quietly, her touch gentle along Windpaw's flank. "With you. I don't want to see anyone else. Just for a little longer?"
"...Only a little," Windpaw eventually sighed, acquiescing and pushing away her concerns to the edges of her mind's eye. Letting them fester even more, but that was fine. Whatever Rainpaw wanted.
They held each other close, bodies pressed together to feel every breath, every pound of their beating hearts, every breath that ruffled fur. No words were shared between them despite how much Windpaw wanted to talk, to ask her how she was feeling, but truth be told, she was scared of what Rainpaw would say.
What horrors did her love experience in a place like that?
There was something off about her and she wanted to find out what to help but…
She was scared.
(And she had a feeling that Rainpaw was as well.)
It took her a while to realize that she was humming that familiar song that she held near and dear to her heart. The lullaby that Rainpaw herself- that Rainkit- had shared so long ago with her. Her love's ears perked up immediately at that, a slight gasp sounding from her lips before she relaxed infinitesimally until she was completely slack against her.
A press of her muzzle to Windpaw's chest was a gentle urging, a quiet request.
Rainpaw always did love when she sang.
"Darling close your weary eyes, everything will be fine," her voice came out hesitant, a soft breath, and her mind threw her back to the countless other times she had sung the words on her own to calm herself down. Every night as a kit, every night when Rainpaw first returned to her, every night afterward. "Let the breeze wipe away your tears, there is no need to cry."
The blue-furred apprentice hummed along, a background melody that Windpaw matched to. (Some small part of her, the part that still missed Rainkit, wondered if this would be enough to bring her back.)
They finished simultaneously and Windpaw was half-tempted to sing it again, but she remained quiet and listened to the soft purrs rumbling through Rainpaw's chest and into the space between them. A flicker of joy bloomed within her chest like slow-growing roses and she hoped it would be a while yet before they withered.
"You've always had such a nice voice," Rainpaw murmured into her skin, and Windpaw couldn't help but smile at that. "It always calms me down."
"I think that has more to do with the lullaby than my voice," Windpaw chuckled, giving a tender lick to the top of Rainpaw's head and sighing to herself. "I don't take credit for that."
That goes to you. It was Rainkit who had taught it to her, after all.
"It's always helped me sleep," Rainpaw pressed herself closer, voice drifting away for a moment, "even before…"
Windpaw stiffened.
Her paws, which had adoringly been brushing against the other she-cat's back, paused in their movements and her heart stopped. Before. Before what? Before she left for the City? When she came back the first time and her nightmares always got the better of her?
Or even further back, when they were just kits?
Stop. She had to stop hoping for the past to come back to her.
They were here and they were now and Rainpaw was near. That had to be enough for her. (In some ways it was, and in others, it wasn't and she hated that it wasn't.)
"Before…?" Windpaw found herself saying, voice slightly strained with kittish hope that really should just up and disappear already. It was really annoying now, always wishing for the old days, the she-cat she had lost.
Rainpaw didn't answer. Instead, she shifted around a bit, pulling herself free from Windpaw's embrace and that made a spark of panic roll down her spine. It was going to be her turn to refuse to let go, but Windpaw allowed it.
Rainpaw sat up slowly, an unreadable expression on her face and a distant look in her eyes before overwhelming sadness appeared in her light blue gaze. She let out a sigh, turning back to face Windpaw and giving a small shake of her head.
"Nevermind."
No, no. Please tell me.
Please, tell me you remember.
Please-
Windpaw bit her tongue, so sharply she had to hide an instinctive flinch when copper bloomed inside of her mouth and she cleared her throat. Rainpaw remained sitting, staring at nothing for a few seconds before shaking her head again and leaning over Windpaw, lowering herself to brush their muzzles together and releasing a weathered sigh.
"Do we really have to go to camp?" Rainpaw asked once she pulled away, the start of a pout to her lips. Her tail drifted lazily to twine with Windpaw's, relaxed and refusing to pull away. "I want you to keep me for yourself."
"You want me to be selfish?" Windpaw tilted her head, raising a brow in bafflement. She had done her best to not be possessive of the other she-cat. She didn't think that was quite a healthy trait to have for your partner.
"I want nothing more," the blue-furred apprentice spoke in a surprisingly serious voice, and Windpaw got the sense that there was something else she wasn't telling her about it. She let that slide too.
It would certainly make her life easier if she could be selfish. Greedy and only caring about her own desires and what she wanted to have and to hold close and never let go.
But no matter how much she tried, it simply wasn't in her nature.
"I want to know that you're okay," Windpaw stared up at the other apprentice, a slight gleam of challenge in her eyes. "I want that. Isn't that selfish in a way?"
Rainpaw blinked down at her before her pout increased dramatically and Windpaw couldn't quite stop herself from laughing. Not that she tried very hard to hide it.
"That's not fair," Rainpaw whined and looked genuinely confused, "That's not how it works."
"I believe it is," Windpaw leaned upward, giving a lick and a playful nip to her love's neck before moving to sit up, Rainpaw backing away to give her space and still looking like she was trying to solve quite the riddle. Stars, she missed her so much. Copper eyes fell shut as she took in another deep inhale, the air around them tinged with their mingling scents. "Now, are you ready?"
"I don't think I'll ever be," Rainpaw grumbled but seemed to give up trying to put it off for any longer, stretching languidly with a relaxed sigh and shaking herself out. "I'm very tired now. For many reasons, but I blame you primarily."
A smug smile pulled at her lips as she stepped closer, letting their pelts brush and she leaned her muzzle against Rainpaw's ears, standing over her because she was taller.
"And that I will selfishly accept."
With that, she was the first to step through the opening of the roots, leaving behind Rainpaw and hearing the way she let out a ragged breath in response to those words.
"You're unfair!" Rainpaw called from within and Windpaw chuckled to herself, taking in a deep breath of the frosty air and letting it cool her body. Time had most definitely shifted, as unimportant as it always was until now; from Sunhigh to approaching dusk, the colors of the sky changing from golden-yellow to soothing orange and purples and soft yellows.
A beautiful sight- but as she looked over to watch Rainpaw step out of their little hideout, she thinks she found something even better to look at.
Rainpaw huffed as she stepped outside, her eye roaming around the area and carefully watching the frozen willow trees, a look of nostalgia and what could only be yearning entering light blue before she closed it with a quiet sigh. Windpaw felt a frown pull at her lips, copper gaze flitting about to the amateurly placed cobwebs and some of the cuts that poked out from underneath. She had been careful with her touches, always brushing just outside of the wounds, but the amount of them was worrisome in itself.
But the wounds were nothing compared to the distant, almost glazed-over look in Rainpaw's gaze, the way her shoulders tightened and she looked on-edge like something would just jump out of them at any one moment.
"Are you okay?" Windpaw asked, already expecting the lie, but when Rainpaw turned light blue to her and gave as bright a smile as she could, it didn't hurt any less to hear it.
"I'm fine."
Something inside of her began to wither and she tried not to let it show on her face, returning the smile with a gentle one of her own and breathing out as evenly as possible.
No, she wanted to say and found herself unable to form words, you're not.
Talk to me, please…
"Shall we?" Rainpaw motioned in a vague direction to camp, reluctance quite clear in her stance and the beginnings of a scowl that wanted to bloom on her face but she stamped it down. Windpaw closed her eyes for a moment, swallowing down the flash of hurt that pierced right through her, and opened them again with a soft expression.
It's fine.
You're here now and you'll talk when you're ready.
(That, too, felt like a lie.)
"Let's go."
…
Blazeclan
…
Sootblaze was nervous.
As he led the charge back to camp with Flarepaw and Whiteshadow following just a step behind him, anxiety sat at the pit of his stomach and he was beginning to feel nauseous.
But, it was a good kind of nausea?
Okay, no. There was no good kind of nausea, but at the very least, it didn't feel like a vice grip was trying to squeeze his insides to dust. It was softer, gentler, more like excitement than apprehension. His body was abuzz and he had to catch himself once or twice on the run back from falling right on his face.
(Hmm… He was running a lot these days.)
(When will he get the chance to stop?)
Hope sparked within the dredges of his soul as he floated beneath the abyssal waves, and as his eyes peeked open, tired and beaten, the light had never looked so beautiful before.
They entered camp with a slight burst of noise that drew the attention of the few High Ranks who were nosy- littering around the clearing and trying to make it look like they didn't care about the Low Ranks that were gathered by the Nursery. It was kind of funny, how they tried to converse with each other like they always did, but their ears were very clearly turned in the direction of the Commoners.
Sootblaze ignored them as he trotted over to the rest of his family, chancing a glance over his shoulder and not entirely knowing how to feel that Flarepaw and Whiteshadow easily followed. Neither one of them cared about being obviously seen approaching the Low Ranks and it made the pain in his very soul ease a little. Not completely, and the maggots of distrust crawled along the open wound still, but their actions were like a balm that made a few of the parasites fall and die.
Sootblaze did his best not to let such low numbers hurt his feelings as he walked up to the other four Commoners, their fifth member currently inside giving life to a possible sixth. If anything, these small numbers made it all the easier for them to become a close-knit family, and though he was currently the youngest- well, of the warriors at least- they treated him with equal respect as they did each other.
Brightstreak appeared to be buzzing in her seat, tail twitching against the ground sporadically and pale ginger pelt bristled with excitement, light blue eyes wide and twinkling with mirth. Of all of them, she seemed to be the most excited at the idea of kits. Owlpelt sat right beside her, his own energy a mix of apprehensive, thrilled, and… melancholic. He was a lot calmer than the she-cat, that was for sure, and as Sootblaze met his wide amber eyes, a look of understanding passed between the two.
Of all of them, Owlpelt had undoubtedly been Thornblaze's best friend. His friend's kits were being born and-
Thornblaze wasn't here.
(It made Sootblaze's chest ache again and he tore his eyes away from melancholic amber.)
Ravenflight tried to look as grumpy as ever, but with Swiftleaf leaning into her side and having enough excitement and contentment for the both of them, it was very hard to put on that particular face. Fondness kindled in dark green eyes as they passed over the light grey she-cat, and when Ravenflight caught Sootblaze looking at them, the younger tom could not help but give a teasing smile in response that made the black-furred she-cat scowl and turn away, embarrassed.
(He had a lot of fun teasing the stoic she-cat when he found out about that particular, not-so-secret secret relationship.)
"Any updates?" Sootblaze asked when he was close enough to the four of them, sitting back on his haunches and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, his tail curling and uncurling and curling again around his paws to give him something to do other than explode. Golden-yellow turned in the direction of the Nursery, where sounds filtered out every now and then and made his stomach squirm uncomfortably.
"Not in particular," Owlpelt spoke up, his eyes remaining on the den that Flarepaw and a few of them had begun to at least try and make look nicer, sturdier. It would take a lot more work yet, but it was a start. "Hollypaw went inside a little while ago to assist… I think it should be okay."
"We all know how talented our Medicine Cats are," Ravenflight grumbled quietly and Sootblaze couldn't help but flinch. (The ghosts of Thornblaze and Mousepaw hovered just on the outskirts of his vision.) A pointed glare and a bump of shoulders from Swiftleaf made the unforgiving Ravenflight let out a short sigh, clearing her throat soon after before adding, "I'm sure it'll be fine. Feathersong's a tough one."
In more ways than one.
To go through this without your mate by your side…
Sootblaze shifted in his seat and took in a slow breath to keep himself calm, the excitement stained with splashes of bitterness and sorrow and anger and- he couldn't fall to that again. He was tired of being angry.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Flarepaw and Whiteshadow talking quietly to one another, the she-cat leaning against the tom and looking up at him with a small smile. Sagepaw was at her other side, and with help, he and Whiteshadow were fitting all the pieces of her together again and making her into something stronger. Her own little family.
When silver turned in his direction, Sootblaze felt the initial desire to look away consume him, phantom claws tugging at the scruff of his neck to turn his head, but he resisted against it and held her gaze for the first time in a while. She blinked in surprise before her smile softened, so lovely it became, and there were nerves and there was excitement and she looked like she belonged with the rest of them.
He smiled back before turning his eyes the other way, back to the entrance of the Nursery and counting down the minutes for someone to pop out of it.
Sootblaze was no expert when it came to kitting, so he didn't know whether it was taking a while or if it already started or how long it was actually supposed to take. He asked as such to the others, Owlpelt and Brightstreak and Ravenflight and Swiftleaf answering his questions with varying degrees of accuracy and reassurance. (Ravenflight liked to tease him just as much as he teased her, he quite liked having conversations with her.)
He lost track of time when Hollypaw suddenly made an appearance outside, her eyes shifting around the area before landing on Sootblaze and she waved him over. The tom jumped to his paws but hesitated, glancing over at the other ones and it felt like he was asking permission to go. None of them disagreed, Owlpelt urging him on with a nod of his head and Ravenflight giving him a stern look in her own silent encouragement.
Golden-yellow instinctively sought out silver-blue for comfort and Flarepaw gave her own slow nod to him.
Sootblaze swallowed thickly before turning, just barely restraining himself from all-out running over to Hollypaw where she waited for him just at the entrance of the den. He regarded her closely, trying to gauge her concern with just a look but he was rather distracted by a pained sound from within the Nursery.
"What is it? Is she okay? Is-"
"She's fine," Hollypaw caught him off soothingly, bumping her muzzle into his shoulder as if physically trying to chase off the wraith of fear from his shoulder. He thinks that it was scared of her dark amber eyes because her words and her actions made him release a heavy sigh. With a comforting nod, she turned and began leading the way inside, speaking over her shoulder with a slight amount of hesitance, "She's just asking for you… She doesn't want to be alone."
Right.
That made sense. (He thinks, he didn't know how kitting worked.)
The scent of blood in the air was sharp, and it made panic return with a vengeance, but a look at Hollypaw made some of it settle because she didn't look freaked out. Maybe it was because she knew how to handle herself in a situation like this, or maybe it was because things were going good. (For once.)
"So kind of you to join us, Sootblaze," Roseberry spoke casually, her head not turning in his direction at all as she remained focused as ever on Feathersong. "Come closer, do not be startled now."
Feathersong looked tired, it was the first thing he noticed as he stepped closer to the nest that Flarepaw had made for the Queen. A luxurious thing in such a substandard den. He walked closer until he was right at her head, sitting down and on-edge as ever, and his eyes drifted-
To where a single kit was nestled comfortably at the Queen's belly already.
"Feathersong-" he began but was summarily cut off by the Medicine Cat.
"One final push, dear. That's it," Roseberry spoke up and the Queen clenched her teeth harder around the stick in her mouth. A strangled sound came from her lips and Sootblaze involuntarily found himself leaning his head down, pressing his muzzle against her head, and letting a purr rumble through his body. He didn't really know if he was allowed to do that, but she made no moves to stop him, his eyes falling shut.
Another push.
Another kit…
Commoners were only allowed one- and Sootblaze wanted to let out a bitter laugh but he bit it down instead.
A few seconds longer and Roseberry murmured for Hollypaw to come to her side, passing on the little bundle to her that the apprentice wasted no time licking the opposite direction until the newborn let out a mewl in response. The black-furred she-cat gently nosed the kit over to Feathersong's belly, right by the first one, and Sootblaze peeked over the Queen's head to see.
The first was a little white cat with black tabby stripes, speckles on lower back tinged with a light brown shade (still faint traces of blood on her pelt that Feathersong would clean). The second was light brown in color, traces of white on their muzzle, paws, and tail, and Sootblaze could just barely see faint white specks across their body if he squinted hard enough.
Beautiful kits.
Kits.
His jaw tightened and a solemn silence filled the room alongside the occasional mewls of the two kits as they suckled their first meal. Feathersong was staring down at them and Sootblaze could not bring himself to look at her face quite yet.
Roseberry and Hollypaw stood off to the side, the Medicine Cat with an unreadable expression on her face- Sootblaze swore she could see something like anger in her eyes. Not at the Queen or the kits, but perhaps at the world and fate instead for cursing this Commoner with such misfortune- and the apprentice with flattened ears. Hollypaw closed her eyes after a moment, letting out a ragged breath and shifting in her seat uncomfortably, claws prickling against the ground on occasion.
Sootblaze felt just about ready to leap over the Queen and her kits to defend them if they so much as made a single step in their direction.
Alas, after a few minutes of nonmovement on everybody's part, Roseberry inhaled slowly, straightening her shoulders and turning her eyes to Feathersong even if the Queen didn't look back at her.
"You understand… that I must discuss with the Grand Royal," Roseberry spoke slowly, reluctantly, and Sootblaze wondered what it felt like to be in her position. Forced to follow rules that showed obvious favoritism. A slave to the system. He almost felt bad for her. She and Hollypaw both.
Feathersong didn't respond, and with a brief, "I'm sorry," Roseberry was leaving the den. Hollypaw looked like she couldn't quite decide whether to stay in silent support or to follow and attempt something or simply leave and not return. He had never known her to look so downhearted before.
Just one more she can't save.
It probably all looked pointless to her now.
Eventually, she stood up and left the den silently, ears flat against her head and an unreadable expression on her face, and Sootblaze didn't know if he should comfort her or chase her away faster. He just stood there, crouched over Feathersong like he alone could possibly protect her and the newborns from the rest of the world. (Him, a weakling.)
(Hilarious.)
He gritted his teeth, looking back down at the little kits.
"Two daughters," Feathersong spoke in what could only count as a dying croak, and as Sootblaze positioned himself to look at her, his heart clenched at such a devastating expression on her face. The tip of her tail brushed gingerly over the she-kits, gentle and coaxing, and Sootblaze couldn't help but look down at them. So helpless and squirming. Blind and deaf and defenseless against the imbalanced rules of the clan they lived in. A quiet, wet chuckle came from the Queen, "He would have been ecstatic."
Dark blue eyes lifted to his face and Sootblaze felt himself dragged ever deeper into the abyss. "He was hoping for a daughter. Now he has two."
It's not fair.
"I know," Feathersong murmured and made him realize he had spoken out loud, his eyes watching as the two sisters curled into each other, one only slightly bigger than the other. "It isn't. But this is how things are."
"No," Sootblaze was already shaking his head as he spoke, and just like that, raw fury burned him alive and he stood up from his place aggressively, a wildfire in his eyes. "No. I won't let them."
"Sootblaze-"
"They're not going to take away one of your kits!" Sootblaze hissed, claws digging into the ground beneath him, a monstrous feeling rising inside of him and he needed to do something to dispel it before it ate him alive. "I won't let them!"
"Don't get yourself killed over this."
"I wasn't there to fight for him!" The words tore free from his chest with a vicious snap and he felt like he could finally breathe. Tears burned at his eyes, bile and flames in his throat and he swallowed them both down, breath heavy to contain himself. His jaw clenched, watching the two kits, and he vowed then and there to be their greatest protector. They had no father- but they certainly had a brother, and Sootblaze would not fail again. "But I'm here now. And I'm ready for a fight."
A dangerous oath, an unbreakable pledge.
Sootblaze was not going to fail this time.
He turned and sped his way out of the den, already hearing the clan discussing just outside, and though Feathersong tried to call him back, Sootblaze had a one-track mind.
Not again, not again, not again.
You couldn't save Bluepaw. You couldn't save Shrewpaw.
You couldn't save Thornblaze and Mousepaw.
You chased off Adderfang.
You are not losing another.
Not today. Not now, not ever again.
His heart drummed a war song in his ears, pulse a raging chant, and Sootblaze was not going to fail Thornblaze again. He was going to be someone who could live up to that name, someone who deserved his mentor's final words.
"I'm so proud of you…"
He would become worthy of those words.
Outside, he was immediately met with a surprising sight of the Commoners positioning themselves in front of the Nursery, blocking his way from exiting- but also keeping anybody from entering too. It made his anger stutter, his ferocity freeze, because he couldn't ever remember a time where they had the gall to fight against the rest of the clan. To put on a stand and be together as one unit.
Across from them, a good distance away, stood Redstar himself, Roseberry by his side and already sharing the news with him.
Hollypaw was with the Commoners, standing at one end of the huddle by Brightstreak and keeping dark amber eyes forever on the Grand Royal's face. She must have told them the news because it sure didn't look like anybody else knew what was going on. What was about to happen.
When Redstar turned his eyes to the Nursery and saw them there, his shoulders dropped and he looked like he just wanted to collapse into a puddle of bones. Sootblaze pushed his way to the front, standing just a step in front of the others with Ravenflight right at his back, a scowl to her face and claws already unsheathed.
Dissent was heavy in the air and Sootblaze felt himself suffocating, but his determination and his anger fed off of it and he had never felt more alive than now.
Their little stand was drawing the eyes of the High Ranks, who noticed them creating a physical barrier against their leader and began to stir to attention. He could just barely register Foxear racing toward the Royal's den- no doubt to get the others.
No doubt to get Wildfire, their favorite speaker, because Sootblaze had yet to notice the dastardly tom lingering around the area.
"You all have my condolences," Redstar began with a heavy sigh leaving his body, drifting from each of them before inevitably landing on Sootblaze front and center. A strange expression passed dull eyes before the Grand Royal stood a little taller, addressing him directly and it took a little longer than it really should have for him to realize he was essentially the representative here. "But I'm afraid that I must follow the rules set before me. A Commoner Queen is only allowed one kit. I have been informed there are two."
"There's nothing you can say to get us to move, Redstar," Sootblaze spoke with a quivering voice, all forms of restraints put voluntarily against him and the fur along his spine bristled. Even more so when a crowd began to form, the full might of the High Ranks slipping from the dens and dark corners of camp to stand behind their leader. "Either you let her keep both or you have to go through all of us to get them."
Redstar opened his mouth to respond, but at last, the snake himself had arrived.
"A Commoner giving an ultimatum to our beloved Grand Royal," Wildfire's voice streamed through the crowd like toxic smoke, announcing his presence even before Sootblaze could see the dark grey tabby slink from the masses until he was just a step to the side of Redstar. "My, I have lived to see the day. Quite the unpleasant surprise this is. You'd do well to learn to respect your superiors, Commoner Sootblaze."
"You mean obey," Sootblaze scoffed in return, a scowl pulling at his lips and his tail lashing. "There's a difference between having voluntary followers and forced slaves. Both of us know which one you are trying to make us be."
"Grand Royal," Wildfire drawled, turning those wicked eyes in Redstar's direction and the red-furred tom was standing just as stiff as Sootblaze. A spark flickered in dull eyes and he could just barely see the Grand Royal's fur beginning to bristle. "Are you really going to allow that kind of disrespect?"
Redstar kept his eyes on the Royal and Sootblaze loathed that. That he could deem Wildfire as more important than them in a moment like this. A dead sunset narrowed and began to warm to life, Redstar taking in a deep breath as if to rejuvenate himself before turning those eyes back to Sootblaze.
"This is what must be done," Redstar spoke through clenched teeth, his ears twitching to fall back and a shudder running through his body. Like he was restraining himself from leaping- but whether to attack Sootblaze and the Commoners or Wildfire at his side, the grey-furred Low Rank couldn't quite tell. "I am truly, deeply sorry- but rules are rules. Commoner Queen's are only allowed-"
"Change the damn rules then!" Sootblaze snapped, cutting off his leader, and that only served to kindle the tension even more. It filtered like smoke and embers and rising fires, jumping through both crowds and making everybody stir even more. Behind him, the Commoners took a step back- and at first, Sootblaze thought it was in cowardice… but it wasn't. It was only to further add a physical buffer from anybody getting inside.
One of the Royals shouted about teaching the Low Ranks a lesson, and it quickly echoed amongst them, the High Ranks roving forward like a flood through a too-thin stream and only stopping because getting to the Commoners would mean tearing right through their leader. Their leader, who they supposedly respected. (He thinks it more had to do with the fact Wildfire was right there in the middle of it as well.)
(Out of the corner of his eye, on the opposite side where the High Ranks had approached from, he could just barely see Flarepaw and Whiteshadow talking amongst themselves in quite a heated conversation of their own.)
"It is not that simple, Sootblaze." Redstar swallowed thickly, a flash of pain crossing his face as he shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut briefly. "Do try to understand."
"What I understand is that you're trying to take away a mother's kit- so soon after taking her mate," Sootblaze took half a step forward, tension rippling higher, and he swore he could see a few of the Royals beginning to crouch, ready to pounce and rip him to shreds. He didn't care about them, eyes only focused on the leader before him.
The tom- who looked so different than the one who had told him about his mother even when nobody else would.
A kindred, broken spirit harboring nothing.
(He wondered where the tired tom in the moonlight had gone.)
(It was dusk, though, so he hoped that tom would come soon. At least, he, Sootblaze thought, would try to listen.)
"Are you really that cruel?"
Redstar looked like he wanted to say no, but he kept his mouth shut instead and closed his eyes again, a minuscule flinch to his features that no one seemed to notice but Sootblaze (and maybe Wildfire, because that tom was always watching). He leaned down a bit like he was about to throw up and Sootblaze held himself higher in response, unwavering where the Grand Royal began to tremble.
"Are you going to let him talk to you like that?"
Wildfire spoke next, standing just as tall as Sootblaze, and where he was right beside the leader, it almost looked like he was gazing down at him. Judgemental, harsh, brutal. Expectant, and Sootblaze couldn't help but wonder about the history between the two of them. Why those words seem to trigger something inside of Redstar, made him flinch even more and give the most hateful glare the Commoner had ever seen out of the Grand Royal to Wildfire.
Wildfire was a master of pushing his leader's buttons, it seemed.
Sootblaze felt like this was another case of Redstar damning his family to death when the leader let out a slow sigh, all eyes in the clearing turning to him in anticipation, and looked at all the Commoners again.
(Unlike before, Sootblaze wasn't frantically looking for someone to help.
No one was going to come.
He and the Commoners were on their own- that's how it had always been and that's how it was always going to be.)
"I must follow the rules."
As the words left Redstar's lips, it sounded exactly like another execution, another death sentence, and Sootblaze unsheathed his claws in preparation because he was not going to move this time. If they wanted him to, they would have to drag him and the others away by force.
It seemed like the Grand Royal was just about to order that- for his warriors to tear the Commoners from their united stand with claws and teeth.
But unlike before, a saving grace was always near. (Even when Sootblaze hadn't been looking for it.)
"How's this for rules, Grand Royal?"
A voice off to the side caught everyone's attention, and as Sootblaze turned his head in its direction, the light within his chest flared in tandem to the sight of Flarepaw moving forward.
Undaunted, it seemed as though Whiteshadow and her had finally come to some sort of conclusion as she stepped over to stand by his side. Whiteshadow practically pranced his way over to sit beside Hollypaw, merely sending the Medicine Cat apprentice a playful wink when she sent him a questioning look before settling down to watch the show.
Flarepaw stood beside him, looking at him for a handful of moments, and Sootblaze was entranced by her gaze. The moon and the storm, all rolled into one divine shine of silver.
As she looked out at the High Ranks, where she was supposed to be standing, the storm took over and her jaw clenched and she stood just a little higher by him.
(He didn't know why his mind took him to the time they went through Target Practice together, standing side-by-side and facing the rest of the clan, the rest of the world, like nothing could harm them as long as they had each other.)
(What a pair they were.)
"Grand Royal Flarepaw, what are you doing? Get over-"
"I was about to explain before you let your impatience get the better of you, father," Flarepaw didn't even look in Wildfire's direction as she spoke, her eyes only settled on Redstar and no one else. "Will you control it enough to let me speak?"
Her words seemed to baffle everyone for a moment, and Sootblaze too was a little surprised because he had only known her to speak in rather respectful words to Wildfire. It was all an act, she had told him once, to keep up appearances at the very least. For both of their images.
It seemed to aggravate Wildfire, who reared back a little before his lip curled to reveal a single fang.
"I did not give you permission to speak to me in such a-"
"Alas, it's not your permission I need," she cut him off again if only to further infuriate him, and this time, she did look in his direction and Sootblaze wanted to laugh at the affronted look on the tom's face. "Royal Wildfire- It's his that I need." Emphasizing his demotion from lead Royal back to just another warrior, Flarepaw jerked her head in Redstar's direction before turning silver eyes back to the leader, giving a subtle bow, "Grand Royal, if I may?"
Sootblaze remained tense at her side, surveying her face from that side profile he was given and trying to pick apart at her mind. She held herself formally, as much as she always did when speaking in the midst of such a large crowd and to the face of her leader, though the tom was certain he was the only one who noticed the subtle tensing and relaxing of her jaw, the muscles in her cheek as she just barely restrained herself from biting at the inside of her mouth.
She's nervous…
And she had every right to be, he believed- because her actions were loud.
Standing with the Commoners, even without saying anything at all, was making quite the statement in these tense moments. There was confusion amongst the Royals as they looked at each other, whispering and clearly not knowing how to react.
(He could see Emberpaw and Rowanpaw and Shadepaw all with varying degrees of expressions on their face. Emberpaw, with raised brows and widened eyes of surprise. Rowanpaw, with nothing but the utmost concern. Shadepaw, seconds away from laughing.)
Gingerpaw, standing alone on the outskirts of the High Ranks, regarded his last remaining rival with an unreadable expression. A hint of a smile.
"You may speak," Redstar gave her permission and Flarepaw nodded slowly. "What rules were you going to bring up?"
"...I was only going to say- that if you want to get to the other kit," Flarepaw seemed to hesitate for a moment before her jaw tightened and she committed to her words, "You will have to challenge me… for I am officially claiming them as my own. They will belong to me… as my Servant."
She let the silence settle for a few seconds, her words settling into the smoke of tension with a density of its own and Sootblaze didn't know how to react, mulling over her words.
"And as per the rules, no one is allowed to touch or bring any harm to a Servant unless permitted by their Master," Flarepaw took in a slow breath, adding in a tight voice, "And I am not giving you or any other High Rank permission to touch them."
Silence.
Sootblaze felt the air robbed from his lungs. He had… admittedly forgotten that Servants were claimed by the High Ranks. He just thought they were assigned or just… were. He didn't know about the process whatsoever, and all in all, he never cared to find out because he would never get a Servant to begin with.
His thoughts filtered to Darkpaw- Wildfire's Servant who had suffered so much by the tom's rule. Someone who had not even been allowed to leave camp to explore the forest, always so shy and afraid of everything and someone Flarepaw had loved as dearly as a sibling.
The title of Servant was harsh but…
But something told him this was different.
Because while it sounded like Flarepaw was flaunting her status and jumping at the chance to control a Low Rank like so many others, it… It sounded more like…
She was saving the other kit.
Because at least this way, the other kit would get to live.
Silver eyes remained holding Redstar's equally surprised gaze, ignoring everything else around her, and it was a battle of wills Sootblaze was an outsider to. A silent conversation he didn't know the language of.
He chanced a glance over his shoulder at the others, gauging their reactions, and they seemed to be coming to the same conclusion as him.
While not ideal, this would be at least a surefire way the second kit would get to live- since the High Ranks seemed to love using the "rules are rules" excuse for killing them. This not only followed the rules, but it actively enforced them too.
"Anyone who disagrees will have to go through me," Flarepaw shrugged, tilting her head to indicate to the Commoners just behind them, "and them, too. I don't know how excited you are for a bloodbath… but that's what it'll end up being."
"You are not a warrior yet," Wildfire, of course, was the first to speak up, shaking off his shock with a growl and taking a step in her direction. She took one forward as well to match him, and Sootblaze readied himself too as her claws unsheathed in silent warning. "You are not of age enough to claim a Servant."
Any excuse just to dismiss her.
She scoffed at that, a bemused curl to her lips.
"My assessment is in one moon, less than that even. Are you really trying to stop this because of something as inconsequential as a few weeks?"
He's getting desperate. She could see it, Sootblaze could see it. Wildfire's eyes darted all along her body, shifting to the ground and then to nothing and then to the gathered Commoners behind her- searching searching searching desperately for some sort of leverage.
And, as if just to add insult to injury, to open the wound even more, Whiteshadow took a few steps forward, casual- or tired- as ever, and spoke.
"And if that really is the issue, then I'll take temporary claim for the little youngling until Grand Royal Flarepaw here is of age." The lead Royal, finally returned after what feels like forever, hummed to himself and held himself lazily, "The way I see it, the age thing really is detrimental in this case. What do you think crowd? Is Flarepaw not mature enough to have a Servant of her own, or are a handful of days really going to make a difference here? Don't you think she could be a warrior right now if she really wanted to?"
Sootblaze felt like shouting to the stars with his relief when the High Ranks looked at one another, murmuring amongst themselves, and they eventually began to shrug and back away. Relaxing, maybe not completely, but not so dead set on charging forward as before. They seemed to be okay with this whole concept.
And Wildfire, most certainly, was not.
His nostrils flared as he absolutely glared at his daughter, but Flarepaw still wasn't giving him the time of day to focus on him. Her eyes were only for the Grand Royal, and in his anger, Wildfire turned that glare to Sootblaze and his eyes narrowed. His body gave a small jerk as if he was about to charge for him, and Sootblaze crouched even more- daring him to move at this moment.
It was a stalemate- and Wildfire was losing.
He lost completely when Redstar finally spoke up.
"Grand Royal Flarepaw," Redstar stood much more relaxed now, the start of what could only be a smile to his lips, but a warning in his eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
It sounded like there was a double meaning to his question.
Sootblaze expected her to hesitate, but she surprised him yet again.
"I'm sure, Grand Royal," she spoke without a trace of doubt, voice and stance firm and gaze unflinching. With a softer smile, she added, "This is the right thing to do."
There was more to her sentence that only Redstar seemed to hear because he let out a quiet laugh, shoulders dropping with an ease that hadn't been present at all before he gave a slow nod and raised his head again.
He had lost, but he seemed grateful that he did.
"Very well. The other kit is yours, and the Queen may keep both," his eyes turned to the Commoners now, those still tensed and waiting for the next bad thing to come along and ruin them even more. But all their fears melted away when Redstar gave a low bow of his head, saying, "Congratulations for your new members."
Sootblaze didn't quite know the meaning of that phrase- but the others did because Owlpelt let out a loud cheer that made him flinch, the others picking it up and all huddling together in celebration. They pulled him right along with them and though he still waited for any one of the High Ranks to charge, he let out a surprised laugh full of relief when all of the gathered crowd began to disperse, slinking away back to the dark corners of camp and hiding away in fabulous dens.
Wildfire stormed out of camp, tail lashing all the while.
He faintly registered Redstar stepping forward, saying something to Flarepaw and motioning for her to follow him as he began walking toward his own den- perhaps to discuss more rules and codes and official things like that, things that didn't matter to Sootblaze because for once in their lives, they had won.
No one was dying today.
It didn't happen again…
It didn't happen again!
Sootblaze felt like bursting at the seams of his soul with the overflow of sheer joy that took over him, all but collapsing into the others and staggering to his paws because they wouldn't let him fall to the ground again. They began pushing their way into the Nursery to share the good news, all four of them, and Sootblaze was about to join them before he turned, eyes instinctively searching for Flarepaw's.
She was already looking at him, facing his direction from where Redstar had left her.
Golden-yellow met silver-blue.
The sunset and the storm.
The wildfire and the moon.
The world faded away and it was just her. And it was just him. Just them.
A High Rank and a Low Rank.
A Grand Royal and a Commoner.
But more importantly…
Flarepaw and Sootblaze.
(The light grew steadier in his chest, spurned on by the one in hers, and his soul sang for her, aching and apologetic, and hers picked up the tune for a duet that only they heard.)
She smiled. Gave a nod.
And turned away- following after Redstar to discuss the matters at hand.
His body jerked as if to follow and it took his breath away, his body tearing in two and he grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut and letting his shoulders sag. Sootblaze exhaled and it felt like all of the noxious smoke that had filled his lungs, all of the shadowy water, released like clear steam in the air- sparing him from further suffocation.
He smiled, his eyes drifting up toward the darkening sky, to the first signs of twinkling stars.
Thornblaze.
I promise I'll take care of them.
His eyes drifted, first to where Flarepaw wandered off to, to where Whiteshadow and Hollypaw and Sagepaw were talking amongst themselves right by the Nursery, not quite ready to go inside, and to the Nursery itself where the other Commoners had excitedly run inside to meet the new kits.
They got so many watching over them.
You can rest safely now.
And just before he walked inside, he swore he could hear a voice, whispering in his ears with the next breeze that blew by, ruffling his pelt with a warmth that was not normal for Leaf-bare weather but was more than welcomed. It almost made him cry, and he closed his eyes to relish in that voice.
"Thank you…
I'm proud of you."
He walked inside.
Where a hopeful future was finally coming near.
…
A/N: I… am satisfied with this. And I don't know why it makes me want to cry a little, but alas, here we are! First thing to note, the song that Windpaw sang is an actual song that I most certainly didn't come up with because I'm not talented enough (the song is called, funnily enough, The Lullaby and it's from a WebToon called Purple Hyacinth. Highly recommend, and go listen to the full song :) It's great). Anyway, we got cuteness, we got concern, we got slight anger and the Commoners making a stand. We got more Wildfire BS and we got Flarekitty stepping in and making her own stand too.
Fun times all around everybody. Hope you liked it!
…
Question of the Day
(Very random, my little cousin texted me it XD)
If you were to invent your own food/dish, what would it be?
…
Please review, favorite, and/or follow!
Let me know what you think of the story and give constructive criticism where you see fit.
If you have fanart of any kind, check out my profile for more details!
Thank you and peace out!
~Wolfcreations21