Wow, yet another one-shot by my good friend Purple Eyed Cat...I feel lazy compared to what she's turned out but hey...REVIEW!
Brackenfur/Sorreltail
Eagle Attack
The tortoiseshell and white she-cat raced to the golden brown tabby tom, fear making her fur bristle. The golden brown tom lay where the eagle had thrown him, only the faint rise and fall of his flank indicating that he was still alive.
As the panicked cats yowled around them, Sorreltail frantically nudged Brackenfur, trying to get him to come to. Her incessant nudging paid off as the tom's amber eyes opened slowly and he blinked in confusion. Sorreltail sat next to him, keeping him calm as the mass of cats whirled around them. A moment later, a brown tabby she-cat padded up.
"Is Brackenfur okay?" Leafpaw asked, checking the warrior over.
"I'll be fine," Brackenfur meowed, pushing himself to his paws.
"I'll keep an eye on him," Sorreltail promised. The second Leafpaw had padded away, Sorreltail pushed Brackenfur back down. "Stay down," she mewed firmly, and the warrior stared at her. "You're bleeding," the tortoiseshell continued, and Brackenfur blinked in surprise.
Seeing that the golden brown tom was in too much of a state of shock to do anything, Sorreltail lowered herself to his side and began grooming his shoulder where the eagle's talons had given him a vicious gash. Gently pulling the fur away from the wound with her teeth, Sorreltail began to lick the gash vigorously, stopping only as Brackenfur winced in pain.
"Sorry," she apologized quickly, pulling away.
"No, it's okay," Brackenfur murmured. Sorreltail pricked one ear in his direction, surprised at his soft tone. She looked at him, and saw that he was staring at her. Fur prickling pleasantly, Sorreltail dipped her head and began washing the blood off the other warrior's shoulder, the salty tang of Brackenfur's blood making her lips curl slightly.
"What is it?" Brackenfur had seen her curl her lips in distaste.
The tortoiseshell looked up. "Nothing," she said calmly, cleaning the last of the blood from his shoulder with her rough tongue.
Brackenfur didn't look convinced, but he said nothing. Sorreltail looked up, and her amber gaze locked with his.
"You mouse-brain," she mewed, lightening the raw tension between the two. She gently cuffed him over the ear as she continued, "what made you think you could take on an eagle?"
Brackenfur's amber gaze darkened, and Sorreltail felt like she had said the wrong thing. "It was Snowkit," Brackenfur murmured, and Sorreltail looked up in interest; she had never heard this story before. Seeing her interest, Brackenfur flicked his tail back and forth before continuing.
"Snowkit was Speckletail's only kit from her final litter, and he was deaf. I was hoping to be his mentor," the golden-brown tom admitted, his whiskers twitching self-consciously. "He was playing outside the nursery one day," the tom continued in a soft voice heavy with sorrow, "and an eagle appeared. All the cats scattered for covered, but Snowkit couldn't hear us." Brackenfur lowered his head in pain as the memories swamped him.
"The eagle took him," he continued, "and we couldn't do anything about it." The tom told the she-cat beside him, who listened with a sympathetic amber gaze. "I tracked the eagle," Brackenfur told Sorreltail, "but by the time I found the eagle again, there was nothing I could do…" His voice trailed off, overcome by the painful memories.
"Brackenfur," Sorreltail murmured, pressing her muzzle to his, "I'm so sorry." The golden-brown warrior nuzzled the she-cat next to him, grateful for the comfort.
"I couldn't let that happen again," the tom mewed, gazing over to where Marshkit was being fiercly groomed by Tallpoppy. "Where I saw the eagle swoop towards Marshkit, it was like Snowkit was happening all over again…" The pain was audible this time, and Sorreltail nuzzled him fiercly, wishing she could take some of his sorrow away.
"Brackenfur," she murmured consolingly to the warrior at her side, "you saved Marshkit. In a way," she continued, "you saved Snowkit." Brackenfur looked up, amber eyes growing brighter as he took comfort in her words.
"You're right, Sorreltail," he whispered, " I did save them both." He pushed his muzzle into her fur. "StarClan be praised," he murmured into her shoulder fur as she affectionately groomed the top of his head, rasping her tongue over his ears. The two cats shared tongues for a moment, comforting each other in the swirl of despairing cats around them.
Sorreltail pulled away, her attention diverted to the blood that had begun to flow again from Brackenfur's shoulder. Cleaning the dried blood away, she licked away the fresh blood, trying to keep the wound as clean as possible. Brackenfur winced occasionally, but he was also soothed by the rhythmic strokes of her rough tongue.
The tortoiseshell was preoccupied with the gash in the tom's shoulder, so she didn't notice the looks Brackenfur was giving her until she looked up. The golden-brown tom was staring at the she-cat next to him, musing about how close they had become. While they weren't as close as Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw, the tom mused, but they had become almost as close. As the forest had died around them, Sorreltail was always there to comfort and reassure him.
Sorreltail looked up from grooming Brackenfur's shoulder and found the tom staring at her in a way that made her fur prickle, but at the same time, she didn't mind it. "Brackenfur?" she asked hesitantly, wondering why he was staring at her like that.
Her voice seemed to shake Brackenfur out of his reverie, but his gentle gaze never wavered. "Sorreltail," he mewed softly, "I love you." Swiftly, he dropped his gaze to his paws, wondering if he had said too much.
Sorreltail gazed at the tom next to her in surprise and delight; her amber gaze softened and a purr throbbed in her throat. "Oh, Brackenfur," she murmured, pressing her muzzle to his cheek.
Looking up, Brackenfur found Sorreltail looking at him, amber eyes shining with love. "Sorreltail?" He asked, still unsure if he had said the wrong thing.
"You mouse-brain," the tortoiseshell murmured, and Brackenfur's heart fell, but suddenly rose as she continued, "I love you too."
Amber gaze met amber gaze, and Brackenfur began to purr, pressing his nose to hers. Sorreltail groomed his ears, purring continuously. Pulling away, the two cats noticed that their Clanmates had begun to move around them, settling in for the night.
Brackenfur slowly struggled to his paws, but Sorreltail was their, tortoiseshell pelt brushing against golden-brown as she helped him stand. Limping slightly, Brackenfur made it under the rocky overhang where ThunderClan had sheltered for the night.
Flopping down on the ground, Brackenfur purred softly as Sorreltail curled up against him, twining her tail with his. Golden-brown pelt brushing tortoiseshell, the two cats relaxed, letting the beginnings of sleep creep upon them as Silverpelt appeared in the sky.
Hearing Sorreltail's even breathing beside him, Brackenfur let his amber eyes drift shut, content. Even though they were in the middle of strange territory, underfed, and exhausted, he was content. He allowed himself one amused purr before drifting off to sleep. Who knew an eagle attack could affect his life like this?
Like I said, REVIEW please!
