"So, Blackshadow is it? Strange name. But then again, who am I to talk? I've got a pretty weird name too. Can't even be spoken by your species. Much too difficult. I think your brain might explode if I told you." The tomcat hovered in the sea of whiteness, floating just in front of the she-cat, nose to nose.
"What do you want?" Blackshadow hissed, temples flaring with pain as the cat before her grinned.
"What do I want?" the golden tom blinked, feigning mock surprise. "I think the real question is, what do you want?"
It was Blackshadow's turn to look surprised, however it was more genuine than the heterochromatic feline. "What do you mean, what do I want? I don't want anything."
There was a smirk in the cat's timbre as he spoke. "Oh really now? You don't want your life back- better yet, you don't want your sister's life back?"
"Flare! If you've hurt her..." Blackshadow began in rage, pelt bristling, eyes narrowed.
"Oh hush, I haven't done a thing to her," the golden snapped in retaliation, muzzle crinkling with annoyance. "Not yet anyways." He continued even as Blackshadow scowled deeply, ear ears pinned flat against her cranium. "The thing is, neither of you were ready to die. You were meant to live a full life, sadly. You both were. You can see you're at an impasse. You are dead and Flare is unconscious- though I doubt she'll stay that way for much longer. I do grow a tad bit impatient, you know. But since I'm a nice guy after all, I'm willing to make a deal."
"I don't make deals," Blackshadow hissed. "Mama said not to talk to strangers."
"Oh right, Mama Rosemary. How is she these days?"
Blackshadow blinked, unsure how to answer. Regardless, the tom seemed to continue as if she hadn't said anything and he began to circle her.
"The deal is this; I give you your life back- your sister's too, before she has a chance to come her on her own accord."
Blackshadow's head cocked to the side, continuing to frown. "There's a catch somewhere. You wouldn't just let me leave with my life without asking for something in return." She felt her gut clench as the golden muzzle upturned into a right sickening grin. His tail swished with enthusiasm. "Right you are! The catch, as you so put it, involves you and your sister. Specifically your future interactions. I give you both life, and in return I ask you never to interact with one another. Ever again."
"What?!" the reddish feline lost it. "You're asking me to never speak to my sister ever again? That's preposterous!" She added as the other cat nodded, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "Why would I do such as stupid thing like that?!"
Blackshadow swore if that cat grinned any more, his face would be nothing but a toothy maniacal smile. "Why you ask? To save your sister. Obviously you don't really care for your life being returned- sibling love fiddle faddle and such." His face contorted into a sneer of disgust. "So I could care less about bringing you back even though I'm just sweetening the deal. But besides all that, you forget who's slowly fading from reality and is surely to die if any wounds aren't attended to. The longer you wait and try and decide, the quicker poor little Flare is going to suffer. Really now, I thought this would've been an easy choice. But I guess if you're not willing to give a little, I suppose we can go back to plan A." He turned in the air, black paws swaying as his slim figure started to worm away, nearly sucked up by the blinding light.
"Wait!" Her voice, hollow and defeated, echoed. Which in turn earned a smirk of confidence as the tom's ear twitched and swiveled. "I'll do it. For her life and for mine. I'll cut off our communications. She can think I really did die and go on with her life. A life where I won't intervene."
"Thought you'd see it my way. Sooner or later I suppose. Guess that means we've got a deal, hmm?" Without waiting an appropriate response, the cat's forepaws ignited, plumes of blue fire rippling from their origin and creating a barrier circle around himself and Blackshadow.
"I don't even know your name, can I even trust you?" Blackshadow called over the roar of the flames.
"Names aren't important sweet." He shot her a charismatic smile. "And as for trusting me? Let's just say making a deal with me isn't the worst thing you could've done. Though it's not the best either. See ya later, kid! I'd ask you to give my regards to your sis, but I guess you can't exactly speak to one another!" A series of maddening cackles erupted and echoed, lingering even as the host disappeared and all faded to white in a single flash.
"I never figured out exactly who it was I spoke to. Before I left MagmaClan, I heard of their connections with a spiritual realm considered StarClan. He was possibly one of them. I know it was stupid! But I was young and a fool. Who knew if Flare would make it? I was certainly dead but I couldn't say the same for Flare. In fear of her losing her life if I backed out of a deal, I ran. I ran through the tunnels and away from my kin as I heard her awake. I heard her cries of dismay, begging me to come back to her. But I couldn't obey. I couldn't..."
"Blackshadow, I'm so -"
She held up her tail abruptly, not done with her tale.
"With a heavy heart, I observed from the sidelines as Flare, now Flarekit and soon Flarepaw, returned to the life I had tried to get her away from. Even without realizing it, my little sister was still defying me. I watched her grow up as a runt, teased and bullied by many of the older kits. I wanted to race to her side and aid her, but it was impossible. It gave me some solace to find out she clawed one of them, giving him a scar to remember never to call her 'runtling' again." She chuckled at the memory before moving onto more serious matters. "After a while, I guess it finally got to her cold outer shell that I was never coming back. She had long since met Fallenpaw and tried to fill the hole in her heart. At that point she must've broken down and told you everything, not once considering the fact that I was alive."
The warrior sized female released a haggard sigh, shaky but laced with relief. It had taken much concentration to keep her from openly sobbing as she meandered down memory lane. Her slumped head lifted, meeting the shocked faces of those around her. The one called Mistpaw looked close to tears, the darker gray beside her attempting to offer comfort. The brown tom forced his gaze away, staring blankly at his own paws in complete lack of vocals. The thick cream feline similarly looked about the cavern, dark eyes blown out of proportion and jerking from one figure to the next. Finally, Fallenpaw locked sights with Blackshadow, each reading one another's agony and strife. Both had been through much emotional turmoil and both were accepting it without the use of words. Blackshadow thought she saw Fallenpaw's crown bob in a little nod; she returned the gesture.
"Wait a moment," the nod faltered as realization dawned upon Flarepaw's clone. "If Flare is your sixth member, that means she should be here. Why isn't she here?"
An empty void passed over the others, resulting in a frowning Blackshadow. "Come on," she prompted. "If my sister's here, I can't be here. And because she isn't, I need to know why."
"We kind of had a falling out," Fallenpaw grit his teeth, tense and afraid to reveal too much.
"One where some of us had ideas, another had differing thoughts, which resulted in a tiny dispute," Anemonepaw added.
"There was an argument! Flarepaw couldn't take it anymore! She said she had no family and no reason to return to a world of hate and despair! She was emotional and ran away!" Mistpaw couldn't take anymore of the guilt and half truths and let her words sink in.
"Flare...you mean you let her leave? By herself? Alone?!" Blackshadow's voice raised an octave, clearly infuriated by the time she understood the situation. "You didn't chase after her? You didn't pin her down and yell some sense into her? You didn't do anything but watch as my kin ran away in the height of an emotional breakdown! You don't understand! Flarepaw can't handle emotions by herself! She needs someone to look after her! I stopped watching over her shoulder because I thought she was safe in your sight!"
"Guess you were wrong," the downcast timbre of Floodpaw hovered in the air. This time, Mistpaw didn't hit him.
"I can't lose her too," Blackshadow snarled through her tears. "I can't lose my baby sister. I already had to watch her lose me- I can't lose her. You can't lose her. Why did you lose her?!"
"She didn't want us to follow her. She said she was done with the Clans." Wildpaw spoke up bluntly. "Shouldn't you be happy? You fought her to stay away from the Clans; now she left them for good. Shouldn't you be happy for her? She made her own choices, she's growing up. She's becoming an adult. She's becoming a warrior."
Blackshadow felt a tug in her heart. She knew he was right. She couldn't keep a reign on her sister any longer. The knot had been severed and Flarepaw was on her own journey.
"In fact, I propose we spend this time to acknowledge our little warrior and all contribute something to her memory." Wildpaw continued speaking, closing his eyes respectfully and began talking aloud as he sat. "I'll start; Flarepaw, I'll admit, I did have thoughts for you. You weren't just some pretty hussy who melted from the knees whenever I said something sultry. No. You back talked. You spat. You hissed. You fought. And I found that intriguing. You were the first to collide with my charms and the first to really catch my attention. I admired you, secretly wishing you would be mine. But it's clear you can't be tied down. Being mates isn't for you, for you love the freedom. I wish you find it on your journey ahead."
There was a lapse of silence and Wildpaw wondered if they were going to go along with his plan. He was content when a small voice broke the dead void.
"Flarepaw," Mistpaw timidly said. "I didn't know you all that well, I'm afraid. I've seen you at gatherings. You were the one Floodpaw and I crashed into the night of the storm. We knocked you into the mud and you were very much displeased. I must apologize now because I never remember doing so on that night. I was glad to not be the only she-cat on this trek back home and I...I looked up to you. You were so brave and fearless. I'm glad you found a better life, I only wish to have gotten to know you better."
Anemonepaw stepped in. "Flarepaw. Reckless flea pelt," he sniffed disdainfully, continuing hurriedly before the others could call him out on name calling. "You got yourself scraped up more than the rest of us. I should know, I had to patch up your messes. You're stubborn, a hothead and an overall unpleasant feline to be stuck with for a moon. But that's what makes you you. You were the spark to the sodden wood and bleak skies. You added the adventure. And don't think I don't remember the day you saved me. I suppose this goes more to Fallenpaw, but your presence gave me relief and fear. I was relieved you were alive and well, by fearful by the glint in those harsh ambers. Only you could pull off such a look. Thank you."
"Flarepaw," sighed a soft voice from the rear, taking his place among the bouncing speeches. "Like my sister, I never knew you all that much. I'm sorry for pushing you into the mud. I overheard that you scared my sister. You made her think I was dead. I was always protective of her and when you antagonized her, I always seemed to hold a grudge against you. You tried to pick fights and only stepped in when you purposefully aimed your cruel words at Mistpaw. But I know Blackshadow thinks dearly of you. You are her sister after all. And like all good siblings, you seem to look out for those who can't themselves. I can respect you. I'm actually glad you were here on this journey." Floodpaw took a deep intake of breath, followed by an equally deep exhale as he settled close to the gray she-cat's side.
The remaining feline held himself in the silence. He continued this way until he was nudged on the shoulder by the fluffy cream tom. "Right," Fallenpaw cleared his throat, eyes closing like everyone else. "Flarepaw. Where can I begin? The beginning I suppose. We met blindly at a gathering. I recall you were being forced to play nice and introduce yourself to the other Clans. You were awfully reluctant and I do remember your rather foul temper. But I was having none of it," he chuckled before tacking on. "I clearly made up my mind who I was in a friendship situation and I was surprised to find you lock up in surprise- obviously no one had set you straight. I guess that started it all, because the next gathering you sought me out for a conversation. As you put it bluntly, 'other MagmaClan 'paws are wormfaces'. I guess it was a mutual friendship. I only had Wildpaw for company- whom I figured out you had a massive dislike for on day one. The fact remains, it seemed you enjoyed conversing with someone from another Clan despite your initial thoughts about us. But you still talked to me. It got to the point of a trust bond wherein you confided in me about your sister." At this point, an unseen Blackshadow looked at Fallenpaw. Unaware of her stare, the orange and white feline furthered his speech. "You told me the one story you've never told anyone else before. I really appreciate how far our relationship has come. It's a shame all good things have to end, but I'm so happy you were able to consider me a confident. Even better- a friend."
"You sick freaks!" Blackshadow exploded in a bought of fury, maw ajar with brilliant fangs and even a few droplets of angry saliva. "What are you- you're talking like she's dead or something! How dare you tarnish my sister's good name! You're acting as if she isn't alive and well- what's wrong with you?!"
Wildpaw looked like he was going to pick a fight but Fallenpaw beat him to it. "Just sit down, shut up, and pay your respects," he snapped out harshly, tired of all the arguing. "We're not tarnishing her name. In fact, we're glorifying it. Endure it and just say something nice to your sister."
The dark russet hued female huffed furiously, claws sliding in and out from her black marked paws. "Flarepaw," she finally said. "While this does seem a tad bit odd, it gives me a chance to say all the things I never did while we were apart. I'm sorry. For everything. For pretending I was dead, for leaving you all alone in MagmaClan without any friends, for forcing you to have an emotional breakdown...Everything. My only sister, my only kin. I'm so sorry. So I hope you can forgive me for being such a terrible role model. I wish I could see how far you've come. But I let you down- I can understand if you never want to speak with me. Best wishes, from your dearest sister." By the end of her short, emotional release, Blackshadow was haggard and curled up tightly against the cold stone floor.
"There, that wasn't so hard- was it?" Fallenpaw appeared at her side, helping the older she-cat to her paws with a soft smile. "C'mon. There's more heat at the back of the cave." His features creased into compassion, offering his broad shoulder as a base for Flarepaw's sibling to lean on in comfort as they all shuffled to the rear with a clear conscience.
"I really hope, wherever she is, my little Flare is safe," the coal footed cat announced, voice wrecked from her previous confession as well as the tiresome backstory.
Fallenpaw looked at her with that same stare of respect. "We all do." And with an exhausted yawn, all six pulled themselves to the rear wall, huddled closely with the impressions of a tight knit bond.
This was how it was supposed to be.
"Hey, Blackshadow."
"Hmm?"
"If Flarepaw's your sister, why'd you say you didn't know anyone called 'Flarepaw'?"
Smile. "I like messing with everyone."
And the concluding chapter to this two-parter. Not much to say. Hope to see you guys later. And I hoped you learned a lot through this adventure so far. Tell me your thoughts? Ankaa~ Did I mess with your mind too much? XD
- Snarky
