ϟ ThunderClan ϟ The Fierce and Caring ϟ |☾ ☼ ϟ ≈ ☁| ϟ

Scarletpaw scowled sharply as Hollowpaw was pulled aside, waiting for her friend to finish her talk with Silentflare. She huffed, not caring much to listen to the deputy and she-cats talking about hunting. She only cared about orders coming from her actual mentor, and Southmist was doing actual patrols instead of giving them some goofy training groups. She admitted that she was angry because of lack of sleep, wanting to be done with the training and sleep.

“No kidding.” Hollowpaw huffed, her front paw slashing at the sand in irritation, “I don’t get what was so wrong with that move. I pulled it off perfectly! It took me ages to practice it.” She grumbled, not caring about what Silentflare would think about her training on her own. It would be better if he thought that she had been sneaking out of camp to train herself than actually telling him that she was training with Wrenflight in her dreams.

“Darling.” Yarrowcloud murmured softly. “You were always the cat you were meant to be. And you saved my life too. Saved it from boredom, loneliness, Starclan, I had so much fun spending my life with you. I’m the luckiest cat in the world, with the prettiest, smartest, most funny she-cat there is!” He tried to cheer up the mood at least, not wanting this to be a moment of pain, but a moment of happiness.

“My midnight flower, my night sky shower~” He sang, giving her one of the many nicknames he liked to give her.

“I’d never want to make you cry.” Yarrowcloud rasped lightly, heart breaking as he heard her breaths. He nodded. “I just… needed to know, for when it happens. I needed to know that you knew that I would be ready. I’m going to tell Peachdapple too. It just… eases me, much more. Just to know.” He promised, closing his eyes as he felt a wave of anger that Wrenflight had to rip everything apart that made him happy, just because he could. But Yarrowcloud was no longer a miserable apprentice, and he towered over his father when Wrenflight died the first time.

He prayed that he could stand over him in his death a second time.

Yarrowcloud pressed close to her for one last moment, before he touched her ear and mewed softly. “I’ll be back before you know it. Make sure you eat, and sleep well tonight, my love.” He mewed, wanting her to not worry, though he knew it was inevitable that she would. He took a quiet and deep breath, steeling himself. Now, it was time for the harder part. He glanced towards the medicine den, the setting sunlight peeking over his sister’s den. He hobbled towards it, hoping that she was alone in the den. After all, he did not want this to be overheard.

Hobbling into the medicine den was something Yarrowcloud had often done, mostly to curb away the boredom of the elder’s den with bothering and spending time with his sister. Luckily, Peachdapple seemed to be the only cat in the den at the moment. She looked distracted, eyes trained on the medicine den wall, before she finally seemed to focus on him. Yarrowcloud could only note in his mind how the ginger splotch across her face was now dotted with grey.

“Yarrowcloud? You look a mess, what happened? I thought you were watching the training session, did someone get hurt?” Peachdapple asked, lifting her large body up. Together, they took up alot of room, big and lumbering, but still together despite time’s toll on them.

Yarrowcloud had no energy left in him to lie.

“Hollowpaw used a move during training that Wrenflight used to use. She preformed it perfectly. If Silentflare taught her that, then we’re already too late, and Wrenflight’s got his claws around our brother… he probably has for moons. He’s surely behind Shadeclaw’s campaign against Lightningstar. He’s been using our kin to hurt us, it has to be!”

Usually, Peachdapple would calm and assure her brother, but his words sent a knowing dread through her. She recalled her vision from Starclan at the Moonstone, with dark claws of their father curling around Silentflare in the shadows. Yarrowcloud very much so could be right… and if he was, then Wrenflight manipulating their nephew could have easily been done too. She felt her heart ache. Did Silentflare know his son could have been used by his father? Was Silentflare still going to the Dark Forest, if he was? Peachdapple narrowed her eyes, glancing around the den to make sure nobody was there to overhear her.

“Starclan sent me a vision, at the Moonstone… it was just as you described. I saw Wrenflight, reaching out from the darkness to pull Silentflare towards him. I tried to stop him, to fight him, warn him to never touch our brother again, but then…” She trailed off, not wanting to bring up what she was starting to believe was a vision of her own death, as that part of the vision had started repeating in her dreams. For now, she continued. “Then it ended.”

“Then it must be true.” Yarrowcloud growled deeply, claws extending into the dirt. He took a few deep breaths, before he finally looked back at his sister. “I need to get there, and put a stop to him.”

“What?” Peachdapple asked, surprised by his statement. “Yarrowcloud, you can’t possibly mean-“

“There must be a way for me to get to the Dark Forest. If Silentflare and Shadeclaw, and Mouseshade, Darkblood, if they all could do it, so can I. Peachdapple, I can’t run from him anymore, and he will never stop until Thunderclan suffers, until all that Lightningstar loves is torn apart.”

“Going into the Dark Forest as an enemy is asking for death!” Peachdapple whispered sharply, bluntly. She felt a growing prickle of concern though, as she looked at her littermate. “You realize that?”

“…I know. I made peace with that a long time ago. And I have made that peace with the cats I love most.” Yarrowcloud rasped, giving Peachdapple a knowing look, as he was intending to make peace of it with her right now. The den was silent for a long moment, and Yarrowcloud expected Peachdapple to put up a big fight. Her love was as powerful as his, and she always was the one protecting everyone.

To his surprise though, Peachdapple spoke instead.

“Then I’m going with you.”

“What? Peachdapple, that’s not-“

“You are not the only one who loves our brother deeper than anything in this world, nor are you the only one who Wrenflight turned him against. I saw Shadeclaw’s darkness, and I was too weak to put a stop to it then!” Peachdapple mewed fiercely, stepping close to her littermate, a few hair-lengths taller than him. “Wrenflight was an abusive father to you, but he never even paid me mind that I ever existed. Medicine cat as I may be, it never meant that I was absolved of the anger I have towards him, for leaving me to raise myself. I had no Lightningstar. I had no father.” She reminded cooly, standing strong in ways that Yarrowcloud had always admired.

“Peachdapple.” He tried to reason. “If you go as well, then you could die. Just as you said.”

Peachdapple was quiet for a moment, before her eyes glazed over lightly. “Then it seems you and I are both destined to die. The second part of my vision has now occurred over and over since I first saw it, but I can feel it in my heart that it is a finality of my life. I will die either way.” She whispered. Yarrowcloud blanched with sadness, heart breaking. Peachdapple was supposed to live many more moons, just like Shadowblossom? Why? Why would Starclan show her her own death? Be swallowed, hobbling close until he could press himself to his sister, wrapping a paw around her shoulder.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered. “Had I known sooner, I would have spent every single day in here with you to make sure you knew I was there.”

“Mousebrain.” Peachdapple murmured. “I already knew that. I knew that the day I opened my eyes for the first time and the first thing I saw was you right next to me. I knew you were my brother, that nothing would ever change that. I couldn’t have asked for a better littermate.”

“You and I, always.” Yarrowcloud chuckled brokenly. Peachdapple nodded into his shoulder, voice firm and fearless as she responded. “Always.”

She stepped back. “So I don’t care what you say. If you’re intending to face Wrenflight, then I’m going to be right next to you. I live to serve and protect all of Thunderclan. Starclan’s strength runs through me, and I fear nothing of the Dark Forest…” She paused, taking a deep breath. “Anger, strong emotions, and allowing an open mind for connection, that is how you open yourself to be taken there. Do not think of Starclan’s protection, you think of how you were wronged, how you wish to obtain vengeance, your fears and confusion, and the Dark Forest will come to you.”

She nodded. “That is what Duskstar told me the few moons she had left with us here as an elder. Mouseshade assured those words before she passed on as well.” Peachdapple murmured. Yarrowcloud felt a tremor of unease at the idea of it, but found himself knowing he was finally hateful enough to will it badly enough, to see the cat who terrorized him his entire life. He looked at Peachdapple, nodding in understanding.

“When we go to sleep tonight, we can try and get ourselves there. We will find that wad of mouse bile and get him away from Thunderclan… one way or another.” Peachdapple growled, deep and promising, sending a flicker of determination through Yarrowcloud, reminding him of their days as apprentices, determined to be the best Warriors they could be. He felt like he could take on anything, with Peachdapple at his side.

Hollowpaw gave another shrug in response to her mentor’s question. “I learned it by myself.” She muttered, trying to avoid the subject of who actually taught her. Even if she told Silentflare about Wrenflight, he probably wouldn’t believe her.

“I thought you were supposed to help with the battle training for the other group?” Hollowpaw grumbled, following after Silentflare. She couldn’t tell if he had believed her or not, but at least he wasn’t asking anymore questions about the stupid move. “I can find my way back to the others myself.”

“I’m just trying to make sure you catch up with the others.” Silentflare looked at Hollowpaw. “You don’t have to be so snarky.” He huffed.

Willowsong nodded to Ghostscreech, walking several paces away from the group and waiting for apprentices to follow.

Stumppaw scampered over to Ghostscreech, smiling at the deputy. "I'm gonna catch something really good for my dad!" she announced, puffing her chest out.

Stumppaw stuck her nose up, opening her mouth and tasting the air just like her mentor had shown her. "I think there's a blackbird over there." she replied, pointing with her tail. "And... a mouse! Somewhere behind you."

Hollowpaw flicked her ear, trying to decide between the two warriors, “Let’s go with Frostmoon.” She decided, turning her head in the direction of the white she-cat.

Ghostscreech gave a nod of approval at Stumppaw’s answer, “Good, let’s focus on the mouse first, and then we’ll go after that blackbird.” He said, stepping aside to let Stumppaw lead the way.

Willowsong smiled as Dawnpaw approached, she had always been fond of the quiet tom. "Hi Dawnpaw, let's go a little farther away from the others, and then we can see what you can scent."

Stumppaw held her head high as she followed the scent of the mouse, not waiting to see if Ghostscreech was following behind. Her eyes lit up as she noticed it a few fox lengths away scrounging for acorns in the brush. She dropped down into her crouch and started to creep forward. Her stance was wobbly but she managed to make it close enough to pounce. Her leap was slightly misjudged and she landed to its right but managed to land with her paw on its tail. She quickly righted herself and grabbed it with her teeth, snapping its neck.