❝ 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 ❞

vi | sticking around

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a few days later 

Sunlight flourished through the campsite. For the first time in a long time, the forest seemed to sparkle. Nature stretched out its sore wings and soaked in the sunshine. The brilliant blue sky remained graciously clear; cloudless and a lovely plain. Warmth engulfed the aching warriors, soothing them into a soundless sleep. Everything and everyone was at ease. For once it was peaceful.

But Stormrunner couldn't let himself rest.

The darkness of the den shadowed away the sunlight. A cool, nail-biting suspense overspread the atmosphere under the roof of the den. The shade was dusky and refused to provide sympathy. The tom sat in a slump, the chilled temperature appeasing his decoration of scars. The edges of his claws rapped impatiently against the hard ground of the den. Sadness unfolded in his chest as his eyes lay upon his loved one. Violetsky was surely alive, but she hadn't awoken from her slumber in a few days. Each rising dawn, Stormrunner grew more and more anxious-

"You must let her rest." A voice intercepted the tom's worrying. "She definitely won't awaken with a sad cloud standing over her." The medicine cat sharply said, shooting a small glare at the tom.

"She's been resting for long enough," Stormrunner grunted. "Wouldn't you agree?" His single blue eye slit with challenge as he stared at the healer. She gazed back, her irritated silence spiking with her fur. Moments passed fleetingly and hidden within their deep gaze, Stormrunner found himself attracted to the medicine cat. She was modestly pretty; a slender frame bearing long, lush beige fur. Her yellow eyes were the peak of her appearance, emphasizing every thought that flapped through her brain. But they were nothing compared to Violetsky's.

"Have you no faith?" The medicine cat hissed under her breath. A frown scarred her features as she studied Stormrunner before her. She seemed shocked by his aroma of negativity.

Stormrunner glanced down sadly, "I have too much to sacrifice to be only relying on faith." He was brought back to the rending memories of him and Violetsky; she was too much to lose. Stormrunner's heart would never heal if he was left without her.

The she-cat paused in her response. Frankly, the tom had stolen her tongue. There were not many cats whose hearts shone brighter than their pelts. It had been a long time since she talked to someone like Stormrunner. She suddenly cleared her throat, shaking away the memories that stuck and stung like thorns. "I think it's best if you go and catch some sunlight. Live in the moment as there are not many days where it is so peaceful."

Stormrunner slowly shook his head. "How can I?" He questioned quite bitterly. "I can't think straight. I can't sleep at night. I toss and turn in nightmares of-"

"Your fear of loneliness will only intensify if you don't socialize."

Stormrunner was stopped in bewilderment. How did she know that? How did she know that he was afraid of being alone? Stormrunner backtracked, realizing that he had never stated he was lonely before. Suddenly, everything he wanted to say was clogged in the back of his throat.

"Go on." The medicine cat urged the warrior.

Stormrunner flattened his thoughts. Without saying another word, he slipped from the den and became swamped in heat. Suspicions traced in his wonder, he always knew medicine cats were clever, but never so foresighted. Before the tattered tom could muse much more, he clashed into something, or rather, someone. The tom tumbled along the ground, the dust lifting and intoxicating the air.

Stormrunner was quick to his paws, embarrassment hot in his chest. "My, my, I am so sorry." He meowed while trying to examine the figure he stumbled over. The dust screened his view, but surely the figure had to have been small for someone as nimble as Stormrunner to easily trip over. "I could use my one eye as an excuse, but then that makes me look foolish." Stormrunner chuckled to himself. "Sorry buddy, I really didn't see you there."

"That's okay." A very quiet voice meowed. "I get it a lot."

Stormrunner, now intrigued, squinted hard to examine the figure. He blinked a few times, clearing the piling dust from his eyelid. And as Stormrunner's single blue eye laid upon the voice, he wasn't surprised he stumbled over him. Oh, he's tiny.

"Wow..." The small tom whispered, his round chocolate eyes falling into Stormrunner's. "You're a real warrior!" Stormrunner wasn't quite sure what the apprentice meant by that, but him saying it otherwise made his heart melt in his chest.

"Thanks, bud. But really, I think I'm more of a loner." The large gray tom studied the small cat. He was definitely the runt of the litter, although he was young. His fur was a deep chestnut color, the orange pigment was very eye-catching. But the apprentice had unusual patterns of white thrown onto his fur; it was as though he had splashed in a puddle of white paint.

The apprentice frisked his tail. He raised his head in a know-it-all matter, "Well my friends tell me scars are the sign of a great warrior."

"Or a weak one." Stormrunner's dark tone drooped the mood. He was brought back to the times when his father beat him and scold him. If only he was good enough-

"My name's Bramblepaw." The energetic apprentice introduced. His bubbling round eyes seemed to spark something within Stormrunner. Whether it was because he was standing under the boiling sunlight or this apprentice's eyes, he became hot with an energy. "What's yours?"

"Stormrunner." Stormrunner didn't sincerely appreciate his name. He knew his father had given it to him, so of course, he figured there was some dark meaning behind it. He was always running.

"I like it! So, hey Stormrunner, maybe you'll stick around for a while?" Bramblepaw tilted his head, curiosity knawing at the edges of his eyes.

Stormrunner glanced back towards the medicine den. All of him wanted to run back to Violetsky and curl up with her. He wanted to protect her; to be the first one she sees when she awakens. But there used to be a phrase his mentor always told him: When one door closes, another one opens. He looked back down at the gleaming apprentice and grinned, "Maybe I will." 

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