❝ 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 ❞

x | scarred

aesthetic by tiviant

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Sunlight shattered down and tossed beams of warmth onto the tapering meadows. Like a painting, the pastel colors intertwined with the earth. Blue skies stretched across the empty expanse, giving a facade of peace. There was not a cloud in sight. The fields, uneven in bending towards the skyline, swayed in the gentle winds.

At first laying eyes on him, emotions of a daydream danced within her. They held each other strong in a gaze, almost not believing each other's existence. The freedom of separation was always delightful. Although all she could think: she was glad he was alive.

He ran to her. Embarked in excitement and sights lost in her features. They collided under waves of ecstasy, rolling in the soft grass, smiling as their pale furs tickled their backs. "Violetsky," He meowed, his voice soft-spoken. They stopped rolling, taking in every piece of each other's appearances. He smiled again, "I missed you."

Her whiskers fluttered, "I can see that." She teased lovingly, giving the big gray tom a shove with her paw. Returning to her stance while ruffling the loose strands of grass and leaves from her coat, she studied her good companion, Stormrunner. She could perceive what Rowanpaw had mentioned to her; the exhaustion clouding his soul. There was a sadness dripping from his single ocean-blue eye. But now she stood beside him once again, his face was freckled with happiness. "I have so much to tell you." She had questions burning her deep down. Questions of Stormrunner and Wolfstar's relationship, most of them were.

Before the one-eyed warrior could respond, there a was a small voice. "Stormrunner!" Both the two cat's heads turned to focus on a small ginger and white tom trotting towards them. He was young and had quite an enthusiastic look on his face. "Are we hunting today?" His large, round chocolate eyes poured the word please.

Violetsky, not recognizing the growing apprentice, also turned to Stormrunner. "Who's this?"

Stormrunner, seeming sort of guilty, shrugged slowly. "I made a friend." He chuckled, his eyes darting between the apprentice and Violetsky. "A son, even." His suggestion sent the young tomcat wriggling, butterflies devouring his stomach.

"A son?" Violetsky found herself befuddled. How much had she missed?

"I'm Bramblepaw!" The patched tom croaked from beside the she-cat, wagging his tail vigorously. He examined Violetsky closely, squinting as he looked into her eyes. "Are you my mother?"

Violetsky was taken aback by a hint of surprise. Her ears spurred as though she had heard the young apprentice incorrectly. She then felt a nudge by Stormrunner, urging her to say 'yes.' He bounced his head while giving her eager eyes. "Yes." She answered quickly. "Yes I am. I'm Violetsky."

Bramblepaw didn't say anything else before he crashed into Violetsky. He embraced her tightly, breathing in her summery scent. Violetsky wasn't sure how to react although she could feel Stormrunner's cocky smile burning through her skin.

"Okay, Bramblepaw." Stormrunner chimed in, giving his adoptive son a meager bump. "I'll catch up with you later." And with that, the multi-colored tom scurried away, bright in feeling loved. Stormrunner couldn't help but snicker at the sight of the apprentice, hopping and bouncing like a happy rabbit. "Are you okay?" His attention then turned to Violetsky, who didn't seem as enthusiastic about having a son as he did.

"Yeah," Her response seemed jarred with lies. "I just need to have a serious conversation with you. I don't think we should be wasting our time playing with kittens." Every word she spoke was edged like a thorn. The truth was, Violetsky wasn't keen on the idea of having to take care of an adoptive son. She was too worried about Wolfstar to think about having a family.

"Oh," Stormrunner secretly hated how his gray molly was always so somber. She never had any liveliness to her; she was always so determined on finding peace that she was creating storms in other realms. "Then talk to me." Stormrunner wanted to have a family. Be a father of kits and live happily ever after. Maybe Violetsky wasn't the right one-

"I want you to tell me the truth." Violetsky brushed the soothing grasses with her paw, finding a comfortable spot to relax in while she chatted. Stormrunner joined her, sitting conveniently beside her. "I'm supposed to love you. And you can't have love without trust."

Stormrunner, hesitantly flicking his ears, agreed. "Okay." Though, he was nervous about what the she-cat was preparing to ask. Hadn't Violetsky trusted him before?

"Where did you get your scars?" The inquiry didn't nuzzle the air tenderly. It stung of past memories.

Stormrunner didn't have the guts to say simply. He lost his breath in his throat. "I-" He stumbled, becoming hot with the words he was afraid to speak. The stories with his father had been bottled for so long, he was starting to forget about them. "It was my father. He ordered his soldiers to scratch me as punishment for not obeying his orders." He could still hear himself shouting, living in the rebellious moments: 'I was never your son!'

Violetsky, inhaling as she painting the picture in her head, pressed her nose against the grizzled tom's shoulder. "I'm sorry Stormrunner. I didn't realize-"

"No, I'm sorry!" Stormrunner awakened with faint regret. He pulled away from Violetsky, sniffling. "I'm sorry I lied to you." The tom that once couldn't speak was now saying everything too quickly. He was lifting a weight from his chest that had been there for moons, maybe a year even. "I didn't want you to think I was some monster following the path of my father. I was afraid you'd hate me." Looking closely into Violetsky's magnificent eyes, Stormrunner let the truth lay to rest. All he wanted was for her to love him. So he had to open his soul. "He used to torture me. Every day he was howling, 'Work harder Stormrunner. Harder! No, you're not good enough Stormrunner.' I needed an escape." His familiar face was screened in a film of sorrow. His eye shimmered, "That's when I ran into you."

Violetsky, lost in a moment of paradise, muttered, "Stormrunner I-"

"Alright lovebirds," A harsh voice intercepted her. Both Stormrunner and Violetsky turned around to see a familiar tortoiseshell tom standing not-so-politely behind them. His face was wrinkled with mockery, however, there was something melancholy about him. "Echostar would like to see you." 

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