❝ 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 ❞

xii | so was i

aesthetic made by faded-fawns

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There was silence at first. Not a single whisp in the air fluttered by. There were no words. Like a forest untouched by life, it was quiet. The two cats rested alone in the den, facing one another. They were waiting for something; a spark of conversation, a flash of emotion in the eye. The large gray tom remained hesitant, hoping his company would be the first to speak.

The elderly ruler ruffled her long, lackluster fur. It was swept clean, similar to how snow looks when it first falls to the ground. Her amber eyes then bore like forest fires into the tom's only blue one. She studied him deeply. She looked at him as though there was something worth looking at. Her maple-dripping eyes traced over each blemish written on the tom's appearance; she followed each scar that ran across his face, each bruise entwined with his skin. She then, finally, spoke, "I knew there was something familiar about you. I knew it from the moment you came."

Stormrunner flicked his ears forward, relieved the headache of silence was gone.

Echostar cleared her throat, her mouth parting slightly as she began to say more, "This wasn't your idea?" She switched the subject. But when she noticed a flash of confusion stain Stormrunner's face, she added, "It wasn't your idea to join another Clan."

Again, not speaking, Stormrunner reluctantly shook his head. Echostar was right. It wasn't his idea. It was Violetsky's.

"I know you." The zinc-toned molly hushed, her gentle breath rattling her whiskers. She stilted forward to gaze at the tom before her, her amber eyes crisscrossing over all of his open emotions. "I see you. You want to be free."

The accuracy of the she-cat's mellowing made Stormrunner question how much she did know concerning him. Stormrunner didn't doubt the she-cat's intelligence but wondered how she could easily grasp each secret from his soul. Replying to her previous statement, Stormrunner nodded solemnly. He did want to be free. He hated to be tied down by labels; he hated to become something he wasn't.

"You're in pain." Now Stormrunner felt the she-cat was stepping too far. He eyed her deploringly, wishing the subject of conversation would change from him. But Echostar continued. She leaned in closer, her orange eyes swollen with apologetic feelings. She touched the base of her paws to the tom's shoulder. "I used to know Wolfstar too."

What? Stormrunner couldn't believe his ears. For a second, he dreamed Echostar was saying such. He lifted his head higher, a concentrated frown crinkling along his browline. He could feel his heart thrum in his chest like a pair of hummingbird wings.

And, as if reading his mind, Echostar answered, "Stormrunner, I'm his sister."

The concept seemed so unrealistic, Stormrunner didn't want to believe her. He twisted his head, feeling his sharpened claws drill into the soil. It's not true! All the right words were trapped in his parched throat. Please, don't let it be true. But when Stormrunner glimpsed back up again, all he could see was his father in Echostar's amber eyes. Wolfstar was like a shadow following him; would Stormrunner ever escape his torture? His stomach churned violently, he felt sick.

"We're related-" He shivered, trying to tell himself to accept the truth.

"We are." Every word Echostar spoke was sour in an attempt to comfort. She flicked her tail, "I understand what it's like to feel alone." But she didn't, Stormrunner thought bitterly. Echostar knew nothing of Stormrunner. "I'm here for you."

"No." The coal-colored tom bellowed painfully. He didn't need her help, he was doing just fine before. Stormrunner kept his eyes on his paws, feeling himself crumbled inside. After all this time of believing he was abandoned, he wasn't. He didn't want to face Echostar. "I don't need you." Stormrunner spat, "Hell, I don't even know you are."

Seeing as the young tom came to life with blindsided anger only brought flashbacks to Echostar's mind. She stumbled over her words, fear seizing her heart with cold claws. "I'm only trying to help-" She sucked in a sharp breath, the tips of her hairs covered in frost.

Stormrunner suddenly stopped, realizing he was only paralleling his father. He blinked a few times, praying he was imagining it all. There was a hollow silence. Stomrunner wondered if he would ever heal this rift he created.

Just at the same time, a familiar tortoiseshell tom burst through the entrance of the den. He strode powerfully, holding a similar presence that a king would. However, his behavior shone darkly.

Being followed a little less intrusively, was Stormrunner's dear friend, Violetsky. She seemed embarrassed to be intercepting so out-of-the-sudden, yet also a little proud to be following Falconrain's footsteps. The small she-cat trotted to Stormrunner's side, nuzzling his shoulder comfortingly.

Stormrunner tried to speak, "She's-" But Violetsky looked as though she already knew.

The lavender-eyed she-cat somberly ducked her head, whispering, "I overheard." She coiled into the muscular tom, her nervousness easing once she was closer to him. "I'm sorry."

The two cat's attention was then panned away at the sight of frightened Echostar, cowering away from her son. "F-Falconrain?" The alabaster leader gulped down a shaky breath as she stared at the tortoiseshell.

"Mother," Falconrain acknowledged quite obnoxiously, the green in his eyes flared with fury. "I need to talk to you."

Echostar, gaining back her strict posture, swung her head somberly. "Now is not the right time, Falconrain." Her eyes darted back and forth between Stormrunner and Falconrain. She then shot a dangerous scowl at her adopted son, disapproval coating her face.

"Then when is the right time?" The tom suddenly erupted. He jolted as if to hold himself back from doing anything he would regret. His fur spiked as an avalanche of anger suffocated him. "You never have time for me!" He let out an earsplitting shout, each thunderous word bounding from the wall.

"What is this about?" Echostar asked seriously, trying her best to hide her first, horrified response.

Falconrain's acidic eyes sparkled, "I'm here for the good of the Clan, mother." He paused to find the right words. "You can't keep Molesnake in the Rebellion. He's a threat to us."

Violetsky and Stormrunner, along with Echostar, all seemed shocked at Falconrain's suggestion. Stormrunner studied the ferocious warrior, taking in to account the lavish frenzy in his eyes. What did Falconrain really want? Stormrunner questioned himself, his thoughts forming a storm in his head. Maybe it was a cry for help.

Echostar spun with dizziness. Everything was happening too fast, her family was falling apart. Her eyesight blurred and she couldn't think straight. "What do you want me to do?" Was all she could bring her mind to ask. The dark colors of her adopted son blotted her eyesight like splashes of spilled paint.

A wicked smile encompassed Falconrain's face, "Exile him! Banish him!" It was as though he already had a list planned out. "Kill him, for all I care! I just want him gone." He had turned so cruel and cold. If Falconrain looked at his reflection in a pond, he wouldn't recognize himself under the ripples of darkness he was consumed in. Is that the price you pay for pain?

"Falconrain!" Echostar's harsh call sliced through the tense air. "I can't do such a thing. Molesnake belongs in WindClan." The white ruler was whirled in confusion about why her tom would confess such an evil thing. She didn't understand Falconrain's suffering. She didn't understand her son was crying for help. Echostar only noticed what she thought was important. "He's my son."

"So was I." He was Echostar's son once, someone she loved and someone she would give the world to. But now, since Molesnake had returned, Falconrain was nothing. The dappled tom was coaxed in layers of suffering. He no longer felt god-like, instead, a monster of jealousy had poisoned his blood. Falconrain turned on his claws, and without a final word, he disappeared. 

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