❝ 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 ❞

xv | a brother's battle

aesthetic made by shadethemask

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"Help! Somebody help me!" Her cries resounded distinctly over the tapering hills. The aching she-cat trudged through the long grasses, the lifeless apprentice was strewn along on her shoulders. Each slow, nearing paw step caused her muscles to burn feverishly. Her heavy breathing parched her tongue as she was dragged by exhaustion. But Violetsky gritted her teeth. She was a soldier and so she kept marching onward.

Flashes of panicked eyes colored the dark atmosphere. Blues, greens, and ambers all poked holes of vibrance through the endless midnight. With the growing sense of danger forthcoming, the cat's pelts bristled into bushes of fur. Every face held a similar expression of worry. Suddenly, Violetsky emerged from the shadows, carrying Bramblepaw on her back. Gasps of horror flooded the camp, was Bramblepaw dead? Violetsky wasn't even an inch inside the camp when warriors rushed to her side, easing the apprentice from her shoulders.

The silver she-cat watched, without a voice, as they hurried elsewhere with Bramblepaw. She simply stood, hearing each brutal thud of her heart. Sickness churned in her stomach. She wanted to stay beside her son, to ensure he would be okay. It was easy to die from a broken heart.

"Violetsky," The summoner of her name spoke powerfully. "What happened?" It was Falconrain speaking, his multi-colored pelt gleaming under the brilliant stars. He grew close to the she-cat, the warmth from his breath sinking into her coat.

"Silence!" Before Violetsky could share a word with her friend, a loud demand rocketed through the Clan grounds. Every cat turned their pointed ears, a few being seized by frightened goosebumps. Molesnake appeared from on top of the leader's rock, squaring his harsh stance. His poisonous, glaring eyes held Falconrain paralyzed beneath them. His unsheathed claws screeched against the stone. "Violetsky, would you mind telling us what happened?"

The gray molly flicked her tail, feeling pressured under everyone's eyes. It was as though she was being harried into the dirt; her breath fell short, sweat outlined her appearance. She gulped,

"I-" Her stomach then jolted violently. If telling them the truth about what happened, would the WindClan cats frame Stormrunner as a villain? "Stormrunner approached me. He looked devastated. He told me he was running away to meet-" Violetsky abruptly stopped speaking. She could feel her face boiling with embarrassment, tears coated her eyes with a glossy shine.

"To where?" A black-furred tom called out.

Violetsky locked her eyes with Molesnake. She gazed at the brown tom gravely, feeling the guilt rot in her heart. "To Wolfstar." Another wave of shuddering gasps throttled through the field. The silence was swiftly broken. Aloud, cats fell into a frenzy, shouting:

"He's a traitor!"

"We should have never have trusted him!"

Violetsky was struck with agony by the outcries. She wanted to sink beneath the earth, cower away from this problem she knew she had started. Her lips then parted slightly. Violetsky needed to assert Stormrunner's innocence; he didn't attack Bramblepaw. "Bramblepaw collapsed at hearing Stormrunner's departure." The silvery she-cat had regained everyone's attention once again. "He was heartbroken." Violetsky centered her thinking around the young warrior. She knew his loss of consciousness was linked to the fact that he was losing another family. Bramblepaw loved Stormrunner like the father he never had.

"It isn't your fault," Molesnake announced, dipping his head in respect. However, his voice didn't sound comforting. His tongue was warlike; stained in demand and callousness. Molesnake brushed back his long, creamy brown hairs. His focus slowly shifted to his adopted brother, Falconrain. "It's his."

WindClan thrummed with shock. As if hearing Stormrunner's betrayal wasn't challenging enough, Molesnake had brought to light another problem. Cat's eyes spun to fix upon the tortoiseshell tom. Everyone was waiting for a response from the soldier.

Yet, Falconrain said nothing. He lifted his heavy gaze and his eyes slanted into an elliptic shape. His claws crunched at the ground with acidic anger. A psychotic emotion smeared in his eyes as he looked at his brother. Although Falconrain didn't say a word, his eyes told the complete truth.

"Molesnake!" An angry mother's cry shattered the tension. Echostar, appearing from her den, gazed towards the sky to level with her son's eyes. She scolded her son, "Stop this right now." She ordered sincerely in a hushed tone.

"I can't mother," Molesnake flattened his ears. "You have brought a monster into our home and I believe the whole Clan should know." The tom's venom infected those through his words. A scheme unfolded in his eyes. "You should have left him on the side of the road."

Now Falconrain was bruised with a look of hatred. His snarled wordlessly, bloodthirsty energy controlling his head. His claws gleamed like knives in the pale twilight as he flexed hungrily.

Violetsky watched nervously. Chaos unfolded like a storm billowing through the trees. The atmosphere had grown dangerous; the two toms were blindsided by each other's wrongdoing. It was a battle no one would win. "Stop!" The she-cat wailed. One family had already fallen to pieces tonight, she didn't want to watch another fall. "Please, stop!" She cried loudly, facing Molesnake with bare confidence.

"Silence." The brown-furred tom hissed cruelly. "Falconrain is not the loyal soldier you think he is. I overheard him threatening Stormrunner to kill me." Molesnake screened over his Clan, closely watching their grimaces. "It gets even worse. If Stormunner didn't oblige, he would be facing death."

Violetsky's lower lip quivered in sorrow. Everything Molesnake said she wanted to think of as lie. But deep down in her ruined heart, she knew the tom wasn't lying. She glanced over her shoulder to look at the tattered tom and little would she have guessed, he was looking back. Violetsky could feel her face scrunch in sadness. Yet, Falconrain did nothing.

Molesnake slithered down from the great rock gracefully. He began to pace a wide circle around his brother. "I'm not surprised Stormrunner ran away." He growled, "Anyone would be afraid of this road-kill."

Falconrain's sanity sliced into a thousand pieces. Without thinking, the tortoiseshell warrior charged at his brother. He roared violently, the destructive indulgence in his eyes could battle an entire army. The two toms fell into a vicious brawl, hissing and screeching from the blood they were drawing.

Falconrain swung his sharpened claws, knocking Molesnake brutally in the mouth. Blood sprayed from the tom's jaws, a front fang popping from his mouth. Molesnake buckled in pain, the taste of blood was similar to a toxin. He glowered at his brother, an evil glaze coating his green eyes. Molesnake, in a counter-attack, threw himself at Falconrain. His nails drove into the tortoiseshell's head, a thin line of brightly-colored plasma dribbled down into his face. Falconrain was temporarily blinded, allowing Molesnake to add another blow to the stomach.

Echostar tried to entwine between her sons, shouting at them to stop. Violetsky couldn't hear a single thing; she became trapped within a trance. Everything slowed for her; Falconrain hurting his brother, Echostar's pleading, the Clan cats assembled for the fight. It was all falling apart because of the storm she brought in.

Finally, Redhare and a few of the other strong WindClan toms put themselves between the battle. The two brothers stood far apart, a gap of hate spilling between them. Blood marked their appearances, both of the toms were spoiled with wounds. The fighting was over, however, there was still no peace. There was a dark night clouding above Violetsky and her companions, one where the subsequent morning would be depressing. Echostar, the proud empire that stood still amidst the conflict, collapsed. Like Violetsky mentioned before; it was easy to die from heartbreak. 

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