❝ 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 ❞

xx | in a heartbeat

aesthetic by bunnyskiies

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At this hour, everything looked golden. The sun was tilted slightly in the cloudless sky, it's shine bleeding down onto the never-ending fields. The grasses were freckled with a greenish-yellow hue as they delicately swayed in the warm winds. The silent tom let the mellowing sights consume him. For once, in what seemed to be a very long time, he was at ease with the world. He was relaxed, he wasn't fighting.

The multi-colored male cat sat on the outskirts of the camp, becoming hot beneath the sunshine. His eyes then softly drifted from the scenery to a certain she-cat. He studied her, his eyes focusing like a blurred camera. She looked euphoric, she was similar to a summer dream in her soft appearance. As she played in the long grasses with her son not a thing about her seemed spoiled.

Falconrain let his mind stir as he became flushed with thoughts. He knew he would forever be in debt to that she-cat. How do you repay someone who has saved your life? The question burned him painfully. It was another reason to feel guilty, another reason to feel like he cheated death. Falconrain was abruptly caught off guard when the feline's violet eyes melted into his. Her face glowed with a simple smile, sending a wave of peace rocking through the tortoiseshell.

As if he were tied to a rope, Falconrain had the strong urge to approach her. He stood up rather quickly and began to wade through the billowing green. After each paw he pressed into the soil, what felt like a spark of strength would coarse through his veins. "Falconrain." The sharp beckon of his name coldly sliced through his illusion. The tortoiseshell halted harshly and twisted his head to face the owner of the voice.

Molesnake. The creamy brown leader's eyes were hard with severity. He flicked his ears, his head turning to the side as a signal. "Come with me." Thereupon, he slithered away, the long plants bending as his thin body pushed through them.

Falconrain was plagued with hesitation. He was at a crossroads, torn between two paths. He gazed longingly at Violetsky, an emotion deep in his heart daydreamed about spending the rest of his days with her. Never before, had he ever felt so close to someone. But his hazy perceptions were intercepted by cold reality. The tortoiseshell chose his path: he slowly began to follow his brother. Ultimately, leader's word was law.

He met Molesnake sitting rather impatiently in the shade of the shrubbery bordering the medicine cat's den. The shadows fell elegantly over Molesnake, covering in him with a dark appearance. The only thing about the tom that wasn't obscure were his flashing green eyes.

Meanwhile, the other brother stood in the light. Falconrain found comfort in the sun's warmth, it embraced him with loving arms. It made him feel like everything he had lost was returning back to him. He was not willing to leave the light so easily.

"Falconrain," Molesnake inhaled a tired sigh. Any cat could see his exhaustion, the purple bruises forming about his face and the sorry drooping of his eyelids screamed it all. "There's no easy way to put this." His low voice was distressed with something faux. Despite Molesnake's tired aura, Falconrain could see behind his mask of "caring." Molesnake never cared. "I have no choice but to ask you to leave WindClan."

Falconrain was swamped with confusion. "Leave?" The subject came from out of the blue. It was so completely unwarned that Falconrain found himself dumbfounded. What was Molesnake grasping at, the mottled tom couldn't help but wonder.

Molesnake tipped his head. "Yes. I'm demanding you leave WindClan at once." There was not a hint of uncertainty in his sound. And deep down, it scared Falconrain. If a dedicated cat like Molesnake truly, desperately, wanted something, he would always get it. He proceeded, "There's a barn on the east-"

"No."

Molesnake's gaze whipped to oppose the face of his brother. He was dismayed by Falconrain's interruption, his mind spun like a whirlwind. "No?" Molesnake was too shocked to properly thread words together. He studied the many-colored tom before him, seeing his defiant side was unexpected. Falconrain was a soldier, surely that should mean he takes orders easily.

However, Falconrain was much more than mindless war-creature. He was a raw ball of emotions camouflaged with fur. The cat's gaze hardened brutally. With each fleeting second, his heartbeat became stronger. He could feel his heart throbbing in his veins with extreme passion. Falconrain inhaled sharply, gathering himself before speaking. "I have sacrificed too much for this Clan to just get up and disappear." His mind was tortured with sudden memories. Violence, bloodshed, war, death; it was all flooding back to him. However, Falconrain continued to fight. "I may not have been born in this Clan but I'd die for it in a heartbeat."

There was an abrupt change. At the end of Falconrain's speech, it was as though the atmosphere had shifted. Molesnake straightened his posture and focused his eyes. It was the strangest thing: his view of his brother changed. He no longer saw the broken-winged bird who would do anything for an escape. He no longer saw the troubled violence in Falconrain's eyes. Molesnake saw a rebel. A rebel who had a heart that pumped hope for blood. He smiled, "I was wrong about you." Molesnake paused, his lush eyes flicking back and forth as they soaked in every image. "I hope you can forgive me, brother."

Brother? At hearing the term fall from Molesnake's lips, Falconrain was conquered by happiness. Not in a million moons did he ever think Molesnake would consider him family. The calico found himself speechless, so instead, he smiled brightly.

The new leader dipped his head, obviously trying to hide his embarrassment resulting from displaying affection. A smile sparkled on his features when thinking of his mother's words. He and Falconrain were certainly brothers by soul. The brown tom lifted his nose once again. "I want you to stay with us." After speaking, Molesnake regained balance to his paws. He moved forward smoothly, striding from out of the shadows and into the sunshine. The light devoured him, it was all he could see for miles. Molesnake then touched his brother's shoulder with the ruffled tip of his tail. His last statement was all Falconrain needed to hear to feel like he truly belonged in this forest. After spending a lifetime of fighting his way through suicidal temptation, he never realized how much he needed these words until Molesnake said them,
"Stay with me." 

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