A Half Moon Later...
****Goldenclaw's POV****
"Noooooo! You can't go!!" Zephyrkit whined.
Tiny claws dug into his back, trying to keep him in camp. Zephyrkit and Pillowkit were proving to be even more of a challenge to take care of than Cloudkit, Sandkit and Tumblekit. At least the trio had their mother to look after them most of the time. Without their parents around, the former kittypets had been rather needy attention wise. As Goldenclaw was the first clan cat they had ever known (aside from their cowardly father of course) they seemed to have latched onto him as some sort of weird father figure.
"Stay Goldenclaw! You can play with us." Pillowkit mewed.
The white tom wasn't as fluffy as Cloudkit by any means, but his bulky frame made up for the loss of fur thickness. Though, his stomach was still plush as ever, something that was made evident whenever the little tom kit went sunbathing. Goldenclaw wondered if Jasmine was missing her two kits now. The queen had been awfully distraught to see them leave, so much so that he had to remind himself that Twolegs hardly ever kept kittens from their own cat anyways. It was a rather sickening thing to him, Twolegs selling away a cat's young.
We don't go selling around their kits after all.
Just trying to picture that was absurdly hilarious, causing Goldenclaw to crack a smile.
"Kits. You know I can't stay today. Why not go play with Cloudkit, Sandkit and Tumblekit. They could use the company." Goldenclaw gently shakes off the two kits hanging onto his back, setting them on the ground carefully. Thank StarClan they weren't six moons old yet, otherwise he would've likely been crushed under their combined weight.
"Awww! Are you sure you can't stay?" Pillowkit said.
"They're just so much smaller than us. They can't do all the stuff we can!" Zephyrkit agreed.
Goldenclaw shakes his head. "They're only a moon younger than the two of you. And besides, I have to get some training in with Violetpaw today."
He watches Arrowheart pad through the thorn tunnel with Sparkpaw, Specklefoot, and Petalfall. The four cats must have been on a hunting patrol as their jaws were laden with prey. The group murmurs a greeting to Littlebird who was sunbathing in the afternoon light with her mate Ripplefur.
At long last Nightrose's former mentor had decided to go on pregnancy leave until her kits were born and weened. Ripplefur and Featherflight had been greatly relieved, seeing as the longer she waited the more she put her kits at risk. And on that note, Littlebird wasn't the only warrior recently put out of commission. As it would turn out, Silvermoon was expecting once again. Arrowheart and Nightrose had been ecstatic to get a little brother, and Goldenclaw felt the same way, even though he knew now they wouldn't technically be related.
I do still have a blood related sister though, just not the one I wanted.
Goldenclaw had wanted a great many things from Sparkpaw. Being her sibling was not one of them. It pained him to think that she would someday mate with someone who wasn't him. In his mind, no cat would be good enough for her. Was he even good enough for her? Probably not, especially since he still wanted her, still yearned for her. There was something fundamentally wrong with him that was for certain.
"And also, I think Arrowheart over there would be more than happy to play with you guys." He gestured in his parabatai's direction, making sure Zephyrkit and Pillowkit could see Arrowheart who was now over by the fresh-kill pile.
"You think so?" Pillowkit shoots the black furred tom a skeptical stare.
He could sympathize with the tom kit. Normally Goldenclaw would be a little unsure too, seeing as Arrowheart was spending a heck of a lot of his free time with Patchfur lately, but as he knew the black and ginger tom had just went on a border patrol, it should not be an issue.
"Yes I do. So have fun."
With that, Goldenclaw bounded away in the direction of the thorn tunnel. Violetpaw was already waiting for him there, her tortoiseshell fur bushed out from the frigid cold air. Snow had decided to do an early fall last night, blanketing the ground in a temporary white blanket that was melting away slowly.
"About time you showed up." Violetpaw mewed impatiently.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. Zephyrkit and Pillowkit were being extra clingy today." He blinked apologetically.
"I figured as much, so let's get going then."
****Sparkpaw's POV****
Sparkpaw lets the sparrow swing from her jaws as she heads over to the Elder's den. A few feathers have already fallen off the dead bird, the fluff flying off into the wind. She had wanted to visit her mother before patrol today, but she had not gotten the chance.
Better late than never I guess.
The overhanging bushes brush up against her sides as she pushes into the den. Sparkpaw is mindful of the sleeping elders as she makes her way into the back of the den where Russetleaf lays curled up in her coma-like slumber. Her dark ginger fur is being gently groomed by Dawnpaw now, the pale gold she-cat studious in keeping the renegade warrior clean while supplying her with daily medicine.
Setting down the prey, Sparkpaw speaks up in hushed tone. "Has there been any change Dawnpaw?"
Dawnpaw shakes her head regretfully. "Unfortunately no. Featherflight says there will be soon, but until then we have to keep her going." As if to demonstrate, the medicine cat shoves a small mound of herbs into Russetleaf's mouth, doing the necessary actions for the warrior to swallow them.
"What exactly have you been feeding her if you don't mind my asking?" Sparkpaw said in an attempt to strike up conversation.
She and Dawnpaw hardly ever interacted, there just wasn't much time where they both could hang out. Arrowheart and his siblings seemed to like her well enough though, so she was hopeful that the same would run true for her. She was already friends with Brackenfoot after all, though the two siblings weren't all that similar if their career choices were anything to go by.
And then there's their mother. Petalfall was even more different than either of the two siblings. Her ginger fur was not represented in Brackenfoot nor Dawnpaw, and neither was her fiery attitude. At the very least Sparkpaw could see how she was related to the fiery she-cat. It was so obvious, Sparkpaw could even extend it to the length that they could pass off as a mother and daughter.
If only she really was my mother, so many things could've been avoided...
But that wasn't the case, was it? Instead, Sparkpaw's mother had run away from HunterClan before she was even born. She had been raised in a life of captivity, and if not for Goldenclaw she might've never left the pitiful lifestyle all kittypets held. She would be lying if she said she was not resentful of what her mother did. The forest was where all Shadowhunters belonged, not the concrete jungle of the TwolegPlace.
"I've been giving her some normal strength herbs. And also some poppy seeds." Dawnpaw said.
"I thought poppy seeds are supposed to keep a cat asleep?" Sparkpaw could faintly recall Nightrose telling her that.
"Normally that would be the case, but your mother is in a coma already, so the only thing poppy seeds do at this point is ease the pain of being trapped in her mind. There was some swelling in her brain from Russetleaf knocked herself out, so that'll be going down."
Dawnpaw reaches out to tug at a piece of leather. Russetleaf's collar had long since been removed from her, and had been placed next to her nest in case it was needed later. Sparkpaw found herself running a paw down the length of the leather band. Unlike her own collar that was buried away covering it in dirt, this collar was only stained with the coppery crimson marring of blood. It angered her to think of the rogues who had to be responsible for such an injury.
"Huh, the more you know I guess." Sparkpaw mewed.
"Speaking of knowing, how've you been settling in? I know this world must feel pretty strange to you." Dawnpaw kept herself busy checking out the few wounds that had yet to heal of Russetleaf's flanks. Personally, Sparkpaw thinks they'll end up scarring.
"Well, it was at first I guess." She admits. "But, I-I've taken to this place pretty well. I was always meant to be in HunterClan, so I'm glad to be here."
"That's good. I'd expect nothing less from Goldenclaw's sister."
At the mention of Goldenclaw's and her own newfound sibling relationship Sparkpaw tenses up. Leaving HunterClan had given her ample time to think over how she felt about the matter, and the fiery apprentice had found, much to her own disappointment, that a large part of her was still unaccepting of it.
I guess I'm just in denial.
Deep down Sparkpaw knew it was more than just denial. Try as she might, there was no denying the attraction she felt towards Goldenclaw. The golden tabby tom had managed to worm his way into her heart with his charming attitude and hilarious antics. Sparkpaw could feel the tell tale butterflies flapping around in her gut whenever she thought of him.
I just can't help myself. I love Goldenclaw.
A part of her was terrified as to what that meant, for herself and for Goldenclaw. And for Simon too. Her friend clearly wants more than friendship from her. For now, Sparkpaw was going along with it, hopeful that being with Simon will help her forget about Goldenclaw.
It had not worked thus far.
She forces herself to swallow back the anxiety in her mew. "Yeah. That seems to be the case."
"That's good news. I was worried after finding out you two were siblings that you would go running off." Dawnpaw murmurs.
A flare of inexplicable anger rises up in Sparkpaw at these words. She grits her teeth as she forces out her next words. "Oh. And why pray tell would that be?"
Dawnpaw's stares at her with bemused azure eyes, seemingly not sensing her anger. "What else but the reason why you came here in the first place. You had a crush on Goldenclaw. Surely you won't deny it? It's written all over your face."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Sparkpaw manages to get out.
Dawnpaw gives her a skeptical frown. "Of course you don't." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, her pale tail tip twitching in the air behind her.
"It was nice talking to you Dawnpaw. I have to get going so I'll just take my lunch with me. Bye." With that she scoops her prey up before darting off, preventing Dawnpaw from getting another word in edge wise.
****Goldenclaw's POV****
"Good work today Violetpaw. I'm glad to see you've finally got that upwards launch down." He praised his apprentice.
Violetpaw, who was panting on the other side of the Sandy Hollow, gave a small nod of delight. It was clear she is out of breath. Her tortoiseshell body was breathing in air in and out in fast gasps. The apprentice was trembling slightly, her legs shaking from exhaustion. Goldenclaw could not blame her, he himself was feeling tired after the several hours of battle training they'd put in. Enough so that he was ready to call it a day.
"Thanks Goldenclaw. Can...can we go home now? I'm pretty tired." Violetpaw asked, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. One of the things Goldenclaw had learned about his apprentice was that she was prideful, just like him.
"Yes. I think we've put in a good days work. Let's head back."
***Time Skip***
The sun was beginning it's descent downwards by the time they reached the camp. As was the usual case, Goldenclaw found himself telling Violetpaw to do a quick hunting trip for the elders before making his way over to the fresh-kill pile. He had already done his hunting for the day, bringing in a tasty sparrow and a few shrews. Vultureclaw had been keeping a close eye on him as of late, and oddly enough that meant less patrols.
This was both annoying and strange to the golden furred tom, who would much rather be doing work. That said, his appetite could not be ignored either. The fresh-kill pile was stacked with prey. Blossomstar has been having Vultureclaw order extra hunting patrols lately to stock up, knowing that soon there would be a shortage of most food as the mice, squirrels and chipmunks nestled down for hibernation. He is reaching over to pull a succulent vole from the pile when Arrowheart's voice chirps up from behind him.
"I was wondering where I might find you."
With the vole clamped in his mouth Goldenclaw turns to see Arrowheart staring at him. His parabatai had two balls of fur clinging to his back, one like a fluffy pillow, the other a gray lump tugging at the tom's ears. It was only then that he could see it was Pillowkit and Zephyrkit mucking around on his brother's back, having a good time pulling at strands of his black fur.
"Arrowheart, more bouncing! More bouncing!" Pillowkit practically demanded. The white kitten's hind quarters were slamming down on Arrowheart's haunches in a rather hard lurch that had to be uncomfortable.
"No, more leaps! Jump in the air Arrowheart!" Zephyrkit protested. The gray kitten was tugging those black ears up as though through sheer force of will she could get the tall warrior to leap.
"Heh. I'm sorry Arrowheart. I didn't think they'd get so out of paw." Goldenclaw confesses. He places the vole on the ground to converse, eyeing the kits to see how to carefully dislodge them.
"Uh huh. I'm sure the tom who looks after them most of the day doesn't know just how crazy they can get." Arrowheart gives him an unimpressed frown. "That just wouldn't make sense at all, now would it?"
"Oh fine. You got me. I guess I just needed a break, kits are hard after all!" Goldenclaw murmurs. "I'll take the rascals from you now if you want?"
Arrowheart waves him off. The movement jostles the kits a little, causing them to grip onto his back even tighter. "Nah, you're good. I'm proud of you for taking care of the little ones, just make sure you take some time for yourself. Okay?"
Goldenclaw gave him a grateful nod. "Thank you Parabatai."
"Don't mention it." Arrowheart lets out a little chuckle. "Though you might want to apologize to Patchfur. I was supposed to spend some time with him now, but I'll have to put that off till the evening."
At the mention of the black and ginger warlock, Goldenclaw can feel a flicker of irritation. Just why does this guy get all Arrowheart's time nowadays? He's not family, it's ridiculous.
"About that, Arrowheart why do spend so much-"
"Is that Goldenclaw?" Pillowkit squeaks, his messy head peeking out from Arrowheart's shoulder. Zephyrkit removes her attention from her ride's ears to look at the golden warrior.
"It is! Goldenclaw, come play with us! Arrowheart is giving us badger rides." Zephyrkit says jubilantly. Her green eyes are sparkling with giddy laughter.
"Not now kits. Goldenclaw has to eat lunch." Arrowheart hushes them gently before focusing his attention back on him. "I'll catch you later brother."
With that Arrowheart padded off, taking the two kits Goldenclaw was beginning to consider his own (not that he'd admit out loud) with him. Letting out a small yawn, he scooped the vole back up to carry over to the Warrior's Den. While walking, he noticed Blossomstar heading out with Brackenfoot, Swallowsong, Dapplefur and Simon with her. As Cricketstar had yet to give word as to whether or not FangClan wanted him, he was staying with HunterClan for the time being.
Letting out another yawn, Goldenclaw finds himself laying down underneath the overhang of a bush to eat. The meat is juicy to swallow. He rips the vole apart to swallow chunk after chunk until it was finally gone.
Idly, Goldenclaw watches camp activity as it continues on with sleepy eyes. The elders were snoozing away in their den while Silvermoon and Comfreyleaf were chatting outside the Nursery. Cloudkit, Tumblekit and Sandkit were chasing each other in the center of the clearing. By the look of things, Arrowheart would be joining them soon along with Zephyrkit and Pillowkit.
Dawnpaw and Featherflight were leaving for the MoonStone now. Dawnpaw had excitedly told him that morning that Featherflight had decided she was finally ready to get her full medicine cat name. Goldenclaw wasn't sure what processes the she-cat would have to go through to receive her name, just that he was proud of her for achieving her dream. Like Arrowheart, he knew it was not easy for her to abandon warrior apprenticeship, nor had it been easy to watch as all her friends received their full names while she continued to train. But now it had all paid off.
By the time the last piece of vole was swallowed he found his eyes wanting to slip closed. It would be nice to take a nap.... His golden eyes were about to slip shut when he felt a prodding in his side.
"Goldenclaw? Nightrose says she's taking Smokepaw to do some tree climbing at the Great Sycamore. Can we go with them?" Violetpaw asks. The tortoiseshell looks a lot more energetic then the last time he'd seen her.
"Huh, well, I don't think..."
"Goldenclaw!" Another voice exclaims. He looks over to see Frondleap bursting into view. The warrior nudges Violetpaw to the side so he's front and center in Goldenclaw's vision. "I need to speak with you."
Sighing, Goldenclaw pulls himself back onto his paws so he was sitting up. No matter what came next, he was doubtful that nap would be happening anytime soon. Disappointing, really, all things considered.
"What is it Frondleap?" He asks.
"Vultureclaw has a message for Blossomstar. She needs to meet him at the ThunderPath."
Frondleap turns tail to run off at that, not waiting for Goldenclaw to respond. He wants to growl in frustration. Just because I'm trying to get on Vultureclaw's good side doesn't mean I want to be his stupid errand tom. He wants to claw at the ground, hissing out his anger. The only reason why he doesn't is the apprentice standing in front of him. Violetpaw watches him with curious purple eyes, her ears twitching.
"Ugh, I was going to say that Blossomstar is out on patrol, but of course he couldn't stick around to hear that. I guess I have to go get her. Sorry Violetpaw, we'll have to do some training with Nightrose and Smokepaw later."
Yawning again, Goldenclaw tries to shake the weariness from his paws. As it would turn out, parenting could take a lot out of a cat. Violetpaw stops him with a quick jerk of her muzzle. She places a soothing paw on his chest, the coolness of it like a small shot of ice to his warm blooded heart.
"I can go find Blossomstar for you Goldenclaw. Or, better yet, I can deliver the message! It'll be easy." Violetpaw mews.
"Now Violetpaw-"
"Please Goldenclaw! You trust me, don't you?" Violetpaw stares at him with hopeful eyes.
Goldenclaw finds himself being reminded of Sparkpaw in that moment. Things were still tense between them since her return home. He felt that it was his fault. After all, he was the one who couldn't stop his feelings for her. The Shadowhunter had hoped that with her absence, his feelings would fade.
Needless to say, he had been wrong.
Instead his feelings were stronger than ever, forcing him to keep away from her to prevent those emotions from coming to light. If they did, who knew how much it would hurt Sparkpaw? How much it would hurt both of them in the end? And, it was clear to that Sparkpaw was forming something with Simon. He wouldn't want to ruin that, now would he?
"Goldenclaw please." Violetpaw repeats.
Goldenclaw paws at the ground, ducking his head. "Alright Violetpaw. But don't be long."
"Yay! I'll be back soon! Get some rest!" Violetpaw spun in a quick circle before running off. Goldenclaw watched her up until the point where she disappeared through the thorn tunnel. After that he padded into the Warrior's Den to find his nest. He sunk down into the mass of moss and feathers before closing his eyes, unknowing of the major mistake he'd just made.
****Arrowheart's POV****
Arrowheart had been playing with the kits for well over an hour by the time Patchfur came over, just in time for the kits to be going to bed for the night. His boyfriend had clearly just come back from a patrol, as his fur was hushed out and he was panting out bursts of cold air. Overhead, the sun peaked out over the tree tops, bidding it's goodbye for the night.
"Arrowheart, there you are!" Patchfur mewed. The warlock pressed close to him for a greeting, allowing Arrowheart to breath in the other tom's scent. Sandalwood permeated the air, making his heart sing happily.
"Patchfur. It's good to see you." He greets.
"Likewise Arrowheart." Patchfur mews.
The two pull away to stare into each other's eyes. Maybe Arrowheart was out of his mind, but he could always see so many colors in Patchfur's eyes. They were mainly green and gold, but there was also flecks of amber, brown and even a little grey. And, when he was using magic, Arrowheart had seen blue and red glinting in their depths. Patchfur was by far the most stunning tom he'd ever met. It was easy for him to say as much too.
"Your eyes." He breathes.
Patchfur inclines his head. "What about them darling?"
"Your eyes are beautiful." Arrowheart tells him.
Patchfur smiles at that. "Arrowheart, you're such a sap." His boyfriend seems endeared by his words. So he presses on.
"I bet they're your warlock mark. I've never seen anything quite like them." Arrowheart touches his nose to Patchfur's, relishing in the warmth.
Patchfur tenses at the mention of his warlock mark. "Yea, I'm sure that would be nice if that was the case. Eyes are so much easier to hide."
Arrowheart wants to ask what Patchfur meant by that, but he is unfortunately interrupted. Like an odd burst of sunlight peeking out from over the top of the Medicine Den, a cat pops into his line of vision. As the Medicine Den was getting work done on it to hold up against heavy barrages of snow, that was not what surprised him. No, what caught Arrowheart off guard was who was standing up there.
Foxtail, Arrowheart's blue eyes widen in shock.
"Foxtail...." He breathes. The black furred tom backs away from his boyfriend to get a closer look at the starry warrior. It is almost as though he was in a trance like shock, his movements stiff and detached.
"Arrowheart what are you looking at?" Patchfur inquires, coming to stand beside him. It was their luck that no one else was in close proximity to see them, to busy either doing their duties or chatting over prey.
"Foxtail is here." Arrowheart says simply.
He points with one paw in Foxtail's direction. The starry warrior was leaping down from his spot on top of the den now, padding towards him. Patchfur must not be able to see what he does at first, because he frowns. However, that frown quickly disappears once he places a paw on Arrowheart's shoulder.
"Oh my StarClan!?" Patchfur exclaims in shock.
Foxtail seems to be filled with nervous energy as he reaches them, his tail tip twitching back and forth worriedly as his ears flatten against his skull. Stars cluster around his flanks like little water droplets, though Arrowheart doubts even if Foxtail were to shake out his fur that they would come flinging off.
"Arrowheart, find her....find her now...." Foxtail mews.
"Find who? Who are you talking about?" Patchfur asks.
"Violetpaw....." Foxtail whispers. The dark ginger tom disappears into thin air at that, but not before getting one last message out to Arrowheart, and Arrowheart alone.
"The darkness is striking, do not show your fear. Be ready, be ready to fight."
Arrowheart shudders at those words. Patchfur stares at him worriedly, like he was fearing the worst.
"Arrowheart, what's wrong?" His boyfriend asks.
He takes in a gulp of air to steady himself. "I-I don't know, but I think Violetpaw is in danger." Arrowheart shakes himself out, unsheathing his claws for extra traction on the damp ground. He knew who he needed to look for. Who could tell him where Violetpaw was. "We need to find Goldenclaw. So come."
Arrowheart doesn't wait to see if Patchfur has comprehended his words, he just breaks off into a sprint towards the Warrior's Den. Patchfur ends up trailing behind him with an exasperated puff of air, muttering something along the lines of "these crazy nephilim".
A few warriors are already snoozing away by the time he bursts into the den. He hastily knocks aside Specklefoot's slumbering form and nearly trips on Honeybees's tail on the way to his brother. Goldenclaw is curled up in his nest, his tail laying right over his nose. It lifts slightly with each snore the golden tabby lets out before falling back down.
"Goldenclaw wake up!" Arrowheart prods his brother. Goldenclaw lets out a moan, but does not stir. Growling with mild aggravation, Arrowheart does something he knows will wake up his parabatai.
He nips his shoulder, yanking at the fluffy golden fur there.
"Ack! What was that for?!" Goldenclaw springs to his paws. Arrowheart and Patchfur stare at the sleepy golden tom with mild annoyance.
"We needed you to wake up, you bulky moron. But alas, you were too busy in la la land. Thinking about a certain fiery she-cat, perhaps?" Patchfur says with a playful eye roll.
"You don't know what you're talking about warlock." Goldenclaw snarls.
Arrowheart's eyes widen in surprise. Just what's gotten into Goldenclaw? He's acting so weird. Patchfur was just being playful, there's no need to take such offense.
Pushing back his concerns for the time being, Arrowheart murmurs. "We don't have time for this. Goldenclaw, cut it out. Do you know where Violetpaw is?"
At that question Goldenclaw tilts his head in confusion. "What? Why do you need Violetpaw?"
"We think she might be in danger. Right Arrowheart?" Patchfur says, looking to him for reassurance.
"Patchfur is right. I-We think she's in serious trouble." Arrowheart stands closer to his boyfriend to show their solidarity.
Goldenclaw narrows his eyes at this. "How do you know she's in danger?" His question is directed towards Arrowheart, and him alone.
Arrowheart bites his lip nervously. What will he think if I told him that Foxtail just visited me. That he's the one that warned me? Arrowheart's dreams were something of a mystery. Why did he, a normal warrior of all things have these visions? It wasn't sensical, or normal by any means.
"It doesn't matter how he learned this. You trust your brother, don't you Goldenclaw?" Patchfur leaps to his defense. Arrowheart gives the older tom a grateful look.
"Of course I do. Violetpaw went to deliver a message to Blossomstar. She's likely still out there looking for her." Goldenclaw explains.
"Wait, but Blossomstar came back from her patrol a few minutes ago." Arrowheart distinctly remembers her coming back a mere few minutes ago.
"If that's the case, then where would she be?" Patchfur inquires.
"Well, she could be anywhere in the forest but...." Goldenclaw trails off. He seems to be thinking hard, his gold eyes blinking.
"But what?" A sinking feeling pools in Arrowheart's gut. He knows that whatever answer Goldenclaw comes up with, it isn't likely it will be good.
"The ThunderPath," Goldenclaw swallows down a lump in his throat. "If she couldn't find Blossomstar, she must've gone there to get the message from VultureClaw herself."
"Oh my! If she's there..." Patchfur didn't dare to finish his sentence, the unspoken horror left on his face.
"We have to go, NOW." Arrowheart orders. He beckons Patchfur and Goldenclaw to follow him, and together they rush out of camp.
****Goldenclaw's POV****
The forest was a blur around him as he ran. Dead grass crunched under his paws with each bound, the cold gusts of wind making his fur bush up. Arrowheart was a powerful form in front of him, rushing and leaping at quick speeds despite the dampness of the ground. Patchfur brought up the rear, his ears pressed back against his skull and his pelt bushed. A few fallen leaves would were falling into his fur, getting scattered in his pelt, but Goldenclaw could not worry about that now.
All he could think of was Violetpaw.
How could I let her go out on her own? What was I thinking?
In the heat of the moment, Goldenclaw could not recall the hopeful gaze his apprentice had given him. The way she had pleaded to go on this errand for him, how she had convinced him to say yes.
He did remember how she reminded him of Sparkpaw. That thought sent a trill of anger through him. I should've known my feelings would cause trouble. I should've known. Goldenclaw felt a bitter resentment towards himself, and towards his emotions. Who knew what sort of trouble Violetpaw had gotten into because of his bad judgement.
***Slight Time Skip***
The ThunderPath came up all to quickly, making Goldenclaw and his companions skid to a halt. The smell of asphalt and burnt rubber was heavy in the air, making his eyes water. Overhead, the sky was dark, a few stars beginning to make their appearance known in the dark abyss. Goldenclaw had to activate his night vision rune in order to see better. Arrowheart did the same, having Patchfur stay put while they searched, knowing that his sight would be nowhere near as good as their own now.
The street was surprisingly vacant of the monsters that usually poured down it in waves. Well, all except for one. The monster was like a massive shadow in the night, it's black body near impossible to see if not for its blinding white eyes. The Twoleg that had driven the car was crouched down, examining something off to the side of the road. The blinding eyes of the car were trained on a small object covered in the scarlet veil of blood.
Goldenclaw's heart lurched in his chest as he realized what that object was, and that it had undoubtedly been hit by the car.
"VIOLETPAW!" He yowled with rage.
The twoleg turned to look at him, it's weird face staring at him, Arrowheart and Patchfur (who had come to stand by his brother) strangely. Goldenclaw let out a snarl before charging at the Twoleg with his claws unsheathed. Savagely, he tried to swipe at the Twoleg, only to be stopped by Arrowheart. His brother had slammed him onto the ground, keeping him from tearing the Twoleg a part.
"Calm down brother. This is not the way." Arrowheart told him firmly. Then Arrowheart leveled the Twoleg with a cold glare, showing his teeth. "Leave us alone. Now!"
The Twoleg gave a help of alarm before clambering back into its deadly monster and driving off. Only once he was gone did Arrowheart let him up. When he did, Goldenclaw found himself snarling, taking a swipe at Arrowheart's chest. A spurt of blood pooled from the wound he'd inflicted on his parabatai's chest, not deep enough to scar, but definitely deep enough to hurt. Normally, Goldenclaw would've known what a horrible thing he'd just done, but right now he was too angry to care.
"How could you Arrowheart?! He hurt her, and you let him get away!" Goldenclaw yowls.
"Goldenclaw! Hurting him won't solve anything. And it won't help Violetpaw either. So calm down." Arrowheart growls.
"If you two are quite done I could use some help." Patchfur calls out.
Unlike the two Shadowhunters, Patchfur had went over to Violetpaw immediately. His paws were glowing with blue light as his magic scanned over the injured apprentice. From what he could see, Violetpaw's chest was rising and falling weakly.
Still angry with Arrowheart, he forcibly pushes past him. Goldenclaw stands next to Patchfur to look over the small she-cat, his golden eyes widening with horror as he takes in the state Violetpaw is in. Her fur is soaked with blood from cuts and scrapes. A few pieces of gravel cling between her pads, a contrast to her white claws that are still unsheathed. The most noticeable thing though is the way her left hind leg looks. The bone is bent at awkward angle, not piercing through the skin but clearly unnatural. He doubts that Violetpaw could put much weight on it if she tried.
"Is she going to be alright?" Goldenclaw asks.
He tries to keep the fear out of his tone. By the way Violetpaw's eyes are just barely open and her body shudders it is unclear how aware she is of what is going on around her. Regardless, Goldenclaw does not want to frighten her with harsh words.
"Violetpaw, we're here now. We're going to take care of you." Arrowheart whispers to the apprentice, his blue eyes sorrowful.
Patchfur shakes his head wearily. "I-I can't say for certain. She's in shock right now because of the collision with the Monster. Her injuries, for the most part, aren't severe but her leg..." He trails off.
Goldenclaw nods. He may not be a Medicine Cat, but as a Shadowhunter he too knew how to assess injuries, picking out the severity of them too. He summons up his stele to draw the iratze rune on the young apprentice. This would not be advised normally as Violetpaw is still very young, but a situation like this would permit early rune drawing.
Beside him, Arrowheart does the same in drawing a blood rejuvenation rune on Violetpaw's flank. Both runes light up a faint gold at activation, garnering a flinch from the apprentice. Goldenclaw hates to give the apprentice any more pain then she's already feeling, but knows that pain was necessary to keep her going.
"We need to get her back home. Hopefully Featherflight and Dawnpaw are back by now to take care of her. Patchfur, can you use your magic to put her on my back?" Arrowheart asks. The black furred warrior must see the way Goldenclaw is shaking. Goldenclaw wishes he could argue he'd be fine to carry Violetpaw, but right now he just feels too panicked to keep still.
Patchfur nods. "I can do that. Try not to jostle her okay. I'm going to keep sending some healing magic into her to keep her stable." Patchfur directs his gaze to Violetpaw. "It's going to be alright Violetpaw, we just need you to hold on, okay?"
"Okay...." Violetpaw weakly whispers, her tail twitching once before falling limp. Her violet eyes were dull with exhaustion and pain. Goldenclaw's heart ached for her. She did not deserve this. No cat ever did.
Arrowheart crouches down to allow Patchfur to place Violetpaw carefully on his back. The black furred Shadowhunter carefully rises to his paws, doing his best not to jostle Violetpaw along the way. Patchfur helps him keep the young she-cat steady, magic flowing from his paws.
"Let's be on our way. Goldenclaw, if you would clear the way for us." Arrowheart said. He motions to the prodding branches sticking out from bushes with a small jerk of his head.
"Yes, I-I'll get right to that."
The journey home is silent with worry for the she-cat sprawled on Arrowheart's back.
***********
A/N: Hey guys! So I know some of y'all are probably all mad about Violetpaw and all. Trust me, I didn't want to hurt her, she just makes the most sense in my mind to be the Cinderpelt of this book. Let me know what y'all think in the comments and I'll see y'all next time!