Fall of the Panther || Chapter 2 Pt 2

Instructions

“Brownflash, RUN! P-plea…please…” With a clean swipe, it was done. She hadn’t even had time to react or move. Brownflash stood there as the seconds ticked by. She felt unable to breathe, throat tightening in shock. Her paws shook and she took a sharp breath. She didn’t want to believe what she was seeing. The rogue flexed her claws and narrowed her eyes at the warrior. “Consider this a warning. We have lived as loners for so many generations, and suddenly it’s broken? It is not the way of the land, Brownflash.” She scowled and took a step closer to the Clan cat. Brownflash didn’t respond, still in shock. Her dazed expression slowly morphed into a silent despair as she recognized the rogue. Russetshade. She took a shaky step back. “Wh-why are you doing this, Russetshade? I thought.. I thought that SpikeClan…” Her voice was small and trembling. Russetshade scoffed, anger flaring in her eyes as she took a barely contained step forward. “Took me in? Is that what you’re asking? Brownflash… they EXILED me. Because I didn’t ’prove my loyalty’ to their leader,” she hissed. “I wasn’t enough for them, Brownflash. They only care about themselves.” Brownflash gritted her teeth, desperately thinking of ways to deescalate the situation. “Okay, but that’s no reason to… to do THIS,” she motioned wildly, unable to contain herself any longer. “She’s not just the deputy. She’s… she’s my friend.” Brownflash sighed, looking down at Mistlefern in tears. Russetshade looked down uncomfortably, taking a step back from the body. She didn’t dare meet Brownflash’s desperate gaze. “I’m… sorry. I’m sorry, Brownflash. Of all cats, it was the most unfortunate to find you out here,” she meowed, reluctantly glancing at the sobbing form of the warrior who had rescued her all those moons ago. Brownflash looked up, her face stained from burying it in Mistlefern’s fur. “Then… then help me take her back. Help me give her a proper burial,” Brownflash said, trembling. “Help me send her soul to StarClan.” Russetshade scoffed, glancing back and forth painfully. “StarClan? You think it’s that easy? Brownflash, these cats don’t really care about you. Only your worth to the Clan. Do you really want that?” She asked. Brownflash hesitated for a split second, and the rogue took this as an opportunity to press further. “Come on, Brownflash. This is ridiculous. Why choose these pests over me? We protected ourselves just fine for moons. Don’t you remember? Just…come with me. Don’t buy into this nonsense.” Brownflash trembled. It was way too much for her. As she looked into Russetshade’s unstable eyes and back down at Mistlefern’s limp form, a decision took shape in her mind. “Russetshade, I… I can’t. These cats need me. Some might only see me for my worth, but I promise that not all of them are like that.” Even without looking at the roan she-cat, Brownflash knew that her words had an effect. Hope rising in her chest, she pressed on. “If you come with me, maybe I could—” Russetshade stiffened. She was silent for a moment. Then, a violent shudder racked her body. “Shut it!” She yowled, fury laced in every movement of her body. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t take my side. It was always about you, wasn’t it? You were the hero. You rescued me.” Brownflash remained silent, and this only further enraged Russetshade. “FINE, be this way! You’ll never understand, Clan pest.” The rogue turned and disappeared into the forest. Brownflash stood up and, without another glance at the place where her former friend had disappeared, picked up Mistlefern by the scruff of her neck. She couldn’t bring herself to realize that she had just lost something she had held so close to her heart. And she turned her away for what, some cats who she didn’t even know all that well? Why WAS she doing this? Brownflash broke out of her thoughts as Locustburn came back into the medicine cat den, looking at her now-awake patient with surprise. “Ah, you’re awake,” she said, slowly walking over and picking up a few poppy seeds from the store on the way. She dropped it at Brownflash’s curled up form. “Thank goodness. Here, eat this.” She turned away, tending to another cat, but kept talking. “I’d initially thought you were limping because of an injured leg, but I think it was just the stress of the… accident,” she said, moving around the den surprisingly fast. Brownflash felt dizzy just watching her. Should she tell the Clan the truth? Brownflash hesitated. She did know how Mistlefern died, but… telling the truth would mean putting Russetshade in danger. Despite the rogue’s terrible actions, Brownflash couldn’t bring herself to betray the cat who had once been her closest companion. She avoided Locustburn’s eyes, making up her mind. Her tail flicked in guilt. “Yeah… just the stress, I suppose…” Brownflash swallowed the seeds that the medicine cat had given her and quickly got pulled back into a deep sleep.