“Hey, Pantherstar? You might want to see this,” Brownflash called back behind her, huffing as she neared the top of the hill. She looked down, scanning the hillside for any sign of the other cats. “Pantherstar?” Pantherstar and Shimmersnow emerged from behind a tree at the bottom of the hill, laughing. Ever since they announced their new relationship two days ago, they’d been practically inseparable. Brownflash couldn't help but smile, though, as she sat down to wait for them. Of course she was happy for the two. But surely she wasn't wrong in thinking that they could walk at a slightly quicker pace than worm speed? “Finally,” she muttered to herself as they reached the top. Before they could continue chattering, she put a paw between them. “Pantherstar, there’s something you should see. Look!” She softly padded over to the brush, trying not to disturb the faint pawprints in the dirt. “Clearly, somecat went into the brush and tried to cover up their tracks. You know where this particular patch leads?” Shimmersnow gulped, her joy from earlier momentarily fading. “Camp…” she whispered. Pantherstar studied the tracks closer. “This doesn't look like the pawprints of any cats in camp. Which means… they must be from a loner.” She turned to Brownflash and Shimmersnow. “One cat isn't much of a threat. If we see anything else, then we can start worrying. Come along, let's finish marking the borders.” “But–” Brownflash began, but the leader was already turned away, Shimmersnow followed close behind her. Groaning, Brownflash turned back. There was something she recognized in the paw prints, though she couldn't exactly place– She’d seen them before. A lot, actually. Suddenly remembering her younger days, Brownflash gasped. The pawprints that had followed her through the forest, the joy she had felt back then, knowing she had had a companion. That they would be together forever and ever, and that she didn't need to worry about anything in the world. It all came back to her. She felt sick. The others were gone already, out of scenting distance. She was alone. Hoarsely breathing, Brownflash turned towards the brush, the fastest way back to camp that she could think of right away. Without a glance at the sharp leaves, she launched herself into the prickly bushes, the thorns snagging and scraping at her. She shut her eyes and ran faster, trying to get away from... Brownflash had abandoned her, betrayed her, yes, but she had never thought that the life of her deputy would be taken before her very eyes, by her of all cats. No matter how sweet the memories were, she couldn't go back. Not after– She emerged into the light, shaking. Brownflash tried to breathe, out of breath from running so far. She took a deep breath and smoothed her fur, entering camp. “L-Locustburn?” Before she could even finish calling her, the medicine cat dashed over, ushering her into the medicine cat den. Brownflash gulped. How badly hurt was she? “L-look,” she started as Locustburn sat her down. “I'm fine, okay? All I need is some rest. You… you have poppy seeds, right?” Locustburn paused for a moment, assessing her. “You’re trembling,” she noticed. “Something scared you.” “Wh-what? What would scare me out there, a dog?” She asked, chuckling softly. “Perhaps,” she said quietly, sitting down. “Or maybe it was something else. Would you like to talk to me?” Brownflash inwardly groaned. She wasn’t going to leave this, was she? “I just… we saw rogue tracks,” she said, avoiding eye contact. “And then?” Brownflash looked up and saw nothing but concern in Locustburn’s gaze. She sighed. “And then… I figured out who they belonged to. An… an old friend of mine.” She took a deep breath. But the words that she had suppressed for so long began to pour out. “Her name is Russetshade, and she is– well, was my best friend. I found her in the river. She was about to drown. After I rescued her, I suppose… she just stuck around long enough for us to become inseparable. We survived for so many years, just her and I. Life was amazing. But… I couldn't help but feel guilty for wanting so much more. I wanted more cats that I could protect. That I could serve and love. But Russetshade– she didn't like the idea of other cats. It has always just been us, and… she wanted it to stay that way.” Brownflash began tearing up. The other cat didn't move or blink, but empathy clouded in her pale eyes.
“It wasn't long before I met Pantherstar, Shimmersnow, and Chasingpaw. More cats. I loved them. They loved me. I wanted to stay with them, to bring Russetshade with me so we can live out the rest of our days together," she gasped, her breathing ragged. “But Russetshade… she snapped. She was betrayed that I would choose them over her. And I-I just left her that night – really betraying her – to come and join you and all the other cats. To join CraneClan. But I never wanted to–” She squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears came anyway, and before she even realized, Locustburn was next to her, pressing her nose to Brownflash’s while she sobbed uncontrollably. “You never wanted to choose between your best friend and your heart’s desire in the first place, was it?” she murmured softly. The warrior could only choke in response, and Locustburn began to gently lick her in an attempt to be a source of comfort. A few moments passed, and Brownflash felt her breath returning. She kept her eyes shut to avoid spilling her tears all over Locustburn, though, who had curled up around the warrior. Brownflash winced, a new wave of tears rolling across her cheeks. The days when Russetshade had comforted her like this… “Are you feeling better?” Locustburn asked, pulling back just a bit. Brownflash sniffed and nodded. Locustburn wasn’t Russetshade, and she couldn't think of her as such. “I think I’m fine. U-um… sorry about that,” Brownflash muttered. She felt a pang of disappointment when Locustburn unwrapped herself and got to her paws. She’d felt safe in the warmth and comfort of the medicine cat’s touch, even if she wouldn't admit it to any other cat. Locustburn was already moving, rummaging through her shelves. “Don’t apologize, love. Do you not feel freer now, getting it off your chest?” she asked, pulling out a shell from one of the shelves. The warrior scrunched up her nose as the cover came off. The mixture smelled terrible. “I-I guess so. I just… I don’t want to push it all onto you,” Brownflash admitted, watching closely as Locustburn dipped her paw in the mixture and began applying it to her scratches. She took a sharp breath in as the cool, yellow paste seeped through her fur. “You’ll feel better once you warm up. Get some rest, now,” Locustburn said, turning towards the den exit and towards Cobaltshimmer. Brownflash blinked. She hadn’t even noticed him entering. Not knowing what else to do while the paste worked through her cuts, she laid down, resting her head on her front paws. “...night, I got thorns in my paw. My own fault,” Cobaltshimmer was saying. Brownflash pricked her ears up, listening to their conversation and trying to ignore what had just happened. But her pelt prickled uneasily, a thought coming to her. Why DID the pawprints lead to camp in the first place? What was Russetshade planning? ------------------------------------------------------ I am so terribly sorry for the delay y’all, I think I’ll have to change my posting schedule anyway since school is starting in a few weeks Credits to ClanGen for the names and plot events I post a new chapter every (other) Wednesday!!! (i changed it </3) Ping list (if you want to be added or removed, please let me know!): @youwanttoknow @zehrsofdestiny @Foxtail017 @thebeanartist @Glistenfeather @Anima1lover @MinnuN So I may have lied, uh… the comic will be taking a LOT longer than expected since I want it to look good. Expect chapter 1 to come out next year LOL (I’m just kidding, but it will definitely take a while guys)
