[doghouse]

Originally Posted by Phoenix Flames

(Idk. I guess we could let Nettle die..)

Rushpaw nodded to Midgepaw and Eelpaw. "Hi, Midgepaw. I can tell you haven't seen me before. I'm Eelpaw.", the brown tabby she-cat said. "Oh, the yarrow that I have did come from the forest, though. Sometimes I go exploring and I venture into the forest to find some of the herbs I have.", Eelpaw replied. "Yeah, Eelpaw goes exploring—by herself—to the forest to gather the herbs there and then brings them back here; to her little stash of herbs," Rushpaw said. Some more blood poured out of Nettle's wounds and the blood stuck to Eelpaw's and Rushpaw's paws. "For StarClan's sake, these cobwebs aren't working, and now my paws are dirty!", Eelpaw hissed. "Eelpaw, calm down...", Rushpaw said. "How can I calm down is your father's blood is all over our fur and he's going to die?!", Eelpaw yowled. "H-He's going to die...?", Rushpaw muttered, a scared expression on his face and mroe fear grew inside him. "Possibly.", Eelpaw sighed, looking at Nettle. "B-But I don't want him to die!", Rushpaw gritted his teeth, tears forming on his eyes.
"But he tried to kill you!"
"That doesn't mean I want him dead!"
"He's going to have to die, Rushpaw, I'm sorry..."
"I never wanted to wish death upon my mother or father, or my littermates...", Rushpaw said.
"I'm sorry, Rushpaw... It's not your fault, my fault, or StarClan's fault that Nettle's going to die...", Eelpaw replied. Rushpaw looked at Eelpaw, glared at Midgepaw, and then looked away.
Tears trickled down Rushpaw's face as he looked at his father. "I'm sorry, Father...", he said. "I-it's not your fault, my son... And I'm sorry that I made your life worse each day..", Nettle sighed. "Father....", Rushpaw mewed. "It's Midgepaw's fault that I'm dying..", Nettle coughed, his breaths becoming slower and shallower. "But.. No! It's all my fault....", Rushpaw growled. "I'm sorry, Rushpaw....", Nettle rasped, his breaths stopping. "Rushpaw...", Eelpaw whispered. "Leave me alone, Eelpaw!", Rushpaw growled, burying his face in his father's fur. Nettle's clouded eyes stared at nothing as he did so. "But, Rushpaw-", Eelpaw began. "I said leave me alone, Eelpaw! You too, Midgepaw!", Rushpaw hissed. Eelpaw felt her heart break. She was shocked by Rushpaw's violence. He's never been this way before...., she thought. Eelpaw backed away and ran back to her stash of herbs in the log, rolling the front rock and going inside the log, rolling the rock back to the entrance as she went sat inside the log, feeling as if she could fade away any minute. She looked up and saw Nettle's spirit in front of her. "Let him grieve for me, Eelpaw.", he said. "But-"
"Shh... Just let him...", Nettle's spirit said, fading away.

Midgepaw nodded politely to Eelpaw, but they couldn't understand why these cats were focused less on Nettle and more on each other. It was mousebrained, and they needed help. Shaking their head, they closed their eyes, a soft growl forming in their throat. “This isn't working!” Midgepaw snapped quietly, ignoring what Rushpaw was saying about the brown furred molly. Right then, Midgepaw didn't care, and something inside the apprentice seemed to have broken at the thought of killing another cat. No matter what they did, they felt like they were just going to end up like their mother. A murderer. As soon as Nettle started speaking again, hope flared up in the apprentice, only to be crushed down the next moment as they saw the film over the tom's eyes that always came before the cat in question cat lost its fight and died. Unwilling to even try more, Midgepaw took a step back, a look of deep hurt in their eyes. Normally, they would've kept trying and comforted Rushpaw, but the look Rushpaw gave them. Midgepaw stood back trembling. They hoped that everyone would keep the secret of what had happened. No one had to know that Midgepaw had killed another cat. “He was right . . . . It's my fault. I killed him. . . . I thought I could fit in, but I'm just like Phantom! It'll never work. . . .” tears slid down Midgepaw's face, and before anyone could say anything, Midgepaw ran off, running effortlessly over the moors, not looking or caring where they were going, just running away. After a moment, the apprentice stopped and looked back, but there was a couple of hills between Midgepaw and Rushpaw and Eelpaw now, blocking them from sight. Alone, Midgepaw collapsed and lay on their side, catching their breath and crying at the same time.