Warrior Cats Online - View Single Post

**Captain** · #**1653** February 11th, 2023, 12:29 AM

With his little speech now over and done, the lanky RiverClan tomcat would now divert his full attention to whatever Flamebriar had to say. He nodded ever so gently when she revealed to Pikestar that she was once a ShadowClan cat. So was Lynxfall and Shadepaw, as well as Marigoldleap too. These confessions weren’t surprising to him much anymore, but the tall oriental longhair did well to not interrupt his clanmate. There was much more to this story than he was expecting on surface level, evidently enough as Flamebriar warned him upfront about upcoming details. Pikestar continued listening.

Marigoldleap was her daughter? He nodded again, whiskers twitching with intrigue. Pikestar was well aware that the other molly had been a medicine cat once, considering she aided Fawnlight in her training. However, they couldn’t help but blink with surprise as Flamebriar told the RiverClan leader that she was the sister of Icestar. As in, the ShadowClan leader, Icestar? Dawnstar’s mother? Well, now that was certainly a secret that he wasn’t exactly expecting to be told. And that last bit was something that they had already expected, given the circumstances. Pikestar was silent for a couple of seconds, thinking.

"I am not afraid of ShadowClan." He said, peering at the ginger calico molly, "I never have been, nor am I now." Pikestar touched Flamebriar's shoulder gently with the tip of his fluffy tail as an act of reassurance. "You and Marigoldleap are RiverClan cats now, no matter what. Even as Dawnstar's aunt, you are still one of my clanmates and that will never change in my eye." A smarter leader probably would have kicked them out, wanting the rest of his clanmate's safety to come before anything. What would have Skystar done? Or Kestrelstar? Maybe they already had known all along, and he was the fool left in the dark. Regardless, Pikestar gave Flamebriar a small smile. "You are apart of our family now, and if Dawnstar has a problem with that, then I shall handle it." If he were to go to war over such a thing, then so be it, but the ShadowClan had not show any of RiverClan trouble over it.... yet. No matter what would happen, he'd sooner die than kick Flamebriar and Marigoldleap out of his clan. That was certain.

Staring at the empty wall of his den, the lanky RiverClan leader had a clear scowl on his face, the tip of his fluffy tail flicking back and forth in an irritated manner. His thoughts bounced around in his head violently and he couldn’t help but grit his teeth together bitterly. Pikestar, within all the intense haze of his anger, was half-tempted to unsheathe his claws and drag them across the walls in a fiery rage. However, before anything of that sense could occur, a familiar voice sounded at the maw of his den: Deerthroat. Like a switch in his brain, the irritation and hot temper drained from his current expression and body language, melting away to show a casual and calm demeanor that would show anyone that nothing was wrong here. Totally not wrong whatsoever.

“Yes, come in!” Pikestar remarked in an unusually cheery tone, turning his body towards the den’s entrance. He blinked at the blue-gray molly, who was holding a rather tasty-looking trout in her jaws. His mouth watered slightly at the sheer sight. Certainly, Deerthroat couldn’t have known that was one of his favorite types of fish to eat? His stomach grumbled lowly, reminding him that he had forgotten to eat again. How convenient of her to bring him food.

With a softened partial gaze, he could only sit there and watch the young molly as she stepped into his den. So familiar with the display, the large oriental tomcat could feel she was holding back a flood of emotions, crackling and threatening to burst at any moment. She looked up at him in mere silence, and Pikestar shared the aching pain that occupied both their hearts. The numbingly causal way he asked her how she was felt fake, like a mask to cover the hurricane of emotions they were both so desperately trying to hide. However, the moment Silverpaw opened her maw to speak, it was like all the trapped feelings within her soul now spilled out instead of words like she had wanted. Heavy teardrops rolled down her cheeks and the tall RiverClan leader then felt like a thorny vine was squeezing his heart mercilessly. It did not take much for her to run to him, abandoning all attempt to hide what both wanted.

Upon instinct, Pikestar lifted his front paws, opening them up to catch her as the silver-furred tabby as she crashed into him. Emotional cries immediately could be heard from his daughter, and the long-furred tomcat wrapped his much larger paws around her. Stars above, he wished he could do something, anything, to protect her from the cruel nature of this world―even if that included himself. “Hush now,” They murmured in a gentle tone, attempting to sooth her woes, “It wasn't your fault, and it was terrible of me to ever think it was.” Pikestar was disgusted with the cat he had become through becoming a clan leader, and he would do anything to take back the heartless things he had done. He fell silent as she would apologize over, and over, and over again for leaving him behind, for leaving her siblings behind, for leaving Fawnlight behind. Shaking his head, it was all he could muster to shoo away such words. She had nothing she needed to be sorry for and he saw now the selfishness of his mind for the way he had responded to her death orginally.

After awhile of this, her sobbing would cease and she would step back, breaking the two of them apart. Silverpaw would the tell him about her mother, who had been up there in StarClan when she had been there. Despite everything, they had not spoken one word to one another. Pikestar blinked at the apprentice, seeing the shame that overtook the young she-cat as she gazed down at her paws. "She would not have been happy, no, but not at you." They remarked quietly, "What happened to you was the fault of a heartless ShadowClan cat, and nothing more." Trespassing did not warrant death, and it had taken him far too long to understand that. He lifted his right paw and rested it on her shoulder ever so gently. "I could only imagine what you've been through, Silverpaw, but I am glad that you're back home where you belong." Pikestar said, smiling softly at her.

Swiftly turning his head to see the familiar sight of Bluebellcrackle in the mouth of his den, Pikestar nodded. “Of course. Come on inside, and sit wherever you’d like.” He remarked, sitting down towards the back of his den and resting his bushy tail over his front paws, “I am sure a lot has happened since you’ve been gone. I’m here for you.” Pikestar wasn't a smart cat by any means, but he could definitely tell that something awful had happened to his friend, though he'd never assume unless heard from her own mouth. He hadn't noticed it before, during the meeting, and perhaps that had been an ignorant mistake on his own part, but the Lord of the Waters wanted to do his best to console the marbled molly in any way possible.

Laying on the floor of his den, the large oriental tomcat stared up at the ceiling, lost in thoughts that made him feel like he was just drifting through that endless black void. There was a look of sorrow written across his expression as his partial gaze flickered around at invisible pictures that drew themselves on the walls of his empty, bare den. It made him feel sick and he felt like a heavy rock was just sitting in the base of his chest. Pikestar’s stomach groaned with a pain that he did little to soothe. Days seemed to pass them by in an endless session as they waited for things to get better, for the pain to stop and this awful dread in his soul to fade. By the moon, the least that Pikestar was asking for was for his body and mind to become used to it, numb even. But it never did. He still kept hurting, and he still kept feeling. How did other cats do it? Oh what the Lord of the Waters wouldn't do to know that freeing secret.

At the sound of a voice, Pikestar flinched with surprise as he was violently sent crashing back to the cold truth of reality. He then quickly sat up, brushing his big front paws over himself to make his fur look somewhat presentable. The familiar scent of Raccoonpelt wafted through his senses, accompanied by squirrel. "Yes, yes... Come in." He remarked, having his back somewhat facing his den's entrance, "What... do you need? Is everything alright?"

Lifting his head off his paws, the dark-furred tomcat’s partial gaze rested on the light cream-furred molly as she padded into his den. “Yes, Mossdew, what is it?” He meowed, easing himself quietly into a sitting position. The tall RiverClan leader wished cats would stop strolling into his personal space without being invited in, but Pikestar knew better than to complain over such a stupid thing, and kept his mouth firmly shut about that. Despite this, he tilted his head to the side with a curious twinkle in his one blue eye. “Is everything alright?” His bushy tail swished across the den floor behind him.

Slipping back through the many reeds that made up the camp’s entrance, the long-furred oriental longhair’s gaze soon caught the sight of young Mintpaw, who was standing in the mouth of his den. Pikestar breathed a short sigh and then padded over at a brisk canter, uttering a light 'mrrp' to alert her of his sudden presence. He had no intention of giving the white-and-gray molly an unnecessary scare. “Apologies for my absence, I was out doing a quick round of the borders.” Pikestar remarked casually, “Come inside.” With that, the RiverClan leader stepped past her and into the emptiness of his den.

Heading towards the back of his den, Pikestar turned swiftly on his paws and then sat down, facing Mintpaw with a neutral expression. "Now then," He said, lifting his right paw and drawing his tongue over it, "What is it you wish to talk to me about?" After saying that, the large oriental tomcat would quietly wash his face, smoothing down any unkept fur upon his head. It was important for Pikestar to do something when sitting completely still like this.