#Aldereyes

[residences-of-the-darkforest]

Better Leader (Sprouting Thorns bonus chapter)

Myrtlewing was a master at keeping his composure. 

If he had to act happy and respectful, he could do it while smiling ear-to-ear or bowing his head as low as the roots beneath the soil, no matter how viciously rage boiled in his lungs or in his limbs, begging him to scream, to slash, to do anything to release the quivering fury that was forced to keep hidden.

But now, as he collected burdock for Aldereyes’s wounds, he felt that wall that he was so good at keeping up began to slip.

He chewed the roots up with sharp bites, and Aldereyes flinched, though didn’t hiss, as he applied the meshy, stinging herbs into the wound on the side of Aldereyes’s neck.

“...and he called me a coward!” Aldereyes went on, claws working in and out of the ground in frustration.

Aldereyes had led a patrol near the Carrion Place, when one of the warriors–Echofoot–apparently got too close, and a group of rats jumped them. It was four cats against six rats, and in the fight, Aldereyes killed two of them.

Everyone else had killed one at most, but that didn’t matter to Aldereyes’s father. As far as Stormstar was concerned, Aldereyes ran away like a coward when a second wave of rats was coming for the group.

Myrtlewing resisted the urge to lash his tail at the memory.

—---------

“You just let them chase you away?” Stormstar had demanded after the patrol informed him of the attack.

“It wasn’t worth the risk,” Aldereyes responded, eyes unable to meet Stormstar’s.

“You don’t think protecting your Clanmates is worth the risk?” Stormstar’s voice had been loud, ringing out throughout the entire camp so not one of their Clanmates were unaware of the lecture. All eyes had been on the two cats–on Aldereyes as he was being yelled at.

“That’s not what I mean–”

“What if the rats kept chasing you?” Stormstar questioned. “You would have led them right to your vulnerable Clanmates. Maplefall is expecting, did you know that? What if they had bitten her? You would be responsible!”

Maplefall, in the watching crowd, gasped.

Aldereyes’s ears flattened. His head was ducked so far, his chin almost met his chest. 

Echofoot stepped forward. “He fought more bravely than any of us,” she told her leader nervously. 

But Stormstar wasn’t convinced. He sniffed disdainfully. “He killed two rats when, by your account, a total of over twenty attacked you. And I am meant to be pleased?” He glared at his son. “You weren’t a hero. You only did what you could without putting yourself in real danger so that no one would question it when you ran away like a kit. I expect more from my son. Get those scratches seen to, then make yourself useful, preferably something that will make up for your cowardice.”

—---------

“That was three days ago,” Myrtlewing responded to his friend, “and I still have to give you herbs for the wounds. Echofoot, Blazepad, and Mossflake were cleared two days ago.” His gaze locked with Aldereyes. “You are NOT a coward.”

Aldereyes’s muscles loosened, relaxing slightly, though his claws continued to work and his teeth clenched together so tightly, Myrtlewing thought that one would snap out and strike him in the eye. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing I do will convince Stormstar of my strength, or bravery, or….or anything that will make him proud of me.” 

“A father like him doesn’t deserve a son like you.”

Aldereyes snarled at nothing. “I do everything for him! I trained from dusk ‘til dawn and even at night, and I still train! I work patrol after patrol, catch more than any other warrior, I win more fights, I’ve been undefeated in training for moons! I’m the best warrior in this Clan, Stars, the best cat! But he still looks at me like I’m–...like he hates to call me his son.”

Myrtlewing couldn’t think of any comforting words, so he decided to speak his feelings. “He’s a vile mange-pelt,” he spat. “He’s probably bitter because he knows that he’s a leader, but his son, a warrior, is twice the cat that he’ll ever be. If anything, he’s the coward,” he went on when Aldereyes didn’t respond. “He goes on and on about fighting and protecting the Clan, but when was the last time he got his own paws dirty?”

Aldereyes bristled. “Because he’s the leader. He could flip a pebble and cats will call him great for it, but I’d have to move a boulder from here to Fourtrees to get a simple ‘good work’ from him.”

Myrtlewing nodded in agreeing anger. “He’s nothing without his title, and he knows it. Everyone knows it. That’s why he calls you a coward,” Myrtlewing realized. “And it’s why he does it in front of everyone–to make himself look better, and to make you look worse, so cats forget that his own son is a better warrior, a better cat, and a better leader than he’ll ever be. He should be proud. The fact that he’s not is on him, not you.”

Aldereyes stared, eyes wide. Then he cleared his throat and looked away. “I’m not a leader.”

Myrtlewing shrugged. “I’d still say you’d make a better one.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. Now, get out before you make the whole den stink!”

==================

@elementaldeityoffood Stormstar hater, he's some more fire for the flames!

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Leader and Healer

Base: F2U Line Art Bases [Warrior Cats] [Link Below] by SkylerStarling on DeviantArt

They were the ones the Clan trusted the most. No one suspected them, not even when so many Clanmates began to go missing or fell sick. They plagued ShadowClan for years, presenting as the saviours, the protectors, the friends.

But it was all just a game,

one they weren't quite done playing.

[unusual-realm]

Aldereyes

Specie: Dragon

Gender: Female (She/Her)

Abilities: Flight, Fire Breath

She lives in the Pits of Fire near the Vunoldrael Volcano

Dragons and Gryphons don't get along because of an old war and this applies to her as well.. She hates Apollonis and always argues when she's around

Aldereyes is very stubborn and has a bit of anger issues but she manages them very well, unlike Kentrel (skill issue)

Very loyal to her village and usually burns any intruder she sees so if i were you i'd keep my distance

Unlike what her rebel appearance makes you think she actually values rules a lot always tries not to break them (one thing her and Apollonis have in common)

[triggeredcollin-blog]

Brindlefeathers Path | 1

Brindlekit stepped proudly onto a shiny, smooth rock that allowed her brother and sister to stare up at her in awe. Her black striped tail waved in the cold air as frost formed beneath Alderkit's paws.        "Now! Sparkfeather," Brindlekit pointed her tail towards the orange kit, Sparkkit. She blinked at her with green eyes and her white and gray fur blew in the wind. "I want you to take Aldereye, Foxtail, and Wolfmaine to the border to check if there is any Darkclan warriors messing around with us." She demanded.        "Yes, Brindlestar!" Sparkkit nodded, bouncing away with Alderkit, Foxkit, and Wolfkit. Her pelt helped her hide with the snow, so she was the obvious one to choose.        But a gray tom loomed over the three kits. "Rawr! I'm A Darkclan warrior and you shall not pass!" the kits jumped on the light silver tom and pummeled him to the ground. He playfully fought with them and he shook his head. Brindlekit watched as her kin and her friends helped destroy Skytail.        He fell limp and The kittens looked proudly at their leader. "We did it!" Foxkit mewed, stumbling over to her. Sparkkit jumped up with enthusiasm, knocking over her poor brother Alderkit. He rolled in the snow and whimpered as the cold snow was all over his poor body. He sneezed and caught the attention of his mother, Violetpool.        She ran over to Alderkit and nosed him out of the snow. She picked him up, terrified if she was going to lose Alderkit like she lost her mate Tigerfoot. Oh, how much she missed him. She thought about him every night when she and her kits fell asleep.        Violetpool was worried for Alderkit because he was not really good with the snow. He always got sick in the snow and would stay in, but this day, Alderkit convinced her to let him play with his littermates.        She rushed to the medicine den and Brindlekit sighed, pawing at the snow. Skytail rolled over onto his stomach and looked at Violetpool bouncing away with Alderkit in her jaws.        "I wish Alderkit wasn't sick..." Brindlekit murmured sadly, her tail slumping onto the cold snow floor. She was covered in snow, making it almost impossible to see her body. She closed her eyes and felt her sister Sparkkit lie on top of her.        Violetpool came back from the medicine den to the other kits. "Alright, Sparkkit, Brindlekit, its time for a nap." She nuzzled them with her nose.  Brindlekit wobbled to the nursery, sudden pain in her leg. Sparkkit bounced and ran to the nursery.

       "Sparkkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sparkpaw. Your mentor will be Cloudfoot. I hope Cloudfoot will pass down all she knows on to you" Cloudstar announced the last kit. "Cloudfoot, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Tigerfoot, and you have shown yourself to be brave and strength. You will be the mentor of Sparkpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Sparkpaw."        Cloudfoot nodded and Sparkpaw went down to touch noses with her new mentor. "Sparkpaw! Alderpaw! Brindlepaw!" the clan shouted.        Violetpool sniffed and shouted their names the loudest. She felt a cold presence next to her. She turned and whimpered. The ghost of Tigerfoot was sitting next to her, putting his tail on hers. He felt proud of his kits. They grow up so fast. Too fast.        Brindlepaw limped over to Violetpool and licked her ear. Her mentor was the mentor she always wanted: Skytail. She was way to happy but she couldn't show it. She was swallowing back a yowl of happiness.        Alderpaw's mentor was an obvious rude one. Needlewhisker.        Brindlepaw thinks this is because Cloudstar wants to knock some sense into Alderpaw to make him stronger then being a weak, scrawny warrior. She looked over her shoulder to see Skytail waiting for her next to Cloudfoot. Their tails were intertwined and you can tell they were madly in love. Brindlepaw rolled her eyes in jealousy, but she still walked, well limped, over to Skytail.        The pain in her leg was getting worse and worse every day and she hated it. She never saw the medicine cat, but she will soon tell Leafwish. She couldn't stand it anymore. (no pun intended -Collin)        Sparkpaw gave Brindlepaw a smirk once she saw her face. She knew about her huge crush on her new mentor, Skytail.  "Wheres Alderpaw? Cant he come with us?" Sparkpaw looked at her mentor with wide eyes.        Cloudfoot shook her small head. "Sorry, but no Sparkpaw. Needlewhisker wants to train your brother alone." She looked at Skytail with worry planted on her face.        Skytail shook his head and smiled at her. "It'll be fine." He got up and nodded at Brindlepaw to let her know to follow him. Brindlepaw walked closer to her mentor than usual. Skytail felt his fur fluff up.        Cloudfoot and Sparkpaw went their separate ways which meant that Brindlepaw and Skytail were alone. Brindlepaw's fur heated up and laughs softly. "This is going to be interesting"

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Nine Reluctant Lives (final) (sprouting thorns)

Aldereyes could not hear the displeased murmurings that had been ringing quietly along the edge of every life he had so far been given. Now, there was no talking, no whistle of wind brushing his ears, not even blood pounding within his skull.

It was as if all was still–including his very heart, not falling to the pit of his stomach nor leaping into his throat, not melting with warmth or freezing with ice. It was as if he couldn’t feel anything at all, as if his brain didn’t have the capability of allowing him to look at who he was looking at and process how that would make him feel at the same time. It would be too much. It was too much.

So he was left looking at Sweettree, saying nothing, only gaping and staring like a fish flung onto the sandy shores of Riverclan.

Sweetree’s expression, however, was painfully clear. Her eyes shimmered with a sadness so powerful and deep that Aldereyes was sure that every cat in all five Clans could drown in them, and there would still be room left for the loners. Beneath them were bags so heavy her face drooped, coated in a fervid red like a fever. Her fur was a mess, flat against her frame in some places and sticking out randomly in others. Stars..she looked worse now than when she had died.

And Aldereyes is responsible for it.

The numbness thawed instantaneously, and as though there was the chill of a rainstorm over his head, Aldereyes felt droplets of coldness bury themselves beneath his aching skin, crawling beneath it like worms and inching toward his eyes, where they stung until they fell, soaking his cheeks. His stomach, on the other hand, was uncomfortably hot, and his gut felt as if it were being pulled and twisted. “Sweet-Sweettree!” He gasped, struggling to stand.

His mother stood there, whiskers away yet fields apart from him, saying nothing. Was she rejecting him? His own mother?

Did he deserve it?

An eternity passed, Aldereyes barely holding the strength to keep the wail of anguish from his throat any longer, when Sweettree stepped forward. She seemed hesitant, and Aldereyes couldn’t help but guess-almost feel as if he knew with certainty–that she didn’t want to so much as look at him, because he couldn’t be her son. Her precious kit. She didn’t want who he was anymore, no longer the kitten suckling at her belly or begging for a story, telling her while standing proudly on his small, stubby legs that he loved her and she was his best friend.

She didn’t want this monster.

Right now, he felt like the kit that she so desperately wanted, his own desperation and sorrow crashing through his entire body in endless waves, making his whole body shake and words quiver so much that they were almost incomprehensible. He remembered his mother and how much he missed her, but he had always pushed those memories to the back of his mind to avoid feeling them. Now, they were all around him. He could smell her milk, he could feel her warmth and the way she purred beside him, the way she pulled him close and licked his fur, even if he was already clean, because she just wanted to hold him while she still could. For a few heartbeats, he was that kit again. “M-Momma?” 

Sweettree’s eyes widened. She rushed forward so quickly, Aldereyes had no time to react. He stiffened in surprise when she buried her head into the side of his neck, then melted into the feeling, drinking in her scent as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “My precious son! I miss you so much! If only I had been there–I could have guided you–”

“No,” Aldereyes cut her off, forcing himself to focus on the reality of where he was, instead of the fantasy of the nursery from moons and moons ago. “You couldn’t have.” He frowned, chin trembling. “There’s a darkness in me, mom.”

Sweettree didn’t respond. She couldn’t deny it. She couldn’t agree. After several long heartbeats, she pulled away and faced him. “I love you, all the same. That will never stop, even if I hate what you have done.”

Aldereyes looked at his paws. How could he face his mother now?

“Look at me,” she told him, more firmly. He did so trepidatiously.

A fury began to burn in his mother’s irises. “I hate that you’re a killer. I hate that you’re a betrayer. I hate that you hurt cats that are kind to you, that trust you. I hate that you murder cats that don’t even know you. I hate the thoughts that you allow yourself to think. I hate that you let them control you. I hate what you let them do to my innocent little kit. But I can’t hate you. I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to. You’re still my kit, my precious golden star.”

A whimper escaped Aldereyes. He had forgotten his mother’s nickname for him.

His chest heaved when she pressed her nose gently against his head. He sniffed, hardly holding onto control and resisting the overwhelming need to let the sobs wracked his body. He dug his claws deep into the ground to steady himself. 

“With this life, I give you love. Please, please don’t let it lead you astray anymore.”

What did she mean by that?

Water slipped down Aldereyes’s throat, filling his lungs with a hot liquid that bubbled and buzzed within him. His paws tingled with a pleasant sensation that almost had him bouncing around the clearing. Then his spine stiffened, ice gripping the cartilage, spreading to his ribs and into the liquid like Riverclan in leaf-bare. No! No! He didn’t want the feeling to leave, but even so, he could feel the crackling tendrils spread deeper, and the warmth was completely gone.

Sweetree blinked at him solemnly. Then she raised her head. “Alderstar! Alderstar! Alderstar!”

Hers was the only voice throughout the clearing. If Aldereyes shut his eyes, he could have imagined her as a lone cat in a ravine, her words echoing off of the stones.

Everyone else sat in complete silence.

That was okay.

Sweettree’s voice was the only one he needed to hear.

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

SPROUTING THORNS TIMELINE

I haven't been paying full attention to the seasons and moon-paces of the chapters when I first started, but now the story is more important to me than the simple "background thing" it was before, so here is the official time + some edits that I had to make!

SEASON:

Greenleaf [Chapters Quiet Here--Clanmates] (Two moons, making the months most likely July--August, or possibly August--September)

Leaf-Fall [Chapters Clanmates--??]

BREAKS IN TIME:

After Myrtlewing meets Nightfly, half a moon passes and they meet again at the gathering. This is where Myrtlewing's plan starts its formation.

Another half-moon passes when the Half-moon meeting takes place, and Myrtlewing goes to WindClan to speak with Nightfly. This is also the same time Alder starts bonding with Hootpetal.

Another half-moon passes between this and when Myrtlewing kills Fleetsong.

Another half-moon passes after Alder discovers Myrtlewing's murders and commits his own. He has been avoiding him for this time before deciding that he had to see it for himself to stop his spiraling thoughts--when Maplefall interrupts them by giving birth.

There! That's the part I had to fix--Maple got pregnant just before Myrtle met Nightfly, and I realized that she gave birth too early, so I created longer gaps and one gap where there wasn't one before (but it still reads fine).

[Cats are pregnant for about two moons, and this is half+half+half+half=two full].

----

Alder "finding out" / thinking that Myrtle likes him romantically and also him realizing his own feelings occurs in the last half-moon.

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

On The Prowl

Base: FREE Warriors Lineart Pack 1 by LexisSketches on DeviantArt

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

A Dark Forest warrior and his mother: a story in three parts

Together in Sweet Innocence

"Swee'ree!" Alderkit called into the dark and gloomy den. He had had the nightmare again, of a two-headed beast chasing him through the trees. He had woken up just when their jaws had clamped shut around him.

He squirmed, reaching around in his nest, but found only empty space. His heart began to pound. Were those simply gaps in the walls of the den, or pairs of eyes staring him down, waiting for the perfect time to jump and devour him in one gulp?

Wailing in terror, he shuffled deep into his nest with his paws over his eyes. He felt weight shift beside him and began to cry out, then quickly realized that through the moss he could detect a familiar scent. He poked his head out.

Sweettree, his mother, lay next to him, her glazed eyes looking down endearingly. "That nightmare again?" she asked, resting her chin on her paws. Alderkit lifted himself and wobbled closer, so that he could press against her muzzle.

"Mmm-hmm." He nodded vigorously. "It ate me and I died!"

"You're not dead!" Hollykit cut in from the opposite side of the den. Bags hung under her eyes, it was clear that he had woken her. Shimmerstone began to hush her when, a rare sight, Sweettree curled her lip.

"I asked you to watch him."

Shimmerstone looked apologetic. "If your sickness is contagious...."

"That doesn't give you the right to neglect a crying kit to keep your own from catching a sniffle!" Sweettree snapped, then quickly flipped herself around so that her back was to Shimmerstone.

Shimmerstone sighed. "We all know by now it's not just a sniffle, Sweet."

What did that mean? A heavy stone dropped in Alderkit's belly. "Do you have greencough?" he asked his mother, voice trembling like a pond welcoming droplets. His ears flattened, as though it could block out any bad answer she could give and make it so that it couldn't be true.

Sweettree hesitated, and something flickered in her eyes. Alderkit hadn't noticed before how glossy they were, or how many lines she had under them. Her fur stuck out in random places–surely that was only because she had just been hunting?

She stretched her paws out and pulled him into an embrace, holding him against her throat and laying her chin over his body. He settled into it, breathing in her milky scent and sneezing when her fur brushed against his nose. His head began to slink downward, his eyes narrowing in exhaustion. The worry of having the nightmare again was distant. He didn't care what happened to him in sleep so long as his mother was here, holding him close.

Separation in Reunion

(Skipping previous stories that showed him receive his other lives)

Aldereyes could not hear the displeased murmurings that had been ringing quietly along the edge of every life he had so far been given. Now, there was no talking, no whistle of wind brushing his ears, not even blood pounding within his skull.

It was as if all was still–including his very heart, not falling to the pit of his stomach nor leaping into his throat, not melting with warmth or freezing with ice. It was as if he couldn’t feel anything at all, as if his brain didn’t have the capability of allowing him to look at who he was looking at and process how that would make him feel at the same time. It would be too much. It was too much.

So he was left looking at Sweettree, saying nothing, only gaping and staring like a fish flung onto the sandy shores of Riverclan.

Sweetree’s expression, however, was painfully clear. Her eyes shimmered with a sadness so powerful and deep that Aldereyes was sure that every cat in all five Clans could drown in them, and there would still be room left for the loners. Beneath them were bags so heavy her face drooped, coated in a fervid red like a fever. Her fur was a mess, flat against her fame in some places and sticking out randomly in others. Stars..she looked worse now than when she had died.

And Aldereyes is responsible for it.

The numbness thawed instantaneously, and as though there was the chill of a rainstorm over his head, Aldereyes felt droplets of coldness bury themselves beneath his aching skin, crawling beneath it like worms and inching toward his eyes, where they stung until they fell, soaking his cheeks. His stomach, on the other hand, was uncomfortably hot, and his gut felt as if it were being pulled and twisted. “Sweet-Sweettree!” He gasped, struggling to stand.

His mother stood there, whiskers away yet fields apart from him, saying nothing. Was she rejecting him? His own mother?

Did he deserve it?

An eternity passed, Aldereyes barely holding the strength to keep the wail of anguish from his throat any longer, when Sweettree stepped forward. She seemed hesitant, and Aldereyes couldn’t help but guess-almost feel as if he knew with certainty–that she didn’t want to so much as look at him, because he couldn’t be her son. Her precious kit. She didn’t want who he was anymore, no longer the kitten suckling at her belly or begging for a story, telling her while standing proudly on his small, stubby legs that he loved her and she was his best friend.

She didn’t want this monster.

Right now, he felt like the kit that she so desperately wanted, his own desperation and sorrow crashing through his entire body in endless waves, making his whole body shake and words quiver so much that they were almost incomprehensible. He remembered his mother and how much he missed her, but he had always pushed those memories to the back of his mind to avoid feeling them. Now, they were all around him. He could smell her milk, he could feel her warmth and the way she purred beside him, the way she pulled him close and licked his fur, even if he was already clean, because she just wanted to hold him while she still could. For a few heartbeats, he was that kit again. “M-Momma?” 

Sweettree’s eyes widened. She rushed forward so quickly, Aldereyes had no time to react. He stiffened in surprise when she buried her head into the side of his neck, then melted into the feeling, drinking in her scent as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “My precious son! I miss you so much! If only I had been there–I could have guided you–”

“No,” Aldereyes cut her off, forcing himself to focus on the reality of where he was, instead of the fantasy of the nursery from moons and moons ago. “You couldn’t have.” He frowned, chip trembling. “There’s a darkness in me, mom.”

Sweettree didn’t respond. She couldn’t deny it. She couldn’t agree. After several long heartbeats, she pulled away and faced him. “I love you, all the same. That will never stop, even if I hate what you have done.”

Aldereyes looked at his paws. How could he face his mother now?

“Look at me,” she told him, more firmly. He did so trepidatiously.

A fury began to burn in his mother’s irises. “I hate that you’re a killer. I hate that you’re a betrayer. I hate that you hurt cats that are kind to you, that trust you. I hate that you murder cats that don’t even know you. I hate the thoughts that you allow yourself to think. I hate that you let them control you. I hate what you let them do to my innocent little kit. But I can’t hate you. I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to. You’re still my kit, my precious golden star.”

A whimper escaped Aldereyes. He had forgotten his mother’s nickname for him.

His chest heaved when she pressed her nose gently against his head. He sniffed, hardly holding onto control and resisting the overwhelming need to let the sobs wracked his body. He dug his claws deep into the ground to steady himself. 

“With this life, I give you love. Please, please don’t let it lead you astray anymore.”

What did she mean by that?

Water slipped down Aldereyes’s throat, filling his lungs with a hot liquid that bubbled and buzzed within him. His paws tingled with a pleasant sensation that almost had him bouncing around the clearing. Then his spine stiffened, ice gripping the cartilage, spreading to his ribs and into the liquid like Riverclan in leaf-bare. No! No! He didn’t want the feeling to leave, but even so, he could feel the crackling tendrils spread deeper, and the warmth was completely gone.

Sweetree blinked at him solemnly. Then she raised her head. “Alderstar! Alderstar! Alderstar!”

Hers was the only voice throughout the clearing. If Aldereyes shut his eyes, he could have imagined her as a lone cat in a ravine, her words echoing off of the stones.

Everyone else sat in complete silence.

That was okay.

Sweettree’s voice was the only one he needed to hear.

Apart for Eternity

The sound of grass rustling made Alderstar's ears swivel, but he didn't move his gaze. "I want to be alone," he told whoever was there.

"What are you doing?" came a young–and slightly familiar–voice. Alderstar turned his head and saw Perchpaw staring at him curiously. Alderstar was glad to see that he wasn't as wary as before, though by his stance, that wasn't completely gone. It had been about half a moon since he had first met the 'paw, but they haven't spoken much. That mostly went to Hootpetal, who was much better with the whole 'talking' business.

"Waiting."

His mate must've put in a good word for him, because Perchpaw padded forward until he was standing next to where Alderstar was seated, only a small, almost unnoticeable trace of trepidation in his pricked fur. The apprentice looked around them. "Waiting for who?"

"Does that matter?" Alderstar bristled, then quickly forced his fur to lie flat.

Perchpaw tilted his head at the sight ahead of them. "Isn't that the border?" He blinked at a white, blinding light dancing like smoke in a far clearing, far enough from them so that it didn't hurt their eyes too much.

"Yes."

Perchpaw sat. "Are you meeting with a Starclan cat?"

Alderstar noticed he still kept his distance. He debated on how honest he should be with the young tom. On one side, he didn't like others knowing his vulnerabilities, his softness. On the other, it would be a good way to get Perchpaw to open up to him. For Hootpetal's sake. "No. She won't come."

"She?" Alderstar felt eyes on him. He suddenly felt small, even though the cat he was talking to reached his shoulder.

The only cats he ever admitted this to were his mates and Grousemane. Not even Magpiepaw or Stonepaw knew. He didn't want the pity of someone else. But this wasn't about pity, so he forced through his teeth, "my mother."

There was a silent pause. Perchpaw shuffled his paws. "Does she not like you?" he asked at last.

Alderstar couldn't hold back a hiss. "She loved me very much!"

Then, seeing Perchpaw's wide eyes, he let out a long breath, all the air he could exhale leaving his body until he just wanted to sit back and wait for it to build again. "At least for the small time she knew me. I don't know how she feels now, but I don't think she would be very proud." He felt a twinge when he recalled his nine lives ceremony, and the pain in Sweettree's eyes when she looked at him.

More painfully, he remembered his death–or deaths, rather. He had heard a voice then, soothing, and a body around his. He wasn't sure if it had really been Sweettree comforting him in his final moments, or if it had just been his imagination after so much blood loss.

He didn't regret what he did. He didn't think he ever will. But that doesn't mean he can't feel sorry that his mother had to watch him do all that he did.

"Why did she only know you for a short time?" Perchpaw's ears lowered. "Did she not want to feed you?"

"She was a wonderful mother," Alderstar answered quickly, again forcing the anger from his voice. Why do young cats always ask so many questions? "But she died while I was still young."

"Who took care of you after that?"

Alderstar was surprised at that question. "No one."

"So you were alone?" Perchpaw's questions were falling quiet.

"For some time," Alderstar told him.

Silence fell over them again. Alderstar returned his attention to the bright mist ahead, eyes narrowed against its brightness. Then he stiffened when he felt a body press against his side. Not wanting to move in fear of frightening the apprentice away, he glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Perchpaw still sitting next to him, only much, much closer. His gaze was, like Alderstar's had been, ahead and on the border.

"Can I wait with you?"

Alderstar relaxed. Slowly, he laid his tail so that it lay half-wrapped around Perchpaw, not constricting, and only noticeable if he paid attention to it. "Sure."

==================

Some of the stories are old so excuse writing mistakes lol

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Clanmates (Sprouting Thorns)

Dusk cast long shadows across the camp, painting the forest in criss-crossing darkness. The leaves of the few non-pine trees in ShadowClan’s territory were beginning to lose their bright colour, dotting the sky with yellow-orange spots. 

The sun ducked behind their shelter, giving a bite to the already cold air. Cats still mingled in the clearing, though they kept to where the shadows didn’t touch. Aldereyes, however, kept himself hidden in the darkest corner he could find. A mouse lay untouched between his paws. His attention was on his Clanmates.

He had been so quick to fret and panic about Myrtlewing’s betrayal as well as his own. Yes, he spent what felt like a moon in his own head with one-thousand thoughts a second, wondering why Myrtlewing, his most trusted Clanmate, best friend, and…possible mate?--He still wasn’t clear on that–would do something so horrid and wrong. Now, he began to ask himself another question:

Why was it horrid and wrong?

Aldereyes had been so quick to believe so. After all, it is what he has been taught since he was a kit: the life of the Clan is more important than the individual, never harm another Clanmate, do not take a life you don’t need to.

Everyone knew those things, everyone lived by them. In the humming chattering of the nearing night, he wondered if it was truly how he felt. Did he believe it was wrong? Did he believe it was horrid? Or are those just things that have been shoved into his head for so long by Stormstar, because his father couldn’t have anything less than a son who followed the code with everything in him?

But of course he knew murder was horrid, of course he knew betrayal was wrong. 

But did he care?

Clanmates…just the word had always felt so important to him. It wasn’t just a word though, was it? They were just cats, and what have they ever done for him?

The bitter wind swept through his fur and to the pit of his belly. The air reminded him of the freezing nights many moons ago, when he had been a crying kit alone in the nursery with a dead mother. Did anyone console him? Did anyone visit him? Not even his sister or her mother, who were in the same den said anything soothing, for StarClan’s sake! 

He remembered, now that his mind was consumed with it, getting sick and having to spend time in the medicine den. He remembered his racing heart, fearing that he would die just like his mother, the last cat that had ever cared about him before Myrtlewing.

He tried to recall if Stormstar visited him then. He thinks so, but his mind there is hazy, and he cannot be sure if it is only wishful thinking that he remembers it.

Now that poor excuse of a father has the gall to control Aldereyes’s every move? If Stormstar’s image was so important to him, why didn’t he bother visiting his half-orphaned son?

Was Alderkit not important enough?

His burning gaze swept the clearing. I was never important enough for any of you! They wouldn’t have even cared if he had died back then, would they? They wouldn’t even care now. One day of mourning and then they move on with their lives as if nothing had ever happened. 

All his life living by the code, following his father’s every wish, doing everything he could to be a model Clanmate, for what? To live, die, and be forgotten by cats that didn’t care enough  to stop him from freezing to death as a helpless kit?

Why should I care about them if they die, then? Why does their life have so much more value than mine?

Something hot dripped along his shoulders, slinking like worms through his skin and pounding against his chest. It was like rage, but much more pleasing. Aldereyes would learn moons later that it was the first feeling of a thrill. The first real blood-rush beginning to make its presence known as he gazed around his clueless, precious Clanmates. 

They had spent all his life treating him as just another Clanmate, just another mouth to feed, just another cat to give an empty compliment to for work well done. 

He was unimportant to them. 

He was nothing for them. 

Now, their selfishness would be their downfall. They have spent so long ignoring Aldereyes that they wouldn’t be able to tell his thoughts, to name his expressions, to see what he is planning. 

For once, Aldereyes didn’t feel bad at all.

==================

--We've already caught a glimpse of it, but now Aldereyes's dark side is really starting to come out.

--Aldereyes and Hootpetal ARE somewhat friends at this point, but Alder's focus is currently on everything negative.

--It was noted in previous chapters, but Alder's Clanmates DO notice him. He's well-known as the best fighter in the Clan, possibly hunter too, but anything they say doesn't mean much to him, because you say "great catch!" to everyone. There's nothing more to it, nothing more personal.

That's what Alder means when he thinks that he's unimportant to them--he's just another Clanmate that could easily be replaced.

That's also why he and Myrtle became friends in the first place: he felt like Myrtle actually saw him.

Taglist: @ambitiousauthor @wills-woodland-warriors @starfalcon555 @umbranoxs @elementaldeityoffood @liberhoe

@frightnightindustries

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

After His Father (short story)

Stormstar’s steps were hard and his legs rigid all through his walk to Fourtrees. His anger only flared up more like a lost ember meeting a dry log when he spotted Tunastream sitting calmly in the center of the clearing, her tail wrapped neatly around her paws.

“Are you an idiot?” He demanded her, before leaping down the slope and snarling a whisker from her face. 

Tunastream rolled her eyes. “It’s been seven moons since we met up together, and that’s how you say hi to me?”

“Do you want me to get caught?” Stormstar pressed, pacing to and fro, shoulder blades itchy with the heat of rage. He thought of the gathering the night before, when that new Riverclan apprentice was introduced to the Clans. Stormstar tried then not to let his rage show, now he allowed it to burst forth.

“Whatever do you mean?” Tunastream tilted her head innocently. 

Stormstar lunged forth, stopping mere inches short of sinking his teeth into her muzzle. Tunastream’s only reaction was to give Stormstar a hard stare as she said, “forgive me for wanting to name my son after his father.”

“He’s not my son!”

“Really?” Tunastream pulled back. “Could have had me fooled, considering I birthed him and all. Oh, and the fact that he’s the spitting image of you.”

“Which brings me to conclude you as a complete idiot!” Stormstar’s voice was low, growing to a shout as he spoke. “He already looks like me, and now you’re naming him ‘Storm’paw? The way the other leaders looked at me! You completely undermined my authority.”

Tunastream bared her teeth. “You heartless–”

Stormstar swung his claws at her, smacking her face so hard her whole body followed, laying on the ground with the air knocked out of her. “I will not have my leadership questioned because of your pettiness!” He sunk his claws deeper into her cheek.

Tunastream’s head twisted with a snap. In an instant, her teeth were wrapped around Stormstar’s leg and pulling him to the ground. She was on him before he could realize what was happening, glaring slits right through him. “If that’s all you can care to think about after seeing your son for the first time,” she hissed, trembling, before whirling and padding away, “then I’m glad we broke this off. Stay away from me, and stay away from Stormpaw. You’re right, you’re no father of his.”

Stormstar growled a response, but couldn’t formulate one through words before Tunastream disappeared among the undergrowth. He had half the mind to chase her down and teach her what it meant to toss him around. But rumours were already spreading because of her stunt, he couldn’t risk being seen hurting her the night after it all started. He was a leader, too. His priority was his Clan. 

But the red remained tickling his vision and sliding across his mind. It sparked up when he noticed his Clanmates watching him and whispering, when he heard them talk about ‘Stormpaw,’ and it sparked when Maplefall told him that his son–actual son–Aldereyes, had conversed with some Thunderclan apprentices, whos mentors happened to be other mistakes of his.

He would have to have a talk with his kit, and make sure no interaction between him and that Clan–or any Clan–would continue.

=============================

--Surprise prequeal!

--@elementaldeityoffood​

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Where Have You Been (Sprouting Thorns -- short story)

“Where in Starclan’s name have you been?”

Aldereyes had little time to accept the decision he had made before he slipped through the entrance to the camp and was immediately greeted by his father’s yellow fangs.

His gaze darted around the camp, expecting to find dens pulled apart to simple twigs and blood and injured warriors littering the ground, but nothing seemed amiss. Why was his father so upset if no one had attacked? His heart fell for a moment, but he calmed himself. There was no way Stormstar could know what he had d–what he had let be done.

He opened his mouth to say something, Myrtlewing visibly holding back a snarl beside him, when Hootpetal spoke up. She moved through the gathering cats and stood in front of Aldereyes, facing his father. “They went to seek guidance from Starclan,” she told him. Her chin was lifted, though her eyes quivered.

Aldereyes was grateful for her quick thinking and help, and if his father wasn’t still spiking up his fur, he would have purred. 

Stormstar looked at her for only a moment before focusing his anger right back on his son. “I did not tell you to go to the Moonstone. You should have stayed here, protecting your Clan from invaders.”

Part of Aldereyes wanted to snap right back at his father. A bigger part, the little kit inside of him, looked down at his paws. 

But Hootpetal wasn’t having that. “What better way to protect one’s Clan than with Starclan’s guidance, Stormstar?” she challenged. “Myrtlewing wanted to hear what advice Starclan could give him about this war with Windclan. Aldereyes went with him as backup. The woods outside of the territory are dangerous, especially nowadays, and we can’t afford to lose our only medicine cat.”

Aldereyes realized suddenly that she was right. With everything he had thought and pondered through, he had never considered that if he had told the Clan, they would become vulnerable to illness and infection. Would having no medicine cat be better than a killer medicine cat? 

That didn’t matter anyway–he had already made his choice. Besides, at least now he could try to….direct some of Myrtlewing’s targets. 

His mind refocused and he blinked at Stormstar’s blazing orange eyes. He flinched, thinking for a heartbeat that his father had seen his thoughts and was about to tear him apart for daring to consider hurting his Clanmates.

Then he noticed Stormstar’s twitching lip and flicking tail. “And did you find anything?” He asked Myrtlewing.

Myrtlewing shook his head. “Nothing helpful, I’m afraid. The Stars usually expect us to figure this sort of thing out on our own.”

“A waste of time, then,” Stormstar grumbled.

“Yes,” Myrtlewing replied. Aldereyes could almost hear his next thoughts, ‘like your breath.’

Stormstar began to turn away. “Next time, tell your leader before you leave the camp.”

“I didn’t think it could wait,” Myrtlewing told him.

Stormstar’s only response then was a huff.

Aldereyes waited until he and the other warriors were well out of earshot before facing Hootpetal. “That was quick thinking!” He purred. “Thank you.”

“Don’t make me face him like that again.” Hootpetal exaggerated a shiver. “Sheesh!”

Aldereyes smiled at her. She reflected it back, a twinkle in her eyes. “Well, what were you two doing away from the camp anyway?” She stuck out a toe on her forepaw, pointing it to Aldereyes, Myrtlewing, and then back again. 

“Looking for more herbs,” Myrtlewing told her simply. He looked suddenly tired of the conversation. He began to pad away, almost muttering a “nothing good” over his shoulder.

Aldereyes watched him go, unsure what had suddenly caused his sour mood–he was mad at Stormstar, but normally it dissipated the second the grey-and-white tom finished speaking. 

“Maybe,” Hootpetal began. Her voice was smaller now. Had she moved farther away? “Next time you leave the territory, I could go with you?”

Aldereyes grinned. “Sure! Uhm. But maybe not outside the territory.” He didn’t want his father to yell at him in front of everyone again. More than that, he didn’t want Hootpetal to witness what he had, nor feel for him what he had felt for Myrtlewing when he had seen Waspbeak’s limp body. 

Hootpetal chuckled. “Good call. Maybe just….out in the woods?”

“Yeah. Out in the woods sounds fine.”

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Doubts and Confusion (short story)

“I’m reading into this, aren’t I?” Myrtlewing asked, his tail sweeping across the den floor as an attempt to alleviate his thoughts, that hadn’t stopped racing since Aldereyes licked his head earlier that day. It was night now, with the only sound being the distant chirps of crickets and croaks of frogs. 

Well, there was a closer sound. Hickoryskip was gasping, little more than silent wheezes. Myrtlewing lay roughly a tail-length from where he was struggling to breath. His mentor had retired long ago. It hadn’t even been Myrtlewing's doing!--though if he had been in position longer, it probably would have been. It had made Myrtlewing’s….activities help go unnoticed. Afterall, it was hard enough to believe one’s medicine cat could hurt their Clanmates, but that his mentor never noticed? Impossible!

If Myrtlewing ever ‘needed help’ healing a Clanmate, he would seek Hickoryskip’s advice, and in doing so strengthened the trust his mentor had in him. Then, if anyone would inquire into Myrtlewing’s hobbies, old Hickoryskip could vouch for him.

But again, Hickoryskip had retired long ago, meaning that Myrtlewing had been in his Clanmates’ deepest trust for just as long. He didn’t need the old tom anymore, so there was no point in saving him now as he choked on simple herbs. There was also the matter of Hickoryskip’s own mentor, Gorsedaisy, but no one really listened to her these days anyway.

“Grooming is commoner than purring! It’s a whole part of the day even. But this was different, wasn’t it? It wasn’t settling down and sharing tongues. It was a quick thing, and the way he left was so strange. Like something awkward had just happened. What do you think?”

Hickoryskip only stared at him from wide, blood-shot eyes and gasped some more.

“Hmm,” Myrtlewing responded. “It’s not like I’m afraid to ask him. But he’s the only cat in this whole Clan actually worth caring for. I don’t want to risk losing my only source of enjoyment outside of killing. There must be some other way to know for sure that he meant it in a…non-platonic way. But how?” He sighed. At the same time, Hickoryskip stilled, slumping against the floor. “I guess I’ll just have to pay attention to his next move.”

Then he stood and le let out a panicked yowl.

—--------------------------------

Initially, Aldereyes wasn’t sure why he had licked Myrtlewing, or what his reaction meant to himself. But when it came to two things: not being with Myrtlewing romantically and the opposing choice, he relied on his body’s reaction, seeing as his thoughts could not make up their mind.

When he thought of the former, his chest felt cold, like his heart was bleeding freezing water, while his gut constricted as though it had been hit. The latter made him feel warm, buzzing energy flowing through his every muscle. It still felt like an odd choice to make, but it was a choice he was going to make: he would be with Myrtlewing. 

As soon as he made that choice, doubts began to creep in. This time, it was not of his own reaction, but of Myrtlewing’s. What if he really had just meant the flower as a ‘gesture’ of some sort that wasn’t romantic? The seconds Aldereyes allowed himself to gauge Myrtlewing’s reaction after licking the fur between his ears had shown him that Myrtlewing was surprised. But that didn’t necessarily mean the approach was unwanted, only unexpected.

So he had to let Myrtlewing know that he reciprocated his feelings, but not enough so that if he was wrong he embarrassed himself and, worse, damaged the relationship they already had going on. Myrtlewing was the only one in the Clan that seemed to really see Aldereyes as who he was, and not just as another Clanmate you’re inherently supposed to bond with. The only exception might be Hootpetal, but that was way too early to say.

The obvious would be nicknames. Now that he and Myrtlewing were–possibly–courting, he couldn’t call the medicine cat an idiot anymore. Not all the time, at least. It wouldn’t be right. 

He also couldn’t refer to Myrtlewing as ‘sweetheart,’ ‘darling,’ or something of the like. No, he had to find something else. Something affectionate, but also not necessarily romantic–in case Myrtlewing didn’t want to be such or to avoid some of their Clanmates from bothering them about their relationship. A second buzz of excitement whirled through Aldereyes at the idea of their bond being secret, though he wasn’t quite sure why. He assumed it was the same reason apprentices sneak out at night, the idea of doing something looked down on and not getting caught fun. 

But that could wait for another time. Now he had to decide on a nickname. Myrtlewing….myrtle was a tree….Tree? Aldereyes shivered. Nope, too close to his mother’s name, too weird….Wing……..Birds have wings….Bird? 

He imagined himself saying it. ‘Hey, Bird.’ ‘How’s the Bird feeling?’ and, when and if their relationship becomes surer, he could potentially add ‘my.’ ‘My bird, join me for a hunt!’ 

At the back of his mind, a happy swirl warmed him some more. He wasn’t very conscious of it, but the idea of calling Myrtlewing ‘my,’ of the tom belonging to him in a way that was permissive and trustful over possessive, deepened his resolve to reciprocate the feelings.

Yes! That is what he will use. 

Then a panicked yowl sounded from the medicine den.

============================

--Reading can mean different things, so for this case let’s assume Myrtle means it as ‘watching something carefully’ and not the human action of it.

--Their Clanmates might look down on the relationship because Myrtle is a med cat, not because they’re both toms.

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

ShadowClan leaders

This time I used different artist refs since it's pretty hard to find free bases of more than three cats. Alder is probably the most noticeable. (Artists will be linked at the bottom of the post). Again, this is NOT to scale.

==========

--Flowerstar is the only she-cat seen in the line-up!

--The leader before Cuckoostar is known. They are Hailstar, related (littermates, I believe) to ThunderClan's own Hailstar.

==========

--First we have Cuckoostar! He was the leader during Gorsedaisy's Nightmare. He was friends, though not close friends, with Stormfleck, who succeeded him.

--Stormstar chose his son, Aldereyes, to succeed him, because no one else but his own blood was good enough. He didn't appoint his daughter, Hollyclaw, because their relationship was too far tainted by his abusive training, and he figured his son would be easier to mold into the leader that Storm wanted.

Storm was killed by Alder during a harsh storm.

--Alderstar did not choose Rainstar as his successor. Rather, his deputy was Hootpetal. But after both Alderstar and Myrtlewing were revealed to be serial killers, Hootpetal couldn't stand staying home, and left the territories.

Rainbur was chosen by Starclan after a prophecy was sent to WindClan's medicine cat, Houndpaw/hare.

Rainstar's first choice of deputy is currently not known, but they had either died or retired before taking the leader position. The one who did succeed him was Snowstar, his grandson (son to Runningcloud and Silverwhisker).

--Snowstar is a canon character who died of greencough.

--Snowstar's deputy also passed due to greencough, causing the medicine cat, Redscar, to choose Flowerstem, his cousin, as the next leader, faking a sign.

Flowerstar is the kit of Birdsun and Elderchirp. Redscar is the son of Lionfeather and Grassbloom.

--------

Bonus-- if we take the Curse of The Roots idea, Flowerstar was the one to kill Snowstar and Snowstar's deputy, Brightwhisker. However, she is seen in Starclan (gave Tigerstar a life), so if this is true, she was likely an amazing leader and made up for it with the way she lead her Clan.

Artists:

Alderstar, Flowerstar and Rainstar's bases are by Spadecraftt

Cuckoostar, Stormstar, and Snowstar's bases are by PineappleJuicyfruit

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Remember how I said that Myrtle and Hoot were the first and only to really see Alder and be there for him more than just another Clanmate?

he's a kit asking the mom of another kit if she can play. She also happens to be his half-sister. But Shimmerstone was worried that Sweettree's sickness spread to her kit and didn't want Alderkit infecting her daughter.

2. Holly is a bit older, and became an apprentice first. Having Storm as her mentor, he trained her long and hard, so she didn't have much of any time for her brother, even if she wanted t play with him.

3. The rest of the kits were too young to play the games Alder wanted to, so he looked to the other cats closer to his age--but they were apprentices that didn't want to deal with him.

4. ?? You're pick.

(I was originally gonna do kit Alder crying alone in the nursery, but didn't notice the base for it was a p2u).

--

@ambitiousauthor @starfalcon555 @wills-woodland-warriors @elementaldeityoffood @umbranoxs

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Aldereyes/star: MYRTLEWING LIKES ME?? NO WAY WE’RE JUST FRIENDS ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AND OH I CAN’T BELIEVE MYRTLEWING IS A MURDERER! OR THAT HE LIKES ME--ROMANTICALLY! WE’RE JUST FRIENDS BUT NOW WE CAN’T BE BECAUSE APPARENTLY HE’S A DERANGED KILLER HE’S LITTERALLY A MONSTER HOW CAN HE FEEL LOVE ANYWAY

Aldereyes/star some time later, to Myrtlewing: babe, watch this! *punches through a cat’s throat* :D

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Father’s Wrath (short story)

Aldereyes didn't want to cower like some kit, but in the midst of his father's rage, his eyes searched the ground and his shoulders slumped as though they were trying to sink into it.

"What kind of warrior are you?" Stormstar was spitting, switching between looming over his son and pacing angrily, never removing his glare.

"They were just foolish young warriors, no older than apprentices," Aldereyes defended himself. He had been on a border patrol when they had spotted two Thunderclan cats on their side of the territory. It had clearly been an accident, Aldereyes had seen that they were engrossed in a game and hadn't noticed when they crossed the Thunderpath. The moment the patrol caught them, they apologized profusely, seeming tremendously embarrassed. Aldereyes had let them go without punishment, something Maplefall decided to report to his father, who was now chewing him out beneath the pines.

"Young cats are impressionable," Stormstar practically shouted. "You just let them know that they can come into our territory with no consequences. What if they had told their Clan?"

"What did you want me to do?" Aldereyes met his father's glare. "Claw up some kits for a mistake? If it happens again, I'll do something."

Stormstar bristled. "They shouldn't so much as consider stepping foot over our border again. It's not a choice, but you let them think it was!"

Aldereyes gulped down a hiss of frustration. He knew that there was no arguing with his father. He just had to make it seem like he understood. "They'll learn differently," he promised. "I won't make the same mistake again."

Stormstar sneered, but his eyes flickered with approval. "Better not," he said, before walking proudly back to camp, head high and steps hard.

Aldereyes waited a while before following. He slipped through the entrance quietly, ignoring his Clanmates–aside from Maplefall, who he glared at–and made his way through the fern tunnel of the medicine den.

It took only one short glance for Myrtlewing to see what was wrong. "Your father?"

Away from Stormstar's watchful gaze, Aldereyes allowed his anger to explode. "I'm suddenly a terrible warrior because I didn't beat up two apprentices!" He kicked a pebble across the den.

Myrtlewing's quizzical look followed it, then returned to Aldereyes.

"Two young Thunderclan cats crossed the border. I let them leave with a warning, and apparently that wasn't enough to protect the Clan from future Thunderclan invasions!" He collapsed into the nest he often used, clawing at the edges.

"I don't see how."

Aldereyes sighed. "Of course you don't, you're a medicine cat. And an idiot. It made it seem like we're not willing to fight."

"Against two kits?"

"Against Thunderclan."

Myrtlewing's eyes narrowed, as though the entire conversation was stupid. "Stormstar believes that two apprentices who probably snuck out or away from their mentors will tell their entire Clan and leader that they crossed an enemy's borders?"

The crease on Aldereyes's brows began to ease. It was stupid, wasn't it?

"And," Myrtlewing went on, "if they did, Thunderclan would want to attack us for letting their kits go without causing unnecessary harm?"

Aldereyes paused, then let his head fall into the scattered moss. "Amazing points I could've used earlier." He knew he made it sound like it was Myrtlewing's fault for not being there, even though it was unintentional.

Myrtlewing only smiled. He turned around and into a corner, then returned with two newts, dropping one at Aldereyes's paws. When Aldereyes looked surprised, he said, with a shrug, "figured you were coming over."

Aldereyes took a ravenous bite while Myrtlewing took smaller nips on the ground beside his nest. As Aldereyes began to relax, he felt his anger shift onto someone else. "Maplefall's the one who told him. Starclan-cursed loudmouth."

Myrtlewing's attention flicked through the fern tunnel, where just barely he could see Maplefall licking her paw to run it over her head. He sneered. "Maplefall should learn to keep her mouth shut."

Aldereyes nodded his agreement, chewing at the newt's side. He didn't notice the way Myrtlewing's smile had changed, or the odd shadow that now cloaked his features.

===================

It was written a bit ago, so here’s the story to go with it!