A/N: For all the Warrior Cats fans, who is in the picture above?

*****Goldenclaw's POV*****

Goldenclaw narrowly dodges a swipe to the ear, his head jerking back just in the nick of time. Leaf fall is set in motion now so even the Sandy Hollow is covered in piles of leaves. He and Violetpaw had moved them before they'd starting training.

The companions they'd brought along were sitting off to the side. Comfreyleaf's kits are underneath one of the beech trees in the hollow, watching with rapt attention as the mentor and apprentice trained.

Sandkit, Cloudkit and Tumblekit were not much in the way of helpful back when they were clearing out piles of brittle leaves. Sandkit had been too busy pouncing on the dead foliage, and if not for her wriggling body he might have mistaken her for a leaf. Tumblekit and Cloudkit are much easier to find, though he supposes that will change for the white tom kit especially when leaf bare comes to blanket the forest floor in snow.

"Go Goldenclaw!" Cloudkit and Sandkit's squeaky voices chorused.

"Go Violetpaw!" Tumblekit cheers.

Goldenclaw shoots a playful look at his apprentice. "Looks like they like me more." He says with a grin.

"That's because you let them go out of camp. You spoil them." Violetpaw points out with a huff.

The tortoiseshell she-cat is practicing quick jab moves today per her mentor's request. Goldenclaw is impressed by how fast the apprentice is learning, her aptitude for warrior skills not dissimilar to a certain she-cat he likes. No no no it should be liked.

Goldenclaw could not bring himself to say he doesn't like Sparkpaw. Saying such an untruth would only serve to twist his stomach in knots and make his heartache. He had thought that with distance from the fiery she-cat he would be capable to forget her for the time being, but he was wrong.

The heart really does grow fonder in abstinence.

So much had been going on lately, and yet the golden tabby still found himself yearning for Sparkpaw. If he wasn't thinking of her during the day then he was dreaming of her in the night. This should be disconcerting, but Goldenclaw just ends up finding it comforting.

He misses Sparkpaw just as he misses Arrowheart, though at least the runs connecting him to his adoptive brother allowed him to know they're alright. Arrowheart wouldn't let anything happen to Sparkpaw, he'd let himself get hurt before that happened. He had been feeling a bit
off this afternoon however, as though some part of him was upset for no apparent reason.

It must be from our bond, though I don't know if it's because Arrowheart is grumpy or not feeling well. Navigating the parabatai bond is an interesting debacle, like two cats trying to do charades at the same time in a weird game.

Feelings and emotions would come and go as they pleased in what felt like a wild gust of wind. Goldenclaw suspects that this emotional maelstrom is even worse for Arrowheart, as the golden warrior often displays his emotions more openly. Luckily, his brother doesn't mind, instead taking it in stride.

But that's a part of what being parabatai is all about.

Goldenclaw and Arrowheart are already so in sync with each other, so he suspects it's only going to be a matter of time before they grow accustomed to it. With Arrowheart out on a quest however, that accustoming has been put on hold until the black tom returns.

Hopefully that's soon, there is so much I have to tell him. Who knows how Arrowheart will react to the news of Frostfang attacking the Silent Brothers, or Vultureclaw's squandering of the approachability of Blossomstar in camp. And what about my powers? How will he feel about me making such huge leaps?

These things Goldenclaw did not have an answer for.

"Hahaha got you!" Violetpaw yowls triumphantly as she knocks his hind legs out from under him with one solid swipe. Goldenclaw lands on his stomach with an oomf. The golden tabby warrior hadn't realized he lost focus of the match, to trained on his own thoughts.

"Aww." Sandkit groans. "I wanted him to win!"

"Me too!" Cloudkit squeaks. The little white fluff ball leaps on top of Goldenclaw, nipping at his neck fur with small teeth. The feeling was only a tiny bit painful, and was ticklish. "Why. Didn't. You. Win?" He says between nips.

"Well I'm glad Violetpaw won." Tumblekit says loyally.

Violetpaw blinks happily at the young tom kit. The two were surprisingly close despite their age difference, and Goldenclaw wonders if they could be mates someday. Then again, he wasn't the best judge of mates so far, what with liking his apparent sister and all.

And then there's Arrowheart who I thought would be with Dawnpaw....and now she's a Medicine cat. I wonder who my parabatai will end up with now. He tries to think of a good she-cat for his brother to be mates with....and ends up coming up surprisingly blank. Well, blank might not exactly be the right word here. One cat does pop into Goldenclaw's mind, oddly enough though he isn't sure why.

Patchfur.

Arrowheart and Patchfur had been spending a lot of time together in the past few moons. Goldenclaw had thought his parabatai's obsession over the former MagicClan tom was a bit strange, though he wasn't about to question it right to the tall black tom's face. He trusted Arrowheart to make the right decisions.

Just as he trusts me to keep an eye on Vultureclaw while he's gone. Still, Patchfur also took a liking to Arrowheart too, the closeness of the pair was something Goldenclaw was unsure as to whether or not he would ever understand. And who knew how much closer the two toms might be getting now that they were on a mission together. A flash of jealously worms it's way into his gut that the golden tabby Shadowhunter steadily refuses to acknowledge.

Goldenclaw ignores the little kitten on his back momentarily to rise onto his paws, shaking sand off his pelt as he goes, the grit falling to the ground in tiny clumps of white yellow filaments. Cloudkit lets out a squeal as the warrior's body gets up from the ground. White paws clutch fiercely to fluffy golden fur, trying his best to hang on tight to his spot atop the warrior's back. Golden eyes regard Violetpaw with mild happiness.

"Good job. Though I won't be taking it so easy on you next time." He tells her.

"Thanks! And I don't think you were this time." She sasses back, her multicolored tail twirling behind her like a party streamer shot out of a confetti cannon.

Goldenclaw rolls his eyes at that, but doesn't deign her sass with a response. "As for you," He swivels his head back to look at Cloudkit. "I guess I'll just have to give you a badger ride to make up for it."

"Yay! Badger ride! Badger ride!" Cloudkit cheers.

"No fair! We want badger rides too." Tumblekit protests. The brown furred tom kit presses his head into Goldenclaw's leg, a gesture of wanting to get on. Sandkit quickly joins her brother in pressing against the warrior.

"Okay okay." He concedes. "Climb on." Goldenclaw stoops down so Sandkit and Tumblekit can scramble onto his back with squeals of delight.

The three kits are still young enough that Goldenclaw can bear all of their weight at once. In a few moons the three kittens would be much too big for him to keep this up, so Goldenclaw played with Tumblekit, Sandkit and Cloudkit whatever chance he got.

The golden tabby had taken it upon himself to watch after Dustcloud's three children. It's what he would've wanted. Comfreyleaf was happy to have some help watching the three little ones. The queen would take the free time to rest and recover.

As the only queen with kits in the Nursery currently, Featherflight and Dawnpaw would check on her quite often, just as they would with Littlebird...and surprisingly Silvermoon. The gray tabby she-cat had been having some odd stomach pains as of late, much to every cats' concern. Badgerstripe would also be doting on his mate too, worried for her welfare.

"Violetpaw, please hunt on your way back to camp and see to the elders." He murmurs.

"Sure. Will that be all for today?" Violetpaw asks, her purple eyes wide and luminous.

Goldenclaw could tell even at this young age that the tortoiseshell is shaping up to be just like her mother. Both she-cat's have a narrow gait with a slim frame, their tails long and speckled with ginger, black and a streak of white. The rest of their fur was coated in a similar fashion, though Violetpaw has much more black fur compared to her mother, like some sort of dark mirror.

Goldenclaw glances up at the sky to see the sun making its descent into the earth. "Yes. I'll see you later. Got to get these three troublemakers home before feeding time." He then begins to swing around and growl as he stomps around, much to the kits' excitement. He heads through the foliage toward camp, leaving Violetpaw behind.

"Badger ride! Badger ride!" They chant.

"Oh, I'll give you kits a badger ride." He gruffly says before letting out a mock roar.

"Ah! Badger!" Cloudkit yelps as Goldenclaw nearly swings him off his back. The white kitten's sharp claws sink in even deeper into Goldenclaw's scruff to hold on tight.

"Hahaha you can't knock me off dopey badger." Sandkit yowls as she manages to hang on when the warrior does yet another hard stomp after leaping over a particularly fat tree stump.

"Don't tell the badger that Sandkit! He'll eat us." Tumblekit says worriedly. The biggest of the three kits is stationed on Goldenclaw's lower back towards his golden striped tail. The warrior can feel small claws digging into the knobs of his spine.

"Ha ha ha Tumblekit is right." He imitates a gruff badger voice as he arches his back up and down with the lumbering speed of log floating in a stream. "I'm  a ferocious badger!" He roars.

"Noooooooo!" Cloudkit yells as Goldenclaw shakes yet again.

The kits are squealing chatter boxes behind him, having the time of their lives. The thorn tunnel of the camp entrance looms up in front of him now as he shakes one more time before coming to a halt in camp to let the kits hop off.

In a flurried tumble Sandkit, Cloudkit and Tumblekit scramble down his back and dart off to the Nursery where he can see Comfreyleaf waiting for them. He follows behind them albeit at a much slower pace.

The camp is filled with lively activity as sharing tongues time takes place. Goldenclaw can see Ripplefur and Littlebird pressed close together, the two cats marveling at the She-cat's ever swelling white flanks. Swallowsong, Palenose and Specklefoot are chatting over a half-eaten rabbit by the Warrior's Den.

Stripepaw and Mousepaw practice stalking maneuvers on a fallen pine cone, tails twitching in the air like swaying reeds. Dawnpaw trots over to the Elder's den with a leaf wrap bundle clamped tightly in her jaws, the smell of mouse bile making Goldenclaw's nose wrinkle as she passes by. Smokepaw darts after her hurriedly, the young tom carrying his own bundle. Goldenclaw envies neither of them for taking care of the elders' ticks.

"Were they well behaved Goldenclaw?" The queen asks when he reaches her, the she-cat's brown eyes  focused on the three little ones darting inside the Nursery.

"Yes they were great. Sandkit, Cloudkit and Tumblekit stayed in the Hollow with us the whole time." He tells her.

Comfreyleaf smiles at that. "That's good. I'm glad they've learned not to run off at this point."

Both of them could remember last week when Sandkit, Cloudkit and Tumblekit had snuck out of camp. If Brackenfoot, Dapplefur and Ripplefur had not spotted them on their way back from patrol, Goldenclaw wouldn't have been surprised if a hawk swooped down and took them. It had been some time since a predatory bird had taken any of HunterClan's kits, but if kits were outside of camp then the Shadowhunters were basically asking for it.

"Yea. If you want I can go grab you some prey?" He asks, trying to think of one last thing he can do for the queen before joining Nightrose for lunch.

Comfreyleaf shakes her head. "Thanks but no thanks. I polished off a squirrel with Dawnpaw earlier when she brought me some borage leaves." She gestured with one paw to a few sparse looking leaves that lay by her on the ground. "I've still got a few more to finish up." She admits.

"I see. Well I'll leave you to it." He murmurs.

Discussions with Comfreyleaf were always a bit awkward. He hadn't interacted with her all that much before Dustcloud's death. In advent of the late deputy's death, Goldenclaw had done his best to hang around her. She and the kits were the last connection to Dustcloud outside of Starkpelt (whom he refuses to talk to). Being around Cloudkit, Sandkit and Tumblekit made Goldenclaw feel a little less grief over his dead mentor. It helped him move on in a strange sense of the word.

"Goldenclaw, before you go I have to tell you something." Comfreyleaf's voice stops him in his tracks. He turns around to face the queen whose white paws are scuffling in the dirt.

"Uh, sure. What is it?"

"I just want to say thank you for helping out with the kits. I think Dustcloud would be happy that you're helping me out with them." Her expression is distant as she says her late mate's name. Goldenclaw wishes there was something he could say to comfort her, to make the situation better.

But there is not.

"Thanks." He gives her a faint smile. "I'd like to hope so too."

*****Sparkpaw's POV*****

BARK. BARK. BARK.

Sparkpaw's lungs burn as she and the others dart away from the dog chasing them. The slobbering mutt is barking viciously, with sharp jaws snapping at them mid chase. She feels an extra burst of terror when she sees long, sharp yellow encrusted teeth almost sink into Simon's hindquarters. The newly made vampire barely avoids the attack in time, his dark brown tabby fur spiking.

BARK. BARK. BARK. BARK.

"Where...are....we....running....?" Arrowheart's voice sounds out raggedly over the angrily barking dog.

Patchfur is leading the group through the winding piles of trash cans and garbage littering the floor, his black paws hardly even skimming the ground as he moves like lightning, arching his back perfectly. If Sparkpaw didn't know better, she'd say the warlock was secretly a werecat in disguise. WolfClan is known for their mastery of quick sprints and perfect running technique.

Or at least that's what I've been told. Sparkpaw had yet to meet a WolfClan cat in real life and she didn't consider her dreams as counting. The cats in them weren't very focused on showing off, though they had been fleeing their home. It made her feel a tug of sadness for the werecats.

No one deserves to be kicked out of their home. She didn't dare cast a glance back at Simon, though that was where her mind drifted. How would the tabby tom handle forest life. Arrowheart, she will begrudgingly admit was right that her childhood companion could no longer be a house cat. Vampires just aren't meant to live with Twolegs, she told herself. This did not remove the unease in her gut, neither did the fleeing from the terrifying monster dog.

"There's....a ledge," Patchfur leaps over a fallen silver trash can. The others follow suit. "....up ahead...we should...." He zig zags through a mesh pile, Arrowheart hot on his trail.

Sparkpaw and Simon do their best to keep up. Becoming a vampire must've given Simon a new sense of speed, the tabby is ahead of her with his tail streaming behind him. Sparkpaw is so close to him that the tail tip brushes her nose so she has to hold back a sneeze. The hot, stinking breath from their adversary is pushed out onto her own tail fur, making her shudder.

GRRRRR. BARK!

"....get there....dog won't be able to follow." Patchfur finishes.

"Okay....sounds good." Arrowheart breathes out in reply, panting for air.

Sparkpaw can faintly see the ledge Patchfur is talking about, her heart jumping wildly when she realizes salvation might be within their grasp. A white wooden board juts out from a window roughly six feet up. She's unsure if it'll be able to hold for long, as well as if they'll all be able to scramble up the nearby dumpster in time.

But we have to try. We don't have any other options.

With that in mind Sparkpaw lunges up the the dumpster along with her companions. Thankfully, the green metal doesn't budge even the slightest bit under the weight of four cats clambering on to it. The dog is hot on their heels, snapping it's vicious jaws where Sparkpaw's hind legs had just been moments before. Blood roars in the apprentice's ears as she hauls herself up onto the wooden board next to Simon, her ginger fur spiked up.

The white board rattled under the weight of four cats, but somehow held firm. Below them the dog continues to angrily bark as its dull claws scramble on the metal dumpster. It is clear the slobbering mutt doesn't plan on leaving anytime soon.

All of them are gasping for breath as they struggle to calm down. Sparkpaw doesn't expect that any of them will be able to calm down fully, not with the dog waiting for them in the ground below with what she can only describe as murderous contempt. The former kittypet had been around dogs before, but this animal was something else entirely.

Sparkpaw is unsure as to how they plan on getting down from here. Up on this solitary plank the four traveling cats are cornered. The brick walls are much too steep for any cat to scale, and with nothing nearby to leap on outside of the dumpster there was no escape route in sight.

Patchfur looked around in despair, his tail drooping. "I do believe I've landed us in quite the predicament." The warlock says guiltily.

Arrowheart rests his tail over the other tom's back, his blue eyes sympathetic. "It'll be okay. I'm sure we will figure this out." Sparkpaw is unsure who he's trying to convince more: himself or Patchfur. She, for one doesn't feel convinced. Neither does Simon judging by the way his amber gaze focuses on the barking dog below them.

Bark. BARK. GRRRRR.

"What are we going to do guys? That dog isn't going anywhere." Simon says nervously, his tail wrapped tightly around one of his hind legs.

"I-I don't know." She admits. The angry dog below the four cats keeps her from thinking much of anything.

Sparkpaw doesn't know what to tell the tabby tom. The dog continues to bark on the alley floor below, it's deep voice surprisingly not attracting any attention. Going into a secluded alley really was a bad idea. She feels a flash of guilt for suggesting it to Arrowheart in the first place. Her mentor had been wary to go into such a dank place and this dog only proves his suspicions correct. We should've never come here. How are we going to get out?

Arrowheart shoots Simon an icy glare. "Let me think. Please just quiet down." He mutters. It's clear that the Shadowhunter has not the slightest clue how to solve this problem. But who would? It's not like we have any options of escape.

Suddenly, a light humming enters her head. The soft buzzing isn't unbearable and fills her with an odd sense of comfort. Sparkpaw's mind flashes to when she defeated the demon that had killed Simon earlier. Sunlight had sparkled out of her paws with such an intensity the animal combusted almost instantly. The adrenaline rush she felt in those few moments was nothing like she ever felt before. This rune, this sunlight rune had been a miracle if she ever saw one.

And a miracle is just what we need right now.

She looks at her ginger paws thoughtfully. For obvious reasons, a sunlight rune wouldn't work on a non-demonized animal. So I'll have to think of something else....but what?

Thunk. BARK BARK. Thunk.

Her pelt spikes when the dog leaps into the air. Brown and black paws scrabble for purchase on the metal surface of the trash lid. Luckily for the four cats the dog is unable to get onto it's paws. The big animal flops back onto the ground with a loud thud. Sparkpaw almost thinks the dog is stunned but her suspicions are proven false when the big animal starts barking again. If anything, the failed jump only had made the animal angrier, a thin trail of blood flowing from its jaw.

Bark. BARK BARK BARK BARK. GRRRRRRRRRRRR

"Oh my Go-!" Simon splutters on the word God. As a newly turned vampire he's lost ability to say the word. Patchfur says it will return with time. Simon continues on, his pelt still spiked. "When will it shut up?! It's scaring the crap out of me! I can't think! What are we going to do? It's so so big and so so terrifying and...and..." His tail, which must've released from his leg moments before lashes behind him.

"Shut up. Simon just shut it!" Arrowheart snaps. Sparkpaw wants to be angry at her mentor, but she can tell that the Shadowhunter's anger has more to do with Arrowheart's own fear then with Simon flipping out.

"Sorry...I'm just scared." Simon mutters out in reply.

Simon's words cause Arrowheart to soften marginally, though he quickly covers it up with an eye roll, as though he's annoyed. Patchfur continues to warily eye the barking dog below. The bicolored warlock's pelt remains strangely flat unlike the rest of his companions. How he is so calm is beyond Sparkpaw but she knows better than to ask about this difference in behavior now, her mind tugging her in a different direction entirely.

Fear.

The word strikes a chord in her mind like a single isolated note on a piano's keyboard, the sound of it reverberating through her as if she were nothing more than polished, carved wood. The humming in her head dies down. An image begins to form in her mind, bright and true. Strange twisting black lines appear around a black circle as intersecting lines create even more connections.

Somehow she knows the name of this shape, this rune without ever hearing about it before. The rightness of the name sings in not just her mind but her heart as well, giving her a feeling of weightlessness. It is as though everything fades away except this rune.

Fearless.

Sparkpaw knows what she has to do now, her mind having been made up the second the rune became clear.

*****Arrowheart's POV*****

"Guys! Guys I know what we have to do." Sparkpaw exclaims from beside Simon, her high-pitched voice unmistakable even when the blue eyed tom has his eyes closed and over the clamor of the dog.

He opens his blue eyes to see Sparkpaw's hopeful expression, her green eyes wide as she faces Arrowheart and Patchfur who is a steady weight beside him. Unlike the rest of the group, Patchfur is the only one of the them who doesn't appeared to be scared out of his mind. The bicolored tom's expression remains carefully blank, unlike Simon who stares at Sparkpaw as though she holds all the answers of the universe.

And perhaps she does have the answer now. Arrowheart is unsure as to whether or not he had ever seen the ginger furred she-cat look so confident before. The confidence she wears makes him curious as to what she has to say.

"What is it Sparkpaw?" Patchfur asks.

His boyfriend also seems interested in what Sparkpaw has to say, his ears perked up curiously. Below them the dog continues to bark angrily with slobber dripping down its muzzle. Arrowheart wishes the animal would shut up, even if it was only for a moment. Sadly the dog keeps on barking like the broken record that it is.

I wonder how much longer it'll take for the dog's voice to become sore?

From this high up, Arrowheart can see the outline of the dog's body. The dog is surprisingly thin, with the bones of its rib cage jutting out like inflamed bulges. Unkempt fur covers the dog's hide accompanied by the metallic smell of blood and trash. His nose wrinkles at the nasty smell and he can barely hold back the feeling of nausea worming its way up his gut. He would almost feel sorry for the creature....that is if the dog wasn't trying to do them bodily harm.

Sparkpaw doesn't take any preamble before jumping into her long winded speech. "Remember how I made that sunlight rune that killed that demon earlier?"

"Yea. The one that killed me. Rings a bell." Simon says glumly. Sparkpaw shoots a sympathetic glance at the former kittypet, resting her ginger tail along his back. Arrowheart feels a little guilty for snapping at Simon earlier, though his actions had been more driven by his own fear over the dog than his annoyance over the tabby's freak out session.

"Yes. I don't think anyone would forget that." Arrowheart agrees. "What about it?"

"I've come up with another rune." Sparkpaw tells them eagerly. "It's called the fearless rune."

"The fearless rune." Arrowheart repeats, testing the words out on his tongue.

"The fearless rune. That sounds amazing Sparkpaw." Simon says supportively.

Arrowheart resists the urge to roll his eyes. The tabby tom was way too lovesick over Sparkpaw, just like his brother. They should form a club or something. He tries picturing what that would look like and finds it ending up with Goldenclaw and Simon trying to maul each other. Or maybe not. Sparkpaw shoots Simon a happy smile he manages to return despite the dog lurking below.

"So what does this fearless rune do biscuit?" Patchfur asks the first reasonable question concerning the new rune.

Sparkpaw shrugs. "I'm not a hundred percent sure. In theory it'll solve our problems though."

"How so?" Arrowheart asks.

Sparkpaw shuffles on the white board. "Well, it'll make you fearless, so-"

Patchfur cuts in. "Hold the mouse. You're saying you want to put a BRAND NEW rune on Arrowheart and you're not even certain if it'll work. What if it hurts him?" His boyfriend gives Sparkpaw an incredulous glare.

Arrowheart feels a happy warmth at Patchfur's concerns, his boyfriend really does care for him. I can't recall the last time I thought I could have this. His parents and most all of HunterClan had put him under the impression that being gay wasn't okay. Yet, with Patchfur by his side Arrowheart was now beginning to think otherwise, much to his own relief.

He's not going to like what I'm going to say next.

"It's okay Patchfur. If it's anything like the sunlight rune it should help us. Remember what we talked about?"

Last night Arrowheart and Patchfur had discussed runes while Sparkpaw and Simon slept. As a cat from another clan, the warlock had limited knowledge on runes, so it made sense that he would be confused as to how they worked and how Sparkpaw was able to create a brand new one. Arrowheart himself is still confused on that last one, but he still found himself concluding that however Sparkpaw came across this power didn't matter right now.

What does matter is if we can use the ability for good.

"Yes. I remember. But are you sure about this?" Patchfur asks, still uncertain. The dog below continues to bark.

GRRRRR. Bark. BARK BARK BARK. Bark.

Arrowheart can't help the soft purr that rumbles in his chest. "Yes. I trust Sparkpaw." He turns to his apprentice. "Do you need my stele for the rune?" He asks.

Sparkpaw nods. "Yes." She tilts her head thoughtfully to the side while he summons up his stele. Like his bow and arrows, Arrowheart's stele is tucked safely away in his mindscape, or the inside of his mind. As nephilim, the mindscape is one of the sources of a Shadowhunter's heavenly power. He pulls the silver pencil like object out of his mind with ease, placing it into Sparkpaw's awaiting paws. "Is there somewhere in particular that you want it?" She asks while toying with the stele.

"Ooooh you should put it on your back, that would be super cool. It would be like a superhero insignia or a wicked tattoo." Simon gushes.

Arrowheart groans internally. "Runes aren't tattoos. They're marks meant to give Shadowhunters angelic enhancement." He growls at the young tom before turning back to Sparkpaw. "As for your question...how about we put it here." He taps his left shoulder with his right paw.

"Sure." Sparkpaw says through a mouthful of stele, making her words sound more like 'shmufe'.

The ginger approaches Arrowheart with the metallic device clutched tightly in her mouth. The adamas tip glows as she touches it to his skin. Patchfur and Simon watch intrigued as the apprentice traces out the new rune on his arm. The sizzling adamas burns a bit, but it's not an unbearable pain so he allows her to continue.

When Sparkpaw finishes drawing up the rune she steps back to admire her paw work, her green eyes glittering with satisfaction. Arrowheart looks at the rune curiously, blue eyes taking in the overlapping lines and circle. He can't recall ever seeing a rune look like this one, and he had studied all the runes in Blossomstar's den.

"So....what happens now?" Simon asks.

"I guess we see if it works." Sparkpaw says.

Patchfur leans forward to sniff Arrowheart curiously. The Shadowhunter wonders if the new rune makes him smell any different. This didn't seem likely, but Arrowheart is unsure that new runes could make a difference.

Ffffzzzzzz. He can feel the rune's activation buzzing through his skin, the mark flickering with golden light. Arrowheart can't say why, but for some reason all his worries just seem to evaporate, the threat of the dog barking below them fading away into nothingness.

Nothing can hurt me...

Invincibility runs rapidly through his veins. Arrowheart can recall suddenly all the times he's fought and won in battle, all the times he's overcome fear. Adrenaline rushes through his veins as his heart beats on steadily. No challenge was too much for him now, no danger too impossible of a feat.

I can do this.

His blue eyes flick over to Patchfur, as they often do whether willingly or unwillingly. Arrowheart can't help but stare at the warlock, his boyfriend, this perfect individual that he loves so much. I love him so so much! If he were thinking clearly, Arrowheart would be surprised by this jump in his change of thought. Instead, he felt the desire to tell the whole world how he felt, especially Patchfur who basically is his whole world.

GRRRRRRRRRRR

"Arrowheart. Arrowheart? Did it work?" Sparkpaw asks, waving her ginger paws in front of his face to catch his attention. Arrowheart steadily ignores her, too focused on gazing at his beloved Patchfur.

"Patchfur, I have to tell you something." He mews.

At the mention of his name, Patchfur perks up. Golden green eyes swing from their attention on the dog below who has now just resorted to angrily growling. The animal is clearly tired of the waiting game. Belatedly, Arrowheart recognizes the streaking pink purple sky, a signal that the sun is descending below the horizon as it sets.

"What is it Arrowheart?" His boyfriend asks.

"Dating you is amazing. The way I feel for you is unlike how I've felt for anyone before." He begins seriously, his blue eyes boring into Patchfur's golden green with complete sincerity. "I love-"

Patchfur, who seemed to realize his train of thought places a paw over his mouth, effectively silencing him. Simon stares at Arrowheart with his mouth agape and amber eyes wide. Sparkpaw on the other paw doesn't look the slightest bit surprised by Arrowheart's confession, a grin curving her lips.

"Wait. So you two are dating?" Simon asks surprised. "I thought something was going on between you two but I didn't imagine it was that."

Arrowheart tries to tell Simon that yes, he and Patchfur are dating, but the bicolored warlock's paw keeps him from getting any words out. A soft blue hue of magic light prances around Patchfur's forearms for a few moments, the mesmerizing light drawing his attention to it and away from his line of thinking.

He's just so magical.

The thought makes him sigh happily. Yes, he really does love his boyfriend. Without the strange jumble of emotions running around in his head Arrowheart could see that as clear as a bright sunny day. The warm feeling makes him feel as though he's drifting weightless into the sky, so light-hearted and free. The Shadowhunter is unsure if he's ever felt this way before.

"I'm not surprised at all." Sparkpaw said amusedly.

Patchfur shrugs. "I suppose we are pretty obvious." The light around the warlock dies as he retracts his paw from Arrowheart's muzzle. Despite the ginger and black paw having partially blocked his airways, the young warrior finds he misses the feel of Patchfur on him. That feeling also carries over to the lack of magic in the air surrounding the former MagicClan tom.

"Hey. Why did you stop? You know I love your magic." Arrowheart pouts petulantly, displeased. Sparkpaw bites back a snicker that he could care less for. Instead he notes with glee the tinge of pink blush blooming on Patchfur's face. He had been unsure if he would ever manage to get the warlock to blush. And now I have, he thinks triumphantly.

"Now now that's not important right now." Patchfur gestured to the barking dog still below. "You have the fearless rune, so tell us how we're supposed to get around the dog."

Arrowheart tilts his head speculatively for a few seconds. Normally, the Shadowhunter would have a well-thought out plan in mind. Today however, his mind was running on different cylinders to give him a brand new idea. One that would likely be considered much more dangerous.

"Leave the dog to me. I'll have it running scared in a matter of minutes." He boasts confidently.

"Wait what? What do you mean by-" Arrowheart doesn't listen to Simon finish his question. The Shadowhunter darts over to the edge of the white board before leaping off, his claws outstretched at the dog's back. All the while adrenaline pulses through him with the speed of an electric train.

*****Patchfur's POV*****

Patchfur, Sims and Sparkpaw watch with horror as Arrowheart leaps off to the board. The Shadowhunter lands squarely on the dog's back, the barking animal letting out a growl of surprise as Arrowheart's weight lands on top of him.

"Arrowheart no!" Patchfur shouts, fear flooding his veins.

His cry falls on deaf ears as his boyfriend begins the battle with the ferocious creature. The warlock knows that the younger tom is a well-trained warrior, but he can't bare to watch his future mate wait what?... his boyfriend die at the deadly incisors of that canine. And so golden green eyes slam shut, his body trembling with fear.

HISSSS. BARK BARK. YELP.

The sounds of the scuffle continue on. Patchfur wishes he could cast a silencing spell on his ears so he wouldn't have to listen to Arrowheart getting torn apart. He finds himself unable to move however, his body too numb with shock. A few minutes pass, not one of them does he open his eyes, even with Silo's murmuring and Sparkpaw's gasping. Eventually it is Sparkpaw's voice that makes him open his eyes again.

"By the Angel! Arrowheart's winning. Look Patchfur look." He can feel the ginger apprentice nudging him sharply in the side. Hesitantly the warrior opens his eyes to find a scene he'd never expected to see.

Unsurprisingly, blood was splattered all over the ground, but shockingly enough none of it seems to be Arrowheart's. His boyfriend must have bit and scratched the dog in several places. Patchfur can see several injuries on the dangerous dog: a badly torn ear rest on its left side, a deep scratch is placed with special ferocity over the dog's right eye, several clumps of fur are missing along the dog's flanks. From a few tail lengths away Arrowheart stands covered in blood and panting heavily, the fearless rune a beacon of light on his shoulder.

"Never ever come near my boyfriend or my patrol again, do you hear me mutt?!" Arrowheart yowls before tackling the dog to the floor. The dog writhes weakly underneath him, the once ferocious monster of an animal cowering underneath Arrowheart's fearless persona.

Whimper. Whimper. Whiiiiiiinnnnnnee. (Idk how describe how these noises actually sound...so y'all use your imagination)

The noises must have satisfied Arrowheart, as the black tom steps off the dog. The injured animal proceeds to run off into the night, its tail tucked tightly between its legs as it limps out of the alleyway. Only once Patchfur and Sparkpaw and Sharkbait are sure the dog is gone do they leap down to join their blood clad companion whom the fearless rune seems to finally be wearing off for.

"What....what in the world did I just do?" Arrowheart asks him, staring down at his blood soaked paws in confusion. Patchfur quickly checks his boyfriend over before responding. He's pleased to find that the young warrior has no actual injuries, so only exhaustion weighed Arrowheart down.

"You saved us and you looked hot while doing it." Patchfur tells him easily. Arrowheart blushes bright red at the praise, unsure how to react to such words.

"How would you know? You only watched at the end." Storybrook commented.

Patchfur rolls his eyes at the vampire he can't remember the name of. "I didn't have to watch the whole fight to now my boyfriend looked hot." He responds.

"Wait....they....they know about us?" Arrowheart asks. "Did I say something? I can't really remember?"

"You said a lot of things." Sparkpaw tells her mentor. "But it's not like Simon and I couldn't have guessed you two are dating."

Arrowheart casts a sheepish glance at Patchfur, which the bicolored warlock finds himself returning with a grin. "There's nothing to be ashamed of Arrowheart.

"R-really?" He looks at Sparkpaw and the vampire. "You guys don't mind?"

Stone shakes his head. "Of course not. Love is love after all."

Patchfur is happy to see those words have a calming effect on his boyfriend. The black warrior seems to sag in place now, his shoulders drooping as his eyelids began to hang low. The fight really must've taken something out of the Shadowhunter. He's about to say they need to find some shelter for the night (there's no way Arrowheart can continue on in this condition...plus it's already night time) but another voice joins the fray that cuts him off. A voice that sounds vaguely familiar to the warlock.

"Arrowpaw, is that you?"

************

A/N: Yay! Another chapter done. Really enjoyed this one. What did y'all think of the fearless rune? Arrowheart's confession? What more would he have said if he wasn't cut off I wonder? 🧐
Let me know what y'all think in the comments and I'll see you guys next time.