aesthetic by afterstorms

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A stimulating sensation flooded Wolfstar's veins. All of his sorrowed emotions faded as a wicked plan spun in his head. "When did you become so intelligent, Molesnake? Well done." He praised his faithful protector. Although, faithful may have been the wrong word to describe the brown warrior. And little did Wolfstar know, Molesnake wore his disloyalty like a cruel second skin...

At heeding the tortoiseshell's grave suggestion, the two cats couldn't help but frown in wonder. They held each other in a gaze, questions like birds flapping through their minds. Violetsky felt the strong compulsion of nerves ripple through her blood as she wondered whether Echostar was frustrated with them.

Stormrunner turned his single blue eye back to face Falconrain, "Tell her we'll be there in a minute." The large tom truly didn't want to bury away everything he was promised he would speak. He wanted to keep the conversation running with Violetsky, then maybe his past would stop haunting his dreams.

Falconrain lashed his tail indifferently, "No," His voice boomed quite strictly. "She needs you now." His face flushed with an uncivilized emotion, however, Violetsky couldn't place her claw on it.

She sighed deeply, letting go of finally having the chance to speak with her mate. "If not even Echostar can wait, it must be important. Let's go." She gave a soft, encouraging nudge to Stormrunner's shoulder. Almost as if she was saying their conversation wasn't completely over.

When the two cats stood, the mottled tom directed the way through the large campground. His lean body would easily slink through the swaying grasses, his long legs outstretching into wide paces. Violetsky and Stormrunner dropped falteringly behind, Falconrain's steps were much quicker than theirs.

The small group then neared the leader's den, which looked similar to a snake's burrow underground. It was built intelligently, so any cat overlooking the surface of the moores would have no idea the den existed. The cave-like den drew deep into the ground, remainders of roots strewn upon the ground. Violetsky, eyes wide with jolting fear, couldn't help but twitch with flashbacks of the rogues she and Stormrunner had encountered on their journey. She no longer enjoyed traveling into such tight spaces.

Long, twisting vines fenced the entrance of the den and strangely enough, Falconrain paused before pushing his way in. He whirled around, facing Violetsky. He lowered his jaws to her ears, a clear height-difference between the two felines. "Don't say anything you'd regret." He warned in a low volume, glancing around grudgingly.

The words seemed to seep through her skin but she couldn't place her means on it. But before she could question the tom, he was already nosing his way past the vines and disappearing into the den.

Violetsky was timid to follow, not sure if she was ready to accept what would confront her behind the vines. However, her curiosity moved her paws for her, leading the way into the den.

The den opened to a much wider expanse than the she-cat had expected. She wondered how much time WindClan must have spent digging the tunnels, then her stomach churned sickly with another thought. How many cats had died in these tunnels? Realizing her head was entwined with too many worries, she let her eyes wander. Sitting rather calmy, collected in a circle on the edges of the den, was a small gathering of cats: Heathersong, who was Echostar's first apprentice, Redhare, WindClan's deputy, Echostar, Falconrain, and-

Molesnake?

She almost didn't believe it. He was the fifth figure, nestled closely beside WindClan's leader, his reverent emerald eyes laying upon the two incomers. Violetsky could feel the fur raise off her back, swarming into a thorny clump. But she didn't feel any aggressive nature towards the tom, simply shock.

Stormrunner, on the other hand, didn't follow Violetsky's relaxed essence. His teeth bore as though he was to devour the tom. Snarling, he roared, "What are you doing here?" In this moment, Stormrunner was a sweeping violence with sharp claws. Hatred was like a lantern in his eye.

Redhare, the short but rather Herculean tom, shoved his way before Molesnake, growling lowly at Stormrunner. "He's with us!" He looked like a mentor scolding their young apprentice as a result of their stupidity. At the disbelief swollen in the two cat's eyes, he repeated himself, "He's with us."

"That doesn't make any sense." Stormrunner's morose voice sounded off the walls of the den. "He's no rebel!" The bitterness surfacing each word Stormrunner spoke made the tension rise as thick as clouds.

Echostar, obviously out of patience for the young tom, bowed her head. "Stormrunner, Violetsky, please take a seat." Out of the exhaustion bright in her orange eyes, both the cats complied with her command. "I'll explain everything," Echostar meowed ensuring there many questions would be answered. But before she did, she stared at Stormrunner, a facade of confusion clouding her eyes. "Stormrunner, how do you know this tom? What is he to you?"

The ashen-toned tom thought of the many terms to describe Molesnake; mentor, father-like figure, friend. But his heart ached, full of the bad memories Molesnake had trapped him in. He didn't deserve any of Stormrunner's recognition. "An enemy." Stormrunner's hiss was too much somber. He was so serious, he even surprised Violetsky.

The WindClan leader flinched, never expecting her sweet Stormrunner to be so foul-mouthed. There was suspicion tracing the corners of her eyes, and Violetsky could see the leader was tempted to ask further.

"In all due respect, Echostar," Heathersong, the sandy furred she-cat voiced from the back, "Why are we here? And why only so few of us?"

Echostar seemed at sea, lost amongst the waves of what she wanted to speak. "I have gathered my most trustworthy of warriors to reveal a truth of which I should've shared long ago. I thought it would be easier to tell you first before the entire Clan." She inhaled then exhaled heavy breaths, her eyes falling to the figure of Molesnake beside her.

But before Echostar could finish her statement, Molesnake piped in for her. "Echostar is my mother." He glanced over at Falconrain, shooting him a sharp glimpse, "My real mother."

As the multi-colored tom had told Violetsky, don't say anything you'd regret, he bit back his tongue as well as claws. There was a dangerous flash in his eyes, one could start fires with a look like his. Violetsky, studying the battle-broken tom, felt a wave of sympathy for him. She was sorry; she knew what it was like to have no one. What it was like to be alone and lost in a war. She figured the tom was worried over the fact of Molesnake's return. Now that Echostar had her son back, did she really need to love Falconrain any longer?

But Stormrunner was obviously thinking about many other things, excluding Falconrain. "What?" His face wrinkled with confusion. "Then why were you working for Wolfstar?"

Despite the question being directed towards Molesnake, Echostar responded, "It's a long story," Her expression drooped sadly, she looked like a flower wilting. "But all that matters is that he's home now. Right where he belongs."

Deep down, at some point in her guts, Violetsky was happy to have Molesnake join the Rebellion. He must've received boundless information against Wolfstar, lists upon lists on ways to destroy him. Maybe having him back wasn't such a terrible thing after all.

There was a hollow silence in the air however with so many lingering emotions, bouncing from every cat's pelt, Violetsky couldn't think straight. She wanted to curl back into her nest and forget this gathering ever occurred.

Then, and quite briskly, Echostar turned to Stormrunner. Her bright orange eyes sank into his features, and for a moment, Violetsky saw something familiar about her. Violetsky frowned as though she were placing together a puzzle. That's when clear, but dark words resounded in her mind. 'I'm everything you can't control.' It clicked. For only a prompt glimpse, Echostar looked very alike to Wolfstar. Violetsky then thought was being dragged by her imagination. It couldn't be-

"Stormrunner," The WindClan leader affirmed. "Please stay after. I need to have a word." The gray tom agreed reluctantly. He couldn't possibly imagine what Echostar's "word" would be about but he was too honeyed to deny. Echostar dipped her head in a dignified manner. "All is settled then. Meeting dismissed."  

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