Warrior Cats One-Shots [COMPLETE]

If I Trust You ≫ Rootspring x Abused! Female! Reader

Art: esquire

⚠️ Warnings ⚠️
• Mentioned abuse
• Angst

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Dark. Alone. You jolted wide awake, greedily sucking in mouthfuls of cool air. Every muscle in your body was tense, ready to aid you in a bloody fight for your life if necessary. You closed your eyes, taking in several slow, deep breaths. The feeling of the damp night air rushing into your throbbing lungs allowed you to relax slightly, and you allowed your claws to slide back into your toes. You were safe in the warriors' den, surrounded by your friends. You had nothing to fear logically, yet the pain of remembrance still clung to you like a massive, heavy burr. Your heart and mind were still scathed from the time you spent imprisoned by "Bramblestar" in ThunderClan, tending to his every need and desire. You swallowed a thick ball of saliva that had formed at the back of your throat. It was a painful thing to remember.

A soft breeze rippled across the ferns that obscured the entrance to the warriors' den, pulling you out of your broken mind. You blinked to clear the awful memories, a few stray tears slipping down your cheeks. I have to get out of here, You thought anxiously, suddenly aware of the stuffiness of the den's air. I need fresh air. Being as quiet as you possibly could, you rose to your paws and carefully stepped over Plumwillow and Sandynose before weaving around a snoring Macgyver and stepping out into the empty clearing. You sighed, allowing your shoulders to slump and your tail to drag as you left camp and ascended the small ridge into the forest. It seemed like you hadn't slept in moons. Ever since you had been returned to your clan after Ashfur's defeat, nothing felt right. Your body ached where claws and teeth had pierced, and the loss of your innocence plagued you whenever you closed your eyes. As you finally settled underneath an ancient oak tree at the edge of a ravine, you couldn't help but to wish you had just died. At least that way, your clanmates wouldn't have to suffer for your trauma.

You were on the verge of drifting off once more when a twig snapping jerked you back into reality. Heart pounding, you sat bolt-upright, swiveling your head in every direction as you searched the darkness in a panic for a familiar pair of amber eyes. But the eyes you finally located were a soft sky-blue, and their owner was anything but menacing. "Oh. It's you, Rootspring." The yellow tabby chuckled uncomfortably, shuffling his paws in the dewy grass.

"You don't sound very happy to see me. I'll just... Go." He turned to leave, but you sprang to your paws and raced over to him, almost in a panic.

"W-wait! I didn't mean it like that! I-I just... I just..." Your eyes started to well with tears as the realization of how alone you truly felt came crashing over you. You had never felt that way until you were returned to SkyClan after nearly a moon of torture and abuse.

Rootspring's sky-blue eyes widened slightly, and he outstretched a paw and took a small step toward you. "Hey, take it easy, alright? I wasn't mad, I just didn't want to bother you." He noticed the wetness of your eyes, and his shocked expression twisted into one of concern. "What are you doing out here, anyway? It's the middle of the night. Aren't you cold?" You sniffled, unable to make a sound, so you just nodded feebly and looked at your paws. He nodded in understanding, a small sigh escaping him. "I'm sorry, (Y/N). I'm sorry you had to go through that. If there was something, anything, I could've done to prevent it, then I would have. I can't even imagine how much suffering you endured." A distant light blazed over the treetops, and you looked up to see a shooting star racing through the night sky like a cat made of fire. I wish it didn't hurt this much.

"I'm scared," You confessed quietly, padding over to the ravine's edge and plopping down. "I can't trust anyone anymore. Everywhere I look, I see him. In puddles of rainwater, in the treetops, even in the sky. I can't sleep anymore, and I'm afraid I never will again." You looked down, gazing into the seemingly endless darkness of the chasm below you. "I'm not sure how much longer I can go on like this." Rootspring allowed the soft breeze and the crickets to fill the silence for a moment, then he reached forward and gently rested a paw on your shoulder.

"It's okay to be scared, (Y/N). You've been through a lot. Any cat who went through that would be scared and less trusting. No one is holding it against you."

"How do you know that?" You whispered, turning your head to look into his stunning blue orbs. "How can you be certain our clanmates don't see me as some traitorous Tigerstar knockoff? What makes you think there's not at least one cat in the forest that thinks I'm a rotten piece of crowfood?" Rootspring's eyes glistened with pain at your words, and you could've sworn you saw one or two tears metastasize in them.

"Because they just aren't. Nothing that happened was your fault, (Y/N). Everyone knows that. They blamed Ashfur, not you." His tone was so gentle and reassuring, you almost threw yourself into his embrace, but you stopped yourself. You felt guilty for feeling this way, but you just couldn't bring yourself to trust him. You knew Rootspring was a good warrior with a kind heart, but your trauma forced you back into the shadows of caution.

"If I trust you," You began slowly, your voice cracking with emotion. "will you promise me you will never hurt me the same ways he did?" The yellow warrior blinked, but his expression slowly melted into one of genuine love.

"I promise, (Y/N). I promise I would never hurt you on purpose. You know that." Somewhere deep down, you did know, but the thought of being hurt all over again horrified you. You looked back into the ravine, then back at Rootspring.

"Okay," You decided, offering your friend a small smile. "I'll give you a chance."

"I'm glad." He meowed, twining his tail with yours. "We'll make this work, (Y/N). You'll see."

****

I love Rootspring so much. I was kinda crushing on him during TBC, not gonna lie xD

Hey, don't look at me like that. You're the one reading this book

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this one-shot, because I really enjoyed writing it! I'll be working on a request from one of my pawsome readers next, so keep a look out for that!