Oneshots!

Sacrifice

SPOILERS FOR ASC!!!

Podlight admiringly looked up at Splashstar blinking earnestly as his leader- and friend- glanced back down at him with a look of appreciation and care. His eyes were soft and kind, his muzzle twisted in a slight smile as he returned Podlights gaze.

I know he cares about me. Podlight thought to himself- the thought nearly made him float in the air, his heart swelling with appreciation. He may have faked with Frostpaw, but I know he does care- why else would he choose me as a medicine cat? 

Sure, Podlight struggled with herbs, and the thought of Starclan terrified him- but he was finally respected by some of his clanmates. He had an honorable role- and Curlfeather would be proud- very proud. Splashtail has given me everything- he does care...

Not only that, but Splashstar had also supported him when he had lost Curlfeather- his very own littermate. Pain twisted its way into his heart as he thought of his sister- who had been undeserving of her death, but had died anyways, torn apart by violent dogs.

She had been the sweetest mother and the sweetest sister- and then, she had died on the way to the Moonpool.

When she had been with Frostpaw, alone. Frostpaw, her daughter, who had ultimately led her to her death- what kind of cat did that? Curlfeather had been a great mother, guiding her paws towards the role of a medicine cat, giving her a place of respect in the clan, a place of honor, and all Frostpaw had done was turn that down.

"Curlfeather!" Podlight wailed, his eyes widening as he ran to her corpse, sprawled out in the clearing. Her pelt was soaked with blood, skin torn, eyes wide with horror, yet dull, and cloudy. This had to be a dream- his sister couldn't possibly be dead!

He collapsed beside her, a sob building up in his throat as he smelled the familiar scent of death. He buried his muzzle into her cold, dull fur, closing his eyes. "Why, Curlfeather?" He whispered to her, his voice trembling. "We promised each other that one day one of us would become leader, the other deputy. And now we can't have that," his voice broke.

He remembered their time as apprentices. They had admired Mistystar, and then Curlfeather- Curlpaw at the time- had purred that one day they'd be up there, leader and deputy, ruling the clan and making it strong, and powerful, to save Riverclan, to make them worth more than "the clan who sat on their paws all day."

"I was always dreading the thought of you being leader first," he whispered, "Because I would've had to watch you die, and then live nine lifetimes without you- but I didn't think you'd be lost this quickly," he dug his claws into the dirt. "We had the chance, and now it's been torn away..."

He glanced at Frostpaw, who was crouched down on Curlfeathers other side, trembling. Her gaze was haunted, vacant, as if she'd seen terrible horrors- and she had. She had witnessed her mother's screams as she'd been torn apart, limb by limb. I can't imagine how she feels, losing her mother so violently. He thought. 

His heart ached for his niece- she was so young, and now her life had been torn apart by the jaws of the dog. Curlfeather hadn't been the only one to die to those terrible hounds- Frostpaw had died, too- he could see in her eyes. Any joy that had remained in them before was now gone as if it'd been ripped out of her head.

He closed his eyes again when he felt another cat sit beside him, letting out a sympathetic mew. The cat rested its tail across Podlights shoulder, and for a moment, Podlight was convinced it was the spirit of Curlfeather, saying goodbye to him one last time. He looked up at the cat and recognized Splashtail.