(✓) Warriors ▸ Shadows of the Domestic [1]

Chapter 13

Harepaw watched as Firepaw streaked past her, a rush of nerves shooting through her body. She hissed, muscles tensing, and launched herself after him. But Lionheart's teeth clamped down on her tail, dragging her to a sudden halt.

"Hey, I must go after him!" she growled, spinning around to swipe at his face. But Lionheart's gaze was steely and unyielding, freezing her in her tracks.

"No," he snapped and then leaned down, fastening his teeth in the scruff of her neck. Harepaw gasped for air, panic surging through her. She had never felt Lionheart's wrath like this before.

"Let her go!" a voice yowled, and a gray blur slammed into Lionheart's side. He released Harepaw with a yelp. Harepaw's eyes widened as she saw Graypaw pinning the larger cat down, snarling in his face.

"No one touches Harepaw, you hear me?" Graypaw growled fiercely.

Harepaw shook her head and stood up, her legs trembling. Her wide eyes were locked on the snarling mass of fur and paws. The air around them was thick with tension, every hiss and growl echoing through the forest. "That's enough!" A voice boomed, reverberating through the trees. The two toms immediately halted their battle, panting heavily, as Bluestar emerged from the forest grass, her eyes blazing with fury.

"What in the name of StarClan are you doing?!" she snarled, her voice like icy wind cutting through the clearing.

Harepaw's heart pounded as she shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. "I-I think they were fighting over me, Bluestar. I'm so sorry," she stammered, guilt and fear mixing in her gaze.

Bluestar sighed deeply, her stern expression softening slightly. She padded over to the shaking she-cat, draping her gray-blue tail over Harepaw's shoulders in a comforting gesture. "It's over now," she said softly, yet with a firmness that brooked no argument. "I'll make sure they never do this again."

The leader then turned her icy blue eyes back to the two toms looking at the ground, ashamed and breathless. Her gaze was sharp enough to cut stone. "I'll ask you one more time: what in the name of StarClan was that?!" she demanded, her voice filled with a controlled rage that made the fur on Harepaw's neck stand on end.

Graypaw shuffled his paws, looking torn between defiance and regret. Lionheart bowed his head, too proud to admit his fault but knowing better than to defy Bluestar's authority. Harepaw could feel the tremor in Bluestar's body, a signal of her barely contained anger. With all her heart, she hoped this would never happen again.

"I'm sorry, Bluestar. I couldn't help myself. I saw Lionheart trying to pull Harepaw, and I just... saw red," Graypaw admitted, his voice heavy with regret. He sighed, his head tilted downward, the weight of his actions pressing on his shoulders.

Lionheart also sighed, taking a step forward. "It was my fault too. I didn't want her to go after Firepaw. I should have thought better. I know how vulnerable Harepaw is in situations like that. I shouldn't have treated her that way," he said, his voice filled with a rare gentleness and remorse. He turned his gaze towards Harepaw, whose eyes were downcast, her posture withdrawing inward to protect herself from further harm.

"I'm so sorry, Harepaw. I hope you can forgive me," Lionheart said softly, his sincerity shining through his eyes.

Harepaw lifted her head slightly, meeting his gaze for a fleeting moment before looking away again, the turmoil evident in her eyes. The clearing was calm as if the forest awaited her response, the weight of their words settling around them like a thick fog.

Harepaw sighed deeply and stood up. "It's okay. Just let me do what I want as long as it doesn't hurt the Clan," she said, a small smile touching her lips. She walked away from the clearing, her paws crunching softly against the undergrowth, and disappeared into the bushes towards the camp.