Warriors: Poisoned Loyalty {COMPLETED}

Chapter 23

Poppypool sat in her den, her paws tingling with unease as she prepared herself for the conversation she knew she had to have with Newtflake. The message from StarClan was clear. She had to stop him before it was too late– before he followed the dark path she knew all too well. The tension weighed on her chest, and silence in the medicine den felt suffocating.

She glanced over at Newtflake, who lay in his nest, his body still bandaged from the rogue attack. His tail flicked irritably, and his ears twitched as if he were having a restless dream. But Poppypool knew this wasn't just about his physical injuries– it was his spirit that was fraying, his heart was darkening.

With a deep breath, she rose to her paws and padded over to him. Her heart pounded in her chest as she called out softly, "Newtflake?"

His eyes snapped open, their yellow-green depths sharp with tension. He blinked at her for a moment, still groggy from sleep, but as he focused, she saw the bitterness simmering beneath the surface. "What is it?" he muttered, his voice rough.

Poppypool hesitated, trying to find the right words. She didn't want to push too hard, but she couldn't delay this conversation any longer. "I need to talk to you... about the attack. And about how you've been feeling."

Newtflake's gaze darkened instantly, his tail lashing behind him as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "There's nothing to talk about. The rogues need to pay for what they did to Daisystep and Cedarpelt." His voice was filled with barely restrained anger, and the look in his eyes sent a shiver down Poppypool's spine.

"I know you're angry," Poppypool began, keeping her voice gentle and firm. "But you can't let that anger control you. I've seen where that path leads, and it will only end in more pain."

Newtflake's fur bristled. "What else am I supposed to feel?" he snapped. "They killed Daisystep. She's dead because of them, and Cedarpelt nearly joined her! And what have we done? Nothing. We're just sitting here, letting them get away with it."

Poppypool felt her heart ache at the raw grief and fury in his voice. She had to tread carefully, but she couldn't let him spiral any further. "Revenge isn't the answer, Newtflake. It might feel like it now, but going after them with rage in your heart will only lead to more suffering– for you, and for the rest of the Clan."

Newtflake's eyes blazed as he shot to his paws, his claws unsheathing instinctively. "You don't understand!" he growled. "You didn't see Daisystep lying there, her blood staining the ground. You weren't there when Cedarpelt was barely breathing, and I had to drag him back while those filthy rogues slinked away!"

Poppypool flinched at his words, her own memories of violence flashing through her mind– blood on her paws, lives lost because of her choices. She took a step closer to him, trying to calm her racing heart. "Newtflake, I do understand. I know what it's like to want revenge more than anything. But it doesn't make things better. It makes everything worse."

He scoffed, glaring at her with disbelief. "How could you possibly know what I'm feeling right now?"

Poppypool hesitated, the weight of her past pressing down on her. She had never spoken to him about her darker moments, her regrets, or the way she had been consumed by her own need to make things right. But now, she realized, it was time.

"Because I've been there," she admitted quietly, her voice trembling. "I've walked down that path, and I lost myself in the process. I did things... terrible things, all because I thought I was doing the right thing. I wasn't. I was only making things worse and bringing more pain."

Newtflake stared at her, his expression hardening as her words sank in. "You're saying I should just forgive them? Let them get away with killing another one of our warriors?"