•Brooksong's POV•
The caliginous sky gleamed with patches of white on black. Its waning moon was a pale ivory as it hung above the tall canopy of trees. The snow had melted, leaving the ground damp and cold to the touch as the wind still blew with a tinge of frost.
A gray cat padded along the gritty shore that crunched coldly under her paw pads, as though it had been frozen stiff. Her eyes were narrowed as her claws flexed and scraped against the sand. How could he do this? Brooksong snarled to herself. I shouldn't have even helped him! she thought gratingly. She picked up Shallowstream's scent nearby, but she began running as she chased Wolfsoul's scent instead.
•Wolfsoul's POV•
Wind whirled around Wolfsoul as he sat grudgingly on the terrain. A blazing hatred welled up inside him. He had killed her mentor thinking she was a rogue and left her on the rogues' territory in hopes they would fear him and his Clan enough to leave him and his kit alone. But at that time he was thinking irrationally, and now he deeply regretted it as it tore at his one chance of redemption. Wolfsoul trembled, his claws sinking into the dirt. It's all over.
Fangs crunched into his fur. Wolfsoul whipped around in time to see Brooksong lashing out with long claws that scored down his muzzle. Startled, he flinched backwards, raising a paw to strike back. She leaped back before he was able to sink in his claws, and she dove back in for his legs to unsteady him. Wolfsoul fell against the ground with a thud as he lost his footing. Slamming her paws down on his shoulders, Brooksong dug her claws in. Parting her jaws to expose gleaming fangs, the silver and white cat lowered her head to deal an ending blow. Wolfsoul didn't attempt to throw her off or stop her.
But Brooksong paused. Hesitation flickered in her eyes. It seemed like forever before she backed off. She turned her back to him, her claws still unsheathed. When a moment passed, she broke the eerie silence with a cold whisper. "I'm sorry." Brooksong sounded solemn. Her paws were shaking. "I overreacted," she choked out, her voice edgy.
There was a long pause. "I suppose you had good reason to kill my mentor?" Her pupils narrowed to slits; her cold, emerald eyes taped to Wolfsoul as she thrust her gaze into his view.
A whirlwind of cold pierced Wolfsoul, as he realized that the amber pelted RiverClan cat had died in vain. He thought her to be a rogue after the cat had been walking with Brooksong near the border of the rogues' territory. Wolfsoul hadn't picked up their scents before he tactically split them up to silently kill the orange she-cat. He did this in hopes that the rogues would fear ShadowClan and let his kit live without the cost of his own life. Regret crushed him like a heavy boulder.
"No! It didn't work out!" Wolfsoul growled, his eyes glossed over with melancholic desperation. Wind ruffled his thick, wolf-like pelt as their gazes locked.
"What didn't work out?" Her narrowed eyes and flexing claws deceived the concern in Brooksong's tone.
"Just leave me alone!" His cold voice rang out with a tinge of sadness as he turned to leave.
"Wait!" She leapt after him frantically. This time she wouldn't let him go. Halting in front of him, Brooksong screeched, "I'm sorry! Please tell me what's going on!" Her pleading eyes rimmed with cold tears. Wolfsoul blinked at her thoughtfully, heaving a gentle sigh before he spoke. "I thought she was a rogue. I wasn't able to scent her. Rogues were threatening to kill my kit, and I thought that if I killed one of them, they might back off." His dark gaze seemed far away. "But it clearly didn't work."
"And I didn't leave ShadowClan. I was banished after I took Bearstar's last life trying to save my own. Rogues had poured into the camp, and a particular one had revealed how I would give my life for my kit, defensively stating that the Clan was my life. Bearstar then believed that the raid was because of me, and he wasn't wrong." Wolfsoul sounded unusually calm. Brooksong's eyes flashed with remembrance, and he wondered just how much the she-cat already knew.
"The yowl.." Her gaze slowly lit with understanding.
Wolfsoul felt warmth on his shoulder, and he glanced up to see her tail sympathetically laying on his pelt. Brooksong's blue eyes were chips of aqua, like a spray of water, as she glanced at him thoughtfully. He got lost in her scent for a moment before he was drawn back to reality by her precious mew.
"You should come to RiverClan." She offered gently. "It hurts to know that you're always out here in the cold. I'm sure Wavestar would let you in."
Wolfsoul's gaze brightened. "Of course."
•Wavestar's POV•
"There has been a lack of warriors in RiverClan," Wavestar began. There were already uncertain glances and sharp glares shooting among the crowd. The gray leader paused as she searched for words, her amber eyes passing over the Clan. "A loyal warrior has suggested to take in a cat they have found near the border." The cats seemed on edge, but no protests rose. Wavestar resumed, "He may have been ShadowClan, but he has moved on."
"Eh? A ShadowClan outcast?" A voice spat. "We have no room for traitors here!"
Murmurs of agreement tore through the knot of cats. Wolfsoul felt sick with dismay as uneasiness shot through him. Would he be accepted anywhere?
Wavestar was persistent. "Ask yourself this: is it more foolish to give a rogue a chance at helping us, or to let the Clan suffer from few warriors?"
It seemed to calm the cats down, although they remained tense. Her ear flicked before she proceeded. "He will join RiverClan with his current name: Wolfsoul."
