Tales From The Broken {COMPLETE}

Poppyfur's Betrayal -Prologue-

The air was warm, the sun shimmered across the field. The forest was full of prey and herbs were growing in abundance. Usually, Poppyfur would have appreciated the beautiful weather but inside of her head a storm was brewing. Stress, anger and guilt all raged inside the medicine cat's head. Her argument with Dawnfire was still fresh in her mind. I shouldn't have tried to stop her from having a mate. Poppyfur thought painfully. But she needs to focus on her destiny! Poppyfur stopped walking, sighing heavily. The forest is in danger, I can feel it.

Poppyfur took a deep breath. "I just need to clear my head," Poppyfur spoke under her breath. "Dawnfire needs to do the same, then we can have a civil conversation." Just because you can never have kits or a mate doesn't mean I can't! Dawnfire's voice echoed in her mind, and an old ache in her heart returned. "If only you knew, Dawnfire."

Dawnfire was young, she had suffered a lot in her life. All she wants is happiness, and I'm trying to take it from her. Poppyfur continued walking towards Jagged Rocks, dragging her tail in the grass behind her. She shouldn't have forced Dawnfire to follow the prophecy, if the she-cat just follows her heart then she will find her way to a bright future.

Poppyfur reached Jagged Rocks and began sniffing for herbs. The chervil and chickweed were overgrown, she would be able to take plenty. Poppyfur bit off large amounts of each of the leaves and kept a neat pile at her paws. As Poppyfur gathered her herbs, her mind floated to her past.

She saw the dark, sharp amber eyes that haunted her dreams and nightmares for so long. Oh, Branchfur... Poppyfur never stopped wondering what could've happened between her the dark LichenClan warrior. What if I would've left my Clan. Poppyfur wondered. Honeywing would still be alive. Would Pebblestep have become her apprentice instead of me? Poppyfur couldn't imagine not training Pebblestep, the young she-cat had brought so much to her life.

Would I have had kits? What would they be like? Poppyfur couldn't form the image in her mind, she never could. No matter what she did, Poppyfur had never been able to see a future that wasn't in SunClan. She wasn't a LichenClan warrior, she was a SunClan medicine cat. Still. Poppyfur lifted her head, staring up at the clear blue sky. I wish Honeywing was still here. Even to this day it still aches. Poppyfur pulled her eyes away from the sky. I bet she would be able to handle Dawnfire better than I have. She wouldn't have made her watch her sister die.

Poppyfur thought about Willowkit and how she had brought Dawnfire into the medicine cat den and again when she made Dawnfire help with Dovetail, only for the queen to die tragically at their paws. Sometimes I think that Dawnfire would have been better off not knowing me.

Poppyfur had gotten so lost in her thoughts that she forgot what she had been doing. She looked at the pile of herbs at her paws, she had gathered plenty. She should return to camp before she wasted the day away. Plus, Pebblestep will be worried about me. Poppyfur lowered her head and picked up the chickweed and chervil into her teeth and turned to leave. She wasn't excited to face Dawnfire again, but she had calmed down. She would apologize to the warrior as soon as she was ready.

Poppyfur took her first step to leave Jagged Rocks when she felt a sharp pain in her hind leg. Poppyfur turned to look at the source, expecting a thistle or a thorn. As her green eyes rested on the cause, Poppyfur's heart jumped inside of her chest. A steely gray adder slithered through the grass away from Poppyfur's paws. Oh no. Poppyfur dropped her herbs and started sprinting back towards camp. I need to get back to camp before the venom spreads!

As Poppyfur ran, her legs grew heavy and her entire body became hot. Poppyfur tried to cry out for help but her throat was dry. She tripped over her paws and fell to the ground. Pain spread through her whole body, her blood felt like fire. "Help!" Poppyfur finally cried out, but she was too far from camp.

I can't give up...not like this! Poppyfur began dragging herself across the field, the pain was becoming unbearable. No...this can't be how it ends. Poppyfur forced herself to move, feeling her strength leaving her body with every moth. Pebblestep flashed in her mind, her caring and eager blue eyes. I couldn't have done this without, Poppyfur. Thank you for everything. Pebblestep's words when she earned her true medicine cat name echoed through the air.

She saw Flowerstar, the cat who had helped her realized her destiny was in the medicine cat den. Then she saw Dawnfire, the cat who would save the forest, she saw Honeywing, the mentor who taught her everything she knew. Poppyfur saw her family, her friends, her Clan. The cats she had lost, and the ones she had saved. "I-I'm sorry..." Poppyfur choked the words out. She couldn't move her body anymore, her limbs wouldn't listen to her brain.

Poppyfur felt her body go limp, and it soon became too much work to open her eyes. She let them slowly close, letting the darkness claim her. The last image Poppyfur saw was SunClan territory, the place she had called home for so long.

Darkness surrounded Poppyfur, her body felt cold and she couldn't move. What's happening to me? Is this what death feels like? Poppyfur lied still for what felt like moons, until she felt the feeling spread back into her body. She opened her eyes, she was back in the field but something didn't feel right. I-I can't be alive can I? Poppyfur looked down and was shocked to see her own body at her paws.

"It's a strange feeling, I know." A soft voice spoke from behind Poppyfur. Poppyfur looked over her shoulder to see Honeywing, her mentor with shimmering gold fur. "I'm sorry it had to end this way."

"It shouldn't have." Poppyfur admitted. "I knew better than this, I know there's adders out here. A single bite was enough to kill me in a matter of moments. I didn't even make it close to camp."

"Your Clanmates will find you, they will take you home." Honeywing padded up to Poppyfur, standing beside her. "And I'm here to take you to StarClan."

"It doesn't feel like I'm ready." Poppyfur closed her eyes. "I still have so much to do, I never got to say goodbye to everyone...to Pebblestep...to Dawnfire." Poppyfur winced as she thought about Dawnfire. "Dawnfire is going to blame herself for this, I know it. Just as she did with Willowkit. This isn't her fault!"

"Dawnfire is a sensitive cat," Honeywing mewed. "And she will take your death hard, as will Pebblestep and Flowerstar. All of SunClan will, you were well loved and respected."

"I don't think I deserve that much love." Poppyfur looked at Honeywing. "I've made so many mistakes in my life, mistakes that have cost lives; including my own." She turned her gaze to the sky. "Falling in love with Branchfur, your death, making Dawnfire watch Willowkit die..."

"We all make mistakes." Honeywing rested her tail across Poppyfur's shoulders. "I made several in my youth, but I learned from them. Everything we face in life teaches a lesson, Feathernose always told me that everything happens for a reason. When he died, I was torn apart but he told me that he died so you could become by apprentice. When I died it was so you could unlock your true loyalty, and your death will allow Pebblestep to spread her wings. She will soon take her own apprentice and teach her what I taught you. Being a medicine cat requires so much sacrifice, most other cats don't understand what we go through.

"But you can't go into StarClan will a heartful of regret. You have a lot of time to think about your life, but you'll also be able to watch and guide the ones you've left behind. Someday you'll be there to give Dawnfire one of her nine lives, as will I and Flowerstar. You'll be able to guide Pebblestep and her future apprentice. Use your experiences in life to help guide, and you will help your Clan in ways you never could before." Honeywing closed her eyes. "It's quite satisfying, actually. I get to see and learn so much more."

Poppyfur looked at her body once more. I'm dead and there's nothing I can do about it. What I can do is help Dawnfire find her destiny. Poppyfur took a deep, shaky breath. "Alright, Honeywing. I'm ready."