Washed Away in the Breeze (solo)

(part 1. Part soon coming soon. This happens before Betulakit and Swankit are born.)

"Must you leave?" Violetbriar had pleaded, despite knowing the answer. Softcloud gave her a sorrowful expression in return and the the grief on her dear friend's face made her shake with sadness. It wasn't supposed to end like this; she hadn't meant to make friends in RiverClan. "I must," the she-cat had whispered in return, voice shaking.

"You can stay. You fit in, and we all like you. Wolfstar won't mind. He'd be happy. I'll teach you how to fish like a professional and you can already swim decently!" Violetbriar had known that Softcloud hadn't had a choice in the matter. Staying here would mean betraying WindClan and Heronstar, leaving Yewpaw mentorless. Behind them, the auburn colored warrior Amberberry shifted anxiously, "We need to go." Amberberry mewed, sounding uncertain. "Hold your tongue, WindClanner! She's as much a Clanmate to us as she is to you."

Amberberry bared her teeth at Violetbriar, and the cream Tabby's stance was far more aggressive to the WindClan warrior than it had been with her friend. "Vi, if I could stay, I would. I have no family left in WindClan, but the moors call to me still. I miss them. I belong there."

"Then I'll come with you!" Violetbriar thrust her muzzle towards Softcloud, tears in her eyes. Softcloud shook her head sadly.

"You'd be miserable,"
"I'll be miserable without you!" She wailed.
"Wolfstar needs you. You can't leave. You have a family here..!" Softcloud argued, desperate.
"But.... But.. you're family! You're my best friend..."
The pain in her expression filled Softcloud with great remorse and regret, but she couldn't let Violetbriar leave everything she had here just for her. "We'll see each other at Gatherings. We'll still be soul sisters and best friends."

She'd only hoped closing her eyes would hide the pain in Violetbriar's voice.
"It won't be the same."

Pain seared Softcloud's lower back. She'd only wished she'd had stayed in RiverClan for one more sunrise.

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A few moments earlier...

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Softcloud let out a shaky sob as she and Violetbriar parted ways. "Softcloud! Softcloud, wait!" Violetbriar raced up to her, and shoved her muzzle into hers, "I love you. I'll see you at the next gathering." As Violetbriar padded away, Softcloud took a deep breath and yowled back, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love you too, Violetbriar! We will see each other at the next Gathering, I promise!"

Amberberry looked at the medicine cat, placing her tail on her shoulder. "It'll be alright. WindClan is waiting to welcome you home. Let's just hope you don't scare all the hares away with that fish stink all over you! You smell like a RiverClan cat!" the auburn tabby murmured, winking. Softcloud's heart sunk. Of course Amberberry didn't understand. Her heart was torn in two, loyalty to WindClan and loyalty to her closest friends who were both RiverClan. It was painful to leave them, and even though Wolfstar didn't seem outwardly affected, she knew he was being strong for Violetbriar and RiverClan.

RiverClan had become a second home to the short molly. It would be odd not seeing the faces she'd grown to know and care for. Adderfeather, her apprentice. She was cold on the outside, but she could be enjoyable company. Softcloud would miss her. Whitepaw, Flowerpaw, Shellpaw, Birchkit, Duckpaw. Her friend's kits, who she viewed with a deep amount of affection. Crakecall, an overly annoying tom, but she inwardly thought he was quite nice to be around. Adderfeather wouldn't agree with her on that aspect. Willowshade, Lichenscale. Two respectable and kind she-cats who she'd grown to respect highly. And, of course, her closest friends, Wolfstar and Violetbriar. Thinking if those two made her heart ache.

Holding back a sob as they crossed the river, Softcloud broke into a sprint, not daring to look back. If she did, Softcloud knew she wouldn't be able to leave. Hurry back to WindClan. You need to hurry. Don't change your mind. You have to do this. Amberberry gasped and rushed to keep up with her.

So lost in her thoughts, Softcloud didn't smell the fox scent. "Softcloud! Get away!!"

Part 2! Part 3 to come soon~

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An ear shattering yowl split the air as Softcloud gasped in undying pain.

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Softcloud yelled her goodbyes back, and as the pair parted ways, Violetbriar couldn't hold back her tears. She watched as her dearest friend crossed the river, and with pride saw how she swam across it while Amberberry made a running jump with barely any touching of the water. As Violetbriar trudged home, nose low to the ground, the fur along her spine prickled.

No.

Oh no.

"Softcloud's in danger!" She yelped to nobody in particular, and like a tornado, she shot across the ground, hesitation completely absent. No, no, no! The fox scent was unmistakable. She wouldn't have noticed it if her nose hadn't been practically touching the ground, but the traces of fox were fresh on the grass, like dewdrops.

Her paws barely grazed the grass as she laughed herself into the river, swimming with desperation across it. The fox smelled sick and one warrior wouldn't be able to protect Softcloud.  She knew of Softcloud's trauma associated with foxes. As an apprentice she and another apprentice, who'd become a good friend to her, Fernpaw, later Fernstep, had been attacked and had nearly died. If Softcloud came face to face with a fox, she'd freeze up. The thought of her dear friend hurt-- or worse, killed-- sent her into a panic.

Adrenaline shooting through her veins, Violetbriar could've been mistaken for a WindClan cat as she zoomed across the moor. Gasping in horror, Violetbriar lunged.

WARNING! PLEASE READ!:

Violetbriar had never attacked something so furiously. She faintly registered Amberberry stiffening with horror beside her, but she couldn't be bothered to care. This fox would die beneath her claws. The fox hissed and growled in pain, and tried to shake her off, but the cream tabby sunk her claws in, kicking out tufts of fur from its back. Russet red piles of fur drifted to the ground like blood, and the grass turned scarlet as Violetbriar ripped away the fox's throat.

It wasn't dead yet, of that Violetbriar had made sure of. She'd give this mangy beast the slowest and most painful death she could. The RiverClan cat stood over the fox as it wheezed and fought for breath. Narrowing her mint eyes into slits, she raised her claws, sharp, deadly, and fully unsheathed onto the fox's face, scoring long, ugly marks across its hideous maw. Her razor sharp fangs ripped through delicate ear tissue and with a riiiiippp, she dropped one dripping ear onto the red stained grass. Her cream pelt was splattered with blood, but only a few drops hers. Only one wound laced her back and it would leave just a faint scar.

With a scream, Violetbriar leaped stop the dying beast and mercilessly sliced it, until it was nearly beyond recognition. Rage blinded her and hatred contoured her features, her paws bloodstained with that of her enemy. The disgusting taste of blood filled her mouth and the reek of fox coated her nostrils.

The fox lay in a bloody heap, bathing in its own blood and filth. One ear was completely ripped away and the other was shredded. Five long, grotesque claw marks diagonally covered the fox's face, from the missing ear to the opposite cheek, scoring gashes over both eyes and nose. Its jaw twisted at an angle, showing broken and black teeth, its own blood dripping from its mouth. The formally white chest was blossomed with red, a neat and precise gaping hole near it's neck. Bare patches coated the fox's entire pelt and a fourth of its tail was gone.

WARNING! PLEASE READ!:

She hadn't delivered any fatal killing blow and as she watched the monster bleed out painfully, satisfaction filled her. The beast had cruelly attacked her friend. She'd only returned the favor. Whirling around, Violetbriar stared in mortification at Softcloud. The fox had picked her up by her back and tried to bend her like a twig. Blood trickled from both sides of her flank. With steadily growing horror, the cream molly rushed to the injured medicine cat and desperately began licking her wounds, trying to stop the blood.

"Don't just stand there! Go get help!" She snapped at Amberberry and for a heartbeat, the WindClan she-cat hesitated. When she looked at the state the fox was in, her doubt seemed to ease and she nodded firmly once before dashing off to get help. "You'll be okay, Softy. Don't worry. We'll get you help, that mange-pelt is dead."

Softcloud smiled tenderly at her friend, raising a paw and caressing her cheek. "Don't... Worry about me. Yo..you think one fox can keep me d..down?" The effort of speaking sent shivers and coughs down her body, in turn causing more blood to spill. "Don't speak, my friend. It'll all be okay. I promise."

Tears fell like raindrops. Behind them the sun was slowing slipping into sleep, filling the sky with a color as bright as blood. Yellow tinted clouds drifted lazily across the sky. Pale blue met pale green, both shiny with tears. Burying her muzzle in her friend's scruff, the bleeding out fox behind them was completely forgotten. Embraced by eternity, together for all time. Until the WindClan patrol arrived, there would be no separating the pair.

It had all happened so fast. In a heartbeat the fox had clamped it's jaws around her and shook her like a ragdoll as she screamed out in pain. Amberberry lurched forward, but another cat was faster. With wide eyes she recognized Violetbriar. Violetbriar screamed and brutally attacked the fox, which threw her as it had a more important thing to handle. Softcloud tried to cry out, tell Violetbriar to run, but she found she couldn't speak. She was petrified with fear and pain.

The fox didn't stand a chance.

It was over in a matter of minutes. Instead of instantly killing the beast, Violetbriar opted to allow it to suffer, slowly bleeding to death after mauling it. Two red lines of blood and pain seared her flank and two ribs had been fractured by the unforgiving jaws of the fox. As she lay, bleeding and bloody, Softcloud and felt an immense twang of pity for Violetbriar. Despite the pain she was in, she wanted no more than to comfort her dearest friend.

Pain shot through her and coughed up blood. Violetbriar's pelt spiked with alarm. The molly felt a wave of love surge over her. Here she was, a cat from another Clan bleeding out beside her best friend, who wasn't even from WindClan. And yet, they both wished only to comfort the other. How true a love that must be. To love one cat so much that their pain is your pain and their joy is your joy. Tears pricked her pale blue eyes, not from pain,but from the deep amount of love she held for the she-cat beside her.

Violetbriar buried her face into a scruff, and Softcloud's paw, that had gently been caressing her cheek, brushed her cheek fur gently. The small gesture seemed to comfort Violetbriar. The sky was streaked red and orange, reminiscent of the bloody scene in front of her. Pale hues of yellow drifted across the sky, fluffy and blissfully unaware of the pain and hurt beneath them. It wasn't long before a WindClan patrol arrived. Amberberry lead them, with Driftclaw, Ratpelt, Robinfeather, and Hollythorn behind her. Violetbriar bristled with distrust, as if she wasn't certain if Softcloud would be safe with them.

Holllythorn's eyes softened, "We aren't going to hurt her. We've come to bring her back to WindClan's camp." Violetbriar still didn't seem to be convinced, but she knew that Softcloud would only get worse the longer she went without treatment. "I'm coming with you."

Driftclaw and Robinfeather exchanged a look, clearly unhappy with this. The state of the fox showed just how fearless of a warrior Violetbriar was. "But--" Driftclaw started, only to be cut off by Ratpelt. "For the love of StarClan! Do you want our medicine cat to bleed out?"

This seemed to reassure Robinfeather, and she firmly nodded. Amberberry eyed Violetbriar distrustfully. "I'm not leaving her." After a long look between the two she-cats, Amberberry dipped her head. "Very well."

Robinfeather blinked at Violetbriar, "I'll run ahead and tell Heronstar." When Amberberry dipped her head in acknowledgement to the younger molly, Robinfeather raved off towards camp. "You'll be fine, Softcloud. I'm right here with you." After a moment of arguing, it was decided that Hollythorn and Violetbriar would carry Softcloud, much to Driftclaw's displeasure. It would seem this cream molly was stubborn. His pelt itched with anger, but Ratpelt gave him a hard look. Embarrassment heated his pelt and with a growl he fell behind so as to keep a closer eye on the RiverClan cat.

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A post in WindClan's camp with be up soon! This topic has been concluded <3