ʙ ʀ ᴀ ᴍ ʙ ʟ ᴇ s ᴛ ʀ ɪ ᴋ ᴇi. guard ii. groveclan iii. guard
iv. tom v. 32 moons
tagged; spiderstar
mentioned; spiderstar, beestar,
stormwing, oliveshade in, and out. and in, and out. nostrils fluttered as the burly tom slept on, enveloped in the warmth of the swan
feathers lining his nest. the small stone dip covered by moss and bracken provided quite the comfort,
one that the guard was very happy to have. his eyes remained closed the only signs that he was still living,
that he would wake within the next hour, were his flank rising and falling steadily, and the tip of his tail
twitching to and fro. his shadow remained still, however, the weak light drifting into the hallow den only
catching the very top of his ears, and perhaps a sliver of his shoulder. while the tom seemed at peace, a
night terror enveloped his vision, haunting him ever so thoroughly. the tom, named bramblestrike, was
dreaming once more of his treacherous father and the leagacy that he left behind in his son's dream. in this particular showing, stornwing had pinned oliveshade to the ground, his maw twisted into a sick grin, golden eyes, perhaps the only trait he shared with bramblestrike, glinting with malice. bramblestrike hated his own eyes, every time he caught his reflection in a pool of water or a shard of glass, he would be reminded of his father and the terrible things that the tom did to the clan.
"it's time, oliveshade. you've become too close to my son. you're not his real father, nor will you ever be."
bramblestrike woke up before the next scene played, too frightened to allow it to continue on in his head. his eyes snapped open, golden hues immediately clashing with the sunlight. he shivered. stormwing never understood. he would never be bramblestrike's father. the time had come for him to step up, but it was rejected. the tom lay in his nest, breath stirring a few loose feathers before he gathered the strength to heave himself up. once he was on his four paws, bramblestrike shut his eyes, creating a mental list in his head for his to-dos. first, as always, was to check in on spiderstar.
over the seasons, bramblestrike had become one of spiderstar's confidants, and the two toms grew close. bramblestrike considered spiderstar a close friend, and despite a few negative things about the younger tom, genuinely enjoyed his presence. the burly tom swiftly exited his den, brushing past the ivy that draped over the mouth. once he was outside, the tom blinked a few times, trying to quickly get used to the glimmering sunlight. it hit every nook and cranny in the camp, and dazzled upon the small river that ran through the center of the clearing. bramblestrike's gaze was distracted by a dash of yellow in the corner of his eye, and turned his head to reveal a small clump of dandelions. seeing the flowers brought a small smile to his face, and he thought of spiderstar, who could probably use a bit of happiness that morning.
careful not to break the petals, bramblestrike gingerly plucked the stems from the ground, gathering quite a few before deciding he was satisfied. the tom turned and headed to the monarch's den, where he placed the stalks around the entrance. one he had dropped all of them, he took a step back, and sat a few tail-lengths away from the entrance of the den, facing the camp clearing. the brush of fur besides him alerted bramblestrike of another cat's presence, and he turned his neck to see spiderstar. bramblestrike gave a swift nod of his head before returning to his previous position, opting not to look at the monarch.
"good morning, sir." bramblestrike's voice was deep and sharp. "i have nothing interesting to report. i sent out more patrols around the front of the camp. you would expect activity from beestar by now, but she hasn't sent anyone our way." he sighed, chest heaving with the effort.