Twisted fire { P }

[SpiritWolf_yt]

[ the eye color is probably wrong but for now its green]

[ Takes place after fire event]


Fireflame sighed as she could remember her old home. It didn't the same after returning but only 1 thing would make her feel good, Seeing the cats whom she cared for. It had been a long time since she saw Twistedpaw, the poor apprentice who lost her mother. Her eyes closed then reopened as she looked for twistedpaw. A nervous feel chilled down her back, Her tail dragged behind as she continued to look for twistedpaw.

@TheNyanCatMinecart

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

(WARNING: This entire thread will contain references to internalized ableism and potential references to abuse. Please do not look through this thread if any of these themes bother you.)

~ TWISTEDPAW OF WINDCLAN ~

Small, skinny, black she-cat with a light gray belly and tail-tip; has a crooked jaw, mangled tail, and one blind eye.

Placeholder ref sheet can be viewed here.

The day after Twilightstar led the expedition to explore WindClan's new territory, Twistedpaw poked her head out of the apprentices' den, blinking in the bright greenleaf's sun's light. The grassy, fern-dotted clearing was bathed in gold, and the scents of green, growing things flooded into the small she-cat's scent glands. Warmth caressed her face from where it emerged from the shadows of the overhanging roof, and a slight breeze kissed her round cheeks. It was a nice day. But it wouldn't be so pleasant if Batglare noticed she'd been eating less again, so she was off to the fresh-kill pile to take a piece of prey. Without being spotted, of course. Twistedpaw might have made friends, and the events of the fire had drawn the Clan closer together, but the idea of interacting with anyone she didn't know well made her head reel and her heartbeat increase. So many cats have been nice, nicer than I thought they would be - nicer than they should be to a cat like me - but I can't risk it. I - I can't ruin anything or - or run into anyone who I'll upset.

Twistedpaw's gaze scanned the camp clearing, twisting her head further than a normal cat would've needed due to her blind eye. WindClan's new home was beginning to feel like that - a home - but it was still... unfamiliar. Odd. Not the same. But it was better than nothing, and Twistedpaw would take whatever WindClan would get. I'm just glad we survived it. That fire and the rogues... They could've destroyed the entire Clan.

She suppressed a shudder and focused on her task. It was a pleasant day, but surprisingly, there weren't many cats lying around. It was a clear shot to the fresh-kill pile. Okay. I can do this. Twistedpaw straightened, feeling the ache in her legs. She was sore from all the walking they'd had to do, but she couldn't help but feel a twinge of a feeling she wasn't familiar with: pride. She'd done what was expected of her, but she'd also explored the new territory with her Clan. She'd managed to keep up with them! She'd certainly grown stronger in the three moons she'd been an apprentice. Batglare had made her eat more, and, although she was still skinny, she wasn't as malnourished as she'd been... before.

But I'm still pathetic. I've been in training for three moons, and I hardly know anything! Twistedpaw doubted she'd become a warrior on time. All because of my deformities. But... She took a deep breath and began walking toward the fresh-kill pile, lowering her head but keeping her working eye out so she didn't crash into anyone again. StarClan forbid! she thought with a thrill of horror and embarrassment. Her mind circled back to the track it had been on before. Ashfeather became a warrior. Twilightstar, Leechscar, Batglare... They all said she was the same as me. Looked the same, had the same disfigurements. I'm wrong, different from Ashfeather, but... Hope stirred in her chest. I will become a warrior. That was what she wanted more than anything. And that meant eating so she'd be strong and Batglare could train her.

Despite this hope and determination, Twistedpaw didn't feel comfortable among her Clanmates. Even now, she realized how starkly her black pelt stuck out in the sun, absorbing its life-giving rays. Worse was her tail - unusually long and horribly broken, crooked, and twisted - which stuck out atrociously. She could imagine them looking at her, judging her. Batglare, Twilightstar, and all her friends said Twistedpaw was a good cat. That there was nothing wrong with her. But, although she was warmed by their support, she was scared, too. Because there was something wrong with her. No matter what they said, she knew she'd destroyed her family. She was unsure of Sootkit's death now, but Willowsky said Twistedpaw had killed her because of her disfigurements, so that had to be the truth. As for Willowsky and Palecloud... She didn't want them to hate her, but she wanted them to understand. If they wouldn't, she had to make them - or else prevent herself from hurting anyone else again. But could she? Making them see was a lost cause because they just wouldn't listen. They didn't blame Twistedpaw. Why? She was supposed to be blamed.

The black-and-light-gray apprentice reached the fresh-kill pile. Mouth-watering scents flowed into her twisted nose and crooked jaw, the latter of which had swung while she walked, its movements restrained since she'd tensed it to make it look less awful. She glanced down, looking for something easy to consume - the soft flesh of a mouse or bird would do. Twistedpaw couldn't deal with rabbits. They were too big, and their flesh was too stringy. No, she wanted something she could consume alone.

The wind changed direction, blowing toward her, and Twistedpaw froze. Another scent mingled with that of the fresh-kill: a soft, comforting, warm one. Tears burned in the corners of her mismatched eyes, one seeing and the other blind. No... no, it can't be. She shook her head, forgetting to tense her jaw in her shock. It swung loosely and disturbingly. I... I must be imagining things.

But Twistedpaw couldn't stop herself from sniffing again. It was still there. Her whiskers twitched as her eyes widened, and her eyes burned all the more. It can't be, her inner voice repeated, for the cat she scented was dead.

But... but... hadn't there been tales of cats coming back from the dead? Cats who weren't leaders.

Slowly, she lifted her head and turned in the direction of that familiar smell.

Standing in the clearing, not translucent or star-covered but solid and real, was Fireflame. Her tufty ginger fur glowed in the sun's beams, turning her into a living flame against the growing green grass, but this wasn't a fire to be afraid of. Black stripes sliced through the bright blaze like the long shadows of trees across a meadow. She looked like fire and shadow, one of the creatures Twistedpaw had heard uttered by some cats when she hid in corners of the camp... what were they called? Tigers.

Twistedpaw had to be imagining things, but - but... She blinked, expecting Fireflame to disappear. Surely it was some hallucination. But her foster mother was still there. She didn't leave. The tears forming in Twistedpaw's eyes spilled down her face, carving perfect paths down her round black cheeks and dripping into the gaping end of her jaw. On the other end, they slid down her face, avoiding her twisted mouth entirely. Her throat felt tight, and her head spun. She couldn't believe it, she couldn't believe it-

Before she comprehended what she was doing, Twistedpaw flew across the clearing, any soreness in her muscles or hunger in her stomach forgotten. Her mangled tail made her lurch to the sides as she didn't make any move to keep her gait smooth. She hardly comprehended it, though. One moment, she was standing beside the fresh-kill pile; the next, she was attempting to bury her crooked muzzle into Fireflame's fur. Sobs wracked her body. She couldn't believe it, but Fireflame was here, and all Twistedpaw wanted was to breathe in her scent, feel her soft fur, and be comforted by the loving she-cat. Yet in her mind, Brightpaw's voice kept replaying, saying how she'd been killed by rogues. She's supposed to be dead, but she's here... She must've been brought back...

It was so much to process, and joy warred with confusion and so many overwhelming emotions Twistedpaw couldn't name. In the end, all she wanted was her foster mother's comfort. "F-F-Fireflame..." she sobbed, her voice distorted by her jaw and muffled if the former queen had allowed Twistedpaw to bury her face in her chest fur.

@Queen_Coral (I apologize for the wait! I also didn't anticipate this post to be so long, whoops. I had fun writing it!)

[SpiritWolf_yt]

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Fireflame sighed as she wondered where twistedpaw was, the wind seemed to blow her scent towards her former former foster daughter. The molly sat down in the clearing and looked up to the sky in wonder of twistedpaw, sure twistedpaw still is a apprentice but at least she can see the warrior ceremony in the future. A quick thought of when she and twistedpaw had a talk was when twistedpaw was a kit, the molly sighed again as she remembered the talk it was hard then but can it still be hard now? The warrior ranked molly frowned at that question.

Her ears twitched around as her mouth that had a little scar opened. A sudden flinched came as she felt a cat muzzle her fur, could it be twistedpaw? Her eyes lowered with her head as she looked at twistedpaw. No words came out as she embraced the apprentice happily. Her tail curled around twisted paw as she hugged, a silent thankfulness came through her head.

The molly kept hugging the apprentice as she tried to think of kind words to say, oh but it was so hard as she began to cry in joy. Tears finally came down on her face, so much has happened and yet this is something she would for sure remember this. Fireflame smiled big as she began to try and speak for the first time to twistedpaw" T-twistedpaw " she began in a soft happy voice"I missed you so much, " she sobbed with a smile.

The molly licked twistedpaw affectionately as she felt like she could hug forever." I love you twistedpaw " she purred.

@TheNyanCatMinecart ( no worries take your time im kinda hoping your post is in so I can do my last post before I leave)

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

~ TWISTEDPAW OF WINDCLAN ~

Small, skinny, black she-cat with a light gray belly and tail-tip; has a crooked jaw, mangled tail, and one blind eye.

Placeholder ref sheet can be viewed here.

The emotions were overwhelming. As Twistedpaw's crooked muzzle buried deep into Fireflame's ginger-and-black tabby fur, her small body shook with sobs. Hot tears that tasted of salt slid from her eyes, squeezed shut as the world seemed to spin around her - but not in a bad way. Fireflame was alive. Fireflame was here. Twistedpaw inhaled her familiar scent, sniffling as snot clogged her nostrils. It was warm, comforting, and familiar, yet there was a slight change to it. Her foster mother had been to the stars and back; she wasn't a queen in the nursery anymore. Gone was the aroma of milk that Twistedpaw remembered from her moons in the nursery, waiting for a mother who despised her - then hiding from the world once she thought she knew what she was.

She'd been partly right. But in the process of trying to spare others, she'd hurt them instead. Because everything she did was wrong. A mistake.

Even as the nine-moon-old apprentice pressed hard against Fireflame's chest, sobbing harder than she had in a long, long while, she felt the former queen flinch. Twistedpaw's heart lurched. Does she not like me? she wondered, nausea flickering briefly in her belly. After all, Twistedpaw had abandoned her. I made her cry. But Twistedpaw, because she was weak, ugly, pathetic, and had missed Fireflame so much, couldn't bring herself to move away. In that moment, she needed her foster mother. Needed her familiar scent and the soft feel of her fur. Just needed her.

Then, suddenly, front legs and a tail wrapped around Twistedpaw. The black she-cat opened her eyes, letting out a tiny, distorted squeak of surprise. Ginger fur, shot through with black stripes like a tiger's, swam in her tear-stained vision. Warmth, softness, and gentleness cocooned her like a caterpillar surrounded by its protective casing. Briefly, Twistedpaw wondered if Fireflame was going to hurt her, nip her, but the thought immediately melted away. She would never hurt anymore. Not even a revolting, deformed, wretched cat like Twistedpaw, who she'd agreed to take under her wing for reasons unknown. No, Twistedpaw knew why: The boundless love and kindness in the revived she-cat's heart. Fireflame loved everything and everyone. Now she was hugging Twistedpaw, making the apprentice's mind flash back to moments spent in the nursery with Brightpaw and the others that had since gone missing. Does this mean she forgives me? It must. Surely Fireflame wouldn't hug her so dearly if she was still angry at or upset with Twistedpaw. And when had the gentle she-cat ever been angry? Guilt stabbed Twistedpaw's heart, sharper than a poisoned claw. How could she have even imagined that Fireflame wanted to hurt her?

There was no room for her to get lost in self-loathing. The emotions - the love, the grief, and the pure joy - were too overwhelming. So Twistedpaw closed her eyes once more and continued to sob her heart out, pouring the pain into her foster mother's tabby fur. Something hot and wet dripped onto the top of her mangled tail, carving a trail of moisture before plopping onto her head. Twistedpaw blinked her eyes open and looked up to find Fireflame's amber eyes brimming with tears. But she was smiling. She must be feeling overwhelmed, too. Not upset or mad at Twistedpaw, but overwhelmed. Twistedpaw still felt a stab of guilt for that day in the nursery, but - oh, she loved Fireflame so much. And Fireflame loved her. No matter what.

Twistedpaw wasn't going to take the former queen's love for granted. No way.

Fireflame spoke, and the black she-cat blinked in surprise when her apprentice name was used. Fireflame wasn't here for my ceremony. How did she know? Then Twistedpaw realized it must be obvious. She was small and skinny, sure, but she certainly wasn't a kit anymore. If her training wasn't going so slowly, she'd be halfway on the path to warriorhood. All shock of hearing her apprentice name and thoughts of her training vanished as Fireflame kept talking, uttering simple words that meant the world. Twistedpaw sniffled and choked out, her voice more distorted than usual, "I... I... m-missed y-you s-so m-much, t-too." Twistedpaw pressed her round black cheek harder against Fireflame's chest fur. She didn't ever think she'd let go. Brightpaw will be so happy... Joy filled her heart at the thought of her foster sister's reaction to realizing Fireflame was still alive, but complicated emotions from other corners of Twistedpaw's mind swirled through it. There was so much to say... so much to ask...

But first things first. "I l-love you, t-too," she meowed and meant it with all her heart. Then the questions and apologies came pouring out. "I-I'm s-sorry. So s-sorry... I h-hurt you th-that day in th-the nursery. I... m-made you..." She could hardly bear to say it. "...c-cry. I'm s-sorry... I d-didn't mean t-to hurt y-you. I th-thought I w-was doing th-the right th-thing... b-but I w-was w-wrong." Well, not completely wrong, but... I should've done it differently. I shouldn't have hurt her.

A million other questions were buzzing through Twistedpaw's head - how Fireflame had come back, the rogue attack that had claimed her life - but she couldn't bring herself to ask. Not now. So, she kept hugging her foster mother and sobbing, wondering what Fireflame would think of her apology.

@Queen_Coral

[SpiritWolf_yt]

/ Fireflame \
She/her | female


Fireflame continued to sob as she embraced twistedpaws cry and hug. It was too overwhelming but it was such a good feeling to feel. She had now filled 2 cats with love who missed her it was a good feel. Longing to hug twistedpaw and talk to her was a dream come true, starclan had blessed her for having a good clan with loving cats she knows. Her eyes closed as wet tears fell on twistedpaw, her ears twitched as twistedpaw pushed harder into her chest, the embrace was so hard that she didn't want to let go, twistedpaw is safe and secure she has the clan and her but her memories of the apprentice as a kit came in, did twistedpaw still feel like pushing her away? No she was hugging her dearly to death so why would that ridiculous thought come in?

She was only a kit she was scared and worried about hurting her there was no blame on her it was all well understood. The she-cat continued to embrace the apprentice until she heard the apprentices voice, the voice it was just as she heard when she first met her, she had missed that voice so much. Her smile spreader further on her face as she had no words to reply. Fireflame finally had words to say something but before she could say it she listened to twistedpaw while hugging. It started out happyily she loved her but the Mollie's smile turned to a frown as twistedpaw apologized, the molly stayed quiet for a bit as she thought of what to say to that, certainly she didn't expect to hear that. The ginger tabby took a breath and sighed shakily"twistedpaw there is no need to apologize, you never mean to hurt anyone it's just accidents, I know you never wanted to hurt anyone, I understand you were trying to do the right thing so don't blame yourself" she replied softly and kind just as she had done when twistedpaw was a kit.


" I want you to know that if you ever accidently hurt me you will not be yelled at or anything because I know it was an accident you will always be under my kindness care I will always love you no matter what " she purred before looking up to the sky and giving silent grateful thanks for what she has

@TheNyanCatMinecart

[TheNyanCatMinecart]

~ TWISTEDPAW OF WINDCLAN ~

Small, skinny, black she-cat with a light gray belly and tail-tip; has a crooked jaw, mangled tail, and one blind eye.

Placeholder ref sheet can be viewed here.

Though Fireflame's tears made no sound, Twistedpaw felt them acutely as they plopped into her fur. Warm, wet droplets slid down the back of her neck, caressing the faint, sliding scars left by Willowsky. Left because I was a horrible, naughty kit who wouldn't listen. Left because I hurt her. Although Twistedpaw had also hurt Fireflame, the orange tabby queen hadn't gotten angry or nipped her. Fireflame hadn't attacked Twistedpaw or invoked her wrath from StarClan when she became an apprentice. She'd loved Twistedpaw as everyone said mothers should. Yet all these tears... She's happy to see me. But if she's crying... Is it because I hurt her? Why else would she cry? Twistedpaw trembled, gasping through sobs that wracked her small, skinny body. Breathing felt impossible. Snot clogged her nose and throat, and the pressure of tears choked her like a badger's paw. She was so happy to see Fireflame, yet so scared. So sad and guilty. Surely that emotion isn't normal? Or maybe it was normal for a horrible, ugly, harmful cat. Normal only to Twistedpaw.

The agony of thinking about who she was and what she'd done faded, but only mildly. It was as if the poison had melted into the background, mostly out of her system but still in her blood, a mist hanging over her conscience. Twistedpaw's mind was running, too, filled with questions, terror, and desperation. She'd said what she needed to say to Fireflame; she'd apologized for hurting her foster mother. Fireflame was so kind... too kind to someone like Twistedpaw... but how would she react? What would she say? I deserve to be nipped, Twistedpaw thought. But... but everyone's said nipping kits is a terrible thing to do. Fireflame wouldn't nip me. I drove Willowsky into nipping me because I'm horrible. But Fireflame... It felt different with the queen. For some reason, Fireflame loved Twistedpaw and carried enough compassion for every cat in WindClan. If nipping kits was awful, she wouldn't take the stick (torch) Willowsky had attempted to pass on. Willowsky... She was a wonderful cat, but I drove her into doing... everything she did. I don't blame her for hurting me. I can't expect everyone to be as kind and sweet as Fireflame. They shouldn't be.

But Twistedpaw craved this, the love. If someone was nice enough to love her... that was okay, right? Yet Twistedpaw should still be held accountable. It was nice to have loved ones, she thought as she felt Fireflame's soft fur against her own, but Twistedpaw needed to remember that she was deformed and ugly and horrible and shouldn't expect such kind treatment from her Clanmates. They should treat her as she deserved to be treated. As I expect them to treat me. Even if the thought of their hate set her heart racing and turned the blood in her veins to leaf-bare's ice.

A shaky sigh sounded above the depressed apprentice, bringing her back to reality. She was drawn out of the dark train of thoughts that had cascaded through her mind. She blinked, feeling a jolt of alarm. It felt like every waking moment was plagued by these thoughts and feelings, these ideas that she wasn't good enough and needed to be better. But she needed to focus on Fireflame. Oh, why was she like this? Stupid, stupid-

Wait, what? Twistedpaw leaned back, cold air kissing her round, damp cheek with nearly enough ice to make her shudder. But she didn't, too surprised by the words that had left Fireflame's mouth. Her crooked jaw gaped disturbingly. Had... had Twistedpaw heard her right? I can't have, surely! The young she-cat blinked. If she wasn't mistaken, which she had to be, Fireflame had just told her there was no need to apologize. Twistedpaw continued to listen, shocked, though her mind raced like a river current. I have to apologize! Haven't I done everything wrong? I hurt her! Hurt her because I was wrong and born horribly and, and-

Yet Fireflame was telling her that Twistedpaw had never meant to hurt anyone. That she was trying to do the right thing and that she shouldn't blame herself. Twistedpaw might've thought it a joke had she not known that Fireflame would never do that. Her foster mother's amber eyes shone with so much love, her voice so sweet, soft, and comforting... Twistedpaw hardly knew what to think. What Fireflame said next was even more shocking.

If you ever accidentally hurt me, you will not be yelled at or anything because I know it was an accident. You will always be under my kindness and care. I will always love you no matter what.

As Fireflame averted her gaze to the open blue sky, Twistedpaw couldn't form thoughts. She might've thought her foster mother was looking away so she didn't have to see Twistedpaw's hideous disfigurements if she didn't know better. Her head felt like a boulder running down a hill, hitting dead tree stumps along the way. This... No, this didn't make sense. And yet...

Twistedpaw opened her mouth, about to protest, but words failed her. What Fireflame said was true. Twistedpaw didn't want to hurt anybody. But she couldn't help herself. Because of how she was, the way she looked, how she could never do anything right... That was all her fault. Fireflame was being too kind. Twistedpaw needed to apologize because she was doing things wrong. However... Fireflame knew she didn't mean to. Which didn't make it any better, but still. And that proclamation of love...

Tears flowed down the black she-cat's face. Nobody had loved her this strongly. Nobody. Because Twistedpaw wasn't a cat who deserved to be loved. She wasn't someone who made it easy for others to love her. Yet... yet Fireflame did. Fireflame was willing to get hurt for the sake of loving Twistedpaw. Twistedpaw wasn't sure how that made her feel. On one paw, it scared her. Fireflame shouldn't ever be in a position where her foster daughter should hurt her. Twistedpaw shouldn't hurt anybody. Nobody should ever be hurt because of her. On the other paw... That kind of love and devotion, a cat who was willing to put themself in harm's way and excuse it, all for love...

Nobody had done that, ever. Nobody.

Tears slid down Twistedpaw's face. How to respond? She didn't want to offend Fireflame or make the other she-cat's declaration sound insignificant, but... "I-I..." she choked out, shaking all over. She swallowed hard and tried again. Something in her broke free, and Twistedpaw hurled herself at Fireflame, nuzzling her chest fur. "I-I-I l-l-love y-y-you. Y-you're... y-you're s-so s-sweet... and k-kind... I d-don't d-deserve y-you... I d-don't wanna h-hurt you..."

@Queen_Coral (I'm so sorry for the delay! My writing motivation died, but I wanted to get this post out. Also, apologies if the ending is a little rushed - I wasn't feeling motivated, but I wanted to get it out.)