What If We Rewrite the Stars? [p]

[Dark]

Firestorm

Ultimate Predator: Inactive | Burn Baby Burn
___________

Firestorm felt terrible. Cowtuft had looked pitiful the entire time and each time she looked in his direction it felt like a predator was squeezing around her heart. But it was done, Cowtuft was gone and as they were headed back, the orange tabby whisked Lightningstorm away for herself, promising to meet Twinkles back at camp.

The walk had been filled with pained silence from her the whole while, as she simply refused to speak as she gathered her thoughts. Things were going to be so different without the former medicine cat she’d come to see as a brother of sorts around camp or in that dreadful underground den. Speaking of that den, she needed to tell the lone occupant something.

Walking ahead a bit, she swished her tail while preparing herself. She was going to do it. She was going to ask Lightningstorm to stay with her, her pride be damned. Taking a deep breath she opened her mouth, a small squeak coming out initially. Whoops, that wasn’t supposed to happen.

”Hey umm… Spots, I have something that I need to talk to you abou- wait what are you doing?” Her train of thought was interrupted as she turned to see the calico angrily staring at what appeared to be a bundle of herbs some ways off. Hadn’t she just been right behind her? And where did those herbs come from? The young warrior was so confused…

Curious, she walked over in front of the medicine cat, peering at the bundle of herbs. Catmint… Poppy… and marigold? Those were herbs she was familiar with, but why were they wrapped in a leaf? She hadn’t noticed Spots carrying anything on their way there, when did she have time to pick it up? What was going on???

[ @Alchemist Kitsune #stormduo ]

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive

---

Stars above... her stomach hurt. Maybe she could sneak in a juniper berry when they got back to camp. With any luck, it would be among the tainted herbs Cowtuft had missed out on and end her misery once and for all. She may be heading back to WindClan, but let there be no mistake. She was doing it for him. As far as she was concerned, she was a dead cat walking. It wouldn't be long before the Twilightstar's warriors started clamoring for her blood, whatever she had done to save them be damned.

Lightningstorm wasn't naive. She understood why Twilightstar had to exile Cowtuft. She held no ill will towards the leader, surprisingly enough. Even as her paranoia set in and clawed reason away from her mind, twisting it into squirming forms devoid of comprehension, that much she could see. Her mentor had made a mistake. One that had cost lives. That had forced her to take a life. That had forced Firestorm to take a life. Almond shaped eyes closed shut at the thought, the memory of Stickpaw's terrified look in death haunting her as the reality of what had truly happened settled in.

She hadn't misdiagnosed him. She hadn't accidentally failed to see the signs of near death on him. No. What she had done had been far worse. She had handed him a herb she had not tested. A herb she was not familiar with, that had only recently had mentioned by her mentor and fed it to him, ensuring his ill timed death. And yet, even with her anger at the black and white tom for having been so hare brained as to not notice something was wrong - stars, even she'd had a bad feeling... why had she been so trusting - everything paled in comparison to the unfettered hatred she felt for the cat who had done this. Because there was no way in hell Cowtuft had poisoned the clan. There were too many variables. No. Someone had purposefully poisoned the clan. For what purpose, she didn't know, but once she found out who had done it she was Dark Forest bound, and she was dragging the rat with her.

The Abyssinian mix's thoughts were interrupted. Torn at the seams as a frigid, swift gust of wind ruffled her short, sleek coat, coaxing a shiver down her body. Fur out of sorts, Lightningstorm stared at the cat that walked before her now, confusion gracing her expression as she realized that despite the she-cat's admittedly fluffier coat it looked no worse for wear than it had mere moments before. Large ear twitching perplexedly, the healer considered asking Firestorm if she had felt the strange gust only to close her mouth, the indistinguishable scent of herbs wafting towards her. Owlishly, the spotted lass looked down, blinking at the bundle of herbs that was so neatly placed... there. This had not been brought upon by a gust of wind. The herbs were to pristine. Too well kept to have been tumbling about in the frost. Too fresh to have been picked in this weather. No... this was a gift from StarClan... and she hated it.

A scowl soon marred the medicine cat's sharp features, a barely restrained snarl on her maw. Angrily, the wiry framed molly turned her gaze skyward, as if attempting to catch the culprit. The cat who had dared show the audacity to help now. StarClan had been aware of what had been plaguing WindClan. They had made that abundantly clear the moment they decided to contact ThunderClan and give the murderous arseholes the information Cowtuft had so desperately needed. Instead they were left to flounder. To wait unawares of what was wrong. Thinking it was a plague while the gray pelts in the sky watched down upon them for little more than their own amusement. And now they offered this?! When the problem had been discovered no thanks to them?

Slowly, she turned her gaze back down upon the offending herbs, a ferocious battle storming in her mind as reason and hatred warred with each other, the urge to stomp down on the offering quelled only by the knowledge that these herbs would be the only thing to keep the clan alive while she could find whatever meager rations were to be found out on the plateau. A small part of her brain, the callous part, wondered if StarClan had merely denied Cowtuft the knowledge of what was going on due to the fact that he should have bloody well known. He'd had all the information at his paws, but lacked the malice to put the pieces of the puzzle together. But then... why not let her know? Why not give her the tools she needed to save lives, instead opting to lose as many cats as possible in the process? Was it because Peachfrost had been right and Cowtuft was a Dark Forest chosen healer? Because if so, to hell the lot of them! If allowing the death of innocents was how StarClan dealt with cats who'd had their fate chosen by powers out of their control, they were no better than the cats they had shunned from their heaven.

"Whu-?" she mewed unintelligibly, her thoughts fractured once more.

A small voice clearing up the fog of war that clouded her vision, Lightningstorm turned her gaze upwards, ignoring the bundle of herbs as lapis blue hues met pale green. In her anger she had almost forgotten she had company. Knowing how she must no doubt look, she attempted to soften her features without much luck, her gaze boring into the bundle of herbs once again. This wasn't Firestorm's fault. That much she knew. The orange tabby had at least tried to defend the black and white tom. Had somehow even convinced Twilightstar to come along to say goodbye. She would be lying if she stated she knew the former medicine cat and her self appointed rival were close, but she supposed it somewhat made sense. Stars knew that the calico kept Firestorm around the medicine cat often enough for interactions between the two to be inevitable. A soft sigh escaped the spotted she-cat at the thought, and the storm crackling within her gaze seemed to dissipate, almost in defeat.

"Receiving blessings from StarClan," the medicine cat responded, large ears flattening upon her skull before looking up at her companion once again. "Proper nice of them, innit? To provide such care and let you know they have their eye on you once the damage's been done and it's too late? Must be having a bloody laugh..."

Without another word, Lightningstorm dipped her head to pick up the herb bundle. Angry as she was, she wouldn't turn the gift away. What if Twilightstar got sick? What if... what if Firestorm needed her help? She was a medicine cat without herbs right now, and from what she could tell, StarClan was letting her know one thing at the very least. Her job wasn't done. Not yet. Not until they decided they were through with her.

---

@Dark [Firestorm] | @Abyssopelagic [Coldamber]
| Decided to mix up these two roleplays, as they would both be happening at the same time, but I wasn't sure if you wanted Cold to hear Lightning's reaction to the herbs? Sorry for the mention if not! I know you are busy right now. |

[Dark]

Firestorm

Ultimate Predator: Inactive | Burn Baby Burn
___________

Firestorm flinched at the calico’s tone. She hadn’t meant to, but Lightningstorm just seemed so angry and their fight was still fresh in her mind. She wasn’t scared of the young healer, it was just… she felt anxious around her, as if saying the wrong thing could irreversibly damage their relationship.

”I see…” the orange tabby mewed silently, in an almost defeated tone. Would it still be alright to ask her? What if she told her to go away? Or yelled at her? The fear of rejection sent her heart racing, and her breathing quickened as she tried to find the right words to say. ’Come on Firestorm, you can do this! You’re a big girl, just say what you have to say!” That was right. She could do this.

Closing her eyes for a few moments, she steeled her resolve. Opening them, she confidently (or as confidently as one can be with trembling legs) walked up to Spots and gently placed a paw upon one of her companion’s dainty black ones. Using her feathery tail, she covered the herbs to prevent her companion from grabbing them and gently used it to lift the younger she-cat’s chin so their eyes would meet.

She swore her heart stopped.

Looking into those beautiful blue orbs sent an electric jolt through her, and she found herself at a loss for words. She opened her mouth for a second but nothing would come out. Great stars above, she hadn’t realized just how pretty Lightningstorm was beforehand. It was as if everything around them was standing still while she found herself drowning in their opulence.

Staring… staring… wait! Crap, she forgot she was supposed to be doing something! Stepping away just a bit, she could feel her pelt heat up with embarrassment. That was so embarrassing! Gosh she could already imagine just how much she was going to get teased later. Okay okay, she was just going to come out and say it. Her mother didn’t raise a baby (well, her mother didn’t raise her at all but that’s not important).

“Lightningstorm I lo-“ She couldn’t say it. Not now, it was far too embarrassing. Feeling her face grow unfathomably hot, she forced herself to look anywhere but those distractingly blue eyes. Her lips, yes, that’d do. Oh Stars, that wasn’t any better! “I-I think you’re really pretty- b-b-beautiful even… I umm… I l-l-like you, and I don’t want you to leave so could you stay here? With m-me? Please?”

Okay there. She was almost done. She hadn’t liked the idea of coming across as begging, but none of that mattered right now. Now all that was left was to ask the question she had thought herself so prepared to ask Milknose all those moons ago. Ironic really, the two she-cats had been rivals of sorts because of her feelings for the tom and his feelings for Lightningstorm, and now here she was, the one with feelings for the calico. It was as if their destiny foretold by the stars had been rewritten. Eyes sharpening as she steeled herself once more, she finally asked the question.

”Spots… Lightningstorm… Will you… be my mate…?”

[ @Alchemist Kitsune ]

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive | Mind Reader - Active

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Lightningstorm had every intention to grab her bundle of herbs and get going. She was in no rush to get back to the camp. Back to that nest of rats that she would be forced to keep alive and healthy with nary a herb... all the while looking behind her back because she couldn't help but shake the feeling that she was next. And yet she was stopped. Kitten seemed to need some attention now. The pressure on her chin wasn't harsh. In reality, the healer could have very well ignored it if she had wanted to. But it wasn't like the orange tabby to be so... soft? Firestorm had always been more of a I want this and I'm going to loudly get it kind of cat. This type of gesture was unheard of... and it worried the calico that her self proclaimed warrior rival was hurting more than even she.

She wasn't certain how long they stared at each other. The medicine cat could feel it, though. Her anger, the pressure on her head, the tension on her shoulders... It all seemed to melt away. Only her heartbeat seemed to be altercated even further in this standstill, and yet it was comforting in its own way, failing to coax her to move or look away completely.

The healer wasn't naive. She knew she had feelings for the she-cat. It was hard to ignore. She had somehow gone from that annoyance that wanted to get back at her for daring to have had her crush have a crush on her - confusing, she knew - to a cat she... actively looked forward to seeing. Sought out for companionship. A smile on her pretty face was usually enough to pep up the white furred feline, and despite having always sworn she wouldn't be like them... be like her parents and consistently chase after the foolish notion of love, she had somehow spiraled into the same trap, and she both loved it and hated it. It went against everything she stood for. Logic. Reason. And yet somehow it strengthen those same values as well. Because everything made more logic with Firestorm around. Everything had a reason for being. She knew the other didn't feel the same way... and for once, she felt this was for the best. After today... it was clear anyone close to her would be doomed to a dangerous life amongst the cats they called clanmates... In the place they called home.

The molly blinked. Oh. Oh no... It seemed Lightningstorm might have... miscalculated some things... because... what was.... Had Firestorm almost said? Blimey... she had. And it seemed that she had noticed a few things too. Had it been so obvious? That she had been thinking of leaving? That her goodbye had originally meant to be to Twilightstar, because while she wished her the best, she wasn't daft enough to stick around and wait for her own death? Because she was done with cats who framed each other by killing their own? Because she was tired... and she just wanted it all to stop. To know peace for once in her life.

She had never pegged her companion as particularly observant. Too many things seemed to slip her notice, but it had never been due to her narcissism. Despite Firestorm's eagerness to sing her own praises, she had found the warrior kept a closer eye on the cats of the clan than most others. It was odd, really, that a cat that was so willing to talk about how amazing she was somehow seemed to care more than most about those around her. She would never openly say it, because this cat... this wonderful cat before her would get the biggest head ever if she did, but... she truly did think it was possible. For her to be the WindClan leader someday. And that thought alone almost made it worth it. Staying back. Helping her, even from her prison, to become the guiding light that WindClan would be in such a desperate need of when Twilightstar was gone.

Spots… Lightningstorm… Will you… be my mate…?

Few things could stop the consistent storm of thoughts that blew through Lightningstorm's mind. Her brain never seemed to want to stop, too many things to think about. Too much knowledge to sort through. Too much to always be analyzing to just stop. And yet... Firestorm seemed to achieve the impossible. Her heart seemed to stop for a moment, as time slowed down, allowing the lithe calico to cherish the wave of emotions she felt... if only for a second, before reality came crashing down.

Would she like to be her mate? Her? And Firestorm? Together? No more rivalry - unless she was feeling a bit cheeky that day - no more pettiness... Firestorm had been fooling herself... and somehow fooled her as well with this so called hatred. She had been falling. Falling just as rapidly as the shorthaired she-cat had. And now... she wanted to be mates? It felt... sudden. Rushed. Unplanned. All qualities Firestorm held, and all just small reasons that made the whole of why she had begun loving this stubborn, hot headed lass as much as she did. Making it perfectly them, and nothing would make her happier in the world.

Except... Where did that leave her? Firestorm? That future dream she had. The one where she was the future leader of WindClan. Dead. It would never happen. Not if... not if she said yes. Not if she selfishly held on to this one reason to make everything worthwhile. Because if the others knew? If it was found out that Firestorm and Lightningstorm were mates? After what had just happened? After Cowtuft's exile? After they had wanted to hunt him down. To kill him for fun. To get rid of her as well. What would happen to Firestorm then?

She would go down with her. Go down as WindClan's most vile. The least wanted cat in the clan. The most suspected, potentially attacked for no reason at the first sign of anything going wrong. The medicine cat could handle this. She was alone already. Removed from the light. Slept underground away from prying eyes and the warmth of the clan. Firestorm, however... was a part of it. She lived for it. For them. They would never appreciate her for what she was, but that did not mean she had the right to take that comradery away from her. That sense of belonging. Of friendship. Of home. No... This was her storm to weather... and hers alone.

"Finally..." she mewed, closing her eyes as she refused to look the warrior in the eyes despite the small smile that tugged at her lips, the joy of having been loved... if only for a moment still warming her wounded heart. "You called me by name."

Silence met these words, if only for a moment as Lightningstorm steeled herself for what had to happen. For what needed to be done. The warmth slowly left her, the already fractured pieces that had begun to mend at Firestorm's admission breaking apart. Between Cowtuft's exile and this... the medicine cat wasn't sure how she would find the strength to go on. And yet she must. Not only for the promise made to her mentor... but for her. She might not have a future, but if her suffering could in some way help hers, she would do it. She would shoulder the hatred and vitriol of the rats... she would stand alone in the cold darkness if it meant securing her place in the light.

"I..." she mewed, her voice higher in pitch than she'd intended. Clearing her throat, she started again. "I'm flattered... Truly, I am. And... I think... You will make someone very happy someday but... I'm afraid I'm not that cat."

She could feel the tears stinging, threatening to spill as she spoke. Never would she have thought she could thank the stars that she was cried out for the day, and therefore unable to make this worse for her than need be. Because it would destroy her, she was sure. But it was for the best. It had to be. Because Lightningstorm would never endanger Firestorm, least of all for her own selfish happiness.

"I-I'm a medicine cat, Firestorm," the healer continued, using the warrior's name if only to let her know the severity of the situation. "I'm not meant to find love. Or mates. There's a reason, right? Why medicine cats live so far away from the rest of the clan? Why not even the apprentices are allowed to stay with the rest? It's because we have a job... and well... It's not our place, innit?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry... I just... I can't," she mewed, shutting her eyes tighter still before forcing them open, forcing herself to look Firestorm in the eyes, to hopefully have some level of sympathy... of good will behind her lapis hues to offer comfort in the face of what she'd just done. A small smile tugged at her whiskers. A mask, slipped on for her sake as she continued. "Hope you won't think me any less a rival for this..."

---

@Dark [Firestorm]

[Dark]

Firestorm

Ultimate Predator: Inactive | Burn Baby Burn
___________

The silence following her question was suffocating. For once, it seemed that Firestorm had Lightningstorm speechless, and honestly she wasn’t quite sure if that was a good thing or not. Waiting for an answer was stressful beyond belief and the wait had her trembling nervously with anticipation. It was only when the younger of the duo finally spoke that she calmed down a little.

"Finally... You called me by name."

Those words were accompanied by a slight smile, one that made her heart do backflips in her chest. Now that she thought about it, not once had she called Lightningstorm her actual name since she became a full fledged medicine cat. Nor had she called her anything outside of Spots since their first confrontation. She never gave it much thought, as Spots just seemed to come out so naturally. That’s why she had caught herself though. It wasn’t the time for that, the nickname was far to informal given the severity of the situation and the question she asked. She had to make sure that her feelings were properly conveyed.

There it was again, that silence. It wasn’t long – having lasted only for a moment, however, in that moment, it felt like an eternity had passed. Just as she was about to tease the medicine cat for her voice being so high, the brief smile that had snuck its way onto her maw quickly disappeared and was replaced with a small frown and a furrowing of brows as Lightningstorm continued to speak. There was a lot being said, so she shut her mouth and listened until the lithe she-cat finished speaking.

She hadn’t meant to cry. Or at least, she didn’t want to show any weakness. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to resist the stinging of the tears welling within her eyes and pouring down her cheeks as she received her answer. The drumming of her heart was roaring in her ears and her chest felt like it was being squeezed and wrung like a piece of soaked moss.

It hurt. Great stars above it hurt so much.

She thought for sure that by lowering her ego to such a small and insignificant level and practically begging for Lightningstorm to be her mate, that she’d get a yes. Oh how wrong she was. What was the point? If she was so certain of the no she wouldn’t have asked, fearing the pain of rejection far more than any potential teasing.

But that didn’t matter. She was in far too deep to give up now. ”Lightningst-“ Firestorm’s voice cracked as she choked back a sob. ”Please.” She didn’t care anymore about her reputation. She didn’t care anymore about how uncool she looked. Right now, the sniveling and crying little warrior just wanted a yes, a promise that her spotted companion wouldn’t leave her behind.

Sitting back on her haunches, she wiped at her eyes with her forepaws but the tears wouldn’t stop coming. ”I w-wanna make you happy-” She cried, a hiccup breaking interrupting her at the end of her sentence ”I wan’you t-to tell me I’m b-beau’iful a-an’ I w-wan’ to b-b-be wit’ you!” The healer’s fake smile and half-baked joke doing nothing to ease the shattering of her heart. ”It’s no faiiirrrr!” She wailed out to no one in particular. Firestorm couldn’t understand why Lightningstorm couldn’t be the cat she made happy, she couldn’t understand why medicine cats weren’t allowed to have mates, and she couldn’t understand why they still had to be rivals. The orange tabby didn’t want to be rivals anymore, wanting instead to be the only cat that Lightningstorm felt for the same way she felt about the calico. She wanted to spend the rest of her life being the one that the healer sought out for comfort. She wanted Lightningstorm to call her silly little things like “love”, and “beautiful”, and “darling”. She didn’t want things to stay the way they were, why couldn’t she the two of them be together?

Just then, a thought occurred to her. What if… What if Lightningstorm didn’t like her? Maybe she wasn’t pretty enough, or was she too dumb? Or perhaps it was because she was a girl? Surely the spotted lass wouldn’t care enough about the rules to shoot her down for something like that. Struggling to get her sobbing under control, she pulled her paws away from her bright, water-soaked eyes and looked determinedly (pitifully, very very pitifully) at the other cat. ”Am I not pretty enough?” She asked, voice abnormally higher than usual. Not giving Lightningstorm enough time to talk, she continued. ”O-or… do you not like she-c-cats? I k-know I’m not t-that smart, b-but I p-promise I can k-keep it a s-secret. N-no one will k-know and you w-won’t get into t-t-t-trouble.” Now she was just doing her best to plead her case, fighting to hold back the sob that threatened to overtake her once again. If the supposed rule on medicine cats not being allowed to have mates was really what was causing Spots to hesitate, surely some reassurance might help persuade her otherwise. Right…?

[ @Alchemist Kitsune you can reply to this whenever (or not, up to you!) ]

[Alchemist Kitsune]

| Lightningstorm |
Flock Together [Tier 3] - Inactive | Mind Reader - Active

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Lightningstorm would have preferred anger. Hatred. A tantrum filled with the vilest wishes towards her. Then she would have known Firestorm would have gotten over this. It would have been better, in any case. For the ginger tabby to hate her like the rest of them. It would have meant she was safe. And the healer would have died happily knowing she did what had to be done. That she had made herself the villain WindClan saw her as if only to keep one of them... the only one who still believed in her... safe.

Stars alive... the tears almost broke her. She knew it would be bad, but she didn't think it would be that bad. Firestorm... pleading her case. Doubting herself and almost looking like she hated being in her own pelt at that moment. It was wrong. It was all wrong. She was supposed to hate her. To realize that she wasn't worth her time. Worth anyone's time. And move on. She wasn't long for this world, in any case. Knowing WindClan, she wouldn't last leaf-bare before they turned their claws on her. She would rather have Firestorm be the one who delivered the final strike to be left alone watching the clan she so cherished rip the one she loved to shreds.

Opening her mouth, Lightningstorm tried to say something to soothe her. Some reaffirmation. To let her know that she was beautiful. That she felt the same. That it just couldn't be because... because medicine cats were destined for a terrible, short life. Because if WindClan got wind of the fact that Firestorm had declared her love for her the day that they had wanted to kill her alongside her former mentor then she could be in danger as well. That it just wasn't a risk the healer was willing to take... because she wasn't worth it. Firestorm deserved better than the miserably short future they would have together if she selfishly latched on for a moment's happiness.

Silence met her open mouth, and she quickly resigned herself to it. No matter what she tried to say, she would backtrack. Admit that Firestorm had misunderstood what she'd said. It was... better this way. If Firestorm thought it was some sort of taboo and didn't understand her fears. Knowing the warrior, that would only make her even more determined. Coax her to try and protect her in some way. Become even more of a target for the clan. The short furred she-cat would rather die than let that happen.

Without meeting the pale green orbs that would be her perdition, Lightningstorm dipped her head, grabbing the bundle of herbs left to her by StarClan. There was a bitterness to them. A reaffirmation of her task. It was the path wanted by StarClan... Not like she had much of a say in the matter. Not anymore. WindClan would make sure of that.

Hesitating only once, the spotted lass trembled lightly as she took a step forward. The sobs were starting to diminish. Firestorm would be alright. She would move on with her life in time... It would hurt less this way when she met her soon to come end. With this thought in mind steeling her, she felt renewed determination flowing through her veins as she rushed past the warrior, ready to lead the ginger tabby back to the place she had until just earlier today called home.

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@Dark [Firestorm]