Run Away Bravely (Stormwind)

Hollyleaf and Jayfeather followed after the eldest of the three of them, joining him at the edge of the island. Hollyleaf swallowed nervously, eyes darting between them. She seemed reluctant to speak, until Jayfeather gently prompted her, “Hollyleaf,” and everything came spilling out. “During the battle a half-moon ago, I noticed how similar I looked to Crowfeather, and I started looking for reasons why.” She swallowed, eyes suspiciously shiny. “I was hoping I was wrong, but all I got was that he was meeting with a ThunderClan cat and they briefly left their Clans at the right time for our conception. The she-cat was also with Squirrelflight during that time we were born, in the leaf-bare before last. And,” she swallowed, appearing about ready to cry, “that she-cat was Leafpool.” She took in a deep, shuddering breath. “I didn’t want to believe it, but everything I heard made it seem more and more likely that it was true, that Crowfeather and Leafpool are our parents. I don’t- I don’t think Crowfeather knows, though, and I can’t be one hundred percent certain until Squirrelflight or Leafpool conform it, but-“ she made a choked-off sob that cut herself off, Jayfeather just staring blankly throughout the entire rant, still as a statue.

Lionblaze pinned his ears back at the unusual tone of voice coming from Hollyleaf. “I know where we can go,” The tom mewed quietly, knowing the spot he had in mind would at least allow them to meet in private as long as they kept their voices low. He took them to the forested edge of the island, neutral territory and the same place where he’d been meeting Heathertail in secret. The rain had fallen again recently, so there wasn’t even a scent trail to hint to his siblings at their recent activities. The tom had to quickly force all thoughts of the female out of his head for fear of arousing Jayfeather’s ire.

Jayfeather made an annoyed sound at his older brother and marched right into the danger zone without caring about the fact that he might be about to hit in the face with feminine fury. Or he could have just not realized. It was a distinct possibility. “Hollyleaf. What’s wrong?” He asked, blunt as ever.

Hollyleaf halted, only noticing her brothers’ presences once Jayfeather apple. She hesitated, green eyes darting from one to the other in an uncharacteristic show of anxiety, rage and pain hidden in their depths. “..can anyone hear us?”

Lionblaze glanced at Jayfeather as they got close enough to Hollyleaf to hear her speak, stopping in place. If the other tom could see, he wouldn’t need his mind-reading abilities to tell the tom was saying ‘I’m not going over there.’

Jayfeather caught a tiny snatch of Lionblaze’s thoughts and emotions by accident, but not enough to realize why he had glanced at WindClan camp or that he even had. The tabby tom followed his nose and senses towards where his sister was pacing, growling frustrated words under her breath.

Lionblaze nodded, glancing over at Leafpool quickly before padding out of the medicine den. He wondered if the medicine cat would have approved Jayfeather leaving the den at the same time she was out if she knew. The tom also wondered what Hollyleaf could have possibly found out to make her so distraught. He followed behind Jayfeather warily, unable to stop himself from looking towards the Windclan camp as he made his way to his sister.

Jayfeather frowned and left behind the herbs, rising to his paws and heading out of the den. “If something’s bothering her, we need to know what it is so we can help her,” he called back over his shoulder. “Also, she might have found out something.” The ‘about our true parentage’ was implied.

“Yes,” Lionblaze replied, almost as surprised that Jayfeather hadn’t noticed these things with his abilities and his heightened senses. “I have no idea what’s going on, either: she certainly hasn’t sought either of us out to discuss it.”

(Leafpool is taking a break and eating with Sandstorm; she’s not in the den)

That actually got Jayfeather to stop messing with the herbs and turn toward his brother in surprise. “Really?” He questioned, suddenly serious. The tom hasn’t noticed any of this, having been very busy the past half-Moon.

“Yeah,” Lionblaze mewed simply, glancing over at Leafpool as well. “Surely you’ve noticed? The last few sunrises she’s done nothing but pace around and occasionally mumble something to herself. I’ve seen her talking to cats that she normally wouldn’t, either- even someone from Windclan I think.”

Jayfeather scoffed, splitting his attention between the mixture he was making and his brother. “Please. Like using herbs could make the prey taste any worse,” he muttered, placing the newly-mixed herbs away. “Is Hollyleaf acting oddly?”

Lionblaze mewed his goodbye to his mother and, for a lack of anything else to do at that moment, decided to pay a visit to Leafpool and Jayfeather. Entering the medicine den, which was still the most pleasantly dark part of the Thunderclan camp despite their relocation, the tom decided to try and turn some of his brother’s scathing wit on him, mewing to the blind tom “What sort of vile herbs have you been using to spoil Hollyleaf’s crowfood lately, Jayfeather?”

(I know lol. I was just stating it because I’m weirdly detail-orientated like that. It makes me twitch not to know everything about the things I’m reading and doing and RPing.

...it’s why I have trouble with homework sometimes. It just seems so vague)

Hollyleaf let out a frustrated huff, wishing that she could have gone out of the camp to let her anger out, but no, they were stuck on an island, which was the only safe place at all. Lashing her tail, she just barely restrained from lashing out. My entire life is a lie!

(Yep, but you have to consider the zombies eating everything that’s slow and easy to catch, so there is still less to go around even with the seasons changing.)

“I’m worried about her, Squirrelflight.” Lionblaze mewed, casting a glance in the direction of the pacing Hollyleaf. I know she knows my plan is gaining traction. Maybe I’m the reason she’s so anxious lately? Either way, now did not seem to be the time to try to console the black-furred she-cat.

“So am I, Lionblaze.” Of course Squirrelflight had only lied to her kits to protect them, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been wrong, watching Hollyleaf pad around like that. Perhaps she had finally figured out the ruse, the world that she had carefully built around them from their birth...

(Judging by the fact that Lion, Holly, and Jay were born in the middle of leaf-bare, this would be early new-leaf)

Hollyleaf paced back and forth near the edge of the ThunderClan camp where it didn’t border any of the other Clans’ camps, mumbling to herself. The slender black she-cat had, unbeknownst to anyone else, noticed during the fight that she looked suspiciously like Crowfeather. Naturally, this caused her to search for information that would disprove her being related to him, only to find that he and Leafpool has run away to briefly become loners around the right time for her and her littermates’ conception. Not that she didn’t try her hardest to deny it, because if it was true, her birth had shattered so many rules in the Warrior Code.

Lionblaze was sitting besides Squirrelflight that day, the tom sharing prey with his (presumed) mother after a successful patrol. Good hunts such as this one were becoming more and more rare. As time passed, less and less prey was appearing above ground as a result of all of the threats to it, to the point where all that remained was what could fly and what stayed burrowed most of the time. And the clan cats were quickly depleting even what was left of that, meaning patrols had to put themselves in more and more danger going further and further from the island to collect the same amount of food.

He had also been suspiciously on cloud nine lately, but on this particular day he was sharing a worried glance at Hollyleaf with Squirrelflight.

(Mmkay )

A half-moon after the fight, the tension between the Clans was at an all-time high, with a few skirmishes even having broke out. This caused more cats to, after hearing about Lionblaze’s idea (carefully kept from those in charge and the cats that wouldn’t take it well at all), start to agree with him and quietly make plans to possibly implement it.

Ever since the battle, Hollyleaf had been quiet, drifting along and seeming to be lost in her thoughts most of the time. Most cats didn’t notice, though, what with the tension between everyone, only those closest to her had noticed her uncharacteristically quiet attitude even in the face of things she usually perceived as unjust, and her asking around ThunderClan about the time she was born, and a few cats that she usually wouldn’t even think about.

Jayfeather had been busy with the injuries that had been brought in with the fights breaking out, and the she-cats that had finally decided to give birth. He was checking in on Whitewing and only-a-few-days-old kits right now, ducking into the nursery.

Despite the tension, Heathertail had been happier than ever, causing some suspicion among her Clanmates, and especially her family. She had deflected it as being happy about the new kits (everyone knew she loved kits), but she knew that it was really because she was delighted Lionblaze had actually broken up with Cinderheart and started focusing on her. She lived for their stolen moments and ‘DarkClan.’

Leafpool was currently taking a break from her medicine cat duties, sharing a scrawny Rabbit with her mother and watching the camp, carefully to keep her expression the same even whenever her gaze fell upon her kits, however much she wanted to let it soften. She loved them so much it hurt, but she had kept the secret this long and her reasons were still valid. She couldn’t afford for it to get out.

(Sure!)

(Time skip now?)

“Good night!” Lionblaze replied, calling after the pretty she-cat as she strode away from him. The tom turned towards his own camp, swallowing the lump in his throat, and finally trod into the warrior’s den, soaked to the bone as the downpour continued.

Heathertail pulled back after a moment and hesitated briefly, wondering what to say. “Good night,” she settled on telling him simply, and quickly retreated back to her own camp.

Lionblaze closed his eyes as he eagerly touched noses with Heathertail, simply letting her touch cause strength and love and all sorts of strong emotion to flow from his nose throughout his body, warming him despite the cold rain.

Cautiously, Heathertail stepped forward to touch her nose to his. The young she-cat would probably be cautious around him for a while yet, after how badly he had hurt her.

Lionblaze dipped his head to Heathertail respectfully, though his eyes lit up as he processed what the Windclan warrior had said. “Of course, I have been planning on leaving her for at least a Moon.” Glancing around to make sure their secret was still safe, Lionblaze stepped up closer to her, and quietly purred “I am so happy right now...!”

Heathertail met his gaze, noting his honesty. “It hurt me, Lionblaze,” she said quietly. “It hurt me more than anything else had before or has since. I don’t know if I can ever truly forgive you for that, but...,” she hesitated, “I’m going to give you one more chance. You have to leave Cinderheart though, if you’re going to take this chance, I’m not letting you hurt me like you did before. If it starts happening again I’m leaving you and the most we’re ever going to have is a distant and cool acquaintance.”