Everlasting Love (Stormwind)

Sterlingflight joined Rainstar in scowling down at Eagle, not having explained his cobweb-wrapped paw to his mate as he stood over the other tom. “I️ think we need to just bury him. Far from where the clan dead get buried.”

Rainstar frowned down at the rogue’s body, gently nudging it with a paw.

Sterlingflight briskly padded out of the den and down to the part of the wall that had been in SDG icr as Eagle’s den, showing the She-cat his limp form. “I️ discovered him like this,” murmured the tom, glancing up at his mate indifferently.

Rainstar frowned, getting to her paws and giving herself a quick shake before she padded out of the den.

“He seems to have worked his way out of his restraints, and poisoned himself.” Sterlingflight pinned his ears back. “I haven’t touched anything down there, it’s all exactly the way I left it.”

Rainstar’s eyes widened in surprise and she sat up. “What? How?”

“Rainstar,” Sterlingflight mewed grimly, looking unapologetically down at his mate after waking her up, “Eagle has died.”

Rainstar groaned, swatting at him sleepily before opening her eyes.

Sterlingflight padded up to Rainstar’s den rapidly, prodding the She-cat urgently with his uninjured paw.

Willowheart practically collapsed back in her nest, asleep again within moments.

“Thank you,” murmured Sterlingflight. He thought enough to give his daughter an affectionateblick behind the ear, before padding carefully over to Echowhisper and doing the same to the sleeping she-cat. Glancing at his wrapped paw, his expression darkened for a heartbeat. I did this for you... Glancing between his two daughters, he then left the den to alert Mallowstar to Eagle’s death.

Willowheart pulled out some of the last cobwebs and padded over to her father, cleaning the blood off of his paw before she wrapped it with cobwebs.

Sterlingflight had to fight to suppress his own nervous fidgeting, adrenaline still pumping through him after murdering the scoundrel. He gave no hint to Willowheart that the rogue was dead.

Willowheart dragged herself out of her nest, stifling a yawn as she wandered off towards the back of the den where the herbs were kept.

“I understand if you don’t have any left after yesterday, but I would rather not be bleeding.” The tom was addressing Willowheart in an unusually cordial tone as some of his white forepaw began to stain again as he waited, bleeding more than a normal thorn prick would.

The young medicine cat had been sleeping and startled out of that state at the sound of her father’s mew, blinking at him uncomprehendingly for a few moments before her mind cleared and she sat up.

Sterlingflight fought the urge to spit on the Tom’s course as he finally succumbed to the deathberries. Instead, he quickly groomed the worst of the blood off of his wounded paw before using it to slash the bindweed around the Tom’s forepaws, trying to make it look like the tom had gotten it off himself. Then he padded into Willowheart’s den, limping slightly.

“Willowheart, can I get a bit of cobweb for my paw if you have any?” The tom mewed flatly to his daughter. “I stepped on a thorn.”

Eagle finally died, red-stained foam at his lips.

He was tired of doing only what was right for the clan and by the clan’s rules.

Sterlingflight hated this cat with every fiber of his being. And it seemed to him that it was only just to murder the other tom.

finally, he thought, watching the other male die, I get to do something that’s right for me and for the clan.

(Goodnight!)

Eagle hissed lowly, but by this point he could barely hear Sterlingflight, eyes unfocused and breathing slowing.

(I’m going to sleep, now)

Sterlingflight snarled angrily as Eagle suddenly grew the will to fight back out of nowhere, yanking his paw out of the rogue’s grip, sending thin lines of blood spattering across the earth around them. The calico watched the white fur on his injured paw begin to turn red, and turned his glare back to Eagle. “No matter what you did, or do...” The tom had to fight to suppress a shudder as he remembered being raped by the tom on the night of his vigil, and the way he nearly killed his daughter, then fighting the other tom in the battle.

“...I still win.”

Hate burned in the rogue’s amber eyes as he glared up at the younger tom, spitefully digging his fangs into his paw even as he felt his life starting to slip away, the pain increasing.

Sterlingflight glared down at Eagle, placing a paw over the Tom’s mouth to try and silence the inevitable gagging that would come next as the poison took effect. “It’s a shame we couldn’t have settled this in battle,” Sterlingflight murmured softly, his gaze showing nothing but cold malice as he watched the beginning of the end for Eagle.

Eagle choked and spluttered, trying to spit out the berries, but it was too late. He could feel the burning start, and he gasped for air.

(Works for me!

If you were to make one of your cats deputy in his place it could only be temporary. Maybe they would step down once Sterlingflight redeemed himself or one of my other cats proved themselves. Also, one of Honeypelt‘s litter is only going to be two kits, and mine is probably going to be a medicine cat apprentice so that will help with balance.)

When Eagle gave in, Sterlingflight held his paw down a bit longer for good measure, dumping all of the berries into the Tom’s mouth and only then releasing the paw.