#aldereyes

Myrtlewing was a master at keeping his composure. 

If he had to act happy and respectful, he could do it while smiling ear-to-ear or bowing his head as low as the roots beneath the soil, no matter how viciously rage boiled in his lungs or in his limbs, begging him to scream, to slash, to do anything to release the quivering fury that was forced to keep hidden.

But now, as he collected burdock for Aldereyes’s wounds, he felt that wall that he was so good at keeping up began to slip.

He chewed the roots up with sharp bites, and Aldereyes flinched, though didn’t hiss, as he applied the meshy, stinging herbs into the wound on the side of Aldereyes’s neck.

“...and he called me a coward!” Aldereyes went on, claws working in and out of the ground in frustration.

Aldereyes had led a patrol near the Carrion Place, when one of the warriors–Echofoot–apparently got too close, and a group of rats jumped them. It was four cats against six rats, and in the fight, Aldereyes killed two of them.

Everyone else had killed one at most, but that didn’t matter to Aldereyes’s father. As far as Stormstar was concerned, Aldereyes ran away like a coward when a second wave of rats was coming for the group.

Myrtlewing resisted the urge to lash his tail at the memory.

—---------

“You just let them chase you away?” Stormstar had demanded after the patrol informed him of the attack.

“It wasn’t worth the risk,” Aldereyes responded, eyes unable to meet Stormstar’s.

“You don’t think protecting your Clanmates is worth the risk?” Stormstar’s voice had been loud, ringing out throughout the entire camp so not one of their Clanmates were unaware of the lecture. All eyes had been on the two cats–on Aldereyes as he was being yelled at.

“That’s not what I mean–”

“What if the rats kept chasing you?” Stormstar questioned. “You would have led them right to your vulnerable Clanmates. Maplefall is expecting, did you know that? What if they had bitten her? You would be responsible!”

Maplefall, in the watching crowd, gasped.

Aldereyes’s ears flattened. His head was ducked so far, his chin almost met his chest. 

Echofoot stepped forward. “He fought more bravely than any of us,” she told her leader nervously. 

But Stormstar wasn’t convinced. He sniffed disdainfully. “He killed two rats when, by your account, a total of over twenty attacked you. And I am meant to be pleased?” He glared at his son. “You weren’t a hero. You only did what you could without putting yourself in real danger so that no one would question it when you ran away like a kit. I expect more from my son. Get those scratches seen to, then make yourself useful, preferably something that will make up for your cowardice.”

—---------

“That was three days ago,” Myrtlewing responded to his friend, “and I still have to give you herbs for the wounds. Echofoot, Blazepad, and Mossflake were cleared two days ago.” His gaze locked with Aldereyes. “You are NOT a coward.”

Aldereyes’s muscles loosened, relaxing slightly, though his claws continued to work and his teeth clenched together so tightly, Myrtlewing thought that one would snap out and strike him in the eye. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing I do will convince Stormstar of my strength, or bravery, or….or anything that will make him proud of me.” 

“A father like him doesn’t deserve a son like you.”

Aldereyes snarled at nothing. “I do everything for him! I trained from dusk ‘til dawn and even at night, and I still train! I work patrol after patrol, catch more than any other warrior, I win more fights, I’ve been undefeated in training for moons! I’m the best warrior in this Clan, Stars, the best cat! But he still looks at me like I’m–...like he hates to call me his son.”

Myrtlewing couldn’t think of any comforting words, so he decided to speak his feelings. “He’s a vile mange-pelt,” he spat. “He’s probably bitter because he knows that he’s a leader, but his son, a warrior, is twice the cat that he’ll ever be. If anything, he’s the coward,” he went on when Aldereyes didn’t respond. “He goes on and on about fighting and protecting the Clan, but when was the last time he got his own paws dirty?”

Aldereyes bristled. “Because he’s the leader. He could flip a pebble and cats will call him great for it, but I’d have to move a boulder from here to Fourtrees to get a simple ‘good work’ from him.”

Myrtlewing nodded in agreeing anger. “He’s nothing without his title, and he knows it. Everyone knows it. That’s why he calls you a coward,” Myrtlewing realized. “And it’s why he does it in front of everyone–to make himself look better, and to make you look worse, so cats forget that his own son is a better warrior, a better cat, and a better leader than he’ll ever be. He should be proud. The fact that he’s not is on him, not you.”

Aldereyes stared, eyes wide. Then he cleared his throat and looked away. “I’m not a leader.”

Myrtlewing shrugged. “I’d still say you’d make a better one.”

“You think so?”

“Yes. Now, get out before you make the whole den stink!”

==================

Specie: Dragon

Gender: Female (She/Her)

Abilities: Flight, Fire Breath

She lives in the Pits of Fire near the Vunoldrael Volcano

Dragons and Gryphons don't get along because of an old war and this applies to her as well.. She hates Apollonis and always argues when she's around

Aldereyes is very stubborn and has a bit of anger issues but she manages them very well, unlike Kentrel (skill issue)

Very loyal to her village and usually burns any intruder she sees so if i were you i'd keep my distance

Aldereyes could not hear the displeased murmurings that had been ringing quietly along the edge of every life he had so far been given. Now, there was no talking, no whistle of wind brushing his ears, not even blood pounding within his skull.

It was as if all was still–including his very heart, not falling to the pit of his stomach nor leaping into his throat, not melting with warmth or freezing with ice. It was as if he couldn’t feel anything at all, as if his brain didn’t have the capability of allowing him to look at who he was looking at and process how that would make him feel at the same time. It would be too much. It was too much.

So he was left looking at Sweettree, saying nothing, only gaping and staring like a fish flung onto the sandy shores of Riverclan.

Sweetree’s expression, however, was painfully clear. Her eyes shimmered with a sadness so powerful and deep that Aldereyes was sure that every cat in all five Clans could drown in them, and there would still be room left for the loners. Beneath them were bags so heavy her face drooped, coated in a fervid red like a fever. Her fur was a mess, flat against her frame in some places and sticking out randomly in others. Stars..she looked worse now than when she had died.

And Aldereyes is responsible for it.

The numbness thawed instantaneously, and as though there was the chill of a rainstorm over his head, Aldereyes felt droplets of coldness bury themselves beneath his aching skin, crawling beneath it like worms and inching toward his eyes, where they stung until they fell, soaking his cheeks. His stomach, on the other hand, was uncomfortably hot, and his gut felt as if it were being pulled and twisted. “Sweet-Sweettree!” He gasped, struggling to stand.

His mother stood there, whiskers away yet fields apart from him, saying nothing. Was she rejecting him? His own mother?

Did he deserve it?

An eternity passed, Aldereyes barely holding the strength to keep the wail of anguish from his throat any longer, when Sweettree stepped forward. She seemed hesitant, and Aldereyes couldn’t help but guess-almost feel as if he knew with certainty–that she didn’t want to so much as look at him, because he couldn’t be her son. Her precious kit. She didn’t want who he was anymore, no longer the kitten suckling at her belly or begging for a story, telling her while standing proudly on his small, stubby legs that he loved her and she was his best friend.

She didn’t want this monster.

Right now, he felt like the kit that she so desperately wanted, his own desperation and sorrow crashing through his entire body in endless waves, making his whole body shake and words quiver so much that they were almost incomprehensible. He remembered his mother and how much he missed her, but he had always pushed those memories to the back of his mind to avoid feeling them. Now, they were all around him. He could smell her milk, he could feel her warmth and the way she purred beside him, the way she pulled him close and licked his fur, even if he was already clean, because she just wanted to hold him while she still could. For a few heartbeats, he was that kit again. “M-Momma?” 

Sweettree’s eyes widened. She rushed forward so quickly, Aldereyes had no time to react. He stiffened in surprise when she buried her head into the side of his neck, then melted into the feeling, drinking in her scent as he rested his chin on her shoulder. “My precious son! I miss you so much! If only I had been there–I could have guided you–”

“No,” Aldereyes cut her off, forcing himself to focus on the reality of where he was, instead of the fantasy of the nursery from moons and moons ago. “You couldn’t have.” He frowned, chin trembling. “There’s a darkness in me, mom.”

Sweettree didn’t respond. She couldn’t deny it. She couldn’t agree. After several long heartbeats, she pulled away and faced him. “I love you, all the same. That will never stop, even if I hate what you have done.”

Aldereyes looked at his paws. How could he face his mother now?

“Look at me,” she told him, more firmly. He did so trepidatiously.

A fury began to burn in his mother’s irises. “I hate that you’re a killer. I hate that you’re a betrayer. I hate that you hurt cats that are kind to you, that trust you. I hate that you murder cats that don’t even know you. I hate the thoughts that you allow yourself to think. I hate that you let them control you. I hate what you let them do to my innocent little kit. But I can’t hate you. I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to. You’re still my kit, my precious golden star.”

A whimper escaped Aldereyes. He had forgotten his mother’s nickname for him.

His chest heaved when she pressed her nose gently against his head. He sniffed, hardly holding onto control and resisting the overwhelming need to let the sobs wracked his body. He dug his claws deep into the ground to steady himself. 

“With this life, I give you love. Please, please don’t let it lead you astray anymore.”

What did she mean by that?

Water slipped down Aldereyes’s throat, filling his lungs with a hot liquid that bubbled and buzzed within him. His paws tingled with a pleasant sensation that almost had him bouncing around the clearing. Then his spine stiffened, ice gripping the cartilage, spreading to his ribs and into the liquid like Riverclan in leaf-bare. No! No! He didn’t want the feeling to leave, but even so, he could feel the crackling tendrils spread deeper, and the warmth was completely gone.

Sweetree blinked at him solemnly. Then she raised her head. “Alderstar! Alderstar! Alderstar!”

Hers was the only voice throughout the clearing. If Aldereyes shut his eyes, he could have imagined her as a lone cat in a ravine, her words echoing off of the stones.

Everyone else sat in complete silence.

That was okay.

I haven't been paying full attention to the seasons and moon-paces of the chapters when I first started, but now the story is more important to me than the simple "background thing" it was before, so here is the official time + some edits that I had to make!

SEASON:

Greenleaf [Chapters Quiet Here--Clanmates] (Two moons, making the months most likely July--August, or possibly August--September)

Leaf-Fall [Chapters Clanmates--??]

BREAKS IN TIME:

After Myrtlewing meets Nightfly, half a moon passes and they meet again at the gathering. This is where Myrtlewing's plan starts its formation.

Another half-moon passes when the Half-moon meeting takes place, and Myrtlewing goes to WindClan to speak with Nightfly. This is also the same time Alder starts bonding with Hootpetal.

Another half-moon passes between this and when Myrtlewing kills Fleetsong.

Another half-moon passes after Alder discovers Myrtlewing's murders and commits his own. He has been avoiding him for this time before deciding that he had to see it for himself to stop his spiraling thoughts--when Maplefall interrupts them by giving birth.

There! That's the part I had to fix--Maple got pregnant just before Myrtle met Nightfly, and I realized that she gave birth too early, so I created longer gaps and one gap where there wasn't one before (but it still reads fine).

[Cats are pregnant for about two moons, and this is half+half+half+half=two full].

----

Stormstar’s steps were hard and his legs rigid all through his walk to Fourtrees. His anger only flared up more like a lost ember meeting a dry log when he spotted Tunastream sitting calmly in the center of the clearing, her tail wrapped neatly around her paws.

“Are you an idiot?” He demanded her, before leaping down the slope and snarling a whisker from her face. 

Tunastream rolled her eyes. “It’s been seven moons since we met up together, and that’s how you say hi to me?”

“Do you want me to get caught?” Stormstar pressed, pacing to and fro, shoulder blades itchy with the heat of rage. He thought of the gathering the night before, when that new Riverclan apprentice was introduced to the Clans. Stormstar tried then not to let his rage show, now he allowed it to burst forth.

“Whatever do you mean?” Tunastream tilted her head innocently. 

Stormstar lunged forth, stopping mere inches short of sinking his teeth into her muzzle. Tunastream’s only reaction was to give Stormstar a hard stare as she said, “forgive me for wanting to name my son after his father.”

“He’s not my son!”

“Really?” Tunastream pulled back. “Could have had me fooled, considering I birthed him and all. Oh, and the fact that he’s the spitting image of you.”

“Which brings me to conclude you as a complete idiot!” Stormstar’s voice was low, growing to a shout as he spoke. “He already looks like me, and now you’re naming him ‘Storm’paw? The way the other leaders looked at me! You completely undermined my authority.”

Tunastream bared her teeth. “You heartless–”

Stormstar swung his claws at her, smacking her face so hard her whole body followed, laying on the ground with the air knocked out of her. “I will not have my leadership questioned because of your pettiness!” He sunk his claws deeper into her cheek.

Tunastream’s head twisted with a snap. In an instant, her teeth were wrapped around Stormstar’s leg and pulling him to the ground. She was on him before he could realize what was happening, glaring slits right through him. “If that’s all you can care to think about after seeing your son for the first time,” she hissed, trembling, before whirling and padding away, “then I’m glad we broke this off. Stay away from me, and stay away from Stormpaw. You’re right, you’re no father of his.”

Stormstar growled a response, but couldn’t formulate one through words before Tunastream disappeared among the undergrowth. He had half the mind to chase her down and teach her what it meant to toss him around. But rumours were already spreading because of her stunt, he couldn’t risk being seen hurting her the night after it all started. He was a leader, too. His priority was his Clan. 

But the red remained tickling his vision and sliding across his mind. It sparked up when he noticed his Clanmates watching him and whispering, when he heard them talk about ‘Stormpaw,’ and it sparked when Maplefall told him that his son–actual son–Aldereyes, had conversed with some Thunderclan apprentices, whos mentors happened to be other mistakes of his.

He would have to have a talk with his kit, and make sure no interaction between him and that Clan–or any Clan–would continue.

=============================

--Surprise prequeal!

“Where in Starclan’s name have you been?”

Aldereyes had little time to accept the decision he had made before he slipped through the entrance to the camp and was immediately greeted by his father’s yellow fangs.

His gaze darted around the camp, expecting to find dens pulled apart to simple twigs and blood and injured warriors littering the ground, but nothing seemed amiss. Why was his father so upset if no one had attacked? His heart fell for a moment, but he calmed himself. There was no way Stormstar could know what he had d–what he had let be done.

He opened his mouth to say something, Myrtlewing visibly holding back a snarl beside him, when Hootpetal spoke up. She moved through the gathering cats and stood in front of Aldereyes, facing his father. “They went to seek guidance from Starclan,” she told him. Her chin was lifted, though her eyes quivered.

Aldereyes was grateful for her quick thinking and help, and if his father wasn’t still spiking up his fur, he would have purred. 

Stormstar looked at her for only a moment before focusing his anger right back on his son. “I did not tell you to go to the Moonstone. You should have stayed here, protecting your Clan from invaders.”

Part of Aldereyes wanted to snap right back at his father. A bigger part, the little kit inside of him, looked down at his paws. 

But Hootpetal wasn’t having that. “What better way to protect one’s Clan than with Starclan’s guidance, Stormstar?” she challenged. “Myrtlewing wanted to hear what advice Starclan could give him about this war with Windclan. Aldereyes went with him as backup. The woods outside of the territory are dangerous, especially nowadays, and we can’t afford to lose our only medicine cat.”

Aldereyes realized suddenly that she was right. With everything he had thought and pondered through, he had never considered that if he had told the Clan, they would become vulnerable to illness and infection. Would having no medicine cat be better than a killer medicine cat? 

That didn’t matter anyway–he had already made his choice. Besides, at least now he could try to….direct some of Myrtlewing’s targets. 

His mind refocused and he blinked at Stormstar’s blazing orange eyes. He flinched, thinking for a heartbeat that his father had seen his thoughts and was about to tear him apart for daring to consider hurting his Clanmates.

Then he noticed Stormstar’s twitching lip and flicking tail. “And did you find anything?” He asked Myrtlewing.

Myrtlewing shook his head. “Nothing helpful, I’m afraid. The Stars usually expect us to figure this sort of thing out on our own.”

“A waste of time, then,” Stormstar grumbled.

“Yes,” Myrtlewing replied. Aldereyes could almost hear his next thoughts, ‘like your breath.’

Stormstar began to turn away. “Next time, tell your leader before you leave the camp.”

“I didn’t think it could wait,” Myrtlewing told him.

Stormstar’s only response then was a huff.

Aldereyes waited until he and the other warriors were well out of earshot before facing Hootpetal. “That was quick thinking!” He purred. “Thank you.”

“Don’t make me face him like that again.” Hootpetal exaggerated a shiver. “Sheesh!”

Aldereyes smiled at her. She reflected it back, a twinkle in her eyes. “Well, what were you two doing away from the camp anyway?” She stuck out a toe on her forepaw, pointing it to Aldereyes, Myrtlewing, and then back again. 

“Looking for more herbs,” Myrtlewing told her simply. He looked suddenly tired of the conversation. He began to pad away, almost muttering a “nothing good” over his shoulder.

Aldereyes watched him go, unsure what had suddenly caused his sour mood–he was mad at Stormstar, but normally it dissipated the second the grey-and-white tom finished speaking. 

“Maybe,” Hootpetal began. Her voice was smaller now. Had she moved farther away? “Next time you leave the territory, I could go with you?”

Aldereyes grinned. “Sure! Uhm. But maybe not outside the territory.” He didn’t want his father to yell at him in front of everyone again. More than that, he didn’t want Hootpetal to witness what he had, nor feel for him what he had felt for Myrtlewing when he had seen Waspbeak’s limp body. 

Hootpetal chuckled. “Good call. Maybe just….out in the woods?”

“I’m reading into this, aren’t I?” Myrtlewing asked, his tail sweeping across the den floor as an attempt to alleviate his thoughts, that hadn’t stopped racing since Aldereyes licked his head earlier that day. It was night now, with the only sound being the distant chirps of crickets and croaks of frogs. 

Well, there was a closer sound. Hickoryskip was gasping, little more than silent wheezes. Myrtlewing lay roughly a tail-length from where he was struggling to breath. His mentor had retired long ago. It hadn’t even been Myrtlewing's doing!--though if he had been in position longer, it probably would have been. It had made Myrtlewing’s….activities help go unnoticed. Afterall, it was hard enough to believe one’s medicine cat could hurt their Clanmates, but that his mentor never noticed? Impossible!

If Myrtlewing ever ‘needed help’ healing a Clanmate, he would seek Hickoryskip’s advice, and in doing so strengthened the trust his mentor had in him. Then, if anyone would inquire into Myrtlewing’s hobbies, old Hickoryskip could vouch for him.

But again, Hickoryskip had retired long ago, meaning that Myrtlewing had been in his Clanmates’ deepest trust for just as long. He didn’t need the old tom anymore, so there was no point in saving him now as he choked on simple herbs. There was also the matter of Hickoryskip’s own mentor, Gorsedaisy, but no one really listened to her these days anyway.

“Grooming is commoner than purring! It’s a whole part of the day even. But this was different, wasn’t it? It wasn’t settling down and sharing tongues. It was a quick thing, and the way he left was so strange. Like something awkward had just happened. What do you think?”

Hickoryskip only stared at him from wide, blood-shot eyes and gasped some more.

“Hmm,” Myrtlewing responded. “It’s not like I’m afraid to ask him. But he’s the only cat in this whole Clan actually worth caring for. I don’t want to risk losing my only source of enjoyment outside of killing. There must be some other way to know for sure that he meant it in a…non-platonic way. But how?” He sighed. At the same time, Hickoryskip stilled, slumping against the floor. “I guess I’ll just have to pay attention to his next move.”

Then he stood and le let out a panicked yowl.

—--------------------------------

Initially, Aldereyes wasn’t sure why he had licked Myrtlewing, or what his reaction meant to himself. But when it came to two things: not being with Myrtlewing romantically and the opposing choice, he relied on his body’s reaction, seeing as his thoughts could not make up their mind.

When he thought of the former, his chest felt cold, like his heart was bleeding freezing water, while his gut constricted as though it had been hit. The latter made him feel warm, buzzing energy flowing through his every muscle. It still felt like an odd choice to make, but it was a choice he was going to make: he would be with Myrtlewing. 

As soon as he made that choice, doubts began to creep in. This time, it was not of his own reaction, but of Myrtlewing’s. What if he really had just meant the flower as a ‘gesture’ of some sort that wasn’t romantic? The seconds Aldereyes allowed himself to gauge Myrtlewing’s reaction after licking the fur between his ears had shown him that Myrtlewing was surprised. But that didn’t necessarily mean the approach was unwanted, only unexpected.

So he had to let Myrtlewing know that he reciprocated his feelings, but not enough so that if he was wrong he embarrassed himself and, worse, damaged the relationship they already had going on. Myrtlewing was the only one in the Clan that seemed to really see Aldereyes as who he was, and not just as another Clanmate you’re inherently supposed to bond with. The only exception might be Hootpetal, but that was way too early to say.

The obvious would be nicknames. Now that he and Myrtlewing were–possibly–courting, he couldn’t call the medicine cat an idiot anymore. Not all the time, at least. It wouldn’t be right. 

He also couldn’t refer to Myrtlewing as ‘sweetheart,’ ‘darling,’ or something of the like. No, he had to find something else. Something affectionate, but also not necessarily romantic–in case Myrtlewing didn’t want to be such or to avoid some of their Clanmates from bothering them about their relationship. A second buzz of excitement whirled through Aldereyes at the idea of their bond being secret, though he wasn’t quite sure why. He assumed it was the same reason apprentices sneak out at night, the idea of doing something looked down on and not getting caught fun. 

But that could wait for another time. Now he had to decide on a nickname. Myrtlewing….myrtle was a tree….Tree? Aldereyes shivered. Nope, too close to his mother’s name, too weird….Wing……..Birds have wings….Bird? 

He imagined himself saying it. ‘Hey, Bird.’ ‘How’s the Bird feeling?’ and, when and if their relationship becomes surer, he could potentially add ‘my.’ ‘My bird, join me for a hunt!’ 

At the back of his mind, a happy swirl warmed him some more. He wasn’t very conscious of it, but the idea of calling Myrtlewing ‘my,’ of the tom belonging to him in a way that was permissive and trustful over possessive, deepened his resolve to reciprocate the feelings.

Yes! That is what he will use. 

Then a panicked yowl sounded from the medicine den.

============================

--Reading can mean different things, so for this case let’s assume Myrtle means it as ‘watching something carefully’ and not the human action of it.

Aldereyes didn't want to cower like some kit, but in the midst of his father's rage, his eyes searched the ground and his shoulders slumped as though they were trying to sink into it.

"What kind of warrior are you?" Stormstar was spitting, switching between looming over his son and pacing angrily, never removing his glare.

"They were just foolish young warriors, no older than apprentices," Aldereyes defended himself. He had been on a border patrol when they had spotted two Thunderclan cats on their side of the territory. It had clearly been an accident, Aldereyes had seen that they were engrossed in a game and hadn't noticed when they crossed the Thunderpath. The moment the patrol caught them, they apologized profusely, seeming tremendously embarrassed. Aldereyes had let them go without punishment, something Maplefall decided to report to his father, who was now chewing him out beneath the pines.

"Young cats are impressionable," Stormstar practically shouted. "You just let them know that they can come into our territory with no consequences. What if they had told their Clan?"

"What did you want me to do?" Aldereyes met his father's glare. "Claw up some kits for a mistake? If it happens again, I'll do something."

Stormstar bristled. "They shouldn't so much as consider stepping foot over our border again. It's not a choice, but you let them think it was!"

Aldereyes gulped down a hiss of frustration. He knew that there was no arguing with his father. He just had to make it seem like he understood. "They'll learn differently," he promised. "I won't make the same mistake again."

Stormstar sneered, but his eyes flickered with approval. "Better not," he said, before walking proudly back to camp, head high and steps hard.

Aldereyes waited a while before following. He slipped through the entrance quietly, ignoring his Clanmates–aside from Maplefall, who he glared at–and made his way through the fern tunnel of the medicine den.

It took only one short glance for Myrtlewing to see what was wrong. "Your father?"

Away from Stormstar's watchful gaze, Aldereyes allowed his anger to explode. "I'm suddenly a terrible warrior because I didn't beat up two apprentices!" He kicked a pebble across the den.

Myrtlewing's quizzical look followed it, then returned to Aldereyes.

"Two young Thunderclan cats crossed the border. I let them leave with a warning, and apparently that wasn't enough to protect the Clan from future Thunderclan invasions!" He collapsed into the nest he often used, clawing at the edges.

"I don't see how."

Aldereyes sighed. "Of course you don't, you're a medicine cat. And an idiot. It made it seem like we're not willing to fight."

"Against two kits?"

"Against Thunderclan."

Myrtlewing's eyes narrowed, as though the entire conversation was stupid. "Stormstar believes that two apprentices who probably snuck out or away from their mentors will tell their entire Clan and leader that they crossed an enemy's borders?"

The crease on Aldereyes's brows began to ease. It was stupid, wasn't it?

"And," Myrtlewing went on, "if they did, Thunderclan would want to attack us for letting their kits go without causing unnecessary harm?"

Aldereyes paused, then let his head fall into the scattered moss. "Amazing points I could've used earlier." He knew he made it sound like it was Myrtlewing's fault for not being there, even though it was unintentional.

Myrtlewing only smiled. He turned around and into a corner, then returned with two newts, dropping one at Aldereyes's paws. When Aldereyes looked surprised, he said, with a shrug, "figured you were coming over."

Aldereyes took a ravenous bite while Myrtlewing took smaller nips on the ground beside his nest. As Aldereyes began to relax, he felt his anger shift onto someone else. "Maplefall's the one who told him. Starclan-cursed loudmouth."

Myrtlewing's attention flicked through the fern tunnel, where just barely he could see Maplefall licking her paw to run it over her head. He sneered. "Maplefall should learn to keep her mouth shut."

Aldereyes nodded his agreement, chewing at the newt's side. He didn't notice the way Myrtlewing's smile had changed, or the odd shadow that now cloaked his features.

===================