#carnationheart

Cw- Dead Animal (Prey)

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Cws- Murder, Cat Death, Graphic Description of Cat Death, Description of Gore/Blood, Homophobia

Burnflower had recited the words for moons. At first alone, chittering to himself as he paced at the edge of BranchClan’s camp, and then with his sister Ashfeather, with her pretending to be the subject Burnflower spoke to.

He’d practiced so hard, maybe even too hard. He was finally at the point where his throat didn’t close and his mouth didn’t go dry and he stuttered and his paws were clammy and-

No.

He had to focus. He couldn’t get nervous now.

He was lucky that Carnationheart wasn’t busy. The ginger tom had been sitting alone, meticulously grooming his pelt when Burnflower approached and asked if he maybe wanted to go out of camp for a moment, just to help him with something. Carnationheart seemed happy to agree, a light grin on his muzzle that made the skin beneath Burnflower’s pelt heat up.

Sunset couldn’t come fast enough, Burnflower quickly realized. But when it finally came and Carnationheart padded up to him with a mrrp of greeting, Burnflower began to think that maybe sunset came too fast.

The two toms padded through the territory, re-marking the borders and chatting idly as they went. Despite it being the middle of Greenleaf, the sunset hour had cooled the air down to a comfortable, tolerable temperature. They gossiped, they joked, they laughed…And Burnflower felt more and more confident with every passing moment. 

I can do this, He thought to himself, suddenly feeling as giddy as a newborn kit in the nursery. Everything is going to be okay.

Eventually, hours after they left, Burnflower and Carnationheart found themselves stopping briefly. They caught a couple of small, thin mice and settled down for a light snack. They were a few feet away from the Thunderpath, and for now it seemed quiet. It seemed the twolegs didn’t want to bring out their monsters today. It was quiet, other than the rumbling purrs from the cats as they ate and the soft, gentle background noise of the cicadas. 

Carnationheart looked up from his meal, his dark blue eyes boring into Burnflower’s soul. “So…Surely you didn’t just invite me out here to hang out and eat. What’s really going on with you?”

Burnflower tensed. Oh, stars, this was it. 

There was no more avoiding it. It had to be done. 

The worst he could say was no, right?

“Well,” Burnflower began, clearing his throat. His paws felt clammy, and he quickly leaned down to take a bite of his mouse. He chewed for far too long, swallowing, and focused his attention back to Carnationheart. “I wanted to ask you something.”

Carnationheart tilted his head slightly, whiskers twitching in interest. He nodded. “I’m listening.”

Burnflower took a deep breath. He could still back out of this. He could ask a stupid question, get an equally idiotic answer, and wouldn’t risk his best friend thinking he was some sort of freak. 

No. No, that wouldn’t do. These feelings were eating him alive, and if he didn’t get it out now, he probably never would.

Don’t be a coward, Burnflower. The gray tabby thought to himself.

Exhaling, Burnflower forced a smile as he looked at Carnationheart, tail slowly swishing behind him in a friendly gesture. This was normal. Casual. Fine. Everything was fine.

“Okay, so…” Burnflower meowed. “I wanted you to know that you’re the best cat I’ve ever met.”

Carnationheart blinked. “...Uh-huh.”

He was still listening. Burnflower hadn’t messed up yet. The tom shifted.

“No, really, I mean it.” He continued. “Ever since you joined BranchClan, ever since we became friends, I…Found myself wanting to be closer to you. Always seeking you out, always wanting to patrol with you, even…Even feeling jealous seeing you get closer to others. You make me feel special. Like I’m not all alone in this star-damned clan.”

Mouse-dung! Why had he said that? Now he just sounded crazy.

Carnationheart looked elsewhere for a moment, then back at Burnflower with a nod. Still listening.

“Um…” Why was this so hard? Burnflower wanted to claw his eyes out. “...I realized that my feelings for you…It’s not just friendship, it’s…More. I don’t just want you to be my best friend…”

He looked up, his yellow eyes meeting Carnationheart’s dark blue ones. “...Carnationheart, I love you. And if you’ll let me, I…I would love to be your mate. Please.”

The silence that stretched between them after that was beyond deafening. 

Even the cicadas seemed to go quiet, as if they knew what was happening and wanted to listen in.

Carnationheart blinked. Then he blinked again. 

His expression shifted so many times- Shock, then a flicker of what looked like happiness, then nervousness, and finally…

Disgust.

Burnflower felt his heart drop to his stomach. “...Carnation-”

“...No,” Carnationheart chuckled, giving his head a shake of disbelief. “I cannot believe this. There’s no way you…Stars, Burnflower, I thought you were normal!”

Burnflower’s eyes widened, and he felt his ears flattening. “What?”

Carnationheart stood, padding a few tail-lengths away and pacing at the edge of the thunderpath.

“You heard me!” The ginger tom meowed, his tone cheerful as if he had simply told a bad joke. “I mean, come on, Burnflower- You’re attracted to me? We’re both toms! I mean, obviously some others in the clan are…Supportive of that, but…It’s gross. To me, at least. Maybe you should go find someone else to…”

He shuddered, grimacing. “...Ew, I hate to even imagine it.”

Burnflower bristled, his tail twitching behind him. How could Carnationheart say such a horrible thing after he’d just poured his heart out to him?

“Don’t say things like that.” He hissed, rising to his paws and taking a few steps forward. “I had two mothers. My brother is attracted to other toms! Do you realize how horrible it is to think that way?”

Carnationheart stared at Burnflower, muzzle agape. “You weren’t joking…?”

Burnflower shook his head. “No. I really do love- Well, loved you. I did.”

Another stretch of silence. Carnationheart’s eyes narrowed.

“Then I guess it makes sense why nobody likes you.” He hissed.

Burnflower snapped.

With a loud hiss, he lunged, pinning Carnationheart down to the ground. Carnationheart was slightly larger and more muscular, and he put up quite a fight. The two toms tussled, all teeth and claws and yowled as they fought.

Burnflower hissed in pain as Carnationheart bit his shoulder, the tom’s teeth sinking in deep enough to draw blood. The jolt of pain that seare,d through his body nearly made him stumble, but he caught himself quickly. Using his hindlegs, he kicked Carnationheart in the face, sending the ginger tom stumbling backwards and onto the Thunderpath. He landed on his back with a grunt, winded, and Burnflower pinned him again before he could get up. His claws dug into the larger tom’s chest fur, his tail lashing furiously behind him as he glared down at his former crush.

He opened his mouth to speak, to yell, to say something to express his displeasure, but a low rumbling in the distance made him lift his head. Bright, white, nearly blinding lights were approaching at a fast rate. A monster was coming.

Burnflower looked down at Carnationheart, who seemed to notice at the same time he did. The feeling of his heartbeat quickening beneath Burnflower’s paws gave him a thrill.

“Get up,” Carnationheart hissed, his tone low. His expression betrayed his inner feelings, his pupils shrunken with fear. “Get up before the monster gets us both.”

“Why should I?” Burnflower growled back. 

“Because I don’t want to die, you idiot!” Carnationheart snarled. He squirmed, trying to wiggle from underneath Burnflower, but the tom’s claws held him in place. “And I don’t want you to die either!”

Burnflower looked up. The monster was closer now, far closer. Burnflower could smell it from here- That familiar, disgusting, slightly smokey scent that he hated.

He only had a second to make a decision, and he did. Burnflower looked back down at Carnationheart, his whiskers twitching.

“Then I won’t.” 

With that, Burnflower let go of Carnationheart, launching himself backwards and the smoke tom to the ground. Carnationheart started to get up, opening his mouth to protest, but it was far too late.

There was a thud, then a cut-off yowl. A loud, roaring WHOOSH filled the air as the monster sped past, not even bothering to slow down or stop. Burnflower watched, expression indifferent.

When it was gone, he looked down at Carnationheart.

At least, what was left of him. 

The tom’s neck and legs were twisted at an unnatural angle, his head nearly completely turned around on his body. Blood pooled from his ears, nose, mouth, and his eyes. There was a streak of blood following the direction the monster just rode off in, and when Burnflower looked at the end of the bloodied line he saw a trail of what appeared to be teeth, and bits of Carnationheart’s tongue and jaw, which he realized with a jolt had been dragged from the rest of his body by the monster. Carnationheart’s eye, which had also been pulled away from his head, laid at the end of the trail, and even in death seemed to be staring right at Burnflower.

The smell of blood and death filled Burnflower’s nose, the disgustingly metallic taste making him want to gag.

Burnflower stood there, numbly at first. Then the shock wore off and gave way to a horrible, chilling realization. His stomach churned with nausea and guilt, and his heart began to pound so loudly that it was the only thing he could hear aside from his ragged, heavy breaths.

Oh.

Oh, fuck.

What had he just done?

He couldn’t report this back to camp. If he did, Violetstar would send him away. He couldn’t let that happen.

He wouldn’t let that happen.

So he did what he thought would be best. 

He turned, and he ran away, leaving the body behind.

He ran until he was near camp, chest heaving. Once there, he gave his pelt a few licks in an attempt to give a resemblance of normalcy, then padded in. 

The first to greet him was, of course, Ashfeather. She looked him up and down, then looked at his face, smiling.

“So…How’d it go?” She meowed cheerfully. “Should I be congratulating you, or…?”

Burnflower shook his head. “No.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry…” Ashfeather mewed, ears flattening a bit. “...Where’s Carnationheart?”

“He left.” Burnflower replied, surprised with himself by how quickly the lie rolled off his tongue. “He’ll come back soon. I don’t know where he went.”

“Okay…” Ashfeather gave a small nod. “Well, you better go get some rest. You look stressed.”

With that, she padded off. Burnflower decided to take his littermate’s advice, slinking into the warrior’s den and settling into his nest. He looked around, yellow eyes landing on the nest Carnationheart usually slept in. He always preferred to sleep in the middle of the den, surrounded by friends. 

Burnflower felt like vomiting.

Lowering his head between his paws with a deep, heavy sigh, Burnflower prayed to whoever was listening that the following day would bring rain and wash everything away or that he would wake up from a bad dream. But he knew the truth.

1. Briarburn is asexual, specifically demisexual

2. Shatterspots is a pick-me girl

3. Boneshade has a deep scratchy voice from years of smoking (if she were human lol)

4. Emilio’s favorite movie is Ratatouille

5. Burnflower and his remaining sibling all decorate their pelts and nests with Cinderleaf’s favorite flowers and leafs from favorite trees in honor of her

6. Carnation’s spirit haunts Burnflower, but all he does is just make homophobic jokes

7. Violetstar loves Disney movies but refuses to call herself a Disney adult

8. Owlshade and Wren have lunch together every week

9. Sprout, Pear, and Scrub are Troutskip’s guardians

10. Wren’s kits all love her and call her granny

That’s all I got lol

I am GENUINELY obsessed with all of these. So much so that I did a little doodle of one of them <33

Cheers.

If that’s the case, what’s THIS: