#owlshade

Owlshade had been dreading the day.

It started at the beginning of the moon, when Greenleaf was at its hottest. Wren had started to fade. When not asleep, curled up in her usual spot against the right wall of the elder’s den, she was almost entirely unresponsive. Questions were met with a weak chuckle, a whisker-twitch of acknowledgement, or just silence. She didn’t remember anyone anymore. A cat could introduce themself a thousand times, only for her to still ask who they were mere seconds later. She couldn’t eat anymore, since swallowing became difficult, and the medicine cats had to make sure she was fed through other means. 

Owlshade tried. He tried to refresh her memory, to talk to her, to spend time with her, but…It was hard to talk to someone who spent a good portion of the day in a deep sleep, as if she were already crossing over to StarClan. Owlshade would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic, only settling down when he realized that Wren was still there. Still breathing.

Because a part of him pitied her, despite everything she did. It wouldn’t be fair to ostracize her when she couldn’t even remember what caused that scrutiny in the first place.

Now, it was getting late. The moon would be out soon. Owlshade was sitting in the clearing with Octet Rulekite, the two of them pressed close together with entwined tails. They were both silent, because there wasn’t much else to say. 

Then, Addersnap approached. The dark brown molly, who Owlshade still saw as the tiny kitten waddling around a mostly empty camp, looked exhausted. Her tail drooped low to the ground, her ears pressed against her head, and it was clear she had been upset.

“Owlshade,” she greeted, voice hoarse from tears. “Wren wants to see you.”

Owlshade’s ears perked. Wren…Wanted to see him? Usually Wren didn’t want anyone specific.

Octet Rulekite nudged Owlshade, his muzzle brushing against the smaller tom’s neck in a gesture of both affection and sympathy.

“I recommend you go on and see her.” Octet Rulekite meowed.

Owlshade nodded, standing. He stretched his legs, looking over his shoulder as he padded towards the elder’s den. He saw Addersnap settling into the spot he had just been sitting in. Octet Rulekite wrapped his tail around her flank, pulling her closer. Addersnap took a deep breath, exhaled heavily, and began to cry.

“I’m going to miss her.” Owlshade heard her say.

“I know, sweetheart,” Octet Rulekite replied sadly. “I’m so sorry.”

Anxiety prickled Owlshade’s pelt as he turned away, his pace quickening. He didn’t know what to expect- Wren as he’d grown to know her over the past few moons, or…A corpse.

Owlshade prayed to StarClan he wouldn’t find a corpse. He pushed into the den, the moss that draped over the entrance catching on his white pelt, and looked around for Wren.

He saw her. She was awake, surprisingly, and she looked…Alive. Her eyes were clear and alert, her ears perked in interest, and she smiled a little when her eyes met Owlshade’s.

“Hi, Owlshade.” 

Owlshade forced a smile back. He padded over to the molly, settling beside her and tucking his paws beneath his body. His tail entwined with hers. 

“Good evening, Wren.” He greeted back.

It was silent for a moment. Wren looked towards the roof of the den, as if she could see the sky through the walls, then sighed. “It’s quiet tonight.”

“Yeah,” Owlshade agreed with a nod. “Stars are out. The moon will rise soon.”

Wren let out a hum in reply.

“How are you…Feeling?” Owlshade questioned, glancing towards Wren. 

“...A lot.” Wren murmured, after a pause. 

Owlshade didn’t know how to reply. He simply nodded.

The two got to talking. About the weather, about clan events, about everything Wren had missed out on.

Owlshade noticed that Wren had gotten quiet. He leaned over, nudging her ear with his nose. “Talk to me.”

Wren sighed, allowing her shoulders to slump. “I was a bad cat.”

The words pierced through Owlshade’s heart like the claws of an angry badger. He looked at his ex-mate, whisker twitching to silently urge her to continue. Wren noticed.

“I was a horrible mate to you, a terrible mother, and…” She trailed off, giving her head a brisk shake. “...Other things have happened. To show that I was awful. And I know that words may not be enough…I know you hate me, Owlshade. But I just want you to know I’m so sorry. To you. To Aspenfall. To Addersnap, and Thistle, and…Brightpaw…”

“I don’t hate you. And Brightpaw’s death wasn’t your fault.” Owlshade corrected.

“...It was.” Wren stated. “And I’m sorry to her.”

Owlshade sighed, nodding. “...Okay. Continue.”

“Did you know…” Wren muttered. “...That Frozenbeam is my son?”

Owlshade shrugged. “You’ve mentioned it once or twice, yeah.”

“Well…I regret ever bringing such an awful cat to this world.” Wren hissed, a low growl coming from her. “If I had known that beautiful little kit would’ve grown to become…Him…I never would’ve had him.”

“I’m sure any cat would say the same.” Owlshade agreed.

Wren looked at Owlshade. Her eyes were narrowed. “Owlshade.”

“What?”

“Do you forgive me?”

Owlshade paused. He looked away, fidgeting in his spot. He thought of the pain Wren had inflicted many moons ago, the way she’d made Aspenkit cry, the way she’d made his heart hurt and feel like it was being torn brutally from his body. He really did think he hated her at that time.

But then he thought of the good. How he’d felt when they first became mates, how she’d been so fun to talk with about everything and nothing all at once, and how much he had trusted and loved her. He thought about how she was now, how he still cared for her, and how he did, in the back of his mind, still love her. She was remorseful. That was what mattered, right?

“I…Yes. I forgive you, Wren.” He finally said, smiling. “I’d be a terrible cat to not forgive you.”

“Thank you.” Wren rasped. She laid her head down, snuggling closer to Owlshade. “It’s getting dark. I’m getting…Very tired. Please don’t leave me to be alone, Owlshade.”

Owlshade wrapped his tail around Wren. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The next moments were spent in pure, suffocating silence. Owlshade had nothing more to say. He leaned down and began to gently groom Wren behind the ears and on the top of the head, purring softly to her. Wren let out weak purrs in response, her breathing shallow. She was smiling, at least.

After an hour, Owlshade froze. Wren had let out a heavy, shuddering sigh before going still, her body suddenly feeling heavy. Her pelt, which had been warm moments ago, was starting to cool. Her expression was still peaceful, as if she had simply fallen asleep after a long day.

“Wren?” Owlshade whispered. He nudged Wren’s cheek with his nose, her head simply lolling to the side like a limp piece of prey. “Wren, wake up.”

He knew it was useless. He’d seen plenty of death over the moons to know the truth.

Wren was gone.

Owlshade couldn’t bring himself to cry, or even feel sad. Instead, a heavy sense of relief washed over him, as if a weight that had been holding him down for a long time had been lifted. 

He would report her death to the healers tomorrow. The vigil could wait, and the feelings could be processed later. All Owlshade wanted to do was live in the peace and ignore reality for a few more hours.

He settled down, resting his head, and reached out to put a paw over Wren’s cold one. A small smile, a real one, formed on his face. When he spoke, one last time before sleep overtook him, his voice was a quiet whisper, meant for Wren’s ears only.

“Goodnight, Wrenny. I love you.”

The start of it. I'd give Owlshade two kits instead of just one. I'd probably make Owlshade slightly older, make Violetkit slightly older also, and give her either a younger sibling or a littermate. I just think that would be fun and it's too late to retcon a sibling in now. :((

I also would've:

Made Fawnspring and Violetstar mates and given them kits.

Given Owlshade and Octet Rulekite kits.

Changed a few characters. Can't think of anything specific off the top of my mind rn.

Cws- Cat Death, Mentions of Cat Death

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A long, long time ago…

“...And up there is Mousechaser.”

Violetkit’s eyes widened. She followed Owlshade’s outstretched paw up towards the night sky. The vast expanse seemed to pulse with deep shades of purple and blue, dark clouds swirling and making their way over the moon. The older tom was pointing at a group of stars.

Violetkit tilted her head. “Why’d they call it Mousechaser, Papa?” She asked.

“Well…” Owlshade lowered his paw, shifting a bit to sit closer to his daughter. He wrapped his tail around her, letting out the low rumbling purr that she’d grown to recognize in her two- no, two and a half- moons of living. “...It’s a long story, sweetheart. And you have to go to bed soon..”

“Please!” Violetkit begged. “I super promise that I’ll go to bed after you tell me!”

“Promise?”

“Cross my whiskers.” Violetkit replied, puffing her chest out. “That means I’m telling the truth!”

Owlshade chucked. “Well…If that’s the case…I can’t say no to such an honest little thing, can I?”

Violetkit snuggled closer to Owlshade, blinking up at him. “Thank you, Papa.”

“You’re welcome. Now…”

The white tom cleared his throat. “Long ago, there was a young molly named Mousesong. Mousesong was an interesting cat- Her body was short, her ears were big, and her voice was…Well, it was as quiet as a mouse. She was a small, meek warrior, and her clanmates never took her seriously. They always laughed at her, teased her, and refused to let her play their games. She was always last to be picked for patrols, and no cat dared to consider her as a mate.”

“That’s mean!” Violetkit exclaimed. “If I were her clanmate, she could play with me!”

“Mhm,” Owlshade hummed. “Now…Mousesong wanted to prove that she could be a respectable warrior. Leaf-bare was coming, and prey was scarce. The leader at the time began to fear that the clan would starve to death.”

“What clan was she in, Papa?” Violetkit asked. “Was it BranchClan?”

“...Yes.” Owlshade replied, after a momentary pause. “Yes, it was.”

“Wow!”

“Yes, now let me finish. The longer it takes the longer before you get some sleep.” Owlshade cleared his throat. “Where was I…?”

“Somethin’ about Leaf-bare.” Violetkit mumbled. Her eyes were already beginning to droop, her head feeling as if it were being weighed down. She rested her head between her front paws, staring up at Owlshade.

“Right, right. Now, Mousesong heard the leader’s lament, and wanted to help. She snuck out of camp during a big blizzard, and wandered the territory. Then, she saw it. The biggest, fattest mouse she’d ever seen!” Owlshade’s blue eyes brightened, and for a moment he almost looked more excited than Violetkit. “She had to catch it. If she caught this mouse, and brought it back to the clan, then everyone would love her. So…She began to give chase.”

“You said Leaf-bare is cold…” Violetkit shivered. “I bet her paws didn’t feel too good.”

“They didn’t.” Owlshade shook his head. “Mousesong ran, and ran, and ran. The chill in the air worsened as the blizzard grew more intense, and the mouse only seemed to be getting faster. Soon enough, Mousesong collapsed.”

“Oh, no!” Violetkit exclaimed. “Was she okay?”

“If you would let me finish, sweetheart, you would know.” Owlshade replied dryly. “Anyway…Mousesong was cold. Her paws were numb from the freezing cold, and she couldn’t breathe in the freezing wind. She thought that she was going to die…When a starry cat approached her.”

A pause, for emphasis, and then Owlshade continued. “This cat introduced themself as Starclan. Mousesong thought she was going to die, but no. StarClan was giving her something much, much better.”

Violetkit’s ears pricked a bit. Owlshade smiled.

“He was going to give her a new name and a permanent place in the stars. That way, whenever her clanmates looked up at the sky, they would see her. They would remember how they treated her, and her sacrifice for her clan. Mousesong suddenly got a burst of strength! She got up, and ran more. She continued to chase the mouse all the way up into the sky…Leaving her body behind. Her clan found her the next dawn patrol, frozen and cold. They regretted how they’d treated her. But that night, when they looked up into the sky…”

He pointed at the constellation. Now the bundle of stars were more clear to Violetkit. “...They saw Mousechaser…” He moved his paw to the side, towards a smaller constellation. “...And her mouse.”

“Papa, that story’s sad!” Violetkit squeaked out with the last of her energy. She cuddled closer to Owlshade’s side. “...I hope I meet Mousechaser one day. I’ll be her friend. I’ll be everyone’s friend! Even Starclan! Hopefully Starclan likes me…”

“Oh, I’m sure Starclan will love you just as much as I do.” Owlshade purred. He leaned down, gently licking the top of Violetkit’s head to encourage her to sleep. “Rest now, little one. Tomorrow is a new day. Goodnight. I love you, Violetkit.”

Violetkit smiled, nuzzling into Owlshade’s white pelt. “G’night. I love you too…”

…

“...Papa?”

Owlshade opened his eyes. The familiar camp that had surrounded him when he fell asleep was gone. Instead, he was in a void. The sky above him was a light blue, and the ground was pure white. The light around him was so bright he had to squint to see properly. When he rose to his paws, a new feeling flooded his body.

“That’s odd,” he meowed to himself. “My body doesn’t ache anymore.”

“Papa…Papa…??”

That voice again. It was familiar, and sounded faint. Owlshade looked around with widened eyes, and finally laid eyes on…A portal? A mirror? He couldn’t tell.

Violetstar was hunched over something. Her body was shaking, quick breaths coming from her as she nudged a still lump of white fur.

A lump that Owlshade quickly realized, with a jolt of fear, that it was him.

Owlshade watched, horror creeping through his body, as Sweetwing ran out of the nursery. A faint mewling was coming from inside- Burdockfrost must’ve had his kits. The brown and white healer was a blur of fur, skidding to a halt and nearly crashing into Violetstar.

“What? What’s wrong with him!?” Owlshade heard Sweetwing ask.

“He’s not moving! He’s not waking up!” Violetstar sobbed. “Help him, please!”

Owlshade’s ears flattened. He stared, stunned into silence, as Sweetwing pressed a paw against his chest, where his heart was. Her expression fell into a solemn one, and she gave a final shake of her head.

“Stars above…” She whispered, turning to Violetstar with a saddened dip of her head. “I’m sorry, Violetstar.”

The sound that came out of Violetstar was one that would be burned into Owlshade’s memory forever. It started as a choked sob, then broke off into a wail of despair.

“No…” Owlshade whispered, shaking his head and taking a step back. “No, no, no. I can’t be dead- I wasn’t supposed to-”

“It’s a funny feeling, isn’t it?”

The voice made Owlshade pause, his fur bristling as he turned to the source. Standing a few feet away, tail lowered to the ground, was a face he hadn’t seen in over a hundred moons.

“Charfeather,” Owlshade breathed. “...Mother.”

“Owlshade.” Charfeather greeted with a curt head dip. “You’re dead.”

“Dead? But…” Owlshade began to tremble. “I can’t be dead. I just went to sleep. I wanted to wake up. I wanted-”

Charfeather cut him off with a hiss. “You can’t always get what you want, Owlshade. Be grateful- You got to go peacefully. You didn’t die alone and in pain. You didn’t feel a fraction of what I felt!”

The tortoiseshell molly stepped forward, fur bristled and pupils narrowed into slits. “I should kill you again. I should watch your essence spill onto this ground and leave you to be forgotten.”

“No!” Owlshade pleaded. He glanced behind him to see the mirror, or whatever that thing was, gone. There was nothing left but him, Charfeather, and this seemingly endless void. All he heard was the sound of his heart pounding, the blood roaring in his ears, and his own panicked breaths. “Please! Please, you have to let me explain! Please, Mama!”

Charfeather froze. Owlshade got a glimpse of the way her expression softened, only briefly, before hardening back into that cold indifference.

“...Speak now.” She said, authoritatively. She straightened herself up, looking down her muzzle at Owlshade. “And don’t you try to run either. This space may be endless, but it’s not StarClan yet. You will get tired, and I will catch you.”

Owlshade stuttered, fumbling with his words a little before speaking. “I didn’t- Listen. I know I…Left you. Back then.”

“Mmhm.”

“No, stop, listen.” Owlshade held his front paws up. “Please. I was wrong. I was young, Mother. I was twenty moons old, and everyone was dead, and…I’m no healer, what could I have done? Your face, your leg…You were bleeding so much…”

“You could’ve gone to another clan. They had healers.” Charfeather grumbled.

“And I didn’t. I was worried about Violetkit…I couldn’t leave her. If you’d died on the way there and she was left alone, and the dogs came back…” Owlshade shuddered. “I couldn’t lose both of you. I just couldn’t. I’d already lost the rest of my kits, and my mate, and my entire clan. I had no choice.”

Charfeather’s eyes narrowed. Owlshade continued.

“...And it hurt me.” He confessed, his voice lowering. “It hurt me to curl up in that den, around her, while all I could think about was the fact that you were out there dying. It hurt me to sing lullabies to my daughter, knowing that you’d sung them to me long ago. It hurt me to know that you gave your life to save my daughter…”

He lowered his head in shame, his voice cracking. “...And I was too much of a coward to risk my life for my mother.”

The silence between them stretched on. Owlshade tensed, bracing himself for the claws in his throat, for the searing pain, and for the feeling of fading out of existence forever.

It never came.

“Do you understand how much it hurt me too?” Charfeather growled. “To not only watch my own son betray me, but to not even be granted a peaceful afterlife?”

Owlshade’s eyes widened. He looked up at Charfeather. “You didn’t go to StarClan?” 

“No.” The word was sharp. “They didn’t let me in. Said I was too vengeful. Too angry. That I didn’t deserve paradise. All because I was upset!”

She clawed at the ground, a yowl of anguish escaping her. “I was so…So mad at you! I hated you! I hated you so much that I thought death was too kind for you. I wanted you to feel hurt. I wanted you to feel what I felt!”

Owlshade remained silent, though his chest tightened. How could Charfeather say that? He wanted to open his mouth and protest, to tell her that she was his mother! Mothers didn’t hate their kits…

…Then he remembered Wren. How she’d look at Aspenkit with disdain in her eyes. 

His mouth closed tight, and he stayed silent.

“...I had a plan. A plan that started when I conveniently guided Wren to join your clan. You two moved fast, and soon enough, you had kits.” Charfeather murmured. “...I noticed your son, Aspenfall. He was a good target since kithood. You remember Spiderstep, right?”

Owlshade slowly nodded. “How could I forget her?”

“...Greencough never killed her. It was me. I took her.” Charfeather said, voice low. “I needed her gone. I needed Aspenfall to feel vulnerable, and desperate, like he’d lost everything. Like he’d do anything to have that sliver of happiness. And I gave it to him. For a price.”

She paused, letting the words register.

“...Briarkit was a good enough vessel. But as time went on, as I watched through his eyes and guided him, I noticed something.” She looked away. “I noticed that no matter how many cats I took away from you, no matter how much evil and hardship I put into your life…You kept coming back. You continued to smile. You continued to love. You continued to thrive.”

Her expression softened again, but this time she didn’t let it harden. She sat down, politely curling her tail around her paws. “Things really changed when I realized Briarburn wasn’t being affected either. He found Berrysnow, and suddenly it seemed like my words didn’t impact him anymore. And then there was…Frozenbeam. I saw how vile he was, and I finally came to a realization. I don’t want to share an afterlife with cats like him. With cats who genuinely have evil in their hearts. So..I told you all of that to say…”

She looked up at Owlshade. “...That I am sorry, Owlshade.”

Owlshade was silent. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Was this a trick? Was she going to claw his heart out if he showed even a shred of forgiveness or vulnerability?

Then he looked at her. Charfeather looked…Smaller, somehow. Her ears were pinned back, and she had lowered her head in a gesture of submission. Her tail was wrapped tightly around her body, slightly bristled with emotion.

She was genuine.

“...I’m sorry too. For leaving you in the first place.” Owlshade finally said, his eyes pricked with oncoming tears. “If I had known…I wouldn’t have…Oh, stars, Mama…”

He stepped forward, pressing his head into her chest fur. “I forgive you. Please forgive me, too. I don’t want you to hurt anymore.”

Charfeather stiffened briefly, then wrapped a foreleg around Owlshade. A low, raspy purr came out of her, and Owlshade almost felt like a kit again. 

“I forgive you too.”

Suddenly, a warmth enveloped the two of them. Owlshade felt like he was floating, his blue eyes widening for just a second. He looked at Charfeather, who briefly looked just as worried, though her grip on him tightened.

“Don’t look,” She meowed. “Just stay close to me.”

Owlshade silently nodded, tightly closing his eyes. As the warmth enveloped them more, and more, until soon he blacked out.

It was for only a few seconds. Owlshade opened his eyes again to find himself in a new place. The sky was littered with stars, the air smelled crisp and clean, and he felt lighter than he ever had before.

“Welcome, Charfeather. Welcome, Owlshade.” A soft voice said, one that Owlshade had never heard before.

Owlshade pulled away from Charfeather and looked towards the voice. A black and white cat stood before them. Her legs were short, her belly low to the ground. Her light yellow eyes were gleaming with warmth.

“Mousechaser?” Owlshade whispered, eyes widening. “You’re…”

“...Real? Yes.” Mousechaser purred, beaming. “My story wasn’t just old nursery tales, y’know.”

Owlshade took a moment to look around. He saw a pool of clear water a little bit away, the surface glittering with tiny stars. Cats surrounded the pool, drinking from it and sharing tongues.

Prey seemed to run abundantly, and Owlshade even saw a few familiar faces.

He saw Leifcloud, her paws tucked beneath her body as she conversed with a dark gray tom. She looked younger, and happier than Owlshade had ever seen her. He saw Flutterpool, happily playing with two kits that Owlshade didn’t recognize. One was a cream tom-kit with brown patches, the other a dark brown and white she-kit. Spiderstep was lying a few feet away from the small group, watching them with a soft expression. A dark brown kit with white paws was curled at her belly.

He then saw Fawnspring. The white-furred molly was sitting with Doecall, and the two of them were tending to a group of four kits. Owlshade realized very quickly how similar the kits looked to Violetstar.

Mousechaser chuckled. “Welcome to StarClan, you two. I believe you’ve both earned a place here at this point.”

Owlshade looked at Charfeather. “What do we do now?”

Charfeather looked at Owlshade, and she grinned. She got into a playful crouch, wiggling her haunches. “I’ll race you to that water pool. We’ll get a drink, and then I think you have some friends to properly introduce me to, yeah?”

Owlshade smiled, mirroring Charfeather’s crouch. “Yeah. Come on, you old molly. Let’s go.”

The two cats took off, laughing like kits.

The stars seemed to glow just a little brighter that night, and for once in his life…

…Owlshade was happy.

Happy pride month you guys!! Decided to make some art of canon lgbtq+ branchclanians, starting with these guys!

These are the canon ones.