COPPER OF THUNDERCLAN
Copper had managed to sneak out of camp, his paws dragging heavily through the frostbitten ground. Each step felt like a weight tied to his limbs, and the chill in the air did nothing to ease the burning ache in his chest. His heart thudded painfully as his mind screamed at him to turn back, to go anywhere else, to escape the nightmare awaiting him. But he couldn't. Not now.
He hadn't faltered when it happened. He hadn't broken. There had been no room for it, too much to do, too many wounded to tend to, too many orders to give and duties to fulfill. His grief had been pushed down, buried beneath the responsibility he carried. But now, alone with the silence of the forest, it clawed its way to the surface, raw and unrelenting.
His breath hitched as he approached the battlefield, the scent of blood still lingering faintly in the air. His golden eyes flitted around, taking in the fallen bodies scattered like leaves. Each one was a story, a memory. He had laughed with this one, trained beside that one, watched another grow into a warrior. His throat tightened as he tried to swallow, but it felt like a stone lodged there, heavy and immovable.
Then his gaze landed on a familiar shape, brown fur matted and still.
Flint.
Copper froze, his legs refusing to move as the realization struck him like a physical blow. His brother. His steady, kind, infuriating brother, who had always been there, always had his back. A choked sound escaped him, a strangled mix of a sob and a gasp. He stumbled forward, his paws trembling beneath him as he approached Flint's lifeless body.
" Flint… " His voice cracked, barely a whisper, as he sank to his knees beside his brother. He reached out a paw, hesitating before gently touching Flint's cold fur. The sensation sent a shudder through him, and his composure shattered like fragile glass.
" No, no, no… " he muttered, his voice rising in pitch as his grief consumed him. Tears blurred his vision, spilling freely down his face as he pressed his forehead against Flint's shoulder. " You weren't supposed to... Stars above, you weren't supposed to-- " His words dissolved into sobs, his body wracked with the force of his despair.
Memories flooded his mind in a relentless torrent: Flint teasing him after a sparring match, their quiet conversations under the stars, the way his brother's laughter could brighten even the darkest days. And now, that laughter was gone. That warmth was gone. It wasn't fair, it wasn't just... It wasn't RIGHT even. Flint was supposed to stand here with him, he was supposed to bring some comfort, or spit angry words about their father who had once more abandoned them. He was supposed to be here, to talk about the fate of Marble and Possum, who had gone with. He was supposed to be here to help guide him forward, to become strong... Together. That was what they had promised each other when they were young. They would grow strong together. They would have their backs--
They would have their backs... And he wasn't there... He wasn't there when Flint had needed him most. He wasn't there to break up whatever fight had happened. He had made a choice, a painful one... But his choice had been to save Pandora, praying that his brother knew how to either stand his ground, or stay out of harm's way. He... He had failed him.
" I wasn't there... " he rasped, his claws digging into the earth beneath him. " I wasn't there to protect you. I should have been there... I should've stopped this. " His voice broke again, and he shook his head furiously, as if trying to deny the truth in front of him. The truth of his brother's still body, the truth of the star-touched form of him turning to look at him with such intense sadness before he faded away in front of his eyes. No goodbyes, no explanations... Just a look.
The world around him seemed to fade, leaving only the suffocating weight of loss and the cold, lifeless body of his brother. Copper didn't know how long he stayed there, crumpled against Flint's side, his sobs echoing in the stillness.
Eventually, the wind picked up, brushing against his fur and carrying the faint scent of home. It was a cruel reminder that life moved on, even when his world felt like it had stopped. But for now, he allowed himself this moment to grieve, to fall apart for the brother he had lost.
He hadn't faltered when it happened. He hadn't broken. There had been no room for it, too much to do, too many wounded to tend to, too many orders to give and duties to fulfill. His grief had been pushed down, buried beneath the responsibility he carried. But now, alone with the silence of the forest, it clawed its way to the surface, raw and unrelenting.
His breath hitched as he approached the battlefield, the scent of blood still lingering faintly in the air. His golden eyes flitted around, taking in the fallen bodies scattered like leaves. Each one was a story, a memory. He had laughed with this one, trained beside that one, watched another grow into a warrior. His throat tightened as he tried to swallow, but it felt like a stone lodged there, heavy and immovable.
Then his gaze landed on a familiar shape, brown fur matted and still.
Flint.
Copper froze, his legs refusing to move as the realization struck him like a physical blow. His brother. His steady, kind, infuriating brother, who had always been there, always had his back. A choked sound escaped him, a strangled mix of a sob and a gasp. He stumbled forward, his paws trembling beneath him as he approached Flint's lifeless body.
" Flint… " His voice cracked, barely a whisper, as he sank to his knees beside his brother. He reached out a paw, hesitating before gently touching Flint's cold fur. The sensation sent a shudder through him, and his composure shattered like fragile glass.
" No, no, no… " he muttered, his voice rising in pitch as his grief consumed him. Tears blurred his vision, spilling freely down his face as he pressed his forehead against Flint's shoulder. " You weren't supposed to... Stars above, you weren't supposed to-- " His words dissolved into sobs, his body wracked with the force of his despair.
Memories flooded his mind in a relentless torrent: Flint teasing him after a sparring match, their quiet conversations under the stars, the way his brother's laughter could brighten even the darkest days. And now, that laughter was gone. That warmth was gone. It wasn't fair, it wasn't just... It wasn't RIGHT even. Flint was supposed to stand here with him, he was supposed to bring some comfort, or spit angry words about their father who had once more abandoned them. He was supposed to be here, to talk about the fate of Marble and Possum, who had gone with. He was supposed to be here to help guide him forward, to become strong... Together. That was what they had promised each other when they were young. They would grow strong together. They would have their backs--
They would have their backs... And he wasn't there... He wasn't there when Flint had needed him most. He wasn't there to break up whatever fight had happened. He had made a choice, a painful one... But his choice had been to save Pandora, praying that his brother knew how to either stand his ground, or stay out of harm's way. He... He had failed him.
" I wasn't there... " he rasped, his claws digging into the earth beneath him. " I wasn't there to protect you. I should have been there... I should've stopped this. " His voice broke again, and he shook his head furiously, as if trying to deny the truth in front of him. The truth of his brother's still body, the truth of the star-touched form of him turning to look at him with such intense sadness before he faded away in front of his eyes. No goodbyes, no explanations... Just a look.
The world around him seemed to fade, leaving only the suffocating weight of loss and the cold, lifeless body of his brother. Copper didn't know how long he stayed there, crumpled against Flint's side, his sobs echoing in the stillness.
Eventually, the wind picked up, brushing against his fur and carrying the faint scent of home. It was a cruel reminder that life moved on, even when his world felt like it had stopped. But for now, he allowed himself this moment to grieve, to fall apart for the brother he had lost.
you walk along the edge of danger ——･ﾟ✦
･ﾟ✦ —— AND IT WILL CHANGE YOUooc: i was uncertain whether this thread had to go in the fourtrees threads or here, so correct it if it is the wrong place!
