It Appears You Have Worth, Dear Sister [Closed-Solo]

Sageleaf's mind still whirled from her conversation with Brindlewhisker the day before. Now, at least one other cat knew of the horrors Starclan had warned her of. It was so vague, so... open-ended. Except for the one factor they had seemed to connect it, the very one that the medicine cat had chosen to keep from her former mentor--Slatethroat's involvement. Her brother was known for being a tough and loyal Windclan warrior. There was no doubt in any cat's mind that he would go through any lengths to preserve the clan's well being. But now, she was the only one with doubtful thoughts about how far that might make him go. It was possible that his actions could lead to the blood flow she had seen soaking into the earth of the moors. Yet, she was still the only one that knew. Even in his harsh treatment of her since she became a medicine cat, her undying loyalty to her littermate managed to keep her jaw shut on the subject.

Her decision to confront him about it directly had flitted in and out of her head. The warrior had become a bit of a terror in her mind. She was certainly afraid of him to a certain extent, even if she did not believe he was capable of such damage. It was a fairly nice evening as she padded into the clearing. Everything inside her felt twisted up about what she was about to do. The rational side of her screamed to run back to the den, but every ounce of her irrationally loyal side said otherwise. Slatethroat deserved to know what was happening in her head, right? As cats began to return to camp, she was plotting to do the exact opposite. As they comfortably shared tongues within the camp walls, Sageleaf would face the very thing she had avoided for so long. The fact that she was so terrified of her kin caused her to freeze up for a moment. But, she berated herself internally on the matter. You've hit two Thunderclan idiots over the head, one of whom was more than twice your size, with no fear! Your own brother is in no way as bad. With a sigh, she slowly shuffled her heavy paws over the earth and towards him.

The grey and white tom was very much lost in his own thoughts. However, his were far less innocent than a sister trying to protect her littermate. No, in Slatethroat's head, he entertained ideas of bringing the current Windclan to the ground. Sageleaf's very fears happened to swirl through his conscious.  The warrior padded towards the freshkill pile to drop in a rather large hare. It was thinner than the last few of greenleaf had been. As prey was starting to get scarce, clans would begin their warring for expanded territory once more. If there was anytime they so desperately needed a stronger Windclan, it was now. With a glance at the place where Ashstar normally addressed the clan, he could so easily picture Brindlewhisker. While he had despised her for so long, Slatethroat had developed a tolerance and even admiration for the deputy. She was strong. Cats off the clan would more easily accept her reign as she was the next in line to lead the clan. It was such a beautiful image. His head raised and his claws flexed. The closer it came to feeling like time for rebellion, the more his heart pounded in anticipation.

"Slatethroat?" His head whipped around to land on a smaller, she-cat version of himself. His nose wrinkled at the stench of herbs. It had never been pleasant in his mind, and even more so since his sister had began to cling so dearly to all of her plants.

"What is it?" A low growl rumbled in his throat.

Internally, she shrunk back against the harsh tone of his voice. However, the medicine cat stood her ground again what was a borderline threatening question. He had become increasingly hostile since her acceptance of her new path so many moons ago. The anger that was so deeply embedded into his heart had not seemed to fade. Sageleaf looked up into his eyes. There was the same look he had held at the gathering when the news of Leopardstar's demise had been announced. It was a mix of fire, and even worse so, an unnamed spark of something within him. Even if she could not name it, what was there stopped her heart and terrified her. The possibility her brother was dangerous seemed plausible for a moment. But, maybe she could help him. Maybe, just maybe, this conversation could change things for the better and bring back the innocent tom she knew as a kit, whose only desire was to be the best Windclan warrior ever. She had to try, "Come with me, Slatethroat. That is not a question." Forced steel backed up the words. Sageleaf had managed to gather it momentarily before turning to head for the territory.

The tom had opened his mouth to protest, but was shocked by her manner of speech. Never before had she spoken to him like that. Before he could say anything further, he was following her out of camp. Given they were siblings, there was no doubt their clanmates would assume a night patrol. Her medicine cat status allowed for further permissions, which meant even less questions. They were free to speak. However, Sageleaf still wanted to be extra careful that only her brother heard the words that were meant for him. That meant seeking refuge in the tunnels once more. No cat would be there this late, and the only other thing that would absorb her words would be the endless dark paths. They would be safe there. A shudder ran down her spine as she continued on. It was most likely just a chilling night.

"So what is it, medicine cat?"Slatethroat rasped lowly as he followed her into the dirt paths. Internally, he was trying hard not to feel crushed by the enclosing space. This was out of his comfort zone, even if he would never show it. And if the medicine cat could handle it, he too would suck it up.

As much as the words stuck in her throat, Sageleaf knew she needed to be direct. There was no more hiding and no more hesitation. She faced her brother. Swallowing the knot that seemed to settled on her vocal chords, the medicine cat finally broke her silence, "Trust me, you want to hear this. Give me a moment to explain at least... Starclan has sent me an omen..." Her tail lashed as she recounted the images of blood flowing through their territory. It was a picture she would most likely never forget. What the Starclan medicine cat had told her, the very key secret to hinting at Slatethroat's involvement, seemed to catch in her teeth. But, that too came pouting out after the rest of it. Slatethroat paused only to dwell on the fact that Starclan was keeping an eye on him. Not only that, they had shared it too. But, he had no plans of slaying the clan. No, that was never in his head. All they wanted was for Ashstar to give up her place and let a proper leader take over.

"I'm fairly certain where my loyalties lie, and so is every other cat in this clan!"

Sageleaf shrunk back. She had expected him to be at least a little more concerned with what this meant for their clan instead of being focused on what it meant for his honor. That factor alone set her teeth on edge. This what not at all going how she had planned. What did you expect, mousebrain? A family reunion? That he would praise you for your efforts of loyalty? At least to her, Slatethroat had never extended that kind of understanding or praise. That was never meant for her. Her eyes focused on the dirt floor. She had no idea what to say. All she had practiced was out with. For some ludicrous reason, she had not planned for things to go down this way. Meanwhile, her brother paced. The only sound was the soft pattering of his paws against the ground. It was clear he was thinking. Considering one's involvement in an earth-shattering prophecy was not an easy thing. Sageleaf listened to the sound, silently begging him to say something more that would put her mind at ease.

Finally, the noise ceased. Her eyes darted up to lock with his. An unsettling grin now rested on the tom's face. A chill went down her spine once more. The medicine cat began to suspect it was maybe a bit more than the cool night air. Something was horribly wrong with her brother. His harsh tone transformed into something far gentler as he moved closer and whispered, "It appears you have some worth to me after all, dear sister..." What he said next was so quiet and controlled she thought she had dreamed it all. The barely whispered sentences that tickled her ear fur caused her entire pelt to stand on end. At Slatethroat's words, her blood ran ice cold. Her eyes widened in terror and all of her seemed to stiffen up immediately.

He stepped back, "Do you understand?"

"Y-yes."

No.

Oh no.