Runs in the Family [solo]

Mary have mercy now look what I've done but don't blame me 'cause I can't help where I come from.

He dropped her out of a tree. That made him a murderer. Did it matter if it was an accident when her body crumpled on the forest floor? Cardinalpaw's weary eyes flickered in the corners of his eyes. How many lives did he ruin in the moments between Redwing's scruff slipping from his fangs and running away from the ShadowClan patrol? Did he just start a war? What would become of SkyClan when they discovered he was gone? He'd be branded a deserter and a traitor and a murderer. His paws led him without permission from his head, but he knew the way he was running. He ran away from love this way. It was the same route. He took to the trees. Twolegplace it was, then.

Blood dripped from Arno's face, but he could still see. That was all that mattered, right? He hadn't been blinded, his heart was still beating, he was alive and he could see. The trees bent under his weight as he sprinted, hard and heavy, through the last of the territory he had grown up in. With every step, he shed the bonds SkyClan held him to. Father, I'm coming home.

Running is something that we've always done well and mostly I can't even tell what I'm running from.

Would Tinystar have given him over to Thornstar? Yes, of course. Tension was common where he was from, and the goodwill between clans ran short and thin. Arno would have had to comply, and face execution at ShadowClan's claws. There would be no chance of seeing his siblings again. He tasted the metallic blood as it dripped into his agape mouth, from which he panted and gasped for breath. When had he ever run this fast? ShadowClan, SkyClan. Tinystar, Thornstar. Alliance, animosity. Clans, loners. Day, night. What was happening within him, the great stirring that rattled his bones?

Run from their pity, from responsibility.

Redwing's death was an accident. He could've explained that, right? But they wouldn't listen. The hackles on that handsome tom were raised and his claws were unsheathed. He was ready to kill for his fallen deputy. If he had stayed a moment longer, he would have filleted both him and his brothers. They weren't given any option but to escape. He prayed Cardinalpaw would forgive him.

Run from the country and run from the city.

The great line of logs that separated Twolegplace from the great forest was near. From a long and thin branch, he could jump right over. That is what he did, of course, and through a twoleg's barricaded clearing he ran to the other side, where the small Thunderpaths awaited him. The sun was not yet down; he had to hide. With one last blood-glazed glance to the forest he once knew, he chased the darkness of what Jerry had called an "alley."

I can run from the law, I can run from myself.
I can run from my life, I can run into debt.

"My name is Arno," he huffed as he barrelled into the darkness. "I am son of Starlord. I was a clan cat, but now I'm a loner as my father was before me." Gazing into a murky puddle, he no longer recognized the torn, bloody face before him. It was a good disguise, and it stung like the Dark Forest. At some point, somebody would have to help him. If Thornstar never found him, the infection would take him anyway. A twoleg, perhaps, could patch him up. They had strange ways, and they could fix the mess Burningsun had made of him. The scars would remain. A fair price for Redwing's life. Sandblaze was as dead as anything. He no longer existed. The only way to survive was to leave his old life behind... as well as everybody in it.

I can run from it all, I can run til I'm gone.
I can run for the office and run for my cause.
I can run using every last ounce of energy.

Arno felt weak. A strange, hollow rock in the alley would be sufficient cover for the night. It was slightly damp, and the edges were jagged and cut his paws. He didn't care; he was much too tired. He fell victim to sleep with his head resting on his paws, blood still trickling onto them and staining them red. Had he made a right decision for once in his miserable existence, he might fall asleep in the warmth of a nest in SkyClan's camp. Maybe Tinystar would have defended him, if he explained. But it was too late now. Running was an admission of guilt. He could not advocate for himself, nor could his siblings. If he followed them, maybe Finchstar would hear him out. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to start yet another forest conflict by allowing WindClan to harbor a murderer. Those he loved would be safe now, without him to endanger them. Cardinalpaw had a clan of her own, with a mate and plenty of prey. Firflower was well-loved in SkyClan. She had better sons, anyway. Spottedleap and Sagelight. Burningsun, Swallowflight, and Lightfang would find community and trust in WindClan.

He was too weak to think, even. He drifted in and out of consciousness.

I cannot, I cannot, I cannot run from my family.