And So The World Comes Crashing Down [c]

It had been a little while since her encounter on the Thunderpath. She had refused to believe it then, refused to believe it could be him, but the similarities were too much to be a coincidence. She honestly wished she had gotten a name, or seen if he had the identifying scar, but she was sure it was him. Maybe that explained his apparent hatred towards ShadowClan? Because she was a part of it? So he really hated her that much, then. But maybe it wasn't him? There was still the chance that maybe it was just some random loner. The brother she knew never was so cold or cruel. If that was the case, she had to tell Murkystrike.

While she had spotted the deputy, it took a lot of willpower to make her way to her. What if that was Galloway? Did she really want to paint her brother as an enemy to the Clan? Ugh, why did this have to be so complicated? She was just standing there, lifting her paws to make her way towards Murkystrike, and then backing out immediately after. She probably looked ridiculous right now. But what was she supposed to do? Where were her loyalties, family, or Clan? And what if she made the wrong choice?

Murkystrike had been grooming her face, running a licked paw over her ears. The conversation she had recently had with Mistyfalcon kept replaying in her mind, and she felt her pelt flush with heat as she grinned to herself again. He had wanted to have kits of their own, to raise a family together. The thought continued to make her giddy, but suddenly the fur along her neck rose slightly. Pausing mid swipe, she realized that she was being watched. Paw still in the air, she glanced around her, eyes darting between various clanmates before finally landing on a pair that met. She blinked as she watched Rosethornlift a paw almost cautiously before putting it back down. Concern and worry flashed through her expression as she placed her paw down and stood, walking to the she-cat. Keeping her voice soft, she greeted her with a small nod. "Hi Rosethorn. Would you walk with me for a moment?" Perhaps if she got her away from camp, Rosethorn would relax a bit more. It was clear she was conflicted about something.... Perhaps she could help.

Stars, this was already going very badly. Murkystrike had approached her, and now she had no choice but to go with the deputy. Still, she was certainly hesitant when she nodded and stood up to follow. How was she meant to tell Murkystrike what happened? "Hey, I got into a fight with a rogue, and it may or may not have been my brother. Funny stuff, right?" She really should have listened when Murkystrike kept trying to keep her out of fights. Why was she so stubborn? But then, this was Murkystrike. She may be deputy, but she was her friend, right? Would she really be all that mad?

"Hey, Murkystrike? I have a question. If you had to make a choice between your Clan and your family, what would you choose? And what would you do if whoever you didn't choose was going to be mad at you? If they weren't mad already." She let out a sigh as she let her head fall. This really was an impossible situation, wasn't it? None of them knew what they were doing. Her mother had put lies in all of her kits' heads, and her siblings were acting on that. Was there even a way to get them back?

Rosethorn's question caught the deputy off guard, it had been the last thing she expected. She blinked slowly a couple of times, trying to pull her thoughts together enough to give the she-cat an answer. Rosethorn sighed softly, and Murkystrike took in the expression on her face and the way her head fell. Concerned, she stepped closer before sitting down. "I can't really give you an honest answer there, Rosethorn. My family is my clan, and my clan is my family. They are one and the same, so I can not give you a true answer as it is something I've never had to do, or can envision myself ever having to do. If I had to choose.... I would probably choose my clan. That may seem like a heartless or cruel thing to say... But I trust my family enough that they will do what is best for them, even if it means they are walking away from me. I will always cherish and love them, but... They can care for themselves, or I haven't done a good enough job teaching and guiding them. Their anger would be a difficult thing to grow accustomed to, but I would hope in time they would come to understand my decision, just as I understood theirs." If Mistyfalcon suddenly decided to leave ShadowClan, what would she do? What about Hopepaw, or Ravenpaw? As each face crossed her thoughts, she came to the same difficult conclusion. It would hurt, far worse than any number of porcupine's quills, but she would choose her clan. She blinked away her thoughts as she refocused on the cat before her, so different from her usual self. "Why do you ask, Rosethorn? What happened? You can tell me anything. I'll do my best to help and support you."

"I-I'm sorry, Murkystrike. I got into a fight, and I know you don't like me fighting. I just hated feeling so weak! And the rogue made me so angry, he was just like my brother but so much crueler. But the way he acted... What if that was my brother, Murkystrike? They all already hate me. And then I attacked him. Why am I so stupid? I should have talked to him, I should have at least got his name, found out for sure, see if there was a chance that maybe we could be a family again...."

Stars, she hated this. She hated it all. Why was she so stupid? She didn't even realize she was crying until she found herself buried in the deputy's shoulder. "I shouldn't have left. I should have been there to protect my siblings. It was my job to protect them, keep Tavora focused on me so they wouldn't get hurt. And I got scared. I came here the moment I saw a way out! I really am weak. No wonder why they all hate me. I abandoned my own family because I was so selfish. I am just as bad as Tavora. How do I come back from that, Murkystrike?"

Rosethorn's sudden tears and the rush of information had been.... Somewhat expected, something had clearly been bothering her, but the contents and reason behind them was what caught her by surprise. She listened intently to what the warrior had to say, not moving away when she buried her head into her shoulder. Instead, she instinctively nuzzled her ears and the top of her head, much like a queen would to her kit. She listened to all that Rosethorn had to say before responding slowly, tentatively. "Rosethorn... You don't have to apologize. Fighting is necessary sometimes, and I won't fault you for doing what you thought was best. Perhaps you should have spoken to this rogue first, but what's done is done... What matters is what you do going forward. If you run into this tom again, perhaps you should do what you just said? And if he doesn't respond, or responds with teeth and claws, then you have all the answers you need." She offered, still keeping her chin on Rosethorn's head.

"You did what you felt was right, what you needed to do for yourself. If you hadn't stayed here with ShadowClan, where would you be now? It wasn't your job to do anything, you and your siblings were hardly apprentice aged. It was Tavora's responsibility to love and care for all of you, as a mother, not yours. If they refuse to see and acknowledge what she was doing to all of you, you especially, then that is their own blindness to live with. It's not selfish to want a better life for yourself, and taking the opportunity when it comes. In my eyes, you have nothing to come back from, the blame lies solely on Tavora and the way that she twisted their view of things. If you get the chance, perhaps it would give you peace if you explain things from your point of view. Then, they have both sides, and can make their choice for themselves. Just... Be prepared for whatever the outcome of that may be. Revealing your heart to others is not the easiest thing, and it's not always a simple task that yields an easy solution."