The Final Resolution [closed]

Birdstar

Birdstar’s thoughts never seemed to quiet, never tired— especially not these last few moons. Beechfang returning to her rightful home in conjunction with the alliance built alongside RiverClan; the conclusion to the mystery left by her father’s murder; the continued bickering and bloodshed on the other side of the forest, and the damage their spats wrought at the most recent Gathering (which, selfishly, she was grateful to have missed); Bloodstrike’s brief disappearance, the worry it brought that twolegs would descend upon the forest again; wondering if their territory held enough prey, if dens needed expanding or repairs, how Trufflesnap was actually managing in ThunderClan, if the newest wave of apprentices was faring well– particularly those caught by the lightning –if Wolfblossom was still managing her own injury well… If, if, if. How, why, who, what. Not a moment of peace, even when she was alone.

It was possible that having nothing to occupy her than her own idle paws was a hindrance more than anything. Still, she sought that solitude when she could. She couldn’t be entirely still, though; Birdstar kept her ears and nose out for any prey roaming as she passed beneath the trees. Green-leaf’s heat was roiling, and most things had gone into hiding for the longest hours of the day, but the rocky forest still buzzed with subtle signs of life. Like that of a squirrel’s, scratching between tangled roots to scrape fallen nuts into its little claws.

Stone turned to hard-packed earth turned to soft, warm grass fast as her paws swallowed the distance the squirrel tried to put between them. Birdstar shifted her weight to lengthen her strides, preparing to throw herself forward. Their border with ThunderClan was close; she would not let it outrun her, past the bounds she could reach it. Her canter geared into a hard gallop and the muscles in her haunches tightened, ready to spring her forward with the next stride—

Something moved in the trees. Weight crashed into her from above, and long, sharp teeth dug into her scruff.

Birdstar bowled into the nearby tree with a cry of alarm and rage. Panic ran through her and she writhed, hoping to either buck the weight off or wrench herself free by thrashing her attacker against the oak. The endless loop of her thoughts had quieted for a few heartbeats, turned into static when she was descended upon, but her brain kicked back to attention to start scrambling, Who? Why? What—

She didn’t have to wonder. The Fallen Oak, the strike from above, the unforgiving grip that drew her blood… it all slid into place just as an icy voice confirmed her suspicions. Birdstar felt her blood run cold, and for a few moments, she stopped wrestling. Trufflesnap’s fangs bore down harder, pulling a yowl from her.

Birdstar couldn’t name the emotions that swirled through her chest. Too many to dissect; terror, fury, disgust, loathing… self-loathing. More, that made her feel suddenly like a kit, only just wandered out of the nursery.

She didn’t have time to process them anyway. She closed her eyes and forced her mind to once again empty. She couldn’t afford the time to actually think right now. Then, snarling, Birdstar gave herself a shake and dropped hard to the side, rolling across her back to free herself. She flipped up onto her paws the second the pressure was gone from her scruff. “Trufflesnap.” Birdstar’s voice was low and strained. She squared herself, bracing for another assault. Hot, sticky blood collected in her thick fur, and the pain that radiated from the bites made her eyes briefly cross. “Are you mad?! Has your hate for me really led you this far? You went to ThunderClan to escape my vile self, didn’t you? Go, then, be happy there! What do you want with my life?”

Birdstar

With a shake, Trufflesnap jumped back to her own paws. Birdstar watched her, turning in time with her sister’s steps. The circling… it was sickening. Haunting. Her heart ran fast as a rabbit against her ribs. She’d never felt more like prey before. Ears flattening, she tried to interrupt, “You didn’t have to leave! You chose your spite, Trufflesnap. You could’ve--” but the monologue continued. Birdstar’s eyes narrowed sharply and her jaw snapped shut, catching her tongue between the points of her teeth-- an accident, but she bit down with intent at the mention of a prophecy.

A message from StarClan. Her entire pelt bristled with outrage just at the thought of it. A prophecy? Surely not-- Trufflesnap had just gone mad. She was delusional, not divine. But… Birdstar shook her head, hissing pain at the way her torn flesh pulled. Trufflesnap was rabid, that was all there was to it.

… But what if there was truth to her words? Birdstar’s expression twisted into a grimace before the rage left her face entirely. Surely StarClan wouldn’t curse her for an action so long in the past, long even before they would grant her with their blessings. If she didn’t play to Trufflesnap’s spite, let her mind wander instead of fixating on their ancestors-- she had cursed herself, hadn’t she? Birdstar closed her eyes with a slow breath out. There didn’t need to be a prophecy for her to understand she had designed this fate for herself.

She had tried. So hard, for everyone, everything. Nothing would ever be enough for Trufflesnap. Fury still itched under her pelt about that. There was nothing she could have done to prevent this-- this was Trufflesnap’s design, not her own! But a sudden wave of self-doubt and grief-- for herself, for what could have been and for what was, cooled the anger from the surface. Tried. It was laughable. Clearly she hadn’t done enough. She could have prevented this! Birdstar bit her tongue again and nodded quietly to Trufflesnap’s words.

She would return, yes.

Exile, execution? … Yes. The thought of either made her stomach flip.

It had been foretold, indeed.

Her eyes slowly opened again. Trufflesnap was dangerously close now, standing just in front of her. Ravening madness contorted her features. Her own reflection stared hollowly at her through Trufflesnap’s matching green eyes. “My sister,” Birdstar breathed softly just as Trufflesnap’s muscles tensed. Preparing for the kill. “You won’t. I’m sorry.” The words choked in her throat, but they were buried by the ugly snarl that ripped through Trufflesnap’s throat when she dove forward.

Birdstar didn’t brace herself for impact; weightless, they rolled into the grass and dirt. The wounds already dug into her burned terribly from the crash, from hitting the ground, but Birdstar didn’t allow herself a hiss. Trufflesnap readjusted fast, and no sooner than she had, teeth embedded themselves in her throat. An airless gasp died with the blood that filled her windpipe. Birdstar’s eyes opened wide, though the pain that tore through her was momentary. With the first jerk of Trufflesnap’s head, nerves frayed and the sensation in her neck went out. With the next, her throat collapsed from the force; a loud pop, and her spine soon followed.

                                                                                                   

Birdstar would awake to the sound of rushing water and the wind through the reeds and trees overhead. Quite different from the dense forest around the fallen oak, but that was by design. A she-cat who was as star-speckled as her surroundings shouldered her way through the reeds that hid the river from view, padding towards the half-sister she’d only ever known through the stars with a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I didn’t want to see you here, Birdstar.” Her words were true and were not said out of dislike for the leader.

Birdstar tipped her head, frowning up at the reedbed. She lay on the ground, and for a moment, she could tell herself the event with Trufflesnap had been a terrible nightmare, and she’d just… ...she wasn’t sure. Passed out on patrol, maybe. But the world glittered too intensely, and a heavy weight still sat in her chest. Closing her eyes, Birdstar heaved a breath and pushed herself upright just in time for her half-sister to approach from the reeds. She only hummed in response to the greeting. She certainly hadn’t wanted to come.

“‘Prophecy,’ she says? This wasn’t us, and it wasn’t your fault, either.” Birdsong’s voice was soft, with an undercurrent of anger at such a bold falsehood. “You avoided this family spilling each other’s blood for a few seasons... I hoped that cycle would have been broken for good. When I left Skyclan I didn’t go seeking vengeance on those who I perceived as having wronged me. I cannot imagine why cats think killing those they no longer interact with is their path to solace.” Vengeance like another cat Birdsong had known. Except vengeance needed a reason. Even Dawnhawk had a reason that he found himself justified in. Trufflesnap... Birdsong shook her head. “I don’t know what it is with this family... Maybe it really is in our blood, like grandma thought. Mother is going to be upset when she finds out. I don’t know what to tell you, but I don’t think you want an answer to that, anyways.” Birdsong shook her head, starlight shimmering in gray tabby fur. For a moment silence hung between them, and she was content to let it before finally speaking again.

“The stars healed the damage that brought you here, but waking up won’t be pleasant. Not that I’d know first-paw, thankfully. I can’t dissuade you from how you react to this... And part of me even agrees, not that I like admitting it. Remember that it’s not just your safety being threatened here. Do what you must, Birdstar. Continue to keep them safe.” She had never known her half-siblings in life, but the ones who now led Skyclan seemed to be doing a fine job of it. Seeing the clan this healthy and stable was a shock, and Birdsong would have liked for that to continue.

“This is all the time you can afford to be here. Be safe, Birdstar.” Birdsong leaned forward, gently touching her nose to that of the Skyclan leader’s, sending her back to the waking world.

Birdstar sat straighter when Birdsong dismissed the claim of a prophecy. To hear it confirmed was as relieving as it was maddening. Trufflesnap… Birdstar’s claws flexed, pulling at the dewy grass underpaw. She remained quiet as Birdsong continued to speak, only breaking her contemplative silence to wince at the mention of Beechfang. Of course she couldn’t keep this hidden. Of course, Beechfang would have deserved to know anyway. It sickened her still.

While the silence sat, her thoughts wandered-- not unduly --to her uncle. She couldn’t begin to understand the trail of blood he’d left in his wake, but what idea of it she could grasp made her shudder stiffly. And to think of him and Trufflesnap in the same breath… Birdstar drew in a deep breath to steel herself against the pressure building behind her eyes.

She wouldn’t let that happen to SkyClan again.

Every terrible emotion storming within her quieted. Birdstar pushed them all down, as far down as she could bury them, and focused only on what Birdsong said. The echo of her new resolve helped box away her terror, her anger, her misery. Meeting Birdsong’s nose, she hoarsely whispered, “I’ll do everything I can. Thank you, Birdsong.” There was no willingness when her eyes closed again, a familiar chill washing over her like a cold wave as her presence in StarClan ebbed.

                                                                                                   
The metallic reek of blood, sticking in her thick fur and in the grass she stretched across, welcomed Birdstar back to the Fallen Oak. Her body ached terribly when her eyes opened again. A low groan wheezed past Birdstar’s lips, and after blinking several times, she just stared vacantly ahead. Blood pounded in her ringing ears; her neck still burned, though the wounds had sewn themselves back together; and similarly with her throat, healed and yet still aching like a paw stood atop it. Or jaws closed around it. Birdstar snorted at herself before sighing again.

The voice of another of the lives residing inside her wormed its way to the surface, hissing against Birdsong’s echo and her only staticy thoughts. “If anyone crosses the code, or you, show them the strength of authority. Use whatever mind you have before throwing SkyClan into a crusade every moon– or do it, I don't care –but do what's right. There will be blood on your paws if you don't.”

Birdstar sighed. She was so tired. ThunderClan could have their last few moments of peace while she gathered her bearings. Through her hazy thoughts, she almost pitied them. Another execution so soon was cruel for the stars. But there was no room to properly acknowledge the pity. She would chase the tides of her anger, dig down into the desire to protect that drove her every step, and she would find justice, whether it was granted or she wrought it herself.

Birdstar

A familiar voice-- achingly familiar, the recognition heavy and painful in her already strained chest --broke through the ringing in her ears. With a low groan, Birdstar picked her head up from the bloodied floor, looking wearily up at Wolfblossom. Relief-- blessed, blessed relief at a comforting face washed over her, accompanied by waves of guilt and shame. For several minutes, Birdstar just stared up at her sister-- past her, towards the blue, blue sky above, and considered. Sat with the weight of every terrible thing gnawing at her now, the weight of Wolfblossom’s eyes on her.

Eventually, she drew a heaving breath and forced herself to sit upright. Dark spots crept at the corners of her vision, but she shook her head and pushed down the nauseating dizziness that threatened to make her legs buckle beneath her. When she was certain she would not topple over, Birdstar softly rasped, “Trufflesnap. She- she was waiting here. For me.” A look of deeper pain than what ebbed from her wounds carved creases into her her features. Briefly, her jaw parted again, but it slowly shut a few moments after. There was more to say, but she lacked the words, and she feared she couldn’t manage if she’d had them anyway.

This had happened. It was real-- not a horrid nightmare to wake panting from and try to forget the rest of the day. Real, and her responsibility to mend.

Birdstar’s legs shook with weariness and oppressive grief when she forced herself to stand fully. The world spun; her vision blurred; everything, everything ached.

This horrid day was not yet over. She couldn’t afford to be Trufflesnap’s sister for the next few hours. She was SkyClan’s leader, and she would keep them safe at any cost. “I’m… going to ThunderClan. I think--” Birdstar breathed sharply through her nose, closing her eyes. Her voice was barely audible when she exhaled, “I think you know where this will lead.” Hesitantly, she looked back to Wolfblossom, ears flat against her head. “Come with me?”