Disaster Strikes (closed till after death)

Shimmerheart lay in the elders' den, twisting and turning as she tried to sleep. Visions of Webtail, Leopardfang and the Dark Forest danced in her head, images tormenting her as she attempted to rest. The wind outside blew louder than usual, and its howling accompanied her half-awake nightmares. Memories of her kits' birth, Webtail's exile, fighting with Leopardfang during the New Moon Gathering, Leopardfang rescuing her from a fox swam before her eyes. As a crack of thunder boomed outside the den, blinding light flashed, illuminating the marshy camp. The slim black she-cat started hyperventilating, running out of the den. Where the lightning had struck, a tiny fire blossomed up from the marshy ground. The elder rushed over to stamp it out. She sat under a large pine tree, staring up at the sky, a sprinkle of rain pattering on her face. She tried to calm down, but to no avail. The storm brought back too many bad memories. A tear leaked out of one of her hazel eyes.

The storm outside the den was disturbing, to say the least. The thunder was too low and loud to properly sleep through, and Leopardfang grumbled in frustration and exhaustion when he realized that he wouldn't be getting any sleep that day. With an annoyed sigh, he sat up to stretch his legs when he suddenly heard the loud crash of lightning striking a nearby object. Knowing that lightning strikes led to fires, he hurried from the warriors' den to see Shimmerheart across the clearing already putting it out. He felt compelled to pad towards her despite all of the past troubles and the fact that he didn't have anything to say to her. He'd been trying to avoid her for a while. Maybe she could tell. She looked depressed, unkempt, and clearly unwell, and he felt guilty. Maybe if he had been a good mate and father, none of this would have happened and he could have had his happy little family.

He sighed, stood a tail-length away from the love of his life, and glanced down at his paws with an escalating sense of guilt. "That was quick thinking, Shimmerheart. Thank you."

Shimmerheart stiffened as a voice she had known nearly all her life washed over her. It was deep and quiet, full of suppressed emotions- sadness, resolve, guilt. It had been far, far too long since she had heard that voice. But the last time it had been directed at her, it had been cold and emotionless. The words had been heartless. The bedraggled black she-cat shuddered at the memory. She almost turned around and buried her face in the tom's fur, but she didn't. Two depressed moons of heartbreak and betrayal held her back. But she couldn't just not respond. "It wasn't really; I just couldn't sleep," she replied shortly, voice tired and subdued. Another crack of thunder echoed, but Shimmerheart didn't flinch. She was too worn out.

He hated the tightness in his chest and the feeling of being unable to breathe. He hadn't been this nervous about talking to someone since... well, ever. Maybe the first time he stood on the Great Rock in Thrushstar's place. The last words he spoke to Shimmerheart rung in his ears, his own voice taunting him with his cruelty. How could he be this way? His harsh life had turned him into a stone cat pretending to have a beating heart like the rest. She wouldn't even look at him. She couldn't. He didn't know what to say, and the sounds of the violent storm filled the silence.

Leopardfang let the rain soak his fur and pull at his short pelt. The shelter of the pine tree above them was imperfect and allowed the wind to push and pull water droplets wherever it so pleased. His green eyes were boring into the side of her head, practically begging her to turn and at least look at him, but she would not. His breath caught in his throat. He couldn't handle this tension anymore! "Shimmerheart, please... I just can't do this. I can't do anything right without you. I'm going to lead the clan soon, and I want your support, the way it used to be. Forgive me for being such a StarClan-forsaken fool."

Shimmerheart sat stiffly like a stone, water pouring all over her soaked slim form, mind and heart racing. Her two sides warred against each other- kind and loving versus prideful and strong. Her heart melted at the deputy's words, his voice cracking desperately, reminding her he was just as broken as she was. Maybe... Maybe he deserved a second chance. They had both made mistaskes, and their family had been turn apart multiple times, but they could work through it. They always had, hadn't they? He was the one cast she loved more than anything on Earth- more than her kits, more than ShadowClan, more than StarClan. She.... She could forgive him. Slowly, the black she-cat turned, hopeful hazel eyes meeting lonely green ones for the first time in moons. "Leopardfang, I-"

Suddenly, above their heads, a crack sounded. She could've dismissed it as thunder, but it sounded wrong somehow. Her hazel eyes looked upwards into the stormy sky with a few lone stars through the pine tree- and saw a thick, strong branch plummeting down. Heading straight for Leopardfang. No! In that moment, the black she-cat made a split-second decision. Her life was nothing next to his! He was the deputy, for StarClan's sake! "Leopardfang, look out!" she yowled, voice breaking in panic. The elder bowled into her mate's side, pushing the surprised tom out of the way just before the heavy, water-soaked pine limb landed on top of her. Her spine broke with a sickening snap, and the black she-cat collapsed onto the marshy, wet ground.

Time seemed to slow down as Shimmerheart's hazel eyes met Leopardfang's for the last time. Her lungs were crushed, so she could hardly breathe, let alone speak. In that gaze, she communicated her sorrow, her forgiveness, and an overwhelming feeling of love. She knew her time had been soon, and she felt at peace. Now, she would see Shrewkit again. She would see Ebonyleaf, she would see Webtail once more. In StarClan. But what was StarClan compared to this wonderful tom? "L-Leopardfang, I... I l-love.... I love y-y-you..." With her last words a rattling gasp, the she-cat's vibrant spirit fled her body and rushed towards the stars above. Her slim form looked smaller and more vulnerable in death, and her large hazel orbs were alight with the stars above that she could no longer see.

Finally! He had missed those beautiful eyes. They were fiery, determined, hopeful, and tenderly loving all at the same time. They were an enigma. They were unlike any other pair of eyes he'd ever looked into, even if their color was not unique or their shape were natural cat's eyes. His own eyes softened, and he felt the expression on his face softening immensely until he could feel himself smiling like an idiot. Leopardfang loved Shimmerheart so much. He didn't ever want to let go of her again. I will never, ever let go of you. I will take care of you. I will love you forever.

Leopardfang's heart was racing. He resolved to bring her the freshest prey, every single night, and spend every morning sharing tongues and telling her about his patrols. Maybe he would even ask her to move her nest when he finally took over leadership of the clan. He wouldn't have to sleep in the lonely leader's den all by himself like Thrushstar. Leopardfang's sense were dulled by the rushing emotion. He thought he might have heard something in the distance, but none of that thunder or lightning mattered to him right now. He just wanted to curl around her and brush fur and smell her comforting scent again. The deputy leaned forward to muzzle Shimmerheart.

The sudden shove was a complete shock. She'd yelled something, but he hadn't understood her. Everything was moving so fast and so slow at the same time. The sound of wood splitting forcefully against the ground mixed with the sickening crunch of his love's spine didn't even register in his brain; the deputy stared at the scene before him, brows furrowed but eyes wide. "Sh...Shimmerheart?" Leopardfang choked, beginning to realize what had happened after she started trying to speak to him. "Shimmerheart! Shimmerheart, no!" The tom's voice raised in a burst of panic. His head whipped around, looking for anyone in the clearing to help, but who could? "Honeydrop! Puddlepaw! Anyone, please help!" His yowl echoed louder than the crashing thunder and the torrent of rain.

None of them could help. Leopardfang crouched low to the ground, curling as close to Shimmerheart's body as he could manage. His eyes were blank. He wore no expression on his face. He understood what had happened, but he did not comprehend. Leopardfang was going into shock and didn't know what to even say or do, or if any of this was even real anymore. He was still for the first time in moons. He was alone again.

Leopardfang loved Shimmerheart so much. He didn't want to ever let go of her again. And now that she was finally within his reach, she had been torn out of his grip too violently to hold on.

//btw, her dream is just normal kit dreams. not a vision or anything, just the outside noises influencing what she saw lmao//

Within the nursery, a brown tabby pelt was twitching and shivering. The little she-kit was having a bad dream, full of trees falling all around her and lightning splitting the sky so fiercely she could see StarClan cats wailing with fear. Then a familiar yowl echoed through her mind. Leopardfang!
With a start, Fallenkit woke up, white tipped ears flicking as she stared around the den. She could hear thunder and lightning outside, and her pale fur stood on end. Then she heard Leopardfang call again and the little kit practically tore out of the den. She'd be an apprentice in the next few days, so she'd better start being useful now!
She raced out into the rain, yellow eyes blinking quickly to clear her vision as she followed her deputy's scent. She slowed to a stop as she saw Leopardfang curled against a fallen branch. No, not the branch. With growing horror she recognized the pale fur beneath the branch. "Leopardfang...?" she said quietly, crouching down under the weight of Shimmerheart's staring, lifeless gaze and Leopardfang's glazed one. She'd never seen a cat die. She slowly crept closer, then pressed herself to her deputy's leg, shivering both with fear and cold as her pelt got soaked through. She didn't know how to help, but surely just being there helped right?

The horrible crack rang in the leader's ears, sending a surge of energy through him as he was hurled awake by the awful storm surging outside. Immediately, he was on his feet ready to strike at whatever it was that had startled him, but all he heard was a hard thud followed by silence. It was the worst feeling that he knew all too well. All of the animals seemed to stop their noises and the forest became still aside from the patter of the rain on the already drenched earth. Instantly, the leader's heart dropped. The empty feeling inside of his stomach was coupled with the heart-wrenching cries of his deputy not far outside of his den. Darting out, Thrushstar froze at the sight of Shimmerheart crushed underneath the weight of a large branch that was still searing at one end from where the lightning struck it. On the other side was a devastated Leopardfang trying everything he could to get his former mate to wake up.

Calmly and dreadfully padding around the branch, the leader came to a stop as soon as he saw the she-cat's lifeless eyes. Immediately he understood. "Leopardfang..." he mumbled filled with empathy for the tom. "I'm so sorry..."

He was blind to the movements around him. All Leopardfang could see was the mangled form of Shimmerheart beneath the tree branch and all he could hear was the sound of blood pumping in his ears. He had almost died. His mate, despite all that had happened and all the pain that he had inflicted upon her, had still given it all up to save him. Leopardfang felt completely detached and hardly registered the kit pressing herself to him. His green eyes, almost as empty as Shimmerheart's hazel ones, met Thrushstar's gaze. He wanted to say something, but his mind was blank.

Tigerflower heard the crash of the branch and jumped in surprise, quickly rushing from her nest in the warriors' den to see what had happened. The rain was pouring so heavily that she had to squint her eyes against the wind to see properly, but the moment she saw the scene she wished she'd stayed inside. "Shimmerheart! Oh, StarClan..." Tigerflower shrieked and sprinted to her mother's body. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt sick. Of all her family members, Shimmerheart had always been there the most, but now her mother was dead and she hadn't even been there for her. The tabby she-cat glanced at Leopardfang, who wasn't taking the death well either. A sharp sense of resentment stuck in her chest like a thorn. Maybe if he hadn't broken the family apart, this wouldn't have happened. She looked at Fallenkit with pity. Did she understand what had happened?