You Again [Turtlefur]

"I left just before that gathering, then... I was at the battle. Not all of us even wanted to be there." Birdsong shudderd, recalling the blood and chaos of it. "I watched Beechface take one of Lilacstar's lives like it was nothing." Even moons later, she could still hear the snap of the leader's neck. Revulsion swept through her at the memory.

"I'm not sure I knew her all that well... Bearpaw, if I'm guessing correctly?" She was one of Bloodstrike's kits and that made her family of a sort, though Birdsong had never been close with her or her siblings. She stared at Turtlefur in growing horror as he recounted what had happened. "My mother... Struck by lightning? But you said it was two apprentices fighting?" She asked, disbelief plain. She hardly realized that she'd referred to Beechface as her mother, "No cat deserves that, even if they're... like that." She grimaced. Beechface, for all her many, many faults, had still been a skilled, dutiful medicine cat. She'd treated so many injuries, even though Birdsong had often thought her overbearing and oddly protective.

"Is she... alive?" She asked,, almost hesitantly, "She's broken the code more times than I can count and probably then some, but... No cat deserves to die just for that." As angry and resentful as Birdsong was, she didn't have the stomach to wish death upon someone... And if Beechface had somehow made it out of that alive, what condition was she even in? It couldn't have been good either way.

Turtlefur was grateful that she had been at the battle because she understood the primal fear and disgust that filled his stomach at the thought of that night. It must have been so hard to be on the other side… to see your Clanmates behave so callously… he inched a little closer to her, seeking mutual comfort.

“Bearpaw sounds right. At least I think that’s what I heard when Bloodstrike dragged her away and screamed loud enough to summon the Dark Forest at her. I think she was given a warrior name the Gathering after that, but I couldn’t tell you what it is.” Her response caught him off guard and confusion swam in his amber eyes. Had he misspoken? “Your mother? No, the lightning hit the tree where Beechface was, not any of the others. The tree branches didn’t hit anyone else when they fell, thank StarClan. A lot of cats ran forward to pull her out. Dovefrost helped her. He was telling cats what to get and where to find it. I didn’t see the rest, Ivystar took us back to camp and… I didn’t want to look. The smell was overwhelming and I was still afraid I’d be punished.”

She had clearly been confused when she said that. Medicine cats didn’t have mates or kits. “She did survive!” Turtlefur added, happy to give some kind of good news. “She came to the next Gathering. Wolfstar came back, too, and Daystar announced her role as leader of WindClan. It was tense. Wolfstar said basically nothing, but we could all see what was left of Beechface. She was angry, so… normal. She lost an eye and a lot of fur off her face. She has this strange burn scar down one shoulder that looks just like lightning. I don’t really know her, but you’re right. She didn’t deserve to get hit because someone else was fighting. Sometimes I feel… bad for SkyClan. Life isn’t very fair, is it?” He meowed somberly, reflecting over the past few seasons.

After a few moments of silence, he heaved a great sigh and came to a summary. “She came to the last Gathering looking tired. Everyone looked tired. The next Gathering is in a few nights, though, so maybe she’ll be a little better by then?” Turtlefur added hopefully. Medicine cats could be grouchy, patient, compassionate, or surly, but they were always specially loved in a Clan. They had unique skills and took oaths far different than a warrior’s. This meant they were often beloved by the Clan they carefully tended to… and Turtlefur understood the affection even a former Clanmember could have for a cat who likely helped in their birth. “She’s strong. Sounds like she’s dealt with a lot, but she still shows up every moon. It takes a lot of courage to do that.”

Turtlefur seemed to misunderstand what Birdsong was just belatedly realizing she had said, and the tabby breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to explain that whole mess, she was tired of the sickening anger she felt towards the medicine cat. It was justified anger, she told herself, but she hated feeling it. It wasn't her. And from his account, nobody else had been injured. Ravenclaw was safe, then. She was grateful for that.

Birdsong could only shake her head in numb horror as Turtlefur continued, describing the injuries Beechface had sustained. "A fall from that height could have done much worse. There's no chance to adjust or pivot if you slip from that height. I can't imagine being struck by lightning..." The scars he described sounded strange, too. It sounded like the lightning had done more damage than the fall itself. Not a pleasant thought by any means.

"Stars... I can only imagine how furious Bloodstrike must've been, Bearpaw and Beechface are his daughters. I know Beechface had been avoiding him, but it was pretty obvious he still cares for her." He cared more than Beechface had ever seemed to, at least. Bloodstrike, as far as Birdsong knew, hadn't lied about being a parent to his kits. He was a brute, but an honest one, she'd always thought.

Beechface had shown up to the next gathering with her injuries, and somehow that wasn't so surprising to Birdsong. "Strong is one way to put it." She murmured, "She's always been stubborn, I can't imagine wanting to move from my nest after those injuries, much less making the trek to fourtrees so soon. She was always so... so overbearing." Overbearing was Birdsong's way of putting it nicely. "Stars forbid you get into something stupid, she'd chew your ears off. I always thought she was frustrating, though suppose I can kind of understand now. It does feel like there's always something bad happening, doesn't it? It feels like most of Skyclan is prepared to think the worst of everything, but even by those standards Beechface is... a lot."

He scuffed his paw against the pebbles on the shore, splashing them into the shallows and scattering the small fish. He already had a small bundle, and too many more would be impossible to carry back to camp without having to make a second trip. Turtlefur wished Birdsong could help him bring them home. He could introduce her to Cloverheart and Stormbringer, and show Ivystar that SkyClan wasn’t all bad—that there were cats in it who didn’t agree with things they’d done in the past.

The news that Bearpaw and Beechface were Bloodstrike’s daughters made him grimace. Now he was guilty of biting the ugliest and meanest leader’s daughter at a Gathering. To be fair, it was in defense of his medicine cat, and Ivystar would protect him anyway, though the sinking feeling didn’t go away.

Birdsong clearly didn’t feel positively about Beechface, which came as a surprise to Turtlefur. To dislike someone who healed your sicknesses and injuries… but honestly, if Cloverheart demeaned and admonished him for seeking her help, the warrior wasn’t sure he’d ever go back to her den. Maybe Beechface needed to take several steps back and change things for the better. Naturally he had no idea how to help her do this or even suggest it without losing significant amount of fur, so he settled with sympathizing with Birdsong and nodding as she spoke.

“That’s tough. It sounds like she needs help, or maybe a break. I have no idea where to even begin with handling that sort of stress—” Turtlefur cut off quickly and crouched low to the water, fur rising slightly along his neck. When he spoke again, his voice was alarmed but quiet. “Hush, I hear my Clanmates. The sunhigh patrol must be early today… you need to go. Wait! Get in the shallows to mask your scent, and try to follow your old scent track back out. I can cover up the rest. Don’t forget the farm, Birdsong. Don’t forget me. I want to help.”