We're Still Siblings[C]

In the days that followed Honeydew's promotion, she seemed... distant. As if she no longer wished to speak to him, or even look at him. Shatteredsky didn't often feel lonely, but this time round it weighed him down like a hundred boulders. She seemed desperate to be rid of him. Why? What changed? Where did he go wrong? The tom fought endlessly to be by her side for every patrol, but that only seemed to make her push him away more. It made his blood boil, knowing that the one cat he would throw his life away for was treating him like crow-food. To be thrown away once there was better pickings... no, Honeydew wouldn't do that. She was perfect. This must be one of Wolfstar's tricks, to get his sister to avoid the only cat who still cared for her.

At last, they were on a patrol together. A hunting patrol, but hunting was the last thing on his mind. "Honeydew," he called out her name softly, pleading for her to look at him. Was she mad at him? What did he do to make her mad? Why wasn't she looking at him? Why wasn't she looking at him? WHY WASN'T SHE-- "Honeydew!" He snapped, louder, fiercer, angrier, before that faded back to his pleading expression. "Why are you mad?" He asked, gently, a far cry from the anger that had exploded from him mere heartbeats before.

He had startled her. Shatteredsky gave a quick apology, speaking on instinct rather than will. She was surprised that he thought that she was mad at him. Had she not been? "I called your name twice. I thought you were ignoring me, but it seems that you were just thinking about something," He explained, concious of how silly it sounded once it left him. How could he explain the anger that had surged in him moments ago? Would Honeydew even understand? "You've been avoiding me since you became deputy. You look at me like I'm some sort of monster, like I'll tear out the throats of everyone around us at any moment," Shatteredsky pressed, anger slowly creeping into his voice once more, "You act like you don't know me. You act like we didn't grow up together. You act like I didn't try my best to be there for you when we were younger. Why? Dear sister, why do you no longer know me?"

Shatteredsky's expression softened for a heartbeat, but turned a steely cold at the mention of Wolfstar. "She deserves death, if she'd endanger her clanmates that she claims to love so much," He spoke, then moved forward to nuzzle his sister's cheek, "I hate how she stood by and let Birdstar send you to war knowing you were just named a warrior. And I hate how she continued to put your life in danger just because she was as young as you when she became deputy." he drew away to look in his sister's eyes. "Do you remember when we were kits, and I promised to always take care of you?" He prompted softly, "I'm just being a good brother, Honeydew. I'll protect you, even if that meant killing Wolfstar, I'd do it in a heartbeat. You don't deserve pain, my dear sister." His expression shifted to show one of pain. "Even if you would never look me in the eye again... I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe. So please, Honeydew, please look at me now and promise me that you'll be safe. Because I won't stop my claws if you get hurt." He buried his muzzle in his sister's neck, breathing in her sweet scent. "I won't leave you like Thornstalker and Falconmoon did. I'll always be by your side, Honeydew, I swear on my life and more."