Brokentail x Fireheart

"Fireheart, you are to tend to Brokentail in Yellowfang's stead."

Said tom glanced around, his ginger pelt aflame in the morning glow of the sun, his emerald eyes glimmering brightly as he glanced around, offering smiles and dips of his head of approval in the directions of a few of his Clanmates' who dared venture out today. The newleaf air was nice to breath in, the pleasant smell of fresh grass and the chirping of birds greeting his senses.

It was roughly a moons and a half since Bluestar had commanded for him to tend to Yellowfang's illegitimate son, both of them originally reigning from ShadowClan. Fireheart twitched his long whiskers in anticipation, not daring to admit that he was actually yearning for the company of the brown tabby. Taking a deep whiff of the clean and crisp morning air, the warrior began to pad towards the fresh-kill pile. He scooped up a squirrel and returned to the sidelines of the camp, offering meows of greeting around the ginger fur of the squirrel, seating himself on his haunches and beginning to devour the squirrel, savoring it's luscious taste.

"Fireheart?" The ginger warrior glanced up slowly from his quick bites of his morsel of prey, eyeing his best friend, the familiar deep grey pelt with a streak running down the middle of it could only belong to Graystripe. Fireheart stopping munching on his squirrel and drew away, a soft smile splaying across his features. His best friend's amber eyes glowed slightly as he sat himself by Fireheart, without bothering to ask, a ritual that they preformed wordlessly.

Fireheart quirked an ear, eyeing his friend before bending to devour more of his morsel of prey, the juices tasting sweet in his mouse, the fur pleasant in his mouth, the meat tender as he continued to eat it. He waited patiently for Graystripe to speak wordlessly, then licking his maw with his long tongue and parting his jaws slightly. "Graystripe, if you don't mind me saying this, but could you already spit it out? I have to tend to Brokentail soon, bring him his meal before I'm allowed to go on my warrior duties." His amber-eyed friend glanced away, his jaw visibly clenching, his eyes dark with what he was about to say, his ears pinning against his head. Fireheart cocked his head curiously, a frown splaying across his maw. "..Graystripe?"

"I don't like you hanging out with Brokentail all the time." Graystripe dead-panned, spitting out what was troubling him, his eyes full of worry and concern for his friend. The gray warrior glanced at Fireheart, his claws digging in the moss beneath his paws. He tilted his head slightly, the troubled expression on his face was enough to worry Fireheart. "I think he might be... might be a bad influence to you."

"Silverstream should be waiting for you, why don't you go?" Fireheart asked quietly, his gaze fierce as he saw his best friend stiffen considerably and began to clamber to his paws. "She's probably waiting, so why not go?" he breathed out, suddenly itching to get Graystripe away from him. It unnerved the warrior to no end when Graystripe talked about Fireheart's relationship with the former-ShadowClanner.

Graystripe looked distraught but narrowed his eyes into a glare and huffed in annoyance, obviously not approving of Fireheart's tactic to get rid of him. "If you wanted me to go, you should've just said so," he sighed, beginning to pad towards the camp entrance. He glanced over his shoulder, shaking his head slowly. "You're just only going to get yourself burned, Fireheart." Fireheart watched his friend pad away, his expression unreadable. As soon as Graystripe was gone from his line of view, Fireheart sighed and trudged back to the fresh-kill pile.

It was a secret that Fireheart wasn't willing to share that he held feelings towards the former ShadowClan leader. He suspected that Yellowfang knew, but the gray she-cat never said anything about it, it was only by accident that Graystripe even knew, because the gray tom had padded into the den nonchalantly and found Fireheart tending to a sleeping Brokentail like the ginger tom used to do to Spottedleaf when she was still alive, with tenderness and a loving intent in his gaze. To say the least, it was a very awkward moment afterwards as Graystripe ushered Fireheart out the den to scold him, which Fireheart countered by asking about Graystripe's relationship with Silverstream. The conversation ended after that and they often didn't bring it up, preferring to stay on even terms with each other with their forbidden relationship.

Fireheart picked up a vole and began to pad towards the medicine cat den when he was stopped by a raspy voice. "I know you care for nothing, Brokentail. Not your own clan, nor your honor, nor your own kin." Fireheart took a deep breath, trying to steady his irregular heartbeat. He stared at the den entrance, most of it being covered by overhanging moss so that the view was sheltered inside. His eyes had widened considerably as Yellowfang continued to talk to her son. "You living is causing a war among the Clans that can be avoided."

A forced chuckle sounded from the only other cat in the den, "So you're saying murder's the only way to go, Yellowfang? How cruel of a mother to do to her only son. ...Get out, I don't want to talk about this anymore." Fireheart didn't bother moving out of the way or appear like he hadn't heard anything as the overhanging moss was brushed aside to reveal the scarred medicine cat. They exchanged a glance and Yellowfang padded away, like nothing happened and left Fireheart to stand there. Fireheart took in a deep breath and trudged into the den, glancing around until he spotted the matted, ragged fur of the familiar tom. He offered a smile and dropped the vole at the other tom's paws, trying to calm his jumping nerves and unsteady heartbeat. "Fireheart?" the older tom called out, turning his head slightly. Fireheart nodded his head, unable to form words, before remembering that Brokentail couldn't see him.

"Yeah, it's me, Brokentail," he managed out, offering a smile. He set his ginger paw gently against the former ShadowClan leader's paw comfortingly. The long-haired ex-leader glanced down at it, feeling the touch but not seeing it. Fireheart swallowed, admiring the long claws that protruded from the ex-leader's paw. The brown tabby's kinked tail flicked as he wrapped it around his body, grunting in acknowledgement. "I.. I brought a vole for you." Fireheart offered, his voice sounding soft and almost uncertain. Brokentail nodded wordlessly. It was amazing, actually, how Brokentail could speak a conversation without saying anything.

Suddenly Brokentail rounded on Fireheart, pinning the younger warrior to the ground, his breath tickling the ginger warrior's ear, his amber eyes glistening slightly. They were pressed close together, not that Fireheart minded in the least. The ginger tom stared up at the brown tabby with complete trust in his eyes, until the tabby tom pulled away, muttering about something and helping Fireheart up. "I've missed you," Fireheart whispered softly, staring intently at the blind tom. Fireheart was the only one who truly spoke about their affection towards the other, because often enough Brokentail didn't speak.

Brokentail didn't say anything and nuzzled Fireheart's ear, his breath tickling the ginger tom's cheek and causing him to shiver involuntarily. Fireheart closed his eyes, letting his emotions get the better of him and leaned into the touch. Brokentail still didn't say anything and continued to nuzzle the tom's ear, before licking it slowly. They often ended up in this scenario and often Fireheart would find himself pinned and let Brokentail dominate him in every way possible, not that Fireheart minded in the slightest, he never did. He whined pitifully when Brokentail pulled away the emerald-eyed warrior opened his eyes with confusion.

"Could you do it?" Fireheart's heart nearly stopped, hearing Brokentail speak. His eyes fogged over with confusion, opening his maw to reply before snapping it shut, uncertainty filling his gaze. He tilted his head curiously, a slight frown on his face. Brokentail sighed and meowed again, "Do you think you could do it? Kill me, I mean?" His eyes were dark, his expression unreadable, his kinked tail twitching slightly. He narrowed his eyes, as if sensing Fireheart's sudden dread. "I'd prefer dying by your paws then by my own cruel mother."

"I-I don't think I could," Fireheart said, bewildered, his eyes widening, his long white whiskers twitching slightly. He glanced away, sighing before returning his gaze to the brown tabby before him. Fireheart swallowed and glanced around, looking at everything but the ex-ShadowClanner. He swallowed nervously, trying to make up his mind. Brokentail had asked him to do it, he'd prefer for Fireheart to do it. It suddenly seemed so hard now, though. Brokentail nudged round and plump red berries forward, not saying anything. Hesitantly, he began to claw open the vole with a quick nick, before slowly inching the berries into it. He took in a deep breath and offered a shaky smile in Brokentail's direction. "I.." He stopped short and sighed softly.

Brokentail didn't say anything for a while, instead preferring to nuzzle the younger warrior comfortingly, knowing how hard this must've been. Finally, the battle-scared tabby meowed softly, "Yellowfang was wrong." Fireheart jumped and Brokentail chuckled, his laugh not quite reaching his blind eyes. "I know you were there, Fireheart. But what she said -about me caring not for anything-... was wrong. I care only for one thing." With a quick dip of his head, the brown tabby began to devour the vole, not noticing the wounded glances he kept getting from the emerald-eyed warrior. Brokentail offered a rare smile, and then didn't speak for a while.

The deathberries would be taking effect soon enough, as Fireheart knew well enough, and suddenly the reality of what was going to happen pressed upon Fireheart's chest. As Brokentail shifted himself into a more comfortable position, Fireheart pressed his muzzle to the older tom's shoulder, muttering incoherent apologies. Brokentail didn't say anything, as usual, as Fireheart sobbed into his shoulder, suddenly thinking that he didn't know well enough about Brokentail, hadn't -couldn't- be close enough to the brown tabby. Fireheart wound his lean body around the much more muscular one, trying to offer comforting words before choking them back and sniffing loudly, Brokentail's impending doom suddenly seemed more startling than Spottedleaf's. The fact that they knew it was coming, that they couldn't stop it, was weighing on their -mostly Fireheart's- shoulders.

Brokentail's breathing became labored, his eyes beginning to flutter close, the amount of time they were closed lengthening more and more until Fireheart feared that he would never open them again. Fireheart knew well enough that their relationship could've been purely one-sided, that he was being used by the older tom, but the fact that the older tom didn't reject Fireheart or anything of the sort was what had started the relationship anyways. Brokentail was probably using Fireheart, but the ginger tom didn't care about it, he never did, never thought about it because it was only him that Brokentail had ever had a relationship with, as far as the ginger tom could tell. But Fireheart still cared, probably more than he should have.

"Yellowfang was wrong," came the soft rumble from within Brokentail's chest, startling Fireheart into opening his emerald eyes -when had he closed them? he wondered- and staring down at the increasing frail body. The thorn-sharp clawed-tabby looked up, as if he could actually see with his bright amber eyes, like before Yellowfang had blinded him. Fireheart dipped his head, muttering hoarse apologies again, rubbing his muzzle along the tabby's face and neck and shoulders, trying to show his affection before Brokentail passed. "I don't need your pity, Fireheart." Brokentail sounded amused, if anything. "She.. said I didn't care for anything. She was wrong. You should know why." Fireheart didn't say anything, instead preferring to hoist Brokentail's head up onto his chest so that he was properly propped up, Brokentail's body hanging limp between Fireheart's other limbs. Fireheart rested his head against the flat of Brokentail's head, like the brown tabby used to do, trying to stop his sobs. "Because I care for you." Which was as close as Brokentail ever said to 'I love you' and as close as he'd ever stared ahead, trying to calm his jumbled nerves, suddenly all too aware of Brokentail's shaky breaths. An unspoken conversation flitted between them.

This is goodbye, isn't it?

No, Fireheart. This will never be a goodbye. I'll see you again.

Fireheart almost laughed at that, a heartbroken laugh, because of how ironic it was, considering that Brokentail was blind. This was the longest conversation they ever had spoken out loud aside from Fireheart's attempts at conversation with the other tom, and it would be the last with Brokentail on his deathbed. Fireheart nestled his head slightly into the tabby's long fur, suddenly finding that he couldn't get enough of the older tom. Brokentail's chuckle filled the den, before growing weaker. He uttered hoarsely, as if confirming it not only to himself, but for Fireheart too. "I care for you." Fireheart heard him take in a deep breath and waited for him to speak - he never did, ever again.

It would be a while until Yellowfang came and found Fireheart and Brokentail's body, and by then he would remember Graystripe's bone-chilling words: "You're just only going to get yourself burned, Fireheart."And Fireheart.. was burned horribly. He would never be the same after Brokentail's death. But every day he awaited the day that Brokentail's unspoken promise would ring true. They would get united again and then Fireheart would finally be with his beloved, and not even StarClan would be able to force them apart. Fireheart would make sure of it.