It's Obscure with a one-shot from Warriors. Lmk if I should write a backstory :)
Silence. It stretched its lazy paws over the forest, a blanket of inky blackness speckled with stars for the sky. The faint crunch of pawsteps shattered the illusion of peace. A spark the colour of flame flashed into view, for just a second, before darkness hid it. The Somali she-cat’s paws carried her further and further away from her home… ThunderClan, no less. Many rumours had it that the clan had dwindled in numbers, or weakened from sickness, or simply just died out, but there was another reason…
“Flameglow.”
A husky, cracked voice called. She’d heard the sound many times before, of course, but he didn’t know that. An old, tabby tom sat hunched under the low-hanging branches of a berry bush. Flameglow’s amber eyes narrowed slightly before she dipped her head and looked to the gnarled tom.
“Aspenclaw,” she greeted him softly.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, the middle of his sentence interrupted by a wheeze as he coughed hoarsely.
“Let me through for a second, I thought I saw something,” the flame-coloured she-cat lied smoothly.
“Alright,” he croaked.
Flameglow smirked, but it was hidden by the blackness of night. She padded forward, brushing past the bush Aspenclaw waited by, and snatched a berry from the bush. She turned and saw Aspenclaw’s confusion.
“What’re you doing?” he asked.
You said the same last time.
“Taste this, it’ll make you more aware,” Flameglow purred softly, “Keep you awake.”
In fact, it would do the opposite. But Aspenclaw didn’t know that.
“If you’re sure,” moonlight dappled the old tom’s pelt as he stepped forward into the light, taking the berry from her outstretched paw. She smiled at him, a fake smile, but a believable one.
He crunched it between his jaws, the red juice dripping down his muzzle. She wrinkled her nose, disgust edging her tone as she murmured, “Goodnight.” At that same moment, he crumpled to the ground with a sigh.
“Don’t worry, you’ll wake in a few hours,” she said pleasantly, and shuffled him into the dark where nobody would notice him. Her smirk turned into one of anticipation. If she survived the next hour, she’d see her mate again.
Flameglow turned and ran, full-pelt, into the territory of the Aimless.
ShadowClan, her clan, was bitter enemies with the Aimless, but she didn’t see why. So what they’d taken over WindClan and ThunderClan? Those rabbit-chasers and fox-hearts deserved it. She let out a dry laugh. Maybe she was biased. Her mate was Aimless, after all.
She slowed to a trot, her slender paws not making a sound as she crept through the undergrowth and approached the camp.
A yowl split the air. She froze, ears erect. Flameglow’s keen ears picked up the sound of claws slashing and her nose scented the bitter tang of blood. A fight.
She turned, cautiousness obvious in every movement, and headed in the direction of the fight. She didn’t plan to get involved, but she had to see if Fray was in the midst of it.
Her paws led her to the site of the battle quickly enough, and she recognised her own clanmates battling the Aimless. A snarl ripped her throat and she ran to aid her clanmates, her paws sinking into blood-crusted grass. Jayflight turned, eyes alert, as she ran beside him. Before he could speak, a black she-cat launched herself onto his back, growling. She claws him, sinking her teeth into his scruff.
“Stop!” I scream, lashing out. My claws catch her pelt and tear, leaving trails of dark blood dipping down her fur, “Stop.”
She turns her glinting gaze towards her, and she recognised the Fray in her. It’s her, it’s Flameglow’s mate.
“Flameglow,” she whispers, her voice catching, “I didn’t-”
She stopped, her eyes scared.
“I know,” Flameglow whispered, taking a step towards the she-cat.
“Is it-”
“It’s okay,” she confirms.
Relief washes through her expression, and love comes with it. Her pelt brushes Flameglow’s, and she purrs. The fighting behind them has died down, everyone exhausted, blood washing the grass. The two she-cats lift their muzzles toward the moon, silverly light bathing their pelts.
“We can get through this,” Flameglow whispered.
“We can make this right,” Fray responds, “Fix this mess we’ve made. Who knows? One day…” she pauses, her eyes meeting Flameglow’s, “One day, maybe everything will be okay.”