viperfoot

~~~

VIPERFOOT WAS GOING THROUGH a flood of emotions that he truly couldn't process. He was happy - beyond happy. Hearing that Frozenlight liked him and not Snakestar made Viperfoot want to jump for joy. Frozenlight liked him. Him! Who would've thought?

And, the way she defended him was truly heartening. But then came sharp pain and sadness that the cat Frozenlight had to defend Viperfoot to was his own brother. Snakestar's words were mean, to say the very least; though the large gray tom knew that Snakestar didn't think of him very highly, he hadn't expected this.

So now, as he stood there, blinking a little blankly at Frozenlight and Snakestar. He wasn't sure how to react.

They weren't saying anything. Why weren't they saying anything?

Viperfoot searched his brother's eyes. He knew that Snakestar had liked Frozenlight ever since they were kits. But it wasn't Viperfoot's fault that he liked her too, right? He couldn't help it. Frozenlight was simply... perfect. But he'd kept it to himself, never been vocal about it. So why did Snakestar say all those nasty things about him? It wasn't his fault.

The large gray tom couldn't take it anymore. The words, "Er, I have to go," spilled from his mouth and before he knew it, he'd spun around and bounded away. He hadn't the slightest clue where he was going. All he knew was that his heart was beating rapidly, and if he had to stand in front of Snakestar and Frozenlight for one more moment, he was going to die. 

The smooth, rocky ground of the Highstones felt firm beneath his paws, grounding him. But he missed the dirt of ShadowClan's territory. He missed the pine trees, the mud, the landmarks. He wanted to get off these stupid Highstones and back to his home, where everything had been more or less normal.

Finally, Viperfoot came to a stop. He was on the path that Cherrylight and Whiteberry had taken only a few nights ago, where they were ambushed. Despite it not being visible, he could feel their blood inked into the stones, and shivered. 

"Viperfoot!" 

A voice was calling his name; Frozenlight. He could pick any details of her out easily from a crowd: her voice, her scent, the sound of her footsteps. He didn't turn around when he felt her approach, he knew it was here.

"Great StarClan, you run fast," the white she-cat mewed, puffing out a breath. "I was wondering if you'd never stop."

Viperfoot wasn't in the mood for their usual lighthearted banter. "Not now, Frozenlight."

Her face grew serious as she noticed his tone, and she slowly nodded. Clearly, her mind was whirling for a way to cheer him up or get him to talk, but Viperfoot wasn't sure how in the name of StarClan she was going to accomplish that.

"Okay," Frozenlight mewed at last. "Well, can I tell you something?"

"Frozenlight-"

"You don't need to respond, just listen," the white she-cat interrupted gently. "I just had a rough morning, and I need my best friend right now. You're my best friend."

Viperfoot finally glanced up from his paws to give her a quizzical look. "I only have to listen?"

"Mhm," she hummed, taking a seat next to him and wrapping her tail around her paws. "You see, ever since I was young, I liked this tom."

The large gray tom flicked his tail. "Frozenlight, I-"

"Shhh," the white she-cat mewed softly. "I mean, I didn't know I liked him at first. I remember thinking that he's much sweeter and more fun to be around than his brother, and I couldn't even think of a reason as to why the entire Clan was paying more attention to his brother than him. I've always loved and admired him as a friend, but slowly as I grew up, it became more."

She was staring forward now, Viperfoot noticed, too shy to meet his eyes. Her gaze was pinned at the rocky terrain before them, while his never lingered from her face.

"I'd hoped that once this whole mess cleared up, maybe he and I could be together. But today, the secret's come out in, well, an unfortunate way, and I'm afraid he didn't take too well to it."

"Hmm," Viperfoot replied. 

Now, Frozenlight's eyes turned from the landscape to meet his gaze, and Viperfoot's breath hitched in his throat. It was amazing how one cat could make him feel so okay about everything, and for a moment, he almost forgot what they were talking about, too lost in her amber irises. 

But then, the white she-cat spoke, a soft prompt, "So, what do you think?"

"I thought you said all I had to do was listen," Viperfoot mewed, his voice light as his mind ran wildly through everything that had just happened. 

If he admits that he likes Frozenlight, then there was a high chance he would lose Snakestar forever. His brother would hate him, never want to talk to him ever again. Viperfoot didn't want that - he loved Snakestar, no matter what.

But on the other paw, was life really going to be that different if Snakestar hated him? His brother already hates him now. Frozenlight was one of the only good things in Viperfoot's life. Was he really going to throw this away?

"Viperfoot," Frozenlight breathed, "do you think that there's any chance that this tom may like me back?"

Viperfoot paused, but only for a split second, as he made his decision. "I don't see how anyone couldn't like you back."

And just like that, a wide smile broke onto Frozenlight's face, and Viperfoot felt himself swept away into a state of adoration. He was laughing, he noticed, truly laughing. Happier than he'd been in a long time and, as Frozenlight rubbed her head gently against his shoulder, he felt himself relax into it. 

Everything was going to be okay, as long as he had Frozenlight. It's always been that way, hasn't it?

Still, he couldn't shake worries of his brother.

"But Snakestar-"

"Forget Snakestar," Frozenlight interrupted firmly. "Viperfoot, stop chasing after Snakestar. Let him be. I know you're always trying to fix him, keep him on the right path, but it's impossible. Snakestar won't listen to anyone, and he'll only ever do what he wants. You need to let him realize for himself all the harm he's caused."

Viperfoot listened to everything and slowly, he nodded. Half because right now, to him, everything Frozenlight said would be correct and half because he didn't think there was an answer to the problem. Snakestar was his brother, and the large gray tom would never stop trying to steer him back.

"Okay," he murmured.

As the two cats rubbed their muzzles again, their purrs vibrating through each other, they were suddenly interrupted by Sweetstorm. The white-and-brown she-cat was yowling Frozenlight's name.

"Frozenlight! Frozenlight!"

The white she-cat pulled away from Viperfoot, looking over to where Sweetstorm's voice was coming from. "Sweetstorm, over here!"

Her sister's silhouette appeared from around a boulder, and Sweetstorm stopped when she spotted Frozenlight, panting with wild eyes. "Frozenlight, it's Mom."

~~~

idk if any of you guys are reading salt in the wound, but basically when i wrote this chapter, i was also working on the confession scene for two of the sitw characters lmao. i've never really done them before, so please give me any feedback you have!! i'd love to improve, especially since i'm still working on the sitw scene

thank you so much for reading, and have an amazing day/night!

~ lily