Chapter Text
Plaguepelt was awoken suddenly be a rough jerk of his shoulder. The FeatherClan warrior leapt to his paws and spun around to see who was attacking him only to find his little brother Crowpaw crouched defensively, standing near his nest. The red furred tom sighed and chuckled.
"Sorry little warrior, you scared me."
Crowpaw relaxed and moved closer so that he could feel the comforting warmth of the former rogue. "I didn't mean to..." he mumbled, not in the mood for words. Another of his nightmares had occurred merely moments earlier and the small apprentice was still trying to shake the awful feeling out of his fur.
"So then what are you doing in the warriors den then hm?" Plaguepelt yawned, and motioned for the younger tom to explain. Honestly couldn't he see that it was too late at night for a chat?
"I...it's just..." Crowpaw looked around the den with an unsure expression. "Never mind, it's not all that important. Sorry for waking you up." he apologized, and began weaving his way around the rest of the sleeping warriors heading for the entrance of the den.
"Now wait a minute," Plaguepelt quickly followed after him. "everything you have to say is important to me little warrior. So out with it. What's the matter?"
The dark apprentice sighed and turned around. He had made it all the way out of the den before Plaguepelt stopped him, the former rogue in question now had is front paws perched on the small barrier of the entrance to the den.
"I had another nightmare." he explained briefly, "And you said to come and get you if it happened again and it did so I did but you're tired and it's really not that big of a deal so I'll just let you go back to sleep. I'm sure I'll be fine..."
Plaguepelt's eyes grew softer and a frown had appeared on his usually happy face. "Crowpaw you're shaking, you are by no means fine." The older tom hopped all the way out of the den and pressed his pelt closer to the young apprentice. "C'mon follow me."
With that he led the two of them outside the entrance to camp and began walking down a path that they usually took for patrols. "I have the perfect place where we can both sleep. That way if you wake up again you won't be alone at least."
Crowpaw suddenly felt like a burden at his brother's kind suggestion. He did everything to keep Crowpaw happy and the FeatherClan apprentice had never really done anything special to deserve this sort of treatment. He felt highly ungrateful.
"I'm really sorry for this. I know you do a lot for me and I don't really have much way of thanking you." He smiled playfully, looking up at Plaguepelt's pale orange eyes. "Especially now that you can hunt for yourself."
Plaguepelt chuckled softly at that, "Yes, I do miss you catering to my every whim like you did before I joined the clan. But don't ever let yourself think that you have to do things for me if you don't want to. I enjoy taking care of you little warrior. It's become somewhat of a hobby of mine." he smiled fondly at the younger tom who merely blushed in response.
"I'm glad that you found me. I feel a lot less lonely now that I know I have kin in my clan."
The FeatherClan warrior felt guilt wash over his pelt at those words. Guilt yes but not regret. He had no regret for lying to Crowpaw about their relationship. If he hadn't said that they were brothers Crowpaw wouldn't have been able to trust him. Even if he did so even more wrongly. "I would never have gotten so close to him if he didn't feel a connection to me." This thought is what drove the former rogue to lie as he did. "He obviously needs me anyway so what harm could it have possibly done?"
"Yes...it is nice to have someone beside you every step of the way isn't it?" he agreed, hoping that Crowpaw would not see through to his carefully guarded emotions.
The dark apprentice did however notice a waver in his voice. He chose to ignore it. "It's just that before you there was no one that understood me in the clan. I know they all care and watch out for me but they aren't real family. They took me in but that was just something any decent cat would do right? A disoriented young cat stumbles into your territory and what else could you do but help him? It just isn't personal. Not in the same way that kin is."
"I can agree with that." Plaguepelt winced at the young cat's words though. "But, sometimes family isn't everything. I mean it's great yeah but family is obligated to help each other. Family is born having to do so. Isn't it more meaningful if another cat that has no relations to you just wants to help you?"
Crowpaw furrowed his brow. "But you want to help me and you're family. We have a bond that other cats just don't have. I can feel it. That's family isn't it?" he was becoming rather desperate again, the hysteria in his voice growing. This happened often whenever the subject came up. He was always doubting how he felt for Plaguepelt and this didn't escape the older tom's notice.
He sighed, it was better to just drop the conversation and alleviate the young cat's fears now before he became too suspicious. "Yes, it is a familial bond. Shhh little warrior, don't get so wound up about something like this. I am your family and I'm here now. I won't let anyone come between us." He placed his tail gently across Crowpaw's shoulder's in a physical effort to calm him down. He worried about the day that he would inevitably realize just what that bond was. Obviously not familial but something else entirely. Hopefully by that time he could salvage what they had left and convince him to love him maybe in a different way than how he perceived their relationship to be now.
"This way little warrior." Plaguepelt nudged him in the direction of a hollowed out log. There was a cluster of mushrooms growing around it and a few patches of moss on the inside that would make a nice nest to sleep in. "Lay down and try to sleep now. I'll protect you from your dreams."
Crowpaw did as told and curled up close to Plaguepelt's warmth. The red furred tom sighed and looked up at the sky in a hole at the top of their makeshift den. The stars seemed especially bright tonight to which he took to be an omen of good fortune. "Please don't let me be wrong." he thought before curling his body protectively around the small apprentice at his side. "I don't want to lose him..."