Post by kinkajou on Jul 31, 2019 19:33:35 GMT -5
A short fic to explain why Beetlewhisker is in every book after TLH despite being killed. Takes place right after TLH
Icewing’s Dark Magic
Chapter 1
It was over. They had won.
Icewing was panting as she gazed at her ragged-furred, scarred Clanmates. Mothwing and Willowshine rushed around the RiverClan camp with bundles of herbs in their mouths, trying to tend to everyone’s wounds at once.
No one was prepared when the evil spirits of the Dark Forest attacked. Icewing felt a pang of guilt in her heart, sharp as a thorn. Except me. She had trained with them. She encouraged her son, Beetlewhisker, to do the same.
Oh Beetlewhisker... She lowered her head in grief. It should have been me, not you. He was always the smartest of her kits – not that she would tell his siblings that. He realized the Dark Forest’s true motives, and paid the ultimate price, murdered by Brokenstar.
If only Icewing realized it sooner. Then it would be her buried under the ground, far away from the sky and river, not him.
Would StarClan even let him join their ranks? Or would be forced to suffer in the Dark Forest for all eternity?
How could I have been so stupid? This is all my fault. Her blue eyes watered as she turned her eyes to Hollowflight’s still body. He trained with her and Beetlewhisker, and was killed in battle when the Dark Forest discovered he was a traitor. Looking at her Clanmates, Icewing had a feeling he wouldn’t be the only loss. She might not be a medicine cat, but she could tell how severe Dapplenose, Robinwing, and Troutstream’s injuries were.
It should have been me, Icewing thought again. Why should they suffer for my mistake?
“Icewing?” For the first time, the white she-cat noticed Willowshine standing in front of her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m...I’m so sorry,” she murmured, turning away from the medicine cat.
Willowshine’s eyes were round with sympathy. “It’s not your fault,” she meowed. “So many cats were tricked by the Dark Forest.”
Icewing shook her head. “I don’t understand how I could be so stupid.”
Willowshine touched her soft nose to Icewing’s cheek. “It’s not your fault.” she repeated. She pulled away and briskly meowed, “Now let me treat that scratch.”
“I don’t deserve-” Icewing started, but Willowshine interrupted her.
“Nonsense! Every cat deserves to be treated. It’s part of the medicine cat code.” The small she-cat lathered something cold and slimy onto Icewing’s side, where there was a long scratch. She had tried to ignore the pain, but she couldn’t ignore the relief Willowshine’s soothing herbs brought.
“Thank you,” she mewed. Her tail drooped. “I just wish there was a herb that could heal Beetlewhisker and Hollowflight...”
Willowshine looked up. “I understand. Accepting you can’t heal death is one of the hardest parts of being a medicine cat.” She went back to work treating the scratch. “There’s nothing a herb or cat can do, no matter how painful it is. I’m sorry; you can always talk to me if you need to.”
“Thank you,” Icewing said again.
As Willowshine left to help another cat, Icewing thought, If there’s no way to cure death...does that mean I can never fix my mistakes?
Chapter 2
Icewing curled up in her nest, breathing in the fresh night air. If she closed her eyes, it was like the battle never happened. If she opened them, though, she could see the empty nest where Beetlewhisker should be. She and Mintfur and their kits always kept their nests close to each other.
Mintfur slipped into their shared nest, pressing his gray tabby fur against Icewing’s white pelt. Petalfur was already curled up in her own nest, her back rising and falling as she slept.
“Where’s Grasspelt?” Icewing murmured sleepily.
“He’s taking a walk,” her mate answered.
“Found a she-cat he fancied?” Icewing guessed with a sparkle in her eyes. Icewing was looking forward to grandkits someday, and her son was always good with kits...
Mintfur shook his head. “By himself.”
“Any reason?”
Mintfur twitched his ears. “Just wanted to be alone.”
Icewing didn’t say any more, and Mintfur soon fell asleep. She could guess the reason Grasspelt wanted to be by himself. After Pricklekit’s death, he hardly interacted with anyone for days out of grief. He must miss Beetlewhisker... She was sure Petalfur and Mintfur felt the same.
My poor kits. Icewing buried her nose under her paws. They don’t deserve this. I have to find a way to fix it.
Chapter 3
“Are you really sure?” Icewing persisted.
Willowshine sighed. “Icewing, have you ever seen a cat come back from the dead before?”
“Mistystar,” she replied.
“That’s different. She had nine lives,” the medicine cat countered.
“If StarClan can give extra lives to living cats, why not to dead cats?”
“Because that’s not how it works!”
“How do you know? Are you a StarClan cat?” Icewing challenged.
“You two are acting like squabbling apprentices,” Mothwing said, padding into the medicine cat den. “I could hear you from outside.”
“Sorry,” Icewing mewed, ducking her head. The elder medicine cat was right.
“So, what’s the problem?” Mothwing asked calmly.
“I’m sorry. It was minnow-brained.” Icewing shuffled her paws. “It’s not important.”
“She wants to bring some cats back to life,” Willowshine spoke up.
Mothwing blinked. “Dead cats?” Icewing nodded in confirmation.
“I just feel so guilty. Like all the deaths in the Great Battle were my fault...I wish I could fix it.”
Mothwing blinked gently. “No cat can turn back time. All you can do is be the best warrior you can.”
“That does nothing for Beetlewhisker or Hollowflight or Dapplenose...” Icewing trailed off miserably.
“They know it wasn’t your fault,” Mothwing mewed. “I’m sure Beetlewhisker is looking after you from – from StarClan.”
“So you think there’s nothing StarClan can do?” Icewing mewed.
“If there was, no cat would ever die,” Mothwing answered.
“I guess you’re right,” Icewing finally admitted.
As she padded out of the medicine cat den, she turned her gaze defiantly to the sky.
If you won’t do it, she told StarClan, I will.
Chapter 4
There were stories every cat had heard – bedtime stories passed down from mother to kit for generations. Every cat over the age of a moon knew they were made up – full of talking animals, magic, and ghosts.
But now that Icewing had experienced all those things firstpaw, perhaps there was a shred of truth in those stories after all.
She remembered one about an ancient RiverClan warrior named Pouncefoot who lived before the code that forbade killing other cats in battle was created. After her mate was killed by a WindClan warrior, she dedicated the rest of her life to bringing him back. She succeeded – but her mate, Frondpatch, was never the same, turned bloodthirsty and vicious.
The moral was probably “don’t bring dead cats back to life”, now that Icewing thought about it. She just would have to do better than Pouncefoot, she decided. She would go right where Pouncefoot went wrong.
She knew the story by heart; she had told it to her own kits – mostly Grasspelt. He loved the adrenaline of horror stories.
Pouncefoot had broken off a piece of the Moonstone – Icewing would just have to take some water from the Moonpool. The moon had to be full, which it would be tonight. It shouldn’t be too hard to find one of Beetlewhisker’s hairs since his nest hadn’t been cleared away yet. Finally, she would need a combination of herbs all in very specific amounts, which she could easily steal from the medicine cat den while Mothwing and Willowshine were busy attending to all their Clanmates. Everything was perfect.
Tonight, Beetlewhisker would be with her again.
That night, Icewing carefully, silently padded out of the warriors’ den. The stars shone coldly on her like thousands of judgmental eyes. Icewing ignored them.
Her paws were aching by the time she made it to the Moonpool. But she couldn’t take a rest. The moon would only stay up so long, and she didn’t trust herself to not fall asleep if she took a break.
She piled her herbs exactly, then took a thick, broad leaf and cupped star-filled water from the Moonpool into it. She dumped the icy water on the herbs, then added Beetlewhisker’s fur. Finally, she braced herself and pierced her paw pad with a claw, adding a drop of her own blood into the mix. The full moon shone directly on it.
Here’s where Pouncefoot went wrong. She slipped up while reciting the words that made the ritual complete.
She yowled the ancient words to the moon. She had no idea what she was saying; it was a completely different language than all cats spoke.
“Ydni gutr sabh.” She finished the spell in a loud, clear voice. Pouncefoot messed up the first word to say “dyni,” and that made all the difference.
She closed her eyes and counted to ten. When she opened them, Beetlewhisker was standing in front of her.
Chapter 5
“Beetlewhisker!” Icewing jumped forward to greet her kit, but suddenly felt very weak. She fell on her face, but was to exhausted to feel any pain. Too exhausted to do anything. Her eyes closed.
When she woke up, it was sunhigh. Beetlewhisker was sitting in front of her, looking concerned.
“Beetlewhisker,” she gasped, still tired.
“What did you do?” he burst out. “One moment I’m in StarClan, the next-”
“You made it to StarClan,” Icewing sighed in relief. Then every emotion hit her at once, making her dizzy and even more tired. Disbelief, relief, happiness, fear.
“I did. But why am I here now?”
“I brought you back,” Icewing said proudly. She managed to sit up. Everything was the same – his soft brown and white fur and sparkling green eyes...
Except...
He still had tooth marks on his throat, his neck looking like it was crushed by powerful jaws.
“I thought injuries here healed in StarClan,” Icewing mewed, confused.
“They are. But this isn’t StarClan,” he answered.
Icewing looked down. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about if this was what you wanted. I only knew what I and the rest of our family wanted...”
Beetlewhisker touched his nose to her’s. “I missed you all so much,” he said. “Of course I want to be with you again. But...”
“What?”
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he murmured. “You could have died – you almost did! There’s a reason dark magic is forbidden, why it’s become nothing more than a fairy tale.” Icewing’s heart was beating fast as he continued, “It drains the user’s life force – often completely. Resurrection is an especially powerful – and deadly – spell.”
Icewing blinked. “How do you know all this?”
“I’m – I was a StarClan cat.” He flicked his ears. “We know these things.” Icewing decided that made sense. “Just promise this,” he mewed, “never do that again.”
“I won’t,” Icewing promised. Not even to bring back Pricklekit or the cats who died in the Great Battle...
“Good.” Beetlewhisker nodded. Then he twined his tail around Icewing’s. “I hope you know I – and every other cat who died in the battle – don’t blame you.”
“Thank you,” Icewing said. She didn’t realize how much she hoped her son would say that. “You have no idea what that means to me.”
He gave her a friendly blink. “Let’s go home,” he mewed. Icewing nodded, and they made the journey back to RiverClan side by side.
Icewing knew she would have a lot of explaining to do, but it was worth it: she finally fixed her mistake.
She just hoped she hadn't made a bigger one by unleashing dark magic on the world...