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Post by 🍁Searipple101🍁 on Jul 30, 2016 20:23:40 GMT -5
Prologue
My claws raked down his side, etching deep marks into his skin. Brown and black fur went flying, joining the other clumps that had already fallen onto the ground. I could feel the blood beneath my paws as it welled up from the wounds and seeped out through his fur. He let out a loud yowl of pain, but it wasn't as intense as the first few.
I knocked him to the ground and pinned him down, my front paws on his front legs and one of my hind legs on his hip, twisting the bottom half of his body so he could not kick my belly in defense. My other hind leg was on the ground for stability.
I looked down at my foe, the cat whom I resented more than any other. His green eyes that had once showed anger and ferocity now glowed with fear, and I smelled the tinging scent radiate from his brown and black pelt.
Pride surged through my body, happiness tingling in my paws, and energy rushing deep within my bones. As I gazed down upon my prey, I knew I had won. The look in his eyes, the scent of fear; it made me so happy! I started chuckling without even realizing it at first. "Finally," I mewed, my laughter growing. "Finally, I have you right where I want you, pinned down like a mouse under a hunter's claw. Finally, I can get revenge for what you did to my parents. Finally, I can have justice!"
With a swift bite to his throat, I cut off his plea and ended his miserable life. His body fell limp as blood soaked the earth. I removed myself from holding him down, took one last look at him, and turned away. I headed towards the sound of the river.
I knew I had to wash the blood off my paws, or the others back at camp would be suspicious of me. Actually, they probably would be anyway. They would notice that Mudtail was gone, sooner or later. They would go searching for him, and find my scent at the crime scene. There was no way of covering up my scent there. However, if I could make it seem like I had been one to find the body instead of killing him, then it would be a different story.
I knew they would still investigate. A murder wouldn't go uninvestigated by the clan, especially if they thought a clan member had done it. I had to be careful, cover my tracks. Somehow, I'd have to make it look like a fox did it, or a badger, or a dog. A dog would be perfect. The twolegs often hiked through our mountain forest on the edge of the territory. They usually had dogs with them. If I could lure one over to the site, then the dog could take care of everything for me, and no suspicion would fall upon me. I simply had to be lucky.
First, I had to wash off my paws. Luckily, the dry and dusty hollow we had fought in only made dirt cake to my pads, instead of allowing the blood onto the soil. The soil came to the blood. No red liquid was left behind where I walked. My tracks were covered, literally.
I arrived at the river only a short walk away and looked down into the lazily flowing water. It's brown-green surface reflected the sinking sun in ripples, masking my reflection. I glanced down at my tan and red paws, covering the dusky gray underneath.
I always liked the color of my fur more than anything else. That, and the color of my eyes. My fur was a dull, dark grey, but at any angle, it always seemed to shine a pale silver. It was like a ghostly mist being illuminated by a half moon on an otherwise dark night. That's how I had always described it, and others seemed to agree. My eyes were a stunning aqua-blue, like a half frozen lake with snow at the edges.
My parents always told me how beautiful my eyes were and how amazing my pelt was to look at. The elders especially liked to swoon over them, saying they wished they had a pelt and eyes like mine.
I never got it. I was just a normal tom on the outside, I always thought. Still, I loved my outward appearance. It was much better than what was on the inside. Though, I always liked my brother's pelt too. His eyes were too dull of a dark green for me, but his pelt was the perfect blend of mud and shadow. Too bad he wasn't here anymore.
I sighed and began to wash my paws in the river before the blood could dry and leave evidence of my body. I paused only a heartbeat into washing, the cool water swirling around my ankles. I realized the evidence was all over my body, scratches in my skin and clumps of fur missing. I'd have to wash my hole body of the scent of my enemy, of all the evidence that I had anything to do with his death. I jumped into the river, glad he hadn't put up more of a fight.
The cold water surged around me. The current seemed much faster when you weren't merely watching it. I had no trouble staying where I was in the shallows, though, and used my paws to scrub my body. Soil floated down the river, and the water around me turned a very light tint of pink before escaping like the dirt.
After I was sure the scent of the cat and fight were off my pelt, I dragged my soaked frame out of the river and shook myself off. Now, I had to go and find a dog to bring back to the corpse. With any luck, it wouldn't be hard to do.
*
I was right, it wasn't hard. All I had to do was go to the trail, meow once, and then run after a bit of waiting and with some luck. A stupid black dog chased me easily, but I was always light on my feet. I easily outran it and led it right to the scene where the body still lay. I had scrambled up a tree and watched the dog sniff at the body. I knew I had to get some of its scent on my fur, though, otherwise the others would question my wounds.
I watched the beast carefully, waiting patiently for my opportunity, then I pounced. Leaping from the branch above, I landed right on the dog's haunches and sank my claws deep into its flesh as far as they would go. As expected, it yelped and whipped around to snap at me, but I anticipated it and jumped just before its jaws could reach me. That would be enough. I didn't need a full on battle with a dog.
I ascended quickly into a different tree. Pricking my ears, I heard its twoleg calling its name. The dog barked at me but heard it too. It took a last look at me, then picked up the body in its mouth and ran off.
Staying in the tree, I watched it bound away through the ferns. Shivers of delight went up my spine. This seemed almost too easy, but it was so fun. One never understood how sweet revenge really was until you've had a taste of it for yourself. I had my taste, and I wanted more.
I never understood the pain of others who had lost a loved one until my parents were killed. I had never understood pain at all until it happened to me. Now, I understood that pain, and how great it felt to dish it all back to the one who had caused it. I knew I had to get more, more of that amazing thrill of the kill, of serving justice to those who deserved it.
I knew the others wouldn't approve of my plans, but that didn't matter. I had covered my tracks here, and I could cover them again anytime if I was smart enough. I would simply have to carry out my plans in secret. No big deal. I just knew that I had to do this again, I had to take the evil out of this world.
Back at camp my plan had worked perfectly. All I had to do was come back to the clan with a horrified look on my face and some convincing acting. I told them of the story with the dog, how me and Mudtail were out walking, and how I had to watch him get killed and taken away by the brute. It worked so perfectly it was almost unbelievable.
Now, some other cats and I are at Mudtail's death place. The stench of blood and dog reached in the air, but it was such perfect cover. A pool of crimson red glistened in what little sunlight was left this dusk.
I sat at the edge of the dusty hollow, under one of the many maple trees that surrounded it, and between two swaths of green ferns. I hunched my shoulders down and hung my head, my eyes closed. I knew I looked like the picture of a cat who had lost their best friend because the patrol cats who had come to investigate were consoling me, telling me how it would be okay, how Mudtail was with StarClan now, how he would have been happy that at least I had gotten away to survive another day.
Inwardly, I was laughing to myself. These fools had no idea what had really happened. I was a genius, thinking up everything, the most flawless situation and executing my plan without error, just like I executed him.
The leader, Flamestar, padded up to me then with a solemn look in his amber eyes. "I'm so sorry this happened, Duskfrost. It must be horrible to have witnessed this," he meowed quietly and dipped his head then rested his ginger tail lightly on my dark shoulder.
I looked up, sadness masking the joy in my eyes. "Thank you," I murmured back, still laughing in my head.
After this, I had decided that I had to do this again. I had to kill again. I had always gotten a thrill from hunting, having prey wriggle under your claws with no hope escape. But this was different. This time, killing another cat, I felt a rush of adrenaline I had never felt before, a huge burst of it surging through my veins. I had to have more. I had to. I would.
"I know it was hard on you to lose your parents," Flamestar continued, but what he didn't realize was that it wasn't as hard as he thought. I was just a really good actor with only a little bit of emotion portrayed as a lot. "I'm so sorry that you had to lose your brother like this too."
"I am too," I whispered, my gaze to the dry soil and grave joy in my heart.
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Chapter 1
I sat outside the nursery, my tail curled neatly around my paws and fur fluffed up slightly. This morning was a chilly one for new leaf, but I didn't mind. I could take a little cold. From inside, the wails of my sister sounded, followed by Whiteskull's meow, "You're doing great. The first one is here."
Two moons after Mudtail's death, Specklewing's kits were being born. I wasn't particularly excited. I never got the reason why everyone swooned over kits. I understood why they had to be born and cared for. They could make good warriors in the future. But why go so overboard caring for them? While they were still kits, they were useless. they were potential and nothing else. Some might not even live long enough to be put to good use, and then all that energy would have been wasted on nothing.
I was only here because Specklewing wanted me to be since our parents and brother were dead. I was all she had left, beside her mate, Tallbirch. While I was calmly awaiting the arrival of my kin, the black and white tom was a nervous wreck, pacing back and forth in front of the entrance.
"How do you think she's doing" he asked, turning his head to me. His eyes had the most worried expression I had ever seen, but I couldn't sympathize with him. I didn't know what worry felt like.
"She's in pain. Can't you hear the wails?" I asked, my expression flat and lacking emotion.
Tallbirch looked disappointed as well as worried now, and I knew what I had said had caused that. I didn't care about his feelings. I just simply couldn't let the clan think I didn't care.
"She'll be fine. Kitting is always painful. Whiteskull is a very skilled medicine cat, too. She helped kit both of us and Specklewing. Whiteskull knows exactly what she's doing," I said to cover up what I'd uttered previously.
This seemed to calm the other tom and he nodded, taking a deep breath. "You're right. They'll all be fine," he said quietly but then winced when another wail came.
I rolled my eyes and waited patiently under the harsh sounds died out and Whiteskull slipped out of the bramble den. "You both may go and see the new kits now," she mewed then padded away. She seemed almost as exhausted as Specklewing should have been, but then again, Whiteskull was getting fairly old these sunrises.
Tallbirch and I slipped into the shaded den, me and then him. Speckelwing lay in the corner, in a net of moss and downy feather. At her belly three tiny kits nuzzled and wiggled. They were all so tiny, just like regular kits. Thankfully, they all looked exceptionally healthy, so they wouldn't be a burden to the clan.
The only she-cat had red russet fur with darker specks all throughout her pelt, just like her mother. One of the toms, the biggest one, was black with a white tipped tail. The last, and the runt of the litter, had dusky fur like me, but it didn't shine silver quite like mine, or at all.
Specklewing looked up at me with the kind of look only a proud queen could give. "Aren't they adorable?" she asked me as their father sniffed them.
I simply took a seat by the nest like I had outside the den and looked down at my littermate and my new kin. I searched for some feeling, any feeling down deep inside my chest, but I found nothing. I felt nothing for these tiny, wriggling masses of fur. I knew this wouldn't satisfy my sister, though. Specklewing was observant, and though I was known in the clan to be rather cold, I couldn't have anyone thinking that I had no feeling at all for these kits. "Yes, they are," I said with a curt nod and fake happiness. I bent down to sniff them, inhaling their scent deeply and familiarizing myself with it. I may need it later as you could never be too careful.
Specklewing gave an approving nod, indicating that she liked my actions. "Would you like to name one of them? How about the one that looks like you?" she suggested.
It only took a moment's thought to come up with a suitable name for the little bundle of gray. "Darkkit," I decided. It seemed to fit fine, matching his coat color. I didn't care all that much, to be honest, but still, it was a kind thing of my sister to let me name one of her kits.
"I like it," Specklewing purred. "I'll call the red one Rustkit. What do you think, Tallbirch?" she inquired of her mate.
"They're fine names for fine kits. I want to name the last one Ravenkit." He gazed down proudly at the little black kit now sleeping snuggled up in Specklewing's soft belly fur.
I could tell Tallbirch was beyond excited. All toms were when their kits were born. I didn't have any kits of my own and never had. I had never had a mate either. Perhaps it was because of my cold personality, or maybe because I was still fairly young. I had been a warrior only nine moons now. Whatever. None of it mattered. I didn't care to have a mate or kits right now anyway, not when I had more pressing matters to attend to. "I'll leave you to rest now. It was nice being able to meet my new kin. Take good care of them," I told the new parents and padded out of the den, still feeling nothing in my chest.
Dawnwing was waiting outside the den, looking excited. She was a good warrior, tough and loyal. She could take so many hits in a fight and keep going, and she had the scars to prove it. Though, she wasn't much older than I was. "Did you see the kits? How many are there? What are they? What are their names?"
Her questions kept spilling out like a river over a cliff. It annoyed me, but I kept my calm disposition and held my tail up for silence and was rewarded. I answered her questions and her joy only seemed to grow, but it was abruptly replaced with seriousness.
"I almost forgot. We are supposed to take a patrol out to Deer Rock. A rogue was scented there last sunrise, and we want t make sure they stay on the other side of our borders," she told me, her green eyes glittering with anticipation. Much like me, she liked to fight.
"Who all is coming?" I inquired, hoping it wouldn't be too many. I was always itching for a battle, for a chance to kill. I had always enjoyed fighting the most above all else, but after killing Mudtail, it was forever on my mind to some degree.
"You, me, Pigeonpaw, and Cinderstep."
I pondered the names in my head for a moment. I doubted that Dawnwing would want to kill the rogue, especially with her apprentice there to watch. the clan usually frowned upon that sort of thing. I knew Cinderstep wouldn't want to kill the stray cat either. He was a much better hunter than a fighter anyway. A newly trained apprentice could pin him to the ground. There would be no chances of me killing this cat any time soon. But then again, I had yet to meet them. Perhaps they could be an asset to us if they joined the clan, and there was no real reason to kill them anyway if they didn't cause any harm to us. I would have to simply wait and see.
"We're leaving now, and I'm leading the patrol," the she-cat meowed and turned then padded off without another word, meeting up with the small, light gray tom that was her apprentice.
I stifled a sigh and followed. Once Cinderstep joined us, we set off into the green forest. oak, maple, poplar, and birch trees towered over us up high, while ferns, bracken, and brambles shrouded us right above our heads.
We trekked to Deer Rock, boulders piled atop one another to from what resembled a doe lying on the round. As soon as we were near it I could smell the dirty scent of the rogue.
The odor was strong around the boulders, slightly stinging the back of my throat as I opened my mouth to better detect it. It was a tom, a young one, and he had marked the rocks, inside our territory. If this was a message, I had no trouble following up with my own message. 'If you want to fight, then let's do it.' I scented the rocks over his marker, and the rest of the patrol did the same.
I now their intentions was to tell this dirty, arrogant fool to stay out, that this was our home. But my intentions was to let him know that I was here, and that I would always be here. My claws already itched to sink into his hide, rip him apart like I had Mudtail.
I decided to stay behind as the others went back to camp, telling them that I was going to stay and scout out the area, see if he came back, if anyone else was with him, etc. It worked brilliantly, and I was left alone, crouched atop the rocks.
Night began to fall not long after. I hadn't moved from my position, nor would I any time soon until a threat arose. I was dying to find that rogue, spot him from my stony perch. My claws still itched for his pelt, but I was patient. One thing I was above most else was that I was patient. I knew how to wait for the perfect opportunity to do anything, and I didn't mind it. I knew if you waited long enough, it would come. And from the holly swath below, it did.
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Chapter 2
The ferns and dark holly leaves rustled lightly as a multi-colored form slunk out from the foliage. It moved with practiced stealth along the leafy forest floor, not making a sound. It moved with such ease that it actually surprised me. But what surprised me more was that it was a she-cat, not the rogue tom the clan had been smelling.
I rose to my feet, standing high atop the stones, my dark head outlined against the trees, and my broken shadow cascading down the rocks to the ground. It loomed over the intruder, making her look up.
I could see the surprise in her green eyes, in the twilight, but there was no fear. Simply nothing but genuine surprise resided in those pools of emerald. I narrowed my cold eyes at this. How could she not be scared? "Who are you, and why are you in our territory?" I demanded, my tone sounding harsher than even I had intended.
She did not seem to flinch at it, though, and actually calmed down when she saw me. She must have thought I was a predator at first; perhaps a fox.
"Hello there," she said, her voice sweet and soft, and smooth like honey. "I was simply checking things out. There's no harm in looking around the edge of a territory, now is there?"
I knew this kind of tone well, the kind that was good to the ears like milk is to a kit. She was trying to be sweet and persuasive. She was trying to seem innocent, like her actions had no real harmful intentions, but they did. If other cats found out about where our camp was located, how many cats we had, they could easily formulate an attack. Everyone in the clan knew it. Still, I wanted to hear this cat out. If I could figure out her plans, it could be a great advantage to us.
"I suppose not, not if it's the edge at least," I replied, smoothing out my own voice to match hers in tone. She wanted to persuade me; I would play her little game. I would use her own intentions to manipulate her, learn her plans, her secrets, to ruin everything.
I leaped down from the gray surface, coming to stand in front of her. Now that I was ground level with her, I could get a really good look of her size. I was much bigger than her. Perhaps it was her sleek, torti pelt, lying flat against her small frame. It made her appear smaller. "You should be careful, though, around here all by yourself. A little she-cat like you shouldn't be wandering near a strange territory all alone. You could get hurt."
The she-cat got a playful glint in her eyes at my words and stifled a chuckle. "Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself just fine," she mewed and waved her slender tail in the air. It was almost as if she was flirting.
I didn't let it show in my eyes, but this she-cat amused me. The way she tried so hard to get me on her side, to manipulate me. I found it hilarious really. Especially since she didn't realize that she was the one being manipulated.
"If you say so, but you really should be careful. My clan doesn't take too kindly to random strangers so close to our territory, and especially not in it," I warned her, sitting down and wrapping my tail neatly around my paws. "We've also been scenting a rogue tom in this area."
She seemed to brighten up at a bit at the thought. "Oh, you must mean my brother," she purred. "Yes, he's been around here. You see, we are looking for a new place to live. Our two-legs died, sadly, and we have nowhere else to go."
I pricked my ears in interest. "A new place to live, huh? Perhaps we can work something out then." My clan was small. A hard leaf bare had killed off many of our warriors and kits, and an apprentice due to whitecough and greencough, and an incident with a hungry fox.
Basically, my clan needed new members, and if a new place to stay was what these cats really wanted, then I saw no real harm in taking them to camp. Besides, if I took them to the camp rather than them coming on their own, we could hold them prisoner if needed, and limit what they saw.
Half my brain still demanded that I give these intruders no chances and kill them on the spot, but if they had a benefit for the clan, then that logical reasoning far outweighed my lust for blood and adrenaline. I was always more of a logical cat rather than one that acted completely on impulse like others seemed to do.
The sound of the she-cat's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and back to reality. "Like what? We join your 'clan' and you get more numbers? safety in numbers, right?" she asked and tilted her tri-colored head to the side slightly.
"Exactly," I responded and added a curt nod.
She snorted and shook her head. "You shouldn't let potentially dangerous strangers know that you're lacking in numbers."
I know let some surprise slip in my eyes because she chuckled when she looked at me. This little rogue was smarter than I had initially perceived. I had to admit that I was quite impressed. Here, I had thought that I was playing her, but in all actuality, we were playing back and forth, running in circles like a sick mouse. I chuckled and nodded, blinking slowly. "You're right. Good job on figuring that out. What's your name? I'm Duskfrost. It's a pleasure to meet you." She had earned my respect.
"Trixie," she answered and blinked back at me, indicating I had earned her respect back. "It's nice to meet you too, Duskfrost."
"How about taking me up on my offer? I could take you back to camp right now, and your brother if he's nearby," I offered. Now that I had spent some time with her, I could smell no other cats on her besides the tom who had already been scented here. She had no clan or any other group. She and her brother would be no threat to us. If anything, they could be a great asset.
"Alright, if you do me a favor first," Trixie meowed, looking up with mischief in her emerald green eyes.
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Chapter 3
I flattened my ears against my head at the mention of the word 'favor.' Who knows what that could have meant? Favors weren't my favorite thing in the world either. I only enjoy doing things if it benefits myself, or the clan as a whole. What could this she-cat have in mind that could benefit me or my clan? Only one way to find out. "What did you have in mind?"
"I want you to battle me," Trixie answered, sparks of excitement going off in her eyes.
It was an excitement I had not seen much before, but it was a type I knew very well.
"No holding back. use claws, teeth, whatever dirty tricks you want. The only rules are we can't kill each other, and if one of surrenders, then we have to stop. but only then do we quit." She puffed out her multi-colored chest and held her head high, nothing but that excitement and now growing confidence in those orbs of green.
I felt my own excitement building but inside me, bubbling to a point where it may just overflow. Slowly, I nodded and stood. "Very well then, but you can't be sure I will play by your rules. I may just get so caught up in what I'm doing that I let you die. You have no way of knowing I will abide by the boundaries you have set."
"You're just as oblivious as I am." Her reply only increased my eagerness to get started. I liked this little cat. She had spunk and didn't seem to be even the least bit afraid of me, a tom twice her size and the best fighter in the clan. of course, she didn't know how excellent my skills really were, but she would soon find out.
"We start now!" I lunged for her in an instant without even finishing my statement. I reached out, claws and teeth bared and ready for her pelt.
My claws had never stopped itching for her fur. My mind had never stopped racing with the thoughts of engaging with her in battle and seeing her helpless on the ground, in the dirt and leaf litter. Now, I could have what I wanted!
No, impossible! Before I could reach her, Trixie jumped out of the way, completely dodging my attack. That littler piece of fox dung! The only thing my claws ended up sinking into was the forest floor.
I gritted my teeth and turned my head around, the little she-cat watching from behind me now with a look of pure amusement. How dare she be so smug? It was one simple dodge! I spun around quickly and lunged for her again, but once again, she dodged off to the side, but this time came back for a swipe at my side before jumping away again. It stung in an instant, but I ignored the pain. Pain was nothing to me, physical pain anyway.
Rage boiled up inside my body, filling my veins with adrenaline, and my mind with the need for her blood. I had never been bested in battle before, and I wasn't going to be now, especially not to this pathetic excuse for a cat!
But before I could even make another move, my eyes started to burn, and I could see nothing but blinding black. She kicked dirt in my eyes! I had no choice but to recoil as my body forced itself to shrink back. This was a pain i could not ignore, and I had to quickly try and swipe my forepaws over my face to get the dirt out.
Soon, I was knocked to the ground, my hind legs swept out from under me. Her weight rested on top of me, and the stings of claw blows filled my back and neck. "Is that all you've got? I thought you would have put up more of a challenge!" she hissed in my ear with a mocking tone.
Fine, I would fight blind! I would not lose! I kept my eyes shut tight and rolled onto my belly. it was a risky move to expose my soft underbelly flesh, but my tactic had succeeded in knocking Trixie off. As soon as I had clearance, I got back up to my feet and stood ready to move. She was fats, but I had noticed that she was not silent while doing so. Only when she had first arrived, moving slowly through the undergrowth was she silent, not while quickly moving around me. I would have no choice but to listen for my prey and predict her movements, like she had predicted my lunge from the very beginning.
I strained my ears, listening for the soft patter of her foot steps or the crunching the dead leaves which blanketed the area. Silence. Nothing but the sound of distant bird song and a gentle breeze caressed my ear fur. She was still.
"Is that all you've got? I can take much more than a few kit pats to the head," I growled, hoping to anger her. If she was anything like me, this would provoke her to another attack. I would play her emotions and mind set like she had played mine.
"I have much more in store for you, furball." Her comment was like music to my ears, followed by the loud, frantic steps by her paws. Blocking everything else out, listening intently for her and only her, her steps were like little shock waves of thunder on the ground, loud and unmistakable.
She came right for me, jumping to the side once she got close enough to go for a direct blow to my left flank, but I was ready. I knew she wouldn't attack me head on. Even blind, I could still grab a hold of her with my forepaws if she were to attack my face or chest. She thought she was smart, but she just go outplayed.
I spun around and swiped at the air in front of me, my claws connecting with her face in an instant. She fell over, and I pounced on top of her then sent down a rain of wild blows, not knowing where in particular I was bombarding her body, but it's not like I cared either.
Delight and sickening joy overtook my heart, body, and soul. I didn't stop until I felt her no longer fight me, or move. It was a curious thing, having a cat underneath suddenly stop moving the middle of a fight without having cut off their life like one does so to prey. I hesitated. This proved to be a mistake of on my own part, though. It must have been what she was wanting all along. The little tortoiseshell reached up and cuffed my bottom jaw, hard enough to make me temporarily lose my balance. And in that moment, she brought her hind legs up and kicked me off, all the while digging her claws into my belly fur.
I got right back up, but she had moved again, backed up quite a ways. The taste of blood bathed my tongue, and the tang filled my nose. My own blood. She had gotten me pretty good with that blow to my jaw. It was hard enough to at least cause my mouth to bleed a little. Oh well. I had to admit it was a good shot.
Taking a step forward, I felt my pad land in something wet. Undoubtedly more blood, but I knew this was not my own. It seems I had gotten her just as well with my fury of blind attacks. Suddenly, I noticed the rapid sound of her heavy panting. She must have been hurt worse than I had originally guessed. This little she-cat had gotten herself in quite the quagmire, yet she did not give in to defeat. Perhaps she had earned more of my respect than I thought, because I found myself sitting down where I stood and smooth words flowing from my mouth, sounding actually quite impressed. "Alright, enough. It is clear to me that neither of us will surrender until on the brink of death, and I don't feel like killing you right now. You've proven yourself quite skilled in battle."
I heard her sit down too at my praise, a rare gift she would have never known about had this quarrel never taken place. I assumed she accepted it. "As reward, I will take you and your brother to my clan, but try anything, and you will find yourselves with nasty scars at the least and watching from the stars at worst."
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Chapter 4
Low level silver light from the sky lit up our path, bathing everything in an argent waterfall of light. Dark was the forest otherwise as Trixie, her brother, who she had retrieved after our battle and after clearing my eyes of dirt, and I made our way back to the clan's camp with me heading the small faction.
My wounds still gave off a light sting, but it was easy to ignore such minor inconveniences. I could tell that Trixie's wounds were giving her more noticeable troubles, however, as she had a slight limp in her gate. But she did not complain. Her brother, a large tom even bigger than me with silky, midnight fur and an ugly scar down his left side, clearly marking a fierce battle. I could tell already that this cat was indifferent to me and joining the clan. The look in his eyes told the whole story that he only came because of his sister. He must be very fond of her. I could understand that feeling. I don't quite think he knew what to make of me yet, seeing as I had left his littermate with bleeding wounds, but he must have also known she had wanted the fight.
It didn't take long to reach the thick bramble and holly walls that surrounded our camp, entwined with glorious wild roses. I always did enjoy the sweet scent that filled the air when they were in bloom. Sadly, it wasn't that time yet. White did appear in the foliage, however, accompanied by a pair of glowing, yellow orbs
"Duskfrost? Who are these two cats?" A more or less gruff voice demanded.
"Our guests," I replied smoothly and stopped in front of the furry mass blocking the entrance tunnel. "I've brought them to see Flamestar. these two have been lurking around the border near Deer Rock."
The tom's eyes narrowed at the two cats who stood behind me. It was evident he was trying to decide what the best course of action here was: let us all go through, or chase the trespassers away. I chose to decide for him.
"Let us through, Avalancheclaw. I don't have time to be standing here all moon. can you not see that I am in need of Whiteskull's assistance, and so is my friend here?" The blood on my fur had already dried, but I knew Trixie's was still trickling a little blood. The fresh tang of it occasionally hit my nostrils now and again when the breeze blew in my favor. There was something about the scent that excited my brain, prepared me for exhilarating battle. But that was passed from previous affairs.
Reluctantly, the entrance guard stepped aside and let us all pad through into the dark, leafy tunnel, Trixie limping behind me, and her brother behind her. Avalancheclaw must have either been exceptionally curious about their presence, or totally untrusting, because I heard the extra set of pawsteps behind us as we walked through.
"I will take you to Flamestar's den first." Slowly, I led them to the massive, ancient oak tree at the center of our camp. Under it lay a small cavern, nestled between its roots.
The tree itself was a beautiful sight with a sturdy trunk thicker than any other ever seen by the clan, and wide spread branches with clinging moss that held the secrets of the stars in its leafy canopy.
The Tree of Stars was my favorite thing about the camp. Even when not consulting with the leader, I often enjoyed sitting among its twisting, winding roots, enjoying the peace of the day.
"Flamestar, I've come with two guests. One of which is the tom we've been scenting around our borders," I called into the dark hole, under the tree.
A heartbeat later, the sound of moss and feathers stirring sounded from inside, followed the wise voice of our leader. "Bring them in."
I turned and nodded to the pair and ushered them inside as I followed along behind. Now, if they tried to do anything, there would be no escape.
Inside, the den was much bigger, spanning out a good three fox-lengths in all directions from the center, the oak's roots arching down to create a fox-length high ceiling with tinier roots decorating the interior. At the back was Flamestar's bed, and where the ginger tabby tom sat, watching us enter with curious amber eyes and that under bite of his, white fangs showing. It was no wonder his warrior name had been Flamefang moons and moons ago.
"Welcome." His mew echoed momentarily throughout the dirt and wood walls. "It's nice to meet you. I am Flamestar, leader of this clan." He always was one to show respect to even the most unruly of cats, so it was of no surprise that he showed so little hostility to these rogues now before him. "So, you are the ones hanging around our borders? Can you tell me why?"
"We were seeking refuge, a place to call home and belong to after our twolegs died. We were debating on whether or not this clan of yours would be worth it," Trixie spoke up, leaving her bulky brother silent. He hadn't said a word at all yet. I was beginning to wonder if he could even speak at all.
"Kittypets you were then? I don't know if there's exactly room for kittypets in my clan." He studied our wounds, mine and then the she-cat's. "It seems you two had gotten into quite the scuffle, eh? To do that sort of damage to one of my best warriors, I suppose you must possess some skills in combat."
I nodded, answering before Trixie could even open her jaws. "Yes, she does. She may look small and feeble, but I assure you, she has what it takes to be a great warrior." After our fight, I was happy to vouch for her. She had earned my respect, and therefore, my trust. For now.
Flamestar gazed at us for several heartbeats before nodding to the black tom. "And what about him?"
I looked back at the tom, not entirely sure how I felt about this cat. I had not seen his skills, nor did I even know his name. All I knew was that he was Trixie's brother, and he had been the one we had smelled within our borders, the one who had been so arrogant as to scent Deer Rock and challenge us. I simply shrugged in response.
Trixie was determined to get her brother into the clan with her, though. "He is a better fighter than I am, strength wise at least. He would make a good, loyal addition to the clan, but he has to come with me, or you get neither of us." She stated her words boldly and puffed out her white chest, ready to defend her brother with a sharp tongue if need be.
"Very well then," Flamestar meowed and flicked his tail. "Avalancheclaw, see to it that these two..."
"Trixie, and my brother's name is Crow," the petite she-cat voiced.
"Trixie and Crow are seen by Whiteskull for their injuries, or any hidden injuries. Duskfrost, you had better go as well. I need my warriors to be in good shape." Turning his attention to Crow and Trixie again, he added, "Your accepting ceremony will take place during sunrise. I hope you will make wonderful additions to OakClan."
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 5
The new-leaf sun warmed my dusky pelt as the sun shone high in the clear blue sky, sending waves of golden light cascading down upon the forest, and the little clearing in camp where I sat. My blue gaze rested on Sagepaw and Crowpaw while they chatted with their mentors, Cinderstep and Whiteskull. Two moons had passed since I had brought the rogues to the clan. Trixie had taken on the name of Sagepaw, while Crow simply had 'paw' added to the end of his.
Cinderstep had agreed to train Sagepaw further, teach her the ways and traditions of the clan. The gray tom was a good warrior, though still fairly new. I was surprised when Flamestar asked him to be her mentor and not someone more experienced like myself. I wouldn't have minded spending more time with the little she-cat. Oh well. Crowpaw, interestingly enough, had chosen to become Whiteskull's apprentice and learnt the ways of herbs and medicine. This, too, caught me off guard. I did not know him well, but he clearly had size and strength, so why waste it sorting herbs when you could use it in battle? This, I would never understand.
Their training was going well from what I've heard, though. When I overhear Cinderstep talking about Sagepaw, he always talks so highly of her. He says how she is already such a good fighter and hunter, and how she can even keep up with him when they do running training. Not many can keep up with Cinderstep because of his longer stride, but I guess little cats are lighter, so they run faster. I should not let them get so close, though.
Speaking of getting close, it seems that Crowpaw and Avalancheclaw have grown rather fond of each other. I often find them chatting together somewhere in camp, sharing secrets and stories, and sometimes even tongues. Sagepaw and I have gotten closer too, but we are not friends enough to share tongue, I do not think. We do, however, go on walks into the forest together and still have mock battles. Although, Whisteskull says we should stop because we are not sheathing our claws. Real training should use tooth and claw, just like battles. Only then are you truly learning, I always tell her.
A small weighted mass lands on my back, followed by the feeling of tiny claws digging into my pelt like needles. Snapped out of my thoughts, I turned to the familiar face of Darkkit. "I've got you, stinky MapleClan cat!" the tiny kit hissed, then grabbed a mouthful of dark fur.
This was a common occurrence anymore. Now that Specklewing's kits were two moons old, they were out and about, swarming the camp. She thought they could do no harm running around, but they were always getting under everyone else's paws. But I will openly admit, I did not mind it with Darkkit. The young ball of fur had taken an extra liking to me, and I to him. He was my favorite of my kin, besides my sister, of course. I was already teaching him combat moves, strategies, and tricks.
"You've snuck up on me. Well done," I praised him, something I rarely did with anyone else. "But next time, you need to put more power into your leap and go for my neck. Landing on my back will only do minor damage and make me angry if I was from another clan." This did not block him from criticism.
Darkkit nodded after listening intently and then slid off, coming to sit in front of me. "But you know I'm doing really well," he boasted and puffed out his chest, his dark blue eye shining with accomplishment.
"You are learning," I replied simply. "Is Grasspaw still giving you a hard time?" I inquired only because the nosy apprentice thought he was the best cat in the clan, and decided that he needed to downgrade others to prove it. His favorite target was Darkkit, but he wouldn't be so smug if he was blind in one eye too.
Darkkit's gaze dropped to the mossy ground, his paws shuffling over the soft surface. "Yeah." His mew came out in a quiet mutter, clearly not wanting to admit that he was the subject of bullying within the clan. "He says I shouldn't be a warrior because I'm broken. I should have been Brokenkit..."
My eyes narrowed, cold gaze shifting over to the blue-gray tom in front of the apprentice's den with his littermates. Broken, huh? We'll see who's broken before long...Brokenpaw.
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Chapter 6
"But I want to come!"
"No, Darkkit. The Gathering is for warriors and apprentices who are chosen only. When you are an apprentice, you may join, but not until then," I told him firmly, giving him a stern look. The kit looked down in disappointment, but I dismissed it and sent him off with a flick of my tail.
Tonight was the night of the Gathering. I was joining this time to represent OakClan with my clanmates: Flamestar and Whiteskull, of course, Poppycloud, and her apprentice Swanpaw; Dawnwing and her apprentice Pigeonpaw; Tallbirch; and the deputy, Falconheart. However, his apprentice, Grasspaw, was not going. He seemed rather unhappy with the decision. Actually, immensely upset. It brought such joy to my heart. They were still arguing about it right now, moments before our group set out.
"I'm sorry, okay? I won't eat prey on hunting patrols anymore. I promise!" the insignificant apprentice whined to his mentor. But I knew it would get him nowhere.
Falconheart was a strong tom with muscles rippling under his ginger tabby pelt. Like me, he was a stern cat, and the look in his leafy eyes only confirmed my beliefs. He shook his broad head, his tail tip flicking back and forth with annoyance. "I said no. You will learn from your mistakes, and this will serve as your lesson." His tone made it final, and Grasspaw did not argue further. He simply let his head and tail drop and walked away, paws dragging along the ground.
It gave me great pleasure to watch the scene unfold. Right after, we were off. I trailed behind the other cats while we marched through the forest's undergrowth. Swaths of ferns and thick ivy batted lightly at my pelt, other cats before me moving it out of their way only to have the plants retaliate back at me. It was a nuisance, but I held my tongue and stayed silent for the trip.
Soon, we exited our territory and stepped onto neutral ground, but it was not the meeting Hollow yet. The forest broke away abruptly, giving way to rolling plains and thick, tall grasses. Here, we had to stick closer to one and other, or fear getting lost in this vast expanse of weeds.
I gently latched my jaws around Tallbirch's white tail. The rule upon entering High Fields was that all cats must fall into a single file line and stay together by grabbing onto each other's tails. This was why I always took up the rear.
We zig-zagged through the wheat and grasses for what seemed like forever - I never enjoyed it much in this place - before finally emerging on the other side where a small grove of wooden giants stood for ancient moons. We had made it to the Hollow.
My clan's representatives and I trudged up the shallow, slippery incline to the grove. It had rained the dawn before. As we approached, mighty trees loomed over our heads, stretching up so high that they almost reached the stars. Oaks, maples, and hemlocks created the grove, the trees upon which our three clans were named.
We made our way to the center where all the cats congregated, and it seemed the other two clans had already arrived and were waiting on us. They all milled around one and other in the duvet in the earth now covered by moss and surrounded by the trees. All the sizes, colors, and patterns you could imagine were there, swarming about like hornets in a hive. Above, the clan leaders, Shrewstar and Ivystar perched themselves on Bones. Bones, to put it simply, was a dead monster, big and rusty yellow, bigger than any other we have ever seen, that had chosen this grove as its place to die. It had only the bottom of its jaw left, the top completely missing, and as it die, it seemed to have been uprooting one of the maples, but must have died of exhaustion. Now, the tree grew half out of the ground, and water pooled in the beast's jaw. Its only purpose presently was to serve as the high ground for leaders during the Gathering every full moon.
"OakClan is finally here!" one of the cats below called out, making all the other cats stop what they were doing to watch us file down into the Hollow and disperse among them.
We were always the last to arrive, being the furthest away from the Hollow, so we typically waited a little while longer before starting the Gathering so we could all talk amongst our fellow cats beforehand.
I wasn't one to really talk unless someone else came by and started the conversation with me, which usually didn't happen. Instead, I swept the Hollow with my eyes, picking out certain cats I knew the names of or had met in battle. Brackenfall, a tiger tabby tom from MapleClan was speaking with Raggedcloud, a brown tom with spiky fur from HemlockClan. I had seen them both in battles before, even given Brackenfall a nice scar under his right eye. I found Heronstride talking with two cats I did not know. They must have been only just made apprentices. Heronstride, however, was looking well. Her light blue-gray coat was sleek and shiny, and green eyes bright and cheerful. I wondered if she would remember that I was the one who had given her that kink at the end of her tail. Probably. Who could forget an epic fight like that?
When the sound of Shrewstar's yowl echoed throughout the Hollow, the meeting began to start, and I paid close attention to all the details. Shrewstar's amber eyes looked below, sweeping the Hollow of cats for a heartbeat before actually speaking. "MapleClan is doing very well this moon. We have recently welcomed two new apprentices to the clan, Waterpaw and Amberpaw." The Hollow roared to life from the brief moment of silence while cats from all clans cheered for the new apprentices. I could only guess that they were the two Heronstride was talking with earlier. When I looked back above the heads of the sea of cats, I knew I was right when I saw them beaming with pride, soaking in the cheers like moss in a river.
"Prey has also been plentiful this new-leaf, and one of our queens, my mate in fact, is already expecting kits. We look forward to their arrival." With that, Shrewstar stepped back, letting Ivystar take the spotlight.
"HemlockClan has also been doing well. We have had some trouble with dogs lately, but it is nothing we can't handle. I am also proud to announce a new warrior of our clan, Reedtail." Cheering erupted from the crowd once again, and once again, I did my best to peer through everyone to find the cat among them. Eventually, I located the black and brown molted tom, his head shrunk slightly between his shoulders with embarrassment. He wouldn't be a fun one to meet up with in battle, I decided, then turned my attention back to the leaders.
Ivystar must have been through talking because Flamestar stepped forward to the edge of Bones. What would he say? Would he finally tell them that we have allowed two rogues to join? He had been keeping Sagepaw and Crowpaw a secret for two moons now When would he let the fact slip?
Flamestar's voice came out strong and confident while he stood tall with his head held high. "OakClan's life has been exceptional this past moon. While we do not yet have any new warriors or kits turned apprentices," Thank the stars for that, I thought. Half of our clan was already apprentices, "I will inform you all that two moons ago, we have recruited two former rogues as apprentices to our clan."
The grove grew silent as Flamestar's words faded into the air. Only the silence ensued before hushed murmurs and whispering flowed in the crowd. I picked up on a few phrases. "Two rogues? Are they that desperate for cats?" "What kind of clan lets in rogues?" "Do they take in kittypets too? Maybe dogs even?" Even Ivystar and Shrewstar didn't know what to make of this news.
"They are both doing well in training. We are happy to welcome Sagepaw and Crowpaw into our clan. Sagepaw is making great progress in her warrior skills, and Crowpaw is learning the ways of a medicine cat." Flamestar's meow dried the river of quiet comments. He turned to the other leaders then back to the gathering. "That is all I have to say."
With that, the meeting ended and the cats started to relocate others from their designated clans to return home. I spotted Whiteskull and Dawnwing and headed over towards them, soon joined up by Swanpaw, Falconheart, and the others. I took point on the rear again as we trekked back to our own territory, a rock sitting in my stomach.
With all the whispering and disapproving glares of cats in the Hollow, I had a bad feeling in my chest. I did not normally get pebble in my belly, but I had one now, so I knew something bad was going to happen. I could only guess until a battle cry rang out over the short-grassed hill, and a flood of MapleClan cats came streaming down, raining down on our small group, headed by a white and gray tom, Shrewstar.
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 7
Screeching of fighting cats overtook the silence previously set as MapleClan cats attacked. All around me, the fighting broke out, balls of fur tumbling and yowling, scents of my clan and theirs mingling violently.
Cats that had been our friends only moments ago were now once again our enemies. It was such sin to attack fellow clans on the night of the Gathering, so why do it now? Why, right after the Gathering had taken place, would they do it? Was it perhaps that the news of us taking in rogues had angered Shrewstar that much?
There wasn't really time to think, as I launched myself into battle. Now, the lust for the scent of blood, the excitement of pinning my foe to the ground easily overwhelmed my mind, clouding my thoughts. The only thoughts that remained prominent in my head were that I must protect my clan, and I must go all out and enjoy myself in the process. If you were going to do something, you might as well enjoy it, right?
I glanced around for a split heartbeat, picking out my target. The cats nearest to me were Dawnwing and Cedarbreeze. Gold and light ginger swirled in the space while the two she-cats fought. Dawnwing could handle herself, though. Cedarbreeze was a small cat.
To my other side was Falconheart who was fiercely battling it out with the MapleClan warrior Brackenfall. The tiger tabby tom dodged Falconheart's orange paw and lunged for his chest. Brackenfall was a big tom, but so was Falconheart, though not big enough. Our deputy was pinned to the ground, and his face slashed with razor claws. I decided this would be my fight too.
I launched myself at the enemy tom, my hind legs springing me towards him with such speed, not even a heartbeat had gone by before I was on him. I knocked him off my clanmate and unsheathed my long claws, then let them rip down my foe's flank. Brackenfall screeched in pain, the sound filling my ears and my heart with pleasure.
It was enough to drown out the other sounds of battle. All the other cats fighting around me were gone in my mind. It was only Brackenfall and I now, and I happily took another swipe at him, but this time, at his face.
His cries of pain grew louder when I raked my claws across his muzzle and eye, tearing away the brown fur and leaving blood to seep out in its wake. He turned on me then, batting his hind legs into my soft belly fur.
I had no choice but to treat momentarily, jumping away from him a tail-length. But I wasn't finished with him yet. the adrenaline still pumped through my veins, blood pounding in my ears, and heart thudding like a rabbit's foot against my ribs. Pain could not dull my thrill.
Brackenfall stood up but I leaped for him again. However, he stood up on his hind legs, a move I had not foreseen, and we clashed tooth and claw, my face in his. I had to think quick, and ducked, going for his chest with my fangs, but he seized the opportunity and grabbed a hold of my back and bit down. His chest pressed against the top of my head, making it impossible for me to bite him there like I had planned, but not impossible to go elsewhere. I turned my head to his hind leg and clamped my jaws down, digging deep into his pelt.
Loosening his grip enough and yowling, I yanked myself free of his grasp and jumped on top of him. Pinning him to the ground with my paws on all of his so he could not fight back, I gazed down at his frightened face. Blood soaked the left half of it from my earlier slash, and the eye on that side was shut, leaving only one amber eye laced with terror to stare up at me, fearing the worst.
In my mind, as I looked down upon the now helpless cat before me, flashes of Mudtail appeared. Right before he died, he had the same look on his face. The memories flooded my mind like a river after heavy rain flooded a valley. They filled me with such delight, such invigorance, I was more than ready to duplicate that day, but I couldn't.
A heavy weight knocked me off my target and shoved me to the ground, Burning sensations rose up in my skin as Deadtail scratched at my side. "Leave Brackenfall alone!" he hissed, letting me have a furry of blows.
I wasn't going to take it any longer and twisted around, contorting my body in such a way that I was able to grab a hold of his hind leg and bring it my jaws. I would have gone for his tail, but he had only a mere stump, giving him his name.
Yowling, he paused in his attack, a mistake most cats seemed to make when injured in any sort of way during a battle. I took my opportunity and went from holding his leg, to wrapping my paws around his body, holding him against me and then biting down on the back of his neck from his side. My weight was also enough to knock him down on his other side and keep him pinned while I dug my fangs in as far as they would go. He struggled, but to no avail. I had him, and nothing would make me let go. Nothing except a tug on my tail from behind.
I had to let go to see who it was, expecting another MapleClan warrior to be there, but it was Poppycloud. Her jaws were covered in blood, but from herself or others, I could not tell. Fur had been pulled from her flanks, and a claw ripped out from her forepaw, but she was calm. "Let him go, Duskfrost. The fight is over," she meowed.
I kept Deadtail in my grasp but glanced around. My group was picking themselves up, and MapleClan was retreating. Slowly, the excitement of battle, of getting a kill on those who would so sinfully wrong us this moonhigh, started to fade. I grumbled but let the gray tabby tom I had trapped go, and watched him limp quickly off with his clanmates up the hill.
While they made their way back to their camp on the other side of the hill, Shrewstar stopped at the very peak of it to look down on us. His white and silver patched fur shone in the moonlight, along with blood which trickled down from a wound above his amber eye. "This isn't the last battle you will face with us! You will pay for disgracing the name of a clan by letting in rogues like you did. There is no honor!" With that, he turned and disappeared behind the slope with the rest of his gang. Though, I couldn't help but think there was no honor in what he had done either. I should have killed him, and the two I had had under my paws.
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Chapter 8
"Pigeonpaw!" The shrill cry of Swanpaw snapped me out of my thoughts. Turning to look over at the cause of the disturbance, my eyes landed on the body of the fallen apprentice. The tom's light gray fur had been soaked in blood of his own, staining his white underbelly a crimson red. His face was still contorted into a snarl, so he had at least died fighting like a true warrior.
"Pigeonpaw! Wake up! You can't be dead!" Swanpaw wailed, nudging her brother's lifeless shoulder. the act transferred his blood to her white face, making a light shade of pink. Finally, she dropped to her knees and thrust her head into his soft fur, moaning in despair.
As the clan gathered around the two, I remained back, watching from a distance. Everyone had wounds to attend to now, and I was no exception. Though, they seemed not to care about themselves and only wanted to counsel Swanpaw for the loss of her littermate and the clan's apprentice.
I could not say that I felt the same way. In fact, I felt nothing towards the incident but anger. It only helped to feed my hatred for MapleClan cats, or more specifically, Shrewstar. Honor was something I took great pride in, but what he did throw away honor, tossed it aside like soiled moss from the elder's den or bile from a freshly killed mouse. He wanted to bring shame to his clan then fine, but he would not be allowed to kill my clanmates to do it.
Once again, my thoughts were ripped away from me by the call of a clanmate, but this time, it was for good reason. "Duskfrost, help Poppycloud and I carry Pigeonpaw back to camp for a proper death ceremony," Falconheart meowed.
I nodded and padded over, suppressing a wince each time I took a step. Deadtail had managed to rip up my side quite well. As much as I despised MapleClan, I had to admire Deadtail's skills in battle. I admired anyone's skills if they could hurt me. Though, i had to do my best to ignore the pain. But something that seemed so easy before was much more taxing now.
Falconheart must have noticed my slight limp, for he stepped forward and gave me a stern look. "Nevermind. You can't be carrying him in that condition," he stated. My confusion and or frustration must have showed. He nodded his head towards my side. Even I was surprised to see the amount of blood and deep gashes in my hide. Deadtail had been more formidable than I originally thought. No wonder I was experiencing this amount of stinging pain. Wasps would have been better.
"Very well," I sighed, not going to defy my deputy. I may not have had respect for everyone, but I can honestly say I've always respected those higher in rank than me, and those who truly deserve it.
We made it back to camp in twice the time it should have taken, but when your group was carrying a dead cat, it did tend to take longer to go places. As soon as we arrived through the rose and bramble tunnel, Darkkit scrambled over to me. He instantly noticed the blood and the scent of MapleClan.
"What happened to you guys? Why do you smell so funny?" he questioned, curiosity burning in his sapphire eye. He sniffed at my flank where all the blood had dried by now, but the feeling of bee's stingers still lingered.
"MapleClan attacked us after the Gathering for bringing in rogues. Honorless flea bags," I hissed in response, spitting out their wretched excuse for a clan name. "They killed Pigeonpaw, but I don't know who did it for sure."
Because of this, I had no way of getting real revenge. I knew it could not have been Brackenfall or Deadtail because they had been with me most of the fight, and both had been badly hurt by your truly. Brackenfall wouldn't have been able to kill Pigeonpaw after I had had him, and there wasn't enough time before then to do the job either. Deadtail simply couldn't have done it because the wounds did not match the way he fights. I got a first-paw glimpse of his style. Every fight cast light on the techniques of cats' combat. This left six other culprits it could have been: Shrewstar, Barkclaw, Cedarbreeze, Amberpaw, Waterpaw, Frostcloud, and Riptide. Cedarbreeze, I doubt, managed to do it after fighting with Dawnwing. Though she walked back with us with a heavy limp and nasty gash on her hind leg, I was confident she won the battle with the MapleClan warrior. Cedarbreeze wouldn't have had the energy nor the strength to do the job. Amberpaw and Waterpaw were out too, simply because they were only just made apprentices not long ago. The two wouldn't posses the skill level required to kill a more experienced apprentice. That left Shrewstar, Barkclaw, Frostcloud, and Riptide. Sadly, however, I still lacked the knowledge needed of the cats to determine who had done the deed.
"I'm going to shred them for killing Pigeonpaw!" Darkkit shouted suddenly, but his purposefully angry mew came out in a high pitched squeak. "I'm going to become a great warrior and defend my clanmates to my last breath!" His little chest puffed out and tail rose to the sky.
We both ignored the rest of our clan emerging from their dens to give Pigeonpaw a proper ceremony for his death. The smell of lavender flooded the camp, mingling with the sweet scent of the white roses. We ignored this too, along with the shocked comments and remarks from our clan.
Darkkit started to swipe the air, claws unsheathed. Fire burned bright in his blue eye. Even his unseeing foggy pool of an eye showed the passion he felt. He lunged at a stray moss ball from a previous game and ripped his claws through it, shredding it to pieces. Watching him, something interesting happened in my body.
Hmmm... What is this feeling? My chest feels warm inside, warm like a soft ember smoldering in the leaves. I wonder, could it be what others call love? Watching this little ball of fur with pride, I sense the warmth in my heart. I want him to succeed, to become a great warrior, to desire nothing but their joy and happiness? I want to help him, to train him. I know the feeling of love towards parents and littermates, but was this what it felt like to love a kit? To have a kit of your own? Did I finally understand?
Then and there I decided that I would take care of Darkkit, better than I had before. I would train him, protect him, and watch him grow as a warrior. I knew he did not share the same thoughts and ways of heart that I did, but I didn't want him to. The act of taking out bad blooded cats was my responsibility and mine alone. I would teach him the value of honor for his clan, for battle, and even for enemies. I would teach him skills in com bat he could have never even dreamed of, something skills I had even made up on my own that no other would know about or perceive. When the time comes, I will be his mentor.
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 9
A garrison of cats exited camp, the lifeless corpse of the young apprentice on their backs with the sweet scent of lavender pursuing them. Pigeonpaw's loss was a devastating blow to the clan, but mostly because of the prospect that it had happened on this particular, hallowed night.
High in the sky the moon still shown, round and plump like a well fed kittypet. Yet, its silvery rays emanating from above did nothing to comfort the grieving clan cats. Most bowed their heads, sending prayers to StarClan to watch over their fallen comrade, while family Swanpaw and Fogpelt clustered together under the Tree of Stars to console each other about their brother and son's life being ripped away on such a sacred moon.
Meanwhile, Grasspaw slashed at the ground, shredding dead leaves that still remained from last Leaf Fall, preserved under the snow and now freed from their icy prison thanks to the warmth of New Leaf. The anger in his eyes mimicked his blunt, uncoordinated movements as he tore at the asundered leaves. "I'll shred them for this! They'll be sorry!"
Darkkit had taken a break from vowing to protect the clan to watch the bully seethe with rage. The little shadow sat beside me, the curiosity in his blue eye almost blindingly prominent. I knew it was only a matter of time before he asked. "Why's he so upset about this?" Though, it came sooner than I speculated.
I'd been watching Grasspaw too, watching him flail about like the little insect he was. But, admittedly, I understood the feeling of wanting revenge all too well. My gaze traveled from the blue tom, down to my future apprentice. "Grasspaw's father was a kittypet, and because of that, his mother felt so ashamed to have a kit with one she left the clan as soon as he was born and fed the first time. Fogpelt, Swanpaw and Pigeonpaw's mother, took him in and cared for him, as she had had her kits only sunrises before. The three were like littermates, like all of them belonged. Pigeonpaw and Grasspaw were especially close, even though Pigeonpaw wasn't nearly as arrogant," I explained, my eyes drifting back to Grasspaw half way through my story. "If the one you loved died in such a way as Pigeonpaw had, wouldn't you be upset too?"
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Darkkit contemplate the idea so much I could practically see him mulling it around in his head. "Yeah, I guess I would. But that won't happen. Tallbirch and Specklewing are really strong, and so are you. I know you'll all keep me, Rustkit, and Ravenkit safe until we can become apprentices."
His eye shone so brightly up at me. He had such confidence that I could perform this task without fault, and that I would. I would. I would protect my sister and my kin until my last breath. I had already failed to keep Dewspots and Rabbitgorse safe from Mudtail. I would not make that same mistake again, no matter what the threat.
"I will do whatever I can to keep you all safe," I promised and crouched down right there, allowing the little tom to beam with happiness and nudge the side of my face. In return, I gave him a single lick on the head, messing his dark fur with the rasp of my tongue.
*
Something lightly brushed my fur, interrupting my dreamless sleep. When I opened my eyes not knowing what to expect, I was greeted with the familiar scent of Darkkit. Slowly, my eyes adjusted to dawn's light and revealed my kin snuggled up to my side, almost invisible against my fur. We matched so well.
"Darkkit, what are you doing?" I inquired, my mew laced with my previous slumber. I stifled a yawn and nudged him when he did not answer, but I only got a tiny, quiet moan in response. "Answer me," I ordered him in a more firm tone.
He slowly lifted his head and looked up at me. The dark pool of sapphire on his face showed nothing but sadness and depression, and hidden deep within, anger.
I instantly noticed the tang of blood of right after he showed his face. That smell was something I was quite familiar with by now, but the excitement that usually accompanied it did not come this time. Instead came concern. "Why do I smell blood?"
Darkkit looked down again, tucking his head into my side and placing his paw over his ear, trying to become invisible and disappear without a trace. I barely heard the words he spoke. "Grasspaw is mad."
Grasspaw, of course. I stood and shook out scraps of moss from my fur then picked Darkkit up in my jaws. I had never held a kit before, but somehow I knew exactly how gentle yet firm I needed to be. Instinct, I suppose. There was little protest from him, but protest or not, I knew what I was going to do.
Making my way to the nursery, I caught sight of Grasspaw holding down a piece of prey and instead of eating it, he slowly raked his claws down its body, almost dissecting it. My path did not deviate, and I came to set Darkkit with his mother and siblings in their nursery nest. They were all still asleep, Rustkit and Ravenkit piled on top of each other, against Specklewing's russet belly.
Darkkit solemnly slunk further into the nest and nestled against his littermates. As he did so, I noticed a small cut behind one of his ears. Only the slight shine of crimson blood, something my eyes were so trained to see, allowed me to pick up where the wound was. It was so unnoticeable in the fact it was well hidden among his dark fur, concealed in darkness that it was a wonder even I was able to detect it. "Stay with them now," I ordered in a quiet tone so as not to wake the family.
Turning, I padded from the den and glanced around camp. Many of our warriors were still recovering from the events of the full moon, being it happened only hours before. I was no exception, but I'd still go out on patrol. I'd still formulate my plans. Though my side stung and was now covered in dried herb juices, I made my way to Falconheart. "Good morning," I greeted him politely with an added dip of my head. "I'd like to join you and Grasspaw for the hunting patrol, if you don't mind." I didn't know if they were going on a hunting patrol or not, but with the suggestion, it wouldn't be hard to manipulate them into going.
"I was going to have him stay here, actually. After Pigeonpaw's death, I think it best if he tries to relax," Falconheart replied and cast a glance over at his apprentice who still only opened up the kill in his possession.
"On the contrary, I believe it would be good for him to go out. What's more relaxing than going on patrol in the forest? Besides, he should make up for that fresh kill he's wasting, don't you think?"
The ginger tabby tom thought a moment then nodded in my favor. "Yes, I suppose you're right." He stood and flicked his tail. "Grasspaw, come along. You're going out on a hunting patrol with Duskfrost and I," he called over, making the apprentice grumble and walk over, leaving his demolished prey behind in the grass.
"I'll come too," Poppycloud offered, overhearing our conversation. Her ear was shredded from the fight, but other than that and a few minor scratches, she seemed able enough to come along. In fact, she had emerged the most unscathed of us all.
Falconheart nodded and led us out, allowing me to take the rear as usual. I followed right along behind Grasspaw.
It was so tempting, his tail right within my reach. At any moment I could have him, my claws in his pelt, his screams in my ears, the tang of his blood in my nose. But now was not the time. I had the perfect plan, though, and as soon as I had the chance, I would execute it.
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 10
My eyes stayed trained on Grasspaw the whole way to our hunting destination, claws itching with anticipation. I stayed more aware with my ears, however. I still had to be alert for actual threats that may reside in the forest.
Falconheart stopped and glanced around at the tall oaks and poplars surrounding us. "I think this should be a good spot to split off and start hunting," he suggested, looking at all of us one by one.
I quickly took my eyes off of Grasspaw, not wanting to raise even the slightest bit of suspicion. I nodded my agreement. "If you don't mind, Falconheart, I think I would like to take Grasspaw with me while you go with Poppycloud."
The ginger deputy gave me a confused look in return for my words. "But he's my apprentice, and, no offense, but you're not the best at hunting. I don't think you can really teach him much in the way of catching prey."
"Perhaps not, but we both know it's not the stalking department where I lack. It's the initial pounce to kill. I'm not good with tiny targets because of my eye problems, but I can stalk just fine. Isn't that where Grasspaw lacks anyway?" Through the clan, it was easy to hear what was happening with other cats. Word spread quicker than wild fire in leaf fall. Of course, that meant that I had to be all the more careful.
Taking his time, the tom thought about it then finally nodded his approval. "I suppose you're right. I might get a bit more hunting done with Poppycloud anyway. Sorry, Grasspaw, but you are pretty noisy." He gave the young tom a sympathetic look, but Grasspaw simply turned his head away with a small 'humph.'
"We will go this way then and meet back here in a little while, sometime before sunhigh," I told the other cats and flicked my tail for Grasspaw to follow then padded off into the forest, alone, with him.
Morning light filtered in through green tree tops, sending shafts of light shining down and speckling the forest floor in splotches of golden yellow. Thick undergrowth of ferns and bracken licked at my pelt as we walked absently with only the sounds of distant birdsong and our pawsteps breaking the silence.
My mind was racing, playing out the scene that would soon unfold in reality. I knew we were headed right for the border of our territory, the one nearest MapleClan's own border. The rival clan will most likely be checking their borders for us regularly. While all three clans have some neutral ground in between clan border, that doesn't stop cats from coming right up to or boundaries. Almost guaranteed there will be MapleClan scent at our edge. What I'm about to do will easily be covered up by blaming it on a MapleClan cat, and fear. Even if MapleClan is confronted and accused, no one in OakClan will believe them anyway, most likely.
I stopped once I smelled the rank scent of our rival clan in the air. Perfect. "We will hunt here," I stated, turning to Grasspaw.
Grasspaw looked at me, confused. He stuck his nose in the air and sniffed it, opening his mouth slightly to better take in the scents. "But we're too close to the border. MapleClan have been here recently. If we get into a fight, we won't win. Are you that mouse-brained?"
I narrowed my eyes at him, giving him an ace cold stare. "I do not appreciate your attitude. I am a warrior, and you will respect me as your superior." Turning away, I glanced back in the direction the wind was blowing, directly from MapleClan. "This is still our territory. If any MapleClan cats were to attack us here, they would be declaring war with our whole clan. They are mouse-brains most of them, but even they wouldn't be stupid enough to do that." I was sure of that.
I swiveled my ear back when I heard Grasspaw start to walk off. "Where are you going?" I demanded in a monotone mew without making a move to look at him or follow. My claws started to slide slowly from their sheathes which were my paws.
"I'm going to hunt. That's what we came here to do, isn't it?" the blue-gray tom replied, the previous sass still carrying in his voice. His obnoxious voice...
Forcing my claws to retract, I started to follow him. "But don't forget that I am to teach you some advanced stalking techniques and maneuvers. Listen carefully and do exactly as I do once we find some prey." I took the lead, walking slowly, skirting along the border almost. Opening my mouth, I detected the sweet fragrance of rabbit on the wind. It was close. "Do you smell that?" I inquired, wanting to get a little reading of what i was dealing with to better adjust my approach on my plan. Before that was going to happen, though, I did want to get some actual hunting in. It was good for the clan, and any good warrior should get a read on their opponent before battle, assess their skills.
Grasspaw opened his mouth, taking a moment to find what I meant. Finally, he nodded. "Rabbit, but it might be in neutral ground," he stated.
I rolled my eyes. "That doesn't mean we can't go after it. neutral means that it doesn't belong to anybody. Only if it goes off into MapleClan territory do we have to give up the chase. Doesn't Falconheart teach you anything, or do you just not listen?" With that, I turned my full attention to the rabbit scent and crouched. You could never be too early to sneak when stalking anything.
With my body low, belly fur just barely not brushing along the ground, I crept forward. Ears pricked for action, ready to pick up on the slightest sound of movement, I heard quiet chewing. It was munching on grasses, I deduced, and when I saw it, I was right, I think.
The animal was some distance away, a brown blur among the smudged ferns. This was the one thing about myself I had never liked. I don't know why, but things further away appear so blurry in my vision, while anything closer than several fox-lengths away is so crisp and clear. I know other cats don't have the same problem I do. Whiteskull can't figure out what's wrong, so no amount of herbs would help. Oh well, now is not the time for worrying about my eye sight. I could tell that the target was a rabbit and that it was not yet alerted, so that's all that mattered.
"Do you see it?" I whispered to Grasspaw, keeping my impaired gaze on our quarry with my ears pricked at their peak.
"Yes," he answered a little louder than I would have liked.
"Hush," I hissed quietly at him. "You're being too loud. Rabbits have far superior hearing to cats, so you have to be virtually silent when stalking or talking. If you blow it, you won't be able to outrun it." Was this what it was like to be a mentor? It seemed...tedious. "Now, carefully place one paw after the other, only lightly touching the ground until you're close enough to pounce on it."
The tom, while noticeably unhappy, did as he was told and started to slowly creep towards the rabbit. The creature didn't react, as far as I could tell, as he drew ever nearer to it. Finally, he pounced and grabbed it. The rabbit squealed then suddenly fell silent and limp. Grasspaw held it in his jaws, proudly lifting his head and tail into the air.
The sound of distant pawsteps slowly approaching. My plan would never work now, assuming it was the other warriors. I had to improvise, and fast.
I stood and walked over, hiding the malice in my eyes. "Good catch," I said with no emotion in my voice. Quickly, I raised my paw and slashed my claws across his face. He dropped the rabbit and let out a loud yowl of pain and surprise.
Pleasure engulfed my body upon hearing such a sound. I wanted to go further, but I couldn't. That would defeat the lesson. Plus, I heard the sound of hurried pawsteps rushing towards us. I gritted my teeth and forcefully thrust my paw onto Grasspaw's shoulder, making him look at me with one good eye, fear and confusion swirling around together in his expression.
"This is what you get for bullying Darkkit so much, You think I didn't notice that cut he had behind his ear? If you think it's so bad for him to have a problem with his eye, then maybe you should walk a little while in his fur," I hissed in a hushed tone, baring my teeth. "If you tell anyone I did this, you and your sister will both be found in the river, understand? The rabbit you caught went rogue and scratched your eye before you killed it."
Just then, two cats emerged from one of the many swaths of ferns surrounding us. Falconheart and Poppycloud rushed over, coming quicker once they saw the blood on Grasspaw's face. "What happened?" Falconheart demanded, examining the injury, but there wasn't much to see until it was cleaned up.
I instantly sheathed my claws when our clanmates came, but kept my paw on Grasspaw's should while he moved around in pain under me. "The rabbit attacked him right before he could kill it. It clawed his eye pretty good," I reported, casting a subtle glare to the apprentice who nodded in agreement but still gritted his teeth. He was such a weakling to not be handling the pain better. It wasn't hard. I looked back up at Poppycloud and Falconheart.
"Why are you two here?" We had agreed to meet back where we were in some time from now, after all.
"It hadn't taken us long to catch so much prey, stumbling upon a family of squirrels, that we had to stop or we wouldn't be able to carry it all. But we had to drop it all back in the bracken when we heard a cat crying out in pain," the white and brown she-cat answered.
"We need to get him back to Whiteskull immediately. I hope she can do something to help your eye," Falconheart meowed urgently and led the blue apprentice away.
Poppycloud watched on with a worried yet thoughtful gaze. "It's really strange that a rabbit would turn on a cat like that," she said then glanced down at the dead prey. "And that there's no blood on its paws at all."
I followed her gaze down to the rabbit, my eyes landing on its paws. That may be a minor flaw which may cost me the ruse. But, we would have to see for sure. Until then, I had to keep up the act and follow the set story. I nodded and looked up, our gazes locking. "Strange indeed."
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 11
"And you say a rabbit turned on him? You saw it happen?" Olive colored eyes stared back at me, reading my posture and expression, my nonverbal signals.
Not many things scare me. In fact, fear is something I have experienced only one other time in my life, but that minor error I made could escalate if anyone really took the time to investigate. And Whiteskull... I'm a fierce warrior of OakClan, but this old medicine cat never ceased to unsettle me, as much as I hate to admit.
"Yes. He pounced for it, and the creature turned on him and clawed his eye," I told the black she-cat as she shifted her gaze from me to Grasspaw's face. Slight anxiety pricked at my paws.
She examined him for a long time, what seemed like ages, before finally nodding slowly. "The eye is permanently damaged. It'll have to come out or it might get infected, and that could mean death," she told the apprentice bluntly, not even bothering to put the least bit of softness in her mew.
Whiteskull had been medicine cat for the clan for many, many moons. When her mentor Bluefeather died suddenly in his nest one night, as a fresh apprentice, she was made to carry on the role of medicine cat for our clan. So the story goes, she was actually taught by HemlockClan's old medicine cat, who traveled back and forth from the two clans, tending to her own clan and teaching Whiteskull the ways of her profession. I hear Softstep is an elder now, and nearing the end of her life. Whiteskull has surely seen death, along with illnesses and injuries of all kinds in her lifetime, but I'm sure she will grieve when her oldest mentor is gone. It'll be one of the few times the she-cat wasn't so cold and grumpy, or so the others in the clan say.
"Crowpaw, bring me a stick and some poppy seeds," she ordered, and the black tom did just that. She had Grasspaw chew on the seeds and then bite down on the stick. "This will hurt a lot, but it's the only way to ensure your death does not come from infection." Her voice actually had a hint of sympathy in it, and it seemed to reassure the blue apprentice a little that this was the best thing to do.
I had not been dismissed from the den, so I stayed to watch. Grasspaw chocked out muffled screams a lot and writhed in pain but still noticeably tried very hard to stay still and make Whiteskull's job easier. Crowpaw had to be instructed to come in and hold Grasspaw down while the procedure was being done, and, soon, I had been given the order to keep Fogpelt out of the rocky den.
"Let me in! Let me see my son!" she kept saying, trying to push past me and, at one point, even trying to lunge at me. Of course, it wasn't hard for me to counter and pin her to the ground while she wiggled under me, desperately trying to get free. She wasn't even Grasspaw's real mother, so it was a mystery to me why she was trying so hard to see him. besides, she would only get in the way of trying to help him. Mothers can be such mouse-brains sometimes.
When I looked back as Grasspaw's wails died down, the only white on Whiteskull's body, a patch that covered the top of her head and ending at her upper jaw which gave her her name, was half covered in red, and she stuffed herbs and poultices on her patient's face. Grasspaw calmed down significantly and laid there, half-panting and still biting onto the stick, which had snapped in half sometime in.
I let Fogpelt go and she rushed passed me to Grasspaw's side, instantly cooing into his ear and then running her tongue along his flank.
"He lost a lot of blood from that, but he will heal in time," Whiteskull informed the distraught she-cat. "He needs to rest is all." She padded to the back of the cave, which was formed by several boulders leaning against one another, and began grooming herself, ridding her face of blood. She didn't even bother to move Grasspaw to an actual nest, so he remained lying there on the floor, soon falling asleep most likely due to exhaustion from the day's events.
While Whiteskull groomed herself, and Crowpaw did the same and Fogpelt worried over Grasspaw, I stayed where I sat, watching them all. Fogpelt fussed over him way too much, I thought. Perhaps she was still raw over Pigeonpaw's death and more vulnerable than usual. I do not know. It seemed that the tom was the only thing in her world now, since she appeared to ignore everything else for the time being.
I looked on, wondering more about why she would act this way. What feelings bring upon this kind of behavior? It was only an eye. He can still make it as a warrior, and this was the perfect lesson. There was no need to kill when you could teach a perfectly well life lesson like this. It should definitely stop him from ever bullying Darkkit about his eye again. So, what was the point of fussing? He was going to live, after all.
I sighed and shook my head. I would never understand. As I turned to leave, I noticed Swanpaw sitting under the Tree of Stars, looking this way. Her leafy green eyes stared intently into the den. At first, I thought she was watching me, but her glare fazed right through me and landed on Fogpelt. The emotion in her gaze was something that even I could not read, but I was more than positive she wasn't very happy.
✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠✠
Chapter 12
The wind howled, making branches tremble in terror at the high speed winds. Rain battered all in its path, plastering the patrol's fur to their skin. Through the shaking trees, dark clouds could be seen rolling by, blocking out any and all sunlight from above and filling the air with dread.
"Why do we need to patrol now?" Sagepaw's voice sounded from beside me. She clearly wasn't happy about being out in the rain, and especially a storm like this one.
"Because, no matter what condition the whether is, as long as it isn't too dangerous, we must patrol the borders," Cinderstep told his apprentice over his should, raising his voice above the wind and rolling thunder.
Upon looking at Sagepaw, her already small frame was even tinier. In fact, she was no bigger than a regular apprentice, but she wasn't much younger than I was. She squinted her green eyes against the rain which slapped on the side of her head. ears, head, and tail down, she followed the rest of the patrol and stayed beside me at the rear.
"It's not so bad," I told her, letting a hint of amusement slip in my voice, which earned a glare in return, but with her own hint of amusement. I never did mind the water. One shouldn't as water in any form could be a valuable asset, whether it be in battle, stalking, or hiding evidence. However, in this particular instance, I too didn't care much for the whether.
Lightening soon crackled loudly in the gloomy atmosphere, not very far from our patrol. It caused Dawnwing and Tallbirch to jump, but Cinderstep, Sagepaw, and I stood still and looked up in the direction of the bright flash. Not long after, smoke began to waft from the area and get carried away by the raging gales.
"There might be a fire. Come on!" Tallbirch raced away in the direction the smoke was originating from while the rest of us followed.
I didn't see how there would be a fire with all of this heavy rainfall, but Tallbirch was leading the patrol, and he always was one to be careful about everything. He would just have to get over it, though, once I started mentoring Darkkit. Danger was a part of life, and it made everyone stronger, if you survived it.
Mud caked in between my claws, the unpleasant feeling making me want to curse out loud, but I held my tongue as the squad bounded through the bracken. We reached the smoke's home within heartbeats. A large poplar, probably one of the oldest trees in the forest, had been struck by the lightening and completely hollowed out. In fact, it had practically exploded. Pieces of wood splintered out almost everywhere, and the top half had completely collapsed, held up horizontally with the ground only by other surrounding trees. Inside the hollow trunk, gray wisps emanated, and luminescent red and orange peeked out from cracks in the charred black. It wasn't a fire, but it would most certainly burn anything that touched its sizzling surface. A faint crackling sound could also be heard coming from it, even above the pelting rain.
Tallbirch visibly relaxed, loosening his stiffened shoulders and letting out a sigh. "Thank StarClan." The white and black patched tom turned to the rest of us, his green eyes filled with relief. "Let's resume the patrol and continue on along the MapleClan border."
At this point, we were right up against the border that was closest to MapleClan. It had been our goal to come here anyway, so this incident had not set us back any.
Tallbirch once again started to lead us through the storm and passed the destroyed tree, but we were no sooner stopped by Sagepaw's call. "Guys, there's a cat here!"
We all turned to look and sure enough, the sodden, lifeless body of a cat lie at the base of the tree trunk, hidden from us previously by the angle we came at. The cat's fur was a tiger tabby pattern of brown and black, and it's structure indicated it was a young tom old enough to be a warrior. We gathered around it, staring down at it in confusion.
I knew who it was right away, but others seemed to struggle to come up with a name, though MapleClan scent still faintly hung on his pelt. Why was Brackenfall here? I noticed something else then. Leaves lie scattered across his pelt like a decaying blanket. To any other cat, it may have seemed like the storm had blown them on him, but I knew better. Traces of mud stuck to the leaves, which meant they were put there on purpose by someone. Scarlet also shimmered under his neck fur, only just daring to peek out. I might have had vision problems with things far away, but up close I had exceptional observation skills. And with them, and the evidence provided, I knew exactly what had happened here.
"He smells like MapleClan, but what is he doing here?" Cinderstep asked, sniffing at the soaked figure. "Did the lightning hit him too?"
"No, if it had then he would be just like the tree he's under," Dawnwing meowed and shook her head. "He died some other way, but how? Why is he on our territory in the first place?"
Both warriors sounded confused, but Tallbirch was visibly worried. "What if a fox or something killed him? Or if it was murder?" His frantic demeanor seemed to spread to Dawnwing as she, too, began to show signs of worry.
"No, it couldn't have been...could it?" She looked over at Cinderstep, who had started to further examine the cat lying at his paws.
"Maybe, but at any rate, we need to find out who this cat is, and how to tell Flamestar about it. I know he won't be happy to hear the news of a MapleClan cat dead in our territory. He will have to find a way to tell MapleClan too, without making it seem like one of us killed him," Cinderstep meowed and stood straight again, water dripping from his face as the rain slowly ceased, the storm passing overhead.
Sagepaw turned to me, not seeming to be shaken up by this at all. She really was a tough little she-cat. Her green eyes gazed into my blue, searching for any reaction at all.
I glanced from the body to her and back then spoke my thoughts. "His name was Brackenfall. He was a MapleClan warrior. We've met in battle several times before, including the one that happened right after the Gathering. He was indeed killed by another cat. If you look closely at his neck, you can see the mark where he bitten like a piece of prey. Then, after the job was done with what looks like little struggle due to no fur being missing, the killer tried to cover up the event by brushing leaves over him, but they did a very poor job of actually hiding the evidence," I said monotonously. When I looked up, all eyes were on me, staring on in shock.
"You could tell that by looking at him?" Dawnwing asked, her jaw agape. It was no wonder she was so shocked. The sweet, golden-colored she-cat, I bet, would never even dream of harming another cat, not in a way such as this at least.
I nodded and looked back down at Brackenfall. "You can also tell that there wasn't much of a fight because his eyes are closed and fangs aren't bared. He didn't die fighting. Someone he trusted was probably here, so he had his guard down and it was too late before he realized anything was going to happen." These things weren't hard to see if one really looked. But, then again, my clanmates had never killed before, not that I know of anyway.
I couldn't help but glance over at Sagepaw, wondering if I had impressed her. I don't know why, but I kind of did want to show her my deduction skills and brains. I wasn't just all muscle. But, sadly, she seemed only slightly shocked and not really impressed at all, more thoughtful. I was a tad crestfallen by that.
"Let's go and report this back to Flamestar before any MapleClan patrols find this and accuse us of killing him," Cinderstep meowed, earning a nod of agreement from Tallbirch and Dawnwing. The warriors trotted off, but Sagepaw and I stayed behind.
"Do you have any idea who did it?" she inquired of me, tilting her multi-colored head to the side and watching me with those emerald green eyes while I sniffed at the cat.
Brackenfall's scent wafted up into my nose, but another scent followed. No, two other scents. With the heavy rain that had just fallen, it was hard to tell who exactly the scent's belonged to, but I was fairly certain that at least one of them was from another MapleClan cat, a she-cat actually. Trying to frame us perhaps and start a war? I did not know, but from what I was getting, this she-cat's scent was fresh, too fresh to be from when Brackenfall was in camp. And with my deduction that it was someone he trusted not to kill him, it was most likely someone very close to him, and I knew of someone like that. "I think I may have an idea."
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Chapter 13
"What?" Sagepaw stared at me wide eyed. "You think his own mate killed him? But why?" Her sharp mew echoed slightly through the damp trees and foliage. The quiet calls of timid birds even silenced.
I shot her a small glare to tell her to be quieter. We didn't need the whole forest knowing we were there or what we were doing. "I said it's most likely his mate," I corrected her in a more hushed tone. "He wouldn't have been expecting it at all, so it makes sense why his guard would have been so low. I'm not saying for sure that Frostcloud did it, but she is my prime suspect for right now, and she had an accomplice."
"How do you know that?" Sagepaw padded over to Brackenfall and sniffed at his sleek fur. "I can't smell anything else on him. I can barely smell his own scent."
My sense of smell must have been better than hers then, or I was just a little more observant. "I can smell a MapleClan she-cat on him, and what I would have to guess is OakClan. Of course, with this being our territory, our clan's scent is strong here, but it shouldn't be on his fur, not the side that's facing the sky and so clean. Even mud wouldn't have washed completely out of his fur, so it's not just terrain scents. I can't quite make out who it would be, though, or even if it's a tom or she-cat. That's the problem." I stood up again and started slowly circling the tree at which the body rested, thinking.
"If you're sure one of our clanmates had a paw in killing him, then we will just have to keep an eye on everyone for any suspicious behavior."
I nodded agreement, only half listening as I continued to pace. Sagepaw, from what I noticed in my half-daze simply sat on one of the large roots of the tree and watched me.
With the way they poorly hid their crime, they were probably in a hurry, and very new at what they had done. They were most likely in shock at their deed. They would probably be nervous back at camp, or at the very least be acting strange. I was willing to bet on it.
"What are we going to do about it, though? Even if we do find out who in the clan did it, if anyone actually did, we can't just confront them about it. We have no proof of who it was," Sagepaw meowed and stepped in front of me, blocking my path so I would look at her.
My thoughts halted, as did my paws, and I gazed into her sparkling, green eyes. There was something oddly nice about being alone with her in the forest. But, there was no time for that now. Someone killed Brackenfall in cold blood, and I had to find out who. He hadn't been the most honorable cat, and I didn't know him all too well, but I know he did nothing that made him deserving of death.
"I told you, I detected a MapleClan she-cat's scent on him, along with OakClan scent that shouldn't belong," I replied, a hint of frustration in my voice. I knew she was a smart cat, so why wasn't she getting it?
"I can't smell anything like that. I can only take your word for it. If no one else can smell it either, what proof do you have, about either suspect? there are no tufts of fur or anything lying around to give you a clue." She stopped then. I could see the thoughts churning in her head as she stared, momentarily lost in thought. "Unless there tufts of fur around."
What little frustration I had faded instantly as she brightened. She really was quite intelligent. Even I had not thought of that yet. Perhaps I would have later, but she beat me to it. Impressive. "We had better look, then," I told her and got a nod of agreement in return.
We split off to look for any patches or tufts of fur we could find that might be snagged on bark or hanging on thorns. I took to parallel the border, between it and the tree, while she swept the very edge of our boundaries.
"Duskfrost! I found something!" I ducked from under the holly bush I was checking out, water droplets falling onto my head, and bounded over to where I heard her call. I found her right along the scent markers with a small bit of pure white fur hanging on a bramble tendril, caught on the thorn.
I padded over to it and sniffed it, but no cat's scent came off. The rain had washed it all away. "I can't smell anything." I was actually a little disappointed at this, as it didn't do much for our investigation if we had no scents to tell us who had done it.
"That doesn't matter," she mewed and looked at me, a spark in her eyes I had seen the time we met, the night we battled. The pure excitement in her gaze...it made me excited, too. "We know that at least one of the cats who did it has white fur, at least a little bit, enough that it could get caught on here. And the way it's caught, it's coming from the neutral lands outside the border, so we know it wasn't just a random patrol or something. We never go into the neutral lands except for Gatherings, right?"
She was indeed correct. Upon further inspection, the fur did appear to be caught in a way it looked like it was coming from outside the border, and our patrols never went outside the borders for anything other Gatherings and emergencies. And even without scent, it was obvious at least one of the cats had white fur. She just impressed me more and more, and I was a tough one to impress at all.
"Good work," I praised, genuinely meaning it. My words made her brighten more and puff out her chest. I noticed she did that when she was proud of herself. I never got the concept of praise before, but now I understood. it actually kind of felt good to make someone else feel good, someone you cared about. Like with Darkkit. It felt weird and oddly warm in my chest, but nice to make him happy. Both of these cats brought on weird feelings I didn't quite understand, but I had to admit, I really rather liked them.
"Let's go and tell the others," Sagepaw suggested and started padding off, tail high in the air with pride and a small spring in her step. She really was happy about what she had accomplished, with my help. "They will be wanting to kno-"
"No, let's not," I interrupted and walked over to her, as she had paused to look back in confusion when I spoke. "I don't want to freak them out," I easily lied. "If they think there is a killer among them, they will all act like there's bees in their brains and start accusing everyone who has the least bit of white on their pelt. It will be mass chaos," I explained to her, letting the words glide smoothly off my tongue.
Of course, I was right. Mass hysteria would consume the clan if they thought they were in danger from within, but that wasn't my main concern. I didn't want others interfering with my work. It was my job, no, my destiny to rid the lands of bad blooded cats. I know Brackenfall did nothing to warrant his death. I had a feeling, and I always listened to my gut. It hadn't yet steered me wrong. It told me I had to do this alone, that I couldn't let anyone else know. I had to be able to bring justice to the tiger tabby tom and kill his killers. I had to rid the world of their dreadful existence. I had to do it alone...but...I would make one exception this time. This one time, I would defy my instinct's feelings, just a little.
I looked coolly at Sagepaw, gazing into her emerald eyes with my icy blue hue and let the words drip from my jaws like honey. "Let's keep this small investigation we did our little secret."
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Chapter 14
"Are we ready to go?" Flamestar glanced around at all of us - Tallbirch, Cinderstep, Avalancheclaw, Sagepaw, and I. Each of us gave an indicating nod and we were off.
As soon as Tallbirch had told Flamestar about our patrol's discovery, and we returned, he decided that a small group made up of the patrol and one of our best warriors and himself were to go to MapleClan and report everything. Dawnwing was not joining us, though, because she said she had had enough excitement for a while, after losing her apprentice and now this. She was a good warrior, but she was also weak about death.
Flamestar led us through the undergrowth, his ginger pelt occasionally catching on thorn brushes or brambles and glowing in the patches of light from which the clouds allowed to be freed. Avalancheclaw followed right behind him with Cinderstep at his side. The two catted quietly, but I could hear that Cinderstep was filling the experienced warrior in on the situation. Avalancheclaw was only here for muscle anyway. I knew he was.
Beside me, Sagepaw walked along quietly, obviously lost in her own deep thoughts. For once, I wasn't thinking so intently like I normally did. I was more...concerned, i guess you could say, about if we would have to have a battle in the heart of MapleClan's territory. After all, we would be marching right up to their borders and most likely taken to their camp, a camp filled with warriors and apprentices. If a fight were to break out, we would not stand a chance
As we neared the border, the wind carried the distinctive scent of MapleClan, and Brackenfall. Voices were heard int he distance, a patrol, calling out to their clanmate. "Brackenfall! Brackenfall! Where are you?" Frostcloud's voice sounded above the rest and was laced with worry.
"I feel so bad." Sagepaw's sudden, quiet comment shook me from my concentration, concentration on the distant patrol. "That's his mate, isn't it? The one that's yelling louder than the rest." She looked down, her green gaze holding sympathy and remorse.
I had not experienced such emotions myself, but I had seen plenty of other cats who had. I did not like her being this way, but I did not know how to deal with it to make her stop, nor did I care all too much. All I thought to do, or cared to do, was answer her questions. "Yes. That's Frostcloud." My voice came out more emotionless than even I had intended.
It seemed to worsen the situation with Sagepaw, and I let out a small sigh. Friends were so high maintenance. I decided it best to ignore her and let her sort out her own inner struggles, so I pricked my ears and listened to the MapleClan patrol once more.
When the rest of the cats stopped, I halted as well, gazing at the rest of the forest which soon gave way to rolling hills. We had passed through the neutral lands and were now at the very edge of their border. With the other patrol within earshot, Flamestar called out to them. "MapleClan patrol! We need to speak to Shrewstar at once!"
It wasn't long before a small mix of different colored pelts emerged over the top of the nearest hill and descended down towards us. Riptide, a bulky, blue-gray tom with shredded ears, seemed to be leading them. He paused just in front of us and lifted his tail to signal for everyone else in his patrol to stop. I picked out Frostcloud instantly with her pure white pelt and sorrowful yellow eyes.
I also knew Cedarbreeze, the light ginger tabby she-cat, and a golden she-cat I believed to be Amberpaw, if I remembered correctly from the gathering. two other cats, a jet black tom and calico she-cat, I did not yet know.
Riptide flattened what remained of his ears and looked Flamestar up and down. "Why do you need to see Shrewstar?" he demanded, holding no respect in either his voice nor his posture for the OakClan leader. His fur was slowly raising, clearly ready to beat us off and away from the territory, or at least try to.
Flamestar retained his composure and calm attitude. He'd clearly dealt with cats like Riptide before. "I cannot discuss our business with his clanmates. It is for him to hear directly. now, please allow us an escort to your camp so that i may speak with him." Neither his mew nor amber gaze faltered even the slightest bit.
The MapleClan warrior contemplated it for a heartbeat, then gave in to the request. "Very well, but don't even think of trying anything, or we will have your pelts," he hissed then turned. Our group fell in behind him while the other MapleClan cat surrounded us as we trekked up the slope.
The jet black tom walked beside Sagepaw, holding his head up proudly and staring straight ahead with intense amber focus. Judging by his size and attitude, I assumed him to be a new warrior, only named sunrises ago, if even that. He was trying too hard.
I turned my head when I heard a hiss from near my right flank and felt a tiny, sharp sting tab me. The little, golden she-cat apprentice was glaring at me with a death stare and found it a good idea to swipe at my hind leg. How cute she thought she had authority over me. I guessed Cedarbreeze to be her mentor, as she was giving Amberpaw a disapproving stare, but she didn't seem to notice, too busy glaring at me.
I knew just how to fix that. Careful to keep in mind where I was walking while looking back at her, I let a malicious, ice cold expression creep into my frosty eyes. All I really had to do was let a part of my inner self out enough, and soon her gaze faltered, turning to slight fear until she looked away entirely. Cedarbreeze also looked away, rather discouraged. Satisfied, I turned my head forward again and kept my vision fixed ahead until we reached their camp.
Nestled in a large swath of ferns and two monster skeletons rested MapleClan's camp. We entered through a tunnel that had been woven from sticks and bracken and entered into a rusted monster's belly cavity, after taking a quick step up to get inside.
Inside, cats relaxed on the softer, shelf-like ribs of the beast, all four rows of them. Some sat or lied underneath them, while others simply resided on the harder belly surface itself. Ivy vines had made their way into the skeleton and covered up some of the holes completely or draped over the backs of the ribs. Darkness ruled here, overtaking the light enough to give the interior only a dim brightness. All cats that had been previously relaxing now stared at us in confusion, wonder, and hatred. One she-cat began to usher two small kits to the back of the structure hurriedly, like our mere presence would infect them and inflict death.
When she laid eyes on me for a heartbeat, I wasn't sure if she was more afraid of us as a clan, or of purely me. It would not be at all surprising, though, as I did have a reputation as a formidable opponent in battle.
Riptide ordered us to wait where were while he went off to the other skeleton to fetch Shrewstar. It hadn't taken long before the white and gray tom leaped through on of the big holes in the bones and joined us, followed closely by Riptide.
Shrewstar didn't look at all happy to see us, but I could understand that. I wouldn't want him and his warriors in our camp either. He padded over to Flamestar until he came to stand right in front of him. "What do you want? We have important things to attend to."
"I'm sure you'll find what I have to say equally important, if not more." After Flamestar explained everything he knew about Brackenfall's tragedy, Shrewstar's mouth gaped with disbelief. Then, came the accusations.
"It was probably one of your warriors! They killed him in cold blood!" he spat, unsheathing his claws. I unsheathed mine as well, just in case. We might not win a fight here, but I wasn't going to go down easily. It looked like Sagepaw wasn't either, body stiff and watching the other cats around us.
"Shrewstar, we did no such thing," Flamestar tried to explain, but Shrewstar wasn't having it.
He shook his head quickly. "Why else was he found on your territory then? Brackenfall wouldn't cross the border without a good reason. One of your warriors was probably stealing prey, and he was trying to get it back!"
Flamestar started to get visibly upset with the accusations the other leader was throwing around. "I understand that you're upset, but that is no excuse to be accusing my clan this way. I want to help you find out who it was. Neither of our clans can afford to have a killer among us," he said, trying to hold back a growl, but it wasn't working so well.
The two began to fling insults at each other, all the while the res of our party was watching the other MapleClan cats and Frostcloud wailed from grief in the background. No one threw any swipes yet, but tensions were high. I myself was on edge, ready for an oncoming battle, but I couldn't help but be slightly amused by their yelling. Couldn't have a killer among them... Flamestar didn't even know that Mudtail killed my parents.
"Get out of my territory! If you so much as even step into the neutral lands, you will have a war on your paws!" Shrewstar spat, the fur along his spine raised and silvery tail bushed out.
Flamestar forced his fur to lie flat again, but I noticed his claws stayed out and his expression was both cold but filled with fire. "You don't even know what you're doing. You've only been leader for four moons now. I know OakClan hasn't always been on good terms with MapleClan, but things have only gotten worse since you've arrived as leader. At least Stormstar knew what she was doing." With that, the ginger tom turned and saw himself out of the camp with all of us following behind but still watching our backs as all MapleClan eyes stared at us.
"So, what are we going to do about it now?" Cinderstep asked of Flamestar, padding a bit quicker to come up beside him. I could tell he was worried about the possibility of a war, not quite as worried as Tallbirch, though.
"They aren't any of our concern anymore, but I can't take Shrewstar's threat lightly. He's young and arrogant and totally unqualified to be a leader." His gaze dropped and he shook his head with a sigh. "I don't know what Stormstar was thinking making him deputy." He looked back up again, then glanced over his shoulder at us all. "We will increase patrols at the border of our territory, since that's all we can really do at the moment. As for Brackenfall, I suppose we can take care of him ourselves and simply move him to the edge of their territory so they can bury him properly." He let out another sigh, one that made him actually seem like his real, old age. "I don't know who could have killed a good warrior in cold blood and cause all this..."
Looking down at Sagepaw, I found she was staring back up at me and we locked eyes. Determination shone brightly like a passionate, emerald fire in her gaze. I didn't know who had done it either, but we were definitely going to find out.
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Chapter 15
The green-leaf sun beat down on the earth below, sending heat waves and golden shafts of light to bathe everything beneath it. The blazing sun was at its peak in the sky, causing plants and animals alike to complain from thirst. It was cooler in the shade of the forest, but cats' paws still scorched whenever rested on a rock. Cats laid lazily in camp, strewn about like scattered leaves after a moderate wind.
However, once Flamestar climbed up to his branch on the Tree of Stars and let his voice ring out across the camp, the cats picked themselves up to congregate around their leader who sat proudly in the mighty tree.
I knew what this meeting was all about and was actually a little eager, though I didn't show it, when I sat down next to Dawnwing near the back. Looking up at the ginger tom in the tree, I waited while cats finally settled down, a few swaying with anticipation.
Flamestar's gaze swept the crowd for a moment, then he finally spoke. "Tensions between OakClan and MapleClan are still high, as you all know. Brackenfall's killer has not been found, and MapleClan still accuses us for his death. With the possibility of war still approaching, I think we should have more warriors and apprentices. Grasspaw and Swanpaw, would you please step forward?"
Swanpaw walked up, her white sleek and shiny with the single black patch on her neck contrasting greatly. Her head was high but her tail low. Grasspaw was the same way with the spot where his eye had previously been now just more fur it looked like. Both stopped and stood by the oak's roots, turning to face the clan. A mixture of happiness, pride, and grief shown in their eyes. I bet they wished Pigeonpaw had been there, too.
"Swanpaw, you have showed exceptional loyalty to the clan and kindness from your heart. For that, from this moment forth you be known as Swanfeather. May StarClan light your path in the life as a warrior." After Flamestar finished, the crowd began to cheer for their new warrior counterpart. I did as well, but not as loudly as the others. In a way, it was nice to see the she-cat earn her name, but at the same time, it wasn't that big of a deal.
When the cheers died down, Flamestar continued. "Grasspaw, even though you've lost your eye from an irate rabbit, you have still worked very hard and have prove yourself worthy of your warrior name. From this moment on, you shall be known as Grassnose. May StarClan light your path in the life as a warrior."
Once again, cheers of congratulations roared through the crowd, but I did not bother this time. Though, he had not once bothered Darkkit after I'd taught him that lesson, I still wasn't not at all fond of him. The only reason he was alive was because he had potential to be useful in combat against other clans, and nothing more.
Grassnose held his head high and scanned the crowd, looking for me. once he found me, we locked gazes, his stare at me cold and unforgiving, but I simply returned it with slight amusement accompanying it. Then he turned away to drink it the cheers of his other clanmates instead.
When they reclaimed their spots in the crowd, Flamestar continued to go on. "Now, as for new apprentices, we have three kits now six moons of age who are ready to train and further learn the ways of our clan. Ravenkit, Darkkit, and Rustkit, would you all please come forward?"
Excitement noticeably ran through the kits' bodies as they made their ways up to the roots of the tree. Ravenkit proudly puffed out his chest and strutted over but shrunk shyly once at the tree and noticing many eyes were on him. Rustkit happily bounced over next to her brother and nudged him then whispered words of reassurance, as he perked up. Darkkit simply walked over, excitement still shining brightly in his blue eye, but he maintained good posture and nice composure. while he joined his littermates.
"As of this sunhigh, these three kits will be given their apprentice names and mentors," the ginger tom called out then glanced down at all three patiently waiting kits. Well, mostly patiently. Rustkit was still bouncing a little as she sat there, barely able to contain herself. "Ravenkit, you will now be known as Ravenpaw, until you've earned your warrior name, and Avalancheclaw will be your mentor."
The bulky, long-furred tom with the blizzard pelt padded up to Ravenpaw and touched noses with him. Ravenpaw was clearly nervous, but still very excited. I would have expected such a confident warrior like Avalancheclaw to be more proud to finally have an apprentice, but he actually seemed a tad nervous himself when I caught a glimpse of his yellow eyes as he went back to his spot in the crowd while Ravenpaw remained at the tree, for now.
I brushed off the white tom's emotion-filled gaze and sat proudly, my claws unconsciously digging into the ground. I had specifically requested to mentor Darkkit a few sunrises ago, and reminded Flamestar again at dawn of today. For once, I actually felt quite excited, without having to be in the midst of battle or a kill. It was a strange feeling that filled my chest, swelling up like a bloated frog, but it felt so good. I was ready.
"Darkkit, from this moment on, your new name is Darkpaw, until you receive your warrior name, and I believe that the best mentor for you would be Dawnwing." At these words, my heart sank and all the excitement that had been building up inside shriveled up and died within an instant. Why her? Why Dawnwing? Why not me?! My claws dug deeper into the soft, forest soil to the point where it hurt, but I didn't care. My eyes burned the back of the golden she-cat's head as she gasped in surprise then happily made her way up to Darkpaw. They touched noses and accepted each other, but Darkpaw's eye caught mine. He was disappointed, too.
When Dawnwing returned to her spot beside me, now happily humming away and looking to the sky, obviously daydreaming, I gave her a disgusted side glance which she did not seem to notice. I had nothing against her really, but I couldn't help to admit, in some shape or form, that I was very envious of her at this moment in time.
Still, there was one kit left out of the bunch. Rustkit still eagerly swayed and bounced under the tree, looking at each available cat left for an apprentice - Fogpelt, Flamestar himself, and I. It obviously wasn't going to be her own father, so Tallbirch was out. That left only Swanfeather's mother and myself.
"Rustkit, you will be known as Rustpaw from this day forth, until you receive your warrior name, and I think that Dukfrost will be the perfect mentor for you," Flamestar called down. Rustpaw instantly jumped up into a standing position, her claws digging in the earth like mine, but from sheer joy. I guess she must have thought it extra cool that her kin would be training her.
Though anger still boiled inside me, I contained it for now and sheathed my claws, stalking proudly down through the of the parted sea of cats. Looking down into her green eyes, her happiness radiated from those leafy green pools. I held back a sigh and touched noses with her, accepting her as my first apprentice. When I dipped my head down, she more practically thrust her nose onto mine and let out a tiny squeak. She was way too excited for my liking...
But, I went along with it and, when finished, took my place back among the clan. While Flamestar finished up, spewing words of encouragement o how if MapleClan tried to attack us, we would be ready, I looked past heads of other cats at Specklewing whom sat in front of the nursery.
Her russet pelt looked ruffled and her green eyes tired, but shone with pride and love for her kits. Being a mother for the first time, to three kits, and one of them being the overly-energized Rustpaw no less, had really taken a toll on her. Now that they were apprentices, though, she could have a break.
I actually felt a little sorry for her, something I rarely felt, like pride in another or grief of any kind. I was ready to admit to anybody that I cared about my sister, and I would do anything to keep her safe. Specklewing and her kits were all I had left now after Mudtail killed our parents. Well, I had Sagepaw, too, but that was a different story.
As cats began to disperse to go back to grooming each other or lie lazily in the shade, the apprentices all went to their new mentors to see what they might have planned already.
Rustpaw bounded over to me happily, her excitement and joy not diminishing in the slightest. To be honest, she looked just like Specklewing when she had first become an apprentice, in physical appearance and in demeanor. "What are we gonna do first?" she squeaked, beaming up at me, her paws plucking the moss underfoot.
"Um, I suppose I can take you out into the forest, but first, I need to have a word with Flamestar. For now, while I'm doing that, you can go and clean out the elders' den as your first assignment. Just leave the soiled moss outside the den and I'll help you clean it up and get fresh moss while we're out, once I'm done speaking with Flamestar," I decided. Cleaning out the moss should take her the perfect amount of time. After all, Brightriver was the only elder the clan had at this point, the others all having died off and no other warriors yet old enough to join her. My talk shouldn't take long, either. So, all should work out perfectly.
Rustpaw didn't even seem to care about getting a job most other apprentices hated. She happily replied with "Okay," and then raced off to the rose tendril den, tail high in the air.
I rolled my eyes and caught Flamestar as he was making his way back to his den. "Flamestar, may I speak with you for a moment?" I inquired, always being polite towards my superior, even if I was unhappy.
"Yes? What is it?" he responded and proceeded to have a seat in the clearing, inviting me to sit as well, which I did.
"I thought I requested to be Darkpaw's mentor. Why is he with Dawnwing while I have Rustpaw?" My words must have given away a hint of my anger, as Flamestar sighed and shook his head, something he often did when others didn't seem to understand his point of view. I didn't.
"You did request that, yes, but I feel it better if he was with Dawnwing. I've watched you teach him things here at camp. You're a good mentor, especially for never having your own apprentice until now. However, you're too cold and serious. I know you have a strong bond with Darkpaw as well, which leads me to believe that Dawnwing would be better for him. She deserves another chance at teaching a young spirit after Pigeonpaw's death, and I feel that her bright attitude and loyalty will be perfect for passing down our ways to a new generation, or at least part of it," he explained and continued before I could interrupt. "Because I know how badly you wanted an apprentice, I gave you Rustpaw. I gave you her specifically because I thought her energy could be put to good use with you for hunting and combat training. I also hoped that she would help you to lighten up a bit. I understand the situation at paw with MapleClan, but you need to relax a little. Even when we're not on the possible verge of war, you're too uptight and serious. I did this because I thought it best for the both of you, for several reasons. I know you will train her well to be a great and honorable warrior. Her mind needs guidance. Now, is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"
For a moment, I simply stared at his trusting amber eyes and slightly graying muzzle. He'd seen so many moons as a warrior and a leader, so, even though I was still disapproving of his choice, I had to trust his judgement. he was still my superior, and far more experience than I. I shook my head, letting my blue gaze travel slowly to the moss patched dirt. "No, sir," I muttered.
Out of sight of my direct line of view, I saw him nod and then felt his tail rest lightly on my shoulder. "Good. I will be assessing your progress next moon. I expect great things from the both of you." With that final word, he padded into his den, under the Tree of Stars.
I kept my view on the ground and dug my claws into the earth once again. Now matter how he tried to explain his methods and reasoning, I just didn't understand. there was nothing I could do, though. It was out of my reach. Dawnwing was Darkpaw's mentor now, and I was Rustpaw's. All I could do was accept this and move on to teach her the ways of a true OakClan warrior, while somehow not getting her involved in my investigations, which was still going on half a moon later.
Shaking my head, I stood up and turned to glance over my shoulder at the elders' den. Birghtriver sat outside the den, watching Rustpaw drag out scraps of old moss with her tired but grateful, blue eyes. The gray she-cat was so frail at this point, her body nothing but skin and fur over a bony frame. But, she had been a valiant warrior back in the day, so it was good to see her happy. All great warriors deserved a break, just as I would when my time to join the elders came, long from now. I padded over to them, ready to help Rustpaw with her work and then take her out into the forest for the first time.
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Chapter 16
Rustpaw padded beside me, her short legs working double time to keep up with my long stride stride and fast pace as we went through the forest and her mouth shut with stunned awe at the world outside of camp. Undergrowth and the canopies above shielded us nicely from the harsh heat of the sun, but warmth still floated in the sticky green-leaf air. Ferns brushed our pelts, stealing little wisps of our scents as we went along; I would make Rustpaw lead us back by our scent trail later.
I kept my gaze fixed ahead but my ears and body alert. There wasn't a time when I had my guard down too much. The silence didn't last long before my apprentice started up with the questions and comments. "It sure is hot out. Where are we going anyway? Do you know how beautiful it is out here? What's that scent?"
I wanted to tell her to just be quiet, but something in me wouldn't allow myself to do so, especially not in a harsh tone of any sort. Maybe it was because she looked exactly like her mother. I simply had to remind myself that this was a normal thing for other cats - to be excited and happy when they were first made apprentices and were taken out of camp for the first time. I had to let it slide, this time.
I answered one of her questions calmly, letting the others hang in the air and fade away out of existence to be forgotten. "We're going to Bird Lake." With that, I was done listening to her babble on and ignored her, keeping her presence acknowledged enough that I didn't lose sight or sound of her. I wasn't about to let her wander off, but she stayed close anyway.
Soon enough, the brush slowly began to thin out, along with the trees which loomed overhead, and a small clearing appeared before us. In the middle of it was nestled a shimmering, clear water lake with lily pads decorating the water and rush and cattails adorning the banks. Large birds of various kinds floated or stood within in the lake, mostly swans and blue herons with a duck or goose here and there. The sun's rays shone on the rippling waters, making it seem as if the light itself was dancing among the birds and plants. It was almost blinding to look at in some places.
I glanced down at Rustpaw who had come to stop beside me at the clearing's edge. Her jaws and eyes were wide with awe and wonder at this spectacle of nature. It was left to the imagination what was going on through her mind.
I simply gave her a nudge with my paw then turned. "Come, we have moss to collect," I said rather bluntly as I padded away from her and over to a willow tree who's root housed an array of mosses. I had seen this place so many times that it longer interested me beyond that it was a good hunting ground and the best place to collect moss.
Rustpaw's hurried pawsteps followed after me and she was soon beside me again. "This place is amazing! It's so beautiful! Were you excited the first time you came here as an apprentice?" Her inquisitive gaze burned into my fur, as I did not feel like answering all the questions I knew were going to follow.
However, I sighed and sat down. "I'll tell you if you do your job," I replied with a bit of sternness to my voice. I could only play it nice for so long, even to my own kin. I had killed my brother, after all. But then again, he deserved it, and Rustpaw was only being curious. We were all curious at some point in our lives.
The russet she-cat quickly began to claw out patches of yellow-green moss at my words. Her chunks were ragged and lacked precision. They were sloppy and looked awful, like a squirrel had cut them out, something I would not allow for long.
"Stop. You're doing it all wrong. Be precise and let your claws flow through it like the pelt of an enemy." My words must have startled her, for she looked up at me with slight confusion and worry in her green eyes. I had to choose better wording, as I didn't want to hint at my biggest secret. "What I mean is, with everything you do, whether it be engaging in battle or simply cutting out patches of moss, you must be precise with your claws. Your paws must be steady and swift. If you fail to be this way, then you fail at your task." I then demonstrated what I meant, digging my claws into the moss and quickly slicing a neat, rounded edge, followed by two more before a nicely sized patch was freed. Holding it up with one claw afterwards, I watched her try to mimic my technique, but ultimately fail.
She tried several times, every time coming up with cuts as ragged and sloppy as the rest. Eventually, after several tries, she gave up and let out a snort of frustration. "I can't do this," she grumbled, looking up at me with upset eyes.
I rolled mine and showed her how to do it again. "Don't give up. If you give up with this, then what is stopping you from giving up in a fight? Do it again. You will keep doing it until I see improvement." I purposefully made sure my mew was firm and commanding. There was no way in StarClan I was going to let my apprentice be a weak quitter, no matter what the task.
With slight hesitation, she tried again, slicing her claws through the moss and getting yet another mess. "No hesitation. Never hesitate. Be swift and clean." She tried again, and again, she failed. Over and over she tried, and, eventually, her swipes began to get neater, little by little. There wasn't much moss left by the time I told her to stop, and we had more pieces than we would be able to carry back in our mouths. But, I had seen progress, so I was satisfied enough. "Alright, we're done for now. I'll answer three questions." I had promised, after all, and the honorable thing was to keep my word.
Rustpaw didn't really seem to be in the mood for questions anymore, but I saw that familiar light in her eyes when I had shown some satisfaction. With only three questions, though, she had to choose carefully and pondered them in her head for a little while before finally asking, "Why do I need to be so precise with just cutting moss?"
She didn't understand... "Because if you're not precise with the littlest things, then how can you be so when it really counts, like during battles?" I replied, choosing to answer with a question she would have this to think about later.
"Okay, why are you so obsessed with fighting?"
This one took me off guard for a brief moment, but I quickly denied the wavering flicker I was sure had crept into my eyes. "Because fighting is what I am best at, besides being intelligent. Battle is glorious and fills the participants with exhilarating adrenaline. It gives me a happiness I can't even describe when my claws sink into the pelts of enemies and their cries fill my ears like magnificent bird song!"
I noticed Rustpaw's eyes flicker with fear, and I realized how my voice had raised and that my claws were digging into the ground. With the realization of my mistake, I retracted my claws and took in a deep breath then slowly let it out. "Sorry. I just get excited sometimes. I'm not very good at hunting, so fighting gives me a thrill. You'll see once you've had your first taste of real combat," I told her calmly, but the fear didn't seem to disappear. I couldn't have her spreading word of this, not wanting to attract attention to myself, so I bent down and rasped my tongue over her russet colored head a few times. The first time, she flinched, but then seemed to relax a bit. "Don't worry. I would never dream of harming my kin."
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Chapter 17
Rustpaw's little red form relaxed against my chest, taking comfort in my words. "You're mean sometimes, but I know you wouldn't hurt me," she said quietly then pulled away, the brightness in her eyes returning as she looked up at me.
"Good," I responded with a curt nod. "As promised, you still have one question left. What will it be?" I asked, hoping it wasn't going to be anything stupid. But, then again, this was a young, inexperienced cat who would be asking me. It would probably be about something like what kinds of birds came to the lake often, or something of that nature.
I watched her think about it, but then her gaze began to slowly drift. Instead of looking at me or in my general direction, she began to look past my figure to something behind me. It was then that she asked, "Who is that?" in a tone that seemed naively confused.
Turning to see what she meant, I was met with the familiar, bulky form of Riptide strolling along the lake's shore directly in front of us. From our place in the treeline, he must not have been able to see us, but he was in OakClan territory and growing further from the edge. Judging by the look I glanced in his blue eyes and the movement of his tensed muscles under shaggy, blue fur, it was evident that he was hunting. He was hunting a duck on the shore, in our territory! Dishonorable! Anger bubbled inside me. How dare he do this? Well, I would just have to beat him out of the territory myself! Rustpaw was not equipped to handle such a situation yet, so I turned to her and gave her whispered instructions. "Follow our scent trail back to camp and tell Falconheart that MapleClan cats are hunting in our territory by Bird Lake. Don't argue, go!"
Rustpaw opened her jaws, but when I told her not to argue she closed them again, glanced back at Riptide, then nodded. The excitement in her eyes was no accompanied by a stone-cold seriousness. Even she, a young apprentice, knew that this was not something to take lightly. I had to admit that I was impressed when she ran off and disappeared back into the ferns and holly, but I had more pressing matters.
I crouched down by the willow, half hidden behind its trunk and low hanging leaves which swayed in the light breeze. My body was still visible enough to see from where he was if he looked, but he still didn't seem to notice me at all. Even if he was focused on hunting, a trained warrior like him should have still felt the presence of another cat near by. Unless he didn't care. that must be it. It was one thing to hunt on another clan's territory, but to do so in broad daylight without even looking at his surroundings... It had to be a challenge to OakClan.
All three clans shared territory around the lake. In fact, it was the only place where the territories met and was not separated by neutral ground. Riptide had to clearly know he was no longer in his own territory. His clan was challenging mine.
Thankfully, the breeze was in the favor of neither of us. Since he was between me and the shore, and the breeze blew down from the duck in front of him, and to my right, neither of us would be able to smell each other. My vision of him was still clear at this range, as he stalked the duck only a few fox-lengths away from me. It was hard to believe that he didn't know I was here, which only made it seem more like he did but didn't care at all. It only strengthened my theory. Pricking my ears and then swiveling them all around I heard no one else. I glanced up the shallow sloping bank to his territory, where the trees thinly spread into a line, like a single strand of spider's silk, before giving way to the rolling hills. With little brush, there wasn't much cover besides up in the trees themselves. But, from what I could make out, I saw no blurry shapes or colors anywhere that differed from the sparse ground coverage. He was most likely alone.
I took my chance and stepped out of the treeline and my cover, purposefully spooking the duck to watch it take off into the sky. "What do you think you are doing?" I growled, holding my head high and asserting myself.
The other tom sighed in exasperation then turned to me, irritation lurking in his eyes and soon dripping from his voice. "Hunting. What does it look like? Oh wait, I forgot that you can't see very well. My mistake," he replied, sneering at the end.
"I know you're not so mouse-brained as to be unaware you are hunting on OakClan territory. Get out of here before I make you regret ever stepping paw over the border." My claws slid out to further my threat, but he seemed to take it as a challenge to win, for he slid his claws out as well.
"I can do as I please." Riptide's shaggy fur began to lift, increasing his body in size, but that illusion never once scared me, and it never would. My lack of fear caused him to try harder to intimidate me, bushing out his blue fur as much as it would go and lying his already shredded ears flat against his skull. He bared his white teeth and let out a long hiss.
I copied him, fluffing out my fur and baring my fangs. "You will leave, now!" I was through with being polite, and I took a step forward. He had one more chance before I made the sand red with his blood and sent him screeching back to his clan with less ears than he came with.
"Make me! You can't do anything," he spat then let a menacing look creep into his hate-filled gaze. "Your clan is shameful, taking in rogues, who used to be kittypets no less! You deserve to be called a proper clan. I'll kill you just like I did your clan's no good apprentice after the Gathering. I'll take out all of you until only the two true clans remain here." With that, he ran and lunged at me, claws outstretched and ready to tear me apart.
I did not match him size, but I had better reflexes and speed. I narrowly dodged his attack and spun around, grabbing onto his shoulder with my jaws. My claws dug into his pelt and raked down his side and chest, but he countered by biting down as hard as he could onto my back and holding me with his own claws.
Two big toms who did not fear pain in battle tussled along the sand. I let my hind legs go limp, dragging him down on top of me with my dead weight. While he was on his side as he laid on me, I continued to hold on and then kicked at his other side, essentially curling my body around his belly and scraping my claws as best I could into his right side. However, in doing so and with his body now on mine, it was becoming increasingly hard to breathe. But, I got relief when he pushed himself up with my weight still hanging on him. I was able to take in quick breaths through my nose which was tickled by his long fur.
Riptide growled and began to shake violently, bucking and then rolling in a successful attempt to shake me off. I landed on my side in the sand, clumps of his fur still stuck in between my toes and teeth. Not even a moment later, a heavy weight landed on my exposed side and knocked the wind from my lungs. Then, stinging needles tore at my side until I retaliated and took a strong, blind swipe at him. I must have hit his face because he let off the attack and stumbled back a little to screech in pain.
He quickly shook his head and was about to lunge back at me, but I had already gotten up. Remembering something from a battle long ago, I swept my paw in the shore, sending a spray of white sand into my opponent's face and blinding him. He stumbled back more and shook his head and rubbed his paws over his eyes, frantically trying to restore vision. I took the opportunity and ran up to the treeline, but I wasn't going to run away. I just needed a little running start.
As fast as I could, I ran back down the beach towards him as he stood between me and the lake. using all of my strength, while he was still blind, I lunged and shoved him into the shallow waters. He landed with a large splash, sending a shower of water droplets and fowl into the sky.
He flailed, still trying to manage to regain his sight, but sand was not easy to free from the eyes, even with water. It took more time, which he did not have. I jumped in after him, the water lapping up to my shoulders, but still I managed to touch the bottom. Once I waded over to him, I jumped on him and put my full weight on his back and a paw on his head. Holding his head under the water, my chest filled with raging excitement. It seemed to tighten, yet I felt more free than I ever had. The only thing that compared was when I had rid the world of Mudtail, my bad-blooded brother. "And now, I will rid the world of you," I growled menacingly, malice and dark joy seeping into my words.
The tom thrashed and struggled, but with the lack of air and passing time, his attempts grew weaker and weaker until finally, all movement from him ceased. I chuckled and lifted my weight from his body then plunged my head under the water to grab him by the scruff of his neck and drag him to the very edge of the lake. He still did not move and his eyes were closed. Even his chest did not heave for air anymore. With his soaked fur plastered against his frame, he did not look as strong as he had been. In fact, lying here motionless in the water which turned light pink from his wounds, he looked exactly like the criminal he was.
I leaned down so my face was near his and found such odd pleasure from his open jaws and closed eyes, the water claiming half of his face. "This is what you get for killing Pigeonpaw and hunting in our territory. Dishonorable cats like you, cats with blood as rotten as carrion, don't deserve to walk this world. And don't forget, you were a rogue yourself once, too," I hissed quietly at him then sat up and gave my claws a quick stroke over his throat so it would appear he had died accidentally in battle.
I stood and padded out of the water then shook out my dark gray pelt. My icy gaze traveled along the shore over the patches of white sand now stained red with the blood of us both. Now on shore, I sat to wait for the patrol that Falconheart was supposed to send at Rustpaw's news. The scuffling had left the calm beach with scraped paw prints and areas of red, and the shimmering waters no birds and a tint of pink.
With the hot sun beating down on my fur, I began to bathe, rasping my tongue over my paw and ridding it of the clumps of blue-gray fur stuck between my toes. As they fell, my eyes followed them down to the blood at my feet. Our blood may both be the same shade of red, but mine is pure, unlike your tainted crimson, I thought.
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Chapter 18
Hurried pawsteps rushed towards me from the trees. The sun still beat down on my dark pelt, wearing me down a little extra after my battle. I looked up but saw no one coming from the direction of camp. swiveling my ear, I pinpointed the sound's location. A patrol of MapleClan cats rushed towards me, their eyes wide with shock and fur bristling in anger. Ignoring the scents marking the border, they came right up to me and Riptide's body then soon surrounded me.
I looked around at them all with a completely blank expression. I showed absolutely no emotion as they either hissed at me or tried to wake their friend, but he would not be waking up any time soon. One of the cats, the jet black tom that had been there to escort us to MapleClan camp to inform them of Brackenfall's death, snarled at me. He hadn't said a word then, but now he spat everything he had at me, his voice filled with anger and what i have come to distinguish in others as grief. "Did you do this? How could you? Why? He was my friend, you heartless monster!"
I didn't flinch as the black tom took a swipe at me and had to have Deadtail hold him back. "Don't, Nighthawk. It was an accident," the gray tabby told his clanmate with a firm yet soft tone. "Look at his neck - it's like any other fatal battle wound. It was an accident."
Nighthawk lowered his head in despair, shutting his eyes. Deadtail simply put a paw on his shoulder, unable to lie his tail on him like most cats because he had merely a gray stump left.
"What are you doing in our territory?" Falconheart's familiar deep voice chimed in front of me, making the MapleClan cats between us part. The ginger tom scanned everyone then went to Riptide's body. The patrol behind him - Rustpaw, Poppycloud, Swanfeather, and Fogpelt- gathered around me, whispering about the blood on the beach and the rival clan cats in the territory they should not be.
Rustpaw was instantly at my feet, gazing up at the paw I held to my mouth which held shining crimson. Why should I finish cleaning myself just because a rival patrol came when I knew my own clan patrol would arrive not long after?
The she-cat's gaze was unreadable, even for me, as she stared. After a long drawn out silence from her, she finally asked, "Why did you kill him?" her voice held only curiosity and a bit of sympathy.
"Because he was hunting in our territory. Even you know cats of other clans shouldn't hunt in another's territory. That's dishonorable. Besides, it was an accident. Death happens sometimes in heated battle," I explained coolly, not even remotely flinching at my own lie. Lying was never a problem.
"Oh..." Rustpaw's eyes dropped at the sand at my paws, but it, too, held carrion crimson. The sight of it didn't seem to bother her all that much. Perhaps it was the prospect that I had killed? Well, no apprentice of mine should have a problem killing, whether on purpose or on accident.
"It's merely a part of life. Without life, death cannot exist, and vise versa. You'll learn," I told her and placed my tail lightly on her shoulder. With that, she perked up a bit, probably thinking I was trying to make her feel better. But in reality, I was only making a promise.
Falconheart and the MapleClan cats argued for some time during all of this and after, but the opposing clan finally took their friend and left, but not without Nighthawk promising war for this 'crime.' The deputy and Swanfeather and Fogpelt followed behind them to the border, while Poppycloud stayed behind.
I noticed Deadtail cast a worried glance back in our direction. Cats should not worry so much on the dead and dwell on their deaths. It made them weak. I simply watched them leave until Poppycloud spoke from my other side. "You seem to have a knack for getting into fights," she commented, almost analyzing me with her amber eyes.
I simply gave her a shrug in response then shooed Rustpaw away to the others so we were alone for the time being. "Just lucky, I suppose."
"Yes, lucky..." The white and brown she-cat glanced down at my paws now that I had finally finished washing. "This is the fourth cat you've killed in battle, isn't it?" she inquired of me, her mew hinting at suspicion.
"Is it? I haven't kept count." I knew full well this was my fourth kill, at least as far as others knew. There was still the case of Mudtail, which the clan should never find out. A good bringer of justice and slayer of bad blood did not reveal their secrets, nor did they forget their head count.
"Well, the clan has. There was Wolfleap, Lilyfern, even Adderblaze. And, now, Riptide." Her amber eyes stared me down for a moment before blinking and looking off into the trees ahead. "Everyone knows you're one of the best fighters around the ear, but even someone as reckless as you shouldn't have that many kills under his claws, not on accident."
A sudden urge to sink my claws into her pelt pricked at my pads. My ears laid back slightly as i gazed at her. If she were to find out my biggest secret, then that would be it. The clan would never tolerate my actions, even if it was for their own good. They were all too stupid to see the good I was doing. They would banish me for sure, hindering my work. If I had to get rid of Poppycloud, I would.
The she-cat began to lightly chuckle then. "But, then again, you always were so cold and quick to fight. I guess you could make mistakes like that over and over, but it's still not a good thing. As suddenly as her laughing started, it stopped. "You really should be more careful, though. And start showing some emotion about it, too." With that, she padded off back towards the camp. At that time, Falconheart, Fogpelt, and Swanfeather returned, each giving me a glance, and then followed after her. Rustpaw took the rear with me.
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Chapter 19
"You're limping," Rustpaw's worried mew came from beside me. I looked down and saw that I indeed was, my left hind leg not wanting to support my weight with a large gash in it running adjacent to the ground.
I hadn't even noticed, but then again, I hardly ever noticed the pain after combat. I shrugged and continued following the patrol back to camp. "It's only a wound. It'll heal like all others do." Swanfeather looked back at me and said something, probably worrying about my wounds as well, but I tuned her and everyone else out. I didn't need their pity.
Back at camp, Flamestar called a meeting almost immediately after our return. I was made to watch from Whiteskull's den as she and Crowpaw worked to slather herb juices over my wounds and press cobwebs to the gash on my leg. I forced myself not to wince at the stinging pain, as I would not show signs of weakness such as that.
"A MapleClan warrior has been caught deliberately hunting on our territory. He was...taken care of, but unfortunately, it meant a trip to StarClan for him." Low volume gasps and whispers erupted from the small crowd of cats at the leader's words. With a flick of his tail, he silenced them, a solemn look in his eyes. "As much as we would hate it, war is upon us more than ever now and we must be prepared to fight. From the news I have gathered, it is very likely that MapleClan will invade either this dusk or next sunrise. Therefore, there will be no more patrols for the time being. We have plenty of prey, and I want every cat here in the camp, ready to defend at all costs."
Small screeches of protest echoed around camp. "But we can stop them before they get here!" "We're just going to let them come all the way to camp?" "Let's take the fight to them!"
"Enough!" Flamestar's gaze turned hard as his eyes swept the gathering, silencing them all. "The wisest decision is to remain here. If a patrol is caught by the whole of MapleClan out in the territory, it is easy to say that they will be easily outnumbered and wiped out. Here, we have the advantage of familiar ground. Right now, I want our new apprentices trained for combat. Training will be done here in camp or right outside the walls. There will also be two guards standing watch outside the walls at all times rather than one. Any questions?"
Whiteskull stepped forward beside me. "Duskfrost cannot train his apprentice with the condition he is in currently. he will have to be excuse-"
"I'll do it." Whiteskull looked back at me, her olive colored eyes shining with concern and irritation. I ignored it and looked up at Flamestar on his branch. "I'll rest after the war."
The older ginger tom studied me for a moment, most likely looking over the places on my pelt which now held herbs and cobwebs, along with my determined expression. He cast a glance at Whiteskull, who was, of course, disapproving, but then he nodded. "Train Rustpaw well," he said and turned back to the crowd to close the meeting.
Whiteskull huffed and stomped back into the medicine den, grumbling to herself. Crowpaw watched everything silently from behind me as he continued to apply herbs to a wound on my shoulder where Riptide had bitten me. Looking back, his face and eyes were devoid of emotion.
I decided that I had had enough plant juice smeared on my fur and got up then walked away, leaving Crowpaw with his black paw still in the air. As the meeting dispersed, I noticed Avalancheclaw still sitting in his spot, shuffling his paws nervously in the dirt. Why would he be anxious about a fight? He was like me when it came to battle, always confident and ready. Why choose now to be nervous?
Ravenpaw found his way over to him, looking anxious as well, but that was normal for him. He took after his careful, worrywart father. The little, black tom said something to him, and the white mentor shook his head in response, seeming even more unhappy. Ravenpaw was assigned to Avalancheclaw because of his confidence and the hope that some of it would rub off on the timid apprentice, but this...what was going on?
"Duskfrost! Hey, Duskfrost!" I blinked and looked down once I realized someone was calling my name. Darkpaw stood before me, looking confused and a little disappointed. "Did you even hear what I said?"
"No. Say it again," I replied, feeling no reason to really lie about it.
"I said that I've been practicing my battle training still, even though I'm Dawnwing's apprentice now. I'm still doing everything you showed me before, and I've almost got the move where you stand on your hind legs and slam your forepaws on the enemy down, too!" He now looked so proud of himself, puffing out his chest with his blue eye sparkling.
I shook my head. "Almost isn't good enough. We are going to engage in one of the largest battles in our clan's history very soon, and you need to be prepared. It's good that you are determined to practice still, but you have to get this right, now. I knew my tone came off as cold, and the little tom's disappointed gaze further proved it, but I did not have time to worry about his feelings. "When you've got it right, then I will be proud. Now, go. You have to train with Dawnwing, even if she isn't the best fighter..."
"Okay," Darkpaw meowed, his tail now drooping, but it perked up again not even a heartbeat later. "I'll get it and you'll be proud! You'll see!" With those final words, he raced off to find his mentor, and at that moment, Rustpaw came over to join me.
"I'm ready to train, if you can." Excitement characteristically bubbled up, but so did concern for me in her leafy eyes.
"I can. I always can," I responded and limped out of the entrance tunnel, flicking my tail tip for her to follow. I tried to force my leg to bare my body's weight, but it simply refused. Sighing in irritation, I led my apprentice a few fox-lengths from the camp wall. "Alright," I meowed, turning to the russet she-cat, "I want to see what you can do. I know you've observed Darkpaw and I when I would train him as a kit, so let's see what you've learned."
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Chapter 20
A loud yowl rang out over the silent, slumbering forest. Undoubtedly, it was Fogpelt. She and Avalancheclaw had been put on guard duty overnight. While the white tom sat in front of the entrance, the white and silver she-cat sat up high in a tree for a better view of the forest. With dawn's early light filtering into the forest came the sound of thundering pawsteps headed straight for camp.
I jumped from my nest, knowing exactly who it would be. MapleClan was finally launching their attack, right on our camp. As I padded past why fellow waking warriors, I heard Flamestar's demanding call outside the den. "All apprentices but Sagepaw to the elder's den. Warriors, out the entrance to defend!"
Poppycloud and Tallbirch raced passed me out of the den, quickly followed by Grassnose and Swanfeather. I trailed after them with Specklewing on my tail. "You shouldn't be fighting right now. You've only just gotten out of the nursery," I told her as we made our way to the entrance tunnel with the rest of the warriors.
"Well, you shouldn't be fighting either with the wounds you have. You're still limping for StarClan's sake, but I know you won't back down, so neither am I." With those words and a determined look in her green gaze, she bounded up ahead and got to the tunnel before me.
"Duskfrost!" I turned when I heard my name being called to find Darkpaw and Rustpaw running over to me from the elder's den. "Let us come and help you fight out there," Darkpaw insisted and was backed up by a quick nod from his sister.
"No, your orders are to stay and guard the elder's den. You both may have practiced moves I've shown you, but you're still too inexperienced. You'll only hinder us more than help out there. Flamestar ordered you stay here and watch Brightriver, so that's what you're going to do. Don't go against your leader's orders. Now, go back to Ravenpaw and do your duty." Glancing up, I caught Ravenpaw sitting in the entrance of the elder's den shuffling his paws nervously in the dirt with a look of what others call 'anxiety' in his green eyes.
I didn't wait for a response from the two young cats and ran up through the tunnel, the loud sound of screeches and battle cries already hitting my ears. Once I emerged, a scene of tumbling and brawling cats flooded my vision.
Falconheart was pinned to the ground with Frostcloud over him, but he batted her belly hard with his hind legs and knocked her off. Cinderstep and Fogpelt were teaming up on a calico she-cat I did not know the name of. Avalancheclaw soon caught my eye, sending a brown tabby tom already running, but when he turned to a light gray tabby she-cat, Hollystripe, the deputy of MapleClan, he hesitated. They stared at each other with uncertainty floating around in their eyes before both turned away to fight someone else.
I narrowed my eyes at the scene but didn't have any time for thinking about it as I was soon shoved to the ground by a heavy force. The breath left my lungs for a heartbeat, leaving me temporarily stunned with the feeling of sharp claws tearing at my side. A heartbeat later, the weight and painful sensation lifted and I was able to regain my thoughts and a breath. I looked over to see my rescuer was not one cat, but two. Speckelwing and Sagepaw worked together like the perfect synchronized team to bat and confuse Nighthawk, the tom who had threatened me only the sunrise before over Riptide's death.
I shoved the feeling of embarrassment down from having to be saved in combat and instead went after Amberpaw, leaving the two she-cats to take care of Nighthawk.
The little, golden tabby she-cat seemed ferocious right now, snarling and clawing at any OakClan cat that got too close, but she also appeared to be staying out of the main battle. It was likely that she had very little battle training, or was not all that good of a fighter despite her fiery attitude I'd observed before. Perfect.
I made my way swiftly through the throng of scrabbling felines and over to her, tackling the golden mass to the ground. I was easily twice her size, as she was still quite young, and pinned her to the ground. The look of terror on her face sent chills of delight up my spine while my claws dug into her forelegs' fur.
"It wasn't a wise decision to attack a clan at their camp like this. So dishonorable. Do you know what happens to cats who who can't uphold the warrior code with honor?" I asked with a menacing chuckle, flashing my fangs at her. Her terror only increased until it suddenly turned into relief. This confused me until I was knocked off my feet yet again, this time by Shrewstar.
"Don't you talk to my clan cats about honor!" he spat, his white and light gray patched fur spiking up and ital lashing. "You're the ones who have disgraced the name of clans by letting in outsiders like you did, and then killing two of my warriors!"
I pulled myself back to my feet, pain throbbing up my injured leg. Though I held it in the air, I ignored it, baring my teeth at the corrupt MapleClan leader. "I didn't kill Brackenfall, and I don't know who did, but killing Riptide was one of the best experiences of my life." My words slipped easily from my jaws, dark enjoyment present in every syllable. So what if I told him? Shrewstar wouldn't be around for long, no matter how many lives he had.
The furious tom launched at me, and I took him head on, forcing weight upon my injured leg and standing on my hind legs to meet him with tooth and claw. His body slammed into mine full force, and we both tumbled back and landed with me on the bottom. He scratched quickly at my muzzle, his angry blows surprisingly accurate and precise, but I batted at his belly, only able to really use one leg, however. With my forepaws, I grabbed onto his shoulders, digging my claws in as much as possible to keep a firm hold on his frame. His attack stuttered with the sudden pain I knew was shooting from the sites of my claws, and I took my opportunity.
Quickly, I shifted all of my weight to roll us both, ending with me now on top of him. Without thinking at all, I started landing blow after blow on his silver patched face, staining it with red. I was out to kill, I wanted his tainted blood to leave his body and be absorbed by the earth. However, that was not the case, for he gave a powerful kick to my hind legs, sending them flying out from under me so I fell right on top of him, my injured leg now twitching from agony, protesting that I stop everything to let it rest.
Shrewstar shoved me off then jumped right back on me, but this time, I was lying on my stomach with his claws in my back. The stinging sensation of thorns being raked down my pelt soon began to numb. With each hit, I felt it less and less, the pain going from almost unbearable to nothing at all. It hurt so much that my body simply decided not to care anymore. From this position, I could do nothing. Shrewstar was too heavy for me to lift my weight and his, not with my leg which didn't even want to move anymore. I was stuck.
I took every blow, unable to defend myself when a familiar tom's voice rang out above the already ear-shattering madness. "Get off of him!" An 'oof' soon followed with the attacks ceasing.
I pulled myself to my feet, the feeling of my own hot, sticky blood running down my dark gray fur. What I saw surprised me more than anything else ever could. Tumbling in the dirt and weeds was Shrewstar, and he was fighting his own warrior.
Deadtail batted at Shrewstar's muzzle, his gray tabby pelt not even ruffled. it was as if he had only just joined the battle. It wasn't long before more MapleClan cats entered from the bracken and merged with the battles, but they fought only their own. I recognized Waterpaw going after Amberpaw, and Cedarbreeze attacking Barkclaw, orange and brown rolling everywhere within the fray.
There were not many times in my life where I was confused about anything, but this sudden turn of events made my head spin. Or, perhaps, it was the lack of blood I was experiencing. Things began to spin and fade with the shrieking of cats fluctuating in audacity. My legs wobbled as darkness drifted in and out of my vision, the mass of cats becoming nothing but floating blobs until everything went dark and silent.
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Chapter 21
"Is he ever gonna wake up?" My head was pounding as I heard the faint voice. It sounded so far off, so sad in the distance. It felt like I was floating on nothing, like my body was suspended in nothingness. My fur brushed nothing, and everything was dark yet nonexistent. Was this death? but then why had I not been rewarded for my hard work by StarClan? Surely there was more to the great stars than this. Surely I deserved better for all the good I had done. What had even happened exactly?
I heard the voice again, this time a little clearer and closer. "Duskfrost, please wake up." Wake up... Those words echoed in my mind, echoed all around me, filling the dreaded silence of the nonexistent plain.
Slowly, the darkness around me began to leave, being ripped away by some unseen force and replaced with ever lightening gray until, finally, I cracked open an eye. White light flooded my vision for a moment then gradually ebbed away. Incredibly blurred colors filled my vision as I opened my other eye. I saw a black and white shape looming over me, then red, then gray. They seemed to be talking, saying something to each other and me, but my hearing faded in an out now, so I could only pick up and make out bits and pieces of what they were saying. "Blood...you...Darkpaw...death."
Those words pierced my heart. Had Darkpaw died? I remembered now, memories flooding back into my brain gave me motivation, which I used to will my screaming muscles into lashing out once, swiping my claws into the air at the shapes.
The battle, I had to fight. Shrewstar was attacking the camp with his warriors. Deadtail, Cedarbeeze, Waterpaw, why had they attacked their own clanmates? Screeching cats and wails of pain and desperation rang in my brain. I had to win!
My attack did not impact any of them, but they retreated, staying near to me but now just out of my reach. I blinked a few times, which was slowly returning my vision to normal, but before I could see enough to make out what the shapes actually were, the black and white one came back and touched me. Gentle pressure was applied to the leg I had swiped with, but undeniable pain shot through it, and I yanked away with a weak hiss.
"Duskfrost, calm down." The voice became clearer, now definitely coming from the black and white shape. It sounded familiar then it clicked. Whiteskull. Her firm mew put my body at ease, and I relaxed but continued to blink.
Eventually, I was able to see enough to realize it really was Whiteskull leaning over top of me, her olive eyes gazing down into my blue. "The battle..." I managed to choke out from a dry throat. "Shrewstar-"
The medicine cat placed a paw over my mouth to silence me. "It's over, Duskfrost," she told me, a grim tone lurking in her voice. "I'll tell you everything once you're more aware. Just rest for now."
*
When I awoke again, dawn light was filtering through the bramble den, the tang of herbs wafting up my nose. Burning pain stung my back and legs, while my muscles ached, screaming in protest at the slightest movement. My head laid comfortably in the moss and feather nest, but I had to get up. I realized that what I had experienced previously with Whiteskull was not a dream, so I had to be in the medicine den still. I don't remember ever leaving, but I also would not be confined to a nest. Gingerly, I placed a paw down in the soft bedding and tried raising my body, but I was stopped by intense pain and my leg completely giving out so the best I could do was lying with my head up.
"You shouldn't get up. Whiteskull says you need to rest," came a familiar voice from right beside me.
"Crowpaw will bring you some water. Don't worry. You don't have to get up," came another.
I blinked once and looked down at my belly where the voices had come from. There, curled up against me were Rustpaw and Darkpaw. They barely fit into the nest with me, both of them half-hanging out and resting on the floor. Darkpaw was alive! A wave of relief, I think it was, washed over me for a heartbeat, then vanished and was replaced by curiosity. "What are you two doing here?" I asked in a crackly voice. My throat felt so dry and raspy.
"We've been here ever since you came in, after the battle," Darkpaw explained. "You got hurt really bad, so we decided to keep you company and help you get better." he looked over at his sister who nodded her agreement, happiness shining in her bright green eyes, like always. Somehow, the sight was pleasant this time.
"Ah, so you're finally awake, it seems." Whiteskull padded over from the back of the den, stopping in front of my nest. "How do you feel?"
"Everything hurts," I replied honestly. Normally, I would not be one to admit my pain or weaknesses, but what I was experiencing now was undeniable. There was no way to ignore pain on this level. "I feel a little light headed, too," I added hesitantly.
The she-cat nodded, an understanding yet grim look in her eyes. "That's reasonable," she sighed and sat down, glancing down at the apprentices by me but then back at my face. "Don't worry, you'll be fine in time with some rest. I've sent Crowpaw to fetch some more water, too, so we can do something about that dry throat of yours. You sound terrible."
I nodded curtly which shot a quick jolt of agony down my neck and through my spine. I know I winced because sympathy crept into the old medicine cat's gaze. I ignored and tried to brush it off, curious about everything anyway. "So, what happened?"
Grave darkness overtook Whiteskull's eyes at my question. "During the battle, a small rebellion of MapleClan cats came and aided us in the battle. There were only four of them, but they helped out a lot from what I hear. Deadtail led them down from their camp. Apparently, he and the few others had refused to attack us with everyone else. After we won the battle with their help, he explained how Shrewstar had been acting more aggressively and erratic lately and feared for his health, both mental and physical. When Riptide died, that was the final straw and Shrewstar snapped, but he managed to convince a lot of the clan to attack us with him," she explained, all while looking above my head rather than directly at me, as if playing out the scenes in her own head as she imagined them. "Deadtail, Cedarbreeze, Waterpaw, and the deputy Hollystripe really helped us during that battle." She finally shifted her gaze down to me. "Not long before it was won, you passed out from the loss of blood. Cinderstep and I had to carry you back to my den after scrambling around for enough cobwebs to keep in what little blood you had left."
I took a moment to let everything sink in, to wrap my tired brain around it all. So I had lost my fight, but the clan ultimately won ours, with help from a few cats of the clan we were fighting against... I jerked my head up suddenly, causing another bolt of pain to shoot down my spine from my neck. I winced but tried really hard to ignore it. "But wait, I saw Hollystripe battling with MapleClan." I was sure of this, as I distinctly remembered her looking at Avalancheclaw and then turning away to fight someone else from our clan. Why had she done that...?
"Yes, she was fighting with them at first, but when Deadtail arrived with his little group, she had a change of heart and helped us instead. Now I hear that Shrewstar's going to be exiled from the clan. After their loss they realized what a mistake it was to attack us like they did, and for the reasons they did. Hollystripe is going to become leader soon, and probably make Deadtail her deputy. That's what I've been hearing, anyway."
"Deadtail will make a good deputy," I agreed, but my thoughts were so jumbled. He had fought us after the Gathering that night, but this time, he had helped us. His honor kept fluctuating, and I wasn't sure if he was bad-blooded or not. Shrewstar would most likely become a rogue and leave the clan's area entirely, so there was no point in trying to go after him, simply because I couldn't in this state. Even I had my limits, and I'd hit them, hard. Hollystripe, though, she had done some questionable things in the past and during that fight. I don't believe that she turned away from Avalancheclaw because she was having a change of heart, not when she went for another of our warriors instead. The evidence just did not fit together in her favor. I think she might have been my next target.
The medicine cat snapped me out of my thoughts with dark news. "Dawnwing and Fogpelt were killed in the battle. Falconheart was as well, along with several others from MapleClan." The black and white she-cat hung her head lower and shook it slowly. "So many unneccesarry deaths..."
"Yeah, I had to get a new mentor now," Darkpaw meowed, seeming sad but not as upset as others would have expected. "Poppycloud is going to train me now, but I told her that I'm staying here until you get better."
He said those words with such pride and softness coming into his eyes, but I slowly shook my head. "You can't do that. I'm happy you care," though I honestly didn't know how to feel about this, "but if you are able to train, then you should train. You too, Rustpaw," I added and shifted my tired but stern gaze to the little, red she-cat. "Go now and let me rest in peace."
Both cats wanted to protest, but upon looking at the firmness in my eyes, they stayed quiet and begrudgingly got up then walked out with their tails down. Simultaneously, they cast a glance back over their shoulders but continued on until out of sight around the den wall.
"I'm going to go and see what is taking Crowpaw so long with that water. i'll be back," Whiteskull sighed, seeming tired and rather annoyed. As she exited the den following behind the young siblings, her midnight tail tip twitching in irritation.
This left me alone, or so I thought. Upon scanning the nests, I saw a mass of white fur. The snowy lump moved up and down rhythmically and gradually rising and retracting. Tangled fur matted in small lumps from what I could tell while it slept across the other side of the den, a little nearer to the back. I knew instantly that it was Avalancheclaw. Narrowing my eyes, I remembered the look of nervousness on his face at the mention of going to war with MapleClan when Flamestar announced it the dusk before. Memories of him shuffling his paws in the dirt when he first got an apprentice, and then more recently how he had seemed to scared to fight Hollystripe during the major battle and so turned away.
All of this evidence came flooding into my mind and fell into place in such a way that all the pieces of this puzzle fit perfectly, so only one more piece remained. Given my chance to be alone with him once more, when I had my strength back, I would find out the truth of my suspicions.
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Chapter 22
Thunder rolled in the sky above, growling angrily at the land as lightning flashed in short intervals. The sound of the heavy rain falling, spraying the earth in an intense shower, seemed almost deafening, and almost drowned out the thunder itself as it also drowned the land. Cats scrambled about in the mud, gathering what materials they could to reinforce the dens and ensure all occupants were dry. Even the medicine cats were working busily to weave twigs and rose and bramble tendrils into their den.
Only two sunrises had passed since I found out what had happened during the short war between OakClan and MapleClan, and I was still confined to this nest of feathers and moss, not able to leave the medicine den. I knew I could if I wanted to, but Whiteskull was not having that, and Crowpaw seemed to be watching me almost constantly with an unreadable glare in his eyes. At least Avalancheclaw was still here, too. Apparently, he had broken his front leg in the battle somehow.
I stared out into the dark camp, seeing nothing but a waterfall of rain and soaked-to-the-bone shapes move frantically about. The gray atmosphere outside seemed to drain the color from everything, turning all the cats into dull, musty forms of themselves with their fur clinging tightly to their frames as a frightened kit would to its mother. The trees did nothing to protect them.
This had been going on almost nonstop ever since the day I woke up. The whether seemed so relentless, and the sun had not been seen in quite some time. The only way to tell it was night was when it got just a little bit darker. It was as if the sky itself was punishing us, the clans, for the war we had created. Even through tireless work the whole time, the dens were never fortified enough to stop the relentless rain from breaking in, so cats still worked.
A cold drop fell onto my nose from above. I swiped it away with a paw and glanced up only to have another drop descend from a protruding bramble and fall right between my eyes. I sighed and averted my eyes, not caring anymore. Water never bothered me before, and it didn't do so now. I didn't mind what was happening outside the den. It kept everyone else busy and left me with plenty of unbothered free time.
Over the course of my stay in the medicine den I contemplated more and more about what I had witnessed during the war, all the evidence that piled up and fit together. Over and over I ran it through my head, looking for flaws, but the only one I ever could find that mattered was that I wanted a confession.
Scanning the den, I found that both Whiteskull and Crowpaw were not in sight. They must have left when I wasn't paying attention to go and help others patch up holes in the other dens. Perfect. With no sign of anyone to be in my way, I hauled myself to my paws and shook out my fur. It felt so good to stand, though my legs were a bit stiff from lying around so much. Taking careful steps out of the nest to test my body's limits, I found that my injured leg had healed enough that I could allow some weight on it, however, I still had a slight limp when I tried to walk.
Pushing that weakness aside, I willed my stiff muscles to move and walk me over to the sleeping, white warrior near the back of the den. He had slept so much since he was in here, and he talked with Crowpaw a lot. It was apparent the two were getting closer and closer as friends, so I would have to be a little more careful this time around.
Sitting down next to his nest, I reached out a paw and gingerly prodded his shoulder, my dark paw melding with his long, white pelt. The warrior stirred and lifted his head then gave a groggy yawn. He had clearly been deep in blissful slumber, no doubt tuning out everything else around him. He slowly blinked dull, yellow eyes and looked up at me as I loomed over him. "Duskfrost? What is it?" he inquired, his voice still laden with sleep.
I watched him stretch his jaws wide in a yawn and blink a few times before I answered. "I wanted to ask you something, and I want the truth." I leaned closer, the healing wound on my back protesting, but I simply ignored it as the pain was not so great anymore. My eyes were almost at level with his when I whispered, "You're in love with Hollystripe, aren't you?"
At that moment the white warrior's eyes flew open with life and were now as big as moons, all feelings of exhaustion and sleep gone in less than a heartbeat. He flattened his ears against his head and shifted his gaze from place to place but never really leaving me while his paws shuffled in the moss bedding. "I-I, uh, I...I don't know what you're talking about."
The stammer in his voice was quite amusing. In fact, everything he did was, practically screaming with his body that my suspicions were truth. I chuckled lowly, sitting up right again and curling my tail neatly around my paws. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you're in a forbidden relationship. I understand things like this. You love her a lot, don't you?" I asked, making sure my voice was smooth and soft.
Avalanchclaw seemed to relax a little at the mention that I wouldn't tell, and he slowly nodded but looked down. Perhaps he was ashamed, or shy. "Yes," he murdered so quietly it was hard to hear over the roar of the rain and crashing thunder. "But it's so hard to see her when she's the deputy of the clan we were at war with." He let out a longing sigh.
I nodded to convey understanding. "Yes, that would be very hard indeed." My blue gaze shifted around the herb stores in the back of the den, so near to us. Then, they caught my eye. All this time of observing where they were kept from my nest, and there they were still, lying completely in the open for anyone to take. Whiteskull, sometimes you can be a scatterbrained.
I stood and slowly padded around the large tom, talking as I went. "I do hope that everything can work out for you." Closer and closer I got with each word until they were right there in front of me, glorious and shiny crimson red. My heart started to beat faster, excitement already welling up into my chest, building and growing rapidly.
"Yeah, thanks." I barely heard Avalancheclaw's reply as I unsheathed a claw and poked into one of the red orbs. This one little bead was all it would take. Slowly I turned around with my prize on my claw and faced the warrior's back.
"I know a way to make it easier, though," I meowed smoothly, my mew so creepily calm that it almost even scared me.
Avalancheclaw turned his head around to look at me. "Really? How-" I jumped on him and dug my claws into his shoulder, while keeping my other paw free to hold the berry. The bigger tom squirmed under me, but with a broken leg his chances of fighting me off were drastically reduced. Everything was going according to plan.
The warrior let out a yowl of agony as I pressed my paw as hard as I could on his leg bound in sticks and cobwebs, jamming it onto the bone. With his mouth open, I took my chance and shoved the berry into his mouth then used both paws to keep it shut. We struggled as he writhed under me and I tried desperately to keep him from spitting out his poison until the movement became that of seizing and he began to leak foam form his mouth.
I jumped off him and watched as he writhed in pain for a few moments then fall still, his sides no longer heaving for air. Dark pleasure coursed through my body as I stared down at the limp form. He was my third.
Bending over so my face was by his, I gazed into fading yellow eyes with a pang of joy then whispered in a grim but happy tone, "Don't worry. Hollystripe will be with you soon. You, and all the other cats with such bad blood."
With a small chuckle, I sat up again and placed a paw on his shaggy side then started shaking him and cried loudly, "Help! Whiteskull!"
It wasn't long before I heard her brush through the entrance of the den, then hurry over with a gasp. "What happened?" she asked urgently, and Crowpaw appeared beside her. The she-cat placed an ear to the warrior's side, searching for a heartbeat or breathing, but found nothing as her expression grew grave.
"I don't know. I was watching everyone outside when I heard Avalancheclaw start to choke. when I looked over, he was shaking badly and started spitting foam," I told her in the most convincingly scared tone I could muster. It seemed to work as she looked away from me and over at her herb stores.
"There's a deathberry missing... he must have eaten it," she said darkly and shook her head with her eyes closed. With her shoulders slumped and tail down, the medicine cat rose. "Come on, Crowpaw. We have to get him out of here and tell Flamestar that Avalancheclaw didn't want to be here anymore."
The black tom nodded and went around to the dead cat's tail and picked him up in his jaws. With Whiteskull's help, they slowly began to haul him out of the den and into the muddy, flooding camp, his legs dragging on the ground. But, before they could leave, Crowpaw cast an angry glance back at me, spite and hate burning green as if saying, "I know what you did."
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Chapter 23
Throughout the heavy rain, the clan sat in a circle of silence with their heads bowed. Though their fur plastered to their bodies and each cat was soaked to the very core, they still paid their respects to the fallen warrior. After a brief moment, in which I did not participate while using my injuries as excuse, the crowd dispersed and went back to working on the dens. I watched from my nest as Flamestar and, the new deputy, Poppycloud helped the single elder, Brightriver, carry Avalancheclaw's body out of camp to be buried.
If only they knew of the white warrior's crimes, then they wouldn't be so keen in treating him with respect such as this. I watched in silence while they left, a trail of lavender flowers falling on the ground behind, dotting the mud with specks of purple, until they were trampled and forgotten by busy clan cats.
I turned away, shifting positions in my nest so I faced the back of the den, my tail curled around my body. Now, I only had to rid MapleClan of Hollystripe. Bad blood clearly ran through her veins. If it hadn't, then she wouldn't have first aided her clan into attacking us right outside our walls, nor would she be involved in a forbidden relationship with Avalancheclaw. Cats who could not uphold honor or the warrior code in these ways did not deserve to live. They would only taint the pools of life by passing on their black blood to other generations.
I did not suspect the she-cat to be with kits yet, so I was fairly certain I did not need to worry about that as of now, especially since the she-cat would be stricken with grief at the knowledge of her mate from another clan being killed. Other cats were always like that. However, she would not yet know this information until it either spread through a Gathering - several more waning moonrises away - or I myself told her. I planned to tell her myself next dawn. I may have a limp among other injuries, but I was sure I could make it to the border, find her, then kill her while the grief took hold. There was no way in StarClan I would let her tainted blood infect future warriors, from my clan or hers.
I simply had to wait until sunrise before making my move. By now, I'd figured it all out. Every piece had fallen into place. They had to have been meeting in secret near the border almost every dawn, as the scents of the two were always fresh. I would always notice Avalancheclaw leaving by himself, claiming to go for walks in the early moments of the day. I'd noticed his unease when he'd gotten apprentice, and though I hadn't understood why then, I did now. An apprentice took time, and Ravenpaw would undoubtedly question where his mentor went came training time but he was absent. Brackenfall's murder was their doing as well. He must have caught them and they killed him to keep their secret. The white tuft of fur caught on that bramble thorn had to have been our warrior's, and I knew I faintly smelled another MapleClan cat on the body. The two were not only forbidden lovers, but they were killers. They killed Brackenfall in cold blood to hide their dirty secret from the clans.
Frostcloud had nothing to do with it like previously suspected. She was simply nothing more than a sorrowful she-cat who was left alone with the knowledge her mate was killed, but now how. Hollystripe and Avalancheclaw were fully to blame. They had to pay.
*
I awoke to dawn's light filtering in through the rose and bramble tendrils in thin, golden shafts. The rain had finally stopped sometime in the night and made way for breaking clouds and fresh sun beams. The musty smells of molding herbs and rain water wafted into my nose, mixing with the weaker tang of viable herbs.
My ear twitched at Whiteskull's irritated muttering, followed by Crowpaw's. "Even after all that work the water still got in! The tansy is completely ruined, and so is the burdock root!" "At least the little supply of catmint we have still usable."
I lifted my head and looked back at the two black shapes in the darkest part of the den, only eyes and Whiteskull's snowy patched head really standing out in the low light. "If I may interrupt," I meowed to which earned me their attention, "I think I'm ready to leave the medicine den now. I feel quite good, and my wounds no longer hurt."
Whiteskull shook her paw to rid her claw of the tansy leaf, I think it was, then padded over to me. A skeptical look shone in her olive eyes and she placed a paw on my back and pressed down. A sharp jolt ran through my spine almost and down through my legs and tail as well, but I gritted my teeth and did my best not flinch. "Doesn't hurt at all," I said through my fangs, trying so hard to ignore the pain like I'd done so many times before.
"Mh-hm," was the she-cat's reply and an unbelieving shake of her head. "I know it hurts like a badger bite right now, but I also know you want to get out of this den so badly. I can understand that. After all, you've been cooped up here for several sunrises now." She sighed and turned away, padding back to the back of the den and her damp herb stores. "Go ahead and get out of here, but take a couple poppy seeds before you do. They'll help with the pain."
I stood, my back screaming and legs stiff. My hind leg could support a little bit of my weight now, at least, thankfully. I gritted my teeth as I half-limped over to the medicine cat and took the two tiny, black seeds she offered me. Their taste was somewhat like that of grass, so not too bad I suppose. After crunching them, I nodded my thanks and hobbled out.
The first pawstep was met by cool water submerging my whole, dark paw. A large puddle had formed right outside the medicine den, as well as several others all throughout the camp. So much muddy water sat here that even the large patches of previously dry moss could not soak it all up, not even remotely.
I knew some cats would hate this, but I still never minded the water much. Plus, other than my paws, so far, the rest of my pelt was dry. The camp made sure of that when adding to the medicine den, but no job was perfect.
Wading into the puddle, I glanced around camp. All was quiet. it seemed everyone was still in their nests, dreaming of StarClan-knows-what. It wasn't surprising seeing as how the sun had only just begun to peek over the horizon, not even yet near viewing over the tree tops. I quickly but quietly made my way to the entrance tunnel and exited camp, careful not to splash in the puddles too much to alert others.
Surprisingly, there was no guard out on duty to watch the camp entrance. It was most likely due to the heavy rainfall still going on that dusk. I shook my head at the clan's incompetence - a little rain would not hurt a guard - then continued on my way through the wet forest.
Even though it was nearing leaf-fall, the rain seemed to have brought new life to the dying plants of the territory, and it was rather beautiful. Wilting ferns had perked up quite a bit, and holly leaves stretched out onto carved paths, either grabbing at my pelt or leaving their joyful tears among my fur.
Slick leaves made it a bit hard to walk, especially with my hind leg still acting more than I'd like, but I managed not to fall on my face like a mousebrain. Overhead, birds seemed to almost mock me, chatting about to themselves in loudly audible tones, but in a language I could not understand. They were probably making fun of me for sliding around on the slick surface in which I walked. I ignored them. I had a mission to complete, and I would not let some birds' mockery get in my way.
Once at my destination, I peered out through the holly bush leaves at my quarry. There, seated neatly but anxiously by the flowing river was the gray tabby I had been wanting to see for oh so long. She had her side to me but her head turned to face the river which ran on neutral ground, only fox-lengths from our territory's border. She was on the side nearest me, her shoulders tight with what I would guess to be worry for her forbidden mate.
I had a feeling she would be here now since Avalancheclaw always left the camp alone to go for walks in the early moments of dawn, almost every sunrise, and the scents had always been strongest here, too. It was a wonder no one else suspected their crime, actually. The evidence was so clearly presenting itself right now. Oh well, it was my duty to carry out this job anyway. Mine and mine alone, and no one else could interfere in my genius work.
I stepped out of the foliage, purposefully making them shake to cause the noise of rustling leaves and droplets of left over rain hitting the dead leaves. At this, the she-cat turned her head, meowing, "Oh, Avalancheclaw! I didn't think you were comin-" she cut off only to stare with wide, worried eyes when she realized I wasn't her preferred tom.
The relaxing of her shoulders at the thought of her mate released back into tensions and slight fear upon seeing me. As big as moons were her hazel eyes, and her claws sunk into the spongy earth.
I chuckled at her pathetic form, but made my laugh seem to have a more friendly bounce. "Don't worry, I'm not here to chase you away from the border or anything, Hollystripe," I meowed, my mew sounding genuine. I even faked the look in my icy eyes quite well as she gave no indication of knowing my true intentions. My expression did not betray me.
The MapleClan deputy relaxed her muscles just a bit, but the fear, and slight confusion, remained in her eyes. "Then...why are you here?" she asked hesitantly, glancing behind me to probably look for any other cats from a possible patrol.
She didn't correct me on her name, so I was fairly certain she had not yet claimed her nine lives, or her official title as 'Hollystar' for whatever reason. This only made my job easier.
I limped over closer to her as I spoke. "Because I have to tell you some bad news." She did not flinch or shy away when I came to her, forcing sadness and sympathy into my blue eyes. I came to sit down in front of her and looked down with a sad sigh. "Avalancheclaw was a good warrior, and a personal friend of mine," I lied in a quiet tone. "But," I looked up as she stared at me, her eyes swimming in worry. "I guess he couldn't handle the pain of his injuries, or the guilt of knowing he was betraying his clan to be with you." She opened her mouth, maybe to question how I knew of their relationship, but I quickly told her what I needed to to keep her mouth shut. "He ate a deathberry and killed himself."
The gray tabby she-cat's jaws remained open, no words able to come out. Her eyes stared widely at me until her voice cracked a little in her throat and she broke down right there, wailing in despair - that was my guess as to what it was anyway. Her shoulders sagged almost limply, and her head hung low to the ground, low wails and mournful moans croaking out of her mouth.
I scooted closer and laid my tail gingerly across her back. "I know it hurts," I meowed sympathetically, but let the malice return to my eyes and face. "But I know a way to make it all better so you won't hurt anymore." By the end of my sentence, a growl was rising in my throat. I was unable to keep it down any longer, the overwhelming feeling of wanting to rid her from this world. She started to look up but before she could utter a single word, I sunk my claws deep into her throat so only a quiet, chilling gurgle croaked out. I leaned in close to her ear, her eyes wide with pain of several different types, and I whispered, "I won't let you ever hurt again."
Next, I grabbed her scruff fur from the back of her neck in my teeth and hauled her the few fox-lengths to the full river while pushing through my body's screaming agony. The water before us rushed rapidly in brown torrent, the heavy rainfall filling it up to the brink and causing it so sweep away anything in its path. I threw her in. Within a heartbeat she was already a small, gray speck bobbing up and down, going under and resurfacing in the violent waters downstream.
Her body would end up in Bird Lake, but no one would be able to pinpoint her death back to me. There was no tracing it from her body alone. Going back to the spot where she sat, I sniffed the sodden grasses and detected no traces of tangy crimson. None had leaked onto the grass or leaves below. Satisfied, I nodded to myself and limped back to camp, the story of how I found her by the border and how I tried to chase her out before she accidentally fell into the river already on my mind.
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Chapter 24
As I entered camp with the rising sun's golden light flashing in my eyes, through the leaves above the sounds of urgent murmurs and the wail of a distressed she-cat hit my ears. Ducking my head into a patch of shade, I turned my attention to the medicine den where a crowd of clan cats gathered, all trying to peer inside the small entrance.
Narrowing my eyes with curiosity pricking my paws, I made my way over to the back of the crowd. "What's going on?" I asked the cat nearest to me, the one I considered my friend, Sagepaw.
The small tortoiseshell she-cat gazed up at my with sad, green eyes. Her gaze shifted to the ground for a moment and then back at up at me. "I'm sorry, Duskfrost. It's...Darkpaw is dead." Her voice came out soft and gentle, as if I was a kit being told in a best way possible that my littermate had died so I did not wail in grief. Her tail then came up to rest lightly on my back.
I stared at her, my eyes unblinking and seeing right past her. I didn't know what I felt in that moment, upon hearing those words. It was like all the emotion I had known was sucked out of my very being, but in a way that it left me hollow inside instead of like ice. A simple "Oh" void of feeling was all I could mutter. Then, I pushed my way through the gathering of cats, shouldering my way passed them all, effortlessly ignoring my leg.
In the den, my eyes were met with the sight of the little, dark gray tom who resembled me in so many ways lying on the ground with his rust-colored mother curled up around him and wailing into the otherwise still, damp air. Tallbirch sat beside them, his white and black head bowed and eyes shut while Ravenpaw and Rustpaw leaned into their father for comfort.
Behind them, Crowpaw sat at the very back of the den, shoulders slumped forward and head down, back facing everyone. Whiteskull sat by him and talked quietly into his ear. I was willing to bet that he was the cause of this, but, surprisingly, anger did not flare within my belly.
With uneven pawsteps I made my way over to the family of cats and stopped in front of Speckelwing, beside Tallbirch and their remaining kits. "What happened?" My question was curt and showed no sign of remorse or grief for the tragedy. I guessed this anyway as Tallbirch flashed me a glare of hatred. Speckelwing, however, looked up at me with sorrow-filled, leafy green eyes. "He..ate a de-deathberry," she choked.
My eyes widened. A deathberry? Confusion washed over my brain as I looked down at my sister and deceased kin. Sure enough, white foam ringed his dark mouth, the colors contrasting greatly. I shook my head slowly but then gradually let it become more vigorous until I stopped completely to stare at Speckelwing. "Impossible!" I exclaimed, my yowl echoing throughout the den and probably the whole camp. "I told him, all the kits, not to eat deathberries! I made sure they knew what they looked like and what they could do. There was no possible way he'd willingly eat a deathberry," I hissed, not believing the lies my sister had to be telling me.
Unlike most cats when I got angry, Speckelwing did not flinch. "That's what Crowpaw said happened. Darkpaw had a cold from the rain, so he came to get herbs for it and when Crowpaw turned away to get some, Darkpaw ate a deathberry. When he turned back around Darkpaw was already spitting foam and convulsing." Sorrow unlike any other cracked her mew every few words, and she could not hold her gaze to me even half way through, shutting her eyes and flinching, probably at the thought of her son dying such a horrible, painful death.
I felt my fur bristle and start to rise. I knew for a fact that Darkpaw wouldn't eat a deathberry willingly, especially not on his own like that. Something else happened. I turned my attention back to Crowpaw, still being consoled by Whiteskull. He did it. I knew he did, but I had to also know why. Then, my thoughts flashed back to the look he gave me only a dusk ago, that look of pure hatred and rage.
When I killed Avalancheclaw he gave me that look as they took his body from the den. Was this revenge? The two were rather close, I had noticed that much; they always were talking in the clearing and even sharing tongues on occasion. Did he do this just to spite me? My fur rose more until it stood fully on end and bushed out like a holly shrub at the beginning of newleaf.
"Duskfrost, calm down. You're going to hurt yourself if your claws go any deeper into the soil," came Speckelwing's mew. "I know it hurts, and you're mad at StarClan for not helping him, but hurting yourself by breaking a claw isn't going to help. Whiteskull just needs to toss those nasty things out. They're not even herbs."
I looked down at my forepaws, my claws completely vanishing into the earth below. I retracted them and forced my fur to lie flat again, giving my sister a curt nod. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry. I just-"
"I know. You were very close to Darkpaw. He really looked up to you and talked about you all the time and the training you gave him. You were a very good uncle to him," the red she-cat said softly, sadness still lacing her every word.
I nodded, even though that's not what I was thinking. While it was true that I was fond of the little tom, my heart only longed to rip into Crowpaw now and send his black fur in the air to be carried away on the wind or lie with the dead leaves on the forest floor. Of course, I could not tell this to my sister, or any of my kin.
"I'm going to go and take a nap and try to rest my leg," I told Specklewing and bent down to give her a swift lick on the head, something I had seen other cats do when one grieved heavily for a lost kit. I think it was supposed to be a promotion of comfort, though I saw no real use in it. A simply rasp of a tongue couldn't undo a death.
However, it did seem to help a bit as a glimmer of appreciation shone in her eyes and she uttered a whispered "Thank you." I gave another nod in return and did the same with Ravenpaw and Rustpaw, offering one soft lick to their black and russet heads before leaving the den entirely and limping to the warriors' den, abandoning my nest in the medicine den. No longer would I be staying there, I thought.
With a small grunt because of my leg, I curled up in my own nest, the moss slightly moist from the rainfall. Awkwardly my leg stuck out over the edge, but I didn't care. I rested my head on my forepaws and stared out the entrance, past some fern fronds that were once again lush with life, even though they too should be dying due to the oncoming leaf-fall.
Thoughts of how I would confront Crowpaw raced through my mind, but I forced them to slow so I could think more properly. I'd have to get him alone somehow, but outside the medicine den. There was no way anyone would believe that he would have eaten a deathberry. Even guilt alone wouldn't be a believable story. I'd have to get him out into the forest and find a dog, or fox den, or something. With my mind trying to work out a plan I eventually closed my eyes and drifted off into a dream-filled sleep, Crowpaw's impending cries of pain ringing deep within my ears and filling my heart with dark joy.
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Chapter 25
My eyes opened to the light of late sunhigh pouring into the den entrance and pooling right on my face, virtually blinding me. I let out a slight hiss of irritation and turned my head out of the rays then stretched my jaws in a wide yawn. I then noticed how my fur felt damp where it touched the nest and remembered how the moss was moist when I had first laid down in it. Just more irritation.
With a small grunt, I heaved my body out of the nest and into a sitting position on the ground then began to groom the moisture from my coat. The ideas of my plan were already flowing back into my mind like a river after rain, like the river Hollystripe went to.
As my tongue rasped through my dark fur, I heard Poppycloud outside, along with Cinderstep. They were talking about going on a border patrol, and at this, my ears pricked forward to better hear. A border patrol would be the perfect thing for me right now. Getting out of camp and scouting out potential herb spots would be very beneficial to my mission. I rose to my feet, forcing more weight onto my injured leg. It hurt, but it was healing quickly, or I was getting more used to the pain.
"If you're going on a border patrol, I'll join you," I meowed to the white and brown tabby she-cat as i exited the warriors' den. "I could use some more time out of camp, especially after what happened." With these words I masked my true intentions with fake sorrow, hiding the actual deep anger and burning pleasure I felt for my plans.
"Of course, we both could use this," Poppycloud meowed and dipped her head to show her condolences. "So, it will be Cinderstep, you, Sagepaw, and I. That seems like a sizable enough border patrol. Get Sagepaw and let's get going," she told the dusky, long legged tom.
Cinderstep nodded with a chuckle. "Easier said than done. she's great at her duties and training, but great StarClan can she sleep like a log." He padded away to apprentices' den and poked his head inside, raising his voice to stir his apprentice. After a moment, he backed out of the den and came back over to us, a sleepy Sagepaw with ruffled fur padding along groggily behind him.
"I can get Rustpaw as well," I offered, but the OakClan deputy shook her head. "Her brother just died, let's give her some time to rest and heal," she said with a gentle mew to which i could only nod, going with my superior's wishes.
"Alright, let's get going," Poppycloud meowed and led the way out of camp with us all in tow, myself at the back, as usual.
Sagepaw followed along beside me, and I couldn't help but feel ever-so-slight amusement upon looking at her messy form. "You really should groom that fur down. You look like a porcupine," I told her, though keeping the amusement from showing in my voice.
"You're as blunt as ever," the little she-cat replied, looking up at me as we walked. "I know you find this funny. Don't hide it." Her own amusement ripple in her voice.
A tiny sensation of shock ran through me at her accusation. She was correct, but how did she know how I felt? My shock must have shown on my face, for she giggled at me. "What?" I asked, irritation returning, now on the tip of my tongue to taint my mew.
"You're just really funny," Sagepaw replied, her green eyes shining. She turned her attention back to where she was walking then, but that joyful look never left her expression.
I rolled my eyes and turned back ahead as well, my mind temporarily off Crowpaw and now on Sagepaw. What about me was so funny? Why did I find her look amusing? What exactly did I feel in that instant towards her? My mind whirled, and I didn't like it, so I forced my thoughts back on track of the mission, though something still stirred deep within my chest as we walked.
Soon, we arrived at our destination, Bird Lake. The usually sparkling waters were now tinted a murky brown; I could tell even from the treeline, though it was still quite blurry. I also noticed a darker form along the bank of the lake, just inside our territory. From here, I had two guesses as to what it was - driftwood, or Hollystripe. It was only a tad darker than the tan-gray sand, so I was more sure it was the body of the MapleClan deputy to be leader.
It seemed Poppycloud and Cinderstep easily noticed the shape as well, for they went rushing towards it with urgency in every step. Sagepaw didn't follow immediately, possibly still slow from her previous sleep, but she went after them moments later, calling over her should for me to come, too.
I followed, as we all stopped around the figure. I was correct. Hollystripe lie half in the water, her pelt soaked and wound clearly visible. I stayed a few paces back, staring at her with nothing in my expression. I already knew how the others would take it, but I also knew they just simply didn't understand that what I had done was for the best of everyone.
Cinderstep bent down, his jaws agape in what was most likely astonishment. He gingerly prodded the light gray she-cat's stripped shoulder with a shadowy paw, but this only caused the fur in that area to be placed oddly in the air with the impression of his paw's shape. "What could have done this...?" he asked, clearly horrified.
"I don't know," Poppycloud meowed back in a quiet tone, her mind clearly trying to come up with an explaination. She began to analyze the situation carefully. it was easy to tell the concentration being put into these few heartbeats. "It was definitely a cat, a trained warrior no less. Nothing else could make marks on her throat like that."
Sagepaw stared down as the OakClan deputy talked, only traces of terror in her eyes. The rest of her expression, from her loose shoulders to otherwise hard gaze, suggested that she had seen death like this before, so much so that it didn't bother her like it did others. However, something clicked in her mind and she looked up suddenly, turning her head to face me. "hey, didn't you say that you were with Hollystripe earlier, before Darkpaw died? You said you found her in the territory and tried to chase her out, but she fell in the river, didn't you?" she inquired, tilting her multi-colored head to the side.
"Yes," I answered, not quite understanding what she was getting at. "She fell into the river when she tried to cross back to her side. The loose, wet ground gave way under her paws, and so she could only jump half way." Then it hit me like a twoleg monster as soon as I finished my statement. If she had fallen into the river and drowned then how did she get those claw markings on her throat?
All three cats had the same question and stared up at me now, Poppycloud's fur bristling. "You...killed her? I know she was a MapleClan cat, but to kill someone in such a brutal way... Why?" Her voice went from a confused mew to an angry hiss mid-way through. "You did it in cold blood..."
"No, you've got it all wrong," I told her firmly, standing my ground and puffing out my chest, holding my head high. "She was going to invade our territory so close to the border, so I chased her out. I don't know how she got those wounds. Maybe some other cat found her alive after the river took her and then did away with her. Maybe they thought they were putting her out of her misery or something. Any cat would be half-dead at the very least after being swept away and battered by the river when it rages like that."
She didn't seem to believe me, her white fur bristling more. The neat brown tabby stripes and specks along her pelt grow into a jagged pattern as her pelt fluffed up. She bared her fangs at me and unsheathed her claws. The usually collected she-cat now burst with rage towards me. "That didn't happen! I know it didn't. You killed her in cold blood. Why?" she demanded in a harsh, angry snarl. However, dear still swam in her amber orbs, hiding behind the fury.
I glanced from her to Cinderstep, who looked more terrified of me than anything. The gentle tom, however, bushed out his fur as well. It was clear he didn't want to believe that his clanmate had killed in cold blood, and he didn't want to fight me, but he would if he thought it the right thing to do.
I looked at him for no more than a heartbeat before I shifted my blue gaze over to Sagepaw. She looked more sad than anything as she looked up at me, her petite form loose and slumped forward with her shoulders, head low. I think she was ashamed of me.
Finally, I looked back at my deputy, taking no more than a couple heartbeats to analyze my clanmates' emotions. Poppycloud took a step forward, eyes burning. "Answer me!"
"I killed her because she was in a forbidden relationship with Avalancheclaw," I meowed, giving way to demands. After all, she was my superior, and even in this time I had to respect that. Though, I did not back down. "They secretly met almost every dawn, before sunrise, by the river. If they were allowed to have kits then the clans would be thrown into chaos. They had bad blood in them, so I did what was right. It needed to be done, and it was my duty to carry out the act."
The she-cat looked dumbfounded, her expression of rage turning into pure confusion, but only for a moment before returning back to her previous state. "Did what was right? Did what was right! Killing a cat in cold blood like that, in such a way, is never right! You killed Avalancheclaw, too. How is that right?" she demanded, taking another step forward, tail lashing in the air, brushing marks into the sand.
"I told you, they had bad blood," I replied, keeping my ground, but something in me was wavering. I could feel it. "StarClan gave me a job to protect the clans, all of them, by ridding the world of cats whose blood is tainted. They were infected by evil and would soon have spread chaos had I not dealt with them."
"StarClan? StarClan would never allow such a thing to happen, giving you a 'job' to kill cats like this! You're crazy!"
"It's true!" At this point, I was starting to lose my temper, but I knew I could not fight Poppycloud right here. Cinderstep would no doubt come to her aid, and maybe even Sagepaw. I was too outnumbered. "When I was a kit, I always noticed how cats acted. I knew what they were hiding something, or when they would show signs of evil in them. I was always right. Always. I knew it had to be a gift from StarClan to show me who's blood was tainted so I could get rid of them before they ruined the clans. I only regret that I was sometimes too late." My thoughts flashed back to the memory of catching Mudtail with our parents' blood on his paws. I had been too late to save them then.
"Alright, if StarClan really did send you this 'gift' then let them show me a sign right here and now!" Poppycloud yowled and raised her head to the partly clouded, blue sky. One heartbeat, nothing happened. Two heartbeats, nothing happened. Three heartbeats, nothing happened. She lowered her gaze back to me and hissed. "See? Nothing! Nothing hap-" A loud boom, like the crackle of thunder but many times worse rang out suddenly, echoing panic into the trees.
Poppycloud and Cinderstep jumped, and even I flinched, caught off guard. Sagepaw, however, fell to the ground, blood slowly starting to pool around her body as we all, even myself, looked on in either horror or surprise.
"Sagepaw..." Poppycloud's voice trembled in fear a she looked upon her now lifeless body.
Cinderstep ran to his apprentice's side and crouched before her, though there was nothing he could do. He looked up, noticing a twoleg with a stick on the hill of MapleClan, just beyond the treeline. He was facing this way. "StarClan sent a twoleg to show us..." he murmured, his whole body shaking.
"They showed us..." Poppycloud looked back upon me, pure fear in her amber eyes. "You have done some very bad things, and now Sagepaw, too, is dead because of you..."
My heart started to race, beating quickly within my chest, pounding hard against my ribs. Surprisingly, my mind was, however, clear. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I turned quickly on my paws and ran back to the treeline, rushing in between ferns and bracken. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, coursing through my body, and spared me the pain of my leg. I realized it didn't hurt as I ran, but this was only a tiny thought in my head. Behind me, I heard distant pawsteps thundering after me, only one set. My guess was it was Poppycloud.
I knew I had to run, to get away from the clan entirely. I knew for a fact that my time in this territory was over. Mousebrained Poppycloud! She was too observant for her own good! She ruined my mission, everything I've worked hard to achieve, all because she didn't understand the good that I was doing. Mousedung!
As I ran and my heart thudded, a tight feeling nagged at my stomach. I wasn't scared, but something told me that before I left the clan, I had to do something in camp first. I veered in direction, heading now towards camp instead of out of the territory. Rapidly, my paw carried me to the rose wall nature had carefully weaved with the aid of cats. I ducked inside the tunnel, knowing I didn't have much time. I headed straight for the warriors' den, where I knew she would be. Sure enough, as I burst through the den's entrance, Specklewing lie curled up in her nest, still moaning softly in mourning of her lost son.
Knowing my time was ever dwindling, I followed that nagging feeling in my stomach to her and prodded her urgently with a paw. "Specklewing," I hissed quietly, quickly glancing around to make sure no one else was in the den.
The red tabby lifted her head and looked up at me, her eyes still filled with sadness but also slight concern. "Duskfrost? What is it?" she asked, her concern growing.
"I don't have much time, so I'll get right to the point. Mudtail killed our parents. He was evil, and so I'm the one who killed him. I also killed Avalancheclaw and Hollystripe. They were all filled with bad blood. I had to do it to save the clans, but now Sagepaw is dead, too... Poppycloud is after me, and so I have to leave the clans forever and go far away. StarClan sent me to live here from birth to do my job, but Poppycloud ruined everything. Keep an eye on Crowpaw, he's tainted with evil, too. I have to go now. Take care of your kits, my dear sister." My words tumbled from my mouth like an avalanche of falling rock, and hit Specklewing hard, and I knew her brain would need time to process it all. I, however, could not stay that long. And so, I gave her a swift lick on the head, knowing this would be the last time I ever saw my sister again, the one I trusted more than any other cat, the one who knew me best, the one who I cared for most who was still alive. Sagepaw...why did you die?
I pushed all other thoughts from my head and rushed out of the den, nearly running over Rustpaw, but I didn't look back. In the middle of camp I stood as Poppycloud's pawsteps raced down the entrance tunnel. Adrenaline still drove me, but with my only way out, I would have to improvise a new way.
I knew cats were standing around me, onlooking in bizarre wonder, but I simply ignored their presence. As long as they didn't come after me as well, they were no concern of mine. With the sun's rays burning my pelt, I barreled towards the newly enforced, rose wall, bracing myself for the thorny impact.
Tendrils caught my legs and wrapped my neck, but with sheer force and strength, and the numbing aid of my adrenaline, I broke through and continued to run, jagged thorns jammed into my pelt and skin. Behind me, I heard Poppycloud's yowls as she told the clan of what I had done and to help chase me down. I never looked back as a stampede of cats chased my tail.
I ran and ran until I was long past the OakClan border, long past the land I knew, long past the sound of the perusing clan. I collapsed in a field of tall, browning stalks lined in perfect rows of which I had never seen before. My chest heaved for air, screaming and burning in horrible agony, thorns piercing so deep they could have reached my heart. As I gazed up at the darkening sky between the slowly waving, thick stalks, I couldn't help but feel defeated at never completing my duty of getting rid of Crowpaw. Then, everything gradually went black.
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Thanks.