Sweet dreaming

I stood before the weakened tom, my fur bristling with hatred. The temptation to unsheathe my claws and send this impudent wretch to his beloved Starclan was all too great. As I looked upon him, my eyes were cold and crisp like that of my fallen brothers. I could feel Willowshine watching me; I could feel Leafpool watching me. Kestrelpaw, Barkface, Flamepaw, Littlecloud. All of them, their eyes burning into my sodden pelt.

However, my eyes were only locked on the tom beneath my paws. Crippled, broken, and looking at me without the gift of sight. His blue ashen eyes stared at me blankly, fear showing in their depth, along with confusion and pain. How full of himself was he? How self-obsessed and narcissistic was this fool? I thought his preaching's of Starclan were quite the jest, then he came prancing along with that forsaken stick. Tribe cats? Tunnels? Everything has gone wrong since we moved to this lake, everything. Jayfeather by his lonesome was a mistake, this I could say freely. Leafpool surely didn't like him, Crowfeather couldn't find use of him, and Willowshine despised him. The other medicine cats couldn't stand this blundering idiot. Starclan, what of Starclan? For all I know they were all hallucinating on bad pond water. If I was about to do something against their will they could have stopped me. They should have stopped me.

The sound of pebbles being trod on brought my senses away from the tom. A soft and quiet voice spoke.

Please, he didn't mean harm by what he said.' Leafpool spoke in a broken tone, as if not all her will was there. Right, what was my excuse for the attack? Ah yes, Hawkfrost. The scrounge had spoken of him in ill will. His exact words;

'Your half bred brother is with the dark ones! Tigerclaw and the rest. He's ambitious and would do anything for power. Just like you.' Just like me huh. I never thought myself ambitious, the fool was probably babbling. Any who, this gave me a reason to set off against him. When I first jumped at him it had been a shock to all. Barkface spoke up muttering words of condolences.

'Young and foolish.' And, 'knows not of what he speaks.' This was all true, but I couldn't give a rat tail if he spoke wrong about Hawkfrost. After all, he was the reason I became medicine cat. My feelings towards my brother were my own; they had nothing to do with this attack. Jayfeather had simply smirked and looked up at me as he egged me on.

'You can't attack others at medicine meetings. Shove off before Starclan gets upset.' I had no intentions of shoving off. My paw had wiped viciously across his muzzle, drawing blood immediately. The crimson pooled and spilt from the deep cuts made by my claws. He had gasped in pain, and tore himself away from me. His tail bristled, and he growled low. During this entire ordeal no one had spoken out past Barkface.

'You can't draw blood at medicine cat meetings!' His voice has been shrill as he clenched the earth. I had glanced up at the sky where the moon shone brightly. According to his Starclan I could. At this point I could feel the fear coming off of him in waves, perhaps he had too, looked at the moon. When no protection from Starclan was visible, this might have frightened him more. I looked back at him with a sick smile on my maw.

'I don't see your dear Spottedleaf in any hurry to protect you.' I said coolly as the space between us was closed in a few quick strides.

'I-if I was in any real danger Spottedleaf would help me.' His voice was laced with the sweet fear I had wanted, although he had made an attempt at sounding certain.

'Oh of course, death isn't dangerous at all.'

'You don't have murderous intent. Or, or the sky would go dark.'

'Oh would it now?' I stood in front of him, looking at him with a blank expression.

'What makes you think they'd protect you?'

Never under estimate your opponent, even if they are blind. After taking this mental note his petite paw shot out, fast as a cobra strike, aimed at my head. I lowered myself quickly to the ground as his paw shot by where I had once stood tall. While his paw was still retracting I leaped over him and had dug my teeth into his neck from behind. I don't think I've ever heard a squeal that shrill, even from the kits in the Riverclan nursery.

I dragged him back, towards the moonpool while he squirmed in my grasp. I threw the tom forward, so his body splashed in the shallow water of the pool. Immediately he stood and stumbled out of it.

'What makes you think I don't have murderous intent?' I had questioned, and reclined on the smooth pebbles still warm from the heat of the day. Jayfeather stumbled around for a bit and blinked away the blood pooling around his eyes.

'All I did was comment on your brother.' He said weakly. 'That shouldn't have set you off.'

I smirked at this I did.

'Well since you're going to die anyway, why not enlighten you?' My eyes flickered back to the other medicine cats, still standing or sitting like stones with blank expressions.

'To be frank, I don't like you. To be exact, I hate you. I-'The tom had cut me off.

'I've never wronged you!' He protested and strode towards me, then leaped with, out stretched claws. Quickly I rose to my paws and side-stepped, then turned and raked my claws down his side rapidity making him yowl and squirm away.

'I was telling a story you runt!' I hissed. I hate bad manners. Absolutely hate it. Once more I grabbed the tom by the neck and tossed him.

'You don't deserve enlightenment.' I had scoffed, it was the truth. This runt would never be anything. He squirmed on the ground again, but had his attention on something else floating to his right.

'S-Spottedleaf!' He cried in relief. I couldn't see this Starclan warrior all of Thunderclan was so obsessed with. So I had focused on the tom's body language. A shutter passed down his spine.

'What do you mean Spottedleaf?' His voice had dropped an octave, and sounded beaten. Well yes, he had been beaten quite thoroughly, but I mean spiritually beaten.

'What of the stick? And the tribe cats! Surely I haven't completed my mission yet.' He mewed in such an awestruck tone I thought I would wretch. I let him continue his babbles for a good moment, then walked over and towered above him. His ears flicked to my approach and he rolled to give me a good rabbit kick in the face, however I'm much too fast for that lame attack. It leaves the cat's soft belly open, and if you dodge the kick it would be deadly in a clan battle.

After I dodged his kick by side stepping, I came up quick on his side and sunk my claws into his open belly, then drew them towards me. He gave a cry so full of pain a Shadowclan warrior might have felt pity for him, I however am not that soft with cats I intend to kill. This time I could hear the soft fall of paws running towards me. I took my claws out of the toms belly and back stepped, then spun to face the interloper. It was Kestrelpaw.

'Please! Please enough!' The molt grey apprentice begged.

'For Starclan's sake this is enough! We all know you despise him but please, don't do this. Starclan won't approve, they'll send a famine to our clans!" It didn't seem like the young tom cared much for Jayfeather, but the vain safety of his own clan.

'Kestrelpaw I will not stop.' I began, I wanted to make this quick, I could hear Jayfeather moving behind me as he gurgled.

'Nothing will happen to your clans, this is between me and Jayfeather. To add to this, look at the sky.' Obediently the apprentice looked up at the moon.

'Does it look like Starclan disapproves?' This question made the apprentice quiver and Barkface called him back.

'Kestrelpaw come back. These dealings are between those two. Let it be.' He spoke in a gruff and callous voice. Kestrelpaw's ears lowered and his tail drooped, then he returned to his mentor's side. Just in time too.

Whilst I had been talking to the apprentice, Jayfeather was gurgling away behind me. He had managed to stand and leaped at me clumsily while my back was turned. I sunk to the ground and ducked away from his amateur attack. He flew over my head and fell heavily to the ground a good few tail lengths in front of me. There he shuttered and convulsed, it was clear he could stand no more. Blood was draining from him freely and he rolled onto his back panting and gurgling. I strode over to him, and placed a paw on his neck. His eyes stared blankly up at me.

'Go on, do it.' He gurgled, his voice no more than a whisper. I smirked down at the tom, and then flicked my ears to another disturbance. This time it was Leafpool.

'Mothwing.' She said in a quiet voice. I rolled my eyes and sighed, keeping my paw firmly on the tom's torn neck.

'Leafpool don't. You know I'm going to kill him. He is slowly destroying the four clans. He's destroyed your reputation, him and his wretched siblings.

'But he's my kit Mothwing; I can't help but feel something for my own kin.' That made my blood boil.

'Leafpool, this wretch is nothing. Don't lower yourself by dare calling him kin. He's more kittypet than any other cat in the forest; he is self centered, and impudent. I'm not even going to start with that damned stick.' The smooth stick the idiot had trailed with him everywhere was still shining by the moonpool. Leafpool shuttered next to me and flattened her ears.

'Starc-'

'Starclan hasn't spoken. Starclan no longer cares for his life.' I interrupted her. Now she backed down, and looked at Jayfeather with cold eyes. He looked back at her, unseeing the pain in her clouded green eyes. She shook her head and walked back to the others.

'Then get on with it.' Her voice cracked.

Jayfeather flinched. Blood was still pouring from his opened throat, stomach and from the cut across his maw.

'It seems I'm no longer cared for in the four clans.' He said weakly in-between gurgles.

'How long did that take you to figure out?' Willowshine taunted from where she stood. I shot her a filthy look and bared my fangs. The tom beneath me closed his eyes.

'Then hurry up Mothwing. Let this be over so I can join Starclan.' I smirked and raised my paw to deliver the final blow.

'What makes you think your joining our ranks?' The voice almost made me convulse myself. I turned my head sharply in the same direction as Jayfeather, fear and shock running through him. His eyes locked on the same cat mine did. A grey and scruffy looking female, trudging along out of the moonpool and shaking her fur. A wave of shock passed through all the medicine cats, only the apprentices were looking puzzled. We all knew too well who this cat was.

'Y-Yellowfang?' The shocked mew came from Littlecloud. The grey female paused momentarily as though she wasn't in a hurry.

'Good evening Littlecloud.' She inclined her broad head.

'How's prey running?' The casual question made the others shutter.

'Just fine Yellowfang, as you must know. But- 'He looked ultimately confused.

'Well? Spit it out.'

'Why can we all see you? How can we all see you? W-why are you here?' His questions poured like water in a bubbling brook.

'I thought it would be obvious. I'm allowing you to all see me.' She snorted without amusement and trudged over to Jayfeather, glancing at me with deep amber eyes.

'This is probably a shock to you.' She muttered. Jayfeather gaped at her.

'It is! Yellowfang you've come to save me!' He cried. Yellowfang gave him a dirty look.

'That question wasn't directed to you Jayfeather. For Starclan's sake get over yourself, and no I haven't. You're still going to die.'

Jayfeather stopped talking.

'Then it was directed at me.' I more stated then questioned.

'Looks like nothing gets passed you.' I rolled my eyes to the old she-cats humour.

'I can't see those of Starclan. So yes, it is.' I fixed my footing on Jayfeather, and then looked back at Yellowfang.

'That's because you don't believe in the others. It must make the others I hunt with envious.' A smirk revealed her sharp and untidy teeth. Her ears slanted and she looked awkward.

'Mudfur sends his regards.'

'As I send mine.'

'Now that that's out of the way.' She looked relieved that the subject had passed so quickly.

'I'm here to watch the show, and make sure Jayfeather doesn't wander up to Starclan.'

'Doesn't?' That was Leafpool who spoke.

'We don't want him. We've never wanted him. He's a nuisance. Dealing with Hollyleaf is bad enough. After you finish him off, I'll see that his spirit doesn't pass.' Leafpool shifted uncomfortably to these words. I could already see the thought going through her head. Great, I breed fails.

'How do you intend to do that?' Barkface spoke up.

'Well you see I, oh just watch.' She got edgy, and then looked at me expectantly.

'Hurry up Mothwing we haven't all night.'

The fact that this medicine cat wanted me to kill him unnerved me a bit. However, it was the legendry Yellowfang. I looked back at Jayfeather who looked broken as ever. He now lay limp beneath me, blinking blankly into the darkness. I could feel his will to live slipping away. Now I felt pity for him, however it was too late for that. I just had to keep a hold on what an obnoxious twit he was. I recalled how he and his siblings had ruined Leafpool's reputation and my hatred returned.

I didn't bother making any dramatic last words, this wasn't an execution, and this was a murdering. I raised my paw quickly and slammed it down on the tom's throat, breaking his neck with contact. He went through a series of spasms and foamed at the mouth, then went completely limp apart from his nerves twitching. Yellowfang's eyes where a light with some unknown thrill when I turned to her.

'So why are you here exactly?' I asked in a flat tone, and then backed away from the body. Yellowfang had sat down during our conversations, but now stood. Her fur gleamed and began to speckle with star light.

'To finish what you cannot.' She spoke simply and locked her gaze on something I couldn't see. I looked back at the body of Jayfeather but nothing had changed. Then I heard a series of gasps.

'Jayfeather!'

'It's not possible!'

Yellowfang smirked then became nothing more than a miniature constellation at my side. I backed away from her, not enjoying her cool and calm aura. Then the collection of small stars sprung as something in front of me and there was a series of yowls and hisses, but the image of the old medicine cat was no more. At least in my eyes.

'Yellowfang don't! Please let me pass!' I could hear Jayfeather's far off ghost like voice and then a squeal. I looked at the other medicine cats, whose faces were all pale. I narrowed my eyes.

'What are you lot looking at?' Willowshine looked at me blankly.

'Yellowfang is killing Jayfeather's spirit.' She answered in an awestruck tone. I didn't think about that. To me, when something dies that's the end of it. I never thought that all the clans would still have to deal with him after death. That was a little selfish of me.

Willowshine smirked, and then tore her eyes from the invisible battle to look at me. She padded over to my side and cocked her head to her right. The hissing of Yellowfang continued, along with Jayfeather's pleads. Occasionally Willowshine would flick her ears to the sounds, or glance over at the empty space the other medicine cats were all so intent on. I watched my apprentice carefully, I thought she was going to say something, however it turned out she had no intentions of speaking. For a few moments she stood next to me, looking expectantly at me. Then her soft eyes rounded and she ran from my side, over to the moonpool. I turned to see what she was doing, and then glanced at Leafpool whom, for the first time all night looked utterly terrified.

'Yellowfang surely that's not humane!' She cried in horror and took a few steps towards the invisible battle. Littlecloud looked at her with a raised brow.

'Why Leafpool, I believe that's the point.'

I shook my head of that nonsense and looked back over at my apprentice. I gasped quietly at her in shock. The blundering imbusile had Jayfeather's accursed stick in her mouth, and was dragging it over to the other medicine cats. I sighed and flattened my ears.

'If you start pouring over that branch like that fool Jayfeather you'll be next.' I said in a hoarse voice. Willowshine looked at me in surprise.

'Of course not. I'm going to get Yellowfang to destroy it.' She answered in a mater-of-fact tone. A grudging growl came from behind me.

'Oh please, give that thing to a dog.' It was Yellowfang. I turned back and the she cat was visible once more, with a steady trail of crimson dripping from her maw, and her sharp talons were stained with star studded blood. I flicked my tail awkwardly.

'Well, have you accomplished what you set out to do?' I asked monotone. She looked at me and nodded.

'It's as Jayfeather never existed.'

'Oh wouldn't that be a dream come true?' I sighed dreamily at the thought. If Jayfeather had never been borne. Yellowfang strolled past me to the other medicine cats with a knowing smile.

'Well you never know.' Her voice was coy and very suspicious. With a sudden realization I looked at the moon again. My eyes locked on the pale crescent that hung in the sky while the others said there good byes.

'Send my wishes to Raggedstar!' Littlecloud piped up.

'As mine to Loudbelly.'

They continued their chatter, endlessly. I drowned out much of it as I looked at the moon in horror. Medicine cat meetings were not held on quarter moons. I could feel my blood run cold and I glanced away from the pale horror above me and at the grey she-cat. Her eyes locked on mine and shone with amusement.

'It's time to wake up Mothwing.' She said in a cheery voice which wasn't hers. I could feel myself go rigid and the scenery began to shroud in darkness, my vision becoming that of a tunnels as I looked at Yellowfang. Her amber eyes burning into mine as her words echoed for what seemed like a millennia. I couldn't feel my body, I couldn't feel anything but her words echoing around me with sick humour as they disoriented to Willowshine's voice. I cried out and shut my eyes, thrashing.

'Mothwing wake up!'

My eyes opened and I gave a start, jumping out of my bed of ferns and feathers. My fur stood on end as I looked at Willowshine, whom looked utterly confused. Her ears slanted and she cocked her head to the side. I could hear the distant sound of the river, and my clan mates going about their business.

'Are you alright Mothwing? You looked like you were having a fit.' Her sweet voice was full of worry. I shook my head and smiled bitterly to myself. It had been a dream then. I looked down at my paws for a moment while I reconnected with this world, then returned my gaze to my apprentice.

'Of course Willowshine. It was just sweet dreaming.' My tone was calm and collective. Willowshine looked confused.

'What did you dream about?'

'Maybe I'll tell you when you're older.' I responded with a smirk and turned to the entrance of my den. My clan awaited me, personal revenge could wait. Riverclan is my top priority now, not Jayfeather or Thunderclan. Maybe at the next moonpool meeting. One can only hope, right?