Dedicated to the Warrior Code
The cold rain seeped into Redtail's mud-splattered, russet fur. It chilled him to the bone, nearly, changing his foul mood nearly foul enough to match the gloomy grey sky. Quiet grey paws stepped along the sucking ground and Redtail froze, stilling his slowly twitching tail. His yellow eyes peered between the soggy leaves of the hawthorn bush he crouched behind as the grey she-cat stopped, emerald eyes glancing cautiously around. Redtail gritted his teeth, trying to keep as immobile as he possibly could, nose wrinkling at the potent reek of onion that permeated his own pelt.
"Tallow." she hissed faintly, "you can come out now. I've brought you something."
A cream-furred cat smelling strongly of onions crawled out of a hole in the ground. "Iceshade. Starclan, I thought you'd never come. Do you have it?"
"I have it. How have you been doing? Do you need anything? Is there enough prey down there in the tunnels for you, at least for now?"
"There's enough," purred the blue-eyed loner. "I'll survive, though it does get awfully chilly down there."
Iceshade's whiskers slid forward in amusement despite her obvious struggle. "I could always warm your nest for you. Stop trying to make me laugh, Tallow dear. I'm trying to keep this visit secret. Which it won't be if I burst into hysterical giggles."
"Oh, hush." the tom's eyes twinkled. "We should turn our attentions to the matter of what would happen to the kits first."
Iceshade turned serious. "Tallow, I really don't know what would happen. I would theoretically be able to raise them in the clan, yes, and it would be my business who the father was but... I think Redtail suspects something even now. And Rainfall would probably guess too, though I doubt that he would say anything. All the same though, he might. I have no idea what Redtail's reaction would be. He always seems so prickly and protective over Milkwind's kits, I think he might have his suspicions even there, and Milkwind has a mate."
"Didn't you say Milkwind's kits were nearly apprentices, and that Redtail has no reason to be suspicious there? Actually, haven't you mentioned there being some strange relationship dynamics between Redtail and Milkwind?"
Iceshade sighed. "Starclan. Redtail's had some strange problems turn up in his life. He and Milkwind were the closest of friends for the longest time, they were turning into a pair. Then something happened, and they were estranged. Later, Milkwind found a mate and had her kits with him and all of a sudden Redtail became so- so aggressive and protective of them. He might even kill a friend to save them, whatever he thinks that entails. Redtail is strange."
"Huh." Tallow glanced around nervously. "I heard something in the distance. I think the rest of your patrol may be looking for you, Iceshade. I should go." He nuzzled the she-cat affectionately before turning and clambering back into the tunnels. Redtail counted as Iceshade stood, thinking, gazing at where her lover had gone before turning away resolutely.
Five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. He should be far enough gone by now. Abruptly, Redtail sprang at Iceshade's retreating back silently, shoving her into the water-laden moss, muffling her yowl of fear. He plunged his teeth into the back of his clanmate's neck, aiming not to break the skin but to twist. With a faint click, her head turned to an unnatural angle and the screeching yowl stopped before more than half-stifled cries had escaped. Redtail, suffused with a dreadful frozen calm, dragged the limp body to the river, dumping it carefully into the current. With a reverent bow of the head, Redtail turned to head back to camp. He had murdered a clanmate. He had violated one of the most imperative parts of that code he held so dear to his heart. He had murdered a clanmate. Why? To protect the kits. The kits that would become so much, if they survived. The kits that would have to endure so much, should they live. The kits that would save so much, if they could only make it that far. Redtail lowered his head in grief for his clanmate and his own broken innocence, and retreated to the relative safety of camp.