Challenge for FrostClan by Feather-Sorrow. Okay, so I'm on the iPad right now, and there's this thing called STUPID AUTOCORRECT THATS NOT AS HELPFUL AS IT SHOULD BE. There might be some parts that don't make any sense, especially because I'm writing and proof-reading (and I'm not even rereading everything...) this in the middle of the night and *yawn* so tired...Anyways, before I fall asleep, here's the story. P.S. This takes place in the old forest.
What is sadness? I had asked myself when I was only 5 young moons old. I had wondered that time, if I would ever feel it. If I would ever know what the strange word meant. Now as I looked back, wishing I could've stayed like that. So kittenishly innocent, thinking the worst thing in the world was not being able to reach the freshkill pile first in a race between my siblings. Innocent, like how I had protested my sister in a argument about how frog tasted better than toad. That maybe now, if I closed my eyes, trying really hard, that maybe, just maybe, I could return to the past. Change the past so that I wouldn't be stuck in this everlasting misery.
Happiness...That was a word of the past...It didn't exist in this cruel world anymore. No one used that saying, not any longer, no cat could find a sentence to fit it in. Every sound, syllable, or noise that escaped any cat's mouth now was filled with desperation to save the rest of the cats that lay on the ground, tattered and torn, bleeding their life out bit by bit. And when I looked at them? What did I feel, to see my mother and brother with them, some cats looking like they wished that they were dead so that they didn't have to suffer any longer? Regret, guilt, and that longing wish for another chance in life. This was my fault. Staring into those glassy orbs of those cats...Oh, what have I done?
The Clan didn't know, but I did. What truly had happened. It wasn't just a coincidence that we were starving in this particular leaf-bare, yet not the one before as much. Not a coincidence that our leader was deadly sick with green-cough on his last life along with another more than half of the Clan. Stupid me...Why had I been so blind? Too trusting, thinking I could believe in his tricky, twisted lies.
But still it was mostly me. What was I thinking? I was far too eager to dive into his open paws, the ones which whispered hushed words of how I was meant for him...Foolish me. But of course, I had always been like that, so naive. My eyes always open, wide, so easy to read. That was me. Curious, confused me. Swooned by his pretty little words. Him telling me I was so beautiful and me believing him. I had the usual black colored fur with ringlets of smoke gray and dark, azure eyes. Yes, that was me. Raindawn of ShadowClan.
It was sunrise in the camp and I was supposed to be asleep. But I couldn't. How could I, when I knew that some day within the next quarter moon, that I would become an apprentice? My fur was bristling with the thought and whenever I spoke, it was nearly not understandable with the thick layer of bubbling excitement. Both my litter-mates, Dawnkit and Shadekit, were already, somehow, asleep. I nudged Dawnkit awake, whispering in her silky ears to get up and play.
The "big" cats were awake, so why couldn't we be? My mother, Silverfoot, muttered for me to stay quiet in her affectionate way. I lowered my voice even below a whisper as I prodded Dawnkit again. She squirmed a bit before grouchily opening up one eye, wanting to shake off my pleas before closing her eye again. Refusing to be let down, I tried one more time, jabbing her lightly in the ribs. My sister sighed, knowing my consistency, but glared, playfully, at me as she stood up.
Suddenly, her eyes lighting up mischievously, she growled a few words, careful not to wake Silverfoot again, as she darted off outside for a race to the warrior's den. I opened up my jaws to protest her unfairness, but seeing her already running, I started after her as well. Maybe I wasn't as fast as those scrawny WindClan cats and nor did I want to be, but perhaps if I could at least outrun my own ShadowClan sister...With a burst of speed, I chased after Dawnkit's creamy tail, waving with the flag of victory. I pushed on, harder and harder, as I saw the warrior's den come into view. I was running side by side Dawnkit now, and I thought I could make it and win. But a heartbeat before I felt the warrior den's well-stitched wall on me, I heard Dawnkit crowing in joy. She'd beat me. Again.
Oh, but I knew I didn't have to worry. I would just have to wait for the perfect moment to beat her. It wouldn't be all that hard...Huffing indignantly at my litter-mate, I walked over to the freshkill pile, grabbed a frog, and pulled it over to Dawnkit. She blinked gratefully at me, the earlier win and lose already forgotten between this sisterly bond, before diving in eagerly, licking her jaws. I laughed, purring at her hungry bites, and joined in happily, wondering if life would always be so calm.
My tail lifted in excitement, curling against my back, as Scorchstar called together the Clan. My warrior's ceremony! Shadepaw walked proudly beside me. An empty spot lay on the other side of me...Dawnpaw's place...I struggled to look away from that place on my side. I tried to keep my spirits up as I stumbled in my even pace. Shadepaw glanced, concerned, over at me and I just gave him a quick smile.
A patrol sometime last moon had returned in wounds, dragging Dawnpaw's lifeless body, claiming that there had been two fierce badgers on the territory. Scorchstar had sent a patrol the next day and killed the two badgers whom had mauled Dawnpaw. I mourned for her for many sunrises before my mentor had chided me about becoming a warrior. This was my moment, I could just pretend she was beside me, and then maybe she would be here.
I could imagine it clearly, her blue eyes wide as she staring at Scorchstar, waiting for her promised name. Her pelt brushing close to my own, as I was able to feel her excitement and bubbling joy. Shadepaw had fell when he heard Dawnpaw's was dead. He had refused to do anything for nearly a moon. I had mourned, yes, but as my mentor, Brightstorm, explained how she had lost her brother in a battle once too. But instead of giving up on life, she had tried to cherish her memories with him and keep him happy in StarClan by becoming a well remembered and honored warrior of ShadowClan. I did to, kept up with my bubbly, optimistic, and energetic spirit. It had worked, here I was recieving my long awaited warrior's name.
By this time, Scorchstar had finished saying most of the ceremony's words, pausing on us two soon-to-not-be apprentices. Shadepaw replied fiercely, with a strong, I do. I repeated his same words, almost screaming them out in joy. I quickly shut my mouth, my fur prickling with embarrassment as I heard quiet chuckles from the Clan. New name...New name...
Everything was a swirl around me in the next moments...Scorchstar's mouth moving slowly...Shadeclaw...My brother...And me? I waited for his next words. He looked kindly down onto me, his amber eyes blinking once. Raindawn, after her beloved sister. My name...Dawnpaw and I...forever connected...through that one word. Raindawn.
"RAINDAAAAAAAWN!" I flattened my ears resentfully as a senior warrior, Sootthorn, yelled at me. "You were needed for dusk patrol! You were supposed to be in camp! You were supposed to have told someone if you left! It's already almost twilight! WHERE WERE YOU!?" That was my great welcome into camp by my great Clanmate. I blinked guilty my paws, before walking past her, mumbling a quick excuse about going to the dirt place, accidentally falling in a well-hidden ditch, and taking a while to get out again.
If it was anyone else, I might've had to come up with a better excuse, but not for Sootthorn. Apparently, the warrior believed it and just walked away, not having enough brains to question me any farther. Well, with that settled, I was safe. Especially with big-mouthed Sootthorn probably saying my excuse in her own words. She had some way of convincing others whatever she said was right. I was lucky that night, but I wasn't sure of the rest...
I didn't tell anybody, not even Shadeclaw, Silverfoot, or Pinemask, my father, where I had been that night. Told no one that I had been at the ThunderClan border, that I had pressed against his warm pelt like I had for the last two nights, that I had looked him directly in his comforting eyes and whispered his name, Emberfang, to myself slowly as. I went to sleep.
It had been almost five moons since my warrior's ceremony, eight since Dawnpaw's death, and two sunrises since happiness. Perhaps my last few days like that. But, of course, I didn't know at the time. So blind...confused...easy to trick...That was all he had saw in me. A chance to get information out of my babbling, open mouth. I hadn't known for the one moon I met up with him, that he had been secretly giving the information I told him to his own Clan leader, Foxstar. Information that I had wailed out about how Scorchstar might die because of his deadly case of green-cough. How the medicine cat, Aspenfur, was sick too, and her apprentice only half trained. How hungry we were this leaf-bare, the drought affecting our territory greatly, everything.
"Merr-!"
I lifted my head in confusion, to see the rest of the warriors doing so too. Blinking, I walked out of the den, three or four healthy warriors on my tail. So I hadn't imagined that short, loud scream. The first thing I noticed was that the camp guard, my father, was gone. I stared at the spot where he should've been. "Pinemask?" I called out quietly, hoping for an answer. When I got none, I padded out to the entrance and peered out, surprised as a sharp whiff of ThunderClan hit my nostrils. But then there was that one more...That familiar scent from ThunderClan...
Emberfang...
"WHAT!?" My reaction, as always, was screaming. "Nightwish, Nightwish, NIGHTWISH!" I screeched to my best friend. "Shadeclaw!" Every cat in camp looked at me and hurried over to the place I was standing. "THUNDERCLAAAAAN!" I shouted, alerting every cat. Immediately, diving in from the dark trees that surrounded the camp, ThunderClan cats poured in, hissing battle cries. My eyes widened in distraught as I realized they had nearly brought their entire Clan. How could we fight them? We were starving and some had green-cough!
His malicious green eyes...
Everything swirled around me as a ThunderClan warrior cannoned into me, sharp claws raking my ears. Snarling, I thrust my hind paws into his stomach and snapped at his paws. The tom growled at me, shaking his head to free himself of blood dripping down to his eyes. He lunged at me again, a low rumbling sound in his throat as he kicked mer across the camp. I struggled to stand and before. I managed to do so, another ThunderClan she-cat warrior attacked me.
His smug, conceited expression...
I let out a battle cry of anger and shoved her away roughly, but the warrior kept coming back, knocking me over, this time another warrior, the one from before, with her. "Time to die, kitty-paws." The tom hissed in my ears as his claws swung the air too close to my stomach, brushing my belly fur. I rolled onto my paws and faced the two of them with a determined face.
His blood stained paws...
Nightwish smashed into one of them, panting between heavy breaths. "Raindawn..." She croaked hoarsely. "...you...alright...?" I nodded hurriedly and ran to help Shadeclaw with the three cats he was facing. Hissing, I raked my claws against ones cheek and then another's back. They turned around angrily onto me as Shadeclaw slumped down onto the floor, weak from too much blood loss. I growled at them, knocking one off his paws, but a she-cat bowled me over, pinning me down.
His bared snarl, outstretched claws...
"ThunderClan, stop!" Their leader, Duskstar, called. I looked up in surprise. "Where is your cowering leader?'' He demanded silkily. The ShadowClan deputy weakly pointed his tail to the leaders den, unable to resist. "Well, get him out here!" Two cats exchanged quiet looks of nervousness before walking into the den to coat their sick leader out. Scorchstar stared silently up at Duskstar. "ThunderClan has been having more and more kits and in order to feed them all we need more territory." He continued. "Seeing that ShadowClan is too starved and sick to fight back, we will be taking the territory that we need And that is up to the Thunderpath, as my warriors have planned out."
I instantly knew what he was talking about. That large, noisy Thunderpath that spilt the territory into two. The old sparkle of pride swept the leader to his laws. He was obviously going to snarl out a no, when the deputy, Redfeather, whispered something to him. Scorchstar's shoulders sagged down as he looked around the camp, defeated. "On one condition." He said at last. "You and your warriors leave my cats in peace until the end of leaf-bare." Duskstar showed his teeth in his unfairly won victory as he nodded and lead his cats out of the camp.
"Raindawn..." Who said that? So familiar...Like, ghostly, hauntingly familiar. A familiar I wanted or not? "Raindawn..." That voice...Who could sound like that...? Like...Everyone I loved voices together. ''Raindawn..." Stop it! I couldn't stand to here that voice anymore, now mixed with more and more cats from ShadowClan. "Raindawn..." Why...? I had done this. Killed so many loyal ShadowClan cats just fighting for their Clan. Me!
"Um, I'm not so sure how to tell you this, but..." I looked around to see another acquaintance of mine, Oaksong, blinking awkwardly at me. "Aspenfur gave me a list of the most injured and dead cats and..." She trailed off again. Oh no. Please don't say... "Silverfoot is deadly wounded and Shadeclaw died from blood loss. I'm sorry, Raindawn." No. I refuse to believe that until I see for myself. Gritting my teeth, I pushed past Oaksong and beside the medicine cat den. And looking inside, how I wished I didn't...
I stared heartbrokenly into Shadeclaw's open dead eyes, Silverfoot's wounds whom spoke itself that there was no hope, Nightwish's half closed, bleeding eyes, and all the rest. All because of me. I had betrayed ShadowClan just like that. Emberfang...How could he...? Suddenly, I couldn't catch up with Brightstorm's advice anymore. To go on with life. To stay happy and cheerful. All these cats dead or near dead... Nightwish... Shadeclaw... Mother... Father... Sister... ShadowClan. That moment, everything fell, I couldn't keep up with this reality anymore. I crashed down onto my knees, crying tears of grief that no one could see.
Hey, that last sentence rhymed! Lol, so I'm done with a close 3,000 word long one shot. This is mine, as in Feather's challenge, for FrostClan-Sorrow (as stated before.) ;P I made ThunderClan the villain in this story because I see WAAAAAYYYYYYY too many stories with ThunderClan as the honorable, great, hero-like cats and ShadowClan as the evil, "I'm going to kill you" cats. So I'm switching it around!