The Dreadful Betrayal
Chapter 1
Twisted and Lonely
By Doveheart
Twisted like a vine, that is what I am. I stay in the darkness and try to straiten out, but I give into my instincts eventually. I'm even twisted enough to admit it. As I sit in this lonely cave, I wonder what would have happened. A few clouds scatter over head and I move deeper into my pit of shame that I call my cave. This is what I am; a twisted vine that tries's to choke the others around me. A terribly twisted vine.
As an apprentice, the elders tell us about a dreadful cat. They called him at first Skytail, but as a nickname to scare the kits they called him Deathstalker. My sister Mystpaw doesn't know about Deathstalker, she was never around to hear about him. I keep her near me just in case, TwilightClan can't afford another apprentice to be taken the elders tell me. "What Deathstalker did was too great for Pearlstar to forgive." Wolfrasp tells me. The new apprentices ask what he did, even though they know the answer from being in the nursery; but it was usually milder than what he really did. "You see, he would take a cat that was usually alone and vulnerable. Then he would take it to his fortress. There he would decide your fear, if you where afraid to drown he would dunk your head, if you where afraid of heights he would push you off a cliff, you
get my point." But I did not get the point, why would a great warrior do such a thing?
Woodpaw has always protected me like a helpless kit, even though I'm an apprentice! I just don't get why brothers do that. Well, Im going to show him! I'm going to the Forbidden Cave, where even the mighty Pearlstar says no one can go. I'll show them that I can take care of myself and that the forbidden cave is nothing to be afraid of. But as I step up to the black pit of doom, I stand corrected. The very image is frightening! Not even an owl could see through the darkness, it has the smell of terrible crow-food coming from its depths, and it's terribly frightening. I remind myself that these are the reasons why they want to protect me so badly! I take in a deep breath and plunge myself into the darkness!
With the pitter patter of paw steps, my ears prick up. Pearlstar hasn't been foolish to send an apprentice here? I get scared and excited at the thought. My head turns and I run deeper into the cave, hoping the feet get scared and turn back; at the same time I hope they get braver. I've been sitting here like a lonely elder for quite some time now, I've longed for company; even though loneliness is my punishment. In solitary, the only thing you have to fear is nothingness. It has been become my blood, my food and water, and more importantly, my sanctuary. Why do I long for it to leave? Blood pulses into my ears as I hit the end of the cave. I can hear the young apprentice come closer saying things to it's self, "This isn't so bad." and it came close, so close that it can now see me. It falls down almost at the sight of me, which I can understand. I haven't given myself a proper grooming since I was banished. I need to make it scared, so it will run and wont return. I bare my teeth and snarled, and growled. Happy to have company in such a long time. The little apprentice looks to have been an apprentice for about two moons; her pelt is a mixture of blue and white. In other words, her pelt is blue and she has white paws.
"Come on . . ." I think, "Please run, please stay!" At this point, I know that I have to make the cat run now. It doesn't look like I have to do much more, the poor thing is shaking from the inside out, her eyes are clouded with fear, but most of all, and she's turning the other way.
That cat's a savage! I stare at this beast like cat, he has blood and lumps of fur sticking out all over his body, I cant even tell what color is coat is or what it used to be, his blood red eyes look like they could burn a hole in me. Yet when he growled, there was something. Something terribly lonely and miserable, so sad that I couldn't touch it. I start to walk away; I can't get the picture of the cat's terrifying eyes. Yet as I turn my head and look back into them, I see that they are pouring with loneliness. "Has he lived his life in this cave?" I think, "All alone?" how could I just leave this cat here? He needs someone. Someone to talk to, to share there worries with, to cry there heart out with, to laugh with, to joke around with. "He needs me." I thought. Slowly, like im still deciding if what I'm doing is right, I turn around and start to walk back to the cat.
My legs are rooted to the spot like a tree. The cat was coming back! What could I do?! I desperately start to look around to find something to use. But I live in a cave! I tried to snarl and growl, but that just made the cat come faster! Finally, I gave in. I finally had company. Tears began to pour from my eyes I was so happy and so scared. What would happen if this cat got happened to? Pearlstar would kill me for sure, and I would let her. An idea hit me like a rock. I shouldn't think of this as a relapse, but as a chance to redeem myself! I could feel the tension pour from the small cats paw steps, I was about three times larger than her! Yet she kept coming, she looked up at me with those green eyes and said as calmly as she could in this state,
"Hi." I stared back at her and said,
"Hi." The small cat relaxed, tension leaving her body and she said,
"My name is Mystpaw, what's your name?" Name? Ahhh . . . RIGHT!
"I'm Skytail." Surprise flooded the young apprentice's eyes,
"Really? So you're a warrior? I thought you might have been a loner or rouge." I tried to clear my throat, I haven't talked this long in StarClan knows when!
"No. I am a warrior. But I was banned from my clan." I immediately wonder if it was a mistake saying that.
This cat was a warrior? Really? I stared at Skytail with shock.
"What did you do to get banned?" I asked, my eyes filling with curiosity. Skytail winced and I got the message that he didn't want to talk about it. "So, you've been living here all alone?" Misery clouded his eyes as he said
"Yes. It's been terribly lonely." I could only imagine. I take that back, I don't want to imagine. Living the majority of your life alone? At least I have Woodpaw and my mother and father. Having no one to talk to? I'd go insane!
"How have you done it?" I asked. Curiosity probably pouring out of my eyes.
"It's been hard." He said, "Especially the first few days. I wasn't used to being alone, I'd slash my claws on the wall over there," he said pointing his tail to thousands of scratch marks, like he was counting the days of how long he was here, "I did that to relive my stress and pain. I was always so alone. I finally got used to it; I found out that I had to be my own best friend. I had to be strong or else insane! So I learned to cope, I wont lie and say it was easy; because it wasn't. But I went on any way." Mystpaw stared up at him with awe. This is the strongest warrior she had ever seen! Both in mussel and in sprit. She'd like to see Lilyheart go one day being alone, let alone her whole life. This cat was incredible, almost her role model.
Skytail felt as if a giant weight was lifted off of him. Mystpaw listened to him; it almost looked like she cared about him.
"Mystpaw!" My eyes winded and my heart stopped. I knew that voice and so did Mystpaw, it was Pearlstar.
"Pearstar!" meowed Mystpaw. "Let me go get him! Then we c-" I threw my tail over her mouth and her attention was back on me.
"If you tell Pearlstar that you met me." He whispered, "She'll kill me!" The apprentice's eyes grew as wide as eagle's wings, but she nodded her head in agreement that she would not go get Pearlstar; nor tell her. "Good." I whispered, and I led her over to a wall that was covered with vines. I pushed them away to reveal a secret passageway out! "Don't tell anyone that you where here!" I tried not to hiss. She just stared up at me, with those big green understanding eyes and nodded.
"I'll come see you soon!" she whispered, and then dashed away.
"Mystpaw!" Pearlstar called again. Mystpaw raced towards her, at a 50 degree angle from The Forbidden Cave. Pearlstar's eyes grew wide with fear, "Did you go in there?!" I put my head down to think for a minute,
"No." I lied. I was lying to my leader! Pearlstar gave me a firm glare, but then gave in,
"All right." She sighed. "What where you doing out here?"
"Hunting prey." I answered swiftly. Lying gets easier after the first one, I wasn't proud of it though. Pearlstar gave me another firm glare, as if she was trying to see through my lie. She sighed and gave me a flick of her tail to follow her back to camp. "Why aren't we allowed in there?" I asked, hoping I wasn't being found out by saying this. Pearlstar gave me a fearsome look and almost growled,
"A very twisted cat lives there." No. No! NO! That's not it. He may be twisted, but he's so lonely.
So twisted and lonely.
END OF CHAPTER 1