This is a very dark one-shot I made about Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather. I am using cats from Erin Hunter's series Warriors, and I do not own any of these names whatsoever. Also, just a warning, there might be gore...
Never Enough
Hollyleaf stared down at the screeching cats and the flash of claws. Blood spattered the dusty stone ground, and tufts of fur were flying around in the air of the battle.
Hollyleaf's own clan, Thunderclan, was in the battle. A patrol of warriors consisting of Dustpelt, Brackenfur, Brightheart, Cloudtail, Cinderheart, Sandstorm, Hazeltail and Firestar was all involved with another warrior of Shadowclan. The Shadowclan cats were outnumbered, but fought fiercely. They attacked the Thunderclan cats with rage, and tried to hurt them, probably hoping to teach a lesson.
Hollyleaf shook her head of thoughts, and raced down into the middle of the fight. Firestar was wrestling with Russetfur, while Dustpelt and Cloudtail drove Rowanclaw back. Hollyleaf looked around for any cat in trouble, and spotted Brightheart being swiped at by Snaketail. Stupid Shadowclan!
As she went over to help the one-eyed she-cat, she thought of how annoyed she was with the Shadowclan warriors. They had attacked Thunderclan twice in the last two moons, always blaming them for stealing prey or moving boundary markers.
Now she leaped onto Snaketail, rage fueling her, and then through him away from Brightheart. She jumped froward, and pressed her claws onto his neck. She didn't press hard, but just enough for pressure. As the look of terror flooded into his eyes, Hollyleaf moved her head in closer and bared her teeth.
She then whispered menacingly, "run."
Snaketail yowled and sped off. The other Shadowclan warriors noticed his flee, and started to follow. They were also being beaten, and the Thunderclan warriors had gained the advantage.
They all fled, and Hollyleaf yowled at them as they disappeared out sight. Then she spun around quickly, and stalked off towards the clan camp, not bothering to check on anyone or help them.
She knew exactly what to do when she got back. The seconds she returned, she would start preparing for the next battle, and sharpening her skills in fighting.
And killing.
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Jayfeather dropped the mouthful of burdock root he had collected on the floor of the medicine cat den. He then started sorting through it, and placing each one neatly in the right shelf.
He moved his paw around to check if he missed any, then retreated out of here den into the warm sun. Around the clearing cats seemed to be tense, with a sense of anger in the air. It sounded like cats were all whispering to each other in little groups, and even the apprentices had quieted down.
Jayfeather stalked towards Firestar's den, and heard mixed voices speaking anxiously around it. He distinguished the mews of Dustpelt, Sandstorm, Longtail and Firestar.
Just as he was about to go over and ask what was wrong, he remembered the previous battle three nights before. Shadowclan had once again attacked Thunderclan with the false thought that they had been crossing borders. Oh Starclan, when will these cats learn to use their heads instead of their claws. All this useless fighting solves nothing...
Then he heard paw steps behind him, and smelt the scent of his littermates Hollyleaf, and the faint scent of forest plants. He followed her as she padded into the Warriors' den, not even noticing him.
"Hey! Remember me, you know, the blind medicine cat that shares blood with you?" He meowed indignantly as she sank into her nest. "Where have you been the last few days, I haven't seen you around or talked to you?"
There was a pause, then she replied quietly with, "busy."
He bristled at her elusive response. "Busy? What do you mean busy? You have the same life as any other warrior."
At this, she took offense, and leaped up to her own defence. "I don't need to tell you, you're just my blind brother who mixes herbs!"
Then he was pushed aside as Hollyleaf mumbled and raced out of the den. He prepared to follow her, but thought of something different. She probably has left camp. I'll follow her from the shadows, and find out where she's going or what she's doing. I'll get my answer one way or another.
So Jayfeather padded out of camp, and picked up Hollyleaf's trail. He followed it for a while, trying hard to be silent while ducking beneath branches and dodging the hanging ferns. At one point, he got too close, and could hear Hollyleaf just a few tail-lengths ahead of him. With fright, he slowly padded backwards and hid in the shadows cast by long fern leaves. That was close...
He heard Hollyleaf continue to move, and turn right or left every once and a while.
As she moved even farther, Jayfeather started to remember where he was, and what was ahead. With lots of horror, he realized that the Shadowclan border was a few Fox-lengths in front of him, and that Hollyleaf had already crossed it.
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Hollyleaf grumbled as she made her way into the Shadowclan camp. How dare stupid Jayfeather question me about my whereabouts! Why does he need to know what I'm doing. It doesn't matter though, it is for the better of the clan.
She slipped silently into the dip of the camp, and listened for any sounds. When all she heard was noisy snoring from the Warriors den, and the far off hoot of an owl, she continued her way down towards the middle of the clearing.
Hollyleaf felt the wet grass beneath paw, and shivered. How can Shadowclan cats stand to hunt in this awful condition!
She arrived at the clearing, and easily padded into the middle, watching on all sides the whole time. She had just felt like something was following her earlier, near the border, but then thought it was just prey or the wind rustling some leaves.
Now, she revised her plan as she stalked towards one den. In this den, she would do what needed to be done. The Shadowclan warriors had cost Thunderclan injuries, and annoyed them with battles for long enough.
So she slinked into the cozy feeling den, looking at all the bodies of resting cats around her.
Then she slid out her claws silently.
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Jayfeather gasped as Hollyleaf disappeared into the camp. He then started moving quicker, and crouched to the ground above the camp, in a grassy dip.
He padded closer when he didn't see a sign of Hollyleaf, and eventually came into the clearing, near a small den. What is she doing!
He listened silently with terror, as he noted Hollyleaf slide into a den. He raced over closer, and picked up a scent. That scent made him almost faint.
Hollyleaf had entered the nursery.
Jayfeather ignored noise as he plunged into the den, but realized he was too late.
The bloody body of tiny kit laid in front of him. The smell of blood, mixed with a fluffy, good smell of kit lay all around. Hollyleaf, no.
And Hollyleaf stood right beside the kit, with her claws fully out. Jayfeather smelt blood on them.
A scream sounded from behind Hollyleaf as Tawnypelt wailed over the dead body of the kit. "Flamekit! Oh Hollyleaf what have you done!"
The mewling of kits followed the screams of Tawnypelt.
Hollyleaf yelled out at Jayfeather, "Why did you follow me!"
Then he felt a body slam into him, and he tumbled out of the nursery with Hollyleaf pawing at him. She leaped off of him, and yelled at him once more.
"Why did not just leave me alone! You ruined everything-ruined the payback!"
He leapt to his paws, fed up with all the secrecy, and finally questioned her.
"I only followed you to see what you were doing. I thought it maybe something bad! Why in Starclan's name did you come murder a kit!"
"Because. Shadowclan had been terrorizing Thunderclan for the past moon. It is time for revenge. And what better way to achieve that than by causing them unbelievable pain!"
"So you were going to murder all the kits!" Jayfeather shouted.
"And Tawnypelt," Hollyleaf snarled.
After she said that, Jayfeather couldn't control his anger. With the agony of the news of a dead kit, and the craziness of his sister, he couldn't bear to keep quarrelling with her.
So he leaped out, claws outstretched, and collided into a jumble of fur.
Before he realized what he had done, Hollyleaf was on the ground, rolling, with blood pouring out of her neck.
"No-no! What have I done! Hollyleaf, I'm sorry!" Jayfeather spewed out the words, as blood spewed out of Hollyleaf.
With a gurgling noise shadowing it, Hollyleaf screamed once again.
But before she died, Jayfeather had to make sure why she did what she did.
"Hollyleaf, why did you not just battle it out with Shadowclan instead. Why must killing be in order?!"
She only replied in short sentences, still with the gurgling sound.
"Cause-Battle not enough-killing works. Fighting doesn't work! It-it never enough..."
So Jayfeather listened in sadness as she screamed once more, then everything went silent. As cats moved around him, and howls of distress arose, Jayfeather's thoughts whirled continuously.
Everything tuned out and silence came. Hollyleaf is dead. I murdered my sister, and now I won't see her again in life.
He could hear the shouts of cat questioning him, but all he could hear was his own thoughts.
Bearing the loss of his sister would be too hard. And the thoughts would trail him forever. There was only one thing left to do. One thing to make eveything calm, to get rid of his thoughts, and to change the life of himself, and every other cat of Thunderclan.
Everything went blurry, and Jayfeather's mind slowed as he made his decision.
Jayfeather raised his paw in silence.
Then he plunged his claws into his own throat...
