[Shardclaw: A large tom, with a strong build. His fur is dark grey, with lighter grey speckles littered across his pelt. Across his chest and belly, the same light grey, except in streaks. His front right paw is completely black, and the color fades to grey as it traverses up his leg]
...
As his feet left the cold earth, and the air around him froze, regret welled up from the deepest pit in his heart. "Take me away..."
...
Shardclaw peered around the camp with a heavy weight upon his pelt. Shaking the snow from his body, he made his way over to a small group of warriors.
"Shardclaw! What do you need?" One asked quietly, inquisitively. The deputy rarely left the leader's side these days, with little explanation at that.
"Arrange a patrol along the Marsh border, would you? I've heard that their scent may have been detected in our territory, and I want it confirmed." The tom said, tail twitching as a blast of icy wind struck the side of his body. The cat in front of him nodded, hurrying off to fulfill the request.
Shardclaw turned, trudging to check on the leader of his clan. Her health had been on a steady decline all season... Like almost everyone else's.
...
In the small cave in which the leader dwelled, sickness lay thick in the air, choking any cat who entered. Huddled up in her nest, Featherstar groaned as light filtered in from Shardclaw's entrance.
"Featherstar... How are you fairing?" Shardclaw asked quietly, standing back.
"Terrible, no better than yesterday... Why must you bother me so early?"
Shardclaw sighed. "I have concerns... This is your second to last life... Are you not worried?"
A bitter chuckle from the old she cat was all the response he got, before walking away.
...
Gazing over the camp, Shardclaw wondered why such a curse had been placed on them. A new sickness, one no cat around had ever seen, had set in. It was crippling, and fast. Once a cat caught it, there was little to do to help them. One side of the camp had been set aside, by Featherstar herself, to house the sick cats. No others could afford to get sick, she argued. And no one questioned their great leader.
Ever since, the clan had been falling apart. No matter the effort, cats were still getting sick. Rule after rule had been set in place to prevent the spread... But to no avail.
In one final stand, before falling sick herself, Featherstar declared that all sick cats must hunt for themselves. No contact between sick and well was allowed under any form. Not even the medicine cat was allowed to try and treat them. It was truly becoming a hopeless situation.
Muttering to himself, Shardclaw trudged through the snow, to the nursery. Inside, his mate was nestled in her warm nest, their kits asleep.
"Frostbird..." He greeted the dark she cat. Her fur was dark, but the edges of her fur were tinged silver, creating an effect mimicking frost on a bird's feathers.
Frostbird purred, leaning up to nuzzle her mate's snout. "They are fine, all three of them." She responded.
"Are you sure, none of them seem sick?" Shardclaw asked, concern unconcealed.
"Don't even think about that, of course they are!" Frostbird answered, licking Shardclaw's cheek to reassure her mate. "Now go back out there, and keep order. Starclan knows we are falling apart..."
...
Over the coming moons, order was kept, but just barely. The sickness has claimed half of the clan,so many cats suffered, fur littering the ground they slept on as it fell from their coats.
Shardclaw shook his head, looking at his paws. Everyone was hungry, Leafbare offered no sympathy, claiming lives without care. His mate and kits managed to remain untouched by the sickness, thank Starclan...
"We should get rid of them! Force out the sickness while we are still alive! They do nothing but attempt to hunt in our forests, and scare what prey we have back into hiding!" One newly appointed warrior snarled from below. Shardclaw silenced him by leaping down from the rock and neatly cuffing him over the ears. "Hush!" He demanded, and the smaller cat looked down, ears pressed against his head.
Shardclaw walked off, a prayer flying through his head that nothing like that would ever happen.
A cat rushed from the nursery, and the smell of fear hit Shardclaw like a boulder. "What's wrong?"
"... Frostbird, she's sick!" The medicine cat whispered, before running off.
...
The day was cold. Colder than before. As the elders dragged his beloved's body away to be buried by his request, Shardclaw leaned up against the Great Rock in agony. The squeals of sick kits as they died... It haunted him, it would not leave. The cold stare of his leader as she watched, almost as if she was testing him in some way. It shook him to the core. He could no longer function properly, something was amiss.
The cats around him huddled together, mourning something bigger than just his mate: The Clan.
...
Shardclaw wandered through the dark forest, the moon above his head reflecting little light. His feet burned because of the ice that splintered beneath them, but the tom took no notice. Beside him, walked his leader, her fur illuminated silver.
They finally reached the cliff, above the lake that spanned forever on the horizon.
"Shardclaw..." She began, her lip curled in a spry smile. "I am sorry for your loss. It is a tragedy, truly, but I must request, you find a way to cope, and forget."
The cat opposite her looked up, eyes like slits. "You do not understand..."
"I do understand, and the clan cannot need this frivolous weakness, especially from you! You are in line to be the next leader of the fiercest clan in the forest, known for their merciless ways, but this is how you act? Unacceptable! I feel like I should revoke your title, and send you to live with the sick!"
Shardclaw stared at his leader, holding her cruel gaze. He searched for any sign of recourse, but found only a sick promise she intended to keep.
"So, are you going to hold onto memories past, or give up your losses?" The she cat asked finally, her voice colder than any Leafbare wind.
"I remember when I did not feel shame to call you my leader..." Shardclaw murmured, looking over the frozen sheet of ice that covered the lake.
"That's no answer." Featherstar hissed, claws scoring deep canyons in the earth.
"How's this, then," Shardclaw whipped to face her, teeth bared. "I will never stop honoring my family, or my clan. You, however, will only amount to fox dung to me! I tried my hardest to protect you, to save you from this blackness in your heart, but it is clear that not even Starclan could do that. With you as our leader, our clan will never have the hopes to rise up to how great it once was! You are our downfall, and you know it. You blame your failure on our weak, hiding your own weakness. And now you try to pin it on me, calling me the weakest of all cats, when we both know who truly is, Featherfur." Shardclaw's own gaze had gone toxic, his words scorching. His use of his leader's name from before had left the she cat with a slight tremor.
"So that is how it is going to be, then?" Featherstar laughed, if not nervously. She was up against a strong foe, now. But, perhaps, she had a chance. "Your words do nothing to harm me."
"Maybe the entire clan's will, then. They have already discussed tossing you out, believing you to have broken the warrior it code. Now I know I must support them." Shardclaw answered, turning away. "I'm finished here." He growled.
"No, you wretch! If you miss your family so much, go join them!" Featherstar snarled, lashing out. Her claws caught on Shardclaw's thick fur. The ton had no time to react, unbalanced and in shock at his leader's sudden outburst. It was far too late, as he felt her shove him away, off the ledge, down to the ice below. He shrieked, spinning in midair, until the rush caught up to him.
His body hit the ice with a dull thump, and from his lungs, his soul leaked. The ice was tainted red with loss, and the wind whispered it condolences.
Across the lake, a cat padded towards the body. She gently licked the corpse, her dull eyes glittering from held back tears. "Your losses shall be remembered... We honor you, Shardclaw..." She said, before finally gazing up the cliff. Featherstar watched her, unmoving. Deep within, the leader felt a dark sensation corrupt her body, she could not run, nor break away from the haunting eyes below.
A sudden gust of wind pushed her old body from its perch, and as she fell, screaming, no soul watching felt sorrow for the bitter cat.
Her body shattered through the ice, swallowed by dark water.
The she cat watching her dissent didn't so much as bat an eye as the ice cracked all around. She gently tugged Shardclaw's own body into the water, nodding him off, before turning. Her feet were guided by stars as she began to float, up and away, into the sky.
...
Probably not as good as some of my other works, but I did want to get Shardclaw's back story out there! I also might be re-writing the previous chapter, and eventually maybe even this one. Good day to you all!
-Doge-