"What happened?" Rabbitstrike asked worriedly. Lionclaw walked towards her with a gleam, despite being covered in cuts.
"We lost, but I was victorious." Lionclaw grinned evilly with narrowed eyes. "Firestar is dead."
"What?!" Bugeye screeched.
"He was a Starclan cat, he deserved to die!" Darkwhisker growled.
Darkheart merely shrugged his shoulders. "Their leader was Firestar right? With him dead it will scramble them."
"Exactly!" Lionclaw mewed. "We will strengthen up and return to attack in a quarter's moon time. Until then be ready."
"Where are the others?" Rabbitstrike asked.
"They have their own assignments to complete, it is just you five." He turned to Darkheart, Jaggedwhip, Bugeye, Flufftail and Rabbitstrike. "I have an assignment for all of you. Darkheart, make sure Mousewhisker dies, slowly." He finished the sentence coldly and with a near snarl.
Darkheart didn't flinch, but the fear was evident. "Yes Lionclaw."
"Bugeye, you must get Ratscar killed."
"Why? He hasn't done anything wrong!"
Lionclaw snarled and swiped him across his cheek, making the tom fly back. Rabbitstrike tensed in anger, wanting to lash out at her mentor for hurting her mate but wisely didn't. Bugeye had to learn to do what he was told. Besides, Lionclaw could kill her easily, she couldn't risk her life.
"Jaggedwhip, Flufftail, it's time for Mothwing to die."
"But she's our medicine cat!" Jaggedwhip protested.
"Do as I say!" He swiped the grey tom like he swiped Bugeye. "She is no use to your clan anyway, being a fake dreamer." Lionclaw growled.
"Mothwing is a fake dreamer?!" The four gawked in surprise.
"Oh?" Lionclaw purred mockingly. "She doesn't dream of Starclan, she dreams of catching fish and rolling in mud. I want you to call her out on this as well. I want the clan to know of her flaw. Tell them the day before she "suddenly dies"." Jaggedwhip and Flufftail nodded slowly, keeping a fair distance from Lionclaw.
Jaggedwhip's face twisted into a snarl. "Another traitor!"
"She will die!" Flufftail crowed.
The dead cat then turned to Rabbitstrike. "You should know that Mousestar has five lives left. It's your job to get rid of one of them, but catch him unaware." Rabbitstrike grew excited. Catch and kill Mousestar? She's been aching to do that!
"I will, Lionclaw."
"Good. I also need to talk to you in private."
She blinking curiously, watching as he turned to walk away. Then she turned and ran to Bugeye, swiping his cheeks gently with her tongue. "You will be alright Bugeye. Ratscar believes deeply in Starclan, the cats who never lifted a paw to help us."
Bugeye nodded slowly, eyes darkening. "He must be eliminated."
"Exactly."
"How is my son?"
"He's getting stronger and stronger every day." She purred before she turned and followed Lionclaw.
Once alone with him he turned to her. "So, you are not a Windclan cat?"
"No. This cat, Flower, she found me and told me I was her long loss sister. She also told me that he stole me from my mother, Mousestar did anyway. Back then he was Mousetail." Rabbitstrike looked down at her paws. She was still trying to process the information. The fact that she wasn't Windclan, even though she deeply hated the clan itself, still shocked her.
"Hmm, and the name of this clan?"
"Shadeclan."
"Where are they?"
"I don't know..." She looked down at her paws. "It is starting to make since though. Now I have another solid reason to destroy Windclan."
"Good." Lionclaw mewed. "It is time for you to awaken." With a nod she lied down and closed her eyes.
~ooo~
It's been a quarter moon since her last meeting in the Dark Forest. Lionclaw hadn't called for her since then, and that worried her. Did they win? Were they dead? "Mom," Eaglekit mewed. "Mom when will I become an apprentice?"
"When you are six moons old." She answered as she swept him close with her tail. "You are only but so big now, you have a while to wait."
The Gathering was in five days, and she couldn't wait until it came. She wanted to leave. Over the quarter moon they had a hunting spat with Thunderclan. After that Cherryfrost went out when Rabbitstrike was exercising. Apparently Cherryfrost was still angry with her and they got into a fight. Rabbitstrike snatched some of her fur off and kept it hidden since then, and everyone was disappointed in Cherryfrost. Not as much as they should've been, for Rabbitstrike's taste.
Now she had the perfect plan and a perfect mood to do it, to kill Mousestar. Moonkit had gone outside the camp and Mousestar scolded her for it. It was time for him to die. 'If only I could take all of his lives,' she thought wistfully. She watched as the leader went out to make dirt and followed him stealthily, then paused to roll through some flowered bushes before following again. No one saw her leave.
She stalked him as he decided to walk around a bit after making dirt and she all too happily did it. Once he slipped inside of some bushes she pounced on him, snarling and clawing. He yowled in surprised but her claws had already found his neck by then. She had to do it quickly; she couldn't afford to get hit. That would make her look suspect.
Now all she had to do was pin the blame on Cherryfrost. Rabbitstrike sprinkled some of Cherryfrost's fur on his body and leaned over to his ear, out of his line of sight. "That's for punishing me for that stupid queen Rabbitstrike." Then, after a thought, "She deserves to die as well." Pleased with what she did she watched him.
After he twitched on the ground in his blood Rabbitstrike walked away. She walked back and was shocked to find Cherryfrost. The ginger she cat spotted her and snarled. "I noticed you disappeared. What are you up to?"
"Shouldn't you be swallowing mouse bile right now?" Rabbitstrike sneered. Cherryfrost snarled at her and advanced.
"I will claw you to shreds again, Rabbitstrike. Don't think I won't."
"You don't have the guts!" Rabbitstrike spat. Cherryfrost snarled and launched herself against the other, and they fought.
As they fought Cherryfrost drove her to the bush. Rabbitstrike's heart thundered, Mousestar's dead body was there and he was going to come to any moment. The bush stirred, and the leader came out. At that time Cherryfrost raised her paw and swung, hard. Rabbitstrike ducked, and Cherryfrost's eyes widened in fear. Her claws caught the leader's neck, and he died for a second time.
As he fell dead and lost another life Rabbitstrike rose and sneered gleefully. "You killed Mousestar!" She crowed. Then her face morphed into one of pure terror. She ran. "HELP! HELP! CHERRYFROST IS TRYING TO KILL ME!"
"NO!" Cherryfrost yowled and chased after her. Rabbitstrike knew she was faster than the other, but she purposely slowed down. Cherryfrost tackled Rabbitstrike to the ground and snarled. "Shut up!"
At that moment the hunting patrol came through. They watched in horror. "Cherryfrost! What are you doing?!" Redspirit gasped.
"No, it's not what-"
"Help me please! She killed Mousestar and she's trying to kill me!" Rabbitstrike wailed in fright.
Cherryfrost snarled down at her. "Shut up!"
"Get off of her!" Brownheart snarled and tackled her. Volestep and Duskfur hesitantly helped him pin Cherryfrost down.
Whitesnow helped Rabbitstrike up. "What happened?" She asked nicely. Rabbitstrike fought back a sneer. She knew Whitesnow was only acting that way because she didn't want to end up on Apprentice duties like Cherryfrost. 'Liars,' she hissed in her mind.
Whitesnow herself was fighting back a sneer. Stress on a queen would sicken the kits and they needed more warriors. That didn't mean she had to like it. She looked Rabbitstrike over once. The queen was covered in claw marks and blood. She had her bet on the juiciest prey in the pile that she had fought Cherryfrost and lost, again.
"I-I saw Cherryfrost kill Mousestar and then she attacked me because of it, and then Mousestar came back and she killed him again!" Rabbitstrike told with a sob. Whitesnow look horrified and skeptical. It had to be a lie.
"It's a lie! She's lying!" Cherryfrost hissed and struggled under the other cats. "Are you lying, Rabbitstrike?" Whitesnow growled lowly.
Rabbitstrike's eyes widened. "I'm not! She killed Mousestar! He's in the bushes!" When Whitesnow's expression morphed into a scowl Rabbitstrike wanted to snarl and pounce on the cat, but she knew if she did her plan would be ruined. She had to play helpless, just a bit. "Again?! You will believe her over me?!" She whimpered a bit and turned to lick her shoulder, half for show and the other half because the wound was really bothering her. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Whitesnow's hesitance. She would've smirked had Cherryfrost not been facing her.
"She is lying!" Cherryfrost hissed.
Brownheart glared at her and sunk his claws warningly into her fur. He looked at Rabbitstrike. She looked beaten, that worried him. "What if she is telling the truth?" He asked Whitesnow. He missed the grateful glance Rabbitstrike tossed him.
"She could be lying," Volestep growled.
"Or she could be telling the truth," Brownheart reasoned.
"So you want us to go on a wild goose chase for some her?" Duskfur asked flatly.
Whitesnow stepped in. "We should check it out anyway. Besides, if it is a lie at least we 'tried' to believe her. Starclan won't be disappointed for that." She tossed Rabbitstrike a glare. Rabbitstrike returned it.
Cherryfrost growled. "Good! Do it! See what a liar she is!" Cherryfrost encouraged.
Duskfur growled and turned to Volestep. "Go find Mousestar!" The tom ran off.
Sunhigh patrol came running. "What happened?!" Weaselfoot demanded. Ivyfrost, Fireblaze and Heatherfur looked around in shock.
"Did Rabbitstrike get beaten again?" Ivyfrost mewed snidely.
The queen bristled. "I fought for a good reason! Cherryfrost killed Mousestar!"
"Stop assuming something so stupid!" Heatherfur snarled. "Just admit Cherryfrost beat you!"
Whitesnow and the others looked at Rabbitstrike with cold glares. Rabbitstrike was exasperated. They were never going to believe her at this rate.
"I found Mousestar!" Volestep called. The leader was walking beside Volestep with blood covering half of his face and down his chest and front legs. His blue eyes were furious.
"You!" He snarled, and all of them flinched.
Mousestar walked towards Rabbitstrike. It was impossible. He could tell that she did it? Mousestar yowled and pounced. Brownheart and Duskfur jumped away in surprise, watching as their leader dug his claws in Cherryfrost's left flank, making her yowl.
"How COULD you?!"