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Disclaimer: I do not own warriors, however the charaters and plot line are mine.
Story ... ... ...
Darkheart was at camp, inside the nursery and in front of her was her mother. With four kits at her belly, she recognised herself and her siblings. Echodust was whispering comforting words to all of them, looking at them with love filled in their eyes. Her gaze lingered longer on the miniature version of herself than the others, but no hate filled her stare…
Darkheart was flying through her memories… Rabbitear was in the nursery shouting at her mother.
"…Prophecy…Fox-heart…Don't you see…?" Darkheart was torn away before she could hear anymore. There she was opening her eyes, taking her first steps, but now her mother looked at her like she was something to be wary of, to be scared of. She wondered what had happened with Rabbitear and her mother.
Her father was visiting and he gave her the same weird look, the same thing was repeated before her father hit her. Then everything changed, her mother became harsher, her Clanmates didn't talk to her, her siblings didn't play with her….
A feeling of warmth lit her heart as she looked up to see her beloved elder, telling a young Darkkit a story… Her apprentice days flashed before her and soon it was her warrior ceremony. She watched as she saw Darkfur cringe at her new name. Days flew past her, quickly the day that Ravenfrost had died on had arrived and try as she might she could not stop it and was force to watch the only cat that she had loved unconditionally, die.
Soon the pain was gone; eyes looked down on her with disgust. Exile, the word circled around her head. Wind ruffled her fur and the sense of being chased grew. Climbing, she was now climbing, high into the air, a large expanse of land was before her filled with spindly trees and sparse bushes. She was curled up in something warm and cosy before she was whisked away…
Blood splattered her pelt and stained her claws as she tore at Rabbitear's stomach. He had not given her any answers. Why should she let him live? Her sister woke up and she turned to her, feeling adrenalin rush through her blood, she pounced, claws unsheathed…
Darkheart woke up sweating. Last night's memories overwhelmed her. She had killed Rabbitear, she stood up weakly, but it had felt so good. She had almost killed her sister. What had happened to her? She walked out of her den enjoying the sun on her back and stretched her limbs out, enjoying their suppleness and strength, her stomach growled and Darkheart broke swiftly into a run glad of the distraction from her train of thoughts, she reached the Clan's border in no time and walked along it until caught the scent of a mouse, she followed it over the invisible line that separated her from the cats she used to live with. As she stalked the mouse she listened for any signs of cats that may be lurking in the shadows, she was always careful when she was over here, it was all too easy to be ambushed. Senses on full alert she carried on.
The scent grew stronger and Darkheart saw the mouse washing itself with tiny paws, she dropped into a hunter's crouch. Slowly she advanced on the unwary mouse, placing each paw as quietly as she could. When she was close enough she pounced and landed squarely on her prey and silently thanked StarClan. Quickly she killed it she carried it back across the border and gulped it up in a few bites she didn't want to give her brother the chance to follow the scent of the mouse back to her newly made den and kill her while she slept. Ha, that's the only way he could kill me. She pricked up her ears catching a distant sound on the gentle breeze which barely lifted the leaves that were strewn on the floor.
It was two cats talking, their scent drifted towards Darkheart also on the wind. Rockfall and Feathersong. Darkheart smiled a cruel and twisted grin; she will enjoy hurting those two. She swiftly climbed a tree a plan forming in her mind and followed her hearing to the unsuspecting cats. Intent on her new 'prey' she swiftly forgot about her sister and mentor. She spotted them walking and chatting, Feathersong was fat with unborn kits and was unconsciously looking down at her stomach from time to time. They walked at a slow pace making it easy for Darkheart to keep up with them.
"Names Rockfall?" Feathersong asked her mate. Rockfall turned to her with a blank look on his face.
"For the kits" she added impatiently. Rockfall shrugged his shoulders.
"I would prefer it if we wait until they are born, that way we can name them for how they look and how they are going to turn out" Feathersong was nodding.
"I suppose you're right" she mewed.
"I'm always right" he said playfully, pushing her a little. Feathersong growled and knocked him back, but her added weight caused Rockfall to stagger and fall over. The silver she-cat started laughing uncontrollably while Rockfall picked himself up scowling at her. Feathersong stopped chuckling when she saw his expression and started to trot forwards again with an unhappy Rockfall trailing after her.
Darkheart was deciding which one to go for; however they seemed to choose for her, as Rockfall walked directly beneath her. Darkheart leapt down and landed on Rockfall's head, her claws unsheathed, digging deep into his skin, she smashed his skull to the ground knocking him unconscious instantly. She prowled towards Feathersong who was staring appalled at Rockfall, all sense of a happy atmosphere vanished.
"What have you done" she whispered. "Rockfall" she called quietly, but got no answer. Darkheart ignored her question.
"Hello Feathersong" she drawled, meow as delicate as a feather. Feathersong turned to her and hissed arching her back and making her fur stand on end.
"What do you want Darkheart" she growled emphasising her last bit of her name. Darkheart bristled at the attempted insult but quickly flattened her fur. She would not give Feathersong the satisfaction. She started to circle Feathersong, occasionally jumping and lunging towards her, scaring her.
"I just want to talk, it gets awful lonely sometimes, you know being exiled" her voice rose a notch. "From my own Clan and being shunned by my family, my father even my mother" still Darkheart circled her and Feathersong followed her with her head rather than turning her whole body, tiring out quickly.
"And I still don't know why" she meowed airily as if thinking about it.
"You are a murderer" Feathersong snarled.
"I haven't murdered anyone" So what you did to Rabbitear wasn't murder? A voice in her head whispered scathingly "Lionfang is still alive, isn't he?" Feathersong hesitated.
"Well you almost killed him" she accused. Darkheart fur bristled again and opened her mouth to retaliate but thought the better of it when she saw Feathersong's smug face. She forced her fur flat.
"If that is what you choose to believe then that is your choice" she mewed smoothly. Feathersong was at first puzzled by her choice of words but shrugged and started to snarl at her again, teeth glinting dangerously.
"What do you want" Feathersong demanded again. Darkheart stopped and glared at Feathersong. With a wicked grin Darkheart replied.
"I want revenge"
She lunged at Feathersong finally hitting her, cuffing her round the head with unsheathed claws, drawing blood and staining her pretty fur. Feathersong tried to retaliate but her bulging belly made her clumsy and slow. Darkheart easily dodged her attacks and knocked her to the ground. She pounced on her and dug her claws into her skin.
"Why are you doing this?" Feathersong asked, squirming under Darkheart's paws. Darkheart growled with glee.
"Not so tough now are you? Remember that time when I accidently bumped into you and you knocked me away?" Feathersong stopped struggling and her eyes went wide.
"You're not going to kill me are you?" she asked truly terrified, not bothering to hide it from her any longer.
"Oh I don't know I might, I'm in the killing mood today" she growled and dug her claws deeper into Feathersong, spots of blood trickled out of her cuts. "Shall kill you and then move onto Rockfall? Or shall I kill Rockfall and make you watch or maybe Rockfall should see you suffer" she growled happily at the thought.
"No you won't, because if you do the Clan will come after you and won't stop until you're dead" she meowed, trying to convince herself more so than Darkheart. Darkheart let out a loud mer-ow of laughter.
"You don't honestly think that they can beat me" she meowed glancing sideways at the unconscious Rockfall to see if he was awake yet.
"Please don't kill me" she whimpered, resorting to begging. Darkheart felt no pity for the desperate she-cat beneath her claws, once she longed to be like her, but that felt like moons ago. Darkheart lifted up her paw and brought it back down quickly, scarring Feathersong along her flank. She yelped in pain and Darkheart jumped back but rapidly closed back in on her.
"No" she wailed "My beautiful pelt, what have you done?" Darkheart watched Feathersong and a cruel idea sprung to mind; she ripped out tuffs of silver fur from Feathersong causing her to shriek in agony, she struggle and writhed but Darkheart was relentless. She scarred her along her muzzle and ripped both her ears to shreds. Darkheart jumped back to admire her work. Feathersong was not the beautiful she-cat she had once envied, no, this was a whimpering mess of fur, balled up to protect her unborn kits from Darkheart's ruthless assault. One last thing she thought wickedly. She crept up to Feathersong.
"No more" she moaned utterly defeated. Once, maybe a long time ago, she would have stopped; but this was not the young kit that had been tossed aside, no this was something far darker. Darkheart ignored her plea and continued. She stopped when she was at her head. Feathersong looked up to her, pain filled her eyes. Darkheart took her chance and struck out quickly; her unsheathed paw hit Feathersong's head, on her right eye, making a long deep gouge from her ear down pass her eye and finishing level with the tip of her nose blinding her for life in that eye.
"My eye" she shrieked "I can't see. What have you done? You monster!" Darkheart sat away from Feathersong facing her tail curled around her paws.
"Now listen" she started. "If you tell anyone, even so much as a whisper, that it was me, I will personally kill your kits when they are born, and it shall be in the slowest way possible, and I will make you watch" she mewed nonchalantly, while leaning menacingly over the beaten she-cat. Feathersong coward away and nodded weakly, a noise made both she-cats look, Rockfall was waking up. Feathersong started shouting his name, hope giving her strength, and slowly he started to open his eyes. Swiftly Darkheart climbed a tree so as not to be seen, she had nothing to settle with Rockfall, it was just Feathersong. She moved through the branches so she could watch Rockfall's reaction to his 'lovely' Feathersong. He stood shakily to his feet.
"Feathersong" he cried as he saw his beloved lying injured on the ground, reduced to a quivering lump of blood. He raced as fast as he could to her on his unsteady paws.
"Oh my precious Feathersong" he meowed softly to her. "Who did this to you?" Feathersong stayed silent.
"Show yourself" he yelled to the trees. Darkheart sat comfortably in the tree. He only had to look up to see her, she sniggered at the thought; it was like playing hide and seek with a kit except a kit could probably find her. He gave up looking for Feathersong's attacker and helped her to stand.
"Come on, let's get you back to camp" he mewed quietly.
"I'm still beautiful, aren't I?" she asked him weakly. Rockfall hesitated before answering, Feathersong was anything but beautiful.
"You will always be beautiful to me" he meowed smoothly. Feathersong looked satisfied and allowed herself to be helped back to camp. Darkheart left the couple and silently made her way back to her den.
It was her brother's fault that she had been exiled, torn away from everything she knew, it was his fault that she had to injure cats, except Feathersong, she deserved it. I hate him! She inwardly roared. Her blood flowed through her, alight with the burning desire of getting her true revenge. This was just the start.
A plan formed in Darkheart's twisted mind. She changed her course and headed in the direction that led to the camp.
She watched the camp from the cover of darkness; she couldn't risk getting too near to the camp when there were no leaves to hide her. Now it was pitch black with only the pale moonlight dimly lighting the camp. She spotted her brother; he was entering the camp, prey dangling in his jaws. Agilely she jumped from her perch and landed silently in the camp. Her black pelt melted into the shadows. She slunk closer to her brother, who was sitting and grooming his fur near the side. She was directly behind him; slowly she put her muzzle near his ear, she had made sure to disguise her scent so her brother wouldn't smell her.
"Hello brother" she felt him stiffen "Once and for all, moon high tonight" she whispered. "Great oak" she quickly crept back into the shadows, careful not to make a sound. Her brother whipped round as soon as she was finished.
"Come out you coward" he hissed quietly, his head darted to and fro trying to find the source of the voice.
"Moon high, tonight" he growled to the shadows and stalked off. Darkheart waited until he was in the warriors den before she moved stealthily to the exit, she got through without being seen. Thanking StarClan she set off, running towards the great oak. When she reached the huge tree she scampered up the truck, choosing one of the lower branches to wait for her brother.
He sauntered in, looking around for his sister; he sat down and lashed his tail impatiently.
"I should have known she was too cowardly to show her pelt here." He growled to himself. Darkheart watched him amused.
"Actually, it was I who thought you would never show" she meowed silkily. Lionfang looked up into the branches. Darkheart laughed softly at the surprised expression on his face.
"I have been waiting ever so long" she meowed, throwing him a charming smile
"Sister" he said "Why are you hiding in the tree when you could be down here fighting me?"
"Why don't you join me? Brother, we could have a tree battle" she joked. Lionfang took her challenge literally and tried to climb the tree but when he grabbed onto the bark with his claws, his weight pulled him back down again, leaving deep gouges in the bark.
"I thought you were supposed to be fighting me, not the tree" she laughed. Lionfang glared at her.
"Come down then" he snarled.
"As you wish" she replied and leapt.
Her claws found their mark and bit deep into Lionfang's skin, he yelped in pain and tried to shake her off but she hang on like a burr, pummelling her back paws into his back, coating his yellowish cream fur a crimson red. He dropped like a rock and rolled onto his back. Darkheart had to release her hold on him and jump away to avoid being squashed. Lionfang stood up and shook out his fur making blood fly everywhere.
"That was cheating" he growled. Darkheart's muzzle curled up in a twisted grin.
"All's fair in love and war" she meowed, remembering the saying her mother had used that one time. A memory stirred in the back of her mind but she forced herself to concentrate on Lionfang and her deep loathing for him.
Lionfang ran at her and as quick as a mouse he had knocked her to the ground and had her pinned down with his teeth at her neck. Darkheart struggled under his weight. Now it was Lionfang's turn to smile. He drew a sharp claw across her flank, her new wound oozed with blood and Darkheart writhed in pain. Suddenly understanding flickered in Lionfang's eyes.
"It was you" he whispered in shock. "You killed Rabbitear, you hurt Tinystorm and Feathersong"
"Well aren't you a smart one" she spat and seizing her chance, she raked her fore paws along his belly causing him to scream in pain. Darkheart wriggled out from his grip and stood up facing him, blood still draining from her side and with the blood went her strength, she needed help. Lionfang took one look at the desperate Darkheart and fled. Darkheart cursed herself for confessing to maiming the cats. She wanted to follow him and stop him before he reached camp but she needed to stop the blood first. She searched around for some cobwebs; she had heard her sister explain their uses to their mother one night, in which she had not stopped talking, but silently she was thankful, her sister's ramblings might save her life.
She found some inside a hollow tree trunk and quickly patched herself up; it stopped the blood but not the pain. Wincing, she managed to climbed a tree albeit a bit noisily, and took off towards the camp. She caught up to her brother rapidly, he was in no better shape than she, but she had come off best. Darkheart thought about finishing off but decided against it, they were too close to camp and his noisy shrieks would bring the whole Clan running. Instead she followed him stealthily through the trees as careful as she could with her injury. They reached camp not soon after. Darkheart leaped to her favourite tree to watch the camp from and saw Lionfang stumble into camp. She started to clean her fur of blood as she listened to their conversation.
"Maplestar, Tinystorm" he cried and collapsed, Tinystorm rushed from her den, took one look at Lionfang and went back in again. This time when she came out she had a leaf that she held delicately in her mouth, she laid it beside Lionfang and started treating his wounds. Maplestar ran down from her den and towards Lionfang.
"Not another one" she groaned. "What happened?" she asked Lionfang. Tinystorm butted in.
"No" she mewed curtly. "His wounds need treatment, now" Maplestar nodded and reluctantly stepped away leaving Tinystorm to do her job.
"What are you putting on me" he yelped and tried to move away. Tinystorm sighed.
"If I tell you what I am doing will it make you feel better?" she asked, Lionfang nodded and Tinystorm proceeded.
"Now since it is leaf fall we are going to use dried oak leaf instead of using up the less obtainable herbs." She said as she held up a brown leaf with five points, she ripped it up and placed, a bit of the leaf to each of his wounds and securing it with cobwebs. She turned to Maplestar.
"His wounds are treated but he needs rest as soon as possible, be quick." Maplestar nodded and Tinystorm let her pass.
"Darkheart" he said curtly. Maplestar stood shocked, and then it dawned on her.
"I thought, or rather hoped she was dead. It seems she is not, we must send patrols at once" she finished and started to walk away.
"Wait" her brother meowed "there is more; I have reason to believe she had killed Rabbitear as well. She is unstable and dangerous." Maplestar hardened at the mention of the deceased Medicine cat.
"I want patrols now" she growled and walked away.
Darkheart didn't stay any longer; she ran away as fast as she could towards the great oak, she needed the leaves. Her brother had been very helpful. She reached it and managed to shimmy down the tree without causing too much pain to her flank. She scoured the ground for a leaf that looked similar to the one Tinystorm had had. She found one near the base of the tree. She ripped it up like her sister had done and placed it on her wounds after removing the cobwebs. She found new ones quickly and secured the leaf shreds in place. She flexed her muscles. It felt a little better but it still hurt and would slow her down immensely. She would just have to live with it. She pelted away to her den trying not to scream every time one of her paws thundered on the hard ground. A flash of red rekindled a memory.
"Look mother" Tinykit squeaked. Her mother turned to her.
"What, darling"
Tinykit held up a red flower.
"Rabbitear gave this to me, he said he doesn't need the petals only the seeds, because they send you to sleep or something… aren't they pretty?" her mother nodded…
Darkheart pause to pluck the flower before continuing on her way. She reached the boundary without being caught and made it back to her den safely. She laid down in her nest but as exhausted as she was she found the energy to groom her fur clean of blood, she avoided the bits that she had recently patched up and cleaned around them. She looked at the flower that she had placed carefully beside her and tried to unsuccessfully get the seeds out. Picking the flower up she gave it a shake out of frustration and a few black seed fell out of the head. Picking up one she swallowed it.
Feeling droopy she collapsed and fell into a deep sleep.
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And if you want you can ask me questions about this, just put it in the comments and I will answer it but if it reveals to much of the plot then I can't and you'll just have to wait ;).