Chapter 9: Revenge

"Of course!" Pearl cheered. "We have to go straight in and steal the kits back."

Ember looked at Blackbird with disbelief in his eyes. "I don't think that's what she means."

Horror replaced Pearl's smile as realization dawned on her. "What?" she whimpered as her mind desperately grasped for an alternative to the truth. "Steal another queen's kits? I can't do that."

"We have to," Blackbird mewed forcefully. "It's the only way to get our kits back. The only way we won't have to throw them into the Abyss."

"I know," she whispered.

"Look at me," Blackbird ordered. "Right in the eyes." The loner hesitated before raising her head. "Will you do it? I need the truth."

"I will" was Pearl's simple answer.

"Good." A ghost of a smile appeared on Blackbird's face. "I think I know where to get some."

"Where?" Pearl asked half curiously and half doubtfully.

"The clans, of course!" A crazed look entered Blackbird's eyes.

Pearl actually took a step back from shock. "The clans?" she echoed.

"Where else can we find three kits?" Blackbird shot back.

"Who said anything about three kits?" Ember growled.

"You mean..." Pearl trailed off mid-sentence.

"I'm not going," Ember confirmed. "You two have to go, but I don't and I'm not wasting a perfectly good kit that doesn't need to be wasted."

"Fine," Blackbird shrugged. "They're only two kits in Thunderclan anyway."

"You're stealing kits from your own clan?"

"They aren't my clan anymore," Blackbird snarled. "They cast me out!"

"Isn't there a rule in the warrior code that says you can't hurt kits or something?" the loner desperately suggested.

"Apparently I'm not a warrior anymore so I'm not bound by the warrior code," she spat. "Thunderclan said it themselves."

"You don't mean that," Pearl gasped. "Maybe in your mind, but never in your heart!"

"If you believe that, you're as weak as the clans," the black she-cat sniffed.

"You won't," Pearl warned her, sounding more confident than she felt.

"Watch me." With her final word she turned and stormed out of the den.

Pear looked at Ember with a shocked look, but the tom turned away. "You know the reason I'm not going isn't that I don't want to kill a kit?" he murmured.

He heard a sharp intake of air before continuing. "It's because I was afraid that Blackbird wasn't going to join the Abyss only to save her kits, but to get revenge on the clans. Including Thunderclan... Isn't it obvious?"

"No!" Pearl snarled, backing away slowly. "You're wrong!"

"You know you're-" Ember complained.

"Wrong, wrong, wrong!" Pearl screeched before racing into the night after Blackbird.

The ginger cat watched her disappear before finishing softly. "Just fighting the inevitable..."

He curled up in his den and pushed his muzzle into the bedding. "One second you're arguing with her and the next you're defending her," he whispered into the moss. "She-cats..."

Blackbird whipped her head around as she heard approaching pawsteps. She saw Pearl's white pelt and hissed loudly. "Decided to come join me?" she snarled.

"Actually yes" came the determined meow.

"Good." Blackbird turned and headed towards the clans.

"Wait!" Pearl puffed as she dragged her weary paws towards the other queen.

Blackbird paused until they were side by side before continuing to move. They walked awkwardly in silence. "Uh... Good thing the Abyss is closer to the clans than where I brought my kits, otherwise I'd still be moons away from my clan," Blackbird joked half-heartedly, trying to break the ice.

"Yeah," the white queen mewed softly.

They continued with the leaves rustling over head and the long grass soft underneath their paws. "There it is," Blackbird growled, hostility back in her eyes.

Pearl glanced around nervously as the Thunderclan scent grew stronger.

"We have to be quiet now," Blackbird warned. "We've crossed the scent line."

"As if we were talkative before anyway," Pearl pointed out.

Blackbird half expected to hear Lightningpaw's laughter or Swiftshadow leading a patrol. They reached the camp without any sign of life, besides the occasional call of a bird or the rustling of a mouse. "There's the nursery," Blackbird whispered. They stalked towards i, but hesitated as they heard a rumbling sound coming from the opposite direction. They headed back towards the nursery once Blackbird identified it as Rockpelt's snoring.

To Blackbird's surprise, they found Sandfur next to Rosepool inside plump with kits. Blackbird flicked her tail towards two bundles of fur. Pearl grabbed Sweetkit and Blackbird picked up Shiningkit. The two cats backed up carefully until they were outside. They dashed out as fast as their paws could carry them and soon were out of clan territory. Pearl kept glancing back fearing that at any second the queens' panicking calls would wake up the warriors.

Once they were a safe distance away Blackbird laid down Shiningkit and yowled into the rising sun. "Yes!"

Pearl looked up startled and almost dropped Sweetkit. "Huh?" she yelped, but through the kit's thick fur it was muffled and almost incoherent.

"Sorry," the black queen apologized. "It's just that I'm so close to saving my kits."

Pearl turned away as Ember's words echoed in her mind. Blackbird wasn't going to join the Abyss only to save her kits, but to get revenge on the clans. Including Thunderclan... 'Would she really betray her clan? Could I have been wrong about her?' she thought. She shook her head to clear her dark thoughts.

"Come on," Blackbird nudged Pearl gently. "We have to get back to tell Ember."

"What?" Pearl blurted out. "No! Let's go straight to the meeting place."

"Why?" the she-cat narrowed her eyes.

"Uh..." Pearl muttered.

"Well?"

"Uh..." she repeated.

"Yeah?"

"Ember doesn't want any part in killing the kits!" she lied.

Blackbird narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Ok," she said slowly. "You do realize we have to sleep there, right?"

Pearl didn't answer, but gave a weak smile, raised Sweetkit up, and hurried away. Shiningkit woke up and let out a cry. "Shush, little one," Blackbird murmured. She put Shiningkit on her back before following and sighed. They didn't talk for most of the short journey except for warning each other about potholes or comments on the weather.

The white cat sniffed the air worriedly. "Is that the Abyss' scent?" Sweetkit let out a little whimper and shivered.

Blackbird nodded then flicked her tail. "The place we're supposed to meet is that way." She quickened her pace until she was in front of Pearl and lead the way. Pearl dipped her head and followed obediently. As they passed into the Abyss' territory Pearl lagged behind. "What's wrong?" Blackbird called over her shoulder.

"Nothing!" Pearl put down the kit to answer. "I just stepped on a stone."

Blackbird continued walking, feeling Shiningkit's tiny claws digging into her back. She heard heavy breathing and turned around. "Come on Pearl," she moaned. "It's getting dark!"

"I'm here!" Pearl ran towards the other queen. "I'm here!" she repeated.

"Good."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we close?"

"Yes."

Pearl stopped trying to make conversation and stayed silent.

"Now we're here," Blackbird announced. They emerged into the little clearing she had been in the day before. They laid down the kits next to each other.

"Ok," the white cat cocked her head. "Now what do we do?"

"Sleep," Blackbird answered.

"How? The kits might run off?"

"We'll curl around them on both sides," she ordered. "You lay down over there." Pearl obeyed and curled around the two kits while Blackbird covered the other side. The tired cats drifted to sleep immediately.

Blackbird stirred as she felt a paw prod her side. "Pearl?" she muttered sleepily.

A deep voice answered. "No."

She sat up immediately like she was splashed with cold water. "Pearl! Wake up."

The white queen groggily sat up as well, after checking that the kits were still there.

"Whose this?" the tom growled.

"Pearl," Blackbird explained. "She wants to join too."

"Not possible," he declared.

"Why?" Pearl complained.

"Only black cats can join."

"You didn't tell that to me!" Blackbird mewed angrily.

"You didn't tell me another cat wanted to join," the tom shot back.

"Don't fight," Pearl desperately urged them. "It's ok. I don't have to join."

"Fine," the two black cats mewed in unison. They glared at each other while Pearl fought the urge to laugh.

The tom flicked his tail at Blackbird and mewed. "By the way, the name is Raven."

Author's Note: Yaaaaay! Another favorite! And another 10 reveiws :) Thanks Howlsong13 :D / I thought the chapter was getting kind of long and boring so I just cut it off somewhere random XD Please read and review!