The Gathering
Twig
Twig silently made her way out of the alley, her fur matted with blood of another. Practice had been brutal, as was Blizzard. She padded over to a small, clean-looking puddle and waded in it for a bit. No amount of bathing would ever rid her of the blood, and she couldn't stand it just being on her, so she took as long as she needed in the water until the last bit of red was gone. Stepping out, she shook a bit, but didn't try too hard to dry.
Nothing mattered anymore; Twig felt nothing.
Hoping that a bit of solitary exploring would ease her mind and give her something to think about, she slowly made her way over to the ThunderPath. As she was approaching, something dark caught her eye, something...
She froze.
Sitting in front of the ThunderPath, waiting silently, was a cat Twig never thought she'd be able see again.
"B-Boulder!" she shrieked, her fur standing on edge. It couldn't be real.
He stood, taking a few steps toward the panicking she cat. "Twig, dear friend, I've missed you."
It couldn't be happening. It didn't feel real. Twig felt dizzy, stumbling a bit toward the gray tom who, for a second, she almost believed to be Boulder. She settled her fur, calming herself to a dull anger. Who did this tom think he was, pretending to be Boulder? No, this definitely wasn't her friend. Boulder was dead.
She stood there, watching him, but she didn't say a word. She wanted him to make the first move.
So, he did, making his way over to Twig until he stood right in front of her.
"You must not trust me." He looked defeated, sad, and it made Twig's heart twist in her chest. She wanted to believe that it was him, oh she definitely did, but she just couldn't. She'd seen the bodies, she knew what happened. Cats can't just come back from the dead.
"I...I'm sorry," she whispered. If Blizzard saw her now, associating with an outside cat, he'd kill her.
The Boulder-impersonator hung his head. "But, Twig, don't you remember all of those times we played as kits? You, me, Ivy, we were a force to reckon with; we were unstoppable."
He took a step closer, so close now that Twig could see the pain in his eyes. The wind began to pick up, blowing the tom's scent towards her. She paused, sniffing as nonchalantly as she could. There, just barely mixed with his scent, was one Twig was familiar with. So, it was true. She had seen Ivy in ShadowClan. And this cat, he'd been with Ivy. Recently. Twigs whiskers twitched, and she hunched close to the ground.
"You," she whispered, "it really is you." She was shaking, and Boulder quickly raised his tail to her cheek to comfort her.
"Yes," he meowed calmly. "It is me."
For a while, they sat like that; Twig hunched over and shaking and Boulder with his tail to her cheek, comforting her. As Twig calmed, she slowly stood up straight, eye level to her old friend.
"You..." she meowed quietly. "You...why didn't you ever come for me? If you were alive, why did you never come back?" Her voice was rising with every word, white-hot anger making its way into her system. She looked ready to rip his throat out at one wrong move. Pulling his tail away, he took a few steps back.
"Twig, please, be rational. I couldn't come for you; Blizzard wanted me dead. It was too dangerous."
"And it isn't too dangerous now?" she hissed.
"No, not with Blizzard distracted by… training."
"But why? Why would you come? What do you want?"
"I wanted to see you, Twig. I haven't seen you in many moons, and I wanted to make sure you were safe. Especially in times like these, where war is brewing and everyone's on edge."
"How do you know about the war, anyways?" She felt some of her anger ebb away.
"Ivy told me."
The anger came flooding back in an instant. "Oh. Ivy told you. Well, I'm so glad to see her here revealing herself to be 'not dead!'"
"Twig, I'm sorry, but you shouldn't be angry. Please, she didn't come for reasons of safety. She was scared, especially of how you'd react, and she couldn't handle the thought of it. She does miss you, Twig. We both did."
For some reason, Ivy not wanting to see her hurt Twigs feelings. How could she act so kit-like? They had been friends from the beginning! She should have at least been able to stand seeing her friend after however long! Anger and sadness were coursing through Twig, her head so clouded with thoughts like 'didn't she say she'd always be there' and 'why couldn't she just do this one thing' that she didn't realize Boulder was talking to her.
"-and I just hope you haven't lost too much respect for us, Twig. We really do wish things had been different."
She watched him for a while, willing herself to calm down. The evil emotions drained from her heart, replaced by a soothing calm. She looked at her friend, her heart warming a bit. Thinking back on her earlier thoughts, she realized just how harsh she'd been in judging poor Ivy. If it had been the other way around, Twig was sure she'd have felt the same fear at confronting Ivy.
Finally, she spoke.
"I'm sorry for getting angry. I was acting foolishly. Don't worry… I still love the both of you. Please tell her I want to see her. Maybe even stay with you two from sunrise until practice and train like we used to."
A strange emotion flashed in his eyes, but it vanished too quickly for her to see what it was.
"I don't know about that; it could be very dangerous, but I'll definitely tell her. I do hope to see you again, and with Ivy by my side. Now, I must leave. Farewell, Twig." He nuzzled her, and turned to leave.
She watched him cross the Thunder Path, his gray fur blending in to the dark shadows of the forest, before she turned and quickly made her way back to her alleyway. Despite the warm, mystical emotions that came from knowing they were both alive, the guilt and shame that constantly clung to her pelt had not been shed. It never would be, unless she told them the truth. Perhaps they already knew the truth? No…. they couldn't. They never could.
She sighed as she laid down. Practice would be at the next moonhigh, and she needed rest before then.
Duskpaw
"Your spin swipe was actually a bit wobbly, but you didn't do too bad." Foxpaw was telling Silentpaw how the soft, gray she cat could possibly improve, but Duskpaw didn't think Foxpaw understood what she was talking about.
"Oh… oh yes, I see what you're saying," Silentpaw agreed with her and nodded. "I'll be sure to work on that! Thank you!"
Duskpaw snorted at Silentpaw's patience to Foxpaw. He found it not only amusing, but helpful so he didn't have to deal with the feisty orange she cat. Foxpaw was a good cat, but she could be a serious pain in the tail.
"So, are you guys going to the gathering?" Duskpaw asked. The gathering might as well have been heartbeats away. It was sundown, and the gathering started at moonhigh.
Foxpaw shook her head. "I'm assigned to one of those guard things."
"Guard things?" Duskpaw questioned.
"Echostar will explain before we leave, I'm sure," Silentpaw stopped Duskpaw's upcoming flow of interrogating. "And I think Toadleap said I was going."
"And Ferretpaw's going for sure," Foxpaw added.
When Duskpaw'd finished clean out the elders den earlier that day, he finally went to join the group battle session. So the session ended, and the apprentices and some other warriors were returning for camp to prepare for the gathering.
Duskpaw started overhearing a nearby conversation between his clanmates as Silentpaw and Foxpaw continued to chatter.
"…so do you really think BloodClan would attack during a gathering?!" Rosethorn gasped behind Duskpaw.
"They wouldn't dare," Flamepath growled in return.
"BloodClan aren't bound by our peace laws, young one. They are vicious enough to take advantage of us being split apart," Smokefoot insisted to them. They both let out shocked gasps. "Echostar has a plan, don't worry," he reassured them after noticing the negative reaction he'd caused.
Duskpaw wondered if they would attack, too.
"Frog-brain, nettles ahead!"
Foxpaw's howl brought Duskpaw back into the world just in time for him to step on a small bush of nettle thorns.
"Foxdung!" Duskpaw hollered in pain and collapsed like a kit.
"If you plan on doing that when a Bloodclan cat leaps on ya', then I'd suggest staying in camp during the battle," Flamepath sneered at Duskpaw as he, Rosethorn and Smokefoot passed Duskpaw, Foxpaw and Silentpaw.
"Better get to the Medicine Cat Den," Silentpaw purred as Duskpaw huffed out a sigh.
"Ferretpaw, I fell in nettles again!" Duskpaw bellowed as he charged into the Medicine Cat Den.
"StarClan forbid, can you not be quiet for a single heartbeat?" Petaldust hissed in the patient-nest. Both medicine cats weren't present, but there she sat.
"Sorry, Petaldust," Duskpaw smirked and dipped his head in apology. "I forgot you were in here!"
"Why am I not surprised to see you in here before the battle's even started?" Ferretpaw's voice appeared behind Duskpaw.
Turning around, Duskpaw saw the tabby with an assortment of herbs at his paws.
"I fell in nettles," Duskpaw chirped.
"Well you sound fine, but I'll check you over," he offered as he padded in the den to put away his items. Duskpaw followed him. "And sorry about the empty den; Brindlestripe and I are collecting as many herbs as we can. We're going to need them," he added gravely.
Duskpaw frowned. "Yeah, well… you're going to the gathering right?" He asked as Ferretpaw sniffed his nettle stings.
"All medicine cats do."
"Are you guessing Bloodclan will attack then?"
Ferretpaw was silent in his thought. "Not in front of the other clans, but it's very possible."
Duskpaw heaved a breath out.
"Nervous?" Ferretpaw joked.
"You're supposed to be… right?" Duskpaw chuckled uneasily.
"I certainly get nervous. But don't worry too much. I think these nettles are the worst you'll get. You managed to land face-first into them."
"Mm, sure. So how have you and Brindlestripe been in terms of BloodClan receiving a 'sign' from StarClan?"
Ferretpaw halted.
"I don't believe they received a sign."
"I don't either. But it still bothers, doesn't it?"
Ferretpaw flinched. "Mostly just a reminder that our ancestors are not giving us much advice at the moment… And Brindlestripe's upset though she doesn't say aloud. She wanted to go to the Moonstone before tonight, but too much has happened," he sighed.
And the battle will probably be tonight, Duskpaw empathized. The clan would just have trust itself if their ancestors wouldn't show themselves.
Duskpaw angled his ears to the den entrance as he heard Echostar's voice calling across camp.
"We'd better go," Ferretpaw summed up. Duskpaw nodded.
The two of them started galloping out.
"Wait for me!" Petaldust gasped in frustration, pulling herself up and after them.
The camp was almost full besides the few cats patrolling, and Ivy and Boulder.
"Watch this Fennelkit, I'm a warrior!" Oatkit charged straight through the crowd of cats. Fennelkit followed behind to sit next to the much larger cats and her brother, with their mother sighing and following close behind them. Duskpaw suddenly noticed… Fennelkit had six toes on one paw!
How random. He smiled to himself at the kits' innocence.
"Silence," Echostar calmed the chattering clan. "I'm aware you're all nervous about tonight's gathering… but we are completely prepared for anything that will happen," Echostar addressed all the cats. "Darkleaf will explain who will be going, and what plans we gave for those of us who are staying."
"Will the other clans be suspicious of our small numbers due to the many cats staying at camp?" Eagleclaw asked from near the elder's den. "If it were leaf-bare it may make more sense… but it's the middle of Greenleaf. What will our excuse be?"
Echostar dipped her head to the wise elder. "We will need no excuse. The clans may carry their small suspicions for now, and hopefully this will be over before they come up with any theories." She motioned for Darkleaf to take her place on the Branch, and she leapt for her den. Darkleaf perched himself where she previously stood.
"Those going to the gathering: Fogpath, Brindlestripe, Nightmist, Ferngaze, Toadleap, Rosethorn, Breezetail, Duskpaw, Ferretpaw, and Silentpaw. Everyone else will stay at camp and listen to a border patrol and emergency attack plan. We'll have you set up in marked positions on the borders, and in-between you will be cats that run for help if you border-sitters scent a thing. Gathering cats get together and get ready. Patrol cats come to me for specific instructions. That is all," Darkleaf dismissed them with a wave of his tail.
Duskpaw saw Ivy enter camp with Boulder.
She ran up to Darkleaf before anyone else could. "Where's Echostar?"
"In her den," Darkleaf grunted in reply.
Ivy and Boulder nodded, and sprinted into the leader's den.
"Duskpaw! Are you ready?" Nightmist called from the den entrance.
"Coming!" He answered, stumbling over with the other cats that were going to the gathering. Echostar soon appeared.
"We'll leave as soon as Darkleaf's ready. StarClan knows I'd leave him here if it wouldn't confuse the other clans," Echostar said to the group of cats, but it seemed more to herself.
At least, Darkleaf appeared. He gave Echostar a curt nod. Echostar returned it and faced the part of the clan that was staying.
"Smokefoot is in charge," she ordered, and looked at him. He bowed his head.
Duskpaw waved his tail at Ivy, Boulder, and Foxpaw. Foxpaw returned him a smile, Boulder waved his tail as well, and Ivy dipped her head. He wished them the best. He also caught Echostar and Ivy making eye-contact, as if transferring mental information. He envied the relationship between the rogue and his leader.
"ShadowClan, we're off!" Echostar announced in her loud voice. The clan rushed into the dark, marshy pines towards the Thunderpath, and off to the Fourtrees.
The clearing was already full of cats with conflicting smells as ShadowClan appeared there. Duskpaw wrinkled his nose to the stench and released a small sigh of worry. He'd been to two other gatherings before, but he was nervous and cautious about what would happen in this one.
Silentpaw and Ferretpaw walked beside him as the clan began to scatter among the many cats.
"I've got to go with Brindlestripe," Ferretpaw told them. "Go act casual with other apprentices," he ordered while nodding his head to a group of cats. He ran off before they could respond.
Duskpaw looked at Silentpaw. She shrugged in response to his look and started padding towards the group Ferretpaw motioned to. Duskpaw saw now that they looked about his own age, and they were sharing stories. There was about a pawful of them, and they all faced a single RiverClan story-teller.
"…and so the fox thought it was sneaking up behind me. But I knew it was there. And I was waiting for it. So right when it was the perfect distance to where my claws could reach… slash!" A RiverClan apprentice was dramatizing as they approached.
"Foxdung, Leechpaw! You couldn't have hit the red beast if it stuck its throat out and begged for you to," a WindClan apprentice sneered to the story-teller, 'Leechpaw'.
"Gorgepaw! Watch your language!" Hissed a ThunderClan she cat.
'Gorgepaw' ignored the she cat and the other apprentices gasped as the now-angry Leechpaw shoved his muzzle in Gorgepaw's face.
"This seems a bit over-dramatic…" Silentpaw whispered amusingly into Duskpaw's ear. Duskpaw smiled and mentally agreed, but it was fun to watch the show.
"How 'bout I show you how far my claws can reach, rabbit breath?" Leechpaw challenged Gorgepaw.
Gorgepaw unsheathed his claws. "I'd like to see you try!" He cheered.
The apprentices made a circle around the two and shouted them on, except for Duskpaw and Silentpaw. They started backing away as the two toms raised their hackles.
"Let's go faster," Duskpaw suggested. Silentpaw flicked her ears. They ran off for the base of the Fourtrees, hearing a frustrated warrior starting to scorn the two apprentices that had caused trouble.
"That was anticlimactic," Silentpaw purred in amusement.
"It's a shame that cat stopped them. I thought they were both too big for their paws. Seeing them shred each other would have been satisfying," Duskpaw chortled.
Silentpaw twitched her whiskers, but then grew serious. "I hope nothing's happened back at camp," she sighed.
Duskpaw flattened his ears. "Let's just pray they'll get the message to us if anything happens," he whispered.
"Apprentices. The meeting's starting," a ThunderClan warrior warned them.
They turned their attention to the large rock that sat underneath the Fourtrees; it was the spot where the leaders and deputies sat and shared the news of the past moon.
Brackenstar sat the lowest of the leaders on the rock. He was the youngest clan leader. He led WindClan and had dark ginger fur that didn't stick up in a single spot. He had a large body for a cat from that clan; all the same, he was only about Duskpaw's size. His eyes were kind though, and he'd been patient to the other clans, or at least that Duskpaw had seen. Lichenears was his deputy. She was a pretty she cat with a lithe body and dusty-gray fur; a more common style of WindClan cat. Duskpaw heard rumors that she and Brackenstar were past mates, split apart and then brought back together not for kits, but for power. These were only rumors though. The WindClan medicine cat was Basilfur. He was small, a pale gray tabby, and had a rough look to him. But he never said anything outrageous. In fact, he never said anything at all it seemed, despite the wisdom he most likely carried.
Flaxstar was the next lowest next to Brackenstar. He was the RiverClan leader and was not a young cat. Previously in his time of leadership, he'd unjustly attacked ThunderClan, so it'd earned him that low spot on the rock. He was huge, and had a thick coat of fur that was such a pale shade of gray, he almost looked like a white cat that hadn't cleaned his pelt in moons. He carried a constant displeased look on his face. However, he had a bouncy young deputy by the name of Emberblaze, whose orange tabby pelt reflected his name. Duskpaw found it ironic that this flame-named cat came from a clan that circulated around water. But he wouldn't question it aloud.
RiverClan's medicine cat was Gojistem. She was an old calico with a friendly purr. She'd given Duskpaw some honey at his first gathering, which calmed his anxiety to the new environment, so he made sure to give her proper respect ever since. She also had an apprentice; the only other one besides Ferretpaw, although he was a fully trained medicine cat, by the name of Owlgaze. He was pretty bold as far as medicine cat toms go, but still a peace seeker. He had big amber eyes and a simple cream colored pelt.
ThunderClan was represented by Sagestar. She was a small, dark gray tabby with glowing green eyes. Duskpaw hadn't heard much of her strength, but she looked clever. She was sitting second highest. Her deputy was her opposite; a large muscular white tom, named Snowbreeze. By what the seniors described, he was how Duskpaw pictured Blizzard would look, but with shorter fur and a kinder face. Poppyheart was their medicine cat; Duskpaw was pretty sure he'd heard she was Snowbreeze's sister, and she looked it, too. She was as white as he was.
At the top of the rock sat Echostar. Duskpaw wasn't sure when she claimed the highest point as her own, and he wasn't sure how long it would last, but it made ShadowClan appear a bit superior. For now, that was enough. Duskpaw spotted Darkleaf sitting next to the other deputies.
"Let the gathering of the Clans begin!" Echostar threw her voice all around the clearing. The excited talking that had silenced to idle chatter at the sight of the clan leaders preparing now completely stopped.
"I will begin," Echostar offered. "ShadowClan has been hunting well, and-"
"-Keeping a tight watch on their borders," Lichenears interrupted and finished rudely for Echostar.
Duskpaw felt his throat squeeze. So the other clans have noticed their behavior. Silentpaw stiffened next to him.
"The mouse brain... trying to stir up trouble…" Silentpaw meowed, barely audible.
The other members of his clan were all making uncomfortable movements aswell.
Echostar narrowed her eyes at Lichenears. "It is disrespectful to disrupt a clan leader," she hissed, turning her gaze to Brackenstar. He blinked apologetically.
"Forgive us. But your behavior has been putting some of my cats on edge," he responded cautiously.
Duskpaw's fur began to rise. Brackenstar must have asked Lichenears to confront Echostar to make himself look peaceful. That was clever, but it brought up unnecessary trouble. Then again… if Duskpaw was the leader of a clan, and his bordering clan was being skittish and keeping a firm watch on the borders, he'd confront them too for the safety of his clan.
"I understand that. But I believe it would be best for me to talk for myself," Echostar replied curtly to Brackenstar. "We've been finding some odd scents on our territory. We suspect it is no clan, but that doesn't mean it's something to ignore."
Brackenstar dipped his head. The other leaders were also nodding in thought.
"That is all we have to say," Echostar concluded, stepping back.
Sagestar stepped forward to begin sharing news of ThunderClan, but Duskpaw ceased to pay attention. Instead, he angled his ears towards the direction of ShadowClan territory. Could something have happened? Could BloodClan have attacked and somehow caught the messengers before they made it to the gathering for help?
Oh StarClan, your hiding has left an eerie fear shadowing the hearts of the warriors of my clan.
"Duskpaw, you're shivering," Silentpaw whispered, jabbing a paw into his side.
He took a quick breath in and shook out his fur. "Thanks," he whispered back.
"Don't think about camp," she told him as if she'd read his thoughts.
He didn't respond and brought his attention back to the leaders. Flaxstar was stepping forward.
"You missed Sagestar and Brackenstar. He's the last one. We're almost through this," Nightmist's voice appeared out of nowhere, making Duskpaw and Silentpaw jump.
"I didn't know you were watching us, or near us," Duskpaw hissed a whisper to his mentor.
"I'm always watching," he whispered back through a purr. "Now listen."
Flaxstar had the same twisted expression that he always wore. Not that Duskpaw expected anything different. The enormous tom strutted forward on the rock.
"RiverClan has been receiving plenty of fish from the river. StarClan has blessed us this Greenleaf, as you can see by our large numbers," Flaxstar calmly stated, and fixed his gaze on Echostar.
A very quiet growl rumbled in Nightmist's throat.
"That was a purposeful insult to us," Silentpaw whispered the obvious.
"StarClan, let our warriors keep their traps shut," Nightmist prayed quietly.
Echostar held the gaze with Flaxstar. No ShadowClan cat spoke or moved. Duskpaw felt victory from his clan's level-headedness.
Flaxstar scowled, and gave up the intimidation. "Gathering dismissed."
Duskpaw released a heavy sigh of relief. "That could have been worse," he meowed, standing up and stretching.
"Keep your voice down Duskpaw, we're still surrounded," Nightmist warned.
The cats around him were already moving, though. Most of them were ShadowClan with him, but there were a couple from other clans. ShadowClan all hovered towards Echostar. Duskpaw, Silentpaw, and Nightmist joined them.
"Well done, all of you," she breathed. "Now let's make sure the rest of our clan is safe."
"ShadowClan, move out," Darkleaf announced. The clan moved towards their territory almost as one being.
"What did you like best about the gathering?" Silentpaw casually asked Duskpaw.
"That's a hard question," he answered evasively, and Ferretpaw dashed over to join them.
"I can't believe no one snapped," Ferretpaw panted. Fear flashed in his eyes. "What do you think camp will be like?"
Duskpaw felt his stomach twist with worry and didn't respond. Silentpaw stared at the ground. Ferretpaw's gazed traveled around as far as his head could turn, and then he too stared at the ground.
"Nothing?" Echostar asked exasperatingly. "But we've been so prepared!"
Smokefoot shook his head and sighed. "Not a scent, sight, or sound."
"I warned you Blizzard wouldn't attack when expected. Even if it was to his advantage," Boulder stepped in the conversation. "He likes to think he's clever."
This conversation was in front of Echostar's den and between Darkleaf, Smokefoot, Boulder, Ivy, and Echostar herself and right after the gathering. Duskpaw listened from a farther range.
"Then when will the foxheart attack?" Darkleaf growled, asking Ivy and Boulder. Ivy looked down at her paws. Boulder shrugged.
Duskpaw laughed mentally to himself as he saw Darkleaf's jaw tighten, but brought himself to his senses as he remembered how important this was.
"Don't look at us that way, we can't read his mind!" Ivy exclaimed. "We just need to continue what we're doing now. Watching."
"But how long will we be able to keep this up?" Smokefoot complained. "Cats are starting to lose spirits! I'm not sure if more time will prepare us more or less…"
Duskpaw stopped listening. He didn't want to have to worry more. He looked up at the full moon; it made him feel sick as he looked at the stars that circled it. Silverpelt was just as bright as it would be any night, and yet StarClan hadn't been heard from since all of this started.
"I don't know much about clans, but aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" A voice crushed Duskpaw's thoughts. He brought his head down from looking at the sky to see Boulder, his tail flicking friendlily.
"Sleep yourself," Duskpaw scoffed.
"I'd love to. But I think Ivy needs me up," he responded, tipping his head in her direction; she was still in the group conversation. Duskpaw had been doing his best to avoid her since sunrise.
"Whatever," Duskpaw sighed.
"…And maybe you need someone to talk to?"
"I'm fine."
"Yes, it's fine to be scared."
"I'm not scared!"
"But I wasn't being sarcastic about what I said," Boulder defended himself. "Being scared is natural. Fear is what keeps us witty, yes?"
"No."
"Yes."
"No." Boulder's fear logic was annoying Duskpaw.
"C'mon Duskpaw, trust a cat whose been through the worst," Boulder reasoned. "I've seen cats torn to pieces. And… think of what it'd be like if we weren't scared. We'd be running alone into the jaws of a badger."
"So, does that make me running into the jaws of a badger?"
"No, it makes you smart. Because I know you're afraid."
"You… are confusing," Duskpaw closed his eyes and sighed. "Everyone else is telling me not to be afraid, and you're telling me the total opposite."
Boulder thought for a moment. "I think what they're saying is that you can't let fear completely control you. Which is very true. But at the same time, you don't want to be fearless, because then you'd be stupid."
Duskpaw opened his eyes and considered this. "I guess I understand."
"Do you admit you're afraid?"
"…Yes."
"And that's absolutely fine. Just control it. Let it make you wise. You know, I'm afraid too."
"I know. You're the one that's been telling me to be afraid," Duskpaw mumbled, moving his tail about anxiously.
Boulder stared sympathetically at him. "You're a lonely one, aren't you?"
Duskpaw stiffened. "Where'd you get that from?"
"Just the way you talk. Have any parents?"
"No."
"Any siblings?"
"No," Duskpaw's voice cracked.
Boulder flicked his ears in surprise. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
"I'm fine."
"Do you use that phrase often?"
"I don't talk that much," Duskpaw hissed. Boulder was starting to frustrate him.
"I'm sorry, again," Boulder stared at his paws. "I don't exactly understand, I suppose. I've always had Ivy at least and… I've always been pretty good at making friends."
"Thank you for reminding me how perilously separated I am from all the other cats in existence."
"Oh I didn't mean it like that! No, not at all. I was about to point out that you… have a very strong relationship with those other apprentices to make up for it. Sometimes cats go about being alone forever, but you've stepped up. That's very hard for someone who's adapted to being independent. You're impressive."
Duskpaw looked Boulder in the eye. He had the same friendly twinkle as always. And at the same time, though he claimed to not understand, it was like he knew every little detail about Duskpaw.
Duskpaw shifted his paws. "Thank you. Really."
"It's nothing. I hope you get to feeling better," Boulder meowed sincerely. "I also hope you'll talk to me again."
Duskpaw purred. "I hope so too."
He blinked Boulder farewell and went to lie down in the apprentice's den. He collapsed onto his nest next to Silentpaw and Foxpaw.
"Took you long enough," Foxpaw yawned. She pulled her head up and flicked her tail as a goodnight, and went back to sleep. Duskpaw returned the flick. Then he laid his down head on his paws and let sleep take him.
Brindlestripe
Brindlestripe jumped awake, shivering from another nightmare. Her heaving breathing caused her apprentice, Ferretpaw, to awaken aswell.
"Brindlestripe?" He asked with a concerned look upon his face.
She shook her head, trying to dismiss his worry. One so young does not need this stress.
He flicked his ears and shakily stood up. Brindlestripe could see he was trying to hide what he felt for her sake. It made Brindlestripe feel selfish.
"Well… more marigold won't hurt. We've been getting it for the past few sunrises, but the battle still hasn't happened," she told Ferretpaw. He did nothing but nod, and slowly pad out of the den.
Brindlestripe's heart hurt. How dare those BloodClan beasts put our next generation through this. They might as well be kits.
This was unacceptable. Brindlestripe had made her decision now. She charged out of the den. She almost tripped over Ferretpaw, who had not even made it out of camp yet.
"W-what are you doing?" He called as she pulled herself up.
"I'm going to the Moonstone!"
Horror filled his face. "But I-I… I need you!"
"You must understand, dear… you'll be fine. But I must do this."
And at that, she bolted out of camp and towards WindClan territory and to the Highstones.
Duskpaw
Duskpaw awoke to Ferretpaw's voice sounding across camp.
"What's he moaning about now?" Foxpaw hissed, rolling over.
"Oh no, maybe something's happened concerning the battle at last!" Silentpaw gasped.
"Outside!" Duskpaw ordered, and they all three leapt up and into camp. Ferretpaw stood near the camp entrance, a stunned look on his face.
They galloped to him.
"Ferretpaw?" Silentpaw tried to get his attention quietly. He looked at her.
"B-Brindlestripe!" He choked out.
Duskpaw prepared to ask the next obvious question, but a new cat appeared and beat him to it.
"What's happened to Brindlestripe?" It was Ivy. Duskpaw wouldn't look her in the eye. Boulder trotted up behind her.
"What's going on?" Boulder exclaimed.
"We're trying to find out," Foxpaw growled at him. Then she got a good look at Boulder, and Duskpaw caught her fur rising slightly. Boulder bravely ignored her.
"Brindlestripe's left us! W-wait I'm sorry… It's not that bad… she's just… gone to the Moonstone. By herself," Ferretpaw rambled.
"At a time like this?" Ivy gaped. "Those cats don't even exist!"
"Hang on Ivy, we might not fully understand the significance of where this cat's headed," Boulder pointed out.
"Well, they don't seem to like it, either," Ivy used her tail to motion to Duskpaw and the other apprentices.
"And I don't see how you're one to try and reason!" Foxpaw hollered at Boulder. "You… you have fresh BloodClan scent all over you!"
Duskpaw's heart skipped a beat. He could see the shock of his own face reflected on Silentpaw and Ferretpaw. Boulder seemed alarmed by their sudden fear. Ivy's face was expressionless.
"… How recently have you visited BloodClan?" Duskpaw asked him.
"Last night," Boulder gave an honest answer.
"All of you! You musn't assume things!" Ivy looked like her feelings were hurt by the apprentices concern for what Boulder has done.
"Listen," she continued, "Boulder has been visiting BloodClan every night… for longer than he's been here. He's been collaborating with Blizzard."
Duskpaw felt his mind collapse.
Boulder nodded slowly. "We haven't told any cats other than your leader and deputy to make sure no one would be too afraid… But I promise you I'm doing this for your cause. For all of our cause, really. Blizzard thinks I'm here undercover for him, when quite frankly, the truth of the situation is the other way around."
"So… you're getting us information from that evil BloodClan leader?" Ferretpaw asked quietly.
"Yes. He is," Ivy answered for Boulder. He gave her a playful shove for stealing his line.
"But at what cost?" Silentpaw challenged.
"Nothing that concerns any of you. See, Blizzard just thinks he has control of me. Like I can't do anything as long as I'm under his watch. Or so he guesses," Boulder smiled to himself.
"…That's very noble of you," Foxpaw mewed apologetically.
Boulder shrugged.
"Well then," Ivy breathed, "let's not sit around waiting for the grass to grow. Boulder still hasn't been told by Blizzard when the attack will be unfortunately, so we still need to be on our toes.
"I'll go ask if we can join a patrol," Silentpaw offered, and padded off to where warriors were starting to awaken and gather.
Boulder looked at the sun, and then back at Ivy. "Hey, let's go walking." He told her.
"Okay," she sighed, following her brother out of camp.
"C'mon Duskpaw," Foxpaw called, "it looks like Silentpaw's got us a patrol. Ferretpaw, you go get your herbs and such."
Ferretpaw flinched and nodded, walking out of camp. Foxpaw and Duskpaw went over to Silentpaw and the other warriors waiting for a patrol.
It took them long enough to finally leave. But right when Toadleap, Silentpaw, Foxpaw, and Duskpaw took one pawstep out of camp, Boulder almost crashed into them. Back so soon?
He looked dazed. "Um… um…"
"Watch where you're going," hissed Toadleap.
"I-I think I saw… a BloodClan warrior though! Yes!" Boulder tried to move around them but Toadleap blocked his way.
"This is urgent! Go tell Echostar right now, and we'll begin investigating. Which direction?" Toadleap pushed him for answers.
"Sunrise direction from the two-leg place! Yes, I'll go tell your leader and…" Boulder anxiously shuffled into camp, and Duskpaw and his patrol took off.
Twig
Twig padded silently into the alleyway deemed the training area, her paws gliding smoothly over the cold stone beneath them. She knew what was coming, and so did the others.
Tomorrow, at sunhigh, the battle would begin.
She sensed a small change in the atmosphere, small enough not to matter, but it made her uncomfortable. Lifting her head, she saw a white mess of fur approaching her. Quickly, she ducked her head, meowing a quiet "I honor you, Blizzard" and waiting for his commands. She would always arrive early to training, and he would always tell her tactics and easy ways to make her opponent of the day suffer. She never tried those.
As he reached her, he plopped down, making her taller than him and at the advantage. She averted her eyes, not willing to break the unspoken code even now. No one dared look Blizzard in the face; if you did, he'd kill you instantly. Or, that's what younger warriors whispered about on uneventful nights.
"So, Twig," he purred. "I've got something new for you to try. Tonight, you'll be fighting one of our...older...warriors. I've told him to fight as best he can. Show me your best is better." He glanced up at her, but she stood stone still, staring at the ground. He took this as a sign to continue.
"Now, what I want you to do is to give him the advantage. Let him think you're weak. When he seems too confident, kill him. That's all." He watched her closely, waiting for some sort of reaction, but she gave him none but a curt nod and a "yes, Blizzard." This seemed to satisfy him, as he stood up, stretching a bit, and began to walk down to his usual spot.
Twig slowly made her way over to her vantage point, but before she'd gotten half-way there, Blizzard was upon her.
She felt tooth and claw pierce her skin, and she screeched, whipping herself around too quickly. She felt blood oozing from her wounds, and before she could react, she was bombarded with more attacks. A quick blow to the skull sent her reeling, and she fell backwards. She tried to regain her ability and knowledge to fight, but it was taking too long for her to make a move; every blow she attempted was met by one from Blizzard. He was trying to kill her, and it was as simple as that.
In some sort of blind luck, Twig was able to make her move, jumping on to Blizzards back and digging her claws in. She did just as he'd shown her before, rolling herself in just the right way, ripping his flesh and earning a small cry. Of course, since he taught her the move, he knew exactly how to counteract it, flinger her off of him and into the wall. She felt paralyzed, unable to even lift her head.
With the massive white cat standing over her, blood pooling around them both, she knew it had to be over. He raised his paw, claws glinting in the small bit of sun left lingering in the sky. He brought it down on her, but not where he'd expected. Instead of her face, he'd caught her side.
She sprinted away, a sudden surge of adrenaline giving her the good sense to get out of there. She couldn't feel the blood flowing from her wounds, she couldn't feel the cracked bones, the only thing she felt was panic.
Something about the fight was off, and it scared Twig. She couldn't figure it out; she didn't even know why he'd done what he did. She could hear the scratch of claws against stone behind her, and she sped up.
"You traitor, you filthy traitor! I'll kill you all!" she heard Blizzard screaming behind her.
He didn't sound right. He sounded angry, disgusted, and... hurt.
Not just hurt, more like he was in agony.
Maybe she actually did do some good damage to him.
But, as she ran, she remembered the meeting beforehand, how they'd talked. It was all normal, wasn't it? Twig had thought everything had been the same, but the more she thought about it, the more the signs began to stand out to her. He told her she'd fight a senior warrior, and she did. He'd made her appear bigger; he'd given her an advantage. That's how he'd told her to fight, give him the advantage and then steal it, kill him when he seemed too confident. Why would he fight her? What had she done? She followed all of his orders, she'd not been disruptive or a trouble maker. It didn't make sense.
She couldn't figure it out, her mind was beginning to fog, and her body was beginning to slow. Every step she took sent pains through her body.
Suddenly, the effects of the fight were bombarding her, and she felt dizzy. She didn't remember when she'd made it to the forest, but it seemed like every tree root and small rocks were trying their hardest to trip her. She stumbled about, doing as best she could manage in unfamiliar territory with her wounds. And to top it all off, it was nearly moonhigh, and she was freezing. She tried to move around a bit more, then thought better of it when she looked back the way she came and saw just how badly she'd been bleeding.
"I...need help." she mewed silently to herself. She wished she'd had Patch and Scratch with her just then. Then again, what could they have done for her?
No, she wanted Ivy. She wanted Boulder. She wanted them by her side. She knew they'd have known how to fix her. Yes, she'd find Ivy and Boulder and they'd fix her right up, and the three of them could run the drill again and this time Twig wouldn't slip on the puddle and hit her head. Oh no, she'd be more careful this time.
Twig felt cold. Stiff and cold. Her fur was matted with hard, dried blood, her body feeling sensitive and tired. She slowly lifted her head, which had been resting on a root. When had she fallen asleep? She couldn't remember, but the sun was already beginning to peak through the trees.
She began to force herself into a sitting position, but stopped, yowling when the slash on her side began to pulse with pain.
"Please, be quiet. You're so close to your destination, you must push on."
Twig jumped at the voice, and her side began pulsing again. She didn't make too much noise though. She recognized the voice.
"F...Fang. You..." It was the cat she'd killed in battle practice.
"I've come to help you, young warrior."
Twig looked to see Fang sitting there beside her, deep cuts etched into her skin. Something looked off, something Twig couldn't pinpoint, but this cat was definitely no threat to Twig, so she didn't try too hard to figure it out.
"How...how d'you get here?" Twig asked, her words somewhat slurred.
"You'd be surprised. Now, it's time to go. You must try to stand."
Twig did as she was told, forcing herself onto all fours.
"Now, follow me." Fang began to walk, slowly at first so Twig could adjust to a slow pace again, then speeding up to a light run. As they went on, Twig began to notice the area around them changing. The sun was reaching its peak, and the light made the trees and leaves around them seem beautiful.
But, again, she noticed something strange going on with Fang. She seemed almost...translucent.
Fang stopped running, turning to face her.
Bowing her head, she meowed, "I honor you, Twig."
And then, she was gone.
All of Twig's energy suddenly evaporated, and once again, she found herself lying on the ground in agony. She hoped this would all pass soon.
