Alright, another chapter! This one is an idea from Angstfur! Thank you for submitting your idea and I hope I did it justice.
Red twisted and turned as he went through another sleepless night. Hatred churned in his belly as he remembered the fox that killed his father and how his mother couldn't stand looking at her son anymore and abandoned him before he knew how to hunt. His mother whose name was Fox. He forced himself away, his green eyes darkened from his lack of good sleep. He got to his paws.
"I don't need to hunt." He grumbled to himself. "I have my own way of catching "prey"." He groggily informed no one in particular. He knew his group was waiting for him to return with information about when they should attack. He looked over at the discarded bones of the ShadowClan apprentice he had most recently killed and eaten. The little furball had been no help in giving information. In the distance he heard voices. Quickly, he slunk back into a bramble bush. Though it still hurt, the thorns didn't bother him as much as they did when he had been little.
"Are you sure about this Foxclaw? Bumblestar isn't going to be too thrilled I left an elder alone in the forest with a murderer on the loose." A young she-cat's voice cautioned. He peered out of the bushes but saw no signs of any other cats yet.
"I'm sure Littlebird. I want to see somewhere." A much older she-cat rasped.
"Back when you were a loner?"
"Yes..." After a moment the pawsteps stopped and Red saw a small gray and white tabby with a russet she-cat who looked familiar.
"Close your eyes and let's play a game." The silhouette of his mother purred.
"A game?"
"Yes, it's called find Fox. I'll hide and you have to find me."
Red gasped in pain as he remember the day his mother left him. She had passed it off as a game and he had been naive enough to believe the cold-hearted queen. He had been thankful Stone and Gorge had found him the very next day. They were the ones who taught him prey wasn't the only source of food a cat could find. They were the ones who taught him of the Clans he lived just on the outskirts of. They were the ones who inspired him to join the group against the cats known as ShadowClan. They helped him live. Not Fox.
"Who's there?" The elderly queen, Foxclaw called out. She walked carefully towards him, her white paws darkened by the marshy ground. She was alone now. No warrior to protect her. In heart-beats he pounced and pinned the elder to the ground, ready to kill. Stuck on her back, she looked up at him in shock.
"I don't believe it..." She gasped. "You're alive."
"Quiet, ShadowClan filth." He hissed.
"I'm sorry, Red..." Without thinking he slashed at her belly, causing the blood to stain his paws scarlet. Who did this she-cat think she was? To call him by his name? As she lay dying, she manage to gasp out. "I'm sorry... My son... My biggest regret... Was leaving... you..."
Red froze. The hatred that had kept him going was gone.
"F-Fox..." His mew was weak and sounded kit-like. But she only lay limp at his paws. He stumbled back. Why did he feel this way? Why didn't he still hate her? This was the she-cat who left him to die!
But as he looked at her limp body, he only felt lost and confused. He curled up next to her, a sob in his throat that made it feel sore and raw. He felt like he did when his father, Moon, died. He felt like a kit, wanting to do nothing but cry. He only wanted Fox to be back so that he could curl up next to her and they'd be a family again. He didn't want her dead. He wanted her here.
This is my fault... I killed her...
She deserved it...
Then so do I. Without even thinking he got to his paws and marched deep into the marsh. A strong smell of fox made him gag, but he knew this is what he had to do. As he reached the den of the creature he noticed it wasn't home yet. He slipped inside and curled up.
When it arrived, he would finally right is wrong.