Deception
Ferretpaw
Ferretpaw shakily picked marigold from the patch of it that he usually came to. It laid on the side of the territory where the twoleg place was, but it was still rather far from it. Plus, he needed this marigold. And there wasn't much left since he'd been picking it every day. Every day. How long would they have to wait for this battle?
And now Brindlestripe's gone off for StarClan knows how long. Will there ever be peace?
Ferretpaw was aware of how young and nervous he was. But on the inside, he felt moons older than the dullest star in the sky. Was it fair to put him through such feats while he still had so much to learn?
Whatever Ferretpaw felt he knew that he must keep his faith. Because if he didn't have that, then he didn't have anything. He sighed and halted his herb gathering. He looked up at the sky. It was nearing sunhigh, so Silverpelt was nowhere near out. But Ferretpaw just didn't understand. How could StarClan ignore them we they needed them most?
…He would just have to be patient for the reason to reveal itself.
But then he heard something. It wasn't too far away either. Ferretpaw shifted his gaze from the sky to around the territory. He started to mentally panic a bit, but calmed himself and focused his senses.
This could be the invasion at last. And catching it before it starts could be the thing that saves my clan.
At last, Ferretpaw caught a stench floating around the air. He wrinkled his nose. It… it had to be BloodClan. And the scent was laced with blood. Ferretpaw felt his breathing quicken and his chest squeeze, but he forced himself in the direction of the horrid smell and for whatever StarClan had planned for him… Oh, he was sure death was calling him….
He shoved through the undergrowth and around a pine tree to see a torn-up she cat, lying on the ground possibly unconscious. Or worse. Her wounds made him gasp aloud. They were awful, like Nettleheart's...
He closed his eyes and opened them again and reminded himself why he existed. He was a medicine cat. He leapt to the she cat's side and examined her. He recoiled momentarily at her scent, but then looked closer at her.
She was about his own size. Maybe around Ivy's age? She looked slightly like Ivy too, but with shorter and lighter brown fur, though it may have only looked lighter because of all the blood that rested on her pelt. Ferretpaw suddenly realized he didn't even know if she was breathing, so he placed a paw on her chest. He felt life. She was alive, at least for now. Though her breathing was shallow. She'd definitely lost a lot of blood, and could still be losing some now. He needed to stop the bleeding immediately and get her back to camp. He shivered as he remembered he would be alone.
But then again, should he even help this cat? It was obviously BloodClan. …And it could even be a trap somehow!
No. Even if she was an evil cat, he knew he had to help her. Because that's what medicine cats do… Ferretpaw was almost sure of this.
He felt a gaze burning into his fur, and it made it stand on end. He looked down at the she cats face. She was looking at him. She was awake. Sh-she could kill him-
Ferretpaw was having trouble finding logic at the moment. This cat hadn't lifted its head, and appeared to be incapable of moving. But could she speak?
"I-I-" Ferretpaw tried to say something to her, but couldn't get words out. She continued to stare at him, her eyes unreadable. So he started forcing his mind out of his panic temper, and back to his patient one. What was he thinking before? Stop the bleeding.
He dashed to the closest pine tree and stared up along its branches. He needed cobwebs… there! On one of the limbs sat what he needed. It wasn't too high either.
Pushing with his hind legs as hard as he could, Ferretpaw met the tree trunk with his claws and pulled himself higher until he was where he needed to be. He ripped the cobweb off the limb, and awkwardly slid back down the tree.
Gasping, he jumped back to the she cat and patched up her wounds. She really needed that marigold, but it would rub off if he applied it before she was safe in camp. So he'd have to take her like this. Her eyes still remained locked on him, and she still wouldn't utter a mew. Ferretpaw took a calming breath in.
"Hello. My name is Ferretpaw of ShadowClan," he introduced himself politely to the possibly evil cat, and his words spaced themselves out oddly. "You're not in good condition, and I'm going to take you back to my camp to halt the bleeding and p-possible infection," his voice jumped a bit, but he stayed relaxed.
The cat spoke nothing still and showed no signs that she understood him. But she laid her head down and closed her eyes again.
Ferretpaw went behind her and scooped her up by the scruff of her neck while holding his breath to blot out her scent. She was heavier than expected, and it made him fumble about, but he was determined to get this cat back to camp. The Greenleaf sun provided no extra comfort. As the sun approached sunhigh, it seemed to scorch the land beneath it.
Blizzard
Blizzard threw himself against his hut's wall and pulled his claws against the harsh stone, screaming his rage as he did so.
Was his whole clan turning against him? What could he have done to deserve the betrayal of everything he'd ever worked for?
Oh look, this seems familiar. THIS SEEMS VERY FAMILIAR.
No one understood Blizzard. Whenever he put his faith in someone or something, it always seemed to turned against him. No, it didn't seem. It did turn against him.
And he hurt more this time. He hurt more from this betrayal than from his whole clan laughing and shunning his brilliance, his own father stealing his eye, or the constant nightmares he had about the day he did the only thing he ever regretted.
But she got away.
I couldn't even give her the proper farewell. There was some invisible force literally pulling me back! It felt like a cat, but…
"I thought you were on my side," Blizzard appeared to say to nothing.
But out of thin air in response to his statement, four translucent cats appeared that had stars that danced in their fur.
"It was no one of Starclan," Crevicestar, a large, long-furred silver tabby tom growled.
"Or of the Dark Forest," Leafwhisker, a golden tabby she cat informed; she was one of the few who dared venture there.
"And we're definitely on your side, Blizzard," Dustshade, a skinny black tom, promised. "Just as we swore many sunrises ago."
"We've even managed to convince many other Starclan cats to side with you," Rainpelt, a slender tortishell she cat put in.
Blizzard bared his teeth at the useless dead cats. "But what can they do?"
"Like we've told you before," Leafwhisker patiently explained. "We cannot do anything to the Shadowclan cats with so many Starclan cats still sided with them. We managed to break past the other Starclan members for enough time to distract Nettleheart enough for you to kill him though, remember? Isn't that good?"
"I know what you did. But that wasn't the help I needed; I could have done that myself," Blizzard hissed. "In fact, there was only one cat I needed and you failed to recognize that. And I don't want you to lay a paw on her. I plan on doing that myself," he imagined himself biting so hard into her neck that it snapped the bone. "She can't hide forever. And neither can those siblings that started all of this.
"Well. If you were wondering, Boulder was doing what you wanted," Crevicestar grumbled.
"This is your chance!" Blizzard was suddenly excited. "You can do something useful and kill him while he's weak!"
All four StarClan cats didn't respond.
"Well? Are you just going to sit there like cornered rats, or actually do something?!"
"…A dark force resides behind Boulder, and we cannot get past it," Dustshade droned.
Blizzard felt the blood pulse to his paws. It was a welcoming rage. He used it for strength. "You-"
"Blizzard!" A new voice interrupted. Blizzard turned naturally to face it. "It's nearly sunhigh! We've got to move out as planned." It was Talon.
Blizzard stared at him for a few heartbeats. Then he turned back to where the deceased cats were sitting.
…They'd disappeared.
Cowards.
"Prepare the battle lines. We charge as soon as I'm standing in front of all the cats," Blizzard growled.
At last, he would get his revenge. He could not lose.
The cats reappeared as Blizzard left.
Leafwhisker was shaking her head slowly. "It is sad that we have to put our faith in such a monster."
"It's for the best. We have to believe we're doing the right thing," Crevicestar rumbled. Dustshade just stared at the ground. But Rainpelt nodded.
"It's necessary to stop Ivy," Rainpelt commended.
Brindlestripe
Brindlestripe could see the Thunderpath in the distance. It was her last major obstacle for getting to the Moonstone. She urged adrenaline to keep her moving at a fast pace.
"Brindlestripe you fool!"
Paws came out of nowhere, and Brindlestripe gasped as she felt herself become pinned to the ground. She rolled herself over, preparing for a fight but-
"Redscar!" She couldn't believe her eyes.
Redscar's fur danced with stars. He was an ancient medicine cat of Shadowclan; and one that used to visit her every time she visited the Moonstone.
And he finally chose to show himself just as she was headed to the Moonstone.
"How dare you ignore my clan when we need you so desperately? How dare you!?" Brindlestripe hissed at him. "And you wait until I'm forcing myself away from them to-"
"You must be quiet!" He screeched. His eyes were wild. "Too much has been going on in StarClan for me to explain right now, but you must get back to your clan immediately!" He leapt off of her, and faced the direction of camp. The dismay on his face reflected his plea for her to return.
Brindlestripe stood up and felt dizzy at his random appearance and why he was so frightened. "You must tell me."
"If you run back beside me, I'll tell you everything on the way there," he rambled. "I… I'm so sorry." And he dashed off. Brindlestripe galloped after him. She match her paws with his starry ones, and felt her fatigue disappear.
"It all started when we received a vision," he panted. "Every single StarClan cat saw it. …You see, in the vision…" He closed his eyes. "A rogue was shown gaining control of ShadowClan. And after that, the entire forest. Nothing but destruction and pain followed. It frightened us. And the sunrise after we saw it… Ivy was welcomed into Shadowclan."
"…Redscar-"
"I still have much to say, young one," they ran as he spoke. "So… StarClan warriors were thinking of ways to handle this. We were all blocking each other from entering any cat's dreams for fear of what the other StarClan warrior might say that could mess absolutely everything up. This is what happens when StarClan all receive a prediction," he breathed. "It is usually only given to a few cats. But somehow, we all saw. And it's tearing us apart. We're all so afraid. We all think we know better than the other. And it's unusual. I can't say I've ever heard of StarClan all seeing a vision together either. And I understand why it shouldn't happen now," he shivered. "But there's more. StarClan has made a small group that support… Blizzard. The hellish cat that scarred ShadowClan the way his face is scarred. They're giving him advice and insight because they feel like he's the only cat strong enough to stop Ivy, but a cat that the other clans can stop eventually. Even if it means sacrificing ShadowClan," he was shaking his head. "It's just wrong."
Brindlestripe was afraid her heart would stop. "BloodClan wasn't lying when they claimed to have Starclan on their side…" she gaped. How could this happen?
"You must forgive us," Redscar pleaded. "Sometimes StarClan cats can be just as ignorant as living warriors."
Brindlestripe couldn't think straight with this new information. Also she was running. But then a relevant thought appeared.
"Why is it so important that we return to camp now?" She asked her passed friend.
Redscar's breath jumped. "As bizarre as the sign we all received is, it was shown to us for a reason. We've just been ignorant and too quick to conclusions to realize who the real problem is. I'm not sure if anyone else has realized..."
"Who is it, then?"
"Boulder. Ivy's brother."
Duskpaw
Duskpaw was sure if he stopped running he'd be shivering.
Could it be? The battle at last?
Boulder had just informed them of a rogue sighting in the direction this patrol was headed. Bloodclan thought they'd be clever, but they've been caught!
"P-patrol halt!" Toadleap hollered suddenly. All four cats, Toadleap, Silentpaw, Foxpaw, and Duskpaw, came to a stop that was too quick for it to have looked graceful.
"Why in StarClan's name-" Duskpaw was about to complain, but then the stink hit his nose.
"Ferretpaw!" Foxpaw called.
"Ferretpaw? I didn't know he could smell that bad," Duskpaw hissed. He couldn't get a glimpse of why they'd stopped over the three cats in front of him.
Finally, he moved around them to see, indeed, Ferretpaw. But Ferretpaw was carrying what was most likely emitting the reek.
"Is that… a Bloodclan warrior?" Toadleap exclaimed.
Duskpaw guessed that the question was rhetorical because that was most definitely Bloodclan warrior. But was it even alive? It was beaten to shreds and laid limp in Ferretpaw's jaws. Perhaps Ferretpaw was stronger than anyone could have guessed… no. Of course not. There's only one thing Ferretpaw would be doing with an injured cat.
Ferretpaw flicked his ears in response. He obviously couldn't talk at the moment. Duskpaw went over to him and scooped up the Bloodclan cat to let the medicine cat apprentice explain. Despite the horrid situation, Duskpaw had to purr from the nostalgia of it. This was the second rogue Ferretpaw was determined to rescue.
"She's injured. And I'm taking her back to camp. Simple as that," he spoke with an even voice when released from carrying the warrior.
Toadleap opened his mouth as if to say something, but Duskpaw supposed the stress of the possible attack caused him not to argue.
"Alright," he sighed, "Duskpaw, go with him back to camp. We'll keep moving in case this cat wasn't alone, and I won't ask how she got in that state right now. Just make sure Echostar is sending out other patrols."
Duskpaw nodded, and Ferretpaw leapt away for camp just as he did so. Duskpaw snorted in surprise and started dragging the gross cat after him.
Flamepath, who was the camp guard, had his fur standing on end as Duskpaw and Ferretpaw burst into camp with yet another rogue.
He heard other cats let out hisses of confusion and discomfort as he and Ferretpaw charged across camp, but they didn't stop until they were inside the medicine cat den. Duskpaw laid the cat down in a patient nest, glad to be rid of its smell. Ferretpaw immediately went to work on her wounds.
"Ferretpaw? Is that you?" Petaldust appeared from the back of the den. "I haven't seen you or Brindlestripe since this morning and-" her words halted as her eyes fixed on the Bloodclan warrior.
He turned to her only with a plea. "I would appreciate help saving this cat," he told her. She seemed to flinch at the thought of aiding such a gnarled up rogue, but couldn't deny Ferretpaw's request. She nodded.
"I'll go talk to Echostar," Duskpaw announced, and dashed through camp before any of the now wandering cats could ask questions to her den.
"Echostar!" He barged in on her while she was lying down. She slowly turned her gaze up to meet him.
"Hello Duskpaw," she greeted calmly.
"Have you sent those patrols out yet?"
She blinked. "I've sent the dawn patrol."
Duskpaw hissed. "Didn't Boulder ask you to send out patrols where he said he saw a strange cat?"
Echostar stood up quickly. "No, he didn't," she mewed quietly. "There's been a rogue sighting?"
"There's been a rogue catching. Definitely Bloodclan."
"You have the cat?!"
"Yes but Echostar, this could be the battle! That small patrol needs help!" Duskpaw urged.
She dipped her head. "I'll see to it. But I need to see this cat. Take me to it. And where is Ivy?"
Duskpaw shrugged, and started leading his leader to the medicine cat den. On the way, she intercepted Darkleaf.
"Darkleaf, we've caught a rogue-"
"So I've heard!" He chuckled.
"-And I need you to send out patrols around the area she was found…"
Darkleaf swished his tail. "I've already done it, Echostar. Boulder caught sight of her, and suggested to send the patrols out to catch her and check for accompanying Bloodclan troops."
Echostar's fur rose slightly, but she laid it back down. "…Is that where all of our patrols are? That one small spot?" Duskpaw wondered what it was that momentarily unnerved Echostar.
Darkleaf sat in thought for a moment. "I suppose it is. I wanted to make sure we'd find the rogue and-"
"Well we've found it now, haven't we? Spread the patrols to the rest of the territory; we could be attacked anywhere. This could be it."
Darkleaf dipped his head and padded off. Duskpaw and Echostar finished their trip to the medicine cat den.
Ferretpaw was still patching up the cat. He looked slightly nervous, but stronger than usual as he always appeared in front of a needy cat. Petaldust now just sat to the side, watching him.
Ferretpaw looked to the den entrance as they entered. "Echostar," he greeted, dipping his head, and returned to his work. Duskpaw walked over to sit next to him. The cat looked more like a… cat now. You could see her scars clearly, and her fur had been groomed. Ferretpaw was now just applying some kind of pulp to them. Duskpaw let out a breath and looked at Echostar. She was staring with narrowed eyes at the cat.
"What's her name?" She asked.
"I'm not sure," Ferretpaw responded.
Echostar looked around the den. "Where's Brindlestripe?"
Ferretpaw paused his work to answer. "Gone…"
"Gone where?"
"The Moonstone she said."
Duskpaw saw Echostar's jaw tense up, but she released it.
"Can we trust this cat?" She asked.
Ferretpaw shook his head as he finished up mending the cat. He turned to Echostar at last. "As far as I know, she could be anything. She's been unconscious this whole time."
"…No I haven't," a new voice croaked.
All four cats around the Bloodclan cat jumped. Duskpaw looked away from Echostar and down at the cat to see her eyes open and her face full of horror.
"I'm awake," her voice shook.
No cat spoke for a moment. Echostar stepped forward and faced her.
"It's a blessing to see you well," she told the cat politely.
The cat blinked at her, but began shivering.
"How long have you been awake?" Echostar asked her gently.
"I-I'm not sure…" The cat's voice was a pitiful whine.
"What is your name?"
The cat froze, as if considering running away rather than speaking her name. But she must have convinced herself otherwise. "I'm Twig," she whispered.
Echostar dipped her head to Twig. "My name is Echostar. This is Petaldust, Duskpaw, and Ferretpaw."
"…You helped me. I feel better. Where… am I?" She asked, gaining confidence.
"You're in Shadowclan," Duskpaw told her proudly before Echostar could.
Twig stiffened. "This is where Boulder is. This is the clan we were going to attack!" Her voice was rising.
Echostar lost her cool. "When are they attacking?" She hissed at Twig.
Twig's face flooded with fear as Echostar was suddenly hostile. Duskpaw was confused. Echostar could be frightening, but not that bad. Plus, Bloodclan cats were supposed to be near-fearless. But something about Echostar seemed to put this cat the wrong way.
"I-I-" Twig choked on words.
Ferretpaw jumped in front of the steaming Echostar and addressed Twig. "Forgive our persistence, but any information you could provide us could save our clan!"
"How do we know this is a good cat? Didn't she just admit she was sided with Bloodclan?" Petaldust hissed.
"At sunhigh!" Twig hollered.
All cats grew quiet and stared at her.
"They'll be attacking from the back of the territory too!" She completely spilled.
"Why tell us so easily?" Duskpaw decided to ask what was on his mind.
"This voice… I believe this is one of the cats who came to our camp yesterday. So, you know Ivy and Boulder?" Echostar pushed. Duskpaw squinted and looked at the cat again. She was hardly recognizable from the scars, but it definitely seemed like the same cat.
Twig flinched at her voice. "Yes. I was once very good friends with them."
"Any cat could claim that!" Petaldust complained.
"Why don't you find Ivy and Boulder and ask them?" Ferretpaw suggested sharply.
"I can do that!" Duskpaw leapt to his feet, itching from understandable excitement. So much was happening so quickly!
"I'll go as well," Echostar announced. "Petaldust, in the mean time, I'd like you to go catch Darkleaf and tell him to send the majority of the patrols to the… back of the territory, instead of equally spread. Though not to leave any section of the territory unguarded; just in case. Understand? We have almost no cats in camp right now, and the patrols could be looking in the wrong place."
Petaldust nodded, and took off.
"Ferretpaw…" Echostar was thinking. "I don't feel like it is safe here. Wait for one patrol to get back to camp, and then tell the patrol to evacuate the kits and elders to the carrion place." Ferretpaw bowed his head in response.
"Alright then," Echostar meowed, turning to Duskpaw. "We've got two scent trails to catch. Keep your nose pointed for Ivy and Boulder. And stay with me."
Ivy
Ivy's paws were itching. She paced back and forth, back and forth, but she stopped when she heard something. Turning to look toward the source of the noise, she saw Boulder standing there. She took a few steps forward, abandoning the area underneath the Fourtrees she'd been glued to only moments before. He'd asked her to meet him there at this particular time after they left camp, and Ivy decided to do a little border checking herself before meeting him here.
"Boulder!"
Ivy kept walking toward him, closer and closer until she was close enough to see that something was off. She stopped, her tail twitching, and waited. Boulder tilted his head a bit, and something switched in Ivy's mind. There was nothing wrong; Boulder was probably just a bit on edge.
"Ivy," Boulder meowed in response. He looked like he wanted to say something. But if he wasn't going to say it on his own account, Ivy would not force him. She was just happy to have a moment, however brief and unnecessary it may be in such times, with her brother. It was nice while it lasted.
"I've been meaning to tell you," he began, picking his words carefully. "…Shadowclan is not my ally."
This shocked Ivy a bit, and she looked at him funny. "What do you mean by that? Since when? What happened?" Her mind was bursting with questions, each with so many possible answers that Ivy began to veer off into all of the possibilities, not paying any attention to Boulder or the Fourtrees or anything happening around her, only her thoughts.
"Ivy!" Boulder nudged her, bringing her back down to reality. She stared at him apologetically, and waited for him to speak.
"Okay, pick your favorite question, and ask that one first," he said, watching her closely. She thought for a minute.
"Since when?" she asked. "Since when have you not been allies with Shadowclan?"
"I've never been their ally. The only thing I support is freedom. True freedom. Just like we've always fought for. And I'm closer to gaining that than you may have previously thought..." He grinned.
Ivy's tail was twitching, her fur prickling. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, if I wanted to, I could take over whoever loses or wins this battle. I am not alone in this, Ivy."
"Take over? …Are you crazy?" Ivy took a few steps back, putting some distance in between the two.
"Aw, come on Ivy. Don't tell me you've never dreamt big before. The BloodClan cats aren't the only ones who are ignorant of freedom. These cats are, too. All of these clans. We can help everyone."
Her fur stood on end. "That's not dreaming big, Boulder! That's being stupid; that's being irrational! That's traitorous!"
"Really? And who, might I ask, would I be betraying?" He looked almost amused.
"Me, your sister! You'd be betraying me you-"
"Now, now. Calm down Ivy. How am I betraying you? I'm only ready to finish what we started. I'm not sure what you've been doing..."
She ran towards him, closing the little distance she'd created between them before.
With her face in his, she tried to intimidate him, yelling an angry "I will not calm down!" before realizing her attempt was futile.
He didn't move; he didn't react. He just stood there, waiting for her next move. That in itself sent Ivy's head reeling, her mind trying to work through everything. Why wouldn't he react, why was he being so stupid, what was his problem? She couldn't figure it out, and it was making her angry. Not only angry, though. A bigger, more prominent emotion was filling her body with lead, making her want to break down and cry, but she didn't know what it was. It was there, begging for her to acknowledge it, but all she could recognize and feel was the anger overtaking her, and she didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit.
But, she couldn't stop it.
Standing there, face to face with her brother, who not only admitted he'd been lying but also admitted he was considering taking advantage of a weakened clan, all clans, all cats- was making her feel nauseated. What support did he have? Was he just messing with her? No.. he was serious, but there was no way he'd acquired any kind of power. Not without her. Not that she would help destroy these pleasant cats' way of life! So, she spit in his face, and turned to leave.
And still, he stood there, not reacting. "Ivy. That was a bit childish, don't you think? I had hoped we'd gotten past spitting like angry kits."
She whipped around, slashing at his face with full force. He jumped back just in time, missing her claws by barely a hair's length. She didn't stop there, though. She continued hounding him with blows, and he continued dodging them as best he could, though she had landed quite a few. Ivy saw a disturbance in the area surrounding the two cats, but she paid no mind to it. Instead, she continued badgering Boulder, until she felt something land on her back. It was true- he had other cats!
She screeched, abandoning her fight with Boulder to try and fling the cat off of her. It had its claws sunk deep into her skin, and it was ripping them down her back. As she swung her body violently around, she felt something force her legs to give out, and she collapsed face first. The first cat had let go of her when she fell, allowing her time to hit the ground before going at her again. She couldn't see who it was or what they looked like, she could only see blurs. She could feel perfectly fine, though, since she could tell that both cats that had attacked her were now ripping at her with teeth and claws. She forced herself onto her feet, and no matter how many times they'd knocked her down, she kept getting up. Sometimes, they'd let her stand and fight for a while before knocking her down again, and sometimes they'd just throw her straight back down.
No matter what was happening, though, Ivy could feel her energy draining. She could feel the life being sucked right out of her, and she knew if the fight didn't end soon, she would not be making it back to Shadowclan. She wouldn't make it back to her friends.
She wouldn't give up, though. She'd made that promise to herself many moons ago. To give in at this moment, so vital in the fight, would mean she accepted defeat. It would mean she accepted her brother's rejection of her and the clans. To give up would mean to die in vain.
So, she pushed on. She fought as hard as she could, slashing and clawing and biting until nothing could be seen, nothing could be smelt, nothing could exist without being tainted by the blood. She heard something somewhere behind her, but she didn't turn to look. She figured that if Boulder had summoned more of his cats to finish her off, then she wouldn't go down without a fight. She'd also give them the proper advantage they deserve, not allowing herself to see them before they begin to attack. At least in this way, she would die honorably.
Bracing herself, she waited for the impact, for the feel of fresh tears ripping through her skin as claws sink deep into her skin, but nothing came. Nothing happened. She turned to face the direction she'd heard the noises, but saw nothing. Then, suddenly, the air was filled with the screeches of cats once more. She turned back to face her attackers to find them now being berated by other cats, ones that looked familiar. She could almost make them out in her haze; one cat, looking a bit like the ones who'd been attacking her with dark fur and quick movements. The other, a white cat, who moved quicker and with more confidence than the other. Ivy saw the two fighting three cats, but Ivy didn't really remember fighting three. Then again, she had been beaten from all sides, and now that the attention was off of her, the only thing she could think about was taking a nice nap…
Someone was standing over her; that much she knew. Ivy could see the shadow through her eyelids. She didn't want to be awake, though. Sleeping felt so nice; she knew she could just sleep forever.
"Ivy!" She felt something hit her side, something hard. She winced, curling into a tight little ball. She heard a noise from above her.
"Duskpaw!" Came a familiar voice, obviously scolding the other.
"She wasn't waking up!" Another familiar voice. And if she remembered correctly, this Duskpaw…he must be her friend. Yes, Duskpaw was a friend from Shadowclan.
"That is no excuse to hit her; she's already in pain!"
"I'm sorry, Echostar." Echostar. The clan leader.
Ivy forced herself to open her eyes, allowing them a little bit of time to adjust before swiveling her head around to get a good look at her surroundings. She saw that the two were now staring at her, watching her like a cat on hunt. She laid her head back down.
"Why're you guys here?" she asked, her words sort of slurring together.
"This is no time for talking, we need to get you help. We can tell you all about it later," said Echostar. She looked blank, but Ivy could tell by the way she was holding herself that there were a lot of things on her mind. She decided then that she could most definitely wait for an explanation later, and she looked over to Duskpaw. He was a bit nervous looking, but he also looked excited and accomplished. Ivy was sure she'd be hearing about whatever had just happened, as well as anything else that had happened for many moons to come.
Ferretpaw
"Carrion place?" Toadleap hissed. "Why would that be safer than here?"
"We must trust Echostar's judgment," Ferretpaw sighed.
Toadleap closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "One patrol got a good whiff of BloodClan when we last split up, I think. …May StarClan go with you, Ferretpaw," the warrior last said before walking away to gather up the kits and elders.
"Ferretpaw!" Petaldust was galloping across the clearing to his den. "I'm almost completely healed and capable of battle, why won't you let me-"
"Someone has to protect the elders and kits if things go wrong!" Ferretpaw was tired of being patient with cats. "You must do this!"
Petaldust seemed to understand, because she finally agreed. She too went off to gather cats to leave for the carrion place. And then Silentpaw and Foxpaw were upon him, but not to complain. They pressed their slender bodies against his.
"Let's hope this isn't a last goodbye," Silentpaw tried to mew cheerily.
"Yes… Stay safe, brother," Foxpaw ordered him softly.
"You too," Ferretpaw breathed in their scents, and avoiding thinking about them never coming back.
"Apprentices! We're leaving; everyone's ready!" Toadleap called. The two she cats gave a final farewell and raced off for whatever fate may offer them.
Ferretpaw turned around sadly and then saw his new patient, Twig staring up at him from sitting in a hunch. He bit his tongue.
"You need to evacuate camp with the others," he told her.
"That means you think I'm weak," she fought him.
"…Yes. You've been torn to pieces not too long ago by Starclan knows what, and you would rather jump off into battle than regain your strength?"
"I need to see Ivy and Boulder, at least," she begged. "You have no idea how confused I am right now. About everything! And they're the only ones that I can hope will make me understand… I just don't know what I'm doing…" She took a sharp breath in.
Ferretpaw collapsed inside. He wouldn't argue with this cat. In normal circumstances he would, but…
"Alright. But I'd prefer that you stay near me or a Shadowclan warrior you recognize."
"I'll go where I want."
Ferretpaw let her feel like she'd claimed some ground. Or maybe she knew Ferretpaw was going easy on her. He didn't know. He just needed to get near all the patrols for when the casualties would begin.
He gathered up all his herbs he'd need in a leaf. But just as he was about to pick it up in his mouth, he heard heavy breathing coming from camp, which he thought was empty besides he and Twig. It should have been, at least. He heaved out a breath and went out of the den with Twig following. And he couldn't have been more surprised.
It was Brindlestripe. And next to her was… was… a cat… with stars in his fur…
"S-Starclan!" Ferretpaw exclaimed. Twig raised her hackles and puffed her pelt out.
"W-what's wrong with that cat?!" She hissed, looking at the Starclan cat. It frightened Ferretpaw that his ancestor looked incredibly worried.
"Ferretpaw," Brindlestripe began, "there's a huge explanation for everything."
Ferretpaw felt dizzy. What needed explaining?
The Starclan cat stepped forward. "I am Redscar," he introduced himself, bowing his head. "When I walked as a living cat, I was a Shadowclan medicine cat."
"What does this mean?" Twig panicked.
"I will explain everything as fast as I can," Redscar promised. "Listen to my words."
Duskpaw
Duskpaw couldn't believe how well he fought.
But he also couldn't believe who he fought.
What had happened? A cat he'd looked up to. Respected. Thought of as a friend. That cat had almost killed Ivy. And even worse were the cats that fought alongside him…
Those cats were dead.
And they were not from Starclan.
The three cats, Duskpaw, Echostar, and Ivy, entered camp to find an almost stranger sight. Duskpaw saw the Bloodclan cat, Twig, trembling, with Ferretpaw and Brindlestripe comforting her in the middle of camp. And beside them sat a cat that seemed to sparkle.
"What in Starclan's name is happening?" Echostar hollered.
The sparkling cat turned around. "BOULDER. You cannot leave that cat alone for a heartbeat! I understand it all now; he will betray you; he will-"
"Too late, we already figured that out," Duskpaw snarled, though his voice cracked.
"You're all mad!" Twig hissed. "I don't care what you've done for me, but Boulder is one of the most noble cats that has ever taken a breath out of this foxhearted world, and you claim-" she stopped mid sentence as she finally noticed Ivy. Ivy noticed her too. But her eyes were glazed, and she seemed out of it.
"Twig? I'm seeing things… I'm seeing things…" Ivy mumbled to herself.
Twig was frozen for a few moments, but then dashed over and pressed herself against Ivy.
"I-I'm real! And you're alive! And oh… Ivy I… I don't understand anything," Twig didn't seem in her right mind either. And Duskpaw didn't even know her.
"None of that matters right now!" Redscar hissed. "You're telling me you've let the demon escape? OH WE'RE ALL DOOMED OH WELL."
"Silence!" Echostar bellowed.
"Echostar, we've got to go to the battle. Listen, it's happening. They're attacking," Ferretpaw warned. Duskpaw heard the howls of a distant war.
"And Boulder has his allies waiting patiently for Bloodclan and Shadowclan to weaken themselves," Redscar raged.
"He has more?" Echostar's face fell.
"Boulder has more supporters?" Twig whispered. "He said he was safe with Shadowclan…"
Redscar snorted. "That didn't mean he sided with them."
"Boulder attacked me, Twig," Ivy stated in a near-dead voice. It scared Duskpaw. Ivy swayed on her paws. Ferretpaw leapt over and began tending to her.
"That's impossible!" Twig cried.
"Back to Boulder's support!" Echostar ordered a topic change.
"Well. All I know is he has a group of living cats supporting him. And possibly a few Starclan cats," Redscar sighed.
"Those cats were not of Starclan," Echostar firmly stated.
Redscar's spinal fur stood on end. "…Dark Forest?"
"Only two of them."
"I've heard of pairs of Dark Forest cats somehow finding each other occasionally…" Redscar easily reasoned while Duskpaw sat dumbfounded. What was the Dark Forest?
Suddenly Redscar's eyes are wide. "I've also heard of Dark Forest cats sending prophecies to Starclan cats. They can only do it if the prophecies can come true, though. They just transfer what they know! Oh… oh… They… They sent it to the minds of every cat in Starclan for the sake of stirring up trouble!" He rambled.
"How is that relevant?!" Echostar hissed.
"That's why they…" Ferretpaw's mew trailed off in understanding. By the looks of faces, only Ferretpaw, Brindlestripe, and Redscar understood what was happening.
"I will explain on the way to the battle," Redscar huffed. "Or maybe Brindlestripe can. She's heard it twice now. You! Bloodclan cat!" He called to Twig. Twig pinned her ears.
"I don't plan on collaborating with the likes of you," she growled.
"I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to stop a tyrant from taking over every living morsel," he sarcastically stated. "Were there any cats inside of BloodClan that have recently been with Boulder?"
"…Only me." She said. Duskpaw wondered why she answered.
"Ah… and Boulder also must have had a way to bring his supporters inside of Bloodclan since they're not here, or so we hope… Has Bloodclan taken in any outside cats since you found Boulder?"
Her eyes widened. "The rogue gang. Blizzard asked them to join us for battle support, but I have no clue why Blizzard asked or why the group so easily accepted…" Twig faded off. Then shook her head. "But I don't believe Boulder could have any bad intentions! I can't!"
"Yeah, I don't care. But that must be them!" Redscar turned to Echostar. "You must find and destroy those cats! They'll likely be on the sidelines or attacking in every which way. Eh, vague, I know, but… you'll work it out. They're top priority. In the meantime, I'll do what I can to help," his words almost all formed together. "I can get more Starclan warriors to intercept the Starclan warriors that are helping Blizzard."
"The what?" Echostar screeched.
"Tell them on the way," Redscar sighed to Brindlestripe. Then he disappeared.
Brindlestripe nodded. "Let's go."