Chapter 13:
Snowsong of SnowClan- Yeah, but don't worry! His death will have a major affect on the story later on, so… I guess it was sort of necessary.
Derpmaster- It's a nice thought… but that chapter really did suck… hopefully this one turns out better!
Moonbeam141- You shouldn't have to worry about those three, Fallenpaw's the main character and I'm not mean enough to hurt/kill kits! Or am I? 0_o
Thunder cackles in the distance…
"You have the guard?" Rowanheart asked as she stepped further into ThunderClan's nursery.
Marshfur gave a struggling nod as he fought with the queen, Rainwhisker, pinning her to the mud. No ThunderClan cat had seemed to notice that their nursery had been infiltrated, as most fights didn't result in kit-killing or kit-napping. Fallenpaw winced as Marshfur slammed one of his big paws against Rainwhisker's cheek, smashing the gray and white she-cat's face into the blood-stained stone. Her blue eyes blazed with fury, hatred, and concern for her kits.
Fallenpaw forced her attention back to Rowanheart, who had her eyes trained on the two kits who laid in their nest, eyes round in fright. Stormeye stayed behind to subdue Rainwhisker and any other cats who try to interrupt them.
"What now?" Fallenpaw asked quietly.
Rowanheart merely flicked her tail, signaling for her to be quiet. Fallenpaw stiffly nodded her head, her ears flat against her skull as she re-watched Redfang's murder. She'd be talking to Deerpaw about her seeing him later.
The pretty dark gray and white she-cat padded lightly to the two kits. "Hello, little kits. I'm here to take you home." She purred gently.
"You're not our mommy." The darker gray she-cat, Cloverkit, squeaked.
The other kit, Thrushkit, an even darker tom with a white muzzle stayed silent, his still-kit-blue orbs narrowed as he watched Rowanheart as she neared their nest.
"Oh my little kits, you were taken away by these horrible cats right after I had you two. Oh Duskkit and Darkkit I've missed you so much! Come on, it's time to go home. Your father and I have missed you so much." Rowanheart murmured, a false, yet believable sadness glimmering in her orbs.
Fallenpaw's eyes widened as she finished. That was why Rowanheart was so happy to be a Snatcher, she wanted to raise the two kits as her own.
"Who's Duskkit and Darkkit?" Cloverkit asked again, slowly venturing away from her brother's side.
Rowanheart feigned a purr of amusement as she approached the ThunderClan she-kit. "You're Duskkit, and Darkkit is your brother."
"I only remember being in ThunderClan, Rainwhisker is our mother, and Mousetail is our father." Thrushkit said confidently, his ears laying themselves back.
"T-that's because they stole y-you from Rowanheart, Th-Darkkit." Fallenpaw stuttered, earning a look of appreciation from Rowanheart.
Thrushkit's suspicions seemed to die down at Fallenpaw's words, stepping up to Cloverkit's side. "So Mousetail and Rainwhisker… lied to us?" He asked.
Rowanheart gave the tom-kit a nod, sweeping him and his sister closer to her. "Oh Shadespots is going to be so pleased to see his kits again. He talks about you two constantly, you know that?"
"Really?" Cloverkit asked, her kit-blue eyes clearly eating Rowanheart's story up.
"Yup, really." Rowanheart purred, licking the she-kit in between her ears.
"You stink." Thrushkit gagged, wearing a repulsed look as he breathed Rowanheart's and Fallenpaw's scents in.
Fallenpaw faked a purr, "that's just because you're still used to the horrible smell of ThunderClan, Darkkit. You'll get used to ShadowClan again, I promise."
Thrushkit gave a slow nod, his amber-tinged kit-blue eyes never leaving Fallenpaw as he did so.
Rowanheart turned to Fallenpaw. "Fallenpaw, will you carry Darkkit for me?"
Fallenpaw stiffly nodded, gripping the young tom into her jaws. Rowanheart did the same with Cloverkit, her blue orbs shining with happiness as she slipped out of the den with Fallenpaw at her heels.
The two she-cats nodded at Stormeye and Marshfur, who left the defeated Rainwhisker laying weakly in front of the den. The two quickly began to walk in front of Rowanheart and Fallenpaw to hide them and their prizes from ThunderClan's view.
XXX
The ShadowClan camp was nearly empty when the six returned to camp. Only Deerpaw, Greenflower, Yarrowtail, Foxtail, Hailpelt and her kits, and the elders remained along with a few cats from the first wave. Yarrowtail was currently working on Dustclaw's wounds while Foxtail was wrapping a cobweb around Redpool's tail, which had been chewed up by a ThunderClan cat.
Rowanheart set Cloverkit/Duskkit on the boggy earth, "we're home."
Fallenpaw followed suit, letting Thrushkit/Darkkit down gently beside his sister, her eyes clouded with guilt. She had just lied to two kits. For who? Rowanheart, who she didn't even like! Fallenpaw sunk her claws into the ground as she thought harder. Her stomach churned as she realized that she'd just lied to herself. Fallenpaw hadn't done anything for Rowanheart, she'd done it for herself; for her name.
She watched emptily as Rowanheart led the two ThunderClan kits into the nursery, where the six moon old Rosekit and Lillykit watched with mild confusion.
Stormeye sat beside his apprentice, "it may be hard now, but it'll get easier, Fallenpaw. Trust me. Redfang will still get a proper ceremony, and Darkstar will most likely force Rowanheart to give Thrushkit and Cloverkit back. Trust me, everything will work out in the end."
"Yeah… I guess," Fallenpaw muttered, getting to her paws, "I'm going to go talk to Deerpaw."
She sulked towards the light brown she-cat, her head hung low. "Deerpaw?"
Deerpaw whirled around to face her sister, her orbs lighting up in delight. "Fallenpaw! You made it back!" She purred, nuzzling her sister.
Fallenpaw couldn't help but purr back, some of the guilt dwindling away. "Yep. It takes a lot to get rid of me."
The she-cat's gaze hardened, her ears sitting back on her skull, "but Pinepaw and Darkstar haven't come back yet and neither have most of the cats from the first wave. Darkstar and Fogfur both said that the first wave would be back by now." Deerpaw cast a look at the moon, which was steadily backing away to make way for the sun. "I'm worried, Fallenpaw. The second wave had to leave early because ShadowClan wasn't doing well. Redpool said she saw dead cats, Fallenpaw. What if one of them is Pinepaw? Or Thornstep-"
Fallenpaw couldn't keep the growl in her throat at the mention of the tom. "Thornstep was fine last I saw him. He killed Redfang with minimal injury."
Deerpaw's eyes widened, "w-what? Redfang? N-no, he can't be dead! Thornstep couldn't have killed him either!"
She felt a pang of sympathy for her sister, she had clearly cared about Thornstep. "So does that mean you're going to stop seeing him?"
The she-cat's gaze clouded. "I would but…"
"But what?"
"Fallenpaw, please don't get mad-"
"At what, Deerpaw?"
"Well… you, um, see, uh…"
"For StarClan's sake, Deerpaw, what is it?"
"Fallenpaw… I'm… I'm carrying his kits."
Fallenpaw stared wide-eyed at her sister, her heart stopping at her words. "You're what? Deerpaw!"
Deerpaw couldn't bring herself to meet Fallenpaw's shocked gaze, "I know, I know I got too close to Thornstep. But now you know why I'm not at ThunderClan's camp."
"Does Darkstar know?" She asked.
Deerpaw shook her head, "nope. Only you, Greenflower, and Pinepaw know. I was going to tell Thornstep after he got back, but now… if you're telling me the truth about Redfang, I think I'll keep the kits to myself."
"If you want proof then just ask Stormeye. He saw it too."
Deerpaw purred, her eyes alight with mischief. "You certainly are spending a great amount of time with Stormeye. Are you hiding a secret from Darkstar too?"
Fallenpaw's eyes widened, her pelt bristling. "Stormeye? Never. And we only spend time together because he's my mentor. You spend time with Marshfur, he's a tom. Pinepaw spends time with Flamepath, she's a she-cat. It's not a big deal."
She smirked at the pale she-cat. "Yes, I spend time with Marshfur, and Pinepaw spends time with Flamepath, but that's only during training. I see you talking to Stormeye outside of training a lot, and I'm pretty sure you two aren't just talking about hunting crouches and fighting techniques. Besides, he saved you from Grasswing-"
"Any mentor would save their apprentice from getting injured by an enemy clan's deputy, Deerpaw. Get over it." Fallenpaw muttered, her blue eyes watching her paws.
"Whatever you say." Deerpaw purred, flicking Fallenpaw on the shoulder with her tail.
"How is Sunblaze doing?" Fallenpaw asked, determined to change the subject.
Deerpaw's purrs of amusement cut themselves short, her expression turning grim once more. "Yarrowtail announced that StarClan claimed him just before the second wave left. I think he's been dead since this morning in all truthfulness. Perhaps she saved announcing his death to get the clan fired up? She yowled at the clan to avenge his death."
Fallenpaw lowered her head. "Does Shinepaw and Goldpaw and Bluethorn know?"
"Shinepaw doesn't know since she was in wave one, but Goldpaw and Bluethorn do. Goldpaw was the first cat out of camp and Bluethorn was the first to cry out." Deerpaw murmured, wincing as though she was picturing Shinepaw's reaction to her brother's passing.
Deerpaw regathered herself, glancing back at Fallenpaw. "How many cats do you think died?"
"I don't know. I only know about Redfang." Fallenpaw answered truthfully, sitting down and wrapping her tail neatly around her paws.
Deerpaw copied Fallenpaw's movement. "I really hope it's just Redfang."
"Don't jinx it." Fallenpaw muttered.
"I wasn't trying to." Deerpaw replied quietly.
"But what if you did?" She replied.
"Fallenpaw!"
"Deerpaw!"
Deerpaw rolled her orbs and got to her paws, trotting away to where Greenflower sat.
Fallenpaw sighed, getting up as well. She had to stop herself from going straight to Stormeye, remembering Deerpaw's snide remark about their 'closeness'. The pale she-cat instead stayed put, her eyes fixated on the camp entrance as she awaited her clan's return.
XXX
By the time her clan returned, the sun had peaked the horizon and the birds were singing.
Darkstar and Fogfur appeared first, their eyes flickering with defeat as they leaned on each other for support. The cats behind him didn't look any better. Each was laced in scratches and bites, their fur soaked in their own blood. Fallenpaw, although horrified that ShadowClan had come back like this, was slightly relieved that so far she'd seen no bodies.
Her relief vanished just as quickly as it had come. The cats in the back of the mob drug some bodies by their scruffs into the camp. The fallen were laid sloppily in the clearing, as their carriers were about to drop themselves.
Fallenpaw shouldered her way into the crowd to get a better look at the cats. There in the clearing laid Sunblaze, Redfang, Longtail, Shinepaw, and… Crookedclaw.
And done! Alright, I felt a little better about the quality of this chapter, well, up to the last scene at least… that should've been done better than that. I just couldn't think of another way to do it… ah well. So… you guys might've noticed that I changed 'Insanity's name to 'Pride' and gave the summary a make-over. I personally am really close to changing it back because I'm not feeling the name… what do you guys think? If you can come up with a better name you should review/PM it to me. PLEASE!
~Spotty