I have to thank you all for coming so far to read my book!
This, in fact, is the finale chapter of book 1.
I am overjoyed that I got this far and I wish you all the best reading.
Your's truly ~Ebonyfire
Chapter 19:
Dawnpaw snuck through the empty camp, praying no one would see her. She inched her way to the other side and slid into the reed walls around the island, for the entrance was being guarded by Fogeye. Even though he lacked sight in his cloudy eye, he still was hard to sneak up on. So Dawnpaw squeezed through the tall stocks and looked upon the raging river over the muddy ledge of the camp's island.
At first she was hesitant, but then decided there was only one thing to do. Dawnpaw crouched to the ground and launched herself into the air after a moment, but the rain was surprisingly hard to fight and about half way across the swelled river, she fell with a splash into the water.
The current weaved around her legs and she found herself atop a submerged rock. The river pulled at the apprentice with a fierce force and she dug her hooked claws into the moss of the water stone. Dawnpaw spotted a foaming lump in the river and leapt to it to land on another rock. And one after one, she made it to the opposite bank with last leap and a grateful thank to Starclan.
She found herself now travelling through the edge of the unknown woods and decided to make a detour, better safe than sorry and Dawnpaw knew where she was going. Sort of.
She weaved through the dense trees until she found the sleeping form of a grey and white cat in a half moss half leaf nest.
"Angel!" she whispered with a hiss, "Angel wake up!"
The she-cat turned around groggily and lifted her head.
"Wha? Oh, Dawnpaw," she brightened, "Thanks for coming back!"
Dawnpaw nodded, "Are you hungry? I'm in a hurry."
"Only a little, I could wait till morning," she tilted her spotted head, "What's the rush?"
"I have to go to a battle," Dawnpaw sunk her claws into the earth, which was dry underneath the thickly leafed tree.
"A battle!" Angel exclaimed, "Oh no! Will you be alright?"
"Don't worry, I'm not fighting. Truthfully, I'm not supposed to go at all!" she glanced over her shoulder, "I'm following them so I can make sure my mother won't get hurt."
"I see…" the loner trailed off with an unhappy expression.
"Are you alright? You aren't getting wet are you?"
"No, no," Angel reassured her, "It's just that I had this terrible dream, it was of a bluebird. It was singing, but then its song turned horrid and gargled, like it was choking or drowning or something," the she-cat looked troubled from the memory of the dream.
"Well if that's all, I better get going."
"Alright, goodbye."
"See you."
Dawnpaw stated her farewells and promised to return tomorrow before leaving Angel. Not giving a second thought to her troubles.
She trekked through the forest before turning and heading into the Crescent-Woods, the pouring rain seeping into the less dense woodland. It pattered down on floor and leaves above in a thumping melody. But it didn't stay like that for long as the storm heightened as she neared the end of the woods and border of the territory. Now the rain tore down in a violent storm and the rivers rushed with its water.
In the fields it hammered down on Dawnpaw mercilessly, she had to squint her eyes as it flooded onto her back and wings in a stinging current. She hesitated to go back for a moment, but she continued on. She was so close.
The border was barely recognizable in this weather, but Dawnpaw could scent it as she crossed over it, even in the rain she could tell it was fresh. The Rainclan cats must have marked it here today for Cloudclan had not even put their scent on it.
Oh, Dawnpaw realized in the pouring rain, this must be the declared "new" addition to their territory.
Forward, she met a slope, then, as she looked over it through the wall of grass and thundering storm, the scene of the battle spread itself before her.
A stream from the Crescent-Woods had run down the slope to meet the river coming from Rainclan's territory and in between the two was a small field, the field that Rainclan had been hunting in. It sat like an island in their territory and now they were claiming it as theirs, but Cloudclan was not letting it go that easily.
In front of Dawnpaw, in the field before her, was writhing mass of bodies. Screeches filled the air and claws gleamed with crimson blood. Battle cries roared out, only disturbed by the rumbling thunder that shook the land. Lightning split the sky like a giant claw had torn the black, and for a moment, Dawnpaw could see the colors of the enemy's pelts mixing with her clan's.
But she couldn't distinguish them from here, she needed to get closer.
Silently, though not as if it mattered now, she slid down the mud slick hill and made her way closer to cats. The crack of lighting filled Dawnpaw's ears and a bright light filled the sky for the tiniest moment before being followed by the growling of thunder. It shook the ground so suddenly that Dawnpaw leapt in fear and surprise before racing forward.
Straight into the midst of battle.
Cats raced around her, limbs intertwined and outstretched claws met flesh. Dawnpaw cowered down and scrambled away in any direction she could. But no cat seemed to notice her, too busy in the fight of their own and she could barely be seen in the raining darkness anyway.
Blood splattered onto the grass floor and stained it red. Dawnpaw ducked and dodged with panic, squirming from underneath cat's legs and falling with a slip in a pool of blood or water every few moments.
Starclan help me! She begged as she fled away from every cat she met with in the battle. She looked behind her as she sprinted away and slipped on the flattened, soaked grass. Dawnpaw slid on her side right into a warrior of Rainclan.
It was a grey tabby she-cat with swirling stripes and green eyes. She turned and spat, ready to take on every enemy that went her way, but as she looked at Dawnpaw, she only felt confusion and anger. Not for her wings, for as she lay on them in the dark battle in the rain they blended into the shadows, but another reason.
"What?" she growled, "Why is Cloudclan sending a kit so young into battle? Those scum!" she glared down at Dawnpaw, but her expression softened with pity, "Run, young child. This isn't your battle to fight."
The shaking cream apprentice gladly scrambled away and raced off once more. She came to a halt in front of the river bank to see warriors clawing at each other in the shallows. Snarling and biting at each other while splashing in the water, clouds of red being dragged downstream towards the falls.
She swerved around and began running along the edge of it towards safety when she saw a cat in the flash of light from the bowels of the storm.
To her right, Rosetail fought on the land with a young, grey-blue she-cat with white paws and a white belly. The Rainclan cat's blue eyes burned with excitement as they tussled on the soggy earth. Dawnpaw stood rigid, not knowing what to do.
Rosetail delivered a precise blow to the cat's head and she stumbled back a bit giving the brown Cloudclan cat the perfect chance to strike. But she didn't, for she didn't want to cause too much harm to this cat barely out of her apprenticeship. So instead, the blue eyed she-cat shook her head and lunged forward.
"NO!" Dawnpaw screeched out as the young she-cat scratched open her Foster-Mother's throat. Without a second thought, the cat yowled out in victory and raced away, not aware of the damage she had done.
"ROSETAIL!" Dawnpaw sobbed and raced over to the limp form.
"D-Dawnpaw?" Rosetail's eyes were half closed, "What a-are you do-doing here?-"
"Don't talk!" Dawnpaw found herself crying, fear making her tremble uncontrollably, "Where's Speckledove?" Rosetail sighed and closed her eyes.
"There's no chance for me," she coughed and a drizzle of blood ran out of the corner of her mouth and one nostril, "Not anymore…"
"Don't say that!" Dawnpaw prodded her with her paw, "You're going to be okay!" tears ran down the young cat's cheeks, "You gotta b-be okay!"
Rosetail reopened her eyes and looked at sobbing Dawnpaw.
"Shh… love, don't cry…" the brown she-cat lifted up a trembling paw and wiped away the tears on one side of her Foster-Daughter's face, "Don't cry…"
"R-Rosetail…" Dawnpaw lifted her own paw to hold onto her mother's, "P-please…" the queen shook her head.
"I can f-feel my life ru-unning out of me," she gasped, "I f-feel the c-cold taking my body over…"
"No!-" Rosetail moved her paw over the cream she-cat's mouth.
"Tell my kits I'll be w-watching them," tears began to run down her face like the rain that was falling, "t-tell Brackenh-heart too," her gaze then seemed to fixate on something else.
"Rosetail?.." Dawnpaw squeezed her mother's paw, "What's?- Please, no, please Rosetail please…"
"Mother?" Rosetail murmured, barely audible in the loud battle, "Crimsonthorn? You're here? Me and Tawnyrobin have been waiting for so long…"
"No Rosetail! No it's me! Dawnpaw!" She lifted both paws to her mother's and held it to her chest, crying uncontrollably.
"I'm coming…" the bleeding she-cat mewed faintly.
She seemed almost lost for a moment until she looked back at Dawnpaw and her voice hardened.
"My child," Dawnpaw shook with sobs and grasped her paw tighter, "You mustn't die out, you have to be strong. The others will try to put out your light, but you must stay kind, and tolerant, and determined…" Her crimson eyes, matching the growing pool of blood around her head, were filled with emotion, "I understand now, you're our last hope…"
Then, the she-cat's eyes dulled out, and the emotion faded, leaving them cloudy and glazed.
"No! No no no no no no!" Dawnpaw cried out, begging as her mother's paw slipped from between her's and fell to the wet ground.
"Rosetail! Rosetail wake up!" she begged, sobbing, "You have to wake up!"
But her mother's unseeing gaze didn't waver, and she did not respond.
"ROSETAIL!" Dawnpaw wailed out in anguish, throwing herself over her mother's body. Tremors raked her body violently with sobs. How could this happen! This was all her fault! All her-!
No.
This was all her fault.
The image of the Rainclan cat attack her mother filled Dawnpaw's head and she rose from the now cooling body of Rosetail.
How could she.
That cat's a monster.
She deserves to die.
She should die.
Die.
Dawnpaw stared blankly down at the brown pelted body before her.
She looked around until she spotted the she-cat.
Die.
A red mist filled Dawnpaw's vision and all the sounds of the battle were drowned out until it was silent.
Die.
She walked over to the she-cat, who had just barely fought off another cat that was now running away to retreat. Dawnpaw's unsheathed claws slid into the muddy earth with every step. The grey-blue cat yowled out in victory, raising her head to the sky.
Your time is done.
You've chosen your path.
You made your choice.
Your mistake.
Your last mistake.
Prepare for your time.
Prepare for your time of pain.
Your time of suffering.
Like how I now suffer.
So I say,
Prepare for your time.
For your time.
For your time of judgment.
Dawnpaw's eyes were slitted and bloodshot from her cries. She hung her head down and pulled her lips back in a snarl to show her pointed teeth. The cat lowered her head and noticed the her coming towards her, she turned and smiled gleefully at her new opponent.
And as the lightning lit up the land once more, Dawnpaw shot open her mighty wings and stood as a fierce and great silhouette. The only thing visible for the short moment was the icy glare of her eyes.
"What- What are you?!" the Rainclan warrior took a step backwards, stumbling in shock. Her blue eyes were stretched wide with fear and she stood frozen in terror.
"I. Am. An. Angel." Dawnpaw snarled and lunged forward, faster than a bullet, and grabbed hold of the cat's neck. Her cry was cut short by the loud sound of tearing flesh, and then,
silence.
The world seemed to be in slow motion. Scarlet droplets of blood danced in the air next to the falling droplets of rain. The cat slowly fell back with an expression of pure terror on her face as she slammed against the rain soaked ground. And Dawnpaw's face was still, her eyes emotionless and muzzle a crimson red as she landed on her front paws and closed her eyes.
When she reopened them, she was flooded with horror. At her paws was the limp body of a grey-blue she-cat. Her throat was torn violently open and blood gushed out onto the cream apprentice's white paws. Staining them a deep crimson. The she-cat gargled out a scream before twitching and falling still.
Dawnpaw felt vomit rising in her throat and she backed away from the murdered cat, shaking her head in dismay, her blood still dripping from the Cloudclan cat's muzzle.
Who's the monster? An unknown voice rang in Dawnpaw's head and she broke down crying. She wailed at the foot of the corpse, sobbing out "I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!" over and over again.
You did this.
You're sick.
You're the monster.
Suddenly, the silence was broken and the sounds of the battle flooded back into her ears, along with yowls of terror and horror.
Cats still rushed around her but several stared at Dawnpaw and the young she-cat's body as the battle continued. The apprentice shakily lifted her head and the cats cried out once more. One cat cried out louder than the rest in fear and shock.
"A monster! Starclan help! Someone! Somebody help! It's a monster! A monster killed Bluebird!"