I am so so so so so sorry that I have not updated. I haven't been able to finish this chapter until now, so I am finally posting it. I promise that I will work on the next chapter more, just please do not forget about this story! With school and mathteam and debate and stuff I was only working on this in bits and pieces, but its finished. So please review and don't totally forget about Last Chance! You can vote for the next cat (choices are at the bottom of the page).
It was stupid. Probably the stupidest thing she had ever done, and would ever do. They had just escaped the Tribe, and now they were heading back, walking right into the paws of the cats who had tried to imprison them.
Feathertail shook her head. This was insanity, what Stormfur suggested, but there was some truth in what he said. The Tribe of Rushing Water's ancestors did have him in their prophecy, and Sharptooth would destroy the Tribe if it was allowed to live. But… they had just managed to flee, when the Tribe cats wanted to lock them up until they could turn them over to the lion-cat.
But she would follow her brother until the end. No way would she let him make this journey alone.
The RiverClan she-cat closed her eyes as the roar of the waterfall grew louder. Crag and his patrol of cave-guards surrounded the cats silently, casting suspicious glances at Rock, Bird and Talon as they climbed the path to the frothing sheet of water.
Feathertail gazed up at the tumbling foam. Almost instantly strange voices called out to her, speaking words she could not understand. Those soft mews had spoken to her before, in the cave, but they seemed just a whisker-breadth too far away for her to grasp. The she-cat shivered, glancing around to see if her Clanmates had heard them, but they gave no sign of understanding.
The group reached the waterfall, and they dived through the downpour into the cave. The Tribe cats glared at them, their eyes glowing angrily in the darkness. Feathertail growled, her pelt bristling and her blue eyes flashing.
Stoneteller sat in the middle of the main cave, mud streaked fur spiked up. He was clearly expecting them, and his eyes narrowed into chips of green as he spoke.
"What's this? Why have you come back?" His meow was cold and harsh, his fury distorted behind a shield of iciness.
Stormfur swallowed, setting down the dead hare he was carrying, and Feathertail felt her brother quiver. "To help you defeat Sharptooth," he replied.
A hiss ran through the Tribe cats now slinking into the cave, watching their leader and their prisoners with a mixture and anger and caution. Stoneteller's expression didn't change at all. "And just what do you think you can do?" He glanced around the cavern, and Feathertail turned to see wounded guards, hurt from their battle with the massive lion-cat. "Sharptooth took Star yesterday," spat the old tom. "Many cats were injured as we tried to drive him out. One has already died, and two others lie on the border of Endless Hunting." His meow was accusing now. "You didn't help us then. You ran away."
The leader's anger was almost tangible, cutting through Feathertail like a talon. She could feel her brother's guilt as a murmur of agreement rose from the watching Tribe cats. "I didn't believe I was the promised cat," he meowed softly. "But since I escaped, I've been thinking, and I've come back freely. Even if I'm not the cat in the prophecy, I'll do all I can to help."
"We all will," added Brambleclaw, padding forward to stand by the RiverClan tom.
Feathertail let out a breath of relief as Stoneteller relaxed. Suddenly a purr sounded in the cavern. "Stormfur! I knew you would come back!" A sleek she-cat pulled away from the crowd, running up to the RiverClan tom.
"Brook?" Stormfur's eyes shone with relief, and Feathertail wondered just how deep his feeling ran.
The Tribe cat turned to Stoneteller. "We should listen to him," she urged. "The Tribe of Endless Hunting has sent him to help us. Why else would he come back, after seeing what Sharptooth can do?"
The old Tribe leader bowed his head, and Feathertail was struck by how exhausted he looked. "Very well, but what are you going to do that we haven't tried before? Sharptooth has killed the best fighters in my Tribe as if they were puny kits."
Stormfur flicked his ears, and Squirrelpaw padded forward with a bundle of leaves clasped firmly in her jaws. "Show Stoneteller what you have," the RiverClan tom meowed. "I hope you haven't swallowed any."
"I'm not mouse-brained!' the apprentice protested, dropping the leaves at his feet. Feathertail rolled her eyes and heard Crowpaw mutter something under his breath behind her.
Stormfur touched the hare at his paws. "This prey is for Sharptooth," he told Stoneteller. "And inside it we'll put these." He opened the leaf wad, revealing a heap of small red berries.
The Tribe leader hissed. "Night-seeds?"
"You know them?" asked Stormfur. "In the Clans we call them deathberries." He prodded the pile gently.
"I know all the herbs and berries that grow in the mountain," Stoneteller responded, his eyes gleaming green slits. "But none of that knowledge is any use to protect my Tribe. Sharptooth is too strong. Not even your deathberries will defeat him."
"Three can kill the strongest warriors," Squirrelpaw mewed, speaking up. "I think this here would be enough even for Sharptooth."
The Tribe leader blinked. "Are you sure?"
"Even if they don't, they'll weaken him so we can finish him off," Stormfur added.
Stoneteller hesitated, looking as though the weight of the world was on him.
Suddenly a hiss ran through the cave. Feathertail looked behind her and saw Talon thrusting his way forward. The Tribe cats glared at him, their eyes blazing with anger as they snarled accusations.
"You were supposed to kill Sharptooth!"
"You failed us!"
"Stoneteller, he's disobeying you by coming here! Kill him!"
The Clan cats growled and surrounded the outcasts protectively. Crowpaw's fur bristled with anger, and Tanwypelt unsheathed her claws. Feathertail lashed her tail as Stormfur looked around proudly.
"Well," hissed Stoneteller, glowering at Talon. "I hope you have a good reason for coming here."
"The best reason," Talon retorted. "You can kill me if you like, but that won't make you any stronger against Sharptooth. You're enemy is outside the cave, not within. The silver cat has come, and it is time to believe the prophecy of the Tribe of Endless Hunting. If we fail, then you can kill us."
The Tribe fell silent, and Stoneteller cocked his head to the side.
"We can't kill the creature in its lair," continued the outcast. "Since we do not know where it lives. So we must bring it here to die."
"Here?" Brook asked. "In our cave?" The other cats echoed her exclamation.
Feathertail noticed a slight movement and saw her brother rest his tail on the she-cat's shoulder. The RiverClan warrior stiffened. Stormfur, I hope you know what you're getting into.
"Yes, here," hissed Talon. "This is the place that we know, where we have somewhere to hide, and where the whole Tribe can wait to ambush Sharptooth if we need to give him the death blow."
"And how do you propose to bring him here?" Stoneteller growled, narrowing his eyes again.
"With blood." Grimly, Talon lifted his paw and tore the pad with his teeth. Feathertail winced as scarlet splashed the smooth stone underfoot and the former Tribe cat caterwauled. Then he spun around and raced out of the cave, Rock and Bird at his paws.
The cave fell silent as the outcasts vanished, leaving behind the trail of blood. Talon's ferocious yowl still echoed in the cave, fading away as Feathertail listened. The Tribe cats stared after them. The only sound was the roar of the waterfall, and the voices that only Feathertail could hear. They whispered in an uncommon accent, their sound muffled, but as she listened, they became clearer.
Pointed stones… a new dawn…
Brambleclaw's voice broke the silence. "Squirrelpaw and Stormfur, you stuff the hare. Be sure you don't get any deathberry juice on your fur, and if you do, wash it off right away."
"Yes, O medicine cat," Squirrelflight mewed teasingly. "We know what to do!"
Brambleclaw's tail flicked in what could have been amusement or annoyance; then he turned around and started talking with Tawnypelt about the best place to leave the death-berry-stuffed hare. Stoneteller went off to give orders to the cave-guards.
Feathertail blinked as the voices from the waterfall hissed in her mind, echoing. She stood silently, every hair on her pelt fluffed up.
Danger… blood spilled… The silver cat…
Feathertail shivered, then looked up as Stormfur blinked uneasily. His eyes were worried, revealing the growing dread inside of him.
The she-cat padded over to her brother. "It will be all right," she murmured comfortingly. "I know you're scared, but StarClan sent you here as well, with your dream about our mother. We have to do this."
She noticed Crowpaw hovering at her shoulder, and he nodded silently.
Sacrifice…one life for another… A chill spread across the RiverClan warrior's body and she glanced around hurriedly. No other cats seemed to notice the soft mews from the waterfall.
Blood for blood…
Suddenly a screech spilt the air. The cats spun around as Talon, Rock and Bird bolted into the cave, terror on their faces.
"Sharptooth!" Bird gasped, her eyes wide.
"He's here!" Rock wailed. "He's coming!"
"No!" Stormfur froze as Feathertail gasped. It was too soon! Instantly the Tribe cats bolted away and darted down the tunnel that led to the Cave of Pointed Stones, their screeches fading away. The Clan cats hesitated in the center of the cave, and in that instant a shadow fell across the entrance. With a roar, Sharptooth burst through the waterfall.
Feathertail gasped in terror. Just like the Tribe had said, he looked like a lion, but without a mane framing his head. The creature's massive golden head was lowered, leaning towards the trail of blood. As Sharptooth entered the cave he looked up. Instantly the poisoned hare was swept aside by a massive paw.
"No!" Squirrelpaw yowled. Sharptooth's head swung around to face her. His ears flicked in interest as he tasted the air hungrily.
"Get back!" Brambleclaw hissed. "All of you, hide!" He lunged for Sharptooth, lashing out at the lion with his claws, then veering back before it could hurt him. Feathertail dashed up a series of ledges in the wall as Sharptooth roared in fury. The she-cat felt fur brush her pelt as her brother scrambled onto the ledge with her; Brambleclaw ran to the other side of the cavern.
The silver she-cat blinked. The voices were clear now, speaking in her mind, telling her what to do. She heard Sharptooth's caterwauls ringing in the cave, the cries of the Tribe cats as they scattered, and Brambleclaw's challenging yowls, but they all seemed far away.
Look up…
The whispers echoed in her mind. Feathertail blinked, as though broken from a trance, and peered at the roof of the cavern. Sharp points of rock dangled from them, pointing ominously downward. Realization flickered in her brain and suddenly the voices grew clear.
The silver cat, not of this Tribe, will rid us of Sharptooth forever.
She looked at Stormfur, tensed on the ledge beside her. He stared down at Sharptooth with a horrified expression. Featherail looked down and saw Sharptooth rounding on Crowpaw. The apprentice was trapped in a crevice that was too shallow to shelter him, yowling in fear. In a heartbeat the lion-cat would have him.
"Crowpaw," she murmured. Stormfur's head snapped over to her. "I can hear the voices clearly now," the she-cat meowed, her voice eerily calm. "This is for me to do."
Before Stormfur could speak, she crouched and launched herself into the air. Feathertail heard Stormfur screech behind her as she leaped towards the ceiling. Her claws scraped against the hard stone and she scrabbled to loosen the base of one of the points. Sharptooth yowled furiously below her and she dug her claws deeper into the cracks in the rock.
A rumble shook the silver she-cat's body and she nearly lost her grip. Feathertail hissed, pressing against the stone. A grating noise filled her ears, followed by a crack as the stone claw's base crumbled. Everything seemed to spin for a heartbeat, then the rock broke and plummeted down towards the floor of the cave.
Feathertail wailed as air rushed around her. Suddenly a jolt threw her off the spike and she slammed into the floor of the cave. Sharptooth's yowl of fury became a cry of fear and a sudden screech of pain.
"Feathertail!"
She lay on the cold stone, unable to move. Everything seemed frozen and silent except for her name echoing in her mind. Rock dug into her flank, hard against her spine. Pain throbbed from somewhere in her body, distance and dim. Fog covered everything, making her world dark and soft, and she didn't want to open her eyes.
"Feathertail!" Crowpaw's voice dug into her mind, heavy with desperation. "Feathertail, are you okay?"
No… she thought. The black fog muffled the cats' mews. She faintly felt Stormfur shift beside her, and the other Clan cats crouch around her, but she didn't move.
"She'll be fine," stammered the RiverClan tom. "She's got to be. She… she has a prophecy to fulfill."
Crowpaw touched her fur with his nose. "Wake up, Feathertail," he whispered, his voice rasping with fear. "Please… please wake up."
Slowly she forced her eyes open, dispersing the fog. Instantly the pain shot through her, clear and sharp. She moaned, wanting to return to the dullness, where the cold agony against her back was gone. Shards of pain ripped in her flank, as though her legs had shattered.
Crowpaw gasped, and Stormfur whipped around. "Feathertail?"
Slowly Feathertail blinked. "You'll have to go home without me, brother," she murmured. "Save the Clans." Painfully she looked over at Crowpaw. "Think you have nine lives, do you?" Her voice sounded weak, even to her. "I save you once… don't make me save you again."
"Feathertail… no! Don't leave me!" Crowpaw stared down at her anxiously, grief clouding in his eyes.
"I won't," Feathertail whispered, sudden calm flooding her mind. "I'll always be with you, I promise."
Her vision grew watery and faded as Crowpaw let out an anguished yowl. A brief flicker of feeling told her that Stormfur was crouching beside her, then it was gone. Her eyes closed, and the pain faded forever.
There was a glimmer of starlight, and the RiverClan queen looked up. A silver she-cat stood before her, wreathed in mist from the waterfall. Feathertail blinked, remembering what Stormfur had told her about his dream. "S-silverstream?"
Her mother dipped her head, brushing Feathertail with her muzzle. "I'm so sorry," she murmured. "But you will be safe now. I promise."
Feathertail stood silently, too shocked to speak. Suddenly a movement caught her eye behind the waterfall. As she gazed past the sheet of water she saw many cats, clustered around a lifeless form. After a moment she recognized them as the other Clan cats. They had gathered around her body.
For a heartbeat Stormfur glanced up at the waterfall, and Feathertail saw sorrow flash in his face. She ran to the edge of the water, with Silverstream right beside her. In that heartbeat she could tell that Stormfur saw her, from the other side of the falls, the side of the living. She closed her eyes, afraid that tears would come.
I'll be with you… always…
And once again I'm sorry that I haven't updated since, like, September last year or something. So please review and vote, choices are: Silverstream, Talonpaw, Sootfur, Tigerstar, Tallstar, Skywatcher, Rainfur, and the evil rat of doom from Firestar's Quest (I'm serious) lol.