Light Fading

by Winter432

This is a fan fic book made by me, and another member on Blogclan named Snakepaw. It is about two Riverclan apprentices/siblings Ripplepaw and Clawpaw, who must face their destiny in dark times when an evil prohecy is given. It says that the clans will be doomed, and that two apprentices have the power to stop the darkness. They have to face death, love, and bad confidence.

21. Chapter 20

Light Fading

Chapter 20

Written By Winter432/Winterpaw

The dark sky, dotted with shining stars, stayed silently above Ripplepaw's head while she sat in the camp clearing.

It was night now, and some cats had already gone to sleep. Ripplepaw wasn't tired yet.

She was too busy thinking of everything. Of the past, the present, the future. Right now, all that mattered was still saving her Clan. Her entire goal had always been that.

But to save her Clan, she knew she had to find out who the real killer was.

And that, was something so hard, it wasn't even normal anymore.

So she sat, remembering the prophecy that seemed so long ago, and the presence of each murder. And how much they hurt when the news came, or the body was found, or you just realized your Clan was slowly dying from the inside.

But Rippepaw knew she had her time to mourn. She really didn't want to go back to depression. It ruined her once, and now was her chance to be redeemed.

Maybe, if–

A dark shadow slinking across camp interrupted her pondering. She peered closer, making out a strongly built shape, lithe, but also strong. It was a bit small though, and somehow it moved like a female. It was definitely a cat.

It moved closer to the middle of the camp, farther away from its starting point at the Warriors den.

Not wanting to be seen, Ripplepaw backed up into the plants that covered and formed the apprentices den.

She watched closely as the figure moved.

It went to the very middle of the camp, and stood still. There was a small fresh-kill pile, and it was scattered but still intact. The cat gazed at it, tipping its head.

And then it lowered its head, clenched its jaws, and a liquid lured from their mouth.

"Yuck!" Ripplepaw whispered to herself.

The cat kept squeezing, and Ripplepaw realized it was squeezing an object. Multiple objects.

Berries. Ripplepaw could tell they were berries. When the light of the moon shine through the the holes in the cats clenched jaw, revealing small round beady-like things between its teeth, she knew that some type of berry juice was what the cat was squeezing on the pile.

Suddenly Ripplepaw stepped backwards and hit a fallen twig. The crunch echoed quietly around the clearing, and Ripplepaw cursed and prayed simultaneously that she wouldn't be found guilty of sight.

The cat lifted their head nervously, and now it revealed a lot. The moonlight, casting a pretty, pure light on the cat's face, gave them a whole new look.

The cat was lean-faced, definitely female, and it was gray with darker stripes. Blue eyes also shone.

One thing also noted, was that this CAT WAS FEATHERFLIGHT THE DEPUTY OF RIVERCLAN.

It was her! Featherflight! She was the one putting this odd mixture of food into the fresh-kill pile! But… but why?

"What's going on…?" Ripplepaw whispered as Featherflight turned her head back down and continued her ritual.

Ripplepaw gasped now that she really made sense of it.

The prey… the poison… the odd smell… the mysterious aura of everything…

Featherflight is the one poisoning the prey! Clawpaw was right!

Ripplepaw screamed inside her head like the world was exploding. Featherflight. She was the one. When cats ate the prey, they got a rabies-like disease and went insane. It later killed them! Featherflight, was the one who put the poisonous substance into the fresh-kill to kill the cats.

Her. It was her!

Ripplepaw continued her muffled gasps and screams. So shocking… so… astonishing… so… out of nowhere.

The deputy of RiverClan, with some sort of hatred, was killing her clanmates off one by one.

Flametuft, Cinderstripe, Specklepelt, Scorchpaw. All four lives lost to just one cat's cruelty and deviation.

This was so big, such a powerful discovery. It could not wait any longer than a few hours.

As Featherflight finished up putting death into RiverClan's resources, Ripplepaw backed into her den backwards, slowly, while Featherflight stalked out of camp, probably going to wash out her mouth. With anger, Ripplepaw hoped she accidentally swallowed.

Ripplepaw was in her nest, heart pounding by the time Featherflight returned and padded into her den, harmlessly.

Sleep didn't come in easily, and Ripplepaw just couldn't wait to tell Clawpaw and her Clan the news, but the only way to help her Clan was to get rest and calm herself before she went crazy.

But what almost stopped rest from coming was that Ripplepaw was almost sure she could hear Featherflight slightly laughing while she disappeared into a room full of potential victims.

One's that would learn of her treachery soon.