Well guys, I'm back after MONTHS. I'm alive. Can't say the same for my grades though. Stupid school.
Anyway, we're reaching the climax of the story soon, and this chapter won't do much to clarify anything. It'll probably confuse you further, but if you really analyze this, you may figure out the actual murderer.
Again, I apologize for disappearing. And as an FYI, this story is coming to a close in a few chapters, so please spread the word! ^_^
Stormwing woke up in a panic, claws scrabbling for purchase on the stony floor as he righted himself. He had only two words screaming in his mind:
Save Ravenflight!
He didn't know if it was him or his other half, but that was his goal. As he moved about, he recognized a feeling of pain in his flank, although it was faint. Looking down, he realized that his pelt was torn up and bloody. He nearly swooned, but with a jolt of confusion discovered that it didn't hurt enough for a wound like that.
Q-Quint, a familiar voice panted. Stormwing stilled, eyes widening. Don't worry about your injuries. I'm experiencing the pain for you. A breathy chuckle resonated in his mind. You just focus on getting to that pit-trap.
The gray tom located the exit and made his way to it, conversing with himself in bewilderment. W-what? Where are we? What happened? And why are you doing this for me?
The other soul grunted in amusement, although it sounded more like it was in pain. Trust me, I'd rather not feel any more pain, but given the circumstances, we have no choice. We're in a den in camp. You tried to run to Ravenflight to warn her, but Stoneclaw fought you and brought you here. He's also convinced the Clan that you and Birdfeather are traitors. And as for why? Well, we'll both be in worse pain if you don't get you rear in gear, and you can't do that if you're in pain. I figured I'd take one for team Stormwing. He stopped to take a loud, shuddering breath. Now go. And you'd better not fail.
Stormwing's head was spinning, but he nodded shakily, taken aback by... himself. I'll save Ravenflight.
Don't let me down, Quint.
Steeling his nerves, he forced back the lump in his throat that formed when he heard of his supposed "treachery" against the Clan and padded quietly to the entrance of the den. One guard stood there: Rustfeather.
Sorry, Rustfeather, he murmured mentally as he hit the back of her head solidly. She slumped forward silently, to which he responded with a relieved sigh. He could never fight the snarky she-cat, despite her flaws.
And then he ran, out past the entrance to the camp and into the moonlit forest. He could feel his wounds opening up, could feel the blood seeping through his fur, but he felt no pain... only determination.
The trees cast dappled shadows onto the earthy ground below, and he rushed straight through both the light and dark, repeating a symbolic action he had taken when this whole mess had began. He was close, now. He could hear cats screeching at each other. He peered upward at the moon, which was about to be obscured by clouds. A message from StarClan, perhaps?
And then he broke through the ring of trees and into a clearing, where a gaping hole lay surrounded by many vicious cats. Stormwing's arrival went unannounced. He scanned through the crowd and saw not only ShadowClan cats, but RiverClan and WindClan as well. Holding his breath, he weaved through the mass, trying to go unnoticed and crawl to the edge. The cats around him shifted all at once, and he felt himself run into a dark-furred tom. Blinking, he recognized the face of Sparrowfang looking at him with a relieved expression.
"Stormwing!" he breathed, closing his eyes. "This is awful. There are three cats down there, and these lunatics want to kill them! We have to do something!"
The gray tom nodded, and began pushing through the crowd once more, intent on helping his friends in any way he could. Sparrowfang followed closely behind him, and together they made it to the edge. What he found inside made Stormwing freeze.
There at the bottom was one light brown she-cat, who looked to be unconscious. Beside her was Ravenflight, fur on end and attempting to shield Birdfeather and a cat behind her. The last one was a small apprentice with splotchy fur, who was bleeding from the shoulder.
Patchpaw.
This was not good, not good at all. He watched in slow motion as Stoneclaw stood atop a large pile of branches just shy of the edge, and began to speak.
"Cats of all clans," He boomed solemnly. Ravenflight snapped her head to look up at the deputy, her shy grace exchanged for protective fury. "We've gathered here tonight to celebrate the soon-to-be death of our favorite murderer."Stormwing bristled at the blatant sarcasm. "Unfortunately, this Ravenflight character has some supporters, which will be put to death as well. Birdfeather and Ravenflight have formed an alliance and are willing to slaughter the innocent to get their way. We are going to kill these two birds with one stone. Hundreds of stones, actually." At these words, ShadowClan warriors began to roll large rocks toward the hole, and Stormwing was snapped into action.
"Stop!" he screeched, overpowering the voice of Stoneclaw as he continued. "Stop it, all of you!" All of their eyes fixed onto Stormwing, including Ravenflight's relieved gaze. "You're all making a mistake. Ravenflight isn't a murderer. We have proof. If you want to kill her, you'll have to kill me as well." Tossing aside his worries, he leaped into the hole and landed cleanly next to the injured black she-cat. She looked at him with eyes full of hope and squeezed her eyes shut as she filled with emotion.
There was a growl from above and the two of them glanced upward. Stoneclaw glared down at them both, claws unsheathed. "Fine, then," he hissed lowly. "If you want to betray your Clan, we'll kill you as well. Carry on," he commanded the boulder-pushing warriors.
Stormwing expected to be full of fear as the cats pushed the rocks closer, but all he felt was peace as he touched noses with Ravenfeather. She touched back. Neither of them were flustered or shocked; it was natural, soft, and beautiful. The dark she-cat looked up at him though tear-filled eyes, smiling.
"You came back," she whispered, tilting her head before burying into his shoulder affectionately. He smiled and nuzzled the top of her head. No words needed to be said after that moment. The two were with each other, together, and as long as they had this moment it was alright if the rocks came tumbling down on them. They didn't care anymore.
The moon shone brightly on the two, illuminating a pair of white paws and a set of amber eyes. As one, they were light and dark, day and night, a force to be reckoned with. Stoneclaw gazed down at the two of them, eyes distant and blank even as Cricketfur reached out her tail to touch his flank.
And suddenly, half of Stormwing awoke.
Quint! he hissed urgently, voice still laced with pain. I-I've figured it out, but you have to get out of there now before... Quint! Quint?
But Quintessential was content. Content to die with the one he loved.
Quint, wake up! This isn't the end! Wake up, goddamn it, wake -
"Wait."
A low voice spoke up, barely managing to be heard over the chaos, but somehow, every cat stopped their movements. The owner of the voice staggered to their feet, head tilting up to lock eyes with Stoneclaw. The moonlight reflected off of their glossy fur and highlighted the crimson blood that trailed at their paws.
"The last of the sins shall be paid for," they whispered under their breath, moving forward to stand in the center of the pit. They looked up to meet the eyes of the real White-Pawed Murderer, who stood looking down into the darkness. "I have spoken with StarClan," the cat continued, nodding once at the tom that they hadn't taken their eyes off of yet. "And the victims themselves told me who the killer was.
"The killer was clever. He never left any clues, and even managed to get allies in StarClan and Twolegplace. He even went so far as to use a Twoleg creation to color his own paws. Poor Ravenflight. She had to suffer so much at the paws of a ruthless killer. She had to shoulder all of the blame, and look how much it broke her. I doubt that the murderer has any regard for that, however. After all, he didn't even flinch when he killed his brother's littermates."
The light brown she-cat turned around and pointed at the two cats who still hadn't moved from embracing each other. "Isn't that right, Stormwing?" Birdfeather asked.
The last of the sins would be paid for.
Cert's a sweetie. *^w^*
I hope you guys aren't too mad at this ending, because the next chapter will be here in the next week or so. I promise this time...
-Sky