Stormkit- grey and white she-cat.
Clawkit- cream colored tom with a dark brown stripe down his back.
Darkpaw felt overwhelmingly restless as he lounged about in his nest in Littlecloud's den. Mudriver and Thundertail both had warrior duties to attend to and couldn't keep him company. He wasn't sure where Windlegs was, but figured if she wasn't busy then Tigerstripe would be dragging her off somewhere to keep her away from him. That or she just didn't want to see him. He figured anything was possible by now. Snaketail was too busy sleeping or grumbling about her legs to spend much energy berating Darkpaw and Littlecloud was spending most of his time working over the new kits.
Thankfully, the kits did not need a she-cat's milk anymore. While they didn't speak, he had determined that they were three moons old. The kits seemed to be in shock, not even noticing the absence of their sibling and hardly realizing the presence of each other. Darkpaw wanted to see them, but he was worried that he might get them sick even though Littlecloud had assured him he wasn't contagious. They had yet to be named and if they had had any names before their ordeal, they weren't telling.
Blackstar entered the den a little after sun high. He nodded his head at the other occupants of the den before walking over to Littlecloud who was fussing over the little tom-kit. "Darkflower is pregnant. She said she is willing to care for the kits until they are ready to be made apprentices," Blackstar said, looking over Littlecloud's shoulder at the kits.
"That's good. We're keeping them, then?" Littlecloud said, not looking up from his work.
"I don't see that we have any other choice." Darkpaw could swear he saw Blackstar's eyes flash over to him for just a moment before he looked back down at the nest. "Have they said anything?"
Littlecloud shook his head. "They seem to be traumatized by their ordeal and I don't suppose all the new surroundings and faces are helping much. I've tried coaxing them into response, but they're locked up tight in their heads. They won't even acknowledge each other." The medicine cat looked a little down-hearted and worried and again Darkpaw could swear he saw the flash of eyes on him.
With a loud yawn, Snaketail woke from another one of her many naps. She shot a glare at Darkpaw before looking over at Littlecloud and Blackstar, both of whom had their backs turned to where Darkpaw and Snaketail were laying. "What are they going to do with those kits?" she asked Darkpaw.
Darkpaw stared at her for a long moment.
"What, have you gone dumb?" Snaketail hissed.
Darkpaw stayed quiet for a few moments longer before he finally spoke. "Why do you ask stupid questions, Snaketail? Of course Blackstar is going to keep the kits. A she-cat has already said she'd be willing to care for them which is more than could be said for you," he growled quietly.
"You're different than they are," Snaketail hissed.
Darkpaw didn't ask 'how' because, even if she couldn't fully understand it, what Snaketail had said was true. He was different in more ways than she was thinking.
Snaketail didn't seem to notice his silence because she went on, "And besides, it's not like I'm jumping at the opportunity to take in more strays, either."
Darkpaw rolled his eyes and put his head down, no longer interested in the conversation.
"So aside from their silence, would you say they are healthy?" Blackstar asked.
"I'm not sure. They seem fine, but without some sort of response from them, I can't be a hundred percent on it and I won't feel comfortable releasing them until then," Littlecloud said.
"So how do we make them talk?"
"I have no idea. I've never had to deal with this problem before. The only kit I've ever seen who didn't talk was Darkpaw."
Both toms turned and looked at the apprentice who had stopped listening to the conversation. Blackstar glanced at Littlecloud before approaching Darkpaw's nest.
"What are you doing?" Littlecloud asked.
"Testing a theory," Blackstar answered before stepping up behind Darkpaw and tapping the apprentice's shoulder with his paw.
Darkpaw seemed mildly startled before looking up at his leader. "What is it, Blackstar?" he asked.
"I want you to do something, Darkpaw," the white tom said calmly.
"What is it?" Darkpaw gave Blackstar a suspicious look.
"I want you to go into the nursery-"
"Why?" Darkpaw asked, moving back slightly, his limbs pressing close to his body defensively.
"I want you to take the kits there and see if you can get them to speak with you. No one is in there, you'll be fine," Blackstar assured the frightened tabby.
"Littlecloud can't do it?" Darkpaw protested.
There was a soft snicker and none of the toms had to look to tell it was coming from Snaketail.
Blackstar ignored the she-cat and continued, "I don't think he can handle the situation as well as you might be able to. Please, Darkpaw."
Darkpaw looked from his leader to the kits and back again. "I might get them sick," he said though it was clear his resolve was breaking.
"You won't. Darkpaw, I realize this makes you uncomfortable, but I must insist that you do this."
Darkpaw held the leader's gaze for a long while before giving in. He stood from his nest and approached the kits.
Blackstar and Littlecloud each picked one up and carried them ahead of Darkpaw as they walked into the nursery. Setting the kits down in a small nest, the two older toms left the den, leaving Darkpaw alone with the kits.
Darkpaw glanced around at the nursery, his fur prickling. When he was younger, the nursery had seemed so huge and overwhelming with its wide walls and high ceiling. The ceiling still seemed high, but now the walls felt suffocating. He looked back down at the kits, eyes closed, curled up, still, but somehow not peaceful. He leaned down and inspected them. The she-kit's sides were rising and falling much too quickly for sleep and the tom-kit's eyes were half-open and moving side to side frantically. The tabby sat back and sighed, not knowing how to start or what to do.
Finally, he cleared his throat. "Um, kits? Kits, wake up," he said as gently as he could though it was very obvious he wasn't used to speaking this way.
The she-kit opened her eyes, but the tom-kit's remained half-shut though they stopped darting to and fro. The she-kit did not look at Darkpaw or her brother, but instead stared at some spot between Darkpaw's front paws. Darkpaw lifted his paw and waved it back and forth in front of where she was looking, trying to get some sort of movement, but her eyes remained trained where they were. Darkpaw placed his paw back down and sighed, turning his attention to the tom-kit. The tom did not raise his head like his sister and had instead chosen to just stare blankly at whatever was in his line of sight with the way his head was angled.
Watching their blank stares and lack of response to movement, Darkpaw feared they might be blind. He closed his eyes and took in everything he could from the kits' life signatures, but found absolutely nothing wrong with their eyes. Checking again, he found their ears just as normal. Littlecloud had mentioned needing to clear a white, sandy substance from their eyes and ears, but it didn't seem to be causing any severe effects and if it was, Darkpaw couldn't see it. Darkpaw looked at the tom-kit again and found he had closed his eyes, but the she-kit was still staring at something invisible.
Curiosity hit Darkpaw as did a new idea. He lowered himself down until he was laying on the nursery floor and was eye-level with the she-kit, staring straight into her eyes. They were blood-shot and glassy and Darkpaw wondered whether it was lack of rest, or the sandy material that had been in her eyes that was the cause. They had just turned from blue to green and Darkpaw thought he could see streaks of amber working their way into them.
She stared back at him without seeming to really see him until he blinked. When he blinked, she did too and tilted her head to the side, the slightest hints of an expression beginning to form on her face.
"I need you to talk to me. Please, you have to talk. I know it's better in there, but you have to come out. I won't hurt you." Darkpaw paused for a moment. "I swear to you I will not hurt you. I want to help you. That's what this place is for. It's a sanctuary for kits like you and your brother are and like I…was."
The she-kit tilted her head further to the side, her eyes narrowing slightly as though she were trying to hear Darkpaw from a far away place.
"Come to me, little kit from the storm. Follow me," Darkpaw coaxed, feeling as though he had entered the she-kit's mind just by staring into her eyes.
The she-kit's eyes suddenly snapped open wide and she straightened her neck. "Storm!" she cried and looked about wildly. Her eyes settled on Darkpaw and she cried out again, leaping over her brother and running into the wall of the nursery. She clawed at the leaves, pulling herself several inches up the wall before it gave out and she slid back to the floor. She glanced back and Darkpaw and began desperately trying to race up it again. Giving up, she pressed herself against it, staring at him, wide-eyed and shaking.
Darkpaw stood slowly and tried to approach, but she just darted to the other side of the nursery, seeming blind to the exit. "It's ok," Darkpaw said, taking steps towards her again.
"No! No! Monster!" she cried, pressing harder against the wall and turning her face into it as though willing it to become the comforting flank of her mother.
Darkpaw froze in his tracks and stared at her. She glanced over her shoulder at him a couple of times before burying herself into imaginary fur again, muttering to herself things that sounded like 'help' and 'monster'. Darkpaw looked her up and down, her trembling shoulders and legs, her sharp hips jutting out of her back with her spine and all-too-clear ribcage, all visible beneath thick, grey fur. The white on her paws had become dirty from attempting her escape. Darkpaw continued to study her for a few seconds more before walking out of the nursery.
Darkpaw padded towards the fresh kill pile, the cold air stinging his lungs and nose.
"Darkpaw, is everything alright?" Blackstar asked, approaching the apprentice.
"Fine. Has Speckledthorn hunted today?" Darkpaw asked, looking over the dead prey.
"He should be returning shortly from a hunting patrol any minute now, why?"
"Please, bring me something he killed. You don't have to come in, just set it by the entrance, ok?" Darkpaw didn't wait for an answer and walked back to the nursery.
Blackstar gave the tabby a strange look, but did as he requested once Speckledthorn had returned.
Darkpaw was sitting in the middle of the nursery, watching the she-kit who was now frozen with her face pressed against the wall of the nursery. He could smell the torn prey and padded out to get it, thanking Blackstar for it before returning inside. A loud growl escaped the she-kit's stomach and her ears perked up when Darkpaw entered. Upon closer inspection, he could see her nose twitching. Setting the prey down, Darkpaw began to speak.
"Speckledthorn always complains about his hunting abilities, but I think they might be just what I need to get you out of this. He's a bit of a sloppy hunter, but torn prey is always more fragrant and it's fresh. I'm sure you can smell it from wherever you are. Come on out and have some. I doubt you've had anything this good before. It's dead so it won't hurt you." Darkpaw spoke slowly and softly to the she-kit's turned shoulder.
Suddenly, she turned her head to look at him. Her eyes darted over Darkpaw's face before settling on the rabbit at his paws. Her nose twitched several more times and she almost made a move towards him, before she shrunk back again and stared at him.
"You're afraid, I know. You aren't seeing what's really here. I don't know what you're seeing, but I know from experience that it's never pleasant. If you'd just come over here and eat something, it would make it better. Come on, I promise nothing will hurt you."
The she-kit eyed him suspiciously. Then her eyes were drawn to the prey again and a small mewl escaped her.
Darkpaw suddenly got another idea. Once she mewled, he moved the rabbit a little closer.
She cringed at first, but then relaxed back into her regular tense position.
"You have to make some sort of communication to me if you want it," Darkpaw said. He glanced over at the small tom. There was slight movement from the tom's nose, but he was otherwise still out and Darkpaw turned his attention back to the she-kit. "If I can just get you, maybe you can help me with your brother. If it weren't for your cries, I never would have been able to save you. Come on, let me save you again." This wasn't exactly true. He didn't know how he had known the kits were in danger.
The she-kit mewled again and Darkpaw moved closer. She cringed, then relaxed and then mewled again. This cycle continued until Darkpaw was right in front of her. She had turned to face him completely now and was staring hungrily at the rabbit. Darkpaw stopped just out of her reach.
"You have to speak if you want it. Come on. I know you can," Darkpaw said, placing a paw in front of the kit to block her off from it.
She mewled, but he did not move. She tried again, but still he would not move. She mewled several more times, each time getting louder, but still he wouldn't move. She let out a loud, angry yowl and, though Darkpaw was amused, he stayed where he was. She tried to take a step forward to get it, but he blocked her with his paw. She looked up at him and hissed.
"Speak, kit, I don't want to starve you. I've been there, but you have to speak to me," Darkpaw said.
She hissed again and made an attempt to bite his paw, but he shooed her away gently.
"Speak," Darkpaw said again.
"Give it!" she whined and dove forward again. This time, her jaws clamped shut on sweet rabbit flesh instead of the tabby. She began eating quickly and Darkpaw had to struggle to keep her from choking herself. Once she had eaten as much as she could, her eyes drooped closed and she fell asleep, nearly collapsing though Darkpaw caught her and placed her back beside her brother.
Darkpaw sighed in satisfaction before turning to the tom-kit. The little tom was fast asleep, though he cuddled into his sister's warm body when she was placed beside him. Feeling hungry himself, Darkpaw finished off the rabbit. He would get the tom warm prey when he woke up.
Darkpaw knew he wouldn't be able to sleep in the nursery, but he didn't want to leave the kits alone so he curled up at the other end and laid his head on his paws. He felt something sticking into his stomach and stood to inspect it. He saw a pathetic pile of old, dry leaves and twigs and smirked. It was the 'nest' he had made for himself as a kit. He had instinctively returned to the place he had felt safest all those moons ago in this prison. As memories began to rise to the surface his smile fell and his fur began to prickle and he swiped the old bedding away, causing it to shatter and mix in with the dirt. He glared around the nursery before laying down once again and watching for the kits to wake up.
/
The she-kit was the first to wake. She stirred and mewled before opening her eyes. She looked around in confusion at the nursery before her eyes settled on Darkpaw. Startled, she tried to back up, but tripped over the body of her brother. Again startled, she jumped out of the nest and lowered her body close to the ground.
"Wh-who are you?" she asked Darkpaw.
Darkpaw remained where he was and looked steadily back at her, trying to remain nonthreatening. "My name is Darkstripepaw," he said softly. He wanted to ask her some questions as well, but decided to wait until she had all of her questions out first.
"Where am I?" she asked looking around the nursery, then her eyes grew wide and she focused back on Darkpaw, "Am I dead?"
"No, at least, I don't think so. I'm certain that I'm alive and so I would assume if you are here with me then you must be alive as well," he said.
The she-kit looked at the sleeping tom-kit. "Who…Who's that? H-he seems familiar," she stammered.
"He's your brother. Well, at least I'm pretty sure he's your brother. We found you together. You don't remember?"
The she-kit shook her head. "Who's 'we'?"
"You are in ShadowClan right now. My leader and I found you and your brother," Darkpaw paused, debating whether or not to mention the third kit, "There was a storm and you were going to drown so my leader and I with the help of another warrior saved you and brought you back here."
"Where's our mother?" she asked.
"I don't know. When we found you, you were alone. We don't know where you came from." Darkpaw was starting to feel really bad for the little kits. Completely alone without any parents, left to die and not even knowing where they came from. At least he had more back-story than that.
The she-kit looked at the other kit that was now identified as her brother. She walked over to him and tried to shake him awake, having no progress. "Why won't he wake up?" she asked.
"You were very sick when we brought you here. I don't think he's recovered yet. I was hoping you'd be able to help me with him. Do you know his name?"
The she-kit shook her head. "I don't even know my name," she said.
Darkpaw nodded, he hadn't thought she would. "I'm going to go get something to eat, it helped me wake you. Maybe he just needs to eat as well. Will you be ok until I get back? I won't be gone long," Darkpaw promised.
The she-kit nodded her head and began licking her brother's ear.
Darkpaw exited the nursery again into the dark, cold camp. He padded over to the fresh kill pile and, for the first time, discovered it completely empty. He hissed in annoyance and pondered what to do. He had promised the she-kit he wouldn't be gone long and he wasn't sure how long it would take him to find a piece of prey. He decided to go tell Blackstar of his progress before anything else.
"Blackstar?" he called into the dark den.
"Come in," came the leaders voice and Darkpaw cautiously entered. "Hello, Darkpaw. Come to tell me of your progress?" Blackstar asked.
Darkpaw nodded. "The she-kit is awake, but the tom isn't. I think he needs to eat," Darkpaw explained.
"Well done, Darkpaw. Do they have names?"
"Not that the she-cat remembers. She can't really remember anything that happened to them before. Would you like to try speaking with her? I could go hunting while you do. The fresh kill pile is empty and I'd feel bad since it'd be the second piece I take," Darkpaw explained. He left out that he had finished off what the she-kit hadn't eaten. Technically speaking, he probably wasn't supposed to.
"If she's as traumatized as you say, introducing her to another, bigger, tom wouldn't be helpful right now. I'll take care of getting them a meal, you try to get what you can out of her," Blackstar said.
Darkpaw dipped his head and ran out of the den.
"Did you get food?" the she-kit asked when he returned.
"There is no prey right now. But don't worry, someone is getting some. How is he?" Darkpaw asked, gesturing towards the tom-kit.
"He made some weird noises earlier, but nothing other than that. It's kind of creepy because his eyes are always a little bit open," she said.
Darkpaw took a few steps closer to get a better look, but he noticed her suddenly tense up and backed away again. "I'll take your word for it," he said instead. He understood her wariness of him, but it didn't really bother him. She wasn't scared of who he was. He could have been anyone she didn't know, really, and she would behave the same way.
The she-kit shot him and quick smile before going back to her brother. They sat in a comfortable silence until someone called from the entrance. The she-kit tensed again and her fur rose all along her spine leading to her bristling tail.
"It's ok," Darkpaw assured her, unsure of how convincing he was. "I know who it is. You just wait here, they probably brought food." Darkpaw stood and left her there.
Thundertail was waiting for him at the den entrance. "Hey, kit, how's it going with the little ones? Blackstar said you were making progress with one of them," she said cheerfully, a small dead mouse at her paws.
Darkpaw stared at Thundertail for a moment. "Yes, I am. Would you like to come inside and see them?" he asked.
Thundertail cocked her head to the side. "Um, are you sure that's a good idea? Blackstar said they were skittish."
"They are, but you need to trust me. See, as kits, they'd want their mother. We don't have their mother and I'm hardly a replacement. I was wondering if you might be able to come in and help me calm them down. Maybe you could get closer to them than I can," Darkpaw explained.
"You have a point, but I have a better idea. Wait here, ok." With that, Thundertail bounded off towards the warriors' den.
She returned a few minutes later with another black she-cat behind her. "Since Darkflower's the one who's going to be in charge of taking care of the kits, why not have her help you out?" Thundertail suggested once they had reached him.
'Because I know you better and Darkflower scares me a little bit,' Darkpaw thought, but he nodded agreement with Thundertail. Darkflower picked up the mouse Thundertail had brought and gestured for Darkpaw to go ahead inside. Darkpaw took a deep breath and reentered the nursery.
The she-kit looked up when she heard Darkpaw approaching. When she saw he was being followed, she ducked down behind her brother, though it did little to hide her since she was bigger than he was.
"It's ok. This is Darkflower. She's the one who's going to be taking care of you and your brother. She won't hurt you," Darkpaw said.
The she-kit poked her head up and examined the new she-cat. She finally worked up the courage to stand and looked at the prey Darkflower was carrying. Seeing the she-kit relax, Darkflower approached slowly and placed the prey beside the tom-kit. Darkpaw hung back and watched.
Darkflower gently began coaxing the tom to open his eyes. He sniffed and turned his head towards the prey. Darkflower ripped off a piece and held it close to his mouth, allowing him to take in the rich aroma. The tom's eyes flew open and he hungrily snatched up the food. Darkflower pushed forward the rest of the mouse and the tom dove in, eating most of it.
The tom looked up at Darkflower and smiled, then his eyes began to droop as the fullness of his belly caught up with him. He pressed against Darkflower's flank and fell asleep. The she-kit stood close to her brother, but didn't seem to quite trust Darkflower enough to be very near, yet.
"Who hurt you?" Darkpaw thought out loud.
The she-kit turned to him and cocked her head to the side. Darkflower gave him a questioning look as well.
"No one is born that afraid. When you first woke up, you were wild in fear. Someone came after you and hurt you badly before we found you. It probably wasn't your father because you'd be much more afraid of me if it was and it wasn't your mother because you'd be cowering away from Darkflower right now if it was. I know what happens to kits that are hurt by parents, but you don't really seem to fit in with a kit abused by a parent. I was just wondering who or what hurt you and frightened you so much," Darkpaw explained.
The she-kit looked at her paws. "I can't remember," she said.
"You probably don't need to anyway. Memories aren't always a great thing to have," Darkpaw said.
/
The tom-kit woke up almost an hour later. Darkflower had not left his side and was curled around him. He looked at her in confusion and then around the nursery before settling on Darkpaw, much as his sister had done.
"Who…Where…What's going on?" he cried, waking Darkflower from a very light snooze.
"You're alright, little one," she said, wrapping her tail gently around him.
Darkpaw lifted his head and was about to explain everything once again, but the she-kit stepped in instead.
"We're in the nursery of ShadowClan and that's Darkflower and Darkstripepaw. Darkflower's gonna take care of us and Darkstripepaw helped us because we were drowning…" she began in a whisper.
"Are we dead? Who are we?" the tom-kit interrupted, his anxiety growing so much his fur was standing on end so he was as big as his sister.
"We aren't dead and…I don't really know who we are anyway. No one does. But I think you're my brother," the she-kit said. Her voice was very solemn for a kit, but Darkpaw understood how stress could cause the abnormality.
"I-I don't have a name?" the tom asked.
"I'll name you," Darkflower said. The tom looked up at her curiously.
"That's what mothers do," Darkpaw said quietly. "Since we don't know the names your mother gave you, Darkflower will do it." The kits looked at him but said nothing. The she-kit rarely seemed to talk unless asking a question and, as she had 'relaxed', it had become more necessary to coax whatever it was she was going to say out of her. Now seemed to be one of those times. Darkpaw could tell she wanted to ask a question by the way she was kneading the ground, a habit that had recently surfaced while her brother slept.
"It's alright. You can speak," Darkflower said soothingly. She had proven to be more capable of getting answers from the kit than Darkpaw.
"I just…well what are you gonna name us?" she asked quietly. The tom-kit nodded in agreement, clearly the same question had been on his mind.
Darkflower smiled and thought for a moment. "How about Clawkit for you," she said, licking the stripe down the tom's back affectionately before looking back at the she-kit and thinking again.
Darkpaw saw the amount of care Darkflower had put into the simple gesture and felt a craving for it. He wondered what would have happened if Snaketail had been so warm about having him as her charge. "Um, c-can I put in a suggestion for her?" Darkpaw asked quietly. Darkflower was being gentle with the kits, but he had never truly gotten the opportunity to know how she would react to him.
Darkflower looked at him for a long moment and Darkpaw could feel his fur prickling under her gaze. Experience had taught him that having a conversation with any ShadowClan aside from Mudriver, Thundertail, Blackstar, Littlecloud, and Runningnose could end disastrously. Darkflower's gaze was cold on him, she didn't like him but it didn't feel like she hated him. Finally, she nodded and Darkpaw let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.
"Well, the first word she said to me was storm and I figured since we got her during a storm, why not call her Stormkit?" he said carefully. He didn't want to sound demanding. He wasn't terrified of Darkflower, but he didn't think she'd hesitate in ripping him apart.
"Stormkit," Darkflower repeated then looked at the she-kit, "Do you like it?"
The she-kit nodded slowly.
"Very well, your names are Clawkit and Stormkit. What's your question?" Stormkit had been kneading the ground again and Darkflower noticed.
Stormkit laid her ears flat against her head and looked down shyly.
"Come on. I can't explain what you don't understand if you don't tell me," Darkflower said. She wasn't known for being patient, but the fact that she had been a mother before was obvious.
"How come…well Darkstripepaw's name is different," she said.
Darkflower looked at Darkpaw then back at Stormkit, looking for a way to phrase the explanation.
"Are you guys related?" Clawkit blurted, then pressed close to his sister uncertainly.
"StarClan no!" Darkflower said quickly and a little louder than normal.
Darkpaw took his turn to look down at his paws, suddenly wishing he'd never agreed to come back in here all over again.
Darkflower did not notice Darkpaw's reaction, but she did notice how frightened the kits got at her raised voice. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "No, we aren't related. I'll explain how names work here and then we can talk about why…"
"I'm so different," Darkpaw finished for her. "I don't think you need me anymore, Darkflower. If you do, you can send for me. I'm going to go." He stood from where he lay a good distance from the kits and queen.
"Send Littlecloud in here to check them out tomorrow," was all Darkflower said before Darkpaw left the nursery.
The camp was fairly quiet even though there were still many cats bustling about. Darkpaw walked into Littlecloud's den, but froze at the entrance when he heard Littlecloud talking with someone.
"I just don't think you'll ever fully recover from those wounds and without the proper use of your hind legs, I don't see how much help you can be," came Littlecloud's voice.
"You stupid fur ball, you're wrong! It's not me that's the problem, it's your idiotic treatments! You're no good as a medicine cat! You'd condemn a perfectly good warrior to…to…"
Littlecloud cut off the she-cat's voice. "It isn't my fault, Snaketail. The damage Mudriver did is simply irreparable. I'm not saying you're a weak warrior. It's ultimately up to Blackstar to decide if you won't, but how do you expect to hunt or fight with your hind legs as damaged at they are? That is assuming you don't get an infection and die with how much you've been picking at your bandages."
"You don't know how to tie them right. They irritate me," Snaketail snapped. "And you act as if my legs have been torn off."
"I could see the bone!" Littlecloud cried, "Snaketail, the fact that I managed to keep you alive at all is nothing short of a miracle from StarClan!"
"And you can't figure out how to fix a simple flesh wound like that," Snaketail grumbled.
"Snaketail, warriors have died from less than what you've gotten. I understand that you want to serve your clan still but-"
"Do you? Do you really understand?" Snaketail cut in, "You abandoned your warrior duties to become a medicine cat. Right when ShadowClan needed our warriors you-"
"ENOUGH!" Littlecloud shouted so loud all the cats in the clearing heard and looked towards the nursery.
Darkpaw was trembling. He could tell what Littlecloud was telling Snaketail to do, where he wanted Snaketail to go. "StarClan, please, no. Heal her if you must, but don't make her an elder," he prayed silently.
Blackstar didn't see Darkpaw in the shade of the den entrance as he entered to see what had gotten Littlecloud so worked up. Littlecloud was glaring down at Snaketail, aggression that wasn't allowed to be released coming off of him in waves.
"What's going on?" Blackstar asked.
"This moron wants to send me to be an elder. He says my legs will never work right again," Snaketail growled.
"It's not that I want to send her to the elders' den, but Blackstar, she's a senior warrior, she'd be heading there in a few moons anyway. ShadowClan is not under any threat right now and even if we were, how could we use her? She's hardly even able to walk, much less run or fight or even defend herself. I've done all I can for her, you know I have, but there are some things that just can't be helped. She'll be recognized as a good and strong warrior who…" Littlecloud trailed off.
"Who what? Got her legs ripped apart by a worthless reject that was defending an even more worthless bastard?" Snaketail snapped.
"Now, Snaketail, that doesn't have to be mentioned. It can simply be said that you chose to join Runningnose in the elders' den. Snaketail, it is not a shameful thing to become an elder," Blackstar said.
"Yeah? Well if it's so great, why don't you do it?" Snaketail asked sarcastically. "Blackstar, don't make me give up…"
Darkpaw had to strain to hear, but he could have sworn there was something in Snaketail's voice that he had never heard before. Vulnerability. She seemed almost terrified of not being a warrior anymore. At that moment, Darkpaw changed his mind and wished with all his heart that Blackstar would make her an elder. Just once, he wanted her to be the vulnerable, frightened one and he would get to see it. But at the same time, she wasn't the type of cat to show her weakness. An almost perfect ShadowClan warrior, she would still act as she had before to him, possibly even worse. She would not fall apart, she would just become worse. Her kits and mate had all died, her only living kin had abandoned her, as far as Darkpaw knew, she didn't really have any close friends, but still she remained strong. If he had to care for her, it would be like the nursery all over again. Memories of his three moons in Hell flooded back to him and he felt he might be sick.
"I'm sorry, Snaketail. I truly am," Blackstar began.
Darkpaw spun around and bolted out of the camp, passing by Mudriver and Thundertail blindly. He raced through the forest in the dark cold, his paws beginning to hurt as they slammed the frozen ground, but he kept going. When he finally did stop and look around, he realized where his paws had taken him of their own accord yet again and sighed, stepping towards the gnarled tree that had spawned so many others, his paws trembling beneath him.
/
"Blackstar, wait. It's still early. Maybe, maybe the moron is wrong. Maybe I'll heal. Can't we wait, just a little longer?" Snaketail said.
Blackstar looked at his medicine cat and sighed. Littlecloud was almost never wrong and even Blackstar could see that Snaketail's legs would never work properly again even if she could use them. But Snaketail, infuriating as she may be, was his warrior and she was prideful. If there was some chance she could make it, he might as well let her try. "I will give you until the next gathering. If Littlecloud does not think you are strong enough still, them I'm afraid you will have to go to the elders' den," he said.
"That's more than enough time. After all, if that half-face bitch from ThunderClan can still be a warrior, why can't I?" Snaketail said proudly.
Blackstar gave Littlecloud a sympathetic look. "Where's Darkpaw? Is he still in the nursery?" he asked suddenly.
"I don't know, but if he is, could you send him in here? I need to check and make sure he'll be well enough to train tomorrow," Littlecloud said.
Blackstar nodded and exited the den…
I'm just gonna say it, I hate this chapter. HATE IT! Why? Because it didn't come out how I wanted it to. I was having a really tough time getting to that place in my mind where I go to write this story and I think this chapter sucks as a result of my trying to force it. Also, I'll be moving in a few days so getting a chance to just sit down and write has been Hell. I only proofread this thing once! Ugh! Anyway, as a result of my move, I might not be able to update for a while, but since I'm going to be moving to a new school I might have a longer summer and that'll be a good thing. Senior year! (Oh crap.) Oh, and for any of you who are wondering, I never came up with a name, gender, or any sort of description for the kit that died besides it being the smallest. You wanna name it? Be my guest, it doesn't really matter much. Um, oh yeah, and I just want you all to know that I actually really like Brightheart and making Snaketail insult her is in no way a reflection of my own opinions just like pretty much everything else Snaketail says. Ok so, I think that's everything. I know this chapter isn't that great (well I don't think it's that great) but reviews still make Darkpaw happy.