Chapter 27
Viper fluffed out her fur as she scurried down the side of the Thunderpath. Several rogues chased after her, trying to steal the scrawny mouse she had managed to catch.
Heart pounding, she quickly darted down a random ally way, before jumping into a box. She ducked down as low as possible, hoping that she wouldn't be detected. Outside, she could hear the rogues as they searched for her.
Suddenly, a dog came racing up, barking. The rogues let out terrified screeches, before racing out of the ally. The dog raced after them, howling with glee.
Once she was sure the rogues and the dog had left, Viper scrambled out of her box and headed in the direction of her home. The black she-cat had been living in the Twolegs place for a few moons now, meaning she was completely adapted to her new surroundings. Shadow had taught her the best places to hide, where to hunt, and so much more.
Once inside her home, she saw Shadow sitting up grooming his pelt. "Welcome back!" he purred.
Viper dropped the mouse at his paws. "I tried my best to bring back more prey, but there wasn't any. I'm lucky I even managed to bring that back. Three rogues chased me down, trying to steal it from me. If it weren't for a dog, I think they would have beat me up for it," she muttered.
Shadow flattened his ears to his head. "It's fine," he meowed quickly. "After all, it's the cold season. It's normal for prey to be scarce."
Viper let out a huff, before curling up in her own nest.
"Aren't you going to eat your catch?" he wondered.
"I caught it for you," she meowed.
Shadow's eyes widened. "I think you deserve it more than I do. Besides, I already ate today."
"Are you sure?" Viper asked.
He nodded. "Go ahead."
Slowly, Viper took a bite from the mouse. The meat was tough and hard to chew, but she didn't care. Once she was done with her prey, she quickly discarded the bones and curled back up in her nest. As she lay there, she watched Shadow groom his pelt.
"I'm glad you're my friend," she whispered.
Shadow looked up. "I'm glad you're my friend, too," he purred.
Suddenly, a gust of wind came through the gap in the wall. Viper began to shiver as it ruffled her pelt.
"It seems as though we'll have to move our nests away from the entrance," Shadow commented as he picked their nests up. Once he had set them down, he patted the ground with his paw. "We'd keep warmer if we curled up together," he meowed shyly, not meeting her gaze.
Viper smiled at her friend, before padding over to the nest. As she settled down, she felt Shadow curl around her. "If you're uncomfortable, just let me know..." he muttered awkwardly.
She shook her head. "It's fine. Back in the Clans, we always slept close together like this."
Shadow was silent for a few minutes before asking, "Do you ever wonder how the Clans are doing?"
Viper flattened her ears to her head. "Yes, I do," she replied honestly. "I especially wonder about my father, but I wouldn't go back for anything."
The dark brown tom gave her a small smile, before yawning. "I think I'm going to take a nap," he mewed as he shut his eyes.
"I'm going to go to sleep too," she said as she rested her head on her forepaws. After a few minutes, she fell into a deep sleep.
As she dreamed, she found herself back at WindClan's camp. Dark clouds hovered in the sky, promising snow. As she gazed around the camp, she saw that every cat was dangerously thin and sickly. Viper's heart sunk as she saw several cats pulling her father's dead body to the center of the clearing.
Suddenly, Viper's eyes opened. Slowly, she sat up in her nest and saw that she was back with Shadow. It was just a nightmare, she reminded herself. No matter how many times she reminded herself of that, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Don't worry about it, she scolded herself over and over again.
"Is something wrong?" Shadow asked as he sat up.
"I just had a bad dream is all," she replied, unable to meet his gaze.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he wondered.
Viper shook her head. "No, I'll be okay."
Shadow hesitated for a few moments, before curling back up in his nest. Viper stared at him for a little while, before padding over to the entrance of their den. As she gazed out into the dark Twolegs place, she let out a sigh.
The sky was dark and gloomy as Viper followed Shadow down an ally. It had been a week since her depressing nightmare, and she still wasn't over it.
"Do you mind if we visit Pepper after we've hunted?" Shadow asked as he sniffed at a box.
"I don't mind," Viper replied. Since living with Shadow, she had met his brother several times. At first Pepper had been a bit scatterbrained, but over time she had gotten to know him better.
Suddenly, a loud clank alerted her. Looking up she saw that Shadow had accidentally knocked over a garbage can in pursuit of prey. "Mouse-dung!" he cried out as he lashed his tail back and forth.
"I'm sure we'll find some more prey," she meowed sympathetically.
"I doubt it," he growled. "That was the first and only sniff of prey I've had around here all day."
"I'm sure Pepper will offer you some of his food if we can't catch anything," Viper meowed.
Shadow stared at her. "What about you? I know you wouldn't want to eat house cat food, and I don't want you to starve."
"I'll be fine," she said, flicking her ear. "Now come on, let us see what we can find." The black she-cat turned and began heading towards the main path. As she headed down the sidewalk, she began to scent the air for prey.
Suddenly, the air was filled with the sound of fighting and screeching cats. Viper stood still, her heart pounding wildly. She didn't want to get caught in the middle of a fight, but at the same time she knew something was wrong.
"We should get out of here," Shadow commented as he padded up.
Viper stared at him for a couple of seconds. "I can't," she argued. "I need to fight." Before Shadow could say anything more, Viper began racing towards the battle. She raced until her paws took her in the direction of the park, where she saw a group of cats wrestling and screeching on the ground.
She could hear Shadow running after her, but she didn't stop for him. Instead she jumped into the midst of the battle, digging her claws into the nearest cat.
The cat turned to face her, his amber eyes gleaming angrily. Pulling away from her, he quickly gave her a cuff around the ear.
Viper grimaced, but continued to attack the ginger tom. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Shadow had joined the fight as well. As the fight continued on, Viper realized that several of the fighting cats seemed familiar, but she couldn't determine where she had seen them before.
Pulling free from battle, she stared at a tortoiseshell she-cat for a couple of seconds. Suddenly, her heart beat quickened in her chest as she realized it was Otterbreeze. Gazing around at the other cats, Viper realized that other Clan cats were fighting as well. Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, Pinenose, Creekfeather...
After a few minutes, the fight began to break apart. "They're never going to mess with us again," Lionblaze cheered, giving his ruffled pelt a couple of licks.
"StarClan was definitely on our side," Bramblestar meowed. The ThunderClan leader then turned to face Viper. For a few moments, he looked almost confused. His amber eyes then widened with astonishment as he whispered, "Viperpaw?"
As more and more cats turned to stare at her, Viper gazed down at her paws.
"What are you doing here?" Bramblestar asked as he walked up to her. "We've been searching for you for moons! Where did you go? And are you all right?"
Viper slowly looked up to meet her leader's gaze. "I don't want to talk about this right now," she said stiffly.
A familiar dark gray tom padded up to her side. His blue eyes were gleaming with happiness as he gave her a nuzzle. "Viperpaw... I've missed you so much!"
"Pantherpaw," she breathed, pulling away from him. As Viper looked him over, she realized that he was nearly full grown. The dark gray apprentice had once been skinny with paws that were far too big for him. Now he had a large and muscular build, with a sleek and shiny pelt.
"Please come back with us," Pantherpaw urged.
Viper was silent for a few moments. "I can't." she shook her head. She then looked over at Shadow, who was nodding his head.
Just then, the dark brown tom padded up to her. "I think you should return to your Clan," he meowed, his eyes gleaming.
Viper stared at him for a little while. "I can't," she repeated. "My life is here, with you."
A small purr rumbled in Shadow's throat, before he shook his head. "You were never meant to be a rogue," he stated. "You were always meant to be a Clan cat. That is where your heart truly belongs."
"Would you come with me?" she whispered.
"No," he replied, taking a couple of steps back.
"Then I'm not leaving. You're my best friend, Shadow, and I don't know what I would do without you by my side. Please come with me," she pleaded, her eyes glistening with sadness.
Shadow's eyes were tearing up as he spoke. "You have to go back," he urged. Before she could say anything more, he turned and raced away.
Viper's heart sunk as she stared at him. "Please come back!" she cried out, before running after him. Pantherpaw and Bramblestar stopped her and pulled her back towards the rest of the group.
"You need to come home," Bramblestar ordered her. "At least long enough to see your father. He isn't doing very well."
Viper stared at Bramblestar, shocked. "W-What's wrong with him?" she choked out, the words getting caught in her throat. She then turned back to look in the direction that Shadow had gone.
"He has a painful lump in his belly," Pantherpaw replied, his blue eyes gleaming with sadness. "Nettlebreeze doesn't think he has long to live."
Viper squeezed her eyes shut. I can't believe this, she thought sadly. She stood there for a few moments, before following after the Clan cats.
The entire walk home was silent. Pantherpaw walked alongside her, trying to comfort her. Despite her friend's efforts, nothing would sooth Viper. All she wanted to do was to return back to the Twolegs place and look for Shadow.
The second she walked into camp, she could feel several gazes burning into her pelt.
"Viperpaw is back!" several excited voices whispered.
Just then, Daisy came rushing up to Viper. The queen's eye were sparkling with excitement and happiness as she nuzzled her. "I've been so worried about you!" she cried out, leading her in the direction of the elders den. "Your father has been worried about you as well. Have you heard-"
"I know, he's sick." Viper gazed down at her paws, completely ashamed at herself for abandoning her father.
When she padded into the elders den, she saw that Spiderleg was sitting up in his nest. Tears were welling up in his eyes as he stared at her. Slowly, he stood up and limped over to her, giving her a nuzzle. "Where have you been?" he rasped, the stench of sickness coming off of him in waves.
Viper stared up at her father, her throat tightening. "I'm so sorry I left you," she apologized as she buried her face into his chest.
"You're here now, and that's all that matters," he meowed, before pulling back to cough.
"You should lay back down," Daisy urged as she led him back to his nest.
Spiderleg let out a growl, but did as he was told. As he settled back down, he began to wheeze, causing Viper to grow uncomfortable.
"How long does he have left?" she whispered into Daisy's ear.
Daisy flattened her ears to her head. "Nettlebreeze isn't sure, but he could go any day now."
Viper let out a sniffle, and turned her head away. She desperately wanted to be with her father in his last moments of life, but she couldn't bare to look at him like this. She wanted to remember him full of life, not sick in his nest.
"Why don't you come to see him later?" Daisy suggested as she led Viper out of the den.
Viper nodded and turned to look back at her father. "I promise I'll come visit you later," she called out, waving her tail in goodbye.
Once outside the clearing, she noticed that Bramblestar was holding a Clan meeting.
"So the rogues are gone?" Dovewing called out.
Bramblestar nodded. "We taught them a lesson, and now they're never going to mess with us again."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," a white she-cat meowed. "The rogues will do anything to get their paws on some prey. I would continue to keep an eye out for them, just in case.
"We will, Blizzard," Crowfeather meowed to the white she-cat.
The Clan discussed the rogues for several minutes before Crowfeather announced, "Before we end this Clan meeting, I would like to make two new warriors. Pantherpaw, Flurrypaw, please come forward."
Pantherpaw's blue eyes widened in surprise as he padded forward. Flurrypaw followed after him, just as surprised.
"You two fought like warriors of LionClan in the battle against the rogues, and you've been doing excellent in your training. For those reasons, you two are worthy of your warrior names. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" Crowfeather asked, his eyes gleaming with pride as he stared down at his two kits.
"I do," they meowed in unison.
"Then from this moment forward, you shall be known as Panthershade and Flurrypelt. Congratulations!"
"Panthershade! Flurrypelt! Panthershade! Flurrypelt!" the cats cheered.
"Thank you so much," Panthershade meowed, dipping his head. He then turned to look at Viper. "Viperpaw deserves to have her warrior name as well," he said.
"Absolutely not!" Hollystorm cried out. "Only loyal cats can become warriors, and she isn't loyal in the slightest. Have you forgotten that she ran away from the Clan in our time of need?" the black she-cat snarled, her green eyes narrowed.
Crowfeather's neck fur bristled. "Not every cat who runs away is disloyal," he argued. The WindClan tom turned to look at Bramblestar as he asked, "What do you think?"
"No, it's fine," Viper called out. "I don't need to receive my warrior name. I'm fine just being known as Viper."
"Come on," Panthershade urged. Turning to look at Bramblestar he said, "Viperpaw may have left the Clan, but she is truly loyal. She is a good friend, and she does what she thinks is right. Besides, she is a good hunter and a decent fighter, which we need right now."
Bramblestar was thoughtful for a long time before muttering, "I'm not sure..."
"Please," Panthershade pleaded.
The ThunderClan leader let out a sigh. "Fine," he agreed hesitantly, signaling with his tail for Viper to come forward.
Slowly, she black she-cat padded up to the Large Boulder. Gulping, she looked up at Bramblestar, wondering what kind of name she would receive. I don't deserve to have my own warrior name, she thought.
"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your own life?" he asked.
"I do," she said immediately.
"Then from this moment on, you shall be known as Viperstrike. We welcome you back as a full warrior of ThunderClan, but don't think this means you have our trust. You will have to work hard to prove yourself to us." Bramblestar smiled slightly, but deep down Viperstrike knew he was disappointed in her.
Viperstrike dipped her head. "I'll do my best," she promised him, before turning to look back at Panthershade. His blue eyes were sparkling with happiness as the Clans cried out Viperstrike's new name.
"We're warriors at last," Flurrypelt breathed.
"I know!" Panthershade purred. "Isn't it great?"
Viperstrike shuffled her paws awkwardly. She felt extremely guilty for becoming a warrior, especially since she had abandoned the Clan.
"Don't feel bad," Panthershade whispered into her ear. "Now come on, let's go make new nests!"
I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you will enjoy it as well. Do you think Viperstrike will stay in the Clans, or do you think she'll try to return back to the Twolegs place? Also, how do you feel about Shadow leaving Viperstrike? Do you think he had good intentions at heart, and do you think we will see him again?
Also, to those of you that read Monster: I am putting that story on hiatus until I finish Extinction. I want to make sure I can put all of my attention into it and give it the care it needs, and I can't do that with Extinction being my main focus. Don't worry, though. I plan on finishing Extinction within the next couple of weeks, so it won't be long before Monster gets updated again.
Thanks for reading!
