Yo, guys! It's Rainy!
So! Thought I'd pick up from last chapter ^^
REVIEW ANSWERS:
rainpool777- But think about it. She's kind of being forced.
Thantos13- Cool, I hope you like it so far! And yeah, poor baby ;-;
Foreststar of WindClan- Haha, We'll just have to wait and see!
SkyFall2697- Thanks! And don't worry; they haven't made their last appearance just yet ;)
CrystalStar of LightClan- Well, I have school 5 days a week, homework that on average takes me until 9:00, drama club, practice for a play I'm in, singing lessons, math tutoring twice a week, etc. So my schedule is pretty jam-packed, therefore updating can get difficult! But thank you for liking my story!
Silverleone- Haha! My username is Skymoon &Keenai, I administrate WindClan and I'm WindClan's medicine cat. The site has over 2700 members. Do you know me?
echoing darkness (Guest)- Wow, thank you!
Hey! That's a lot of reviews! Maybe the story is picking back up again, 'ey? I've been losing a lot of reviews lately. Do you think it's because of that 3-4 month inactivity that I had? I dunno.
Oh well. Maybe it'll pick up again, and maybe not. But hey! A couple really sweet reviews are better than none! Those of you who have stayed with me, I can't thank enough. Also, excuse any typos in this chapter, I very quickly edited it.
On to the story!
Twistedfoot sat in camp, staring blankly at the entrance. The sun was setting. She prayed and prayed to StarClan to stop the twilight from arriving. Oh, hold the sun still. Please StarClan, I can't do this.
"Twistedfoot?" came a soft voice. Twistedfoot twitched her ears, turning around to see Phantomstep or Featherleaf. But no. This was Grassleap.
"Grassleap?" she mewed, slightly surprised. "Did you need something?"
"You looked stiff," he mewed, sympathy in his voice. The little gray tom cocked his head. "You okay?"
Twistedfoot blinked. Since when did this cat care about her welfare? "Fine?"
Grassleap shuffled his paws awkwardly. He turned to the entrance. "I miss Haretooth, he was a good brother."
Twistedfoot felt a stab of guilt. "They… they haven't found the killer?"
Grassleap shook his head sadly. Twistedfoot could barely stand it. "No. I hope they do. I want some justice brought to Haretooth. That… murderer. It's disgusting."
Twistedfoot had to keep herself from spilling everything. "I'm so sorry, Grassleap," she mewed, voice shaking from the secret she held.
"It's fine." He gave a kind smile. "I'm gonna get some sleep. See you tomorrow, Twistedfoot."
Twistedfoot watched the fluffy tom curl up beside his sister's nest. Rabbitflame was fast asleep. Grassleap looked up. "You gonna get some rest, Twistedfoot?" he whispered.
She shook her head hesitantly. "I think I'll stay up a bit longer."
Grassleap nodded, curling his tail over his nose. Soon, the only cats left awake were Twistedfoot, Whirlpelt and Flightstar. Whirpelt checked that every cat was accounted for, and then spoke quietly to the cat on guard, Twigpelt. After that, he curled up in his nest, and slowly fell asleep.
Flightstar sat atop the Tallrock, completely still aside from his twitching ears and darting eyes, trying to make out any disturbances. Twistedfoot looked at him, blue eyes narrowing in the dimming light. Flightstar spotted her at the base of his perch. "You're not asleep yet?"
Twistedfoot flattened her ears. Why try speaking to her from all the way up there? He'd wake the whole Clan. "No. I'm trying, though."
"Get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day, and the Gathering is tomorrow night."
Twistedfoot swallowed. She'd forgotten about the Gathering. Would the Clan even go after what she was about to do? "Yes, sir." Twistdfoot curled up in her nest, closing her eyes and pretending to fall asleep. She opened an eye.
Flightstar took another moment to stand up there, and then he climbed down. The sleek tabby glanced about for a moment, then slipped inside his den, which was a cave at the base of the Tallrock.
Twistedfoot waited. The last sliver of the sun still peeked over the horizon. The sky had gone from orange, to pink, to purple. Finally, the stars and moon started to show, and the sun hid itself from sight, leaving only a faint glow to show it was still near. Twistedfoot stood quietly, checking that every cat was asleep. She nodded in approval, then, just for good measure, poked her head inside of Flightstar's den.
The leader was fast asleep in his nest against the wall, his flank falling up and down rhythmically. Twistedfoot let out a quiet breath of relief, pulling her muzzle back out and looking the camp over. All was quiet aside from faint snores.
Twistedfoot made her way for the back. Twigpelt was on duty, and Phantomstep had not taken the liberty to lead him away this time. She gently nudged Mossflight, who woke and blinked her eyes groggily. "What do you want?"
"Can we hunt?" Twistedfoot asked. "I can't sleep."
Mossflight rolled over. "Hunt by yourself."
Twistedfoot bit her lip. "I mean, I always like hunting with others. I like company."
Mossflight snorted. "Since when does a cat of you history like company?"
Twistedfoot frowned. "I'm trying to make up for my antisocial past."
Mossflight grunted. "Good luck with that." She closed her eyes again.
"Please, Mossflight? I just want to hunt with somebody."
Mossflight gave a hiss. "Just ask someone else, I'm tired."
Twistedfoot shuffled her paws in frustration. Now what? "We can bring down something big, and I'll tell the Clan you caught it."
Mossflight's ears pricked.
"You'll get the credit. The Clan will applaud you."
Mossflight opened her eyes. "You seem pretty desperate to get out."
Twistedfoot shrugged.
"Fine, fine, I'll go. But we better bring back something good." Mossflight stood.
Twistedfoot paused. "Um, hey, can you wait here a sec'? I need to check something."
Leaving behind a confused Mossflight, Twistedfoot rushed behind the nursery, grabbing a pebble. She grasped it in her teeth, and then went to the entrance. The little she-cat threw the pebble as far as she could in the direction of the RiverClan border. Twigpelt heard the noise and followed. Twistedfoot raced back to Mossflight. "Come on, hurry! I'm… I'm just itching to get out! Follow me!" The crippled she-cat raced out the entrance in the direction of ThunderClan, Mossflight trailing behind.
Twistedfoot looked behind. Twigpelt was nowhere in sight, only the black and white form of Mossflight. The pair finally slowed down at the river. Twistedfoot circled in front of Mossflight so the older warrior was between her and the river. Mossflight was puffing. "You've got a lot of energy for a cripple."
Twistedfoot forced the insult into her veins. She needed to be as angry at this cat as she possibly could if she wanted to be able to kill Mossflight. She called me a cripple, she called me a cripple, she called me a cripple, she called me a cripple…
Twistedfoot licked her lips, closing her eyes. "I'm not a cripple. I am individual." She said the words with force.
Twistedfoot felt surprise ripple off of Mossflight's pelt. "What?"
Twistedfoot opened her eyes. They blazed with a renewed fury of which her rival did not understand. "I said: 'I'm an individual.'" Twistedfoot fell slowly into a crouch.
Mossflight's pupils within her green irises narrowed in weariness. "Twistedfoot?" The black and white she-cat started to back up, tail lashing in caution.
Twistedfoot bared her teeth. She saw a black silhouette behind Mossflight. At first, her instinct was to turn tail and run. A cat of the Clan? But no—two blue eyes opened, and the dark figure gave a stark white grin that touched the marrow in Twistedfoot's bones. Phantomstep was standing there, smiling his maniacal smile. Soon, more shadows filed out from him. All were pitch-black, with no features whatsoever aside from their glowing eyes, a few with similar insane grins. Two with pairs of green eyes, two pairs of blue, and a single amber. Quickfang, Greenstar, Vinetail, Longwhisker, and Grayfoot.
Don't let us down, whispered the echoing voice of her mentor in her ear, though he was on the other side of Mossflight.
Fine, Twistedfoot answered in her head.
"You," she began to hiss at her opponent. "You represent everything that has ever hurt me. You are among them. You are one of the dozens of cats who have destroyed me on the inside, and now it's time for me to destroy you."
Mossflight was backing up now. "Twistedfoot, what are you doing?"
Twistedfoot wasn't going to stop. This cat needed to understand what it was that she had done wrong. "I've always been messed up on the outside. Look at me!" Twistedfoot held up her maimed paw. "As if my outward appearance wasn't enough. You… villains, you proceeded to ridicule me, treat me as an outcast, deprive me of love and happiness, and you were fine with it. But me? I've been falling apart since I was born! My littermates don't want me, my parents don't want me, my mentor doesn't want me, my Clan leader doesn't want me, my Clan doesn't want me! Then I got out. I was banished, and I met cats who cared. But obviously content isn't in my life plan, is it, Mossflight? One of the three who loved me for who I was got killed, and it was my fault! He was protecting me!"
Mossflight was now slipping on the riverbank. "M-my condolences…"
"Shut up!" Twistedfoot hissed. "You don't mean it, you're trying to get away! You and everyone else made my life a living nightmare. So I have every right to take yours!"
Mossflight gave a gasp. "No! Please!" There was a pause, and it only took the she-cat a moment to put the pieces together. Her eyes suddenly burned with rage and accusation. "It was you! You! You killed Haretooth!"
Twistedfoot curled her claws, bunching up her muscles. "Say hello to him for me." Suddenly, the lame cat sprang at Mossflight, and the two cats rolled for a moment, a whirlwind of claws and fur. Teeth gnashed, and in only a split-second it seemed, Mossflight was beneath Twistedfoot's unsheathed paw.
"No! Please, stop! Don't hurt me!" Mossflight was begging, eyes shut tight.
Twistedfoot snarled, pushing her muzzle up to her victim's face. "You took my life away. Time for me to do the same." Twistedfoot ripped her claw down Mossflight's exposed belly. The she-cat shrieked as loud as the roaring city Twistedfoot once resided within. Twistedfoot gouged her claws deep into the she-cat's belly, and blood poured over her paws. A bit splattered on her muzzle. Twistedfoot stepped back, watching Mossflight desperately gasp for breath.
"You're a monster," the older cat coughed out, blood dripping from her mouth as she did so.
"No," Twistedfoot replied. "I am no monster. I'm simply a product of others' evil. You and everyone else contributed to the pit inside of me. You created my hurt. You, Mossflight, you and everyone else, are the monsters."
Something glowed behind Mossflight's eyes. A moment of realization? Did the warrior finally understand what she had done to the lame she-cat? Twistedfoot didn't give her any longer to apologize. She didn't want Mossflight's pity or apology. Twistedfoot jumped forward, sinking her teeth into Mossflight's throat. The warrior sputtered, a new waterfall of blood drenching her neck as it spurted from her throat.
She stepped backwards, watching her Clanmate's life seep away. Twistedfoot felt a twinge of disgust at the stream of blood, making her slightly sick. But something seemed to put her in a trance. She watched the yellow grass turn crimson, and the world seemed to go silent. Her vision blurred slightly as she started to zone out, eyes still locked on the startling color. Her sound of her breathing was all she could hear as well as some faint wind, but even those noises sounded fuzzy and echoing. Twistedfoot forgot about the dying cat in front of her, all she could think about was the scarlet. It was bright and struck her as a sort of warning. Obviously her instincts were telling her that this was horrible.
So why did she feel so calm and unfazed?
Twistedfoot blinked a few times. Once her eyes were opening again, she realized that Mossflight was still, and the vicious blood flow had ended. Twistedfoot snapped back to reality, backing away. She shook her head to clear it, gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. She felt a burning in her soul. It felt good, but ominous at the same time. She didn't know whether she liked it or not. It was just there. But what was it? What emotion could this be? It felt familiar.
"Vengeance."
Twistedfoot turned around. Grayfoot was standing there. "What?"
"Vengeance burns in your heart. It feels good, doesn't it?"
"No, that can't be it," Twistedfoot said defiantly. The emotion felt angry and tense with a touch of lust. "Revenge is… It's…"
"Bad?" Grayfoot finished the sentence for her. "It's only as bad as you think it is."
Twistedfoot swallowed, trying to deny the feeling. But part of her wanted more of it. No. You're better than that…
Or are you? a voice answered in her head. But this voice was not one of the usual Dark Forest whispers in her mind. This voice was of her conscience.
"I suppose," she replied. She looked back at the lifeless body of Mossflight. The blood was still wet, but spots around the open wound and a bit on the grass were already drying. She swallowed, tasting blood on her teeth and lips for the first time. The metallic taste caused her to gag. Some other cat's blood was in her mouth. Twistedfoot walked past Grayfoot to dunk her face in the stream, which had only been a fox-length away. She rubbed her face with water to wash off any remaining blood, and then started to scrub her teeth of it. She turned back to Grayfoot. "How did you ever get used to this?"
Grayfoot huffed, giving a crooked smirk. "How'd I get used to it? I 'idn't do it, 'at's how."
Twistedfoot blinked in surprise. "You've never killed a cat?"
"I 'idn't say 'at," the gray warrior rasped. "I only killed one cat I my life span. But I was responsible for dozens."
Twistedfoot's ears flattened in horror. What was he saying? "What do you mean?"
Grayfoot licked his lips. "Ol' Phantom never told you my story, did he?"
Twistedfoot shook her head.
"Ha, typical Stonefrost. The self-centered rascal."
Twistedfoot blinked. She hardly ever heard anyone refer to her mentor by his proper name. The she-cat felt herself get absorbed by Grayfoot's slight twang. "So what is your story, Grayfoot?"
"It ain't nothin' to be proud of. I lost in the end." Grayfoot rolled his shoulders, then continued. "I was a little thing when it happened. Ambitious, too. And everyone knows that in this society, ambition always kills you in the end, no matter how tame or innocent it is. You gotta be a lil' angel who wants nothin' more than to serve their pitiful Clan if y'all wanna be respected. But that ain't how I thought. Ah, no. I wanted power. My pa' was the Clan leader. Made my brother deputy and gave ne'er even gave me a sideways glance. Pa' was rough, and Ma' took off when I was an apprentice. 'Came a rogue, she did."
"Why?" Twistedfoot quietly cut in.
"'Cause she hated Pa'. She 'idn't want nothin' to do wit' him anymore. He abused her whene'er he was angry. Struck fear and anger in my heart, it did. Boy, I couldn't stand Pa'. Drove out my mama and discarded me for my littermate? Ha, as if I let that last. I knew Pa' was on his last life, so I struck. What you think happened then?"
"You killed him?" Twistedfoot replied questioningly.
"Nah, 'cause things ne'er go to plan." Grayfoot stretched a bit, and then lay on his belly. "I went for Pa's throat, I did. But that's when my brother walked in. He jumped for me, and took the blow that I was plannin' tah land on Pa'. I killed him. It was an accident, obviously, but at least Pa' knew how angry I was, the lengths I'd go to show 'im. Pa' pinned me and called for help. I was thrown in the center of camp. Like I said, my sire was a tyrant. A power-hungry fool. But the Clan was too scared to stand up for themselves, those cowards. So when he ordered his best warriors to come and beat me, the onlookers just stood on the sidelines, cheerin' mah attackers on to keep their throats. See these scars?"
Twistedfoot nodded hesitantly. She didn't want to offend the cat.
"They're from what happened to me 'at day. The punishment I took. I was beaten and half-dead on the ground when my daddy walked over to give the final blow. Then there came the worst wound. That horrible cat took my eye."
Twistedfoot swallowed. She studied his eye. It wasn't actually gone; there was just a scar that went directly over it, blinding him on one side. But it was still awful. "I'm sorry," she forced out.
"The story ain't over," Grayfoot grunted. "I was banished immediately. The bite to my eye knocked me unconscious, but soon as I woke up, I was out o'the Clan. I was still drippin' blood as I left the territory. I 'idn't know where to go, so I tried ThunderClan. I told 'em my story, but the leader backed off when he heard that I'd tried to kill Duststar."
Twistedfoot nodded, glad to finally Grayfoot's father's name. "Did you tell them about your brother?"
"Yep, and that was the deal-breaker. The death of Hailstripe scared the tails off of 'em. They said no, and I headed out of the forest completely. Might do you good to know that I lived in the forest territories, not the lake. I'm older than Phantomstep."
Twistedfoot nodded. "Continue."
"I ran for Twolegplace," he explained. "I headed into the dirty streets, and stayed 'ere. My wounds healed slowly. They stung, and I was blind in one eye. Few weeks passed, and I started to notice somethin'."
"Wha'ja notice?" Twistedfoot asked, sounding like a kit.
"Cats. Strays, 'ey called 'emselves. They lived in the city, and they were strong. We also shared a common interest. Power." Grayfoot shook out his pelt. Was he remembering happy times? "I made contact wit' 'em. Told 'em that if they followed me, I'd give 'em everything they wanted."
Twistedfoot tipped her head in curiosity, eager to hear the rest of the story. She realized that it seemed a bit like the story of Tigerstar.
"So, we headed to the forest. I showed 'em around. I'd told those cats everything I knew 'bout the Clans. We passed through ThunderClan and RiverClan unseen, then made it to WindClan. I let 'em see the territory, get a good look at it. Then we headed back where we lived in the city, and the raids began."
"Raids?" Twistedfoot questioned.
"Yep. I sat atop my garbage heap throne, and every few quarter-moons, my cats 'ould made a couple o' raids. Killed dozens, yep. I'd tell 'em what to do each time, send a couple to do the job, then bask in the riches of the fresh-kill they brought back. I had all the power and vengeance I wanted."
"But what happened?" Twistedfoot asked.
"Like I told you, in the end, I lost. WindClan finally found our sanctuary, and I and all my cats were killed."
Twistedfoot sighed. "We can't ever win, can we?"
"It's all a game o' chance, Twistedfoot. If you ain't dealin' the cards, you'll always lose."
Twistedfoot looked at her paws. "Yeah. I guess I—oh." She looked up to see nothing. Had Grayfoot left her on such an odd note? She sighed, then looked at Mossflight. She had to clean the blood, clean the body and hide the scent. She first moved Mossflight to wash away the blood on the grass with water from the stream beside the spot, then began the same evidence-hiding process she'd used on Haretooth.
She dragged Mossflight to the lake.
Whoo, creepy ending! Probaby the product of playing too much Five Nights at Freddy's on my phone… (This chapter was 9 pages on Microsoft *dies*)
Yep, that's right, I'm one of those FNAF nerds! I've actually been really interested and a fan of the game for a while, watched a lot of Play-Throughs and learned tons of theories and backstories. I finally got the first Five Nights at Freddy's on my iPod Generation 5 last night, and I've been playing it nonstop!
I'm stuck on Night 6. Either Chica or Bonnie always get me, and if I'm really close, like 4 o'clock, Freddy pops out of nowhere! He's the only animatronic that you can't watch on camera, so there's no way to tell if he's near you or not, he just appears. Foxy is pretty easy to maintain, you just gotta check Pirate's Cove and the West Hall periodically. And come on, his jumpscare isn't even scary! I love Foxy, he and Freddy are my favorites ^^ I've drawn God knows how much fanart of Foxy on my Toon Boom Studio 8.1 program and my sketchbook xD
Ooh, and I got jumpscared by Golden Freddy! I was checking W. Hall Corner on Night 6 (which I'm still on), when I saw that the poster was Golden's face. I put the camera down and he was sitting in my room! There wasn't any glitching, I don't think he was doing the creepy laugh either. Then his face just appeared in front of me with that slowed-down screech and the game stopped. I had to hit the home button to get out of it xD I took a screenshot of the poster and his face c: I was like "YES RARE SCREEN"
But in other news, I might be getting a DeviantArt! That way, you guys will be able to see the characters, and I might do some contests ;) There'll also be FNAF stuff, obviously xD
Oh, Lavi0123, no hard feelings for killing Mossflight? XD I chose her partly because you also gave me Shadefire, therefore you'd still have a character in the story!
But yes, because of how long this chapter was and the fact that I wanted to get it out before the end of the weekend, I didn't really edit ^^' sorry!
Hey, Grayfoot has a Western accent now! I was bored so I made him that way.
See y'all next chappie!
