Hello! I'm back from camping with a huge (well, for me) chapter! I do believe it's a record, at a grand total of 2,545 words! :) Yay! Oh, and I'm in a really good mood. I think y'all will like this chapter. And I would like to thank WhiteWinterStar for her amazing character, Spark, who is sadly making her (possibly) last apperance in this story. Everyone say aw. Awww. But, I would also like to thank Brokenjay for her character, Key, who is coming in! :) don't worry if I haven't used your character yet. I'll get to everyone. I hope... Now, thanks to:
Blossom the Cellist: Lol don't worry. I can't draw either. :) Oops... lol stupid mistakes! Gr... lol I'm gonna go name my Tube, Baritone, and Piano now.. lol Oh and lol yes, your reviews are epic ;) lol
xXJayfeatherXx: Lol I like purple... But midnight blue still wins for me XD And she kind of is... lol And thank you! I hope this one is too! :)
Pale-eye: Yay! And yeah, when she started favoring Briarlight (who I love!) I started hating her... (Millie I mean)
Hawkholly: Thanks! Questions at thee bottom. :)
Silvershine of ThunderClan: Thanks! :) Lol :I num num num
WhiteWinterStar: I wrote the scene (as I saw it) for Spark's sisters death. I really really hope you like it. I wanted to cry writing it. And yay, more Pokemon! :)
Wildstep: Lol awesome to everything! :) Lol I really do like all (well, most) colors. But like I said, midnight blue is my favorite. And I liked the old WindClan too. I would be WindClan really if it wasn't for Crow, Night, One, and Breeze. (One just because he gets all defensive about Fire helping him)
oOHawkpathOo: Thank you! That's kind of what I was going for. In the books the two aren't really shown as the 'brotherly' type, but I think they should be. :) Lol stupid Breeze...
spottedfire-star: Hmm... interesting... Well, Holly is just trying to make the best of what she has to deal with. I always think of her as being positive... And Jay just might explode... (not for real, but you know... I hope...)
Hollyfeather1: Okay! *writes faster in the past...* lol
Leopardheart: Coolio. And np :) I think he's kind of getting better. Slowly. Though he gets a little scared in this chapter...
Whitedemon (x2): 1. Lol *punches* NO NOMMING JAY! *pets Jay* 2. Oh, okay. Lol wow, nice lightningness. Lol
Shinx is epic: Np. :) IK! And thank you! I really hope you like this chapter! :) And maybe... Idk, you don't actually get anything, except me saying your awesome. Lol ? the bottom. (Lol question at the bottom if up didn't get it... lol)
SnowHeart: Yay! I'm so glad you found it again! :) Thanks! :)
Okay, that's it. Now, before you read STOP AND READ THIS! (that's for y'all who skip my A/N's) When you get to the part with Spark, start playing Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift. (You don't have to, but I think you should) I listened to it while I wrote that part, and I nearly cried. :) Okay, go read now :)
"It must be awful." Cinderheart mused softly, pity for her mate filling her heart. Jayfeather nodded, then they continued there walk in silence, both too caught up in their own musings to talk any longer.
"Maybe…" Jayfeather began, but he was cut off when Lionblaze called, "Let's stop for today and make camp." Cinderheart and Jayfeather exchanged a look, but neither spoke. The moment had passed. Neither had anything to say anymore.
Claws. Surrounding him, dragging him down. Tearing off his fur. Suffocating him.
Laughter echoed through the air.
"You're a fool, Jayfeather!" A loud, horribly familiar voice snarled. Jayfeather turned his head, desperate to escape his tormentor, but the claws just dug deeper into his fur, pulling him farther into the earth. Into oblivion.
He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, more laughter echoed passed him.
"A weak, pathetic fool!"
Jayfeather fought against the paws as they continued to pull him down, desperate to prove Breezepelt wrong.
"A useless, blind cat!"
The grey tom wildly shook his head, denying the voice's words.
"No one can save you now! No one wants to!" More insane laughter filled the air.
Jayfeather opened his mouth again, and this time words came out. "No! You're wrong!"
A paw flew across his throat, blood welling up along the fresh cut.
"Am I?" The voice sounded darkly amused. "Then why am I the one cutting your throat?" Then another pair of claws slashed at his throat, and Jayfeather felt himself go limp against the paws. His breathe was forced and slow.
"You are weak, Jayfeather. And you will die a fool's death."
Jayfeather gasped into consciousness and turned his head wildly, his sightless eyes searching for any sign that he was in fact alive and with his friends and not dying, surrounded by angry, pulling paws.
Taking a deep breathe, he scented Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Cinderheart all nearby. The tom relaxed, calmed by his families presence. Everything would be alright. He was safe. Breezepelt was dead. No cat would harm him now.
Right?
. . .
Lionblaze scanned the little clearing he was standing in, attempting to push away the panic that rose in his throat.
Where was he? He certainly wasn't in the bushes they'd settled in that night. So where was he?
Before he could try to answer himself, there was a loud gasp behind him.
The golden-furred tom spun around and was surprised by the sight of his brother, his grey pelt decorated with fresh scars and cuts, stumble into the clearing.
"Jayfeather!" The large tom called, taking a step towards his wounded brother.
The other tom's eyes widened at the sound of his voice and he turned as if to run, but his paws gave out and he fell heavily to the ground.
"Jayfeather!" Lionblaze repeated, racing the Jayfeather's side. "Are you okay? What happened? Who did this?" A rush of protectiveness flooded him. He would make the cat that did this pay.
"I'm sorry." His brother whimpered weakly. "Please, don't hurt me."
"Hurt you?" Lionblaze asked, his voice filled with surprise and a bit of pain.
"Please!" Jayfeather begged.
"Jayfeather, I would never hurt you. I promise." Lionblaze assured his frantic brother softly.
"You said that before." Jayfeather whispered in a pained tone, squeezing his eyes shut.
"What do you-" Lionblaze stopped midsentence, a 'memory' filling him.
Jayfeather was on the ground, his blind eyes filled with fear and shock. His grey pelt was coated in crimson blood. "I'm sorry!" He moaned, every word sounding painful.
Lionblaze stalked out of the shadows, uncharacteristic hatred and anger dancing in his amber eyes. "Too little, too late." The large tom sneered, then he lunged forwards and raked his claws along the smaller tom's already scarred back.
"Worthless piece of dung!" Lionblaze sneered, then he lifted Jayfeather by the scuff and threw him across the clearing. The tom's blood was smeared across the grass. "We should have let Breezepelt kill you when we had the chance!"
"I'm sorry!" Jayfeather whimpered again, seemingly lost for any other words.
"Too bad." Lionblaze growled, raising his paw.
"NO!" The real Lionblaze screamed as his 'memory' self brought his paw done, claws unsheathed. "NO!"
Amber eyes shot open, frantically searching for truth. Something to prove he hadn't harmed his brother. Something. ANYTHING!
Then he saw him, and his whole body relaxed.
Jayfeather, his eyes closed, sleeping not ten tail-lengths away.
"I didn't hurt him." Tears sprang to his amber eyes. "Oh thank StarClan. Oh thank you."
He watched his unconscious brother long enough to be sure he was real and not some sort of illusion, then he fell back into sleep, still muttering softly, "Thank you. Oh thank you..."
. . .
The next morning, neither cat spoke of their nightmares. The two she-cats didn't mention the fact that both had been woken by the pairs thrashing and moaning. Instead, there seemed to be a silent agreement to let the matter slide.
Because none of them wanted to admit their fears.
So the little band of cats kept moving, none of them daring to say a word for fear that the dreams would come up. But the tension remained. The only reason any of them spoke that day was because of a stern voice that pulled them all out of their mulling's.
"Who are you?" Four head turned and three pairs of eyes stared at a she-cat standing about a tail-length away from them as she stepped out of a bush.
"We could ask you the same thing," Cinderheart replied coolly, being to first to recover.
The she-cat's pure white fur stood one end and her electric blue eyes narrowed. "Seeing as you're in our territory," She shot back icily. "I believe I have the right to know."
Cindeheart's fur bristled slightly, and she straightened defensively. But before she could reply, Lionblaze stepped forward.
"We're just passing through. We didn't realize any cat lived here. There weren't any border markers, so we just assumed…" He trailed off, seeing the look on the she-cat's face that stated that she clearly didn't care.
"Right." The gold tom said awkwardly. "Well… We'll be on our way then." He turned to lead his friends away, when the she-cat spoke again.
"What's with him?"
Lionblaze opened his mouth to ask what she meant, then he noticed Jayfeather. The tom was shying away from the stranger, attempting to hide his small frame behind Hollyleaf and Cinderheart.
"Nothing." Lionblaze replied defensively. The white she-cat scowled.
"Yeah right." She snorted, pushing passed the other two she-cats to reach Jayfeather. The tom bit back a squeak of fright and stepped back. Lionblaze thought about pulling the strange cat away from his terrified brother, then noticed how her movements seemed to become gentler and more soothing. He hesitated, and decided, for the moment, to watch.
"Are you alright?" The she-cat's voice was kind and sympathetic. Hesitantly, Jayfeather nodded.
"If you come with me I can get you a decent meal," She looked the skinny tom up and down. "You look like you could use it." She sent a glare Lionblaze's way like it was somehow his fault that Jayfeather was about the size of an apprentice.
Jayfeather paused and turned his head towards his brother. "If you want to." Lionblaze replied simply, knowing what the other tom was thinking. Slowly, Jayfeather nodded.
"Alright then," The she-cat straightened and turned on the spot. "Follow me."
She marched into the trees and slowly the group followed.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Cinderheart asked Lionblaze in a low voice as they walked.
"Nope," The tom replied. "But there are four of us. I think we can take her. Besides, if Jayfeather trusts her I think she's okay."
Suddenly, the she-cat was in front of them again, a mouse hanging from her jaw.
She dropped the small creature on the ground in front of the group. "Here you go. I'll be back." Then she disappeared again. Lionblaze was passing the mouse to Jayfeather when the she-cat appeared again.
"Oh, and I forgot to mention. My name's Key."
. . .
"Is it time yet?" Dovewing asked Spark, anxiously waiting for the Twolegs to fall asleep so she could leave.
"No," The other she-cat replied patiently. "The adults are still awake."
Dovewing sighed and laid her head on her paws.
"Tell me about your family." Spark said, trying to distract the other she-cat.
"Well," Dovewing hesitated, then seemed to decide it didn't matter what she said now. "I have a sister. Ivypool. My parents were Whitewing and Birchfall."
"Tell me about them."
So Dovewing told her. She told her how she'd felt when she found out her sister and father were training in the dark forest. She talked about how proud she was to have a sister as brave as Ivypool. How the she-cat was once jealous of Dovewing's powers.
"It was like we weren't even sisters at one point," Dovewing confessed, looking at the ground.
Spark muttered something, and Dovewing's head shot up. "You had a sister?"
Spark stared at the grey she-cat in shock. "Well… Yes. But how did you..?"
"I have really good hearing. I mean, REALLY good." Dovewing explained quickly, which only succeeded in confusing the other cat more. "Now, what do you mean at least my sister is alive?"
Spark hesitated, then took a deep breath. "I had a sister too," She admitted. "Her name was Ice."
"What happened to her?"
"She died." Spark said flatly, not meeting the other cat's eyes. "We were strays, even since our mom made us leave. We were about eight moons."
Dovewing listened intently as Spark spun her tale.
It was winter. White flakes fell from the sky, and onto the back of two kits, barely old enough to be out of the nursery.
One, a light orange tabby, led, the snow blending with her white paws and belly. "Come on, Ice." She urged her sister, turning to her, blue eyes wide.
The second kit, her white pelt nearly invisible against the snowy background, followed slowly. "I'm hungry." She mumbled.
Spark bit her lip. "Look," She insisted, pointing towards the Twoleg house they were walking towards. "Maybe they have food. Remember how our old housefolks always put their extra food in those metal bins? I bet you could find some."
Ice's ginger ears perked up. "Okay," She agreed, standing a little straighter. "You look out for any housefolks, and I'll see what I can find."
Spark nodded and watched her sister pad away, forcing away the feeling of uncertainty, telling herself it was just the hunger making her unsure. Her sister was smart; she could take care of herself.
Spark prowled anxiously along the end of the territory (or at least where the Twoleg scent ended) waiting for her sister to come back with their treasure.
The orange she-cat's blue eyes darted back and forth, her mouth slightly open. No Twoleg was going to get passed her.
Suddenly, a loud yowl, filled with pain broke her from her watch. "Ice?" Spark called, slowly trotting towards the place she knew the big cans were. Another yowl. Coming from the back of the house.
"Ice!" She broke into a full on run, desperate to reach her sister.
The dusty orange she-cat reached the cans in time to see a wild spasm of pain take over her sister's small form. The white she-cat's ice blue eyes met Spark's for a fraction of a second, and then her sister was still.
"Ice?" Spark slowly made her way to her sister's side, heart pounding. "Ice?"
Spark crouched next to her sister, gently probing her unmoving side with one white paw. "Ice, get up." She commanded, her voice shaking slightly. There was no reply.
"Ice, you have to get up." The kit was becoming slightly frantic now, desperate for her sister to get up.
"Ice, please! You can't leave me!" Tears filled the orange kit's eyes and she hung her head. "Please, Ice. I don't know what to do! Tell me what to do!"
Spark sobbed and her attempts to rouse her sister turned into incoherent mumblings.
At last the she-cat contained herself enough to nudge her sister into a sitting position. Spark gingerly wrapped her sister's orange tail around her motionless form. "There," Spark whispered, blinking back fresh tears. "Now you can be sleeping. Safe and sound. Forever"
Then she bent and gently touched her nose to her sister's for the last time, and settled next to the dead she-cat, soaking up the last of her scent.
Spark closed her eyes, too heart-broken to resist when hands lifted her off the ground. She was too tired, too hunger, too heart-broken, to care what happened to her anymore.
The next day, Spark discovered that the housefolk were going to keep her. They buried her sister in the back, about a fox-length from the house.
Spark never left.
As Spark finished her tale, Dovewing realized there were tears in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry." She whispered, sorrow filling her. She knew the pain of losing a sibling.
Spark didn't reply for a moment. Finally, she said, "I think they've all gone to bed. I'll undo the lock now."
Dovewing nodded but kept her gaze on the she-cat as she worked. Her movements seemed slower, more forced, then usual.
"Thank you for telling me." Dovewing tried.
Spark glanced at Dovewing, managing a tight smile. "No problem." She whispered, her voice suddenly hoarse.
The two stayed silent until at last, the lock opened. Dovewing jumped out of the cage but forced herself to stay by Spark. "Come with me." She said suddenly.
"What?" Spark stared at Dovewing in surprise. She obvious hadn't been expecting this.
In all fairness, neither had Dovewing.
"Come with me! Join my clan! Please. It'll be great!" Dovewing smiled, trying to get excited by the sudden offer.
"I can't." Spark's voice was quiet. "I can't leave. My sister is buried here."
"Please." Begged Dovewing. Suddenly she was dreading leaving. She didn't want to have to travel alone!
"I can't, Dovewing. You have to understand. My life is here. I'm not made for clan life. I'm a kittypet. This is where I belong."
Dovewing sighed, because she knew the she-cat was right. "Alright." The grey she-cat said softly. She turned and padded towards that basement.
"Thank you for everything."
There was no reply.
Dovewing bit back another sigh and padded slowly down the stairs then back up the boxes. Ashe squeezed under the open window and into the fresh air.
And inside, she knew they'd both made the right choices.
A sudden urge overwhelmed her, and she could only think of one thing. She had to find the others.
With renewed energy, the she-cat raced into the forest, not daring to look back.
If she had looked back, she would have seen an orange head with a white star on its forehead peering out the window, watching her leave.
"Good-bye, Dovewing," Spark murmured softly. "I hope you find your friends." Then she ducked back inside and padded into the adult Twolegs room. Exhaustion taking over her body, the she-cat jumped onto the bed and curled up at their feet.
And she too knew she'd made the right choice.
Do you ever want to strangle characters because of their stupidity? HOLLYLEAF! Well, only when she says they're Leafpool's kits. I mean, she killed a cat to keep everyone from knowing, then she tells them all! *smacks Holly* But I love Hollyleaf otherwise! :)
What Jayfeather pairing do you like? Um... Well I kind of like JayxHalf, but it was more for Jay's Wing, not Jayfeather. My favorite is JayxBriar, but that's mostly because I think they're adorable together. Lol XD
Honored reviewer
-Blossom the Cellist-
Because she always corrects my mistakes, and because she's right; her reviews are awesome ;) Lol