Welcome back! As usual, my view count has been dropping, that's what I get for dragging things out so long...

REVIEWS

"Key of Light and Darkness"- Ahaha, yeah, I guess it would be. Of course! I've had big plans for Amelia, but I like keeping her more of a secretive character.

"Cascade of Raining Ice"- Haha, yeah, though they don't live in America, I don't think so I don't know much about them, just random facts that I find.

"KyubiMaster9"- Yep! Random fun facts are fun.

Dawnflight- Hope you had fun roughing it in the wild! I'm sure the trip was annoying but inconsequential, so I didn't write it (I was also trying to hurry things along)

Flower- Yeah, there are cuckoo clocks, but the actual bird lives on basically every continent except the Americas (and the poles)

Mistystream- Well, Amelia's vengeance may be a bit more complicated then simply ruining Jay's life, after all, she was an enemy of Scorch.

"Bushclaww"- Ahaha, yeah, it would have been tragic if all the kits ran out of the tunnel and fell down the side of the mountain. It isn't a terrible idea, thanks, I'll keep it in mind. Ah, I'm a Senior in high-school, but I take a French course at the local community college.

Brian- Well, it's more that I've gotten bored with the story idea (this is a trilogy, so I've had this in my head for four years now) I'm just ready to move on to something new. I still enjoy writing and when I do get a new idea to write it makes me excited, there's just less of it then usual since it's mostly all thought out. But thanks for the encouragement, I'll definitely finish things up before I move on.

"Blurg the Destroyer"- Who knows? I do, of course, but I can't tell you. Yeah, that needed to be more lighthearted because this one... I didn't say anything.

Sillymew- Cheesecake is the absolute best! My mom made this several layer cheesecake that has a bunch of different fruit flavors and is so colorful it looks like a rainbow. It was amazing to behold and to eat.

Chapter 34: Cold Fates

The dark water lapped softly at the gray stone, washing over it and leaving it glimmering silver in the moonlight. The stars were numerous in the sky overhead and the pools below trapped the light within its dark ripples.

Eleven pairs of paws swept softly past the water, seven kits and four grown cats. Jay led the way with the kits surrounding her, barely managing not to step on one of them or accidentally kick them into the water. Silver led Thunderstorm by the tail, both of the gray cats looked exhausted and Crow stumbled steadily behind them, eyes stuck on the ground as he pulled his tired, old body forward.

But Jay stepped lightly upon the stone and the kits shared her excitement, gasping softly and giggling at the lights reflected in the black pools and tentatively darting out a paw to touch a damp part of the path that shone like moonlit ice.

They were nearly across the valley by now, and the moon's upward climb was nearing it's end as well, now nearly centered above them. But they couldn't stop here, they had to keep going. When she and Amelia had scouted the valley before they had found it mostly unlivable.

The water and stone were beautiful, but a cat couldn't live on water alone and even if there had been fish in the pools and they knew how to catch fish, when leaf-bare came they'd freeze over and the cats would be left to starve. And sleeping in the open on rocks was going to be life-threatening when the fierce cold came.

But it had made no sense, the StarReaders had lived here for seasons upon seasons, how had they survived? And then they'd found it. Jay's tail quivered in anticipation and her pace quickened. "Almost there," she whispered encouragingly to the kits whose tiredness was starting to trump their excitement.

Jay had to pick up Panther again shortly and then Silver had to carry Hail while a few minutes after that both Crow and Thunderstorm were carrying Rusty and Breeze. Jay watched Ice worriedly, she was the next smallest kit and was starting to trip over her own paws. Just a little bit further...

The cool breeze was softer and gentler down in the stone valley than on a mountainside and the cold was less pungent, Jay had high hopes that this place would work well for them. All that was left was to leave the beautiful and unfriendly stone behind them.

"There is it," Jay purred. As she said that a more musky smell mixed with the sharpness of stone and water.

"Trees?" Silver's short question was muffled by the kit in her mouth and Jay nodded, leading the cats to the end of the valley. The flat rock was interrupted by a few piles of rocks that created natural dens and were covered in moss.

From the faint, stale cat scent coming from them, Jay and Amelia had assumed these were the old StarReaders dens. However, this wasn't where they were going to live. Past the dens was the edge of the valley where a short and difficult incline brought them once more out of the valley into a wide ravine, covered in a forest.

"Look at all the trees!" Flint's excited mew brought energy to the sleepy kits and they struggled from the grown cats' grasp to squeak and cheer as they ran around beneath the full trees. The trees were almost exclusively pine and the soft needle bed below offered a warm and quiet ambiance as it stifled the sound of footsteps.

Jay was not exactly thrilled to live among pine trees, for in the ravine it blocked out all of the sky, and the needles were uncomfortably poky under paw. But the ravine was almost completely sheltered from the wind, only the faintest breeze flowing high above and stirring the tree tops. It was noticeably warmer and the scent of prey was heavy here.

"I have to admit, I didn't think a place like this existed here. How far does the forest stretch?" Silver asked, looking in awe up at the pine trees, the dark shadows nearly hiding her silhouette from view.

"I don't know, Amelia and I traveled inwards for awhile, but we didn't reach the end. There also wasn't much sign that the StarReaders came here for anything but food, so even if they go back to their own camp, they may not even notice us," Jay mewed. Of course, it was optimistic to think they wouldn't notice their scents, but Silver's tired mind didn't seem to catch it.

"That's good, but is there any shelter here besides the trees? I mean, it is pretty sheltered with just that, but will that be enough?" the tabby moved around, still leading Thunderstorm as she circled around. The kits were playing with the needles, kicking them up and pawing them into piles, but Jay could see they were still tired.

"We found a place a bit further in for a makeshift camp, come on," she called to the kits and they obediently trotted to her side as she led the group deeper into the forest.

"Was that a mouse?" Ice's intrigued voice broke the silence.

"No way, that was definitely a bird," Eagle's positive tone didn't merit agreement.

"It was too low for a bird," Ice mewed crossly.

"But the sound went upward!" Eagle shot back.

"What do you know?"

"I'm a hunter!"

"I've never seen you hunt anything besides a moss ball!" Ice's definitive retort prompted Eagle to tackle the smaller kit and playfully pin her to the ground.

"There!" he mewed triumphantly, "I hunted you."

"Alright, that's enough, keep up with the group," Jay chided, the kits had fallen a bit behind in their scuffle and the two kits looked up in alarm to see they were being left behind. Ice spat as Eagle let her up and Jay heard the sound of pine needles being thrown through the air followed by Eagle sneezing violently as Ice dashed close to her side.

Eagle rejoined more sedately, his eyes glaring at the kit who he'd beaten fair and square but still had managed to have the last laugh. "Kits, let's keep it together a bit longer," Jay sighed, though she was more amused than anything.

At last they came to the spot, a rare oak tree standing bare among the towering pines. A single mossy boulder towered high under a nearby pine tree, about three cat-lengths in the air, and a bunch of heather and brambles dotted the area. They'd be able to make a comfortable den against the rock and the oak tree would allow them to get a little bit of sunlight while still enjoying the shelter of the pines as they slept.

"Tonight we'll sleep here," Jay mewed, leading the cats into the slight shelter of the heather bush. Everyone was too tired to complain that there was no real den already made and since it was just as warm or warmer than sleeping in a den in their old camp, every cat curled down close to each other for warmth and quickly slipped into sleep.

But not Jay, although weariness dragged at her eyes and muscles, she sat above every cat, being a careful watcher in the darkness and a careful listener to the silence. What she hadn't told the others was that in the valley of stone and water, the stars danced restlessly.

…...

The next few days were busy with the construction of a large and warm den as well as the exploration of the territory. The pine filled ravine was about as narrow as the forest on the side of the mountainside that they'd previously called home. The greatest difference being that the ravine was much longer, in fact, after a whole day's trek Jay never came to an end of it.

This wooded area enjoyed the shelter between the mountains and although occasionally when the angle was right for the wind to blow fiercely, usually there wasn't even a breeze. It was full of prey and although the new territory required an adjustment of hunting technique, they still managed to feed everyone more easily than on the mountainside.

The kits were excited about the new area to explore and didn't seem to be bothered by the thick covering of pine branches that blocked out the sky. However, Silver and Crow both were bothered by it and they would sit beneath the oak tree and peer up at the tiny spot of sky visible beneath it.

Amelia returned alone on the sixth day, looking unhappy and in pain. When Jay asked her where Ash was she just shook her head and curled up to sleep underneath a pine tree for the night. She was gone by morning.

But Jay wasn't worried, she had come back once, she'd come back again. She was sure Amelia was staying somewhere close by the mountain so that when she needed her, the black she-cat would be there.

The only thing she missed was the security of Amelia's super sharp senses at night, she'd always slept soundly, knowing Amelia would warn her if something dangerous was approaching. But without the black she-cat, she found herself keeping watch alone at night a lot more than she liked.

But on the eighth day the den was complete and they all slept soundly in its protection. And the next day brought another surprise; Ash had come to visit. "Took you long enough to find us," Jay commented as the grown cats ate breakfast together, feasting on last night's leftovers. "I recall you asking to spend leaf-bare with us."

Ash inclined his head, "It hasn't snowed yet," he pointed out. "And why did you send Amelia after me? It was quite bothersome, shaking her off."

"I'm rather impressed you managed to do it at all," she snorted, closing her eyes and taking an irritated bite of her food.

"You underestimate me," he mewed lightly. Jay purred back at him, eyes closed to keep herself from glaring. How she wished she could kill him right now. But he'd actually brought food for his kits today and had spoken to them. If he continued making progress she would continue to tolerate his existence.

"Anyways, Ash, since you're here I'm going to make you useful," Jay mewed, finishing her meal and licking her tongue around her muzzle.

"I thought I was supposed to be a father?" Ash mewed, looking unhappy at the prospect of aiding her.

"Yes, you are. And who do you suppose is taking care of them? Certainly not you. So by helping me, you're helping your kits," Jay mewed.

"Your logic seems flawed," he responded with a disgruntled glance at her, but he dared not refuse her in front of the others who were watching their exchange curiously. Except for Thunderstorm, who had the sense to be shrinking away from the group.

"It isn't a difficult task, I only need your help to bring my herbs from the old camp here. Since the den is finished, I now have a place to store them," Jay explained. Although she was no more excited about the idea of trekking all the way to the eastern mountain and all the way back, seeing Ash's face fall was worth it.

He muttered something but gave a slight nod of agreement. Now Jay turned to Silver, "I think you know what I have to ask you," she mewed pointedly.

Silver's confusion melted to horror, "You can't make me watch them again!" When Jay had left the kits with Silver for the day when she'd scouted out this territory with Amelia, she'd come home to find Silver even more miserable than the time before. But Amelia wasn't here and Crow was too old to keep up with them all day, while no cat with a whisker worth of sense would put them in a blind cat's care.

"Come on, unless you want to go get my herbs for me? Or would you rather let some cat die when they get sick? Or a scratch that gets infected? Silver... I had no idea you cared so little for all of us," she spoke mockingly and the tabby seemed to be simmering in her anger.

"Fine! I'll watch the kits, just go already!" the tabby leaped to her paws and started shoving her away forcefully.

Jay chuckled but allowed herself to be driven away. Calling to the kits to obey Silver and asking Crow to help with keeping them out of trouble, she left with Ash following and sulking. It didn't take long to leave the pine forest and Jay happily breathed in the fresher air of the stone valley, looking out across the cold gray plain.

"It doesn't seem the StarReaders have come today either," Jay mewed, drawing in the scents as they passed through the abandoned camp.

"They don't come here often, as I'm sure you know," Ash muttered, his orange pelt was almost unnatural on the backdrop of gray and he seemed to feel as out of place as he looked. Jay, however, felt like she fit right in, her fur and attitude matched the area completely.

"It must be lovely in green-leaf," she sighed, "With a pool to splash in when you get too hot and lots of stone to bask in the warmth." She could almost close her eyes and imagine it. But unfortunately, her idea was to drive the StarReaders back here and she highly doubted she'd ever be looked upon kindly after that. This place would be lost to her, but the green valley would be won.

"I can't believe you'd ever say that about their home," Ash scowled at her, his gray eyes were disgusted and Jay thought he had never looked more disgruntled.

"And I'm surprised that you wouldn't be more at ease, considering you helped them," she shot back, narrowing her eyes.

Ash shrugged, "Sometimes you have to pick between your evils."

Jay shook her head, "And I think you chose the worst evil. At least the Ivy cats didn't have a habit of killing the innocent, even if it occurred at times."

"But the StarReaders change, they evolve. The Ivy cats have been stuck in the same cycle for countless seasons, there is no future for them," Ash mewed, defending the StarReaders with glowing eyes. Jay shrank away from him, disturbed by the passion in his eyes, as if he really believed that made the StarReaders the right choice.

"Let's just go get my herbs," Jay muttered, and with that she turned away and broke into a run, paws pounding against the stone as the sound of water sloshing echoed in her ears.

…...

The trip to the eastern mountain took all of the morning and the two of them passed it in silence. The valley was quickly withering, the forest in the distance was bare of all leaves, reduced to a bunch of skeletal gray-brown arms poking up at the sky like a tangled bunch of briar.

The grass was brown and yellow and much shorter than in green-leaf, it was almost like peat. The heather and gorse were gray and brown while the streams were either dried up or chugged along slowly. The mountains themselves seemed bent and old over the valley, their proud beauty not so glorious or protective in the midst of all the dull and death.

Jay reveled in it. It was so much more airy than the pine forest, the stillness was disturbed only by the rushing wind that brought a thick blanket of gray clouds to shut out the sky, however, this cloud ceiling was far more bearable than the crowded canopy of pine branches.

"It got pretty cold," Jay mused as they paused at the top of a hill, she stood with her face to the wind as it blew her whiskers back in her face and tugged at her fur, breathing in the cold and wild scents that flowed to her.

"It's coming from the north instead of the west, of course it's cold," Ash muttered, fluffing up his fur but still shivering.

Jay shrugged, it was cold, but not that cold, "Maybe we'll get a little snow, though, I feel like this is a very dry breeze," she mewed, sniffing the air.

"Can we just get moving, I'm freezing my tail off," the orange tom complained, eyes narrowed against the gale.

"Of course, it's right there, we'll be back before dusk at this rate," Jay mewed, launching into a run and bounding down the hill, traversing through the area by forging her own trail and taking only a moment at the bottom of the mountainside to catch her breath before launching up the gravelly stone path.

The wind blew away all of Ash's complaints as the two cats launched themselves with surprising velocity up the winding path. They soon came to the tunnel at about half way up the mountainside and into the dark hole they slipped, crawling through the short, narrow space until they squeezed out onto the familiar trail.

The pale sand, the crowding- but dead- undergrowth, and the churlish babble of water conveyed a feeling of familiarity onto Jay as she slipped down the path that had become much more well-trodden after she'd come to live here.

And yet, already the path was being smoothed out by the elements and the camp had a definite abandoned feeling to it. The nests were gathering dust and falling apart while the warm cat scent had faded, replaced by the scents of prey and even birds of prey.

"I kept the herbs over there," she mewed, indicating the den that was the furthermost to the left. Ash grumbled something about not asking anything, but followed her and waited outside of the small den. Ducking down, Jay came to her store of sun-dried herbs and berries.

Before leaving she'd packed them all into packets so they would be ready to be picked up by any cat if she couldn't go. And now she combined them, wrapping them in moss and cobwebs to form two large bags by which she and Ash could carry them all in one trip.

The only herb she decided to leave behind was her horsetail stems. They were only found in the valley so she only had a few and they were withered and weak from being gathered at the beginning of green-leaf. She had marigold to treat wounds and dock for sore pads, it was fine to leave them behind.

"A'wight," Jay's mew was muffled as she carried her package and backed out off the den, dragging the other bag by her paw until she could push it to Ash. "Dat's'll," she mewed as Ash peered past her.

"A pretty big pack, are you sure you're not hiding anything in them?" he mewed suspiciously, pawing at the large bundle.

Jay rolled her eyes, clearly he'd never paid attention to any of the herb stores of the female Ivy Cats, in comparison, she had only a measly stock. In the Clans too, the Medicine cat has far more than this. Of course, they also have more cats to take care of, but I can only use some of the more common ones safely anyways.

Jay ignored Ash's suspicious stare and trotted out of camp, keeping a careful eye on the gray sky, it seemed to be growing darker and she wasn't sure if it was because more time had passed than she'd thought or if the clouds were thickening.

In any case, when they emerged on the other side of the mountainside, a fierce wind had kicked up and even Jay shivered against the biting chill. She was annoyed to see that it had changed direction, coming more from the east then the north. And that meant that it would be windy in their ravine.

Jay muttered something inaudible about getting out of the wind and narrowed her eyes, laying her ears flat against her head and keeping her tail stuck out behind her as she half-sprinted, half-fell down the mountainside. At the bottom she had to wait for Ash who had taken a much more careful descent and her tail twitched impatiently while she licked at her right forepaw which she had twisted in her ungraceful, but speedy, descent.

When Ash had finally arrived Jay had been chilled by sitting still in the roaring wind that lashed her tail against her side and tugged at her fur until she felt her pelt would fly off. Motioning for Ash to follow her, she turned her face to the wind and braced her shoulders as she walked quickly along the path, too worried about losing her grip on the package to risk running.

"I shouldn't have come last night," Ash's mutter reached her ears despite the overwhelming noise of the wind.

"Quit complaining!" Jay growled, whipping her head around to glare at him. But the force with which she'd twisted her head and the gale of the wind joined forces to successfully tear the package of herbs from her grasp and send the mass of leaves spinning through the air.

"Ahh!" Jay shrieked as she watched her carefully gathered and preserved herbs were lifted into the air and whisked away. "Get them!" her packet had contained the most useful herbs, since she didn't fully trust Ash, and they were disappearing right in front of her!

Grabbing the bundle of moss she pounced on it to stop anymore leaves from escaping and quickly grabbed a stone to hold it down while she started running after the herbs that were twirling through the air and scuttling over the ground.

Pouncing on the leaves she could find, Jay managed to recover a firm bunch of her marigold, borage, feverfew, watermint, and dock leaves, but her tansy was no where to be found. Looking around, she found that she had run quite a ways into the valley hills, the fierce wind rippling the short grass in waves.

The sky was even darker than before and she could see neither any more runaway herbs nor Ash. Ahh! Excitement thumped through her chest as she saw a few thin stalks of tansy go flying by, floating above the ground on the stiff wind. She needed those herbs! They were the best cure she had for white-cough, green-cough, or kitten-cough.

Chasing after the strands she leaped into the air, swiping at them and managing to snag one in her claws, adding it to the leaves in her mouth before resuming the exhausting chase. She'd grabbed three more strands and could only see two more flying around the hills. If I get those two, then it'll be okay, she was almost relieved as she reached the top of a hill and leaped at another strand.

Except, she didn't reach the herb but was knocked back down by something dark and fury and fell onto her side, starting to roll down the hill before she caught herself. Angrily she looked up, the wind had blown the herbs and her relief out of sight.

"Hey, you! Watch where you're jumping or I'll kill you!" the angry voice was like blowing a hot wind on a fire, Jay's anger was mounting at a startling pace.

She glared up at who she assumed she'd leaped into, though given the area and scent, it wasn't much of a surprise. It was that annoying tortoiseshell she-cat, her green eyes were as unpleasant as Jay remembered, glaring down at her with her hackles raised and lips curled back in a snarl.

Jay's vision blurred from rage as she slowly picked herself up from the ground, adjusting her grip on her herbs before staring the rogue straight in the face. She could kill a cat just as easily without her jaws. "Well? Apologize before I skin you, flea-pelt!" the rogue she-cat glared down at her, green eyes flaring with her ill temper.

Jay could almost smile, this cat was so troublesome, no one would miss her, it would be a pleasure to end her. "Wait, Jay, wait!" an annoying voice rose over the wind and both she-cats looked away toward the sound. But Jay was counting on the other cat to be distracted and used that moment to leap on the she-cat and pin her to the ground before Ash reached them.

"What are you doing?" Jay muttered around her herbs, glaring at him. Where was his herb pack?

Ash was panting and looked a little dazed from his run, it just made Jay more irritated. "Get off of her," he ordered.

"She was being really rude," Jay growled angrily, pushing down on the tortoiseshell's throat as the tortoiseshell glared furiously at her.

Ash sighed, "I'm sure she was, but she's a friend, so let her up."

A friend?! I didn't know Ash was even capable of making friends. No... by friend he probably means he uses her. But Jay got off anyways, giving the she-cat a firm stare as she got back to her paws without a shred of embarrassment.

"Jay, this is Raizel," Ash introduced her cordially. Jay glanced between the two of them, neither looked specifically pleased at seeing each other, but there wasn't any animosity in the air anymore either. "She's an assistant of sorts," Ash explained as he watched her suspicious gaze flicker between the two of them.

"A spy?" Jay accused.

Ash's tail twitched and he purred, "Please, I do all the spying myself. I don't trust others enough, Raizel helps with something else, and I, in turn, help her. Now, we really should be going, don't you think?" he mewed, leading her away.

Jay snorted, she didn't care what relationship they had, next time she'd kill the she-cat. "Where's your leaf packet?" Jay grumbled.

"I left it when I helped you gather the herbs, you were running everywhere after the leaves, so I grabbed the berries and the ones that fell on the ground," Ash mewed, leading her back the way they'd come.

"Hey, Ash, can I talk to you for a moment?" Raizel called after them and as Ash responded affirmatively, Jay ignored them and continued back along the path to where she'd left her herb bundle. She wondered what they were talking about, but there was no way she could spy on them with the wind blowing her scent straight toward them and her pride wouldn't allow her to ask them herself.

When she got back to her herb bundle she saw it had been partially filled again and Ash's was tucked safely under some roots that kept it from opening in the wind. Jay quickly slipped her own herbs into the bag and picked it up, wondering impatiently what was taking Ash so long.

Though, it was probably only a few minutes later Ash came running back, gray eyes stormy in worry. "Something the matter?" Jay asked as he hastily grabbed his bundle of herbs and looked quickly at her, shaking his head.

"Of course not, shall we be going?" Jay couldn't believe he was so obviously lying, usually, he was far more subtle. Did something spook him? Curiosity itched at her but she ignored it, she wanted to get home before it was night and the darkening sky wasn't making that look too promising.

Jay led him forward but he called back, "Wait, aren't we going back the way we came?" he asked.

"It'll be easier to travel in the wind on flat ground instead of on a mountainside," Jay snapped. Yes, they'd have to cut through StarReader territory, but they were practically living in StarReader territory, it would be fine.

"It won't be easier if we get caught," Ash growled.

"If you're so scared go the other way alone, I'll take my chances down here," Jay snapped, she was tired from the long trek and then the wild chase, the wind was relentless and she was cold. She wanted to go home.

She almost thought Ash would go his own way, but he followed, growing increasingly pensive as they came closer to the StarReader territory. Jay looked around, as expected there was no fresh scent of StarReader around and she didn't see Adder either. She wondered if he was still hanging around or if he had left yet.

"What are you looking at?" Ash asked sharply.

Jay glanced back at him, his orange was ruffled, but not from the wind, and his eyes were darting to every shadow in sight. "Nothing, what's got you so riled up? What did your friend tell you?"

Ash gave her a sharp glance, "Like I'd tell you that," he growled.

Jay snorted and pushed into StarReader territory, "Whatever, but why did you have to lie earlier?"

"Lie?" Ash asked, a tone of irritation in his voice.

"About doing all the spying yourself, you usually aren't so blatant with your lies. It's irritating," she snapped, glaring at him.

But Ash was looking confused now, "I wasn't lying. I always do all my spying alone, I don't trust others to give me accurate information."

"Oh yeah, so what was that cat that tailed me around for moons until you came and started spending some time with the kits?" Jay snapped angrily, what was he trying to hide by denying this?

Ash's gray eyes were growing more dim, "Some cat was tailing you? Do you know who it was?"

"Yeah, it was Snip, that gray tom with the white bit on his chest. He was at my meeting with the rogues, I didn't know it was him until much later," Jay sniffed, "He didn't find anything though, I always threw him off before I did anything. Though did you really have to have him follow me to our meetings?"

Ash was looking more and more alarmed, "Let's talk about this later," he mewed hoarsely. Jay snorted, what is he so afraid of? This insist the worst thing he's done to me. "This way," he mewed, leading her quickly through the territory.

"Wait, what's that smell?" Jay's nose curled, amidst the wind and the fragrant herbs a rotten stench wafted to her.

"Let's just go!" Ash pressed, looking desperate.

But even though Jay's instincts were telling her to go along with Ash this one time, her pride wouldn't allow it. "It almost smells like a-" she left her sentence unfinished as she approached a dead fern bush, scared at what she might find.

Had she not been gripping her bag of herbs so tightly she probably would have shrieked. She jumped back, crawling and scrambling or whatever she had to do to put distance between her and that sight which she felt had tainted her by laying her eyes upon it.

Ash was looking at her in knowing horror, "What was that?!" she demanded, gaze flying between his dumb look and the bush. She had seen plenty of gruesome sights; torn and shredded skin, broken limbs and necks, gouged out eyes, and torn off tongues and tails. But none of them came close to the atrocity of what she'd seen.

"Let's go," Ash whispered hoarsely.

But she grabbed at him with a paw, "What is it?!"

Ash looked down at her crouched form against the ground, eyes wide and shocked and started in a broken voice. "Some cat had to pay for what happened last moon when we stole the kits. Blaming it solely on an outsider wouldn't have taught the cats anything but to hope. Some cat had to take the blame," Ash muttered, looking away.

Jay was horrified, she had thought it was, but she hadn't believed it, no way, they couldn't have done that to her. "Swoop?" her voice cracked as she looked at the bush. Jay hadn't felt such pain in a long time, it even rivaled her sorrow for Thyme.

"And Crag. They blamed Eagle's parents. I didn't know until Raizel told me about a rumor that's been going around," Ash looked pretty moved as well, or at least, horrified.

Jay's head was spinning, "They were tortured to death," her whispered words sunk in on them both. There was nothing else that could have resulted in such a distortion of appearances. The two tolerating enemies shared a look of extreme horror, neither of them knew how to act in the face of such barbarity.

At last Jay broken the silence, "We can't leave their bodies there," her voice sounded far-off as if it had left her for the moment.

Ash looked sickened at the thought, "The ground's too cold to dig into," he mewed lamely.

"We'll drop their bodies down the ravine," she answered, eyes fixed anywhere but on the bush. Slowly, as if she were moving under water, she put down her herb packet where it wouldn't blow away and started back toward the bush, Ash followed behind her.

The smell was beyond terrible, it churned the stomach and you didn't want to open your mouth in case you contaminated yourself further. Jay had come onto an old rabbit corpse once, with maggots and bugs buzzing around it and been disgusted, but that was nothing to this disgust.

She couldn't even bring herself to look again at the bodies, once had been enough to burn it into her mind. But it was a bit troublesome for moving the bodies. When Jay tried to grab Swoop's scruff the skin pulled right off and she'd let go and leaped away, wanting nothing more than to run far, far away. But she went back and used her paws to roll the body the fifteen feet to the ravine's edge.

Ash looked as sick as she felt and she hated herself for feeling so relieved as she heard the body thump and bounce off the walls down the ravine until it was out of sight. Ash had deposited Crag's body too and the two of them stood at the edge of the ravine, their own terrible thoughts torturing them.

They were so mangled, death was probably a sweet release at that point. But how... how could I ever tell their sons what became of them? If I tell them their parents died and they ask how, what could I possibly say? She'd never truly felt sorry for Thunderstorm before, but now she felt like crying for him. She'd seen how close he'd been to his father, and he'd even been considerably close to his mother by Ivy Cat standards.

The image of Swoop's and Crag's corpses resurfaced and now she was so tired, and drained, and sickened, she couldn't help herself and turned away, retching in a patch of grass along the ravine. Shoulders shaking and stomach tightened, sobs escaped her. She was horrified that she was showing such weakness in front of Ash, but he didn't say anything- she dimly wondered if he even noticed.

Only after she'd finished and her sobs were mere sniffles did he move, laying his tail over her shoulders and with a gentleness she'd never felt him guide her over to her herb packet, she grabbed it mechanically and stood there, the darkness of twilight thick around them.

"Come on, let's go home," Ash murmured and Jay didn't protest, allowing herself to lean against him as he leaned against her. She wasn't thinking about how he was one of her worst enemies, but at the moment, they were one in their sorrow and dread.

But his fur was warm and bright so that she could watch it and forget for a moment what she'd seen. The wind drowned out the thoughts in her head but she knew that the snow that fell light and then heavily as they climbed into the mountains would never wash away the feeling of rotten flesh from her paws or the taste from her mouth.

...

I should have made that more gruesome... I didn't really describe the corpses at all. I hate gore though, it's so unnecessary, but I really want to try it... Well, this was a slightly longer chapter then usual, I was rushing to finish it the past two days ^^

School's end is within sight, I can almost taste it! I wish I had a job for the summer... but no one will hire me! And I missed the only call I got back from the places I've applied to, I'm so sad. I'm going to call them back right now, but I'm freaking out since it's been over a week and I just found out. I'm such a terrible person...

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