Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own, warrior cats.
8Hollysplash8: Thankyou so much!
Skyfur02: Just one life! I'm guessing you like Frosty?
Poppywhisker: Oooh, a long review! I like them! Thankyou so much! I knew I had got it from somewhere like that! I had it sitting in the back of my mind, and I knew I had heard it somewhere; I just couldn't figure it out!
The Darkness Inside Me was the 400th Reviewer! Have a virtual Hollystorm!
Frostclaw narrowed her eyes, then smiled wickedly.
"Fine." She spoke in an almost purring tone, eyes flashing with electric light. "You have two sunrises. Then we attack." With that, she flicked her tail, and stalked past Bramblestar, casting a glance over her shoulder before she left. The exiled she-cat fixed Hollystorm with her gaze and flashed her fangs in a manic smile that implied a broken sense of sanity.
"And Hollystorm?" The dusky she-cat hissed, fur bristling along her back. "When the final battle comes, it will be my claws in your throat." With that, pelt sleek and glinting in the moonlight, Frostclaw bounded from the island, rogues flooding after her, eyes flashing in the darkness. As soon as they had left, panicked cries erupted around the clearing, and Hollystorm watched, numbness spreading over her body, Frostclaw's words sinking in. Her eyes widened as the prophecy repeated in her mind, and a shudder passed through her, claws of doubt seizing her chest.
I can't let her take over… A voice inside of her whispered, and strength flooded through her; a fiery determination. Raising her head, she saw Deeppool tending to Bramblestar, who was wincing in pain at the wound in his neck. Seeing the panicked state his clan was in, the clan leader staggered to his paws and, despite the medicine cat's protest, hauled himself up the gathering tree, an expression of intense pain on his face, but he stood confidently, disguising it.
"Thunderclan! We must not panic!" Cats whipped their heads around to look at the leader, and Cloudtail called out, a look of fear on his face.
How can we be calm?!" He exclaimed, lashing his tail. "Frostclaw has just sealed our death wish!" Bramblestar looked down, the fire still blazing in his eyes.
"Have we not fought things like this before?" He asked, scanning the crowd of wild-eyed, upturned faces. "Did we not defeat the Dark forest? After that, this is nothing! This is a group of rogues with no battle training and no strategy! We can get through this!" With each word, the power flowed into the tabby tom's words, and he raised his head to the sky and called out.
"Thunderclan!" murmurs whispered across the clearing, and a voice cried up to the stars.
"Thunderclan! Thunderclan!" Cats joined the chant, and soon rousing battle calls echoed into the sky, rippling out across the lake, filling the sky with cheering. Hollystorm joined in, tilting her head upwards and shouting the name of her clan up to Starclan.
"Let us leave to prepare for the battle!" Whoops of agreement, all previous doubt replaced by excitement, greeted the words, and Bramblestar bounded down from the leaders branch, landing on all four paws and running confidently from the island, followed by his clan, still calling out to the treetops.
"You okay?" Deeppool's meow sounded behind Hollystorm, and she glanced backwards to see the grey tom running behind her, worry shining in his eyes. She nodded, and slowed down to allow him to catch up. The tom dipped his head gratefully.
"Thanks." The emerald-eyed warrior flashed the medicine cat a small smile and ducked her head as the bushes loomed before her, the branches whipping against her pelt before she burst into the open, eyes fluttering open again. Suddenly a voice called out behind the warrior, and she stopped abruptly, whirling around, claws flashing out, glinting in the moonlight, a hiss rising in her throat.
"Who is it?!" She demanded, pelt bristling along her spine.
"I-it's just me!" A tiny black she-cat stepped from the bushes, eyes wild and fearful.
"Snowpaw?" Deeppool and Hollystorm spoke in unison, confusion dancing across both of their gazes. The Shadowclan apprentice dipped her head and whispered hastily to the two cats.
"I-I need to talk to you." Her gaze flickered side to side as if she expected to be attacked. "Alone." Hollystorm cast a glance back at Bramblestar, who dipped his head, granting permission. With that, he whirled back around and bounded across the tree bridge, the movement and balance he walked with seeming almost natural to him. Once the island was empty, Hollystorm motioned for Snowpaw to sit, but she shook her head.
"I-it isn't me that wants to talk." Confusion laced through the dusky she-cat, but she watched as the apprenticed closed her eyes. The white spot on her chest began to flood outwards, each hair on her pelt turning snowy white until she looked completely different. Her eyes fluttered open, and they shone dazzling green in the starlight, reflecting the wisdom of many more seasons than Hollystorm could ever dream of living.
"Mothflight." Deeppool spoke first, dipping his head respectfully to the transformed she-cat, a slight sense of awe in his gaze, as if he couldn't believe that he was standing before a reincarnation of the first medicine cat ever to walk the forest. As soon as Deeppool spoke, Mothfligh bowed her head, a look of pure regret clouding her narrow features.
"I am so sorry…" She whispered, head lowered towards the ground. "This is all my fault…"
"How-" Hollystorm began to speak, but the white she-cat shook her head, eyes brimming with sadness.
"It is my fault that Snowtuft became Frostclaw." Shock exploded inside of the warrior, and her eyes widened as the other she-cat continued.
"I was selfish." She sighed, shaking her head quietly, voice trailing off into a whisper. "I wanted another chance. I missed the forest. I managed to persuade Rock to let my spirit go and find a host," She glanced at her paws, "And S-snowtuft latched on. He followed me out; found a host before me, took over Frostclaw. If I had never…" She sighed and looked away, eyes fluttering closed.
"I-I never meant for it to be like this. I-I can never be sorry enough." Emotion rushed through Hollystorm, and she stepped to face Mothflight, a tone that she didn't recognise taking over her voice.
"Look at me. This is not your fault! How were you to know what would happen? You need to stop being so harsh on yourself!" Mothflight looked surprised, but tore her gaze away again, and Hollystorm raised her paw, gently directing the smaller she-cat's head towards her line of sight, looking her directly in the eyes.
"You are an amazing cat. Don't just put yourself down over nothing!" Mothflight managed a tiny smile and the white flooded from her pelt, draining into the splash of colour over her heart, her eyes reverting back to their normal colour, Snowpaw looking back at Hollystorm.
"Thanks…" she whispered, pressing her nose against the dark-furred she-cat's before darting out of sight in a flash of colour. The warrior looked back towards Deeppool, who looked at her with a sense of admiration in his eyes.
"You handled that brilliantly…" he purred, pressing closer towards Hollystorm. "You would make a great mother…" Hollystorm sprung away, mortified, eyes wide. Deeppool, realising what he had said, the medicine cat's facial expression turned to one of pure shock, and his ears began to turn red as the blood rushed to his head.
"N-no! I-I didn't mean it like that!" He exclaimed, trying desperately to redeem himself, words spilling out in a flustered way. Hollystorm laughed and prodded him in the side with a paw.
"It's fine! I was teasing." The medicine cat let out a sigh of relief, and the she-cat smirked, flashing her teeth.
"Anyway; you're cute when you're embarrassed." An indignant expression springing to his features, the medicine cat batted his companion with a paw, giggling like a kit as she keeled over dramatically, laughing.
"Fine, fine!" She scrambled to her paws and rasped her tongue affectionately over Deeppool's cheek. "You're cute anyway." With that, she smiled, lashed her tail, and bounded into a run, calling out playfully in an attempt to distract herself from the oncoming danger.
"Race you back!"
A/N: Hope you liked! Some HollyXDeep fluffiness at the end for you! Review; and I am now going to go and squeal about the fact that I have got 400 reviews!
