The ShadowClan and ThunderClan patrols prowled silently through the quickly darkening forest. The sun was still setting, but the thick ThunderClan canopy blotted out most of the light, shrouding the cats in inky blackness. Frostpaw blinked her eyes, adjusting to the low light as her gaze flitting around the many cats surrounding her.
She was flanked by Swoopstrike and Autumnpaw, one of each side of her. Beeclaw, Weaseltail and Poolpaw weren't far away, only a tail length behind. Sedgestar was at the head of the patrol, Darkpelt only a step behind him in the the deputy's customary spot, and Dampfang only a step behind Darkpelt, as if he wished he was running point instead of his father. To Frostpaw's small surprise, Pinepaw wasn't hovering immediately around Dampfang, instead she was directly in front of Frostpaw, stalking between Dappledpelt and Hootflight.
The ThunderClan patrol next to them was headed by Morningstar. He had brought Acornear, Pineclaw, Beechfur, Foxbite, Nettlepelt and Hazelpaw with him. Frostpaw noted the ThunderClan patrol was about half the size of the ShadowClan one. But, Frostpaw reasoned, they did have a smaller clan, and after SkyClan's vicious attack on their camp less than a moon ago she could hardly blame Morningstar for leaving a well armed guard back at home.
Frostpaw's tail twitched. Although, more ShadowClan cats in the battle meant it was more likely that ShadowClan cats would get hurt instead of ThunderClan ones... Frostpaw gave her ears a small shake as if she could shake such dark thoughts out of her head.
Morningstar raised his tail to halt the patrols for a moment when they reached the border between ThunderClan and SkyClan territory. Frostpaw opened her mouth, drinking in the scents of the forest. Although she could tell that the border was here from the overwhelming smell of the ThunderClan and SkyClan scent markers, the forest in front of her and behind her looked exactly the same. It was nothing like the clearly defined borders of ShadowClan territory— the thunderpath separating them from ThunderClan, and the edge of the forest marking the border with WindClan.
No wonder SkyClan and ThunderClan are always fighting over land! Their territories look identical.
Morningstar nodded, and the patrols were off again, crossing over the border. Frostpaw's paws prickled with nervousness as they slunk through SkyClan land.
Sedgestar had left all the tactics of the battle to ThunderClan. So, besides Sedgestar's normal rules about not harming elders, kits or medicine cats, the ShadowClan patrol was completely following ThunderClan's lead. Frostpaw saw the wisdom in it; if ShadowClan decided this battle's tactics, they would be disadvantaged because ThunderClan would learn how they thought about planning battles. But, it still made her nervous because the extent of ThunderClan strategy seemed to be: hit the SkyClan camp. Hard.
Frostpaw's tail fluttered anxiously behind her. Autumnpaw's gaze flashed as he noticed, and he shot her a questioning look. She put her mouth close to his ear, making sure her words were softer than a whisper of the wind.
"I feel naked without a proper plan," she murmured. "It's like we're charging into battle blind."
Autumnpaw playfully rolled his eyes.
"StarClan, you're starting to sound just like Grovepelt!" he breathed back.
Frostpaw rolled her eyes back in response, feeling a flicker of annoyance that he wasn't taking her concerns seriously. She felt his feathery tail sweep over her side, and he shot her a look of reassurance.
Relax. It'll be fine, Autumnpaw's eyes said.
Frostpaw silently mimed an annoyed huff in response.
The ThunderClan patrol padding beside them wasn't doing anything to assuage her fears either. They walked so loudly! Compared to the ShadowClan patrol, they sounded like a horde of badgers trampling through the forest.
How do they even manage to catch prey?! I guess with all the undergrowth in their territory to hide them, they have to worry less about being quiet?
Frostpaw knew she wasn't the only one bothered by it. Swoopstrike was scowling and his ears kept rotating in the ThunderClanners' direction. She could tell by the dangerous glimmer in his eyes that a thousand sharp insults were swirling on the tip of this tongue. But, he wasn't able to say anything because Sedgestar and Morningstar had specified silence during the ambush.
Morningstar was navigating for both patrols now, guiding them to the SkyClan camp. Frostpaw and many other ShadowClan cats had never seen it before, but Morningstar had described it when their patrols had met at the ThunderClan camp.
One side of the camp was completely impassable because it was formed by a steep gorge wall. There was no way to enter from that direction; the cliff was too tall and too treacherous to climb down from the top. The SkyClan dens were located in cracks and caves in the cliff-face, and on the opposite side of the camp was a cliff that had long since crumbled. It was now only a wall of rubble and boulders, including one that Fennelstar apparently used to call meetings from. It would be possible to enter that way, but challenging to navigate over the rubble. By far the easiest route of entry would be the camp borders between the cliff and the rubble. Thick bramble bushes grew there, overhanging a small stream that trickled through the center of the camp. The main entry point into the camp was through a narrow tunnel in the bramble bushes, but Morningstar suspected that some cats would be able to force their way into the camp on the opposite side as well, by wading through the stream and ducking under the bushes.
The idea was that when they reached the camp, the patrols would split— the ThunderClan patrol overwhelming the camp guards and entering through the tunnel, while the ShadowClan patrol slipped in the other side.
The sound of thunder rumbled in the distance, and Frostpaw's eyes flickered upwards. In the gaps between the leaves, she could see the dark clouds of what would likely be the last thunderstorm of the warm seasons. A few moments later, the patter of rain filled the forest. Frostpaw flinched as the droplets wiggled their way from the canopy to fall down on the cats, one striking her right on the top of her head.
She shook her ears irritably. Although she had tried to get used to water during the swampy green-leaf season they had, her fall in the river had only succeeded in cemented her hatred for it. The rain began to pour down. Frostpaw noticed the ThunderClan patrol was also grimacing silently, but the rest of ShadowClan patrol seemed unbothered, water dripping easily from their pelts. Frostpaw gave a small shiver. It was just chilly enough that night for the water to feel cold.
Frostpaw raised her nose, sniffing at the air. Although the water dampened scents, she could still detect the smell of SkyClan growing stronger. Morningstar stopped the patrols for a moment and nodded at Sedgestar. Sedgestar nodded back, and he and Morningstar split off in separate directions, their cats following them. Frostpaw felt a shudder of anticipation, and she unsheathed her claws. They must be very close to the camp now.
The ShadowClan patrol came across a small stream. Sedgestar turned, following the stream until they reached the bramble barrier of the camp. Above the brambles, Frostpaw could make out the cliff in the darkness. The camp was still quiet; the only sounds that of the rain and thunder. Sedgestar flicked his tail, indicating the gap between the stream and the brambles that Morningstar had told them about, but he held the ShadowClan patrol in place, waiting.
It wasn't long before Frostpaw could hear bushes rustling and the muted sounds of wrestling as ThunderClan attacked the SkyClan camp guards.
"ThunderClan attacking!" a voice yowled.
Dampfang took a pace forward, his eyes eager for battle as he went to duck under the brambles, but Sedgestar flashed his tail out in front of him, stopping him. Dampfang gazed at Sedgestar in confusion.
"Hold on. We'll wait until all the SkyClan warriors are out of their dens," Sedgestar hissed in a whisper. "They'll be fighting ThunderClan, their backs to us."
Loud yowls echoed in Frostpaw's ears. Hisses and snarls joined the chorus of rain and thunder as the battle began in earnest. Sedgestar held the ShadowClan patrol for a few more heartbeats before he surged forward, slipping into the stream like an otter and ducking under the brambles. The rest of ShadowClan followed. Frostpaw winced as she stepped into the cold water, feeling it lapping at her chest, but she felt relieved to find it was slow moving and didn't get any deeper. She forced herself forward, ducking under the bramble branches, flinching as they scraped her ears. Then she emerged on the other side.
A flash of lightning lit up the camp for a moment. A wall of SkyClan warriors were in front of her. As Sedgestar predicted, their backs were to the ShadowClan patrol. Instead, they had formed a half circle around the ThunderClan cats, who were trapped by the bramble barrier behind them.
The sound of the ShadowClan patrol's splashing in the stream was masked by the pouring rain, and Sedgestar did not utter a noise as he charged forward. ShadowClan silently followed him like ghosts in the darkness.
"Behind you!" some SkyClan cat screeched.
But, the warning came too late, and the first wave of ShadowClan warriors tackled SkyClan.
Now the ShadowClan warriors didn't hold back their yowls. Sedgestar led them; as he clawed at a tabby SkyClan warrior, he threw his head back and at let out an eerie, warbling battlecry that rose the fur on Frostpaw's shoulders despite the fact she knew it was coming from her own leader's mouth. Frostpaw and the rest of ShadowClan joined in, screaming haunting cries in voices that screeched high then fell low, and then went back up again.
It was a standard ShadowClan trick to seed confusion in their enemies, one that Frostpaw had learned early in her training. It should work especially well under these circumstances—with the storm obscuring vision and the rain masking scents, the cries would make SkyClan think there were many more ShadowClan warriors than there actually were.
Frostpaw felt a jolt of vindictive satisfaction as she watched it work perfectly. Panic unraveled the SkyClan defenses, the neat semi-circle they had formed fracturing as cats split and scrambled.
Frostpaw sprung at a nearby SkyClan tabby, landing smack on his back. He bucked and shook his pelt to try to dislodge her, but Frostpaw dug her claws into his fur and skin, snapping at his scruff. He reared up, giving an even more violent jerk, and Frostpaw was finally thrown off, although she took several chunks of his fur with her in her claws. Frostpaw managed to land back on her paws, mud splattering up her legs and sides. Frostpaw curled her lip back in a snarl as the tabby tom lashed his tail, pacing in front of her as he prepared to leap. But, then the ThunderClan warrior Nettlepelt pounced on him from behind, and the two went tumbling off.
Frostpaw glanced around, looking for more opponents. She spotted a shadowy figure slinking through the darkness beneath the cliffs at the edge of the camp not too far from her. Frostpaw bounded after it, growling softly, but she slowed and the growl died in her throat as she grew closer and made out the figure.
It was an old she-cat with long grey fur and white patches. She was thin and walking stiffly. Her long fur was clumped into spikes like she hadn't been grooming herself well these days, although her pelt was heavily scarred, like she had been a formidable warrior when she was younger. But, now her green gaze seemed confused as she looked out towards the crowd of fighting cats, her tail twitching anxiously as she paced.
She's an elder. I can't hurt her.
Frostpaw turned aside, about to bound back into the thick of the battle, when the elder's ears twitched towards her, and her gaze snapped to Frostpaw. For a moment, her green eyes were cloudy, confused, and blank, like she didn't understand what she was looking at. But, then suddenly they cleared and sharpened, fierce anger flooding them.
"You!" the elder croaked with a rusty hiss, arching her back and bristling out her fur.
Frostpaw took a quick pace back.
"I mean you no harm—" she meowed.
"Liar! You snake-hearted she-cat," the elder spat, cutting her off, pacing up to Frostpaw, her claws unsheathed.
Frostpaw took another step back, flattening her ears.
"No, really, I don't! Look, I'll leave now," she said, starting to turn aside.
"You're not going anywhere!" the elder screeched. "I won't let you take him away from me! I won't lose him!"
"I—What?" Frostpaw meowed in confusion. "Take who away?"
The elder snarled, launching herself at Frostpaw without responding. Frostpaw dodged back, but the elder moved with surprising speed despite her age and confusion. The elder pivoted, managing to claw Frostpaw's shoulders as she flashed back.
"I won't fight you!" Frostpaw growled.
The elder lunged at her again, and Frostpaw turned tail and fled. As Frostpaw bounded away she could hear the ragged breathing of the elder behind her as she pursued her.
"Get away from her!"
Frostpaw yelped as she was suddenly bowled over by a streak of tabby fur. Frostpaw tumbled head over tail, the familiar scent of Larchtail flooding her mouth. Larchtail ended up on top, and she pinned Frostpaw to the muddy ground with unsheathed claws, snarling.
"Of course only a heartless ShadowClan cat would try to attack an elder!" Larchtail snarled.
Snake-dung! SkyClan cats were the ones that killed that ThunderClan elder!
But, Frostpaw knew better than to say that out loud.
"Are you completely frog-brained!" Frostpaw spat. "I wasn't attacking her, she was trying to attack me! Look at my pelt, and look at hers. She doesn't have a scratch on her."
Larchtail narrowed her eyes, but her gaze flicked from Frostpaw to the elderly she-cat, seeing that Frostpaw was right. After Larchtail had knocked Frostpaw away, the frail grey and white she-cat seemed to have forgotten her focus on chasing Frostpaw. She had now wandered a little ways away from them, drifting more into the center of camp, were the fighting was thicker. She gazed around, her eyes clouded with confusion at the writhing cats around her. Frostpaw felt a pang of pity in her chest for the senile, old cat. The SkyClan elder would have no chance if ThunderClan warriors spotted her. She'd get herself killed! ThunderClan wanted blood and vengeance.
"Let me up, Larchtail," Frostpaw said with a growl. "She's clearly old and very confused. Instead of clawing me, we should be getting her out of the fighting before someone less honorable does attack her."
Frostpaw saw Larchtail's eyes narrow, suspicion and altruism battling for dominance in her gaze. Then she sighed sharply, scowling.
"…Fine," Larchtail growled finally, stepping off of Frostpaw.
Frostpaw got back to her paws, shaking mud off of her pelt.
"Birdstrike!" Larchtail called, turning and running up to the elder, with Frostpaw following at few steps behind.
Birdstrike turned towards the sound of her name, looking at Larchtail with the same muddled gaze that she had been gazing around at the battling cats with.
"Doepaw? What's going on?" Birdstrike meowed.
Birdstrike's eyes flickered from Larchtail over to Frostpaw, and her gaze narrowed again.
"You're back!" Birdstrike snarled, hobbling back towards Frostpaw with a growl.
Frostpaw took a step back from her, not wanting to get clawed again, but Larchtail stopped Birdstrike by draping her tail over the elder's shoulders.
"You're supposed to be sheltering in the nursery with the queens, remember!" Larchtail said to the elder, while motioning Frostpaw with her ears to lead the way back towards the cliff.
Larchtail followed Frostpaw as she guided them back towards the edge of camp, avoiding groups of fighting cats. Birdstrike looked at Larchtail, her eyes cloudy with confusion.
"The nursery?" she echoed.
Her green eyes cleared.
"My sons," Birdstrike gasped.
Frostpaw's brow furrowed. This elder seemed much too old and frail to have kits. But, then Frostpaw heard Larchtail give a soft sigh, and she realized it must be a part of her confusion again.
"Yes Birdstrike, your sons. They're waiting for you there," Larchtail said.
For a few heartbeats, it seemed like they would make it to the dens unchallenged, but then Frostpaw spotted a dark form bounding towards Larchtail and Birdstrike.
"Wait!" Frostpaw yowled, leaping in front of it without thinking.
Dampfang came to a screeching stop, his green eyes wide with surprise.
"Frostpaw!" he snarled, his gaze sliding from Frostpaw to Larchtail and Birdstrike behind her.
Birdstrike gazed at Dampfang in confusion while Larchtail bared her teeth
"Protecting SkyClan warriors?! You traitor!" Dampfang spat, looking back down at Frostpaw. "Sedgestar'll have your head for this!"
"I'm not a traitor!" Frostpaw spat furiously, her tail lashing. "Does that elder look like a threat to you?! I'm just trying to get her out of the fighting and save a helpless cat's life!"
Dampfang leaned in close to her. His hot breath hit her face, his mouth reeking of blood scent.
"That cat isn't innocent. She was once a SkyClan warrior! Who knows how much ShadowClan blood she's spilt in the past," Dampfang growled.
"She's so confused that she doesn't even know where she is," Frostpaw growled, stubbornly holding her ground. "And, Sedgestar told us not to harm elders! But, fine. Choose, Dampfang. Are you going to waste your energy murdering an elder in cold blood, or are you going to actually help ShadowClan by fighting strong warriors instead?"
Dampfang bared his fangs, glaring over Frostpaw's shoulder towards Birdstrike and Larchtail again before turning his angry green gaze back to her.
"Fine. Save your precious SkyClan elder. But, Sedgestar will be hearing about this. I'll be sure of it," Dampfang snarled before turning and bounding back into the fray.
Frostpaw's stomach clenched at the threat, but she tried to shake it off, leading Larchtail and Birdstrike the rest of the way to the cliff at the edge of the camp. There Larchtail took the lead, padding briskly past Frostpaw, and heading for the caves that studded the cliff's face. Frostpaw paused at the foot of the cliff. Birdstrike still looked confused, but she followed Larchtail easily up the narrow, almost imperceptible path on the cliff-face. When they reached a small cave's entrance, a tortoiseshell queen's face popped out of the nursery to greet them.
"Thank StarClan, there you are Birdstrike! Thank you, Larchtail. I turned away for one moment, and she was gone," the queen said.
Larchtail just dipped her head, turning to leave as the queen now guided Birdstrike inside the den. Birdstrike turned back to Larchtail.
"Aren't you coming Doepelt? You and Slatewhisker's kits are due soon," Birdstrike asked.
"No Birdstrike. I'm fine," Larchtail said.
The tortoiseshell queen ushered Birdstrike the rest of the way into the den as Larchtail bounded back down the cliff-face to Frostpaw. The two stood facing each other in awkward silence for a moment.
"Birdstrike's safe now," Larchtail muttered.
"We should get back to the battle," Frostpaw said, glancing away from her. "Our clans need us."
"Yeah. Right," Larchtail said.
She turned away and bounded off, evidently not wanting to fight Frostpaw anymore. Frostpaw quickly scanned the battle. She spotted Autumnpaw's familiar ginger and white pelt nearby, battling a grey SkyClan warrior, and Frostpaw charged forward to help. Frostpaw watched the grey she-cat duck Autumnpaw's leap, but she didn't recover from the duck quickly enough to dodge Frostpaw. Frostpaw recognized the cat as Suneyes as she swiped at her face, feeling her paw connect to Suneyes' cheek. Her head snapped to the side from the solid hit.
Suneyes stumbled, temporarily stunned, as Autumnpaw flashed a paw out, scoring his claws down her flank from behind. Suneyes recovered and flashed towards Autumnpaw, causing him to leap backwards, out of her reach, before the SkyClan warrior quickly whipped back towards Frostpaw, hissing. Autumnpaw reared up to slam his fore-paws down at her, when Frostpaw saw a large, pale paw emerge from the darkness behind him and land a powerful blow to unbalanced him, knocking Autumnpaw back to all fours.
Suneyes lunged at Frostpaw, quickly biting her fore-leg, and Frostpaw's attention snapped back to the SkyClan she-cat. Frostpaw yowled in pain, and Suneyes released her, pulling her head back like a snake. Frostpaw unleashed a series of quick swipes at her face, but her claws only brushed fur as the quick she-cat dodged back. Then a familiar voice yowled out in pain, jolting Frostpaw.
Autumnpaw!
Her gaze flicked away from Suneyes again, and she saw Autumnpaw bleeding in Paledusk's jaws. Frostpaw's veins ran cold as she saw Paledusk holding him by the scruff, shaking him and slamming him to the ground like a piece of prey. Autumnpaw was snarling and fighting back, clawing out huge chunks of white fur stained red with blood, from Paledusk's chest and shoulders, but the blows seemed to only make the large white cat angrier. Frostpaw saw Paledusk pin Autumnpaw, slashing long curved claws towards his stomach.
Frostpaw snarled furiously, surging forward, but suddenly Suneyes was in her way, rearing up to meet her. Frostpaw tackled her, feeling Suneyes' claws dig into her shoulders as they wrestled fiercely. Frostpaw sunk her fangs deeply into Suneyes' side, and felt a bitter jolt of satisfaction when the she-cat yowled in pain. Every hair on Frostpaw's pelt bristled with determination as she managed to pin Suneyes beneath her.
I have to get to Autumnpaw!
Frostpaw reared her head up as she heard a familiar battlecry. A silver and black streak tackled Paledusk, knocking him away from Autumnpaw.
Swoopstrike!
Paledusk growled furiously at Swoopstrike, evidently recognizing him from the battle in ThunderClan's camp, but Swoopstrike lashed out at Paledusk just as fiercely, snarling like a tiger as he clawed the SkyClan deputy's face, blood splatting through the air.
Frostpaw felt a huge surge of relief. Swoopstrike had came in the nick of time, like he always did.
Suneyes suddenly buckled under Frostpaw, sending her flying with a powerful kick. Frostpaw gasped in pain as she flew back, slamming against the muddy ground. When she stumbled back to her feet, her sides aching and her paws slipping in the mud, she had lost Autumnpaw and Swoopstrike in the dark sea of surging bodies.
Frostpaw stumbled when something furry suddenly crashed into her from behind. Frostpaw recognized Dappledpelt's scent; she had been shoved into her by a black-furred SkyClan tom. Frostpaw whirled around to face him, leaping in front of Dappledpelt as she staggered back to her paws. Frostpaw hissed, striking at the tom's face, managing to claw his cheek. He snarled furiously, lunging at her, but Dappledpelt darted around from behind Frostpaw, slashing at his side. His attention snapped to her, and Frostpaw took advantage of his distraction by swiping at his other side. She and Dappledpelt took turns for a few moments slashing and snapping at him from either side, moving too quickly for him to hit and driving him backwards. They weren't able to wound him too badly, but Frostpaw could see his tail drooping as he got more and more worn out.
The black tom finally let out a frustrated snarl. Frostpaw saw his gaze latch on to Dappledpelt, focusing all his attention on her, and he sprung; a large and powerful leap despite his growing exhaustion, bowling Dappledpelt over and rolling her away from Frostpaw. Frostpaw flashed forward to follow them when a lightning strike lit up the SkyClan camp for a moment, the bright light temporarily stunning her.
Frostpaw felt a jolt of shock as she saw Morningstar and Fennelstar looming over her, only a few tail-lengths away. They were both reared up on their hindpaws and brutally battling each other, blood splattering and fur flying. Both leaders looked out for blood; their lips curled back in fearsome snarls as they grappled with each other. They swiped their massive paws, every powerful, furious hit fueled by seasons of unresolved grudges.
Frostpaw stumbled away from them as crashing darkness fell over the camp again. Thunder boomed in her ears, shaking her down to her bones. She blinked hard. Shaking her head. Disorientated.
Her hearing came back, and she could scent the battling cats around her. But, she still needed her sight to return.
Frostpaw blinked rapidly, waiting for the shadows in her vision to be driven away. However, before her eyes could readjust to the darkness, another flash of lightning lit up the camp in dazzling silver. She spotted Paledusk's large white figure limping across the clearing, blood and rainwater running down his chest and shoulders, and a familiar silver and black pelt lying limply in the mud near him, half of his fur stained crimson with blood. Frostpaw's eyes widened.
"Swoopstrike," Frostpaw gasped.
The smothering, back wave of night rushed in again. Thunder roared through the forest as Frostpaw sprinted over to her mentor, guided forward only by his scent and the memory of where she had seen him lying. Her chest tightened as she reached him, bending her head to nose his limp side. The musty scent of mud mixed with the harsh tang of blood in her nostrils. There was a jagged wound across Swoopstrike's throat, and his flanks were a mangled mess of torn flesh and blood. But, she noticed a weak, almost imperceptible, rising and falling of his sides as he continued to breathe.
He's still alive!
"Hang on Swoopstrike," Frostpaw muttered, putting her muzzle close to his ear. "We're going to get you back to camp. We'll get you a medicine cat."
Swoopstrike's eyes half flickered open, glinting dimly in the low light. His gaze met Frostpaw's, and she clenched her jaw, her legs suddenly trembling under her. Rain poured down his fur, gently washing away the blood that continued to flow from his neck. He seemed like he did not have the strength to raise his head, but slowly, he opened his mouth.
"Frostpaw," Swoopstrike murmured, blood dripping from his lips.
His throat convulsed as he struggled to swallow.
"I'm proud… I'm happy… happy to have had you as my apprentice," he whispered.
He blinked, but his eyes were starting to glaze over, taking on a glassy sheen. The panicked pounding of her heartbeat consumed most of Frostpaw's hearing.
"Swoopstrike, don't—don't—don't talk like that." Frostpaw's voice quavered so much, it was difficult to speak. "I'm still your apprentice now. The night's not over yet, right? You're going to be fine."
Swoopstrike sighed, but his expression was peaceful—a look unfamiliar to the irritable warrior's face. Frostpaw's throat tightened as if her windpipe was in the jaws of a fox. She collapsed to the ground next to him, clinging to him with her paws like a kit.
"I still need you, Swoopstrike! Don't leave me! I'm… I'm not ready! I'm not strong enough!" Frostpaw cried, her whole body shaking.
She rasped her tongue frantically down his side in an attempt to rouse him, but he didn't say another word. A choked sob rose in Frostpaw's throat as she pressed her face into his chest. She felt a soft purr rumbling in Swoopstrike's chest as it rose and fell under her cheek as he breathed.
Once.
Twice.
Then nothing.
Frostpaw yanked her head up.
A final soft breath whispered from Swoopstrike's mouth, and the light faded from his green eyes. The purr had gone silent in his throat.
Swoopstrike was dead.
Frostpaw blinked in shock, stumbling back to her feet and jerkily stepping back.
How can he be dead?
Just this morning, he was his normal, grumpy self, scowling at Frostpaw for doing StarClan knows what to annoy him. And, now, in a blink of an eye, he was gone from this world.
Just like May. One night she falls asleep, her side as warm, comforting, and ever present as always. Then the next morning, she was cold and dead. Gone. How can a life be snatched away so quickly?
Frostpaw shook her head fiercely, trying to dislodge the thoughts, but to no avail; they only swirled more and more fiercely in her mind.
Frostpaw's knees gave out from under her as she fell into the mud at her mentor's side. Frostpaw crawled back over to him, burying her face into his shoulder fur again. Swoopstrike's pelt was still warm, but cooling quickly now that the heat from his beating heart had been stifled. Frostpaw felt a quiet, keening whine rise in her throat.
"Fall back, ThunderClan! We've taught them a lesson they won't forget!" Morningstar's voice yowled, jolting Frostpaw back to herself.
"ShadowClan, fall back!" Sedgestar's voice echoed right behind Morningstar's. "Fall back!"
Frostpaw jerked her head up, her brow furrowed. She stumbled to her paws, securing Swoopstrike's scruff in her jaws as gently as possible. Some part of her knew that he couldn't feel pain anymore, but she still tried to avoid his wounds. She dragged him for a few tail-lengths towards the camp's exit, her neck straining, before she had to stop.
"Help! I need help! I can't carry him alone!" she cried, trying to make sense of the flashing dark shapes around her.
A dark shape came barreling over to her, and she tensed, preparing for a fight, but she sighed in relief as she recognized Weaseltail.
"Frostpaw! What's wrong?" he gasped, searching her with his gaze.
His eyes widened as his gaze dropped from Frostpaw down to Swoopstrike, his former apprentice.
"He's dead," Frostpaw said, her voice coming out low and flat.
Grief welled in Weaseltail's eyes.
"I can carry him," he murmured.
Weaseltail dropped to the ground, nudging himself under Swoopstrike, so the silver dappled tabby lay limply across his shoulders. Weaseltail straightened again, and together he and Frostpaw hurried for the bramble tunnel.
"Autumnpaw!" Pinepaw's shrill cry cut through the darkness.
Frostpaw's head twisted in the direction of the cry, the icy grip of fear seizing her heart again.
Autumnpaw… No… No! Not him too.
Frostpaw saw the same horror and dread she felt flood Weaseltail's face as his gaze frantically searched the indistinct cat shapes around them, trying to figure out which ones were his kits.
"You take care of Swoopstrike. Pinepaw and I together will be able to get Autumnpaw. I'll make sure he's fine," Frostpaw said, her words coming out as worried pants.
She knew that she had no way of ensuring that Autumnpaw was fine, but the alternative was too horrible to say.
Weaseltail gave a swift nod.
"Be quick," he said.
Frostpaw turned, running towards the cry. A few fox-lengths away from her, she started to make out cat shapes that she recognized. Pinepaw, Beeclaw and Poolpaw were all gathered tightly around Autumnpaw's collapsed ginger and white furred form. Frostpaw sprinted to them, her breaths frantic in her chest.
"Is he alive?" Frostpaw gasped, feeling like her heart had jumped up into her throat.
Autumnpaw was lying in a pool of blood and water, his eyes half-lidded and a long gash down his stomach. He showed no response to Frostpaw's voice.
"Yes, but he's lost a lot of blood," Beeclaw said in a grim voice.
"Take him to the ThunderClan camp."
Morningstar suddenly appeared out of the darkness, bleeding from several slashes down his sides, but still standing steadily.
"We're much closer than your camp. Fallowtuft can tend to him," Morningstar continued.
Beeclaw nodded gratefully at the ThunderClan leader.
"Poolpaw, help me carry him," he said.
Beeclaw and Poolpaw lifted Autumnpaw between them, blood still dripping from his stomach. The group ran out of the torn bramble barrier and into the forest.
The mad dash to the ThunderClan camp passed in a blur. Morningstar had yowled for everyone, ShadowClan included, to head back to the ThunderClan camp, and Sedgestar had yowled a confirmation. Frostpaw thought she had managed to spot some other ShadowClan warriors in the forest during their retreat, but it was unclear if everyone was there. Luckily though, it seemed like SkyClan wasn't pursuing them.
Frostpaw stuck close to Pinepaw, Poolpaw, Beeclaw and Autumnpaw. It was a bit slow going with them because Poolpaw and Beeclaw had to keep Autumnpaw propped between them, and Frostpaw found herself glancing over at Autumnpaw every few steps to make sure he was still breathing. He was, but the deep wound in his belly hadn't stopped bleeding, leaving a trickle of blood behind them.
The rain began to taper off as the heavy scent of the ThunderClan camp filled the air, and Frostpaw felt a huge surge of relief as the ground started to grow more sandy beneath her paws and slope downwards. They pushed through the gorge barrier, and almost immediately they were greeted by Fallowtuft. He had seemingly been warned of their arrival.
"Take him over here," the brown-and-white medicine cat ordered to Beeclaw and Poolpaw, pointing his muzzle at the fern tunnel that led to the medicine cat's den.
Beeclaw and Poolpaw hurried with Autumnpaw over, with Frostpaw and Pinepaw still at their heels, but Fallowtuft blocked them with a swift swish of his tail in front of them. His eyes quickly flashed over their pelts.
"Don't follow. I need space to work on him. Your injuries can wait," the medicine cat said curtly.
Fallowtuft disappeared quickly into the tunnel, and a few moments later, Poolpaw and Beeclaw were ushered back out. Poolpaw's eyes were wide with worry and his tail flicked anxiously behind him.
"Oh StarClan, please let Autumnpaw be okay," Poolpaw murmured, starting to pace.
Frostpaw padded up to him, pressing her side against his, half to comfort him, and half to comfort herself. He stilled, blinking gratefully to her for the touch. Poolpaw's gaze flickered around the ThunderClan camp, and he tensed next to Frostpaw.
"Oh no… Frostpaw…" Poolpaw whispered, wrapping his tail around her supportively.
Frostpaw didn't have to look to know that Poolpaw must have seen Swoopstrike's body. Still, she forced her gaze over, swallowing hard. The first thing she noticed was that the rest of the ShadowClan patrol had made it to the ThunderClan camp, which she felt a prick of gratitude for. They all stood in a loose group around Swoopstrike, their heads bowed with grief. Dappledpelt was tensely crouched on the ground next to Swoopstrike, her face buried in his side.
"It's okay, Poolpaw," Frostpaw murmured, her whiskers drooping. "I already knew. I was with him when he died."
Pinepaw padded over to them, her face creased with grief and concern as she gazed at Frostpaw, but she didn't say anything. Frostpaw gently stepped out from under Poolpaw's tail.
"I'm going to go over there. Let me know if you hear anything from Fallowtuft about Autumnpaw, alright?" Frostpaw meowed.
"Yeah of course," Poolpaw murmured.
Beeclaw had been heading over to the group of ShadowClan warriors too, and Frostpaw trailed behind him.
"Beeclaw," Sedgestar's voice rang out, steady and clear despite the mournful slouch to his shoulders. "Is Autumnpaw with Fallowtuft? Morningstar told me he was severely injured."
"He is, Sedgestar," Beeclaw murmured. "He has a wound across his belly. He wasn't conscious when we brought him over here. He's lost a lot of blood."
"Do you think we will be able to take him back to camp after Fallowtuft treats him?" Sedgestar meowed.
"I would say that's a decision left for Fallowtuft," Beeclaw said with a blink.
Morningstar and Acornear padded over to Sedgestar. Morningstar laid his tail on the ShadowClan leader's back.
"If Autumnpaw is unable to be moved, he is more than welcome to stay in ThunderClan until he's healed," Morningstar said. "We will treat him with the same care we would for one of our own apprentices."
Sedgestar dipped his head to Morningstar.
"Thank you for your generosity Morningstar," Sedgestar meowed. "I trust he is in capable paws with Fallowtuft. Although I do hope he can leave with us tonight. Autumnpaw should be among his friends and family."
Morningstar nodded.
"Of course. I understand," he said.
Acornear's gaze slid past the leaders to rest on Swoopstrike's body. Frostpaw was surprised to see the ThunderClan deputy's ears flattened. With so many harsh words exchanged between the two warriors, she didn't think Acornear would've care about his death at all.
Acornear turned to Sedgestar.
"My condolences," Acornear murmured. "ShadowClan lost a formidable warrior tonight."
Frostpaw quietly padded past the leaders and ThunderClan deputy as they continued to murmur to each other in low tones, coming to Dappledpelt's side. As she crouched next to her, Dappledpelt raised her head, her eyes dull with grief.
"Hey Frostpaw," she said, her voice rough, but she forced a bit of positivity into it. "Are you okay? No bad injuries?"
Frostpaw shook her head.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," she muttered.
Dappledpelt turned her head to stare back down at Swoopstrike, pain welling in her eyes. Frostpaw's heart twisted at the agony she saw in her face. Frostpaw leaned slightly against Dappledpelt's tortoiseshell side, trying to comfort her.
"I think he really loved you, you know," Frostpaw murmured. "He looked at you in a way different from how he looked at any other cat."
Dappledpelt gave a strangled bark of laughter, her ears flattening against her head.
"I know he did," she muttered, bowing her head. "I just wish… things could've been different. That I hadn't…"
Dappledpelt gave her head a sharp shake, sighing forcefully as she closed her eyes for a moment.
"I wasted so much of our time together," she muttered bitterly.
"No! I'm sure that's not true," Frostpaw protested, gazing at Dappledpelt with wide eyes.
Frostpaw felt her heart twist in dismay. She had been trying to help Dappledpelt, but now she felt like she had only made her pain worse. Dappledpelt gave Frostpaw a lingering side-long glance from the corner of her eye.
"You wouldn't know. Things that happened before you were even born. That I never apologized to him for…" Dappledpelt said finally, her voice soft. "I thought we'd have more time. That I'd make it up to him eventually."
Frostpaw shook her head stubbornly.
"I don't think they mattered to him," Frostpaw insisted. "Whatever you did or whatever happened, he's long forgiven it. You know Swoopstrike. If he was still mad at you for anything, you'd have known it. Loud and clear."
Dappledpelt sighed again as her gaze flickered back to Swoopstrike.
"I hope you're right, Frostpaw," she murmured.
Dappledpelt glanced back over at her.
"And, for the record, he loved you too," Dappledpelt said, and a small playful gleam returned to her eyes. "You know, as much as Swoopstrike's capable of loving anyone."
Although Frostpaw's chest ached like it had been pierced through with a stake, she still purred softly, as she gazed down at Swoopstrike's face. The rain had washed most of the blood and mud from his fur, and someone had shut his eyes. If she didn't look at the wound in his neck, she could almost imagine he was sleeping.
"I know," Frostpaw whispered, screwing her eyes shut.
Author's Note:
Thank you all for reading and reviewing.
I think Swoopstrike's death has been the most painful character's death for me that I've ever written so far. It's even been hard for me to publish this chapter because it feels like that makes it "real." I'll miss you, you grumpy jerk.
(Also if anyone is curious about learning Dappledpelt's/Swoopstrike's history, which she references in her conversation with Frostpaw, I'd be happy to share it in an author's note. It's an interesting tidbit, but not something very relevant to the story, so I don't think it'll be brought back up.)
PS Next chapter is nearly ready, so will be up in a week or two. I was originally going to include it with this one, but together it seemed too long for one chapter.
Reviews:
Kitty-Guardian Hootryd: I'm glad you like Grovepelt and Sedgestar's relationship! In this story, the community within ShadowClan is one of my big focuses, so I've been trying to flesh out a lot of interpersonal relationships (romantic and otherwise) for a lot of the characters.
"I sure hope that Sedgestar holding off the ceremony until -after- the battle doesn't mean one of them doesn't make it…"
Haha… yeah… no reason like that… *glances at Autumnpaw nervously.* I'm just kidding lol. Sedgestar's having the ceremony after the battle because one of my ShadowClan traditions is that their warrior ceremonies are always preformed after sundown. (Because they're "Shadow"Clan, and it's supposed to be like symbolic of the new warrior fulling joining the clan.)
Brian.H.H: Haha when I read your tangent about what chapter the warriors ceremony was gonna be in, I was very confident that I'd manage to have it next chapter (this chapter.) But, nope, this battle got too long like you predicted haha, so it's next chapter.
Hm, also to your point about if this battle is a mid-point climax, I think so? It does contain several major plot elements at least. Well, the way I write is that I have an overall outline of the story, which is basically all the major plot-points mapped out. But, I don't really know how many chapters it'll take to fully address each point to make a cohesive story. And, as I go along, if something naturally comes up that requires more attention that I had originally conceived in the first outline, I'm more than willing to flesh it out, while weaving it into the main plot. So, while right now, this does feel like close to mid-point of this story, when I first started writing this, I originally intended it to be shorter than "Lightning's Destiny." But, now at "maybe half-way" the word count is already nearly 1/2 of "Lightning's Destiny." So, it will probably end up being just as long, if not longer than Lightning's Destiny.
I like your speculation about Grovepelt's age and the question surrounding his deputyship. He is definitely as old as some of the other ShadowClan elders, and probably experiencing normal aches and stiffness that come with aging. But, he's not quite decrepit yet haha, although he likes to tease that he is (maybe I should also lay off a bit on all the "old" adjectives lol.) It is notable though, for sure, that he's not yet retired. And, you are right that there is something else that's keeping him from doing so, but what exactly that is still remains to be seen… And, you were also right that Swoopstrike had the potential to be deputy, although unfortunately that will never come to be. (And, yeah I do also imagine Acornear is a similar age to Dappledpelt, Snakeeyes, and Swoopstrike, and there is some level of respect between the two, despite Swoopstrike's nasty attitude. I can just imagine little Acornpaw trying to befriend him at their first gathering together and little Swooppaw being a massive jerk back to him and a beautiful rivalry being born haha.)
Glad you liked the Autumnpaw and Frostpaw scene! They're cute together. And, yeah, Frostpaw's kinda accepted "this is how Pinepaw is" and is willing to be patient for Pinepaw's walls to come down more. But, it's more awkward for Pinepaw because yes, she does like Frostpaw, but she also knows she's treated Frostpaw badly, and she doesn't know how to address it.
Pandere: Hahaha I love that. Frostpaw is very oblivious towards Autumnpaw's crush. The funny thing too is that she's perfectly capable of being perceptive when it comes to other cats' crushes/feelings to others. But, her best friend Autumnpaw? Having a crush on her?! No way, they're just pals ;)
Adorable cactus is the perfect way to describe how I feel about Swoopstrike too. I'm really gonna miss him.
I'm glad you're interested in a prequel! I might start working on an outline outside of writing this…
And, Frostpaw is definitely taking Snakeeyes words to heart. You also were spot on with predicting that big things are starting to happen with her now. Losing Swoopstrike definitely isn't going to be easy for her because he ended up being such a supportive figure for her.
Shewolf1238526: I'm so glad that you're enjoying it! It's great to have you reading!