This is my entry for the April writing competition on the Fallenclan forum.
The overall theme was "New Beginnings", with sub prompts of "Spring", "Fake", "Bird song", and "Flowers".
There was also an emphasis on using cannon characters (I hope what I've done counts for that).
DISCLAMER:
The following contains swearing and scenes of
graphic violence that may be unsuitable for some audiences.
Reader discretion is advised.
Character descriptions
Reed – Grey tabby tom with black stripes and white paws. Has white underbelly and amber eyes.
Fresh Start
Reed could feel his heart drumming in his chest, in perfect rhythm with his footfalls. He was bloodied and bruised, and about ready to collapse, but he kept running. The angry calls from the Bloodclan cats were growing more distant and as he rounded the corner of the alleyway, the final obstacle was in sight. He sprinted up to the wooden fence in a few powerful bounds and hurled himself on top of it. He wasted no time in leaping down the other side and continuing on into the forest. The feel of mud and grass beneath his paws was a welcome change to the cold, hard ground of the Twolegplace.
He sucked in a deep breath of the forest air – who knew freedom could taste so sweet?
Reed finally slowed to a halt, panting hard and thoroughly exhausted. He turned to check himself over. He was still bleeding from his shoulder and back. Bloodclan likely wouldn't follow him out of the Twolegplace at night and besides, they were still recovering from the heavy losses they sustained during the battel with the clan cats, including the loss of Scourge, so there was little danger of them attempting to track Reed down. None the less, Reed decided that it would still be a good idea to stop the bleeding and attempt to cover his tracks, just to be on the safe side.
But in his haste to get away, Reed had made a crucial mistake. He may have escaped from imprisonment by Bloodclan, but he had run straight into the territory of the clans. This realisation came all too late, and the scent of unknown cats washed over him.
Reed needed to get out of here. He had barely taken another step forward before a figure leapt from the bushes and pinned him to the ground, pressing his face into the mud.
"Well, well." The brown tom on top of Reed said in a snide voice. "It seems we have a trespasser."
The brown tom was not alone – another tom and a she-cat stepped out the bushes.
"Well, there's no point messing around Oakfur, let's send him on his way." The second tom replied.
That voice. Reed recognised that voice.
Uh oh.
Unfortunately, the grey tom recognised Reed too. "My, my is that Reed?"
"Boulder." Reed regarded the tom with a touch of caution. "Long time, no see."
"Do you know this cat, Boulder." The she-cat asked suspiciously.
"Unfortunately, yes." Boulder confirmed. "This cat is part of Bloodclan, one of Scourge's most trusted. And..." His features formed into a scowl, "This was also the cat who killed my brother."
Reed could hardly have expected Boulder to forget that particular fact.
"Heh. Well, you know how it is." Reed replied with a mask of composure. "Scourge always gets what he wants."
"Hmm. And yet," Boulder said with a meaningful prod at Reed's injuries, "it seems that even Scourge gets bored of his play-things eventually."
Reed had been called many names before in his life, but 'play-thing' was a new one. He didn't like it.
With little warning, Boulder raked his claws down Reed's flank, adding another fresh wound to his collection.
Reed let out a small, nervous laugh in order to conceal his cry of pain. "Yeah, I heard Scourge died."
"Indeed." Boulder remarked. "I was disappointed not to see you on the battlefield though. I would have enjoyed avenging my littermate. Still," Boulder conceded, "now will suffice just the same."
Okay, time to go.
Reed had caught his breath and Oakfur had dropped his guard whilst Boulder had been talking. In a single, swift movement, Reed kicked out Oakfur's hind legs and thrust upwards into him, sending the brown tom sprawling to the floor. Reed didn't hesitate for a second, instantly setting off at a sprint, and hopefully heading out of clan territory.
His open wounds were screeching with pain, begging him to stop and rest, but Reed could hear Boulder hot on his heels, and there was little doubt what would happen if the vengeful tom caught him. Steel determination pushed him on and as he bounded between the trees, he was almost beginning to enjoy himself. How long had it been since he had been out in a forest like this? How many seasons had he wasted in that Twolegplace, selling his soul and loyalty to a monster? He let out a shout of laughter into the night air. Shit, how long had it been since he had heard himself laugh? Perhaps it should have worried him that he seemed to find so much amusement whilst he was running for his life, but right now he was just happy to be free.
Well, I'm not quite free yet.
The trees came to a sudden stop, with a thunderpath stretching out across the clearing. He could see the bright eyes of a monster hurtling in his direction, but if Reed stopped and waited for it to pass, he would surely be caught by Boulder. Instead, he made a gamble, judging that he would make it in time. He mustered up all the strength he had left, gaining a new burst of speed, and sprinted across the thunderpath, narrowly escaping the jaws of the monster and feeling a strong gust of wind at his back. He didn't check behind him to see if Boulder had followed, he just kept running and entered the oak forest on the other side of the clearing.
Reed could only ignore his protesting muscles for so long, and slowed to a walk once more. Boulder wasn't following him anymore. Dawn was breaking on the horizon, the rays of sunshine swimming through the trees and warming his pelt in contrast to the frosty night.
It occurred to Reed that he had probably entered the territory of another clan, but he was in little position to do anything about it. He hadn't slept for nearly two days, he was battered and bruised all over, and he had lost a lot of blood. His vision blurred, the colours of the world merging into one, and his head spun. Before he knew it, his legs buckled beneath him and he sunk into unconsciousness.
...
Reed opened his eyes.
The unnatural, stone ground beneath him sucked the warmth from his pelt.
As his vision focused and he caught sight of the other Bloodclan members, he quickly sprung to his paws.
Did I fall asleep at a meeting? He wondered, dazed and confused.
He glanced upward, and an uneasy chill went down his spine. The sky was a murky grey, with an unsettling, toxic tinge of yellow. The world around him seemed dull and drained of any bright colours – even more so than usual.
Scourge, as usual, was sat atop his throne of bones and Twoleg rubbish, some cat was asking him for something, but Reed paid little attention to them. Instead, he slinked forward towards where Brick was sat.
"Hey." He asked the ginger tabby discretely. "What's happening?"
Brick didn't respond. He didn't even give any indication that he had heard Reed.
Confused, Reed glanced around the circle of cats, looking for someone else to ask, but he stopped dead when he caught sight of one cat in particular. Sitting there, to the right of Scourge and with a malevolent look on his face, was a younger, less scarred and less skinny version of Reed himself.
Reed could feel his heart in his throat, and he snapped his attention towards the visiting cats. One queen and one orange tom who was no older than 8 moons. The she-cat wasn't just asking Scourge for something, she was pleading with him. Begging him to show her and her kit mercy.
Oh no.
Scourges features formed a merciless smile. "Reed, Bone." The small black tom addressed the cats to either side of him. "You know what to do."
No.
Reed watched his former-self approach the she-cat, a wild gleam in the young tom's eye. Her kit attempted to put up a fight, but was no match for Bone, who came crashing down on the little orange tom like a tonne of stones and bashed his head against the stone floor until the tom went limp.
The mother let out a cry of anguish, but soon turned tail and fled, with Reed's younger-self in hot pursuit.
No!
Reed chased after them, his heart racing, his stomach twisting into knots.
He rounded the corner to an alleyway and skidded to a halt. The she-cat was trapped between his younger-self and a towering brick wall, a look of sheer terror in her eyes.
"Please!" The she-cat pleaded fearfully, tears flooding her eyes. "You don't have to do this. Please, just let me go!"
Now Reed winced to hear her pleas and cries of anguish. But his younger-self didn't seem to care.
"Don't worry, my dear." His younger voice sounded almost alien to him now. "I'll try and make this quick and painless..." The tom let out a malicious snigger. "Well, almost painless."
"No!" Reed yelled, despite knowing it wouldn't change what happened next. He wanted to close his eyes, he wanted to shy away, but he forced himself to watch. He forced himself to remember every detail. He didn't deserve to forget what he had done.
After it was over, Reed's younger-self casually licked the blood from his paws and sauntered out of the alleyway, leaving the body behind as if it were a discarded piece of prey.
Reed rushed forward, past his former-self, and towards the body. He desperately looked for a sign of life, begging that she had somehow survived. But there was nothing. Blood oozed from the she-cat's neck and belly, pooling at Reed's paws.
"I'm sorry." His voice was barely audible and shook with grief. "I'm so sorry."
But 'sorry', would not change what he had done. It wouldn't change any of the things he had done. It wouldn't bring any of them back.
He had never even known this she-cat's name, and yet he had murdered her without hesitation.
Blood flowed from the body at an unusual rate. It covered the entire floor and now began to rise. Reed stood up in panic, as the sticky crimson liquid crawled up his legs and touched his belly fur. It had risen so high that he could swim in it, and it didn't stop. He struggled to stay afloat and sunk beneath the surface. He tried to swim for breath but couldn't tell which way was up. He thrust his limbs out frantically. His lungs screamed for air. His chest felt like it was going to burst.
His eyes snapped open.
He sat bolt upright, panting and thrashing about.
The blood had gone. He was in a den of some kind, and two overpowering smells quickly came to him. The first was the rich smell of herbs. The second was the scent of cats.
"Oh good, you're alive." A voice sounded from behind him.
Reed leapt to his paws and spun around, lowering himself into a pouncing position. It was dark in the den, but enough moonlight filtered through the tendrils of bramble to make out the features of a dark-grey she-cat.
It was dawn when I was last awake, how long have I been asleep?
"Who are you?" Reed demanded, tensely. "Where am I?"
"It's alright." The strange cat soothed. "You're safe, I'm here to help."
Reed remained stiff, his eyes fixed on the she-cat, trying to decide if he believed her or not.
"My name's Cinderpelt." The she-cat continued. "I'm the medicine cat for Thunderclan. Some of our warriors found you in our territory. You were badly injured so they bought you here."
Reed noticed that his wounds had been patched up with cobwebs, and they weren't as painful as before. Reed guessed that these Thunderclan cats wouldn't have gone to all this trouble if they wanted to hurt him. He relaxed slightly and stood upright again.
"Could you tell me your name?" Cinderpelt asked calmly.
Reed hesitated, but decided there was little harm in telling her his name. "Reed." He said concisely.
"Well, it's nice to meet you Reed." Cinderpelt smiled. "But we can talk in the morning, right now you should get some more rest. Your wounds still need time to heal."
The she-cat moved to the other side of the den and picked something out from the pile of herbs. Reed noticed that the she-cat was limping slightly and couldn't stop a small smirk from appearing on his face.
"Something funny?" Cinderpelt asked as she put some black specs down in front of him.
"No offense," Reed began, "but I find it a bit ironic that the cat who is supposed to heal wounds seems to be injured herself."
"Oh, that's an old injury." She explained, indicating to her hind leg. "It may hurt from time to time, but it certainly doesn't hinder my ability to look after my clan." She finished sternly.
"I don't doubt it." Reed agreed.
"These are poppy seeds." Cinderpelt nodded to the black specs she had bought to him. "They should help you sleep."
Reed muttered his thanks and licked up the seeds before curling up in the bed of moss and feathers. This wasn't exactly what he had had in mind when he escaped Bloodclan, but he couldn't change much about his situation for now. As he closed his eyes, he reflected that he could remember only one cat who had shown him such kindness before in his life. It seemed strange to him that this clan would take him in and care for him, seemingly without hesitation.
Can things get any stranger?
...
As it turned out – yes, they could.
When Reed woke up again, he was surprised to say the least, to find three young kits peering at him with intense curiosity. He raised his head in mix of alarm and confusion, and the kits quickly began to ask a string of questions, which Reed could barely keep track of.
"Who are you?"
"Where'd you come from?"
"Are you a kittypet?"
"Look at him, of course he's not a kittypet, he's a rouge!"
"Are you a rogue?"
"Is it true that rogues eat crowfood?"
The kits moved on from each question without waiting for an answer to the previous one, and Reed's mind was still fuzzy and could barely keep up.
"I heard they eat naughty kits who go where they're not supposed to and bother guests." A voice sounded from the den entrance.
The kits let out a scared gasp, spinning around and freezing at the sight of Cinderpelt.
"Now run along," The grey medicine cat continued, "I'm sure Willowpelt will be looking for you."
The kits squeaked their apologies before scampering off out of the den.
"I see you had an audience." The she-cat remarked teasingly. "You're popular already."
"Heh-heh." Reed chuckled. "Well, I'm sure they would change their minds if they got to know me."
"How are your wounds doing?" Cinderpelt inquired.
"I'm fine." Reed insisted, getting up to his paws. But his muscles betrayed him and stiffened up, and his raw wounds sent a spasm of pain through his body. He collapsed back to the floor with a grunt.
"Yes, you seem perfectly fine." Cinderpelt said sarcastically. "I'll dress the wounds again and give you something for the pain." She continued, and Reed didn't bother arguing with her. "And after I've done that, our leader Firestar would like to speak to you."
"Speak with me, or interrogate me?"
"Speak with you." Cinderpelt maintained. "You are our guest, not our prisoner."
"But wasn't I trespassing on your territory?" From what Reed had heard of the clans, they defended their territory fiercely. The first clan he ran into certainly didn't seem keen to help him. Yet this one was clearly different.
"I'm not sure what you've heard about us clan cats, but we're not monsters." The she-cat replied.
Maybe not. Reed thought. But I am. And they might not be so keen to help me if they know where I'm really from. Reed decided that it would be better to leave certain elements of his past unmentioned when this 'Firestar' spoke to him.
And that's exactly what he did. He told Firestar about how he had spent the past two or three moons, Reed had lost count as to exactly how long it was, as a prisoner in Bloodclan but left out the part about how he had used to serve among their ranks. He was deliberately vague about his life prior to imprisonment, saying that he had travelled around a lot just trying to survive from day to day. This wasn't exactly false either, as this is what he had done with his mother before her death and his arrival in the Twolegplace.
The cats of Thunderclan were certainly unlike any he had met before in his life. Firestar told him that he could stay until his wounds had healed and, although there were some clan members who were less welcoming, he was surprised by the kindness that was being shown to him.
And part of his mind was yelling at him that he didn't deserve any such kindness.
Several days later, when Reed could move comfortably without opening his wounds again, Firestar had assigned Reed a 'guide', who would show him the best hunting areas in the territory. It was only fair that Reed pulled his own weight whilst he was staying here.
Reed's 'guide' was a brown tabby tom named Brackenfur, and he was... well Reed wasn't quite sure how to describe him.
Reed had had to get up at the crack of dawn and as he exited the medicine cat den, he could already see Brackenfur waiting for him by the entrance. Reed padded over to the tom groggily, still trying to clear his head after having another nightmare. Or more precisely, another memory.
"Good morning Reed!" Brackenfur greeted warmly, breaking Reed out of his thoughts. "Sleep well?"
"Uh, sure." Reed lied.
"Would you like something to eat before we leave?" Brackenfur asked, indicating to the body of a small shrew at his paws.
"I thought we were going hunting."
"Oh, we are." Brackenfur confirmed. "But we must bring everything we catch back to camp. The clan gets fed first."
Reed remembered that Bloodclan had a similar rule about bringing back food. Except, that Scourge would always eat first and the strongest cats would be next in the picking order.
"And besides," The golden-brown tabby continued, "I was going to show you the territory as well, so it will be a while before you get the chance to eat again."
"Right." Reed nodded. "In that case I'll eat now." And almost forgot to add, "Thanks." before taking the shrew and quickly gulping it down.
"Ready to go?" Brackenfur asked cheerfully, once Reed had finished eating. "We'll go to sunningrocks first."
The pair set out at a trot leaving camp and travelling out into the forest.
This tom certainly seems more enthusiastic than I am. Reed thought amusedly.
It was a beautiful day. There was a crystal-blue sky with the sun peacefully suspended and shining sweetly. There was less of a chill in the air than before. The frost had also melted away from the trees and moss, indicating that the thaw was coming and winter would soon be over. Or 'leaf-bare' as these clan cats called it.
The pair reached the river and Brackenfur led Reed to a set of large rocks embedded into the riverside.
"Here we are." Brackenfur announced. "There is often pray hiding in the cracks here at sunningrocks, but we also use this place to-"
"Let me guess." Reed interrupted dryly. "When it's hot, you cats come here to sun yourself?"
"How ever did you guess?" Brackenfur gasped in mock amazement.
"I'm psychic." Reed admitted and found himself pleased to hear Brackenfur chuckle.
"And such a combination of hunting ground and leisure, makes it a popular spot." The golden-brown tabby continued. "It is a fiercely contended piece of territory between Thunderclan and Riverclan. We have fought many battles to defend it."
"Is that Riverclan territory across there?" Reed asked nodding to the opposite side of the river.
"Indeed." Brackenfur nodded. "A strange bunch that Riverclan. They live off a diet of slimy fish and are entirely unfazed at getting their pelts wet." He finished with a shudder.
"How dreadful." Reed smirked. He found himself starting to like this tom.
Brackenfur began talking again but Reed thought he heard a rustling from the bushes behind him. He glanced around to look, but found nothing.
Probably just the wind.
But as he turned back something caught his eye. A black cat sat on the opposite side of the river, perfectly still. Reed didn't give it too much thought at first, but he felt a shudder ripple through his body when he noticed something – the cat was covered in blood. It was practically gushing from the cat's body, covering the ground and running off into the river. But the cat didn't seem bothered, instead he stared directly at Reed, right into his soul.
Then Reed finally recognised the cat. Shade had once been a good friend of Reed's and another loyal subject of Scourge. But for whatever reason, Scourge had begun to grow suspicious of Shade and had one day ordered Reed to dispose of him. Reed had done as he was told.
Reed stood rooted to the spot as his old friend's eyes pierced him, shooting accusations of betrayal and abandonment. Reed felt his throat close and his heartbeat quicken. He felt hot under the pressure of that glare, but he didn't dare look away. He couldn't breathe. He felt as though his skin was suffocating him. Like he was slowly being crushed.
"Reed?" Brackenfur's meow snapped his gaze away. "Are you alright?"
The suffocating feeling was gone. When Reed looked back to the far bank, so was Shade.
"Uh, yeah." Reed said quickly, shaking his head to clear it.
Brackenfur gave him a look of slight concern, but it quickly changed back to an embracing smile. "I was saying that I thought we should head to Tallpines and do some hunting there."
"Sounds good." Reed nodded, pushing the vision he had just seen from his mind.
Brackenfur turned ready to set off again, but paused briefly and glanced back at Reed. "You do know how to hunt right?" He asked tentatively and Reed got the impression he wasn't being entirely serious.
"Yes, I know how to hunt." Reed replied with a mix of amusement and mild annoyance.
That being said, it had been many moons since Reed had done any proper hunting and he was concerned that he might be a bit rusty. He wasn't quite sure why he was worried about embarrassing himself in front of Brackenfur. But Reed had less trouble than he had anticipated and managed to catch a mouse on his second attempt, even if it was a sloppy kill. Hunting had never exactly been his strong suit – he was far more adept to fighting – but a large amount of the process was instinctual and he found himself feeling warmed by Brackenfur's compliments on his catch.
After hiding their kill to return for later, they headed on through the territory. Reed found himself in weird mix between relishing in the clean forest air, and constantly looking over his shoulder, on the off chance that Reed had not merely been hallucinating and that Shade had, in fact, risen from the dead.
Eventually, the two reached the same thunderpath that Reed had crossed before when being chased by Boulder. The sun was high in the sky now and Reed was surprised at how quickly the time had passed.
"And here we have the border with Shadowclan." Brackenfur announced.
"Yes, I had a run-in with them on my way here." Reed recalled. "Nice bunch."
"You can't trust that lot as far as you could throw them." Brackenfur commented haughtily. "They always seem to be up to something and are always itching for a fight."
"I heard you were one of the cats who found me." Reed murmured after a short silence.
"That's right."
"Well, I..." Reed shifted his paws awkwardly. "I just wanted to say thank you. For saving my life."
He gave Brackenfur a grateful look and the brown tabby held his gaze momentarily before looking away, slightly flustered.
"Well, I couldn't exactly leave you there to die, could I?" Brackenfur asked rhetorically. "Shadowclan cats may not have a heart, but we do."
"Still..." Reed pressed. "I'm very grateful. Thank you."
The brown tabby looked at Reed and, hearing the conviction in his tone, gave Reed a radiant smile. Reed was really beginning to like that contagious smile. And that scared him.
"No problem." Brackenfur replied in a genuine tone. "Glad I could help."
When Firestar had first told Reed that he would be given a 'guide', he had had half a mind to respond that he didn't need looking after like a helpless kit. And at finding that this guide would be younger than him, Reed had felt initial reluctance.
But Reed had quickly grown to like Brackenfur, and was surprised at how much he enjoyed the company. It was a refreshing change from the stern looks and angry remarks that would often have been exchanged amongst Bloodclan, and Reed wasn't sure he had been able to feel so relaxed so easily before in his life. As the pair continued through the territory and circled back to collect their prey that they had caught before, Reed managed to entirely forget about the dreams he had been having. Instead, he basked in the fresh spring air and laughed easily at Brackenfur's jokes.
Reed slept much better that night.
And on nights when he couldn't sleep, he would venture into the forest at night, enjoying the serenity and beauty of it. Sometimes Brackenfur would wake up and join him, and sometimes he would be there alone, gazing at the stars. Sometimes he would forget about everything and he and Brackenfur would race each other through the forest, adrenaline flooding his body as his paws flew over the ground and the breeze tugged at his fur. Other times he would sit and remember. Remember everything he had done; everyone he had hurt and killed. He knew which of the two he preferred. But he didn't know which of the two he deserved.
…
Reed had now been in Thunderclan for two moons and, though his wounds had now healed, he had not yet been asked to leave. But the longer he stayed, the more chance that they would find out about Reed's past and who he truly was. He would have to make a decision soon.
It was just before sunhigh when Reed set off on a border patrol with Sandstorm, Thornclaw, and Brackenfur. The day was warm and spirits were high as the group patrolled along the Shadowclan border. All was quiet on that front and they decided to finish off the patrol by checking along the border with Windclan also.
They had almost completed their patrol when a Windclan cat, apparently unaware of the Thunderclan patrol, came racing across the Twoleg path in pursuit of a rabbit. The Thunderclan cats quickly charged forward to chase the intruder away, but the cat, whom Reed recognised as Mudclaw, was already trotting back to his side of the border with the rabbit in his jaws. He was joined by Tornear and Onewhisker and the Thunderclan patrol marched up to the border to challenge the tom's infraction.
"What do you think you're doing crossing into Thunderclan territory?" Thornclaw demanded.
"Oh, come off it." Tornear retorted in defence of his clanmate. "Mudclaw was barely over the border."
"The rabbit was on our side of the border when it was killed. It belongs to us." Thornclaw shot back.
"Easy now Thornclaw." Sandstorm cautioned. "We don't need a fight over this."
"It's only one rabbit." Mudclaw jeered. "Don't get your tail in a twist."
"All the same." Sandstorm continued. "You should respect our territory borders. Tallstar would not approve of this behaviour."
But Mudclaw didn't seem to be listening. Instead, his gaze drifted toward Reed and disdainful look appeared on his face.
"Well, well if it isn't Thunderclan's most recent adoption." The dark brown tom meowed. "What they want with a frail rogue like this I'll never know. I bet he'll run off scared at the first fight he gets into."
Mudclaw and Tornear both laughed, but Reed just smirked at Mudclaw's pitiful attempts to insult him.
"Just go home, Mudclaw." Brackenfur said. "And stay off our territory!" He added firmly.
"Aww, is Brackenfur trying to give us orders? I'm so scared." Mudclaw mocked. "You pathetic excuse for a warrior, you couldn't beat a mouse in a fight! Why don't you run along and find some butterflies to play with?"
Reed's smirk vanished.
Alright, now he was angry.
"Thunderclan is just a bunch of kittypets, rogues and cowards!" Mudclaw added pretentiously.
"Sorry, I couldn't quite hear that last part." Reed said. "Why don't you come and repeat it a little closer."
"Alright." The brown tom said arrogantly, either not registering or choosing to ignore the obvious threat. He stalked cockily up to Reed. "I said-"
Before the tom could get another word out, Reed swept Mudclaw's legs from under him and had him pinned on the ground within a heartbeat. Reed felt a euphoric satisfaction course through his veins at hearing Mudclaw's surprised and frightened grunt. The brown tom squirmed and attempted to break free, but Reed held him firmly.
The other Windclan cats moved forward in an attempt to assist Mudclaw, but Reed held a claw to the tom's throat.
"One step closer and he dies." Reed threatened shortly.
Tornear and Onewhisker stopped dead in their tracks and shared a horrified look, trying to decide whether or not Reed was bluffing.
Reed turned his attention back to the tom underneath him and pressed his claws right up against his windpipe, almost piercing the skin.
Reed put his muzzle right up against Mudclaw's ear. "Not so frail now huh?" Reed spoke with calm menace. "Now, I'm not sure what you think you know about me or where I'm from, but I assure you... I've seen things that you thought were reserved only for nightmares. And trust me when I say I would have no trouble splitting open the throat of a pompous, loudmouth twat like you. So..." Reed paused to relish in Mudclaw's fear. "I advise you to think twice before insulting my friends again. Is that clear?"
"C-crystal clear." Mudclaw stammered.
"Now say 'sorry'." Reed instructed
"What?"
Reed only needed to flex his claws to assure the tom that he wasn't joking.
"Alright, alright." Mudclaw spluttered. "I'm sorry for insulting you, Brackenfur."
"Good boy." Reed drawled. "Now, off you fuck then."
Reed let the tom up and watched with a smug look as Mudclaw scurried off to his side of the border with his tail and head held low. The Windclan entourage quickly hurried off and out of sight.
Reed rolled his shoulders in satisfaction of putting Mudclaw in his place but he suddenly stiffened when he remembered his clanmates. When he glanced behind him, Sandstorm was looking horrified, Thornclaw seemed deeply concerned, and Brackenfur seemed almost... scared.
Shit.
He had gotten so caught up in trying to defend Brackenfur's honour that he had almost forgotten he wasn't in Bloodclan anymore. This wasn't how the clan cats did things. What he had done went against their rules. And furthermore, this went against what he had promised. He had vowed never to use violence unnecessarily, to only threaten or kill when it was a matter of life or death. He had promised Ember, and now he had broken that promise.
The group finished their patrol and returned to camp in stony silence and Brackenfur didn't speak to Reed for the rest of the day.
...
Fuck...
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
This wasn't good.
Firestar had offered to make Reed a warrior and full-time member of Thunderclan. And it was tearing him up inside.
A part of him desperately wanted to stay. To take the easy option. To use his skills to help and repay the clan that had saved his life. And to stay with Brackenfur.
But another part of him screamed that it wasn't what he deserved. That if the clan found out about his past, they would throw him out. And that if he stayed, he may end up killing someone. Perhaps it would be best if he went on alone.
Reed was sat at the edge of Thunderclan territory, near Fourtrees, breathing in the rich scents of the forest, and listening to the soothing melody of bird songs fluttering through the air.
He thought he had been changing for the better. He thought he would be able to leave his old life behind. But on the patrol the other day, he had almost let it slip. Perhaps, deep down he would never change, no matter how hard he tried and despite the promise he had made to Ember.
In many ways, Ember had been his saviour. She had gradually shown Reed that what he was doing in Bloodclan was wrong. And he had found remarkable comfort in talking with her and began to sneak out of Bloodclan to meet the kittypet on a regular basis. She had shown great kindness to him even though he deserved none and had helped him begin to change who he was. He couldn't help but fall in love with the she-cat.
But one day, Ember had been caught trespassing in Bloodclan and rather than chase her off, a patrol had bought her to Scourge. When Ember had pleaded with Scourge, telling him that she was pregnant, that had only stopped him from outright killing her. Instead, he decided that she would be held prisoner and that her kits would become Bloodclan warriors. Thankfully, Scourge was not aware that Reed was the father of these kits.
Reed had had to pretend that he didn't know Ember and was very cautious when it came to sneaking her extra food or spending time with her when it was his turn on guard duty. Eventually, he formed a plan to break her free, intending to leave with her and escape from Bloodclan once and for all...
But things didn't go to plan. Scourge had, seemingly spontaneously, changed the timings of patrols without informing Reed and they had subsequently been caught in their escape. Scourge had then killed Ember and imprisoned Reed, in an attempt to give him a slow and torturous death for betraying Bloodclan.
All that time, whilst he was laying in the narrow space beneath an abandoned twoleg nest, the same place where Ember had been kept prisoner, he had been alone with his thoughts. Thinking about how on earth he had gotten to this point. Where had it gone so wrong. He had also spent those moons grieving for Ember and the family that they could have had together. Ember had made him feel a warmth and solace that he didn't know was possible...
And Brackenfur made him feel a similar way.
"Reed!"
Speaking of which...
"Reed, where are you?"
Brackenfur's call was drifting closer, and soon enough Reed could hear the golden-brown tabby running up from behind him.
"There you are!" Brackenfur said relieved. "I've been searching all over for you."
Reed couldn't bring himself to look at Brackenfur. Instead, he stared wistfully into the distance.
"Are you alright?" The brown tom asked. "Why are you out here?"
"Firestar offered to make me a warrior of Thunderclan." Reed muttered distantly.
"What?! That's brilliant!" Brackenfur's face lit up with glee, but dropped again upon seeing the confliction in Reed's face. "Isn't it?"
"I... I'm not sure." Reed admitted, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I don't know whether I should stay or go."
"But... but don't you want to stay here... with me?" Brackenfur pressed gently.
The look in Brackenfur's eyes filled Reed with even more heartache and confliction. Reed moved closer and pressed his forehead against Brackenfur's. Brackenfur didn't pull away. Instead, the golden-brown tabby pulled into an embrace and thrust his muzzle into Reed's neck fur.
"I do." Reed murmured sadly. "More than anything, I do... but It's not about what I want to do, it's about what I should do."
"W-what do you mean?"
Reed let out a somber sigh. "I'm not the cat you think I am. I've done some really bad things in my life..." Reed paused, afraid to reveal the truth. But he needed to say it. "I wasn't just a prisoner of Bloodclan... I used to be one of them. I've done terrible things; I've murdered cats in cold blood and I'm worried that if I stay here then I'll end up killing someone else. I don't know if I can control it. And I don't deserve to be here... I don't deserve the kindness that Thunderclan has shown me and... and I don't deserve you."
The two were silent for several minutes. Reed could have sat there forever, breathing in Brackenfur's sweet scent and letting the tension melt from his body. But eventually Brackenfur broke the silence.
"I don't care." He whispered.
"What?"
"I don't care." Brackenfur repeated. "Whatever cat you used to be, whatever you've done in the past, that's not who you are anymore. You can make sure you change for the better. And you don't have to do it by yourself; You don't have to be alone. You can stay here and help the clan. You can have a fresh start here – a new beginning. It doesn't matter about the bad things you've done before. You can strive to make up for that. And..." The tom paused and pulled away to look Reed in the eyes. "And I need you. So, stay with me... please."
Reed gazed into those dazzling amber eyes and saw the desperation within them... and it broke him. How could he leave? How could he throw this chance away? He couldn't.
And so, Reed returned to Thunderclan and accepted Firestar's offer gratefully. He sat in the centre of camp and felt a rush of pride at the leader's words of praise during his ceremony. He was warmed as he heard the hearty cheers of "Reedstrike!" echo around the camp.
Maybe I really can have a fresh start... a new beginning. Reedstrike mused. And maybe, just maybe...
Reedstrike glanced affectionately at Brackenfur who was cheering the new name joyously.
… maybe, I won't have to do it alone.
And there we are.
Not sure how I feel about this one. Probably could've been better and the ending was slightly rushed since I was reaching the word limit. But oh well...
Deuces,
~Dark