A/N: Now I understand why I haven't taken Summer classes before. Shorter time, yes, but that just means double the material. My mind is overrun by medical terminology and my midterm is this week as well. Just did my midterm for that class; the most panic-filled 30 minutes of my life XD. (145/150 though, so ha!)
If I suddenly stop updating or go on a hiatus anytime soon, just know it's because of summer classes. It's very tiring haha.
But in other news: the battle has begun and I am very nervous. Let's see how our Flarekitty fares.
Thanks to WhiteWinter1 for following this story!
Reviews
Songmistle (Guest)- Raindrop's got a special place in my heart. Love that kitty. Hate for Cloudstar is valid… That was brilliant. You figured out the rest of the story XD. Loved it, make it an AU. Second review: That's an awesome name. You'll just have to ask for their pronouns to be sure, but generally, they/them is a safe one to use haha.
Hissing Mist- He's gotta wait a while because I think kits don't get their permanent eye color until seven weeks, and open them 7-10 days after birth. In the story, it hasn't really been that long since they were born. Certainly not seven weeks (remember, Flarekitty only needs less than a month before her final exam). We're in definite need of more Cinderfrost flashbacks. Might have to get to it lol. So much torture in Redstar's backstory. I feel so bad. The ones who don't usually come to visit the kits are pretty much a majority of the High Ranks (so like, Wildfire and Tigergaze and Ashtail, etc etc). Emberpaw's got a soft spot for lil kitties. Yeah… Redstar doesn't go in there for a different reason than the others. There's not really any deeper meaning to Owlpelt liking the sound of water, he just finds it soothing haha (kinda like the sound of rain). The cat that Sootblaze was fighting was Cloverpaw. Drippingpaw… she just wants to be part of the popular group haha. She's trying so hard. Our raindrop is growing through a lot right now XD Give her a break. I have to say I never expected to like Windpaw as much as I do, but she clawed her way into my heart and refused to leave so she's just here now.
WhiteWinter1- Hey, welcome to the journey haha. Hope you enjoy your stay, it gets messy here. Ah yes, Wildfire is always a popular choice for the least favorite character. If he's gonna go down, he's gonna go down fighting until the very end. Or maybe make like a rat or a roach and scuttle away to live another day. Sagepaw's a nice boi. I don't think that's an unpopular opinion. I like writing the characters in a way where you guys can form your own opinions of them. Everybody's got depth to them in some way. Thanks for reading!
reading at 3am is normal- Yeah, I'm quickly learning summer classes aren't fun. Which is probably why I've never done it before. Might have to go on a hiatus until summer classes are over, but here's hoping that's not the case. Nope, all kittens are born with blue eyes, and they get their permanent eye color at seven weeks. But hey, this is fiction. Some rules can be bent lol. Cloverpaw just wanted him to suffer, honestly. The one to dramatically save Sootblaze was himself (Tigergaze, if you want to count him, but our boi got out of that mess first). Everybody's got a target on their back- no one is safe from me :). Leafstar's a decent clan leader, though I can see your point haha. I definitely need the luck, I've never had to study for a class before but that's just what I have to do here. No fun at all.
Rainbow Badge (Guest)- I think everyone is conflicted in this battle, even the readers XD. Cloverpaw just swoops in and steals the spotlight from Sootblaze. This is her story now lol. A tea party with Cloverpaw would be the most passive-aggressive tea party in existence. I'm here for it. Forget being the shield of the GR, Sagesplash has a new legacy now XD That's what he's stuck with. Sagesplash is just all the terrible decisions rolled into one cat who doesn't believe they've done anything bad. A complete hypocrite. Drippingpaw is good at sneaking around, but she's okay-ish in a full-on assault. In a stealth mission, she'd probably shine the most. "God no'' is probably the best way to describe Windpaw's love for Drippingpaw lol. She doesn't want it, but it's there and it's growing. So like… they hate each other so much they're secretly in love with each other? I can see so much tension with that dynamic XD. Missed opportunity I guess. In a different timeline, maybe. Willowflame is such a fun character to build on even more and I miss her so much more each time I come up with something. I like how you chose Mousepaw of all cats lol. Whiteshadow would definitely adopt her too. I suppose the thing with Nightstone's size makes sense lol. Small things are the most dangerous. Listen, Whiteshadow is a unique character and he allows me to just let loose XD. I think I'm projecting onto him, he's what I want to be- the wit and all that, not the trauma- and what I can never be. I'm much too shy for that in a face-to-face conversation to say half the things he does. Glad someone's seen the parallel between Nightstone and Sootblaze. I like how one of the reasons for loving Whiteshadow is his dad energy. Acceptable. Leafstar and Roseberry are on a tier all their own. They are divinity. For some reason, when you said Drippingpaw is climbing up really fast, I just picture her like, scaling a mountainside with nothing but her claws and enthusiasm and just zooming up. I get the feeling you just want to see Windpaw-Drippingpaw sister bonding. Hmm, random Mousepaw facts? Well, aside from the fact that she's a bit of a history nerd, she's also rather stubborn. (I can picture her learning to climb a tree or something like that solely because Adderpaw or someone else told her she can't- so she's just the kind to go "watch me!" and learn how to do it anyway.) Alas, you've gotten out of answering the question a second time. Wait it out and suffer, that's the agenda for this story XD. I'm having a lot of fun with this battle.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed this story!
Let's get started!
…
Blazeclan
…
Flarepaw didn't know what to expect upon arriving at the main border.
Well, that's not entirely true. Trained as a Grand Royal apprentice, she has learned to expect one thing in battle, always one thing: chaos. And that's exactly what she stumbled upon.
Right away, her eyes have a hard time for a solid five seconds figuring out who is who, which side is friend and which side is enemy.
There were writhing masses and splashes of water and blurring colors. There were claws flashing in the sunlight- a beautiful day for a terrible event- and teeth glinting, sharp and deadly. And there was blood.
Stars, was there blood.
It was the second thing she noticed. The first was the noises. Yowls and curses and pain-filled cries. Desperation and fury and fear given voices, and it was hard to tell which side was shouting louder. The metallic tang of blood spilled was sharp against her tongue, so heavy she feared she might have bitten her tongue by accident and it was hers that she was tasting.
But no.
It was Blazeclan's. It was Stormclan's. Friends. Foes. Allies. Enemies. It was Cloverpaw's and Riverspiral's and Carpshadow's, names flashing to faces as she began to discern who was who. It was Russetclaw's and Thrushpaw's and Owlpelt's.
It was rather overwhelming, and that side of her born and raised through violence and pain by Wildfire's design reveled in it all. Flarepaw stood at the treeline for a second, the breath robbed from her at the sight ahead, and it was only Whiteshadow moving out of the corner of her eye that made her snap out of the numb reverie. Numb, numb- it was best she made herself numb to the horrors.
Focus. She had to find her brother. She had to keep track of the Commoners.
So long as she had an eye or a general idea of where all of them were, only then can she actually focus on the battle. Stormclan was secondary to keeping those she cared about safe. (She wondered if they would be offended that she hardly cared about them and their desire to bring her clan harm.)
Whiteshadow dove in headfirst like a falcon diving for its next meal, his claws and teeth flashing, and he became just another face in the masses. Just another harbinger of chaos, an omen of death, a creator of agony. Focus, focus, focus. He was more than just those things. He was a protector, she could see it in the way he tore the focus from a Stormclan warrior away from a young Applepaw- the new Noble apprentice's first-ever battle.
She felt sorry that someone so young would have their innocence stripped from them because of this.
Focus. Find Sagepaw, find the Commoners.
Silver-blue eyes swept across the area and it was so hard not to get distracted by everything again. Her heart began to race out of her control, spurred on by the call of battle and desperate- desperate, desperate, always desperate- to prove herself and fight for her clan as a Grand Royal apprentice should. Flarepaw should be in the thick of it all, fighting against those who dared try to tarnish her clan's name. Should be showing Stormclan exactly what they're messing with and punishing them for trying to go against her.
It felt so wrong not to. But she must.
The clan might need Grand Royal Flarepaw- but her friends and family needed Flarepaw and that's who she was going to be at the moment.
There.
She could see Owlpelt and Brightstreak working together to fend off a Noble- it took so long for her to remember the name of the Stormclan cat, Duskpetal, before deciding it didn't matter. Just another face, just another face- and her heart tightened with the threat to burst at the sight of Sootblaze intercepting an Artisan to keep from dragging Swiftleaf into the river. Her first instinct was to go to him, protect protect protect. He could fend for himself, she trained him as such, but… but she could protect him too and-
Trust him. The muscle in her jaw twitched, tightened, and she took out her frustration against her first opponent who had spotted her, Pikeheart. The tom was all fluid movements and sharp teeth and wicked eyes, wanting to gain the glory that came with besting a Grand Royal apprentice…
And quickly regretting it as he missed, his paw meeting nothing but air, and she raked her claws across his flank as she danced backward, away from him. Her ears swiveled, attention spanning to her surroundings, half trusting her clan to keep others from targeting her unguarded back and half ready for the horde to turn its attention to only her. That would be fine if that were the case.
Willowflame's fighting style- now Flarepaw's- thrived in a swarm battle. Surrounded on all sides, enemies from everywhere; this was where she was most comfortable. Where someone else might get overwhelmed, she- and her mother and her mother's mother and so on- could only truly breathe when the threat of suffocation by the masses was present.
Battle raged in her blood and chaos threatened to take over as it had done everyone else, the feel of her claws ripping through skin threatening to ignite the fighter, the defender, Grand Royal Flarepaw- but she held it back. Somehow. Focus, focus, focus. Pikeheart turned, not ready to give up quite yet, but her lips gave a small twitch of a smile and she took a step back, ducking down, and Shadepaw flew over her entirely. Her friend bullied the attention of the Stormclan warrior to him and she was forever grateful, taking the chance to turn away.
Stormclan was beginning to notice she was here and her time to find everyone was rapidly running out.
Everyone was here except for Sagepaw and Ravenflight (and Wildfire, she was keeping an eye out for him as well, and it aggravated her nerves that she couldn't see him). Flarepaw wanted to groan. Nothing was ever easy.
She found her way to Swiftleaf's side, snapping her teeth with a loud clack to one of the newer Stormclan apprentices, an Artisan if she were to guess, and internally sighing with relief when that act of intimidation made them back away. Right into the warpath of Emberpaw. (Flarepaw grimaced to herself and prayed for any fool who would cross that one.)
"Flarepaw," Swiftleaf breathed out with heavy relief, a flicker of a smile to her face, and it was such a surreal thing seeing the hope begin to shine in her eyes. In everyone around her, really. How just her presence could boost morale in a battle was an impossible thought to wrap her mind around.
So, she didn't bother wrapping her mind around it. She could think about it later.
She had other priorities right now.
"I'm glad you're okay," Flarepaw said quickly, eyes flicking about in another careful examination. No more familiar faces popped up, no Sagepaw or Ravenflight or Wildfire, and the enemy's eyes were beginning to turn to her. Hurry, hurry! She had to find them. "Where is Ravenflight? And my brother?"
Swiftleaf nodded in understanding now. Aside from telling the Commoners about her predicament of watching over her brother, of making sure Wildfire didn't win this time, she also told them that she would do her best to protect them. Keeping them all in one area gave her the best opportunity to watch them all. (Being close to them gave her the best chance to save them if things went horribly wrong.)
"I don't know where Sagepaw is," Swiftleaf briefly turned her attention to a rival Commoner, the Stormclan Low Rank hesitating and backing up at the sight of Flarepaw there as well. Where the Royals and Nobles of Stormclan might want to attempt to beat her, the Commoners knew they didn't stand a chance. It would be embarrassing to even try. Those light green eyes switched back to her, worry sparking within them as Swiftleaf looked off to one side of the border. "But Ravenflight is at the left border and she… she hasn't come back yet."
Damn it. She can read the conflict staining Swiftleaf's features as her eyes darted down the way that would lead to one of the thinner borders and then to the surrounding battle. It was the same conflict that tore Flarepaw in two, three different pieces.
If the odds were in her favor, if the world wanted to stop messing with her, then Sagepaw would merely be on his way now and would arrive at the main border.
But more than likely, he was at one of the thinner borders at the moment, fighting against other forces seeking to sneak their way into Blazeclan territory. And knowing her luck… It would not be the same border Ravenflight was currently at right now.
She had three choices now; stay here and defend those she can defend right now, she can go to the left border where Ravenflight was definitely at, or go to the right border where Sagepaw was possibly (most likely) at. Flarepaw growled to herself, stumbling as someone rammed into her from behind and quickly getting her footing to prevent herself from tripping closer and closer to the river.
As good as she was, she'd rather not fight a swarm of Stormclan cats in their own territory. Maybe one or two she'd be comfortable fighting in the river, but when there were so many around? Absolutely not.
She turned to meet Troutstripe's next swipe, desperately ducking to avoid being slammed in the head, and stepping into his reach to dig her fangs into his shoulder. The taste of blood was foul on her tongue now, as faint as she only managed considering he backed away to avoid her tearing at his muscle with her teeth and jaw. A smart choice, but it pushed him into her range now and he backed away even more with a cry of pain as she slashed her claws at his face. Missing his eyes, but still rather painful.
Three choices, three outcomes.
Stay, help Ravenflight, save Sagepaw.
Stay, help, save. Stay, help, save.
Her heart beat to the rhythm of focus, focus, focus; rapid and quick and it was only through careful training and forced levelheadedness that she didn't fall into a panic.
Her eyes took in the surroundings again; to Swiftleaf clearly as conflicted as her, to Sootblaze teaming up with Shadepaw to fend off a Royal, to Whiteshadow putting enough pressure on a Stormclan cat to make them turn tail and retreat. To the blood on the ground, the writhing bodies, the chaos, chaos, chaos. Her body trembled, energized and overwhelmed by the battle around and begging to release some of those nerves on the next opponent.
She looked off to the left. Ravenflight was somewhere there, having been gone since who knows when. Flarepaw didn't know who she faced there or if she was all by herself. (If she was still alive or if they would find her body being swept by the currents.) Help her, help her, help her, her heart ached, singing.
She looked to the right. Sagepaw could be there. Possibly, maybe- most likely. The battle had been going on for long enough that there would be nobody at camp now, all of the clan either here or at one of the borders. If Sagepaw wasn't already here, then he was over there… And if Wildfire wasn't here, then that meant he was over there too. Protect him, you have to protect him, you have to protect him, her mind reasoned, scared of the possibility of losing another brother.
It was tearing her apart and she wished there was a way to split herself into three different beings, one for each. Stay, help, save.
Body, heart, mind.
Which one will you choose?
Which one will you save? Which one will you leave to die?
She wanted to pick all of them. She didn't want any of them to die. Ravenflight or Sagepaw, Ravenflight or Sagepaw, Ravenflight or Sagepaw.
She was taking too long. Tick tock, Flarepaw, tick tock.
Don't keep them waiting.
If you wait too long, the world will choose for you.
Doing nothing is choosing something.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.
Ravenflight or Sagepaw. Ravenflight or Sagepaw. Ravenflight or Sagepaw.
Just once she wanted things to go her way. For everyone to be in one place. But of course, that would have been too easy. Nothing was ever easy with her. Ravenflight. Sagepaw. Ravenflight. Sagepaw. Ravenflight-
Ravenflight.
If Sagepaw was here… he would want her to choose the Commoner. To help everyone else first and save him for last.
She scowled to herself and it turned into a smile. Her brother, the martyr. Always putting everyone before himself.
And in turn, she had to do the same as well. Choosing him would be a selfish choice. She was the only one who wanted him safe. With Ravenflight, she had the others. She had Swiftleaf and Owlpelt and Brightstreak.
The Commoners already lost one of their own. They shouldn't have to lose another because of her selfishness.
(Sagepaw always taught her to be selfless, after all.)
Body, heart, mind.
(She always did follow her heart.)
"Stay here," she said the next time she managed to saddle up beside Swiftleaf, blocking a hit intended for the Commoner and giving the light grey she-cat room to deliver her own strike against a Noble. It surprised the Stormclan cat and she wondered if they noticed by now that she was defending the Low Ranks. She wondered what they would say. (She decided she didn't care.) Silver met conflicted light green and Flarepaw hoped she was as reassuring as she tried to be, "I'll find Ravenflight. I'll send her here or send her to camp. I'll keep her safe. Just please, stay here."
She didn't need anyone else trickling away where Whiteshadow couldn't keep them safe on her behalf.
Swiftleaf, understanding this, gave a nod and though there was no more time to talk- chaos provided little time for conversation- the look she was sent told her everything: I trust you.
She would not squander that trust.
Before she darted off to the left border, her intended target, she paused right beside Emberpaw in the mix. Her friend had many cuts along her body but she hardly seemed bothered by any of them- and she was using Stormclan's own river against them. She had an enemy pinned beneath the water, choking them, and from how the cat was beginning to struggle so desperately, it must have been a while if they were panicking. Still, Emberpaw held on, and though Flarepaw felt bad, there was no room for sympathy.
"Emberpaw," she called to her and Emberpaw turned dark green eyes to her. It sent a shiver down her spine, the intensity within them. Like firelight and burning forests, the chaos of battle was the perfect fuel for her, and never before had she seen Emberpaw look so alive before. Certainly not recently, what with the loss against the rogues.
Emberpaw desperately needed a win and this gave the perfect opportunity.
Her eyes flicked down to the Stormclan cat still struggling in her friend's claws and back again and she wanted to say let them go, don't kill them because Emberpaw sometimes needed a reminder. She had never known the meaning of restraint, certainly not when someone wasn't there to keep her in check. That someone was often Gingerpaw and Gingerpaw wasn't here.
But if the only one who was going to be here to keep the Commoners safe was Whiteshadow… then it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a free Emberpaw as well.
Perhaps it was the only selfish choice she could make, but Flarepaw took the leap.
With a dangerous grin reflected by the blaze in Emberpaw's eyes, she gave permission; "Burn them all."
A code that the Grand Royal apprentices had made together, back when they were still friends steadily becoming rivals. No mercy, it meant, show them what choosing to fight Blazeclan left you with.
Nothing but ash.
Emberpaw registered her words, the firelight gleaming brighter, darker, burning everything in its wake, and the laugh that rang out was one of pure joy. She always did love a good fight.
Flarepaw released a beast of wildfire against Stormclan…
And now, it was time for her to go.
Not watching to see what Emberpaw would do with those orders, Flarepaw turned and made a beeline to the left border, following the river, nearly slipping in the mud. She moved with the fluidity that Stormclan themselves did, ducking and dodging beneath claws and fangs and anger that swam past her vision as she ran. Keep moving, keep breathing.
Rule number one: keep moving.
She did, not allowing anybody who attempted to get in her way to truly stop her. They tried, stars did they try, but she was faster and it helped to picture Willowflame right beside her. Running with her, dodging with her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could almost see her mother there, an outline crafted by the beautiful rays of the sun.
Rule number two: keep breathing.
It was difficult, it always was, but she managed. It came in short bursts, quick exhales that Flarepaw struggled to steady. But she had to, so she did. Her mother breathed with her, and on her other side, Flarepaw could see another outline. The one she never got to meet, the one who she only ever heard about in stories from her mother: Junipercloud. The matriarch who trained Willowflame. They breathed with her, she breathed with them.
Rule number three: do not get hit.
She almost did. Many times. But almost wasn't good enough and there was no pain, no cuts, no bites. No weakness. Each one swept right by her, and though there were moments she could feel the press of claws or teeth against her skin, she never let them break through. Never let them make her bleed.
Junipercloud sped up and Willowflame dodged smoothly and Flarepaw followed both. Dark amber, amber and brown, shaded amber. Dark blue eyes, grey-green, silver. Grandmother, mother, daughter.
Rule number four: never charge into battle without a plan…
She had a plan. Maybe not the best one, but the only one that made sense to her. Help Ravenflight, escort her back to the main area, fight off anyone who tried to stop her. Once this part was done, then she could go and find her brother, but until then, she had to hope that Sagepaw could hold his own. She had faith in him.
There was a good stretch of land where nothing happened. She left the radius of the chaos and now there was a moment of peace. Flarepaw kept going, kept up her speed, kept breathing, breathing, breathing. It almost felt like a race. Against Junipercloud, against Willowflame- against time and faith and chaos.
If circumstances weren't what they were, she might have even enjoyed running with the ghosts.
At last, she picked up on sound up ahead. I'm close. Flarepaw sped up, outrunning the spirits that vanished from her view as she did. (She almost felt sad about it.)
Based on noise level alone, it didn't sound like there was too much fighting going on. Just enough. Just for her to pinpoint Ravenflight's cries over the sound of the river. Faster, faster. You have to help her. Flarepaw had to remind herself to keep breathing, lest she hold her breath in her anticipation.
Running by a wounded Stripetail and Crimsonpaw certainly didn't help matters, and they only had time to give her curious looks before she was speeding by them.
Finally, she arrived.
And immediately kept going directly into the river upon spotting the familiar black pelt of Ravenflight being held beneath the waves, pinned down by one cat while another circled around to keep her trapped.
The one on top of Ravenflight must have been a new apprentice, for Flarepaw did not recognize them, but the one circling them she did. Creekpaw, Noble. The small she-cat's green eyes only had enough time to widen, registering exactly who was charging up to them now, before Flarepaw barreled into her. Perhaps not the cleanest of methods, but it sent the two of them sprawling over the one on Ravenflight, pushing all of them off, so it worked.
She quickly pulled away soon after, submerged for only a moment, not wanting to fight two Stormclan cats beneath the waters. It was hard enough fighting them in the water, she could not allow them to take her underneath. As long as there was land beneath her paws, Flarepaw stood a chance.
She wasn't the strongest of swimmers.
Ravenflight spluttered and coughed, growling weakly with what little air she had, and Flarepaw could hear the second the Commoner realized who exactly saved her. Her growl cut off abruptly and were she to turn to look over her shoulder, she'd see those dark green eyes widen with a second of surprise before narrowing.
The Stormclan cats breached the surface as well, moving over to stand in the water, Creekpaw clearly looking conflicted while the other one didn't realize who she was.
"Flarepaw," Ravenflight said through another cough, the sound of her standing up music to her ears. Good. If she could stand, then that meant she wasn't terribly injured.
If she could stand, she could run.
"Go," Flarepaw didn't offer any other explanation, her tail lashing and giving the best glare she could muster to the Stormclan cats to buy herself some time. Creekpaw leaned over to the other one, whispering to her, and the determination on the other cat's face wavered. She wanted to be smug: there. Now you know who you're messing with. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to send them running. Her ears flattened and she lashed her tail, not hearing Ravenflight running away. "Go, Ravenflight. To camp if you're injured, or to the main border with the others."
"And leave you alone in the river? Stars, you're reckless," Ravenflight growled, clearing her throat, and Flarepaw returned the growl as the Commoner stepped to stand at her side. "Even you know that this is a terrible idea."
It's the only one I have.
There was no time to argue. The Stormclan cats, though frightened, were not about to run away and she counted down the seconds until they charged. No time, no time, no time.
So, she had to use the one thing that would get Ravenflight to leave.
"Swiftleaf needs you."
A choked gasp, she could sense dark green eyes on her face, agitation dripping away like the water rolling off of her pelt still.
"Is she-"
Flarepaw bared her teeth when Creekpaw took a cautious step forward, stressing, "She needs you, so go!"
"I… I can't leave you alone," Ravenflight grumbled and she could already imagine the conflicted look on her face as well. So many conflicted feelings in this battle.
She let out a sharp chuckle, "Careful now, it almost sounds like you care about me."
"Flarepaw-"
"Go. I'll be fine."
This time, Ravenflight listened. The possibility of Swiftleaf being in danger overruled the very clear danger of leaving Flarepaw alone in the river. Flarepaw wasn't hurt by it. The Commoner had to make a choice too.
Looks like Ravenflight followed her heart as well.
The sound of her leaving was drowned out by the sound and sight of the two Stormclan cats charging. One clearly coming to her and Creekpaw seemingly trying to go around her to stop Ravenflight- perhaps assuming she was going to get reinforcements.
Regardless, Flarepaw could not let them stop her.
The water made her movements slower, slower than she would like, but still enough to block a hit from the one she did not know. She batted her paw aside, counting the seconds as Creekpaw ran by her and out of sight, and Flarepaw growled to herself and rammed her shoulder into her opponent's chest, catching her by surprise. Perhaps this new apprentice had been expecting her to run as well. It didn't make her fall, but it did give her space and that was all Flarepaw needed to turn and speed after Creekpaw.
Closer to dry land, better for her. She caught up, thankfully, and latched her claws into the Stormclan cat's haunches, hauling her to a stop and dragging her a step back. Creekpaw yowled, in pain and surprise, and twisted, trying to tear herself free or simply trying to reach for her. Flarepaw let her go, appeased with what she had been aiming for. Just to get all the attention on her, to give Ravenflight the time necessary to escape.
It worked.
Behind her, the other one came charging up behind her, cutting diagonal across the currents, the sound of a leap. Flarepaw took in a deep inhale before throwing herself back, lowering her body and partially submerging, the sensation of the water covering her head leaving behind a cold chill down her spine.
She hated the water.
Drowning was not the way she wanted to go.
Flarepaw pushed herself back up, just in time to jerk away from a flash of claws as the one who leaped for her twisted around, trying to slash at her. She bared her teeth, keeping Creekpaw in her peripherals as the Noble slowly circled to come at a different angle. The new apprentice unleashed on her; surprisingly coordinated for such a young trainee. She'd make a good warrior in the future.
But as of now, Flarepaw was better.
She gave her a taste of what she was renowned for, effortlessly dodging each swipe at the last second, doing the same even as Creekpaw joined the fray from behind her. Flarepaw always positioned herself between them, the side of them, using each other against their own as they stumbled into the other. The new apprentice was quick to grow frustrated, clearly annoyed by not being able to hit her, irritated by no retaliation.
Well, if it was retaliation she wanted…
"Drippingpaw!" Creekpaw called out in alarm as the new apprentice cried sharply, Flarepaw's claws scouring across her shoulder and sweeping an arc of red across the way before backing up. Drippingpaw retreated, grimacing. Her first ever wound. Flarepaw took the time to control her breathing, keeping some semblance of movement by shifting the weight between her legs, wading with the water.
"You're new," she spoke, dark blue eyes lifting to meet silver, and Flarepaw narrowed hers, "And you've seen what I'm capable of. Luckily for you, I've been taught mercy as well- so I am giving you exactly one opportunity to stand down and leave."
Creekpaw looked like she wanted to take it, exceedingly grateful for an excuse to back out of a continuous fight against a Grand Royal apprentice.
But Drippingpaw clearly wanted to prove herself. The new ones always did.
She shook her head harshly, trying to ignore the pain, and began to step forward as though to continue their fight.
Flarepaw prepared herself…
But found it unnecessary.
"Normally I'm not one to say this, but it's probably best if you listen to her," a familiar voice called from across the river, the enemy side. "Stand down before you get yourself killed, minnow."
She knew that voice. She knew that voice rather well.
Damn it.
Her eyes turned, expecting Windpaw-
And absolutely freezing upon seeing not only Windpaw- but Bluepaw and Rainpaw there as well. Three opponents, all on the level of a Grand Royal apprentice. All equal to her.
Windpaw alone would be bad enough, especially in the river, but with the other two…
Her mind, her heart, even her body- they were all telling her one thing: run. Run, run, run!
She didn't know why she remained there, frozen. Even as Drippingpaw and Creekpaw acquiesced, listening to their Grand Royal apprentice, and began making their way over to their side of the river, prepared to retreat back to camp or perhaps go to the main area to keep fighting if they wanted.
Rule number four: never charge into battle without a plan… or you better be damn good at improvisation.
No amount of improvisation, no amount of planning could have predicted this. She should have known. She should have known to expect something horrible to go wrong.
All of her plans always go up in flames (or drown in the depths of the abyss).
The trio stood at the edge of the river, Flarepaw nearly halfway inside of it. She could probably make it to her land before they could reach her, but would she be able to outspeed them all the way to the main border? Windpaw was fast, after all, and with her long legs, she would be able to catch up.
It seemed as though they didn't want to move at all. Conflicted feelings.
The sound of Drippingpaw and Creekpaw running off vanished until only the sound of the trickling water filled the atmosphere, Flarepaw catching her breath and losing her momentum. Keep moving, you're supposed to keep moving. Well, her mind was racing enough to make up for her body's lack of movement.
She didn't know why they were all here instead of the main border. Why Windpaw looked like she would rather be anywhere else but here or why Bluepaw seemed so guilty or why Rainpaw…
Rainpaw was staring at her.
And even with one eye clearly blind, scarred… It was unsettling.
"We don't have to do this," Flarepaw said to all three of them, taking half a step toward dry land, hoping to get away with it. If she had a big enough head-start, then maybe she could outrun them all. (It was funny, beneath her, that she wasn't even considering an altercation right now. Her thoughts only focused on run, run, run.) Another step, but Windpaw took one forward now, a single paw in the water. "I know sorry isn't enough, but I am sorry for your loss. We don't have to do this."
It was funny how her voice wasn't shaking. For the first time in… perhaps a while, when facing an enemy that wasn't Wildfire… Flarepaw felt her first inklings of fear. So cold, so harsh, leaving behind an unpleasant residue as it slid down her throat like poison. She was on the edge of a chasm and she was convinced jumping into a gorge with no end in sight would be less dangerous than facing three Grand Royal leveled cats at once.
Windpaw registered her words, and it was surprising to her to find sympathy in her copper gaze before she blew out a sigh, shaking her head.
She had never seen Windpaw so hesitant for a fight before. It was unnerving.
This was not the Windpaw she thought she knew, and therefore, she had no idea who she was about to face now. Run, run, run! If only she had the time.
"Everyone's your enemy, and everyone's your ally."
She should have known. Windpaw was always going to be her enemy. No amount of bonding could get rid of the generations upon generations upon generations of bad blood between Stormclan and Blazeclan. They were always destined to fight.
They were always destined to kill each other.
"It's nothing personal, spitfire," Windpaw sounded so sad. The nickname made her heart clench, a painful stab, and Flarepaw nearly flinched.
"Don't bite off more than you can chew." Windpaw had told her that once.
Flarepaw should have listened.
Her eyes drifted back to Rainpaw, the love of Windpaw's life. The one she waited so long for to return. The one Flarepaw hurt once upon a time. There was no storm in sight this time. No grand unraveling that threatened to sweep her away.
This was the calmest, most resigned she had ever seen Windpaw be. Even with the promise of revenge.
Her eyes turned back. Windpaw had taken a few more steps in and Flarepaw's chance of escaping was gone. She raised a brow, a slight challenge.
"Isn't it always personal?"
Windpaw paused, her head partially turning in Rainpaw's direction, and she seemed to understand Flarepaw's words. A single, sharp laugh escaped her chest.
Sad. So very sad.
And there were no more words Windpaw would share with her before she was suddenly charging directly at her, no warning or precursor sign before it. It caught Flarepaw by surprise and she cursed to herself.
Body, heart, mind.
She shouldn't have listened to her heart.
…
Stormclan
…
For some reason, the only thing running through Rainpaw's mind was Umbra's song.
But instead of ghost…
Little flame, little flame, where art thou…
Her eyes remained on Flarepaw. Her target. The one she was ordered to kill. The one she didn't want to kill. (The one she wanted to kill? She didn't know, she didn't know.)
Little flame, little flame, I am near~
The only thing separating her and her target was the water. The water that was her home, the water that was her sanctuary, the water that would lead her to victory. It was her salvation, and right now, it would be her end. To willingly give herself to the monster… Cloudstar always asked so much of her.
Little flame, little flame, death is here…
A shiver ran down her spine. Windpaw ran headlong into battle, and though Flarepaw turned tail to run away, it wouldn't save her. These rivers were theirs and the Blazeclan cat was an outsider. It would slow her down and speed them up and that would be her end. Her paws itched, but she found that she couldn't move, couldn't run in to join Windpaw, couldn't breathe and it felt like she was drowning.
Little flame, little flame…
I've found you.
She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to do this! Flarepaw hadn't done anything wrong deserving of death. Yes, there was that one time on the bridge, but Rainpaw hardly cared about that. If anything, she was grateful for it. It meant she didn't have to fight since she was knocked out.
In a twisted way, Flarepaw saved her from falling to the monster earlier because of that.
And now…
Rainpaw closed her eyes and she swore jade green flashed across a tortoiseshell face in the darkness, wicked and glittering with pure joy. She wondered if the monster had grown strong enough to have its own features now. She had expected it to look like her. Not Umbra.
Don't do this, don't do this.
Please, the shadows sang and Rainpaw shook her head, let's do this.
She jumped at the feel of warmth beside her, eyes flying open and turning to face her brother. Bluepaw was frowning at her. Of course, he was. He always looked so sad when he looked at her. Your fault, your fault. It was always her fault.
He seemed like he wanted to say so many things and she held her breath, anticipating each one. A warning, a plea, an I'm sorry, a Don't do this- but all he told her was;
"You know the right thing to do."
No. She didn't. She didn't know, she didn't know!
But he couldn't seem to hear her internal panic as he turned, letting out another small sigh, before charging across the water. Flarepaw hadn't been able to make it to dry land, standing in the shallows. An in-between environment for a fight; just enough land for Blazeclan and just enough water for Stormclan. It was anybody's guess whose favor the tides would turn in… at least, if it was only against Windpaw.
Because with Bluepaw there now, Rainpaw only had enough time to see a flash of something resembling panic in silver eyes before Flarepaw had to split her attention between the two of them. Rainpaw didn't think she had ever seen that kind of expression on her face before. They weren't exactly friends, no, but they weren't strangers either.
Near the beginning of apprenticeship, when the running had just started and there were so many fellow Grand Royal apprentices, Rainpaw had stuck to herself. Mostly. Before finding the mask that would be her salvation, she was timid and afraid and so on-edge all the time.
Flarepaw was the easiest to be around because Flarepaw hardly talked to anyone else at the Gathering. Flamepaw was always the one to talk all the time, she was just his shadow. She seemed to like it there, and Rainpaw would often find herself co-existing in the same space as her. Peaceful, quiet, neither of them sharing a word- but it was nice.
They split apart, nothing ever lasted long, but there was no clear animosity between them.
And now…
Now you have to kill her.
"We don't have to do this," she had said and Rainpaw wished that was true. But they did. They did have to do this.
She had to do this.
Because if she didn't, then Windpaw would. Or Bluepaw. They shouldn't have to dirty their paws just because she's scared to. They shouldn't have to face the weight that came with taking someone else's life; she was already used to that weight on her shoulders.
They shouldn't have to memorize Flarepaw's name just so they could repeat it like a mantra later.
Twist, Amber, Oak.
Rainpaw took in a deep breath, opening her eyes to the scene before her. Windpaw and Bluepaw weren't the best at working together, but they made do- and though Flarepaw was just barely holding her own, she would tire fast. She could see it. How the seconds it took for her to dodge something became longer and longer, how she spent more time trying to make space between them all so she could catch her breath. She only looked for an opening to leave, taking any chance she could, but Windpaw would not let her, always getting in the way and snapping her fangs at her.
Marsh, Dapple, Quill.
She was tearing in two. Rainpaw could feel it. The half that wanted to run the other direction and the half that wanted to run toward the bloodshed with claws extended. The monster and the innocent. Both were yelling; bestial howls for freedom and pure screams of fear. So much noise, so much noise. It was hurting her head. Screaming, screaming-
Windpaw yowled.
It made her flinch, eyes darting up to her beloved, chest aching and claws unsheathing. Bluepaw kept Flarepaw preoccupied while Windpaw stumbled back a step, growling to herself, a gash straight across her chest as though the Blazeclan apprentice had tried to aim for her neck. Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.
They were pushing Flarepaw into a corner and she was starting to retaliate.
Sky, Smoke, Bristle.
Rainpaw's body trembled, and as her paw lifted to take a step, for that first second, she didn't know which direction she was going to go in. Forward, to her death, to the end, to violence. Or away, to freedom, to peace, to cowardice. Selfishness or selflessness.
"Only the strongest can live," she blinked, and Haze was right there beside her, light amber eyes staring off to the battle ahead of her and white-tinged light grey pelt swaying in the gentle breeze. Such a beautiful day for chaos. "Only the selfish can survive."
The selfish choice would be to run. To save herself. Abandon Stormclan and leave everything behind so she wouldn't have to kill anyone. So she could outrun the monster.
But how do you run from your own mind?
Flint, Blink, Leo.
She wanted this to be over. She wanted Cloudstar to change his mind, she wanted him gone. But that wouldn't solve anything. He would be gone and she would still be a monster.
Nothing would change.
Sun, Sora, Umbra.
But if she left, that wouldn't help anything either. Windpaw and Bluepaw would be in trouble then. The Grand Royal would turn his sights to them and she would be nowhere near enough to save them. Would it be too much to ask them to come with her? To abandon everything they've ever worked for, all because she can't bring herself to kill someone not as important as them?
Her gaze shifted back to Flarepaw, some kind of stalemate taking hold. The Blazeclan cat was shivering, perhaps because of the cold from the water on her pelt or the exertion of the fight, Rainpaw couldn't tell her. Her breaths were deep and she was surrounded, Bluepaw on one side and Windpaw on the other, the two of them panting just as heavily as her.
There were wounds on each of them. A gash on her love's chest, a bite to her ear, a scratch to the back of her head as though Flarepaw had tried shoving her face into the river, open cuts along her back. Bluepaw had a terrible bite to one of his legs, keeping most of his weight off of it, a cut to his cheek, a slash across his flank.
And though Flarepaw was one of the greatest at evasion, she was not spared of wounds either.
One or the other had opened one side of the scars on her flank, a bite from a fox if Rainpaw were to guess, and there was a deep cut along her muzzle just below her eye. One of her ears was irritated and red, blood thin and washed away from the water. A patch of fur missing from the middle of her back as though one of them had tried biting her spine.
For half a second, silver met light blue.
Flarepaw.
Her decision was made. Her body moved.
The water was cold beneath her paws as she slunk into the river, something like resignation sparking in Flarepaw's eyes before she turned her focus back to a charging Bluepaw. She looked down at her reflection, throat tightening at the incredibly sad expression on Rainkit's face.
I know, she wanted to say to her, I'm sorry. But I have to do this.
The image morphed with her next step that sent ripples across the currents, a tortoiseshell face with jade green eyes flashing for a second before it settled into her. Just her. Rainpaw the monster.
Hello again, she seemed to say and Rainpaw hated it, It's been a while, hasn't it?
She wished it had been so much longer. A while was nowhere near enough for her to be free of that one.
Let's just get this over with.
Just one more, just one more. All she needed was one more kill and that'll be it!
(Right?)
The distance between them all was much too short, and seemingly within one blink to the next, she was in the thick of it as well. Flarepaw met her gaze for half a second, lips pulling back to bare her fangs, and Rainpaw wanted to apologize to her. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.
But she had to do this.
Focus, focus. Just focus.
Just one more, just one more.
For every step Flarepaw took toward dry land, they somehow managed to push her back two more into the river. It would be a short while before they had the full advantage and Rainpaw felt sorry for her. She was strong and skilled, that was undoubtedly true, but even the strongest and most skilled of the clans couldn't defeat Stormclan in their favored terrain. Certainly not one of their level.
Let the water calm you. When one of them wasn't attacking her, they splashed grand arcs of water directly over to them. Meant to make the opponent panic, to distract them, and it worked. Flarepaw took a hit to the head from Bluepaw, stumbling aside and looking disorientated for a second before she just barely dodged the next hit, growling breathlessly.
Let the water lead you to victory. It lapped at her paws, pulling her along- though she couldn't exactly tell which way either. Away, or closer? Freedom, or violence? Life, or death? She couldn't tell, she couldn't tell.
Rainpaw could feel cuts opening along her body whenever Flarepaw managed to strike at her, whenever she found the time and opportunity to do so. The Blazeclan cat was more on the defense, the escape. She attacked more so to give herself time, to discourage them from coming closer.
It was so hard not to slip then and there, each cut like a slice to the chains carefully keeping the monster in check. And they became weaker… and weaker… and weaker…
Just kill her already- her next hit was done with more force and it aggravated her when Flarepaw ducked out of the way, hardly realizing she had run right into Windpaw's path along the way- it'll be so much better when you do it.
Kill her, kill her, kill her!
Just one more, just one more.
"Just one more," Rainpaw mumbled to herself, winded and quickly growing tired, but she had to do this. Bluepaw glanced at her with a worried eye as Flarepaw somehow managed to free herself from beneath Windpaw's hold, coughing and backing away. "Just one more, just one more."
She ran forward, blocking one hit- but not the other. Every single millimeter of skin that opened along her jaw as Flarepaw's claws raked through there set her nerves on fire, making her slip, slip, slip. She was tumbling over herself, falling, and there was no end in sight to this abyss.
It made her pause, and that was all the opening Flarepaw needed to bat her aside with her other paw. An action so reminiscent to last time, the one that had once saved her from the monster before-
Now threw her directly into its open maw.
She landed beneath the water, stunned for a second, unable to hear or see anything above. She thought she heard Bluepaw or Windpaw call her name, or maybe it was both.
Just one more, just one more, just one more!
Kill her!
She closed her eyes, screamed with all the air in her lungs beneath the water, bubbles rushing to the surface before she gritted her teeth and began swimming up. Up, up, up; down, down, down deeper into the abyss.
They've done it again, but it's fine- just one more, just one more.
I'm sorry, Flarepaw. But you need to be a casualty for my freedom.
Rainpaw breached the surface, breathing in air and it still felt like she was drowning. Let the water lead you to victory. One more kill, one more kill.
"You know the right thing to do."
"Rogue, either do this one thing for me, and I'll consider our deal finished. I won't ask for anything again…"
The right thing. The right thing?
The world didn't care about right or wrong. Morality led to hesitation and hesitation led to death.
In a battle of life and death, right or wrong didn't matter. It only got in the way.
The world taught her that.
So, maybe it was wrong of her to turn her sights upon Flarepaw then, vision tunneling to just her and completely ignoring the other two. She calculated the wounds on her body, the position she was in, just how fatigued she was looking.
Maybe it was wrong to charge forward, to bypass Windpaw and Bluepaw and barrel right into Flarepaw, the momentum of her tackle sending the both of them back, back, back. Down, down, down. The water surrounded them and here, this was her home. Her world. Flarepaw was a stranger who didn't belong and she had to get rid of her.
Silver eyes found her in the darkness of being underwater, and for the first time, she saw genuine fear in them.
And maybe it was wrong to start holding her beneath the water, to dig her claws in and not let her escape back to the surface, back to air, back to life. Maybe it was wrong to start attempting to drown her.
Maybe she made all the wrong choices.
But she made them for Windpaw and Bluepaw, to protect them, so...
Were they really the wrong choices?
…
Tick tock, Flarepaw, tick tock.
Time's up.
…
A/N: Hehe. Let's drag this pain on for just a tad longer, hmm? Let's. I really hope I don't end up going on a hiatus, because I really don't want to leave you with that cliffhanger. But if I do, I hope you eagerly anticipate the next part. Fingers crossed everyone that I don't have to skip another week. Until next time!
…
Question of the Day
(A question from my little cousin :) Miss these rascals.)
What is your favorite color combination/aesthetic?
…
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Thank you and peace out!
~Wolfcreations21