musicamode: Hello, readers! This is my second Warriors fic, so you all know the drill: I do not own any of the characters except for Thorn. She's mine.
Scourge: Of course you don't own any of the characters. If you did, I probably wouldn't have died in Darkest Hour.
musicamode: Yeah, too bad you died. You're so cute!
Scourge: CUTE? I am NOT cute! (snarls and unsheathes those reinforced claws of his)
musicamode: O.o Did I say "cute"? I meant... evil! Yeah! VERY evil! No, don't kill me! X.x
Sandstorm: On with the story!
Thorn sighed and stared up at the cloudy sky. The light from a flickering street lamp reflected in her green eyes and shone on her black and ginger fur. Three days had passed since Scourge had led his warriors into the forest.
Flashback
"Thorn, I want you to stay here."
"I'm not staying, Scourge. I'm coming with you."
"Please, Thorn. You're close to kitting. If you were to come with me, the kits may not be able to take the stress. You may not be able to take it."
Thorn sighed, then looked into the black cat's ice-blue eyes.
"I will stay." She whispered.
Scourge relaxed a little and pressed himself to her flank. She licked his shoulder in return.
"Just make sure you come back safe." Thorn whispered.
"As soon as those cats are driven from the forest, I will." He promised.
End Flashback
Thorn's ears pricked up and she nosed the air: They were back. Heart pounding, she raced to meet the returning warriors. She was surprised to see a group of crestfallen, lost-looking cats. It started to rain as Thorn ran over to her brother, a dark brown tom named Shard.
"Hey, Shard, where's Scourge?"
The large tom looked at her with dull yellow eyes.
"He's dead."
Thorn blinked.
"What?" she asked.
"Scourge's dead." Shard repeated.
Thorn glared at him.
"This isn't funny, Shard! Now, where—"
"Scourge… is… dead, Thorn!" the tom almost yowled.
The she-cat's eyes widened as she realized that this wasn't some kind of joke.
"D-dead?" she mewed.
"I said it three times, didn't I?"
"He… No! He can't be dead!"
As if on cue, lightning flashed overhead, followed by a clap of thunder.
"Thorn – " Shard began.
"NO!" she yowled.
The tortoiseshell spun around and tore out of the alley. Shard gave chase, but he soon lost sight and scent of her in the icy rain.
"THORN, COME BACK!" he yowled.
But Thorn didn't hear him. All she heard was the blood roaring in her ears and the thud of her paws on the cold ground as they carried her towards the forest.
Firestar: Yes, musicamode knows it's short, so lay off!
Sandstorm: Ummm... I didn't know Scourge could purr. What'd you do to him?
musicamode: Gave him some catnip. Stuff works wonders, doesn't it? ;)
Thorn: By the way, there's a link to a picture of what I look like is on musicamode's ID page thingy. I don't know what they're called...
Ghost of Bluestar: Review, ya mouse-brained Twolegs!