Chapter Twenty-nine: Sun-drown
"You're our father!" The little kit mewed. "Why did you steal us?"'
"You're much too young to know why," Robinpelt snarled, glaring at the three tiny figures at his paws. For a moment, guilt flashed through his amber eyes, but it was soon replaced by that overwhelming hate when he saw those features of the tom that truly fathered them.
"Robinpelt," Came a cautious voice. "Is this really neccesary?"
Dottedtail, a black and white spotted she-cat padded up, her yellow eyes on the kits. She had been a bit less eager to do this than Rainwhisker and Shalefoot.
"Yes," The tom's tail was lashing from side to side. "It's the ultimate punishment for Dreamcloud and Windstar."
"Who's Windstar?" Rockkit asked curiously.
"Shush!" Dottedtail said sharply, then turned back to her leader. "I don't like their mother one bit, trust me." Jealousy was obvious there. "But, the kits did nothing-"'
"Are you in or out?" Robinpelt hissed. "You know what happens if you're out."
Dottedtail looked at her paws. "I'm in," She whispered.
"Right," Robinpelt was pleased. He turned back to the kits, and leaned down close to them.
"Please," Birdkit murmured. "Just let us-"
Robinpelt snarled, and shoved her with one paw. The pale kit went tumbling to the side, her milky eyes wide.
"Don't touch my sister!" Scarletkit hissed, slashing out with her claws, reaching Robinpelt's nose. Little scratch marks covered it.
"You little..." He growled, then called, "Rainwhisker!"
The gray tom padded into view. "Yes, Robinpelt?"
His leader flicked his tail to the flame-colored kit.
"Take care of her."
Rainwhisker picked up the struggling she-kit. "Trust me. She will be."
xxx
"So what about Ashfur?" Calicofur asked, panting as she ran alongside Spiderleg. "Why was he following Robinpelt?"
"I'm not sure..." Spiderleg meowed. "But I think that Robinpelt threatened to kill Ferncloud." Worry flashed through his eyes. "I still can't believe that piece of crowfood is my kin."
"What would you have done?"
The tom was silent for a moment, besides his labored breaths going in and out. In comforted Calicofur, in a strange way.
"I would have told Firestar," Spiderleg finally answered. "There's no way that Robinpelt could get to my mother with Dustpelt, Birchpelt, and I ready to defend her. And she's a warrior too."
He seemed so wise. Like he always knew what to say. Maybe that's why Calicofur was so in love with him...
Suddenly, a scene flashed before Calicofur's eyes, and she skidded to a halt.
A noiseless wail came from the cat's open jaws as it plummetted towards the lake. Two others stared in horror at the falling figure, and one called desperately, but it was too late... nothing could help the poor cat now.
Calicofur's eyes widened.
"What's wrong?" Spiderleg asked, nudging her gently. Her whole entire body trembled; she knew that cat.
"StarClan, no," The medicine cat whispered, and ran ahead.
xxx
Swift stood straight up, waiting for the right moment to go into battle. Luka and Timber were nearby, and Blizzard was at her side.
"I don't want you fighting, Swift," He murmured in her ear. She gave the creamy wolf an affectionate lick.
"I'll be fine."
"You're carrying pups! Our pups!"
"He's right, you know," Timber said gently. "I fought while I was early on in my first litter, and two pups were stillborn."
Blizzard shot his mate a 'told you' look. Swift licked her chest fur nervously. She didn't want to lose any pups, but at the same time, didn't want to let Windstar, her best friend, get killed in a fight.
"Luka and I will still help," Blizzard assure her. "They're cats. We won't have any problems with one or two."
"Fine," Swift finally whispered. "I'll stay back." She met Blizzard's eyes. "Just... Windstar will do anything for his mate and kits. Help him. I don't want a friend to die."
Blizzard gave her muzzle a lick. "I promise I won't."
xxx
"One of us could die in this battle," Windstar murmured, meeting Dreamcloud's eyes. He could see, off in the distance, the other two pairs, Blizzard and Swift and Luka and Timber, sharing quick moments.
"You won't," Dreamcloud said firmly. "You have nine lives."
"I could easily lose all nine at once, like Tigerstar," He reminded her. "And my father still had five when... when we killed him."
"That won't happen," Dreamcloud whispered. But her haunting dream echoed in her mind. The final moment, the moment where that cat had pounced on Windstar...
What would I do without you? she thought, looking into his eyes. She and Windstar had been through a lot. When he had been framed for murdering Leopardstar, when they had faced Blackstar...
"All I care about right now is you and the kits," Dreamcloud declared, placing her head on his shoulder. Windstar licked her forehead.
"And vice versa."
A soft, gentle voice made them both raise their heads at the same time.
"Sun and Snow are united. But prevailing is a difficult task, and sun-drown is very possible."
At the last moment, they both saw Spottedleaf, slowly fading away, as if she hadn't been there in the first place.
"Sun-drown?" Windstar muttered, then turned his head sharply to his mate. "You aren't going into this battle!"
"Yes, I am," Dreamcloud said fiercely. "They're my kits as much as yours. I am their mother. Do you understand that?"
There was a moment of silence, and finally, Windstar bowed his head in defeat. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop her. "Yes."
But if it came down to it...
His life would be the one taken.
xxx
Robinpelt yawned, showing rows of white teeth, as Rainwhisker walked out from a deeper cave in the ledge.
"Well?" He asked. The gray tom bowed his head.
"It's taken care of."
Dottedtail, who had been guarding the two remaining kits, looked up sharply, uneasy. Shalefoot, a mud-colored tom, bounded into view.
"I spotted Ashfur, the one who failed," He reported. Robinpelt casually placed his head on his paws, not really caring.
"And?"
"He's dead now."
A sudden mew came from the kits. "Where's Scarletkit?" Birdkit asked in her high little voice.
"You won't be seeing your pesky sister again," Robinpelt said. "I guess I'll just have to tell your mother that Windstar took you out here and killed her. Of course, I saw him just as he was about to murder another one of you, so I saved the day, sadly having to destroy him in the process."
"Who's Windstar?" Rockkit asked.
For some reason, Robinpelt decided it was better not to say. Once he convinced Brambleclaw to step down as deputy, once Firestar was dead and he was the great Robinstar... then he would tell them. Then he could truly gloat.
"The ShadowClan leader," Was all he said to those vile little creatures. Their faces were distraught over their dead sister...
A sudden voice came from across the ledge, at the entrance.
"Robinpelt. What a surprise."
xxx
Blizzard and Luka stood at what had been, a moment ago, their way to get to the ledge. They had helped Dreamcloud and Windstar track Robinpelt's scent here, but now they were trapped, since a huge log on the top had rolled down, blocking them.
"StarClan..."
Both wolves turned to find a black tom with a brown underbelly, and a calico she-cat with sky blue eyes, staring in shock.
"What happened?" Calicofur whispered.
"We tried to get up to the ledge to help Dreamcloud and Windstar," Blizzard sighed. "But this log's blocking us off!"
Spiderleg gave the area a quick inspection, then sighed. "I don't know what to say."
"Warn your leader," Blizzard decided. "Tell him you have a mangy coyote in your home, and send in backup. Luka and I will find a way in."
Though they had no idea what a 'coyote' was, both cats, darted off, hoping they would be in time...
xxx
Dreamcloud and Windstar stood side by side. Windstar's snowy pelt was bristling, making him look even larger than usual, and Dreamcloud's ginger coat shone like the sun. Her amber eyes lit up.
"My kits! Birdkit, Rockkit-wait? Where's Scarletkit?"
"Mother!" Both kits chorused, but were cuffed by Dottedtail. Dreamcloud's eyes filled with rage.
"Don't... touch... my... kits!"
Claws extended, jaws open in a full battle cry, she attacked the she-cat, slashing into her spotted pelt. Dottedtail gave a yowl of pain, and tried fighting back, but was being given a harsh beating from the queen. Windstar simply watched with cold eyes; Dreamcloud wanted to handle this on her own. Finally, panting, but with barely any wounds on her, the queen stepped back from the traitor, then towards her kits.
"Oh, are you all right?" She asked. "Scarletkit...?"
"Rainwhisker took her away.." Birdkit's voice was trembling.
Both Windstar and Dreamcloud stiffened. Both turned heads and met eyes. Both had looks of horror and utter sadness on their faces.
And both attacked Robinpelt at the same time.
"Traitor!" Dreamcloud screeched, ripping her claws into his neck.
"Now you'll see what pain really is!" Windstar yowled, slashing the tom's face. Dottedtail, Rainwhisker, and Shalefoot hissed and plunged into the battle to help their leader, but the other two cats' fury and grief seemed too strong. Long gouges ran across their sides, and the kits crouched as blood splattered their soft pelts.
Somewhere in that battle, when Windstar and Dreamcloud were battling Dottedtail, Rainwhisker, and Shalefoot at the same time, Robinpelt slipped off. Towards the kits.
"What a waste..."
The menacing growl made the battling cats all turn their heads at once. There stood Robinpelt, holding a frightened Rockkit over the lake.
"Don't!" Dreamcloud cried, racing towards him. She snatched her kit from his jaws, flung the little creature to safety, and...
Slipped.
Her claws scratched at the edge, and Robinpelt just stared in shock.
"Dreamcloud!"
Windstar raced toward his mate, but just as he reached her...
The sun colored she-cat looked at the snowy white tom one last time.
"I love you," She whispered.
And her claws slipped from the edge, sending her plunging into the lake. No cat could have survived it.
"NO!" Windstar yowled, scrambling, but it was too late. He could only stare as she fell to her death. He uttered one thing:
"Sun-drown."
xxx
Aw, great. I just killed off one of my main characters... (cries) Anyway, news:
I just posted a new fic, 'Half Moon', a tagteam with the lovely Blazeheart.
Find Rainpath, a fic author, go to her forums. She has this fic coming out where authors post their characters and she incorporates them into the story! It ROCKS! I'm Moonstar and Burningpaw! (skips)
Rainpath: If u for some reason are reading this... TOLDJA I'D ADVERTISE!