Chapter 12
FearClan/Willow
The aftermath of the fox attack was the worst Willow had ever seen in his short five moons of life. Even worse then the time he had woken up and saw his bleeding mother before her death. The rogues worked hard to repair the damages while Hawk advised him over the proceedings before him. Even his siblings were helping by kicking soil over the spatters of blood. All while he sat there, doing nothing.
When the had left camp to do hunting, Hawk was doing well despite her wandering thoughts. All the while, he struggled to capture prey. They were scrawny and fast while the river was ice-cold, even for the fish that swam near their paws. Luckily, he found them much easier to capture than land-dwelling prey. The slightest flicker of silver scales and he would launch himself at it with a swift paw. Scooping them out and slamming them on the bank of the river. Then he would snap their neck with his powerful jaws, feeling like a proper hunter.
He looked to Hawk who stared at the river with a blank expression. She hadn't spoken much other than to do her duty. He wondered if something was on her mind. Slowly, he approached her with the fish he caught. His amber eyes blinking up at her innocently as he sat beside her, earning her attention. Her pale green eyes brightening up the moment she saw him.
"That is a fine catch you have there, Willow." she praised him.
Willow blinked warmly. "Thanks. What have you caught so far?"
"A mouse and a shrew." she replied, looking back to the river.
Placing his prey beside her's, he found his courage. "Is something on your mind?"
"How perceptive of you," she praised softly. "I am worried that the foxes might have gone to BushClan and went after them and they couldn't fend them off. I am also worried on how Lion is fairing in Twoleg Place."
"Aren't your loyalties here, though?" Willow prompted, remembering one of the lessons she had given him. She claimed that loyalty was important, to know who you are fighting for and why. Something he desperately wanted to understand so he could be a good leader.
"They are, but worries can be placed on anyone and anything. I was mentored in the art of healing from Poppyclaw of BushClan. So I have loyalties in being a medicine cat. However, here I cannot be as such, so I must have loyalty to you, Willow, as my duty."
He blinked up at her in confusion. "Why only have loyalty to me?"
"You are my reason for being alive." she answered him. "If you die, they will kill me as well. I have no reason to be loyal to FearClan. However, perhaps you will give me that reason the more I raise you to be a compassionate leader so you are respected and not feared."
"I see." he murmured, touching his tail to her shoulder. "I appreciate your loyalty to me. I promise to try and grow up as fast as I can for you."
"Sweet flower," Hawk purred warmly. "You are already more like an adult then your siblings."
"Only because you have taught me so well." he purred back, nudging her. "Shall we try another part of the river for fishing?"
"Of course, follow me." she turned and picked up her catches, waiting for him to do the same before leading the way. "We'll have to be fast."
"I know." he mumbled around his fish, following his advisor with swift paws.
In the back of his mind, he wondered who was going to teach his surviving siblings how to hunt for themselves. After all, there was plenty they could still learn, especially in fighting. Yet, his concerns slowly drained him. They needed a proper teacher, not a Kit-Watcher. Twitching his ears, he knew what must be done.
He took his place by the river and prepared to hunt up more fish. A minnow or a chub would be a good addition to his catch for far. His mind wandered briefly to the things Hawk told him about the Clan-cats. They have larger numbers and strong fighters. Perhaps, even if they are a mock-Clan, they could use one of their traditions. The one where kits are mentored by a single cat. That way they had less competition for praise and hone their skills.
He had to make the suggestion before Heather appointed a new Kit-Watcher. After all, they had to be given proper training to match up to BushClan. A flash of silver caught his attention, blinking he saw a minnow riding against the current easily, unaware of his presence as it swam idly. As fast as lightning, he scooped it out of the water, it's body wriggling in his claws as he slammed it into the bank. Stunned, it fell still long enough for him to bend down and dispatch it with a satisfying crunch.
"I think this is the most we can get out of leafbare." Hawk murmured, looking over the river.
"Is something wrong?" he inquired, looking over the river.
"The river should be teeming with fish, there is no ice forming on it just yet and it's the thick of leafbare." she fretted, pale green eyes searching the depths before her. "It's an omen, I am sure. One that doesn't sit well with me."
"Even if FearClan doesn't believe in StarClan, you can still get omens?"
"I was welcomed into StarClan before I came here." she whispered. "They want me to protect you and I will. Even if it costs my life. To Heather you are just Cedar's kit, but to StarClan, you are to be of something much better than Heather could ever be."
"Then perhaps, it's time I stopped being a kit." he mewed, snatching up his prey. "Let's go. I have to discuss something with Heather."
"What is it about?"
"Giving my siblings proper mentors to finish their training for FearClan." he answered.
"You can't, then she will know I have been telling you about that kind of stuff!"
"Hawk, I have to. They need be treated like they are special to have praise they earned on their own. They needed to feel important. This will do it. I thought long and hard all morning and that is my conclusion. I am her deputy in Clan-terms. I must make this suggestion if it brings peace and even helps advise them into proper cats loyal to FearClan above all else."
Hawk blinked, shaking her head. "I can't stop you, but please word it carefully. If she suspects I have taught you Clan-life I won't be an advisor anymore."
"You're my advisor and your stories intrigue me and made me consider better possibilities for my siblings. Their five moons old now. They deserve to be treated like adult-cats like I have been. I know they can become much stronger if we do it. It's just a matter of Heather understanding that." Willow sniffed, padding back to camp.
He was confident it would work, but it was up to Heather as he couldn't make that decision for her. If his siblings got treated properly then perhaps the jealousy Juniper had inside him would settle down. After all, he had to be careful or Heather would accuse him of being hare-brained enough to believe in Clan-cat stuff. He padded into the camp first, spotting his father sitting at the dwindling fresh-kill pile.
"So the mighty hunter has returned." Shadow purred, his pale green eyes trained on him. "Did you catch four pieces of prey?"
Willow put his fish down, shaking his head. "No, I only caught the fish. Hawk caught those ones."
"You don't have to lie for her." his father growled coldly.
"Since when have I ever lied for her?" he shot back, his tail twitching. "Please, tell me, Shadow when have I told a lie for my own advisor?"
The black tabby tom flinched, his green eyes flashing in shock. He may be his father, but he had began calling him by his name to remind him of how little influence he had on his life. All he was, was Shadow, not his father. Even if, in his heart, he was still his father and hoped he could change to be a better cat.
Without another word Shadow sat at the head of the pile, sulking even as Hawk respectfully placed her prey upon it and walked with Willow towards Heather's position. Pounce was with her, keeping an eye on Timber who was a Kit-Watcher from now on it seemed. They were his siblings and it felt unfair to have Timber watch over them when they needed every paw they can get.
Timber glanced over. "Oh, Willow, so nice of you to return. How about you join us for a training session?"
"No thanks." he mewed flatly. "I have something in mind to suggest to Heather." Timber blinked, her brown eyes puzzled and even a little hurt. He didn't have time to dwell on it as he climbed up the root in skilled bounds. The creamy brown she-cat sat calmly, her honey-colored eyes unfocused as she was lost in thought, her claws digging into the bark of the root. "Heather?" he called.
The rogue leader snapped out of her thoughts, glancing at him. "Willow, what brings you to me on such an occasion?"
"I was doing some thinking on how to bring more prey into pile." he told her, sitting beside her. "It's only a suggestion and you don't have to act on it."
"What is it?" she prompted, sounding rather interested.
Willow steadied himself, locking his eyes onto her nose to focus. "I was thinking we let my siblings train similar to how Clan-cat's do. One cat per kit. This way we can double the amount of prey per cat."
"Did Hawk tell you that?" her gaze grew cold.
He shook his head. "Of course not. I was only thinking about it because I don't want my siblings to feel like stale prey: unwanted. I only heard about it through the other cats when I'm eating. Since I'm doing well with Hawk as my advisor, it would be best to try and see if it improves their skills so we can be deadly from youngest to oldest."
Heather hesitated, her eyes searching his for something he could not name. Her silence scared him, especially the way she flexed her claws into the bark with a loud scrape. Her tail flicked as she looked to the clearing once again. At last she spoke. "I will discuss it with your father and Timber. If we decide it's unnecessary I will let you know."
Willow dipped his head. "Of course, you are the leader. Your word is final and I will understand whatever choice you make."
She blinked coolly at him. "Thank you. You may go and join your siblings while I send Reed to watch over the pile."
"Very well."
"Hawk is to watch over you and the kits until we finish our meeting." she added in sharply.
"I will tell her your orders." he promised, bounding down the gnarled root to go and fetch Hawk.
As he padded he knew he had put it out there and there was no chance it was going to end well. After all, how important was him being the first born kit if Hawk was suspecting to have taught him about Clan-life? He was curious and he let her be curious. He swallowed dryly. Perhaps, he was too eager, too young, to understand the ways of FearClan.
As he padded, paw-steps followed him closely. He began to turn when he saw his brother, Juniper. Anger glittered in his green eyes as he pounced upon him. With a shriek of pain, he felt claws dig deep into his long fur. He struggled against him, kicking as hard as he could, but trying to not hurt Juniper. His eyes were cold as he hissed in his face. "Is that the best you can do, to-be leader?"
"Juniper stop!" Heather screeched in horror.
Willow felt claws rake through his pelt, scrabbling against his belly with pain that felt like fire. With a yowl of pain, he kicked harder, knocking his brother off him as he scrambled to his paws. He barely found his footing when a blur of black tabby fur slammed into him once more. Claws slashing wildly, blood splattering onto the earth.
"You think you are so great! Well I'm tired of you, if you won't fight me then I will have to kill you!" he snarled wildly, jaws dripping with slaver as he lunged to bite.
Heather was faster though, she latched onto his scruff and yanked him back roughly. Juniper let out a wail of pain, his green eyes glittering with malice as he clawed even at Heather. She hung on tight as he writhed until the unthinkable happened. Blood spurted forth as a scream of pain echoed through the clearing. Juniper froze, his mad-attack over as his fury ebbed away into absolute horror.
Willow stared as Heather backed away wildly, blood covering her eyes, covering the gashes she now had. He stared hollowly as Juniper backed away. On the sidelines their father watched with awe while Hawk rushed over to try and calm their leader down. He had to help, he knew he had to, but he felt he couldn't. Especially as Heather blindly lashed out at Hawk, slicing her chest with unsheathed claws.
"My eyes!" she screeched at the top of her voice. "Someone catch that fox-heart!"
Juniper trembled, looking to Willow for help. Willow shook his head, dripping with blood. There was no helping his brother. He had made his choice, even though he was wild with rage, there was nothing he could do. His amber eyes darkened as he stepped back.
"Wi-Willow, please. Brother..." he whimpered.
"There is nothing I can do for you." he mewed, "You did this, now you must pay the price."
Pounce stepped forward. "For attacking the future leader and our current, you must be punished."
"Don't!" Shadow started to move forward, only to be stopped by Timber and Reed.
"It has to be done." Timber mewed.
Reed yowled loudly. "Kill the traitor! Punish them all!"
"No! Juniper!" Shadow screeched, his pale green eyes wild in panic as he tried to push through.
Pounce leaped forward, his brown eyes cold as he approached the offender. "Juniper, did you, or did you not attack Willow?"
Juniper didn't answer, he just stared at Willow who can only stare back.
"Answer me!" He snarled, slashing the kit harshly.
With a squeal, he answered. "I did! I don't know why, but I did!"
"LIES!" Pounce hissed, pouncing on him and biting him savagely, gnawing on his back leg with powerful jaws.
"It's the truth!" he wailed.
However, it was too late. Hawk managed to find that Heather still had one good eye. She was clawed, but she wasn't done. Without warning, with reckless abandon, Heather shoved Pounce away and clamped her teeth around Juniper's neck. She swung him around las though she were a dog or even one of those vile foxes. Willow backed away, amber eyes wide in horror.
She let go, teeth stained red as she snarled. "Let that be a lesson for your insolence! Pounce, you will teach this traitor and punish him when he steps out of line."
"Teach? That is not our way!" Pounce argued.
"I am leader and that rat attacked me! You will punish him until he is thirteen moons of age or until he dies." she hissed. "That is an order, not a request!"
Pounce winced, ears flattening as he nodded. "Very well, Heather. I will teach this hairball how to be a proper cat."
"You can start now." she growled.
Hawk looked at the kit, but didn't dare to go near. Willow didn't blame her. Heather was still furious even with one eye having been clawed by filthy kit-claws. Swallowing, he watched as Heather swing her head around, her pretty face marred by blood.
"Reed, you will teach Nettle to make sure she doesn't follow in her traitorous brother's paw-steps."
"Very well." Reed grumbled, moving forward and giving the she-cat a hard look. "Come, we have patrolling to do."
"But I didn't do anything!" she mewed indigently.
"I don't care, you will pay for your brother's crimes if you don't obey." he snarled.
Sorrowfully, Nettle nodded, trudging after her new teacher. Quickly, Heather turned to Ant, her single honey-colored eye staring with malice. "And you will have to handle me, you wretched kit!"
"Timber can teach me." Ant protested.
"No she can't. She can only watch over you as you sleep. Anything else and I will banish her and you worthless lot!"
Willow looked to his paws, trembling. This was what he had wanted, but it didn't go as he had wished it to. This was a big step forward, even if it was done in malice. He had to hope that somehow, his siblings would be alright under this new action. He wished Berry and the rest were back. They would have saved Ant from being taken by Heather, that much he was positive of.
Author Note:
Drama back in FearClan!
Will Willow be able to mend ties with his littermates or will something worse happen?
Thanks for reading! - NightSky
