November writing challenge

Prompts: guilt, battle, sunset, first snow

huzzah! tis is the november writing challenge for fallenclan! it can be read alone tho

i am quite proud of this ngl, i loved writing it anyways

maybe I'll get back and edit to explain some relations, but maybe not

have fun reading and prepare to get sad:))

Cold of the battle

There was a cat walking along the small creek. His long, ginger-brown tabby fur was muddy on its ends, and the tom was littered in scars, one of his ears torn. He was bulky and tall, although he stalked through the icy bushes and grass with a grace and carefulness that was admirable.

The tom sat down at a seemingly random spot and stared out to the low hanging sun. He was lost in thought, not paying attention to anything around him.

He was listening though, which showed at the way his ears turned when a rustling and creaking behind him was heard. The tom sniffed quietly and then smiled and nodded.

"Zerb." The shadow behind him meowed and nodded at the just arrived tom. Zerb turned around and blinked friendly at the she-cat in the shadows. "Nightsoul. It is good to hear you again. I wish that I could say see, but I'm afraid you are hidden. Why don't you step out into the sun?"

Nightsoul snarled but obeyed, and a small, beautiful she-cat stomped out and sat down next to Zerb.

Zerb nodded, pleased, and turned to the now slowly setting sun, "You are easy to anger these days, I see. Let's hope the others will arrive soon."

Nightsoul sniffed but didn't argue. Zerb looked at her, frowning slightly. It wasn't like she-cat to just accept other cat's opinions. The tom shrugged it off. Maybe she actually got better from the last time they saw each other.

The two cats sat in silence for some time, the sun's light turning red slowly. Zerb, who's paws seemed to freeze onto the ground, got up and stretched. "I wonder what's taking them so long."

Nightsoul stiffened, "Who knows. Antstep usually is late. Maybe he found a new leaf."

Zerb eyed her, his amber eyes shining. Nightsoul didn't notice and continued disdainfully, "He's probably travelling with Mudmoss again, the fools." her voice suddenly grew more threatening. "They should know by now that nothing here is safe."

"Nightsoul." Zerb meowed calmly, although he suddenly felt very cold. And not only because of the low temperature.

Nightsoul turned towards him, her face expressionless, but as Zerb looked closer, there was mad glint in her eyes. Zerb opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by hurried paw steps. The two cats turned their heads to an arriving Mudmoss. He looked haunted, almost terrified, when he panted, completely out of breath, "I- it's SandClan!", eyes so wide Zerb could see the white in it, and there were a few scratches on his side. Zerb shot up from where he had been sitting and ran towards the tom. Mudmoss scrambled away from him slightly, backwards, gasping, "There's no time! We have to go help, now!"

Zerb placed his tail tip on Mudmoss' shoulder, trying to calm him down. "What is it? What's happening?"

Mudmoss didn't seem to be able to calm down as he shook his head and meowed helplessly, "SandClan! Th- they're under attack! From the Family!" he suddenly realised something, turned to Nightsoul and glared, "You! Did you know about this?!"

Nightsoul shrugged, not bothered, which only led to a more aggressive Mudmoss. Zerb, filled with exasperation, placed himself between the two cats, and meowed, "If you want to fight, fight with the Family and SandClan. There is no need to start more wars among ourselves. Let's go, who knows what has happened by now." Mudmoss nodded hastily and already scrambled to the leave, not caring to look back at the two cats he left behind. Zerb followed the young, what his group called "warrior", but not before staring at the black she-cat, who was still simply sitting there, licking her paw. When she felt his stare, she sighed and got up, rolling her eyes.

The three cats were running towards SandClan camp, the echoes of battle already able to hear from further away. Mudmoss sped up, so did Zerb, and Nightsoul hissed at them from behind, "You know on what side I'll fight."

Zerb sputtered to a halt, ignoring the she-cat shoving past him roughly and a terrified Mudmoss breaking into SandClan camp, already yelling, "Antstep! Antstep, where are you?"

Zerb stood in front of the Clan's camp, not sure what he should do. He didn't know who to fight for. Or even if he should fight. He was getting old- soon the rest of his camp would have to start hunting for him, as much as he hated to admit it. And he had no idea what happened here- did the Family attack? That was more likely, especially because they were at SandClan camp. But what did SandClan do to provoke the Family? Zerb didn't know, and he felt awful. He shook his head, trying his best to drown the sounds of cries and hisses, of claws being unsheathed and burying into flesh, of fur and blood flying around, probably making it impossible for SandClan to clean up afterwards.

The cold breeze that had started setting in didn't cool his nerves. The night of the ambassador meeting was known and almost celebrated to be peaceful- only for some group to mess it up. Never, in all the years of living that he had gone through, had Zerb experienced this.

And he was so unsure of what to do.

Guilt flooded his senses and he turned around, casting one last glance at the stony entrance to SandClan's camp.

Mudmoss ran around the other Clan's camp, looking for cats he could drive out, but also for a certain small, black tom with tiny, white paws, blood rushing in his ears.

A light ginger she-cat shoved her way into his face, baring her teeth at him. Mudmoss resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't need any new opponents, he needed to find this stupid medicine cat that keeps getting himself into trouble.

Without thinking much more, Mudmoss charged at the she-cat delivering a not-so-well-aimed blow at her shoulder, which left her spitting and out of balance. The warrior himself could have avoided that hit easily, he was a warrior, after all. Mudmoss sometimes wondered what it was like not living in a Clan, but right now he was really grateful for his apprentice-hood and his mentor.

Before the she-cat knew what was happening, Mudmoss was already out of her sight and scratching her back, not even registering her yowling and how she sped out of the camp. He watched, emotionless, as another cat cried "Cricket!" in surprise and ran after the ginger she-cat.

A growling behind Mudmoss made him turn around, and he found himself face to face with Moonshade, Antstep's sister, a fearsome warrior usually, but right now a pregnant queen. Mudmoss' eyes widened when he realised she didn't recognise him, and he quickly spluttered, "Moonshade, it's me! Mudmoss! I'm on your side!"

The clouded rage inside Moonshade's eyes vanished and she shook her head, stumbling slightly, and meowed, "Mudmoss? Why are you here?"

"It's ambassador meeting tonight! Well... it was..." Mudmoss trailed off but then collected himself, "That doesn't matter right now! Go back into the nursery, I'll gather the elders and kits and-" he gulped, "Antstep, and we'll protect you! You shouldn't be out here!"

Moonshade looked like she wanted to argue for a second, but then turned around and reluctantly stumbled back into the nursery, calling something to a bunch of elders next to the nursery.
Mudmoss stopped watching them and looked around, searching for Blizzardstar or Dawnrise, the deputy, to see how they were doing and maybe get a look over the situation. He saw Fallfeather and Eggpatch drive out a tom from the Family, Nettleface help the elders into the nursery, having listened to Moonshade, Beetlewing and his apprentice Rootpaw fight off three cats from the Family, and Sparkstorm aiding to their help, and only then did Mudmoss notice that he knew this Clan far too well.

Shaking off that thought he rounded to another cat, not one from SandClan, but one from the Family, that he actually knew- Apple. Apple hissed at him, her tortoiseshell fur on its ends. She was twice as big as Mudmoss, and the warrior gulped. He wasn't sure if he could handle Apple, she was known to be the most frightening and strong cats in the Family.

Apple didn't let him finish thinking, she charged forward without any tactics and strategies, that much was clear. Mudmoss, who didn't have the time to finish pondering about what tactic to use, tried to jump away to the side, but was pulled back by her massive paw, her claws unsheathed. Mudmoss hissed in pain and wound himself out of her grasp, the scratches on his back burning, and bit into Apple's front leg, not letting go. He heard her yowl and remembered smugly how his mentor used to say his name was going to be "Mudbite" because of how sharp his teeth were.

After the first bit of resistance Apple changed her method and simply rolled over, causing Mudmoss to almost break her leg. He grunted in surprise and moved away from under her deadly paws, trying to find a new spot to attack her, ignoring the searing heat he felt in his wound. The heat that now also overtook his head and almost made him go mad.

All he had wanted was a peaceful ambassador night and a walk with Antstep, the only time they were legally allowed to be together (Not that anyone ever cared for that law).Seems like he didn't get that wish tonight.

Apple, whose front leg looked bad, spat at him and attacked again. She, quite literally, threw herself on top of him and placed her paw over his throat. The warrior's vision filled with tiny black, dancing spots, and he gasped out a strangled sound, his brain lacking the oxygen to process what exactly was happening. He wrangled and struggled, trying to get out of the deadly grip, with little to no success.

What had he gotten himself into?

Zerb saw Mudmoss beneath the biggest cat he had ever seen, even taller than him, and his brain was faster than his body. Without really thinking, he tackled the huge she-cat off of Mudmoss and watched the "warrior" take a deep breath, gasping for air. Satisfied with his work, Zerb turned towards the massive she-cat. She stood on three legs, her fourth one looking bloody and somewhat really hurt, and shortly wondered who that had been, before she attacked.

He really wasn't in a fighting shape, Zerb thought when he growled at his freshly torn ear and ignored the stinging of it. He straightened to his full height and swished his paw at the she-cat, getting unexpected help from Mudmoss, who was back on his feet, blinking rapidly.

The she-cat, who hadn't expected to be fighting two cats at once, took one last, uncertain swish at them and then stumbled out of the camp.

Zerb stared after her for a little, and then looked at how much the fight had progressed. The last time he had checked, it had been almost over, only a few cats of the Family still inside SandClan camp.

Nightsoul was still fighting, next to around four of her Family members. Mudmoss, next to Zerb, threw himself at one of them, immediately driving the tom out, and the leader, Zerb thought her name was Blizzardstar or something, chased out two more cats. The last one waited for Nightsoul at the entrance, looking back at the spitting she-cat.

"This is not over!" Nightsoul hissed, then backed out.

Mudmoss watched as his fellow ambassador, now hopefully former one, left. Then he gathered the last bit of his strength to finally look for Antstep, to see if he was okay, if he was alright, if he was unhurt.

Then, and ear-piercing scream shook him to the core. He knew that voice.

The first snowflake landed on Moonshade's body, unseen. Antstep stood next to her, frozen. SandClan slowly came and poked their heads out of shelter they had taken, or rose their heads from where they had been licking wounds.

Mudmoss stumbled quietly towards partner, getting slower the closer he came. Moonshade was lying behind the nursery, her throat torn open, her eyes wide. Antstep didn't move.

A fellow queen kept the children inside, the warriors leaving the medicine cat to deal with this.

But Mudmoss wouldn't leave. He sat down next to Antstep, curling his tail around the small, black cat, wanting to shield him from- everything, really. The cold, the hurt, the snow, the stares.

Antstep looked at Mudmoss slowly, his amber eyes blown wide, so confused and hurting.

"No" he whispered, not avoiding the warrior's gaze, "No, this can't be- she was due next moon, sh- she should have been inside, she should have been safe, sh- there were so many things I-" he trailed off, his words getting lost.

Mudmoss looked up at the sky, something cold in his eye, then back down. "I- I'm so, so sorry." he meowed, his voice quiet and raspy.

It was cold now. The sun had completely set and the snow now covered most of the ground as a fine, white powder. Moonshade's body lay in the middle of the clearing, already having lost all her warmth to the snow and the breeze.

Antstep was walking around giving cats herbs and checking their wounds, his paws and his brain and his heart numb. His sister wouldn't need treatment.

When he was finished, he went to sit next to her body, unconsciously falling into Mudmoss' warmth.

"This is all my fault" the medicine cat whispered. Mudmoss didn't say anything. Antstep looked up to see him shaking his head, his eyes clouded with sadness and guilt. But none of them said anything. Mudmoss simply tightened his hold on the small tom and they sat there, in silence, the snow cooling their wounds.

welp she dead

leave a review thank