I focused on No Wings to Fly for a while. Not that I hate working on Dawnstar's Legacy, it's just nice to focus on other aspects of the whole, broad storyline so that things come together. Where we left off last chapter, Dawnflight learns that Darkfang, Blackwing's brother, had a mate in another clan. Now it's to a point where the two stories are going to start to connect a little. Of course, all the details will be in No Wings to Fly.
I might do a few more oneshots that are related to Dawnflight's kits, but not so sure about that for the moment. Dawnstar's Legacy won't really focus on them as characters, so the oneshot series will be where you'll actually learn about them and their personalities.
Also, I have an announcement. Those of you who have stuck around for a long time will probably remember the story I wrote called History Rewritten: Brokenstar. It's on hiatus, and likely never will come back. That's where one (or several) of you come into play. History Rewritten: Brokenstar is up for adoption! If you'd like to continue this story or redo it completely, please PM me so we can discuss it.
1 separating line goes here 1
"Darkfang had a mate in WindClan."
Dawnflight pressed her body closer to Blackwing, her silvery gray fur intermingling with the medicine cat's dark, feathery fur. Dawnflight gawked briefly before parting her jaws to speak.
"W-what," Dawnflight started in shock, "what happened?" Blackwing pressed her face into her friend's pelt and took in a deep breath.
"He met a WindClan warrior one night. During this time, we were having constant fights with WindClan over a stretch of land past the horse place. Lots of small prey like to hid in the grasses over there and it was originally RiverClan's territory when the lake territories were first laid out. But WindClan wanted it after they realized how much land prey it could provide them. So we fought." Blackwing mewed while staring down at her paws, avoiding Dawnflight's gaze. Her blue eyes looked hurt, but at the same time they looked wistful and young, as if the she cat were remembering something blissful. Dawnflight quieted herself, letting Blackwing continue.
"There was this one WindClan warrior who would daringly come close to the border at night. She would taunt at Darkfang when he patrolled the border. She knew it would make him angry. She liked to mess with him," Blackwing mewed, "so Darkfang and the WindClan cat kept meeting at the border and often got into scuffles. They spewed frog dung at each other and demanded that each of them was the better warrior."
Blackwing blinked slowly and swallowed hard.
"The two eventually became close and the nights they originally spent fighting turned into spending time with each other instead. I followed Darkfang out one night because I was curious and wanted to see him fight off invaders."
Blackwing closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. The dark furred she cat let it out slowly. Dawnflight held her tongue.
"So, I followed Darkfang to the WindClan border and I saw him touch noses and share tongues with a dark gray she cat. I-I-I couldn't believe what I was seeing! I got so angry at that moment that my vision turned red and I leapt out of my hiding place. I felt so betrayed by my own brother that I clawed at him, but he didn't fight back. His mate tried to get me off of him but she wasn't strong enough. She was pregnant and didn't have the strength anymore."
Blackwing choked back a sob and let a few tears fall from her azure eyes. Dawnflight stepped closer to her friend and embraced her, licking the medicine cat's forehead.
"You don't have to keep going." Dawnflight mewed gently. Blackwing shook her head.
"No, the story should be complete. By the time I realized what I was doing, Darkfang was bleeding on the grass, lying still. His mate had screeched at me, saying 'how could you do that to your own brother?' She begged him to get up so he could meet their kits, but he was already dead. I killed my own brother, Dawnflight."
Blackwing buried her teary eyes into Dawnflight's silvery pelt. The gray cat let her tail wrap around them, but Blackwing shivered a bit. Blackwing meowed again, finishing her tale.
"I don't know how, but Darkfang's mate forgave me. She said that it wasn't my fault and that they were at fault for breaking the Warrior Code and betraying both clans. She said at least Darkfang died with dignity in battle and that it could be covered up as a really bad border skirmish so their mistakes could stay buried. She had her kit, just one she kit, and your mother, Fireclaw and I searched a gathering that moon for any mothers who had lost their kits. We found one in ThunderClan. She and her mate agreed to raise Darkfang's daughter as a ThunderClan cat."
Dawnflight widened her eyes at the ending, amazed that so much thought and planning went into covering up Darkfang and his mate's mistakes. Dawnflight gasped a little.
"What was the kit's name?" she asked. Blackwing shrugged.
"I don't know. The kit wasn't named when we gave her to the ThunderClan queen. But I remember what she looked like. Her eyes were the same blue as mine and Darkfang's and her pelt was sliver with stripes as black as our pelts."
Dawnflight cocked her head in thought.
I swear I've seen a cat like that before? Where have I seen a cat like that? Are there any ThunderClan warriors with that pelt?
The silvery she cat thought of another question. Inwardly, she hoped she wasn't causing Blackwing too much grief from digging for answers.
"Who was Darkfang's mate? You never mentioned her name."
Blackwing sniffled and apologized before turning to face Dawnflight.
"Oh, that must have escaped me. Her name was Wolfheart. She, Fireclaw and I are actually good friends."
Dawnflight twitched at the mention of the name Blackwing gave her a look of concern.
"I met Wolfheart at a Gathering once! I had no idea she was your brother's mate."
Blackwing softened and purred at Dawnflight. Making a slight "mrrow" sound while chuckling.
"I'm not surprised," the black she cat meowed, "Wolfheart has always been able to hide her history well. She visits the border occasionally with Fireclaw. Her loyalty is a bit split now. A few of her clanmates had said she's loyal to RiverClan."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Dawnflight asked quizzically. Blackwing released herself from Dawnflight's embrace and padded her way to a pile of watermint. The black she cat poked a few dried leaves with her claws, skewering them. She turned to her grey and white friend.
"Wolfheart is our ally in WindClan. We swap herbs through her. She also warns us of rogue and fox presence. Fireclaw and I do the same for her." Blackwing said as she turned her attention away from the watermint. Dawnflight settled down near a small pile of tansy and pushed away the clean leaves from the rotted ones.
I had no ideas the clans were this interconnected. I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. After all, I have Breezepaw, Emberheart and Applepaw. Not to mention Torrentrunner-
Dawnflight jolted upright at the thought of Torrentrunner, spilling a few tansy stems across her paws. Frantically, Dawnflight scooped them back into a pile.
I can't forget my training session with Torrentrunner!
"How late is it?"
Blackwing poked her head through a gap in the roots that made up the roof of her den, then pulled it back in. A few clods of dirt clung to the fur on her ears, but the medicine cat didn't seem to mind.
"It's a bit past sun down, the sky is purple," Blackwing mewed casually, "do you have a patrol? I don't mind if you leave. You helped me complete a lot."
"Thanks, Blackwing!" Dawnflight called to her friend as she rushed out of the den. The silvery she cat leapt over the stream that separated the medicine cats' den from the rest of camp. It was mostly empty, as most cats were in their dens or on the last few patrols for the day. Much to Dawnflight's dismay, the sky had darkened considerably more than she had originally anticipated.
The white pawed she cat scrambled past all the dens and her mother and father, who were sharing tongues in the warriors' den. Her father yowled out to her.
"Plan ahead next time, Dawnflight!" he chuckled heartily. Dawnflight didn't stop her sprint to the camp entrance.
"I'll try to!" She said back, not even stopping to turn her head towards Embersoul.
Once she got out of camp. Dawnflight bounded past the reeds and streams, ignoring all the pebbles and long grasses that tugged at her fur along the way. She dug her claws into the moist, cool dirt and flung herself across the territory. Quickly, Dawnflight looked up to see the sun setting fast! The sky darkened, only adding to the she cat's anxiety. Hurrying, Dawnflight skidded to a halt just by the border. ShadowClan scent filled her nose, making her want to sneeze. As she expected, Torrentrunner was standing by the border, stoic and tall. The deputy's expression was unreadable. Dawnflight guessed that she was still worried about the upcoming battle and the current state of ShadowClan under Falconstar's rule.
Dawnflight panted a bit, causing Torrentrunner to smirk.
"RiverClan cats aren't cut out for running on land, are you?" the black tabby teased. Dawnflight dipped her head, slightly embarrassed.
"I didn't want to be late." Dawnflight mewed. Torrentrunner nodded and lead her over to a flat patch of ground. "How's ShadowClan doing?" Dawnflight asked. Torrentrunner bristled and then sighed.
"I wish I could say things were going well," the older she cat started, "Falconstar is getting more and more reclusive. These days he won't even let me in his den. He claims to be 'battle planning,' but I'm sure he's just caught in his own delusions again. Yesterday he threatened an elder for disagreeing with the battle."
"I'm sorry." Dawnflight said quietly. Torrentrunner shook her head.
"All this is going to end. We'll make sure of it."
Dawnflight nodded when she noticed the blaze of determination reappear in Torrentrunner's eyes. The two cats stood apart from each other. Torrentrunner dropped to a low crouch, encouraging Dawnflight to mimic her.
"Crouch like this, build strength in your shoulders and your hind legs."
Dawnflight dropped down, scrunching up her legs. Torrentrunner stood up and padded up beside the gray and white cat. Torrentrunner placed a paw on Dawnflight's forelegs and repositioned them, correcting the younger cat's form. Satisfied, Torrentrunner stepped back.
"There. This is the basic starting position most ShadowClan apprentices learn. It serves as a defensive and offensive position. Master the crouch and you can perform lunges and counter attacks." The ShadowClan deputy meowed proudly. Dawnflight held her position. "Let's work on offense first. Get into that crouch and then spring forward."
Dawnflight stilled herself, then launched herself through the air! She felt the breeze tickle her pelt as she extended her claws and landed on her paws, claws skewering the soil. Dawnflight turned back to Torrentrunner. The older cat nodded approvingly.
"We'll make a ShadowClan warrior out of you yet."
Torrentrunner is a much better mentor than my mother!