This one came up nearly as soon as I finished the last. :D Time to see how I do. Trying not to use existing cats, so forgive me if I do.
Challenge 2: Going in Blind
"Icefall, can you go find Adderclaw for me?" Ferretstar, a mottled gray tom, asked.
"Yes," The white she-cat meowed. "I'll go find him."
The young warrior exited the leader's den. She padded out of the camp in search of the russet furred deputy. What no cat knew about her, however, was that her left front paw was paralyzed and always had been.
"Adderclaw!" She yowled.
No response. Where was he? Surely he was in the territory somewhere. Icefall padded towards the only abandoned badger den. Peeking inside, she found nothing. She padded towards the nearest border and found nothing, not even a rival warrior. Adderclaw had only been made deputy the night before, yet it was strange that he was missing.
"Maybe he's back in one of the dens." Icefall murmured to herself. "His mate just had kits, after all."
She bounded back towards camp. She entered it and searched the other dens first. He was nowhere in sight. Then she padded into the nursery.
"Hello, Applefern." Icefall mewed to Adderclaw's mate. "Have you seen Adderclaw?"
"No, I haven't, Icefall." The ginger furred she-cat replied. "Not since dawn anyway. Why?"
"Ferretstar needs to talk to him." She explained.
"If I see him, I'll send him Ferretstar's way." Applefern purred, gently stroking her tail over a ginger kit.
"Thanks." Icefall dipped her head and left the den.
Where could he be? She wondered to herself as she left camp and headed out into the territory. She checked a couple of old fox dens, finding nothing. Then she challengingly climbed up the tallest tree she could find. She spotted a blood trail near the back of the territory, leading across the border, out of clan territory. No way.
Icefall slipped down the tree trunk and raced in that direction. Adderclaw had better not be dead. Out of nowhere, she tripped over her paralyzed paw and landed sprawling on her back. She got to her paws, annoyed. Then she continued towards the back of the territory, being more careful where she put her paws.
Icefall quickly found the blood trail and followed it out of territory. She followed it until sundown, where she saw it lead into an abandoned Twoleg nest. Strange. She thought. Why is he way out here? She padded to the entrance and stopped, hearing wheezing.
"Adderclaw?" She mewed cautiously.
"Icefall, is that you?" A voice answered.
"Yes, it's me." Icefall replied. "Come on, you need to get to the medicine den."
"No, I'm not injured." Adderclaw reassured her.
"Then who's wheezing?" She demanded. When he didn't answer, she meowed, "You can trust me, don't worry."
"My mother." The reply came strangely.
"What do you mean?" She asked. Adderclaw had been found in the forest as a kit by Ferretstar, before he had become leader.
"The injured cat is my mother." Adderclaw repeated. "A fox attacked her and I killed it. Now I'm making sure nothing picks up her blood scent."
"Let's just take her back to camp." Icefall mewed.
"I-I can't do that." The deputy told her.
"Why not?"
"Because she's a kittypet."
What? He has kittypet blood! He's not a true warrior...Her thoughts were interrupted by an outside thought. A thought that wasn't her own. Kill him! Kill them both!
Icefall forced herself to sheath her claws. "You're right to try to help her, but you're a warrior, not a medicine cat. There's nothing you can do. Besides, I spent all day looking for you."
"Why?"
"Ferretstar wanted to see you." She told him.
"Great Starclan!" Adderclaw exclaimed. "I forgot that I'm the deputy."
"Come on." She urged. She saw his eyes shining through the shadows of the abandoned Twoleg nest.
"I want to go back, Icefall, I really do." He told her. "But I can't. I have to take care of her."
"You're supposed to be loyal to the clan first. You're breaking the warrior code." Icefall growled.
Adderclaw sighed. "You'd do the same thing if your mom was an injured non-clan cat. I know you would."
"It's only a matter of time before a patrol tracks us down to here, you know that." She told him.
"Give them some kind of an excuse." He pleaded. "Please, Icefall. I need you to help me on this. Long enough to get her out of here."
If I do help, I'll be breaking the warrior code too! She thought.
"Please." He repeated.
"What about your mate and kits?" She asked, trying to tempt him into coming back.
"I'll come back after my mother is safe, I promise." Adderclaw whispered through the darkness.
"No, you're coming back to camp with me." Icefall growled.
"Who're you to give the deputy orders?" He spat.
"J-just come back." She mewed.
"I can't yet." Adderclaw's voice softened.
"If you're gone for too long, Ferretstar might name a new deputy." Icefall told him.
"That's why I don't belong in Torrentclan." He hissed. "Maybe I was meant to be a kittypet, meant to live with my mother."
"Fine, don't come back." She snarled, anger pushing past her limit. She wanted to rip his fur out, but knew that she shouldn't. "I'll remember to run you out of the territory next time I see you then."
She heard him let out a low growl. "Are you threatening me?"
Icefall unsheathed her claws, except for her left forepaw, of course. She took a couple paces back so he couldn't jump on her. The sorrel tabby stepped from the Twoleg nest. His eyes were ablaze in rage and his claws were unsheathed.
"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you get." Adderclaw flattened his ears.
"So be it." She hissed.
She leapt on top of him, clawing and screeching. She heard him snarl in return as he fought back. She slashed her right forepaw across his muzzle, trying to balance on her left forepaw. It gave out under her just after she hit him. The enraged kittypet blooded deputy pinned her down with his forepaws.
"Get off of me!" Icefall screeched.
Adderclaw only growled in response.
"Please!"
"No." He replied, his voice surprisingly calm after all of that. "You don't know what it's like to have to choose between your own mother and your clan. You don't know what it's like to die. Neither do I. I guess you'll have to experience it now." His speech ended in a growl.
"No, please! Don't!" She wailed. "Adderclaw, you're a good cat! Don't do this!"
"I have no choice." Adderclaw snarled.
She felt sharp teeth puncture her throat. Blood leaked into her white fur.
"Traitor!" She choked out.
Icefall tried to struggle free, but the pain was taking her over. Her strength was leaving her. Her senses were fading away. Heartbeats later, she couldn't even feel the pain. What happened?
With a jolt she realized that she was looking down at her own body. Her eyes were still open, glazed over by death. He'd killed her.
Icefall felt a pang of failure. She'd failed to bring him back to camp and now she couldn't even try again at all. She'd failed Ferretstar. She'd failed her clan. She'd even failed Starclan.
Words: 1,296 (Including author's note...)