A/N
Okay so I'm just gonna be replying to reviewers in this beginning AN…
Guest (Reader): Whoops! That was an accident… I can't find the document of that chapter, or I'd fix it, but I assure Alderleaf is truly with StarClan this time, and did not have more than one life or something. (Kinda like the RiverClan elder in the book, Heavystep, dying twice)
Guest (Meep): Sorry if it was confusing. I hope my explanation helps; Hawkpaw/pool is the main character, therefore, she's the center of the summary. She had two brothers stolen along with but they are not the main focus (I feel bad for saying that…)
Guest (redvintage17): I would gladly add your character apart from two or three things; 1. I don't know who you'd want her parents to be
2. Her persona is a Mary-Sue more or less, with the fact toms seem to be hopelessly in love with her.
3. Her name. I don't mean to be picky, but Pistal is not exactly a formal clan name prefix (or a word). I suggest looking up the official wiki for the name segments (I don't mean to come off rude!)
"Is she okay? Are they here yet? Oh StarClan, let me in!" Flamefoot demanded, trying to nose his way between Mintflower and Redbreeze.
"No, Flamefoot! You're distracting Cardinalheart!" Mintflower scolded, rolling her eyes at the ginger tom.
Flamefoot made an odd noise, like a mix between a worried groan and a furious growl. Cloudstar sat next to him, their intense coats standing out in the rising run. "I know how you feel. But she'll be fine." The snowy white tom leaned in closer. "And a teeny bit grumpy so watch your step." And with a chuckle, he grabbed a finch from the fresh-kill pile and began organizing patrols with Rainstorm.
"You can come in now, Flamefoot. Three healthy kits!" Redbreeze announced in a raspy voice, dreary with exhaustion and the faded grey highlights in her fur and on her face showed she was getting old.
Most of the kits looked almost all the same, with both their parents flaming ginger coats, but one had faint cocoa splotches.
"Can she be Scarletkit?" Flamefoot requested, nosing an orangish red she kit. "Her sunset red coat reminds me of my mother; Scarletshine." Cardinalheart smiled understandingly. She knew what it was like to loose your parents, after all, her mother and father died because of the skirmish with the NightWalkers. Though, Gingerroot had been on the NightWalkers side, and brutally killed by Sandfern. Cardinalheart was unsure how she felt about it, but she felt a prickle of sadness when her thought of her mother and father.
"Of course she can. I was thinking Berrykit for the one with the brown spots, and Robinkit for the boy. My mother said she had friend named Robinfoot that died kitting." Cardinalheart responded tiredly, fighting back a yawn as her newborns suckled quietly.
"Scarletkit, Berrykit, and Robinkit. They're perfect." Flamefoot agreed, curling up beside his mate and licking her forehead soothingly.
"Daddy!" Came a high-pitched squeal, a blur of bluish grey zipping past the ginger cats. "Carinalheart had her kits!"
"Cardinalheart, dear." Rainstorm corrected Dovekit gently. "How is she?" The deputy questioned about his step-sister.
"Sleepy. She's with Flamefoot." Dovekit replied squeakily. "Can I go play with Specklekit and Streamkit now?"
"Have you helped the elders with their ticks? You can't ignore the fact that Snowwing caught you and your brothers trying to sneak out of camp last night. I know Rabbitkit and Squirrelkit already fed them." Rainstorm chuckled at his daughter's curiosity, but his good eye glistened with worry.
Dovekit rolled her heather red eyes, reminding her father of Hawkpool's stubborn persona. His heart twinged.
"Yes, yes. Can I go now?" Dovekit pleaded, the blue from the sky reflecting in her pupils. Rainstorm sighed and licked her ear.
"Of course, Dovekit. Just keep in mind you'll be an apprentice in just two sunrises." Rainstorm said with a goodbye flick of his tail. "I don't want you getting hurt."
Just as the words left his mouth, Shyleaf and Blizzardpaw darted into camp, out breath and with fear filled eyes.
"Dogs!" They blurted, gasping for air.
(Meanwhile, in RiverClan…)
"Willowleap, you have three strong kits." Honeyfern declared, smiling at the worn out queen. She'd been kitting all through half the night, and finally when dawn broke, the final kit was born.
The silver queen sighed. "My first kitting was much easier than this…" Willowleap gave a soft yawn.
Gorseheart nosed his way past the barrier of the nursery. "How many?" He asked softly.
"Three, dear." Willowleap replied, catching a glance of Runningclaw behind his step-father. The tom glared at his new siblings and stalked away, sharing a trout with Ivypaw.
"I want the tom to be Swiftkit." Willowleap requested, nudging a silver, brown and black splotched kit. "And this she kit-" she said, pointing to a dark cream she kit with a silver chest, cocoa spots, and a black blaze- "should be Spottedkit."
Gorseheart nodded thoughtfully. "I was thinking Snailkit for the other she kit." Motioning towards a pale creamy she kit with a silver chest and cocoa markings.
"Very well." Willowleap peered behind her mate, spotting both her sons sulking alone. "Could you do me a favor? Could you go get Snowfall and Runningclaw in here. They should be meeting their siblings."
Gorseheart nodded, bounding off in Snowfall's direction. Before the tabby could even say a word, Snowfall hissed and stalked away, darting out of camp unhappily. Taken aback, Gorseheart did manage to convince Runningclaw away from Ivypaw long enough to say a hello, but also refused.
Willowleap lowered her head in disappointment when Gorseheart came back. "Runningclaw remembers ShadowClan… I guess he misses Spiderheart. Snowfall's still mad at me from keeping our past from him, and mad at his brother for 'stealing' Ivypaw from him. Maybe he wouldn't be so angry if he found a nice she cat, like Petalwish or Juniperfur."
Gorseheart shrugged. "I just don't understand the two of them. I try to bond with them, but they're always pushing me away. At least Runningclaw says hi, but I'm always greeted unsheathed claws or a violent hiss from Snowfall."
Willowleap was about to reply, but a sudden commotion from outside diverted her attention, the weary queen standing to her feet and padding outside with Gorseheart. Creeksplash and Marigoldfur stood in the clearing beneath the GreatLedge, their fur spiked up and lips drawn back.
"How dare you!" Creeksplash was saying, wiggling her haunches defensively. "Reedflight is my mate, not yours! It's not my fault Beechtail died! You just want leniency for yourself, and your kits. You want them to be pitied and pampered, but their father isn't deputy anymore! That doesn't give you any reason to try and steal him away from me, you gold digger!"
Marigoldfur held a paw up meekly, pretending to be shocked and hurt. "Moi, a gold digger? Why, that's preposterous!"
"Actually not far off…" Morningpaw muttered from the crowd, earning a vicious snarl from her mother.
"Shut your trap, you insane maniac! I don't want any crazy cat talking to me or about me!" Marigoldfur's pelt bristled as she rolled her eyes disdainfully. Morningpaw flinched and ducked her head.
"You insult a kit, and your own daughter? StarClan wasted their time on you!" Creeksplash shrieked, throwing herself at Marigoldfur, clawing at her thickly pelted sides furiously.
"STOP, STOP!" Oakstar demanded in his booming voice. "What is going on here?"
Oakstar's hiss barely seemed to reach Creeksplash's ears, the silver tabby still yowling and battering Marigoldfur's sides and face.
"Creek!" Briarfrost shouted at her sister, lunging at Creeksplash and yanking by the scruff off of Marigoldfur. "Didn't you hear Oakstar?!"
Creeksplash growled one last time at Marigoldfur and bowed her head to Oakstar. "S-sorry, I just-" Oakstar cut her off.
"I heard. Marigoldfur, what was that about?" Oakstar turned to the golden she cat. She scoffed haughtily.
"Aren't you going to punish her? She jumped me!" Marigoldfur accused, smirking at Creeksplash.
"Yes, but are you a kit? Don't divert the blame. Creeksplash had the right idea, but did the wrong thing. You're not the victim here. Answer my question." Oakstar narrowed his eyes.
Marigoldfur huffed, stalking away, stopping as Oakstar declared- "Very well, if you are not willing to cooperate, and I have no choice. You both are forced to every hunting patrol for a quarter-moon. I didn't expect this from a warrior, especially one who's a mother."
As Oakstar began padding away, he stopped at Reedflight. "Assign Marigoldfur to one right now." Oakstar smiled like a little kit at Marigoldfur's face of shock.
(POV change to Heather (as Beechtail laughs hysterically in StarClan))
"Now we're all met up, we should get going." Acorn declared with a glance at Dime and mis mate, Sugar's, two kits.
A creamy speckled one named Pepper and her golden tabby brother, who was quite large for only three moons, named Lightning.
As they said their quick goodbyes and set off, Heather felt a strangeness in her. Like someone was watching them as they had been walking across the gravel and road for half the day.
Paws suddenly came racing towards them as they past a crooked fence, a black and grey tabby she cat tackling Acorn instantly, followed by Hickory and Jay. Dime pounced his attacker first, ordering Sugar and Merry away with all the kits. The two queens snatched up the group of kits that outnumbered themselves, Heather about to lead hers to safety, when she was jumped.
"You're in our territory!" A small she cat snarled as she chased Jay, a muscular grey tom by her side. Heather swiped her attacker's paws from out underneath him, slamming his head into the ground and barreling into the tom about to pounce Jay. Not because she cared or anything. Because she didn't. Or she thought she didn't. Either way, it didn't matter.
"Jay! Are you okay?" Heather's voice seemed more worried than just merely asking. Jay was shocked by the question, but he smiled and nodded.
"Let's team up! They can't handle the both us together!" Jay suggested, swiping a paw over his ear and shaking his fur out, small droplets of blood flying off.
Heather felt her heart soar, almost screaming yes. She silenced it. "Sure!" She mentally whacked herself. He almost killed you, you idiot!
Heather and Jay ran alongside each other, splitting apart as a tall, thin tom raced towards them. Heather slid underneath the rogue, knocking his feet out, leaving Jay to scratch him up a bit and send him running.
Heather prepared to do the same thing, again, but the two she cats saw it coming and used it a chance to pin Heather. "J-J-Jay!" Heather choked, flailing as the brown tabby she cat pressed down on her throat, starving her of air.
Jay tackled the tabby immediately, yowling angrily as she chased her, but stopped as she doubled back, her she cat friend and two toms by her side.
"Run, Hawkpool!" Jay ordered, Heather's heart yearning him as he called her clan name. Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it! Heather scolded herself as she fled. You can't do this to yourself again!
"Wait! Our kits!" Heather realized, glancing back, only to see the enraged faces of their enemies.
"We'll go back!" Jay insisted as he made a sharp turn for the dozenth time. "But I think they'd like us to come back walking rather than limp on another cat's back!"
Looking back again, Heather noticed they weren't being chased anymore. "Jay, Jay! We're okay now."
Jay skidded to a stop, tripping over an uplifted root and slamming muzzle first straight into a tree trunk. Heather cackled until she was crying and out of breath.
"Hold on," Jay muttered, rubbing his nose and looking around. "Where are we?"
Heather followed his gaze, realizing that they had no clue where they came from, and it didn't help Jay had zigzagged every now and and to try and shake them off.
"I know you're going to yell at me, so just get it over with already. I shouldn't have made all those turns." Jay murmured, lowering his head.
Heather blinked slowly as her heart gave a little twinge. He really thought that? "N-no. I wasn't going to yell. I was going to say we could trace our own scents back."
Jay was about to agree, when thunder clapped above them and rain came crashing down. His head slumped and he fell to the wet ground with an irritated groan.
Heather giggled as she laid next to him. Oh, screw it. I might as well spend time with him while I can. It's not like Oakstar will take him in as well. I don't even know why he really accepted Thornsnag. Plus, the whole thinks the father is Thornsnag. What would they say if they found out the kits have two fathers?
"Hey, Jay?" Heather whispered, sitting up. "I'm sorry."
Jay gulped, nodding. " I am too. But I know that doesn't change the fact that I practically tried to kill you. I don't even know what came over me. I just… I've never had a father and when I realized you killed him, something clicked in the wrong way. But the minutes I walked away from the burning building, I knew I screwed up."
Heather smiled warmly, shaking her wet, silky fur. The rain had died down, but the two were still drenched. " We can't stay together. You know that. Your newfound siblings want to go to ThunderClan. Plus, you have your other family there. I have mine in RiverClan. Though, my brother is in ThunderClan, I just don't fit in."
Jay opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. With a frustrated sigh, he let a couple tears fall. "I'll never fall in love with a more perfect she cat."
Heather chuckled dryly. "I'm not perfect. I'm far from it, you know it."
Jay leaned in close to her, their cheeks pressing against each other and fur mingling. "But you acknowledge your flaws. That's what makes you perfect."
"...The rain stopped." Heather said, her ears feeling like they were on fire and her heart racing as if she'd been running miles. Jay snickered.
"Let's take shelter over there." Jay pointed his tail towards a dip in the ground. As they neared their temporary den, Heather noticed a lake in the distance, but something was odd about it.
"Jay! Look, the lake over there is still frozen over." She observed, narrowing her eyes at the pasty bluish color of the ice.
Jay frowned in confusion. "But it's practically the middle of New-leaf! How could a lake be frozen over?" He peered in the distance, squinting his eyes as if it'd help him see it better.
"Squeezing out eyes half shut isn't gonna help us strain our vision." Heather noted. "Let's go over there!" Spreading out her forelegs and sliding down the muddy hill, gaining traction with unsheathed claws, Heather added, "race you!"
"You're on!" Jay called after her, his powerful legs sprinting in wide strides, catching up to Heather in only a matter of heartbeats.
Heather gasped. She didn't think Jay would've caught up to her so fast. With her sides heaving and lungs aching, Heather remembered she'd spent most her time swimming rather than running, which meant her breathing was stronger, but her legs felt like rubber as her stamina wore down and Jay past her expertly.
By the time Heather caught back up to Jay he'd been sitting on the edge of the lake patiently for at least half a minute. "Slowpoke." Jay teased, nudging her shoulder with a paw.
"I… want… to… go… on the… ice." Heather panted, sucking in air like a starving cat chowing down prey. Jay looked instantly interested.
"Whoa!" He grunted as he slid across the ice, digging his claws in a bit to stay still. "C'mon! It's easy once you get the hang of it."
"I've skated on ice before, mouse-brain." Heather laughed, letting her paw pads spin her off in crazy twirls. "Splashpaw and I used to play on the ice with Thornsnag and and Petalwish a bunch in leaf-bare."
For once, mentioning Thornsnag's name didn't hurt as bad. It felt strange, but comfortable at the same time. "Whoo!" Heather whooped as she crashed into Jay, laughing like crazy cats.
Jay propelled himself off Heather, his mouth wide in excitement. Heather spun off from his boost, clawing her hind paws into the ice to stop her head from spinning so much she felt slightly dizzy and somewhat ill.
The blue from Jay's eyes seemed to suddenly drain, a series of cracks heard, Heather feeling it in the ice. Her heart prayed it was just her imagination. It wasn't.
The ice snapped and collapsed under Jay, his paws flying under him and in the air as he fell backwards into the freezing waters. Heather struggled to dive in after him, but one her back paws had gotten caught on the ice, the claws stuck in too deep. Bubbles reached the gap in ice where Jay had fallen through, and Heather knew he was running out of air.
Holding her breath, Heather yanked her paw free, pain shooting through her but her fear partially tuned it out as she jumped into the water without hesitation.
"Let him go…" Two familiar voices whispered in each ear. Blinking, Heather was aware of Fawnkit and Thornsnag's shimmering silhouettes in the water with her.
No way! Heather kicked her paws forward, the water getting darker as she scrambled towards Jay's sinking body. Help me out!
"It's his time, Hawky." Thornsnag insisted. "Leave him. It's not yours."
No. Heather protested, thrusting herself farther, closer to him.
"You're going to die if you don't stop!" Fawnkit exclaimed. "Jaytalon is expected in StarClan now, not you both!"
I don't want to live if Jay's not there too! Our kits will be truly fatherless! Heather felt herself crying, but her warm tears just mixed in with the chilled lake water.
"It's his destiny to die here!" Thornsnag and Fawnkit roared in unison.
Well, I refuse it! I refuse StarClan's chosen destiny for him! Heather wailed, latching her teeth onto his scruff.
Heather launched herself upwards, scrambling up onto solid ground as she slid off the frozen lake and laid Jay onto the muddy ground.
"Don't you dare die!" Heather pleaded, rubbing his smooth, soaked black chest in a circular motion. "Please…"
Thornsnag and Fawnkit dipped their heads. "We tried to tell you, Hawkpool." Fawnkit whispered. "It was his-"
He can't die! Jaytalon cannot die! He just can't!" Heather sobbed uncontrollably, still pushing on his chest. "I love him…"
Thornsnag raised an eyebrow, his eyes almost hurt.
"I love him like I loved you, Thorn." Heather uttered. "It can't be his time. We're so young. We're new parents. It's not fair!"
She turned back to him, kneading his chest with determination. "I'm sorry, Jaytalon… I failed you…" Heather down and touched his grey nose to her damp pink nose, kissing him gently and softly.
Silence filled the forest for what seemed like a lifetime, until Jay sputtered and his eyes flew open, coughing up water.
Thornsnag's and Fawnkit's eyes were wide in shock, amazement in Thornsnag's but anger was clear in Fawnkit's blazing amber eyes. Her nose and lips twitched in the efforts not to snarl at her step-sister.
"I thought you were dead!" Heather gasped, crying tears of joy, embracing him passionately. Jay coughed a couple times.
"Nope. Never." He vowed, content as Heather curled into him, her head rested on his shoulder.
But Fawnkit's rageful whispered unnerved her.
"One who was supposed to meet a terrible fate
Is now 'live and well, thinking he's so great,
And now,
Two who were destined for glorification,
Now must suffer damnation."
A/N
Eek, wow Fawnkit way to be a pain in the a55. I do need to remind everyone who reads this I require at least three reviews (preferably to the newly posted chapter) for another to be published. Even if it's just a little advice or what they think should happen or is going to happen next. It inspires me and gives me new ideas for how to fill in gaps in the story. Thanks my little pixels, and I hope you liked this chapter.