New chapter time! I know, I know, it has been awhile. Anyway, this one is in Ashpaw's perspective, just like I promised. Right now I am just out of my writing groove. Normally I write these chapters really easily, but lately these ones I can't seem to word right. So, if they sound a little funny at some parts, that's why.
Fact: Dapplepaw was going to die at some point in the story. This idea was when I first started writing this story, but was quickly thrown into the trash. Don't worry, I doubt I would ever kill her off now.
"We used to play in the pond at the edge of camp, remember? It was a competition about who could reach the other side and climb on to the rocks? You were the first on to reach it, and you didn't even swim because you didn't want your fur wet. Remember?"
Dapplepaw shut her eyes, trying to conjure up the memory. Ashpaw watched her and saw that she went into a short trance when she had a vision of her life. He glanced at Rainpaw and Creampaw, who nodded with relief that she understood the memory.
"Yeah, I guess," Dapplepaw meowed unenthusiastically. She seemed tired and bored.
Ashpaw was worried. This wasn't like when she remembered her past life as Sweetpaw because she could easily say that cat wasn't her anymore. But now, she was remembering her current life, though while she said she could feel the same way and remember the feelings, Ashpaw knew she still didn't feel like that cat anymore.
Creampaw nodded her head. "Okay...um, my turn. Remember when Blackpaw and Flowerpaw taught us those hunting tips? I never caught on, but you mastered them really quickly."
Dapplepaw sighed, shutting her eyes again. She opened her eyes, blinking. "Yes. A fun memory, if I recall correctly." She rested her head on her paws, glancing at the cats around her.
Ashpaw winced at the way she looked at him. To her, he was just another cat, as were Rainpaw and Creampaw. There was no cat she felt like she really knew. And while she didn't say that, he knew that's what was on her mind.
With a sigh, Ashpaw got to his paws. "Alright, then. The sun will rise shortly. We should all get back." He leapt skillfully from his perch, while Dapplepaw came shortly after. Creampaw hesitated before jumping down, landing clumsily in the small piles of snow that had gathered. Rainpaw paused before trying to unsuccessfully inch her way down.
Ashpaw said his farewell to all the sisters before turning back to head into SunClan territory. Whenever he walked away from that tree normally he would feel happy. Now he just felt hopeless. Will she ever be the same cat again?
Ashpaw slid into the SunClan camp with ease and into the den without a problem. Rosepaw waited for him every night. She knew about the meetings but didn't tell Hollowstar because she still had hope that Ashpaw would develop feelings for her. Any chance of that had been crushed when she had attempted to murder Dapplepaw.
"How was your very exclusive meeting?" the she-cat asked with a yawn. "Why can't I come?"
Ashpaw sat in his nest, trying to ignore her. "Because you killed her. I will never forgive you for that."
"Oh, you will," Rosepaw said confidently. Without another word, much to Ashpaw's relief, she rested her head down and started to sleep almost instantly.
Cats slid into the clearing, their pelts flashing under the moonlight. Ashpaw scanned the crowds of cats, noticing the DuskClan cats covered with wounds. He spotted the cats he was looking for and padded over to them.
"Any better?" he asked, knowing the answer.
Rainpaw turned, shrugging. "No. The weird thing is that I think she remembers everything." The she-cat looked down. "I just don't think she wants to be Dapplepaw anymore. I mean, think about it. She had a sister who was perfectly fine letting her die all for a...tom. Loving a cat outside of her clan that she could never be with, getting killed for a second time...I mean, her life was awful."
Ashpaw paused. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Dapplepaw's life may have seemed like a patch of flowers, but in reality it was difficult. And she happily lived that life. Now as a spectator of that life she probably understood how terrible it really was and didn't want it anymore.
"Maybe we should let her start fresh?" Creampaw chimed in, glancing at the two cats. "I'm serious. She has this wonderful chance to re-live her life. Why not let her?"
"Because she'll hate me forever!" Rainpaw protested, turning to Ashpaw for support.
"She won't," Creampaw tried to comfort.
Rainpaw snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. You're only saying that because you did nothing wrong and she isn't angry at you." The light grey cat whirled around to face Ashpaw. "You don't agree with this, right? We can still get Dapplepaw back!"
Ashpaw hesitated. "Well...doesn't she deserve it? Another chance? Don't we all owe her that much?" His heart lurched as he said that, but he tried to think about what was best for Dapplepaw. "I don't want to, but I think we need to."
"I'm touched," Dapplepaw meowed from the side. Ashpaw jumped, unaware she was listening. "See, maybe this is the reason I resent you, Rainpaw. Because you try and control my life. It's my life."
Ashpaw frowned, glancing at her. She had the same bite in her voice as when they first met. She was like the self-reliant cat before they had become close. It was like their whole past was wiped away.
"How many times must I say I am sorry?" Rainpaw whined, her tail beginning to flick and her ears twitching.
Dapplepaw rolled her eyes. "How many do you think? You let me die. You just stole my life away from me." She paused, sitting down. "But you are right. I want to make my own choices from now on." She paused again before looking directly at Rainpaw. "I cared for you. You are my sister. I wanted nothing more than to protect you, to see you happy. But I couldn't just sacrifice my own happiness for you. I really tried to ignore the feelings I felt. I did all that for you."
Rainpaw turned to stare at her paws, guilt washing over her face. Ashpaw felt a hint sorry for her.
Dapplepaw turned to Creampaw. "And you. I always pushed Foxstep away from me. I did that for you, and myself. Yet you still saw me as a threat? I don't understand why."
Creampaw spoke up, her voice relatively controlled. "Every tom is taken by your appearance. That means Foxstep was as well, but he also loved Sweetpaw. How could I not have a slight trace of fear?"
Dapplepaw was silent for a moment. "Okay." She faced Ashpaw, who tried to remain calm. "I love you. I hid my feelings for so long. I denied them. Thanks to you I finally trusted a cat. I just want to say...thank you." Her eyes softened, making Ashpaw breath a sigh of relief.
Dapplepaw looked up. "Oh, look! The Gathering is starting!" The she-cat darted away to find a spot.
Ashpaw sighed, glancing after her. "She's getting better," he commented to the two sisters. "She's acting a bit more like her old self."
"Her old self actually cared about me," Rainpaw muttered bitterly. She sat down, her expression troubled.
"You did let Rosepaw kill her. I mean, how could she not have a tiny grudge. But you know Dapplepaw. You know she'll forgive you." Creampaw sat down beside Rainpaw, who nodded her head.
Ashpaw sat on the other side of Rainpaw. "The way she talked about you...well...it was all good. Maybe she mentioned your obsession with me, but that's understandable. I mean, I am stunning."
Rainpaw let out a small laugh, giving him a shove. "Shut up. I wasn't obsessed...I was...fascinated." She fluffed up her fur.
Ashpaw saw Creampaw roll her eyes, snorting. "Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that."
Ashpaw heard the yowl that started the Gathering. He looked at the three leaders, noticing how Smokestar was covered in wounds, seeming frail and weak. She eyed the other leaders with malice.
"DuskClan is recovering," she spoke up, her voice as composed as Ashpaw guessed it could be. "Our medicine supply is still strong. However, in the recent battle, many of our cats were killed. Sparrowpaw, Eveningspring, Sunwhisker, Swiftstream, and Flashclaw." She fell silent as cats murmured their sorrows.
Ashpaw frowned and thought about the vast number of cats that were killed. No SunClan cat was killed, and he presumed that every LeafClan cat was okay. He turned to exchange a surprised glance with Creampaw, but noticed Rainpaw ducking her head and shuffling her paws.
"I killed him..."
Her voice was barely audible, but Ashpaw was sure he heard the right words. "Killed who? Rainpaw? Who did you kill?" He leaned closer, looking at Creampaw who seemed equally shocked.
"Sparrow...Sparrowpaw. I...he and this other cat attacked me. Nearly killed me. I was only protecting myself." She sounded sad, grieved. Ashpaw even felt sorry for her. The weight of guilt she must have been carrying.
She did kill one cat with her own claws, and then let Dapplepaw die. Shouldn't I be mad at her? Somehow, he didn't. She was innocent until she met him, so wasn't part of this his own fault?
Creampaw exchanged a glance with Ashpaw before pitching in her own thoughts. "You were delusional, Rainpaw. I'm sure, in StarClan, he knows he did try and kill you first." She flicked her cream colored tail and turned to the leaders.
Smokestar was glaring at the other leaders, her tail tip slicking noticeably. Her amber eyes raked across them, shooting malice with each glance. Brackenstar stepped forward. "We are sorry for your loss, Smokestar, but your cats attacked first." He paused, turning to the cats. "LeafClan mourns for the losses, but they will be remembered in StarClan-"
"No!" Smokestar's feral yowl cut him off. "Your cats attacked first," she spat, whirling to face Hollowstar, who's eyes darkened. "We smelled them. A cat. A SunClan cat."
"No SunClan cat ever set paw on your territory," Hollowstar shot back more calmly.
Ashpaw turned and searched the crowd for a familiar white pelt. Rosepaw watched, her expression completely innocent as though she had no part in this. It became pretty obvious that she was the cat that had ignited the whole fight.
Ashpaw fought the urge to go and claw her throat out, or maybe just announce that it was her behind this massive conflict. No cat would believe him. And why would they? She acted so weak and incapable around every other cat. It wasn't that other cats liked her, but they couldn't deny the facts, which were she was a useless cat.
Smokestar's grey pelt flashed as she jumped from the rock. The DuskClan cats were in a frenzy, clearly eager to leave as quickly as they could. Smokestar gestured with her tail for them to follow her, and they did so without hesitation.
Dapplepaw appeared beside them. "Sheesh. That sucks." She sat down beside Ashpaw, close enough for their fur to be brushing but not close enough to draw attention. "I can't believe Rosepaw had the heart to do this. All this. Those lives...just lost."
"I know...it's awful." Rainpaw spoke up, trying to appeal to Dapplepaw. She sighed. "I made many mistakes. I did. I lost the trust of my two sisters. I killed Sparrowpaw." She hesitated, meeting Dapplepaw's shocked gaze. "I did bad things. I will make it up to you, Dapplepaw. You too, Creampaw."
"Thanks," Dapplepaw whispered, letting out a sigh. "But it isn't really you anymore. It's Rosepaw. Of all the memories I have, I can't un-see her killing me. She's behind all of this." The fluffy furred cat blinked, shutting her eyes. Once she reopened them, she met each of the three others' gazes evenly. "I think we need to do something about her...I won't rest until I kill her."
Reviews? Good? Bad? I got to 155 reviews, so how about...mmm...160-165 reviews for the next chapter.
Next chapter: Rosepaw deals with the fact that her plan failed. Getting desperate, she finds a new and unexpected partner and tries to put a new plan in motion.
Question: Are you relieved Dapplepaw is "fixed"? Do you believe that AshxDapple is as strong as it ever was?