Ho de hum hum FUCK
I hate school. Well, no, I don't hate school per se, I hate the amount of time it actually takes up during the day. Believe me, if I could've updated this sooner, I would've. Anyways, enjoy, read, REVIEW, and guess what'll happen next!
Title: Shadow Dance
Author: If Love Were Flowers
Genre: Romance/Angst
Summary: Snowfall of RiverClan only wishes to end the war between RiverClan and ShadowClan, a war which had begun long before she was born. She is willing to give everything for peace. Willing to do anything. When a message from StarClan comes to both Clan Medicine Cats, a terrifying plan to end the fighting is revealed. She must tie herself and have the the kits of a cat she does not love, the dark deputy of ShadowClan, Ebonyclaw.
.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.
"Peace?" Foxclaw asks, clearly confused. I do not blame him for being so. We are taught from the time we are kits that ShadowClan only lives to destroy and to fight. Many of our warriors grew up by this lesson. But I thought that perhaps they didn't live just to destroy and fight and that, perhaps, they could love and be kind as well.
"Peace," Nightwind repeats, her voice calm, "There is too much death in this world. Too much fighting. Too much hate. We hope you will recognize this as well and help us end this far-too-long war."
"Since when did ShadowClan talk of peace?" demanded Eaglestar, his voice burning. I flick my tail, catching the attention of my father and Nightwind.
"Father," I say after a brief moment, "Let's let her speak."
"Thank you, Heir Snowfall," Nightwind said before my father before he had the chance to talk, "I have heard many things about you. They say you talk of peace and of prosperity. Something my brother and I wish for dearly."
"Heir Ebonyclaw?" my father asked, "What does Heir Ebonyclaw want with peace? He is a terror of the battlefield; he killed my son and many of my warriors. He will never have peace. He will destroy it at the first chance."
"Heir Ebonyclaw wished to come," Nightwind surprised us all – I think even her guard wasn't expecting that, "Of course, my Father would not allow it. He said that you would rather put your teeth in his throat then let him speak the word. And do you know what he said?" her golden eyes sparkled.
"'Then let them, if they will finally have the vengeance they desire to end this foolish killing.'"
Silence held the den. I gulped, then closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Eyes turned to me. A felt a tail tip brush past my own, and relaxed slightly knowing that Foxclaw was there to support me.
"We must meet with Drystar and Heir Ebonyclaw," I said finally, "We must stop this war."
"Are you siding with those who killed your brother?" my father demanded, a sudden flare of anger startling me, "He would've wanted you to rise up and destroy ShadowClan! He would've wanted you to avenge his death!"
"But that is not what is right, Father," I say, desperation creeping into my voice. I struggle to hide it, "Streamheart was a brave and valiant warrior. His purpose to live was to protect his Clan and in the end, he died for it. I cannot sit by and watch another warrior die because of this foolish fighting. We must have peace."
"How can we trust them?" Eaglestar demanded, "ShadowClan will not change. They are hunters. They are killers. They live for the battle and the passions they draw from it. They cannot go a single moon without a fighting. They are nothing but a stain in the forest that we must wash away."
"You are calling us killers who cannot go a moon with battle?" Nightwind demanded, "For the last three moons we have tried to keep out of your way. We have tried to calm the nerves between both clans. But you launched those three attacks, Eaglestar, and you know that very well."
"Because you were going to attack!" Eaglestar snarled back, "You were marking your scents closer and closer to our side of the border. You were trying to move in to our territory!"
"We were trying to keep your warriors out of ours!" Nightwind's guard growled, his tail thrashing, "RiverClan has been swimming in the lake too much - their brains have floated away in the currents!"
"How dare you!" And Eaglestar lunged at the guard.
Before Nightwind's guard could attack she slipped between the two, using her lean body as a shield to the blows between the two warriors. Her guard backed away after a moment, but my father ignored her, lunging over her smaller frame to the black-and-white tom.
My paws suddenly lifted beneath me, and my body surged. A moment later I felt a sting as claws raked by shoulders. I staggered away, right into Nightwind's flank, blood dripping from a wound in my shoulder. The den went silent and my father pulled away, startled.
Nightwind spun around to my injured side, quickly tripping my paws beneath me and forcing me to the ground. I tensed, but realized that she was only looking at my wound. With a quick examination and lick she pulled away, the bleeding already stopped.
"Th-thank you," I stuttered as Nightwind pulled back, sitting down next to her guard. Foxclaw hurried to my side, quickly nosing me to my feet. My fur tingled where he touched me and my heart fluttered, but I pushed it away quickly, sitting down and keeping my weight off of my injured shoulder.
"Snowfall you-"
All eyes now turned to my father who was backing away, his green eyes as large and as round as fish eyes. Unblinking and shocked. My blood was on his claws alongside that of Nightwind, and he looked down to his paws.
"This will end," I said softly, "I will not tolerate any more fighting."
"I believe we have stayed a moment too long," Nightwind ut in smoothly then, flicking her tail to her guard and giving him a harsh glare, "We shall leave. But if you ever wish to contact us again, bring a white flower to a border patrol."
Foxclaw gave a brief nod, then, with a small glance at me, led the two ShadowClan cats out of the den. I was left alone in the darkness with my father.
"Why?" he said finally, breaking the awkward silence between us, "You never involved yourself before… Why now?"
"It was Heir Crowflight," I whispered back, I saw his ear twitch but he said nothing, "Father, he was an apprentice forced to be a warrior far too early. He was forced to kill when he wished for nothing but the fighting to end."
"He killed Robinheart," The father countered, his voice becoming harsher, "Robinheart was you best friend, one of the greatest hunters in the Clan-"
"I hated him too!" I cried back, "Father, I hated what Heir Crowflight did to Robinheart, but if you had been there, if you had held his head in your paws and listened to his crying. He was killing himself inside; he hated himself for everything he had done in his life. He felt such regret he could no longer eat or sleep and was forced by guilt to banish himself from his own sanity."
"He was a ShadowClan murderer," Eaglestar snarled, getting back to his paws, "If ShadowClan has weaved such thoughts into that addled brain of yours you will only lead this clan to its death!"
"You are leading this Clan to its death!" I shot back, "You send warriors into battle and they never come home. You're killing them, you're the murderer!"
"They die in service to their Clan, in service to me! They will be honored beyond belief when they do. To die in the front lines is any warriors dream!"
"Not for those who don't want to die! You're just making such a mess out of this! ShadowClan takes one pawsteps over the border and you attack their next patrol! It's ridiculous!"
"We must act strong."
"No, we have to be strong!" I cried, I felt my eyes burning, I shook my head in desperation, "Father, there's so much more to life then just revenge!"
"We can live for the rest once ShadowClan is gone," My father hissed, "Get out of my den, and don't come back until you've knocked some sense into that empty head of yours!"
I turned and left then. I couldn't be in my father's presence any longer. It was too painful. With a small sob I turned to a shaded fern corner near my den and collapsed under it. Before I could stop myself I was asleep.
.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.
"Why would she do that?" a voice whispered. It was Crowflight; he was crouched over a small silver puddle, his yellow eyes wide and glowing more then ever.
"You already know the answer to that," Robinheart's voice bubbled from nearby.
"Why would… She… She protected my sister…"
"What did you think she would do?" came Robinheart's playful mew again. I spotted her overhead, lounging on a low branch directly over the puddle, her green eyes glittering.
"I didn't think she would do anything," Crowflight admitted, not taking his eyes off of the pool.
"Did you expect her to hold your head in her paws and comfort you in your dying breaths?"
"N-no…" The young tom admitted, raising his eyes to Robinheart.
"Did you expect her to whisper sweet words to sew your broken heart back together?"
"No, but… It shouldn't have happen. It wasn't supposed happen. It's not… It's not done." He lowered his eyes again, "RiverClan cats do not comfort those in their last moments. They just don't'… right?"
"You already know the answer to that."
"We were taught…" Crowflights voice trailed off, "What Snowfall said to me while I was dying was honest, she wasn't lying, she wasn't stretching the truth, she was telling the truth. But RiverClan… they don't have souls or hearts. They're as emotionless as dead leaves. That's what we were taught at least."
Robinheart leapt down from the grass, her paws making little sound on the grass as she landed next to Crowflight. Her green eyes were fixed on the silver puddle, a sad look clouding the green orbs.
"It is true that RiverClan hides their emotions," she meowed, "We may pretend to think one thing but actually think another. But we have souls. We have hearts. We can feel hate and sorrow and love. We only choose to not show it. When Snowfall held you while you died she broke down those walls surrounding her and released her sorrow into the world. The sorrow she's felt ever since the reality of this war sunk in. You may not believe it but…" she turned to Crowflight, her eyes sparkling now.
"But it's the truth, even if it didn't happen."
She spun around his now, splashing her paws in the silver puddle and scattering silver droplets across the grass. Crowflight looked up to her, his golden eyes now sad.
"Then did other things happen?" he asked, "Did things happen that we didn't know about? What if ShadowClan really did start the war inside of how we were taught? Or what if… what if…"
"What if what?" Robinheart laughed, "What happen has happened, and it happened because we chose to have it happen."
"We chose to have it happen?" Crowflight asked, anger creeping into his voice, "I didn't choose to kill you! I was… I was…"
"You killed me," Robinheart meowed gently, "And you did because you chose to."
"And that was-"
"There's no 'wrong' in death," Robinheart said quickly, cutting him off, "There is no 'right' either. There never is a right and wrong, really. I guess you could just call it a popular opinion."
Crowflight fixed his eyes on Robinheart as she began to dab her paws in the silver pool again, the curiosity and playfulness of a kit overtaking her.
"How can you always be so… lighthearted?"
"You already know the answer to that."
"Robinheart do you really-"
"Hush," a tail flicked forward, gently pressing against Crowflight's muzzle.
"You already know the answer to that."
.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.
"ShadowClan invasion! Foxclaw, get my flank!"
"Alright, Eaglestar, let's go!"
I scrambled to my paws, jerked away from my dreams by hisses and snarls. But my fear quickly subsided as I spotted two of the eldest kits in the Clan, Shimmerkit and Ravenkit, roll around the center of the camp wrestling large balls of dirty moss.
I do not relax though, I watch as my father passes out of his den and gives an approving nod to the two kits in the center of camp. I look back to the little gray-and-black kits, watching as Ravenkit shredded his moss to bits.
"Take that you stupid ShadowClan warrior!" he boasted, flicking his tail and tossing up dust behind him.
"Dirty bits of foxdung and crowfood!" Shimmerkit squealed as she sent her ball of moss flying, "Get out of this forest and leave us alone!"
"You don't deserve to be even called cats!" Ravenkit declared, pouncing on the moss his sister has thrown. The two kits continued to scuffle around the center of the camp, their mother Shinepelt keeping a close eye on them.
I felt a shiver run through my spine every time the kits let out a harsh remark or bit into the moss scraps. I turned away from the scene; I cannot bear to look any longer. My paws bring me to the entrance of the camp where Foxclaw is sitting, guarding. He looks up to me with his bright, clear green eyes and gives a small, comforting smile.
"I need your help," I say quietly so that only he and I can hear, "I need you to help me find white flowers."
.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.
Blah blah blah REVIEW blah blah blah REVIEW blah blah blah REVIEW
NoOoOoOoW...
review :3