Chapter 7
After bidding her three friends good-bye, Twilight watched them turn and run towards home in the gathering darkness. The white pelts of Cloud and Snow, and the glossed black pelt of Raven. Raven, her Raven, her friend…
Shaking her head while scolding herself, the black she-cat picked up the wet moss and the larger of the two rabbits. There was no time to get caught up in dumb romantic moments. Even if they did get her time to be mesmerized by his glowing green eyes…
Stop it! she snarled to herself, turning around and heading into the small den.
All thoughts of the black tom or avoiding thinking about him vanished when she again smelled the faint scent of BloodClan. Her memories were less torturous than they had been before, but still just as painful to remember.
Russet was lying in her nest, with her injured back leg swathed in cobwebs and marigold paste. Her amber eyes were calmer now, and she looked better even in that short time.
"Feeling better?" Twilight asked as she set the moss and rabbit down.
"Yes," the ginger she-cat answered quietly, stretching her head out to lick the drops of moisture that had beaded on the moss. When she was satisfied, she pulled the rabbit towards her with one paw and ate while trying not to seem ravenous.
Twilight retrieved her own rabbit from outside and ate it with some relish, too anxious to really enjoy it even though she had not eaten since noon. She was finished soon, and took the fur and bones, as well as Russet's, outside and buried them.
Coming in, she curled up on her nest and gave herself a semi-conscious wash. Between her memories on BloodClan and wondering if she should bring it up with Russet, she had a lot to think about.
However, she did not have to ponder long. Russet's dark ginger tail snaked around her foreleg, and she murmured softly, "Twilight, I'm so glad I found you. And I wanted to tell you that your escape gave me courage for my own, after… after it happened."
"What did – oh, sorry, you probably don't want to talk about it," Twilight mewed, staring through the darkness to Russet's amber eyes.
To her surprise, Russet whispered, almost inaudibly, "On the contrary, I want to tell you and get it off my chest, so someone else can share the burden with me." She paused and added almost reluctantly, "I will not tell you if you don't want me to. I understand you have enough memories to last you."
"You're my friend, Russet, and I will gladly let you share this with me. One more memory can't hurt me," Twilight purred, trying not to let the words stick in her throat. The first comment was as true as the grass was green, but Twilight was unsure about the second.
"Thank you, Twilight, my old friend," Russet mewed gratefully. "I'm sorry that you're going to hear this."
"Go ahead, Russet," the black she-cat meowed, settling herself bracingly in her nest, ready for whatever Russet would recite. She hoped she was in any case.
This is the story the ginger she-cat related to Twilight in her own words, with no interruptions:
"I don't know if you knew, but I was pregnant with kits at the time of your, ahm, punishment for sharing prey. My mate was Smudge, you remember Smudge, he was that white tom with
the black nose? Yes, well, maybe a moon after your escape I gave birth to three kits. But they were born small and weak, very delicate, since I had been starving at the point of their birth
because of the harsh season. I knew with gentle nurturing and time they would be all right; it was just a mother's instinct. Anyway, about two days after their birth, one of Titan's patrols,
Jag and Adder, it was, poked their heads into our living area, which was just a small human storage alley. My nest was just a cardboard box. They snidely congratulated me on my kits,
then waltzed off looking very pleased with themselves. Maybe a moon later, Titan himself came to the alley, with Smudge and two of his cats, Arrow and Ice, I believe. Smudge had been
hunting; he moved protectively to my side as soon as they entered the alley. Titan said to me, "Well, well, well, Russet, isn't it? You're a young mother, aren't you?" Not wanting to be rude
in front of that dangerous cat, I replied, "Yes, Titan, this is my first litter." My heart nearly stopped when he extended one of his dog tooth claws, but he merely stroked one of my kit's
backs with the side of it. Smudge had instinctively moved forward to protect them, and Titan purred with an edge of amusement, "Calm yourself, Smudge, I won't hurt them." Then his eyes
took on a malignant glint as he turned back to me. "However, Russet, you must see that your kits are too small and weak to do anything. They will not live through the season, you must
see that. It would only put more effort and strain on you and your mate. You might as well dispose of them now." My mind was reeling in shock and fear that he would suddenly be
murdering my kits in front of me, and I wrapped my tail more snugly around my babies. I was momentarily eased as he moved to the side of my nest, away from the kits and near my head.
Then my blood froze as he purred, "Kill them now, Smudge." My mate might as well have been asked to pick a mouse out of thin air. He just stood there, flaming hatred and iced fear
mixing in his eyes as his suddenly tightened voice strangled out, "I will gladly put in as much effort as need be for my kits, Titan. Even at the cost of my own prey." Contemptuously, Titan
answered, "These kits are so weak that you'll be caring for them beyond twelve moons, and that would be breaking the law. I don't want to have to punish you in that near future." I
knew he couldn't care less; he just wanted to watch us be tortured on the inside if we were forced to do what he suggested. "They will be able to hunt on their own at the age of twelve
moons," Smudge insisted desperately, his eyes horribly distressed. "Kill them," Titan mewed quietly. There was a whisper, and there was suddenly a sharp jab on my throat, with an
added comment, "Or I kill your mate and your kits." I watched through anguished eyes as Arrow and Ice took up positions beside Titan, in case Smudge would try to attack him and protect
me. My mate was in anguish, I could tell, and so was I. But I knew he would take the choice that would come with less death. As he moved forward to take them, he choked out to me, "I'm
so sorry, Russet." I gave him a microscopic nod; with a talon at my throat I could do little else. I squeezed my eyes shut as he moved away with my babies, who were crying at the sudden
cold. I was feeling as if my spirit was being torn apart by unseen claws, with the hopelessness enhancing the pain. There were three muffled thuds, and when I opened my eyes Smudge
was sitting on the ground with our dead kits in front of him, his eyes on the ground, shaking with grief. I do not remember what Titan's parting words were to me, but he and his two
others took my kits' bodies and left me and my mate there. I had no comforting words to Smudge, nor he to me. But he said one thing to me when sunset came around on that day. He
said, with his eyes burning with vengeance and misery, "I'm getting you out of here." He helped me up and I let him lead me away from my den. He took me out of the city, past the park,
until we reached the outer limits. We approached silently, there were some pine trees there, and we saw the guard. Smudge told me, "I love you, Russet. See if you can find Twilight, she
escaped near this part. I know I will see you again." Before I could ask my mate why he was acting as if he was not going with me, and how we were going to get past the guard, he told
me, "No matter what happens, stay away from me and get away from this heap of human trash. I love you." He broke away from me before I could respond and raced at the guard, who
spun around and yowled, "Under Titan's command you go no – " "Save it for Scourge, you piece of fox-dung!" Smudge roared at the cat, launching himself, claws out, onto him. The startled
tom yowled loudly and threw himself into combat. I saw that the nearest guard post to this one had that guard coming to the battle, and the one on the other side. Soon my mate was
fighting three to one. I forced myself not to watch the blood and fur fly, and did as my beloved mate had instructed me to; snuck past the fight and ran for a free life, and to find you,
Twilight. I did not stop or look back until I was far away, honoring the reason for Smudge's sacrifice. That is how I got here, Twilight, my friend."
Twilight had thought another memory could not stir her. She'd been wrong. Russet had told her story too well, and fury rose like a tidal wave at Titan and his band of rogues.