Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, but I do own the characters and the plot.

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Chapter Five

~ Not a Hostage ~

ShadowClan Camp (Right after the battle)

Razorkit struggled as the strong warrior ran with him for what seemed like moons, and even when Darkclaw came to a halt in a strange, disgusting-smelling, unfriendly place he didn't stop yowling for Hazelmist.

"Oh, shut up," Darkclaw growled, spitting kit-fur out of his mouth from where it had been left by Razorkit's struggling.

"No. Where am I?" Razorkit asked defiantly, sounding brave whereas inside he was quivering like a leaf. A thin, fragile leaf.

Darkclaw, with one paw trapping Razorkit's tail so that he couldn't escape, leaned down to that Razorkit could stare in to the yellow depths of his malicious eyes. "Your new home," he answered in a satisfied voice.

Razorkit narrowed his eyes. "Where's that?"

Darkclaw laughed, and looked at something over the Razorkit's head. "Look around you, kit," was his simple answer.

When Razorkit lifted his eyes to look at his surroundings he couldn't make out too much because of the darkness of the night, but what he could make out made him tremble beneath his fur.

Eyes. Lots and lots of eyes. Soon he could make out the owners of these eyes as the cats slowly crept forward with curiosity driving their paws, to see who had intruded on their territory. Their outlines solidified and became more real the closer they got.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" sneered an unpleasant voice. It was all Razorkit could do to not try and hide behind Darkclaw – at least he was familiar.

"Welcome to ShadowClan, kit," leered another voice in a sly tone.

Darkclaw seemed content to watch Razorkit tremble until a thick-furred gray she-cat with blue eyes and a feathery tail stepped forward out of the gloom into a patch of moonlight.

"That's enough, Darkclaw," she said in a voice that was not to be argued with. Immediately the taunting stopped and cats stepped out of the shadows as if by some silent command so that Razorkit could see them.

Razorkit stared at his rescuer is awe. "Th-thank you," he mewed, trying (and nearly but not quite succeeding) to keep the stammer out of his voice. "Where am I, really?"

"Fluff-brained WindClan kit," Darkclaw meowed disdainfully. "You're in the ShadowClan camp, mousebrain."

"You're the mousebrain – for bringing me here!" Razorkit exclaimed. "Why am I here, anyway? Do you want some prey from my Clan? Are you holding me hostage?"

Darkclaw opened his jaws to answer, but the thick-furred gray she-cat with blue eyes and a feathery tail shot him a look to be quiet. "Rowanstar will be home soon. She will explain. But for now, you can come with me," she told Razorkit in a gentle voice.

"You're not the leader?" Razorkit asked, surprised. Everyone had obeyed her as if she was the leader. Maybe she was the deputy.

"No, dear kit. I am Fogfur; a Queen of ShadowClan. Now, follow me," Fogfur replied. Razorkit hesitated but when Darkclaw smiled nastily at him, he slowly put one paw in front of the other and followed the gray Queen with his trembling tail raised high and his chin lifted. He was terrified, but he didn't want to be seen as scared and helpless.

Fogfur led him past the surprisingly few cats in the clearing (there were about seven; nine including Fogfur and Darkclaw) towards a bramble den with a milky scent surrounding it. Razorkit guessed this was the nursery.

Razorkit ducked inside and was met with the hostile stare of another Queen and her kits. He just stared back until Fogfur cleared her throat and made introductions.

"Razorkit, you know that I am Fogfur. These are my kits: Thornkit and Twistkit, and this is Frogstripe, my fellow denmate. Her kits are Toadkit and Murkkit," Fogfur meowed neutrally. "For now you will be sharing my nest along with Thornkit and Twistkit."

Razorkit started to nod until her words really sunk in. "W-wait. I'm to share your nest? I'm not a prisoner?"

The other Queen, Frogstripe, coughed. "Oh, you're far too... important to be kept only as a hostage," she cackled. Razorkit stared at her hard and realised that she looked too old to be a Queen. He decided to ask Fogfur later if he got the chance.

"What do you mean?" Razorkit questioned.

Fogfur shook her head. "Questions later. Rowanstar will explain everything when she gets back. You must be tired, come and have a nap until morning," she invited, circling her nest and settling down. Thornkit immediately joined his mother, but Twistkit just kept staring at Razorkit, who shifted uncomfortable. All the staring was getting rather annoying.

"Back from where?" Razorkit tore his eyes from Twistkit and focused on Fogfur again, but it was Twistkit's innocent kit-voice that answered.

"Rowanstar led the patrol to attack WindClan along with the leaders of ThunderClan and RiverClan of course," she mewed before clambering into the nest with her mother and brother.

Razorkit sat down with a bump. "But – I have to get back! My mother might be hurt, and my littermates, and-"

"Hush, calm down," Fogfur was at his side in an instant, soothing him. "Your kin will be fine, the best thing to do right now is sleep," she murmured and nudged him over to her nest where she washed him with gentle, rhythmic licks. "Everything will be all right," she repeated softly as he dozed off; the events of the night had exhausted him and he fell asleep feeling comforted.

Author's Note: Next chapter will be longer, I promise! Although I won't be able to update for about three weeks because I have my German Exchange partner visiting and writing is a rather unsociable activity...

Please Review, I'd love to know your thoughts!