A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated before now, I promise I'll try to get an update in at least once a week! Anyways, it's Goldenhawk's POV once more (it's the last time, I swear!) On to Chapter 16!
GOLDENHAWK
Bloodred sunlight from the setting sun flooded into a small tunnel, twisting its way towards a dark golden tabby with rippling stripes. It creaked open his eyelids, and brilliant amber eyes blinked open sleepily. Goldenhawk let out a huge yawn, his ears twitching as he heard Cliffstorm's authorative yowl sound from outside his den. A few tail-lengths away from him, a small silver tabby was fast asleep, her tail curled neatly over her paws. Apprehension clutched Goldenhawk's heart as he quietly rose to his paws as so to not disturb Featherpaw and padded out of his hollow. He couldn't put his paw on it, but he felt as if something dreadful was going to happen today.
As he made his way to the clearing where the Speakingrock was, Goldenhawk felt exhaustion tug at his limbs. It had been Featherpaw's third day of training, and though she was insiquitive and eager to learn, it did not change the fact that she was still clumsy from her kithood days, and not prepared to save the lives of cats quite yet. Today, she had tripped over a small stone in the healing cat's den and collided into the stash of juniper berries, crushing all of them.
"Now look what you've done!" Goldenhawk had snapped angrily, his hackles raised and golden tabby fur bristling. "You can go and find some more juniper berries now! You should be able to remember the scent, as it's all over your fur!" Featherpaw, terrified of his sudden rage, had nodded obediently and fled from the den, happy to be away from her trainer.
The memory of it nagged at Goldenhawk like a thorn in his pad as he settled down to sit Icewhisker. The light silver, almost white tom was sitting beside Gentlebreeze, their tails intertwined. Icewhisker's piercing light-blue eyes rested on a light gray tabby like his mate, and Goldenhawk saw pride etched on his face as he gazed at his son, Littlepaw. The small gray tabby was chatting animatedly to his trainer, Ragingfire, who looked faintly bored.
The CoralClan healing cat twitched his whiskers in amusement, and he blinked in surprise as he gazed up at the Speakingrock. Cliffstorm was poised triumphantly at the top, his sleek black stripes contrasting his brown fur. Twilightstar stood a few tail-lengths back, her ears flattened to her head and her green eyes flickering back and forth nervously. But then, Goldenhawk reflected, it was increasingly common to see the CoralClan delegate taking the place of the ruler.
"Cats of CoralClan!" Cliffstorm's yellow eyes were narrowed into slits as he addressed the Clan. "We have been picked off, one by one, by the treacherous Tornadostorm, the delegate of MeadowClan. Branchpaw, Whispersong, and soon, our whole Clan! Our numbers decrease each moon, and if we wait much longer, our whole Clan will be destroyed! The time has come to show him we're serious about defending the Clan!"
Goldenhawk shifted uncomfortably, his insides squirming as the CoralClan delegate spoke from above him. It was true that many cats were dying, but it was because Cliffstorm was ordering them to patrol the Fishingpond while MeadowClan was clearly sending a hostile message for them to stay away. From what Seapaw had told him, MeadowClan was suffering casualties as well. Yet the tabby healing cat remained silent, only watched the delegate with increasing interest.
"Bring her out, Twilightstar!" Cliffstorm ordered his ruler, his deep voice ringing out richly across the clearing. Goldenhawk flinched; no cat spoke to the CoralClan ruler like that and got away unscratched. But to the whole Clan's surprise, the gray and white she-cat bowed her head and sprang off the Speakingrock, landing softly in the sand below her. She disappeared briefly in a small hollow, before emerging with a long-haired white she-cat who was spitting defiantly. Dovefeather.
Dried blood matted her long, previously well-groomed fur, and she appeared to be limping, but her viridian eyes shone with the strength of her spirit. Dovefeather let out yowls and hisses of protest as Twilightstar easily dragged her in her wounded state to the foot of the Speakingrock, where every cat could see the MeadowClan protector. Goldenhawk longed to treat her wounds, but he dared not speak up in front of his ruler.
"You are Dovefeather, correct?" Cliffstorm blinked innocently, as though he honestly had not known her name until now, and had not ordered his cats to attack her and keep her prisoner. Dovefeather hissed in reply, her ivy-green eyes blazing with wild rage as she glared at the delegate with undisguised hatred. The CoralClan delegate continued, "Mother of Typhoonstorm, Mudstrike, and mate of the fleabag known as Tornadostorm?"
"You're the fleabag!" Dovefeather snarled viciously, her hackles raised and her fur bristling. Goldenhawk could not help but admire her courage in her bleak situation. She struggled vainly to break free of Twilightstar's clutches, but the CoralClan ruler held her down with little effort, an expression of faint boredom etched on her face. In Dovefeather's terribly weakened state, she was no match for the seasoned gray-and-white ruler. "And yes, I love Tornadostorm! He's brave, and fights for justice, unlike you!"
"You have heard, from her own mouth, her confession!" Cliffstorm yowled, bloodred light seeping into between the thorns that guarded the camp. The black-and brown tabby protector growled, "She has fraternized with the enemy. And there can be no other punishment for that but death!"
To Goldenhawk's horror, the cats around him leapt to their paws, yowling their agreement. They had been brainwashed into believing that this whole war had been caused by Tornadostorm, and now their thirst for blood, for revenge, was so great that they were willing to murder his mate? Icewhisker, who was sitting beside him, remained seated, slowly shaking his head in silent disagreement.
"Hang on a moment, Cliffstorm," Goldenhawk meowed loudly, above the yowls of agreement. Instantly, the Clan fell silent, and Cliffstorm's amber eyes flashed dangerously as he looked at the healing cat with undisguised anger. The big golden tabby was acutely aware of every pair of eyes trained on him, but he forced himself to stare calmly back at the CoralClan delegate. The tabby healing cat mewed, "I understand that we have suffered losses. But MeadowClan has lost many cats as well, and Dovefeather is innocent. Shouldn't we be working towards a solution, rather than putting fuel in the fire? I'm sure IslandClan doesn't want us to kill each other."
Goldenhawk couldn't help but glance over at the long-haired MeadowClan protector. The cloudy-white she-cat was staring with gratitude brimming in her leaf-green eyes. He couldn't bear to see the strength of emotion in her eyes and looked away, his ears flattened to his head as he saw Cliffstorm's amber eyes smolder with rage.
"Tornadostorm would never listen to reason! And IslandClan told Twilightstar to do whatever it took to beat MeadowClan!" Cliffstorm spat angrily, his tail fluffed out so he appeared twice his size. Despite being a healing cat, and being above such petty arguments, Goldenhawk unsheathed his claws, hardly able to believe his ears. He knew that his ancestors would never, ever favor one Clan over another, and tell rulers to murder in cold-blood. He bunched up his muscles and crouched low, preparing to spring on Cliffstorm.
"That's enough!" Twilightstar's sharp meow cut into his thoughts of fighting the dark tabby protector, and Goldenhawk straightened up, licking his ruffled ivory chest fur in embarrassment. He knew now that she would never listen to him, and his russet-striped tail drooped to the ground in pure disappointment. The gray-and-white she-cat gazed down at Dovefeather, who stared steadily back at the CoralClan ruler with hope in her green eyes. However, the ruler flicked her tail, signaling Cliffstorm, and meowed simply, "You will be executed immediately."
Goldenhawk's meow of shock was drowned out by the yowls of approval, and he felt almost sick to his stomach as he heard several purrs of amusement. Dovefeather's green eyes snapped back to Goldenhawk, and the great golden tabby held her piercing gaze for as long as he possibly could. Her ivy-green eyes seemed accusing, as if accusing him of not trying hard enough to convince his bloodthirsty ruler to spare her life, and he knew her eyes would haunt him forever. The stare, which could have lasted a heartbeat, or several moons, was broken as Cliffstorm leapt down from the Speakingrock eagerly, pebbles scattering as his long claws scraped the sides. Twilightstar shuffled to the side as Cliffstorm pinned down the long-haired she-cat.
The light golden tabby closed his amber eyes, unable to watch the scene unfolding before him, but he found that closing his eyes only made things worse. A single piercing cry echoed in the clearing, and he knew that Dovefeather's accusing green eyes would never pierce him, or any cat, again. Yowls of triumph echoed around the bloodred clearing, bloodred from both the setting sun and from the innocent blood of Dovefeather that now stained the sand, that now stained Goldenhawk.
His heart full of grief, he pushed his way through the crowd of cats and raced out of the CoralClan camp, running as fast as his limbs would carry him. He did not know where he was going, but he knew he was running from his bloodthirsty Clan, and the delegate who would stop at nothing to kill every cat he saw unfit to be on this island. Finally, he collapsed just inside MeadowClan territory and let grief rack his tired body. Grief that he could not stop this war, that he could not save anyone, that he was not worthy to be called a healing cat, because the lives he saved would not matter if Cliffstorm decided they weren't good enough.
A/N: Poor Dovefeather! But she had to go. R&R, please!