Chapter 21

A gasp of pain escaped from her lungs as Willowcloud returned to the gorge. Every pawstep she took was one that led her away from StarClan. She knew now what her destiny was. To kill Ghostwind would mean that she would have to kill her kits.

The sky was beginning to turn a pale pink as the sun rose. Willowcloud looked up, feeling hopeless as she saw the streaks of clouds that stretched across the sky. Soon leafbare would come upon the forest. When that happened, the ground underpaw would grow treacherous as ice and snow covered the rocky gorge. The river would slow down as sheets of ice covered it. The leaves on trees would drop on the first sign of frost.

Leafbare kills all, Willowcloud thought as she weaved in and out of the shrubs. But it picks out the weak and old. Sometimes we need leafbare to show us what we're really made of.

She thought of what Fang had said about Leopard. He had Clan blood running through his veins. His past was riddled with mysteries that made her fur crawl. His mother must have abandoned her Clan at some point when she found out she was expecting kits. But why leave him abandoned to fate? She shook her head in confusion as she approached Embertail's den.

Maybe she will know, she decided. Embertail said that anything could happen in StarClan's territory. Maybe she will know what Fang meant.

The sun had risen fully by the time she reached Embertail's cave. A chill swept over her fur as she crept towards the entrance.

"Embertail?" She whispered the medicine cat's name, hoping she would get some kind of response. Relief washed over her when she saw a pair of amber eyes gleam through the darkness. Embertail's fur was ruffled as she tried to figure out who had woken her up.

"Isn't it a bit too early for this?" she grumbled when she recognized Willowcloud by her eyes.

"I…I needed to talk with you about my meeting with StarClan," Willowcloud murmured.

"They spoke to you?" Embertail sounded shocked. Willowcloud met her gaze and saw that her eyes had widened. "Well, that's good news. If they spoke to you then that means they're at least confident with your choice."

"But they wanted me to…." Willowcloud broke off as she tried not to think about it. Her kits' lives meant more to her than the Clans at the moment. Embertail seemed to read her uneasiness. The pale brown she-cat's gaze darkened for a brief moment. "Embertail, they want me to kill my brother!"

Embertail didn't look surprised or dismayed like Willowcloud expected. Instead she drew a paw over her face as she began to groom herself.

"StarClan wants you to kill a murderer and a liar," Embertail meowed. "I'd say they've made a wise choice. Killing Ghostwind will help the Clans return to normal."

I don't think it will, Willowcloud thought. Others will follow him. His followers will think I have betrayed the warrior code. And the Clans…I don't think they will ever return to normal. She felt guilt weigh down on her shoulders as she imagined what her former Clanmates would do. No, I can't put them through that. They have to see for themselves what Ghostwind really is.

"This will effect your kits, won't it?" Embertail's question made Willowcloud blink in surprise.

"It will…. I won't let my kits die because of something StarClan has said. I can't." She felt her legs tremble as she imagined tiny lives being dragged away from her. Those images had haunted her since she left the Moonstream. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something terrible would happen in the future.

"But what about the Clans?" Embertail demanded. "They need any help they can get!"

"I'm sorry Emberheart," Willowcloud muttered. "But the Clans will have to wait."

She rose to her paws before Embertail could reply. Another sharp gasp of pain erupted from her lungs—she had not yet recovered from the sprain on her leg when she was fleeing from StarClan. She looked over her shoulder to see that Embertail had disappeared into her cave once more.

. . .

The following day had left Willowcloud exhausted as she hunted for herself. She refused to be treated like a regular queen. Leopard had offered to give her his freshly caught squirrel, but she quickly turned it away. Irritation had gnawed at her skin when she knew that she should have accepted Leopard's offer. Every time she left the gorge her life was in danger, as well as the lives of her kits. She couldn't shake off the uneasy feelings that her visions kept sending her.

Cats will die…death lingers where my pawsteps lead me. The thought sent chills down Willowcloud's spine. She could already feel the lives of her kits slipping away as she imagined the smirk on Ghostwind's muzzle. He would feel proud of himself for taking innocent lives. He had already changed the way LeafClan lived…. Taking Thornstar's life must have been easy to her brother.

She shook her head and padded on. Hunting would take away those horrible thoughts. Willowcloud had often spent most of her days in LeafClan hunting when she wanted to escape from her Clan. It was the best way to hone her tracking skills and fighting skills.

Her ears pricked forward when she caught the scent of a vole hiding in the leaf-litter. It was difficult to detect the changes. Leaves had a distinctive moldy scent that made her lungs burn, but the vole's scent was stronger. Hiding had made the vole easier to find.

Willowcloud dropped into a hunter's crouch as she followed the scent. Her belly was already pressed against the ground, but she chose to ignore it. If she stopped now she would return to her den empty-pawed, and hungrier than ever. The vole had suddenly stopped moving about the undergrowth. Willowcloud crept forward, hoping that her paws wouldn't make any dry leaves crunch under her weight. Once the vole had relaxed, she lunged. A squeal was all that sounded as she made a killing bite.

Moisture seeped between her teeth as Willowcloud made her way back to the caves. She should have eaten the vole straight away, but she felt safer in her own territory.

"Good catch." Willowcloud stiffened when she heard a voice coming from behind. She whirled around and saw an elderly looking cat standing behind her. "Mind if I take it? I haven't been able to catch anything for moons." His voice came out in a rasp as he spoke. Willowcloud narrowed her eyes.

He's lying, she thought angrily. He knows I can't fight him off…not with my kits.

She spotted a tall looking tree nearby. Her climbing skills weren't the best, but she knew that it was her best option. The loner blinked in surprise when she suddenly turned around and ran. She felt her kits stirring within her belly—she knew that it would not be long before they arrived.

"What in the stars?" He nearly yelped when she clawed at the tree. She didn't bother looking down—she was afraid she would drop the vole, and that would mean losing her meal. Satisfaction swelled within her when she found herself sitting on the lowest branch. "Get back down here!" the loner snarled.

"Sorry, but I would rather eat my fresh-kill," Willowcloud replied. A smirk fell upon her face when he glowered at her. She was lucky that he couldn't climb. His gray muzzle told her that he would have trouble doing so. "Besides, there's plenty of prey if you find Twolegplace."

"I'd rather have my teeth pulled out than go back there," the tom spat.

Without another word he spun around and left her. Willowcloud kept an eye on his pelt until he disappeared in the distance. By now her belly was rumbling with hunger, telling her that the kits were stirring once more.

"Don't worry little ones, I'll eat soon," she murmured reassuringly.

Hunger got the better of Willowcloud by the time she felt it was safe to get down. She leaned forward and quickly devoured the vole, feeling refreshed for the first time in moons. Her mouth watered once more at the savoring taste, but she knew that the vole was enough to fill her belly.

A hiss came from the bushes under the tree, startling Willowcloud from her thoughts. She looked down to see a pair of green eyes peering up at her.

"I was getting worried," he meowed as he emerged from the bushes.

"I thought you were that mangepelt of a loner," Willowcloud purred.

"A loner?" Leopard's eyes flashed for a brief moment before she joined him. "What did he look like?"

"He was just an old tabby. Not much else that made him stand out," she replied. She tilted her head in confusion when his eyes narrowed. "Did you know him?" She stared at him in shock.

He should know more cats. He's been a loner for most of his life, she realized.

"Archer," Leopard hissed. "I'd know him anywhere. He used to pick fights with younger cats. I'm surprised he managed to find this place." His claws were scraping against the ground, tearing at the grass as he glared at it.

"Did he ever…attack you?" Willowcloud asked. She found it hard to believe that any cat could harm him.

"He ambushed me when I was just five moons old," he explained. His voice held a bitter tone to it as he spoke. "I was with my sister at the time…she was terrified, and tried to hide between two boulders. By the time I managed to keep him away from us, she…." His eyes closed as he recalled what had happened. "She was killed by the adder. I didn't see it at the time."

"I'm…sorry." Willowcloud found it hard to reply. She looked down at her paws, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself as she wondered what he would have been like had his sister lived.

"Don't be." Leopard's eyes suddenly opened, and his piercing green gaze darkened as he looked at her. "I had my revenge. Archer can't see right now. Have you noticed that his right eye was closed when he spoke to you?" When Willowcloud gave a stiff nod, he lashed his tail. "He left me alone after that. Never challenged me or fought me for territory."

"Do you ever regret doing such a thing?" Willowcloud felt her stomach churn as she waited for his reply. Part of her wanted him to say no, but another part of her wanted him to say yes.

"I have no regrets." Leopard raised his tail for a brief moment before his ears pricked forward. "We should get back. The sun is setting."

Willowcloud looked up at the sky in surprise. She had not realized how much time had passed. She felt relieved that they were leaving this spot. Leopard's anger had frightened her. He knew how to fight, which meant he could protect their kits.

But will he let anger get the better of him? she wondered.

The question refused to leave her thoughts, even when she allowed him to build a nest for her. If he was willing to kill out of anger, where would that leave him? Surely StarClan would not allow it to happen…. Yet she couldn't help but think of how they had told her to kill Ghostwind. Either way, she knew that life was going to change for her, whether she wanted it to or not.

A/N: So this chapter took a little longer to write than usual. But I'm happy with it. Most people guessed right with Yellowfang. She was my favorite character, and I couldn't help but think that she would eventually leave the original Clan's hunting grounds. So I decided to add her here. Also, Archer will hold more of a future roll in this story. Not sure where, but he will become important later on.

And, thanks to my lovely reviewers, you've all earned Willowcloud plushies :)