** This wasn't my favorite, but I still like it. It starts off with Thorwhisker's mate if you are confused. This was given to me by Snowsplash of NightClan. This is a little different than her idea, but than aren't all my stories.**
Thornwhisker: The Hunter
Insanity is not knowing that you are doing something crazy. Evilness is knowing exactly what you are doing but not stopping. There is a very thin borderline and it is easy to fall to either side.
Sometimes no one can tell what side you fall onto. What side a WindClan tom was blown to, nobody knows.
ShadowClan was getting as daring as Swiftlily was getting restless. Sure her kits were cute, but they were getting to be very annoying. Being pounced on lost its humor a long time ago.
She approached Whitestar to ask something that had been on her mind for awhile. "Can I please go on a patrol Whitestar. I have been cooped up in the nursery forever. " she begged.
The leader seemed to consider this for a moment than nodded. "You can lead Winterthaw, Arcticmist, and Mothflower to patrol the ShadowClan border. Be careful though, they have been giving our warriors some trouble lately." he said carefully.
"Of course I will." replied Swiftlily. She ran off to find the warriors Whitestar had assigned to her patrol. She looked around briefly for her mate, Thornwhisker, but than decided that he was out hunting and wouldn't be back for awhile. He would never know she had left the nursery..
With everyone gathered, they started across the moor. Mothflower decided to bring her apprentice, Brookpaw. He was hoping all over the place. "What is that awful smell!" he cried out when we got closer to the border.
"That is what ShadowClan smells like Brookpaw. Remember it well." laughed Mothflower. The little apprentice opened his mouth even wider to get a better sniff.
Arcticmist stopped for a second. "It smells closer than usual."he commented, walking a little closer to the border when suddenly a patrol of ShadowClan warriors burst through the thin shrubbery separating the moorland from the thunderpath.
The black tom leaped at Winterthaw and the two were soon digging claws into each others pelt. Swiftlily moved to help the warrior out, but a gray she-cat interrupted her.
Mothflower soon found herself dealing with the third member of the patrol. "Brookpaw!" she shouted over the sounds of battle. "Get back to camp and tell Whitestar to seen more warriors. We seem to have run into some trouble."
The apprentice shoot off, but it was too slow to stop the inevitable. Swiftlily was weakening under the ShadowClan warrior's blows. It had been moons since she had joined an actual patrol, and she was regretting it now.
Swiftlily wiggled under the warrior grip, but she just couldn't break loose. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her neck than nothing at all.
Paws were pounding across the moor. Whitestar had brought Amberheart, Bunnystorm, and Blazepaw with him. They slowly beat the ShadowClan warriors back onto their own territory.
Bunnystorm looked in horror at Swiftlily. Her blood was running from a gashing wound in her back. Her chest seemed to be stilled. "We have to get her back to camp." cried the she-cat.
Brookpaw was off again to fetch Meadowblossom, but it was already to late. Swiftlily was in StarClan.
When Thornwhisker came back from hunting, he saw the whole Clan gathered around the medicine den. He was slightly curious about what happened, but he knew his mate and kits were safe. Swiftlily was in the nursery with Ashkit and Barkkit.
He walked a little closer and saw Bunnystorm and Mothflower leaning against one another. Tears were streaming down their faces. Their mates were standing a distance away, also having a somber expression on their faces.
Thornwhisker picked up his pace a little. When he pushed aside some apprentices, he saw the worst sight imaginable. Swiftlily lying completely still while Meadowblossom covered her in rosemary and other sweet smelling herbs.
He didn't cry out; he just stared in disbelief at her. He slowly moved his eyes from his mate and looked at Meadowblossom, than Mothflower, Winterthaw, Arcticmist, Amberheart, Bunnystorm, and lastly back to Swiftlily.
Without saying a word, he left the camp and disappeared onto the moor. Ashkit tried to go after him, but Honeyfeather held her back. "He just needs some time alone." said the queen.
Thornwhisker desperately needed time alone. His perfect little world had just spiraled out of his control. His mate was dead and his kits had no mother.
As every widowed mate does, he looked to someone to blame for his current misfortune. It wasn't Swiftlily's, Ashkit's, or Barkkit's fault. There must be someone responsible for this untimely death.
Then it came into his mind. "Honeyfeather and Whispbreeze." he breathed. The queens hadn't stopped his love from joining a patrol. It was all their fault. They had it fully in their power to stop Swiftlily from dying.
But he still didn't know what to do. He was no leader, no deputy, just a plain and simple warrior that followed orders. All he knew was he need to do something, something big.
The golden sun was beginning to set behind the horizon when Thornwhisker finally decided to head back to camp. The loss of his mate still weighed heavy on his heart, but he could breath easier.
Most of WindClan was asleep when he finally got back. Even Honeyfire who was supposed to be guarding the entrance was asleep. Her head was stuck in the heather that served as a barrier. She didn't even stir when Thornwhisker walked right past her.
He was about to slide into the warrior den when she heard a sound coming from the nursery. It sounded like the mewling of kits. Thornwhisker walked over to the nursery and peeked in.
Honeyfeather was curled up with her kit, Lilackit, and Whispbreeze was with hers, Tumblekit, Flickerkit, and Aurorakit. But the noise wasn't coming from any of them.
It was coming from a bundle of fur in the corner. Ashkit and Barkkit were huddled together and shivering from lack of warmth. Barkkit was making the noise, mewling in hunger.
Those were his kits thought Thornwhisker. Ashkit was an exact replica of her mother. How could either Honeyfeather or Whispbreeze shun them like this? Lilackit looked completely innocent as she slept across her scoundrel of a mother.
Thornwhisker silently padded up to Honeyfeather like he was sneaking up on a rabbit. The unlucky queen just sat there, not suspecting anything was wrong.
The tom felt a jolt of power as her realized that he held the life of a cat in his hands. It was the most intoxicating feeling ever, like when he got into the catmint supply once.
Thornwhisker's claws didn't make a sound as the sliced through the air. The easily cut open the queens throat. Blood splashed onto Lilackit, but she just yawned and moved into a more comfortable position.
Honeyfeather just let out a small yelp that quickly faded. The rustling of the wind across the grasses prevented any sound from reaching Whispbreeze's ears. She lay oblivious to what had just occurred.
As Thornwhisker made his way to the only alive queen, Flickerkit let out a loud mew and stretched her paws. They ended up knocking Tumblekit right outside the head. Aurorakit struggled around and managed to wake her mother up.
Whispbreeze opened her eyes to clam down her wiggling kits when she noticed the blood that was beginning to soak into her nest. At the start of the dribble was a dark shape in the outline of a cat.
"Help!" yelled Whispbreeze as loud as she could. Maybe, just maybe a warrior would come to protect her from whatever was coming towards her.
A deep chuckle echoed about the nursery. "You killed Swiftlily." said Thornwhisker. "You will not live to see tomorrow with scars like the ones on my heart."
He brought his claws down on Whispbreeze's head. They seemed to skim the air above her head before finally making contact. His already bloodied claws sliced smoothly through her head, taking her ears clean off.
Whispbreeze hissed in pain, but stayed in her position. She wasn't going to expose her kits to that killer. Even as blood poured over her eyes and her ears lay on the nursery floor.
Thornwhisker froze in horror when he was the young queen stay strong. The reality of what he did cam crashing down on him. Honeyfeather was dead and Whispbreeze would be soon.
He raced out of the camp and tried to run away from his guilt. Maybe if he ran fast enough, it wouldn't be able to catch up and he would be free.
The night air raced over his back but did not erase his guilt. Afraid to go back to his Clan, Thornwhisker headed to Highstones. He had to take his case straight to StarClan.
There was only one obstacle in his way. Thornwhisker had forgotten completely about the thunderpath that divided the moors from the stones.
Thornwhisker flew across the grass land with no thoughts except to show his innocence. When he reached the thunderpath, he didn't even register the smell.
Suddenly bright lights blinded him. To his confused mine, it looked like th blowing pelts of StarClan warriors. He knelt and waited to hear their justice.
But justice was not what he felt. His legs felt like they were being crushed and being ripped apart. He blood and fur was splatter against the thunderpath. His heartbeat slowed to a snail's pace.
As Thornwhisker's heart timed out, so did Whispbreeze's. The two would die on the same day, but no one would care for him. His body was left to rot and fester on the rough thunderpath.
The kits would remember nothing from that night except the shadow of a grief-driven cat. They would have a whole in their hearts that their mother should have spilled.
No one knows for sure where Thornwhisker ended up, but cats report seeing his translucent being on the border of StarClan and the Dark Forest; forever guarding the line between good and evil.
** I have enough cats to last a long time. I will still except cats, but I will be getting more picky. Here is who are lined up; Coyotecry: The Rebel, Blackmind: The Brainwashed, Ravenflight: The Unloved, Waterstream: The Silent Witness, Dovesong: The Exiled Savior, Lionstorm: The Mastermind, Sunnysong: The Vain, Blackstorm: The Uninvited,Winterflash: The Heartbroken, Smallfang: The Runner, Coldstar: The United, Nightclimb: The Instigator, Indigoswirl: The Forgotten Prophecy, Torntail: The Collector, and Tigerstrike: The Brother.**