Chapter 2:
Wow… this took a long time for me to update. Sorry!
He surveyed the battleground. The ground beneath him was wet with blood and seemed to eat him alive as he padded around. Broken bodies from both sides laid lifelessly on the crimson soaked moor.
The looks of horror on Echoclan's faces when Stoneclaw ambushed the opposing clan with a fresh, injury-free group of cats were still fresh in his mind. His warriors had taken all the easily identified survivors of his ambushers from both Stoneclan and Echoclan back to his camp. Now Stoneclaw had taken it upon himself to look for still-breathing cats hidden among the dead. He hadn't heard anything about Brightflame though.
If she's gone, I will move on. I started this for her, and I won't stop now. It's too far in. Stoneclan can prosper without Brightflame. Stoneclaw thought to himself, knowing that he now had absolute power over both forests, the marshlands, and the moor.
He nearly tripped over the body of Dogtooth. A small pang of grief fell upon him. The brown warrior had been his brother. His sorrow was replaced with satisfaction when he saw the mangled gray pelt of Ryeheart beside Dogtooth.
Good riddance. Stoneclaw smirked, kicking her limp head and moving on.
XXX
Brightflame's POV
Inhale… Exhale… Inhale… Exhale…
Her amber eyes slowly flickered to life. Her breathing was labored and her body was numb. She felt cold. The blood on her fur hadn't dried yet and had lost its warmth. It felt as though she'd been dumped into a stream during leaf-bare. Brightflame was staring at the crimson-stained fur of another cat. She began to wonder how many had died in the battle. And why she wasn't one of them. That's when the panic truly set in.
If Ryeheart's gone, then what about Leafcloud? Grayclaw? Risingpaw?
She forced herself to her paws only to fall again. Brightflame just couldn't believe Echoclan lost the first battle. Stoneclaw was a better leader in battle than she originally thought.
"Leafcloud? You here?" Brightflame hoarsely called, pricking her ears in the hopes that her sister would yowl out, 'over here!' Or, 'Brightflame! You're alright!'
"Brightflame?"
Her heart leapt. It wasn't Leafcloud or Risingpaw, but it may have been Grayclaw or Barleytail.
"Grayclaw? Barleytail? Redpelt? Is that you?" She asked hopefully.
Her vision started failing again, her exhaustion getting the better of her. Brightflame made out a darker coated cat trotting over the broken field. She shivered, closing her eyes tightly and passing out.
XXX
"She should be safe from further shock now." A meow sounded from nearby.
"That's good. Is there anything I can do for her?" A familiar voice asked.
"Just keep her warm and she should recover, physically at least."
"Why only physically?"
"Stonestar, losing her kin will have her emotionally traumatized. It would traumatize any cat."
"But she has me, she'll get over it. I got over Dogtooth already and we were best friends growing up."
"It's just different for her, Stonestar and you'll need to have empathy for her if she is ever to completely recover."
"Don't worry, she will."
"Yes but only if- you know what never mind; I have plenty of patients to attend to. I'll leave you now."
"Alright, Bristletail."
Brightflame's amber eyes creaked open, taking in her surroundings without letting on that she was awake. She felt a rough tongue rhythmically stroking her fur. She felt safe, but not safe at the same time; Brightflame knew something was wrong. Knowing she had to figure out where exactly she was, she opened them ever so slightly wider. The she-cat quickly assessed that she was in the medicine cat's den, and it wasn't Echoclan's medicine den. Brightflame was filled with a sense of dread. She suddenly regretted calling out on the battlefield.
Death would be better than what was about to happen.
The white she-cat wanted to run away right then and there, but she knew he was right there. Drawing in a quiet but deep breath, she bravely opened her amber eyes wider. She fought the urge to roll away and swipe at his face. Her head slowly rose.
"Brightflame! You're alright." Stoneclaw, well now Stonestar, breathed, getting up.
Brightflame said nothing as she heaved herself into a sitting position, staring at the cold stone floor. Stonestar's face fell, his purr fading into silence.
"Where are my clanmates?" She asked finally.
The gray tom sat down beside her, their pelts brushing. Brightflame gave him a glare and scooted away.
"Where are they?"
"It doesn't matter-"
"Yes, it does." She hissed, standing up and flattening her ears to her skull.
He ignored her hostile behavior. "Brightflame, it's over. Stoneclan has won and Echoclan has lost. I have already started to dethrone Echostar-"
Brightflame stalked forward. "What are you talking about?"
"Brightflame, now that the clans have joined, we cannot have two leaders. I have already taken five of her nine lives-"
"You won't kill her though, will you?" She asked hopefully, suppressing a wince as she began to feel the aftermath of her ordeal.
His eyes glinted. "If I don't kill her, will you promise to stay with me?"
"So you plan on killing her?" She pressed.
"I planned on taking all nine of her lives if she resisted. However, if she doesn't resist and lets me take her back down to a single life, I will give her old name, 'Echobreeze', back to her and let her be a Stoneclan warrior. Of course, if you want her to live-"
"Of course I want her to live! She's my leader!" She hissed.
Stonestar flinched at her last phrase.
"Now where are they?"
"They? Brightflame, there is no 'they' anymore; we are one clan now." He insisted.
"Let them leave and I'll… I'll… I'll stay with you." Brightflame murmured, staring at her paws.
He brightened at her offer.
"Just let them leave?" Stonestar conformed.
She nodded. "And I want to see Leafcloud and Risingpaw before they go."
The gray tom stiffened at her last words. "Brightflame… Leafcloud… she's gone. And Risingpaw, Bristletail doesn't think she'll make it."
Brightflame's eyes quickly dulled, she sat down and wrapped her tail tightly around her body, choking back a wail of grief. "Let me see her body then. And let me see Risingpaw, I don't want her dying alone."
He nodded and beckoned her with his tail. Shakily Brightflame got to her paws, her body numb.
Her world was falling… she was falling.