Chapter 20
Owlflight gasped as the she-cat suddenly lunged for Pinestar, pinning him against the ground. Her hind paws churned against the red tom's soft belly fur as she swiped ferociously at his face, her muscles rippling.
Owlflight landed a blow on the rogue and attempted to shove her aside, but she swiftly ducked and dodged before resuming her death grip on the Shadowclan's leader's throat. Owlflight growled and clamped his jaws down on her scruff, dragging her backwards, trying not to hurt her. Just in case she was actually who the gray tom thought she was...
The rogue didn't show the same concern, however. She was lashing out at Owlflight, her claws raking across his face one moment and ripping across Pinestar's throat the next, her matted fur bushed up, her eyes wild. She leaned forward and sunk her fangs into Pinestar's chest, her claws still digging into his throat, and started shaking her head back and forth. Blood dripped down her face as Pinestar managed to drag his long claws across her cheek, but the rogue didn't even seem to notice. Pinestar was letting out long, heaving gasps, thrashing back and forth as blood-stained claws ripped through his flesh. He let out an agonized screech, and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went limp.
"No!" yowled Owlflight, loosening his grip on the she-cat's neck. She was still slashing at Pinestar's throat, her brown paws stained crimson with Pinestar's blood. "Stop! You're killing him!"
Owlflight let out another pained shriek as Pinestar let out a shuddering breath, back from Starclan, only to have the rogue snap his neck. The sound echoed across the forest, and the rogue got off the Shadowclan leader, triumphant.
Pinestar was still for a moment before his flanks started twitching, and slowly he stood up. The rogue stared at him.
"What-but-how-I-I killed you!" the she-cat stammered.
Pinestar only hissed and lashed out at her, sending her reeling away from the large tom. "Don't show your face here again," he spat, "or you'll regret it."
The rogue hissed, but a wary glance at Pinestar's abnormally long, unsheathed claws and the memory of how he had come back to life sent her over the Shadowclan scent line.
"Well," gasped Pinestar, "we should be going back to camp."
"Whoa!"
"What happened to you guys?"
"Pinestar! Pinestar, are you okay?"
"Owlflight! What happened?"
Cats crowded around Owlflight and Pinestar. Grayfeather was pushing mounds of pulpy green goo onto Pinestar's wounds, her brow creased with concentration.
"The bleeding should've stopped by now," she was muttering, squeezing marigold juices and pressing cobwebs against her leader's neck and throat.
Meanwhile, Ambershade was attempting to smear herbs onto Owlflight's scratches. Immediately the gray tom could tell that his brother was pasting smashed yarrow all over his scratches. He shook his head. "Yarrow's to make a cat sick, when they swallow poison," he reminded Ambershade.
Ambershade scraped off the yarrow. "I didn't know!" He rummaged through the herbs. "Grayfeather! We don't have any more marigold!"
Grayfeather stared at her apprentice, baffled. "What in the name of Starclan are you talking about? I just picked some this morning!"
"Well, we're all out. Wait! Never mind."
Hollypool kept asking if Owlflight was okay. Each time the reply was, "Yes, Hollypool, I'm perfectly fine except for a few scratches," but she persisted with follow-up questions like, "Is the scratch infected?" or "Are you tired or in pain?"
Eventually all the excitement and worry faded, and the cats returned to their usual schedules. Pinestar's bleeding soon stopped when using thick sedges and cobwebs combined with honey and marigold, and Hollypool stopped pestering Owlflight with questions. Cats were sharing tongues, and soon even that quickly turned into loud, slow snores and the occasional twitch of an ear.
Owlflight wasn't sleeping, however. Grayfeather had concluded that his wounds were shallow, and after a quick poultice of marigold and a few cobwebs, he was sent to the warrior's den. He pretended to yawn and snore and roll over, but as soon as his clanmates were asleep he slipped out of the den. He intended to find the rogue she-cat he'd battled earlier and find out if his theory about her was correct.
There was a guard at the exit to the camp, but she was yawning and weary, Owlflight could tell. Snowflower took long, staggering steps when pacing back and forth and she stumbled several times, all while her mouth was stretched open, a loud, tired yawn coming from the parted jaws.
Owlflight easily skipped around her and dashed through the exit, panting. His mind whirled with thoughts. Was the rogue she-cat really who he thought is was? What if he was just making a big mistake? Sneaking out of the camp at night, all to see a hostile she-cat with a bad temper and sharp claws... was it worth it? What if he got hurt again?
It will be worth it, Owlflight thought, if I'm right. If she's who I think she is.
The gray tom easily picked up her scent trail. He started at the Shadowclan border and went farther outwards, until he was out of clan territory. Out of clan territory, the only land that he'd known his whole life. His stomach clenched. He'd heard stories about how the lands beyond the clans were wild and dangerous.
I'm wild and dangerous, he feebly reminded himself.
He picked his way across fields of stinging nettles and got caught in thornbushes, but after a long while of tracking his way through the forest, he saw a thing that looked like a nest. Sort of. He probably wouldn't have recognized it as a cat's home, except for the fact that one lay in it, chest rising, tail twitching.
It was the she-cat.
Owlflight winced as he noticed the tight, shiny pink scars lacing her pelt. Had he done that?
Carefully he prodded the she-cat in her side. Once. Twice. The she-cat stirred. Three times. No response except for a snore. Owlflight couldn't take it anymore. He shoved her aside and screeched, "Wake up now!"
And wake up she did, fur bristling and wide-eyed. "Wh-what's that?" She noticed Owlflight. "You! You and that... that freaky cat who came back to life!" She swiped at Owlflight's cheek, claws unsheathed. "How dare you-"
"Wait!" Owlflight yowled. "I need to talk to you!" The she-cat froze, midswipe. "I-I know you!"
The she-cat narrowed her eyes. "Oh, really?"
"I-I... please don't hurt me!" he shouted as the rogue raised her paw again. "I need to know where I saw you from! Please! You can trust me!"
The she-cat sniffed. "Trust you."
"Yes!"
"The cat who attacked me."
"You attacked first!"
She lay down, tail brushing her nose. "Fine. Tell me where you know me from." She snorted. "A difficult task, as I don't interact with cats much."
Owlflight sat down. "I..." Where would he start?
Outside somewhere, a hawk screeched. The sound was so like the one moons ago, Owlflight shut his eyes tight, his claws ripping at the ground as he relived the memories...
"Dustkit!"
"No!"
Owlkit watched in horror as the huge hawk grabbed Dustkit off the ground. Dustkit shrieked in fear and pain as the hawk's sharp talons pierced her sides. She thrashed back and forth.
"AH! HELP!"
The hawk lifted her higher into the sky. Faint screams and cries echoed across the forest.
"Someone save me!"
Dustkit's frantic shrieks and shouts for help were lost in the wind. Owlkit could only watch as the hawk disappeared with his sister. He barely heard it when Pinestar called for his warriors to search for Dustkit. He couldn't feel anything as Grayfeather fed him herbs and seeds. He could only cry and sob with Amberstripe and Thorntail as the whole clan mourned for Dustkit.
Dustkit. That was all he could think about. Numb, cold, distant... Dustkit.
Her pale, dusty brown coat.
Her lightly flecked muzzle.
The creamy brown at the very tip of her tail.
The clear blue eyes.
"Hey! Hey, you! Are you okay?"
Owlflight was jerked back to the present as the rogue she-cat whacked him on the head. "What?"
"You were totally spacing out!" Another whack. "Concentrate!"
Owlflight glanced at her. "Well, I have a question..."
"What?"
Owlflight hesitated. "Did you ever have anything... to do with... with a hawk? Maybe falling or being placed on the ground or... or a big family, a clan?"
The she-cat looked at him oddly. "I've had dreams. But that's nothing unusual. Nightmares... falling down, yes, hawks, yes, but you forgot to mention something."
"What?" Owlflight asked excitedly.
"Pain. A horrible pain in my head, crashing against something hard, being swept in a current. That's my earliest memory."
"Hmm," said Owlflight thoughtfully.
"What does that mean?"
"I think that you might be my sister," he meowed. "One who was part of a clan and then was carried off by a hawk. One who looks just like you."
I am so, so sorry for not updating for such a long time!
And congrats to Amberpool for guessing correctly about Dustkit/rogue!