*This is a graphic chapter. Queasy people may not want to read*
Chapter 14: Stardapple
"What do you want from us!?" Flamestone growled menacingly.
Stardapple dipped her head. "Nothing. Take me prisoner."
"We should kill you that's what!" Snapstar spat.
"You wouldn't do that to me would you?" Stardapple's voice grew sugary and her golden eyes sparkled.
"Bloodtooth. Take her hostage in the elder's den. She is not to leave and there will be three warrior guards watching her at all times."
Bloodtooth nodded and took the old she-cat into the elder's den where Squirreltrack, Rashthroat and Snowclaw watched her. They all spat evilly at the she-cat before settling down.
Rougefoot whispered silently to Tinyflight, "Do you know that cat?"
"No but I've heard stories of her. My mother told me never to go out alone because an evil black cat with a red nose would come and kill me.
"Maybe I should go and ask Shortleg. I don't think he's very happy with me fighting again soon after I healed."
Tinyflight looked over at the two apprentices being scolded by the old medicine cat. "Poor Shadowpaw having rambunctious sisters."
"Ha yea. We better get checked out." Rougefoot meowed and wandered over to Shortleg with Tinyflight behind him.
"Rougefoot. What to do with you?" Shortleg muttered to himself. "You both only have small scratches that will heal up really quickly. You don't need anything other than a good nights rest."
"Shortleg?" Rougefoot asked after Tinyflight had left.
"Yes?" he meowed without looking around from sorting his herbs.
"Who is Stardapple?"
Shortleg froze, then turned around and faced Rougefoot. "It is not my place to tell."
"Please Shortleg. You told me so many things before. Why not now?"
"Because this is a haunting I don't even want to remember."
"Where can I go to learn the story? I don't think Snapstar will allow me to talk to her."
"Why do you even want to know? It's horrible." Shortleg meowed.
"I don't know… It sounds interesting." Rougefoot meowed.
"You'd never wish you heard it…" Shortleg sigh. "Fine. I'll tell you. But you can't tell anyone."
Rougefoot nodded.
Just then, Snapstar walked up to them. "Everything alright?"
"Yes it's fine." Shortleg meowed. "May I have your permission to tell Rougefoot about Stardapple?"
"That damned cat. Whatever. I don't care just keep me away from that thing and never speak about her again." Snapstar spat.
Rougefoot licked his father's cheek. "It's alright. We can get through this. We are fire remember."
Snapstar scoured his claws deep in the dirt. "I wish that thing never would have shown her face again." He thrust the dirt outside of the den and stalked away.
"Geez what is his problem!?" Rougefoot meowed.
"Stardapple is his problem." Shortleg meowed quietly.
When Shortleg opened his mouth to speak Brackenpaw came in wailing about a thorn in his pad.
"Clean it." He ordered.
The young apprentice licked around his paw pad, wincing every time he got near the thorn.
Shortleg expertly plucked the thorn out with his teeth and spat it on the ground. Blood welled up on the pad and Shadowpaw came out with cobwebs to stop the bleeding. "You'll be fine by tomorrow." The medicine cat apprentice meowed.
Brackenpaw nodded and limped out of the den.
"Shadowpaw…" Shortleg meowed. "I'd rather not have you listen to this story… will you go spend some time with your sisters or something?"
Shadowpaw nodded quickly and pranced off to the apprentices den.
"Well… It started out a while ago… when I was just a little kit. I was about a moon old you see."
Rashthroat, Squirreltrack and Snowclaw walked up with Stardapple being pushed in the middle.
"That's no way to treat your elders." She spat and swung a paw out at Rashthroat.
Squirreltrack quickly cuffed her over her ear. "Shut up you mangy pile of fox-dung. No one wants you."
"What is with all of these distractions!?" Rougefoot hissed irritably.
"Shush." Snowclaw hissed firmly.
Rougefoot grumbled to himself while Shortleg quickly treated the old she-cat's wounds. The patrol then pushed her back to the elder's den where she sat and sulked.
"So I was a moon old right." Shortleg meowed. "Angelstar was in rule. There had just been a new litter over in MoonClan. Four kittens were born, two toms and two she-cats. One of the toms was Dogstar and one of the she-cats was Stardapple. Well they had decided to go out and find a dog to attack. So they found a small dog, barely bigger than a cat. And they all attacked it. That was the first time Stardapple got her thirst for blood. Once they were done attacking they all went back to their mother and told her about the story. She punished them and Stardapple got angry. She swore revenge on her one day. And when she became a warrior she snuck out of the camp after her mother, killed her, tore her throat out and ate it. Then she met a lovely cat in FireClan named Mudleaf. He was the nastiest Clan cat in the forest next to Stardapple. Well they became mates and she soon got pregnant with his kits. He then abandoned her for another cat in FireClan. She plotted her revenge on him and did the same gruesome thing to him as she did with her mother. She had his kits a few moons later and thought they were worthless. She had three kits, two red toms and a black she-cat. They were less than a moon old when she tried to attack and kill them. They fled up a tree so far up where she couldn't reach them. So she sought after three cats and random that she could kill to make up for her lost kits. She killed a tom in SunClan, a nursing queen in EarthClan and another queen in MoonClan. To every cat she tore its throat out and ate it. Well before she killed the three cats the kits climbed down the tree trying to find their mother. When they saw her they ran up another tree just in case she wanted to attack them again. They watched in horror as Stardapple attacked and killed the EarthClan queen and did the other brutal things. The little black she-cat wandered over to EarthClan because she wanted to replace that poor queen that had been killed. You may have known her as Hollyheart."
"But she seemed so sweet when I met her." Rougefoot meowed sadly.
"Just because she had to see that doesn't mean that she had to be mean. She wanted to be just the opposite of Stardapple, a loving caring cat that would take care of everyone in need. She reared four kittens after their mother died in a battle. She already had four of her own but she was kind enough to take four more. Well back to the story, it just so happened that Angelstar was on a border patrol near the EarthClan border. The little kittens scrambled down the tree and asked if they could stay with them because Stardapple wanted to kill and eat their throats. Angelstar was enraged and immediately took the little kits back to camp where she took care of them. At the next Meeting she broke the Clan Lore and brought the kits to the Meeting. Geyserstar, the EarthClan leader at that time had brought Hollykit along too. The three kits played together on the FireClan rock behind Angelstar. When they caught scent of their mother they fled back up the rock and hid in Angelstar's stomach fur. Stardapple was climbing the FireClan rock, hungry for blood. Angelstar immediately fought with Stardapple pushing her off the rock and onto the grass below. Clouds covered the moon but when Stardapple had left the Meeting they blew away. Angelstar and Geyserstar continued to talk about how horrible cats could be to their kittens and told the cats in the clearing to look up in the kits' frightened eyes and think of how a cat could to such a thing. 'Queens are supposed to love and protect their kits with their lives. Not murder them because their father abandoned them.' Geyserstar said. The Meeting ended far into the night. The kits were already asleep when the Meeting ended so they were quietly carried back into their camp. They were set down in front of what is now Snapstar's rock and named for their bravery. The bigger kit, Flamekit, is now Flamestone. The smaller kit, Snapkit, is now your leader."
"How could a queen do such a thing to other cats and her kits like that!?"
"I don't know. But she is the worst cat I've ever known."
"How do you know all of this?" Rougefoot meowed.
"Angelstar, Cindertail and Grassfoot told me. It's haunted me forever. I'm lucky I had a good mother. I bet it's extremely hard for your father because he has lost so many kits."
"It would be hard for me… kits or no kits." Rougefoot meowed.
"I bet it's harder for him though. He tried his best but he and Leafstream just have the worst luck."
"I'm glad he survived that brutal attack."
"Me too. FireClan wouldn't be the same without him as leader."
"Now I understand why all the cats hate Stardapple."
"I don't hate her. But I'd never like her in any way whatsoever. I don't hate cats. I'm a medicine cat. They aren't supposed to hate."
Rougefoot nodded. "I can't believe it…" he meowed.
"It's true…" Shortleg murmured quietly. "You better get some rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."
"Thanks for telling me…" Rougefoot mewed.
"Can you send Shadowpaw over?" Shortleg meowed blankly.
Rougefoot nodded. "Good night."
"Goodnight to you too Rougefoot."
