"It's him all right. Dead."
Darkpelt stood back up from where he was crouched beside the body of Fallenstep and stepped back, turning to face the other cats with a stern expression.
Sunstar frowned and approached the body, staring down at the lanky black tom, Fallenstep's pelt was always known for it's luster, but now all that could be seen was the stain of blood.
Mintpaw gasped as the words left Darkpelt's mouth and she stepped closer to Roseclaw, pressing against the medicine cat's side. Her eyes were wide with fear and a small wail escaped from her mouth. Roseclaw bent down to touch the tip of her nose to her apprentice's head in sympathy.
The clan had been sleeping when Greysight had suddenly ran into the warriors den, shouting at everyone to wake up. The cats were shocked to see her disheveled form and the blood coating her fur. Darkpelt had been quick to get Sunstar, the golden tom demanded an explanation.
After Greysight had relayed what happened as quickly as she could, Sunstar had ordered all cats to get up and follow Greysight into the woods. Which was now why the entire clan was crowded around the dark trees.
Greysight stood to the side behind Fallenstep's body, trying to ignore the gazes of her clanmates that she could feel on her pelt. Mintpaw's gasp tore at her heart, making her feel instantly guilty, her paws stained with Fallenstep's blood.
Sunstar was silent for a moment as he looked over Fallenstep's body, then turned to Greysight with a serious expression. "...You killed him." he stated.
Greysight could feel her clanmates' gazes all turning towards her. Lostheart herself had been surprised to hear the news, but had come out nonetheless. Sure enough, the body of the TreeClan deputy was clear as day.
Her eyes slowly rolled over to Greysight, as did many of the cats. A small sniff from her side distracted Lostheart, and she turned to see Mintpaw pressed against Roseclaw. A light trail of tears fell from the young she-cat's eyes.
Lostheart blinked and looked back at the body. Fallenstep's eyes were opened wide and remained dull and lifeless, still possessing their yellow sheen. The tom's neck had been quite literally torn apart. It was a gruesome sight.
Her eyes returned to Greysight, whose teeth were now gritted and dull eyes flashed in the moonlight. "He attacked me!" she protested.
"I was out on patrol and he tried to ambush me from the trees! That cat tried to kill me!"
Sunstar appeared to be deep in thought, "Yes. One can only wonder why he was in our territory in the first place." he meowed suspiciously with narrowed eyes.
"What do we do now?" Browneyes cut in, stepping forward. "It's only right we take his body back to TreeClan-"
"Idiot! If we do that we'll be sitting ducks!" Longtail snapped. "Walking into that camp would be like walking into a death trap!"
Browneyes flinched a little at the siamese's harsh words, but didn't make an effort to argue with her.
"She's right."
All eyes turned to Sunstar as his deep voice cut through the silence, "It's too risky. Besides, I have a feeling Fallenstep was sent here for a reason, and I wouldn't put it above Willowstar to try and take advantage of this."
The cats nodded in silent agreement while Roseclaw's soft voice piped up from behind. "What about the body, Sunstar?"
The golden tom snorted and turned away from the group of cats, "Darkpelt, you take care of it." With his final words, Sunstar stepped into the forest, his shadowy form disappearing completely into the night.
Moonfur and Lostheart had both remained silent during the cats' exchange, each appearing to be deep in their own thoughts.
Many of the cats began to depart in different directions. Roseclaw helped Longtail on their way back with Mintpaw by their side. The young she-cat still appeared to be shaken, but she felt better being with her mother. Browneyes gave his brother a sympathetic look before he too departed into the brush.
The flecked warrior snorted and turned back to Fallenstep's mangled body, Greysight certainly hadn't been kind. Now he just needed to figure out what to do with it.
Unlike most of the cats, two warriors did not immediately return to camp. Lostheart, instead of returning to camp, had headed in the direction of the fields. The black she-cat ran swiftly through the tall, swaying grasses despite the cold chill that ruffled her fur.
She slowed to a stop as she reached her destination, regaining her breath as she padded forward up to the small tree in front of her.
Her face fell at all the blossoms that now lay scattered across the ground, she sat down at the base of the tree and let out a sigh. Allowing herself to relax against it's trunk, looking up at the field of stars above.
After everything that had happened, Lostheart didn't want to return to camp, there was so much stuck in her head. She just needed to be alone.
It was easy to think here, in her spot-her mother's special spot. Everything seemed so bleak right now. 'Greysight was attacked...' she noted mentally.
'What could happen next?' Every day felt like a struggle. Never enough food, never enough warriors, never safe from the threat of TreeClan.
They couldn't keep this a secret, TreeClan would have to find out eventually. Once Fallenstep's absence became known, it wouldn't take long for them to start accusing DarkClan .'I bet that's what he wants. It'd be a win-win situation. Willowstar sends Fallenstep into DarkClan to take care of Greysight and leaves DarkClan even weaker, or Fallenstep is killed and TreeClan now has something to hold against DarkClan.'
Now that she thought about it, it was a very accurate possibility. Greysight was known among the other clans as one of DarkClan's strongest warriors, a blind she-cat with deadly skill and a temper to match. It wouldn't be hard for Willowstar to have manipulated the blind she-cat into following his plans without her even realizing it.
'I just hope I'm wrong.'
Greysight stood alone in the training hollow, claws digging into the ground. It killed her, to see Mintpaw like that. She was terrified, and Greysight had been the cause.
Greysight let out a frustrated growl and tore at the fallen log, tearing off a large chunk of bark in the process. She had let her anger get the better of her again. 'I killed him..'
Greysight tried to ignore the thought, but it burned deeply in her mind. It was strange, it was just like before when she got in a fight with a TreeClan patrol. She became so angry, she could feel it in the back of her mind, telling her to attack.
'He deserved it.' she told herself. 'I did was right for my clan, he was the wrong one.'
She wondered why Fallenstep was even there in the first place. Either he was trespassing of his own free will, or he was sent into the territory. 'Why attack me?'
Was TreeClan trying to weaken their clan by getting rid of the warriors, and why her? It was true she was one of DarkClan's most powerful warriors, but she didn't think she was that much of a threat to other clans.
In the back of her mind, Greysight wondered if she had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. 'Maybe I was just the lucky one.' she thought sarcastically.
Fallenstep hadn't hurt her too badly, she only had a few scratches here and there. Despite the tom's agility, Greysight was still able to read his movements, perhaps even better than with other cats.
Greysight was relaxed now, and stood in the clearing with a troubled expression. She allowed herself to sigh as she felt the breeze ruffle her fur. Nearby, a the sound of a crow cawing in the trees made her jump slightly, making her glare into the direction the noise had come from.
She had spent enough time out here she decided and turned in the direction of the camp. 'I still want to see Mintpaw, and Mom.'
It was likely that the two were already asleep in their nests, but she might be able to catch Roseclaw. Greysight shouldered past a leafy bush and curved to avoid a sharp stone.
The wind blew again, ruffling the leaves of the trees. As the wind blew, Greysight had to stop, eyes widening slightly before shaking her pelt and continuing forward. 'Strange. I'm all alone, but I could've sworn I just heard someone calling my name.' It was almost like a whisper, tickling lightly in her ear.
'The wind must be playing tricks on me.'
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Another chapter. I've had the poll on my profile up for a while now, Lostheart seems to be the majority right now. But I want you guys to explain why you voted for who you voted :) Whats your reasoning, thoughts, or proof? Leave in reviews. And if you haven't done the poll, go take a look. OHYEAH there is also a HUGE derp in this chapter, I won't say what it is, but if anyone notices xP lemme know.
Lost Out
P.S A while back during Shadows of the Heart, someone made a comment about the song "Fix You" for Lostpaw and Ivyfoot. Now its all I think about when i hear that song :3 It does fit very well. I've just been thinking about it lately.
Random Review Replies:
Sunstar is Mintpaw's father, yes.
Hmm Idk, My Longtail is cream, but she's a siamese so :P