Chapter 22: The Light in the Storm Clouds

Shatterbreeze watches the Thunderclan warriors saunter around camp. A few were sharing tongues, others eating prey, and some watching and playing with the three kits. Her eyes shone with longing as they intently watched the prey as if she was hunting it herself. Her stomach much have been listening to her thoughts, as it rumbled in approval. A chuckle rumbled behind her, and she turned, looking to the bright hazel eyes. The lynx-look-alike apprentice's fur seemed duller, and like the rest of the captured, her ribs could be seen faintly. The only one that seemed to be bigger was Silver.

"Your stomach has the right idea." The brown she-cat spoke softly. Shatterbreeze flicked her ear in response.

"I just wish they'd let us out, or at the least, give Kestrelbreeze some attention."

Lynxbreeze nodded solemnly, starting to smooth out and groom the limp silver cat's fur. Her tongue worked out the mats and cleared the crimson that stuck to her fur. "I just wish she'd wake up." She paused, and then hissed quietly. "And Thunderclan calls themselves giving! Letting a cat die. It's just…cruel!"

She stopped, realizing she was raising her voice. She intently watched the rising and falling flanks of the sleeping Bloodclan warriors, hoping they didn't stir. They had just gotten to sleep, after a night of 'questioning'. Their newest wounds included several claw puncture wounds, scratches, and bite marks.

Shatterbreeze watched them too, mostly Silver: How she sleep facing away from the door, as far as she could, and the way her tail wrapped around her stomach when she slept. She wore a peaceful expression, a sharp contrast from her usual concerned and worried one.

Shatterbreeze, satisfied the warriors wound not wake, turned toward Lynxbreeze. "Hey, she's not dead yet. She'll make it. Don't worry." She nudged the brown she, who smiled. Lynxbreeze's attention shifted from Shatterbreeze, and darkened as a low growl rumbled in her chest. The brown she shifted her body to stand in front of Kestrelbreeze as she crouched protectively. Shatterbreeze turned, hissing slightly at the three warriors that stood in front of the doorway.

"I told you this was a bad idea! See? They're feral!" A light and dark brown mottled tom with hostile amber eyes growled at the weak, thin Bloodclan cats.

"Oh, pipe down, Adderfang! Got nettles in your fur?" The bright yellow pelted she-cat with soft blue eyes snapped. "Can you not see that they are just scared because we tore them from their home, and weak because Duskstar refuses to feed them and give them medicine?"She threw a stern glare toward Adderfang.

A brown tom with bright green eyes chuckled. "Yeah, loosen up. Honeyheart has a point, brother. They are the way they are because we made them that way."

"Fine, Cloverleap, but don't complain when I say 'I told you so'!"

Honeyheart smiled down at the two apprentices. "How would you like to come with us on a hunting patrol? Stretch your legs and get some food for your friends?" Her eyes shone with concern and joy, and it was as contagious as Greencough. The two she-cats smiled wide. "Yeah!" they said in unison.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Adderfang huffed before trotting away toward the camp entrance.

Honeyheart chuckled, shaking her head. She flicked her tail, and the two apprentices scurried after her, after Lynxbreeze looked over her shoulder at Kestrelbreeze before sighing and running to catch up. Shatterbreeze gave her an encouraging smile as they followed the three warriors into the forest.

It felt good to finally stretch her legs and being able to leave the cramped crowded tree stump. The two apprentices amazed the warriors when they brought back three pieces of prey each. Adderfang grumbled something about a waste of valuable prey, but they brushed it off. Honeyheart praised them at their hard work, her eyes sparkling with pride as if they were her own kits. Cloverleap and them play-fought, claws sheathed. Even Adderfang smiled a bit.

A screech brought the fun to an abrupt stop. "What was that?" Honeyheart mewed.

"Let's get back to camp. Now." Cloverleap said before he was bounding off in leaps as big as a deer. The rest of them scrambled to keep up, leaving the buried prey behind. They skidded into the camp to find chaos. Ivorytail was growling at a dust-covered Silver, whose head was bleeding from a gash. Ripple stood behind her, ready to leap at the white-tailed she, his fangs bared as a growl escaped his lips. Smoketooth and Redfur stood behind her, fur bristling. Chill snarled at Foxtail, who stood over Amberclaw. The three trotted over, the two Bloodclan apprentices sheepishly hiding behind them.

"What happened?" Cloverleap asked.

"Maybe if you weren't so busy going on unassigned patrols, mouse-brain, you'd know and be able to protect your clanmates!" Ivorytail snapped.

"Hey! Don't talk to him like that!" Adderfang snarled.

"HEY!" All eyes turned toward a fierce looking Honeyheart. "What. Happened." She stated with a small hiss.

"The prisoners came out of the den, snarling and hissing that we took the apprentices and killed them or something." Foxtail started. "So Redfur and Ivorytail went to go put them back inside, and that one there." She flicked her orange and white-and-black tipped tail toward Silver. "That one tried to claw Ivorytail, so in self-defense, she clawed it, then them two stepped in, and-"

"Alright, I get it. So they reacted because they though you kill-"

"They could have hurt my kits!" hissed a queen with a spotted belly. She curled her tail around the whimpering, shaking bundles of kit-fur. "Lightfoot, take them inside. I won't have them be frightened by wild, vicious ferals." Lightfoot came and picked up the kits, bringing them into the safety of the den. Shatterbreeze wished she had never came out of the stump, that she had just agreed to stay put where she belonged.

The three Thunderclan warriors watched silently as the Bloodclan warriors were roughly dragged back into the den. Shatterbreeze suddenly felt a sharp bite on her scruff. Ivorytail picked her up, digging her fangs into her scuff. Giving her a little shake before throwing her in the den, Ivorytail laughed and padded away. Soon after, she came back with a protesting Lynxbreeze. She was tossed in too. They got to their paws, looking around the den.

Kestrelbreeze looked untouched. The others weren't so lucky, with new bleeding wounds they licked at. Silver cried, her tail curled up around her stomach. Shatterbreeze flicked her ear as the silver she-cat whimpered. "He…brother…kicked…stomach…tried…mate." Silver, after a fit of hysteria, fell asleep. Sighing, Shatterbreeze watched as the Bloodclan cats settled into their dry nests as a light rain began to fall. The sound of paw steps caused her to turn.

Honeyheart stood in the doorway, half of the prey the two caught hanging from her jaws. Cloverleap padded up behind her, with the rest of the prey and a leaf. Inside was herbs to treat their wounds. Chill thanked them, taking the gifts and distributing them. Now that the cat's wounds didn't sting and their stomach didn't growl, it was a much more peaceful sleep that settled upon them under the starry night. Shatterbreeze, before drifting off, heard the story elder, Riverspots, and Honeyheart talk to each other.

"Riverspots, why does Starclan allow cats to be treated this way? I heard from Lilysong that Redfur abused Silver. Why doesn't Starclan do something?" Shatterbreeze's eyes grew heavy. Blackness perched at her vison. She just barely heard the elder's croaking reply as the dark grew and grew.

"The fault, dear Honeyheart, is not in our stars, but in ourselves."

Anyone catch the Shakespeare reference? English is rubbing off on me. Only 14 more days of school! AHH! So ready for summer 2013!

Anyway, Review away! What do you think of the Thunderclan cats? Of Silver? Of Lynxbreeze? Of anything! Ask away! Ready...set...GO!