AN: Hello my wonderfully patient readers! I'm back! Kinda! I could make excuses about my life and my parents and my mental state, but I'm sure that you just want the chapter :) So here it is, I wrote it for you while I was supposed to be doing English homework! Enjoy
PS: I think there will only be two or three more chapters, I'm not doing an epilogue but I will post a Allegiances page at the end to show you how I *ahem* pruned the Clans.
It was because of this knowledge that she couldn't stop shaking, even after the Dark cats had long since passed by.
"Bumblestripe," The leader called, and the silvery tom cocked his head, ears erect and pointed at the black cat.
"Yes Hollystar?" He responded, leaping tremendously high to clear a bramble bush that separated them- the sun had just recently set and the two of them, accompanied by the WindClan cats, were scouring the forest for the lost ThunderClan cats.
"Come over here," She directed, the dark pelt of Crowfeather struggling through yet another bush, the thorny arms dragging him backward behind her. Onestar had faired a bit better, and a small patrol of WindClan cats accompanying them now had been dispatched back to the Two-leg nest to keep Jayfeather safe. "Does this smell like-"
"Hollystar!" A wave of gratitude swept through her at the voice calling her name, and the she-cat turned to face her brother, stumbling out from the brush with Cinderheart leaning on the golden tabby's shoulder.
"Lionblaze" She purred, touching noses gently with the large-shouldered tomcat. Emotionally the she-cat fought to keep from enveloping him and sharing tongues with each other then and there- Hollystar was drained and tired, tired of losing her family, tired of the cats that couldn't be killed. Instead of voicing these feelings though, she kept silent and maintained a mask of hope for the future, as she figured her father would want her to do.
Quietly she touched noses with Cinderheart as well, wrapping a tail around the slightly smaller she-cat that was her best friend. The leader could tell that there was something off about her, but didn't question it, dismissing the haunted look in her eyes as an outcome of the battle they were all fighting.
"Tell me, did either of you see any other cats while you were out there?" Onestar asked, amber eyes a bit abashed and fur ruffled as he interrupted the quiet moment between friends.
"No,"
"Yes," Both cats answered at once, and Cinderheart stared pleadingly at Lionblaze. A silent agreement charged the air between them and the golden tom turned back to Onestar. "We saw Breezepelt heading over into WindClan territory- probably to help the Dark Forest scum." The warrior paused to spit in disgust on the ground, surprising his sister. She knew that most cats harbored ill will toward their half-brother, and the reaction Lionblaze had was completely rational to the news that the dark gray cat was helping the enemy. Yet somehow she sensed that there was something underlying his sudden hatred.
"We have to continue then," Crowfeather stated, icy eyes passing straight over his children to sweep the undergrowth again. The stoic, cold-shouldered cat began to pad off, with an exasperated Onestar on his tail, muttering how it was mouse-brained to wonder off alone.
The three ThunderClan cats watched him go with incomprehensible expressions, Bumblestripe sitting rigidly just off to their side, too aware of the way things were beginning to split between the two friendly Clans. "I'll put him in his place eventually," The golden cat promised, his voice grim. "He never even said good-bye to Leafpool. I hope he is heart-sick with himself."
"Never mind him," Cinderheart's voice quavered and fell away as she attempted to calm the great tomcat. Hollystar nodded in agreement, then signaled for the warriors to follow her as they trailed the WindClan cats.
Night was stalking in the shadows of the trees as the dusk blurred all the straight and narrow boundaries, making cats balk at the smallest of movements in the dark. Their eyes glowed eerily as the small patrol began growing, finding a wiry plains cat under a bush, two nursing wounds in the open by a corpse, and eventually, the dilapidated body of Cloudtail, which stirred with shallow breaths. Somehow all the felines managed back to the Two-leg nest as well, feeling the burning stares of watchful enemies on their pelt. For all of their paranoia though, they weren't stopped, assaulted or brutalized in anyway- it was enough to make even the most oblivious cat feel suspicious.
The cats dashed into the cryptic place, the moonlight gathering on the walls and in the corners. Their gleaming eyes came in pairs, the reflective colors unearthly and unsettling to even one another as the silence thickened around them; there were no cats left in the nest, and the scent was cold.
Immediately the ThunderClan cats spread out, looking around for Clanmates who were obviously missing. A thought occurred to both Lionblaze and Hollystar at once, and they padded side by side, sweeping the shadows with penetrating stares. Their brother was not one to hide—where could he be? Ivypool was found cowering in a corner, a spitting, ferocious Dovewing guarding her with unsheathed claws.
Her green eyes were wide with panic as the shadowed cats surrounded the pair of siblings, making the territorial she-cat back herself back into her inane sister. A snarl ripped out of her throat as faces closed in, but the cat still held herself back from reacting, unsure of the identity of these dark-shrouded strangers. It was a good thing she did too, as Cinderheart nosed her way forward, dark blue eyes surrounded by fluffy grey fur reassuring to her best friend. It was only then that the pale grey sister relaxed, realizing the friendly faces around her and greeting them carefully, fur bristling in embarrassment.
"I'm so sorry," She apologized, brushing whiskers with Cinderheart and a few other cats as a gentle murmuring filled the nest "We thought we were being followed, that they had come to kill us." The two grey she-cats shared a soft, knowing glance,
The Clan rushed around them with Bumblestripe encroaching on the sisters next, pressing a nose to Dovewing's shoulder before passing her to approach Ivypool. The sane sister stepped back to block his way, though her movement was hesitant. "I can't let you… she can't… her mind…" The tabby tom gave her a long look, then backed up, amber eyes questioning. Instead of answering, Dovewing only shook her head sadly. "Dovewing, what happened?" Cinderheart asked, looking at Ivypool. "And don't tell me you don't think I can help, I was a medicine cat in another life." The cat blinked softly as Dovewing's head cocked, but the she-cat quickly accepted what she said, blue eyes dull with panic and worry. "I got her out of the camp like this—she didn't have too many wounds, a couple to her flanks but nothing serious that I could see. After helping Lionblaze get the rest of the cats out, I made sure we stayed together, we ended up by the WindClan border and then travelled up here ahead of the rest of you.
Cinderheart visibly flinched backward, and Dovewing missed it as Bumblestripe pressed a comforting face into her neck. The older she-cat composed herself enough to stop the trembling that was wracking her body at the memory of her assault enough to take a step forward toward Ivypool. "Wait," Dovewing mewed, her tone approaching a growl. "Can you actually help her?"
"What they did to her—whoever did this to her—was trying to break her mind, not her bones," Cinderheart mewled, her face scrunching in disgust. "Our ancestors quickly outlawed this kind of attack—it was inhumane for warriors to act that way." Her ears flattened as shady memories developed in her brain, most likely information from her last StarClan life. "Not that any sane cat would ever do that to a fellow warrior. The Clans may have fought one another, but they never hated each other. Not like this." Ivypool trembled with dread in the corner of the nest, silver and white fur spiking in different directions and Cinderheart looked on helplessly. "There's nothing I can do, she may never get better."
Dovewing stared at her with a sense of horror and despair. "There's absolutely nothing you can do? No herbs that will restore her memory? Will make her recognize me?" Her friend shook her head sadly, blue eyes solemn. Dovewing let out a small cry and turned to her sister, curling around her protective and hissing at the two cats when they attempted to get closer. The Clans witnessing the scene drew back as they were unsure of how to express their sorrow toward the two sisters. It was overly likely that the mentally challenged she-cat would not make it out of the war-torn territories.
Above the general murmuring of leaders and medicine cats walking around their Clans, the heartbreak and anger, there rose another voice, employing and desperate. "Jayfeather? Jayfeather?!"
Lionblaze charged through the small groups of cats, his fur bristling and ears flat. There was no way his brother was missing, he was the smartest, he had survived this long, and they had only left him alone for a day! "Have you seen him?" He called, staring around at all the shell-shocked felines surrounding him. "Have you seen my brother?! My little brother?" His tail lashed suddenly, and he pushed through his clanmates, who were left, shivering and confused, behind him. "Jayfeather!" The tom continued searching through every nook of the hiding place, hoping the gray tabby tom would appear out of nowhere, telling him to calm down. Instead he found only blank stares and shadows.
Unlike her brother, Hollystar sat in the dark, her black fur hiding her effectively in the dark. Her chest hurt so thoroughly it was as if someone had split her ribs open and claws at her heart. Her mother was gone. Her father still hated her. And now her brother was missing. All she saw around her were shadows, enemies and fear—the all-encapsulating fear that rendered her unable to move.
Bumblestripe surveyed the scene with a sinking heart, his torn ear suddenly prickling, along with every other wound he had received. His Clan—his family, was in shambles. It needed his help right now, more than Dovewing, more than finding out about his sister.
The tomcat hoisted himself to his paws, feeling like he walked on uneven ground with feet of heavy stone, and found an odd piece of carnage in the nest. Leaping upon it, the gray tabby called in a ragged voice: "ThunderClan, come here."
Though his call was no louder than any other cats, he saw in the stripes of moonlight that cats had turned toward him, too tired to care if he was their leader or not. They sought only leadership, anyone who could get them out of the living hell they were in. As customary, they settled around the odd furnishing in the nest, heads tilted upward to watch the silver and black tabby, who's fur hung just as ragged as theirs, his eyes just as tired. Even Dovewing coaxed her sister from the wall, allowing the silver and white cat to limp alongside her as they drew closer to the mass of their friends and family. Lionblaze only spat in the Clan's direction before continuing on his moot quest to make his brother appear from the shadows simply by willpower. Hollystar drew Bumblestripe's attention the most though, as he watched her response with a kind of eagerness one would expect of a flighty apprentice pleasing his mentor. But the she-cat yielded little response, and so the tomcat gazed blankly down at the cats he had called together.
"We need to know who is missing." He rasped, muscles twitching under his coat with fatigue. It had been more than a day since the cat had last slept, and the toll was beginning to show as adrenaline was no longer enough.
"The apprentices," Some cat called out, voice heavy with exhaustion.
"The queens," Cried another, "And all their kits."
"Ferncloud and Brightheart are dead," revealed Dovewing, her voice drowned in sorrow. The Clan was struck silent, no longer able to pronounce their grief with words. "But we did not find the kits, nor Sorreltail or Sandstorm. Poppyfrost has been missing for the longest time though."
No one wanted to say what was on everyone's mind: the kits would not survive long without their mothers, and with only two cats taking care of them especially.
"Cloudtail, Mousewhisker" Another voice intoned. Bumblestripe shook his head, pointing with his nose to the beaten pile of fur that was the strong white warrior. "Cloudtail is just over there, lying down."
"I checked on him just heartbeats ago—he wasn't breathing." Whitewing called in a monotonous voice, her blue eyes dull.
"Some cat check him again." Bumblestripe plead, his stomach twisting more than it had before.
Cinderheart padded out of the crowd of cats, her head and tail down. The soft gray cat walked across the wooden floor without a sound, the entire Clan behind her holding its breath as a single entity. She sank down beside the injured warrior, speaking softly to him before pushing him with one paw. After a moment she put an ear to his muzzle, then his heart before stepping away and bowing her head. Within the crowd, Whitewing flattened her ears and keened, long and low to the ground; Dovewing soon came over, hauling a skittish Ivypool with her to grieve with her mother.
"Mousewhisker." Ivypool suddenly spoke, loud and clear, her green eyes frighteningly strong. "The traitor with the traitor blood, his dreams were black with ambition and hate." The silvery cat then shook her head and fell over, babbling quiet nothings, leaving her family to croon over her, hoping for another moment of sanity.
Bumblestripe heaved a sigh, truly unsurprised by now. The Clan was dying, dropping like flies after a hard frost, and leaving their bodies all over the territory like many dried leaves. It was impossible not to look at the forest and think of their dead eyes watching, even though he knew they were with StarClan, fighting the Dark Forest threat. "Who else," he called, not even having the strength to move to console Dovewing. "Look around you, who else?"
"Berrynose" meowed Blossomfall in the hush. "And Jayfeather." There were no other suggestions after her, and so Bumblestripe nodded thankfully to his sister. Her coat was ragged with wounds, her eyes dark with as much—perhaps more—fear and desperation than his own. A pang of guilt crossed his heart when he realized that he had not spoken to her yet, and prepared his failing body to leap down to her. But before he could act, a shadow flew up at him, blinding him for a moment. The sharp green eyes and flattened coat allowed him to recognize his leader before attacking the feline shape, and he inched to the side, allowing her to stand as the head of the Clan.
The cats below easily switched their attention over to her, their vacuous eyes uncaring and empty. The ennui that dampened the entire Clan like a cloud had been seen everywhere today, and it was obvious that some cats were giving up their hope. Bumblestripe looked to his leader with a small shimmer of hope in his eyes, and for the heartbeat that she met his gaze, he grew a cold feeling in his stomach. Her eyes were dull like the rest, with sorrow and the determination of the leader he knew she was, but there was something else as well. Something that looked so close to guilt that Bumblestripe didn't know what to think.
"Gather around here, all of you," She called, sharp eyes flickering to WindClan and then back to her own cats, making sure that the 'friendly' Clan did not hear her summons. A few foreign eyes flashed to her, but Crowfeather soon called them away. 'He's good for one thing at least,' the thought would have been humorous if she hadn't had the dark idea of her next words shadowing her. "We need to come to a decision."
Like a crow, the leader leapt down among her followers, pressing a cheek to some, a tail to others until she stood in the center of their mass, protected on all sides by their warm bodies and familiar scents. "Times are becoming hard, we as a Clan need to come to a decision. A consensus of what to do next." She began, then waited for Bumblestripe to arrive at her side, his silvery pelt glowing in the moonlight. She herself was outlined in an aura of white, tinging only the edges of her fluffy fur and gleaming on the fur-clotted wounds of her body. "We have lost many good warriors within the past few days. ThunderClan cannot afford to lose more though. The last conversation I had with Jayfeather," the leader sucked in a pained breath and let it back out slowly, "he told me that there was news from StarClan." A few ears perked, a few eyes threw off their metonymy and tail flickered up and down as a semblance of hope shrouded the Clan for a second. "The time of Fire has passed, we will never reclaim the numbers that we have lost, and this battle will scar the Clan until Darkness reigns over the Earth. This was the news." Soft caterwauls rose up into the air, the sorrow of the Clan pressing down on the leader until she hung her head, letting it wash over her like the unending waves of the lake. When they were almost silent again, Hollystar lifted her head. "He told me that we did not have anymore warriors to spare; that each death was killing a piece of ThunderClan and that soon there would be nothing left. I didn't believe him at the time, I was skeptical that our mighty Clan could be bested by these arcane souls. But Jayfeather saw this better than any of us. He told me that when the time came, I should do my best to protect the roots of ThunderClan as best I could."
Bumblestripe shivered and lowered his head, waiting for the words he knew were approaching. Hollystar gazed around sadly, desperate hope in her eyes. "I told him that when the time came, I would take the Clan and I would flee. And I think that's what has to happen now."