Atliersky- Thanks for the reviews. Read appreciate them.
I'm sorry beforehand for this chapter, but I have to pick up the angst.
"Boo!"
Fire Heart leaped to his feet and started swinging his paws, claws out to catch the intruder.
"HEY! It's me!"
He stopped and opened his eyes to see Jackdaw's Cry. "Oh. Hey, Jackdaw's." He smiled innocently and hopped off the hay to go watch the sunrise.
Some WindClan cats, paranoid now, after the whole being driven out event, had jumped awake, too, fur puffed and eyes wide with fear.
"Really?" Tornear sighed and sat down, trying to calm himself again. Beside him, a tortoiseshell, Fire Heart didn't know, pressed herself against him, trembling.
"Sorry, you'll have to get used to my idiotic friend," Fire Heart heard his friend say to them. He ignored them.
After a bit, the ginger tom was joined by a brown tom with a short tail~like Turtle Tail's~Fire Heart thought absentmindedly.
The WindClan tom stared up calmly at the sky. Suddenly, he let out a curious yowl and Fire Heart jumped.
Everyone gathered around, worried, as they, too, stared up at the clouds.
"The clouds are stained with blood! This day will bring unnecessary deaths!"
Fire Heart realized he was the medicine cat.
"Wait, deaths?" Jackdaw's Cry gasped. "As in plural. As in more than one, as in–"
"YES!" Jagged Peak snapped, also looking worried.
"Any clan could have seen it," Tallstar meowed, calm. "Let's go. We can't let nothing stop us now."
"Especially deaths," Jackdaw's Cry muttered under his breath. Fire Heart nudged him, reprimanding.
They set out again after thanking Barley and headed onward.
The next morning was dull, chilly and stinging with rain. Gray Wing climbed out of his nest. The camp was quiet. He wondered if he should send out a patrol now.
I'll visit the kits first.
Tall Shadow, he noticed, was on the Flat Boulder, looking out into the forest.
Gray Wing spotted Thunder emerging from the nursery. As soon as he saw Gray Wing, he rushed over.
"Hey, are you going hunting? Can I come with?"
Gray Wing thought for a moment. Turtle Tail and the kits would be asleep right now, so maybe they could hunt something for her to eat before checking on them.
"Okay, C'mon." Gray Wing hoped Skystar wouldn't come out of nowhere and try to stop his son. He was pretty overbearing from what Gray Wing saw sometimes. The kit was four moons, nearly five now. He would be an apprentice soon and had already caught his first prey at three moons.
As he led his nephew into the forest, Gray Wing decided he wasn't sure they'd be able to find much in this weather, but Thunder spotted a crow only a few fox-lengths away near a beech.
Gray Wing nodded encouragingly for him to go after it. Thunder leaped for the crow, catching it completely off guard and killing it swiftly. A moment later, he walked back with the limp body in his jaws, amber eyes shining.
"Nice work," Gray Wing said.
Thunder purred. "Are we gonna take it to Turtle Tail and the kits?"
"Let's hunt some more first," Gray Wing replied.
After the first crow was buried, Thunder headed off with Gray Wing around a clump of gorse. This time Gray Wing noticed a swift hopping away from him, right towards Thunder.
Thunder pounced on it.
"Two in a row!" Gray Wing praised.
Thunder ducked his head and mumbled, "no thanks to you for teaching me to hunt. All Father does is keep us in camp."
They returned to camp.
Turtle Tail was gazing down at her kits when they entered the nursery. Hawk Swoop had taken her kits to one of the tunnels, but Thunder's sisters still slept nearby.
Air Leap and Rainswept Flower were there too, tucking extra moss into Turtle Tail's nest.
"Thanks," Turtle Tail called after them once they had finished and left. Air Leap waved his tail at her.
"I'll take you for some battle training later!" Gray Wing added and Air Leap turned to give him a nose touch before hurrying out of the den. "Here, we brought some food. Thunder caught the crow and swift."
"Nice work, Thunder!" Turtle Tail praised. "Taking care of these little ones sure does work up an appetite."
Thunder watched the kits with awe as Turtle Tail wolfed down her meal. "Have you named them yet?" the ginger tom asked, looking from his uncle to Turtle Tail.
"Not yet," Turtle Tail replied. "We're still waiting for their eyes to open."
Gray Wing nodded and nudged the she-kit closer to her mother.
Turtle Tail yawned, looking exhausted. "Get some sleep," Gray Wing murmured, licking her ear before leading Thunder out of the den.
"Nearly there," Jagged Peak mewed softly, and excited. Their mission was almost complete. His old limp was acting up, but the prospect of getting home made him forget the aching pain.
Next to him, Deadfoot quickened his pace, clearly recognizing where they were. At the foot of the slope, he and the other warriors stopped to let the rest of the clan catch up.
Jagged Peak looked around and saw Morningflower walking with Ashfoot. He had helped carry her kit most of the way and she was the only WindClan cat he felt comfortable with. He was happy to see their happiness.
Jackdaw's Cry joined his mentor and he saw them glance happily at each other, but didn't speak. As the clan joined Deadfoot at the foot of the slope, the deputy stepped back to let Tallstar take the lead. Tallstar followed a narrow track through the heather.
As the clan neared the top, some of the warriors raced ahead. At the top of the hill, they made proud silhouettes against the dark sky. They stared at their old land. Suddenly, two apprentices charged past them, bounding down the slope.
"Wait!" Tallstar called. "Other clans might still be near."
As soon as they heard, the apprentices skidded to a halt, although they were shivering with excitement.
Jagged Peak could see the sheltered dip that made WindClan's camp. He wondered if Stagleap and the other two would find their clan soon and reunite.
Morningflower took Gorsekit from Ashfoot and hurried toward the hollow. Tallstar flicked his tail and Cloudrunner, Ryestalk and Mudclaw followed her.
The WindClan leader paused while the rest of the clan rushed into their vacant camp. He turned to Jagged Peak, Fire Heart, and Jackdaw's Cry, his eyes shining. "Thank you. WindClan will always be grateful for your help," he said. "We have returned home, and it's time you do the same."
Jackdaw's Cry and Fire Heart exchanged dismayed looks and Jagged Peak felt the same. He had wanted to help WindClan fully settle in before leaving them in peace. What if the other clans attack them as soon as we leave the moor? Jagged Peak shivered. He should worry about the safety of himself and his friends first.
"Onewhisker and Deadfoot will escort you," Tallstar added and the two warriors stepped forward.
The three SkyClan toms waved their tails at the black-and-white tom before following Deadfoot, who started leading them to Four Trees. Onewhisker brought up the rear with Fire Heart and Jagged Peak walked in between next to Jackdaw's Cry.
"I-I c-can't wait to get home," Jagged Peak muttered through chattering teeth, his tabby pelt sopping wet from the rain that blasted sharply against them. "At least the trees will shelter us in the woods."
Suddenly, Onewhisker stopped and sniffed the air, before he shot off. For a moment Jagged Peak thought he had offended him with his comment about moors and forests, but the brown tabby appeared with a plump rabbit, looking cheerful.
"Better than RiverClan, eh?" Jackdaw's Cry whispered to them, blue eyes gleaming. Jagged Peak chuckled in agreement.
"Maybe a bite before we move on?" Onewhisker asked. "It'll be a while before we get to your territory," he added.
Jackdaw's Cry groaned as they settled down to eat. "There has to be an easier way!"
"Unless you wanna trespass on RiverClan territory," Deadfoot pointed out mildly.
"Great, let's do it then," Fire Heart said.
"Yeah…" Jackdaw's Cry hummed. "And RiverClan doesn't hunt there, who would?"
Deadfoot fidgeted when two pairs of blue eyes and one green stared back at him. "Okay…but we better be quick."
"Anything to get home faster," Jackdaw's Cry muttered as they carried on their new route.
The cats followed the trail toward the noise. The path shrank until it was little more than a narrow strip of grass on the very edge of a deep gorge. Jagged Peak couldn't resist peering over the edge and when he did he regretted it.
He pulled back and pressed himself against the side of the stone wall. Ahead Jackdaw's Cry, his mentor and the WindClan cats plodded on. They would have to shimmy along the perilous, slippery, and narrow path until the Gorge ended.
However far that is…
He noticed Deadfoot and Onewhisker looking around warily though.
"Stop doing that," he hissed, irritated.
"Doing what?" Deadfoot asked.
"Looking wary."
"Why not?"
"Well, I just kinda wish you wouldn't, y'know. It's making me nervous," Jagged Peak muttered.
"Guys, shut up for a moment," Fire Heart hissed.
"What is it?" Onewhisker asked, voice nervous.
For an answer, a RiverClan patrol came out of nowhere and charged towards them. Whiteclaw tackled Fire Heart, Grasswhisker and Blackclaw piled on Deadfoot while Leopardfur jumped Onewhisker. Reedtail and Skyheart joined.
Jagged Peak staggered when he realized his lame leg had almost slipped off the edge. He scrambled away, dislodging some pebbles and he squashed himself against the wall, eyes closed, hoping he wouldn't be noticed.
A battle cry sounded from the forest and for a moment Jagged Peak thought they would be okay until he opened his eyes and saw Tigerclaw leading a patrol, amber eyes gleaming with bloodlust. StarClan help us! Jagged Peak just couldn't understand why the other clans wouldn't just leave them alone.
Tigerclaw jumped to Leopardfur's aid, Sandpaw helped Grasswhisker and Blackclaw, but he noticed Whitestorm and Willowpelt hanging back, reluctance in their eyes. Clearly they understood how wrong and unfair this fight was too.
Even if we were trespassing, RiverClan never agreed to the mission, after all.
But why did ThunderClan have to help? They were already way outnumbered to begin with.
Jagged Peak screeched when he felt someone grab his hurt leg and start dragging him around. He turned to see the apprentice, Graypaw, who Fire Heart had befriended. His eyes shone with anger and Jagged Peak wondered if this was the same cat Fire Heart talked about.
Well, he did chase us off the moor.
Graypaw held Jagged Peak down, a paw on his chest, his head hanging over the edge, Jagged Peak trembled, waiting for him to push him in, but Graypaw just stared sadly down at him and then Jagged Peak realized, understood, he didn't want to do this. None of them did, but it was their leader's word which was law and Graypaw was just a young cat.
Then another war cry sounded and Jagged Peak knew this one was on their side. He would know Gray Wing's voice anywhere. He twisted his head to see Gray Wing leading Moon Shadow, Fircone, Falling Feather, Shattered Ice, Quick Water and Leaf.
The SkyClan cats joined the fray and they were all evened out now. He watched his brother pin Reedtail to the ground and give him a warning bite. "Get outta here, fox-heart!" the sleek gray tom hissed and shoved him away.
Graypaw released Jagged Peak and the two young cats watched side-by-side, tails flicking uneasily. Shattered Ice was beating up Leopardfur while Onewhisker fended off Tigerclaw and Grasswhisker, looking weak until Leaf came to his rescue.
Suddenly, someone screeched behind them and they simultaneously whipped around to see Sandpaw behind Skyheart. The RiverClan warrior had slipped from her fight with Quick Water and Falling Feather and had bumped into her on accident. "Oh, no," Graypaw whispered and was about to pounce to help, but it was too late.
The pale ginger tabby fell into the Gorge.
"No!" Graypaw yowled, eyes wide with horror.
And then even more worse things happened. Moon Shadow and Whiteclaw rolled past, both toms locked in a fierce tussle, not paying attention. Jagged Peak saw Tigerclaw jump backwards and bumping into the two, he sent both toms into the Gorge as well.
No one had even pushed him into them…?
It was then, Jagged Peak remembered Barkface's warning earlier that day. This day will bring unnecessary deaths.
Graystripe raced to the edge of the Gorge and peered in, but Sandstorm was nowhere in sight. Neither were Whiteclaw or Moon Shadow. He hung his head when suddenly someone grabbed his tail and yanked him back.
He turned expecting Tigerclaw, but saw his mother instead, eyes brimming with grief. "Stay away or you'll fall in as well," she murmured, holding him back with his tail.
Graystripe peeked at Tigerclaw.
He had pushed the other clancats on accident...but why hadn't he seemed remorseful. He looked at Jagged Peak. The young tabby was frozen in horror, some emotion in his eye as if he had expected it to happen.
"This battle went too far," Gray Wing was meowing to a horrified Leopardfur and a bored-looking Tigerclaw. "Cats from all our clans died."
"Not all," Blackclaw sneered glaring at Onewhisker and Deadfoot. Fire Heart was looking sadly at the edge where the unfortunate cats had disappeared. He looked guilty even if it hadn't been his fault. Skyheart was looking guilty, having pushed Sandstorm, but at least it had been an accident.
"You're right," Leopardfur finally rasped and dipped her head before gathering her cats around her. "Take your clanmates and leave this place." Tigerclaw glared at her and sniffed before beckoning his cats to him.
Graystripe trailed at the back of the patrol, head and tail down. When they arrived Tigerclaw announced what had happened to Sandstorm and Whiteclaw, but acted like Moon Shadow hadn't existed.
He noticed Brindleface staring, horrified at Thistlestar and Tigerclaw outside of the nursery where two of her four kits wrestled. Tulipkit and Elderkit were sick in the nursery as was Mistlekit, one of Speckletail's newborns.
Thistlestar just snorted, muttering something about a waste of a good warrior before he stormed to his den. Graystripe went to sit by a sad Dustpelt, who had been Sandstorm's best friend. He looked at his sister across the clearing before looking away.
Graystripe wondered what it was like to have secret siblings glances.
Yeah...three hits. Sorry, but like I said we had to get the story going. Thistlestar and Tigerclaw will only get worse and worse. And it was a bad place to fight.