Chapter 43: Border Homicide
Mousefur and Thornclaw burst into camp covered in scratches and cuts. It was obvious that they'd been in a fight.
"Fireheart! We were attacked at the Shadowclan border. They got Runningwind!"
Fireheart responded quickly. "Who!? Was it Shadowclan?"
"It smelled like them, but it wasn't quite right."
Brokenstar's rogues jumped to mind. Even then, with how much had happened to Shadowclan recently, Fireheart couldn't put it past Shadowcclan to still be violent.
"Mousefur, Whitestorm, Darkstripe! We're going! Sandstorm is in charge while we're out."
Fireheart needed Darkstripe's analysis skills for seeing if it was Shadowclan or rogues. The three rushed toward the border. Fireheart saw Whitethroat standing over Runningwind's body and was seeing red. Just before he rushed in to attack, Darkstripe gave him a light shove to get his attention.
"Whitethroat didn't kill him. There's no blood on him. Doesn't mean we can let him go though."
"Right."
Fireheart rushed in to apprehend the Shadowclan cat while Darkstripe circled around to cut the cat off from retreating to Shadowclan. Fireheart kept trying to pin Whitethroat, but the cat was slippery. He weaved through Fireheart's attacks with moderate effort. Fireheart had also grown used to Darkstripe's support, so the duel was throwing him off. He was winning, but not as much as he was used to. Suddenly, Whitethroat turned to bolt. He almost got to the Thunderpath when Darkstripe tackled him. Within seconds, a monster blazed past startling both warriors out of combat. If Darkstripe hadn't tackled Whitethroat, he'd have been flattened.
Suddenly a scent of crowfood wafted over. It was like Shadowclan but wrong. What Darkstripe saw paralyzed him. It was those yellow eyes. They were real and on the cat that struck so much fear in him. It was Tigerclaw. With him were some familiar cats. Cats who they'd driven from their camp before. It was Brokenstar's rogues.
"Tigerclaw!"
"Hello kittypet."
Tigerclaw's eyes drifted to Darkstripe who began to cower. His eyes snapped back to Fireheart with obvious animosity.
"Can't even protect your cats. Kittypets like you are ruining the clans. I'll erase you from this forest."
"Better a kittypet than an oath breaking traitor! You bring ruin to everything you touch!"
Fireheart lunged in with Whitestorm and Mousefur following suit. Whitethroat took this chance to bolt across the Thunderpath. Meanwhile Darkstripe still stood in paralysis. He couldn't do anything while Tigerclaw could see him. Thankfully for Darkstripe, the battle quickly blocked his sight of Tigerclaw. He could make his paws move. He threw himself at one of the far rogues. He could fight as long he couldn't see Tigerclaw. Despite the patrol being a large size, they were vastly outnumbered. Darkstripe had collected a fair share of wounds in this fight. His vision was filled with spots and fuzzy.
The battle was loud. Loud enough that that it could be heard on the Riverclan border. Greystripe, Stonefur, and the rest of a Riverclan patrol heard and came running to investigate. Brokenstar's rogues were a well-known threat, so the patrol leaped in. Greystripe saw Darkstripe first. His fur was willed with blood and he was swaying. Despite that, he was holding off three rogues. Greystripe moved to assist. The rogues weren't as skilled as warriors and far less brave, so they soon turned tail.
Darkstripe looked at the cat who saved him. He couldn't place the grey form that was so familiar, but he knew they had been saved. He dropped to the ground to preserve whatever strength he still had left. He wasn't going to die, but he was likely to pass out if he didn't rest soon. He quietly tended to his wounds as foggy cat silhouettes battled in his peripheral vision. He was tense in case some cat decided to attack him. Thankfully none came.
Greystripe moved to assist Fireheart after having driven off the cats fighting Darkstripe. Darkstripe didn't look good, but he didn't look like he was going to die. Fireheart was in a battle with Tigerclaw. It was a stalemate that would soon turn in Tigerclaw's favor. Greystripe found himself weaving in and out of the fight. Longtail's lessons were showing their results. Soon Tigerclaw was forced to flee. Fireheart turned to him gratefully.
"Greystripe! What are you doing here? I've missed you."
"We heard you from the border. As much as I'd love to catch up, Darkstripe wasn't looking to hot when I last saw him."
Fireheart dashed off with obvious worry in his eyes. He found Darkstripe conscious, but he was in no condition to walk. With Whitestorm's assistance, he got the wounded cat on his back. Mousefur grabbed Runningwind's body. There wasn't time to talk. He rushed back to camp with the other Thunderclan cats following. Before he disappeared into the forest, Fireheart spared a glance at his old friend Greystripe. The cat looked hesitant to see him go, but they were of two different clans now. The Riverclan patrol turned to return to their territory.
When Fireheart got back to camp, Cinderpaw was immediately in motion. She had preemptively prepared herbs and webs to treat battle wounds. She got to work on Darkstripe first since he was in the most critical condition. He had a certain unresponsiveness that indicated shock, but the way he reacted to the wounds hinted at something mental was playing up. She soon had him dressed. He was half white and red with all the cobwebs plastered over him. Cinderpaw was quickly able to treat Whitestorm, Mousefur, and Fireheart as soon as she was done with Darkstripe. Fireheart hadn't let Darkstripe leave his sight since the battle. Despite how panicked Fireheart looked, she even more feared how bluestar was going to react.
Right on cue, Bluestar came out of her den and saw Darkstripe in his sorry state. A mixture of confused rage and worry radiated off the cat. She was quickly over sniffing at Darkstripe and pestering Cinderpaw.
"Will he be ok? What happened? Whoever did this, when I get my claws on them…"
Fireheart spoke to interrupt Bluestar's rageful rant.
"It was Tigerclaw and Brokenstar's rogues."
Immediately the rage was ripped out of Bluestar. Instead, guilt took its place. She blamed herself for Tigerclaw's existence and what he had done to the clan. Her aggressive posture took on a more haggard pose.
Darkstripe's eyes were clearing. He still did not feel ready to walk, but his mind had finally suppressed the terror Tigerclaw's appearance had inflicted on him. He saw Bluestar looking like she was willing to solo a badger before she deflated. He scarcely got the context of Fireheart's discussion. Before Bluestar could retreat to her den, he batted her paws with his tail. She turned with grief filled eyes. She was obviously blaming herself.
"Hey. Can you lay with me a heartbeat?"
Bluestar could not turn down him at this moment. She felt warm laying beside him. It reminded Darkstripe of when he was a young kit. The warmth of a mother is never forgotten.
"Listen to me. You didn't do anything wrong. I got hurt because I froze. I'll do better next time. Even though I'm hurt, I think I am a little better for it. Please don't blame yourself. Blame Tigerclaw for being a terrible cat. Blame Thistleclaw for training him to be that way. Blame Pinestar for abandoning him. There is an infinite number of things that could have been done differently, but we can only reflect and move on. Can you do that for me?"
Bluestar quietly pressed herself into Darkstripe's fur before rising. She held a certain poise she had not held in moons. She was still not the old Bluestar, but it was the first step forward towards her recovery. She found the courage and voice to lead the mourning ritual for Runningwind. It was a night filled with complex emotions.