Twenty Three
The forest was eerily quiet as Dovestar crept through the thick undergrowth. Every now and then she could pick up the tiniest details of sounds, from insects crawling to Twolegs in the distance. Twolegplace wasn't that far from where she wandered, so the sounds of Twolegs wasn't that surprising. She was more concerned about running into Lightning or one of his cronies. This was a huge part of his territory, and she had seen his cats lurking in the shadows from time to time. She knew she couldn't stick around for long… not unless she wanted to get caught and treated like a prisoner. She had little doubt Lightning would stoop to those levels, especially if he knew she was a Clan cat.
Former Clan cat, she reminded herself bitterly.
The shock of Minnowtail's betrayal had finally worn off. She was numb to the sudden shock of being cast out from her own Clan. Though nothing could have prepared her for the way Tigerheart treated her. She could still picture those amber eyes glaring at her as she was accused of murder. Snowpaw's death weighed her down heavily, leaving a painful reminder that she hadn't protected the apprentice. The Clan blamed her for Snowpaw's death, and in a way, she couldn't blame them for it. She hadn't done enough to keep the Clan safe, and now she was paying the price.
She had been on the move for little more than a few days. Since she left Tiny's territory, she started wandering the outskirts of the lake. She knew if she stepped paw in Clan territory, they would rip her into shreds. Minnowtail had numbers on her side. Most of the Clan supported the dark gray she-cat, and Dovestar couldn't help but wonder if her own mate supported her. It would make sense given the way he reacted.
She swallowed hard as memories of that fateful day came rushing back.
It was difficult enough coping with the fact that she was alone again. Then to make matters worse, she was sent into exile after being accused of murder. She was also suffering from nightmares of the Dark Battle, leaving another reminder of what she lost. She couldn't help but wonder if this was what StarClan had intended all along. If they knew that Minnowtail was working on a coup that would overthrow the Clan. If they were aware, they hadn't warned Mothwing in time. That was only if they warned her at all. Then another more pressing thought crossed her mind.
What if they approved of Minnowtail's treachery? What if this was their way of ensuring that the Clan had a more secure future? She was well aware of the fact that StarClan wasn't above interfering with Clan affairs. Maybe this was what they had been planning all along. They wanted to see if she was capable of handling her position as leader, and when she failed, they allowed Minnowtail to take over.
A shiver of horror swept through her at the thought. She didn't want to think of what would happen if StarClan approved of Minnowtail and her role as leader. She didn't want to think of what would happen to her kits if this mess continued. She never planned on letting this happen to them or letting them know how cruel the world really was.
"You really should eat something." Dovestar nearly leaped out of her fur at the sound of Ivypool's voice. She glanced around warily, eyes wide with disbelief when she realized Ivypool was sitting right beside her. "You haven't had a decent meal for days, and that's not the only thing you'll need to worry about out here."
She simply rolled her eyes in annoyance and let out a heavy sigh. It had been a couple of days since she went hunting. Her nerves often got the best of her when she tried. Between worrying about the Clan and everything else, she simply didn't have time to take care of herself. Though after Ivypool mentioned eating, her stomach suddenly growled at her with hunger.
"What good is that going to do for me?" she scoffed vehemently. "I've nothing left to fight for… my own Clan betrayed me and thinks I'm nothing more than a kit murderer. And they might be right."
Ivypool's face softened with sympathy for her sister. She had already been through enough trauma for the last few moons. The silver she-cat let out a sigh of her own and laid down beside her. She could practically feel the warmth emanating from her. Dovestar squeezed her eyes shut when she felt a warm tongue rasp over her ear. She suddenly felt like a kit, lost and shaken from what happened.
"Oh, Dove… I never wanted any of this to happen to you," Ivypool whispered. "You're such a kindhearted cat, and you don't deserve to be treated that way."
Dovestar couldn't help but flinch when Ivypool referred to the way the Clan treated her. It wasn't necessarily their fault for jumping to conclusions. Minnowtail was mostly to blame for getting the Clan riled up. She had always known that Minnowtail was trouble, but she realized too late just how powerful her influence was on the Clan.
"I just want our old lives back," she murmured. "I miss our time together… I miss you."
She hadn't realized until then that she was trembling. Guilt and grief threatened to overwhelm her as she thought of everything she lost. Her family was gone, all because she couldn't protect them. All because she wasn't strong enough to face the prophecy head-on. Jayfeather and Lionblaze deserved someone who could keep them safe and fight alongside them.
"You are a strong warrior, Dovestar," Ivypool reminded her. She glanced at Ivypool in surprise. "You are so much stronger than you think. I know what you are capable of, even if you don't."
She wasn't so sure of that. Dovestar looked down at her paws guiltily. She was ready to say something when Ivypool suddenly began to fade. Her heart nearly skipped a beat with fear when she realized she would be alone again. She wasn't ready to lose her sister after all that. But it seemed as if time was against her, and as she blinked again, she found herself back in the forest laying beside a hollowed tree. It took a few seconds for her to register the fact that she had been sleeping. She made a makeshift nest out of twigs and leaves, hoping to stay warm as the nights got colder.
Right… I fell asleep here because it felt like the safest spot in the area, she told herself.
That was a mistake on her part. She was jolted from her thoughts when a familiar scent hit her lungs. She stiffened as a large and familiar figure emerged from the undergrowth. Piercing green eyes glared back at her as Lightning approached her with the confidence of a leader. His tail flicked from side to side, signaling to the other rogues to surround her.
"What a pretty little cat we have here," he purred in amusement when her fur stood on end. "I'm surprised to see a Clan cat on their own, especially out here in my territory."
"This isn't your territory, rogue!" she spat.
She barely had time to react when one of the rogues suddenly lunged at her. She was pinned to the ground within seconds, grunting in surprise when the larger cat held her down.
"Unless you want to lose your life, I'd stay still," the tom sneered.
"Well done, Lion," Lightning meowed while circling them. "Though it doesn't look as if she'd be able to put up much of a fight, judging from her appearance. We don't accept weaklings in our group."
"I wouldn't be so quick to judge!" Neither Lightning nor the other tom were prepared for when she suddenly sprung into action. In spite of her hunger and the fact that she hadn't fought for days, she remembered everything Lionblaze taught her. She used that knowledge to her advantage. Even if the tom holding her down was twice her size, that didn't mean she couldn't roll underneath him or use his weight against him. "I may look frail, but I know how to fight back when it counts!"
The tom yowled in surprise when she managed to wriggle herself free from his grip. He wasn't given the chance to fight back when she spun around and slashed her claws across his face. He yelped at the sudden pain that followed, nearly backing into Lightning in the process. The leader of the rogues merely scowled at the brown tom in disgust.
"Pathetic," he snorted in disbelief. "Beaten by a scrawny she-cat. If it wasn't for your size, I'd let her flay you." The tom just glared at him, though he didn't dare argue when Lightning turned his attention back on her. "Now, what are we going to do with this pretty little cat? Surely a lone Clan cat could be of some use to us."
"We could use her as ransom," the tom suggested. Dovestar stiffened at the prospect of being used for anyone's benefit. She doubted the Clan would want anything to do with her if Lightning tried that tactic. "Or maybe she could teach us some of those fighting skills."
"That sounds like a good idea," Lightning agreed with him. Piercing green eyes glared at her, and a shudder ran through her when she realized what they intended to do. "We'll get some use out of keeping her as our prisoner. In the meantime, we'll continue making what's left of the Clans suffer for their arrogance."
Dovestar bowed her head when she realized there wasn't any point in fighting. Two more cats emerged from the undergrowth, both of them large and well-muscled. Lightning preferred strong cats in his gang, and she knew she would never fit that role. He would find a way to make use of her, whether it was a hostage situation or worse. Either way, she knew she would have to fight this battle on her own.
...
"I don't like this," Nightfire growled under his breath as he padded alongside Pepperfoot. Flashpaw had gone ahead to try out his hunting skills, giving the brothers a chance to catch up. A moon passed since Dovestar's exile. The Clan hadn't been the same since. Hollyleaf took over the role of leader, without claiming a new deputy. Then there was the fact that Minnowtail acted as if she was the best thing that happened to the Clan. He knew the situation was getting worse as they ignored the problem at paw. Despite being so young and possibly naive, he had enough knowledge to know right from wrong. This felt wrong in so many ways, and he couldn't figure out why. "The fact that Dovestar was exiled should've been enough of a warning sign. I don't like what Minnowtail's doing to the Clan."
He didn't have the chance to voice his concerns to anyone. He saw how many cats flocked around the dark gray queen like she was in charge. On more than one occasion, he caught her holding Clan meetings without Hollyleaf's presence. The few cats that refused to get involved didn't voice their concerns, which made it worse.
"You aren't the only one who's been getting worried," his brother meowed thoughtfully. Nightfire glanced at Pepperfoot in surprise. "I overheard Hollyleaf and Mothwing talk about it a few days ago. Mothwing doesn't agree with the way Hollyleaf took over, and she thinks Dovestar is innocent."
"Then why not do something about it?" he demanded as annoyance swept through him.
"You're asking the wrong cat, Night," Pepperfoot nudged him playfully. Nightfire rolled his eyes at his brother's antics. He knew Pepperfoot was going out of his way to make him feel better. Yet that didn't stop the guilt from slowly eating away at him. Or the anger he felt towards Minnowtail. "One thing I do know is that you can't let this be a distraction."
Nightfire nearly scoffed at that, until he remembered how distracted he was with Pyre. A knot twisted in the pit of his stomach as he pictured the fox cub. He suddenly found himself wondering how much bigger she was now. Or if she was doing well on her own. He often found himself worrying about her surviving on her own. As mousebrained as it was, he would always see her as that little cub that was caught in a trap.
"I'm not using it as a distraction," he growled under his breath. "I just…"
He wasn't sure how to describe the way he felt. Or the reason behind his sudden irritation towards the way the Clan was handling the situation. He didn't like the fact that Minnowtail had gained such a following since Dovestar was exiled. He wasn't fond over the fact that Hollyleaf had taken over Dovestar's role as leader. The worst part of it was knowing that the Clan seemed perfectly fine with what was happening.
"It's alright," Pepperfoot reassured him with a knowing look. "Things are tense right now in the Clan, and we're not used to it. Hopefully it'll cool down in time."
Mother wanted to provide a better life for us in the Clan, Nightfire thought guiltily. Is this the kind of life she was hoping for?
He often found himself wondering if Aspencreek regretted joining the Clan. After all, she gave up a somewhat comfortable life in the forest where everyone and everything was familiar. All for the sake of a Clan that was slowly falling apart. It seemed as if just when things were starting to look up, it all fell apart right before their eyes. He could only hope that the Clan was prepared for the aftermath that would follow.
...
Twolegplace was loud and dirty. That was the first thing Dovestar noticed when she was led into Lightning's camp. Her senses were on overdrive as she tried blocking out the sounds constantly racking her ears. One thing she hadn't been taught was how to control those abilities. She could control her hearing to some extent, but every sound in Twolegplace was easy to pick up.
It wasn't as if she had a choice to flee even if she wanted to. Lightning had her surrounded the moment he and his gang found her. The cat she managed to overwhelm with ease was known as Lion. Thankfully he hadn't tried any dirty tricks on her yet. A shiver swept through her at the prospect of dealing with all these toms. They were twice her size and fully capable of taking her if they wanted to, and she had little doubt that was on their minds.
"Well, well, isn't this an interesting turn of events?" Dovestar stiffened when she heard an unmistakable familiar voice. Her eyes narrowed with surprise as she spotted two former ShadowClan cats among Lightning's gang. They emerged from what appeared to be containers filled with a foul-smelling odor. "This could be useful for our plans to overrun what's left of the Clans."
Foxhearted cowards! She desperately wanted to spit that in their faces. They looked sleek and muscular; a clear sign that they were well-fed. To make matters worse, the gleam in their eyes told her that they were still working for the Dark Forest. A hunger for battle and a thirst for blood was evident across their faces, much like the cats she had seen during the Dark Battle.
"This is our newest prisoner," Lightning sneered as he stepped forward. One withering glare was all it took for her to guess who was really in charge. Redwillow and Scorchfur merely exchanged looks of annoyance. "I know that you former Clan cats have a grudge against what is left of the lake territories, so do with her as you please."
"We plan to," Redwillow sneered. A shiver of rage swept through her when she guessed what they were thinking. "I'm glad she delivered at least. Her end of the bargain has already paid off."
Dovestar had little doubt that they were talking about Minnowtail. She knew the three of them were likely working together. After Tigerheart explained that Minnowtail was planning something, she realized that she should have done something about it sooner. It was too late now.
Her ears flattened with fury as Redwillow led the way into a small space where few cats could escape. It was a tunnel that led into one of the Twoleg structures. She wouldn't be able to escape with guards posted at the entrance. Not unless she wanted to lose her lives all at once. She was already weak from hunger to begin with, so it wasn't as if she could put up too much of a fight against fully trained warriors.
Especially cats that will fight dirty, she added silently.
"You're nothing more than cowards," she spat once they were alone. "How could you let all of your Clanmates die for the sake of the Dark Forest?"
"Rowanstar betrayed us the moment he started getting soft!" Scorchfur spat. "ShadowClan was always seen as the sneakiest Clan. We were always feared because of what we could do. Then things started to change the moment Rowanstar became leader. Do you honestly think I would allow that reputation continue?"
Dovestar merely glared at them as Redwillow agreed with him fullheartedly.
"He denounced us the moment he found out," the mottled tom meowed. "So, we retaliated. We fought alongside the Dark Forest because we knew they would win. And they did."
"LakeClan is still thriving," she snapped.
Scorchfur shared a look of amusement with his companion.
"Is it?" Redwillow sneered. "Do you honestly think Minnowtail wouldn't take advantage of your exile? How many cats do you think are foolish enough to follow her blindly? You brought outsiders into the Clan that don't know much about traditions or how to actually be apart of the Clan. They're easy to manipulate."
Her heart sank when she realized he was right. That was why it had been so easy for Minnowtail to convince them that she was responsible for Snowpaw's death. The dark gray queen planned everything from the beginning. She bid her time to ensure that she had enough followers to influence their leader's exile.
"And now with you gone, it will be easy for the Clan to dissolve into chaos, if it hasn't already," Scorchfur continued. "Hawkfrost knew that this would happen from the beginning. This was what we planned for."
She wasn't sure how to respond as realization dawned on her.
They're all going to die, she thought guiltily. They're all going to die, and there isn't a thing I can do about it.
AN: I made a mistake with the chapter marker at the beginning of chapter 22, so I apologize for that.
