Warrior Cats: Beyond the Clans

Dawnmist's Heart - Chapter 5

Dawnpaw trotted behind Goldenperch as they went to check out what the dawn patrol had found. Dawnpaw's heart pulsed quickly. A scent had made its way into the air. Goldenperch stiffened. She had smelt it too.

"Demonpaw!" Dawnpaw cried.

Demonpaw was already battling Goldenperch, both cats angry.

"Demonpaw! Wait! I need to talk to you!" Dawnpaw struggled to make her voice heard.

Demonpaw's ears twitched but he ignored her, again.

Anger flooded her, but before she could strike, Demonpaw had taken his DarkClan friend and fled manically.

"Demonpaw ..." Dawnpaw mewed sadly.

"Demonclaw now." Goldenperch mewed back.

"Demonclaw." Dawnpaw said. It sounded strange...as if the tom she loved had been changed. No, not changed, distorted into another cat. An evil cat.

Dawnpaw stayed by the border until dusk, when she decided to finally get up. Maybe it was because her body was limp with pain, or maybe it was the simple fact she was starving.

Before she could move, ginger fur caught her eye, on the WindClan side of the border. Who was it?

A handsome ginger cat came out of the darkness. "I am Foxclaw," he said in a deep voice. "I've been watching you for a while. And I can't live without you. I want to be your mate."

Joy fluttered in Dawnpaw's heart. Foxclaw was the nicer version of Demonclaw. "I agree."

The next few days, Dawnpaw met up with Foxclaw in the moonlight every night at the Gathering island. Today was the sixth day.

"Hi, Dawnpaw," Foxclaw purred.

"Foxclaw," Dawnpaw nuzzled his cheek.

Suddenly, a black shape jumped off a tree.

"D-Demonclaw?" Dawnpaw stuttered.

"You know this cat?" Foxclaw looked around. "He's one of the Dark Forest cats that raided our camp!"

"Demonclaw! Why did you do that?" Dawnpaw mewed reproachfully.

Demonclaw purred, unsheathing his claws quickly and slashed them at Foxclaw's throat. Dawnpaw saw malice glitter in his eyes.

Foxclaw! No! How could you!

"Demonclaw! You killed my mate!" she gasped, grief welling in her throat.

"I was your mate!" Demonclaw felt his rage rise and his temper burn. "I was the one you were supposed to love! I was exiled out of the Clan for you!"

"I-I'm sorry, Demonclaw, but I thought you weren't coming back," Dawnpaw murmured. "Can we still be mates?"

"NEVER!" Demonclaw roared. He slashed his claws across Dawnpaw's face, leaving a series of ugly claw marks. "Let that be a reminder," he said, breathing hard. "of the cat you rejected and forgot."

"I'm sorry!" Dawnpaw cried, but the tom was already racing off.

Demonclaw's gotten more vicious and stronger. If he's allied with DarkClan, maybe I really should join him.

When she walked back into the camp, Luckystar had evidently called a Clan meeting.

"The second battle patrol will be made up of Birchfall, Cinderheart, Duskpelt, Hollyleaf, Ivypool, Lionblaze, Poppyfrost, Toadstep, Thunderstorm and Dawnpaw. Squirrelflight will lead this patrol." Luckystar was saying.

Dawnpaw quickly slid in between Sunpaw and Frogpaw. "What's happening?" she hissed.

"DarkClan's attacking. These are our plans." Frogpaw hissed back.

"Dawnpaw and Sunpaw, you have a special job." Luckystar continued.

Dawnpaw lifted her ears in interest. Was she about to be sent to find Demonclaw?

"Really?" Sunpaw gasped.

"It will be your job to bring any seriously wounded cats from your battle patrols back to the camp. And you will also be acting as a messenger if you are outnumbered badly. For the messenger patrol, Leafpool has experience with healing, so she will take some herbs with her just in case they run into an injured cat." Luckystar continued briskly.

Oh. Messengers. Hooray.

Dawnpaw couldn't sleep that night. She kept seeing Foxclaw's face when he died, Demonclaw's malicious eyes. The blue eyes that used to hypnotize her, they were gone. The bright, positive cat she had known was dead. Instead, a murderer had taken his place.

Suddenly, Dawnpaw's stomach heaved. She ran outside to the dirtplace, pain flooding in her.

What's happening?

A small bundle of fur slid onto the hard stones. A kit?

It's ginger fur resembled Foxclaw so closely, and it's beautiful blue eyes resembled Demonclaw's old eyes.

I can't believe it. Foxclaw left me a kit.

Dawnpaw licked it vigorously, willing it to come to life, but it lay limp, it's blue eyes unseeing and it's fur dull.

It's dead. Foxclaw left me a kit, while Demonclaw killed it. It was born too early.

"Demonclaw!" she raised her voice to a yowl.

With one sunrise left until the Final Battle, Dawnpaw noticed her mother heading towards her.

"Mother? What is it?" Dawnpaw asked tentatively.

"Demonclaw wants to see you tonight. On the border of our territory, near the Twolegplace." Duskpelt didn't meet her in the eye.

"That's great!" Dawnpaw stifled a purr. "Thanks, mother."

Dawnpaw strode over the border, hid in a bush and waited. Soon, the familiar black pelt came. "There you are." She stood up.

"Dawnpaw," she noticed Demonclaw had to force the words out.

"What is it? What do you want?" Dawnpaw didn't meet his eyes.

"We should talk," he mewed curtly.

"Yeah, we should," Dawnpaw agreed hesitantly.

Short chapter rip- I couldn't find enough things to put in this chapter :((