Warriors: Broken

Chapter 12

⠀⠀ "We're going to the Tallrock," the flame colored tom declared proudly, slightly lifting his chin into the air. Jayfrost chuckled and padded further the camp. She had stayed near the edges for the majority of the time, with Jaxx at her side.

⠀⠀ "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Tallrock for a clan meeting!" Violetstar yowled as she stood contently on top of her large perch. She exchanged glances with Jayfrost and Jaxx before continuing. "Tonight we are welcoming two new members into the clan. I have consulted several of you, and it was decided that they will be welcomed to stay for as long as they like." A ripple of murmurs washed over the clan as the last few clanmates found a place to sit. Violetstar bared her teeth, silencing all but a pair of rowdy kits, too distracted by a cricket to take notice. Their mother growled at them, causing them to stumble back to her paws and sit tall. The leader motioned for Jayfrost and Jaxx to join her as she shifted to the right. They cautiously scaled it, with Jaxx going first. Jayfrost appeared seconds after him, tail twitching in anxiety.

⠀⠀ "Jaxx," she began, "you appear to be a loyal cat, and skilled in combat," she mewed, taking notice of the array of scars lining his shoulder blades. "Is there a specific name you would like to be given?" she asked curiously. He nodded, taking in a slight breath before speaking.

⠀⠀ "I'd like to be..." he trailed off, glancing at Jayfrost. She nodded, but he shook his head, looking away from her. "I'd like to be known as Ciphercry," he mewed, puffing out his chest. Cats began cheering, and Violetstar dipped her head.

⠀⠀ "Then from this day forward, you shall be known as Ciphercry," she purred. Her gaze turned to Jayfrost, eyes welcoming as she approached, however, Jayfrost was too distracted from glaring at Ciphercry, who had stolen half of her name. She padded a few steps forward, bumping into her new leader. Violetstar cleared her throat as she stepped. Startled, Jayfrost flattened her ears.

⠀⠀ "Sorry," she mewed.

⠀⠀ "Cry," she began, not bothering to give the incident a second thought, "you seem very courageous, and you've proven that you're a survivor after you went so long without surfacing in the river. Is there a specific name you'd like to be known as?" Violetstar's calm eyes glistened with curiosity. They seemed so innocent, but she must have been intelligent, otherwise she'd have never become a leader in the first place.

⠀⠀ "Yes," Jayfrost finally replied, braking herself out of the mild trance. "I'd like to be known as Lockwing," she declared, lifting her chin just as the flame colored apprentice had only a few minutes earlier.

⠀⠀ "Very well. From this day forward, you will be known as Lockwing." Cats cheered, and Ciphercry trotted up to her with a toothy grin.

⠀⠀ "I think I'm going to like it here," he purred. Lockwing nodded in response, too distracted by what was about to come. A gathering would be held soon, and she would most likely be asked to go, as well as Ciphercry. The Thunderclan cats would easily recognize them, and her brothers would eventually discover that she wasn't dead. A sudden thought came to mind as she went through the never-ending list of problems. Her father was in the same clan as her.

⠀⠀ You are half clan.

⠀⠀ Lockwing winced as his words echoed in her ears. He knew, yet he never wanted to tell them. He never wanted to tell them because he knew how much grief it'd cause. The golden feline lashed her tail angrily as she paced around the camp, ignoring the concerned glances cast in her direction. Ciphercry watched her, his right forepaw nervously tracing the earth in small circles.

⠀⠀ "Lock," he began, still growing accustomed to the name. "What's wrong?" he mewed, padding to her side. She shook her head and leaned back on her haunches. A bluejay fluttered over their heads, catching the attention of a pair of kits, Viperkit, the smaller white one with deep green eyes, and Emberkit, the black one with white ear tips, a smokey gray stripe down his back, and golden eyes. The brothers watched in silence for a moment before continuing their play fight.

⠀⠀ "Nothing," she muttered, eyes scanning the cluster of cats. She looked for one with similar eyes. They had to be deep blue, with a slightly lighter rim around the center. She thought she saw a similar pair of eyes when an alarming shriek erupted from the direction of the camp.

⠀⠀ "Shadowclan!" a Windclan voice hissed as the intruders flooded into camp. Lockwing flattened her ears and rushed towards the nursery, standing protectively over the pair of kits she had previously been watching. A ginger pelt forced her way into the camp, followed by a smokey gray. Violetstar yowled and tackled the nearest target, a gray she cat named Brindlelight not far behind.

⠀⠀ "Grab the kits!"

⠀⠀ Lockwing turned to see a trio of felines barreling towards her. She hissed and shoved the kits into the back of the den, guarding the entrance. Their mother, Fincheye, watched in horror as her kits stumbled behind her. Lockwing flattened her ears as the first cat aimed a blow at her neck, knocking her over with a powerful paw. The second and third rushed into the den, snatching Viperkit. The tom wailed as he was carried away, disappearing into the darkness.

⠀⠀ "Don't just stand there dumbfounded!" Lockwing hissed. "Do something! You are Windclan cats, after all! Let's chase them down!" The solemn group of cats tilted their heads towards her, expressionless. Violetstar staggered over, blood oozing from a gash on her right flank. Voleclaw and Brindlelight followed closely behind.

⠀⠀ "You do realize that they're too far away now, right?" Voleclaw murmured, his gaze locked on the ground. "We have no chance of getting him back. They do this every time they become low on warriors, though I have a feeling that Viperkit will be returning to us someday. He's old enough to remember." Stunned, Lockwing simply nodded. Curiosity pricked at her pelt as she searched her mind for reasons why Shadowclan would do such a thing, and why it had gone unnoticed by the other clans.

⠀⠀ "Where's Ciphercry?" she mewed, attempting to distract herself from the terrible thoughts creeping into her head. As if on cue, the black tom padded out of the nursery. In his jaws was a shivering kit, blood dripping from its mouth. However, it wasn't his blood. Emberkit let out a bloodcurdling cry as his mother's body was carried out of the den. Ciphercry set the kit down at Lockwing's paws.

⠀⠀ "She sacrificed herself so that both kits wouldn't be taken," the ebony tom mewed sadly. Emberkit curled around one of her forepaws, shivering.

⠀⠀ "We don't have another she cat with milk, do we?" Voleclaw murmured, his eyes watering. Fincheye had been his mate, and now all he had left was a single kit.

⠀⠀ "No," Lostwing mewed. "Does that mean...?"

⠀⠀ "If we want him to live, then yes."