Warriors: Broken

Chapter 13

⠀⠀ Cats gathered around the family as they desperately searched their minds for another option, but there were none to reveal themselves. Emberkit flattened his ears as his father scooped him into his jaws, fading into the darkness with each step. Lockwing watched intently as he made a turn towards the lake before finally vanishing into the shadows.

⠀⠀ The golden feline's body went rigid. What was he doing? Panicking, she bolted out of the camp, veering towards the direction she last saw him. He appeared only minutes later, padding solemnly along the rim of the lake. However, the tom showed no interest in going to Shadowclan where the kit's brother was. Instead, he shifted his direction to the left until there was a dull arch marked in the dense foliage. Being part Thunderclan, the she cat clawed her way up a tree, though it wasn't as graceful as she had hoped. Voleclaw paused, glancing over each shoulder before continuing.

⠀⠀ The tom padded through the forest with Lockwing following close behind. Her claws gripped the branches tighter with each leap, which sent twigs and fragments of bark tumbling to the earth. Voleclaw soon arrived in the Thunderclan camp, cats flooding around him. He set Emberkit down before speaking.

⠀⠀ "Hello," he began, "may I speak to a queen?"

⠀⠀ Murmurs twirled around them as a tortoiseshell she cat padded out of the den, a duo of near clones following close behind. Scarletdew, and her kits, Juniperkit, with green eyes, and Tigerkit, with blue, all studied Emberkit closely.

⠀⠀ "I'm going to assume that a queen has died," she began, her pale blue eyes filling with sorrow. The tom gave a feeble nod.

⠀⠀ "She died of an attack," he murmured.

⠀⠀ "Who did it?"

⠀⠀ "Why haven't you gotten revenge?"

⠀⠀ "I'll go get Willowstar! She'll know how to punish them!"

⠀⠀ Lockwing flinched at the final declaration, but her attention was caught once again by the black and white tom.

⠀⠀His eyes grew round when he realized that he had just stated that a cat had attacked. Though it was true, for some reason he couldn't say so. "A fox attack," he added loudly, attempting to hide the rattle of fear in his voice. This time, half of the clan joined in a chorus of sympathy, while the rest scoffed.

⠀⠀ "It's pathetic that your entire clan couldn't defend against a puny fox. If I'd have been there, your queen would be alive and, knowing Windclan, you'd be feeding on fox for the next moon."

⠀⠀ Lockwing knew who that voice was, and she was terrified because of it. Timberwing stood at the front of the group, his voice low. The feline realized just how much he had changed from when they were apprentices, it just took a near death experience to realize it. He used to be a bubbly, outgoing tom, but now that he had matured, he looked more like a Thunderclan cat than Windclan. So did Adderbite, even though he always had. Voleclaw simply nodded, unwilling to fall into an argument.

⠀⠀ It'd be too difficult for a Windclan built cat to swim in the rivers, and the last thing that Windclan needed was more Shadowclan warriors. The kit's only hope at the moment was Thunderclan. Willowstar emerged from the entrance of the camp, a plump rabbit resting in her jaws.

⠀⠀ "Will you be willing to take in Emberkit?" the tom asked timidly as he eyed the fluffy black and gray tom, whose golden eyes were the same hue as that of Lockwing's pelt. Wrenflight bounded forward, her paws light.

⠀⠀ "We'd be delighted to take in an adorable kit!" she mewed, humor gleaming in her eyes. "However," she paused, casting a glance to the tree that Lockwing was perched in, "we do not accept possible traitors. At least not anymore." Willowstar growled and surprisingly nipped at the ginger warrior's ear, causing her to yelp.