Ghosts of the Clans

Chapter 7

Penny's grip slackened, her yellow eyes widening with shock for a heartbeat. Then wariness flashed into them. "How do you know my name?" she questioned, letting him wriggle free to stand in front of her. Her bright yellow eyes met Redpaw's own identical yellow ones, and he stared into the burning depths, unable to free himself from the intensity of it.

"I, uhhh... Pouncetail..." he stammered, shuffling his paws. Yet again, he saw every part of him in his mother; their glossy, short-furred pelts, lean shapes, small paws and ears, wide shoulders and head...everything! Besides her fur colour, obviously, that was dappled in a pattern exact to Olivepaw's.

Despite his incoherent mumbling, recognition flashed into Penny's amber eyes as she stalked around him, sniffing his pelt. "You smell exactly like him...." then in a sudden move, the she-cat lunged forward, her yellow eyes blazing. Redpaw stiffened but did not move, thinking that she would nuzzle him warmly, welcome him to her care while he would close his eyes, purring. It would feel so good, with the love of a mother surrounding me... wait till I tell Olivepaw and Pouncetail!

But what surprised him was the sharp rake of claws and the warm flow of blood gushing out of his chest. Startled, Redpaw let out a squeak and looked down to see blood trickling from a new wound, thankfully shallow. But still, it had hurt. But what had pained him even more...was his hope, evaporating quicker than dawn mist under morning sunlight. 

He crouched down, licking the injury, then gazed up into his mother's yellow eyes pleadingly. "Why?" he choked out, trembling. Penny lashed her tail once. "Red, your father betrayed me, and it cost me more anguish than you can ever imagine. Go back to your dear ShadowClan, the thing that Pouncetail left me for. Tell him to wait for me here in a half-moon, at sunhigh like how we did before. Let him bring you and Olive too- presuming that she is alive, that is. We can talk then, but not before. Understood? If I see any other cat, I will attack- and leave worse wounds than I did to you. If he doesn't come..." Her tail traced the wound on Redpaw's chest, and he flinched, too frightened to correct her that his name was Redpaw, and his sister was Olivepaw, not Olive.

Without waiting for Redpaw to reply, Penny padded off, the darkness of twilight swallowing tortoiseshell-and-white pelt. Redpaw stared back at her until he knew the memory would be etched in his mind forever, then turned tail and ran.

What is the use of the warrior code, if we are literally controlled by rogues?

He burst into camp, fuming at StarClan, and hurtled straight into Pouncetail.