Legacy: Infinity (Book 3)

Chapter 15: Rotten Leaves

Chapter 15: Rotten Leaves

Jay sat in the cave, her back against a wall, sheltered by the shadows on all sides. She was licking a forepaw clean, tugging the last bit of feathers from between her toes as she watched the cats in the cave in a sort of dreary amusement.

For as long as she'd lived there, she'd never seen the cats look so solemn. There was always a bit of carefree happiness in them- it felt forced, for sure- but it was their way of dealing with the lives they lived. But now, as Thunderstorm laid in the herb den with a crowd of the most skilled she-cats and Thyme bustling about him, the cats that remained outside paced or sat about in a kind of tense worry that darkened the atmosphere of the cave like a rancid piece of prey spread to all other prey.

When they had returned, drenched from the rain and with a half conscious Thunderstorm, there had been an uproar and she wasn't quite sure what had happened after that. She had been separated from the others by a wall of fur and as some cat took the prey from her she was pushed to the back of the cave. As things settled down, she had dared to enter the herb den to put her plants away and had seen the chaos of the herb den.

Herbs of every sort were strewn across the gray floor of the den and Thunderstorm lay in a plush moss nest with at least two cats, one being Thyme, comforting him. While three more argued over what herb was the best to use to treat his wounds.

The say the least, she had gotten out as fast as she could and didn't dare peek her head in again. She had retreated close to the back wall, near Sun's den where it was least populated and she was able to clean the bits of blood and feathers that still clung to her fur after the rain.

She touched her ears, feeling the scratches that Thunderstorm had given her. She supposed that he was just getting what he deserved. Although she had a seen some cats get violent with their mate a few times, few had ever even struck their mate. His audacity amazed her, almost as much as it amazed her that every cat looked like he was going to die. Although I'd probably rather die then become blind. My mother couldn't do hardly anything when she was blind, I could never be able to live like that.

Jay's ears pricked at the tap of a pawstep and she looked up to see Ash stalking across the gray stone floor, head down and eyes subdued. Jay glanced past him and saw Night glaring furiously after the orange tom and Sun there as well, looking at Ash coldly. Jay felt a tinge of sympathy for Ash as he sat down next to her without a word. She knew all too well how it felt to have those you respect angry with you.

"Did they scold you?" Jay asked as Ash stared at his paws, he reminded her of a naughty kit who had been caught and wished to disappear.

"'Scold' would be a light way of putting it," Ash muttered and then he sighed, glancing off to the side, "But as the leader's son, better is expected of me, even if I get no reward for it," he growled.

Jay's tail twitched, she'd never thought he felt pressured by being the leader's son. Her own heart twisted, she had been the same way once. With her father the leader of ThunderClan, whenever she messed up she was reminded of it. "We can't excuse you just because you're the leader's daughter." "You're the leader's daughter, you should be better then this." "Just because you're the leader's daughter, don't think you're anything special." "If you're the leader's daughter, then you have to work harder to be a good example." "Since you're the leader's daughter, everything has been given to you, you never had to work for a thing."

She scowled as she heard those annoying voices in her head again. Those lips that spat contradictory nonsense, she had wished she could tear their tongues from their throats and feed them to foxes. But that was a long time ago, she calmed herself. She was far beyond their reach now, she was in complete control of her own life and the lives of many others. Though, she remembered fondly one particular mouth that never uttered a word against her, gave her nothing but sweet bliss to the end. Even as he tore her apart he'd been so kind she would have willingly believed his lies if she could.