Fight or Flight :: warrior cats fanfic ::

» 12. fight «

      "If you say anything, I swear to the stars, Mothdapple, I will do the same thing to you as I did to Sparkfur, and you'll be be forced to leave everyone you love, everyone you know. You'll be clanless, and you'll die alone in some stinking hole. You won't go to StarClan or anything, because you died an outcast loner." Mothdapple couldn't breathe. Her eyes could only see the dead body, limp and the eyes were so blank.

      Adderface narrowed her eyes, waiting for a reply.

      "Mothdapple? Do you hear me?"

       She nodded quickly, gaze still unable to leave the corpse. The sound of shouts and rustling alerted them to the coming patrol, which burst in through brambles unceremoniously. Waspstar was at the head of the patrol, eyes wide and flanked by several cats. It was quiet. Mothdapple slowly raised her head from Swanclaw to Waspstar. The dark striped leader was frozen.

"Waspstar," Adderface started, a feigned fear and innocence smothered over her dainty features, but the leader flicked his tail sharply for silence.

"This isn't real," was all he whispered. "This can't be real...."

"Waspstar, we should go back to camp." A small blue-gray tom spoke up, gently giving the much larger cat a gentle nudge.

"She couldn't have done this... you, Mothdapple." He swung his broad muzzle to the cat in question. Her eyes widened. Adderface glared at her. "What happened? Did.. did Sparkfur do this?!" His voice was loud, full of grief. Mothdapple couldn't speak. If I say she did, I'll be lying, and that will hurt Waspstar more than anything. If I say she didn't, I'll be framed and probably killed. I can't say anything.

"TELL ME!" He cried, his eyes shutting, his voice shuttering. No cat was able to look at him. Mothdapple shut her eyes tight.

She didn't say anything. Adderface blinked slowly with interest.

"Waspstar, she's probably suffering from shock. You too," the blue tom murmured. The gingery-brown leader breathed heavily, and turned, tail dropping.

"Mothdapple, come with me, please. I need to treat you for shock," the small blue-gray tom meowed quietly, starting off after the leader who already left for the trek back to camp.

They walked in silence, Waspstar a few paces ahead, the blue-gray tom at her side. "I'm Asterfoot, by the way." Mothdapple nodded quickly, realizing this was one of the medicine cats of the clan.

"Yeah. Mothdapple."

      Silence again.

      "So, what.. what exactly happened?" Mothdapple swallowed. Swanclaw's dead eyes filled her memory again, as did Sparkfur's scream when she had been sprayed with blood, and Adderface's threat.

      "I don't know," she whispered.

      "It's okay," Asterfoot rumbled. He shook his head. "I don't believe Sparkfur would ever kill a cat without a very, very good reason."

       Mothdapple didn't reply. He was right. And yet Sparkfur still had to run. I wonder where she's going. I... I hope she finds a way to work this out. It's not like I can just go run after her. She frowned as they padded through the camp's entrance, and forced her eyes not to wonder to where Sparkfur's den was hidden.