Warriors: Sounds of the Forest

Chapter Forty-Nine: Riversong

            Managing to find a catch in the stone cave floor, I managed to use it to pull myself out from underneath the tom. Feeling the gashes in my back from where his claws had attempted to regain grip I realized that this was not a battle I would get away from unscathed. 

            "Why are you doing this?" I hissed, arching my back.

            His forest green eyes; filled with what once had been an uncharacteristic rage, met mine as he snarled his reply with his head lowered as he prepared to make his next move. "You wouldn't understand." He snarled leaping forward.

            Falling backwards I put my hind-legs up, catching him with my rear claws as he tried to land and pin me against the stone. "Try to tell me at least!" I snapped, as I kicked him off of me and stood, my claws unsheathed against the stone floor.

            Tigerfang got up, standing again before me, his head lowered as his eyes closed. I tilted my head slightly as it seemed he was preparing his words.

            My ears continuously flitted as screeches from the others fighting echoed around us, with my fur pricking I couldn't help but feel rushed with the heat of battle, "Now!" I hissed, "Before it’s too late to go back."

            His head shot back up with his eyes gleaming at the last word of what I had said, standing the fur along the back of his neck hissed as the gleam turned to a contempt, "It's already too late." He almost purred as I was just then as a scent reached me.

            Another screech sounded as I quickly spun around, this time coming from the cat I faced. Claws pierced my back as Tigerfang leaped at me again, myself having been too shocked to pay him any attention.

            "Get off of me!" I snarled as my face hit the floor, smashing my nose against it and causing blood to gush out. "Blackheart!" I called to the cat ahead of me, "Get him off of me, we don't have to fight!"

            Paws slowly thudded towards me as I strained my neck to look up at her, though the weight holding me down didn't let me see past the ground and my sister’s claws. I could feel her Ice-blue stare piercing my pelt as he stopped just beside me. I stopped struggling against Tigerfang’s claws, praying that Blackheart would realize she had been lied to.

            "Why?" She asked, uncertainty mixed with the iciness her voice. "Why should I listen to you when you've killed me kits."

            As I opened my mouth to reply a paw crashed over my head, "Why are you talking to her?" Tigerfang's snarl just barely reached my ears as everything seemed to echo around me.

I felt Blackheart jump slightly at his tone, my hope rose as I realized she didn’t have full trust in Tigerfang. "She killed your kits!" He continued his voice full of anger, "We came here because of her! Remember? Once she's out of the way the battle is done!"

            "I didn't kill them!" I managed to whisper, before his anger turned to me again. "And this is not the Tigerfang you were mates with." I had to hope that she was still the same inside; I knew that her memories were gone, but could her mind really have changed that much without them?

            I felt as her head lowered to my level, her blue eyes meeting mine, their anger beginning to fade ever so slightly, it was obvious that she hadn’t entirely trusted the tom, regardless of her memory loss.

              “Go on,” she said, her tone smooth, as though it was covered in a thin layer of ice.

            “Badgersoul, from the dark forest was the one who killed Greykit,” I said, hoping she would remember, “You left Tigerfang after her death, because he hadn’t been there.” Gasping as Tigerfang’s claws filled with static, I struggled to finish explaining, “I don’t know what happened to your other kits- but if anything happened to them, Tigerfang would have had to be involved- I’ve been with the tribe for moons, your kits and your memories where intact when I left-“

            I was forced to stop as Tigerfang tightened his grip further, the electricity pulsing through his claws causing my voice to stop abruptly as I could no longer feel the control of my limbs.

            “Tigerfang!” barely heard as Blackheart snapped at him, “What are you doing! I told her to talk!”

            “Well I think she’s said too much.” He snarled, his muzzle lowering to be beside my ear. “I say we end this before fills your head with more of her lies.”