At Willow's End : Tales Of Seven

💖Chapter Four💖

Finchpaw tossed and turned in her moss and feather nest, caught in the claws of a nightmare.

Ice water filled her lungs as she sank down below.

Smoke made her choke on air.

Mudpaw stood over her, his claws dripping with her blood...

Finchpaw woke up to the dawn and Raventooth poking her.

"Dawn patrol. Now. Darkrain's orders."

Finchpaw blinked, confused.

Why was Darkrain giving orders...?

Her father had been confined to the medicine den, complaining of shoulder pains and Lightningstar took matters into his own paws and before moonhigh, after the Gathering, officially appointed Darkrain as the new deputy of HazelClan.

Finchpaw's heart sunk lower than a worm's belly as she trekked through the familiar forest after Honeysong, missing her father's warm fur against hers...

Finchpaw sighed, shaking the dew from her pelt as the patrol neared the RainClan border.

Still no sign of Wolfpaw... Surely, his Clanmates don't know about us...

Suddenly, a yowl of anger split the morning air.

Rainshadow!

"Stay where you are, tree-cat! Your precious Clanmates can't save you now!"

Finchpaw's blood ran cold as she saw Rainshadow, bloody and gasping for breath beneath Mistytooth's claws...

The rest of the patrol stood, shocked, wide eyed, fur bristling, claws unsheated.

Calmly, with a voice like ice, Honeysong stepped forward, glaring at Mistytooth.

"Let my brother go, Mistytooth."

Mistytooth cackled, pushing Rainshadow's head into the dirt.

"Tell them! Or I will."

Honeysong looked confused as Mistytooth released Rainshadow, who scrambled back to their side of the border, barely able to catch his breath.

Raventooth snatched a piece of wet moss and held to his friend's lips.

The bushes rustled and Minnowstorm stepped into the clearing and gasped.

"M-mistytooth! W-what are you doing here?!"

Mistytooth turned her blood crazed eyes to her Clanmate.

"I should be asking you the same, sister."

They crashed to the ground in a tangle of claws and yowls.

Rainshadow gasped a mighty breath and hissed hoarsely,
"Get. Away...From... my... mate!"

He hurled himself in between the sisters, knocking Mistytooth to the ground and crouched in front of Minnowstorm, snarling.

Honeysong nudged her, her expression unreadable.

"Finchpaw! Go get Lightningstar. I have a feeling my brother has a lot to explain."

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They returned to the clearing by the stream, with Flaresong at the rear to find Rainshadow yowling curses at Mistytooth as he had her pinned until Honeysong dragged him back, Minnowstorm pleading for them to stop all this fighting, her swollen belly swaying.

Finchpaw felt a flash of sympathy and anger.

How dare Rainshadow betray his Clan like this?!

Then, she thought of Wolfpaw and immediately felt guilty for accusing her Clanmate.

Swiftstar burst out of the bushes, fur bristling, back arched.

Before Lightningstar could speak, with a strange sense of calm, Swiftstar padded up the border's edge, curling up her lip.

"So. It seems that a tree-cat isn't as content in the undergrowth as we thought... Hmmm... What to do about this? Mistytooth!  Take your sister back to camp before she kits. I will deal with this. "

Rainshadow shook his head, yowling in agony, tears in his eyes as he struggled to get to his love as she was escorted away.

"B-but she's carrying my kits! Our kits! I have to be with her! I can't live without her!"

Honeysong looked grief-stricken and backed away from her kin as if he had The Sickness.

He does. Sickness of the heart. The feeling of dying nine times over and never finding peace...

Lightningstar glared at Rainshadow.

"I should banish you for this! Betraying your Clan as well as your kin in such a way! Do you not know the warrior code anymore?!"

Rainshadow ducked his head in shame.

Swiftstar let out a mrrow of laughter.

"It seems the river has caused more damage within HazelClan than out."

Finchpaw felt her blood boil and it only took Flaresong's tail across her back to still her.

"Let the leaders handle this. ForestClan is watching."

"Carry on with your patrol! You too, Rainshadow.", Lightningstar snapped over his shoulder as he sat on the HazelClan side of the river border, facing Swiftstar as she curled her tail around her paws, sunning herself on a boulder.

Flaresong shook her head as Rainshadow stormed past, head and tail drooped.

"May I borrow Finchpaw?" The Healer mewed, padding to stand next to Lightningstar.

Lightningstar only flicked his tail.

Finchpaw followed her Healer quietly, inhaling the scents of the green-leaf forest, until they arrived at Tall Oaks, a beloved piece of  HazelClan hunting ground.

Flaresong turned to the gray and white she-cat, her eyes brimming with sorrow.

"RainClan will want those kits. I'm afraid blood must be spilt before there is peace again. Funny, the same almost happened with Rowanspeck of FeralClan... Your kin..."

Finchpaw's eyes widen.

"W-what?! I'm half FeralClan?! Does Owlfeather know about this?! Did my mother?!"

The young Healer seemed older as she spoke in a low voice.

"No. He doesn't. It comes from your mother's side.
HazelClan isn't so welcoming of mixed blood as you have always thought it to be. Our Clan nearly went to war over Patchstar's forbidden love, until she finally had enough and went to HazelClan to be with him... That won't be so easy this time... Swiftstar is wise and cunning and she has MistClan at the ready. If it comes to blows, HazelClan will be lost in darkness, thanks to Rainshadow and Minnowstorm. "

Finchpaw felt the ground  tremble beneath her already unsteady paws.

"Why are you telling me this? It's not my place to judge who a cat loves! I'm only an apprentice. "

Flaresong closed her eyes and whispered, "Because you love another from a rival Clan. You should use that knowledge to stop this. "

Finchpaw winced.

How did she know about Wolfpaw?

Without another word, she ran as fast as her paws could carry her.

Away from the tainted stench of forbidden love.

Away from her tainted blood.

Even, at this moment, away from her tainted  Clan.