Flamepaw's Quest

Chapter 24

            Flamepaw stood, scared stiff. Her eyes were fixed on the malicious figure of the white she-cat. Just by staring into the she-cat's deadly red eyes, she felt a sense of fear. Never in her life had she feared a cat so much.
            "Who-who are you?" the tiny tabby stammered, though she knew very well this was Korosu, the evil cat they had spoken of earlier.
            Korosu turned, her eyes fixed on Flamepaw. She grinned maliciously and slowly came towards Flamepaw in a smooth motion. Flamepaw wanted to run, but her legs remained frozen, and she braced herself as the she-cat came nearer and curled her feathery tail around Flamepaw's waste.
            Flamepaw shuddered at Korosu's touch, then glanced into her bright red eyes that seemed to stick out so much from her pale fur. Looking into them, she noticed they were the color of blood.
            "Your worst nightmare," Korosu whispered quietly into Flamepaw's ear.
            Suddenly, a flash came and broke Flamepaw away from reality. She found herself standing in darkness, jumping as a high-pitched screams came from the darkness. More screams followed—screams of pain, torture, abandonment. And then with a flash of lightning, Flamepaw could see a small cat laying on a pile of rocks, blood splattered over the boulders. Another flash came, and Flamepaw found herself back with the others, glancing into Korosu's devilish eyes once again.
            "KOROSU!" Goldstar hissed at last, her claws unsheathing.
            Adrenaline suddenly surged within Flamepaw, and she stupidly lashed at the she-cat, throwing herself on top of her. Korosu, not expecting this, was stunned for a moment as Flamepaw's body collided with her, but after a fierce snarl and swipe of claws, Flamepaw was pushed off the she-cat and sat on the ground, licking at the stinging wounds that had been left from Korosu's claw marks.
            Coming towards the other cats now, Goldstar let out a fierce hiss, and Neko moved in front of Rosepettle protectively, snarling at Korosu.
            "What do you want from us?!" Goldstar shouted, her sharp white teeth glowing fiercely.
            Korosu laughed quietly to herself and sat down, licking one of her delicate paws. "It's quite simple, darling. I want the kit," she said, turning her gaze now to Clawkit.
            The small kit whimpered and hid behind his father. Flamepaw growled at Korosu, wondering why she would ever require Clawkit in the first place.
            "Scary," Clawkit mewed quietly behind Tornface's muscular leg.
            Neko's eyes suddenly widened, as if he were just not realizing what was going on. "Wait, Korosu. Is that you?!"
            Flamepaw felt her heart leap. How would Neko recognize this evil she-cat? Neko was such a sweet and kind kittypet. How had he ever met this evil she-cat before?
            Rosepettle tilted her head, beginning to step away from Neko. "You know her?"
            Flamepaw found the strength to stand up now, and she faced Neko, feeling a sense of hurt and betrayal. "You know her, Neko?"
            Neko nodded, gulping. "She is...my sister," he announced, dropping his head in shame. Goldstar widened her eyes, and Rosepettle now moved fully away from Neko. His trust had been immediately lost.
            Flamepaw, however, stood near Neko, seeing how disappointed he looked. "But how, Neko? You-you're not like her at all!" she stammered in surprise.
            Korosu pushed past Flamepaw and stood by Neko, grinning. "Hello, brother. Long time no see," she purred.
            "What are you doing?!" Neko hissed at her. Rosepettle stepped out behind Neko now, gazing at Korosu angrily.
            "Why, Neko," Korosu purred, pointing the tip of her white tail at Rosepettle. "Is she special to you?"
            Neko curled his lip, unable to hide his emotions. "You wouldn't dare," he muttered, taking a step forward and letting out a low growl. Flamepaw stood to the side, her heart racing with each movement that took place.
            With no time left to wait, Goldstar sprung at Korosu with fury. Unfortunately for her, it seemed Korosu had expected this, and she tossed the golden she-cat into the rock wall. Furious, Flamepaw leapt at Korosu with her claws unsheathed and managed to swipe at her once.
            Angry, Korosu grabbed Flamepaw by the scruff and tossed her at the weakened Goldstar, who was just beginning to stand up. Flamepaw collided with her leader and groaned, rubbing her sore muscles.
            "I have no time to mess with kits," she growled at Flamepaw.
            Flamepaw felt herself rising with anger, but she remained quiet.
            Tornface hissed with Clawkit mewling behind him. Quickly, Korosu weaved in between Tornface's legs and grabbed the small kit, grinning in satisfaction. Neko hissed and grabbed for Clawkit, rescuing him from Korosu's grasp. Rosepettle yowled in triumph and jumped on the she-cat's back, only to be pinned down moments later by Korosu.
            Korosu held her firmly in place, her unsheathed claws dangling inches from Rosepettle's throat. "Give me the kit and she will not be harmed," she warned.
            Without thinking, Flamepaw charged at Korosu and knocked her aside, allowing Rosepettle to be free from Korosu's grasp.
            "RUN!" Flamepaw shouted to Rosepettle, watching as she made a break for it. Korosu stood up quickly and raced to Flamepaw's side.
            "Now, dear, that's not the way to do it," Korosu called. Before Flamepaw could react, the she-cat had chomped down on Flamepaw's ear, blood splattering across Flamepaw's face. The young apprentice yowled in pain, ignoring the tears beginning to form in her eyes.
            Rosepettle widened her eyes as Neko shouted, "Korosu, stop that!"
            Korosu bit down harder, causing Flamepaw to scream in pain. "DO SOMETHING!" she shouted desperately, tears streaming down her cheeks.
            Neko cautiously walked forward with Clawkit, each step seeming like it was taking a year to complete.
            Tornface's eyes widened as he saw this, and he began to shout, "NEKO, DON'T DO IT!" Flamepaw gulped, not wanting anything to happen to Clawkit, and she kept her mouth shut. Korosu released Flamepaw's ear but still held her firmly against her, this time aiming her claws at Flamepaw's throat.
            Flamepaw shut her eyes, imagining that this was how she'd meet her end. She would never see RiverClan again, her parents, Mothwing. She had failed, and she'd end up in StarClan much too soon.
            "NO!" Clawkit mewed, breaking free from Neko's grasp. Seeing the young kit rushing towards her, Flamepaw felt a sense of hope and love. He charged at Korosu and knocked her over surprisingly.
            Flamepaw broke free, ignoring the stinging pain on her ear. Before she could thank Clawkit, Korosu had sprung up and had bashed Clawkit, sending him flying into a rock wall. The kit yelped and slid down onto a pile of rocks, motionless.
            "HOW DARE YOU!" Flamepaw hissed, knocking Korosu aside. She ran to the collapsed kit in a frantic hurry, praying to StarClan he was okay.
            "Clawkit, Clawkit!" she shouted, approaching his limp body. Rosepettle followed quickly behind, putting her ear to the collapsed tom's chest. Flamepaw's heart sunk as tears gathered in Rosepettle's eyes.
            "He...he's gone to StarClan," she announced.
            It was like experiencing Daisyflower's death all over again. Why did a cat always have to die for her, especially one so young?!
            "NO!" Flamepaw yowled, fury rising in her. She rushed towards Korosu and sprang at her, knocking her aside with her claws. She bit down on the she-cat's ear, feeling Korosu struggle beneath her.
            "HOW DO YOU LIKE MY NOW?!" Flamepaw spat, anger taking over her entire body. She would rip the she-cat apart, shredding her to pieces. For Clawkit.
            Suddenly, Flamepaw felt something whip her off. Korosu sprang free, and Flamepaw glanced up to see a muscular tom standing over her, growling. Three more followed behind—another muscular and older cat, and two were kits, no older than Clawkit, but they looked fierce.
            Tornface suddenly raced over to the kits frantically. "LEOPARDKIT! TIGERKIT! I'M SO GLAD I FOUND YOU!" he exclaimed excitedly, glancing at the two kits.
            Leopardkit, a spotted she-cat, glanced at Tornface disgustedly. "Who are you?" she asked, growling.
            "Who are they?" Flamepaw asked Tornface, panting heavily.
            A black tabby with white stripes stepped forward, and Flamepaw recognized him as the tom who knocked her off. "I'm Crowkit," he announced. Following behind was a gray she-cat, who stood proudly beside the others. "I'm Lightkit."
            A tortoiseshell she-cat, perhaps around Goldstar's age, came forward. "I'm Speckledkit," she said.
            Flamepaw looked oddly at these large cats, wondering why such old cats that were well the age of a senior warrior still referred to themselves as kits.
            Goldstar nearly fainted when seeing Speckledkit. "Y-You're Mossystar's kit!" she gasped.
            "I'm Leopardkit," the spotted kit announced. Her brother, a dark brown tabby tom who looked similar to Tornface, spoke beside her. "And I'm Tigerkit." They were the youngest there and the only kits.
            Speckledkit narrowed her eyes at Goldstar. "Mossystar?" she asked, apparently never hearing of the name before.
            Goldstar looked surprised. "She was your mother! She was the leader of RiverClan before Salmonstar and me!"
            Speckledkit only gazed at her oddly, feeling more relaxed as Korosu placed her tail on the spotted cat's shoulder.
            "You can't believe that, can you?" Goldstar sighed.
            Speckledkit shook her head and unsheathed her claws, ready to attack.
            "Please, we mean no harm!" Flamepaw begged.
            "OF COURSE YOU MEAN HARM IF YOU WERE TRYING TO ATTACK OUR MOTHER!" Crowkit hissed angrily.
            The others nodded in agreement, and for a moment, Flamepaw wondered if just speaking to them would put off the attack. Neko stepped forward now, gazing at Korosu curiously. "They can't all be your kits," he said.
            "How is it possible?" Flamepaw whispered. Hadn't Goldstar just said Speckledkit was Mossystar's kit? Some of these cats looked closer to Korosu's age.
            All of the sudden, a white she-cat burst through the crowd. Immediately, Flamepaw recognized her as Snowheart, coming to save the day. She pinned Korosu and growled angrily.
            "How did you get out?" Korosu whispered.
            "Does this answer your question?" Snowheart asked, vanishing from view and then reappearing next to the white tom that had come with her. Flamepaw recognized him as Runningkit.
            The whole crowd was in shock, not knowing of Snowheart's apparent powers.
            Korosu flicked her ears and the cats began to attack. Yowling, Flamepaw fiercely battled the gray she-cat, trying her best not to be ripped to shreds.
            Goldstar, however, was wandering aimlessly through the fighting, wailing, "DON'T HURT THEM! ONE IS MOSSYSTAR'S KIT! AND THE REST WERE PROBABLY TRICKED INTO BELIEVING KOROSU AS THEIR MOTHER!"
            You've got to let go of that, Flamepaw thought, clawing at Lightkit's leg. They work for Korosu now.
            Flamepaw saw Leopardkit fighting alongside her brother, and even though they were kits, they could fight as well as Flamepaw. Plus, it seemed no cat could intentionally hurt them with them being young kits.
            Cats were fighting left and right, and Flamepaw was deep into a battle with Lightkit when a gray tabby she-cat ran into the crowd.
            "WHERE ARE MY KITS?! LEOPARDKIT! TIGERKIT!" she called.
            Flamepaw froze, watching as Lightkit snarled, "They aren't your kits."