Book 2: Cinderpelt's Story

Chapter 3

Cinder wailed in pain as his claws met her cheek. Cinder tried to free herself but only to be stopped by his claws raking her flank. She hissed in anger and pain, she put all the energy she had into her hind legs and set the tom flying in the air.

"Leave me alone!" Yowled Cinder. She bared her teeth at the tabby tom as he quickly to his paws.

"Please, like I'm scared of a she-cat!" Darkstripe retorted. His claws were stained red with her blood as he glared at her.

She felt unusually lightheaded as she saw the blood on his claws. Cinder shook her head and sat on her haunches feeling like she was about to fall. Darkstripe smirked as she tried to lift her head.

"Weak! Stupid rouge, you can never defeat me!" Snarled Darkstripe.

She looked down at her paws and realized that she was in a pine forest. Cinder lifted her gray-and-white head to see her mother dying in front of her. Next to her was a young white tom with jet-black paws. He looked at her with shame and sadness in his amber eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Cinder!" Whispered the tom. She stared at him and remembered his name, Blackpaw.

Her vision cleared to see that Darkstripe had pinned her down while she was in a flashback if her kit hood.

Cinder gasped as he slashed her eye with his sharp claws. She wailed in pain and felt herself slip into eternal darkness.

"Say goodbye rouge!" Smiled the tabby tom. He grinned as he lifted his paw, claws unsheathed.

"No!" Cinder whispered. "No!" She yowled more loudly. Her head started to ache like a badger had dug its claws into her pelt.

Darkstripe brought down his paw and sliced her neck barely missing her throat. She wailed in pain and gasped for air as he vision got blurry. He got off her and ran into the brambles.

Cinder felt tears forming in her eyes as she knew she was going to die. With one finally breath she closed her eyes as darkness engulfed her.

Cinder woke up to find herself in a den, it wasn't hers and she could scent the sharp scent of herbs. Cinder tried to get up, but whimpered in pain.

"Try not to move." A rough voice rasped. Cinder turned her head to see an old dark gray she-cat.

She helped her to lay down on the moss bed and started to apply a mixture of herbs. When she placed it on her neck and flank and eye it stung like a fox raking its claws on her cheek. Cinder unsheathed her claws and dug into the soft ground of the den.

Once the old she-cat had finished she asked, "Who did this to you?"

Before she could answer Darkstripe came in with a squirrel and mouse in his jaws.

"Oh, thank you Darkstripe. You can place one next to our guest here. And by the way what's your name?" The old she-cat asked turning her head towards Cinder.

"C-cinder." Cinder stammered.

"I'm Yellowfang and this is Darkstripe." She meowed. Cinder nodded and looked down at her paws.

Darkstripe placed the squirrel next to her and whispered in her ear, "You tell her I did this and you will regret it and so will Longtail." His meow was muffled by the mouse in his jaws.

Cinder shivered as he passed her and gave the mouse to Yellowfang. He left with a finally warning glance at Cinder before he vanished into the moss that covered the entrance of the den.

"So, who did this to you Cinder?" Yellowfang asked again.

Cinder didn't want anything to happen to Longtail so she made up something.

"I don't know, it was all a blur." She finally meowed. Yellowfang nodded and left the den with a flick of her dark gray tail.

She looked at the squirrel that Darkstripe had brought and pushed it to the side. Cinder's white underbelly growled with hungry, but she didn't want to eat anything that the dark tabby caught. A few seconds past and a handsome ginger tom with green eyes came in to sigh in relief as he gazed at Cinder.

"Who are you?" Cinder asked.

"I'm Fireheart, I was the one who brought you here when I found you hurt." He explained.

Cinder nodded and confusion washed over her like a wave a clear blue water.

'Why would he take me to his camp, or whatever it was called, when I don't even know the cats here? Well maybe I know Longtail, but he didn't take me into camp.' she thought to herself.

She shuffled her white paws and looked up at him with puzzled crystal blue eyes.

"Why would you take me into your camp?" The she-cat meowed.

"Well, I don't know you seemed in a lot of pain when my friend, Graystripe, and I found you so we helped you to camp." Fireheart meowed. Cinder looked at surroundings as she tried to take in every detail.

After a few heartbeats a blue-and-gray she-cat with blue eyes padded in with Yellowfang behind her.

"Hello there, I'm Bluestar, leader of Thunderclan. Yellowfang tells me that your name is Cinder." Bluestar meowed. Cinder nodded and the she-cat was bout to continue talking, but Cinder interrupted her.

"Thank you, for healing me, but I must go." Cinder meowed.

'I don't want anything to happen to Longtail! Wait, what? Do I like him, but I can't! Can I?' Cinder asked herself.

She shook her head to clear her head. Cinder tried to get up, but hissed in frustration and pain as her flank and neck burned with pain. Yellowfang made her sit down in the moss bed, and Cinder sat on her haunches looking at the clan-cats.

"You are still not well enough to leave and besides-" the blue-and-gray she-cat was interrupted by a loud screech of terror. Bluestar, Fireheart, and Yellowfang dashed outside to the clearing. Cinder slowly got up and winced at the stinging and peered out into the clearing.

She gasped as she saw many cats fighting. Yellowfang had entered a den that scented of milk. Fireheart fought beside a long-haired solid gray tom. They were fighting a silver tabby.

'Do I know him?' Cinder asked herself. She turned her head to see a large white tom with jet-black paws. He was fighting with a small dusky brown she-cat.

With one finally strike he sent the she-cat fleeing with a deep wound on her shoulder. Cinder's fur fluffed out as his amber gaze fell on her. She quickly scrambled back in the den thinking to herself if she had seen him, as well, before.

He came in and his eyes grew wide with shock and something else she couldn't put her paw on.

"Blackpaw?" Cinder breathed.