Lillyheart's Secret

Chapter Eighteen

Iceshatter jolted to his paws, head whipping around. The two toms gazed at each other, green eyes clashing with yellow. Finally, Iceshatter ducked his head, almost imperceptibly. "Ok, Moletail. I'm coming." The black tom nodded, and darted away, as Iceshatter nuzzled Lillyheart's cheek, making her breathing hitch. "Don't worry, Lillyheart," he murmured into her ear. "I'll be back for you as soon as I can." And with that, he was gone.

Lillyheart stared at the entrance to the den, cheeks blushing. "I love you too," she whispered to the air. She knew she shouldn't. She knew there were all these rules, all these codes. Why did the code have to be here? Why couldn't she love as she wanted?

An eerie silence draped itself into the den, and Lillyheart realized after a long moment that she was alone. Frighteningly alone. Her thoughts wandered as she pulled herself to her paws, stumbling over to where the herbs were stored. If there wasn't anyone here to help her, she'd have to take care of herself. Her paws took over, reaching out, leaving her mind free. Then it dawned on her. Riverclan was attacking. Riverclan was attacking! Murkfall was here.

Her heart stopped. Murkfall. A waterfall of memories rushed over her, the way he settled next to her, the way his eyes glinted in the dark. Her heart fluttered with hope. Murkfall was coming to get her!

But that all came to a halt. A yowl came from outside the medicine den, and Lillyheart scuttled back. Right. Riverclan was attacking. That meant it wasn't safe for her to go out. She had to stay put, and wait until someone came for her.

The silence around her stretched on, only shattered by the brief, pain filled cries as cats battled. Flashbacks to those two long moons stuck in the cage made her flinch, and she struggled back to her paws. She might as well do something as she was here.

Her blue eyes slipped around the den, searching for the right herbs. She settled down, mixing in small amounts. She didn't quite know how she knew this. Maybe it was all those days in medicine den with Reedfoot...

A sudden shriek came from outside, and she jumped to her paws, ignoring her aching wounds. She burst through the entrance, and saw a pale yellow tabby looming over a small russet she-cat. Recognition clicked in her. Mapleleaf! "Leave her alone!" Lillyheart growled, flinging herself at the tabby.

The two cats tumbled, and the tabby ended up on top. Two sharp yellow eyes glared down at her, before widening in recognition and surprise. "Lillyheart?" He pushed himself off of her, quivering.

Lillyheart stared back at him with fearful eyes. He seemed familiar, so, so familiar... Her eyes skittered back to Mapleleaf, who was curled around herself, shielding her stomach. "Don't you touch her," Lillyheart hissed, ears pinned back.

The tom flattened his ears. "Lillyheart what happened to you? Did you forget?" Concern and anger simmered in his gaze.

Lillyheart cautiously sat up, staring at him, trying hard to find why he felt so familiar. Then, her gaze stopped at a small scar racing up his cheek. "Lizardtuft?"

The Riverclan deputy grinned at her, and started to bound forward, but stopped when Lillyheart flinched. "What did they do to you?" He questioned.

Lillyheart was going to answer, but was interrupted by Mapleleaf, who was inching away, fur fluffed up. "So... Am I still being attacked?"

Lillyheart flicked the queen with her tail. "Get somewhere safe. You needn't be fighting. Not in your.... Condition." Her gaze dropped to Mapleleaf's rounded sides.

The russet queen nodded, then raced off, leaving the two cats alone. Lillyheart dipped her head. "Who do I attack first?"
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When they finally got to the battle, it was chaos. Lillyheart didn't want to look at all the bodies littering Thunderclan's territory, she didn't want to have the stench of blood filling her nose. She didn't want to think about how many of those now dead cats were ones she once knew. She didn't want to think that some might have been her friends...

Lizardtuft seemed just as conflicted, his yellow eyes darting around, his pale tabby fur fluffed up in harsh ridges along his spine. The tension around them was taught, then it all snapped.

Claws. Claws and blood came crashing into the two, with crazed green eyes and flashing red stained teeth. Lillyheart felt herself tumble, felt her own claws fly out wildly. The harsh cry that came from above her seemed so far away, but she heard it all the same. That strangled, choking noise was followed by a torrent of warmth and stickiness. She opened her eyes, terrified. Blood.

She pushed the limp figure off of her, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Lizardtuft wasn't far away, but he was receding steadily into the distance as his pale form chased off another cat. Lillyheart stared down at the cat who had attacked her, and a twinge of pity and dismay hit her. It was Moletail, the tom who had killed Echokit.

Her churning thoughts were disrupted yet again as a grey streak knocked her down, quickly followed by two brown ones. The scent of Riverclan wreathed around her, but it was quickly drowned out by the now familiar smell of Thunderclan. Lillyheart kept to her paws, and chased offer them, her heart jumping.

She finally caught up, when she saw the grey cat backed up against a tree, brambles to either side, and the two Thunderclan warriors steadily approaching. the cat looked up, and she felt an electric current run through her. It was Murkfall.

I am absolutely adoring all the cliffhangers I'm dropping on you guys. And the reactions over several ships are hilarious. Imma leave now. Bye folks!