Warriors: Divided Loyalty

Chapter Forty-Two

Nightstar hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until she opened her eyes and she was in a deathly quiet field, deprived of life and the cold snow. She scrambled to her paws and her senses went wild, trying to detect any sign of an ambush or foul play. Her paws tingled at the thought of a battle and her claws unsheathed. Nothing made any sound. Not even the bushes or trees rustled when the wind touched them. It was just silence. Nightstar hated silence. Then, the slightest hint of movement made her ear twitch and she spun around, prepared to claw the pelt off of what or who was sneaking up on her.

Instead of an enemy, a rather young tom was padding through the undergrowth, completely oblivious to the leader clearly in his path. Nightstar let out a loud hiss, but not even his ear twitched at the sound. What is this? He headed her way and as he got close, she lashed out with a paw. Her black paw fazed straight to through the tom and he walked through Nightstar. As he passed through, she gasped her throat began to burn. She wheezed and watched the tom begin to walk faster until he was running. On impulse, she raced after him. The ground turned into a blur as she ran after the tom. The forest floor felt strangely familiar beneath her paws; like she'd been there before. The cat in front of her darted out of the way of a looming oak tree and Nightstar barreled right into it. Instead of smacking into the tree, she went right through it and she looked back in confusion. She heard a voice and she skidded to a stop, seeing a black and white she-cat calling a name. Her heart stopped as she realized the name she was calling.

"Blackheart!" A young Specklewatcher hurried down to meet the young medicine cat. "What are you doing here? You could get caught!" She sounded worried, but she pressed against him nonetheless.

Blackheart nuzzled her, licking her muzzle softly. "I couldn't stay away from you any longer." He meowed as she gave him a concerned look. "Are you doing okay?"

Specklewatcher lashed her tail, eyes burning. "What about Whitefeather?" She demanded. Her tone was far from angry, just concerned and worried about the tom. "What would she say? In fact, what would Whitefeather and Deerstar say?"

Blackheart purred. "They won't know," he promised and Nightstar narrowed her eyes. "How could they? After all, they believe I'm out gathering borage for Marshflight and Weaselfoot."

Specklewatcher sighed, tail twining around Blackhearts. "You can't keep lying to your Clan, Blackheart." She meowed softly.

"I'm not," protested the medicine cat. "I came out here to gather more borage so Applekit, Cloverkit, Deerkit, and Volekit have more milk to drink."

Nightstar froze. Applekit, Cloverkit, and Deerkit. Those were her Clanmates in OakClan! Applestar, Cloverleap, and Deerstripe must've been born around the same time as each other. She reasoned. But who is Volekit? It can't be Voletuft or she'd be too old.

The NightClan warrior sighed and a new question formed in Nightstar's mind. What is a NightClan cat doing on GlacierClan's territory? She bounded forward and kept listening.

"Still, you shouldn't be risking your loyalty to see me." Specklewatcher put a paw under Blackheart's chin and lifted it so they were seeing each other eye to eye. "However stupid you may act, I still love you."

"Blackheart!" The scene changed and suddenly, they were in OakClan's camp. It was a meeting about something Nightstar was interested in knowing. Countless unfamiliar faces and pelt colors were all around Nightstar and her father, all of which couldn't see the leader. At Blackheart's paws were three small kits, one of which was mewling and crying. Nightstar's ears flattened at the noise and watched. "What is this? Who's kits are these?" A light brown she-cat with lighter paws and long legs was staring at Blackheart, eyes narrowed.

Blackheart flicked his tail over the kits. The one shrieking was squirming while the other two were perfectly still. "Deerstar," he meowed. "These-these are my kits." Nightstar gaped at her father, eyes wide.

The Clan around him gasped and two elders, a dark gray tabby she-cat and a silver tabby tom glanced at each other before bowing their heads. Blackheart glanced at them and flicked his tail.

The dark gray tabby she-cat spoke, her tone sad and slightly disappointed. "Blackheart," she meowed, looking up at the tom. "What have you done?"

Blackheart looked pained. "Pikeflower I-" He was cut off by the silver tabby tom who spoke sharper than the other she-cat.

"You broke the Warrior Code and the Medicine Cat Code!" His tone was furious, more so than Pikeflower. Blackheart dropped his head. "How could you? Have you no honor or loyalty to your Clanmates and your Clan?" His last sentence was icy. "How did you become a medicine cat?"

Pikeflower gasped and swatted at the tom, eyes flashing with uncertainty. "Splashfrost!" She scolded but the tom didn't look deterred as he stared Blackheart down.

"You say these kits are yours?" Deerstar's voice was steady but Nightstar saw shock and betrayal shining in her blue eyes. Blackheart nodded and stood in front of his kits, like a mother. "Where is the mother? I'd like to speak with her."

Blackheart winced and Nightstar bared her teeth but she could do nothing as her father spoke again. "S-Specklewatcher did not survive the birth of the kits." He choked and dug his claws into the ground. Glancing up at Deerstar, his eyes flashed with despair and desperation. "Please, Deerstar! I cannot give up these kits. They are all I have left of Specklewatcher! Please, let us stay!"

Deerstar was silence before she silently looked at the kits. Her eyes were soft but stern as she regarded the bundles of fur. "Two of them aren't moving," she meowed. "Why is that?"

Blackheart looked away. "They died before they could take their first breath." He sounded sad and Nightstar pricked her ears.

"I see," the leader looked at the medicine cat and flicked her tail. "You will remain in this Clan and so will these kits." She turned to her warriors. "Applefoot, help Vixenpool bury the dead kits."

Nightstar tensed as the former leader of OakClan nodded and rose to his paws. Vixenpool did the same and together they carried the two unmoving kits carefully out of camp where they would be buried. The black she-cat looked at Deerstar, expecting the she-cat to say something. Instead, a new voice spoke.

"Deerstar, Voletuft has given birth just a few days ago." A white and gray speckled she-cat spoke with authority. Whitefeather. "She can nurse the kit until she is of apprentice age."

Deerstar nodded and looked at Blackheart. "What will you name the kit?" She asked and the tom raised his head.

"Her name is Nightkit," his voice cracked and Nightstar felt every hair on her body prick. This was her. "The other two are Leopardkit and Silverkit."

Whitefeather padded forward. "Why Nightkit?" She asked, her eyes confused as she fixed her green gaze on Nightkit.

"Because," Blackheart's voice shook. "That's the path she will walk until she is ready to die. This kit walks a dark path and no cat can stop her." Nightstar felt pain in her belly and her eyes flew open just as Blackheart turned to her and nodded. She screeched and jerked up, panting. Immense pain exploded in her belly and something told her what was happening. Her kits were coming and they were coming fast.