" malice shall corrupt reality,
and turn blood on blood
for a rotting wait of revenge "
There is the Star Realm, a place for cats who have served out of pure loyalty and benevolence, and the Dark Realm, a resting place for those who served out of t...
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-❂-
Lynxpaw's paws were sore and her movements grew gradually slower as they neared the border with HeathClan. The trees of the forest were beginning to scatter as the forest opened up, sprouting into an immense valley. The brightening sky was now visible to them, the sun rising to slowly to its peak and clouds now streaked against the vivid atmosphere. A light breeze whisked through the land and flitted through her pelt, deshevliving her fur and sending a chill down her spine.
Her mind was still burdened with heavy, intrusive thoughts that made the bile in her stomach rise to her throat. Memories of death latched onto her brain like roots to the earth. Lynxpaw shuddered and found her gaze fixed on the ground below her as she trekked on, unable to glance towards any of her clanmates. She knew most of them would be enraged by her refusal to help Foxpaw and she did not want to meet their fiery gazes that could express their words of hurt and anger itself.
Redpaw already had his gaze hooked to her, the tom not too far behind Lynxpaw. She knew that the tom would forever blame her for the death of his sister, and the thought made her boil with regret like acid in the abyss of her stomach.
The medicine cat apprentice slipped through the undergrowth and exhaled in relief when their group arrived at the border. Nightfrost twitched his muzzle and approached the border, his eyes narrowed as he stared out upon HeathClan territory. A moment of silence rippled over the crowd as they all gathered until Nightfrost turned to them and finally spoke.
"We can settle here for a little. I know we all need our rest and some of us have wounds Lynxpaw and I will be tending to before we think about setting off again," Nightfrost informed, flashing his apprentice a glance. "Hopefully, a HeathClan border patrol may scoop by at some point and we can have proper escort."
They all nodded to his statement and as if on cue, all separated to their own duties. Lynxpaw took a moment to steady herself and her thoughts before she padded over to Nightfrost's side. The tom was speaking a few words to Shiverbee and Smokebite as their kits were settled beside them. Shiverbee nodded and before they departed, casted Lynxpaw a glance and gently dipped her head to the medicine cat apprentice.
Lynxpaw dipped her head in return just before the family padded away. She stared after them a moment, recognizing how little Featherkit and Thicketkit understood of the situation. The two kits were once curled up in the safety confines of home not too long ago, and now they were fleeing from the cats introduced as their Clan members and protectors. They would grow up only to gradually understand it all, but Lynxpaw knew a part of them would still remain perplexed by it all. Why were they stripped from their home? The place they were prophesied to grow up within and to protect.
"Everything happened so fast," Nightfrost suddenly mumbled. Lynxpaw turned to eye her mentor, a frown arched across her face. "I wanted us to peacefully escape without a trace as quick as possible, but it all took a turn. Now, who knows what awaits us after that."
