Warriors: Darkened Souls [On Hiatus]

Chapter Four

Foxpaw sprang to his paws, looking around wildly. His fur was bushed up so he looked twice his size, and his eyes were round. "LightningClan?" he demanded, but it was too late, and cats were already flooding into the hollow.

All around her, there were cats fighting, hissing, clawing at each other. Fur was flying everywhere, and to Cloverkit, it looked like LightningClan had brought their whole Clan. And in the midst of it all...

"Lilyeye!" Honeykit choked out, stumbling forward. Foxpaw grabbed her tail, dragging her back. "Don't you dare go into the fighting," he hissed. Honeykit let out a wail, struggling to get out. "Lilyeye!"

Cloverkit watched in horror. She longed to run and help Lilyeye, but her paws seemed to be rooted to the ground, and she could only watch, wide-eyed, as two warriors, a gray tabby tom and a ginger she-cat, paired up on her mother, clawing at her throat.

Silverstar was grappling with a cream-colored she-cat, and though the she-cat was smaller than the StormClan leader, she was holding off on her own.

But Lilyeye...

The two warriors were overpowering her, moons in the nursery having made the white queen weak. She was cowering underneath their blows, trapped against the camp wall. Foxpaw lurched forward as if he was about to try and save her, but a whirlwind of red beat him to it.

A reddish-brown tom kicked the ginger away, turning to Lilyeye. To Cloverkit, it seemed to be happening in slow motion. The gray tom retaliated, bringing his unsheathed claws down on the reddish tom's neck. There was a loud snap and suddenly, Lilyeye's savior collapsed, his head hanging on an awkward angle.

The gray tom stepped back, the horror in his eyes evident. Lilyeye gasped, stumbling forward, pressing her nose into his blood-soaked fur. "Redstripe," she whispered hoarsely, raising her head to glare at the gray tom. "You killed him!" she spat. The tom stared down at his bloodstained claws, eyes wide. "I did," he whispered.

"Murderer!" Briarflash's screech rose above the noises of the fighting as the dark tabby she-cat darted forward, teeth bared. "You murdered him! Get out of StormClan's camp!" she yowled, lashing out with her claws. The tom dropped to the ground, blood spilling from above his left eye, and Briarflash struck again, scoring her claws down his pelt. "Out! Out!"

"Briarflash, stop!" Silverstar yowled, shoving the cream she-cat away from her. She bounded forward, forcing the brown tabby warriors away from the gray tom. Redstripe's murderer, Cloverkit corrected herself, shivering closer to Honeykit's warm yellow pelt. Lilyeye was crouched over Redstripe's body, raising her head slightly to watch the gray tom through narrowed eyes.

Foxpaw nudged them forward. "Go on, kits," he whispered. "Give Redstripe a last goodbye."

Us? Cloverkit wondered, confused. Why us? Shouldn't his family members—wait, what did Brairflash say about us? Her mind was racing as she tried to remember until at last, the words fell into her head.

Redstripe will be happy to meet you, the she-cat had meowed. Lightfern had said something similar. You look too young to be apprentices, so—correct me if I'm wrong—are you Lilyeye and Redstripe's kits? The white elder had asked. Cloverkit stumbled back, the force of her discovery too strong to keep her young legs stable. Redstripe is my father...and the gray tom just killed him.

Honeykit, apparently, had reached the same conclusion, and she surged forward with a high-pitched cry, not giving the gray tom's body a second glance. Cloverkit followed, skidding to a stop beside Redstripe's limp body.

The reddish tom was, to her surprise, was still breathing, but just barely. As she wailed her pain to the sky, he reached out, just the slightest, and nudged her with his paw. "It's okay, my kits," he rasped, so weakly, that Cloverkit had to lean down to hear him. "I-I'll watch over you...from StarClan...I-I am very proud of both of you...I wish I could have gotten to know you better..."