//seasons of revenge one-shots\\

// the secret bloodshed \\

Summary:
After a simple trip to the river with Hareleap and her three kits, Pigeonfrost discovers a murderous secret hiding in BirchClan.

————————————————————
Another herb fell to the ground as the grey pelted, green eyed tom let out a snort of amusement, picking up the stray leaf in his paws. Pigeonfrost was supposed to be meeting Hareleap with her kits, just made apprentices the other day, at the river.

"It better not be sundown by the time I get there." The tom muttered under his breath, taking a step back. Satisfied with how the herbs were organised together, he headed out the medicine den, only to bump into a brown tabby figure.

It was the scrawny stature of Duststar, giving him a slightly menacing glare back. The new leader had recently been very stressed, and Pigeonfrost could understand his frustration with sympathy. After all, the tom had lost both his mother and brother Rockheart within moons of eachother. Both had died extremely bloodily, especially Stalkstar. She'd been unrecognisable when they found her, blood splattered on her pelt, deep wounds.

"Sorry." Pigeonfrost spoke, offering a paw to Duststar, who took it, not without his ears pinning against his head first.

"It's fine." The leader said breezily, giving a sideways glance to Pigeonfrost, who blinked back with owlish eyes. "Guess I'm just not in focus today."

"You need a break." The medicine cat responded back, tilting his head towards the leaders den. Duststar shook his head in response.

Deciding it was better to change the subject, Pigeonfrost moved on. "I'm going to see Hareleap and her kits by the river."

Instantly, the mood changed. Duststar's eyes were slits, his mouth wide with a silent gasp.

"I- Rockheart." There was no need for him to finish the sentence, Pigeonfrost knew what he was talking about. The leader had been affected badly by the toms death. Everyone had. It was strange that Duststar refused to let any cat of BirchClan mention the toms death at the gathering. Everyone left it, however, understanding that Rockheart's sibling could probably not summon up the words to say that Rockheart was dead, or have any other cat say them.

"The kits remind you of him, don't they?" In a comforting gesture, Pigeonfrost pressed his tail to Duststar's shoulder, who nodded back.

"Especially Reedpaw. The other day he was exploring the territory with Brightfoot and I genuinely thought I heard Rockheart instead of Reedpaw."

The grey tabby tom nodded, green eyes flitting out into the forest. The sky was dulling slightly, but still clear enough that he would get to his allocated place and be on time.

"You should've seen Rowanface. You would've thought she was Rockheart's mate rather than Hareleap by the way she reacted." Whiskers twitching in amusement, Pigeonfrost remembered the orange and white tabby's reaction.

"Rowanface. Fitting name. Always sticking her face into other's conflicts." Duststar snorted, flicking his tail and standing up.

Seeing that as a gesture to leave, Pigeonfrost flicked an ear in goodbye, and trekked through the forest, eventually coming to the long grasses just before the river.

There he could see the four figures of Hareleap and her three kits. There was Reedpaw, balanced precariously on a rock, looking with delight into the sparkling water.

He does take after Rockheart. A twinge of grief filled the medicine cat as he continued to glance at the six moon old apprentice perched onto the rock. Then there was Otterpaw, a curly furred brown tabby and cream she-cat. Inquisitive and creative, always making some flower crown of sorts. She was currently speaking with her mother, placing a trinket on Hareleap's ear with a bright smile. Finally, Lightpaw, a bulky cream tom, despite this, such a gentle and caring attitude to go with it.

Pigeonfrost, shaking himself from his trance, was about to go forward when suddenly he saw a brown furred figure at the other side of the river bank, but positioned where the three apprentices would not see them.

Oh StarClan no. Pigeonfrost heart plummeted to his chest as he watched, paws frozen to the ground in shock.

There was a loud splash as Reedpaw was knocked into the water, the brown tabby figure quickly dashing to the other side of the riverbanks unseen by Hareleap, too worried about her son:

He could do nothing.

Terror filled him as the medicine cat watched the scene, too afraid and full of heartbreak to move.

There was distraught yowls, water splashes and a sickening crack.

As panicked as a rabbit, Pigeonfrost turned tail and fired back through the undergrowth, following where the dark figure had disappeared to. His mouth threatened to let out a grieving yowl, but he resisted.

For the second time that day, Pigeonfrost clattered into Duststar.

The tom was drenched. His fur sleek from water, eyes sickeningly devious - Pigeonfrost has never seen them like that.

Something flicked.

Duststar. He did it.

Infront of him here, was the tom who had just pushed a six moon old apprentice into the river, and caused the death of two others in the process. Pigeonfrost felt sick.

If he's done this, then what else has he done? Pigeonfrost trailed back off to Rockheart and Stalkstars's death.

Perhaps that was jumping to conclusions - but perhaps it wasn't, the tom realised, if Duststar was heartless enough to push an apprentice into a rushing river.

Holding back his anger, the medicine cat said nothing, wavering past Duststar and giving him a cold glare as he did so.

"He will get what he deserves back." Anger flared through Pigeonfrost as he ran back to the medicine den, eyes narrowed with anger.

In the herb store, Pigeonfrost pushed herbs and leaves aside until he came what he was looking for. In the darkest corner of the den, two small red berries wrapped in leaves lay.

"This is for you, Otterpaw and Lightpaw." Pigeonfrost growled in a menacing snarl, deathberries clutched in his paw as he glanced at the sky, where three new stars were.

This is not vengeance, you'll be just as bad as him!

A small voice in his head stopped the grey tabby in his tracks. And Pigeonfrost knew it was right. What sort of medicine cat would kill? He would just be stooping down to Duststar's level.

With a defeated sigh, Pigeonfrost tucked the deathberries into a stash of lavender, hoping that no cat would find them.

Eventually the tom curled in his nest, trying to calm. He knew it wouldn't be long before Hareleap came back into camp with Lightpaw and Otterpaw's bodies, not to mention, in shock. He would need to be prepared for the situation.

Looking up at the sky, the grey tom pleaded.

StarClan, if I'm not the one destined to end his bloodshed, please tell me that one day he will defeated by someone.

And after his wish, rain came pouring from the sky.