Heart of Darkness: Part 2

Chapter 3
"Duskpaw! Get up!" Nightstorm's growl echoed through Duskpaw's ears as the golden apprentice scrambled to her paws. Her paws through up moss in the air.

"Watch where you're throwing your nest!" Cherrypaw mewed sleepily. The red-and-white she-cat curled her tail over her face and tucked deeper into her nest.

"What's today?" Duskpaw asked, walking towards Nightstorm hesitantly.

"Battle training, of course." Nightstorm dashed out of the thorn tunnel.

Duskpaw followed, giving a nod of greeting to Oaktail who was on guard.

Her paws crunched on the frosty ground as she ran through the forest. Nightstorm didn't even bother to slow down as bare tree branches whipped Duskpaw in the face. Then she burst into the clearing.

"Just copy what I do." Nightstorm mewed gruffly. The black tom leaped into the air and twisted, snapping in mid-air then dropping to the ground and giving a powerful swipe with both of his forepaws.

Duskpaw sprang straight up, twisting and snapping, but as she dropped, Nightstorm gave a powerful blow to her shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for!?" Duskpaw hissed. There was a slight sting now where he had hit.

"Swipe faster, or else your enemy will get to you first."

Muttering curses under her breath, Duskpaw turned back around and tried again. This time she swiped the air faster, but not fast enough. Nightstorm barreled into her again, knocking the breath out of her.

"Can you stop doing that!" Duskpaw snapped.

"Just training you," Nightstorm mewed.

"A normal mentor doesn't treat their apprentice like that! Mothpaw has never once been hit this hard by Falconpelt." Duskpaw's tail began lashing.

"Fine! If you don't like the way I train you, then too bad!" Nightstorm growled, "Go hunting, meet me back at camp." Duskpaw watched his black tail disappear into the thick brambles.

''Fox-hearted cat! What mentor acts like that? He's my own father anyways, why did Ravenstar allow him to be my mentor?'' Duskpaw followed, only swerving in the opposite direction of camp.

Parting her jaws to scent for prey, Duskpaw crouched low to the ground, her belly fur almost sweeping the sparkling, frosty ground beneath her.

''Mouse! Stupid thing, what's it doing out in this weather? Well I guess it's not snowing yet...Come on Duskpaw, concentrate!''

Duskpaw immediately put all her weight into her haunches, careful not to rustle the leaves as she approached the small dusty-brown rodent. She prepared for the pounce, but then voices nearby made her jump.

The mouse scrambled away into the roots of a tree.

"Mouse-dung!" Duskpaw cursed. She turned to see who the speaker was.

"Mothpaw!" Duskpaw mewed happily, spotting her golden tabby sister.

"Oh, hey Duskpaw," Mothpaw greeted, searching the brambles and bushes.

"What are you looking for?" Duskpaw asked, bounding over.

"Nothing. Just bored, I asked Falconpelt if I could leave camp. Where's Nightstorm?"

"He dismissed me from the clearing to go hunting. Oh by the way, you scared off my prey, thank you!" Duskpaw said sarcastically.

"Sorry. Well I'll let you get back to hunting, see you later!" Mothpaw sprung off, rustling the bushes.

Duskpaw turned, alone once again. She sniffed the air-nothing.

She leaped into a tree, grappling the bark with her claws and hauling herself into the remaining leaves. Wings fluttered nearby. Duskpaw glanced over and spotted a thrush in the tree next to her. Bracing herself on the edge of a high branch, Duskpaw leaped and landed awkwardly on the other tree. She crouched, placing her paws evenly on the branch. Duskpaw pounced, grasping the thrush between her claws and nipping it on the neck. Feathers flew into the sky as the bird gave a struggle, but it quickly ended.

Satisfied, Duskpaw leaped down. Swiveling her ears to hear anything moving nearby, she caught the yowls of pain.

Chapter 4
"Mothpaw!" Duskpaw recognized her sister's yowls and then dropped her thrush in a rush to reach Mothpaw's destination. Cold wind batted at Duskpaw, but she carried on.

"Mothpaw!" Duskpaw yowled, "Mothpaw?" Duskpaw's paws began to turn sticky, and she glanced down to see scarlet blood staining them. It formed a puddle under a bramble bush, and Duskpaw ducked under the thorns to see what was underneath them.

There lay the body of Mothpaw, a deep wound on her throat. Duskpaw blinked back tears as she stared at the body. She buried her nose into her sister's fur.

"Who did this, Mothpaw?" Duskpaw asked angrily, even though she knew Mothpaw wouldn't answer. Wind blew Mothpaw's fur, and Duskpaw could see numerous cuts and scratches as though she had struggled the attack.

Duskpaw hesitated to leave, but eventually backed away from the bush. She raced to camp, being whipped in the face by a thick branch. She felt blood began to trickle down her face as blood seeped.

"Ravenstar!" Duskpaw called, bursting into camp and ignoring the stares she got from the other cats.

"What's wrong?" Willowpool asked. The dark gray tabby she-cat met up with Duskpaw.

"Mothpaw! She-I found her, dead!" Duskpaw's amber eyes went wild with fear and sorrow.

"I'll fetch Ravenstar!" Willowpool offered, dashing off and scrambling up the Highledge. Heartbeats later, the dark leader appeared, followed by Willowpool.

"What's the matter?" Ravenstar asked, approaching the stricken Duskpaw.

"It's Mothpaw. I found her underneath a bramble bush, dead. There was a slit along her throat, and blood pooled everywhere! I don't know--I don't know who killed her," Duskpaw explained.

"Don't worry, I'll send a patrol to get her body, then Cloudfeather will search her for any fur in her claws or anything like that," Ravenstar mewed. He turned towards the rest of the clan, "Lionfrost, Brightcloud, Thrushheart, Eagleflight! I want you to follow Duskpaw to Mothpaw's location. Bring her to camp, and we'll discuss what to do after."

A dark ginger tom, a ginger-and-white she-cat, a dark sandy-brown she-cat and a very dark golden tom bounded forward.

"You be the leader," Eagleflight nodded at Duskpaw. She dashed off suddenly, leaving the four warriors in the dust. She was anxious to get back to her sister, dead or alive.

''What about Leopardsong? She doesn't know yet! Nightstorm! I'll kill him if I ever see him again!'' Rage pulsed through Duskpaw, giving her speed.

"There." Duskpaw skidded to a halt at the bramble bush.

"Eww," Brightcloud mewed, lifting her forepaw off of the blood-stained ground.

"You go on back to camp, we'll handle things from here," Lionfrost flicked his tail at Duskpaw in dismissal.

"No, I'll stay."

Duskpaw watched as the warriors lifted the golden body of Mothpaw. Duskpaw went between Eagleflight and Brightcloud, trying to help support Mothpaw's body.

Then they began the trek back to camp.

Chapter 5
Duskpaw didn't know how to tell Leopardsong about Mothpaw's death. Her mother wasn't yet back from patrol, which gave Duskpaw a while to think about it.

Mothpaw...Can't StarClan let you come back?

Duskpaw lay in the apprentice's den and sighed.

"Laying around and drowning in your own sadness won't bring your sister back." Nightstorm's mew sounded from outside.

"Mothpaw was your daughter as well as I am! Don't you have any regrets at all? Like the time you never spent with her while you were hurting me?" Duskpaw slid out from the den.

"She had nothing to live for, neither do you," Nightstorm shrugged, "Do you think I even wanted you two? No, I didn't, but Leopardsong did."

"Of course Mothpaw had thinks to live for, fox-heart!" Duskpaw snapped, "And I don't care whether you wanted us or not, all you have to do was ignore us! Not abuse us and don't care when one dies!"

"Not my problem." Nightstorm walked off with a lash off his tail.

''Of course it's your problem! You could treat me different, and maybe show a bit of sympathy for Mothpaw's death!''

Duskpaw's head pricked up as she saw Leopardsong enter the thorn tunnel behind Sunsplash and Tigerpelt.

"Leopardsong!" Duskpaw dashed over to her mother.

"Duskpaw! What is it?" Leopardsong obviously seen the sorrow in Duskpaw's eyes.

"It's Mothpaw! She--" Duskpaw was interrupted by another yowl of pain.

"Honeystripe's kits are coming!" Leopardsong raced to the nursery as Lionfrost and a few others came.

"Move out of the way!" Cloudfeather pushed Duskpaw, Sparrowthorn and Beetlepaw out of the way as they approached the bramble thicket.

Duskpaw paced outside with Leopardsong, who's eyes were bright with happiness for her friend. -

After a long time of waiting, Cats besides Lionfrost were able to see Honeystripe's kits. Duskpaw got up from where she was eating a squirrel and followed Leopardsong.

''It doesn't seem weird Mothpaw isn't around, Leopardsong? It's a bit obvious. I'm sorry but you're happiness is about to be ruined.''

Only a tiny she-kit was nestled beside her cream-tabby mother. Duskpaw almost gasped at the kit's resemblance to Mothpaw. She was a dark golden tabby, but she had Lionfrost's bright green eyes and white paws and chest. Mothpaw's only difference was black tabby stripes.

"What's her name?" Snowface asked from the nest beside Honeystripe, who was expecting Oaktail's kits.

"I don't know. Lionfrost?" Honeystripe turned to her mate.

"How about...Foxkit?" Lionfrost's green eyes were glowing with pride.

"Foxkit it is!" Leopardsong, Duskpaw, Snowface and Eagleflight were the only ones in the den at the time, and Snowface was left to watch Foxkit while Honeystripe went to announce to the clan.

"It's a she-kit!" Honeystripe announced, "Lionfrost named her Foxkit!"

"Foxkit! Foxkit!"

"Leopardsong..." Duskpaw began as soon as the crowd left and it was quieter.

"Yes?" Leopardsong turned around, "Oh have you seen Mothpaw? I want her to see Foxkit!"

"About Mothpaw...I-I found her....dead." Duskpaw swallowed back the loneliness of not having a littermate.

"Dead?" Leopardsong's amber eyes went dark and blank.

"Uh...Yeah. I'm sorry," Duskpaw mewed.

"I can't believe she's dead!" Leopardsong wailed, "Where's Nightstorm?"

"Nightstorm won't care," Duskpaw growled, "He only cares for himself, not us!"

"You wouldn't know!" Leopardsong hissed, whirling on Duskpaw.

Duskpaw shrank back, neck fur bristling. "Actually, I do know! He's my mentor too!"

"Whatever. I need Mothpaw back...And Nightstorm!" Leopardsong sped off, looking for the black tom.

But I'm here...Why did you get so mad at me all of a sudden?

"Their anger only lasts a short time, Duskpaw." Beetlepaw appeared beside Duskpaw.

"How would you know? You've never lost anyone," Duskpaw muttered. She sat down and stared into the late evening sky, wondering if Mothpaw was one of the stars that twinkled overhead.

"Because, Blackpaw, Bramblepaw and I aren't Ravenstar and Thrushheart's only kits," Beetlepaw mewed.

"You aren't?" Duskpaw couldn't remember a fourth kit from Thrushheart's litter.

"No," Beetlepaw shook his head, "You don't remember Smokepaw?"

"Not at all." Duskpaw thought back.

"You were probably still a kit. Anyway, he died in an attack from WindClan about 4 moons ago. Thrushheart was very angry at us, especially Bramblepaw, since she's the only remaining daughter. She soon got over it though," Beetlepaw rested his tail on Duskpaw's shoulder in reassurance.

"Okay, well thanks," Duskpaw sighed, "I'm going to sleep." She got up, yawning and then padded to the apprentice's den. She curled up in her mossy nest and curled up away from Bramblepaw and Berrypaw, who were already asleep in their separate nests.

Chapter 6
Yawning, Duskpaw woke up from her nest. She looked to the nest beside her and saw Beetlepaw on his back, snoring. Duskpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement, then she stood and left the apprentice's den.

Duskpaw went to the medicine cat's den to see if she found anything about who Mothpaw's killer could be.

"Cloudfeather?" Duskpaw called, poking her head through the bramble screen.

"Come in, Duskpaw!" The white and pale-silver she-cat answered.

Duskpaw pushed past the brambles. "Have you found any fur or anything from Mothpaw's claws?"

"Yeah, I did. Here," Cloudfeather pushed a clump of black fur to Duskpaw.

Nightstorm!

"Do you know who it could be?" Duskpaw asked, even though it was completely obvious to her who the fur belonged to.

"Well, the only black cats in our clan are Ravenstar, Nightstorm, Beetlepaw and Blackpaw has a bit of black in his fur." Cloudfeather seemed lost in thought.

"What about the other clans? Or even rogues? They're a high possibility as well." Duskpaw couldn't wait to bust Nightstorm about Mothpaw, her tail was quivering.

"I don't know many from the other clans, and I for sure don't know any rogues! Anyway, I'll speak to Ravenstar and Fireblaze about it. Now go on, I'm sure Nightstorm wants you for training." Cloudfeather dismissed Duskpaw with a flick of her ears.

Duskpaw padded out into the center of the camp and lay down at the fresh-kill pile with a vole settled between her paws. She took a bite and then quickly finished it off, licking her whiskers for remains.

Scanning the camp, Duskpaw spotted Nightstorm and Hawktalon chatting.

"Are you taking me training or what?" Duskpaw asked, padding up to the two toms.

"Right. I'll see you later, Hawktalon." Nightstorm nodded to his friend then approached Duskpaw.

"Come on, we're going hunting by the WindClan border," Nightstorm mewed.

''We? Wow that's rare!''

"Okay." Duskpaw followed Nightstorm out the thorn tunnel, and then raced across the forest. She could feel snow begin to fall, cold on her pelt.

"Why so close to the WindClan border?" Duskpaw asked, going to the edge of the stream. Then she looked up at the gray sky and blinked snow out of her eyes.

"Because." Was all Nightstorm had to say.

Duskpaw turned her back to him for a moment to taste the air for prey.

Then darkness embraced her.