Ruined

Betrayal
Ashheart writhed in pain as her kits arrived. Leafpelt smiled as he, medicine cat of the Clan, kneaded her belly to help the kits along. Their mother was the cat who’d rejected him as a mate, long before he made the decision to become a medicine cat. Ashheart had led him along the fantasy that she loved him, then turned her back on him. When WindClan got into the fight with ThunderClan, Leafpelt had put his focus on his more important wounded Clanmates. Silverstreak, Ashheart’s mate, ended up dying of infection. Too bad.

Ashheart cracked her stick as Leafpelt pressed a little too hard. “That hurts! You could hurt my kits!”

Ignoring her, Leafpelt began speaking. “You led me to believe you loved me.”

“Not this again!” Ashheart mewed. “It was friendship, and nothing more.”

Leafpelt continued. “Do you really think I’d let Silverstreak’s kits live after your betrayal?”

A kit slithered onto the mossy nest, born dead. Leafpelt smiled maniacally. “I’ve accomplished a death. Three more to go.”

“No!” Ashheart tried to bite Leafpelt, but she was weak, kitting, and he nimbly dodged away. Leafpelt knew she was already having complications. He knew exactly which herbs and techniques might save the queen and her kits. But he left Ashheart to struggle on her own. If he came any closer, she would probably use her hind legs to kick him away.

Another kit appeared, motionless. Ashheart cried out in sadness. Two of her kits were dead. Following right after was a little gray kit. And it was moving. Leafpelt hissed in frustration. A kit who died of being crushed would be easy to pick out. Leafpelt would have to think of a better way to get it out of the way later.

Ashheart bent her head to lick it, rubbing its fur gently.

“I’ll name you Creekkit,” she meowed gently. More harshly she mewed to Leafpelt, “Don’t you ever touch a hair on her pelt, or I will rip your throat out, from StarClan if I need to.”

Then she tensed as another spasm wracked her body. There was one more kit.

But it didn’t survive, and neither did the queen. Ashheart was still, and so was her son.

Leafpelt calmly picked up the gray kit, but inside he was bouncing off the walls with triumphance. Ashheart had paid for it, and so had three of her kits. This kit would be just one more small obstacle on his path.

Pushing his way out of the nursery, he faced a group of surprised cats.

“Ashheart is dead,” he announced. Horrified gasps echoed through the camp. “This is her only surviving kit, Ruinkit.”

A plan was formulating in Leafpelt’s mind, a twisted plan some might call vile. But to Leafpelt, it was genius.

*** *** *** *** ***

Tunnelstar got up as his medicine cat, Leafpelt, walked up to his nest.

“What is it?” Tunnelstar asked.

“I’m sure someone’s told you that Ruinkit is the only one to survive Ashheart’s kitting.” Tunnelstar nodded. “Well, I have even worse news. I received a prophecy from StarClan, before Ashheart’s kits came. It was an extremely windy day, and from the wind, a flower sprouted. It grew tall, reaching for the sky. Then a petal fell off and burned to ashes, and from those ashes grew a weed that choked and strangled the flower till it withered and died.”

Tunnelstar’s mouth was dry. He knew what Leafpelt was getting at. “She’s only a kit. What harm can she do?”

“I’m not sure, but we must be on the lookout,” Leafpelt meowed. “We must discipline her strongly, even cruelly if necessary, to make sure that she doesn’t follow a dark path. Ruinkit must learn the warrior code or else WindClan will fall.”

“I don’t want to treat her like she isn’t a cat,” Tunnelstar replied. “Is there any way we could teach her more gently?”

“Think, Tunnelstar,” Leafpelt meowed. “I’m not sure myself, but we must both think to come up with the best solution to this problem.”

“Don’t tell this to anybody,” Tunnelstar warned. “We don’t want to cause a panic, or make Ruinkit feel singled out.”

“Of course.” Leafpelt dipped his head and left. Tunnelstar sighed. He was crushed between pity for the kit and worry for his Clan. He tried to fall asleep and clear his mind, but sleep was a long time coming.