Fallen (Night Visions songfic)

Song fourteen of Night Visions.

Run for cover

My sense of fear is running thin

“Run!” screamed Daisyblaze as a group of rogues burst through the ferns. Cloverstar gritted his teeth. They had already lost a cat today, and they couldn’t afford to lose another.

He slashed at a ginger tom with thorn-sharp claws. It screeched and ran away. Cloverstar leapt onto a black she-cat with white stripes. He prised it off Daisyblaze and raked his claws across her stripes.

“Thanks,” panted Daisyblaze.

“This battle isn’t over yet,” Cloverstar muttered. He chased away the last of the cats and gathered round his patrol. “We can’t survive like this alone,” he meowed. “We have to propose an alliance at the gathering tonight. We have already lost Gorsestripe, we can’t lose another. These rogues are becoming worse each day.”

The patrol nodded in agreement. “Should I take a patrol round to the other clans?” asked Daisyblaze.

“No,” Cloverstar growled firmly. “I don’t want you killed in an ambush.” He turned to go back to the camp. “Besides, we have our own clan to take care of.”

“But we have to think of the other clans too,” Daisyblaze muttered.

Undercover

Just like a candle in the wind

Later that day, Cloverstar agreed to take a patrol to the other clan leaders. He crouched down low among the undergrowth. “Scent any cats?” he asked Daisyblaze.

“No,” Daisyblaze hissed back. “The coast is clear.”

They scuttled across the Fernclan border.

“Halt!” croaked a voice. “We are already weakened by rogues, we don’t want another attack from a neighbouring clan!”

Cloverstorm, Daisyblaze, and the three other cats they had bought with them rose up.

“Featherclan!” The cat gasped. “I’m surprised you survived to cross the border! Do you want to speak to Fogstar?”

“Yes,” Cloverstar nodded. “We would like to propose an early alliance. A bigger one between all the clans will be made at the gathering tonight.”

“Well come on!” chirped the tom. “An alliance is exactly what both of us need!”

~

Tell everybody, tell everybody

Brothers, sisters, the ending is coming

“We have been affected by the rogues worser than you,” hissed Fogstar. He looked frail and thin beneath his whitish-grey pelt. “We accept this alliance. Half of your cats will come to mine, and half of mine will come to yours. That will ensure that the stronger cats, yours, will share food and protect the weaker cats, mine.”

“An excellent plan,” Cloverstar meowed. “I will gather cats straight away.”

“May you have a good journey, Cloverstar!” rasped Fogstar. “You are the only hope for this forest.”

~

Ohhhhh

We are fallen, we are fallen

“We’re going to die,” whispered Mouseflash as Cloverstar gathered half of his warriors. “The cloud of death and destruction is coming closer at an alarming speed. Who knows how many days we have left.”

“We will survive!’ snapped Cloverstar. “We just have to believe in ourselves.”

Mouseflash laughed. “Don’t you see, Cloverstar? We are being picked off, one by one. Soon there will be none of us left.”

Ohhhhh

We are fallen, we are fallen

Now we're just gonna ride it out

“Hunt for our guests,” ordered Cloverstar from the Feathertree. “If we are going to survive and beat these rogues, we need strong warriors. To get strong warriors we need cats to be fed and watered. At least three cats in a patrol. Stay close to the camp. Now off you go.”

“We’re going to die anyway!” jeered a cat.

“Not if I can help it!” meowed Cloverstar. “I have nine lives, and I will spend every single one of them protecting my clan.”

~

Every morning

I'm staring shadows in the eye

Cloverstar stared coldly at the young tom who was looking around him in fear and gabbling.

“Five cats dead and it’s all my fault five cats they attacked us they killed them in a horrible way I don’t know what to do—”

“Calm down!” barked Cloverstar. “I’ll send out a battle patrol.”

“Th-thank you Cloverstar,” the young tom panted.

“Sandfern! Darkshade! Heartwing! Clawscratch! Ponyleap! Tumbletail! Sniff out those rogues and kill them. They killed five of our cats.”

The patrol nodded and ran off.

Oh, good morning

Will you just wait until I die?

“I’m coming too,” Cloverstar growled. “I have a life to use.”

“You can’t! We need you! I need you!” argued Daisyblaze.

Cloverstar stepped past her. I’m ready to lose a life, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

~

Tell everybody, tell everybody

Brothers, sisters, the ending is coming

“Attack!” screeched Cloverstar.

The rogues whirled around and leapt up to meet the clan cats in midair.

Blood rained down on the cats. Soon lay five bodies reeking of rogue.

But Cloverstar wasn’t on the forest floor. Alongside them was his own body.

“I’ve lost a life,” he breathed.

A cat stood in front of him, and Cloverstar knew it must be himself.

“With every life you lose, I become a bit clearer,” it whispered. “And now you have to continue yours.”

~

Ohhhhh

We are fallen, we are fallen

“Cloverstar!” yowled Daisyblaze. “Oh, I knew this would happen!”

A sharp jab in the ribs woke Cloverstar. He lay in the middle of the camp, surrounded by faces.”

“Get away from me,” he growled. “I need space as I’ve just lost a life here.”

“But you killed them Cloverstar!” breathed Daisyblaze in awe. “We are less threatened by the rogues that come into our territory!”

“But are the Fernclan cats fine?” snapped Cloverstar.

“Why yes,” purred Daisyblaze, “In fact, they’ve never been better!”

Ohhhhh

We are fallen, we are fallen

Now we're just gonna ride it out

“We need fighting patrols,” ordered Cloverstar. “We need to fight off and kill these rogues.”

“I’ll train them,” volunteered Daisyblaze.

“Then go,” meowed Cloverstar. “We need these cats battle-ready. I just hope that this threat hasn’t grown, otherwise it’ll be too late.”

~

Tell everybody, tell everybody

Tell everybody, we are fallen

The alliance was agreed at the gathering. But the gathering was then disrupted when a reddish-brown tom marched into the gathering field followed by a troupe of soldiers.

“I am Bane, leader of the rogue group White Ashes. I want to end this once and for all. At dawn, yes, this upcoming dawn, we are to meet in this field and have a battle. It’s kill or be killed. Leave now, so you have time to prepare.” He smirked. “Oh yeah, the clock is ticking. Say goodbye to your loved ones while you can.” He cackled as he left the field.

“That’s it,” muttered Cloverstar. “We are definitely going to die.”

Ohhhhh

We are fallen, we are fallen

When the news was broken to the clan that night, cats screamed.

“Shut up and get ready!” screamed Cloverstar.

The cats stopped in fear and ran off to prepare for the battle.

The final battle.

Ohhhhh

We are fallen, we are fallen

Now we're just gonna ride it out

As the sun rose over the treetops that final dawn, cats flooded onto the field.

Then everything happened in slow motion. Seven lives were ripped from Cloverstar. He was down to his last one.

He was going to die very soon.

~

I just want to take it in

“Daisyblaze! No!” Cloverstar screamed. His voice was barely heard over the screams of the battlefield.

“I’m dying, Cloverstar,” she snapped. “Make the most of it. Soon you’re going to die too.”

“Yeah,” Cloverstar said irritatedly. “I’ve known that for a while now.”

Even when your fire runs out

Will you start it up again?

“But maybe,” smiled Daisyblaze weakly as the life ebbed out of her. “Maybe some cats will start the clans up again, you know? And we’ll be reborn.”

“Yeah,” purred Cloverstar. “I’d like that.”

Daisyblaze hesitated. “I love you, Cloverstar.”

“What a nice dying confession,” joked Cloverstar. “Maybe we can be together in Starclan?”

“I would like that a lot,” purred Daisyblaze. “But for now, goodbye.”

“Yes, goodbye, Cloverstorm. How come you never said that to me?” snarled a familiar voice.

Song!

Cloverstar felt a tiny jerking pain on his neck. His belly was slashed repeatedly. He was dying in a horrible way.

And now he was dead. He looked around the battlefield in his starry form. There was no grass anymore. Just masses of dead bodies and blood. The rogues stopped, sat down, and started to groom themselves, as if nothing really happened.

“Everything that has happened was meant to be, Cloverstar,” meowed a sorrowful voice. “Even this battle. This battle, all these cats’ deaths, yours and Daisyblaze’s deaths. Everything was meant to be.”

“Silentkit!” Cloverstar yowled, but Silentkit ignored him.

“Everything that happened was meant to be, and there’s nothing we can or could do about it.”

We are fallen

The End.