Hurting
We're hurting inside
The pain is real
Give me some love
Make me feel
POV: Moonflight
I couldn't believe my ears. Thornstrike's been poisoned? The shock of the news had paralyzed me. My brother had not moved, and Cloudstep instantly leaned forward and growled, "Deathberries."
Rainsong flinched visibly.
I glanced over, but she was hovering over Thornstrike, obviously worried about the dark brown tabby tom. I turned away, unable to watch the scene.
"Snowstar? Can I lead a hunting patrol?" I called out to the white she-cat, who was tending her own wounds. Snowstar looked up and shook her head.
"Better you lead a border patrol if you want to go out." She sighed, looking quite tired.
I nodded swiftly and called out a few names, "Frogleap, Shatterpaw, Creampaw, Flarefoot, and Smokepaw, let's check the RushClan border."
The patrol joined me and I bounded outside, desperate to escape the feeling of grief, anger, and sadness that engulfed my Clanmates. Snowstar had not looked okay, and she had a huge gash down her side. I did not want to think that perhaps Snowstar had lost a life.
I slowed as we neared the RushClan border, and tensed as I smelled fresh scent. Just earlier today, Frogleap had taken a patrol over to the training camp and none of the RushClan cats were there. But moments later, the RushClan cats had ambushed us at our camp.
"Scared we're going to attack again?" A snide voice remarked.
Flarefoot hissed in surprise, and I turned around, glaring at the white tom. "Frostclaw," I mewed coolly, "What do you want?"
"Ah, the spy!"
I flinched, and Flarefoot took a step back from me, "You were the spy, Moonflight?"
No, no I'm not!
Frostclaw smirked, but one of the apprentices muttered, "She doesn't look like the she-cat we met constantly for information."
Frogleap narrowed his eyes, "Moonflight, what is going on?"
Frostclaw bared his teeth, "Yes, what is going on Moonflight?" He sneered, "Even if nobody believes you're the spy, you cannot deny that you were the one who told me that there was a training camp, and that allowed me to know where it was from the spy."
Smokepaw's eyes flared, and he hissed defiantly, "You tried to kill us!"
The RushClan deputy shrugged, "I don't care who dies, as long as StormClan is destroyed. When I was a kit, StormClan slaughtered my parents. From that day on, I seeked vengeance for my parents that were brutally killed innocently by StormClan cats."
So that's why he's so intent on defeating StormClan.
Shatterpaw looked fearful, and Smokepaw moved in front of his sister. I pushed every back and snarled, "Leave these innocent cats alone, Frostclaw, you're quarrel is not with them, but the cats who killed your parents."
"That would be you."
Me?
"What do you mean?"
Frostclaw's green eyes glittered, "You were a mere apprentice then, and I was nearly one too. You had saw a few 'rogues', and then... you attacked. You didn't know what you were doing, and soon, you were pulled away, and the 'rogues', my parents, had backed away onto RushClan territory, where they died."
I pulled back dizzily, remembering that terribly moment.
"Moonpaw, this is the RushClan border. We mark it everyday, and if we see anything suspicious, we attack them, alright?" My mentor, Wrensky, told me.
As we strolled along, I saw two skinny cats hunting on our side of the border. "Intruders!" I yowled, "Rogues!" Before asking my mentor what to do, I lunged forward, grabbing ahold of one of the cats.
They struggled and shrieked, and I heard a tiny gasp and saw a white blur of fur dart away. I shrugged and continued to claw at the rogues.
"Get away from StormClan territory!"
I clawed, kicked, and tore of everything I could see of them. Clumps of fur fell to the floor, and I snarled, "Get away and stay away!"
"Moonpaw, get off them!" Wrensky ripped my off of the rogues, "We don't kill to defend our territory, Moonpaw," she scolded, "We just give them a warning and chase them off."
She held me down as the two rogues scooted over the border, and the white blur of fur followed them. Wrensky let me back up, and I stared after the rogues.
"Those were your parents?"
Frostclaw's malevolent green eyes were cold, "Yes, and I want to destroy StormClan for doing such a thing. Even if it was just you, your Clan taught you to attack whoever is trespassing and kill them if they don't leave. At least RushClan is more civilized than that."
I stepped back, determined to protect the younger cats. Creampaw was standing behind Smokepaw, her eyes filled with fear.
"I'll let you go for now," Frostclaw whispered, "But I'll find you one day, and I will kill you."
~
When I got back to camp, Thornstrike was still barely awake. He saw me and croaked, "Moonflight, I'm sorry."
"For what?"
He closed his eyes and gasped out, "For judging you so harshly. I only believed the worst of you because I had been desperate to frame somebody for feeding information to the RushClan cats."
"There might still be somebody." I said easily.
"Even if there was, it wouldn't be you. I was wrong."
I stared down at his feeble body and curled up next to him, "It's going to be fine, Thornstrike, we're going to defeat RushClan once and for all."
I told him everything, from when we were apprentices and that time I had killed those rogues to when I started to talk to Frostclaw and how he ended up using me.
When I had finally finished talking, Thornstrike whispered, "You could still change the world."
And I wish I really could. I wanted to change this world.
~
Later that night, I went back outside. I didn't know why, but I felt as though I had a duty to fulfill out at the RushClan border.
Maybe a change I could make to the world.
"Ah, Moonflight, you've come back to the border." Frostclaw's familiar voice rang in my ears. His desolate green eyes shone across the border, "Come to pay your price for killing my parents?"
I didn't respond and glared back at him.
He leaned in close, but he didn't touch me, "You know, you were a fascinating she-cat. I would have never thought you would fall into my trap."
"Moonflight!" I heard a distance voice. Thornstrike.
Claws pricked my neck, and I gasped as sharp pain coursed through my body, "Don't do this, Frostclaw, please don't do this." I cried out.
"I told you to stay away." He hissed.
I knew I never could stay away. "I...I love you though!"
"I don't."