Seeing Red

-credit to Brighty for the pic

seeing red

by Vee for Blade's contest

____________________

Another cat, dead at my paws. It's a full moon, and, like always, I see blood that isn't really there. But this is different. This blood is real.

One - My name is Duskpaw.

My name is Duskpaw. I'm an apprentice of ThunderClan, under Bramblestar's rule. My father is Bumblestripe. My mother, a senior warrior named Dovewing. Bumblestripe left Dovewing, and passed away moons ago, in what was supposed to be a mere border skirmish with RiverClan.

My siblings are Ripplepaw, who looks like my mother, and Shadepaw, who looks like my father. I, however, look like my aunt Ivypool, but with black instead of silver. I have a large black hood-like patch on my head, black paws, a thick black stripe running down my back, and a pure-black tail.

I'm mostly normal, like my siblings. But not completely.

As a kit, I could see things. I could see spirits.

"Mama?" I mewed.

"Yes, Duskkit?" Dovewing replied, her eyes gentle as she turned to look at me.

"Who's that?" I asked, looking back at the soft-furred grey she-cat who was staring back at me, her fluffy tail curled over her small, delicate-looking paws. She reminded me of a cat, but I couldn't place my paw on who it was...

Dovewing's gaze followed mine, but she seemed confused. "There's no one there, Duskkit." she meowed, twitching her ears.

"Yes there is!" I insist. "She looks like you, Mama, except more grey." Wait, is that who it reminded me of? I held up my paw anyway, to point out the smoky-grey she-cat that sat and stared, her blue eyes twinkling in amusement. She stood, her tail waving, and padded out of the den, but Dovewing was still staring to where my paw pointed.

Ripplekit laughed. "Dusky's being weird again, Dusky's being weird again!" she sang, gently giving me a shove with her tiny, delicate paws. "C'mon, Duskkit. No one's here but us, Mama, and Cinderheart."

Cinderheart. That's who the fluffy cat reminded me of.

Speaking of Cinderheart, she lifted her head, her eyes gentle. "Now, Ripplekit, don't be mean to your sister." she mewed, but I could tell she was concerned. Her eyes always glinted when she was concerned. Like, last moon her mate, Lionblaze, looked wounded, but he insisted it was only a small cut. Her eyes had glinted like that back then.

"Mama! There was someone there!" I insisted, rising to my paws. "She looked just like Cinderheart!" I was holding back tears then, but now, if someone doubted me, I would only shrug it off. A facade, a mask.

Cinderheart and Dovewing looked at each other, frowning. Dovewing turned to look at me, her eyes soft. "Duskkit, sweetie, you need to rest."

B-but Mama... there was...

I'm an apprentice now. Duskpaw. The name is simple to remember, with an edge to it. I'm stronger, braver. Smarter. I know that the spirit looked like Cinderheart. I know it did. But no one else could see her. Not Ripplepaw. Not Shadepaw. Not Dovewing, Cinderheart, Snowpaw, not even my closest friend Stormpaw. No one but me. I used to see spirits.

But now. Now I see spirits. Spirits and blood. Blood everywhere. Ever since the day I was apprenticed, I see blood. Spirits. Sometimes even spirits covered in blood. Like on the first day of my apprenticeship.

It's horrifying, yes, but I can't forget it. No matter how hard I try, I can't rid myself of the terror I felt as I saw it.

"Duskpaw! Ripplepaw! Shadepaw!" they chanted, their tails waving high in the air as their calls rang through the clearing.

Pride swelled inside of me, and I lifted my head toward the sky. Bramblestar looked down at me, his amber eyes warm. I then looked back at my Clanmates, sweeping my blue gaze over the ThunderClan cats. Dovewing looked proud, her cheering especially loud. Stormkit looked happy, yet jealous, still a kit while I became an apprentice. Molewhisker and Cherryfall stood side-by side.

Then my vision flickered, and I gasped.

Now everyone was covered in blood, their faces twisted into looks of sheer pain. Cherryfall's gentle smile was now a screech of pain. Lilyheart's beautiful fur could barely be seen through all the blood on it. I look up at Bramblestar and see a huge dark tabby tom and a lighter tabby tom standing on either side of him, their differently-colored gazes each cutting through me. Bramblestar had one long slash along his forehead, and his amber eyes were wide, as if he didn't believe what was happening.

The lighter tabby tom grinned, his icy-blue eyes scathing.

The larger, darker tom glared at him and said something to him, and the other tom flinched away.

Something prodded my side, and I shook my head and looked over to see Ripplepaw, completely normal. Then again, everyone seemed normal now, breaking off into smaller groups. Bramblestar had leapt down from the Rockpile and was now speaking with his mate and deputy Squirrelflight.

"Duskpaw, you looked a bit... off." Shadepaw mewed with a frown as he came up to stand beside Ripplepaw. "What's wrong?"

"Er... nothing." I lied. Such a lie.

It scared me half to death. The blood, the spirits. The darker tabby looked so much like Bramblestar, just larger and darker. The lighter one looked younger than both of them, but somewhat similar to Bramblestar. Then the blood. It was all too scary, especially since I was only six moons old at the time.

I shudder at the memory.

Well, this is me. A freak that can see bloody spirits.

Two - Don't get so worked up over it.

"Dusky!" Ripplepaw's voice sounds from the den's entrance. I lift my head as she calls, "Brightheart and Lionblaze are waiting!" Her shadow disappeared, leaving only undisturbed sunlight filtering into the den.

I yawn, then get to my paws and stretch. I pad out into the camp, ignoring the thorns that brushed against my shoulders and back as I passed through the exit. I can only hope that I don't walk into a clearing of dead, scattered bodies covered in blood.

StarClan must have felt sorry for me, because everything's normal. I let out a silent sigh of relief. Lilyheart looks over at me and smiles slightly. Molewhisker looks around her head and waves his paw. Brackenfur only blinks.

I nod at them and make my way over to the two warriors and Ripplepaw, who is jumping from paw to paw in excitement.

Brightheart stands. Even now, it's hard to look at her face without cringing. She's beautiful now, but she might have been even more beautiful before that happened.

The white and ginger she-cat meows, "Everyone ready?" When we nod, she purrs, "Let's go, then." She leads us out of camp. Being the eldest warrior out of all of us, it's only natural she leads the patrol. Something I notice, however, is that she walks with a slight limp, and we have to stop every few minutes so she can rest. Even Lionblaze looks worried.

One our third stop, Lionblaze frowns and asks, "Brightheart, do you want to go back to camp?" His amber eyes have this worried shine to them. His family must not be good at hiding their emotions; all can be told from their eyes. (Which are all beautiful, by the way. Just throwing that out there.)

Brightheart looks up at him, her one eye soft. "I'm alright, Lionblaze." She heaves herself to a standing position, and I notice her front leg buckle. She lets out a soft whine, but she stands straight and pads calmly into the trees. I stare over to Ripplepaw, and she shrugs.

When we come to a clearing in the trees, Brightheart stops and meows, "Alright. We'll split up from here to hunt. Duskpaw, you come with me." She nods to me, and I tense up. She doesn't see it, thank StarClan. "Lionblaze, you and Ripplepaw go to the area near the WindClan border."

Lionblaze flicks his ears up. "Er, Brightheart? Haven't you-"

She ignores him and turns. "Let's go, Duskpaw." Without waiting for an answer from either of us, she pads deeper into the trees.

She didn't tell us where we were going. It looks like she's heading for the ShadowClan border.

Throwing a nervous glance at Lionblaze, I follow Brightheart, making sure not to lose sight of her bright white-and-ginger pelt. "Br-Brightheart?" I stammer, trying not to startle her. But then, my vision darkens, flickers, and it starts.

Her voice is muffled, like it's underwater. "...?" Then she looks back at me, and the damaged side of her face is splashed with blood, and blood drips from her sliced ear. Her one eye is wide, and her blood trails from the corner of her mouth. A deep gash is present in her throat, and her claws are unsheathed.

I let out a horrified gasp and step back. I can't speak; my throat is dry. I look down to try to avoid seeing my wounded Clanmate, and widen my eyes. There's blood on my claws - Brightheart's blood.

"Why!?" I screech in terror.

She was getting old anyway.

That voice. I hadn't heard that voice before. It was deep, like a tom's, and didn't sound harsh. I feel like I recognize it, but at the same time I don't.

She would've died later on. She would've become worthless to ThunderClan as an elder. Don't get too worked up over i-

"Duskpaw!"

I shake my head, clearing my vision. Brightheart looks completely normal now, save for the permanently-scarred face, which looks worried. "Duskpaw!" she says again, louder this time.

"Y-yes?" I manage to choke out.

"You looked distant, and then you suddenly screeched. What was it?" She tips her head slightly.

"Oh, uh... nothing. Nothing at all." I lie. "Let's just continue hunting."

She blinks once, then slowly turns and continues through the forest, and I follow her. I feel horrible lying to her.

The voice sounds again, much clearer this time.

What a lie.

Three - What a terrible friend.

I see the fur before I hear the yowl.

"Attack!"

A red-brown tom - Rowanstar, ShadowClan's leader - leaps out at Brightheart, and a creamy-brown she-cat - I think her name's Dawnpelt - lashes her claws out at me. I draw back just in time, and her clawtips skim over my nose and Dawnpelt snarls in anger as she loses balance and falls forward.

What are you standing there for? the voice snaps. Get her!

Without thinking, I obey the voice's command and pounce on Dawnpelt. As I rake my claws through her fur, hearing pained screeches from her, I see more pelts emerge, some lighter than others, and some darker, and ShadowClan scent is all I smell, and their hisses are all I hear.

From the corner of my eye, I see Brightheart pinned to the ground by Rowanstar, and a couple more warriors standing by, their dark pelts bristling and their long, thorn-sharp claws unsheathed and ready to swipe. Blood trails down Brightheart's face - the wounded side, the one with the missing eye - and she looks tense, as if she's recalling the experience that almost killed her.

I spit at Dawnpelt, drive my claws into her shoulder, and slice downward toward her foreleg. Ignoring her pained cry, I leap away and sprint toward Rowanstar. I prepare to lunge at him and drive my claws into his throat, but instead pain pierces my shoulder blades and I whip around.

A dark brown tabby tom faces me, his ears pinned flat to his head and his white teeth bared at me. He looks familiar. I've seen him before.

Tigerheart.

He stole your mother from Bumblestripe, Duskpaw. the voice says smoothly. You aren't going to let him get away with that... are you? It sounds a bit impatient, but I don't acknowledge this. "No." I whisper to it. "I won't."

That's a good apprentice.

In some uncontrollable fury, I leap straight at Tigerheart. He's obviously unprepared for the attack, and he falls back. A few ShadowClan cats step forward to help, but others stop them, saying something along the lines of "If he wants to be deputy, he'll have to prove himself." Even Rowanstar, who was still pinning Brightheart, looked up in curiosity without letting his grip on my Clanmate loosen.

Tigerheart's claws lash out at my throat, but I lean back before he reaches me. He lets out a distressed cry as I run my claws over his face. "P-please stop!" he begs, still clawing at my sides.

Yes. Kill the traitor.

Blinded by a storm of emotions, half of which I can't name, I ignore his slicing claws at my flanks and sink my teeth into his throat. He struggles, and my flanks sting. Tigerheart lets out a fading cry, and his resistance grew weaker and weaker before he just...

...stopped.

And I realize what I've done.

I step away, my eyes wide with horror. I glance around at the ShadowClan cats, and they're all either startled or horrified. I see Dawnpelt, and she looks both infuriated and extremely upset, like she's about to break down.

Then a shriek breaks the silence. It's from Dawnpelt. "ThunderClan murderer! J-just like your medicine cat!"

Jayfeather wasn't the medicine cat anymore, but I got what she was talking about. But... Jayfeather had killed someone? I regret my sudden thought: Probably with his sarcasm. I can't help but smirk, but it quickly fades as I hear Lionblaze's screech of "ShadowClan! Leave!"

Lionblaze's golden tabby pelt emerges from the underbrush, flanked by a few more of my Clanmates: Squirrelflight, Leafpool, Snowpaw, Ripplepaw, Cloudtail, Foxleap, Dovewing, and Icecloud, all of them wearing bristling pelts and angry faces. Ripplepaw looks scared and excited. This is her first confrontation with another Clan, and she seems to have mixed emotions about it.

Dovewing stares at Tigerheart's dead body, and I feel a pang of guilt in my chest. I know she loved him. That's why Bumblestripe left her. Because she still had feelings for this other cat. You're not sorry, are you? the voice asks, sounding annoyed.

"No. No I'm not." I growl at it. "So shut up."

Snowpaw swiftly pads over to me, his soft blue eyes looking concerned. "Are you okay?" he asks, his tone worried.

I want to say "No, I'm not, and I'll never be." But I can't. Instead, I sigh, "Yeah, just a few scratches." Mental and physical. I add silently.

Lionblaze snarls at Rowanstar. "Get back to your territory, fox-heart!" he says challengingly, lashing his long tail. He looks angrier than he's been in moons.

Rowanstar looks as if he's about to laugh. "How about you mouse-brains-" He gestures to the ThunderClan cats with his tail. "-keep off ShadowClan territory? You've stolen prey and tried to expand your border. Hmm, seems like Tigerstar's son really will become a leader like him." Before Lionblaze could protest, Rowanstar sliced his claws through Brightheart's throat, earning a strained screech from her and a distressed cry from Cloudtail, among other horrified gasps and cries, some from ShadowClan.

Without another word, Rowanstar darted away, followed by some of his warriors. Some glanced back, their eyes despairing, before following him.

Cloudtail stares in horror at Brightheart's limp figure, and the ThunderClan cats are all silent. Snowpaw then lets out an agonized screech, and I remember that Brightheart is his mother. They were close, and now they're just torn apart. Just like a useless shred of grass torn apart by thorns, claws.

He just killed your friend's mother, Duskpaw! the voice yowls. Its voice echoes in my ears, and makes my head throb. And you're just going to let that slide? Like it didn't happen? My head hurts now, and I squeeze my eyes shut as the voice continues. I can't believe you! What a terrible friend.

"Shut... up..." I growl, trying to drive the voice away.

"Duskpaw?"

I snap my gaze up to Foxleap's concerned eyes, and look back away. "Are you alright?" the reddish tabby asks, his tone full of worry.

"Yes. Thanks for asking, Foxleap." I answer, rising to my paws and turning away.

Liar. But that's not the voice talking. No, that's my own thought.

Four - So you haven't forgotten me?

"Brightheart lived an honorable life." Bramblestar rasped from atop the Highbranch, his striped tail sweeping from side to side. "She was one of the best warriors this Clan ever had, and she raised excellent cats as well." His amber eyes flick over to Whitewing and her apprentice siblings, Snowpaw, Amberpaw, and Dewpaw.

Cloudtail sits with them, his normally bright eyes dull with pain and grief. Whitewing is pressed against his left flank, Snowpaw at his right. Amberpaw is murmuring something I can't hear, and Dewpaw is silent. He wasn't particularly close to Brightheart, but he still loved her like any son to their mother.

Bramblestar clears his throat. "And now, to honor her. Amberpaw, Dewpaw, Snowpaw." he addressed the three apprentices, making them all look up in surprise. "Step forward, if you will."

They look confused as they obey his command, glancing at each other with concerned eyes. Snowpaw looks reluctant to leave his grieving father's side, but Whitewing mews, "Go on." and he nods slightly. He turns away and joins his siblings, standing in the middle. He's the tallest, I notice, while Dewpaw is the shortest.

"In honor of Brightheart's life of loyalty," Bramblestar announced, "her sons and daughter will become warriors. Amberpaw," he meows, looking down at the pale ginger she-cat, "you will be Ambermist. The Clan will hold your loyalty to their hearts for as long as they live.

"Snowpaw, you will be Snow..."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a ginger and white she-cat with sparkling green eyes. Bramblestar's words drift away, and all I'm focused on is the cat, the spirit. "Brightheart...?" I breathe, holding her soft green gaze with my own azure one.

She nods without a word. Her gaze drifts and I glance to the side to see a young black and white tom. He looks like an apprentice, but he pads confidently over to Brightheart, as proudly as if he were a warrior. "Brightheart." he mews, averting his amber eyes.

"Swiftpaw," Brightheart whispers, "I've missed you so much."

"So you haven't forgotten me?" Swiftpaw looks up, his pale eyes hoepful.

"You saved me from the dogs, Swiftpaw. How could I forget about you?" Brightheart purrs, smiling.

"It's been moons. How could I have known you hadn't forgotten about me?" Swiftpaw mumbles, glancing to the side at me. Seemingly disregarding my prescence, the black and white tom sighs. "Can we leave already? I don't like this place. Not after that..." He seems like he's searching for the word. "Invasion." he finishes lamely.

Brightheart looks to me, nods slightly, and I stare after them as they leave, their pelts shining like Silverpelt above and their paw prints composed completely of dozens of tiny stars.

~*~*~

"Congratulations, Snowpaw." I meow as Snowsomething pads up to me.

He tips his head. "Who's Snowpaw?" he asked as if he'd never known or been a Snowpaw. "I'm Snowstep now." Then his blue eyes turn serious and he mews, "You were there during the ceremony. Duskpaw, is everything okay?"

"Yes, Snowstep." I mumble, averting my eyes to my paws. "Everything's alright."

Ha, nice lie you made up. Simple and terribly executed. the voice yawns. Honestly, a KIT could do better than that! The jeer repeats, and I shake my head to clear it.

"Duskpaw, don't li-" Snowstep begins, but a call of his name turns his attention away from me. I take this chance to slip away silently.

-tbc