seeing red
by Vee for Blade's contest
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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 - This is Me
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 - All Can be Told from Their Eyes
"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 looked up at him, her one eye soft. "I'm alright, Lionblaze."
-tbc-