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Season 1, Episode 10 of War.
Enjoy your finale. :)
Firestar[]
A moon or so ago if you asked me about the war, I would have promptly told you it began seasons ago and it was started for too many reasons to count- but it still rages today. I wouldn't be able to tell you any statistics or fancy battle moves like the apprentices from Main Camp could, or tell any charming stories about cats from my village who had gone to serve, since no one had ever gone before me.
That's about the only thing special about me. I'm the first cat to go to war from my camp. The rest of my squad is extraordinary, all unique. There's Shadowsong and Oakclaw, the warriors who spend about as much time arguing as they do breathing. Everyone agrees they just need to get together already. And by everyone I mean Silverflower and I. Silverflower herself is the picture of gorgeous- silver fur and blue eyes. Adderscar, the squad's brain, is probably madly in love with her. Then there's our commander, Badgerstrike, who's about 20 moons older then the rest of us. And finally, our second, the gorgeous, funny, smart, perfect...well, Gorsefur. Who, if you haven't figured out is my sort of boyfriend.
We're so special because we have a special mission. Which is to kill the leader of FireClan. Which is what we're attempting to do now.
The clearing is about as big as my camp back home was. Firestar's den is at the end of it, the deputy and chief medicine cat's den on either side. With any luck, Rowanfur, the deputy will still be sprawled somewhere in the forest, bleeding where Gorsefur and I left him. We didn't kill him, we just cut him up...a little...I hope...
Anyways.
If we're lucky, we'll just sneak through and it'll all be good. If we're unlucky, FireClan warriors will storm us, kill us all, and WaterClan will waste moons trying again.
Shadowsong and Adderscar are arguing about whether or not it would be better to sneak around the edges or head across the clearing. Shadowsong makes a good argument, but Adderscar wins and Badgerstrike leads us to the edge of the clearing.
Gorsefur stops at the edge and lets the others go ahead. He stands next to me, "I didn't want it to be like this..."
"Like what?"
"I really, really care about you." he meowed, "But on missions like this, at least one of us is going to die."
"I-"
"You don't know," he meows. His eyes are sad, "But you will."
Wordlessly, we pad after the others.
The first few dens pass without much hassle. We're all quiet and move quickly. The night cloaks most of our pelts, although Oakclaw's golden coat and Adderscar's ginger fur are a little more caught in the moonlight then Shadwsong's black or Gorsefur's stormy gray.
But Rowanfur's sneering words dance in my head.
You do know it's a trap, don't you?
He was taunting Gorsefur, I tell myself, That's all.
We pass the deputy's den and I swear I see amber eyes peering out at us, narrowed in amusement. Rowanfur...?
But then there is the darkness of the den, and I blink, turning away.
A trap...
And then we're in the clearing, behind Firestar's den. There are guards, but even as I watch, Shadowsong and Silverflower slip away, behind them. And then the warriors are lying on the ground, blood streaming into the packed dirt of FireClan camp. The she-cats return to the group as if nothing had ever happened.
"Ready?" Silverflower asks, her eyes suspiciously bright.
"Who's doing the deed?"
Shadowsong, Oakclaw, Gorsefur, and Badgerstrike share a look. Obviously it'll be one of them, I've never killed, Adderscar is not that kind of soldier, and Silverflower...is Silverflower.
"I'll do it," Badgerstrike rumbles. "I need you on back up and I've killed the most. I'll do it."
"Badgerstrike-" Shadowsong sighs.
"I've got the most blood on my soul." Badgerstrike meows gruffly. "What's the harm in a little more."
"Hate to interrupt your lovely sentiments," Adderscar meows, "But we have a problem."
The seasoned warriors fall into a circle and Gorsefur ushers the three of us to join in. Looking at the shadows, I can see bright pelted warriors with gleaming eyes hiding in the shadows, surrounding us.
"Here's the plan," Adderscar says. I can practically hear his mind whirring. "Everyone but Shadowsong go fight. Shadowsong go around the edges and try to get to Firestar."
"Why her?" Oakclaw asks defensively.
"Because," Adderscar snorts, "She has dark fur, she's a good fighter but we can also deal without her, and she won't mind killing Firestar."
Oakclaw looks at Shadowsong, like a kit whose mother has chosen to return to the warriors den. She avoids looking at him, and merely scoots so she's standing closest to the forest. Gorsefur is pressed against me.
"Brookfall-"
"I'll be fine," I mutter. "We'll get through this."
But I know what's running through his head. One of us has to die, or so says the numbers. And the most likely to die is the new warrior, the one Main Camp doesn't even try to pretend isn't there just to be another body on the field.
Rowanfur pads onto the field and Badgerstrike faces him, unusually tense. Gorsefur stands at his commander's side and Oakclaw crouches, smirking at the FireClan cats nearest to him. To their credit, they don't back away. Adderscar and Silverflower press close together and Shadowsong is lost in thought. We are all that stands against the wrath of FireClan.
You don't know that it's a trap?
"Badgerstrike," Rowanfur calls into the silence. "It's about time you showed up." Bgaderstrike, in a shockingly rational move, remains silent. "Although, you were always late, huh?"
Badgerstrike flinches at that, and Gorsefur takes over, "Rowanfur, you're not taking us alive. We will do what we were sent here to do."
"I highly doubt that," Rowanfur smirks.
"Fine, then fight." Gorsefur baits. His plan is reckless and insane- we fight, Shadowsong kills Firestar, and we run like StarClan is chasing us. But it might work.
Rowanfur shrugs. "Fine." he waves his tail and the forces of FireClan are upon us.
Shadowsong is lost in the fray, and Oakclaw follows her, pushing away anyone who goes after her.
Badgerstrike charges for Rowanfur, a grim expression on his face.
I loose sight of Adderscar and Silverflower, but Adderscar's yowls and Silverflower's hisses are still loud and clear.
Gorsefur and I charge the nearest warriors. I leap on a light brown FireClan tom, my claws ripping at his fur. A trail of fire blazes down my shoulder and I let out a shriek, blood trickling down my leg. The tom smirks and I wipe it off his face. He reels away, my claw marks bright and bloody. I feel both a profound sense of revulsion and a slight inkling or pride.
Gorsefur nods behind me, "Look out!"
I spin and dodge the rusty colored she-cat who lunges for me. I can see the rest of the clearing now- Badgerstrike and Rowanfur are duking it out. Shadowsong has disappeared, but Oakclaw still defends the spot where she vanished into the undergrowth. Adderscar and Silverflower are being overwhelmed though.
I rush over to where the silver she-cat and ginger tom lash out against the FireClan cats. I tackle the nearest one, sending them shrieking away. Silverflower looks over gratefully and Adderscar nods in my general direction, which is Adderscar for 'Oh thank StarClan you're here'.
I think we might actually make it through this. I honestly do. But then a FireClan cat lunges at Silverflower. The she-cat is too busy fighting off another she-cat to see this new threat. I let out a warning wail, but Adderscar is faster.
The ginger tom can't do anything to stop the blow. But he can take it instead of Silverflower.
Adderscar falls to the ground, heavily, and doesn't get back up. Blood pools on the ground and Silverflower lets out a wail, crouching beside him. I rush to cover them. The FireClan cats rush forward, like foxes sensing weaknesses. Suddenly Gorsefur is beside me, battering away the hungry foxes. I let out a small sigh of relief.
"How's Adderscar?" Gorsefur yowls to Silverflower.
Her reply is choked with sobs. "He's hurt pretty badly...we need to get him home. He didn't have to take that blow, you know, he-"
"Pull it together!" I shriek, slashing at a FireClan cat's muzzle. It's strange how quickly I go from being repulsed by the violence to just another warrior, a soldier bred to spill FireClan blood.
Oakclaw joins us, "There are too many, we have to get Shadowsong and Badgerstrike."
"I'm here," and suddenly he is. The old tom is bleeding heavily, but Rowanfur is no where in sight. "Gorsefur, go get Shadowsong."
"I could-" Oakclaw begins.
"If you go, you'll argue." Badgerstrike growls. "Adderscar is dying and we need to get out of here. Mission or not."
Oakclaw steps back, eyes anguished. I watch as Gorsefur winks at me, then heads off into the fray. The FireClan cats have mostly retreated, either thanks to us or due to another unseen force. I wonder is Rowanfur is planning a second wave of attackers.
Gorsefur enters Firestar's den and I hold my breath. He emerges a moment later, with Shadowsong.
Oh thank StarClan.
But something's wrong. I can tell Shadowsong didn't finish the mission, she's covered in blood, but she's arguing with Gorsefur. Probably killed the bodyguards, but couldn't get to Firestar. I can't see, but I can imagine her eyes, slightly obsessed, angry. They're like siblings.
Her yowl picks up, "I have to do this Gorsefur! Go on without me!" she vanishes back into the den. Gorsefur, without hesitating, delves back into the den to get her. He drags her out, by the scruff, and she yowls in anger. His golden eyes meet mine and for a moment I can almost here his rusty purr-
And then FireClan cats swarm the clearing. They cut us off from Gorsefur and Shadowsong, a wave heading towards us while the remainder head for the two cornered WaterClan cats. I let out a wail as Gorsefur disappears from view.
Rowanfur turns and smirks, all his hatred focused on Badgerstrike.
"We have to go!" Silverflower shrieks, "Adderscar is dy-dy-dy-"
"Shadowsong is in there!" Oakclaw yowls, "Gorsefur too. I'm not-"
Badgerstrike pushes him towards the exit, yowling at him to move. Oakclaw fights, but even he's not stupid enough to take on all of FireClan. The five of us race through the forest, away from the camp. After a while, they stop chasing us. Derisive hoots and yowls follow us as we tear through FireClan territory.
Finally, we have to stop. Adderscar needs attention now. Ironically, the only one smart enough to know the best medical treatment is himself. Silverflower, however, is technically our designated medicine cat. She rushes for cobwebs, still in hysterics. I'm sobbing myself.
"Hey, hey." Badgerstrike is suddenly in front of me and Oakclaw. Oakclaw isn't crying, but he looks furious.
"We have to go back there-"
"Shut up, Oakclaw." Badgerstrike growls, "Look, they won't kill them, alright? They're probably not even going to move them from Main Camp. We will get them back, I promise."
"But-"
"We can't save them right now." Badgerstrike glares at us. "I'm sorry. But we can save Adderscar." he gestures to the limp form of the small tom. "Now do you want to rescue the tom who took a blow so Silverflower wouldn't have to, or cats who got in trouble because they couldn't finish the mission and then ignored all survival instincts and obsessively tried to?"
Oakclaw's jaw tightens and I feel my heart wrench. I know Badgerstrike's right, but still...
"Just try to get some rest," Badgerstrike meowed gruffly, "We're taking off as soon as Adderscar can be moved."
Oakclaw stalks away and I find myself wishing he won't do anything stupid. My own wounds exhaust me and I can only take a few steps before I collapse, curling in on myself to prevent the jagged edges of what was once my heart from cutting me too deeply.
Badgerstrike watched over Adderscar while Silverflower was gone. He berated himself.
Anyone but Rowanfur...
Anyone but the FireClan deputy might treat the two WaterClan cats with an ounce of decency. But Rowanfur knew that the best way to hurt Badgerstrike was to hurt two of his warriors. And Rowanfur sure did want to hurt Badgerstrike. Not like he was going to tell that to Oakclaw and Brookfall.
He stared down at Adderscar, the ginger tom's life pooling away with every breath.
He wished Silverflower would hurry up.
I stare at the stars, all my tears dried up.
You didn't even know him a moon ago.
"Yeah," I whisper, "But I thought he was like all those stories the elders used to tell. I thought he was..."
I curl up tighter, shaking.
You do know it's a trap, don't you?
"I should've killed that fox heart when I had the chance," I mutter.
But then I wouldn't be the she-cat Gorsefur cared so deeply for. I would be something colder.
That is, if there's enough of Gorsefur left to love you now, my mind whispers.
I smack my head against the ground, trying to dislodge the doubts. The stars twinkle back merrily and I glare at them.
Oakclaw's curses, mostly directed at the absent Shadowsong, keep me entertained while I silently list all the reasons why I wish I had never been forced to join this StarClan forsaken war.