Dreaming Lies[]
Tigerstar leapt down from the mossy rock, the dampness seeping into her pelt. Her keen green eyes surveyed the landscape, unsheathing her claws.
A small splash diverted her attention to the river. A large trout was making its way upstream.
Tigerstar dove in after it, struggling through the currents. She caught up to it, pinning it down on a rock.
Hauling it out of the river, she slit its silvery pink belly.
She tucked her paws under her chest, about to take a bite, when she noticed a silver substance pooling under the creature. It was shiny, liquid like water, resembling metal.
She froze. Some long-forgotten instinct was telling her to run, that the liquid was poison. But she didn't move. She crept closer, brushing noses with the mercury.
Red. And then nothingness.
Silver pools fill the belly of the river, poisoned unawares. Twolegs pumping garbage into the river, poisoning unawares. Planet warriors must face the slaughter or the clan system shall falter.
"Tigerstar!" Someone called. She jerked upwards, disoriented, as she looked around. A silvery minnow lay at her paws.
She rose, stretching, in her den. Who had called her?
Mapleleaf and Jayhawk, medicine cat and deputy respectively, stood at the entrance to her den. "Tigerstar!" Jayhawk mewed.
She looked at him, seeing how worried he was. "What's wrong?"
"The clan is dying. There's a sickness." Mapleleaf mewed.
Blood chilled her veins. "Anything else?"
Jayhawk nodded. "Beewing has given birth to kits."
Tigerstar purred. "Some good news. How many?"
Panic flashed in Mapleleaf's eyes. "Four."
Tigerstar blinked at Mapleleaf, unsettled by her panic. "What's wrong?"
"She named them Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn."
Tigerstar's mouth fell open. "She-"
"Refused to give them kit suffixes." Jayhawk finished.
"What can we do?" She mewed.
"Nothing," Mapleleaf said somberly.
Tigerstar nodded, grief shadowing her. The kits would never be full members of RiverClan. "I understand. Has she spoken about who the father is?"
Jayhawk shrugged. "From the fact that she refused to give them their suffixes, most likely a rogue or loner."
Tigerstar's eyes fluttered shut. Dangerous secrets, dangerous lies...
She looked up. "Very well. Thank you for informing me."
Mapleleaf and Jayhawk exchanged a look, but didn't say anything.
Tigerstar heard the wailing of a kit. Mapleleaf flinched, glancing towards the nursery, but Tigerstar shook her head. "Beetail knew the risks," She mewed. Her heart ached as she realized what she was doing to her sister.
Jayhawk closed his eyes, clearly trying to shut out the cries. Beetail and those kits would be an embarrassment to him. He was Beetail's mate, but not the father of her kits.
Tigerstar shook slightly, shoving the dream to the back of her mind. "You may go."
Mapleleaf shot another pained glance at the nursery before padding away. Jayhawk nodded at her, taking his place at the entrance to the den as her guard.
Tigerstar felt a twinge of jealousy. She had always loved Jayhawk, but he had chosen Beetail. And then this had happened...
She curled up in her nest, eyes skimming over the minnow. The last thing she thought before falling asleep was that there was a small amount of silver liquid circling the minnow's body.
Outcasts[]
Mercury took a wary bite of the rabbit, and almost immediately started to purr. The meat was juicy and warm, the blood refreshing.
"Good, right?" Jupiter asked, puffing out her chest in pride. Her cinnamon-tabby pelt glowed faintly in the dawn's light.
Mercury nodded. "Dawn Patrol worth it then?" He asked around a bite of rabbit hide.
She nodded. "I thought so."
"You thought right, then," Venus commented, cheeks bulging with the warm meat. "I'm glad we don't have to eat scraps anymore."
Saturn nodded. "Stale mouse? Bleh!" She said indignantly.
"We're apprentices now!" Mercury said it giddily. "I can't believe it!"
"I can't believe Tigerstar let us become apprentices," Venus mewed.
Saturn shifted her paws. "I'm not a warrior apprentice like you," She mumbled.
Jupiter rolled her eyes. "That doesn't matter! What matters is that Beebrain over there," She gestured towards their tabby-patterned mother, "won't be 'feeding' us anymore."
Mercury snickered, then straightened his face. "How do you like your mentors?" He inquired eagerly.
"Hollytail is okay," Venus mewed. "Wish she'd take me hunting, though." She added with a jealous look at Jupiter's catch.
"I don't like Ashtail." Jupiter mewed. "But he's nice enough."
"What? Come onnnn!" Venus groaned. "No fair!"
"Mapleleaf is a good mentor!" Saturn enthused.
Mercury cocked his head. "What do medicine cats do?"
Saturn grinned. "We treat injuries and get to communicate with StarClan!"
Mercury rolled his eyes. "But StarClan isn't real."
"I've spoken with them!" Saturn retorted defensively.
Venus squealed at eagerly. "What did they say? What did they look like?" She jabbered uncontrollably.
"Well, they told me I'd be a good medicine cat. And they looked like cats." Saturn replied.
Mercury and Jupiter exchanged a look. He didn't know why his siblings believed in StarClan, it seemed foolish, like a story an elder would tell. Jupiter didn't believe either, thank goodness for that.
"What do you think about Cottonsky?" Jupiter asked Mercury.
He hesitated, should he tell them? Or should he keep her secret to himself?
He shook his head, deciding against it.
"She's... okay." He said finally.
Better to lie then tell them Cottonsky's secret.
Venus nodded. "Let's go explore the territo-"
"Venuspaw!" Someone called, most likely Hollytail.
She grimaced. "Stop calling me that," She growled, so only Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn could hear.
Mercury snorted. "Good luck," He mewed as she padded away.
On the outside, Mercury was a tough guy. Teasing, but loyal.
On the inside, he was insecure. He didn't know what to do about Cottonsky. He felt like he was splintering into millions of tiny pieces.
Captured[]
Saturn sifted the gross, slimy seaweed through her paws. She stifled a retch.
"Easy now," Mapleleaf teased.
She hesitated. Should she tell Mapleleaf what she suspected about her? She didn't suspect, she knew.
But no, she couldn't.
She couldn't.
It would destroy her. Mapleleaf, the one cat who had treated her and her siblings with respect and decency, had a deadly secret.
It wasn't her fault or her siblings' fault that they were the result of an affair, but everyone else in the clan seemed to think so.
She had hidden it so well, everyone trusted her.
It wasn't fair for Saturn to figure it out and reveal her, not after what Mapleleaf had done for her family.
"Something bothering you, dear?" Mapleleaf asked, squinting at Saturn.
Saturn smiled. "No, but thank you, Mapleleaf."
Mapleleaf nodded, glancing at the seaweed laying at Saturn's paws. "Could you collect some yarrow?" Mapleleaf asked.
Saturn nodded. "Of course." She padded out of the den, mind reeling. Could she really hide that secret from her littermates?
Saturn sighed.
She'd have to.
Because if she told, Mapleleaf would die.
And Saturn would be the only medicine cat.
She shivered, scanning the undergrowth for yarrow outside of camp. It didn't grow too far, but Saturn had a problem with the yarrow, it looked a lot like tansy.
She sighed, seeing the tall green stalk of a yarrow plant peeking out from under a fern.
Carefully, she dipped down, biting it off, but leaving the roots to grow.
She was about to go back to camp when she caught a glimpse of something golden dash out of the clearing.
She frowned, there were no yellow or golden-furred cats in RiverClan, at least, none that could have been out of the camp.
She sighed, curiosity getting the better of her.
She followed where the golden thing went, unable to smell because of the yarrow. Her fur bristled. Could it be a trespasser?
She blinked. The thing was gone.
Saturn sighed, she should let Tigerstar know.
Red-hot anger tinged her vision and she bit down on the yarrow, ripping the leaves.
Why should Tigerstar know? She demanded of herself angrily.
Saturn bristled, hackles raised. She didn't like Tigerstar, but the tabby leader was justified in her actions: Beetail had gotten pregnant with a rogue's kits, despite being mates with Jayhawk, the clan deputy.
Saturn took a deep breath. Tigerstar is your leader, she reminded herself.
She groaned inwardly, clashing with herself. I wish she wasn't.
Then something golden bowled into her and everything went dark.
Friendship[]
Jupiter licked her cinnamon tabby pelt.
She was Saturn's twin sister, and the oldest one of the litter.
But she wasn't confident. She was...insecure.
As much as she hated to admit it, it was true.
"Jupiter?" Someone mewed.
Jupiter looked up. It was Jadepaw.
"Hi," She murmured, unsure why a real clan cat was talking to her.
"Wanna spar?" Jadepaw asked.
Jupiter shook her head. "I can't. My, uh, my mentor hasn't taught me the moves yet."
Jadepaw frowned. "Aw, that's too bad. Want to just talk?" She offered.
Jupiter was confused.
This older she-cat was being... friendly to her.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked bluntly.
"Well, you seem like you're a nice cat," Jadepaw replied evenly.
Jupiter blinked. No one had ever said that to her. "O-oh."
Jadepaw smiled hopefully. "So... will you?"
"Ah... no." Jupiter stood, brushing past Jadepaw towards the fresh-kill pile.
She grabbed a thrush, looking around for Mercury. She wanted to talk with him. "Why not?" Jadepaw demanded, following her.
Jupiter raised her eyebrows. "I'm not the trusting type."
"Understood." Jadepaw nodded. "Butmaybejustthisonce-"
"No." Jupiter snapped coldly, glaring at her.
Jadepaw's shoulders slumped. "Okay..."
Jupiter watched her pad away, her own face contorted in a scowl. What was Jadepaw's obsession with her?
She rolled her eyes.
Creep.
But she couldn't deny that tinge of wistfulness that came over her as her wide black eyes followed the gray she-cat into the apprentices' den.
Just another thing that Tigerstar had stolen from her.
She sighed. "Mercury?" She mewed, hoping the gray tom would poke his head out from a den or something.
"Here," He called, racing over. His face was ashen, tail twitching anxiously.
"What's wrong?" Jupiter inquired immediately.
"It's Saturn." Mercury said.
Her blood turned to ice in her veins.
Not Saturn.
Not her sister.
Not the one of the only cats she ever really cared for.
"She's missing."
The world seemed to come to a screeching halt.
Jupiter's head swam as she was overcome with emotions.
One overshadowed them all: shock.
"What?!" She screeched.
Mercury sighed. "We know what took her."
Jupiter froze. Shock dilated her pupils and her breaths came in heaving gulps.
"What took her?" She breathed.
Mercury hesitated. "Well... She was kidnapped by WindClan."
"Why?" Jupiter asked, voice rising dangerously.
Mercury winced, looking at her, pity and sorrow swimming in his gaze.
"They want a ransom. We... We get her back and they get the land-prey on our territory."
Adversity[]
"We will not do anything." Tigerstar announced.
"What?" Venus screeched, snapping her head to glare at the tabby. "She's our sister! You have to get her back!"
Tigerstar glared at Beetail. "She isn't a real member of this clan." She growled.
"You're joking." Mercury cried. Venus silently hoped she was. She needed her sister. It wouldn't be the same without Saturn.
Jupiter let out a low wail of grief. "We need her!"
Tigerstar shook her head. "No, and that's final."
Venus turned to stare at Mercury. "If she won't send out a patrol, I will." She snarled, storming to the camp exit.
"Venus, wait!" Mercury mewed. "You need all of us."
Venus hesitated. Jupiter flicked her ear, and the three felines made their way inconspicuously out of the camp.
"Okay, now what?" Jupiter whispered once they were at the border.
"Mapleleaf said she had gone to collect yarrow, let's start there." Mercury whispered.
Venus nodded, she knew where the herbs were. "Follow me."
She looked around, eyes narrowed, until she caught sight of a well-worn path leading through a shrubbery.
She started towards the path, but Mercury held her back. "WindClan." He hissed.
Venus froze. "They're-"
"Trespassing." Jupiter finished, voice a whispered snarl.
Venus let out a shriek and ran through the path, everything a blur.
She would get revenge.
Saturn would not be used like a bargaining chip.
Before she knew it, Jupiter was behind her.
"Over here!" She hissed, turning right.
Venus veered with her and they charged into a clearing.
Three WindClan warriors stood guarding a cinnamon tabby heap.
Jupiter yowled. "What did you do to my sister?!"
The biggest intruder's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh no, they found us! Ah, I'm so scared-"
He never finished his scentence. Venus bowled into him, raking his face with untrimmed claws.
Cursing and spitting profanities, the WindClan tom tried to throw Venus off, but she hooked her claws into his fur. "Let. Her. Go.!!!" The tom yowled.
The WindClan warriors retreated, and Venus got off the tom. "Stay away from my sister!" She screamed shrilly.
The tom turned and ran.
There was silence.
then, "Venus, how did you do that?" Jupiter asked.
"I just wanted to save Saturn," Venus replied.
"But... you almost killed that tom."
Venus furrowed her brow. "What?"
Jupiter was about to speak, but Saturn stirred.
Mercury ran over to her. "Saturn, you're okay!" He cried.
Venus sighed, relief washing over her.
Her sister would be okay.