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"I stared at him; my mouth hung open. He wanted us dead!"
Slimepaw is shunned, mistreated, tortured, and more.
Why?
Because she isn't beautiful in their eyes.
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Cloudfeather cautiously looked around, scanning the area for any signs of eavesdroppers or wandering cats. The full moon bathed the camp in a luminous glow, casting long shadows across the clearing. He felt relief knowing that most of his clanmates were at the Gathering, leaving him with a slim chance of being discovered while having a secret meeting with Mouseclaw.
Cloudfeather couldn't help but feel amused by the other clans' naivety. Like the fiercely independent Cloudclan, Nightclan, Lizardclan, and Oakclan could agree on anything! He had only attended the gathering because Pinestar had ordered it. Luckily, Firefang had offered to go instead, allowing Cloudfeather to slip away unnoticed. Besides, Pinestar wouldn't be the leader for much longer, and when Cloudfeather took over, he wouldn't waste his time with pointless gatherings.
Pinestar's leadership was stupid and pointless. He was too soft, too adaptive. When he was leader, his word would be law, and death would meet those who rebelled.
As he gazed up at the moon, Cloudfeather's thoughts turned to his ambitions. He dreamed of driving all the other clans out of the forest, making the whole territory his own. With his natural cunning and leadership skills, he was certain that he could unite his clan and create a new era of dominance for Oakclan.
"Cloudfeather!" Mouseclaw whispered.
The tom looked to his right and spotted Mouseclaw beckoning to him.
As he padded through the dense forest, his powerful paws pressed down on the lush green grass beneath him, creating a satisfying crunching sound with each step. The towering oak trees loomed above him, their gnarled branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. The air was thick with the musky scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. He paused for a moment to savor the aroma, opening his mouth to taste the fragrant air before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Are we ready to execute the plan?" he asked, keeping his voice low as the leaves rustled by his side.
"OK, remember. I'll go yowling into the gathering and asking for Pinestar to come immediately. I'll convince him to come alone, and, if he must, bring Firefang. Then, when I give the signal, you lunge at him. If Firefang is there, I'll take him on myself."
"Ok, I'm ready!" Mouseclaw said.
"And don't forget, if he brings more warriors, abandon the plan!"
"Will do!"
With that, he navigated his way through the dense undergrowth, the wind ruffling his fur. The grass poked his paws, but he ignored the sensation, his mind occupied with the plan. He hoped that next moon, everybody would be looking up to him as the leader of Oakclan.
And the best part was that Pinestar had only one life left.
As he eavesdropped on Rosestar's yowl, Cloudfeather couldn't help but snort quietly. A she-cat leading a clan? No wonder Nightclan was so notorious. However, she was interrupted by Beestar's retort, and before he knew it, he was running into the sandy clearing, gasping for breath.
"Pinestar!" he yowled, panting heavily.
"Cloudfeather?" Pinestar exclaimed in surprise. "What brings you here?"
"Danger! In camp!" he managed to utter in between gasps.
"Warriors! Back to camp!" Pinestar yowled immediately.
"No, Pinestar! Only you! We can't risk more warriors!" Cloudfeather said urgently.
Pinestar was left with no choice but to take Firefang with him, and they sprinted towards Mouseclaw's location. As they ran, Cloudfeather heard the sound of paw steps behind him and smirked. They were such fools.
"What danger is in camp?" Pinestar demanded, out of breath.
"R-rogues!" Cloudfeather replied.
Cloudfeather knew that Mouseclaw had to act fast, and he whispered to himself, "Now, Mouseclaw, now!"
On queue, Mouseclaw leaped above him and landed gracefully beside him. She unsheathed her claws and bared her teeth at the two toms, her fur bristling.
"Cloudfeather?" Pinestar asked, and for once there was the smallest sound of fear in his voice.
"Soon to be Cloudstar!" He sneered. "Your time of leadership is over!"
Cloudfeather swiftly lunged and knocked Firefang over, ignoring the stinging sensation of his opponent's claws raking his back. He spun around and felt his teeth sinking into his throat, the warm scent of blood entering his mouth. He dropped him and saw with satisfaction his body go limp. He turned to see Mouseclaw standing a fox length behind Pinestar's dying body.
"I... I bit his belly," she whispered. She looked a bit horror-struck at what she'd just done.
I looked at her cheerily. "Lighten up! Soon enough you'll call me Cloudstar!"
"You won't live long enough for that."
Cloudfeather whipped around and saw Brambletail watching them.
"You killed my father," he whispered.
"It's not what you think!" Mouseclaw squeaked, taking a step back.
"No, Mouseclaw. It's exactly what he thinks," Cloudfeather growled.
"Neither of you can live, you have betrayed your clan, your leader, and me," he snarled.
"Not if we kill you first!" Cloudfeather shot back. He pounced on Brambletail, his teeth ready to sink into his throat too.
But he was knocked off balance, and he stumbled to the side. Brambletail lunged at his throat. Searing white-hot pain blazed through Cloudfeather, and blood splattered on his white pelt. He let out a shriek of pain. Darkness was enveloping his vision...
Cloudfeather's body hit the forest floor with a thud.
He never moved again.
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