Warriors: Divided Loyalty

Chapter Thirteen

"Nightpaw, wake up." A harsh mew made Nightpaw's head jerk up from her paws and she blinked away sleep. Above her, Halfthroat stood over her, his eyes unreadable. "Be quiet and let's get out of the camp."

"Where?" She asked quietly, aware of her siblings and the other apprentices in the den. "Where are we going?"

Halfthroat didn't answer as he silently padded out of the den. Nightpaw contained a growl of annoyance and she followed quietly. The moon hang lazily over her head, bathing her pelt in moonlight.

The camp was deathly quiet, not even Russetbriar's kits would be playing at this time of night. Shimmergaze and Mistyflake were guarding the camp so Halfthroat led Nightpaw out of the camp using the dirtplace tunnel.

Nightpaw squeezed her way through the tunnel, hissing slightly as thorns scratched her ear and flanks. Where in the world are we going? She asked silently but followed her mentor without a word.

Halfthroat seemed at ease as they neared a part of the territory Nightpaw had never seen before. In front of them, Nightpaw saw movement and she unsheathed her claws, alert.

Halfthroat saw her stance and waved his tail dismissively. "Relax," he meowed. "It's just Songpaw being Songpaw." Songpaw's here? Nightpaw winced and nodded, reluctantly sheathing her claws.

As they neared where Songpaw was, Nightpaw made out many other shapes. Something about the strong build of the other cats made one thing clear to Nightpaw.

"Who is this, Halfthroat?" Demanded Nightflower, GlacierClan's deputy. "We don't need kits to join us."

Nightpaw unsheathed her claws, hissing. "I'm not a kit!" She retorted. "I'm an apprentice, Halfthroat's apprentice!"

"Calm down, apprentice," purred a voice from behind Nightpaw. She turned around, hostility pricking her pelt. A dark ginger tom with bright yellow eyes looked at her. "Nightflower won't hurt you."

The deputy hissed, making the tom smirk. "See what I mean?" He meowed to Nightpaw, who nodded nervously.

"Rowantail," growled Halfthroat. He turned to the other cats, his eyes glinting. "Tonight is the half-moon, correct?" He asked Nightflower, who nodded. "The medicine cats and medicine cat apprentices are at the Moonpool."

"Which is important why?" Asked Songpaw, cutting Halfthroat off. "Why are is the half-moon meeting so important to us?"

Nightpaw watched as Halfthroat cuffed Songpaw over the ear with a massive paw, claws unsheathed. Songpaw let out a growl of pain and ducked down, glaring at the tom as blood trickled down his ear from the nick.

"Do not interrupt me, Songpaw." Halfthroat meowed, glaring at Nightpaw's brother. "Anyway, how many medicine cats would be at the meeting this time?"

A white and gray speckled she-cat spoke. "Six," she answered. "All of them are going. I saw them before I made it here."

Halfthroat was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Who else joined you this quarter-moon, Echospeck?" He asked the speckled she-cat.

Echospeck lifted her tail and three other cats, unfamiliar to Nightpaw came out of the shadows. StarClan's kits! She thought.

Halfthroat looked pleased and flicked his tail to two cats. One of them was a gray and white tom with gleaming green eyes and the other was a ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

"So nice that there are more of us this time," purred the tom as he sat down. "Squirrelsplash and I almost couldn't make it."

Squirrelsplash nodded, her eyes flashing. "We almost got caught sneaking out by Blackdust and Eeltail." She meowed, claws unsheathing.

Halfthroat flicked his tail and looked at the sky, seeing the stars shining coldly over his broad, scarred head. "Let's go," he meowed gruffly and looked around. "We need to get to the Moonpool before the medicine cats wake up and head back to their camps."

**********

Halfthroat led the way as Nightpaw, Songpaw, Squirrelsplash, Thistlespirit, Echospeck, Tumblewatcher, Poppybee, Rowantail, and Nightflower silently stalked up the hill leading to the Moonpool.

With Songpaw next to her, Nightpaw felt uncomfortable. She and her brother never got along since the day she was born. Why does he hate me so much? She wondered then shook her head, a new emotion boiling in her belly and she unsheathed her claws. I'll prove to Songpaw that I'm not a kit!

Halfthroat stopped and Nightpaw nearly crashed into him but she stopped herself just in time. "They're sleeping," he whispered, his voice soft and quiet. "Surround them and wait for my signal."

Without missing a beat, Nightpaw crouched down and headed around the starry pool. She made out the shapes of every medicine cat and focused on one cat. Blackheart.

The tom was curled up beside the Moonpool, not leaning over the small edge with his muzzle a whisker away. What's his problem? Nightpaw asked herself but she blinked, getting into the hunting crouch a few mouse-lengths away from the tom.

She looked around and saw Songpaw crouched behind Mottlesong, his eyes gleaming with excitement and longing. To her left, Rowantail and Echospeck were crouched around Tanglewatcher and Timberskip. Halfthroat and Thistlespirit were to the left and right of Swiftflake, watching his flanks rise and fall. Tumblewatcher, Poppybee, and Nightflower were at the entrance of the cave, their eyes dark.

Poppybee split away from the others and stalked towards Flamehawk and got in her position, looking to Halfthroat.

"Attack!" Yowled the warrior and he and Thistlespirit charged forward. Halfthroat leaped onto Timberskip and Thistlespirit targetted Tanglewatcher.

As the Moonpool's cave filled with yowls of pain and anger as the medicine cats woke, Nightpaw flung herself at Blackheart, claws unsheathed.

The medicine cat apprentice let out a hiss and swung at her ears but he missed. Nightpaw lashed out a paw and caught his shoulder before darting away.

Blackheart leaped, crashing down on Nightpaw with such force, her head connected with the ground and she yelped. Underneath the tom, Nightpaw looked up to see the pain in Blackheart's eyes.

"Why, daughter?" He whispered, confusing Nightpaw. Gritting her teeth together, Nightpaw flew up at the tom and pinned him to the ground and slashed at his chest.

Blood sprayed Nightpaw's face, blinding her as her paws flailed. Just kill him! Her head screeched and Nightpaw raised her paw to end Blackheart's life but stopped, seeing a strange calm in his eyes.

"What did you mean when you called me your daughter?" She asked, suddenly reluctant to kill the tom. He kept quiet, annoying Nightpaw. "Answer me!"

Blackheart raised his chin to her ear and Nightpaw froze. "You," he rasped, "are no daughter of mine." Nightpaw shoved the medicine cat apprentice to the stone floor and raked her claws across his neck.

Blackheart let out a painful screech that made Nightpaw flinch but she watched the light drain from his yellow eyes. Her paw was dripping with his blood, making her sick. I just killed my Clan's medicine cat.

"Useless medicine cat!" Songpaw's yowl made Nightpaw look up to see a bloodbath. Flamehawk was barely clinging to life as Poppybee sank her teeth into his shoulder and threw him to the ground.

Songpaw was standing over the body of Mottlesong and Nightpaw saw the pride in his blazing eyes as they met gazes. Mottlesong was so nice to me, she didn't deserve to die.

Rowantail had Tanglewatcher pinned to the floor and dove down, biting the tom's neck as he shrieked in pain. Nightpaw couldn't bear to watch another cat lose their life.

Halfthroat padded from the body of Swiftflake and looked around, his gaze lingering on Nightpaw the longest. "Well done," he meowed and lashed his tail back and forth. "Let's leave the bodies here and go before any cat knows we're gone."

Nightpaw looked down at Blackheart's sightless gaze, her heart hollow and tight. What have I done? She thought as she tore her eyes away from the dead medicine cat. I did this to prove to Halfthroat that I can keep the oath.