W/n slowly looked up at the sky, his eyes clouded as many thoughts raced through his head.
He wanted MapleShade, he wished that none of this ever happened...but she picked AppleDusk of all cats to love.
Plus, W/n decided to stay in ThunderClan over leaving with her, he's happy where he is, even with what has happened over this moon.
FreckleWish nuzzled him gently with a soft smile, "OakStar wants us to go and collect herbs, with BloomHeart and NettlePaw."
"Alright, let's go quickly," W/n nodded as he rose to his paws and padded towards the entrance.
BloomHeart nodded in greeting to the younger warriors, "we need to collect burdock, Chervil and Juniper."
"I heard that Chervil is growing by the snake rocks!" NettlePaw mewed with excitement.
W/n flicked his tail at the ginger Tom, "you will not be going near such a place, I'll go."
"And I'll come with you," FreckleWish meowed with a smile. BloomHeart nodded in understanding.
BloomHeart and NettlePaw went to fetch cobwebs from stale dens, "what does chervil even look like anyway?"
"I'm not too sure...I wish RavenWing was still here," FreckleWish whispered. Suddenly the she-cat stopped, her eyes catching a trail of blood.
"It's mouse blood?" W/n sniffed it carefully, "maybe we shouldn't follow it..."
"No it could be an intruder!" FreckleWish growled as she began following the blood smear.
W/n followed her quickly, however he felt something watching them. "We shouldn't be here..."
"That's odd..." FreckleWish meowed as the mouse laid there on the floor. Suddenly MapleShade leaped from the rocks, a menacing glint in her eyes.
W/n stared in shock, FreckleWish was frozen in place, her fur beginning to bristle at the sight of the rogue.
"Are you too scared to fight?" The tortoiseshell cat mocked the golden she-cat, "you just like watching poor kits drown!"
"I thought that they were ok..." FreckleWish whispered, W/n stepped in front of FreckleWish.
"This wasn't her fault," he insisted, "she couldn't risk her life, what would OakStar think? Loosing another kit?"
"I don't care what he thinks! She's glad the kits are dead!" MapleShade scowled. FreckleWish snarled.
"She thought that they were safe!" W/n yelled back at MapleShade, trying to defend his mate
"You betrayed my brother's name, I wish you were dead, along with your kits!" FreckleWish spat.
W/n stopped the golden flecked she-cat from attacking, "go and get the patrol, now!"
FreckleWish looked at him in alarm, "b-but..."
"Now!" W/n yowled, FreckleWish quickly ran away from the scene, MapleShade unsheathed her claws and tried to run after her.
W/n quickly shoved her off balance and pinned her down, "you lied to me, you lied to everyone and killed RavenWing!"
"So? I don't care anymore!" MapleShade snarled at him. "He deserved to die, and so does FreckleWish! I need to avenge them!"
"And I loved you so much...do you know how much it hurt me to hear about the news of your kits with BirchFace, but it hurt even more to hear you had them with AppleDusk!"
MapleShade opened her mouth to reply however a cry of pain echoed from W/n as an adder shot from a hole in the rocks and bit his eye.
The p/c Tom collapsed, MapleShade scrambled to her paws, looking at him in horror as W/n began foaming from the mouth and twitching.
"W/N!" BloomHeart yowled from a distance, W/N's eyes flickered towards MapleShade, who looked at him with guilt.
"I-I'm so sorry..." she choked before feeling the scene. FreckleWish cried out in horror as she saw her mate on the ground in pain.
"Come on we need to set the medicine den up, quickly," BloomHeart meowed, "oh StarClan, why did you take RavenWing from us?"
W/n violently twitched, his eyes beginning to glaze over, "am I going to die?"
"Of course not!" NettlePaw mewed enthusiastically, "you'll be fine, Right?" He voice trailed off.
BloomHeart nodded with a frown, before helping the injured warrior up. "Yes, you'll be fine W/n..."
***
W/n laid in the medicine den, his vision blurred, almost gone completely.
He heard FreckleWish desperately rummaging through the old herb storages, "I don't know what to do!"
"FreckleWish it's fine..." W/n tried to soothe her, however he heard her crying.
"No, no it's not!" She whispered with a sob, "I need you, I can't loose you like BirchFace!"
There was silence after that W/n felt his body drifting away, "I'm sorry FreckleWish, I can't hold on..."
She looked at him in horror, placing her forehead to his, "but, I can't raise these kits alone..."
W/n lifted his head weakly, love suddenly bursting through his veins, "K-kits? Oh that's great news!"
"But who would help me raise them?" FreckleWish whispered sadly, her eyes clouded.
W/n let out a sad laugh, he touched noses with the golden speckled she-cat and one last purr exited his throat, "I'll always be watching over you..."
FreckleWish sobbed quietly as W/n groaned and fell limp in his nest. He opened his eyes only to see PetalKit staring at him.
"PetalKit?" He breathed quietly, the light brown she-cat gave him a smile.
"Welcome W/n, we saw what mommy did..." she whispered. The other kids then appeared mewing happily.
W/n purred as the kits all greeted him, RavenWing then Stepped into view. And then BirchFace, "oh BirchFace...I've missed you so much..."
"I've missed you too," the brown tabby purred happily as he touched noses with W/n. Then W/n gasped in shock when he saw AppleDusk.
"What happened?" W/n asked quietly, the brown Tom grunted. "MapleShade killed me, I protected ReedShine since she was carrying my kits..."
W/n then suddenly remembered FreckleWish's news, she was carrying his kits. He felt a pang of sadness knowing he couldn't meet them.
However, at least the kits and FreckleWish would live on. But he had to wonder, what happened to MapleShade?
***
MapleShade coughed violently as blood pooled from the wound on her neck. She looked around the eerie forest.
I need to find my kits!
She raced through the green and muddy earth, a blanket of fog covered her tracks. Her heart raced at the thought of seeing them again.
Finally, she made it to the boarder that separates the dark forest and StarClan, her ears pricked when she heard cheerful mews.
Her eyes filled with love as each of them played happily, "W/n?" She breathed. All of the kits looked at her with fear.
"Ah! MapleShade!" K/n squealed, W/n wrapped his tail around them, his gaze hard. "Go find BirchFace..."
The kits didn't even hesitate as they fled quickly from the boarder, "you have a lot of nerve showing your face here..."
"I just wanted to see my kits!" MapleShade stated, "but why were they afraid? I've done so much for them."
W/n laughed unnervingly, his gaze glistened with anger, "you killed cats for them MapleShade! All because of your decisions, they are the reason that they are dead!"
"Please W/n, I'm sorry about all of this, can't you forgive me? And join me? I love you..." MapleShade questioned.
"No, I can't love you, after all you've done, you are the reason I'm dead, and you know what? I'm glad it was me and not FreckleWish since she is carrying my kits!"
MapleShade's eyes narrowed, her fur bristling as the small red particles around her paws quivered.
"Goodbye, MapleShade."
W/n stalked away without looking back, MapleShade lowered her head and dug her claws into the mud.
"I will get my revenge on you, and AppleDusk! Your lineage will pay!"
The Tom halted and looked back at her for a moment. Shaking his head dismissively, he couldn't be with her.
Not after everything she has done, now he had three kits to look down on from StarClan.
BirchKit, LeopardKit and K/n
A/n
I like to think over the generations, W/n and FreckleWish are the great grand parents of DaisyToe and FlashNose and MapleShade uses her vengeance on GooseFeather and TigerClaw as her attacking W/n and FreckleWish.
DaisyToe is GooseFeather's mother and FlashNose is the grandmother of TigerClaw.
Thank you again to Shadow Queen for helping me with the ideas for this book :)