Chapter 20
"Let me shred them to bits!"
"Why would anyone bring them here?!"
"Mama, those cats look ugly!"
Hawkpaw flattened her ears to the ground as she made her first few steps into CometClan camp. Each of those words would have made her wince long ago, but Hawkpaw had begun to simply accept them as the truth.
Her and Smokepaw were being filed into camp in a neat line, heads bowed, eyes lowered to the ground. Thick vines also wove around their neck and wings, giving them no opportunity to fly away, while also letting the CometClan cats pull them along, keeping the ends of the vines in their teeth.
They had made a quick stop at a cave where the CometClan warriors had grabbed the vines. Some of the CometClan cats had a sixth claw on their paw, which allowed them to manoeuvre the vines in ways that normal warriors couldn't.
A harsh yank on the vine from Flamepaw, who was the one in control of her, made Hawkpaw suddenly stumble forward. She usually spread her wings when this happened, but it didn't work, since they were tied to her back. Instead, Hawkpaw crumpled to the ground. She heard a matching thud as Smokepaw fell somewhere behind her.
Flamepaw pressed an unsheathed paw into her head, and raised his other one in triumph. "We have caught FalconClan cats!"
Several jeers and chuckles came from the CometClan warriors as they moved in to form a ragged circle. Hawkpaw's muzzle was pushed into the dirty snow, so she could only see their angular paws and long legs.
"Bring in the Thorn Cage!" A black and white she-cat yowled.
Thorn Cage?! Hawkpaw shivered deeply, though not from the cold. She felt a sinking feeling in her gut, heightened exponentially by the fact that Smokepaw was about to have the same fate as her.
As Flamepaw got off of her, still holding fast to the vine in his jaws, Hawkpaw saw exactly what the CometClan cats planned to do. It only made her chest feel tighter.
A small dark brown she-cat and Stonespots were carrying in a small bramble enclosure of sorts. The brambles formed walls and a top to the extremely small enclosure, and it seemed as though there were brambles that got placed in the ground to stop cats from simply pushing the trap off of them.
As Hawkpaw stared at the dark brown she-cat through slitted eyes, she saw the blood that was dripping down her jaws from where she desperately tried to move the large enclosure. Even more bizarre, she didn't seem to have the build of the other CometClan cats, and there were scars that criss crossed her back.
"Come on, Adderpaw," Flamepaw muttered under his breath.
Hawkpaw watched as the slow progress was made with Adderpaw and Stonepots trying to move the enclosure. Several warriors even jeered and mocked their own clanmates at their lack of efficiency.
Suddenly, another cat barreled into Hawkpaw. Looking up, she saw Smokepaw being shoved in her direction. As the two cats collided, they rolled together in a tangle of fur and paws. Hawkpaw felt Smokepaw's fear scent rolling off of her in waves.
The instant they stopped, Hawkpaw felt a rush of wind around her. The bramble cage fell onto her and Smokepaw, trapping them, right in the middle of all the CometClan warriors.
Smokepaw let out a terrified screech, and instantly, Swiftslash loomed above her.
"That's it," she muttered. "I'm going to get you a vine muzzle if it's the last thing I do."
Several chuckled edied from around the crowd.
Hawkpaw found that she had just enough room to move around in a full circle. As she did, she saw all the tight circle CometClan warriors looking down at her, scrutinising everything about her.
She also managed to see some parts of the CometClan camp. It seemed even more structured and rigid than FalconClan, yet also more open-concept. Just as Hawkpaw was beginning to let her fur lie flat, there was a sudden gust of wind.
In one swift motion, all the CometClan cats jerked their heads in the far off direction where the gust was coming. She saw fear flash in several of their eyes, the stoic Swiftslash among them.
"She's coming!" One cat gasped.
Hawkpaw narrowed her eyes as wind swirled all around the CometClan camp. Smokepaw was trembling, head buried beneath her paws; she had been through a lot for one day.
Then, as quickly as the wind had come, it ended. Standing in the middle of the circle of CometClan warriors, chin raised, eyes flashing confidently, was Nighthaze. Hawkpaw instantly felt the sheer respect and terror that her presence instilled in her own clanmates.
"Oh, what's this?" Nighthaze's eyes glinted as she stared at Hawkpaw and Smokepaw from where they stood, trapped in the Bramble Cage. "Some cat decided to try out this little invention, I see."
Hawkpaw raised her chin and let out a soft, low throated growl of defiance. Smokepaw merely stood, Swiftslash's decision about the muzzle still saying heavily on her mind.
"I thought it was a good idea," Flamepaw puffed out his chest as he came to stand before Nighthaze. "After all, one's a rogue, and the other's a Medicine Cat. What do you think, Nighthaze?"
Nighthaze's look of curiosity abruptly vanished the moment Flamepaw strutted up to her. In a flash, she swung a claw at his ear. Before he could duck away, her blow met, and the tip of his ear was shaved clean off.
Nighthaze licked her bloody paw nonchalantly as Flamepaw stumbled back.
"It's Nightstar now," she snarled. "You'd do well to remember that, apprentice."
Flamepaw's eyes glinted as he bowed his head to the ground, blood still dripping from his injured ear. "There is no one more loyal to you than me, Nightstar," he whispered. "My claws are yours."
"Hm." Nightstar seemed satisfied with that. She glanced at Flamepaw, whose blood still ran down his face. "This was certainly a creative invention." She chuckled drily, looking over Smokepaw and Hawkpaw from where they were trapped in the enclosure.
The clearing was silent as Nightstar went on. "These vines were a clever idea too," she meowed, nodding to the vines tightly lassoed onto Hawkpaw's wings and neck.
In a flash, she grabbed at the end of the vine, and jerked it.
The slack on Hawkpaw's neck suddenly tightened, and she crumpled forward into the side of the bramble den. Her paws splayed out, and she fell. Nightstar looked on with dark amusement as blood ran down Hawkpaw's face as a few CometClan warriors jeered.
"So this one's a rogue," she meowed drily. "I remember seeing her on the way to get those useless blue wings." Her eyes glinted. "I think it would simply be charming if she fought against those FalconClan fledglings."
"Death to FalonClan! End to FalconClan!" A cheer sounded, started up by a heavily scarred dark ginger tabby.
Nightstar turned away from Hawkpaw, leaving her glaring out while blood trickled down her face. The new clan leader moved on to address her warriors, and they cheered out her new name, making Hawkpaw's ears ring.
"Let me help you," Smokepaw murmured gently to Hawkpaw.
Before Hawkpaw could say anything, Smokepaw began gently rasping her wounded cheek with her tongue, as though trying to get out any dirt. As Hawkpaw stared at Smokepaw, she realised how vacant her friend's eyes were, staring hazedly in the direction of Nightstar.
"Thanks," Hawkpaw meowed, although Smokepaw showed no sign that she had heard her.
Hawkpaw realised that Smokepaw had never been treated this way before. It came as a complete and utter shock. Hawkpaw shook her head sadly as she reflected on her own life while Nightstar continued some loud, elaborate speech on CometClan conquest.
In Adder's gang, she had always been expected to be completely independent and self-sufficient, trusting no others. She shuddered as she remembered Blaze's tragic demise; she hadn't thought of her brother in a long while.
Then, in the clans, Dawnclaw had wanted Hawkpaw to be entirely reliant on her. Bowing down, and following her every command. CometClan seemed to want the exact same things from her.
Those ways were both wrong. Hawkpaw shook her head as she watched Smokepaw's trembling flanks. None of the cats were truly happy in either way of life. Hawkpaw wondered, not for the first time, if there was any way she could make it better, if only just so she could see her friends smile more often.
Her thoughts were suddenly jerked away as Nightstar's yowl strengthened.
"The new deputy will be Ravenfeather, although Flamepaw will be trained as my second-in-command."
Hawkpaw narrowed her eyes as she saw Ravenfeather, the black and white she-cat who was beside Nightstar. Her eyes were cold, and she had an analytical expression on her face. Her eyes glinted when Nightstar promoted her, but savage rage crossed her expression the moment Flamepaw was mentioned. Hawkpaw wondered if Nightstar didn't reply put her as the next leader because she didn't trust the ruthless cunning that radiated off of Ravenfeather.
"You're joking!"
Hawkpaw looked up as an old she-cat stumbled forward. Her voice was raspy, and her flanks heaved with the exertion of standing up to her clan leader. Hawkpaw could only see a glimpse of her long legs from where she was.
"No, Juniperberry, I am not." Nightstar's voice was icy as she addressed the cat who was obviously an elder. "What right do you have to question my orders?"
Juniperberry let out a hoarse snarl. "This is all so wrong!" She retorted. "Taking young cats captive, spreading blasphemy in your own clan, and putting young, foolish cats in positions of power!"
Ravenfeather got to her paws from beside Nightstar, eyes flashing furiously. "How dare you!" She retorted sharply. "I'm a warrior now, regardless of how recently I was promoted."
Several cats hissed and snarled at the old cat from all around, but Juniperberry seemed to be gaining strength. Hawkpaw saw her pass by the enclosure where she and Smokepaw were. Her eyes were soft and yet full of rage when she stared down at Hawkpaw.
"Enough, you fool!" Flamepaw growled menacingly, but Nightstar hushed him with a flick of her long, black tail.
Her voice was scarily quiet when she went on, so different from the flamboyant cat she had previously been. Her eyes were slits as she surveyed the old cat.
"Back off, or else," she spat.
Juniperberry's eyes flashed. "You dare talk to your elders like that? Your kin?!"
Nightstar didn't snarl. She merely flicked her tail at two of her warriors. Instantly, they jumped onto Juniperberry, pinning the she-cat down with ease. From inside the Bramble Cage, Hawkpaw could see the scene play out alarmingly close to her.
Nightstar flicked her tail restlessly. Then, she stalked up to the Bramble Cage. Chuckling when she saw the look of fear and rage in Smokepaw and Hawkpaw's eyes respectively, she lifted her chin to face her clan as leader.
"It's time for an era of change to begin!" She announced confidently, flashing Hawkpaw a malicious grin. "For one thing, I'm taking away the rank of being an elder. They will simply have to work up the ranks of our system in spite of whatever tiredness and entitlement they have."
What ranks does this clan have?! Hawkpaw shuddered as she remembered the control young Flamepaw had, and how scarred and mocked another apprentice, Adderpaw, was.
"And," Nightstar chuckled. "Let's have some fun with these new pets, shall we?" Her eyes narrowed to slits as she surveyed Hawkpaw. "This one," she purred. "Might even allow us to fight FalconClan with their own clanmates. Now, let us feast!"
Hawkpaw saw Ravenfeather flex her claws as Flamepaw puffed up his chest and purred when cats moved to congratulate him. The black patches on her fur merged with the shadows, making her look almost like a dark spirit. She slunk away, following Nightstar.
With that, the meeting was dismissed. Several cats slunk away, though most padded up to the enclosure with Hawkpaw and Smokepaw, eyes bright with interest.
Hawkpaw felt a ball of fur crash into her. Looking down, she realised that Smokepaw had passed out. The wounds, the fall, and now the CometClan capture had clearly taken a toll on her. Hawkpaw stood firm and fluffed out her pelt to try to hide Smokepaw from as many cats as possible.
A shudder ran down her spin as cats surveyed her and began talking about her. Hawkpaw wondered what was going on in FalconClan. She knew one thing, though; neither Dawnclaw, nor Talonstar would fight to get her back.
A paw pushed through the thorns and prodded her right in the chest. Hawkpaw looked up and saw that it was a large black spotted tom, who had been dared by his clanmates to prod at her. She bared her fangs at him, and the paw quickly went away. Several cats laughed.
No one would fight for us. Hawkpaw stared down at Smokepaw. She looked so much more vulnerable from this position, and young. Hawkpaw remembered Adderpaw, and the countless other cats she'd met on her journey through life who needed someone to protect and love them,
She thought of herself when she was a kit, young and hopeful. The world had crushed that out of her, and now it was doing the same to Smokepaw.
The laughing sounds of CometClan warriors had moved away from the enclosure, but as Hawkpaw stared, she saw that small brown apprentice, Adderpaw, looking at her. When their eyes met, Adderpaw let out a little yelp and bolted away, stumbling and with no CometClan grace.
She needs a friend too. Hawkpaw thought of Icepaw, she thought of Squawk and Smokepaw, and the countless other cats whose lives were being uprooted with cold, power hungry monsters. Dawnclaw had thought Hawkpaw was the feral one, but it would always be her instead.
As Hawkpaw curled into a ball beside Smokepaw, she stared at the thatched roof above her. She was more trapped than she had ever been before. She should have felt entirely powerless, yet curled protectively around Smokepaw, she felt a different sort of strength rushing through her.
Weaknesses...That's exactly what they want! Hawkpaw bared her fangs as she thought about Dawnclaw and Nightstar and all the twisted cats in the clans. They had hurt and destroyed the lives of many innocent cats.
It wouldn't do enough to ignore it any more, and hope it would go away. As much as Adder's mantra 'kill or be killed' wasn't something Hawkpaw believed in, her mother had shown her that problems didn't simply go away if a cat ignored them. Her time as Dawnclaw's prized pet had taught her more than ever what happened when cruelty was left unchecked.
As Hawkpaw stared at the thatched roof above her head, she thought of Blaze. He had always stepped in, and been a protecting force in her young life, showing her the best way to live. She needed to be like him, and help the other young cats in the clan.
"I'll find a way," Hawkpaw muttered under her breath.
Smokepaw shifted beside her, clearly roused by Hawkpaw's voice. She blinked open her eyes and stared at Hawkpaw, eyes dull with sleep.
"Did you say something?" She asked softly.
Hawkpaw pressed herself closer against Smokepaw's side, staring out of the twisted brambles. They blocked the moon and stars almost completely, yet she knew they were there.
"We're going to get out of this, Smokepaw," Hawkpaw promised quietly. "And when we do, we're going to help all the other cats. I promise you, I will find a way to save our home...or die trying."