The sun was shining brightly in the sky as Pineheart stumbled out into the camp. He had been gripped in a depression-like state for the past few days, not even wanting to leave camp.
Everyone was acting much the same, too grief stricken to even feed themselves. Elkleap would leave with Sun'ka at dawn to hunt and return at sunhigh with enough prey for all.
Nobody minded their absence, and it seemed the pair were growing closer every passing minute. Sun'ka had hardened like unbreakable stone in the wake of Cairn's death but she had also grown closer to Elkleap. He cared for her, and he knew she cared for him.
As Pineheart groggily plodded towards the fresh-kill pile, Brokensong rushed towards him from her den. Her one yellow eye was glazed with anxiety.
"I need you to go and find me burdock root," she gasped, clearly out of breath.
"Has Raven's wounds become infected?" he asked seriously.
"I was suspecting they were infected yesterday, but now they're dripping with puss!" she whispered, her eye wide.
"Don't worry I'll go find some burdock root," Pineheart mewed. He hastily dipped his head and started to pad away. With a shake of his ebony fur, he started bounding down the pitch-black alley.
As he dashed onto the wooden surface of the dock, he slammed to a halt. At the edge of the docks, on the water, were huge, towering objects. They swayed as the ocean rolled, their tree-like tops waving some sort of thin paper.
Pineheart knew he couldn't delay. As a dockworker appeared and started walking towards the object, he whirled around and bounded into the tall grass at the edge of the docks.
The grass tickled his nose, making him sneeze. Sunshine reached across the field, stopping at the edge of the trees where the forest was lost to shadow. Pineheart slowed, staring into the darkness with narrowed eyes.
I know you're out there Cassius, he thought angrily. But if the rogue was lurking, he made no signs. Pineheart approached the edge of the trees without a challenge.
He began to inspect the leafy stalks for the spiky pods of the burdock plant. He looked inward, where the leafy canopy left the ground shrouded in shadows. There, he caught a glimpse of a sharp green ball, peeking behind the trunk of a tree.
Tentatively, he stepped past the tree line. The darkness made his pelt turn cold, a stark contrast to the bright sunshine in the field. He crept slowly into the forest, his pelt spiked with fear.
He could feel someone watching him, from somewhere in the shade. He neared the burdock, it's spiky pods bobbing in the slight breeze.
"Is it typical for Clan cats to hunt plants?" A frighteningly familiar voice meowed from a few paces away.
Pineheart jumped and whirled around to come face to face with Cassius. His gray and white fur was still caked with dried blood, his wounds still crusted and slightly oozing.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you," he snickered, his yellow eyes intense as he stared at Pineheart.
"How do I know that?" Pineheart growled, taking a step back.
"I'm still too weak.. even I know I couldn't stand a chance against you at this state," he meowed.
Pineheart wasn't convinced. He unsheathed his claws, ready for whenever Cassius decided to strike.
"Why don't you just collect your flowers and leave?" Cassius grunted, "they must be important if they sent you onto my land."
"They're going to cure Raven's infection," Pineheart muttered, flicking his tail as he brought himself closer to the burdock plant.
"That cures infection?" Cassius asked, "interesting..."
"Yeah, you just chew up the root and smear it on the open wound," Pineheart explained, feeling his pelt prickle as he started to dig delicately near the base of the leafy stalks.
"I've never heard of using plants to cure sickness," Cassius mumbled as he watched Pineheart dig.
"Lots of plants are good for lots of different things," he assured him, "our medicine cat knows all of the remedies."
Just as he finished speaking, he plucked a decent size root from the depths of his small hole. "This should be plenty," he meowed.
"Maybe you should put some on my scratches, before you go," Cassius meowed slyly, "I would be greatful for your help."
Pineheart turned to stare at the massive gray and white tom. He noticed how angry red his gashes looked, how easy it would be for them to become infected. "Why should I help you?" he dared to ask, a slight tremor in his voice.
Cassius chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "I see in your eyes, that haunted look. I know you have felt your claws take the lives of others. But there's something else there too... the conviction to do what's right."
Pineheart looked down at his paws, thinking of Nightvolt and Smallfire's unfortunate deaths. "I know you don't want Cairn's brother to die too," he whispered.
"But why did you have to kill him?" Pineheart asked feebly, "why would you ever want to kill your own brother?"
Cassius sighed, letting his tail snake around to cover his fore paws. "I never wanted him to die..." he began, "I just wanted him to realize, how badly he had treated me when we were kits. I just wanted him to see, how much potential I had."
"My sister and I have always been kind to one another," Pineheart mumbled, "we've always been there for each other."
"So you have a littermate too," Cassius mewed softly, "is she here, with you?"
"She's back at the camp," he revealed, "she's been helping Sun'ka and Elkleap with hunting lately."
"Elkleap..." Cassius hummed, "that's that black and brown tom?"
Pineheart nodded. Cassius's tail tip twitched, betraying his hidden annoyance for Elkleap. "Is he your leader?" he asked curiously.
"Well we don't really have a leader," Pineheart explained, "our old leader died before we left to find a new home."
"I see.." he murmured. Pineheart felt his muscles finally relax, his fur smoothing along his spine.
"Your scratches do look pretty bad.." Pineheart meowed after a few moments of silence. Cassius tilted his head, trying to look at the slashes across his chest.
"I haven't really gotten the chance to clean them properly," the big tom huffed.
Pineheart bent forward, sniffing the crusted wounds across his pelt. They smelled sour, unclean.
"I probably should help you," Pineheart mewed after a few moments.
"I would be greatful for your help," Cassius purred. Pineheart tried to detect any hint of sarcasm or contempt, but Cassius genuinely sounded sincere.
He turned and grabbed the burdock root, using his claws to split it in half. Before he went to chew up the root, he moved around Cassius's body so he could see all of the scratches. There were a few large ones on his chest and a few smaller ones along his flank. But the punctures he saw in Cassius's neck made his blood turn cold.
"Did Cairn leave these?" Pineheart asked shakily, feeling fresh grief surge through his heart.
"Yes, he bit my neck but I knew he didn't have it in him to try and kill me," Cassius grumbled, "I think he was just trying to scare me."
"I don't think Cairn wanted to see you die," Pineheart whispered as he started to slowly groom the dried blood from his fur. It tasted disgusting, like salty sludge on his tongue.
"He was always soft," Cassius sighed, rolling on his side so that Pineheart could clean the cuts on his side.
The pair carried on in silence as Pineheart finished cleaning Cassius's wounds. He started to chew up the half of the burdock root, and then spat the slimy poultice onto his cuts.
"That feels better already," Cassius purred as Pineheart started to lick the root into the open wounds.
"Just try not to let them open again," Pineheart warned as Cassius got to his paws. The rogue leader towered over him, almost double his size.
"I will take your advice," Cassius mewed, "I will wait to heal and then return to wipe out the rest of the Dockside cats."
Pineheart flexed his claws, feeling fresh terror sweep over him. "Why would you want to wipe them out?!" he gasped.
"Well now that I've killed Cairn, what is stopping them from coming to kill me?" Cassius asked seriously.
Pineheart flashed back to Cairn's burial, where Sun'ka had sworn revenge on her father's behalf.
"This is how I will repay your kindness," Cassius grunted, "you can take your Clan cats and leave before I return with my second strike."
"But can't you just leave them alone?" he whispered, his voice hoarse.
"No, I don't think I can.." he sounded regretful, but his eyes still shone with the light of battle, "I'm sorry."
You're sorry! He wanted to yowl out loud with anger but he held it back. "I can't guarantee my Clan will want to leave," he said.
"Then you will die alongside them," Cassius growled. With a flick of his tail, the rogue leader turned and started to lumber away.
"Goodbye, Clan cat," he meowed over his shoulder before being swallowed by the shadows.
Hastily, Pineheart grabbed the remaining half of the root and dashed out of the trees. Without looking back, he bounded across the field and onto the hard surface of the docks.
His heart pounding, out of breath, he streaked down the alley towards camp. As he burst into the open, he almost slammed into Brokensong who was pacing near the entrance.
"What took you so long?" she demanded.
"It was harder to find than I thought," he lied, his whiskers burning with guilt.
"It doesn't matter now," Brokensong sighed, "Raven has already passed away."
"What?!" Pineheart shouted.
"The infection was too strong. I couldn't save him," she sobbed, her shoulders hunched with defeat.
He turned to look at the center of camp, where Brokensong had already brought Raven's body out for vigil. Olive and Smog, his siblings, were already laying at his side. Drizzle, Blue, Meadowshine, Sootsplash, and Lionpaw were laying only a few paces away.
"Is Sun'ka here?" Pineheart asked as he turned his gaze back to Brokensong.
"Yes, she's in her den with Elkleap," she replied.
With a quick farewell, he trotted across the camp towards the den Cairn had previously lived in. As he approached, the brown tabby's scent tickled his whiskers.
He let out a soft meow, hoping Sun'ka could hear him.
"Pineheart?" her confused voice drifted from behind the entrance.
"Yes, I have come to have a word with you," he mewed through the entrance.
"You may come in," she mewed.
As he entered, he noticed Elkleap sitting directly beside the orange pelted leader. Their tails were twined together, their flanks touching.
"If this is a bad time, I can come back," Pineheart blurted, preparing to turn and walk back out the entrance.
"No, that isn't necessary," Sun'ka assured him. She exchanged a look with Elkleap, and then he stood and left the den.
"What is it you wanted to speak with me about?" she asked gently as Pineheart stepped closer.
"Cassius was at the border when I went looking for burdock root," he began, "he was too weak to fight.. but he told me that he would be coming back to wipe out the Dockside cats, after his wounds had healed."
Sun'ka had closed her eyes, her tail flicking beside her. "Yes, this is troubling news," she whispered.
"He told me that my Clan should leave, before the battle," he continued.
"Then perhaps that is what you should do," Sun'ka pressed, "surely you should think of what's best for your Clan."
"But how could we just leave you to face him? He won't be happy until you're all dead!" he whimpered, feeling his heart start to race.
"The outcome of this battle is still shrouded in mist, there's no way to see who will emerge victorious," Sun'ka murmured, "but IceClan should leave."
Pineheart felt anxiety grip his limbs, making it hard to think clearly. "But we cant just leave you," he repeated.
She leaned forward and touched her nose to his forehead. "But it must be done," she whispered, "the only thing I will ask, is that you make sure Blue goes with you."
"Blue.." Pineheart echoed, envisioning the small gray tom cat.
"If my cats are to be killed, you must take as many of them with you as you can. Their destinies will not be to die on these docks," she explained.
"I... I.. can't guarantee, but I will try," he promised.
"Thank you," Sun'ka breathed. Pineheart turned to go, his heart still racing in his chest.
"Please send Elkleap back in once you leave," she instructed him.
Without another word, he bustled out of the den. More of the Dockside cats had appeared to sit vigil for Raven. Elkleap was sitting only a rabbit hop away, staring at the scene before him.
"Sun'ka wants you to go back in there," Pineheart mewed as he neared.
"Is everything ok?" Elkleap asked hesitantly.
Pineheart wondered if he should say what Sun'ka had just told him, but it would most likely be best he kept his mouth shut. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him.
"I'm not sure," Pineheart muttered.
"I'm sure it'll be ok," Elkleap reasoned before turning and disappearing back into the den with Sun'ka.
I hope you're right, Pineheart thought miserably as he went to join Frostfeather beside the cold body of Raven.