"Can I go with Twilightspeckle?" Thunderclaw asked the deputy his fur brushing Twilightspeckle's. He's been worrying like crazy after knowing his mate was expecting kits.
"Of course. I want you Thunderclaw, to lead a border patrol. Take two more warriors with you." Hollowbranch agreed. When the two cats has left the bush deputy to organize other patrols, her mate exclaimed.
"I'm going to lead a patrol!" Thunderclaw bounded as his eyes shine with pride. His mate purred amused by his apprentice behavior.
She felt a small movement from her pregnant belly.
"Is the kits moving?" Thunderclaw asked his ears resting on the fluffy fur. The black she cat purred.
"They're jumpy!" The tabby tom purred as he went off to gather cats for the patrol. I wonder what they look like, one of Dovesong kits exactly looked like her. She thought. Maybe a fluffy tabby or a black and brown kit. Dovesong has a fine litter gifted by two kits and Flightkit looked exactly like her. And Stormkit looked like Cedarwind apart from his green eyes.
Deerfur, Leafivy, Brightwind Racoonpaw's mentor, and Racoonlaw padded to join her. Thunderclaw lead the patrol to NoonClan and MorningClan's border that hasn't been marked lately.
"I see your expecting." Leafivy, Twilightspeckle's former mentor purred. "I'm happy for you."
She dipped thanks to the tom that had few kits. "What is it like to have kits?" The expecting she cat asked nervously.
"They are wonderful! You'll have a pawful, is that what Dovesilence will say, but you'll love it. I raised many kits all loyal from heart." He said probably thinking about the new kits, Orangepaw and Lilacpaw. "But sometimes" he continued, "It could bring negatives. I still remember my two kits that died from abort and battle."
It must've hurt, I would never want to lose my kits to StarClan. "What are there names?"
"Dewkit and Tuftfeather. I never get to know Dewkit, but I could say that Tuftfeather was the kindest cat. She always settled Bladeclaw and Dovesong from fighting." Leafivy looked up the sky perhaps hoping for StarClan to send a message.
"I'll mark there with Twilightspeckle and Deerfur." Thunderclaw ordered as the patrol split in two. The black she cat sniffed the air and caught a familiar scent. She sneaked away from the patrol and tracked it down.
The cat scent grew stronger as the warrior's heart pounded. It was familiar, but not familiar enough to identify. She pounced.
"Get off me you fox-heart!" A red she cat yowled in pain by Twilightspeckle's surprise attack. It was Blood, one of the rogues.
"You" MorningClan's Warrior hissed as she pinned Blood down. "You owe everything! You killed my mom!"
"So what? My plan would've worked without your cruelty!" Blood knowcked the small black cat off as she pinned her down.
"Killing the clans? Why would I want that?" Twilightspeckle managed to retort as she struggled.
"The only cat I wanted was Lightpelt!" Blood hissed as her growl trembled down to a sob. "He was such a nice cat. If I was a better fight, if I could've killed you!" She raised her claws aiming for Twilightspeckle's throat. Quickly, the warrior dodged as she lunged into battle position.
"Are you blind? I had once loved Lightpelt before but surly you are wise enough to not put lives after him?" She growled circling around the red she cat.
"He's all I cared about. Without him I would've died! Lightpelt is the only cat who accepted me!" Blood's voice was cranky with pain but managed to bare her teeth. Why is this cat so blind?
"He," Blood continued, "He accepted me while everyone hated me, they didn't want a ugly cat like me!"
what is Blood's miserable past? Twilightspeckle sat down and started to groom her pelt. "Speak." Was all she said.
"I was born where only toms rule our Army. She cats were known as weak, their job is to produce kits and flitter with the toms." Blood growled as her claw strike the ground. "I was ugly named Ugly, had the most glossy fur, no abstract, the toms hated me and decided to kick me out. And that's when I found Lightpelt."
"When was that?" Twilightspeckle asked remembering about when Lightpelt told his feelings to her that ended up heart broken.
"When you ditched him. You raised his feelings to hope, to be sure, but you chose a different cat." Blood growled as her muscles tensed. "When I first met him he attacked me accusing for invading. I won. He accepted my knack that I haven't known for days."
The black she cat shuffled and got ready to pounce. But Blood continued to talk. "Lightpelt taught me his skills, his plan to take revenge. I followed if that will let me be with him no matter how many deaths it would take. He gave me the name Blood."
"That's an horrible name!" Twilightspeckle exclaimed. But was it better than to be called Blood than Ugly?
"So what? If she cats just produced litter and I killed you, I would have been his true mate. You ruined my life!" Blood almost snapped Twilightspeckle's neck in just a heartbeat but was saved by this cat again.
"Never ever go on your own like that!" Thunderclaw scolded but stopped and wrapped his arms around her. "I was worried about you, and our kits." She saw Leafivy, Deerfur, and Brightwind holding Blood down with hostile glares.
"Thanks." The pregnet she cat said shyly.
"Let me go! I need to kill—," Blood was cut off by Leafivy stomping on her tail.
"No killing anymore. You lost." Her former mentor growled his teeth bared as he took one claw and put it down the red she cat's throat.
"Leafivy, Brightwind, and Deerfur, hold her down, we're going to take her to camp." Thunderclaw ordered. The apprentice exclaimed.
"No way! We should kill her now she's an intruder!" Racoonpaw lashes out as his mentor nodded agreement.
"We should kill her, is it safe to risk to take her to camp? I don't want to put the clan in danger..." Brightwind said her eyes with worry.
"It is for Berrystar to decide." Thunderclaw shrugged not knowing what to do. Deerfur stepped up his experiences being wisdom.
"Perhaps we should make her status weak, I could brake her hind leg. That would heal someday but not kill her." Deerfur suggested as the patrol leader nodded an agreement. Deerfur quickly bite Blood's left hind leg as she screeched in pain.
Thunderclaw lead the patrol and the hostage Blood back to camp as they all gave Blood hostile glances.
"Why are you taking her to camp?" Twilightspeckle whispered respectfully. Her mate's expression was fragile as if not knowing what to answer.
"I can't just kill her, I have to Berrystar decide." He meowed but not with the confidence he had before.
"It's okay, it was good to make Blood at least weak to not threaten the camp."
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"What's going on?" Berrystar leaped out from where she was sharing tongues with Hollowbranch. "Why is one of the rogues here in my camp?"
"Twilightspeckle found her, it didn't seem wise to kill her so we made her status weak and brought her here for you to decide her fate." Thunderclaw explained as he chose his words good. The black she cat nodded for support.
"It is easy, we shall kill her cleanly out of camp. We have reasons so it is not breaking the code." Berrystar ordered. This order should have been fine but something felt wrong....
"Wait!" Twilightspeckle exclaimed without thinking why. "Please Berrystar she suffered so much from what I heard, she was fooled by Lightpelt. Blood can be a way to track Sandstar down."
"Daughter of StarClan, I can't risk the clan in danger. Sandstar isn't a threat to us anymore but she is." Berrystar gave a hostile glare to Blood.
Thunderclaw brushed his tail to Twilightspeckle's back. "The clan must be put first Twilightspeckle." He meowed.
"Please, at least let go of Blood, chase her out of the territory. But don't kill her." What was I saying? But Blood suffered so much, she was blind. And Berrystar chased Blood out. She chased Blood out as the red she cat never came back.
After Blood has left camp Thunderclaw comforted her. "At least our kits are safe." He said warmly brushing his brown pelt to the black fur. "Your furs beautiful, it's really like your representing your name."
The mate purred of thanks. "It's because your grooming it countless times." And added teasingly, "Also because you never groom your fur properly and I have to do it."
Thunderclaw let out an amused purr but was by