Badgerkit’s mother would have cared about her kits, if her mate hadn’t been dead. Of course, many would say that she should have seen it coming, as he was from ThunderClan. Most cases of forbidden love end in tragedy. But how this specific case ended, I will show you now. >>><<< Her heart bursting with joy, Darksong raced through the tall, golden grass, a grin on her face and her matching gold eyes glowing with happiness. She was going to have kits! Kits! It would be hard, no doubt. She might have to have someone to pretend to be the father, or she might have to act as though she had simply found them out in the meadow, but that didn’t matter right now. Right now, she had to tell Riverstalk. She picked up the pace as the first trees came into view over the hill, her grin feeling as if it might split her face in two. /Here I come, Riverstalk./ >>><<< “I know where you’re sneaking off to at night.” The Deputy’s voice was cold as Riverstalk turned, a confused smile on his handsome face. “I’m sorry?” “I know about Darksong.” “I don’t know what you mean.” The blue tabby chuckled, deep and rich. “Don’t play dumb with me. I know that you broke the code.” Barkstrike snarled, his tail lashing and amber eyes narrowed. And in his heart, Riverstalk knew the Deputy wasn’t bluffing. His face paled and for a moment or two, he forgot to breath. The rocky ground beneath his paws felt shockingly cold, and the starry night sky was blocked out by leafy boughs. No, no, how could this be possible? He-They had been so secretive, so careful.. He had covered his scent; he had pretended like he cared for someone else.. How? “H-How?” He choked out, giving up his confused charade as tears filled his eyes and his lungs tightened in fear. “I saw the way you looked at my sister.” The brown tabby spat, eyes ablaze. “Or, how you *didn’t* look at her, more like it. And don’t think the warriors who guard our entrance at night haven’t reported to me how many times you leave camp for ‘late night hunting’, and don’t come back ‘till morning with your fur smelling like garlic and only a mouse or two to show for your night out. No, Riverstalk.” The brown tom took a step forward as the blue one took a step back on shaky paws. “Don’t think I didn’t notice. And when I did put these things together, I followed you. I saw you, two nights ago. Holding that WindClan scum close, whispering sweet nothings in her ear-You broke the code!” The Deputy lunged forward, pinning down his Clanmate with a paw to Riverstalk’s throat. “And you played with my sister’s heart.” Fury flaming in his fiery eyes, he pressed his paw down harder, Riverstalk’s mouth gaping open as he pawed weakly at Barkstrike’s leg. After a moment, the brown tabby closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as if to calm himself before stepping off. “I’ll have you exiled for this.” Gasping for breath, Riverstalk rubbed his neck with a paw, rolling over and sitting up. “Good.” He growled, suddenly overcome with anger. “I can join WindClan, then.” Barkstrike was walking away, and Riverstalk grit his teeth, glaring at the tom. What did he have to lose? He was already leaving the Clan, his reputation would be ruined, and he might lose his mate if he wasn’t allowed to join WindClan. He had absolutely nothing to lose. “It’s not my fault you don’t know what love is. It’s not my fault your sister doesn’t understand that I don’t feel the same way she-“ He had gone too far. With a snarl, the brown tabby turned, lunging forward with unsheathed claws. It all happened so fast. Barkstrike hadn’t meant to really hurt Riverstalk. Had he been angry? Yes. Had his claws been unsheathed? Yes. But really he had only meant to pin him down, maybe shove him-He wasn’t thinking about their surroundings. He, unlike Riverstalk, was a code follower. He was a good Clan cat. But, shove him he did. The larger brown tom pushed his clanmate away, fury giving power to his muscles that hadn’t been there before. The thick furred tom went flying, his blue fur glowing in the moonlight for a split second, legs flailing in the air until his head hit a rock with a sickening crack. For a moment, everything was frozen. Silent. Then, Barkstrike took a hesitant step forward, paws trembled like leaves in autumn. “R-Riverstalk?” He called, voice weak. He shook the limp body with a paw, eyes wide with horror. “Riverstalk, answer me.” He didn’t answer. “Please, please no. I-I didn’t mean to!” He shook Riverstalk harder, desperate for any sort of reaction. He couldn’t have killed him-he had only pushed him. It was the rock that he had hit his head on.. Barkstrike felt bile rise in his throat as he saw dark, sticky blood beginning to pool around Riverstalk’s head.
Spoilers vvv There was no doubt about it. Riverstalk was dead. “StarClan, it-it wasn’t me.” He slowly backed away. “I only pushed him-he could have saved himself had he turned himself in the air. He hit his head on that rock, it wasn’t my claws that ended his life. It-It wasn’t me! P-Please..” The Deputy of ThunderClan crouched against the ground, trembling as tears leaked down his face. This couldn’t be real-why had he shoved him? Why? Why? Why? Suddenly feeling bile rising higher in his throat, he turned, retching as the scent of death crept its way through the forest, like fog on a misty morning. “I need to go.” He whispered. “Yes, yes.” He nodded, eyes wide with shock as he straightened up, shaking out his fur. He needed to leave. He looked over his shoulder one last time at the dark, limp body of his fallen clanmate. Gritting his teeth and sending up one last prayer to StarClan, he turned and bolted for camp. >>><<< It didn’t take long before a she-cat came crashing through the undergrowth, too full of joy and excitement to try and be quiet, or to notice the thick scent of death that was getting stronger as she raced onwards to her and her mate’s secret meeting spot. She didn’t realize the severity of what had happened even when she saw his limp body, illuminated in the moonlight. “Riverstalk, this isn’t any night to be sleeping.” She purred, slowing to a trot as she approached him, her golden eyes still glimmering happily in stark contrast with the cold, blue night. “I have exciting news.” As she got closer her brow furrowed, noticing a dark shadow around his head. “Riverstalk?” But still, there was no response. And as she got even closer, horror dawned on her, as did the thick stench of death. “No.. No no no-Riverstalk, are you okay?” She asked frantically, crouching down and shaking her fallen lover. She hissed in surprise, quickly pulling a paw away as she felt the sticky, dark, still-warm liquid pooling around his head. /Blood./ She sucked in a sharp breath, her pupils diminishing to the size of pinpoints as she stared in shock. In disbelief. “No..” Her voice cracked, the first few tears slipping down her face as she stared at his still flank. It would never rise again. His handsome face would never crinkle into it’s charming grin again. His soft, marbled blue fur would never brush reassuringly against hers again. He would never laugh his rich, deep laugh again-the one that made her heart flutter. He would never look into her eyes and tell her loved her. He would never get to see their kits. Darksong fell forward with a cry, her heart feeling as if it had been ripped out of her chest. Feeling as if it had been killed the same moment her mate was struck down. “No, no, Riverstalk.. we were going to have kits. We were going to make things work. You would’ve joined my Clan, or I would’ve joined yours-Anything to make it work. We were going to see so much together. We were going to make friends, watch our children grow old.. we were going to have a *family*, Riverstalk.” A vicious sob racked her body, shoulders shaking as she cried over his cooling form. They would never get any of that now. “A family. With you.” Previous Chapter: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/536043371/ Next Chapter: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/536558134/ All characters, art, and story belong to me. The Warriors Idea belongs to Erin Hunter. Heheh. Oops.
