Darkmoth felt his heart thudding painfully in his chest as he slunk through the canyon’s bottom. The tunnel had been terrifying, but Emberpaw had promised them the sky opened up ahead, and he was right. That kit really made it through this hellish place on his own?
Though Darkmoth wasn’t sure exactly what happened, something had spurred Bunnystar into war. She had always been vocal about disliking ScorchedClan and their backward beliefs, but as soon as Emberpaw had completed his first Warrior Task, she had pushed for battle. Is this one of his tasks? Darkmoth slowed down so he could walk alongside Sandpaw and Icepaw, who were carrying herbs in order to treat wounds. Or is it because Emberpaw has finally forsaken ScorchedClan?
Whatever the reason was, Darkmoth was a loyal warrior, and he would follow Bunnystar to the ends of the earth if necessary. After fighting the full gambit of enemies the island had to offer – foxes, coyotes, boars, and more – the prospect of fighting cats seemed rather easy.
“Are you sure it’s ahead?” Dandeliontuft asked quietly. The cats had finally exited the tunnel, the sky a narrow strip of stars above them, and there seemed to be an endless path ahead.
Darkmoth looked up in time to see Bunnystar nod once, and Emberpaw glanced behind at them. “Gracklepaw and I made sure just yesterday.”
“It’s true, I-” Gracklepaw piped up before Scorchshade flicked her nose with his tail. She went silent instantly, and Darkmoth twitched his whiskers in amusement. He had spent so long teaching the apprentice when to hold her tongue, and she was getting better at it.
“… it’s there.” Featherstep’s voice was soft, his blue eyes narrowed into slits as he squinted into the darkness. “Up ahead. We need to move quickly.”
The patrol – consisting of every RavenClan cat aside from the queens and kits – straightened out and took formation, with the apprentices behind the warriors. Darkmoth positioned himself in front of Emberpaw and Gracklepaw, giving them both a nod before the group began to move as a single fluid unit. They approached a ramshackle lump of sticks, wood, and other debris. Though it would barely be a cousin for other cats, RavenClan was adept at springing high into the air, and it provided just enough height to allow them to scramble up the edge. Icepaw slipped slightly, almost falling back in, before Emberpaw helped haul him out, with Rabbitspring assisting.
Darkmoth felt his heart flutter a bit as he followed lock-step with his Clan. They moved so flawlessly, so in sync, nothing like the clunky and disjointed teamwork of his old colony. How could I not fall in love with RavenClan? A place where all cats were equal and cared fiercely for each other. He pushed the thought of attacking another such Clan out of his mind – after all, they had hurt Emberpaw in ways that couldn’t be described, and Darkmoth was happy to retaliate for the apprentice.
The desert sands were surprisingly cool under Darkmoth’s paws as RavenClan approached the ScorchedClan camp. It was a strange formation of sandstone, and only one cat was keeping guard, her back to the invaders. Emberpaw was right about this route, Darkmoth thought as the patrol stilled. Bunnystar’s tail twitched to the side once, and the patrol split into three, with Darkmoth alongside Bunnystar and Dandeliontuft. This is it, then.
Soundlessly, with no rallying war cry, the RavenClan cats plunged into camp and began the fight.
Darkmoth followed Bunnystar as the groups split off and attacked, ignoring the defending ScorchedClan cats who rushed out with confused shrieks. A pale cream-colored she-cat lunged at Darkmoth was a yowl, but was tackled down by Featherstep and Sandpaw, who wrestled her to the ground. Gracklepaw and Emberpaw were slashing at a tortoiseshell she-cat in sync, and Rabbitspring and Scorchshade were each pinning down apprentices that Darkmoth recognized as Emberpaw’s littermates.
There was a sharp cry of outrage as Solstar, ScorchedClan’s leader appeared. “Bunnystar!” He roared, leaping down from his den, “What is-”
Bunnystar had never been one for words. She lunged at Solstar with such a ferocious snarl that it made Darkmoth’s pelt prickle, even as he turned to face down a hulking brown and black tom. This one Darkmoth recognized – Duskblaze, the annoying troublemaker who came and went from RavenClan’s camp as he pleased.
“Why have you come here?” Duskblaze pleaded as Darkmoth approached. “We don’t need to fight.”
“Bunnystar made the call for war, and RavenClan answered it,” Darkmoth said simply as he lashed out. Duskblaze sidestepped quickly, his long legs giving him a distinct advantage since Darkmoth was more adept at close combat. “Why should I question what my leader asks of me?”
“This isn’t the way-” Duskblaze started, but his eyes grew wide, and he froze, watching something behind Darkmoth with abject terror. Feeling his pelt prickle, Darkmoth turned just in time to see Bunnystar wrench Solstar into the ground, her face and claws stained with blood. The ScorchedClan leader was ragged, his throat nearly torn open, and blood was pooling around him in a macabre show. Not too far away, Silversmoke was limping over, also covered in wounds and looking worse for the wear.
The battle stilled around Darkmoth as the cats took in the leaders. There was tension in the air as Bunnystar’s claws came dangerously close to Solstar’s jugular, but she didn’t slash down and sever the artery. Darkmoth was surprised – Bunnystar always went for the kill. Unless, he realized, that’s not what this is about.
From within a cleft in the rockface, a surprised squeal rang out, and Dandeliontuft emerged, holding a tiny kit in her jaws. The kit looked surprised but unharmed. Darkmoth felt a lump rise in his throat as the tension reached a fever pitch, threatening to break into violence again.
“What,” Silversmoke rasped as he crouched next to his leader, “is this about?”
“What is war ever about?” Bunnystar’s voice was calm and clear, a chilling juxtaposition to her blood-mottled face. “So you worry about the birds when you take their eggs?”
“Enough with your metaphors,” Solstar hissed as he finally rose to his paws. “Give us the kit.”
Bunnystar’s eyes gleamed with particularly cold malice. “… one cat to protect the Clan.”
Darkmoth saw the way Solstar’s eyes narrowed. “That… that isn’t about Wrenkit.”
“What?!” A black tom burst from the crowd, his eyes burning and his fangs bared. “Wrenkit? Wrenkit! Give me my daughter back!” The way the tom moved his head back and forth, mouth open to scent the air, made Darkmoth realize he was blind.
“Sootfeather, stay down,” Solstar demanded.
“That’s my child!” Sootfeather screamed, lunging forward to where Dandeliontuft was holding the kit. She sidestepped him easily, her eyes fixed on the two leaders.
“A medicine cat with kits…?” Bunnystar’s tail flicked once. “Well then. Consider me divine retribution, Sootfeather.”
“Divine..? You! StarClan damn your retched soul you-”
Silversmoke put a paw on the medicine cat and hushed him. Darkmoth couldn’t hear what he said, but he was certain it was something along the lines of ‘we can get her back.’
“I suppose not every cat is ready to get rid of their children here.” The ScorchedClan cats bristled at Bunnystar’s caustic words, but Solstar raised his tail to keep them down.
“You didn’t even know she was Sootfeather’s child.”
“Correct.” Bunnystar’s response was flippant, and Darkmoth swore he saw Solstar’s eye twitch.
“How can this be divine retribution?”
“StarClan works in mysterious ways,” Bunnystar’s eyes narrowed. Under the pale light of the crescent moon, they seemed to glow. “Who are we to ask why?”
“You aren’t faithful. How can you know StarClan’s fate for you?”
Bunnystar laughed slightly. “You’re right, I reject them. I decide the fate for RavenClan, and our fate is that we will be taking the kit, and we’ll end this fight now. Or perhaps you’d like to continue fighting? You’re outnumbered and outclassed. Even if RavenClan doesn’t win, ScorchedClan will be injured for sure. Are you going to take safety? Or risk it?”
“Why does it have to be a choice?” Solstar insisted.
Darkmoth realized Solstar was stalling for time as a pale white apprentice crept closer to Dandeliontuft while every cat was distracted. However, before he could call a warning, Dandeliontuft sprang upward with such astounding power that Darkmoth felt dizzy just seeing it. She grappled onto the camp walls before simply clambering right over, taking the kit with her.
Silence filled the camp for a good moment before it broke into chaos. Sootfeather began screaming any insult or curse he could, and several ScorchedClan cats raced out of the camp, presumably to catch her. The RavenClan cats began to group together and move toward the exit, but Darkmoth noticed Emberpaw was standing still in the center of camp. The young tom had met eyes with Solstar, who glared in return, but Emberpaw didn’t cower. He simply scoffed, his own eyes narrowing with an emotion Darkmoth couldn’t grasp, and turned to rejoin the group without another word.