Unseen Betrayal

Mapleclaw's head was down as she padded along the snowy field, her ears straining to hear the silent roar of the Gorge. Her gaze flickered up toward Reedstar as she followed him, before glancing where she knew that the gorge laid. She hoped that the gorge wasn't frozen yet, it would make everything that much harder.

She had asked the RiverClan leader to go hunting with her, and although they were a good distance away from the Gorge, she knew very well it wouldn't be all that hard to push him that way. A soft growl came from her as she walked, thinking of her plan to kill Reedstar. She would attack him when his guard was down, and push him backwards toward the Gorge...She could then kill him and get rid of the body by use of the Gorge! No one would know of her deed.

And of course, then she would become Maplestar. With RiverClan under her rule, she would lead them to becoming the stronger Clan in the forest! And when she died after a good reign, StarClan would welcome her with open paws, knowing full well that she did everything to honor them...Yes, it would be perfect. Her eyes sparkled as she picked up her pace, her claws flexing as she waited for the right moment to attack; one thought echoing in her mind as she bared her teeth in a toothy grin.

The stars beckons, Reedstar. Say hello to StarClan for me.

Reedstar couldn't have been more unsuspecting.

He had found it a bit strange to hunt here in all places, he reflected as he looked down into the roaring rapids below. What a drop. To hear it said, many unfortunate apprentices had met their end here on stupid dares. It was decidedly impossible to make the jump, yet that didn't stop some stupid lad from trying to reach the other side. And then what? Then you were in rival Clan territory, and unless you wanted to jump again, it'd be a long walk back to safety. Luckily, no apprentices had died in the Gorge in his lifetime, but it had claimed his friend and littermate long ago when he was still an apprentice. Reedstar still sometimes wondered who that WindClan warrior was that she had fallen in love with, what he was doing, if he knew, if he cared.

But that was all the past. In the meantime, the warrior was mainly concerned with trying to find prey. But what prey was there to be found? The ground was coated with a thick layer of snow, and there were no tiny mouse or vole tracks to be seen. This is too close to the edge. he thought inwardly, stopping to look up and scent the air. Nothing. The snow stifled and buried all scents. We should have tried by the river instead...

Of course, too close to the edge was what Mapleclaw had been hoping for. Her eyes glinted as she hurried to Reedstar's side. She spared a look at the gorge, before digging her claws into the snow. How would she go around doing this? She could be straight forward, or she could try to push him in with his guard down...No, she was far to noble to go around killing him like a rogue. She was going to at least let him know why he was dying.

She paused, taking a deep breath as she quickly dropped behind Reedstar and went into a couch. Remember, this is for StarClan, she told herself before finally leaping forward, tackling Reedstar and knocking them both into the snow. The snow erupted into a blizzard around them as they landed, her claws raking his sides. She attempted to run though the plan as they struggled. Back him into the gorge...Tell him that StarClan is unhappy with his rule...And then push him in. Easy....Right?

Reedstar grunted as the wind was knocked from his chest. He tumbled through the snow and yowled in pain as claws raked across his flank. "W-what are you doing?!" he hissed, half in anger and half in confusion. Was this some kit-like game she was trying to play? He didn't get it. "Are you stupid?! You'll get us both killed!" The leader struggled to his paws and pulled away, his heart lurching as he felt the steep drop and empty air behind him. That mousebrain almost knocked me off! "You idiot! What is this about?!"

Mapleclaw hopped away from Reedstar, making sure to keep him between her and the gorge. A soft grin appeared on her face as she gazed at the tom, shaking the snow off of her fur as she stared at him. “What am I doing? StarClan isn’t happy, Reedstar! Can’t you see? That is why they sent the flood, as a warning! As an omen.” The grin on her face quickly died, her gaze growing cold as she went on. “An omen that they are tired of your leadership! You may be blind to the truth, but not I, Reedstar! And I, and I am going to make things right.” She took a step forward, her teeth bearing as she stared at the tom. “The stars are calling for your head, Reedstar, can you not hear it? They want me to be leader, to make things right but the only way to do that is for you to be dead! And I…I will not disappoint them. You may not see it now, but once I am leader and you are in StarClan, you will see that this had been for the greater good.” With a quick movement, she dropped into a couch before launching forward at the leader. “Now have at you! die!”

Reedstar's face contorted from confusion to rage as Mapleclaw spoke, his hackles rising and his lips curling into a dangerous snarl. What?! He could hardly believe his ears. All he had sacrificed for RiverClan, only for this treacherous foxheart dare speak with StarClan's voice and say they disapproved?! "Kill me and be cursed, traitor." he hissed, unsheathing his claws. The warrior would leave her to rot. Mapleclaw was not worthy of burial. "You don't have the courage."

But then suddenly she was slamming into him and he was flying through the air. Wind whistled in his ears as he began to plummet. The sky grew bigger and bigger as he fell. Reedstar couldn't think or scream, only stare up wordlessly before he crashed into the water and everything went black.

"It seems I do."

Mapleclaw peered over the edge of the gorge and watched Reedstar hit the waves and disappeared. It had been closer, but she had manged to keep herself from following the leader's fate. She snorted, pulling herself to her paws. She turned, kicking a few piles of snow over the edge before heading toward the camp.

As she walked, her belly flipped as she attempted to come to terms with what she had just done. If she was lucky, the river would freeze soon and keep Reedstar's body from washing up for a few moons to come, if ever. But it still ate at her. One of the vows she had agreed to when she had become a warrior was to protect her Clan with her life, but she had to also serve the leader, didn't she? Perhaps she had made the right choice...No, she couldn't dwell on it. She was leader now, Reedstar was no more.

She paused, a sly grin appearing on her face. She was leader now, wasn't she? That thought hadn't crossed her mind, but not all of the fears she had was gone. She was going to be the perfect leader of RiverClan! StarClan would be proud. She was not the traitor...No, she was perfect. As she headed toward the RiverClan camp, she started to think of a story for Reedstar's fate, and tried to put herself into the mindset she would need for the story, but there was still the grin on her face. She was going to be Maplestar soon.

Occ: Short topic...But yea, I guess we are done. Weee. Reedstar is 'dead'. Will make topic at Camp later.