Homecoming [Closed]

A strange nagging feeling plagued the tiny tom’s belly. He wasn’t hungry. His mother kept him well fed. Despite that fact she remained a near skeleton herself. It had never bothered him how rail thin she was, the kit knew of nothing more than how she had been his whole life. The world was cruel. He had figured out that much. This never affected him much, though. Mother sheltered him from all the bad stuff. Anytime her mate would lash out at the little scrap, she would take the blows. Apparently, it was not good to meow too much. That always made Reno mad. He shuttered at the memory of claws tearing through his mother’s grey tabby fur. Her yellow-amber eyes were the only thing that would ever betray how much agony she was in. That was what made him feel strange. Not yet old enough to know, only a few moons, the small tom had no idea what the feeling was. It was simply hunger that wasn’t hungry.

Contemplating these things was almost trivial. His young brain couldn’t articulate much more than the undefined feelings or things he had seen happen. Yet, with all his free time and a lack of playmates, this was what he had become. As his tail flickered with anxiety, panic rose in the kit’s chest and he jumped to his feet. However, he quickly realized the source of the movement was his own tail. This must be why Reno calls me stupid. He berated himself internally before settling back down into the ragged pieces of cloth that constituted him and mother’s nest. Nose buried into the shredded fabric, he silently and repeatedly told himself to be less stupid. His stupid was what made mother hurt; his stupid was what made the already agitated rogue mad. At only a few moons, this was one of the few things he knew.

“Coyotekit?” A soft call made him glance up, nose still tucked underneath the cloth. Fear gave way to momentary peace. His mother was here now. He smiled up at her, pulling out his muzzle to touch his tiny nose with her much larger one. The flecks of blood that transferred onto his pelt during the brief exchange of affection didn’t bother him much; Coyotekit was used to the tangy smell. The unusually small statured she-cat picked her way into the unkempt shelter and settled down next to her son. Warmth flooded the tom’s pelt and he snuggled into her side. Sometimes his mother was gone for too long and he worried she would never ever return, but thankfully, she always did. Sadly, it was not always when she was feeling good. Reno seemed to hate her even more than him a lot of the time. They would get in fights a lot. That seemed to be what happened today. His heart prickled with a desire to help. But he didn’t know how. Rolling onto his side, Coyotekit began to knead her fur with tiny kit claws.

“Are you okay, momma?” His soft voice piped up from amid the nest of scraps. A ragged sigh broke from the she-cat’s throat almost as soon as he finished speaking. Pain welled up in her eyes. Did do something wrong? Whimpering softly, Coyotekit pulled away. He tried to keep it down in case Reno happened to be lurking outside of the den. Clearly his mother had already had a rough day and he didn’t want to make things worse as usual. That was the one thing the small kit had decided he was good at, making things worse. Reno had said it a lot. Normally, mother would have stretched out a paw and pulled him back into her. Today, she simply continued stare straight ahead at the ground. It made his fur crawl uncomfortably. Something was worse than usual. Her torn apart muzzle was less than surprising for him, it was how they lived, but there seemed to be something more going on today. Claws pricking silently at the cloth, he lay there without making a sound. It felt like moons to Coyotekit before she finally spoke.

“Remember the groups I told you about? The clans?” Her eyes had snapped up from their fixed point on the ground to stare at him with an intensity that surprised him. Coyotekit sat up swiftly under her gaze and nodded intensely. She had told him stories of the five great clans that rule the forest. They were fantastic; all the noble and brave warriors sounded impressive. Clearings filled with tens and tend of cats all living together. The best part was they didn’t live with Reno. His mother had never said it, but he knew she thought so, and agreed. But they couldn’t leave, he wouldn’t be happy.

“Skyclan, S-shadeclan? Waterclan… or something…” Names were a bit tough for him and all the lore so hard to remember.

“Yes, yes.” Before he could recall the rest, she was rushing him on. An unusual fire lit up her eyes. It both terrified and excited her only kit. Something definitely was different today. In a moment, the grey tabby was on her feet. As she spoke once more, her voice rasped with an emotion he couldn’t identify, “We’re going to go there, baby. We’re going go back home.”

Home? Coyotekit cocked his head in question, but this is home? He wanted to question her. Questions bubbled up behind the young tom’s lips. For once, she seemed happy though. A fear of speaking overwhelmed him too much for any of the words to come pouring out. His tail stuck up straight in the air, no longer moving, and paralyzed with the uncertainty. Everything felt off. The she-cat’s tongue rasped over his ears. Coyotekit still didn’t dare to move. If he did, something might break this moment of its hopeful vibe. He could screw it up again. Squeezing his eyes shut while she washed him, the tabby tom quivered lightly in anticipation and anxiety. Softly the grey cat muttered repeatedly about going home. The words fell on deaf ears as Coyotekit’s eyes glazed over. Now he was the one gazing off blankly. The stone of the hallow blurred as his mind went clear. He had no idea what to think or feel about the things happening around him.

“Wolffang!” A guttural snarl echoed into the den and both cats froze. Instantly a cold dread filled up the kit. His smaller than average ears pressed flatly against his brown and grey head as he shrunk back. Wolffang flinched at the sound, but gave little more of a reaction. Coyotekit thought his mother was the bravest ever to stand up to Reno. The other rogue was terrifying, especially when he was angry. And Reno was always angry. Knowing they would have to step out of the safety of the den only made the kit quiver more. Reno would never enter their ‘pathetic excuse for a nest’. Even though his was certainly not as nice, Coyotekit had seen it, the rogue held a special amount of disdain for the two cats he considered to be a burden.

Before he could muster up any amount of a protest, Wolffang’s thorn-sharp teeth pricked his scruff. He had learned long ago not to squirm. The bigger cats made all the rules and he was just supposed to follow. It was best so that he wouldn’t make mistakes all the time; that was his specialty. Sunlight caused him to blink several times as they exited their makeshift home. The setting sun was always positioned just right to be blinding outside the den. Outside a shadow stood against the sun. Reno. Another chill ran through his fur, but he pressed back the urge to cry out. Instead he forced himself to go limp against all other desires that cried to run. This cat never meant anything good. Every ounce of his slim frame screamed for him to flee. It had been a while since he had seen the large tom cat and it was as truly horrifying as he remembered.

Coyotekit was placed roughly against the hard concrete as his mother went to reply, “What do you need, Reno?” Her voice was cold and even. There was almost a challenge to the tone. However, it wasn’t straightforward enough for the bullheaded tom to pick up on. The kit’s eyes were wide as he watched on in silence, although a whimper was building up in his chest.

“I told you to keep him out of my sight.” He hissed, sliding out his claws. Coyotekit winced as if struck.

“I cannot keep him stuck inside all day, Reno. Kits need to get outside.” The flat tone continued, giving nothing away. How are we supposed to leave? Reno would be so mad if we did it now, he wondered. The rogue barely let him a few tail-lengths from the den. Clearly, even this wasn’t the answer Reno wanted to hear. A growl broke from the black cat’s throat.

“Not this one.” He grunted simply, still glaring at his mate.

Wolffang flicked her tail slightly. She dared to pad closer to the bristling tom. However, her demeanor changed to something far gentler and sweeter than anything Coyotekit had ever seen. Her coat bushed up against Reno’s. Instantly, the rogue’s fur began to lay flat. He too softened up as she made her way around him. For a moment, it seemed as if all the excitement had died down and she once more would stay with the tom that constantly marked her ragged pelt. Coyotekit shivered against the chill of the ground. It was too exposed for him to feel safe. Yet, the tiny kit would never dare to move. Reno was around. As his mother turned back, he caught the hardened look in her eyes. All conflict was gone. What is happening? He noted as her claws unsheathed silently. Wolffang never used her claws.

“Calm down, love…” She whispered, nuzzling Reno’s cheek. All vicious thoughts seemed to leave the black cat’s mind. It was weird to see him so tame for once. Coyotekit watched as the grey she-cat pulled back. He watched as the soft smile contorted into one of pure rage. Thorn-sharp claws lashed out against Reno’s eyes and he roared in pain. Wildly and blindly, he lashed out. But it was too late. The she-cat had planned it all along and had doubled back to pick up her kit once more. Coyotekit bumped repeatedly against her legs as she bolted off. Daring to open his eyes, he caught a glimpse of something green. They were finally leaving the city. They were finally going to the forest. If it weren’t for the fact he was still processing everything that had happened in the last few moments, the young tom’s heart would have raced at the prospect of heading towards the legendary clans he had only ever heard of. Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut, willing for this bumpy ride to end. He just wanted to sleep.

***

It felt like moons before before they reached the edge of the territories. Wolffang's legs ached with the effort. Her jaw was nearly numb from holding her youngest kit tight between her teeth. Somehow he had managed to fall asleep along the way. That's how it had been for the past few days, she ran and he slept. It seemed the only time that the kit wanted to play was while she attempted to rest at night. Yet none of that seemed to matter now, they had reached the forest. The former warrior's heart raced at the prospect. There were cats here that probably wanted to kill her. Her kits, her mate, her family... all of these lay wait in the forest. So much had been lost all those moons ago when she ran. As a younger cat, she had made so many mistakes. Her eyes squeezed shut, pushing away the pain as she set Coyotekit on the ground.

They were right outside of Thunderclan territory, she knew that much. Picking her way through the twolegplace, Wolffang had immediately known this would be their first stop. There was no way Shadowclan would take in a rogue blooded kit. For the first time she considered Barkkit's fate. Had Leopardstar turned him away? Was he still alive? The latter was too painful to think about. Despite the fact she had so easily left her kits in the moment, the pain of doing so was far greater than any wounds that had ever marred her pelt. Even if it cost her life, Wolffang was determined to find her family. Her eyes had glazed over as she thought everything that was about to happen.

Coyotekit finally stirred at her feet. His tiny eyes blinked rapidly as they took in the greenery around them. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. The trees rose endlessly into the sky like the giant buildings of the city. They didn't have such big trees back home. He wriggled slightly in awe of the whole thing. Everything was better than he ever could have pictured it. As he stared ahead he let out a soft gasp, "This is it, momma?"

Wolffang barely managed a nod. It was time to face everything that had haunted her for so long. She bent her neck to pick up the kit, much to his disappointment, and began the painfully slow walk to the borders. Thunderclan scent wafted into her nostrils. Being here felt wrong. Her kit wouldn't even know what the scent was. Regret washed over the older she-cat. However, Coyotekit would have never been born if she hadn't left the forest. But would that be such a bad thing? She thought bitterly for a second before shaking her head to clear it. It is what it is.

As they padded further into the lush forest, a sense of foreboding washed over Wolffang. Something seemed wrong. The greenery that edged the forest gave way to piles of ash and charred trunks. A somewhat recent smell of smoke caused her to wince. Clearly, something had happened to Thunderclan. Regardless, she pressed on. Where ever the forest dwelling clan was, there was no way they could have simply abandoned the territory they called home for so many moons. Her breath came in short gasps around Coyotekit's fur. He squirmed eagerly, oblivious to their strange surroundings. To him, there would be no recognition of anything wrong here. As they continued, there seemed to be no signs the fire had let up very quickly. Wolffang suppressed a shudder. This was all wrong.

A slight sound caused her to stop dead in the middle of their trek. They weren't alone. She whipped around instantly to meet another set of eyes. A mixture of relief and fear washed over her as she recognized them from moons ago in her apprentice-hood. Blizzardshine.

Blizzardshine was walking across the forest she used to know so well, her usually spotless white fur dirty with soot as well as some spots somewhat burnt from the times the fire managed to reach her during her attempts to save her clan from the raging fire that not long ago had finally died. Her paws and muzzle were covered in cuts from the thorns of the brambles on the apprentices den after she had to make a new way out for them after a blazing branch fell right on the entrance. Her eyes scanned the territory with grief, all this was lush and green only on sunrise ago, flooded with the life that Newleaf always brought with it…now it was only black and grey with the occasional white, lifeless and quiet.

Before she could sit down and think about the past and compare it with the present, the sound of pawsteps muffled by the pulverized remains of the scorched forest reached her ears, causing her to rise her head and her fur to stand on end. Rockthorn’s body hadn’t been found around the scorched territories after all, so he could still be around. She knew that she shouldn’t had gone away from the rest of the clan on her own, but she simply couldn’t help it, she was just way too used to walk around the territory on her own to drop it on a matter of a couple days.

However, her fears were soon put to rest as her eyes landed on a she-cat walking alone through the scorched territory. She tilted her head for a couple seconds, narrowing her eyes as her paws carried her towards the mysterious figure that for some reason she found somewhat familiar, like if she had seen her before somewhere. On a normal situation she would’ve approached her without making any kind of noise, but with the undergrowth replaced by crunchy coal and ash she failed on doing so.

The stare-off between the two she-cats lasted a couple seconds, the warm yellow-amber of Wolffang’s eyes clashing heavily with the pale ice blue of Blizzardshine’s. Her posture was one of a cat that was ready to fight to the death, her long fluffy pelt making her look way bigger than she really was, and she was already fairly big, narrowed eyes scanning the intruder and her long tail held high with pride. It wasn’t her intention to appear threatening or to cause any fearful reaction from her, but after all what had happened lately her body simply had reacted against her wishes. However, after a couple seconds something clicked on her mind.

“You…you are one of the rogues that fought with Bear at the barn” She didn’t know the name of the she-cat, nor what had happened with her during the fight as she was too busy fighting her own opponents, though probably it was for the best. Her eyes went from Wolffang to Coyotekit, causing her imposing posture to shatter in a million pieces as her soft spot for kits instantly reacted to his presence. A soft mile soon made its way to her muzzle that previously held a serious expression, her ears and tail lowering slightly in a more welcoming position and her cold eyes turned kind and almost motherly “Why are you and your kit here?”.

There was a brief moment of panic and Blizzardshine looked about ready to attack. The mention of the barn hit Wolffang hard. She had tried to forget the moons spent there. Those times had treated her far better than the life with Reno. It was also a bad sign that was how the Thunderclan cat remembered her. No one in the clans had kind feelings towards the cats that had lived in the barn under Bear. How could they? He had terrorized them. Her time with the rogue leader was yet another regret on the list, despite the fact he had treated her well. Yet the title of 'rogue' still hung around her neck and that was what the white she-cat now saw. However, at the sight of Coyotekit a softness overtook the other cat's features. After so long, Wolffang still found herself thanking Starclan.

"My name is Wolffang..." She began, assuming her name alone would also have negative connotations. What have I done? The grey tabby internally berated herself for the hundredth time. Even after so long, her past managed to hang over her head. With a soft sigh, Wolffang tried to push the steel back into her voice. Regardless of circumstance, she hated to appear weak in front of any cat. Her claws dug into the ground. It felt so wrong to be asking another cat for something. Even with Reno, Wolffang had asked for nothing. Anything she needed was fought over with tooth and claw. The only reason he had held her for so long was due to the fact she was secretly a coward about coming back to the clans. As her tail lashed uncomfortably, she searched for the right words, "We've come along way to get back here. My kit needs a safe home. Shadowclan would never take him."

"But we already have a home!" Coyotekit squeaked from the forest floor in protest. Wolffang merely flicked her ear in response. She was far more interested in what Blizzardshine would say. Thunderclan was known for their willingness to take in strangers, especially those in need. There was a chance for a better life for the poor scrap. He had never known anything other than life under his horrible father. The clans had so much more that they would be able to offer him. Wolffang looked up at Blizzardshine with hardened eyes. Her life had not treated her well at all. Yet, there was still a silent plea in the depth of the yellowish pools of light. Even if her life had been hell, Coyotekit needed something better. And Thunderclan could give it to him.

The white deputy listened to Wolffang’s words carefully as she explained her motives to her. ShadowClan? Was this she-cat a clan cat before what happened with Bear? Part of her was tempted to ask more, as she couldn’t really remember her name at the time. Maybe she was one of the kidnapped cats? Maybe she left on her own for some reason? She simply couldn’t put her paw on the correct answer, but against the temptation she held back her tongue and curious personality, her attention falling on the small kit instead, a bit worried when he mentioned that they already had a home.

“Are you sure of this?” Her voice was serious, but softer than before. Why a she-cat would be so willing to give up their own kit? Plus, even if she would still have that same doubt if asked the day before, right now it was something else that kept her from taking the kit under her wing “Look around you before answering to me. ThunderClan is being forced to face though times right now, we are recovering from a forest fire that destroyed most of our territory and our camp, and food shortage is a possibility. Are you completely sure that whatever is out there is worse than this for a kit?” In her voice, concern was clear. She was afraid to not be able to provide the kit with everything he could need to grow up healthy and happy at the time, and being completely unaware of the awful place and cats they were running away from, she couldn’t help but wonder if Wolffang was making the right decision at all.

"The city we've come from holds much worse than whatever is happening here." She briefly glanced back over her gaunt and scarred frame. The fresh wounds from Reno's claws still stung her pelt. With a glance over the wrecked forest, Wolffang was certain with the decision she had made. The forest would grow, become reborn, and once more flourish. In the city there was no such hope. Here Coyotekit could find himself a good life. Blizzardshine seemed very hesitant with the whole idea of taking in another mouth to feed; it was a reasonable fear. But there was no other place for them to go. The fact of the kit was now in the paws of Thunderclan's deputy.

Coyotekit sniffled from his place on the ash covered forest floor. This had seemed fun at first, but they had only seen one cat so far. There were supposed to be hordes of great warriors. He started to miss the den too. Sleeping on the hard group was far from comfortable. He looked up at Wolffang with pleading eyes, not even acknowledging the other cat's presence, "Are we going to go home and sleep soon? I'm tired." His mother looked down at him with saddened eyes. The kit shrunk into the ground once more believing he was wrong for speaking. Do the forest cats want me to be quiet too? They're just like Reno, He thought, fixing the dirt covered ground with his eyes. Coyotekit did not want to be a problem.

"We can't go back there." She meowed a bit rougher than she intended. Her son needed to come to terms with it sometime. Once more the grey rogue's eyes shifted up to meet Blizzardshine's as she repeated it, "We can't go back."

To Wolffang the silence seemed like an eternity. She could care less about what happened to herself at this point, but her youngest kit meant more than anything to her. Silently, the former warrior begged Starclan for some forgiveness for the sins of the past. All she wanted was for the kit to be spared. The she-cat was far too gone in her own thoughts be able to notice the scent of another cat approaching. Only the sound caused her to whip around once more.

"Wolffang!" The roar caused her blood to go cold. It was a sound she knew all too well. As Coyotekit's eyes shot open wide with terror, Wolffang's nightmare-ish fears were confirmed. He was here. Reno had found them. She turned to face the city rogue, ignoring the ice the coursed through her veins. There he stood like a creature from the deepest depths of hell. Reno was a good two heads taller than her. His muscular frame was covered with deep gouges, marks he wore proudly of all of the fights he had been in. The most recent were red welts across his face from Wolffang's claws. He had no doubt come to kill them both; she instantly knew this would be their fate.

"Why are you here?" The grey cat snarled, crouching defensively in front of her kit.

An unbelievably harsh and gravelly growl rumbled in her mate's chest, "Did you really think it would be that easy to escape? After all these moons you were still foolish enough to try?" Reno shot the forest cat a quick glare at Blizzardshine. He had no care for forest cats. The only thing that mattered was punishing his mate for what she had done to him. The kit would need to go too. After a few moons of dealing with its pitiful whining, the rogue cat was done. He launched himself forwards, teeth tearing into Wolffang's shoulder before tossing her to the side. She would be next. Fury blazed in the black tom's eyes as he towered over Coyotekit's shaking frame. His claws unsheathed as he stalked his prey. Soon, finally, they would sink into the flesh of his son. It would be over.

OCC: no need for battle system. just do whatever you would like with this. I definitely have an end goal in mind for Mr. Reno here, but you can feel free to handle that however

Blizzardshine took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure what kind of danger could linger between the twolegs dens, but if so many rogues left their kits on the forest to die and some even tried to join the clans at times it probably was worse than what she could think. But having a former warrior willing to give up her kit even after knowing that there was a fire that would easily hinder the quality of life of the kit…what kind of twisted world could be lurking beyond the borders between ThunderClan and the city?

Listening to the kit’s words, her kind heart quickly made itself be heard over the she-cats concerns and thoughts rushing through her mind, Wolffang’s pleading words and eyes touching her already softened spirit “V-very well…I will stand up for the kit, but I don’t know if Darkstar would let you stay. However, since you’re a queen maybe she would let you spend at least one night with the clan in…” Before she could finish her sentence the smell of another cat made her get in guard once more, ears facing forward and whole body tensing up in alert.

The relief that rushed through her when once more she realized that the newcomer wasn’t Rockthorn was replaced by confusion and worry with his appearance and voice tone. Even Wolffang and the kit seemed to be afraid of the cat that had roared the she-cat’s name. She felt her fur starting to stand on end and adrenaline rushing through her body. She was careful to not intervene at first, unsure of what was going on and afraid to make things worse if she was getting the wrong idea. However, as soon as he attacked Wolffang and towered over Coyotekit with obvious intentions something inside her snapped.

Just like she would’ve done with any of the cats of her own, clan, she used a paw to pull Coyotekit away from the rogue’s reach and got between him and the rogue as a living shield. Her eyes appeared to have been engulfed on blue flames, her long fur standing on end and making her even bigger than when she had crossed paths with Wolffang earlier. Her claws were unsheathed and she was showing her fangs on a threatening hiss, her back arched with ears flat against her head. There was absolutely nothing that could make Blizzardshine feel more enraged than a cat fox-hearted enough to even dare to threaten a kit like this.

With an appearance that had gone from kind to something absolutely terrifying in a split second, she locked her eyes with Reno’s, like warning him of what he could be facing if he dared to even try to fulfill the plan that was going through his head “You will leave these two cats alone and go back whence you came to never come back. Now” She was giving him only one chance to get away from this situation without new scars to care about.


OOC: Blizzard moral code would never let her take the life of a cat, if that’s what you mean. She, however, is angry enough to give him several scars so he doesn’t forgets her anytime soon…just don’t have him try to harm Coyotekit nor Wolffang on your next post or she will make sure to chase him away from the territory with his tail between his legs and those scars + several more.

"Get out of my way, you stupid forest cat!" Reno shrieked as he lashed out with an unusually strong forepaw, striking the side of her head. He had traveled for three days already to reclaim them. No idiot forest-dweller was going to stand in his way. Both Coyotekit and Wolffang were his; only he would decide their fate. Rage burned hot in the black rogue's stomach. He lunged forwards, teeth only a few hairs away from Blizzardshine's throat. The move was less than calculated. Teeth clanged together with a sickening sound. Both the rogue she-cat and her kit shuddered at the sound. A stifled shriek broke from Coyotekit's throat. That was what they were afraid off. While Reno was far from the most skilled or the smartest cat, he possessed an unusually terrifying strength. His mate's pelt bore horrific marks of the black cat's rage.

Wolffang's head swam. Hunger, thirst, and extreme exhaustion had left her incredibly weak. Blood poured from where the teeth had ripped into her shoulder. The world spun as her eyes darted around wildly trying to find them. When her vision settled enough, she could see it. Blizzardshine stood in front of Coyotekit. Wolffang's eyes widened in terror. There was no doubt in her mind that Reno would kill her too. What have I done? She panicked internally. If Blizzardshine were to die protecting them, it would be all her fault. The grey she-cat instantly try to get back on her feet, but under the weight her should buckled. She was useless. They were all going to die. Her throat was raw and her breath came in weak gasps. Something needed to be done, but there was nothing she was capable of doing in this state. Instead, Wolffang gathered as much strength as she could and yowled, "Kill him! Kill him before he kills us all!"

Coyotekit was stunned into shock. One moment he had been relishing in the beauty of the forest, oblivious to the fire that had robbed it of its full potential, and the next his nightmare was here. Reno had become the worst thing about life. His tiny ears flattened against his head as he cowered against the ground. The big, white cat stood over him protectively. It shocked the young kit that some stranger would help him and Wolffang. He would have thought more about it had the terror not become overwhelming. Reno was going to hurt them. Coyotekit had seen him very mad before, but never like this. While he could barely process everything that was happening, the kit knew it would not be good.

Blizzardshine hissed as the paw connected to the side of her face, turning down the chance she had deciding to grant him through not only his aggressive words. For a second, with the sound of Reno’s teeth clanging together and the feeling of his breath so close to the long fur on her neck, the territory around her morphed into the scene that for so had haunted her nightmares during most of her night as a young warrior. She no longer was on the scorched forest that was ThunderClan’s territory at the time, but at the dark terrain that was Fourtrees at night, a blood red moon with a starless sky over their heads. The echoes of the warriors of old fighting for their lives against blurry, shadowy cats flooding her ears, the grief filled yowls of those that had found their dearest friends limp on a pool of blood, the awful stench of crimson liquid threatening to suffocate the white deputy. In front of her she no longer had the rogue that she had just threatened some heartbeats earlier, but a cat-like figure with glowing red eyes and shadowy pelt.

She was facing the Dark Forest again.

It could’ve been just her own mind playing a nasty prank on her, or the memory she had been trying to suppress since then coming back, triggered by the aggressive tom before her, it could’ve been something else entirely. However, the outcome was the same.

With the adrenaline rushing through her body and a fiery instinct that she had never felt since that fatidic night, she turned to face Reno once more with the expression of a demon before attacking like she would’ve done many moons ago. However, there was one huge difference between that time and that exact moment. She no longer was a warrior with almost no experience, oh no, she was ThunderClan’s deputy and she was going to prove that the title wasn’t just for show.

She used her own body as a shield for both the kit and herself, her long, dense pelt serving as a moderately good shield in its puffed up state, tangling claws and not allowing them to reach her skin or cause the least amount of damage if they did, as well as causing him to bite down on more fur that skin or flesh if he tried to grab her or cause damage through that method, forcing him to choke on it if he wanted to cause any real harm or get a good grip. All while not exposing vulnerable zones such as her belly or neck. It was on times like this that she was grateful for having such a long and fluffy tail, as she could use it to get on the way of Reno’s attacks as well.

She wasn’t impulsive like Reno had been on his rage induced state, she instead waited for the perfect moment to attack, and each time an opportunity came by she used her full strength and even size and weight if possible to cause as much damage as possible.

She had the strength and bravery of ThunderClan evident on her every move, some of the agility of SkyClan on her thanks to what she had learned with her father while he mentored her, the smart moves that Scorchfrost once taught to her to confuse her opponents and take advantage of their own strength to use it against them. All that mixed in with many moons of experience of her own as a full warrior.

At first her attacks were wild and ruthless, convinced by the illusion created by the echoing memories that had been crawled from the grave in the back of her mind that she was fighting a ghost from the Dark Forest again. However, as the initial shock started to fade and these memories retreated to the place from where they had come from, the ghost in front of her and the bloody battle around her started to vanish, taking her from Fourtrees to ThunderClan’s territory in the present time. The realization of this caused her strategy to quickly change, and though her strength and moves did not change much, she started to be careful to not hit vital points beyond the damage she had already done. Wolffang’s warning was still fresh on her ears, but now that she knew she wasn’t fighting one of those ghosts that simply couldn’t die she simply couldn’t bring herself to take the life of Reno.

Blood began to stain the ground underneath Reno. Yet the uncontrollable rage still fired him on. He had not expected for the white she-cat to attack so ferociously, nor to be as skilled a fighter as she was. The rogue, however, was still ignorant to his disadvantage. That did not matter to him. She had crossed him. This stranger had taken his kit from him. She had torn through his fur. All he wanted was his own property, and she had denied him that. After fallen briefly underneath Blizzardshine's attacks, Reno leaped back onto his feet and rushed towards her. His head connected with her chest. Paws slipped on the pool of red liquid that had begun to collect underneath him. The tom fell, but from his place on the forest floor still slashed away at her chest and legs with as much strength as he can manage.

"You will not win this!" He hissed loudly, "They're mine!" Even if he was losing, Reno was blind to the fact. Nothing matter more than showing this forest cat who was better. If it meant losing his life, at least he would have fought like hell. Regardless, this thought process did not run through his head. He was far too gone, far too blinded by a white hot anger. A stream of vicious snarls rose up from his chest as his claws flailed, slashing at the thick white fur. It would not be over until it was actually over. Reno would not run.

Wolffang had managed to drag herself closer to the fighting pair. Her shoulder throbbed with an unbelievable amount of pain. There was no doubt it would end up infected. Grunting, she clawed her way closer. The rogue she-cat knew something that Blizzardshine did not- Reno would not give up now, until either he was dead or she lay still on the forest floor. After so many moons, Wolffang just wanted to be rid of him. This needed to end. It was obvious that Blizzardshine was trying not to kill the black tom. But it had to be done. She gritted her teeth as another wave of pain hit her, and her head spun again. The progress was slow. In all the moments that had passed, Wolffang had only managed to crawl a few mousetails. Inwardly, she cursed the deputy for her restraint. But she reminded herself that the Thunderclan cat did not need to be helping them. Blizzardshine was putting her life on the line for some rogues.

"No.. no.." Coyotekit whimpered. His eyes squeezed shut. He tried to push himself backwards, away from the horrifying scene before him, but he was far too gone. All of his muscles were frozen in shock. He couldn't move. The kit simply watched on as the big white cat tore at Reno, and Reno clawed away at her. Coyotekit had seen blood before on his mothers pelt, but this was far more than any of that. Flecks of the sticky red liquid had splashed onto his paws. A shiver went down his spine. It was all wrong. His heart pounded as he watched his mother's painful crawl across the dirt. Every part of him wanted to rush over and help her, but he couldn't move. In the end, he simply cowered there and begged for some unknown force to end it all. He just wanted to wake up and be back in the nest. It couldn't be real.

Blizzardshine had dropped his guard for a half second when the tom feel, thinking the battle finished until her opponent sprung back to his feet and had his head connect with her chest. The fur protecting her body helped by taking a portion of the hit’s strength, but it was still enough to cause her to stumble backwards a bit to avoid falling like the rogue.

Hissing and shaking her head to get rid of the momentary stun of the hit, she padded closer to him again while dodging most of his vicious attacks “You own them as much as I own the sun that shines over our heads. Cats are free to pick their path, and if for some reason they think yours and theirs no longer should run together you’re nobody to force them to do otherwise” After speaking, she avoided one more of the attacks of the tom before lunging towards him, her sharp fangs clamping down on the skin on the back of his neck to get a firm grasp as she decided to use one of her preferred attacks.

Using her size and strength on her favor, she started to shake the crazed tom from side to side without any kind of mercy, ignoring any attack that could connect with her during her own. She could feel the weight of the body of her opponent as it lashed from one side to another with the strength of her shakes, and sometimes how it hit the ground. It wasn’t until she started to taste the coppery blood on her tongue that she suddenly opened her jaws without any kind of warning, sending the tom flying even if just a couple tail-lengths away from her before she could cause any real harm to him or accidentally rip apart some of the skin of his neck with her strength, hoping that he would be stunned enough for her to try and talk some sense into him before having to attack once more. After all, she could tell the battle was starting to get too long and she was afraid that if she kept on attacking him and he didn’t gave up, he would die from severe blood loss “This is taking you nowhere! You can’t win this fight and keep on trying can only carry lethal consequences. You need to get your wounds treated, if you keep fighting you’ll only get more”.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Reno's broken snarl rumbled through the clearing, "For me to just give up? But no. I won't lose against some forest cat." He spat back at her. His gaze was unfocused and wild. After being thrown and experiencing major blood loss, the rogue's strength was quickly fading. He was only driven on by how furious he was. Blizzardshine had spoken of treating his wounds. However, if the dark tom had heard it, he gave no sign of acknowledgement. All he cared about was sinking his claws and teeth into the cat that was keeping his mate and kit away from him. Reno barely managed to stand on all four paw, but he was scrambling and stumbling to rush the Thunderclan deputy. His almost black eyes focused solely on the white she-cat.

The blinding rage that had overtaken Reno the whole fight now made him oblivious to the fact that Wolffang was now right behind him. If it weren't for Blizzardshine tossing him across the clearing, she never would have gotten close enough. She was on the verge of passing out. But sheer will drove her on. He was so close now. Ignoring the fiery pain that tormented her shoulder, Wolffang limped the short distance between her and Reno. Her good shoulder knocked plowed into his side and knocked him off his feet. Shock crossed the black rogue's face. He had not been expecting an attack from Wolffang. Before he could recover, the grey tabby was standing over her. Pain shined in her eyes, but there was no conflict about what she was about to do. She placed her paw on his throat. Her claws slid out, slicing through the soft flesh.

Instantly, the flow of blood began to wash over paws. A gurgling sound rose up from Reno's throat as he flailed in an attempt to fight back. It was too late. Wolffang looked away as the light died from his eyes. Her breath came in short, pained gasped as she stumbled backwards from the mess that stained the forest floor. She didn't even glance back as she limped her way towards Blizzardshine and Coyotekit. Her expression gave away nothing. The rogue she-cat simply looked exhausted. She looked up at the deputy, "We're done here. Let's go."

The kit had simply watched in horror as his father bleed out on the ground. Wolffang killed him. Despite all of the anger and abuse that Reno had thrust upon them, he had always been a part of the kit's life. A tiny whimper build up in his chest. He didn't know what to do. Coyotekit couldn't pull his gaze away from the gruesome scene. Only when his mother was close enough, did his eyes flicker up to look at her. But he could clear the image of Reno's torn apart body from his head. It was over.

Blizzardshine lowered her ears as she regained her defensive position, no longer willing to attack the rogue like she did before on the account of his many injuries. She could tell by the struggle of the black tom that he was only making this worse with his determination to keep fighting instead of acknowledging his defeat and retreating. At this rate he would bleed to death through his many not-lethal injuries and that was sincerely starting to worry the kindhearted she-cat.

For a second the world around her stopped, her thoughts racing across her head at vertiginous speed. She was facing two options here, between keep fighting and risking to kill this cat through the blood he was losing due to the wounds she had inflicted on him, or find a way to subdue and force him to get his wounds treated….which she could tell would be extremely difficult plus a danger to her clan.

However, her train of thought was stopped abruptly when Wolffang sprang into action despite her injury, surprising Blizzardshine just as much as Reno. She could only watch as the she-cat sliced the throat of the weakened rogue, the conflicted thoughts racing across her mind being replaced but not changed on its core. She could kind of understand the action performed by Wolffang, but at the same time she deeply wished that there could’ve been another way. Though true that she was no longer stranger to death, and had stared at it right to the eye before, the feeling that came with it never failed to make a shiver run down her spine and her fur stand on end.

The white deputy took a deep breath and nodded at Wolffang’s words, trying to not overthink what had happened. This had been an act of self-defense and the rogue was obviously outside the code by all means, so the code hadn’t been broken in any way. The thought did little to ease Blizzardshine’s mind, but at least it gave her enough relief to not circle the matter even more, she didn’t need more dark thoughts added to the ones that had been haunting her for days at this point.

Withouth thinking, she got at the injured she-cat’s side and used her own body as a support so she wouldn’t need to use her injured shoulder too much “After the fire the medicine cats lost most of their herbs, but hopefully they will be able to help you somehow…” And hopefully the clan won’t kick you out as soon as you step in. She was careful to not say the last part of the sentence out loud, but after what had happened it was obvious that things such as prey, herbs and cobwebs would be extremely precious and she feared the clan would not want to share them with a rogue Oh StarClan, please don’t let anyone recognize her from the battle at the barn. She has it bad enough with being a rogue, if any of they know…She may had followed the rogue before, but she clearly is not an evil cat. Grant her a second chance, I beg you…

She grabbed the kit carefully, her grasp firm to not risk him to fall but gentle enough to not cause him any pain nor discomfort, before starting to walk towards the Sunningrocks. A calm and almost neutral expression on her face, but with her heart beating quickly and eyes full of worry.

Wolffang quickly shook her head at the mention of the medicine cats. It would mean trouble if any recognize who she was. They had already caused enough trouble for the kind deputy. Besides, with the fire and everything going on with Thunderclan, the herbs would be put to better use on another cat. The pain would just have to be dealt with for now. It was mostly numb for the time being. However, as they began the trek towards sunningrocks, she found herself grimacing in pain. Each step jarred the torn apart shoulder unpleasantly. Agony shot through the rogue with each motion. Yet she simply gritted her teeth and continued on.

"Do you know what happened to my kits?" She asked suddenly. It occurred to her that Blizzardshine had been at the barn battle. More than likely, the Thunderclan deputy would know the whereabouts of her children. More specifically, Barkkit. There was no doubt in her mind that Bear's son, who bore the same pelt color and looks, would have been turned away from Shadowclan. Neither Thrushstar, nor Leopardfang thought fondly of rogues. Redkit, being Mudfoot's kit, would have had a far better chance at life. Her tail flicked anxiously as she awaited to hear about the fate of her long lost children, "Barkkit and Redkit. I need to know what happened to them."

Coyotekit didn't even protest as the strange she-cat picked him up. He was still dead silent, horrified by what happened. The kit's still developing brain couldn't quite process it all. However, he knew that he was scared and that something bad had happened. The blood had told him that much. While it was strange having any cat other than Wolffang carry him, the white cat seemed nice. She had helped them. Her teeth were far more gentle than those of his own mother. While his mind still raced with all of the thoughts that swirled around inside, he said nothing.

Blizzardshine narrowed her eyes when Wolffang rejected the help of the medicine cats that she had just offered to her “You’re injured, and I don’t need to be a medicine cat to know that the kind of wound you’re bearing must be treated as soon as possible” Her words came out slightly muffled because of the kit she was carrying, but she still made sure that she was clear enough. She wasn’t speaking to the former warrior like the rogue she was, but if like she was another one of her clanmates.

When she mentioned kits on the clans she turned her head at her with a surprised expression. She had no idea that the kit she was carrying wasn’t the only one the she-cat had trusted to the clans, but maybe that was a good thing. It meant that there was at least some kind waiting for him, that he wouldn’t be all alone.

At the mention of the two kits she fell completely silent. The only Redkit she knew about was the son of Cloudstorm and the traitor Rockthorn, but Barkkit…she still could remember the day Darkstar brought a kit that smelled like a mix of the barn and the marshes belonging to ShadowClan, a kit that was almost like a smaller version of the scarred tom she fought at the barn not long before that same day…could that be…? It seemed like the most possible option, and if she was right this would answer many questions that had been silently roaming across her head for some moons.

“I’m sad to say that I have no idea of Redkit’s whereabouts, he isn’t on ThunderClan, I can tell you that. However, I do know about Barkkit. He is now known as Barkpaw, after bringing him to the clan several moons ago Darkstar took him under her wing and is now his mentor. Maybe you can share a couple words with him before you go?” They were almost at the Sunningrocks, she could already smell the rest of her clan and hear the soft sound of the river right next to it. If Wolffang refused the help again she would need to find a way to do something for her, and she could take this chance to do so. Walking off with a wound like the one she had on her shoulder would only bring awful consequences for the rogue after all.

The grey rogue said nothing at Blizzardshine's mention of help once again. Her ear barely twitched at the thought. Her paw caught on a root and she stumbled slightly, jarring the injury once again. A sharp hiss broke from her throat at the roaring fire that raged in her shoulder. She grunted, shaking her pelt and continuing on. If the deputy happened to get her something for the pain at least, Wolffang would have no complaints. Wolffang continued to grit her teeth as they walked. The only thing that pulled her out of the world of pain in her head was when Blizzardshine spoke of her kit. Barkkit! No, Barkpaw! He was alive. A soft sigh of relief left her maw. There was no doubt Leopardstar has spared Redkit and was having him trained in Shadowclan. But because Barkkit bore his father's coat, the Shadowclan leader had given him away. At least there were not worse consequences because of his heritage.

"I can't come to camp," She stopped short, scenting the rest of the cats, "but I do need to see my son." The thought of seeing Barkpaw terrified her and excited her at the same time. While Coyotekit was close to her, the first two sons of hers were something special. One bore the genes of her true love. The other was a copy of another tom who had treated her well and cared for her. Coyotekit was a product of terror. She pushed the idea away as she glanced at her youngest son with a sadden smile. They were each something special. But right now, she needed to see Barkpaw. The kit who had been lost to her for so long. He was now so close. And then she would let go of two of her offspring, sending them into a better life. And Wolffang would be gone.