Out of Time [closed/solo]

It was dark. The cold, unforgiving light of the stars shone down on a lone form, padding slowly across the edge of the stone-hard Thunderpath. The moon above was barely a sliver in the sky, the shape of a claw hanging amongst the dim pinpricks of light in the heavens- barely enough to illuminate her silhouette. The broken former medicine cat of ShadowClan.... Honeydrop. The brightness of Silverpelt held no warmth for her. For all she was concerned, her warrior ancestors had abandoned her- making her life a cruel tragedy, full of misery after misery, ever since she had been a kit. And now, the tired play of her life was reaching its final act. Exiled from her home, cast out, disowned and hated by her family and friends. There was nothing she could do to change her bitter fate. There was no way for her to lessen her punishment. There was nowhere for her to go. And yet, here she was... alive. As the empty shell of a formerly compassionate, loving cat, there was no place for her to truly fit in. So what was she looking for here, in the middle of the night, about to leave the territory and venture into the unknown? She had no idea. She wouldn't be allowed to stay in her home, ShadowClan... not that she could have lived with the hatred of her family on top of all the other things that had happened to her in her relatively short life. But she wasn't all too fond of the idea of being a rogue, fending for herself in the cruel world of Twolegplace. And the mere concept of being a kittypet made her want to quail in fear- ever since she'd almost been taken away by one, she'd been terrified of Twolegs. If all her options seemed to be out, then what was left for her? As Honeydrop walked slowly to the edge of her home territory, she had no idea that she was being followed, and that the cat following her held the answer to all her problems. He was going to kill her.

The ginger tabby tom slunk through the shadows of the tall pine trees, using the skill for which their Clan was named. Swiftclaw would have been disappointed in him if he hadn't used the opportunity of the darkness to slip out of camp, despite being watched constantly like a newborn kit. For attacking the code-breaking she-cat who had turned out to be his mother, Gingerstripe had been confined to camp, and treated like an apprentice. It was demeaning, to say the least- yet he accepted it with little more than a grimace when he was called to clean the elders' den, from which Flamestrike was notably absent, or help out their now sole medicine cat with his duties. Why? Because in order for his plan to work, he couldn't have Magpiestar riding his tail. He needed to dissuade suspicion long enough to sneak out of camp, following the disgraced golden rogue as she left ShadowClan for good. So far, she had no idea she was being followed. His green eyes gleamed in the darkness, holding the smile he couldn't allow to show on his face. This would be easy. At his paws, Honeydrop would receive the punishment she deserved: being banished from the forest... permanently. Left to reside in the Dark Forest where codebreakers like her belonged. Quickening his pace, the former medicine cat's son caught up to the faintly golden silhouette, before stopping and sitting on his haunches. He would make this quick, as a last homage to his father. "Hello, mother."

The she-cat whirled around in the darkness, caught completely off guard by the voice. She had thought she was alone... Despite her momentary panic at being found, half the surprise was caused by the cat from whom the voice originated. The first thing she saw were his green eyes, and for one half-second she thought it was Flamestrike- but no, her former mate was gone. Betraying her had been his last act. The flame-orange tabby tom who sat there in the darkness was... "G-Gingerstripe," the former medicine cat managed to say, her voice confused and more than a little surprised. What was her son doing here, by the Thunderpath? "I... I th-thought you w-were c-c-confined to c-camp." Her amber eyes, still dulled from the pain that constantly tore apart her soul, nonetheless held a spark of curiosity... and suspicion. "H-here to s-say g-g-goodbye to your m-m-mother, is th-that it?" But Honeydrop could tell that something was up. She just wasn't quite sure what.... and she wouldn't be, until it was too late.

The smile on his face turned into more of a grimace at being reminded of his unfair punishment, but he shook it off. He only had to keep up the act for a little longer.... Gingerstripe stood and slowly made his way closer to the former medicine cat. "In a way. You see, I don't really think we got to finish the conversation we were having. There are still a few things that I.. don't understand, and I was hoping you could perhaps expound on them for me." The tom's thin, white-tipped tail swayed slowly back and forth behind him, almost lazily, drawing the traitorous she-cat's attention away from his unsheathed claws. He saw her deep amber eyes following its movement, back and forth, back and forth, while still managing to stare at his face. He got the uncomfortable feeling that she was sizing him up, comparing him to his father. After taking advantage of him, that was one of the things that she had absolutely no right to do. No, he had to focus. If he let a single hint of his anger show in those eyes she was staring into, the game would be up. "Would you do something for me, Honeydrop?"

The exiled she-cat's amber eyes narrowed slightly, yet they still kept looking into his. "Q-q-questions? About wh-what?" The "discussion" they had had in camp had involved a clawed blow to the face, and quite a bit of yelling on the tom's part. What about her code-breaking actions hadn't already been explained, by her or by Magpiestar? Had she missed something? Even as one part of her brain tried to contemplate what he was asking, and figure out why he was really here- the former medicine cat had been through far too much not to be at least a little bit paranoid, especially of her estranged son- the other part seemed to be mesmerized by his eyes, his tail waving back and forth. He looked just like his father... too much like his father for her liking. She kept on reminding herself that Flamestrike had betrayed her in the end, but those eyes were intoxicating. It was too dark to see much more than the orange tom's thin, lean frame, yet Honeydrop suddenly became aware that he was standing close to her. Very close. What was he doing? Would you do something for me, Honeydrop? "Y-Yes?" It came out like a question, soft and unsure, very like how her voice had been before her throat was almost slit open by Wolffang. She couldn't stop staring at his eyes. They grew brighter, thanks to some light from behind her that was illuminating them. Where was the light coming from...? The former ShadowClan medicine cat moved slightly to see where the bright light was from, and in doing so, caught sight of the gleam of Gingerstripe's unsheathed claws. The spell was broken- a moment too late. "What the-?"

At just the right time, a monster came hurtling down the Thunderpath- Gingerstripe could see it in the distance. It was followed by two or three more of its kind, all with bright, glaring lights coming from their eyes. Quick as a flash, the warrior leaped forwards, pinning down the weak she-cat with his sharp-clawed paws, a snarl on his face. The features that looked so much like his father's were now twisted in a look of absolute hatred, illuminated brightly by the first of the monsters racing down the Thunderpath. A loud roaring accompanied its passing, a sound that made the golden traitor pinned beneath his claws flinch. "You ruined my life, you piece of scum," the tom spat out, digging his claws into her shoulders. "You ruined Firestone's life, you ruined Flamestrike's life. Your foolish, selfish, code-breaking actions have destroyed every cat who you claim to have loved. You have nearly torn ShadowClan apart. Magpiestar's actions were not punishment enough for all the pain you have inflicted." His green eyes were cold and flint-hard, the green of spiky nettle leaves that dug deep into one's flesh. They seemed to be having the same effect on the former medicine cat. He could see the pain in her eyes as the second monster rushed past. They were begging, pleading for mercy, for a drop of kindness- something he had none of left in him anymore. There was no way for him to forgive the she-cat after all she had done. "In return for all the crimes you have committed, I ask only one favor in return: DIE." As the last monster roared up the Thunderpath, the disgraced ShadowClan warrior flung his mother into its path, watching with coldly unforgiving, emotionless eyes as her battered form was broken by the giant beast's charge. Faintly golden, covered in bright scarlet blood, the she-cat's body was flung into the sky, landing hard on the other side of the border. With a few shaky, unheard last words, Honeydrop was dead. Gone, to the Dark Forest. It was done. Gingerstripe got no satisfaction from her death- only a sense of having finished his job. Without a single drop of remorse, the tom turned away from the disgusting sight, returning to camp by the same undetected way.

He never looked back.

My son... With a strangled gasp, Honeydrop felt herself thrown onto the hard, cold Thunderpath, moments before the monster roared by. She felt pain for only a second during the moment of impact- impossible, excruciating pain- and then she was flying through the sky, sent up by the force of the hit, her ragged tail trailing behind her, about to plummet back down to earth. Time slowed down. She had always heard that cats' lives flashed before their eyes when they died... but she had never imagined it being so literal. She was a kit again- lying in Ferretshine's warm nest with her sisters and brother, snuggling up against their warm forms, safe and secure. She heard her mother's voice- "you can be anything you want to be, little one." Then she was standing in the chamber of the Moonstone for the first time ever, Alderheart at her side, smiling benevolently down- "Is it your wish to enter into the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?" She saw Dawnflower giving her a full name- Puddlepaw's bright, happy eyes as she became an apprentice- Wolffang's claws, Bear's vengeful eyes, Flamestrike's bright orange fur- three tiny kits in different shades of orange lying at Littlebrook's side... All this and more seemed to pass in the space of half a second before the former medicine cat smashed down on the other side of the Thunderpath, cracking whatever bones weren't already broken by the monster. All the visions of her family, friends and loved ones faded away, except for Gingerstripe's lone form on the other side... and he, too, abandoned her. Honeydrop was alone, dying pathetically on the side of the Thunderpath, not even on ShadowClan territory. She could hardly breathe, the pain was too much. With her dying breath, the golden she-cat managed to choke out a few tiny last words... "I'm so sorry."

Her defeated amber eyes closed- and then suddenly opened again. The pain was gone. She was still lying, bloody and broken, on the WindClan side of the Thunderpath, but she felt somehow... free. She tried to sit up, and suddenly was lifted a few feet into the sky- leaving her body behind her. Honeydrop was dead. But... why was she still here? "Honeydrop." The golden she-cat turned around to see her old apprentice right next to her, smiling, blue eyes gentle and kind.

"Puddlepaw? What am I doing here? Why... why am I not in the Dark Forest yet?" The former medicine cat moved closer to the starry she-cat, and realized that she herself was as incorporeal as the StarClan apprentice. "After... after all I've done-"

"Do you want to be in the Dark Forest?" The mousy brown tabby's voice was serious, but her eyes sparkled with the teasing humor she had always used.

The she-cat was bewildered. "No, but-"

"Shhh." Puddlepaw's tail covered the golden she-cat's mouth, effectively getting her to shut up- if only from surprise. "You think you deserve to be there?" Honeydrop's eyes were downcast, but she nodded. She had caused so much pain, so much heartache... broken the medicine cats' code. "Well, you don't. Plenty of cats who have broken the code are there- the only requirement is that you are a good cat, and that you are sorry for what you have done. And I think you've proven yourself a good cat, hundreds of times over." The former medicine cat apprentice flicked her tail, and a number of scenes flashed quickly through the golden she-cat's head- healing her Clanmates, keeping young kits out of trouble, encouraging Roaringblaze, loving her sons from afar. A warm feeling spread through Honeydrop's incorporeal heart. "You've lived. You've loved. You're one of the best cats in the forest, despite your mistakes. And besides, you promised me that you would come live in StarClan. You promised! And if any of my Clanmates in StarClan think I'm wrong for demanding only the best from you, then, well- they'll have to go through me!" The apprentice puffed out her mouse-gray tabby chest, and she looked so determined that the golden she-cat's spirit burst out laughing, something she hadn't done since, well, StarClan only knew how long. Though it was induced by seeing someone she loved, someone she hadn't truly seen in a long time, the happiness bubbling up inside her didn't only come from that. It came from the fact that she was truly being accepted, wanted... loved.

"All right, Puddlepaw, you win." A smile spread across Honeydrop's face, the truly beautiful kind that only came from real happiness. She could still be accepted somewhere. "I'll come with you." With those four words, the former medicine cat's spirit glowed, suddenly changing from the broken shell of a she-cat she had been. She looked young again, happy- before Wolffang, before Bear, before Flamestrike. When she had been truly happy. After all that she'd been through, after everything that had happened, she was finally happy, finally free. She would see Alderheart, and Ferretshine, and Nutflower... Puddlepaw. Every cat that still loved her, passed on to the "happier place" she'd always heard about. And now, it was there she went. With a little laugh of triumph, the StarClan medicine cat dissipated, ascending to the bright stars that now seemed to look warm and inviting- welcoming her home. I'm going home.