The What If? Series

What If Flickerpaw Was Killed By Ivystar?

Being swatted across the nose by an apprentice in ThunderClan camp was.. Unexpected.

The apprentice had courage, however misplaced it was. Her teeth bared for a second in an uncontrolled battle instinct rising and mixing with her barely suppressed rage, but Splashwillow's swift intervention stopped her redirected aggression giving the apprentice a good tongue lashing. Instead, she listened with flattened ears to Blizzardstar's surprisingly reasonable words, and got a good look at that apprentice that claimed her grandkit's life. Though she heard distantly the rabble of ThunderClan bickering and showing their usual inability to respect a leader's authority(it seemed apprentices were the same regardless of clan or upbringing), her focus was narrowed on the apprentice before her.

Ivystar growled in an uncontrollable anger. "You! You are the cat who killed Fawnsong, yes?" The leader asked, voice trying to stay a calm and collected cat. "Y- Yes, I- I- I am..." The apprentice was obviously worried for her life. Pathetic. A reasonable fear to have, but what would a murderer expect? "Then you know you must die. Riverclan!" She called for the cats of her Clan behind her. "Guard the entrance, and let NO cat escape." They couldn't have another Rockthorn. Not so soon. Then she turned to the white fluffy leader of Thunderclan, a plan forming in her mind. Something in the back of her mind pressured her to have the forgiveness given to her at her ceremony. She shoved it away by picturing Fawnsong's lifeless body, oozing blood from several scratches made by claws, this ginger apprentice's claws. "Blizzardstar, do I have your permission to punish this apprentice as I wish?" Leader or not, Ivystar had to use some amount of diplomacy, especially considering this apprentice was from an opposing Clan.

Blizzardstar looked as if she was about to reply after some careful and worrisome consideration, but then Rowanpaw's murderer stepped forward. A large she-cat, with eyes like her own. This was a cat who would kill an apprentice. This was a cat who would kill any amount of Riverclan cats, unconsidering of the cost. No, that wasn't right. The warrior knew it would hurt Riverclan, and that was what mattered. If not stopped, she would kill off every Riverclan cat, one by one. She looked strong, too, and could probably take on 2 or more of Riverclan's younger apprentices. "This cat must be punished as well. Blizzardstar, I repeat my question. Do I have your permission to punish the murderers?" Blizzardstar looked pained. The fluffy leader obviously found a good friend in the warrior. Ivystar narrowed her eyes at the silent leader. "Yes." Replied Blizzardstar softly. "You may. But- please, if your sentence is death, use Deathberries on Specklefang. She deserves a painless death, if she tells the truth." She repeated, louder. Ivystar stood taller. Now she had the ability to establish a punishment suitable for such murderers. "Then get them and bring the murderer. In the meantime, I will deal with this excuse for an apprentice."

The large leader watched Blizzardstar walk stoically to the medicine cats' den before looking down at the small tabby cat who cowered before her, with good reason. She looked like a beast out of an elder's tale, at full height she stood taller than Blizzardstar and her short fur did nothing to hide the taunt lines of her muscles built over swimming in the river against currents. And in this moment, she radiated a killer's edge, something she'd fought to hide, only letting it slip in handful of events. Ivystar had only killed three times in her life, technically. The first time, she'd tasted blood, she remembered feeling fear, guilt and elation. The second, she'd learnt to suppress the guilt and fear, only elation took over her. And the final time, she'd just watched and felt nothing as her mother drown in the river. And looking at this apprentice, she felt the dark side call to her once more. Oh how quickly she could break that little snivelling things neck, let her blood drown her mewling siblings. It would be easy, but Fawnsong had not been allowed a quick or painless death, so neither would the murderer.

She began to unsheathe and sheathe her claws, ready to strike. "Flickerpaw, you have been charged with the murder of Fawnsong. You have admitted this is the murder and will be punished accordingly." Her quick paws lashed out across the apprentice, telling herself it was justified since Fawnsong had a horrible, bloody death too. Claw marks appeared as the apprentice let out a yowl. The apprentices who were defending her- probably her siblings- rushed towards the bloody ginger she-cat as Ivystar dealt a killing blow. A slit across the throat. Flickerpaw deserved this, she thought. But she had to leave before someone piped up. She whirled around and walked away, gesturing for Riverclan to follow behind her.
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Flickerpaw couldn't take the pain. She had stood her ground as the red haze clouded her vision, but now, now she couldn't. Her siblings crowded around her with worrisome mews. "I- I- I'm sorry I had to go like this..." She felt her senses dull as she collapsed to the earth, her head thumping against the hard frozen ground. She could see the paws of her siblings and their mews got louder and more urgent. "Goodbye..." She whispered as it came to take her. Starclan had come for her, or the Dark Forest/Place of No Stars. Either one was fine. She felt lighter now, so she stood up. The world around her seemed faded, unreal. Like a dream. Shrewheart stood before her. Riverclan was leaving. Now she left too. She looked back to see her own broken body, Sharptooth rushing towards her in grief, Wisteriapaw opening her mouth to the sky in a wail of loss, Dappledpaw's knees wobbling before he fell crying beside her, Featherpaw angrily rushing towards camp entrance and being stopped by Tatteredleaf, Wildpaw shoving a shocked face into Sharptooth, it was all sad. But she was okay now. She was safe with Shrewheart. She stepped up, following Shrewheart into the stars to face her ancestors.