Silent Shadows: Book Two - The River of Secrets

XXIV

Content Warning: Depiction of rat torture. (What a way to start a chapter)

Mom's gone, dad's fled. Just like a coward.

We're surrounded by cowards, brother. Cowards who fear us for existing. 

Everywhere he walked, they'd flee him. Just going to the fresh-kill pile to get something to eat would have some other Clan cat become unsettled and run off. Every other apprentice avoided him, as if he were a disease. Even his own mentor would act hesitant around him. 

I am not neglected. I am feared.

And yet none of those cats feared that leader. The she-cat who'd commanded for his mother to be killed, right in front of him and his brother. Pigstar was her name, and it was a very fitting one. She was always up there, on top of the world, lazing away and letting all her subjects do everything for her.

"I think I know how I could get rid of her," Selenopaw said, one day.

"Hmph, how exactly?" Pebblestar meowed in reply, scraping his claws against a rock. His brother stared down at his own claws.

"I guess I could sneak up on her when she's sleeping, and then...I'll...slit her throat," he answered, suppressing a shiver. "It wouldn't be hard. She snores real loudly, guess that means she's hard to wake up."

Pebblepaw stared back blankly, finding himself surprisingly unbothered by his brother's threat. In fact, he was nearly excited, guessing it would be thrilling to see the Clan fall apart from stress after their leader's murder.

"Well, then," he laughed. "Good luck with that. Hope you succeed." 

He'd been thinking about his brother's talk earlier, and it made excitement rise in his chest every couple minutes. The idea of living among the chaos of a panicking crowd, and the feeling of pride that his own brother had caused it, made joy flow through his veins.

Pebblepaw rested his head upon his paws. The sky had fallen dark, it was nearly nighttime. He closed his eyes with anticipation for the chaos he would awaken to.

Just then, he was awoken by the sound of another cat entering the den. His ears instantly perked up, and he turned to see his unexpected guest. Only to be greeted with a familiar pinkish gray pelt.

Pigstar. Pebblepaw suddenly stopped. His eyes were suddenly lead towards a bleeding wound on the side of her neck. 

The she-cat stepped toward him. "Your brother has been very bold, you know," she meowed, before she abruptly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. 

"Agh!" Pebblepaw spat as she began dragging him out of the den, seeming disturbingly calm despite the bleeding wound on her neck. He lashed out, striking her face and causing him to drop him on the ground. "What the hell are you-"

Just then, something struck his head, sending him to the ground.

Once his eyes opened again, suddenly he was in a murky cave, surrounded by darkness. A pain throbbed in his head. Though his blurred vision, he suddenly caught sight of Selenopaw with Pigstar above him, pinning him down to the ground.

"H-Hey!" He hissed. Despite his pain and fatigue, he tried crawling forth. He stopped when he realized something, maybe a branch, was holding him down. She must've placed that on top of him when he was knocked out. He gritted his teeth in anger. "Let my brother go, you dirty old hag!"

Pigstar let out a laugh. "Oh don't worry, dear, he'll be fine. I won't kill him. But your death will teach this mischievous child a valuable lesson."

"My...what?" Pebblepaw felt a wave of heat fall over him. His heart skipped a beat when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and looked over to see something furry clinging to his shoulder. He hissed, slapping it off. A rat? Gross!