The Beauty and the Warrior

The West Wing

After Leafpool finished a nice steak and potatoes, she and Sandstorm walked through the halls.

"I don't understand why you're all being so kind to me, after all you're all just as trapped here as I am. Don't you ever want to escape?" Leafpool murmured.

"The Master's not as horrible as he may seem. Somewhere, deep in his soul, there's a prince-! Of a fellow-" Sand corrected herself. "Just waiting to be set free."

"Greystripe mentioned something about the West Wing, what's up there that I'm not allowed to see?" Leafpool questioned.

"Never you mind about that. It's mostly just rubbish." Sandstorm meowed. "Off to bed with you poppet."

Leafpool padded up the stairs, but instead of going to the East Wing, she went in the opposite direction.

She entered the dark eerie halls as her curiosity grew, and soon came across a room with a bunch of covered objects. But there were two things that sat in the open, covered in dust.

The first thing she saw was a painting of a young one-month old tom, with sparkling blue eyes and dark grey fur. It had claw marks torn through it as if some cat had scratched it.

The second thing scared the living daylights out of her.

It was a painting of the same tom, but much younger, maybe six months old, and...

Her.

She had her front leg around his shoulders, him doing the same as they grinned at the painter.

And at the bottom written in messy writing was "Blackbird and Audacieuse, best friends for life!"

Confusion rose in her chest as she wondered who this cat was and why she didn't remember him or this event.

She walked out and padded into another room where she saw the glass bell jar with the glowing red rose. But as she grew nearer, Crowfeather came in and saw her.

"Hey! Get away from there!!!" He shrieked as he ran and jumped in front of her. She hissed and stepped back, before turning and running out and down the old steps, and out the doors.

The others called for her to come back, but she jumped on her horse and rode out.

Crowfeather had gone and stopped at the doorway, guilt rising in his stomach.

"Crowfeather! Look what you've done you scared her off! Now she's probably going to be attacked by wolves unless you go get her!" Sandstorm scolded.

Crowfeather huffed before flapping his stuff wings and shooting into the air. He stopped and looked around and saw Leafpool, with wolves surrounding her.

He dove and went barreling down at the wolves and scaring a few off, but three stayed and attacked him, he fought, telling Leafpool to run, but she didn't, instead she unsheathed her claws and scratched one wolf across it's eye.

Together, the two fought off the group of wolves, but Crowfeather had been fighting most of them, and was severely wounded. He collapsed to the ground.

Leafpool thought for a moment about leaving, but decided to help him instead. So she shook him softly, he squinted up at her, exhaustion clouding his vision.

"I need you to stand. Help me." She whispered.

Crowfeather managed to stand up on shaky legs, grunting as Leafpool led him to her horse. He got on Phillipe and collapsed once more. Leafpool led the horse to the castle and managed to help him to bed where she tried cleaning Crow's wounds with a sanitized rag. But Crowfeather let a roar as the alcohol on the rag stung on his wounds.