Bloodshed

Chapter Seven

"Look out, Shadepaw!" A ball of moss collided with Shadepaw's head.

"Hey, watch it!" He snapped, spinning to face the kit that had thrown the moss ball. It was Flamekit, the ginger kit who did nothing but cause trouble. Twice he had (unsuccessfully) tried to sneak away from camp. Another time he tried to attack Snowpaw and Blurrypaw.

But Shadepaw's hatred for Flamekit was nothing compared to how he felt about Owlkit. Owlkit was the exact opposite of his brother; he was perfect. Already there was talk of leadership qualities in the tiny kit, and Shadepaw couldn't stand it. Owlpaw couldn't possibly be as great as the others said he was. He was only four moons old!

It was a quarter-moon after he had made his agreement with Frozenstar. Tonight, he would go to his first gathering. Jaytail and Spottedfeather had already told Rainpaw and Shadepaw that they were going.

Shadepaw was eager to leave. As Stripedstar led the Clan out of the cave and downstream to the gathering tree, Shadepaw fell in step beside Blurrypaw. "How many gatherings have you been to?" He asked the older apprentice.

"A lot." Blurrypaw shrugged. Shadepaw wondered if he was trying to avoid conversation. Tonight was a very important night, if he were to rule the Clans. He'd have to make allies in both Clans, who could support him when the time came for him to kill off every cat who threatened his rule.

He wasn't hesitant about this now. He knew what he had to do, and he was prepared to shed blood if he had to.

***

"Come with me!" Blurrypaw led Shadepaw through the shallow water to the other side. "We have to meet Morningpaw. She's my cousin, did you know that?"

"She is? A GreenClan cat?" Shadepaw asked.

"Yeah. I dunno why my father joined MudClan, but the rest of his family is in GreenClan. His sister, Tallflower, is Morningpaw's mother."

Shadepaw nodded slowly. Surely Morningpaw was an easy ally he could make. Blurrypaw too. "Hello!" He greeted the she-cat with a purr.

Morningpaw turned her silvery gray head towards him. "Who's this?" She asked Blurrypaw.

"A friend of mine." Blurrypaw flopped down with a sigh. "His name is Shadepaw."

Shadepaw dipped his head, meeting Morningpaw's eyes. He wondered if she would be a good ally for him to have. What good could she do? Could she hunt, or fight, or guard? All three? "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." She purred, standing up. "Erm, if you don't mind, I'm going to find Sandpaw."

"Sandpaw is her sister." Blurrypaw explained as she left. "The sandy brown one near Stormstar."

Stormstar was being helped across the stream by Sandpaw and Hawkstrike. The old tom was once large, with massive muscles and terrifying claws. Now that he was older, he had grown fragile and skinny, his ribs visible trough his ragged gray fur.

"How are my kits?" A voice sounded behind Shadepaw and Blurrypaw. Shadepaw recognized Owlkit and Flamekit's father, Coldstream.

"Troublesome." Blurrypaw replied, "As you would expect from a couple of kits."

"Are they fitting in well?" A look of concern was clear on Coldstream's face. Shadepaw felt a flash of pity for the silver tom.

"I think so." Blurrypaw shrugged, "How are you?"

"I'll live." Coldstream growled. He pressed his ears flat against his head when he spotted Nightwing padding towards them.

"Greetings, Coldstream. Kits." Nightwing dipped his head to the three cats.

"We aren't kits!" Shadepaw protested, "We're apprentices."

Nightwing scoffed, "And what good do you do for your Clan? Clean the bedding?"

"We're training to become warriors!" Shadepaw spat, rising to his paws. A few cats turned towards them.

"Are you causing trouble, Nightwing?" Hawkstrike called from his place beneath the gathering tree.

"No, Hawkstrike." Nightwing shot a glare at Coldstream, then joined his apprentice on a large rock sticking out of the river.

"The gathering is starting soon. We should find somewhere to sit," Blurrypaw said. He led Shadepaw to a rock not far from Nightwing's, which was small enough to fit only the two of them.

Stripedstar yowled, signaling the beginning of the gathering. Shadepaw watched as she stood up on the leader's branch, raising her tail for silence. As the Clans quieted, she began.

"There is not much to report from MudClan. Our deputy, Moonbeam, is very close to kitting. We hope that her birth goes well, and that the kits born are healthy. Two of Minnowleap's kits are now apprentices. Rainpaw," Her gaze landed on the silver tabby, who held his head high. He was sitting close to Snowpaw and the GreenClan apprentice Windpaw.

Shadepaw's heart skipped a beat as Stripedstar also called his name. The Clan cats turned to look at him, murmurs of approval and congratulations rippled around the Clans. Too soon, it was over, and Stripedstar was sitting down again.

Stormstar was not as confident as Stripedstar. His claws clung to the bark of the tree as if he expected to fall off. He lost his balance as he stood, and Stripedstar had to grab his scruff to stop him from falling.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like Hawkstrike to speak for you?" She asked him. The old leader scoffed at the idea.

"I am still alive, and I am still leader. I will speak for GreenClan." He snarled. He was not mean, but he was still leader of the enemy Clan. Shadepaw had to remind himself that he was loyal to neither Clan; nor was he loyal to StarClan.

Stormstar rose to his paws again, this time sturdier. "GreenClan is growing larger. Riversong's kits are now apprentices, Windpaw, Vinepaw, and Eaglepaw."

He flicked his tail to each of the apprentices individually. "Our Clan is very thirsty, because of the drought. I must ask you for permission to drink from the river, Stripedstar, for all of our other sources of water are dried up." He looked pleadingly at Stripedstar.

The river belonged to MudClan. Because GreenClan lived in lush forests and MudClan in rough mountains, MudClan relied on the river for prey. Shadepaw saw no reason that GreenClan couldn't drink from it, and neither did Stripedstar.

"As long as it is strictly for drinking. You do not get a free pass to steal fish from the river." She replied, catching Spottedfeather's eye. The temporary deputy nodded her agreement.

As the gathering began to break up, Shadepaw felt a bit defeated. He hadn't had time to make allies! How would he ever find cats willing to betray their Clans, when he hardly had time to speak to them?