Kitten of the Dark Forest

Ch. 12: Redemption

Silverpelt and Mapleshade stood frozen to the ground. What had happened, they could not process. Then the she-cats began to howl in anguish, devastation hitting them like the claws of a badger. Silverpelt ran towards Tinykit's limp body, Mapleshade by her side. She touched her nose to his fur, covered in blood. "He hated most cats, especially his brother Juniperkit," Silverpelt wept. "But during the  moments of life or death, he was there for who he loved most," finished Mapleshade. By then, a few of the Dark Forest cats had heard Mapleshade and Silverpelt's crying. Silverhawk was the first to notice Tinykit's unmoving body. He stopped battling, and let out a screech. "Tinykit is dead! Tinykit is dead!" he yowled. "Retreat back to the Dark Forest!" Abruptly, all the Dark Forest cats broke away from the fighting, screeching in terror as they fled. The ThunderClan cats were victorious, yowling in triumph as they chased the remaining Dark Forest cats away. All but one. Silverpelt had nopt left her youngest son's side. He had been evil, but he was still her son. Fallenpaw and the rest of her littermates walked up to their mother. "Mother, it's time to go back to camp! We won, and you need to get your wounds fixed up!" she meowed. Fallenpaw stiffened when she saw Tinykit's limp body, but she did not say anything. "Don't worry, my kits, I'm coming," Silverpelt said as she stood up, weariness trying to drag her down. "We're not kits anymore, we're apprentices!" complained Ripplekit. Silverpelt chuckled sadly. "To me, you'll always be my kits. And I will always love you," replied Silverpelt. As she walked away with her kits, Silverpelt turned her head, looking over her shoulder at Tinykit. "And I will always love you, my youngest son." Mapleshade did not leave her adopted son's side, instead curling up around him. "When I needed you most, you were there for me. I'm sorry I couldn't have been there for you, my son," she murmured. "I'm so sorry."

The silence was deafening. The darkness was infinite. Tinykit knew only that. He was curled up in a ball, and more scared than he had ever been in his life. After he had saved Mapleshade and Silverpelt from the dog, he had arrived in what could only been known as nothingness. Not even a battle could scare him more than that, for he had no idea where he was, or what would happen to him. Suddenly, he opened his eyes to find that he was in the field where he had first met Tigerstar, with a cat standing in front of him. It was a she-cat, tortoiseshell-and-white with orange and brown markings, and a dappled and mottled coat. Tinykit stood up, his fur bristling. "Who are you? Why are you here? Why am I here?" Tinykit questioned. "Am I...dead?" The she-cat just smiled. "Do not worry, little one. You are safe. I will not harm you," the she-cat said. "I am Spottedleaf, and I have brought you here to give you a prophecy." Upon hearing the she-cat's name, Tinykit perked up a little. "Hey, I've heard about you!" he exclaimed. "You were an important cat to ThunderClan, and you're here to give me a prophecy!" Tinykit smiled, feeling important. But then his heat sank. "But you've died two times, and I'm with you, so that must mean..." he trailed off. Spottedleaf shook her head. "You are not dead, Tinykit, merely unconscious," she explained. "But then if I haven't died twice, how are you here? I may not have died two times, but you have!" Tinykit asked. Spottedleaf smiled slightly and said, "Here, let me explain it to you. You see, sometimes, when a cat dies twice, they are able to latch one to something to stop them from dying completely. I stayed behind to give out prophecies. However, in your, ahem, friends' case," Spottedleaf gestured to Tinykit's head, "they were able to latch on to the conscience of a forming kit, and corrupt it from the inside." Tinykit shuffled his paws. "I never thought of it like that," he mumbled, looking down at the ground. Spottedleaf lifted his head up with her tail. "Do not worry, little one," she said. "You were just a kit, young and influential. Tigerstar was the first cat you had ever met, and first impressions are everything. But even though you were mentored by an evil cat before even being born, you were still able to redeem yourself, show love to a cat that had thought you had given up on all things good. You wanted to save your mother too, not just Mapleshade. That is something that has never been done by a Dark Forest cat. And that's why you have been chosen to bear this prophecy." Tinykit beamed. Whatever the prophecy, he would make sure that he repeated it to the right cat. It would be his duty. "When I go back, will it be like reincarnation?" he asked, for he was unsure of what it would be like. "No. Reincarnation is when a cat that has died before is reborn, you will just regain conciseness," she replied. Spottedleaf closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, they were white. Tinykit was taken aback, but had no time to be shocked, as Spottedleaf had started relaying the prophecy. "Blood spilt by family, family divided by blood, when the darkness is imminent one cat must rise through the challenge and put an end to the madness." Tinykit was about to ask what the prophecy meant, when suddenly his vision was flooded by darkness, and he seemed to fall away from the dream. A strange thought struck him, and before he woke up, he asked Spottedleaf, "Wait, if reincarnation can happen to any cat, do I know any who have been reincarnated?" "Yes, you do," was the answer. "In fact, they are closer to you than you realize."