A Twisted Fate (Warrior Cats)

Chapter 25

"Hello, Birdpaw."

Birdpaw couldn't believe her eyes. Out of all the possible cats that could have been standing before her at that moment, this cat was probably one whom she was least expecting. 

"...Moss?" she stammered, mentally stopping herself from taking a step back in surprise. Nothing was making any sense to her. 

If the tortoiseshell queen had noticed Birdpaw's confusion, she paid no attention to it. "Silverclaw informed me that you have been unconscious for a few sunrises due to an unfortunate skirmish with Clawface and his gang. How are you feeling?" 

Sure enough, Birdpaw was not hallucinating. Moss was indeed standing before them. A bit haggard (presumably from traveling all the way from Rogue territory), but well otherwise, it seemed. Hailstar and Silverclaw stood behind her, appearing neither alarmed nor wary. Something felt off; Birdpaw felt as if she were the only one in the den who was unaware of a critical piece in this entire puzzle of a situation.

"I'm all right," she mumbled, shuffling her paws and clearing her throat. Too many questions were swirling in her mind, and she was not sure where to start. "Umm..."

Moss's gaze softened as she stepped forward to touch noses with Birdpaw. "Come, let us speak in Hailstar's den. I am sure that there is much you have not heard about." 

                                                                                        ~*~

"Wait, you're what?"  

If Birdpaw was merely surprised before, now she was legitimately dumbfounded. She looked back and forth repeatedly between Moss and her father in disbelief. "No way! You can't be siblings; you look nothing alike!"

Neither Silverclaw nor Moss answered Birdpaw's outburst, instead sharing a meaningful look that only the two of them seemed to understand. Falconclaw cleared his throat awkwardly, and even he remained silent.

A few more moments of silence later, Birdpaw was forced to accept that what she had just heard was real. Her mind was spinning as she tried to piece together the remaining portions of the mystery involving her clan, her family, and the Rogues. If Silverclaw was Moss's brother, and Moss was Greenfur's sister...

Her heart began to race as a sinking feeling dawned on her. "Father, Greenfur possesses a warrior name because she was once part of us, wasn't she? Us as in...Shadeclan. And our family." The last word came out almost as a whisper. 

Birdpaw looked up into Silverclaw's eyes, and very slowly, the deputy tilted his chin in the smallest of nods. 

                                                                                            ~*~

"Greenfur, Mossfern, and I were once very close littermates. We were quite a rambunctious bunch, and from as far as I recall, Greenfur was always our unofficial leader. She, always the ambitious one out of us three, would plan our adventures, come up with stupid ideas, and protect us. She was a great sister, clanmate, and role model," Silverclaw meowed quietly. 

Calmly. As if he were not at all involved.

"We practically had our lives planned out -- Greenfur would become leader, I would be her deputy, and Mossfern would become our medicine cat. Together, we naively believed we could make Shadeclan the strongest clan ever." 

Silverclaw paused here, and Moss took over, "But of course, that did not go as smoothly as we had hoped. For one, I was a terrible medicine cat apprentice. Sorting herbs and healing sick cats just was not the right role for me -- I was too brash, too fond of the thrills that came along with hunting and being a warrior." Moss and Silverclaw both let out a small mrrow of amusement at that, as if there was some inside joke that was shared between the two of them which no other cat knew of. 

But the light-hearted spirit in the den simmered down as Silverclaw resumed, "But what really strained our relationship was the day I was promoted to deputy. Greenfur was angry and embarrassed because I, the younger brother, was chosen over her. She felt betrayed, especially because she was everything I was and more. Thus, she became bitter, eventually abandoning Shadeclan because she claimed that she was tired of being overlooked. Sometimes I wonder if everything would be different had I given the position to her."

The silver warrior paused here, his gaze downcast. For the first time ever, Birdpaw realized, she was seeing her father for who he truly was: not just the strong and noble deputy of Shadeclan, but also a loyal clan cat and devoted brother who had vulnerabilities and secrets.

"That is where you are mistaken, Silverclaw." a voice sounded from beside Birdpaw, which was revealed to be Violetfoot.

Ignoring everyone's baffled stares, the blue-gray she-cat seized the opportunity to explain, "The night before Silverclaw was promoted to deputy, Starclan sent me a vision. I saw two paths: the left fork was a green, grassy path, while the right was shone silvery blue from being illuminated by the stars. Somehow, I saw that the left path led to bloodshed and darkness, but the right path was bright and seemed to lead a way out of the darkness." Violetfoot then reached over with her paw and gently placed it over Silverclaw's, meowing, "Do you see now? Our warrior ancestors must have had their reasons for sending me that vision. Do not ever blame yourself for this, because Shadeclan could not have asked for a better deputy."

Birdpaw watched as her father slowly cast his gaze downward and bowed his head; whether it was from pain or acceptance, she did not know. Perhaps a mixture of both. Birdpaw wished that she could do something to comfort him. Even though her littermate had died when she was barely a few moons old, Birdpaw could still imagine how hard it must be to become separated from a sibling. Silverclaw didn't deserve this; it was Greenfur's fault for letting jealousy consume her. 

"Violetfoot is right," Moss agreed, edging closer to Silverclaw such that their pelts brushed, "Shadeclan needs you to lead it out of its darkest hour."

"Darkest hour?" Birdpaw echoed, confused.

Moss turned to face Birdpaw and mewed, "I came back to Shadeclan because I wanted to warn you of Greenfur's plans. She has gathered up a mob of former clan cats who felt similarly overlooked by their leaders, ex-kittypets, and random rogue cats in search of shelter. They're planning to attack the clans on the next new moon. First, they've tried to turn you against each other by purposefully stealing prey from your territories, and now they're going to try and conquer you one by one. You must not fall for her trap -- uniting all three clans will be the only way to survive." 

Birdpaw gritted her teeth, unable to believe her ears. "And this is all because she didn't get to be deputy, and eventually, leader of Shadeclan? Is she crazy?"

Silverclaw flinched. Sensing that she had crossed a line of some sorts, Birdpaw instantly felt horribly guilty. "I'm sorry," she mewed quietly, unable to meet his gaze.

"It's all right," the silver warrior reassured her, but his voice seemed hollow for some reason or another. However, no cat seemed to want to press him for answers. All of a sudden, Silverclaw looked much older and ragged than before. Perhaps he was haunted by something in his past.

"So, what now?" Falconclaw broke the silence. His face was masked by a neutral expression, but Birdpaw could feel the tension in his limbs as she was seated next to him. 

"We should alert the other two clans of the Rogues' plans immediately," Hailstar meowed, rising to his paws and raking his gaze over everyone in the den, as if calculating something. After a brief moment's worth of hesitation, the Shadeclan leader continued, "Silverclaw, you must send messengers to the two other clans immediately. Inform them that the three leaders and deputies must meet tonight to discuss a battle plan. We must be ready for the Rogues, but we cannot be unless we are together in this. Also-"

"Help! Shadeclan!" a voice shrieked from outside, causing every cat in the den to spring to their paws, pelts bristling. They hurried outside, only to see Hazelpaw. 

"What happened?" Hailstar demanded as his gaze swept up and down the small brown she-cat, who was covered in scratches and panting as if she had just sprinted here.

"The Rogues," Hazelpaw gasped between gulps of air, "They have come to attack Iceclan!"

Short chapter. Will update very soon. I only have a month to finish this :( but hang on tight -- the climax is coming.

~Rainii