Warriors: Crow's Carrion

Chapter Two

     Ospreykit sat next to their brothers with pricked ears, curiously watching two elders. Reedtuft, a dark yellow tabby tom, droned on about ancient stories as his sister, Sleekthistle, snored softly at his side. In the time since they'd been allowed into the camp, Ospreykit slowly learned more about their Clanmates—for example, Reedtuft and Sleekthistle were the littermates of Ripplestar, who had only been seen a pawful of times. Aside from their eyes, one could hardly tell they were related.

     Something else they learned was that Sleekthistle was apparently their grandmother—Wavedance's mother. Ospreykit considered it, and couldn't find the connection that Poolkit and Currentkit seemed to have with their grandfather, Mudbreath. Luckily—reassuringly—Crabkit and Splashkit seemed to share these feelings.

     "Countless seasons ago, a cat named Crowstar caused the Great Rift. He severed MistClan from the rest of the Clans, and the group rebranded as The Gorge. Among other things, the belief in StarClan was quickly outlawed. Along with the murders of his own followers, Crowstar and his most loyal followers often led raids on the other Clans' territories—namely SwiftClan and BlazeClan. This often resulted in kits being stolen and healers being wounded or killed."

     As soon as Reedtuft started telling a new story, Osprey found their breath caught in their chest. This was a tale he hadn't told yet, and the elder spoke with an unrecognizable tone. He sounded grim as he spoke, his amber eyes darkened with memories of a tale passed down from previous generations. Splashkit tensed at their side, and Currentkit crept up to sit beside Crabkit.

     "Crowstar raised a cat of unknown lineage. This cat would grow to be known as Deadeye, a tyrant even more horrible than his foster father. Somehow, Deadeye succeeded Crowstar and received his nine lives—perhaps StarClan thought there was a chance he would change—and he immediately denounced our code of living, starting with the rejection of a leader's name."

     Reedtuft paused and swept his gaze over the gathered kits, as though he expected an interruption from them. Ospreykit only watched silently with wide eyes; their littermates and Currentkit did the same, none of them moving to make a noise. With a glance down at the yellow bundle of fur beside him, Reedtuft continued:

     "For seasons, Deadeye terrorized the other Clans. All four lost territory—SwiftClan and BlazeClan as a direct result of his attacks, while NightClan and our own Clan offered land for them to shelter in. Legend says that one warrior was born to be his downfall: a warrior named Spottedpath, born right under his leadership. With dedication—and, of course, time—Spottedpath earned the trust of the Clans and together, they faced Deadeye and his underlings in an epic battle. Many lives were lost in the battle, but in the end, Spottedpath and the Clans came out victorious. She moved on to reinstate MistClan as an official Clan again, and started the role that's unique to them—the overseer. Some say that both Deadeye and Crowstar haunt the dreams of young kits and apprentices who misbehave."

     The elder finished with a warning glance at the kits just as Sleekthistle started to stir. Currentkit and Crabkit each let out squeaks of surprise and rushed away, their tails waving in the air. Splashkit made no move to follow, so Ospreykit nudged him a bit.

     "Let's go after Crab and Current!" they whispered, watching the two kits run to the sandy patch outside the nursery. Splashkit didn't respond, but when Ospreykit took off they could hear his paws scuffing at the earth behind them.

     "Splash, Osprey, play a game with us!" Currentkit demanded as soon as they caught up. He and Crabkit were sitting with Poolkit, who looked a bit confused.

     "What are we gonna play?" Poolkit asked, tilting his head.

     "Reedtuft just told us a new story—about a warrior named Spottedpath!" Crabkit gushed. "One of us could be Spottedpath, and one of us could be Deadeye, her sworn enemy!"