Deep Blue Eyes-- a warriors fanfic (completed story!)

Chapter 35

Delicate snowflakes gently sprinkled the cold leaf-bare ground. Dapplesplash padded towards the ThunderClan border, belly swinging from side to side. Hunger growled inside of her, and Dapplesplash felt lightheaded.

It was bad enough that prey was scarce. Dapplesplash felt as though she should be in the nursery, prey being brought to her as she rested. Her kits were due any day now, and Dapplesplash found it harder and harder to go on.

I need extra food anyways, with the kits and all. It doesn’t help with the fact that it’s leaf-bare, I’ll never be able to find enough food to feed myself and the kits, Dapplesplash thought in despair. What will I do?

Dapplesplash paused in her walking and sniffed the air. She had almost crossed the ThunderClan border. It was very hard to scent. It seemed as though ThunderClan hadn’t marked the border for a while. That’s strange… Dapplesplash thought. Is something wrong with ThunderClan?

Suddenly a pain coursed through Dapplesplash, and she collapsed onto the snow, gritting her teeth. The kits! They can’t come, not now! I’m too close to ThunderClan!

She dug her claws into the ground and tried to lift herself up, panting from the effort. Crumpling again, she began to drag herself away from the border. If they find me here, they’ll surely kill me! Or the kits!

Another pain racked her, and she had to use all of her strength to prevent herself from yowling out loud. Dizziness began to take over her head, and she saw a picture of a ginger she-cat curled up next to a black and white tom.

In anger, she kicked out, only to hit her hind paw on a tree. She drew it back beside her as another vision clouded her head. She suddenly felt a heavy object slam against her back, and she was surprised her spine didn’t break. Blinking open her eyes, she saw that nothing had landed on her.

Dapplesplash let out a shudder. I didn’t know this was supposed to happen! Another pain came through her, and she let out a whimper as a kit slid out onto the snow. Dapplesplash reached over and began to lick it, trying to warm it up. She had seen one queen have kits before: and that happened to be the litter that Flowerblaze and Bluepaw were born in.

Dapplesplash thrust the kit away as another pain came, and the kit let out a startled mew as it was pushed away from the warmth of her mother. Dapplesplash had another vision, this time of four apprentices standing on the Highledge, appearing to receive an award as cats cheered out their names. When the fog cleared, Dapplesplash reached back out for her kit. It was a dark grey she-cat with a white splash on her nose. Dapplesplash pulled the kit close and calmed it with smooth strokes of her tongue.

Another pain came, and this time it brought a sticky vision of blood clouding her vision. She felt claws sink deep into flesh, emotional pain erupting beside her. Dapplesplash felt joy as she delivered a swipe to the throat as the cat sank back, never again to open its eyes.

Dapplesplash awoke to another kit lying on the snow behind her. This time it was a black tom. She gave it a few quick licks and placed him next to his sister.

Dapplesplash laid her head on the freezing cold snow. How many more kits? She wondered, imagining she was speaking to Goldenblaze. There was no reply.

Dapplesplash’s next vision was of Flowerblaze. The ginger she-cat was crouched in a collapsing cave, a boulder blocking her way. A rock above teetered and began to fall.

Another kit slid out onto the snow. This time it was a dark grey tom with faintly visible black flecks. This must be it, Dapplesplash thought. There might be one more. The most kits I’ve ever heard of being in a litter is four.

Another pain shot through her and a last kit slid out. It was a black tom with white smudges on his paws, muzzle and chest.

Dapplesplash stared down at the four kits curled up side by side in the snow. Would Blazefire be proud of them? She wondered. Or would he hate them because they’re mine? Would he rather have kits with Flowerblaze?

The little she-kit squirmed, and opened her mouth to let out a mew of hunger. Her littermates joined in, crawling blindly towards Dapplesplash.

“Hush, little kits. I don’t have any food for you,” Dapplesplash whispered. “It’s hard to find prey now.” A dreadful thought crept in: what if she couldn’t feed the kits?

Dapplesplash gazed sadly at her kits, which were still searching for food. She couldn’t feed them. She couldn’t raise four kits and herself all alone. She had to take them to ThunderClan.

“I can’t let them go,” Dapplesplash told herself aloud, “I can’t give them up. But if I want them to live, that is what I must do.” She took a deep breath. “Remember me, little kits. And remember the names I give to you.”

Another vision clouded Dapplesplash’s mind. She let out a maniacal laugh, seeing Flowerblaze on the ground, bleeding to her death. Scars were drawn across the once-beautiful she-cat’s face, and she was missing one eye. Dapplesplash cackled, words flowing from her mouth like a river.

“When smoke rises from the blazing flower, it is nothing more than a smudge of cinders and soot on the grass,” Dapplesplash cackled. She ignored the mews of her kits and turned to them, a crazed look in her eyes.

She stared at the she-kit. “Cinderkit,” she purred crazily. She turned to the black tom. “Sootkit.” She spun to the dark grey flecked tom. “Smokekit.” And at last to the black tom with white smudges. “Smudgekit.” She laughed, thinking of how her kits could get her the revenge she wanted.

Dapplesplash set Cinderkit down and rushed back to grab Sootkit. She placed the black tom next to his sister, and she treaded back to grab Smokekit.

She had a plan to get her kits to ThunderClan. She would make a bunch of snow-holes in a path, bringing one kit ahead and going back for the other. It would be a long process, but it was the only one she could think of.

Once she placed Smudgekit down, she dug another hole a while ahead. She picked up Cinderkit and carried her over.

Eventually she reached the camp. She grabbed Cinderkit in her jaws, lifted Smudgekit up onto her back, and pushed Sootkit and Smokekit ahead with her paws. She entered the camp, much to the shocked gasps of the clan. It seemed as though they were having a meeting. Fernstar must be up on the Highledge with another warrior. “Fernstar,” Dapplesplash began, “I know I’m exiled, but I have kits and…” She froze.

The cat on the Highledge delivered a killing blow to the other warrior. The cat then spun around and stared at Dapplesplash, eyes narrowing in hatred.

The cat on the rock was not Fernstar. It was a murderer.