Warriors: The Serpent's Tale

|Chapter 13|

The heavy feeling of loss hung over the ThunderClan camp as dawn broke and the morning dragged on. A few, self-made patrols went out to hunt, and one even went to make sure that ShadowClan had left the territory. Only the faint mumbles of the cats in camp could be heard. Even the birds didn't seem to sing out from the trees, as if the whole lake mourned the loss of Tawnyhaze.
As the day passed, Silentpaw and Snakeshade remained at the tortoishell she-cat's side, sititng vigil for her. The Clan moved around them, and when sunhigh came and went, and still Adderstar did not come from his den to name a new deputy, worried whispers migrated around camp. It was customary that a Clan leader name a new deputy before moonhigh after the death of the previous deputy, and appoint the new one in the presence of the former's body. So, in terms of the customs, Adderstar still had plenty of time to name a new one, but everyone was getting antsy.

The gossip was only ambient noise to Snakeshade, as the day passed in a blur. The faint sound of pebbles falling into the clearing was the only thing that roused him. Blinking, he opened his eyes to realize that he had fallen asleep and at some point, night had fallen. The dim light of the moon cast the stone hollow in pale blue hues. There was not a cat in sight, so it must have been pretty late. Yawning, Snakeshade arched his back, raised his tail and stretched his paws out in front of him. When he stood he shook out his pelt, looking around for what had woke him. At first, there was nothing he could see out of the ordinary. Silentpaw sat opposite him, her face still buried in Tawnyhaze's fur. Moonhigh was close. Surely Adderstar will come from his den to name a new deputy soon? Snakeshade thought.

Movement at the side of the hollow caught his eye and the brown tabby strained to see a dark shape, slinking up the rock path towards Adderstar's den. At first, he feared some kind of predator had gotten into camp undetected, but when he scented the air all he could smell was ThunderClan. Then he realized it was a cat with a black pelt. 

Viperthorn!

Snakeshade stared, watching his brother as he moved towards the den at the top of Highrock. He was moving slowly, glancing around every so often, as if he was checking to make sure no one was watching him. When his brother disappeared into the black hole in the rock face, Snakeshade got to his paws and followed. 

He climbed the rock path, careful of where he was putting his paws, not wanting to alert anyone else who may be watching.

"What is this about?" the low growl of Adderstar made Snakeshade freeze. His father's voice was coming from inside the den, and he could hear shuffling as he imagined the light brown tom getting to his paws. 

"Don't you know?" hissed Viperthorn, "You mean the 'great and wise' Adderstar can't piece together that his actions have consequences?" The tone in his brother's voice made Snakeshade's blood run cold. 

"Whatever you think you're doing, or whatever it is you think to gain, you're wrong," Adderstar continued.

Snakeshade crept forward, peaking around so he could see into the den. When his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could see the shapes of Adderstar and Viperthorn. His brother had their father pinned against the back of the den. Viperthorn's back was to him.

"That's what you've always thought!" yowled Viperthorn, "I've never been good enough for you, have I? Snakeshade is the favored son, the best warrior, the one who will become leader! Well, I'm going to prove you wrong, Adderstar." 

His voiced lowered, "I know you are on your last life, and you made this so easy by hesitating to name a deputy. No cat will be able to dispute my claim to leadership. I will prove that you were wrong about me."

To Snakeshade's horror, standing rigid in his spot, he watched Viperthorn raise his claws and strike out at Adderstar's throat in such a quick motion that if he had blinked he would have missed it.

"No!" yowled Snakeshade as he burst into the den, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Viperthorn spun around, his green eyes glinting in the dark. Adderstar slumped to the floor, blood oozing from the wound in his throat. Just like Tawnyhaze...

"Adderstar!" Snakeshade ran to his father's side. The older tom's breath came out in sluggish rasps. He was only able to focus on Snakeshade's eyes for a moment before his own rolled back and his head fell to the side and became still. Grief struck him hard, the loss of Tawnyhaze and now his father felt like icicles in his chest that he couldn't shake off. Pressing his muzzle into Adderstar's fur. Blood covered the floor under his paws, staining them red. Turning on his brother, Snakeshade hissed, his tail lashing. "What have you done?"

Viperthorn was watching him, his tongue running over his claws. When he finished he drew his teeth back in a snarl. "Adderstar thought I wasn't fit enough to be leader, unlike you. So I will take it by force." 

"How?" Snakeshade countered, "How do you intend to take leadership of ThunderClan? I saw everything. I will tell the Clan what you did." 

The look in his brother's eyes made him falter, blinking. There was cold, calculating certainty.

"Not if I tell them what you did first," he whispered maliciously.

Before Snakeshade could stop him, Viperthorn streaked past him and out the entrance of the den. Spinning around, he saw him standing on the Highledge.

"Adderstar is dead!" he yowled, "Snakeshade has killed Adderstar!"

The brown tabby's mouth hung open. He was going to pin their father's murder on him. Quickly he ran out of the den, just in time to see a crowd beginning to form in the clearing below. When he appeared, gasps and shrieks of horror welcomed him. His Clanmates were staring up at him, some looking shocked, some furious.

"See! He carries our leader's blood on his paws!"

Cries outrage exploded from the clearing, and among the clamor one voice called out.

"Kill him where he stands! Blood shall pay for blood!"

Peering down, Snakeshade could see Robinwing staring up at them, his blue eyes were alight, as if by a dark flame. The crowd cried their agreement, but Viperthorn spoke up over the crowd. Casting his green eyes in his direction.

"No, death be would too easy for such a coward who would kill their own father in an abhorrent attempt to seek leadership. He will be banished, forced to live with the crime he has committed till he rots in the Dark Forest."

"Chase him!"

"Adderstar's blood in on your head!"

"ThunderClan has no need for traitors!"

The jeers and wails from his Clanmates tore out Snakeshade's heart and crushed the wrods from his throat. They honestly belived Viperthorn's words. He looked at each of them, seeing the hatred in their eyes. His eyes quickly found Sweetgrass, who stared up at the two of them. Her eyes green eyes were wide, and several emotions were at their surface; grief, confusion, distress. She kept looking between the two of them, and he could tell she was fighting what to think about all of this. His mother was the only one who wasn't saying a word.

As the Clan's voices rose and rose, Snakeshade's eyes darted around. His heart pounded in his chest, and he couldn't think of anything else to do, so he ran.

His paws caught on the rocks down the path from his father's den and when he got to the hollow he could feel his Clanmate's claws striking out at his sides. With a cry he burst through the barrier at the head of camp and out into the forest. The sound of furious hissing came behind him as several warriors followed him, Viperthorn at the lead. 

Trees, bushes and shrubs blurred past him as he ran through the night. The cold air whipped at his face and stung his lungs as he ran.

"Traitor! Murderer!" 

Their voices echoed through the trees and rang out, along with the blood that pounded in Snakeshade's ears. He could hear their thundering pawsteps behind him, edging closer and closer as he fled. 

When the trees began to thin he saw the river that bordered ThunderClan and WindClan. That was his chance to escape. As he neared, he readied himself, and when his paws hit the edge of the cliff that overlooked the river, he sprang. Flying through the air over the river, he landed with a loud thud on the shore on WindClan's side. Pebbles on the bank skidded under his paws and he stood and turned to look back at the cliff on the opposite side.

The ThunderClan warriors skidded to a halt there, their pelts bushed up and tails raised. Hises and yowls cracked through the night air. Viperthorn pushed his way through them and stood, staring at Snakeshade.

"Snakeshade, you are hereby exiled from ThunderClan for the death of Adderstar. You are no longer welcome on ThunderClan territory and will be killed on sight if you ever cross our borders again." Viperthorn called, flashing his teeth. 

As his brother spoke, the warriors behind him began to spread out, creating a line up and down the river's edge so that Snakeshade could not pass onto their territory. Anger and frustration burned in his chest as he watched, but not for the warriors. His fury was for his brother. "I didn't kill Adderstar!" he cried, digging his claws into the ground, which caught on the rocks. Neither Viperthorn nor the warriors with him spoke after that, and instead just cast more glares and hisses in his direction. At the back of the crowd, Snakeshade could see Sweetgrass watching him, and beside her was Silentpaw, her blue eyes worried. 

With a sigh, he dropped his head. I'm sorry Tawnyhaze... Adderstar... he thought I have failed you both.

There was no way he could return to ThunderClan. Viperthorn had convinced them all he was responsible and there was no way he could try and change their minds. His heart was heavy as he turned away and padded onto the WindClan moors.

The air was colder here and the wind cut through his fur. The moon rose high overhead and he knew that sunrise was still a ways off. There would be no patrols for a while and he couldn't stay out in the cold for long. He spotted some sparse bushes that covered the entrance to what smelled like an abandoned rabbit burrow. Creeping towards the entrance he opened his mouth to scent for anything. The scent of rabbit was faint so it was indeed abandoned.

Carefully he picked his way inside and curled up, covering his nose with his tail. So many emotions ran through him and his mind spun. So much had happened in the last day, and the thought of it all came crashing back to him. Squeezing his eyes shut, Snakeshade waited for the emptiness of sleep to take him into the darkness.