Post by Forcestar on Mar 22, 2007 1:21:14 GMT -5
Title: Traitor's Folly
Chapters: 1
Author: ForceStar
Pairing: Tigerclaw/star canon
Rating: PG
Summary: Was Tigerstar as evil as was thought, or did he have a deeper, darker side?
Warning: Spiritual warfare
Disclaimer: All characters and situations from the Warriors series are the property of Erin Hunter. The only things
I own are my own original characters and situations.
Beta: Serrakin from Fanfiction.net
All was silent in the ThunderClan camp. It was the dead of winter- snow littered the ground, strewn into heaps and mounds. Only a few scattered trails criss-crossed the camp floor. The silence was abruptly broken by a scream from a thick bush a Clan cat might have recognized as the nursery. Across the clearing, from a toppled tree, a gray blur streaked across the camp floor and disappeared into the nursery.
The streak resolved itself into a gray-pelted tomcat with bright amber eyes, pricked ears, and a bundle of fragrant herbs. His eyes were worried as he dropped the bundle and padded over to a calico queen, whose belly was swollen with kits. The queen lay on her side, flanks heaving with exhaustion. Another, older queen left her nest and came to the tomcat's side. “Stripedface, thank StarClan you're here!”
The medicine cat, for it was he, turned to the older queen. “Dappletail- how long has she been like this? I only left to gather my herbs.”
Dappletail answered, “She's been straining like this for far too long. Something is wrong!”
Stripedface turned and nudged the calico queen's face with his nose. “Splotchedfur, can you here me?”
The queen groaned with pain. “Stripedface...is... that... you? Hurts in... my belly... so much!”
Stripedface's eyes glowed with worry, but he forced himself to remain calm as he answered, “Don't worry. I won't let you be hurt.” He turned and nosed the bundle at his feet, finally coming up with two, smaller bundles of herbs.
He nudged them on the queen. “Eat these; they'll help you push without pain.” I hope, he added silently.
Minutes passed after the queen swallowed the herbs. Dappletail sat silent, watching and waiting. In all her seasons, she had seen only once case like this, and that one had... she swallowed and looked away, willing the memory -scent of blood and memory-sound of wailing to leave her. Her ears pricked up once again as the queen's flanks stirred again, muscles moving rhythmically down her side.
Stripedface gave a small sigh of relief and began to lick the queen on her shoulder. “That's it, keep it up and your kits will be here in no time!”
Dappletail kept her thoughts to herself, again straying to that case, with another, older medicine cat and the same words...
Stripedface quickly turned from his licking and nosed the calico queen's tail aside, then bent forward and gripped a tiny newborn kit's scruff in his teeth. But instead of relief and joy in his eyes, there was only pain. “Dappletail,” he whispered, “Take this kit out and... bury it. It's dead.”
Dappletail silently took the little kit from his jaws and padded away. Stripedface turned back and continued urging Splotchedfur to greater efforts, but his heart was sad. With his mentor in StarClan's paws, he was the only medicine cat in camp. Even if that little Spottedkit did show promise...
He continued his grisly work. Kit after kit slid from their mother's body, only to be dead or so close Stripedface could only hasten them on their way to StarClan, tears flowing freely from his eyes. Dappletail returned from her last journey, tail low and eyes sad. “Are there any alive? Thistleclaw will be heartbroken.”
Stripedface began to shake his head, but even as he did so there was a gasp from Splotchedfur, and he heard a tiny mew. Heart in his throat, he spun around to see a tiny kit, eyes closed and fur damp. But his meow of happiness died in his throat. For the kit's fur was red wet only with blood- Splotchedfur's lifeblood, now ebbing out on the ground next to her. He flung himself at the queen, medicine cat knowledge that had been passed from generation to generation screaming to help her, but there was nothing he could do. Splotchedfur stirred in her bed, eyes alight with a strange calm. “Dappletail...”
The other queen padded to her side. “What is it, Splotchedfur?”
Splotchedfur stared into the other queen's eyes. “Swear to... me, that on... StarClan's name, you'll take.. care of... little... Tiger..kit.”
Dappletail stared down at her once friend, then nodded sharply. “I'll do it, Splotchedfur. He'll be a great warrior, I promise you!” She bent her head forward and picked up the tiny, mewing scrap of fur. “I swear on StarClan's honor!”
Splotchedfur's eyes, to Stripedface's astonishment, were beginning to glow blue, bright blue... StarClan blue.
“Tell Thistleclaw... I love...” She gasped for a moment, then her eyes dimmed of the blue fire and she slumped forward.
Stripedface bowed his head in pain. His first major healing without his mentor, and he had failed... failed!
Dappletail stood silent for a moment, undecided, until the little form of the kit -Tigerkit- wriggled in her jaws.
She looked down at the little scrap of fur, what could have been anger in her eyes, anger at the loss of a friend. But it was swept aside in a tide of maternal care. She turned, and padded across the floor to her nest where her other, older
kits stirred. Stripedface began to slowly gather up his herbs “Useless though they are!” his mind screamed. His mind balked at the task of burying his first failure.
There was a rustle of brambles from the edge of the thicket, and Thistleclaw's thick body pushed in.
“Where's Splotchedfur?” he asked eagerly. “And her kits?”
Stripedface's heart sank as his mouth numbly formed the words: “She's... dead.”
Thistleclaw's face seemed to crumple in on itself. He stammered, “No... she's not dead... tell me she's not dead!” Then he saw the form that had been Splotchedfur's, and now was only a shell, a remainder of the vibrant spirit that had once inhabited it. Eyes wet, he turned to the medicine cat. “Did she... say anything?”
The medicine cat's jaws parted anew. “She asked Dappletail to take care of the kit, and... she said she loved you.”
Thistleclaw's eyes seemed to bore holes in Stripedface for a moment, before he turned away and padded across the floor to Splotchedfur's body, lowering his head to lick her shoulder.
Stripedface thrust his way out of the thicket blindly, mind only on the pain behind him in the nursery. His eyes went up, looking to the stars of StarClan for some guidance, some help, something to sop his pain. For a moment, the stars themselves wavered in his vision as he felt a wave pass over his mind. Then it passed, and he knew what StarClan had told him. For a moment, he debated returning to the nursery, but how could he tell Thistleclaw what had been prophesied? Yet the fiery words still burned in his mind: “In blood, Tigerkit is born, and in blood, he will end.”
Author's Notes: This was a pure-intuition story, born of a day when I had nothing to do for an hour. I was musing on ideas for another idea of mine when this tumbled into my head. I wrote the first chapter and then got busy. Until next time!
Chapters: 1
Author: ForceStar
Pairing: Tigerclaw/star canon
Rating: PG
Summary: Was Tigerstar as evil as was thought, or did he have a deeper, darker side?
Warning: Spiritual warfare
Disclaimer: All characters and situations from the Warriors series are the property of Erin Hunter. The only things
I own are my own original characters and situations.
Beta: Serrakin from Fanfiction.net
Chapter 1: For, unto us a kit is born
All was silent in the ThunderClan camp. It was the dead of winter- snow littered the ground, strewn into heaps and mounds. Only a few scattered trails criss-crossed the camp floor. The silence was abruptly broken by a scream from a thick bush a Clan cat might have recognized as the nursery. Across the clearing, from a toppled tree, a gray blur streaked across the camp floor and disappeared into the nursery.
The streak resolved itself into a gray-pelted tomcat with bright amber eyes, pricked ears, and a bundle of fragrant herbs. His eyes were worried as he dropped the bundle and padded over to a calico queen, whose belly was swollen with kits. The queen lay on her side, flanks heaving with exhaustion. Another, older queen left her nest and came to the tomcat's side. “Stripedface, thank StarClan you're here!”
The medicine cat, for it was he, turned to the older queen. “Dappletail- how long has she been like this? I only left to gather my herbs.”
Dappletail answered, “She's been straining like this for far too long. Something is wrong!”
Stripedface turned and nudged the calico queen's face with his nose. “Splotchedfur, can you here me?”
The queen groaned with pain. “Stripedface...is... that... you? Hurts in... my belly... so much!”
Stripedface's eyes glowed with worry, but he forced himself to remain calm as he answered, “Don't worry. I won't let you be hurt.” He turned and nosed the bundle at his feet, finally coming up with two, smaller bundles of herbs.
He nudged them on the queen. “Eat these; they'll help you push without pain.” I hope, he added silently.
Minutes passed after the queen swallowed the herbs. Dappletail sat silent, watching and waiting. In all her seasons, she had seen only once case like this, and that one had... she swallowed and looked away, willing the memory -scent of blood and memory-sound of wailing to leave her. Her ears pricked up once again as the queen's flanks stirred again, muscles moving rhythmically down her side.
Stripedface gave a small sigh of relief and began to lick the queen on her shoulder. “That's it, keep it up and your kits will be here in no time!”
Dappletail kept her thoughts to herself, again straying to that case, with another, older medicine cat and the same words...
Stripedface quickly turned from his licking and nosed the calico queen's tail aside, then bent forward and gripped a tiny newborn kit's scruff in his teeth. But instead of relief and joy in his eyes, there was only pain. “Dappletail,” he whispered, “Take this kit out and... bury it. It's dead.”
Dappletail silently took the little kit from his jaws and padded away. Stripedface turned back and continued urging Splotchedfur to greater efforts, but his heart was sad. With his mentor in StarClan's paws, he was the only medicine cat in camp. Even if that little Spottedkit did show promise...
He continued his grisly work. Kit after kit slid from their mother's body, only to be dead or so close Stripedface could only hasten them on their way to StarClan, tears flowing freely from his eyes. Dappletail returned from her last journey, tail low and eyes sad. “Are there any alive? Thistleclaw will be heartbroken.”
Stripedface began to shake his head, but even as he did so there was a gasp from Splotchedfur, and he heard a tiny mew. Heart in his throat, he spun around to see a tiny kit, eyes closed and fur damp. But his meow of happiness died in his throat. For the kit's fur was red wet only with blood- Splotchedfur's lifeblood, now ebbing out on the ground next to her. He flung himself at the queen, medicine cat knowledge that had been passed from generation to generation screaming to help her, but there was nothing he could do. Splotchedfur stirred in her bed, eyes alight with a strange calm. “Dappletail...”
The other queen padded to her side. “What is it, Splotchedfur?”
Splotchedfur stared into the other queen's eyes. “Swear to... me, that on... StarClan's name, you'll take.. care of... little... Tiger..kit.”
Dappletail stared down at her once friend, then nodded sharply. “I'll do it, Splotchedfur. He'll be a great warrior, I promise you!” She bent her head forward and picked up the tiny, mewing scrap of fur. “I swear on StarClan's honor!”
Splotchedfur's eyes, to Stripedface's astonishment, were beginning to glow blue, bright blue... StarClan blue.
“Tell Thistleclaw... I love...” She gasped for a moment, then her eyes dimmed of the blue fire and she slumped forward.
Stripedface bowed his head in pain. His first major healing without his mentor, and he had failed... failed!
Dappletail stood silent for a moment, undecided, until the little form of the kit -Tigerkit- wriggled in her jaws.
She looked down at the little scrap of fur, what could have been anger in her eyes, anger at the loss of a friend. But it was swept aside in a tide of maternal care. She turned, and padded across the floor to her nest where her other, older
kits stirred. Stripedface began to slowly gather up his herbs “Useless though they are!” his mind screamed. His mind balked at the task of burying his first failure.
There was a rustle of brambles from the edge of the thicket, and Thistleclaw's thick body pushed in.
“Where's Splotchedfur?” he asked eagerly. “And her kits?”
Stripedface's heart sank as his mouth numbly formed the words: “She's... dead.”
Thistleclaw's face seemed to crumple in on itself. He stammered, “No... she's not dead... tell me she's not dead!” Then he saw the form that had been Splotchedfur's, and now was only a shell, a remainder of the vibrant spirit that had once inhabited it. Eyes wet, he turned to the medicine cat. “Did she... say anything?”
The medicine cat's jaws parted anew. “She asked Dappletail to take care of the kit, and... she said she loved you.”
Thistleclaw's eyes seemed to bore holes in Stripedface for a moment, before he turned away and padded across the floor to Splotchedfur's body, lowering his head to lick her shoulder.
Stripedface thrust his way out of the thicket blindly, mind only on the pain behind him in the nursery. His eyes went up, looking to the stars of StarClan for some guidance, some help, something to sop his pain. For a moment, the stars themselves wavered in his vision as he felt a wave pass over his mind. Then it passed, and he knew what StarClan had told him. For a moment, he debated returning to the nursery, but how could he tell Thistleclaw what had been prophesied? Yet the fiery words still burned in his mind: “In blood, Tigerkit is born, and in blood, he will end.”
Author's Notes: This was a pure-intuition story, born of a day when I had nothing to do for an hour. I was musing on ideas for another idea of mine when this tumbled into my head. I wrote the first chapter and then got busy. Until next time!
