Chapter Thirty Five

Thornshadow woke with a start. Her eyes widened when she found herself back in the cave where the Moonstone was. Nettleclaw was still there, watching her with wide eyes. The cave was washed in darkness once again as the moon disappeared, and Thornshadow had to take a deep breath to calm herself.

The two of them left the cave in silence. Thornshadow found herself not wanting to speak after what had happened in her dream. She couldn't be sure whether or not it was all StarClan's doing, or if she had just imagined it. But seeing Ashfang again had given her some small spark of hope.

They still are looking out for me, she thought. They actually do care. Her heart raced at the thought. How different would her life be if she had a caring mother and father? If her Clan had actually cared for her like Ashfang and Cricketspring? She might have actually led a decent life had someone else cared for her.

"I need to go back; the kits will be worried," she murmured after realizing how late it was. With it being well past moonhigh, they would start getting anxious. The last thing she needed was for them to start wandering and get hurt again. Fortunately Nettleclaw heeded her warning and led the way back.

Wandering through the bleak, dark cave made Thornshadow's fur prickle with unease. She found herself glancing around warily at any sound that she heard. From the sound of their pawsteps to water trickling down the cave walls. Once they had reached the cave entrance, the unease she had felt earlier seemed to fade.

"What are you planning on doing now?" There was hope in Nettleclaw's voice. Thornshadow resisted the urge to roll her eyes, realizing that hope was far from the last thing she needed at this point.

"I continue on with my original plan," she growled. "First, the kits must become warriors. Then things will play right through my claws." She didn't miss the way Nettleclaw had flinched. She smirked in amusement at the sight of his fear.

With that thought still in mind, Thornshadow wasted no time in returning to the cave where her kits were hiding. She bounded through the undergrowth and into the ferns until reaching the cave. Sure enough she picked up the familiar scent that made her fur flatten with relief.

She peeked inside to see Nightpaw dubiously keeping watch. Hawkpaw was curled up beside Flamepaw, who's nest looked like it had been torn apart. Thornshadow stifled a purr of amusement at the sight. If it had been any other cat she would have been furious that their nest was torn apart. But her kits were different. They always ended up getting special treatment, at least in her eyes.

"Mother!" Nightpaw immediately piped up, jostling Flamepaw and Hawkpaw in the process. "Did you bring us anything to eat?"

"No," she replied. "I'm exhausted, and it's time you got some rest as well," she scolded him. Nightpaw's ears flattened as she gave him a gentle lick between them. "Thank you for watching over your brother and sister," she added in a softer voice.

Nightpaw purred and curled up beside Flamepaw. Once she was certain the kits were asleep again, Thornshadow curled up beside them. She didn't care whether or not Nettleclaw was anywhere nearby. All that mattered was that her kits were safe. And she wouldn't want it any other way.

...

"I'm growing tired of waiting." A growl sounded from deep within WindClan territory. Outside the wind whirled past the two shadows. With leafbare on the way the air was becoming more frigid by the heartbeat. Everyone was preparing for the worst. "At this rate our plan won't pull through until next greenleaf!"

"Calm down!" The snarl of the second shadow made the first one flinch. "We didn't come this far to have you fumble and fall over one little mishap. No, I plan on ruling every Clan. But to do that we must be patient and vigilant. Look for any signs of weakness there might be, and take advantage of it."

"Good, but what should we do about the—" The first shadow was cut off by the second one.

"Do not speak of her name; you don't know if she'll be drawn to us like flies to rotten prey. We'll take care of her when we get the opportunity, you of all cats know how slippery she is."

"Yes, bide our time and ensure our victory by ending her miserable life," the first shadow purred. Life in the Clans was about to take a turn for the worst. None of them realized just how much danger they were really in.

...

"Good, keep stretching your leg and you'll get better in no time," Thornshadow purred.

Flamepaw grunted and tried stretching her leg some more, wincing in pain at the last second. Nettleclaw had given Thornshadow some valuable exercises that would make Hollypaw's leg heal faster. She only hoped that it would actually work. Otherwise she wasn't sure what to do with Hollypaw.

Meanwhile her siblings were outside the cave sparring with each other. Nightpaw used his smaller size to his advantage. With Hawkpaw being stronger and bigger, he tried putting all of his weight into his attacks. But Nightpaw had already seen what his brother was doing, and he managed to get the better of Hawkpaw by taunting him.

"You couldn't catch me even if you were the fastest cat in the Clans!" Nightpaw yowled as he managed to wriggle free underneath Hawkpaw's claws. Thornshadow saw what he was doing and smirked in amusement.

"Wait until he gets closer before striking," she whispered to Hawkpaw. If he trained properly then he would be able to take on an opponent any size. Hawkpaw looked at her triumphantly before doing as he was instructed.

Hawkpaw waited until Nightpaw was close enough for him to strike. Just as the smaller lithe black tom had reached Hawkpaw, the light brown tabby managed to slam his paws down, stopping Nightpaw in his tracks. Hawkpaw let out a yowl of triumph as Nightpaw stumbled under his paws. Thornshadow watched in anticipation, already aware of what Nightpaw was planning.

Soon enough Nightpaw had suddenly exploded from underneath Hawkpaw's claws, causing the tom to yowl in disbelief as he managed to bring Hawkpaw down. Nightpaw purred when he had Hawkpaw pinned underneath his claws this time.

"You thought you had me beat, didn't you?" Nightpaw boasted, staring down at his brother mischievously. Hawkpaw only grunted and kicked him off, sending Nightpaw tumbling. "I bet you thought you could take me down just because you're bigger," he added, ducking as Hawkpaw swung a heavy paw at him.

"Shut up, annoying mousebrain!" Hawkpaw snapped.

"Hawkpaw, Nightpaw, that's enough," Thornshadow warned as the two threatened to tussle again. She stepped in between them, stopping both toms in their tracks. "Now I want you to go hunting, see if you can bring me back a mouse and a squirrel. Do you think you can manage that on your own?"

Hawkpaw's eyes lit up at the prospect of going hunting. Nightpaw gave his brother one look before dashing off into the undergrowth. Once they were gone, their sister looked at the path they had taken longingly.

"I wish I could go with them," Flamepaw sighed in frustration.

"You will in time, dear," Thornshadow reassured her. "Now, I'm going to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't run into any trouble. I bet you could easily fend off any intruders that come any closer to the cave, right?" Flamepaw's eyes lit up, and she nodded in agreement. "Good, now stay here while I go and find your brothers."

Fortunately Hollypaw was much better at listening to her than Hawkpaw and Nightpaw. Those two were always running into some kind of trouble, and of course she had to make sure they got out of it alive. But Thornshadow had already accepted that being a mother meant she had to make sacrifices for these kits. Even if they technically weren't hers.

She stalked through the undergrowth and wove her way through the ferns until picking up Hawkpaw and Nightpaw's familiar scent. It wasn't long before she had spotted Nightpaw stalking a mouse. Hawkpaw already had a squirrel tucked underneath his paws. His eyes gleamed with triumph as he watched Nightpaw pounce on the mouse and miss.

"You're not supposed to let them know you're here," Hawkpaw jeered on as Nightpaw whipped around and glared at him. "Step on the ground lightly, and they won't feel your pawsteps."

Now you're just showing off, Thornshadow thought with a roll of her eyes. She would have to make sure Hawkpaw was punished for his behavior. Nightpaw had been improving on his hunting skills. But for some reason he always seemed to get mice and rabbits mixed up.

This time Nightpaw managed to catch himself a mouse, but it was only after listening to Hawkpaw's advice. Thornshadow only just realized how much she had yet to teach these kits. And there wasn't much time left for her. If she didn't think of what to do next, Weedstar and Thistlestrike might take over the Clans right under her nose. Not to mention she still had issues dealing with Leopardfang.

Use the kits to deal with Leopardfang, the voice she had heard earlier suddenly spoke up. Her death will be their final assessment. Thornshadow stifled another purr of approval. Yes, that was perfect. The kits were strong enough that they could easily take care of Leopardfang. Once they had passed their assessment, she would take down Weedstar and Thistlestrike.

"Come on, mother will be proud that we caught this," Hawkpaw purred when Nightpaw returned with his freshly caught mouse.

"Do you think we'll become warriors?" asked Nightpaw as they padded past her hiding place, oblivious to her obvious scent.

"No, Flamepaw still doesn't know all of her fighting moves, and she hasn't fully recovered," Hawkpaw retorted.

Thornshadow held back a sigh of frustration as she listened to them. They were still young. And they had no idea what she had planned for their future. Was she right to take them away from everything they had known?

They would have been killed had I not rescued them, she reminded herself. Or they would have been turned into monsters, just like the rest of WindClan.

Her claws sheathed and unsheathed as she gave it more thought. She knew that deep down inside, she had made the right choice by taking these kits. They were stronger now, and could easily overcome any challenge thrown at them. But another part of her argued that it was wrong she had taken them away from her mother.

The only thing she could do now was hope that in time, their vain mother would learn to forgive her. She had a feeling that she would never return to the Clan once this was all over. But she would give the kits a choice: Either they go with her, or they stay with the Clans.

AN: So there's the next chapter! This one was kind of a filler, but then again I did add one important aspect to it: An ultimatum for Thornshadow and her kits. Which side do you think they'll choose when the time comes? Anywho, onto review replies!

EDIT: Thanks to Foreststar of WindClan for pointing out a mistake I made with their names; I'm not even sure what led me to changing their names to Lionpaw and Hollypaw XD But they're fixed now :)

PS: If anyone hasn't heard Hillsong United's new album, Empires, be sure to check it out! Two songs have been released so far, and they're already amazing :D

Lightclaw's Shadow - Yeah, it was definitely long overdue! Ashfang has to be my favorite character, right next to Willowshade :)

Foreststar of WindClan - lol I don't really blame you. They do belong together if you ask me, but of course guilt is beginning to show in Thornshadow :) And I'm glad you thought so!

The Spirit That Comes At Night - I'm glad you liked it so much! And I've read your stories, all of them are well written :) I love writing anything that's different, especially when it comes to the world of Warriors ;)

Silverbird22 - I'm glad you didn't forget her, she was a great role-model for Thorny :( And yep, the kits will most certainly be used to destroy WindClan... but not in a way that you're expecting XD

Rainpelt - Technically she didn't, she actually gave Thornshadow a chance, but I'm not going into full detail of what happened... that would be giving away spoilers :P I'm glad you think that way of her, Ashfang's one of my favs too :)

Wyldclaw - Yep, her story is definitely far from over, and it only gets more complicated from here...

boscyboo - That's good to hear! And her mental breakdown kind of makes her seem human in a way... she's definitely far from a perfect character, which is why I love writing about her :)

Petalfur - Thanks for reviewing! And nope, she didn't gain a life... it was something a bit different from that. You'll be finding out what that something is in the future chapters :)