Gathering
~Bloodstar~
“I'm a fool, am I?” My prey suddenly had gained a voice, and with it, she spat out her bitter words into the night. She must have been very dense if it took her that long to process it as well as asking the rhetorical question. I wanted to snort spitefully at her; I did have the upper paw, did I not? Everyone knew AirClan cats were . . . well, air-headed – but to be mouse-brained enough to challenge me, of all leaders? I chuckled inwardly at the image of her falling from the sky as a tiny apprentice and bashing her thick skull into the ground. Somehow this fuelled the anger inside of me, and my faint, temporary amusement faded. Nothing ever seemed to last very long in this valley, did it? More questions gradually joined the masses of invisible inquiries gathering at my paws metaphorically, and I almost welcomed them. Not many of them had answers, but after all, nearly none of the others did either.
“You know who I think the fool is?” the inferior feline asked. Another question; she seemed to be full of them! As if she could ever apply the logic necessary in order to form an answer. That goes for you as well; not even half of your own questions can boast an answer. Remarked a snide voice within the confines of my own mind, and my silent jeers came to an abrupt halt. “I think the fool is the cat who can't bear to admit he's wrong.” Surprise gave my pelt a prickling sensation due to her claim that she can actually think, but I remained wordless as she went on; I vaguely noted the ‘he,’ though. I had assumed she was really a she-cat. . . “I think the fool is the cat who feels the need to hurt others. I think the fool is you, Bloodstar!” My ears flicked almost painfully; her voice had raised several octaves in the short span of a mere heartbeat or two, and the screech that she emitted was unexpected. My claws dug even deeper, impossibly deeper, into the wiry muscles of her shoulders, but somehow the warrior had rolled over and used her AirClan powers to lift me into the air; the next thing I knew, I was levitating only inches above her silvery form, gazing down at her in hastily concealed shock. So this infidel had a trick hidden in her pelt. Interesting.
I was fascinated by the way her eyes had transformed from already bright, deep blue pools into blazing spheres of sheer fury from the last time I looked into them, but now was definitely not the time for a closer examination. I wanted to thrash madly about in mid-air, attempt to find my way back down to the ground – preferably where I would violently proceed to remove the defiant stranger’s pelt from her body and mangle the remains, clear-headed no more – but I was too absorbed in her next words: “If you think you're so powerful, burn me.”
Did I hear her correctly? Was she really pleading me to burn her? The very thought of the notion put me into an extremely brief state of euphoria, but I can’t help but to wonder of there are strings attached. The skeptical leader within me is present once more, and I regard her previous sentence with caution. Perhaps she would summon a wind to fan the flames directly back in my face, or she could have darted out of harm’s way to grab a FireClan cat and hurl him or her to their fiery doom in her place prior to my reaction. The latter seemed less likely than the first – I usually had pretty quick reflexes – but I shan’t allow myself to be caught off guard. “Burn me.” She repeated, and yet again I felt compelled to fulfil her wishes. Her expression, contorted into a mask of chilling rage, filled my vision. Every minute detail stood out in the stark moonlight just as it had before, and I wonder for a moment why there is even a moon to speak of by now. Shouldn’t StarClan have actually obliterated it from the sky by now? I then realized that, once again, I do not care. The light remains as bright as always, however.
I was indifferent as to the crowd that was seemingly frozen in time about us. Actually, I was close to welcoming their presence – a crowd to witness the night PowerClans is rid of another foolish cat would be perfectly suitable for what is about to occur. An audience views the scene from the trees: squirrels, birds, and many other tasty prey creatures such as those. They had fallen silent, as if they, too, were capable of comprehending what was unfolding before their very eyes. They can’t possibly possess the knowledge of our warrior code, let alone the treaty that took place once every month under a full moon such as the one that swam in a star-speckled sea above us, nor could they know the reason why we were even there in our entirety. But they were there. And they were watching. I sensed that every eye in the hollow was on me, and even some stares belonging to those who were not present at that moment. StarClan was watching as well, analyzing his every movement, taking judgement into his sinful actions. They had the full knowledge that he, a leader, was breaking the warrior code. And they could not do a single thing to stop it.
Finally, I summoned every ounce of firepower that I withheld – if I was breaking the rules, I might as well run with it, right? – and I inhaled deeply so I could focus on the task ahead. The one that I would most certainly burn in whatever lie beyond death besides the lavish territory of StarClan for. I was strangely, inexplicably calm about what I was about to do. Then, at last my scarlet eyes flared dangerously and I used every minuscule portion of the FireClan powers that I had been destined to use, that I had been born with, to scorch the damned she-cat below me. At least, I tried to. My nostrils flared, my head pulsed, my blood rushed – in fact, it was roaring deafeningly in my ears – and a curtain of flames cascaded over the shrivelling part of my brain that sheltered sense. But nothing happened. Not even a microscopic flame that I could pity came from my outstretched paws. Insanity danced with me on the thin edge between that and the alternative. What. . . What did that mean?! Disbelief drove claws into every inch of skin that I bore; I didn’t even try to hide it as it betrayed itself in my widened eyes. I frantically tried again but to no avail.
I searched just as desperately for a reason, and several racing heartbeats later clarity suddenly slammed its cruel mass into what little control I had left. Icestar. Her leering face filled my mind as it so often did, and I wanted to scream my woes to every cat that could hear me. She . . . she had controlled me those first few moments, to draw me from my den into the forest of secrets with her. The following actions I had succumbed to eventually, and I had descended into madness with her. But. . . She had still used her unique, deadly power, if only for a few short moments. A side effect of it on a cat wiped their own power from their abilities, rendering them as powerless as the day they were kitted. Gone. I was damned to that fate as well now, and would have to follow it for as long as I suffered my useless existence on this earth. I desired to run from my new destiny, leave it and everything else I knew and didn’t know in this warped valley, with that cruel puppet master of a cat who haunted my dreams, yet at the same time gracing me with her presence. Intoxicating me.
There was nowhere to run. I had to face my newfound weakness like the broken cat I was. No one could know. I realized that as I gradually, painfully came to terms with this new secret of mine. I didn’t even want to imagine what would become of me if I found out. Icestar would be happy, whatever occurred. Of that I was certain. My gritted teeth brought me to pain once more, but I ignored it. She would get what she wanted either way.
I couldn’t let everyone wait forever. I had to act soon, if at all. Still, all I wanted to do was to tear away from the hollow as fast as my legs would take me. . . But I could not think like that anymore. Not when I bore a secret as powerful as the one I had just discovered. I adopted a mask of steel, like one I should wear at all times. Like one I usually wore. I let my sharp wit tear the sour-faced cat to shreds – or so I hoped. “You really are a mouse-brained fool.” I mutter, making my voice loud enough to barely carry across the clearing. Of course, I didn’t need to; my words were passed through the crowd in a hushed, collective murmur. I gave an indignant struggle that lasted for only a second or two, and ordered in as cool, composed a manner I can manage, “I would gladly do so if you would let me down within the next moon or two. I will not burn a fool under even more unfair circumstances than necessary. I wish to fight on my own four paws.” I glared at her then, planning my strategy as I went along. I made sure to exaggerate every motion just enough so as to make it believable. Would she see through my hopefully convincing ploy? StarClan, I pray you not. She could barely fathom that she was under attack – or had been, at least. Of course she was not perceptive enough to detect my act. I still had my doubts that I would not fool everyone; my eyes flickered momentarily to Nightfire, well aware of her scrutinizing gaze that had probably never left my own. I despised how utterly vulnerable I was – and in front of almost a whole Gathering, too! But I could do next to nothing to do anything about it, so I readied myself for the worst and prepared my mouth to talk myself out of my current problem. I had a feeling that I would need it.
((Meh. Almost 2k words of pointless blather. . . Hope you don't mind. I was struck by a sudden surge of inspiration and took advantage of it. Or so I hope. Anyway, I'm practically half-asleep right now, I'm pretty sure I have a fever, and I have a science project due in the morning. So good-night to everyone; enjoy the two days of school this week. n.n Rather, the three days that you don't have school. Whatever. *Yawns* I could use a few doses of poppy seeds right now. . .))
All of your cats are accepted except for Whitecloud, Cookie. I need an appearance for him.)
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