Chapter Text
Hollyleaf crouched in the berry bush that was by the river. Her claws were unsheathed, and her anger was boiling over. She just couldn’t let this cat live any longer. He’d spoil everything…
Spotting her victim, Hollyleaf took a deep breath. She launched herself forward, flashbacks to the fire appearing in her mind. The gray tom turned her head around, but it was too late. Hollyleaf had already grasped his throat in her tight and powerful jaws. A choking sound came from the tom, who was Ashfur, as blood sprayed into the air and onto Hollyleaf’s face. After holding her ground for around a moment, she dropped his body.
Thick, dark blood pooled from his throat, and Hollyleaf grimaced as it reached her paws. She sighed, pushing the corpse into the river and praying it would float downstream, never to be seen again. She turned away calmly, padding over to a clean part of the river. She dipped her paws in as watched the blood slowly melt off. It enticed her…the movement of the evidence leaving her so quickly…
A feeling of sadness came over her, but not because she had just killed a cat, but because her anger still lingered. It hadn’t been fed enough. She left the riverbank, her mind silent yet full of thoughts. She padded a good distance away from the scene and settled down in a bush, quickly falling asleep.
She awoke in a gloomy forest, the trees seemingly never ending. She looked around, confused. “This isn’t Thunderclan territory…” she murmured to herself.
“Well done. That is a correct observation.” a raspy voice responded. Hollyleaf whipped around to find herself peering at a battered, calico she-cat with a pure, white tail. She was fluffy and was probably once beautiful. Now she was covered in scars and was almost see-through.
“Who…are you?” Hollyleaf mewed, hesitantly unsheathing her claws.
“Mapleshade.” The calico mewed simply, sitting down and beginning to clean her chest fur. Hollyleaf stared at her, thoroughly confused why she wasn’t expanding upon her answer.
“Why am I here?”
“Well, you have anger in you, don’t you? Killing Ashfur wasn’t enough, was it?” Mapleshade cooed, standing up and whisking her tail around Hollyleaf. The black she-cat wrinkled her nose at her gesture but didn’t say anything, just continued to sit down on the marshy ground.
“You know…other cats have wronged you too. Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, and your real parents. Starclan has lied to you, and who says your brothers don’t know anything as well...” Hollyleaf pondered the thought. It made sense...yet...
“I want to know who my real parents are.” she mewed, gazing at Mapleshade. The older cat nodded.
“You sure you want to know?” she asked. Hollyleaf scraped her claws along the ground, cutting it wide open.
“Positive.” she growled. Mapleshade smiled, showing cracked and blackened teeth.
“Crowfeather of Windclan, and Leafpool of Thunderclan.”
Hollyleaf froze. She was…..half-clan? A pain in her chest appeared. Her life was a huge lie…..this….SHE was a lie.
Hollyleaf collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. She couldn’t…she…she…she had to end them. She stood up, lashing her tail. “They. Must. Go.” She mewed, her jaws clenched.
Mapleshade grinned. “Then end them all. Right their wrongs.” The world started to fade and twist, and when she opened her eyes again, she awoke in the bush. The mud was still in her claws from where she had scored them along the ground. But most importantly, the idea still lingered in her mind...
“End. Them. All."