WhitexHawk Dark Hearts Part 60

Whitewing yawned, lying outside the warriors' den. The apprentices were playing outside their den…all except for Dovepaw, of course. She had gone hunting with Lionblaze.

The young she-cat was turning into one of the best hunters in the clan, surprisingly. She ALWAYS seemed to know where the prey was, and how to catch it. Even the warriors had to admire her skills! Whitewing was very proud of her daughter, but she couldn't help wondering exactly WHY Dovepaw was such a great hunter. It was as if she had never missed a catch!

"Blossompaw! Blossompaw! Blossompaw! Blossompaw!" Blossompaw was wrestling Bumblepaw, and she seemed to be losing. At the last heartbeat, she flipped him over with expert speed and pinned him. The young she-cat's denmates cheered wildly.

"Hey, watch this!" Ivypaw threw herself into the fight, nudging Blossompaw aside. She slid under Bumblepaw's belly, hooking her claws around his waist and pulling him down. Before he could move, she pinned him down by the side and flipped him onto his belly, choking the breath out of him.

"Whoa, Ivypaw!" Briarpaw exclaimed. "That was cool! How'd you do that?"

Whitewing's eyes widened. That was a Riverclan move! She shouldn't be surprised…lately, Ivypaw had been showing unusual skill at fighting, ever since her sister had started getting recognized for her unusual skill at hunting. She had gotten faster at her moves, and a lot of them seemed to come from Riverclan…it was kind of odd.

Riverclan…it made Whitewing sad to think about. It had been MOONS since Hawkfrost had walked in her dreams! In fact, the last time he had had been when Ivypaw and Dovepaw were apprenticed. He hadn't been too please with Firestar's choice of mentors: Lionblaze and Cinderheart. The dark brown tabby tom had been very disgusted with the golden tabby tom ever since he had refused Tigerstar's help for good. Whitewing herself had developed a dislike for Cinderheart, since Icecloud had wanted to be Lionblaze's mate, but the gray tabby she-cat had stolen him away from her former apprentice. It wasn't fair! Anyhow, she hadn't seen Hawkfrost since. It felt like he had abandoned her…and she missed him desperately, although she had learned to live without him.

The thorn barrier rustled, and in padded Dovepaw, followed by her mentor Lionblaze. Her jaws were stuffed with prey, and her pale gray chest was puffed out with pride. Whitewing padded over to her daughter, and their eyes locked.

"Good hunting?" Whitewing inquired.

"Oh, yes!" Dovepaw's green eyes shone.

"You're one of the best hunters in the clan, and you're only an apprentice!" Whitewing purred.

"I guess so." Dovepaw just shrugged.

"I'm proud of you…and Ivypaw, too," Whitewing went on. "Have you seen her fighting moves? They're amazing! You two will be great warriors."

"Yeah." Dovepaw looked away, too embarrassed to reply.

'Yes, but does your father know?' Whitewing looked up into the sky, letting out a silent wail of agony. Watching her kits grow up couldn't be half as enjoyable as doing it with their father. Their family could never be complete unless Hawkfrost was in it.

"What's wrong?" Whitewing snapped out of her trance. "Nothing," she muttered, hating to lie. 'Someday…someday they'll know who their true father is.'

She padded back to the warriors' den, hearing Ivypaw mew, "Watch THIS move!" Where was she learning all these moves? Surely not from Cinderheart! Was there something about her daughter that Whitewing didn't know?

Well, Ivypaw sure wouldn't be the only one keeping secrets. Guilt stabbed her like a thorn as she thought of the lies she had been telling her kits. Was it really fair to them? How would they react when she told them who their true father was?

Would they be angry? Surely they would understand the necessity of her decision! It was for the better of both of them that they wouldn't be judged and hated all their lives. Besides, Birchfall had been a good father. There was no need to spill the beans…yet. But when she did, what would they do? Would they hate her? She remembered the anger in Hollyleaf's voice when she had told all the clans at the gathering that she, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather were not the kits of Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, but the kits of Leafpool and Crowfeather, the two cats who had run away together all those moons ago. She remembered the hatred in her eyes when she had looked at her real mother.

'Oh Starclan, please don't let Ivypaw and Dovepaw turn out like that!'

She looked up again, bitterness in her green gaze.

"Maybe YOU can tell them," she hissed under her breath, imagining Hawkfrost above the roof of the den. "You don't seem to have time for me anymore!"

Her anger was quickly replaced by pain. Where WAS he? It was as if he didn't give two mousetails about their relationship anymore. The cat she loved most didn't love her anymore.

'Hawkfrost, PLEASE!' she pleaded. 'If you still love me…then show me.'

~~~~~~~~~~

Whitewing had never been so relieved to wake up under the tall dark trees of the Place of No Stars, or to feel the cold wind on her back. Hawkfrost had heard her! She jumped to her paws, and tasted the air for his scent.

She picked it up, but there were other scents, too. In fact…the forest was crawling with them! Feeling slightly nervous, Whitewing followed her mate's.

It led her to the clearing with the poison ivy. Hawkfrost was turned the other way; hearing her pawsteps, he spun around, and his ice-blue eyes glowed with happiness. "Whitewing!"

Whitewing let out a hiss of fury. "Where have you been?!"

"I've been…busy." The dark brown tabby tom stared at the ground.

"Busy with WHAT?" Whitewing demanded.

"You see…there's been some trouble." Hawkfrost forced himself to meet her angry green gaze. "Starclan wants to do away with us."

"But…WHY?" Whitewing burst out after a short silence. "You don't bother them!"

"They think we have too much influence on living cats," Hawkfrost explained. "More cats than just Tigerstar and me have learned to walk in their dreams. Starclan wants to fight us."

Whitewing gasped. "Fight you?"

"There's going to be a battle, Whitewing," Hawkfrost whispered. "Between every cat who's ever existed, living or dead. Some will side with Starclan, and some will side with the Dark Forest."

"EVERY CAT?" Whitewing couldn't believe her ears. "Are you serious? How?"

"The Dark forest is already training living cats," he went on. "I've been really busy with that. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you…I still love you, but I've been busier than you could imagine training cats."

"Well…" Whitewing hesitated, still taking in what he had told her. "I guess I can understand. But does EVERYBODY have to fight?"

"Yes," he mewed in his deep voice. "That means you have to pick a side, Whitewing. Fight with me…or with the traitors who brought Firestar into the forest."

Whitewing caught her breath. Hawkfrost wanted her to fight against STARCLAN? The clan she had looked up to and admired her whole life. And maybe fight her friends and family who trained with them?

"I…I don't know!" she mewed shakily. "This is all so new to me. I don't know how it'll all end."

"Whitewing…come to my side," Hawkfrost purred, resting his nose on her head. "You won't regret it. Together, we can rip Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw to shreds, as well as Firestar. We can get revenge once and for all on the cats who have hurt us, and we WILL win the battle…we have better battle tactics than wimpy Starclan! It will be the greatest thrill of your life…and we can fight together. I can train you before the battle…I'm already training our daughter."

"Our daughter?" Whitewing's ears pricked up. "Dovepaw…or Ivypaw?"

"Ivypaw," Hawkfrost replied. "She's turning into a great fighter…I'm proud to be her father. But really Whitewing, do you want to fight your own kit?"

Whitewing shook her head mutely.

"We will triumph, I know we will," her mate went on. "We're getting stronger everyday. You're an amazing warrior, Whitewing…we could use a cat like you. Join us…and fight by me, and Ivypaw."

Whitewing closed her eyes so as not to see the pleading look in his. This was for her to decide, and her to decide alone.

Joining the Dark Forest would be a huge sacrifice. She would be betraying her friends and family in a horrifying way. She would be fighting Starclan…Shrewpaw, Talonpaw, and Splashpaw were all in Starclan. Among the living…Birchfall, Cloudtail, Brightheart, and Brackenfur. She might have to kill them. Could she ever forgive herself for destroying her friends?

But the rewards would be great. She would at last get revenge on all the cats she hated…for good. She would fight with Ivypaw. She would learn fierce fighting moves, and rip the pelts off the cats who had brought the traitor Firestar into the clans, just like Hawkfrost had said. And best of all, she would get to fight beside the cat she loved more than life itself, the cat who had won her heart since the night they first met at the gathering in the old forest. For Whitewing, that was enough.

The white she-cat opened her eyes, and stepped forward, dipping her head to the tabby-and-white tom who looked like their daughter. "Teach me what you will, Hawkfrost. I will fight with you, until the life is ripped out of me. No cat can stop us from being together now. I don't know how this battle will end, but I DO know that I love you, and I'll never leave your side, whether we win or lose."