MOON 11
The sounds of battle were just as unpleasant as Massifmallow recalled.
Her body squeezed tight against the woven branches of the nursery wall, the small molly forced her fur flat, her breathing steady. When she had noticed JayClan scent too close to camp to be anything but an attack, she had sprinted inside, hissing at her kits to follow suit. Now, the three were all scrunched together; Wheatkit's pink eyes were large and round, Spikekit looking at the ground with an unreadable expression.
"It's gonna be okay," she whispered, her tail gently tapping both of her kits. "You're gonna be safe."
StarClan, how she wished her words were true. As long as this war was on, her family would not be safe.
Keeping herself as invisible as a pale grey pile of fluff could, Massifmallow inched towards the entrance. JayClan cats played dirty. If one were to race in and grab her kits, she would stop them. She could not -- no, WOULD not -- lose them like she lost Sapkit.
Squinting through the light, she could see the battle raging. She could see one cat - Shadestar, surely - trying to fend off two cats. Both apprentices judging by how she couldn't recognise them.
Massifmallow's whole world stilled as her eyes found a certain tom. His pale brown pelt glinted in the sunlight as he slammed Pumpkinwisp to the ground, his fangs sharp as he ripped a chunk of fur from her Clanmate's side, his eyes dark with the same overconfidence she recalled when he had called her his mate.
Her heart moved before her head, and by the stars did she run. Every little thing he had done dashed through her mind, and for a split second she saw the apprentice she knew from her first day in JayClan. His cheerful smile, his gentle welcome.
For a longer split second, she recognised the tom who had pinned her, all but forced her to claim she loved him. How effortlessly his claws raked across her face as she told him she didn't like toms, as he screamed about how their night together had to mean something. The tom she had ran from once she discovered that she was pregnant, to protect her kits.
To protect herself.
And, in that second moment, did Massifmallow realise what she needed to do.
Yowling, she slammed into Bushthorn's side, knocking him clean off of Pumpkinwisp. His eyes, the same shade as her Wheatkit's and yet not containing a slither of her boy's spirit, widened in shock as he attempted to roll from underneath her. She could feel his hind legs now, tearing at her belly; it burned, but her grip remained tight. "Fox-heart!" he hissed, reaching to claw her face like he had moons ago.
This time, Massifmallow was expecting his outburst and was quick to dodge his claws, twisting her head sideways. Before he could get another swipe in, Massifmallow raised her own paw. Bushthorn had always underestimated her; only proven further by how he remained defenseless as she slashed his throat, sinking her claws in as deeply as she could.
The camp fell silent, battle screeches fading into oblivion. Massifmallow felt eyes on her as she stood over Bushthorn, whose attempts to fight her off had ceased as her bloodied paw lifted from his throat. She looked up, trembling. Oh, StarClan.
"ENOUGH!" a sharp cry sounded out. Glancing over, Massifmallow could see Pollenstar, her golden fur drooping even as she puffed herself large. Her ears reflexively pinning, Massifmallow stepped back ever so slightly. Was that a new violet scar on her former leader's flank, or was she forgetting?
"Cats of JayClan!" Pollenstar yowled, audibly frail despite her strong stance. "This battle is lost, and we cannot risk anyone else losing lives. Retreat!"
As Pollenstar bounded off, the many other JayClan cats slowly filtered out after her. Massifmallow recognised most of them; Pheasantspeck, Treebound, even little Jacobpaw who surely had become a warrior by then. All Massifmallow could really think of was how grateful she was that none of her former clanmates were willing to attack her.
In fact, only one cat approached her at all. She knew him best of all; his dark brown pelt lit up by the red patch on his face. He was slim, his river-blue eyes just as round and childish as the day she left, albeit drooping with concern.
"Massif." he whispered, his voice low. "I'm so sorry. For everything."
Despite all the words she wanted to say to her once friend, her own apologies, her "its not your fault"s, her mouth felt too dry. "Go home, Flamenose," she choked. "Go home."
The tortoiseshell tom sighed defeatedly, nodding before dipping down to pick up Bushthorn's body. "Stay safe." And with that, he staggered back towards the entrance, the deputy's body in tow.
The adrenaline must've faded, as Massifmallow felt every last thought hit her. Relief, above all else, but panic, grief, joy, rage; a whole inferno of emotion roared under her skin. Even as cats of her own Clan surrounded her, as Longfalcon hurried her to the healer's den with panicked words, she could only think of the tom she'd killed, and how with his death came her freedom.
-
The war against JayClan has ended.