The Exiled Queen (short story)
Badgercloud paused outside the nursery. His ears pricked at the sound of someone shouting, then a moment later his mate, Blackdawn, was practically thrown out of the den. Badgercloud stared in shock at her, then looked at their medicine cat, Minnowberry.
Badgercloud didn’t know what to do, but Blackdawn was his mate, so he bared his teeth at the silver, spitting cat and blocked his way to his target.
Minnowberry’s eyes cleared. He frowned sadly and straightened, although his fur still bristled with anger.
“Are you okay?” Badgercloud asked his mate as he licked her cheek.
“What queen is okay with this kind of treatment?” Blackdawn demanded furiously.
“You can hardly call yourself a queen!” Minnowberry snarled back.
The commotion had gotten the attention of their Clanmates, and before Badgercloud could step in again, Puddlefrost, the deputy, raced over. “What is going on?” he asked calmly. Then, lowering his voice, he added, “Shadowclan warriors are staying in our camp, or have you forgotten? Do you want Riverclan to be known as the Clan where medicine cats and queens fight each other?”
Two Shadowclan warriors had been attacked by a fox while attempting to steal prey from Riverclan. Heronstar had been kind enough to let them heal in Riverclan’s camp, stating that the attack had been punishment enough, and that it was good– two Shadowclan cats getting attacked were better than two Riverclan cats.
Minnowberry raised his voice. “Let them hear! Let everyone hear that Blackdawn has been poisoning her own kit!”
Gasps erupted from all sides of the crowd. Badgercloud hardly heard them, paying too much attention to the ringing in his ears. He couldn’t have heard that right.
Puddlefrost stuttered in his shock. “Poisoning?”
Heronstar pushed his way through. “Is Lilykit alright?”
“More than fine without her mother,” Minnowberry fumed. “She will be alright alone for now.” His gaze swept sympathetically to Badgercloud. “But if you want to be with her right now, she may need you.”
“Hold on,” another warrior, Webbranch, broke in. “How do we know he wasn’t part of this, too?”
Heronstar flashed the young warrior a stern look. “Before we start making wild accusations, I want to know what exactly is happening.” He turned around and padded over to the willow tree stump. He leaped atop it, and began speaking. There was no reason to announce the meeting, everyone was already gathering.
The wind buffeted Badgercloud’s fur, as if it wanted to carry him over to his mate and shield her from the angry stars of their Clanmates. But.. if it was true? Should he even allow himself to believe the possibility?
Most importantly, he needed to see his daughter, to assure himself that she really was safe. But he needed to hear Blackdawn’s defense.
Blackdawn had clamped her jaws shut, looking around in mingled surprise and anger.
“Minnowberry,” Heronstar began, “what led you to announce such an accusation against one of our Clanmates?”
Minnowberry stood tall. “I saw it myself. She was placing some strange plants into a mouse. I was curious, so I watched, hidden. Then she gave it to Lilykit.”
Outrage roared through the Clan. Heronstar held his tail out for silence. “Did you recognize the plants?”
Minnowberry shook his head. “No plant I’ve seen like it grows in Riverclan territory. Twolegplace, maybe.”
“It’s herbs!” Blackdawn called suddenly, her voice cracking. “I just want my daughter to get better!”
“That makes sense.”
“What mother would poison her own kit?”
“I don’t know, Minnowberry was really angry.”
“He overreacted.”
“Minnowberry doesn’t overreact.”
“It’s a dumb excuse. Of course it was poison!”
“Blackdawn’s a horrible excuse for a mother!”
“Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding.”
“What about Badgercloud?”
“Silence!” Heronstar boomed. He turned his head to the two Shadowclan warriors, who had been watching in silent bewilderment. “The ‘herb’ may grow in marshland. Would either of you two be able to provide us with assistance if it could be described?”
One of them ducked their head. “All of our plants grow well within our border. There hasn’t been rain for days. It’s not likely Blackberry would get so far without leaving a trace.”
“‘Ow bout t’is?” Minnowberry padded through the crowd. Badgercloud hadn’t notice him leave. Was he always so blurry?
A mouse hung from his jaws. He stopped in front of Blackdawn and placed the creature by her paws. “If this is as harmless as you claim it to be, eat it.”
Blackdawn hesitated, then scoffed. “Ridiculous! I don’t need to eat something just to prove that I wouldn’t hurt my own kit!”
“Eat it!” someone snapped.
“Gobble it, honey.”
“If Blackdawn won’t eat it, how horrible must it be for Lilykit!”
“Poor thing.”
“Maybe she was trying to put the poor scrap out of her misery.”
“Or Blackdawn’s misery! Maybe she grew tired of having to care for a sick kit.”
“That can’t be! It’s so horrible!”
Heronstar’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Blackdawn, I order you to eat the mouse.”
Blackdawn held his gaze, but seemed uncomfortable around the unsheathed claws all around her, clearly ready to flay her pelt. “No. I refuse to perform such a ridiculous task.”
“Is that your admission that–”
“How could you?” Badgercloud spoke out. Silence followed, and when he realized that he had said anything at all, he went on. “Why would you poison our daughter? Why-what would-how could you do that to her? She loves you!”
“I didn’t do anything!” Blackdawn hissed. “You of all cats should have my back!”
“No. You’re alone in this.” Slateshade, Blackdawn’s mother, padded gracefully through the crowd, holding her head high as though the eyes they carried weren’t wide with horror. “Look at me and tell me you didn’t do this.”
Blackdawn stared back, as though shocked that her mother could even believe it for a second.
“Tell me! Tell me that you weren’t trying to kill your own kit!”
“The herbs are only meant to make her a little sick–” a paw flashed through the air before she could finish. Blackdawn yowled in pain as Slateshade’s claws raked her muzzle.
“Enough!” Heronstar howled.
Puddlefrost hurried forward to step between the two. Slateshade rose on her hind legs and looked over him, teeth bared. “Leave us! Leave us all! I never want to see you again! I never want to hear you again! Go away, and stay away from us! You are not my daughter any longer, and you’ll never touch that kit again!”
“Go!”
“Run away!”
“Worthless flea-pelt!”
“Crowfood-eater!”
“Make her eat the mouse!”
“Run off and die as the rogue you are!”
Blackdawn whirled around, eyes round. Then she looked up at Heronstar, but he shook his head. “Go before we force you to leave. From this day on, you are no longer a Riverclan warrior. If anyone sees you on Riverclan territory by sunrise tomorrow, they have permission to chase you out, and kill you if necessary.”
Blackdawn looked around. Her jaws opened for a moment, as if ready to protest. Then she ducked her head and began to pad toward the camp entrance. She stopped and twirled around, gaze searching until they landed on Badgercloud.
“Come with me,” she begged. “My love, I don’t know if I can make it on my own.”
Badgercloud could only stare for what felt like nine eternities. Then, his feet digging into the sand so harshly they bled, his pelt rippling, his ears flattened, he managed to breathe out, “then die somewhere comfortable.”
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--I imagine Minnowberry is like a Jayfeather. He’s really mean and sarcastic, but will rip you a new one if you hurt a child.
--I imagine Slateshade as some elegant tall rich lady.
--Added the Shadowclan warriors for extra drama. Being exposed in front of your Clan? How about your Clan and two warriors that would surely carry the news?
--The Shadowclan warriors definitely joined in the shouting.
--Badgercloud was surveyed for a while, only allowed with Lilykit so long as someone watched him, but eventually he could be with her on his own.
--Riverclan didn’t know at first if it was continuous poisoning or if Minnowberry just caught her at the right time and Blackdawn was trying to kill Lilykit. When Blackdawn had been gone for a while and Lilykit was instantly getting better, they then figured that it had been going on for a long time.
