Left in the Dark

[_Mirrorstone]

Osa! Osa! Mother's going to be furious!

Is followed her half-sister, stumbling awkwardly after the rather swift she-cat, deeper and deeper into Clan cat territory. Coming down the Twoleg path, a stone cold chill swept through Is' pelt, making her shiver uncomfortably, a worried glance sweeping left and right.

Is, what Thea doesn't know, won't hurt her.

The stub-tailed kittypet laughed, this Clan cat scent was rather familiar, a scent the forest cats knew as 'RockClan'. Osa didn't know how close she was to crossing into RockClan or LightClan territory, or what LightClan or RockClan even were. Is seemed a bit jumpy, more than normal, probably because Azote hadn't accompanied them, it was just Osa and Is.

Osa! We're not only going to be in trouble with mother, but... these.. Forest Cats, could rip our fur off! No questions asked!

Your father was a Clan cat! Like he'd hurt YOU!

Is froze in her tracks, but not because of what Osa said, although that still fiercely surprised her. She blinked, trying to make these strange pictures that were playing before her just go away. A beautiful she-cat streaked past, fear-scent crawling in her fur and Is could feel the air blow over her as she shot past. The RockClan cat's paws flew over the ground as she took a quick, panicked glance back over her shoulder. A nausea-stirring screech echoed through the hollow air, the Clan cat coming to a stop as her claws tore across the Twoleg cobblestones, her terror-stricken eyes flicking left and right. With a blood-curdling caterwaul, three cats fired at the she-cat from the nearby foliage, tearing viciously at her body, she fighting back with all she had. Is screamed as she found herself looking from the she-cat's eyes, three cats pulling her this way and that, clawing for her throat. Fright cooked inside her belly, her adrenaline pumping in her veins and fury making her head burn hot and her blood run cold. She was feeling this she-cat's final moments, her feelings, her fear. Taking three deep breaths, Is found herself back in reality; Osa's worried look washing over her.

What's the matter? Why're you acting so... strange?

Osa could tell something was wrong with Is, it was just a gut feeling that made her fur ruffle and her ears slick back.

Is' eyes stretched wide, looking to Osa for some sort of explanation, comfort, a conclusion. Osa, apparently, had not seen what she had, that flash-back almost. Is felt as though someone was tugging on her fur, beckoning her father down the path, in another direction, and Is refused the listen to the apparation-ish calling. Swallowing hard, she prepared the conclusion to Osa's question.

I t-t-t-t-think, I've just seen a cat... be murdered. [/center]

[--> arcticstripe <--]

The sun shone brightly on a white she-cat, making her fur shine a bit yellow. Her fur already had a tint of yellow in it, but this made it even more noticable. Hollyhock was searching for herbs not to far off from the twoleg path when voices flooded to her ears. She flicked them, as if to rid the sound and then swiveled them in the direction she thought it was coming from. She stood stock still and parted her jaws, waiting for a scent to filter in.

It was definatly not the scent of RockClan. She totally swept over the scent of kittypets and quickly jumped to the conclusion that the murderer was after the new Medicine Cat. Hollyhock widened her eyes in horror. Run, her mind said, but she somehow knew that she wouldn't be hurt if she walked towards the voices. Her legs trembled as she took tiny steps in the direction she had heard them come from. She hadn't made out the words, but she could feel something odd pulsing through her body, as if StoneClan was trying to tell her that she needed to talk to one of these cats.

The scent was soon upon Hollyhock so much that it was impossible to not know that it was two kittypets. Hollyhock sighed to herself in relief and quickened her pace.

She soon saw two cats, one larger then the other and one much smaller. She smiled awkwardly. She knew that she should really be questioning why these cats were here in the first place, but she felt that she shouldn't be hostile to these two. This was important.

Hollyhock dipped her head and her voice was soft and calming when she spoke. "Greetings," she said. Her gaze wandered from the larger cat with the stubby tail to the smaller cat who had the most frightened look on her face. Hollyhock took a step closer to the small kit, but then realized that she might be frightened enough to run from that. Hollyhock quickly stepped back. She tilted her head, a way of asking, 'what's wrong?'

[_Mirrorstone]

Is yelped and jumped when her eyes fell on Hollyhock, immediately flicking to Osa for any solution, or idea, of how to get them out of here.

You seem familiar..

Osa whispered under her breath, she was after all, an abandoned RockClan kit, adopted by Thea, the Justinsen's ol' kittypet. But Is, not waiting for an answer to Osa's question, piped up.

Swallowing hard, ears pinned back at the sight of the RockClan Medicine Cat, Is managed to choke out a few words to ask her.

You're, you're the cat.. The one that found the body. The body of the she-cat that they murdered. The cats I just saw. The ones that killed Coralbreeze.

Without thinking, Is realized the same paranormal activity that had been tugging her down the path had just supplied her with the name of the she-cat whose death she had just witnessed. She blinked, looking up to meet the gaze of Hollyhock, a soft voice vibrating her skull.
Coralbreeze, Coralbreeze..

[/color]

[--> arcticstripe <--]

Hollyhock's eyes widened. She started to shake, remembering the day that she and Brownpaw found Coralbreeze murdered at this very spot. She stopped herself, she needed to gain control.

Her eyes peered at the kit and she asked the question that had first come to her mind, even though there were many more buzzing around inside. "How do you know about that?" she said with a shaky voice.

How could such a small kit know such a thing? Goldstone, Naturespark or Brownpaw would have seen or scented a kittypet if she had been watching, wouldn't they have? And why would this kit be out in the forest all alone? It was clear that the older she-cat knew nothing of what the kit was talking about.

Hollyhock dug her claws into the ground for support, fearing she would fall into a deep dark pit of blackness if she didn't hold onto the earth. Her eyes bore into the kit as she waited for the answer.

[_Mirrorstone]

Is shivered, looking up to Hollyhock, and glancing back to where she saw the beautiful Coralbreeze mauled and murdered.

I-i-i-i was walking with O-o-osa, and she, er, Coralbreeze ran by real fast, and three cats attacked her, leaving her a bloody mess. Her fur prickled. Then they left her, and more cats came, you, Naturespark, Brownpaw, Goldstone.

She wasn't quite sure what was giving her the names of these cats she had never met before, nor could she explain the apparation she could feel 'contacting' her.

She's right there. Coralbreeze, she's standing right there. She's terribly frightened, Is explained, as the scene played over again, and neither Osa or Hollyhock seemed to see it, she flicked her tail in the direction of the former RockClan Medicine Cat, but they still didn't seem to see anything. She knows those cats are coming for her, shes running for her life...

Is squeaked in surprise as the three cats jumped Coralbreeze again, explaining to whole of the situation to Hollyhock, every last detail, down to the gaping hole left in her throat that had been the cause of her untimely death.

[--> arcticstripe <--]

Hollyhock was just as frightened as the kit now. But a thought struck her. If she knew her name, her sisters name, Naturesparks name and Goldstone's name, would she know the names of the attackers. Hollyhock had to find out. She first would calm the small kit first.

She took a tentative step closer and crouched low so that her eyes were level with the she-kits. She nodded her head slowly and said, "You have the name right, and I believe you. I need you to tell me something though that is very important. Can you do that?" She stared into the small kits large eyes and waited. She felt like it would take moons for the answer to come, the answer that would confirm that she could ask the question that meant so much to her and so much to the clan.

Questions buzzed in Hollyhock's mind. If the small kit named the murders and she went back to Goldstone, would he believe her? Would he take the small kits vision seriously? Hollyhock shivered, she was sure taking this seriously. It was as if StoneClan had sent this small kit to rescue RockClan from everything that was going on.

[_Mirrorstone]

Osa came up beside Is as she listened to Hollyhock, nodding feverishly as the RockClan cat asked her of the favor. She flicked her tail, before speaking the words that were echoing in her head. Looking into Hollyhock's eyes, she recited.

The cats whom are suspected, aren't the sinners you assume them as.