this is for lolareadsgoodthings 's may writing contest!!

prompt: two cats are kidnapped by a clan that a tyrant leads. the two cats must work together to figure out how to escape. there is one small problem, though: the two cats have hated each other since kithood.

word count: 3108

~~~

EARTHCLAN'S PRISON was dark. That much, Dovesky had figured out before she even entered it. The thick scent of mud and mulch had flooded her nostrils at the entrance, and a sense of wickedness shrouded it that the white she-cat had seldom seen anywhere else. It was like an aura of evil, creating the same kind of feeling she felt when nearing a Thunderpath.

That emotion was only elevated by Echostar's prescence. He looked kind enough, with a pelt of flaming red and forest green eyes, but there was a certain glint in his gaze that forced anyone who met him to categorize Echostar as nothing less than crazy. 

And he certainly was; only a moon after taking control of EarthClan, he'd declared that all Clans must join under his rule. Naturally, everyone refused, then came the war. And that's how Dovesky found herself in this position, rotting in EarthClan's prison without hope of seeing the sun or her Clanmates ever again.

At the very least, Dovesky wasn't alone. That brought the white she-cat some satisfaction. Not in the thought that she was accompanied by a Clanmate she'd known since kithood, but in the idea that that Clanmate would die the same, horrible death she eventually will. 

Morbid, yes, but Dovesky hardly cared. Especially not when this Clanmate - in her mind - was the sole reason she'd ended up in EarthClan's camp.

Even through the dark, the white she-cat can easily find Shadowbounce's silhouette, despite the fact that her pelt was as black as the prison itself, worsened only by the mud they slept in. The two cats were crouched on opposite sides of the den, an air of thick hatred between them, keeping a bitter silence.

That wasn't new. The two had bickered ever since they were kits. They'd argued over what games to play - to the eventuate point of refusing to even look in each other's directions. They'd snapped over who could catch the most prey or run the fastest as apprentices, and who would get their first apprentice as warriors. 

It came as a shock for everyone when Dovesky became mates with Shadowbounce's brother, Nightstep. It was Shadowbounce's opinion that Dovesky only did so to irk her, and the cleft between the two she-cats deepened even further. 

It may seem petty, now that the two were in a prison they would most likely die in, that they couldn't set aside their rivalry, but Dovesky could hardly care.  So that was why she now found herself glaring bitterly into Shadowbounce's dark, raven pelt.

The black she-cat looked to be asleep, but after a few moments, she spoke without bothering to lift her muzzle to glance in Dovesky's direction. "I can feel you glaring."

Dovesky didn't miss a beat. "Congratulations," she meowed icily in reply. "If only you could now feel some remorse for getting us in this rotten position."

Now Shadowbounce found the energy to look up, and fixed the white she-cat with piercing blue eyes. "You didn't have to follow me," she hissed. "Don't blame me for something you chose to do."

"You're Nightstep's sister." Dovesky's pelt started to bristle. "As much as I would like to see it happen, letting you wander off into EarthClan's territory to die simply isn't right. I was trying to be the bigger cat."

Shadowbounce lifted her muzzle and sniffed. "Well, look where that got you."

Dovesky felt a low snarl bubbling in her throat. She was exhausted, scared to death, and beyond angry. It likely wouldn't have taken much more motivation for her to leap at Shadowbounce, but the sound of an EarthClan warrior's voice from outside the den stopped her just in time.

"Food." He tossed a meek vole into the den. 

Both Dovesky and Shadowbounce simply glared at it, each refusing to be the first to reach for the prey they both desperately want. Hearing their silence, the warrior that'd brought the vole started speaking with one of the guards.

"Hey, are they still alive?"

A pause, and Dovesky imagined the guard must've shrugged. "No idea. I haven't the clue why Echostar insists on keeping them alive anyway."

That, Dovesky had been wondering herself. Ever since war had begun, Echostar had been given the nickname The Bringer of Death. If any cat were to meet him in battlefield, it's unlikely they'd get out alive. Taking prisoners was unheard of. 

That was why Dovesky felt despair ringing on her everyday; Nightstep must think she was dead, not rotting in EarthClan's camp. Her Clan will never come looking.

"Well," the warrior meowed, "he'll probably kill them soon, anyhow."

As that warrior padded away, Dovesky felt fear sinking in her stomach. She'd always known death was right around the corner, but hearing someone vocalize it made it feel so much real. Any spark of hope she'd felt before was now gone, and she suddenly found her appetite now dimmed.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted a shift in the darkness as Shadowbounce reached for the vole. Despite not being hungry, the white she-cat bristled her pelt and bared her teeth, thinking her Clanmate was going to take it all for herself. But Shadowbounce simply rolled her eyes and split the prey in half, tossing one part to Dovesky.

For a moment, Dovesky was shocked into frozenness. She'd known Shadowbounce her entire life, and never before had the black she-cat done something kind like this. She concluded that it must be because Shadowbounce had seen the fear in her eyes, and that very thought was enough to miff her even further.

Shadowbounce blinked at her in a challenging way. "Not going to eat it? You might as well. May be the last bit of food we get before StarClan."

Slowly, Dovesky bent down to take a bite of the prey. As soon as she chewed the meat, her stomach grumbled, and she downed her part of the vole in a few, quick bites. When she was done, she licked her lips, far from satisfied as she stretched her legs out in front of her miserably.

For the first time in these past few, awful days, the white she-cat felt a question piercing through her layers of fear and anger. "Why are we here?"

It was a quiet murmur, more to herself than anyone else, but Shadowbounce still answered. "I don't know," she replied dryly. "Likely because Echostar ordered his cats to lock us up."

"But why?" Dovesky clawed the ground beneath her. "He kills everyone he meets. Why wouldn't he kill us, especially after catching us sneaking around on his territory? Remember Owlswoop and Sweetbird? They were sent as spies, and they never returned."

"Maybe they were held here for a few days as well." Shadowbounce seemed completely uninterested in the fact of their precarious situation, and flicked her tail over her flank lazily as though she was right where she wanted to be. "It's not like we're going to return, either."

Dovesky blinked at her. "I am."

Shadowbounce, who'd finished her food and had set her head down on her front paws, glanced up sideways at the white she-cat with an incredulous look. "What?"

For a moment, Dovesky considered how utterly ridiculous she must sound. A tired, starved, weak cat sneak out from under the careful watch of the powerful warriors and terrifying leader of EarthClan? At the very thought, she almost backed down.

But then she thought of her Clanmates. Of her parents and sister, who must be grieving her right now. Of Nightstep, who she'd desperately like to get back to.

"Tonight."

Shadowbounce blinked at her with that blank look again. "What?"

"Tonight, I'm leaving tonight," Dovesky repeated, more confident this time. She then paused, and found the words coming out of her mouth before she could stop them. "You could come with me, you know. If you keep quiet so that we're not caught."

Shadowbounce sniffed. "No, thank you. I'm not mousebrained enough to try that."

"No, but you were mousebrained enough to get us caught," Dovesky snapped, twitching her pelt sharply. "Suit yourself. We'll die if we stay here, anyway."

Annoyed now, the white she-cat turned so that she was facing the prison's walls and curled up, shutting her eyes as she tried ignoring the feline across from her. Finally, after a long draw of silence between them, Shadowbounce spoke.

"I'm sorry."

At this, Dovesky's eyes flew open. She didn't think she'd ever heard those words come out of Shadowbounce's mouth before, much less ever directed at her. "You're what?" she mewed, careful to keep facing away from her Clanmate.

She thought Shadowbounce would make a snarky remark of some sort, but the black she-cat just took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I'm sorry for getting us caught. I didn't think... Well, I didn't think things would turn out this badly."

"You thought you'd come over to EarthClan's camp and share a meal with Echostar, is that it?" Dovesky meowed a little icily, still miffed despite her initial surprise at Shadowbounce's apology.

"No, but-" Shadowbounce cut herself off abruptly. "I thought I could-" She paused again, before shuffling her paws, her sentence left unfinished.

Dovesky twitched her tail-tip impatiently. "You thought you could what?"

"I thought I could talk to him." The black feline looked away, as though she were afraid to meet Dovesky's eyes. "I thought I could talk him out of this war, and all this craziness that's going on."

The white she-cat almost laughed, had their situation not been what it is. "You? Talk to him?" Despite her fear and exhaustion, she snorted. "Why in StarClan's name would you think that?"

Then, very suddenly, from the depths of her muddied memories from when she was an apprentice, Dovesky found the vague image of a Gathering. She was about to become a warrior then, and head over paws in love with Nightstep. She was glued to the black tom's side all night, keeping a lookout for his sister.

Dovesky remembered that, from the corner of her eye, she'd spotted Shadowbounce's black pelt, all the way across the clearing in the EarthClan cats' section. Back then, she'd felt nothing but relief that Shadowbounce was leaving her and Nightstep alone; now, she felt a shiver run down her spine as she recalled the ginger tom that had stood by Shadowbounce's side.

"Oh, Shadowbounce." 

Surprising both herself and the black she-cat, Dovesky reached out her tail to touch it to Shadowbounce's shoulder gently. 

It was all slowly becoming clear to her. That was why Echostar hadn't had them killed yet. And that was why Shadowbounce refused to leave, believing that if she had the chance to interact with Echostar, she could somehow change him.

"Does Nightstep know?" Dovesky asked, quietly.

Shadowbounce shook her head. "No. Nobody does. Well, I guess, except you now."

Another breath of quiet drew over them, until the white she-cat broke it with a deep exhale. "It's not your fault, you know," she whispered. "And it's not your responsibility. You don't have to-"

As soon as she spoke those words, it was like a spell was broken, and Shadowbounce instantly snapped back to her normal attitude as if she were pulled out of a trance. "It doesn't matter now," she mewed curtly, scooching herself away from Dovesky's touch. "I don't care anymore."

But despite this claim, Shadowbounce's eyes were still laden with some sort of pain.

It must be an odd feeling, Dovesky thought. Grieving someone who's still alive, missing someone who's still here.

Then, the two lapsed into silence, waiting for night to come.

~~~

WHEN MOONHIGH CAME, Dovesky felt fear tingling in her paws at the task before her. Sneaking out of EarthClan's camp would be next to impossible, but staying here would surely be death. When she decided she couldn't put this off any longer, Dovesky took a tentative step to the den's entrance, before glancing behind her shoulder at Shadowbounce's still figure.

"Shadowbounce," she whispered. She couldn't really describe this feeling. The feeling of hating someone her whole life, yet wanting this situation to turn out alright for them. She wanted to convince Shadowbounce to come along with her, but stupid pride and years of hatred kept her from trying after being rejected the first time.

Plus, it was clear that Shadowbounce wasn't in a talking mood, anyhow. It was obvious that she was awake, yet her back faced Dovesky firmly. 

So instead, the white she-cat found herself saying, "Don't tell on me."

Shadowbounce scoffed. "If I ever happen to see Echostar, I doubt I'll be talking about you."

It seemed like whatever tender moment they had from earlier was gone, and Dovesky rolled her eyes. Fine. So be it.

Taking a deep breath, she focused her attention on the den's entrance once more. Using a loud, clear voice, she meowed, "Excuse me?"

A grumble of annoyance came from outside from the guard. "What?"

"I'd like to use the dirt-tunnel, please."

A pause, then the guard replied suspiciously, "The dirt-tunnel?"

Okay, so not the brightest of ideas, but Dovesky hadn't been in a very creative mood for the past few days. So she simply tried not to sound too unsure. "Yes."

A sigh. Then, "Okay, fine. You can come out. Puddlebird, walk her over. I'll stay here and guard the other one."

Taking that as permission, Dovesky took a deep breath, cast one last look to Shadowbounce's still form, then stepped out into the crisp night air. Outside, she met the eyes of Puddlebird almost instantly, his yellow gaze glowing in the dark night like the odd lights monsters carry. 

Silently, Puddlebird jerked his head in the general direction of the dirt-tunnel and Dovesky padded over, her paws tingling with nerves every step she took. Slipping inside, she realized - quite quickly - that the dirt-tunnel's entrance was blocked. For a moment, despair sank in her, and she had to hold back a wail.

Suddenly, though, through the corner of her eye, she spotted a glint of moonlight flashing into the dirt-tunnel from the outside. That means...

These walls must not be very sturdy, Dovesky thought. The EarthClan cats made them. Maybe I can break through.

Really, it wasn't a question of whether or not she'd be able to somehow break these walls. She would have to, if she wanted a chance at survival. 

Taking a deep breath, Dovesky leaned against the wall furthest from the entrance, testing its durability. To her pleasant surprise, it leaned beneath her weight. If she pressed a little harder, and used her claws to cut the bramble, she should be able to get through.

Quickly, she got to work.

"Hey," came Puddlebird's voice from the outside, and the white she-cat froze with terror, afraid she'd been caught. But then he said, "Are you done in there?"

"Almost," she called back, hoping her voice wasn't unusually high as she slid out her claws and started sawing harder. "Just give me a few more seconds."

Puddlebird hummed in acknowledgment, but somewhere down the line - just as the wall was at its breaking point - he must've noticed that Dovesky's "few seconds" were taking longer than normal, and he ducked his head in to check.

"Hey!" he barked, but this time, Dovesky didn't stop. She moved quicker, and the wall groaned. She was almost there. "Hey, stop that! Whitefrost-"

Just as he called to his Clanmate, though, the white she-cat jumped against the wall, and to her pleasant surprise, it shattered beneath her. She was out! She almost wanted to yowl for glee, but hardly got the time to enjoy the feeling of freedom before she felt Puddlebird's claws sinking into her flanks, dragging her backwards.

Dovesky shouted in pain, twisting wildly beneath his grip, but it was no use. The moon beamed at her mockingly from the open wall she'd just broken down. So close to freedom, but so far away.

"Let go of me!" she snapped, writhing around.

Puddlebird spat angrily. "Nice try," he snarled, "but not good enough. Echostar will definitely have you killed now."

Whitefrost, the other guard whom Puddlebird had called for, soon appeared in Dovesky's line of sight, blinking at them. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Puddlebird meowed, pushing his claws a little deeper into Dovesky, drawing blood. "This one here was trying to escape. We'll have to keep a tighter eye on them, and-"

He was suddenly cut off as a flash of black fur flew before Dovesky's hazed eyes, knocking Puddlebird off the white she-cat. Shadowbounce!

The black feline was wrestling with Puddlebird as Dovesky leaped to her paws. Whitefrost, who'd been caught off guard momentarily, quickly recovered his senses and moved to help his Clanmate, but Dovesky was quicker. As he faced Puddlebird and Shadowbounce, back faced to her, she leaped onto him, sinking her claws deep into his shoulder and he yowled in pain, collapsing to the ground.

From the looks of it, Shadowbounce seemed to be winning at first, having the element of surprise, but the shock was soon fading from Puddlebird. The EarthClan tom started fighting back, attacking Shadowbounce with powerful blow after blow.

"Shadowbounce!" Dovesky loosened her grip on Whitefrost, moving to help her Clanmate. As she did so, Whitefrost twisted his neck, trying to bite at her tail, but that only offered his face as a launchpad for Dovesky.

By some wild stroke of luck, the white she-cat pounced off Whitefrost's face, knocking him sideways and out. This jump sent her far, and she landed on top of Puddlebird, pushing him off of Shadowbounce.

"Shadowbounce, go!" she meowed, lashing her tail wildly at the dirt-tunnel. "Go!"

Shadowbounce was panting, a streak of blood dripping from her face. Behind her, Dovesky could see movement in the dens, the EarthClan cats waking up from the commotion. If Echostar came out, everything would be over.

A sense of urgency overtook her. "Go!" she repeated.

But Shadowbounce didn't move. Instead, all she meowed was, "Duck."

Dovesky squinted at her. "What?"

"Duck!" the black she-cat shouted, more firmly.

Dovesky's body followed on its own accord. She dipped down, and Shadowbounce swung out a hefty paw, hitting something behind her. She heard a groan of pain, then a thud as Puddlebird fell over.

It was only later that Dovesky put together what must've happened: Puddlebird was rearing behind her, about to attack, and by ducking, she exposed his vulnerable stomach, with Shadowbounce clawed.

Now, with their two guards knocked out, Dovesky didn't waste any more time. She grabbed at Shadowbounce wildly. "Come on, come on!"

Thankfully, Shadowbounce only hesitated for a split second before rushing for the dirt-tunnel. Right on her tail, Dovesky burst out into the forest. The two started sprinting for their territory as fast as their paws could carry them just as the furious roar of Echostar thundered from within EarthClan's camp behind them.