snakestrike

~~~

SNAKESTRIKE THOUGHT HIS HEART would beat out of his chest as Aeolus circled them. He could - would - die. His glory as ShadowClan's gallant deputy, the one that'd earned them WindClan's land, would be put to a quick end. 

The worst thing was that they were on ShadowClan's territory - maybe his Clanmates would think he was simply hit by a monster or something rather than brutally killed by the rogues. He wouldn't even get a heroic death.

"How about you?" Aeolus thrust his muzzle in Mintberry's direction. "I'm sure Berryfern would be pleased."

Snakestrike didn't know what Mintberry's issue with the rogues were; all he knew was that she'd been terribly afraid ever since the Clans discovered their existence. He expected her to tremble or something at Aeolus's words, but to his surprise, she lifted her chin higher.

"I've been waiting." Mintberry's voice was calm. "Berryfern might even be disappointed that you're discussing a choice at all."

Snakestrike had no idea what she was talking about, but as long as she kept yapping, it would delay the murders. He glanced right and left, desperately looking for a way out. He could sprint to ShadowClan's camp, maybe. But Viperfoot's clumsiness would definitely slow him down, and Mintberry hadn't gone through any athletic training. She wouldn't be fast enough.

If Snakestrike wasn't so terrified, maybe he would have the decency to feel ashamed that he was contemplating whether or not to leave his littermates behind.

Aeolus flicked his tail. "Brave words for someone who's about to die."

Mintberry narrowed her eyes. "You seem to be doing a lot of talking. Now are you going to kill me or not?"

The rogue leader snarled and raised a paw, ready to strike the gray tabby down. Snakestrike knew that as deputy, he ought to say or do something, but his heart had jumped to his throat and blocked all attempts of words.

Suddenly, Viperfoot yowls so loud Snakestrike felt as though his eardrums would burst. "Wait!" Then, the large gray tom did perhaps the stupidest thing ever, and threw himself in front of Mintberry.

Aeolus's blow does halt, though not without an irritated twitch of his pelt. "I'm more than happy to kill you instead, if you don't get out of the way. We'll certainly need to draw your blood anyway."

Snakestrike had no idea what Aeolus was talking about, and it was clear Viperfoot didn't either, though that wasn't a center of his focus. All Viperfoot cared about right now was talking to try and delay their deaths.

"Viperfoot," Mintberry hissed, "move."

Viperfoot ignored her.

"Mintberry is ShadowClan's medicine cat," the gray tom meowed; it was obvious he was trying to keep his voice steady, and failing miserably. "If you kill her, our Clanmates will be after you."

But Aeolus only grinned. "But now, I hardly think that'll matter. Not when after tonight, I'll have 'the most powerful wish the Clans will ever come to see'."

Snakestrike stopped breathing, muscles stiffening. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Viperfoot freezing and a fearful look overtaking Mintberry's features again. The prophecy. Aeolus had quoted the prophecy. 

"You know?" Mintberry meowed shakily. "You-"

The large brown tabby tom interrupted her with a cruel laugh. "Of course I know! Berryfern issued the prophecy, Berryfern's my kin. Kin who's been waiting to take their revenge on Ivorystar for since before I was born."

Ivorystar? The fact that a whole pack of rogues could stem from hatred for a single cat is crazy, but Snakestrike didn't have the time to think about that right now. Instead, he sat up straighter and lifted his chin with a new spark of hope. "So you're here for that wish, then? You're here because of the prophecy?"

Aeolus scoffed in his direction. "This one's slow."

Snakestrike ignored him. "We won't give it to you. Mintberry, Viperfoot, and I are the ones who define the prophecy, and we won't give that wish to you."

He wasn't sure what he was expecting - some apologies, a release, and some groveling and begging from Aeolus, perhaps. What he hadn't foreseen was Aeolus throwing his head back and letting out a genuinely amused purr. From behind the brown tabby, his rogues were all doing the same, and Snakestrike felt his pelt flare with heat.

He hated being laughed at.

"What?" he demanded angrily. "What is it?"

"Spirits, you haven't got a clue now the prophecy's fulfilled, have you?" Aeolus meowed, whiskers twitching. 

"Sure we do," Snakestrike snapped, trying to sound as though he was in control.

The rogue leader saw right through him. "Allow me to enlighten you. In order to 'create the most powerful wish the Clans will ever see', there needs to be 'the death of one and blood of three'."

The words echoed into the quiet night, and though Snakestrike liked to think himself a smart cat, his brain refused to register what Aeolus had said for a few beats. He just sat there a little blanky, before a feeling of unease overtook him.

It wasn't the fact that he may die tonight to fulfill the prophecy - he'd probably die from this rogues, anyhow. But that's what he expected, he expected to be death from Aeolus. But if Ivorystar and Rainstar were fighting over the prophecy, were the leaders planning to kill him or one of his siblings once they'd won? 

Aeolus looked very unamused and impatient at the three ShadowClan cats' shocked expressions, all of them still processing his words. "We've wasted enough time. I've waited my whole life for this." He lifted a paw, sharp claws gleaming in the moonlight. "Who'd like to go first?"

Snakestrike's muscles tensed, ready to run or dodge or fight. Whatever he had to do to stay alive.

"Ivorystar," came Viperfoot's panicked voice; this was clearly a last attempt, "she'll be upset-"

Aeolus's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Fine," he growled, "you can be the one to die." Then he swung his paw at Viperfoot, a powerful blow that knocked the large gray tom onto his side, scratching his cheek and spilling his blood onto the ground. Viperfoot yowled in pain.

Snakestrike couldn't tell if the gasp that filled the air afterwards was from him or Mintberry; all he knew was that he'd jumped to his feet, but couldn't force his body to do anything past that, staring at his brother's fallen form in shock. In the dark, dark sky, the moon seemed to glow brighter.

Viperfoot's still breathing, he noted, spotting the large gray tom's chest rising and falling rapidly despite his closed eyes. He's still alive-

Snakestrike's line of thought was cut off as Aeolus snarled, leaping towards Viperfoot. A flash of tabby gray fur, and Mintberry suddenly jumped at the rogue leader, knocking him off course and sending his sharp claws into the ground a mouse-tail's width away from Viperfoot's neck. Hissing in frustration, Aeolus swiped at Mintberry and sent her flying, carving a cut deep into her pelt. As crimson pooled on the ground around her, the moon glowed brighter.

The ShadowClan deputy urged himself to move, urged himself to defend his siblings, to do something as Aeolus turned to Viperfoot again and snarled, lifting a paw.

Through his daze of panic and confusion, Snakestrike blurrily heard Bellona's confused voice, addressing a cat somewhere behind him.

"Just what are you-?"

Suddenly, right as the rogue leader was about to end Viperfoot's life once and for all, a flash of white fur jumped at him, knocking him off and away.

Around them, Aeolus's rogues hissed and leaped to their paws, ready to come to their leader's aid, as Snakestrike's eyes focused on who their savior was. To his surprise, it was Caelus, the tom who Bellona had been sent to stand guard with.

"You fool!" Aeolus spat, writing under Caelus. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You didn't tell me you would kill cats!" Caelus heaved, panting with effort in keeping Aeolus down. "I wouldn't have joined-"

"Who cares why you joined!" Aeolus snarled as Bellona launched herself forward to pull Caelus off.

Don't ask him why, but this was the moment Snakestrike snapped into action. And it wasn't to rush to his siblings' or Caelus's defense. No, it was to turn around and sprint as fast as he could into the pine forest. His legs heaved with pain, but he ignored it and pushed onwards, running faster than he's ever run his entire life.

"Get him!" Aeolus bellowed. "Get him, we need all three!"

Paw steps pounded behind Snakestrike, but he didn't look back, darting and weaving effortlessly through the undergrowth that slowed his chasers. Through the half-moon's light, he suddenly spotted the shape of cats racing in his direction - and not just any cats, but ShadowClan.

"Over here!" he yowled as loudly as he could. "Over here!"

A patrol, he noticed with relief as Dawnfoot's familiar face came into view, Clanmates fanning out behind her. Among them, he noticed Frozenlight; just seeing her concerned amber eyes brought a feeling of peace within him.

"Snakestrike!" Dawnfoot meowed in alarm. "We heard a yowl. What-"

"Rogues, over there," Snakestrike mewed, jerking his head in the general direction of the Burnt Sycamore. "They kidnapped us, there's some right behind me, we-"

"Alright, we'll handle it," Dawnfoot interrupted. "Mistyfrost, Shadestrike, get him back to camp."

If he weren't in such a bad condition, he might've been agitated at the white she-cat's interruption. After all, he was ShadowClan's deputy.

Then, the patrol raced off toward the Burnt Sycamore as Mistyfrost and Shadestrike hurried toward him; Snakestrike was suddenly filled was a sense of utter relief. He was saved. He was alive. He thought this may have been his last night, but he'd see the next dawn.

Then, with feeling the adrenaline burning out of him, he collapsed and passed out.

~~~

i literally hate this chapter so much, it was so hard to write, but i finished it!! also i wrote this chapter after having not worked on this series for months LOL, definitely had to go back and look at the plotline i had planned out. and i took so many breaks while writing this, but i'm just happy to have it done :)