bloodline

~~~

A SHARP LINE OF RED drew across Honeykit's cheek, and the pale ginger she-kit shrank in pain. Almost instantly, Violetpaw froze, guilt flashing through her as her sister's blood glinted on her claws.

"What are you doing?" Honeykit hissed once she recovered, lashing her tail. "I'm your sister!"

Violetpaw's jaws opened then closed, shaking a little. Honeykit was right. But, "So is Sweetpaw."

The kit glared at her. "She's not your real sister! Your loyalty should be to me!"

"Loyalty?" Violetpaw's mouth felt dry. "When I was Violetdust, you had the Ghost Assassin kill me."

"He wasn't supposed to kill you," Honeykit spat. "He was supposed to kill Swanfrost. You and her were just like sisters, I thought it'd be a good idea for me to take her body. Only the stupid tom couldn't follow proper instructions-"

"You're awful," Violetpaw interrupted lowly. "There's a reason you're here in the Dark Forest, and I'm going to stop you."

Honeykit rolled her eyes. "Stop me?" she crowed. "Stop me how? What, are you going to kill me or something?"

Violetpaw steadily met Honeykit's eyes and twitched her pelt. "If I have to."

The pale ginger she-kit flicked her tail, looking far from intimidated. "You can't kill me," she hissed. "You won't. Think of our parents."

Violetpaw did. She thought of Blossomsky and Russetfrost, old and forever loyal to ThunderClan. Then she thought of Swanfrost and Frostsky, of their broken expressions as they huddled around her dead body. Anger flickered through her.

"Watch me," she snarled. 

Then, without wasting another moment, she jumped onto Honeykit. 

As her claws sank into Honeykit's pelt, the pale ginger she-kit screeched in pain. Again and again, guilt flashed through Violetpaw, and her grip loosened, just slightly.

But that was all Honeykit needed. She wiggled and squirmed this way and that, sending a hefty kick to Violetpaw's chin. This broke the white she-cat's hold, and Honeykit scrambled away, crimson dripping from her pelt.

"You're crazy!" she yowled at Violetpaw, sprinting away into the dark trees.

Violetpaw chased. The mud felt heavier and slipperier than normal mud, and as Honeykit's pelt danced between the shadows, Violetpaw felt thankful that Honeykit's fur color was red. The kit was much faster than the ThunderClan apprentice would've predicted, and should her pelt be any darker, Violetpaw would've lost her.

"Help me!" came Honeykit's voice suddenly. "Help, please!"

It took a heartbeat for Violetpaw to realize who she was calling to, and when she did, she flinched. She hadn't noticed them before, but there were other cats in the shadows of the Dark Forest, some more faded than others. None of them seemed to have much interest in helping Honeykit (in fact, one of them snapped at Honeykit's heels, grinning as she yelped). The rest simply watched numbly as the two sped by.

The Dark Forest was the Dark Forest, after all.

The chase seemed to last forever. It soon became evidently clear to Violetpaw that she couldn't catch Honeykit on the ground, and as she looked around at the trees around them, an idea popped into her mind. 

Quickly, she halted, mud spraying all over her as she did so, leaping onto the nearest tree and pulling herself up. She kept a careful eye on Honeykit's red pelt as she scaled up the tree, the mud blending her white pelt in with the bark.

Honeykit was still running, and once Violetpaw got to the top branch, she stared nervously at the branch of the next tree, eyeing the long distance to the ground. If she should fall...

Come on, she snapped at herself. If that Sorrelpaw can do it, why can't I?

Taking a deep breath, she leaped to the next branch. It shook a little under her weight, but she quickly scrambled towards the trunk, then jumped to the next branch, and the next, following Honeykit as the pale ginger she-kit ran on the muddy ground.

After some time of this, Honeykit glanced behind her, panting. Seeing no Violetpaw, she slowed to a stop, crimson coating her pelt.

"That stupid cat," she hissed to nobody in particular. "That stupid, ungrateful cat!"

Little did she know, Violetpaw was crouched on the tree branch above her, ears twitching as she listened to Honeykit.

"What kind of cat attacks and tries to kill her sister?" Honeykit continued to spit. "She's clearly just jealous, because Mom and Dad like me the most."

Violetpaw rolled her eyes. This kit is in over her head. Immature, narcissistic, and dangerous. 

"If she doesn't care, then fine. I'll just take her body, and let her stay stuck here in the Dark Forest-"

This did it. Violetpaw sprang off the branch, falling through the air and landing squarely on Honeykit's body. This time, her grip stayed firm and strong, lashing her tail as the pale ginger she-kit squirmed around.

"Violetdust!" Honeykit squeaked.

Oh, how Violetpaw hated that. Hated Honeykit calling her Violetdust. Her grip tightened. 

"Come on, let me go, please?" Honeykit blinked up at Violetpaw with sweet eyes. 

"Why? So you can take my body and leave me here?" The ThunderClan apprentice scoffed. "I don't think so."

She raised a paw, her claws dark in the moonless night. Panic flashed through Honeykit's eyes.

"Come on, put that paw down. You're not going to kill me."

Violetpaw twitched her pelt. "Why not?"

"Because you can't kill me." Honeykit lifted her chin. "You haven't got the guts. I'm your sister."

The white she-cat thought about this. Honeykit kept referencing her old life as Violetdust. Violetdust, perhaps, wouldn't have the guts to kill Honeykit. But Violetpaw wasn't Violetdust any more.

She had a new life now, with Sweetpaw and her parents and Ravendust. She had to put an end to Honeykit, once and for all, to live that life in peace.

Lowly, she hissed, "Sweetpaw's my sister," before bringing her paw down on Honeykit's tiny body.

A crack. 

The pale ginger she-kit went limp, and slowly, Violetpaw released her, stepping off and back. Her breathing felt heavy as she stared at Honeykit's once again dead body, watching as it shimmered, faded, then disappeared.

Her job was done.

Darkness enveloped her, and the white she-cat looked this way and that, suddenly feeling very trapped in the shadowy trees. What now? Was she going to stay here forever, until she faded away as well?

Violetpaw curled herself into a ball, the mud seeping into her pelt. Her mind flitted to Sweetpaw, then Ravendust. Did he know she was dead? 

As she prepared herself to accept the awful, hard fact that she was very likely stuck here, a familiar voice suddenly echoed around her.

"Violetpaw."

The white she-cat's head snapped up, ears twitching with hope. She recognized that voice. "Featherpool?"

The sky shimmered, and suddenly, ThunderClan's medicine cat appeared. She floated from the air down to the ground by Violetpaw, giving the white she-cat a kind smile. 

"How are you here?" Violetpaw mewed numbly. "I- I thought-"

"When you killed Honeykit, the barrier between StarClan and the living world broke. StarClan summoned me," Featherpool explained gently. "Now, ready to go?"

Violetpaw blinked up at her, puzzled. "Go? Go where?"

"Certainly you're not going to stay here," Featherpool mewed. Her eyes twinkled. "You still have the Ghost Assassin to catch, after all."

~~~

ack finally an update!! so so sorry about not updating, midterms really took up a lot of time then i lost motivation for writing haha. i really do want to see this book to its end though! if any of you guys are still around that's amazing <3

anyways, have an amazing day/night!

~ lily