Winds of Change (Inside the Enemy)

(Just so that no one gets confused I will first like to say that Nightstar is an unreliable narrator, who twists the stories in her own head into lies that she has told so many times that she even believes them now. And Thunderstar I am very very sorry but I have to play Bumblestep a bit, I will follow his character exactly though! And Nightstar will take his words and meanings, even the sound of his voice, as something that he didn't even say or sound like. )

Nightstar sat in the camp. Both Wonderstar and Bumblestep had disappeared, but to where...? Could she trust the ginger tabby tom? She had brought him here solely to be her mate just so that the dead Cloudspinner couldn't have him. She sighed and shook her head. Cloudspinner had always hated her, she would taunt her and harass her, but no one ever noticed!

"Nightstar!" Bumblestep's voice called for her from the other side of the clearing, and where others heard resentment in his voice, she heard love. "I caught Wonderstar trying to escape." He growled, but something flashed in his eyes, was it pity, disappointed? Maybe hatred?

"Good." She narrowed her eyes. "She will be kitting soon anyways, once the kits are safely born I will dispose of her." She growled, she couldn't have Wonderstar messing up her plans anyways, soon she will be dead and in StarClan with Cloudspinner. They wouldn't be able to stand in her way any longer. She narrowed her eyes. "But let's make sure you get the message that your not supposed to leave." Nightstar stepped forward, her claws slid out and Wonderstar's eyes widened with fright, stepping back away from her. Nightstar brought her paw down hard on Wonderstar's head, her claws making long gashes down her cheek, and neck. Blood rushed from the she-cat, who now lay on the ground crying out in pain, blood pooling around her. Poisonpoppy ran over with narrowed eyes, but started tending to Wonderstar. Nightstar looked down at her belly, wondering if maybe she should tell Bumblestep about her expecting Ridgestar's kits....no it would have to wait...

"Bumblestep come with me." She turned and padded to her den, letting IronClan cats surround and taunt Wonderstar, Bumblestep following her close behind. She curled up in her nest, Bumblestep curled up in the corner, seemingly as far away from Nightstar as possible. He must just want to make sure she gets a good night sleep is all...right...he loved her...she knew it.

Nightstar drifted into a deep sleep, but even in her dreams she couldn't escape her hatred for ForestClan. Thoughts of Wonderstar dead, her kits watching as Nightstar killed her swam through her thoughts, making her almost purr in her sleep. But then images of Bumblestep and Cloudspinner together hit her like a rock. Stabbing through her heart. They were together and happy, but Cloudspinner looked a bit older, and beaten. Her back legs completely still, but she still held the same gleam in her eyes. Bumblestep was happily grooming her as two young apprentices played by them. One a pure brown tom with muddy-brown eyes, and a golden-ginger she-cat with deep brown eyes. They both had the same gleaming eyes as Cloudspinner, and the same build as Bumblestep. THEY WERE THEIR KITS! THEIR KITS WERE ALIVE! Alarm shot through her dream. She woke with a start, her heart pounding, a shiver running up her spine. All that she planned seemed to be falling apart...

"NIGHTSTAR!" A yowl broke out from  the camp clearing, some she-cat's voice called out quickly and it sounded terrified. "Wonderstar is kitting!" The voice called again, this time more urgent. Nightstar groaned, she looked over to see Bumblestep still asleep, his face somewhat peaceful. She nuzzled closer to him, breathing in his scent, letting it wash over her. Wonderstar and her kits could wait until morning.

Nightstar tried to drift off to sleep again, but it never came. Only the drowsiness came, and the nausea they both consumed her long before someone called for her. She stood, Bumblestep still sleeping. Maybe he shouldn't see what was about to become of his former leader...

Nightstar padded out of the den. A rush of frozen air greeted her, refreshing her lungs. Her breath came out in a hot cloud that swirled around her in the morning air, before slowly disappearing as the cold once again took over where the hot breath had been. Nightstar forced her paws to carry her to the nursery, which was filled with the mewling of kits. The scent of milk washed over her.

"The kitting went great. She had two she-kits and three toms." Poisonpoppy's voice answered Nightstar's unspoken question.

"Good." She forced into the nursery. Only to see Wonderstar asleep with four kits cuddled next to her. This would be easier if she was asleep anyways. Nightstar grabbed the kits and padded out of the nurser  with them, padding into her den and settling them beside Bumblestep, who muttered lightly to their warmth. Then Nightstar remembered the two kits she had taken from Quiverbreeze before she had left and padded back to the nursery to grab them. She settled them down next to the others. She would raise them all so well, they would all grow up to be like her, strong and loving. She purred. The seven kits all were wriggling on the floor. They had to have names! She remembered.

She looked at Quiverbreeze's kits, they already had names. Marshkit and Rosekit, that fit them well! Time for  her to name the newborns! She purred. She looked first at the bright ginger and white tom, his white fur was pure, like snow, but his ginger fur was a bright red, like blood in the sunlight. He will be named Fierykit, she concluded.

She turned her attention to the next tom, he was small, a brown tabby with white patches. He looked like a sweet little guy. He mewled loudly. Acornkit. She decided.

Another kit mewled. Seemingly wanted attention. It was a small almost all black tom with a white flashed chest. He was already standing! She blinked at him, the others hadn't even tried to move their legs yet! She purred and nuzzled the little tom warmly, he purred too. Peak-kit. She licked the little toms head.

The two she-kits were both cuddled together, their chests rising and falling together. One a bright black, ginger, and white she-cat. The other a pure grey she-cat. Blossomkit and Viperkit, she concluded. Blossomkit seemed like such an innocent name, and then Viperkit seemed so strong. She liked Viperkit better then her sister already. She chuckled.

Bumblestep finally woke up, blinking the eyes that Nightstar loved so much. She licked his head and he groaned lightly. "Bumblestep. Watch the kits, you'll need the practice. You will be a father soon."  She whispered lightly in his ear, their kits would be born soon, and she would say they were his, not Ridgestar's, which would make everyone think that they had been mates when he was still with Cloudspinner, how wonderful! She grinned.

"Y-y-y-y-your expecting?!" He looked up, shocked out of his tiredness.

"Yes." She purred and licked his cheek. "Now there is some business I need to take care of." She stood and padded out of the den, Wonderstar was already standing in the clearing.

"Where are my kits?!" She growled with pure fury.

"All seven of my kits are asleep in my den, with my mate..." She blinked innocently. Why didn't Wonderstar just admit she had lost?

"You didn't even let me name them!" Wonderstar's voice cracked, the great leader was finally broken! Sobs escaped from the she-cat, sobs that seemed to rip right through the air.

"Don't worry. Fierykit, Peak-kit, Acornkit, Viperkit, and Blossomkit will be quite happy with me as their mother. They will grow up to be the best dark-forest warriors the clans have ever seen!" She laughed with triumph. Cloudspinner and her kits were dead, Wonderstar's kits were hers. There was no one left of the final prophecy! She grinned. Ridgestar had been right with this plan all along!

Wonderstar collapsed on the ground. Giving up. Giving in. "Why? What happened to sweet Nightpaw?" She looked up, her face and cheek stained with the times of tears and blood from the day before.

"YOU DID!" Her voice became shrill with fury. "You preferred Cloudspinner! You like her more than me! The entire clan did!" She yowled and dashed over to Wonderstar, in a blind fit of rage she brought her claws down on Wonderstar again, and again. Until she was dead, even her last three lives weren't enough for StarClan to fix the damage that was done. Wonderstar was gone. Time for ForestClan to get the news flash.

Nightstar dragged Wonderstar's motionless body through the forest, for a long long time. Her neck ached so badly! But she finally reached the border and laid the dead leader there. ForestClan would find her. And know that there was no hope left for them.

She dashed back to camp. But stopped, she couldn't let her new kits see her caked in blood! She found a stream and dove in, licking her fur until it was glittering, once she dried she rolled in some Cat Mint that she had taken from Poisonpoppy, she didn't want her kits to think she smelled bad.

When she was done she arrived back in camp, a new gleam in her eyes. "Tigerkit!" She called the ForestClan tom out of the nursery.

"Yes Nightstar?" He looked up at her. He was a good looking cat, and sure to grow up very strong she thought, maybe he should be matched up with someone...one of her own. But she didn't want to wait for her kits to be born! And she may not have a she-kit!

"Come meet my kits." She purred and padded to the leaders den. She thought about Viperkit. She would do nicely. But she had to keep Blossomkit away! Blossomkit was pretty. Viperkit was too, but not in the same innocent way. Viperkit looked deadly. "Have fun." She smiled and nudged Tigerkit to her kits. Have fun now, because when your older your life will be nothing but servitude to me....