A Debt ((Savannahheart))

[brownie]

Padding steadily across the Border, Brownclaw's nose was flodded by the familiar scents of the Rogues. Lifting her head, the dark tabby searched for the scent of one in particular, a Rogue named Savannahheart. Many Moons ago, when Brownclaw was a Kit, she had taken it upon herself to confront her Father. Rowan had been there, and so had her other siblings. And The Night's dakr precense had cast a shadow over their meeting as well. During that time, Brownie had been attacked by The Night, nearly smothered to death by the strong Leader of the NightClan Alliance. Savannahheart had seen sense first and had knocked The Night off Brownie, rescuing Darkfur's Daughter from certain death. And now time was time for that debt to be paid, and Brownclaw hoped that she would be able to find the Rogue before a stranger found her.

[Icekit]

Savannahheart reconized the scent as a WindClan cat. "Who decided they wanted to tresppass?" she hissed out loud. Tasting the air, the spotted rogue jumped up in surpris, it was Brownie, Dakfur's kit. Wondering what she was doing here, the warrior found herself padding to the clearing, she hissed, "Brownpaw, what are you doing here?" Her voice was mean, although there was a tint of sadness for she was the daughter of Darkfur, her old leader before The Night took over.

[brownie]

((Icekit, check the bios of Willowtail's Kits. I'm Willowtail and theres a message there for you.))

In the shadows, Brownclaw's flinch was unnoticeable and she spun round to face the spotted Rogue. Refusing to cower before Savannahheart's icey stare, the WindClan Warrior dipped her head in greeting to her Father's old Apprentice. "Actually, it's Brownclaw now," Brownie mewed, meeting Savannahheart's stare with her green orbs, the mirror image of her Father. "I was looking for you, Savannahheart, I...I need to talk to you about a few things and...F-Father." Her voice was bitter with sorrow as she spoke of Darkfur, remembering how her Father had died thinking she hated him.

[~B*l*a*z*e~]

//I can't creat another accout right now, cause I don't have a e-mail address//

Savannahheart looked at the newly named Brownclaw, her eyes turned seablue as she looked at her, "About Darkfur... hummm." Thinking of every thing she knew about darkfur, Brownclaw would probally knew less could she hardly spent time with him, yet she had come back countless times to find out about him, so that she probably knew just as much as Savannahheart did. "What do you need to talk about Darkfur?" Looking her straight in the eyes with a series sea blue gaze holding.

[brownie]

((Ok, I'll give it to Silvershadow.))

Not blinking or in any way breaking the eye contact she held with the Rogue, Brownclaw breathed calmly and collected her thoughts before continuing. "I thought I knew it all about my Father," She mewed, her voice quiet wiith none of its usual fire, only sadness and loss. "And because of my pride, he died thinking I hated him. And Hollowheart and Amberwind's daughter, Rosepelt, well...recently I got into a fight with her and things were brought up. I have a few questions about his past and his present." Stopping, Brownclaw looked away, waiting for Savannahheart to tell her she did not know or worse, drive her away.

[~B*l*a*z*e~]

//Kay. Maybe next litter I'll have an e-mail//

Turning her gaze away from Brownclaw she mewed, "Well, I know queit a few things, but I might not know all..." The spotted she-cat admitted, "But i would be happy to help, but a rogue my over hear us or worse. Ill get in big trouble, you will probaly to, but we can talk over there." Savannahheart mewed pointing her tail to the boulder, and behind was a perfect spot for talking. "What do you ned to know. Anway, to make you feel better, I'ld never really cared for that WindClan warrior anyway, the gathering she heard her parents died, you could hear hercrying miles away. Back to th subject..." The rogue padded up to the boulder and behind waiting for Brownclaw to follow.

[brownie]

Following the spotted she-cat to the talking spot behind the small boulder, Brownclaw cast a nervous glace around her, watching her surroundings with a prickle of fear in her eye. True, Brownclaw had once been allowed to roam around the Rogue territory, but that was in Darkfur's time, and now...now the cat who had tried to murder the young tabby controlled the land. Reaching the spot, Brownclaw brought her gaze back to Savannahheart's icey eyes. "I was wondering if you could tell me why WindClan threw him out, that was the main thing that rose in the arguement and I don't know much about it. All I know is that Darkfur killed WindClan's Leader, but that same Leader had unleashed a dog pack on RiverClan and would lead WindClan to destruction given half the chance."

[~B*l*a*z*e~]

Savannahheart looked at Brownclaw. She had aasked the same question Savannahheart had asked Darkfur. It was along staroy, but still worth telling, "You now that much, but I'll tell you the story how he told me. The leader had letten dogs into RiverClan. He had the same drive as Tigerclaw. But your dad, Darkfur killed him before anything else he could of done, and there were two reasons, one for the safety of the clans," Savannahheart kneww that she shouldn't say the reason, but she couldn' leave out part of the story. Sitting down she contuined, "Two, for greed, wanting to be leader. He came back o WindClan, and had an agrument with the clan, the battle lasted for three days until Silverstar, then known as Silverpelt... I think, stood up and said that it was enough, and the clan made her leader and banned Darkfur." Savannahheart puased, waiting for the WindClan warrior's reaciton, either shock or anger was she two she expected.

[brownie]

Neither shock nor puzzlement flashed in her mind, only a bitter finding that her suspicions had been right. "I guessed as much," Brownclaw muttered, her voice leaden and heavy, as if she were carrying the burden of her Father's reputation upon her shouders, and indeed she was. Not many cats wished to know her and get to know that behind the dark tabby pelt and venomous green eyes - the mirror image of Darkfur - was a kind-hearted, fiery, slightly arrogant she-cat who wished to be the best Warrior she could be. A shudder went through her as she remembered the many times she had been doubted or even doubted herself in WindClan, and the constant worries that she may unknowingly turn out exactly like her Father, afterall, of all the litter she was most like him, the only part of Smoke in her was the gender and a slightly soft heart.

Giving her head a quick shake and reaching down to lick her chest, covering the moments silence, she stood taller and faced the cat who had saved her life, meeting the piercing blue eyes, silently asking for the truth. "There are many rumours circulating around my Father's death. Tell me, does anyone apart from Hollowheart know every little detail? And what was his reason for killing Amberwind?" She quizzed, her voice surprisingly light and airy, containing no pin-pointable emotion.

[~B*l*a*z*e~]

Savannahheart loooked at Brownclaw, she seemeed to straighten herself up a lot more then when the first time they met when she was named Brownie, "I don't thnk anyone bu Hollowheart," Savannahheart hissed at the name, "Knows every last detail, but I do know he's still alive." Shaking her head, "At least I heard a rumor about it, and about Amberwind, I think she justt got caught in the middle." The spotted she-cat spoke calmly, as if she had spoke about this a hundred times before.

[brownie]

"It's just that...The Night told myself and my Brother, Rowanfur, that Stormstar murdered my Father," Brownclae mewed, not breaking the gaze as she searched Savannahheart's eyes for anything, shock, lies, evil, sadness, something that would allow her to read deeper into her heritage. "What reason would The Night have for lying about Father's death?"

[~B*l*a*z*e~]

The spotted she-cat shrugged, "I don't know, she probaly didn't want you guys on her back, and Stormstar, for sure, didn't kill Darkfur, I was there the last time anyone saw him, and that was when Nightsprit had gave her the misssion of killing Hollowheart after he tried to defend you guys, or when you were getting suffocated (Sp?)." Savannahheart truly didn't knoe the answer to that question, but tried as hard as she could to answer it for the WindClan warrior.

[brownie]

Brownclaw gave Savannahheart a short nod. "One more thing," She mewed, once again forming a gaze between the two she-cats, willing for the truth - this question was much more personal. "Before he died, did he think I hated him? I mean, did he die thinking we all hated him? Did he still love me?" This was the hardest bit.

[~B*l*a*z*e~]

Savannahheart took a moment, "No, never did he hate you, and I mean it, when I asked him about you guys, he proudly stood up and said he was your guy's father." The spotted she-cat flicked her long tail back and forth. "And no, he didn't think you hated him. He spoke about you and your siblings a lot, and I'm sure he thought about you guys more then that. He never, and I repeat, never thought that you hated him. He loved you like his mate..." Savannahheart thought another moment, "His mate, Smoke." Nodding the she-cat waited once again, a rsponse from Brownclaw.

[brownie]

"Mother," Brownclaw's voice was quiet as she thought of Smoke. The only image she ahd of her was a grey body, lying still on the white table. Her side had been cut open from where Brownclaw, then Brownie, had been removed from the womb - for Smoke had died before giving birth to Brownie. It was a miracle she had lived.

[~B*l*a*z*e~]

"What you say, Brownclaw?" Savannahheart looked at Brownclaw. She was a spitten image of Darkfur. The piercing green eyes, the brown fur, the white paw that used to keep her looking like her father had disappeared. She liked to be reminded of Darkfur again. It reminded her of the less complicated times, no Nightstprit, no propcey. It was nice.

[brownie]

"Oh, nothing." Brownclaw tried to be casual but her voice cracked under the pressure of keeping wails at bay. "I-I just...wish I could h-h-have said...goodbye. To both of them." She choked out, sagging visibly as if the weight of carrying her stained heritage on her shoulders was simply too much.

[~B*l*a*z*e~]

"You still can..." Savannahheart blinked at Browncalw. She didn't know wht to say, "Yes, even though I don't know Smoke, I wish I could have met her, she seemed nice, Darkfur and you have always said stuff nice about her. I truly wished I could of met her." The spotted she-cat felt stiff. "Yes and I wished I could of said good bye to Darkfur."

[brownie]

"Whre is his body, Savannahheart?" Brownclaw asked, shaking off the vulnerability she ahd just shown to the spotted Rogue. "Rowan, Torrentheart, Winterwind and I want to give him a proper burial, beside our Mother. I doubt anyone else would grant him that."

[Icekit]

"I would, but you see, I don't know, but I promise, you'll be the first one I'll tell once I find it." Savannahheart spoke smoothly without regretting a single word. She wanted to find the body as mucch as anyone.

[brownie]

"One last thing," Brownclaw mewed, coming up to the grand finale of her questions. "A long time gago when I was a Kit, you saved me from The Night. I owe you my life and I was wondering if I could do anything in return, though what you wish for probably isn't enough to repay you properly, for life is priceless."

[Icekit]

Savannahhear thought for a long moment. She never really thought she needed anything, she had a lot of things, a mate, she was deputy, some good friends. Savannahheart had a good life, after what happened when she was a kit. The only thing the she-cat didn't have was a family, Savannahheat shook her head, "No, there isn't anything." Her family died, and no one could bring them back to life, not even StarClan their selfs.

[brownie]

Nodding, Brownclaw remained silent and turned her back on Savannahheart before padding back the way she had come. Her questions had been answered and her payment of the debt she felt rejected. In part, the dark tabby was glad of this, for she had been worried that the spotted she-cat may ask for Brownclaw's aid in the War against the Clans that The Night had so daringly waged. Well, she knew that if push came to shove, she could not harm Savannahheart - the she-cat was part of the very essence of Darkfur and kept alive the light part of him, the compassion for those he loved and cared for and his courage in battle. Savannaheart was another tie to her Father and she would never sacrifice that.

[Savannah&Faith]

Savannahheart nodded, the coversation was over, and she hoped it would last longer, but everything came to an end, she knew that, she learned that. The spotted tabby bowed her head in a way of saying good-bye and then padded off. She hoped she could convense The Night to stay far away from WindClan, for two of Darkfur's kits lay in that clan, and Brownclaw was one that she could talk to and not get mad about anything. Savannahheart was glad she saved her life, or she would be dead, or not even care about Savannaheart.