Rusted Metal

== Rustpaw's Story... ==
===== Tropicalclan wiki =====
==== Chapter 1- ====
The large, well-muscled ginger tom panted, racing through the forest. His golden eyes glowed in the night, his thick fur sparkling with rain. In his large, powerful jaws, he held a small ginger tom-kit. The kit barely squirmed, weak and silent.
Beside him, a slim pale grayish blue she-cat was holding another kit in her jaws. This one was squirming, larger than the other and full of life.
The two cats looked at each other, their gaze sharing their pain. They could never return to what lay behind them, for it meant certain death for both them and their kits.
Behind them, eyes of all colours shone in the darkness as cats lept after them, bearing their white, ivory fangs.
The tom panted, looking over his shoulder. "Moth... Take Hawk, and Mist, and run. Don't look back for me."
Moth opened her mouth to speak, but could not find any words.
Tears welling in her eyes, Moth said softly, "Stay safe, Maverick... Please..." After a fierce look from Maverick, she took the she-kit in her jaws and pelted off the trail.
She could not hear anything but the screams of pain, and the pit-pattering of the rain.
=== Chapter 2- ===
Moth lept over the log, and burst into the open. She felt sand under her paws, and collapsed onto her sides.
Her kits would be safe.
The same could not be said for her.
Moth looked at the sky, where the stars sparkled brightly between the gaps in the storm clouds. She looked to the sea, where the dark waves lapped hungrily at the sand, eager for her to step into their open jaws, and take her life.
Moth looked at the two kits in her jaws. A handsome ginger tom, and a fierce gray she-kit. It was a shame, she knew, that the tom-kit was weak and would not last past Sun-up tomorrow.
Suddenly, she heard yowling. Yowls of rage. Yowls of blood lust.
They were coming for her.
Moth grabbed the kits tightly, panic lacing her icy blue eyes, and raced down the shoreline. Moth knew she was crow-food, for she had no more strength to continue on.
But, by Starclan, these kits would live.
Moth darted swiftly to the left, where the Swamps loomed, dark and gloomy as ever. She dropped the kits gingerly, and tore back a bush.
Moth nudged both the kits in, giving them each a quick, final lap. She heard the voices getting closer, and looked over her scarred shoulder.
She lunged into the Swamps, determined to die for her kits.
=== Chapter 3- ===
Gingerstar padded down the sands, glancing over her shoulder as Flamewhisker, her loyal deputy, marked the waters edge.
"Quite a storm last night, wasn't it?" He mewed, bounding to her shoulder. Gingerstar nodded her tan head in agreement. "The Sea has flooded, hasn't it? It is several fox-lengths further than two days ago.
Flamewhisker nodded, and his eyes brightened as a familiar gray and white figure emerged from the bushes.
"Shiftingice!" He called excitedly, racing forward to meet his mate. As he nuzzled her, Gingerstar noticed that Shiftingice's eyes were dark with worry.
"Gingerstar, you might want to come see this..." The dark she-cat called, turning and padding over to a bush near the Swamps border.
Gingerstar beckoned her patrol after her, trotting after Shiftingice.
The group gathered around a bush, and Shiftingice, with the help of Flamewhisker and Gingerstar, tore back the bush.
There, in the flooded Swamps, soaked and motionless, lay two kits.
The patrol instantly broke into gasps and chatter, shoving forward to get a better view.
"Silence!" Flamewhisker shouted, stepping forward. The ginger tom nodded respectfully to Gingerstar, and took a step back.
Gingerstar stepped forward, and lowered her head to scent the kits.
Her head snapped up swiftly, and she yowled, "Albatrosstrill, Lionfury! Hurry to camp and get Hibiscusriver and Stillpaw, the tom is alive!"
A small, lithe peach she-cat stepped forward. "Gingerstar," she said softly, "what about the she-cat..?"
Gingerstar lowered her head. "She is dead, Garnetpaw. We shall bury her as if she is one of our own. Take the tom to camp, please." the cream she-cat meowed as she picked up the dead she-kit in her jaws.
Garnetpaw studied the tom-kit for a moment, before picking him up. A light brown and white she-cat padded over, and mewed cheerfully as they began trotting to camp, "He is quite handsome, isn't he?"
Garnetpaw was silent for a moment, and felt her face burn.
"Yeah... He is."
=== Chapter 4- ===
The patrol padded into the camp, and Gingerstar instantly gave the kit to Garnetpaw and bounded to the highrock
She beckoned Garnetpaw over, and raised her head to yowl, "Tropicalclan! All cats old enough to swim in the sea, gather under the highrock for a clan meeting!"
The cats assembled under their leader, questions buzzing from mouth to ear.
"Silence!" Flamewhisker bellowed, and they all fell silent.
Gingerstar nodded at her deputy, before speaking,
"I assume you all are confused. My border patrol has found two kits at the Swamp Border. The rain has washed away all scents of other cats, and we cannot find any trace of parents, and one of them has joined Starclan.
The crowd erupted with yowls and questions, until a pale red and white she-cat lept to the front of the crowd, a slim, small gray tom following her.
"Give me that poor kit, Garnetpaw!" The she-cat shrieked, snatching the ginger kit from Garnetpaw. "He is barely alive, great Starclan! Here, Stillpaw, go place him in a nice nest and try to warm him!"
The pale gray tom grabbed the tom-kit and shuffled to the nursery.
Gingerstar blinked, purring with amusement. "Good to know you aren't sleeping, Hibiscusriver!"
Hibiscusriver glared at her leader, before turning and stalking off to the medicine cat den.
...
"I'm not THAT old, you know!"
=== Chapter 5- ===
Hibiscusriver snapped at Stillpaw, as they shuffled around the kit, trying to warm him and get his heart beating steadier.
Suddenly, the little ginger tom raised his head to give a loud shriek.
Hibiscusriver's face broke into a grin, and even little Stillpaw was grinning softly.
The light red she-cat padded out into the clearing, face solemn as the little gray tom follow her, tail dragging.
"He... He is... ALIVE!"
The clan was silent for a moment, aside from Hibiscusriver's cackling, and then they all burst out cheering.
Gingerstar padded forward, amusement gleaming in her eyes. Flamewhisker was grinning like a fool, following her.
"This is good news, Hibiscusriver. We should keep him, unless his family comes for him."
Stillpaw frowned at this. "By the look of him, they wont be coming any time soon."
They all gave a reluctant nod, before Gingerstar titled her head. "I'll call another clan meeting. I will ask the clan for names, and see if Spottedfalcon will watch them.
=== Chapter 6- ===
Gingerstar sat on the highrock, her clan gathered under her for the second time today.
The tan she-cat raised her long tail for silence, before speaking, "As you know, we have found the tom-kit, abandoned. Dear Spottedfalcon, i know you have too many kits already, what with Winterkit and Siennakit, but may you please watch him?"
The gray speckled she-cat nodded, "It would be my pleasure, Gingerstar!"
Gingerstar nodded, and continued, "Now, as you know, this kit has no name that we know of. Therefore, i am asking you for a name."
The clan erupted into yowls instantly.
"Copperkit!"
"Adderkit!"
"Definitely Thornkit!"
"Firekit, or Blazekit!"
"Rustkit."
The whole clan fell silent.
Garnetpaw's eyes were wide, as the whole clan stared at her.
Gingerstar said softly, "Rustkit. Yes. I like that."
Garnetpaw grinned softly as the clanned cheered for her, her facing growing red.
=== Chapter 7- ===
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Category:Stories
Category:Cats