Warriors; Roar of the River

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Shadefall stared at Darkstar, trying to hide his anxiety. The jet-black tom looked helpless and tired. His muzzle was alarmingly gray, and his once vibrant green eyes were dark and vacuous. He could feel the tension as though it was coming off the ShadowClan leader in waves. As much as Shadefall knew he needed to confide in the tom, he also knew he had lost the little trust they’d had before. Now, he could only wait for Darkstar to say something to him.

Finally, the tom turned his eyes onto Shadefall. “You understand that you’re far from welcome here,” he hissed. Shadefall, slightly taken aback, nodded his head, his eyes never leaving Darkstar.

“Your Clanmates, or however many are left here, have suffered losses that are positively your fault,” Darkstar mewed. “Your own claws, perhaps, have drawn blood from your own Clanmates.”

I’m a killer, Shadefall recognized, fear churning inside him. Why did I ever consider coming back here? His eyes flicked cautiously across the crowd of warriors and found himself locking gaze with a solemn Adderstrike. One of the warriors who’d never had any worry about his loyalty…

“I know,” Shadefall finally mewed. “I’ve made so many mistakes because I didn’t know what was right. But I still think StarClan-“

“Enough about StarClan,” Darkstar snapped suddenly. “You should’ve known that your ancestors would never ask you to kill. And if they did, they’re not watching out for you. So, let me ask you, Shadefall… where does your loyalty lie?”

Shadefall sensed the power thrumming through Darkstar. No matter how exhausted or elderly he was getting, his words would always be haunting and forceful. Shadefall forced his fur to lie flat and responded, “I don’t know.”

To his surprise, Darkstar nodded. “It’s been a confusing time for us,” Darkstar mewed. “There’s been lies and unclear truths, little clarity and lost trusts. But there’s always been the way of our ancestors, who wanted us to learn from their mistakes. They were once told by their Clanmates, fallen in battle over unclaimed territory, to unite or die.”

Shadefall stared unblinkingly, willing the tom to continue.

“Emberleaf and a few other warriors traveled to the Moonpool not long after you left our territory with the cat who was supposed to guard you,” Darkstar meowed. Shadefall realized with a jolt of horror that he had abandoned the wounded she-cat on the island of RiverClan's camp. But he remembered that he’d abandoned many cats there that Minnowstar forced to join them out of fear, and a wave of guilt swallowed him. I hope they were able to leave without running into trouble, he thought desperately.

“They saw that StarClan is split, just as the four Clans are,” Darkstar mused. “There is confusion and especially lies. But I still think that we need to unite again. Because if there is imminent danger, a larger and stronger group will fight better. It doesn’t matter if we fight under the warrior code or not.”

“I’ve been so blind,” Shadefall muttered. “I’ve been listening to what Flameheat tells me, without a care if it makes sense or not. And then I went and told Minnowstar, and he’s ruined everything! Without the warrior code, we’ll be rogues, without a care for decency or each other, as long as Minnowstar’s leading us.”