Skylight (Warrior Cats)

Chapter 8

Before long, Skypaw made it to the tree bridge. Jumping up onto it, her claws dug into the bark to keep her steady as she made her way across. 

Thankfully, Darkface was waiting in the clearing. Skypaw padded up to him, out of breath.

"Where's Willowleaf?" Darkface asked, glancing behind Skypaw to look for the ThunderClan medicine cat.

"She wouldn't come," She admitted, panting. "I tried to get her to, but she wouldn't."

Disappointment shone in the deceased cat's amber eyes. "Oh," He meowed quietly. "That's alright, I guess. I knew she wouldn't anyway, but it was worth a shot."

Skypaw felt a pang of sympathy for the ghostly cat. It appeared that he was looking forward to seeing his littermate. This strengthened Skypaw's anger at Willowleaf, but she pushed it aside.

"So, what did you need to discuss?" Skypaw asked, sitting down. Wrapping her tail neatly around her paws, she looked at the Dark Forest cat expectantly.

"So, as you know, Dapplestar died a few moons back," He began. Skypaw nodded. She had witnessed the evil cat die in ThunderClan's camp with her own eyes. She shivered slightly, for the whole thing still made her feel uneasy, especially after Sandstar's warning. "She finally found her way into the Dark Forest not too long ago."

Skypaw stared at Darkface. What did he mean? Hadn't Dapplestar been in the Dark Forest since her death? 

Sensing her confusion, Darkface quickly meowed, "Once a cat is turned away by StarClan, they have to find the Dark Forest on their own. The Dark Forest, similar to StarClan, doesn't just accept any cat they meet. We have standards too," He explained. Skypaw wasn't aware of this. She figured that if you didn't end up in StarClan, you ended up in the Dark Forest. Just like if prey didn't make it into the fresh kill pile, it ended up in the dirtplace.

"What happens if a cat doesn't make their way to the Dark Forest?" She asked, curiosity thick in her voice.

"Their spirit is lost forever," Darkface continued. "Bloodstar figures that if a cat isn't smart enough to find their way to us, they're not smart enough to fight with us. Simple as that."

Bloodstar? Who is that? 

"Anyway," Darkface continued before Skypaw could ask any more questions. "Dapplestar has arrived. Sunstar and the rest of the Dark Forest have been waiting on her arrival to contribute to the force ever since the news of her death arrived."

Skypaw simply stared at the ghostly cat, baffled. She didn't understand any of this! Who was Bloodstar? What was the force? Dapplestar being denied by StarClan didn't surprise her one bit, but she couldn't say the same about this other information.

Darkface sensed her confusion and sighed. "This is why Willowleaf needed to come," He muttered, before getting up.

"Where are you going?" Skypaw asked, talking quickly, "I just didn't know about all of this new information before!"

"Willowleaf knew," He responded, "I don't have all night to talk to a foolish apprentice. It will take too long to explain."

Foolish! Skypaw hissed in her thoughts. Not every cat has a background in the Dark Forest to gain their knowledge from!

"I am not foolish!" Skypaw retorted. "If I rwas foolish, I doubt that I would be the sky in the prophecy!" The emotion in the apprentice's voice changed from annoyance to pleading within seconds. "Please tell me. I risked a lot to meet you here, and I would hate for it to be for nothing."

Darkface glanced at her. His eyes softened, as if he realized that the ThunderClan apprentice was right. "Fine," He meowed. "Basically, the prophecy goes a lot further than ThunderClan. A raging war is on its way between StarClan and the Dark Forest. Since Sunstar is the leader of ThunderClan, he has a lot more power that he can contribute to the Dark Forest's strength,"

Skypaw's eyes stretched wide, but she quickly dropped any visible emotion she had. She didn't want to appear like a frightened kit, but rather a strong warrior!

"Sunstar is the Dark Forest's outlet into ThunderClan," He explained, "Dapplestar was the outlet to ShadowClan. Even though Dapplestar is dead, she still gives a lot of strength to the Dark Forest, since they now have a loyal warrior at their side at all times."

Skypaw thought about the battle Dapplestar had died in. She had gotten a glimpse of the former ShadowClan leader's memories, most of which were filled with suffering and pain. For awhile, Skypaw had sympathy for her grandmother, but that had completely vanished now. Despite her rough past, she was contributing to the death of StarClan, which was more than enough for hatred to brew within Skypaw.

Skypaw wondered if Moonstar, the new ShadowClan leader, was also apart of the Dark Forest's regime. She did recall how Sunstar and the, at the time, ShadowClan deputy seemed to battle it out on the Highrock. The battle between them seemed phony, but Skypaw didn't want to place blame without evidence.

"You are the cat that will dismantle ThunderClan's ties to the Dark Forest," He explained. Skypaw's eyes widened.

If she was to save ThunderClan, does this mean there were cats in the other three Clans that would save their own Clans?

Suddenly, Skypaw didn't feel so lonely anymore. This means there should be three other cats who know exactly how I feel!

"Tell Willowleaf this information," Darkface meowed, once again standing up. Skypaw could tell the ghostly warrior was getting ready to leave by the way his pelt began to fade once more. "She will understand it better. She can also warn StarClan."

"No," Skypaw protested, also rising to her paws. She tried her best to not feel intimidated, but Darkface was nearly twice her size. His gaze looked down at her.

"You have to, Skypaw," He meowed, his voice stern. "This information is worthless if it doesn't reach StarClan. Willowleaf is the only trusted one who can reach them."

"I can't tell Willowleaf I was here," Skypaw admitted. "She ordered me not to go. If I tell her she'll have my tail."

"You have to!" Darkface's voice raised, and Skypaw flinched at the sudden volume. "She needs to know. Don't tell me I wasted my time here, Skypaw." His meow was threatening.

Skypaw nodded slowly. Her paws itched to leave, but she stood where she was. She agreed to telling the ThunderClan medicine cat, even though she had no idea how she would manage to do that.

A sudden realization occurred to Skypaw. "Wait, if you're a Dark Forest cat, why are you helping us?"

Darkface's expression softened. "I may have killed my mother," He meowed quietly. "but I had done it for the safety of my Clan. It isn't my fault that nobody believed me."

Staring blankly at him, Skypaw's mind buzzed with questions. Willowleaf's mother was a threat? What had she done? Does this mean Darkface wasn't evil, after all?

"Oh," She responded awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. "Thank you, then,"

Darkface flicked his tail in acknowledgment before fading away completely. Skypaw stood there, now alone. She was just about to turn around and make her way back to camp, figuring she could still manage to get some sleep before dawn.

However, the ThunderClan apprentice nearly jumped out of her fur when she heard a cat call her name.

"Skypaw!"

Wyd Darkface?

Who do you think is on the island with Skypaw?

What do you think Darkface's information means? Do you think there are actually three other cats who are involved in their own prophecies?

Also, I want to give a shoutout to one of my best friends in the entire world, @xMiscChickx . Tomorrow is her fourteenth birthday! Emma, we've been friends for almost four years now, despite the fact we remain 481 miles apart. Driving to Missouri to meet you last month was one of the best experiences I've ever had, and I can't wait until we get to meet again next year. Thank you for always being there for me through thick and thin. I love you, wifey. <3 Everyone, please leave Emma a birthday wish in the comments! 

(that's just an inside joke, we obviously aren't actually married, LOL. Felt like I had to clear that up because there would be that ONE PERSON that would think we were).

Written on 08/26/16.