Darkstorm's Code✔️

Chapter Thirty-Two

Darkstorm felt light, light as a feather. She could just drift off... Forget this life... But she couldn't. She had a responsibility that she wouldn't abandon.

"You?" Cloudstorm snarled. "You?"

"Yes," Arrowheart mewed, flexing his bloodstained claws. "Me."

"You're the killer," Darkstorm whispered. "You're the killer." Her voice cracked. "Did you ever love me, or was that just a trick? I... How could you do this?" she demanded. The only way she could survive was if she was angry now, just angry. She felt like Fernstar must have once; realizing that you could only live if you were angry.

"Always,"

"I don't know you!" Darkstorm screeched. "And you don't know me!"

"You're right, you don't know me."

"What..."

"Who am I?" Arrowheart demanded. "Who am I, really?"

"You're Arrowh- you know what. you're not! I won't believe it! Arrowheart isn't evil! Arrowheart isn't the apprentice!" The tom narrowed his eyes and turned around. Darkstorm flinched and ran after him.

"What?"

"Are you really Arrowheart?" her voice steady, she looked him in the eyes. "Are you really?" He blinked.

"What do you think?"

"I think you're not. Why did you kill them?" she demanded. "Why?"

She glanced around them, the trees so similar to the ones where she and Arrowheart used to meet. Was it an omen? Could Arrowheart really be... evil?

"They had to die." Arrowheart, or whoever this tom was, sat down. "It was simple; they hurt me, I hurt them."

"How did anyone hurt you?"

"Coralfall was supposed to be the one to die next. The last death, the most painful," He narrowed his blue eyes and continued. "She helped Fernstar. How could she?" Darkstorm stepped back, dirt crunching under her paws. What did he mean? "I didn't want anything! They killed me, with no reason whatsoever! And Sparrownose should have died, too, he forgave the flea-pelt!"

"Wha-"

"You want to know?" he asked steadily. "You want to know what really happened?" Darkstorm gritted her teeth. She did want to know, and she wanted to know who this was, but was she really ready to listen to a killer? She flattened her ears, thinking quickly. This can't be Arrowheart... Arrowheart was alive the last time I saw him, and the last time I saw him Fernstar was dead. He's not dead, either. I need to know- I need to know who I'm dealing with.

Darkstorm nodded. This cat didn't seem like he would suddenly strike; and anyways, her claws were unsheathed and she was high on alert. Her clan could wait.

"I was an apprentice..." the tom sighed and went on, "in ShadowClan." Not Arrowheart! Wait... An apprentice... In ShadowClan? That doesn't add up...

"My mother told me I was a pawful." He snorted. "And that when I became a warrior I was arrogant. But everyone else liked me. Everyone else. And then StarClan visited me, and told me to do crazy things. They told me to jump into the lake and not try to swim. I did. A RiverClan she-cat saved me. We fell in love." He paused. 

"Her name was Goldenpelt. StarClan kept visiting me. They told me to tell the clans that they weren't watching over them... That they wanted us to die." Their eyes met. "I told the clans, who wanted to throw me out. Kitestar, our leader then, didn't agree- neither did the rest of ShadowClan. Again, they liked me. I was kind, and I put the clans before myself." His claws tightened. "Then StarClan told me to give up Goldenpelt. They said that I couldn't tell her why, and otherwise, they would kill her. I was so frightened. I obeyed. They killed her anyways... They killed her two moons after she had our kits.