Darkstar's Wrath - A Faith's Journey Super Edition

Chapter 6

Darkkit stood alone at the base of the Meeting Rock, with every cat and fox staring right at him. He longed so much to curl into Firefox's fur right at that moment. He was lost. His parents were banished, Firefox was dead. He hung his head, staring down at his paws. 

"What are we going to do about Darkkit now? He was the one who led Firefox there in the first place." Stormhawk growled, breaking up the silence. 

Darkkit's fur bristled, then suddenly went flat. He was the one who suggested that Firefox take him there. 

Wolfpaw stalked up to his side, his claws out and his fur fluffed out in anger. Darkkit stared at him. 

"Don't ever say that it was his fault! It wasn't!" Wolfpaw snarled, baring his teeth at the deputy. 

Stormhawk's claws slid out.

"I'm the deputy here. I can say what I want. Who are you to tell me what to do? You're nothing but a weak, little apprentice." He snarled. 

Wolfpaw sprang at Stormhawk, knocking him to the ground. Stormhawk let out a snarl and slashed his unsheathed claws across Wolfpaw's eye, splattering blood on Wolfpaw's dark gray fur. Wolfpaw leaped away and hissed, blinking his blood out of his eye. 

Stormhawk smiled triumphantly, his claws now tipped red. 

Wolfpaw crouched down, his teeth clenched in a snarl.

"Wolfpaw, Stormhawk! Enough!" Adderstar hissed, jumping down from his perch on the Meeting Rock. Both bristling cats turned to look at their leader. Adderstar stalked over to them and gave them a hard stare. "Wolfpaw, I'm glad you didn't retaliate and claw Stormhawk back, but since you jumped him first you'll be put on elder's duty for a moon."

"He clawed me first!" Wolfpaw argued, his mouth open. 

"Do you want me to make it two moons!?" Adderstar growled. 

Wolfpaw paused, looked down at the ground, and shook his head.

"Good." Adderstar said, nodding. 

"Stormhawk, Medicine den now! You're relieved of your deputyship for a moon for what you did!" Adderstar turned on his deputy, growling.

Stormhawk's mouth gaped open, his eyes showing hurt.

"This is your punishment." Adderstar hissed, digging his claws into the rocky ground. 

Stormhawk sent a glare in the direction of Wolfpaw and Darkkit, before swiftly turning around and running into the Medicine burrow.

Chestnutstar cleared his throat. 

"I think it is time we left your territory and returned to ours." He explained, shuffling his paws.

Adderstar nodded. 

"I'll have one of my warriors escort you." Adderstar nodded at one of the FoxClan warriors near the front of the crowd. The warrior padded over to where Chestnutstar and Thistleheart were standing. 

"Come on. I'll escort you to the border." The cat meowed and led the two cats out of FoxClan's camp.

After they were gone, Adderstar padded up to Wolfpaw and Darkkit. 

"You two better get to the Medicine burrow. Especially you Darkkit, we don't that chest wound getting infected." Adderstar meowed softly. The FoxClan leader straightened back up and waved with his tail for the Clan to disperse. 

Darkkit started walking toward the Medicine burrow but realized that Wolfpaw wasn't following him. He turned around and saw the muscular gray apprentice standing stiff, glaring in the direction of the Medicine burrow. Darkkit frowned and padded back over. He butted Wolfpaw in the chest, Wolfpaw stared down at him, his injured eye squeezed shut.