Thistleclaw purred as he passed by more of the dead trees that littered the Dark Forest. Do bad trees go here as well? Thistleclaw wondered. If so, he thought. Then that oddly bent tree killed Longtail! Thistleclaw chuckled to himself.
Thistleclaw passed by the old clearing where the Dark Forest leaders used to have their meetings. Now, it was only a reminder of how empty the Dark Forest was. Thistleclaw gazed up at the small tortoiseshell tom who lazed about on the rock. I forgot that Redwillow claimed this place, he thought. Thistleclaw padded away from the clearing and gazed up at a tree with a broken branch. This one must have killed Rainwhisker, Thistleclaw mused.
Thistleclaw found himself realizing how bored he was. He yawned. I probably need to find something else to do, he thought. Too bad I can't hunt, patrol, or chase leaves, he thought. Wait, chase leaves!? Thistleclaw internally groaned at his own thoughts. Now I regret my own existence!
Thistleclaw starred up. Snowtuft decided that he would climb a tree that probably broke Cinderheart's leg. Sparrowfeather was at its trunk, staring up with anticipation. "I doubt there's a top," she teased. Snowtuft scoffed back at her. "If there is," he reasoned. "Then I will be the first cat in the Place of No Stars to see stars!" Sparrowfeather chuckled. "That's the point!" she mewed. "This place doesn't have them!" Thistleclaw rolled his amber eyes and padded away. Idiots…
Thistleclaw sat next to Maggottail and Ripplestar. "I've passed by three uninspired mouse-brains today," Thistleclaw told the two older Dark Forest Warriors. Ripplestar nodded. "Everyone is getting too soft!" Maggottail flicked his patchy tail. "We need to do our thing again," he grunted. Thistleclaw found himself agreeing. "As long as we don't recruit too many," he muttered. Ripplestar and Maggottail nodded. "StarClan will think we are starting a great battle," Ripplestar rasped. "I call Rootkit!" Sparrowfeather yowled suddenly, Snowtuft tumbling out of the tree.
"I'll go with Pouncestep," Snowtuft coughed, laying by the trunk. Thistleclaw rolled his eyes. "I'll be taking Sandynose," he slyly added. Before Maggottail could react, Thistleclaw pressed his gray and white tail to his nose. "He knows nothing of the Great Battle or the Dark Forest!" Maggottail sighed. "I'll be training Flywhisker then," he snarled.
Thistleclaw nodded, padding away from Ripplestar, Maggottail, Snowtuft, and Sparrowfeather. "I'll see you soon then," he mewed. He then passed by the tree that looked like it killed Wildfur.
Thistleclaw padded through the thickest of the red fog, feeling quite old. The last time I did this, he mused. Was when I was with Spottedleaf. Too bad she's dead. He shook off the red smoke and padded into a sunny clearing where Sandynose was stalking a tiny Twigbranch. Oh my, Thistleclaw thought. What goes through his head all day?
Thistleclaw was satisfied when Sandynose glared up at him. "Who are you!?" he snarled. Thistleclaw mockingly tilted his head, grinning. "Just a bored StarClan warrior," he lied. Yes, Thistleclaw thought to himself. It was a lie. Thistleclaw didn't really care about lies.
Sandynose tilted his head. "Why me?" he asked. Thistleclaw smiled. "You want to be more respected and better," he told the senior SkyClan warrior. Thistleclaw fur bristled. A pale gray tom was just behind him. "Go," he told Thistleclaw. Thistleclaw reluctantly nodded out of fear. This was Skystar! The rumors were true!
He quickly went back to his shadowy home. The other four Dark Forest cats were unsuccessful as well. "StarClan?" he asked them. Snowtuft gave Thistleclaw a slow nod. "A cat named Spiresight chased me off," he mewed.
"Yellowfang was all on me," Maggottail muttered, looking ashamed to be the last leader of the Dark Forest. "I was chased away." Sparrowfeather looked guilty. "It was a pretty she-cat named Pebbleshine who chased me off."
The cracking dead grass told the small group that another cat was approaching. "Did I miss anything?" a sleepy Redwillow asked, his reddish tail limp on the ground. Ripplestar shrugged. "You missed us all getting chased from trying to achieve an apprentice," he muttered. "Why do I have to miss all the good stuff!?" Redwillow groaned.
Thistleclaw rolled his eyes and was about to give a snarky remark, when a dead tree fell and landed on Redwillow's tail. "Oww!" the tortoiseshell tom squeaked. Thistleclaw snorted with laughter. "I knew the trees were evil!"
Snowtuft glanced at Sparrowfeather and whispered into her ear. "He's crazy!" Thistleclaw rolled his eyes as Sparrowfeather responded to her friends response. "Not as crazy as you, Starseeker!" Snowtuft rolled his eyes and cuffed her ear with a white paw. "Stop it!" he chuckled. "Birdbrain."
"A little help!?" Redwillow asked, trying to pull his tail out from under the tree. Ripplestar shrugged. "Wait until it fades," he told him. Redwillow groaned as he lifted his tail a few heartbeats later. "Trees fade too?" Redwillow asked. Maggottail nodded. "And I suppose they try to kill us first," he added, glancing at the chuckling Thistleclaw. Thistleclaw glared back at them. "What?" he snarled. "I'm bored!" He twitched his whiskers irritably. "We don't have anything better to do!"
The five other cats slowly nodded, murmuring in agreement until Snowtuft's yellow eyes, brightened. Oh no, Thistleclaw thought. Another one of his ideas. "Let's climb the trees and have a star hunt!" And that's why Snowtuft was nicknamed Starseeker, Thistleclaw thought. Sparrowfeather nodded. "It's on!" She sunk her claws into the dead bark and began to climb.