I'm Not Guilty

I was cast out of my Clan, disgraced by the others. I'm a loner, and hated by every cat. What am I going to do?

My name is Vinetail. I used to be a warrior of ShadowClan, but not anymore. No, of course, I'm the one who becomes an outcast. Not Crowheart, the traitor! Only me, because I tried to kill him for the safety of the Clan. Because I couldn't prove that he did it.

What did he do, you ask? Let me back up. All right, first of all, it's not my fault. Definitely not my fault. Flameblaze chose him, after all. She was the most beautiful she-cat in the warriors' den when we were all there together, and it was no secret that Crowheart had a crush on her. Thing was, I had a crush on her too. I didn't think she'd ever notice me. And I was right. There was no contest between me and Crowheart. He was your big, strong type, and he could fight like all of StarClan. Plus, he was good-looking. And I was, and still am, a very small, scrawny tom, with no good looks, and not much brains.

So, of course, Flameblaze fell in love with Crowheart, and soon they were a happy couple. But I knew something about Crowheart that no one else knew, or ever will know. Every night, he sneaks to the Twolegplace to meet with a group of rogues. They call themselves BloodClan, and they want to do what Scourge tried to do before them. Rule the forest, and destroy the warrior Clans. After I'd been spying on Crowheart for some time, I tried to warn Flameblaze, but she would hear nothing of it. She said there was no way her beloved Crowheart would ever betray the Clans, and then she turned and walked away. But I was still worried about her, and her kits, so I tried to guard the nursery at night. You see, I loved Flameblaze. I knew she hated me, but that didn't matter. I couldn't let Crowheart hurt her. Also, the kits were adorable. Their names were Redkit, Firekit, and Ravenkit. Redkit had the same large build and good looks as his father, but he had Flameblaze's beautiful fur. Firekit was the spitting image of her mother, and I was sure she would be the beauty of the warriors' den when she grew up, just like her mom. Ravenkit had his father's fur and eyes, but he was small and thin. To be honest, sometimes I pretended they were really my kits, because, somehow, I knew I'd never have any.

As time passed, I began to let my guard down. After all, Crowheart hadn't tried anything. But one night, I couldn't sleep, so I snuck out of the warriors' den for a breath of fresh air. I was just in time to see Crowheart sneaking out…but this time he had Redkit with him. So I followed them. Had I not followed, my life would have been different. For, when Crowheart reached his meeting place with the BloodClan cats, he killed Redkit. It was a sacrifice, or so the leader of these kit-murderers said. It was a rite of passage. An initiation. And Redkit…sweet, innocent little Redkit, the strongest of his litter, was dead.

I wanted to reveal myself and kill Crowheart at that moment. But I waited until all the rogues had left, and then I attacked. Sadly, I was never the fighter that Crowheart was. Oh, I clawed his ears. But…he beat me in the end. My scars will forever remain as proof of my folly in even trying to fight Crowheart, the best warrior in the Clan. When I came to, I was lying in the middle of the ShadowClan camp with Blackstar towering over me. Apparently, I was now the one who was in league with BloodClan, and I had killed Redkit. I tried to explain, but Blackstar would have nothing of it. When I heard those words…

"Vinetail, from this moment forth, you are no longer a part of ShadowClan. You are dead to us all!"

…I knew that my life would never be the same. I fled from ShadowClan, and vowed never to return. But StarClan decreed otherwise. As a rogue, and one who had been wrongly accused of murder, I couldn't have cared less whether I lived or died. But several moons later, as I was wandering along the border of ShadowClan and WindClan, I heard the sounds of a fight. I always was curious, so I went to investigate. What I found was horrifying. Flameblaze and Firekit, now an apprentice, lay dying on the grass. Crowheart laughed exultantly as the BloodClan cats advanced on the remainder of the patrol-Blackstar and Ravenpaw. I couldn't just stand there. Blackstar might have banished me…but I had to try and save my Clan. And If Crowheart took over-he had been made deputy not long before my banishment-SnadowClan would fall. So, I did what no cat should do. I attempted to stop a patrol by myself. Once Blackstar and Ravenpaw recovered a little from their shock, they began to fight alongside me. Blackstar was a formidable warrior, even in his old age. But, although we drove away the BloodClan cats, I didn't make it to be congratulated by my former Clan. That's right. I died that day, defending my leader, and the only surviving kit of my secret love.

So…what happened afterwards? Well, needless to say, I woke up in StarClan. But it wasn't a warm welcome. The cats of StarClan gathered around me, muttering angrily. I knew immediately that I was in trouble.

"Vinetail," one of them growled, "Do you realize what you have done?"

"Well, I just saved my Clan leader," I retorted, "I'd say I've done one good thing in my life."

"You were not meant to interfere," another replied angrily, "You have just altered the fates of Ravenpaw, Blackstar, Crowheart, and all the other warriors of ShadowClan and BloodClan."

My blood seemed to freeze in my veins.

"Crowheart survived?"

"Yes, no thanks to you. He may not be a good cat now, but some day, he'll return to the light. It would have been today if not for you. Go now, Vinetail! You are not welcome here!"

I turned and fled. I did not stop running until I entered a thick mist. When I finally stopped, I found myself in a dark, starless forest.

"The Place of No Stars," I whispered, "So, this is how it ends? I don't belong here! What will I do now?"

I suddenly realized there was nothing I could do. I was dead, and I had been banished. It was useless. I would be alone in the Dark Forest forever.