Hi, I'm back again, and I've got the second chapter of Brightest Star! So thank you for stopping by and spending a few minutes of your time (or more) to read this chapter, as well. Maybe you all could spend a few seconds longer to leave reviews ;)

Well, I'll first reply to the readers who did leave reviews:

Stormshadow3: Yessssss! I feel like ShadowClan gets too less attention. It's so annoying! Most fanfics are about ThunderClan and RiverClan... ugh. Anyway, thanks for leaving a review :)

Storms of the Lost: I love ShadowClan, too! Anyone care to join me on the dark side? We have cookies :)

Burning Silver Storm: I know, right! I'm so mean to my characters :) I've already put so many cats in a bad situation, and that was only the first chapter. Thank you for reviewing!

Firestream of Ice: Thank you so much! I actually came up with it off the top of my head; I barely thought about it and it struck me :D

Honeyflame: Thanks for the compliment!

Hollyflame: Yes, I will update. That's what this chapter is for!

Shadefire3: Wow, that's so nice of you! Thanks! (I'm not even kidding, it's like the fifth time I'm saying thank-you to a reviewer in the same chapter.)

Sootfire: Yeah, I guess it is. I made that happen... I'm evil (MWAHAHA... whoops, I think I said that too loudly :D) Anyway, I really LOVE your penname, and thank you for reviewing that chapter!

All right, now that that's done, let's get on with the story.

Chapter 2

Brightshadow padded through the trees, jaws slightly parted to taste the air for prey.

The sun was still high in the sky, and the air in the pine forest moist and pleasant... just how Brightshadow enjoyed it, with the cool breeze whipping through the trees and ruffling her fur. She was part of a sunhigh patrol, so she would be going back soon.

The fur on the back of her neck rose as her muscles tensed in recognition of a scent. Lizard!

She spotted the small creature heartbeats later, sprawled out on a rock beneath the shade of a pine tree. Brightshadow crouched, lifting her tail before silently creeping toward the lizard. Her blue eyes were solely focused on the dark spot on top of the rock.

Brightshadow neared the small scrap of prey, almost close enough to pounce. As she took one step closer, her paw landed on a twig, snapping it and alerting her prey. She stared hopelessly as the lizard vanished into a crack in the rock.

"Sorry catches no prey," Brightshadow could practically hear Mosscloud's voice in her head. "You have to catch something if you don't want to go back practically empty-pawed." Was it just her imagination, or could she feel Mosscloud's breath stir her fur, and her spirit weave around her? She blinked, and it was gone.

The silver she-cat sighed. She missed Mosscloud, even if she hadn't been her family. Mosscloud had been like a mother; Snowstar never cared for her, but Mosscloud did. She had been a senior warrior before she died, and Brightshadow had gone to her for almost all her concerns.

Well, except those about Snowstar.

Oh, Mosscloud.

A leaf crackled somewhere behind her, and Brightshadow whirled around, hackles raised. Mosscloud? It was too sweet to be true if Mosscloud had really answered her from StarClan, and come to visit her for the first time.

Her fur flattened once she realized it was Redfire.

He padded closer, flicking his tail carelessly as he neared. "Are you all right, Brightshadow? You've barely caught anything today-"

"I caught a blackbird," Brightshadow muttered, flicking her tail toward where she had buried it.

"That's almost nothing," Redfire retorted. "Snowstar will do something - she'll hurt you - if you don't bring any prey back. If you remember what she did to Nettlespring a few moons ago." His green eyes grew round and dark...

"No prey, Nettlespring?" Snowstar's voice was icy.

The young mottled tabby she-cat lowered her eyes to the grass of the clearing and shook her head. "I-I'm sorry, Snowstar."

"What good does 'sorry' do?" Snowstar retorted, baring her teeth. A flash of malice crept into her eyes, but before Brightpaw could register it, it was gone. Almost as if Brightpaw had only imagined it. "Tell me, Nettlespring," the white leader mewed, "what happens to cats who are completely useless to the clan."

Snowstar took a step closer to Nettlespring. The younger she-cat's green eyes grew round with terror. "Please, Snowstar! I... I'll catch prey next time, I swear by StarClan... just please don't..." Her voice grew to an anguished wail.

She's really going to do it, Brightpaw realized sadly. There was nothing she could do.

Nettlespring's neck was in Snowstar's jaws as she was dragged into the center of the clearing, an already-bloodstained clump of grass. Nettlespring squirmed and thrashed as she was hauled over, and Snowstar dropped her to the ground.

The mottled brown she-cat looked up, about to say something, but before she could let out her mew, claws plunged into her throat. What came out instead was a gurgling cry, and blood bubbled at her throat.

"Brightshadow! Brightshadow, are you all right?"

Redfire tail flicked in front of her face. "You were having another memory... these deaths, whenever someone brings them up, you always go into a world of your own. That memory seems stronger than everyone else's."

"Stop it!" Brightshadow hissed, lashing her tail, and Redfire drew back, startled. Her blue eyes softened. "Sorry, Redfire. I didn't mean to yowl at you. But please, don't say that again. It makes me feel... sort of vulnerable."

Redfire's fur brushed hers, and the touch was gone almost immediately. But Brightshadow knew it had been there, and she glanced at Redfire.

"Anyway," Brightshadow murmured, "it doesn't happen all the time." She sighed. "Probably just because Snowstar's my mother."

"I'm sorry." The silver she-cat looked up into a world of green eyes, that showed so much emotion. He lowered his voice, and Brightshadow saw fear enter the depths of his green whirlwind. But then it was gone, as he lowered his voice. "This isn't right, Brightshadow. It isn't fair to you."

Brightshadow instinctively ducked her head, trying to hide her scar.

"Don't hide," Redfire mewed softly. "You're beyond that. You have to learn to live with your scar. It's... it's what makes you you."

As Brightshadow looked at him again, she could practically feel heat radiating off of him. Her pelt grew warm, too, but she dipped her head. "Thank you, Redfire." The red-furred tom dipped his head. "It's not fair to you, either. You can't be her... her slave forever. She's using you."

"I know," Redfire stated simply. "But there's nothing I can do about it. There's nothing anyone can do other than turn to StarClan for help."

Brightshadow sighed. "Please... just keep mentally fighting her control. Don't let her take complete control over you."

Redfire nodded appreciatively. "I came to tell you that the patrol is heading back to camp, now." Brightshadow lowered her eyes for a heartbeat before padding over to the base of the tree and digging up the blackbird she had caught, uncomfortably aware of Redfire's gaze still trained on her.

"This is all I have," she mewed. She flicked her tail. "I don't think Snowstar will kill me. She'll just wound me almost fatally, since I'm her daughter." She shot an amused glance back at Redfire. "Let's go."

Redfire was silent for a heartbeat before he padded away through the trees, Brightshadow just behind him. She waited as he dug up a finch, two lizards, and a toad, trying not to gape. He had done quite well... or maybe it was just that she had done badly.

I was distracted, Brightshadow told herself. It's not my fault that Mosscloud's death still haunts my thoughts.

Brightshadow blinked, and it looked as though Redfire had asked her something and was waiting for a reply, from the way he was looking at her. "Sorry... what?"

Redfire sighed. "I was asking you to take this as well," he mewed, pointing his tail toward one lizard that he had pushed toward her. "Just... just in case." Brightshadow's eyes widened, overwhelmed, as she stared at Redfire, lost once more in those deep green pools.

She shook her head, dropping the blackbird in her jaws. "No. It's not right."

"Nothing about our lives now is right!" Redfire snapped. "Still, there's nothing we can do about it. Nothing can get worse, can it?" His mew softened. "Brightshadow, please. Just take it, and bring it with you. Nothing will happen."

Brightshadow stared at him briefly, before dipping her head. "Thank you, Redfire." She lowered her head, picking up both the blackbird and the lizard.

Redfire picked up the rest of his prey in his jaws, then beckoned with his tail before disappearing the the direction of the ShadowClan camp. Moments later, Brightshadow had pushed through the trees, to see that Redfire had gathered Dustfang and Lizardpaw before he had gotten her.

"Finally," Dustfang growled. "What took you two so long?"

Though his tone suggested that he didn't want an answer, Redfire nodded. "Sorry. It just took me a while to find Brightshadow." The lie slipped smoothly off his tongue, and Brightshadow didn't bother protesting.

Dustfang snorted but padded away through the trees, muttering under his breath. Lizardpaw stared for a moment back at Redfire and Brightshadow before padding after her mentor. Brightshadow dipped her head to Redfire before bounding after them.

There was nothing the came close to the feeling of running through ShadowClan territory. The wind whipping against Brightshadow's face, drawing her fur back, the silver she-cat's blue eyes shone as she raced through the trees, the ground barely touching her paws. She knew the forest like she knew the color of her pelt. And she also knew that there was nothing equal to it... in any sense.

"Brightshadow!" Redfire skidded into camp, dropping his prey at his paws, long moments after she did. Breathless, Brightshadow met his gaze, opening her jaws to let the prey fall. The red tom purred. "You're fast! How do you... do that?"

"I was trained," Brightshadow retorted smoothly, though there was an amused edge to her mew. "Same as every cat."

Redfire rolled his eyes. "There's no point asking, is there?" Brightshadow flicked her tail under his nose before picking up her prey and padding over to the fresh-kill pile to leave it among the other catches of the dawn and sunhigh hunts.

oO0Oo

Brightshadow curled up in her nest. Her fur was flat... and somehow, though the death of Mosscloud still loomed over her, she felt more... peaceful... than she did before. Something had changed, today. But I still don't know what that is.

She paused to glance around the warriors' den, her gaze lingering briefly on a certain red pelt, before she let her eyes flutter shut.

"Brightshadow!"

Brightshadow whirled around as an achingly familiar scent hit her nostrils, washing over her. "Mosscloud?" Brightshadow was purring so hard that she could barely recognize what was happening. "Mosscloud, I've missed you so much... even though it's only been two days."

"Oh, Brightshadow." Mosscloud pressed against her for a brief heartbeat, their scents mingling. Then she pulled away, staring at Brightshadow with a blazing intensity. "You're practically fully-grown, now... or at least you act like it."

"What do you mean?"

"You've practically got yourself a mate, and you-"

"What?" Brightshadow snapped, her fur rising. "I haven't gotten a mate! I only recently became a warrior!"

Mosscloud purred. "That's the problem with you young cats. You don't see love if it comes and waves its tail in front of your face." She purred. "Don't worry, Brightshadow. You'll figure out, soon enough. You're a smart cat."

"Life isn't perfect," Brightshadow growled, her eyes darkening. "You saw for yourself what Snowstar - my mother's - capable of. And she's going to tear apart the entire clan. And there's nothing anyone can do other than turn to StarClan for help." She quoted Redfire in her last sentence.

Mosscloud sighed. "Brightshadow, there are many things StarClan just are incapable of doing. Every cat thinks we're just some magical cats that can do anything. But no, we're only slightly more powerful that the living. Some things need to be dealt with by the living cats themselves."

"Are you saying you can't help the clan get rid of Snowstar?"

"I'm not saying that. We may be able to guide the clan onto a lighter path, but no more is within our power." Mosscloud seemed to regret the words that left her jaws. Brightshadow opened her jaws to retort angrily, but Mosscloud cut her off.

"Brightshadow... you're a young warrior. You have your whole life ahead of you, and your future will be bright if you allow it to be."

Brightshadow blinked, and Mosscloud was gone. Instead, Redfire materialized in front of her. "You were muttering something in your sleep."

"Sorry." Brightshadow ducked her head. "I was dreaming."

"Dreaming? Honestly, if you want to be a warrior, you have to hunt and fight, not hang around in your nest dreaming!"

Brightshadow's eyes blazed. "What?"

Redfire purred forcefully. "Hold off, Brightshadow. I was just teasing you." At this, Brightshadow relaxed, too, the tension in her muscles gone, and she let out purrs of her own. "I wanted to tell you that Snowstar wants to see you."

"Huh?"

"You heard me right." Brightshadow shot Redfire a curious look, but she dipped her head. "Don't ask me," Redfire added. "I have no idea what this is about, sorry." Cautiously, so as to not step on any other cat's tail, Brightshadow stepped out of the warriors' den, letting the early morning light hit her face.

Gathering her courage - because she would probably need it - she padded into Snowstar's den, dipping her head as she entered.

"You wanted to see me, Snowstar?"

And... that concludes the second chapter. Thank you all for reading!

See ya'll later!

Oh, and remember to leave a review before you leave! :)

~ Stormy