Dark Side of the Moon

by Shadowfacewrites

Abandoned, neglected, and mistrusted, Spottedmoon has lived a life of constant battles, her choices leading her along the precarious edge of protector and murderer. When she is mysteriously killed just before she is to become leader of GlacierClan, she has to begin a new battle. A battle for her soul. Will she survive her sentence, or will she be banished into the Between World?

2. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE: UNDER AN INDIFFERENT MOON

Spottedmoon

I couldn't remember why I had decided to go to the river. Maybe I thought its tranquil waters would calm me; soothe me into believing that the path I was on was the right one. Maybe, just maybe, I could pretend to be the thing my loved ones needed. Pretend to be a leader; chosen by my predecessor whose body was now rotting in the cold ground.

If the beliefs held by the population in the valley were to be believed, his spirit and soul would travel to another realm where his life would be displayed out in front of him; laid bare for all to see. There the valley clan leader would be judged, and would then be put into the realm that he most deserved.

A realm he most deserved. If that is the case, we will all be going to the Dark Forest; a realm of shadows and nothing more.

I remember leaning down to drink from the river, the cold water tickling my whiskers. Within the dancing, swirling waters I could see my reflection. My eyes, those damned eyes, burned with that insatiable moon fire that had haunted my dreams since I was born. No matter how many times I had discussed it with the GlacierClan medicine cat, a meaning could never be reached.

I had learned moons ago to bury the nightmares deep within my heart.

Then, as if the indifferent moon itself had turned its back on me, a sharp force came swiftly down upon my back and cleaved itself in between my shoulder blades, causing me to gasp and fall forwards, going under the lapping waves of the river.

I had twisted and turned, managing to face my attacker, but the turbulent water caused by my thrashing blurred the image. I can remember even now how my breath leaped from me in bubbles that ran to the surface of the water, seeking safety, and how my body slowly burned from the inside, the fire of my soul roaring in defiance. I can still feel how my claws sunk into firm, lean muscle, going so far as to scrape against the feline's shoulder blades. No sound escaped from the cat who became my murderer, but I'm starting to believe that my moon fire dreams had predicted this all along.

Because just as the last vapors of life left my gaping jaws, the water calmed enough that I could see the outline of the feline, and she was surrounded in moon fire.