Chapter 3
"You were the only cat who understood me." Mistyshine looked upon Hazecloud's grave. "You were more of a mother than my real mother could ever have dreamed of being."
Then he realized that he didn't even know who his real mother was. He only met his father a few times, the last one being the last moments of his life, when he had apologized for almost breaking Mistyshine's neck only seconds after he was born.
But of course I was too raged to listen. Mistyshine remarked. He had killed his own father, in the way that Hawk Frost had almost killed his own kit.
# # #
"I'm sorry." The rogue leader rasped. "I should've-"
"Shut up." Misty Frost interrupted. "Do you even remember me? Or do you have the sense of a squirrel?"
"I remember you." He whispered, his eyes beginning to close. "I threw you against the wall."
Misty Frost turned to the wall of the camp, walking over to grab an icicle and a rock. When he was back with his father, he put the icicle to Hawk Frost's neck. Then he pushed.
The ice ran red as it entered the rogue's neck.
"How is that possible?" The rogue growled through pain. Misty Frost didn't reply. Instead, he pushed harder.
One last yowl told Misty Frost that his father was dead. As he stepped away from the body, Storm Paws's yowl was heard above the howling wind. "Misty Frost!"
"I killed him." The black tom took another step back. "He's dead."
Storm Paws padded over, staring at the blood-stained rogue. "This complicates things."
"He deserved to be punished." Misty Frost told his Clanmate. "Now SunClan can live in peace!"
"Stop." Ripplestar came over to his kits. "There is a gentle balance between all things. It's what gives our tunnels power. But now… you've destroyed it." A few moments of silence followed his words.
As the leader walked away to check on a fallen warrior, Misty Frost's spirits plummeted. "You should've known better."
# # #
Mistyshine tried to push the memory away, but the orange gaze of Hawk Frost was burning holes in his head. He turned one last time to the pile of dirt which covered Hazecloud's body, and took a deep breath. Everything was a mess now. His Clanmates didn't trust him, and Stormstrike thought he was in the paws of StarClan.
StarClan didn't let me die from my wounds. Mistyshine flexed his back leg, which was stiff. The things I've done…. If I were a StarClan cat I would've crushed Mistyshine with a tree a long time ago.
Still, Mistyshine had tried to make up for his mistakes when he fought with his Clan against Shardstone's foxes. But the Stones are a part of the Clans now, and no cat can change that.
"Are you okay?" Night Whisper's mew jerked him back into reality.
"I haven't been okay since my apprentice days."
The medicine cat came closer, and sat down so their pelts were touching. "Come with me to the Moonpool tonight."
Mistyshine felt a shiver run down his spine. "But- but that's only for medicine cats."
"I need to speak to you about something." The brown tom rose to his paws. "The fate of the Clans could depend on it."
"Really?" Mistyshine questioned.
"Possibly."
Mistyshine stared at his paws for a heartbeat, then looked up at Night Whisper. "Thank you, for standing up for me earlier."
The black warrior could see a glimmer of surprise in the orange of his medicine cat's eyes. "I'll defend my Clanmates. Always."