Yay, another chapter added really quickly after the last one! xD Enjoy Chappie 6. ;)


Chapter 6


Shadepool stopped in front of the leafy tunnel, Storm beside her. His remark from earlier echoed in her head: You'd just waltz in with a cat no one in your Clan knows and say he was your brother? What if her Clanmates were hostile toward the tom; what if they were angry with her for bringing a stranger into the camp? But she pushed her worries aside. Storm was her brother, and that was that. If they know me at all, they would never call me a traitor, she silently quoted Redclaw. But her own words came to mind as well: But that's just it. They don't know me...

"Shadepool." Storm's mew interrupted her nervous thinking. "Are we going in or what?" He jerked his head in the direction of the camp entrance.

Taking a deep breath, Shadepool nodded in response. "Yes, let's go." Forcing herself to show no signs of hesitance, she pushed her way through the tunnel of leaves, Storm following, and glanced around camp. A few cats were lying around, sharing tongues or eating fresh-kill. Mudstar was lounging on the Tallboulder, the protruding branch of an evergreen tree shielding his body from the rain. Falcontooth, to her dismay, was lying right outside the warriors' den—and he was the first to notice her with Storm.

The tabby instantly leaped to his paws and bared his teeth at the unfamiliar cat. He started racing toward them, but stopped by the fresh-kill pile.

It was all Shadepool could do to keep from trembling. She hated herself for letting Falcontooth intimidate her. He was just some jerk who threw his weight around rather than pulling it. Why was she so afraid of him?

"Shadepool, who is this?!" the tom hissed angrily, directing his amber eyes to Storm. "You can't just bring random cats into camp!"

Shadepool growled through gritted teeth, now simply annoyed at how quickly Falcontooth had jumped to the wrong conclusion. She would never bring a cat she didn't know into LeafClan's camp, and despite how she knew the deputy to act, she was slightly offended that he would think that of her.

"Falcontooth, this is Storm," she explained carefully. A flick of her tail signaled for him to step forward. She kept her gaze firmly on Falcontooth, only seeing Storm's movement out of the corner of her eye. "I met him this morning in the forest; he helped me when I dropped all my herbs." Suddenly, a thought came to mind. "Wait...where are my herbs?" Groaning, she realized that she'd forgotten to pick the plants back up before she'd started running from the gray tom.

"Don't worry, Shadepool," Storm mewed. "I had a feeling you'd want to bring them home with you, so I picked them up." He turned and dropped them at her paws.

Shadepool blinked at him in gratitude. "Thank you, Storm." She nodded curtly and then returned her focus to Falcontooth, who looked less than pleased. "Anyway, he started chasing me and I thought he was dangerous or something, which is why I dropped the herbs and just ran. But then when he caught up to me we got to talking—"

"You started having a conversation with the cat that was coming after you?" Falcontooth interrupted with a snort. He rolled his eyes. "That sure sounds like Shadepool."

"Hey, don't say that about her!" Storm hissed, taking a step toward him menacingly.

Shadepool gently swept her tail across her brother's face. "It's okay Storm, that's just how Falcontooth talks," she assured him, glaring at the tabby.

Storm, though still clearly angry at Falcontooth's remark, let his fur lie flat.

"This may come as a surprise, but..."

"But what?" Falcontooth grumbled.

Shadepool opened her maw, but waited a moment to speak; of all the cats she could've broken the news to, it just had to be this one. "Storm...is my brother."

Falcontooth's eyes widened, and Shadepool was aware of cats raising their heads. But at least she didn't have to say it to a whole crowd for many of them to find out.

"Your brother?" the deputy echoed in disbelief. "But you don't have a brother!"

"That's what I thought too," Shadepool meowed. "But apparently I don't have full LeafClan blood."

Heads still raised, some of the cats lying around camp gasped.

"What do you mean? Of course you're a LeafClan cat." Falcontooth's neck fur was bristling. He obviously didn't like what he was hearing.

Shadepool looked away. "Well, I am a LeafClan cat...but I don't have full LeafClan heritage. My mother—Nightleaf—was a member of LeafClan, but my father was part of the Tribe of Stone, where Storm grew up." She glanced at her brother, who was staring at his paws worriedly.

Falcontooth's ears were flattened with surprise. He didn't say anything for one, long moment.

"But that...that can't possibly be true," he protested. "Then you'd be a half-Clan cat!"

She shook her head. "No, I'd just be part rogue. The Tribe of Stone doesn't really exist as a Clan. No offense, Storm," she added quickly.

The tom shrugged, dismissing it.

"Shadepool, is this true?"

Startled, she gasped and whirled around to see Mudstar, olive eyes calm as usual despite this discovery, standing only a couple tail-lengths away.

Hesitating, she nodded. "Yes, it is...I-I'm sorry, Mudstar. But I didn't even know, I..." She shook her head, not knowing what else to say.

"There's nothing to apologize for," the leader mewed. "This is just a shock."

Shadepool looked down, too nervous to meet his gaze. Had she disappointed him because she wasn't fully LeafClan? Had she angered him for telling anyone at all? It was now that she wondered if she should've just kept it a secret; that might've been better for everyone...

No one said anything. The camp was dead silent, making Shadepool's fur bristle in apprehension. She looked around, surprised at how many cats now stood around the hollow, staring at her and Storm. The news must've been passed on quickly, for it seemed that every cat was out of its den—even the queens were sitting outside the nursery with their small kits.

"So our medicine cat is part rogue?!" someone hissed at last.

Instantly, the whole camp erupted with yowls and snarls and comments she didn't much appreciate.

"What could this mean?!" a young voice shouted.

"Is this a sign from StarClan?!" another cat yelled.

"Yes, it must be!" a tom yowled. "If our medicine cat is half rogue, then our warrior ancestors must be trying to tell us something!"

A coarse-furred brown apprentice stepped forward. "What if they're trying to warn us of bad times for the future?" the young tom wondered. "After all, rogues aren't the most pleasant cats to mingle with." His remark was followed by a smirk that reminded Shadepool uncannily of Falcontooth.

Of course, that's his nephew Minkpaw, she remembered. Great StarClan, their personalities couldn't be different to save their lives...Great. That was the last thing she needed; another Falcontooth, just brimming with brand new rude things to say.

She quickly became overwhelmed by all the comments lashing at her. She couldn't change the fact that Storm was her brother, but maybe it hadn't been the smartest idea to share it with others.

"It's a sign! It has to be a sign!"

"If she's really part rogue, then—"

"Then she doesn't belong here!"

Shadepool's heart froze. She doesn't belong here. It throbbed among her thoughts like an open wound. Would her Clan really believe that she didn't belong in LeafClan just because of this?

"Hey, wait a moment!" someone snarled.

Everyone looked in the direction the voice had come from and widened their eyes. Shadepool followed their gazes, gasping at what she saw. It was Redclaw!

What in the name of StarClan is he doing here?! she thought worriedly. He's just going to get himself into trouble.

The ginger tom was accompanied by a pretty tabby she-cat. Shadepool swallowed as she realized who it was.

Seeing that no one else was going to do anything, she bravely strutted up to the two NightClan cats and fixed her blue gaze on Redclaw. "What are you and Brackenfoot doing here?" she asked sternly, being careful not to reveal anything in her voice. "This is LeafClan's camp. You can't just barge in whenever you want!"

Redclaw stared at her, eyes shining with amusement at how serious Shadepool was forcing herself to be. "Don't worry, we mean no harm," he assured, glancing around at all the LeafClan cats. "But Brackenfoot and I were out hunting"—he flicked the she-cat's shoulder with his tail-tip—"and we heard a whole lot of noise coming from your territory."

Minkpaw narrowed his eyes. "Either we were a lot louder than it sounded in here, or you were way too close to our turf," he challenged.

"Minkpaw, hush." Fernheart, who stood beside the bristling apprentice, gently shoved him with her flank.

The apprentice growled in annoyance, but embarrassment silenced him and he didn't say anything more.

"We wanted to make sure everything was all right," Brackenfoot continued for her mate, "so we came to check on you."

Falcontooth curled his lip back and took a heavy step toward the two cats. "What do you think LeafClan is, a pack of troublesome kits?!" he spat. "We don't need to be 'checked on,' and you trespassed on our territory!"

Yowls of anger swept through the crowd.

"And whatever we were making noise about," Falcontooth added, "was really none of your business anyway! It's not your job to take care of other Clans." His whiskers quivered as he kept his fangs bared.

Redclaw sighed. "I'm sorry if we've offended you, but there's no harm in making sure you're okay. You should be glad that we'd want to do that!" His words were directed to Falcontooth; the two tomcats stared at each other with burning eyes.

Shadepool gazed at him, silent for a moment. "A cat's loyalties lie within their own Clan," she meowed, her voice somewhat quiet. "You're not supposed to make sure other Clans are all right."

Redclaw looked at her in surprise. Her heart was jabbed with guilt when she saw the hurt in his eyes, but she still made an effort to give nothing away.

The red tom blinked. "Well, if that's the way it is then I guess we'll just leave." She could hear a small sigh escape him.

As the two warriors turned around and started to disappear into the leafy tunnel, Shadepool bounded forward. "Wait!" she called.

Redclaw backed out, turning to look at her again. "What?" he asked dryly.

"That glade in your territory that I've heard about?" Shadepool began, making Redclaw's ears prick. "I imagine it would be wonderful to go there."

The tom grinned and blinked at her knowingly. "Yeah, it's really something."

Shadepool nodded, and this time said nothing as he and Brackenfoot left the camp.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, not quite sure what had just happened.

"Well, that was kind of weird," Minkpaw growled. "I'm out of here." With one last glare at Shadepool, he sprinted towards the apprentices' den and disappeared among the brambles.

Mumbling to themselves and each other, everyone else departed to their dens and activities as well. After Minkpaw, no one so much as glanced at her. Shadepool's fur flattened in relief as Mudstar and even Falcontooth walked away too. The worst was over; maybe the Clan had actually accepted her new kin, even though nothing more had been said about it. I guess I'll just have to wait until they all remember to see what they think about it, she thought to herself.

"Well, you did it." Storm padded up to her and smiled. "And you didn't die."

Shadepool laughed and shook her head. "Yes, I'm still alive and well," she replied. She heaved a sigh. "But just barely..."

Storm looked taken aback. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked in concern.

But Shadepool didn't reply. She just turned and lumbered off toward her den with the herbs she'd gathered that morning in her mouth, longing for some sleep; she'd need to feel awake when she went to meet Redclaw tonight. She knew he had guessed what she'd meant upon mentioning the glade. "Come see me tomorrow!" she called to her brother through her mouthful, before staggering into the medicine den.

Storm now stood alone in the camp. "Um...all right," he replied, even though Shadepool couldn't hear him anymore. Exhaling and widening his eyes stressfully, he headed for the leafy tunnel and slipped out of the camp.


A pointed crescent moon glowed in the sky as Shadepool padded through the dark forest. The rain had lightened to a drizzle, but it still dampened her fur until she was shivering.

She was silent as she crossed the NightClan border and headed for the glade. When she thought about it, it was strange how normal it felt now to just walk into NightClan's territory and meet with a cat from another Clan. But she didn't think about that much; she was focusing with worry on what Redclaw would say to her now that they would be alone. She had taken him by surprise when she spoke to him in the LeafClan camp, saying that a cat's loyalty lay in their Clan and nowhere else. She knew that she'd hurt him, but she hadn't meant to! Besides, what they were doing was okay; they were just friends.

Shadepool stopped as she got to the glade. A light breeze was making the vines at the entrance sway back and forth. Sighing, she padded through them into the pretty clearing.

Redclaw was already there; he was sitting in front of the pond, face turned to the sky. As Shadepool walked toward him, he heard her pawsteps and turned to look at her.

"Shadepool, hi!" he meowed excitedly. "Come look at this."

She quickened her pace until she was by his side. "Hi!" she greeted. "What do you want me to see?"

Redclaw smiled at her and pointed with his nose at an empty place above the pond. He didn't say anything, just stared.

Shadepool put her head to the side in confusion. "I don't see anything," she told him quietly.

"Hold on, just wait a second," Redclaw replied.

Without protest, Shadepool followed the tom's gaze and looked up at the empty space in expectation. Nothing happened for a moment—but suddenly, a tiny ball of light appeared in the darkness, followed by another. Shadepool gasped happily as more and more small lights flashed on and off. There were fireflies everywhere!

"See, what'd I tell ya?" Redclaw mewed.

Shadepool glanced over at him. "They're beautiful," she whispered.

He nodded, grinning. "Yeah. It's like looking at little stars right in front of you."

They stared up at the flashing lights for one moment after another, until Redclaw pressed Shadepool's shoulder with a paw. She looked at him questioningly.

"You ever wish you could catch a star?" he asked.

Shadepool smiled and narrowed her eyes. "I don't know. What do you mean?"

The tom gathered himself and leaped into the air, batting at a firefly close to him. Putting his paw over it, he dragged it back down with him. The small bug, in shock from the impact, lay still on the ground, its light still on as if trying to alert the other insects.

Redclaw gently pushed it over to Shadepool. "Well, there you go," he purred.

Shadepool examined the "star," then turned back to Redclaw. "Thanks," she said with a laugh. "But you're still thinking about today, aren't you?"

He frowned and looked away—which answered the question. "What did you mean by that comment about loyalty?" he murmured. "Are you saying that we're traitors to our Clans by meeting like this?"

Shadepool sighed and jumped to her feet. "No, that's not what I meant!" she meowed. "Well...at the time, it was."

Redclaw jerked his head toward her. "So you do think we're being disloyal?!"

"Do you?"

The tom hesitated before replying. "I-I don't really know," he meowed quietly. "Sometimes I feel like I'm keeping something from my Clan—well, I am keeping something from them, but when I really think about it, it seems much worse than it is." He paused, staring into the trees. "I guess I don't think we're being disloyal...I just sometimes feel guilty about keeping a secret from my family, and from my Clan."

Shadepool stepped closer to him. "I know how you feel," she mewed.

Suddenly, Redclaw rounded on her. "But why did you have to say it like you did?" he demanded. "It made me feel even more guilty!"

She backed away in surprise, blue eyes wide. "I...I'm sorry," she whispered, not meeting his gaze. "It's just hard."

Redclaw blinked. "What's hard?"

"Everything!" Shadepool cried, giving a quivering sigh. "No one understands me, everyone expects something from me, and if I make one mistake it weighs me down like a rock!" She choked back tears as she realized that she had just said what she'd wanted to shout to the world since she'd received the name 'Shadepool'. Earning your adult name was a sign of maturity, and after she'd gotten it, it seemed like every cat in the Clan expected her to tend to their needs perfectly—they'd even ask her for advice, but rather than being flattered it just made her life even more stressful.

Redclaw stared at her in silent surprise, until the look in his wide eyes softened sympathetically. "Shadepool, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Everyone makes mistakes; just because you don't do something completely perfect, doesn't make you any less wonderful."

She looked at him abruptly, taken aback. "You think I'm...wonderful?" she asked softly. No cat had ever said that about her.

"Well, yeah." Redclaw smiled, blinking his green eyes warmly. "Who in their right mind wouldn't?"

Shadepool stared at him. "Thank you, Redclaw..." she mewed. "That means a lot. And...I think you're pretty wonderful, too."

"Well, of course I am!" he teased.

Shadepool laughed, shaking her head. "You seem so sure of yourself," she remarked. "Don't you ever worry about anything?"

Redclaw smiled briefly. "All I worry about these days is not being able to escape to this glade to see you."

Shadepool's eyes glimmered, half with happiness, and half with concern...They were just friends, right?


Heehee, things are really coming together. :) But once again I was kind of mushy...Oh, well. Lol. Review please!!