" We're here," Night announced. Featherpelt had to strain her eyes to see the black tom's outline, who was only standing a few tail-lengths away from her. It was hard to see anything ever since the moon disappeared behind some clouds. Twice she had gotten stuck in a bramble bush and had even gotten her paw caught on a root. By the time we get to Four Trees, I'll be bald and missing a limb, she had thought, thinking of all the tufts of silver fur she had left behind in the thorns. At the same time, Featherpelt was thankful for the darkness. It would be a lot easier to lose Night than it would be on a normal night.
Featherpelt padded up to her companion, forcing herself to act tired. It wasn't hard, for she had been running all day. She yawned and sagged her shoulders. "Can we rest now?"
Night nodded. "Yes, I see a nice spot where we can sleep," he said, gesturing toward to an invisible location. Featherpelt looked in its direction and pretended to see it. "That'll work," she mewed.
The tom sighed. "You can't even see it," he mewed, crankily. "That's okay. Ol' Night can lead the way, of course." He stalked off, not bothering to see if Featherpelt followed. The she-cat trotted after him, her aching paws protesting to stop. As he led her to the resting point, she sniffed the air, trying to scent anything familiar. In addition to the smell of undergrowth and prey, she detected the aroma of cats, especially Thunderclan. She tried to pinpoint any familiar scents but instantly recoiled. There was something else in the air, drowning out any other scent - the reek of blood.
Before Featherpelt could say anything, Night yowled, "Oh my prey!"
Featherpelt dashed up beside him. "What is it? What do you see?"
Night looked at her, his expression grim. "Now we know why it's so dark. There was a great battle here."
Featherpelt gasped. "But tonight was supposed to be a Gathering. The Clans are under a truce to not attack anyone," she cried. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a glimpse of the remnants of the battle. As if on cue, the moon made a quick appearance and illuminated the horrific scene in flash of silver before disappearing again. Bile rose to the back of Featherpelt's throat. That brief illumination was all she needed. Corpses littered the ground, their blood staining the ground crimson.
She suddenly turned away from the scene. She searched for Night's silhouette and found the tom still staring at the dead cats. "Let's go back," Featherpelt said, her voice shaky. "I can't deal with this."
Night didn't move.
"Night?" The tom didn't reply.
An eerie yowl responded. The fur along Featherpelt's spine stood straight up. "Night!" she pleaded, her voice high with hysteria. "We need to get out of here!"
The tom broke out of his trance and raced to the battlefield. Featherpelt dashed after him, dodging corpses and brambles. "Get back here!" she cried. "We – "
She never finished her sentence. Night had stopped at a shape sprawled on the ground. As she got closer, her breath caught in her throat. It was the Shadow Clan medicine cat Shatteredface! Featherpelt wouldn't have recognized him, if it wasn't the black spots that adorned one side of his face, for his fur was mottled with blood and dirt. The beautiful white tom laid on the ground, a large gash spewing blood from his throat.
Night buried his muzzle in the tom's fur, weeping bitterly. She heard him mutter something, but she couldn't make it out. She gazed at the scene, curiously. How did the tom know him?
Night lifted his head, his green eyes glaring at her. "What do you want?" he demanded, his voice scratchy with grief. His inquiry sounded so fierce, the she-cat took a frightened step back.
"I – I was just wondering how you knew him," she remarked, coating her voice with sympathy, "Considering you were never a clan cat."
Her companion's face softened as he focused his attention back to Shatteredface. "Good-bye, my friend," he said, getting up. He returned his gaze to Featherpelt. "I suppose I owe you an explanation. Let's get to the resting point I was talking to you about, and I'll explain. Unless you want to wait until morning, that is."
Thoughts of Featherpelt's earlier plan came to mind. She shook her head vigorously. "No, tell me tonight," she said, perhaps too eagerly. Night studied her, then turned around and lead her out of the battlefield.
Author's Note: Hey, everyone! If you have stuck with this story until the end of this chapter, you are amazing! I do not know when the next update will be since I take a lot of tough classes in High School, but it will up soon. Anyways, please review! (I don't care if they're mean!) If you'd like, please post who's your favorite character/who killed Eaglestar in the comments. FYI, I have this story posted on two different websites other than this one, so please, no comments about how I stole this from people. Thanks! Have a great day/night! God bless all of you beautiful/handsome people!
