It was a lovely day in ThunderClan and Shimmercloud was relaxing in the warriors den. The sun shone through the roof of the den and Shimmercloud shut her eyes and enjoyed the sound of the chirping birds and cats sharing tongues outside. Suddenly, Duststripe burst into the den. "Shimmercloud!" he gasped. "There are rogues on our territory!" Shimmercloud burst out of her nest and barreled out the door after Duststripe. The two littermates arrived at the lake where they were met with yowling cats clawing each other. Shimmercloud launched herself into the battle, pulling a big brown tom off of Ivyleaf. The tom growled, turning on her. Hissing, Shimmercloud ducked as he swung his big paw at her head. She jumped on him, clawing his ears. Twisting around, she raked her claws over his flank. He jumped back and ran off. Suddenly, Shimmercloud heard a yowl. "Retreat!" Shimmercloud's stomach lurched. I know that voice…it's Crow! If he's here, then these must be Oak's rogues! She watched as the group of rogues sped off. Then there was another yowl. This time it was Shalestorm.
"There are rogues in the camp! We have to go back!" Duststripe gasped.
"Why are they there?" Duststripe gasped.
"They say they just want to talk," Shalestorm reported. "But I have a bad feeling about this. Hurry, let's go!" The patrol raced back to camp.
As soon as they entered the hollow, they were met with a giant battle. "Not again," Shimmercloud groaned. She leaped into the mass of fighting cats. The other rogues must have been a distraction… Shimmercloud yanked a big white she-cat off of Skypaw. "Pick on someone your own size!" she hissed, landing a blow on her shoulder. The she-cat turned and ran, and Shimmercloud continued to fight. A small brown tom jumped on her back, digging his claws into her flank. She whipped him off and pinned him down. "Why are you attacking our camp?" she demanded. His eyes widened with fear.
"Because…because we were told to!" he stuttered. Shimmercloud let him go and he raced off. Shimmercloud look around, confused. The rogues weren't taking any prey, unlike the raid on RiverClan. What could they possible want? Shimmercloud shoved a rogue out of the way and dashed up to the Highledge. Crescentstar was fighting a few rogues alongside Crystalfur. Enough of this!
"What are we going to do?" she asked Crescentstar as they sent the rogues running off.
"I don't think there's much we can do," Crescentstar mewed grimly. "We have to defend the camp at all costs. Can you check on the nursery?" Shimmercloud nodded and ran back down to the nursery.
Breezecloud lay in her nest, her belly heavy with kits. Sparkkit, Owlkit, and Reedkit were huddled at her side, their eyes wide with curiosity. "Where's Redshard?" Shimmercloud asked.
"She went to fight," Breezecloud replied worriedly. "The rogues took us by surprise, and I don't know how long they'll stay here. We can't afford to lose any cats today!" Shimmercloud stared at her in dismay.
"Rogues are persistent," she murmured. "They truly think we've wronged them by claiming territory." As she spoke, a rogue burst into the nursery. Shimmercloud whirled around, snarling. "Stay away!" she hissed. The rogue made a dash for the kits, but Shimmercloud knocked him out of the way. "You won't get any kits today!" She raked her claws down his flank. The rogue didn't retaliate. Instead, he sat at the wall of the nursery, breathing heavily. Shimmercloud took a step back, watching him intently. Suddenly, he darted out like a fish and snatched Sparkkit. Shimmercloud lunged for him, but he was already outside. Without thinking, she barreled after him, her head hot with rage. The rogue dashed out of camp and into the forest. Shimmercloud followed him, barely paying attention to the rock and roots on the ground. Her mind navigated her through the forest automatically, and she kept her eyes on him. The rogue began to slow, his wounds getting the better of him. Shimmercloud launched herself at him, her claws unsheathed. I won't let you make the same mistake I did! She pinned him down and grabbed Sparkkit in her jaws. The tiny kit's eyes were glazed with fear and she started to cry out. Shimmercloud carefully set her aside in the grass and glared down at the rogue. "You will not take kits from ThunderClan, or any of the other clans," she hissed. "It's terrible to hurt us like that. We've left you enough land to hunt as you wish. You don't have to take our kits." She dug her claws into his shoulders, preparing to make the killing bite. An image of the RiverClan queen flashed through her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and back off. The rogue looked up, surprised. Without a second thought, he ran off. Shimmercloud picked up Sparkkit and headed back to camp, her head heavy with thoughts.
As she entered the camp, she was met with a giant crowd of cats gathered at the centre. Crescentstar was at the front with Silverheart, and they were talking to a small group of rogues. The fighting had stopped and many of the rogues had left. Shimmercloud ran back to the nursery with Sparkkit in tow. Redshard was waiting there, her eyes filled with worry. "Sparkkit!" she cried. "You're okay!" Shimmercloud dropped Sparkkit in front of her, and the queen began to lick her kit. Sparkkit squirmed out of the way, squealing. Shimmercloud purred with amusement before stepping back out into the clearing. She padded through the crowd, hoping to get a better look at what was happening. Her jaw dropped when she realized who was there. Oak?!
Oak's brown gaze met hers, and he whispered something to the rogue standing behind him. The rogue beckoned the rest of the rogues and they headed out of the camp.
"Shimmer," mewed Oak. "I was hoping I'd see you here."
"It's Shimmercloud now." Shimmercloud hissed. Oak's whiskers twitched with amusement.
"Shimmercloud then," he murmured. "You can sheathe your claws. I'm not going to attack you. Trust me."
"You attack my clan and steal kits and you expect me to trust you?"
"Yes," he replied calmly. "Because I am merely here to talk." He met her gaze evenly. "It was you who set the prisoners free, wasn't it?"
"It was," she snapped, keeping her claws unsheathed. Oak let out a quiet purr.
"At least you're not ashamed to admit it."
"No," Shimmercloud mewed. "It's you who should be ashamed." By now a few cats had drawn close, their claws unsheathed. Silverheart waved them away. "Leave," she murmured. "This is Shimmercloud's fight." The crowd thinned as they headed into the dens, a few throwing nervous glances over their shoulders. Shimmercloud stared at Oak.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to find you," he replied. "And ask you why you left."
"Isn't it obvious?" Shimmercloud hissed. "You and your rogues are cruel and merciless, and I'd rather be with the clan cats any day!"
"You're a clan cat at heart," Oak murmured. "And you're strong too."
"No." Shimmercloud's mew cracked. "I'm not strong, or I wouldn't have let you tell me what to do! I wouldn't have tried to prove myself to you!" She breathed heavily, her gaze filled with distress.
"Shimmercloud," Oak mewed. "You are the strongest cat I know. When we came to raid ThunderClan all those moons ago, we were overjoyed to learn that there were two healthy, beautiful kits for us to take. Your mother fought us valiantly, and we only got away with one of them. Later, we returned to capture you, and we found out that another kit had been born. He was small and pitiful, but we took him anyway, along with you." Duststripe, Shimmercloud thought.
"We brought you to central camp to decide your fate. All of my cats agreed to put you in the cave and kill your brother, for he was too small. But you defended him with all your might, even at such a small size, and wouldn't let any cat near him." Shimmercloud drew back her breath. I really did that for him?
"It's that kind of courage and loyalty that I look for in my cats," Oak continued. "And so I decided to let you both live and raise you myself. I saw true strength in you, Shimmercloud. Strength that most of my mangy rogues lack. They follow without question, but you are not afraid to fight for what you think is right." Shimmercloud stared at him.
"Do you really mean that?" she whispered.
"Yes," he replied. "Shimmercloud, you can't let any cat control your life. It's yours to live, and you won't get anywhere sticking to the crowd. Be your own cat. And don't be afraid to question anyone." Shimmercloud dipped her head.
"Thank you, Oak," she mewed. "That…means a lot to me." Oak purred and started to leave.
"Farewell, Shimmercloud. Remember that the past is over. The true story starts here."