Okay, I'm sorry. This is the shortest chapter ever (only three pages of Word compared to my usual five), but I needed to end it a certain way.. and this was the only way to do it.
Also, as you may have noticed, I renamed the story. I just think it makes more sense.
Anyways.. will Blackhorizon be accepted into the Clan? And what is this epic twist I was talking about? Please enjoy!
Chapter 10
As Blackhorizon slipped under the roots of the great maple into the leader's den, his thoughts instantly went back to the last time he was there, when they were deciding Meadowlark's fate. He thought of the terrified look on her face and imagined that mirrored on his own as well.
This is it.
This was the moment that would decide everything. Every word he said could bring him closer to clearing his family's name and returning to his home for good, but every mistake he made could bring him closer to losing his only chance.
This is it.
Thunderstar was their only audience. He had sat down near his nest, his fluffy gray tail curling around his paws and his sky blue eyes reading their every movement.
Lightningstrike looked to Blackhorizon in a way that silently said, 'I'm here to help, but this is your time to talk.' Then he sat back on his haunches. Blackhorizon's gaze wandered to his father's chest for a moment, where a small white mark in the shape of a lightning bolt stood out within the surrounding light gray fur, before he turned to Thunderstar and took a deep breath.
"Thunderstar…" Blackhorizon began but struggled to continue. He had rehearsed what he would say to his leader so many times before that he had begun to repeat it in his dreams, but every word seemed foreign to him now. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, opening and closing his mouth, racking his brain for what he wanted to say.
"Why did you come back?" Thunderstar asked.
"You made a mistake…" Blackhorizon stammered before cursing himself inwardly. That wasn't what he meant. "I mean… you didn't kno-… the Clan made a mistake… I mean…"
Thunderstar had seemed like he was open to anything Blackhorizon was going to say. He seemed to want to believe he was innocent, so he surprised Blackhorizon when he inquired, "So we were mistaken when we banished you for killing a member of our Clan?" His piercing gaze forced Blackhorizon's to the ground.
"That's not…" Blackhorizon took another deep breath. He was really screwing this up. "Okay, let me… let me start again. Thunderstar, I killed a cat. I killed Meadowlark. I killed Meadowlark out of anger… out of blind anger. I shouldn't have done it, but I couldn't control myself." He looked back up at Thunderstar, who was obviously unimpressed. "Right before that, though, is the side of the story you didn't get to hear. You didn't get to hear her tell me that she was part of a group of rogues that lived near DuskClan's territory and that her father was the rogue Lightningstrike was so celebrated for killing. You didn't get to hear her tell me that she and the others had wanted revenge and had waited for their perfect chance. You didn't get to hear that Lightningstrike was pinned down and forced to watch her sister's mate kill his daughter and Meadowlark herself kill my mother. You didn't know that Lightningstrike was banished for a crime he didn't do. She tore my family apart!" He sighed. "I know nothing can justify what I did but… I believe both Lightningstrike and I deserve a second chance."
Thunderstar was silent, his eyes churning with emotions as he struggled to process his thoughts. "Anything else you would like to say?"
"Oakstar's name also should be cleared. He too was falsely accused of crimes rogues committed," Lightningstrike added in a soft voice.
Thunderstar looked from father to son. "So you're saying that… all this time… your family was innocent?"
Blackhorizon nodded.
Thunderstar's eyes were troubled. "So you're the only one who actually committed the crime you were banished for… and you only did it because your father was innocent of the crime he was banished for…"
Blackhorizon nodded again, realizing how difficult this must be. "Would you… you know… accept us back into DuskClan?" His eyes, silver in the moonlight dripping into the den between the roots, were pleading.
"You killed someone, Blackhorizon," Thunderstar meowed desperately. "I want to let you back in… you know I do. If anything were to happen, you would be my first choice for deputy. But, and no matter the reason, you did kill a member of our Clan… unprovoked by violence. I-"
"Let the Clan decide," Lightningstrike interrupted him. "Tell the Clan what Blackhorizon just told you… and let them decide."
Thunderstar was silent only briefly before giving a short nod. "Let the Clan decide," he repeated in a soft murmur, then stood up and padded past Blackhorizon and Lightningstrike out into the clearing.
The two remaining toms stood in the den for a moment. They heard the crowd's chatter pick up and die down before and after Thunderstar's yowl. They heard him begin to explain their story.
Lightningstrike's eyes held the softest twinkle in their silver depths. "You know the Clan will let you back in," he meowed.
Blackhorizon attempted to hide his emotions. "That's not a given," he replied simply, but inside his heart swelled. He thought of the cats that would stand against him: Hollowbreath, maybe… The rest…
Loud cheering erupted outside.
"Come on," Lightningstrike whispered and led the way out. Blackhorizon followed, unable to think straight with the happiness coursing through his every vein. When the two emerged into the moonlit clearing, the cheers grew even louder.
"Blackhorizon! Lightningstrike!"
Some were even adding Oakstar to the list.
Blackhorizon looked around in awe. After moons of wandering, reflection, and heartbreak, he was finally back home. He was with his father, cleared of all crimes. He could feel the presence of his grandfather, who also had the truth come out. Moss was on his way. Wavecrest was the loudest voice in the crowd. Finally… Finally…
Redemption.
.
Blackhorizon knew it was a dream. The lush grass was too green. The pond's water was too clear. The blue expanse of sky didn't have a single wispy tuft of a cloud.
He had just been accepted back into DuskClan. He could never have been happier; everything was finally going right.
The temperature was perfect; it was one that reflected catnip in that it made a cat want to just flip onto their back and roll over and over again, purring as loudly as they possibly could.
Blackhorizon padded slowly up to the perfectly clear pond, enjoying the soft grass and the warm sun. He stared into the water's depths and instantly felt the need to drink it. He bent down and flicked his tongue into the water a few times. It was cold and pure and refreshing, and sent a satisfied shiver down his spine.
"Hello, Blackhorizon."
Blackhorizon froze mid-drink. He recognized that voice.
"No," he mouthed, the word inaudible.
He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, working up the courage. Finally, he turned and found himself face to face with the cat he never wanted to see again.
Hazel eyes.
Ginger fur.
Meadowlark.
