Ok, I know I haven't updated in like a month, but I've been really pre-occupied. A friend of mine died recently, I'm having guy problems, writers block, et cetera et cetera. Anywho, I doubt anyone's even reading anymore but OH WELL! I'll update for the fun of it! On with the story!

After the Gathering

Brokenstar found it hard to sleep tonight. She tossed and turned in her mossy bed, watching Gingerheart's death replay in her head, over and over again. Watching as Darkhallow took Gingerheart's throat in his claws, watching as his immortality slipped away… Her eyes shot open and she sat up. She looked around and realized she was alone. All alone. No one to lick her fur clean when she was sleeping, or tell her how much they loved her. Just…alone. Darkhallow had told her that he'd sleep in the warriors den for a while, and let her deal with her grief.

And then there was the fact that her whole Clan knew about the immortality, and that she and Darkhallow were immortal. Not to mention that she still didn't know who the third cat was. She sighed and walked down the twisted tree branch. She walked straight past the night guard, Firestorm, and down the tunnel that led to the forest. She was going to leave. Never come back. Leave the pain, the heartbreak, and the torture. As soon as her paws hit the ground of the solid forest, she ran. Sprinted, actually.

She had no idea where she was going or what she was going to do when she got there. She just needed to escape. Tigerlily would be a great leader. Her Clan didn't need her anymore. They didn't need a mental she cat that would probably lead their Clan into a downward spiral. She reached the edge of the BirdClan territory on the far side. The side that doesn't border any other Clan. She halted, right before she took the step into her next life. The life where she'd never be known as Brokenstar. No, she was no longer worthy of the leader title. She would be known as her warrior name, Brokenshadow. She stepped over the border, just as she heard another cat coming her way. It sounded like they were running.

She looked around for shelter and found a clump of ferns. She stealthy slithered over to it, making sure not to be seen or heard. She made it there just in time to see Darkhallow, Mushroomfire and Woodfur. They ran right past her fern. Obviously they aren't looking for me, because I'm my sent isn't very well hidden in these ferns. She thought. She sighed. No one will care if I'm missing. Maybe it's for the best. She came out of her cover and looked around. Wait, if they aren't looking for ME, then what are they doing? She thought, Oh well, it doesn't matter now.

She walked towards the direction that her three former Clanmates had run. She needed to find shelter. She'd live just outside the territories for just until her kits were born, then when they were stronger, she'd bring them farther away. To some place where no cat will know them, and they won't be looked down upon, or shamed for her wrong doings.

She walked for what seemed like forever until she found a shelter. It was almost perfect. There were two rocks standing up straight, and one right on top of them. Then, behind it, was almost like a tunnel of grass. I stand corrected, it IS perfect.

She settled down it the back parts of the cave, and curled up. This would be where I will raise my kits. She thought, drifting off into a peaceful, lulling sleep.

~do de do de do~

Brokenshadow awoke to a big white paw with some pink showing. She got up immediately, and got into a defensive position.

"What do you want?" she hissed. Back arched and fur fluffed up.

He chuckled, "I want you to leave. This is my place. I live here."

She looked around, and noticed some moss and animal bones. Things she didn't notice when she was half-exhausted. She knew it was too perfect. She knew she should just leave, but she'd been traveling so long that she didn't want to leave. She was going to fight for this place. This is what she has to get used to now that she's living as a loner.

"No. I live here now. And I suggest you leave. Now. Before I shred you," she hissed.

He just chucked again, "Darling, I don't want to hurt you, but this is my place, and I'm not leaving unless you kill me, and let me tell you, that's going to be pretty hard to do," he meowed calmly, flexing his muscles.

"I'm not leaving," she took a step forward, hissing in his face.

He sighed, "Fine, have it your way." He jumped on her back, and she toppled over. Recovering from his sudden attack, she flipped onto her back, and flattened the white tom. He lost his grip on her, so she was able to slip from his grip. As he tried to flip himself over to his front paws, she attacked his stomach, clawing him from neck to tail. He yowled in agony as her sharp claws pierced his soft flesh, some unprotected by fur. He gushed blood from the claw marks she gave him. He yowled in agony and distress, trying to get up to fight, but he was losing too much blood to get up. He threw up blood multiple times, while Brokenshadow watched his agony. Finally, he stopped moving.

She dragged his body out of her new den, and out into the middle of a field, where animals could eat as they please from it. She now knew what she was capable of. She would be fearless, and unforgiving. That's how she's supposed to live now. She walked back to her den, and settled down; thinking about what she'd teach her kits when they were born.

~la la la la~

It was getting dark, and Brokenshadow needed to find some food for herself. She walked in the same direction that she had laid the mangled toms body. She wanted to see for herself if nature had decided to take no pity on this dead being. As she neared his body she realized something was missing. The body. She saw a pool of blood where he was, but other than that, there was no sign that he had ever been there. She looked around for him, but it was nowhere to be seen. She looked for any signs of him walking away, and found that the pool of blood had a trail leading away. It looked like he had dragged himself away, or someone else had dragged him. I'm going to fallow him to make sure he's dead, she thought.

She fallowed his trail through the field and into the forest on the other side of the field. The trail led past a creek, and into another clearing. In this clearing though, there were other cats. At least twenty of them. They were gathered around something that she couldn't see, but she guessed was the white tom that she killed, because that's where his trail ended. She crept closer so that she could hear what they were saying.

"My mate! No! How could this happen? I'm to bear his kits in just day's time! How can I do this without him?" a black she-cat with orange spots meowed in distress and pain.

"Scar was an honorable tom. He will be missed," a yellow tom meowed sympathetically, "Meanwhile, we need to know who and what did this so we can kill it. Tell me Deablo, where did you find him?"

"He was in a field. It looked like he was dragged there, but I couldn't tell from which direction. Someone swept away the tracks of his blood," Deablo replied solemnly.

I knew erasing my tracks with that branch would come in handy, Brokenshadow thought to herself.

"A field? Which field? Was there a stone structure there?" the black she-cat that was weeping over her dead mate asked urgently.

"Yes, I do remember something like that, but it was pretty far away," Deablo meowed.

"That was his den! He must have been on his way there, when they killed him!" the black she-cat exclaimed.

"Hold on, Puma. We don't know for sure if he was even killed by a cat. We need to know what we're facing. Think of the battle strategy's Darkhallow taught us," the yellow tom meowed.

"Well the only way to find out is to go there. I don't care if you're coming with me, but I'm going to go," Puma meowed, walking in Brokenshadow's direction. She quickly turned around, and ran back the way she came. She couldn't be seen. She knew that the cat named Puma would find her in Scar's den, and try to attack her. She needed to be ready for when she came to attack. She needed to defend what was now hers. She was going to have to be ready to kill her too.

And what about what they said about Darkhallow? What was he doing here? Were Lionstar's suspisions right? Was he really that evil? That doesn't matter to me anymore. Kill all the Clan's for all I care. I'm never going to return anyway. No one cares about me. She sighed and walked away towards her her den. She needed a plan. She heard the three cats crashing through the undergrowth behind her, and she ran faster. Suddnely, she knew exactly what she was going to do.

A.N. Hey guys, I know this is a pretty short chapter, but I just wanted to get another chapter out, so that you all have something to read. There's some more to Brokenstar, err, Brokenshadow, then you'd expect. She's not that sweet and innocent. Anyway, please review!

Till next time,

~Lionstarforever~