Chapter 20

Darkstar blinked open his eyes. It hurt to open them again and he immediately remembered what had happened with Birdpool. He tried to jolt to his paws but the pain that seared through him the moment he tried to move so quickly he winced and collapsed again. "Don't move so quickly," whispered a cat, and it was a voice Darkstar did not recognize.

"Who are you?" he rasped, his body trembling with pain.

"I'm someone who needs your help," the she-cat replied, her eyes sad.

Darkstar blinked a few times. "I don't think I'd be of much help in this condition."

"Perhaps not, but you could be if you could locate your Clan."

Darkstar shook his head. This felt like a hopeless cause, and the she-cat- he couldn't even see her pelt. "I don't even know who you are, or where I am."

"You know where you are," whispered the she-cat. "You have been here before, my friend. Take a look around if you may."

Darkstar looked around and saw that she was right. He recognized this place. Vaguely, but he did. The tom gazed around silently for a moment before turning his gaze back to her. "What is it that you need?"

The she-cat murmured, "My name is Heather. I am but an old, blind she-cat, but my needs are sincere. My daughter, Vole, has recently taken up a mate. Both of them were taken by rogues, and I have nothing left to do in my state but ask someone else to take my place in search of them. I would come with you, but I regret to say I am too weak."

Darkstar silenced her before she could open her jaws to explain more by placing his tail over her mouth. "It's alright," he mewed, "I understand." A flash of pain fastened its hot teeth in his shoulder and he winced sharply, letting out an unsteady breath. Heather quickly helped him by supporting him with her own shoulder. Darkstar was surprised by how quick her motion was, despite her blindness. She was a compassionate cat, he could tell.

"Alright," Darkstar meowed again, turning his head slowly as pain filled his neck, making him shudder. His eyes locked upon a weeping willow, which stood, its leaves touching the ground, not far from them. Darkstar remembered passing the willow on his way back to the Clan territories. He had not expected to remember the way to or from that wretched flatland.

Heather murmured, "I will help you, but it will not make your journey any less painful."

Darkstar's mind jumped at attention. "Birdpool!" he gasped, eyes wide. "Where is she?"

Heather shook her head, her ears twitching back in forth with amusement. "She's safe, Darkstar. She's not far from here. She was too shocked to deny my lead."

Darkstar forced himself to relax, leaning heavily against the old she-cat as the two stood and strode for Birdpool. He was afraid she would be crushed, as she quivered every once in a while, but he found she did have a persistent strength. But, if the land that her daughter was in was long and far, she would not make it there. He could see the wisdom in her choice of the Clan cats.

Darkstar staggered along until his eyes lit up with the sight of his mate, who was not far. Darkstar let out a sigh of relief as she came bounding over, her tail streaming behind her and her ears flat back. "Darkstar, thank StarClan!" she cried, halting before him and touching noses warmly.

Darkstar smiled at her, hating how weak and helpless he must look. Then his mind jumped to attention. "How long have I been out?" he demanded.

"Just four hours," replied his mate, rubbing muzzles. "It's okay. The kits are fine."

Darkstar relaxed. "Who did you leave them with?"

"That doesn't matter," murmured Birdpool, shaking her head. "They're safe and we haven't been gone long."

"Who harmed me?" asked Darkstar quietly, half to himself as he watched the she-cat.

Birdpool looked over her shoulder in the direction of the Clans, and Darkstar watched her movement silently. "No one knows," she finally meowed, lowering her head a little, ears flat back.

Darkstar rested his tail on her shoulder. "It's alright. We'll learn of the culprit eventually. No one can keep a treacherous secret such as that from everyone forever."

Birdpool and Heather murmured their agreement. Darkstar twitched his ear and began heading back for the Clans, despite the pain that roused in his legs. "How long will it take us to get back?" the dark tabby asked his mate as he walked.

Birdpool looked at him, her amber eyes reflecting the stars that shone brightly above. "About an hour."

Darkstar wondered who could have gone to the trouble to drag him all the way out here. But there was no way he could tell if the cat was even FireClan. Whoever it was could have been MistClan or, StarClan forbid, ShadeClan. Darkstar trekked in silence, his head low as he struggled through the dark landscape. He wished he could run as fast as before, but now that seemed impossible.

Darkstar limped onward, and it seemed like the trek was hours on end, despite what Birdpool had said before. His legs quivered beneath him as they walked through the forest, their eyes set on the trail ahead, their goals toward nothing but returning to ShadeClan. Heather had not come with them. She had to stay behind to fend for herself. The old she-cat needed to rest and eat what she could find, and she was probably focused upon catching prey at the moment for later.

Darkstar pitied her, and it made his heart ache to think of how she must be feeling. His mind's eye momentarily fluttered to Hawkstorm at the time of her death, her blood spattered over his paws and clogging them as fury flashed through his body, fueling him to attack Applefrost and throw him, accidentally, to his doom.

Darkstar was brought back to the present by Birdpool's tongue, which swiped over his ear affectionately. "It'll be alright," she whispered to him, her eyes glittering with affection.

Darkstar gave a small nod as they continued onward through the land, Birdpool leading him carefully, her tail laden across his shoulders. Finally the two came into view of MistClan territory, which Darkstar could tell due to the break of trees. The sharp scent of MistClan slammed against his nose as they walked, and he instinctively veered to head around it. The two cats were stopped short, however, when the sight of a patrol bounding toward them caused them to halt. Darkstar squinted to see who was in the lead and was especially relieved Webtail was not one of the cats. Rather, Troutwater, Pikeleap, and Silverfur were heading in their direction. The three cats slowed, Troutwater in the lead, and acknowledged Darkstar with dips of their heads.

Darkstar dipped his in return and murmured, "We're just heading for ShadeClan." He struggled to straighten up and appear stronger than he felt. He didn't want MistClan getting the wrong idea, especially with that length of territory constantly fought over.

Troutwater nodded. "Alright. They've been worrying about you. FireClan, too. They didn't tell us much, but we picked up you'd vanished." He hesitated, and Darkstar dreaded the questioning sure to come. "Where... did you go?"

Darkstar opened his jaws to make a reply but Birdpool cut off his response rapidly, "That is none of your business. Just let us through, Troutwater."

Darkstar couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment that his mate had stopped his reply. Troutwater, although subdued, looked slightly annoyed. "Very well," the gray tom mewed, sounding disappointed. "We'll escort you to the border."

Darkstar gave a quick nod and headed after Troutwater silently. After a long moment, he asked, "How is Foxcry?"

Tension immediately appeared like a thunder storm looming over. Darkstar held his breath, fearing he knew what would be said next. Troutwater glanced at Pikeleap, who gave him a tight nod, and muttered, "Foxcry's dead, Darkstar."

Darkstar's neck fur rose in shock. "D-Dead?! But we did everything we could to save her!" he didn't know where he got the strength to yowl like that, but he didn't care. He looked at Pikeleap, desperately hoping that the brown tabby would prove Troutwater wrong. But to his despair, Pikeleap didn't say anything.

Silverfur cast a sympathetic look in his direction, her green eyes locking with his for a moment before she looked back to where she was going. "We know, Darkstar. I'm sorry that this has happened, but she was too weak. There was nothing anyone could do, even whenever Frogleap came to help."

Darkstar looked down at his paws, concentrating on walking. He didn't have the will to protest against what they had said anymore. He, instead, felt an overpowering sense of exhaustion. But he forced his aching body to remain in motion, heading for his own territory. He couldn't appear weak as leader of ShadeClan. Not before MistClan cats. That was impossible. Silently they moved onward, and Darkstar willed it to happen faster. But he couldn't do anything to speed it up. Agonizing minute after minute continued, until finally the sight of the forest sent a surge of excitement through his paws, negative or positive he wasn't sure.

Birdpool remained at Darkstar's side silently, her eyes on the forthcoming border. When they finally reached it and the familiar scent of ShadeClan brushed their noses, the two both relaxed somewhat. Darkstar stepped over the border and looked at the MistClan cats. "Thank you for letting us through your territory," meowed the leader.

Darkstar turned and headed away, not responding to the farewells in reply to what he had said. Darkstar's tail waved back and forth as he slipped into the bushes and through the forest, relaxing more beneath the shelter of the trees. Soon the ground became thicker and muddier, and Darkstar had to be careful where he set his pained paws. The dark tabby closed his eyes, relishing the way the swamp permeated the air, making it thick and warm. Darkstar relied on Birdpool to lead him toward the camp, her movements confident and strong. Darkstar opened his eyes again as they moved through the territory, hoping they would reach the camp soon.

Darkstar spotted the camp entrance as he walked. He could see black pelt of Wingbreeze guarding the entrance. Apprehension prickled in his pelt. Here we go...

Okay, so, this is me, Wild. I know I haven't updated in forever but I started reading Thunder's Rising again and got the want to start up again. Hopefully I will continue on a regular basis from now on. I hope most of my followers can remember what happened and that they will return to see this. Thanks to all of you who have tried to encourage me to continue, I just had writer's block for a long while, a different kind for me. I got new ideas and new inspirations now, having started reading Dawn of the Clans again, and so I should be over that now. I'm sorry that I have been so inactive for so long with my stories.

Also, as I was writing this one day, my friend That Random Girl (as she wanted me to call her) saw what I was doing and decided to write this wonderful message to you all after I explained Darkstar's life. Enjoy!

Darkstar liked cheese but when everyone decided to die he started to hate cheese because he was forced to eat cheese by his mother... DUN DUN DUNNNNNN:)