DISCLAIMER: Erin Hunter owns Warriors, not me

Chapter 20:

As she entered camp, horrible ideas of what was to come flew into Shimmertail's mind, vivid and horror-filled. What would happen? Would she be thrown out? Become an outcast? What she did was not something that could go unpunished. She deserved whatever came by her.

Sandstorm stood eagerly at the mouth of the elder's den, eyes bright and ears hungry for the news of achievement. Thunderclan had been astonished when she revealed she was retiring, for she was a fierce fighter, and a skilled hunter. Talents that were not so easily wasted.

Her tail drooped as Bramblestar stalked by, head low.

Perhaps it would be best if I… Left.

For a split second, she considered running away, running away to some place where her wrongs would never catch her. As if such a place existed.

Her thoughts were almost granted by the horrified look of her brother, whose amber eyes were spread wide with disgust and shock. Who could blame him?

Spiderleg cowered beside the Highledge, tail bristling.

Shaking her head, determined to clear it, she padded carefully up to him, stepping lightly and quietly.

He sat up, facing her with a steely glare, though fear lay behind his eyes. "What is it?"

"Tell me about the day I was born," she told him with no hesitation, confident that her secret assumptions were correct.

Taken off-guard, he sputtered, "I- you- well… It was a cold day. In fact, it was snowing that day…"

She smirked. "I was born in the spring."

He stared up at her, quivering. Opening his mouth, he prepared to offer another weak excuse, only to be cut off by Shimmertail, "maybe you don't know after all… Because I was not born here."

Regaining his composure, he shakily stood up, head bowed. "No. You were not."

Though she knew it was true, she couldn't help but feel a cold stab of pain and hurt pierce her heart. She sighed deeply and nodded. "Tell me what really happened."

His eyes were thoughtful and grief stricken as he began his tale.

"Ivypool and I found you drowning in the river along the Riverclan border while on the Sunhigh patrol… There was no one searching for you, and no scent lingering around. We were completely alone. You were much too young to swim yourself, so I rescued you and brought you back to the Thunderclan camp… At that time, Cinderheart had just had Foxclaw and Shadefrost. You can put the rest together pretty easily."

By the time he had finished, she was shaking, chest heaving as she tried to hold back her racking sobs. "You knew… All of you knew…"

He laid a tail cautiously over her shoulders. "Yes… But none of that matters. You are a loyal warrior of Thunderclan, and everyone knows it. That's all that matters."

She shook him off, fangs bared. "Is it? Is that truly all that matters? Tell me Spiderleg…" She crept towards him, bristling and claws unsheathed. "Does it matter that I'm a Riverclan cat? Does it matter that I just killed the kin of my mate? That this whole time, while you all thought I was loyal, I trained in the Dark Forest?!"

His pupils shrank with terror as she came closer, eyes glinting in the sunlight of the evening sun. "W-what…"

Before she could come any closer, a sharp prickle closed around her scruff, hauling her away from him. She hissed in rage, twisting around to face her attacker.

She was met by the amber eyes of Lionblaze, golden fur spiky and on end. "That's enough."

"What gives you the right to tell me so, Father?" She sneered at him, scowling.

He growled, ears pinned back. "I'm telling you this as a senior warrior of Thunderclan, not as your fa-"

He was cut off as her outstretched paw connected with his jaw, sending him reeling back.

With his claws now unsheathed, he scrambled back up, ignoring the blood that dripped down his neck. "You seem awfully eager to pick a fight with Thunderclan's best warrior. How unfortunate."

Shimmertail grinned, a sadistic light brightening her eyes. She faced him, head held high and body tense. "Best warrior? Let's test your theory." With those words, she flew past him, raking her claws down his side, then whipping back around to prepare another strike.

Lionblaze merely side stepped her next attack, catching her tail in his mouth and tugging her back. She hissed with frustration as she stumbled back, tripping over her own paws.

By then a crowd of cats had gathered around them, too dumbstruck to do anything but stare. Bramblestar and Squirrelflight stood on the Highledge, staring at them attentively.

"That's enough," the Thunderclan leader finally called out, eyes narrowed. Lionblaze nodded and stepped back into the crowd, melting away. Shimmertail stood alone in the circle, prickling with hatred.

"Cats of Thunderclan!" he yowled, leaning over the edge as to face the Clan. "We stand victorious- but our victory came at a price. The price of a life." He raked his gaze over everyone, drawing the tension out. "Riverclan's Hollowflight is dead. Killed by Shimmertail as he attempted to protect his leader. And-"

"Let me speak!" The silver tabby yowled, interrupting him. Gasps collected throughout them all, the air sparking with suspense.

Without waiting for his answer, she leaped up beside him, forcing him to step away. "Without my actions, our Clan would have surely lost; something we could not afford to do. Yes, I killed Hollowflight. If he knew what was good for him, he would have stayed out of my way and let me continue my interrogation of Mistystar, for I had good reason."

Demands to hear her reason rose among them.

"Mistystar is not the fair and noble leader you all know her as! She has committed a crime against the Warrior Code, and against us! I am not who you think…" She paused, narrowing her icy blue eyes, "Seasons ago, Mistystar abandoned her kit, throwing her in the river. I am that kit. I am Shimmertail, daughter of Mistystar, and killer of Cinderheart, Snowtuft, and Hollowflight."

The crowd stared at her, too shocked to do anything else but that. Whispers spread through them like wildfire, setting off a chorus of accusations and yowls.

Bramblestar gazed at her, eyes level with hers. "And?"

She smiled- a genuine and kind one. "I must settle something. Please. You have to understand."

No one argued as she leaped down and whisked out of the camp, not stopping to look back. She knew where she was headed. She was going home.

Well, that's it for this chapter. You should be happy to know that we are nearing the end :3 Then I can finally begin the sequel (which has my fave OC ever in it) Anyway, I've noticed a serious drop in reviews… Guys if you're reading this, just take the 3 extra minutes to review. It means a lot to me.