Chapter Twenty-Five
Darkflame looked up as someone cleared their throat quietly nearby. Shadowlion stood there, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
"Hey, Darkflame?" Shadowlion began hesitantly.
"Yeah?"
"Would it be okay if we went somewhere to talk in private?" Something in her tone and words caused his heart to sink but he nodded, stood, and followed her away from camp. She brought him out onto the dock, where the sound of the waves on the lake prevented their voices from carrying.
"What's wrong, Shadowlion?" Darkstar asked, looking into her green eyes.
"It's just-" She cut herself off, looking away for a moment before returning her gaze to his. "I feel like we rushed into our relationship. After we changed I sought solace in it, and then there was the battle against the Dark Forest, and now our kits are nearly grown but-"
"Yeah. Yeah, I understand." Darkflame said, the words sticky in his throat. "I'm not gonna hold you back, and if you find someone else- well, I guess that's the way life works. I love you Shadowlion, and I'm proud to be the father of Rainpaw, Swiftpaw, Flightpaw, and Shadowpaw. For that reason, I want all five of you to be happy. Even if you're not with me."
"Thank you, Darkflame." Shadowlion said, pressing her cheek against the side of his neck. "I'll still love the kits just the same and I'll never regret our time together."
"No. Nor will I." Darkflame agreed. "I'm- I'm going to stay out here for a while. I'll see you later." Shadowlion nodded and walked away. Darkflame watched her for a while before looking out over the water. As his gaze drifted over to Winterclan's territory, two cats walked to the water's edge on their side. He thought the striped one might be Snaketail but he didn't know how many tabbies Winterclan might have now, especially with all the Dark Forest cats over there that he'd never met. He couldn't recognize the second cat at all. The two of them lingered for a while before the tabby left. The other one looked toward him and Darkflame was surprised that it knew he was there. Then he realized that it must have been just looking out over the lake like he was before they came. Regardless, the Winterclanner followed the direction the tabby cat went before long.
'I wonder how they're doing over there. It's been far too long since I've seen any of them.' It took him very little time to decide to distract himself by going through the tunnels to Winterclan territory.
"Hey, Darkflame!" Darkpaw bounced out of the shadows soon after Darkflame ducked into the tunnel. "I'm going out hunting! Brighttalon finally let me come out with him!"
"Congratulations!" Darkflame purred.
"You should come with us." Darkpaw suggested, his tail lifted high with excitement.
Darkflame hesitated a moment, still feeling negatively after his conversation with Shadowlion, then mentally shook himself. "Yeah, alright. I could do with a hunt."
Darkpaw bounced and then ran forward. Brighttalon swore quietly and gave chase with Darkflame close behind. The two older toms caught up fairly quickly and Darkflame looked around nervously while Brighttalon spoke to his son.
"We need to be careful out here, Darkpaw. Not everyone in this territory will be as nice as our visitors."
"Why not?" Darkpaw asked, though he did keep his voice down.
"They'd think of us as intruders." Brighttalon explained. "Remember that big rat that Crowfeather and Berrynose chased away? Some of the cats out here would treat us the same way."
"But we're not rats."
"It's a matter of familiarity." Darkflame pitched in. "Because they don't know you, they don't know if you're a threat."
"Couldn't we talk to them?"
"They wouldn't give us a chance." Brighttalon refuted. "Some of these cats are dangerous, better to just not get caught."
"Okay, I'll be more careful." Darkpaw promised, then spoke again after a moment of thought. "What if I see a friend?"
"Check to see if there's anyone else around. If the coast is clear, you can approach cautiously." Darkflame answered.
"I'll keep that in mind." Darkpaw agreed with big, solemn eyes. "Thank you Darkflame."
"Let's hunt." Darkflame suggested, leading them forward again. Brighttalon had just helped Darkpaw catch a rather scrawny bird when a new noise distracted them again; Onestone's voice.
"Hide!" Darkflame hissed. Brighttalon huddled Darkpaw underneath a prickly juniper bush and Darkflame stood in front of their entry in an attempt to cover their scent with his own. Only then did Darkflame relax enough to hear what the supervisor was saying.
"No, please stay. I was actually hoping you might help us train."
"Um, what do you need me to do?" A she-cat, Briarlight, asked, sounding a little nervous.
"I would like to have the apprentices practice on you."
'Practice?' Darkflame silently asked, cold seeping into his paws. 'What do you mean, Onestone?'
"Fighting the weak is something the weak would do." Another she-cat spat. 'Rainpaw.' "There's no challenge or fun in such trivial endeavors. I want someone strong to fight!" There was a moment of silence before Onestone began to growl.
"Do you want to die, or do you want to live? You will fight when commanded to!"
"Do or die," Rainpaw scoffed. "You'll never make me! Because this world will never take my heart. Go ahead and try! You'll never break me."
Onestone snarled loudly and there was the sound of claws tearing skin and Rainpaw let out a sharp squeak. Darkflame was suddenly aware that he was splashing through the creek toward the training arena and he leaped through the tall grass with a roar. Some cat got in his way and Darkflame ripped viciously into the pale yellow fur as fighting erupted throughout the clearing.
Brighttalon watched, keeping Darkpaw hidden, as Flightpaw tried to intercept Onestone and was pulled away by Pouncepool, as two of Wildstar's daughters fought viciously against Rainthistle and Iceheart. He, and to his dismay, Darkpaw, also noticed Ashthunder catch Briarlight by her scruff and drag her away.
"Go back to camp." Brighttalon ordered. Darkpaw looked up at Brighttalon with wide, scared eyes but they hardened into resolve when he met his father's gaze.
"They need help." Darkpaw refused. "No one but Darkflame and Rainpaw will recognize me. I need to help her." Before Brighttalon could respond, Darkpaw ran out and chased after Ashthunder and Briarlight. Brighttalon swore to himself before running off to find a Fireclan patrol.
'Starclan, please, this is my first time talking to you but please, let it be a friendly I find first.'
Not long after his silent prayer, Brighttalon stumbled upon Nightshade and Jayfeather picking leaves and digging up roots.
"Darkflame needs help in the training arena." Brighttalon gasped before either medicine cat could speak.
"Jayfeather, find Wildstar on the Shadowclan border." Nightshade order to the gray tabby was instantly obeyed. "Brighttalon, go home. We can't risk you being seen."
"Darkpaw's out there with them." Brighttalon explained.
"Empty night. I'll send your son home as soon as I can. Go!" Nightshade ran off as soon as she gave the second command but Brighttalon couldn't bring himself to obey. Instead he followed her back to the fight. The silence as he neared the clearing scared him more than screaming and yowling would have.
'Darkpaw!' Brighttalon had only one thought in his mind as he raced for the opening in the undergrowth that would have let him see what was happening. However, Nightshade appeared from somewhere to his left and headbutted him painfully in the ribs.
"Hide nearby if you must," she hissed. "But do not let yourself be found." The black medicine cat released him and strode through the undergrowth into the clearing. Brighttalon crept carefully closer until he could see through the leaves of a fern. Briarlight was back in the clearing, standing as much as she could a couple foxlengths away from the other cats. Onestone was holding Rainpaw down by the throat while Darkflame stood three tail-lengths in front of him with bristled fur. Ashthunder had Darkpaw by the scruff and, looking around, Brighttalon noticed that the remaining apprentices were being kept in the same manner.
"What in the world is going on?" Nightshade asked, sounding shocked.
"Oh, good." Onestone acknowledged her, not taking his eyes off of Darkflame. "A medicine cat just when we need one. Our training session got a little too rough. The apprentices need be patched up. Once your done with that, find Wildstar for me. An intruder seems to have gotten past our borders."
"Who, the kit?" Nightshade asked, sparing a glance at Darkpaw. "He's barely even apprentice aged. Do ya think he's going to lead an attack or something? Darkflame can take him to the border while I tend the apprentices."
"Darkflame is currently under suspicion of being a traitor. He'll not be allowed out of sight of loyal eyes until I'm convinced of where his loyalties lie."
"Well I'll take him to the border if it's so blasted important for you to keep Darkflame close." She snapped at him. "You can bring the rest of them back to camp where it'll be easier for me to tend them anyway."
"Remember your place, medicine cat!" Yellowtail, the only Dark Forest cat not holding an apprentice snarled. "You don't give orders around here."
"Oh, back off, Yellowbelly." Nightshade rolled her eyes. "I'm talking to Onestone, not you." Yellowtail bared his teeth and took a step closer but Onestone stopped him with a word.
"Yellowtail, go find Wildstar and bring her to camp. We'll meet you there." The dirty-white tom waited until Yellowtail had left before continuing. "Nightshade, perhaps you should go on ahead to camp also to make sure her herbs are prepared."
"What about the kitten?"
"The leader of a clan should always be the one who decides what to do with captured intruders." Onestone decided. "He'll come back to camp with us."
"Fine," Nightshade accepted. "A waste of her time, but whatever. It's your choice. Come on, Briarlight. You okay?" Nightshade had wandered over to the brown she-cat.
"Yeah." She muttered, looking down. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"M'kay. Then let's go. Your group will probably be faster than us, Onestone. You don't need to wait."
Onestone nodded shortly and released Rainpaw, whom immediately ran over to Darkflame. With a flick of his tail, Onestone commanded the other apprentices be loosed but the Dark Forest cats circled them before leaving toward camp.
Brighttalon waited anxiously until the enemy were out of hearing range before coming out where he could talk to Briarlight and Nightshade.
"You need to get him out of there."
"We will, Brighttalon." Briarlight promised. "Give us three days and he'll be home with you again."
"Three days?"
"Probably less. He has a lot of allies in Fireclan; even if Darkflame is under surveillance, it'll still be a simple enough matter for someone else to smuggle him out."
"Alright, three days." Brighttalon conceded. "If he's not home four days from now, we're coming to get him."
"Fair enough." Nightshade agreed. "I really hope that doesn't become necessary. For now, you should go tell his mom and siblings what happened."
Brighttalon flicked one ear before turning and running back toward his underground camp.
(I apologize greatly for the long delay between chapters. I'm alive again.)