Epilogue

"You. Failed. Me." Sharp flinched at the stone-hard tone, instinctively taking a step back, away from the dark looming figure in the entrance. The mask of indifference he normally wore so well slipped, trumped by a rush of dead-cold fear. The voice took on a low growl. "Again."

Sharp stared at his trembling ginger paws, unable to conceal their quaking. No! He jerked his head up, and shoved his ears forward, meeting the chilling green gaze of his father, Thunderclap, who also happened to be the Supreme Commander of the Bands. He swallowed a lump in his throat, breathing through his fear instead of trying to hide it like he had done every time before.

As a kit, Sharp had looked up to his father. As a young cat in training, he had admired him. As a freshly appointed soldier, he blindly followed his every order, striving to be exactly like him. But his fear of Thunderclap, ever-present since his mother's death and reinforced by the reprimands, only grew.

But now, he was done.

Done with letting himself be hurt.

Done with blindly following orders.

Done with hurting others.

Ever since the mission to the Valley of Hidden Stars, where his friendship with Spotted Owl had opened his eyes, Sharp had begun to question everything he thought he knew. Eventually, he had realized the truth, but his fear—the cowardice Thunderclap always wanted to beat out of him—held him back.

Thunderclap's long shadow fell over Sharp as the powerful tom stalked around him. The tip of his tail flicked back and forth. The air in the cave crackled with the tension of a brewing storm. "You failed me again." Thunderclap's burning green eyes turned on Sharp. "The Clan-scum discovered the whereabouts of Hidden Canyon Camp. They breached the walls of our most fortified camp with the help of that mangey traitor Creek. They defeated our cats and freed our prisoners because you gave the order to back down. I gave you one last chance to prove yourself. But it seems as though I cannot trust you with the kit's task of minding a camp and a bunch of weakling prisoners for even a sunrise!"

Sharp winced, his father's words stinging more than a strike with claws unsheathed. But he swallowed his fear, for once pushing the simmering fury he kept curled inside him to the surface. "What would you have me done? They had overpowered us, even with reinforcements. It was clear we were defeated, and no one wanted to continue fighting. If I had forced them to continue, we would've lost more even more cats than just Vine and Thorn, and three of Bee's cats! Many more of the Clan cats and their allies perished. I made the right decision to prevent more deaths!"

Sharp finished speaking and drew in a shaky breath. He dared not look Thunderclap in the eye as he braced himself for a reprimand, a slap, for anything. Instead, Thunderclap merely chuckled. Sharp's gaze snapped to his father's face.

Thunderclap watched him with a sneer, dark amusement glinting in his eyes. He chuckled dryly again. "It seems as though, my son, you have finally grown a backbone. Maybe you do have potential after all."

Sharp's blood chilled to ice, freezing him in place as Thunderclap glided toward him. He gulped as the muscular tom halted, seeming to tower over him. Sharp squeezed his eyes shut, unable to control his trembling as Thunderclap lifted his massive forepaw. His curved claws traced the hidden paths of old scars across Sharp's underbelly—wounds he had inflicted in many of the "reprimands" after his failure of a son had let him down time and time again, most recently after the patrol had returned from the Clans' home.

"Torrent and Panther reported something quite intriguing to me." Thunderclap's voice was soft and foreboding like a thundercloud. "It seems as if they spotted you sneaking out of Clan cats' prison cave one night. I do not doubt the word of my captains, so I wonder why you visited the Clan cats alone late at night." He tilted his head with mock confusion. "Perhaps it was because that whiny but rather pretty black and white Clan-scum was among them?"

Sharp froze, shock rendering him unable to breath for a moment. His heart thudded in his chest, so loud he thought Thunderclap must be able to hear it. No, he can't know that I was there with the intention of freeing Spotted Owl… Can he? He swallowed his fear, forcing what he hoped was a brave expression on his face.

Thunderclap turned away, shaking his head slowly. "Loyalty is the one thing all Band cats must have. Loyalty to each other, loyalty to me. Loyalty bonds us closer than blood so nothing can divide us. Together, we can accomplish anything." He glanced over his shoulder. A growl played across his lips. "I never imagined my own son would be disloyal."

Moving as fluidly and as powerfully as a tidal wave, Thunderclap lunged at Sharp. The lithe tom sucked in a breath and leaped backwards. His tail collided painfully with the stone wall. As Sharp opened his eyes, he saw his father looming over him, one paw raised above his head to strike. Sharp quickly shut them again, waiting in grim resignation.

Thunderclap lowered his paw. "I don't care if you were just visiting that pretty little she-cat or plotting with the Clan cats to revolt. If you were anyone else I would not hesitate to drag you before your fellow soldiers and exact the normal punishment for dirty traitors."

Sharp shuddered. He knew all too well what that punishment was. Death.

"But—" Thunderclap's tone was lofty as if he hated to do Sharp a favor but he was doing it anyway "—you are my son. And you still might have some use yet. So, to ensure that you remain loyal, you can consider your sister's life in your paws. Do well, and she will stay safe and sound." His green eyes glittered with malice. "Fail me again, and there might just be an unfortunate accident that befalls your lovely little sister."

Internally, Sharp cowered with fear, but he kept his face impassive. Sage can handle herself. She learned all of the battle moves I did, and she's more adept at fighting. He snorted with wry amusement. Maybe Thunderclap should have chosen her instead of me as his protégée. Hatred tasted bitter on his tongue. But he can never see her as anything but weak since her bouts of sickness as a kit. But Sharp would never actually wish that on his beloved sister Sage.

"Hmmm." Thunderclap cocked his head. His beady eyes studied Sharp's face. "Perhaps you need even more encouragement. You seem to care about that pretty little Clan-scum quite a bit. What was her name? Hmm...Spotted Owl?"

Fear and urgency surged inside Sharp. Before he could think about what he was doing, he sprang forward and shoved his face into his father's. "Don't you dare hurt her!" Fury pounded through his veins. His eyes burned like green fire with anger.

Thunderclap merely smiled in satisfaction.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Sharp turned his back to Thunderclap, bowing his head as anger at himself and fear for Spotted Owl overwhelmed him. You dirt-brained idiot! Now he knows how much you care for her. He will kill her if you mess up. Sharp straightened. Then I don't have a choice. I must accept my fate.

"Very well." Sharp could hear the triumphant sneer in Thunderclap's voice. "That will do it. I will not doubt your loyalty from now on, son. But don't worry." A purr crept into his voice. "Do as you're told, and I'll spare her after the inevitable defeat of the Clans. We may have lost to the Clan-scum twice now, but I have a plan that will guarantee our success."

Sharp swallowed. He tried to keep the quaver out of his voice. "What is that?"

Thunderclap's eyes glimmered sinisterly. "We will destroy what is most precious to them. Their ancestors."

Hi there! This is now the last installment in Land of Shadowed Stars. For the epilogue, we were back with Sharp and we learned a lot more about him, Thunderclap, and the future! Sharp is definitely a very interesting character with many sides, and in this short epilogue learned more about his past and his father and how that has influenced him. Thunderclap is an interesting character as well. He does seem pretty much evil for what he has done to Sharp and the Clans, but not everything is as it seems. I know it was short, but I hope you liked it. If you're reading this, you've most likely read this entire book, and probably the first one as well, so thank you very much! I will see you all very soon with Sleet's novella!

- A Warrior At Heart