Hello! Sorry for the late update, I had a few other projects that I was working on, I ran into a little writer's block, and homework has been kicking my butt. Anyways, here's Chapter 21! I hope that everyone is enjoying The Outcasts as well, I sure am, and perhaps I'll go work on Chapter 3 while I'm at it!
Blackdawn yawned. It's been a long day.
"Goodnight." She mewed to Copperheart, curling up in her nest. "Goodnight." He replied.
She slipped into sleep, but instead of a peaceful, dreamless sleep, she woke up in a sunny meadow. Small wildflowers grew around her legs, and the sun beat down on the entire area, heating up her dark fur.
"Hello?" She called out. Where am I? I literally just curled up in my nest! What happened?
"Sorry for denying you the pleasure of sleep, especially after a Gathering." A silver tabby padded towards her.
"My name is Streamflight. I was your mother's mother."
"And a betrayer of the warrior code!" Another cat spat, joining her.
"I know, Flowerstrike!" Streamflight exclaimed. "I just…"
"Don't give excuses, it's not important to her." Flowerstrike fixed her with a stunning amber gaze.
"We're your ancestors."
"But why did you bring me here?" Blackdawn was confused. "If you have a prophecy, give it to Dustwing, not me!"
"Of course we'd give it to him!" Flowerstrike rolled her eyes. Dark shadows unfurled from behind her.
"I assume you're familiar with these?" Blackdawn widened her eyes, casting out her shadows as well. "Of course! My ancestors have these powers too!"
Streamflight nodded, smiling. Her shadows danced through the air gracefully, while Flowerstrike's shadows hovered in the air around her.
"Can you teach me how to use them?" Blackdawn asked.
"What do you think we're here for?" Streamflight's shadows wound around her, causing Blackdawn to smile.
"What have you done with your powers?" Flowerstrike asked. "We saw you in the battle, real terror there you were."
Blackdawn gulped. That's not exactly what I wanted to hear.
"I haven't used them a ton, mostly because I don't want to hurt anyone by accident. I have this power, and I don't want to hurt or kill anyone because I can't control them."
"Well, again, what do you think we're here for?" Streamflight gave a reassuring smile, and Blackdawn felt a pang of love for the silver she-cat.
She's my kin, after all.
"See, you're really the only Clan cat around right now to have one of the four leader's powers. Springstar and Streamstar's powers have died off, and Cavernstar's…" Flowerstrike shut her mouth. "Never mind who has Cavernstar's. The important thing is that Darkstar's power is still going."
"Darkstar?" Blackdawn asked. "Where is she? Is she with the other founders, I assume?"
"Well.." Streamflight began hesitantly. She took a deep breath. "Darkstar is in the Dark Forest, Blackdawn."
OH.
"I didn't know that." Blackdawn mewed in a small voice. "How did she get there?"
"We do not speak of it!" Flowerstrike snapped at Streamflight, who had opened her mouth again to respond. "Streamstar will kill us! It's the only reason that her power died off after all!"
"Well, you just gave it away!" Streamflight responded sharply. She turned her attention back to Blackdawn.
"Darkstar, well, she wanted her power to live on, but she wanted to kill off the other leader's powers. She was… quite successful with it. She killed all of Streamstar's kits, killed Springstar herself somehow, and Cavernstar's daughter, well, Cavernstar told her to run. His daughter obeyed him and was never seen again. When Darkstar came to Cavernclan's camp, the two leaders fought, and Cavernstar finally killed Darkstar himself, but lost his ninth life in the process and died from his wounds after. It was a tragedy."
Blackdawn sat there for a second in silence. That's terrible. No wonder she's in the Dark Forest.
"Anyways." Flowerstrike cleared her throat, dispelling the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the three cats. "Let's teach you some stuff, Blackdawn."
A while later, they finally stopped, and Blackdawn sat down on the ground, breathing heavily. "That was.. amazing!" She exclaimed.
"Good!" Streamflight looked happy. "Have fun in the living world, we'll see you again soon! We might bring more descendants next time, but I don't know."
"Don't bring Gorsetuft." Flowerstrike grinned. "He's the grumpiest cat to live in Starclan."
"If he wants to meet her, he's welcome to." Streamflight responded lightly. "Anyways, goodbye Blackdawn!"
The meadow disappeared, and Blackdawn fell into blackness, waking up in the dark in the warrior's den. Great. Thanks, I guess…
She tried to get back to sleep, but her mind stayed stubbornly awake, part of her itched to get out of camp and practice her shadows. She rolled over and let out a small sigh. "Can't sleep?" A familiar voice mewed beside her.
"Yup." She whispered back, rolling over to look at Seedstorm.
His amber eyes glowed in the dark as he yawned. "Neither can I. Do you want to go for a walk or something?"
"Sure." Blackdawn got to her paws, stretching. The two padded out of the den.
"Ooh…" Morningmist, who was on watch, giggled. "Have fun on your walk, lovebirds!"
She grinned, but Blackdawn could see the sadness in the calico's eyes, she missed Thistlefrost dearly, and this was probably reminding her of him.
"Thanks, I guess." Seedstorm replied awkwardly.
Blackdawn was nearly invisible in the darkness, her odd eyes being the only way to see her. "You were twitching in your sleep." Seedstorm told her. "Something about… shadows?"
"Oh!" Blackdawn explained to him about Streamflight and Flowerstrike, and learning how to use her powers better.
"That's awesome!" Seedstorm mewed at last when she was finished. His gaze grew dark. "But what Darkstar did, that's not."
"To think that that's my ancestor… " Blackdawn gave a small shudder.
"Don't worry." Seedstorm placed his tail across her shoulders comfortingly. "You're nothing like her. Her descendants have been good, so why would you be any different?"
"Thanks." Blackdawn blinked at him gratefully.
"Sure." Seedstorm mewed awkwardly.
Feeling a need to dispel the tension that had settled in between them, Blackdawn raced forward, glancing back at him. "Race you to the river!"
A playful grin spread over his face, and he dashed after her. Blackdawn was surprised, he was fast, but after all her practice racing Copperheart, who was slightly taller than Seedstorm, she was still slightly ahead.
"Great Starclan, you're fast!" Seedstorm exclaimed. He pulled ahead of her. "But not fast enough, apparently."
"Shut up." Blackdawn pushed herself harder, reaching the riverbank right before him.
"I win!" She proclaimed.
"I think it was a tie." Seedstorm mewed. "You're just a sore loser." She joked.
"Please." Seedstorm raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Lightbriar is the one who's a sore loser, not me."
"I wouldn't know, I've never raced her before." Blackdawn grinned. "But since I've had practice because of my brother, perhaps I would be able to beat her."
"You'd be able to beat her, no problem." Seedstorm grinned. "Thawtail's the one who you'd lose to. Despite being the bulkiest of the three, he's a speed demon. You'd never know it, but he's really fast."
That's cool. He's a really good warrior, I know that for sure.
She took a deep breath. I have to tell him that I love him. I can't wait any longer.
"Seedstorm?" She whispered.
"Yeah?" He replied.
"I, um, well, I like you. Like, a lot." She mewed awkwardly, cursing at herself afterwards.
What in Starclan's name was that?
"You do?" Seedstorm seemed taken aback. "Well, I um, well, so do I."
She sat there for a moment in shock. What? "You do?" She said at last.
Seedstorm nodded awkwardly.
"I, um, then…" Blackdawn started, but she trailed off and they just stared at each other for a long moment. "Well then." Blackdawn mewed awkwardly.
Another silence enveloped the space until Blackdawn began to laugh. We're so awkward around each other. Seedstorm joined her, and the silence was shattered by their laughing. "Sorry." Blackdawn mewed at last, grinning. "It was just so awkward."
Seedstorm nodded. She realized that the moon was already starting to dip from its highest point in the sky, and widened her eyes in alarm.
"We should probably get back to camp."
"Yeah, I'm on dawn patrol." Seedstorm replied regretfully.
"I'm sorry!" Blackdawn exclaimed. "You didn't have to come with me! Now you're going to be exhausted!"
Seedstorm shrugged. "Everyone's tired on dawn patrol. Anyways, I couldn't sleep and I'll be able to take a nap during the day."
They padded back to camp, and Blackdawn felt like flying. This has been the best night of my life! Nothing can ruin this day for me!
—
(Pinemist's POV)
Pinemist yawned, breathing in an awfully familiar scent. He froze, his ginger fur disappearing and blending into his environment effortlessly.
"Don't hide from me, Pinemist. I can tell where you are." No. No. How did she find me? I thought I had run far enough…
A sickening feeling twisted his stomach as he realized why the forest had seemed so familiar. He had grown up around here. This was the place that he had been running from all this time.
He crept out of the log carefully, but his back paw hit a clump of rotten wood and made a large cracking noise, alerting Applestar to his location. He froze again, his eyes wide. Great Starclan, Pinemist!
"There you are." Applestar snarled, leaping at him.
Pinemist's battle training flashed back, but he knew that it would be useless against Applestar, she would beat him.
I have to run. It's worked once, it has to work again.
He ducked and leaped off the log, heading for cover, but her claws snagged the tip of his fluffy tail and yanked him to the ground. He flew off the log and hit the ground with a dull thump, knocking the breath out of him. His invisibility flickered, and he hissed in anger and fear, scrabbling away from Applestar, who stalked towards him.
"You really haven't fought in a while, have you?" She smirked. "This is easier than I thought."
"I've been better at hiding." Pinemist gasped, his invisibility covering him once more.
"Oh, stop hiding from me, Pinemist." Applestar hissed, lunging at him and pinning him down.
Even though she couldn't see him, she had strangely accurate aim, and Pinemist unsheathed his claws. It looks like I may have to fight, something I haven't done in a few seasons.
His power flickered out of fear, and Pinemist desperately tried to calm himself down, but it wasn't working. All the terrible memories from the past flashed back to him, and he struggled further. I have to run, I have to get out of here. He was lost for breath and he gasped, but it was no use. I'm going to die.
"I forgot that your power decides to flicker when you get panicked." Applestar raked his cheek with one paw, and Pinemist winced in pain, feeling blood trickle down the side of his face and stain the ground below.
"You know, I found Darkstar's descendant. She's a Streamclan apprentice, probably a warrior now. She's useless."
She dug her claws harder into his chest, and he felt blood bubbling out from in between her claws.
I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to die.
His power flickered off, showing his bloodstained ginger fur and wide green eyes. I might as well be visible when I do.
"You're achieving nothing with this." Pinemist hissed at her, feeling a newfound sense of bravery overtake him. "Well, I'll achieve killing you, so that's something." Applestar didn't seem concerned. "Those idiots in the Clans may have exiled me, but that was the worst mistake that they've ever made."
"My sister." Pinemist gasped. Feathersoar. Please say that you're alive and healthy in Cavernclan.
"She helped me." Applestar grinned, an evil grin that chilled Pinemist's heart. "She's dead, I presume. Her Clan wouldn't have let her come back, not after she almost killed Dustwing for me." She frowned. "She was supposed to kill him, but that obviously didn't happen, unlike Goosepaw's death."
"Goosepaw?" Pinemist asked. "Who's that?"
"Not important." Applestar hissed down at him. "But I think you know who killed him. They're from Streamclan."
"I am familiar. " Pinemist replied icily, memories of the dark tom flashing in his mind.
"I would run, little Pinemist. You're not supposed to be alive, are you? Don't worry, it's our little secret." He shivered.
That cat is evil.
"Well, nice chat, don't you think?" Applestar smirked. She raised her other paw.
"But I'm going to kill you now, I think. It's been far too long."
Suddenly a loud yowl came from across the clearing. "Hey, Pinemist! You need some help there?"
It was a mew that he thought he'd never hear again.
And I'll have to end it here! Who do you think it is that came to rescue Pinemist? I feel so happy because I know the answers to all the secrets... Anyways, I'll try to update this tomorrow, but I think that I'm going to go watch some MAP'S now... I hope that everyone is staying safe!
Have a good day (or night) and keep writing!
-Mintflight