Chapter 10

A Plea for Peace

Darkness clouded my thoughts for what felt like forever, I was almost sure that I was killed. It wasn't until I felt warmth on my fur and scented the unforgettable tang of herbs that I was certainly still alive. I blinked slowly until my vision came together to form the ShadowClan medicine den in front of me. As my vision came into focus, my hearing did as well.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about not going to the Moonpool." I could hear Flametail's voice from the other end of the den past a curtain of frost-scorched ferns. "I didn't want to upset you. But I couldn't disobey StarClan."

I kept my head rested on my paws, flicking and straining my ears to listen. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was already in the den, and it wasn't like I had the strength to walk out when I still felt the aching soreness of my wounds.

Littlecloud croaked softly. "I understand, I only ask for the truth."

"Now you have it." Flametail replied. I caught a glimpse of his fiery red pelt as he straightened himself from his previous position crouching near his mentor. "We must stand alone. Raggedstar has made that clear, and I'm going to honor his wish."

Was Raggedstar an older ShadowClan leader? I wondered to myself.

"Must I?" Littlecloud challenged. I had to strain to hear his faint whisper of a voice. "I've had no dreams. No visions. I've no reason to abandon old friends."

"Are you thinking of Cinderpelt?"

There was an uncomfortable pause between the two of them.

Flametail leaned closer. "She's dead," he murmured. "Jayfeather is ThunderClan's medicine cat now. He's not Cinderpelt. He'll want to fight alone if StarClan wishes it."

"Jayfeather can do what he likes!" Littlecloud propped himself up with a groan. "Cinderpelt saved my life once. That act bonded us closer than friends. I will not abandon the Clan she loved until that debt is repaid."

I blinked in surprise, wondering what sort of debt Littlecloud could have had with this Cinderpelt that they've mentioned. From the judgement of the uncomfortable silence, Littlecloud's words plucked at my heart. What bond could have been so powerful that Littlecloud would desire to repay her even after death?

Before I could ponder any further, the stems around the entrance rustled, and Rowanclaw poked his head in. "Flametail?" he called. "Blackstar wants to see you. Just Flametail," The ginger tom turned his head toward Littlecloud who was preparing to get out of his nest. "Blackstar heard you coughing. He wants you to rest."

Littlecloud growled with frustration but sank back into the soft moss.

"I'll tell you what he says," Flametail promised, and hurried after Rowanclaw.

I sunk my head on top of my paws and sighed audibly.

"You don't have to pretend you weren't listening." Littlecloud rasped softly.

I perked up my head and felt my ears heat up with embarrassment. "S-Sorry, I didn't hear much though, I promise. I just woke up."

Littlecloud lazily rolled his head over to face me. "Flametail stayed up nearly all night tending to your wounds. We didn't have much left, but he used whatever he could to fix you up." Littlecloud's body was wracked with coughs before he spoke again. "You should thank him when he returns."

Blinking, I cautiously turned away to peer at my wounds. Upon inspection, Littlecloud was correct, and I saw that my wounds from the fox battle were now glazed over with layers of poultices and leaves. I took a sniff, the bitterness fluttering over me. I thought for sure I would be left for dead in that snowbank to be eaten by wolves and foxes.

The wolf.

My mind raced back to the beast that saved my life. Did it really happen or was it a vision? I shook my head to pry away the vision from my mind's eye. It must have been a hallucination in my wounded state. I wasn't sure what I saw, but couldn't have been a wolf. A yawn escaped my mouth as I felt exhaustion flow over me. How I wished I could return to my training with Applefur. Though I supposed that my current injuries were of no fault but my own foolishness.

"Get some rest and you'll be good as new in the morning." Littlecloud assured me after another bout of coughing.

I sighed and rested the side of my cheek against the soft straw and moss of the nest once again. My claws itched to leave and train with Applefur, but I knew it wasn't plausible at this time. I closed my eyes and decided to rest just a while longer before returning to my training. Wherever Flametail was, he was busy and I couldn't talk with him.

Maybe when I wake up.

A strange, hollow breeze whipped over my head. It was loud enough to wake me up. The first scent that came to me was the stench of death and decaying plant matter. I groaned and lifted up my head, shaking leaves that had clung to my pelt. I blinked a few times and looked down at my paws, seeing that the ground was darkened and cold. Around me was a massive expanse of forest with fireflies fluttering lazily in the air. To me, the sight was almost enchanting.

I sat up on my hind legs, raising a paw to bat at one of the fireflies absentmindedly. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed a strange glow. I blinked and twisted around to see the glint of bioluminescent mushrooms, pulsing with an eerie cyan glow against the darkened tree trunks.

"Fallenpaw?"

I swiveled my head around upon hearing my name being called. My jaw almost dropped when I saw Redwillow emerging from the thick mist weaving in between the trees. His brown and orange tortoiseshell pelt was unmistakable, even in the half-light of the fireflies and mushrooms.

"What are you doing here?" He asked me almost in a hushed tone.

I glanced at one of the fireflies boredly. "Dreaming." I replied flatly.

"Nonono," he corrected with a flicking tail, "The Place of No Stars, how are you here? I don't remember any of the mentors mentioning bringing you here."

I tilted my head in confusion. I was about to ask my Clanmate what he meant until from directly behind him, I saw a broad-shouldered dark brown lynx-point tabby tom with a triangular, slim head and body. There was a dash of snow-white on his chest stained with the oozing of an old, festering wound. His eyes were cold, icy blue and a smirk dancing on his muzzle. Redwillow noticed the cat a moment too late as the stranger padded right past him closer to me.

I froze up when the tom raised a claw, placing it gently on my chin. I immediately jerked my head away in defiance. "Excuse me: who are you? Have you never learned of a thing called 'personal space'?"

"Oh my- the twoleg can speak just as we can." The cat purred nonchalantly.

My blood ran cold. How did this cat know I was a twoleg? I looked over his shoulder to see Redwillow's expression of utter confusion. My paws began to tremble as I took a few steps backwards. "I don't know what you're talking about." I lied through my teeth.

The tom smiled pleasantly and dipped his head. "Apologies. My name is Hawkfrost, and you're Fallenpaw, right?"

I swallowed hard and narrowed my eyes before nodding.

Redwillow quietly continued to watch the exchange between the two of us, completely wordless.

Hawkfrost sat down on the blackened grass and kept his gaze locked onto me. "All of StarClan and the Place of No Stars knows that you are a twoleg. There's no fear of judgement here, however. No one here judges anyone by their blood or Clan. StarClan on the other hand- intends to try and separate the Clans."

Flametail's words rang through my ears. From now on, ShadowClan has no allies.

My blood prickled at the thought. Something felt off: even if I wasn't native-born to the Clans, there was still the sensation that it might be prudent for Clans to work together in times of strife and sickness, and yet they stood alone. The recollections of the burning stares of mistrust were seared into my memory, and all because I was perceived as an untrustworthy kittypet. I felt the stares when they thought I wasn't looking. Even if I was a twoleg- I was not a fool.

"StarClan told us we must stand alone," I mumbled mostly to myself as I hung my head. "My Clan, Flametail, he's felt so alone. Ever since ThunderClan's attack, he's worked himself to the bone day and night to keep everyone happy." I felt my fur begin to prickle. "And all because ThunderClan attacked us. If only they would share some herbs that I know they have, we wouldn't be suffering."

"That's what we want," Hawkfrost mewed sympathetically as he leaned down to my eye level. "You can see past your own nose, but not even Blackstar wants to admit he needs help. They need someone like you to guide them."

"I'm not strong enough." I hissed as I shut my eyes tightly. My claws uncontrollably dug into the dark grass as the fur on my back bristled. "I couldn't even last a minute against the foxes. I want peace, it wasn't fair that Russetfur died. If the Clans would just work together, then we'd be okay. Why do they fight, anyway? We would survive so much easier if everyone got along. But…" I shuffled my paws to pluck at the dirt. "They'd never listen to me. To them, I'm a weak kittypet. I nearly became fox-food."

I felt Hawkfrost's chilly nose pressed up against my forehead. "I'm sorry," he mumbled gently. "I know it hurts. I lived the same way. I wanted to unite the Clans, much like my father has done. I was close too, until I was killed by my very own brother." His gaze lowered to a wooden stake lodged in his chest. I winced as a response.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled.

"But now I have the chance to guide others to something I never could have possessed." Hawkfrost's icy eyes lit up and his smile widened. "You have a gift that they simply cannot see. You have insight they could never hope to achieve. You must get them to listen to you, but you must be stronger first. I can help you get there."

I blinked in surprise. This sounded almost too good to be true. I was young, sure, but I wasn't an idiot either. "What's the catch?" I asked cautiously.

Hawkfrost tilted his head before glancing over to Redwillow. The grin returned. "Train with us every night, that is all I ask. We are amassing a collection of warriors across all the Clans who have the same mindset as you do; cats that only want the best for their Clans. Together, we are united under the same sky, we aren't separated like the borders of the waking world. It will be rough, yes, but you will soon be among the strongest of warriors in ShadowClan."

Redwillow's voice piped up from behind Hawkfrost. "Tigerheart and Applefur are here too, along with Ratscar."

That many of my Clanmates are training in secret? I wondered quietly.

"We're preparing to grow stronger until we can show ourselves and demand for peace. We simply need more voices." The tortoiseshell Clanmate went on as he padded forward to meet my side. "Like he said, we don't recognize borders here. In the Place of No Stars, we're all the same. We learn all the skills we could ever want or need, it's not at all like the soft training when we're awake. If I knew the skills I know now, I think we could have saved Russetfur."

Russetfur's name tugged at my chest. Their words were so soft, dripping with exactly the words I wanted to hear. I desired for training, and Applefur simply has not been giving it to me. My head was swarming with excitement. If there was a chance we could unify the Clans, then I would take that opportunity. I inhaled slowly and nodded to Hawkfrost. "Okay, I'll take your advice. But I'm not making any full commitments yet. I want to see what this 'Place of No Stars' has to offer before I make any decisions."

The brown tabby nodded agreeably. "I understand. We'll see you tomorrow night, Fallenpaw."

That's when I knew that this had to be the start of something incredible.