Chapter 4: Trials and Memories, part 2

A hiss sounded from the tree line front of Jaggedshadow. He looked down and found that he was wrestling a smaller, skinny black tom. The tom struggled, but could not shake his opponent. Jaggedshadow bent his head down and sank his fangs into the tom –Greynose– 's shoulder. Greynose ran off with a yowl. Jaggedshadow stood up and ran toward Cedartail, searching the clearing for rebels. A small white she-cat charged forward with fury in her eyes. Jaggedshadow stepped forward and batted her away with a swipe of his paw.

He crept around, keeping himself hidden within the shadows. There's something oddly familiar about this, and I don't like it.

Jaggedshadow's father, Icefang, was wrestling Cedartail. Cedartail pinned Icefang against the ground and slammed the side of his head against the ground. "You will die for your treachery."

No! I don't want to relive this. Jaggedshadow began to walk away, but his paws remained on the ground, as if rooted in place.

"I have betrayed no cat! I have served loyally at your side for moons," Icefang insisted.

"Liar!" Cedartail shouted, "you have betrayed your clan."

"Never!" Icefang meowed as he struggled in a desperate attempt to free himself. "I have only betrayed myself."

Cedartail chortled and swiped his claws at Icefang's throat. Blood splattered his face, chest and forelegs. "Those were the truest words you've said since your return."

Icefang thrashed wildly in a final desperate attempt to throw Cedartail off him. Cedartail stabbed Icefang in the chest with his claws and held him down as he bled out.

Icefang's body relaxed as he went limp.

Icefang lifted and turned his head toward Jaggedshadow, his sky-blue eyes draining of light.

His head dropped back down. Cedartail stood up and walked toward flamesong. Jaggedshadow stepped out of the shadows and walked back to the ridge-top clearing.

He scanned the corpse-strewn clearing with sight and scent, and saw Snowfeather lying motionless on the ground. Jaggedshadow walked toward her body. Blood had collected in a large pool that lay below the killing wound. The fur on her neck and forelegs was soaked in her own blood. Jaggedshadow turned away and walked toward the watching tree.

Why was I shown that? Jaggedshadow closed his eyes and let his whiskers and nose guide him down the tunnels. The path before him sloped as he walked, the air becoming cold and heavy like snowfall. Jaggedshadow's belly rumbled hungrily as he continued walking. He halted mid-step and his fur spiked up. A stone pillar blocked his path.

Jaggedshadow opened his mouth slightly to taste the air. He continued walking, his tail still brisling like a pinecone. Something under Jaggedshadow dislodged itself from the gritty, abrasive stone and he fell.

Jaggedshadow was pressed between a cold wall of frozen moss and a warm lump of long, soft, fine fur. He stood up and stretched, his back arching, and his paws flexed open until they began to hurt. As he finished stretching, he unsheathed his claws and sank them into the moss.

"Where am I?" He squeaked. And why does my voice sound like that?

His questions were answered only by soft, peaceful breaths. Jaggedshadow climbed out of the nest and sheathed his claws. Shadefern, Riverpelt, Hawkflight, Nightsong, and Dawnfall were lying sound asleep in the nest. If they're all here, then where are Icefang and Pineheart?

The air felt cold and crisp on his whiskers. He walked towards the cold, his legs shaking and wobbling all the way. Jaggedshadow walked face-first into something solid. He fell to the cold, sandy ground and stood shakily back up. His legs gave out and he fell again. Claws unsheathed and were sunk into the sand. But his claws purchase on the sand soon failed and Jaggedshadow felt the coarse grains on his face once again. He pulled himself back off the ground, his tail lashing from frustration.

"Fierce-spirited, isn't he?" Icefang asked.

"He takes after you," Shadefern meowed from the other side of the den.

Icefang seemed to ignore her words and he crossed the den. Jaggedshadow crawled to the edge of the nest and sat up.

"Icefang, what is it that you're holding?" Shadefern asked him.

"A wolf pup," Icefang meowed matter-of-factly, "I found it underneath a tall-pine."

Jaggedshadow stepped sideways and ducked behind a rock. Is this when me and my littermates were introduced to Pineheart? He dropped into a crouch and tried to keep still, but his tail-tip waved in the air.

"I will nurse him and raise him as a son, if that is what you're asking of me," Shadefern meowed

"It is."

"Bring him here." Shadefern meowed, "What shall we call him?"

"I found him under a tall-pine, so his prefix should be pine."

"I agree completely, but the suffix still needs to be decided."

"Night maybe?" Icefang set the black bundle beside Shadefern.

Icefang's gaze swept over the boulder and Jaggedshadow pulled himself closer to the ground. But his parents didn't seem to notice, so he stood up a bit and tucked his paws under himself.

"His fur is too coarse to be a sky-dweller." Shadefern pulled her tail away from Riverpelt's paws and tucked it under her hindlegs.

"And too long to be a night-stalker." Stoneclaw entered the den and sat down between Icefang and the rock that Jaggedshadow was hiding behind.

"I thought that we agreed that this is a private matter," Icefang muttered.

"It still is, and this was my idea," Stoneclaw meowed, "besides, I brought prey."

"Thank you, so much," Shadefern meowed as she began to devour a small pheasant, scattering feathers around the den and nest.

"What about heart?"

"Stoneclaw, I have no idea what you're talking about," Icefang meowed.

"Well the wolf's build is similar to that of a tree-leaper."

"True."

Shadefern lay back down. "Pineheart… now that is a good name."

"So, it is agreed?" Stoneclaw asked.

Icefang and Shadefern nodded, and the latter spoke. "Yes it is. From this moment onward, he will be known as Pineheart."

Jaggedshadow's tail-tip began to curl and uncurl side-to side. He peeked over the rock. Nightsong stood up and yawned. His small, white needle-like teeth outshined his long, fine black fluffy fur. Jaggedshadow sat up and his tail dropped softly downward until it lay flat on the sand.

"Jaggedshadow, you can come out from behind that rock," Shadefern meowed, "we can see you."

"I'm not tired," Jaggedshadow meowed.

"You need to rest." Shadefern stepped out of the nest and fastened her teeth into his scruff. She set him in the nest and lay down once again.

Jaggedshadow found himself in the tunnel once again. He walked around the pillar and found himself standing before two paths. One path smelt strongly of earth and the other smelt of water and stone. Jaggedshadow took the path to the right, that smelt of earth and stale fear-scent, and soon felt sunlight warm his back. By then the hunger pangs had all but gone away. He lifted his head and saw the sun's light shine through a semicircular hole. The path sloped upward and the striped guardian ducked as the tunnel narrowed. He stopped abruptly before a wall of rock.

Panic surged within Jaggedshadow, choking his confidence and muddying his thoughts. He whirled around, his flank slamming into the side of the tunnel, and ran back to the place where the paths split. He ignored the throbbing that came from his side. The left-hand path remained mostly level as Jaggedshadow walked onward. Without warning, the tunnel floor became smooth and it sloped steeply downward.

He unsheathed his claws and hooked them into cracks in the rock. Jaggedshadow braced his hindlegs against the cold stony ground and ducked. The stone scraped Jaggedshadow's large ears. He folded them flat against his head and brought himself lower to the ground. The tunnel opened up and a hare darted into the path. Dropping into a hunting crouch, he sprang forward and sank his teeth into the hare's ribcage. The hare kicked and thrashed, but Jaggedshadow bit down even harder, until his prey's ribs cracked.

Jaggedshadow stood up and walked, his hunger having been satisfied. The path remained narrow, but the floor had become covered in a thin layer of sand. He walked along the path and tripped over a root. He stood up, ran forward and stopped abruptly in front of a steep rock face.

Cedartail, Flamesong and Nightsong stood atop the stone circle. Jaggedshadow glanced around himself. A clan meeting had been called and Nightclan -all that remained of it- had already gathered around the stone circle.

Cedartail stepped toward his subjects. "Clan-mates, we have all but purged the clan of traitors and renegades, and now, we will deal with the last of them. Flamesong, fetch Moondusk and Whitestripe, and bring the prisoners here."

Flamesong leaped off the rock. He landed on a ledge and rolled for a few fox-lengths. Jaggedshadow looked around himself. Most of Nightclan lay among the worms and tree roots. Those who had survived the battle, were plastered in poultices and splints which concealed wounds and broken bones. Out of his left eye, Jaggedshadow saw Flamesong leap off the tower. Flamesong landed on a ledge and rolled for a few fox-lengths. Riverpelt, Shadowclaw, Pineheart, Whitestripe, Moondusk and Flamesong leaped onto the stone circle. Jaggedshadow looked down, knowing that he had failed the Sky Dwellers.

"The prisoners will receive their punishments individually, starting with this treasonous brute." Cedartail shoved Pineheart to the edge of the circle.

"Treasonous?" Pineheart raised his chin and looked Cedartail in the eye. "I killed Coalfoot because he was a so-called traitor."

"Silence beast," Whitestripe growled. Pineheart bared his teeth. His loud, deep guttural growl drowned out Whitestripe's voice.

"Pineheart, for your insubordination, insolence and treachery," Cedartail meowed, "I, Cedartail, leader of Nightclan, brand you a renegade and cast you out of Nightclan for life."

"You will regret this." Pineheart leaped into the highledge.

"Flamesong, follow it and make sure that it crosses the border," Cedartail meowed.

Riverpelt stepped forward with a shocked look on her face. Flesh and bone showed where cruel claws had gouged grooves across her face. Jaggedshadow stepped back, gasping.

"Moondusk, Shadowclaw, to prove your loyalty, you must fight each other," Cedartail meowed, "Nightclan, make room for the combat."

The crowd parted and formed a ring. Moondusk leaped off the stone and Shadowclaw followed her brother. Cedartail grinned and lowered his tail to signal the beginning of the combat.

Moondusk and Shadowclaw circled each other, looking for an advantage. Moondusk slashed her shoulder. Shadowclaw struck back. Moondusk leaped on top of her. Shadowclaw went limp, as if admitting defeat. Moondusk relaxed and he looked to Cedartail.

Shadowclaw leaped upward, dislodging Moondusk and sending him across the ring. Shadowclaw rushed Moondusk and raked her claws across his surprised face. Moondusk slashed her chest. She leaped back. He prowled toward her and sank his teeth into her shoulder. Shadowclaw kicked her brother's nose, causing him to let go. She walked toward Moondusk, slashing his face and chest multiple times as she advanced. He slashed back, and they circled each other again. Shadowclaw leaped on Moondusk. Moondusk rolled over and pinned her against the ground.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Finish her." Cedartail meowed.

"I'm sorry Shadowclaw," Moondusk whispered into her ear.

"S-so cold," Shadowclaw meowed softly.

"Shh," Moondusk whispered to her, "it's alright."

Jaggedshadow didn't see Shadowclaw die. Moondusk sat next to her, his left flank shielding his sister from view. Jaggedshadow stared at his paws. If he had failed the Sky Dwellers during the battle, he might as well have betrayed them then.

"An excellent entertainment," Cedartail cheered.

Jaggedshadow's blood boiled. He clenched his jaw and wondered how could any cat be entertained by bloodshed, much less a clanmate and a leader. Moondusk stood up, looking blankly around as if nothing would be the same again.

Cedartail turned toward his audience. "And finally... Riverpelt, for your treason during the battle at hawk ridge, I cast you out of Nightclan."

"Surely her blinding is enough punishment?" Jaggedshadow meowed.

"And have a useless, disloyal warrior in my clan?" Cedartail hissed. "Never. She will leave my territory at once or be driven out."

Jaggedshadow shook his head. "It's not right. In case you didn't notice, she is-"

"Silence low-born, unless you wish to take her place," Cedartail meowed.

"No, I will leave," Riverpelt meowed. "Jaggedshadow, it's honorable of you to defend me, but we're not kits anymore. I can look after myself."

Jaggedshadow stood up as Riverpelt climbed down the meeting stone. They shared a quick, somber farewell and Riverpelt ran across the camp. Jaggedshadow watched his sister run down the entry tunnel and out of sight. Cedartail grabbed some prey from the fresh kill pile and went to his den. Jaggedshadow went into the apprentices den and dropped heavily onto his nest.

Plague's black-striped blood-red figure appeared in front of Jaggedshadow like a cool breeze on a warm Greenleaf day. "Rough day Jaggedshadow?"

"Not now Plague, I-I-" Jaggedshadow's calm facade shattered and tears began dripping down his face.

"Something is troubling you. What is it?" Plague meowed.

"I don't want to talk about it," Jaggedshadow meowed.

"Then stop whining. I'm trying to sleep," Nightsong meowed from the other side of the den.

"Aren't you supposed to sleep in the medicine den?" Jaggedshadow asked.

"It's full, as is the guardians cave. So, for the time being, I will sleep here." Nightsong meowed as he stretched and then curled back into the nest.

Jaggedshadow stood up and found himself in the tunnel again. As he tried to climb the rock face, Jaggedshadow found it to be more slippery than he would have thought. He stepped upward and his feet lost their hold. Jaggedshadow got back up and shook the sand out of his fur. He leaped onto the rock face and began to climb. Jaggedshadow crawled slowly up the water-washed rock face, his claws gaining just enough purchase on the rock for his ascent. Jaggedshadow reached the top and walked along the tunnel until his paws began to ache.

He stopped walking and panted. Under his fur, a thin layer of sweat covered his skin. Jaggedshadow looked around. Despite his eye's adjustment to the dark, there was no light to reflect and thus, Jaggedshadow couldn't see anything.

His fur pricked up. It had grown ragged and dull from moons of neglect. Once striking stripes and bands of black and silver that split a background of sand-like tan fur, had long since lost their gloss.

Jaggedshadow stood up. His tunnel journey thus far had been tiring. Between the treacherous terrain, the dark coldness of the tunnels, and the haunting visions of his past, Jaggedshadow was exhausted. His sense of time had long since escaped him. There were no shifting shadows or patches of light to indicate the passing of the day.