CHAPTER 27

The trek back to Gorseclan camp was largely silent, an uneasy, tense quiet that made Dappledshade feel twitchy. Like her body wanted to run, or fight. Something. Not just pad along slowly at the back of the line, making sure the Tussockclan elders kept up.

By the time the rocky outcropping of Gorseclan camp came into view, the sun was starting to peek over the mountains. Everyone was tired. Dewstar looked like she was about to fall over. Multiple times, one of the Wise Ones would protest making Dewstar continue the walk. Apparently after reviving from a lost life, leaders were weak till they had rested, and Dewstar had just lost two in a row. She hadn't said a word.

Once everyone had made their way through the main tunnel of gorse, Icestar ordered some of the warriors milling around camp in the dawn light to quickly expand the spare den where Venom was being kept. They had new "guests" to accommodate. The queen with the two kits, along with Gullcry, were indicated towards the queen's den. Cuckoofeather flicked her tail for them to follow; carrying one of the kits in her mouth as they had been for the trip.

Taking her chance before someone interrupted her, Dappledshade darted forward to Icestar. "Icestar, sir, may I speak with you in your den, for a moment?" The white tom blinked slowly at her, considering for a moment, then nodded, gesturing for her to follow.

As she walked behind him towards his den, she glanced around. She saw Gullcry being reunited with her kits. Wekadash, who had been feeding them, had brought them out to show her. The black and white queen was practically sobbing with joy as she embraced the three small bundles before taking them back into the queen's den, the queen with older kits from Tussockclan following in behind her.

The Gorseclan cats, awake to see their return, looked somewhat confused. Though others were appearing to be revelling in the fact they had clearly come back victorious. "An extra mouse for the conquering heroes!" Rimuleaf called out to Weedfur. The senior warrior shook his head as he passed, heading straight for his nest and dampening Rimuleaf's mood. "What's up with him?" He asked his neighbour quizzically.

Of course, the rest of Gorseclan didn't know about the rogues. Not yet.

Dappledshade hopped up the stones then squeezed through the narrow passage into Icestar's den. The dawn light filtered through into the den, illuminating his plush moss nest as he settled down into it. What, so he wasn't even going to show the smallest amount of respect to her by standing while they talked? The leader let out a deep sigh as he lay down. "Ah, better. It was a long night wasn't it Dappledshade?"

"Yeah…" She flexed her toes against the stone. They were stuck with a mixture of Haretuft's blood and sand. She was probably going to have to wash them in water to get it off. She did not feel like trying to groom the congealed mess off her fur. Icestar's own white fur was stained with dried blood too; his muzzle from the initial strike on Dewstar, his front paw from the second. It didn't seem to bother him, outwardly.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Icestar asked, scratching an idle itch.

Dappledshade took a deep breath, second guessing if she should even say anything. She knew he wouldn't like it, but she also found herself unable to stay silent. "The rogues." The words spilled from her mouth before she could chicken out. She could feel her tail twitching erratically with her contained agitation, and tried to consciously stop it. She needed to remain composed in front of her leader. "After everything… With what they are-! I know there's nothing specific in the warrior code or anything, but it feels wrong working with them! And what you did to Dewstar…"

His orange eyes were like burning fire as he stared at her, and she found herself dipping her head despite any righteous fury she was feeling. "I'm sorry, sir, but I have to express my concerns." She was an elite, right? Their job was to advise the leader, not just support him.

"As is your right." Icestar said, after a pause to wait and see if she was finished. He looked her up and down; a gaze that felt scrutinising. "But I must say, I am very disappointed." She felt small. "After everything I have done for you, Dappledshade, and it seems like you don't trust me."

"It's not that-"

"It seems to me it's exactly that, since you are in here, questioning my judgement." Icestar overspoke her. "Starclan has blessed all my actions for the greater good of all cats. I know you do not hold much faith in them, but regardless their will is done. Did I not teach you that sometimes you must put aside personal ethics in the short term?"

"Yes sir." She muttered, feeling her ears burning.

Icestar considered her again, before shutting his eyes a moment, and shaking his head slightly. "Dappledshade, why am I having to tell you multiple times? Have we not already been over this? Do I need to explain how this works in detail to you, again, like you're still a kit?" He sighed.

"No… I know, sir."

"Then act like you know." He growled slightly. "You're on probation; no elite duties for you until you can prove to me you actually deserve them." Dappledshade's first instinct was to protest, but she caught herself and held her tongue, only nodding in acceptance.

Icestar sighed again. "Dappledshade; you did well at the raid today, despite your personal misgivings, and I appreciate you doing so. I know you aren't the only one to dislike the rogues. It will be an adjustment for us all, but do you notice that none of the others have come and accost me about it? It's trust…. I see great things in you. I wouldn't have chosen you as an apprentice if I did not. Wouldn't have promoted you straight to my guard. Would not have put so much effort into making you what you are." His tone had softened, and she met his eye once again. "But you need to learn to have faith in me, and in Starclan. Keep your head down and do your job."

"Yes, Icestar. I will." She turned to leave, seeing herself as dismissed after that tongue-lashing and temporary demotion. Why didn't she learn? Why did she keep doing this to herself? One day Icestar's patience for her questioning would run out for good, after everything he had done for her as her mentor, and she kept thinking ill of his choices… He had taught her all of this before! That the result mattered more than the action. The rogues were a means to an end. She had to stomach them like everyone else. She was sure Icestar had a plan to get rid of them once it was done.

Icestar called after her. "Trust, Dappledshade! Starclan's path ahead is clear. Before long all this strife will be done."

As she hopped down the stones from his den, she thought about what he had said. If nothing else, she was certain he was not lying about Starclan talking with him, or at least, what he believed was Starclan guidance.

Dappledshade paused for a moment on the last boulder before the dusty hard ground of the camp floor, looking around camp. Cats had gathered together in their little groups for morning sharing of tongues and breakfast. There was certainly more of an unease in the chatter now than when she had gone into Icestar's den. The news about the rogues must have spread now.

She couldn't see most of her fellow elites; they had probably all gone to bed, as exhausted as she felt. That was her first port of call. A meal could wait till after a good sleep… The dawn patrol hadn't left yet; Sedgetuft among them. It seemed that they had been pulled into expanding the prisoners' den that would now house the Tussockclan Wise Ones, along with Venom. She noticed him watching her, meeting his eye for a moment before pulling her own away.

Her nest was calling. She couldn't be bothered with anything else now. Even her dirty paws could wait. Suddenly she felt all very heavy. Curling up in her nest, she tucked herself right into the moss and leaves and collected feathers, wrapping her tail over her face to cover her eyes. Maybe she would wake up, and things would be better. She wouldn't have disappointed Icestar, again. She wouldn't be temporarily demoted. Her clan wouldn't be working with rogues.

Fat chance.

Instead when she opened her eyes, seemingly moments later, she found herself in a familiar foggy swamp. "Sun's flaming eyes…" She snarled to herself as her feet sunk in the mud. Goodie, the Dark Forest again… It had been quite a while since she had found herself back here in her dreams.

"I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me, Stoatberry!" Dappledshade called out, her irritation seeping easily into her tone. She didn't need to keep her manners here. Stoatberry couldn't care less if she was polite or not, and even if she did, what was she going to do about it? Haunt her? She was already doing that, annoyingly so.

Stoatberry's voice did not answer her. Dappledshade scanned the bog; peering into the mist and branches above, searching for the sleek she-cat. To no avail. This was a first. Stoatberry had never called her and then not turned up before. "This is really rude, you know!" The warrior called out again, flattening her ears. Still nothing but silence. The only movement she could detect was the shadows at the edge of the fog. Every time her eyes turned to look for Stoatberry, the shrunk back behind the tree trunks. Even after all this time, they still unnerved her; especially now Stoatberry was nowhere to be found. Dappledshade really didn't want to know what those shadows might be capable of if they snuck up on you.

Even though there was seemingly nobody else around, Dappledshade felt like she was being watched. Whether it was the shadows or not, she wasn't sure. Was Stoatberry playing some kind of game with her?

Growling in frustration, the young warrior paced back and forth with a lashing tail, muttering under her breath. "Like I need this today…" She huffed and puffed out all of the grievances she could not air in camp as she stalked back and forth, wearing a groove in the soft ground.

She spat about her frustrations; about Icestar and his prophecy; about how Starclan, to her, seemed like they were full of mouse-droppings. How could they claim to be so high-and-mighty if they were approving what Icestar had done? Maybe her idea of them was all wrong after all. Maybe they were a lot more utilitarian than airy-fairy… She snarled to herself about the rogues too, and about her demotion. "I bet you think that's funny, huh?!" Even the chance to taunt her "apprentice" on her blow to her pride did not bring the ghost out of hiding.

Panting with the exertion of her ranting, only silence answered her. Or… wait. Her ears pricked. That was a sound. Something faint in the distance, through the thick fog. She strained her ears, trying to pick up what exactly the noise was. It sounded like a voice. It was kind of… familiar.

Dappledshade tried to move towards it, but then a jolt ran through her body. With a blink, suddenly the dank swamp was replaced by bright sunshine filtering in through the roof of the warriors den. Someone was shaking her shoulder with a paw. As her vision cleared up from sleep, Creampelt's face came into view, peering at her. "Dappledshade! Are you awake? Sorrelwind said that you've slept long enough, she wants you to go hunting with me."

"Creampelt… Yeah, I'm coming, give me a moment." The tortoiseshell yawned, quick to stretch and get to her feet. Glancing at her paws reminded her to pass by a stream or something to wash that sand and dried blood off sometime while they were out.

The fluffy she-cat nodded. "Meet you at the entrance. She said you're allowed to hunt for yourself as well, so we can eat once we're out." Her bushy tail swept from the den.

Dappledshade shook herself off, trying to get rid of that lingering cloistered feeling that a dream in the Dark Forest always brought. That, and trying to collect her thoughts on what happened right before she was woken up. That voice… She could have sworn that it sounded like Icestar. Had Stoatberry been trying to show her something after all?

But that was impossible. The voice was faint and far away; she probably was imagining it. Icestar wouldn't have been in the Dark Forest. Not mister Starclan himself.