Chapter #24 The Roses -

The Dark queen licked her paw and rubbed it over her face. The rats, to her, tasted delightful. She wondered if being half-ShadowClan made them taste good. Though, it seemed odd to eat something that she could talk to. Maybe she could even talk to mice, birds, voles, rabbits, etc. She wondered if she could ever eat again. Shaking her head she returned back to the ShadowClan camp. Everyone was out, some cats were inside. She went in, too. A white ShadowClan she-cat called over to others. "It's all clear!"

"Are you sure, Mintfoot?"

"Positive, there is also enough rats to feed us for a moon!"

"Good." Blackstar announced, "Very good, thanks to ThunderClan we are safe. I would appreciate if we did not mention this at the next gathering."

"Sure. ThunderClan does not need to look like a hero, we were just helping." Firestar called to him.

The ShadowClan cats nodded and strolled back into their blood stained camp. Blackrose sighed, then looked for her kin. Stormpaw and Ravenwing padded over. Luxpaw and Flowerpaw were saying good-bye to some ShadowClan apprentices.

"Marshpaw! Applepaw, come!" Tallpoppy yelled.

The two apprentices left and Birchpaw licked Applepaw before joining his own clan. Luxpaw and Flowerpaw came back. Dewpaw was talking to some elders. One of the elders nodded over to us and the gray apprentice said his farewell and came over to the dark queen. In a big mass the cats returned home.

A moon later Blackrose was hunting with her mini-me daughter. Fogpaw already caught two starlings in a nest and a small vole. Frost covered the ground and it would snow tommarrow so everyone was getting ready. Goldenflower and Mousefur were already digging food burrows and Luxpaw, Flowerpaw, Creampaw, and Cottonpaw were gathering moss. Stormpaw and Ravenwing were patrolling, and Dewpaw, Buckpaw, and Birchpaw were gathering water with moss before the river froze over. Some cats were adding twigs and sticks to the camp walls so the snow wouldn't break them. There were no new kits to worry about too. Squirrelflight's two kits and Whitefrost's three kits had become warriors after the battle with the rats. Blackrose's kits would probably become warriors in a moon, if they listened more. Flowerpaw and Luxpaw were told to be amazing hunters, but they never listened. Dewpaw was told to be very interested in old stories and folklore than fighting and hunting. Stormpaw, was doing fairly well at fighting and hunting. And Fogpaw still had a bit of a limp, but she was almost as good as all the other apprentices. Brackenfur claimed that Creampaw still needed a few more moons, because she was a bit younger. Blackrose tried her best to be a good big sister to the apprentice beacuse Mousefur was often sleeping and being difficult. The creamy apprentice was quick to help in anything. Blackrose often praised her or her mentor did. Her father was too busy with his own apprentice, too.

Fogpaw sat down. "Mother, I'm cold, and hungry. May we go back to camp? My leg is bothering me."

"Fine, I'm hungry too."

They picked up the food they caught and headed back to camp. They placed the starlings back and ate the vole together. The camp seemed much warmer than outside. Blackrose suddenly remembered something.

"I forgot two mice we caught. Be right back!" She left the camp and went north to grab the mice. She saw a squirrel, but it was running up a tree to fast to catch. She removed the dirt and grabbed the mice. She looked sideways and saw the Thunderpath was empty. A few cats were on the other side. She noticed they were Applepaw, Tallpopy, and Mintfoot.

"Hey!" The queen called.

The three cats looked over.

"Oh, hi!" Tallpoppy shouted, "How's the prey running?"

"Good, good. Just getting some mice we left here."

"Oh, thanks again for you help. You know, in the middle of the camp a rose bush has started growing." Tallpoppy said.

"Yes, it's very odd," Mintfoot claimed.

"Hummm..." Blackrose thought.

"Other than the fact that's it's winter, it grew quickly, and the buds are black, it's growing on the spot were you passed out and bled all over our camp."

"Strange, indeed." Blackrose thought, thinking of what it meant.

"It must be a sign of StarClan. Blackstar thinks that you belong in ShadowClan."

Blackrose stiffened. She thought this as an apprentice, but it couldn't be true.

"Littlecloud thinks so too, StarClan has been giving him dreams." Applepaw said.

A Monster wooshed by. Blackrose's fur ruffled.

"Blackstar said that you also look like one of our old warriors. Cedarheart! You look just like Cedarheart!" Tallypoppy shouted.

Blackrose dropped her mice.

"Is he your father?" The white cat asked.
Blackrose paused, grabbed her mice again and ran.

"You belong with us, you are one of ShadowClan!" Applepaw yelled.