Hey everybody, sorry I haven't updated this in so long. It didn't seem to me that anybody was reading it, so I was thinking about discontinuing it. But I've started writing it again and I'd like to say that reviews, or ANY sort of mail really is extremely helpful because then I know that people are actually reading my story and I should continue it. Anyways I hope you like my story and I don't own warrior cats blah *insert rest of long disclaimer here* but these are my characters and this storyline is mine!
~ Thanks, Lee
Chapter 6
It was nearly sunrise before Shade found her way back to the kittypet nest, since she was getting increasingly delirious as Speckledkit's body lost more blood it had gotten harder and harder to walk straight or even see. As she stumbled inside she quickly glanced around and noticed that there was nobody to be found. A flicker of panic arose inside her and she managed to slur "Sup kittypets, I think I'm dying" before promptly toppling to the ground.
"Really?" a very unimpressed sounding voice hissed, for a brief moment Shade thought she was still in the kittypet nest, but then she realized the voice was Hawktalon's so she must be back in the Starclan clearing. She slowly pulled herself to her paws and stared at Hawktalon, who had a look of pure rage plastered on her face. Shade was about to ask what the problem was when Hawktalon started yelling at her and ranting that she had made a terrible mistake. "I left you for one day, that's it one day! And you managed to murder Speckledkit's mother, nearly destroy Speckledkit's body and best of all" Hawktalon hissed venomously "alert Starclan with your ridiculous behavior! You may not be a kit but you sure behave like one! You don't even try to behave like Speckledkit, you aren't good for anything!" Her eyes widened when she said this and an expression of pure terror appeared on her face, like she new she'd made a horrible mistake.
"I'll make you sorry for saying that! I'll show you just how important and useful I am!" Shade screamed, her form starting to flicker so much it would've given a living cat a headache. She could feel tears trickling down her face, which was twisting itself into an ugly, wounded expression. Hawktalon tried to wrap her tail around Shade's shoulders in an attempt to comfort her and apologize for what she'd said, but this only made her sob harder. "Don't touch me" Shade sobbed, it sounded more like a suggestion than an order at this point but Hawktalon obeyed and moved her tail away. "Just… send me back" Shade sniffled loudly, and Hawktalon nodded sadly as she started to fade away.
After she had sent Shade back, Hawktalon began to wonder why what she'd said had offended her to the point of crying. After all demons weren't supposed to have any feelings, much less be able to cry. Hawktalon wished, not for the first time, that she knew exactly what had happened in the Dark Forest when Shade was created. She wondered what they would do to Shade if she sided with Starclan, she wondered how Shade had been treated there and she wondered if it was even possible for her to become good. Hawktalon thought about asking Leafstar, Oceanstar and Flamestar, but reminded herself that they still didn't trust her and that if they knew what she'd done they never would. So she kept quite about it, and hoped desperately that everything would be alright.
When Shade woke up she was back at the kittypet nest, trapped in some sort of containment den. She moved her paw towards her throat and recoiled when it touched a strange slippery surface. She looked across the room at the strange box the twolegs used to stalk other, smaller humans, and saw the reflection of what she touched appeared to be hideous green device strapped around her neck. She decided it must've been put there for the sole purpose of causing her immense shame, so she needed to get it off. Shade pushed her front paws against it and it slid off easily, it was much to large for her head. Underneath it there was a jagged line of strange material in her throat that she supposed probably would've felt painful if she was able to feel such a thing. It was much easier when she felt no pain and Shade decided that she liked it much better than the constant suffering the Dark Forest brought.
As she was pushing at the cage Bean walked over and moved the thing that was keeping it closed with his nose. "You're free now" he said happily with a smile on his face, as if he had done the best thing in the world. Shade cautiously crawled out of her prison and nodded her thanks to him. In return he rudely smushed himself close to her so their fur was touching and told her that they should go have breakfast together.
"What in Starclan is a breakfast?" Shade laughed "Oh man, kittypet words are hilarious" at this point she could barely breathe but demanded he say it again anyway. As they walked into the 'breakfast' room Shade was explaining to Bean that it was funny because it sounded like a challenge where you had to destroy a bunch of things as quickly as possible, which was her specialty. Velvet ran over, concerned and asking what was wrong, but she just snickered "breakfast" before dissolving into laughter again.
After Shade had calmed down and finished her 'breakfast' she told the kittypets that she'd been attacked by a dog and that was why she was injured so badly. They seemed to accept this and the tiny kittypet who was tragically named Sparkle even said she was really brave and called her 'cool', a word which she had heard first from Bean. She assumed it meant that she had no fear and agreed with Sparkle that it was an acceptable description of her. Soon after that Bean, Velvet and their mother Cupcake went to their nests for what they called 'post-breakfast naps' and she was left alone with Sparkle. Unsure of how to make friends with the little cat, as that was something she hadn't been taught in the Dark Forest, she asked if she wanted to come training with her (near the twoleg nest this time, she'd learned her lesson about wandering into the forest) and Sparkle nervously accepted the offer.
"That was easy, I already made a friend!" Shade murmured cheerfully to herself as she crept out of the nest with Sparkle close behind.