Chapter 6, Leader
Shadowflight opened her eyes.
Tigerstar is NOT my father! She thought desperately. She unsheathed her claws. They were still long and hooked. They always had been.
She looked down at her kits. They were all sleeping.
Deathkit made a tiny mewing noise and opened her eyes. She looked around at the dark nursery, then went back to sleep.
Shadowflight's legs itched to be outside. She stood up and walked into theclearing.
She looked at Silverpelt. One bright star stood out above the rest. Tigerstar.
"I have to go see Skychaser tomorrow." She decided in a mumble.
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"Come on, Streamkit, hurry up, were going to see daddy."
Streamkit squeaked a protest as her mother lifted her up, and set Deathkit down. She padded slowly over to Sunningrocks.
"Mommy," Rabbitkit squeaked suddenly. By now all the kits could say a little bit of words, and they could walk.
"What?" Shadowflight asked around a bundle of silver fur.
"Bird," he said, looking up at the sky.
"Yes, Rabbitkit, now come on, we have to cross the river."
"Why?" Flamekit asked.
"Because daddy's on the other side," Shadowflight meowed patiently.
She swam across the river with Streamkit, and then went back for the rest.
Skychaser emerged from the shadows.
"Hello," he meowed to Shadowflight, then looked down at his kits.
Flamekit looked up at him with big green eyes. "Daddy?" he asked.
Skychaser's eyes grew round. "They can talk!"
"Only a little bit," Shadowflight purred.
Deathkit watched a leaf spiral down in front of her. She paused to bat at it. "Leaf," Flamekit told his sister. Deathkit only looked at him.
Shadowflight looked at Skychaser. "I had a dream," she confessed, "Tigerstar said he was my father, but I don't know how that can be true."
Skychaser looked her deep in the eyes. "A silver ShadowClan cat once fell in love with Tigerstar when he was ShadowClan leader. Maybe she was your mother."
"But I was a Twoleg!" Shadowflight exclaimed.
"That's true," said a voice behind them. They turned. It was Bluestar.
"The silver ShadowClan queen is Shadowflight's mother, and Tigerstar is her father. You were born a cat Shadowflight, but StarClan made you a Twoleg until it was the right time to come to ThunderClan. We took Cloudtail to the Clan so that in four years time you would follow him, and become one of StarClan's chosen. The Murphy's, your parents, believed that you were there daughter."
Shadowflight stared at her. Tigertstar was her father. It was confirmed.
"This doesn't change anything," Shadowflight meowed to Skychaser, and he nodded.
"Of course not," he meowed, "You're nothing like Tigerstar."
Then he looked away. "I better go."
He looked down at his kits. Flamekit had fallen asleep, and Streamkit was jumping on leaves. Deathkit was looking up at the sky, and Rabbitkit was sinking his claws in and out of the ground.
Suddenly Deathkit did the same. Her claws were long and hooked, like Shadowflight's.
Skychaser didn't want to look anymore. He turned and dashed over the border.
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"WindClan!" a RiverClan apprentice yowled. Skychaser sat up from where he was sharing a mouse with Mistystar, as lean warriors spilled into the camp.
"Cowards!" he yowled, leaping foreword. They scattered, but one jumped on Mistystar. The two cats rolled around together, and suddenly the WindClan cat broke free.
Mistystar lay very still on the ground, with a huge wound on her side, and blood pouring out her neck.
Mudfur, the medicine cat leapt out of his den, and looked down at his leader.
Skychaser walked into the medicine cats den a few hours later. Mistystar lay in a nest of ferns.
"Will she be alright?" he asked.
"I don't know."
"She had nine lives." Skychaser meowed hopefully.
Mudfur shook his head. "StarClan can't heal every wound, Skychaser."
The RiverClan deputy walked over and sniffed at his leader. Mistystar's eyes opened.
"Skychaser…you will be the new leader…goodbye…"
"Mistystar," he whispered. The silver she-cat closed her eyes and was still.
Skychaser gasped. "I'm leader!"
"That's what she said," he meowed.
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It was four days since Shadowflight had last seen Skychaser. She picked up her kits and walked to RiverClan.
Skychaser met her at the border.
"Shadowflight!" he gasped, "I'm leader!"
"When are you going to the Moonstone?" she asked.
"Now! I don't have time to see the kits, Shadowflight, I'm sorry."
Shadowflight brushed her muzzle against his. "Goodbye," she whispered. "Go safely."
"Goodbye, daddy." Rabbitkit mewed, "Go get nine lives."
Shadowflight gasped at the little kit, and then scooped her up. "We're going home," she commanded the others.
She looked back at Skychaser. He was staring after them.
"Goodbye," she whispered, "I love you."
Please review. Skychaser's leader ceremony next!