Chapter 9, Deathkit's special power

Shadowflight put her head down on her paws, and was asleep in an instant.

Deathkit came walking up, and opened her mouth. Clearly, she meowed:

"Shadowflight, I have the power to join minds with any that is asleep, when I am asleep. I can talk to them through that, and, even control them, if I wish it."

Shadowflight stared at her, reminded terribly of Leopardstar.

"I have joined minds with Streamkit, and she told me some neat things, Shadowflight. I can make you join minds with her, if you wish it, and she will tell you."

"Yes," Shadowflight meowed instantly. She turned around. A bright wall of light stood before her, with blue flames leaping out of it.

"That is the passing to the next being," Deathkit said, "Go through it."

Shadowflight walked slowly toward it, and vanished inside the warm wall. A bolt of emotions hit her, pain, jealousy, terror, anger, excitement, all the emotions a cat could feel.

Suddenly she found herself lying on her side in a bright square room, with silver walls. There was no way out or in.

"Where am I?" she yowled.

"Mother," said Streamkit's voice, bouncing out of all the walls. Her voice sounded happy, but bewildered.

'Where are you?" Shadowflight asked.

"I am on these steps. I keep climbing up, and there are a few other cats too. I can't get to the top."

Shadowflight looked around at the shiny silver walls. "Who are the other cats?"

"I don't know," Streamkit's voice said, "But the steps are shiny and silver, and every time I try to turn around, and invisible paw turns me back and makes me keep going. And a voice always says, 'this is not your time.'"

Shadowflight continued looking around the silver room. "What are your surroundings like?"

"White, all around, I can't see anything other then the steps, and other cats."

"Can you see yourself?"

A pause. "Nope."

"Where am I?" Shadowflight finally asked.

"You're in my brain. That's where your voice is coming from anyway."

"What?"

"You're in my brain," Streamkit repeated.

"That's not what I meant. I just don't get it."

There was a long silence, and, although there was nothing in the room, Shadowflight was scared of the silence. I'm in a brain.

"Shadowflight," Streamkit said finally, and she her voice was distant. "I think I'm going up to StarClan."

"What…do you mean?"

"I…I think I'm dying."

"I've been dead before," Shadowflight meowed, "And it's as weird as what is happening to me now."

Streamkit's voice was almost a whisper, it was so distant. "Goodbye mother."

"Goodbye," Shadowflight whispered. The room was becoming darker and darker, as Streamkit died.

Soon Shadowflight was left in blackness, and it was even quieter then it had been before.

Her brain just shut down, Shadowflight thought. It was so, so weird. She felt her fur crawl with ice.

Suddenly it became lighter. Shadowflight looked around. She was in the room she had first been in with Deathkit. The bright white wall was tiny and it suddenly flickered, and died. But then it became lighter and lighter.

"She's alive!" Shadowflight yowled to Deathkit.

"No, now that is another cat's brain."

Shadowflight turned around. Deathkit walked up to her. "I am not the cat you see me as," she meowed, "Never sleep, Shadowflight, because I am gone, when you are."

"What?"

"I'm hungry, mommy!"

Shadowflight opened her eyes. Rabbitkit's irritated face was looking right into hers.

Shadowflight stood up. "All right, I'll feed you."

She looked down at Streamkit. She was completely still.

Shadowflight went to bury her. She didn't feel extremely sad, because she had been with her when she died. In a different way.

OoOoO

"Rabbitkit, hurry up," Shadowflight grumbled. The five-and-a-half moon old kit growled, but trotted past her.

Shadowflight had been living on small prey now on the edge of ThunderClan territory for four and a half moons. With a pang of regret she remembered that in a few days the kits would have become apprentices.

Shadowflight peered into the ThunderClan camp.

She stopped. ShadowClan had attacked them.

With a fierce battle cry Shadowflight flung herself into the camp. She leapt at Blackstar had pulled great hunks of fur from his pelt. He scratched and bit.

Suddenly his claws scratched the scar over her left eye. Shadowflight pulled back.

"Shadowflight," Bluestar meowed in her head, "I have told you before to protect that scar."

Shadowflight opened her eyes, grunting in frustration. She leapt forward, but Blackstar was gone.

Deathkit waded up to her, knocking cats aside with a large paw, claws unsheathed.

Shadowflight leapt forward at Russetstar, her one ear flat against her head.

Russetstar bit her hind leg, and Shadowflight snarled and raked her claws down the deputy's flanks, until she screeched and rushed out of the camp.

A hard tortoiseshell slimed into her. Quickly Shadowflight bit its tail. Screeching in fury, the tortoiseshell raked its claws down her flanks.

Shadowflight slashed its face with her long claws, and then scrambled out of reach as it sent a blow with its front paw.

She leapt and tackled the other cat down. Shadowflight plunged her teeth into its shoulder then dashed out of the way as two huge warriors thundered past.

Blackstar stood up and dashed out of the way of Graystar. "Retreat!" he yowled, and pulled himself slowly out of the camp.

Shadowflight slashed her claws down the last cat's flanks.

Graystar hobbled over to her. "Shadowflight…I'm sorry. I was wrong. I should have known that you didn't murder your own kits. You can stay in the Clan now."

He leapt unsteadily onto the Highrock.

"Let all cat's old enough to catch there own prey please gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

Every cat gathered round, but Leafpool. She stood over Willowbranch, wailing, "No! StarClan, noooo! She's dead! Ohhhh!"

"We will grieve later," Graystar said curtly, "I called you Leafpool, so please come."

"There are three kits ready to become apprentices. Shrewtail, you will be mentor to Rabbitpaw. Thornclaw was your mentor, so pass on his skills. Brackenfur, you will be mentor to Flamepaw. You grieved when Whitepaw died, so I five you a new apprentice. And finally, Thornclaw will be mentor to Deathpaw."

His eyes flickered. He looked down at Shadowflight and his eyes said, I may have let you back in the Clan, but I still don't trust you.

Sorry this chapter was so late, I had a minor case of writers block, and I couldn't get my brothers off the computer. I want a laptop so BAD!