Where here's the epilogue! Stayed tune for the last book in the series!
Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter.
Cats belong to me.
The black and white tom slowly made his way through the familiar undergrowth. It wouldn't be long until he was home with his pack. He thought of the happy and excited faces he saw in the WaterfallClan camp; his joy-filled mother, his cheerful father, and his two energetic younger siblings. He would miss them…but it was best if he didn't get too close.
A silver and black mutt appeared from the bushes and nearly startled the young tom.
"Chip you almost gave me a cat heart-attack!" the young tom snapped, but he was glad to see his friend again.
Chip barked and wagged his tail. "The shadow cat is here and he wants to talk to you."
"Already? I thought he would arrive at moon-high?"
"It is moon-high."
The rogue looked up at the canopy and saw the waning gibbous through the leaves. His companion was right; it was at its zenith. "Oh."
"You better not be any more late than you already are," Chip commented and hurried through the bushes. The tom quickly followed his friend back to their camp where they were met with an odd sight. Tank and Marmalade were whimpering and cowering near a tree. Sally, Cherry, Jonas and Frost were nowhere to be seen and Russet's ginger tail stuck out from behind a bush. In the center of their camp, a malevolent-looking shadow that resembled a cat sat. A dark aroma wisped around the cat and his golden eyes gleamed from his shadowy figure.
"Master!" the rogue yelped and hurried to grovel at the mysterious cat's paws. "I'm sorry I was late! I was coming back from the miss—"
"That's enough, Ink," the cat gently reprimanded.
"Uh…the name's Inkheart now, Master," the young black and white tom mentioned.
"I don't care what they decided to call you, Inkheart," the tom snapped, showing his yellow-stained teeth. "You've been with the Clans cats for far too long."
"I-I'm sorry, Master!" Inkheart whimpered and pressed his nose between his white paws.
"That is not important right now, Inkheart," the tom impatiently snarled. "What did you learn? Did they fall for your gullibleness?"
Inkheart recalled how his master had raised him when he was just a kit after he was stolen. He taught him how to hunt and how to fight. He even helped him befriend the dogs. In return, his master wanted Inkheart to help him with his plan. He hasn't been told the plan yet, but Inkheart can only dream.
"Yes, they did. They fell for everything, including the alliance," Inkheart began. "Their Clan is run by a hierarchy, with a tom named Goldenstar as their leader. Their second-in-command is a gruff tom named Moonshadow. They believe in cats called "StarClan" and it is said that all cats go to StarClan when they die and they watch over them through the stars. They believe in healing the sick and carrying for the weak. They have a medicine cat, who heals them, and they care for the kits and elders. There are three other similar Clans who follow the same rules as them."
"Strongest warriors?" the shadow cat excitedly asked.
Why does he need me to figure these out for him? Why can't he just do it himself?
"Goldenstar, Moonshadow, Nightstrike, Ryeleaf, Cliffjumper, Otterwhisker, and Mousethorn," Inkheart replied after a moment's pause. "There was another cat, Pineheart, but he is dead."
"You killed one of them? Excellent job!" his master laughed. "Tell me about that Goldenstar. Anything unusual about him?"
"Well…he has a mate named Leapingriver, and four kits named Springpaw, Fallspaw, Quailpaw and Whiskerkit," Inkheart answered. "Ryeleaf…did mention something about…a battle long ago that Goldenstar surprisingly won for them."
"Hmm…" the cat replied. "You did well, Inkheart. Well done."
"Thank you, Master," Inkheart meowed and then paused for a moment. "Master…did you know that I have family in WaterfallClan?"
"Of course I knew!" his master snapped.
"Then…why didn't you tell me?" Inkheart meowed, his voice sharp and demanding. "You know that I've been trying to find them for moons!"
"Family only gets in the way of things," the tom snapped, his golden eyes blazing. "And that is what will ruin every cat in the end." The misty cat began to walk away into the woods.
"Wait, Master!" Inkheart called out. "What do…you plan on doing?"
The tom halted and gazed over his shoulder at Inkheart and let out a menacing smile. "There is a storm coming, Inkheart," he began. The dogs around Inkheart let out a low growl at that smile and Inkheart felt chills down his spine. "A storm that will ruin the very heart of WaterfallClan, and we are about to start it."
"What? You can't do that!" Inkheart growled.
The tom merely smirked. "Try and stop me." With a wave of his tail, the dogs' and Inkheart's pupils grew very large. He dropped his tail and the animals fell to their paws. When they woke up, they would forget the meeting.
The shadow cat laughed and continued to walk away. "Let's bring the storm."