Chapter 4
Darkpaw came back with Graystripe from a hunting patrol. As she headed to the apprentices' den she caught a sight she wished she hadn't. She saw Sandstorm holding the limp, bleeding body of Sorrelpaw in her mouth.
"Sorrelpaw!" Rainpaw and Sootpaw cried as they ran to Sandstorm's side.
Darkpaw ran to her mother's side. "Sandstorm what happened?"
"She was chasing a huge rabbit on to the Thunderpath. Then she got hit." Sandstorm mewed sadly.
Sandstorm dropped Sorrelpaw carefully on the moss in Cinderpelt's den.
Leafpaw was carrying some herbs when she saw the bleeding body in the den. "Cinderpelt!" she called.
The dark gray she-cat limped in and gasped at the bleeding body before her. "StarClan help me." She muttered as she set to work on the body.
Suddenly Darkpaw remembered that before she was born and when Cinderpelt had been a young apprentice she had been hit on the Thunderpath.
As Cinderpelt examined Sorrelpaw's body she sighed happily and mewed, "It's nothing to serious, there doesn't seem to be any internal bleeding at all. I can save her. Leafpaw I need some help."
"Yes Cinderpelt." Leafpaw said.
Cinderpelt looked at all the cats staring at Sorrelpaw. Her eyes laid on Darkpaw as she hissed, "Now, I need some quiet to work on my patient."
Then she looked up at the older apprentices and playfully hissed, "Now run along and maybe learn a thing or two!"
"Yes Cinderpelt." Rainpaw and Sootpaw mewed.
Darkpaw huddled close to Sandstorm and left with her beside her.
As the apprentices headed to their den Darkpaw mewed, "I'm sorry about Sorrel-"
"We don't care what you say!" Rainpaw interrupted as Sootpaw hissed to show their point.
Darkpaw lay down in her moss and wondered, if there is something wrong with me then what could it be. And why don't I know what it is. And why won't Graystripe tell me.
"What's wrong with me?" she blurted out.
Rainpaw hissed and went off to sleep.
Darkpaw decided that she needed to go to sleep too.
---
In her dream Darkpaw saw the cats gathered and a full moon waned in the sky. She saw four strong oaks surrounding the cats.
Fourtrees, a Gathering. Darkpaw thought as her dream continued.
But they were just coming in. All of a sudden a black light came from the top of Great Rock and then a tabby came out of the light holding a black kit in its jaws. Suddenly she recognized the tabby. It look like Brambleclaw except much older and battle scared. She remembered the stories of his father that he looked exactly like. This cat had to be Tigerstar. Then suddenly she looked at the black kit in his jaws. The kit was pure black except for circles around its eyes. They were ginger.
That kit is-is-is me! Darkpaw thought.
"Enjoy the gift Firestar." Tigerstar said as he ran back to the black light. The light disappeared and all the cats looked at the kit on Great Rock mewling and crying.
A flame coloured tom padded up to the kit and suddenly something poked at Darkpaw.
---
She woke up to see Rainpaw glaring angrily at her.
Darkpaw sat up straight and looked at the older apprentice. "You were yowling in your sleep. Could you keep it down?" Rainpaw glared angrily.
"Sorry," Darkpaw mewed.
---
"Firestar?" Darkpaw asked.
"Yes?" Firestar asked.
"I'm not yours and Sandstorm's kit, am I?" Darkpaw asked.
"Who told you that of course you're my-" Firestar started.
"No one told me! I had a dream." Darkpaw interrupted.
Firestar looked down on Darkpaw. She noticed Firestar's frown except, now it wasn't because he wasn't upset at her like everyone else was – it was one of poor horror, about what she had found out. "What was it about?" Firestar asked.
"I was watching the cats in Fourtrees. They were at a Gathering. Except, no one was at Great Rock. I saw a black light and out came Tigerstar. He was holding at kit in his jaws – me." Darkpaw started to explain, "He then said, 'Enjoy the gift Firestar.' and he left through the black light."
"It's true, and now everyone believes your Tigerstar's kit. They believe you're a kit of pure evil." Firestar explained.
"How can they believe that! I did nothing wrong and they won't give me a chance to prove myself!" Darkpaw cried.
"Darkpaw I-" Firestar explained as Darkpaw ran out the camp to the ravine.
As Darkpaw ran she didn't know where she was going or even when she would stop but she didn't care. As long as she could get away from the Clan that had lied to her.