"Lost your leader, Shimmerwing?" Eagleflight jeered, his amber eyes focused on Dapplestar's limp body. His contempt for his leader's injuries made Shimmerwing whip around in a matter of seconds, curling her lip and staring at Eagleflight.
She hadn't agreed with Dapplestar's decision to execute the two young warriors. But she didn't deserve to die. And she did not deserve to be insulted by ShadowClan's dishonorable warriors. Furious, she darted towards Eagleflight and threw him across the ground like a piece of prey. Eagleflight yowled with shock as Shimmerwing's teeth met his neck, and when his body hit the ground, Shimmerwing felt nothing.
At the same moment, Snakenose pushed her away, his claws tearing through her tawny fur. "Don't hurt him!" he exclaimed.
"Your Clanmate insulted my leader's death," Shimmerwing growled coldly at Snakenose. "He has no honor."
"You have no honor for killing two young warriors for a foolish mistake!" Snakenose snorted. "How dare you?"
Shimmerwing slashed Snakenose across his cheek, sending him reeling as she lumbered over the old warrior. "It was to scare them into never fooling around near ShadowClan territory again," she hissed at Snakenose, her voice loud and convincing. But who was she convincing? Snakenose… or herself? Dapplestar really wasn't going to kill them, was she?
Snakenose laid on the ground, unmoving. Taking that as a sign of defeat, Shimmerwing stepped off him, but noticed his side rising. He's alive. But I can't say the same for… The tawny deputy turned around to stare at Eagleflight's battered, broken body. She should've known better than to let the temper get the best of her. And Eagleflight had been an old cat. She bowed her head solemnly. This is all my fault…
She looked over her shoulder to see Snakenose getting up. Preparing for another fight, Shimmerwing unsheathed her claws, but frowned as Snakenose completely passed by Shimmerwing and touched his nose to Eagleflight's pelt.
"Soon we will hunt again, old friend," Snakenose murmured.
Shimmerwing raised her voice to address the fight still raging on in the background. "We must stop!" she howled. "Too many cats have died today!" She cast a glance towards where Dapplestar's body had been, and her heart stopped for a moment. Where is Dapplestar?
"Cease fighting!" howled Shrewfur. Both deputies' commands were obeyed, and the fighting slowly began to stop. Shimmerwing fixated her hollow gaze on Eagleflight's body and looked up as she saw Shrewfur padding towards her. The broad-shouldered light brown tom stared at her, his lip curling. "How dare you? How dare you take the life of one of ShadowClan's most honored warriors?"
Shimmerwing opened her mouth to defend herself but was stopped by the blood-stained figure of Runningflame. The rugged tom bounded over to her, looking around wildly. "Where is Dapplestar?" he asked Shimmerwing.
"I think a better question is where is Talonstar?" Shimmerwing looked over her shoulder to see Owlfang, limping towards them, his amber eyes blazing. But Owlfang was not heading towards her. The brown tabby took Runningflame by surprise and pinned him down. "What have you done with our leader?"
"It was an accident," Shimmerwing told Shrewfur, feeling as if her paws were frozen to the ground. "I am sorry."
Shrewfur stared the RiverClan deputy down. Shimmerwing unsheathed her claws, wondering what would happen now. The fighting had stopped, but it was up to the Clan leaders now to decide what would happen. The heavy breathing of a cat made Shimmerwing turn over to the apprentices' den, where Talonstar was pulling himself out of, Nightfire and Cactusclaw at his side.
The tall brown tabby's shoulders were hunched, his fur was still dripping blood, and when he looked up, his eyes blazed with such anger and fury that Shimmerwing felt a flash of fear inside of her at seeing it. The fearsome warrior padded over to Eagleflight and nudged him with a paw. When he noticed the tom was unmoving, Talonstar tried to lift him up with his muzzle. But the mottled brown warrior simply fell to the ground. Talonstar's claws dug deep into the dirt as he lifted his head.
Shimmerwing followed his line of sight. Dapplestar was emerging from her den, leaning on Shellfall, who was holding her steady. Once Dapplestar caught Talonstar's gaze, she limped over to him, leaving Shellfall to stare at her with wide blue eyes. Talonstar curled his lip and let out a hiss as Dapplestar came near him.
"Look what you've done, Talonstar," Dapplestar growled, waving her bloodied tail towards Eagleflight's unmoving body.
"You wanted a war, Dapplestar?" Talonstar's words were even and composed, a sharp contrast to the fury in his amber eyes. "Well, now you've got one."
Dapplestar stared daggers at Talonstar as the injured tabby tom gathered his warriors. Many of them were injured, several requiring assistance from their Clanmates. Cactusclaw leaned against Littlefern's shoulder, while Nightfire helped Dustcloud by pulling him to his paws. Shrewfur nudged Owlfang, who grunted as the deputy helped him further. Talonstar sank his teeth in Eagleflight's scruff and draped the dead warrior over his shoulders.
Shimmerwing stared at Talonstar. I shouldn't have lost my temper with Eagleflight, she thought sorrowfully as Talonstar took him away. But he insulted Dapplestar, and he paid dearly. If Talonstar was injured like Dapplestar was, I wouldn't have mocked him. Her claws sank into the ground, and she wondered where Stoneheart and Thistlestorm were.
The two young cats were at the center of the patrol, and she noticed that even though they had been rescued and were virtually no longer in harm's way, ShadowClan kept protecting them. Nightfire, who was walking next to Stoneheart, swung his head to stare at the RiverClan cats. He caught the eye of Shellfall and shot him a glare full of amber venom. Shellfall met his gaze steadily, but Shimmerwing could see a world of pain in his blue gaze.
"Injured cats, see Starlingfern," Dapplestar ordered from where she was standing in the clearing. "The worst injured have priority." The tortoiseshell collapsed, and Shimmerwing was ready to race to her to help her, but Shellfall had caught her just in time. Shellfall met Shimmerwing's eyes across the clearing and gave her a small nod.
Shimmerwing returned the nod and limped away to the medicine den. Runningflame padded next to her, wincing as he placed one paw in front of the other. Shimmerwing studied him, and for the first time she saw the damage the ShadowClan cats did to this wild warrior. He fought hard, she thought, but so did they.
Runningflame glanced over at Shimmerwing. "What's wrong, lass?" he asked. "Other than staring at me long enough to burn a hole in my pelt."
"I killed Eagleflight," Shimmerwing confessed, not in the mood for his teasing.
"You had no choice," Runningflame replied grimly. "In battle, you may have to kill. There is no getting around that. Eagleflight would have done the same if he was in your position."
"That doesn't mean he deserved to die," Shimmerwing argued with him.
"Maybe not." Runningflame shrugged. "But—" His voice was cut off as Sharpfang padded towards them, grunting every time his shoulder moved.
"Sharpfang," Shimmerwing greeted the dark tabby. "Are you all right?"
Sharpfang flashed her a vitriolic glare. "I don't make small talk with murderers."
Shimmerwing unsheathed her claws. It was an accident! Her belly felt as if it had been opened by Sharpfang, and that wound hurt most than the ones inflicted by ShadowClan warriors. And this wound had been dealt in words. She could feel Runningflame casting her a sympathetic glance. At least he understands.
"Leave her alone, Sharpfang," Runningflame snapped at Sharpfang. "We all do things we're not proud of."
"Like killing our own father?" Sharpfang retorted at him.
Runningflame's ginger-and-white fur bristled, and his ears started to flatten. Oh no! He shouldn't have said that…
"Stop it," growled a voice from behind them. The three cats looked to see Starlingfern glaring at them, her green eyes sharper than any claw. "Do you think bickering among yourselves is going to fix the hole created in the Clan today?"
"No," Runningflame muttered.
Shimmerwing shook her head.
Sharpfang grunted.
A low growl emerged in Starlingfern's throat. "Let me see your wounds. Who is the worst injured out of you three?"
"Runningflame," Shimmerwing meowed, and Sharpfang nodded in agreement. Runningflame grunted as Starlingfern led the big ginger-and-white tom into her den. Shimmerwing inhaled sharply as she realized that the two cats were leaving her alone with Sharpfang, and that was never good.
Sharpfang's yellow eyes were burning into Shimmerwing's fur. Shimmerwing turned to address him. "I'm not a murderer," she snapped at him. "He insulted Dapplestar."
"Dapplestar?" Sharpfang's eyes widened. "Is she all right?"
"She'll be fine," Shimmerwing replied.
Sharpfang breathed a sigh of relief. Shimmerwing clenched her teeth at Sharpfang's reaction. Then the dark gray tabby growled, "You're still a murderer. You could have controlled yourself. You didn't need to attack Eagleflight like that. But you did it. You're a monster, Shimmerwing."
A monster? Hues of red began to gather around Shimmerwing's vision, and it took every muscle in her body not to lash out at Sharpfang the way she did at Eagleflight. Sharpfang was watching her, the ghost of a vindictive grin on his face. He's testing me. He wants to see how far I'll go if I'll attack him. I won't let him. She glared at Sharpfang. Moons ago, you came to me, complaining that I took too much attention from your father. You're nothing like your father. He'd be ashamed of you.
"You won't get to me that easy, Sharpfang," Shimmerwing finally growled. "I'm not a monster. I will spend my entire life serving my Clan, serving Dapplestar. I don't harm other cats because I want to. Maybe you should think about serving your Clan instead of attacking every little thing I do." The RiverClan deputy stepped away from Sharpfang and headed into Starlingfern's den, leaving the dark gray tabby behind her.
Runningflame was exiting the den, and he brushed against Shimmerwing's pelt for a moment. Electricity fizzed through Shimmerwing, but she said nothing and waited for Starlingfern to call her forward. Finally, when the black-and-white she-cat let out a meow, Shimmerwing padded towards her.
"You're all sorts of beat up," Starlingfern commented. "Sit down and catch a breath."
"Thanks." Shimmerwing sat on her haunches, taking a deep breath. She watched as Starlingfern turned her back on Shimmerwing and began to prepare the herbs necessary for treating her wounds. "I have always had great respect for the gods and StarClan."
Starlingfern twitched her ear.
"What did they think about this battle, Starlingfern? Did they think it was acceptable for Talonstar to take a life from Dapplestar, and for me to kill Eagleflight?"
"Was it acceptable for Stoneheart and Thistlestorm to be seconds away from being executed?" Starlingfern asked, her back still to Shimmerwing.
Shimmerwing grimaced. "Dapplestar had her reasons."
"I'm sure she did," Starlingfern meowed. "I cannot say that this is the correct way. Justice changes based on your perspective."
"Starlingfern… I really need your help." Shimmerwing's voice was tight with desperation. "Will Eagleflight forgive me? I didn't mean to kill him. It just… happened."
"You made a mistake," Starlingfern meowed. "It happens. I cannot say, for I am a medicine cat, and have never participated in battle. Have you not killed other cats before?"
"I have," Shimmerwing meowed, thinking back to Cash, Swiftstar, and Shadefire. "In the midst of battle."
"And you have not blamed yourself," Starlingfern meowed.
"That's true," Shimmerwing agreed.
"So why are you blaming yourself for this one?" Starlingfern asked.
"It felt wrong," Shimmerwing confessed. "Eagleflight was old, and I wasn't thinking straight. I was just so engulfed in anger and rage when he insulted my leader that I reacted."
Starlingfern met Shimmerwing's gaze steadily. "Do you think you may be a little too loyal to Dapplestar?"
"What?" Shimmerwing snapped her head up. "What do you mean?"
Starlingfern cleared her throat. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that." But her eyes were shadowed.
Shimmerwing stared at Starlingfern. "Dapplestar is my leader, and the cat who is going to bring the diamond dove to the Clans," she told the black medicine cat. "I will follow her and stay her hand."
"I admire that." Starlingfern's words were tight as the medicine cat began to apply ointment to Shimmerwing's wounds. Shimmerwing winced at the agonizing sting against her still bleeding wounds. After Starlingfern was finished, she wrapped up the wounds with cobwebs and nodded to her. "You're all set."
"Thank you." Shimmerwing nodded her thanks to Starlingfern and left the medicine den. There were two cats she had to check on. Moonpaw and Sunpaw, where are you? She searched the blood-stained clearing for the two young cats, wondering if they had accidentally been caught in the crossfire. As she came across the apprentices' den, she shoved her head inside.
"Moonpaw? Sunpaw?" she called out in the shadows.
"We're here." Sunpaw's voice was soft, and the two cats stepped out of the shadows, staring at Shimmerwing. She examined their pelt for any scratches or wounds and breathed a sigh of relief that they were unharmed.
"Thank the gods you're all right," Shimmerwing meowed, nuzzling the two young cats with her scarred muzzle. "I know what you saw must have been scary. I'm sorry you had to see that." She fixed a sympathetic glance on Sunpaw, whose body was trembling. In contrast, Moonpaw was calm and composed, but even Shimmerwing could see the shadows of fear pooling in his deep blue eyes.
"It was not a fair battle," Sunpaw whispered.
"Talonstar tried to kill Dapplestar," Moonpaw reminded his sister.
Sunpaw looked at her paws. "I… I don't doubt that warriors have to fight, and maybe Stoneheart and Thistlestorm deserved their punishment. But the way every cat was fighting…" The gold-and-white she-cat let her words trail off, breathing shakily. Shimmerwing realized that this was the apprentices' first exposure to battle. Shimmerwing shut her eyes.
She and Dapplestar had been young apprentices when they saw their first battle, when ThunderClan and ShadowClan had fought savagely against each other. They shared the same reactions Sunpaw and Moonpaw had. Now, after years of fighting, they were used to it. But she knew every apprentice would have the same horrified reaction when they saw a battle that raged in this era of theirs. That's why they're so scared.
"Sunpaw, Moonpaw, let me tell you something," Shimmerwing meowed, gesturing the two cats closer to her with her bushy tail. "The world is at war. Cats far greater than Dapplestar have died trying to bring peace to the realm. There is a cat in the Clan that will bring the diamond dove."
"The diamond dove?" Moonpaw echoed.
"The diamond dove," Shimmerwing confirmed. "It's a beautiful bird, a divine will that comes with miraculous events and simple days when nothing goes wrong. However, it will only come when the cat calls for it."
"When will the cat be able to call for it?" Sunpaw asked.
"When the fighting ends. The diamond dove only graces peaceful lands. Dapplestar will be the cat to bring it. I have faith in her, and so should the both of you."
"So, when Dapplestar brings the diamond dove, we'll be at peace?" Sunpaw asked. "No more fighting?"
"No more fighting," Shimmerwing repeated. "When that day comes… all the fighting will have been worth it." I will continue to fight for a world where senseless suffering has no place.