Umm…-sweatdrop-

HERO

"Darkwhisker! Hunting patrol!" Ripplewind called from the camp entrance. Darkwhisker sighed and padded over to them. Petalsong and Lightpool were standing beside him and didn't acknowledge him when he approached. He rolled his eyes. She-cats, he thought bitterly as they raced out of the camp.

Once they reached the river, Darkwhisker sat down along the bank as they headed farther down. A faint shadow darted across the water. Darkwhisker hesitated, and then swiftly swiped his paw, hooking the fish with his claws and finishing it with a bite to its neck. He placed it beside him and waited again.

Fishing was so boring.

Sometimes Darkwhisker wished he were in ShadowClan, prowling through the piney forest in the blackest of the night, but he knew he could never grow a taste for frogs and rats. Or maybe WindClan, where he could run as fast as he could after young rabbits, and bringing home tons of them for his whole Clan to be able to eat off of. But Darkwhisker knew rabbits weren't a delicacy to him or RiverClan.

Another shadow, darker this time, shot through the water. A splash echoed his ears, and he pricked them. What was that? Perhaps a very large fish?

Suddenly, a small ginger head popped up to the surface of the water. A kit! But RiverClan didn't have any ginger kits. Darkwhisker, too stunned to move, watched in awe as the head bobbed with the ripples of the water, and sank back under. Another head, ginger and white, appeared and gave a wail.

"WindClan kits!" Lightpool gasped, rushing to Darkwhisker's side. Petalsong and Ripplewind followed and jumped when they saw the tiny kits in the river.

"We have to save them," Darkwhisker meowed to Ripplewind. The RiverClan deputy shook his head. "We can't risk our own lives saving kits from another Clan!"

"It's the warrior code!" Darkwhisker hissed. Ripplewind shrugged. "I know."

Darkwhisker gazed over the river again, drew in a deep breath, and plunged into the icy river. He could hear Petalsong yowl his name, but ignored her as he paddled quickly towards the kits. The ginger and white kit was lying at the bottom of the river. Darkwhisker grabbed it by the scruff and swam to the surface. The kit was weighing him down, but he forced himself to place it at the bank of the river.

"Help me!" A squeal erupted the roaring of the water in Darkwhisker's ears, and he turned and pushed himself toward the ginger kit.

"Darkwhisker!" Petalsong kept yowling his name. Darkwhisker felt his body being pulled under as the kit struggled in his jaws. "Stop moving!" Darkwhisker hissed, paddling to the edge of the river. He dropped it onto the pebbles, and suddenly, his eyesight began to turn black. I'm dying, Darkwhisker thought. He slowly sank to the bottom…

"Darkwhisker…"

"Are you okay?"

"Wake up!"

"Wake up, Darkwhisker!"

"Great StarClan, he's alive!"

Voices awoke Darkwhisker and he blinked open his eyes to see a pale ginger tabby she-cat hovering over him. "Darkwhisker!" she cried, covering his face with licks.

"Petalsong?" he croaked. She nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired."

"You saved those WindClan kits, you know." She motioned to the two tiny kits lying in a moss nest beside him. Darkwhisker yawned and started to move. Dull pain shot up his neck and back, and he groaned. "Don't try to move," Petalsong whispered. "Swiftstream told me to keep you still until she returned from herb-hunting. She said you hit your head very hard on that rock, and she's surprised you lived."

Darkwhisker stared at her for a moment, his vision blurring. Suddenly a bright light appeared from behind her. A lithe dark gray tabby she-cat trotted down from the sky, her fur speckled with stars.

"Sh…Shadepool?" he whispered. Petalsong looked confused from the corner of his eye. "Shadepool?"

"Darkwhisker," Shadepool meowed, nuzzling her son. "It was amazing watching you grow up, but sadly, it is time to go."

"Can't I have a word with Petalsong?" he begged. Shadepool glanced back, as though looking for any other StarClan warriors, and nodded.

"Petalsong," Darkwhisker sighed. "I…I must go."

A tear slipped down her cheek and she rubbed her muzzle against his. "Go with Mother."

"You're a hero," he meowed. "You saved my life, and I'll never forget that."

"No, Darkwhisker. You're the hero. Now go on with Shadepool. I love you."

"I love you too." Then he followed their mother to the stars.

Petalsong sighed as she watched the life slowly drain out of her brother. She'd always remember him…as a hero.

You weren't expecting Darkwhisker and Petalsong to be siblings, were you? I actually didn't plan it until I was typing the ending. I decided it'd be cool to have a neat twist at the end. Did you like? Hope so!

xx-Starfall-xx