Chapter 15

The look on Mistyfern's face was so painful. Her amber eyes were locked on the bloody body of her former mate, her legs shook with grief. Galestar placed Scar on the ground and looked deep into Mistyfern's eyes, but the distressed she-cat never looked up.

"I'll leave you to comfort her." Galestar whispered in Shadowpaw's ear.

Shadowpaw just looked at the anguish on his mother's face and ignored the stinging glares of his Clanmates around him. Mistyfern closed her eyes, Shadowpaw watched in remorse as a tear trailed down her cheek. The silver tabby pressed her face into his neck fur and stifled a sob.

Shadowpaw heard some of his Clanmates whisper things like: he's a killer, shameful, and fox-heart.

Mistyfern quit sobbing and looked up. Fear struck Shadowpaw's heart when he saw her eyes. They had always been a calm light amber color and her pupil's where always soft, but when she looked up…her eyes where close to the color of blood and her pupils were razor-sharp.

"Who did this?" She growled.

"Shadowpaw did." Declared Wolfeye, Mistyfern gapped her mouth in disbelief, but it slowly turned into a snarl. Shadowpaw lashed his tail at Wolfeye.

"Don't tell me you think I did this!" Shadowpaw hissed at his mother.

"Why did you do this?" Mistyfern scowled. "Why would you kill your own father?"

"I didn't kill him, a badger did!" Shadowpaw hissed.

"You're covered in his blood!" Mistyfern caterwauled. "You killed him! Do not lie to me!"

"I'm not lying!" Growled Shadowpaw, his heart felt as if it was ripping. "How could you even think I did this?"

"You never liked Scar." Scoffed Mistyfern with cold eyes, her fur bristled, "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I'm your son," Shadowpaw declared

"My son…wouldn't have killed Scar!"

"What does that mean?" Shadowpaw growled.

"It means I hate you, and you are not my son." Mistyfern mewed flatly. Shadowpaw felt as if his world had just crumbled beneath his feet. His mother, the one he loved more than life itself, just said that she hated him.

Shadowpaw gapped his mouth open in shock and slowly crouched into the ground. His life had just taken a turn for the worst, his father abused him, he died, and now his mother hates him. Shadowpaw wanted nothing more than to just wake up and realize this was just a bad dream. He was all alone…everyone thought he was a killer…no one cared about him anymore.

"Shadowpaw…get up…" A sad and very small voice mewed. It was Airpaw, her eyes where misty from witnessing the incident and her tail was wrapped around his. "I can't stand to see you like this…"

"Do you believe them?" Shadowpaw mewed, his eyes gazing aimlessly at the ground. "Do you believe I killed him?"

Airpaw sucked in a breath and laid her head on his shoulder. "No." She sighed.

Shadowpaw was convinced he was alone, but having Airpaw with him…he realized that he was never truly alone if he was with her.