Darkest Night

Willowshine flashed a look at the ragged-eared warrior. “You once thought rogues would solve all your problems.” There was bitterness in her mew.

Alderheart flicked his tail. “We need to look forward, not backward,” he mewed quickly. “If we can find this cat, then everything will be okay.”

“We should send out a search party,” Grassheart meowed.

“Perhaps we should look in Twolegplace,” Stonewing suggested. “Maybe there’s a kittypet with six toes.”

“A kittypet!” Juniperclaw snorted scornfully.

Scorchfur’s ears flattened. “How can we send out a search party? We have barely enough cats to patrol our borders.”

“The SkyClan border can’t be left unguarded,” Rowanstar agreed.

Alderheart prickled with frustration. “SkyClan is not your enemy. They are your allies. Wasn’t that what Leafstar said when you gave her the land?” He looked at Tigerheart, hoping the ShadowClan deputy would speak up. He wanted support. If there really was a six-toed cat, it must be found.

But Tigerheart only watched as Rowanstar shifted his paws.

“Leafstar did promise us friendship,” the ShadowClan leader conceded.

Scorchfur glared at him. “And you believed her!” he mocked.

“It was Tigerheart’s idea,” Rowanstar reminded him.

“‘It was Tigerheart’s idea.’” Scorchfur mimicked his leader as though teasing a kit. “When was the last time you had an idea of your own?”

Alderheart’s belly tightened.

“I’d like to see you try to lead a Clan!” Rowanstar snapped. “Perhaps you could use the skills you learned from Darktail.”

“At least he knew how to lead!”

Tawnypelt glared at Scorchfur. “You betrayed your Clan. Now you insult your leader? Show him some respect!”

“He’s done nothing to earn it,” Scorchfur spat back. “If he’d chased Darktail off in the first place, none of us would have followed those rogues. Instead he let them hunt on our land, while our apprentices grew arrogant and reckless. He couldn’t manage to stop any of it.”

“Whatever his mistakes, he still has the blessing of StarClan!” Tawnypelt hissed.

Grassheart and Stonewing exchanged glances. Whorlpaw and Flowerpaw stared at the ground uncomfortably. Alderheart felt his belly churning as the air seemed to sour around him.

Ratscar padded forward. “We must stay united,” he rasped. “I know we have had our differences, but Alderheart is right. We must look forward, not back. There are so few of us left. If we are to remain a Clan, we must work together.”

Grassheart whisked her tail. “Let’s send out a search party and find this six-toed cat. Then we won’t have to face any more storms.”

“ThunderClan can send out search parties!” Juniperclaw called.

“Or WindClan,” Stonewing chimed. “They’ve got nothing better to do.”

Scorchfur glared challengingly at Rowanstar. “So?” he snarled. “What should we do?”

Alderheart saw hesitation in the ShadowClan leader’s gaze. He’s not sure. The thought shocked him. Bramblestar always knew what to do, even if it meant doing nothing. “I must do what’s right for the Clan,” Rowanstar meowed at last.

“Isn’t it a bit late for that?” Scorchfur curled his lip.

Tawnypelt darted forward, facing the dark gray tom. “Rowanstar has always done what’s best for this Clan!”

Scorchfur scanned the half-empty camp, contempt in his eyes. “So we have Rowanstar to thank for the state we’re in?”

“Do you think you could have done any better?” Tawnypelt hissed. “You blame Rowanstar. But it was his Clanmates’ disloyalty that killed them. If our apprentices grew arrogant, blame their mentors, not him. He cared about ShadowClan when none of you did. Rowanstar still wakes in the night, haunted by nightmares about the Clanmates he’s lost.”

Scorchfur flattened his ears. “He’s lucky. He has nine lives to dream about lost Clanmates. They only had one.”

“That’s not fair!” Puddleshine blinked anxiously at Rowanstar. “You can’t let him say that. StarClan gave you those lives because they believed in you.”

Scorchfur’s eyes narrowed to slits. “They believed in him once. Perhaps Rowanstar is the dark sky they’re trying to warn us about.”

Tawnypelt’s green eyes glittered. “If anyone’s the dark sky, it’s you!” Her gaze flicked angrily around her Clanmates. “You let the rogues take over the Clan. You let them drive Rowanstar away. Don’t blame him for your treachery.”

“And why do you think we chose a rogue over Rowanstar?” Scorchfur lashed his tail. “He was a weak leader then, and he’s a weak leader now.”

Tawnypelt’s fur bristled. Spitting with fury, she lashed out at Scorchfur, slicing her claws across his muzzle.

Alderheart backed away, his pelt bushing. What was happening here? Clanmates shouldn’t fight.

Scorchfur reared and slammed his paws onto Tawnypelt’s shoulders. Hooking his claws in, he pulled her to the ground. She flipped over and, tucking up her hind legs, clawed viciously at his belly.

He struggled free and turned on her. Face to face, they snarled at each other. With a hiss, Scorchfur lashed out, raking Tawnypelt’s eye with his claws.