Warriors: Shadowstrike's Sacrifice - Book 2

Chapter 7

Merry Christmas, hope you all are staying safe for the holidays.

Also help me, I think I'm obsessed.

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Shadowpaw felt a horrible shiver down her spine as everyone turned their cold-stone gazes towards Darkspirit.

"I knew it! I knew that bastard was a traitor!" A sudden screech echoed through the crowd, shattering the silence. Everyone glanced over to where the outburst had come from.

Standing there, with a furious look, was Eagleflight. Even Darkspirit turned his gaze towards the dark brown tabby, but when he saw him his expression changed to a bored look.

"W-Wait a minute, at least give him a minute to explain himself." Scarface suddenly spoke up from his place at his oldest brother's side.

Shadowpaw turned her head towards him, her eyes glittering with sympathy. Everyone knew Scarface and Darkspirit had been very close friends for a long time.

Glancing up at Rockfang, Shadowpaw realized his face was emotionless as he stared at his younger brother. Slowly, Rockfang turned away from Scarface and turned back to Darkspirit, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Very well, explain yourself." Rockfang snapped, his tail lashing viscously.

Darkspirit looked back up at Rockfang, staring back with a mirror face of Rockfang, their faces both emotionless. "I'm glad I'm given a chance to prove myself innocent."

"You're not being given a chance to prove your innocence, you're being given a chance to explain why you killed all those innocent warriors." Rockfang hissed, lashing his tail once again.

Shadepaw turned her gaze towards her little sister, "You knew, didn't you." Shadowpaw closed her eyes an whispered, "I saw him kill someone. He's not the same warrior we thought we knew-" "I knew exactly who he was, you ruined everything." Shadepaw snapped, cutting her off.

Shadowpaw sat there, frigid with surprise, soon she glanced up at Shadepaw, who was looking at the new so-called trial. "You knew?" She whispered, too low for her sister to hear.

"You killed my father?" Treefall shouted, interrupting Darkspirit just as he was opening his jaws to speak. "Hush, he might have not done it." Leafblossom snapped, nudging her older brother.

Darkspirit sighed, before glancing around the camp, his eyes moving over everyone before he turned back to Rockfang, "I don't plead innocent, I don't deny what I've done. And I don't regret anything I did."

"You killed him. You killed my mate." Spotpelt screeched, leaping at Darkspirit, her eyes filled with tears. Darkspirit ducked away from her, his long claws sliding out and a low hiss erupting from him, like a snake.

And with that, the clan erupted into chaos, some crying, some just standing there with shock, some hissing and advancing on Darkspirit with threatening eyes, and very few others trying to stop them.

Shadepaw leaped towards her father, trying to protect him from Spotpelt who was still trying to attack him. Bramblefang, Redheart, and Blackheart were some of the ones who were just standing there, looking uncertain by what to do.

"Enough!" That one word caused everyone to stop in their tracks, and turning their gazes up, they met Dawnstar's burning blue gaze glaring down over them, "Back away from Darkspirit. His punishment is up to me."

Everyone suddenly began backing away from Darkspirit, returning to their spots, the only cats that remained by his side were Scarface and Shadepaw.

Rockfang jumped down from his place beside his father and trotted over to Darkspirit, and ignoring the dark grey tabby, he turned to Shadepaw and gestured away, telling her to go. Next he stepped up beside Scarface and lead him back towards the rest of the crowd, and while they took their place within it, Scarface recieved glares from everyone else due to protecting Shadowpaw's father.

"Darkspirit. You are accused of the murder of Dogchaser, Nightshade, Rapidriver, Midnight, and Wildtuft, last chance, do you plead innocent?" Dawnstar called once everyone had returned to their spots.

Surprisingly, Darkspirit turned his head towards her, his eyes softening as he stared at Shadowpaw and Shadepaw who had returned to her side. Then he looked back up at Dawnstar a said flatly, "No."

Dawnstar narrowed his icy blue eyes and hissed, "Very well, then from now on you are exiled from Shadowclan, and if anyone sees you on Shadowclan territory again they have my permission to kill you."

Darkspirit didn't nod, or dip his head with respect, he only blinked in response and turned away from Dawnstar, focusing his amber gaze on Shadowpaw and Shadepaw.

As if time had slowed down, Darkspirit slowly approached them, causing Shadowpaw to close her eyes and hold her breath, her heart beating like lightning.

First Darkspirit came to Shadepaw, resting his muzzle on her head, next he turned to Shadowpaw, just in time for her to open her eyes at stare up into her father's eyes as he loomed over her.

Much to Shadowpaw's surprise, he didn't threaten her for helping give away his secret, instead he gave Shadowpaw's ear a reassuring lick before dipping his head down between the two sisters.

His next words caused Shadowpaw's heart to jerk to a screeching halt. "I'll come back for you." Then, just as Shadowpaw looked up at him with eyes full of fear, he turned around a padded away towards the Shadowclan camp entrance.

She stared at her father as he soon disappeared through the entrance, his last words echoing through her head, making her wonder if he really did care about them. "I'll come back for you."

Finally, I've posted another chapter. I am so sorry for the long wait, I really am, I never meant for it to take this long. The holidays have really slowed me down, with Christmas tomorrow and some deadlines for school projects right around the corner, I've been struggling to provide you with chapters while I struggle to get my grades up and help my parents with holiday stuff.