Warriors: Darkness In The Clans 3: Melt

Prologue

The stars glittered overhead. Monachwing and Batwing exchanged news, chattering about Berryfrost, when Ashheart ran over to them.

"Monarchwing!" Her eyes grew wide, "There's something important I must share with you."

"Of course." Monarchwing's fur prickled. Batwing watched Ashheart uneasily. What did she have to say? He pricked his ears to hear her whispers better.

"The darkness is coming. And there's nothing we can do to stop it." She breathed.

"Nothing? What would the others say if they knew Starclan was powerless in this situation?" Monarchwing responded. Batwing nodded in agreement. He didn't want to risk losing Berryfrost's faith.

"We must at least try!" He mewed.

"There is nothing we can do." Ashheart repeated, "Most of these cats are not guided by Starclan. We can do nothing to control their paths."

"I'll still try." Batwing breathed. Ashheart looked at him sympathetically.

"You're worrying about Berryfrost, aren't you?" She murmured gently. Batwing's fur prickled.

"So what if I am?" He looked down. "Why shouldn't I worry about him?"

"You can't walk with him forever." Ashheart reminded him.

Batwing's ears flattened against his head. Did she think he was stupid? "I know that! But I don't want to watch him die at the paws of a rogue, knowing I could have done something to help him." His heart ached at the thought of Berryfrost dying. He had worked so hard- he couldn't die. Not now. "He is the clans' only hope at peace."

Monarchwing and Ashheart exchanged glances. "Are you sure he's not the one disturbing it?" Ashheart tipped her head. Monarchwing nodded in agreement.

"He couldn't be. Snaketooth is the bad guy." Batwing lashed his tail, scattering a few stars across the ground. "He wants peace as much as we do."

"But is the way he's doing it going to maintain the peace within the clans?"

"Of course! A few sacrifices are nothing for the future of the clan." Batwing blinked. Didn't they care about the clans? What were a few dead cats compared to a whole clan? Surely, one or two sacrifices must be worth it? His fur bristled. "Don't tell me you don't care about the clans!"

"No, of course not!" Monarchwing gasped, "This is why we're worried about him."

Batwing flattened his ears against his head. "He's not the bad guy! Snaketooth is! Look how he treated his mother, and Mushroomglow. His mother has been trying to get his attention, but all he's done is ignore her. Mushroomglow truly loved him, and he toyed with his emotions before slaughtering his former friend in front of him. Snaketooth is evil." He finished with a snarl.

"I admit, Snaketooth isn't a good cat. But, does that excuse Berryfrost's actions?" Ashheart asked.

"Of course! He was driven mad with grief, and the moons of insults and harm got to him. If it weren't for Snaketooth, he would still be a happy medicine cat. He's the one who led the foxes to camp, you know."

"Is that really true? We never saw Snaketooth lead the foxes to camp." Monarchwing wondered uneasily.

"It seems like too much of a coincidence. Remember, we can't watch our cats all the time. We let them make their own decisions." Batwing reminded them gently. "Berryfrost is a good cat at heart. I know him better than anyone."

Monarchwing flinched at his words, but didn't argue. "Are we going to try to help the cats?" She turned to Ashheart. "Doing something is better than sitting on our tails waiting for the problem to fix itself while watching our cats die."

Ashheart thought for a moment before nodding slowly, and Batwing's heart lifted. "We will help Berryfrost defeat the darkness." She agreed.

Batwing circled around happily. He would stand side by side with Berryfrost in battle. It was always his dream to fight beside him. "Thank you Ashheart!" He squealed.

"Whatever. We have to tell the other Starclan cats." Ashheart mewed, leaping onto a small ledge. "Oh, and Batwing, don't tell Berryfrost about this."