Legacy Rising: Dark Secrets

12

Rewritten ✔
Edited ✘

Shadeheart shifted on his paws as Otterstar cried out in shock, quickly regaining his wits and leaping out of Troutfrost's way.

"What in StarClan's name are you doing, Troutfrost?" the old leader yowled, hurt echoing in his voice.

Troutfrost didn't answer and continued attacking. Otterstar was tiring quickly, Shadeheart could tell, and Troutfrost grinned evilly.

Once Troutfrost had a good grip on Otterstar's shoulders though, Shadeheart couldn't just watch any longer.

He rushed out of the bush, ignoring Pebblepaw's strained yowl for him, and slammed into Troutfrost. Shadeheart knew the deputy would get back up quickly, seeing as he didn't use his claws, but Troutfrost leaped up quicker than Shadeheart could've imagined.

He was pinned down with Troutfrost leaning over him in an instant. He hissed at the deputy above him but had trouble getting a good enough swipe to get Troutfrost knocked off him.

"Shadeheart? T-Troutfrost--" Shadeheart heard Otterstar's shocked meow from his vulnerable position and cursed Pebblepaw for being right about Troutfrost. No; he couldn't blame Pebblepaw. He couldn't blame anyone except Troutfrost.

Shadeheart's eyes widened in fear as Troutfrost brought his paw up to deal a fatal blow. He pushed with his hind paws, hoping that his heavier build would be able to get Troutfrost off him, but nothing was working.

"Otterstar!" Shadeheart yelled in a last-ditch effort to break the leader out of his surprise.

"Shadeheart!" a voice Shadeheart had hoped he wouldn't hear in response yelled out.

Curse your stupidity, Pebblepaw, he growled to himself. Troutfrost seemed utterly caught off guard, seeing as Shadeheart wasn't dead yet. The weight from the deputy was soon launched off him due to yet another young cat shoving their way into Troutfrost's side.

Taking advantage of Pebblepaw's distraction, Shadeheart scrambled to his paws and immediately went to talk to Otterstar.

"Otterstar! You're our leader for StarClan's sake, act like it!" he hissed, swiping at Otterstar's ears. The old cat's eyes were glazed over, almost as if he couldn't handle his deputy's betrayal.

Otterstar seemed to notice something was wrong when Troutfrost started hissing things at Pebblepaw. Shadeheart couldn't catch most of it, but Troutfrost seethed with anger.

"Troutfrost!" Otterstar yelled, running towards the deputy just as he was about to attack Pebblepaw.

Shadeheart ran up to the fighting cats as well, gripping Pebblepaw's scruff in his mouth and dragging her away.

"You have the sense of a minnow!" Shadeheart growled once he got the both of them away from the devastated leader and the fuming deputy.

"Did you want to die?" Pebblepaw hissed back, fury evident in her voice. "I'm sorry that I saved your life!"

"What do you think you're doing? After everything I've done for you, you get up and try to murder me?" Otterstar screeched. The whites of his eyes were very noticeable, Shadeheart noted, even when he was standing many fox-lengths away.

Troutfrost tried to stutter out some kind of excuse, Shadeheart was sure. The truth was probably that he was jealous and envied Otterstar's position as leader, even if Troutfrost was literally the deputy; the second in command.

"I deserve to be leader! I got here fair and square; Hailstorm just got in my way," Troutfrost hissed, the fur on his back as spiky as thistles.

"Goldenglow saw me, because of course she did. So I had to ... get rid of her."

Shadeheart gaped. Troutfrost had murdered both the deputy and the medicine cat... and all this time he had thought it was foxes? That was an insult to the poor red creatures.

"Sootsky had always been one of the cats who hated me most, ever since she found out my mother was a rogue and my father was an exile. It was such a stupid thing to do, especially since no cat really knows who her parents were!

"She accused me of killing Hailstorm, so I had to do something," Troutfrost snarled, unsheathed claws digging into the ground.

"You didn't have to do anything, Troutfrost. I regret convincing Fogstar to let you stay," Otterstar murmured, his eyes cold and calculating.

"Beesting knew and he didn't tell you," Troutfrost hissed.

"Troutfrost, you are hereby exiled from RiverClan."

"Not all your warriors are as loyal as you think, Otterstar," Troutfrost murmured. He turned to look back at Shadeheart and Pebblepaw.

Shadeheart shuddered and felt his heart quicken as Troutfrost's eyes locked with his. He gaped, turning away just as the ex-deputy smirked and quickened his pace.

As soon as Troutfrost was out of sight, Otterstar turned to look at the two young cats.

"What did he mean by not all the warriors are as loyal as we think?" Pebblepaw asked. Shadeheart took note of her wide eyes-- the whites were visible around the edges.

He couldn't blame her; he was just as scared. He could've died. Otterstar could've died.

He could have died.

"You won't have to worry about that, Pebblepaw," Otterstar murmured. His ear twitched and his eyes were cast in shadows. The cat he'd thought of as a son had just tried to kill him. He refused to believe it.

"Let's get back," Otterstar said, a tone of finality masking his feelings.

Shadeheart nodded and stood up. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Pebblepaw was following and then continued walking back home.

A/N :

Word Count: 855
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