Sandclan's Destiny Book 3: Blackout

Chapter 21: A Sleepy World

He had thought the BirdClan deputy was a young tom. In fact, Windfoot was older than Cougarfang; a senior warrior in age and a hearty deputy in rank. Perhaps it was his shortness, shyness, and the kit-fluff that still hung on his chest that made Cougarfang think he was in his youth. Windfoot turned his head to glance at Cougarfang and the SandClan deputy turned his head away.

"Hey. We're heroes, you know."

"Yeah well." Cougarfang mewed, stretching his shoulders. "A hero for who? Who's going to care?" The SandClan warrior kind of wanted fame, but he knew that wouldn't happen. 

Windfoot fidgeted where he sat, "For ourselves. The pride of exerting pride and the honour of keeping honour. And friendship, made by friendships. We are heroes in our own right. We don't need stories and legends to be known as such."

"Well, otherwise we'd be forgotten."

"We don't need to be remembered. You know there must be hundreds of heroes in this Land without stories, but that does not mean they are not heroes" the young looking BirdClanner was looking real wise now with his deep eyes full, and his face suddenly serious. 

"Yeah well." Cougarfang shrugged, "I rather be in a story." and the SandClan deputy snickered a little beneath his breath-- all in good humour.

"Well, if you leave a large enough imprint on someone, they'll tell your story to their kits." Windfoot swept his tail around his paws, "and then those kits'll pass it on and so forth."

Cougarfang grinned, "If they even have kits. Plus the farther a story is passed down, the more it becomes warped and untrue and exaggerated."

Windfoot rolled his eyes, but understood Cougarfang's gibing. "Oh well. StarClan'll know the real truth."

"Will they? I thought they can't watch us anymore."

The two sat in awkward silence. Cougarfang wondered if the wise Windfoot had any retort to that. It seemed he didn't. Cougarfang felt almost bad for abruptly ending their conversation, but he let the sounds of Bigstar and Featherstar's speaking in Bigstar's den carry him into his thoughts.

*~*~*

No other medicine cat dare go to the Sliced Hill after the encounter with the Darkforest warriors. All of them had avoided it out of fear for dying, and knowing that it'd be of no use to check for StarClan after what had happened. All of them hadn't gone except for Sootleaf.
Frostbone knew he went off one night to try and receive the broken shards of crystal, and study them in-depth in the safety of his own den, for he had told her he intended to do just that. He came back earlier reporting no danger and no Darkforest warriors to be had, but instead the presence of a sort of emptiness that occupied the cavern. A hollow nothingness and loud empty echoes whenever he stepped had greeted his ears, he said, and a piteous stab at his heart followed from experiencing the mournful air.
Earlier, Frostbone was on the Tangled Willow, assigning patrols to cats she felt she knew less than well, until she noticed Sootleaf in the corner of her eyes, gesturing for her to come. She gave up her duties and went, entering his den to see both him and Redwillow seated, and by his paws: the shards. 

"There's no way we can repair these crystals. I'm not even sure these are the same ones." he scrunched up his nose and scowled. The words he spoke were spoken like they were poison on his tongue. "But." he spit the poison, "We need contact with StarClan if we mean to survive at all in this cursed Land." But then he started laughing, and not in humour, "But they wouldn't watch us anyways, huh? Long before the Darkforest warriors ruined everything, they gave up on this Clan. A mother would never abandon her kits, would she? Even if one came out wrong? So why would StarClan abandon us?"
"Did you dream of anything?" Redwillow mewed.
"I dreamt it's a good idea to get these crystals away from us."