Darkstar's Wrath - A Faith's Journey Super Edition

Chapter 43

"What are we starting with today?" Sunpaw asked from where she stood next to her brother.

Her blue eyes looked bright with excitement and Stonepaw looked equally intrigued, seated beside her.

Wolfblaze opened his mouth to answer but another meow entered the conversation.

"Well, I've heard from some clanmates that our moss supply is running low."

The group turned and watched as Sagetalon padded over to them, a smile on his face.

"Dad!" Sunpaw exclaimed. Stonepaw echoed her as he got to his paws.

Darkblood's mind couldn't help but conjure up an image of Scarfur, which he pushed away as soon as it formed.

No. He told himself. No.

"Hello, you two." Sagetalon purred, with a glance at them and then to their mentors.

Darkblood met his gaze from where he sat beside Wolfblaze.

"Sagetalon, I have been hearing similar remarks lately." Wolfblaze responded, steadily. "I was thinking that Darkblood and I could take the apprentices moss gathering today. It'd be good training." Wolfblaze touched the tip of his scruffy tail to Darkblood's shoulder as he said that.

Darkblood gave his head a small nod. "It would be."

"Great minds think alike then." Sagetalon answered. "Well, good luck out there." He then turned and headed in the direction of the prey pile.

"Ready?" Wolfblaze asked the group.

Darkblood forced a small smile and nodded. The apprentices looked ready as well.

Wolfblaze led the way out of camp.

Once they were through the camp entrance, Stonepaw spoke up.

"Where are we going to gather moss?"

"I was thinking of FernClan's border?" Wolfblaze stole a glance in Darkblood's direction.

Darkblood looked away, memories pushing against the edge of his mind.

"What's wrong with FernClan?" Sunpaw asked, turning in the direction of her mentor.

There was a moment of silence until Darkblood broke it.

"Nothing." The word came out as somewhat of a growl or snap.

"It's a story for another time. Sunpaw, Stonepaw, follow me." With a quick look at Darkblood, Wolfblaze headed in the direction of the border, the apprentices following after him.

Darkblood took a rough, deep breath before padding after them. His heart slowly quickened the more steps he took toward FernClan's territory.

Eventually, the group came to stop at the border, and Wolfblaze turned to face the apprentices.

Darkkit was intently sniffing at a fern when he heard a blood-curling scream. It was Firefox! Darkkit turned around and ran over to where the scream had come from. What Darkkit saw caused him to come to a sudden stop. Firefox was laying at the blood-stained paws of a Fernclan cat.

Darkblood came to an abrupt halt as he padded over to join Wolfblaze. His eyes landed on the ferns and trees in front of him and flashes of memory went through him, one after the other. His claws slid out, almost on their own accord, and he dug them into the ground.

"Darkblood?" Sunpaw's voice broke into his thoughts, and that only made it worse. He closed his eyes against the memories.

"Darkblood?" It was Wolfblaze this time.

Darkblood whipped around, padding away from the border that held too many memories.

"Darkblood, what?" Pawsteps reached his ears, and Wolfblaze came to a stop beside him. "What?"

"It's too much. I can't do this, Wolfblaze."

All this pain... All my life... Darkblood thought. When did it all turn to anger...

"Darkblood, what happened at this border, you don't have to carry it with you..." Wolfblaze lowered his tone, with a quick glance in the apprentices' direction.

Darkblood slowly opened his eyes, watching as Wolfblaze's amber ones searched his.

"The cats who loved you wouldn't want you feeling this way still..."

Lifting his gaze to above Wolfblaze's head, Darkblood's mind filled. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes, and he tried to take deep breaths.

"I know what you've gone through, Darkblood... But you have a choice... You can keep fighting..." Wolfblaze murmured, trying to catch Darkblood's gaze.

Darkblood's eyes met Wolfblaze's, and he gave the smallest nod of his head.

"Okay..." Wolfblaze finished, holding his gaze for a moment longer.

Darkblood blinked and Wolfblaze turned back around toward the apprentices. When he slowly made his way back over to where they stood waiting, a thought crossed Darkblood's mind.

What happened to me...? And why have all these memories continued coming up since the gathering...?

Darkblood took a deep breath and went over to where the others were standing.

When he went to sleep that night, Darkblood's dreams were filled with the images of those he'd lost.

Firefox.

Pinepaw.

Silverpaw.

Thornscar.

Scarfur.

Shadowripple.

Darkblood couldn't move from where he lay in this dreamscape. He didn't want to, but his mind brought up a certain question that he feared answering.

Do I need to move on...? Is that what all of this is telling me...? Can I even do that...?

Darkblood, almost like a reflex, shut his eyes against the world, as he felt the gathered group press against him, like in an act of comfort.