StarClan isn't real..

Chapter 23

Fallenthroat tumbled through the moonstone, out onto cold, musty ground. She hit the earth hard and pushed herself to her paws. Stormcloud is dead! Her sister didn't deserve that, and in not such a terrible way. Neither did Yellowpaw, nor the other cats who had probably died. And the StarClan cats were banned from their own hunting grounds.

"What do we do now?" She asked Specklebird, who was licking a scratch on his shoulder. He looked careless and aloof.

"We heal up, then attack," The deputy mewed. "They won't stand a chance if-"

As he spoke, more cats tumbled into the Dark Forest. At first, Fallenthroat thought it was more Dark Forest warriors, then she spotted Stormcloud- her sister had stars in her pelt and was leading WindClan right into the Place of no Stars.

Fallenthroat took a step back as the warriors launched themselves into battle. She had decided a while ago which side she would fight for.

With a yowl, Fallenthroat lunged for Specklebird. The tom recoiled in surprise, then hissed and slashed at Fallenthroat's face. She ducked and spat, yowling, "Traitor!" to the deputy. She knew the real traitor was her, but she only wanted to blame her misgivings on another cat. Why did Dark Forest pick me..?

Spotting Yellowpaw, Fallenthroat froze. She had caused so much pain for her apprentice, and for what? To cover up the fact that she was a traitor to the Dark Forest?

None of this mattered. She needed to help her Clan.

Nearby, Weedtooth was crouched under a fern. He shivered with fear as the battle raged around him. Stormcloud's so brave... She was crouched nearby, under a bush. If she died here, she wouldn't just die forever; she'd die twice! He'd never see her again, not even in dreams, but instead in nightmares.

Specklebird, Finchpaw, and Fallenthroat are traitors... That was another nagging thought. Weedtooth could never have guessed that those cats would've trained with such an evil cause; Specklebird, maybe, and Finchpaw made sense... but Fallenthroat?

That must've been why she looked so guilty when she saw Yellowpaw.

Weedtooth dug his claws into the ground, then flinched as he heard murmers behind him. Whipping around, he realized that there was starry light coming from the undergrowth behind him. Curious, Weedtooth stalked forward, pushing past ferns and nettle until he reached a clearing in the musty woods.

In the clearing, a thicket of brambles was shimmering with starlight. Uneasy and curious, he peered through a gap in the thorns.

He nearly gasped in shock. The thicket opened up to a vast clearing, with starry warriors clawing at the brambles, or laying down in pain. They had ribs showing through their pelts, and their eyes were lost. Their pelts were nearly transparent, and Weedtooth could see the bramble wall through their fur.

"StarClan!" He whispered.

How did this make any sense? StarClan had sent a prophecy, and a vision to Stormcloud only a moon or two ago. How were they here?

The Dark Forest. Of course; Dark Forest warriors must've imprisoned them, then impersonated StarClan and sent the prophecy. Then they must've attacked Yellowpaw, and tricked the Clan into believing that if we didn't respect StarClan, then we'd get the same treatment. But what about Larchpaw?

As he thought, a StarClan cat turned and noticed him. He ran over and pressed his nose to Weedtooth's. "Are you a living cat? Can you get us out of here?" He whispered. "Please be careful... he's here."

"He? Who is-" Weedtooth began, only to break off as teeth sank into his scruff.

He gasped as he hit the ground. Weedtooth scrambled to his paws to see a massive, pale tabby tom looming over him. His muzzle faded to white, like the color of fresh leaf-bare snow. "What did you see?" He growled.

Weedtooth felt fear and a small spark of bravery sweep through him. He crouched down and lifted his chin. "Why are you keeping the StarClan cats prisoners?"

In response, the Dark Forest tom raised a forepaw. "Get out of here, now!" Curling his lip in a snarl, he hissed, "I'll make you join them."

Weedtooth gasped as claws raked down his ear. He jerked away and tried to shove his way into the undergrowth, but it was too thick for him to break through. With a gasp, he was dragged back into the clearing by burly claws. The Dark Forest warriors pinned him down and dug his claws into Weedtooth's back. Grunting with pain, Weedtooth tried to kick the tom in the belly, but he was too strong for Weedtooth to move him. It's over.

Then the weight of the warrior was abruptly taken off. Turning, Weedtooth saw Fallenthroat wrestling ferociously with the warrior. "Get out of here, Weedtooth!" She yowled, struggling to pin the tom down. "I'll hold him off!"

Weedtooth backed away. She's not a traitor?

He didn't run. He knew that Fallenthroat couldn't win this fight, but neither could he! I'll just make it more difficult.

Still, he could only watch as Fallenthroat and the unknown tom wrestled, claws out and teeth bared, spilling blood and fur in every direction. Finally, the Dark Forest warrior gripped Fallenthroat by the neck and tossed her across the clearing. She landed hard against a tree, and lay there, still and raggedly breathing.

No! Weedtooth cowered in fear as the tom began to edge closer to him.

He couldn't move. He couldn't fight. The warrior grabbed him and slammed him to the ground, one heavy paw on his chest so he couldn't breath. His jaw gaped, showing yellow teeth and saliva as it dripped onto Weedtooth's fur. He choked, his vision beginning to fade. Was this the end?

Then a familiar scent touched his nose. Stormcloud! She had come to save him! He watched as she bravely tackled the warrior. For a moment, Weedtooth could see her amber eyes; glistening with courage and determinition. She's so brave...

She slammed the warrior into a tree, where there was a terrible tearing sound.

"Stormcloud!" Panic coursed through Weedtooth's chest.

He looked at the tree in terror. A pointy, thorny branch poked out of it, and dangling from it was the warrior, stabbed right through the chest. A gust of wind began to blow his fur away, like dust on a shore. The end of the branch poked right through Stormcloud's throat. "No!" Weedtooth cried.

Stormcloud's eyes were wide with pain and fear as she placed her paws against the bark and heaved herself backward. She flopped onto the ground, clutching the hole in her throat with panic and agony in her eyes.

"No!" Weedtooth raced over.

His friend's eyes met his. She was still clutching her throat. Weedtooth tried to pack the blood that spilled out, but he knew that was no use. Her windpipe was impaled. No cat could survive that.

"I... I can't breath," Stormcloud choked out. Her eyes glistened with love, and her tail tip trembled as she touched Weedtooth on the flank. "I love... you..."

Her eyes glazed over, and her tail tip fell from Weedtooth's flank. With a terrible rasping sigh, she lowered her head to the ground. Her ears began to melt away, then her tail and paws. She's fading. "Please stay," Weedtooth whispered. "I love you, too." He tried to hold her pelt together, but it was no use. "Don't go."

With only the slightest breeze, Stormcloud was gone.

"No... no no no..." Weedtooth buried his muzzle into a scrap of Stormcloud's tortoiseshell fur. It was still coated in her scent, as strong as a rabbit trail. He felt a tear slip down his cheek and land onto the soulless ground.

Pawsteps approached, and Weedtooth could sense Fallenthroat as she neared. "She's dead, isn't she?" She choked out.

Weedtooth's eyes glistened as he looked towards the torbie. Stormcloud was her kin, too, but had they really been as close as him and Stormcloud? He nodded slowly, feeling his own eyes began to cloud. Fallenthroat collapsed with a moan, her claws sinking into the ground as if her pelt had been clawed off.

It might as well have been. Weedtooth thought.

Stormcloud was gone, StarClan was imprisoned, and the Dark Forest was raging war on the Clans. Weedtooth felt hope drain from his paws, then stiffened. The Clans would survive- in the name of Stormcloud.