Shadowstripe's Treachery

Chapter 20

Shadowstripe slowly opened his eyes, his whole body aching. He looked around him, and saw nothing but unfamiliar forest. It was misty and had slimy green fungus growing all around. There was an acrid stench in the air and all around him was an eerie green glow. Am I glowing?! Wait a second, where am I? He shook his head. "Never mind that, atleast I'm alive." He smiled, "Ha ha! I'm alive! Yes! I'm alive! I'm alive! I'm..." he looked down suddenly at the awful scars across his throat, "alive?"

"Will you shut up you stupid mouse brain?!" Hissed a voice behind him, "Do you really think you're alive? What? Did somebody just drop you off in this mysterious forest while you were unconscious?"

He whipped his head around, "Huh?"

"Do you seriously think you are special enough to survive having your stomach ripped open and your throat slit? Are you some sort of magical immortal cat?" Came another, much smoother voice.

While Shadowstripe gasped in realization as he looked down at the nasty scars all over his stomach and throat, two she cats emerged from the mist, both of them having the same green glow in their fur. One was slender and black with glowing yellow eyes, and the other had speckled brown fur with scars on her face and body.

"Welcome to the Place of No Stars." Meowed the black cat.

He gasped, his eyes widening in fear, "D...do you mean the... dark forest?!"

"No, we mean StarClan." Growled the other she cat sarcastically, "Of course we mean the dark forest!"

"So I really am dead...." he whispered in bewilderment to himself.

"I'm Nightstorm, and this is Gorsepelt." She introduced, flicking her tail, "We've been watching you."

His ears went back, "Uh... why?!"

"Why else? Because you are part of one of the biggest prophecies of your generation, that's why! Stupid." Nightstorm hissed.

"And-" Gorsepelt tried to add.

"The prophecy!" Shadowstripe gasped, interrupting her, "Oh no! This can't be true! No! I can't be the ashes! I don't want to be forgotten forever!" Suddenly he felt claws swipe across his face, and he cried out in pain. "Owch!"

"Shut up! Don't you dare interrupt me again." Gorsepelt growled.

"But I thought-"

"You're doing it!" She snarled, making him flinch. She smiled once more, satisfied with scaring the seemingly tough dark tabby warrior twice. "Now, back to what I was saying. We were counting on you to kill Larkstar and become the raging fire, but you've obviously failed."

He narrowed his eyes in confusion, "What?! Why were you counting on me? Why weren't you on Larkstar's side?" Like everybody else....

"Because Larkstar is stupid and annoying, and you were the one with the dark mindset that could have put a different perspective in the clans and made them think more like us and not like the stupid StarClan cats!" Nightstorm explained.

"Wait... so you actually agreed with what I believed?" He asked, hope beginning to fill his eyes. Maybe this place isn't going to be so bad after all...

"Well yeah. The dark forest is filled with cats who have different perspectives on life and were rejected by the cats who were apparently 'better' and more 'moral' than us. They think just because we kill someone that we hate means that we are 'immoral.'" Hissed Nightstorm.

"Tell me about it," Gorsepelt rolled her eyes, "those dumb StarClan cats think they're perfect enough to judge everyone. Well I say screw 'em! I wouldn't want to spend a minute in that stupid StarClan. Once you get used to the smell and the muck, the dark forest really isn't that bad."