Bloodshed

Chapter Eighteen

"That was a brave thing you did, shouting at the moon cat." Frozenstar complimented that night once Shadepaw finally got to sleep.

"I wouldn't say brave. I'd say ridiculously mouse brained." Pinefeather growled.

"Give him a break. My brother knew anyway, it's not like he revealed anything important. Let's move on to our lesson today." Frozenstar rolled her eyes.

"And what will that be?" Shadepaw asked.

"Well, today, you made your first, er, second ally. We bring Morningpaw and Spark here with you today to teach them about your plans." She turned, padding off into the trees. Shadepaw and the others followed.

"Where are we?" Shadepaw sped up when he heard Spark's voice.

"Spark!" He called, skidding to a halt in the middle of a clearing. Spark and Morningpaw sat between two cats that he'd never seen before. "Who.. Who are you?"

"More ancient cats." Frozenstar said, "These are Thorntail and Rainfern. They're going to help mentor you, now that there's three of you."

"Woah, woah, woah. Who are you? I didn't ask for a new mentor! My GreenClan mentor is just fine!" Morningpaw spat.

"They train you in the ways of the dark forest." One of the cats, a light gray tabby, said. "I'm going to let Thorntail mentor you, I'll take the kittypet, thanks."

Morningpaw hissed at him. "Am I dreaming?"

"Duh." Shadepaw said. "We all are. We can meet here in our dreams and plan things in real life."

"In the real world, there's only three of you." Fawnfrost said. "But here, there's three of us. We're a team, and you two are going to help Shadepaw take over the island."

"Okay?" Morningpaw lashed her tail. "What if I don't want to?"

"We'll kill you." Fawnfrost's voice was soft, but her words were as painful as deathberries. Morningpaw seemed to sense the truth in her words, because she nodded her head quickly.

"Okay, how do we start?" She asked. "What are all of your names?"

"I am Frozenstar. I lead this group." Frozenstar introduced herself.

"You mean Frozenwater, Honeydrop and Thorncloud's sister." Morningpaw said. "You were never leader."

Frozenstar cuffed her over the ear. "I am Frozenstar here."

"Sorry.."

"These are Featherfur, Pinefeather, and Fawnfrost. The new ones are Rainfern and Thorntail." Frozenstar explained.

"This is all so confusing!" Spark cried. "I want to go back to my housefolk. I never asked for any of this!"

"Quiet, kittypet. We'll kill you too." Pinefeather hissed.

Spark licked her chest, eyes wide. "Okay, I understand."

Shadepaw rested his tail on her shoulder. "They aren't so mean once you get to know them, I promise."

"So it is time that you start building your army, Shadepaw." Frozenstar began to pad through the trees. The others followed. "You will be the leader, Bloodshed."

"That was just a game." Shadepaw mumbled, "I never meant to make ShadeClan a real thing."

"But think of what you could do! You said yourself that you wanted to take over and unite the Clans. Do you wish to just throw Clan traditions away? Or do you want to continue being a Clan, even after you've taken over?" Frozenstar questioned.

Shadepaw didn't hesitate to answer. "I will always be a warrior. It's in my blood. So once I take over, you want the new Clan I create to be ShadeClan?"

"Yes. And your leader name will be Bloodshed; It's menacing and rogue enough to scare cats into submitting to you."

"I don't know about all that." Morningpaw muttered. "Can I be deputy?"

"No." Frozenstar paused, "We've already decided that Blurrypelt will be deputy."

"My cousin? He's not a great fighter, you know. He's more of a hunting cat." She shrugged.

"I know that. But the other cats will still respect him." Frozenstar said, "Because he is better than them at hunting."

"Either way, he's better than you." Pinefeather growled.

Morningpaw was going to spit a retort, Shadepaw could tell. But she had sense, and knew that the Dark Forest cat would shred her if she spoke.

"So, you have a mission. Shadepaw, you and Blurrypelt share a Clan, so this is for you. I want him to join us in the dark forest. Talk to him about it. I'll be back to visit you after the next gathering." Frozenstar flicked her tail in farewell, and Shadepaw jerked awake.