Silverwing's Story: The Prophecy Begins

Chapter Sixteen

Silverpaw's jaw dropped and her eyes grew wider than before. Even as he was dying, Darkstar's red eyes were still burning in hatred.

Manglestar was silent as tears streamed down her tortoiseshell face. Darkstar parted his jaws and spoke to the leader.

"You can have him back, I'd rather not die with him," he growled, and then he laid his head down and closed his eyes. A moment later, his eyes opened again, and they were a bright green.

He struggled to lift his head to look at Manglestar. He coughed, and spoke to her, "M-Mangletail... I'm sorry..."

Manglestar's tears grew in number and she burrowed her head into Darkstar's fur. "It couldn't have been your fault, Darkfur."

Silverpaw's ears drooped at the scene. She'd never seen her leader cry, and certainly never thought Manglestar would weep over Darkstar. And why was she calling him by his warrior name?

Darkstar's green eyes clouded, and he too started shedding tears. "I... I should've known... They were walking in my dreams... No, they were walking in my nightmares."

"I thought you were dead, Darkfur..." Manglestar sobbed, lifting her head again.

The green-eyed tom coughed again. "Mangletail... I was dead. I wish I could stay longer now that I'm back, but Starclan is calling for me..."

Starclan's waiting for him? What about all the trouble he caused? Questions  raced through Silverpaw's mind.

"Darkfur, I'm sorry..." Manglestar apologized, though Silverpaw didn't know what for.

The black tom lifted his head up to Manglestar's. He touched her nose with his. "It wasn't your fault either,"-he sighed- "At least they can't hurt your clan anymore, or you."

"Darkfur, it won't ever be the same. I-I love you..." Manglestar choked out.

"I love you too..." Darkstar murmured as he slowly fell back to the ground. When he laid his head on the sandy surface again, he smiled at Manglestar.

"I'll be waiting for you..." his body fell limp, and his green eyes turned dull. Silverpaw stared in horror at his bleeding body. She'd never seen a cat die right before her eyes, let alone at all. She barely remembered Ripplepelt's death, and he had died peacefully, alone in the forest. Manglestar burrowed her head into his fur again, her tears drenching his lifeless pelt. He no longer looked like the monster everyone took him for. His pelt was sleek rather than ruffled. In his dying moments, he hadn't mentioned his need for Silverpaw, and his eyes had shone nothing but love for Manglestar and sorrow. Silverpaw's discovery of Manglestar's and Darkstar's feelings for each other shocked her. Two leaders, one who was driven into the path of evil, had fallen in love? Maybe it happened a long time ago...

Manglestar pricked her ears and pulled her head back up. Silverpaw stiffened. Had she heard the apprentice while she'd been thinking? Silverpaw had made sure the wind was blowing in her direction. But, she turned her head as she heard the pattering of paws coming in her direction.

Skipfoot pushed his way through the undergrowth. He stopped when he saw Silverpaw's horrified expression and the blood spattered everywhere. He quickly dashed to her.

"Silverpaw, is everything alright?" he asked urgently. Silverpaw glanced again through the bushes leading to the death scene. Skipfoot followed her gaze and flinched when he saw Darkfur's body.

"Darkstar..." he whispered. Silverpaw nodded her head.

"Yes..."

Skipfoot wrapped his tail around Silverpaw. "Did... Manglestar kill him?"

She looked at her paws. "I-I guess, I arrived before it was too late..." she lied. Silverpaw couldn't bring herself to tell Skipfoot what really occurred.

Silverpaw glanced behind her when she heard more pawsteps thundering through the forest. Kindlepaw and Palefur entered the small glade.

"There you are," Palefur snarled. "Now, where's Manglestar's body? Darkstar promised us this would end."

Silverpaw looked back down. "It is finished..." she whispered quietly, still shocked from seeing Darkfur die.

The two Shadowclan cats looked taken aback. "Where? Where are they?" Palefur asked, her voice shaky, as if she didn't think a death would really happen.

Silverpaw saw Skipfoot glance out of the underbrush through the corner of her dark-blue eyes. When he turned back, he answered, "Out there..."

Kindlepaw and Palefur rushed past Silverpaw and Skipfoot, and the silver cat heard them wail at Darkfur's body. She didn't look up, just stared solemnly at her red-stained paws. The blood-scent drifted into her nose.

"I'm sorry you had to meet death like this..." Skipfoot murmured. Silverpaw glanced at him.

"I'd have to meet it someday," Silverpaw told him. Skipfoot nudged her.

"Let's get back to camp. Now that Darkstar is gone, the battle must be over. I'm sure Manglestar would've told everyone the news by now, she has already left. If not, then these two will," he suggested, nodding his head toward the lake where Palefur and Kindlepaw mourned over their leader.

Silverpaw nodded and looked up at the ginger tom Skipfoot. "Thank you, for helping me in the battle."

Skipfoot brought his gaze down to her. "I won't let anything hurt you if I can help it," he smiled. Silverpaw smiled slightly, staring at the forest floor. The two cats stood up together and walked toward the ThunderClan camp, their flanks brushing each other, but their tails didn't touch.