The Kill Of Dawn- Book 2

Chapter 17

Dagger watched as the new leaders climbed the slope. He had to see this moonstone, it held so much power. 
"Vine, lead the clan to the ShadowClan camp, I'll be back shortly," Dagger told his deputy. 
"Yes leader," Vine dipped his head, rushing over to round up the bustling cats.
"Oh, and Vine," Dagger added ,"You can call me Dagger. Spirits strict rules no longer hang over this clan." In all honestly, he couldn't care less if he were called Dagger or leader he just wanted to prove different from Spirit. Dagger should have been leader before Spirit! Why did Sprite choose him over his own deputy? Is that not what deputies are for? Backups in case the leader is unable to rule? 
Suddenly Dagger snapped back to reality and realised the hollow was empty. He felt a prick of unease being there alone. The tall oaks loomed over him, their gnarled, gangly branches like crooked claws reaching down to grab him. It was now completely dark as a cloud drifted over the moon. Dagger shook off the feeling and started his journey to this moonstone.
He followed the scent trails of Mistyfoot and Onewhisker, ducking under a bramble bush and creeping amongst the undergrowth which now mostly consisted of heather brush. Dagger stifled a gasp as a strong gust of wind knocked into him, sending him staggering. His whiskers were slicked back against his cheek fluff, claws unsheathed as he tried to get a steady hold on the peaty ground. He could see the small figures of the two soon-to-be leaders as they made their way across the moor. The larger figure looked as if they were having as much trouble as Dagger with the wind, the thinner figure, however, looked entirely at ease.
Dagger's ears pricked at the sound of a large group of cats. He dived behind a large boulder, peeking round to see one of the clans heading across the moor. They must all be WindClan. Dagger realised it was too risky to follow them over the flat moor, he'd have to go down to the hedge by the ThunderPath and take that path. 

By the time the moon had touched the tips of the pointed stones in the distance Dagger was crossing the ThunderPath, only relying on the scent trail. Mistyfoot and Onewhisker were nowhere to be seen.
There was a small grouping of trees between the ThunderPath and the start of the mountain but they soon thinned out. Dagger darted from rock to rock, heading towards the dark tunnel their scent trails seemed to lead towards.
When he reached the cave he suddenly felt a spike of nervousness. It didn't feel right. He tried to find the other end but all it seemed to lead towards was darkness. He took one step in suddenly hearing whispering. It was like he was surrounded by hundreds of cats, each one trying to tell him something. He couldn't understand a word. Dagger gasped, backing out of the tunnel immediately, stumbling down the rocky slope and bounding towards the treeline. That wasn't right. How could those clan cats stand it?
His ears still rang and he started to make out words. Belong, trust, dangers. What did any of it mean? Dagger tried to drown it out as he raced across the ThunderPath, not even checking for monsters. He was lucky not to be hit. He focused on the sound of each paw hit the ground as he raced across the marsh. The cold started to bite at his tail, the slippery, frozen ice causing him to loose balance. Dagger hit the ground, jaw first, with a loud thump. Dagger groaned at the burning pain that shot through his face but it faded reasonably quickly. He continued more slowly towards camp. He no longer felt the sense of discomfort, the dreadful feeling he was somewhere he didn't belong. 

By the time he had reached camp a warm yellow light had lit up the brambles.
"You're back!" a voice exclaimed. Vine. "Find any prey?" he asked. 
"Unfortunately, no," Dagger replied. He hadn't tried to find any either but would Vine still be so loyal and trusting if he knew about Daggers stealth and curiosity and how he'd sneaked unseen to a sacred place he didn't belong. Dagger didn't understand it though. He did believed in StarClan, he had seen Greystar come back to life in front of his own eyes and sensed their presence at the cave, he just didn't believe he would ever end up there. But then where would he go? Where did rouges go when they died? Nowhere? 

Dagger got into a crouch, eyes focused on a small brown splotch between two stiff reeds. He leaned back ready to pounce when his tail brushed against the snow behind him. The brown spot disappeared almost immediately and Dagger broke into a run, pounding after the young rabbit he had spent forever tracking. His paws floated over the snow blanket as he started to gain on his prey. The rabbit then took a sharp turn sending Dagger flying into a snow pile. He growled in frustration as he heaved his way out, watching the speck of brown get smaller and smaller. He hadn't caught anything and he had been hunting since dawn! 
When he got back from the Moonstone he had spent most of the day resting and helping the clan set up their dens and find reasonably dry moss for their nests. By the next day the clan had nearly settled. The dens just needed reinforcing and they needed to clear the rest of the snow out. 
Dagger gave up on trying to hunt, making his way back to camp. When he returned he was welcomed by a cat he didn't expect to see again so soon. 
"Why are you here?" Daggers tone was flat. 
"I'm here to discuss the medicine cat situation," Greystar replied with an uncomfortable amount of authority. Dagger bit back a growl, gritting his teeth. Why did he have to act like he owned the clans? 
"What is there to discuss? We have a medicine cat and no other clan does, should you not be discussing it with the clans that don't?" Dagger asked trying his best not to let his anger show through. 
"Well that isn't exactly true-" 
"Why is that? Let me guess, you killed Spirit and saved the clans so you should choose everything that happens? Why didn't you just choose the new Wind and River leaders yourself?" Dagger spat. Greystar flattened his ears. 
"I never said I owned the place, this is about Littlecloud, not me or you. He can't decide which clan he wants to stay in," Greystar explained calmly.
"Well what do you want me to do about it? He's welcome to stay in either but he'll be much better off here, that's for sure," Dagger grunted. Greystar sighed.
"DawnClan became his family when he joined them," Greystar argued, yet his meow was still annoyingly placid.
"This was his home for a whole lot longer than that pathetic DawnClan was. Anyway, Tallpoppy and Rowanpaw are here; they'll always mean more to him than you ever will," Dagger growled in disagreement. He heard Greystar swallow. He would push him over the edge eventually. He wanted to show everyone he wasn't so perfect. 
"It is Littleclouds choice, I will discuss this conversation with him," Greystar quickly turned away and started to head back towards camp. 
"Escort him," Dagger growled to Bat and Comet. The two warriors nodded, flanking the ThunderClan leader as they made their way towards the border. Bat had been rather disappointed with her downgrade from being a KillWarrior to a regular one. Everyone was treated equally in these clans. Even Vine was treated much more regularly than Dagger had ever been treated. 
But Littlecloud would be treated with great respect if he were to join. He would save lives.