Forest in Shadows (Book One of the Prophecy of Darkness Series)

Chapter 11

"Brokenshadow! Brokenshadow! Wake up!!!" Strikestorm nudged me and woke me up.

"What is it?" I asked

"The prisoner and the elders are gone!" he said.

"What? That's impossible!" I meowed.

"Tigerstar called a Clan meeting," he told me, then walked out of the den. I got up, stretched and padded out behind him. I sat in front of the High Tree.

"Moonleaf has disappeared, along with Shadestream, Scratchface, Stoneshard, and Twistedfang." Tigerstar meowed.

"The elders were plotting against us?" Maplejaw asked, confused.

"Yes, and they will pay when we find them," I yowled. "I will sneak into RiverClan and kill Moonleaf and her kits."

"We have also found the scent of a traitor with them. Oakpelt!" Tigerstar yowled furiously. 

Oakpelt walked up to High Tree slowly. 

"For punishment for betraying ShadowClan, Oakpelt the traitor will fight my deputy, Brokenshadow. To the death. If he wins, he may stay in ShadowClan. If he loses, he dies." Tigerstar meowed.

The Clan formed a circle around Oakpelt and I. Oakpelt looked at me, his eyes begging for mercy.

"Traitors don't deserve mercy," I meowed. I unsheathed my claws and slowly began to walk up to Oakpelt. 

"Now, where do we start? Perhaps the tail?" I asked smiling.

"Please... Please have mercy Brokenshadow. You're not like this," he meowed. What am I doing? He's right, I'm not like this...

"Why is it that you get to decide what I'm like?" I meowed, shocked by my words. Then I leaped behind him and clawed half of his tail off. Oakpelt howled in pain. He turned and unsheathed his claws, batting at my face. He scratched me across the eye. I turned and leaped onto his back. I clawed out huge tufts of fur. 

"I guess your name's Patchpelt now," I taunted. He threw me off, and I landed on my feet. I clawed out one of his eyes.

"Or perhaps it's Oneeye," I meowed. There was blood gushing from his eye socket, but he turned and bared his teeth. I let out a hiss and jumped behind him. I clawed at his ears, then blinded him with a scratch across his other eye. He clawed out furiously but never scratched me. I flipped him onto his back and clawed his underbelly. Then I bit at his throat. The light in his one blind eye went out.

"And that is what happens to traitors in ShadowClan," Tigerstar meowed, glaring at the rest of them, daring them to betray us.

I padded into the medicine cat den as I heard the Clan cheering my name.