Warriors: Shadows Of The Night

Chapter 8

After the meeting, Silverflight made Ravenpaw go back to her den for the night. She had crawled into her nest and curled up in an attempt to sleep, but sleep was impossible for her.

Silverflight was curled up in her own nest with the tip of her tail pulled up against her nose. Her flank rose and fell as she slept. Ravenpaw had slept all day, but that wasn't the only reason she couldn't sleep. She was still haunted from the events that had happened during Shadepelt's ceremony.

She thought about what Thistlefang had said about her being like her father, and her fur bristled. Her father, a tom named Nightshadow, had died a few days before Ravenpaw and her brother had been born. He had apparently turned against the Clan with two other cats, but had been killed by Iceclaw in the process. One of the other cats had died as well, while the other had been exiled and was never seen again.

The three cats had tried to kill Shallowstar. Nightshadow had been deputy at the time, and had wanted to take over the Clan very badly. He would've done anything to become leader.

Even kill his own Clanmates...Ravenpaw thought with a shudder, shifting in her nest. Her mother, Blacktail, had made it quite clear she no longer felt feelings for Nightshadow. She had said on multiple occasions that he hadn't been the cat she'd thought he was, and that she had been glad that he hadn't been around to raise his kits.

Is that true, though? Ravenpaw wondered, opening her eyes and gazing at the roof of the den. She'd always wondered what it would've been like if her father had been around to raise her. She had watched Birdflight raise his kits alongside Berryflower. The two cats were a great couple, and they spent lots of time with their two kits. Blacktail had never spent much time with them, though. Even when Ravenpaw and Shadepelt were kits she had started going back to her warrior duties regularly as soon as the kits had weaned. And once they had reached three moons old she had moved out of the nursery completely.

Although she hadn't spent as much time with the kits as Ravenpaw would've liked, she had hunted with them a lot since they had become apprentices. But there was one painful fact that had made Ravenpaw's heart ache ever since she had first become an apprentice: Blacktail favoured Shadepelt.

The thought made Ravenpaw's gut wrench. She had known that her brother had impressed her mother more, ever since they were new apprentices. She guessed this was because he'd caught his first prey on his very first day as an apprentice, and that he was a better hunter than Ravenpaw. But despite Ravenpaw's own love for her brother, she couldn't suppress the pang of jelousy that made her fur stand on end. Ravenpaw just wanted to be treated with the same warmth as her brother.

Blacktail hasn't even visited me once since I've been injured, Ravenpaw thought bitterly, narrowing her eyes at nothing in particular as she thought deeply. I think I've disappointed her again by going to help fight. By disobeying Shallowstar...

Ravenpaw's fur bristled at the thought of her mother not loving her as much as her brother. No matter how much she loved Shadepelt, the thought enraged her deeply.

Sighing, Ravenpaw lifted her head and twisted her neck to look at her injured shoulder. The wound seemed to be healing quite well and wasn't infected, but Ravenpaw could tell it would leave a scar. She gave it a lick and let her head rest on her paws once more.

Stupid DarkClan cats! Ravenpaw thought angrily as she closed her eyes. They attacked us for no reason at all!

She felt another stab of jealousy when she remembered that Sandkit and Graykit were going to be made apprentices before she was even a warrior. Sandkit is going to be even more annoying now!

Feeling ruffled, Ravenpaw closed her eyes with a sigh and drifted into an uncomfortable sleep.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below Leader's Rock for a Clan meeting!" Shallowstar's call woke Ravenpaw from her sleep. She yawned and stood up, stretching till her tail trembled. Silverflight, who had been washing herself in her own nest, looked over at Ravenpaw.