Warriors: The Chosen Warrior: Final Darkness (Book 6)

Chapter 1

Leafsong's paws landed lightly on the shore, and she paused to wait for Bravepaw to jump down from the tree-bridge behind her, closely followed by Frostdrop. The early leaf-fall breeze ruffled her fur as she scanned her Clanmates gathered in front of the vegetation that led into the island's main clearing. She could scent RiverClan and WindClan strongly in the night air, and if she peered closely enough along the lakeshore down the way, she thought she could spot a thick cluster of shadows moving slowly along.

With Firestar giving the signal, the ThunderClan cats filed into the clearing, splitting up as they went to find their usual gossip groups before the Gathering begun. The she-cat watched as Frostdrop eagerly led Bravepaw toward a group of young RiverClan cats, and Darkpaw and Dapplepaw broke off to find a crowd of other apprentices. Leafsong followed Squirrelflight over to some warriors and elders having a conversation.

She wasn't quite interested in the conversation they were having, however. Instead, Leafsong scanned the WindClan cats, thinking once again about how Whitesnake and Shiningice were doing on their quest away from the Clans.

A little more than a moon ago, fellow ThunderClan warrior, though adopted, Whitesnake got permission from Firestar for him and his sister to leave the Clans in search of their lost mother, Swiftclaw. It took much convincing between Whitesnake and Leafsong, since at first, Firestar did not know the whole extent of the story or the reasoning why this quest was brought up.

Swiftclaw was known to the Clans, and often ridiculed for, publicly taking a rogue as a mate, thus leading cats, including her Clanmates, to taunting her and eventually forcing her to abandon her mixed-blood kits. But in order to convince her leader to allow Whitesnake to do this, Leafsong revealed that Whitesnake, Shiningice, and Frostdrop were in fact WindClan cats and the kits of Swiftclaw herself. When prompted to answer what happened to Swiftclaw that made her need to be found to begin with, Leafsong - slightly reluctantly - admitted that the she-cat had attempted to kill her to get revenge on the Clans for how they treated her, as she had learned that Leafsong was the Chosen Warrior. And at the time, Leafsong had thought it best to force the former warrior out of the Clans forever so she could bring no more harm or continue to get harmed herself, but the ThunderClan she-cat soon regretted making that decision. She left out the part where Whitesnake had tried to kill her, as well, though he quickly realized his mistake in time to save her himself.

"I know she will cause no more problems once she's back," Leafsong had stated to Firestar when he questioned what would happen if Swiftclaw's successfully brought back. "All she wants is to be with her kits again. That will bring her peace."

Eventually, and with great relief to both Leafsong and Whitesnake, Firestar agreed to the mission and allowed Shiningice to go along with her brother. When Frostdrop was told of the impending quest and asked if she wanted to join her littermates, her bitterness toward them, since they verbally disrespected Bravepaw from joining ThunderClan multiple times, was apparent.

She barely glanced at them before she quietly responded, "I think it's best if I stay here." The silver-and-white warrior had met eyes with Bravepaw, who she had barely left his side since she stood up for him in front of the Clan, but all the same, she still added, "Good luck, though."

Whitesnake had swallowed hard at this but nodded, glancing at Bravepaw with no emotion shown. The two had left the next day in late greenleaf, and had been gone since.

Leafsong also prayed to StarClan that the Clans would treat Swiftclaw well, provided if she even wanted to stay, or if she came back to begin with.

The pale-ginger she-cat's attention went to the entrance of the clearing as the ferns shivered before more cats streamed out of them. She scanned each of the ShadowClan cats until her gaze landed on one in particular, and she excused herself from Squirrelflight before trotting over to meet the black warrior.