Dark Skies- Book #2 in Sunrise

Chapter 20
Jadeheart sat in camp next to Creamcall, basking in the weak sun. Clouds shifted over the remaining rays, promising rain later in the day. A small wind blew just hard enough to ruffle Jadeheart's fur and set the elders off complaining.

"If we can't get sunlight, I would've at least hoped to keep my pelt neat!" Sunray grumbled, licking dirt and sand out of his fur. Jadeheart narrowed her eyes as a spray of dirt scattered across camp, sailing through the air. Several apprentices mumbled about not getting to see a decent day of sunlight in their lifetime, trudging back to their den.

They sound just like elders. Jadeheart thought, watching Scatfur and Frostfang slip through the entrance to go and hunt. Trailpaw padded up to Jadeheart, his head down and his paws dragging. "What's wrong?" "Nothing," he grumbled. "Trailpaw, look at me." Trailpaw slowly brought his face into view, revealing smeared blood across his muzzle that belong to himself.

Jadeheart gasped. "What happened?" She meowed, resisting the urge to clean it off of his face. Trailpaw's eyes reflected sadness. "Snakepaw didn't know that I was so...weak, and he lunged at me during battle training. I fell to the ground and knocked my jaw onto a sharp rock. I'm heading to the medicine den."

Jadeheart felt pity for the smallest of her kits gnaw at her stomach. "You're not weak, Snakepaw's bigger than you." She insisted. Trailpaw just nodded and trudged past her. "Why is everybody so low in spirits?" Rufflefur wondered out loud from behind Jadeheart. "I don't know,"
. . .
Scatfur burst into the entrance of camp carrying a squirrel. "Good, you caught something!" Riverrush meowed grumpily. "Well, I would've if WindClan hadn't have stolen it!" Scatfur spat. Jadeheart noticed small bite marks dotting the rabbits' fur.

"What?!?" Flipstar roared. "Wait." Starlight edged closer to Scatfur. "How do we know it's-" Scatfur didn't let him finish, thrusting the rabbit at him. "Do you smell WindClan on it?" Starlight's blue eyes betrayed growing rage. "Yes,"

Clawbark narrowed his eyes. "It's settled. I'm sending a patrol out with Scatfur." Starlight looked determined. "Let me go." "Me too." Jadeheart meowed. Suddenly, Scatfur, Rufflefur, Dewwing, Jadeheart, and Starlight were lined up at the camp entrance.

"Let's go!" Scatfur called, charging out of camp. The WindClan border wasn't too far off, and at a rapid pace the patrol crashed through the forest. Scatfur froze, glaring across the border at a group of six WindClan warriors. "Did you steal our prey?" He growled.

Needlenose sniffed. "Oh, yeah, it was delicious." Dewwing narrowed her eyes. "She did!" Glowwhisker looked meaningfully at the ThunderClan patrol. "Why would we?" Starlight's expression became confused. "Um...I don't know...maybe to eat?" He spat.

Jadeheart flattened her ears. "Quit playing dumb quickly before I claw your ears off!" A she-cat who's name Jadeheart did not know stepped forward, her teeth bared. "When my Clanmates say they didn't do something, they didn't." She spat. With a final glower at Needlenose, Scatfur straightened. "Attack!"

At his word, the patrol jumped at the bewildered WindClan cats. Immediately, Jadeheart latched her claws into a ginger tom's fur, dug them in, and threw him to the ground. The tom hissed, but she could hear him over Starlight's screech. Through the thick of the battle, Jadeheart couldn't see her father, and she fought her way towards the distant hisses that she knew were his.

Needlenose blocked her path, her grayish-reddish fur standing on end. "I don't know what kind of cats are in your Clan, but in our Clan, we tell the truth. And if my Clanmates say that they didn't take your prey, then, for Star-" Jadeheart lunged at the she-cat, claws outstretched, and barreled into her with a yowl.

Needlenose toppled over, but she dug her claws into Jadeheart's shoulders. Ripples of pain swept over her, but Jadeheart managed to swipe at Needlenose's muzzle, causing blood to bead on her nose. Needlenose let out a hiss of pain and pushed her away.

Jadeheart turned back to Starlight, which she could now see slumped against a tree. Nearby, Scatfur lay limp on the ground. Glowwhisker was sent away with his Clanmates with a ferocious swipe to the head from Dewwing, leaving the ThunderClan warriors alone.

"Starlight! Starlight!" Jadeheart cried, searching her father's eyes for any response. The tom's heart raced, but it was weak, and he was dying. Starlight looked up at Jadeheart with clouded eyes. "I'm going to meet your mother," he meowed softly, his gaze turning wistful.

"Look." Behind her, a nearly transparent image of Dewstorm formed. Dewstorm purred quietly, padding towards Starlight. Starlight looked lovingly at his mate, and Dewstorm rubbed against him. At that moment, all of the life faded from Starlight's eyes, and they stared right past Jadeheart.

"Dad!" She cried. Jadeheart whipped around to face Scatfur, who was being sat up by Rufflefur. "You," she growled, her voice shaking. "I should've known it was you, the hateful tom who glowers at frail elders and abandons his mate!" Jadeheart laughed at herself underneath her breath. "Put him down!" She screeched, knocking Rufflefur's paw out from under Scatfur's head.

Scatfur grunted and winced in pain, but said nothing. Dewwing stood by, looking revolted and scared. Jadeheart fixed her gaze on Scatfur. "The cat who came into the Clan with an unreasonable hatred for my father. I can't believe you'd take advantage of cats like Ravenstar!"

Jadeheart shook her head slowly with disgust, but never broke her piercing stare. Scatfur held her gaze, but his deep green eyes looked weary. "The worst part is, I'm right." Jadeheart thrust her muzzle into Scatfur's face. "Aren't I?" Scatfur angled his gaze at the ground, his whiskers trembling.

Jadeheart pulled back. "You did! You killed an elder instead of my father, your ultimate goal." She flicked her tail at Starlight. "Are you happy now?" She screeched. "Are you?" She narrowed her eyes, realizing that everything around her had fell silent. Rufflefur had backed away from Scatfur, her eyes wary.

"Everyone knows now! They're disgusted, you know?" Jadeheart carried on after waiting for an answer. "I'm revolted! Revolted!" Scatfur looked up a her with despair. "I-I'm sorry!" He cried. "She's right!" He banged his head onto the rough ground. "I deserve to die this way."

Rufflefur took a hesitant step forward to assist him. "No, leave me here. There's no use in burying me, anyways, if all that's going to happen is I get exiled." Dewwing looked at him sadly. "He's right! He deserves it. I am not going to let him die under the influence of poppy seeds or any other herb.

"He deserves to die just how Starlight and Pondnose did: in agony. Leave him be!" Jadeheart hissed, the hatred ringing clearly in her voice. "Jade-" "No, leave me alone."
. . .
EPILOGUE
Jadeheart looked at Starlight's grave for the last time. It's time to go. Sun warmed her back, and she felt a pang of grief as her kits gathered around her. "Mom," Trailgrass meowed. "I know it's hard. But we have to go." Jadeheart sighed. "I know."

In the last few moons, a disease had struck the Clans, forcing them to leave their home and the infected cats along with it. Fallenleaf had claimed to see a place perfect for the four Clans in her vision, so now the Clans were leaving their camps and setting off on a new journey.

When they arrived at camp, Jadeheart dug her nose into Puddleswipe's pelt. "I'll miss you, take care." Puddleswipe nodded her head. "Don't get too close," Adderjaw reminded her. He had offered to stay and take care of the remaining cats, saying that all of his family awaited him in StarClan, anyways.

Puddleswipe jerked from side to side in her nest, her eyes screwed shut. For a moment, she managed to stay still, whispering, "I'll tell Sorrelpaw hello for you." With a heavy heart, Jadeheart trudged out of the camp. "May StarClan light your path," she whispered.

Okay, this is the end of my story! Feel free to message me if you'd like to continue this story, and I'd most likely give you permission to all of my characters and my plot. I hope you liked this story, and may StarClan light your path. ❤️