Darkstar's Secret

Chapter three

Darkwing just came back from hunting with her new apprentice Sloepaw, he was Darkwing's first apprentice so they had been out for a while. When they came back, Branchstar was standing on top of Highstone, the cats crowded beneath him. Darkwing thought it was a clan meeting and hoped that she wasn't late.

"Is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?" Branchstar asked and looked at Windclaw, the clan deputy.

"It is." Windclaw meowed, determined.

"Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given to us. I call upon to give you many moons of rest." Branchstar meowed formally.

Windclaw nodded and trotted over to join the rest of the crowd as they called his name.

Branchstar waited until the clan cats were silent again. "I have spoken to Windclaw about who should be the new deputy."

The clan cats immediately tensed and looked up with excitement, hoping to become the next deputy.

"I say these words before , so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of Darkclan is Darkwing."

Stunned, Darkwing stared at Highstone.

She couldn't believe that they chose her as the new deputy, and was even more surprised when the clan called her name loudly. She caught her mother Ravenfeather's eye, her green gaze full with pride as she blinked warmly to Darkwing.

I have to tell Milky about this! Darkwing excitedly thought.

The next day Darkwing woke up early to organize patrols and go out with Sloepaw so that she could set off to tell Milky the news.

She had made sure that no patrol was near Twoleg place and hoped that no cat asked about why she did it that way.

She ran as fast as she could, trying not to make a sound to attract attention on her way to Twoleg place.

When she was close to Milky's fence, she smelled another unknown smell.

She wondered who it was or what it was. It smelled like a kittypet tom.

Darkwing wondered who it was and why he was by Milky's fence, so she silently peered through the undergrowth of the forest and she barely believed her eyes. Milky was sitting on top of the fence to her garden with a dark tortoiseshell tom, they were purring and pressing their muzzles against each other.

Darkwing felt her heart beat so fast with envy, anger and sadness that she thought it was gonna burst out of her chest.

She stared at the two cats for a moment before silently mewing Milky's name and hesitantly emerging from the undergrowth.

Milky turned her head to face Darkwing, and when she caught her eye she looked startled but stayed with the tortoiseshell tom.

Darkwing didn't know what to say and slowly went back into the woods.

She wanted to howl in misery.

All she wanted was to tell Milky about her becoming deputy, but she found something that cut her deep instead. She tried to hide her misery by licking her shoulder even though nobody could see her.

She decided to walk back to hunt a little and walk back to camp.

She padded from the gorse tunnel to a shadowy spot covered by several plants and nipped at her mouse.

When she was done eating her mouse, she licked her whiskers and went out into the forest again. It was still early, so she had some time to be alone, before organizing patrols again.

She headed straight for Owl's shack without noticing.

"Hello?" Darkwing meowed into the dark shack.

A brown shape appeared. "Hi Darkwing!" Owl happily mewed. "What's up?"

Darkwing pointed with her tail to a place in the forest where they would be well hidden from passing Darkclan cats. "Do you wanna go for a walk?"

"Sure," Owl meowed.

They trotted out into the close undergrowth of the forest.

Darkwing told her about the drama with Milky and that mysterious tom. It really helped, and she felt a lot better. She wished that Owl was in the clan so that they could talk more and become better friends.

When they were done walking and talking Darkwing headed homewards once again.