Darkstorm's Code✔️

Chapter Seventeen

"Maybe that other clue- remember it? 'Follow the brightest star'." Darkstorm guessed. "I mean, if we don't know who the apprentice is-"

"We don't," Orangetail mewed. "Slatepaw revealed nothing, and you say you didn't really talk to Arrowheart about it." Darkstorm edged away.

"Well, either way, we aren't even sure that we know the apprentice. So I think we should think about the prophecy itself. How will the lake die?" Shadeflight asked. Orangetail shrugged.

"I dunno." Orangetail jumped, flicking her ears worriedly. "Twolegs! Run!" The three cats scattered in different directions, watching as a group of Twolegs walked into the clearing, followed by a monster. 

"What are they doing?" Darkstorm whispered. "They already came and marked a bunch of trees with the shiny stuff last half-moon," she recalled. "Why are they back?"

"Who knows?" Shadeflight shrugged. "Twolegs are weird. Hey, what's-" A rumble interrupted him as the Twolegs hoisted something skinny and long on a large pine, attaching it to the monster. Why doesn't the monster eat them? Darkstorm wondered. Huh. A lighter Twoleg yowled something, and another took out a loud, buzzing thing and began to smack it on the tree. 

"What..." Orangetail mewed in horror as the tree began to waver. "They're killing it! They're killing the forest, just like they did in the old territories! I remember the legends!" She widened her eyes.

"Run!" Darkstorm shouted, and they took off. "We have to warn ShadowClan!" Orangetail's gaze flicked back to Shadeflight. He's not trained for speed, Darkstorm realized, dashing back to grab him by the scruff and help him. Something made a loud thud, and Orangetail let out a yowl. 

"The tree!" Darkstorm managed to catch a glimpse of the tree, fallen on the ground, with Shadeflight's fur in the way.

"I'm not a kit!" her littermate spat. "Let me go!" Darkstorm ignored him and continued to run. Orangetail skidded to a stop as they came to the ShadowClan camp, and the clan looked up to see what the rush was.

"Treestar! The Twolegs are killing the forest, like in the old territories!" Shadeflight howled, ripping free of Darkstorm's grip. "They aren't far from here! We need to go somewhere else!" Treestar's fur spiked.

"How near?" he demanded.

"Closer than the Dead Tree," Orangetail yowled. "We have to move deeper into the territory!"

"Mousedung!" Treestar snarled. "The gathering is soon. We'll discuss it then."

"But how will we even get to the island?" Badgerleap inquired. "The tree is broken. Could it be that StarClan really is mad at us?" Treestar closed his eyes wearily as Yowltail answered.

"I don't know. But we have to find a way. We have two sunrises to do so." Her eyes narrowed. "But we must move, Treestar." The tom looked old as he sighed.

"All those moons ago, the ancient clan left the lake to the mountains. Then the mountain cats to the forest, and the forest cats back to the lake. Are you saying we should leave?" Darkstorm flicked her tail. No. I think I know what the prophecy means now. She looked at ShadowClan. We need a leader, she realized. One that everyone is proud of. Fernstar wasn't that leader, and Treestar isn't, either. She lifted her head, feeling the warm sun beat down on her. Who will be that leader? She began to speak.

"Maybe we should. The lake has given many cats good, long lives, and maybe there is a better place out there." Darkstorm caught sight of the mountains through the trees. "Look out there. Maybe we're meant to lead the other clans to a better place. Maybe that's how we can save us all. Maybe we are the shadows in the prophecy." Come on. Trust me. This must be what the prophecy means! I'm still not sure about the other stuff, but this is how ShadowClan will save everyone. Grassfang blinked, and Thinfur, watching from the medicine den, let out a mew. 

"Just then, my kit," he began, sounding like his old self again, "you acted like a leader." 

Sorry about the shortness of the chapter...