Dwindling Shadow [openness]

The elder let out an involuntary gasp when he felt the brown tabby's claws on him, his paw pressing down on his throat. He gagged, fighting back another cough, despite the burning itch in his throat; he dare not go breathless now, staring sharply up at Reedstar. What a stupid question. Of course he knew who they were. He remembered that very evening they had found them, it would forever be fresh in his memory.

He had still had went by the name of Sagestar back then, of course, and was one of the first ones to stir awake. The clan was just beginning to wake up, the first warrior arising to relieve the sentry of his duty and the other letting out a sigh of relief - even in the rain the sounds were all too familiar. He had been awake for a while then and had finally decide to walk outside and stretch his legs when he saw a strange stirring in the clan entrance. At first, he had dismissed it as simply the rain tricking him, until he had gotten closer; staring into the small, dark tunnel and seeing a pair of small, familiar eyes staring back.

The tom cat glanced inside, half-expecting to see the familiar calico there, hiding from the rain with them; but after she was gone, he suspected she had no other choice, she had been from home for far too long, and she was too clever to wait for any ShadowClan cat to find her. He had already met his children once before, when he had gone to speak to StarClan, he had found them at the abandoned barn on his journey home. It was then they settled their situation and decided they would go to his clan when they were old enough to travel. He'd took them in and asked a queen to nurse them, called a clan meeting - told them that they were now to be considered his kits and no questions would come of it. They listened.

He let out an uneasy, weak smile. "Do- ... you know- ... who your kits are?" Sagewhisker hissed back through his teeth, his sarcasm spitting, though fear prickled at his pelt. Not from the image of those claws going straight through his throat, but of what this cat would do if he found out their names. He'd already proven to hold no bout of honor when it had come to his clan, how could he be at any peace knowing that this snake-heart knew who they are and could do anything to them? Practically staring face in the death, the tom couldn't help but laugh weakly, genuinely. "They're not kits- anymore." If they were still alive.

"Their names." Reedstar pressed his claws deeper, drawing small beads of blood. Did he not know that he could still save them? ShadowClan was dying, and he did not intend for the last of Froststar's blood to die with it. He had sworn to keep them safe. "And I didn't ask if you knew who they are, mouse-brain, so I'll ask again. Do they know who they are?" His lips curled back into a snarl, and Froststar's shrieks of agony grew sharper and sharper in his head. "Answer and I'll allow you to live out your days in the plague-ridden carrion dump you call home. It's the least you could do to redeem any honor you once had."

With a distant look in his eyes, he gritted his teeth, bearing the sharp pains against his throat. He eerily watched the sky, squinting against the pain and the warm, blinding sunlight. He longed for the chilly night breezes, the pale glow of the moon, and the infinity of stars that danced across the sky. Sagewhisker could've sworn in that moment, he could hear his mate's warm voice calling out for him again. "Her name was Froststream, did you know that?" He muttered breathlessly, "The most graceful she-cat in all RiverClan." And smart, and stubborn, and beautiful. So perfect, and yet he couldn't have her. She was groomed for leadership, as he was, she loved her clan, as much as he loved his. Perhaps it would redeem himself for breaking the code if he told the truth, but doing so would feel like committing an unforgivable act of betrayal. They'd already been punished enough, he thought, having to step down and watch his dear clan fall apart before his eyes. Even worse, Froststar had been stolen of all her remaining lives.

And now here he was, with her successor's claws sinking into his neck, homeless, and with one last chance to protect his family. "They're ShadowClan." He growled. That was all they ever needed to know. Their sins were not theirs. Sagewhisker caterwaules, twisting around and kicking the brown tabby off of him, if he could. Writhing and spitting, he aimed to dig his claws into Reedstar as deeply as possible.

Reedstar tumbled with the elder in a cloud of dust and sand, but he was younger, bigger, and stronger, and Sagewhisker's strength had been drained by sickness and starvation. A fiery rage filled him as he finally got a good grip on his scruff again, and Reedstar began to shake him around like a piece of prey. Froststar... beautiful, graceful, code-breaking Froststar. He had loathed her, hated her, loved her, respected her. She had been his mentor, his leader, his friend, another mother to him. And she had died. Died for the sake of two bastard half-blooded kits, all to bring them to ShadowClan, to him. The dark hearts of the forest, murderous, evil, greedy, without any regard for honor or law. Every cat feared them and despised them, but somehow, some way, his stubborn clever leader had fallen for a stunted snake-eating brute. Last time he saw her she was beautiful and strong again with stardust in her fur and moonlight in her eyes, and he wondered if she were waiting for her forbidden love, and if she was regretful for her choice. Which choice? Her mate, or her deputy?

I had sworn to keep them safe... How can I do that when they're so far away? He didn't even know if they were alive, what they looked like, what their names were. Were they named for strength, for cunning, for grace, for beauty? They deserved to know who they really were, but Reedstar didn't know who they were either. Are they their mother, or their father? He realized Sagewhisker wasn't moving anymore. Are they ShadowClan, or RiverClan?

Reedstar let the limp body fall to the ground and stepped back, dark, silent, with the white fur around his muzzle was specked with a horrid scarlet. How many lives had he ended now? Four? Five? He didn't know. His eyes found Sagewhisker's corpse again, and he turned his eyes to the blue sky. Puffy clouds slowly drifted on cool breezes, and the sun's rays bathed the camp in a warm yellow glow. The trickling of water and sweet high songs of birds filled the air. It was a day for lazing in the sun, for hunting, for laughter. Reedstar could only hear the rain.

Under the shade of a willow tree on a hill overlooking the river there was a burial place, where Froststar was put to rest. There would be room enough beside her for one more.

When suddenly everything became still again, Cinderfur didn't really know what to do. It actually shocked her to see the whole situation unfold. To be truthful, she had never seen much death in her life, if any. There was the horrible flood and the sight of one of her clan mates being thrown around in the currents, but she had been too scared for her own life to try to focus on that. Even afterwards when she was on her own, she barely had time to grieve, and over time, she had almost forgotten how the traumatic event felt when she found that she wasn't alone and that her clan was still here. Even after finding out that Reedstar was "dead," she had forgotten the feeling of loss ever since he came back. Yet, she didn't feel as close to him anymore. Especially after what he had just done. She had no idea what to think, to be honest. Sure, she didn't know the old cat. She knew that he used to be Shadowclan's leader, which was partially what made Reedstar's actions rather shocking, but at the same time, she had never known Reedstar to act the way he did. Something had definitely changed in him after Mapleclaw's incident, and Cinderfur didn't know how to react. She didn't even feel like she knew him anymore. But she wasn't going to bring anything up. Not now. Quickly motioning to Midnightpaw to keep up with his usual duties, the queen turned back around and made her way into the nursery. May Starclan take you with the highest respect, she thought, thinking back to Sagewhisker before lying down for a nap.

Midnightpaw nodded and stepped back. What in Starclan's name happened? What kits are they talking about? I never seen him this angry... Well its too late to ask questions now. "W-would there be a vigil?"