𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 || 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜 #1

Bonus Chapter #4: Epilogue

"Right," Meadownose interrupts, giving Gorsefrost a look.

Gorsefrost shoots a petulant glower back, beginning to stride in circles around Slightstar.

"You should really visit more, Slightstar, and come see little old me. Everyone else is so boring..."

Slightstar sighs harshly, lashing his striped tail.

"Why would I want to come here and see you? All you do is pester me with foolish matters."

The calico-she-cat chuckles, bouncing a little as she walks round and round.

"You know you love me, Slighty. Don't be so sour."

The silver tabby narrows his eyes, somehow managing to scowl harder than before.

Meadownose knows he's too proud to admit he respects Gorsefrost, even though everyone can quite easily tell.

"We've wasted too much time already," he hisses, turning his attention back to Meadownose.

"We have business to attend to."

"Yes, your all-important business," Gorsefrost mews dramatically, batting her eyes.

"Get to it, then! I have some cats to bother," she adds, padding off with a theatrical sigh.

"I sense a lack of progress on your part, Meadownose," the ShadowClan leader mews, curling his tail tightly around his paws.

"Is there some hindrance I'm unaware of?"

Meadownose's ear twitches; she begins to remember why she likes Slightstar so much.

"Not a hinderance, exactly, but I'm beginning to rethink the approach I've taken. I have an idea. But for it, I need a catalyst. Something to set off a chain of events, if you will."

Slightstar falls into silence, gaze darkened in thought.

"You mean you don't want to kill her yourself?" he mews as last, a smirk creeping across his face.

Unimpressed, Meadownose stares blankly at the ShadowClan leader.

"I have no reservations about doing it if I must, it's that I think the Clan is at a point where a revolt is inevitable. If it goes well, I won't have to involve myself at all, she'll be out of the way, and it won't be linked back to me."

"You want to rely on your Clanmates' capacity for violence?" Slightstar replies.

"That seems a bit too naive."

"Less naive than going through with it carelessly and leaving a witness behind," Meadownose retorts with a sneer, flicking her tufted tail.

Slightstar rolls his eyes.

"How amusing," he drawls sarcastically, nose wrinkling in disdain as a beetle scuttles across his paw.

"Back to the point," Meadownose continues, "-what I need is the perfect storm of chaos and division, and then the infighting begins."

"Stormstar's on thin ice now- if she makes another controversial decision, she's going to get deposed one way or another."

"Your political climate is that fragile?" Slightstar questions, drawing a paw over his ear.

"Perhaps it could work. But don't be too sure of it."

"Glad you think so, Slighty," Meadownose chirps, feeling a pang of triumph once the irritation returns to the silver tabby's expression.

"There was one more cat whose input I wished to get, though.."

"Oh?' Slightstar mews, pricking an ear.