Shade

Chapter Twenty Nine

Shadepool was drifting.

It was totally black. Even when she opened her eyes and strained to see, all she could make out was the utter blackness. She couldn't feel her tail, or her paws, or even her ears. It was like she was a floating... nothing. It was like she was nothing but a jumbled collection of thoughts.

"Shadepool," a voice murmured. It was a familiar voice, one she knew well, one she loved. Then she had the sensation of being licked between the ears, repeatedly, gently. "You're okay, little one."

Larkfeather.

Her mother's name sprang to Shadepool's mind, and she suddenly had the longing to be a kit again, and burrow into her mother's belly so she could drown out the world and it was just her and Larkfeather, and that perfect warmth you could get only by being at your mother's side.

The voice changed. It was another voice she knew, one she also loved. She could put a name to it. Silverstar.

"I'm proud of you, Shadepool," the leader's voice murmured softly. "You've done so well. And you're so strong now. I always knew you would be."

"Oh, my precious, precious daughter," a new voice meowed, sounding grief-stricken. "My beautiful little kit..." Reedfur. Oh, Reedfur. Shadepool longed to be with her father in that moment, to have the easy conversation they would often have, to laugh together, to be close. And there were so many things Shadepool hadn't even gotten to tell him yet.

Shadepool felt her father's presence recede, and she tried to reach out for him, but her paws just wouldn't obey her. Reedfur was instead replaced by a new presence. Shadepool tried so hard to see, but she just couldn't make out anything through the empty blackness. She tried to speak, but her jaws felt like they were stuck together. She could only listen and feel.

"Hang in there, Shadepool."

That was Smoketail. Why was he here? Why did Shadepool have to hang in there? There was nothing to hold onto. And why should she, anyway? She was getting used to this darkness now.

"Don't give up yet," Smoketail's voice meowed. Shadepool tried to call out to him, and tell him she was trying, but there just didn't seem to be any outcomes, no matter what she did. He didn't hear her.

Shadepool caught a glimpse of light grey fur in the distance. She watched, hope blossoming in her chest, as the shape grew closer, moving towards her until she could make out the shape of a cat, a she-cat, fairly small with slick fur usually typical of RiverClan. With a gasp, Shadepool recognised the cat. It was Dewleaf.

The former medicine cat purred. "Let's get out of this place, shall we, Shadepool?"

Shadepool stood to follow her, and found that her paws would move now. They walked together out of the darkness onto a path of soft green grass, lit from some unseen light source up ahead.

"Dewleaf, am I dead?" Shadepool asked, hardly daring to hear the answer.

Dewleaf looked at the young warrior with glittering, pale green eyes. "Not yet."

Shadepool let out a sigh of relief. She would still go back. She could tell Smoketail she wasn't ready to leave him alone just yet. She could tell Reedfur that she loved him, and she was so glad she had him as a father. She could thank Silverstar for everything the kind leader had done for her. She could bury herself in Larkfeather's fur and breathe in her scent. And then she could live out her life as a warrior.

"Welcome to StarClan, Shadepool," Dewleaf meowed. "But then, you've been here before, haven't you?"

"A couple of times," Shadepool admitted. "And both times I wasn't really supposed to be there."

"No, I can't imagine you were." Dewleaf's eyes gleamed with amusement.

Shadepool took in the scene around her. It truly was stunning; the grass was soft, the trees tall and green, and the sun filtered through the leaves in bright rays that cast light across the forest. She could barely scent anything but prey, though she picked out a few different cat-scents if she concentrated enough. It was so warm, unlike back at the lake where leafbare was only just ending. Shadepool felt a pleasant breeze ruffle her fur.

All around were starry-pelted cats, hunting, sunning themselves, and sharing tongues. Many greeted Shadepool and Dewleaf - a lot by name, though Shadepool didn't know half of them - as they walked past. Dewleaf even greeted a few in return.

"How do they all know my name?" Shadepool asked.

Dewleaf purred. "StarClan knows every Clan cat by name. Besides, you must know why we take particular interest in you."

Shadepool looked at her paws. "The prophecy. But why-"

"Even StarClan can't say," Dewleaf answered Shadepool's question before she even had a chance to ask it. "That's just the way it is."

Shadepool was silent for a moment, then asked the question that was burning her mind from the inside out. "I am going back to RiverClan, aren't I?"

"Yes, you will," Dewleaf meowed. "But a few cats wanted to speak to you first."

The former medicine cat ducked under a lichen curtain that led into a crevice in a rock, not unlike the medicine den back in RiverClan. Shadepool followed.

At first, all Shadepool could make out was the circle of cats and all their starry pelts blending together. In the group, she recognised Jayfeather and Mistystar, but the rest were unknown to her. When a big brown tabby tom moved aside to let Shadepool sit beside him, she saw the pool of water they were sitting around. It was beautiful; perfectly clear without a single ripple in it, and it almost seemed to shine slightly.

"This is the Crystal Pool," Mistystar meowed.  "It is here that we look upon the Clans by the lake."

A ginger tom spoke up. "I wish to formally apologise to RiverClan on ShadowClan's behalf. I'm sure that they'll see that they're wrong. It's only a matter of time."

"Rowanstar, I know how much you love ShadowClan, but do you really think we'd be here if that was the case?" the brown tabby tom beside Shadepool meowed gently.

Rowanstar bristled. "But of course. You don't have to worry about your Clan, do you Bramblestar? Because we all know how perfect ThunderClan is."

"That's enough, Rowanstar," Mistystar cut in sharply. "We appreciate where you're coming from, and RiverClan thanks you for the gesture, but it's been seasons since you were leader. You have to understand that."

Rowanstar nodded his head curtly, curling his tail around his paws.

Shadepool glanced across the pool at Jayfeather. The grey tabby tom was laid down, dipping his paw in the water in a bored manner. He caught Shadepool's eye and shot her a look as if to say, what?

Shadepool twitched her whiskers with amusement. She'd decided that she liked the grumpy old tom. Sure, he was grumpy, but he was actually quite wise beneath that rough exterior.

"Has any cat bothered to explain to Shadepool why she's here?" Mistystar asked. At the silence that met her question, she sighed. "No one?"

"I think she can probably guess," Jayfeather drawled. "And I think she also just wants to go home. And I wouldn't blame her for thinking that." He yawned.

"Jayfeather," Bramblestar frowned disapprovingly.

"What?" Jayfeather flicked his ear. "It's true."

"I'll hear what you have to say," Shadepool meowed, resisting the urge to purr with laughter at Jayfeather's irritated expression.

Mistystar nodded to the young she-cat. "When darkness is cleared, then shall the shadows return to light."

Another prophecy? Shadepool wasn't sure what to think about that. "What does that mean?" she asked.

"You'll know when the time comes," Mistystar promised.

"But-" Shadepool began, but the Crystal Pool and the StarClan cats were fading. "Wait-!"

She was too late. They were gone.