CotS #1: The Dark Path (currently being rewritten)

Chapter Twelve

"I never agreed," I responded childishly.

"Too bad!" Hivekit laughed. "We're the game masters, and you don't have an opinion!" I pretended to look shocked and Hivekit looked triumphant.

"Mom, Mom, can you be a rogue too?" Honeykit begged.

Starrynight nodded. "And Appledawn?"

"If you recall," said Appledawn, "I'm one of the most renowned fighters in the Clan."

"Well ... that's true ..." mumbled Chivekit. "But please... Mom?" He looked so desperate that Appledawn was forced to give in.

"Okay," mumbled Appledawn.

"I can join in too," Amberfire came. "I'll be your ... person to protect!"

I laughed. She probably wanted to play, but her extremely rounded belly would make that difficult.

"Can you look after those two instead?" Starrynight asked, gently pushing Frostkit and Sunkit over to her.

"Oh, okay."

I could tell. The way Starrynight pushed them away. They way Amberfire grudgingly took them instead of playing with Starrynight and Appledawn's kits. Nobody wanted them there, did they?

"It's fine," I said dismissively. "I'll watch them."

Amberfire looked up. Her features were shocked, but they were feigned. So fake. So, so fake.

"Don't make your feelings so obvious."

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Never mind," I muttered. "I mean, you're giving a lot away by your expression. You don't want Frostkit or Sunkit, do you?"

"Who does?" Amberfire muttered. "I mean, they're innocent little kits. But these CloudClan ... they're so sus! None of them have Peaceheart and Feathermist's purple eyes. None of them. It obvious. They aren't kin to them. I even heard Forestclaw before – he told Sunstreak to call him Forest. And Sunstreak was like 'our days as Forest and Sun are over, pal. I know you miss the simple names, but this is so much better.' I mean, come on, Stormdawn. You're not that stupid."

"I never was," I mumbled softly. She backtracked.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I mean, I'm sure ... they're nice fellas. I might keep them round, until my kits are born. But I can read your face too. You know something, Stormdawn. You know something."

"Huh ... know what?" I feigned dumbness. It was a dumb move, but I was pretending to be dumb anyway, and what could I say? Iceleaf trusted me. I didn't know if she wanted to give herself and Lightcry completely away – but she'd told me, and I'd seen that desperation. She'd been guilty, and she wanted to tell someone.

Someone like me.

Something clicked. She trusted me. Why had she trusted me with her secret – with her entire group's secret? Lightcry's secret?

She trusted me.

I thought about that again, ignoring Amberfire's probing.

"Stormdawn! Just respond! What do you know?"

"I need some time to myself," I said. "And you kits can't deal properly with Appledawn anyway."

Amberfire's eyes narrowed. "You're avoiding something."

"Avoiding?" I asked. "You hit a nerve, Amberfire. That's all. I'm not going to lose my temper. I never lose my temper."

"I wonder how you do that," she muttered, not sounding very friendly.

"You'll tell us one day, your secret!" Chivekit chimed.

"Maybe one day." I offered him the briefest of smiles, then turned to leave.

"Stormdawn. Wait."

I turned around. I was pretty sure I had already told Wheatpelt days ago how little I wanted to do with her anymore. She'd changed, from when she'd been that lost queen abandoned by Eagletail. She really, really didn't need me anymore. I was pretty sure she had known that for a while. Then she had lashed out, because even if I left, she didn't need me anymore.

I knew what Wheatpelt saw me as. A tool for her to be used. Nothing of importance – not the somebody I was. She'd always fed me lies, hadn't she? I'd believed, at the start, that someone truly appreciated me. But now, the Clan was warming up to me and I could see how fake Wheatpelt's current act was. I dipped my head in acknowledgement, but turned my back on her.

"I'm sorry, Wheatpelt. I have nothing – absolutely nothing – to say to you. And I never will." 

I told her that, and then turned my back on her.

ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴇᴅɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛᴜᴇꜱᴅᴀʏ, 5ᴛʜ ꜱᴇᴘᴛᴇᴍʙᴇʀ