Dark Shadows by Chocolatemeerkat (best books for 20 year olds txt) 📖

"We are willing to go along with Fernwhisker's idea." Shadowstar gave a small purr. "Good. We will attack them at dawn tomorrow." The cats left, only Nightflame was left. Shadowstar gulped. Since the senior warrior had tried to convince Fernwhisker that Duststorm was a bad influence on her, the leader had doubted his loyalty to the clan. Nightflame, for the moment, seemed inoccent. "I'm going hunting, the fresh-kill pile is very low." He annonced. Shadowstar was suspicious. "Why go in the middle of the night?"
"Um... the prey will be easier to catch now because they'll be tireder than in the day." Nightflame said quickly. Shadowstar sighed. He couldn't argue with the tom. "Fine. Off you go." Nightflame padded off and out of camp, whilst Shadowstar went to his den. He looked up and saw a single star in the night sky. "Are you watching over us, Snowstar?" He muttered silently. A small gust of wind blew through the branches of the den, making the young leader shiver. Just then, he heard a friendly, familar mew behind him. Shadowstar turned and saw a StarClan warrior. "Shadowstar, I can tell you are worried about something." She meowed.
"I fear for what dawn brings. Innocent cats will die saving innocent cats. I dread the moment when the battle begins, anyone could die. And there are so many cats that don't deserve to die. Morninghawk, my trusted deputy, Blazestrike, one of the closest friends I have ever had, Bearpelt, a wise and trustworthy she-cat. So many others I could name." Shadowstar admitted. The StarClan warrior gave a small smile. "Yet you do not seem afraid of this battle. But I know you are doing it for Smokepaw and Gentlepaw." She replied. "Now, you sleep peacefully and prepare to fight." The warrior faded away and Shadowstar streched his legs. He then fell asleep. Unfortuantly, a couple of minutes into his sleep, a cat was nudging him up with their paw. The leader grumbled and opened his eyes to find his deputy. "I heard what you said to Nightflame. I think he's up to something. I'll go find him if you want." She offered. Shadowstar looked up at her. "Thank you. That would be great." He replied. "I just need to go and speak to the queens." He padded out and Morninghawk rushed into the forest, picking up his scent. Moonsky greeted Shadowstar as he entered the den. "What can we do for you?"
"I just wanted to say about your mates." Shadowstar mewed quietly. "I swear by StarClan to try and bring them back alive." Ember blinked and looked at him greatfully. "Thanks. You are a true and loyal cat." Shadowstar padded out, feeling slightly embrassed before curling up in his den and finally falling asleep. Revenge

At dawn, Shadowstar gathered the clan for a meeting. "I would like the queens, kits and elders to stay here obviously. You will be guarded by Squirrelfall, Frogbound, Luckypaw, Leafdew, Clawedear, Duststorm and Rainflower. If we loose, we will try to pull back to protect you all." He told his clan. "The rest of you are coming with me. You've got a couple of minutes before we leave." Blazestrike padded over to Moonsky, who looked at him with her blue eyes. "Please, do be careful. And come back alive." She mummered softly, rubbing her head against Blazestrike's flank. Her kits were silent, for today this could be the day they would loose their father. Blazestrike looked at them, his red eyes filled with fear and worry. "Stay with your mother, all of you." He said, licking them all. He turned to Moonsky. "I'll bring back a tooth." He joked. Moonsky looked like she was going to cry, but she looked into Blazestrike's eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too, Moonsky. I better go and join Shadowstar now." He padded away, leaving Moonsky and the kits stunned with silence. Shadowstar watched the cats as they comforted their mates and friends and felt a thorn pierce his heart. He had lost Starkit in the dog attack, Littletail in the fox ambush and Robineye in the battle for survial, but who would he loose next? Gentlepaw had been captured, Cloverpaw was going to the battle and Luckypaw was staying behind to protect his clanmates. He could loose any of his children today. Morninghawk then bounded over to his side. "Ivyfur and Puffinpaw are coming now, so we better get going." She said. Shadowstar nodded and led them towards the Twolegplace. He could smell the tribe and another strange smell, but didn't care. The leader then stopped and turned to his clan. "It is time. On my signal, we'll jump the fence and attack." He instructed in a low voice. Shadowstar poked his head through the fence to take a look around. The barn was silent and so was the field. He motioned the battle signal and the clan rushed into the field. They then stopped when they heard a battle cry. The tribe were charging at them, along with another clan. Puffinpaw gasped in horror. "FlowerClan are helping to attack us!" She whispered in fear. Shadowstar yowled and the SnowClan cats rushed into battle. He ran towards the barn, desperate to find the apprentices. However, he was being followed by Darkeyes, a fierce FlowerClan warrior. Shadowstar had got to the entrance when he noticed that he wasn't alone. He snarled and lashed his tail. "Come out, coward!" Darkeyes yowled and pounced onto him, hissing angrily. The leader raked his claws down Darkeyes' flank, making the tom yelp in pain and jump off. Quickly, Shadowstar rushed into the barn and looked around. He couldn't see the apprentices anywhere. Where were they? "Gentlepaw? Smokepaw?" He called.
"Up here!" A small voice squeaked from above. Shadowstar looked up and saw Smokepaw and Gentlepaw, resting on the loft floor. Out of nowhere, Air appeared and dragged them back. Shadowstar snarled angrily and jumped up until he reached the loft. He growled at Air and pounced onto him, digging his claws into the old tom's shoulder. He looked at Smokepaw and Gentlepaw. "Go! Go and help!" He cried desperately. The two little apprentices rushed out and into the battle field. Smokepaw trotted over to help Morninghawk, whilst Gentlepaw threw herself at a large FlowerClan warrior. However, he was stronger than she thought, so he pinned her down. "Now to die, you foolish apprentice!" He hissed. Out of the blue, Hawkeyes appeared and pounced onto the tom, freeing Gentlepaw. Hawkeyes looked at the little apprentice. "Run! Run as fast as you can, little Gentlepaw!" The apprentice had no option but to listen to the old warrior and ran. It felt as if the warriors of StarClan were running beside her, encouraging her. But she was now alone in the forest, safely away from the battle. Gentlepaw sat down beside a large tree and licked wounds that the tribe cats gave her. She stared around her. The sun was still rising, but the forest was alive. Gentlepaw could smell her clanmate's fear scents and milk. She could even hear the kits wailing. Must be Ember's, Moonsky's kits don't make that much noise. She thought to herself. Gentlepaw groomed her fur, thinking of what it must be like at the battle. SnowClan would obviously be winning. Suddenly, a loud wail could be heard close by. Gentlepaw got up and rushed to camp. She then stopped in her tracks when she saw Ember crouched beside a small tuft of bright ginger. Flamekit. It was Flamekit. Gentlepaw's heart stopped beating as she slowly approached the queen. "W-what happened?"
"He fell in the river and hit his head on a sharp tree root." Ember replied worriedly. "But I don't know medicine cat training and the medicine cats aren't here!"
"I'll try, if you want." Squirrelfall offered. She went off to the medicine den and came back with herbs in her jaws. With help from Gentlepaw, she treated the wound and gave him a poppy seed. "He should be ok now, hopefully he'll wake up when everyone returns." Squirrelfall told the queen. Ember nodded. "Thanks for the help." She said, picking up her son and carrying him back to the nursery. Gentlepaw smiled at her friend. "You're a natural. How did you learn that? You'd make a better medicine cat than Ivyfur, if you ask me." Squirrelfall shuffled her paws and looked at her. "When Ivyfur was a younger, kinder cat, she let me watch her heal others. Now I highly doubt she would let anyone watch her do her precious healing." She explained.
"But, how did you remember that? You were one of the first apprentices to be made a warrior! And to loose your closest friend, because of your brother, how did you remember that far back?" Gentlepaw asked curiously. Before Squirrelfall could reply, she was interupted by a loud yowling. Gentlepaw pricked her ears up and then saw her clanmates rushing back. They were chanting "We won! We won!" Shadowstar jumped up to the Highrock and yowled. "Flowerstar surrendered and one of Berry's trusted friends got violently slaughtered by Falconsong!" Many cats chanted Falconsong's name, while the she-cat licked her blood-stained fur. "It was nothing really." She said, embrassed. Gentlepaw gave a loud groan of annoyence. She wasn't really friends with the young warrior, and now she was getting all the attention. Then, the clan stopped cheering and went into silence when someone yowled. "Hawkeyes and Flightheart are dead!"

New apprentices

Gentlepaw gasped in horror as the dead bodies were dragged in by her clanmates. Moonsky dipped her head sadly, as Flightheart was her old mentor and a good friend. Shadowstar jumped down to face Shreweye. "What happened?" The little brown warrior shook his head. "Flightheart fell from a tree and broke her neck, while Hawkeyes died saving Gentlepaw from a FlowerClan warrior." He sighed. Gentlepaw was horrified. It was her fault that a good cat had died in battle. Quietly, she sneaked away to the apprentice den and laid in her bedding, feeling awful. She felt as if she had murdered Hawkeyes herself. Just then, Puffinpaw padded in with a mouse. "You deserve it for helping Ember." She mewed, dropping the mouse at her friend's paws.
"No I don't." Gentlepaw mumbled. Puffinpaw nudged the little mouse over. "Come on, you do, and you know it." All Gentlepaw could do now was howl. "It's my fault Hawkeyes died!" Several cats stopped chatting and looked into the den. Shadowstar came