Shadowstar's Life/Chapter 5

==Chapter description==
:Shadowstar leads Raven Pelt, Mud Paws, and Pebble Heart in the direction of SkyClan's camp. Raven Pelt admits his concerns about Skystar, but Shadowstar believes the leader will not hurt them despite his mood. She adds that there needs to be reasons for what Quick Water did, silently hoping Skystar does not have involvement in her attempted murder. The black she-cat thinks about his past, knowing he had moved on from his nefarious ways and had worked to help the Clans. They reach the Thunderpath, making Shadowstar remember her near-death on it. However, she reassures herself she will not die on the Thunderpath and quickly runs across the stone, causing a monster to skid out of control. On the other side Mud Paws scolds the she-cat for being reckless as she begins to feel exposed in different territory. Shadowstar tells her cats to wait for a SkyClan patrol, and moments later Red Claw and Blossom emerge from the forest.
:Blossom greets Shadowstar, but she cuts the tortoiseshell off and states she needs to speak with Skystar. Blossom attempts to press her on any news about the territory SkyClan needs, but Shadowstar says she must speak with their leader. At the SkyClan camp, she finds Skystar with a pregnant Star Flower among other Clanmates. Her gaze drifts to Quick Water, who is calmly sharing a vole with Honey Pelt. Skystar sees Shadowstar and asks about her observations of the new territory, but she says she is here because one of his warriors, Quick Water, tried to kill her. He protests her claim, stating she and his cats would never do such a thing, and some agree with him. Skystar hushes his Clan and demands proof from Shadowstar and her patrol.
:Shadowstar retells what happened to her, mentioning Quick Water pushed her onto the Thunderpath. When she got off the SkyClan she-cat attacked her again and then dashed off. Raven Pelt, Mud Paws, and Pebble Heart also state they saw Quick Water running away, all stating the cat looked like her. Shadowstar adds that she believes the gray-and-white she-cat led the group of dogs that killed her and Sun Shadow. Star Flower snaps her statements are nonsense, and a shocked Skystar states Quick Water is from the mountains and she wouldn't attack her. The ShadowClan leader continues on, suggesting that Quick Water may have thought she was on her last life, and that by killing her and Sun Shadow she could have let her Clan take ShadowClan's territory for themselves, since they would be defenseless.
:Quick Water, defiant, tells Shadowstar she has no clue what she's talking about, and the cat near Highstones wasn't her. However, the black she-cat exposes the flank scratch on the SkyClan warrior, remembering she scratched her enemy. Honey Pelt adds that he didn't see his Clanmate again when they went hunting together, further indicating Quick Water was not with SkyClan at the time. Skystar states he would never try so hard to take territory by ordering his cats to kill, and Shadowstar believes him. The pale tom tells Quick Water she's a part of Shadowstar's attempted murder if she can't prove herself, and exiles her from SkyClan. Skystar tells her she is no longer one of his warriors, and after a little hesitation, Quick Water runs into the undergrowth surrounding the camp. He tells Shadowstar he had to exile her despite how he didn't like the idea, and she reassures him he did the right thing.
:Later, the patrol is walking home. Shadowstar tells her Clanmates there is one more task to do before they can sleep. She enters camp and finds her cats yowling at her, and she goes up to the Clanrock. Shadowstar informs them she's made a decision, glancing over her Clanmates as she swells with pride. She says that it is time to pick ShadowClan's new deputy, adding she can trust this cat to assist her in leading the Clan. The black she-cat then recites the words of a deputy ceremony, naming Raven Pelt the new deputy of ShadowClan. Raven Pelt promises he'll be a good deputy, and Juniper Branch and Mouse Ear congratulate him. Shadowstar eases into sleep, wondering if she's closer to death now that she's picked who will succeed her.
:Shadowstar is awoken from her sleep by Pebble Heart screeching. She runs over to the medicine cat and wakes him up, inquiring if he's all right and if he needs something. Pebble Heart says he's fine, describing the terrifying dream he just received. Shadowstar remembers what Gray Wing told her; if ShadowClan falls, the other Clans will also fall. She protests they recently defeated the threat, demanding to StarClan what is going on.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Important events==
*Skystar exiles Quick Water for attempting to murder Shadowstar.
===Ceremonies===
==Notes and references==
Category:Shadowstar's Life
Category:Novellas
Category:Chapter subpages