Shadeheart's POV:

Wracked with guilt, the black furred tom padded aimlessly into the forest. Shinewing's grief-stricken words still rang in his head, over and over. It made Shadeheart truly realise how mouse-brained he had been. He'd let all of this happen, just sitting back and relaxing with his family while the Clan prisoners were suffering and dying. He could've been helping them, but he let his fear- no, his laziness, get in the way.

So many cats would still be alive if Shadeheart had actively joined them and fought against his mother's tyranny.

"You're a coward." He told himself, his voice filled with bitterness. "You killed those cats. Their blood is on your paws."

"Don't beat yourself up about it." Came a soft meow from the tree above him, revealing Spark laying calmly on a branch, observing him.

Shadeheart bit back a harsh reply, and instead muttered to the light ginger she cat. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd forgotten about me."

The she cat chuckled lightly, her blue orbs drifting away from him to watch a few birds fluttering overhead. "I haven't forgotten about you, Shadeheart."

"Then where have you been?" The black tom demanded, glaring up at her. His thin, brown-tipped tail lashed as he forced his body to sit down on the leafy ground.

"Watching you from a distance." Spark let her tail hang from the low branch she lounged on. "Am I still expected to babysit you? You're a capable warrior now, Shadeheart. You can make your own decisions in life, can't you?"

Shadeheart's ears flattened. "But what if they're the wrong decisions?"

"Give me an example of a wrong decision you've made." Spark prompted, waving a paw at him. "Go on."

"Not doing anything while innocent cats were being murdered by my own mother." Shadeheart bit his lip, feeling his emptions take control of his voice, making it quiver like a kit's.

Spark smiled. "Anything else?"

There was a long pause before the black furred tom finally murmured. "Loving Blossomfur." His golden eyes sank to his paws, feeling shame overcome his anger and grief. "And bringing so many helpless kits into this dangerous and unforgiving world."

The ginger she cat slid gracefully from the tree branch, landing on the ground barely a mouse-length from him. "Why do you regret those choices?"

Shadeheart narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"What makes you think these were bad decisions? What happened because of them?" Spark urged him to answer, her whiskers twitching like a silent invitation to speak freely.

What game is she playing? Shadeheart answered cautiously, his voice quiet. "I hurt others." He started with uncertainty. "I.. I made everyone's life so much harder than it already was."

"But what would've happened if you didn't exist?" Spark asked. "Had your parents not made the decision to have kits.. Things would be quite different, I bet."

"Why are you talking to me?" Shadeheart growled, growing impatient with her mind games. 

"I saw you in distress." Spark shrugged. "Thought you might've needed someone to vent to."

He sighed and responded sarcastically. "Thanks. It really helped.. Not."

Spark giggled. "Just go back to camp and do the best you can, as long as it's not too reckless, what could go wrong?"

"Not being reckless enough is what I worry about." Shadeheart replied, rising to his paws as Spark disappeared from sight, a faint cloud of white mist following her sudden departure.

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Silvershy's POV:

"Welcome to The Nest." Java meowed, stepping lightly to the side to allow Silvershy and Spectrum to enter first.

The rogue camp lay just outside the forest in a hard, rocky area covered in twoleg filth. The sharp smells of twolegplace burned Silvershy's senses, but she fought through the discomfort and padded through the tall archway of rotting stone to peer curiously at the large camp.

There was little shelter; only a few dens made of twoleg pelts. Countless cats littered the area, their narrowed eyes all turning in sync to stare at the newcomers. Silvershy felt Java brush past her, his voice quiet as he surveyed his camp. "It's an abandoned monster den." He explained to her. "The perfect place for this many cats."

"Monster den?" Spectrum queried, peering at Java with narrowed eyes from her spot behind Silvershy.

"A place where twolegs leave their monsters to sleep." Ebony explained, striding further into the vast clearing of stone. "The twolegs even gifted this place with various more of their rubbish to provide us with everything we needed to create this home. They even left a dead monster for us to live in." The black she cat grinned at Silvershy and Spectrum. "Wanna see?"

Silvershy suddenly noticed the mentioned monster. It was old and rusted. It's paws were limp and shredded- destroyed the rogues, perhaps to stop it from escaping? Upon closer inspection, Silvershy realised she could see inside the monster's body. The hard armour had been removed to reveal multiple, twoleg-sized holes in the sides. This monster was definitely dead.

Java's cool voice brought Silvershy from her thoughts. "They can explore later. Right now we're going to meet Stump. And Ebony," the light brown tom turned to his sister, "keep the others satisfied, tell them who the newcomers are."

Silvershy and Spectrum were given no other choice but to obediently follow Java through the camp, towards one of the twoleg-pelt dens on the far side. They passed multiple rogues, and received some very hostile stares. Silvershy felt Spectrum move closer to her, reassuring her with her presence.

Silvershy sighed. Were they walking straight into a trap?

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