Cats would always say it was a shame, how young I had been when I died. That I could've been so much more, that I deserved so much more. I agreed with them, at first. I was angry, bitter, and alone in StarClan. Some cats say such negative emotions are never felt in such a tranquil place, but they are wrong. They are felt. I felt them, I still feel them.

     I miss home.

     Every since the great battle with the Dark Forest, I have been less alone. I have regained my confidence, and I can see the path I am taking clear as day where it was once obscured by doubt and uncertainty. Some patches remain foggy, but I can now let my paws do the work so that my mind may remain on more pressing matters as I make my way through whatever it is that is left for me.

     I walk with my head held high when it was once trailing along the ground like a rat's tail. I hunt and eat with the Clanmates who have joined me in these starry fields and forests that we all eventually call home. But it isn't home. Home is where the heart is. And my heart belongs to my Clan. It always has.

      Contrary to popular belief, ShadowClan cats do have hearts. We are strong, and we are suspicious, two traits that have kept up alive for generations, but we are not heartless. We feel love. We feel fear. And pain. And sorrow. And regret, and loss. We feel everything any other cat feels.

     We feel life.

     And death.

     Oh, how we feel death...

     We are labeled as heartless, but we are not. We are strong. And because we are strong, we are not used to Death poking it's ugly face in our affairs. We are independent. There is no room for outsiders. Death is an outsider. Death is not welcome here.

     As someone who has died, I can say with certainty that finding oneself in the company of Death is not a desirable event. Death appears different for everyone, but always brings the same message.

     "Time to go."

     And we always give the same answer.

     "I don't want to go."