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“Shadowstar!, shadowstar!”
Shadowstar woke up with a start he could see his blood dripping down on what he assumed was the floor though there was nothing but a large black void as far as he could see, he could still hear the screaming of his name over and over again and then he realized.
“DAD!!”
The screams were coming from his dad, Whiteclaw!
Shadowstar sprinted forward towards the screams till he eventually saw cats in the distance, his dad Whiteclaw was pinned down by a couple of starclan cats who had died during the war Shadowstar had fought against his brother Darkstar
Shadowstar closed his eyes for a moment trying to wash away the memories of his last moments as his brother loomed over his claws going straight for his throat. He opened them again to see his father staring directly at him begging him to help, shadowstar took the last few steps and recognized some of the dead warriors.
It was Shadewing and Willowheart! They had both died way before the war, his mother Shadewing had died when he was only three moons old of a sickness and willowheart died much later in his life… by his own claws, he saw pure anger flash across Willowhearts eyes as she saw him.
“Shadowstar… it's been far too long” she snarled suddenly getting off of his dad and coming towards him
“Willowheart! I-i've missed you so much” shadowstar looked at her desperately
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you killed me” she said back sarcastically
Shadowstar willed himself to not close his eyes again he didn’t feel sorry for what he had done but he was still embarrassed none the less the average cat would think his reasons were psychotic and unjust but he knew better than them!!!
“I-I” he stuttered out not really knowing what to say to her
“You deserved it the second you rejected him!!!!” Whiteclaw suddenly butted in from where he was still pinned down
“Shut up you no good excuse of a cat” shadewing who had been passively watching the exchange also butted in
“Shadowstar unjustly killed willowheart after she rejected being his mate twice! I’m sad to say that he is my son and I’m even madder at you for encouraging it! You did nothing but antagonize and blame our sons for my death and when you finally kicked the bucket you started haunting one of your sons to start a war with the other!!! Well look where that got you no mate, a dead son and now your gonna disappear forever”
“WAIT WHAT?!?!?” Shadowstar shouted suddenly “you can’t do that!!! He hasn’t done anything wrong!” Shadowstar stared at his mother in disbelief wasn't she always kind and forgiving?
“Nothing wrong?!?!” Shadewing exclaimed “are we talking about the same cat???”
“Forget whiteclaw, we already know what to do with him. What are we going to do about Shadowstar?” Willowheart cut in
“I don’t know, I feel like that decision belongs to everyone he’s killed, you included. we should hold a trial for him after where done killing whiteclaw.” Shadewing said calmly
Shadowstar couldn’t believe what he was hearing from his mother, the cat he had idolized so much as a child was now camly talking about killing his dad and punishing him for his own crimes as well! Unfortunately there was no escape in this black void these starclan cats had more control over it then he ever would
“Alright let’s get this over with” willowheart said going back to face whiteclaw as he still layed there pinned down by the other starclan cats that Shadowstar didn’t quite recognize
“He was your mate and he wronged your sons in so many ways so the honor of killing him is yours Shadewing” one of the cats Shadowstar didn’t recognize said facing Shadewing
She nodded quickly, unsheathing her claws she very quickly slashed them across his throat in one fluid motion watching as his black blood bleed all over his pure white fur and he gagged slowly, his eyes closed and his body fading completely as he died once and for all.
Shadewing stood still throughout watching it, she looked pained as she watched her former mate die but then she shook herself and her expression changed back to a neutral expression as she went to face her son
“It’s time you paid for your crimes Shadowstar”
Shadowstar flinched as the starclan cats grabbed him and started dragging him away from the leftover blood of whiteclaw
“Wh-where are you taking me?!?!” Shadowstar exclaimed suddenly feeling the full weight of his fear
“To your trial just like Shadewing said” one of the nameless starclan cats said rolling there eyes as they kept walking forward
Shadowstar watched as the black void ahead transformed into a star filled forest with giant trees that soared up into the sky and lucious grass with rivers and lakes all around that lead to a little circle of trees that had rocks for cats to sit on, several starclan cats where already sitting on the rocks, many he recognized as cats he had punished and or killed during his time as thunderclan's leader
“Shadowstar, are you ready for your trial?” Willowheart asked hopping up onto the middle rock where there was another small entity next to her…..
Owlkit, the final straw that broke the camel's back, he was only 2 moons old, killed by his own claws small enough to be pierced by a single claw.
His eyes pierced into shadowstars soul just like his claw had pierced his tiny throat he shivered as he saw the tiny kits angry eyes
“Let’s get started, I think we are already thinking the same thing so this should go quickly” dawnnose another victim from his war said quickly turning to face the other cats on the rocks
“Please- you have to spare me!!!” Shadowstar shouted “I only did what you wanted me to do!” He pleaded
“Darkstar was breaking the laws that you all set up so long ago, was I supposed to stand around and do nothing about it?!?!” He demanded glaring up at the cats on the rocks
“MY SON WAS NOT BREAKING OUR LAWS” Shadewing screeched suddenly “you wouldn’t know a thing considering you only took counsel from your father who was not a starclan spirit.”
“He-he wasn’t?!?!” Shadowstar exclaimed genuine surprise coming off of him in waves
“Of course not!!” Ferretstar the previous leader of thunderclan he had killed with his fathers instruction butted in “starclan does not take kindly to cats who don’t take care of there fellow clan mates especially there kits''
“Th-then how did he communicate with me?? Cats in the dark forest are chained down so they can’t communicate with the living like you guys can right?”
“That’s correct but what most cats don’t know is that there is a third place, the void.”
“Th-that place houses dead spirit’s?!?! But it was completely empty and desolate-“
“That’s the point” Shadewing cut in “when there are cats like your father, who at the time of his death had not committed any crimes egregious enough to be chained down in the pits of the dark forest, but had done enough to be not worthy of joining starclan they are sent to the void, endless blackness that goes for miles, normally no 2 cats in the void would be able to find each other for years at least, they are left alone with nothing but their thoughts and open wounds, like in the dark forest any injuries they had at death doesn’t heal when they die and they get to sit with nothing but pain and isolation for years.” She explained
“But, unlike the dark forest these cats are not chained down so while it takes a lot more work for them than a starclan cat to communicate with the living they are able to
Do it if they try hard enough.” Ferretstar cut in
“And so you followed the advice of not a starclan cat, but a rogue cat in the void” willowheart said as she looked down at Shadowstar with contempt
“B-but Darkstar was a murderer! The only reason whiteclaw could talk to me from the void was because he killed him!!”
“And Darkstar will have a trial just like you” Shadewing said coldly “your brother is not the reason you are here today, it is only your own actions that have brought you here”
Owlkit suddenly jumped down from the rock his tiny body landing at shadowstars feet “since whiteclaw died the first time you have done nothing but kill and obsess over the events in your past, is there any reason we should not sentence you to the utmost amount of suffering” owlkits small squeaky voice did not match the serious expression he had or the words that had come out his mouth.
“Darkstar- he wanted to form the five clans into one! That's got to be against your rules, that's what I was fighting him against! He wanted to break everything the clans and all of you had been founded on!!” Shadowstar insisted desperately.
“The clans have never always been five” ferretstar cut in again “the clans were originally one and even when they separated into five they became four at one point when skyclan was driven away centuries ago, you didn't care about about our laws at any point in your life and you still don't you just want power!” ferretstar ended with a shout
“You're not the mighty upholder of our laws that you think you are, as a deputy you were to support your leader not kill him and take over yourself.” dawnnose added “you act like you have any right to police your fellow clanmates and cats of other clans when you are exactly the type of cat we think of when we think of when we think of cats who stand for everything we dont!”
“Do we have to continue with this? He's not sorry and he has no true defense. I say we give him his punishment and finish this once and for all!” willowheart interrupted
All the cats nodded as shadowstar stood terrified of his fate
“Owlkit” shadewing called gently to the small cat that was still in front of shadowstar “your life was cut so short because of the cat in front of you, so we shall leave his fate up to you”
Owlkit looked blankly up at shadowstar then he opened his mouth
“Shadowstar, for your crimes against both the living and the dead you will spend the rest of eternity chained down in the dark forest no food water or other living beings, you will rot away from everyone and everything nothing but your thoughts and your pain until you are forgotten and fade into nothingness” owlkit finished looking satisfied with his punishment.
Shadowstar could feel his fear spike even more an eternity in the dark forest?!? He thought, i have to get out of here! He started to run away but the starclan cats had anticipated that as he felt spiky black bramble wrap around his paws dragging him suddenly towards a forest with red grass black trees with equally red leaves
He watched as all the dead cats emotionlessly watched as he was dragged away to the tourture that would be the rest of his existence