Shadow stretched her stiff limbs, the sun had barely risen, but Nightshade seemed anxious to leave early. The apprentice looked forward to telling Spark about all the exciting things she'd seen on the mission. Even though they had been gone for only a quarter moon, it seemed like they had spent an entire season away.

She was about to go over to Jupiter, wanting to tell him about a funny dream she'd had when she saw Nightshade glaring at Flame. The tom took longer than the others to get on his paws, and she decided against it.

When they were all ready to leave, Nightshade led the way with a brisk pace. Ignoring the rumbling in her stomach, Shadow tried to mimic her long strides, cursing softly whenever her long fur got tangled in brambles. The new cats seemed wary but more comfortable among their group than they did last night. She hoped they would fit into the clan without too much trouble. No one could ever predict how Sky would react to anything.

With only one kit in the nursery, the BloodClan leader was bound to accept them, Shadow reasoned. It wouldn't be easy for them at first, of course, they would need to prove themselves to the other warriors before being treated like equals. The new cats looked strong though, she thought, as she watched Jupiter's back muscles ripple as he jumped over a fallen tree trunk.

Shadow was so absorbed in her thoughts she barely noticed their group crossing into BloodClan territory. She noticed a subtle change in her clanmates too, Flame and Quartz had their tails raised, and even her usually stern mentor looked a bit more relaxed now that she felt safe in her homelands. North, Fae, Otter, and Jupiter were gazing around curiously, taking in the different kinds of prey that scurried through the trees and on the ground.

Otter suddenly dashed to the right with no warning. Nightshade's fur immediately stood on end and she tensed, ready to sprint after the escaped forest cat. Ivy quickly put a warning tail on her shoulder, glancing at the other cats. North was glaring at the black she-cat, taking a step in front of her brother.

A few tense moments later, Otter appeared from a pile of dead leaves, a fat mouse between his jaws. He purred happily, his tail held high proudly. He dropped it in front of Nightshade.

"Sorry if I startled you, but when I saw this mouse I couldn't resist! It's a thank-you gift for being so generous and letting us into your clan." He explained, as the she-cat's fur slowly laid back down on her shoulders.

"Right, thank you very much, Otter. You will make a good addition to the hunting patrols." She said, giving him an approving nod.

The tom padded back to his friends, ignoring North's disapproving gaze. Fae put her tail around his shoulder affectionately, and Shadow narrowed her eyes at the strange gesture.

She briefly wondered what it would feel like to be loved like that, but the ingrained sense of duty to her clan and rules chased the thought away. Fight, survive, and make your clan proud. No distractions. This was the way of life.

The closer the group got to the BloodClan camp, the more anxious Shadow felt herself getting. She could already imagine the mixed reactions of her clanmates to the forest cats. She guiltily distracted herself by thinking of Spark.

A bit of joy sparked in her chest as she looked forward to the conversations they would have about this trip. They were bound to stretch far into the night until they fell asleep with their tails tightly intertwined.

No distractions!

Shadow frowned at her whimsical thoughts, reminding herself of what she owed to her clan.

Make them proud, She reminded herself, maybe then I'll deserve to feel loved.

"Are you ready?" Shadow quietly murmured to Fae, who was walking beside her. The pretty she-cat looked nervous, her green eyes wide.

"I think so. It's just been so long since I've been in a big group of cats. I'm not sure how we'll adjust." She confessed.

"I'm sure you'll be fine! BloodClan is probably the best place a cat could be." Shadow assured Fae, feeling a twinge of guilt at how fake she sounded.

Nightshade stopped them a few treelengths away from the camp, turning to address the group.

"Ivy, Flame, and Shadow will stay with the new cats when we get to the camp, I will go talk to Sky to inform her, and Quartz and Frost will, uh, take care of Snowy."

They all turned to look at the plump, white tom, who was blinking happily at a mushroom. The catmint was clearly working.

They started walking again, a slight air of nervousness surrounding all of them. Shadow felt Fae take a deep breath as the camp came into sight.

Panther was guarding it, his huge body blocking the entrance. His ears perked up as he saw Nightshade approaching, but they quickly flattened against his skull. He growled deep in his throat, his fur, littered with scars, stood on end. He glared at the unguarded, undrugged, forest cats.

"It's alright, Panther, they're with us. I want them to join our clan. Stay at the entrance while I discuss this with Sky." Nightshade meowed, responding to his glare with an icy, but steady gaze.

Ivy led the forest cats through the tunnel and walked to a space to the left of the Big Stone. Shadow and Flame followed them to sit on either side of the group, protecting, rather than guarding the cats.

While waiting for Nightshade to emerge from Sky's den, Shadow spotted Talon sitting by the fresh-kill pile. It was strange he was not with his apprentice, and she scanned the camp for her sister.

The black and gray apprentice turned to her mentor, "Can I quickly go find Spark? It will only take a few moments."

Ivy looked annoyed but grunted her approval.

Shadow padded over to Talon, who was still pawing through the fresh-kill pile.

"Hello, Talon," she greeted, dipping her head respectfully, "do you know where Spark is?"

The black tom looked at her, his hazel eyes filled with confusion.

"Spark?"

"Yes! I was hoping to see her before Sky called a meeting." Shadow replied.

Talon still looked lost, "A meeting-, don't you know Spark is dead?"

5 seconds.

That's how long it takes for a heart to break.

3 words.

That's what it takes for a life to shatter. 

~~~~
Apologies for not posting for months! And I'm sorry for killing Spark 😭😭
I swear I don't do it for fun lmao
Anywaysss, thoughts?
Would love to know what you guys think of this new chapter!