Follow my leader

The old tom sat there, his eyes closed, his breathing shallow. A mixture of pain and contentment rested on his old, scarred face. His eyes opened briefly and his amber eyes glinted in the pale light. He sat there on the border of black trees and starry meadows, his tail twitching occasionally.

"Come on! It'll be fun!" a tom kit said happily in the distance.

"I'm coming!" a little white and brown kit squeaked.

"Are you sure about this?" a she-kit asked cautiously.

"Oh, come on, Dovekit, you'll see." The leader of the three spoke boldly for his young age.

The three starry kits walked closer and closer until they were almost on the border.

"I wouldn't go there if I were you." The older tom told them, and his eyes closed again.

The she-kit squealed and hid behind the others.

"Wh-who are you?" the brown and white kit asked.

"He's a dark forest cat!" the other tom yelled.

"No, I am not. But this forest behind me is the Place of no Stars so I'd stay away from it."

"Who are you? And why are you away from StarClan if you're not a dark forest cat? And why aren't there stars in your fur?" the cat asked again.

The old tom smiled, showing rows of white teeth. "I am neither StarClan nor Dark Forest. I live on the border. My name is Gloryheart."

The she-kit squealed again. "The others said that you were evil!"

"No, I'm not."

"Then why are you on the border?" she challenged.

He sighed. For the first time in many moons. "Many say I was a monster for what I did in the past, which was half of the truth. I was only like this because I was a warrior, my clan leader's word is law. And I could not disapprove, I was deputy. So sit down, and maybe I'll tell you my story."