Chapter 40

                                    

                                          
	"Everything looks clear." Echoheart reported from the SunClan border, unable to scent anything out of the ordinary. She padded back to her patrol after marking the border. "No unusual activity from SunClan." She told Cloverstrike. 
                          
	"Great." Cloverstrike nodded. "Let's go ahead and head back to the camp. I know that Ivystar was planning something with Lionpelt and Riverstorm. They may be back already." The cats of the patrol nodded and Echoheart followed her Clanmates back to camp. 
                          
	Throughout the several moons that had gone by, Echoheart's life had slowed down. She lived a peaceful life, she no longer felt trapped by those who abused her and treated her like crowfood. She had learned that Cedarclaw died to a badger at a gathering a few moons ago and though part of her wished that she could done it herself, she was glad that he was gone from the forest. 
                          
	Echoheart had finally had a moment to tear Riverstorm down, when Batpaw died she saw her chance and struck her sister while she was already down. She had gotten great pleasure watching her sister suffer and finally realize the monster she had turned herself into. Riverstorm had been so stupid to let her apprentic recklessly play in the river, it was her fault that Batpaw, Berrypaw and Feathernose had died. Part of Echoheart wished that Riverstorm had died in the river as well. 
                          
	However, their father had finally died. Echoheart had never felt so free when she learned that Jayclaw had died, she wished she could think Ratpelt for starting that fight. She had pretend to assure him that it was not his fault and the two of them had become quite close friends, she had with her former apprentice as well. Crowstep was a good warrior, she was proud of the cat he had become. 
                          
	Echoheart's mind had slowly become a twisted place, at first she was scared and tried so hard to fight it but eventually she realized it was futile. She let the thoughts consume her mind, she found it cathartic. She would never act on her thoughts, but they helped her to release the anger and pain that had consumed her for so long. Cedarclaw and Jayclaw were dead and she had broken the last tendril that formed hers and Riverstorm's relationship. She still considered Moonwhisker her sister, but as far as she was concerned Riverstorm was a stranger, not even worthy to be called a Clanmate.
                          
	Echoheart pushed her thoughts away and followed her patrol until they reached the AshClan camp. She could see that neither Ivystar nor Lionpelt were back yet so she broke away from the patrol and decided to help herself to some fresh-kill. She sat down near the warrior's den and started eating the squirrel she picked. 
                          
	AshClan had been doing well, but Echoheart found herself not really caring about how well her Clan was doing. She didn't feel any pride in being an AshClan she-cat. She had made more friends during this time, but she still had cats who wanted nothing to do with her like Spiderheart, but Echoheart didn't care.
                          
	Echoheart would continue to live her life as an AshClan warrior, but she really didn't think she had any loyalty or drive to do things for her Clan anymore. When she was an apprentice she had the same loyalty and pride in her Clan but now she felt no attachment to the fact that she was an AshClan warrior. She could be a warrior in any Clan, it didn't matter to her. Perhaps it was her relationship with Cedarclaw that started these feelings, or maybe it was the fact that Echoheart felt no emotional attachment to a single cat in this Clan. 
                          
	She didn't feel any grief when her Clanmates died or any enjoyment when they were made warriors. She felt nothing towards the cats in this Clan and that was okay to her. She briefly wondered what a life as a loner or rogue would be, but she had never fully made the decision to leave her Clan even if it had crossed her mind. 
                          
	Echoheart wasn't an AshClan warrior, she was a warrior living in AshClan and for now she was okay with that. She had reached the conclusion that she would never feel powerful emotions again, not since Cedarclaw. After that her emotions slowly began to fall apart and die like the trees in leaf-bare. She was okay with this, maybe one day another cat would ignite those emotions again but for now they lay dormant inside of her heart.