Duskheart blinked, finding himself on a misty, starlit path. Ahead to the right lay rolling green fields and forests rich with prey. Warm sunshine pushed through the leaves onto the starlit backs of StarClan cats. He took a step forward, spotting Hill chasing a rabbit through one of the fields.

A strange force held his paws in place. Panicked, Duskheart tried to run forward towards his mate, but found himself trapped in the clouds of mist. "Hill!" He yowled her name, but she didn't even turn.

"She can't hear you. Not that she particularly wants to right now."

Duskheart started at the familiar voice. Stormclaw. Of course he'd be here. What Duskheart didn't understand was why. Why would Stormclaw come to speak to his killer? Unless... "No..."

Stormclaw sighed, lowering his gaze. "Duskheart, did you honestly think any cat would be willing to just let you waltz in here? After everything you did to NightClan?"

Duskheart didn't reply. Instead, his gaze traveled towards the left side of the path. His fur prickled. No sun shone through the dark, mist-filled trees on the opposite side. Marshy, wet peat coated the ground. A sludgy black river flowed past the trees.

"Your actions hurt too many cats. Sent too many of us here." Stormclaw meowed in a cool tone. "You knew this would happen. Cobwebs don't fix killing bites, and 'sorry' doesn't bring back the dead."

"Please, just...give me a chance to explain!" Duskheart heard his voice crack, and he mentally berated himself for seeming so weak. But if he didn't explain now, he might be doomed to an eternity in the Dark Forest, growing colder and harder with every day that passed. And he'd never see his kits or Hill again. I did it for them...

Stormclaw scoffed. "You'd need one heck of a story to get anyone to even consider letting you in here."

"I only wanted to save them. You have to understand!" Duskheart insisted.

"And killing me did what?" Stormclaw tilted his head. "Go on, explain. How did it save Hill? Or Breezekit, for that matter."

Duskheart almost lunged forward at that moment. He wanted to claw the stupid smug look off of his half-brother's face. But the thought of his mate and their kits kept him sane enough to realize that attacking Stormclaw wouldn't help his case any.

"What's your explanation?" Stormclaw asked. "Do you even have one?"

"Of course I do." Duskheart took a deep breath. "It started with StarClan..."

ALLEGIANCES

NightClan

Leader: Timberstar-Black tom with white patches around his nose and down his chest, green eyes

Deputy: Toothfang-large, muscular gray tabby tom

Medicine Cat(s): Amberpool-small black-and-white she-cat with amber eyes (Apprentice: Spiritpaw)

Spiritflame-sleek gray she-cat with green eyes (Apprentice: Sandpaw)

Sandpaw-light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Spiritpaw-All white she-cat with one black paw. One eye is blue and one is clouded with blindness.

Warriors:

Duskheart-muscular black tom with multiple scars, amber eyes

Lionsoul-large golden-brown tom with a dark ruff around his face, amber eyes

Hill Where Sun Rises (Hill)-soft gray she-cat with blue eyes

Dawnfire-orange tabby she-cat with one green eye and one blue eye

Lightningstorm-white tom with gray marks like lightning bolts, yellow eyes

Dawncloud-orange tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Acornclaw-large fluffy calico she-cat with amber eyes

Glacierclaw-short-furred white tom

Rosecream-fluffy tan she-cat with blue eyes

Silversky-Gray tom with a white underbelly and yellow eyes

Wishcloud-fluffy white she-cat with amber eyes

Silverheart-black and white she-cat with green eyes

Splashclaw-short-furred black and white tom

Twigblade-orange-brown furred tom with light brown stripes and green eyes

Stormclaw-black and white tom with blue eyes

Skyfur-blue she-cat with green spots and bright, slightly insane-looking green eyes

Apprentices:

Beepaw-sandy colored she-cat with a few stripes and amber eyes

Shrillpaw-light gray tom with light blue eyes

Conepaw-dark gray intersex cat with one blue and one orange eye

Bramblepaw: brown tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

Queens:

Nightrush-small black-and-white she-cat with blue eyes, smallest warrior in the Clan (expecting Lionsoul's kits)

Lightheart- fluffy cream she-cat (mother to Twigblade's kits: Sunkit, Fogkit, Fernkit, and Cloverkit)

Thistledusk-Black she-cat with violet eyes. Expecting kits, father unknown

Hollystorm-Black she-cat with one green eye and one eye missing. Expecting Silversky's kits.

Kits:

Sunkit-Fluffy striped sandy-colored tom kit with amber eyes

Fogkit- Thick-furred whiteish-gray she-kit with blue eyes.

Cloverkit-Sandy-colored she-kit with white paws and green eyes

Fernkit-small gray she-kit with green eyes

Silverkit-silver she-kit with one white paw and one black paw, green eyes

Mystickit-blue-gray tom with greyish eyes

Ravenkit-black tom-kit with green eyes

Elders:

Sunheart-orange and white she-cat

Author's Note: NightClan has a lot of repeated names...whoops XD I guess we really like some of those prefixes. NightClan came from an old RP I had with some friends, so there might be some interesting things in this Clan that you wouldn't see in any normal Clan (Like Skyfur, for example...). They have some different things in the warrior code, including one rule allowing medicine cats to have kits if there are other medicine cats to take over their duties while in the nursery. Also, we have a lot of meddies here. XD whoops!

Now, I must give credit where credit is due :P (note: I don't think any of these friends have Quotev accounts, sadly, but I'm still crediting them by their usual usernames :P)

Timberstar, Silversky, Skyfur, Lionsoul, Hill, Lightningstorm, Twigblade, Cloverkit, and Ravenkit belong to frizzie2

Toothfang, Amberpool, Glacierclaw, Splashclaw, Beepaw, Shrillpaw, Conepaw, Sunkit, Fogkit, Lightheart, and Mystickit belong to BlurryKittyMagi

Sunheart and Spiritpaw belong to major1342

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy the story! Sorry the A/N was so fricking long lol I swear they won't be this long in future chapters!!