Part 1 - Beyond
Graywhisper's pelt was almost invisible among the hundreds of Dark Forest cats, but the more vibrant cats could still feel the touch of her fur as they sprang through the forest. She glided over the fallen form of a rotting oak, her paw steps light and agile. There were advantages to being practically nonexistent As the group rounded a bend, before the huge throng of cats lied a deep river, bloated with blood. The forerunners plunged in, some even lapping up the dark liquid in their thirst for battle and death. Graywhisper did not pause like those few, muscling her way through without stopping. She ran out onto the opposite bank, hissing triumphantly as the horde of cats poured free of their dark home, and were suddenly on earthy, ShadowClan soil.
There was a screech of dismay, and Graywhisper turned to look at a dark tom, his eyes round with fear. She was amazed to see a living cat after so many countless moons in the Dark Forest, and stopped for a second to savor the moment, for after this battle, there could very well be no Clan cats alive. There was a battle cry, and the warriors of ShadowClan appeared, charging into the midst of the Dark Forest's ranks. Graywhisper was shocked, frozen as a tom slashed at her pelt. How had they known?
No matter, she decided, lunging for the tom. They grappled, her claws raking into his skin, before Graywhisper was suddenly torn away. He disappeared into the crush of pelts, and Graywhisper was jostled by the many bodies around her. There were fewer and fewer solid pelts in the thick as the battle progressed, and Graywhisper grimly acknowledged the fact ShadowClan was being pushed back. It would be over for the clan of her birth in a matter of moments.
Sights blurred past Graywhisper as her group flowed into the camp. A queen wailing over her kit's unmoving form. A claw flecked with blood slashing into the throat of a warrior. A cat lunging to defend a pinned clan-mate. Then, Graywhisper was thrown back, star-lit and solid pelts alike rushing into the camp. Dark Forest warriors were overwhelmed as the endless stream of StarClan warriors leapt into the fray.
Graywhisper was bowled over, and found herself pinned beneath a tortoiseshell she-cat. She snarled, struggling to free her grip, but another she-cat, this one a silver tabby, appeared. Graywhisper stilled, her eyes widened as she recognized the latest cat.
"It did not have to be this way, Graywhisper," the silver tabby said quietly, her eyes sorrowful.
"I am no longer the cat who grew up beside you, Silvermoon," Graywhisper murmured solemnly, the fight going out of her. She'd run for so long, and this battle was going to force her to face her past. Graywhisper's eyes darkened with memories, and she sighed wearily.
The tortoiseshell hissed, tail lashing. "You got that right! You deserve to die a thousand times for what you did, you blood-thirsty traitor!" Graywhisper hissed reflexively as the she-cat's claws dug in, their shape edges leaving an imprint as blood flowed from the wounds inflicted beneath them.
"Leafcolor, please!" Silvermoon said. "Can you not forgive someone for something that happened hundreds of moons ago?" Graywhisper flinched, knowing that Silvermoon's pleas were in vain. Leafcolor had come with a vengeance this fateful night.
"No!" Leafcolor snarled, paw raised. Her eyes gleamed dangerously. Her voice became an ominous whisper as she leaned closer to her pinned prey. "Say hello to Burnthistle for us, won't you?"
Graywhisper's eyes widened in horror, and she writhed in desperation. Of all the things she had expected the vengeful to do to her if she was able to get her paws on her, this was the worst. "No, please! Leafcolor, I'll do anything!"
"Too late for that, Graywhisper! I'll never forgive you for what you did!" Leafcolor snarled, her paw crashing down. Silvermoon screamed, lunging for Leafcolor but it was too late. Blood spurted from the huge gash on Graywhisper's throat.
"No, my sister!" Silvermoon wailed as Graywhisper began to fade. Leafcolor snarled, shoving Silvermoon away so the last thing Graywhisper saw was her killer standing over her.
"So . . . so cold . . ." Graywhisper gasped, choking on her own blood. The world faded from her and she was gone, nothing more than the stain of her mortal wound on the grass as evidence of her existence. Silvermoon's grieve-stricken wails echoed through the camp, but were drowned out by the sounds of battle. The Dark Forest was being driven back, and ShadowClan triumphed. No one noticed the silvery StarClan cat weeped over a blood-stained patch of grass.
Graywhisper was no more. . . or was she?