Welcome to The Dark Curses of Obsidian Souls! Get ready to clutch to your sanity like you never have before. If you don't, it may just cost you your life...
Rogues are great at causing trouble, especially when they manage to trick a young apprentice. Darkpaw finds herself in the midst of terrible danger, and will do anything to prevent it. StarClan is silent, so she takes matters into her own paws. A powerful cat promises to help the apprentice, but only if she helps him as well. Betrayal is imminent, secrets are fighting to come into the light, and even if she is successful, Darkpaw, and the Clans themselves, will never be the same.
Allegiances~
ThunderClan
Leader: Gorsestar- Golden and ginger splotched tom with icy blue eyes and a long tail (5 Lives Remaining); Apprentice, Firepaw
Deputy: Ravenlight- Pitch black tom with light blue left eye and green right eye. White-tipped ears/tail and a large scar down his left flank
Medicine Cat: Poppypetal- Dark ginger long-furred she-cat with a green and blind blue eye, both too large for her face; Apprentice, Lilypaw- Grey-black she-cat with a white stomach and green eyes
Warriors: Lionmoon- Golden tabby tom with dark blue eyes; Apprentice, Icepaw
Thunderblaze- Gray tom with amber eyes; Apprentice, Crowpaw
Lightningpelt- Golden tabby she-cat with green eyes
Flamegaze- Dark blue-gray tom with a scar down his stomach and fiery-amber eyes
Sparkshade- Dark brown tom with ginger tipped ears, a black neck, and dark green eyes
Violetgaze- Dark grey-black she-cat with a cream stomach/paws and indigo-blue eyes
Willowheart- Tawny she-cat with dark green eyes; Apprentice, Sunpaw
Apprentices: Icepaw- Blonde-gold she-cat with blue eyes and white ears/tail
Crowpaw- Black tom with green eyes and cream paws
Firepaw- Handsome ginger tom with green eyes
Sunpaw- Long-furred ginger tom with yellow eyes
Queens: Berryeye- Dark ginger she-cat with black paws, white tail tip, and golden eyes (Expecting Lionmoon's kits; Ashkit- Silver tabby she-kit with golden eyes, Leafkit- Golden tabby she-kit with a white tail and leaf-green eyes, and Blazingkit- Light ginger tom with one white forepaw and bright golden eyes)
Riversong- Silver she-cat with light blue eyes (Expecting Thunderblaze's kits)
Elders: Dustyfur- Ragged dark brown tom
Pineleaf- Golden tabby tom
Lilytail- White she-cat
ShadowClan
Leader: Shadestar- Gray tabby she-cat with white paws and forest green eyes (5 Lives Remaining)
Deputy: Endlessdream- Black she-cat with golden striped paws/tail and dark, misty blue eyes; Apprentice, Cedarpaw
Medicine Cat: Larkstep- Small pale gray she-cat with black tipped, tufted ears, yellow eyes, and a fluffy tail; Apprentice, Poppypaw- Small, dark tortoiseshell and white she-cat with bright amber eyes, black hind paws, and tufted ears
Warriors: Redfoot- White tom with ginger paws/tail and blue eyes
Pinepelt- Brown tabby tom with pine green eyes
Stormrunner- Dark gray tabby she-cat with a lighter stomach and stormy blue eyes. Missing part of her ear; Apprentice, Darkpaw
Heronfang- Light brown tabby tom with amber eyes and a slight nick in the ear
Thornpelt- Black and white tortoiseshell she-cat with a large scar down her right side and green eyes
Flashwing- Tall ginger and white tom with large paws and bright green eyes
Foxstep- Sleek ginger tom with a white tail tip and dark amber eyes
Fallowcloud- Dark brown she-cat with white spots and amber eyes; has a long scar running down her right flank; Apprentice, Brightpaw
Cinderpetal- Light grey tabby she-cat with white paws and blue eyes; Apprentice, Nettlepaw
Voletooth- Light grey tom with a yellow eye and blind right eye from a scar; Apprentice, Swiftpaw
Apprentices: Darkpaw- Black tabby she-cat with unruly fur and bright yellow eyes
Nettlepaw- Black tabby she-cat with a brown tail and green eyes
Brightpaw- White tabby she-cat with green eyes
Swiftpaw- Black and white tortoiseshell tom with amber eyes
Cedarpaw- Long-haired dark grey tabby tom with pale green eyes
Queens: Frosttail- White she-cat with black splotches and bright blue eyes (Expecting Pinepelt's kits)
Tigerblossom- Dark brown tabby she-cat with brown eyes (Mother of Shade's kits; Wolfkit- Large, dark grey-silver tabby she-kit with a white stomach/chest/paws and brown eyes, Jaykit- Silver tabby she-kit with a dark grey stomach and green eyes, and Bramblekit- Dark brown tabby tom with curious green eyes)
Petalfoot- Slender white she-cat with tortoiseshell patches, small ears, and bright yellow eyes (Expecting an unknown father's kits; Flowerkit- Tiny ginger and white she-kit with a small tail/ears and bright yellow eyes and Maplekit- Pale tortoiseshell she-kit with a white muzzle and pale green eyes)
Morningsky- Pale golden brown tabby with green eyes (Mother of an unknown father's kits; Foxkit- Russet red tom with striking blue eyes and Doekit- Pale brown she-kit with white spots and blue eyes
Elders: Fawnsnow- Light brown she-cat with light spots on her back and golden eyes
Mouseclaw- Light gray tom with pale yellows eyes, heavily scarred
Willownose- Pale grey tabby with a white muzzle and green eyes
WindClan
Leader: Adderstar- Dark ginger she-cat with piercing blue eyes (3 Lives Remaining)
Deputy: Flintstripe- Short furred grey tabby tom with yellow eyes
Medicine Cat: Flowertail- Pale golden she-cat with blue eyes
Warriors: Cherryblaze- Pale ginger tabby she-cat with white paws and light green eyes
Juniperfang- Brown short-furred tom with dark brown eyes; Apprentice, Honeypaw
Fawnheart- Solid black tom; Apprentice, Furzepaw
Harestreak- Light brown tabby tom with a white stomach and amber eyes
Hailleaf- Pure white she-cat with green eyes; Apprentice, Lightpaw
Sunmist- White she-cat with gold dapples and green eyes
Swiftclaw- White tom with icy blue eyes and pale grey markings; Apprentice, Hopepaw
Whiteflower- White she-cat with green eyes
Snowstep- White tom with blue eyes; Apprentice, Graypaw
Apprentices: Hopepaw- Light brown she-cat with ginger spots and one brown/one yellow eye
Honeypaw- Honey she-cat with white legs/chest, a bushy tail, and brown eyes
Furzepaw- Brown short-furred tom with white hind-legs and brown eyes
Lightpaw- Pale gray she-cat with green eyes
Graypaw- Gray tom with pale yellow eyes
Queens: Whitebreeze- White she-cat with gray paws and brown eyes, riddled with scars (Mother of Harestreak's kits; Rabbitkit- Small light brown tabby she-kit with a gray stomach and amber eyes and Snowykit- Light gray tom with white paws and amber eyes
Deerspots- Tawny she-cat with green eyes and white deer-like markings (Mother of Swiftclaw's kits; Runningkit- Pale gray tom with green eyes, Rosekit- Creamy she-kit with white streaks and pale blue eyes, and Petalkit- Creamy she-kit with white streaks and pale green eyes)
Elders: Deadeyes- Dark brown tom with blind white eyes
Frogleap- Dark brown tom with black spots and pale green eyes, very scarred and weak in a foreleg
Tawnystep- Tortoiseshell she-cat with tawny splotches and green eyes
RiverClan
Leader: Silverstar- Silver tabby tom with brown eyes (6 Lives Remaining)
Deputy: Fernfrost- Sleek silver tabby she-cat with a white chest/paws, a fluffy tail, and yellow green eyes Apprentice, Hazelpaw
Medicine Cat: Sunberry- Golden brown she-cat with green eyes
Warriors: Grassfall- Ginger tom with brown splotches and dark green eyes
Smokewing- Lean, dappled dark gray tabby tom with white front paws/tail tip and yellow-green eyes
Dovestrike- White tom with a black muzzle and green eyes. Has two nicks in his left ear and a scar on his left shoulder
Goldensplash- Golden-brown mottled she-cat with bright yellow eyes and a scarred muzzle
Mossheart- Calico she-cat with green eyes; Apprentice, Featherpaw
Dawnwater- White she-cat with blue eyes; Apprentice, Brackenpaw
Creamfur- Cream she-cat with amber eyes
Breezetail- Huge black tom; Apprentice, Winterpaw
Apprentices: Hazelpaw- Small, compact brown she-cat. Her pelt is dappled with darker patches, and she has one black paw. She has unusually long claws and her eyes are a dark amber.
Featherpaw- Light gray she-cat with yellow eyes
Brackenpaw- Brown she-cat with green eyes
Winterpaw- Snowy white she-cat with blue eyes
Queens: Ravenwing- Dark blue she-cat with a pale gray underbelly/paws/muzzle and blue eyes (Mother of Grassfall's kits; Falconkit- Dark blue tom with blue eyes, Vixenkit- Pale ginger she-kit with green eyes, and Stormkit- Small pale gray she-kit with blue flecks and green eyes)
Cloudfur- Fluffy white she-cat with dark blue eyes (Mother of Breezetail's kits; Snowkit- White she-kit with light blue eyes, Frostkit- Black she-kit with white splotches, Frozenkit- Silver tom with green eyes, and Hollykit- Black she-kit with green eyes)
Blackpool- White she-cat with a large splotch of black on her back (Expecting Dovestrike's kits)
Elders: Frozenleaf- White she-cat with blue eyes
Whitefrost- Sleek brown tom with white speckles
Rogues
Ingvar- Large and intimidating jet-black tom with amber eyes
Doe- Former ShadowClan queen, light brown she-cat with white spots/underbelly and pale yellow eyes
Snake- Former ShadowClan kit, brown tabby tom with green eyes
Panther- Dark gray tabby tom with bright green eyes
Scythe- Lean tuxedo she-cat with a badly shredded left ear and cold, dark brown eyes
Shadow- Small, sickly black she-cat with short spiky fur and dark amber eyes
Blaze- Large muscular black tom with russet legs/tail
Darkpaw jumped, startled awake by Foxpaw's foot hitting her back. The apprentice sighed, kicking her friend back onto his nest. She curled back up, starting to sink back into sleep. A sudden noise, sounding like a bee flying around and singing a high pitched tune, swirled around the apprentice, snapping her back awake.
Darkpaw pinned her ears back to block most of the sound and slowly crept out of the den. The incessant buzzing slowly grew louder around the leader's den. She got as close to the entrance as she could bear and peered inside. Shadestar was slumbering peacefully, not noticing a small figure standing over her.
The apprentice narrowed her eyes, but she couldn't make out any details about the figure. She backed away, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on it. The buzzing abruptly stopped, and the cat slowly sauntered out of the den, apparently finished with whatever it had been doing.
Darkpaw shook her head until the ringing stopped, then looked back at the leader's den. The shadowy silhouette had disappeared without hardly a scent trail for anyone to track. The apprentice's eyes narrowed again, and she crept forward with her mouth wide to catch any whiff of the mysterious cat's scent.
A slight odor that seemed a mix of ThunderClan and ShadowClan caught her attention, and she followed the thin trail over to where Shadestar slumbered. It was strongest here, but the apprentice could smell a tiny tendril snaking up to the top of the den.
Darkpaw knew she couldn't continue following the trail without crunching the bramble and waking everyone up, so she took one last gasp of air to remember it and padded to the entrance of the camp.
Heronfang, the warrior on guard duty, stopped her and gave her a questioning look. Due to the nick in his ear and the fact that he was far away from the leader's den, he hadn't heard the ringing and didn't know why the apprentice was awake.
Although all of ShadowClan is considered nocturnal, only the warriors truly are. Kits play during the day as their eyes adjust to the world so that they can take in as much as they can until their vision is fully developed.
Apprentices are still used to this cycle during their first few moons out of kithood, and they have to gradually train to get back their natural nocturnal instincts. Darkpaw has only been an apprentice for a moon, so she should definitely not be awake this late at night, thus Heronfang's confusion.
Darkpaw gave him a smile, then contorted her face into one of embarrassment. "I think I ate some crowfood today," she admitted. "I just wanted to get some fresh air, maybe it will help my stomach."
Heronfang nodded, accepting her story. He stepped aside and the apprentice slipped out quickly to make sure he couldn't change his mind. Once he was out of earshot, she let out a sigh of relief before creeping over to around where she had just been.
Darkpaw could smell Shadestar through the bramble, so she knew she was in about the right place. She opened her mouth, searching again for the strange ThunderClan/ShadowClan cat. A slight tuft of white caught her attention, and, sure enough, the same scent drifted off of the fur.
The apprentice didn't think this cat, who seemed very adept at hiding their tracks, would have left behind such evidence. That isn't important, she admonished herself. Pushing aside her doubts for the moment, Darkpaw followed the newfound path as quickly as possible.
She had just found a few paw prints in a small stretch of mud when something slammed into her. The apprentice fought against the weight, but there was only so much she could do with only a moon's worth of training.
Darkpaw was soon pinned under what she realized was a fully grown cat. "Wh- who are you?" She managed to choke out. The cat leaned down, his green eyes inches from her own. He pulled back his lips, exposing his unnaturally sharp fangs.
"That isn't important," he hissed. "What is important is that you know what has happened." Darkpaw blinked, expecting an explanation, but none was offered. "You will forget what has happened tonight. You will run on home, curl up in your nest, and in the morning won't know you ever left your den."
The eyes seemed to expand until they were all she could see. Darkpaw nodded in acquiescence, not knowing what else she could do. The weight suddenly lifted, and instead of trying to find the scent again, she followed her orders and headed back to the camp.
"Let all cats old enough to stalk through the night meet beneath the Hazel Branch for a Clan meeting!" The familiar call pierced through the darkness surrounding Darkpaw. She blinked open her eyes and gazed around, realizing the den was empty. The apprentice leaped to her feet and raced into the clearing, doing her best to secure a spot near the front for this special day.
"Foxpaw, Flashpaw, please step forward," Shadestar began. The two apprentices complied, hardly able to keep their excitement under control. "I, Shadestar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn."
Here she paused, gazing at the apprentices as if to make sure they truly wanted this. "Foxpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Foxpaw nodded. "I do."
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Foxpaw, from this moment you will be known as Foxstep. StarClan honors your kindness and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."
The leader leapt down and placed her muzzle on Foxstep's head. He licked her shoulder in return before sitting down, watching his brother. Shadestar turned and leapt back onto the Hazel Branch to continue the ceremony.
"Flaspaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"Of course!" He yowled. "I-I mean, I do." The apprentice flicked his ear, thinking he had messed up his ceremony. Shadestar merely blinked at him before continuing.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Flashpaw, from this moment you will be known as Flashwing. StarClan honors your courage and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."
Shadestar leapt lightly next the newly made warrior, and they went through the motions together. She then returned to the Hazel Branch and even climbed up higher, calling to the stars, "Foxstep! Flashwing!"
The Clan took up her call, and Darkpaw yowled at the top of her lungs for her two friends. The two warriors looked both embarrassed and proud of the attention. No one noticed that Shadestar had climbed to the top of the tree and was balanced precariously at the tip of a thin branch.
Darkpaw glanced up, trying to see if the stars approved, and noticed the ShadowClan leader. "No!" She cried, but it seemed she was too late. Shadestar had bunched up her hind legs and leapt off the hazel tree.
Her body slammed into the ground, and the crack of bones was audible. A hush immediately fell over the Clan. A couple cats at the front of the crowd shuffled back as a pool of blood quickly flowed out of the leader's body.
Larkstep raced forward almost immediately, already holding a couple cobwebs. Poppypaw wasn't far behind, holding a couple more herbs that may help if and when the leader woke back up. "Only StarClan can bring her back to us. All we can do is wait," the medicine cat murmured, although she was applying her cobwebs to staunch the flow of blood.
Something niggled in the back of Darkpaw's mind, but she couldn't figure out why and pushed the feeling away. Did you kill yourself, or was I just seeing things? She wondered. Either way, the leader shouldn't have climbed that high.
"Why, Shadestar?" She whispered.
It's out! :D Btw, this likely is going to get darker than what just happened, so if you don't like that, you should stop now. I hope you guys enjoy! If I have messed up anywhere or see a place that I can approve, let me know! I'll always accept criticism, even you are flaming (although I'd prefer if you didn't ;)) Until next time!