The rain was unrelenting. It pounded and drenched the landscape, threatening to flood the lake, the damp making sleeping a chore and walking a misery. The clouds covered the stars, turning the dark, cold night even darker. Even Starclan seemed to be taking shelter.
The big dark cat that prowled silently past the drenched sentries seemed unaffected, however. The guards did not spare him a glance, nor he them, and he continued, noiseless, on his way. He left no prints in the soft mud.
He slipped through the mouth of the leader's den. He cast an appraising glance over the ginger form sleeping in it's moss nest, unassuming and completely exposed.
Idiot, thinking he was safe in his dreams.
The dark tom settled himself in the darkest corner of the den, as relaxed as if he owned the place 'Which, really, I should.' he thought, with dry amusement (and only a slight trace of bitterness). He waited patiently for Firestar to wake.
It didn't take long.
Maybe it was the pungent scent of decay that followed the visitor wherever he went, or perhaps the feeling of eyes buring on his face, because Firestar woke with a jerk, sensing something amiss. A flash of lightning illuminated the den for a brief moment, but it caught on the gleaming amber eyes of the intruder, and Firestar sat bolt upright, his face caught between expressions of disbelief and horror.
"All these years and it's still this easy to catch you off your guard." Tigerstar shook his head disdainfully, getting to his feet and sauntering closer to his startled host. "All that special training Bluestar gave you seems to have gone to waste. What a shame."
Firestar shook himself slightly, schooling his gape into a scowl.
"And yet I'm the only one here who's still alive." Tigerstar's lip curled ever so slightly, but he said nothing, and so Firestar took that as a victory. "Leave, Tigerstar. You have no business here anymore." Tigerstar smirked at that.
"Fancy that, you thinking you can order about the dead. But I'm not one of those star-studded fools who think you their beloved 'messiah'. No, I do have business here, kittypet. With you, specifically." His face was pressing in on Firestar's, the scent of rot and shadow almost overwhelming. Thunder rolled just over their heads, menacing and full of promise.
"Well, I'm listening." Firestar replied evenly, eyes narrowed defiantly in the face of his old enemy. "Say what you will, then go." Tigerstar drew back again wearing an almost amused expression. He regarded Firestar with seemingly new eyes, and if Firestar didn't know better, they would have seemed... appreciative, somehow.
"Arrogant as ever. How gratifying to see some things about you haven't changed after all this time." He chuckled, casting a critical glance over the silver that had crept into the ginger fur around the leader's muzzle. Firestar's ear twitched violently.
"You honestly did not come all the way here just to insult me, did you?"
"No." The smirk dropped away and suddenly he was moving, great body prowling in a slow, tight circle around Firestar, so he had shift on his haunches to keep him in his sight. "I came to offer you a warning. There is a storm gathering around you, and it will be breaking very soon."
Another bolt of lightning flared. For a split second Firestar saw Tigerstar's insides spilling from the gaping wound in his belly. The blood dripping from his mouth splashed to the floor. Then it was dark again and ground was clean. Tigerstar didn't seem to have noticed. Firestar said nothing. Tigerstar continued on,
"If you want any chance of surviving it, you'd best be prepared." Firestar watched him warily.
"Why tell me this? You'd think this storm would want the advantage of surprise." Tigerstar leaned in a bit closer, pressing his side against Firestar's back, mouth at his ear, until Firestar felt he might be smothered by the sheer presence of this fallen titan. The rain splattered heavily against stone, lending a strange static to the air around them, and Firestar noticed for the first time how cold the tabby was.
"It seems only right, that we should be on equal footing again. After all, I want my revenge to mean something, and if I just murder you in your bed, it will feel rather... empty." Firestar twisted his head to gape at him, incredulous.
"You wanted to make killing me more climactic? That's the reason you-"
Tigerstar struck with blinding speed. The air in Firestar's lungs escaped with a loud whoosh, and he lay stunned on his back as Tigerstar pressed his face in close, eyes blazing. His lips were drawn back from his teeth, and they gleamed wetly in the dark, much to solid for Firestar's liking, as was the heavy paw that had him pinned by the throat.
"Don't think to mock me, kittypet." His hiss sliced through the wet air like an icy claw and the stench of death on his breath was enough to make Firestar's stomach roll. He lashed out with his back claws, slicing at the soft belly exposed to him, but Tigerstar ignored the blows. He ground his paw hard into Firestar's throat, and he wheezed and fell still, eyes wide. "If I put an end to this little game of ours, then it will be a legendary one. I'll have nothing less. It would be a dishonor to us both." He eased the pressure on Firestar's throat. Firestar gasped, rolling away from the ghost, springing into a ready crouch.
"Of course. How silly of me," the ginger tom rasped, "to think that death would have quieted you down any. Still chasing that glorious legacy." He growled, claws raking the stone floor. Tigerstar stepped towards him, but Firestar stepped back, and Tigerstar sensed he had lost his captive audience.
He smiled ruefully at the bristling tomcat.
"No need to get upset, kittypet. I can see when I've worn out my welcome." He turned from Firestar, padding to the mouth of the den. He paused at the lip of the cave, and turned back for a moment. "Until next time."
He turned the corner and vanished. Firestar remained, tensed for a few moments, expecting the ghost to return with a more deadly intent.
When it didn't, Firestar allowed his spine to unstiffen, he legs relaxed, and he dropped to the floor, suddenly noticing the thundering of the blood in his ears and the pounding of his heart. He exhaled shakily. Clambering to his feet, he settled back into his nest.
He did not sleep again that night.