For the Marvel character Dark Tail is based on, my favorite villain, if you don't consider Loki a villain. If you do, then she would be second.
Chapter 1
"Wait for me!" Lizardtuft dashed after Brambleblaze, who was running through the trees with ease. She was impressed how he dodged every root, every fallen branch without even looking. Suddenly he stopped. "I'll" -she panted- "beat you one day!"
"In your dreams." He responded jokingly.
Lizardtuft shook her head. "My life is a dream."
He smiled. "Let's go grab our prey and head back to camp."
She obeyed. Together they walked back, dug up their buried prey, and brought it back for the fresh-kill pile in their makeshift camp. They were a moon and a half away from twolegplace, and the warrior could tell the tom was uncomfortable back among warriors.
"Great catches!" Gorsepaw exclaimed when the two cats returned. "Where did you find two rabbits?"
"This place if chock full of them." Brambleblaze muttered through fur. "We'll eat good tonight!"
"Thank you." Lizardtuft dipped her head to the apprentice. "You should try to catch one tomorrow."
"Really? That sounds great!"
"We should get moving if we're going to get home by leaf-bare." Buckoflight climbed on the rock that was often used for meetings. As the cats swarmed to the rock, he continued; "We'll set out first thing in the morning." Moans of protest met his words.
"We need to rest." Smokecoat yelled over the groans.
Hollyflame nodded in agreement. "We need energy for the rest of the journey."
Buckoflight flicked his tail. "We leave first thing in the morning." He repeated. "Now shoo, everyone."
As the unofficial meeting dispersed, Gorsepaw met Lizardtuft in the middle of camp. "Since we're leaving tomorrow, can we go rabbit hunting right now?"
Lizardtuft sighed. "Sorry, but if we have uneaten prey, we'll be attracting foxes."
"Oh, okay." Gorsepaw turned and joined Echopaw in their makeshift nest. Lizardtuft watched him go, taking a deep breath.
"You okay?" It was Hollyflame.
"Yeah." The warrior mumbled. "I'm going outside for a little." She climbed up the wall of the hollow, where there was a large rock overlooking the clearing. She walked on it, purring as the heat flowed through her paws. Finding a flat spot in the stone, she curled her legs under her belly and closed her eyes.
"Hello, Lizardtuft."
The light brown warrior awoke to complete blackness, as if she was stuck in a cloud of smoke and embers. After a few moments, she spotted Loststone a few tail-lengths off.
"Hey." Lizardtuft padded over to him. "Why do you need me?"
"I need to show you something." Loststone rose to his paws and limped into the cloud. "Pad cautiously."
Lizardtuft started after him. The smoke gradually cleared, until they were in a forest, under a red sky. A strange wind blew through the branches, rustling the leaves in an almost unnatural way. She shivered, and turned to the Stonemaster. But when she did, she stifled a gasp.
She wasn't looking at the starry, glossy-furred cat she met so many times in dreams. This tom had a silvery nose, with empty white eyes. As her gaze moved downward, she noticed the paws. They were completely hairless, scars covering every fly-length. The pink toes were completely clawless, crusted blood between them. Relief washed her when she saw his back paws were covered in white fur like they should be.
"The Dark Forest is a place that returns all the scars one had when he or she died." Loststone's voice cracked with age. He lifted a paw off the ground, then set it down again. "I forgot what this felt like."
"Loststone…" Lizardtuft breathed, "how did you die?"
"It's a long story."
"We have time."
"When I was still a warrior, I was hit on the Thunderpath and lost function of my paws." He sighed. "So I became a medicine cat. I mentored Sedgepaw, but he died in the Endless War, so I trained Moorheart -Moor Frost now- and she was medicine cat when I died overnight, in my nest."
"Okay, party's over." A black she-cat leaped between the two cats before Lizardtuft could reply. "Loststone, what are you doing here?" Her tone wasn't friendly.
"Excuse me, Dark Tail." Lizardtuft shivered as the blind cat bared his teeth. "You're in my way."
"Go home, or I'll take you to Stone… or if you'd like someone more personal, we've got Goldenwing and Darkclaws." She paused, seeing Loststone's squeezed shut eyes. "All the cats you killed, when you're supposed to be a medicine cat."
"Stop!" Lizardtuft yowled before Loststone lost his temper. "We should get back to StarClan."
"Go." Dark Tail showed her teeth. "Or I'll make you."