I'm back.

This might be a long one if you're used to shorter chapters, so hang tight. Thanks to all of my reviewers, I appreciate your time taken to review my story. Also, this is another dark story.

I grinned madly, staring down at the limp cat under me. She was dead, the ninth one I had killed, and I had made sure of that. She was as stupid and weak as a mouse, and an easy kill. Anyone wishing to take my wanted post as the medicine cat, any cat willing to insult me, any cat willing to exclude me, would have to suffer this fate. I only needed to bury the body... The lake! Perfect.

I dragged her by the scruff of her neck down to the lake, panting, and then stopping on the sand. Sweat clung to my pelt, but I purred as I reached the lapping water. This would be a perfect spot to bury her. I pushed her to the edge, trying hard not to get myself too unnecessarily wet, but I would need to wash my paws in here, to get the blood off...

But something went wrong. I tried to dig my claws into the sand, but I slid forward and fell into the water. My paws flailed as my head went closer and closer to being submerged. I gasped for air, kicking my paws even harder. I'm in RiverClan! I should be able to do this!

I was starting to feel lighter, and it felt like a weight was being lifted off of me. The corners of my vision were a peaceful black. I was barely conscious of my body sinking into the depths of the river as my eyes started closing slowly. I thought I heard a gasp of shock and someone at the surface, far away, whispering my name, "Goldenfire... You did this... You killed them."

There was nothing.

Nothing was there.

I tried to get to my paws, but there was nowhere to stand. I saw a light in the distance, something peaceful and shining in the dark, drab black of nowhere. The shape, the light moved closer, to reveal a shining StarClan cat. His expression was cold, opposing the warmth of the glowing stars surrounding him.

"Goldenfire. You. The prettiest little warrior in RiverClan. Or, the prettiest little killer," he hissed, stepping closer and closer. His words had a hint of scorn in them as he glared at me, but I thought I saw a tinge of anguish in his eyes. "Of course, you deserve worse than the Dark Forest. You wished to be a medicine cat, and killed, instead of saved, your Clanmates. Nine of them. You have done terrible things, Goldenfire, and you will be reincarnated."

I wanted to scream, dig my claws into him, and feel the blood—no, his very existence pouring out of him. I wanted to feel his breathing stop and his body go limp. But something held me back, and instead, I sat there, perfectly still, and stared at my paws. There was an emotion inside me that I hadn't felt before, pouring through my soul, making me, just once, ask myself why I did it.

The StarClan cat, for a second, had a glint of pity in his eyes. Then, he turned away, and ran off, just ran off. I felt the ground caving in beneath me, if there was a ground, and I shrieked as my fall began, but I would make it out alive. But soon, just soon, "alive" wouldn't be the best word to describe it.

It had begun.

I stared in shock at my mother. Her body was limp, and her eyes reflected the gray, heavy storm clouds above me. No one in the hushed group noticed the heavy rain falling down, soaking their pelts. The growling of the badger not too far away in the forest was forgotten. Was this real, or just a nightmare? Was anything real anymore?

Stormfall was the first one to tear his eyes from the sight. His voice was hoarse and his breath ragged as he told us we needed to continue without her. I didn't respond. I stared at my mother's clouded and glazed eyes, her limp, wet and cold body. It's just a bad dream, it's just a nightmare. There's nothing wrong... I choked sobs and screamed at the darkened sky that was hidden by the gray.

"Come on, Silverfur, I need you to keep it together!" Stormfall yowled through the crashes of thunder. "Your mother would want us to!" Violent lightning flashed through the sky, and the patrol was all looking urgently at me. I couldn't do it. I couldn't do anything anymore. I couldn't see through the rain, and I desperately wailed at the sky, waiting for my mother to answer, but nothing happened.

I finally feebly followed everyone into the forest. He was right. She would want me to fight. But I couldn't fight, my mind was crumpling with the cold, hard fact that she was dead. I tore at the badger in rage for taking my mother's life. But a wave of dizziness, as my sight flickered back to her body, threw me off.

I was no longer controlling myself. I stumbled away, shrieks coming out of my mouth. The trees were lashing with rain, but I didn't care about the rain soaking my pelt anymore. The badger was standing in front of me, its ferocious teeth glinting horrifically. I could barely feel the pain of its claws slashing through my fur and the warm blood pouring, as I saw my mother and smelled her sweet scent.

I opened my eyes, startled by the sight. Was that real? Did I really experience that? I was still in the empty black, and there was pain in my side... Had I really experienced that, been in that cat's body? Was I alive again, if only for those terrifying seconds? And why was I thinking normally again?

None of my questions were answered as a blinding light filled my eyes and I shut them tight.

I bared my teeth at the ugly, scarred blue she-cat. Unsheathing my claws, I stood in a defensive position, blocking her from the nursery. She just responded with an nasty grin, and I saw one of my kits out of the corner of my eye. She was furious, and her russet fur, that was identical to mine, was bristling. Redkit tried to lunge for the rogue, but I blocked her. I'm not risking her life for this stupid cat who thinks she can just waltz in and kill my kits.

The rogue made the first move, springing toward my neck. I bowled her over promptly. She was muscular, but I was small and quick and could evade quickly, and easily take the kits with me if it came to it. I ripped a scratch in her while she was still down, blood pounding in my ears. Rage against her overwhelmed me, and I drove my claws into her, over and over, but she never seemed to give up and run.

"Ha, what a stupid queen. You're just like all the others, whiny and overprotective," the she-cat mewed tauntingly, and I screamed the loudest battle cry as I tried to rip her from limb to limb, my claws driving into the stupid little brat of a rogue. How dare she!

But she had gotten up now. She purred quietly, "Fallenmoon, I saw you at the border with him. It's a shame I'll have to divulge your secret." I hissed with burning rage, but she was like a strong, undefeatable mountain. Fatigue was filling me, and I couldn't fight against her paw on my throat. Nausea overtook me, and I gasped and coughed. There was no air in my lungs. I screamed a choked scream of rage. I had failed.

Then her claws unsheathed into my neck, and I closed my eyes for the last time as the life flickered out of me with a painful rush.

My throat was hoarse and dry as I hacked and coughed. I desperately lapped up the cold water in the moss that my apprentice, Feathersnow had brought me. I was supposed to be out there, treating the others, but the poor young apprentice was doing it instead. I tried to tell myself that medicine cats had any chance of getting sick, but it didn't feel right.

I felt like vomiting, but I swallowed the bile in my tired and scratchy throat. My head pounded with fever, and I shivered and buried myself deep into the feather nests that WindClan had saved for the bitter leaf-bare. My fur prickled with cold as I closed my eyes. It was hot, too hot under my eyelids.

When I opened them, they were getting clouded and misty. I blinked the sleep out and looked up at Feathersnow's alarmed face. The expression turned into one of relief as she dropped a skinny rabbit in front of me. I tried to take a bite, but it wouldn't go down my throat. I collapsed into a coughing fit, and I finally forced it into my belly.

Feathersnow didn't belong there, trying to save me from greencough. She was too young. She had just gotten her medicine cat name. If I didn't make it, who would help her interpret StarClan's prophecies, who would be with her to heal others in battle?

No one would. She would be alone until a kit was willing to sacrifice everything for becoming a medicine cat. Feathersnow's eyes widened and she let out a panicked No! Not you! My eyes were becoming blurry, and I tried to smile reassuringly at my apprentice, but I was feeling too dizzy...

Everything inside left me and I saw nothing, and then small, welcoming lights taking me home.

I smelled the choking scent of smoke right when I opened my eyes. Next to me, Silverpaw was asleep, and all of the other apprentices, Redpaw, Snowpaw, and Sorrelpaw were too. I had to wake them up. Smoke was rapidly filling the den. I opened my mouth, breathing in smoke by accident, an then screamed as loud as I could.

"Fire!"

Everyone in the den woke up with a jolted startle. I didn't have time to explain. "Go! Out of the den!" Everyone ran as quick as lightning. The smoke threatened to fill my lungs, but I resisted the suffocating gas and slowly tried to get through the den, which was clouded with darkness. I managed to make it out, and the sight that greeted me was horrific.

The entire camp was in flames, and the Clan was quickly trying to get everyone through. I saw my mother, Goldenfeather, frantically searching the area for me, her eyes filled with terror. I ran towards her, but my path was suddenly blocked with a burning branch. I could barely see her through the orange flames and black smoke, but I heard her fear-filled yowl, "Leafpaw!"

I tried to respond, but the roar of fire was too loud against my meek voice.

I searched for an escape, trying to find a path out of the flames. They were creeping closer and closer, and my lungs were starting to fill with smoke. Goldenfeather was screaming for me, but there was nothing I could do. My breath was slowing, and I was almost our of time. The last thing I felt was the painful burn of hot, bright flame.

I couldn't help but smile as I walked into the warriors' den. Graystar had just appointed me as deputy. I lay awake long after moonhigh, feeling a sense of joy that kept me from sleeping. All that I could hear was the rustling of leaves and brambles, and if I looked outside, I could see the beautiful stars above. To think I would inherit this amazing territory one day...

But then, I heard something that was distinct from the leaves and brambles. I heard pawsteps, pattering quietly on the ground. They sounded too big to be a kit's, but it seemed like they were trying to cover up their footprints. I jumped as a dark figure suddenly bent down in front of me. It was Firefeather, one of the warriors. I wasn't sure how I missed him leaving. "Hi," I whispered reluctantly. He just smiled at me and told me to follow him.

He led me out of the camp into the forest. "Are you sure I should be leaving like this in the middle of the night?" I asked him, but his golden eyes just glinted mischeviously and he replied, "Well, there's no one awake to catch us, is there?" I smiled, but I felt like I wasn't doing the right thing.

As we strolled through the forest, Firefeather made remarks about how beautiful the trees and plants are, or how the moon and stars were beautiful tonight. All that I did was nod, because I wasn't sure why he was taking me here in the middle of the night. We walked further and further into the forest, and I couldn't help but be entranced by his voice.

Eventually, we reached a clearing that opened up to the stars. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Firefeather said when he saw me taking the nighttime scenery in. I never sneaked out at night when I was an apprentice, but evidently he had. I watched fireflies buzz by, feeling very peaceful, and then Firefeather said, "It's very quiet, isn't it? We're alone here. If anything were to happen to us, it wouldn't be discovered." I felt a prick of fear spread through me, but I said nothing.

I discovered what he meant in a second, when he leapt to his feet and unsheathed his claws. His reassuring smile was switched with a nasty grin as he snarled, "Cloudberry, you don't deserve to be the deputy. I do. I can't believe Graystar appointed you!" Terror and anger struck through my heart, and I unsheathed my claws, ready to fight. But he was too quick.

I regretted everything as he killed me with a swipe to my heart.

I finally was back in my own body. Everything was black. As I regained my composure, things started materializing. Dark, bare trees, gray mist, silhouettes slowly padding through the lonely landscape. I looked up, but all that I could see is darkness.

I was in a realm of sadness and hate, in a place of no stars.

And there I will remain for eternity.