Sorry for leaving you guys on a cliffhanger. Honestly, it won't be too intense. ^^'

I think...

Oh well. *Puts on improv hat*

Lets do this! *fist bump*

I placed my paws lightly on the ground, creeping closer to the wandering tom. He was a handsome light gray tom with darker stripes and brilliant amber eyes, and by the way he was fooling around, I immediately liked him. There was something relaxing in watching him goof off with his clanmates, basking in the sun as if it were StarClan's gift to the Clans. How? How could he be so comfortable, with three cats watching him in direct light? Was I so cooped up in the shadows that I had forgotten what it was like to live a normal life?

That was strange. Wasn't that tom from ShadowClan? I parted my jaws slightly, and the strong scent was unmistakable. Definitely ShadowClan. How could he… love the light so much? And how could I not? I was from RiverClan, for StarClan's sake!

I scuffled closer, wanting to catch a better glimpse of this peculiar cat. I weaved through the bushes in ThunderClan territory, hoping my paws were not in his sight. My pelt, as always, was invisible, blending into the darkness and embracing me in its cold comfort. I narrowed my pale blue eyes as best as I could, knowing that they'd stick out. What a pity: me trying to hide my eyes, which I once prided myself in. They were a delicate blue shared only by myself and my brother. The thought sent nostalgic memories to my head, and I shook them out, focusing on the tom ahead. I must have been absorbed in my thoughts completely, because I lowered my paw onto a thin stick.

I froze, hearing the twig crack under my paw. I cursed softly, hoping that the ShadowClan cat wouldn't hear. To my annoyance and panic, he perked his ears tensely, swiveling them around at the top of his head. His mesmerizing amber eyes narrowed to slits as he tried to locate the source of the sound. I watched as he parted his jaws, and winced as recognition flashed across his face. He must have scented something important.

I shifted my weight and tried to center my breathing, knowing that running away was not an option. If need be, I could wait until he passed by; never hurting anybody, no, not in daylight. My night-soul already ran rampant after sundown, and there was no need to risk freeing it upon the rest of the day. Sliding backwards cautiously and keeping my squinted eyes trained on his face, I thought of a possible escape route. My den was in ShadowClan territory. If I ran, they'd chase me. If I got away, they'd sniff me out.

Perhaps I could retreat to another Clan's territory. Wait for them to leave. Then, when the coast was clear, I could dash into the base of my withered little tree-home and hope my night-soul wouldn't kill any cat.

Night-soul. Night-soul. The word felt almost interesting as I rolled it around in my head, and I decided that I would call it that. And by "it", I meant my demon. My monster. Night-soul. Nightsoul. I felt as if a burden were lifted off my shoulders as I separated the two sides of me. I felt almost… innocent. But not quite… as if half of me were innocent of all the murders, and the other half was guilty as charged.

Suddenly, the gray tom (that I hadn't taken my eyes off for one second, mind you - I do have a brain, you know), had widened his eyes with so much shock that I thought he would scream, or run away. Of course. He had seen them… my white paws.

I scowled at myself, reminding me to find a way to hide them later. Coat them with mud or something. The ShadowClanner, meanwhile, had frozen in shock, then regained his composure and crouched down, claws unsheathed.

Oh, no.

No, no, no! Great StarClan, he saw me!

Forgetting any cautions I had, I stood up and pelted away from that area, oblivious to where I was going. All I knew was that I needed to run, or else I'd either kill or be killed. And neither seemed favorable at the moment. I bit my lip in fear as I heard the pounding of feet behind me; however, I hadn't heard him call out to his patrol. Hope glimmered in my chest, and amusement as well. Perhaps he was one of those annoying toms that wanted to win every battle just to prove himself as the best. Well, that certainly would work to my advantage.

Steering clear of a thick row of brambles, I wondered where I was now. I could still hear the paw steps of that tom, slowly closing in. So I was either in ShadowClan territory, or he was nose-deaf to the borders, or he was too cocky and great to follow the border rules. I weaved past three close-growing bushes, suppressing a mew of laughter as I heard him struggling to keep up. The wind was starting to blow freely into my face, and I found that I rather enjoyed the extra pump of adrenaline.

I raced past trees and jumped over a fallen log, careful to only step in places shadowed over by the canopy of trees above. I faintly heard the other tom's breathing getting shorter and more strained, so I changed directions abruptly, hoping to lose him in the thicket of oak trees. Since I had some leeway, I slowed down a fraction to taste the air. ThunderClan. So I had ran in the correct direction, after all. Picking up speed again, I tried to push fears of being discovered down into the depths of my heart.

I prayed to StarClan that no ThunderClan patrols would wander by anytime soon. Hopefully, they finished marking this border. I was running awfully close to the border with WindClan, and the brightly lit horizon darkened my mood. Funny what moons of hiding can do to a cat's soul. To her bravery and her life.

Something barreled into my side unexpectedly, and I yelped in surprise. I caught a flash of gray fur and amber eyes before tumbling hopelessly into the WindClan side of the border. The tom grunted as he fell with me, pain contorting his features. The glare of the sun pierced my eyes and scorched my pelt mercilessly, making me writhe in discomfort. I squeezed my eyelids willing myself to disappear as the two of us fell down the slope. I coughed as he landed on my side, knocking the breath out of me, then suddenly we were airborne again.

We skidded to a stop at the base of the hill, and he growled and pinned me, baring his fangs. I tensed up, trying to block out the sun as I lay on my back, my stomach exposed to its burning. I laid limp, trying to suppress anger and defensive instincts, not wanting another cat to be murdered.

"You…" he hissed, unsheathing his claws and placing them on my shoulders. I could sense him trying to fight against his rage. He was probably reminding himself of the warrior code: a true warrior does not need to kill. I bit my lip and turned my head away from him, the side of my face brushing against the long grass of WindClan. "You… you killed her."

I felt guilt and hatred toward myself rising up in my heart. Was he one of my victims' kin? Parent? Mate, even? I flattened my ears to my skull, keeping my eyes shut tight. How much pain did I cause in my sleep? How many families were crippled? How many hearts broken?

"The sun… burns," I whispered out, too overwhelmed with emotion to create recognizable sentences. The light hurt; the warmth burned; the lack of darkness gnawed on my gut, making me want to run away and into the shadows forever. "It's hurting me."

I sensed the shock rippling from the tom and I cracked open my left eye. His eyes were pooling with concern and curiosity, but mainly disbelief. "Good," he spat. "You deserve any pain you get."

I opened my eyes fully, pleading with him. The pain came internally, as if my night-soul detested it and was slowly clawing at my lungs. "Please," I gasped out, finding all of my confidence drained as I struggled to breathe. There were strange spots in my vision as my eyes were exposed to the intense light that I sheltered them from. "I won't hurt you… I'll do as you say, just-" I took in a shaky breath. "-please, bring me into the shade of a tree." I felt something inside me grow agitated at my helpless state. It screamed at me to slice open his throat and run, to take a stand.

No, I told the voice. If I attacked now, there would be no chance of ever being innocent of my night-soul. My real innocence, the purity and sinlessness of my day-soul, would be corrupted. I'd fully submit to being a destructive monster. I had to fight it, for the sake of others' lives and my innocent half.

I looked up at him again, square in the face. From up close, he was more handsome than before. His amber eyes were clouded with emotion as I fought the burning sensation in my lungs and faced the sunlight.

"Please," I begged again.

The tom's expression changed; from anger, to doubt, to pity. His claws were still unsheathed, and his eyes were still narrowed in suspicion, but he loosened his grip and allowed me to stand up. I stood on wobbly legs, and took a step forward, trying to regain balance. I could feel him contrasting my state now to the agile, daring runaway in the forest. How could he not feel a bit deceived?

I could feel my neck fur standing on end with the heat of the sun and the stare of an actual cat. Not somebody I observed from afar, who never made me choke on air as a scorching gaze ran across my pelt, judging or cruelly mocking or-

I began walking at a slow, strained, but steady pace, and I sensed the tom's bewilderment as well as a hint of fear as we walked into the shadows: my area of expertise. He was probably praying to StarClan right then. I could see the tree-line a fox-length away. A few heartbeats and I'd be out of that choking light.

My heart unclenched as darkness washed over me like a cooling breeze in the middle of a hot day. I let out a relieved breath and slumped my shoulders as my oncoming panic subsided. I turned to see the tom, stepping into the shadows after me, and I wondered what his name was.

Then I remembered my circumstances.

And I ran.

My ears were flattened against my head in fear, but my confidence slowly grew as I dashed through the dark of the shadows. I heard the tom's cry of shock and anger follow me as he began to run. I retreated back to Fourtrees in record time and glanced around nervously, looking for my tree.

There.

I dived under the roots, feeling the lighting get even dimmer.

Thank StarClan.

In a flurry of emotions and anxiety, I fell asleep.

Sorry for the… ahem… awkwardly written ending. I wrote this pretty late last night, and rereading it… well, it seems so rushed and weird xD

Anyway, please review! Also, whose POV would you like to see this written in more?

I really want to see this fic get more reviews/faves than Distress Call (my other fic) because that one was my first and poorly started, I think. Yech. Well, if you haven't read that one, go check it out. It's centered around Ivypool, for all you Ivy fans. :3

Enough talk. Go REVIEW!

-Sky