A/N: Onto Chapter VI! I know kind of a late update, but I had a busy day! Not to mention I updated Sands of Chaos as well. I put a synopsis of an original book i'm working on, one the update of SOC, be sure to check it out! Yay another Hollow/Umber chapter! For some reason I forgot about them when I wrote the outline, so for the future chapters the characters may be out of order.

Another power is revealed! That means only two more cats need there powers, but I didn't particularly specify how many powers a Zodiac has did I? Ha, I'm so mean to all of you, forshadowing like that. Anyway, thank you for the large amount of reviews, I can't thank you enough! Please review more! HA! :)

~Leo~


CHAPTER VI

The scent of pine drifted through the quiet forest,as yellow eyes watched through the darkness. Hollowpaw stepped out from behind a bush, and stared at the eyes.

They were unblinking and as round as the full moon that was in the sky, and then they turned to look straight at the brown apprentice.

"Don't hurt me!" she shrieked, thinking it was a badger or a fox, and turned to run for her life. But as soon as she did, Hollowpaw ran into a black fluff of fur, and howled even louder.

"What in StarClan's name is wrong with you?".

Hollowpaw looked up to see her mentor Lizardfang staring at her with a scowl.

"Sorry" she mumbled, feeling like a stupid kit, "I thought I saw a badger, its eyes were staring right at me!".

The long limbed black warrior padded past his apprentice and stared out through the trees. Hollowpaw brushed the pine needles off of her fur, and carefully waited beside Lizardfang, what if it attacked?

"That's an owl you dimwit!" he finally spat, as a hoot came from the object.

An owl? Well how could Hollowpaw have known, she's never seen an owl before!

Lizardfang only sighed, "Honestly I thought you Zodiac's were supposed to hold the forest's future in your paws. I don't feel safe knowing your one of them."

He pushed past Hollowpaw, and off to the stone ridge, where battle training took place.

"Well its not my fault" the apprentice muttered softly, and it wasn't her fault either that she was a Zodiac, what did Hollowpaw just choose to be one before she was born?!

"Are you coming or not!?" a loud growl came through the trees, and instantly the apprentice darted towards her mentor, sighing along the way.

She didn't know why Lizardfang chose to train at night on her first day as an apprentice, it wasn't exactly the best time for it.

It wasn't that Hollowpaw couldn't see, the moonlight cast plenty enough light for her. It was just the fact that she didn't particularly like the darkness, even though it was barely dusk.

As the two ShadowClan cats made it to the rocky circle where cats battle trained, its edges were as jagged as a badgers fangs.

"Come stand in the center" Lizardfang commanded, his yellow eyes more piercing than that spooky owl.

A little nervous, Hollowpaw did as she was told, and stood at the center of the circle.

"Let's see if the precious Zodiac knows how to fight, I bet your not so tough now that your not around the whole clan" Lizardfang spat with a roll of his eyes.

"Honestly I don't know why they encourage it, I think your going to kill the forest just like Dawnpelt said, your cursed."

Hollowpaw felt anger rising in her veins, she wanted to slash her claws across Lizardfang's face, that would shut him up.

"I don't know why Scorchstar gives you extra attention either, If I was leader I'd make there were cats watching you constantly. These Zodiac's cant be trusted" the black warrior scowled like an angry vixen.

Hollowpaw glared sharply, "Then I guess its good that your not leader. Now are you going to show me how to fight or are you going to insult me the whole night?".

With a spat of disgust, Lizardfang bent down to the ground, and without a moments notice, he sprung at Hollowpaw.

Taken aback by the sudden attack, Hollowpaw could only duck to the ground. But as he flew over her, Lizardfang scathed his claws along her back, drawing blood.

"Ow!" she cried out as he landed, "You cut my pelt!".

Lizardfang only chuckled, "Now I see why Umberpaw has his power and you don't, your weak."

Un-Sheathing her claws, Hollowpaw was considering slicing them through Lizardfang at this very moment. But instead she chose to use words instead of claws.

"You know Lizardfang, you can just take you bad attitude and jump out a tree!" she glared at him with her bright amber eyes.

Expecting him to lash out at her, Hollowpaw turned to leave, but Lizardfang continued staring into nothing. And thats the moment Hollowpaw noticed his eyes were black, not just dark, but as black as an eclipse.

"If that's what you wish" he muttered, his tone non existent.

Hollowpaw stood in her spot, more confused than ever, was Lizardfang actually listening to her? But the confusion soon turned into horror, as her black furred mentor began climbing a nearby Poplar Tree, jumping from one branch to another.

"What are you doing!?" Hollowpaw howled up to him, "I wasn't serious!".

Was Lizardfang just playing a prank? If that was the case then why were his eyes completely black?

Hollowpaw could only see his black outline against the moonlight, Lizardfang was standing on the edge of a branch, staring into nothing. And thats when he preceded to move forward, and jumped off the branch, onto the ground below.

"No!" the apprentice shrieked as Lizardfang's body fell to the ground with a sickening crunch, he was dead on impact.

Covering her eyes with her tail, Hollowpaw refused to look at the body. But then curiosity sparked her interest, and she moved forward cautiously. Lizardfang's eyes had faded from black, back to yellow, how peculiar.

And as she gazed at her mentors dead body, only one thing popped into Hollowpaw's mind. I think I've found my power.


Umberpaw sat under the hanging willow, his pitch black eyes staring out across the camp. As night fell onto ShadowClan, warriors were eating their last meal of the day, and apprentices were chattering about the days events.

"Grizzlyfur took me to the RiverClan border today" a small orange tom meowed as he devoured a robin.

"Yes Pumkinpaw" a gray she-cat growled, "We all know you have the best mentor in ShadowClan, but that doesn't mean you have to rub it in our faces."

"Sorry Smokepaw" Pumkinpaw lowered his gaze, as the she-cat snorted.

Umberpaw simply ignored the two siblings, he didn't really like any of the ShadowClan apprentices. Goldenheart and Eclipsefall had only been warriors for a moon and a half now, but Umberpaw still wished they were apprentices.

He had formed quite a close bond to Eclipsefall when they were in the nursery together, but now the black-furred tom was going to be a father to Goldenheart's kits.

He spotted the light golden tabby she-cat stretching outside the nursery, her belly round with many kits. Scarletshine had said when queens expect kits in New-Leaf, the litter is much larger than if they were to have them in Leaf-Fall.

That's why there's only me and Hollowpaw, Umberpaw knew that he and his sister were born on the first moon of Leaf-Bare, thats when all of the Zodiac's were born.

But in a way all of the Zodiac's were siblings, they were born on the exact moment after all.

"Did you hear Redwillow's retiring to the elders den?" a white and brown she-cat meowed as she joined the conversation.

"Big deal" Smokepaw snorted, "Honestly Whiskerpaw, if I was leader I'd force the senior warriors to retire. They're pretty much elders to begin with, not to mention they just keep us all up babbling on about the old days."

As the gray apprentice spoke, she missed the fact that Appleleaf, a senior warrior, was standing right behind her.

"I'll be sure to tell Scorchstar that" the tortoiseshell meowed while flicking her ear, "You do know he's from the same litter as Redwillow?".

Umberpaw could only chuckle as his mentor humiliated Smokepaw, Appleleaf had quite a sense of humor.

As the night dragged on, Umberpaw found himself waiting at the edge of the camp. For some reason he felt a sense of urgency run through his veins, like something wasn't quite right.

At this moment he wasn't blending in with the darkness, Umberpaw had only just realized that he could control his power. Up until he was six-moons old, it would just happen whenever night fell.

Even when the storm hit last moon he disappeared, it was that dark.

Where's Hollowpaw? After a long while of waiting, Umberpaw began to get worried. Lizardfang, one of the youngest warriors, had taken his sister out for battle training at dusk.

It was well past midnight now, and still no sign of either. But as Umberpaw turned to get some sleep, he heard a shrill yowl sound from the forest.

"Hollowpaw!" instantly without a second thought, the pitch black apprentice kicked up dirt as he skidded towards the yowl. It was coming from Rock Circle, Hollowpaw might be hurt!

I swear if that stupid piece of fox-dung touched one hair on my sisters pelt, I'll tear him to shreds! Everyone knew that Lizardfang was a pest, not to mention he had a disliking towards Zodiac's and she-cats.

Sadly for Hollowpaw, she was both.

Making his way to the sound of the yowl, Umberpaw noticed a cat following him.

"Appleleaf!" he meowed gratefully, as his tortoiseshell mentor ran alongside him.

"If there's trouble let me handle it" she told him with a firm command, as they continued to run towards the sound. Making there way to the Rock Circle, Umberpaw spotted a dark body on the ground.

Oh no, please StarClan no.

He padded slowly to the body, but then noticed it was to long and large to be Hollowpaw's.

"Lizardfang's dead" he announced, as more cats began to join them. Urgently looking around the clearing for any sign of his sister, Umberpaw noticed a tail behind a tree.

"Hollowpaw!" he ran over to find his sister hiding behind a Rowan Tree, her tail curled around her eyes as she shiver.

"He....He's dead isn't he?" she stuttered as Umberpaw helped her up, "Lizardfang's dead!".

"Shh...Shh" Umberpaw comforted his sister, giving her a lick on the ear, "It's going to be okay."

"What happened here?" a growl came from a fox-length away, as Nettleclaw the ShadowClan deputy looked at Hollowpaw. Slowly his sister padded towards the Dark brown spotted tom, and lowered her head.

"Lizardfang was running after a squirrel, but then it ran up a tree. I told him not to climb it but he didn't listen! And then he fell" she began choking on the words, "And now he's dead!".

Hollowpaw's voice came out like a whimper as Duskpetal rushed to help her daughter.

Cats began talking instantly about the sight before them, most either mourning the loss of Lizardfang, or feeling bad for Hollowpaw.

But as Umberpaw lay in the shadows of night, he knew that Hollowpaw was lying. There was no way a warrior would climb that far up a tree for just a squirrel, and even if they did they wouldn't fall!

No Hollowpaw was hiding something, but what reason would she have to?

Umberpaw's sister wasn't evil was she?


Who should die? Hollowpaw or Umberpaw? (Silently voting for Umberpaw).