AN: Sorry for the short chapter. But I wasn't sure how else to make this longer. So you finally get to see who the Darkness is. Or get an idea as to what the Darkness is like. There are probably four or five chapters left before the epilogue, so don't forget to keep an eye out for that!
-Chapter 9-
A blanket of darkness fell over the island where RiverClan cats slept. Cats moved around the clearing as the moon began to hide behind a cover of clouds. Their bodies were covered in water after a good swim cooled them off. The stench of fish lay heavily in the air like a thick fog. They were feasting over a victory that seemed to go unnoticed.
The cats were crouched together in a small group. They were made up of warriors and apprentices who had come after hearing the good news. Or to them what was good news. It was an army of warriors that had been formed seasons ago.
The leader of these cats stood in front of them. A grin spread across his face as he watched his army grow. The plan couldn't fail. Not after all he'd gone through to get this far. He thought back to the times when he would kill cats just for the fun of it. Because they were in his way. Now he had a sole purpose for killing the cats that got in his way. It was kill or be killed, as far as he was concerned. He'd been taught this from day one during his many training sessions.
He stopped when a smaller apprentice looked up at him through a pair of wide set eyes. The tiny cream-furred apprentice was terrified. The tom made certain these cats knew what fear was. He never allowed them to rest until they discovered what their true fear was. His claws unsheathed as the apprentice let out a small squeak.
"Do you understand where your loyalty lies?" he demanded when the apprentice stared at him. "Do you know who I am?" The dark tabby glared at the apprentice when he swallowed.
"Y-yes," the apprentice mewed.
"Than where does it lie? Who am I?" The dark tabby almost grinned to himself as he imagined what must have been going through the poor apprentice's mind. The apprentice must have felt terrified and tortured that he was going against his leader's orders, and the warrior code.
"I am loyal to you, Hollowstorm," the apprentice squeaked. "I am loyal to you, alone," he added when the dark tabby glared at him.
"Good." Hollowstorm forced his voice to sound pleased. He was satisfied with the apprentice's answer. He knew that this apprentice would make a fine recruitment for the Dark Forest. It was only a matter of time before the Darkness came once again to eat the heart of another cat. Perhaps he could take the apprentice himself to the place where he was led himself.
He was thankful to have found cats who were willing to put themselves in his place when the right time came. In the back of his mind he knew that there were a few who would have to be taken out. The medicine cat apprentice was one of those cats. The strange looks she gave him told the warrior that she knew what was happening. He doubted Mothwing would even notice that Willowshine was dead. The dappled she-cat was too busy tending to Petalfur to notice her apprentice.
"What will we do about her?" A ginger and white tom looked at Hollowstorm placidly, as if he knew what the dark warrior was thinking. "She's going to warn Mistystar. And if she does, our plan will be ruined."
"All in good time, Pouncetail." Hollowstorm was pleased with the way Pouncetail thought. The ginger and white tom turned out to be a good asset to his plan. Pouncetail had been skeptical at first with the way he thought. Than he soon discovered that Hollowstorm's plan was a good one. He would unite the Clans in a way that not even Tigerstar could have. It would stop the Clans from fighting, and there would only be a single leader. Four deputies was a good idea though, and the strongest deputy to survive a competition would become the next leader. "Actually, I was hoping you would be the one to take care of her." Hollowstorm kept his voice calm and collected as he met Pouncetail's startled gaze.
"Me?" The older warrior sounded shocked. Almost dismayed.
This was Hollowstorm's way of making sure he had loyal cats. If Pouncetail was willing to kill the medicine cat, than that would prove his worth. But should he fail, than he would be the one dying under Hollowstorm's claws. Hollowstorm sat patiently as he waited for Pouncetail's conflicting mind to make its choice.
Finally Pouncetail nodded. There was guilt within his amber eyes though when he looked down at his paws. Hollowstorm hid a smirk as he thought of a way to rid the warrior of that guilt.
"I'll do it," Pouncetail meowed. "If it means uniting the Clans, than I will kill her."
Hollowstorm nodded slowly in approval. The ginger and white warrior shuddered when Hollowstorm looked away. Deep down he knew that this would go too far. Willowshine's life was more important than his own. His Clan needed the two medicine cats in order to survive. Yet Hollowstorm's words echoed in his mind, weaving around a lie that had been formed simply for the warrior's lack of intelligence.
Once the Clans are united, Willowshine's life won't matter, he thought to himself. There will be other medicine cats to worry about. He tried to remind himself that this would become the future of DarkClan, or so Hollowstorm had called the united Clans. It was really a brilliant idea, if he thought about it harder. If one medicine cat got sick, than they could rely on the other.
He surprised himself by reaching the clearing's entrance. Most of the cats that had been with him were already in their nests, fast asleep. He himself was too nervous to sleep. Pacing was the only thing Pouncetail could do at a time like this. With Hollowstorm's guards watching, he wouldn't get very far if he ran. The only thing he could do now was hope that Willowshine would understand the problems that he faced.
Pouncetail froze when he saw a cat standing in the center of the clearing. His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw that the cat's pelt color was one he'd never seen before. He turned around slightly to make sure that no cat had followed him. When there was no warrior behind him, Pouncetail took a small step forward.
It was a pale golden tabby that stood in front of him. The cat's eyes were a darker shade of amber. Starlight gleamed within the tabby's fur as he met Pouncetail's alarmed gaze.
Am I dreaming? he wondered as he took another tentative step forward. The cat seemed real enough. And the air was raging with tension. Even his shoulders felt stiff as he watched the cat pad forward. This cat is from StarClan, he guessed when the stranger dipped his head.
"You are indeed dreaming," the tabby meowed after he'd reached Pouncetail. "Although, this is far from StarClan."
Pouncetail tilted his head to one side. He realized that the pale tabby was right. Yet that realization didn't answer his question. Why was he here? When he met the tabby's gaze, he saw sympathy gleaming within the tom's eyes.
"I have brought you here because of what you are doing," the tom murmured softly.
"What do you mean?" Pouncetail tried to keep calm like Hollowstorm had back in the clearing. He didn't know why he was acting like a cat who was younger than him. In a way, it made the older cat furious. Why should he pay attention to the orders of a cat who was younger?
"You were planning on killing the only hope your Clan has," the tom replied. "We have been...discussing what how to help her."
Pouncetail blinked when he peered through the medicine cat's den entrance. He could see patches of gray fur, turned silver against the moonlight the washed over it. He swallowed nervously when the tabby held his gaze. Somehow he had a feeling that the tom would ask him to help her. A shiver coursed down his spine as he imagined what Hollowstorm would do to him. That was if the dark tabby found out.
"Help her by staying with the Darkness," the tabby suddenly whispered. When Pouncetail stared at him in shock, the tabby glared at the clouds that spread across the sky. "The Darkness feeds on guilt and the need for power. You once had a need for power, and the Darkness came to you."
The ginger and white warrior could only shake his head. He couldn't go behind Mistystar's back, not after realizing what Hollowstorm wanted. His mind, which must have been changed while chasing after Hollowstorm, told him this was wrong. The tabby nodded in understanding. He knew what it was like to have his mind conflict over what was right or wrong. He'd faced these troubling times himself in the past, when he was alive in the old forest.
"I will give you the night to think about it," the tabby murmured. "One night. If you do not make up your mind, you will never join me in the stars."
