Chapter 25: Another Usual Abnormal Day

"It's time for your subject to die."

"What?"

"You didn't know?"

"No one made me aware."

"Well, she's failed in her true mission, so it's time for her to die. We've already had the meeting."

"Why wasn't I invited?"

"You would've somehow convinced everyone that the sky was purple while also convincing everyone that she should still live."

"I don't know what you mean."

"I mean, that she hasn't even gotten in contact with him yet. If she can't kill him, then she doesn't have any hope of succeeding with anything."

"Excuse me, but she is my daughter, and should be treated as such."

"Your daughter is failing to follow the path you've set for her to follow. She's let a bit of...kindness...into her heart. It just won't do."

"Might I remind you I'm the brains of this little operation?"

"I know you are, but you still have to get your protégé back on track. Don't let us down again."

"Oh, don't worry, I will."

"You'd better."

She couldn't move. She just stood there, listening to the voices. It had been like this for...she didn't know how long. All she knew, was that someone was going to die one way or another. She couldn't do anything about it, either. She was just there, trapped inside a dream, fighting her way out into the living world. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. She wasn't supposed to be the one who was injured. She was supposed to be the one to heal whoever was injured. That cat who attempted to kill her, it was obvious it was a spirit. Someone lost to both StarClan and the Place of No Stars.

"Joann..." It was one of the voices, "You'd better not have gone and changed back so soon. I would hate to find that he's changed you into a little angel again. After I gave you back your kithood memories too."

Her eyes narrowed in the blackness that she saw. Who exactly was this Joann? Was she another Dark Forest cat sent to destroy the Clans? The stories burned in her mind. The great battle. Firestar's great sacrifice. Tigerstar and Brokenstar. The evil that was unleashed upon the lake seasons and seasons before she was born. This was another attempt at attack, wasn't it? Not just about one cat's death.

That made her think: Why was one cat so important?

Then she saw a bit of light. A light she had seen a couple of times before. A light that granted her access to the living world for just a heartbeat. Then she was swallowed back up into the darkness again. When the light appeared, someone spoke to her. The voice was either a tom or s she-cat. Cats she knew, but couldn't remember.

"Nightpaw." It was one of the voices she heard when the light appeared. Nettlepaw. The name was familiar, but she couldn't place it, "I hope you're doing okay. We all miss you."

A flash of anger crowded Nightpaw's mind. No...you don't miss me. You're glad I was almost killed.

"You should've seen Darkpaw's reaction when he first saw you like this." Nettlepaw continued, "He was so angry with whoever did this to you. I was surprised myself. He doesn't seem like the type to get angry over something like that. Especially since he's only known you for a few days."

Darkpaw...that name was familiar. Nightpaw had heard it a few times in her dreams. As well as Cat. A strange name, but it was always followed by 'demon'. She couldn't make sense of it. She had also heard about some sort of angel. One that would save the Clans. And the rest of the world. Another thing that was unclear. Who exactly was this angel?

"I have to go." Nettlepaw mewed urgently, "Darkfang's calling me to start training. You know how strict he is."

With that, Nightpaw was left to her own thoughts. The light disappeared. Her vision of everything faded. She couldn't talk...unless that tom was here. She could talk around him. If was like she had known him forever. That she could trust him with her life and she wouldn't be betrayed. It warmed her heart, knowing she could trust someone.

I was there too, listening to her thoughts. Somehow, I was sucked up into her mind by unknown forces. Seriously, one minute I was walking back to ShadowClan ready to actually start my training, and the next I'm here listening to Nightpaw's precious thoughts. And I must say, I'm keeping out the parts that are too disturbing. I don't want to freak you out. Really...really disturbing. Mentally...that's all I have to say about that... Physically, she's as strong as a horse. Emotionally, she's just...ugh...I don't even know how to describe it. Just think about the weirdest thing you've ever seen. That's probably what Nightpaw's mental and emotional state read up to.

It was just a nightmare.

I bet that I'm in the medicine cat den right now, because my body can't just disappear off the face of the earth, sleeping soundly next to Nightpaw. Then when I wake up, she'll wake up to. Because that's the type of thing that happens to me now. Everything you don't expect to happen will happen. The unexplainable is somehow explainable. My mother is gathering strength to kill me, or use someone else to kill me. It's obviously explainable, right? Here's what I gather from that:

When me and Joann were born, Opin decided that she would keep me so that Joann would have killing experience when she was old enough. Then, with me dead, Opin could raise her daughter to be a true killer. Then they would eventually rule the world together with an iron paw. But her plans were ruined when I fell into that cursed lake. I killed her, making her go to some weird random place that held cats with evil hearts. Then she got a message and created a land where all the cats killed by me would go so she could secretly raise an army without StarClan, or another spiritual realm in the stars, figuring out her plans. She was planning throughout the entire six moons me and Joann were living in the twoleg place. She even sent that brown tom with the leaves over his eyes so spy on us, and sent us the dreams about the wolf thingy to mess with our minds. (I knew all along it wasn't really relevant to the story! Who else guessed it? I bet you all forgot about that! HA!) When we decided to go to ShadowClan, Opin sent a bunch of mind messages to me so that I would get really angry and kill Joann so her plans could be brought to the surface. Then, when Joann died, she went to these lands Opin created because she was originally meant to be a serial killer in the world of cats and rule the world with an iron paw. Joann forgot all her memories and went by the name Frost after Opin announced that she was going to rebel against StarClan, or another spiritual realm in the stars. Joann, now Frost, is somewhere around ShadowClan right now. She attacked Nightpaw and is now after me. Who knows, maybe she's already got me. (that was a really looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong explanation)

Other than that, I have no idea what's going on.

You might be wondering how I could possibly know all of these things when I'm not even sure that StarClan, or another spiritual realm in the stars, exists? Well, it's because a lot of things were shared with Nightpaw in these little dreams of hers, and I just happened to be in her mind when she thought of everything that's happened so far. Weird, right?

And now there's this weird light coming towards me at a blinding speed. If I could've moved, I would've ran away from the light. But since I couldn't, I let the light attack me. It sent shivers through my whole body when it hit me. Then I gasped myself awake. I'm guessing that me realizing what had just happened somehow got the attention of the wake-them-up gods. And...

I'm still in the forest. Exactly where I was when I fell asleep. Either I actually did disappear, or no ones found me collapsed RIGHT OUTSIDE of the ShadowClan camp. Really? No one noticed a cat with a black pelt right outside of their camp? No one at all recognized me?

"Tom-cat?"

Great. Just great. When I thought I was just going to get up and leave someone else bothers me again for the second time that day. I'm surprised it hasn't been a moon yet. Everything that has happened to me thus far in this really detailed story of mine has happened in the span of the last quarter-moon. Heck, everything that's happened to me that whole morning has been told in the span of three freaking chapters! I think I might just go ahead and speed up my aging process. I'm sure there's a way to do that.

"What are you doing sleeping in the forest?" She asked, "I thought you were a Clan cat. Aren't Clan cats supposed to sleep inside their camp so no foxes, badgers, or stray dogs kill them in the middle of the night?"

I growled as I sat up, "Shut up, Terror-cat."

"What's with the 'cat' at the end of my name?" She questioned, then her eyes widened, "How do you even know my name?"

I blinked at her. Terror was her actual name. Well now I understand. I ignored her questions and just walked inside the brambles that led to the camp, "Stay out here please." I hissed, as she came to follow me for some unknown reason, "I don't want another riot because of a stupid rogue coming into the Clan."

"Who said I was going to join your stupid little Clan?" Terror spat.

I glared at her. Of course I wasn't going to invite her into the Clan! That would just be stupid. We would just get on each other's nerves all the time. I'm sure no one would want that. So I just walked away. She stayed where she was.

I hasn't even put two paws on the official camp ground when Nettlepaw decided to tackle me. I growled. This was getting on my nerves. She was really going to get herself killed. Every little thing she did was annoying.

"Darkpaw!" She shrieked. I had to flatten my ears to my head so they wouldn't fall off, "Where were did you go? I woke up and you weren't there. Hollystar said she didn't know where you were either!"

I pushed her off me and hissed, "Well then maybe if you can't find me you should mind your own business."

She just laughed. I was about to insult her again when a black tom with dark gray tufts of fur walked up to us, "What are you doing," He growled, "talking to my apprentice?" His green gaze wasn't that much unlike Pinefrost's. Shooting daggers of hatred at me, "Shouldn't you be with Hollystar?" I could scent his anger. He believed that I was just some normal rogue who was scared of deadly glares and being dead. I'm guessing he didn't get the memo that I had already died and had cheated death.

"Wait wait wait wait wait." I blinked at the sudden unreasonable hatred, "She jumped on me. She started this whole conversation."

The tom sighed, blinking slowly, "Yet, you continued to talk to her." He mewed with a newfound calmness, "And I ask again, what are you doing talking to my apprentice."

My ears flattened against my head again. This was annoying. I wanted to actually train today. I wanted to learn things that would be productive for me in the future. I rolled my eyes, "I'm sorry, I thought I was able to talk to anyone I wanted to."

"Well you can't." He growled.

I shook my head, "You're such a mouse-brain."

I had irked him. Proudness seeping into my stance, I watched as his anger grew. Nettlepaw watched with some sort of sick fascination. Like she liked watching two cats rip each other to shreds. Literally, she was bouncing up and down at the prospect of us fighting. I would never, ever, know why.

"I'm the mouse-brain?" He spat, "You're the one who thinks he's better than everyone else because you can kill without losing anything!"

I looked into his eyes. For the soul thingy that would let me know if he should die. So far, he was clean. But he had a temper. A lot of cats had been injured because of him. Too many to count, even from his own Clan. But it wasn't enough for me to declare him evil.

"You think you can get everything you want, don't you?" He continued.

I shook my head and smiled, "Everything I want is out of my reach." I mewed, delighted at his shocked expression, "I only get what is supposed to come to me." I narrowed my eyes, "And I don't kill because I want to. I kill because some cats aren't supposed to be alive." I left him staring at me in disbelief. Obviously he didn't expect me to just talk. He wanted some kind of fight. Oh well, he wasn't bad enough. I looked back at the two cats for a moment

Nettlepaw looked back at me with awe. Then she turned back to the black tom, "I told you he was cool, Darkfang."

Darkfang glared back at me with even more hatred then I thought was possible in a normal cat, "I don't want you to ever talk to him again. He's dangerous."

I smirked as I turned back to my search for Hollystar. I found her next to the hazel branch. Her scent was different. Strange...it was almost like she was a different cat entirely. She turned to look at me, a sick murderous look in her eyes. That could only mean bad. I thought of all the things that could've happened to her to make her smell like a weirdo. Possession, a voice in her head saying bad things about me, all sorts of things I'm too lazy to name right now.

"Darkpaw." She murmured darkly, "I'm assuming you want to start training now that everything's died down a bit?"

I nodded, and she got up and led the way out of the camp. Terror was still there. Why? I don't know. Maybe she had some weird fascination with me or whatever. I just ignored her. She wasn't important. I had to only focus on the important things right now. Like why Hollystar's scent was different and disgusting. Like why Opn thought I had been useless since I was born. Like...why I was seeing cats' souls through their eyes. I know that it's said your eyes are the door to your soul, but still. No one I've heard of has actually been able to see someone's soul through someone else's eyes.

"So what are we going to do first?" I asked Hollystar when we stopped.

She glared at me with a newfound hatred that I'd only seen when we first met, "We're going to start with a fight, claws unsheathed. I've heard you can't be injured, but I want to test that theory further. Whoever gets the first scratch loses."

"What if I accidentally kill you again?" I murmured curiously, "What if I don't just stop at aiming the killing blow at your neck?"

Hollystar's amber gaze hardened, "You won't kill me, I'll stop you before that happens. If you happen to have an urge to kill me."

With that, Hollystar crouched down into a fighting stance. Her claws were unsheathed. I was nervous. Not only because this might be the day that Hollystar died, but because of that weird scent. It wasn't anything I'd ever smelled before. It was evil.

"Oh, look at my little kit. All grown up and ready to kill. I never thought I'd see this day."

I mentally growled at my mother's voice inside my head. It wasn't very polite to interrupt someone while they were fighting.

"You'd better watch out." Opin mewed sweetly, "You're about to be shredded."

I glanced in front of me. Hollystar had leaped. I didn't move, but waiting for her to be close enough to claw me. Then, I twisted around and raked my claws over her belly. A bit of blood leaked out of the tiny scratch. I had made sure not to inflict too much damage. I didn't want ShadowClan to be leaderless. Sunwind didn't seem to be around these days. And without Sunwind, ShadowClan would tear each other apart to find another leader. As much as I loved a good fight, I don't think watching my new Clan tear each other apart only days after I arrived was a good thing.

Hollystar landed behind me, growling, "That...that didn't count! You cheated!"

I shrugged, "How did I cheat? You said fight until one of us gets scratched, so I waited for the perfect opportunity to scratch you. Not cheating."

She huffed and crouched down again. This was definitely weird. The Hollystar I knew would've said good job in a weird harsh way that made you want to try harder. This Hollystar just wanted to get the last streak of blood.

When she leaped this time, she moved to the left. I slowly bunched my muscles, not letting her know I was on the move. When her claws closed in on my flank, I jumped. My hind claws scratched her face, and nicked her ear. Small dots of blood appeared next to her eye.

"How?" She whispered, "He said you would be easy to kill."

This was new. Someone intruded Hollystar's mind and told her to kill me? Definitely something I would not expect. And who was this 'he'? I was only aware of Opin, not some tom working with her. I shook my head, "I knew something was up with you." I murmured, "Your scent's all wrong."

"But he's never wrong! All of the stories about him said that his wisdom and courage made him one of the most honest and trustworthy warriors of all time!" Hollystar whined, "And you had broken the rules of StarClan!

Now I was lost. I didn't make sense, and I almost didn't want it to. But Hollystar's normal scent was back, and it seemed like she was just blowing a fuse right now. And I thought:

When would my life ever be normal? Why can't I just have one normal day?

Okay, not scary. I tried writing scary stuff, but I couldn't. So here's an extra long chapter for you. And Terror, she doesn't belong to me. She belongs to Broken of Towering Trees(thank you for the wonderful she-cat killer!).

Timbermist - Terror's definition came from my brain. I just thought of comparison's to Terror's personality and, BOOM, there it was.

Wolf of the Indians - The big bad wolf and the hyper little she-cat. An interesting pair, wouldn't you say?

Hope you all had a lovely Halloween! (unlike me, who just sat around bored handing out candy to kids with no costumes on)

-Moon