". . .and he's half dead."
"So? The Master doesn't particularly care who goes through the system nowadays."
Darkblaze could feel air leave and enter his lungs. He was certain all of his limbs were still movable. He could hear his heart against his chest, beating rapidly. Most importantly, however, he couldn't smell death.
"I think the Master would want someone who can at least see, Branch," growled the deeper voiced tom.
"Well, maybe he can," said the other tom. He sounded younger than the other tom. There was shuffling beside Darkblaze. "He's a fighter. Do you see these scars?"
"A rogue, most likely," came the first tom.
Darkblaze tensed. Shadow was in his mind, grinning at him. The dark warrior squeezed his eyelids down, feeling the pain in his eyes. He was in the mountains, Lightning was gone, the clans were now under the ruthless power of his worst nightmare.
Shadow had won.
"Should I wake him up?" asked Branch.
"No," said the other tom lowly. "He's already awake. Anything you do to him now would provoke an attack."
"How do you know that? He could have just been ambushed by some clan or something."
"Not all of those scars are recent," hissed the other tom. "Some seem to be at least ten moons old."
"He doesn't even look that old," Branch stated.
"That's because you don't observe anything that's going around you. This tom is about sixteen or seventeen moons old. He's just tiny because of his lack of a healthy upbringing."
"Like Color?"
The tom sighed.
"Yes. Like Color."
"So. . .do we just wait until he gets up?" Branch asked.
"I suppose not," the other tom responded. There was more shuffling.
A paw pressed onto his tail. Darkblaze sat up in a blink of an eye, but immediately bit his tongue and stiffened. His stomach growled, his shoulder throbbed.
The dark warrior knew his eyes were open. He could feel cool air stinging them. However, he felt like he was looking through a bush.
"So you can see," said the tom behind him.
"What's your name?" Branch asked. He was a brown tom, no older than eight moons old.
"We don't need to know," came the other tom. He was a silver tom with striking blue eyes.
"I was just curious. . ." Branch murmured.
The silver tom rolled his eyes before setting his gaze upon Darkblaze. "Do you understand the position you're in?"
Darkblaze nodded slowly after averting his eyes.
"Good, I don't have to explain it to you," said the silver tom. "Follow Branch. If you try anything, I will throw you off a cliff myself."
"Why do I have to be the one in front of him?" Branch groaned.
"Because you're younger and I said so," hissed the tom.
Branch mumbled something under his breath and started forward. Darkblaze began walking, slowly pushing himself up and stepping on the stones he knew were beneath him. After a short time, he was keeping up with the much healthier tom.
Darkblaze could scent other cats. A lot of them. The scents were stale, but it put it into perspective these cats weren't apart of just some rogue group. They were a part of something that had been here a long, long time.
The dark warrior saw his sluggish legs move, though he couldn't feel them. He also realized his head was heavy, as if it would turn off at any moment.
"Think he can make it past the waterfall, Fish?" asked Branch.
"If he can't, it's not our problem," hissed the silver tom.
Darkblaze went on. He wondered what happened to Lightning. Was he alive? Was he trapped in the sky with nobody else? The clan cats were. He closed his eyes for a moment. The image of the clan cats ruled by the rogues faded.
A rock slipped underneath the dark warrior, and he slid with it. Darkblaze unsheathed his claws and pushed against the gravity. Once the rock slide stopped, he stood up.
"You've been in the mountains before, haven't you?" asked Fish, narrowing his eyes at him.
"No," Darkblaze said. "I was born at the base of the mountain."
"But you seem to have gone through this kind of thing before," Fish said. "Like you know what you're going to see in that cave over there."
Darkblaze clenched his jaw.
"I was born an orphan, and I ended up with ruthless rogues," the dark warrior responded.
Fish glared for a few more heart-beats before shifting his gaze to Branch and flicking his tail toward an entrance behind a huge waterfall.
Branch went forward, and Darkblaze followed. He couldn't scent cats behind the waterfall. When he began to go behind it, he understood why. The dark warrior could feel the air in his lungs harden.
He went faster, pushing through his limp. Water sprayed onto him, soaking into his skin. He saw Leopardleap in his head. He saw her beaten and bloodied and crying and—
"Keep moving," hissed Fish lowly. Darkblaze blinked.
He was in a huge cave. Cats were everywhere, all doing something. Most of them were she-cats, but many of them were also toms. The toms looked worse than the she-cats. Kits were nowhere to be seen.
The cave itself seemed to be well put together and safe, with smaller caves as dens and a small indent in the rocky floor which held the absolutely huge fresh-kill pile.
"Go alert the Master," Fish said to Branch. The silver tom looked back to Darkblaze. "Keep up."
The dark warrior followed Fish to one small boulder, and another, much larger boulder. It seemed almost as big as the high ledge.
Darkblaze continued to gaze around the cave. These cats were skinny and bullied, but the she-cats were not. They looked to be in as good a condition as the guards. There was also the fact kits weren't anywhere the dark warrior could see.
"It seems like you've found me another fighter, Fish."
Darkblaze switched his gaze to the light gray tom on top of the larger boulder. He had a large scar down the side of his flank. He wasn't large, but he was lean and probably faster than half of the clan cats Darkblaze knew.
"Where did you find him?" the tom, most likely the Master, asked.
"Near that hallow tree that fell last season," Fish responded.
"Was he traveling?" the Master questioned.
"No, he was unconscious," Fish reported. "There were other scents around him, but judging on the wounds, he won't be missed."
"Can he see?"
"Enough to walk back to camp without any help. It might be interesting to know he has experience with walking in the base of the mountain. He doesn't need to be taught."
Master raised his eyebrows.
"Just how old are you, loner?" the tom asked, gazing at Darkblaze.
"Fifteen moons," the dark warrior lied.
"And you know how to fight and hunt on your own?" the Master inquired.
"Yes."
"Finally, someone competent!" exclaimed the brown tom. "You've really impressed me, Fish."
"What shall I do with him?" Fish asked.
"Take him to Cloud and Color. He will be needed on the hunting trip that is leaving tomorrow." He stared straight at Darkblaze. "Welcome to the Tribe Of Rushing Water."
Fish dipped his head respectively. He gave a look to Darkblaze and flicked his tail at a nearby gave. The dark warrior staggered away, eventually going through the entrance as Fish strode toward the fresh-kill pile.
Darkblaze blinked several times. Finally, his eyes adjusted to the dark cave. It was a big larger than he had expected. He saw two toms breathing slowly in the back of the den, and a small calico kitten was next to them.
It didn't take long for Hawkpaw's three moon old self to enter his mind. Her amber and blue eyes stared at him not with happiness, though. There was a sense of pleading, of yearning, of sorrow, of—
"Oh! I didn't see you there!"
Darkblaze let his gaze wander to a white she-cat who had been messing with a knot of herbs on the ground.
"Are you new around here, or. . .?"
Darkblaze nodded.
"Well, consider yourself lucky," the she-cat said. "I've had more than a few toms drug here these past few moons that didn't even get a day's rest when they came."
A redish brown she-cat strode through. She stopped as she set her eyes on Darkblaze.
"Oh. The new cat."
Her eyes narrowed.
"What's your name?"
Darkblaze stared at her. "Does it matter?"
She continued studying him.
"You'll be called Yellow here, most likely," came the other she cat's voice.
"Why?" Darkblaze asked.
"Because we already have too many gray toms here," the white she-cat spoke, turning to gather some herbs.
"So we're named by our coat color and our eye color?" Darkblaze guessed.
"Yep, now sit down on that nest right there," she ordered.
Darkblaze took a step back.
"Don't waste your time with me," he said.
The white she sighed.
"Look, I know you probably think you'd be better of dying, but it's my job to heal you or I get punished, understand?"
Darkblaze stared at her. He turned around and laid down on the nearest next of feathers. Immediately, he sighed with relief.
"You're as exhausted as some toms are when they're nearly dead," commented the red she-cat.
"Quiet, Color, he doesn't need to be told he's nearly dead," the white she-cat hissed.
"It's the truth," Darkblaze said, resting his head on his paws.
"Any chance we could hear a story?" Color asked. "It can get kind of depressing in here."
"It isn't a story that would make you feel any better," Darkblaze spoke.
"I wasn't talking about how you ended up like this," she said, applying a herb to his shoulder. "I was talking about what happened before."
"It isn't much better," he responded.
"There must have been something in your life that was happy," the white she-cat spoke. "Otherwise, a tom like you couldn't go on."
Darkblaze knew there were memories. Pinefur showing him the cave he could see the stars from, the mock battles they fought when they were training, the day he met Stormpaw and Graypaw. But then he saw Pinefur looking to the sky, waiting for a sign that would never come. He saw Sunrunner on the ground, bleeding out. He saw Stormpaw being cast out as a loner, and Graypaw being forced to do what she-cats did for Shadow.
The dark warrior averted his eyes as he forced the memories away.
"Well, fine, don't be friendly," Color muttered, and strode away toward the part of the den where there was a strong scent of herbs.
"Don't mind her," the white she-cat said, finishing the younger she-cat's work. "You're. . .different, and she was hoping for some good memories today."
"I have a question," Darkblaze said.
"Ask away," the she-cat responded.
"How come she's called Color, while we're just called what our eye color and pelt color are?"
"Well, I've been here before that rule was put in place, and Color is my kit," the white she-cat said. "Our names follow the old traditions. For example, while others call me Cloud, I am truly named Cloud That Drifts Away, while Color's full name is Color In The Sky."
"So you two aren't slaves?" Darkblaze asked.
Cloud stiffened.
"Depends on what you mean by that," she answered. "Technically, I, like all but a few of the she-cats, am a mate to The Master. I provide kits, and I heal."
"Where are the kits?" he asked.
"They stay in the nursery," Cloud answered. "It's less dangerous in the den than it is in the cave."
"Dangerous?" Darkblaze asked. "Isn't a camp like this supposed to have some sort of order?"
"Fights happen all of the time between the toms, and I'm not just talking about the between them and the guards. They fight very often amongst themselves."
"And the toms, when they get older, do they get sent out for training or something?"
"If the Master is pleased with a tom, they get to live the good life. If not, they get treated as if they weren't even his son."
Darkblaze shifted his gaze elsewhere. Windpaw came to him, verbally begging him to come back, asking why he left again.
"It's good for me and Color, though," she said. "We don't get too much trouble because of our abilities as healers."
"How did you get the job?" he asked, trying to push the image of Windpaw away.
"I came from a horseplace. I was with some loners. My entire family, actually. I learned a lot from my mother, and my sister taught me a bunch too. The Master just chose the best cat for the position."
Darkblaze narrowed his eyes at her.
"What was your sister's name?" he asked.
"Wave," Cloud spoke. "Why?"
Darkblaze's head lowered slightly. "I've met her."
The she-cat's eyes went wide.
"Is she okay? Did she have kits with that tom?"
"Um. . ." Darkblaze began. "Yeah, I knew her kit very well, and right now she's leading a group of loners and clan cats to safety."
Cloud sighed with relief.
"I'm so glad she's okay."
Darkblaze frowned as he remembered Echostrike. He looked away and closed his eyes. The image didn't go away, and it was joined by others. He tensed his body.
This was going to be a long night.
Someone was moving. Cloud stood up and walked away from her nest.
"Is it time?" Darkblaze heard her ask.
"Get him out here quickly," a tom said.
Cloud sighed.
"Look, I know we're low on food, but you must understand, if you send this tom out today, he'll—"
Darkblaze got up and strode toward the tom. It was Fish. The silver tom glared at him as he walked out of the cave.
Fish turned to face another group of sturdier looking toms and yelled, "Hey, Ginger, get over here!"
A ginger tom began walking with a low head and low tail toward them.
"Yes, Fish?" he asked.
"Introduce Yellow to all of the others and answer any questions he may have," Fish growled. "Be quick about it."
As Fish turned toward the large boulders, Ginger gazed into Darkblaze's eyes. His head was low.
"U-Um. . .do you have any questions?" Ginger asked.
"Are we hunting in groups?" the dark warrior asked.
"A group of about eight cats, not counting the guards," Ginger answered lightly. "W-we separate into groups of two when we get to the hunting territory."
Darkblaze nodded slightly.
Ginger began walking, still trying to be small. Darkblaze tried to match his stride, but eventually settled for being just ahead of the timid tom.
"Oh, look, it's the new cat," said a brown tom.
"His name is Yellow," Ginger said.
"I'm Brown," came the brown tom.
"Blue," responded a blue-eyed silver tom.
"Silver," replied another.
"Gray," said the next tom.
"Black."
"Tabby."
"So, you must be something special to be forced to go one of these trips so soon," said Brown.
"I'm not special," Darkblaze growled.
"With those scars and that mark and the color of your pelt, there's no way you can't be special," said Blue.
"My coat?" Darkblaze questioned.
"Do you see any dark furred toms around here?" asked Brown.
"No," he answered. "But why not? It's not an uncommon pelt color."
"Well it is here," said Brown. "Quite a few moons ago, the Master ordered all of his dark furred kits to be taken far into the mountain to be eagle prey."
"Why?" Darkblaze asked.
"No one knows, but the Master is really strict about what qualifies as a dark furred kit," Brown said. "I'm surprised he even let you into the cave."
"He sees his strength," said Ginger softly.
"Says the cat who's never been on these hunting trips before because of his cowardice," Blue said. Ginger flinched, and Darkblaze tensed. Brown narrowed his eyes, also tensing.
"Do you have a problem?" Brown hissed.
Fish walked past the brown tom and gave him a sharp glare before starting forward to the waterfall. Two other guards followed him, and then the rest of the toms began to pad in the general direction.
Darkblaze continued his staring contest with Brown, but eventually the tom strode away. The dark warrior followed him with Ginger beside him.
"Thank you," Ginger whispered.
The former Commander just gave a prompt nod.
It wasn't at all very quiet when they began walking. The eight enslaved toms were talking as if they were back at camp, and though one guard ran forward to scope out any prey, Darkblaze was sure they were scaring off all of the prey for tens of fox-lengths.
"How are we going to hunt anything here if we keep up this much noise?" the dark warrior asked.
"We don't hunt near the cave," Ginger told him. "No prey comes over there anymore. We have to travel a few days to get to the hunting territory."
"A few days?" Darkblaze asked. "Isn't that a lot of work for just a few pieces of fresh-kill?"
Ginger shrugged. "We stay in the hunting territory for a quarter moon, so we have more than a few pieces. . ."
"How are all of us going to take back that much prey?"
"We make a few trips back to a half-way point," Ginger responded. "Then the toms back in the cave come to pick it up for us."
"That has to be the most inefficient way of hunting I've ever heard of," Darkblaze said.
"Well, it's not like we have much of a choice."
There was silence.
The quietness stretched to when the sun was high in the sky surrounded by blue and absolutely no clouds. Darkblaze stopped and stared upward. He sniffed in, and lowered his head.
"Is something wrong?" Ginger asked.
"A storm is coming," he answered.
"Looks like clear skies to me," the ginger tom pointed out.
"It'll be a few days before it gets here, but it will come," Darkblaze said.
"What will come?" growled Rain, a guard tom.
"A storm," the dark warrior responded.
"No one could know that, especially you," Rain hissed. "Now keep going. You're holding us all up."
Darkblaze stared at him for a few heart-beats before continuing forward with Ginger just behind him.
There was more silence and more walking. Darkblaze's throbbing shoulder continued to get worse, and his paws were sore. He realized this was why toms tended to die off around this nightmare. They were so exhausted, they just couldn't go on.
One of the worst ways to die, he thought to himself.
When the sun finally went down, Fish called for everyone to rest. The eight cats set up camp in a rather flat part of the ground, while the guards slept a while off.
However, they were apparently not going to sleep for a long time. They continued talking, as if it reassured them they were alive. Darkblaze, of course, was not welcome in the conversation, so he tried to sleep. Images kept coming to him, though, so he eventually just looked at the clouds gathering in the sky.
". . .and the name Jake has been with me ever since. You know, until I came here."
"Bad idea," chuckled Black.
"Yeah, well, I've survived this long," continued Blue. "I might be promoted soon."
"You might, but you know, the Master doesn't just do that randomly," Brown said. "He also doesn't do it very often."
"Yep," Blue spoke. "I'll probably end up a kitless tom thrown off a cliff."
"What about you, Yellow?" asked Silver. "You got an actual name?"
"I did," Darkblaze said, shifting his gaze to them. "A few, actually. None of them really mean anything to me, though."
"Well, what's the one you were born with?" Blue asked.
Darkblaze narrowed his eyes.
Brown chuckled.
"You don't know," the brown tom said. "You don't know what your original name was. You're an orphan."
"And that's hilarious?" Darkblaze growled.
"It just makes sense, is all," Brown responded. "It's why you want to look after Ginger. You can sense an orphan when you meet one."
Darkblaze continued to glare at him.
"Well. . .what's the name you remember most, then?" Silver asked.
"It doesn't matter," the dark warrior muttered, glancing up to the sky once more. "My name is Yellow from here on out."
"You know, I've never met a cat who gave up as quickly as you," Brown spoke. "You're already wanting to die after only a few days here. Now that's a record if I've ever saw one."
Darkblaze tensed as he continued to watch the stars and clouds.
"I think you're also scared," Brown said before a yawn. "You don't want to remember because you know you can't go back."
Darkblaze closed his eyes and shut them tight, praying to Lightning he wouldn't attack the tom.
"Well guess what? I've met cats with worst pasts than you, I can guarantee it. Just because you were taken away from your soft life doesn't mean—"
The dark warrior stood and dashed right to the brown tom, whose eyes grew slightly wide.
"You want to know what they called me back in my old home?" Darkblaze hissed. "Fox-heart. Traitor. Murderer. And the most common one? Commander."
Brown stared at him for a few heart-beats.
"Liar."
Darkblaze raised his unsheathed claws as the other enslaved toms stood and foolishly tried to get in between them in time. However, he stopped just before he swiped down. The dark warrior clenched his jaw.
"Get away from him," hissed Fish, who stood about a fox-length behind him.
There was silence.
"Yellow, I swear to the Tribe Of Endless Hunting, if you don't stand down—"
Darkblaze turned around and padded about four fox-lengths away from the group and laid down on his own rock. He turned with his back facing them, and closed his eyes.
A paw woke him up from his horrid dreams. When he blinked, he remembered his poor eyesight, and stood up.
"We're moving out."
It was Brown.
"Apparently Eagle found some prey bit that way, and he wants us to go get it," the tom continued.
"Or he wants us both dead," Darkblaze spoke.
The brown tom glared.
"If Rain wasn't coming with us, I would kill you," he growled.
"Stop your fighting and get a move on," Rain hissed. "We haven't got all day."
The silver tabby tom padded to the left, and the two enslaved toms followed about a fox-length away from each other.
Darkblaze could tell that today was going to be a good day.
A rain droplet fell on his face and he stopped to look back to the sky again. Clouds covered the sun and the blue sky, and it sprinkled rain onto them.
"Keep moving, Yellow!" Rain snapped.
The dark warrior listened to the order.
"I warned you about the storm," Darkblaze said. "It isn't going to be some rain storm, either."
"You're lying to me, and you're a mouse-brain, so stay back and quit talking," Rain hissed.
And the three toms went on.
It would be around this time Darkblaze would disappear from the hunting party and bring back a few mice. It dawned on him then how long it had been since he had hunted. Six moons, at least. He lowered his head.
Rain suddenly dashed behind a boulder. The other two followed, crouching low to the ground as he did.
"See the eagle?" Rain asked. "It's protecting two mice I chased into the hole."
"Easy," Brown said with a grin.
"Whatever, just teach this newbie the ropes, okay?"
The silver tom went away, hiding behind another boulder a few fox-lengths off.
"With this many scents, the mouse isn't coming out of that hole," Darkblaze spoke.
"We don't need it to," Brown growled. "We just need the eagle to catch the mouse, and then we catch the eagle. Two in one."
"If we're leaping onto the bird, shouldn't we be on the other side of those rocks? If we leap from here, we might fall off that cliff on the other side," Darkblaze said.
"Shh! I know what I'm doing, so stay quiet and catch the other mouse when it tries to flee."
Darkblaze's gaze shifted to the eagle, who was circling very tightly. He watched it until it began to make large circles.
"Now!" Brown hissed.
As the tom went toward the eagle who had landed on the brave mouse, Darkblaze dashed toward the cracks in the rocks and chased after the mouse that tried to escape.
He chased it just until he saw the eagle take off with Brown on it. The brown tom screamed as his claws sheathed and he let go of the large, very strong bird and dropped straight into the slope off the cliff.
Darkblaze forgot about the mouse, ran forward, and grabbed Brown by the scruff of his neck just as the tom's back legs went over. Brown flailed and panicked as the dark warrior pulled him up to the stable rocks.
He let Brown go, so the tom could breathe. For a moment, they just stood there. A flash of silver went past the bad part of his eyes—
Darkblaze lunged and collided hard with someone else. In his weakened state, he was pushed into the sharp edges of the rock beneath him. He unsheathed his claws and raked his back paws against the silver skin.
The dark warrior rolled out of the way, dashing toward the rocks where the mice were as he heard the tom chasing him. Darkblaze turned and crashed into him once again, though this time Rain got pinned.
The former Commander began to claw at the guard's flank as the silver tom clawed at him. Eventually, Darkblaze bent down and bit hard in the guard's neck.
Another force collided with him. Once again, Darkblaze was forced to the ground, but he scrambled out of the way before the other tom, Fish, could pin him. The dark warrior went forward and crashed into Fish, biting into his shoulder.
A yowl escaped the silver guard right before he lunged at Darkblaze. The dark warrior moved out of the way and surged forward again, although Fish was ready. He held his leg out, hooked it against Darkblaze's back leg, and let him fall.
Fish leaped onto him, forcing his bad shoulder to crack on the huge impact of the fall. Darkblaze yowled, freezing up and biting his tongue as the pain began flooding into his brain and slowing it down.
"Good riddance!" Rain snapped.
"What on earth were you thinking?!" Fish hissed, turning to face Rain.
"He almost killed me!" Rain shouted.
"After you attacked him straight on!" the head guard growled. "Do you realize how dangerous it is to attack a veteran like that?"
"He let the mouse go to save the little brown mouse-brain! I was trying to give him proper punishment!"
"Does it look like I care? Never attack a cat who's been through hell and back, do you understand me? You saw how he fought. Now you know what he can do. The next time you want to punish him, do it when he can see you."
Fish turned to face Darkblaze.
"Get up," he ordered.
The dark warrior, with as much strength as he could muster, pushed himself to his paws. Despite trying not to, he favored his bad leg.
"Walking on that leg for the rest of this hunting trip should be punishment enough for you," Fish said. "That, and not getting any food tonight."
The silver tom glanced to Brown, who began slinking toward Darkblaze.
"Same goes for you too, Brown," Fish growled. "The next time you try to show off, have some sense and jump away from the edge."
Fish started walking, and Rain followed closely behind him after a very sharp glare at Darkblaze. After they were a few fox-lengths away, the dark warrior started forward, and he heard Brown padding quietly behind him.
They walked in silence for about five fox-lengths. Darkblaze tried not to notice the pain in his shoulder while watching where his paws landed at the same time.
"Thank you," came Brown's voice. "You didn't need to save me back there. Twice."
"Twice?" Darkblaze asked.
"Rain would have killed me as a punishment to you after he was done putting you in so much pain you couldn't move," Brown explained. "It's how he does things."
"Well, you should just be thankful that I haven't lost my selflessness yet," Darkblaze said.
And they continued on.
When they made it back to the other cats, everyone stared. Eagle's eyes were narrowed at Fish, who came up to him and whispered a few words which made the large cat's eyes widen. Meanwhile, the enslaved cats were watching Darkblaze with frozen bodies and half-smiles.
"Let's keep going," Fish announced. As he strode away, the entire group did not miss a beat in following him. But, as they went on, Darkblaze had become the cat walking in front of the enslaved toms, not Branch.
A large gush of wind came toward them. It was strong enough where they had to stop and crouch low to the ground.
When they were all standing again, Darkblaze said, "The storm is coming."
"Keep moving!" shouted Fish.
They pushed through the wind as it grew stronger and stronger. Darkblaze bit his lip to hide the pain now, as his leg began to buckle every single time pressure was applied to it.
Brown—no, Blue, came up from behind him and allowed him to rest on his shoulder. At first, Darkblaze refused, but every gust of wind only made it harder to walk, so he accepted the gesture without any words.
They went on, but it was at a much slower pace. Fish even had to struggle with the wind and the new rain that began flowing from the sky.
"Fall back!" Fish hissed. "Find cover and stay there!"
The cats began to scatter, but Darkblaze stayed still.
FALL BACK!
Fall back!
Fall back. . .
Fall back. . .
Lightning's purple eyes stared into his own.
He opened his eyes.
Lightning bolts flashed around them.
"Yellow!" shouted a distant voice.
Darkblaze looked upward, taking in the glorious sight before him.
"Commander!"
The dark warrior looked to Blue, who was crouched low to the ground trying to keep him up. He stood up.
"Go!" Darkblaze shouted over the wind. "I need to do something!"
"Are you mouse-brained?!" Blue shouted.
"Just trust me!"
Blue nodded, and left him. Darkblaze turned to the highest point he could get to. He started toward the point, careful where he stepped. The pain in his shoulder throbbed, but it didn't ache.
Darkblaze pushed through, climbing over a boulder. He used the last bit of strength he had gained while resting in Cloud's den and leaped onto the point where he could see the mountain tops surrounding him.
Thunder rolled. Lightning flashed. Thunder rolled. Lightning flashed. Darkblaze watched, trying to form the image of the electric eagle in his mind, but failing to see a result.
He was powerless.
"Lightning!" he shouted. "Lightning, show me you're okay!"
Nothing.
As tears sprang into his eyes, he yelled, "Lightning! I need to know you're watching!"
Nothing.
"Lightning!" he bellowed.
Nothing.
He cried. The Commander of the Clan cats broke with other cats watching. Though he continued yelling until sunset, when the lightning and the rain finally stopped, there wasn't hope in his eyes.
Lightning was gone.
He was truly alone.
And it was completely his fault.
A/n :: I do not own Warriors.
Laptop problems and puppies. That's all I got to say. I should be more consistent now, though. I've gotten to the interesting parts. So, whatya think? Got any predictions so far? I hope this wasn't too confusing for you. When he's seeing cats who aren't supposed to be with him, it's because he's got major PTSD and a lot of guilt. So. . .yeah. =)
{o} The Assassins Anthem, may darkness be with you.