Ficklesnap woke up to the sound or yowling. When she looked around she was surrounded by bushes. 'I'm outside the camp? But how?' She thought as she stood and stretched her legs. The air she breathed smelled a bit off and all around her senses were screaming danger, so she walked slowly and quietly through the forest.
She slipped into some bushes when she heard some cats talking. The she cat peeked through and gasped. It was Shadeflame, and She was talking to another tom.
"We will sneak in and deplete their supplies," Shadeflame announced to the Lionclaw.
The tom tilted his head. "Depleting their supplies, it will harm them greatly."
"My sister Amberbee came up with that idea!" Shadeflame mewed proudly.
Lionclaw sneered and cuffed her hard. "Don't praise her! Just because she came up with an idea doesn't mean she deserves it!"
"B-" Shadeflame started to say, but she instantly closed her mouth and nodded. "Yes Lionclaw."
'So that is Lionclaw?' Ficklesnap thought with a gasp. She remembered Leopardstar saying he was killing them off.
"Tonight I have brought you here because our leader has taken quite an interest in you; he wants to meet you personally." Shadeflame looked eager by the way her eyes lit up, but she nodded and followed him. Ficklesnap followed as well.
They were led to a twisted old grey tree with a large gaping hole in it. Lionclaw stopped before the hole and dipped his head. "I have brought her."
"Excellent," the cat in the hollow hissed. He stepped out and instantly Ficklesnap thought he was the smallest cat she has ever seen. He was a black tom with a white paw, but he had icy blue eyes and looked to be wearing a collar of bones and long claws on his paws.
Shadeflame's eyes widened. "Wow," she whispered.
The tom narrowed his eyes. "I am Scourge, leader of the Dark Forest."
Shadeflame dipped her head respectfully. "May I ask why you decided to start the Forest?" She asked.
The small tom growled, his long claws digging up dead dirt. "The clans have wronged me in the wrong way and killed my friends and me. I won't give up until I get revenge."
Shadeflame nodded her head. "Of course."
"And you," Scourge whispered as he walked closer to her, "you have doing a lot of activity since your recruitment."
"You have surpassed your peers," he began again as he started circling the she cat, "killed a fox on your own, a very impressive feat I might add." Shadeflame puffed out her chest in pride. "Took not one life but two of a leader's and successfully framed it on another and highly trusted warrior with such stealth and persuasiveness that would make even Tigerstar proud."
Scourge stopped in front of her. Shadeflame watched him with a curiosity and a hunger. "And now you have brought a clan and are bending them to your will to destroy Windclan."
Ficklesnap suppressed her gasp. So Shadeflame's real intentions were to turn them against the clans! 'And with Snowstar being so eager to get revenge for the sully of not only his lineage but his clan and kit, it's safe to say she was handed the opportunity on a silver platter,' she thought bitterly.
Shadeflame blinked slowly. "It is much easier to do seeing my father hates Mousestar," she added, unknowingly agreeing and voicing Ficklesnap's thoughts. It only served to make the medicine cat cold inside. Shadeflame sounded satisfied, proud even.
Scourge nodded his head. "Yes, but why you are set on destroying Windclan, know that you have three other clans to work to destroy."
"Me?" She asked.
'The other clans?!' thought Ficklesnap at the same time.
"Yes you," Scourge hissed in annoyance. "Your mission is to seek your revenge for what wrong was done to you, but your main objective is to destroy the other clans as well." His blue eyes dropped into a half lidded stare. "Besides, their ancestors abandoned you." Shadeflame snarled, claws gripping the ground. Horror welled up in Ficklesnap. Scourge hummed as he looked her over. "Also, Lionclaw has appointed you his seconded in command like I have appointed him mine. I am removing you of that title."
Shadeflame's eyes widened in shock. She worked hard for that title, even though she didn't know such existed, and now it was being taken from her? She bristled and bared her fangs. "I worked hard for this! You can't do that, I'm so close!"
Ficklesnap flinched as the tom slapped Shadeflame away. The injured she cat herself let out a squawk of surprise, her cheek was bleeding heavily. Scourge placed a paw on her neck and glared down at her. She glared back at him but the fear was evident in her eyes. "Admirable and stupid," he drawled. "I won't kill you because I need you, but know that I have taken all nine lives of a leader with one blow. Killing anyone is kit's play." Shadeflame nodded her head slowly. Lionclaw was glaring at her in disappointment.
"Now, I have removed that title because I am giving you a new one. You will be my personal..." He hummed softly, thinking. Shadeflame watched with wide eyes. "Assassin, I should say." Assassin? A personal one? "Know that I only chose the best of cats as my assassins, you are the first."
He let her up and she jumped up quickly, ignoring her wound. "I won't fail you," she whispered and dipped her head.
Scourge hummed and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, don't fail me, or betray me. You know your price," his claws scraped on bark, making her look at it, "right?" Scourge showed his approval by a flick of his tail when she didn't flinch. "Dismissed!" He turned and walked away, back into his tree. Ficklesnap followed Shadeflame and Lionblaze.
Lionclaw led her away from the clearing. "To bare your fangs and threaten him was a stupid thing to do. I have trained you better," Lionclaw snapped.
Shadeflame dropped her ears in shame. It was short lived however, because instantly they perked up. "I'm the leader of Dark Forest's personal assassin!"
Again disgust filled Ficklesnap. She was proud, proud to work for a murderer, to destroy the clans! 'It is why Starclan has called for me to change that,' she realizes with a determined nod. She had to stop Shadeflame before she ruined her life forever.
"Yes, an honorable title, but you are still loyal to me," Lionclaw warned.
Shadeflame nodded quickly. "Of course."
They stopped and Shadeflame sat.
"You have climbed high into the ranks of the Dark Forest," Lionclaw mewed, "and that will pulled friends, followers and enemies. Take pride in your status and keep you guard. We will announce your new status tomorrow. Start training your kits now, only your kits. We are close now, we can't take any risks."
Shadeflame's eyes brightened. "I have been training them for a while now Lionclaw," she told him.
Ficklesnap held back a growl. Kits weren't ready to be trained!
Lionclaw's eyes glistened. "Very good." dipped his head and walked away. Shadeflame curled up and closed her eyes. Ficklesnap sat there and watched her disappear. She soon curled up and followed, her mind reeling.
Back at the tree Scourge stared out at where Lionclaw and Shadeflame disappeared to. "So you really want to do this?" He asked at nothing.
Two simultaneous mews answered, "Yes."
Scourge sneered. "One of you will die, you do know this right?"
A pair of amber eyes and a paid of blue eyes looked at each other before nodding. "We know, but we will get far before that happens."
Scourge sneered at them, one of them would die, and soon. "You do this for a completely mouse brained reason, but whatever, extra paws always help. But, should one of you fall, and you will, you will be completely loyal to me." They both agreed before Scourge stood. "Excellent. I am going to tell you a series of plans. You will do them. All you have to do is help Shadeflame with whatever mission Lionclaw and I give her."
"We will," the two in the shadows agreed. Scourge turned and walked away. The two lied down and curled around each other.
"We are going this for us right?" The she cat asked.
The tom blinked his amber eyes slowly. "Yes, for us," he agreed, though he meant something completely different.
"For me especially?"
"Especially you and our future kits" he purred, looking past her and to Shadeflame's sleeping figure.
The she cat in front of him sighed and curled up against him. "I love you."
"I love you too," came an absent reply.