A/N: Three cheers for early update! Anywho, guess whose anxiety is rising higher and higher? This gal's! It's fine, I'll be fine. In other news, I'm 21 now (I'm of legal drinking age, but uh… I don't drink so… Hooray?) Ever nervous to continue these chapters, Soot just falls deeper into his anger. I just wanna go back to the happy times, can we do that please? XD Fun times, let's go! (Side note: registering for my next class, and uh… For any youngun's going to college, a very important note- MAKE SURE YOU DO FAFSA CORRECTLY… or else you'll be paying over $200 out of your own pocket. Fun times guys).

PS: Happy Thanksgiving for those that celebrate it. Stay safe (cause for some reason, people forget we're still in a pandemic?) and I hope you have a nice day! And for those that don't celebrate it, I hope you have a nice day regardless! Early chapter as a little gift from me to you.

Reviews

FrostedShadowx- Ha, hahaha. My lips will remain sealed :). Me, admit to something? Why I'd never! Nice theories/observations though, won't say if they're wrong or right either. Nice theory about Phantom not telling Father the truth. I just love dropping all the hints- there are too many in my hands I have to make room for more things. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a bit of a doozy. Aye, wolves. I love wolves, in case it wasn't obvious XD.

Someone (Guest)- I do, I have it on a schedule lol. It keeps things easy for me to stay on track. Yeah… Phantom is a bit insane about his worship for Father. He has a very warped mind. Hip hip hooray! They may not 100% accept her yet, but this is a start. Flarekitty thinks she's bad at speeches, but she's actually decent with them. Oh yeah, Phantom should definitely not underestimate Spirit. Hmm, Flarepaw and Wildfire in one, now that's an interesting mix there. I'll say it now, Umbra and Lux are not going to meet, at least I don't have it planned so that may change later, so I'll just answer your question: Lux will definitely be unsettled by their presence. I've said before, by Phantom's observations at least, Umbra is even more unhinged than both Lux and Ignis. Ignis would definitely like being able to talk to someone like them, delving deeper into madness. More on the twin souls than mortal enemies bit XD. What a chaotic duo they would be. It is appreciated but in reviews I definitely feel it's less professional, I certainly don't keep it very professional haha. That sounds like fun, though I'm not big on travel. Hermit for life! Ooh, of all the Grand Royal apprentices? Hmm… Cherrypaw, Bramblepaw, Windpaw, Bluepaw, Gingerpaw, Flarepaw… Like most of my answers, it depends on a lot of factors. If it was just a free for all, then it would honestly be between Flarekitty and Cherrypaw. Not to say that the others are bad, but there are just a lot of factors to keep in mind. (Cherrypaw is quite the tactician. Not to Leafstar's level, never to that, but of all of the ones I mentioned, she is a very quick thinker.) Bluepaw and Windpaw really do rely on the water the most, Windpaw having a slighter advantage against Bramblepaw- who is all aggressive attacks- but a great disadvantage against Gingerpaw- who focuses on defense. Bluepaw is a lot more well-rounded, but he doesn't particularly shine in one area specifically, so I suppose that hinders him a bit. Fun question!

silhouette amongst stars- Oof, I hope you did well on your exams and stuff! Oh, it's definitely gonna mess with him a bit. We shall see, we shall see. It was a fun bit to write so I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you! It was a meh birthday, but hey, gotta celebrate that I'm still alive, right? I think I agree with you there- there is no specific day that was the happiest day of my life. My life is full of drama and problems because of my family and stuff so any day that I can relax and not be surrounded or drowned by it is a good day. Here's hoping for more happy days!

Pineshadow (Guest)- Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it and welcome along for the ride. Oh damn, thanks for the dedication haha. I update every other Friday, in case you're curious. FlarexSoot for the win (though they're experiencing some slight difficulties right now).

Echofire (Guest)- Yeah, lots of sadness here right now. Oh yeah, it's just gonna be a whole lot of pain for Soot for a bit. Ahh, raindrop, so many people care about you and you don't even know XD. I love her too, and I did enjoy writing more for King.

DarkMatter242- I got my knife, hold on, let me cut it XD. I just love building up tension like that. Who knows? Maybe you're right? Questions, questions- you'll get answers eventually, I promise. Thank you! It was an okay day, and an okay day is a good day for me.

Thanks to everybody who reviewed!

Let's get started!

Blazeclan

Sootpaw only felt like he could breathe when Hollypaw finally, finally gave up and left him. (He knew that wasn't entirely true, she didn't give up on him, but she had grown tired and though desires and friendship wished for her to stay with him even still, Hollypaw was only mortal and required sleep.)

Sootpaw didn't want to sleep, and for a while, he didn't. Her light had retreated and in its place were the dark walls of the Prisoner's Den and the red shadows of his anger, wrapping around him with a vice-like grip just like the thorns of Flarepaw had done. He could only breathe with this suffocation, and every breath that escaped him left with enough heat he was for damn sure it left a trail of steam constantly leaving his mouth.

He didn't want sleep, but as it always inevitably did, it came for him regardless. (Even righteous anger could not make him higher than a mere mortal apparently.)

And just as he knew it would be, his sleep was filled with nightmares. Over and over again, the image of Thornblaze falling during the battle, of Mousepaw's cries of pain and frightened sobs, of Ignis with his blazing fur and hysterical cackles… They all played in his mind. As did the blood. His own fight against the rogue.

His first kill. He hadn't even known the rogue's name, and yet, he had killed him. Sootpaw told himself he had no choice, that the rogue who had no name gave him no choice. But still, that did not excuse his actions.

It wasn't the fact that he had killed someone that haunted him- not entirely at least because as much as he loathed to admit, it did hover over him like the rogue's ghost forever would (he didn't even know his name for crying out loud, and he had subconsciously just given him the name of Nobody to make himself feel better).

(Who did you kill?... Nobody…)

It was the fact that Sootpaw didn't care that bothered him. With the death of Thornblaze and Mousepaw, the rogue's death didn't matter. He was unimportant. He was nobody.

Sootpaw really didn't like that he didn't know whether he was talking about the rogue or himself anymore.

So, he didn't sleep. Or rather, he slept in only intermittent moments that didn't count as sleep, just a closing of his eyes. Red liked to bleed behind his closed lids, it urged him to stand and move and do something other than just lay there and waste space. He had tried once to exit the den, but even though there wasn't anyone officially watching over him, something drove Sootpaw back inside and to not tempt fate at the moment.

Perhaps it was pride or shame or the obedience instilled in him as a Low Rank. He paced instead, tearing at the wall whenever that wasn't enough, and even still, clawing dirt and rock wasn't enough either. Nothing was enough, it seemed, and Sootpaw wondered if this was how he would go mad- slowly enough for him to feel the poison sinking deep into his muscles, his bones, his blood.

The cracks in his soul went deep and the Commoner was hardly aware when he realized that oh, this is what being broken felt like. It was an addicting feeling and it scared him.

He wanted to apologize to Flarepaw. He had no right to say the things he did with such vitriolic hate and venom and Sootpaw hoped that when he got out of this spiral of fury and hate and blame, that she would find it within herself to forgive him. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't- he didn't even forgive himself. He didn't think he ever could anymore.

He wanted to hunt down Ignis and-

And what?

Kill him too?

Yes, the side of him scorned one too many times in this harsh world hissed, yes he deserves to die.

Nobody deserves to die, the side of him struggling to survive whispered.

The anger was louder.

Sootpaw let out a breath that came with a growl and he wondered if it truly belonged to him or the hateful, spiteful thing growing inside of him. A beast that had sprouted like a toxic plant long ago and had been watered and nurtured to grow from recent events. It was probably too late to kill it. It would most likely consume him if he tried.

"My, isn't this a sight?"

His back had been turned from the entrance, body lifted as he tried to reach a higher point of the wall that had not suffered from his claws yet because of the morbid desire to leave his mark in this place. His claws ached from the repeated slashing and forceful raking, he was half-convinced he had torn one of them as a slight trail of blood took the place of another dire wound on the dirt, and they were most definitely caked with the earth.

Sootpaw stiffened immediately at the sound of that voice: in parts out of annoyance and exhaustion and equally out of fear that this would be enough for the beast inside his chest to destroy him. It certainly felt like he was tearing at the seams, skin itching and straining and he clenched his teeth together to restrain the horrifying song it was trying to howl.

He didn't need to turn to look who it was. He recognized Wildfire's voice anywhere, everywhere.

It haunted his dreams and reality and he could never escape from it- even in a place like this.

"Get. Out." Sootpaw never knew he could sound like that, voice rough and warbled with the snarl building and festering within his chest, begging for release. He didn't know where his voice began and where the growl did.

"And miss this rare sight? Never." He hated how he could hear the smirk in Wildfire's voice, hated the fact that he could recognize it. He had been on the receiving end of such a tone for his whole life it seemed. Sootpaw hated it more than anything.

His claws tore free from the wall and he hardly winced in pain, definitely feeling one of them pulling free from its socket and landing somewhere on the ground to be forgotten with the others. He moved stiffly, his joints popping with his movement and Sootpaw turned with danger in his eyes.

A danger that Wildfire noticed but did not fear.

"Get. Out!" It was snarled more than spoken, his pawsteps heavy as he made to move towards Wildfire, eyes burning burning burning and Sootpaw didn't know if this flame was hurting him more than the other tom. His nerves fizzled to life, fur standing on end as if static had coursed through him, and he was curious if this is what being struck by lightning felt like. "Get out, damn it! Why are you here?! To gloat? Haha, you win, can we be done now!?"

"I merely wished to see the fruits of my labor," Wildfire shrugged and Sootpaw detested how the Royal could be so casual about this. His mentor and his friend were dead! And he had been the gateway for it to happen. How could he be so casual? Was there really no end to how far he could go? The Royal shifted in place, sitting down lazily and curling his tail around his paws with a little pleased smile to his lips, dark amber eyes shifting over Sootpaw's body. "I have to say, I am satisfied with what I see. I was curious to see what route you would take once you've broken."

"I'm not broken!" He was, he really was, but admitting that Wildfire was right on anything was not something he would ever do.

Wildfire hummed in mild amusement, "You're right. You're not broken, just shattered."

"I'll show you shattered-"

"I'd highly advise you not to make a weak attempt on harming me," the Royal's lips curled to reveal a single fang, "Attacking the Grand Royal and the lead Royal on the same evening? If that were to be the case, well… Come morning, your execution would be a grand one." His lips pulled back farther into a wicked smile, "I'd make sure of it."

Sootpaw huffed out a hot breath that did nothing but fan the flames in his chest even more, the heat was starting to become a bit too much for him, rising to uncomfortably scorching levels, and he wished, he desired- He begged for someone else to burn with him. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and ignoring the bleeding red shadows that scoured across his vision then.

Wildfire was right. Damn it, Wildfire was right.

And as tempting as it was to say screw it and attack anyway, not caring for the consequences and only begging for release from these horrible, horrible flames, Sootpaw did not want it to end this way. He had to think this through logically, and though logic did not seem important for someone so full of anger and hate and bitterness, he found the will to somehow reign himself in. He was a miracle worker apparently.

"There we are, compliant as ever."

Sootpaw grunted, biting his tongue and ignoring the copper taste that blossomed in his mouth because of it. Wildfire was not making this any easier. He had light within him too, but his light was violent like so many parts of his life- as his namesake claimed. What a fitting name for someone so brutal.

"What do you want?" Sootpaw kept his eyes closed because at this point, the red behind his eyes was easier to deal with than looking at Wildfire's triumphant, mocking face. His voice was heavy as his shoulders hung too, and Sootpaw was so tired he wondered why it wasn't enough for him to fall into an unconsciousness where not even his mind could mess with him.

"As I said, merely curious to see your fall. It is magnificent," Wildfire grinned again with a low chuckle, "This was fun. This little game of ours, Commoner. Do you see now? How this was always meant to happen? It's safe to say that I win, no?"

And didn't that just add another layer of hurt over the mountain of pain? Snow-capped and high enough to reach the sky, this mountain was one he was stuck on and Sootpaw was tired of trying to climb over it. (He could jump, but that wouldn't be satisfying now, would it?)

Wildfire's goal had been to drive Sootpaw and Flarepaw away from each other. To take control of his daughter once more and to absolutely destroy him as a whole. And he had achieved it, he destroyed Sootpaw and the destruction had been enough for Sootpaw to chase her away.

He wondered how anybody could be so petty, to mess with the lives of apprentices. He decided he didn't care for the answer.

He was tired.

So tired.

And angry, but with no place to go, this anger felt empty and his chest felt hollow. (He wished for Hollypaw to be here, so he could fall and she would catch him like she had promised.)

"Yeah," Sootpaw spoke in a voice that wasn't his own. Neither furious nor sorrowful nor rebellious. Just… nothing. (Nobody, he was nobody.)(Who had he killed?... Nobody.) "Whatever. You win. Are we done now?"

When Wildfire didn't immediately say anything, Sootpaw opened his eyes curiously. He was met with what could only be a shocked Wildfire, eyes slightly widened and brows raised. A frown had formed over his winning grin and he looked… disappointed, was the right word.

Sootpaw scowled at him, "What?"

"Hmm…" Wildfire tilted his head curiously and his lips formed a semi-pout, "I expected you to put up more of a resistance. That is what you always do. It's no fun this way."

"Do you want me to be compliant or not?" Sootpaw scoffed, "you're giving me some mixed messages here."

"I suppose I don't even know myself," Wildfire sighed before he finally stood up, Sootpaw involuntarily stiffening. He only relaxed when the Royal turned to walk away, speaking words of parting over his shoulder. "The game will get boring now since you won't provide me with entertainment. Perhaps now, Flarepaw will be more willing to listen to me."

Instinctively, he wanted to snap at him, to defend Flarepaw, to tell him to leave her alone.

Instead, Sootpaw just watched Wildfire leave the den, tail disappearing through the shadows until he was all alone again. (All alone except for his anger and sorrow and pain and the shadows on the wall and the smoke in his lungs.)

Damn.

He lost. They lost.

And all things considered, he couldn't even find it within himself to care at the moment.

Sootpaw let out another steaming breath before moving back over to the wall- his wall, it was his nows, it bore his claw marks. He sat, bone-tired and shoulders drooping, and felt his body aching in a way he didn't know it could ache.

He wondered if it could get any worse from here on out.

He was afraid to find out.

Sootpaw felt hunger begin to gnaw at his stomach, but he ignored it and resumed his staring contest with Hollypaw. He could only keep track of the days because of her visits- three in total, two since that first one.

Three days since Thornblaze and Mousepaw had died.

He was aware he most definitely missed their burial ceremony, and he had spent that entire day asleep or pretending to sleep because of it.

He took food for granted, he found out, because now without anything- not even the slightest morsel- given to him, it was beginning to become a bother. That was fine though. The anger and the hate filled his belly and made him warm inside so it was for the best. He didn't know it was possible to feel full when you were littered with holes, pockmarked into his soul by vicious claws of the beast begging for release.

He was backed to the wall once more, the light within his friend's being scaring him off and making him cower and Sootpaw felt as though it was burning more than the fire kindling in his chest. Sootpaw hoped that the glare he gave her was enough to scare her off, but Hollypaw returned it with a gentle look. It was terrifying, just how caring she was, even now.

Flarepaw had yet to visit him again, and though it hurt, Sootpaw knew that was for the best.

Sagepaw hadn't come around either, and neither did any of the Commoners. Those stung a little more, but Sootpaw knew they didn't come; not because they didn't care about him and his wellbeing- but because they were scared of coming down here and never being able to leave. He didn't entirely know if it was against the rules completely for them to visit him, but none of them wanted to take the risk and Sootpaw wouldn't dare ask them to.

"Would you like me to bring you something to eat?" Hollypaw said and her voice startled him with how tender it was. It felt wrong to be so angry around such kindness, and Sootpaw was scared because he still hadn't figured out who he would be without his anger. (Well, he knew he would be an empty husk, and he didn't exactly want that to happen.)

"Just leave me alone, Hollypaw," his ears flattened against his head as he regarded her distrustingly, wrinkling his nose slightly, "don't you have something better to do?"

"Flame is learning to help out Roseberry in my place," she shrugged, "There's no one that needs my attention. Roseberry is giving me this time."

No one but you, he heard the unsaid words and Sootpaw immediately questioned whether she was here for concern over him, or because this was just another one of her duties.

She doesn't care about you.

She's just like the others- she's a High Rank too.

They don't care about someone like you.

A nobody.

(Don't chase her away, you need someone. Let her help, please please let her help, let her help, let her-)

"Leave," Sootpaw grunted, pressing his back further into the wall and wondering if the earth would break before he did with how roughly he was pressing into it. Would it open up and swallow him if he did this long enough? He was curious to find out. (Be buried by the dirt, alongside Thornblaze and Mousepaw, wherever they were now.)

"Sootpaw-"

"Leave!" His voice was beginning to break and if he didn't do something soon, if he didn't chase her away right now, it, too, would shatter and Sootpaw was clinging to it desperately. He didn't want to be without his ire.

(It was the world's fault for making him this way. Wildfire. Redstar. Ignis. The High Ranks.)

(...his…)

"Sootpaw, I'm not-" Hollypaw began but didn't finish, blinking before turning her head over her shoulder with a confused frown. Sootpaw didn't sense what was approaching before it was already there- the scent of something like ginger and peaches and frosted winds and the tom vaguely pondered where he had smelled that. The figure that appeared surprised him, to say the least, before his tempered anger flared up like a sore wound and he bared his teeth.

Redstar was there. The Grand Royal carried a surprisingly plump mouse between his teeth.

He hadn't been expecting anyone to be with him, apparently, because dull yellow eyes flickered with surprise- and perhaps a bit of caution- when he spotted Hollypaw. The Medicine Cat apprentice hastily stood up, turning her body towards him and Sootpaw didn't know whether it annoyed him or touched him that she seemed to angle her body in a way as if to defend him. (He could take care of himself, damn it.)

"Grand Royal," Hollypaw bowed her head, though her eyes remained on her leader before shifting nervously over to Sootpaw. The Commoner could feel the fur along his spine slowly beginning to rise, shoulders stiff and jaw clenched so tightly it would most definitely leave him sore after this was over. (Whatever this was.)

Redstar placed the mouse by his paws before speaking politely, "Hollypaw." He bowed his head in return, eyes drifting over to Sootpaw and he hated how it made him flinch. "May I have a moment alone with Commoner Sootpaw?"

Hollypaw opened her mouth, but she hesitated. Dark amber eyes flickered to him and Sootpaw could see it out of the corner of his eyes, but his gaze remained focused solely on the one who had given the order to kill his mentor and friend. It's his fault, the whispers that had turned to banshee screeches roared in his ears with the blood, it's his fault. Make him pay. He deserves to pay.

His claws dug into the dirt beneath him, anchoring him in place, and Sootpaw was all the more aware that he was missing at least two on his left paw and one on his right. It stung, the pain and the dried blood over it, but he learned to live with pain and discomfort so this was nothing.

Hollypaw's frown deepened when he didn't turn to look at her, and he mentally cheered in relief and cried in apology when she turned away from him.

"Of course, Grand Royal." Hollypaw bowed again, eyes dropping to the ground this time, before she walked past the leader, sending a final, mournful look toward Sootpaw and disappearing out of the hole in the ground.

The silence settled quickly in the air, his own breathing too loud to his ears- along with the roar of unreal voices. He didn't entirely know what stopped him from launching himself again at the Grand Royal, his remaining claws itching and his back paws shuffling in place, prepared to spring forward. He just… didn't. Maybe it was the enclosed space or maybe it was the fact that he had been allowed to stew in his rage for a few days that made him a bit more level-headed, cautious.

Ever aware of just how outmatched he was to someone like Redstar- the best of the best.

Without a word, the Grand Royal bowed his head to pick up the mouse once more, padding forward and ignoring the way Sootpaw recoiled before placing it by the Commoner's paws. What a strange world this was- the Highest Rank giving food to a filthy Low Rank that had laid a claw on him.

(Did this amuse Redstar? Having so much power over someone like him? Being his one source of food and freedom?)

Sootpaw was vaguely aware that this, this wordless gesture of giving him prey- prey that looked freshly caught, mind you- and backing away to give him space, was meant to be a peace offering. Extending an olive branch.

His nose wrinkled in response.

"An olive branch with a parasite on it… Make no mistake, this is not an act of goodwill. This is just to make them feel better about themselves."

He wished he had listened to Nightpaw. He had been so, so naive.

And now, his eyes had been brutally opened to the world he was willingly blinding himself to.

Commoners would forever and always be nothing but playthings for the High Ranks, stepping stones for them to stomp all over so they could reach for the sky while his kind squandered in the dirt, left behind to rot and die.

He would burn this olive branch, just like they had burned the ones he stretched out multiple times before.

Reaching forward with one paw, Sootpaw brought the mouse closer to his paws, and though his mouth watered and his stomach growled, clenching almost painfully, he didn't lean down to take a bite. Instead, his eyes lifted, burning golden-yellow flames meeting the weak, dying golden-yellow sun of Redstar's gaze.

Without looking away, he brought his claws down into the dead mouse, sinking deep into the plump body and creating puncture wounds that bled only slightly. Eye contact maintained, his stare turned into a heated glare as he began to rake it across the body. Once he reached the end of the mouse, Sootpaw batted it away from him and toward Redstar.

It landed in a heap of ruined and mangled meat by the Grand Royal's paws, but if it bothered him, Redstar said and did nothing about it. He didn't even flinch, keeping his gaze on a tom who had no right to look him in the eye but was currently glaring at him.

Neither of them spoke a word, and Sootpaw was fine with that because he was half-convinced the only things that would come out of his mouth would be curses and ferocious snarls. Perhaps that had become his language now.

He stepped away from the wall, comfortable now that Hollypaw's light had left and it felt strange, finding such kindredness in the Grand Royal. Redstar, right now without the light of the sun and surrounded by his clanmates, looked like, for all intents and purposes, a husk. A vessel for the abyss to settle into, void of light and anything.

Sootpaw was one too, a vessel, but the black hole in his chest was filled with anger, anger, and more anger and violence it was limitless.

(He wondered if he would ever become like Redstar- filled with nothing but apathetic detachment.)

(He was scared to find out.)

"You are free to leave," Redstar finally spoke, and for a moment, Sootpaw didn't know if he was talking about just the Prisoner's Den, or if this extended to more. This den? This clan? This life? Was he free to leave those too?

(Never, he would never be free of them.)

At last, Redstar moved to stand, leaving the mangled mouse on the ground as he turned away, taking two steps in the direction of the exit with a stiffness between his shoulders telling of how much weight was on his body. Sootpaw almost felt bad. Almost, but not quite.

Sootpaw waited for more because Redstar still wasn't gone.

For a while, the Grand Royal didn't move, seeming to have an internal battle of his own before he glanced over his shoulder with a deep frown on his face.

"I am unaware as to what… your mentor told you, in regards to your warrior's assessment. I don't know if he mentioned that it was coming up to you before… Well, before this happened. But, it is. You will have a few days to prepare before the day comes." Redstar paused for a moment before murmuring in a quieter voice, "I'm sorry it had to come to this. You have my condolences."

They mean nothing to me, Sootpaw wanted to spit, but he was still reeling from what Redstar had said that he just sat there in his bafflement long enough for Redstar to leave without a response from him.

There was… a lot to unpack and a lot that he couldn't quite wrap his mind around.

My assessment is coming up soon…

Unbidden and unexpectedly, a laugh escaped his lips. And then another, and another, and Sootpaw asked himself what was so funny that he had to laugh like he had just been told the best joke in the world. He contemplated if this was where he went insane. His laughter made him bowl over, stomach clenching and aching even more, and for a while, Sootpaw just laid on the ground, cackling.

Tears sprung to his eyes, joyful in formity but as they began to fall, his laughter began to shift into a weird amalgamation of a laugh and a sob. He didn't entirely know which one he was trying to do. He wanted to laugh because if he didn't laugh, he would start crying and once that started, he didn't think he could stop.

So, by some force of nature, Sootpaw willed the tears away and his laughter eventually stopped and he just laid there, on his back with his gaze toward the ceiling. A few more chuckles left, but he controlled it and swallowed it back down into that abyss.

My assessment is coming up…

Thornblaze won't be there to congratulate me.

Mousepaw won't be there to take her name with me. Neither will Bluepaw or Shrewpaw.

Out of everything- them dying, him being unable to stop it, him killing someone, him missing their burial ceremony and their final moments, not being able to say goodbye, practically losing Flarepaw to, the rising anger and pain and guilt and blame- out of everything… This probably hurt the most. Being forced to move on without them so quickly.

He wanted the world to stop, wanted time to stop, but time didn't care about him or anyone else. Time kept going, free from anybody's rule but it's own. He hated it for that.

He was vaguely aware that Redstar had permitted him to leave now, that he was no longer a prisoner, but then again, wasn't he always?

Commoner was just a fancy way of saying prisoner.

Sootpaw stared up at the ceiling, on his back, and wondered when everything had gone so bad. How it all came to this. Amazed that it was just getting worse and worse and he couldn't help but contemplate how much worse it could get now.

You could die?

Death didn't seem so scary anymore. He had never been afraid of dying. (It was almost welcoming, a quick release from all this.)

Sootpaw laid on the ground of the Prisoner's Den, shattered into a million little pieces, each of those pieces feeling a unique kind of pain, and he wished, begged, prayed…

Damn, he just wanted this to be over. He was tired of fighting. Tired of feeling pain. Tired of losing.

Tired of being weak.

He was tired.

So tired…

? (sneak attack!)

"We're lost, aren't we?"

"Excuse me? I happen to have a great sense of direction."

"We're definitely lost."

"You're doubting me. I'm offended. We can't be friends anymore, Rainpaw."

"Whiteshadow, we're lost. I think we have more things to worry about than your feelings!"

"How rude."

That was how their conversation went the day before, and currently, Rainpaw didn't entirely know where they were or how they got here. (Wherever here was.)

Well, scratch that. She did know how they got to this strange wherever-they-were place.

All because Whiteshadow could not say no to sad faces and teary eyes, he had- without her permission, might she add- volunteered to help the other escapees that had lingered with them find a safe passage to the base of the mountains… In what was most definitely not in the direction of the clans.

It wasn't all too bad, the intentions were good after all, but Rainpaw just wanted to get home. If she were alone, she would have shaken off the stragglers clinging to them like burrs long ago- clawed them off if they refused to leave her- and picked the direction that led to Stormclan and be done with it. It wouldn't have taken long, a two-day journey if she really pushed it. Then again, she didn't entirely know which way they should have gone in the first place, and now here, even farther than their original place, Rainpaw was almost certain that they were lost.

But again, it wasn't too bad. Their company could've been much worse, all things considered, but the four poor, frightened cats that had begged for their help and guidance to the base of the mountains were quite humble and knew they were asking for a lot from them. They stayed out of their way for the most part.

Viridian was the oldest of the four, a black-furred tom with white beginning to sprout along his muzzle with age and piercing green eyes that reminded her of the deepest shade of leaves she had ever seen. He was a little younger than Newt, still old enough to be considered an Elder, but spritely and fierce enough to continue a fight he had no real reason to keep fighting. Apparently, he had been trying to escape the City for ages, with just enough luck to avoid being captured by the Guards but not enough to actually leave. It was a bit adorable- just how awed he appeared looking at something as simple as the snow falling from the leafless branches of the dead trees. Rainpaw liked to listen to him ramble on during the night, recounting magnificent tales in a deep and calming voice that held just a slight rasp of old age.

Cypress was a strange one- mostly because she had indeed been a Watcher before this whole fiasco happened. Rainpaw didn't trust the wheat-colored she-cat at first, but Cypress had proven herself to be fiercely protective of the other three with them and was the first to go off exploring the new world in search of dangers to chase away. She apparently owed Viridian for her escape, the two bickering more than they talked but there was a fondness they reserved for each other and no one else. She had been the one to plan for them to go to the base of the mountains when they escaped.

Shiver and Howl were what the City referred to as younglings- those of age to be apprentices if they had been in the clans. Siblings born just five seconds apart- Howl liked to brag he was the first to his sister- and complete opposites. Where Shiver had silky white fur with a light grey tail striped with black and glacial blue eyes that resembled chips of ice, Howl had short and fuzzy black fur with dark grey shoulders and front legs that was dotted with dark grey spots- orange-amber eyes that almost glinted red in the sunlight. Shiver was quiet and Rainpaw couldn't exactly remember what her voice sounded like, where Howl didn't know how to stop talking. He was always spewing nonsense about this and that and constantly asking Whiteshadow and Viridian and Cypress questions about nothing important and with each new thing, he was always on the verge of shouting "Look, look Shiver! Do you see that? Cool, huh?"

His energy was a bit intense, and it never failed to put Rainpaw on edge, but the care he had for his sister was something not to trifle with. He was always checking in with her, asking every few seconds if she was okay- Shiver always just gave a small nod, and that seemed to be enough for Howl each time- and making sure she was warm enough, eating enough, making sure she didn't miss a second of the outside world.

Three days after their escape, during a night that she was put on watch- nobody felt comfortable enough to not have a watch set up in shifts- with Howl, she got her answer. Shiver had been virtually dragged from their home, their mother killed when she resisted to give up her daughter, and was going to be forced to… entertain the male Guards for the rest of her life- or until they got bored of her at least.

Howl had been unable to do anything but watch his sister be torn from him. For moons, she was absent from his life and Howl had no idea if she was actually alive anywhere. He had joined and left countless secret groups that quietly opposed King, those that wanted an escape from that hellhole, in hopes of finding her.

Eventually, she had found him. Popping up one night as if she hadn't been gone for who knows how long and virtually mute. She had insisted they go into hiding somewhere, the two of them constantly going to secret bunkers to those willing to help, because apparently she was being searched for.

Howl didn't find out until days later when Shiver finally did speak to him, that his innocent little sister had killed the Guards holding her captive- slitting their throats when they slept after exhausting themselves with her- and escaped.

Rainpaw could hardly look at Shiver the day after that, but not entirely because she was scared. No, she would have no doubt done the same thing. If anything, she only respected the other she-cat even more after finding that out. No, she couldn't look at Shiver because she would have asked some questions that were definitely insensitive.

Like, she wanted to know how it felt- to finally, finally get revenge on those who had harmed her. Did it feel good? Did she dream about it every night, the feel of slicing her claws across their throats?

That definitely wouldn't have gone well for any of them.

Saying goodbye to them was most definitely for the best, dropping them off to complete their journey to the Faraway Valley alone was a good thing. She still hadn't decided if she wanted to grow closer to them, or if she wanted to kill them for delaying their return home.

Rainpaw felt… strange. She felt a sense of calm and level-headedness that she had felt unlike any other. The thought of bloodshed and fighting didn't scare her and though her dreams were still inevitably filled with dead bodies, she could look at them now and, and…

And smile.

There was no resisting the monster anymore, and though she had expected it to make her overly cruel and bloodthirsty, she just felt… Complete. (That thought scared her slightly, the fact that she finally felt whole only once she was completely shattered.)

She hadn't talked to Whiteshadow about it, and it annoyed her that she felt so concerned about what he would think. Annoyed her almost to the point where she briefly wondered if being with him was worth it. (If leaving him alive was worth it.)

Rainpaw shook her head at those thoughts, and she didn't entirely know if he noticed just how drunk on this feeling of wrong completeness she was. If he noticed the little smirk and the twitch of a wild smile pulling at her lips constantly. If he could read her thoughts when the others were with them, wondering just how each of them would look with their pelts stained in red, wondering just how easy it would be if she killed them all.

She just wanted to get home now. Home, to Stormclan.

No, Stormclan wasn't home.

Where was home again?

She couldn't seem to remember, it seemed unimportant- all she knew was that she wanted to go home.

Wanted to go home and leave a trail of bodies in her wake.

Goodbyes had been rather teary the night before, and each time Rainpaw made to embrace any of the other four, she hoped they didn't notice the way her eyes lingered on their throats, imagining it ripped open to watch blood stain the white snow with red. Cypress might have noticed- she certainly fit the role of a Watcher quite well, always keeping a cautious eye on them. It was quite rude, they had so graciously offered their help, only for her to regard them suspiciously?

Well, she wasn't entirely wrong not to trust them completely, but still. Whiteshadow was nice, everyone could trust him. Her, though? Yeah, not so much.

Rainpaw just wanted to go home.

Her paws and muscles ached with their constant walking, and her eyes burned most days because she never truly got a good night's sleep. Well, she did, she slept perfectly fine, but it certainly didn't feel like it. They traveled early in the morning to late into the night, the stars twinkling overhead and often Rainpaw took first watch regardless. Whiteshadow always looked at her with concern, a concern that she brushed off with a silly quip that made him roll his eyes with amusement and curl up into a tight ball wherever they decided to settle that night.

It wasn't too difficult keeping track of the days- she was acutely aware of it, of the extended period of not being within the City walls anymore, of not smelling such a vile stench anywhere. Fresh air was strange to her, and she questioned if it was even stranger to the four they left behind. Whatever they hoped to find in this mysterious "Faraway Valley," she wished they found it.

She wished she found whatever it was she felt like searching for too.

She didn't even know what that was, but she wished she could find it already.

At the setting of their sixth sunset, Rainpaw let out an annoyed huff of air, sitting on a cold rock on a small hill that overlooked an endless prairie of white. She thought she saw the dotting of trees in the distance, but at this point, she was more convinced that she was hallucinating rather than close to home. Whiteshadow sighed through his teeth where he came up behind her, off of the rock she had claimed, and surveyed the land ahead of them with a disgruntled wrinkling of his nose.

She turned a glare to him knowingly, waiting one, two, three-

"Okay," Whiteshadow grumbled before admitting, "we're lost."

"Oh no, really?" Rainpaw feigned surprise, "I didn't notice. Whatever shall we do now?"

"You know, your snark isn't helpful," he said without turning to her, his eyes narrowing slightly before he threw his head back and let out a long, tired groan. "It's been forever since I traveled from the City to the clans, alright? I may have forgotten the way that wasn't just a straight shot."

"May have?" Rainpaw raised a brow before scowling to herself, "You know, we wouldn't be wherever this place is if you didn't offer to walk stragglers to their paradise."

"I was being nice!"

"And look where nice has gotten us. Oh, right- in the middle of nowhere," Rainpaw hissed and something bashed against the inside of her chest, watching his eyes finally turn to her with a glimmer of hurt. She scowled and looked away from him. It was really bothersome- caring for him. Her life would be so much easier if she could just kill him.

But she couldn't. She didn't know what was stopping her entirely, but the thread around her heart always pulled painfully tight where it was wrapped like a snake that had found its prey whenever she thought about harming him. Maybe it was still the other part of her, the side that wasn't the monster, the weaker one, that didn't want to kill him.

Being merciful was the hardest thing she ever had to do.

"Okay," Whiteshadow sighed after a moment, "we should get some rest then. There were a few boulders that we can squeeze through a little ways back. Come."

She almost wanted to just keep going. To go to that littering of trees in the distance and actually see for sure if it was a hallucination or not. But between it and them was a valley of white that would provide no cover, and with the winds picking up speed and some of the snow raising with it in a mini-blizzard with the promise of more, Rainpaw didn't quite like how her chances fared.

And also, when Whiteshadow began walking back in the direction they came, the thread around her heart lurched with him and she was forced to follow or suffer the constriction. She quite liked having her heart following its regular beat, thank you very much.

With a mournful and piqued look of longing, Rainpaw turned away from the distant maybe-forest and stepped lightly into the snow alongside the trail the Blazeclan tom left behind. She absentmindedly noted that he walked heavier than their initial journey from the clan to the City, a weight on his spine that made him slouch. He was doing well in terms of his recovery from being beaten and practically tortured in the Sewers, but he still walked with a slight limp if she looked closely enough and she wondered if it would always remain now.

Physical scars and reminders he carried on his body.

(Mental scars and reminders she had in her head.)

(In a way, she did die there.)

And it was only the beginning. They had gone to receive information and they did, getting a feel for the numbers there and who were the biggest players in the game they would soon play. She had already disposed of one- though if Sora really was one of their strongest, Rainpaw wasn't all too worried anymore.

(She knew he probably wasn't the strongest, considering his position in the Twelve, but she had higher hopes now when thinking about taking them on. She had fought against Aqua and not only survived, but left her wounded as well.)

(She had an inkling of an idea that if Whiteshadow hadn't pulled her away, she could have killed Aqua too if she tried hard enough.)

Rainpaw was excited. The thought of the battles to come, the blood that would be spilled, the bodies that would fall. The final breaths that would fill the air like a smog cloud. Her soul sang, thrilled for the future. She looked forward to fighting more of the Twelve. More of the City cats.

It was for sure wrong of her to be more excited than nervous for what was most definitely a war to come.

She didn't entirely care.

Rainpaw only paused when Whiteshadow did, the boulders nothing more than a few feet away from the two of them. She wandered up to his side, brows furrowing at the curious look on his face, the twitching of his ears. The Stormclan apprentice decided not to talk and just listen, look. If there was something out there that he was picking up, then she would only disturb him. And it bothered her having to depend on him so much.

Her breaths came steady, slower as to not distract herself, and her eyes roved the area around them as she made a slow circle, ears perked to attention and straining to catch a sound that didn't belong. The wind howling certainly didn't help but if she focused hard enough, she thought… There. Something like…

Singing?

"Little Ghost, Little Ghost, where art thou…"

Like a distant echo ringing all around them, the wind seemed to roar louder in response as well, providing a background melody for a horrendous, ominous song. Whiteshadow stiffened at her side and Rainpaw turned to him curiously, his eyes going slightly wide, and she was about to ask if he recognized something when the omniscient voice continued.

"Little Ghost, Little Ghost, I am near~"

"That's not creepy," Rainpaw murmured beneath her breath before immediately unsheathing her claws, doing another slow circle and narrowing her eyes, cursing the snow that was whipped up around them and blinding her vision. Whiteshadow had yet to move, expression aghast, and it almost looked like he forgot to breathe. She bumped his shoulder, brows furrowed, but he didn't turn in her direction.

"Little Ghost, Little Ghost, death is here..."

"Get behind me, Rainpaw," Whiteshadow spoke through gritted teeth, and though the situation seemed to be very sensitive, the blue-furred she-cat immediately hissed back in response.

"I don't need protecting," she growled, claws flexing against the snow, "And besides, it sounds to me like they're coming for you and not me. If anything, you should get behind me."

"Rainpaw, this isn't a joke!" Whiteshadow hardly spared a glance at her before an unfamiliar humming became obvious. Both of them turned in the direction of it, and lo and behold, it was coming from inside the structure of boulders just ahead of them. A shadow moved from inside and Rainpaw squinted her eyes, taking a step forward and falling into a familiar stance, prepared for battle immediately and feeling adrenaline and excitement lick up her spine with an electrifying fire.

It was addicting.

The figure stepped out of the shadows of the boulders, jade green eyes shining brightly when they spotted her companion. A tortoiseshell cat with a black pelt and cream patterns, a face split directly down the middle, and on that split face, an alarmingly wide grin that only seemed to grow wider at his presence. Their eyes glimmered with pure joy that would have been unsettling- should have been unsettling but… Rainpaw had felt that kind of joy multiple times, so she could relate in a way.

For a while, no one moved as the stranger stepped out of the boulders, tail flicking rapidly with delight before they finished their little jingle.

"Little Ghost, Little Ghost..." they dragged out the words with a haunting tone, and if Rainpaw didn't know any better, she thought she saw Whiteshadow take a cautious step backward. The grin turned sharp as they let out a short laugh before finishing their ominous song;

"I've found you!"

The wind stopped for a moment with the end of the song, the snow that had been whipped up falling to find a place on the ground once more. Rainpaw wrinkled her nose as a few flakes landed on her muzzle and back, melting into her fur and making her shiver.

Whiteshadow shivered as well, but Rainpaw got the sense that it had more to do with whoever this terrifying stranger was rather than the cold.

"Rainpaw…" his voice was breathless, horrified, and through all the excitement at the possibility of a fight, the Stormclan she-cat began to feel slightly worried as well. If someone like Whiteshadow, who was incredibly strong, looked so scared, just who was this stranger? His light blue eyes turned to her, looking like he had seen death itself indeed, before uttering;

"I think our problems just got a whole lot worse."

She was beginning to agree with him on that.

Damn.

All she wanted was to go home.

Was that so much to ask?

A/N: Hoowee, finished this one rather quickly. I was feeling inspired. But anyway, a whole lot of stuff in this chapter. Sootboi is not doing too good, his warrior assessment is coming up soon- just pouring salt onto the wound at this point, don't mind me- and overall, not well. And for those of you wondering what was taking Whiteshadow and raindrop so long to get home, well… That's your answer XD. You didn't expect me to make things just super easy for them, did you? Course not, who do you think I am? Merciful? I don't know the meaning.

Anyway, Umbra is here and it's about to get messy, so prepare yourselves!

Question of the Day

(Don't remember if I've done this one)

What is your favorite holiday? (Mine's probably… Hmm. I don't think I actually have one.)

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Let me know what you think of the story and give constructive criticism where you see fit.

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Thank you and peace out!

~Wolfcreatiosn21