WHEN did the darkness end? When did it begin? Those questions revolved in Sedgestrike's head as she walked through the night, rotating slowly and perpetually and inevitably like the planets around the sun. The marsh around her was cloaked in black, disguising every tree and bush in a sheet so thick it made individual leaves indistinguishable from one another. Shadows, dark masses, inky silhouettes, she was immersed in a world void of color, and it was breathing. There was life in the blackness and it was staring.

What am I doing here?

She didn't remember getting into bed. She didn't even remember the sun setting. The day itself was a blur, melted by the scorching heat and smeared by her frustrations like milk against hot stone left to curdle into oblivion.

Sedgestrike's thoughts seemed louder than usual as she trounced through the black marsh. Mud slicked her legs, almost all the way up to her shoulders, slowing her. It grew thicker as she travelled deeper, but she didn't falter. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care, she just had to keep going.

"You're cute when you're lost in thought," purred Pikestar from above. He was resting lazily along a skeletal branch. A lopsided smile spread on his freckled face. "Where do you think you're going?"

Sedgestrike could hear rustling overhead as Pikestar hopped from branch to branch like an excited crow staring down at something shiny. She ignored him even as he caused some leaves to rain down onto her fur. They felt brittle and rough. Dead.

"You know you can't leave." He laughed mockingly at her, making her expression twitch as anger picked at her skin.

The mud grew more dense as she trudged on, caking around her legs and squeezing against her movements. Sedgestrike hissed under her breath as she struggled to move. I need to keep walking. Staying in one place too long here is dangerous.

Pikestar snickered at her struggle. His gleaming yellow eyes watched her like a spider watches an insect caught in its web. Sliding down the crooked tree trunk of a mangrove, he tottered at the knee of its gnarled root that stretched out beside Sedgestrike. "I must say, your acting skills are superb."

Sedgestrike gave him a baleful sideways glance. "I don't know what you're talking about," she growled.

"Telling Risen you'd help them!" Pikestar clarified animatedly, laughing. "As if you'd ever do anything to betray the Eternal Night." His eyes gleamed dangerously, daring her to rebuke him.

Sedgestrike bristled. "I meant every word," she murmured carefully, keeping her voice level.

There was a pause from Pikestar then. Sedgestrike tried to lift her paw out of the mud and press on, but her movement only made her legs sink deeper. The muck was almost up to her shoulders now. Her eyes darted wildly, looking for something she could use as leverage to heave herself out of the thickening marsh, but everything was out of reach.

"Do you think this is a game?" Pikestar hissed.

"No. Games are usually fun, and I'm not having fun," Sedgestrike retorted sardonically.

Pikestar hissed again, raising a paw as if to strike her, but he thought better of it and resigned himself to sigh. "You cannot escape your fate, Sedgestrike. I've tried to help you."

For once, Pikestar sounded serious. Sedgestrike looked at him quizzically, seeing genuine disappointment on his face. "I don't need your help. I know what I'm doing, and it's not serving cats like you." Her defiance was unbridled, galloping into Pikestar forcefully.

He met her gaze, eyes glinting. "Very well… Then the Eternal Night will no longer grant you the freedom you've been blessed with thus far. It is time we take matters into our own paws." Pikestar lifted his chin, looking much more like a wise leader than he ever did. "You're young, reckless, we should've known better than to entrust you with our plans so completely. I suppose our faith in you blinded us to your faults…"

Sedgestrike snorted. "Poor you."

Pikestar's expression hardened. "You should've been wiser and stayed in our good graces, Sedgestrike. The waking world will become unbearable if you make enemies of us."

Sedgestrike tried to heave herself away from him, but the mud flooded her. She whimpered, feeling the weight of it crushing into her chest. Pikestar watched her struggle with piqued interest. She was nothing but a puny insect caught in his web, flailing against the trap vainly as he closed in on her.

"You'll come to realize your purpose soon enough," he assured her, smirking. "You just need a little extra push, it seems." He chuckled deviously. "Don't worry, we'll take care of that for you."

Sedgestrike wheezed out a breath as the mud continued to suck her under. Cold and foul-smelling, she gagged as it closed in around her throat, leaving only her head above the surface. Her lungs were being squeezed painfully by the pressure, until she only had a memory of fresh air left.

"I think it's time you realize who you really are," Pikestar mewed silkily, watching with pleasure creasing the corners of his eyes as Sedgestrike wailed breathlessly. She was inevitably consumed by the thick mud. It sucked her under into a spiral of darkness that funneled her into a chilling, suffocating place.

Her body began to shake. The movements were not by her own will. It was too dark to see anything but blackness. Whatever noise she was hearing was muffled. It sounded fuzzy, like someone was speaking into thick fur. Breathe, she told herself. Just breathe. But she could not. Her lungs screamed for air but the pressure around her convulsing body was so great that her lips were clamped shut. It wasn't until she pried her eyes open that the world around her blazed back to life in magnificent colors of indigo and silver. She was staring at the starry night sky. A loud gasp escaped her and she shot up, breathing rapidly and trembling. She was alive. She drank in the air greedily, never so thankful to be able to breathe. Meanwhile, she noticed Zinniablossom was staring down at her like she had grown a second head.

"Sheesh, What's got you all worked up?" she mewed snidely, turning her nose up. Sedgestrike gaped at her speechlessly, and Zinniablossom snorted impatiently at her. "Come with me. Whitestar wishes to speak with the paragons."

It didn't take long for Sedgestrike to fight to breathe again. Whitestar. The one cat she was determined to avoid requested her presence. Rising to her paws shakily, she gulped a strangled breath, feeling her heart thunder in her chest. It drowned out the sounds of soft snores and dreamy breaths of the sleeping cats around her with a ceaseless ringing.

Sedgestrike followed Zinniablossom with heavy paws. She tiptoed carefully around the resting warriors, noticing several empty nests, all belonging to the members of the Order. A lump grew in her throat. A meeting in the dead of night? Something was urgent. Her mind immediately went to the cats that belonged to Risen, all sleeping soundly around her. Did Whitestar find them out?

Stepping into the clearing, Sedgestrike was greeted by a night drenched in humidity. Moisture beaded the leaves of the plants around her, which drooped, tired from facing a long day of blistering heat. Unlike the marsh of her dreams, the waking world maintained its color, greens and blues and purples blended with the shadows and held a silvery sheen in the alabaster moonlight. Crickets chirped happily, relishing the sticky night air like a kit would its mother's milk. Sedgestrike felt the eyes of several cats on her at once, glinting white with the glare of the moon. The paragons were waiting.

"That's everyone, then," Spiderfang observed with satisfaction. "Whitestar is waiting by Mother Lake with Redleaf. Let's not keep them waiting any longer."

The small group of cats followed their deputy towards the shore of the massive lake, Sedgestrike among them. She was careful to shuffle to the back of the paragons, head hanging low. She was not sure what was worse: sleeping and dreaming of the Place of Eternal Night or waking and being among the Order of the Destined Paragons.

She noticed Batface was beside her, walking in step with her, staring ahead with an unreadable expression. "What's going on?" she asked him in a whisper.

"I'm not sure." Batface shrugged, his scarred muzzle twitched as if he was being prodded by a painful memory. "Nights like these, when Whitestar calls upon us, usually mean she's unmasked a traitor."

Sedgestrike felt bile rise up from the back of her throat. Risen was found. Just as she thought she could help them. She wondered which of the paragons spotted her among them. Her mind immediately went to Longscar. She found the dark gray tabby walked ahead alongside Zinniablossom. His tortoiseshell mate was leaned in close, murmuring. From where Sedgestrike could see, it looked as if she was talking to the long, ugly scar that mangled him from his neck to his hind.

"What does she do… when she's found someone?" Sedgestrike mewed hoarsely. Her mouth had suddenly become very dry. It hurt to swallow.

"In these meetings, she will assign paragons to handle the traitors once the trial commences and after." Batface's explanation was robotic, unfeeling.

Sedgestrike wondered how many times Batface attended meetings like these. She wondered how many times he was assigned to "handle" traitors. Her stomach flipped, sloshing uncomfortably as she walked. Her own mentor, one she had come to admire and respect, was probably a murderer. The realization cause her to walk slower as her mind struggled to think and make her legs move simultaneously.

"Keep up," Batface urged as she lagged, eyeing her in confusion. A chuckle escaped him. "It's not that far. Are you still half asleep?"

Sedgestrike was staring at the ground, not even walking anymore. The reeds that surrounded her petted her thick fur as a cool breeze wafted by, but she was too numb to feel them.

"How many?" she asked softly.

"How many what?" Batface pressed, voice becoming more firm.

"How many traitors were you… 'assigned' to?" she demanded in a firm whisper.

Batface's orange eyes glistened with emotion, but his jaw was set and his posture went rigid. "I had the honor of being assigned to many," he answered proudly. Only the slightest hesitation in his voice led Sedgestrike to believe he was not being entirely truthful.

"What did you do to them if they were convicted?"

"If?" Batface scoffed, shaking his head bitterly. "No one is ever innocent once they've been called a traitor. These trials… they're just a formality." He explained this to her as if she was still a naive apprentice. "You should know this by now. A traitor is a traitor. It doesn't matter what they say."

Sedgestrike was impaled by his words. The warrior before her was a stranger. "How could you say that?" She searched his face for the guilt, the sadness, but she could not read him. "What about justice?"

Batface's expression soured. "You really think the cats in power believe in justice? They only believe in their own laws and their own vision of order… they only believe in themselves. They are the ones that know best; everyone else must follow. And anyone that conflicts with their ideal society? They don't exist." His eyes were half-shut as he spoke, thoughtful. "That is the creation of peace: the absolute absence of conflict." His rasping voice was barely above a whisper. "There is no conflict if all those that oppose her are gone."

"How could you still support her knowing that?" Sedgestrike felt like running. She felt like running far, far away and not looking back. "Peace is—it's not what this is!"

"You ask that as if I have a choice in who I support or not." Batface narrowed his eyes. "Whitestar is our leader. No matter how you feel, that will never change. In order to maintain the comfort we have grown so accustomed to, we must obey . There is no choice. I am a warrior, and so are you, and we are to support our leader until we die. And as a paragon… your duty is even more dire. You are a patron of the Eternal Night"

Sedgestrike was ready to leave. She had to go somewhere, anywhere, so long as it was not at the foot of Mother Lake with the Order. Hearing Batface speak the way he did made her sick.

"I—I can't do this," she stammered, stumbling as he moved backwards. "This is insane."

Batface opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Spiderfang emerged from the reeds, looking flustered. "There you guys are!" he exclaimed in exasperation. "Come, come. Whitestar is waiting on you two!"

Sedgestrike was frozen. It wasn't until Batface came to her and shoved her from behind that she began to work her legs again. "Just stay calm," he urged her through gritted teeth. "Don't snap on me now. This'll be over soon."

Pushing through the cluster of reeds that framed the lake, Sedgestrike found the rest of the Order waiting for her and Batface on the sandy shore. They were sitting nearly and quietly before Whitestar, who looked like a beacon in the night. Her pale fur burned bright like the moon, illuminated by its shine, and her amber eyes shone like flames. On either side of her the cats sat facing her in orderly rows, forming an aisle to her front.

"Sedgestrike," she greeted coolly. "Step forth."

Sedgestrike hesitated, watching Spiderfang and Batface leave to sit among the rest. Meanwhile, she was left alone, staring straight at Whitestar. At first, she felt fear, it was icy cold, becoming a chill up her spine. This was it. Someone saw her with Risen. She was the traitor. She was next. Then, something inside her sparked. Rage. Resentment. Resistance. Whitestar was the embodiment of the entity that was determined to ruin her life, the force that would kill her friends and family, and reduce MarshClan to spineless waste: The Place of Eternal Night. Her feelings flooded her with an inferno, setting every muscle aflame inside her. She raised her chin and walked proudly towards her leader, tail high. If she was the one that was going to be accused, she would fight it, she would fight it to the death.

She came and stood before Whitestar. The night seemed very quiet suddenly. Very still. Her eyes were locked with Whitestar, blazing. She refused to turn and face the rest of the Order as her leader started to speak.

"My trusted paragons," Whitestar began, not taking her eyes off Sedgestrike. "It has been brought to my attention that there is a cat among us with a very special destiny."

Sedgestrike's blood ran cold. Wait.

"She was born on a moonless night, when the sky was at its blackest along with her siblings to a queen that refuted her calling to StarClan. She was given the power, the fury, of all the greatest paragons before her."

No, wait. This can't be happening.

"There is a prophecy that echoes the will of the Eternal Night. A revolution against the stars. Our many moons of work will soon pay off." Whitestar's words reverberated with ecstasy. She was waiting for this release for a long time. Sedgestrike's birth was the confirmation that all the horrible things she had done were right. That she would win. "I give you one of the three that we will need to rid of StarClan forever. Her name? Sedgestrike."

At first, there was silence. Sedgestrike slowly turned, seeing the eyes of the paragons on her, glinting with awe and interest. Once she turned to them, they began to yowl and cheer.

"Sedgestrike! Sedgestrike! Sedgestrike!" They chanted proudly, excitement rattling through the air loudly.

Sedgestrike found Redleaf in the crowd. He had to have told Whitestar. This was his fault. Her eyes were crazed with panic, but when she found the medicine cat, she was shocked to see his expression mirrored her own. This was not his doing. He met her eyes and shook his head. If Sedgestrike acted out now, she would surely be killed. She struggled to reign herself in. She had to resist the urge to screech her hatred for everything and everyone. Instead, she soaked in the praise until she felt full and soggy with it.

Whitestar came to stand by her side, looking out at the cheering paragons with a proud smile. "The birth of three who were not meant to be will give rise to revolution," she quoted the prophecy with chilling exhilaration. She felt Whitestar's eyes burn into her, but she refused to meet her leader's glare. "You don't understand how many moons we've waited for this. For you." Her voice was low, the words meant only for her. The passion was sickening as she continued. "Finally, we can stop StarClan. You and your siblings are living proof of the Eternal Night's rise."

Sedgestrike lowered her eyes, staring at the sand that swirled in the breeze. "The prophecy you speak of…" She spoke coolly, her mind gone numb. Denial swept through her, rigid and cold, and she pretended to be clueless. "It doesn't mention any power. It doesn't even mention me. How can you be certain?"

As they spoke, Spiderfang was riling up the crowd with raucous crows. They were celebrating, but Sedgestrike knew they were just as confused as she. How could three cats conquer StarClan? If only they knew how long Sedgestrike had to wrestle with the thought.

"Don't be so humble," Whitestar chided. "I know because our ancestors that exist in the Eternal Night came to me, whispering of you. Great visions flooded my head of you conquering the Fallen and supporting my endeavors to cleanse our land. I'm both excited and curious to learn of your siblings' roles."

"By cleanse, do you mean kill?" Sedgestrike asked candidly.

Whitestar mistook her cold response as bloodthirst. She hissed with anticipation. "Of course. How else would we prosper? If our land is tarnished by those that oppose us, there can be no victory. Our reign must be absolute."

Sedgestrike felt the gnawing urge to rake her claws across Whitestar's face. Cleansing the land meant killing not only the Fallen, but Risen as well. Her mind immediately went to Blueflower. "What if there's no one left?"

Whitestar chuckled. Again, she mistook the growing rage in her voice for bloodthirst. "Temper yourself, Sedgestrike. You can't have them all." She looked to the cheering cats once more. Their cries had died down to an excited tremor, which shook their pelts and widened their eyes. "Trust me, there will be plenty that follow. We aren't going to give them a choice. Besides, where else would they have to go?"

Sedgestrike nodded once. It was all becoming painfully clear. She had to fight. There was no way out. Her muscles tensed, her body wanting to leap into combat more and more with every thunderous heartbeat. If MarshClan was to survive, Whitestar would have to be removed. Without her control on the paragons, they had no one to follow—but wait, what about Spiderfang? Sedgestrike's eyes darted wildly to the deputy. And Longscar? Sedgestrike found the warrior speaking excitedly to Zinniablossom and Kiteclaw. Grayjaw and Claytooth were murderers as well. But what about Batface? Her mentor that guided her all this time... Her mind began to race. Would she have to kill them all? Was that her only option? No… there had to be another way.

Just fulfill the prophecy, a voice whispered in her head. Be who you are destined to be…

No! I will never. I could never…

It's your destiny.

"This is obviously a miracle in the works!" Whitestar called out, capturing the attention of the crowd again. Sedgestrike was grateful to have a break from her thoughts. "We will work together to realize the prophecy and enable Sedgestrike and her siblings to do their part as well. If anyone has any qualms," she paused, giving them all a warning glare. "They are to speak to me."

"The meeting is adjourned!" Spiderfang declared upon receiving a decisive nod from Whitestar. Slowly, the cats began to file back towards camp, talking rapidly amongst themselves in excitement.

Sedgestrike watched them depart, unwilling to join them despite receiving many encouraging stares from her fellow paragons. Whitestar hesitated outside the brim of reeds, glancing back at Sedgestrike with a smile. "I knew there was something about you. It's a peculiar thing… for you to grow this old before I actually receive a prophecy in regards to your birth," she mewed. Her expression suddenly darkened, eyes narrowing into slits. "Do not fail me."

Sedgestrike nodded and bowed her head deeply to her leader. "How could I ever?" she rumbled solemnly.

Pleased by her response, Whitestar left with a flick of her tail, disappearing into the reeds. Spiderfang leapt after her, beaming.

Only her and Redleaf remained, and Sedgestrike got an odd sense of deja vu. The stocky medicine cat came to her, his low-hanging belly dragging across the sand. "This is bad," he rasped. "Very bad."

"I can't believe this is happening." She looked to him desperately, wanting his rationality to soothe her. "Why did They tell her, after all this time?"

"Because you are not bending to Their will," Redleaf sputtered, plopping into the dust in defeat. His thick haunches disturbed the sand into a cloud around him. "I should've seen this coming. The Place of Eternal Night have been pressuring me to steer you in the right direction and proclaim the prophecy to Whitestar for moons now. I knew their patience would wear thin, but—but I just thought they'd take it out on me. I thought I'd be smited or cursed, but this… this is infinitely worse."

Sedgestrike listened to his frightened stammers, feeling a pang of sympathy for her medicine cat, though she knew he didn't deserve it. "Instead of punishing you, they're punishing both of us by giving Whitestar the confidence in her plan, the confidence in me. If I go against her now… it'd be the end of me and my siblings."

"She can't force you to do anything if you aren't here to do it," Redleaf pointed out. They met each other's eyes at that, and Sedgestrike felt her insides churn. "If you refuse to fulfill the prophecy, Whitestar will destroy everyone you care about until you break. She won't stop until she gets what she wants."

Sedgestrike stared down at her paws. She was backed into a corner. Her options were to run, fight, or accept her destiny. The only option that would spare as many lives as possible was to run. "But where? Run where?"

Redleaf stared across Mother Lake. Its reflection shone in his tired yellow eyes. "You can stay with the Fallen," he decided, voice husky with many moons of stress culminating into one singular stone in his throat. It sounded painful for him to speak, he could barely utter a word. "You—you and your siblings will be safe there. Risen already spoke of you to them. You're an ally. They will not turn you three away."

"But—But what about my mother?" She hesitated, heart clenching. "Any my father… what would he think?"

Redleaf sighed shakily. "I'll take care of them. Risen will too. We will watch over your parents, Sedgestrike, I promise." His gaze was pleading now as she looked at him. "The most important thing is that you three stay safe. If Whitestar sees her one hope to defeat StarClan and their believers disappears, she may lose her nerve. It's a gamble, but…" Redleaf shrugged shaking his head. "The alternative is far worse."

Sedgestrike snorted, shaking her head bitterly. "I bet you regret not killing me when you had the chance."

"I regret many things, but sparing you… is not one of them." Redleaf's voice was stiff but resolute. He stared at her with solemn resignation. "I must admit, I was fearful of you at first. However, after seeing how you stirred such hope in Risen's hearts, and after seeing your determination to do the right thing, I've come to believe that you're better off alive." He paused, breathing shakily. "Maybe, just maybe, you can overcome this and change your fate." He shook his head as if the thought were almost too insane to speak.

"I'm never going to give up," Sedgestrike promised. "This prophecy cannot be fulfilled. I won't allow it."

Redleaf eyed her nervously. It seemed he still had misgivings that he didn't wish to share, but Sedgestrike didn't press him. "You must convince your siblings to do the same," he added warily.

Sedgestrike scoffed, "That won't be easy. They don't even believe in the prophecy."

Narrowing his eyes, Redleaf didn't seem convinced. "It's their lives on the line now," he muttered. "I'll make arrangements with the Fallen. I'll have them meet you at the border and escort you to safety on their land."

"What'll I tell my littermates?" she asked, suddenly queasy with nerves. "They'll never leave MarshClan."

"I'll help you with that too. I'll speak to Fernstream and all three of us can explain to them what must be done."

Sedgestrike nodded, uncertainty making her squirm.

"It's for their own good," Redleaf assured her. His voice was soft. It was the nurturing, comforting voice she recognized him by before she knew a prophecy about her existed. "They don't have a choice if they want to live. Not believing in the prophecy is just as lethal as not wanting to fulfill it."