WAVES of purple, green, and blue splashed around Sedgestrike, swaddling her in a dizzying swathe of color. The colors dimmed, darkening into blackness, hugging her tight. It became hard for her to breathe. Her eye rolled. Where was the light? Her stomach began to flip and flop in her belly like a fish out of water, struggling to hop out of her jaws and return to the lake.

"Sedgestrike." A rasping whisper sounded from far away, calling her from the swirling shadows and spinning dismal hues.

"Sedgestrike."

The world was spinning. With a thud, she was on her back, watching it continue to spiral around her. Squeezing her eye shut, she felt like her body was rolling deeper and deeper into the dark. There were no more colors, only nothingness. Pain met her in a blaze. Her body shook and trembled as fought the urge to wail. The herbs Redleaf gave her faded and left her with an ache that was worse than before. It blossomed from her face to her throat and down her whole body; not a single bone was free from the fire.

"I deserve this," Sedgestrike sputtered. She felt her entire body set aflame; breathing became impossible as the fire settled in her lungs. "I am ready to die."

"I won't let that happen," Batface mewed. He pushed his paw against her shoulder, rolling her up to face him. Sedgestrike's eye shot open and found his muzzle. It was grayer than she remembered. "You won't die here. Not like this."

Sedgestrike squinted. Batface's frame seemed to blend with the shadows. At least his eyes burned bright. She found his gaze easily.

"Why not?" She chuckled bitterly. "It's what you want, right? Paragon." The word was acid dripping from her lips.

Batface shut his eyes and sighed, releasing her so she flopped back onto her belly like a dehydrated fish. "There was a time when I would have agreed with you, Sedgestrike," he rasped.

Sedgestrike's good eye rolled to watch him. His scarred face sagged like moss from a dying tree. "I wanted nothing more than to serve the Order. I wanted power and respect, and I was eager to pay the price of servitude if it meant something." Batface shuddered, shaking his head sadly. "How foolish I was," he growled.

"You knew what they were like… You knew all this time, and you still didn't do anything to change it," Sedgestrike hissed, disappointed. She felt her heart peeling away, receding into nothing. "And now my mother is dead. And you-you didn't do anything!"

"By the time I found out, it was too late!" Batface's gravelly voice faltered, grinding to a halt as he gazed down at Sedgestrike. She had a feeling he was looking down at her and seeing someone else. He never looked at her this way before. He breathed raspily. "I came here to tell you something. Something I should've told you the day you joined the Order."

Sedgestrike stared balefully at the old warrior.

"There was a she-cat… Leechpelt." The name rolled off his tongue painfully, he winced as he spoke it. "She was once a member of the Order. There was a day her loyalties to Whitestar were tested... and she failed."

Sedgestrike was swimming in her mind, trying to remember when she had heard that name before.

"But she was more than a member of the Order… she was my daughter," Batface croaked. He looked at Sedgestrike, looked through her. His voice became as cold and flat as stone. "You know what happens to those that oppose Whitestar…"

"Oh, Batface, I'm sorry—"

"Don't be," he growled. "I was the one that killed her."

Sedgestrike swallowed her tongue. Batface gaze became a glare. His deep orange eyes burned like fire into her. Dozens of thoughts flooded her at once. The urge to strike him began to rise.

"How could you—"

"Let me finish," he continued, voice strained. "When I was informed of my daughter's supposed treachery, at first I was livid. 'How could she do such a thing?' I wondered." He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Then I realized I had lost myself. It shouldn't have mattered what my daughter did because she was still my daughter." He lowered his head, sighing shakily. "Yes. No matter what, she was still my daughter."

A shiver wracked his frame as he croaked, "I knew Whitestar wouldn't let her walk free in exile… She was too far gone. So… I volunteered to be the one that would kill her."

"You.. you volunteered?" Sedgestrike stammered, eye wide in shock. "Batface, your own daughter?"

"I didn't want it to be anyone else." He bit back a sob, hiding it with a snarl. "If anyone else did her in, they would've been cruel. Who knows the torture she would have suffered through before they finished her?" He grimaced with disgust. "I made it quick, clean… painless."

"Oh, and that's supposed to make you some kind of hero?" Sedgestrike snapped. Anger rose in her chest, crawling into her throat as a growl.

Batface smiled sadly. "No. But at the time, I thought it was my only option." He shivered. "My mate, her mother, Wisteriapetal, was already in StarClan by then... waiting for her. I wanted to be the one to send her there."

"How could you?" Sedgestrike whispered. Her anger faded into sadness. She knew her mentor was a murderer. As a member of the Order, she knew he probably killed many Fallen in his lifetime, but she didn't look at him as a killer until now, and it felt like she was impaled by a bed of claws.

"I thought I was doing the right thing, but the more I thought about it, the less sense it made." Batface's eyes were tired as he looked at Sedgestrike now. He looked like he hadn't slept in moons. "I think this is… I think you are… my second chance."

Sedgestrike blinked slowly. "Me?"

"This is my chance to make it up to my daughter. To redeem myself, maybe. Give myself some shred of honor." He leaned into her, whispering, "I'm going to get you out of here, Sedgestrike. I won't lose you too."

Sedgestrike's jaw fell open, but before she could speak, he was already backing away. "No!" she shrieked. "No! Don't leave me!"

Melting into the shadows, only Batface's eyes remained visible. "Don't let me die in vain. When the opportunity arises, you must run."

Again, Sedgestrike was left with nothing but shadows for company. Outside her prison, she heard locusts begin to scream. She rolled in her makeshift nest of leaves. A stray twig snapped against her wounded shoulder, and she growled in pain.

"Hey! Quiet in there!" Her guard, Snakefang, snarled.

Sedgestrike curled her lip and bit back a retort. She heard the rustle of the reeds outside, coupled with the sound of padding paws.

"Oh, more visitors?" Snakefang deadpanned.

Sedgestrike's eye found the dimly lit entrance. Two silhouettes stood out in the fog. One tall, one small, both with their heads held high and tails raised.

"O-oh! My apologies, Whitestar, Spiderfang-" Snakefang's blunder was cut short.

"The prisoner?" Whitestar's voice sliced through the fog like ice.

"Y-yes, she's still within. Shall I lead you to her?"

Whitestar replied by walking passed the gaurd, coming to stand before Sedgestrike. Her movements were so swift she seemed to materialize from the fog. Her pelt was as pale as a spectre and her eyes glowed like brimstone.

"You had visitors, then? How quaint." Whitestar's eyes flashed. Nostrils flaring, her eyes narrowed as she spoke, "I can smell him. Was it Batface coming to say farewell?"

A snicker sounded from Whitestar's shadow. "Maybe he came to scorn her for bringing such shame onto him?"

Sedgestrike watched as Spiderfang's eyes flashed. The snakes in her prison slithered forward, fangs dripping with venom each time they spoke.

"Enough, Spiderfang. We haven't come to taunt." Whitestar glared down at Sedgestrike. "We're here to offer you a deal." She took a seat before her, wrapping her tail neatly around her paws.

Sedgestrike mirrored her leader, but she swayed as she rose to her seat. Her wounds still stung, having been hastily patched up by Redleaf. She could smell the stench of blood wafting off her body, and it was starting to reek of something more vile.

"A deal?" Sedgestrike echoed.

Whitestar nodded. "In exchange for information, we will grant you a full pardon at your trial. We will claim you were… tricked and that nothing more than a pawn in a scheme that spiralled out of control."

Spiderfang remained in Whitestar's shadow, smiling eagerly. "It's a rather fine offer, you see. Some mere names and in exchange you get to keep your head!"

Sedgestrike narrowed her good eye, while the other remained swollen shut. It pulsated within her face, making her lip curl in torture. "What names do you think I could give?"

"The names of your accomplices!" Spiderfang spat. "We know you didn't work alone! Do you think we're mousebrained? Who came up with this plot? Was it Blueflower?"

Whitestar raised her tail. "Enough, Spiderfang," she murmured coolly. Her face softened as she regarded Sedgestrike once more. "Sedgestrike, you are a good warrior. You're strong and loyal. We know you would never purposefully try to betray your Clan. There had to be others that planted this doubt in your head." She leaned in, bringing a paw to the torn side of Sedgestrike's face, brushing it gently down to her jaw. "You are destined for greatness, remember? This was just… a small obstacle in the grandeur of your destiny."

Sedgestrike froze as she was touched. Whitestar's amber eyes were as soft as a hemlock's petal. She could see nothing but death in their depths. She shoved her paw away, hissing. "You know nothing about my destiny." Her golden eyes flashed. "You are wrong, Whitestar. You always were. You are wrong about everything. The way you lead, the spirits you serve, the justice you stand for… it's twisted and vile and I'd rather die than give you the name of any cat that dares to stand in your way."

Whitestar's face cracked. There was a slight tremble in her lips before the venom came dripping again. "Very well. If that's all you have to say, I suppose we're done here." Rising to her paws, she shook her head at Sedgestrike. "Get ready to die in vain, Sedgestrike. You may think you stand for a noble cause, but how can a cause be noble when no one will rise to stand for it besides you?"

In a flash of white, she left the prison, Spiderfang still clinging to her shadow. There was no fog for them to disappear into now. Instead, a dim gray light was shining as dawn broke through. Whitestar halted outside the shelter of reeds, turning to Grayjaw and Snakefang. "Bring Sedgestrike to the clearing. It's daybreak. Her trial is to begin now."