Author's Note: This chapter takes place after chapter 17 but before the end of chapter 18. Warning for violence and death and stuff.

The air was tense as it was damp.

Fallen Leaves couldn't stand it.

"I need to be out there," Fallen Leaves mewed, trying to keep his pacing under control. There wasn't really enough room to properly pace down here. Normally, the tunnel walls around him were comforting but right now they felt suffocating. Like they were whispering that they were going to be his grave.

"We're the only ones really ready to fight underground," Hollyleaf pointed out. She then waved her tail in Willowshine's direction. "And we need to protect Willowshine. She can hear StarClan from here."

"Not StarClan," Willowshine murmured with a tone of uncertainty. "I don't know what."

"My ancestors, probably."

"She can hear someone from here," Hollyleaf corrected and Fallen Leaves wondered if he should be worried her faith was so blind, "and we need to be here to listen. And keep any Dark Forest cats from getting to her."

"But-"

"No buts. I know you want to help but we can do the most help by waiting here."

"Actually," Willowshine spoke up and Hollyleaf looked like she wanted to slap her tail over the medicine cat's mouth, "I think… I think some of the runners didn't make it. I'm not sure. I've just got this really strong feeling that Fallen Leaves should go to ShadowClan."

Fallen Leaves felt a ripple of relief but Hollyleaf didn't seem to share his sentiment. "Fallen Leaves, no."

"I have to help, Hollyleaf," he told her firmly. He tried to pretend the pain in her eyes didn't hurt him too. "I promise I'll be fine. I'm already dead, not much worse can happen."

"A lot worse can happen."

Fallen Leaves wanted to tell her that he knew but he withheld. For both their sakes. "I'll see you again."

Hollyleaf remained silent. Without looking back, he raced to the surface, trying to ignore the guilt weighing down his heart.

It was disorienting leaving the calm, darkness of the tunnels. The transition to sharp light and a barrage of noise was always overwhelming. In the distance, he could hear fighting but he tried his best to ignore it. He could help and maybe he should but he was in ThunderClan territory right now and he was meant to be in ShadowClan territory. He couldn't dally.

Fallen Leaves was a strong cat and ghosts were light on their paws. His strides were long and he seemed to skid in the air. But however fast he ran, he wasn't fast enough.

He could smell the stretch of rotted moss and filthy pelt, that distinct Dark Forest scent, long before he reached the ShadowClan camp. The birds and forest creatures were silent yet the world was just so loud. And when he burst into the camp, it only got louder.

If it was just noise, he would be able to handle it but it was worse. So much worse.

"Tigerheart!"

"I don't know if we're going to make it," Sedgewhisker gasped, out of breath. She was locked in a dead sprint, the kind only a WindClan cat could withstand, but it was wearing her out. She was strong but it was taking a toll on her body.

"We will," Berrynose responded sharply and tried to pour a bit more energy into his strides. He was already giving it his all, trying to keep up with a WindClan cat, and every muscle in his body was burning but he couldn't give up. The adrenaline and heavy dread in his body wouldn't let him.

"No, I don't think you will," a foreign voice said and the pair of cats skidded to a stop. Dust flew up, getting in Berrynose's eyes. He coughed and tried to blink it away. He couldn't afford to have something as silly as dust hold him back now.

"Breezepelt?"

There was relief in Sedgewhisker's mew at the sight of her clan mate but something about the dark tom's presence made Berrynose uneasy. He shifted into a defensive stance and stepped back. "Be careful, Sedgewhisker."

"What are you talking about, Berrynose? It's Breezepelt. He's my clanmate. He's not going to hurt us."

"You really should listen to your friend, Sedgewhisker," Breezepelt hissed right before raking his claws down Sedgewhisker's face.

Her yowl hurt Berrynose deep down. He should have seen this coming and reacted sooner. He didn't let the guilt slow him down though and he sprang into action quickly, barreling into Breezepelt and sending the two tumbling. Claws slashed his soft underbelly and he felt teeth fasten on his shoulder but he didn't stop rolling.

"Berrynose!"

"Keep running!" Berrynose yowled as he tried to batter Breezepelt's chest with his hindpaws. "You need to warn WindClan!"

"I don't see what good warning WindClan would be considering the Dark Forest is already there," Breezepelt snarled, twisting out from under Berrynose and slamming his paws down on the ThunderClan tom's stomach as hard as he could. Berrynose cried out as dark spots filled his vision, the air leaving his lungs suddenly and abruptly. "We will triumph today."

Suddenly the weight was gone. Berrynose rolled over and opened his eyes to the sight of Sedgewhisker dragging Breezepelt off him. "What are you doing, Breezepelt? You're going to kill us all!"

"It's a necessary evil," Breezepelt responded and reached back with his paws to grapple her neck. Berrynose was on his paws in an instant and grabbed his tail in his jaw, clamping down as hard as he could on the sensitive tip. "You fox-dung!"

"Better fox-dung than a traitor," Berrynose replied and the two toms were soon wrestling again. "Sedgewhisker, you need to go to WindClan. Please, I can handle this."

"I can't leave you alone! Breezepelt is a Dark Forest warrior. He'll-"

Berrynose didn't get to hear the rest of what she was saying. One heartbeat, he was trying to pin Breezepelt down under his greater weight and the next there was a deep gash in his throat.

Tigerheart didn't expect it to be this bad.

One heartbeat, everything was normal, calm and tranquil as ever. The next, dozens of wiry cats were crawling all over the ShadowClan camp. It was so sudden that most of his clanmates and fellow warriors didn't know how to react and that was their own doom. Dark Forest cats sprang from the forest and clobbered them without mercy.

Tigerheart, however, reacted quickly. "The Dark Forest is attacking! Get the kits and elders out of the camp!"

"Don't let them separate you!" Blackstar barked. Tigerheart's head swiveled, trying to locate his leader, but he couldn't find the bulky tom anywhere. "Pair up!"

It was good advice, Tigerheart had to say. As hostile Dark Forest warriors were to each other, they worked well together. They were pack animals, like wolves. How could they not be? The Dark Forest meant to be an endlessly empty prison for cats to wander until they faded. They had to stick together, for their own sakes. And that meant they were masters of working together to drive cats apart to prey on them. They knew better than any other cat how weak a cat was alone.

But Tigerheart couldn't just follow his own advice, now could he?

Admittedly, he could have tried better. He only spent a few heartbeats looking for a partner to team up with and when he saw that there weren't any warriors near him, he dismissed the thought. Big mistake. He should've known… Well, he should've known better.

It was when he was just about to finish off a scraggly tom that he realized what was wrong.

"Hey, Tigerkit," a familiar voice sneered. Tigerheart looked up from the cat pinned under him, teeth still peeled back and ready to clamp down. The cat beneath him took this as an opportunity to twist out of his grip. Tigerheart didn't pay him any mind. He was just going to run away. The cats in front of him were more important.

"Having fun?" a second voice taunted. Tigerheart flattened his ears and growled. The two approaching cats laughed, throaty voices dark and familiar.

"Ooh, little Tigerkit's got teeth," Houndleap said, eyes gleaming. "Let's get him, Shredtail."

Houndleap and Shredtail were some of the Dark Forest's best. Not good enough to be leaders like Brokenstar or Tigerstar but good enough to have their fair share of apprentices. Living apprentices, that is. They baited pawfuls of cats to join them in their dreams and were cunning and cruel teachers. Tigerheart had trained with them a fair amount but he didn't understand why they were coming after him like this. He tried not to let it nag his mind though. He needed to focus on beating these two.

Without warning, he threw himself at Shredtail but Houndleap slammed into him midair, knocking him into the ground. Before Tigerheart could even blink, Shredtail pounced and scored his claws across Tigerheart's face. He yowled and managed to roll enough that the second blow only hit his shoulder but it still hurt.

It was now he realized that he really should've taken the time to follow Blackstar's order. These two were dominating him. Their teamwork was flawless despite the fact they didn't really like each other. Both of them were ragged and scrawny but that only made them stronger. More wily. They hit harder than cats twice their size and they had this unpredictable quality that made them impossible to pin down. Soon, Tigerheart's priority switched from defeating them to surviving.

Tigerheart was broad shouldered and well muscled. It took both Houndleap and Shredtail standing on him to pin him down. Chest pressed against the earth, at least his throat and belly weren't exposed but Shredtail was wreaking havoc on his ears, Houndleap doing the same to his teeth. Tigerheart grit his teeth, trying not to yowl in pain. He didn't want his last moments to be spent crying like some kit with a thorn in his paw.

Then his savior came.

"Tigerheart!" Fallen Leaves yowled, making the pair of Dark Forest toms look up. Their distraction was enough for Tigerheart to get one of his paws under him and thrust his shoulders upward, unbalancing them. Fallen Leaves was soon at his side, clamping down on Houndleap's shoulder. "Get off of him!"

"Fox dung!" Shredtail snarled. "Silverhawk! Get over here. We need your help!"

"Give me a moment!" an angry voice yowled back. Tigerheart glanced in that direction to see a large, ragged tom pinning down one of his clanmates. If he were thinking more clearly, he'd be intimidated by how much bigger this cat was than the scrawny Houndleap, Shredtail, and Fallen Leaves but he was more focused on the cat pinned beneath his paws.

"Tawnypelt!" Tigerheart cried, anguis bubbling up in his belly at the sight of his mother so bloodied and battered.

"Tigerheart!" she called back. "You need to run! They want to-"

Tawnypelt didn't have the chance to finish. Silverhawk kicked her square in the ribs before grabbing her by the scruff and tossing her to some other cat to handle. He turned, teeth gleaming, to the awaiting toms. "Ignore her, Tigerkit. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Well, maybe a bit."

"That was my mother, you crowfood!" Tigerheart yowled and he launched himself at the silvery tom despite Fallen Leaves's protests. His body was throbbing and his wounds were oozing but right now, all he could see was red and the cat who had hurt his mother.

He should have known this would end badly.

Silverhawk sidestepped him with ease and slammed a paw down hard on his spine. Tigerheart hit the ground rougher than he would have liked, knees and elbows scraping the earth and joints jostling in the most unnatural way. He tried to keep his head up but that too slammed against the ground, making his skull echo. Shredtail didn't waste time pouncing on his back and his teeth were soon in his scruff. Another cat- Tigerheart couldn't tell who yet, he was a bit disoriented- grabbed his tail. It took Tigerheart a few moments to realize he was being dragged away.

"No!" Fallen Leaves yowled, mid-grapple with… Tigerheart still couldn't tell who was who. His vision was swimming. "No, stop! Where are you taking him?"

Tigerheart didn't have the chance to process the question. The dark spots in his vision grew larger and he slipped into unconsciousness, the sight of his clan dying fading before him.

Author's Note: I was planning on ending it in the next chapter and I still am but I have two ideas on how to end it. Ending 1 is a more firm, closed ending. No loose ends, we get all the answers. Ending 2 is more open ended and leaves room for me to continue this story after a much needed break.

After some kind reviews, I have the motivation to go back and edit. I'm going to be editing chapters 9, 10, 12, and 15-18 for sure, and 15 may have a scene added. I want to finish this soon so the wait won't be too long but I would like to hear which ending you guys want. If I do ending 1, I may write a sequel anyway with ending 2 but it is less likely. If I do ending 2, higher chance of more but it probably won't be a while. Basically the choice is satisfaction vs opportunity for more chapters.

Edited 5/13/2021: This editing session is now finished.