Hi.

Okay, there were reviews all over the place and they were hard to keep up with. Like, people were reviewing older chapters that I honestly couldn't even answer anymore xD so I think I'm gonna skip Review Answers this time, sorry! I'll do them next chapter, promise.

On with the story!


Twistedfoot paced confusedly. Cats trotted about the clearing, offering her a wide berth. This she ignored, as she had gotten used to as a kit. It was her second day back. Only just yesterday had she returned and been given her warrior name, which she considered odd. But that is not what was troubling her.

"Twistedfoot, you must blend in with the Clan. Become one of them so that they do not become suspicious of you when many of them begin to disappear." Her Dark Forest guide's words rang in her ears.

"Phantomstep, what were you talking about?" she thought out loud. Suddenly, she felt her paws urging her to the elders den. Of course. Sprintfur can tell me more about him. She cocked her jaw, wondering if a warrior wanting to hear tales would annoy him.

Twistedfoot stepped lightly inside—placing her lame paw in first, absentmindedly. Lichenclaw laid in her favorite, burrowed, sheep's-wool-stuffed corner of the den. Sprintfur lay in the center. He was tossing a mossball at the woven den wall. He seemed bored, as no kits were there to hear a story.

"Sprintfur?" Twistedfoot asked quietly. Lichenclaw was dozing in and out of wakefulness, and the last thing the young, maimed she-cat wanted was to feel the grouchy elder's sharp tongue. Or, by some chance, claws. "Sprintfur, may I speak with you?"

The mossball came rolling back to the tan-brown tabby tom. He looked up. "Twistedfoot. You're looking troubled this morning. Paw aching you by chance?"

Twistedfoot sat down. The elder's raspy, yet strong and friendly voice soothed her. "This will sound stupid, but can you, perhaps, tell me something about Phantomstep?"

Sprintfur blinked, tucking his paws underneath himself. "Why's that?"

Twistedfoot looked at the ceiling, only moving her eyes. "Curious."

The elder closed his eyes and shrugged. "If you don't have anything else to do. Now, Phantomstep killed Hawkstar in vengeance of—"

"No, no—was there anything… good, about him?"

Sprintfur creased his brow, cocking his head as his mouth opened a smidge in confusion. "Good? Why?"

Twistedfoot flicked her tail. "I mean, did he have a reason?"

Srintfur raised a brow. "Of course. Ambition."

Twistedfoot frowned. "Did something provoke his ambition?"

"Do you mean to say you think that Phantomstep was good cat?" Sprintfur countered.

Twistedfoot shook her head. "N-no, not exactly, no, I mean…" she stumbled over her words.

"Twistedfoot. Are you betraying me?"

Twistedfoot froze as Phantomstep spoke to her in her head. "No, of course not! I want to know more about you!" she answered in her head. But there was no reply from the ghostly cat.

"I suppose he did what he did out of vengeance of his family. Still Stonepaw, RiverClan killed his parents and took his littermates hostage. When he tried to rescue them by himself since the WindClan leader at the time, Hawkstar, had said that they would wait and plan before helping, RiverClan killed them before his eyes to torment him. When he arrived back at WindClan, he was hated for not only being responsible for the deaths of five cats, but for ignoring a direct order from the leader and deputy, Hawkstar and Tumblestorm." He paused.

"But then what?" Twistedfoot bade the story go on.

"Well, a young she-cat fell in love with him, and he found himself happy again. But evil was still lurking in RiverClan, prepared to spring. Shortly after Stonepaw's irrational plan to try and save his siblings, resulting in their deaths, WindClan actually did send a battle patrol to avenge the killings. This attack stole away the life of the RiverClan leader, Leapstar. His son and deputy, Greenreed, became leader, and sent countless raids to WindClan to avenge his father. During this time, Stonepaw became Stonefrost."

"So it's all a battle of vengeance? His life was turned around because of revenge?"

"Exactly," Sprintfur replied. "The need for revenge tears lives apart." The elder continued the story. "One of Greenstar's raids killed the she-cat, Featherheart, who fell in love with Phantomstep, still Stonefrost at this point. Again, he realized that he was surrounded by Clanmates who hated every inch of his pelt. The last thing he had was gone. The hole in his heart was filled with ambition and vengeance."

There's that word again, Twistedfoot thought.

"Then, he began to kill RiverClan warriors while they were alone. Specifically the ones who had taken part in the torture and murder of his parents, siblings and mate. Once RiverClan ran red with the blood of their lost Clanmates, he turned on WindClan, killing all those who hated him by getting them alone. One day, he finally decided to kill Hawkstar and take over WindClan. He succeeded, but was not in power for long.

"When he tried gaining his nine lives, StarClan declined. He came back to WindClan, saying that he indeed obtained the lives a leader needed, and that he was now Stonestar. In no time, the deputy, his uncle, Tumblestorm, killed him to save the entire Clan. Once Stonestar was sentenced to Dark Forest, he was given a new name: Phantomstep."

Twistedfoot blinked. "Tumblestorm became Tumblestar?"

"Yes," Sprintfur breathed a sigh of effort. "The need for revenge is powerful. Though, there's almost no escape, not unless you have the ability to let things go, which is more difficult than you may think."

Twistedfoot nodded. "That's all I needed to know. Thanks, Sprintfur." She exited the den.

Twistedfoot walked across camp, looking at the ground. "Phantomstep, you were so wronged." There was no reply to this comment, but something told her that he had heard it.

Stormfang was frowning at his paws. Twistedfoot blinked. She had never seen her brother look so forlorn. She glanced about, then walked over to him. "Stormfang?"

The storm-gray tom didn't look up. He turned his white-blazed face to the opposite direction. "Go away."

She sat beside him. "You're my brother. Talk."

He turned his blue eyes to her. "What do you care?"

"Does it matter?"

He turned his head to her, scrunching up his muzzle, which distorted the white blaze down his face. "Runningshine is sick."

Twistedfoot blinked. "What with?"

"What does it matter to you? She never did anything in your regard." He wiped his nose with a paw.

"She birthed me," Twistedfoot pointed out.

He turned fully to her. There was a glimmer of thought in his blue eyes. "Something like greencough. But it's unlikely, since we're in early newleaf. Leafbare just ended."

Twistedfoot nodded. "Hope she recovers." Both knew that this comment had little sincerity. Twistedfoot walked away.

She watched the ground. Before she knew it, Twistedfoot was slipping on a riverbank. She huffed. The she-cat had made it to the ThunderClan border. As she leaned down to take a drink, she was intercepted by a black cat.

"We need to talk."

"What now, Phantomstep?"

"Tonight," he leaned toward her face. "Tonight, we begin. I've already planned the first cat to go. They'll all pay, mark my words. And you'll enjoy it." He began to walk away, but Twistedfoot tapped his flank.

"Tell me what you mean! You've left me clueless every time you come for these little talks."

He turned around. "It astounds me that you haven't worked it out yourself. You're going to kill them. One by one."

Twistedfoot backed away. "What!"

He narrowed his eyes, jaw protruding a bit as though frustrated. The scene was distorted, and turned into a blur of memories. Twistedfoot found herself atop a cloud, sitting beside Phantomstep as the two looked over the WindClan camp. "How did I get here…"

"Quiet," Phantomstep snapped. "Watch."

Twistedfoot leaned over to look. There lay Runningshine in the nursery, Swiftbolt laying beside her. Both looked upset as they gazed at a litter of three kits. There also stood Featherleaf and Snowfeather. No, Snowpaw. Twistedfoot peered closer. "They had another litter?"

"You idiot," Phantomstep growled at her. "Look closer."

Twistedfoot did as she was told. The kits looked familiar. "They look like Stripetail and Stormfang."

"And the third? The one that everybody is arguing over?"

Twistedfoot squinted to get a good look. It was… her? "Is this a memory?"

"What do you think it is, rabbit-brain?" Phantomstep insulted her with an old WindClan curse. "It's your birth. Now listen to their words." He leapt off the little cloud and stepped inside the den. Twistedfoot followed.

"Can they see us?" she asked.

"No," he said simply. The voices echoed clearly now.

Runningshine's head was hanging. "Why does my kit have to be the deformed one?"

Twistedfoot's head jerked backwards at this comment. She felt strangely hurt. Featherleaf looked outraged at Runningshine, but said nothing.

Swiftbolt frowned. "I will not accept this kit. She's deformed, and I don't want that extra responsibility."

Snowpaw gaped. "But she's your kit!"

Swiftbolt turned from them. He swished his tail, motioning for the two medicine cats to leave. They paused, then dipped their heads and did as they were directed. Twistedfoot's father towered over his new litter, and the scene faded.

Twistedfoot looked at her paws. They were back on the yellow grasses of WindClan.

"See? They hated you right from the beginning." Phantomstep's eyes burned into hers. She was forced to look at him.

Twistedfoot nodded. "I know."

"So are you ready?"

She closed her eyes. Am I?


Dun-dun-dun-DUH

A cliffie ^^

I should probably put something insightful and sentimental here, but I'm lazy c: So I'll rant about random things I've been up to!

I watched The AristoCats about an hour or two ago, and I really want to throw Scat Cat and his gang into the story xD I was actually thinking about it… what do y'all think? xD I wouldn't actually use Scat Cat and the toms at O'Mally's pad, but some groovy cats who play hip-swingin' music xD probably not. That would be too un-Warriors-like.

"Everybody wants to be a cat…"

Aside from that, I had a great idea for another Warriors FanFic! And no, I ain't starting it! I have WAAAAYYY too many stories going on! Between Twisted, the Four Clans of Random Events, Blizzard of the Hawk and A Secret Across the border, I have 0% wiggle room!

Thanks for reading!

"'Cause the cat's the only cat, who knows where it's at…"


*Update 12/21/14*

HA. Just like last chapter (Broken Whispers), this has been sitting on my computer for about two months. But hey, guess what! It's Christmas Break!

Or Holiday Break. Or Winter Break, even. Whatever you want to call it.

But yeah, Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Which holidays did I miss that happen in December? Tell me over in the comments!

Anyhoo, I'll be writing a lot today since I'm bored as heck xD and I've been watching too many Warriors AMVs and too much Cow of the Wild, so I'm inspired xD

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT QUESTION: How many of you watch Dan (danisnotonfire) and Phil (AmazingPhil) on Youtube? I've been watching them so much that I keep talking in an English (I know people say British, but it's actually English) accent! I think it's the same affect as when you go to another country that has an accent and you pick up that accent, you now? Those two are absolutely awesome and hilarious! Lol! Later!


See ya'll next chappie!