TaigaClan challenge! Long time since I posted one so... A Visit!

Soakpaw stirred in her sleep, murmuring slurred words. In her dream, she was in a dark, rotting place. The trees were grey and leafless, fungus was pretty much everywhere you looked, fog had inhabited the place, and if you had seen the sky at all, it was dark, no stars or moon could be seen through the bare branches.

"Hello? Come here please," A voice meowed sweetly. It sounds like a tom. Soakpaw shivered, but followed the voice's source. She saw an outline of a cat looking up at the sky, as though he could see how clear it could've been. Soakpaw carefully crept towards the cat, putting her body close to the ground, hoping there were any reeds to hide in. The white tabby she-cat kept scanning the decaying surroundings until a sour smell came to her. She finally came to a pile of fungus on some trees, attempting to crouch there, peering over at the cat. A dark grey face staring right back at her with interest gleaming in his eyes.

"Who... who are you?" Soakpaw managed to squeak.

"Aah, of course a RiverClan apprentice would have no idea who I am," the cat sighed softly. "I'm Thicketleg." His voice became more threatening as she saw the apprentice look at him with petrified eyes. "I used to be a ShadowClan warrior until a ThunderClan patrol ambushed and killed me!" Soakpaw stiffened. ThunderClan? They've been causing a lot of problems lately... But killing? You'd expect ShadowClan or SkyClan to be culprits, the white tabby thought grimly.

"Well, did-d I die? Is this StarClan?" The apprentice asked. Thicketleg merely sniffed, as though he was asked this question before.

"Can I tell you something?" Thicketleg asked.

"Y-yes," Soakpaw mewed.

"This is the Place of No Stars. I'm going to be straight with you because clearly," Thicketleg stopped and looked at his surroundings in scorn before continuing on, "no one is going to believe that this place is StarClan. Besides, many cats already know about this place since the Great Battle. But judging by your expression," he analyzed the apprentice with curiosity, "you haven't heard of it."

The apprentice barely held back a shriek. "Are you going to kill me?"

"Pfft, what would I gain from that?" The former warrior snorted. "It's not like you did anything remarkable in your lifetime."

"Then what will you do to me?" Soakpaw asked. The Dark Forest warrior turned and padded off, gesturing his tail for the apprentice to follow. The RiverClan she-cat cocked her head in confusion.

"Walk with me RiverClanner," Thicketleg growled. He muttered something that Soakpaw couldn't quite grasp. Soakpaw followed the dark tom, trembling with every step. She looked around as they went deeper into the forest. This place is endless! Thicketleg stopped at a rotting log, the warrior then jumping on top of it.

"Why are we here?" The apprentice mewed.

"Come on, don't you want to just talk?" The ShadowClan cat asked.

Soakpaw sighed. "I guess so. You must be pretty lonely." Thicketeg smirked and stood on top of the log, his head high as she stared down at the living cat, as if he were a leader.

"At least someone will care," Thicketleg muttered before beginning his story. "So, here I am. Born as a regular ShadowClan kit. I was an exemplar apprentice and a fantastic warrior. I even had kits!"

"Who were they?" Soakpaw asked.

"Well, at the time I died, their names were Rootpaw, Asterpaw, and Eclipsepaw," Thicketleg sighed. "Could you tell me if they're still alive?" Rootpaw, Asterpaw, Eclipsepaw? Hmm... wait! Soakpaw nudged the warrior. He turned and flicked his tail in impatience, but he tilted his head a bit for Soakpaw to continue.

"Umm, there are ShadowClan cats called Asterwing and Eclipsebark. Although, one of them told me that their brother, Rootpaw, was killed by a SkyClan patrol." Thicketleg back fur shot up when Soakpaw was finished, then clawed at the dead wood furiously.

"SkyClan! How dare they?" The warrior spat. "First, they killed my mentor, now my son? Unbelievable!" The tabby's fur rose in fear, unsheathing her claws. The grey tom-cat glanced at her, slightly relaxing.

"Sorry for my sudden outburst, I couldn't help it," the warrior apologized. "Although, it's good my daughters became warriors."

"No, I get it. Losing someone can always be painful," Soakpaw reassured the tom. The warrior seemed to soften, but his voice still held traces of seething anger.

"SkyClan, ever since Deerstar became leader, they've been nothing but a fox's spawn," Thicketleg growled.

"I wish Deerstar got what he deserved!" Soakpaw meowed indignantly. She stared at Thicketleg, curiosity suddenly washing over her. "How did you get here?"

"I took one of Deerstar's lives," Thicketleg answered without looking at the RiverClan she-cat. "He deserved it though! I don't even belong here! Ask anyone here! I followed the warrior code by heart! Yet I have come here. Maybe I have a purpose here?"

"That doesn't seem right at all," Soakpaw mumbled.

"I wish I could take a cat from the living world, a cat who doesn't suddenly run at the sight of a warrior like me, who can learn SkyClan's moves," Thicketleg meowed, his eyes landing on the apprentice excitedly. Soakpaw returned his gaze with a frightened one of her own.

"Would you like to learn how SkyClan fights?" The warrior asked.

"Will I get injured? Like, bloodshed injured?" Soakpaw demanded. Although, her heart betrayed her, her legs stiff with fear as she suddenly realized how she reacted.

"I'm wiser than our Dark Forest ancestors before us. No blood will appear in your nest," Thicketleg reassured the apprentice coolly.

"But-"

"Stop worrying. Will you train with me?" Thicketleg urged. SkyClan could be defeated. She could teach her Clanmates SkyClan's tactics. RiverClan won't suffer as much. But is it worth it? I could make cats lose what they ever loved. I could end up here, just because I killed a cat, like Thicketleg.

"Dawn is coming, Soakpaw! Make your choice now," Thicketleg's mew snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Yes!" Soakpaw blurted out. "I'll train with you!" Thicketleg smirked, then broke out into a purr. He wrapped his tail around the light tabby, whispering into her ear.

"RiverClan won't fall. Thanks to you, they can have moons of peace," Thicketleg meowed. Soakpaw smiled. It doesn't matter the cost. Protecting my clan will be worth it.

Unless, it isn't.

Pre-Deerstar's reign storyline or something.