And so it begins...

Establishments

"Leave me alone," I growled, trying to put as much distance between Kalvus and me as possible. I didn't want anything to do with him. True, he'd gotten me where I am now, but that was beside the point. I was tired of killing. I wanted to do something good for a change.

"Hey, come on!" Kalvus meowed, padding after me. I ignored him and kept padding on. Great StarClan, did he ever shut up!?

Suddenly, Kalvus' figure appeared in front of me – materialized out of thin air. His green eyes stared into my own. It was like I was looking into a reflection: same smoky fur, same lean build, same everything. I released a frustrated sigh and took a seat in the dry, black soil. The only way this cat would leave you alone was if you gave him what he wanted.

"Fine! What do you want?" I asked, rolling my eyes. All I wanted was to wake up and get started on building up my Clan for the war. I had things to take care of: gathering prey and herbs, training warriors and apprentices – you know, the regular leader stuff.

Kalvus released a growl as he cuffed me hard over the ear, his eyes twinkling with cold fury. "First off, I want you to stop being so disrespectful. Just because I'm a figment of your imagination doesn't mean you can treat me any way you want."

"I'm pretty sure that's how the imagination works," I replied, ignoring the fire that burned on the side of my head. I fought back the urge to sink by teeth into Kalvus' neck. It would do no good, anyway – after all, you can't kill what was never alive in the first place. "I can manipulate anything in here. It's my head."

"Our head, my friend," Kalvus added. "I have as much right to be here as you do."

"No," I responded. "You said it yourself: you're a figment of my imagination. You're a part of me. Therefore, it's mine."

Kalvus didn't respond immediately, but his gaze shone with triumph. I narrowed my own eyes, wondering what I said to bring him such joy.

"You're right," Kalvus mewed smoothly, "I'm a part of you. So, why do you refuse to listen to me?"

Fox-dung! That's why he was so happy. I had said that he was a part of me. He loved it when I did that. For moons, I'd been trying to suppress Kalvus, to leave him in the back of my mind. He was like a recurring thought always nagged at you, never letting go, always there. He always said that I was running from the truth, that I couldn't avoid him. He hates it when I avoid him. He's like a kit: he craves attention.

"I don't listen to you because you're evil," I hissed, my fur bristling with anger. We'd had this conversation dozens of times. I was tired of it all. "I don't see why you can't seem to comprehend the fact that I hate you. You've made me kill and hurt cats – I don't want to do that anymore. Just leave me alone, will you?"

"Lionclaw," Kalvus purred, his voice smooth like honey. He'd transferred to his manipulative side. My heart practically froze with fear. When Kalvus wanted to persuade you, he'd switch to this… character. There was no way to describe it, other than he can be extremely convincing. "I never forced you to do anything; it was all you. You didn't have to do what I told you to do. You could have just pushed me away, like you are now."

"I hate you! Shut up and leave me alone!" I growled, trying not to listen. Doubt began to gnaw at my stomach. Kalvus was right: I hadn't had to listen to him back then. I could've ignored him. Did that mean…?

"Oh, no, Lionclaw," Kalvus purred, his voice a silky whisper. I could feel him wreathing around me like mist. I could tell he'd taken his shadow form. This was my head, after all. He could do anything he wanted. "You don't hate me. You hate what I stand for – the truth.

"You're a killer," Kalvus continued, "you're a murderer. You hate me because I keep reminding you of that. You keep trying to push me away; you keep trying to avoid the truth. But, the thing about truth is that it can be denied, not avoided. So, keep running from me. But, you and I both know that someday, you'll have to face me."

"And until that day comes," I growled, "I want you gone." Kalvus' figure began to fade at my request, his icy green eyes staring straight into mine as he disappeared. I shivered and released a sigh I hadn't known I'd been holding. The world around me began to dissipate, evaporating like mist. I gasped as I woke to the real world, bright sunshine filtering in through the branched in the tree I'd been sleeping in.

I stretched and got to my paws, padding out of the hole in the trunk. I'd specifically chosen this as my den because I like trees. The view I got when I gazed down was priceless.

I leaped lightly down from the trunk of the tree. Not many cats were awake – I always an early bird. And a bit of a night owl. I spotted Blade – one of my deputies – grooming himself next to the warriors' den. I motioned for him to come here, and waited patiently while he padded over.

"There's something I want to talk about," I meowed. "Go and wake Twilight, I'll get Duststar."

Blade nodded and trotted off to the warriors' den. I trotted over to Duststar's den near the roots of the tree and peered inside. Duststar was sleeping, his light-brown pelt rising and falling with each breath he took.

"Duststar!" I hissed.

Duststar opened his eyes and raised his head. His rubbed his cloudy eyes with a paw and released a yawn. "Lionclaw? What is it?"

"I want to talk to you," I meowed, casting a glance back at the clearing. Blade and Twilight were exiting the warriors' den. "It's important."

Duststar said something about not getting enough sleep and got to his paws. We both made our way over to the clearing. I worked my features into my signature frown. A leader couldn't look soft – he had to look intimidating and thoughtful. After we were all settled, I broke the silence.

"I wanted to talk about the apprentices' training," I started. "Duststar and I talked about it yesterday. I was thinking that we incorporate the warriors into it as well."

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Twilight asked. Her eyes were shining with curiosity.

I sniffed. I'd already thought of everything I wanted to happen. The only reason I'd gathered everyone was to assign people different rolls. I also needed certain cats assigned to certain apprentices.

"I was thinking that we have a second mentor for each apprentice," I suggested. "The mentors could get a second opinion on their training techniques. Besides, I think some of the mentors are too soft on their apprentices; another mentor could harden them up a bit. The problem is, I don't really know who to assign to who."

"We need to make sure that the helpers we give balance out the mentors," Duststar put in, his eyes narrowed in thought. "I think we could give Icepoppy to Crowpelt: she's pretty level-headed, and everyone knows that Crowpelt can be harsh."

"The old badger could certainly use some help," Twilight sniffed. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she added, "And a little something else, if you ask me."

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Alright, alright," I meowed after a few heartbeats. "Who should we assign to Icepaw's mentor?"

"Maybe we should assign Echo?" Twilight suggested, looking thoughtful. "He's strict, and Flamewave is a little soft on Icepaw. I think it would work out quite nicely. What do you think?"

I thought for a moment. True, Echo was harsh, but perhaps a little too harsh. Flamewave wasn't that soft – she was known to be a little strict. Maybe she needed someone like her? Not too soft yet not too strict?

"I think Echo is a little too strict," I meowed, "maybe Sunfur instead?" Sunfur was a nice warrior. He was strong, but he wasn't too strict. He'd be ideal for training Icepaw.

"Sunfur seems like a nice choice," Duststar commented, tilting his head to the side. His eyes were narrowed. "He's not too harsh, but he's not the most sympathetic cat in the Clan. I think he'd do nicely."

"Well, that leaves Darkpaw," I mewed. I searched my mind as best I could.

"Maybe I could help?"

I blinked in astonishment and cast a glance at Blade. "What?"

"I said that I'd like to mentor him," Blade meowed, blinking.

"Okay…" I shrugged, deciding not to press the subject any further. Blade wasn't known to be the social type. He was one of those do-without-saying types. What interest could he have in mentoring Darkpaw? I simply expelled the matter from my mind. If Blade wanted to mentor Darkpaw, then so be it.

"Alright then," I decided, "Blade, I'm leaving you in charge of organizing everything. Twilight, you can start organizing patrols when everyone wakes up. I want some hunting patrols to stock up on food. Leaf-bare is on the way, and I want the Clan well-fed. Send Graysky out with some warriors to gather herbs as well."

Both cats nodded and padded off. Twilight entered the warriors' den, but not before Blade whispered something to her, who disappeared inside the apprentices' den. Feeling content, I turned my attention to Duststar. He gazed at me with curious eyes, but I could detect a very subtle underlining of fear beneath. "You can do what you want," I said, padding off. "I'll be back later."

I exited the camp, making my way into the forest. I needed time to think. Besides, my head was starting to ache a bit – it was the same familiar aching that always occurred whenever Kalvus wanted to talk. Heaving a sigh, I was the first to speak. "What is it?"

"Well, could you at least act like you're happy to have my company," Kalvus growled, annoyance gurgling in his mew. "I swear, you're the rudest cat ever."

I couldn't help but laugh. In my opinion, it was extremely funny that Kalvus considered himself to be a whole cat. He would always say that he was independent of me, but then he'd jump to say that we were both the same. "Okay, first off, I would act fond of you, but that would be lying; and you know how much I hate lying. Second, I am the rudest cat you've met, but only because I'm the only cat you've ever met. You can't exist outside my subconscious."

"Yeah, what's up with that, anyway?" Kalvus' mew was questioning and demanding at the same time; I could tell where this conversation was going. "Why don't you ever let me take over?"

I heaved a sigh. Kalvus was a separate personality that existed in my head. True, he was a psychopath and a murderer, but he was charming about it. That, combined with my cheerful spirit, made something quite interesting and complex. I was always the one in control, though. Kalvus could take over as a separate personality, but that wasn't happening anytime soon.

"I don't trust you," I conceded. "You're cruel. Normally, I wouldn't mind that, but you're sneaky and cunning about it. If I let you take over, there's no telling what would happen."

Kalvus scoffed. "Don't act like you're not like me. You're sneaky and cruel too; the only difference is that I'm not afraid to admit it. I know you like the way it feels when you slash a cat's throat. I'm your subconscious, remember? I know things about you that even you don't know! Like fact that you're a sadist."

Okay, that was stretching it way too far. Maybe I did like hurting cats deep down – moons of facing nothing but death and bloodshed had done that to me. Admittedly, it did feel good when I killed a cat. I don't really know how to explain it. But, I was definitely not a sadist.

"Slow down, there!" I hissed. "I am not a sadist!"

"Right. Just like you're not a murderer, even though you've killed dozens – probably hundreds – of cats in your lifetime. It's okay, Lionclaw, no need to feel ashamed."

"Exactly: no need to be ashamed of what isn't true."

"You're hopeless."

"And you're unbearable." I chose to end the conversation right there. I hadn't even realized it, but I'd been padding through the forest the whole time I'd been talking. I hoped that no one had seen me seemingly talking to myself. Had I been replying to myself, or just talking one-sided? I never really knew about that part.

I was standing at the edge of the LionClan border – StarClan, I like that sound of that – looking over into DarkClan territory.

I couldn't help the tide of hate that washed over me. I'd made a mistake back then, but it wasn't so bad that I had to be exiled. And, it'd been done by my best friend! After everything Tornstar and I had been through, he'd driven me from my home.

You'd better be ready, Tornstar, I growled inwardly. I unsheathed my claws and curled them into the ground. I'm coming for your blood, and I plan on spilling a lot of it.

Man, I loved writing this! Lionclaw is so much fun! Anyway, with break in session, I'll be able to upload slightly more often than usual. Until my next update, have a nice day, and take a little time to think.

- Excophous