'If the sun will rise, he'll be dead or you'll be alive.
There is a devil at your door.
So, you better think twice.'

'Devil at Your Door' - Frally

¢нαρтєя тнιяту-ƒινє: тнє ¢σммαηdєя

The city held many secrets, still held many secrets, and would always hold secrets. It would no doubt take an eternity to discover them all, and by the time all had been found, more would have appeared. Secrets lingered in the shadows, waiting, festering, and growing into monstrous things that crave destruction.

"You're dead."

But this was not an evil secret. At least, they hoped it wasn't.

"I'm sorry you had to believe that for so long."

How could she be standing there like nothing had happened? Like they hadn't thought she'd been dead for moons? Did she even know what they'd been through? Where had she been when they'd been struggling to stay alive?

"You can't be here."

"I am, Rainpatch, I'm right here." There was water building up in the corner of eyes resembling the colour of rich, dark green leaves.

Rainpatch shook his head. "I don't believe it."

"Take your time, I knew you all wouldn't be able to just welcome me back straight away," Tornheart smiled weakly. "Just...just know that I have been waiting to see you with my own eyes for nights upon nights."

"Then why didn't you come find us?" Eaglestrike spluttered.

"You don't want to know."

Icepetal's tongue dripped accusations. "Where were you? Where were you when Willowclaw was fighting for his life against some monster? Where were you when he was taken away from us? Where were you when a tribe of nutcases kept us prisoner!? Where were you when Littleflame was pitted against two dogs!? Where were you when she died!?"

"Do you know how much we've lost?" she continued to spit. "Do you even care? Or did you perhaps forget about us whilst you were hiding here in the city?"

"Hiding in the city, is that what you think I've been doing? I am so very glad you think so highly of me, Icepetal, to assume that I've just been hiding from the world," Tornheart deadpanned.

Icepetal snorted, "Don't make me out to be the bad one."

"Stop acting like the bad one then."

"How dare you," Icepetal seethed. "How dare you act like you're some sort of being that can do nothing but good? Do you even know what we've been through chasing after this stupid prophecy!?"

Tornheart met Icepetal's heated gaze. "Yes. I know everything that has happened to you, and with each hardship I cried because I was too far away to do anything."

"Why didn't you save her?! Why didn't you save Littleflame? She was just down that tunnel, why did you let her die!?"

"She was already dying. To bring someone back from the dead is to mess with a fragile balance; it won't always have good outcomes," the rogue explained gently.

"You didn't do a thing! What about that bond? If you couldn't save her then why didn't you just end her suffering? If you knew that bringing her back from the dead that day by the waterfall was such a risk then why did you do it? She was torn to pieces, Tornheart, ripped apart bit by bit," Icepetal bit back.

Tornheart curled her lip, "you say that like I don't know how she died."

"You were watching?" Rainpatch breathed, face downcast.

"No," she looked away, "but I felt her pain. That is what the bond does. It was never meant for you to remain connected with each other. The bond is yet another punishment for me, one the Guardians never mentioned to me. Each pain you feel I also feel. Each raw emotion that floods your senses overwhelms me. That is what the bond is."

"Littleflame wasn't dying," Eaglestrike mumbled. "She was healthier than she had ever been after you brought her back."

"She might have looked that way but from the moment she took her first breath after I brought her back she had one paw in the afterlife. That one paw became a leg, then a shoulder, then a side, and so on. She told you she could see the dead, didn't see?" The question was directed at Eaglestrike to which he nodded after a slight hesitation. "A cat with ties to the afterlife will slowly be consumed, and then returned."

Rainpatch looked utterly bemused. "Why waste the effort to save her then? To put it harshly," he added hastily at Icepetal's sharp hiss.

"The prophecy stated that five would be needed to destroy Crimson, five were Chosen, five needed to make it to her alive. That's all you needed me for, that's all I had to do."

"A fine job you did," Apollo made her presence known.

Tornheart observed the city cat with a critical eye, sweeping over lean muscles and picking out old scars. "No cat is perfect; I did the best I could. Remind me again who you are."

"Name's Apollo."

"Where did the Chosen pick you up?"

Apollo arched a brow looking slightly insulted. "They didn't 'pick me up' I chose to follow them from the tribe's grasslands to the city."

"You chose to?" Tornheart frowned. "Odd choice."

"Never said my decisions were smart," Apollo grinned.

Eaglestrike muffled his laugh, smothering it in the fur around Apollo's neck. "I think it was a pretty smart decision to join us."

"Of course you would," she rolled her eyes.

"Enough," Icepetal growled, "enough of this false pretending. Why aren't you upset, Eaglestrike? I thought you loved Littleflame. You loved her, and she loved you, and you've just forgotten about her."

"I-I haven't forgotten about her, I haven't. But I can't think about her," he admitted.

"Why not?" Icepetal demanded.

Eaglestrike looked away, out over the city to the wilderness beyond wishing that he could be back home in the comfort of his own territory not worrying about prophecies or cats he'd loved that had died. He swallowed, "if I think about her and what happened to her I'll never be able to stop, I'll never be able to move on. That's not what Littleflame would have wanted."

"How would you know what she would have wanted? You hardly spoke to her once we entered the city."

"I was focused on keeping us alive!" he protested.

Rainpatch flicked his tail out to bar Icepetal from pushing her way over to Eaglestrike, staring down the bristling she-cat. "Is this really what you want?" the WaveClanner asked, "to start fighting? You claim to know what Littleflame would have wanted. I know for a fact that this is not it, so stop it. Behave like a warrior, not a spoilt kit. We've all lost loved ones, we're all hurting."

"Lost loved ones? You've had the happiest life out of all of us," Icepetal sneered.

"Littleflame was my friend as well! So was Willowclaw. Stop doing this to yourself; stop acting like everything is your burden to bear. The burden will get heavier and heavier until it breaks you," Rainpatch spoke.

"You've all come so far," Tornheart whispered, "from the dysfunctional group of five cats from different Clans. I'm amazed. You aren't a team, you're a family."

Eaglestrike couldn't help but scoff, "a family? We've spent more time fighting with each other than fighting Crimson. Families stick together, we've broken apart."

"No, you haven't broken apart. The hardships and losses you've faced have brought you closer together though you won't be able to see it. I can, and I bet Apollo can too," Tornheart smiled slightly.

"I suppose," Apollo grunted, "that I might have thought you were a family when I first ran into you all."

"See? No cat chooses their family, it is given to them. You were given a second family to cherish alongside the ones you left behind."

Icepetal let out a long breath, shoulders sagging. "They should be here with us, Willowclaw and Littleflame."

"You will see Willowclaw again once this is all over, and Littleflame might finally be at peace in the afterlife, but they both still remain in your memories. In a way they are here with us, just not in solid forms," Tornheart purred.

"I have missed your wise words," Rainpatch pawed at Tornheart's shoulder, "and your hunting skills too, my belly has never been fuller than the days when you were hunting."

"Those days shall come again, Rainpatch of WaveClan, no need to worry about that."

Eaglestrike had to ask, he needed to know. "What happened to you then, if you didn't die by the waterfall that evening?"

"Before I tell you I need you all to understand that I thought I was going to die, there was never a moment when I didn't think I would die. A cat can only cross Crimson so many times before they are executed; I am no different, although apparently I am. Crimson didn't kill me by that waterfall for reasons that I do not know, perhaps she regrets that decision, perhaps she does not, I was never able to ask," Tornheart began. "She took me back to the mountain, threw me in one of the tombs in the deepest, darkest parts of her kingdom to rot. Condemned to never see the light of day or feel the freshness of a mountain breeze. Not a pleasant way to live out the rest of one's days."

"Jinx found me there, told me Crimson had made sure everyone thought I had died. Thank the stars for Jinx, that cat kept me sane by simply visiting me whenever she could. She told me what was happening, what Crimson was doing, what you were doing; and she told me the plan her and Raz had been coming up with."

"Raz?" Eaglestrike furrowed his brow, "I recognise that name."

"You should, he's Crimson's lead elite, or he was. He and Jinx were planning on killing Crimson themselves, though there way was so much dirtier and darker than mine. What I'm about to tell you must remain between us, no one else needs to know, understand?" The Chosen nodded and Tornheart continued, "four moons ago Crimson gave birth to two kits, both toms, heirs to her kingdom."

Rainpatch's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Kits? With who!?"

"Who do you think, stupid? Frozengaze," Icepetal shoved him

"Correct," Tornheart nodded. "Born to Frozengaze and Crimson they were to be the next rulers should Crimson die. Raz and Jinx were planning on murdering the kits, unhinging Crimson's rule from the inside. You see, Crimson had a strange affection for the little lives she had created. Maybe a mother's love is something that can infect even Crimson's stone heart, we'll never know."

"Did they succeed?" Apollo leaned closer.

Tornheart's expression became dark. "They did; Jinx murdered one of them but Frozengaze worked it all out. He set up a trap on one of the far mountain paths Jinx liked to patrol, a rockslide that crushed her. She died on that path, as did Raz, corpses for Crimson to find the next day. Apparently Crimson was distraught, became convinced there were traitors in her kingdom," she shrugged, "I became the only remaining oath-taker, a shadow on the walls."

"By the time four of you were leaving the tribe Crimson was already doing deals with Titan, bargaining and bartering for more soldiers for her army. Her obsession with the city drove her to agree to stupid demands. She needed a cat to send to Titan but she didn't have any. I didn't know any of this at the time, call it fate or coincidence, but I managed to get out of the tomb one night or day I can't remember. Crimson's last kit, a brave but stupid thing, stumbled upon me. I had to do it. I had to kill him. So I did. Slit him open from nose to tail, left him on the ground in a puddle of his own blood," she looked sheepish.

"Everyone knew I did it, I confessed to it, wanted Crimson to know that my loyalty to her no longer existed. She used me as her bargaining chip and sent me to the city to become Titan's son's mate, unifying Crimson's kingdom and Titan's city."

"That's not what happened though, is it?" Apollo interrupted. "You never became Visery's mate; you ended up being Arrow's mate. How? Unification between Titan and Crimson would have been ideal for the both of them at the time."

Tornheart's face twisted into a scowl, self-hate clear as day in her eyes. "Visery's did not want a scarred, ugly, broken, twisted, betraying rogue for a mate. He refused, not that I could blame him, a future ruler needs a mate that is beautiful yet cunning, delicate yet a killer, that is not me. Titan couldn't have Crimson's oath-taker running free, it would break the deal. He gave me to his nephew instead; solved the problem in a way."

"You have a mate?" Icepetal smirked.

"Is that really all you got from that?" Rainpatch exclaimed.

Icepetal shrugged, "it was the only thing I could comment on."

"She does have a mate." Paw-steps announced the arrival of a newcomer, soft voice pitching his opinion to the group. Tornheart perked up her attention captured by whoever had appeared on the balcony. The Chosen turned and Eaglestrike saw Icepetal's eyes widen in slight interest, the first time he'd seen it happen since Willowclaw.

His fur was a golden brown, hanging in short waves down his sides. A white patch bloomed on his chest, stretching up in a line to his chin. He was well-built, had the body of a soldier, maybe a little bit slimmer. The smile on his muzzle, tender and all for Tornheart, reached well into yellow eyes.

"Arrow, aren't you supposed to be in a battle meeting?" Tornheart padded over to Arrow, purring loudly when he nuzzled her. Eaglestrike tilted his head to one side, an odd warmness filling his heart.

"It's starting once the Clanners, and you, join us," Arrow answered, casting a warm glance over the others. It stilled and faded when it reached Apollo, "I suppose you can come as well. You can represent Miraz until he gets here."

"Lead the way," Eaglestrike replied.

The city cat – Tornheart's mate – retreated back towards the building. Dwarfing everything in its path was the mountain that Crimson had raised, dominating the city with its sheer size. The blood moon sat just above it. Eaglestrike turned his attention away from the frightening sight, concentrating on the cat he thought had died.

She looked happy, really happy, the happiest he had ever seen her. It looked like the change in mates had been a good one, Arrow seemed to love her quite a bit. They were talking amongst themselves, walking so close their fur mixed together, black and gold. To see the ex-Clan cat treated normally without any traces of hate or distrust was strange, Eaglestrike had spent far too long hating the oath-taker for betraying the Clans. He could see now that she was no threat to anyone other than Crimson.

New curiosities sprung to mind. Why hadn't Tornheart escaped the city and come to find them? If she claimed that it was her duty to make sure the five Chosen made it to Crimson alive then surely her every efforts must have been focused on escaping? Would she have let her own happiness get in the way and cloud her judgement? He pushed those thoughts away; Tornheart deserved at least a little happiness.

Five Chosen. Five paw-picked to defeat Crimson. Five in the prophecy. He mulled over the prophecy, turning it over and over, picking it apart. If what Tornheart said was true and five were needed to kill Crimson, then everything they had done since leaving Willowclaw behind had been a waste. They would have to go back, waste even more time, and rescue him. But what about Littleflame? Bringing her back from the dead was impossible. Were they doomed then?

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Apollo quietly asked.

"If five don't face down Crimson, then will it have all been a waste?" his answer was honest.

Apollo shrugged, "there are five of us now, aren't there? Or don't Tornheart and I count?"

"I..I don't know. You weren't prophesised."

"And you were? You told me Tornheart found you because her Guardians guided her to you, not because you five were specifically stated in the prophecy. Maybe only five cats willing to make such a sacrifice are needed, not five Chosen?"

Eaglestrike hummed in quiet agreement. She had a point, there was no place in the prophecy that said their names or gave any clues as to who the five were. What if five weren't needed? That's ridiculous; if five weren't needed then five wouldn't have been sent.

"Ah, you managed to find them, Arrow?" Titan's voice pulled Eaglestrike back to the present. They'd been taken to a part of the warehouse that was cut off from the rest, solid walls protecting those inside from those out. The room was large enough for a quite a number of cats, or it would have been if the middle wasn't just a dip filled with sand. Scratches and scrapings resembling lines of movement were spread out across the sand.

"They were exactly where you said they'd be," Arrow dipped his head.

"I hope you made peace with your fellow Clan cats?" Titan addressed Tornheart.

She nodded, "I did, thank you."

"Good, now, Clanners come join us there is much we have to discuss regarding this battle that's bound to take place soon. As you can see," he indicated to the scrapings, "we've been planning for quite a while, but we still aren't sure if what we've planned will be effective against Crimson's army, that's why we need you. You are the only ones that have faced her army and lived, though back then I suppose her army was smaller."

"Size doesn't matter when it comes to Crimson's soldiers."

"Just the cat I've been waiting for! You're a little late, Shatteredlight," Titan rumbled. "We have taken the liberty of starting without you."

A white she-cat entered the room via a different entrance. Her fur was long and white, kept immaculately clean, broken up only by the red patch over one eye. "I see we have newcomers to our meeting. Care to introduce them?"

Something niggled at the back of Eaglestrike's mind, tweaking at the memories of stories his mother had told him as a kit. Why did the name Shatteredlight sound familiar? Could it only be because it sounded a little like a Clan name?

"Clan cats, like you were once. Except I don't think any of them came from your Clan, their names aren't quite as bizarre as yours."

"You lead RisingClan for a short time," Icepetal sounded reverent. "Shatteredlight, daughter of Risingwhisper and Fallenshadow, founders of RisingClan. You'd only been leader for a few days before you vanished without a trace."

Eaglestrike tried not to stare. He'd heard plenty of stories about Shatteredlight, the warrior that could topple the world if she tried. Bloodthirsty stories about the time when Clans attacked each other, a RisingClan warrior trained to kill without remorse from birth. Her father had taught her everything there was to know about war, even all the tiny things that others would class as unimportant.

"My reputation precedes me," Shatteredlight sighed. "How is my Clan?"

"The last time we were in the valley it was red with flames. We can't tell you how your Clan is, we can't even tell ourselves how our own Clans are," Rainpatch responded.

Shatteredlight inclined her head. "It has been a long time since I have seen the valley that is my home. Perhaps when the day comes that Crimson's head rolls I might return."

"I'm sure your family would be glad to see you," Tornheart said.

"Either that or they'd have me killed for desertion. My Clan works differently to yours, don't forget that."

Titan cleared his throat, "Shatteredlight is my commander. She controls the soldiers using my commands. If you have any questions regarding the battle you'd best ask her, she'll be able to answer them better than me."

"I need you to understand something," Shatteredlight spoke to the ones in the room, "Crimson will be fighting with everything she has, this is a battle she needs to win. She seems to understand how important this city is in regards to her world domination plan. If she wins we might as well slit our own throats and be done with it. But we have something we can use against her, the three supposedly prophesised to kill her. That'll be enough to surprise her."

"But she knows we're here?" Rainpatch reminded.

"Does she expect you to fight with the city or flee the battle?" Shatteredlight countered. When Rainpatch didn't answer she snorted, "Exactly. You three might just be enough to sway the battle in our favour."

"Her army is huge though," Icepetal twitched her tail.

"Wars aren't won with numbers, Clanner," Titan grinned. "Wars are won with perseverance and with loyalty. I don't need to brainwash my soldiers to make them follow my orders."

Apollo stifled an amused grunt. "I think you're forgetting something."

"What would that be?" Titan growled.

"Her soldiers don't feel pain. They fight until they die and not a moment before that."

"Then we had best prepare for that," Arrow glared at Apollo. "Frightening our own will do no good; deserters are something we really don't want to deal with."

Eaglestrike studied scrapings, trying to make sense of them. He hadn't seen such a thing done before battles back in the Clans, not that they ever had much warning before an attack. Planning took time, time they never had. It might give them a chance he supposed.

"Would you like a little help?" Apollo laughed quietly. He nodded albeit hesitantly. "See over there near the markings that look like a mountain? The symbol that looks like a claw? That's the mark for Crimson, they've marked where her army is camping, five days journey from the mountain just inside the forest a day's journey from Titan's city. Those sweeping symbols are movements of motions, where Titan plans on sending his army. He is planning on attacking head-on, for now."

Eaglestrike nodded in understanding then gestured to other scratches on the opposite side of the sand. "What are those?"

"Ah, those, well," Apollo looked a little apprehensive.

"Tell me."

"Those markings are for the Clans. The city has scouts that patrol the mountains keeping your families hidden from the world. They watch and they report so the city always knows what the Clans are up to," she explained.

Eaglestrike observed the scratches for the Clans, "why would the city care for the Clans?"

"You're a big group of cats trained from young age to kill," she shrugged. "If you were to band together and decide that you wanted the world the city might fall."

"I'm glad you're so scared of us," he purred.

"Oh shut-up, we've got planning to do."

an: no one died in this chapter. success.