'Just one more time before I go
I'll let you know
That all this time I've been afraid.'

'Battle Cry' - Imagine Dragons

¢нαρтєя ƒσяту-σηє: вєуση∂ тнє ¢ιту

"You don't talk about your family much," Icepetal whispered.

"What's to talk about?" Rainpatch tilts his head back to look at her, "I have a nice family, and I don't really want to sound like I'm bragging about them."

She shook her head. "I want to hear about them."

"Well, you know about Heathersky. You two probably wouldn't get on too well, she likes to follow the rules," he purred.

"Your mother?"

"Pretty cat, she aged well. Gustfeather raised me and my siblings and me by herself. Our father died young, apparently," Rainpatch frowned. "I don't really know much about my father, no one ever talks about him."

Icepetal crawled away from Willowclaw, tucking herself into Rainpatch's side, listening to his heart beat beneath within his chest. "I've heard rumours about you and your siblings, one of the worst litters WaveClan ever had."

"Oh we were, not a day went by when we weren't pulling pranks. Some of the elders called us a cursed litter. When Waterkit died of greencough in the middle of Greenleaf they became even more certain of it. Greencough in Greenleaf; it had never happened before. Cursed litter," he scoffed. "All we ever did was have a little fun."

"What about your other siblings?"

Rainpatch rested his head on her shoulder, "Graypelt and Cloudflight are still around. Cloudflight has her first apprentice, the two get on scarily well. Riverleap...Riverleap was mother's favourite. She was everyone's favourite. One of the only warriors to die an average death, killed by RisingClan over a bit of territory."

"Do you miss them?" Icepetal asked.

"Of course I do. But I have you now. My sister from SnowClan."

She cried until she could cry no more, until the sobs sounded like retching, until her eyes burned with the tears she'd shed, until someone tried to pry her away from his body. Coated with a layer of his blood she struggled against the force pulling her away. She couldn't leave him, not here, not alone, not to rot so far from home. His family needed to mourn him properly.

But the force was insistent, tugging and pulling, saying words she couldn't hear – didn't want to hear. Why didn't they understand? Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She needed to stay with him. He had to know he hadn't died alone! But he did...

"Come on, Icepetal," Tornheart was saying, "get up. You can't stay here."

"No! I'm not leaving him. He's a Chosen. He can't die. He's supposed to kill Crimson. We're all supposed to kill Crimson. Five of us. Not two. Five," Icepetal snarled into Rainpatch's cold fur.

A dainty laugh didn't have a place on the battlefield, yet this one did. It threaded through the shrieking, mingled with the howling, mixed with the screaming. It belonged there. "I warned you, but you didn't listen. Did I not say this would happen, Tornheart? I saw it in the stars. Everything I see in the stars happens. You knew that yet you ignored what I saw."

"The stars lie, Sitara."

Sitara stood looking perfect amongst the chaos. But it wasn't her, or at least, it didn't look like her anymore. Gone was the golden brown pelt and the surreal blue eyes. Gone were the harsh angles and the sharp edges. In its place was a fluid pelt made of the sky, a deep purple speckled with all the stars in the sky; a galaxy in her pelt. Her eyes were orbs of light that could have matched the sun for intensity. The sky walked among the dead.

"I never lie," she said.

"What did you see?" Eaglestrike demanded tiredly.

"Everything that lies before me I saw. Every drop of blood that hit the ground I saw. Every death I saw. I am the stars. I see everything that has happened, and everything that will happen," she spoke.

The PhoenixClan warrior moved to his paws, laying Rainpatch's head down as if it was a fragile newborn. "You knew everything but you didn't tell us. Why?"

"I was not allowed to speak with any of you. Tornheart," Sitara turned her gaze on the oath-taker and it was full of disgust, "forbade me. You deserved to know of the fate that awaited you all this bloody day, but it was withheld from you."

"Don't try to turn them against me, Sitara. You are just as much at fault as I am. Or have you forgotten where their destinies came from in the first place?" Tornheart accused.

Eaglestrike raised his voice to a shout, "you mean we could have avoided Rainpatch's death if we'd known!?"

"Of course," Sitara smiled, "all destinies are changeable."

Tornheart was thrown to the ground, pressed into the mud, by an enraged Icepetal. The she-cat hovered over her with a face void of anything. Entirely empty, the face of someone that had lost far too much. "You killed Rainpatch."

"I did not! He was killed by that beam through his stomach, not by me!"

"You don't even care that he's dead! You don't even care that you're the reason he's dead! We could have saved him! We could have saved them all!" Icepetal caterwauled.

"No!" Tornheart surged up, pushing Icepetal off of her, "we couldn't have saved them! If you had known about all this and refused to fight everyone would have died. Crimson would have killed every single one of us without mercy. The city would have been lost. Lathai would still be dead, Rainpatch would still be dead, the only thing that would have been different was that we would have died alongside them and taken the world with us."

"Just how much do you know about our destinies? What else did Sitara say to you?" Eaglestrike stepped between the two she-cats.

Tornheart closed her eyes. "Five have been chosen; born in the darkest of times; blessed by the purest of hearts; soiled by the harshest of lives. They will cast out the shadows and bring back the light. But not without hardships, for all victories must be won with loss. In the end, when the sun has died, two will stand against Her, the strongest of those chosen. The battle for the sun will end like all things: in blessing and in calamity."

"Destinies change. Prophecies do not. What happened today was meant to happen. Rainpatch was meant to die. Littleflame was meant to die. Willowclaw was meant to be left behind. You two were meant to be the only ones left. The strongest Chosen," Sitara spoke.

"They were useless," Icepetal murmured. "They weren't needed. They had a circle on their shoulder that sealed their death."

"Were they useless to you?" Tornheart inquired.

Eaglestrike snapped, "of course they weren't! Without them we would never have made it here. They played a part in this journey, every one of them. Willowclaw saved the tribe, made sure they gave Icepetal the healing she needed. Littleflame kept us fed and guided us. Rainpatch kept us grounded, reminded us of the home we'd left behind, made us laugh."

"Each one of them ended up alone."

"What?" the tom quirked a brow at Icepetal.

"Willowclaw is alone, trapped in the tribe. Littleflame was killed by those dogs, alone. Rainpatch died on this battlefield, alone. Is that to be our destiny? For us to save the world and then die alone? Is there even a home for us to go back to?" she hissed.

"I believe we have a home to go back to! That's what we're fighting for, remember!?" Eaglestrike shoved her roughly. "That's what the others died for. How can you just forget that? How can you just forget your family?"

Sitara scoffed, "family is a funny thing for you to fight for, for any of you to have fought for."

"My parents might have broken the rules but my siblings have done nothing wrong! They are who I fight for," Icepetal glared at the cat.

"Your sister Ebony fought and died for Crimson. Your father fed Crimson information on the Clans for moons to save his own skin. Your siblings would do the same," Sitara sniffed. "A family of cowards and traitors."

"There's nothing you can say to me that will hurt me, I'm already broken."

Eaglestrike placed a paw on Icepetal's shoulder, over the circle. "You aren't broken."

"And you," Sitara smirked, "the warrior afraid of becoming his father. A fair fear. Who wants to become susceptible to Crimson's advances. Yet he did. Completely seduced by the monster that killed so many he handed over so many secrets like they were nothing. She's a pretty cat, he was a cheating bastard. I wonder how many kits in PhoenixClan are his?"

"Shut up!" he demanded. "You know nothing of my family!"

"Oh I know everything about everyone's family. Shall we talk about Rainpatch's? Lovely family, could almost be called perfect, except for the thing with his father. Such a shame really, he had been such a delightful cat. The temptations of war are just too strong for some; murdered three WaveClan warriors before clearing out to chase the dream of becoming a commander in Crimson's army."

"Let's not forget sweet little Littleflame. It's hard to pick out anything particularly bad about her family, save for the fact that they despised her. But Willowclaw, now Willowclaw is such an interesting case. I bet he's never told any of you about his family life. Born to two of the best commanders in Crimson's army, and trained to be a monster, a mindless weapon incapable of feeling anything. So that's what he became. A perfect weapon. Crimson was more than pleased of what she'd helped create. His parents were not. They couldn't stand to have raised such a disgusting creature. So they abandoned him in the Clans."

Sitara looked smug, "such humble upbringings you all had. Family, a pathetic thing to fight for really."

"Yet, we fight on," Eaglestrike's smile was victorious, "we continue to fight despite where we come from. I don't care where any of them came from or who their parents where or what they did. All I care about is what they were willing to do to save the world. They all went above and beyond what I expected."

"The stars smile down on you, Eaglestrike of PhoenixClan," Sitara breathed. "I smile down on you."

Tornheart interrupted, "I know none of you want to leave Rainpatch but you have to go after Crimson and you have to do it now."

"Why?" Icepetal spat, "why should we leave Rainpatch alone?"

"Because the sun has died! It is dawn and there is no sun, or have none of you realised that? Can't you feel it? Can't you feel the morning dawning in your bones?" she exclaimed. "The darkness Crimson wanted has come. The world cannot survive in darkness. We cannot survive in darkness."

There were no pale rays of dawn blooming across the sky, no gold warming the horizon, no orb of light rising to watch the world. There was only chilling darkness that sucked all the hope from the world and left it empty. Everything they had fought for was about to come crashing back down if they didn't stop Crimson once and for all. It was time for Crimson's reign to come to an end.

"Go." Tornheart nodded towards the mountain. "We will bury Rainpatch."

"And who will take care of you?" Eaglestrike looked at her.

"Her mate. It is my duty after all," Arrow answered.

Sitara had started to walk away, touching the city-cats that had died on their foreheads. "I have seen all things and know all things. But I have not seen one exact ending to this journey. Whatever happens in that mountain will surprise us all, and I fear it may not be the end. Take care, Chosen, the world waits for your move."

The forest was on fire. It crackled and snapped, alight with the angry flames that devoured everything in their path. The resemblance to the night the Chosen left the valley was uncanny, and the final two couldn't help but wonder if it was intentional. Dodging the flames was easier this time round; it came with ease, instinct. A loud crack and they turned their attention to the branches above them, eyes searching for the one about to come crashing down. No soldiers had ventured into the flames.

They were alone as they struggled through the forest.

It was strange to know where Willowclaw had come from but Icepetal found that it didn't change how she felt about him. What he had been when he was young wasn't what he was now. He wasn't a monster anymore. Something had changed him. Sure he was a little grumpy from time to time, but that was part of his charm. He was hard to get along with, bad tempered, and downright rude, yet he was also viciously loyal to those he called friends, and such a sweetheart.

Trained to be a monster. She couldn't believe it. All the times he'd spoken to her about not knowing where he'd come from...had he been lying? The sting of hurt was unexpected, but necessary. Every time she thought of him and it hurt she knew what she was feeling was real. Of all the cats to fall for, it had to be him. She sighed.

"Can I ask you something, Icepetal?" Eaglestrike glanced at her.

"Sure."

"Did you...did you see Apollo at all whilst you were fighting?" He looked at her with so much hope in his eyes that it made her flinch. She had to tell him. She couldn't keep it from him. He had to know that the assassin had left.

She nodded, "I did. She was there when Lathai died."

"Do you know where she is now?"

"I...Eaglestrike, there's something I need to tell you," Icepetal refused to look at him. "She thought you hated her, she thought you'd never want to see her again because of what she did. Lathai's death...I think it shook her up more than she let on."

"What happened!?" he pressed, "I need to know, Icepetal!"

"She's gone. Apollo left said there was nothing left on the battlefield for her anymore; told me to tell you goodbye. I'm so sorry, Eaglestrike, I know she was important to you."

The warrior flinched, "she still is important to me."

"You aren't upset?"

"Of course I'm upset," he frowned. "But I don't have time to be upset now. Once we've finished what we came here to do, once Crimson is dead, then I can be upset. Come on, let's go save the world."

"You're a great leader."

"What?"

Icepetal grinned, "I don't think you get told it much, but you really are a great leader. If I'd just heard that someone I loved had left I'd be pretty messed up. But you aren't. You somehow manage to get it all under control. I admire you sometimes – oh my."

The mountain rose up before them, cold and cruel, free from the flames eating away at the forest behind them. They climbed, navigating the treacherous path that curled steadily higher, falling into a heavy, loaded silence. Perhaps it was the way everything had died on the mountain – nothing grew, and what had once blossomed was now rotting – or the way it steadily grew colder, but something unsettled the two Chosen. Everything about the mountain was unnatural.

A freezing wind whipped at their fur upon stepping off the path and onto a massive ledge. It jutted out over open air, facing towards where they knew the Clans were, a magnificent view of rolling hills, thick forests, and endless dark sky. They supposed the sunset would have painted that same sky golden at one point. Now it was only tinged red.

From behind them echoed a deep grating sound similar to that of rock grinding against rock. It was exactly that. A section of the rock wall was sliding away revealing a yawning hole, a tunnel. Nothing came out to greet them or kill them. They remained alone on the very edge of Crimson's kingdom both waiting for the other to make the first move. There would be no leaving that tunnel once they had entered it. Somewhere within Crimson lurked.

Eaglestrike moved first. Icepetal followed. Silently they entered her domain, creeping down the long tunnels not knowing where they were going. The further they went the darker it got until they were fumbling around in pitch blackness, using only their whiskers and noses for guidance. Quietly they whispered to each other, making sure they were okay. The constant dark was unnerving.

"And then there were two." Red flashed in the gloom, two eyes staring them down. "Come to kill the murderess." The tunnel lightened enough for Crimson's silhouette to be seen crouched a little ways head.

"For Littleflame," Eaglestrike said.

"For Rainpatch," Icepetal added.

"For Apollo."

"For Willowclaw."

Crimson limped towards them, "for Frozengaze," and then vanished into the wall.

"Oh come on that's not fair!" Eaglestrike shouted, pounding over to where she'd disappeared, "wait there's another tunnel here," he hung his head, "more climbing, joy."

Pitch black and slowly inclining the tunnel was even smaller than the others. The roof brushed the tips of their ears, the sides tickled their whiskers. It didn't feel safe. It felt like the tunnel might just cave in and bury them under a mountain of stone.

Claws cut through the darkness, nipping at the skin of Eaglestrike's muzzle. He jerked back, Icepetal bumping into his haunches. Luminous red eyes blinked into existence. The tunnel had been a trap. Stuck in such a small space with nowhere to go Crimson had a chance of winning. "Playing dirty, are we?" he spat, rubbing gingerly at his muzzle.

"I'm the villain remember? We're supposed to play dirty," Crimson sneered.

"So you know you're evil then? And here we were thinking you thought you were doing the right thing," Icepetal scoffed.

Crimson lashed out again, Eaglestrike smacking the blow away. "I've always known I was evil and what I was doing was wrong. Knowing what I was didn't stop me; doesn't that say something about who I am?"

"A mindless demon?" the SnowClan warrior offered, attempting to wriggle past Eaglestrike. He shook his head and nudged her back. There was no way she was going to be able to fit past; the tunnel was just too small.

"Determined," Crimson corrected.

Eaglestrike snorted, "If you're trying to make yourself sound normal it isn't working." He lunged forwards, biting at Crimson's face. Feeling teeth graze skin he growled and pushed further forward, slamming into the she-cat, knocking them up and out of the tunnel, into fresh air that felt far too thin.

"Welcome to the top of the world," Crimson coughed, seizing him by the shoulders and tossing him away. He hit the ground, skidding, only to have her land on top of him heartbeats later. Her claws inched across his side leaving behind deep welts that wept blood. She wasn't even looking at him as she tore into his body; she was looking out at whatever was beyond them with a wistful look. A twisted smile curled her lips, baring bloodied teeth. "I wanted to show them the view from up here, now the only view they'll get to enjoy is the dirt they were buried under."

He snapped his jaw shut around one of her forepaws biting down till he felt blood drip on his tongue and bone grate against tooth. She only flinched, wrenching her paw free, looking down at him as if he was a pest. It was hard to imagine this thin, frail, sickly looking she-cat was the one that had caused so much chaos and grief. There was something different about this Crimson, something missing. Where was her fire? Where was her need to rule the world?"

"Who are you talking about?" he scowled, rolling out from under her grip. Lashing out he dragged her down to the ground beside him. She hissed and he struck, sinking his teeth into the skin at the place where her tail joined her body. Going rigid Crimson sucked in the cry of pain, reaching around to claw at his ears, shredding them.

"My kits," she breathed, "my wonderful kits."

"Don't tell me you actually cared for them?!" Icepetal stood at the lip of the tunnel the wind battering at her frame. She knew where they were; the top of the mountain, a ledge that allowed them to stand amongst clouds and stars. There might have been an extraordinary view if the clouds hadn't been in the way, a thick wall of gray. "You aren't capable of feeling."

"I loved my kits!" Crimson screeched, plunging her teeth into the side of Eaglestrike's neck. He let out a strangled howl and writhed in her grip, desperately trying to free himself. Wrenching his neck free he lurched to his paws and kicked Crimson in the head. The kick glanced off the side of her cheek throwing her off balance just as she pounced. Landing half-on half-off Eaglestrike's back she adjusted her attack, going for his eyes rather than his neck.

Icepetal hauled Crimson off of Eaglestrike with a throaty yowl, "you don't love anything!" She opened up a vicious wound on Crimson's stomach for Rainpatch, ravaged her face for Littleflame, and tore ribbons from her spine for Willowclaw. She would make sure Crimson did not walk away from this alive. She would make sure the dead were avenged.

Dropping to the ground Crimson shot under Icepetal's belly and jabbed a claw at the recently healed wound. "I gave life to those kits. I watched them grow. I loved them with everything I had. I buried them." She didn't open up the wound entirely, just a little bit of it, enough to make Icepetal snarl in warning and drop all her weight on top of Crimson.

"You claim to love them," Eaglestrike lowered his head to stare her in the eye, "yet you were willing to let them grow up in a world without the sun."

"If I can survive in darkness then so can they," Crimson spat.

She bucked Icepetal off, hearing the warrior crash into the stone, before turning on Eaglestrike with hatred in her eyes. "You took my kits away from me, you and that traitorous foxheart Tornheart. I will avenge them." They crashed into each other, rolling close to the edge and the dizzying drop through the clouds. Blood spattered against the stone.

Crimson danced backwards out of reach of Eaglestrike's claws. He surged forwards and she jumped over him, twisting her body in midair to land neatly on her paws behind him. She slammed her paws down on his back. Eaglestrike caterwauled, chin hitting the ground. He was so tired. The burn of her claws digging into the back of his head didn't even make him want to get up and fight back. He just wanted to sleep all his pain away.

"Get off him!" Icepetal bit down on the end of Crimson's tail. When she pulled away the tip of the tail went with her. Crimson shrieked, whipping her tail around to stare at the bloody end with wide eyes.

"Why won't you just die?!" Crimson howled, flinging herself at Icepetal. She grabbed the warrior's head between her forepaws, claws sinking in dangerously close to her eyes, and smashed Icepetal's skull against the stone ground. Gasping, Icepetal went limp, dots swimming across her vision.

"Because," Icepetal coughed, "I'm a warrior and warriors never die easy."

Eaglestrike pounced on Crimson with a hiss, digging his claws into her shoulders, anchoring himself to her. "Why don't you die instead?"

"I don't plan on dying today." In one smooth motion she arched her back so violently that Eaglestrike was dislodged, and then drove her shoulder into his stomach. He opened his mouth to expel the vomit he could have sworn was racing up his throat but the only thing that came out was a dry choking sound. "I do plan on killing both of you." A screech of defiance echoed behind them. Paws thudded against stone. Crimson kicked out powerfully with her hind-legs connecting with something solid and fleshy.

Icepetal dug her claws into the stone to find purchase as she skidded. There was no way to describe the fear she felt when the ground disappeared out from under her. Dangling over the edge, hanging on for dear life with claws that were beginning to ache, she wailed helplessly. Beneath her flailing haunches was a drop to certain death. She couldn't hold on forever.

"No! Icepetal!"

Her head snapped up – she recognised that voice – and blue eyes met amber. The fear was sapped away, replaced with a ferocious love. Her claws slipped. "Willowclaw," she breathed and then fell.