'Your kingdom has turned to a bone yard
The look on your face as you leave
You cut me so deep that you left scars
You had the world right at your feet.'

'Stumbling in Your Footsteps' - Get Scared

¢нαρтєя ƒσяту-тωσ: вєуσηd тнє ѕυη

It was difficult to remain pressed against the ground watching his friends – his family – walk away, not knowing if they'd return. He did it though, stayed there so that they could leave, so that they could go and save the world. An impossible goal, he'd once thought often during the first days of his journey, a suicide mission. To go up against the greatest force the world had ever seen with only their teeth and claws meant to die. It also meant to die for a good purpose, and to die alongside those few that had been picked out as truly good. How he fit into that group he would never understand, he'd have to ask one day.

He thought he had felt what true loneliness was when proving his ability to remain calm to Ruin, the one cat that had seen past his monstrous tendencies to the confused, abandoned kit inside. The moons of sleeping in the hollow of a tree by himself, freezing in the chill of leaf bare, they taught him how to be truly hate who he'd become; the monster his parents had created.

"Icepetal!"

There had been a time when he had believed that he would always be alone. Sure he'd have his adopted family – Singe would always be by his side as his brother. It wasn't until Singe found his mate, his one true partner in crime, that he began to feel a strange hollowness deep within. He refused to believe it was a hole meant to be filled by another cat, simply because there could be no other cat willing to look him in the eye, to know all his secrets, and still want to fill that hole. That was the life he had resigned himself to, the life he was prepared to live, until she looked him in the eye.

"Icepetal, no!"

It wasn't love at first sight or anything ridiculous like that. It had been a slow kind of love, the sort that crept up over a long time, and then made itself known in a flood of warm feelings and aches. He ached to tell her how he felt, to look her straight in the eye and watch the she-cat's icy facade crumble. Now he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to.

"Icepetal!"

Watching her fall, watching her disappear over the edge with a content smile on her face and no wail of fear would forever be the cause of his broken heart. To know that he had been the reason for that content smile and he still hadn't been able to save her induced a wave of pain so strong it nearly brought him to his knees. He'd failed her, the one cat in the entire world he truly loved.

"My champion returns," Crimson purred hoarsely. She had Eaglestrike pinned to the stone though the tom wasn't struggling. He was staring at the place Icepetal had fallen as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. Icepetal, the only one of them that could have spat in the face of death and lived, was gone.

"I," Willowclaw snarled furiously, "am not your champion anymore."

"No? Then what are you?" she blinked, flexing her claws into Eaglestrike's throat. He flinched, twitching in her grasp.

Willowclaw took a deep breath, pushed the grief away, and allowed his fur to bristle. "I'm your murderer."

"So was she," Crimson grinned mockingly jerking her head to the spot Icepetal had fallen from, "she didn't do a very good job though."

Exhausted. It wasn't a strong enough word to describe what Eaglestrike looked like. There didn't seem to be anymore fight left in the warrior, he just sagged in Crimson's grip like he was waiting patiently for his death. What had he been through? What had the others been through? Where were the others? An uncomfortable feeling bloomed in his stomach. Littleflame wasn't a fighter, and judging by the amount of blood soaked into Eaglestrike's pelt, there had been a lot of fighting.

He'd seen the pillar of green set fire to the sky and the red monster emerge from darkness to pour heat on the ground. He'd heard the sounds of war, but he hadn't come across it. Had the others been fighting in that war? Had they needed him?

"Willowclaw," Eaglestrike gasped, "go. We can't win. Run."

"You heard your leader, off you go," Crimson grinned toothily. Even she looked worn out and frail.

He raised his head and jutted out his chin, unsheathing his claws to grind them across the cold stone creating shallow furrows. "I'm not going anywhere. You're going to die, Crimson, even if I have to die to make sure of it."

"I can't watch you die as well, Willowclaw," Eaglestrike pleaded, voice thick.

"So much loyalty for a monster. Tell me, Willowclaw, do they know who you truly are? What you've done?"

Eaglestrike curled his lip at her, "he was your champion. His parents turned him into the monster you wanted, and then decided he was too much of a monster to deal with. I don't care what he's done; all I care about is what he's willing to do to make up for it. There's a reason he's a Chosen. Someone decided he was good."

"You haven't told them?" Crimson's grin turned crazed. "I think it's due time I shared some deep secrets with you, Eaglestrike. Let's see if you feel the same way about your friend afterwards. What do you say, Willowclaw? Would you like to tell him, or should I?"

"Tell him all you want, I've put that life behind me. I don't need him to kill you, I don't need anyone, and you know that," he prowled closer, pausing mid-step when Crimson tutted and pressed her claws a little deeper into Eaglestrike's throat.

She sighed dramatically, "where to begin. You know about him murdering his sister to save himself, don't you?" At Eaglestrike's noise of surprise she purred, "apparently not, well that happened. Hmm, what else? Oh, he kidnapped a couple of Clan apprentices for me, tortured quite a few warriors, started wars between Clans – I'm certain the war that got Rainpatch's sister killed was his doing. Icepetal's mother is dead because of him. How many families did you rip apart, Willowclaw? It was you that convinced Rainpatch's father to join us, wasn't it? Did you ever do anything to Littleflame's family...no, I don't think you did. Oh wait, you almost killed her a few moons ago, and that was without my instruction! Ah, I'm forgetting my favourite part," she poked Eaglestrike's cheek with a claw, "he killed your father, Eaglestrike. Slit his throat, left him to bleed to death in the mountains. Doesn't that just make your little family so perfect? You've been looking after a monster without even knowing it!"

"No. She's lying. Tell me she's lying, Willowclaw," the PhoenixClan warrior looked distraught.

Willowclaw hung his head, fighting the burn behind his eyes. "She's telling the truth. I did all that, probably more as well."

"I trusted you!" Eaglestrike howled, coming to life under Crimson's claws. "I thought of you as a brother! What kind of a brother keeps those sorts of secrets? What kind of a cat kills someone's father and then never tells them!? You're responsible for the death of Icepetal's mother and I bet you've never told her! What are you!?"

"An experiment! That's all I've ever been! An experiment gone wrong. A monster with no place in the world. A murderer responsible for ruining the lives of all his friends. I was never supposed to venture into the world as my own cat. I was never supposed to think for myself. All I was bred to do was serve. I don't care what you think of me, Eaglestrike. I've spent seasons hating myself for what happened. Hate me too, I really don't care. Just let me end the creature that ruined me."

Eaglestrike kicked Crimson off him and Willowclaw pounced, ripping into the she-cat with all the ferocity he'd learned to fight with. They could fight for days and he would always win. She trained him to win. She trained him to never lose. Today he'd use that against her.

Lurching forwards he caught the joint of her shoulder in his jaw, stripping the skin from it, turning it into a bloody, red mess. Beneath him she writhed, plunging her claws into the thin flesh of his flank anchoring herself to him whilst she pummelled up into his belly with her hind-legs. He winced and swallowed the pain, focusing instead on the paw inching towards his eyes. Twisting his neck he let go of her shoulder and bit down on the paw, crunching fragile bones between his teeth. She caterwauled, bucking underneath him.

A particularly solid kick to the gut loosened his hold on her and she wiggled free, whipping around to swipe at his face, claws gliding through skin. He growled, watching as she circled him, red eyes flicking every which way. She limped, crushed forepaw bleeding excessively. The fact that she wasn't using her magic was promising. Maybe she'd used it all up.

He darted in, feinting for her haunches before turning and going for her head. Falling for it, Crimson wasn't ready for the blow that dizzied her, or for the burn of pain that enveloped one side of her head. She couldn't hear the dripping of blood but she could feel it. He'd deafened her, torn her entire ear off, teeth going deep enough to cause trauma to her eardrum.

Eaglestrike she saw aiming for her side. Rearing up she swiped at his chest, screeched at him, and then brought her paws crashing down on him. Sinking her teeth into his scruff she threw him against the ground hard enough to hear his skull make a pleasing crack. "This is between me and Willowclaw now, Clanner."

"Don't forget I'm a Clanner too." Willowclaw hissed when her claws cut deep into the back of his neck. He grabbed her neck with her paws, twisting his spine awkwardly to bring them both crashing down to the ground. She bit into the soft of his underbelly, wrenching her head back almost instantly, taking with her a chunk of dripping flesh.

"I miss your old name," she spat his skin at him. Shifting in his grip she raked her claws up his stomach, almost mimicking the same wound she'd seen on Icepetal's stomach. "Ailas is such a nicer name."

He drove his hind-legs into her belly, appreciating the strangled cry she let loose. Reaching up he sunk his teeth into the side of her neck, just missing the back of it. They broke apart, staring each other down. Blood dribbled down the side of Crimson's head. Red oozed from Willowclaw's stomach. "I'm not Ailas anymore. I left that life behind. I stand here now as Willowclaw, a Clan cat, fighting to right the wrongs I committed when I was young, fighting for my home, and fighting for the friends I came here with."

"How sweet," Crimson sneered, rolling them over so that she loomed over him. Bloodied teeth nipped at his throat. Snarling he clawed at her face, stretching for her eyes, reaching to rid the she-cat of her sight. She flinched away at the last moment, parting with a blow to his head. "You've found a family that will never accept you."

"Acceptance isn't something I've come to expect." Spinning on his forepaws, Willowclaw kicked out at Crimson, paws connecting with her side. The force sent her skidding sideways, precariously close to the edge, a bruise already forming on the skin. She panted, lungs burning. So much fighting had inflicted so much pain on her body. She couldn't go on fighting forever.

"Don't you yearn for it?"

"I do, there's nothing I want more than acceptance. But what I did means I can never have that. You ruined that for me. I planned to tell Icepetal what I'd done when she came back knowing full well she'd hate me forever. The one cat I have ever loved with all my heart would have hated me for what you made me do."

Crimson glanced at an unmoving Eaglestrike. "Are you sorry for what you did?"

"There isn't a day goes by that I'm not sorry for what I did. I hate myself for killing so many innocent Clan cats. But I don't deserve forgiveness. I wasn't under your mind spell when I did what I did; I still had a choice regardless of how small it was. My actions were my own," Willowclaw frowned.

"You loved her?"

He knew who she was talking about. "I love her."

"But she's dead."

"I will love her forever."

"You aren't the same cat I knew."

"I remember Tornheart. She took me away from all the training. She just knew when I needed a break from it all. Every now and again she'd bring me up here. We'd watch the clouds together. We wouldn't talk, just sit there. How could you turn such a lovely cat into the bitter cat I met again in the Clans?" Willowclaw demanded.

Crimson met his gaze and said, with complete seriousness, "I hate what I did to her. I love her. She's like a daughter to me. But I lost her."

"I have to kill you."

"I know."

He pounced and brought her down to the ground once more, hovering over her. All his hatred for this cat he could feel moving through his veins, pushing him to make the final move, urging him to save the world. Moons of torment willed him to kill her. Seasons of self-hate demanded he take his time. Beneath him Crimson shifted, a wicked smile curving her bloody face.

"I'm not going down easy."

She changed. Crimson was gone. Theda was in her place; her soft smile, her warm eyes full of love and adoration, her creamy fur still as soft as ever. His beautiful mother was beneath him, looking at him the same way she'd done the day he'd opened his eyes for the first time. Caught in his throat was a flood of things he wanted to say.

"Willowclaw..." Even her voice was the same.

Theda raised a paw, touching it gently against his forehead. "Mother?"

"I hate you," she smiled so gently.

"Mother...?"

"You're such a burden." Her eyes still twinkled the same way.

"Why are you saying that?"

"We should have killed you the moment you were born." Everything was the same.

"Kill her, Willowclaw! It's not your mother! She's not real! The things she's saying aren't true! It's Crimson; she's using all the bad things your mother did against you! She's the reason Littleflame and Rainpatch are dead, kill her!" Eaglestrike screeched, trying to haul himself to his paws.

He moved without thinking, trusting Eaglestrike completely. Sharp teeth pierced Thed- Crimson's throat. Blood flooded into his mouth, gushing from between his lips and splashing back onto her body. She convulsed in his grip, coughing and hacking, spitting red. Willowclaw pulled back taking some of her throat with him.

Crimson released a thin, haunted wail that sent shivers down their spines. Writhing she turned her frantic eyes on the two Chosen watching silently, gasping in air that would never make it to her rapidly emptying lungs. Her mouth formed quiet words they couldn't hear.

Inching closer Willowclaw jerked his head at her to repeat it. "P-Please look a-after her. She's n-not m-me."

"Who are you talking about? Tornheart?" he snapped. "We know she's not like you."

"No. You'll know soon enough." With a sigh and a splutter Crimson laid still, glazed eyes turned to the sky.

Crimson was dead.

The sky above them cracked open with a mighty roar of thunder. A power so intense it left the Chosen breathless crackled in the air. The clouds dispelled and an incredible scene presented itself to those looking. It was like a rip in the sky, filled with hundreds upon thousands of stars, coloured a deep purple. Stretching above them it reached far into the distance, disappearing behind the horizon.

It began to rain stars. Countless of them fell on top of the mountain, turning to a bright, clear liquid that filled the slight dip in the mountain top, eventually spilling over the edges. The water was warm as it lapped at their paws. It even embraced Crimson, wrapping itself around her corpse, washing away the red staining her fur. All feelings of exhaustion were sapped away leaving the Chosen feeling full of life once again.

"What's happening?" Eaglestrike breathed, coming to stand beside Willowclaw.

"The rebirth of a place long lost," someone answered.

Stepping into the water behind them from the open sky was Littleflame, along with two others, yet it didn't look like her. She looked so healthy, so happy, and her pelt glowed with the light of bright stars scattered in her fur. "You've done it," she smiled.

"You died," Willowclaw murmured only now just recalling what Eaglestrike had said. "How?"

"Trust me when I say you don't want to know. It's good to see you again," Littleflame purred.

Eaglestrike couldn't believe his eyes. "How are you here? I watched you die."

"StarClan has returned, Eaglestrike. StarClan has been reborn," a black tabby proclaimed. He looked young, as did the red-patched she-cat standing beside him. "We were the first ones to walk in its paradise."

"I remember stories about StarClan," Eaglestrike cocked his head.

Willowclaw snorted, "That's all they ever were. Stories. StarClan doesn't exist. The afterlife was destroyed, remember?"

The she-cat trailed a paw through the warm water. "Screech is right, and so are you. The afterlife was destroyed. But with the power I borrowed from a creature in the Games, and the life two cats so graciously sacrificed, I remade it."

"StarClan is a place for the warriors of the Clans that have lived their lives without evil to go after they have died. We watch over the living, guiding when we see the need to," Littleflame explained.

"Did Rainpatch not live his life without evil?" Eaglestrike's voice wavered.

Screech shook his head, "your friend made it to StarClan; he is just with another right now. We are more than honoured to have two of the five that saved the world. They deserve the rest they will get in StarClan, as will the rest of you when you join us."

"We aren't dying today," Willowclaw nudged Eaglestrike, grinning at him.

"No, your journey is not over yet. There is one more thing you need to do," the she-cat said slowly.

"What do you mean there's one more thing we need to do?" Eaglestrike narrowed his eyes.

"Berrypaw, tell them what they need to do," Screech flourished his tail.

She sighed, "You need to go back to the Clans and bring back the four."

"Bring back the four?" Eaglestrike repeated, furrowing his brow.

"RiverClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, and ThunderClan, the original Clans. The four. It's time we rid ourselves of any stain left by Crimson or by the High Stars. Four is the equal number. Four seasons, four chosen to battle the Dark Forest, four oaks in the territory of old, four Clans," Berrypaw's voice was quiet.

Willowclaw grunted, "then why five Chosen?"

"Some things were never made to follow equalities. We were outliers, a strange occurrence. Perhaps the world needed a little difference," Littleflame answered. "Will you do it?"

"We'll do it," Eaglestrike nodded.

"I don't want the horrors of Crimson's reign to be remembered for long," Willowclaw agreed.

"You best get going then," Berrypaw purred, "you've got a long journey ahead of you. We will watch over you. You will never be alone."

They were fading; these strange cats from StarClan, melting into the lightening sky, becoming what their pelts were made of. Littleflame didn't say goodbye, she just smiled widely, truly happy for the first time in moons, and indicated to the horizon with her tail. Gone like they'd never even been there, leaving the Chosen alone.

Looking behind them their jaws near hit the floor. A golden glow hugged the horizon, so warm and radiant, blossoming into an orb so bright it hurt their eyes, but they couldn't look away. They watched the sun rise and fill the sky with such beautiful light. The moon set, white not red, and the dawn was complete.

"Come on," Eaglestrike said after a while, "let's go find Tornheart. I bet she'll be happy to see you."

"What about her?" Willowclaw looked at Crimson's body.

He shrugged. "Leave her. The mountain can be her grave."

They crawled back into the small tunnel, Willowclaw only just fitting, scrambling round the odd twists and turns. The mountain felt so empty, so...lifeless. It couldn't dampen the feeling of complete joy. They'd done it. Crimson was dead. No longer would she plague the world with her army of mindless soldiers. No longer would the Clans fear her visits. No longer would kits be murdered in their nests. She was dead, the sun was risen, and the world at peace. It was an amazing feeling. The tyrant was gone. Her lunatic mate was gone.

But they'd lost so many in the process. Willowclaw didn't know how Littleflame had died, nor did he know how Rainpatch had died, but it hurt him deep to know he'd never get to just sit beside them whilst they ate. It was hard to imagine a world without Rainpatch. Who would force joy into their lives with the cheerful tom gone? He swallowed around the lump in his throat. Two of the Chosen were left.

Icepetal should be there celebrating the victory. All of them should be there. Admitting that it would never happen was hard.

"Impossible." Willowclaw slammed into Eaglestrike's haunches, blinking in the sudden harsh light flooding in through the hole in the mountain he'd entered through. "Impossible."

"Shut your mouth before you trip over your tongue," a frosty voice laughed.

Willowclaw felt like the entire world had just been completely upended. Barging past Eaglestrike he stared at the she-cat slumped on the ground. "You're alive. You're alive. You're alive!" Throwing himself down beside her he pressed his forehead against her and just breathed, inhaling the scent he'd missed – her scent.

"Shut up, you idiot," Icepetal purred.

"I love you. I love you so much. I've loved you for so long. I don't care if you don't love me back, I love you and I will always love you," Willowclaw poured his entire heart out to her, opening his eyes to watch her stony expression melt into one of pure delight and love. "Everything about you is so beautiful."

Icepetal couldn't hold back the laugh of pure joy that spilt from her lips. "I love you too. I always will."

"Happy endings for everyone," Tornheart laughed.

Eaglestrike felt his heart wilt a little, and then shook his head. He'd survived Crimson. It was a happy ending. His brow furrowed as he noticed something small hanging around Tornheart's paws. "What's that?"

"Oh, you can come out, little one. They won't hurt you." A kit, it was a kit, stepped into view, a tiny little thing with black fur. It kept its eyes focused on the ground. "You have to promise not to jump to any conclusions about her, okay? No one knew she even existed."

A feeling of dread grew in Eaglestrike's belly. "Who is she, Tornheart?"

"Open your eyes, little one, look up at Eaglestrike for me, he won't hurt you," Tornheart sent a meaningful glance at him.

The kit took a deep breath before looking up at him, blinking open her eyes. He felt his heart seize, the dread growing and souring. One of her eyes was a deep blue. The other was blood red. "She can't be. There were only two!"

"Wait. Tell him your name."

"Sunrise. My name is Sunrise," the kit mewed.

"Crimson knew she was going to die the day she gave birth to her kits," Tornheart pulled Sunrise close to her.

It seemed that Crimson's legacy would live on in the form of a tiny kit with a blood red eye. He scrutinised the tiny thing, surprised to find nothing but innocence on her face. There was no malevolence or hatred, no evil smirk or cruel grin. Eaglestrike sucked in a deep breath. What Crimson had said made sense. "Please look after her. She's not me."

He smiled warmly at the kit, pleased to see her return the grin with a bright one of her own that made her face light up. "We'll look after you, Sunrise."

"Come on," Tornheart leaned into Arrow, quirking a brow at Willowclaw and Icepetal. "Let's go home."

Deep within the bowels of the mountain ice cracked loudly, shattering into tiny shards that scattered across the floor of the small cavern. A long crack formed in the roof, snaking down the wall, a deep fissure that groaned and creaked. Wind howled, chilling and cold, sweeping around the walls. A tiny ember floating from the roof burning out before it hit the ground.

"We were promised prey, where is our prey?"

"She said to the North of here, a large valley rimmed by tall mountains."

"She didn't tell us what to do when we get there..."

"We do what we do best: we kill."

an: we've reached the end! if you made it this far pat yourself on the back. thank you to all my lovely readers and reviewers! forty-two chapters of death, sorta death, and implied death. what a journey it was. rip Crimson. heLLO Crimson's daughter.

special thank you to my amazing wifey, swyfte, who is the reason Littleflame died, and the reason Eaglestrike and Apollo ended up being a thing. wice is still the greatest pairing. oh applause to me for keeping three of the five main characters alive.

keep an eye out for the next book 'Game of Blood: Edge of Darkness' i have no idea when it'll be around. it's still in planning stage.

thanks for sticking around!

-Hunter