A/N: Annnnnnnnnd I am back! Sorry for the month long wait, but I'm back and ready now to finish this story. Enough babbling, let's get right into it.

Chapter 6: Thorns of the Rose

The end draws nearer

"Why, Cloudstorm? Why didn't you save me? Why did you let them take me, take our kits? Where were you when I needed you? Didn't you care, I thought you loved me? Where were you Cloudstorm; why did you let them take me? I hate you! I hate you; do you hear me, Cloudstorm? You caused this! You did this! I'll never forgive you, never. You deserve this! You deserve nothing less than a lifelong sentence of eternity with the very cats you align yourself with. Do you understand me, Cloudstorm? I will never forgive you, nev-!

"No! No! No!"

The sudden wail of anguish tore Goldenshine from his sleep. The golden medicine cat whipped his head around the den confused before focusing on the escalating sound of growls and whimpers coming from the back of his den. With a grim sense of urgency ushering him on, Goldenshine scrambled to his paws, stopping to grab a mouthful of herbs before heading into the dank darkness of the hidden room in the back of the medicine cat den.

The yowls grew in frequency as he drew closer, the commotion having turned violent as he suddenly heard the angry sound of claws slamming into the ground and ripping moss to shreds. Goldenshine silently steeled himself for the opposition he was sure to be met with, as he quickly squeezed through the narrow tunnel into an open wider space. Upon arrival Goldenshine was met with the backlash from the rampage.

The moss bed he had worked so hard to put together laid in tattered pieces, the soft dirt surrounding it ravaged by scores of deep claw strikes sprinkled over by specks of fresh blood. Following the blood specks the scene before him nearly killed the golden cat's spirit, as he was forced to bare the degenerated sight of his comrade.

"Get away! Get away! Get away!" a withering mass of gray fur shouted, thrashing about in wild spasms on the ground with its eyes closed.

Goldenshine watched the scene with a torn expression before depositing the herbs on the ground and hurrying over to the figure. Not again! His mind seemed to scream in despair, as he firmly latched on to the gray cat's fur, trying desperately to restrain it. The gray cat attempted to shake the smaller form of Goldenshine away from it, but with already tried experience in these same predicaments from the past several days, Goldenshine was able to hold his ground, pushing down harder to hold the thrashing tom down.

"No! No! No!" the gray cat wailed, as Goldenshine pressed it firmly to the ground. "No! No! No! I tried, I promise! I tried!"

The gray cat bucked wildly, flailing its limbs in a poor attempt to dislodge the medicine cat, but they were placed with such poor accuracy, Goldenshine hardly had anything to fear from injury.

"Calm down!" Goldenshine shouted over the gray tom's screeching, narrowly ducking a cuff to the ears. "It's me, Goldenshine! Stop it! Stop it!"

"Forgive me, please!" the tom yowled louder, squirming even harder now in Goldenshine's grip. "I tried! Please understand that I tried!"

As the tussle for superior position between the two continued, it became painfully obvious to Goldenshine that he didn't have the strength to restrain the tormented tom. Even injured and half out of his wits, the tom cat proved too much a raging force of anger for Goldenshine to handle alone. Taking the initiative, the golden tom rolled away from the gray tom to the pile of herbs he'd brought with him.

I would have rather avoided doing this, but there's no other choice; I have to stop him, Goldenshine thought grimly, scooping up a pile of poppy seeds. He had to stop the tom from causing any further harm to himself, and this was the only other seeable option without further injuring his already battered form. Goldenshine dived back into the fray, receiving a scratch over his left eye from a flailing paw as he landed on top of the gray tom.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" the gray tom yowled in complete anguish. "Just make it stop, please!" and with that Goldenshine shoved the cluster of poppy seeds into the tom's opened maw, forcing his paw over his mouth so he couldn't spit them back out.

"Just swallow them! Please, just let go!" Goldenshine pleaded, shouting over the tom's thrashing, as his heart beat in wildly erratic rapid concessions.

After several tense heart wrenching moments, the tom's thrashing finally started to weaken, before all but ceasing as it surrendered into a heap of exhaustion. Goldenshine let out a large breath of air he hadn't realized he'd been holding, before climbing off of the larger cat. It was getting worse he noted with unconcealed fear at the situation. The other fits were tamed compared to tonight's wild rampage by the gray tom.

The golden tom let out a shaky breathe, slowly regaining his composure before he turned his attention back to his patient. The gray tom lay completely incapacitated, his flank rising slowly up and down slowly, as the tom took heavy deep breathes. Walking back over to the tom, he placed the tip of his nose to its flank before suddenly jumping back as if he'd just been clawed in the face. He was on fire!

Goldenshine shook his head before placing a paw on the tom's flank, stifling in shocked at the amount of heat that was wafting off the tom's body. How can that even be possible? Goldenshine's mind seemed to scream out loud as a sense of hopelessness fell over the golden tom. All those herbs I gave him. Feverfew and lavender for the fever, goldenrod and marigold for the wounds, nothings working!

The golden medicine cat lay distraught at the worsening condition of his patient. All the cuts and scratches he'd tirelessly recovered and patched up with herbs were once again split open and oozing bright red blood. It was as if he'd never once applied any medicine to them in the first place! And the fever, oh, he couldn't explain it all. For four days Goldenshine had fed the tom at least a moon's worth of herbs meant to reduce fevers, but if anything the tom's fever had only increased in worsening.

That empty pit feeling of despair was slowly crawling up to claim Goldenshine's sanity. Taking another deep breathe, Goldenshine tried desperately to calm his nerves. He had to stay in a sound state of mind if there was any hope of possibly healing his ailing patient. Slowly allowing himself to fall back into the regular day to day life of Clan medicine cat, Goldenshine gathered the medicine that would be necessary; and then set to chewing the herbs up into a pulp before beginning to slather the medicine over the many oozing cuts and reopened wounds on the tom's form.

The gray tom had been in bad shape when Goldenshine had first come across him in ShadowClan territory, but his condition had slowly started to begin growing considerably worser by the day. The wounds refusal to close up and heal had been a source of troubling bewilderment for Goldenshine; but that hadn't even come close to the main conundrum that had him up at night pondering over the tom's condition.

No matter what he did or tried, Goldenshine was unable to wake him up from this deep sleep. Something deeper, more dark and sinister had overcome the gray tom, resulting in this strange degeneration of state. That something went farther than just mere wounds, or an exceptionally increasing high fever. No, whatever mysterious ailment had overcome the tom lay deep within his nightmare infested mind.

"What has the world done to you, Cloudstorm?" he quietly murmured to the prone form of the dark gray tom.

My heart is broken, my soul is on fire, and my dreams are shattered

Crushed

I feel as though I'm being flattened by the very pressure of the world. My thoughts lay in fragments; my minds unable to make sense of much of anything. I feel empty inside, so hollow and insignificant. My senses are a total disarray of loose, fleeting emotions. I can't make way or thought where up or down is. Where am I? I-I can't remember. What am I doing here? Why am I in this cold, empty dark abyss of nothingness?

'Forget her!' a voice suddenly hisses in my ear. 'Extol her memory from your mind! She doesn't love you, Cloudstorm; she never did.'

Forget her? I wonder. Why? How could I forget her? Why would I forget her? I love my mate. I love Amb-.

'She doesn't deserve you!' the Voice hisses angrily. 'She's a meaningless spec of emptiness in your life, beloved. She could never understand the great sacrifice you're making in her honor. She could never began to fathom the burden of dedication you've placed upon yourself to right the wrongs committed against you. How could she, beloved? But I understand. I see your struggle; I crave revenge just as you do! Love me, and forget her, beloved!'

"Love you?" I answer back. "How- I don't even know you. Who are you? Are you the one who's brought me here?"

'Who am I, beloved? Why, I'm the one who can give you everything you crave. I can give you your heart's desire, Cloudstorm. I can do all that you wish and more, beloved, but only if you give your love to me. Forget the RiverClan medicine cat! She ceased to exist the day she died. Let me shower you with the love and adoration that she failed to do.'

"You're crazy!" I snarl. "What you're talking about isn't even possible. Nothing you would ever give me could ever compare to the love of my mate. What you've warped your mind into believing will never happen. Do you hear me? I would never love you."

I listen for a response from the Voice, but strangely enough it'd gone silent. Had I done it? Had I managed to convince it that the only love in my life would be my mate and my mate alone?

'I see that I haven't yet managed to destroy that thin line of foolishness you seem eager to cling to, Cloudstorm,' the Voice hissed softly. 'No matter, you will be mine, beloved. I get what I want always. I'll just have to try a little harder to persuade you, that's all. I admire the sheer durability of your will for being able to fight me off for this long, but in the end you will succumb to my love. It's only a matter of time.'

I lay there, floating in darkness, wondering what was next. I couldn't be sure how far this voice would be willing to go to make me its, but i- arghhh!

A sudden pain envelopes me, imaginary fangs trailing up my spine before sinking into my neck, sending a rush of venom spreading across my body. I yowl out in anguish, as my blood begins to bubble and boil underneath my skin. I thrash wildly about in the nothingness, as the pain takes me over and I feel as if my entire body's just caught fire. My anguished yowls of pain fade away into the wide abyss around me, not a single soul around to aide me.

'You'll scream and you'll plead, beloved,' the Voice crooned in my ear. 'But it'll only stop until you've resigned yourself to be mine.'

"Never!" I spat in defiance, as agony over took me.

I thought my sign of unwillingness would dissuade the Voice to continue this torture, but it only seemed to excite it more, making it cackle out in wild glee.

'This is why I crave you!' the Voice laughed manically in wild pleasure. 'That defiance, that fire, that power of refusal to submit, it drives me wild! Oh, I love it so much, Cloudstorm. You have no idea.'

An explosion of searing agony erupted inside of my body as I felt myself overcome with the pain of the bones inside of my body beginning to drip and melt away. I was losing myself to the pain being afflicted upon me. My essence itself was being swallowed up by the mad presence of the Voice. It was with a fearful gasp of shock, as I felt my fangs began to dribble and melt away inside my mouth, I realized I wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. The Voice would stop at nothing until I was firmly and without doubt within her grasp.

I-I couldn't do this alone. I'd gotten accustomed to handling things by myself lately, but in this case my will alone wasn't going to be enough to stop this. I felt helpless, so completely and utterly useless to do anything to stop this torment.

"Help!" I cried out into the abyss. "I can't stop it. I can't stop her. I can't-"

And then it hit me. Like clouds parting in the sky to reveal the sun; I had finally just realized who was doing this to me. I knew the identity of the Voice! Through the searing pain that tore across my body, a small light of hope flashed through the darkness that clouded my mind. I knew who could help him get out of this, get the Voice's manipulating presence out of my mind. I needed one cat, one person who had the skill, connections, and knowhow of how to free me. I needed-

"Goldenshine!"

The golden medicine cat looked up from sorting his herbs, as the large bulky form of dark brown tom forced his way into the den. Barging right in in a romp the tom tripped over his overlarge paws, stumbling wildly and scattering Goldenshine's herbs. Not pausing to so much as apologize for scattering the herbs he had spent all morning organizing, the brown tom caught himself as shouted.

"Nightstar's coughing up blood again, Goldenshine! Toadstep wants you in her den now!"

One problem right after another, Goldenshine thought gloomy before snapping to attention. Scouring through the scattered herbs, he found the ones that would be of valued use before bounding out of the den.

He flew through the camp, gaining curious glances from his Clanmates as he headed towards the leader's den. A rapid succession of harking coughs could be heard coming from inside the den, as Goldenshine approached. He knew what was awaiting him before he even stepped paw inside Nightstar's den, but even after all this time he still wasn't use to what had become of the once proud cat.

He slowly entered the dim den, noticing the large intimidating form of the moss colored deputy, Toadstep, as he drew closer to stand over the fragile form of Nightstar. A ragged cough wracked the she-cat's fragile body, rippling all the way across her deteriorating frame.

Her once full and prominent round face sparking with life and energy, now appeared sunken and hollow, the skin holding it together looking saggy and resembling a grotesque mask. Her breathes came in short wheezing bursts, every single one taken seeming to tire her out more and more. The once glossy and glowing black pelt that adorned her body was now dull and appearing to be missing several turfs of fur.

"Hello, Goldenshine," Nightstar greeted in a tired voice.

A shiver of disgust ran across Goldenshine's back, as Nightstar's eyes locked onto his face. He'd known of the terrible fate that awaited Nightstar that faithful night she'd dreamt off to sleep, but even he was just as shocked and horrified as the Clan the next morning when she'd literally crawled out of her den, looking half dead and proclaiming to the Clan that from that day onward ShadowClan shunned the higher power that was StarClan.

As he'd been told to expect, the Clan was horrified by the news. The majority of them had assumed that Nightstar was simply out of her mind. Despite their misgivings, Nightstar strongly urged them that StarClan had committed the first offense by dooming ShadowClan to death. The Clan had lain in a stupefied hush, as Nightstar recounted her dream of how Leafbreeze had arrived from StarClan itself, to secretly tell her that they had voted to leave ShadowClan to the mercy of an upcoming storm.

Some of the Clan took it as a sign that StarClan had truly and fully abandoned them, and were quick to side with Nightstar; however, the remaining majority of the Clan were more reluctant to join. They'd grown up their entire life believing StarClan would always be there to protect them, and couldn't accept the fact that they would so easily throw them all to the wolves.

Unperturbed, Nightstar was quick to remind the Clan that ShadowClan had never much been in StarClan's good graces, considering all of the fallouts their Clan had had with StarClan over the moons. It was a matter of time, Nightstar had angrily told them. StarClan had never quite forgiven ShadowClan's past faults; and when the opportunity arised to do something about it they made their decision to eradicated them.

Goldenshine had listened to all of this with a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew it was all necessary to achieve the goal of perfect Clan life, but even he found misgivings and remorse at the part he'd played in the deformation of his once proud leader. Nightstar hadn't been the same since the night she'd had all her lives, except one, stripped away. Disgust was one way to put it. For a while he could hardly stand to continue on with the façade, becoming increasingly more self-loathing of himself, and the lie he stood for.

With a heavy heart Goldenshine had spoken out to the Clan, saying how he firmly agreed with Nightstar and that ShadowClan was better off on their own. Many members of the Clan were absolutely baffled that the medicine cat himself would agree with the leader's wild tale. It had left some unsettled to be truthful, but in the end it had done the trick, and ShadowClan had slowly started to edge away from the warrior code. In many ways not much changed. The warriors still hunted for the Clan, kits were apprenticed under a mentor, and Nightstar still ruled over the Clan.

The only differences were that Nightstar refused to be known by the last name star and returned to her warrior name of Nightclaw, along with there no longer being praise or guidance asked to StarClan during Clan ceremony. There was also the thing of all further medicine cat's being banned to the Moonpool, but truth be told Goldenshine couldn't have gone back if he wanted to. Long before his alliance with the Dark Forest had been certified, Goldenshine had found himself unable to access the water and speak with his warrior ancestors.

He hadn't known what to make of it, and feared telling Leafbreeze in terror that StarClan had in fact shunned him. It wasn't until later on that he discovered that it was her doing that stopped him from speaking with them. As she had claimed him as her apprentice, he was no longer allowed to share tongues with StarClan. It was one of the many laws that she had decreed for him to follow, and he did it all with the notion he would be punished failing to comply with them all.

A sudden giggle echoed through Goldenshine's mind, and he quickly shook it off, bringing his attention back to the present. Getting caught up in thoughts about her didn't bode well for his sanity.

Laying the herbs he'd brought down in front of him, Goldenshine then began the task of checking Nightstar's condition. Sniffing her breathe, he caught the salty metallic smell of blood on the she-cat's breath, and pulled forward a small pile of tansy.

"I've brought some tansy to help out with your cough," he spoke, while checking the healing scar on her chest for any infection. "I've covered it in a little honey so it'll go down a little easier. How have you been feeling lately?"

"Besides being cramped up in here for too long, I'm fine," Nightstar responded, bending down to lap up the tansy leaves.

"Any stiffness in your joints or aches and pains?"

"None that I haven't already told you about," she rasped.

"How's the scar holding up?" he asked, taking a careful whiff.

"It's been feeling better since the medicine you put on it yesterday, Goldenshine."

"Okay, only checking," he murmured, feeling one last time on her throat. Turning to Toadstep, he said, "Make sure she has plenty of fresh water, and maybe a bite to eat, Toadstep. Also make sure her beddings kept fresh, and she isn't cooped up in here every day. A nice jog around the camp would do her some good."

"I'm right here Goldenshine. You don't have to talk to Toadstep like I'm some naughty kit that be trusted to take care of herself," Nightstar rumbled in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry, Nightstar," he apologized, dipping his head. "I'm only concerned about your health."

"My health isn't something you should be preoccupied with," she snorted, laying her head down on her paws. "We have to be ready for the storm, Goldenshine. ShadowClan has to survive."

"We'll be fine as long as we stick together," he responded, turning to exit the den. "I promise, Nightstar. ShadowClan will live to see a brighter horizon."

As he exited the den, Goldenshine nearly yowled out in exasperation, as he'd once again been forced to lie to his leader. He desperately wished for the words he'd told her to be true, but the real truth was Goldenshine was more or less out of the loop of the Dark Forest plans. The small tidbit of information he was passed here and there from her was all that he ever knew what was going on in that forest. Cloudstorm was probably the most heavily involved with the operation, and Goldenshine doubted that even he knew everything that was going on behind the scenes.

The rest of the day seemed to pass by in flashes. One moment, Goldenshine was in the nursery dealing with a nasty cold from one of the kits, and the next he was pulling thorns out various warriors paws. Goldenshine hardly seemed to notice the sun's progressing across the sky until he found himself back in his den, night having the sky.

The golden tom heaved a deep sigh as he slowly lowered his defenses, falling back into the identity of the small, timid tom he usually hid away from the Clan. Being catapulted into the big leagues as the Clan's new medicine cat had put a whole new surge of responsibility on him. The time in which the Clan had still been reeling from Leafbreeze's death had called for a tom that would show only confidence and swiftness at the latest sign of illness. That was the identity that he'd ben force to take among his Clanmates. There wasn't time for the shy or timid tom that he was on in the inside. The Clan needed a strong showing from him that they were in good hands, and more or less he'd achieved that.

Alone in the sanctity of his den, however, Goldenshine was able to be himself. Even if it was only for a moment of peace, he could show his true face and not be judged. He closed his eyes letting the slow whistle of the wind outside lull him into a sense of comfort. A sudden disturbance from the back of the den tore him for his stupor. With a click of remembrance, he realized that it must be Cloudstorm again. Of course, how could he have forgotten?

Without pause Goldenshine headed towards the back of the den. Squeezing inside, Goldenshine waited for his eyes to grow use to the darkness before focusing his attention of Cloudstorm. The gray tom was curled in a puffy ball sleeping restlessly. Goldenshine assumed that another nightmare was simply plaguing the tom, but as he grew closer he caught a string of muttering that made him perk his ears up in surprise.

"Golden…forest…..no….help-rose..dark," Cloudstorm rambled on, twitching angrily in his sleep. "Shine…dark…help…rose…dark forest… help…golden."

Goldenshine blinked in surprise, slowly digesting all that he was hearing. Dark Forest? Rose? Golden and shine? Goldenshine! Cloudstorm had said his name. Was Cloudstorm speaking out loud of what was wrong? Dark Forest. Yes, he'd clearly heard him say something about the Dark Forest. Goldenshine shook his head angrily trying to understand.

Was Cloudstorm somehow trying to reach out to him? Did the Dark Forest have something to do with what was going on with him? Maybe, just maybe if he journeyed to the Dark Forest he'd find out what was going on. At the very least someone could tell him where Cloudstorm had last been before he'd found him laughing manically to himself in ShadowClan.

Rose.

Goldenshine's blood suddenly ran cold. No. No, she wouldn't dare do- there was no way that she could have…but that would explain why he couldn't wake Cloudstorm up. What about that night she talked to him, and the catmint? That would certainly explain everything. Did this mean what he feared then?

A sudden flash of terror stopped Goldenshine's heart cold, as a sinister giggle echoed throughout his head, and the name of the cat responsible for Cloudstorm's current state slipped out of his mouth.

"Rosethorn."

"Of course!" he muttered to himself, searching wildly through his collection of herbs. "It'd be just like her to go after a tom like Cloudstorm. Tom's with afflicted pasts attract her." Goldenshine murmured, as he pulled out the herb he was seeking.

Goldenshine knew that what he was about to attempt was either incredibly stupid and dangerous, or exceptionally brave. Possibly it could be a combination of the two. Swallowing the poppy seed in one gulp, Goldenshine headed back to where Cloudstorm, and laid himself next to the dark grey tom, positing himself so that both their heads touched. Rosethorn had only ever told him about the ability to walk upon another cat's dream in theory, but tonight he was going to put it to the test.

There was no telling of what horrors awaited him, as he traveled deep within the Dark Forest; however, Goldenshine's overpowering instinct to aide cats in need was overriding his fear of retaliation from Rosethorn for doing this. As he felt his eyelids begin to droop and grow heavy, Goldenshine centered all his attention on Cloudstorm's dark gray form.

Concentrate! He told himself as sleep began to claim his senses. Find Cloudstorm. Focus on his body signature, and track it to the area in the Dark Forest where he's being held. Goldenshine focused all his mental mind power on this; and as darkness claimed his sight he only hoped that he would be able to help.

The moment Goldenshine opened his eyes his senses were immediately attacked with the overbearing smell of crowfood. The smell burned Goldenshine's nostrils like acid, making the golden tom stumble backwards blindly before stopping as a sharp pain pricked his fur. The stinging pain forced Goldenshine to stop as he turned around and realized he'd run into a thornbush. Suddenly, something clicked together. Glancing around Goldenshine realized with a bitter sense of confirmation that he himself was standing right in the middle of a thorn like forest.

As the reeking scent of crowfood began to cloud his senses, Goldenshine turned his gaze upward to confirm his final suspicion, littered throughout the throngs of thorns inhabiting the area were the mangled forms of pieces of prey. There was no longer denying it, he realized with a sinking feeling despair. He'd traverse these same throngs of thorns on numerous occasions on his goal to meet with his mentor for lessons: Rosethorn.

The sudden thought of her name set off an explosion of screeches, startling Goldenshine, as the forest of thorns exploded with a cluster of black crows. Goldenshine ducked down, avoiding the crows that flew overheard before disappearing off into the dark sky.

Goldenshine warily shook himself, steeling his nerves to accomplish what he'd come out here to do. He had to find Cloudstorm; and if he knew his own mentor like he thought he did, Cloudstorm would be somewhere near the center where she lurked.

Setting off without pause, Goldenshine began the slow agonizing task of navigating the wild throngs of thorns. He had to be careful how he moved through here because one wrong step or trip would leave him severely cut up. Subconsciously, he suspected that was the way Rosethorn had made it on purpose. She just loved to make others suffer. It was her nature.

Goldenshine still remembered the first time he'd met her. There wasn't a word to sum up all the fear and complete blinding terror he'd felt at meeting her. Rosethorn wasn't a kind cat. Truthfully, no cat that was in the Dark Forest was. No, when he said unkind, she embodied a different type of evil and sinister streak that no other cat in the Dark Forest, past or present, possessed.

Rosethorn

One of the earliest medicine cats in Clan history, as well as infamous killer. She wasn't spoken of in Clan lore, and with good reason. Rosethorn was a cat devoid of sympathy and compassion that reveled in the death and destruction of others. Before meeting her, Goldenshine had scarcely heard of her before. It was time before he learned that Rosethorn's name was a taboo among the Clans.

It sparked fear and confusion, with some cats going as far to state that her spirit would rise from the dead and kill anyone who dared utter it. Her crimes were said to be legendary in nature with her name forever living in infamy. From the scarce information that he'd managed to gain on her, it was said she had been known as a prolific kit killer back in her time. Along with that, she also delved in what other cats would call questionable acts of the study of medicine. Rosethorn's methods were in a way unethical. From her studies she managed to discover and do things no other cat would ever think was even possible, like say, keeping the heart of an already dead cat preserved and still beating alive.

It was a bloody history shrouded in mystery and herbs. And now she had somehow managed to drag Cloudstorm into it. The throngs of thorns suddenly began to clear, and Goldenshine could just make out the sight of an opening clearing. Clawing his way through the last branches of thorns, Goldenshine found himself in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by the thorns all around.

Peering around, he could find no sign or scent the smell of Rosethorn. Taking a few tentative steps forward further, Goldenshine caught sight of the shadow of some dark form. Drawing closer, he realized with a surged of joy that it was Cloudstorm! Racing over Goldenshine halted in his steps, as he saw that entwined tightly around Cloudstorm's body, piercing his flesh were the thick roots of thorns.

Goldenshine drew closer, trailing his eyesight over Cloudstorm, who he realized was unconscious. The thorns were woven tightly over ever seeable inch of his body, and Goldenshine wondered briefly if the gray tom was not in fact dead. Peering closely, Goldenshine thought he could just make out the steady sign of Cloudstorm's nostrils flaring in and out. With the knowledge that he wasn't too late, Goldenshine sank his fangs into one of the vines, and began to tug.

It was slow and tedious. Goldenshine had to be completely careful that he didn't pull on one thorn to hard making another then tighten significantly on another part of Cloudstorm's body. As Goldenshine went to work severing the several thorns, he slowly almost unconsciously began to zone the world around him, focusing intently only on freeing Cloudstorm. In many ways this was exactly how he did his work patching up and healing the cats of his Clan. The only difference this time was Goldenshine was trying to save someone from another cat instead of sickness or injury.

Goldenshine clipped the thorns away, taking steady breathes to stay calm, before long there were only a few reaming strands keeping Cloudstorm imprisoned to the ground. For a brief moment Goldenshine actually played with the notion that he'd be able to free Cloudstorm and get away unsuspected by Rosethorn. That thought lasted all but a second, however, as a silky voice suddenly crooned in his ear.

"My, my, Goldenshine, how very disappointed I am in you."

Before the shock of fear could fully overtake him, Goldenshine was violently slung away from Cloudstorm, landing on the ground with a thud. Goldenshine wheezed in pain as the air rushed out of his lungs, before moments later they were knocked out again, as a clawed paw slammed into his chest piercing his flesh.

The claws dug deeper into his flesh, bringing an agonizing screech from Goldenshine, as a snarling face appeared hanging over him. With blood pounded in his ears, as fear reeking waves off of his pelt, Goldenshine stared into the glittering green eyes of an all-white she-cat who laughed mockingly.

"You've been a very bad apprentice, Goldenshine," Rosethorn mocked, in that crooning whine of a voice she had "So very bad indeed. I think you need to be punished!"

She sunk her claws deeper into his chest, causing a slow trail of blood to started leaking out staining his fur. Rosethorn leaned down and lapped up a taste of his blood, smiling back down at him, reveling blood stained fangs.

"You've disappointed me so very much tonight, Goldenshine," she whispered, digging her claws even further into his chest. "Out of the kindness of my heart I take you under my wing, teaching you various secrets and trades of medicine that any other cat in the forest would have killed to know. But no, I chose you, and look how you've repaid me."

"You're torturing Cloudstorm!" Goldenshine screeched out, as the pain in chest increased. "For what, he hasn't done anything to anger you. We're all on the same side here."

"Oh, don't you go thinking I don't know that," she whispered knowingly, as if he were some clueless kit. "I'm well aware of where Cloudstorm's allegiance lies, and it's precisely that reason I'm doing all of this. You see instead of dedicating himself to a she-cat who understands what it means to be scarred by StarClan, and can share in his pain. He's duped himself into believing that everything he's doing is in name for the RiverClan medicine cat that passed."

"I don't understand!" Goldenshine gasped out in pain. "Cloudstorm's mate is his guiding force. It's because that she died that any of this is possible."

"No!" Rosethorn snarled, slashing Goldenshine across the face. "No!" she snarled over the golden tom's agony filled shriek. "That she-cat is nothing more than a hindrance that is keeping Cloudstorm from realizing who he truly loves. Me. Who helped Icefrost come up with the layered plan to destroy StarClan so Cloudstorm could gain his vengeance? Me. Who told you where to find catmint so Cloudstorm could save his little Clan suffering from greencough? Me! I've done everything I could to please him, and all I ask in return is his love. But no, he still loves her! He still only stays loyal to that wretched RiverClan water rat! He's-"

"About to kill you!" a voice snarled from behind her.

Suddenly, in a flash of gray, Cloudstorm barreled into Rosethorn knocking her off Goldenshine. Goldenshine exhaled at the sudden release of pressure off of his chest, and looked up in shock as he watched Cloudstorm attack Rosethorn.

Free

Free, I was free! Free of Rosethorn's control! Free of her spell! Free of her manipulation! And now free to kill her!

I wasted no time in attacking her. As soon as I'd overthrown the last remaining lingering effects of her sleep induced spell, I ripped myself free of the thorns and launched myself at her. With thunderous blow after blow, I tore through her skin splattering blood everywhere. I dug my fangs deep into her skins, relishing in the loud crunch of teeth meeting bone, as I then tossed her into the air.

She thudded to the ground with an echoing snap, and I jumped all over her clawing at every inch of exposed skin I could sink my claws into. I lost myself in a bloody haze, rage the only factor of emotion I let reign over me. This was for all the nightmares I'd been forced to withstand. This was for all the horrible hallucinations I was forced to witness. But most of all this was for revenge!

Laughter? No! Why was she laughing? As I stood over Rosethorn's blood soaked body, there she laid, the crazed white she-cat looking me directly in the face, laughing maniacally. I didn't understand it. How was she- how could she-arrgh! I reared up on my hind legs before coming crashing back down, landing directly on her chest and hearing the sickening shatter of bones.

Rosethorn choked horribly, coughing up globs of blood before falling right back into a wild pitch of gleeful giggling.

"Shut up!" I demanded. "Shut up!" I roared, spitting into the mad she-cat's face.

But it was no use. No matter how violently I beat her or how much I shouted, she still laughed. She laughed mockingly and without fear of death. I should have guessed as much, seeing as she was already dead.

"That's right Cloudstorm," she cackled. "Unleash your hate! Unleash your fury upon me! I love it so much! I love you so much! Relish in the joy of my pain, of my broken bones. Do to me what I've done to countless other cats. Show me how much alike we truly are," she hissed in wild glee, a crazed look in her eyes. "It's been so long since I've felt the touch of another cat, especially one as lively as you. Let your hate surge, as your claws rip through my fur while you ravage my body. It excites me Cloudstorm! It really does."

I looked down upon the insane she-cat in disgust. What kind of depraved creature was she? Me and her the same? That was impossible. I was the ex-deputy of ThunderClan while she was the infamous kit killer of the four Clans. I wasn't nothing like her. I would never be like her.

"I don't kill cats for the simple fact that it brings me pleasure!" I roared at her.

"But isn't that what you're doing right now?" a voice called from behind me.

I turned to see Goldenshine limping towards me, that same blank stare he used when healing cats etched across his face.

"What are you talking about?" I snarled. "This she-cat, your mentor, tortured and imprisoned my mind so she could force me to become her mate. She made me think I was losing my mind! If that isn't reason enough to kill her then what is?"

"Not this," Goldenshine stated plainly. "You've proven your point, Cloudstorm. You've beaten her. You've proved that your will is stronger than hers. So stop. Prove her wrong one last time and let her go."

"Let her go?" I sneered at him. "I'm curious, Goldenshine. Tell me why? Give me one reason why this thing deserves to live."

"We need her," he responded evenly. "Just like I need her to continue training me, you need her to help Icefrost give you the power to destroy StarClan. She may be mad, but she's useful. And I just can't sit back and watch you become the thing that you so just vehemently screamed that you weren't."

I stared at Goldenshine, my mind running rampant trying to process all that I'd just heard. He brought up an interesting argument for sure, but I still believed that Rosethorn should die. I wasn't sure if I'd actually be able to wipe away a cat as twisted and corrupt as her, but I was willing to try. However, what Goldenshine had said about me proving I wasn't like her made a strong point.

I looked for Goldenshine to the still grinning Rosethorn under my paws, and got off.

"You're not worth it to kill," I spat at Rosethorn. "But make no question about it. If you ever cross me again, if I ever hear the slightest echo of a giggle, I will kill you. No matter what Goldenshine or anyone else says about you being important to the mission, I will end you!"

I looked to Goldenshine, and shook my head in wonderment. "You're something else, you know that?"

"I only do what I feel is right, Cloudstorm," he murmured softly walking over to check the extent of Rosethorn's injury "And what I thought was right was saving you from Rosethorn even though it meant going against her."

"Yes, I suppose I should thank you for that," I said. "That's twice now you've helped me out when you didn't have to, and strangely enough I found myself in your debt."

"You don't owe me anything, Cloudstorm," he answered. "I told you once before that my only dream in life is to help cats in need, and I'll continue to do that until the day I die."

I thought over what Goldenshine said, and realized that there probably wasn't another cat out in the world that was as unselfish as him. Every cat had flaws, but he made it increasingly hard to spot his. He was an oddity that he was, but one that I owed my life to.

"What about her?" I asked, motioning to Rosethorn.

"I'll have to take care of her until she's finally back at full health," he answered. "But don't worry," he added, noticing my expression. "Her days of preying on your mind are over. You have my word."

I gave a brief nod to Goldenshine before dipping my head to him in respect. "Thank you. I don't know how or when, but I promise you I will repay you for all that you've done for me, Goldenshine."

With a last fleeting glance at the golden medicine cat caring over his injured mentor, I turned away heading into the throngs of thorns, as the area around began to fade away into darkness at my first signs of waking. While playing with my mind Rosethorn had taught me something. I'd spent the last six moons of my life trying to live with the guilt of my mate's death, and suffering terribly for it. As I realized the confrontation with StarClan was now just within more grasp over the horizon, I knew that to make it now I would have to channel my hate and anger and unleash it upon them.

It was time to stop living in the past, and now start trying to survive in the present. To live is to suffer, and to survive is to find meaning and to suffer. And make no doubt about it. I was going to do everything within my power to make sure that I would survive long enough to watch the downfall of StarClan.