A/N: Wow, I never thought this story would be so popular! Well, I'll be taking EaglefootMoonflightVipertail's suggestion first. Here's the new chapter!

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

Spirit Cat

Swiftflight sighed; sometimes she truly hated doing this. He was too young to have died; he had his whole life as ShadowClan's medicine cat ahead of him. Sadly, cruel fate had taken his life far too soon. Taking a deep breath to try to calm herself, she approached the still-shivering cat on the shore of the lake. "Flametail," she greeted with a dip of her head.

The tom turned to face her, confused. "Who are you?" he asked cautiously. "Your scent is strange…"

Swiftflight purred; he must have noticed her unique smell. Being a human that can become a cat tends to give you a rather unique scent. "My name is Swiftflight," she answered gently. "I'm a messenger of StarClan. I'm here to help you pass on to meet with your ancestors."

"I see…" he replied. He turned to face the lake, looking at the hole he had fallen through. If he had just been able to reach that hole… Then there was that other cat that had told Jayfeather to let him go. "Do you know anything about that ugly cat I saw under the ice?" he asked.

"That was Rock," she told him. "He lives in the tunnels around the lake. I don't know how old he is, but he's been down there since long before I was born. I think he's even been there before StarClan existed. There's something about those tunnels… I can't get down there to help cats pass on. If you die down there, you're trapped. He can leave the tunnels, but he always avoids me, and he only does so rarely. He must not want to pass on, or he has some last regret that he has to take care of. I don't know, and it really isn't any of my business."

Flametail shivered even more. "Will my littermates be okay?" he asked. "What about my clan?"

"Dawnpelt will be fine; she's a good, strong young warrior who will probably live to serve her Clanmates for many seasons. I can't see into the future, but that's my best guess. I'm not too certain about Tigerheart, though… Never mind. As for ShadowClan, they are strong. They will pull through somehow; I know they will. Are you ready to go? There are some cats who are quite eager to meet with you."

Flametail knew that she was keeping something from him, but he didn't press her. He'd find out somehow. She gently touched her nose to his forehead, and he could feel himself fading away. He took one last look at the black she-cat. There was something there in her golden eyes… was it guilt?

Panting, Flametail continued to run. Where was this place? How could he get back to StarClan? And what was Tigerheart doing there? Was he helping those awful cats? Desperately, he scented the air, trying to find a trace of StarClan scent.

Something shot after him through the undergrowth, startling him. He quickly turned and continued running, but whatever was chasing him was persistent and fast. He yowled in fear, trying to move faster, but it threw itself in front of him, causing him to stop short. Before he could call for help, a familiar scent washed over him.

"Swiftflight? What are you doing here?" he questioned.

"I noticed that you were missing, so I came to find you. Though I didn't think you'd have ended up here, of all places," she sighed. "This is the Place of No Stars, where cats who were evil in life go when they die."

"Then why is Tigerheart here?"

She sighed sadly. "This is what I was worried about. The cats here have discovered that they can walk in the dreams of other cats, and bring them here to train them in their dreams. They're trying to create an army of cats by the lake so that they can overthrow the clans and destroy the Warrior Code. I don't know why Tigerheart is here; every living cat has their own different reasons for being here. All I know is that this can't be good."

Flametail started to feel sick. How could his brother knowingly be a part of this? "I need to get out of here," he whimpered.

"Don't worry," she mewed gently. "I'll bring you back home. The cats that belong here know and fear me. They wouldn't dare attack you if you stay close." She then turned around and padded off, beckoning with her tail for him to follow.

Loud hisses erupted in the clearing as the two passed through. "So you've come," Tigerstar growled.

"So I have," she said evenly, "but only to retrieve a lost cat that you stole."

His claws slid out as he arched his back threateningly. "You have no right to be here."

"You're right; as a StarClan messenger, I have no need to associate myself with those who are lower than rogues," she retorted slyly. "Let this be a warning to all of you: I am willing to let this incident slide, as he was not harmed, but if you touch even a single other StarClan cat, I will you no mercy." Fury blazed in her eyes, causing all of the Dark Forest cats to back away. The still-living cats didn't seem to notice.

Flametail took a good look at all of the cats that were here. Tigerheart, Ivypaw, Breezepelt … those were just a few that he could name. Breezepelt, meanwhile, didn't seem to get the message that this cat was dangerous. He leapt at her, snarling, claws unsheathed. Swiftflight dodged so quickly that it looked as if she had disappeared and reappeared elsewhere. She leapt on top of him, her paw on his throat. After a moment of struggling, she let him up, leaping away effortlessly before he could strike back.

"Challenging me was a foolish decision," she said lowly. "You're a thousand seasons too young to even hope of scratching me." She turned to leave, Flametail following right behind her. He was still in awe of her incredible speed; were all StarClan cats that strong, or was she just special?

Tigerheart sighed in relief; his brother was okay. Ivypaw, meanwhile, just blinked, confused by what had just happened. Who was that? She'd have to ask Jayfeather about her later; he knew so much, maybe he knew who she was.

A/N: I thought I'd add that bit on the end with Flametail in the Dark Forest. I was wondering how he had gotten out, and I came up with this.