AN: Another chapter! It's a miracle! But seriously, I thought I would never finish this. I lost all my inspiration and just couldn't get back into the mood to write. But stuff happened in real life and I just needed to disappear back into my fantasy world of writing and imagining. So here I am!

I really do hope you enjoy this. I'm serious. Part of the reason that I lose inspiration to write more of this was because I thought the chapters were becoming boring and repetitive. So, please leave a review telling me what you really think of this story. I want honesty. Pretty please?

Read on my duckies!

Chapter 15: Bloodlust

Fear flashed through Sinkingsun as she raced through the dark pine forest, her paws skimming across the ground as her lithe body wound through the undergrowth. She could still hear the sounds of cats fighting in her ears, their yowls and screeches haunting her as she fled from the battleground. She didn't want to die yet. She didn't want to let her father down.

Finally she had to stop running. Her paws burned and she could smell the tangy scent of blood coming from them. She didn't have to look at her paws to know that they had been torn open by the rough forest floor. Tears threatened to burst from her eyes but Sinkingsun swallowed them and took a deep breath. Relax. Panic leads to rash decisions and rash decisions lead to death.

Hiddenshade's voice rang in her head, a memory of a lesson they once had. Sinkingsun wrinkled her nose as she thought of her father. He had never had much time for her, simply because she wasn't the first born. Shatteredlight gained the respect of every cat in the Clan when she was born first, leaving Sinkingsun to live in the shadow of her older sister.

The snapping of twigs made Sinkingsun jump and dragged her away from her thoughts. She sunk to the ground, hissing quietly when she realised that her golden pelt would stick out. Casting her thoughts aside, Sinkingsun began to stalk through the undergrowth, ears swivelling around in order to pick up the sounds around her. A vaguely familiar scent drifted across Sinkingsun's nose but she could not recall who it belonged to.

The scent grew steadily stronger until Sinkingsun could hear the cat sneaking through the forest. She bunched her muscles up underneath her, waggled her hind legs and then leapt. Her paws came in contact with the shoulders of another cat and they both crumpled to the ground. Sinkingsun was back on her paws in moments, raking her claws down the cat's side.

The cat, who Sinkingsun soon realised was Nightfall, struck back with deadly precision, his claws slicing through the thin skin across Sinkingsun's shoulder. Sinkingsun hissed and sunk her teeth into Nightfall's neck, tossing him over her back. He hit the ground with a loud thump and a groan.

Sinkingsun stalked over to him, her lip curled and showing her blood stained fangs. A strange look shone in her eyes as she pressed a paw on his throat, flexing her claws in and out.

Nightfall stared up at her with fear in his eyes before closing his eyes and sighing. His surrender made Sinkingsun falter and she lessened the weight on her paw. Nightfall grabbed this chance, shooting out from under Sinkingsun and raking his claws down her face. Sinkingsun screeched in anger and shame at being fooled by a pity act. Her anger heightened when teeth clamped down on her front back leg. She closed her eyes and summoned all the lessons Hiddenshade had taught her back to her mind. When her eyes snapped open she was a different cat. An assassin trained by the best fighter in the Clan. An unearthly snarl ripped from her chest as she whirled around, tearing her foot out of Nightfall's mouth. She brought her paws down on Nightfall's head, digging her claws deep into his skin and tearing it away.

Nightfall howled in pain and shook Sinkingsun off, driving his claws into her stomach. She hissed in pain and bit into his ear, tearing part of it away. Blood spattered against her muzzle as Nightfall shrieked. He pulled away from Sinkingsun, his torn ear covered in blood, his eyes watering with the pain.

Sinkingsun snarled at him, advancing on the frightened tom with her claws out and stained with blood. She swiped at his face but he ducked and bounded away, looking back over his shoulder. "I hope you realise that when you give into the bloodlust that lingers inside us all..you become the creature the High Stars want. A creature that lives to kill." And then the tom stumbled away and did not look back.

Sinkingsun stared at the place where Nightfall had stood only moments before, a feeling of dread washing over her. Am I really becoming a monster? She shook her head and bounded away from the stench of blood, gulping down huge breaths of fresh air. No. I will not give in. I am not a monster.

I am not a monster. Right?

XxXxXxXxXx

"Burningmoon!" Badgerstrike yowled. "Show yourself!" The black tom stood beside a large oak tree, his limbs trembling with anger that his prey had escaped his grasp once more. Blood stained his pelt, a sign that he had clashed with another cat before. His eyes were wide and filled with rage and hunger.

An orange shape watched Badgerstrike from the branches of the oak tree, his sharp gaze looking for a fatal weakness in the tom. He hissed angrily when he could not find one. He unsheathed his claws, took a deep breath, and then leapt off the branch.

The sudden weight of another cat on his shoulders caused Badgerstrike to crumple to the ground. He knew who his attacker was the minute he caught site of orange fur. "Finally! Have you stopped being a coward?" Badgerstrike snarled.

"On the contrary," Burningmoon purred back. "I was simply biding my time until you strayed too far under my tree. Being a coward had nothing to do with it." With a snarl Burningmoon lashed his claws across Badgerstrike's shoulders and dived away before the black tom could snap at him.

Badgerstrike whirled around with an enraged howl and leapt forward, slashing his claws across Burningmoon's shoulder. The force of the blow sent Burningmoon staggering backwards, giving the black tom enough time to grab Burningmoon's shoulder in his jaws and shake it. Burningmoon howled in pain, blood already beginning to ooze from the bite. The sharp, metallic taste of blood filled Badgerstrike's mouth, urging him to bite down harder.

With a snarl, Burningmoon ripped his shoulder out of Badgerstrike's jaws and pounced on top of the tom, driving his claws into the black fur of Badgerstrike's stomach. As Burningmoon ripped his claws through his stomach, Badgerstrike sunk his teeth into the orange tom's leg, twisting it and forcing Burningmoon away. The pressure on his leg caused Burningmoon to stop tearing at Badgerstrike's stomach and try to tear his leg away. With a grunt, Badgerstrike twisted his leg and shoved Burningmoon over.

As soon as the orange tom hit the ground, Badgerstrike was on his feet and pressing his claws against his neck. "I always win," he snarled in Burningmoon's ear.

"And I never lose," Burningmoon snarled back. He kicked his back legs up, catching Badgerstrike in the stomach and throwing the big tom off. Within seconds, Burningmoon was on top of Badgerstrike, ripping and tearing at every inch of skin he could reach. His moons of training came rushing back and he knew that he had to end this fight soon. Neither of them would survive very long with any serious injuries. And that was when Burningmoon got a brilliant idea. A cruel smile spread curled at the corners of his muzzle as he stared down at Badgerstrike.

"I never lose," he hissed and then drove his teeth deep into Badgerstrike's neck. Burningmoon twisted his head and pulled, taking a chunk of Badgerstrike's neck with him.

Badgerstrike shrieked in pain as blood poured from his neck, writhing around on the ground as immense pain ripped through his body like a fire.

Burningmoon smirked at the tom before bounding away, leaving Badgerstrike in a pool of blood on the forest floor. His breath came in ragged gasps as his neck oozed more blood. But it shocked Badgerstrike more to realise that Burningmoon had not gone for the kill. The ginger tom had simply maimed him in the hopes that nature would do the rest. "Coward," Badgerstrike spat weakly.

He struggled to his paws, trying to ignore the pain in his neck. His attempts at walking were feeble and Badgerstrike only made it a few paw steps before he collapsed to the ground again. He blinked slowly, hoping that if he rested he would gain back the strength he lost. But his strength did not return.

Badgerstrike felt himself slowly slipping into unconsciousness. And the last thing he saw before his world went black was a pair of crimson eyes.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Scar's dead?" Tornshadow repeated to herself.

"That is bad news." Leapingspider's voice beside her ear made Tornshadow jump and she whirled around with her hackles raised.

"Don't sneak up on me!" she hissed, lashing her tail.

Leapingspider stared down at the small she-cat with amusement. "Sorry," he purred. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

Tornshadow snorted and turned away from the tom. She didn't like him one bit, he was too nice for a RisingClan cat. What are you saying!? You're a RisingClan cat now. Your loyalty lies with them! She sighed knowing that the small voice in her head was correct. CedarClan was no longer her home and she might have to fight them someday. All her loyalties lay with RisingClan now.

Cats from all six Clans fell into chaos at the announcement of Scar's death, but Fallenshadow suspected foul play and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. "Tornshadow, Hiddenshade and Shatteredlight, come with me," he ordered, slipping out from the shadows.

Tornshadow bounded over to the leader but was almost knocked over by a sleek white she-cat. "Watch it," she spat angrily.

The white she-cat looked down at Tornshadow with sharp eyes. "You will try harder to be more polite to the future leader of RisingClan."

Future leader? Tornshadow's eyes widened as she looked up at Shatteredlight. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know who you were."

Shatteredlight's eyes remained cold, "To be part of this Clan you need to learn each cat by smell. No knowing is not an acceptable excuse. Work harder, Tornshadow. To be a member of the leader's family you need to be respected by all and respect all."

"Yes, Shatteredlight," Tornshadow replied, dipping her head respectfully. Some part of her knew that Shatteredlight was used to receiving respect from her Clan mates, no matter who they were.

Shatteredlight twitched her tail. "Come. Fallenshadow has summoned us so we must go to him. And judging by the chaos and Scar's supposed death; I think we can both guess what he wants."

"Indeed," Tornshadow muttered as she trailed after Shatteredlight. She was feeling rather ruffled by the she-cat's want for respect. It just wasn't right. Respect is earned, not given!

But demanding respect is so much easier, a small voice whispered in her ear. She shrugged it off with a quiet snort of disgust. I'm nothing but an apprentice! Respect is rarely given to us.

"Quit daydreaming," a voice snapped in her ear. Tornshadow jumped, her head flying up to stare into the dark eyes of Hiddenshade.

"Sorry!" she apologised quickly. She did not want to get on the bad side of Hiddenshade. He had a way of making cats he hated…disappear. Or so she had heard from the senior warriors of CedarClan.

Hiddenshade curled his lip and then turned away, tail tip flicking in irritation. Gee! Is every cat in RisingClan grumpy! Or is it just the 'inner family'. She rolled her eyes and began to shoulder through the thick crowd of gathered cats. The smell of all six Clans in one place almost made her retch but she held it back. It would be beyond humiliating to vomit at the precise moment.

"Tornpaw!" a familiar voice reached her ears above the din of the gathered cats. Tornshadow didn't stop to wonder who it was. All she needed to do was make it through the crowd and find Fallenshadow. At least he likes me, she though sarcastically. It seemed as if all of RisingClan disliked her. Besides Leapingspider, but something told Tornshadow that there was something hiding beneath the big tom's gentle nature.

Fresh air blew across her face as Tornshadow pulled herself free of the final few cats. She silently rejoiced in the cold air as it caressed the fur on her face and toyed with her ears. Her relief was short lived. "Tornshadow, follow me. Now," Shatteredlight ordered. Her white fur seemed to glow in the dying sun, giving her a demonic appearance. It looked like her fur was oozing blood. Tornshadow shuddered. Surely that wasn't an omen? Shatteredlight isn't evil..is she?

The apprentice sighed and followed Shatteredlight. She hated the feeling of being someone's shadow, having to follow them everywhere. She wanted to be more important that Shatteredlight. She wanted to be leader.

"I can help you with that." Tornshadow flicked her ear as a sharp wind blew into it, bringing the sound of a voice with it. It sounded like no other voice she had heard, all patchy and muffled but strangely beautiful at the same time. She blinked and looked around but found no cat that could have been the owner of the voice. "I can see inside you, Tornpaw. I know everything about you. You lust for more but are too scared to grab it in your claws. I can help you…"

Tornshadow's flank twitched as icy cold air washed over it. "How can you help me?" she whispered, slightly alarmed at the thought of an invisible…creature offering to help her. "I don't even know if you are real."

A small voice reached her ears on the wind. "Look for the globes of red. There I will be."

Globes of red? What? Tornshadow was beyond confused. Surely hearing voices in your head meant you were crazy? She no longer knew what crazy was anymore. A branch slapped her in the face and slammed her back down to earth with a nasty sting. She spluttered and then looked up, surprised to find herself in the gloomy forest that ringed the island clearing.

Her Clan-mates were gathered around in a small circle and Tornshadow could hear small sobs coming from another cat who she didn't recognise. Almost silently she slipped over to Fallenshadow and squeezed in beside him, earning a scowl from Shatteredlight. Fallenshadow looked down at the small apprentice with calm eyes, preparing himself for the choking sobs that were bound to come from the she-cats small body when she saw how badly mangled Scar's body was.

But he was beyond surprised when Tornshadow made no such sound. She simply stared at Scar's body with wide eyes.

Tornshadow blinked a few times, stunned by the amount of blood that stained the grass near Scars body red. His black fur was torn and matted, blood spattered all over it. From where she stood, Tornshadow could see that his stomach had been sliced open from his neck down to where his tail started. It was a gruesome sight. Not one that many cats would have been able to stand.

The sound of sobbing grew louder and Tornshadow twitched her tail in annoyance. Her eyes sought out the source of the sobbing and she soon found it coming from a tortoiseshell she-cat. She groaned inwardly at the sight of RogueClan's high strung medicine cat, Iana. The medicine cat was leaning against the broad shoulder of an ash gray tom. The tom's amber eyes were focused on the sleek head of Iana and it didn't take much for Tornshadow to guess that the tom felt more than friendship towards the she-cat.

"Did anyone see how he died?" Fallenshadow's rumbling voice made Tornshadow jump.

Iana sniffed loudly. "No. He came out here to get a moments peace from the Clan. He does that a lot. Just goes wandering off into the territory late at night."

"Is there anyone within your Clan that might want him dead?" Shatteredlight snarled.

"Of course!" Iana responded. "Every cat in our Clan knows that if you kill the leader then you will be granted their place as leader. It's a cat kill cat world in our Clan. Nothing like your weak Clans."

Hiddenshade twitched and sunk his claws into the blood-stained dirt beneath him. "Accusing our Clan of being weak is not particularly wise at this precise moment. Seeing as we are the only Clan who has bothered to help you."

The tom narrowed his eyes at Hiddenshade, "We are in mourning. Our Leader has been killed and there is no obvious culprit."

"Isn't it obvious?" Tornshadow spoke up. Five pairs of eyes turned on Tornshadow and she suddenly felt self-consciousness. No. I need to prove that I am stronger that I look! "Scar was killed by a cat from your Clan so that they could seize power!"

"No," Iana choked out between her sobs. "If a cat from our Clan had of killed Scar then he or she would have dragged his body out to show us. Whoever killed Scar is not from our Clan. There isn't even any scent on him!"

Fallenshadow tilted his head and strode closer to Scar's body. He bent down and sniffed, taking in deep breaths, trying to sort past the overwhelming stench of blood. But no other scent greeted his nose. "Iana is right. There is no other scent."

"So we are now presuming that a ghost killed Scar?" Shatteredlight said dryly, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "Are we really sinking to that level?"

Hiddenshade turned on his daughter with blazing eyes. "What or who do you think killed Scar then. Obviously you must have a better idea than a ghost!"

Shatteredlight blinked in surprise at her father's outburst. "I-I-I..perhaps a rogue that disguised their scent really well?"

"That sounds so much more likely than a ghost," Fallenshadow snorted. "Spread out and look for clues," he ordered the others.

Tornshadow nodded and then dove into the undergrowth. The stench of blood soon disappeared into the darkening forest and Tornshadow was finally alone with her thoughts. She raised her muzzle to the air and took a long gulp, sighing as the cold air rushed into her lungs. Her eyes flicked to and fro, searching for anything that might be a clue towards the brutal murder of a Clan leader.

A bramble bush in front of her rustled and Tornshadow froze, fur lifting along her spine. But the rustling stopped and no creature stepped out, nor did the scent of any creature reach her nose. It played on Tornshadow's curiosity and without thinking she slunk over to it, paws sliding silently over the leafy ground. She payed no attention to the towering oak trees that flanked her sides, nor did she blink when a thorn bush snagged at her fur. Bright flowers were crushed under her paws as the gloomy forest began to shrink and fade away into the beginning of the lake bank.

It was then that Tornshadow saw the bright red globes shining brightly in the fading light. And it was then when a loud shattering sound filled the forest, echoing in Tornshadow's ears. It sounded like an the entire lake was cracking as if it had been frozen all leaf bare. It didn't sound natural. Nor did it sound safe at all. Then it stopped and the gloomy island was plunged into silence once more.

The red globes hovered closer until they took the form of a night black cat.

"You have come."

AN: And another cliffhanger. You're probably going to shoot me again XD.

Anyway, reviews are needed to boost inspiration. And hopefully I should have another chapter to you soon! But yeah, don't hold out hope on that :l

Hunter Out~