RIDE THE LIGHTNING

"Guilty as charged,

But damn it, it ain't right,

There is someone else controlling me.

Death in the air,

Strapped in the electric chair,

This can't be happening to me."

Leafpool was miserable.

There was many, many reasons for that; ThunderClan found out about her past relationship with Crowfeather once their daughter - Hollyleaf, now aware of her true heritage - had revealed the truth during a Gathering, she had lost her position as a medicine-cat as punishment, Hollyleaf had tried to force her to eat a deathberry too, and now it was assumed she was dead after the tunnels collapsed.

If that wasn't enough, now it seems that Jayfeather and Poppyfrost had gone missing. A quarter-moon ago, it was as if her son and the queen had just got up and left camp. Their scent trails had gone out of the thorn tunnel and to the Moonpool before they just disappeared.

Needless to say, Leafpool was worried sick.

The brown tabby she-cat sat in the medicine-cat den, having temporarily taken his place until he could be found, arranging herbs. They were running low on marigold, so she wold have to find someone to get fetch some.

Not that nobody wouldn't do it, every cat would just do begrudgingly.

The only cat who didn't dislike her, or was disappointed in her, was her dear sister Squirrelflight. Leafpool could tell her kin how grateful she was for taking care of her kits, it was beyond words. Since their secret got out, they only really had one another.

The tabby she-cat felt guilt weigh heavy on her. Everything, from the very second her kits were born, had been her fault. None of this would have happened had she just owned up to what she had done. But Leafpool was young at the time and was unable to accept the consequences of her actions.

Maybe if she had done that, then Hollyleaf would be alive and Jayfeather wouldn't be missing. Ashfur, driven made by his obsessive love for her sister, would would also be alive and maybe even mentally sound.

Leafpool pushed the thought for her mind. There was no use dwelling on what could have been. With a solemn sigh, she stepped out of the medicine-cat den to find a cat willing to find her some marigold. Most of the Clan ignored her, very few cats even gave her a side glance.

She eyes fell on her son, Lionblaze, chatting with Cinderheart near the fresh-kill pile. She approached them, awkwardly clearing her throat to get their attention. Their conversation stopped dead.

"Oh. . .um, I'll talk to you later Lionblaze, 'kay?" the gray she-cat smiled.

He nodded, "uh, sure thing, Cinderheart."

As Cinderheart left, the golden tabby turned to Leafpool. His golden eyes were full of irritation. "What do you want?" he asked, his tone flat.

"Um. . .would you mind going out and collecting some marigold for me? We're running low." she explained. The medicine-cat hated how palpable the awkwardness between her and her son was. Leafpool only had herself to blame. She would love nothing more to go back to when a simple request didn't feel like such a forced question.

Lionblaze shrugged, "I don't know what it looks like."

Her eyes widened in surprise, "o-oh. Well, why don't you come into the medicine-cat den and I'll show you." she offered. It pained the she-cat to think how he was probably lying. His brother was a medicine-cat, how could he not know what such a simple herb look like?

For a moment, the warrior remained silent. "Fine." he answered.

Lionblaze followed her into the medicine-cat den, the tension between them still as present as ever. Leafpool walked over to one of the crooks she stored herbs in, pulling out a marigold flower and presenting it to him. "Take a while to memorise the scent. They usually grow near water, so look for any marshy places or puddles."

He acknowledged her with a grunt. Without another word, he headed towards the entrance.

"Wait!" Leafpool called. Lionblaze turned to face her, his eyes glittering in annoyance. "Please look for Jayfeather while you're out too. I know you don't like me, but he's my kit as well as your brother." she mewed softly.

Lionblaze's features softened, "I will, I'm afraid for him too." he responded.

The brown tabby she-cat allowed herself to smile a little. "Thank you. You should take Cinderheart with you as well." she added.

He nodded in response then left.

Leafpool returned to arranging the herbs, though feeling a little less miserable this time. Her son definitely hadn't forgiven her, but it seemed that they were one step closer to at least being able to communicate with one another without an awkward atmosphere.

The day continued on as normal with the tabby she-cat keeping to herself in the medicine-cat den. The sun was beginning to set yet Lionblaze and Cinderheart hadn't returned from gathering the marigold.

Anxiety began to gnaw at Leafpool's stomach. A hundred different thoughts were swimming in her mind and none of them comforted her. Firestar had sent out a patrol to find them. Currently, herself and her remaining kin were gathered in the ThunderClan leader's den.

"You don't think they ran away, do you?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Of course not," replied Firestar, "Lionblaze and Cinderheart are loyal to ThunderClan."

"Wait if something happened to them like Jayfeather?" Leafpool anxiously murmured.

"We don't know if anything happened to Jayfeather and Poppyfrost," Sandstorm reminded, "with everything that's happened, I wouldn't be surprised if he had to clear his head. Poppyfrost must have had her reasons, too."

The medicine-cat responded, "but his scent just disappeared! Jayfeather isn't the type of cat to just run away from things - something happened to them both!"

"Calm down, Leafpool," Firestar soothed, "we're all worried about them and we're doing the best we can to find all of them."

Squirrelflight added, "they're all strong cats. Wherever they are, they're fine."

Suddenly, Spiderleg frantically burst into the den. It caught them all of guard. Leafpool's heart sank when she saw the look on his face. His amber eyes were wide with shock and fear, he looked like he had seen a ghost.

"L-Leafpool!" he gasped.

The tabby she-cat forced herself to swallow the storm of emotion in her heart. "What's wrong, Spiderleg?" she asked with a sense of urgency. The air in the den felt tense and suspenseful.

"Need to. . .talk to. . .Cinderheart," he panted, "...needs you."

Leafpool moved past the exhausted warrior and leaped down from Highledge to the camp ground. The shock from landing on the solid ground sent shockwaves up her legs. She ignored the sensation, making her way through the crowd of cats beginning to form.

She gasped when she saw Cinderheart and almost let out a wail of grief.

The normally peppy, bubbly she-cat looked as if been a part of an extremely bloody battle. Her pelt was drenched in blood, making it slick and matted. The look in her eyes told Leafpool that she was petrified and in shock. Two scents were clinging the she-cat; one was Lionblaze's, the other was unfamiliar.

Leafpool's maternal instincts began to take over as she approached Cinderheart. There was no way that was Lionblaze's blood, it couldn't be! Her son was part of a prophecy, he couldn't die until it was fulfilled! She has to push it down, even if she wanted to demand where her son was.

She led the distant warrior into the medicine-cat den, where the scent of death and other unfamiliar smells were clashing with that of tangy herbs. The she-cat had to ignore the awful stench, feeding Cinderheart some poppyseeds to fight off her shock. Despite being blood-drenched, the she-cat had no wounds of her own.

After a few minutes, Leafpool forced herself to speak. "W-what happened?" she mewed. Her voice was cracking, grief threatening to swallow her up.

Even after the shock had worn off, Cinderheart was still traumatised. Whatever she had experienced had taken something from her, something she would never get back. There was no light in her eyes like there used to be, not spark of optimism; only hollowness.

"I-I don't know. It was t-too fast." she responded. Her tone was flat, like the emotion had been sucked out of her. Suddenly, Cinderheart's eyes lit up with fear, like a roaring inferno of a primitive need to survive.

"You need to run!" she wailed. The tabby she-cat dug her claws into Leafpool's shoulders, looking her directly in the eyes. "It's coming! You need to get away now or it'll catch you! Run, Leafpool, get away!" Cinderheart screeched.

She let go of the medicine-cat, curling up into a tight ball and frantically muttering to herself. Leafpool could only stare, wide-eyed and afraid. Her son was dead, she was sure of that, and whatever had done that was coming for her next.

Firestar, along with a couple to senior warriors, stormed into the den. "It's everything okay?" he demanded.

Leafpool couldn't answer at first, the words stuck in her throat. "C-Cinderheart said th-that whatever happened to Lionblaze is coming f-for me next." she replied. As a mother, she wanted nothing more to let out a howl of pain and loss for her son. But the medicine-cat would have to wait until his body was actually recovered - whatever state it was in.

Firestar's eyes went dark. "So Lionblaze is hunting with StarClan now?" he asked.

Holding back tears, Leafpool replied. "Y-yes."

The tom sombrely shook his head. It was clear he wanted to grieve too, but the most he would allow himself at this moment was a minuscule display of that emotion. "We will go get his body now, then bury him at sunrise." he murmured.

"I-I want to come too." Leafpool stated.

Firestar shook his head, "you need to watch over Cinderheart."

"Please!" she begged, "Cinderheart's just reeling from her experience, she's not wounded. All she needs is someone to watch over her for just a little while," she sniffled, "please. I might not have raised him, but he was my son."

Her father caved in, "okay, okay."

Leafpool purred weakly, nuzzling Firestar under his chin, "thank you."

The group that was assembled was made up of Firestar, Leafpool, Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, and a several senior warriors. The ThunderClan leader hadn't explained as to why they needed so much muscle, but Leafpool knew why - he was afraid for her. If that thing that took Lionblaze came for her, then it would be making a mistake.

Cinderheart was in no condition to be giving directions, so they had to follow Spiderleg. The normally hardy warrior was severely skittish, jumping at shadows and freezing at the sound of leaves rustling. The anxiety in Leafpool was threatening to overwhelm her. She felt as if she was being hunted.

This is what it must be to feel like prey, she thought to herself.

Soon enough they found Lionblaze's body. He had been completely butchered, covered in deep cuts. His blood was everywhere; on the trees, the grass, the bushes. Leafpool felt her blood run cold and her breathing quicken, her heart pounding against her rib cage. Their strongest warrior, her own son, had been slaughtered. If Cinderheart's rambling was to be believed, then she needed to run for the hills - and fast.

"Was it a badger?" Thornclaw wondered aloud, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Spiderleg shrugged his shoulders, "I don't think so, it would've killed Cinderheart too."

"Can't you talk about this is private?!" Squirrelflight hissed, "that's my kin there!"

The two warriors shifted uncomfortably, "s-sorry. We didn't mean to offend-"

Firestar interrupted the their conversation, "enough debating! Let's get Lionblaze's body back to camp before-"

He was interrupted by a faint scream. The pelts of everybody present bristled and Leafpool could feel a chill run down her spine. She couldn't quite place it, but it sounded hauntingly familiar. She remembered what Cinderheart had said.

"We need to leave." she whimpered to her father. He didn't seem to hear her, preoccupied with the mysterious cry.

"What in StarClan's name was that?!" Thornclaw's head whipped in every which direction, looking for the source of the scream.

Spiderleg cautiously took a step backwards, "I don't know, but it's not safe here. Let's come back in the-"

Suddenly, a dark gray blur shot by him. It was so fast, Leafpool hardly noticed it going by until it let out a scream. It was a primal, enraged and pained scream unlike anything she had ever heard before. The thing left as quickly as it came.

Spiderleg collapsed, his throat having been ripped out. He began writhing on the ground, choking on his own blood.

"Foxdung!" Thornclaw cried out. He began to run, shooting off like a lightning bolt but the thing caught him. It disappeared just as quick as before, leaving the golden-brown tom with a vicious bite in iphis throat.

Everyone scrambled, trying their best to escape their death. It caught them all. Delivering bites and slashes to the neck to some; otherwise met more gory demises.

Leafpool, running alongside her father and sister, didn't hear any strangled cries from her Clanmates - only the screams of that thing. She had forgotten all about Lionblaze's body after that. Her instincts were telling her to survive by any means necessary.

"What was that?!" Squirrelflight panted.

Firestar replied, "I-I don't know! I've never seen anything like it!"

The medicine-cat couldn't believe any of this was happening, she had never heard either of them so panicked before. She tried to convince herself this was all a nightmare, that she would wake up in her nest soon. But she couldn't ever dream up something so horrible.

The blur appeared again, tackling Squirrelflight into Firestar. All three cats went tumbling, rolling over their heads and heels until they skidded to a halt in the dirt. Leafpool coughed, grimacing at the taste of earth in her mouth. "A-are you two okay?" she asked, shakily getting to her paws.

Squirrelflight groaned, "M-my paw's twisted."

Leafpool shivered, seeing that her sister's foot was now contorted and facing the wrong direction. If they survived, the tabby didn't think she could be the same warrior again.

"Awwww, don't worry," a voice sneered, "that paw's the least of your worries."

The medicine-cat had never heard such a voice before, not even in her nightmares. It was something that shouldn't exist, but still did; an affront to StarClan. It was spiteful and cruel, yet all too familiar. It sounded like two cats talking in unison, sometimes one would speak over the other. One sounded pained and afraid, the other was fully venomous.

She could never forget what Jayfeather sounded like. Nor could she pretend that the other wasn't familiar; Breezepelt.

Leafpool's eyes widened when she got to look at 'them' for the first time. It was lean like Jayfeather, with the muscle of Breezepelt. It's pelt was a mix between her son's and the WindClan warrior's, having tabby stripes but still extremely dark in colour - much darker than a normal tabby pelt. It's body was heavily scarred, like it was covered in smooth snakes. It had an abnormal amount of toes on each foot, ranging from anywhere from five to eight. It's face was frightening. It's maw was missing pieces, exposing the teeth underneath. It's eyes were milky white as if it was blind. But Leafpool knew it could see them clearly.

Firestar put himself between them and it, snarling fiercely. It wasn't long until he saw the resemblance of his grandson, "...Jayfeather?"

'Jayfeather' suddenly became angered. "He's not Jayfeather! We're Breezepelt!" they screeched. "N-no, I-I am Jaypelt. Breezefeather?" as the assimilated being became confused, it's head suddenly began vibrating. It was moving so fast that it became a blur before splitting into two halves.

Leafpool gagged, torn between wailing in fear or in grief. Jayfeather and Breezepelt seemed to be splitting apart, both of their heads fused together in a fleshy mess before suddenly rejoining in their monstrous form. All the while, they both screamed in agony.

What happened to them? How did they end up as this monster?

"I'm sorry, Jayfeather, Breezepelt," Firestar murmured grimly, "StarClan forgive me."

He leaped for them, his claws outstretched. Squirrelflight opened her mouth to let out a cry. Before she could utter anything, they butchered Firestar in a blur. He had ripped open Firestar in a manner similar to Tigerstar's death Leafpool remembered hearing about.

The two sisters, knowing they were staring death in the face, huddled closer for comfort. The assimilated being turned to them, their teeth bared. "We'll kill you all. I'll tear everything he's ever loved to pieces."

Breezepelt, enough! Stop this, please! Jayfeather pleaded.

Breezepelt took a menacing step forward, wanting to tease his bastard half brother with their inevitable death. This was so much better than he had anticipated. The WindClan warrior originally planned to frame Jayfeather for Poppyfrost's death.

But during their fight, they had fallen into the Moonpool.

Neither of them could begin to describe what happened to them or what it was like to be suddenly, painfully forced together into one amalgamated body. Both Breezepelt and Jayfeather could move the body, but the WindClan warrior's viciousness won out and now only he was in control. Though, they were still constantly fighting one another.

All Jayfeather was to him now was an annoying little voice in the back of his head. Something he didn't know, however, what that the ThunderClan medicine-cat was special. Whether or not he was the swiftness they both bared now or if it was something else he had was irrelevant to Breezepelt.

All that he cared about was how it made this systematic slaughter much more enjoyable.

I'm not stopping until every single one of your kin has their throat ripped out! Breezepelt snapped. He shot forward, faster than their of the two she-cats could react. He swiped his claws out, catching Squirrelflight under her chin. The ginger she-cat's head slowly began jerking upwards, her expression remaining static.

It was like time stopped for them once they were moving fast. Breezepelt enjoyed that very much, it provided opportunities to torture Jayfeather with. The ThunderClan cat's howls of loss were filling his mind - he wanted more of it.

They reaches out with their other paw - or rather, two other paws - sinking each of the eight claws into Leafpool's neck and yanking backwards. Her throat had been ripped out, yet no blood had been spilled nor had her expression twisted to show the agony she was in.

Then they slowed down.

It was like a symphony of carnage, with bone snapping and cats choking on their own blood. For a moment, he watched Leafpool as she stared at them with round, shocked eyes.

Enough, please. You win... Jayfeather weakly begged.

"No, not yet," they replied maliciously. "We're not done until this forest is red!"

No...

"Yes." they replied, drool dripping down their chin. The monster tensed itself, crouching low to the ground.

Nononononono...

They sprang forwards, bolting through ThunderClan territory like a demented bat.

No more bloodshed!

They burst through the thorn tunnel into ThunderClan camp, letting out a howl for blood.

This time, Jayfeather said nothing.


Dark Worlds returns with The Assimilated: Ride The Lightning! I have no idea why I put this project off, especially since this was fun to write with a song with such a godly guitar solo to boot.

I wondered what Breezepelt's power would be if he was somehow the fourth, and it made sense to me that it would be speed since I think it suits him. With him being impulsive and quick to anger it just works.

The Metallica song references continue next time with The Plagued: Leper Messiah.