Hi guys! Here's chapter six, where the action finally starts. There's not a whole lot to say about this one other than please enjoy! Thanks so much for reading and supporting this fanfic no matter how slow and boring I think it is! xD

silverstarfan-The war will be explained/spoken about in depth in the next chapter's 'campfire chat' as I'm jokingly calling it.

Chapter Six

None of the horrific things Skyeyes imagined seeing appeared when she raced into the cave. In fact, she didn't see anything. She couldn't even see her nose on the end of her face. At first she thought she was alone, and she panicked. She'd imagined all along that making this journey through the cave would be much more bearable since she had the other four cats with her. But she couldn't see them, nor could she smell them for several heartbeats. She took a step forward and felt shifting beneath her paws. Was she standing on pebbles? Was the ground broken up around her? She felt her heart racing. Where on earth were the others?

"Hello!" she called. Her voice echoed back. "Guys? Anyone?"

She was alone. She shut her eyes and assured herself that she could just as easily face the dangerous on her own.

Then, the smell of moorland hit her. And the smell of fear.

"I'm blind!" Sleetfur howled somewhere nearby. "Oh Great StarClan! I'm blind! The Dark Forest blinded me!"

Skyeyes heard a low hiss.

"Shut your trap, moor trash!" snapped Nightstorm. "You're not blind! It's dark! I can't see anything either!"

"Oh." She heard more shifting. Clearly the ground must be unstable everywhere. "Well, where are we?"

"How am I supposed to know? Earth to mouse-brain: I've never been here before! And I don't plan on a return trip!"

"Calm down, Sleetfur," Skyeyes heard Rowanheart's calm voice saying. "Your fear scent is sickening."

Skyeyes felt something brush against her, and she let out a wail. She leapt backwards in fright.

"Hey, hey, it's alright!" Wolfpelt's gruff voice said. "Don't go losin' yer head. It's just me."

"That's all of us, right?" asked Rowanheart. "We're alright?"

"Yessir," replied Wolfpelt. Skyeyes felt his breath on her shoulder. She shuddered slightly. "Dawnstorm's over here. You got the others with you over there?"

"Yeah. We're all safe for now." A cool blue light shone somewhere far, far away. Skyeyes cocked her head at it. The outlines of the other cats became clearer, and she hurried to stand by Rowanheart. She trusted him the most of all of them.

"Ya'll seein' this?" murmured Wolfpelt. "Or am I hallucinatin' already?"

"No, that's real," replied Rowanheart. "A better question is what is it?"

"Or who."

All five cats—even Nightstorm—jumped high in the air when they heard a muffled, cheerful voice speaking somewhere near them. Rowanheart leapt back closer towards Sleetfur, and Skyeyes tried to follow him, but she ended up crashing into Nightstorm. She expected the ShadowClan queen to spit at her, hiss at her, or maybe even swipe. But she did something so strange it made Skyeyes' head reel: she stepped up and shielded her. Her black form blocked Skyeyes' view.

"Who's there?" called Rowanheart. "Show yourself!"

"I'm right here."

The cats looked over to see a small, white she-cat with a halo of light around her tiny form. She had no pupils, and her eyes were a clear blue. Skyeyes flattened her ears against her head and crouched down behind Nightstorm.

"Who are you?" Rowanheart asked.

"Me?" the she-cat purred. She cocked her head to one side and smiled broadly. "I'm Mist."

"Mist?"

"Yup! I was one of the first cats to join the Dark Forest."

Rowanheart frowned at Wolfpelt, who'd stepped up from the group. "How on earth did a little one like you end up in this kinda place?"

Mist shut her eyes and cocked her head to the left. "Oh, it's not important. What is important is the message that I have for you! It's from the big guy himself!"

"Big guy?" echoed Wolfpelt.

"You guys know him, right?"

The cats exchanged glances. They all looked confused, but Nightstorm spoke up. "You mean Macabre."

Mist did a small flip in the air, which made Wolfpelt and Rowanheart retreat a few paces back. "Yes! Trust the ShadowClan cat to know him! Oh he's good friends with you and your Clan, very good friends."

Wolfpelt shot Nightstorm a glare. "Here that, ya'll?" he hissed. "Nightstorm and this Macabre guy are good buddies."

Nightstorm let out a hiss. "I only know his name because of the stories," she replied. "Our queens tell their kits about him from the day they first open our eyes. There's a legend, one that may or may not be true, that an old ShadowClan leader named Hollowstar formed an alliance with the Dark Forest in order to gain power and spare his clan mates. But, of course, Macabre soon made it clear that he wouldn't listen to anything Hollowstar said. He acted of his own free will, and in the end…more ShadowClan cats died."

"Right, right!" chirped Mist. "Boy, she-cat, you're so smart!"

Nightstorm's fur began to rise.

"This is a message from Macabre!" Mist continued. "He says if you can reach the end of the cave by dawn, he'll let you go free, and he'll put an end to the Selection once and for all!" Then Mist frowned. "That's all well and good, and I'm not saying you shouldn't try your best, but…" She flicked her tail into the darkness. "Hundreds of cats just like you have tried—and failed. Let me show you!"

Suddenly, a light shone down from over head, and Skyeyes shrieked in horror when she looked down to see that the ground was littered with cat bones. The other cats wailed and howled around her, and Skyeyes shook her head to clear the voices. She scrambled back to try and escape them, but she tripped and fell face first into the pile. Skyeyes screamed and screamed as the scent of decay washed over her, and the bones scratched and tugged at her fur and her face. The more and more she struggled, the seemingly deeper and deeper she sunk. She kicked and clawed her way out until she felt air flowing into her lungs.

"Oh, so many skeletons!" Mist chuckled. "We should really clean this place out a bit!"

"Why you stinkin' heap of fox-dung!" screeched Wolfpelt. "I'll flay you!"

He lunged for the diminutive she-cat, but the second his claws came into contact with her, Mist vanished. Wolfpelt was swallowed up by the bones for a few horrifying moments before he too emerged, panting and shaking. He scrambled over to the group and stood by Sleetfur, who looked about ready to die from fear.

"Uh-uh!" purred Mist. Skyeyes threw her head about until she spotted the she-cat, sitting on a stalagmite. She lifted her paw and began to groom herself. "That won't get you anywhere, Mr. funny accent!"

"Don't you dare make fun of the way I talk!" Wolfpelt shouted. "Come 'ere and say that to my face!"

"I'd rather not. Macabre says not to get near the sacrifices. But it won't matter. You'll all be on our side soon enough." Mist let out a purr as her body began to slowly vanish. Skyeyes sought protection in the group and found Nightstorm, yet again shielding her from any possible threats. Mist's purring died the second her body disappeared. The cats let out a collective sigh.

"Glad that's over," murmured Sleetfur. "My heart was about to stop!"

"Same here," replied Rowanheart. He lashed his tail. "She gave me the creeps!"

"Guys, guys!" shouted Wolfpelt. "We're missin' the point here! We've got to get a move on to reach the end of that tunnel by dawn!"

Nightstorm snorted. "What does it matter?" she hissed. "You heard her. We'll all be dead by the end of the night."

Wolfpelt nodded to Skyeyes. "Maybe we will be. But if manage to get Dawnstorm out of here, she'll save our Clans. She'll make sure that no cat will lose their lives to these pieces of fox-dung ever again."

All eyes turned to Skyeyes, who pressed herself against the bones. "You think she's the cat from the prophecy?" murmured Sleetfur.

"It's absurd to put that much pressure on such a young cat!" shouted Nightstorm. She put herself between Skyeyes and the toms.

"If she is the one, then she'll save more lives than we can even count," mumbled Rowanheart. "We have to keep Dawnstorm alive."

Skyeyes straightened herself. This was it. No more lying. She wasn't going to let these cats go on believing in her when she was lying to them and herself. She opened her mouth to speak, but something moving in the corner of her eye drew her attention. It was flying just over Sleetfur's head.

"Hey, do you see that?" she asked.

Sleetfur whipped his head around. "What?! What is it?"

"I don't know," Skyeyes replied. She narrowed her eyes at the small brown blur. "It looks almost like a bird."

"Hey, there's one over there too!" called Wolfpelt. "They're right over yer head, Sleetfur! Don't move a muscle!"

The white tom looked more than willing to comply. As the cats stared, the flying objects multiplied, until there were tens of them, then hundreds. They formed a column, moving up and down from the floor and roof of the cave. Skyeyes felt herself becoming entranced.

"What are they?" murmured Skyeyes.

"No idea," whispered Nightstorm next to her. "But if they're in here, it can't be anything good."

They watched for several more heartbeats until all of a sudden, one of the shapes flew down over Sleetfur's head. The WindClan tom let out a screech as the scent of blood entered the air.

"It bit me!" he shouted. "Whatever it is bit me!"

Another blur flew down and slashed him along his spine. He keened and lunged for the group. "They're biting me! What are they?"

"They're bats!" hissed Nightstorm. "I can see them!"

"Bats?" echoed Skyeyes quietly. As she spoke, a third bat swooped down and tore right through Sleetfur's ear. The tip vanished, and Sleetfur screamed in a hollow voice. He barreled into Rowanheart, seeking some kind of shelter. "Help me!" he cried. Blood was dripping down his face. "Help me!"

"Why are they only attacking him?" Skyeyes asked.

Nightstorm shook her head. "Bats don't use their eyes to see," she murmured. "They know we're all here. They must know."

"It must be your pelt!" Wolfpelt shouted. "They can see the white easily in the darkness! Hide, Sleetfur, hide!"

"No!" Nightstorm shouted as Sleetfur pelted for cover, the bats screeching after him. "Don't panic!"

They lost sight of Sleetfur as he attempted to find a place to hide. The bats turned and began to disperse among the other cats, slashing and biting at them. Skyeyes felt teeth rip through her right flank. Some bats didn't bother biting her and just knocked into her repeatedly until she felt dazed and beaten. Their masses were filling her vision. She heard the others screaming and struggling, but she couldn't see past the massive wall of squirming flesh. She tried her best to swat at the bats, but there were too many, and they were knocking her off balance with their every attack. She felt blood running down her face and down her sides. Her eyes were burning, and there were claw marks all over her face. Skyeyes opened her mouth and screamed for all she was worth.

"Hide!" she heard Rowanheart shout. "Hide, quickly!"

Skyeyes wasted no time. She turned tail and fled in the direction she hoped that Sleetfur had gone. Nightstorm ran beside her for the first few steps until Skyeyes lost her in the chaos. The ThunderClan she-cat spotted an overhang not far away. She dashed under and felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. She flattened herself against the first clean bit of ground she'd found since entering the cave and watched the bats shrieking by as they tried to locate her friends. Somewhere far off, she heard a low wail, like a death cry. Skyeyes squeezed her eyes shut and pressed against the cave wall. She felt leaves tugging at her pelt and saw that there were peculiar ivy-like plants growing everywhere, each with a blood red flower in the center. She steered clear of them. All at once, the beating of wings seemed to die down, and Skyeyes waited for any sign that the others had survived.

"Hey!" she heard Wolfpelt shout. "Hello! Where is everyone!"

"I'm over here!" Skyeyes called back. She crawled out of the crevice slowly and saw him standing not far away in an odd shaft of light. How could moonlight pass through solid rock? There were no holes in the roof of the cave, nor were there cracks in the walls of it. Regardless of its strange origin, the light bathed his shaking frame in an unforgiving light. She saw he was covered from head to toe in blood, with deep slashes down his neck, head, and back. "Oh Great StarClan," she murmured, slowly making her way over to him. "You're hurt!"

Wolfpelt cracked a smile. "You don't look so great yerself, sweetheart."

Skyeyes craned her neck to look at her pelt. Sure enough, there was blood all over her too, and she felt her cuts start to burn. "Where are the others?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Not sure. I ain't—"

"Anyone alive?" Rowanheart's voice called.

"We're over here!" Wolfpelt answered back. "Dawnstorm and I are safe!"

They waited for him, listening to his faint footsteps, until he appeared, just as tattered-looking as them. The whole right side of his face was drenched in blood. "You two don't look so good," Rowanheart mumbled.

"Right back at 'cha, handsome," replied Wolfpelt. "Now, have you seen Coward and Miss Attitude?"

Rowanheart shook his head. "Not yet."

"I can smell her," Wolfpelt said with a wry smile. "Her ShadowClan stench is all over the place."

"Hah-hah, tree hugger," Nightstorm herself hissed as she emerged from the bend in the cave. Skyeyes noticed she was limping significantly on her left forelimb. When she came closer, Skyeyes saw a large amount of blood. "I missed you three, too."

"Where's Sleetfur?" asked Skyeyes.

Nightstorm shook her head. "He's dead."

"Dead?" echoed Rowanheart. "How?"

"How do you think? The bats took him down. Right in front of my hiding spot, as a matter of fact. Poor thing kept struggling, but they had strength in numbers. I watched them pin him down and drain him dry."

"Of what?" murmured Wolfpelt.

Nightstorm narrowed her eyes at him. "Of blood."

Skyeyes felt herself pressing into Rowanheart, who didn't shy away. "Where is he?" the RiverClan tom asked.

"Not far off. I can take you to him, if you'd like."

The cats exchanged glances. "I think we should pay him some kind of respects," replied Wolfpelt. "Even if we can't bury him."

They agreed and allowed Nightstorm to lead them around the bend and into a expanse of open air. More and more spots of light blue moonlight dappled the cave floor. She saw that there were two openings on the left and right, both dark. "This way," Nightstorm said with a flick of her tail. They followed her to a corner, where Skyeyes saw where she'd hidden. There were two rocks with a small slit between them which looked big enough for her to get it, but small enough that she wouldn't be obvious once inside.

"There," Nightstorm said. "Happy?"

Skyeyes frowned and followed the tip of her tail. She inhaled sharply when she saw him.

Sleetfur was a sliver of his former self. He looked as though a monster had plowed right over him and flattened him. He lay on his side with numerous splotches of blood covering his once pure white pelt. There were tiny bites all over him, but the majority were on his throat, which was stained red. His eyes were wide with terror, and his mouth was open with one last cry of desperation. Skyeyes felt her shoulders slump.

"Great StarClan," murmured Rowanheart.

"One down, four to go!" Mist's voice purred from above them. They whipped their heads about to find her, but Mist was nowhere to be seen.

Poor Sleetfur :( He's a pity character. I don't actually like him that much, which is why he's dead. So who is your favorite character thus far? Who do you wish would die next? Please R&R!