"Say Bird," the words came out softly and I forced my gaze away from the rising sun in order to look into his eyes; crimson eyes the color of freshly drawn blood. "Tell me more about what I just got myself into."

Bird looked down at me and closed his eyes for a brief moment, searching silently for the right words. "It's hard to explain," he finally sighed. "Why don't you ask me questions and I'll try to answer."

I considered this, my tail tip twitching thoughtfully before I nodded. "Very well… then my first question is this: What are we called?"

"We have many names but the more common ones are the Cursed and the Fallen," Bird explained and I frowned, those didn't exactly sound like good names. "This is due to the fact that we can never die, forced to wonder the ever changing world while we remain frozen. It is truly a sad existence…"

What have I gotten myself into? I swallowed, it was a natural reflex that even more immortal body couldn't stop, before reluctantly brining up the next question. The fact that Bird was being honest with me, at least I'm fairly certain he was truthful, fueled my curiosity; even if the answers brought on even more doubt. "When did the Shadow Master come into existence and what exactly is his purpose?"

Bird mauled over the question, his tail tip twitching and a frown on his face. Finally he replied. "It's hard to say but… we believe the Shadow Master was formed when StarClan and the Place of No Stars first appeared. The three are parallels of each other and without one, everything would become unbalanced. Or at least, that's our theory."

"Unbalanced how?" I frowned dubiously, but then shrugged. Even though it was hard to tell with him being stuck in the body of a twenty moon old cat, I could tell that he was way older than the others.

"All kinds of disasters will wreck havoc on the world. Diseases… famine… earthquakes… droughts… the list goes on and on."

"Lovely…" I muttered softly under my breath and quickly stored those awful images deep into my mind for later. "Say Bird, and I'm sorry if this is a tad personal, but how did you die?"

Bird reeled back in surprise and I winced at my bluntness; of course it was personal. Frankly if some stranger walked up to me asking about my death, I wouldn't exactly want to share it either. "Y-you don't have to tell me," I quickly exclaimed as I leapt to my paws, my tail quivering nervously.

"I understand why you're curious…" Bird sighed. "Juniperpaw, I was murdered. Murdered in cold blood by the cat I trusted most in this world."

It was my turn to flinch back, my eyes widening at the harsh, venomous tone that filled Bird's voice. The sudden contrast was startling, and it took me a moment or two to find my voice. "I-I see," those were the only words that my mind could form. It must have hurt him a lot, to be turned on by someone you cared for so deeply… "Soul, let's go back to camp."

"Juniperpaw," our orange-and-white leader gestured for me to join her and, after a quick glance at Bird, I quickly joined her. Sweetstar sat in the shade of the camp and she smiled warmly as I came to her. "Tonight, you must go to the Willow Grove. Normally Softheart would have taken you, but since she's… I'll be taking you."

"The Willow Grove…" I whispered numbly. The place StarClan was strongest and where SilverClan's medicine cat would go every new moon to meet with our ancestors. Would I be able to meet Softheart there? Ever since Shadow Master revived me, I hadn't even heard a whisper from my beloved mentor. "Are we going now?"

"If we are to reach it before dawn, than yes we must leave right away," Sweetstar stood up and began for the exit. She paused and glanced back at me to add. "However if you feel any exhaustion don't be afraid to ask for we'll have plenty of time for a break or two."

I nodded, Sweetstar didn't know after all, She was completely clueless about how I was cured and of how I no longer felt fatigue, I have to keep it that way. If the Clan found out about me, everything would be gone. I would be marked a freak and chased out for sure… Pain constricted my chest at the thought, I didn't want them to hate me or ostracize me; I just want everything to continue like nothing had changed. "Hurry up Juniperpaw," Sweetstar, while I was lost in thought, was already at the exit.

I came to her and followed her outside, the red dawn sky was now replaced by a bright pale blue one that was dotted with fluffy white clouds. The sun hovered high in the sky, its rays of light keeping us warm from the blasting cold wind that reminded me that New-leaf had only just arrived. Fluffing out my short fur I couldn't help but long for the upcoming Green-leaf.

Would I finally be able to meet Softheart again? This thought kept creeping unwanted into my mind as we made our way for the grove. Ever since Shadow Master had revived me, I hadn't once dreamt of her but as we continued to grow closer to the Willow Grove, a dreadful feeling began to weave its cold tentacles deep inside me. I couldn't shake the feeling that I would never see her again and it deeply disturbed me.

So by the time we arrived to the Willow Grove, all my anticipation had spiraled down to my paws and only knotted worry filled me. But still, the breathtaking sight of this place made me gasp and my eyes widened. By now it had become dusk and, as the sun slipped away, the Grove began to glow. The leaves which had been a normal green when we arrived were now glowing a bright bluish-white and they only grew brighter as the stars appeared. "Come Juniperpaw, we must get the ceremony under way," Sweetstar padded over to the closest tree. "StarClan, tonight our new apprentice has come. May you grace her with your presence and grant her your wisdom."

Sweetstar then gestured for me to lay down among the roots of the glowing willow, and I complied. I curled up between two of the larger roots and closed my eyes, expecting to be among StarClan when I opened them. Only… I was there the realm of the Shadow Master.

It was exactly the same as last time with strange purple and green lights floating all around. If it wasn't for those pale lights, this place would be in eternal darkness but instead of settling my nerves they only made the place creepier than it already was. Mist so thick I couldn't see my paws swirled wildly around and I let out an annoyed growl at how cold it was.

"Welcome back to my humble adobe, Juniperpaw," Shadow Master purred and the mist came together to form a rippling shape that resembled a cat.

I stiffened, my fur beginning to bristle as chills ran down my spine before I forced myself to relax. Taking in a deep breath, I spoke. "It is an honor to be back," the lie came smoothly, to be honest I would have preferred to be anywhere but here. Still instincts told me to please him or StarClan knows what would happen.

"I'm glad," the body of mist smiled and I found it even creepier when his grin revealed a set of solid teeth. "But enough of formalities, I called you here to give you first mission."

"My first… mission," I echoed numbly.

"That's right but don't worry I made it simple since you're new to this," the Shadow Master stared thoughtfully at me, which sent another shiver down my spine for when I looked squarely at his rippling face, I saw two black voids for eyes. Gulping, I quickly averted my gaze to one of the floating lights. "I want you to locate a cat. Now don't worry this cat isn't too far away, so you can also search for a medicine cat for your Clan," when he said the word Clan his lips curled back scornfully. "I won't give you much of his details, after all the search is half the fun, but I will tell you tell you that the one you search for is brown with a white chest and green eyes."

I looked dubiously at the body of mist, making sure to avoid his face, but I refrained from voicing my doubts and instead asked. "What do you want me to do once I find this cat."

"That's simple, rip out it's throat and leave it for the crows," he spoke in a new tone when he announced this, a fierce hatred that he seemed to have kept bottled away until now. I swallowed and couldn't help but feel sorry for whoever seemed to have ticked him off. "You have no time limit but the longer you take, the less pleased I'll be."

Satisfied, his body returned to normal mist and I was left standing alone in this strange place, my only companion was my heavy fear. What have I gotten myself into?