Not much time passed when everyone realized there was no hope at all in finding Applepaw. Flowerheart never gave up though. She searched for her sister whenever she had extra time. Birchstripe and Treefur wanted to find their sister to the point of literal heartache, but they had more than their sisters to worry about; Tigerstar.
Birchstripe found himself waking up in a clearing in the middle of a forest... a forest with no sound, no smells, no sounds, no life. It was dark. He had to wait for his eyes to adjust until he could begin moving. He stood up and looked all around him. He realized most of the trees were pine trees. Could I be in ShadowClan territory? he thought to himself. Impossible...
"You're not in ShadowClan territory," a cold, menacing voice said. Birchstripe turned in circles trying to find the speaker.
"Come out!" Birchstripe demanded. Fear showed in his eyes.
In the direction he was originally looking, a tall, muscular figure came from the bushes. Birchstripe couldn't tell what color he was yet. All he could see at this point was the cold amber eyes that glowed. Once the mysterious cat stepped into the clearing Birchstripe could see him clearly; he was a muscular tom cat with dark tabby coloring and a lot of scars. Birchstripe didn't exactly know who he was, but he didn't like him.
"Third generation," the tom cat said, oddly pleased.
"What's your name?" Birchstripe asked the tom, uncomfortable with the tone in the mysterious cat's voice. Birchstripe narrowed his eyes at the mysterious stranger.
"My name, Birchstripe," the tom began, emphasizing Birchstripe's name "is Tigerstar."
"And where exactly am I?" Birchstripe asked Tigerstar.
"You are in the Dark Forest, my boy."
Birchstripe's eyes got large with shock and fear. "I'm- I'm dead?"
"No, no, no. You're not dead." Tigerstar began to circle Birchstripe. "You're just... visiting old relatives."
"'Old relatives'...?" Birchstripe repeated, not letting Tigerstar out of his sight. "You...?"
"No," Tigerstar said. He stopped in front of Birchstripe. "I'm not related to you, but he is," he gestured to a sleek, black-and-gray tom cat that emerged from the bushes behind Tigerstar as if on cue. Birchstripe couldn't see the color of his eyes. "Birchstripe, meet your great-great grandfather." Tigerstar had a cold look on his face. Birchstripe on the other hand, looked not scared, but confused.
"Hello, Birchstripe," the new-comer said. "I am Darkstripe, your father's mother's father." Darkstripe dipped his head to Birchstripe, expecting the same. Birchstripe just stood in front of the two tom cats with a what-just-happened look and his mouth hanging wide open.
"Birchstripe!" a she-cat's voice said behind him. He looked back to see his mother, Sunstrike, coming toward him.
"Mother...?" Birchstripe mumbled. It was as if he'd just walked into a scary horror story, and what just made it worse was that his mother- even though already dead- was here now too.
"Birchstripe, let me handle this," Sunstrike ordered him. She passed him and put herself between the Dark Forest cats and her son. "You have no business bothering my family," she told them, Birchstripe still standing in the background, mouth gaping like a open-mouth cave.
"But-um-wait-what?" Birchstripe stuttered. Shock was taking over all his senses.
"Now now," Darkstripe said to Sunstrike menacingly, stifling a snarl. "We just wanted Birchstripe to meet an old... friend of his."
Sunstrike tilted her head in a questioning manner. "Who?"
Darkstripe grinned and looked behind him. Emerging from the bushes was a large, muscular, redish-brown tom cat with dark brown eyes. It was the largest cat Sunstrike or Birchstripe had ever seen.
"Oak-Oakkit...?" Sunstrike mumbled, taking a hopeful step closer. A tear gathered in her eye until she blinked it away. "No..." She backed away, finally realizing what was going on. "Why? What are you doing here? Why didn't you come to StarClan?"
"He's not Oakkit any longer," Tigerstar answered. "It's Oakleaf. He's a warrior now. He grew up here."
"That's impossible!" Sunstrike argued fearfully. "He should've stayed a kit!"
"But I didn't," Oakkit answered in a low, threatening voice. "You know why I didn't come to StarClan?" he asked her. Everyone hesitated and watched him- even Tigerstar and Darkstripe- wanting to know his explanation. "Because I wanted revenge. You and Foxwhisker weren't there for me! You should've been there for me!"
Sunstrike couldn't hold the tears back. she began crying heavily, not able to meet her son's eyes.
Birchstripe came up next to his mother and stood in front of her protectively. "That's enough, Oakleaf," he demanded.
"Oakleaf, I am so sorry! I wanted to help you! I died trying to save you!" Sunstrike pleaded with him. "I know I cannot even begin to ask for you forgiveness, but know that I wanted you home more than you could possibly know."
Oakleaf bowed his head, not meeting his mother's or brother's eyes. For a moment his gaze softened regrettably. A moment later it hardened again and he looked his brother right in the eyes. "Maybe it's not her that has to pay, but you."
"Me?" Birchstripe inquired. "Um... why?"
"Because," Oakleaf insisted. "You were always her favorite. You should've been there to help me. I was your brother."
"I was a kit. I didn't even know where you'd gone!" Birchstripe argued. "Oakleaf, why is revenge so important to you? What will you gain from it?"
Oakleaf looked at his brother in silence for a few long, horrible moments. Then said "you could not possibly understand, Birchstripe. You haven't lost anything so important before."
"I lost you, Oakleaf. You were my brother." Birchstripe was never an emotional type, but now he meant it. This didn't phase Oakleaf at all.
Sunstrike, still crying, began fading. Birchstripe knew what was happening; she was leaving him. He would be all alone in this hell.
Within a moment he was all alone- only his enemies to keep him company.
"I have an idea," Tigerstar said cooly. He whispered something to Darkstripe and they both grinned. He whispered again to Oakleaf and Oakleaf grinned. "Your kind words don't mean a thing here, Oakleaf."
Birchstripe felt a tight sickening feeling in his stomach- the feeling of anticipation and nervousness. He swallowed hard. The blood roared in his ears. Then, he fell.