To theimpossiblepond: I actually don't know how many chapters this is going to be, so we'll see. And since the school year is coming to a close, I've found myself updating more frequently because I have a lot more time in my hands. I'm glad you enjoy it!
CHAPTER 47-Their World Will Be Torn to Pieces
Ember stared up at the moon, her eyes wide and curious. She hadn't been able to see the night sky so close up before. When she had lived back in the tunnels, she only got a few glimpses of it if Lark or the others let her near the entrance.
The night was beautiful. It swarmed with stars and fireflies, and as she nestled back down onto the soft grass, she wished that she could stay here forever. But she couldn't. As soon as she killed the cat who took her mother's life, she had to go back down to the tunnels and train with the others again. She knew that if she didn't, there would be punishment waiting for her. Fang would see to it.
She winced, realizing that she had been gone for almost two whole days. Her pack would have noticed her absence. And no one knew where she was.
She sniffed the air, the scent of the cats already beginning to fade. Were they coming back, or had they just left her here?
The fox stood up and stretched her legs, and then began to hurry out of the meadow in a brisk trot. She didn't need to wait for them. The forest was bursting with freedom, and all she wanted to do was enjoy her temporary independence for as long as she could.
She climbed over the bushes and skipped over to the trees. Maybe she could spy on the ThunderClan camp to see what it was like. She might even be able to figure out who the murderer was.
Ember sniffed the air for the strong, mingled scent of cats and followed it, keeping close to the shadows.
One of the shadows shifted. She yelped and stepped back in surprise as a creature emerged, thick and murky.
It studied her for a minute before turning away.
Ember blinked. "Hello," she said. When the Darkling swung around to face her, its cold breath billowing into her face, she flinched and took a step back.
She blinked at the queer creature that towered above her. Its claws glinted in the moonlight, and the features on its face seemed to be melted and mushed together like wax, leaving nothing but hollow cheekbones. It had no eyes.
A menacing aura seemed to surround it, but it faltered and gradually faded away as the Darkling studied her. Ember looked up at it in awe. She had never seen one up close before.
Little fox.
It took her a moment to realize that the Darkling was talking to her.
"You're in my head?" she asked. "You're telepathic?"
A little fox, straying so far from home. If I killed you here, no one would know.
Ember bristled and glared at it. "You can't do that. You're supposed to be friends with my pack."
The Darkling stood up taller and scowled at her.
Friends? No. We are only in alliance with the pack. Only allies. Not friends.
Ember took a step back, narrowing her eyes. She snarled, preparing to attack if the Darkling took a threatening step toward her.
In her mind, the voice seemed to waver, as if it was chuckling.
Weakling. You think you can stop me?
Ember only growled in response. The creature looked up and opened its mouth, scenting the air.
Almost a full moon. The end is near.
"You mean the end of the Clans?"
Yes. Our forces are growing stronger. The storm is brewing.
When the Darkling didn't seem as threatening anymore, Ember let herself relax. She wrapped her tail around her paws and stared up at the moon, three-quarters full.
"I don't see why Fang had to choose you guys to help," she retorted. "You're creepy. And he already has help from the others..."
The Darkling sat back on its haunches and sharpened its claws on a rock. It gurgled something at the back of its throat. The fox heard its ancient voice loud and clear in her head.
He needs all the help he can get. The Clans are strong. They are brave. Countless times they have been challenged, and never before have they lost. Stubborn fools, they are. Resilient like pesky fleas. Never backing down and never falling.
The fox stared down at her paws, thinking. After a while, she murmured, "You knew my mother, Lark. You know a lot of things. Do you know the name of the cat who killed her?"
The Darkling twisted its neck around to gaze at her, its empty eyes boring into hers. She imagined black tendrils waving out of its back, endlessly swirling and shifting like shadowy snakes. They emanated an ominous aura and she instinctively backed away.
That cat? That cat in the prophecy? Her heart is only an apple infested with maggots. She is weak, yet she will be the death of us one day if we don't stop her soon.
"Tell me her name," Ember pleaded. "What's her name?"
The Darkling suddenly opened its mouth wide and lunged at her, snapping its jaws only an inch from her face.
Ember leaped to her paws and darted a little distance away, her heart pounding.
The Darkling stood up and slowly padded toward her. The end is near. I feel it in my veins. It feels like a thousand nights burning its years away inside me.
It suddenly screamed and leaped at her, swiping its claws in front of her face. Ember yelped in fear and ran away, almost falling but managing to regain her balance.
She didn't stop running and urged her legs to sprint faster. Far behind her, she heard the Darkling howling.
With her eyes wide and her breath coming in short gasps, she quickly bounded over the forest floor and tried to put as much distance behind her as possible.
When she was too tired to run any further, she pressed herself against a tree trunk and forced her breathing to slow down. Her heart pounded loudly against her ears. The Darkling was gone. She was safe.
It was only when she had calmed down that she realized she was standing near the ThunderClan camp. The gorse tunnel was spread thickly around it, but she was able to peer through the cracks. The camp was silent and sleeping. She could see dens and the faint forms of the cats inside them. Her mouth watered when she saw a pile of dead prey in the center of the clearing.
She hadn't eaten for hours and sighed in frustration. Back in the tunnels, Scarlet, Titus, and Nettle were in charge of bringing in food. Everyone else had the responsibility of training the young ones and learning battle techniques. Ember was one of the best fighters they had. She was a quick learner, but never once in her life did she ever catch a mouse. No one ever taught her how.
But surely, it must be easy?
She closed her eyes and sniffed the air, her keen nose detecting the mouth-watering aroma of a squirrel nearby. She crouched down and crept toward it, spotting its furry tail waving above some ferns.
She eyed it hungrily, and when she felt that the time was right, she leaped with her jaws wide open.
The squirrel saw her a few seconds before she landed and raced up a nearby tree. She dropped onto her paws and growled in frustration.
The pile of prey in the camp looked so enticing.
Just one bite, she thought, and then she would sneak back outside without anyone noticing.
Her hopes were crushed when she realized that there was a cat standing in the entrance for guard duty.
Oh well. She couldn't risk getting caught anyway.
But wait...Her eyes sparkled mischievously. The cat was alone, and by the looks of it, she didn't seem very strong. If Ember was careful, she could sneak up and kill it without anyone noticing.
If she killed only one cat, it wouldn't really do much. But it was one step closer toward the victory of her pack.
It was, after all, one less cat to worry about.
The fox flexed her muscles and snuck toward her unsuspecting victim. She kept close to the shadows as she tiptoed closer and closer, eyeing the target with a malicious glint in her gaze.
The cat's eyes were half-open and she yawned sleepily. She didn't notice the danger until it was too late. All of a sudden, the feline's eyes grew wide in surprise as a strong, agile shock of red fur knocked the breath out of her and pinned her down. The cat opened her mouth wide to yowl, but Ember clamped a paw over it and sank her teeth around her neck.
The salty taste of blood erupted in the fox's mouth as she bit down as hard as she could. The cat's screams gurgled and died down in the back of her throat while her paws waved around frantically.
She could feel the life draining out of her in the red rivers that flowed toward the Lake, but she suddenly stiffened when she heard someone padding closer.
Reluctantly releasing her prey, Ember leaped back and scampered over to the shadows of the trees.
Peering out of the bushes, she heard a cat yowl, "Sorreltail? Oh, Sorreltail, what happened?!"
The tom gently leaned over and grasped the limp cat by the scruff of her neck. He urgently dragged her back into the camp until they were hidden from view.
The fox smiled as she heard wails and cries of anguish erupt from the silence. That was what they deserved for killing her mother. She savored the taste of the blood in her mouth and looked down at her paws, which was covered with it.
She glanced up at the sky and the voice of the Darkling echoed in her mind. The end was near. The moon would soon be full. What was so important about a full moon?
She shook her head and began to clean the scarlet stains out of her fur. She had almost killed a cat today. Lark would be so proud of her. She could almost hear her soothing voice and the warmth of her tail curling around her.
"Oh, Lark," Ember whimpered as she lay down under a bush in the stillness of the night, all alone in the woods. She stared up at the twinkling stars while she waited for morning to come.