CHAPTER 52-You Can't Burn the Flames

I was a little kid again, sitting in front of the wooden white-washed porch outside of my house. I was dangling my feet over the floor boards and the door was open, but for some reason, I couldn't move. I wanted so desperately to go inside, but there was a tight weight on my shoulder, like someone was clutching me and refusing to let go.

I tried to open my eyes and closed them again when a wave of nausea tried to overwhelm me. After several more tries, I blinked them open and struggled to sit up.

I was in a cave of some sort, with a smooth, dirt ceiling and a brown floor littered with roots and pebbles. I was trapped in a corner in a make-shift "cage". Long, thick rib bones from some large animal protruded up securely between the ceiling and ground around me, like the bars from a prison cell. My "cage" was big enough to stand up in, but too small and narrow to stretch my sore muscles.

My head pounded painfully against my skull. What had happened? There was only a large, black gap in my memories. My legs suddenly felt weak when I remembered. I had failed StarClan. I had failed everyone.

I budged at the rib bones, but they were secure and stuck to the ground. My muscles protested and shrieked for me to lie down and rest. The injuries on my pelt were burning like fire, and I had no choice but to collapse and wait for the throbbing to go away. I buried my face in my paws, choking back a whimper. Everyone was doomed because of me. Everyone...

I heard slow, ponderous paw steps coming toward me and glared as Fang stepped into the room. He grinned a crooked smile, reminding me of the Cheshire Cat. I shivered, more from the fear than the cold air.

He glowered down at me, a look of triumph in his eyes. "So, Shadefrost," he growled softly. "Who's the winner now?"

I bristled and spat, "You've won nothing. The Clans are still alive out there somewhere. And as long as I'm still here, I won't lose." I sounded braver than I actually felt.

He paced the room in slow, leisurely movements, his gaze thoughtful and relaxed. "Oh, is that what you think? The Darklings are reliable creatures, once you manage to control them. They've sneaked into the Moonpool and spied on the StarClan cats, listening to all of their secrets and tidbits that I was never supposed to know. That's how I found out about you."

I hissed, "You won't win. I won't let you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I can kill you whenever I want to."

The fox turned his head toward the entrance and barked sharply, "Titus, Nettle, guard the entrance. Make sure the prisoner doesn't escape."

I pressed my back against the wall of the cave, my heart racing, as he slowly trudged toward me.

"Do you know what it feels like, Shadefrost? To see your comrades dying right before your eyes, and not being able to do anything to help them?"

I eyed his moves warily. "W-what do you want? The l-land around the Lake? Is that all you want?"

His eyes glittered dangerously as he raised a paw. "I want vengeance." His voice grew quieter and more dangerous. I gulped.

He slowly began to pry the rib bones apart, creating an opening big enough for him to slip through. The makeshift cage was the only barrier that kept me safe from him. I watched with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as he continued to dismantle it, tossing the large bones aside as if they weighed nothing. Soon, there was nothing between us, nothing except for the cold, shifting air and his heavy eyes. I arched my back, my hackles rising, and hissed.

"I want vengeance," he said louder, his voice echoing around the empty room.

Before I could react, he struck my face with so much force that it sent me reeling to the side, his claws breaking the skin and drawing blood. I regained my balance with the taste of it in my mouth and a faint ringing in my ears.

I cowered down in front of him, bracing myself in case he cuffed me again.

He bared his teeth, snarling, and lunged. I scrambled out of the way right before his fangs met my neck, heard them snap together just inches from my fur.

He whispered dangerously, "The cats and the foxes have been enemies ever since they first laid eyes on each other. Why is that, hm? Is it because you and I are just so different?"

My gaze hardened. I was stronger than this. I unsheathed my claws and pounced on him, aiming to land on his back. He side-stepped and dodged my blows, my claws gliding harmlessly over his pelt. I spun around and faced him again, hissing, and charged. My wounds screamed at me in protest and I flinched. It felt like a thousand burning needles buried in my flesh. He took it to his advantage and struck a blow to my already injured shoulder with so much force that I crashed to the ground. I couldn't help but cry out in pain. A thin stream of blood trickled down. I clenched my teeth as he placed a firm paw on my neck and pinned me down. He flexed his claws.

"Or perhaps it's because we are so much alike," he murmured, his voice dripping with malice.

I glared at him, wincing when he pressed his paw down harder. "We are nothing alike," I hissed, clenching my teeth.

"I have a story to tell. A story of how I saw the world on the other side of the mirror."

I stopped struggling and stared at him questioningly, feeling his hold on me tighten.

Fang withdrew his paw suddenly and allowed me to sit up. He began to pace the room again, his eyes never leaving mine.

He muttered, "When I was a pup, the world seemed so white to me. The sky was infinitely high and clear, spelling out a path laden with endless hopes and endless possibilities. I had a family, too, a pack that I could call my own. They told me stories of how great the foxes had once been, how a long time ago, things had once been different. A long, long time in the past, every fox had been united under the great ancestor Sunfire, the hero who promised us fulfillment and peace. But that was long ago. Now, the echoes of our downfall ring endlessly in our ears."

He paused and stared up at the ceiling, remembering. "You would have loved those stories they told," he murmured.

I flattened my ears and snarled, "Why are you telling me this? Do you want me to sympathize with you?"

He ignored me and halted, his gaze darkening. Black flames seemed to flicker behind his glass eyes. "And in one day, my peaceful life changed. It all happened so suddenly. A group of cats happened to stumble upon us, and without hesitation, they slaughtered my family. They murdered every last one of them. My brothers, my sisters...We didn't even do anything to provoke the cats."

He rounded toward me and bared his teeth in front of my face. I yelped and backed away.

He roared, "I was the only one who escaped! I watched them being slaughtered right in front of my eyes! Do you have any idea what it feels like? To watch your whole entire family, every one you've ever known, being crushed until you're the only one left?"

There was a crazed look in his eyes that made me want to flee. "The cats drew the death out as painfully and slowly as they could. They ripped the fur from their pelts and watched as the blood poured out as heavy as a crimson flood. And I never forgot the screams." He winced.

I scowled at him and growled softly, "So that's your main goal? Revenge? That's it?"

"No. I need that and more. I need to kill you."

I forced myself to stand on my feet, a wave of dizziness making me stumble. I had lost too much blood in the battle with the Clan. This couldn't be good...

"W-why? How does murdering me make you better than the cats?" I spat.

"Because I cannot let the Clans rise and rule over the foxes ever again. You are the key to it all, the savior of the Clans, the chosen cat from the prophecy. As long as they have you, they will keep on clinging to the faint strands of hope that they have. I dream of a day where all of the foxes will be able to get back their old land and be able to live safely and happily once again, well-fed and with no mangy cats to get in their way. I dream of a golden age where every fox will be able to rise and conquer and live strong and proud. And as long as you're still here, that can never happen."

I narrowed my eyes and crouched down, preparing to spring. "I'm not going down without a fight," I warned. My heart was racing wildly. I ignored the throbbing of my gashes and leaped, my claws outstretched. I fastened them onto his shoulder and sank my fangs into his skin, but before I could get them in deeper, he took me by the scruff of my neck and flung me harshly to the side. I collided with the wall and felt the wind knocked out of me. A thin, stream of blood trickled down my mouth as I stared up at him, panting quietly.

"A few years ago, I met a vixen named Lark," he muttered darkly. "She was almost like a sister to me. We gathered stray foxes together and formed a new pack underneath these tunnels. She helped me rally together the rats, dogs, badgers, and Darklings, and together, we ruled here underground. The badgers built these tunnels themselves."

He leaned down toward my ear and whispered, "And I controlled the rats. I told them to dip themselves in the Lake to mask their scent, and they slipped inside the WindClan camp every night, after dark. They were so small that they were unnoticeable."

My eyes widened in disbelief.

"That's right, Shadefrost. The rats carried fleas. They carried the Great Sickness that almost wiped out half of the Clan."

I pressed my back against the smooth, dirt wall, my breath coming in gasps. He drew out his paw and smacked me, hard, but I didn't flinch. I didn't even notice the sting.

"How could you," I whispered. It was all because of him. Larksong and Aspenpaw had to face so much pain and suffering because of him.

His voice hardened. "WindClan would have perished, but a certain maggot had to come along and ruin everything. I knew that as long as you were alive, I couldn't achieve my greatest dream."

He lowered his head until he was staring me straight in the eye. I saw a deep hunger and heartless anger inside them, but I also saw something else.

Agony?

"You killed Lark," he growled. His eyes flashed like lightning.

"W-what? I didn't kill her! I've never even met her!"

He silenced me by slamming his paw down on my chest, pinning me down tightly. I thrashed and wiggled, trying to claw him, but he was just too strong. He loomed above me like a giant, the shadows swirling behind him.

He snarled, "I want to make sure that you suffer for your misdeeds. I want you to have a slow and painful death. I want to kill you myself. But what's more painful that having to watch your friends die right before your eyes?"

I stopped struggling and grew limp, my gaze widening in horror. "No, please," I whispered. "Let them go. You can kill me, but let them go."

Fang grinned wickedly and lifted his head. He barked something in the fox tongue. Five foxes slowly ambled into the room, their heads held high with triumph as they cruelly dragged two cats behind them. My ears flattened and I drew in a sharp breath as I recognized them.

Numerous claw marks and gashes were strewn across their pelts, staining their fur red like a deathberry. It looked as if they had been run over several times, over and over again, mangling their limbs and fur into a bloody pulp.

The foxes dumped them in the center of the den and stepped back, eyes glittering. Snowstorm slowly sat up on trembling legs, his eyes widening when he saw me.

"Shadefrost," he whispered. "Run. Run while you still can."

I stepped back in horror, felt tears sting my eyes. "I'm sorry," I whimpered.

I heard Fang chuckling behind me, and I whirled around and bared my teeth. My fear evaporated like a dry puddle under the sun.

"Let them go!" I snarled. "They have nothing to do with this! If you want to kill me, then just do it already!'

Dewstep rasped desperately, "Shadefrost, stop! You have to escape, or he'll murder you too!"

"But I can't leave without you!"

I rounded on Fang and snarled, my eyes red with rage. This was the fox who was responsible for all of this. He killed off half of WindClan. He killed Aspenpaw's parents. Leafpool, Berrynose, and countless others were dead because of him.

I padded toward him slowly, taking my time, my eyes never leaving his. And now that he had hurt Snowstorm and Dewstep, I couldn't let him get away.

I snarled and bounded toward him, my claws outstretched. He side-stepped out of my way again, but this time, I was prepared. I hooked his shoulder with my claws, sinking them deep into his skin, and he grunted in pain. He opened his jaws to snap them into my neck, but I reared back just out of reach. I tripped him with my tail and pinned him down. My claws dug lightly into his skin. I glowered down at him triumphantly, feeling my victory dangling right before me. I expected him to show a flash of fear, but his eyes were as calm as ever.

The other foxes sank their teeth into the scruff of my neck and I yowled and thrashed, trying to get away. They threw me down next to Snowstorm and Dewstep. The toms looked up at them in fear and trembled, but I padded in front of them and stood over them protectively. It was my fault they had gotten hurt. I wouldn't let them out of my sight ever again.

For a brief second, confusion flashed in Fang's eyes. "Do you really care about them that much, Shadefrost?" he rumbled.

"Of course I do!" I snarled. "Why wouldn't I?"

He padded up to us coldly. I felt the toms press their pelts against mine, shivering under his icy gaze.

The fear was wrenching me apart. I wanted to bolt out of the room, out of the tunnels, and hide under the dust of my bed. Yet, as I glanced down at the battered and beaten forms of Snowstorm and Dewstep, I felt a rage burning deep inside me. I glared at Fang as he neared.

He asked coldly, "Any last words?"

Before I could say anything, a small, lithe vixen burst into the room, her fur matted and her sides heaving. There was a fearful look to her mahogany brown eyes as she surveyed the den, her pupils darting everywhere. Pip?

I flattened my ears and growled at her, my hackles bristling. Dewstep had been right all along. A fox was still a fox no matter how innocent she seemed.

Fang growled heartily. "Welcome home, Ember. I was just about to say farewell to these cats. Perhaps you would like to torment them one last time before I kill them?

Pip shivered when she noticed me. Why did she look afraid? Why did she look so surprised? She should be chuckling and laughing like Fang was.

She gulped and turned to Fang. She breathed in deeply, and when she opened her eyes again, they were defiant.

She began to growl something at him in the fox language, and her tone was stern and harsh. She seemed to be arguing. I wish I understood what she was saying.

OoOOOoOOooOooOooOooooooooooooooooooOoOOOOOOOOOOoOOoo

"What's happening out there, Fang?" Ember demanded. The leader straightened his back and stared down at her darkly. A glint of fear nestled itself into her heart but she brushed it away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the three cats cowered in the corner with the other five foxes standing guard over them. The cats' pelts were bloodied and ragged, and it looked as if they had been trampled by a whole pack of monsters.

Shadefrost stared back at her, her gaze filled with agony, pain, and fear. It wrenched Ember's heart to see her like that.

Ember turned back to Fang and barked, "Parts of the land around the Lake have been burned down to the ground by a fire. The whole land is dark and barren with ashes, as if life had never even grown there. And there's bodies, Fang! There's dead bodies everywhere! Rats, dogs, badgers, cats, and even a couple of Darklings. It looked as if a tornado blew down everything. What did you do?!"

He only narrowed his eyes. "You supported my dream, Ember. A dream that we would be able to get our old home back and prosper. Isn't that what you've been living for?"

His words cut her, sharper than thorns. She blinked at him, astonished. "B-but I didn't think I would be like this. Not like this. You only told me that we would drive the cats out and be done with it. True, you told me that we would have to fight a little bit and get our paws bloody. But I didn't expect you to try and kill every single cat! I didn't expect for a massacre like this!" Her voice rose to a sharp wail.

"So? I might have twisted the words around. But you'll still be loyal to the pack, won't you?"

Ember stiffened, her eyes widening. She gasped, "You lied to me."

"Oh yes," he murmured, grinning. "But you still carried out your duty. You fought in the battle, didn't you?"

"No. No I didn't! As soon as I saw that horde of rats charging down the hill, I fled and hid. I'm not like you!" she snarled.

Fang's smile faltered. "I see," he muttered quietly. "The pack has been raising a coward."

Ember scrambled away as he slowly advanced toward her.

He growled, "Scarlet has told me her doubts about you. She says that you're too different. She calls you weak. Don't you think that it's time to finally prove your worth?"

He nodded toward the cats huddled in the corner. "I want you to kill Shadefrost," he said.

Ember backed away, shaking her head furiously. "I won't! I refuse!"

A flash of anger erupted behind Fang's eyes, although his voice remained steady. "The Darklings told me about that one night when you came across that ThunderClan warrior. What was her name again? Sorrelsomething? You fought her. You almost killed her. And yet, she's still alive. Why didn't you kill her?"

Ember ducked her head, her fur bristling in fear. "There wasn't enough time," she said, defending her actions. "Another cat was coming my way. I had to leave before he saw me."

"You know that a fox's jaws are strong enough to shatter a cat's bones. You could have snapped her neck in half right before you left. And yet, you didn't." His voice rose threateningly. "Could it be that you were actually holding back?"

Ember's eyes widened in surprise, even though there was a nagging doubt in the farthest reaches of her mind. "O-of course not! I just didn't have enough time, that's all!"

Fang barked menacingly, "Don't lie to me, Ember. The Darklings saw everything. They told me everything. They saw the second-long flicker of hesitation in your eyes right before you ran off. The Darklings are telepathic, in case you didn't know. They can feel someone else's emotion as clearly as if it were their own."

He glared down at her in anger. "Oh, you were doing great, at first. You had enough rage and fury burning inside you to pounce and sink your teeth into her neck. But right at the last second, right before you dealt the final blow, there was a small, minute seed of regret buried deep inside your mind. It was so tiny that you didn't even notice it. That's why you didn't kill her. You let that mangy cat live."

Ember backed away nervously. Surely, Fang wouldn't kill a member of his own pack...?

He drew his lips back into a snarl. "It seemed that all your training was a waste if you couldn't even kill a single soul. Your mother would be so disappointed."

His words strangled her like a noose. She could barely breathe.

The cats were staring at them, wide-eyed. Fang pointed to the black she-cat with his tail.

"Kill Shadefrost," he ordered. "Prove that you are still a loyal fox of the pack."

She hesitated, staring at the helpless, wounded feline. Shadefrost held her gaze and stared back with sorrow and anguish and a faint hint of loathing. If only Ember knew how to speak the cat language. She wanted to tell her that she was sorry.

Fang murmured, "There's something I haven't told you. I know who killed Lark."

Her breath caught in her throat and she hesitated, wondering whether or not if she was ready for the truth. "Who...who did it?" she whispered quietly.

"It was Shadefrost," he rumbled.

"Wh-what? But that's impossible! She would never do that!"

"Oh, but she did," he continued. "Shadefrost killed your mother without hesitation, without a single speck of remorse. That flea-ridden cat made sure that Lark died a slow and painful death, watching with satisfaction as the screams echoed in the air. She was practically bathing in the blood."

Ember flattened her ears and covered them with her paws, her eyes widening in horror. "No! Shadefrost would never do that! You're lying!"

"Except that Shadefrost's name is actually Ashley. Didn't we warn you, Ember? We told you that Ashley was an evil-hearted cat who didn't care about anything other than bloodshed."

"That's not true!" she wailed. "If you've ever stared into her eyes, you'd know that she's not like that!"

"Then kill her for Lark," he rumbled. "Didn't you want to avenge her death? Now, you have the opportunity seated right in front of you. Do this for your mother."

Ember gulped and forced her trembling to subside. She closed her eyes and opened them again, steadying herself. This was the moment that she had been waiting for. She could see her mother's face in her mind, her flowing, ginger fur, her dark, shining eyes. She could hear that voice trickling in her ears.

And cowering before her was the cat that had ended her life.

OoOOoOoOOoOoOOoOooooooooooOooOoOooOoOOOO

Shadefrost's POV

Pip and Fang seemed to be arguing back and forth, their barks resonating around the entire den. I couldn't understand a single word they said in their strange fox tongue.

Finally, the argument subsided and Ember turned to me, her face blank and steady. She trudged toward me.

Snowstorm and Dewstep hissed and tried to shield me, but I gently pushed them away. I could handle this on my own.

"Are you going to kill me?" I asked her, my voice cold. She blinked, but didn't say anything. I didn't even know if she understood what I said.

I thought back to those times when we were lying under the stars in the secret meadow, searching for constellations and wishing on falling meteors. I thought back to the time when I taught her how to hunt, and those lessons we spent together as I tried to teach her some of the cat language. I even remembered how I taught her how to skip stones across the surface of the Lake, laughing underneath the shelter of the forest trees.

She was standing over me now, her gaze unblinking. She slowly raised a paw. Were those times over now? I couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness. Despite everything that had happened today, I didn't want her to go.

"Shadefrost!" Snowstorm yowled desperately. The other foxes pushed them away and held them in place, ignoring their wails and pleas.

I winced as I heaved myself to my paws, some of my wounds beginning to reopen.

Without warning, she lunged, her jaws wide open. I dodged her blows frantically as she drove me across the den, my breath coming in short gasps and my ears flat against my head.

It took me a few minutes to realize that she wasn't exactly striking me. She was diving and bounding with her teeth just inches from my face, but she wasn't touching any part of my body. I wasn't moving very fast, so surely she must have hit me by now?

"Shadefrost," she whispered urgently.

I blinked. "Huh?" My heart raced faster.

"Follow me. I...I know ways out. Just follow me and run when I tell for you to." I could understand that she was struggling with those unfamiliar cat words on her tongue.

I realized that she had driven me back against the opposite wall of the den. The entrance was only a few feet away. After my surprise had subsided, I snapped to attention and nodded, just slightly so that the others wouldn't notice.

Pip was still lunging and biting, but it was just for show. She wasn't planning on hurting me. She never did.

Fang's eyes were glittering with satisfaction as he stared at us from across the room, but he didn't realize what was actually happening between us.

I whispered, "But what about Snowstorm and Dewstep?"

"I...I'll come back for them after I show you out of this place. I'll protect them two."

Fang's eyes narrowed.

I gulped. "Fang is growing suspicious. There's not enough blood pouring out. Our act doesn't look convincing enough."

She flicked her ear, showing that she understood. Without warning, she pinned me down onto the ground swiftly, but carefully enough so that she wouldn't actually hurt me. My eyes widened as I stared at her questioningly.

She leaned down over my body so Fang wouldn't see and sank her teeth deep into her arm. Her own arm.

I gasped in shock and winced as the blood poured out freely from her wound. I remembered that the audience was watching, and began to moan and writhe in pretend agony. The fox's blood formed a scarlet pool around us.

The toms screamed my name and tried to rush toward me, but the other foxes growled and forced them back. Their voices sounded desperate and pleading, and I immediately felt guilty about lying to them.

I yowled and batted at Pip's shoulder with sheathed paws. She growled and glowered down at me, her lips drawn back into a snarl. As she reached down to sink her fangs into my throat, her nose brushed my ear and I heard her whisper, "Run. Now."

Without hesitating, I leaped to my paws and raced out of the entrance, out of the den. I heard Fang's howl of fury and a flurry of barking, but I didn't dare look back.

With every step I took, I was wandering further and further away from Snowstorm and Dewstep. It hurt me with every stride, and I had to remind myself that I wasn't abandoning them. Pip and I would get them out somehow.

Right now, I had to focus on keeping myself alive. Fang had said that I was the key to the Clan's survival. As long as I was still breathing, the Clans would never fall.

Pip raced along beside me, slightly limping because of the gash on her arm.

"Are you okay?" I asked anxiously. She nodded. "It okay. No worry," she panted, flashing me a toothy smile.

We bounded through the dark tunnels with flashes of light shooting down on us every now and then from the cracks in the ceiling. The angry bellows of foxes, rats, and dogs echoed from every corner. I risked a glance back and nearly choked when I saw a whole horde of them hot on our trail.

Pip hissed, "Keep running. I lead the way out."

As we rounded a corner, we came across a weak section of the wall. A large, shallow crack snaked its way from the floor and ended in the middle of the ceiling.

I kicked the crack on the wall with as much force as I could muster, making it deepen and split.

"Help me!" I mewed to the fox. Together, we widened the crack until it was so deep that a small portion of the ceiling began to cave in.

There was a deafening, splintering noise, as if the earth was speaking gnarled words, and then a section of the tunnel collapsed in a thick, billow of dust. Pebbles and roots rained down on us like hail.

After the dust had cleared, we saw that the collapsed earth had formed a thick, sturdy wall of rock between us and our pursuers. On the other side, I heard shrill yaps and the scrabbling of paws as they tried to dig their way toward us.

Pip grinned. "Good job," she barked, and we hurried on our way.

As we ran, I couldn't help but ponder. "Why didn't you kill me?" I asked, panting.

The fox hesitated, but replied, "I've saw what it was like outside. It's not pretty. If Fang was able to cause that much destruction and suffering, then I have to keep you alive. For the sake of the Clans. We can't let Fang win."

"And what did Fang mean when he said that I killed your mother? I never...Oh." I suddenly remembered that vixen that had raged through the camp a long time ago. Was that Pip's mother?

I mumbled sadly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"S'all right." She gulped and her furrowed her brow. "My mother...my mother was wrong."

I glanced at her questioningly. We rounded a corner.

Pip continued, "She lied to me. The whole pack lied to me. And she was wrong for listening to Fang. I was wrong too. I'm sorry." I could tell how much it hurt her to say that about her mother. It broke her heart.

She skidded to a halt as the tunnels gradually became brighter. A large opening was at the other end. She looked at me and nodded, flicking her tail.

I padded toward it quickly, but before I exited, I turned and stared back. "Take care of Snowstorm and Dewstep, alright?"

Her eyes burned with determination and she nodded. "Take care yourself too, Shadefrost. You are Clans' only hope."

I stared deep into those warm, brown mahogany eyes that I grew to love so much. I wanted to talk more, but I knew that I didn't have a lot of time down here. Before I left, I quickly licked her forehead fondly and scrambled away.

Inhaling a deep breath, I exited the tunnels and stepped outside.