Golden Dawn: Lost Sunrise

by Lightflame The Warrior

"I wonder if the wind has regrets. Can it pierce my heart, even now, and find the echoes of who I once was?" Long ago, the Three fought and died to protect the Clans. Now, war is coming, and sleeping foes have risen. For any hope of survival to exist, sworn enemies must unite to overcome both the darkness in the Clans and within themselves. The stars will tremble in their wake.

13. Chapter 11 Darkclaw

Another chapter, another delay. At this rate, we'll be see the last Song of Ice and Fire book, as well as Half-Life 3, before I'm done. Really sorry about that. Well, for now at least, enjoy Darkclaw's latest adventure! This is actually the longest chapter yet.

Chapter 11

The Gathering was ending and Darkclaw still hadn't had an opportunity to talk with Snowcloud. He looked around for her frantically, before finally spotting her.

"Hey, Snowcloud!" he called, running over to her. She was with Stonepaw, who was asking her for some advice.

She glanced up at him. "Oh, hey Darkclaw," she mewed. "Shame that we didn't get to talk during this one, isn't it?"

"There's always next time," Darkclaw mewed.

Snowcloud nodded. "I suppose," she agreed. "By the way, I'm getting an apprentice in a few sunrises!"

Darkclaw narrowed his eyes sceptically. "But you don't look old and cranky!" he protested. "How will you manage?"

Snowcloud batted her eyes at him. "It's a secret," she teased. "You'll have to wait until the next Gathering to find out. I'll introduce you to her then, okay?"

"Sounds good," Darkclaw agreed.

"Well then, it's a date," mewed Snowcloud. "I'll be expecting to see you there unharmed, got it? No more crazy stunts."

Darkclaw grunted his agreement. She departed, waving her tail as she padded off to follow her Clanmates.

"You like her, don't you?" Stonepaw squeaked.

"What?" Darkclaw exclaimed. "No way! She's my best friend. Nobody is in love with their best friend!"

Stonepaw responded with a playful wink and scampered off. Darkclaw would have knocked the smirk off of his face, but he knew that would only get him and even longer lecture from Foxwhisker. Sighing, he followed his Clanmates home.

…

Darkclaw glared at the RiverClan border. He knew that if he ventured beyond it, although he wouldn't, he would encounter fish-breaths with salt-addled brains. On this morning, he had come down for a change of pace. His old training spot no longer seemed appealing now that so many cats could easily find him there.

In the distance, he could make out a reddish brown tom padding towards the border. Growling, he dropped into his battle stance. He was prepared for a fight if this tom craved one.

The tom was staring at the ground as he approached, and it seemed to take ages before he noticed Darkclaw. When he did, he idly glanced upwards before leaping backwards and crashing to the ground.

"Hey, wait a moment big guy!" he cried, sticking up his tail. "I'm not here to challenge you! I just want to remark the border."

Darkclaw eyed him with amusement. "A one cat border patrol?" he asked. "What's RiverClan coming to these days?"

"Speak for yourself," the tom snapped as he crawled back to his paws.

Darkclaw shrugged in response. "I'm only out here for a spot of training," he explained. "Your Clan, on the other paw, is probably running low on healthy warriors with that sickness running rampant, right?"

The younger tom looked taken aback. "How do you know about that?" he snapped. "Have you been spying on us?"

Now it was Darkclaw's turn to step back. "Just hold on a moment," he mewed. "I overheard some ThunderClan cats talking about it at the Gathering yesterday. Don't go assuming everything happens for a devious reason."

The reddish brown tom continued to glare at him. Then, he sighed and resumed staring at his paws.

"We've lost one of our warriors already, just before the medicine cat half-moon meeting," he muttered. "Icefang was a good cat."

Darkclaw observed him for a few seconds. He hadn't paid much attention to the RiverClan warriors when they had been training on ShadowClan territory, but this one seemed very familiar.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be Slash's son, would you?" he asked.

The RiverClan tom growled with a sudden fury. "That filthy rogue has no right to call himself my father!" he snarled. "Just call me Copperpaw, nothing else."

"If you say so," Darkclaw mewed.

He sat still, waiting until Copperpaw seemed to have calmed down. I can understand his hate. I can understand him perfectly. Finally, he felt satisfied that the reddish brown tom wouldn't do anything reckless.

"Here, let me show you something," he mewed.

Keeping his claws sheathed, Darkclaw leapt over the border and swiped at Copperpaw's flank. The RiverClan apprentice tried to dodge, but the attack was a feint. Before the smaller tom could move, Darkclaw grabbed his front leg and threw him to the ground.

Finishing this, he padded back over the border onto his own territory.

The reddish brown tom stood up, spitting dirt out of his mouth. "What was that for?" he snapped, unsheathing his claws.

"Well, I certainly succeeded in making you angry," Darkclaw mused. "But what I'm trying to do is teach you a new move. Now, you try it on me."

"What?" Copperpaw snapped.

"I just showed you a move," Darkclaw repeated, saying the words slowly. "Now, you try it on me."

Copperpaw nodded, seeming to comprehend it at last. He leapt forward, repeating Darkclaw's movements. The ShadowClan tom watched him, and responded as an enemy would in the midst of battle.

They repeated the move several times. Finally, Darkclaw raised his paw to signal an end to the sparring session. "You've got the move down cold, and I have to get back to my camp," he explained. "I'll leave you to remark the border."

He turned and began to pad away from the RiverClan apprentice.

Copperpaw called after him. "Hey, that may have been way too sudden and unnecessarily violent, but thanks. Is there any little thing you'd like in return? My mother taught me to always show gratitude."

Darkclaw turned back to him instantly. "You wouldn't happen to know Tidepaw, would you?" he asked.

"Of course. I'm friends with all of my denmates."

"Well, give her a message for me. Tell her that nothing is over. One of these days, I'll be coming for her."

Before he turned away, he noticed a confused expression on Copperpaw's face.

"She'll know what it means," he hastily added. "And who sent it."

Then he left the tom to his business and began the walk back to the camp. As he did, he suddenly realized the significance of Copperpaw's earlier words.

…

When Darkclaw found Hopepaw, she was collecting moss for the elders in the forest surrounding the camp.

"I hope you're happy," he snapped as he approached her.

Startled, she turned to face him. "Why?" she questioned. "Have the Clans finally accepted frogs as their almighty rulers?"

"Icefang is dead," Darkclaw snarled, feeling no need to mess around. "She fell to disease more than half a moon ago, just like your stupid Winds of Death predicted."

Hopepaw nodded, casually continuing to slice at the moss with her claws. "I told you it was unavoidable," she mewed. "The Winds of Death can never be denied their prize."

Darkclaw roared, his pent-up rage and frustration all spilling out in that instant. "Why?" he screamed. She crouched down, terrified. "Why are you so indifferent? A warrior, one that we fought alongside, just lost their life. She didn't even have an honourable death. But it only seems to bother you as much as letting some prey escape would. Death isn't that trivial!"

He stopped screaming, feeling out of breath after his outburst. Hopepaw was trembling, and she slowly took a few steps back.

"Darkclaw," she growled icily, sounding completely unlike herself, "do you think I wanted to be like this? Watching my Clanmates, watching all the cats around the lake, knowing when they'll die but being powerless to help them? The warriors that don't think I'm a liar call me a freak. Webnose, my own mother, thinks I'm a freak. That's why she always ignores me. It has to be. No one else understands what it's like to have this kind of power. Oh, I felt the pain of the first deaths I foresaw. But it became too much. I can't think on it, can't allow myself to feel sorrow for the lost. If I did, I'd tear myself apart."

Darkclaw shivered. He hadn't understood her before. By StarClan, he still didn't understand her! But as he watched her now, he was sure of one thing. He wanted to protect Hopepaw.

"I'm sorry," he mewed. "I had no clue that you felt that kind of torment. I'll make sure you're not alone, got it? But, about the Winds of Death, everyone dies eventually. What makes the deaths that you predict so special, anyway?"

Hopepaw shook her head. "Darkclaw, by the frogs you don't listen sometimes," she sighed. "Without fail, everyone marked by the Winds of Death dies within one moon."

"Except me," he interjected. "I still have four and a half moons left."

"Your death will come within the next four and a half moons," Hopepaw corrected. "But even if you're an exception, you don't have the power to cheat death. It doesn't work like that."

Darkclaw shook his head, feeling like a new challenge had just been laid out before him. "We can choose our destinies, Hopepaw," he growled. "I choose not to be bound by fate and prophecy. Anything can change. I'll prove it to you. But in the meantime, if anyone calls you a freak, just tell me. I'll set things straight for them."

Hopepaw shrugged, going back to collecting moss. After a moment, she piped up, "So, do you think you could help me carry some of this moss back to camp?"

"No way!" Darkclaw snapped. "I'll help you when things are troubling you, but moss gathering is an apprentice task, not something to be done by a warrior like me. And speaking of that, where's your mentor?"

"Even though she's still pretty young by warrior standards, Duskstar wanted her for an important meeting," Hopepaw explained. "I came out to collect some moss with Shrewfang and my brother, but they got distracted by a lizard that passed by. Who knows when they'll be back?"

Darkclaw felt his fury rise up again, making his blood burn. Owlflight was invited to this meeting but not me? What kind of Clan is this? He turned away from Hopepaw, staring at the camp in the distance. "Well, looks like I have to go," he said. "I'll see you again later." He waved his tail, then raced off through the forest.

…

Darkclaw streaked into the ShadowClan camp, tearing up the ground as he ran. Noticing that no cat stood guard outside Leader's den, he darted through the camp and rushed inside.

"Okay, what's with this?" he snarled as he burst into the den. "Owlflight gets to attend this important meeting, but the warrior who saved the Clans from Bonetail is forgotten? What kind of rat-brain came up with the list of invitees?" He stared at them, seething with rage.

Redclaw stood to face him. "We wanted you, Darkclaw, but you weren't in the camp," he explained. "We sent Skypaw off to your usual spot to find you, but it was taking too long. Blackfur had something of great importance he wanted to share with Duskstar and some of the others, but Foxwhisker said that he wouldn't have much time before he had to rest again. We had to start the meeting without you."

"What he's trying to say is," snapped Foxwhisker from across the den, "if you want to be respected, you'd better start being more responsible."

"Don't mind if I do," Darkclaw shot back, padding over and taking a seat beside his father.

It reassured him to know that Blackfur was getting better. He felt safer just knowing that his father was going to be okay. He glanced to the side. He didn't have to tell Blackfur how much he'd missed him when he'd been confined to the medicine den, how much he loved him, or how the world was so much better now that he was recovering. His father knew.

Blackfur wrapped his tail around Darkclaw, who looked around the den. Redclaw, Duskstar, and Foxwhisker were there, of course. Tangletuft, Hopepaw's father, was there as well, seated beside Duskstar. He was her brother, and she trusted him greatly. Owlflight and Toadclaw were also sitting in the den, ready to listen to Blackfur.

"Well then," mewed Duskstar, "you didn't get very far before our son interrupted things. You might as well start over."

Blackfur nodded, but he didn't look at Duskstar. That made sense to Darkclaw, as his parents weren't very close. Blackfur had a reputation of being something of a flirt. He had only been with Duskstar for a quarter moon, when she had been Clan deputy. And of course, Darkclaw and Cherrynose had been born from that brief union.

"It was near the west twoleg nest," Blackfur rasped. "I was doing a bit of hunting, but it was getting kind of late and I remembered that I needed to lead the Dusk Patrol. So of course, I started to head back. But, as I was on my way home, a tom showed up to block my path. He introduced himself as Rift, and said that he was going to eliminate me, but it was nothing personal. Bah. What a liar."

"Go on," Redclaw urged as Blackfur paused.

Blackfur closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Rift looked to be about nine seasons old, maybe less," he explained. "But his fighting style, it was exactly like Risingwave's."

Silence fell over the den.

Darkclaw quietly growled to himself. Before Risingwave, RiverClan's tortoiseshell deputy, had betrayed the Clans to seek power with the Sky Avengers, he had been well known for his unorthodox fighting style. It was a confusing mass of motions, one that had made Risingwave unpredictable and deadly. Many cats had tried to copy Risingwave's style, hoping that it would make them as ferocious as he had been. But all of them had failed utterly.

"That's impossible!" Toadclaw snapped. "You killed Risingwave before that tom could have even been born. How could this tom have even met him, let alone copied his fighting style?"

Darkclaw's father shook his head, seeming just as mystified as the rest of them. "It was like fighting a copy of my old foe," he mewed. "But Rift wasn't as good as Risingwave. No, he was better. He had perfected that tortoiseshell's style. I nearly died fighting that tom all those seasons ago, and I was in my prime back then. I had no chance of surviving my battle with Rift. So, intent on living, I fled towards the camp."

Darkclaw scraped his claws across the ground, feeling agitated as he listened.

"And then, when I passed by the abandoned twoleg nest, that was where it happened," Blackfur explained. "There was something out there, lurking in the night. It attacked me, maybe to finish the job Rift had started. I don't know. Whatever it was, it felt like a whirlwind of death and claws, tearing me apart. It seemed to want me to keep away from the nest, and to that end it nearly killed me. I escaped, but it was all I could do to make it back to the camp. I don't know what's out there, but mark my words, its thirst for blood will not be easily sated. Something must be done."

He abruptly broke off into a cough, hacking up a mouthful of blood onto den floor. The other cats instinctively recoiled, save for Foxwhisker. Instead, the medicine cat padded forward, allowing Blackfur to lean against her and support himself.

"I'll take you back now, Blackfur," she mewed. "You really do need to lie down this time."

Darkclaw trembled with horror as he watched his father being escorted from the den. Hopepaw's ominous prophecy came back to him, repeating itself in his mind. A storm of hate and rage, like nothing the Clans have seen for hundreds of moons, is coming. And this time, the Clans will wither and die.

After what felt like a long time, Foxwhisker returned to the den.

"He'll never fight another battle," she mewed sorrowfully. "You can see that he's stabilized, but his injuries were too severe for anything but an early retirement. Being a warrior entails great stress on the body, stress that would assuredly kill him in his current state."

Rage replaced Darkclaw's horror. "Then we should do something to the attackers!" he snarled. "We can't let something like this go unavenged!"

Foxwhisker eyed him coyly. "If you hadn't noticed, that's kind of why we're here," she muttered.

Darkclaw shot the medicine cat a glare as she sat back down.

"Duskstar, as soon as Blackfur was injured, you shut down all hunting patrols to the western nest, right?" Owlflight asked.

"Of course," Duskstar replied.

Owlflight gave a satisfied purr. "Just making sure," she mewed.

"So, how about sending a patrol of ShadowClan's strongest warriors down there?" Tangletuft suggested. "It seems the most obvious solution, and there's strength in numbers. If we go during the morning, whatever attacked Blackfur won't have the element of surprise on their side, and they won't be able to hide from us."

Duskstar nodded. "Quite reasonable," she mewed.

Darkclaw noticed a glint in Toadclaw's eyes. Evidently his mother noticed it to, as she nodded to him.

"Well then," Toadclaw mewed, "if we're going to attack the twoleg nest, we might as well start planning."

…

It had been a long day, and the sun was setting over the ShadowClan camp. As Darkclaw lay down to relax, he didn't know whether the feeling that coursed through his blood was anticipation or disbelief.

"So, how did your day go?" his sister Cherrynose asked as she finished grooming him.

"Frustrating," he muttered after some thought.

"How so?"

"Tomorrow, there's a patrol going out to find the thing that attacked father."

"And you're not on it?"

"Oh, I'm on it alright. But Redclaw also decided to take him along."

Across the camp, a golden tom was grooming himself. Lionfur. In all of ShadowClan, there was no cat Darkclaw loathed more than him. Not even Foxwhisker.

Cherrynose shrugged. "It's just one mission, isn't it?" she asked. "What's so wrong with him anyway?"

"He's a complete idiot!" Darkclaw snarled. "He was born ShadowClan's worst warrior; he fumbles the simplest of moves and misses the slowest of prey. He barely even managed to earn his warrior name. And despite this, he thinks he can become Clan leader through sheer stubbornness and determination. Is there anything more infuriating?"

"I think he's kind of cute, actually," Cherrynose admitted.

Darkclaw replied with an annoyed grunt. Cute was a word that belonged nowhere near Lionfur. As was "competent". And "strong". In fact, if Lionfur ever did gain a position of authority, Darkclaw would probably leave ShadowClan for good.

"So, how did your day go?" he asked, changing the subject from the idiot tom.

His sister shrugged. "Nothing too out of the ordinary," she mused. "I did some hunting with Webnose and Finchwing. Then I went on a border patrol with Crowfur, Newtfoot and Sootstain. ThunderClan are still looking for their lost cats, it appears."

Darkclaw nodded to his sister, but he didn't really care. If ThunderClan never caught up to Hazelfrost, that was fine by him. Cats shouldn't hurt their own kin. The missing apprentice was a different story. If Darkclaw found out anything about him, then he would inform a ThunderClan cat, definitely. Their gratitude would be a nice reward. But if Mousepaw was lost for good as well, ThunderClan would be slightly weakened, and less likely to cause trouble for ShadowClan. Both options were appearing.

"Well, I'd better go," his sister mewed. "I told Shrewfang that I'd help him train, and I can't be late."

"But I haven't given you a grooming yet!" Darkclaw protested. He and his sister almost always shared tongues, and it felt decidedly wrong to break tradition.

"I'll be fine," she replied. "If I really need help grooming myself, I've got Shrewfang to help me, don't I? See you later, then." She bowed her head to him before walking off out of the camp.

Darkclaw glowered. A spark of jealousy burned in his stomach. Shrewfang had an apprentice, and he also seemed to be growing closer to Darkclaw's sister every day. Darkclaw, meanwhile, had no apprentice, and he only ever got to see his best friend at Gatherings. He dug his claws into the ground, trying to kindle his rage. The world isn't fair, but that doesn't mean I have to mope about it all the time. No, I should do something to fix it.

Briefly, he entertained the thought of all the Clans becoming one. Then everyone could share their prey, and no one would die over a misplaced paw at the border ever again.

Almost immediately, he dismissed the idea. He had seen what the other Clans could do. ThunderClan warriors would find a reason to kill each other even if all war had ended, they had more prey than they could ever possibly catch, and all dangerous animals had been gone for years. And the self-righteous Clan would probably call themselves heroes for doing so. Besides, he knew what happened to cats that tried to force unity. They were killed, vilified, and eventually, forgotten.

He sensed movement behind him, and twisted his head around. Redclaw had come to sit beside him.

"You look aggravated," his former mentor observed. "Are you worried about what we might confront tomorrow?"

"No!" Darkclaw protested. "I'm no coward. I just can't fathom why any cat would put their trust in Lionfur. He's ShadowClan's worst warrior!"

Redclaw nodded thoughtfully, glancing over at Lionfur. "I suppose it would be difficult to call him the most coordinated of cats," the deputy agreed. "But it would be doing the Clan a disservice to dismiss Lionfur outright. Yes, his methods of learning may be unorthodox, and during battle training you have never lost to him. But he's a spirited cat, one who grows strong when he needs to protect his friends. And he has courage, enough to match the boldest warrior of LionClan."

The dark tom snorted. "Courage is worthless without restraint," he muttered. "Charge in like a fool and you die like a fool."

Redclaw sighed. "This isn't really about Lionfur, is it?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You feel alone, don't you, Darkclaw?" his former mentor asked. "Don't try to deny it. I've seen the way your eyes burn with envy when you watch the other young warriors of the Clan. I could help you make some friends."

"I don't need more friends!" Darkclaw snapped. "I have enough. Besides, the Clans exist in a state of constant war. Why should I bother making the effort to befriend a pile of cats if I could lose them any day?"

"You have your sister and WindClan's medicine cat, yes," Redclaw mewed. "But neither of them could ever be your mate. Haven't you thought of finding someone to complete you?"

"I'm already complete," Darkclaw muttered. "I complete myself, as any mousebrain can see!"

Redclaw glared at him sternly, gritting his teeth with what seemed to be rage. Darkclaw inched back, worried that the deputy would lash out at him. Redclaw had never lost his temper with Darkclaw, but he sometimes wondered what his mentor really thought of him.

Redclaw sighed and his eyes softened. "Just, think about it, okay?" he instructed. "Maybe you could talk with Creamfur sometime. I think she really likes you."

"Creamfur?" Darkclaw asked sceptically. "Really? How did our conversation even end up here?"

Redclaw shrugged. "Here, I'll make you a deal," he offered. "I've been thinking of suggesting a competition to Duskstar. There would be a lot of sparring, and all the warriors would get to compete. I'll talk to her about it, but in exchange, you have to talk to Creamfur."

"Fine," he snapped. "I'll talk with her as soon as our mission is finished."

Redclaw nodded, seeming pleased. "That seems good enough," he mewed. "Now, I have to go report to Duskstar and handle some duties. I'll see you tomorrow."

Darkclaw bowed to the deputy as he began to walk away.

For a moment, Redclaw turned back to. "Oh, and get sleep-in tonight," he added. "I know you like to use mornings for training, but you should be well-rested for this. We have no idea what we're up against."

As Redclaw left, Darkclaw looked around for Creamfur. He saw her nearby, sitting on a rock and staring at him. For a moment, their eyes locked. Then, seeming embarrassed, Creamfur turned away and hopped off the rock. She moved over to the nearby Finchwing and started chatting with her, as if she hadn't been looking at Darkclaw at all.

He growled to himself. Soon, he would be hunting whatever had hurt his father, and there was no way he was letting Lionfur slow him down.

…

Darkkit could hardly believe that Cherrykit looked so calm and composed. He was too worried to even step out of the Nursery.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" his sister asked. "Duskstar just called the Clan together. That means that we're about to become apprentices!"

Darkkit trembled, feeling too worried to even take a single step forward. "That's what I'm afraid of," he admitted. "The whole Clan will be watching us. What if I make a mistake? No one will ever forget it!"

"Scaredy mouse!" Cherrykit taunted him. She darted behind him and pushed him, trying to force him out of the Nursery.

"N-no!" Darkkit stuttered, turning and scampering back to into his nest. "I'm sick! I'm too weak to do the ceremony today."

Cherrykit snickered. "You'll never be a real warrior!" she taunted.

Darkkit crouched down in the nest, wishing that he could disappear.

"Real warriors fight, you know! You're too weak to even hurt a bug!"

Darkkit tried to cover his ears with his paws.

"Just what is going on in here?"

Darkkit poked his head out of the nest. Lilymist had come back into the Nursery to check on them. Instantly, shame filled him. Lilymist had given him milk and raised him when Driftstar's death had forced Duskstar out of the Nursery and into the position of Clan leader. She had been good to him, and now he was undoubtedly disappointing her.

"Darkkit is afraid of his own ceremony," Cherrykit squealed. "He's making up all sorts of excuses about why he can't go."

He stood up, bowing his head to Lilymist. His tail drooped behind him. "I'm sorry," he mewed. "I couldn't make you proud."

"Scaredy mouse!" his sister continued.

"Cherrykit, don't pick on your brother," Lilymist mewed, a hint of anger to her words. "Wait outside while I talk with Darkkit."

Cherrykit shrugged and skipped out of the Nursery. She stuck out her tongue as she left.

As Lilymist padded over to their nest, Darkkit shrunk back.

"What seems to be the matter, Darkkit?" she asked. "Today's your big day! The whole Clan is waiting on you."

"That's the problem!" he admitted. "I'm scared! What if I do something wrong? I'll forever be the laughingstock of ShadowClan! Or what if Duskstar says that I'm not worthy of being a ShadowClan apprentice? I know that she's been watching me! I know that everyone thinks that I'm a disgrace to the blood that runs through my veins!"

Lilymist wrapped her tail around him and gave a reassuring purr. "Darkkit, it's okay to be scared," she mewed. "Warriors feel fear every day. But nothing bad will happen, I promise. When I was your age, I was scared of becoming an apprentice as well, but everything turned out fine."

Darkkit blinked at her, trembling. "A-are you sure?" he asked. "How do you know that Duskstar won't reject me?"

"A mother will do anything for her kits, I promise you," Lilymist mewed. "But even if Duskstar did reject you, even if the entire Clan cast you out into exile, I would still stand with you. You're my little warrior. You know that, right?"

Darkkit nodded, stepping down out of the nest. "Okay," he mewed. "I can do this."

Everything would turn out alright. If Lilymist believed in him, then he could believe in himself. He'd show the Clan that he could be a great warrior.

"Lilymist," he asked, "what are you going to do after Cherrykit and I are made apprentices?"

Lilymist considered his question thoughtfully. "I'll probably go on a hunting patrol with Owlpaw and Shrewpaw," she decided. "I haven't seen much of them since they left the Nursery, and I want to make sure they're doing well."

Of course. What kind of mother wouldn't want to spend time with her kits? Darkkit felt a slight tinge of disappointment, but he tried to suppress it.

"But after that, I'll check up on you two," Lilymist added. "You and Cherrykit aren't mine by blood, but that doesn't mean that I don't love you just as much as I love Owlpaw and Shrewpaw. Anyway, we should go. I think it's time for the ceremony to begin."

Darkkit followed Lilymist out into the sun. Slowly, he padded forward, joining his sister beneath the Clan leader's perch.

Duskstar stood above them, with the Clan deputy at her side. Darkkit shivered. Redclaw was Lilymist's mate, but he worried often about how the tom viewed him. The deputy's eyes betrayed few emotions. Duskstar stared at him, and Darkkit shivered under her scrutiny.

"Cherrykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed," the Clan leader began. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Cherrypaw." Cherrypaw's eyes gleamed, and Darkkit could tell that she was quite proud of herself. "Your mentor will be Blossomspots. I hope Blossomspots will pass down all she knows on to you."

Duskstar flicked her tail, beckoning Blossomspots forward. The slender she-cat stepped out to stand beneath Duskstar's rock.

"Blossomspots, you are ready to take on an apprentice," Duskstar explained, speaking the ancient words of the ceremony. "You received excellent training from Goldleaf, and you have shown yourself to be calm and quick-thinking. You will be mentor to Cherrypaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

"It would be my honour," Blossomspots mewed as she bent down, touching noses with Cherrypaw.

Darkkit trembled. Now it was time for him to receive his name and mentor. Please be someone that won't try to make me a killer. Please, StarClan.

"Darkkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed," Duskstar mewed, repeating the ceremony. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Darkpaw."

Darkpaw glanced around the camp, feeling awed. Darkpaw! I have a new name now!

"Your mentor will be Bonetail," she continued. "I hope he will pass down all he knows to you."

Darkpaw hid his disappointment. He had had plenty of practice doing that. Bonetail. His specialty is fighting. He's carried the Clan through all sorts of battles. Okay, I can fight. I just have to not think about what happened to Scarnose after they dragged him back from that battle with RiverClan. If I can do that, then I'll be fine. Yeah.

His immense, muscular mentor padded forward, sizing him up as he stood beneath the Leader's rock.

"Bonetail, you have long been denied an apprentice," Duskstar mewed. "You received excellent…training from…Nightclaw, and you have shown loyalty and strength that few can claim to rival. You will mentor Darkpaw, and I trust that you will pass these qualities down to him."

Bonetail stepped towards Darkpaw and leaned down. Darkpaw waited. After a few seconds, the large white tom's whiskers curled expectantly. Oh, right. I guess we're supposed to touch noses, or something? The small black tom moved forward, awkwardly touching his nose against his new mentor's.

The Clan all raised their heads together, and as they chanted the names of the new apprentices, their voices rang as one.

"Cherrypaw! Darkpaw! Cherrypaw! Darkpaw!"

Darkpaw shrunk back, intimidated by the crowd. He glanced at his Clanmates quickly, searching for Lilymist. She hadn't moved. Meeting his gaze, she nodded with approval, and Darkpaw sighed with relief. Nothing had gone wrong after all. Now, if his first lesson with Bonetail went well, he would be able to sleep easily.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

The Clan's chanting abruptly cut off. Darkpaw turned to see the source of the interruption.

A white she-cat with pretty gray eyes and a black streak down her flank had entered the camp. She was roughly his age, and her eyes were blazing with determination.

"That's the problem with delaying border patrols for apprenticeship ceremonies," Bonetail sighed to Darkpaw. "Everyone thinks they can just walk into your camp."

The she-cat's whiskers twitched. "You're not finished yet!" she barked. "Make me an apprentice too!"

Darkpaw looked up at his mother, wondering what her reaction would be.

Duskstar seemed just as confused as the rest of the Clan. "You're from RiverClan, are you not?" she asked. "Are you lost? I could send a patrol of warriors to escort you back to your camp."

The she-cat shook her head. "I know exactly where I am!" she replied. "ShadowClan camp. Otterstar won't make me an apprentice yet, but I know I'm old enough. So I came here. The other cats say that ShadowClan is always picking fights, so they always need new warriors. I thought for sure that you would train me."

"Otterstar?" Bonetail muttered under his breath. "I guess she finally became a leader, just like we always thought she would."

Duskstar had leapt down from the leader's stone and padded over to the she-cat. "I'm sorry, but that's not really how it works," she explained, reassurance in her tone. "ShadowClan welcomes new warriors, but you're a RiverClan cat. You belong with the cats who share your blood."

The she-cat shrugged. "That's fine," she mewed. "My mother, Scaleshine, is RiverClan, but she told me all about my father. He's a ShadowClan warrior. So that makes me one of you."

Duskstar was beginning to look uneasy in addition to her confusion. "Really, little one?" she asked worriedly. "Did Scaleshine tell you your father's name?"

The she-cat nodded eagerly. "Yes, but don't call me little one," she mewed. "I'm Creamkit. And my father's name is Sootstain. Have you heard of him?"

There was a yelp from the crowd.

Foxwhisker, the medicine cat, suddenly growled with anger. "How could you betray the Clan like that?" she growled. "My own brother!"

Bonetail purred with amusement. "I guess the secret is finally out," he chuckled.

Foxwhisker turned towards him, fur shooting up with anger. "You knew?" she snarled. "You could have told me!"

Bonetail glanced at her nonchalantly. "You're a medicine cat, one of the protectors of the code," he replied. "I didn't want you to get wrapped up in all of that."

Foxwhisker glared at him, but stayed quiet for the moment.

Creamkit grunted. "I'm getting tired of this," she mewed. "How about I fight one of your apprentices to show you what I'm made of, and then you make me an apprentice?"

Duskstar shrugged. Dealing with the rambunctious kit seemed beyond even her. Darkpaw glanced back at the other apprentices, who were all bunched together in the crowd. Lionpaw had perked up, and he ran out towards Creamkit. Oh good. Lionpaw will fight her, and then we can get this over with.

Lionpaw sped forward, not looking where he was going. He collided with Darkpaw, knocking him forward and into Creamkit.

Darkpaw padded back quickly, trying to give her a bow of apology. Creamkit simply smirked.

"So you want to challenge me?" she asked, licking her lips.

"No, uh, there's been a misunder-" Darkpaw started.

"Bring it," Creamkit snapped, cutting him off. She unsheathed her claws with relish.

"You don't want to do this," Darkpaw bluffed. "I'm the Clan leader's son, so there's no way you can beat me. Seriously." He unsheathed his claws, trying to look threatening.

"Even better," Creamkit growled.

She leapt forward. Darkpaw braced himself for the impact.

...

The world seemed fuzzy to Darkpaw's eyes. He blinked a few times, trying to make it clear up. His head throbbed agonizingly, and he couldn't seem to make his paws work. As he struggled to move, he felt a paw brush against him.

Instantly, the pain vanished and the world cleared up. Darkpaw glanced around, finding himself in the medicine den.

"Thank you Foxwhisker," he mewed to the medicine cat. "That really helped."

She replied with a bewildered shrug. "You just woke up," she mewed. "If you're fine, I suppose that you can start training tomorrow. You should spent the remainder of today resting up."

Darkpaw nodded as someone else rubbed against him.

"I'm glad you're okay, Darkpaw," Lilymist mewed. "I'm sorry I couldn't reach you in time. Next time, I won't let you get hurt."

Darkpaw nodded, feeling calmed. "You're here?" he asked. "What about going hunting with your kits?"

"You're my kit too," Lilymist mewed. "I can hunt any time I want to, but I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Darkpaw took a few steps, testing his balance. He felt perfectly fine. "I'm not really hurt," he mewed, "but thank you for your concern. Anyway, what happened with that kit?"

"She's Creampaw now," Foxwhisker replied, glowering. "Duskstar decided to let her into the Clan, and she gave her Goldleaf as a mentor."

"You're still angry with your brothers?" Darkpaw guessed from her tone. "Shouldn't you be happy that they didn't involve you in it? A medicine cat's duty is to uphold the code, after all."

"A common misconception," she snapped back, " but medicine cats are actually among the best at breaking the code and getting away with it."

"But I've never even heard a word about you going against the code!" Darkpaw protested.

"Exactly," Foxwhisker replied, then smirked. "You walked right into that one."

Lilymist blinked at Darkpaw as he glanced around the den impatiently. "I'll take you to your den now, if you'd like that," she offered.

Darkpaw nodded. He liked the thought of that quite a lot.

Together, they left the medicine den and padded out into the camp. Everything was exactly as usual, but somehow it felt entirely different. Darkpaw was an apprentice now. He had a duty to his Clan.

Lilymist clung to his side in case his step faltered and he needed support, but he never did. It didn't take long to reach the den, where Finchpaw, Lionpaw's sister, was waiting.

Finchpaw glanced up at him with her hazel eyes. "Oh, hey Darkpaw," she mewed. "There's a den made up for you already. I'll show you to it, kay?"

"Well, isn't that nice?" Lilymist purred. "I have to go now, Darkpaw, but I promise that I'll see you tomorrow."

Darkpaw nodded as she departed. Finchpaw flicked her tail at the den and padded in, Darkpaw following. She led him to a nest, and he eagerly climbed in.

"Thank you," he mewed as he curled up in the soft, cool grass. "Or should I thank Cherrypaw?"

"Actually, it was neither of us," Finchpaw explained. "Owlpaw made it up for you. Now, I've gotta head off to do some hunting. See you around, kay?"

Darkpaw lay down, closing his eyes. He made a mental note to thank Owlpaw when he next saw her, although he wondered why she had gone out of her way to make him a den.

Sighing, he purged all questions from his mind. He knew that Bonetail would work him hard come the next day, and he had to be prepared for that.

Although he had only woken up minutes ago, and he still felt restless, he quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

...

Darkclaw impatiently flexed his muscular legs. The sky was clear. No storms would impede their progress today. Yet still, he felt on edge. To put Redclaw at ease, he had slept in, skipping his usual early morning training. He hoped that he would still do fine in battle.

"What's taking so long?" he growled to his three companions. "Can't we just hurry up and go?"

Redclaw sighed. "We're waiting for Lionfur," he mewed. "We can't leave without him, and you know it."

Darkclaw glanced between Redclaw, Owlflight, and Newtfoot. Newtfoot was sniffing her paws impatiently. The older warrior had a notorious reputation, and she would probably claw Lionfur later for holding them all up. Darkclaw resolved to help her.

He shrugged. "I don't know," he mewed. "It seems like we have enough cats here already. I really doubt that we need him with us, holding us back."

Redclaw shot Darkclaw a stern glare. "Darkclaw, I'm in charge of this patrol," he growled. "Lionfur is a part of it, and that's final." He turned to Newtfoot. "Would you mind going to check up on him?" he asked. "I would be interested in knowing what's taking him so long."

Newtfoot nodded, padding off towards the warriors den as requested. Darkclaw waited for what seemed like ages, growling as he did.

Finally, Newtfoot returned, leading Lionfur behind her. His golden fur shone in the sun.

Lionfur gave Darkclaw a confused glance. "I thought I asked you to wake me up for the patrol?" he mumbled. "Didn't you really want to go on it?"

"If you weren't so lazy, maybe you'd get up on your own!" Darkclaw snapped back. "I'm the Clan leader's son. I'm naturally better than you. I don't need to listen to your demands."

Lionfur glared at him. "I'm sick of you and your attitude!" he growled back. "You think you're so superior to the rest of us, but you're not. You're just a single piece of the whole that makes up ShadowClan. You say that I'm weak, but I can be strong too. Just wait and see how I go flying past you."

Darkclaw sneered. "You?" he asked incredulously. "You're ShadowClan's worst warrior, a cat barely worth a lick of prey! You're going to hold this whole patrol back, that's for sure." He advanced towards the golden tom, growling furiously. "Go back and play with the kits. You don't deserve your warrior name."

"Okay, that's it," Lionfur snarled back. "I'm done listening to you talk. You want a fight? I'll give you a good one!" He unsheathed his claws and rushed towards Darkclaw.

Darkclaw smirked. Lionfur was telegraphing his motions, making his next move obvious. Darkclaw slid out his claws, preparing to give Lionfur another scar. A large one across Lionfur's nose had come from a previous scuffle, and he felt that Lionfur deserved a matching one.

But before they could strike each other, Owlflight slid in between them. She spun around, pushing them apart. Darkclaw slid away from her, while Lionfur fell to the ground and got a mouthful of dirt.

"What was that for?" Lionfur snapped as dusted himself off. "I could have taken him!"

"I would've liked to see you try!" Darkclaw growled back.

An angry roar silenced them both. Darkclaw glanced up to see Redclaw glaring at them, fur bristling with rage.

"Both of you are acting like kits!" he snarled. "I expected better from ShadowClan warriors, and especially from one I trained myself. Perhaps I overestimated you both. It seems that only Owlflight was thinking sensibly, knowing that we don't need petty infighting before an important mission. Pull something like that again and I'll have you both suspended from warrior duties for a moon. Understood?"

Darkclaw shrunk back. "I've got that," he growled hastily. He knew that Redclaw meant for him to be ashamed of himself, but it wasn't his fault that Lionfur was acting like a buffoon. Still, it wouldn't be wise to make the deputy any angrier.

"Sorry about that," Lionfur mewed from beside him. "I can't help myself sometimes. I'll try to do better in the future."

Redclaw nodded with satisfaction. "Alright then," he mewed. "Let's just get going and try to forget that embarrassing argument."

He marched forward, out of the camp, and the ShadowClan cats followed him in silent agreement.

Darkclaw watched Lionfur, eyes slanted with suspicion. Don't think you're getting off easy, idiot. I'm watching you, and the moment you slip up, I'll know.

...

Darkclaw made sure to keep a close watch on his surroundings as he followed the patrol towards the abandoned Twoleg nest. He always made sure that he didn't lose track of his location. Otherwise, who knew what could happen?

"What are you doing?" Newtfoot asked him.

He blinked at her. "I'm keeping track of where we are," he replied pointedly.

"You don't want to get lost?" she asked. "As if we could do that when we're following a path ShadowClan warriors have used hundreds of times. What about keeping watch for danger?"

"We have to know that we're on the right path," Darkclaw snarled back. "That's incredibly important, flea-brain."

"Just what do you think is going to happen?" Newtfoot retorted. "Do you think we'll accidentally cross backwards into ThunderClan territory?"

Blood hot with fury, Darkclaw unsheathed his claws, preparing to leap forth. However, before he could, Owlflight moved in front of Newtfoot and pushed him to the side.

"Don't antagonize Darkclaw, Newtfoot," she mewed. "Shouldn't you know this by now? Just accept that he has habits and that he gets riled up really easily."

Newtfoot shrugged. "Fine," she muttered, padding off to join Redclaw at the head of the patrol.

"What was that about?" Owlflight hissed. "It's like you want my father to suspend you from being a warrior!"

Darkclaw growled defensively. "He would have understood!" he protested. "You of all cats should understand."

Owlflight shook her head. "You can't change the past, Darkclaw," she snapped icily. "Once you make a mistake, it stays with you, forever."

She turned and followed after Newtfoot, leaving Darkclaw alone at the rear of the group. He trudged on, grumbling. Nearby, Lionfur was absentmindedly wandering along with the group. Darkclaw sneered. This was no way that idiot was smart enough to keep a lookout.

He resumed watching the pine forest. The trees didn't seem like they were likely to disappear, but there was always a chance that something could go wrong.

Feeling lonely, Darkclaw opened one ear to the conversation at the head of the patrol.

"So, wondering what my destiny was, I snuck off to the Moonpool," Owlflight was telling Newtfoot. "There, I met one of my ancestors. She was a medicine cat, and she told me-"

Darkclaw immediately went back to ignoring them. If they had any common sense, they would be focusing on the mission. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a flicker of movement behind a nearby tree.

He broke into a run, shooting forward and leaping at the tree. There was a yelp as he landed on something slightly smaller than him. Sharp claws sliced at him, and he struggled to pin the figure down.

"If it's a squirrel, I don't want any!" Lionfur called after him.

Darkclaw wrestled with the other cat, roaring as they swiped at him. He could barely hold on to them as they squirmed and kicked beneath him. Finally, with furious desperation, he threw them out from under him. They rolled towards the rest of the patrol.

His Clanmates surrounded the unknown cat, and he rushed over. After a few moments, he recognized them.

"Iris," he snarled. "You were one of Bonetail's rogues. Come to get revenge, have you? Too bad your stupid scheme went up in smoke."

The gray she-cat smirked at him. "Consider yourself lucky, sunshine," she mewed. "I work for Slash and Whitefeather now, and just this once, we didn't come to pick a fight."

Owlflight glanced up at her father. "Can we listen to her?" she asked. He nodded.

"We heard that you were going after that nasty cat down at the twoleg nest," Iris explained. "We thought we could lend a paw. He's very hard to kill, and the more paws you have, the better chance you'll have of putting a scratch on him."

"I'm immune to rogue tricks!" Lionfur loudly declared. "What's the catch?"

Darkclaw glared at Lionfur. The idiot was making a fool of himself, and by consequence, all of the patrol. As usual. At least he's consistent.

Iris nonchalantly flicked back her ears and smirked at Lionfur. "Once the fighting ends, we want to take the enemy with us," she explained. "Slash and Whitefeather need him for something, although I have no clue what. I would think that this wouldn't be too unreasonable an offer, considering that you Clan cats probably don't want a rogue sitting around in your camp."

Redclaw paused, seeming deep in thought. Darkclaw shivered. Hopefully, the Clan deputy wouldn't lower himself to working with rogues.

After what seemed an eternity, Redclaw spoke. "The answer is no, Iris," he replied. "We are Clan cats. We don't conspire with rogues. I'll let you depart in peace, but if we see you again, there will be consequences. Do you understand me?"

Darkclaw sighed with relief. Redclaw wasn't going to make a stupid deal after all.

"Are you sure about that, Clan cat?" Iris asked. "Turn this offer down now and you won't be getting any second chances. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

Darkclaw stepped towards her, glancing at Redclaw for permission. The deputy didn't give any reaction, which he took as a good sign.

"Listen," he snapped, calmly staring down at her. She was coyly smirking at him. He'd put a stop to that. "I've got a message. One for you to deliver to Slash, or Reedfur, or whatever he wants to call himself this moon." She waited, listening eagerly.

Darkclaw cleared his throat and ran his unsheathed claws down her face. Hissing, she pulled back. She had managed to jam her eyes shut before he could do any damage to them, but he still left a large cut down from her eyes to her muzzle. With time, it would become a scar that would make her instantly recognizable.

"That's my message," he snapped as she snarled at him. She was trying to strike him, but Lionfur and Newtfoot managed to pin her down. "I'm coming for Slash, like I came for Bonetail. And if he thinks he can escape my wrath, he's a bigger fool than even Lionfur." The golden tom beamed at this. Darkclaw shot him a glare. That hadn't been a complement. "I talked to his son, Copperpaw. Slash is a traitor of the worst kind, a traitor to his family. You rogues are scum, lower than the dirt on the ground. You can't begin to comprehend what it means to be part of a Clan! And by my blood, I swear it, I'll tear all of you apart, until no cat can even tell you apart from the dirt. Now go!"

Iris frantically nodded. Newtfoot and Lionfur released her, and she tore off into the undergrowth, faster than Darkclaw had ever seen any cat run.

"Well, that was something," Lionfur observed.

"How long were you practicing that one?" Owlflight teased. "It sounds like you've been rehearsing it for quite some time."

Darkclaw shot her a glare. He was rather practiced at glaring.

"Let's just go," Newtfoot complained. "This is more boring than picking the fleas off of Addertooth and Ratstorm. Come on, once it's all done we can go all home and get something to eat."

…

Although it had seemed to take an eternity, the group finally reached the abandoned Twoleg nest. The sun had crawled to its highest point in the air, but only a few beams of light penetrated the treetops. Darkclaw scraped his claws against the ground, anticipation filling him with a strange tingling feeling. Whatever had hurt his father was out there, lurking in the shadows. He would find it, and if he was lucky, take his revenge.

The twoleg nest had clearly seen better days. The entrance hung open, and the wood making up the nest was rotting. Insects had taken the nest as their domain-cobwebs were strewn all over it (Foxwhisker would like that) and the whole den looked as if it was in the process of being devoured. A large wall had once surrounded it, guarding it from the wilds, but that too had been reduced to rubble.

Darkclaw eyed the others. Newtfoot was bored, as usual. From the look of her, she could have been getting ready to go to sleep. Redclaw kept his composure, silently analyzing the nest, likely trying to find things in the environment that the patrol could use to their advantage. Owlflight seemed to be trying to mimic her father by keeping a level head, but that was made exponentially harder by Lionfur. The golden tom, obviously terrified, was pressed up against her, quivering and glancing all around him, as if wary of an attack.

"Is it just me, or is this place terrifying?" Lionfur stuttered through chattering teeth.

"Probably just you," Newtfoot yawned. "This place is drab, but the only terrifying thing about it is its horrible aesthetics. Twolegs are weird."

"You'll be fine, I promise," Owlflight mewed to him. Lionfur didn't seem to believe that.

"But we don't even need to do this," Lionfur mewed hastily. "Come on, it's clear that nobody's home! Let's head back. Besides, I'm getting pretty hungry."

Suddenly, an ear-splitting creaking noise filled the air. Darkclaw looked up, seeing that a cat had stepped out of the nest. His golden fur seemed to shine as a ray of sunlight hit it, and his blue eyes gleamed with intelligence. His body was unmarred, not even a single scratch marred his perfect fur. He was truly massive; even Bonetail would have been dwarfed by him. He nodded to the patrol, seemingly a gesture of respect, although it made Darkclaw's blood boil.

"Ah, it appears I have company!" he mewed, honey-like voice booming across the clearing. "I am a poor host, then. Had I known that all of you were coming, I would have prepared something a bit more hospitable." He glanced towards Lionfur. "And I am especially sorry for your hunger, golden one. It is an awful thing, I would think, to trek all the way through the forest only to find that no meal awaits you at your destination."

Redclaw stepped to the forefront of the patrol. Darkclaw's paws grew hot as he watched his mentor. He didn't trust this golden tom, and he was sure that Redclaw didn't either.

"Greetings!" Redclaw called up to him. "We come from ShadowClan, on an important mission. We would greatly appreciate any help you could offer us. Would you happen to know of a dark tom, one calling himself Rift?"

The golden tom leapt forward, landing before the patrol. For a few heartbeats, Darkclaw thought that the tom would strike at them, but he merely cocked his head, looking amused. "ShadowClan cats?" he asked. "What mission could be so important as to bring you all out here?"

"A mission of vengeance," Newtfoot grunted, yawning as she stepped up to join Redclaw. "Now, answer the stupid question. Do you know anything about a cat named Rift?"

The tom seemed unfazed by her. "Ah, I apologize again," he mewed. "I didn't even bother to introduce myself. You may call Spectre, if you would wish to name me. And about Rift, I do know him, very well in fact. You could call him a colleague, or perhaps even a partner. I confess though, I probably don't know him well enough to answer all your questions about him. Maybe you could ask me about Jester. I know him a little better. Winter and Faith would probably be the cats to ask for the complete rundown on Rift. They haven't admitted as much, but I bet they even know what Clan he comes from."

"Rift is a Clan cat?" Owlflight asked incredulously. She clearly didn't believe Spectre. Darkclaw didn't trust him either.

"Oh, of course," Spectre answered, sitting down as he did. "Or well, I should have said Rift was a Clan cat. You're all Clan cats, so I don't see how it can be hard to grasp that there are other Clan cats around. Anyway, what do you want Rift for?"

Darkclaw glanced at the others. Lionfur was still terrified, and Owlflight was trying to hold him down as she stared down Spectre. Newtfoot and Redclaw were watching the large golden tom intently, waiting for him to make a move.

Darkclaw sighed, not fancying any more of this stupid conversation. "Let's make things quick," he snapped, stepping up to Spectre. "Were you the one who hurt my father? Who beat him so badly that he can't ever be a warrior again? Because if so, I'll take everything you did to him, and inflict it right back on to you." He glared at the larger tom, who stared back at him, seeming somewhat amused.

Spectre seemed deep in thought for a moment. "Well, that is a tricky question," he mewed at last. "I should have figured that I'd run into one. I've fought so many cats over the seasons, and I've beaten all of them quite spectacularly. Is there any chance you could nar-"

"Courage!" Lionfur suddenly screamed. He broke free from Owlflight's grip and raced at Spectre, catching the enormous tom by surprise. Raising his claws, Lionfur moved at Spectre and struck him, just once.

He seemed just as surprised as everyone else when he tore out Spectre's throat. The large tom crumpled to the ground. He must have died instantly.

Lionfur blinked at his paws. "I did it!" he exclaimed after a moment. "I told you all I could be a hero!"

"No, you idiot!" Darkclaw snapped. "You just killed our only lead to finding out what happened to my father!"

Lionfur seemed confused. "It was him, wasn't it?" he asked, gesturing at Spectre's body.

"We don't know for certain," Darkclaw growled. "And now, we probably never will. What are the chances that we run into another one of his friends? Not very high, I would think."

"Why do you always have to be so downcast?" Lionfur asked. "Look, we completed our mission, right?"

Off to the side, Newtfoot muttered something in agreement. "Let's go back to the camp now," she mewed. "I would love a toad or a rat after this."

Lionfur grinned at Darkclaw, who scowled in return.

Lionfur was an idiot. Lionfur was a coward. Lionfur was thrown off his paws. He went rolling across the clearing, only coming to a stop when he crashed into a tree.

Spectre stood up. "-row it down a bit?" he continued. "Maybe you could give me a time frame for when your father was attacked? Yesterday? Within the last moon? One hundred seasons ago?" There wasn't a single mark on his body. It was flawless.

"What are you?" Newtfoot asked, awed.

"Annoyed," Spectre replied nonchalantly. "And," he added, directing his words to Owlflight, "why are you here? To try to ruin me again? You've already caused me enough trouble, haven't you?" His eyes had a haunted look to them.

Owlflight seemed confused. Spectre shook his head, then glanced back at her. "Sorry," he mewed. "I was disoriented. You reminded me of someone I once knew. Nothing important."

Owlflight nodded.

Without warning, Spectre leapt at her. Darkclaw and Redclaw both sprung to stop him, but Newtfoot got there first. She pushed Owlflight away and swiped at Spectre's muzzle as he crashed into her. She managed to tear it open before he pinned her to the ground and pummelled her with his paw.

Redclaw sprang at Spectre, but the immense tom merely slapped the ShadowClan deputy away with his tail. Darkclaw and Owlflight followed, swiping at Spectre's pelt. It seemed to take several heartbeats for him to even notice them. He bent down and bit into Newtfoot's leg. There was an ominous crack, and Newtfoot screamed. Satisfied, Spectre threw her out from under him, and she slid a foxlength before stopping.

Spectre turned on Owlflight next. The wounds he had taken didn't slow him down at all. In fact, they had already vanished. Spectre slashed at Owlflight, cutting her muzzle and sending blood pouring from her face. Owlflight tried to bite at him, but he shook her off and smacked her with one of his enormous paws. She crumpled to the ground.

Redclaw let out a roar of rage and charged Spectre. Darkclaw swiped at the tom's flank, trying to distract him, but Spectre simply threw him away and turned to face Redclaw.

Jolts of pain shot through Darkclaw's body with the impact of his landing. He gasped for breath, pushing himself up. To his side, Newtfoot tried to stand, but her leg gave way and she fell to the ground again. However, it seemed as though Lionfur had managed to recover from Spectre's initial attack.

Redclaw swiped at Spectre, but the massive tom simply ducked under the blow. He followed it up by slamming into the ShadowClan deputy with his head, tossing him to the ground. Lionfur raced in, roaring with anger. Spectre kicked him in the stomach as he approached. While Lionfur was winded, Spectre bit into the back of his neck and lifted him up.

Lionfur struggled to free himself. He needn't have bothered. Moments later, Spectre dropped him on top of Redclaw. He tried to scramble to his paws, but Spectre lifted up his right paw and slammed down into his spine. Lionfur fell still.

Spectre turned. Of his Clanmates, only Darkclaw was still standing. He stood his ground and met Spectre's eyes. The golden tom smirked.

"You fell right into our trap."

Darkclaw blinked. Neither he nor Spectre had been the one to speak. He turned to the source of the words, and his jaw dropped.

Slash stood there, with Whitefeather at his side. Behind them, the clearing was swarming with rogues. It had been completely surrounded. There would be no escape from these cats.

"Hi there, Spectre," Whitefeather mewed politely. "We require you back at our camp."

"You should come with us quietly," Slash added. "If not, we'll be forced to tear you into little pieces and take those prisoner."

Spectre nodded. "More guests," he purred. "How excellent. How may I be of assistance?"

Slash chuckled. "We're looking for a treasure," he mewed, smirking. "One that you stole from ShadowClan seasons ago."

Spectre's polite demeanour seemed to crack. "What treasure?" he demanded. "How would you know about it?"

Slash chuckled. "You see, that's the best part," he mewed. "Your accomplice Jester. He sold you out."

Spectre shook his head. "Our master would never allow-"

"Enough talk!" Slash snarled, cutting him off. "You're coming with us!"

Spectre shook his head and took a step back. "No, I would rather not," he mewed. "Catch me if you can." He turned and rushed into the twoleg nest.

Slash snarled and gave chase, followed by Whitefeather and four rogues. Darkclaw raced after them as fast as his body would allow. He wasn't letting both Spectre and Slash get away.

He bolted through the nest's entrance, leaping over dusty old twoleg things as he did. Noticing a path leaping upwards, Darkclaw quickly climbed it. Once he had ascended, he found that Slash and his rogues had forced Spectre into a corner, and were swiping at him together.

Darkclaw roared with rage and shot forward, slamming into Slash. The two cats went tumbling away from Spectre and rolled into a wall. They wrestled momentarily, but Darkclaw quickly subdued Slash and pinned him down.

"This is the end, Slash," Darkclaw growled. "You won't be leaving this clearing alive. I'm ending the reign of the rogues, for good this time."

Slash seemed puzzled for a moment, but then his eyes lit up with recognition. He smirked, eyes burning with hatred.

"How serendipitous," he snarled. "The cat that killed Bonetail simply offers himself up to me. I think you'll find that right now, it's you that won't be walking away alive."

Suddenly, Darkclaw was yanked off of Slash and thrown to the floor of the den. He glanced up at his new assailant. Whitefeather, it seemed, had come to her mate's rescue.

"We should finish this quickly, Reedfur," Whitefeather warned. "You're already injured from that fight yesterday, and you won't hold out much longer."

Slash sat up, shaking his head. Now that Darkclaw looked closely, he could see that Slash was indeed in terrible shape. Parts of his fur were torn, his body was covered with fresh looking scratches, and his eyes were sunken, as if he hadn't gotten a moment of sleep in half a moon.

"We're not going anywhere, Whitefeather," Slash shot back. "If I let the cat that killed Bonetail get away, I'm nothing but a failure. I can't let it happen!"

Darkclaw glanced to the side. Without Slash and Whitefeather, the remaining rogues found themselves unable to handle Spectre. With a tremendous roar, the enormous tom grabbed a rogue and threw him out of a hole in the nest. Spectre shot forward and grabbed the leg of another rogue. She struggled to free herself, but Spectre's grip was too strong. He twisted her leg in his jaws, turning until an awful snapping noise rang out. Then, he dropped her and moved to the next rogue.

So horrified was Darkclaw by this display that he failed to pay attention to Slash. Only when the tom crashed into him, dragging him to ground, did Darkclaw regain awareness of him.

He struggled desperately, attempting to free himself. It proved useless. Slash tore at his pelt, ripping out chunks of fur.

Darkclaw screamed, a mix of agony and bloodlust.

Slash snarled back at him, utter hatred gleaming in his eyes.

CRACK!

That one sound rang out, drowning out all others. In his shock, Slash's grip loosened, and Darkclaw was able to dislodge him. Dazed, he stumbled away from the rogue leader.

"What was that?" the sole remaining rogue asked. Spectre had taken another rogue down, but had neglected to finish this last one.

"Lightning bolt," Whitefeather muttered, her expression grim.

Darkclaw felt a rush of heat pour over him and he glanced up. The roof of the twoleg nest was burning. Shocked, he limped towards a hole in the side of the building. There was no way he would be burning alive. Not if he could help it.

He had barely taken a single step before he had to stop to catch his breath. The air seemed thick, and nearly impossible to breathe. He knew he had to get out, but how could he when he was so winded?

Darkclaw staggered forward again. As he did, he noticed Spectre off to the side. The tom seemed at ease, but that was to be expected for a cat that could not be killed.

However, Spectre failed to notice a piece of the roof crumbling from the heat. A large, flaming patch of the roof dropped down, pinning Spectre beneath it.

The tom screamed as he burned, flesh seared pink right off his face. His screaming abruptly cut off as pink ooze dropped from his mouth. His tongue had been burned out.

Darkclaw grimaced. It was a horrific fate, but at least it was one that would keep Spectre down.

Darkclaw continued crawling through the stuffy, stifling room. Flames flickered all around him, and his pelt was drenched with sweat. He could barely breathe. He couldn't draw in any air from the den. He coughed, sending spasms of pain shooting through his body.

From the exit, he could hear a voice. "Slash? Slash! Where are you?" Whitefeather had escaped the fiery death trap of the twoleg nest, but evidently her mate had not been so lucky.

Finally, Darkclaw reached the exit. The fire around him was blinding, and he had to squint to see the way out. As he struggled forward a few more steps, he turned and looked back at the flames.

A few mouselengths away, Slash lay limp.

Darkclaw paused. Without help, Slash would surely die. The threat of the rogues would be ended, and he would never get his paws on whatever treasure Spectre had stolen.

And yet…if Darkclaw just left Slash to die in the inferno, he would never get his vengeance. Copperpaw's anger had become his own anger, in a sense. It wasn't enough for Slash to just die. He had to live, if only for a short time, so that he could know the wrongs he had wrought.

Fury strengthening him, Darkclaw crawled over to the tom. The intense heat burned at him, sapping his strength, but he managed to grab the rogue's flank. He dragged the tom towards the exit, pulling with all his might. His throat was completely dry, his fur impossibly warm.

He was a writhing mass of heat and pain and rage. It seemed as if the fiery torment would never end. And then suddenly, it did.

Darkclaw had reached the exit. Sticking his head out, he took a breath of air, finally filling his lungs. Then, with his last bit of might, he pushed Slash out of the hole in the den. The tom landed with a thud, but he didn't seem to be any more injured from the fall.

Darkclaw grunted and prepared himself for the leap to safety.

He never got the chance to make it.

Suddenly, the wall started to crumble before Darkclaw's eyes. Glancing up, he saw the roof of the den caving in, and he felt the ground lurch beneath his feet.

No, no, not now! Great StarClan, the den is collapsing! Darkclaw let out a roar of frustration and tried to stumble forward, but it was too late.

The ground vanished from beneath his feet, dissolving into the inferno.

Screaming, burning, crying, Darkclaw fell into nothingness.

To be continued…

Bwahahahaha. I can be sadistic when I want to be. Anyway, next time, Leafkit will become an apprentice at last! Tune in later to see how this cliffhanger turns out as well. Until next time though, I'll see you round.

Thanks for reading!