CHAPTER EIGHT

Dawnpaw had lost track of time.

It was easy to do in the Dark Forest. Days began to bleed together, separated only the fringes of darkness, the nights, that she saw briefly before shutting her eyes. One long march carried into the next, until she could no longer distinguish the hours. There was only time spent walking and time spent sleeping, and the time spent sleeping was never near long enough. Sometimes the sky was grey, at other times, it was black. She had stopped looking. The only thing that kept her going was Sootclaw's spectre, his warm ghost wrapping around her trembling frame.

"It's been seven days," Shredtail told her, once, when they stopped to drink. The stream they were following was barely more than liquid mud, but every once in awhile they would come across a pool of clear water, a luxury Dawnpaw had never appreciated until now.

"Seven days," she repeated. It took her awhile to register the thought. Seven whole days since she had last felt Sootclaw, seen Thickfur, or talked to Kitetail. Did they know she was still alive? They must. The ginger she-cat trusted the medicine cat to take care of her. They had become friends in the few moons that he had spent in ThunderClan, though she took care not to reveal any of her feelings for his brother. "Are we close?"

"It's..." Shredtail began, shaking his head. The huge tabby seemed to have difficulty finding the words he needed. "It's complicated."

"How?" Dawnpaw asked, narrowing her eyes. Seven days, and Shredtail had given her no answers. He would tell her to march, to drink, to sleep, but he refused to listen to her questions. It angered her, but she had no choice but to follow him. Shredtail was her guide in this unfamiliar territory; without him, she would be lost. "The Dark Forest can't be that big, can it?"

"It's not about area," Shredtail replied slowly. "The Dark Forest isn't like a Clan territory. It stretches on infinitely."

"No," said Dawnpaw automatically. Her defiance made Shredtail glare at her, but she carried on hurriedly, hoping she wouldn't ignite the spark of anger within him. She hadn't seen it flare up yet, but it scared her. He was down here for a reason. "Because it has to run in to StarClan at some point, right?"

"Right," he mewed grudgingly. "Maybe I'm explaining it wrong. It doesn't occupy an infinite amount of space. Instead of extending outward, it folds in on itself. There are multiple layers occupying the same space. There might be cats right here with us now, but we can't see them – and vice versa – because they're on a different fold."

That answer floored Dawnpaw. She tried to wrap her mind around it, to conceptualize the folds, but she just couldn't do it. The best she could get was that there were multiple copies of this space, all on top of each other. The apprentice supposed that if her mind could be linked to Sootclaw's, anything was possible, but still...

"StarClan is at the top," continued Shredtail. "To go up, we must first go out. Understand?"

Dawnpaw didn't, not really, but she nodded anyway.

"Good," he said, and that was it. They continued on.

.

Dusk found them as they entered a more open area of the forest, where the trees grew thinner and shorter. The grass underneath Dawnpaw's paws had turned to a spongy moss, and around her, the air was moist and cool. The air smelled of rotting wood, mixed in with the thick stench of mud. Behind the treeline wreathed the fog, ever present.

"We'll stop here," announced Shredtail, gesturing to a stooped cedar with low-hanging branches. Dawnpaw followed him, relieved at the prospect of rest. Her muscles were sore, complaining with every step, and her bones ached with weariness. She hadn't once complained to Shredtail; her mentor's voice rang in her mind whenever the urge arose. Stop whining, Dawnpaw. Warriors don't whine. Are you a warrior or a kit?

She missed Thickfur. It hurt to admit it, but as cruel as he was, he had always been there for her. He had saved her, all those moons ago, when she had slipped on the mud and almost crashed into the rocks by the lake. Then he had lied to Slatestar to protect her secret. More than anything, she couldn't banish the memory of his warmth, when he had comforted her by Brindlefeather's body.

Dawnpaw wanted to trust him. She wanted to trust him so badly that it hurt. But Thickfur was a mystery. One moment, he was on her side, the next, he was holding her down in the snow. StarClan had blessed her with the power to read Sootclaw's mind. Why couldn't they have given her an inkling of her mentor's thoughts as well?

So the she-cat settled in by the cedar tree, curling up where the trunk gave way to an enclosed space. Leaves brushed at her pelt as she entered the screened area, protected behind the foliage. The ground was hard underneath her paws, littered with twigs, and as she lay down, Dawnpaw thought wistfully of her moss bed back in the apprentices den. But there was no sense in complaining.

Worm materialized out of the forest around them, a scrawny vole clutched in his jaws. The pale tabby had been following them from a distance, showing up with food and helping to protect Dawnpaw at night. She still didn't trust him, and it seemed that Shredtail understood that. The brown tabby took the vole from Worm's jaws and padded over to the cedar to present it to Dawnpaw.

When Shredtail came in to give her the prey and wish her a good sleep, she couldn't help but think of Elmheart. When they had been apprentices together, he had always told her stories before bed, fantastic tales of daring warriors that his father had passed down to him. Then he would wish her a good night and press his nose to her cheek before settling down next to her.

Elmheart. She felt her gut wrench. She missed him too, but that was different. She had been missing him for moons. Her best friend was gone in a flash. Why did he have to tell he how he felt? Dawnpaw wondered. He could have kept it in, given it time. Maybe he would have gotten over it. She cringed. All she wanted was to have her friend back.

She loved him, but not in the way she wanted. After his confession, she had hoped that maybe one day, in a moon or two or three, she would return his feelings. But with Sootclaw in her head, part of her had always known that that was impossible. Instead, she had developed feelings for a different cat. The unobtainable one.

"See you in the morning," said Shredtail stiffly. Evidently, he wasn't used to playing the father to scared young she-cats. He was obviously uncomfortable around her. On the march, it was okay, but here...the kindness didn't come easily to him.

Dawnpaw nodded, then – on impulse – asked: "What comes out at night?"

Shredtail seemed taken aback. It took the large tom a moment to regain his composure. Dawnpaw searched him for any signs of anger, but to her relief, found none. "What's your worst nightmare?" he asked.

Dawnpaw thought for a moment. Her mind strayed to the hole where Sootclaw should be, to the desperate ache, to the tattered strands of her mind waving aimlessly in the gap. It's already happened, she thought. "Why?"

"I can't answer you unless you answer me," Shredtail told her, and left.

She collapsed against the moss, feeling her legs begin to shake. The pain of the day began to wash over her. Her body cried out, realizing its torment. Exhaustion tugged at her chest. Dawnpaw curled up and placed her head on her paws. Around her, the world darkened, as if someone had suddenly spread ink across the sky. In moments, she was alone in the blackness, comforted only by the faint glow of the moss beneath her. The she-cat closed her eyes and prayed for sleep.

It did not come easily.

Dawnpaw tossed and turned, stirring restlessly. Occasionally, she would feel the low-hanging limbs of the cedar brush her back, and she would roll back before she could slip out of her shelter. A couple of times, the apprentice opened her eyes and tried to spot Shredtail or Worm in the darkness. Once, she thought she caught a glimpse of Worm's fur, a brand of silver in the moonlight, but it was gone just as she registered its presence.

When she finally fell asleep, her dreams were full of Sootclaw. She reached out for him, but when he turned toward her, she realized that he was different, somehow. Blood stained his muzzle, and his amber eyes were wild with bloodlust. He reached toward her and she backed away from him, only to find herself on the top of a precipice. Far below the cliff's edge, water thrashed in vicious rapids and smashed against jagged rocks.

"Kill me," said Sootclaw, stalking toward her. She had never seen him dangerous like this before, never felt this wild desire for blood. "You're the only one who can." Dawnpaw met his eyes and flinched when she saw that they were a cool grey.

"No," she said, taking a step backward. Her paws scrabbled against the rocks and she lost her footing, slipping backward off the cliff. Desperately, she grasped at a root, digging into it with her claws for dear life. Fear coursed through her, but it was distant somehow, as if she was watching the scene from far away.

Sootclaw stood over her. "Well?" he asked, voice laced with venom, and – she frowned. There was pain in there too, desperate and hopeless. He raised a paw, and she watched as it trembled.

"I'm sorry," she told him, and then she dropped.

The fall was quick. Dawnpaw shut her eyes, bracing herself for the end, but before she plunged into the stormy waters below, strong jaws grabbed her scruff and pulled her to safety. She became aware that she was in a small cave, rain lashing against the sea outside. Spots of black dotted her vision, and all she could see was the angry flash of amber eyes. "How could you be so mouse-brained?"

She jerked awake with a muffled gasp. Slowly, Dawnpaw tried to control her breathing, allowing her eyes to adjust to the morning light. The forest around her was still grey, but it was paler now, and she could make out Shredtail and Worm as they paced around the clearing by her makeshift den. It was raining, a steady, soft drizzle that was hardly more than a mist. The cold had deepened, and as she stretched out, the ginger she-cat felt a chill deep in her bones.

Dawnpaw rose to her paws and pushed out through the cedar branches, shivering as the leaves rubbed against her fur. Shredtail turned when he heard her approaching, his green eyes unreadable. Sometimes she wondered what he thought of her. Was he protecting her for her benefit, or for his? Did he care about her life, or did he just want to leave this forest for good? If it was the latter, she could hardly blame him.

"Are you alright?" Shredtail asked slowly. He was massive compared to Worm, a huge brown mass of muscle, scars lining his bulky form. His ragged tail was spread out behind him like a fan. The occasional blade of grass would poke up from its tears. Dawnpaw couldn't take her eyes away from it. It was a morbid fascination, and she wished she could ask him for the story behind it, but she didn't dare invoke his anger. The passing hints of it were scary enough.

Thickfur was nothing compared to him, she thought with a shiver. Thickfur is good. Shredtail, he's not. Dawnpaw swallowed heavily and tore her eyes from his mutilated tail. "Yes, why?"

"We heard you screaming," said Worm. There was a hint of gleefulness in his voice, and she thought she caught a glimpse of malice in his yellow eyes. "Sounded bad."

"I..." Dawnpaw trailed off. Had she really screamed? She wondered if the fear had been from the threat of pain, or from seeing Sootclaw in such a state. She had been so disconnected in her dream, as if she had been outside her body, but seeing Sootclaw with blood on his muzzle... it had made her insides twist.

"It doesn't get better," Shredtail told her calmly. "It will keep getting worse until it's more than you can take."

"Then what?" Dawnpaw asked, wondering if she really wanted to hear the answer.

He shrugged. "Then you stop waking."

.

They walked for what seemed like ages. It was the same as any other day, except for the rain. It never ceased, never relented, only keep drizzling down on them until Dawnpaw was soaked to the skin. Her fur itched uncomfortably, and she felt her bones complaining again. Beside her, Worm seemed unbothered by the weather. They had made little conversation during their walk, for which she was glad.

A movement in the underbrush caught her attention. Dawnpaw stopped, scanning the bracken for a sign of it. Worm twisted around to look at her. "Keep moving," he mewed, and reluctantly, Dawnpaw allowed her paws to carry her forward.

A few moments later, she saw it again, this time more clearly. Grey eyes stared out at her from between the leaves, and as soon as she craned her neck to see more closely, they vanished. Dawnpaw padded closer to the bushes, her heart in her throat. It couldn't be – no, it couldn't, she was imagining things – him. He was in StarClan now; she had seen it.

Her mind must be playing tricks on her, it made sense. Shredtail had warned her of this forest's dangers. But what if it wasn't her imagination? What if it was real?

"Dawnpaw, keep going," said Worm, frustration clear in his voice. She shuddered at the way her name sounded in his voice, so slimy, so wrong. She felt him draw closer and inched away.

"I, uh, need to make dirt," she lied, stepping to the side. "Just wait for me, please."

He hesitated and she wondered, heart pounding against her ribs, what he would say. Finally, Worm turned away, snorting in disgust. "Don't take long."

Dawnpaw breathed a sigh of relief and pushed her way through the bushes. Immediately the feeling of solitude and fear swept over her. Being alone out here was the worst feeling imaginable; it felt like she was closed off from the rest of the word, being swallowed whole by the forest. The trees were teeth and she was lost among them. When night fell, it was simply the mouth closing, shutting her away and drowning her in darkness. I am being eaten alive, she thought. Slowly but surely, I will disappear.

There was a movement in the bracken. This time it was a long brown tail, flickering for a moment before disappearing. Swallowing her discomfort, Dawnpaw took off after it, barrelling through the bracken and ignoring the thorns as they tore against her pelt. Blood swelled from cuts across her legs as she pushed through a bramble patch, and memories flooded back to her. Stalking through the thicket, coming across the clearing, seeing the blood on his fur...

She followed the glimpses of him, dimly aware that the air was becoming colder and the trees were beginning to change, becoming short and stunted. A voice in the back of her mind urged her to turn around, to find Shredtail, to return to safety, but the ginger she-cat was used to voices in her head and she pushed it aside. Fear threatened to envelop her, but Dawnpaw contained it in her chest, keeping her head clear.

The trees fell away and suddenly she was in a small clearing. The fog was thicker here, and it masked the drizzling rain, wrapping around her slender legs, dampening her fur and chilling her to the bone. "Branchpaw?" she called out, voice frail and weak against the overbearing silence. There was no answer. The flashes of movement were gone. The clearing was empty.

He wasn't there.

I saw him go to StarClan. Her heart dropped into her stomach like a stone. How mouse-brained was she? Branchpaw wasn't here; he was gone, he was safer than she was, for StarClan's sake! The apprentice's skin began to prickle and she took a hesitant step backward. "Shredtail?" she managed to squeak out, her bravery instantly gone.

There was no answer. Dawnpaw hesitated before calling again. "Shredtail?" she mewed, louder this time.

Silence. It felt heavy, pushing down on her shoulders, her chest, tightening around her neck as she tried to breathe. The cold washed over her and she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and exhale into it, giving her life away in one gentle breath.

A twig cracked behind her.

Dawnpaw turned, heart pounding so loudly that she was sure the whole forest could hear it. Green eyes stared out at her from the darkness. She searched them, looking for any traces of familiarity. But the rage that she found there had burned away anything recognizable.

Shredtail stepped out of the darkness and loomed over her, his fangs bared and claws drawn. He was shaking with fury, she realized, his muscular figure filled to the brim with anger. "Do you want to die?" he hissed, and there was a cold, pure fury to it that scared her more than any yowl. He carried his anger naturally, as if it was a part of him he had been channeling for years.

She tried to apologize, but the words caught in her throat. An empty choking noise escaped her, and Dawnpaw immediately realized how mouse-brained she sounded. The she-cat shrunk under Shredtail's gaze, trying to ignore the glint in his eyes and the way his claws were churning the earth as if it was prey.

He swung his head down so that their noses were almost touching. "Don't ever do anything like that again, do you hear me?" whispered the tom, voice as cold as ice. He drew out the next word, every sound accentuated from the back of his throat. "Ever."

Dawnpaw nodded numbly. She tried to look down, but he caught her chin with his paw and forced it up. Shredtail's green eyes flashed. "Look at me," he commanded, his words cutting her sharper than any thorn. Dawnpaw could only stare at him in fear, her whole body tense, anticipating his next move. He could kill me.

Pawsteps thudded against the ground from the bushes behind Shredtail, loud and ominous. "Shredtail!" It was Worm's voice, frantic, lacking its usual slickness. The scarred tabby took a deep, shuddering breath, slowly lowering his paw. Then the brutal anger in his eyes turned to worry, and the intensity of the emotion made Dawnpaw's blood run cold.

Without hesitation, the brown tabby pushed her towards a nearby thicket. "Hide," he hissed, anger and fear mingling in his tone. Barely able to breathe, Dawnpaw did as she was told, falling to her belly and scrambling beneath a nearby patch of bramble. As she pulled herself further in, she felt Shredtail rearranging the bracken to hide any glimpses of her ginger fur.

Then the footsteps arrived in the clearing and Dawnpaw lay still.

"Shredtail." The voice was familiar, yet different. Dawnpaw hesitated a moment before twisting her neck, trying to see into the clearing. Her vision was blocked by the bracken, but she could still make out Shredtail, tense as he stood in the clearing, and across from him, another tabby. The newcomer had a slimmer build, though his shoulders were just as broad. His fur was short and tidy, and his eyes – his eyes were a horrible, pale, dead grey.

"Branchclaw," said Shredtail calmly.

"I've been looking for you," said Branchclaw. Staring at him, Dawnpaw felt a sickening jolt in her stomach. This was the cat who had tried to take over her brother's body, who had attempted to kill her, who had murdered Brindlefeather.

"Really?" asked Shredtail calmly. He sat down, curling his mangled tail over his paws. He was trying to appear calm, but Dawnpaw could tell that he was just as tense as ever. She had a feeling that Branchclaw knew that as well.

Branchclaw nodded. "Thistleclaw and Hawkfrost are calling another meeting. About the attack." His cool eyes scanned Shredtail's figure before moving on to the rest of the clearing. They flickered as they passed over Worm, who had emerged from the bushes to Shredtail's right, and continued on their way. Dawnpaw held her breath as Branchclaw looked in her direction, wondering if he could hear the beating of her heart. Then he turned back to Shredtail.

"Are you inviting me?" Shredtail's lip curled. His humour was dark, and Dawnpaw felt no inclination to laugh.

"You're one of the best," said Branchclaw softly. "They value your advice."

Two things hit Dawnpaw then. The first was that Shredtail was important down here, not just another lost warrior. But if he was at the forefront of the Dark Forest, why was he risking so much to help her? Could she trust him? Was he being honest when he said he wanted out of the darkness? There were two ways out, after all: into StarClan, or into the world of the Clans. And if Shredtail had been part of the attack on the Clans all those moons ago...

The second was that there was to be a meeting. About an attack. Dawnpaw knew, in that instant, that she needed to be there. If she listened in, perhaps she could find a way to warn ThunderClan. That was more important than escaping.

Sootclaw, she thought worriedly. Then, Thickfur.

.

"We're eavesdropping," she told Shredtail without missing a beat. After Branchclaw had left, the three had resumed their walk. The huge brown tabby had been quieter than usual, subdued, and it had fallen to Worm to direct Dawnpaw as they made their way through the forest.

"What?" he asked, somewhat startled. His rage hadn't reemerged since the clearing, but he had been on edge ever since the meeting with Branchclaw. The ginger she-cat hadn't confronted him about being important to Thistleclaw – she didn't want to risk the conversation that would follow. That could wait, but this – this couldn't.

"I want to go to the meeting," she mewed softly. "I need to know what they're planning."

Shredtail shook his massive head. "It's not safe. The most important thing is to get you to StarClan."

Dawnpaw stopped and dug her claws into the ground. "I want to listen in."

Irritation was plain across his face. "Dawnpaw."

"You scare me," she told him quietly. Shredtail narrowed his eyes at that, but didn't speak up. Taking a deep breath, Dawnpaw continued. "You scare me, but the thought of an attack on my Clan... on any of the Clans... it scares me more. Helping me doesn't mean anything if there's nothing left to save, so please, Shredtail. Let's go to the meeting."

The tabby paused for a moment before letting out a grunt. "Fine," he mewed grudgingly. "But this time, you have to do exactly what I say, when I say. Do you understand?"

Dawnpaw nodded eagerly, despite her fear. "Yes," she mewed. In that moment, she knew things would change. She wanted to stop being the victim, the rock, the emotional harness – and start being the hero.

X X X X X X X

A/N: Thanks for being patient, guys! As your reward, another update. I can't believe it's been a month; I'm so sorry. Hopefully this answers some questions and advances the plot – as scared as Dawnpaw is, she's not content to just follow along behind Shredtail. I just hope it doesn't get her into trouble...

Also, I realize that there's some stuff about Shredtail in The Last Hope, but we're basically just going to ignore that that book even exists. This series is basically canon until Night Whispers and then I don't even care. I didn't even realize that the fourth series was finished until today, so like... yeah. Whatever.

Kartlyn: Exciting to see a Sootclaw lover! Haha, especially since all the reviews at the beginning of PotS were basically "Sootpaw is a butt." :D

ScourgexScarlet: That's great! What exactly made you change your mind about Lilystream, if there was a particular moment?

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup: Yeah, Sootclaw and Dawnpaw have an odd sort of relationship. It's cool to find someone who ships DawnxElm, though. Personally, I ship Elmheart with everyone...

Hannah: Psh, guard dity is obviously a real thing, what are you talking about? Anyway, thanks for the review!

Blackish: You caught me on Icekit's eyes. I thought it was plausible that he had opened them earlier than his siblings, but I forgot that they would be blue. Whoops. As for the pelt colours, yeah, not exactly realistic, but I'm going to pull the "this-is-Warriors" excuse. Thanks for pointing it out, though! I'll do my research next time. Also, when Sootclaw says that he couldn't find her, he basically meant in his "mind-space". Like, he had searched the emptiness around him and couldn't find her mind. Blah. That will be explained better in future chapters.

frostfeather: I forgot you were talking about Homestuck and was like "I was making a comic?" XD Yeah, Sootclaw is a bit hypocritical here, I'm glad you picked that up. I'm trying to make him more mature without being too mature. He's not quite there yet.

Thistlethorn of Shadowclan: If you're changing your opinions about characters, then it means I'm doing my job, and it is absolutely the best praise to hear as an author, in my opinion. Thank you so much for the great review!

Rain's Feather: Wah, so many questions! Let me see what I can answer that won't be a spoiler. Dawnpaw will wake up when she wakes up, Thickfur isn't even sure if he likes Dawnpaw, but he's definitely confused about it, Sootclaw won't tell anyone and I think he's a bit oblivious to Dawnpaw's jealousy. Thanks for all the interest, though! :)

monkeyCsaw: Yeah, Elmheart's doing the angst thing at the moment, and I hope to snap him out of it. Aw, I'm so glad you love Fogpaw, she seems to be a hit! Thank you so much for the great review and compliments and asdfgjkl I'm blushing.

Flyere: Ahaha, it's always fun to meet someone who claims to be addicted to my writing. That's a really high form of praise, so thank you so much! I hope that this chapter, err, meets your craving. Fogpaw will be coming up in a couple of chapters, by the way, so just hold on. :)

RainbowNinjaUnicorn279: Yup, I messed up on Icekit's eyes. I forgot they would be blue at first, so you caught me. Oh well. Thanks for being on the lookout, though! Haha yeah, I chose Thornkit for her because it is a bit masculine – she's a big, tough, rambunctious kit. It'll hopefully fit her as she grows older.

I promise the next chapter will be a little bit more interesting, mostly because a) it will be a far quicker update than this, and b) I'm pretty sure it's Thickfur, though I do have to check my outline. Edit: Yes it is! We get both a Thickfur and a Kitetail POV next chapter.

Thanks for reading and please review!

PV :)