Chapter 12: Her Prison

Screaming. That's what she heard. That's the only thing she heard. Because she was trapped in shadows. Trapped in an eternal prison. Of course, there were others with her. Others killed by the demon, and brought here after death, instead of the Dark Forest. Then again, that place hadn't had a true resident for moons. No one who liked killing others for fun. Because that demon had unconsciously summoned them, dooming them for eternal prison in shadows. Yes, StarClan had made sure of that. They watched much more carefully than they had before. So there wouldn't be another war, between spirit and Clan. So no more truly evil cat would roam free to get strong enough to battle the living.

"Once upon a time, there was a black she-cat. She had four white paws, and a white tail tip. Her eyes were a frosty blue."

She looked around, seeing nothing but black. This was different from the other voices and screams she had heard before. This was someone talking to her. She followed the voice, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from without bumping into anyone else with her haste.

"She was beautiful, but no one knew her whole story. Not one cat ever got close enough with her to be able to."

She was staring to get annoyed. Yes, she was getting closer to where the voice was originating, but it sounded like whoever was talking to her was reminding her how she came to be here. Tormenting her further. Testing to see if she would rip an extremely annoying cat to shreds. Well, it was working.

"They soon learned, that the beautiful she-cat was a killer. A cold-blooded killer. They found blood scattered around her den. Bones too. Finding this, they tried to kill her. To stop further cold-blood murders. But there was one cat, a white tom with amber eyes, who somehow got into the she-cat's range of trust. Through this trust, he saw her kindness. He saw a different side of her. The cold front she put out was a guard. A guard for the deep emotions inside. He went to the she-cat's den every day, despite warnings from his other friends and family. They fell in love."

Her eyes widened in shock. This wasn't her. This wasn't her at all. She'd never fallen in love. Though, most of her memory had been taken when she came here. She vaguely remembered having a brother, but she couldn't be sure. She had learned to survive on instinct. So she thought, at least. The screaming had tampered with her brain. She couldn't think like she used to.

"Not long after, she found herself to be pregnant with kits. Knowing this, she ran away with no goodbyes. Not even to her mate. After finding a safe place, she settled down and made another home large enough for her and her kits. A moon later, she gave birth to two kits. A tom, black with amber eyes, and a she-cat, black with white paws and a white tail tip. With the same frosty blue eyes as her mother.

"After raising the kits for two moons, she sent her kits on solo hunting trips. The tom, was sent to the lake. The she-cat to the forest. The tom came back soaking wet. She rushed to clean him up, not realizing the change in her son. He tried to stop her, but she was stubborn. Then, because of her mistake, she was killed."

She stopped where the voice was loudest. It was strange, because she could see the slightest bit of bushes and undergrowth. Not at all the usual darkness she was surrounded with. Where she could barely take two steps without bumping into another cat.

"She woke up again, after death, in the Place of No Stars."

She growled and covered her ears. She was right next to the voice, but she couldn't see anything. She knew she would still hear the voice though, because she covered her ears first hearing the screams too. It did nothing to help. She waited for the voice to continue. But to her surprise, nothing came. She lifted her head, and stood.

"After a moon of plotting revenge on her son. The kit who killed her, she was given a message."

In the dim light, she now saw a figure. As it got closer, she saw that it was black, with white paws and a white tail tip. Though, in some places there was nothing there. A void. Nothing there. A swirling spiral of black.

"A ginger tom with green eyes came and said: 'When the frost covers the earth in cold, the demon will rise from the scorching blaze and the cold, emotionless night.'"

She froze. Frost. That was her name. Or what she thought was her name. Frost just meant something to her, so she claimed it as her name. But that message, that the she-cat received, it sounded important...too important to just ignore. She looked back at the void cat. Despite the void parts covering its mouth and eyes, she could swear it smiled with glee.

"Hearing this message, the black and white she-cat stopped her plots of revenge and instead created a land of shadows. This land was for terrible souls. Cats destined to go to the Dark Forest. For the she-cat realized that with the demon alive, the Place of No Stars would be defeated no matter what."

"This is the place she created?" Frost finally spoke for the first time since she came here. Her voice was rough, from being unused, "I was supposed to be...bad?"

"Many came to the ShadowLands. Many, including her perfectly kind daughter. Killed by the demon. She never knew why. But the demon would never kill anyone not meant to be in the Dark Forest after death. She then realized, that the frost mentioned in the message she received long ago would be her daughter. Her daughter would be the one to bring destruction. And when that happened, she would be the supportive mother she always wanted to be. Because she still wanted revenge.

"Mother..." Frost whispered, "I'm ready..." The void cat nodded, still showing the smile beneath the void, "I will go to ShadowClan. I will kill the demon. I will make the Dark Forest strong again. I will not fail."

"When her daughter accepted her mission, everything would be perfect. Nothing would be able to stop her."

The shadows returned to Frost's vision. She accepted them, knowing she would go back to the living world soon. There, she would go straight to ShadowClan, be accepted, and kill the demon. It didn't matter how...but the darkness needed to resurface. Too much light was worse than too much dark. That's what Frost thought anyway.

Congratulations! You have successfully made it to the next chapter. I know Cat isn't an apprentice yet, but I had this weird need to write a chapter about the ShadowLands...because I was reading Ender's Game. What do you think? Are you surprised? Review!

-Moon