Chapter 17: Hunger of a Different Kind

I began feeling two souls, not amalgamations, but entire cats. Their position was relatively near our camp. They'd never find it directly, but how close they were posed a threat to any of our apprentices if they left camp. I do not take threats lightly. My claws itched for some real combat. I'd forgotten the bloodlust I'd developed as a warrior, but it was surging back. The urge to fight was like an itch. It clung to the back of my mind. I could ignore it, but it left that same uncomfortable feeling. This was my chance to relieve it.

"Splitpelt. We have two guests to take care of. I can feel they're like me in soul, but they aren't using powers."

Splitpelt's ears perked at that. Cats who were complete were a rarity, let alone a pair. Given my tone, Splitpelt also knew they were a threat. Splitpelt harbored a secret trait just like Mapleshade. It was something he'd contented himself with before the creation of the Unseen Stars. In truth, it was the reason he even sought out Mapleshade at all. He loved the thrill of a fight.

Flashback

Before he saw Mapleshade's form, he had detected her as a worthy rival. He had felt Starclan's influence when she arrived, how they almost spiked her into the ground and how the presence had shifted. He'd spied on her waiting for the perfect moment to draw her into a fight, when her spirit was broken, and only rage remained.

He hadn't expected her to catch on to this land's aspects so quickly. He was the first witness to the powers she harnessed. At first, he believed it was luck as she went about wandering the woods with her eyes closed, but she never ran into anything. Some trees even seemed to shift out of her path or just disappear, so she wouldn't be interrupted. He'd even gone as far as getting ahead of her to block her path. It was frightening what happened next. She walked right through him, like he was an illusion. It was the first time he realized she might be in a class all her own.

He tailed her from then on, his bloodlust buried under his curiosity. He witnessed her create the boulder. It didn't grow out of the ground. It just came into being, fuzzy at first, but becoming more detailed as she refined what she wanted. What cemented its creation was when she touched it. This cat was more fascinating than he'd ever witnessed before.

He met her, and it was more wonderful than he imagined. Her voice was commanding yet angelic. He played the part of the all-knowing stranger, but every word he said and every word she responded with made his heart pound. She was becoming an obsession in his mind. Before he let himself get too far, he departed. The bloodlust was shifting into regular obsessive lust. He, being made of many leaders and obsessed with self-control, set out to find a spirit to shred. Maybe if he burned off his own blood fantasies, he'd be better able to remain in her presence.

Splitpelt remembered himself as he and I were getting close to the two threats. He unconsciously flexed his claws, his muscles taut as his lust for battle rose. I was feeling the same thing. Despite how I framed my murders, I'd felt joy in them, not for what I did, but for the combat, planning, and precision I executed them. I was a joyful machine of destruction in combat. It was often said my smile would plague enemy warriors' nightmares. It was no wonder I was instantly a nursery cautionary tale back in the forest. I had all the traits of a monster with a story to match, but I am not a monster. I'm just battle hungry.

Splitpelt and I spotted them. The pair looked seasoned. We set to spying on them for a bit, if only to get a firmer understanding of them. Their wandering was aimless, but I could feel the truth in their souls. They were merciless killers. One radiated ambition while the other's gait and purposeful movement made it obvious that that cat was about ruthless efficiency. Normally the two would be a threatening pair, but our powers could easily end the fight before it even began. That wasn't what I wanted. That wasn't what Splitpelt wanted. We were both hungry. Hungry to feel our claws rip through flesh. Eager to feel the biting sting of our opponent's claws, our smiles were symptoms of our dark fantasies.

I emerged in front of the two cats with Splitpelt slightly behinds me.

"Halt! I see you ambitious one. I can smell your lust for power. You've even got yourself a pet to fulfil your wishes."

The leader of the two's tail lashed. He didn't like how I read him.

"Begone foul beast. I will not let you tempt me."

I couldn't hide my giggle at his holier than thou attitude. I wanted to play with my prey.

"Oh. But I can offer you what you wish. I could grant you power and become your servant. That is, only if you can best me. Otherwise, you will become mine. I will make you one of my followers."

The cat's build did not suggest he was a masterful fighter, but the fact that he had a minion suggested he wasn't entirely helpless. On the other paw, his minion looked impressive. That cat looked like it would be so much fun to fight. I could already taste his blood. The phantom taste of iron made my heart race.

"I will fight you she demon, but I hope you don't mind my friend fighting as well."

I could faintly hear Splitpelt's heart hammering as his own bloodlust spiked.

"Then my companion will fight as well. Don't disappoint us."

There was a moment of silence before the battle began. Splitpelt and I gave each other a look before I faintly gestured to the leader. Splitpelt's smile grew. One of the few things he hated were incompetent leaders and the mystery cat hit all those criteria. Splitpelt and I shifted with me facing the minion now. I was salivating, waiting for the first move. Each heartbeat was like an appetizer for the main course to come. Finally, the mystery leader let out a caterwaul before launching himself at Splitpelt. The minion rose to try a powerful slam, but I decided to meet him. My own size was roughly equal to his. I felt his claws tear into my shoulders as I left a deep scratch into his face. The scarlet blood was driving me into a joyous rage. It was ecstasy to my battle driven mind. I traded wounds, not caring how they stung. They were wonderful feeling. The pain only sharpened my intent.

Unfortunately, the fun had to end. I could fight forever, but my opponent was getting slower. Splitpelt was also coming down from his rage. It was time to end things. With perfect synchronization, Splitpelt and I shoved the two down only a hair length apart. We pressed them down with our front legs so they couldn't run. Then we did as our instincts guided. We buried our teeth into their necks.

The leader could only squack, "You said I'd become your follower."

I looked at the pathetic thing. The lifeforce remaining was fleeting.

"I didn't tell you how."

When the two finally died, I gripped their souls. Who they were before didn't matter. With their life departed, I could feel their origin. They'd been too ambitious in life. They assassinated for power. Beneath it all, I could feel one sin I couldn't forgive. Something in the leader's soul resonated with foulness. I could feel it the same way I'd found my kits. This cat had murdered a pregnant queen, snuffing her kits lives in the process. I shredded the two souls' aspects away. I felt the truth as I removed all that made these cats detestable. They had a history. At some point they were abandoned and only had each other. This had grown like a bush of death berries, poisoning their minds and making them ruthless. With better cats to guide them, they could and can become wonderful warriors.

When I finished, we had two apprentice age kits remaining. They were unconscious but would soon wake. Of the two, I wanted to raise the minion. When I reshaped him, I felt his keen mind. The cat could have become an effective leader if he even had the slightest ambition. That was what he lacked. He gave no voice for his own powerful mind. He let himself be a tool when he could have been so much more. Splitpelt also saw something in the previous leader. That cat didn't have what it took to be a leader, but he had some other interesting aspects that Splitpelt looked forward to refining. From what I gathered, the cat was quick thinking and a dirty fighter. That made up for his below average size. Splitpelt saw the makings of a battler.