The warm greenleaf breeze brushed against Talonpaw's dark tabby pelt, and he could see bushes of various flowers blooming. He wondered if they were useful herbs for Birdpaw to have. He'd have to remind her where he saw them – she might need them. After all, he and his Clanmates were embarking on an attack on one of RiverClan's patrols. The invasion was spearheaded by Lionstar and Whitesky – the white tom had convinced the ShadowClan leader to listen to him, and now he was leading them straight into the heart of the marshlands.

Whitesky claimed to know an area in RiverClan where the ShadowClan cats could push them inch by inch into their own camp while not having to put a paw in any marsh or stream. He also told Lionstar that Otterfrost, the Clan deputy usually led the dusk patrol near the ShadowClan border. The plan was to wait for the dusk patrol and drive them towards the area that Whitesky had instructed where they could inflict a devastating and crippling blow.

Shrewpaw's lithe figure brushed against Talonpaw's pelt. "Are you all right?" the pale tom asked, his sharp amber gaze looking Talonpaw up and down.

Talonpaw lashed his tail. He wanted to talk to some cat about Whitesky, and Shrewpaw was giving him the opportunity. "This patrol is useless," he hissed. "Whitesky doesn't care about destroying RiverClan. He just wants to inflict hate and suffering on any cat he can to sate his own boredom."

"How do you know that?" Shrewpaw asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"He told me, when I was guarding him," Talonpaw replied bluntly, leaping over fallen pinecones as the fishy stench of RiverClan grew stronger with every step. He looked up at the sky, the indigo sky gradually growing darker as dusk started to approach. The patrol would be at the border soon, and ShadowClan would have the advantage of fighting in the dark. An ominous feeling tugged at Talonpaw's paws, and he felt a sick churning in the pits of his stomach. It was as if he could already taste the blood about to be spilled.

Shrewpaw was lost in thought as he visibly seemed to contemplate Talonpaw's words. "Did you try and tell Lionstar?" he asked.

Talonpaw sighed. "I didn't think there was a point. I'm just an apprentice who hasn't even been training for a full moon – why would he listen to me? And he's determined to invade RiverClan, regardless of the circumstances. But I guess they're both getting what they want. Whitesky gets his chance to hurt other cats, and Lionstar gets his invasion of RiverClan." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "What can I do? I can't alter destiny."

Shrewpaw shook his head and sighed. "Betraying your own Clan and feeding their secrets to an enemy Clan, then leading an attack against them… I can't think of anything more treasonous."

"It frustrates me that Lionstar is listening to him, despite what a traitor he is, even if it's to our enemies," Talonpaw complained. "I'd let a cat as treacherous as that rot and invade RiverClan a different way."

"Shh," Shrewpaw whispered, and Talonpaw looked up to realize they had approached the RiverClan border. The small, abandoned Thunderpath blended into the night, and Talonpaw recalled being here only once before – on his first expedition of the Clan territory with Sparrowflight. The scent was faint – the sunhigh patrol had passed, but the dusk patrol wasn't here yet.

Lionstar looked over his shoulder. "Blend in with the shadows of the trees," he ordered his patrol. Talonpaw flexed his muscles and slipped behind a pine tree, knowing that the shadows of the night and the tree itself would mask his approach. The rest of the patrol obeyed Lionstar's orders immediately until the only two cats standing in the open were Lionstar himself and Whitesky.

"They'll come," Whitesky added softly, his white pelt gleaming in the night.

"Don't let them see you until it's too late," Lionstar meowed. "Whitesky and I will meet them here."

How can you trust him? Talonpaw wanted to wail. He doesn't care about ShadowClan or you! He's using you! Using all of us! He could catch Lionstar meowing to Whitesky, "Now what?"

"We wait," Whitesky replied. Talonpaw expected to see his fur bristle with anticipation or aggression, but his pelt was smooth and glossy, showing no apprehension. Even his deep blue eyes were unreadable. "It's nearly dusk. They'll come, and we'll be ready."

Talonpaw hitched a breath. He didn't think Whitesky would attack the ShadowClan patrol, but he also wasn't completely certain. It was clear Whitesky had no loyalty – if he was willing to attack his birth Clan, what would stop him from attacking ShadowClan as well? Talonpaw flinched as he heard Owlpaw hiss at him.

"Will you stop with that snarling?" the tabby snapped from where he hid behind another tree. "RiverClan will hear you before we see them."

"Sorry," Talonpaw muttered. He had been unaware that he was snarling, too lost in his thoughts of turmoil. He clenched his jaw, keeping his mouth shut as he trained his golden eyes on the small Thunderpath. Several heartbeats passed until Talonpaw's eyes started to grow droopy. Would the RiverClan patrol show at all? He could feel tension in the air from his Clanmates, and realized they were sharing his thoughts. He watched Lionstar's golden tail twitch uncertainly. Only Whitesky looked calm.

Just as Talonpaw thought Lionstar would give the order to turn back and head to camp, to wait another day, Talonpaw could make the outline of several cats trekking towards the Thunderpath. Lionstar's ears perked up and his back arched, while Whitesky straightened his shoulders. Talonpaw held his breath until the RiverClan cats came into full view. Their pelts were turned silver by the moon, but there was no mistaking the hostility and anger in their gaze as they stared at Lionstar. It quickly changed to shock as they recognized Whitesky next to him.

"Whitesky?" gasped the leader of the patrol, a brown tom with speckles of white. "Y-you're alive?"

"Thanks for coming to rescue me," Whitesky hissed through clenched teeth. "What a noble deputy you are, Otterfrost."

Otterfrost's tail-tip twitched in irritation. "Reedstar and I were going to come to the ShadowClan camp tomorrow to fetch you!" he snarled. "Don't think we don't care about you!"

Whitesky rolled his eyes. "Please."

"It doesn't look as if you're a hostage," muttered a flecked blue-gray tom, who stepped dangerously close to the border and gave Whitesky a curious sniff. "Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the ShadowClan leader? What are you up to, Whitesky?"

"Clever observation, Mintfeather," Whitesky growled. "I've had just about enough of Reedstar's weakness and cowardice – and the ineptness of RiverClan in general."

"What?" A pale ginger she-cat gasped in shock at Whitesky's venomous words. "How dare you speak like that about your Clan?"

"I'll speak any way I want about my Clan, Dawnstream," Whitesky snarled. "And, like I said, I've had enough." The tom let out a battle cry and sprang from his powerful hind legs, landing on Dawnstream as he wrestled with her across the Thunderpath. Lionstar howled his own summons to battle, and immediately the ShadowClan cats leaped out of the shadows and threw themselves on the patrol. Sunstream let out a furious howl, Featherheart's claws tore through the grass, Sunstream bared her teeth, and Icefire's eyes blazed with fury as ShadowClan and RiverClan collided in a fight orchestrated by a traitor who hated what both Clans stood for.

Hisses and yowls split the once quiet night sky, and Talonpaw realized this was a different fight than the one with ThunderClan. ThunderClan had been searching for a patrol to fight, and they had found one. ShadowClan had been waiting in ambush for cats to approach the border – this was an attack in cold blood. It had been daylight when they fought ThunderClan, and right now Talonpaw could barely see his enemies as he lashed out at the blue-gray tom known as Mintfeather. His claws tore the big warrior's ear, and Mintfeather let out a furious hiss as he batted at his cheeks.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you, kid, because you're just an apprentice," Mintfeather hissed as he jabbed at Talonpaw's clavicle. Talonpaw leaped back at the sudden jerk of pain.

"Good, because I don't want you to," Talonpaw hissed at him, twisting on his heel and jabbing at Mintfeather's tendons on the back of his legs. The tom crumpled on his paws, and Talonpaw leaped on his back and started to tear at his skin with sharp claws. Mintfeather yowled in agony but found the strength to rise up on his back legs. He started to shake Talonpaw off, but Talonpaw tightened his grip in Mintfeather's thick fur and held on tightly. With powerful muscles, Mintfeather leaped and twisted midair, causing Talonpaw to lose his grip and land on the ground with a heavy thud.

Mintfeather turned and lunged at Talonpaw, his teeth bared, and Talonpaw was too slow to move out of the way. The big RiverClan warrior dug his fangs in Talonpaw's shoulder, and Talonpaw writhed as searing bolts of agony struck through his shoulder. Talonpaw headbutted Mintfeather's throat, causing the tom to pull his teeth out in shock. Talonpaw batted the tom's head with unsheathed claws, fury in every battle move. But it wasn't fury against RiverClan. It was fury against Whitesky. Talonpaw was able to pin Mintfeather down after a bit of clever maneuvering, and he held his claws to the tom's throat. Mintfeather stared at him with anger blazing in his eyes.

"Listen to me!" Talonpaw hissed at him. "This is all Whitesky's fault! ShadowClan would have never attacked if Whitesky hadn't manipulated Lionstar in doing so! Was he ever loyal to RiverClan?"

Mintfeather's blue eyes narrowed, and both cats turned to search for Whitesky. Whitesky was locked in combat with a dark brown tabby tom, and with a sickening gasp, Talonpaw saw the cream-furred body of Dawnstream, a few mouse-lengths from where Whitesky had attacked her. There was a deep gash in her throat, and her eyes were unseeing. Whitesky killed his own Clanmate, Talonpaw thought with horror.

"I thought he was," Mintfeather growled. "But when I saw him leap at Dawnstream, I recalled back to all the fights he had with Reedstar and Otterfrost, and the fact that he barely paid a glance to his mate, as if he didn't plan on being there for her, even with the possibility that she might provide him with kits, I realized that he was the worst traitor that the Clans could offer."

Talonpaw stared at the blue-gray tom. "But what happened that made him be like this?" he asked.

"There are cats in this world that are driven to evil because of what their life has forced them to endure," Mintfeather said calmly. "When you're hurt and scared for so long, the fear and pain turn to hate and the hate starts to change the world."

"But why?" Talonpaw demanded.

Mintfeather wriggled in Talonpaw's grip, but Talonpaw refused to let him go. Not until he heard the explanation from Mintfeather. "Whitesky's littermates died in a flood," the blue-gray tom meowed. "Shortly after, his father was killed in a battle with WindClan. His mother was so broken by all these losses that she ended her own life by eating deathberries, leaving Whitesky alone when he was just a kit – too young to deal with this on his own, old enough to understand what happened."

Talonpaw flinched as Mintfeather recalled the tale of Whitesky's life. He couldn't deny the sympathy that jabbed him in the chest – was Whitesky's tumultuous life the reason that he turned to hurting the world, perhaps to get revenge for what it did to him? Did he not have a cat he could turn to for support? Cats in his Clan? Is that why he's attacking his own Clan? Talonpaw thought. Does he blame them?

The thoughts that were swirling in Talonpaw's head caused him to lose his attention from Mintfeather, and the big RiverClan warrior took advantage of his distraction by kicking his hind legs against Talonpaw's belly and sending him flying. Talonpaw grunted as he landed on the stone hard floor of the Thunderpath. But Mintfeather didn't seem interested in pursuing his battle with Talonpaw. He disappeared into the throng of fighting cats, and Talonpaw wondered if he was searching for Whitesky. Talonpaw scrambled to his paws, out of breath. He glanced at a gash on his side, watching as it dropped scarlet blood that stained the Thunderpath. Knowing that he couldn't keep stewing on his thoughts, Talonpaw flattened his ears and threw himself back into battle. He spotted a sleek-furred tortoiseshell she-cat, and for a moment he thought it was Maplepaw. But when he caught the stench of RiverClan on her glossy pelt, Talonpaw knew this was an enemy warrior. He was about to leap at her when he heard a cry of pain, striking through the night sky.

The RiverClan deputy, Otterfrost, had his jaws sink deep into the throat of Whitesky. Whitesky flailed in Otterfrost's grip, but Otterfrost refused to let go, instead tightening his grip on his former Clanmate. Blood drenched Whitesky's pure white pelt, and it stained Otterfrost's mouth. Talonpaw's lips went dry, and before he knew what he was doing, he was slamming himself against the side of the RiverClan deputy, sending him staggering to the ground. Otterfrost let go of Whitesky as he crumpled, and Talonpaw sent a heavy blow against Otterfrost's head that caused him to fall limp against the ground. Whitesky's body rolled away from Otterfrost, and Talonpaw raced over to stare at the fallen warrior. Even though blood pumped rapidly from the grievous wound in his throat, his eyes were still blazing.

"Whitesky…?" Talonpaw whispered.

The tom stared at Talonpaw, his blue eyes wide.

"You got what you wanted," Talonpaw murmured. "You killed Dawnstream and you caused a pointless battle with RiverClan. Are you happy now? Mintfeather told me everything. Did you start this battle to end your own life, I wonder?"

Whitesky let out a weak chuckle that sounded more like a death rattle than anything else. "I became a demon, lost my memories, and began seeking strength. There was nothing left that I wanted to protect. I didn't want to continue living in a world with no one by my side. Since I was made an apprentice I have been committing pointless acts of carnage. It is a horribly sad, laughable, and ridiculous story."

Talonpaw lowered his head, feeling grief for this dying tom. "I'm sorry you're full of so much hate, Whitesky," he whispered. "You think that all cats are your enemies, but that's only because you've never had a friend." Cats were all held in balance by what they stood to lose and what they stood to gain. The most dangerous of those cats were warriors who had nothing to lose and nothing to gain. When a warrior had nothing to risk, not even their future. That was the embodiment of Whitesky.

"There is nothing left," the white tom groaned as blood continued to pour out of the fatal wound. "Nothing… I won't even go to StarClan… but that's all right, I don't care. I got what I want." The tom let out a deep breath, and then his head fell back. His eyes started to cloud over, and his sides ceased to rise. Talonpaw jabbed his body and tried to get a reaction out of him, but the RiverClan warrior did not move. He was dead, and if his last words were any indication, he had died the way he wanted. In a pointless battle.

Talonpaw scrambled away from the white-furred tom and searched for Lionstar's golden pelt in the writhing mass of cats. He spotted the tom wrestling with Flamestripe, and Talonpaw darted through the cats until he reached his leader's side. Lionstar snarled as he pinned Flamestripe to the ground. His green eyes flashed towards Talonpaw.

"What is it?" the ShadowClan leader snarled.

"Whitesky is dead," Talonpaw reported, his voice oddly flat.

The fur on the back of the ShadowClan leader's spine pricked. Flamestripe used his moment of distraction to slip out from his grip. The ginger-and-white tabby scrambled to his paws, shaking out his bloodied fur. "That traitor deserved to die," Flamestripe hissed. "The battle, in the first place, was about him, and not ShadowClan. This fight is over. Whitesky being dead is best for everyone." The RiverClan tom let out a high-pitched yowl, and he disappeared over the Thunderpath. The RiverClan warriors immediately stopped fighting, dislodging their attackers as they followed Flamestripe. Talonpaw spotted Otterfrost scrambling to his paws, having regained consciousness. Otterfrost followed the remaining RiverClan warriors, and Talonpaw could hear a ShadowClan cat yowling in triumph.

The clearing erupted into cries of victory from the ShadowClan cats, but Talonpaw noticed that Lionstar was oddly silent. Talonpaw frowned, tilting his head. Wouldn't Lionstar lead the chant? Wasn't he glad they won? But what did we win? Talonpaw asked himself. Two RiverClan cats died. Will that stop RiverClan from crossing our border?

As if Lionstar could read the dark tabby's thoughts, he murmured, "It should. I knew the entire time this battle was so Whitesky could get his taste of blood, and there was nothing he did in this battle that made victory easier, except maybe the fact that RiverClan wasn't fighting us, they were fighting Whitesky." He shrugged his broad striped shoulders. "It's over with, and Whitesky is dead. Hopefully RiverClan doesn't show their faces over the border for a good while."

"Will we have to fight them again?" Talonpaw asked.

Lionstar nodded. "Yes. We may have stopped them for a moon or so, but that doesn't mean they won't be back. And if I know Reedstar, they will be." He turned his head and studied Talonpaw intently. "That wound on your flank looks bad. Go back to camp, see Stormbrook and Birdpaw."

The tabby apprentice nodded in acknowledgement of his leader's orders and turned on his heel. As he ran through the pine forest, with only the claw scratch of the moon's light to guide him, he could feel blood draining from his wounds. Mintfeather had been a hard opponent, but he had also disclosed the tragic past of Whitesky in the middle of their duel. It gave an explanation to Whitesky's bizarre actions, but it didn't make it right.

The blue-gray tom's words echoed in his mind.

"There are cats in this world that are driven to evil because of what their life has forced them to endure. When you're hurt and scared for so long, the fear and pain turn to hate and the hate starts to change the world."

Whitesky can't be the only cat who's suffered the way Mintfeather said, Talonpaw thought as he ran. Surely there are cats from all three Clans – even ShadowClan – who have suffered immensely so that their thoughts start to become dark. But will these cats prove to be as much as a danger as Whitesky was? Will they be willing to harm other Clans, or their own Clanmates? A flash of alarm rocked Talonpaw's heart. And is one of them in ShadowClan? Will a Clanmate, injured in their heart, turn on us?

Anxiety made Talonpaw run faster until he found the dip in the pine forest that made ShadowClan's camp. He looked over his shoulder, seeing the trail of blood his wounds had created. But their sting was a dull throb – his head was hurting more than they were, and he hadn't even been hit there. Talonpaw slipped down the camp and barely reacted to the mews of welcome from the ShadowClan warriors who had stayed behind. He headed straight to the medicine den, wanting to discuss with his sister what had happened. To his relief, as he reached the prickly bush and squeezed through the bramble tunnel, his sister's downy gray-and-white face was the first thing he saw.

"Talonpaw!" Birdpaw exclaimed, her sharp green eyes searching his pelt and focusing on his still-bleeding wounds. "You're injured!"

"Birdpaw, I need to talk to you," Talonpaw meowed, feeling his voice tremble.

"In a moment. I need to patch you up before you bleed out." Birdpaw's voice was crisp and efficient as she headed towards a corner where she began to retrieve multiple herbs. Talonpaw didn't think it was worth arguing with his sister, and so he slumped on his side, watching as the blood pumped out of his wounds. Just like it came out of Whitesky's throat, Talonpaw thought numbly. It was the first time he saw a cat die, and he didn't think it'd be the last.

Birdpaw returned with an array of herbs wrapped in a leaf bundle. She undid the bundle and started to chew up the first flowers, spreading their ointment on the shallowest of Talonpaw's wounds, the one that had stopped bleeding. Talonpaw flinched at the sting, but gradually began to relax as the healing juices did their work. She pulled out cobwebs and staunched the bleeding on his deeper wounds, while mixing a poultice at the same time. Talonpaw watched her work, quickly and effectively, stunned by how comfortable she looked. She hadn't even wanted to become a medicine cat apprentice in the first place, but she also wasn't fit for the life of a warrior. Now she looked as confident in her surroundings as Stormbrook did. Talonpaw stopped himself from shutting his eyes and dozing, knowing he had to confide in his sister.

"I saw a cat die today," Talonpaw whispered as Birdpaw spread a poultice on the wound on Talonpaw's flank.

Birdpaw's ears shot up. "You did?" she asked, a tinge of horror in her voice. "Who?"

"Whitesky," Talonpaw replied.

"He died in the battle he waged with his birth Clan," Birdpaw murmured. "I hate to say it, but it sounds like karma to me."

"Maybe," Talonpaw agreed, staring at the green ointment that was plastered against his dark tabby flank. "But he started the battle because he liked fighting… and he liked fighting because he was hurt in his life, and the pain and suffering just made him evil. Wasn't there a way to help him before he turned to a life of killing and fighting?"

"That's RiverClan's problem, not ours," Birdpaw pointed out. "If they saw that Whitesky was suffering so much, they should've interfered before he went over the edge and was too far to be brought back."

Talonpaw let out a sigh. "It scares me because what if there's a cat like that in ShadowClan? A cat who's hurting so badly on the inside, but can't – or won't – get the help he needs? And what if he turns like Whitesky?"

Birdpaw's green eyes flashed with alarm, and Talonpaw tilted his head curiously as she looked over her shoulder multiple times. "Birdpaw, do you know a cat like that?"

"What?" Birdpaw shook her head. "No, I don't." But she avoided Talonpaw's gaze as she continued her meticulous work on his wounds. "If there is a cat like that, he needs to be found and helped before he destroys the world."

"Like Whitesky wanted to," Talonpaw murmured.

Birdpaw nodded and bent down to lick her brother's forehead. "Don't worry, Talonpaw," she cooed. "I know you would never let anything bad happen to ShadowClan. If there's a cat like Whitesky here, you and I will find him, and we'll stop him."

What if he's not in ShadowClan? Talonpaw wondered. Whitesky's callousness affected ShadowClan. What if there's another cat out there, in a different Clan, whose pain turns them into a monster that destroys ShadowClan?

Oh, StarClan, help us all.