Chapter 10

Fang held Aspenpaw's limp scruff in his jaws, breathing heavily. He was surprised that the throat move had worked; he had half convinced himself that the larger, stronger she-cat would overpower him, and slit his throat right then and there.

But he wasn't willing to die. He was fighting for the Midnights, and in the end, that had been his strength. Now, as he glanced around him at the shadowy undergrowth, the howl of the wind in the trees, and the steep incline which led down to the lake, Fang could sense that his groupmates were near.

But not here... They don't get to see this part.

"It'll be easier if she goes quietly," Fang remembered his cold mew as he finalised his plan with the Commanders. "If all of us come together on her, she'll attack and screech. I'll be silent; carry her out, and the deed will be done bloodlessly."

All he had seen after that was the glint of slitted eyes, for they had all been traversing through dark, shadowy land, with branches so thickly tangled that not even the light of the moon could break through.

"The less bloodshed the better," Fang had wished in that moment that he could have seen his Commander's eyes, for her calm, cold voice gave none of her thoughts away.

Now, heart pounding, blood trickling down from a fresh wound on his shoulder, Fang let go of the apprentice's scruff. She fell to the ground, limp as freshkill, but he could see her breathing, gradually strengthening as she pulled herself closer and closer to consciousness.

Calm yourself, a voice murmured smoothly in Fang's head. The small grey tom shifted his weight uncomfortably before settling himself down in a seated position. Then, he turned and stared off into the distance, where the moon and stars reflected on the dark, smooth lake.

What felt like a lifetime later, the russet tabby whimpered on the ground, drawing in raspy breaths of air. Fang watched her from a seated position, tail wrapped between his paws. He tilted his head to one side as Aspenpaw's ears blinked open, then, unsheathed his claws.

"Listen," he said calmly. "Remember me?" Fang paused, drawing in a breath. "We're not here to hurt you, DawnClan cat."

Aspenpaw seemed too weak to speak, but as she gazed up at him, her eyes blazed with a sort of mirthless fury. It made Fang want to recoil, but her anger made it easier for him. Easier to see that what he was doing was for the greater good.

"You're not afraid," Fang commented.

"Why would I be?" Each word was an effort for the young cat as she stared up at him, paws trembling. "You're just some fleapelted rogue, you and your mangy, monstrous friends."

Her fury cut deeper than claws slashing at his very heart. Fang snarled at her, the sharpness of his claws glinting like a deadly blade in the reflection cast by his slitted eyes.

"Don't you dare call any of my friends that!"

Aspenpaw didn't shrink away. In fact, she got to her trembling paws and faced him. He cowered under her imposing shadow as she unsheathed her own claws. Fang took a step backwards, but found his tail flicking against the coarse, uneven bark of an oak tree.

The anger that had flowed through him only moments before was replaced with a deeper sensation of fear. Aspenpaw's pelt... was it glowing?

In that moment, completely cornered, as the imposing warrior cat prowled closer, vengeance in her every movement, Fang saw his life flash before his eyes.

This is it...

Would Claw and Haze ever find him? If they did, what would his friends think? He would have failed them, failed their mission, and they would hate him. He was just the little, anxious furball who couldn't even survive under the sun.

But you've never even fought the light, little one, a voice rang in Fang's ears while vivid images of his kithood flashed before his eyes. There was Robin, tearing into freshkill for his wide jaws, with a distracted air. Then he was sitting beside Claw as she howled, a limp white Midnight at her paws. Then he was watching Nightshade claw a stray, while Haze cowered at his paws. The last moment, he was walking beside Claw, the two of them laughing.

That was when he had thought he would see another sunrise.

The light is too good for you, little one.

Aspenpaw was nearing. The voice rang in Fang's ears, the same one he had heard sporadically for what felt like all his life. It kept repeating the same phrase, though the wording changed each time. Turn away from the light...

Smoke was coming off of Aspenpaw's paws, and her green eyes blazed. Fang felt resignation and shame flow across him like a tsunami. Then, the voice in his head said something so direct, Fang was surprised Aspenpaw didn't hear it.

You have to trust me!

The command felt too strong to resist. Fang shut his eyes, and exhaled shakily.

I will, he thought, while inky blackness surrounded him. It was the first time he had ever spoken to the voice. For a moment, he thought that it would abandon him, but then, in the midst of the darkness, he saw two eyes, glowing bright lavender.

"Who are you?" Fang stared at the round eyes, like two purple moons in a sky of darkness. They moved towards him, though the dark grey tom saw no cat.

I am... the voice rang all around him. I am your everything.

"My... everything?"

Was Aspenpaw hearing this conversation right now? Fang could hear his voice, hoarse and vulnerable, ringing in the silence. He stared at the eyes as they came closer, walking on nothing but shadow. Eventually he saw the silhouette of a rather small cat.

Your past, your present, your future, the voice was almost melodic, soothing, gentle. It wreathed around him like the enthralling scent of a freshly caught vole. Fang tilted his head to one side in confusion. The cat continued striding forward until the vibrant, round, purple eyes were a tail length from his own.

"How are you going to help me?" Fang asked.

Part of him, the rational part of him, wanted to run, but he found his heart urging him to walk closer.

I will make you strong, the voice purred. Stronger than any cat in the forest. Strong enough to join me and my cats. You will be so powerful. No cat will ever, ever make you feel weak again.

Fang fell silent. He realised that he was raising his paw towards the cat.

Don't you want that, kit?

Fang did.

He wanted to be strong, so powerful and intimidating that no cat dared to come after him, or his unit. Haze would be safe, forever. He could help Robin be happy. Nightshade would never call him a coward again. And Claw... he would finally become the sort of cat that she deserved to have as a best friend.

"I do."

The cat smiled warmly at him. As he stared into those purple eyes, Fang felt he ought to know this cat. He felt as though he had known this cat all his life. He could trust the voice who had been with him all his life.

Then come to me.

Fang nodded. He took a pace towards the cat, who was still cloaked in the darkness of his vision. He crouched down low to the cat, and they touched their muzzle to his forehead.

Everything will come together at last, the voice purred.

All at once, Fang felt a stabbing sensation in his gut. A heartbeat later, the world seemed to fall away, and he was tumbling, the blackness seeming to get darker and darker and darker.

Wind rushing through his pelt as he twisted in the air, he gazed up at the cat with the wide purple eyes. They were watching him fall, glee plain on their face. Fang waited for the ground to come, but it never did. The shadow just kept getting loner, until he finally fell fully into their embrace.

"Rogue!"

"Fleapelt!"

"Over there!"

Fang was on the ground, gasping for air. He realised he was curled up in a tight ball, tail wrapped around his body. He blinked open his eyes, seeing his dark grey paws once more. Everything seemed normal.

Then he realised that the world was screaming.

"Wha-" he panted.

Hisses and screeches and yowls of agony and terror split the night air like claws slashing across a cat's throat. Fang staggered to his paws, horror pulsing through him. The battle...

"Who were you talking to?"

The screeching voice which had previously been right in Fang's ear, now spoke. It sounded more curious than hostile, but Fang could hear the underlying fury and urgency in it. He blinked back the darkness that still shrouded his vision, struggling to his paws.

"AAH!"

Fang yelped, taking a pace backwards when he saw Aspenpaw. Terror clutched him. Smoke was wafting off of her paws, and her eyes were glowing an eerie, unnatural green. She stared at him through slitted eyes.

"Your game's up, rogue! The clans will fight you and your little gang of monsters. BLAZESTAR! BLAZESTAR OVER HERE!"

Fang flattened his ears against his skull. He couldn't see very well in the dim light. The screeches of battle still raged behind him. Fang steadied his breathing. He could fight whoever was coming; his friend had given him some sort of strength...

Seconds later, a writhing, spitting knot of cats tumbled right in front of Fang and Aspenpaw. The dark grey tom jumped back as a sea of claws came towards him. He felt fur brush against his back, and realised he had collided into Aspenpaw.

With a hiss, she prepared to scratch at him, but Fang ducked and rolled. He would have managed to get away from her, if not for the paw she abruptly slammed down on his tail.

Fang could only watch, horrorstruck, as a ginger outline emerged from the spitting knot of cats. He easily overpowered all of them. For the first time, Fang saw Claw's white pelt amidst the tumult.

"This is the rogue, Blazestar!" Aspenpaw's voice was earnest, yet terrified. "Blazestar!"

It was so dark that Fang was certain Blazestar could only see the glint of his eyes. He remembered this tom all too well, the confident strut, the slitted pupils, the threat that he would die, should they meet again.

And now... well they obviously had.

"I have him pinned!"

Fang glanced at Aspenpaw. Steam was rolling off her paws. He made an attempt at pulling away, but she held fast to his tail, venom in her eyes.

"You'll take me to Lightsong," her voice was a throaty growl. "Then I will be DawnClan's hero! You hear me, mangepelt!?"

"Shut up."

Blazestar had spoken.

Fang was keenly aware that the knot of cats had fallen silent. He turned, expecting to see they had moved away. Then, to his horror, he realised that a silver tabby she-cat had pinned his best friend to the ground. Her unsheathed forepaw, raised in the air. She glanced at Blazestar.

"No!" he yelped. "Don't hurt her!"

The ginger patched tom turned to her. "Unsheathe your claws, Cloverfang," his voice was a low rumble.

Fang cocked his head in confusion. Aspenpaw, too, looked bewildered. The noises of battle and reek of blood still surrounded them; Fang needed to find a way to kidnap this apprentice.

Blazestar prowled closer to him and Aspenpaw. Fang found himself edging closer to the DawnClan apprentice, in a sort of desperation to get away from those bright amber eyes. The steam which rolled off of Aspenpaw's paws twirled around him. He shivered.

"I thought you were dead."

Blazestar's mew was hoarse. Fang glanced at Aspenpaw, but she looked equally befuddled.

"No," she said slowly. "It's not like some rogue is gonna kill me! I'm your best-"

"Be quiet," Blazestar's voice was dangerously low. "Don't talk to me."

Aspenpaw winced visibly. For a heartbeat, Fang remembered the nervous, bright-eyed young cat she had been when they'd first met.

"Something's going on here, isn't it?" Blazestar stared at Aspenpaw as though he wanted to claw her throat out. "A meeting, perhaps? You didn't think I would figure out you'd returned?"

There was madness gleaming in his eyes. Blazestar went on, shaking out his mane of fur.

"The smoke? The power we figured out how to create together. It's all too obvious, Dusk. And I thought you were the clever one..."

"Blazestar! What in StarClan's name are you meowing about? This is Lightsong's daughter, Aspenpaw. And some rogue."

It was the grey tabby, Cloverfang, who spoke. With a sudden lurch, Fang realised that her paw was tightening its grip around Claw's throat. Her friend's eyes were wild with panic, but she couldn't move, couldn't speak.

"NO!"

Fang snarled, bursting forward just as he saw Claw's eyes begin to roll into the back of her head. He flung himself forward, hardly wincing as he felt his tail fur tear under Aspenpaw's paw.

You don't get to touch her! You aren't going to hurt her!

Fang felt exhilaration pump beneath his pelt. He lunged towards Cloverfang, claws outstretched, adrenaline bursting through him. The deputy dodged his blow, and Fang crashed to the ground. He tried to leap away, but a moment later, he found himself crashing to the ground, a paw planted firmly on his back.

"You're not getting away," Cloverfang meowed icily.

Fang's eyes narrowed as he glowered up at the clan deputy. In a swift motion, he jerked upwards. Cloverfang's eyes widened in shock, but before Fang knew what he was doing, he had whirled about, and slashed his claws across her throat.

Fang's next breath caught in his throat as he saw crimson blood wet the she-cat's soft fur. A heartbeat later, her eyes widened in shock, and she collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain as blood pooled around her.

"AAAARH!"

A sudden screech made Fang jerk his head back towards Aspenpaw.

With a jolt of alarm, Fang realised that the clan leader was springing right towards Aspenpaw!

There was a screech unlike anything Fang had ever heard. Suddenly, a tide of blackness came flowing towards Fang like a tsunami.

Like as though it was wind, it picked him up, and hurled him backward.

Then, he felt his head collide with something hard, and the world went dark.