Chapter 22

"Intruders!"

"ATTACK!"

The instant that Fang pushed his way through the thorn barrier, his senses were overwhelmed by the screeching and yowling of DawnClan cats. Many of them were emerging from their dens, eyes bleary with sleep.

Fang saw Ebonywing and Ravenflutter emerge from the apprentice's den beside Sunpaw. They stared at him in shock, sudden understanding dawning alongside terror. In the midst of the camp, there was a cacophony of hisses and yowls as warriors sprang to their paws, fur raised. Fang saw the bright glint of silver as claws were unsheathed.

Where is she?!

Fang felt sickened by the subtle flavour of blood which tainted the air. Alongside it was the sickly sweet tang of infection. It made him want to wretch. He bolted into camp just as the first cat, a pale brown tom, launched himself towards Frost. He watched as she fell to the ground with a heavy thump.

The first move was enough to send off a flurry of others, as warriors from all over DawnClan camp positioned themself to attack. He instinctively began sizing up Sunpaw, trying to figure out their weaknesses.

In the front of the camp, Haze struggled to her paws. She was bleeding from several small cuts. Above her, Sparrowstar stood, eyes glittering with hate. She struggled to move away from him, but the clan leader pressed a paw down on her tail, stopping her from moving.

He scampered towards her, narrowly avoiding a muscular DawnClan cat. Another lunged towards him, only to be flung away by a ginger blur. Aspenpaw was suddenly standing beside him, panting heavily.

"You were in a fight not that long ago," Fang said, nodding to her injuries, while Aspenpaw struggled for breath.

"Yeah, there'll be a lot more fighting if we don't put a stop to this soon. The death of more young cats...," her eyes surveyed the clearing, with a certain sort of dark knowledge that made a shiver ripple along Fang's spine.

Fang nodded briefly, before rushing towards Haze. His heart pounded in his chest as she struggled towards him. Her eyes were round with terror, and her paws flailed on the ground feebly. Sparrowstar's claws pressed deeper into her soft grey tail as she struggled vainly.

"Get off of he-"

Fang began to speak when an ear-splitting screech shook the night air.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU LITTLE MAGGOT?"

A deep shudder rippled across Fang's chest. Stars seemed to speckle in his vision. He swayed on his paws, the world spinning around him. Gasping for air, Fang stared down at the ground. Instead of seeing his own paws, he was greeted by unsheathed claws, soaked in blood, which ran into the snow.

Fang was dimly aware that he was writhing on the ground. But in his mind, he was on a snowy expanse of territory, with pure white that seemed to stretch endlessly off in every direction. Countless cats, dozens of cats bowed before him.

He felt a shadow beside him, and turned to see a rather small grey she-cat with piercing lavender eyes. She gazed at him with something deeper than dislike, no the anger which flowed off of her was loathing hatred.

"Thistleheart," Fang murmured.

Instinctively, he looked around for a place to flee. But surrounding him was a sea of cats, all crouched in the same position. There were young ones, old ones, weak, strong, fluffy and slender.

"Of all times, this is when our connection is strongest," Thistleheart meowed quietly while Fang turned his gaze towards her. "It gets stronger by the heartbeat. Interesting, isn't it?"

"You've lied to me my whole life," Fang found his voice shaking, fury growing with every moment that he stood. "Abandoning your clan and your home for this," he waved his paws around at the swarm of broken cats."

Thistleheart wasn't listening. A curious expression was on her face. "Our connection has never been stronger. There was always a divide between us. For a long time the link that I made with you came as a curse."

Fang wanted to gag as he stared around at the cats surrounding him. Thistleheart was evil, pure evil and there was nothing more to it. Her anger...

"That's a disappointing truth," Thistleheart hummed.

"What?" Fang asked, momentarily caught off guard.

"Our connection. Why it's suddenly getting stronger. You've just shown me. It's because, for perhaps the first time in your small-minded life, that you feel how I feel. The emotions which fill you right now, fuel me."

Fang could only stare at Thistleheart. "I hate you," he whispered.

The thought angered him. He didn't want to hate any cat, but what excuse did this maggot-ridden, fleapelted, badgerstinking-

"Right, your thoughts are still a bit more unsophisticated," Thistleheart interrupted, prodding Fang in the chest. "This is why I should have had a daughter. And I was hoping that you'd get some of Blaze-freak's strength, not his brains."

Fang had stopped listening.

He surveyed the clearing around him, internally picking up every little detail. Thistleheart was still muttering to herself. Fang took a deep breath, glancing around at the mountains, which rose like turrets up into the midnight-blue sky. He tried to memorise this place.

Paws trembling slightly, Fang tried to focus solely on his breathing. He had to get out of here. Suddenly, out of the corner of his vision, Fang thought he saw a familiar flash of white. No... unless.... Could it be? Is she really...

"I can't seem to read your thoughts anymore," Thistleheart commented slowly, eyeing Fang.

Thistleheart turned to him once more.

"You must have thought that curious, right? How I always knew what you were thinking?" She stared at him, almost as though desperate for his approval. Then, she turned away. "Ah, no matter. It was an interesting tale, though. It involved a bit of willpower, a touch of mountain cat magic, and of course, the Dawn of the Claw."

Fang stiffened as though he had received an electric shock. The Dawn of the Claw... It's in me, right now. A part of me.

Does that mean Thistleheart controls me?

Thistleheart smiled. "That's right. So, you see, even if you turned out to be a failure of a son, you still have use to me. So stay right where you are, and soon a few friends will pluck you out of the air, deliver you to me, and we can talk."

"You want to use me?" Fang asked.

"Who wouldn't?" Thistleheart scoffed, prodding his back with one paw. "I'll tell you the full story when we meet."

Fang stared steadily at Thistleheart. "When we meet again, you will be the one cowering in fear," he said.

Then, with all of his might, the dark grey tom forced himself out of the frigid expanse of sleet and ice, and back into the battle. His entire body trembled with the effort, and he could practically feel Thistleheart calling out to him, trying to pull him back to her.

I'm NOT your plaything, Fang bared his teeth as his vision swam. One heartbeat, he was back in DawnClan, a moment later, he was beside the vile cat who claimed to be his mother. He dug his claws into the ground, focussing his mind utterly on Aspenpaw, the fight, and his desire to help his friends.

With one final lurch, Fang managed to return to DawnClan. At once, he was aware of the grim devastation, which was in the process of being spread on the land. Once perhaps a jubilant camp, an alcove in the midst of a massive oak forest, now was a battlefield.

Fang bolted towards Frost as she struggled to fight back against a brown tom far larger than her. She turned to him, eyes widening imploringly. She sent a vicious blow to the tom's back, and the tom fell back in shock.

"Oh no," Frost breathed, as she bolted towards him.

"What?" Fang asked, staring at her trembling flank.

"Haze," Frost gasped for air. "Where is she? I thought you were fighting that black and white tom... But now neither of them is anywhere in sight!"

Fang scanned the fight, but she was right. Haze was missing. His heart plummeted like a rock in his chest, and all-too-familiar feelings of guilt flowed through his body. Just like Claw...

Fang wasn't going to let the enemy win this time, though. Shaking out his pelt, he turned in a full circle. It wasn't long before he found the cat he was looking for. Locked in combat with the odd winged cat was none other than Eagleswoop. His tail lashed the ground in agitation as Thornshade battered him with his massive feathered wings.

He was about to race towards the corrupted deputy, when a sudden screech broke through the din of the battle. Less than a heartbeat later, several dozen lean, ferocious warriors bounded into the camp.

"VALLEYCLAN?!"

The indignant mew sounded from all the fighting cats as ValleyClan sprang towards them. At the head, was a lanky brown tom that set him on edge at once. It was almost as though he could sense it; this cat had used the Dawn of the Claw.

Which meant he was an enemy.

"What's all this?" The tom said, stopping in his tracks, a look of consternation briefly flashing across his face. Then, his gaze settled on Thornshade, and it hardened at once.

"Traitor," the ValleyClan cat spat. "Coal told me to look out for you."

Fang whipped his head around just in time to see all of the lean, muscular warriors stride into camp. They fluffed up their pelts, flexing their claws. It was evident that they were ready for a fight.

Eagleswoop's eyes widened in shock at the sight of his ally. "Hazelfrost?"

Hazelfrost smirked slightly, and dipped his head. The ValeeyClan cats behind him exchanged uneasy glances. Gradually, the battle began to slow. All the cats fixated their gaze on Eagleswoop, as the DawnClan deputy slowly padded forward.

Fang backed away. In the distance, he could hear a faint whimpering. Haze. Part of him wanted to stay in the clearing and figure out what was about to go down, but he knew that he had to find his friend.

Fang turned just in time to see Frost limping up to him. She dipped her head. "Go," she said. "I'll cover for you."

Fang nodded, and bolted in the direction of Haze's faint cries for help. He thought he heard a cat hiss and spring towards him, but when he glanced over his shoulder, Frost was blocking their way.

He turned, and sprinted in the direction of the cries, leaping over the thorn barrier, and racing out of DawnClan camp. The tall oaks loomed before him, and a faint trail of blood ran before him. In the distance, there was a reeking scent.

Fang let out an unconscious shudder as the scent bathed the back of his throat. He glanced around, expecting to see some wounded creature come stumbling out of the forest. He was used to seeing wounded animals, but something felt off about the scent which now tainted the air. It was somehow recognisable, and yet full of something revolting.

Fang continued to run forward, though he slowed his pace. In the distance, he thought he could hear the screeches of agonised cats. Perhaps the battle had commenced once more. He could only hope that Aspenpaw, Frost, and the rest of his allies were able to get away.

I hope they run far away. Leave clan territories. Leave this mess just to me. She's my mother. I don't want them to get hurt. Just run, far... Fang's thoughts began to grow irrational as the sickly, poisonous scent grew closer.

Eventually, he reached a high point of land. Overlooking it was ValleyClan territory, and in the distance, the mountains. They were free of the shadowy curse which lay on the clan cats' land. As Fang let his gaze travel downwards, he at once heard a shriek of agony. The salty sweet tang of blood wafted up towards him, as though carried on a gentle breeze.

"NO!"

A voice, strangled and furious broke through the still night air. Fang flattened his ears against his head. He waited for another noise, a sound of a struggle. All he heard, as the moments ticked by, were the faint noises of battle from DawnClan camp.

Slowly now, he made his way down the ridge. The trees were thicker at the bottom of the slope, interwoven with brush and moss. It was almost completely dark; not even a faint light seemed to make its way into the eerie forest. As though the land was in a perpetual state of midnight.

Fang slipped quietly past a bush, narrowly avoiding a thorn bush with ghastly sharp points. He kept his nose low to the earth, following the scent, which grew stronger with every passing heartbeat. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

Then, finally, when he thought he was going to convulse and wretch up the shrew he had recently eaten, he saw a flash of white fur. He saw a cat, with achingly familiar erect ears, and a long, whip-like tail.

"Nightshade!" Fang cried, sprinting forward.

Then, the cat turned. His forepaws were slick with blood, and his eyes were a violent green. Fang now saw the white patches which covered this cat. He had the unmistakable build of Nightshade, but this was not the cat he had grown up beside. It was his father, Sparrowstar.

"What are you doing here?" Sparrowstar snarled, bushing up his fur, and unsheathing his claws.

"Where's Haze?" Fang gasping and drawing back at the stench.

Sparrowtstar loomed above him. For a moment, he looked as though he was going to rip out Fang's throat and be done with it. Perhaps he would have, too, if not for the sudden confusion, which flashed through him.

"Your eyes... You know, I didn't see it before, but now..."

"Thistleheart?" Fang asked, taking a pace backwards. "Yeah, you're not the only one in your clan who has rogue offspring. She's an old friend of yours, I'd presume."

Sparrowstar let out a bitter huff. Then, with one last hiss, he turned away. Fang turned to follow him, not sure what he was about to do with Haze, but not wanting to provoke him any further.

"Where is she?" he said when Sparrowstar didn't turn around.

"Who?" Sparrowstar didn't turn around. "Look, I'll spare you since you've got clan blood, but don't step where you're not wanted. I'm a warrior. So don't try anything. I've already figured out your vulnerable points."

Fang stiffened. "You don't know a single thing about me."

Sparrowstar continued striding forward through the darkness. He slipped through the forest with such ease, carefully avoiding all the thorns and roots which jutted out at irregular intervals. At last, he turned around, and fixed Fang with a steady glare.

"Sure I do. Every cat is weak in the throat and belly. You've got several wounds underneath that thick fur."

Fang steadied his gaze at the clan leader. "Those aren't my weaknesses," he said defiantly. "But I know yours, Sparrow. You don't trust other cats. You are quick to anger, and your clanmates only follow you out of fear. Now where is Haze?"

Sparrowstar glared at him for a long time. His chest rose and fell, while his claws slid in and out. He looked on the verge of attacking Fang. All the while, his penetrating green eyes, like slits of ice, looked for a weak spot in Fang. A point where he could strike. His entire body began to tremble. At last, Sparrowstar averted his gaze.

"Haze? So that's the rogue's name. Surprisingly gentle, isn't it?" Sparrowstar's entire body was shaking now. "I took her here." He replied hoarsely. "I stole her, dragged her, she kicked and screamed all the way, until I told her what I was going to do. Then, she stopped. In the end, I was able to carry her."

Sparrowstar wasn't answering Fang's question. He had expected the clan leader to have taken Haze to some sort of punishment place, but instead, Sparrowstar seemed to be the one in pain. At last, he turned to face Fang, and the dark grey tom saw genuine pain in the clan leader's gaze.

"I've known what Eagleswoop's been doing for a while now. But why should I care? They were just rogues, creatures, beasts, none of my concern. He helped DawnClan rid itself of the vermin lurking around. But then, Nightshade returned...

"I had woken in my den from a nightmare involving Darkness and Nightshade. Wanting to clear my head, I left my den, with the intention of going out for a hunt. Then, I heard a whimper, which was quickly cut off. It came from the medicine den, so I strode over there..."

Sparrowstar let out a gasp of pain, and for the first time, the cat looked not like a clan leader, but a wounded animal. His words were coming out in quick gasps.

"Eagleswoop and Ridgestone were there. I asked them what was going on. Eagleswoop smiled at me, and showed me the pulp on his paws. I recognised it at once, the cursed flower. A moment later, I also recognised the cat at his paws.

"The next night, I told Nightshade to flee. You must understand, I bear no weak spot for rogues, but something about him reminded me of my younger self. So I gave him an escape route, and turned blindly away.

"But Eagleswoop saw what I had done. He told me, quite calmly, that I was in no position to make such decisions. I was a temporary leader, someone to be disposed of on a moment's notice, once the real power arrived. He told me that what I had done would not be of any help, because once the poison reached the hearts of its victims, there was no escape."

Sparrowstar turned to face Fang.

"He's fighting it. Fighting her. And Haze is the only one who can stop my son from losing himself. So stay away."

Fang blinked as the clan leader sank to the ground, panting heavily. Without thinking, he put on an extra burst of speed, and raced past Sparrowtar, body trembling. In the distance, he thought he could hear yowls of triumph in the air. He wanted to be at the real battle, with Aspenpaw and Frost, but somehow, saving the cat who had been like a brother to him, seemed far more important.

The earth sloped once more, and Fang began to travel downwards once more. In the distance, he saw a small burrow in the earth, and raced towards it. A moment later, he heard a soft, gentle mewing. He continued running, picking up speed as he tumbled downwards.

"Haze? Nightshade?" Fang stopped when he reached the burrow.

"F-fang?" Haze's voice sounded, soft and trembling.

Fang pushed his way into the burrow. It expanded to form a sort of cave made of coarse dirt and stone. In the far corner, Haze sat, running a paw over a trembling black and white speckled body. He ran towards her.

"I'm here," he said distractedly. "What's going on? What can I do?"

"Fang?" Nightshade's mew sounded, weaker than ever. "Where is he, Haze? Can I see him?"

Haze shot Fang a pained glance. For a moment, he didn't understand why. Then, as he slowly padded forward, he understood. A large gash ran along Nightshade's belly. The skin was peeling and raw. It reeked of poison, of infection.

Gently, Fang sat down beside Haze. He turned towards Nightshade as the tom's tail flicked feebly across the earth.

"It's good to see you again, Fang," Nightshade murmured, shifting a dull green gaze towards him. "It's so cold here..."

Fang pressed a paw to Nightshade's shoulder. The black tom was practically on fire. Haze's entire body was shivering.

"It's nice to see you too," Fang said, sitting down beside Nightshade. "You know, I met Frost. She's doing well."

"The rest of them are with her," Nightshade half-spat, half-gasped. "I've seen them, I've seen them! They're all around her, bowing and serving and dancing and flying."

He's not okay, Fang thought.

But then Nightshade's dull gaze strengthened. "You have to fight her, Fang. You're the only one that can. You're stronger than you know. Promise me-"

Fang rested his muzzle on Nightshade's back. "I will," he said slowly. "I promise, Nightshade. I will fight until the very end to stop Thistleheart. No matter what it takes."

Nightshade seemed to relax as though his words soothed his pain slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, Fang saw Haze. The young she-cat looked as though she was in so much pain. Slowly, Fang lifted his muzzle off of Nightshade's back. He gently gestured for Haze to come closer with his tail.

"We've had a good time," he said. "Hunting, training, fighting, but most importantly, being together."

He turned to Haze, and licked her ear. "You're not alone, okay?" He glanced down at Nightshade. "Is there anything you'd like? Some water, maybe?"

Nightshade paused. He seemed to think this offer over very carefully. At last, his gaze dull, his jaws barely moving, he murmured.

"A story would be nice."

"A story?" Fang twitched his ears. "I'll try..."

"There once were two littermates. One was named Light, and the other was named Dark. Both of them were given gifts. Light received the sun, sky, and heat. Dark received the moon, stars and shadows.

"Both Light and Dark were very proud, but as time passed, Dark began to grow resentful. You see, Light was much more popular among all the cats. They gave him freshkill, built him an elaborate den, crowned him Leader of all, but Dark received none of that. Instead, most shunned him, for they feared the night."

"Why?" Haze asked, pressing against him.

Fang blinked up at her wide blue-green eyes. He glanced at Nightshade, who was staring ahead blankly.

"It was because they didn't understand him. He was a bit different from all the other cats. Dark liked the quiet of the night, but he was also lonely and bitter. Light never let Dark have any friends or time to put his glorious stars and moon into the sky. So one day, he got out of his nest, and decided he was going to duel his brother.

"The two toms fought for days, for moons, for seasons, until they forgot what they were fighting about. Eventually, they stumbled across two kittens. They stopped right before they could harm the mewling balls of fur. Then, Dark looked down at the kittens.

"'I'm sorry,' he said, gently nuzzling one of the grey kits with his pure black muzzle. He turned, and saw his brother doing the same with the other kit. He hadn't truly seen his brother in years, and he felt a sudden burst of affection for Light, who was perhaps not as different from him as Dark had thought.

"'Me too,' said Light, looking up at Dark and the destruction around them. 'I fear we have done terrible things.' Dark agreed, because the world around them looked very bad.

"But then Light said something that surprised Dark. 'Would you like to start again?' Dark said to Light, 'how can we? We have done so much harm. All our friends have run.'

"'But I have you,' replied Light. 'And these little ones too.' We can start again. We can mend the broken land. Not because of our powers, but because of one another.'

"And so the two brothers named the kits Dawn and Dusk, and raised them as their own. Together, they created a family, and when Light and Dark finally passed on and truly became a part of the sky, they were happy. They were no longer alone, or surrounded by blind followers. They had built a family."

Fang rested his muzzle against Nightshade's shoulder.

"You're part of my family, Nightshade."

"Mine too," Haze added.

"I see light," Nightshade whispered. "And it's beautiful." His voice seemed to come from far away. "See you again someday, Fang. In the stars."

As Fang took his muzzle off of Nightshade's stiff body, and leaned against Haze, he let his mind grow quiet. He had made a promise to Nightshade, and he was going to fulfil it.

Thistleheart, I'm coming for you.