This AU takes place between Mapleshade's Vengeance and The Prophecies Begin. It will later revolve around the events of A Dangerous Path and The Darkest Hour.
What is this AU?
StarClan’s Fallen is a Warrior Cats AU about Petalkit from Mapleshade’s Vengeance, who survives the flood, while Mapleshade believes her to be dead. The story will be told through multimedia, revolving around Petalkit being displaced in time and raised in the Dark Forest to seek revenge against the Clans. Behind Mapleshade’s back, Thistleclaw shapes Petalkit into a bloodthirsty killer and weapon only he can use. But for how long?
He can’t hide Mapleshade’s kit forever.
Disclaimer: Spottedleaf's Heart never happened. We don't talk about that absolute trash in this AU house. Kick anything about it into the sun because that just doesn't exist in this AU. Thisteclaw’s portrayal is based on Bluestar’s Prophecy
Content Warning: This AU will contain Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, Psychological Manipulation, Substance Use, Coercion, Death, Drowning, Grief, Trauma, Xenophobia in later chapters
Masterpost below
Everything is listed in Chronological order.
Lore Guide
Arc 1
Prologue - Mapleshade and Petalkit (Comic) Coming soon!
Prologue - Leave me for dead (PMV) - Watch before reading chapters
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Like canon, a cat can dream themselves into the Dark Forest by fixating on dark thoughts, and dwelling on negative emotions such as, anger, hatred, anguish, jealousy and despair.
For Petalkit it was pure hatred. She blamed everything on StarClan and the Warrior Code for ruining her life. She had a lot of dark, explicit thoughts about the cats who betrayed her family, wishing harm upon Oakstar, Ravenwing, Frecklewish, Appledusk and all of ThunderClan. Her rage was so intense that it gained the Dark Forest's attention, and she dreamed herself there.
It didn’t help that Mapleshade’s own rage accidentally contributed to this. They were vowing vengeance against the Clans at the exact same time, which created a powerful link between them and made Petalkit’s dreams easier to be found by the Dark Forest.
(Origin video of this found here)
Dark Forest Touched
Having fallen into the Dark Lake and being displaced in time, Petalkit has become Dark Forest touched. This means she is now permanently connected to the Dark Forest, and it will always be her fate to return there upon death regardless of her actions in life.
Being Dark Forest touched, she gains the benefits the Affliction gives. She now has obsidian black claws and increased resistances to the elements and healing. This is how she manages to survive in the wild by herself, as any normal, non-Dark Forest touched kit would have died within a couple days. Had Petalkit not gained the Affliction, she would have died shortly after her failed attempt to bury her mother’s body, and her first visit to the Dark Forest (Dreamt herself there). Frankly, she wouldn't have woken up. Or if she had, she wouldn't have lived for very long before starving to death.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Petalkit falling into the Dark Lake is the only reason she’s alive, and survived long enough to be sent forward in time, along with her physical body.
Petalkit’s pelt color change
Petalkit’s nightly exposure to the Dark Forest, and influence from the Affliction started affecting her appearence. The changes to her pelt color were influenced by her hatred towards Appledusk, and her resemblance of him. She despised this so much that the Affliction fed off this hatred, and caused her fur to darken as she ages, slowly looking more like Mapleshade instead. Petalkit fully embraced and celebrated this. She considered her changing appearance as a way to purge herself of Appledusk's blood, and feel closer to her mother.
Hatred towards Appledusk
Petalkit believes Appledusk to be a cowardly traitor who never bothered to help Mapleshade. She didn’t see him during the flood, and after surviving the trauma of nearly drowning, she had hoped he would have come looking for her. But he never showed up, so Petalkit was in desperate search for her family, not realizing she was the only survivor and unaware of Mapleshade’s murderous rampage.
When she spots Mapleshade in the distance, Petalkit is bewildered to see her father, Appledusk, attacking her mother. She has no context of what is happening, didn’t even notice Reedshine was there, and by the time she finally reaches the scene, everything is over. She just sees the aftermath of blood, loose fur and strange scents, but she followed Mapleshade's blood trail towards Myler's farm where she found her mother dead. She has no idea that Perchpaw was the one who killed Mapleshade, and that Appledusk had been fighting Mapleshade to protect Reedshine. All she knows is that her mother is dead and it’s Appledusk’s fault.
Hatred of Medicine and Clan cats
Prior to the discovery of who the kit’s father was, Ravenwing used to be fond of Petalkit. He, along with Frecklewish, had been close and involved enough to be considered family. So when Ravenwing was present with Frecklewish on the day of the storm, they both witnessed the drowning of the kits. Petalkit had managed to cling onto a ledge where they were spectating from, and reached out for them. While Frecklewish did nothing and eventually looked the other way, Ravenwing was within reach, and pulled his paw away from Petalkit.
This was a profound betrayal to Petalkit that she will never forget. Because of this, she believes all Clan cats, especially Medicine cats, are traitors. They can never be trusted, and Medicine cats are deceptive manipulators who control leaders. They are dangerous liars corrupted by their connection to StarClan. All leaders are mindless, hypocritical slaves to the Warrior Code like Oakstar.
Hatred of StarClan
Petalkit hates StarClan and firmly believes they are responsible for everything that happened to her, and that the Warrior Code is nothing but true evil. To her, it is reprehensibly unjust that both her father and Oakstar are in StarClan. This is something she strongly feels should be corrected, and vows one day, she will find a way to tear down every single star from Silverpelt. Starting with Oakstar, who took everything from her. Then her treacherous father.
The days since meeting Petalkit had certainly been interesting.
Thistleclaw had not known Silverhawk for very long, but it had taken him only a half moon to conclude his new mentor was inconveniently vigilant. Impressive, yes, a true warrior worthy of his admiration, but still inconvenient. The older tom was just as relentless as him in training, and even rivaled Bluefur’s watchful eyes back in his days as a living ThunderClan cat. While he was pleased to sharpen his skills and feel his power grow every day, it was often soured by Silverhawk’s patronizing attitude towards him. Constantly treating him like a bumbling kit who didn’t have a clue at what he was doing.
With Mapleshade, at the least the scowling looks and scalding words were coming from an ancient legend. The she-cat did have reign over the Dark Forest after all. He had hoped to gain her favor as she trained him in pursuit of securing his place as ThunderClan deputy—while he was alive that is. Not that it mattered now, as Bluefur had stolen his rightful place as deputy. And it was all because Sunstar had made a foolish, foolish mistake! Mapleshade had mocked him for this as his failure, and no longer deemed him worth the cost of dividing her attention. He was Silverhawk’s burden now. The Dark Forest queen, as many called her, had fixated on a RiverClan cat named Crookedjaw he had seen her train a pawful of times. He could not place his claw on it, but he had a sneaking suspicion this was somehow related to her hatred against her former mate.
Mapleshade offered no explanation, of course, just the expectation of obedience. And obedient Thistleclaw was, accepting Silverhawk to mentor him in Mapleshade’s place without much complaint. Not that he had a choice in the matter. It was a decent choice to begin with.
Was.
Thistleclaw quickly grew tired of Silverhawk as his superior. Useful as the older tom was, Thistleclaw needed to get him out of his fur to train his own apprentice, Petalkit, without any disturbance or threat of being discovered. Especially by Mapleshade. So far he had been successful in staying undetected, and he owed it to his discovery of a remarkably secluded area shrouded in fog that was guarded by tree-thick, winding thorns. It bore a sinister resemblance to ThunderClan’s gorse tunnel entrance.
That was where he began to train Mapleshade’s kit. She was a fierce kit indeed! Perfectly angry and burning with vengeful determination like her mother. It was almost endearing.
However, Thistleclaw had earned Silverhawk's suspicion. His mentor had taken notice of his inconsistent attendance. The confrontation was inevitable and adversarial, but Thistleclaw had persuaded Silverhawk to meet him in private, lured by the promise of a deal worth his time.
Now stationed at the agreed time and place, far away from Mapleshade’s eyes and ears, there was only one thing left to do.
Thistleclaw sat and waited.
*****
Silverhawk’s eyes were chips of ice blazing in the Dark Forest’s gloom. The cold fog whirled around his paws, weaving through the wilted ferns like a serpent made of smoke. The tall, bark-stripped trees creaked above him, sounding very similar to old, dry bones grinding together, and groaning at the chilling wind breathing too hard against it.The moon’s pale, dim light barely broke through the tangle of interlocking branches arching over the two quarreling toms.
"Fox-dung!” Silverhawk spat with a curled lip. “You expect me to believe that? You sound like a fuzz-brained kit spewing nursery tales!”
Thistleclaw’s fur lifted at the contempt in Silverhawk’s tone. His claws itched to slash at his mentor’s face into bloody shreds, but decided now was not the time. Not yet at least.Thistleclaw allowed a single claw to slide out, and tap idly at the slimy undergrowth beneath his paws. His own voice grew rigid with an equal bite to his words.
“Yes.” He growled through his teeth, forcing his fur flat. “I do, and you will believe me.”
"Oh yes?” Silverhawk scoffed, taking a step closer towards the other Dark Forest cat. His icy blue eyes pierced through the mist with promising menace. “And why is that? Apprentice." He challenged with a venomous sneer.
Thistleclaw simply stared. His extended claw twitched as he felt a swell of anger burn in his chest. His whiskers quivered, hackles spiking when he drew in a sharp intake of breath with flaring nostrils. Then slowly, the corner of his mouth tugged into a smile.
"Because I can prove it." He purred, amber eyes sparkling in silent triumph.
Silverhawk narrowed his eyes coolly. "You're lying."
"I'm not." Thistleclaw’s tail lashed sharply behind him, yet his smirk remained. "I can prove it, Silverhawk."
His mentor’s silvery gray tabby fur bristled out like an agitated crest of feathers. Silverhawk’s confronting stare sharpened, muzzle shoving forward to Thistleclaw’s face. “Then prove it.” He snarled, fangs bared like poised talons over prey.
“Prove it yourself.” Thistleclaw purred with a flourish of his tail. It curled free from his paws to reveal the bundle of leaves he held in his possession. It was wrapped around a small cluster of fungi with a peculiar glow.
Silverhawk had lowered his muzzle to sniff at it, tail giving a dubious flick. He pawed at it, rolling it back for closer inspection. Threaded his claws through the layers of dry leaves, he peeled them off the unfamiliar fungi. It seemed to be a different color and size than what Silverhawk was used to seeing. The small, scattering patches of fungi lining the mossy, gnarled roots of rotten trees he’s seen looked nothing like the ones Thistleclaw presented. They almost looked floral by comparison, with strange unfurling frills tinged with a haunting, rosy glow. It was beautiful but horribly misplaced. Nothing beautiful belonged in the Dark Forest.
The older tom tossed Thistleclaw a steely glare, frosty eyes glinting like black ice. “And what am I supposed to do with this?” Silverhawk demanded. “What’s so special about these?”
Thistleclaw stretched out a paw to press against the fungi, slowly crushing the bundle together. He ground them down until beads of bright, nectar-like fluid wept from the pores and pooled around his flexing claws. Silverhawk’s head bobbed with suspicious fascination, curiosity seemingly overriding wariness when a surprisingly sweet scent captured his nose. The older tom parted his jaws, pupils dilating when he tasted the air like syrup.
Thistleclaw met Silverhawk’s widened gaze. “Lick it.”
Silverhawk’s face hardened with measured scrutiny. “I’m no fool Thistleclaw, how does this grant me the sleep you promise?” He didn’t sound convinced or impressed.
“Just lick it!” Thistleclaw snapped impatiently. “It’s not like we can be poisoned—”
Silverhawk didn’t let him finish. His powerful forepaw whipped out and savagely cuffed his apprentice across the face. The blow knocked Thistleclaw off balance, legs tangling under him as he tried to stay upright, but Silverhawk rushed after him. Another blow slammed against Thistleclaw’s temple hard, making him topple over and hit the ground.
Silverhawk thrust his muzzle in Thistleclaw’s face with his lips pulled over his fangs, each word emphasized with a flash of teeth. “You don’t give me orders, apprentice!” His hackles spiked, ragged fur mimicking ruffled, jagged feathers. “Now enough games!”
“I stopped playing games when I was a kit!” Thistleclaw spat back, hind legs pushing against his mentor’s gut in protest. “I have no time for games, and neither do you. What reason would I have to waste both our time?” His brazen amber eyes ignited like a steady flame.
The older tom paused, hesitant, but the calculation in his eyes never left. His scarred muzzle twisting with the dawn of a frown. Neither cat spoke for a moment, the silence sharper than claws cutting through the ghostly mist feeding off the tension.
“This deal you offer for my silence…” Silverhawk began carefully, while still studying his apprentice’s face. “Is it true?” He glanced at the mysterious fungi like he was still trying to assess an unknown threat. He pointed at it with his nose, catching a whiff of its unnatural, honeyed scent. “I can sleep? Truly sleep?” He breathed in disbelief, something wistful creeping in his voice that he couldn't keep even. “I can actually…”
“Dream again?” Thistleclaw filled in, as if he could hear his mentor’s thoughts. “It’s the only way you can.” He added with a whispering purr towards Silverhawk’s ear. “Think about it. When was the last time you even remember what dreaming was like? Imagine, being able to relive the memories you had alive.”
Thistleclaw forepaws gave another push, unhurried this time. Silverhawk complied, stepping off his apprentice wordlessly with distant eyes but kept his gaze locked. Thistleclaw felt a surge of satisfaction at the sight of his mentor’s stormy expression battling with the emotions he unearthed. Perfect.
“When I was alive…” Silverhawk murmured more to himself than the cat rising to his paws in front of him. “If what you’re saying is true, does that mean I can dream of cats I used to know?”
“Yes.” Thistleclaw confirmed with a knowing nod, eyes glowing victoriously. “Even your mate.”
Silverhawk visibly stiffened with flattened ears, and Thistleclaw relished the sound of his mentor’s shuddering breath—a sound never heard before that only he, Thistleclaw earned. I have your attention now, don’t I Silverhawk?
“Emberdawn?” Silverhawk’s croaked, voice strained like he was being choked. But the sly look Thistleclaw was giving him made him growl and clear his throat. He tried again with reclaimed dignity. “I can see Emberdawn?”
Thistleclaw smiled too pleasantly for Silverhawk’s liking. All suspicion returned with a growl bubbling up his throat. He unsheathed his black claws, tail violently slicing through the swirling mist.
“How do I know if this isn’t a dirty trick?” He hissed, fur bristling and splitting like sharp quills.
Thistleclaw shrugged. “Then you’ll never know. Not my problem.”
Silverhawk’s claws made gouges into the dank soil. He didn’t even need to say anything, Thistleclaw could see his mentor was fuming and trying to contain his rage. No doubt, Silverhawk was probably imagining ripping him apart. But his eyes and gritting teeth told Thistleclaw he was still torn, thinking deeply with the curse of indecision. Thistleclaw smiled to himself. Perhaps he should help his dear mentor with a little persuasion.
Thistleclaw heaved a heavy sigh, trying to sound crestfallen.“Well, if you can’t trust me then I suppose I will be on my way. I’ll just take this back before it goes to waste.” Thistleclaw’s paw began to reach towards the glowing fungi.
“Wait.”
Silverhawk had firmly planted his paw down to block Thistleclaw’s path. “Not yet.” He growled, and this time he seemed reluctant to meet Thistleclaw’s eyes. What a lovely sight, Thistleclaw thought, feeling like the Dark Forest itself was giving him a little treat.
Thistleclaw cocked his head to the side, blinking with confused innocence.
Silverhawk clenched his jaw and obsidian claws sank into the ground where the fungi’s liquid pooled. “Let me try it first.” Silverhawk murmured at last. Then his eyes flashed dangerously at the other tom. “This better be worth it, apprentice.”
His growl lacked the same, vicious bite it had before. Now, Thistleclaw’s whiskers merely twitched with amusement at being called an apprentice. From this day forward,Thistleclaw decided with a pleased flick of his tail, he will never be anyone's apprentice ever again.
Thistleclaw felt unstoppable.
********
The first thing Petalkit felt was the sun’s warmth against her pelt. The morning hum of a waking forest greeted her next, slowly coaxing her to consciousness with distant chirps of song birds. The kit began to stir, ears pricking at the buzz of insects and the rustle of fern fronds above her. She was only dimly aware of the gentle pattering sound that followed.
Plip-plip
What was that noise?
Splat!
Something wet hit her nose.
Instantly, Petalkit sprang to life. Startled into alertness, she stood with fluffed out fur and unsheathed claws. Hissing with her light brown pelt puffed out like fuzzy dandelion tufts, she was fully expecting a fight. She was surprised to feel a tickle of disappointment when she was met with the morning’s welcoming thrum instead. Her new obsidian claws sank into damp soil, only then realizing she wasn’t in the Dark Forest anymore. In its place, she found herself inside a non-rotting, hollowed tree stump draped with dewy ferns rustling overhead.
Plip
Another pair of droplets spattered across her snout, and she shook her head growling in annoyance. A part of her had hoped for a confrontation and opportunity to practice her newly learned battle moves. She really wanted to try that paw strike Thistleclaw showed her! Slash the intruder across the nose just like this annoying twig she decided to rake her claws across. It snapped into a spin and Petalkit was pleased to see the marks she left on it.
Dead stick!
With a surge of triumph she pounced on it, paws scooping and tossing it into the air a couple of times. Die again! Die again! She imagined the scrawny neck of a vole—no rabbit, squirming between her at her mercy. Her sharp little teeth crunched down into the wood, her muzzle wrinkling with focused ferocity.
For a moment, Petalkit pictured a moss ball in the stick’s place. She thought about the nursery. Pressing against the curve of Mapleshade’s warm belly, soft and surrounded by the scent of sweet milk. Patchkit clinging and blending into their mother’s fur. Larchkit’s competitive eyes on her.
Watch this, Larchkit!
She shook the stick violently in front of him.
Then stilled.
Wait…
Petalkit dropped her battered stick.
The nursery was gone. She was alone again.
Suddenly feeling heavy, Petalkit’s hindquarters slumped down and her ears drooped. Perhaps that’s when she finally noticed the sharp pangs of hunger gnawing at her empty belly. Despite the wave of dizziness that followed, Petalkit's appetite was still absent. Her body whined with demands of its return, but the little she-cat gave it no attention. Later, she told herself as she laid down against the forest floor, chin forlornly resting on her paws. Now she just didn’t feel like doing anything. Even the skitter of a juicy-looking beetle crawling by couldn't entice her.
Why did you leave me behind, mama? You promised you would never leave me!
Petalkit’s gleaming claws hooked into the dirt, her small body tightening into a ball.
You promised!
The edges of her eyes began to burn, stinging deep in her nostrils. The tree hollow around her was fuzzy now, colors bleeding into each other and rippling like a disturbed puddle.
You promised…
Petalkit sniffed loudly with a tightened jaw. Her head kept swimming with fragments of Mapleshade’s smiling face and the laughter she shared with her brothers.
Mouse-brain! Thistleclaw’s scolding words echoed in her head. Crying won’t solve anything! Only the weak have time for that!
She sniffed again. Her golden eyes glistened and felt the weight of gathered tears threatening to spill out.
I’m not crying! Mama is gone forever anyways! Thistleclaw said she faded away long, long ago!
Petalkit trembled with uneven breaths.
I don’t cry anymore!
The traitorous tears that escaped her said otherwise.
******
“Now, try to endure my attacks without falling over.”
“B-but, you’re so much bigger than me!”
“Your enemies won’t care about that!”
“It doesn’t seem fair!”
“You should know by now nothing is fair. Only strength matters!” Thistleclaw raised a forepaw, shimmering black claws half-sheathed. “Prepare yourself!” He hissed.
Petalkit barely had the time. His paw crashed down hard across the little she-cat’s bunched shoulders. Her small frame didn’t have a chance. She was toppling over from the force of Thistleclaw’s blow, and paws no longer touching the rocky surface of the ledge she stood on. Crashing hard against the cliff’s steep slope, Petalkit was violently rolling down its path with her world spinning and paws churning. While Thistleclaw had deemed the height survivable, Petalkit shared no appreciation for his choice when she hit the bottom with a heavy thump. Winded and groaning against the crinkling leaves under her nose, Petalkit decided she never wanted to experience such a tumble ever again.The kit’s stubby legs shook as she tried to ease herself back to her paws.
Never again! She vowed to herself. Never, ever!
“Again!” Thistleclaw demanded, waiting above her and peering down. “Get back here!”
“Brace yourself.” Was the only warning she got.
Mouse-dung!
Growling, the little she-cat scrambled up the slope trying not to pay attention to the aches her body screamed with. Thistleclaw was staring down at her expectantly, watching her struggle and using her shiny, black claws to gain purchase whenever she almost slipped. His own obsidian-like claws flexed and tapped impatiently as Petalkit heaved herself over the ledge panting.
Petalkit’s golden eyes widened in alarm.“Wait-” but the Dark Forest cat’s swiping paw had already connected. Once again she tumbled down to the bottom of the slope with a sharp cry.
“Mousebrain!” Thistleclaw’s call sounded above her. “Do you think your opponent will wait around for you to get up? Hurry up!”
“At least they won’t be as ugly as you.” The kit grumbled.
“What was that?”
“Nothing!” Petalkit shouted back spitefully, hissing as her muscles protested but began her exhausting ascent again. She was going to smack his face! The terrain must have heard that because her paw slipped on a treacherous, loose rock. Wincing, she found herself roughly sliding back down the jagged slope with squeaks of pain. Her eyes burned with the sting of tears and she tried to muffle a sniffle. Don’t cry! She scolded herself. Only weaklings cry!
Tap-tap.
Petalkit could hear the echo of Thistleclaw’s claws above her. She grit her teeth, irritated that Thistleclaw was irritated. Well, she was more irritated than him! This time she was watching his paw carefully as she clambered over the edge. Thistleclaw’s paw swung towards her and she quickly managed to roll out of its path. Panting, she hastily rose to her paws and glared at Thistleclaw defiantly with her sprout of a tail held high.
“Not bad, kit.” The Dark Forest tom growled but it was barely a praise. “But I didn’t say you could dodge, did I?”
“Oh come on!” Petalkit huffed in frustration, stamping her little feet. “How am I supposed to-”
Once again, Thistleclaw didn't let her finish and found herself at the bottom of the slope.
Again!?
“I hate you!” She screeched up at him.
“Good.” Thistleclaw purred. “Then show me!”
A tiny, brittle snarl tore from Petalkit’s throat and it cracked with anger. She threw herself against the slope with relentless determination. She tried again.
And again.
And again.
Each time, she was sent flying off the cliff with vicious precision. Thistleclaw never held back and he had no intention in changing that any time soon—or ever, for that matter. He would be doing the kit a disservice if he softened his blows, an insult to her endless potential. She was Mapleshade’s kit after all. And it showed. Once, Petalkit had managed to withstand two blows before he swatted her off the stone ledge and let gravity do the rest for him. She fought even against that, paws flailing like she might be able to grab onto air.
But gravity always won and she would always lose.
Bruised, battered, but driven by pure stubbornness, Petalkit kept forcing her shaking body to stand. Her body sang with pain, but so did her burning defiance, refusing to stay down. Any normal kit would have lost consciousness by now, presuming they were still alive. Fortunately for her, she refused to be normal, and the Dark Forest’s Affliction greatly reinforced this with grim favoritism. The kit had been under the impression her survival was her own doing, and prided herself in this feat. The Dark Forest knew better of course. The curse granted Petalkit the small mercy of ignorance, and simply ensured the kit did not starve to death or die from exposure to the elements.
Tap-tap.
“Sure you can handle this kit?” Thistleclaw taunted above her.
“I’m going to smack you!” Petalkit shrieked back with all the savagery she could muster. This time she was going to do it!
“I’d like to see you try!” The Dark Forest cat jeered.“Try it, little lion!”
“I will!” The kit snarled back, hackles bursting into fluffy spikes that doubled her size.
Truly, for a moment, it looked as though LionClan had blessed her with their rage.Up she climbed with renewed strength, her fury driving forward on bleeding paws but she didn’t seem to notice anymore. Her black claws shined even in the pale light as they tenaciously scraped up the rocky incline.
“That’s it…” Thistleclaw urged, tail flicking in anticipation. His eyes glowed with sadistic approval, twin sparks of ember dancing in darkness.
Hissing furiously through her teeth, Petalkit’s claws raked and gripped at the edge of the cliff. Thistleclaw’s forepaw had risen in anticipation, aiming to give a swift, brutal strike with visible claws. His swipe came fast and heavy, but this time it did not connect. Instead, Petalkit had quickly let go of the ledge to let her body slip backwards and just out of reach.Thistleclaw slashed empty air and did not expect thorn-sharp claws to dig into his skin. Petalkit’s forelegs were tightly wrapped around his swinging paw, her entire body being carried off with the motion.
“What are you doing!?” Thisteclaw yowled in surprise.
He couldn’t shake her off. The little she-cat was aggressively scrambling up his foreleg in alarming speed like some crazed squirrel scaling up a tree.
“Trying to smack you!” Petalkit growled, lunged upwards with a swiping paw.
“You—!”
She hit him.
Right across the muzzle with a resounding whack!
Thistleclaw blinked, taken aback before snarling furiously.
“Cheating scrap of fur!” He twisted his head to snap at her, but Petalkit was latched behind his shoulder, his jaws catching a mouthful of his own fur instead. He spat it out. “You’re only supposed to take hits! You stupid mouse-brain!”
“You didn’t say I couldn't hit back!”
Thistleclaw froze with a sputtering breath of disbelief. It seemed the Dark Forest tom was unsure which words he was trying to spit out.
She was right.
Smack!
Petalkit was given an opening, and she didn’t waste the opportunity. “Take that!”
Smack!
Thorn-sharp claws had scraped across Thistleclaw's stunned face. He blinked once more, as if he was unsure what just happened, or even what emotion he should be feeling. Impressed? Furious? Both? But when those little claws snagged his ear, Thistleclaw growled and shook her off. Despite her efforts, Petalkit was flung off from Thistleclaw's thrashing and her back met a rotten tree. It crumbled around her as she groaned, now dazed.
Thistleclaw was fuming and stomped after her. He bared his teeth with a harsh growl, and tail whipping behind him. “I should claw your eyes out for that!” He snarled, anger rushing through his paws and nearly making him do just that. But caught himself, and simply cuffed her hard across the ears. His claws only partially sheathed.
“Ow!” Came Petalkit's shrill squeak, eyes stinging and watering. “No fair!”
Another cuff by her ears and she tumbled back.
“Survival does not care about fairness! Had I been a true enemy, you would have been in pieces by now!”
“I still hit you!” Petalk retorted, eyes fierce and bright despite feeling sore all over. Her chest even puffed out proudly, smugly lifting her chin.
Thistleclaw snorted. “Hardly! You got lucky once!”
“Nu-uh! I hit you twice!”
“Fine you little piece of dung! You got lucky twice.”
Petalkit beamed. “Yay! I win then!”
The kit bounced up and down, paws dancing in victory. Or rather she attempted to. The strength she borrowed from pure adrenaline suddenly left her. Her legs stopped pretending they could hold her up, and her swaying, little body collapsed onto the ground flat on her belly. Ow, ow, ow! was all her brain could say. Her body whined and complained about all her aches and bruises. Did it really have to remind her of her bleeding paws and scratches? Her hunger was uninvited, but it joined in anyways with a growling belly.
Stupid body! Stop bullying me!
“Looks like it’s time for you to wake up.” Thistleclaw meowed above her, not very concerned.
Petalkit weakly shook her head in disagreement. She could barely keep her eyes open.
“Yes, it is.” Growled sternly. “And get those wounds taken care of. Do you remember what to look for?”
“N-no…”
Thistleclaw sighed, exasperated. “Start with cobwebs and-”
“I already know that one!” Petalkit interrupted. She couldn’t lift her head, but she could hear Thistleclaw was frustrated. She watched his claw tapping in annoyance.
“Marigold.” Her mentor huffed gruffly. “The rest is your problem.”
“But I forgot where to find them!” Petalkit cried after him.
“Then try to remember.” Thistleclaw replied dryly, turning around to leave.
Petalkit could feel her consciousness fading fast. She could barely see Thisteclaw’s departing paws.
“H-hey!” Her tired, little mew was dragged down by exhaustion. She could feel her real, physical body shifting around in the living world.
“Be here tonight,” Thistleclaw called back flatly. Then his paws slowed, as if he were glancing over his shoulder. “Try not to die, little warrior.”
“I like lion a lot better.” Petalkit mumbled quietly, the Dark Forest and Thistleclaw dissolving around her. Her dream was coming to an end.
Thistleclaw actually chuckled, as if her words tickled him.
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Upon death, cats sent to the Dark Forest emerge from the soil as black sludge. It will spread out and shape itself into their cat body, where they “crawl” out of the earth they were just reborn from.
Despite not needing to eat or sleep, Dark Forest spirit cats still feel phantom hunger pangs and fatigue. With the absence of prey in the Place of No Stars, their instinctual urge to hunt is met with endless frustration. Even when experiencing acute exhaustion, sleep will never come to them. They can try to mimic what sleep once was to replenish energy, but their minds are never at rest. They are in a state of constant consciousness with no real relief other than fading out of existence.
Some spirits will cope better than others, but most become extremely hostile and restless. Older, more ancient spirits tend to adapt better than newer spirits, but cats who cling to their past life will struggle the most.
Only combat seems to soothe suffering Dark Forest cats, and why their culture of violence becomes vital to their existence.
Injuries
When injured, Dark Forest cats are still capable of healing, but the process is different than it was in life. It is a much more unpleasant, slower and even painful experience. While wounds can’t be infected, effective healing can only be initiated by staying still in a resting state. Being stationary allows the Dark Forest spirits to replenish enough energy so that their body can begin to repair itself. Full recovery will vary on the nature of the wound, how soon a cat begins to heal, and remains undisturbed during the process. Wounds heal faster and more efficiently during longer resting periods, which severe injuries often require. Providing the cat hasn’t already been killed or faded, cats can still bleed out from fatal injuries before healing can take effect.
Even with the inability to sleep or experience sickness, this is an extremely vulnerable position to be caught in, making alliances and owning territory essential for survival.
Glowing Fungi
Glowing fungi scattered throughout the Dark Forest and considered a valuable resource. They are a form of currency among Dark Forest cats that can be negotiated and exchanged for territories, alliances or protection.
They often appear in clusters growing on trees or spread along moldy soil. Most fungi are considered to be relatively rare, but not always scarce, only growing under certain conditions or exclusive locations that can determine a territory's value. They can also enforce a cat’s status, worth and bargaining power. Some fungi are easier to find than others, but tend to be regarded as the lowest tier.
Fungi value and usage
Common fungi is often collected and used for consumption or extracting its unique properties. The type of fungi and method of usage will determine how a Dark Forest spirit is affected, such as quick pain relief or numbing phantom hunger pangs (similar to poppyseeds). Spores and residue from glowing fungi can be directly applied on wounds for soothing and less painful, more successful healing. This can significantly reduce the resting time an injured cat needs in order to heal and is highly pursued within the Dark Forest.
Glowing fungi can be especially helpful when claiming and identifying territories. This is usually done by chewing it into paste to become a glowing pigment they can mark with and tends to stain fairly well. It is commonly used when mapping out strategies by dipping their paws or claws into the glowing paste, and scratching lines into the ground or bark. Sometimes it’s used for entertainment or as simple as decorating with light sources.
When fungi is ingested, Dark Forest cats cannot be poisoned but living cats can, and fatally.
Higher value Fungi and usage
Many types of fungi can be mixed together for various effects using different methods. Fungi as an ingredient, common and rare, can be combined with other Dark Forest undergrowth to produce very rare and unique results that cannot be easily replicated. Knowing how and which fungi to use outside of experimentation would require a history in medicine, such as Ravenwing, a former medicine cat of ThunderClan.
Among these unique properties are benefits that can be applied in battle, such as heightened focus and enhanced endurance. Other advantages can include energy boosts, fear suppression, increased pain tolerance— even numbness, within a certain time frame.
Duration is determined by how potent the dosage is, but too much can cause temporary paralysis or weakened muscle control. If a cat is truly unlucky, this would be the only way to experience nausea.
Another highly desired, recently discovered effect is fungi mixes that can simulate sleep, including the ability to dream again.
This has been unheard of, but as soon as it was known and proven to work, it was heavily pursued just for the chance of having that sleeping experience again—even temporarily. Not only would they finally be at rest without required, constant consciousness, this would also encourage better healing. The dreams are what Dark Forest cats are surprisingly most hungry for. Many Dark Forest spirits still grieve and cling to their former lives, and the possibility to feel alive again—away from the Dark Forest, is irresistible. It also has the potential of making visiting other cat’s dreams more accessible to those who don’t have the experience to do so yet.
However, being unconscious means they are unable to defend themselves. So finding an undiscovered hiding place or willing ally to share (or lend) their territory, or to simply guard them, would be a necessity.
The simulation of a full belly is also an effect in high demand. This was deemed unfathomable because it wasn’t just temporary relief of hunger, it was complete satisfaction of appetite.
Bloom slugs
The most valued and inconceivable. There are no prey in the Place of No Stars, and no known history of such suggesting there ever was before. So this is incredibly and unbelievably rare. But, under the right conditions, fungi can be cultivated to produce hybrids and other undiscovered (or perhaps ancient) species of fungi. One being grown fungi that resembles a strange beehive and seems to function like a cocoon. After a given time for its development, slugs will eventually ‘hatch’ out of them. Only a highly trained cat in medicine could have made this discovery. There have only been whispers of who could be responsible for the creation of Bloom Slugs.
The events in StarClan’s Fallen take place during the discovery of Bloom Slugs.
Bloom Slug usage and significance
Their current usage is for consumption. When eaten, it can prevent a cat on the brink of death from fading away completely.
However this must be done during a very tight and specific time frame. The cat must be in the process of dying. It won't work if given too early or in a non-fading state. They can be eaten if desired, for no other reason other than the enjoyment of eating prey.
They actually taste good and like meat! However, they can sometimes cause hallucinations or temporary paralysis. Or they can be simply kept as a pet.
They have no effect on living cats. Providing they are not Dark Forest touched with an Affliction that is. It is currently unknown how ingesting a Bloom Slug would affect an Afflicted cat.
This AU takes place between Mapleshade's Vengeance and The Prophecies Begin. It will later revolve around the events of A Dangerous Path and The Darkest Hour.
Upon death, cats sent to the Dark Forest emerge from the soil as black sludge. It will spread out and shape itself into their cat body, where they “crawl” out of the earth they were just reborn from.
Dark Forest cats have obsidian black claws and have dark, ink-like blood. Their eyes are pitch black with glowing, colored irises and red pupils.
Starless Callers
Spectral crow-like entities that caw whenever a new cat has died and becomes a Dark Forest spirit. They make sure the entire forest knows about it. However this could also mean that a living soul was claimed by the Dark Forest.
Red Moon
The Dark Forest's moon, and counterpart to the living moon. They are parallel to each other, so when there is a full moon at Gatherings, so is the Dark Forest moon. It glows a sickly red and is bright enough to light up the Dark Forest and skies.
The Dark Lake
A large, expansive lake in the middle of the Dark Forest that divides it in half. The water is a deep black and murky, thick with what Dark Forest spirits believe are the souls it has consumed. Some say the Dark Forest itself feeds off a cat's hatred, and the Dark Lake is a manifestation of that darkness. It's ice cold and will try to drag and sap the life out of any cat that falls into it. It is said any cat who has drowned is never seen again.
Time Displacement: In the water time moves incredibly slowly, and the longer a cat is submerged, the more time has passed. This is unknown to many cats. The true reason cats underwater are not seen again is because when they resurface, they're already in a different time in the future—provided they didn't drown, which can still happen.
Dark Forest spirits: They are more susceptible to drowning and being devoured because they are already a part of the Dark Forest.
For living cats: Those who do not drown are instead marked with an affliction.
This is the only time a living cat's physical body fades into the Dark Forest and fuses with their soul. They won't have a body to "wake up" to because they carried it with them in a stasis. When they resurface, they will be emerging into the living world, sent forward in time.
The Affliction
The Dark Forest's claim and alteration on a living cat. The cat's soul will be marked and permanently connected to the Dark Forest. Unless The Affliction is removed, the one infected by it will be destined to return to the Place of No Stars in death. Their soul belongs to the Dark Forest, and there is nothing the living cat can do to avoid this fate. Not even StarClan can overrule this. This is sometimes referred to as Dark Forest Touched.
The Affliction feeds off hatred, so the more a cat gives into their darkness, the more it spreads and alters the infected cat's appearance. For Petalkit, this contributed to her coat color changing, fueled by her resentment and rejection of her father, Appledusk.
However, The Affliction does offer "gifts" with its corruption.
Living cats will now wear the same obsidian-like claws as the dead.
They are also granted unnatural resilience, such as increased resistance to severe weather and sickness. It won't prevent death outright—a cat can still die from starvation, grave wounds, or a really bad disease, but they gain accelerated healing. It's similar to armor; it offers protection, but not invincibility. The Dark Forest simply prefers the cat to die in battle.
Lastly, StarClan would be unable to detect or track an Afflicted cat due to them being a time anomaly. Being Dark Forest Touched also helps conceal the cat's presence, making it impossible for StarClan to even make predictions and unable to warn Clan cats through prophecies. After all, the Dark Forest claimed the cat first. StarClan may sense something is amiss, but ultimately this is a blind spot for them because the Afflicted cat deviates from their original timeline.
Obsidian Claws
Only Dark Forest spirits possess them. They are a deep, glossy black and resemble obsidian. Extremely and dangerously sharp, significantly more than those of the living. Ironically, the claws are very pretty and gleams like wet stone. (Opposite of StarClan cats, who have gilded claws and blood)
Spottedleaf’s Heart: NEVER happened and does not exist in this AU for obvious reasons. Thistleclaw’s portrayal is based on Bluestar’s Prophecy.
Tigerclaw’s Fury: Mapleshade's voice has not been in Tigerstar’s head. She has not guided or manipulated him to do anything. He is only aware of her as a mythical figure from nursery tales, and considered the boogeyman of ThunderClan. Tigerclaw has never met Mapleshade or been in the Dark Forest yet.
Mapleshade's Vengeance
Mapleshade has the highest authority and reigns over the Dark Forest. She is the most feared cat, and often referred to as The Dark Forest Queen.
Frecklewish and Ravenwing were very close to the kits, who saw them as family. Ravenwing, ThunderClan's medicine cat, would often visit the nursery with Frecklewish, and Petalkit would curiously ask about the various herbs whenever he gave Mapleshade Borage leaves or moss for water.
When Ravenwing discovered the truth about the kit's father, he grew cold and distant. Ravenwing more malicious intent when informing Oakstar about the kits. He told the leader knowing exactly how he'd react, but justified this as doing his duty, and being loyal to the Clan in the name of the Warrior code and StarClan's will.
He contributed to Oakstar's decision on exiling Mapleshade and her kits during the peak of the terrible storm.
Ravenwing was with Frecklewish when they watched the kits drown. Petalkit had even managed to grab onto a ledge and begged them for help, reaching for them. Frecklewish ignored her and
Ravenwing pulled his paw away.
Ravenwing is in the Dark Forest with Frecklewish
The Prophecies Begin
Bluestar's Prophecy – Into the Wild
Petalkit's time displacement sends her toward the end of Sunstar's leadership. She arrives on the exact day Thistleclaw is killed by a RiverClan patrol and Tigerclaw has only been a warrior for two moons.
Mapleshade was training Thistleclaw before she assigned Silverhawk to be his mentor.
Bluefur is deputy when Thistleclaw dies.
Tigerclaw is 14 moons when Thistleclaw is killed, and has only been a warrior for 2 moons.
A Dangerous Path
The dog pack attack never happened. The pack was found and retrieved by their Two-leg owners before they could cause havoc.
Bluestar dies before it's Tigerstar's second Gathering as Shadowclan leader and Leopardstar's first.
Sandstorm becomes Firestar's deputy.
Tigerstar has not proposed TigerClan to the Clans yet, and currently doesn't know Stonefur and Mistyfoot are Bluestar's kits.
Sasha left him just a moon ago.
Bonus: Snowkit isn't attacked by a hawk, simply because Bloodpetal (adult Petalkit) just happened to hunt and eat the very same hawk by pure coincidence and luck.
Ravenwing’s head swung around with a sharp hiss, and glared at the she-cat he was talking to. His tail flicked with the same tension an agitated snake would have, as if to warn Frecklewish to be careful with her next words. The black tom’s blue eyes were cold, almost colder than the Dark Forest’s chilling fog that crept inside the tree hollow, and around their paws on the rotting aground.
The spotted she-cat gave the former medicine cat a steady gaze.
“We should have saved those kits, Ravenwing…” Frecklewish murmured steadily.
The small, black tom curled his lip to show a glint of fangs. “We were not obligated to do such a thing! They were half-Clan creatures!” He growled, eyes narrowing as the fur on his neck bristled. “As I recall, you echoed those words.”
The she-cat did not flinch. A sadness swelled in her eyes, now black as the night sky flickering with twin amber stars. “Ones I never should have said.” Frecklewish shook her head with something resigned in her voice. “They were just kits…small, tiny kits.”
“Ones who were NOT your brother’s!” Ravenwing spat with a lashing tail. “Or have you forgotten that?”
This time Frecklewish sank her claws into the soil. “You do not get to speak to me about my brother!” She snarled, hackles starting to rise from her golden pelt.
“Oh, really?” Ravenwing sneered with his eyes as dark as the depths of the murky waters of the Dark Lake. “I seem to be the only one who does, when his own kin disgraces his name.”
Smack!
Ravenwing’s head suddenly snapped to the side from a vicious blow. Black, gleaming claws raking across his face and nearly slicing open his nose.
“Birchface would never have wanted kits to be killed on his behalf!” Frecklewish shrieked with spiked fur.
The former medicine cat was silent for a moment, raising a paw to soothe his stinging cheek and bleeding nose. He then looked at his paw, and cracked an incredulous laugh when he saw the dark shine of his own blood. “Well, look at you Frecklewish…” He slowly turned his head to look at her with an unkind smile. “Acting like a proper Dark Forest cat now. Perhaps this really is where you belong.”
“Both of us belong here.”
Ravenwing growled, tail whipping behind him and paw slamming down. “I have been misplaced! I do not belong here! I have killed no kit!” His whiskers gave a scornful quiver with every word.
“You may as well have!” Frecklewish spat back, mirroring Ravenwing’s spiteful posturing with bared teeth. “You knew! You knew what would happen when you told my father—told the Clan! You knew they would die in that storm!” The she-cat was in his face now, making the small black tom lean back, but held his ground. Frecklewish’s sides were heaving with seething rage, voice cracking. “You knew they couldn’t be saved.” Anger flashing through her eyes, but then dulled as if grief had suddenly weighed her down, and lowered her head. She stared at her black claws hooked deep in the cool soil.
“I thought...I really thought those RiverClan cats would handle everything.” The she-cat’s words grew heavy, and thickened with guilt she carried with her for seasons upon seasons, ever since her death. “I know I was…” A huffed sigh escaped, her ears following suit and drooping. “I was still too angry, and didn't want to be responsible. I couldn't forgive…” The words trailed off, dissolving into a faint breath. She heard a scoff above her and Frecklewish could feel Ravenwing sneering at her.
“But YOU!” Her head snapped back up, fury sparking back to life. “You pulled your paw away!”
The former medicine cat stiffened with bristling fur. “I did not—”
“Yes you did!” Frecklewish flashed her teeth at Ravenwing. “I remember that day as much as you Ravenwing. I didn't care enough at the time, but now? Now, I know what you were thinking!”
Her hiss came hot and sharp. The she-cat stepped forward and Ravenwing slid back a couple paces. Her yowl wavered, like it was still battling against the harsh winds of the very storm that claimed the kits.
“I loved those kits, Ravenwing!” An involuntary sob rattled inside her throat and she couldn’t swallow it down. “And you did too!”
Ravenwing narrowed his eyes, glowering at her with flattened ears.
Frecklewish continued, and the ghost of a hushed name spilled out.
“Petalkit…” She murmured, eyes downcast. “Every time you visited the nursery, she always greeted you. So curious about what you did, and you…” A growl began to bubble. “You used to look at her with such soft eyes! You loved those kits!”
“Only because I was deceived!” Ravenwing snapped back, “It was before I knew what shameful creatures they truly were.”
Frecklewish was about to speak, but he thrust his muzzle in front of Frecklewish, despite being smaller. “And you used to be loyal to the code!” The former medicine cat’s eyes were bitter and burning. “Was it not you, who was the first to demand their removal? I remember that day too Frecklewish! You were not ignorant of the weather.”
The she-cat flinched. Ravenwing had not even lifted his paw, yet Frecklewish felt a burn of claws scraping over her heart.
Both Dark Forest cats stared at each other in a heavy silence.
“I was blind.” Frecklewish croaked, tearing her gaze away from Ravenwing. Her eyes were seeping with overwhelming shame.”I was still hurting from losing Birchface…” Her eyes squeezed shut like she was enduring something harrowing. “Mapleshade deceived me, made me believe-” She could not finish. Her shiny, obsidian claws retracted in self defeat. “But the kits did not lie, and I failed them.”
“Failed?” Ravenwing echoed with a repulsed sniff. “They were not even your kin, and they gave you nothing but false hope and joy-”
“No!’ Frecklewish’s eye swung back to him. “The joy I felt was real! They may not have been kin, but every moment I spent with those kits…they made me remember what happiness felt like.” She shook her head. “Larchkit, Patchkit and Petalkit. They were the most precious creatures in the forest, and I did not realize what I was throwing away.”
The former medicine cat just watched her in silence, tail flicking back and forth with detached indifference.
“Why didn’t you wait!?” Frecklewish demanded. “All of us were still grieving Birchface! Our hearts were still bleeding, and you! You scraped at our open wounds!”
“The truth had to come out!” Ravenwing snarled, eyes blazing with vexation. “I did what had to be done Frecklewish, it was StarClan’s will!”
“Was it really?” The she-cat’s eyes sparked with challenge.
“Are you doubting me?” Ravenwing hissed back, daring her with a hard glare. “Doubting StarClan?”
“Yes, I think it was you who made a mistake.”
“I have not!” Rage surged within the smaller cat’s body, words rattled out hotly. “A medicine cat is never wrong! Don't you see?” Ravenwing stepped closer, nose to nose, their breaths colliding. “A medicine cannot be wrong, do you understand?” His voice shrank, eyes no longer hostile. There was something almost pleading in his dark gaze, and Frecklewish’s own face softened.
“Oatspeckle was never wrong,” Ravenwing continued with imploring eyes. “You don’t know what it was like to live in her shadow!” His composure was slipping, words losing their bite as they trembled. “I-I felt like a stumbling kit trying to chase after it. It was always moving too fast, I could barely keep up!”
For a moment, Ravenwing looked younger, his tail curling around him like he was shielding himself from cold rain. Frecklewish was tempted to comfort him. It was like he was an apprentice again, the Ravenwing she once knew.
So long ago that it felt ancient, sacred even. Old memories she wished were more than memories. Back when Mapleshade’s company was one she sought after often, and she longed for the days they shared laying in the sun and eating freshkill together.
If only things had gone differently…
“I wasn’t ready!” Ravenwing blurted out, head swinging side to side. “I wasn’t ready for Oatspeckle to leave us—leave me so soon!” The former medicine cat gave Frecklewish a wild stare, tail twitching like he was spiraling from the inside. “I could not lie to our Clanmates! I acted when no one else could, I did my duty Frecklewish! I could not allow Mapleshade to fool us like she fooled me. “He scraped at the ground with bared teeth at the she-cat’s hardening expression. “I have done nothing wrong!”
“Then why are you here with me?”
Ravenwing stiffened into silence. His chest heaved, swelling with quiet rage. Suddenly, the den felt too small. The thickening scent of mold was tightening around the two cats like jaws trying to suffocate its prey. Had they still been alive, the crushing tension would have been unbearable.
“I told you!” Ravenwing hissed through a clenched jaw. “I have been misplaced! There has been a terrible mistake, done at a terrible time!” His hackles spread out like sharp, jagged rocks, tail alive with animosity. “All StarClan needs to do is find me!” He insisted, eyes glowing with something desperate. They darted around his den, desperately peering up through tangled roots in search of hidden stars. His yowls began to sound more like pleas, as if he could convince The Place of No Stars to somehow defy itself for him.
The Dark Forest, however, refused to be bargained with.
“They just need to see me!” The former medicine cat cried out, and Frecklewish wondered if he was trying to persuade her or the Dark Forest. “I just haven't gotten their attention yet! They would never do this! Not to a medicine cat!”
Frecklewish merely watched him, eyes shimmering with pity. But there was only so much she was willing to give. When she spoke, there was a haunting calmness to her voice that remained unmoved.
“It sounds like you are the one who doubts StarClan, Ravenwing…”
A paw flew towards Frecklewish’s face.
“How dare you!” Ravenwing screeched, snarling as the she-cat’s head ducked beneath his swiping claws. When his paw flung out again, Frecklewish retaliated with her own. Black claws clashed, but the former medicine cat’s strikes failed to land. The she-cat however, was still a seasoned warrior, and death had not diminished that. Within moments the small, black cat was pinned beneath her, and Frecklewish let her wrath burst free. There was no desire to hold back for her former Clanmate anymore, and let her fury guide her teeth. Ravenwing was spitting furiously, his feet kicking fiercely at her belly when she bit into his shoulder hard. Their bodies tangled, pelts blurring into each other in a flurry of fangs and claws.
“Am I interrupting something?” A voice drifted in with a sickening sweetness.
The chaos came to an abrupt stop. The two battling cats had quickly rolled off each other and scrambled to their paws. With disheveled fur and alert eyes, their attention immediately snapped towards the owner of the voice.
There stood another Dark Forest cat by the mouth of Ravenwing’s den. His grey-and-white pelt hummed with a ghostly glow from the moon’s pale, dying light. Thick, spiked fur engulfed his neck, flaring out like the blossom of a thistle. A scar had been carved through his dense mane, splitting it open to reveal the flesh of his throat. His paws slid forth smoothly, obsidian claws shining with an elegance that felt false. The corner of his mouth gave a playful tug with no warmth.
Frecklewish felt her skin prickle uncomfortably under her golden pelt as he stepped inside.
“Do you need privacy?” The larger tom purred as if being polite.
Ravenwing’s shoulders were hunched and tightly coiled.
“No,” the smaller tom answered rigidly. “There is no need-”
“What do you want, Thistleclaw?” Frecklewish’s growl cut in sharply.
The she-cat earned a dirty look from Ravenwing. Thistleclaw on the other paw, offered a crooked smile. His eyes brightened with something dangerous behind them. “I’m just here to collect something I requested.” He mewed innocently, shoulders rolling with a simple shrug. “Ravenwing is generously sharing what he’s gathered over the moons.” Thistleclaw nodded towards the smaller tom, who dipped his head in turn, shuffled back to fetch whatever he promised to Thistleclaw. “Habits of a dedicated medicine cat I’m sure.” His dark gaze shifted to meet Frecklewish’s distrustful eyes. “And you seem to have kept your warrior spirit I see. Why don’t you show Mapleshade? Perhaps she will look at you more favorably.”
“Don’t talk to me!” Frecklewish hissed, spotted fur bristling. She never liked this cat.
Thistleclaw met her with a little laugh that felt belittling. “I will get out of your fur soon, relax she-cat.” He chuckled, now resting on his haunches with a lazy sweep of his tail. “Mapleshade has grown bored of both of you anyways.” Thistleclaw began licking his paw.
Frecklewish flexed her black claws, fur itching with irritation. She was tempted to claw that infuriating smirk off his face. Yet she knew better than to underestimate Thistleclaw. Instead, she twitched a single ear and nothing more. Her restraint was being put to the test.
“Should I keep it that way?” Thistleclaw turned to Ravenwing, the question sounding more like a threat than anything sincere. The medicine cat’s head shot up with wide eyes. A bundle of glowing fungi wrapped in shriveled leaves hung heavily between his teeth. Thistleclaw continued, not needing an answer. “Good,” he purred. “Keep honoring our little arrangement, and I won’t give Mapleshade any reason to reunite with her old Clanmates.”
“Yes, of course…” Ravenwing replied, ears folding back with unease. He obediently carried over the musty, leaf-wrapped cluster to Thistleclaw, who gave Frecklewish a sideways glance.
“Pity I can’t say the same for you, Frecklewish.” He crooned, his words a dishonest imitation of an apology.
“I don’t need your protection Thistleclaw!” Frecklewish spat, tail snapping behind her in indignation. “I have not sunk that low!”
Thistleclaw looked amused.
Ravenwing on the other paw, was not. He glared at Frecklewish like unsheathed claws. She returned the favor, eyes full of loathing and disgust. She regretted mourning this cat in life!
The medicine cat ignored her, and gingerly placed the glowing bundle by Thistleclaw’s paws. “Use your paw to squeeze the fluid out,” Ravenwing instructed, voice now firm. “But slowly, or it will spray everywhere and go to waste.”
“Shredtail and Silverhawk thank you.” Thistleclaw meowed, bowing courteously as if receiving a gift. He bent down to retrieve his prize and got up to his paws. “I will be on my way to meet them now.” With a satisfied purr he turned to take his leave, tail swaying carelessly in his departure, barely missing Frecklewish's scowling face in its path.
The she-cat growled, jerking her head back as if contact would give her greencough.
That filthy piece of mouse-dung!
Frecklewish was glad to see him leave. Good riddance was the only thought she had.
Just when he was about to slip out, he paused to linger by the entrance. “Oh, and Ravenwing…” He tossed an unhurried glance over his shoulder. Frecklewish suddenly felt her belly knotting with dread when she realized he wasn't just looking at Ravenwing.
Thisteclaw’s voice was disturbingly pleasant. His eyes danced with an undercurrent of menace.
“My new apprentice would love to meet you some day.”
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The last thing Petalkit remembered was the ringing in her ears and her throat shattering. Every part of her had screamed at the stars, her throat raw from her cries of rage and despair.
And the stars had only stared back at her in silence.
Exhaustion overpowered her, but her fury burned brighter than the stars that night.
Then Darkness.
And the Dark Forest could not ignore the purity of her hatred.
From the far side of the Dark Forest, Mapleshade's own anger seethed with bitter promises. The sharp, eerie caws from the Starless Callers, spectral forms that resembled crows, still lingered in the air. Their duty was simple and essential, somehow sacred in the eyes of the Dark Forest. They announce the arrival of new spirits that have been claimed by the Place of No Stars with their haunting cries. The dark sky that never held a single star, usually so silent, becomes alive with the welcoming song of the Starless Callers. All spirits from every corner of the Dark Forest will hear their voices and know.
They still sang even as Mapleshade vowed to never let her vengeance rest. Her loathing was rivaled only by her grief, still an inflamed, open wound that wept fresh blood. Her mind was on the faces of her kits, and despite the venomous potency in her resentment, it quickly melted with the agony of loss. Oh how she missed her kits! She had avenged and freed their spirits but how she wished she could see them! Swear to them that she will never stop seeking the justice they deserved but were denied.
The Dark Forest heard that.
Both mother and daughter were ripe with beautiful, unadulterated hatred. They were perfectly in sync, yet oblivious to their shared fate. They shared the exact same thoughts at the exact same time. While the Dark Forest bore no stars, it was home to the Red Moon, that, once full, its glow would stain the skies like blood.
And tonight was such a night.
Both moons from the living and dead were aligned in mock harmony. While the living moon bore witness to Gatherings at moonhigh, its sinister twin, the Red Moon, simply listened to the forsaken curse StarClan. It heard every uttered whisper and vindictive thought.
Mapleshade and Petalkit were no exception.
Under its influence, it made the poison in their broken hearts bloom with a darkness that nearly devoured them. Their savage thoughts fed and nurtured the Dark Forest that flourished under the Red Moon's intensifying gaze. Both were longing for each other with matching wrath.
In their unified rage, Mapleshade had unknowingly created a powerful link between herself and Petalkit through the Dark Forest. Without meaning to, she had deepened their connection and made Petalkit's dreams much easier to be found and reached.
She had accidentally helped summon her daughter into the Dark Forest—on opposite sides of the Dark Lake.
The Dark Forest knew this. The Red Moon knew this. The Starless Callers knew this.
Mapleshade did not.
And neither did Petalkit.
The Red Moon's glow seared even brighter in response to the kit's arrival. Its illuminating light bathed the stripped, gray tree trunks surrounding her in scarlet. The song the Starless Callers had performed for Mapleshade had extended towards Petalkit, greeting her with a new chorus of ghostly caws. Their wails echoed all around Petalkit like some foreboding omen known only to them and the Dark Forest.
Unaware of being a shared secret, Petalkit was startled into consciousness by their raucous voices. Dizzy and disoriented, the little she-cat was confused to wake in such a strange and unfamiliar place. The Starless Callers' cries had hushed into hollow croaks and grew fainter as the Red Moon began to dim.
It was alarmingly quiet now.
Perhaps Petalkit should have been more disturbed, but curiosity proved to be the stronger force that made her rise to her paws. She had far too many questions to let fear take proper root. Wherever she was, the ground she walked on felt ancient and weirdly forbidden. Like she wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't wrong in her assessment, but the Dark Forest wasn't going to confirm that for her. This was an age where the Place of No Stars was timelessly youthful and not nearly as populated. After receiving no reception—at least none that could be recognized—Petalkit was quick to wander around this seemingly barren plane. She should have been more afraid, but instead she found comfort in this baffling solitude. It didn't smell good here, but at least no one could hurt or take from her.
Being completely alone, Petalkit was convinced that she created her own dream world and that it all belonged to her. A place she could escape to, far, far away from the Clans where even StarClan couldn't find her. As she explored her new "territory," she encountered the Dark Lake, where it divided the Dark Forest into two halves. The water was pitch black and made the air around her feel heavy and suffocating, like it was trying to suck her in. Just looking at it made Petalkit's fur stand on end but she had to get to the other side. Despite her efforts to carefully navigate around the lake, she slipped and fell.
It was cold and thick like honey. Every movement was laborious, her body tangled in invisible reeds, and every tiny moment claiming to be her last. It felt like eternity. Little did she know, this was because time moved slowly underwater and what passed as heartbeats were actually seasons upon seasons.
Terrified and even more traumatized than her last drowning experience, she finally managed to break through the surface and drag herself onto land.
Only she wasn't in the Dark Forest anymore.
She was back in the living world crawling out of a modest little pond. Her claws had turned obsidian black, gleaming like wet, polished stone and she did not recognize where she was. Everything looked and felt different—wrong.
At that moment, a ThunderClan patrol was approaching and Petalkit quickly hid in fright. She didn't stay long to see what the commotion was, but before she turned away, she caught sight of what looked like three warriors crowding around a motionless shape on the ground. The distracted Clan cats didn't even notice her slipping away, far too distraught at their horrific discovery. Among them was a young Tigerclaw frozen in shock at the sight of his slain mentor. The newly made dark tabby warrior was devastated, fiercely rejecting any attempted consolation from his Clan mates Whitestorm and Bluefur.
But his story remained unknown to Petalkit.
The little she-cat was racing away to frantically find anything recognizable.
Her frenzied search was in vain.
Everywhere she looked was met with disappointment after disappointment and growing distress. Even the place where Petalkit had buried her mother had completely changed. Different landscape, different plants, different scents, and her mother was gone! As if she never existed.
Panic gripping her, she fled back into her dreams to reach the Dark Forest, desperate to escape this harrowing experience. Overwhelmed and shaking with terror, Petalkit feared sleep would never come—until fatigue won.
Kraaw-Kraaah!
Petalkit was relieved to at least hear something familiar. But that small mercy was short-lived the moment she opened her eyes.
Her dream world had also changed.
The Red Moon looked fainter, paler and its ominous glow was absent. The tall, gloomy trees looming over her drained of all color and its twisting branches lost in a dull fog. It was darker now, the light dim and sickly, accompanied only by the creepy glow of fungi. The forest's rotten stench had grown stronger and even more rancid, stinging both her nose and tongue with its sour taste. Even the swirling mist around her paws wasn't the same!
The Starless Callers had played their part, their departing crooning fading as they abandoned the terrified little she-cat.
Everything moved on without her.
Greatly disturbed, Petalkit began to scout her newly transformed "territory" as she anxiously made her way back to the Dark Lake in hopes she could return to the world she knew. But the shadowed waters had only grown more massive and menacing. Petalkit didn't dare try going in a second time, fearful of drowning again and never coming back. Whatever was on the other side was beyond her reach, separated by the expanse of that vile lake.
Wherever—whenever she was. She was stuck.
Alone.
She stared down at her wobbling paws where her new, raven-black claws dug into the damp, rotten earth. She blinked as she slid them in and out in disbelief. Were these really hers? At least they were pretty and shiny…
Then, Petalkit sensed an intruder.
To her surprise, her fear was snuffed out but a sudden flash of hot, white anger.
Who was it!? Oakstar? Frecklewish? Ravenwing? Or was it her mouse-hearted father?
It didn't matter who or what they were, she didn't care. What was there left to care about? What else could be scarier than drowning? She was ready to fight and got to higher ground. It was her turn to hurt someone!
And this is how Thistleclaw discovers Petalkit.
And how did she greet him? With all glistening black claws out and launching herself at him.
"Get out of my territory!"
To say Thistleclaw was shocked would be an understatement. He had just died by the claws of a RiverClan patrol, became a new Dark Forest resident, and was immediately attacked—by a kit! A kit! And the angriest kit he had ever seen at that.
The furious little kit had dropped down onto his neck, right at the fresh scar that marked his throat and split his fur. Where she hoped would be painful. But even with all her killing intent and might, her tiny teeth couldn't break through the skin. This did not go unnoticed by Thistleclaw. He was impressed she was sharp enough to even think about aiming. Shaking her off with ease and batting her body away, he was amused to see her immediately trying to scramble back up to her paws. Some struggle, slipping and shaking, but the small kit stood tall in defiance with her sides heaving. She was spewing threatening words he was pretty sure no kit should know.
Intrigued now and wanting to test her resolve, Thistleclaw swiped at her in hopes to provoke another attack. She did. Again, she got back up despite her small body trying to convince her otherwise. Thistleclaw respected that. She was no ordinary kit, and Thistleclaw realized he was staring at an opportunity that the stars would never grant him in life. A blank slate. The perfect apprentice to shape without limitation and free from the Clan's scrutiny. Free of the warrior code.
Thistleclaw asks for her name, but she snaps at him with all hackles raised saying she doesn't want to tell him. That gave Thistleclaw a chuckle. He thrust his face close to hers with a challenging glare just to see if she would flinch.
"Are you afraid of me?"
"No!"
"Then why can I smell your fear scent?"
"Er…" Petalkit shifted uneasily on her aching paws before glaring back. "Because!" She spat with renewed fury despite the tremble in her voice.
"I… I'll be scared later! I'm too angry now!"
Thistleclaw couldn't help but break into a laugh. She meant it!
"You'll be scared later?" He echoed with another bark of laughter. "And who has earned your wrath, little lion?"
Petalkit told him her story in a flurry of raw emotions. She told him about her family's exile and her Clan's treachery. How Oakstar, the ThunderClan leader as she claimed, had cast them out in the middle of a terrible storm, and the betrayal from cats she considered family. Her near-death experience in the flood, watching her brothers drown as she was carried off by a separate current. Thistleclaw learned the names of the traitors she despised, but he did not recognize them. He never heard of a Frecklewish being the daughter of the leader or the Clan's medicine cat Ravenwing. According to this kit, these named cats witnessed the disaster, saw Petalkit struggling in the water, and did nothing. Just watched with cold indifference from cats she thought loved her. That the medicine cat of all cats, had withdrawn his paw from the kit's reaching paw pleading for help.
Petalkit barely gave Thistleclaw the time to process what he was hearing. She then spoke of her father, and she had done so with such resentment that he could feel the sting of her hate. There was true disgust and loathing in her voice, hissing how he never came out to look for her or her brothers or mother. Instead, she had seen him attacking her mother when Petalkit was searching for her. Appledusk was his name? Thistleclaw swore he had heard that name before, but he let her continue her outrageous tale. Now this kit was telling him how she found her mother's body "sleeping forever" and had tried to bury her. The frustration in her eyes told him that she had not been satisfied with her attempt.
Thistleclaw was never a cat to care about his Clan history, and although unfamiliar with it, he did recognize Oakstar's name as Tigerclaw's kin. This puzzled him. The ThunderClan leader was Sunstar and he doubted that changed within the same day as his death. He couldn't fully tell if Petalkit was either delusional or lying.
Then early memories of his own nursery life resurfaced. He remembered the elders often trying to scare kits into obedience with Mapleshade's legend. How she, once a ThunderClan warrior, had taken a RivercCan mate, Appledusk and bore his half-Clan kits. However, when discovered, Oakstar had Mapleshade and her kits exiled from ThunderClan, which ultimately led to the drowning of her kits when trying to cross the river. Driven mad by grief, Mapleshade murdered the cats she blamed for her kits deaths, one of the victims being her mate, Appledusk. He knew there were three murders, but he had never heard names beyond Appledusk and Oakstar.
He had recalled Mapleshade herself, expressing deep resentment and a constant thirst for revenge, determined to make her mate's entire bloodline pay. Not that he cared to listen, but Mapleshade's open declarations of her eternal grudges were not easy to miss.
Thistleclaw gave the kit a skeptical look. She was eyeing him with her own distrust, ears flat.
"Who was your mother?" He demanded "What was her name?"
Petalkit tipped her head at his confrontation. "Mapleshade."
Thistleclaw stiffened with disbelief. She said it so naturally like she thought the question itself was silly to her.
"Tell the truth kit." Thistleclaw growled.
"I am!" Petalkit's fur fluffed out indignantly. "Mapleshade is my mama!"
Thistleclaw's eyes narrowed with growing suspicion, but his fur itched with an anticipation he didn't dare believe was real.
"You're lying…" He hissed.
"No I'm not!" Petalkit's tiny squeak was belligerent. Offended even. "You don't even know mama!"
Thistleclaw blinked. Actually. He did know Mapleshade very well. She had been training him in the Dark Forest for the past couple of moons in hopes she could sharpen him into becoming ThunderClan deputy—until he was killed. As a new resident, he had no doubt that the formidable she-cat had been informed of his arrival by the Starless Callers. He wondered if Mapleshade would come for him or simply expected him to make his way towards her. Either way, he had to make the most of the time he had to confirm the impossible.
"Your brothers," he started coolly. "What did you say their names were?"
"Patchkit and Larchkit! Why? You think I'm lying about them too?"
"Calm yourself, you flea-brained badger!"
"You calm down!"
Thistleclaw blinked, whiskers twitching. He surprised himself with an incredulous chuckle. Despite the dangerous flash in his eyes, his words did not bite as hard as he usually would.
"Did you just talk back to me?"
"Do I need to do it again?"
He should have hit her. He should have been furious. But Thistleclaw just grinned. He liked this kit's feisty fire! What a savage little, foolish thing! He took a closer look at this tiny, tenacious ball of fuzz, and noticed a familiar glint of claws shimmering like a beetle's shell.
"Unsheath your claws." He commanded.
"Are you going to let me scratch you?"
"No you mouse-brain!" Thistleclaw snapped, tempted to claw her. "Show me your claws!"
"You're the mouse-brain!"
And the small kit attacked. Thistleclaw got to briefly see—feel the prickle of tiny, glimmering thorn-sharp claws swiping his cheek before he cuffed her with barely sheathed claws. He sent her rolling into the mulchy grass with a whimper. When Thistleclaw approached however, she quickly suppressed it, trying to rub away the burn of tears in her eyes before they fell. Thistleclaw held her gaze, noting the glassy sheen in them that had sharpened with stubborn determination. There was a light trickle of bright scarlet crawling down her temple. This kit was alive and not a spirit. Yet… how did she possess the claws of the dead? Only Dark Forest spirits wield such claws with their blood dark as night and slick as oil.
Thistleclaw held her gaze, studying her golden eyes, still ringed with white and ordinary, while his were pitch-black pools of darkness, pupils smoldering like embers still clinging to charred blackened wood.
"How did you get those?" Thistleclaw gestured to her unsheathed, obsidian claws with his nose.
"What do you mean?"
"Your claws, you dense furball!"
"I fell into the lake stupid!" Petalkit spat back. "And your eyes are weird!"
Thistleclaw's fur bristled, patience quickly growing thin, but he did not strike. Because now things were absurdly starting to make sense.
"Tell me more," He said, suddenly calmer, something calculating in his amber eyes as he sat down.
"Show me where you fell." It wasn't a request.
"You can't tell me what to do! You're not my mama!"
"Fine, then you are a liar."
"I AM NOT!" Petalkit screeched with an agitated stomp. "But fine! I'll prove it!"
The little scrap of fur huffed, clumsily turned around, and stormed off. Thistleclaw followed, amused to see the kit stumble and trip on the rotten earth, but pushing forward out of spite. He could see her energy draining from her stubby legs, paws sluggish from exhaustion and puffing with exertion. Regardless, she kept persisting, trudging through the fog and stepping on dead ferns.
She led him to the very lake he had suspected. The Dark Lake. Thistleclaw knew of these haunted waters. Mapleshade had cautioned him about the curses born from the Dark Lake before, when she first started training him.
The fearsome Dark Forest she-cat had told him that the water will sap the life out of any cats who fell into its clutches. Many spirits have drowned in it, never to be seen again. Forever claimed by the Dark Forest feasting upon the unfortunate soul it has captured. But what if the cat didn't drown?
Looking at the little she-cat again, Thistleclaw dared to think of the inconceivable.
Could it be that the reason those cats were never seen again wasn't because they were consumed, but because they were carried off into a new time? It should be impossible. Yet Petalkit never showed any signs of deception.
Thistleclaw looked at the kit again. Through her weariness, her stance was resolute with hostile triumph. She really was telling the truth, wasn't she?
Petalkit was Mapleshade's only surviving kit.
"How did you get here…" Thistleclaw murmured, astonished.
The kit looked tired, dropping heavily onto her haunches, shuffling backwards to widen the distance between herself and the lake's edge.
"I went to sleep and dreamed." Petalkit explained, looking annoyed and batting idly at the dry leaves around her paws. "I don't want to be awake anymore" She muttered miserably, a whine stuck in her throat, but swallowed down. "Everything is so different now! I hate it!" Her voice grew more hushed, eyes darting around as if worried she'd be discovered.
Petalkit gave a nod with a sharp sniff. "It's all their fault!" She suddenly wailed, her voice scratchy. "They made everything go bad! They took Larchkit, Patchkit, and Mapleshade away from me because of their dumb code! They let Oakstar throw us out!" She viciously tore out a clump of scrubby grass and flung it hard. "It's stupid and not fair!"
Thistleclaw's ears perked up with interest.
"Do you hate the warrior code?" He purred with delight, amber eyes shining. Thistleclaw couldn't believe his luck.
"Yes! I want it gone forever and ever!" She shrieked, quivering with emotions far too big for her small body to handle. "StarClan and ThunderClan too! I want to hurt them!"
Thistleclaw felt victorious. This was too perfect! It was like the stars themselves were aligning just for him. Thistleclaw could see the hunger in her eyes craving for violence. This kit may not have realized it, but what she was truly thirsting for was bloodshed. And Thistleclaw was more than happy to nurture this little seed of carnage.
"I can teach you how." he offered smoothly.
Petalkit's head shot up, golden eyes big and glossy with tears held captive "Really?" She was staring up at him in awe.
Thistleclaw nodded. "I can train you to destroy them." He tested, watching the kit's reaction carefully. "Make you so powerful that even StarClan will fear you."
Petalkit brightened up, as if she suddenly decided she didn't hate him anymore. "You can make me big and scary?" She looked hopeful. "Scarier than a warrior?"
"The most terrifying cat the forest has ever seen." Thistleclaw assured, almost encouraging. "I can help you get your revenge—you do want to avenge your mother and brothers don't you?" He added with a coaxing tone. "ThunderClan did betray you after all."
"More than anything!" Petalkit squealed eagerly. "I want them all to pay! Every one of them!" She sprang to her paws with a new burst of energy. "Will you really teach me?" she pleaded. "Make them all scared of me? Make me terri…terri—"
"Terrifying?" Thistleclaw finished for her steadily. "I can."
"You promise?"
"How do you know those names?"
"I promise."
*******
Mapleshade's commanding words were laced with a threatening growl. The imposing she-cat had whipped around to seize Thistleclaw's gaze with her flaming, golden eyes.
Thistleclaw shrugged at her demand, trying to look as nonchalant as he possibly could.
"It's what I overheard. Those bee-brained ThunderClan elders are always rambling." he replied with a tilt of his head, as though ignorant. "Are those names significant?"
Mapleshade's blazing eyes kept Thistleclaw pinned in place as she loomed over him. The large she-cat's stare was dangerously intense and searching with suspicion. Only the twitch of his tail betrayed his unease.
"Those names belonged to my kits." Mapleshade growled low in her throat, but there was a hint of wistfulness in her voice. For a moment, her eyes grew distant with something old and long buried.
"No one has spoken of them since…"
"Since?" Thistleclaw prompted.
"Nevermind!" Mapleshade flashed her teeth in a snarl. "That is my business, Thistleclaw," she hissed hotly. "And you would do well to stay out of it."
Thistleclaw dipped his head apologetically. "Of course, Mapleshade." He mewed with practiced humility. "I meant nothing by it."
"Make sure it stays nothing." Mapleshade warned with measured menace. "Or I'll give you something to worry about." She promised with a voice of cold fire, slowly turning around to pad away.
"And remember, Thistleclaw," She called over her shoulder, before vanishing into the shadows and thick fog.
"I always keep my promises."
Thistleclaw kept his head bowed, watching her depart with a barely hidden smirk. Mapleshade has just confirmed everything to him. Now there was no doubt!
He had Mapleshade's kit and the legendary she-cat was clueless!
And Thistleclaw intended on keeping it that way. He would make a point of having the kit believe her mother's spirit had faded long ago, forever lost to her. Mapleshade's daughter was his now, and he would convince Petalkit that he was all she had left.
The kit hardly required any persuasion to agree to meet him every night in her dreams for training, starting tomorrow. Mapleshade's kit was overflowing with raw potential, and her complete rejection of the warrior code pleased him to no end. She was the opportunity he was denied in life, where too many eyes watched him and prevented everything he was trying to achieve with Tigerpaw. Bluefur's vigilance had enraged him the most, always disrupting how he wanted to train his apprentice!
But now? Nothing could stop him.
Petalkit had an undeniable appetite for battle and showed no interest in becoming an honorable warrior. She wanted to be feared. She wanted those who wronged her to suffer. She had been explicitly expressing her violent wishes, and Thistleclaw kept urging her towards something even darker.
She wanted to kill.
The Dark Forest tom was confident he could shape her into the perfect warrior—no, killer. His perfect killer. A killer loyal to him and knowing nothing else. Petalkit won't even recognize her own mother. She will be transformed into exactly what she wished to be—The most terrifying cat the forest has ever seen.
Thistleclaw's lips peeled back into a vicious grin of triumph.
