All I remember before I felt the warm, soothing soft grass beneath my body was an enemy cat standing over me, a wicked smile on it’s face as it unsheathed it’s claws, and slashed downwards towards my throat, digging them in and ripping it out. I felt my breathing get cut off as I coughed up blood, staring up at the rabid grey eyes of the cat above me, it's big grey paw pinning me down by the chest.
This cat was a killer, and that's all a I knew before everything went white.
I felt my black paws touch the blades of ever so soft grass, my green eyes opening slightly to find myself in a peaceful, sunny meadow. I smiled, knowing I finally got to the fabled StarClan. I stood up and stretched slightly, enjoying the feeling of kneading the ground with my long claws.
“Adderspike.” Suddenly, a gruff voice sounded out behind me, and I swear I jumped back about three feat as they surprised me so much.
I had found myself in an attack position, my fur bristling as I faced a large rusty red tom cat with icy blue eyes. The tom looked rather amused with my antics, and smiled ever so slightly as he spoke once again.
“It seems you have arrived. Oh jolly.” The tom said, but instantly with his voice I could tell something was wrong. Something was very wrong. And it was like this tom was familiar somehow… did I know him? “We’ve been waiting for you.” The tom turned tail and gestured for me to follow. “Come, follow me please.”
I had calmed down a little bit, and found myself following the tom towards a peaceful looking forest in front of me. I sighed in slight confusion but carried on anyway, but that’s when the sun began to set.
The meadow had become darker as the sun disappeared below the horizon, and that's when worry began to pool in my stomach. From what the other Clan cats have said, StarClan is supposed to be sunny and warm, with plentiful hunting and plenty of cats to talk to, and overall it was peaceful and delightful. But what I was seeing was something completely opposite as the sun set.
I looked towards the forest we were heading towards, to see it had totally changed from its earlier state. The trees were looming over us, their branches seeming to reach towards me to try and take us. And it was all dark. Darkness everywhere. I couldn't see into it. But what I could see, made the worry grow in my stomach even further.
Cat eyes. Thousands of them it seemed. Glowing cat eyes, staring right at us as we entered the dark forest. I hesitated as I stepped in, hearing something in my mind that clearly said this was wrong and I shouldn't be here, but the tom turned to look at me with a smile on his face.
“What are you so afraid of?” The tom said, his voice not as it was before. It was more psychotic, crazy even. “We won't bite.” This is wrong. This is very wrong. Get out. Get out and never come back. Those were all things that my mind screamed at me, pleading for me to go. Get out of here. This is very wrong.
“Hard, that is.” The tom chuckled, disappearing into the darkness before him. I could feel every one of the glowing cat’s eyes on me, boring into every inch of my smaller form.
And I could hear them almost… speaking to me. Just communicating with their eyes. It was insane.
Are you gonna let StarClan win?
A new recruit…
He looks like he would be fun to kill.
Fun size. Perfect snack on a day like this.
Scorchstar chose well.
That's when it clicked in my mind. That's when I recognized the tom that led me here.
Scorchstar.
A crazy cat, an even crazier leader. Led his Clan into countless battles, and enjoyed every second of bloodshed. His teachings to his cats were cruel and agonizing, often taking kits that weren't even 3 moons yet and viciously training them to become warriors. Nobody could stop him, because he was a venomous fighter. He took so many lives in his time, he is now a feared denhold name. Most of the elders from my Clan, BlazeClan, start to shake with PTSD or tell others to shush if they ever speak of his name.
I stopped in my tracks and backed away slowly, as I knew this is wrong. I should have never followed Scorchstar.
But, I could hear cats from all around me start to move and stop behind me, and as I turned around, there was a wall of truly evil cats blocking my escape route from this evil place.
My fear grew as I recognized some of these cats.
Needlespike.
Goosefang.
Tumblefall.
Oh my StarClan…
“Welcome to the end of eras, Adderspike.” They started to chant, and I stumbled backwards as their words and voices seemed to push me backwards, sending me where I didn't want to go.
Into the Dark Forest.
