|☾ ☼ ϟ ≈ ☁| Dark Forest V.2 |☾ ☼ ϟ ≈ ☁|

Warblerpaw couldn't stop the fur lifting along his spine.

"Robinstar," he whispered. "You're my aunt, then?" He shook his head in disbelief. The Robinstar he'd been told about was evil, a cruel and twisted cat who hurt others for her own benefit and gain. The cat in front of him looked...guilty. Remorseful, even. Apologetic.

"But...you're supposed to be evil." he said, belying his youthful naivety despite his rapidly approaching warriorhood.

"I never really felt special..I figured my littermates or the apprentices would be here over me"he said with a small shrug

Warblerpaw eyed Robinstar with suspicion, not quite wanting to believe her. After all, she'd been a clever, ruthless cat in life; how much could she have truly changed in death?

"I don't know if I believe you," he said slowly. "But...I think deep down, my mother misses her sister, even if she can't or won't say it."

He knew he was taking a risk, but his mother hadn't been her usual self in...a while. If he could help her regain he kindness, maybe it could be worth it.

"What if I helped you?" he said, stepping forward, his green eyes guarded but glowing with determination.

Warblerpaw hummed. Truthfully, he didn't really know, but the thought of being able to maybe make his mother happy...

"I...don't really know. I know normally cats from...here, they can't speak with the living, right? Maybe, maybe I'm here for a reason, to bridge the gaps between you two," he said before chuckling nervously. "I-I'm just spitballing here, if I'm honest. I just."

His tail was flicking nervously behind him. He felt uneasy here, but he couldn't help his curiosity with being able to speak to one of the most fearsome cats in recent history face-to-face.

"I just want to make my mother happy," he whispered.

"I'm sure she hasn't forgotten," he mewed thoughtfully. "Though maybe she just doesn't want to think about it."

He shook his head, clearing away his thoughts about his mother and how distant she'd been as of late. Focusing again on the cat in front of him, he squinted, expression guarded.

"Bridge? What do you mean by that?" he asked hesitantly.

Warblerpaw shifted, still unsure if he should trust Robinstar and go spilling his Clan's secrets to her. For StarClan's sake, he was speaking to her in the Dark Forest!

"...My father's name is Slateheart," he said. "Spiritstar is...okay. She's been a little distant, lately."

He shook his head. "I still don't fully trust you, though I think you can understand why," he meowed. He paused a moment before nodding, meeting her eye. "I will continue to visit with you; there's a lot I'd like to know about the past that no one wants to share, and you want to know about SkyClan. Maybe, when we can trust each other, we can both share more?"

"Do we have a deal?"

Robinstar grinned with relief. She nodded to Warblerpaw. "That sounds like a great deal, Warblerpaw. I'm so grateful you'll willing to return. Please, ask me anything. I will uphold my part of the deal to you."

(Bumping!)

“I see you already have conviction, then.” Fallenlight mused as she slipped out from the shadows with a leisurely gate. The powerful Windclan cat flicked her tail slowly, clicking her tongue at the young Warrior. “Ohh. A broken heart, and an existence that breaks Starclan’s precious code, hm? Well, if it’s training you want, then it’s training that I can offer you. Might take your mind off of things, yes?” She offered.

Meadowbrook watched and listened from a spot in the shadows, not a sound escaping her as she waited to see Fallenlight’s displays of skill. After all, it was a privilege to be trained by her, and Goldheart would do well to realize that early on.

“I see they still don’t talk about me, do they?” Fallenlight mused with a smirk, a spark of amusement and hate dancing in her eyes. “I’ve trained more Windclan cats than you could think of. I have plenty of kin in the Clan that you may know well. My name is Fallenlight.” She mewed, looking at Goldheart up and down. “But you’ll be the first one with Shadowclan in your veins, won’t you, Goldheart? I see you’ve got a fresh Warrior’s confidence. How adorable.” She crooned.

“Let’s hope he’s not as stupid as his older brother.” Meadowbrook drawled to Halfshadow, referring to Stormfury with a scathing coldness, before she muttered. “Moor-runners tend to be so. The more cats I can monitor my kits through, the better, though.” She admitted.

“So, you’ve got your resolve.” Fallenlight nodded once, though her musing and smooth tone turned dark and dangerous in a blink of an eye. “And yet, what are you willing to do to make that happen? I can see it in your eyes, your anger is sharp, and yet you hold onto such ideals and have done nothing about it. You think your sister is not suited for her position? How will you remove her?” She demanded.

Meadowbrook flicked an ear at Halfshadow’s words, though her focus returned to Fallenlight. She was right. Goldheart seemed to be so confident, yet she inwardly sneered. He had never felt the sensation of power, of holding a cats’ life on the brink of death, controlling the narrative, watching the courage and hope drain from their eyes. If he wished to actually be an apprentice of Fallenlight, she hoped he was ready for what came with that. Perhaps then he would understand why she had done all she had to make Windclan better. Though, she felt a flicker of fire in her.

“He’ll choose a moor-runner to replace Sagefoot, if he’s not cowardly enough to keep her unharmed.” She muttered coldly to Halfshadow.

“Aww. You’ll have a nice little conversation with dear Swiftstar, will you? To remove a deputy trained by his former deputy? And just who will you be seeing rise to the rank, then? Since you’ll be handling this so peacefully, with your words?” Fallenlight crooned sweetly, inwardly relishing at the prospect of really breaking the remaining light out of him. She circled slowly around the young Warrior, awaiting his answer with a small curl of her muzzle.

Meadowbrook scoffed lightly. “He’s got no sense for the position. I myself never aimed for leadership. But, I still know cats that are perfect for the position.” She thought of Brownleaf, still aiming to one day see him become Windclan’s deputy. Perhaps if Goldheart would remove Sagefoot, then Brownleaf would indeed get his chance. She continued. “Having such hesitation to kill? Oh, poor thing, he’ll have to learn, that’s not how Fallenlight works.” She mused knowingly.

“That’s a bit better.” Fallenlight mused, having been near ready to shred her claws through the tom’s ears if he had planned to speak so highly of his ideals, yet act so meagerly to achieve them. “The same divide that has made Windclan suffer before, using it to improve your ambitions is always a solid tactic.” She stopped, taking in Goldheart’s last words before she suddenly crooned with a deep laughter.

“So! That’s what you truly want, deep down! Shadowclan’s downfall! Here I would have expected you’d want leadership, though my dear Meadowbrook did not want leadership either, so I suppose it’s a common angle these days. So, you wish to diminish Sagefoot’s position until Swiftstar tosses her aside for a stronger cat, and then do your very best to persuade him and his Starclan-licking followers to sink your claws into Shadowclan. Such an ambitious dream, for such a young tom.” She mewed. “Do you think you have what it takes, to see it happen?”

Meadowbrook narrowed her eyes tightly at Goldheart, her loyalty and vicious drive for her tunnelers still strong in her heart. She would of course despise his rank as a moor-runner no matter how desperately he wanted to join the Dark Forest, and he was lucky that she wished for Swiftstar’s eventual downfall more than the deaths of all moor-runners. She had no care for Shadowclan’s affairs, yet if Cedarstar failed to stop Windclan from breaking down his Clan, perhaps this would certainly help to further numbers for the planned revival of Adderclan. She continued watching, hoping to see Fallenlight’s claws come out to really test the young tom.

Fallenlight’s eyes flickered with a low simmer of hatred. Whispersong had been Hawkfury’s last apprentice before he died. She pushed the dark and hateful thoughts of her father away, instead finding enjoyment in picking at his mind, and relishing in his pain that she could see behind his eyes.

“And yet, there was one cat that did like you, hm? All that softness, the happiness she brought you, and Starclan took her away, didn’t they?” She drawled. “You couldn’t stop it, could you? Just like how you couldn’t stop the circumstances of your own existence. So angry, for so long. And now, I suppose you finally realized where you needed to be to make things right?” She asked, before stopping in front of the tom. “So I ask you again, Goldheart, and I want a real answer. Are you truly prepared to take what you believe you deserve?”

Meadowbrook scoffed. “Handsome to a scrawny rat she-cat, perhaps. I’ve already had the best possible option as my mate. I suppose if he gets more experience, he might make for a decent show.” She shrugged, before musing. “Looks like we’re getting to the good part. Let’s see if he’s as good as Spottedclaw was his first try.” She mewed.