Edited! 👌

Chapter 20: Dark Forest

Redblaze followed Barkfall across DarkClan territory, then MoonClan. They approached the Star Tree as the sun began to crest the horizon. The two cats silently climbed up, and sleep overtook them.

Redblaze blinked open her eyes. StarClan. It's been a while since I've seen this place. Redblaze thought with a smile. Starry cats began to gather around. A small white cat with gray flecks approached.

"Whitekit?" Redblaze mewed. She remembered how this was her first victim.

"With this life I give you remembrance. Use it to remember your beginnings." They touched noses, and a vision flashed in Redblaze's eyes.

Redkit leaped onto the back of the tom, and remembered something Berrygaze was telling his kits. Bite at the bottom of the neck for a quick, swift kill. Redkit chomped her jaws onto the spot, and Whitekit fell to the ground, a look of shock on his young face. Redkit licked her claws and pelt clean of the blood, and smiled to herself.

Redblaze shook herself.

"With this life I give you morality. Know what is right." Leafstripe padded up. She touched noses, and a new vision appeared for Redblaze.

Redpaw relished the look of pure terror on the young she-cat's face when she leaped towards her throat. Redpaw clawed along Leafstripe's back before the warrior could think. Leafstripe wailed in agony as Redpaw slowly clawed at the she-cat, watching glistening blood flow down her tortoiseshell pelt.

"R- Redpaw..." Leafstripe whispered. She was weak. Make her death slow and painful. Voices hissed in Redpaw's head. Redpaw obeyed. She slashed slowly, pulling the already weak cat apart. Redpaw smiled at the spilling blood, and Leafstripe was silent with squeaks of pain. She couldn't take it. Redpaw noticed Leafstripe losing consciousness. Every time Leafstripe would fall into a sleep to escape her pain, Redpaw would prod her awake and continue the slow, agonizing death.

As the moon sank, Leafstripe was ripped apart. One eye spilled from its socket, hung by a thread. Her tail was barely sphere, and her paws just barely dangled from her legs by thin sinew. Redpaw had demolished the she-cat.

Redblaze was jutted back to reality. She watched Lovepool stalk up, an anger burning in her gaze. "With this life, I give you kindness. Try to be kind, and your life might go well." Redblaze was ready for the vision that came. She thought.

"So I am." Redblaze said. "Well, you won't be able to tell anyone except StarClan." Redblaze leaped at Lovepool without warning. Lovepool ran to the side, and Redblaze just managed to scratch her side. Redblaze slammed into Lovepool sideways, knocking the medicine cat down. Lovepool struggled, pummeling her paws weakly against Redblaze as she pinned her down.

"Stop! Stop this! If you kill me-" Lovepool began.

"SunClan won't have a medicine cat. That means no healing, no StarClan." Redblaze finished. Redblaze dug her claws into Lovepool, making the she-cat hiss in pain. Lovepool rolled from under Redblaze.

"I have to tell Twistedstar!" Lovepool mewed. Redblaze bit Lovepool's tail, keeping her from running.

"I don't think so." Redblaze hissed. Lovepool widened her eyes in terror. Redblaze scratched against Lovepool, making deep red gashes. Lovepool began to fight back.

"Help me, StarClan!" Lovepool yowled. Redblaze chomped her jaws on Lovepool's tail, making the cat screech. Redblaze clawed while she pulled, and a rip and a yowl sounded. A furry tail streaked through the air, blood dripping from the end. Lovepool was kicked to the ground by Redblaze.

"What is StarClan gonna do now, medicine cat?" Redblaze sneered. Lovepool opened her mouth to reply, but Redblaze scratched more. The moon sank, and Lovepool was weak. Blood glistened along her tortoiseshell and white pelt. Lovepool was getting ripped apart.

"Redbl- laze..." Lovepool moaned.

"This is what you deserve." Redblaze purred. She tore at Lovepool's pelt even more.

"Darkness! It's- It's everywhere..." Lovepool mewed faintly. Lovepool fell to the ground, dead. Redblaze had torn her apart.

Redblaze saw StarClan once more. Lovepool was padding away, and Twistedstar took her place.

"With this life, I give you fear. Learn to be afraid. Things will not always go well for the wicked." Twistedstar hissed.

Redblaze lunged for Twistedstar's throat, and she practically tore it out. She saw the SunClan leader fall to the ground with a thud. He was still.

Twistedstar stirred once again, but went still, again. This continued, on and on. Redblaze screeched in shock. Make it seem like I didn't do it. Barkpaw ran in, and gasped. Twistedstar was finally still. Redblaze had already taken her ginger fur out from the dead leader's claws, so all Barkpaw saw was a dead cat, that happened to lead their Clan. But no longer.

Redblaze saw Featherstar approaching, a snarl on her face. "With this life I give you intelligence. So that you know what you are doing is stupid." Featherstar spat. Then a vision came once again.

Redblaze took the chance, and sprang at the white cat. Featherstar cried out in pain as Redblaze slammed her jaws on Featherstar's neck, and she soon went limp. Then, Featherstar stirred again.

"StarClan has been warning me all this time..." Featherstar mewed as Redblaze killed her again.

"Six." Redblaze counted out loud. Featherstar stirred again, and Redblaze bit into her neck, again. "Five."

"Four."

"Help!"

"Three."

"Redbl..."

"Two."

"No..."

"One."

"No!" Featherstar this time rolled from under Redblaze. She was hurt. Featherstar attacked Redblaze with a blazing fury. The two cats fought, screeches and shrieks echoing in the cool night air. It was a moon since Redblaze had last killed. Redblaze lashed out a paw, making Featherstar's legs crumble. But the Clan leader leaped back up and bit at Redblaze, taking fur and flesh. The ginger cat hissed with a great anger, and leaped onto the back of the terrified Clan leader. Redblaze bit into Featherstar's neck, for the last time. Featherstar rolled onto the snow.

"I was wrong to choose you as deputy." Featherstar mewed, faint. She then went limp, for the last time.

Redblaze wondered who would give her her sixth life. Then, her surroundings got dark. It became a slimy, peaty underpaw and darkness shrouded the StarClan cats. Then, she let out a yowl of joy.

"Wretchedblaze!" Redblaze called out.

"With this life, I give you strength. Use it to destroy your enemies." Wretchedblaze mewed. They touched noses, and Redblaze felt a surge of power. Then Nightsong padded forward.

"With this life, I give you the ability to terrorize. If your cats do not do as you say, first scare them out of their fur, then kill them." Nightsong mewed. Redblaze felt he power flowing through her. She saw Sorrelfang come forward.

"With this life, I give you sharp hearing. You never know who might plot against you." Sorrelfang whispered. Redblaze felt as if she could hear all the way across the world. Then, she saw a new cat. This cat was a dark, jet-black. Their teeth were a piercing white. Their eyes were black, not there. The cat was faded, and Redblaze could see the trees behind him.

"My name is Fearstar. My warrior name was Fearfang. I am the first leader to go to the Dark Forest. You have helped greatly. The Dark Forest will be alive!" Fearstar hissed. "With this life, I give you darkness. Let the darkness be your light." Fearstar touched noses with Redblaze, and visions nearly swept her over. Every death. Every murder. Every single kind of agony every cat has went through. But. It made her stronger. Each heartbeat of the vision made Redblaze feel more and more power.

"I hail you by your new name, Redstar. Your old life is no more. You have received the nine lives of a leader, and the Dark Forest grants you leadership of DeathClan. Destroy those who oppose, and make the Dark Forest strong. Redstar! Redstar!" Fearstar began to chant.

"Redstar! Redstar!" The whole of the Dark Forest cried out to the black sky. I am a leader.