The art on top is what I did. It's a scene from this chapter whoop whoop

~Ken

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Lionpaw's hackles raised as he stalked along through the tunnels, the dirt under his paws shifting with the force he used to slam his paws down. Lionpaw was beyond angry. This was the last straw. No one called him Tiny. No one.

He hissed to himself and buried himself into the crevice of one of the large caverns. The sound of rushing water nearby seemed to relax him a little bit and the tension slowly and gradually left his shoulders. He curled up and went to sleep, his consciousness drifting into the Dark Forest.

"I'm surprised to see you here so early." Tigerstar said when he saw Lionpaw, his brow raised skeptically.

"Yeah, well. What is there to do in the real world anyway?" Lionpaw snapped bitterly, his lip curling back. Tigerstar snorted at him and swatted his ears quickly, claws unsheathed.

"Don't be angry at me. I wasn't the one who called that meeting." Tigerstar hissed, lapping the blood off his claws. Lionpaw let out a vicious hiss and flattened his ears.

"You're all abusive and insane." Lionpaw snarled, stalking off. "All of you. Venomstar, the clan, everyone here!" He felt his fur spike up in anger as eyes materialized in the undergrowth, all glaring at him.

"I'll show him." Mapleshade slithered from the bushes towards Lionpaw, who stood tall and glared down at her. "Bend to me or I will force you."

"I will not bend to such a snake." Lionpaw spat, aiming a heavy blow at her head. His posture was rigid, yet tensed to move if need be. Surprise lit Mapleshade's eyes, but she was too late to dodge Lionpaw's blow, which rendered her unconscious. Lionpaw kicked her body and stalked off, glaring challengingly at anyone who dared come near. He was in no mood to be picked on.

"There's the leader we all have been searching for." Tigerstar smirked, stalking beside Lionpaw. He nudged the apprentice's shoulder. "Act like that and the clan will certainly listen to all of your instructions. You will make a great leader."

"I don't care anymore, Tigerstar. Leave me alone." Lionpaw growled at him, bristling.

"Oh, to the contrary, my dear son. There is one last task you must complete before you can earn your warrior name." Tigerstar's expression hid the smugness he was feeling inside.

"Oh yeah? And what in the name of StarClan must I do to prove myself to you yet again?" Lionpaw snapped back sarcastically. He stopped walking to glare at Tigerstar.

"I want you to kill either one of your brothers, Swiftflame, or Camofur. Any of the three, all of the three, I don't care. Just kill at least one. When word of their death reaches me I will prepare your warrior ceremony." Tigerstar said. "This is a test of your will. If you can't kill any of those choices you are weak and I will kill you myself. Be warned." He let out a light laugh. "Happy hunting." Tigerstar smirked. With that he disappeared into the darkness and Lionpaw succumbed to the feeling off being shaken awake.

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"Lionpaw!" Swiftflame's voice rose in terror. Lionpaw's eyes snapped open and he hissed at her, until he saw she was bleeding.

"What?!" Lionpaw snapped, his paws moving to force her down. He began to use some cobwebs nearby to patch up her ear.

"Y-Your brother attacked me, I-I didn't know who else to go to... I don't want to get him killed!" she cried, shock bright in her eyes. Lionpaw sighed and walked off a moment, sniffing out some thyme in a sunny patch nearby.

"Of course my brother attacked you. He's mean and he hates me." Lionpaw mumbled, dropping the thyme by her paws. She licked it up and quickly ate it. "What did he want?"

"H-he wanted to know why Venomstar cares so much about you......." Swiftflame gulped. "Is it true....... Is it true that you've been training in the Dark Forest?" she asked in a hushed tone. Lionpaw let out a sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Yes. I am. It isn't like there's anywhere else to train anyway, thanks to your mate." Lionpaw pointed out coldly. Swiftflame whimpered and flinched at Lionpaw's words. She didn't know what to say or do so she just lowered her head. "You can't even admit your own choices. If you regret them so much why don't you just crawl to Venomstar and beg for your freedom?" he snapped, padding a few paces away.

"H-he'd kill me, you know that..." Swiftflame watched his back as he moved away from her, and she kept where she was.

"That would be better than this miserable existence, wouldn't it?" Lionpaw muttered, sitting back on his haunches. He stared at the small rushing river that fed into a pool in the cavern, his jaw clenched tightly shut.

"Lionpaw.... Please..." Swiftflame's eyes teared up and she frowned deeply.

"What? It's true. I have nothing to live for. Absolutely nothing. I used to have you but even you were taken from me. That's your fault, not mine. Maybe you're not having the best time either but that was purely your choice and if you want to come whining to me about it you had better just turn around and leave." Lionpaw snapped. "Go back to your mate. Enjoy your petty meaningless little life. I'd rather live on my own for the rest of my life than go back there."

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. Is that what you want me to say?" Swiftflame snapped quietly. "I don't understand why you're so upset. You act like your life is over. It isn't." she said quietly.

"No. It's far from over. StarClan wouldn't let me off easy, I'm no fool. My life is just empty. I don't have anyone to share it with and I never will." Lionpaw said coldly, staring at the water ahead of him. "You'll have your mate and eventually I'm sure you two will have kits. When he dies you'll be leader, or if you die before that you'll go to StarClan where you'll see everyone you knew who died. You'll enjoy the rest of your eternities in peace among the stars. Do you know what waits for me?" Lionpaw said in an empty and blank tone.

"Th-that's not t-true......" Swiftflame argued weakly.

"Yes it is. You know it is. And while you're off enjoying your life, sharing it with so many others, I'll be here by myself. I'll live out the rest of my life with myself and try my best not to run into anyone else. The Dark Forest will claim my soul once I die and I will spend the rest of my eternities chased by nothing more than ghosts and mean spirits." Lionpaw said, continuing in the blank tone. "And you know what? I deserve it. Especially for what I'm going to do before I go."

"Y-you can't leave..... Please... I-I need you...." Swiftflame whispered, tears trailing down her cheeks.

"You obviously don't need me that much seeing as you left me for an abusive tom who's too old for you." Lionpaw replied absently, his tail curling protectively over his paws. His golden eyes remained expressionless, almost vacant.

"That doesn't mean I don't care!" Swiftflame squeaked, her shame clear in her eyes.

"If you care you sure don't act like it. I didn't think abandonment was synonymous with caring." Lionpaw's ears absently twitched. He felt dead on the inside, Swiftflame's words cut into his heart like knives. He was sure by now his heart was too mangled to be recognizable anymore.

"H-he's nice to me sometimes......" Swiftflame defended herself weakly. "Besides..... It isn't like y-you and I could've ever happened anyway..."

"You didn't hang on to hope very long. I always thought you were the strong-willed one, the hopeful one, the optimistic one of the two of us. But you're not. You're weak and ignorant and blind and I'm sorry I ever fell for you." Lionpaw said quietly, shaking his head slowly.

"Y-you don't m-mean that..... Y-you c-can't....." Swiftflame whimpered. She was hurt too, but she was more shameful than anything. "I-I did l-love you.... I-I really did..."

"Then what changed? The fact that I'm not smaller than everyone anymore? The fact that everyone seems to think I'm a terrible cat? What changed? Or was it your need for vengeance? Let me tell you something, dear. Vengeance only works if you don't regret doing it." Lionpaw said flatly with a shrug.

"Lionpaw...." Swiftflame forced her eyes shut; shame, regret, and tears filled them and she wanted to hide it.

"What? After all this time you chose to say something? Why now? Why do you even care enough to look my way? Why? It's not like I'm going to smile or look back at you. It hurts too much." Lionpaw's expression started to show what he was feeling. The pain came to the surface a little, his eyes shining with the loneliness he felt inside.

"L-Lionpaw..... I'm pregnant....." Swiftflame said quietly, taking a small step towards him. Lionpaw remained stiff where he was.

"I know they aren't mine, so why are you telling me?" Lionpaw said cuttingly through gritted teeth.

"Because I'm scared, Lionpaw! I'm scared and I don't know what to do and you're the only cat I can go to for help and I thought maybe you'd help me because you're my best friend!" Swiftflame cried, bursting into tears again.

"Our relationship died the day you left me." Lionpaw said coldly, tears rising to his own eyes. He slowly stood and looked at her. "Talk to the father of the kits. I'm sure he'll be more than willing to help raise them." He started to pad off, tears trailing down his face silently. "I almost forgot. Congratulations." His voice broke mid-statement, his tail dragging along the ground.

The undamaged bit of his heart said he should help her, but the damaged part overruled this and told him to let her deal with her problems on her own. He forced away all his emotions, letting himself fall into numbness. It was much better than the pain he felt when he thought about Swiftflame.

He rushed off above ground, trying to find somewhere he could be alone, somewhere he could forget himself. He laid down in a field of immensely tall yellow grass and let his emotions out, crying silently into his front paws. He hoped things would change, soon. If not, he'd make them change.