A booming crack of thunder was followed by a flash of lightning so bright it looked like a fire scorching the sky. Four cats raced along despite the pouring rain, laughing and picking fun at one another.

"I dare you to swim to the middle of the river and back!" A soaked tortoiseshell molly teased, poking a paw at a large tabby tom.

The tom snorted. "Who do you think I am, a sissy? I'll swim all the way to the other side and back again!"

The molly and another cat, a brown tom, laughed, not really believing the other tom was serious. However, a gray cat, his thick fur hanging heavily around him, knew better. "I don't think that's a good idea—"

"Oh, shut up, Minnowpaw!" The tabby was already at the river's edge. He stared down at the raging waters below. The normally clear, peaceful water was swirling rapidly, and when he stuck a paw in, he couldn't even see it beneath the murky surface. The tom knew this was a bad idea. He could feel it in his gut. But that thought was buried by too much pride.

He turned to his friends, gave a mocking laugh, and was suddenly knocked off balance. He fell down, down, down, his vision suddenly clouded by muddy water.

Bristleberry bolted upright in his nest, his eyes narrowed with rage. He hissed angrily as he was forced to relive that awful night over again in his mind.

Minnowfur. Minnowfur pushed me. Minnowfur...

His vision was starting to go red around the edges. Oh, how he longed to knock his brother to the ground, to watch his blood pool out onto the grass...

But I can't. He growled and chomped down on one of his useless hind legs in frustration. He was even more angered by the fact that he couldn't even feel the pain.

  It had been almost a year since the incident down at the river, but Bristleberry could recall it as vividly as if it were yesterday. The torrential downpour, the wind whistling in his ears. The swift, clouded water just below his paws. And that moment. When he was turned around, facing his friends, and something rushed passed him, knocking him off balance. Minnowfur. I know it was him. He's always been jealous of me. No one buys his hawk story anyways.

He remembered how his breath was snatched away as he crashed into the icy water. He remembered how it clogged his fur, made it too heavy for him to swim. He remembered how he could not tell which way was up as he crashed around beneath the water's surface. He remembered his vision just starting to go black when a terrible pain suddenly flashed along his spine. And after that, all he could recall were the twisted willows of the camp surrounding him as he lay inside the medicine den, where he would later learn he would stay for the rest of his life.

Now, Bristleberry, with a permanently broken spine and twisted forepaw, could barely drag himself around camp. His voice had become hoarse from the gritty, sand-and-mud-filled water, and he sounded like an elder in the dead of leaf-bare. Everyone pitied him; he knew that. And he hated it. He wanted to rip some of their eyes out just so they'd stop staring.

Bristleberry crawled out of his nest, not willing to go back to the lands of his dreams. Sometimes, he had visions of his earlier years, when he longed to become a powerful and respected warrior. But Minnowfur stole everything from me, he seethed. I'll kill him. I will.

"I'm quite fond of poison," an unfamiliar voice cooed in his ear.

Bristleberry whipped around. "Who said that?" His mentor, Seednose, had passed away just after giving him his full name, so he was usually alone in the den. "Well, come on, reveal yourself!"

As he finished speaking, he let out a yelp of surprise and almost fell backwards. A translucent, dull-colored she-cat appeared in front of him, seemingly out of thin air. "Hello, Bristleberry."

"A-are you from StarClan?" Bristleberry had never, not even once, successfully communicated with his ancestors. Seednose had still been teaching him at the time of her early death.

The molly smirked. "Something like that. Now, you were talking about getting revenge on that brother of yours, if I'm not mistaken?"

Bristleberry narrowed his eyes. "So what if I was? Have you come to drag me to the Dark Forest or something? Preach your goody-two-shoes code to me?"

The gray she-cat let out a cold, hard laugh that made Bristleberry shiver. Her eyes showed no humor; only dark emotionlessness. "No. I came to make you a deal."

Bristleberry immediately sensed that something was wrong. He narrowed his eyes as another chill threatened to make him tip over. "Go on."

"I can help you get the perfect revenge on Minnowfur." Her dark eyes gleamed with malice. "For a small price."

"And what might that be?"

"Your soul."

Bristleberry's eyes widened. "W-what? What do you mean?"

The molly opened her mouth to speak, but just then, the leaves dangling over the entrance to the den rustled. Bristleberry froze, and as a small tom entered, he glanced sideways and saw that the apparition had vanished. What just happened?

"Bristleberry, I stepped on a thorn," the tiny kit mewed, his eyes wide and fearful. "Mama told me not to play outside, but I didn't listen. I'm sorry."

The medicine cat murmured a few words to the tom, then began to examine the wound. As he did, his mind reeled. Who was that she-cat? What did she mean by "the perfect revenge?" What use does a StarClan cat have for my soul?

All day, Bristleberry waited for the molly to come back; but she never did. He treated a few minor wounds and administered the daily medicine to the elders, and all the while he couldn't stop thinking about her offer. By the time the sun was setting, he had made his decision; when the she-cat came back, he would tell her he had accepted her offer.

- - -

He didn't have to wait long. No sooner had his eyes closed than he was blinking awake in a small hollow in a shadowy forest. He bolted upright, wincing as his twisted paw turned at an odd angle. He looked around. The air was thick and smelled strongly of decay. He could hear a river somewhere nearby, but he couldn't see it through the dense, fog-laced undergrowth. Suddenly another sound met his ears; the sharp cry of a cat in pain.

Bristleberry whipped around, searching for the source of the noise. But at that exact moment, a familiar semi-transparent she-cat waltzed into the clearing.

"You came," she purred, walking over to him. Though her voice was warm, her facial expression was completely devoid of emotion. She looked him up and down. "So, what do you think? Will you accept the offer and let me help you with this little problem?"

The medicine cat gulped. "I accept."

For the first time, the molly's eyes flashed with something other than bloodlust; surprise. But it quickly faded, and she took a step towards him. "Say it again."

"I-I accept," Bristleberry meowed, his voice quivering slightly. He inched backward as she took another threatening step towards him.

"One more time," she hissed. As she spoke, Bristleberry saw a strange pale fog starting to encircle them. He looked from side to side as the mist closed in around him and the she-cat. After a few moments, when he didn't speak, she shouted, "Again! Once more!"

"I accept!" As the words left his mouth, Bristleberry gasped, suddenly unable to breathe. He fell to the ground, choking as the fog surged in, fighting its way in through his mouth, his nose; any way it could enter his body.

As he lay on the ground, twitching, struggling for breath, the molly tilted her head back. Her eyes had begun to glow a ghostly green, and a huge grin was plastered on her face.

Just as Bristleberry was sure he was going to die, the fog receded. The cloud that had been surrounding him dispersed, but he could feel the rest of it inside him, writhing around like a fox stuck in a trap.

At the same time, the molly snapped back to attention, the glow fading from her dark brown eyes. She was shaking, but certainly not for the same reason Bristleberry was. "Yes... yes yes yes! It worked! It... it worked." She stared at him, her usual smirk on her face. "You fool. You mouse-brained fool! Do you know what you have done?"

Bristleberry could only wheeze a faint response. "I-I know this isn't StarClan. I know I've just sold my soul to a villain of the Dark Forest."

"Yes! But do you know? Do you know the power this gives me? I can live again! I can terrorize the Clans once more! A pure, innocent soul... untainted, uncorrupted, perfect for those stupid star-gazers. But I have it. It's mine... all mine!"

"Not yet," the tom could finally right himself now, and he glared defiantly at the she-cat. "You have to fulfill your end of the deal."

"Yes, I know that," she hissed angrily. She lashed her tail from side to side. "I'll call them here. Just a moment, one moment..."

The two sat in silence for several heartbeats before there was a sudden movement off to Bristleberry's right. He whipped his head around to see five cats; one, he hadn't seen since the night of the accident, and the other four, he knew very well.

He sunk his claws into the dirt as he watched the confusion, then horror in their eyes. One of the kits was the first to speak. "Mama, where are we?"

The she-cat beside Bristleberry cackled wildly. "Welcome one, welcome all! You're in hell! Welcome to hell!" She was hysterical, hardly breathing between laughs. "Bristleberry, I give you my blessing. I restore function in your legs for one night and one night only."

To his shock, the medicine cat stood with little effort. He... he could feel! His back legs... he stretched one, then the other, just to be sure. His forepaw, too; there it was, supporting his weight, completely untwisted. Oh StarClan... he looked up at the terrified cats before him, and a wide, maniacal grin worked its way from cheek to cheek. This is going to be fun.

Just as he was about to leap at his brother, the Dark Forest she-cat stopped him with a flick of her tail. "No, you're thinking too shallow, Bristleberry. Make him suffer first."

   Bristleberry immediately knew what she meant, and with a fearsome yowl, he sprang right at the cowering she-cat and her two kits.

   He landed square on her back, pinning her to the grass while her children raced around her, trying to help. Bristleberry swatted away a tiny tom as he tried to bite the medicine cat's flank. "You're a pathetic cat, Shellcloud. You deserve the most undignified death for what you've done to me, for what you failed to do."

   The molly's eyes were wide with fear as she struggled under him. "Bristleberry, what's happening? You have to save us! The kits! Get us out of this StarClan-foresaken place!"

   He glanced over his shoulder and saw the Dark Forest molly was keeping Minnowfur and the other tom, Oakmask, back. He leaned in close to Shellcloud's ear and hissed, "You'll die slowly, and watch me end your kits lives in your final moments. This is what you deserve, for mating with my brother, for not saving me from the river. And for not bearing my kits instead."

   In one swift moment, Bristleberry flipped her over and sunk his claws deep into the soft flesh of her belly, raking them slowly downward and watching her gasp for air. When he pulled back his paws, a large pool of blood had begun to form in the grass, the helpless queen at its heart.

   Quickly, before she could slip into the cold embrace of death, Bristleberry pulled her kits close to her. They were wailing for their father, but when they saw Shellcloud, the fell silent. "Look, Shellcloud. Look at your kits. Watch them die."

   He picked up the first kit, the molly Sandykit, and swiftly snapped her neck in his jaws. He dropped her limp body into the curve of her mother's belly. Shellcloud made a gurgling sound that could have been a "No!"

   Next, Bristleberry turned to the other kit, a tom. "And you thought you could make it all up to me by naming this piece of mouse-dung after me. Berrykit, do you see your mother? Your sister? They're dead."

   The tom was no more than a scrap of fur, shaking so violently Bristleberry thought he might pass out. "W-w-what does th-that mean? Mama? Papa?"

  "And your father. He's over there. Do you see him?"

   Berrykit turned his head. "Papa! Papa, help! Mama and Sandykit—"

   Bristleberry cut of the kit by smashing his forepaw into the kit's skull. The pitiful tom collapsed, but just to make sure he was dead, the medicine cat flipped him over and ripped his throat from his neck.

   He looked up and stared his brother in the eyes. The Dark Forest cat had already severely wounded, if not killed, Oakmask, and he lay bleeding out in the grass. Bristleberry spat out Berrykit's throat and starting walking over to his brother, who bore a look of pure shock and horror on his face.

   "No... no, this isn't real— It can't be," Minnowfur's voice shook as he spoke. Finally, he looked up at his brother, who was now stalking towards him. "Bristleberry, what... where are... what have you done?"

   "Something I've been longing to do for moons," the medicine cat hissed, his mouth contorting into a vile smirk. "You thought you were going to get away with what you have done. You thought you could ruin my life without any consequence! But today... oh, today, Minnowfur, you'll receive your punishment."

   Minnowfur stood now. The ghostly she-cat hissed, but Bristleberry motioned to her that it was ok. This was his battle, not hers.

   "That's what this is about, then?" The silver tom's meow was thick with tears. "You just killed my mate, my kits, my family... all because you think I pushed you into the river? I didn't! Bristleberry, I swear to the stars, I did not push you. A hawk—"

   "I know your story," Bristleberry spat. "'A hawk swooped down and we weren't fast enough. It tried to pick up Bristlepaw, but it knocked him backwards instead,'" he mocked his brother's shaky voice. "I don't trust those other two any more than I trust you. Shellcloud and Oakmask's word mean as much as mouse dung to me."

   Minnowfur let out a cold laugh. "Fine, believe what you want. You've already taken everything from me; go ahead, kill me. Watch my blood stain the grass, if that's what you really want."

   Bristleberry smirked, ready to spring at his brother, but then he stopped. "Actually, I have a better idea."

   His brother gulped. "And what is that?"

   "I'll let you live—" the medicine cat started.

   "Ha! I'll tell the whole Clan! You'll be exiled, or maybe killed!" Minnowfur chuckled. "Are you mad?"

   "Yes," Bristleberry purred. "And it won't matter if you tell the Clan. I won't even exist in the morning."

   Minnowfur looked confused, but before he could speak, the only other cat still standing in the clearing cut in. "That's right," she hissed, staring Bristleberry directly in the eyes. "Minnowfur, your brother was so desperate for revenge that he sold his soul to me. Do you have any idea what I can do with that power?"

   "And the Clan will never suspect me," the medicine cat continued. "I can have... wait, what was your name?" He asked the she-cat.

   "Shadefrost," she meowed evenly.

   Bristleberry nodded. "I can have Shadefrost multilate my soulless body so that the Clan thinks I died along with the others. They'll think it was a fox or a badger. Or better yet, another Clan! This could be the start of a beautiful war, Minnowfur."

   The silver tom sputtered, all of the defiance in his eyes gone. "You... you really thought about this, didn't you?"

   "Not really." His teeth flashed in a sly grin. "Funny how things fall into place, isn't it? And what will the Clan think of you, Minnowfur, when you tell them about this? They'll think you're covering for someone. Even if I don't kill you, there's a good chance they will."

   The two brother's just stared into each other's eyes for a few long moments. One was searching for any sign of light, any sign of weakness in the other's eyes. And the other's were gleaming with nothing but triumph.

   "I suppose you've won then, Bristleberry," Minnowfur meowed slowly. "Go on then, he's had his revenge. Now have his soul. I think it's fair that he should rot in this wretched place for eternity."

   "Bye bye, little kitty." As Shadefrost purred in a sing-songy voice, Minnowfur began to fade, presumably back to the world of the living. The last thing Bristleberry saw of his brother were his usually bright amber eyes now dark and cold; he saw no emotions in his brother's eyes other than pure hatred.

   Shadefrost's words dragged the medicine cat from his thoughts. "Alright, that was fun, but let's finish this deal." Her eyes had started to glow again, and Bristleberry could see the fog rising up from the ground once more. This time, as the mist began to choke him, he didn't fight back. He twitched and convulsed as the cloudy substance filled his veins, draining his source of life. With each passing moment, he could feel himself being ripped away from his flesh; first, he lost all feeling in his limbs. Next, his vision and his hearing. Now, he was trapped in his quickly-shrinking mind. He couldn't remember where he was. He no longer knew who he was. But there was one thing he did know; he had won.