"What do you mean, they can cross to the living world?!" Roseheart demanded with her pink fur bristling.

Shadowpaw got the harsh or terrified stares of those around them. He readied his voice and explanation. "Don't you see?! They played MoonClan for fools! Now their leader is dead! They are raising a big enough army to come out of the lake to claim the lives of all the living souls to become the master race. We need to defend ourselves... We need this to STOP. SunClan can't be taken by these mouse-brains because we're stronger than them! We're better than them! The Lake of the Lost will NEVER have any of us!" screamed Shadowpaw as he smacked his paw against the ground.

By hearing his speech, some of the cats stood to their feet with a refreshed expression. "He's right! We won't lose!"

Sonicwind sprang from the Skyrock and landed beside Shadowpaw with his signature Sonic grin. "You'd bet. Besides, I've got she-cats to please!"

"Sonicwind!" screamed Roseheart.

"We'll follow you to the end, Sonicwind," Acorntail stated with Dawnpaw at her side.

Knucklestar stood tall in the morning light. His fur gleamed red and his MoonClan-colored eyes scanned the clearing. Deerkit gazed at him with fearful and proud eyes as her brother and sister sprang on the scattered leaves. She squeaked a comment. "You'll protect us, right? Shadowpaw will keep us safe! Sonicwind too! But especially Knucklestar! He's the greatest cat in the forest!"

Blazepelt smiled down upon Deerkit and Silverflight stood to his feet and left the clearing. He tried to keep his gaze away from his kits and Blazepelt, but he couldn't help but look back. A knot formed in his stomach as he forced to shut his eyes once more before dashing out of the clearing. Nobody other than Shadowpaw saw him leave.

"Everyone, we won't let them believe that they've won. We're going to stand strong and show them who the leaders of this forest are! This means that we must train... We must train for the time where they rise up to defeat us, so we beat them down! Shadowpaw, I'm letting you scout the area. See if there are any MoonClan cats on our territory! Sonicwind, I want you to get together all of the apprentices and kits to train them. Everyone needs to be ready," Knucklestar commanded.

Sonicwind nodded and began to round up the kits and excited apprentices. Shadowpaw dove under the bush at the entrance of the camp. He only just began to crawl out of the bush when he heard Jetstorm say something.

"Hey, Sonicwind...," Jetstorm said to Sonicwind slowly. He continued before getting a reply. "Where'd Silverflight go?"

With those words, Shadowpaw knew where to look first. If he was right, then there wasn't much time. He saw Silverflight's face. It was the face that said that he wouldn't come back. Shadowpaw knew that face too well from his previous life as a hedgehog. But would Silverflight really go so far as to-? No. He couldn't.

Shadowpaw went racing through the trees. He wished that he didn't know the route so well, but he knew it too well. Sprinting down a fog-covered path, he felt only dread run through his fur. He called out to the silver tom. "Silverflight!" When no response came, he only became even more sure that he was there.

Finally, after an eternity of running, he came crashing through a shrub and stumbled into a clearing. Looking up, he saw Silverflight looking his direction in pure terror. He raised his fur to look threatening, but Shadowpaw saw through this. He was scared. They both were. Neither of them wanted to be there.

"What are you doing here, Shadowpaw? Here to make me suffer from my past even more? Is that it?" Silverflight questioned. He gazed down at the lake and its haunting ripples. Shadowpaw could almost hear the waves themselves screaming.

The air in the area was drowned of all life. With every breath that was sucked in, you'd only need to breathe more until you eventually suffocated. It choked the little bit of life from Silverflight's eyes and fear became non-existent. He was like a zombie or a machine that stood without feelings. Just an objective that couldn't be easily overridden.

Shadowpaw flattened his ears as he stepped forward towards a life-drained Silverflight. "No! I'm here to save you! You can't just give up on everything! Not like this! There's still so much in for you! You're a warrior in SunClan. You have three kits and an amazing mate. Why do you want to abandon that?!"

Silverflight remembered them and looked to the ground. His eyes still looked dead inside. The water began to ripple in the lake as black claws came slashing up from the water. When Shadowpaw grew afraid, Silverflight felt more inclined to do it.

"WHY?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" screamed Shadowpaw at Silverflight.

"The future depends on your prophecy being fulfilled. The moment that The Lake of the Lost said those words, I knew they wanted me. I knew it all along. I always knew I was a traitor to our clan. I'm disobeying Knucklestar by doing this. However, I don't want to run from my past anymore. The only way I can make a difference...," he stopped a moment to gaze at the frozen paws in the lake. They awaited for him to come close enough. Silverflight continued. "The only way is to face it. I can't face it any better than this! My father is in this pool... My mother is dead because of me. I shouldn't even exist! But, if there's a chance for me to make it up to them..., I'll do anything. Shadowstrike, if this is the only way to appease your soul of all of your anger, then so be it. I want to apologize... One... last... time."

With those words being said, he splashed his paw into the dark water. All of the claws moved towards him as they began to drag him down. However, this time, unlike many times before, he didn't scream. He didn't resist. Without a word, he was dragged into the lake. Shadowpaw didn't even know it was happening. It was over in a flash. The sound of laughter filled the air to replace its life-draining effect. Claws splashed in the water a few times more before diving beneath the surface. When it was far too late and the sound of slashing claws faded, Shadowpaw called out as loud as he could in despair. "SILVERFLIGHT!"

No response ever came.

His tail drooped as he realized that he did nothing to stop Silverflight. Did he really do what he thought was best? Would Silverflight get what he was looking for by doing that? Surely by sending yourself to the enemy would be the last way to help yourself. By taking himself to the enemy, he really was what he said he was. A traitor. What an idiot.

"So, that's it then... What? No rhyming in my mind to upset my head?! I failed to save his life! He came and went in less than a heartbeat! All because he thought it would amend the relationship between his father!" Shadowpaw yelled to no one in particular. Then he tilted his head towards StarClan. "WHAT ABOUT YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE?! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KEEP US SAFE!" He collapsed onto the ground. He didn't want to be the bearer of the bad news. The choice was thick. Lie to the whole clan about Silverflight or break the news on the same day that they figured out about Scourgestar.

"They'll never have to know... He disappeared and never returned. He got white tail and turned to flee. He'll finally be what he is in the eyes of the clan... A traitor...," Shadowpaw finally said to himself.

The trip back wasn't any better. Leaving was probably the best part of the journey. He sulked through the trees as the sun flew over his head. It began to sink into the trees and by this time, Shadowpaw had sulked all the way to Running Life River. He sat before the water and stared into it. Little fish were swimming around in the river, but he didn't care to catch any. His stomach growled, but he didn't want to eat anything. Silverflight was still fresh in his mind. He thrust a paw deep into the river and felt the water rush through his fur. The fish scattered and Shadowpaw just sat there with his paw in the river. He waited for a sign. A prophecy. Anything. Nothing ever came.

"It was all pointless... It was all my fault! I should've done something! I'm so stupid!" he hissed. Pacing back and forth next to the river calmed him a little. The sound of the peaceful water did ease his bewildered mind. Three more would die in the lake. The river didn't seem to care. It just continued to run on into the horizon. Shadowpaw's ears twitched in the direction the river ran. Without thinking, he began running. Running along with it.

Rocks and rapids picked up as he continued on. Shadowpaw burst out of the SunClan border and sprinted on into unknown lands. The river never once stopped. Sometimes it emptied into a lake or another river. Sometimes Shadowpaw would have to choose which river to follow. With each paw step he took on his journey, he felt more alive. He ran with the river. He ran with the fishes. He ran with life surging through him. Night fell and he finally stopped. Looking up at the moon, he turned around and sprinted back towards camp.

Somewhere around midnight, he came crawling back into camp. Completely famished, he trotted over to the fresh kill and plucked a thrush from the top. Feathery, but satisfying. Stalking towards the apprentice's den, he heard the sound of the rippling energy from the Running Life River. It sang to him. It screamed at him. It said something and continued on. It would continue to continue until the end of time.

Like a river flows,

3 more still run like us.

When 9 lives all glow,

And 2 shall make the fuss.

Yet even through the night,

And even through the fight,

None of them shall learn

Of a hero who will stand

In a condescending light...

"That's me, right?" asked Shadowpaw to the sky. StarClan watched from afar. Their fear slowly rising as The Lake of the Lost grew larger and the Valley of Lost Echoes gained more warriors. Earthstar bowed her head in respects to Shadowstrike and Silverflight. Nothing more could be done.

Shadow!

Sonic, shut up. I wanna sleep in my nest...

A nest? Shadow, nests are for birds!

They're for cats too. What's up?

Well, nothing much. Silver was asking about you the other day. He wanted to know if you had woken up yet. He also said that he missed not having someone around to kick him in the head.

Well..., the Silver in this world is dead. Silverflight drowned in a lake because of him being a stupid traitor with daddy issues.

Oh... So, that's what's been up with you? That's depressing...

I know, right?

Well, I've gotta go. Amy's going to go crazy if I don't take her to the mall.

Okay. Bye, Faker.

Goodbye, Shadow the Emohog.

Walking into the apprentice's den, Shadowpaw glanced over and saw Emeraldpaw again. He hadn't seen her since she had the thorn in her paw that morning. She was asleep in her nest. Her ears were flattening and her fur was fluffing up in her sleep. Claws flashing out of their sheathes and retracting again and again as she ran through an imaginary nightmare. Sympathy surged through Shadowpaw's fur as he slowly made his way towards his nest. "You'll be free from those nightmares soon. I'll make sure of that."

A dreamless night went by and Shadowpaw awoke to Emeraldpaw yanking at his scruff. He hissed harshly as he jerked away from her powerful set of jaws. "WHAT?! Instead of jerking me awake, you could try 'Good morning?'"

"There's no time for that! There's nothing good about this morning! Silverflight's dead!" Emeraldpaw retorted in a whisper. Although, the whisper sounded so loud to him that it was amazing none of the other apprentices woke up.

"I know that! I saw it yesterday... I tried to stop him, but it all happened too fast. Believe me, I'm trying to keep up with all of the death, but I am just one apprentice being given the universe," Shadowpaw explained. He was no longer really upset about it, but he was really annoyed by the fact that he just stood there in fear.

Emeraldpaw didn't accept his argument. "I don't care! You should've tried harder! How are we supposed to tell the clan that Silverflight is dead?! How are we supposed to tell Blazepelt that you stood and watched as he was taken and drowned in the lake?! How are we going to explain to their kits... that their dad isn't coming back?" she asked with seriousness on her face.

Shadowpaw backed away. He never thought of it that way. Lowering his head a little, Shadowpaw made a decision. "I think we should tell Blazepelt. We'll have her decide what to tell the kits about Silverflight. She deserves to know."

Emeraldpaw nodded and left the apprentice's den. According to the sun, it was early in the morning. The clan cats never learned about how to tell time. They only said things like moon-high, sun-high, and stuff like that. Shadowpaw watched a snowflake drift to the ground. Leaf-bare was here and the sun was just barely visible on the horizon because it was so early. Apparently, it didn't matter at all to Emeraldpaw about whether if it was hailing basketballs or blowing down trees outside in the dead of winter. She was going to get what she wanted and she was going to be heard. Shadowpaw both liked and hated that part of her.

She looked into the nursery and nudged Blazepelt awake. The purple she-cat shifted slightly and looked up to see Emeraldpaw. Her eyes fell to the ground and she seemed to know already what Emeraldpaw was going to say. "He's gone. I know. My nightmares told me... I could read his face...," she said. Tears welled in her eyes. "Just leave... I can't handle hearing the news ever again. StarClan might've given me their pity, but I refuse anyone else's. Please..."

...

"I'm sorry," Emeraldpaw stated as she dragged Shadowpaw away. Without another word, she disappeared to the apprentice den.

Shadowpaw's ears twitched with regret. He could hear StarClan's worry. They were sharpening their claws on the sky which created long orange clouds that were reflecting the light from the sun that hadn't yet risen. The dusk was ominous. A few of the warriors were already out with their apprentices. There was never a moment when everyone in the camp was all asleep at the same time. Some had night patrols or guard duties and slept during the day. Camoflight strolled casually into the clearing looking beat. Being a spy for a clan must be hard. For him and Diamondwing both. Not wanting to return to his den, Shadowpaw plucked a mouse from the fresh-kill pile.

"Shadowpaw, have you heard the news?" Camoflight asked as he sat beside the apprentice. Shadowpaw glanced up with interest.

"Nope. I'm all ears."

Camoflight paused a moment to figure out how he would explain it and then answered. "I know who the new leader of MoonClan is," he answered. "It's not going to be Metalclaw."

"What?!" Shadowpaw demanded as he jerked away from his mouse. Camoflight nodded.

"They changed it last minute. Turns out that they're actually making Darkwind the leader. They said that Metalclaw was too easy to manipulate, so MoonClan overthrew him and they're electing Darkwind to be the new leader. However, they're waiting to send him to the lake because they know it's not safe there. We all must call him Darkstar now," Camoflight said. Mephiles the Dark was becoming the leader of MoonClan. Shadowpaw couldn't even begin to comprehend the evil that was coming ahead.

"So, what happened to Metalclaw?" Shadowpaw questioned trying not to think about MoonClan's new leader.

Camoflight shook his head slowly. "They removed his title of deputy and made him into just a warrior. He was devastated. I'm not sure what they're planning next. I was only there for the clan decision. The tension is rising quickly in that clan..."

"I don't doubt it."

Shadowpaw finished off the last of his mouse and dipped his head. "Thanks for the news, Camoflight. Are you going to be sharing this with the rest of the clan?"

"I'll let Knucklestar decide on whether or not to tell the clan. I just felt like I had to tell someone. Yesterday was a long day for everyone. There was Scourgestar's death, Silverflight's disappearance, and the threat of The Lake of the Lost crossing over to the living world. It's crazy...," said Camoflight. He glanced towards the warrior's den. "I just feel like you'd use this information wisely. Out of all of the cats in this camp, I think you're one of the most responsible."

Shadowpaw looked up at the orange clouds. The sun was rising. StarClan was watching. "I know I'm responsible... But I have too much at the moment. I can keep your secret... but I don't want more than I can handle..."

Camoflight nodded. He let Shadowpaw leave back towards the apprentice den. It was still early and he needed the sleep. Thinking about what he said, Camoflight stood to his paws and made his way towards the tree where the leader stayed. "He says that like the entire forest was riding on his shoulders..."

Overhearing, Shadowpaw lowered his head towards the ground. "That's because... it is."