"How dare you!" Snowtuft snarled, Goldensky's fur fluffing up in frustration, a fury the golden she-cat had never displayed in her life. Mapleshade knew with these next few days Snowtuft would abuse the pelts ability to perform such an action. They were alone together by the lake, driven into solitary by Mapleshade's request of the other possessing spirit.
Currently Mapleshade was watching Snowtuft pace, Goldensky's tail twitching and swatting in the air in anger.
"You are horrible at playing your part." Mapleshade commented, licking at her paw as she avoided Snowtuft's stiff glare.
"I am horrible at playing my part?! You're the one giving that Sunscar brat any chance possible to come back and uncover our plans! Thistleclaw would have torn your throat out if you told him what you just told me!" Snowtuft roared, his anger collapsing into a bottomless pit as his patience no longer supported Mapleshade's changes in their operation. She sighed at her partner, losing her own patience with him ounce by ounce as he began circling her.
"Thistleclaw would agree with me. I am doing this because there are more cats to fool than just the half blind medicine cat." Mapleshade countered, using her extended knowledge as an advantage over the less experienced dark forest member.
"I've corrupted cats long before you were recruited, you have no sway in my decisions or Thistleclaw's. I know what I've done, but you must realize Thistleclaw chose me to be on this mission. That says a lot more than why he chose you." She continued with her venomous growl, giving Snowtuft one of her sharpest glares. The tom mumbled to himself but stopped his circling, sitting and trying to clear his mind. Even if he didn't agree, somewhere in her speech she had a point.
"We need to kill Voleeye. I don't want to be putting this off. We've tricked them so far, staying any longer can risk us losing that trust. Voleeye must die, and I will kill him. With or without you I will fulfill this task." He began to walk away, pausing as he reached the ferns, "And I will do it tonight." Snowtuft warned, resuming his walk into the forest. Mapleshade watched him go, her heart climbing its way into her throat. Tonight Voleeye would die.
Should she have stopped him? Should she have protested against him? Mapleshade knew they must complete their plan, once the tom was dead she would not need to keep up a charade anymore.
There was no risk if he died tonight. Mapleshade lowered her head, Runningwish's emerald eyes turned to the ground. Her chest tightened as she felt sorrow overtake her.
Voleeye would be killed by Snowtuft tonight, and she couldn't do anything to stop him. Stopping him, delaying him, it would be a direct act of disobedience and loss of loyalty to Thistleclaw if she didn't follow through. Snowtuft with his loud mouth would snitch to him about her passiveness in following through.
Mapleshade stood with a heavy heart, though she now realized it wasn't her who was being dragged down by sorrow. Runningwish was still inside her, pushing for her to reconsider defeat against Snowtuft's plan, but she knew there was no other option. If Mapleshade wanted to live she needed to stay loyal to the dark forest, she couldn't betray them or her soul would be destroyed for it.
"I'm sorry." Mapleshade whispered to no one who was physically with her. The person she was talking to knew what she was saying.
"I will.. Do my best to make it easy for him." She tried to promise as she left the island, staring up at the canopy above her.
°---°----------------------------------------------°---°
Mapleshade had made it back to camp and padded to the fresh-kill pile. She deposited a few mice she had caught, eyeing the pile. She was hungry but she turned away, undeserving of a meal.
Why did she feel so disgusting? So disgraceful? Mapleshade knew from the beginning what she was doing.
Killing cats wasn't anything knew for her to experience. Manipulating cats wasn't a new task either. She had lied and bargained for her own gain, why was it so different this time?
She sighed as she looked at the nursery, certain Spottedlegs was occupying the den. Maybe before she left she could talk to her one last time. She walked over to the den, her eyes feigning a normal behavior but deep down she was being dragged through mud, it was a sticky misery.
The sight of the tortoiseshell queen laying in her nest brought a small spark to her heart, tugging at its strings to lighten its load.
"Hello, Spottedlegs. How are you?" She asked as she poked her head inside. Spottedlegs looked over at her curiously, surprised to be getting a visitor so late.
"I'm well. The kits are having fun causing me a few inconveniences, but other than that I'm glowing with joy." She said with a cheery undertone of her tired voice. Mapleshade offered a smile, her ears twitching as a cricket began to play it's melody somewhere nearby.
"I'm sure they will be just as rowdy when they're born." Mapleshade said, looking to the queen's stomach. Something in her ached as she saw her bellyfur. It struck a cord in her memory of when she was a queen.
Even with such corrupting memories flooded through the back of her eyes, and their consequences, she kept up a smile of good humor to the she-cat.
"Have you seen Voleeye? He promised to come see me before he went to sleep." Spottedlegs piped up, tilting her head to the left to try and look passed the brown she-cat. Mapleshade paused in replying. Tonight was the night, she was well aware of what Voleeye could be doing at this hour.
"I..." She paused again as her mind fought itself in a moral civil war. The overwhelming memories of her kits, their father abandoning her. Voleeye being killed would be the same effect on these kits residing in Spottedleg's tummy.
She couldn't go through with it, not anymore. Mapleshade rose and bolted away, careless of the world around her as a startled and confused Spottedlegs laid in her nest, watching as the brown pelt vanished behind the wall of ferns.