"My name is Glitch." The she cat meowed, and Crimsonpaw reflected on how the strange cat's name suited her well. After a heavy silence filled the air bretween the two, Glitch hissed, her voice crackling through the mask. "Now, I see you have been having trouble in your clan..."

Crimsonpaw murmured. "Have you been watching me?" Whoever this she cat is, and wherever this.. this Dark Forest place is... Crimsonpaw had a bad feeling about it all.

"Yes, I have." The scarred she cat rumbled, taking a step closer to Crimsonpaw. Her glowing white eyes turned down to meet her gaze. "Are you going to thank me for saving your life?"

"You saved my life?" The red she cat queried, narrowing her amber eyes.

"I haven't healed you yet, but I will... Or- rather- my friend will." Glitch purred and began striding away, her crooked tail twitching. "Follow." She ordered firmly, giving Crimsonpaw no choice but to follow her.

They walked for a long time. Crimsonpaw was lost after the first three steps, the Dark Forest seemed to go on forever, and every twist and turn looked exactly the same as the last. How does Glitch know where to go? She wondered, bewildered.

As if reading her mind, Glitch replied smoothly. "After spending most of your life here, you learn just about everything about the portion of Dark Forest that belongs to you."

"So is this your territory? Are you part of a clan?" But she doubted the scarred she cat was a warrior- she had a rogue name and that strange mask.

"You could say I'm the leader of this territory, and I'm not a former clan member. But since discovering this place, I have found all the secrets of the clans." Crimsonpaw could sense the grin rising on Glitch's mouth, even with a thick black mask covering it.

The white she cat paused when they came across a clearing. There was a den on one side, sheltered by thick vines and dried up leaves. Glitch's voice snarled through her mask, coming out even more terrifying than anything Crimsonpaw had heard. "Spark!" The scarred she cat's voice echoed around the clearing, her glowing white eyes narrowed impatiently.

"Yes?" The light ginger she cat emerged from the den. "What do you want?" Her blue eyes narrowed when she saw Crimsonpaw. "Another apprentice, Glitch? You know what happened to the last three."

"It won't happen with Crimsonpaw." Glitch replied, growling at Spark. "She is strong. She will be able to take it."

Be able to take what? Crimsonpaw blinked in confusion, staring at the two she cats. What sort of nonsense is she thinking up in her mind?

Spark stalked towards Crimsonpaw, her blue eyes searching her, studying her. "You look small, feeble." She sniffed her as she circled. "Stand straighter, stop cowering down."

Crimsonpaw held back a squeak as her ear was nipped by Spark. "I said stand straight!" Her voice growled in her ear. Crimsonpaw immediately lifted her head a bit higher, her chest puffing out. "Better." Spark murmured. "You look bigger now. But you're still as small as a kit."

The red she cat held back a growl, annoyed at Spark for mentioning her size so many times. It wasn't her fault that she was tiny!

Glitch's voice rumbled from beside her. "She will do it, I can feel her hidden potential. The shadows pull towards her. She is the one!"

Spark let out a warning growl at the scarred she cat, her pretty ginger pelt bristling. "You're desperate for an apprentice, so desperate that you think this... this kit will be able take your place!"

Crimsonpaw flinched at the venom on Spark's tongue as she spat the word 'kit.' She let out a small noise of complaint, wanting to leave the Dark Forest. Glitch and Spark were scary, and they were talking about something Crimsonpaw couldn't understand.

"Just heal her and we'll speak of this later." Glitch replied, her thorn-sharp claws scraping along the ground. The scar over her left eye creased as her glowing white eyes narrowed. "We will speak again soon, Crimsonpaw."

Before Crimsonpaw could utter another word, Spark lifted a paw and rested it firmly on her head. She gasped as her body went numb and she collapsed on the ground, darkness quickly encompassing her vision.

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