Kitten of the Dark Forest

Ch 3: Voices of the Dead

Mapleshade brought Tinykit to the front of the tree, where Thistleclaw, Darkstripe, and Clawface were waiting. Tinykit smirked. These cats were only a mere shadow of what he could of been had he not died. "I like the way you think," the voice known as Tigerstar said. Mapleshade stepped in front of Tinykit, pointing to the largest of the three cats, a tabby tom with spiky dark gray-and-white fur. "Tinykit, meet Thistleclaw. He used to train here when he was but an apprentice. Beside him is Darkstripe," Mapleshade pointed to a dark gray tabby tom with black stripes, "and Clawface," then pointed to a dark brown tom. "Ah, Thistleclaw. My dear mentor. A true Dark Forest cat to the bone, he is," Tigerstar stated. "And Darkstripe. My very favorite apprentice. Always following my lead, he was. And Clawface...I knew that his loyalty was split between Brokenstar and I, so I never really chose him to do anything important. But I guess beggars can't be choosers now, oh how my group had shrunk!" "Who were the cats that were in this group that died?" he said aloud, soon realizing his mistake. Thistleclaw's eyes narrowed. "And what makes you think that there were other cats in the group?" he hissed. Tinykit bared his teeth and growled, "How dare you! Why, this group is called Tigerstar's group, and I didn't hear any cat named Tigerstar!" Though Tinykit knew he was the one that had made a mistake and Thistleclaw was only acting like a Dark Forest cat, he hated being talked to like he was inferior. He took a few steps forward until he was almost nose to nose with Thistleclaw. "And if you think you can talk to me like that, then you must be fine with having your nose shredded!" All four of the adult cats shrank back, a mixture of shock, unease, and fear on all of their faces. Thistleclaw was the first to recover, and in rage he hissed menacingly and began to circle Tinykit, intent on killing him. Tinykit narrowed his eyes as he heard Tigerstar's voice. "Nice. You stood up for yourself, and I like that. I knew I chose the right kit. Now, if you defeat him, or at least show him that he isn't dealing with a defenseless kit, I'm sure he and the others will tell you all you need to know. Now, just use what I've shown you and you'll do fine. But don't forget that Thistleclaw will give this his all, and will not be hesitant like Bramblestar was." Tinykit grinned in such a way that Thistleclaw paused for a moment. But it was cut short, as a pause was just what Tinykit was waiting for. He jumped forward with surprising speed, and lashed Thistleclaw's nose with surprishingly sharp claws. He then jumped on the big cat's back and began to tear at his ear with his teeth. Thistleclaw yowled and shook his head hard, trying to shake Tinykit off. His ear tore in two, and Tinykit tumbled off his head. Landing quite gracefully, he spat the town half of Thistleclaw's ear out of his mouth and quickly plotted his next move. Thistleclaw rushed toward him but was stopped halfway by Mapleshade, who seemed to be furious herself. "Thistleclaw! He is a kit!" she yowled, her patchy fur standing on it's end and her eyes blazing. "This kit has just joined the Dark Forest, and this is how you welcome it? Why, as a punishment I should let it tear you apart! It's obvious this kit is powerful, why do you think he is here? Now, how about we tell him who we have lost?" Mapleshade calmed down a little, and sat, staring at Thistleclaw defiantly. He growled quietly, and said, "Fine. Tigerstar was our powerful leader, but he was beaten by that kittypet Firestar. Hawkfrost was Tigerstar's most loyal son, and was struck down by a traitor who wad his own brother, Bramblestar. Brokenstar is the reason Clawface is here, and was killed by his own mother. An old, scraggly medicine cat, no less! There, are you happy now?" Tinykit smiled smugly at the bloody, beaten cat and nodded. Then he got up and, without a word, walked away, as Tigerstar wanted to speak to him. "Good work. You really showed Thistleclaw who's boss! Heh. Well, now that you have proven yourself, it's time I introduced you to my friends. They are; Hawkfrost, Brokenstar, and Shredtail, who was from Silverhawk's group." Tinykit stopped and widened his eyes as all three cats greeted him. These were the cats that had died! Then Tinykit realized what this meant. He had four bloodthirsty cats speaking to him through his mind, and there was nothing anyone else could do about it. "Yes, you now know what this means," Tigerstar said. "With four cruel cats in your head, you can become the most feared cat ever known. We will guide you on your bloody path, and you will have your victory, as we have promised you so long ago. Now sit down and get comfortable, for we have a plan."

Mapleshade called out Tinykit's name in fear. She was worried that Tinykit had gotten lost in the forest, and could not find his way back. "Tinykit, where are you?" she called over and over again. "Over here," a voice from the side answered. She sighed in relief and walked over to where Tinykit was calmly sitting. "You surprised us all back there," Mapleshade started. "Everyone was astounded by the way you talked to Thistleclaw, and they just couldn't believe how you had fought him. Darkstripe told Silverhawk, so now it's all around the Dark Forest. You've put a seed of fear in their hearts, a seed that will grow in time, believe me, I know. But I must ask you, how did you become like this?" Tinykit sighed like he knew this was coming, and spoke. "Before I was even born, a voice spoke to me in my mind. Guided me through my bloodstained path, and led me here." He looked up at her, smiling with all his teeth. "I don't regret listening to Tigerstar at all, for he has shown me joy and passion that no regular cats can have. He's with Hawkfrost, Brokenstar, and Shredtail too, so I know that with your help, Mapleshade, we can take back what should already be ours. Besides, we already have a plan."