Silentdawn awoke to the depressingly pale, quiet dawn with glazed eyes and a mouth dry with nausea. Strangely, she felt she hadn't dreamed at all in the past few hours. She was so exhausted her mind didn't even bother to do so.
She regained her senses, and all the memories from last night came suddenly flooding back. Her ears pinned back, as she found herself overwhelmed by those same thoughts and worries once again. Silentdawn tiredly lowered her head, wishing to make an attempt to go back to sleep, only to be shocked by the feeling of something gazing at her. The molly turned around to see Stormray gazing into the cavern.
"Come out," they spoke.
Silentdawn felt anxiety at the sight of them, and was suddenly stricken with repulsion for her own fear of this cat. "Why?" she spoke simply.
"It's important," Stormray answered. "The leader is alive."
Silentdawn didn't speak a word, but her ears perked as she stared blankly at them. "How?"
"How would I know?" they replied blankly. "Just come out, if you wish to see them."
Without replying again, she complied and rose from her nest on tired, weak paws. Worries flashed through her mind as she stepped out into the grass damp with morning dew and searched around the camp. She remembered the condition Shimmerspark was in when they found her. Could he be just as bad? Or even worse?
As she stared at the ground in worry, she suddenly sensed a familiar stench on the breeze, overwhelmed by dirt and a trace of blood. She gazed up and was surprised by the sight of Selenostar passing by.
"Silentpaw? Oh, Stormpaw told me you were here too," he spoke in a surprisingly calm, casual manner.
"It's Silentdawn now," she corrected him awkwardly. "And they're Stormray now."
"Huh, I hadn't seen you two for a while," Selenostar said, before continuing on his way. She stared blankly, surprised by how casual the tom seemed. Huh. He seems...fine?
She felt another scent following him. All of a sudden, every hair on her pelt stood up in apprehension. She felt a sense of dread she couldn't explain, like something creeping up on her. Silentdawn found herself standing still. She was too afraid to turn around and see what was causing her fear.
A white molly passed by, causing her fear to arise again. Silentdawn desperately tried to look away, only to catch a glance of a pair of yellow eyes, staring at her with matching fear. The she-cat dug her claws into the earth, trying again to look away, when a realization struck her. Her mind was flooded with the overwhelming image of a dark, mangy den, and suddenly she was back there again. Smelling the blood, feeling the dirt under her paws, enclosed and suffocated by the tightness of the cavern.
And here was the captor, right in front of her.
Silentdawn felt pain grip her pounding heart. "Wh-what are you doing here?" she gasped out, feeling so panicked she could barely breathe. The pain in her chest was so sharp, she believed her heart was bound to stop at any second now.
The molly stared down at her, guilt becoming apparent in her expression.. "I'm sorry! I know you may not know it but I...I saved you! When Pebblestar..." The molly's words faded into static, and the world around her became a blur. She dashed away, feeling sick as she desperately ran from her.
Get me away from her. Get me away from everything. Why is everything that's real so awful?
Silentdawn sat in the den where she'd awoken in the morning. She'd been sitting here for hours, now. Staring out at the sunset, the array of colours simply felt dull after seeing them every day. Agonizing memories scorched her mind like flames. The flames she'd been running from for so many moons.
She rose onto her paws. If she stayed in this cavern, she'd be burned.
Her thoughts turned to Shimmerspark. Her thoughts turned to the ways she'd envied her, to the ways she'd wondered about her.
And soon, her words came to play along as the smoke to the fire in her mind. You ridiculed me. You called me stupid when I suffered. Why is it you get to have the sweetness of amnesia?
She continued, realizing she had a direction to escape the fire now.
-
I feel that Pebblestar is close, Stormray pondered. Their claws messily drew plans upon the sand, all of which set and none erased by the dust. Their tail twitched as a feeling of apprehension ran across their spine. A presence?
They slowly ran their claws along the sandy ground, searching around the den. And yet, they noticed nothing. As though the presence had vanished suddenly. They turned back to stare at the things they'd written on the ground. If they wish to attack me, I can fight them.
They turned back to stare at the ground. I feel his fate coming.
No, infinite fates. Eternal fate? Is he the one they spoke of, the one who lives and dies forever? That...can't be true.
Just then, an enormous shadow bounded forth into the cavern. Stormray stared at them, taken aback. They suddenly noted the cat was a tom, his pelt gray and striped with black.
"Selenostar?" they spoke. The former leader unsheathed his claws, prompting them to unsheathe their own in preparation for a fight.
"What are you planning?" he hissed, his amber eyes wild with anger. The black cat found it bizarre seeing the usually composed tom so furious. Suddenly, Selenostar's eyes turned over to gaze upon the writing upon the ground. He frantically stared at them for a moment, before swiftly turning back toward them with a deadly glare.
Stormray stood still, refusing to back away. They unsheathed their claws, baring their teeth as the tomcat towered over them.
-
Silentdawn found herself in a cavern, suddenly realizing she'd lead herself here. Her wonder was quickly ended when she realized Shimmerspark's presence.
She stared at the she-cat. Her eyes were open, yet vacant, as if there was no soul beyond them. If not for the slow rise and fall of her chest, she would've been sure she was dead. She sat perfectly still upon the ground, and Silentdawn wondered if she was even conscious despite her open eyes.
The fires scorched her mind again. The blazes that felt like they'd be there forever, and among them, she heard her words again. "Do I have to carry you or something? Are you really that stupid?"
The blazes tore through her thoughts. "Did you kill your sister? Did that lovely she-cat give your life for a wretched thing like you?" Another memory ran across her mind. One red. One overwhelmed by grief, one of death.
Sunpaw.
She'd been wandering, a few days after she'd seen everything that meant something to her life be destroyed in a blaze. And by the forest, after a path of crimson, she'd found her.
"No!" Silentdawn screamed, slamming her claws down upon the ground. She stared at Shimmerspark again. Just then, Silentdawn noticed that the light upon the ground painted a line towards her neck. She gazed upon it for a moment, feeling something draw her paws forward.
Silentdawn quickly complied to the burning instinct.
She laid her paws upon the she-cats neck and squeezed.
Squeezing with the hope it'd take away any dreams she had left.
-
Stormray reared back as claws suddenly gripped their neck. Their head immediately filled with pain as they reared back. They stared back at their attacker, gasping out in an attempt to yell from the tightening grip around their neck.
Choking, they lashed out with claws in an attempt to fight back against Selenostar. They made a vain attempt to gasp as they felt a weakness begin to overwhelm them, as if their soul was soon to give up this body.
They stared into Selenostar's eyes. Perhaps it was simply the light outside, but for at least a moment they could've sworn they were green.
-
She's going to die. I know it. Everything will be gone for her soon, at my own claws.
Silentdawn found herself lost in the feeling for a few seconds. Suddenly, the faint sound of footsteps graced her ears. Her paws suddenly slipped away as the realization struck. I'm going to be caught.
Knowing she couldn't waste time by worrying, the she-cat quickly bounded out of the entrance, making sure to hide herself in quickness and worrying. She slipped behind the den. I'm not ready to leave this group yet. I know another who needs to die.
-
They'd nearly accepted their close death as they felt their energy seep away, only for the claws around their neck to suddenly let go. They fell to the ground, gasping for air. Their eyes were wet. Through their blurred vision, they noticed Selenostar turning around in worry as though he'd heard something, before running forth out of the cavern.
Green eyes.
The green eyes haunted their mind, and they felt it was something familiar to another psyche.
//
A/N
holy shit girl wtf that was evil I thought you were supposed to be a morally gray anti hero not straight up evil. screw you silent hill or whatever your name was
ok anyway this chapter took me a whole ass day to write because I decided I wanted to get it all out today and didn't have anything better I had to do today