Another few sunrises had come and gone, and so far, MoonClan had been going smoothly. The rogues had been doing well, as well as the members, and Hazelstar knew it was only a matter of time before they went and captured the FoxClan cats. Doing so would take a fair amount of cats though.
Hazelstar opened her eyes and rose to her feet, padding outside of the den. Cats padded by, performing their duties.
"You there!" Hazelstar hissed at Bloodfur.
Bloodfur froze. "What is it, Hazelstar?"
"Go take some prey to the rogues, and take your sister with you. I'm afraid they're running out," she told her.
"Yes, Hazelstar," Bloodfur said, bowing to her.
Hazelstar had to admit, it was a bit odd, but she seemed to like the idea of being in power. She knew for certain that her mother was especially skilled at it though.
Hazelstar watched Bloodfur go off, only to be stopped in her tracks by Fire.
"Have you heard the news, Hazelstar?"
Hazelstar rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you and Crystal are mates," she growled.
"Well, yes," Fire told her.
Hazelstar began to walk away, uninterested in the tom's problems.
"But that's not all!" he argued. "We have more rogues coming!"
Hazelstar froze, turning around. "More rogues coming, you say? How did you ever sort that out, Fire?"
"It was actually Crystal," he explained. "I mean, I helped and all. She passed the word around to other cats as she went by, and the other day, we found the leader of a rogue pack who was willing to join. He's bringing nearly fifty cats!"
"Fifty?" Hazelstar thought, pausing. She then purred. "Perfect," she said. "Very good, Fire. Congratulate Crystal for me, will you? I hate speaking to that she-cat."
"Yes, of course, Hazelstar," Fire spoke, running off.
Fifty members. My, wouldn't it be grand to have fifty extra members in MoonClan. Maybe Hazelstar had not lost hope. Perhaps, MoonClan could win this battle. Maybe the forest would be theirs!
Excitement filled Hazelstar, causing her paws to tingle. Surely they would be able to capture the rest of the cats in no time. Oh, the plan was going smoothly. It was definitely going smoothly.
She raced to her den, curling up in her nest. Secretly, she wished Moonstar would visit her to congratulate her. All Hazelstar really wanted was for her mother to be proud of her. That's what every cat wanted, right?
She closed her eyes, her thoughts drifting away. Slowly, she fell asleep.
"Hazelstar," Moonstar's yowl caused her to open her eyes. She shuddered, looking around at the thick swamp and dark trees. She was again in the Dark Forest.
"Mother, how are you?" Hazelstar asked.
"I only am here to give you advice," Moonstar growled. She didn't seem at all happy with Hazelstar.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"Did you do something wrong?" Moonstar repeated, pacing around. Hazelstar shuddered as she watched her unsheathe her claws. "Now, why would you ever think that?"
"You don't seem very happy with me," Hazelstar told her.
"Darling, I never said I was upset. I am here to give you advice, correct?"
"Correct," Hazelstar spoke.
"Then heed it!" she hissed.
Hazelstar jumped, then nodded. "What am I doing wrong? Or, I mean, I only ask for your criticism to make MoonClan better."
"You heard fifty rogues were arriving today, yes?"
"Yes," Hazelstar replied, not sure where Moonstar was going with this.
"And how many cats would that make in the clan?" she asked.
Hazelstar pondered for a moment. "I suppose about seventy cats, maybe eighty. Isn't that enough?"
"I only ask you to think for a moment here," Moonstar told her. "How many cats live in SnowClan?"
"Eighty, ninety, maybe," Hazelstar thought, shrinking down as Moonstar came closer to her.
"And how many in FoxClan?" she asked.
"Thirty, forty," she whimpered.
"Think about the other clans that live in the woods, Hazelstar. Don't you think they'll be joining in the battle as well?"
"But on which side?" Hazelstar asked. Obviously, her comment was stupid, because she received a scratch in the face from her mother.
"It is obvious which side, daughter! They'll be protecting the forest that we so desperately want."
"But do we really need the forest, Mother? All I'm doing is seeking revenge for you. To be honest, I don't really know why you want to kill all these cats," Hazelstar argued. As soon as she finished saying the words, she knew she should've taken them back.
With a swift move, Moonstar had Hazelstar pinned. She squirmed under her mother's grip, but all Moonstar did was laugh.
"Why, you ungrateful, selfish daughter!" she spat. "I've worked my whole life protecting you, teaching you only what I know best, and you repay me by going against my methods?"
"No, not at all!" Hazelstar argued.
"I already know you're lying, Hazelnose," she growled, tracing a claw over her daughter's throat. "I would kill you now, but why not wait. We'll see how you do in battle," she laughed. "And if you must know, Hazelnose, there are cats in these woods who do not allow the freedom of others. Every cat is evil, and they will judge you, and despise you. These woods belong to MoonClan. SnowClan, FoxClan, and all the other clans must perish," Moonstar hissed. "Do you understand that?"
Hazelstar gulped. "Yes, Mother. I desperately want to get rid of the clans too."
"Now, you see what I mean. This clan will celebrate victory. We can forget all those old methods with StarClan. No, you see, with the Dark Forest on our side, we can be the most powerful cats in the forest!"
"I see, Mother. I apologize for lashing out," Hazelstar told her.
"That's a good daughter. It's a shame, really. I had hoped for better. Tigerstripe turned good, Leopardtail died, Chesnuttail never had evil, but you, maybe you can bring us to victory."
Hazelstar felt evil surge in her, evil she had never felt before. These cats, these small cats, had looked at her in fear. They had looked at her as if she were superior to them. But it was true, wasn't it? And then Hazelnstar gulped, her eyes flashing a very faint blood red.
"You have the Dark Forest in you," Moonstar whispered. "Let it come through you."
Hazelstar closed her eyes, allowing evil to flow through her veins. She gasped, opening her eyes. She unsheathed her claws, then nodded. "I will let it come to me, Mother. Now, what do you want with the rogues?"
"Gather as many as you can."
"Shouldn't we only gather as much as the other army?"
"Your goal is not to defeat them, but to decimate them!" Moonstar hissed. "Rip them to pieces...literally."
"I will, Mother. And I'll get more rogues."
"Good. Remember your mother's teachings, and everything will go smoothly," she purred.
Yes, because I should follow you who got killed by a measly apprentice, she thought. She hoped her mother couldn't read her thoughts.
Everything began to fade, and Hazelstar shut her eyes, not wanting to see her mother's blood red eyes flash again. She wanted to see her mother's bright green eyes, like she used to see. Now she only saw red and evil.
Upon awaking, Hazelstar was immediately told to go talk to Snowflake who had some important business to discuss with her.
Hazelstar nodded, finding the she-cat near the warriors den.
"Hazelstar, I didn't mean to wake you," Snowflake told her.
"It's fine. I was awake anyway," she said. "What is it you need to talk to me about?"
"I'm expecting Shard's kits. Isn't that great?!" she exclaimed.
Hazelstar thought back to when she had not wanted to fight to protect her kits, and her mother had told her to never return. Hazelstar had come back for the battle though to fight with MoonClan, only to watch her mate die.
Be like Moonstar, Hazelstar told herself.
"Very well. Yes, MoonClan could strive with new kits. However, I must tell you that you must stick with your warrior duties until you are incapable."
"How soon would that be?" Snowflake asked.
"A day or two before delivery. Your kits will become apprentices at three moons."
"Three moons?! Isn't that a bit early?"
"Do not question the ancient MoonClan law!" Hazelstar spat. Ancient, it probably wasn't. MoonClan was really only about three, four generations old, Hazelstar being the second generation of MoonClan cats.
"Very well, Hazelstar. If they must fight at three moons, they will," Snowflake told her.
Hazelstar sighed in relief, padding back to her den. Her evil had to improve somehow.