Dead leaves crunched beneath Falconclaw's paws, the smell of dead plants filled the air and he flicked his tail in annoyance. He could hear voices through the broken trees, he stepped into a vast hollow with several cats sitting around a murky pool of water. One of the cats was Thornstar who had the former AshClan warrior Echoheart at his side. Since Echoheart joined the Dark Forest she had done nothing but follow Thornstar around like a love-sick hare, it was incredibly annoying.

Echoheart was fierce, but she was destroyed by her own attachments and emotions, like many of the cats in the Dark Forest. The other cats there were Thrushclaw, Thornstar's son, and Oakpelt, the old SunClan warrior.

"Look who decided to show up." Thornstar spat. "And you yell at me for always being late."

Falconclaw ignored Thornstar's comments and sat down. "Is Nightheart still ignoring you?" He questioned.

Thornstar nodded. "She's not going to train with me again, she's a lost cause."

Falconclaw flicked his tail. "For now, maybe." I have a plan. "Falconheart will still train with me when I approach him, but it's getting harder to convince him to follow me and my teachings. He's become far too nobel."

"So what now?" Thornstar lashed his tail. "Our plan isn't really working."

"Perhaps you can take up training new cats, be better this time." Oakpelt suggested.

"I've thought about it. My grandkits are young, they could prove to be great allies to us. Or even Ashblaze's kits. From what I've seen, Slatekit is very tempermental."

"That's an option," Falconclaw raked his claws across the dead earth beneath them. "But first, we need to show these cats what happens when they turn their backs on us." He rasied his voice. "All of you failed in your pursuits because of your attachments," He rested his eyes on Thornstar. "You never lost your love for other cats, no matter how many lives you ended." He bared his teeth at Echoheart. "You were driven on a pointless quest for revenge and died to a medicine cat."

Echoheart hissed sharply. "I killed Applespots."

"Congratulations." Falconclaw mewed dryly. "You killed an old queen who wasn't even one of your original targets. Truly a ruthless legend."

Echoheart spat again but Falconclaw ignored her. "My point is," He continued. "Both Falconheart and Nightheart have attachments. They love their families, and Nightheart has a mate. It won't be long until Falconheart sees his feelings for a kittypet." He spat the word "kittypet", it didn't matter how many generations ago Dovewish had given birth, her kittypet blood would forever taint SunClan.

"So you're saying threaten the ones they love." Thornstar swayed his tail. "Is that it?"

"Threaten and more." Falconclaw curled his lip, his claws ripping at the grass. It's been so long since I've taken another cats life. Even in this rotting forest, the desire has never left me. While Falconclaw had been alive, he had hidden his desires deep inside of him, always threatening to tear out of his body and shred the cats around him, but he kept his claws in until the right times. "Honeyfrost and Blackstorm may be protected by StarClan, but Sedgefern and Rabbitspring are not. If Falconheart continues to stray from his path then I'll happily rip that kittypet apart before his very eyes."

"Nightheart won't stand for such a thing," Echoheart grumbled.

"What was that?" Falconclaw asked dangerously, he hated this stupid she-cat and her desire to have the last word in. "Don't tell me you still care for your daughter?"

Echoheart shook her head. "I don't, I never did care for her or her brother but Nightheart shares my drive, she has a strong sense of duty." Darkness flashed across Echoheart's murky green eyes. "Just like I did. She won't let you simply kill Rabbitspring, she'll put up a fight."

"Then I'll kill her too." Falconclaw rolled his eyes. "I fear no cat, I never have and I never will."

"Weren't you scared of some kittypets or something? That's why you failed to kill Flowerstar. The only cat you managed to kill was some old tom." Thrushclaw chimed in, Thornstar's son didn't often speak but when he did he always sounded like an idiot.

"I was never scared of kittypets, I hated kittypets. They're weak and vile and they continue to taint SunClan's bloodline." Falconclaw explained, glaring Thrushclaw down. "And Owlfoot was far from the only SunClan cat that I killed."

Falconclaw had kept his secrets deep down for many moons, not even Thornstar knew of the things he did in his youth. "Who did you kill?" Thornstar questioned, curiosity flowing through his amber eyes.

"I don't feel like starting story time." Falconclaw stood up. "Oakpelt, walk with me. I want to talk to you about something."

Oakpelt nodded and the two Dark Forest warriors ventured away from the hollow. "You are one of the few cats who I sense is similar to myself. You killed Ravenwing because he was breaking the warrior code and was about to become mates with your sister, correct?"

Oakpelt nodded. "I would've killed my sister and those disgusting kits as well but I was unable to."

Falconclaw nodded slowly. "I want you to pay a visit to Falconheart soon," He explained.

"Why is that? I have no interest in training SunClan cats. I left that behind when I died."

"I don't want you to train him," Falconclaw continued, flicking his tail. "I want you to scare him. He thinks he's brave and tough, but he's never encountered a true killer such as yourself, and I want you to drive that deep into his mind. Terrify him."

"What exactly will this accomplish?" Oakpelt narrowed his eyes, the tom was right to question Falconclaw.

"Honeyfrost is protected by StarClan, and if I ever want to truly destroy Falconheart then I must get to her. If Falconheart is scared enough, then he will go to his mother for help. They'll bring StarClan to us."

"Training these warriors is the choice of you and Thornstar, what do I get out of this?"

"You have a strong distaste for cats breaking codes, so if you do this for me," Falconclaw curled his teeth back, he could feel energy surging in his paws. Blood is on the horizon, waiting to be spilled. "I will allow you to kill Honeyfrost, rid the forest of one last traitorous medicine cat."

Oakpelt stopped walking for a moment, darkness and joy filled his dark eyes. "You really know the way to a cat's heart, Falconclaw." He placed his paws on a dead oak tree, dragging his claws down the trunk, shredding the bark. "Very well, Falconclaw. You have a deal."