Cougarpaw was knocked to the ground and felt dizzy. He slowly rolled over onto his belly, standing to his paws, groaning. He shook his head and watched in horror when the ginger cat slashed his claws down the calico's throat. He watched it rip open and blood flew everywhere. The she-cat gurgled out blood and strained her claws, gasping for air, but she was suffocating on her own blood. She fell to the ground and rasped, desperately trying to breathe. Cougarpaw watched, not moving, as the aggressive she-cat stopped, her eyes turning dull.

"Serves you right, Cypressfog," the dark ginger tom snarled. He turned to Cougarpaw.

"Y-Y-You killed her!" Cougarpaw took a step back, shocked. "So easily! H-How?"

"Puny kit. It's not that hard." He licked the blood off of his paw, amber eyes glowing. "It's funny, I can't believe you're actually here." He narrowed his eyes. "Well, it doesn't matter. Come with me, kitty."

"No way!" The tan tom hissed.

"Oh, would you like to be killed to?" The larger tom showed his blood-stained claws. Cougarpaw's ears flattened and he reluctantly followed.

They exited the forest and walked along grass. Soon, the stretch of fields turned into darkness. Decayed trees, withered grass, crimson red skies. He gulped and followed the unknown tom onto the land.

"I-Is this the Dark Forest?"

"What do you think?" The ginger cat replied huskily. He looked forward but flicked his tail. "Faster, come on."

"I'm trying, but I just became an apprentice!" Cougarpaw hissed, trying to keep up with this cat. The ground felt dry and warm underpaw, and some spots often made him jump from the burning sensation. They stopped and Cougarpaw ran into the cat, falling to the ground. He quickly regained balance and looked at the forest. It was thick with shadows, blanketed with fog. A rotting smell coursed through it and Cougarpaw nearly gagged. So this is the Dark Forest...

The cat began again, the tan apprentice following close behind. A wide stretch of dark trees was ahead, until a large clearing came into view. He noticed a black she-cat fighting a crimson-red looking one. She raised her gaze to him and cocked her head at Cougarpaw. He slowly was seated beside the tom.

A large, strong-looking black tom leaped onto a rock situated in the middle of the clearing. Cougsrpaw strained his head and noticed a muddy greenish stream and wrinkled his nose. The black tom that looked ever so familiar smirked at Cougarpaw, then looked at the dark ginger tom. "You've done well." Cougarpaw looked at the ginger tom, wondering what his name was.

"Thank you," the mysterious cat replied, dipping his head. The black she-cat sat beside him and his fur ruffled. He looked over and studied her. A pure black pelt with dull blue eyes. He looked away quickly when she purred at him. He noticed a brown tabby tom with a white underbelly and frosty blue eyes.

"Hawkfrost..." He murmured under his breath. The elders had told tales of the viscous cat.

"What's your name?" The black she-cat piped up.

"Err, Cougarpaw..." The tan tom replied. "What about you?"

"Whisperpaw," she replied, puffing out her chest. She looked at him inquisitively. "I've never seen you before. What Clan do you come from?"

"Well, I come from ThunderClan. But I just became an apprentice so I haven't gone to a gathering yet," he replied. "What about you?"

"I come from RiverClan." Her eyes dulled more and she looked down. "My leader is Flamestar. I know yours is-"

"Silence!" The familiar black tom yowled. He watched the crimson-redish tom sit beside Hawkfrost with a hungry gleam in his eye, another familiar cat sitting beside him. Thistleclaw.

"Oh, Cougarpaw." Cougarpaw raised his head and looked at the black tom. "It's great to have you here." He had a toothy smirk. "Come here, below the rock." He obeyed, hoping not to get hurt. He only knew two battle moves. What would he do if this cat tried to kill him? The cat leaped down, landing in front of him.

"How do you know my name?" Cougarpaw demanded, becoming suspicious.

"Dear StarClan, you don't know who I am?" He smirked. "Cougarpaw. It's Shadowpaw." A look of horror came across the tan tom's face. "Shadowpaw! What? You're so much larger now! You're even larger than Greenstar!"

"I'm Shadowwhisker now," he replied, laughing. "And you're just a puny apprentice who knows two battle moves."

"How do you know that?" Cougarpaw replied, dreading the answer.

"I know a lot about you, Cougarpaw." He took a step back and watched Shadowpaw- Shadowwhisker's pelt begin to glow. His pelt turned an even darker black, specks floating in the air around. His eyes turned dark red and he laughed.

"You really are from the Dark Forest! But you deserve it, since you killed my mother!"

Shadowwhisker's eyes opened wide. "How do you know that?" He snarled.

"I know a lot about you, Shadowwhisker," Cougarpaw spat back. He unsheathed his claws. "Now please... Let me leave!"

"You're even worse than you now are as a warrior," Shadowwhisker spat, laughing. His red eyes began to glow. When his claws unsheathed they looked as large as a fox's.

"What's my warrior name then, huh?" Cougarpaw challenged. Shadowwhisker got closer to Cougarpaw, as if he were going to talk into his ear, but lashed out and slashed him on the muzzle. "Mouse-brain," the black tom growled.

"Fox-heart!" Cougarpaw snarled.

"You don't want to call me that, kitty," Shadowwhisker warned. "I've done bad things to cats who disobey me."

"Yeah?" Cougarpaw replied in defiance. "Prove it!" That was probably the dumbest thing he had ever said.

Shadowwhisker lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. Cougarpaw felt adrenaline run through his veins. He thought about all the moves he could use, there were so many to range from.

Wait, what? I only know two battle moves! Where are all of these ideas coming from?

He decided not to question it and slipped out of his grasp, raking him on the muzzle. He leaped back to avoid a paw - as Clawflank had shown him - and leaped onto Shadowwhisker's back. The tom snarled and rolled over, but Cougarpaw was quicker, leaping off.

Shadowwhisker looked like he had had enough and leaped onto Cougarpaw's back. The black tom held Cougarpaw's head with his forepaws and knocked down his hind legs with his hindpaws, thus causing Cougarpaw to collapse. The weight of Shadowwhisker knocked the wind out of him, and it felt like he was fighting Atticus again.

"Stop!" Whisperpaw screeched, running over and knocking Shadowwhisker off. The black tom leaped to his paws. "Whisperpaw! Stay out of this!"

"No, you are hurting this poor cat! Let him go and I'll fight you instead," the she-cat replied in a low growl. Shadowwhisker looked at Cougarpaw and sat up, flicking an ear and lashing his tail. "Very well," he reluctantly agreed. "But I'm not like Crimsonpaw." He smirked and Cougarpaw stood up, trying to shake the mud out of his pelt. Shadowwhisker's red eyes and much darker black pelt turned to their normal colors.

"This isn't the end, Cougarpaw. Watch your back, because I might be watching you right now," Shadowwhisker hissed, before darkness covered his vision once more.

Kind of short, sorry! Anyway, what did you think of the chapter? AND IF YOU KNEW WHO WHISPERPAW WAS THEN YOU'RE AWESOME!

Hehe. So, please vote and comment what you thought, and may StarClan light your path! ✨