The Darkness Follows

Ebonyroot padded back to camp, hearing Deathberry close behind her. "I hope you don't feel your ceremony was pushed on too early..." she called back, flicking her ear.

"Of course not." Deathberry mewed, her heart sinking as she though of what she had to do soon.

"Well, that's good." Ebonyroot called back and turned around to look at her, a smile on her face. "The way they looked at me, I second guessed myself, but I know you could handle it..."

Deathberry nodded. "Of course. Umm, Ebonyroot? Could you come here a second?" Deathberry mewed.

Ebonyroot cocked her head curiously to the side and padded forward. "What is it?"

Deathberry took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Ebonyroot." she murmured quietly. Unsheathing her claws, she plunged her claws into the side of her mentors neck, near the top. Curling her claws, then removing them, Deathberry watched her mentor collapse. Pressing her nose into her mentor's fur one last time, she padded away, towards the stream in her territory to wash herself.

The she-cat's smile started to disappear. "... Deathberry?" Her heart nearly stopped and she had no time to react. She was shocked as the razor sharp talons pierced past her skin, sinking into her throat. Not a moment after she collapsed on the ground, gasping for air, each breathe become more and more difficult as the blood flowed out. She managed to croak one word out, it sounded twisted, nothing at all like her. "Why?"
Deathberry's touch felt ice cold. StarClan, was she going to die here?

Stopping in her tracks, Deathberry turned around. "The Dark Forest wishes it so... I am sorry..." she mewed sadly. "If there was any other way... I would have taken it." But, her will caved in. She grabbed a wad of cobwebs and put them on her paw. "Good luck..." she hissed quietly. And again, turned to pad away.

She stared up at Deathberry in terror. The Dark Forest. Fox-dung it was so obvious? She shut her eyes, she should've known... Ebonyroot waited until she felt the strength to move and hastily covered the cobweb over her neck, a feat quite harder then it sounds. She tried to call out, "H-hel-" The medicine cat's voice kept on breaking... "H- Hh..!... until finally not a sound escaped.

Icewhisker had decided to visit Ebonyroot, wondering if she would like to hear how the kits were. Once he came to the place where Deathberry had attacked the she-cat, he stopped and stared at his old mentor with wide eyes.

"Ebonyroot! Who did this to you!" he growled as he ran up and started pressing the cobwebs on her neck. His eyes grew to slits, but there was still fear and panic in them.

Ebonyroot was finally able to calm down a little when Icewhisker arrived, that was some good timing. The cobweb was pressed on firmly now, leaving her paws free. She quickly flicked her tail several times in the direction the red and white she-cat had went.
'It was Deathberry! She's been following the Dark Forest this whole time! You have to stop her!' These words she tried to say, but no sound came out. She stopped in fright, the strain of trying to speak making it very difficult to breathe.

"Why can't you speak..." he asked in a quiet voice. He noticed her tail flicking in some direction, which he guessed was where her attacker went.

"I can't get them now. I need to take care of you. Let's get to your camp. I bet Deathberry can take care of you." he meowed, lifting the cobweb to see if she stopped bleeding yet. No, still bleeding. he thought as he pressed the cobwebs back on her neck.

A cold shock ran through her body as her pelt bristled and she scrambled up. She dare not let Deathberry touch her now! Shakily she stood up and made a break for it, away from the direction of camp and twords the ThunderClan border. "StarClan, please give me a way to make him understand!" She saw a small patch of pine up ahead.

"Ebonyroot? Hey! Wait up! Where are you going!" he yowled as she ran towards ThunderClan. What's wrong? he wondered as he chased after her, leaving some bloody cobwebs behind.

Ebonyroot fled in the forest, pausing to catch her breathe and turning to face him. StarClan did indeed help. Clouds covered the moon, leaving the forest in darkness. The she-cat shakily held a paw to her throat as shapes began to sir around her, illusions starting to stare out at the WindClan medicine cat. If he concentraited, if only for a moment, the body of Tigerfrost was seen next to her. Blood was on her paws. On the other side, Fallensoul, a sly smile on his face. Varies other cats were around them, but before one could recognize them al the scene disappeared, the moon shone on the land once again.
The she-cat was oblivious to all of this and started coughing, attempting to calm herself.