Just Like Old Times

It had felt like ages since the last time Shade was in his old home's territory. Nothing was different. Everything was exactly the same. He was a free cat now; a cat with a purpose. The Regime had failed him for the last time, so he stepped down from the throne and dubbed his daughter Xuexi the next leader. Hopefully she would be able to finish what he had started. Hopefully she would be able to grant those miserable cats the chance of freedom they didn't truly deserve -- but one that all cats must have all the same. He had wasted so much valuable time training those measly little rogues, which had accomplished nothing in the end when he and his rogues were so humiliatingly defeated during the great battle.

At least now that his head was cleared and his burdens were lifted, he would finally be able to finish what he had started. He couldn't rely on other cats to fight his battles for him. He needed to shape his own destiny. And his destiny was to become RiverClan's next leader the best way he knew how.

His kill count was much higher than any typical rogue's, having traveled through all five Clans to pick cats off one by one. Even if he hadn't killed all the cats he encountered, he still scarred, maimed, and emotionally broken their spirits. The experience in killing had shaped and molded him into the cat he was today. And he would use every last ounce of it to ensure that after today, RiverClan would have a new and better leader.

But he couldn't just waltz right into camp declaring a fight against Jaystar and Scorchclaw for the throne. Not even the strongest or most skilled cat in combat could take on an entire Clan of cats. No, he needed a messenger. He needed to find a lone cat to send word to Jaystar, so that he may fight him all alone. So what if he was a leader with multiple lives? Lichenmask had managed to strike Littlestar down, and she had nine lives at her disposal. Jaystar only had eight, having lost one in the great battle. Killing him off would be kit's play.

His ears perked up when he caught whiff and sight of a wandering cat. Slipping into the shadows of the river, he watched behind the reeds as a young molly approached the riverbank, sniffing along the shore. She wasn't hunting, clearly. She was looking for herbs. This must be Goldeneye's apprentice Fallowpaw, Shade concluded. She was very inexperienced in the arts of combat, as all medicine cats were. Perfect.

Shade slipped out of the water as quietly as he could, sneaking around the reeds to stand behind the unexpected she-cat. With a devilish grin, he then growled lowly, "Should you be in the nursery, little one? The world's too dangerous for a sweet little she-kit such as yourself."

With Lichenmask and his Followers slaughtered or run off, Fallowpaw finally felt as if she could breathe again. She could come and go from camp as she pleased, without having to drag along another Warrior with her simply to gather an herb. Her confidence had built itself up much higher after the Final Battle, having helped as many cats as she did. StarClan, she'd even reset a dislocated shoulder without any help from Goldeneye or Amberpaw. The entire Clan was under the impression that with such an exit as Shade had given, he'd finally ran away from the forest, like he should have done long ago. So it was with that thought in her mind that she felt safe enough to leave camp for the first time in a long time, all by herself.

In her head, she ran over a quick list of the festivities that were to come and what she would need before they were to begin. She knew exactly what she needed to gather and where to find it, as well as how long it would take her to harvest each herb and get it back to camp. She'd be back before the sunset, which would give her enough time to sort through everything she'd gathered and then she could eve- Oh no. Ohhhh no. Absolutely not. She was imagining him. He wasn't real. Fallowpaw's entire body froze up, her paws and whiskers the only sign of movement as they trembled. She opened her mouth but words refused to come out, held back by the sheer fear and adrenaline that was rushing through her body at that moment. She wanted to turn to face him, to run away, to scream for help, but she was stuck where she was, paws rooted to the ground as her entire body quivered.

She spent several seconds trying to force the words from her maw, eyes clenched shut. "Sh-Sha-Shade?" She could barely fathom the situation she'd put herself into, but even worse, she couldn't fathom what the Rogue was getting ready to do to her.

Shade had a little monologue prepared for when he found himself a younger cat to attack, but now that the opportunity was upon him, excitement and impatience took over instead. Without saying even a word, he launched himself at Fallowpaw and knocked her to the ground, biting down hard on her shoulder and scarring his hind claws deep into her soft underbelly, sending tufts of fur and blood droplets flying.

Lifting his head up after a few moments of ruthless pain infliction, he grinned widely down at the medicine cat apprentice, keeping his grip on her, pinning her hard to the ground. ”I bet you all thought you’d seen the last of me during that fight, didn’t ya? Well, I have some news for you weak little fish-faces: you’ll never get rid of me. Try as you might to drive me away, I’ll always keep coming back, until eventually I’ve claimed what I rightfully deserve: power and leadership. I will become your next leader, little Fallowpaw, and you can bet the first thing I’m gonna do is kill every last cat you hold dear in life. Jaystar, Scorchclaw, Goldeneye... Every cat you love will be dead, and you will be forced to watch it all, knowing you weren’t able to do a thing to save them, not even when they needed you the most. Heheh, some medicine cat you’ll turn out to be.”

Just as Fallowpaw was preparing to make a last-ditch effort and escape, her small mass of weight was driven straight into the ground. Her vision was a blur as her head made contact with the ground first, her body and Shade following. A distant ringing reverberated in the back of her head, dulling out the rest of her senses. Despite all of this, the sharp pain that was now lancing through her shoulder and stomach was clear. With Shade's weight on top of her own, smaller build, it was nearing impossible to breathe without issue. His words, however, were what hurt the most. But she wasn't about to let that show. She struggled underneath his paws as blood poured from her stomach and shoulder, torn muscles and flesh ripping further. "The l-last thing you d-deserve... is power or l-leadership... You deserve t-to be sent to th-the Dark Forest... Where you will r-rot... Until the e-end of t-time."

She could hardly even see through the blood that had dripped into her eyes, but she was able to make out, albeit very faintly, the orange tones of Shade's eyes. Her own piercing blue eyes stared right back at him, crimson blood clouding them over. The impact was just as harsh. No one was getting anywhere near her family, biological or otherwise. "If you're so p-powerful..." She trailed off as a wave of nausea overcame her, taking a moment to recover. "Then w-why haven't you already d-done it?" Through gritted teeth, she ignored the pain for one last bit of monologue before Shade inevitably tore through flesh and muscle, spilling more blood than her conscious body would be able to handle. "A t-true Medicine Cat w-would die for her Clan... So try me."

Shade drew his lips back in a snarl, a deep growl rumbling in his throat. It seemed accomplishing his ultimate goal was going to be a bit more difficult thanks to this little pest. He couldn't afford to just walk straight into RiverClan's camp; he would get mauled in record time. And Fallowpaw didn't seem ready to give into his demands to retrieve Jaystar.

So perhaps he could just use her as bait to bring Jaystar to him instead.

"Fine, then. Have it your way, you little rat." Unsheathing a claw and pinning Fallowpaw down by the neck underneath his other clawed paw, the rogue began carefully and painfully carving the same crescent-shaped eclipse symbol on her left flank, the same symbol he had drawn on his own son, as well as Cinderfall and a ShadowClan apprentice.

"How about this," Shade began as he continued his work, raising his voice to make himself heard over his victim's yowls of pain, "have you ever wondered what happened to your precious Clanmate, Cinderfall? Well, I'll tell you what happened to him: I captured him. I tortured him and scarred him all over his body. I broke his mind and spirit. And I still have him held captive under my rogues. I could always just leave you here and return back to the Regime to kill poor Cinderfall, Jaystar's dear son who had been missing for moons. Or..." Finishing the symbol, Shade withdrew his claw and began to lick it clean, relishing in the taste of cat blood with a subtle touch of fish, "you could cooperate. You're willing to sacrifice your own life to save your Clan, but are you willing to sacrifice the life of one of your precious Clanmates, the son of your leader?"

(OOC: I'm gonna invite Jay Bord to the topic now, I just need Shade dead. XD)

The tom was tense, unable to think straight through the whole night. At first, he tried to get some sleep, hoping Fallowpaw would return once he woke up. But he was unable to calm his mind. Tired, nervous and anxious, the leader left his lonely den, looking at the entrance of the camp, hoping to see the medicine cat apprentice entering their home once more with a lot of herbs on her mouth. But all he could see was the large forest of reeds and beech trees that surrounded their home. Why hasn't she come back already...? Oh, Starclan... please... protect her... He thought silently as he lifted his head to the clouded sky, praying to his ancestors.

And suddenly, a flash crossed through his eyes and his vision went black. The leader tried to move but it was impossible, he was paralyzed surrounded by darkness. Until he felt something wet covering his paws... Jaystar looked at them just to recognize the clear colour of spilt blood which started to expand through the ethereal ground. Then, a laugh could be heard and the bodies of Tuftkit, Duckpuddle, Spotfur and Sootwhisper were shown in front of him. And beyond there was Fallowpaw, her small shape standing in front of a larger cat with amber eyes he knew very well. The leader tried with all his forces to move, to save her but as soon as he tried to scream, the vision was gone as soon as it arrived and a voice echoed in his mind...

When blood is spilt, shades will disappear with the new sunrise... but a sacrifice must be made to return the peace...

Jaystar turned his head to the exit once more, his brain racing to understand what was truly going on. His muzzle opened slightly and a sinlge word came out of his mouth, not know a she-cat that was hiding in the shadows was witnessing what was happening. "Shade..." And faster than a heartbeat, the Riverclan leader left the camp... but not alone as he thought.

(Time skip)

Jaystar ran through the forest, his heartbeat raising with every step. Not even the wind that was making his eyes closed was enough to stop him. Fallowpaw was in danger, he could feel it as a soft rain started to fall over his silvery pelt. A storm was coming and Jaystar couldn't be more ready for it.

He only stopped his race when he heard the cries, meows and hisses of cats. Carefully, the large warrior, silent as a shadow, approached the origin of the noises, keeping his breathing low. And then, he saw them. And he saw him. Fire and rage filled his veins at the image of Fallowpaw being hurt but that monster who had costed Riverclan so many lives. He did not wait, he did not think. All that it was in his mind was the thought of ending with all this to not only save Fallowpaw but to save Riverclan from this murderer and traitor. "SHADE!" The yowl came out like a thunder and the large shape of the tom leapt from his hidden spot, his front legs wide open as he launched himself to the smaller tom. When his body fell over him, Jaystar pushed him to the ground, clawing its face as he took a chunk of the flesh of his left ear with his jaws. He pressed his claws unsheathed on his shoulders and, standing over his body, he looked at him with his face twisted with rage. "I'll make you pay for all the lives you have taken, you monster!" He hissed, his fur bristling as the rain started getting stronger and stronger. He had never killed a cat before yet there was no hesitation in his eyes because he knew he would have no regrets. Riverclan could only be in peace again once this cat dies.

Everything had happened so fast. Shade didn’t even hear or sense the approach of another cat until it was too late. Howling in agony at the new pain inflicted upon him, he grunted when he was slammed down and pinned to the ground, and after wincing with eyes screwed tightly shut for several moments he finally looked up to see who his attacked was.

The wince instantly turned into a wicked grin as he stared into Jaystar’s green eyes.

”Well, well, well, of it isn’t the almighty Jaystar,” Shade chuckled lowly. ”I was hoping you’d show your ugly mug sooner or later. Good thing, too, I was about to kill your precious medicine cat apprentice.” Before he continued with his monologue, he abruptly twisted his body out from underneath the RiverClan leader’s grasp and slipped out from under him with ease, hackles raising as he stood a few tail-lengths away, sizing him up. ”Too bad you didn’t arrive any sooner, though. You could have saved Cinderfall’s life. Yes, Jaystar, I’m the reason why your precious son never returned home. I was originally going to bring him home to you, but I suppose the wounds I’ve inflicted on him over the course of the past few moons was just too much for him to handle.

“How does it feel, Jaystar?” Shade’s voice lowered to a deep snarl. ”Knowing that you were the cause of all those deaths and maimings of cats from all five Clans? Yes, you have just as much blood on your paws as I do. After all, all you had to do was execute me instead of exiling me. This could have all been avoided if you had just killed me from the start!” His tail lashed once behind him. ”I have killed kits, maimed warriors, kidnapped and tortured cats, I have even feasted on a dying apprentice’s flesh! And you could have prevented all of it! But you didn’t, because you’re a coward. Well, I have one-hundred times the courage of all you fish-hearted RiverClanners put together! So you will be happy to know that your Clan will be in good paws under the leadership of Shadestar once this is all over!”

With a furious caterwaul, drool and froth dribbling from his widened jaws, Shade launched himself at Jaystar. He latched his claws into his broad shoulders, digging his hind claws into the earth to stand his ground and keep the leader from fleeing, and he gnashes his jaws down hard around Jaystar’s throat. His eyes widened, his pupils contracting, at the taste of fishy RiverClan blood as he tore into his opponent’s throat like a ravenous fox digging into the belly of a rabbit, his tail whipping and lashing with excitement.

The Riverclan leader hissed back at his words as tears started to fall, invisible to anyone because of the rain. Now there was no only rage that was taking over him but the pain and sorrow of knowing his son, his apprentice, was gone forever. Cinderfall was dead... and this pathetic excuse for a cat killed him... Jaystar's green eyes looked at his enemy as his paws unsheathed trembled, ready to claw the rogue's eyes off and slash his throat. "You. Will. Never. Be. A. Leader." Jaystar snarled, his fur bristling even more as he lashed his tail violently.

The attack didn't take him by surprise but he didn't imagine how fast would he be to do it. When the other tom attacked, Jaystar attacked too by trying to reach with his claw the rogue's neck but Shade pushed him down before he could do that and just ended up clawing its flank, leaving a large wound on his side. When he felt the pain of those fangs sinking on his throat, Jaystar's adrenaline rose and he hissed even louder as he tried to get him off by sinking his claws on its chest and shoulders. However, even if he attacked him furiously, the other cat didn't stop his grip and the blood loss soon did his effect. His vision turned blurry and his body stopped responding. Jaystar knew that feeling and what was about to come and he tried with all his forces to not end up like that but there was nothing he could do. The leader's vision turned all black and his body went numb as the last breath was exhaled.

---

Silverfang could not help it. When her leader left his den and said her cursed apprentice's name, she had to follow him. No matter what was happening, it was clear Jaystar was going to meet Shade and she had to be there to end with him. The warrior started this madness by training such a cat like him and she wouldn't find peace until the souls of those he killed were avenged by her own claws. With her paws covered in mud and rain messing up her spiky fur, the she-cat rushed behind her leader, not letting him know she was behind him because he would surely send her back and her chance to end this would be gone forever.

Even when the warrior lost sight of the large silvery tom and even with the rain starting to fall, she could still follow his smell and pawprints in the mud. Following those signs, Silverfang arrived at her destiny but a second too late. With her odd his eyes opened widely, she witnessed Jaystar's dead under the vicious jaws of a creature that had the appearance of a cat but that now acted like a beast. She had heard of what Shade had done but seeing it first-hand... it made her sick because she was the one who created this monster and good cats were paying for that. "Shade!" She cried, making herself visible to the tom's eyes. The she-cat stepped forward, getting closer to Fallowpaw but always keeping her odd eyes fixed in Shade. She stood up in front of the wounded medicine cat in a protective way as she unsheathed her claws, showing her fangs. "This ends tonight, Shade, one way or another... I'll not let you destroy the life of another cat ever again. If you want to kill her or him again, you will have to kill me first."

Shade shut his eyes tightly at the harsh sting of Jaystar's claws slicing through his pelt, but it seemed it was all too counterproductive for the RiverClan leader, as it only made the rogue bite down harder to endure the pain. He kept his grip on Jaystar's throat, even while his struggles began to die down, even when the stench of blood clogged and suffocated him. It was all too satisfying to let up. He would just keep his grip on Jaystar's throat so that the next time he awakens he could easily rip away the next life. Then the next. Up until his ninth and final life was spent.

"Shade!"

He was completely caught off guard. His head whipped up, no longer grasping Jaystar's dead, recovering body by the throat, blood dribbling from his gaping mouth, as he stared in shock at the cat he had thought he would never see again. Silverfang. His former mentor. The only cat he felt comfortable consoling in. The cat whom he used to see as a mother.

It was then that he felt it. He had felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time, something he had forced himself to hide and lock up behind his mental barrier of rage and hatred that he had thought for the longest time was impenetrable. Nostalgia. He was seeing his former mentor and most trusted former Clanmate again. Sadness. It was all because of him that she was feeling this way. Guilt. He should never have tried to kill Scorchclaw to become deputy himself. Shame. He had let Silverfang down.

He always knew he was a monster.

Back then, he didn't care who he hurt.

All he cared about was fulfilling his ambitions.

He would have become a leader.

He would have become a god.

And he wouldn't have cared who was attacked, maimed, scarred, or killed in the process.

But now...

Seeing Silverfang, the only cat he had ever considered family, standing before him...

Looking furious and determined, yet sorrowful and broken, to end his reign of terror...

His body didn't shake. He stood eerily still, staring back into Silverfang's heterochromic eyes, feeling the patter of raindrops soak through his short coat into his skin, no sound surrounding them but the splashing of rainfall on the rocks, on the grass, in the river.

I was so close. I was so CLOSE!

He narrowed his eyes.

I was just one cat away from achieving my goals, my ambitions, my dream, my DESTINY.

He spread out his legs in a braced attack position.

...But perhaps...

He unsheathed his claws.

...I never truly was destined to lead more than the Regime.

Then he rose his head.

The five Clans have one less cat in Lichenmask to worry about now.

And he exposed his throat.

It's about time they finally find peace.

I was never meant to be leader.

I was never meant to be anything.

I was only meant to be a monster.

A monster that must be stopped.

If not for my birth Clan...

If not for the families I've broken...

If not for my son...

Then for Silverfang.

The she-cat was prepared for a battle to the death, to fight until her last breath to see Shade's fall or her own. After all the sorrow, the pain and guilt, all that he heard about her former apprentice's actions, she always imagined this moment to be bloody, filled with rage and battle yowls. But one more time, the former RiverClanner surprised him and her odd eyes opened even wider when the cat who had destroyed so many lives, the one who killed her leader, offered his life to her. He was giving up... for her... and she doubted. Silverfang hesitated at the moment she never thought she would. and in that second, when she looked at him, he did not see the Shade who led the Regime with Lichenmask by his side... he did not see the one who murdered, maimed and tortured cats... but instead, he saw the cat she longed to recover, her loyal apprentice: Shadepaw.

The memories flooded in her mind: his look when he listened to the senior warrior, how he admired her, how close they got to the point he even considered family despite being Sweetheart's son. Silverfang saw him as her own son before all went downhill... before he killed her father.

With trembling paws, Silverfang stepped forward, her claws unsheathed for the final strike. With every step, memories returned to her as the tears dropped with rain.

The day he became her apprentice...

Another step...

His big amber eyes staring at her during their training lesson...

Now she was just a tail-length away...

His worried, young face when she was wounded by a fox and his concerned words during that time: "Come on, Silverfang, get up. We have to get you back to camp so that wound doesn't get infected."

The blood of the dead leader painted her paws before she lifted one... and all she could when she was about to do it, was Shadepaw, the one who offered his shoulder, the one who looked after her, the one she raised... the one she lost moons ago but also the one Silverfang hold dearly in her heart of stone. The sweet, hardworking tom he used to be when he was her apprentice...

Silverfang opened her mouth and tears could be now visible as she mewed, with a sorrowful, pained expression: "I'm sorry..." And then, her claws fell over his throat. In less than a blink, the lethal wound was made and a part of her died with it, like the day Spotfur died.

Even if she had killed before, it was the first time she felt so guilty, dizzy and with nausea. She stepped back trembling like a kit and from her eyes, tears kept falling down like a cascade. She did it, she finally did it, but the warrior didn't feel joy at all about what she did because it was because of her misleading training why she had to do it. Silverfang knew it was her fault, that she turned into this... and because of her, he had to be killed by the one paw that made him this way.

The gaping hole in his throat and the unbearable pain and agony that came with it was just too much for him to cope with. Mouth wide open, gasping for air, coughing and hacking against the blood that filled his lungs, Shade slowly collapsed to the ground in front of Silverfang where he began to writhe. Tears stung in his eyes and his claws bad touch into the pebbles and dirt beneath him. He had never thought dying would hurt so much.

He felt his life beginning to slip away. Gray spots speckled his vision, and he began to grow weak and light-headed from blood loss. Still... there was one last thing he needed to do before he could allow himself to die.

His amber gaze slowly lifted to look up into Silverfang's eyes, his pupils contorted. After a few moments of fiercely coughing up blood, he was finally able to faintly croak, just barely audible over the rain that was beginning to ease up. "I... I-I'm... s...sorry-yy... Si-ilverf...fangg... H-Had t'... f-force... m'self t'... ff-forg-gehhett--...!" Another violent cough shook him, and he was barely able to suck in another breath to add, "Kn-Knew... nothin'... would b-be the s-samme again... I... r-regret... 'verythin'... Sorry... L-Love... you..."

His strength had finally failed him. His head fell limply to the ground, and his amber gaze stared off into nothingness, glassy and blank.

Shade, the vicious killer of so many innocent cats, was finally dead.

The leader opened his eyes in the starry landscape of Starclan. Even if it was his second time here, he was still a bit shaken about it. Death experience was not a pleasant one and if he remained as the leader, he would have to suffer it 7 times more. "I didn't expect you to see you here so soon, son." A silvery tom materialized from the stars as those words were said. Jaystar looked at his serious father, who just stepped closer to him. Jaystar lowered his head a little when he was in front of him. "I'm sorry... I got carried away and... I-I... just simply couldn't let him kill Fallowpaw... I couldn't let him kill another one of my clanmates..." The tom mewed, his voice shaky by the emotions.

Galewing just looked him and sighed. "I know what you did down there and I'm well aware of what Shade has done. And you, my son, has done nothing wrong." The older warrior lifted up his head by pushing his chin up with one paw. "You fought with passion and bravery, like a true Riverclan warrior. Even when you knew your mistake, you were willing to die to make amends for not killing Shadefang when you did. And now, you and your clan can rest from his threat..." Jaystar was confused by those last words because he knew he didn't kill Shade before he entered Starclan. Why was Galewing saying that he was no longer a danger? The Riverclan leader tried to open his mouth to ask him but his father simply pressed his nose against his and he fell into a vertiginous void that shoved him away from Starclan.

---

Silverfang couldn't say a word. The world kept spinning as the dying rogue looked into her eyes, opening his mouth to just mumble a few words... words of regret... words of a broken, defeated cat who followed a path of self-destruction. And then, he was gone. The amber eyes of the cats all the clans hated and feared now were open, looking at nothing. Shade was dead.

Maybe it was just her corrupted mind but Silverfang felt something breaking in her heart, that already broken heart who could no longer take another hit. She stepped backwards, shaking as tears kept falling from her face. She closed her eyes, full of regret, pain, loss and sorrow. Now she had truly lost everything: her apprentices, her son, her parents, her siblings... she was alone... The scarred warrior looked up into the sky who was slowly starting to turn orange with the new sunrise... and with the arrival of a new day, the large, silvery leader finally woke up.

Jaystar opened his eyes being welcomed by the warm light of the sun. Rain has stopped and he could only hear the forest sounds. There were no screeches and hisses of war. All he could hear was peace... Jaystar took a while to recover and to realize what was going. He stood up slowly in his four paws, getting used to his body once more. He looked around and he saw in front of his paws a dead Shade with a clean cut on his throat. The leader was shocked but as soon as he lifted his head, he saw Silverfang with her eyes closed, her fur covered in mud and blood as she cried quietly. So she did it... she killed her apprentice... for the well-being of the clan. And now, the senior warrior was suffering for it...

The tabby tom walked to her, knowing her pain and just nuzzled her, offering a shoulder to cry. The scarred she-cat cried in silence, letting all the pain go out. It was all over... but it was still her fault and the regret and loneliness would never leave her. "You did the right thing, Silverfang... is okay now... now both Riverclan and Shade can rest... is over..." He mewed. Even if he despised the rogue, he was aware of how much the tom meant for her and right now, she needed a friend and comfort. "Come on... is time to go home..." Jaystar licked her face in a fatherly way and then made her way to Fallowpaw. The leader helped her to stand up and offering his shoulder so she could lean on him, Jaystar started the slow travel to go back.

Silverfang silently nodded and started to walk behind them but before she could leave, her odd eyes looked behind her. She had to do it... just to see him one more time... her last mistake... it would be a reminder, a painful reminder of her misdeeds...