The horizon loomed dark and ominous, nearly as dark as his own pelt, which disappeared into the equally dark night around him. A brisk leaf fall wind stirred his fur, leaves falling to the ground around him, but he payed them no mind. The tortoiseshell coloured earth stretched in every direction but his paws travelled steadily in the only one that mattered.

There was something drawing him, a desire like none he'd ever known. A desire to serve, to be of use, to fulfill his destiny.

And there it was, in the form of an offering. A sacrifice, even, but a necessary one. His claws slid out of their sheathes; his mouth, parched, watered at the thought of what was to come. Bloodlust filled his belly, the muscles of his legs, his gleaming eyes.

He came to a halt, observing the offering coldly. Two small kits gazed up at him, eyes still blue as a robin's egg. With a single swipe of his claws he struck both.

Lightning streaked across the darkness and thunder boomed around him. He jumped, suddenly aware of his surroundings. How had he gotten here? Why was there blood on his claws?

His eyes fell on the dead kits and he staggered backwards, his desires replaced with fear and repulsion. His pelt crawled as if it were full of maggots, his throat filled with bile at the thought of what he'd done.

And when he looked up and met the pair of hazel eyes that stared at him in absolute disgust all the will to live left his body.

"Murderer," she said, eyes flashing.

He wanted to fight it, to prove that he wasn't. But the blood of the kits stained his claws and the ground all around until he felt he was drowning in it.

"Please," he whimpered but the disgust only deepened. There was nothing for him here. The darkness reached out to him, pulled him closer, whispered in his ears of all the great things he could do if only he would let go of the light. The harder he fought the more it held him, until...

"No!"

Shademask woke with a start, fur still crawling. He was up and out of his nest in a heartbeat, running into the moonlit clearing of RockClan's camp before the darkness of the den swallowed him whole. His breath came in ragged gasps, each sharp exhale producing the smallest cloud of mist before him.

It wasn't until his sides had stopped heaving that he realized there was another cat in the clearing. Mothpelt sat beneath the ivy curtain of her den, green eyes glowing in the light of the nearly full moon. She blinked once as his eyes met hers before she disappeared into her den. Curious, Shademask followed her.

She sat waiting for him, herbs in her jaws. "I thought you might want some of these to help you fall back asleep."

The warrior hesitated but finally nodded his head. "Yes, I guess I've been having a hard time with that lately."

Mothpelt flicked an ear as he bent to lap up the herbs. "You've been up a lot lately; what is it that keeps you up at night?"

Again, Shademask paused. Here was his chance to confess everything that had been bothering him to someone he knew would keep his secret — not only was Mothpelt a medicine cat, but also his littermate. Yet, something held him back, as if telling the whole truth would be too much.

Finally, he sighed. "I've been having nightmares. I think they're to do with DarkClan."

Mothpelt nodded, waiting for him to continue. Somehow, she knew there was more, and Shademask marveled at her ability to discern this.

"Every night, I do terrible things — unspeakable things — in my dreams. But afterwards it's like I snap back into my own body, as if I didn't know what I was doing when I did it, and there's an unbearable sense of horror, and guilt, and darkness."

"It's like you're back in DarkClan again," Mothpelt whispered. Shademask nodded mutely in return.

"The worst part..." He looked away, the lump in his throat growing. He swallowed, trying to push past it. "The worst part is when Lightchaser appears. The way she looks at me... Like I'm a monster. Like she doesn't want anything to do with me." He could hardly choke the words out.

"It's because she means so much to you," Mothpelt reassured him. "I see it everyday when the two of you are together."

Shademask shook his head. "It's more than that. She saved me. I was caught in the darkness and she was the light that brought me out of it. If not for her... I'm afraid I would have followed DarkClan's rules forever."

Only then did he bring his head up. He could see his own anguish mirrored in Mothpelt and he knew they were both thinking about the first rebellion and Wrenflight's death. How stupid he had been to side with DarkClan then.

Mothpelt rose to her paws, sliding her tail gently onto his shoulder. Looking him straight in the eyes, she said something Shademask had not even known he needed to hear.

"I forgive you."

A fragment of the guilt slipped away, leaving behind a shining spot of hope. He touched his nose to hers in thanks, drawing away as a yawn overtook him. The herbs were starting to affect him, making his trip back to the warrior den difficult as his muscles began to relax. Still, he curled up in his own nest beside a peacefully sleeping Lightchaser, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

//

"Is that for me?" Shademask stifled a purr at the excitement in Rainheart's voice when she spied the squirrel in his jaws. He made a show of looking about the nursery, as if there were someone else to give the freshkill to, before dropping it in front of her.

"Thank StarClan, I'm famished. These two will run me dry if they keep up at this pace." Shademask's eyes fell on the two grey kits at Rainheart's side, suckling loudly. Just over a quarter moon after their birth they were much bigger than he remembered them being.

"They look like they'll be strong warriors one day," he replied. It felt like the right thing to say.

Rainheart paused between bites of squirrel to nuzzle her offspring. "As long as they are good to their Clanmates, I'll be happy with how they turn out." The darker of the two kits — Sootkit — mewed, as if in protest. His eyes popped open, unfocused but the colour of a clear sky.

"They've already opened their eyes?" Shademask asked, surprised.

"Most kits open their eyes about a quarter moon after birth," Rainheart replied. "At least, that's what Mothpelt said. You clearly have a lot to learn before you and Lightchaser have your own."

Shademask shuffled his paws, somewhat embarrassed. The thought of kits had crossed his mind but he'd been too afraid to speak to Lightchaser about it just yet, especially with the nightmares that haunted him even after his talk with Mothpelt.

"I better get going," he said, already backing out of the nursery. "Enjoy the rest of that squirrel."

Rainheart purred appreciately, going back to her meal. With one last glance at the kits, busy suckling once more, Shademask retreated to the Fallen Tree. The evening border patrol had just arrived and one look at an agitated Lightchaser told him something was wrong.

"What happened?" he asked as he approached. Beavertail turned to respond, narrowly missing Shademask with his thick tail.

"There were some strange scents on the border nearest the coast," he replied. "Smelled like someone had attempted to disguise their scent."

"Smelled absolutely rank," Robinflight added, scrunching up her nose.

"But underneath that was a different scent, a familiar one." Lightchaser's voice, quiet as it was, carried a note of fear that Shademask was sure only he had picked up on.

"Familiar how?" he asked, worried.

"Like... DarkClan almost."

He kept his eyes on her as the rest of the patrol fell silent.

She shook her head. "I'm probably just imagining things. I shouldn't be assuming the worst."

"You can never be too careful," Shademask told her with a shrug. Then, twining his tail in hers, "Come on, let's grab some freshkill to share."

This seemed to perk her up, though some of the tension in her shoulders remained.

"I'll see what I can find," she said, brushing her whiskers against his as she walked past. Shademask turned to the rest of the patrol, inviting them to join in. Robinflight and Dewheart had already left to find their own meal, but Beavertail shook his head.

"I need to report to Sprucestar right away," he said. "And I promised Cinderblossom a meal together once she gets back."

No sooner had the words come out of his mouth when Cinderblossom came streaking down the Fallen Tree, nearly colliding with the two toms before disappearing into the medicine den. Shademask and Beavertail exchanged confused looks.

Their question was answered when Oakshade and Stormfall appeared, carrying an injured-looking Antpaw between them. The apprentice was moaning in pain, though Shademask couldn't see where he was injured.

"What happened?" he asked a badly shaken Oakshade.

They lay Antpaw gently on the ground, where the black apprentice continued to moan and groan. Stormfall opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Minkfur's scream.

"My kit!" She was next to Antpaw in the span of a blink, licking the fur on his chest like mad.

"We were hunting squirrels and practicing some climbing," Stormfall explained as Oakshade looked on, stunned. "Antpaw was determined to catch a squirrel he'd been stalking. It escaped onto a rather thin branch and, well..."

"He fell out of a tree?!" Minkfur's tone was shrill as she rounded on Stormfall.

"Yes." Stormfall replied, blinking in shock.

"What kind of a mentor allows that to happen?" she cried, now turning on Oakshade. The brown tabby looked at her with round eyes, unable to stutter out a response.

"This is unacceptable. This would have never happened in — "

"Don't even dare to finish that sentence."

Shademask's fur, already pricked, rose to its full height as Sprucestar stepped out of her den, green eyes narrowed and claws unsheathed. He stepped back, as did Stormfall, leaving Minkfur and Oakshade to face the RockClan leader.

"Antpaw had an unfortunate accident while under Oakshade's watch. Under Stormfall and Cinderblossom's too. I don't for a moment believe that any of them stood by and just let it happen. My warriors would do everything in their power to stop an accident like this from happening, if able to.

"But, if an accident does happen, it is not the end. If Antpaw makes a full recovery then we will thank StarClan. If not, he will still be an integral part of the Clan.

"So, you're right. This would have never happened in DarkClan. In DarkClan, Antpaw wouldn't be lying here in the medicine cat's care, he would be dead. And it would be because the DarkClan leader ordered it so. Is that what you wish for your kit?"

For a moment, Shademask was reminded of when Sprucestar had killed Sedgecloud and knew that she would not hesitate to kill if necessary. She, too, had been raised in DarkClan. But Minkfur shook her head, even as she shrank back from her leader's glare.

"Then we have no quarrel. You will leave my deputy alone and sit by Antpaw's side until Mothpelt has figured out what she can do for him."

The grey she-cat was already at the apprentice's side, pressing her paws gently into his chest and sides. Antpaw's loud groans sounded exaggerated, even to Shademask's ears.

"He hasn't broken anything," Mothpelt announced, pawing through the stack of herbs she'd brought out with her. "There will be bruising but I don't believe there's been any permanent damage. I'll have to keep him in the medicine den for a couple of sunrises just to be sure."

Sprucestar twitched her whiskers. "Looks like everything has been resolved then. Shademask, Stormfall, would you kindly help Mothpelt move Antpaw into her den? Oakshade and Minkfur, I'd like to see you in my den."

No one wasted a heartbeat doing as told but the tension left behind in the air set Shademask on edge. Less than six moons after the fall of DarkClan and already there were cracks showing.

// I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update. I reread Unmasked the other day and I've put too much work into this trilogy to leave it unfinished... But updates will be scattered as I don't know when I'll have time to write. Thanks for reading if you're still around!