In the Shadow of [Night] (Silver/Fading/Eclipse)

[//The/Pendulum/Swings//]

Fadingsteps slowed, looking around him carefully with blurry eyes. Where was he? He heard a rushing in his ears that sounded like water, and he was standing on rock. It was certainly no where he had been before. Trying to clear his eyes to see clearer through his exhaustion, he finally made out a waterfall. Now he vaguly knew where he was.

'The Whispering Falls.' He thought, a wave of anxiety flashing through his system, his pelt standing on end. He thought about running. He'd heard about this place, and the she-demon that inhabited it. But then the red returned to his vision, his fur flattened on his back, and he boldly continued in the direction he'd originally been going.

If he was ever going to find Icefire, he would have to search everywhere. Letting off a caterwhaul, he jumped down from his perch and continued the hunt.

[Hidden]

<sub>It wasn't until long after she had crossed the WillowClan border into the loner territories that the she-cat noticed something was amiss. Her paws stopped pounding the ground as she paused uncertainly. Did she really want to leave WillowClan territory? The gray apprentice doubted it was safe out here. You used to be a loner, for goodness' sake! she thought, exasperated with her own cowardice. Before she had come into this area without a second thought. It wasn't as if she didn't know the way back. Besides, Fadingsteps is out here alone. I want to reach him before Icefire does.

Silverpaw sniffed the air and immediately picked up her mentor's scent. It was lucky for her that he wasn't worrying about stealth at the moment; he had seemed pretty focused on hunting Icefire. The apprentice shivered as she continued to trot after her mentor; her brother was never the hunted, only the hunter.

A familiar roaring sound loomed ahead of her, and over Fadingsteps's scent was the scent of water. The Whispering Falls, she thought as she got closer. Overall it was a fairly safe place, provided you didn't fall from the top or could swim if you fell near the bottom. But something about it that day made Silverpaw's fur stand on end, and she glanced around warily. Icefire could be anywhere.</sub>

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

"And what are you doing here?" A cold voice hissed from the shadows. Purple eyes glared sparks of icy fury at the tabby trespasser, before the body they belonged to emerged from the darkness, revealing a she-cat, jet-black with blood-matted paws.

Eclipse was furious. No one set paw on her lands without her say-so, no one! What gave this tom, who stank so clearly of WillowClan, the right to howl like that in her territory? She'd already shed moorland blood tonight, though it hadn't been much. Without a thought, she slid her claws from their sheathes, ready to defend the place she'd made her home from the cat.

The wind shifted then, and Eclipse took in a sharp breath, her anger growing. Two? Whispering Falls were her home, not some dumping ground for whatever mindless blood sack led WillowClan!

And we'll make sure they know that, won't we, sweetling? purred a voice that only Eclipse could hear. She didn't answer back, save with a curt nod. It was her custom to judge those who came here, after all, before she killed them. They were all guilty of crimes worthy of death, yes, but it put her mind at ease to know what they had done to deserve her execution first.

"These aren't your lands, tom." Eclipse snarled, her form of a warning. "You'd better have a damn good reason for being here, you and your friend. I don't entertain guests very often, and, when I do..." A cruel smile lit her maw, and she shrugged her ebony shoulders. "Well, we'll just say they find it hard to leave again." The young she-cat chuckled madly at her own joke, eyes watching Fadingsteps warily all the same. Trust few and leave no enemy alive, those were her watchwords, and that was exactly how Eclipse lived her life.

[/blockquote]

[//The/Pendulum/Swings//]

The minute he saw those purple pin points of light, he knew he was in trouble. Stepping back away as the she-cat emerged from the shadows of her desolate home, his confidence failed him. As she asked her questions in that chilling voice, his head whipped around searching for the other she mentioned. Catching a familiar scent on his nostrils, he glared. Silverpaw?! Silverpaw!! He hissed. Get out here immediately!

He was so enraged that he at first forgot about their companion, but her next question and warning brought him back into his surroundings. Motioning Silverpaw to stay hidden, at least for now, he answered Eclipse in a strong voice of a deputy. "I have been on a quest, looking for a murdering traitor to WillowClan. Perhaps you have seen him. Icefire? And we are ever so sorry for trespassing, it will not happen again from any WillowClan cat." An idea occurred to him just then, and he continued. "Anyway, it wouldn't bode well for you if you were to kill us, now would it? You would have to deal with WillowClan then, and you would really hate that, wouldn't you? Meaning no disrespect of course Ma'am." Fadingsteps nodded his head low as was expected when in the presence of an older cat. He truly didn't mean to offend her, and he knew he was playing with fire here, but it seemed that maybe, she'd want to keep her lonliness in peace. And that wouldn't happen if she killed them. 'I hope.'

[Hidden]

_{Silverpaw flinched at the sound of her mentor's voice. So much for staying hidden, she thought dully as she stepped into view. Just then she recognized Fadingsteps's signal to stay put. Too late now, she thought, glancing warily at the two purple eyes as she trotted over to her mentor. The feeling of danger returned again, but more strongly this time, and Silverpaw realized that it was this she-cat, not Icefire, that was causing it. She creeps me out even more than Icefire, she thought, her blue eyes wide. She felt the need to both stare at the black she-cat and to look anywhere but at her at the same time. Her pelt prickled and she almost turned and fled, but stopped herself just in time. She didn't want to do anything that might provoke her any further.}

[//The/Pendulum/Swings//]

[[And Now we wait for Diz]]

[[don't]fear[the]reaper]

[[XP Hidden, Eclipse watched Silverpaw & co. grow up. She should know her, even if it takes a minute to click.
I wrote this out earlier, posted it, aaaand... the net died just then. So this is my semi-better rewrite.
Song is "Time to Dance" by Panic[!] at the Disco]]

She didn't choose this role
But she'll play it and make it sincere
So you cry, you cry

"'Disrespect'?" Eclipse snorted at the idea, her eyes watching the small grey cat as she emerged from where ever she'd been hiding. Silverpaw... there was something familiar about the name, the cat, but she couldn't place it. Not that she wanted to, anyway. Her memory had been sketchy the last few days, at best. "You disrespected me the moment you set foot on my territory, tom, you and your little kit here. Just like this tom here. Maybe you know him; he reeks of moorland scum." The jet-black she-cat stepped aside, revealing the broken, bloody body of Icefire... or what was left of it, at least.

But they believe it from the tears
And the teeth right down to the blood
At her feet

Eclipse giggled. "He wanted to go home, you know. Kept telling me to let him go, that I hadn't done anything to him." Her violet eyes hardened suddenly. "Fool. No one leaves my territory without my permission. Without our permission." Claws slid out of red-stained feet as Eclipse arched her back. "You come here and make demands of us, threaten us if we don't obey?" Her voice climbed an octave as the black feline's rage grew. "You would dare to demand things of Death? If you were to die here, who would know about it? A moment with you, and there'd be nothing left to demand with!" Eclipse's tail lashed back in forth in agitation. She'd kill these two, she would. Just like the tom at her feet. She was her own cat, given will by another.

Boys will be boys
Hiding in estrogen and wearing Aubergine dreams

[/size]

[//The/Pendulum/Swings//]

As the black she-devil stepped to the sides, her dark mass uncovered something Fadingsteps wasn't expecting to see. There, in the dust and grime of this lonely place lay the murderous traitor formerly known as Icefire. His enemy, the cat he was set on bringing to justice, was dead.

The wind left him for a moment as he reeled backwards, until he again noticed the large hulking form that seemed to grow larger in rage. Well, at least that's one thing I don't have to worry about. He thought, strangely relieved that he didn't have to kill their medicine cat, though he had no doubt that he would have if he'd caught him alive.

Startled by a sudden display of anger from the black feline, Fadingsteps watched as her form almost doubled in size, her anger bordering on psychotic. He stepped forward, unsheathing his claws. Even though he was grateful to this cat for killing his enemy, Fadingsteps knew she wasn't about to let them walk away without a fight. According to Icefire's example, she wouldn't stop short of killing the both of them, and she obviously wasn't big on showing mercy. Well then have at it then. He mused, his head strangely calm though his body had on its own raised into a fighting stance in anticipation for the coming fight.

[Hidden]

((Oh, yeeeeaaaahh... oops. Oh well. I'm too lazy to fix it, so I'll just have her re-react now.))

Silverpaw gaped at her brother's body. But... how...? she thought, unable to wrap her mind around the fact that he was dead. No one could kill Icefire. Except her... What sort of evil power does she have? The apprentice tore her eyes away from the WillowClan medicine cat and faced the black she-cat. Icefire was no threat to them anymore; now they just had to worry about getting away from this monster.

Recognition flared in the she-cat's eyes. "Eclipse?!" she gasped, completely shocked. She had never known the black she-cat from her kithood to be so... she couldn't even think of a word to describe this creature that now stood before her. She didn't seem to have recognized Silverpaw either. "Eclipse, it's me, Silverp--Silverlight." She hesitated, then added, "You remember me... don't you?" The apprentice tipped her head to the side.

oh starclan, help me. i don't know how i'm going to get out of this mess. hey, you! go find nilexa. they're somewhere near the bottom. in fact, i'm board with this. just go find nilexa.

[/blockquote]