Chapter Text
He was almost there.
Darkpaw had left many days ago on his journey home. The Sanctuary was far from the Clans—the mountains a mere distant mirage from the rolling dunes. He was tired, and hungry, and terribly annoyed.
But he was almost there.
He could see it now, the glittering, glistening lake, under the rising sun and cloudless sky.
What would he tell his father when he returned? What would MoorClan and the others make of it, the tale he would tell? Would those weak-hearted leaders cry with disbelief when told their precious apprentices had turned towards evil?
Whitestar would be proud. Of course, he would. How could he not, after seeing what his son accomplished? And the other Clans would not be able to deny it either. Spottedpaw, daughter of the star-favoured SunClan, was on his side.
Darkpaw had joined a powerful fighting force. He was already respected within the ranks. And if things worked out—which they would—he would soon have great power in his claws.
The powers of the stars themselves.
He only wished Bluepaw would be there to see it, the moment of his crowned glory, the beginning of his dominion. He wanted to see the look on his face when he finally realised, finally understood, what a real hero was.
Darkpaw came from a long line of leaders and star-speakers, but when the moment had arisen, he had been nothing. His built kingdom, torn and crumbled in the span of a single Gathering. As if that in itself wasn’t bad enough, Bluepaw, runt of the Clan, had been the one to receive the vision. He had been stung by humiliation.
But that humiliation was going to end. Now, he too would ascend to prophecy. He had prepared his whole life for this—it ran in his blood. This destiny had only been delayed, not destroyed.
There was something alive in him, now, that had not been there when he began this journey. Something vast and strong and dark. His body could barely contain the thing growing inside him.
None would ever question him again.
None would ever doubt his strength.
He was not his lineage's first failure. He was its first legend.