Rain pattered down from the clouds, splattering softly against the marshy ground. Thunder boomed in the distance and lightning streaked across the sky and off again into oblivion. Cats drew themselves forward from out under the bushes and into the water. The beads of water rolled of thier pelts dripping into the ground as thier fur became slick against thier body. But no one cared. All eyes were fixtated on the bright orange body in the centre of camp, mud starting to stain the fur as his chest rose and fell quickly eyes fluttering open and closed with each raspy breath. Looks of terror and shock plastered the faces of his clan mates as they watched in horror at the scene unfolding. A light gray she-cat sank to the ground, amber eyes glassy wih grief and shock, cats near by swarming to her side with in rapid heart beats. A pale black and gray tom stood by his former leader, regarding the situation with sorrow and strength. A low mourning wail echoed from the grieving she-cat just in time for the lightning to flash tauntingly again. The ginger tom rolled over untill he faced the younger tom, blue eyes laced with regret and sadness.

"Fadingnight." He rasped at the pale tom. "Look after our clan mates, see you treat them well."

The faded tom choked back his emotion for a moment until he let out a steady meow. "I will Flamestar."

The ginger toms heart rate was speeding up but he continued on. "Stoneclan has fallen, It was stupid of stonestar to think we would survive in the clans ways." He said laughing slightly before the solmn expressin returned to his face. "I trust you, my brave deputy, Lead these cats into a golden new era, so that they can survive without fear. Promice me that."

"But Flamestar..." The tom started to protest.

"No!" He spat back. "Just promice me fadingnight, promice me you will do as I asked."

There was a scilence broken only by the toms voice. "I promice you Flamestar."

The dying tom let out a blissful smile. "Thank you." He wheezed turning his head once more to focous on the light gray she-cat.

Tears were mingling with the water on her face as she returned his gaze.

"I will always love you stormsong. Always."

The she-cat didn't reply, just dipped her head in respect, more tears falling as she-did so.

Flamestar shifted once more eyes fixed on the endless sky above them as many cats began to bow their heads. The relentless torment of time had stolen away the ginger toms life, leving him left with only the shards of strength to utter his final sentance.

"Stoneclan Is dead..." He whispered

And finally he closed his eyes and allowed his chest to slow to a stop, heart to stop beating and blood to stop flowing. Flamestar was dead. His clanmates bowed thier heads as the rain fell down still, washing away the tears that were falling softly as they said their final goodbyes. Three older cats slipped throught the crowd and pulled the ginger tom out of camp witnout fuss as the stricken warriors, Queens and apprentices watched untill they dissapeared from sight.

"I renounce my title." The pale tom meowed, voice cracking slightly. Eyes flooded from all angles across the slick camp to focous on the tom. "I shall no longer go by Fadingnight. I rid my self of the stoneclan name, From now on I shall be Fade." The tom paused looking up at all the miserable faces. "Your new leader."

"What?" A voice shrieked.

A small ginger she-cat with gold paws pushed through the small crowd, eyes burning with anger.

"Why on earth are you doing that!" She spat, "You should be calling yourself Fadingstar you mouse brain!"

Fades eyes began to looose all sence of grief as he glared openly at the she-cat. "Dawnleap, Did you not hear Flamestar? Stoneclan is dead!" He hissed eyes still showing the crystal clear anguish.

The she-cat rolled her eyes. "And your actually going to listen to him? He was going nuts for starclans sake!"

There was a low half-hearted warning growl from Stormsong. "He was not." She snarled eyes still streaming tears. "I know he wasnt." She continued voice breaking from anger to dispair.

"He was right anyway." A Brown tabby tom meowed. "Stoneclan has fallen apart. Its time for a change."

Cats murmured their agremeets to the cats statment eyes flashing from eachother to Fade and dawnleap where they stood. Her eyes were narrowed as she raked her scathing gaze across the cats that used to be her clanmates.

"Traitors." She spat backing away with her ears pressed flat against her head, her eyes darted from cat to cat. Defiance fogged her vision but Even Fade could see the beginings of insanity in her Amber gaze. "None of you will go to starclan, EVER." She continued voice starting to rise into a wail. "Don't you care about what our ansestors went through?"

"Don't you care about what we're going through?" A misty blue she-cat called. "We are slowly dying living by those rules, we need our own."

"And who cares about starclan!" A tortiseshell tom added looking round to see the aproving and some dissaproving nodds of his clanmates. "What have they ever done for us huh?"

Fade watched onwards as they clan began to encircle the slightly crazed she-cat, forcing her back into the stonepile. Her eyes searched vainly for an escape, flittering from place to place as the cats drew closer. When her eyes landed on Fade he saw as they changed within moments from Desperate to blood thirsty.

"If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me. Traitor." She spat lunging for his throat.

He dodged in just enough time to feel her teeth scrape against his skin as she dived past onto the marshy floor beyond. Battle yowls sounded behind him but he had no time to turn around and see who was fighting as Dawnleap span sharply, fur on edge and lips drawn back in an impressive snarl. He charged instantly, feeling the rush of adrenilen as he herd the clash of teeth and claws behind him. The she-cat meet his attack head on rearing up to fight back. Lightning split the sky illuminating the scarlett pools and glint of teeth as the cats raked their claws across the fur and flesh of those they used to fight beside, teeth meeting limbs spurting crimson into the air falling like the raindrops that still dripped down from the heavens. Fade slashed out ascoss her muzzle feeling the warm sticky blood seep out on to his paws, driving his desire to kill her, hurt her for all the times she'd lashed out at him over the years of his life. While the clan may have been fighting for what they believed in to the Tom and Dawnleap this was a personal battle as they clawed and snarled in their own private universe, all the wrong doings suddenly springing to mind as the fluid seeped out of their bodies as the paws of the other. The pale tom could almost see everything hed been through flash before his eyes as he fought.

All the Taunts and jibes about how a rouge couldn't be a warrior, All the setups to make him fail, all of the needless fights that landed them both in trouble and the endless war. They would all end tonight, she would beg for his forgiveness before the sun rose.

She will pay before the sun rises. He vowed as he clamed his jaws around her leg, feeeling the usually acidic blood fill his mouth, but tonight it only tasted sweet as his began to stain his muzzel red. He realeased it quickly as lashed out with his paw again.

"Your a rouge." Dawnleap gasped, dodging the toms claws. "A rouge like you can't lead a clan."

He froze.

A rouge like you can't lead the clan...

Just a killer like his father...

Dream on faded, you'll never amount to anything...

He's Useless...

Useless...

The one word reveberated around his skull, crushing his mind. his ears were ringing with the endless taunts. He had aspired to be the best, but even when he was the best it still wasnt good enough. His heart thudded in his mind the loud voices and ringing screechy tone filling every part of him, he was drowning and no one would save him, he was Useless...

Useless...

Useless...

USELESS!

Something snapped. Deep inside that one word had been one step to far, he had been sent plumetting over the edge into the dark void below.

And he welcomed it.

Lightning split the sky again, the jagged crack dividing the storm clouds as a outraged howl rose into the air, sweeping across the sky with the one spine chilling note. With out even a offer of resistance, or so what it felt like, he had her pinned to the ground writhing and squirming to be let go of. But no. Not now. He had waited his whole life for this moment, his time to be on top. To be the best.

"Look at my eyes." He screeched. "LOOK AT THEM!"

Dawnleap fixed her eyes on the tom, fear literally rolling off her in waves.

"What colour are they." He snarled.

"B-blue." She stammered, eyes wide with fear.

"Just like..." He continued pushing his face close to hers.

"Shade."

"Who was?"

"Your father."

"And What did he do to cats?" Fade spat eyes growing wild with insanity.

"Killed them." Dawnfrost whimpered.

The pale tabby pressed a single paw on her throat and narrowed his eyes.

"Aren't you glad I'm not like My father?" He laughed pressing harder with his paw.

Dawnleap said nothing but gasped for air deperatly, amber eyes wide and filled with terror. years of torment he had never snapped once. But know it was like some monster had taken hold of his body.

The tom pressed harder.

"Aren't. You." He growled

"Yes." She gasped, snatching desperatly for the air that wouldn't come.

"But you would have deserved it if I had killed you, wouldn't you?" He smiled

"Yes." She rasped.

"So beg." He purred. "Beg for me to tourture you, to make your crimson blood flow in punishment." The sentance finished as he laughed madly allowing the she-cat a few gulps of sweet, sweet air down her crushed airway.

"Beg." He growled.

Dawnleap gasped loudly, breathing heavily trying to get as much oxeygyn as possible. "N- Nev- Never." She spat.

"Let me refrase that." Fade Snarled slowly pacing a paw in her throat and hooking his claws into the flesh by her throat. "Beg." He glared.

The ginger she-cat held her breath, on false move and he could slit her throat as easily as twitching his paw.

"Tourture me, make my blood flow in punishment for all I ever did to you and how much I hurt you as well." She babbled hurridly eyes suddenly taking in the crowd Fade had drawn, the hungry glint reflected each time the lightning flashed and the thunder boomed.

"Fine, as you will it." The pale tom smiled. It didn't reach his eyes thought, they stayed as hard and unforgiving as stone.

She screamed out the moment his claws his her stomach, slicing the skin with ease. The tabby continued to slice. Slashing at any skin he could reach, scarlett was flying in all directions, splashing his fur as he hacked angrilly at the she-cats body as she wailed out for mercy to starclan.

"Watch them save you now!" He screeched, The rain was slowing and easing up, no sign from starclan what so ever.

Slowly his claws began to ache and swiping grew tiring. Dawnleap barley whimpered anymore as her blood collected on the ground. Turning suddenly he strode away fro the mauled she-cat to bound over to the stonepile. He clambered up the slick tree too stand on top of the pile of stones over looking his clan. Some cats looked shocked. Some we're dead, but they were weak. but Overall they looked united as one. Strong. Easily led.

"They days of stoneclan are over." He cried staring out over the horizon line. "As the sun rises it rises apon the Tribe of the screaming shadows!" He yowled. A roar of approval met his words the cats already flexing their claws authough anticipating another fight. Fade turned away just as the sun broke the horizon, hilighting the scarlett blood that stained the camp. But as the suns rays finally splayed over the camp they caught the slim outline of a cat as he stood on the edge of the wall. He simply sat there, shaking his head at the monster he had allowed to lead.