The Tests: Test 3

The Tests: Test 3

### Characters Present

Wren, Harnor, Chao, Mist, Luana, Dune, Tess, Eclipse, Black Bird, Fringe, Stemwhisker, Cobweb, Storm, Rattlesnake, Bird, Tawny, Thunder, Fini, Sunny, Pebble, Frost, Echo, Quintessa, Frostsong, Palm, Wildflower, Feather Marina,

### Important Events

Wren is possessed, Feather kills her, Dune gets powers

**Test 3** is an episode in *The Tests*.

## **The Tests: Test 3 (Wren's Flame)**

The cats awoke, and they were still in the same desert as before. Yet the wind had picked up sand and rocks, which were flying through the air.

Then, at the other end of the desert, the cats saw a fire. They were all drawn to it instinctively, and stood about two hundred yards away and watched it climb up higher and higher.

Like a phantom, a black silhouette of a cat appeared in the flames, taking a step forward, not bothered by the fire. Suddenly, the cat opened its eyes and a ghostly glow came from them — one light blue and the other yellow. Wren.

Harnor’s regal voice came from all around them.“This is the price she must pay for betraying me. Only a cat with the same fire inside them can kill her.”

Chao stared at Wren. He knew that this wasn’t something he wanted to do. But he had to. It was his. He charged at Wren. And at the last second, he veered into a cat with dark orange spots.

Mist was going to attack Wren when the white cat with red eyes slammed into him. He couldn’t believe how stupid this cat was. He was going to get them both killed. “How could you?!” he shrieked, and flashed both his claws across the cat’s face.

Chao yelped and ran away.

Good. Now Mist could finish this.

Chao had never felt so much pain. Given the choice, he would have jumped off another cliff. He looked at the cat who had haunted his dreams for too long, who now only had one emerald. At least he had that small victory. But it had come at a great price. That brainless tom had half-blinded him. His right eye would never open again. He opened his eye to find that he was very close to Wren, and panic surged through him. He got up and stumbled away from the fiery demon that had once been a normal cat. He realized that the black gem Harnor had touched to Wren’s head must have caused the state she was in now. He looked at his own emeralds and wondered if they were related at all. He shivered as he considered that the gems on his paws could do something like that. But then he reasoned that if they could, wouldn’t he or that cursed tom be like Wren was? He shivered as he considered that Wren was going to die. It was so odd how something could be taken from you so quickly.

Luana’s eyes widened in horror. *“No!”* she wailed. Tears poured down her face. “I can’t, I won’t, I, I . . . *no*! *Please no!”*

Dune saw Luana panicking and sprinted over. “I can’t do this!” he cried. “I can’t attack her. I don’t care whether she kills me or not.” Tears rolled down his cheeks and he stepped back. *Maybe I can’t complete the Tests,* he thought.

Luana stumbled and pressed against Dune for some kind of support. “That can’t be her. It can’t be,” she whimpered, her voice breaking. “They’re going to kill her,” she sobbed.

Dune sobbed into Luana’s shoulder, not caring how much of a wimp he looked like. “She’s going to die, and there’s nothing we can do.” Tears rolled down his cheeks. “Except for not taking part in this.” He stepped back. “I’m not taking any part in this; I don’t care if I die.”

Luana stood and bore her fangs. *That can’t be Wren. I refuse to believe it’s her. I still can’t . . . hurt her, though. But maybe . . . I can distract her so other cats can attack.* She took a deep breath and sprinted towards the demon. She dodged at the last minute and sped around it.

Tess narrowed her eyes. *Finally something interesting.* She wasn’t stupid, though. She wouldn’t go to the powerful she-cat without a plan. She silently began to stalk, using her muddy fur color to blend in with the ground. She had to wait until Wren was vulnerable to kill her. As cats began to fly at Wren from the front, she snuck up from behind. She leapt as high as she could over the flames and hooked her claws onto Wren’s back. She hissed in pain as she realized that her belly-fur was singed from the flames. The pain was too much. She let go and let herself fall into the fire.

Mist saw a cat fall into the fire. He turned to Wren angrily. She would pay. He charged at the flaming she-cat, only to be pushed back by a wave of fire.

Dune saw a cat whose belly was on fire. He sprinted over. He didn’t want to hurt Wren, but he could try and save others. He sunk his teeth into her scruff and dragged her out of the flames, letting her body fall to the ground back where him and Luana had been standing.

Tess shook so hard, she didn’t think she could stop. She opened up her eyes from their screwed-shut position and huffed a short “Thank you” to the tom who had just saved her life.

Eclipse saw Wren and knew she must push down any feeling she had ever had for her. Every last bit. She had to push through the flame whether she liked it or not. And she didn’t like it. But she couldn’t not help. Whether she liked it or not. She couldn’t. She turned to Black Bird and told him to hide. Then she faced Wren and looked her in the eye. Then she ran towards her, twisting and turning and hoping she could distract her. The flames that licked her paws hurt, but not as much as it did when Ash died. She could get through it. Or she could sacrifice herself and let someone else kill Wren. She ran, feeling almost no pain at all. She was numb. She wasn’t immune; her fur was scorching and her lungs protested, but she felt no pain.

Black Bird didn’t follow her commands. Instead, the black tom ran though the hot sand and tried to attack. He swiped at Wren again and again, hoping he caught her at least once.

Black Bird and Eclipse fought.

Eclipse followed a few cats through the back. Her paws were burning, her tail-tip was starting to go ashy-gray, but she didn’t care. The fur would grow back. She swiped at Wren, hoping to knock her over.

Black Bird was fighting from the front — or at least trying to. He didn’t mind that his lungs were killing him or that the pain in his paws was unbearable. He kept fighting, clawing at Wren, hoping to weaken her.

Fringe cringed backwards. “No. . .” She couldn’t do it. She was going to fail. She couldn’t. “This . . . Harnor! This has gone too far!” she wailed, not for the first time during the Tests. “Sparrow . . . Perch . . . I’m sorry . . . I couldn’t win,” she whispered. She took the first step into the growing flames. She felt the flames flickering around her, but they weren’t burning her. “What?” she murmured. Looking at Wren, she realized, *I’m not the one to beat her.* She quickly exited the flames, standing back to watch the Test unfold. As she left the warmth of the flames, she felt ice creeping into her heart. *If Harnor is trying to create a monster. . .* She grinned menacingly. *He’s got one.* Her claws dug into the dirt as she blocked out the screams. *This is for Sparrow,* she reminded herself. *And Perch.*

Stemwhisker cursed Harnor inside his head, then jumped at Wren.

Cobweb opened her eyes and hissed in rage. *“Stupid StarClan-forsaken cat!”* she yowled as she flexed her claws angrily at the ground. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. *Yelling won’t solve anything,* she thought as she got up and saw a tom jump at a she-cat. She hissed in annoyance. “Stop! Fighting won’t solve anything! Can’t you see what you’re doing? You’re going to kill yourself! This is exactly what Harnor wants! He wants us to kill, and what for? He’s only doing this for his own amusement! Listen, I know you’re mad, but fighting won’t stop anything! Just stop for once,” she yowled, surprised at her own boldness.

Storm couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want the she-cat to die . . . but if this was what must be done, she would try her hardest. But she couldn’t imagine delivering the killing blow. *I’m sorry, Wren,* she thought as she dove into battle.

Rattlesnake didn’t care. His fur was short, so he would get burned more easily, and he couldn’t lay a claw on a single cat. Especially one others cared about. He didn’t know what to do. Fight? He couldn’t. He *couldn’t*. Protect the others? No. He was too small to protect a kit. Coward? He wasn't afraid to admit it; he was. So he stood far from Wren, hoping she didn’t see him.

Bird sat in the corner and sighed. *Owl died. I would rather be with him than this mess.*

“Thunder!” Tawny screamed. “Where are you?” she gasped over the shrieks and the wind. She had to find her friend! *How can we fight Wren without being killed?* she thought. *Thunder, please don’t die!*

“Tawny! I’m here!” Thunder yelled, running up to her. “Where’s Fini? Never mind, as long as she’s safe. We need to plan this; we can’t just run in blindly. What puts out fire? Water . . . uh, wet sand . . . any ideas?”

“I-I don’t know. . .” Tawny said.

“What if we dig towards the wetter sand, then roll in it so our pelt is damp and less likely to catch fire?” Thunder suggested.

“Thunder . . . you’re a genius!” Tawny gave a purr and raced back from the battle. She flexed her forelegs and began digging. Immediately, she sprang backward. “Ow! The sand is burning! There’s no *way* we’ll find wet sand!” But still, she kept digging and digging. After a while, her paws felt colder. “Thunder! Damp sand! Over here,” she mewed excitedly. She dug the hole bigger and leaped into it. She rolled around so that her pelt was damper. “This is great! Yes, now let’s join the battle.” She raced forward where there was a space and unsheathed her claws.

“Good work!” Thunder exclaimed, taking his turn to roll in the damp sand and charge into battle.

Tawny’s tail lashed and she bared her teeth at the kind-she-cat-turned-demon. She stood in that position until Thunder joined her. “There you are,” she sighed in relief. “How do we fight her?” She thought for a moment. “Ah! Where’s Fini? Never mind . . . it would just be better if there were three cats. Which one of us is faster? I mean, the rogues that I lived with named me Tawny because I was fast like a tawny owl. But your name is Thunder, so . . . argh! I’m getting distracted again! You can chase her down to there—” she pointed with her tail to a place where some dead trees closed in on each other, making it harder for cats to escape without being hurt by the low-hanging branches “—where I’ll be hiding. Then I’ll jump out at her, and after that, you can join me, and we can kill her! I-I’m just not sure if it’s safe. . .” She tried not to show her sadness. She would kill any stranger that tried to kill her! But this cat was so kind before, and it wasn’t her fault that she turned out this way. . .

Thunder ran into the flames and lashed out at Wren, trying to distract her. The water in his pelt was evaporating, but it was still protecting him from catching fire.

“Thunder, wait! It won’t work! We need to stand back now,” Tawny shrieked. It was no use. They weren’t stronger than fire. No cat was. What was Harnor doing to them. . .?

Fini’s pelt prickled with fear, but she slashed Wren, wounding her only in the slightest.

Sunny looked around at the other cats, scared and hopeless. *Stay calm,* she thought. *The fire is a friend.* She looked to Wren. She wouldn’t kill her, not in a thousand years.

Pebble hated this. It was hot, the fire was too close for comfort, and the wounds on her paws were opening up again. The fire would scorch her pads down to shriveled messes, so she stayed and protected those who hadn’t gotten up to fight yet.

Frost looked at Wren. She was scared of everything here; she had only ever known the happy green place of the park and forest. Well, she had nothing to lose. She looked at her little flower; that was her only possession to lose. Then she looked at herself. She was such a small cat. She was going to stop stalling and just try to kill Wren. “Frostsong, you’re the only cat I know here. I’m going to fight and then lose. So don’t be sad if I die. I’m not afraid of dying.” She ran up to Wren and swiped her once across the face and down the muzzle.

Wren didn't flinch and took down Frost with two hits.

Frost was now on the ground, unconscious. She regained consciousness. She tried to get up, but she was too exhausted. She knew that she had to get up and move; the flames were getting closer to her, and if she stayed for a little while longer, she would be eaten by the flames. She already had a massive scratch on her side all the way from her muzzle to her tail. *Well,* she thought, *this is where I’m going to die.* She did try to get up. She limped as she attempted to walk. She fell down again and lay there, limp on the ground, a little ways away from the flames where there were cats running in to kill Wren. She just lay there, because she couldn't move due to the incredible pain on her side and pretty much everywhere. She was just hoping nobody would step on her, and the fire wouldn't hit her. But just as fast as she was awake, thinking of everything that could go wrong, she fell back asleep again.

Pebble, seeing a she-cat laying on the ground near the fire, gasped. She ran to her and dragged her away, hoping she didn’t hurt her in the process. When she decided the she-cat was far enough away, she left her there and stood guard in front of her. No one was going to hurt this she-cat. Not one who was defenseless. No one.

“Thank you,” Frost gasped when some cat dragged her away from the fire.

“Don’t worry about it,” Pebble said to the she-cat she had dragged away from the fire. She stood protectively in front of her, hopefully as far away from Wren as possible.

*Who is this cat?* Frost thought while she was knocked out. Why would they care to save a little cat like her? She hoped that the fire and the fight would be over soon; she just wanted to live a nice life with some friends that she would hopefully make. Maybe this cat would want to be one of her new friends, who knew?

Echo shuddered at the sight of the flickering flames. She didn’t want to fight Wren. Honestly, she didn’t want to fight anyone. But if she had to, then she would. Inhaling sharply, the small she-cat leaped through the fire and immediately felt a flurry of coughs hack at her lungs. The smoke burned her eyes and the sparks stung her flesh. Releasing another round of coughs and gasps, she advanced forward, clawing at the glowing shape that was Wren blindly, not knowing if she had injured her or not.

Quintessa gasped. She couldn’t. *No. No, no, no. Why?* She leapt back. She cried out in pain as she slammed into a cactus. *Can't think,* she thought. *Must kill.* She aimed to claw Wren’s legs.

Frostsong stood frozen with shock. *I can’t attack someone! That would change me too much!* But she saw Quintessa dive for Wren’s limbs and was almost going to help, but she ran to the safety of a small cave to think. *I have to fight. Too many cats are going to die! But I can’t! How could I attack a cat who’s done nothing to me?*

Palm saw Quintessa charge at Wren, and he followed suit. Diving into the flames, he felt them scorch his pelt. He attempted to claw at the opposite leg to Quintessa, hoping to confuse Wren.

Anger. Flames. Hatred. Must kill. Pain. Wren felt claws scratch both her legs, but she pulled away before they could leave more than a light scratch. She focused her mind and sent a fireball towards the two cats. She didn’t make the fire too hot; she wanted to toy with the cats first.

The fireball flew towards Palm, and he screamed, running out of the flames.

Quintessa hissed. She leapt back, barely escaping the fire, but not without it singeing her fur. She heard Palm scream. She saw Frostsong dive into a cavern. She felt anger. Rage. Stupid Harnor. She wouldn’t go down at the paws of the likes of him. She and the others were so much better. She decided to enter the cave with Frostsong in order to form a plan.

Frostsong smelled a cat coming in. “Quintessa? Is that you? I saw what happened. Are you alright?”

Quintessa shouted. “Yes! I’m okay,” she said, wincing. Her paw seemed to be twisted. She quickly turned her wince into a smile and walked over to Frostsong. “We need a plan to take her down,” she said.

“Are we even the right cats? Harnor said that only someone with the same fire as Wren could take her down. I’m, well, icy! It’s even in my name!” Frostsong said. “We need to treat your paw. I’ll see if I can find a stick or something to set it straight. Wait here. I’ll be right back.” As she grabbed a cactus limb and scraped off the needles for Quintessa, she noticed a new cat. “You should move out of the way. You might get attacked by that, whatever it is. I know it isn’t Wren,” she warned. Then she ran back to the cave to find Quintessa.

Wildflower couldn’t believe it. Harnor was so cruel. And now the cat that might be the only one who could kill Wren could be Wren’s brother. Or her girlfriend. They decided that they could also be that cat and flung themselves into the flames, swiping at Wren’s flank. They hissed as they landed on the hot sand and turned to flee. They spotted Quintessa and Frostsong, and ran over to see if they could help, while telling themselves that they weren’t a coward, that the cat — it just couldn’t be them. That was why they left. Not . . . not because they were a . . . a coward. No. . .

Quintessa watched. She watched the pain that Harnor inflicted on Dune, on Wren, though she didn’t feel it now, on everyone. If she ever reached her goal of becoming immortal, she swore to *never* become like Harnor. Her paw still felt twisted, but the pain had gone down since she had hurt it. She thought about her life. How much she had missed. She would never get a mate, never have kits. Never watch said kits grow up. She clawed the ground with her good foot. *Why think of this* now*?* she wondered. That was when her mind clicked, her mental wheels turned, remembering something. Harnor had said something about the cat with the fire to match Wren’s. *Maybe that’s a clue. Maybe—* Then her thoughts were cut off as she heard a cat run over to her.

“It’s no use,” Wildflower told Quintessa. “She’s not Wren anymore, and she’s got fire powers. Nobody can stop her except for the right cat. Look at them, all of them . . . yet nobody can stop her.” They glanced at Quintessa’s paw. “And you need to rest that paw. Wasn’t Frostsong with you?”

Quintessa sighed. “She was, but I think she left for a stick or something,” she murmured. She glanced over at the creature that was now Wren, watching it attack cats that it was friendly to. She shuddered. *Would it attack* me*, then?* She growled. *Stupid idiot Harnor.* She whimpered. What will happen when Wren dies? She laid down. *Whatever happens, I hope that Harnor gets a heck of a lot of butt-kicking.* She laughed, feeling herself drift off to sleep. . .

Feather sighed. *I-I can’t . . . I won’t hurt her, but I can put out some of the flames.* She held the water-filled cactus in her jaws, closed the top, and ran with all her speed towards Wren, dropping drops as she sprinted towards her. She splashed it around Wren and galloped through the path back to Dune and Luana. She slashed at cacti, gathering more water in the bowl.

Wren saw a gray cat coming towards her with a bowl filled with water, trying to douse her flames. She charged towards the cat. The flames were part of her now; how dare this cat try to stop them? She lashed out her paw, claws coated with fire. But by now, blood was dripping from her pelt and she was getting weaker.

“Dune . . . I have this feeling . . . that I’m the ‘fire.’ I know that’s your sister, but I feel that I’m supposed to kill her. She’s a good cat, but now she’s turned into a . . . demon. She’ll kill all of us if someone doesn’t kill her, and I’m that someone. I’ll die to save you and the other cats here. Whatever happens, I love you.” Feather gathered up the last drops of cactus water, splashed them on herself, and started to slowly pad towards Wren.

Luana had dashed back to where Dune had been standing and heard Feather’s revelation. Her eyes widened and she let out a choked sob. “It’s what you have to do. . .”

Dune heard Feather saying something behind him; it sounded urgent, but he needed to deal with something first. “Tell me later,” he cried out. “I need to go do something.” He padded over to Quintessa. The white-and-tabby cat who reminded him of Wren a bit was standing over Quintessa; they seemed to be trying to convince her to stay back. “Look,” he hissed. “I know we’ve never been friends, but we don’t need a useless cat charging into battle. Stay here!” Well, he thought to himself. I reckon she’s the fire, with her grumpy personality, so now no one can kill Wren.

Wildflower watched Quintessa drift off to sleep and suddenly felt the need to protect her. She was going to need water soon. They needed water too. Then they remembered that Wren was Dune’s sister. Why was he over here? Perhaps he thought Quintessa could be the “fire,” or them. What if he was the “fire?” And wasn’t he an old grouchbag that didn’t like anybody? “Sit down,” they decided. “But not too close to Quintessa. Sharing body heat isn’t the greatest idea right now. I’ll go get you guys some water. And don’t you dare lay a single claw on her.” They spotted a patch of cacti a little way away and headed there with a huff. Was leaving Quintessa with the traitor’s brother a good idea? They were in a test to become immortal, after all. What if he kills her just so he has one less cat to compete with? *Probably not,* they thought. *Not in his condition. Or is it all a lie?*

“Okay, okay,” Dune hissed. “As long as she doesn’t talk, I’m fine. We just don’t have the best past, that’s all. But if she says one word against me or any of my friends, then she’s done for.”

Frostsong padded back to the cave. “Dune, what are you doing here?” she asked suspiciously.

Quintessa felt movement. She heard the faint rumbling of cat’s paws. Her eyes opened to see Dune and Frostsong standing near her. *Oh, great,* she thought. *The grumpbag has returned.* She pushed herself up, feeling her paw slightly ache. Her mind wandered. *Who could be destined to defeat the demon-cat? Definitely not me. Probably not Dune. Wildflower? Some other cat I haven’t noticed? Hmm. . .*

“Quintessa, I heard Feather tell Dune earlier that she was the fire. We have to help her. Come on!” Frostsong said, leaping out of the cave. “It’s okay! She’s heavily weakened! Come help!”

Quintessa got up. “What are we waiting for?” she asked while grinning. “Let’s get dangerous.” She sprung out, quick as lightning, outside, watching other cats claw and bite Wren with fury, sorrow, and other horrible feelings fueling them. She jumped through the fire right behind Wren, near some other cats. Her claws lashed out, hoping to distract the demon-cat’s attention away from Feather.

Wildflower saw Quintessa run out of the cave and dropped the cactus they were carrying to follow. Was she trying to get herself killed? Then they noticed that Wren seemed a little overwhelmed with so many cats attacking. Glancing at Dune and Frostsong, they chased after Quintessa.

Marina gasped. Killing was a Test? She couldn’t — wouldn’t do it. She looked up at Storm, only to find Quintessa where Storm had once been. “Help!” she cried desperately as smoke clouded her sight. She began choking as it made its way into her lungs.

Quintessa spun around to face Marina. “Hang on!” she called out. She ran over. “Come with me; I know where there’s not any smoke,” she said, coughing a bit. Her mind thought back to the cavern. It’ll be safe, right?

Tears streamed from Marina’s face. “T-tell Storm where I am . . . tell her to keep fighting in my place. . .”

Feather charged through the flames. Smoke stung her eyes. When she reached Wren, she closed her eyes, reared up, and slashed a paw blindly at where she thought Wren’s chest was and a paw with unsheathed claws at her flank, not knowing if she got her.

Wren saw a gray cat charging at her. The she-cat’s claws ripped deep into her flank. She yelled in pain and weakened the fire wall around her back, putting more energy into the fire in front of her, hoping to stop that stupid gray cat. She felt like there was something she recognized about that cat, and caught a black she-cat who was standing out of her flame’s eye and saw tears rolling down her cheeks. Did she know that cat? She didn’t know anymore. All that was important was protecting her fire and killing the cats. Cats! She saw the gray she-cat still next to her and lashed out her paw, hoping to knock her over.

Feather stumbled as Wren’s paw slightly hit her. She let out a batch of coughing and tried to grab a hold with her claws to Wren’s haunch, hoping that she could swing over and grab the other one.

Stemwhisker sighed, jumping out of the battle, since he now knew he didn’t have the fire to defeat Wren.

Luana padded numbly towards shelter before collapsing. *I can’t. . .* “Wren. . .” she whimpered.

“Come and help me, please!” Palm mewed desperately. “We don’t know whether you’re the one who can kill Wren, or whatever that thing is.” He tried to push the cat, though with his tiny body, it was no use. “Please. I’ll attack from the left, you attack from the right.”

Bird dipped his head and backed away. He watched as it happened. He didn’t want any powers. All he wanted was a friend. *They can have relationships, but I can’t? What’s wrong with me? What’s the point of being here with nobody who cares about you?* he asked himself.

Palm saw a tom standing at the edge of the desert looking bored and confused. He sprinted over to him. “Hey, get your butt off the ground and help us, you useless pile of fur!” he joked. “Don’t worry, I don’t really mean it. That was my Dune impression. It’s pretty good, isn’t it? Do you want to come with me? I’ve just noticed that Wren’s fire shield has dropped down behind her — maybe we can attack there!” He hoped that the tom would like him. No cat had really taken to him or even tried to talk to him apart from Chao. What was the point in being here if he came to save his friends, if he had no friends to save?

“How can I help? You all think I’m useless just because I’m not involved!” Bird said.

“Nobody said you were useless! Just come with me and we can try and distract her from behind. Then Feather can hopefully kill her and get this the hell over and done with.” Palm started to sprint towards the gap in the flames. “You coming?”

Bird sighed. He didn’t care about the stupid fire thing. Besides, he felt like none of them liked him. He watched as the fight went on. He needed to get out of this stupid place. *Should I really do this?* he thought to himself. If he was to ever be with Owl, he would have to. He jumped down the cliff. Immediately regretting his decision, he grasped onto a nearby branch. He found that one of his legs had gotten scraped against a sharp rock and yowled in pain. He tried to climb back up, and *somehow* got to the top.

Chao noticed that Palm and another cat were going behind Wren. He wondered why they were doing that, as the last cat had caught on fire. Had they not seen? But upon further inspection, he noticed that the fire was mostly in front of the burning monster. He cursed the tom who had rendered his right eye useless; it was getting harder to observe things. He ran over to the two cats, knowing that he couldn’t stay on the sidelines forever. He reached Palm and the other cat. “Hope you don’t mind if I help,” he said. He couldn’t get through this alone, not anymore.

Palm lashed out his claws, imagining that the form of Wren was really Alex, not the gentle she-cat. Every time the fire got near him, he gasped and ran back, but kept coming back. He was coughing and spluttering from the smoke, and the fur on the right side of his face was nearly completely burnt off, but he kept fighting.

Chao used up all of the fight left in him attacking Wren. He slashed and bit at Harnor’s creation until he had to back away and collapse on the ground. He would give himself five seconds to rest, and then he would get up. *Five.* He hated this monster that had been made so forcefully made by Harnor. *Four.* He hated the pain on the right side of his face. *Three.* He hated the cat that had caused the pain. *Two.* He hated Harnor. *One.* He hated himself. He got up and went at Wren with everything he had. He would never be the same.

Wren yowled, pain coming from all sides. She lashed out with fire and claws, but she was surrounded by claws and teeth never stopping for a break. She began to stumble, her blood dripping onto the sands. *Why am I fighting?* she thought quietly. Then the fire took back over her mind and it was clear again. She had to fight; they wanted to take her fire. They wanted to end her life; she was just protecting herself. Every couple of seconds, her legs seemed to give way, and she fell to the floor, only to pick herself up again. Then she collapsed, hit by a blow from a white tom. Her back was covered in scars, but she still sent out a massive blast of fire across lots of the desert.

“Wren!” Dune screamed, his claws digging to the ground as he watched his sister stumble around. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He couldn’t see Luana anywhere; he couldn’t see Feather; he could only see Wren and the blood on the ground. He felt guilty. He had no scars from the battle, yet he had seen cats knocked out and lose an eye because of his sister. Yet still he couldn’t attack her; the love he felt was too strong. He hated this desert. He hated the wind, he hated the rocks flung through the air, he hated the blood. So much blood. He could cope with blood, but seeing it running down his sister’s side was nearly impossible.

Storm gasped. She couldn’t imagine what Dune was feeling right now. She couldn’t imagine Marina like that . . . and if Feather was the one to kill Wren, how would Dune cope? “Dune!” she called. “Over here!”

Dune saw Storm calling him over. “Leave me alone!” he cried. “This is bad enough already. My sister is lying on the floor in pain just waiting for a cat to kill her, and there’s nothing I can do!” He turned away and ignored all the other cats around him.

Chao felt Wren collapse after a hit to her flank. He ran back to the edge of the fighting. He didn’t want to be the one to subdue Wren for Feather; he wasn’t a killer. But . . . if he wasn’t a killer, then why was he helping to kill a cat? Harnor was clever . . . he hated that. He saw Dune standing in the distance watching cats he knew fight his sister to the death. Watching cats he knew do so without a second thought. He felt badly for him. That was a terrible thing to undergo. He had heard how Dune had jumped off of a cliff in the first Test to be with his sister, and now she was dying again. He felt rage course through him. How could a cat be so evil? To throw a group of cats into life-threatening situations and tell them to not die, then make them kill one of those cats to gain powers? Then he felt ice snuff out the rage that had been building up inside of him as he realized that they hadn’t been forced to kill Wren; they had chosen. *No. . .* He realized that he had been walking away from Wren and stopped. He turned just in time to see a giant blast of fire envelope the space around her. His eye grew bigger as he realized that there had been cats there. *Oh no. . .* He ran back into the battle, but this time, he wasn’t going to fight; he was going to help.

*“Wren!”* Luana shrieked, her heart breaking. She felt like throwing up. There was so much blood falling down her sides. “Wren. . .” she sobbed as her voice cracked.

Fringe roared, charging at the cat who had been Wren. She swiped and clawed, pouring every ounce of hatred, anger, and fear into her blows. She knew she wouldn’t be the one to kill her — that was Feather’s job — but it didn’t stop her from trying. She attacked again and again, hoping to distract Wren enough that Feather could kill her. Then she would finish the Tests. She would win. She would get her power. And she would find her sister.

Mist was furious. That poor excuse of a cat had knocked him unconscious — if Wren was still a cat at all. Well, he was here now, and Wren’s shield was down. He ran to the large group of cat’s aid, though it didn’t seem like they needed it. He was glad to be a part of the final stand whether he was useless or not.

Quintessa nodded. She helped Marina get to the cave. Then she heard a *boom!* She spun around and saw the fire envelope other cats. *Oh no,* she thought. *Oh no, no, no, no.* “You stay here,” she said to Marina quietly without looking at her. “I have to go.” Without another word, she ran out of the cavern. She passed dead bodies and injured cats without a second glance. Then she skidded to a stop. *The heat,* she thought. *It’s agonizing. I . . . can’t. . .* She stepped back, back, back until she was close to a tiny tom. She felt hopeless.

Wildflower jumped a ring of fire and watched Feather struggle with Wren. Taking a deep breath, they dashed to her side and pummelled Wren on her flank, trying to wind her. They yelped as another ring of fire scorched their paws, but they struck another blow on Wren’s flank, though considerably weaker this time. They didn’t want Wren to die or Feather to kill her, but they had to help Feather. It was for the good of the other cats who were dying in the heat. Wren was a monster now. There was no point in trying to save her, right?

Bird guessed Wren had died. His leg was severely injured, and he was laying on the ground. Nobody came up to him to help him. All he wanted was his leg to heal and to be with Owl. He felt like the pain would never end.

Stemwhisker slowly approached . . . Bird, was it? “Are you all right?”

Feather yowled in pain and fury as fire burned her. Some water hadn’t evaporated yet, but most had. *I have to end this!* She flung a paw over as close as she could to Wren’s other haunch and tried to dig her claws in as much as possible.

Wren felt claws dig into her haunch, cutting deep into her flesh. Then the flame was gone. “Dune, Luana,” she whispered, “I—” The flame grabbed her again and she started to hiss and spit at her brother and girlfriend, who had walked over, tears flooding their eyes. For one last time, the flame left her, and she whispered, “—love you.” The fire that had been in her needle-thin pupils vanished and her pupils widened back to normal size. Her head drooped to the side and her eyes closed, never to open again.

Dune’s breathing became quick and ragged. “Who did it?” he hissed. “Who killed her?”

Blood dripped off Feather’s paws and she hung her head in shame.

A new rage flooded through Dune. How could she — how could he have ever trusted her? Slowly, a purple glow appeared around him and a tiny ring of purple appeared around his pupils. The sand around him began to vibrate and glow as his claws slid out. Gently, a breeze began to blow around him, lifting him a few inches off the ground, and some sand began to float.

The other cats looked on in shock.

Dune floated in the air and lifted the sand with his mind. As soon as it had begun, he collapsed to the ground, surprised by his new abilities. As he struggled to recover from his shock, he glared at Feather. “This isn’t over,” he hissed.

Feather hung her head. “Dune, please! I didn’t want to kill her. She was a good cat, but I had to! It was the only way to save everyone and you, and I was the only one who could do it. Please! Forgive me!” She collapsed from too much smoke inhalation and sadness — sadness for Wren’s death, sadness that she killed her, and sadness that Dune now hated her. She whispered, “Please . . . I wouldn’t do it if I could.”