Shades of Gray (short story)

**!TW: Horror!**

Blackfire woke up in her dream. The particular smell of the ambient made her know where she was before she opened her eyes. The poor lighting didn't allow her to see much, fog was all around the place. She walked forward guided by her nose until the fog began clearing. That meant she was close. She prepared mentally; even though she already knew the Spirit every time she met with It a chill went down her spine. The fog disappeared behind her, closing the way back. The usually dull place now oozed an unsettling light. The Spirit was in front of her, sitting, stooped over, between a structure of rocks. -What do you want?- her voice barely echoed, she was surprised, the rest of the times she had been there her words were almost lost in the distance. The Spirit never brought her there unless It wanted something. There was no reply. It sat there, staring at something Blackfire couldn't see. Looking carefully at Its face she realized with horror it looked different. It was so much bigger than usual. Its fixed eyes were so, so small and eerie. Its smile almost reached Its eyes. It was broken, it looked like it had been clawed to Its face, and irregular teeth, too squared to be a cat's, poked from Its mouth leaving small gaps. It was...drooling? Blackfire swallowed her fear and forced her fur flat. -Hey! I said what do you want-. Its face started twitching as It kept staring blankly to an invisible point. It glitched. Blackfire gave a few steps back and she gasped in horror when she realized where they were. The Ruins! The Ruins of her territory. And she couldn't see through the Spirit. She started breathing heavily and she turned around, running as fast as she could. Its crooked smile haunted her thoughts. She didn't care when the brambles scratched her skin. She kept running until she woke up.

She lifted her head quickly and got up immediately. It was the middle of the night, but she didn't care. She rushed out of the warriors den and bumped Mistyshade on her way out. -Are you okay?- the grey cat looked concerned at Blackfire. Should she tell her what she had seen? "No, she'll think I'm crazy. I need proof". -Uh, yeah, I'm fine-. She walked past Mistyshade and out of camp. As soon as she was out of sight she started running through the forest. She needed to know if it had been just a dream. She kept running until she suddenly stopped, horrified. There It was. Sitting in the non-twisted version of the ruins. It was real. It was staring deeply into Blackfires eyes, slowly coming closer to her without moving. She tried to scream, but terror took the sound before she made it. She couldn't hold in tears of pure fear as she stood paralyzed in front of the Spirit. It was making a deep sound, many sounds in fact. A growl mixed with a voice, It seemed to be speaking a different language. The voice sounded like a distant echo, yet Blackfire felt it like a whisper in her ear. She slowly, very slowly started walking back, not having the courage to turn her back on It. A few steps and the Spirit suddenly jumped on Blackfire, as fast as a snake bites. She turned around in a heartbeat but was too slow. She felt as if a million claws ripped her body apart. She hopelessly scratched the ground trying to get rid of the Spirit. Her eyes started aching, she forced herself not to look up. It was as if someone was pulling from inside her skull trying to turn them around. She felt a force in her neck. She was being choked but there was no one touching her. She desperately gagged for air, she collapsed on the ground and started twitching in agony until it all suddenly stopped. She was completely alone. She had been for a while. Blackfire got up, trembling. Her body burned from inside. She had no wounds, and the Spirit wasn't there. She breathed fastly until her rythm was normal again. A though appeared on the back of her head. "Sage".

Of course! Sage was a witch. She could definitely help her. She slowly made her way back to camp, where the dawn patrol was already preparing. She approached Sage's willow and called from the entrance. -Sage! Sage I need to talk with you-. She noticed Sage was sitting in front of her, looking at her as if she had been waiting for her. -No- the cat's voice was cold. -But...please, I have to talk with you-. Sage just sat there and looked at her with an undecipherable expression. Blackfire started getting nervous, her voice and body shaking. Some cats who had just woke up were looking at them, curious. -Sage, please, you don't understand, I need you, I need your help- a tear rolled down her cheek as she was getting more and more nervous -Please!- she desperately screamed, having some cats walk up to her. Hawkeye, who had been listening, approached to see what this was all about. When she saw the acting leader arrive, Sage looked at her. -She *can't* come in-. Hawkeye looked confused, but decided not to go against Sage. If she said that, it was for a reason. "*It's what Lynxstar would have done*" Hawkeye told herself. Her sister had been meeting with Sage frequently and acting strangely before she disappeared. Lynxstar must have known something. -Hey, it's okay, come with me- Hawkeye tried to comfort the trembling cat. Her gaze was lost, she was reviving something in her mind. Bluedusk, who had also approached her daughter when she saw her, accompanied Blackfire to the warriors den where she curled around her. Blackfire didn't want to fall asleep, but eventually her eyes gave into her mother's warm hug. What Blackfire was fearing happened; she woke up in the Spirit's plane. Not the twisted ruins though, the place where they usually met. She went across the whole territory looking for signs of the creature, but It seemed to have disappeared.

*Where are you?*

## *Trivia*

* This section takes place during Gen 2, from Blackfire's POV. This would be happening while Clearpelt and Fireblaze plan to set up a trap for her
* The Ruins Blackfire sees are actually an old temple starting to fall apart, since that location is stuck in the past, from the moment the Spirit appeared. She takes a while to recognize them since in the present time, where she lives, the Ruins are only remains of the temple.