The Demon's Fury

Prologue

Demonclaw laughed as he and Echoflight faced each other. His puny sister would never defeat him. Beside them, their mother, Goldenperch watched anxiously, her claws digging into the ground. To his surprise, Echoflight made the first move, darting forward as fast as the wind to claw his nose. Demonclaw reared up and her claws missed. He rolled on the ground, kicking up dust and found himself facing Echoflight's rear. Demonclaw slipped underneath her and pummeled her soft belly.

"Fight back, Echoflight!" Goldenperch cheered her kit.

Demonclaw gritted his teeth and growled, raking his claws down Echoflight's face. She winced and guilt pulsed through him. He stepped back; his legs suddenly shaky. What was he doing? Echoflight was his sister!

"E-Echoflight?" he managed to whimper.

"Brother. I have given you too many chances. Ever since we were kits, play-fighting, you unsheathed your claws. You hurt me. You bullied me." Echoflight stood up, proud and strong.

"You don't feel any remorse. You don't feel guilt. You don't feel love. You're not a cat, Demonclaw. You're a monster." She continued.

"And I don't feel any loyalty to you anymore. You were never loyal to the things that matter to me most either. Goldenperch. ThunderClan. You allied yourself with DarkClan and a bunch of worthless rogues." Echoflight hissed.

To Demonclaw's right, his group of rogues growled and hit the ground with their paws. Spark shot him an angry glare. "Kill her, Demonclaw!" she yowled.

Demonclaw's mind was tormented. He knew with perfect clarity he could never kill his sister. But Spark was the one cat who had genuinely liked him. The one cat that he could trust. Apart from faithful Claw, who had died at Goldenperch's claws. How ironic. He thought bitterly. My mother killing my best friend.

"Echoflight. You're right." Demonclaw brushed aside his pride. "And that's why I need to reverse the mistakes. Make the world right again."

"You don't understand, brother. You don't forgive and you've never lifted a claw to help anyone. That cat, Spark? She's just the proof of your disloyalty. I thought you actually liked Dawnpaw, but perhaps I was wrong." Echoflight spat the words out.

"I know." Demonclaw fell to the ground. A wound in his side – from an earlier battle – he couldn't even remember which – seared with pain. He looked down. Echoflight's claws must have reopened the wound. The wound had almost killed him last time. He knew it would this time.

"And I'm glad that I got to understand the meaning of love before I died. I was a selfish cat." Demonclaw mewed to Echoflight.

"I WAS A SELFISH CAT!" he yowled to the whole world. "I only thought of myself. Which is why my death will fix things. Goodbye, Echoflight. Goodbye, Goldenperch. I'm sorry that your kit had to end up like this."

Stars shimmered in front of Demonclaw's eyes. StarClan! A blue-gray she-cat appeared.

"It's time for your trial. This will determine if you're accepted into StarClan."

Demonclaw nodded. He turned to Spark. "I'm sorry about D-Dawnpaw. But I hope that you know I l-loved you."

Spark touched her nose to his cheek. "I loved you too."

The StarClan she-cat dipped her head to Demonclaw and he rose into the sky. Looking down on the battlefield and his body, he finally felt peace.