The Storm Empire (Completed)

Chapter 17

The battlefield was completely silent. There were only the dead bodies of many Anima, including kumas, nekos, okamis, and phantoms. The bombs had blown up everything, including the trees that laid untouched around what seemed to be a graveyard. Gray examined around, her jaw trembling, and her heart anxiously beating as she searched for survivors.

"NORTH!" Crystal ran up to his still body. There was a wound on his neck, and the blood that had flowed up dried around the edges of his shirt. She fell to her knees as she stared at him, her eyes refusing to blink as she processed the reality of his death. To the corner, Gray witnessed Fawnwhisker who also laid untouched. She remembered his humor, his intelligence, and his service to the clan as she approached the bright healer who was now dead.

"Fawn.." Gray softly spoke his name, before covering him up with a blanket. The list of dead Anima only increased as the two sisters walked up the path. The body of Frost. The body of Webkit. The body of Splash. The body of Flightstar.

Then came a dead end. Nothing but a cliff. Gray reached the edge and sat down, as Crystal joined her sister by the side. She pulled out something from her pocket, something that shined in her hand. It reflected off of the daylight, revealing the gold parts of the watch, and highlighting the golden arrows that stated the time. Gray put it on and took a deep sigh as she shifted her focus to the distance beyond the cliff.

"I miss Red already," She mumbled, "Looks like my nightmare came true.

Crystal nodded then sighed, "He was a good deputy. Let us remember his death because he died out of selflessness."

"No kidding." There was silence for a few minutes.

"Remember when I first re-joined Stormclan?" Gray looked over at her sister and saw that she was mumbling to herself more than she was speaking.

"I never knew it would end up like this," Crystal continued to speak, "It's all gone.. Just like that."

"Everyone and everything in it." Gray added.

"But don't worry. We'll be alright."

Crystal patted her sister on the back, a little too hard. The impact caused Gray to move forwards, losing her balance, as she held onto the edges.

"HELP!" Gray screeched. Crystal widened her eyes then helped her sister up. Before she could do so, a figure appeared out of the corner of her eye. Gray gasped as she saw who it was.

"Webkit?"

The kit, who had unusually grown muscular, no longer had little paws or ears. She had scars on her face, long claws, and the same cyan eyes that were masked with hatred. Her shirt was stained with blood, and her pants were ripped, revealing the cuts on her legs.

"I'm sorry I have to do this." Web quietly spoke.

"Do what?"

"This." Web took out her bow and slicked an arrow back. In the blink of an eye, she released and the arrow went curved deep into Gray's forehead. She lost her grip and tumbled down the cliff. Crystal watched in shock as Web reached for another arrow. Before she could shoot, Crystal ducked then dove right into the kit. Both tumbled and struggled for a minute, before Crystal took out a knife and stuck it into Web's neck.

"You TRAITOR!" Crystal shrieked. She was too surprised to be feeling any genuine anger, although hatred started to develop deep into her chest. On the bottom of the cliff was her sister. Her dead sister. The leader of Stormclan was dead. And she should be too.

Crystal stared at the bloody knife and pulled it out of Web's neck. Without any clear thought, she stuck it into her side. Darkness enveloped around her, as she felt fatigue wash over her body. Her mind reminded her of her life over the years, as memories collected into a movie in her head. The old days, the ones where she refused to talk about, were recalled for the last time. Her tribe, her old mentor, and her old friends. Her family. Her sister. Her brother. Her clan.

Collapsing on the ground, she closed her eyes, and felt her heart beat for the last time. A storm started once again in the distance, as flashes of purple and yellow lightning struck the ground. Uncoincidentally, the gray clouds shifted as the storm past, and although no one was there to notice it, some could say that it's shapes could be recognized as the faces of two past heroes.