Warriors: Empire's End ~Book 5 Series 3~

Chapter 30

Spectrum's POV:

She crept up the boulder, her claws scraping quietly over the rock as she peeked over the edge to see what was going on.

NoName lay in a blue bubble with Zeye towering over her. Shadeheart looked as if he was having war flashbacks while the rest of the Enforcers seemed to have given up on life entirely. What a mess.

"You're here." Zeye meowed as he spotted Spectrum in her hiding place. "Come to witness NoName's demise?"

"Thought I'd take a look." Spectrum responded coldly, annoyed at the fact that he had announced her presence almost immediately. She didn't want any attention on her, especially with her ties to both the Clans and NoName's forces.

Shadeheart spotted Spectrum and narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. She held back a chuckle. The rest of the Enforcers didn't seem to care about her, which was good.

Zeye slowly turned back to NoName. "I want to here you beg for your life." He growled down at the small red she cat, his pale blue eyes glowing with hidden rage. What had ticked him off so badly?

NoName's ears flattened to the back of her head and she uttered a soft, "no," in reply, her thick red tail swaying in front of her like a shield. She looked terrified inside that bubble of blue mist, trapped with her nemesis. There was no trace left of the mighty, ruthless Dark Forest leader NoName painted herself as. She had fallen back to what she truly was, a coward.

Spectrum smiled to herself as she saw an an idea light up in her head. With NoName gone and the Dark Forest scattered, Spectrum could take the opportunity to seize control of the Clans. She could be the new leader of a new Clan! The warriors would be in no shape to fight her, they would be forced to bow down to her! The black furred Promethean considered this idea with a growing grin. She had never been in a place of power before, not the way a Clan leader was. She would be better than NoName, in fact she would be the best leader in Clan history!

Spectrum had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't realise Zeye had pinned suddenly NoName against the wall of his bubble with his powers. The red she cat cried for mercy as she wriggled against the invisible hold.

"Please! Let me go and I promise I will be good! I will free the clans! I will go back to the Dark Forest." The red furred she cat wailed. "Let me goooo. Pleeaase."

Zeye let out a low groan of annoyance. "You're pathetic." He gave the red she cat a sharp kick with his forepaw. "Your begging is an annoyance. I think I speak for everyone when I say that killing you will be a relief."

Spectrum found herself growling at Zeye. "Just get it over with, you're getting boring."

The white furred Promethean snapped his gaze to Spectrum. "Excuse me?"

The black she cat giggled softly. "No one cares about you and your little revenge story, just kill her and leave."

NoName let out a yowl of outrage, her voice so high-pitched it made Spectrum wince. "Spectrum! You're my Enforcer! My Promethean! Stop Zeye now!"

Spectrum snorted with laughter and shook her head to herself. "Sorry NoName, you dying is more interesting."

NoName started whining loudly, her limbs flailing as she realised her end was near. There was nothing left for the Dark Forest leader to do. She was nothing without her allies. The red furred she cat was reduced to feeble sobs by the time Zeye raised his claws over her neck, ready to squeeze the life out of her.

"Any last words?" Zeye smirked down at NoName as she struggled. The evil she cat had nothing to say to the white Promethean besides a ball of spit flying onto his muzzle. Zeye's eyes narrowed in anger and he hissed, "A slow death it is."

Spectrum felt like slamming her face against the rock. How long was this going to take? She wanted to get back to Silvershy to see what she was up to. How were the Prisoners faring against the Dark Forest warriors? Was Java's backup enough for them?

Shadeheart started his wails of protest again as Zeye began dragging his claws over NoName's sides. The floor of the bubble-encased area was soon slick with blood as NoName's life was sliced away, bit by bit. She didn't fight back, she had wasted all her energy in trying feebly to escape. Even her shadows were barely noticeable, reduced to a few simple strands of black mist near her forepaws.

Spectrum watched silently as NoName wheezed her final breathes, her white-unflinching gaze staring blankly at Shadeheart, who was a sobbing mess against the blue force field. Once NoName stopped moving and her body started to fade, Zeye let the bubble drop and the black furred tom darted to his fake-mother's side.

Zeye strolled towards Spectrum, his thin white tail held high in the air. Triumph lay clear on his face as if he had just slain a formidable monster. Fool. You waited this long to help the Clans, and now you will bathe in their gratitude like a king. Anyone with a brain can see the game you're playing here.

A challenge shone in Zeye's bright blue gaze as he strutted past Spectrum. He knew what she was thinking, no surprise there. But the black she cat returned his stare with equal strength. There was no way she was backing down and letting him take her rightful place at the new leader. She deserved some recognition. She was there to help Silvershy when no one would. She had been there in the thick if the Dark Forest, learning about them, making plans. And where had Zeye been? Lying in wait for the perfect moment to dance in and take a lazy victory.

Glancing back at the rest of NoName's family, Spectrum noticed that Zephyr was gone already. Not too surprising- he has no attachments to the red she cat. Once she was dead, he could leave and never return. Spectrum would have followed his lead before, but now she knew that her new path was to lead the Clans. No longer was she a simple Promethean lurking in the shadows, doing mischief and deals here and there. She was going to become the new Clan ruler!

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