He knew that the seasons never changed where he was; he knew that the grass was always green, the forest was always dense, and the air was always refreshingly warm. But there was always something about the greenleaf that made even these ranks seem prettier than normal. No one else seemed to see it, but he did, and he was glad that he got to see something better in something that was always beautiful.

So he walked, admiring this landscape that has been his home for many seasons. Some said that where he lived, it was perfect. It was never cold, and it always sparkled with a bright silver light, light that represented hope. But they were wrong; it wasn't perfect. It all looked the same, and nothing really ever seemed to change.

Even so, he walked. He'd seen this forests thousands of times before, and he would continue to gaze at its beauty. His paw steps were growing lighter by the sunrise, his ocean blue eyes dimmer with each moment. He didn't have much time left where he was, and eventually, he would be gone, lost in the air, not even big enough to be a memory.

He'd served his though. He called the many names of Clan leaders, though he never gave a life. He watched as every new warrior was made, though he was truly never one himself. He feared the fall of the Clans and rejoiced as they rose again from the ashes. He watched the ones that had cared for him.

He was happy, nothing could touch him, and nothing could harm him.

So he walked, admiring this landscape that his been his home for many seasons.

"Shadowfire... Don't tell me it's true."

The cat turned his head to face the speaker, then flattened his ears to his skull and turned away, his tail wrapping around his paws. "What does it matter, Nightblaze? It's not like it'll change anything. Whitestar still hates my insides after what happened with her brother."

"You had to kill him." Nightblaze meowed solemnly, padding forward and sitting beside Shadowfire. "It was for the best of HailClan, and you were the only cat who saw the-"

"The what?" Shadowfire hissed, digging his claws into the ground. "The bitterness in Blackfang's heart? The sorrow and betrayal in Whitestar's eyes when I murdered him in cold blood? I killed her brother, Nightblaze. I can't change what happened now."

"Maybe not," Nightblaze replied, wisdom thick in his eyes. "But you can rekindle your relationship with Whitestar... Become mates again, and be the father I know she wants you to be."

At this, Shadowfire snorted and flicked his tail. "My kits -my offspring- are afraid of me. Every cat has told them what I did, what I caused the Clan... The three of them can't even take a light cuff over the ear -without claws, I may add- without flinching..." He gazed at Nightblaze, his eyes hollow. "Besides: I'm in StarClan. How can I possibly rekindle my relationship with Whitestar if I'm dead?"

"That does not matter, brother." Nightblaze meowed, his eyes flashing. He straightened his legs, stiffening slightly.

"The thought of loving Whitestar with all the kindness and life I put into our relationship is a folly." Shadowfire growled. "It's impossible to do, and the way I've murdered Blackfang will always be on my mind."

"And it has haunted you for all of this time? We're fading, Shadowfire. It's been seasons since it all happened."

"Every cat has a destiny," Shadowfire said, hostility grasping his voice tightly. "And I failed to fulfill mine."

"Brother-"

"You don't know how it feels," he snarled, whipping around. "All you lived for was to be a messenger. It was me who had to do everything else!" Nightblaze tried to speak, but Shadowfire wouldn't allow it. "Your life was about telling me a stupid prophecy that I had to stop from coming true. Your destiny was easy. I failed!"

Nightblaze blinked, not breaking the stare that Shadowfire threw at him. "There," he began calmly, "Is nothing we can do. It doesn't even matter now anyway. All of this has faded from memory of every cat still alive."

"I spent most of my life and all of my after-life feeling responsible for all of the cats that had died," Shadowfire growled, not backing down. "His life was not worth all of theirs." He paused, pain flooding his eyes, "But it feels like it to me."

"You stopped him in the end. Many more lives could have been lost."

"Are you mad?" Shadowfire retorted, lashing his tail. "You're kidding me, right? No cat should have died that night! And because I didn't work hard enough to help him, to stop his pain, he did the one thing I feared he would. Not only did he take lives, but he damaged his own."

"Brother," Nightblaze chided softly. "What Blackfang and you have developed over the years is over... It's time to move on past that."

"I can't move on knowing I killed Blackfang."

"What are you saying?" Nightblaze asked, his ears pricking as he studied his brother.

"I'm going to find Blackfang and help him."

"Thats against your destiny!" Nightblaze retorted sharply. "You arent supposed to help the enemy!"

"I'm doing it for myself." Shadowfire rose to his paws, his gaze determined. "And no cat will stop me." With that, he left the shadowed clearing, disappearing into the shadows he was named after.