As I stay crouched in the tunnel, someone suddenly pokes his head in the entrance. I startle and shrink away, only to realize that the other cat is Ash.

"I knew you were here," he quietly says. "Are you alright?"

        I nod, looking into his eyes, which are glowing yellow. "What's going on?"

        "Yeah, Ash, what's going on?" someone growls. I twist around to glance at North, who happens to be crouched behind me with his long fur as messy as usual. My heart sinks at the sight of him; I've been trying to avoid North all day because I'm still angry at him.

        "When did you get here?" I hiss to North, shifting away from him.

        He coldly stares at me as if I'm the dumbest cat in both Gardinia and Earth. "I literally just got here. I wasn't behind you this entire time, if that was what you were thinking."

        Ash says, "Ice created a plan to end the war. You heard about it in my conversation with him, Forest, correct?"

        "Yeah," I answer. "So you and Ice would have to fight each other?"

        The older black tom nods. "Yes, a fight to the death. If Ice kills me, then the Superior cats win and rule over Gardinia. If I kill Ice, then the rebels win and keep the equality. No one else will have to fight, just me and him. I do not know if the others want that though, which is why I am hesitating."

        "What?" North yells in a thundering voice that makes me jump. He comes closer to me and almost accidentally steps on my tail. "That's a horrible idea! What if Ice cheats by murdering you with his army? No wonder he's trying to get you to do it. We should keep doing it the normal way, not just two cats fighting for the destiny of an entire planet's population!"

        Ash looks at North, unfazed by his passionate burst of fury. He replies in a calm, quiet voice, "I understand you want to continue the war the way we always fought. However, the normal way is not working. Do you not see that? I'm not only concerned about the rebels winning; I want peace. No one in Gardinia knows a world without fighting . . ."

        Ash's speech drags off. His ears droop downward, and his head bows as if he's trying to hide his face.

        "Did you join the Peacemakers or something, Ash?" North growls, his fur ruffling in anger. "Or did you just hit your head? What's wrong with you?"

        Ash lifts his head to peer at North again, although his ears are still tilted downward. His eyes have a hint of deep sadness in them as he whispers, "I just want the war to end."

        An empty, stony silence follows. North finally seems to notice the depressed, broken-down mood Ash is currently in since he stops arguing with him. He shifts his paws. Then, he gives Ash an icy stare.

        Finally, while still locking eyes with Ash, North speaks. "Fine, do what you want, but remember who you are. No matter what you choose to do, you're a rebel. You're fighting for the rebels to win. That's your main priority. You got that, Ash?"

        Ash nods. He takes his head out of the entrance, giving me room to climb out of the tunnel. North follows me, and both of us shake the loose dirt out of our fur. Ash sits in front of us, using a paw to smooth down his already-clean fur. He seems to be back to his normal, calm self.

"Do you think you would be able to beat him?" I ask in an uncertain voice, squinting my eyes at Ash. I've never seen him fight before, but maybe he's good at it since he never got any major injuries in any of the recent battles.

Ash replies, "Perhaps. Ice and I are around equal in strength. Like what I said to Ice, I need to speak with Rain first whether I should agree to do it or not. And, of course, we need to tell the others."

"Like what I said before," North mutters, "do what you want. I'm leaving."

He turns to leave, but Ash stands to stop him. He asks in a brisk tone, "Before you go, can you tell the cats patrolling the East Tunnel that there will be a meeting here shortly before the sky darkens?"

The silver cat gives him a strange look. "A meeting? Without Rain?"

"No, I will tell her about it."

"Alright, fine. I'll tell everyone, if it makes you happy."

"You don't need to . . . But if you want to, then that would be nice."

"I will." North flicks his tail. Without another word, he slips through the entrance of the East Tunnel. I watch him leave, unsure of what to do next. The gray sky looms above us, and a light breeze swooshes through the long, green grass. A brown rabbit zooms around the hole in the ground. My eyes get stuck on the rabbit. Should I hunt it?

"I lied."

Ash's words almost make my heart skip a beat. Not distracted by the rabbit anymore, I whip around to face him as a chill runs down my spine. "Lied about what?"

He sits back down on the ground. "I am not fighting for the rebels," he says. "That was just to appease North."

My fear turns to shock as my eyes widen. I slowly back away from him. "What?" I stammer. "So you're really . . ."

"No. Not that. I'm not fighting for the Superiors, either." He shakes his head as he stands up again and steps toward me. "I am actually fighting for everyone. You do not know Ice's actual motivation."

My brain is going through a rainbow of emotions. First fear, then shock, and now confusion. I continue to shrink away from Ash. "What? What do you mean?"

Ash must notice the look in my eyes since he steps away from me, giving me more space. He explains, "You see, I discovered something about Ice. He doesn't just want the Superiors to rule Gardinia; he wants to rule Gardinia. If he kills me and wins the war for the Superior side, they would worship him like a god. He would make himself the ultimate dictator, making even the Superiors bow down to him. Ice is not fighting for them; he is fighting for himself, and if he wins, everyone will be under his control."

I gape at him, my eyes widening even more out of disbelief. "How do you know this?"

        "He told me after the battle. Well, more like he hinted it, mentioning that he was more interested in conquering the planet for himself than for the Superiors as a whole. I already suspected it a long time ago, though."

        "Did you tell anyone?"

        He nods. "Yes. Shortly before I escaped the Superior side, I tried to warn the others multiple times about Ice. It was no use; he was believed to be the wise one, and by that time, I was believed to be . . . well, the one with mental issues, to say the least."

        Ash falls into a trance after his last sentence. He stares into the distance with dull, defeated eyes, looking even more depressed than in his conversation with North. His body is so motionless that he looks dead, except that he's still standing.

        "It's not surprising," I meow. "I mean, how Ice wants to take over Gardinia. He seems like the type of cat to do that. He's already having fun with manipulating the Earth cats. And his army, of course."

        Ash seems to have snapped out of whatever he was thinking about, since his gaze flicks back towards me. "Yes, I heard about that."

He turns and starts to pad away. "I need to speak with Rain."

        I leap towards him. Before he leaves, I ask, "Are you going to agree with what Ice wants you to do?"

        While turned away from me, Ash replies, "I do not want to . . . But if it is necessary, I will."

        With that, the black cat runs into the distance, leaving me alone with the dreary gray sky and the wind.

~~~~~~~~

        Everyone is gathered next to the East Tunnel. Team Gardinia is assembled in the middle of the gathering place, surrounding Ash, while the Shadows and the Army are in isolated clumps off to the side. Just as I start to wonder where Rain is, the injured gray tabby limps into view. She sits next to Ash, her small size dwarfed by Ash's tall, muscular body. Her wounds still run down her shoulders, and she keeps tilting sideways as if she's unsteady.

        Nevertheless, Rain's eyes are bright as she scans the crowd. She eagerly gestures the outsider rebel groups to come closer with her striped tail.

Ash begins to tell everyone what's going on. I already know why he called the meeting, so I blank out and stare at the darkening sky. Ice said he would be back. He must be coming any second. Did Ash call a meeting at this exact time on purpose?

"Who thinks I should fight Ice?"

Ash's question jolts me back to reality. At first, everyone is quiet. Then, some cats meow their agreement, which eventually escalates to most of the crowd yowling.

"We want the war to end!" one cat screeches.

"Ash can kill Ice easily!" someone near me meows.

Many shout in agreement to those two cats. "Yeah!"

"Well, I guess that solves the decision on what to do, Ash," Rain says, nudging the black tom.

Ash's eyes are widened, as if in shock. I'm also sort of surprised; I was expecting more opposition. My mind goes back to how Ice said to Ash how everyone wants the war to end. Maybe the Earth-Superior Army feels this way, too. Ash looks like he's about to object at first, but then, he gives all of us a simple nod.

        Several cats behind me hiss in anger. I swivel around to see a dark figure advancing through the crowd despite the enraged felines around him. His cold blue eyes don't even glance in my direction as he brushes past me and halts in front of Ash.

        Before Ice can say a single word, Ash loudly growls, "Meet me by Silver Lake tonight."

        Ice tilts his ears. "Does that mean you're accepting my challenge?"

        Rain, giving him a condescending look, sarcastically snorts, "Noooo, he wants to go for a swim with you."

        Everyone around Rain purrs in amusement at her comment. Ash stays silent, staring at Ice with an emotionless gaze.

        "It will be a pleasure to kill you, Ash," Ice says. He turns and begins to stalk away.

        "I don't want to kill anybody," Ash replies, still looking at Ice.

        His twin brother perks up his ears and stops walking.

        "But if it's necessary for the rebels to win the war," Ash continues, "I will."

        Ice remains motionless for a moment. Then, his head turns in Ash's direction. "You are a coward. You will never win."

        Ignoring the screeches of the rebels, Ice leaves and disappears out of my sight.

~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading Chapter 33 of Forest's Fate. The rest of this story is basically going to be full of death, blood, drama, and plot twists, so be prepared for that! 😀

~Midnight