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"It's not much farther, Foxstar. Just over this ridge." Duskfang said, glancing back to make sure the fox-furred tom was following him.

As soon as he made it to the edge of the gorge, the dark brown deputy slowed to a stop, just a couple mouse-lengths away from the edge. Duskfang masterfully hid his excitement as Foxstar trotted up beside him.

"Here?" the WindClan leader asked incedulously. "Are you sure, Duskfang?"

"Never been more sure in my life." the long-legged tom said ominously, barely containing a grin. "RiverClan has definitely been here."

Foxstar never noticed the strange note in his deputy's voice, and merely began sniffing for traces of RiverClan intruders, carefully walking along the edge of the gorge with claws unsheathed as he did so. Only when Foxstar finally turned his back did Duskfang allow himself to break into a malicious grin.

Yes! Everything is going according to plan! That old fool isn't suspicious in the least. Just one little push, and then I'll be headed to the Moonstone to get my nine lives and new name. Soon WindClan will have the leader it deserves, once Foxstar topples down into the raging river below to his doom.

Duskfang had been meticulously planning out the old leader's death for many moons now. Just as he'd carefully assassinated his way to deputy-ship, it was now time for him to take his place as WindClan's leader. He specifically picked this spot by the gorge because of it's closeness to the RiverClan boarder. The harebrained leader would be too busy trying to pick out which scents were over the boarder where they were supposed to be (which they were; Duskfang had checked before hand so as not to run into a RiverClan patrol during the assassination attempt) and which ones may not be, and being as close to the boarder as they were, that would be a difficult task even for a seasoned warrior. And Foxstar was a cat who always wanted to be absolutely sure before going around accusing anyone of anything, so he'd be extra careful when checking. Which meant he'd get close enough to the edge that all Duskfang would have to do is give him a good shove, and over he'd go into the river below! No matter how many lives he'd have left, there'd be no way he'd be able to survive. And afterwords Duskfang could return to the camp and blame it all on RiverClan. No one would suspect a thing. It was the perfect murder.

"I'm trying to find that RiverClan scent you were telling be about, but I can't smell anything out of the ordenary." Duskfang heard Foxstar say over the sound of the wind and the river below. "Are you sure you just didn't smell RiverClan scent that blew over from their side of the marker? We are rather close to the boarder."

"It's there. It was close to the edge. I don't know what they were doing so close to the edge of the gorge, but I scented them on our side of the boarder." Duskfang lied.

"Well, if you're sure. But I'm still not smelling any unusual RiverClan scent."

Still, the oblivious leader continued to sniff away, getting closer and closer to the edge. Finally, when he was only a whisker length away, Duskfang decided to make his move. He started towards the WindClan leader, barely containing his glee.

This is it! This is my moment of glory!

But it wouldn't do for Foxstar to die with his back turned. Oh no. Duskfang wanted the foolish tom to see just who his murderer was right before he toppled to his doom. Perhaps it was a bit arrogant of him, and maybe it was even a bit careless, but he wanted to see the look of hurt and betrayal in his leader's eyes right before he died. Anyways, it didn't matter in the end if Foxstar saw him. Dead cats told no tales. So, once he was in pushing range, Duskfang put on a snarl and called out to Foxstar, taking a menacing step towards him.

"Foxstar...!!!!!"

But that was all Duskfang got out. Because next thing he knew, he was the one falling into the gorge! The ground had given way under their feet, but while Foxstar managed to hold on and pull himself back up over the edge, Duskfang had no such luck.

"DUSKFANG!!!!" Foxstar screeched out in horror, reaching out his paw helplessly as he watched his deputy plummet to his doom, still none the wiser of the murder attempt on his life.

"HELP!!!!" Duskfang yowled, though he knew it was in vain. There was no way anyone could help him now. His plan had failed, and now he'll be the one joining StarClan instead of Foxstar. All his planning, all his manipulating, all his moons of hard work...for naught.

The last thing Duskfang saw before he hit the water was Foxstar's horrified expression. There was a quick, sharp pain in his neck as he hit the water, then nothing.

The next time Duskfang opened his eyes, he'd be not in the lush hunting grounds of StarClan, but the dank and dark lands of the Dark Forest.

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EDIT: I realized I forgot the tears in Duskfang's ears, so I put them there.

NOTES: So here's Duskfang's death, as promised. He was high enough up that his neck snapped as soon as he hit the water, so he didn't suffer like Blackblaze did when she died. But his death is still ironic none the less, since it was the death he had planned for his leader. What's also ironic is that Foxstar is, in fact, on his last life here; he just never told Duskfang or anyone else in the Clan beside the medicine cat. So Duskfang didn't actually need to plan such an elaborate murder for Foxstar - he could have just poisoned him or killed him himself, like he had done with the other cats who got in his way.

Also, Foxstar never knew of his deputy's treachery, nor did anyone else in WindClan. Ironically he'd be hailed a hero in death, because had he not called out Foxstar's name, Foxstar would have also been caught off guard when the ground gave out beneith them, and would have gone off the edge with Duskfang. As far as Foxstar and the Clan know, Duskfang died trying to save Foxstar's life, instead of taking it. They don't learn the truth until after they join StarClan themselves, but by then Duskfang's "heroic" tale will become something of a nursery bedtime story, with some exaggerations and flat out lies put in over time to make it more exciting (such as there actually being a RiverClan patrol and it attacking them, Duskfang shoving Foxstar away from the edge as it crumbles, etc.). WindClan kits in the future grow up wanting to become heroes "just like Duskfang the Loyal!"

Base:
Base (c)
Warriors (c) Erin Hunter

Description
"It's not much farther, Foxstar. Just over this ridge." Duskfang said, glancing back to make sure the fox-furred tom was following him.

As soon as he made it to the edge of the gorge, the dark brown deputy slowed to a stop, just a couple mouse-lengths away from the edge. Duskfang masterfully hid his excitement as Foxstar trotted up beside him.

"Here?" the WindClan leader asked incedulously. "Are you sure, Duskfang?"

"Never been more sure in my life." the long-legged tom said ominously, barely containing a grin. "RiverClan has definitely been here."

Foxstar never noticed the strange note in his deputy's voice, and merely began sniffing for traces of RiverClan intruders, carefully walking along the edge of the gorge with claws unsheathed as he did so. Only when Foxstar finally turned his back did Duskfang allow himself to break into a malicious grin.

Yes! Everything is going according to plan! That old fool isn't suspicious in the least. Just one little push, and then I'll be headed to the Moonstone to get my nine lives and new name. Soon WindClan will have the leader it deserves, once Foxstar topples down into the raging river below to his doom.

Duskfang had been meticulously planning out the old leader's death for many moons now. Just as he'd carefully assassinated his way to deputy-ship, it was now time for him to take his place as WindClan's leader. He specifically picked this spot by the gorge because of it's closeness to the RiverClan boarder. The harebrained leader would be too busy trying to pick out which scents were over the boarder where they were supposed to be (which they were; Duskfang had checked before hand so as not to run into a RiverClan patrol during the assassination attempt) and which ones may not be, and being as close to the boarder as they were, that would be a difficult task even for a seasoned warrior. And Foxstar was a cat who always wanted to be absolutely sure before going around accusing anyone of anything, so he'd be extra careful when checking. Which meant he'd get close enough to the edge that all Duskfang would have to do is give him a good shove, and over he'd go into the river below! No matter how many lives he'd have left, there'd be no way he'd be able to survive. And afterwords Duskfang could return to the camp and blame it all on RiverClan. No one would suspect a thing. It was the perfect murder.

"I'm trying to find that RiverClan scent you were telling be about, but I can't smell anything out of the ordenary." Duskfang heard Foxstar say over the sound of the wind and the river below. "Are you sure you just didn't smell RiverClan scent that blew over from their side of the marker? We are rather close to the boarder."

"It's there. It was close to the edge. I don't know what they were doing so close to the edge of the gorge, but I scented them on our side of the boarder." Duskfang lied.

"Well, if you're sure. But I'm still not smelling any unusual RiverClan scent."

Still, the oblivious leader continued to sniff away, getting closer and closer to the edge. Finally, when he was only a whisker length away, Duskfang decided to make his move. He started towards the WindClan leader, barely containing his glee.

This is it! This is my moment of glory!

But it wouldn't do for Foxstar to die with his back turned. Oh no. Duskfang wanted the foolish tom to see just who his murderer was right before he toppled to his doom. Perhaps it was a bit arrogant of him, and maybe it was even a bit careless, but he wanted to see the look of hurt and betrayal in his leader's eyes right before he died. Anyways, it didn't matter in the end if Foxstar saw him. Dead cats told no tales. So, once he was in pushing range, Duskfang put on a snarl and called out to Foxstar, taking a menacing step towards him.

"Foxstar...!!!!!"

But that was all Duskfang got out. Because next thing he knew, he was the one falling into the gorge! The ground had given way under their feet, but while Foxstar managed to hold on and pull himself back up over the edge, Duskfang had no such luck.

"DUSKFANG!!!!" Foxstar screeched out in horror, reaching out his paw helplessly as he watched his deputy plummet to his doom, still none the wiser of the murder attempt on his life.

"HELP!!!!" Duskfang yowled, though he knew it was in vain. There was no way anyone could help him now. His plan had failed, and now he'll be the one joining StarClan instead of Foxstar. All his planning, all his manipulating, all his moons of hard work...for naught.

The last thing Duskfang saw before he hit the water was Foxstar's horrified expression. There was a quick, sharp pain in his neck as he hit the water, then nothing.

The next time Duskfang opened his eyes, he'd be not in the lush hunting grounds of StarClan, but the dank and dark lands of the Dark Forest.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

EDIT: I realized I forgot the tears in Duskfang's ears, so I put them there.

NOTES: So here's Duskfang's death, as promised. He was high enough up that his neck snapped as soon as he hit the water, so he didn't suffer like Blackblaze did when she died. But his death is still ironic none the less, since it was the death he had planned for his leader. What's also ironic is that Foxstar is, in fact, on his last life here; he just never told Duskfang or anyone else in the Clan beside the medicine cat. So Duskfang didn't actually need to plan such an elaborate murder for Foxstar - he could have just poisoned him or killed him himself, like he had done with the other cats who got in his way.

Also, Foxstar never knew of his deputy's treachery, nor did anyone else in WindClan. Ironically he'd be hailed a hero in death, because had he not called out Foxstar's name, Foxstar would have also been caught off guard when the ground gave out beneith them, and would have gone off the edge with Duskfang. As far as Foxstar and the Clan know, Duskfang died trying to save Foxstar's life, instead of taking it. They don't learn the truth until after they join StarClan themselves, but by then Duskfang's "heroic" tale will become something of a nursery bedtime story, with some exaggerations and flat out lies put in over time to make it more exciting (such as there actually being a RiverClan patrol and it attacking them, Duskfang shoving Foxstar away from the edge as it crumbles, etc.). WindClan kits in the future grow up wanting to become heroes "just like Duskfang the Loyal!"

Base:
Base (c)
Warriors (c) Erin Hunter