The Last Hope (V.2)

It’s time, Ivypool gulped. I must tell Firestar everything that I know. She felt Dovewing’s pale gray fur against her flank, her muzzle pressing against Ivypool’s cheek in affection. “You can do it,” murmured Dovewing. “I know you. You took a huge risk, spying in the Dark Forest for our Clan when you could have died. Firestar will understand. He will thank you for saving the Clan.”

“Saving?” Ivypool echoed softly. All she had done was betray her Clan. She hadn’t ever thought about it as saving. Tension built up in her shoulders, and anxiety clawed at her heart. Suddenly, her breath turning into ragged gasps. Dovewing’s eyes stretched with worry and touched her bright, pink nose to Ivypool’s. At the touch of her sister, Ivypool relaxed, grateful for her sister’s love. What would I do without you, Dovewing? She felt a pang of pain. I might figure out after the battle.

Lionblaze had watched the sisters from intent sun-colored yellow eyes. He closed them for one moment, then opened them. “Ivypool,” he meowed softly, “are you ready?”

Ivypool straightened up. “Yes, Lionblaze. I am.” She glanced nervously at Jayfeather, who watched the sisters with narrowed blue eyes. He looked up at Ivypool, and she was warily aware of a new respect glimmering in his blind blue eyes.

“Then let’s go,” Lionblaze meowed. He led Ivypool, Jayfeather, and Dovewing to Firestar’s den above the Highledge. In the crack of the rock, Lionblaze peered in. Firestar’s flame colored coat was visible among the bright green moss. He was talking to Sandstorm, who turned around, spotting Lionblaze and his friends.

“Come in,” she called. Firestar turned his head, studying Lionblaze as he entered the den, Ivypool hot on his tail.

Firestar wrapped his tail around his paws. “Yes?” he asked.

“Since we’re preparing for the Dark Forest battle, Ivypool would like to tell you something,” Jayfeather explained.

Firestar’s eyes flashed from Jayfeather, to Lionblaze, to Dovewing. “I’m assuming you three already know.”

“We do,” Lionblaze confirmed.

Firestar turned to Ivypool, who was looking uncomfortable and cramped. “I would like you three to leave and keep teaching the others. I see that Ivypool and I are the only cats who need to know this.”

Lionblaze dipped his head respectfully and followed Jayfeather out of the den. Jayfeather didn’t protest, but Ivypool saw that discomfort blazed in his eyes. Dovewing followed Jayfeather, casting a look at Ivypool over her shoulders. She shrugged.

“Now, Ivypool.” Firestar’s green gaze grew soft as he gazed into Ivypool’s eyes. “Tell me everything you know.”

Ivypool took a deep breath. “Firestar, I was in the Dark Forest.” Firestar’s eyes widened with surprise, but he did not say anything, only nodded to Ivypool to go on. “Hawkfrost recruited me. I...I was there because I was jealous of Dovewing. I didn’t know of her powers - not yet. But she was better than me. She heard better than me, she saw better than me, she fought better than me, she hunted better than me. She was always noticed. I was just her shadow. I felt worthless. No cat bothered to look at me. They were busy fawning over Dovewing. I thought of myself as a burden.” Ivypool’s voice grew bitter. “I think that Hawkfrost noticed that. He told me...he said that he could teach me battle moves, and how to be respected by my Clanmates, and to show them that I was not Dovewing’s shadow. But as I kept returning to him in my dreams, he began to trust me more and more.” She paused.

“Hold on for a moment,” Firestar meowed thoughtfully. “If Hawkfrost could watch over you, how do we know he’s not watching over us now?”

“I think he’s too busy preparing for the battle, along with the other Dark Forest cats,” Ivypool explained.

Firestar paused for a moment, and then nodded. His voice had sharpened with interest. “Go on,” he prompted.

“So, after Hawkfrost began to trust me, he led me into the Dark Forest, in which I met Brokenstar, Tigerstar, Thistleclaw, Mapleshade, Darkstripe, and several others. I didn’t know of their intentions. Not yet. But they became darker, and Hawkfrost trusted me more and more, and he started to tell me the real reason that they were all there. He said that the Clans had wronged them, and the Clans needed to be brought to the days of LionClan, TigerClan, and LeopardClan. He said the Dark Forest were the only cats capable of that, so they were organizing a battle in which they could. I was shocked. Hawkfrost said that only Breezepelt knew about this. And when I looked at Breezepelt, I knew that Breezepelt knew that the Dark Forest wanted to destroy the Clans. But he still took part in the battle regardless, fighting on the side of the Dark Forest. I...I was scared. I told Dovewing. Dovewing told Jayfeather and Lionblaze. I was so intent on stopping to visit there, but I couldn’t! I tried as hard as I could, and Jayfeather told me I had to stay there to spy. Dovewing was furious with Jayfeather. But I understood his reasons. He was right. I was already associated with them, and now I could do something to stop the battle. They’ve been planning to destroy us for a while, Firestar. They have more warriors - more than we can count. After all, they’ve existed since the dawn of the Clans. I don’t know if we can beat them. But if we train, and if we train hard, we have a chance. They’re going to split up into parties and attack each camp at once. They have no honor. They’ll slaughter kits, kill elders, murder queens, and wipe out every single Clan until only active Dark Forest members rule them. Before I came to talk to you, I showed the Clan Dark Forest battle moves. A lot of them. Lionblaze and Dovewing know some, too. They’re helping training the Clan.”

Sandstorm and Firestar had been listening intently, drinking in all of what Ivypool had told them. Firestar straightened up. “Ivypool,” he said softly, “if you were so concerned about Dovewing, you could’ve told me. You are not a burden, no matter what you think. However,” he added. “I am very proud of what you risked to alert the Clan of your knowledge. You’re saving us. We may not have known if it weren’t for you. I know you had some knowledge, when you warned the Clan, but I didn’t know it all. I am deeply glad that you have told me all you know. With this, you will save the Clans. Come on. We have work to do.” Firestar’s tail touched Ivypool’s shoulder, letting out a deep purr.

Ivypool glanced at him. How was the Clan leader not furious with her? She had been training to kill ThunderClan cats! She followed Firestar out of his den. At the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Birchfall, Mousewhisker, and Blossomfall slipping out of the camp. She narrowed her eyes. Dark Forest sympathizers! She glanced at Firestar. “I need to do something,” she meowed. Firestar nodded.

Birchfall and the others had already left camp. But their scent trail was strong, and Ivypool quickly followed it before it could grow stale. She could already see Mousewhisker’s gray and white tail brushing against a fern bush. Ivypool’s eyes narrowed as Mousewhisker followed Blossomfall and Birchfall into a small dip in the forest floor. The three cats paced around. Blossomfall’s green eyes were wide with distraught. “What are we going to do?” she wailed. “We can’t fight ThunderClan! We’re loyal cats! We love ThunderClan!”

“I never knew that the Dark Forest wanted to turn us against the Clans,” Birchfall spat angrily.

“We can’t fight for them, but if we don’t, we’ll get killed!” Mousewhisker growled.

“Why did we ever get ourselves involved?” Blossomfall murmured.

Ivypool leaped down from the top of the dip. “You can’t fight on the side of the Dark Forest!” she protested.

Blossomfall’s broad face swung to face Ivypool. Birchfall gasped. Mousewhisker narrowed his eyes. “Who are you fighting for?”

“ThunderClan, obviously!” Ivypool shoved her nose into Mousewhisker’s face. “I was in the Dark Forest to spy.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Birchfall asked, cocking his head.

“I couldn’t tell anyone!” Ivypool complained. “All three of you swore to protect ThunderClan. You gave an oath - you swore you would serve ThunderClan, even at the cost of your life. That matters now, doesn’t it? Your Clan should be the most important thing to you. They will look after you, and you will look after them. If you die, you will receive an honored place among the warriors of StarClan. And your Clan will forever honor you. If you choose the Dark Forest, you will be cursed among forever. How could you even choose the Dark Forest?” Ivypool’s blue eyes bored into the three ThunderClan warriors.

Mousewhisker’s paws shuffled. Birchfall looked around. Blossomfall let out a soft growl, and stepped in front of Ivypool. “You’re right,” she deemed. “You’re right.” She turned around. “Are we fighting for ThunderClan or not?”

Mousewhisker and Birchfall yowled their agreement. Ivypool sighed with relief. “Come on,” she meowed. “Back to camp.” She was ready to lead the cats back to the stone hollow, but a yowl from the trees stopped her. She glanced over her shoulder, shaking, afraid that some cat may have heard their oath to swear to fight on ThunderClan’s side.

It was Breezepelt. His black fur was hardly visible among the darkness of the night. But his green eyes shone. “What are you four doing out here?” he spat. “Hawkfrost wants us to meet at the border. Hurry up.”

Birchfall cast an anxious glance at Ivypool. Ivypool held his gaze. “You’ll know what to do,” she promised. She flicked her tail as she followed Breezepelt to the ThunderClan border, in which Hawkfrost paced, his long claws digging up grass. He swung his head forward, his ice blue eyes melting into Ivypool’s fur.

“Where have you been?” he demanded.

“Fooling our Clans into thinking we were on their side,” Ivypool replied darkly. “They’ll know soon, that we weren’t.”

Hawkfrost just grunted. “Come on,” he meowed. “We need to get to the WindClan camp.”

In Hawkfrost’s patrol was Snowtuft, Thistleclaw, the ThunderClan cats, Breezepelt, Sunstrike, and several other Dark Forest warriors that Ivypool recognized but didn’t get the names of. They bounded away from ThunderClan territory, quickening their pace until they were racing over the moorlands to the WindClan camp. Hawkfrost skidded to a halt as he reached the hollow, signaling with his tail for others to do the same.

Hawkfrost’s lip curled. “Are we ready?” he queried.

“Ready,” all cats answered.

“Then let’s get revenge on the Clans. We’ll show them that the Dark Forest will reign.” Hawkfrost’s eyes glowed as he raced down into the hollow, the rest of the patrol following him. There were already several cats in the clearing. The fighting was more vicious than any other battle Ivypool had been in. Shrieks of pain came from all sides of the camp, and Ivypool could hardly recognize any cats, as they all wore their own blood or the blood of their enemies. Bodies littered the floor, and Ivypool didn’t know if they were alive or dead. But she had no time to figure it out. Giving a small nod to Birchfall, she leaped into the fray. Breezepelt had already caught himself into a battle with Wetfoot, viciously clawing him on his spine. Ivypool turned around, noticing with a glance that all the Dark Forest recruits were fighting against the Dark Forest, and were on the Clans’ side.

Ivypool leaped herself onto Breezepelt. “What do you think you’re doing?” she spat angrily, sinking her teeth in his neck.

Breezepelt shook her off, spinning around, spitting with anger. “What do you think you’re doing?” he spat. “You’re apart of the Dark Forest, and you should be fighting with them. What loyalty do you have?”

“True loyalty!” Ivypool snarled. “To my Clan.” She leaped onto Breezepelt, her claws digging into his spin and her belly over Breezepelt’s head. She took this opportunity to climb down further onto Breezepelt’s back and use her hind legs to kick against Breezepelt’s skull, summoning all the strength she could. Breezepelt gasped with pain, and hit the ground. Ivypool spun around, wondering if she had defeated him already. But Breezepelt hadn’t backed down. His paws trembled as he lifted himself off the ground, but his eyes blazed with fury as he turned around to face Ivypool. Ivypool caught a glimpse of his claws, stained with blood. With a snarl, he leaped onto Ivypool, clawing her stomach. Ivypool ducked under Breezepelt, kicking his chest. She turned around, grabbing Breezepelt’s muzzle in her teeth. Breezepelt struggled in her grasp, but Ivypool bit down with all her strength. Breezepelt’s paws hammered against her chest as her grip loosened. Blood trickled down Breezepelt’s muzzle.

Ivypool ducked under Breezepelt, scratching at his front forelegs. When Breezepelt turned around to grasp her scruff, Ivypool backed quickly out of his way, hooking her claws into his fur and dragging him into the ground.

“Nice try, foolish kit!” Breezepelt spat. “But you’ll have to do a lot better than that. Did you listen at all when Hawkfrost taught you?” He leaped onto Ivypool’s back, holding her head with his forepaws. He used his hindpaws to knock her hindlegs off of under her. Ivypool collapsed, gasping with the effort to breath.

But Ivypool refused to be defeated. She lifted Breezepelt off of her back, slamming him into the ground with as much force as she could summon. She flicked her legs into the air while she spun on her paws, and reared up to claw Breezepelt on his forehead. She tucked her head down and rolled underneath Breezepelt, grasping his hind legs with her thorn sharp teeth.

Suddenly all her breath escaped her. Breezepelt had collapsed on purpose, pushing his back onto Ivypool’s stomach. Ivypool had never seen a cat with such flexibility - his paws were on the ground, positioning him perfectly as he lowered himself closer onto Ivypool, pressing down as hard as she could. Ivypool struggled for breath. I...I have to get him off me! She stiffened, dragging herself up so that she could raise her head to grasp Breezepelt’s scruff. She sank her teeth into his scruff, but managed to grasp a little of his neck as well. Breezepelt gasped, and Ivypool sunk her teeth in even harder. Breezepelt’s grip on her loosened, and she managed to flip Breezepelt over her and onto the ground.

Breezepelt let out a yowl of fury, and Hawkfrost spun around to see Ivypool about to sink her fangs into Breezepelt’s throat. “Traitor!” Hawkfrost screeched, leaping at Ivypool and bowling her over. Thistleclaw joined Hawkfrost, and Snowtuft followed, blood dripping from his jaws.

“Change of plans,” Hawkfrost growled. “We focus our attention on her.”

A dark brown tabby flew past Hawkfrost, before leaping over him and pinning him to the ground. Taking advantage of Hawkfrost’s brief distraction, Ivypool squirmed out from under his grip. Applefur had been watching them, her eyes wide with shock. Ivypool curled her lip at Applefur. “Who are you fighting for?” she challenged.

“I...I don’t know!” Applefur exclaimed, fear in her eyes.

“Fight for ShadowClan!” Ivypool screeched. “They’re the cats who you dedicated your lives to! Are you a loyal cat, or not?”

Applefur gazed into Ivypool’s eyes, before straightening up. “You’re right,” she growled. “You’re right.”

Ivypool turned around to see her savior, which was Tigerheart, swiping his hefty paws at Hawkfrost. Hawkfrost sneered. “How come you aren’t fighting for Tigerstar? Your kin?”

“Just because I’m his kin, doesn’t mean I have to act like it,” Tigerheart growled. “Just ask Brambleclaw!”

“Brambleclaw?” Hawkfrost snorted. “He’s nothing more but a dithering kittypet! He inherited his weakness from Firestar.” He spat the name “Firestar” with pure hatred and venom.

“Tigerstar nearly destroyed ShadowClan once,” Tigerheart snarled. “I’m not going to let him do it again.”

Birchfall leaped onto Hawkfrost, his weight holding Hawkfrost down so he couldn’t squirm. “We fight for the Clans!” he howled.

Cats behind him nodded - Ivypool could see Hollowflight among them. Breezepelt’s eyes widened as he looked around. She saw confusion blazing in his eyes, and suddenly felt a pang of pity. Breezepelt had been more corrupt than any other cat. The Dark Forest cats trained him to hate, kill, and hate. She met Breezepelt’s frightened gaze. What are you going to do? she challenged softly. Breezepelt turned away, casting a glance of hatred. “There’s one more thing I need to do before I choose!” Breezepelt hissed at Ivypool, before climbing up the moor and disappearing into the uplands.

Ivypool watched him, and turned around to see Hawkfrost sinking his teeth into Tigerheart’s throat. Tigerheart gasped, and clawed at Hawkfrost until his attempts grew more feeble and feeble. Hawkfrost’s blue eyes gleamed. They had such dark methods - they could kill a cat in a heartbeat, but the Clans’ anger was just as strong, and the recruits had been trained in their dark ways as well. Ivypool leaped over, releasing Hawkfrost’s grip from Tigerheart. Tigerheart fell limp on the ground, but he was still alive. His eyes were wide open, and his wound was not deep.

“Traitors! All of you!” howled Hawkfrost. “It’s a good thing we have so many true Dark Forest warriors with us. They’d kill you in a heartbeat - you and your pathetic Clanmates. You think they’re stronger than us?” Hawkfrost’s eyes gleamed. “Think again!”

“You may be strong, but loyalty is stronger,” Ivypool growled. Hawkfrost bared his fangs, leaping at Ivypool. But Ivypool was faster. She jumped out of the way, but Hawkfrost’s legs had kicked her back. Hawkfrost spun around, grabbing her tail with all his force. Ivypool screeched with pain, but didn’t run forward. Instead, she backed up, feeling Hawkfrost’s fur against her. She raised her head and grabbed Hawkfrost’s ear with her fangs. Hawkfrost yowled as Ivypool sunk her teeth into his ear, tearing it. Blood poured from Hawkfrost’s ears as he swiped at Ivypool’s muzzle.

Ivypool was blinded by a river of scarlet red. She shook her fur and suddenly she could see clear again. Thistleclaw, Snowtuft, and Hawkfrost were approaching her, their lips curled and their eyes hungry for the satisfaction of murder. Ivypool glanced around nervously. Tigerheart was in a brutal battle with another Dark Forest warrior, while Applefur and Birchfall fought side by side, defending off WindClan traitors.

“Looks like you’re outnumbered,” Hawkfrost sneered. “You should’ve stayed with us. You would’ve been safer.” The three Dark Forest warriors leaped at her. Thistleclaw aimed for her flank, Snowtuft for her belly, and Hawkfrost for her throat. Ivypool’s heart thumped in her chest. Three Dark Forest warriors who were trained just to kill, and were motivated by their own fury towards the Clans! She couldn’t survive. It was impossible.

Two weights dropped from Ivypool. Hawkfrost and Thistleclaw landed on the ground with a thump, and Ivypool caught a whiff of ThunderClan scent. It was Hollyleaf! Hollyleaf stared at the ground, her green eyes narrowed. Snowtuft had backed away from Ivypool, his eyes blazing with anger. “Don’t just stand there like a dithering rabbit!” Hollyleaf spat at Ivypool. “Fight!”

Ivypool nodded. Hawkfrost jumped, scoring his thorn-sharp claws against Hollyleaf’s throat. Hollyleaf spat with fury, kicking out her back legs against Hawkfrost’s chest. Hawkfrost gasped. Ivypool fended Snowtuft and Thistleclaw off, using all of her claws to claw fiercely at her enemies. Soon, blood soaked both of Hollyleaf’s and Ivypool’s coats, but Hawkfrost was still going strong. Thistleclaw and Snowtuft had already fled - spitting fury at the two she-cats and choosing other opponents. When both Ivypool and Hollyleaf had Hawkfrost pinned down, Hollyleaf raised her paw to score the death blow.

Hawkfrost’s eyes blazed with fear.

“Give up?” Hollyleaf snarled, pressing her paw against Hollyleaf’s throat.

“No,” Hawkfrost growled.

“You’re trapped,” Ivypool warned. “If I were you, I’d surrender before we kill you.”

“Me? Trapped by two idiot she-cats?” Hawkfrost let out a raspy laugh, blood gurgling out of his mouth. “No. I don’t need to waste my time with you.”

Hollyleaf’s eyes blazed. She lifted herself off of Hawkfrost. Ivypool stared in surprise at Hollyleaf, but she glared at Ivypool, signaling her to do the same thing. Hawkfrost scrambled to his paws, and instantly Hollyleaf bowled him over, pressing his stomach against the ground and looming over his nick. “If you stay, I will kill you,” Hollyleaf snarled in his ear. She pressed down on his neck. Hawkfrost started to cough.

“Fine, fine. I’ll go.” Hollyleaf narrowed her eyes as Hawkfrost spoke. She let go of Hawkfrost, who glared at her with pure hatred, and fled away, out of WindClan’s camp.

Ivypool watched him go, her eyes wide. The screeching sounds of the battling cats behind her didn’t bother her anymore as she padded up to Hollyleaf. “Why did you let him go?” she demanded.

Hollyleaf’s eyes were blank before she turned to Ivypool. “The warrior code says not to kill,” Hollyleaf meowed. “We have to let the warrior code guide our heart. The death of a warrior does not mean victory.”

Ivypool wasn’t sure she understood Hollyleaf, but she trusted her. She nodded softly. As she examined the camp, she noticed that most of the fighting warriors have fled, and only a few more battles were going on. They can take it from here, Ivypool reflected. She glanced at Hollyleaf, who looked like she was sharing her thoughts. “Let’s go back to ThunderClan,” Hollyleaf growled.

Although both cats were bleeding heavily, they managed to race from WindClan territory to ThunderClan’s camp. They gulped as a fresh wave of Dark Forest warriors raced down the steep end of the stone hollow, landing on the grassy ground with a hard thud. They scrambled to their paws, shaking off the dust from their fur and leaping at the closest enemy they could find. Ivypool started to panic. There were more Dark Forest warriors than ThunderClan cats! A dark tabby slipped across the ground, glaring at a tortoiseshell tom. “Get a patrol and go to WindClan,” he growled. “We have enough here.”

The tortoiseshell nodded, gathering up a patrol of cats. Hollyleaf crouched down, wiggling her haunches as the tortoiseshell cat flew past her. Hollyleaf lunged herself at the tom, who gave a hiss of annoyance as he dug his fangs into Hollyleaf’s throat. Ivypool leaped onto the tortoiseshell tom’s fur. She was fighting for Hollyleaf’s life. The rest of the cats from his patrol had already left for the WindClan camp. The tortoiseshell tom had thrown Hollyleaf away on the ground. Ivypool gazed, panickingly at Hollyleaf, but she was still breathing. “I’m fine,” Hollyleaf meowed. “Get the tom. I’ll go back to ThunderClan.”

Ivypool nodded, tensing her shoulders. The dappled tom was already racing to WindClan, but fear gave Ivypool a new burst of energy as she raced after him, snapping at his heels. The tom let out a screech as he was bowled to the ground by Ivypool. He spun around, his eyes wide at Ivypool’s sudden appearance. Ivypool bared her fangs and jumped at the tom, digging her claws into his paws and grabbing the tom’s throat with her teeth. The tom flailed, and Ivypool could taste the salt in his blood gushing from his throat. She dropped the tom, who fell, limp to the ground. But he was still alive. He scrambled on his paws, his eyes dark with fury as he struggled to swipe at Ivypool’s pelt. His blood stained the forest floor, and he was clumsy and slow. But Ivypool had to finish him off. Although the tom was weak, he could still fight viciously, and it didn’t look like he would die instantly. Ivypool gulped, weaving around to stay on his left side. She lifted a paw, and struck heavily on his back, using all the force and strength she could muster up. She stiffened as she heard bones crack, and the tom fell to the ground, his eyes clouding. I broke his spine, she thought.

The tortoiseshell tom started to fade. His fur turned dark, and transparent until it swirled into dark mist. The mist rose from the ground, steering away from the blood stained ground. Ivypool stood, blood dripping from all parts of her body. But she didn’t stop. How could she, when her Clan was in danger? She shook out her fur, and headed for the ThunderClan camp.

She could spot Whitestorm - a snowy tom from Mousefur’s tales, fighting alongside another warriors that Mousefur had talked about, Lionheart - a golden tom with thick fur around his neck, Swiftpaw - a black and white apprentice killed by the same dogs that had scarred Brightheart, and Redtail - the deputy killed by Tigerstar in his quest for leadership. Joining the warriors were Runningwind, Longtail, Brindleface, One-eye, and Halftail.

Behind the ThunderClan warriors were another group of cats. Crookedstar, Hailstar, Shellheart, Sunstar, Pinestar, Cedarstar, Heatherstar, and Tallstar were all battling with other cats, their moves perfectly matched as they slashed out at Dark Forest warriors.

Another tortoiseshell cat swarmed down the clearing, and Ivypool recognized the ghostly presence of Mapleshade. Ivypool snarled and leaped down the stone hollow, aiming to land on Mapleshade’s back. But Mapleshade was too quick, and Ivypool wasn’t even sure she noticed her.

Mapleshade’s eyes were focused on another cat. A pale ginger she-cat wrestled with another tom, sinking her fangs into the tom’s throat and shaking him off, watching him slide to the ground. She didn’t notice Mapleshade stalking towards her. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, Mapleshade leaped onto the pale cat’s back.

“Sandstorm!” Mapleshade growled.

Sandstorm flipped Mapleshade off, landing on her back. Mapleshade leaped over, pinning her down. Sandstrom glared at her. “Who are you?” she spat.

“I am Mapleshade,” Mapleshade snarled. “And I’m here to punish you - for every blessing StarClan gave you, and every one they took from me!”

“What blessings?” Sandstorm howled.

“Your love for a Clan leader - your perfect kits, your respect from your Clanmates…” Mapleshade leaned down into Sandstorm’s face. “I will kill you, twice, until you are nothing more but a memory that will fade into darkness.”

As Mapleshade prepared to give Sandstorm the killing blow, another tortoiseshell she-cat leaped over Sandstorm and threw Mapleshade to the ground with a hard hit of her paw. Mapleshade, caught off guard, slipped off of Sandstorm, landing on the ground. Sandstorm scrambled to her paws, looking up at her savior. “Spottedleaf!” Sandstorm gasped.

Ivypool had never seen Spottedleaf in her life, but she had heard stories about Spottedleaf and how she had helped Firestar throughout his apprenticeship and his warrior years. Now, she was able to study Spottedleaf closer. She was a beautiful, dappled she-cat, her amber eyes glowing, her long fur soft, her lean body crouched. Even through her furious glare, her dazzling beautiful face blinded Ivypool, and she instantly understood why Firestar had loved her. Her sweet scent of herbs and flowers flooded Ivypool’s nostrils.

“Spottedleaf!” spat Mapleshade. “Step aside. Let me do you a favor. Sandstorm stole Firestar from you.”

“No, she didn’t,” Spottedleaf hissed. “Sandstorm was his true love. I...I don’t know if I ever was. Firestar will be able to love both of us.”

Mapleshade let out a snort. “Alright,” she growled. “Stop standing there like a dithering kittypet. Let me take care of this.” She got ready to leap at Sandstorm, but Spottedleaf leaped in front of Mapleshade, snarling as she clawed at her muzzle. Mapleshade fell, her eyes wide at Spottedleaf’s sudden surge of strength. “You’re just a medicine cat!” she spat. “I can defeat you in one paw swipe.”

“Try me,” Spottedleaf challenged. The two battling she-cats fought their way out of the stone hollow, and Sandstorm watched, her eyes wide.

Ivypool leaped down onto a gray and white warrior’s shoulder, and she paused as she instantly recognized Thistleclaw. Thistleclaw turned around, swiping Ivypool off with a heavy paw. He growled. “Leave me alone,” he hissed.

A blue furred she-cat stepped in front of Ivypool, staring around the clearing as if she was looking for a specific cat. “Mistystar?” she gasped. “When did you get here?”

The she-cat turned to face Ivypool. “No,” she meowed softly. “I am not Mistystar. My name is Bluestar.”

Firestar was staring at Bluestar, his eyes wide. “Bluestar!” he gasped.

Thistleclaw let out a snarl. “Bluestar,” he hissed. “It’s time for my revenge. Sunstar was a fool when he appointed you. He didn’t recognize strength when he saw it. It’s only because you were his apprentice. And you picked Redtail over me? Tigerstar was right when he killed Redtail. The dumb cat deserved to die. Tigerstar was right when he tried to kill you. I’m here to take revenge for Tigerstar’s exile, and everything you’ve done to me.” He leaped at Bluestar, and Firestar instantly ran to Bluestar’s side, but Graystripe grabbed Firestar’s scruff and hauled him back.

“This is her fight,” Graystripe warned. Firestar glared at his old friend, ready to open his jaws for a retort but a dark tom leaped on Firestar and started to wrestle with him. Graystripe hissed and joined Firestar in defending himself.

Thistleclaw ran across Bluestar’s back, kicking his hind legs into her neck. Bluestar raised herself on her hind legs, allowing Thistleclaw to loosen his grip. Thistleclaw was already weakened by several battles, allowing Bluestar to sink her teeth in his neck. She lifted Thistleclaw into the air by his neck and slammed him into the ground. She glared at him, her eyes hard.

Bluestar’s fighting moves suddenly became even more vicious - worse than Thistleclaw. Thistleclaw gasped as Bluestar’s claws swiped dangerously close to his eyes. He stared up at Bluestar, his eyes blazing as Bluestar pinned him down. “Get off!” Thistleclaw howled. “You didn’t deserve anything! Foolish Sunstar! Foolish Tawnyspots! It’s time for you to die, and for the Dark Forest to rule.”

Thistleclaw squirmed his way underneath Bluestar’s grip, slashing at her starry figure with thorn sharp claws. The claws ripped her flesh, blood blinding Bluestar’s eyes. She hissed furiously, and although Thistleclaw was vicious and fast, Bluestar was still formidable. When her claws grabbed Thistleclaw’s ear and pulled him back, Bluestar took advantage of this moment. She hit Thistleclaw on the side of his head - Thistleclaw’s throat exposed to her. She lashed out with her claws, and winced as skin ripped from the soft spot on his throat. Thistleclaw was staring down at his wound, blood pouring like the waterfall in RiverClan territory. Then, his eyes clouded and he fell, limp to the ground.

Ivypool kicked his corpse, making sure he really was dead. When there was no response, Ivypool let out a sigh of relief. One less traitor, and one less Dark Forest cat to beat. Her heartbeat instantly rose as she heard Breezepelt’s steps run into the clearing. Ivypool spun around, watching as Breezepelt leaped onto Lionblaze.

“Lionblaze!” Breezepelt hissed, pressing Lionblaze’s head towards the ground. “It’s time for you to pay. You took my father away from me. You made him pay attention to you more than he paid attention to me.” He scanned the clearing, his green eyes dark. “Look at all your dead cats,” he snarled. “It’s your turn.”

“Breezepelt!” A yowl from the destroyed bramble tunnel made the skinny black tom pop his head up. Crowfeather had appeared in the ThunderClan camp. He flew across the clearing and grabbed his son’s scruff in his jaws, throwing him off of Lionblaze.

Breezepelt fell to the ground. For a few moments, he laid there, unmoving. Crowfeather watched him with narrowed eyes. Breezepelt got to his paws, trembling, but as he turned to his father, his green eyes burned. “I always knew you hated me!” he hissed.

“I never hated you,” Crowfeather snarled. “I loved you as my son! Nightcloud raised you to think that I did hate you.” Crowfeather flashed a look at Lionblaze, who was still on the ground, his eyes wide.

“You think I won’t kill you myself?” Breezepelt gloated.

Crowfeather stopped. His blood-stained claws dug into the earth, and his gray-black fur bristled as he stared into his son’s eyes. “Get out.” His voice was hardly audible, but Breezepelt could hear.

“Get out,” he repeated. “You fought for the Dark Forest. You chose darkness over light. If you want to kill me, fine. But you will not harm a whisker on that cat’s pelt. Or any of my family. Leave. Leave now.”

Breezepelt stood, staring at his father, fear glittering in his wide eyes. Then, he turned tail and fled the stone hollow. Leafpool had arrived to Crowfeather’s side, her amber eyes stretched. “I’m so sorry!” exclaimed the brown tabby. “This is all my fault.”

Crowfeather didn’t turn to look at her. He was still watching Breezepelt. “It’s not your fault,” Crowfeather replied after a moment of hesitation. “He’s a warrior. He’s been making his choices for a while.” He looked at Leafpool. “If things had been different…” Love glowed in Crowfeather’s blue eyes.

“I never stopped loving you,” Leafpool whispered, nuzzling Crowfeather’s side.

“Nor have I.” Crowfeather licked Leafpool’s cheek. “I will always love you, Leafpool. And we will meet among the stars. Right now, both of us must fight for our Clans.”

Leafpool nodded. “I will see you after the battle, my love.”

Crowfeather watched as Leafpool hurried over to Jayfeather’s den. The blind gray tabby was sitting outside. He had clearly seen everything. He padded over to Crowfeather. Lionblaze held his breath.

Jayfeather touched noses with his father.

“I accept you as my father,” Jayfeather meowed. “But I will always love Brambleclaw as well. I can love the both of you.”

Crowfeather nodded. “Thank you, Jayfeather.”

“Hollyleaf will feel the same way,” Jayfeather told hijm.

“Tend to your wounded,” Crowfeather instructed. Jayfeather dipped his head and headed back into his den. Crowfeather loomed over Lionblaze and helped him up. Crowfeather gazed into Lionblaze’s eyes.

“I accept you as well,” Lionblaze told the lithe tom. “What Jayfeather said is what I would say. And he’s right. Hollyleaf would accept you, too.”

Jayfeather was quickly tending to patients. He paused, unsure if he could save all of them. The wounds inflicted on all these cats were much more severe than he had ever seen. He needed help. He grabbed a poultice of goldenrod, and started to work it into a wound on Foxleap’s throat.

Although he couldn’t see her, a famillar cat scent lingered in the entrance of the medicine den. “Leafpool!” Jayfeather snapped. “What do you want?”

He felt a sense of dismay waver from Leafpool, who was obviously stung by his harsh tone. He sensed Leafpool’s paws vibrate to the ground as she shakily padded towards him. “I was wondering if you needed me to defend you.”

“Defend me?” Jayfeather snarled. “I’m busy! And maybe you could help me instead of fooling around in the entrance of the den.”

“I can’t,” Leafpool said sadly. “I’m not a medicine cat anymore.”

Jayfeather turned his pale blue gaze towards her. “You made a mistake,” he meowed, his voice more soft. “Every cat does. You were doing what you thought was right, and you didn’t put yourself in the picture. You put us. And maybe what you did was best for every cat. But I need your help. You were never meant to be a warrior - you were meant to be a medicine cat. I need your skills. You need to live as a medicine cat because that’s what you were meant to be, no matter the mistakes you made.”

Leafpool paused, and Jayfeather’s shoulders fell with relief as he felt her whiskers brush against his paws as she bowed her head. “How do I start?” Leafpool asked.

Cold fury burned in Jayfeather’s body. “You were my mentor! You start!” he growled. Leafpool didn’t seem to mind, as she padded towards the limp Toadstep and started to dress his wounds with cobwebs. Jayfeather turned back to Foxleap, relaxing as he felt the pain from Foxleap start to fade. He stopped, hearing paws tear at the entrance of his den. “Dark Forest warriors!” he snapped.

He could scent Dovewing leap in front of the attacking cats, clawing fiercely at them and snarling. Jayfeather sighed, relying on Dovewing to defend him. Starting to rush, he kept applying herbs to the wounded cats.

Lionblaze’s claws scored against a Dark Forest warrior, throwing him to the ground and turning to delve deeper in the heart of the ShadowClan camp. He flung around, noticing Littlecloud frantically beating off a warrior who was biting at his throat. He was about to run to Littlecloud’s rescue until he noticed a ginger warrior with stars speckled like frost across his fur leap next to Littlecloud, snarling as he ripped his claws through the Dark Forest cat’s throat. Flametail! Lionblaze thought with relief.

Now that Littlecloud was being taken care of, Lionblaze was free to help the others. The battle was bloody, and he couldn’t count the amount of cats that laid limp on the ground. He quickly shook the blood from his claws and whipped his head around, searching for an enemy he could rip apart. But he was instantly taken off guard as waves of spirits broke through the entrance, and Lionblaze started to panic. There were hundreds of them. A wiry brown she-cat leaped onto Lionblaze, her eyes dark.

“Windstar!” a tom called.

“What, Gray Wing? We need to attack enemies!”

“That’s Lionblaze - the cat in the prophecy! Gather Riverstar, Shadowstar, Thunderstar, and Skystar.”

“The first Clan leaders!” Lionblaze whispered.

“That’s right,” Windstar growled, her eyes sparkling. “And we’re here to help!” Windstar leaped away from Lionblaze, nodding to a black tom and a gray tabby tom. “Lightning Tail, Pebble Heart, follow me.”

More spirit cats burst into the clearing, and this time Skystar turned around to meet them. “SkyClan ancestors!” he gasped. “I knew you would come. Star Flower, help me!”

A golden-furred she-cat nuzzled Skystar. “I always would,” she growled softly. She nodded to a gray and white tom and a dark gray tom behind her. “Cloudstar and Skywatcher will come as well.”

“I trust you all,” Skystar meowed.

Another spirit cat - this time with white fur, with a dark expression on her face, snarled at a tom that Lionblaze didn’t recognize. The fury in her eyes made Lionblaze assume that this was another Dark Forest warrior, and he rammed himself into her. “Hey!” yowled the she-cat. “Go away, Lionblaze! I’m safe! I’m Stoneteller - Half Moon! The Ancients!”

“Oh,” Lionblaze meowed. “Uh...sorry.” This time, he did recognize a Dark Forest traitor. Redwillow! Redwillow was battling against Dawnpelt, his hind paws kicking her belly.

“You mouse-brain!” Dawnpelt yowled. “I”m not the enemy!”

“To me, you are,” Redwillow hissed in her ear.

He flipped her to the floor, blood dripping to her jaws, and searched around wildly for another ShadowClan cat to kill. A dark brown tom bounded over to him, a cat bone stained with blood hanging from his jaws. He slammed it to the ground. “How’s the battle, Redwillow?” the tom asked.

“Awesome, Shredtail! All the Clan cats are so weak. They’re so concerned by following the warrior code, I can pick them off one by one! You’re right, this is easy.” Redwillow’s lip curled. Lionblaze was about to launch an attack on him, but he was distracted by a voice halfway across the clearing.

“Lionblaze!” called Littlecloud, the small lithe tabby medicine cat who was frantically staring around the camp. “I need your help! Come here!”

Lionblaze’s eyes followed Littlecloud as he ran over to follow him, ducking his head under a bramble thicket. The stench of Blackstar clouded the den, and Lionblaze realized it must be his den. Blackstar’s white pelt was visible on top of his blood-stained mossy bedding. Blackstar was gasping for air, saliva gurling at his mouth. “I need you fetch me cobwebs,” Littlecloud exclaimed.

The golden warrior watched Blackstar. Was it worth it? Littlecloud’s eyes bore into him, and he seemed to guess what he was thinking. “You’re right,” he sighed. “It’s already happening.” He stepped closer to Blackstar, nuzzling his bleeding pelt. Blackstar’s eyes had clouded. Lionblaze swallowed a lump in his throat.

“Is...is that his last life?” Lionblaze whispered, afraid of the answer.

Littlecloud shook his head. “No, but after he loses this life, it will be his last life.”

“Will StarClan be able to heal the wound?” Lionblaze asked.

“Yes,” Littlecloud replied. “He’ll be fine after this. Hopefully,” he added darkly.

After a little bit, life started to come back to Blackstar’s eyes. He blinked, his amber eyes bright as he examined his pelt, the blood stopping to seep. Blackstar shook his fur, not even caring to notice Lionblaze. “Come on,” Blackstar meowed. “We have a battle to finish.” Blackstar bounded out of his den.

Redwillow turned around, his eyes lighting as he saw Blackstar. Blackstar already had his black paw pinning a skinny she-cat, who spat venom at him, struggling to let go. Redwillow bit Blackstar’s paw. The ShadowClan leader yowled with pain, and taking advantage of Blackstar’s distraction, she struggled away from his grip.

“Blackstar! I’m loyal to my new Clan! Your time is over - you’re nothing but an elder just growing old over and over. Why don’t you give up and just die?”

Blackstar’s eyes narrowed. “I am still leader of this Clan. And you have betrayed us all.” He leaped straight for Redwillow, but Redwillow was ready. He dodged himself out of the way and leaped onto Blackstar’s back, fastening his claws into his shoulders. Blackstar yowled and rose onto his back legs, shaking furiously so that Redwillow lost his grip. Redwillow hit the ground with a thud, too dazed to get back up. Blackstar spun around, his white claws stained with blood. Redwillow had already leaped back up, but Blackstar had his teeth gripping in his scruff, and was able to use his claws to tear flesh from Redwillow’s chest. Blackstar let go, and backed up, watching Redwillow. Redwillow gazed at Blackstar, then back at his wound with astonished eyes. Then, he fell, limp to the ground, blood gurgling in his mouth.

Shredtail hissed at Blackstar. “You killed my loyal warrior!”

“I killed one traitor,” Blackstar snarled. “And I’m ready to kill another.”

Shredtail’s eyes widened. Clearly, he knew that Blackstar meant his threat. Turning tail, he fled the ShadowClan camp. Blackstar watched him go, and then turned his gaze to Lionblaze. “We can take it from here,” he meowed, flicking his ears at the few Dark Forest warriors that remained fighting. “Give my thanks to Firestar. You can go home now.”

Lionblaze nodded, signaling to Sorreltail, Cinderheart, Cloudtail, and Berrynose - all who had been sent to the ShadowClan camp. The warriors followed him as they left the ShadowClan camp and aimed for the ThunderClan camp. Running through the forest, power flooded through their shoulders as they came to a halt near the stone hollow. Lionblaze launched himself down the clearing, bumping into a large brown tabby tom, who swung his head around, his eyes glittering with hatred. Lionblaze didn’t recognize the tom - but something about him was familiar. The Dark Forest warrior slammed a paw into Lionblaze’s face, making his head spin with stars.

The tom shook off Lionblaze. “Try me, little warrior,” he taunted. “I can kill you any time I want. But I’m not going to waste my time on you. Some other cat will come and finish you off.” The tom bounded across the clearing, his broken tail waving at Lionblaze. Horrified, Lionblaze realized that he was heading towards the nursery. In one moment, the tom lifted a dappled gray pelt - which Lionblaze recognized as Ferncloud, and snapped her body in half, dropping her to the floor. The tom licked his lips with her blood.

A flame-colored tom turned around from where he was battling a battle scarred pale gray tom. He pushed the gray tom away from him, driving him into the clearing, before turning to chase the tom. “No!” Firestar howled. “You killed her!”

“It took you that long to notice?” the tom sneered.

Firestar stared at the tom, his emerald eyes burning with cold fury. The tom grinned at him, flattening his ears. “Firestar, you’re too late to save the foolish she-cat. And why would you want to? You’d just waste your time. Because I’m going to shred you, until there’s nothing left for you to join StarClan.” The tom eyed Firestar gleefully.

“Brokenstar!” spat a she-cat across the clearing. Lionblaze turned around to see the dark gray, ragged pelt of Yellowfang. Her flattened face displayed anger, and she curled her lip, flattening her torn ears.

Brokenstar faced her, his amber eyes glittering. “Mother!” he greeted sarcastically. “I’ve waited a long time for this moment.” He shook his pelt, the blood that had painted his dark fur scarlet dripping to the floor like water.

Behind Yellowfang, the splitting image of Brokenstar appeared. Two Brokenstars? Lionblaze wondered. But this wasn’t Brokenstar. He was larger, and his tail was not broken in the middle. And he did not have the same murderous look in his eyes as Brokenstar had. “Raggedstar?” Yellowfang meowed, confused.

Raggedstar nuzzled Yellowfang. “I loved you,” he stated, “and I still do. Our son is a murderer and traitor. I was with you when you killed him for the first time, and I will be with you when you kill him for the second time.”

“You want to kill your own son?” Brokenstar hissed. “What sort of parents are you?”

Yellowfang narrowed her eyes. “You killed helpless, several kits of your own Clan! You killed your father nine times! You were responsible for so many innocent deaths! I was so...so proud of you, until I realized how blind I was.” Yellowfang’s throat was choked. “You weren’t the one who got blinded. I was. And it only took me years to find out. Brokenstar, I will not let you destroy the Clans.”

“Try me, old fool,” Brokenstar snarled. “You will never prevail. I can kill you both with two swipes of the same paw.”

Raggedstar was the first warrior to leap at Brokenstar. Brokenstar instantly jumped to the other side, allowing Raggedstar to miss. “It seems like as if you’ve picked up some of Firestar’s kittypet heritage!” Brokenstar sneered, but as he loomed over Raggedstar, Yellowfang had flown across the clearing and landed squarely on his back. She sunk her long, black claws into Brokenstar’s shoulders but he was able to shake her off. As Yellowfang landed on the ground, Brokenstar swiped at her face with unsheathed claws, raking her muzzle. Raggedstar hissed, using his back legs to leap over Brokenstar, taking advantage of his larger size. Brokenstar raised his neck, and started to run, but Raggedstar had already sunk his teeth into Brokenstar’s legs.

Brokenstar kicked Raggedstar with his free back leg, sending him skidding through the ground. But Raggedstar quickly recovered, and Yellowfang was able to push Brokenstar away so that Raggedstar was able to claw open his belly with his claws. Brokenstar stared down at his wound and hissed furiously, ready to deal a horrendous blow to Raggedstar’s neck. But Yellowfang was faster. With Brokenstar’s attention focused on Raggedstar, she had managed to take control of Brokenstar’s back. And Lionblaze, noticing great pain and grief in her eyes, watched her sink her teeth into Brokenstar’s neck, dealing the killing blow. Brokenstar’s paws lost their strength, and crumpled to the ground, writhing and vomiting blood. Yellowfang dropped down to her paws, panting heavily.

“It’s...it’s all dark…” Brokenstar gasped. “I can’t see...anything…I...help me…”

Yellowfang stared at Brokenstar, watching him fade into nothing. She turned away, her eyes tearing. Raggedstar didn’t try to comfort her. It was too late. He went to aid Firestar, who was battling with Darkstripe. Darkstripe was hissing furiously. “It’s your time to die, kittypet!” Darkstripe snarled. “You cast me out. I should have been Tigerstar’s deputy - not you!”

Firestar curled his lip. Darkstripe leaped to his paws after being pinned down by Raggedstar. “Get away, stupid elder! This is my fight, and my fight only.” Darkstripe pushed Raggedstar away with all his force. As Darkstripe focused on getting rid of Raggedstar, Firestar grabbed Darkstripe with his paws. Darkstripe writhed in his grasp, but he couldn’t let go. Firestar eventually dropped Darkstripe, and let him land on the ground. Darkstripe got ready to flee, but Firestar was too quick. He sunk his teeth into Darkstripe’s neck. Lionblaze turned away, unable to see Darkstripe fading.

Lionblaze searched for an enemy worth fighting, but it seemed that every cat in the clearing was helping another cat battle off a Dark Forest warrior. What was he supposed to do? If it weren’t for you, ShadowClan would have been destroyed, and ThunderClan before you left, a voice whispered in his ear. Lionblaze shook out his fur, recognizing Mousefur in a vicious battle with a strong, healthy Dark Forest warrior. There was no way Mousefur could stand a chance defeating him on her own. Lionblaze ran over to help her, slashing open the Dark Forest’s throat with a quick slice of his paws, but not before the Dark Forest warrior dealt another blow to Mousefur. Mousefur collapsed, her breathing short and ragged. Lionblaze leaned over her. “Mousefur, it’s okay,” he whispered. “I’ll take you to Leafpool.”

Mousefur looked up at Lionblaze. Her graying muzzle was scattered with blood, and her eyes glazed with pain. “No, Lionblaze,” she rasped. “It’s my time...I can already feel...I see the kits and elders of StarClan. It’s a lost cause. Jayfeather or Leafpool cannot save me.” She coughed out blood. “If it weren’t for you, Jayfeather, or Dovewing, we would not have survived. Say...say goodbye to Purdy for me.” Her eyes clouded, and her head fell limp to the ground. Lionblaze nosed her fur, but it was already growing cold.

He dipped his head, clouded with grief. “Goodbye, Mousefur,” he whispered. “The Clan will never forget your courage.” He searched around for the tom who had done this, but he could not find him. Instead, a dark brown tabby tom had grabbed Lionblaze, sending him spinning to the ground. When Lionblaze had roused, he stared at the tom. It was Brambleclaw!

“Brambleclaw? How...what?” Lionblaze stared at his father, dumbfounded.

The dark brown tabby snorted. “You know me, Lionblaze. I am not your foolish, adopted father.” As Lionblaze examined the tom closer, he realized that instead of Brambleclaw’s pale brown underbelly, his underbelly was white. His eyes were not amber, but ice blue. Of course it wasn’t Brambleclaw. Brambleclaw would never betray his Clan. It was Hawkfrost. Lionblaze couldn’t believe that he didn’t recognize him. Although Hawkfrost was a duplicate of Brambleclaw, he should’ve noticed the two differences. Lionblaze had trained with Hawkfrost when he slept, and he had believed it was for the better. But he had realized how foolish he was.

Lionblaze glared at Hawkfrost, stretching his paws. “I will kill you,” he growled.

“Not if I kill you first,” Hawkfrost chuckled.

Another tom leaped over, knocking Lionblaze to the ground. Lionblaze, out of breath, scampered up to the ground, trying to land on all fours. “Another Hawkfrost?” he gasped.

But it wasn’t Hawkfrost. It was Brambleclaw this time. And why did Brambleclaw attack him? He stared at his adopted father. Brambleclaw turned around. “Sorry, Lionblaze,” he meowed. “But this is my fight, and not yours.”

“He’s not your son,” Hawkfrost taunted. “Why do you care?”

“I consider him my son,” Brambleclaw growled.

“After you betrayed us, Tigerstar didn’t consider you his son,” Hawkfrost retorted.

“I don’t care!” Brambleclaw snapped. “I want nothing to do with Tigerstar! He was a murderer and a traitor! I don’t want to be anything like him! But you did. You only cared about your own ambition. You had a gift, Hawkfrost. But you threw it away, just like Tigerstar.”

“I don’t need to take this from you,” Hawkfrost hissed. “You could’ve ruled the forest with your father and your brother, and your sisters. But you didn’t, because you were weak and you cared more for your Clan and your kin than we did. That made you a fool and vulnerable to revenge. And I’m going to get my revenge.”

Brambleclaw’s lip curled into a snarl and he bowled Hawkfrost over. A flash of tortoiseshell fur and golden fur flashed by Ivypool. Tawnypelt and Mothwing! Tawnypelt landed in front of Hawkfrost, her green eyes blazing with anger. “Touch my brother, and I’ll kill you,” she snarled, raising a paw.

Hawkfrost stepped back, his blue eyes narrowed. “Do you think I’m scared of a couple of she-cats?” he jeered.

“Just a couple of she-cats?” Mothwing sounded shocked. “We’re your sisters!” She glanced at Brambleclaw. The dark brown tom was stiff, his amber eyes blazing. “And he’s your brother!”

“And you’re just as useless as he is,” Hawkfrost growled, giving Tawnypelt a nudge so hard it knocked her off her paws as he shouldered them away. “Get out, before either of you get hurt.” Lionblaze stiffened as Tawnypelt let out a low growl. “When I heard news you were brought into RiverClan, I had hope that a new era of kin would unfold,” she said lowly, her pelt visibly bristling with anger. “But you turned out just like your father: cold, and caring nothing about kin or Clan.”

Tawnypelt’s words rang in Lionblaze’s ears. He felt a shiver run through his pelt, to the tip of his tail, freezing his paws to the ground. He watched Hawkfrost’s eyes trail downwards, until they seemed to be focused on to nothing. Lionblaze was startled with a jolt as Hawkfrost snapped back at his half-sister.

“You fool!” he hissed, causing the tortoiseshell she-cat to take a step back. Mothwing flinched and stood beside Brambleclaw, who flexed his claws into the earth. “You’re all fools! I tried my best to try and reshape the forest to be the best it will ever be, but you idiots fail to see the light.”

“Hawkfrost-” Brambleclaw stammered, but was drowned out by another outburst from his half-brother.

“I don’t want to hear any more,” Hawkfrost growled. “I don’t care. All I want is to see all of you bleeding your precious blood onto the grass.”

Lionblaze felt his veins pulse under his skin. The pure hatred in Hawkfrost’s eyes was enough to make him want to turn-tail and run. Hawkfrost was an intimidating cat, and being trained alongside Tigerstar made him no better.

“You can try, Hawkfrost,” Brambleclaw snarled. “But you will not succeed.”

Quicker than Lionblaze could comprehend, Hawkfrost lunged forward at Brambleclaw with a violent hiss. His muscles rippled underneath his pelt, indicating pure strength and power pulsing through his system. Hawkfrost’s claws were unsheathed, and heading straight for Brambleclaw’s throat.

No. Lionblaze felt his heart beat harder, and thought as if it were about to beat right out of his chest. He took a deep breath, and without a second thought, leapt forward at Hawkfrost’s large body, knocking him sideways and away from Brambleclaw’s exposed throat.

“I told you, this isn’t your fight!” Brambleclaw snapped at Lionblaze, whose body was aching after the sudden impact with the dark tom.

“Any Clan member’s fight is my fight,” Lionblaze replied deeply.

“Enough of the pity party,” Hawkfrost growled, picking himself up from the earth. “Get out of here, kit. I don’t have business with you yet.”

Lionblaze felt his lip curl as he met Hawkfrost’s icy gaze. “Well, I have business with you!” he hissed, charging at the dark tom, but being knocked down, at level with Hawkfrost’s paws.

“You thought you were so strong when I was training you,” Hawkfrost snarled, in almost a whisper. “You’re nothing but weak. Get out of my way.”

Lionblaze felt a sudden pulse in his head as Hawkfrost stepped over him, quickly making his way back to Brambleclaw and the others.

I’m not weak! he thought, anger burning in his stomach as the large, well-muscled warrior narrowed his eyes at Brambleclaw.

“I told you we’d meet again, brother,” Hawkfrost purred. “And only one of us will make it out alive this time.”

You’re already dead. You can’t kill him!

Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. “Go back to the Dark Forest, brother,” he rasped. “I don’t want to hurt you again.”

“That’s great, because I can hurt you,” Hawkfrost sneered, curling his lip to reveal thorn-sharp white teeth. The broad-shouldered warrior lunged onto Brambleclaw, letting out a screech of fury, taking the tom by surprise. Hawkfrost slammed his forelegs on Brambleclaw’s spine. Brambleclaw yowled with pain, using his back legs to claw at Hawkfrost’s stomach. He kicked Hawkfrost off and dove underneath the powerful Dark Forest warrior. Hawkfrost had fallen on his back, leaving his snow-colored belly exposed.

Brambleclaw leaped onto his half-brother. “Think you can beat me?” Hawkfrost snarled, sinking his claws into Brambleclaw’s arms and flipping him over. Hawkfrost jumped to his paws as Brambleclaw recovered, driving underneath his brother’s stomach and grabbing his back legs with his jaws, thumping him to the ground.

Brambleclaw’s amber eyes blazed with fury as he quickly leaped back onto his paws. Hawkfrost pounced on Brambleclaw, who was clawing at his brother ferociously. But his blows started to become weak, and eventually, he went limp. Hawkfrost relaxed his shoulders, but Brambleclaw used his back legs to kick the Dark Forest cat off of him. Hawkfrost landed on the ground, about to get up, but Brambleclaw was too quick. “I can’t believe you fell for that,” Brambleclaw growled.

Hawkfrost stared up at Brambleclaw, his eyes wide with fear. “Do it. Kill your own brother.”

Brambleclaw met his brother’s ice blue eyes. “If I let you go, you must swear never to bother the Clans again.”

“That is a promise I cannot make,” Hawkfrost snarled.

“Then I will have to kill you.” Brambleclaw’s eyes were cold.

“Try it!” Hawkfrost threw Brambleclaw off him, but Brambleclaw was lightning fast. He swerved around his brother, clamping his jaws across Hawkfrost’s throat and swinging him violently around, as if he was a piece of prey. Hawkfrost opened his jaws to yowl, but Brambleclaw bit down harder. Blood gushed from the wound Brambleclaw had ripped, and Brambleclaw let go, letting his brother fall on the ground.

Hawkfrost started to thrash helplessly. He tried to speak, but there was too much blood and he was too weak. He met Brambleclaw’s gaze, his eyes burning with blue fury. Hawkfrost’s limbs stopped flailing, and the former RiverClan warrior grew limp. His dark brown figure started to waver, as if Lionblaze was seeing him underwater. He started to fade, his body growing transparent against the forest floor until there was nothing left of him, just his crimson blood staining the ground.

Brambleclaw’s claws sunk into the ground, staring at the puddle of blood. There was shock plastered on his face. Tawnypelt leaped up to her brother, pressing her cheek against his own. “You did the right thing,” she murmured.

Brambleclaw met her gaze. “I know,” he stated simply.

Thistleclaw, Darkstripe, Brokenstar, Hawkfrost, and Mapleshade gone. One more cat ….

As Lionblaze looked around, he realized that most of the Dark Forest cats were gone as they realized that both Hawkfrost and Brokenstar were dead. There were only a few left in the clearing, in which Graystripe and Dustpelt were able to drive away easily.

The clearing had suffered major, major damage from the battle. All of the dens were destroyed, and there was not a spot in the clearing that was not covered with blood. Even the stone walls were splattered with crimson. Cats lay limp as Jayfeather and Leafpool manuvered from cat to cat.

But the battle didn’t seem to be over. A massive, tall, dark brown tabby tom shouldered his way into the clearing. Lionblaze could swear it was Brambleclaw, but as he looked closer, he realized that the newcomer was larger than Brambleclaw and his amber eyes were cold.

The cat looked at Brambleclaw. “Well done, Brambleclaw.”

Brambleclaw stared at the dark tabby tom with horror. Lionblaze instantly swerved on his paws. Tigerstar!

Firestar stepped forward, his lips curled in a snarl. “Not yet,” Tigerstar turned to glare at him. “We will meet in battle. But not until you’ve watched every one of your Clan die.”

Firestar lashed his tail. “The battle is over!”

“The Dark Forest is endless,” Tigerstar hissed. “It has more warriors than you can ever imagine. The battle is just beginning.”

Dovewing darted forward. “But Brokenstar and Hawkfrost are dead! Why would they fight now? They have no leader.”

Tigerstar lifted his paw to the sky, flexing his thorn sharp claws so they captured the moonlight. “They have me.”

“You’re no leader, Tigerstar.” Firestar stepped forward. His eyes burned with green flames. “You never were.”

Tigerstar growled at him. “I’m a better leader than you ever could be.”

“A leader puts his Clan first,” Firestar snarled. “Instead, your Clanmates are made to fight your battles, not theirs.”

“Real warriors love battle,” Tigerstar sneered. “I give them a chance to die for a cause.”

Lionblaze searched Tigerstar’s gaze. Was he mad? How could he have ever believed that his battles were for a cause? He had caused needless bloodshed and grief.

Firestar’s fur bristled. “And what have your battles been for, Tigerstar? What cause is worth the lives of so many warriors?”

Tigerstar’s eyes burned. “Defeating you, of course.”

Firestar met his gaze. “You haven’t defeated me yet.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Tigerstar breathed, blood staining his lips from a previous battle.

“The Dark Forest cats won’t follow you,” Firestar hissed. “They know now they can’t beat the Clans. They won’t try again.”

Tigerstar let out a sinister chuckle. “I don’t need them. I only have to beat you. Then I can pick off your Clanmates, one by one, moon after moon, until there is no one left.”

Firestar’s gaze flickered over to Ferncloud’s body, and to several other limp bodies in the clearing. “I won’t let you hurt another one of my cats. Not ever.”

“Then you’re going to have to kill me.” Tigerstar met Firestar’s gaze.

Firestar narrowed his eyes. “Has it been worth it, Tigerstar? All the hate? All the death?”

Tigerstar raised a paw. “Every moment!” he snarled. Firestar took advantage of his weak distraction and flipped him over with his powerful back legs, leaving Tigerstar falling to the ground. Firestar got to his paws, his claws unsheathed as Tigerstar got to his feet. He leaped onto Firestar, churning his spine with raking claws. “The moment Bluestar found you, I became nothing! I have waited all this time to get my revenge!” He pressed himself tighter onto Firestar’s back, and breathed into his ear. “You took away my victory.”

Firestar twisted free and slashed at him. Tigerstar ducked, and grabbed Firestar by the throat. His claws sunk into his skin, but not deep enough to catch Firestar. Firestar pulled himself out of the way, but Tigerstar still had the advantage of size. He pushed Firestar to the ground. “When you’re dead, I can either rule the Clans or kill them.”

Graystripe stepped forward. “Never,” he snarled.

Gray Wing put a paw in front of Graystripe. “This is Firestar’s battle,” he meowed softly. Next to him, Lionheart nodded.

Firestar twisted around. “I will not die until this forest is safe from you.” Firestar squirmed free of Tigerstar’s grip, and slashed his claws against Tigerstar’s chest. Tigerstar snarled and grabbed Firestar’s stomach with his claws, attempting to rip it open. Firestar used his hind legs to kick at Tigerstar’s belly, and ripped free.

“Call yourself a fighter?” Tigerstar taunted. “I’ve seen better on a rabbit!”

Tigerstar leaped again onto Firestar. Lionblaze caught his breath as he saw Tigerstar’s massive, fiercesome claws. But Firestar was fast and dodged out of the way to avoid him. He slammed against Tigerstar’s flank, raining blows on his scarred body. Tigerstar snarled and reared on his hind legs, slamming against Firestar’s back and pressing him on his stomach. Firestar gasped, and Tigerstar sunk his teeth into the back of Firestar’s spine.

Firestar fell limp.

Lionblaze stared at him.

Tigerstar lifted his claws, but Firestar threw Tigerstar off. “I can’t believe you fell for that trick,” Firestar snarled, blood dripping from his spine. Firestar flung himself at Tigerstar, sinking his front claws in his throat and his back claws in his stomach. Tigerstar struggled to throw him off, but Firestar’s grip was strong.

Finally, Tigerstar was able to fling him to the ground. Firestar was not finished, though. He got to his paws, and Tigerstar was using defensive moves instead of attacking moves. However, his blows were clumsy and badly timed, and he was already weakened from several fights. But hate still burned in his eyes, and Lionblaze knew that with the strength of his rage, Tigerstar could win this fight.

Firestar circled Tigerstar, as quick as a snake. He leaped onto one side, and Tigerstar turned around to face him. Firestar instantly dodged to the other side, and when Tigerstar tried to turn his head, Firestar leaped on his back, sinking his fangs into the back of Tigerstar’s neck. Tigerstar flailed, but Firestar did not let go. Suddenly Tigerstar lifted himself and threw Firestar off, slashing his throat with his claws. Firestar let out a gurgle of blood, but before he fell, he leaped onto Tigerstar and sunk his teeth into his throat. There was a crack of bone, and Firestar stared down at Tigerstar’s body, blood dripping frmo his throat and several wounds from his body.

Tigerstar was limp. His chest was not moving, and his body started to turn transparent, leaving only a stain of dark blood on the ground. His body wavered, and he started to fade.

“Tigerstar is gone!” Lionblaze gasped. The fight between him and Firestar had been brutal, and Lionblaze had thought Firestar would not survive. But his heart dropped in his chest as he realized that Firestar had fallen to the ground too.

Graystripe and Sandstorm leaped to Firestar’s side. Sandstorm pressed her paw against Firestar’s throat, and stared at Graystripe helplessly.

“Is he…”

“Yes.” Sandstorm’s eyes clouded as she dropped her head onto Firestar’s body. ThunderClan cats and StarClan cats followed Sandstorm.

Gray Wing shook his head. “Tigerstar didn’t kill him. He died of his wounds.”

“But Firestar killed Tigerstar,” Lionheart added.

Leafpool padded forward, her eyes dull with grief. Sandstorm was still, pressed against Firestar.

“Fire will save the Clan,” Jayfeather murmured as he padded against Leafpool.

“I would’ve taken your place if you had let me,” Graystripe whispered, pain in his eyes.

Lionblaze felt empty. “He can’t be dead. He can’t! He saved us all.” He had better be dreaming. There was no way Firestar was gone. Hollyleaf padded towards Lionblaze, Dovewing and Ivypool behind her.

Suddenly a starry version of Firestar rose up from his limp body. Lionblaze sighed with relief. “I told you.”

“No.” Hollyleaf shook her head. “It’s his spirit.”

The spirit version of Firestar touched his head to Sandstorm. “I will see you again,” he murmured. Sandstorm met his eyes, a sob shaking her shoulders.

Nine cats surrounded Firestar. Jayfeather padded forward. “These are the cats who gave Firestar his nine lives,” he explained. “Lionheart gave him courage.” He nodded to the large golden furred tom who had stood behind Gray Wing. “Redtail gave him justice. Silverstream gave him loyalty.”

Graystripe stared at Silverstream. The beautiful starry-furred she-cat had fought besides him, and she gave Graystripe a look full of love.

“Runningwind gave him tireless energy, Brindleface gave him protection. Swiftpaw gave him mentoring and Yellowfang gave him compassion. Spottedleaf gave him love.”

Bluestar stepped forward.