Warriors Flaming Legacies: Extinguished

Hello everyone, FireClan here. And I'm super pumped for this announcement, I've been waiting forever to make it.*Ahem*... BOOK FOUR IS FINALLY HERE!!!!1!!11!!!one! Ah... It feels so good to say that. In all seriousness though, I've buckled down to the MAX and finally got this started. Spoiler Alert: The final battle in this book and several other scenes were thought out LOOOOOOONG before I started this. Anyway, without further ado, HERE'S THE BLURB!!!!

The Blurb
FireClan has finally broken off from the other clans on the island and has became it's own. Toadleap braced himself for the advancing attack from BloodClan, which never came. It's been moons since he and Shrewfur interrogated Dagger on the tree-bridge, who first told them of Bloodstar's threat. He believes that Dagger was simply wrong, but deep down in his heart he knows the attack will soon come. And it will. In his darkest hour, Toadleap will learn not to fear the cat who bears blood on his pelt

Allegiances
 FireClan  Leader

Toadleap- Dark Brown Tabby Tom with Green Eyes

Deputy

Titanheart- Pale Tom with Black Stripes and Green Eyes

Medicine Cat

Tawnysoul- Tawny Tabby Tom with Blue Eyes

Warriors

Heavypelt- Plump Gray Tom with a White Muzzle and Yellow Eyes

Gingerstep- Ginger She-Cat with Green Eyes

Clifftail- Long-Furred Dark Brown and White Tabby Tom with Blue Eyes

Shrewfur- Reddish-Brown Tabby Tom with Yellow Eyes

Chesnutpelt- Pale Brown She-Cat with Black Splotches and Green Eyes

Mossfeather- Dark Gray Tabby Tom with Green Eyes

Emeraldgaze- Dark Brown Tabby She-Cat with Green Eyes

Thistlebelly- Gray Tom with Amber Eyes

Bramblefoot- Dark Brown Tabby She-Cat with Green Eyes

Rocketblaze- Ginger Tom with Green Eyes

Wolfsong- Pale Black Tom with a Shaggy Pelt and Amber Eyes

Tangledwhisker- Long-Furred Gray She-Cat with Crooked Whiskers and Blue Eyes

Thrushfeather- Dark Ginger Tom with a White Chest and Green Eyes

Apprentices

Frogpaw- Dark Brown Tabby Tom with a Striped Tail and Green Eyes

Lichenpaw- Pale Gray Tabby Tom with Green Eye

Sliverpaw- Dark Gray Tom with Darker Flecks and Amber Eyes

Queens

Sparkpelt- Golden She-Cat with Darker Flecks and Amber Eyes, Mother of Thistlebelly's Kits

Spiderstorm- Black She-Cat with Amber Eyes, Mother of Rocketblaze's Kits

Kits

Boulderkit- Stocky Gray Tabby Tom with Amber Eyes, Son of Thistlebelly and Sparkpelt

Adderkit- Brown She-Cat with White Splotches and Amber Eyes, Daughter of Thistlebelly and Sparkpelt

Darkkit- Black Tabby She-Cat with Amber Eyes, Daughter of Rocketblaze and Spiderstorm

Stormkit- White Tom with Ginger Spots and Green Eyes, Son of Rocketblaze and Spiderstorm

Neo BloodClan

Leader

Bloodstar- Dark Red Tom with a White Chest and Amber Eyes

Deputy

Skullcracker- Large White Tom with Amber Eyes

Prologue
"What's that matter, Toadleap? Can't handle a couple itty-bitty scratches" A dark voice seemed to echo throughout Toadleap's cave as he tossed and turned in his nest. Pain seared his skin and his vision began to fade.

"T-Tawnysoul... Someone get Tawnysoul..." Toadleap softly whimpered toward the cave opening. He knew nobody could hear him. The small opening bore no sunlight, or moonlight, just blackness. Toadleap could feel small cuts opening on his plank, each feeling as if salt had been rubbed into them.

"Awww, what's wrong Shrimpy?" The dark voice mocked. "Got a boo-boo?"

"Please..." The searing pain grew. Toadleap felt even weaker. "Please help me."

The dark voice seemed to manifest itself into a feline-like shape in front of Toadleap. Bloodstar appeared in front of him. "Help you? Now why would I help you, you hate me after all. Get up and fight me why don't you."

Toadleap wouldn't pass this up. While he may have been in excruciating pain, Toadleap would take down Bloodstar. He struggled to get up, each time putting his paw down on the stone floor brought more pain. Toadleap's legs felt as if they had been snapped in half. Toadleap eventually got up and raised his paw and unsheathed his claws, as he brought it down Bloodstar vanished and reappeared behind him.

"Over here stupid!" Bloodstar mocked again and again as he vanished an reappeared behind Toadleap repeatedly. Bloodstar kicked in Toadleap's hind legs and knocked him to the floor when he appeared behind him once more.

"Please..." Toadleap sofly cried. "Stop."

Bloodstar appeared in front of Toadleap and push his muzzle toward his. "Oh no, I wont stop. I'll never stop. Not until you're all dead." Bloodstar raised an unsheathed paw above Toadleap's forehead. "Ta-ta."

Chapter One
"Toadleap! Toadleap! Get up!"

Toadleap awoke with a jump. He was back in his cave on his mossy bed. Thistlebelly had barged into Toadleap's den and shook him until he woke up.

"You were having a night terror again, weren't you?" The gray tom asked.

Toadleap sat upright and stretched his back until it cracked from stiffness. "Yeah, but it's nothing out of the ordinary nowadays."

"It's not normal to have dreams like that! That's what, your third nightmare this week? And what about those cuts on your pelt? Don't tell me you've been sleeping on a thorn because I know you haven't."

"Thistlebelly, I can handle this, Nobody's getting hurt from it."

"You're wrong. You are and you know it. You can't just keep brushing it off for the good of everyone else, you need help Toadleap."

"Thistlebelly, I can handle an entire clan on my shoulder, I can handle this too. If it gets too bad, I get help. But for now the clan comes first."

"Fine, do what you want, you're the leader. Just... take it easy a bit." Thistlebelly found his own way out.

Hmph. Toadleap thought. ''Thinks I can't handle it. I AM the leader after all.'' Toadleap continued to brush off the nightmares, however much they scared him. As he said, the clan came first.

"Titanheart," Toadleap called to his deputy "order a couple patrols to scout the ShadowClan border and another for hunting."

"Sure thing. Should I put together the Gathering party too?"

Toadleap had forgotten tonight was the full moon and hadn't put together the list. "Go ahead. Sparkpelt's too close to kitting to go though."

"Alright. Oh, and about the queens, I think we should bring Spiderstorm along."

"Why? She should stay here and look after Darkkit and Stormkit."

"Toadleap, look at her." Toadleap did as Titanheart told and looked toward the nursery. Spiderstorm was asleep outside as Stormkit tried to prod her awake with his tiny paw. Spiderstorm wouldn't budge.

"I suppose you're right. Maybe a little time away from Spiderstorm will do those young ones some good."

So Toadleap and Titanheart gathered all the cats who would leave for the gathering, including Spiderstorm, and made their way through the forest, over the tree-bridge, and onto the Island. He and the other leaders had cleaned up nicely, even to the point that the floating landmass looked as if it had not been touched. It appeared that he was the last to arrive.

"It's about time you got here." Smokestrike added mockingly. "Apply enough make-up?"

"Oh, ha ha. Add enough charcoal dust to your fur? I remember when you were a brown tabby."

"Uh... We don't need to bring that up. You know it aint true." Smokestrike replied in a jokingly tone.

Aquaeyes smacked Smokestrike in the back of the head with her tail. "Could you two stop being mouse-brained for a moment and get this Gathering on with? Some of us need to get back to the nursery." The cream she-cat patted her plump belly.

"Alright, alright." Toadleap lept onto his respective branch. "Let the Gathering begin!"

Chapter Two
The Gathering commenced and continued as per normal. Toadleap felt it great to take the chance to catch up with his old friends. Burstblaze had Diamondstream expecting his kits and Aquaeyes was expecting the kits of Whitewind. Even Smokestrike had taken Blizzardpelt as a mate. The whole time seemed to blur away as he realized the moon was well into the sky and time to leave, he did so.

Clifftail entered camp and arched his back to the sky. "Man, I'm tired. I'm so glad I can finally sleep!"

"Sorry Clifftail, but I need a hunting patrol go out for food." Toadleap told the young tom.

"UGHHHHHH! Do I have to go out now?" Clifftail whined.

"Don't worry. The sooner we get prey the sooner you can come back and sleep. If it makes you feel any better I'll tag along."

Toadleap and Clifftail entered the forest neighboring the ThunderClan border. Toadleap sniffed the air. Odd. He thought. Usually the most prey's out at this time. Odd as Toadleap found this, it wouldn't stop him from hunting for his clan.

After about an hour of little to nothing, Toadleap was beginning to give up, when Clifftail brought something to attention.

"Hey Toadleap, you hear that?" Clifftail asked. Toadleap pricked his ears and and paced closer to what he thought was the source of the noise. The small rumble grew into the loud shaking of undergrowth and a hunger-filled growl.

Toadleap saw Clifftail looked annoyed at the direction of the ruckus. "ThunderClan I tell you! Can't they be a little quieter?"

"I don't think that's a ThunderClan warrior. Let's check it out."

"What?" Clifftail sounded incredibly shocked. "A leader trespassing on another clan's territory? What about the code?"

"Forget about the code. I'm not just another clan leader, I'm Smokestrike's best friend. He might even thank us for this."

"Erm... If you think so." Clifftail responded.

Toadleap slowly creeped over to a bush on ThunderClan's side of the forest. He was certain it was the source of the noise. Clifftail pointed out to him that there was a torn-off rabbit's leg just outside of the opening. Toadleap poked his head in the bush and saw an unsettling sight. There was a tom, facing him, face-down in a dead rabbit's stomach ripping it apart. Toadleap was about to step out, but in a split-second the tom looked up at him with glowing amber eyes behind a blood-streaked face. Before Toadleap could react, the tom broke full-sprint out of the bush toward the Twolegplace.

"Toadleap! It's the red tom! The red tom!"

"Follow him to the Twolegplace! We musn't let him escape!" Toadleap screeched as he and Clifftail broke chase. Toadleap followed the tom through the Twolegplace and down an alley until the tom hopped a fence gate by using a garbage can as a stool, knocking it over in the process.

"Mouse-dung!" Toadleap yelled. "We lost him!"

"Maybe not. Go stand over there, Toadleap." Clifftail pointed his snout over to the gate.

Toadleap hurried over to the fence and got in position. "Now what?"

Clifftail backed up about a fox-length. "Just trust me." Clifftail sprinted toward the fence and using Toadleap as a stool, jumped off his back and grabbed the top of the gate with his claws. Toadleap watched the young tom gag. "Great StarClan. I think I'm gonna be sick."

Toadleap put his eye up to a small crease between the planks in the fence and saw a certainly unnerving sight. The rotten bodies of half-eaten rats lay stretched across the the alley, cans and other bits of garbage littered the ground, and the stench of monster gas was well in the air.

''Ech. ''Toadleap thought. Not even a dog would find this place homey.

"Fox-dung! We lost him! What are we gonna do?"

"We desperately need to warn the other clans, he may be returning back to the lake. Go back to the hollow and warn the camp, then send out patrols to ShadowClan, RiverClan, and WindClan. In the meantime I'll head to the forest and warn Smokestrike, them we meet back at camp. Should you see Bloodstar, pursue him at all costs. Don't let him get out alive."

"Jeez Toadleap, that's a bit much."

"It has to be done. Who knows what that tom will do in the future so we musn't take any chances."

"Yes sir. As you say, sir."

At a moment's notice, Toadleap found himself at the border of ThunderClan's territory. Toadleap looked left and right for a nearby patrol or some wayward ThunderClan cat, to no avail.

Come on, Smokestrike. You send out like a million patrols each day but none at night? How mouse-brained can you be.

With no other options, Toadleap had to take to plunge into ThunderClan's forest. He made sure to roll in mud to cover his scent. He began to sniff around for any scent trail leading to camp. "Come on, camp can't be this far away." Toadleap continued his search until a sudden loud noise startled him. A white shape rushed toward him.

"Halt, trespasser!" It yelled.

Chapter Three
Coming towards Toadleap in a charge, was the ThunderClan warrior Winterbreeze. The young tom's pace grew faster and faster until he came within earshot.

"Oh, I'm so glad to finally see a ThunderClan warrior." Toadleap called. "Winterbreeze, I need you to take me to Smokestrike."

But the white warrior took no notice. He skidded to a halt in front of Toadleap. "You're coming with me, intruder!"

"Intruder? Winterbreeze, it's me. Toadlea--"

"I don't care who you are! Outsiders don't belong in clan territory!"

Outsider? Toadleap thought. ''Why can't he recognize me? ''But then Toadleap remembered how he had rolled in mud to hide his scent. His usually distinctive tabby pelt and FireClan scent would have shown Winterbreeze who he was, but they weren't visible to him.

"No, Winterbreeze. You don't understand! It's me!"

But Winterbreeze still didn't notice. He pounced on Toadleap and covered his mouth with his paw. The white tom frantically called Smokestrike's name until the black tom burst through the undergrowth with a few other warriors. He must have been on patrol.

"Winterbreeze! For StarClan's sake, what's the matter?"

"I found this outsider invading the territory."

"Invader, eh?" Smokestrike peered closely at Toadleap. "Hold on, that pelt looks... familiar." Smokestrike scraped away some of the mud on Toadleap's fur. "Toadleap?"

"Finally you noticed." Toadleap sighed. "Hey, Smokestrike."

"Uh... Just what are you doing in ThunderClan's territory?" Toadleap watched Smokestrike's gaze. The black tom's eyes showed no anger, only confusion. This calmed Toadleap somewhat. "I mean you're always welcome here, but why would you just sneak in?"

"I needed to get here in secret. I have some pretty bad news and I thought I should tell you first. Then Winterbreeze spotted me and... well you know what happened after that."

Winterbreeze chuckled nervously. "Yeah, sorry about that, Toadleap. I wouldn't have tackled you if I'd known it was you."

"Don't worry about it. You were doing what you thought best for your clan. No cat can blame you for that. Now, if you could leave Smokestrike and I to our conversation, it would be great."

"No problem, sir." Winterbreeze backed away back into the undergrowth along with the other warriors.

"So." Smokestrike asked Toadleap. "What is this pretty bad news? It seems pretty urgent."

"Well..." Toadleap's mind whirred trying to think of the right words. "You remember that red tom from back on the island? Well Clifftail and I caught it in our territory, eating a rabbit in a bush."

Smokestrike gasped in shock. "That's terrible! I come closer to our homes than we'd thought. Did you catch it? Do Robinwillow, Aquaeyes, and Burstblaze know about this?"

"No and yes. The tom fled to an alley in the twolegplace before we could get a hold of it, and a few of my warriors are warning WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan. I suggest you prepare your clan too. I don't like how much things are escalating."

"Are... Are you suggesting the tom plan a takeover or something? That's preposterous! He's just one cat!"

"Not by the sound of it. I swear I've heard the name Bloodstar before, but I don't know where. We have to prepare for the worst. Smokestrike, our families and friends live in our camps. Thunderstar and the other leaders counted on us to bring back clan tradition. We can't just back down now!"

"Y-You're right!" Toadleap noticed Smokestrike sounded a bit nervous with his reply. "I won't allow myself to die before I get to see my kits into the world. Firestar counted on me to bring his clan back, and no way in the name of StarClan am I gonna let some filthy loner come into my forest and take that away from me!"

"Now that's what I like to hear! You've never lost your bravery, Smokestrike!" Toadleap was happy the ThunderClan leader was with him.

"Thank you for your information, Toadleap. Our clans would perish without it. I suggest you prepare you clan as well. I suspect you won't need an escort out of territory?"

"I'm just alone in the woods with a crazy, bloodthirsty tom on the loose, bent on destroying our clans. What's the worst that could happen?" Toadleap remarked sarcastically.

Smokestrike chuckled as Toadleap walked away. "Well it's good to see you're in your normal, bubbly mood. May StarClan light your path, my friend."

''I pray StarClan lights my path. ''Toadleap thought. If a takeover really is happening, I'm gonna need their guidence.

Chapter Four
"Sliverpaw! Bring more brambles and sticks to the nursery please!" Toadleap barked orders to his small, gray nephew. It had been about a week since Toadleap had brought the warning to ThunderClan, and the clan had been preparing ever since.

"You got it, Toadleap!" Sliverpaw called through a jaw-full of brambles. He stopped and dropped the brambles at Toadleap's feet. "Hey, do you think I could get something to eat? I'm starved."

Toadleap looked at the fresh-kill pile. It was pitifully small, just two squirrels and a robin. "Sorry, bud. Maybe when the hunting patrol comes back." Just as the words dropped from his mouth, Mossfeather, Heavypelt, and Shrewfur returned from the forest. They all looked sad, tired, and hungry. Heavypelt brought back a lone rabbit and nothing else.

"That rabbit was all we could find. We've been out there for hours. Something is out there killing our prey and leaving strange scent markers out there. And I'm worried about Chesnutpelt. She's refusing to eat anything and she's still expecting. She'll starve soon if we don't help her."

"I'll be sure to check on that. For now, tell the rest of your patrol to take a rest in the warriors den, then help the apprentices with the nursery. I'm sure Chesnutpelt will appreciate it."

Toadleap looked around. He knew he needed to do something around the camp, but he didn't know what he could be able to do. He'd been up since nearly midnight the night before, and he could feel his consciousness slipping. He definitely needed sleep soon. But before that, he noticed his mate, Gingerstep, was approaching him.

"Hey, Toadleap. How are you holding up?" Gingerstep asked.

"I'm holding up. The best I can at least. I'm exhausted."

"Then go get some sleep, sweetie." Gingerstep's voice was full of caring. "You can work yourself too hard, y'know!"

"No, no! I can't sleep now! Things need to be done! Dens need refurnishing, we need more food, and Tawnysoul needs more herbs! I'm the leader, and that means I can't just sit by while the other warriors do all the work!"

Gingerstep rested her tail on Toadleap's shoulder. "Even a great leader needs sleep. How much help do you think you'd be if you were tired all the time?"

''She has a point. ''Toadleap thought. "I suppose you're right. Okay, I'll go sleep."

"Toadleap! Toadleap! For StarClan's sake please get out here!"

Toadleap violently jolted up once he heard his sister's panicked screams. He was having a good sleep too. For once he didn't have a nightmare about Bloodstar. But he knew Emeraldgaze knew how tired he was. ''This must be important. ''He thought.

Toadleap stepped into the clearing to a strange sight. The entire clan was gathered around the center of the clearing. Toadleap raced over to the crowd to see what the matter was.

"Great StarClan." Toadleap murmured in horror. He felt his blood run cold at the sight he was witnessing. In the center of the clearing, throat slit, chest heaving, whimpering in pan, was Mossfeather. "What happened to you? What happended here?"

Emeraldgaze, in a panicked voice, replied. "Someone broke into the camp at night and attacked the guard!"

"I'm guessing the guard was Mossfeather, right?"

"Yeah! Someone please help him!"

Mossfeather's weak voice rolled out of his throat through a gurgling voice. "I'm... I'm ok-k-k-ay."

Toadleap turned to Tawnysoul, who was just standing by and watching the crowd. "Well? What are you waiting for? Help him!"

"That's the problem! Whoever attacked Mossfeather also broke into my den and destroyed all my herbs! I've got nothing to work with!" The pale tom's fur stuck out in all directions in panic.

As the rest of the crowd panicked and questioned what to do and whether or not Mossfeather had a chance, Stormkit scurried over to the injured tom and applied a small white blob to his neck while Darkkit added pressure to the wound. "Someone help me out!" Stormkit yelled to the crowd. Emeraldgaze quickly rushed over to Stormkit's side.

Tawnysoul looked at the small white kit in astonishment. "Stormkit... Where on earth did you learn that?"

"Ask questions later! Get me more cobwebs! There should be some behind Toadleap's den!" The kit called.

Tawnysoul raced over to Toadleap's den and sure enough returned with cobwebs. As the tom added the small white webs to Mossfeather's neck, he called to the crowd. "Someone help me get him into my den." Tawnysoul and Heavypelt heaved the limp Mossfeather on their shoulders and brought him to the medicine den.

''What a relief. ''Toadleap thought. ''That must've devastated Emeraldgaze. But this isn't over just yet. ''Toadleap caught wind of a strange, pungent scent.

"I'm heading out!" Toadleap announced to the clan.

"Out?" Gingerstep called. "Out where?"

"I'm on the attacker's scent trail. I'm not coming back until I find him."

"Well..." Gingerstep sounded unsure. "I won't try to stop you because I know I won't be able to. Please just be careful."

Careful? Now isn't the time to be careful. Now isn't the time to find our softness. We only have time for justice."

Chapter Five
Toadleap raced through the undergrowth with the speed and grace of a deer as he followed the musky garbage scent of the attacker. ''Come out, come out, wherever you are. I know who you are, I know all your tricks, and I know where you're hiding. ''He thought to himself.

"You might as well come out." Toadleap yelled to the forest around him. "I know you're here." I can sense you.

Toadleap jumped at a rapid rustling in the bushes beside him. He swung his paw, claws unsheathed, at the bush. Toadleap had slit the throat of a frightened rabbit. ''Well... I managed to sense a rabbit. '' He thought. I suppose that could come in use later.

"Killing rabbits won't help you find me." A snickering voice sounded from the bushes from behind Toadleap.

"Who's there? Either you come out or I come in!" Toadleap braced himself for what the producer of the voice might do.

"I'll come out, I'll come out." The voice said. "I think this game has gone on long enough. I don't want to torture you, now." The producer of the voice stepped out of the bush. It was the red tom, Bloodstar. "Or do I?"

"You!" Toadleap couldn't determine what emotion he was feeling at the sight of Bloodstar. ''Is this rage? Or fear?'' He thought.

"Yes, it's me, Bloodstar. The cat whose been watching and torturing you since the first days you spent on the Island. Congrats, you've found me out. Oh, It's so delightful to finally be speaking to you in person. I was always more of a face-to-face kind of talker."

''What's he going about? No matter. Time to finish this. ''"Shut up, Bloodstar! You know what I want, so why don't you just lay down and let me kill you already?" Toadleap stretched his claws and lunged at the red tom.

Bloodstar quickly dodged the hit. He chuckled. "Now where's the fun in that?"

Toadleap recover and faced the tom, haunches high. "Fun? You think this is fun? You've made my cats fear each coming day of their lives!"

"You really don't think that's fun? Haha. I'm having a blast." Bloodstar lunged toward Toadleap and jabbed a paw down on his throat. He sunk his jaws into one of Toadleap's ears and pulled and tugged until a huge chunk of flesh ripped out. Toadleap lied on the forest floor, writhing in pain as blood gushed out of the wound. "Let that be a warning to you and your pathetic little group. Mess with the lion, get the fangs." Bloodstar began to pad away.

Toadleap strugged to get up. The tussle had made him dizzy. "You think... I'm just gonna give up chase... like that? Come back and fight me!"

Bloodstar looked back at him and smiled. "Odd. If you had any common sense you'd say otherwise. I don't want to fight you, Toadleap. I don't want to fight anyone, in fact. I just do what I must do to survive, and if that means snapping a few necks then so be it." Bloodstar glanced at his paws. "You know, It would truly be a shame if you were to die out here alone in the woods before you become a father."

"Become a father?" Toadleap looked onward in confusion at Bloodstar. "What do you mean?"

"Whoops. I've said too much! Well, gotta run! Things to do, mice to hunt, and cats to kill! See you soon, Turdleap." Bloodstar raced off into the undergrowth in the direction of the Twolegplace. Toadleap was in too much pain to follow.

''Father? ''Toadleap thought. He couldn't possibly mean...

Chapter Six
"Great StarClan!" Clifftail yelled at the sight of Toadleap's new scar. "What happened to your ear?"

"Don't worry about it." Toadleap ran over to the Great Rock and called an announcement to the clan. "Everyone gather around!" The entire clan soon gathered around in the clearing, even Mossfeather poked his head out of the Medicine Den. "I come to you with terrible news. When outside of camp, I was confronted and attacked by Bloodstar." Toadleap pointed his tail to his ripped ear. "What you see here before you is what he calls his warning to us. Thankfully I meet with the other leaders tomorrow at the Island. Until nightfall tomorrow, I want 24-hour guards on shifts all around camp and each of the dens. I also want a warrior to accompany Tawnysoul should he decide to pick herbs."

Tanysoul dipped his head at Toadleap. "Thank you, sir."

"Now I want these guards to start their duty at once." Toadleap called. "I hope you can discuss the first shifts among yourselves. For now, I'll be in my den. That's all."

Toadleap stepped off the Great Rock and took his place inside his den. He was soon comforted by Gingerstep, who took her place beside him. "Hey." She said to him. "Wolfsong has ordered the guard shifts. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Toadleap teased. "I'm just great. I can even feel this tear on my ear."

Gingerstep nudged him. "Oh shut up. Hey, did you hear about Stormkit? Apparently he's wanted to study medicine, so he knew what to use on Mossfeather's neck. He's a pretty talented little guy."

"Well we owe him a lot." Toadleap though deeply about what he wanted to say next. "So Gingerstep, how far along are you?"

"Far along?" Gingerstep sounded worried and shocked. "I uh don't know what you mean! Far along? That's preposterous." Gingerstep gave a nervous chuckle.

"Don't act stupid. I know you're pregnant."

"What? Who told you?"

Toadleap sighed. "A little birdy told me." Toadleap wasn't ready to tell Gingerstep the truth about Bloodstar just yet. "So... How far along are you?"

"Uh... About a moon and a half." Gingerstep looked down at the floor as if she was ashamed. "But Tawnysoul says I might be a little early."

"You're that far along?"

"I hide it well don't I?" Gingerstep teased.

"Don't you think this is a kind of need-to-know thing for me? I am the father right?" This actually made Toadleap question if the kits were even his.

"Do you even need to ask? Of course you're the father! And I've wanted to tell you for the past few days, but you've been so busy. And I know you wanted to get these renovations done so I didn't bother you."

"Sweetie," Toadleap caressed Gingerstep's cheek with his tail. "You can tell me anything whenever. Those renovations could've waited. But I'm glad I know now."

Toadleap then lied down in his nest as Gingerstep cuddled him. "I'm so glad your going to be a daddy. Our kits will be so proud of what you've done."

"I sure hope so." Toadleap licked Gingerstep's forehead and closed his eyes to begin sleep.'' And now that our kits are on the way, I'll keep you safe. I may only have one life to do so, but I promise. As long as my heart's still beating, no one will lay a claw on our family.''

Chapter Seven
Toadleap awoke from his nest still in the comfort of Gingerstep. He peered out the entrance of his cave and saw that the sun had risen, and morning had come. ''The day of the full moon. I'd better get ready. ''Toadleap sat up, licked Gingerstep's hed, and stepped out to start his day. Thankfully, his day was pretty normal, consisting of assigning patrols of assigning shifts for guards.

"Hey, Toadleap." Thistlebelly said to Toadleap as he approached him. "You look pretty happy today."

"I suppose I am. There really isn't much to complain about. Hey, do you know where Stormkit is? I want to speak with him."

"He should be over by the nursery." Thistlebelly pointed his tail to the small bush at the edge of camp.

Toadleap thanked Thistlebelly for the information and padded over to the nursery. Stormkit and Darkkit were playing warriors in the front, swiping at eachother with sheathed, soft, tiny paws.

"Your leadership ends today, Darkstar!" Stormkit playfully shouted to his sister.

"I shall never fall, Stormfang! You wont take this clan from me!" Darkkit tackled Stormkit and nipped his shoulder with her dull fangs as they rolled around and gathered dust on their pelts.

"Hey you two." Toadleap called to the kits. "Hey Stormkit, do you think I can--"

"Oh no!" Darkkit yelled. "It's a badger! And he's attacking our camp! Let's get him!"

Toadleap sighed. ''I don't really have time for this now. But hey, I don't get to do this often. Let's have some fun with this! ''"That's right! I'm a big mean badger! And I'm here to eat you!" Toadleap smiled as he saw Rocketblaze watching from the background, a wicked grin on his face. "Mmmmm, I love the taste of kits!" Toadleap picked up Stormkit in his jaws. The small white kit squealed in pain and shook his legs as he was lifted off the ground. Toadleap dropped the kit in terror. "Oh no! Are you alright?"

But the kit turned to Toadleap and threw himself at him, digging claws into Toadleap's chest. "Never let your guard down, stupid!"

Toadleap, Darkkit, and Stormkit laughed on the ground for a while until Rocketblaze broke up the fun. "Now, now, children." The ginger tom said to his kits. "Don't play too rough with our leader. He may not be a badger, but he could still eat you if he wanted."

Darkkit laughed this off, but Stormkit grew pale and looked at Toadleap with his big green eyes. "You wouldn't would you?"

"Of course not!" Toadleap assured the kit. "Darkkit, why don't you go play with Boulderkit and Adderkit. I need to speak with your brother."

"Okay!" The little black she-kit scurried away to play with her other friends.

"Uh oh." Stormkit looked scared. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"Don't worry, you're fine. I want to talk to you about the exact opposite in fact. Where did you learn all that stuff about herbs?"

"Well... I've been thinking about studying as a medicine cat, so I've been watching Tawnsoul and collecting whatever's around camp."

"So you should become a medicine cat! I'm sure Tawnysoul would appreciate an apprentice!"

"Well... Me and Darkkit have kinda been making these plans to become Deputy and Leader together, yeah it's pretty stupid."

"You don't have to do what Darkkit wants. Follow your dreams! Why don't you go ask your parents about it?" Toadleap looked around. "In fact, where's Spiderstorm? I haven't seen her around lately."

Stormkit turned his head to his left. "She's up there. She even told me she didn't want me being a medicine cat." Toadleap looked over to a small rock overhang at the edge of camp. Spiderstorm sat on the very edge, just watching the camp below.

"Maybe I should have a talk her. She shouldn't put you down like that." Toadleap stormed over to the ledge where Spiderstorm sat. "Hey, mind if I have a word with you?"

"Go ahead." Spiderstorm answered in her usual half bored, half annoyed tone.

"Your son told me that you don't want him to pursue medicine. Why wouldn't you want him to follow his dream?"

"Because, my children need to be strong, powerful warriors. And a cat isn't going to gain any strength by working with sick cats and plants all day."

"How dare you say that! It's up to him y'know!"

"If he respects my decision he'll be a warrior. He'll be one of the greatest hunters in the clan."

"Well if he respects my role as his leader, he'll do what he really wants!"

Spiderstorm chuckled. "You don't get it, do you? There's a storm coming, and if we don't use our strengths, we'll all get wet." Spiderstorm then padded away and began to Rocketblaze.

''A storm? ''Toadleap thought. ''What nonsense was she talking about? Wait... Is there something she isn't telling me? ''Toadleap thought about asking her about what she said, but she was surrounded by too many cats so he decided to drop it and wait for nighttime, when he and some of his warriors would leave for the gathering.

Chapter Eight
"Alright, let's make this quick. I'm sure you all know what we need to discus." Burstblaze called to the gathered cats below. Each cat sat up and watched the Great Oak.

"Yes." said Robinwillow, as soft-spoken as usual. "We're here to talk about the matter of the red tom, also known as Bloodstar."

Toadleap saw several cats below begin to quiver in fear. "Yes. Not so long ago, this tom was spotted in ThunderClan territory. Clifftail and I managed to chase it back to the Twolegplace, but we're expecting a revolt. We believe it may be reviving the ancient group, BloodClan."

Many cats in the audience gasped, but one cat didn't. It was Morningpaw, one of ThunderClan's new apprentices.

"What's so funny, Morningpaw? Have you something to add?" Smokestrike asked the young tom.

Morningpaw stayed silent until his father, Longleg, motioned him to talk. "I just think the whole concept of BloodClan is stupid. There's no way a clan like it could exist. I mean... it was run by a midget! Don't tell me that's not hilarious!"

"How can you think BloodClan isn't real?" shouted Smokestrike. "And how can you crack jokes about it? It was a terrible time for the ancient clans, many cats died due to the midget you find oh-so funny!"

Morningpaw looked down at his paws. "I'm sorry. It just seemed a little far-fetched to me."

"Oh your leader speaks more truth than you know. BloodClan is very real." A strange voice sounded from the edge of the tree-bridge.

"Who goes there?" Toadleap yelled. He cringed at the thought of the voice's producer. He already knew who it was. And his suspicions were met as Bloodstar strode onto the Island.

Smokestrike gasped. "You! Get off of our Island this instant! You aren't welcome here!"

"Oh yeah?" Bloodstar sneered. "And who exactly is gonna kick me off this Island?"

"I'll show you who. Hammerclaw?" Smokestrike looked down to the dark brown warrior and gave him a nod. Hammerclaw walked toward Bloodstar, who hardly flinched.

"You'd better slow your roll, Hammerclaw. You'll have to deal with us. Roll on in boys!" Bloodstar shouted to the entrance of the Island. Suddenly a swarm of feral cats flooded into the Island. "FireClan, ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, RiverClan, meet BloodClan."

Toadleap couldn't believe what he was seeing. There must have been at least fifty cats on Bloodstar's side, if not more. ''These cats look like they have lived through some pretty bad stuff. ''Toadleap thought, remarking on how poor the cats looked. Most had some of their fur ripped out, others had torn ears, one was even missing a hind leg.

"So Hammerclaw," Bloodstar sneered, "you may continue advancing if you wish, but i'm not sure how far you'll get."

With a slight whimper, Hammerclaw scurried back to the Great Oak and hid among the crowd. Hammerclaw was one of the bravest warriors, if he couldn't stand up to Bloodstar, who could?

"We get it, Bloodstar." Burstbalze told the red tom. "You have power, and you want something. So what is it?"

"Why so much tension, Burstblaze? We've all known each other for some time now. So let's just calm down and talk things over as individuals."

"Cut the dirt, Bloodstar!" yelled Smokestrike. "What do you want?"

Bloodstar sighed. "Well there goes the chance of conversation. Anyway, I want to tell you all a story. Long before you all came to this forest, by clan hunted here, ruling this land with an iron fist. No cat would dare try to take our forest from us. But then you five came along, drove us to the Twolegplace, drove some of us to near starvation."

"Wait, you think that's our fault?" asked Smokestrike. "It was our destiny to revive the ancient clans and bring them here!"

"No! Your destiny for me and my warriors to scare you off back to the Twolegplace, but you just wouldn't leave. You decided to snoop around where you didn't belong, getting your cats killed!"

"So what is it that you want from us?" asked Robinwillow.

"It's easy. I want rights to your hunting grounds whenever I want."

Many cats in the crowd gasped in shock. Toadleap could hear several cats shout, "Never!"

"It may take time to come up with your decision. I'll leave you until tomorrow at sundown to make it. Meet us at the rocky bluff by the mountains with your choice. If you're smart, you'll give us the right to hunt."

"And if we refuse?" asked Titanheart.

Bloodstar briefly stopped walking away and turned him head. "Should you refuse our offer, we'll slaughter any cat who gets in our way. Starting with the leaders."

Chapter Nine
Toadleap walked into his camp along with the rest of the cats who went to the Gathering. Not a word had been spoken since they left. He had called off the Gathering as soon as Bloodstar and his clan left.

"Hey, Toadleap!" Darkkit and Stormkit raced up to Toadleap with their usual peppy attitude. "How was the Gathering?"

Toadleap turned to the kits. He didn't know how to word it to where it wouldn't scare them. "Well... I, uh... It was..."

"Sir." Titanheart tapped Toadleap on the shoulder to get his attention. "I'll explain what happened to the other cats. Maybe you should go lie down for a little bit."

"Yeah. That sounds good. Thank you, Titanheart." Toadleap turned away from his deputy and went toward his den. Inside, he found Gingerstep, her belly swelling more each day.

"Hi, Toadleap. How are you feeling?" Gingerstep asked.

"Not too good, Gingerstep. Not too good. You see--"

Don't bother telling me. Chesnutpelt already told me about it. I can't believe Bloodstar actually showed up to Gathering!"

"Tell me about it. He had an entire clan full of cats backing him! Hammerclaw's one of the strongest warriors in the clans, and he backed down to Bloodstar like a scared kit!"

Gingerstep started to gently caress Toadleap's haunches to calm him. "That may be bad, but we can get through it."

"Get through it? Hammerclaw couldn't stand up to Bloodstar! Once again, he's one of the strongest warriors we have!"

"Hammerclaw is just one cat. He's not a leader, you are. You're one of the bravest cats I know, Toadleap. We can all get through this together. You know the saying, Alone we are strong, United we are invincible."

Toadleap realized that he hadn't thought of it that way before. This calmed him down. His relaxation didn't last long however, as Spiderstorm entered his den.

Toadleap lifted his head. "Oh, hello Spiderstorm. What's up?"

"We need to talk." Spiderstorm glared at Gingerstep. "Alone."

"Oh, uh, no problem Spiderstorm." As Gingerstep got up, she softly whispered in Toadleap ear. "Just think about what I said."

As soon as Gingerstep left, Spiderstorm looked outside the den as if to see if anyone was around and listening.

"So, Spiderstorm," Toadleap asked, "What's up?"

Spiderstorm slowly inhaled. "So Toadleap, when were you going to tell me that Eagleclaw isn't my father?"

Toadleap was taken aback at what Spiderstorm had said. ''How could she have found out? ''"What are you talking about? Of course he's your father!"

"Toadleap, don't lie to me. As my leader, you have sworn to tell the truth to the warriors who serve you. So tell me the truth, is Eagleclaw my father?"

Toadleap thought hard for a moment. Could he really tell her the truth? He promised Robinwillow he wouldn't tell a soul, but if she already knew, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Toadleap, don't lie to me. I know you don't want to lie to me. Tell me now."

Toadleap sighed. "No, okay? Eagleclaw isn't your father!" Toadleap could hardly release the words from his mouth. He felt as if he was betraying Robinwillow, but what choice did he have?

"If Eagleclaw isn't my father, than who is?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. I promised your mother I wouldn't."

"Hmmm." Spiderstorm pondered for a moment. "It's Stormwhisker isn't it?"

Toadleap's blood ran cold. "How... How did you know that. I've never told anyone else."

Spiderstorm smirked. "I have my ways. So the truth is finally out."

"So... Now that you know the truth, what are you going to do?"

Spiderstorm giggled. "You'll see. Oh, you'll see."

"Spiderstorm, I urge you not to do anything drastic."

"Who said I'd do anything drastic?" Spiderstorm turned away and walked out of the den. "Thanks for being honest." Toadleap winced as he saw how her eyes gleamed with malice.

Oh god... Toadleap could hardly comprehend what he had just done. ''I'm a monster, and a terrible friend. Not only did I completely crush Spiderstorm's reality, but I let out Robinwillow's secret as well. How many cats will Spiderstorm tell about this? Will she even tell any cats? How could Robinwillow ever forgive me? ''But as he was thinking and thinking, a thought popped into Toadleap's head. ''Robinwillow and I were the only cats who knew about the secret, so how did Spiderstorm know. How had has she known about it.''

No matter what he did, Toadleap was unable to do anything. The secret was out, but to only one other cat thankfully, and there was no way he could make Spiderstorm just forget about. He would just have to deal with it as it comes.

Chapter Ten
Toadleap sat atop a perch in the back of his camp. Night had fallen, and the full moon hung gleaming over his head. Through the foliage and countless trees in FireClan territory, he could make out four groups of cats approaching over the horizon.

"The others are here. And on time too. Great." Toadleap couldn't help but notice how Spiderstorm just held her sullen gaze toward the entrance. "The sooner Robinwillow and Eagleclaw leave, the better."

But something still didn't feel right with Toadleap. Maybe it was the fact that Bloodstar's forces were slowly advancing, maybe it was that Robinwillow's secret was out, or maybe it was something out of his control. Whatever it was, it hung in Toadleap's gut like a brick. Was that a smile he saw on Spiderstorm's face? He couldn't be sure.

"Let's get this thing over and done with, Toadleap." Smokestrike called as he walked through the entrance. "I really want to hear this plan, but I don't like being away from my clan while those creeps around.

"I couldn't agree more." Aquaeyes looked at her belly, swollen with kits. "I should be asleep by now!"

"I understand, Aquaeyes. But remember than our clans should come before your beauty sleep. But since we're all here." Toadleap nervously glanced over to Robinwillow and Eagleclaw, sitting blissfully unaware of the tension between him and their daughter. "I might as well begin. As you know, Bloodstar wants us to give up our territory and hand it over to him."

Toadleap heard a few young warriors whispering behind him. "Toadleap's gonna know what to do he always does."

"Well, if he wants our territory, he can have it. We can just share it."

Toadleap was almost cut off by the numerous gasps from the crowd around him. The leaders' jaws dropped. "Toadleap, are you NUTS?" Burstblaze exclaimed. "We're just gonna give up? Pack up and leave?"

"I don't think you fully understand. I said we can share it. We can coexist here, the both of us. But not forever."

"Not forever?" Eagleclaw turned his head. "How so?"

"Let me ask you all something. What do we know about BloodClan? How about Bloodstar and his warriors? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. That's why, if he shares the forest with us, we can watch him and gather intel. Once we know what we need to know, we form a sneak attack, drive em' out for good."

"Well that sounds all fine and dandy, but how long would it go on? A moon? Two? StarClan forbid this be a long-term thing!" Mudsurf shook a bit. "And what would stop Bloodstar and his warriors from just killing us in our sleep or something? Those cats are ruthless."

"Well, I'm afraid that's just a chance we'll need to take. The other leaders and I haven't thought of anything much bet--" Toadleap was interrupted by a snort in the crowd behind him. He turned his head to see Spiderstorm, slowly chuckling.

"Is there something you want to say?" Smokestrike raised his voice toward the black she-cat.

"Well, it you really want me to..." Spiderstorm padded over to leaders and sat in the middle of them.

"You can't just barge up here." Silentclaw sat his giant, bulky figure in front of Spiderstorm, staring her down with his ice blue eyes, as if he were sizing her up. This is for deputies and leaders only."

"You don't scare me, Silentclaw. I'm a loyal warrior and I deserve to talk."

Several cats from the background cheered in agreement, pushing Silentclaw to allow her to speak.

"Cats of the clans," Spiderstorm started, "do you really want to just let these BloodClan scoundrels trample across our home? No! That's why I say we ditch Toadleap's plan and battle them instead!"

"What?" Shock and dismay shot out of the leaders at the sound of Spiderstorm's insane plan.

"We slaughter them all. Not one should be left. We start with Bloodstar, without a leader they won't know what to do!"

"Kill Bloodstar?" One of the cats from the background yelled. "That's impossible! How would we even know if the warriors wouldn't know what to do?"

"It's had to have worked before, right?" Another cat yelled.

"Right!" Spiderstorm yelled in response, her face becoming more and more twisted as she told how to kill the BloodClan warriors. "Then, after Bloodstar's dead, we go for the strongest warriors first, then work our way down until they're all dead."

"Now hold on!" Smokestrike interjected. "That plan is the most insane thing I've ever heard, and I've heard plenty growing up! No matter how many warriors believe we should follow your plan, we are sticking with Toadleap's, and that's final!"

"What? You don't think my plan is good enough? Don't you want the best for your clan? Your future kits?" Spiderstorm told Smokestrike.

"Don't give me that! Of course I want what's best for my clan! Every leader does! But think about this, have you any idea how high the death count of the battle would be? We are warriors, not savages! There are good cats here, cats with families, cats expecting, and we can't just send them off to battle willy-nilly straight to their deaths!"

"And you think waiting is a better plan why?"

"It gives us the element of surprise. Not to mention the fact that we're just ASSUMING that BloodClan will scatter if we kill Bloodstar. There's still a high chance they'll continue fighting for their fallen leader." said Robinwillow.

"Toadleap's plan really just makes sense." said Aquaeyes.

"I couldn't think of anything much better. I guess it's decided then." said Burstblaze. "No matter what, we follow Toadleap's plan." With a bit of annoyed grumbling, all the cats in camp agreed. Apparently some wanted to follow Spiderstorm's plan.

Defeated, Spiderstorm stomped away toward her den as the other clan cats left then camp. Toadleap was happy he had won the argument, but he would need to deal with Spiderstorm.

Chapter Eleven
"Spiderstorm," Toadleap approached the lone warrior in the den. "can I speak with you for a minute."

"Heheh, sure thing, Toadleap." Toadleap flinched as he saw the look Spiderstorm gave him. It was completely calm, the exact opposite expression she showed during the meeting. "You can tell me anything."

"Alright. To start off with, what was that out there?"

"What do you mean?"

"That plan you had... It was just so malicious and macabre, I've never seen you like this."

"Then obviously you don't know the new me."

Toadleap was taken aback at what she had said. ''The new me? ''He thought. ''What does she mean 'new me'? She's just the same as she was before. ''But then, the realization hit Toadleap like a bullet. But what if she isn't? There's got to be something else behind those amber eyes.

"You're hiding something aren't you?" Toadleap grew closer and closer to Spiderstorm as he spoke. "You've got to be keeping something from us. That cat out there, whoever it was, wasn't you. I watched you grow up, and you were never like this. Tell me what your hiding."

"Hiding? I'm not hiding anything from you. I'm not hiding anything from anyone."

"Don't play stupid with me." Toadleap's brow wrinkled with anger. "I may not be the smartest cat around, but I know a lie when I hear one." Toadleap put his muzzle so close to Spiderstorm's their noses almost touched. "I know you're keeping a secret."

Awaiting a reply, Toadleap just sat there, staring directly at Spiderstorm. The young she-cat didn't move, didn't flinch, she didn't even seem to breathe. Slowly, her eyes eyes narrowed to small amber slits. "Oh yeah? and what about you, Toadleap? Aren't you keeping secrets from us too?"

Toadleap flinched. "Well, uh... um... Well I mean--"

"Aren't you, Toadleap?"

"Well... No! I'm not keeping any secrets!"

"Oh yeah? What about the secret about my parents? What to you call that?"

"Well... um... I was just following your mother's orders! That's all!"

"Yeah, sure. And what about that ordeal with that old white warrior... Grayspeck wasn't it?"

''Grayspeck. ''Toadleap shivered at the mention of the deceased warrior. Grayspeck was the warrior Whitewind's brother and the ex-ShadowClan Deputy. He had been found dead seasons ago at the Island. For a while every cat believed Bloodstar to be the culprit; but Toadleap soon found out he had been accidentally killed by Firebird, who believed him to be an intruder.

''But wait. ''Toadleap thought. ''How would she know about him? ''"How do you know what happened to Grayspeck? You weren't even born when that happened!"

"I have my ways." Spiderstorm grinned. "Some cats just like to talk."

"That's impossible! The only cats who know the truth are me, you and... the culprit." Toadleap struggled not to reveal Firebird's name.

"The culprit? What, you mean that weak-willed ThunderClan warrior, Firebird? Pfft. I never believed that cat had it in him to kill. Always so time he is."

Toadleap's blood ran cold. Not only did Spiderstorm know Firebird's secret, but she knew he was the culprit.

"And since you hid the truth from your cats all this time, that makes you the bad guy. You might as well have been part of the murder."

"How could you say that to me?" Toadleap's fur bristled with fury. "I had no part in that incident! And it's not Firebird's fault! He was devastated because of his mistake! Why do you think he's so timid?"

"Say what you might, you're still a bad cat for not revealing the truth. The murderer deserves to be revealed and punished." Spiderstorm lowered her head to where her muzzle was directly across from Toadleap's ear. "You think you're such a saint because StarClan thought you'd make a good leader, but one day you'll be here, and the next day you won't be, just like every other cat around this forest. But not me."

"What? What do you mean 'Not you'?"

"You see, cats like you are like a fad. In your hay day, no one can stop talking about you. But eventually, you just fade away without a trace. Cats like me, after we fade, we're remembered for ages. We're the cats who make a difference. I'm one of those cats, you aren't."

"Well I never! How dare you say such a thing to me! I'm still your leader you know! I have half a mind to kick you out of my camp this instant!"

"Yeah? And you know what you'll have to do then, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"You couldn't just kick me out of camp and not give a reason. That means you'd have to tell everyone Robinwillow's secret, wouldn't it?"

Toadleap flinched. He hadn't thought of that before.

"Hey." Toadleap head a voice from behind him. He turned around to see Mossfeather sticking his head in the den, a look of great concern on his face. "Are you two alright? You've been yelling a lot."

"Yeah uh..." Toadleap hadn't noticed just how loud he had been yelling. Had anyone heard them. "We're just in a bit of an argument. That's all."

"Oh, okay." The concerned look on Mossfeather's face dwindled into a average grin as he let out a big sigh. "Look, I don't mean to rush you, but you might want to get some sleep. We have to meet BloodClan tomorrow, remember?"

The thought flooded into Toadleap's mind. "Oh man! I completely forgot about that! Thank you, Mossfeather. I'll get to bed this instant." Toadleap awkwardly looked back at Spiderstorm, not forgetting their previous conversation. "Goodnight, Spiderstorm."

Spiderstorm giggled, the anger previously in her voice now almost nonexistent. "Goodnight, Toadleap. Sweet dreams." Spiderstorm hid her anger well behind her round, amber eyes.

As Toadleap walked away slowly with Mossfeather, he looked directly at Spiderstorm. She glared at him with intense anger, and he glared back.

''If she wants to start something, she can. But I think she already has.''

Chapter Twelve
Toadleap sat atop his perch at the back of FireClan camp, watching the sun set slowly through the trees in the distance. Any minute now he and his clan would leave to meet Bloodstar at the Island with the other four clans. For the past few days the camp had been bustling with panic about Bloodstar, but now that every cat was either prepping to leave or praying in their dens for things to go well, everything seemed very peaceful. It allowed Toadleap to actually find some center and tranquility.

"Toadleap." The peace and quiet was soon broken by Titanheart, Toadleap's deputy. "The sun's setting, it's time to meet at the Island. Have you chosen which cats are to go?"

"Yes. meowed Toadleap. "Along with the two of us, bring Shrewfur, Thistlebelly, Heavypelt, Bramblefoot, Thrushfeather, and... Spiderstorm."

"Spiderstorm?" Titanheart turned his head in confusion. "But she's a queen and her kits are in this camp, are you sure that's a wise decision?"

"Trust me, Titanheart. It's for the best." Toadleap had to keep her with him as much as possible, he didn't know what she would do when he was gone.

"Your right, sir. Sorry for doubting you." Titanheart hung his head and looked awkwardly down at the ground.

"Don't worry about it, Titanheart." Toadleap chuckled. "I's kind of your job to question me. Before we go, send out a hunting patrol. Uh... have Mossfeather lead it."

"Yes sir. I call out the other warriors at once." Titanheart began to walk away. "Also, you might want to groom yourself before we go. You look like you jumped in a thistle bush." He added playfully.

Fur hot with embarrassment, Toadleap looked down at his pelt. His dark tabby fur stuck out in spikes and still had a few clumps of moss in it. "Sorry," Toadleap joked. "I guess I toss and turn in my nest quite a bit."

"Just letting you know. You don't want Bloodstar thinking your a slob now do you? Speaking of Bloodstar, it's going to be night soon. We better hurry to the Island."

Toadleap lifted up his from grooming his chest and nodded in agreement. "Agreed. I'll find the warriors and we can get going."

"It's about time you arrived, Toadleap." meowed Smokestrike. "We've been waiting here forever!"

Toadleap and his warriors approached the Island to see the other four clans waiting at the entrance of the tree-bridge. "What are you all still out here for? Shouldn't you be in there with Bloodstar?"

"Well..." Burstblaze added. "We wanted to wait for everyone to get here. And not only that, look at the Island! Bloodstar must have brought his ENTIRE clan!"

Burstblaze was right, the Island was swarmed with tens of nasty looking cats, with Bloodstar sitting atop the Great Oak.

"That pathetic excuse for a cat defaces our precious Island the more he's on it." said the ShadowClan deputy, Silentclaw, eyes narrowed into icy-blue slits. "He's lucky we have truce, or I'd tear into him."

Rockshine, ShadowClan's medicine cat, butted Silentclaw in the shoulder. "Remember that we have to follow Toadleap's plan. Don't do anything stupid, we need this to work."

Silentclaw grumbled angrily, but otherwise stayed quiet.

"So, are you four ready to go?" Toadleap said to his four friends.

"With you as out leader?" Smokestrike chuckled. "No way!"

Aquaeyes had to hold back laughter, but failed to keep the muffled noises in her mouth. "Don't worry, Toadleap. We're with you all the way."

"Alright," Toadleap took in a deep breath and puffed his chest out, in attempt to look intimidating to the BloodClan warriors. "Let's go."

Chapter Thirteen
"Look at this, everyone!" Bloodstar called to his warriors, "Our guests have arrived!"

Toadleap and the other four leaders looked around to see each and every pair of eyes on them. Titanheart growled at a few and unsheathed his claws.

"Remember, Titanheart," Toadleap whispered, "we come in peace. How are you, Bloodstar, well I hope?" Toadleap hoped sucking up would appeal to Bloodstar.

"Much better now that you all have arrived, now we can get to business."

"Okay then." Toadleap, Aquaeyes, Burstblaze, and Robinwillow leaped onto the branches of the Great Oak accordingly, but there was no room for Smokestrike.

"Uh, could you perhaps get off my branch?" Smokestrike meowed sternly to Bloodstar, but without losing his temper.

"Oh gee, is this your branch? Well shucks that sure is a shame!" The sarcasm in Bloodstar's voice washed over Toadleap like a tidal wave. "I'm a afraid that's not gonna work anymore."

"Not gonna work?" Smokestrike's whiskers twitched angrily. "What do you mean not gonna work?"

Bloodstar chuckled softly under his breath. "Find a seat and I'll tell you."

Burstblaze patted the spot on his branch next to him. "You can sit here, Smokestrike." Toadleap watched as the ancient branch bent awkwardly under both the ginger tom and the black tom's weight. He feared it wouldn't hold, but thankfully it did, though a bit wobbly.

"Bloodstar," Aquaeyes went on. "you may continue."

"Actually, I believe my deputy will take care of it for me." Bloodstar turned his head to the mass of BloodClan cats. "Oh, Skullcracker?"

A huge white tom proudly shouldered through the crowd and padded toward the Great Oak. The sheer size of the tom was enough to make even Silentclaw flinch. Toadleap had heard stories from StarClan warriors about the ancient BloodClan, and their leader and deputy, Scourge and Bone: a fearsome combination of cats. Scourge was much smaller than Bone, but just as fierce.

The huge tom shoved Mudsurf off of his tree root and heavily plopped down. His voice was as piercing and sharp as the coldest leaf-bare. "Bloodstar has some demands."

"Demands?" Robinwillow looked at Skullcracker, then at Bloodstar, then back at Skullcracker. "What demands?"

Bloodstar wants the full package." Skullcracker added.

"I'm sorry? Full package?" asked Burstblaze.

"Y'know, the luxuries. A camp, honor, respect, a spot on the big tree, the works."

"Well..." Toadleap thought out loud. "That's not gonna work well. There are only five branches on the Great Oak, and only five territories. For y'know, the five clans."

Bloodstar looked at Smokestrike. "I like the look of your camp, nice and rocky. I can use that. And as for the branch situation, I guess my ThunderClan and RiverClan friends will have to get used to sharing."

Toadleap was shocked. Bloodstar had just claimed ThunderClan territory for his own, and Smokestrike wasn't even fighting back! Perhaps it was just out of cooperation, perhaps Smokestrike was scared. Toadleap didn't know, but he could tell Bloodstar wasn't ready to negotiate anything reasonable.

"If it's okay with the leaders, I'd like to meet here in two sunrises to go over a few... rules I came up with. Do you agree?"

Toadleap hated the thought of rules enforced by the tyrant before him, but he and the other leaders didn't dare complain, so they all agreed.

"Good." Bloodstar jumped down from his branch and began to leave. "My clan and I will be going now. Oh yeah, and I have the feeling you all might try to lay a trap in a futile attempt to drive us out. Allow me to show you what'll happen you if that happens." In an instant, Bloodstar grabbed a nearby BloodClan warrior and pinned it to the ground. Toadleap watched in horror as Bloodstar twisted the poor tom's neck until it made a sickening snap. "Only next time it won't be one of my warriors. BloodClan, we're leaving." And with that, a few warriors picked up the dead body and left, heading toward the ThunderClan part of the forest.

"A leader ready to kill his own warriors just to prove a point." Robinwillow muttered, jaws agape in shock. "How cruel."

"Talk about cruel!" Smokestrike shouted. "That flea-pelt took my spot AND my territory! Where are my clan and I supposed to stay?"

"I'll tell you what." Toadleap told him. "You can come to FireClan territory with me and stay in my forest. Though you might want to send out a scout to get the other warriors in your camp."

"Right." Smokestrike gently rested his paw on Toadleap's shoulder. "Thank you for you generousity. I don't know how ThunderClan will repay you."

"Don't worry about it." Toadleap assured him. "Think of it as a favor for an old friend."

"Alright. Honeyshine!" Smokestrike called to the young golden she-cat. "Run to camp and tell everyone to get to FireClan territory immediately."

As the she-cat ran off, Toadleap called to his four friends. "You all had better get back to your camps and rest up. We have a long day of spying planned tomorrow."

And whatever we uncover could mean life or death for every cat around this lake.

Chapter Fourteen
Toadleap awoke early the net morning to a cat entering his den. His vision was blurry, having just woken up, but he could make out a distinctive black shape. The black cat was eventually looming over him, amber eyes watching him.

"Spiderstorm..." Toadleap muttered. What was the black she-cat going to do to him?

"Spiderstorm?" A husky voice sounded from the black cat. "Uh, it's me; Smokestrike."

Toadleap lifted his head and allowed his vision to adjust. His pelt quickly grew hot with embarrassment as he realized it really was Smokestrike. "What... What are you doing here, man?"

"Stormwhisker received a message from ShadowClan. Aquaeyes want all of the leaders to meet at the Island and head out to Thunder... BloodClan's camp. I just thought you could use a wake-up call."

"Well, I guess it didn't hurt." Toadleap got up and shook the moss from his pelt. "Come on, we shouldn't keep Aquaeyes waiting. You know how she gets."

Smokestrike laughed. "You make a compelling argument. Let's go."

Together, Toadleap and Smokestrike made their way through the trees and undergrowth to the Island. They were rearing towards the lake when Smokestrike stopped in place.

"Toadleap." He asked. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Smokestrike." Toadleap turned to the black tom. "What's up?"

"When I came into your den this morning, you called me Spiderstorm."

"Yeah, so? I thought you were Spiderstorm. You're both black with amber eyes."

"Yeah, but it's not the fact that you said it." Smokestrike's whiskers twitched. "It's the way you said it. You sounded really... angry. Is there something going on between the both of you?"

"Uh... no. Nothing's wrong. It's all okay." Toadleap's voice was filled with uncertainty.

"Toadleap, I'm your best friend. You don't have to lie to me."

"Who says I'm lying? Look, the two of us just had a little falling-out a while ago and we've yet to get over it. Let's just leave it at that."

Smokestrike quietly turned away from Toadleap. "Okay. The tree-bridge is just up ahead. We should hurry."

With that, Toadleap found himself approaching the Great Oak and the other three leaders on the Island. While Burstblaze and Robinwillow greeted him cheerfully, Aquaeyes greeted him with her usual impatient scorn.

"Do you know how long we've been waiting here?" she snapped. "It's not easy carrying around two little warriors in your belly y'know!"

Burstblaze snickered. "What are you complaining about? Robinwillow carried around four just fine."

"Oh shut up, dirt-eater." Aquaeyes smacked Burstblaze on the back of his head. "Are we going to get to this spying stuff or what?"

"Aquaeyes is right." Robinwillow added. "We haven't much time to waste here, so the sooner get to BloodClan's camp, the better."

Chapter Fifteen
"What are they doing?" Robinwillow asked, "I've never seen cats eat a rabbit like that! You'd think they were starving wolves!"

It was about the second hour Toadleap and the other leaders watched BloodClan's new camp for signs of anything. So far, nothing too eventful happened. The camp wasn't packed and the forest wasn't crowded, so Toadleap assumed the young warriors stayed back in the Twolegplace, while the higher-ups slept in camp. He and Robinwillow were watching a few warriors tear into a hare.

"It's nasty! We eat lizards and frogs, and even I think that's gross!" Aquaeyes added.

"Yeah, it's gross." said Smokestrike, "But look at the cats eating it. They looked the biggest, meanest, and most well-fed."

Toadleap looked at the cats chowing down on the carcass. One of them was Skullcracker, Bloodstar's deputy. The others were cats Toadleap had never seen before, but the countless scars on their pelts told how many battles they'd faced with things other than cats.

"That must be how it works in BloodClan." Toadleap added. "The strong eat first and the weaker ones don't. Some of them even look like they could be in our clans!"

Burstblaze was right. Though the majority of the cats in the rocky camp were mean-looking freaks, several she-cats and toms had fluffier pelts and stuck close to their kits. They looked very soft, they reminded Toadleap of himself when he was a kittypet. Then the realization hit him. What if they're captives from the Twolegplace?

Toadleap also noticed how much BloodClan life didn't differ from FireClan life. The bigger, meaner warriors seemed to sleep in the old warriors den, the weaker, fluffier ones slept in the old elders den. Toadleap even noticed a small black kit play-fighting with another young cat, with Bloodstar watching intently. Was the black kit his son?

If so, let's hope he's nothing like his father. Toadleap thought. He shuddered at the thought of TWO Bloodstars roaming the forest.

"Hold on..." Burstblaze interrupted Toadleap's thought. "Bloodstar's leaving."

Toadleap turned his head to the rock quarry to see Bloodstar exiting his camp. He looked to be in a hurry.

"Where do you think he's off to?" asked Smokestrike.

"I don't know." said Toadleap. "But I'm going to find out."

Chapter Sixteen
Toadleap followed Bloodstar for what seemed like hours. The red tom strutted proudly though ThunderClan territory, as if he really owned it. As he made his way along, Toadleap noticed he was following Bloodstar along a small stream. He then knew where Bloodstar was off to. The Mooncrystal. The sacred stone, once the spot of the Moonpool, was special to all the clans. What was Bloodstar going to do with it. Toadleap hid in the bushes surrounding the Mooncrystal and watched Bloodstar approach it.

"Hello beautiful!" The red tom exclaimed. "Time to become the leader I deserve to be!" Toadleap could hear excitement in his voice, but it was mixed with the sharp sound of ambition.

To Toadleap's surprise, Bloodstar didn't put his nose against the stone. He put his nose more towards the base. Before Bloodstar's nose touched, Toadleap's vision flickered, and the image of the shining stone was replaced with a large puddle of starry water. Toadleap recognized it at once from stories from Jayfeather, the ancient ThunderClan medicine cat.

The Moonpool!

Toadleap watched in complete awe as Bloodstar touched his nose to the shining water. He fidgeted a bit, mumbled, and shook around, growing more and more impatient. Perhaps it was a blessing Bloodstar was eager to see StarClan, as he was to impatient to perform the proper steps.

"You stupid tub of water!" Bloodstar smashed his paw down into the Moonpool, sending droplets all around the rocky hollow. He looked up to the sky and screamed, "Don't think you can ignore me, StarClan! I'll get my nine lives someday!"

''Someday? ''Toadleap thought. ''He doesn't have them yet. Thank you, StarClan!''

Toadleap wondered if StarClan would even accept him as a leader, judging by the means of how he got to his rank, but he couldn't allow the chance to be taken. He felt like he was in need of advice, and he knew exactly where to get it.

"Let's hope this works." Toadleap muttered as he touched his nose to the sacred Moonpool.

In an instant, his vision faded, and he awoke in the grassy plain he recognized as StarClan's hunting grounds. If he could recall correctly, all of StarClan lived in a huge, open camp somewhere in the plain. He would find his answers there.

Toadleap followed a river through StarClan territory until he could hear a large commotion up ahead. As the noise grew louder he noticed he was approaching a large ravine, the river water pouring down the stone walls. He must have found StarClan's camp. He raced towards it and bounded down the rocks with the speed of a frightened rabbit. The commotion came to a sudden stop as the confused StarClan cats stared Toadleap down.

"Toadleap?" Thunderstar shouted, spotting the tabby tom. "What a surprise, we weren't expecting you."

"That's an understatement." Toadleap replied, looking at all the spooked cats around him. "What are they so spooked about?"

"Don't worry, it's not you. It's just that we haven't had a living cat in our camp like... ever. Anyway, what do you need?"

"I need to speak to you. It's urgent." Toadleap found himself begging for Thunderstar to help him.

"Alright, I'd be happy to help. But not here. Follow me, I know a place we can talk without interruption."

Chapter Seventeen
Thunderstar led Toadleap into a small cave in the ravine's cliff. It was beautifully adorned with a small bed of moss and a little pool of water near the corner. Toadleap assumed this was Thunderstar's den.

"I've taken you to this place because it's where we leaders come to think and collect our thoughts." Thunderstar said. "Come, gaze into the pool."

Toadleap padded over to the pool and stared deeply into it. He was shocked to see it was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of stars. ''It's like a tiny version of the Moonpool! ''He thought.

''Indeed it is. ''Toadleap heard a warm voice reply to him. It was Thunderstar!

"What the... How are you talking to me?"

Toadleap again heard Thunderstar's voice, but only in his mind. ''We cats of StarClan can communicate with each other through telepathy. It's just something we happen to pick up. Since you're here with me now, I can use it on you as well.''

"Okay. That's, uh... cool?" Toadleap replied, still confused o the whole talking-with-your-mind concept. "But why are there so many stars in this pool of water?"

"Excellent question. You see, over time, a cat will eventually fade from StarClan. Once they fade, their spirit gathers into this pool with many other. Cats of StarClan will come to these pools to consult the ancient spirits for advice, even the leaders. Now tell me, what is it that's bothering you?"

TBC