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Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Allegiances

Thunderclan

Leader:  

Firestar (M) -bright flame colored tom with lighter chest and vibrant green eyes

Deputy:  

Brightheart (F)-white she-cat with ginger patches and a dark blue eye

Apprentice: Cherrypaw

Medicine Cats:

Jayfeather (M)- light gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Leafpool (F)-light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Warriors:  

Dustpelt (M)-dark brown tabby tom with dark amber eyes

Sandstorm (F)-pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Graystripe (M)- dark gray tom with stripe of darker fur along his back and yellow eyes

Millie (F)- gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Cloudtail (M)-long-haired white tom with bright blue eyes

Thornclaw (M)-light golden-brown tabby tom with darker chest and blue eyes

Brambleclaw (M)-dark brown tabby tom with orange eyes

Squirrelflight (F)- bright auburn she-cat with white front paw and green eyes

Spiderleg (M)-long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Whitewing (F)-white she-cat with green eyes

Birchfall (M)-light brown tom with lighter back and darker stripes and paws and amber eyes

Berrynose (M)- cream tom with dark amber eyes and short tail

Hazeltail (F)- gray and white she-cat with yellow-green eyes

Poppyfrost (F)- white she-cat with orange and black splashes and light blue eyes

Lionblaze (M)- light golden tabby tom with dark amber eyes

Hollyleaf (F)- jet black she-cat with striking green eyes

Icecloud (F)- snowy white she-cat with bright blue eyes

Foxleap (M)- dark red tabby tom with lighter muzzle and paws and green eyes

Toadstep (M)- black and white tom with yellow-green eyes

Rosepetal (F)- lithe pink-tinted cream she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice: Molepaw

Briarlight (F)- sleek dark brown she-cat with sky-blue eyes

Bumblestripe (M)- very pale gray tom with black stripes and amber eyes

Blossomfall (F)- white she-cat with black, auburn, and Brown splashes across her back, tail, and head and white spots, yellow-green eyes

Dovewing (F)- light gray she-cat with green eyes

Ivypool (F)- white she-cat with gray tabby patches and blue eyes

Apprentices:

Cherrypaw (F) (Mentor: Brightheart)- ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Molepaw (M) (Mentor: Rosepetal)- large brown and cream tom with amber eyes

Queens and Kits:

Ferncloud (F)- pale gray she-cat with darker flecks and light spring green eyes

(Mate: Dustpelt) 

Daisy (F)- long-furred cream she-cat with lighter chest and light blue eyes

(Mate: None) 

Sorreltail (F)-ginger and black splashes with white belly, chest, paws, tail tip, and muzzle and yellow eyes

(Former Mate: Brackenfur)

Mother To:

Lilykit (F)-dark gray tabby she-cat with white patches and blue eyes

Seedkit (F)-golden brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Cinderheart (F)- gray tabby she-cat with deep blue eyes

Expecting Kits

Elders:

Mousefur (F)- small dusky brown she-cat with orange eyes

Purdy (M)-plump tabby former loner tom with gray muzzle and orange eyes

Shadowclan

Leader:  

Blackstar (M)- large white tom with huge jet black paws and piercing yellow eyes

Deputy:  

Tawnypelt (F)- bright orange and black she-cat with white muzzle and chest and green eyes

Medicine Cats:

Littlecloud (M)-small white tom with warm gray back, tail, and head and blue eyes

Warriors:  

Rowanclaw (M)-dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Smokefoot (M)-long-legged black tom with dark green eyes

Owlclaw (M)- light brown tabby tom with yellow-green eyes

Crowfrost (M)-black and white tom with gray eyes

Ratscar (M)-brown tom with long scar along back and dark green eyes

Toadfoot (M)-dark brown tom with light green eyes

Applefur (F)-mottled brown she-cat with orange eyes

Snowbird (F)-pure white she-cat with light green eyes

Scorchfur (M)- dark gray tom with ragged ears and orange eyes

Olivenose (F)- black she-cat with orange spots and gray eyes

Shrewfoot (F)- gray she-cat with black paws and amber eyes

Redwillow (M)- mottled brown and ginger tom with yellow eyes

Tigerheart (M)-dark brown tabby with amber eyes

Dawnpelt (F)- cream she-cat with yellow-green eyes

Ferretclaw (M)- cream and gray tom with amber eyes

Starlingwing (M)- ginger tom with purple eyes

Pinenose (F)- black she-cat with blue eyes

Queens and Kits:

Kinkfur (F)-long-furred golden tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Ivytail (F)- long-furred white she-cat with orange, brown, and black along her back and tail and dark blue eyes 

Expecting Kits

Elders:

Cedarheart (M)- dark gray tom with brown eyes

Tallpoppy (F)- long-legged light brown she-cat with pale light green eyes

Snaketail (M)-dark brown tom with tabby tail and bright yellow eyes

Whitewater (F)-long-furred white she-cat with gray eyes, one blind eye

Windclan

Leader:  

Onestar (M) -light brown tabby tom with white chest and yellow eyes

Deputy:  

Ashfoot (F)-medium gray she-cat with blue eyes

Medicine Cats:

Kestrelflight (M)- mottled gray tom with white splotches and green eyes

Warriors:  

Crowfeather (M)-dark gray tom with blue eyes

Owlwhisker (M)-light-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Whitetail (F)-small white she-cat with green eyes

Gorsetail (F)- very pale gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Nightcloud (F)-black she-cat with amber eyes

Weaselfur (M)-lithe ginger tom with white paws and green eyes

Leaftail (M)-dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Dewspots (F)-spotted gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Willowclaw (F)-gray she-cat with green eyes

Emberfoot (M)-gray tom with two dark paws and blue eyes

Harespring (M)- brown and white tom with pale green eyes

Heathertail (F)- light brown tabby she-cat with purple eyes

Breezepelt (M)- lean black tom with yellow eyes 

Sunstrike (F)- mottled brown and black she-cat with one white spot on her forehead and golden eyes

Swallowtail (F)- dark gray she-cat with dull green eyes

Sedgewhisker (F)- light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Whiskernose (M)- light brown tom with golden eyes

Furzepelt (F)- gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Boulderfur (M)- large pale-gray tom with green eyes

Elders:

Webfoot (M)- wiry dark gray tabby tom with orange eyes

Tornear (M)-wiry gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Riverclan

Leader:  

Mistystar (F)-pale blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Deputy:  

Otterheart (F)-dark brown she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice: Beetlepaw

Medicine Cats:

Mothwing (F)-dappled golden she-cat with pale yellow eyes

Willowshine (F)-light gray tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

Warriors:  

Rippletail (M)-dark gray tabby tom with pale gray eyes

Graymist (F)-pale gray tabby she-cat with pale gray eyes

Mintfur (M)-light gray tabby tom with green eyes

Icewing (F)-snowy white she-cat with blue eyes

Minnowtail (F)-dappled dark gray and white she-cat with yellow eyes

Pebblefoot (M)-mottled gray tom with green eyes

Mallownose (M)-light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Robinwing (M)- pale-furred tortoiseshell and white tom with green-blue eyes

Apprentice: Petalpaw

Pinefur (F)-very short-haired tabby she-cat with dark green eyes

Rainstorm (M)-mottled gray-blue tom with blue eyes

Apprentice: Grasspaw

Dapplenose (F)-mottled gray she-cat with blue eyes

Pouncetail (F)-ginger and white tom with amber eyes

Sneezecloud (M)- gray and white tom with green eyes

Rushtail (M) - light brown tabby tom with red eyes

Hollowflight (F)- dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Troutstream (F) - pale gray tabby she-cat with purple eyes

Mossyfoot (F)- brown and white she-cat with green eyes

Apprentices:

Beetlepaw (M) (Mentor: Otterheart)- white and brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

Petalpaw (F) (Mentor: Robinwing)- gray and white she-cat with orange eyes

Grasspaw (M) (Mentor: Rainstorm)- light brown tom with blue eyes

Queens:

Mosspelt (F)-brown and black tortoiseshell she-cat with white chest and paws and blue eyes

Duskfur (F)-brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Expecting Kits

Elders:

Voletooth (M)-small brown tabby tom with orange eyes

Chapter Text

Dark Forest Allegiances

Leaders:  

Ebonystar (F) - tall, muscled she-cat with a sleek dark indigo pelt, a white patch over her left eye, and bright green eyes that stand out against her pelt

Apprentice: Otterheart

Tigerstar (M) - large and imposing dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes and long front claws

Apprentice: Tigerheart

Elites:  

Brokenstar (M) - flat-faced dark brown tabby tom with a bent tail and amber eyes

Apprentice: Breezepelt

Ripplestar (M) - black and orange tom with yellow eyes

Apprentice: Icewing

Shredtail (M) - ragged brown tabby tom with light aqua eyes and criss-cross scars covering his body

Apprentice: Harespring

Maggottail (M) - very thin light gray tabby tom with a darker tail and front paws and hazel eyes

Apprentice: Grasspaw

Silverhawk (M) - sleek silver tabby tom with a white chest, darker gray markings, and leaf-green eyes

Apprentice: Minnowtail

Mapleshade (F) - white and tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice: Blossomfall

Thistleclaw (M) - gray and white tabby tom with amber eyes

Apprentice: Redwillow

Featherstar (F) - pale gray she-cat with white markings and blue eyes

Apprentice: Ratscar

Trusted:  

Archfern (F) - compact, plump, spotted silver she-cat with a dark tail and dull blue-gray eyes, quite muscular considering her size and natural build

Apprentice: Rainstorm

Hawkfrost (M) - dull brown tabby tom with striking blue eyes

[ Former Apprentice: Ivypool]

Hailface (F) - gray point she-cat with a white face and light blue eyes

Apprentice: Boulderfur

Clawface (M) - sturdy brown tom with deep green eyes

Apprentice: Birchfall

Jaggedtooth (M) - very large ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Apprentice: Applefur

Darkstripe (M) - lean gray tabby tom with black stripes and bright yellow eyes

Apprentice: Foxleap

Hollowspirit (F) - white furred she-cat with very pale gray, almost white eyes

Apprentice: Sedgewhisker

Houndleap (M) - jet black tom with dark gray eyes

Apprentice: Swallowtail

Sparrowfeather (F) - mottled light brown tabby she-cat with striking yellow eyes

Apprentice: Oakfur

Mossfire (F) - dark tortoiseshell she-cat with an auburn back and tail and cream front paws and chest spot along with amber eyes

Apprentice: Rosepetal

Jumpfoot (M) - black tom with green eyes and white socks

Apprentice: Sunstrike

Raincloud (F) - dark blue-gray she-cat with darker and lighter patches along her back and face and deep, bright indigo eyes

Apprentice: Graymist

Frostfang (M) - cool white tom with a gray spot on his mouth, a black tail tip, and dull light blue eyes

Apprentice: Smokefoot

Cypressfire (F) - medium warm gray she-cat with darker paws and spots above her nose and bright orange eyes

Apprentice: Owlclaw

Rushtooth (M) - glossy-furred light brown tom with purple eyes and long teeth

Apprentice: Antpelt

Snowtuft (M) - white tom with teal eyes and a long scar going all the way down his face and stomach up to the base of his tail

Apprentice: Mousewhisker

Beetlescar (M) - scrawny black and white  tom with yellow-green eyes and a long scar running down his shoulder

Apprentice: Rushtail

Ivypool (F) - white she-cat with gray tabby patches and blue eyes

Larchflight (F) - pale brown she-cat with a darker stripe along her back and blue-green eyes

Wrenskip (N) - White cat with a gray tail and one gray ear along with brown eyes

Fawnstar (F) - long-furred tan and white she-cat with amber eyes

Bearstar (M) - ginger tabby tom with lighter, almost white ears and dark brown eyes

Thrushstar (F) - red-brown spotted she-cat with green eyes

Pricklestar (F) - calico she-cat with bright golden eyes

Graywing (F) - silver she-cat with curved tabby stripes and lime-green eyes

Beefur (F) - muted gold she-cat with a lighter underbelly and a dark stripe down her back, and dark gray eyes

Petalshade (F) - dark cream she-cat with purple eyes

Shiningdrop (F) - pale gray and white she-cat with light blue eyes

Nettletooth (F) - dark gray tabby she-cat with a white muzzle and a protruding, yellowed tooth

Driftmist (F) - cream and blue-gray patched she-cat with pale magenta eyes

Tornleaf (M) - white and black tom with dark green eyes

Heavymask (F) - black and ginger she-cat with a distinctive ginger mask over both of her amber eyes

Applesong (F) - dark ginger she-cat with red-amber eyes

Quailcall (M) - brown and cream tom with gray eyes

Slateclaw (F) - blue-gray she-cat with a single white paw and dull yellow eyes

Honeywhisker (M) - a stocky dark golden tom with a narrow face and orange eyes

Echowind (F) - a tall she-cat with pale ginger fur and hazel eyes

Speckledust (M) - a scrawny speckled black tom with deep blue eyes

Minktail (M) - warm gray tom with darker patches, brown eyes, and a long, sleek tail

Sootfang (F) - dark gray she-cat with dull purple eyes, black paws, and a lighter tail tip

Talonswipe (M) - dilute calico tom with long fur and claws and green eyes

Aspenleaf (N) - thick, golden-furred cat with a white paw, darker stripes across their back, and pale blue eyes

Perchstripe (M) - bright ginger tom with distinctive stripes across his back and hazel eyes

Fleetheart (F) - wiry rose-tinted she-cat with a cream underbelly and gray eyes

Apprentices:  

Oakfur (M) (ShC) (Mentor: Sparrowfeather) - light brown tom with dull green eyes

Graymist (F) (RC) (Mentor: Raincloud) - pale gray tabby she-cat with pale gray eyes

Smokefoot (M) (ShC) (Mentor: Frostfang) - long-legged black tom with dark green eyes

Icewing (F) (RC) (Mentor: Ripplestar) - snowy white she-cat with blue eyes

Ratscar (M) (ShC) (Mentor: Featherstar) - brown tom with long scar along back and dark green eyes

Birchfall (M) (TC) (Mentor: Clawface) - light brown tom with darker back and lighter chest and paws and amber eyes

Applefur (F) (ShC) (Mentor: Jaggedtooth) - mottled brown she-cat with orange eyes

Antpelt (M) (WC) (Mentor: Rushtooth) - brown tom with one black ear and yellow eyes

Harespring (M) (WC) (Mentor: Shredtail) - brown and white tom with pale green eyes

Otterheart (F) (RC) (Mentor: Ebonystar) - dark brown she-cat with amber eyes

Rainstorm (M) (RC) (Mentor: Archfern) - mottled gray-blue tom with blue eyes

Minnowtail (F) (RC) (Mentor: Silverhawk) - dappled dark gray and white she-cat with yellow eyes

Mousewhisker (M) (TC) (Mentor: Snowtuft) - gray tom with a white chest and face and blue-green eyes

Owlclaw (M) (ShC) (Mentor: Cypressfire) - light brown tabby tom with yellow-green eyes

Breezepelt (M) (WC) (Mentor: Brokenstar) - lean black tom with yellow eyes 

Foxleap (M) (TC) (Mentor: Darkstripe) - dark red tabby tom with lighter muzzle and paws and green eyes

Sunstrike (F) (WC) (Mentor: Jumpfoot) - mottled brown and black she-cat with one white spot on her forehead and green eyes

Redwillow (M) (ShC) (Mentor: Thistleclaw) - mottled brown and ginger tom with yellow eyes

Rosepetal (F) (TC) (Mentor: Mossfire) - lithe dark cream she-cat with amber eyes

Sedgewhisker (F) (WC) (Mentor: Hollowspirit) - light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Swallowtail (F) (WC) (Mentor: Houndleap) - dark gray she-cat with dull green eyes

Tigerheart (M) (ShC) (Mentor: Tigerstar) - dark brown tabby with amber eyes

Blossomfall (TC) (Mentor: Mapleshade) - white she-cat with black, auburn, and Brown splashes across her 

Rushtail (M) (RC) (Mentor: Beetlescar) - light brown tabby tom with red eyes

Boulderfur (M) (WC) (Mentor: Hailface) - large pale-gray tom with green eyes

Grasspaw (M) (RC) (Mentor: Maggottail) - light brown tom with blue eyes

No Hidden Appear To Remain

Training Groups:

Snowtuft & Silverhawk

Apprentices: Mousewhisker & Minnowtail

Ebonystar & Archfern

Apprentices: Otterheart & Rainstorm

Tigerstar, Darkstripe, & Ripplestar

Apprentices: Tigerheart, Foxleap, & Icewing

Thistleclaw, Maggottail, & Beetlescar

Apprentices: Redwillow, Grasspaw, & Rushtail

Brokenstar & Hailface

Apprentices: Breezepelt & Boulderpaw

Hawkfrost & Mapleshade

Apprentices: Ivypool (formerly) & Blossomfall

Sparrowfeather & Featherstar

Apprentices: Oakfur & Ratscar

Clawface & Jaggedtooth

Apprentices: Birchfall & Applefur

Rushtooth & Shredtail

Apprentices: Antpelt & Harespring

Mossfire & Jumpfoot

Apprentices: Rosepetal & Sunstrike

Raincloud, Frostfang, & Cypressfire

Apprentices: Graymist, Smokefoot, & Owlclaw

Hollowspirit & Houndleap

Apprentices: Sedgewhisker & Swallowtail

Chapter Text

The cats here padded on a bed of stars, with only a few snow-topped boulders breaking up the boundless sparkling blue landscape. Hawks and eagles soared above, an endless flood of prey to be hunted at any time, and never to hurt any of them again. Cave-guards, prey-hunters, and Stonetellers alike wandered here, every new arrival finally having the chance to meet with their lost family and friends, along with the ancestors that most of them had never met. Stoneteller herself, the first, that is, had lived there for a very long time. As the seasons upon seasons had gone by, she had seen their sky accumulate more and more cats, each with stories of the new worlds they were creating, and each with a greater distance from her and the cats of the lake that first made up their tribe.

One cat in particular, though, had been interesting to meet. This silver tabby she-cat did not come from the Tribe at all, but rather the group in the forest that Shaded Moss, Clear Sky, Turtle Tail, and the others had founded: the clans, as they were called now. She was born in and grew up in the Riverclan, meaning she was free to roam the skies with her own ancestors, but as the cat who saved the Tribe of Rushing Water from a menacing beast and whose brother was now a part of that tribe, she was welcome in Stoneteller’s skies as well. 

“Stoneteller,” the silver tabby breathed, bowing her head low in a sign of respect.

The white she-cat shook her head. “There’s no need for that, Feathertail” she assured the newcomer. “Did you want something?”

Feathertail dipped her head. “Do you remember when we first met?”

“Of course,” Stoneteller answered. “It was the day you died.”

“And the day that you made me a request,” Feathertail added. “To tell you when those kits were about to be born.”

The white she-cat quickly gasped. She hadn’t realized that the time would come so soon. Well, not soon, truly. It had been so many lifetimes since that tom told her of the three cats who were to be born with powerful abilities. But as the founder of the tribe, the cat who set the clans into motion, she was the most powerful ancestor in the skies; she might have been the only cat who could create the situation he spoke of. She had known she would have to prepare for it, but only a few moons had passed since she first found out how, when Feathertail came to join them. “Are you sure?”

Feathertail nodded. “The warning came straight from the clan founders: three cats, kin of an important leader’s kin, will be born. They will hold the power of the stars in their paws.”

Stoneteller bowed her own head, feeling her heart finally still as she closed her eyes. “But they won’t, without some cat’s help,” she breathed quietly. After a moment, she looked up once more, meeting Feathertail’s gaze evenly. “Lead on, then.”

The sky was bright and open, clear blue with sparse clouds dancing slowly across it. No stars ever dotted that sky, even if it darkened, for the stars were at their paws, on the trees, and in each breath of the air. The whole landscape was cast with a bright, golden light, and even some of the trees, bushes, and grasses were tinted more yellow than the equivalents would be in the living world. It was odd to see what had become of this ancestral territory in the hundreds of lifetimes  since the first cats had lived here. 

“Thank you for bringing me,” Stoneteller meowed as they stepped through. She could already feel the immense power of this place, far more wild and uncontained than the tribe home she was used to.

“It was no trouble,” Feathertail promised as she leaned down over a pool, not unlike the one in the Cave of Pointed Stones. Although, this one was surrounded by brush and a canopy of trees rather than cave walls. “Through there-” She pointed with her tail to the base of the water. “This she-cat will soon give the kits.”

Stoneteller leaned forward, spotting a brown tabby she-cat accompanied by a dark ginger she-cat. They didn’t appear to be in or anywhere near a den, instead scampering around an unfamiliar part of the forest. Perhaps the clans had taken over more of the territory than her old friends had used. 

The brown tabby dragged herself into a hollow tree and collapsed onto the leaf mulch with a groan. The dark ginger she-cat fluttered around her, frantically shoving more dried leaves beneath her and placing a bundle of dripping moss near her head. The brown tabby’s eyes scrunched up in a pain Stoneteller easily recognized from all the mothers she helped to give birth. Once, she thought it might be her pain as well, but as it turned out, Jay’s Wing wasn’t meant to accompany her long in life.

“Tell me what I should do!” the ginger she-cat hissed. “I can see a kit coming!” Did she not know? The clans had dedicated healers, to her knowledge, even if they didn’t command the authority that tribe healers did. 

The brown tabby gritted her teeth. “Wait until it is free, then nip open the sac around its body. Push it toward me so I can lick it.” She yelped at a wave of pain as the first kit, a little black one, was born. It could be Dovepaw. She would have to listen carefully.

Stoneteller realized where she recognized this she-cat’s description from. “Is that Leafpool?” 

In a heartbeat, Feathertail’s face had flushed. “I-uh, well yes. They are to be her kits.”

“And Crowfeather’s?” Stoneteller guessed. The silver tabby had already made her way over to the lake a few moons ago to ensure the couple could get together happily.

Feathertail nodded, her head seeming to drop into her shoulders.

“Then it could have been you who was their mother,” Stoneteller breathed. “I’m sorry, if this is too difficult for you.”

“No,” the she-cat’s blue eyes shut as she shook her head. “I found my own destiny. I may have loved Crowfeather once, but our lives weren’t meant to be intertwined for long.” 

Stoneteller dipped her head in understanding. She knew the pain of an early lost love, even though she may have seen it from the other side.

“But I do care for this family,” Feathertail continued, “and I will watch over them as long as I must.”

“You’re a loyal cat, Feathertail,” Stoneteller soothed. “A truly admirable trait. Just don’t let it lead you astray from the memories you could make here. It could be many more seasons before Crowfeather passes on, and even then, he may not choose you given how long it will have been, and how much else he will have loved.”

For a moment, Feathertail’s gaze sharpened, but it dulled quickly as she broke her gaze. “Can you know that for sure? After all, despite your countless seasons apart, you and Jay’s Wing are together now, as happily as if you’d spent your whole lives together.”

“But I didn’t always know he would be,” Stoneteller responded gently. “Once, I didn’t even know if I would be able to see any of my friends after death.” She shook her head. “That isn’t the point, in any case. My life isn’t identical to yours, and I don’t know what will happen when he dies. I would just…encourage that you find something to fulfill you outside of these kits.”

A quiet sigh escaped Feathertail’s mouth. “You’re right,” she murmured. “But right now, they are the most important things in the clans. They need to be looked after, and if I can do something, I will.”

The two she-cats turned back to the pool, spotting with shock the star-spangled pelt of an old, gray she-cat. “This is going to hurt,” she grunted, leaning down on Leafpool’s belly with a force that made her shriek in protest. “Have a little faith,” the cat hissed.

“Another of your healers?” Stoneteller guessed.

Feathertail nodded. “Yellowfang. She’s a Starclan cat like me.”

And yet she is handling this birth as easily as if she were alive. The wild magics of the clans’ ancestors would never cease to amaze her. The dead being able to step directly into the living world seemed like it could cause more problems than it would solve.

With a wrench, the second kit was born, a huge golden tabby tom with broad shoulders and a deafening yowl. The ginger she-cat dragged him beside the black she-kit and began to lick them both. Stoneteller examined each of them carefully, trying to pick out the features that might define either of them as the kits she was to give power to. Perhaps that golden tom was to be Lionblaze; his physique did remind her of her old friend Lion’s Roar when he was a kit.

It was the third kit, though, that sealed her certainty. He was a pale gray tabby even smaller than its littermates. This has to be Jayfeather. She knew it without a second thought. She had never seen the sharp-tongued tom herself as he had always hidden behind the appearance of Jay’s Wing, but with those tall ears and the ripples in his tabby fur, something in her was certain she had found the right cat. She could see his future stretching out before him, leading and learning of the clans through his will and abilities. 

It was an odd occurrence, really. When they had first met, Stoneteller had been the naive one, unsure of his identity or the legends he spoke of for her future and the ancestors above them. Now it was she who knew, not just of his future, but the stories of the clans and tribe, and the starry skies that still connected them, while Jayfeather was an unnamed, barely mewing kit.

“It’s done,” Feathertail breathed.

“Not quite.” Stoneteller held up her tail. “They must be named before I can be sure I’m giving power to the right cats; I’ve had close calls with other births before.”

“Very well,” Feathertail agreed. “But I am certain these kits are the right ones.”

It took until sundown before Stoneteller finally got her answer. Feathertail herself had stepped into the living world to speak with the she-cats, the sisters, as Stoneteller had come to learn, and convince them to go back to the clans. Whatever their paths turned out to be, Stoneteller knew for certain that they were clan cats.

“Feathertail!” Squirrelflight gasped as the silver tabby appeared. She scrambled to her paws and tried to press herself against the starlit shape, her tail curled over her back in delight. “I never thought I’d see you here! Have you come to see Leafpool’s kits? Aren’t they amazing?” She broke away, leaning over Leafpool to move each kit into view. “A black she-cat and two toms, this golden tabby and this gray. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.” Her voice cracked.

Feathertail’s blue eyes brimmed with love. “They are perfect. Crowfeather would be so proud.” 

Stoneteller’s chest stiffened as she mentioned her old love’s name once more, but thankfully she moved on quickly.

“Have you thought of who will raise them?” Feathertail probed gently.

Squirrelflight stared at the starlit she-cat. “W-we hadn’t made any definitive choices yet.”

Leafpool shook her head. “It came on so suddenly. I haven’t had time to think. Maybe…maybe it would be better if we didn’t go back.”

“I understand,” Feathertail mewed softly. “But a choice must be made. These kits are more precious than you could possibly know. They could affect the very future of the clans. They must stay in Thunderclan, for all the clans’ sakes, and cats must be able to trust them.” 

“Are you asking us to lie?” Squirrelflight whispered. “Bring these kits back into a world that wouldn’t accept them as they are and lie to give them a better life?”

Feathertail ran her paw very lightly over the backs of the sleeping kits. “I am truly sorry. I know if it were me I’d have loved to run away and give my family all my time and loyalty, but sometimes clan cats must make choices to protect those outside themselves.

“I’m sorry,” Leafpool breathed. “Feathertail, I wish you hadn’t had to sacrifice as much as you did.”

“It was my choice to make,” Feathertail promised without hesitation. “And I would make the same choice a thousand times over if I had to.”

Before Stoneteller’s eyes, Squirrelflight bowed her head, her brow furrowing in worry. “And it’s time for my choice, now,” she declared. “I don’t want to abandon them, the clans or these kits. My parents are there, and my mate and friends. But I know that the clans don’t take kindly to kits born with blood like theirs.”

“I will watch over you, still,” Feathertail offered, reaching out her paw to the ginger she-cat. “I don’t know how much help one ancestor could be, but I will stand by whatever choice you make.” She began to fade until the bark of the hollow tree could be seen behind her, and Stoneteller saw her form appearing likewise at her side.

Squirrelflight gazed at Leafpool, and the medicine cat saw water glistening in her sister’s eyes. “I know Feathertail was right,” she meowed, her voice cracking. “And I cannot raise them if they are to be respected.”

“But I can,” Squirrelflight whispered. “I do love these kits, and I want them to have the best life they can—whatever lies ahead for them.” She took a deep breath. “I will raise them as mine and Brambleclaw’s, as true cats of Thunderclan.”

Leafpool closed her eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured.

All this trouble just to keep the kits safe. In the tribe, healers having families was discouraged because of their constant responsibility, but the clans had leaders and deputies to take on that role, not to mention multiple healers at once. Why then was it still so frowned upon as to tarnish the kits’ reputations? Perhaps it passed on from the time when they were us.  

Stoneteller’s focus was brought back to the pool as Leafpool finally spoke again. “I need to give them names,” she purred, seeming to focus on the golden tom first. “He looks like a lion!” she commented. “I think I’ll call him Lionkit.”

Lionkit. So they had been right. Closing her eyes, she focused on the power of this place, the same power that had let Feathertail and Yellowfang visit the living to begin with. Lionkit, Jaykit, and Dovekit. You will do great things with this power.  

But Squirrelflight’s voice cut off her thoughts. “The she-cat is as dark as holly bark. Maybe Hollykit for her?”

Although Leafpool hesitated, it wasn’t long before she confirmed. “Hollykit is a good name,” she mewed quietly.

Not this one, then. She supposed it made sense, why Dovepaw still held the name the clans gave to a to-be while Lionblaze and Jayfeather had their full names. But she had to be correct about the third. This was Jayfeather, without a doubt.

“His markings look like those of a jay’s wing,” Leafpool breathed. 

Yes. Stoneteller agreed silently. But that will never be his name.  

Squirrelflight dipped her head to look down at the tom. “Then we should call him Jaykit, don’t you think?”

It was all the confirmation she needed. The energy had built up in her, ready to be directed. But they weren’t just receiving this energy. It came in the form of specific abilities. 

For Jayfeather… This kit can hear the thoughts of those around him, and see into their minds. If they are thinking, dreaming, or even reminiscing on their pasts, he can connect to those thoughts.  

And Lionblaze- Jayfeather’s own words rung again in her mind, repeated over the many lifetimes to be sure she never forgot. Lionblaze can’t be hurt. She thought, as confidently as when he had told her. No claw, thorn, or structure can scratch him. He will never be injured.  

With those thoughts declared, and Starclan’s energy channeled, she funneled it directly to each of the kits, and felt the energy itself leaving Starclan’s land. It sent a wave of dizziness through her head, but she managed to stay upright. Looking down into the pool, she could still see the three kits nestled by their caretakers, but nothing appeared to be any different. They looked exactly as they had before. Still, she was certain it had worked; something had to have worked, or Jayfeather wouldn’t become the powerful cat he had always been. “Two down,” she breathed.

“Only two?” Feathertail asked.

Stoneteller nodded. “The third will be a she-cat called Dovepaw, probably a gray she-cat of some sort.” It was a guess, but given how Jayfeather had equated them to Jay’s Wing, Dove’s Feather, and Lion’s Roar, she had to assume there would be some similarities, as there were in these two kits. “I suppose I must ask for your continued help,” she meowed carefully. “Would you keep watch for the third?”

Feathertail dipped her head. “Of course, no matter how long it takes.”

Dovepaw would be the cat to hear and scent things from farther away than any normal cat, the third to complete the trio of cats using their ancestor’s wild magic for some noble purpose. Stoneteller could only hope she had played her part correctly. “Well then, I should be getting home,” she murmured.

“I’ll walk back with you,” Feathertail offered.

The two she-cats wandered back through the skies, not stopping until they had reached the vast starry landscape she called home. Her duty to that old tom, or young tom as the case seemed to be, was almost done. But she would likely always keep an eye on him, to see where that fantastical life of his went. Live well, Jayfeather, she wished silently. And use your power wisely.

Chapter Text

Ivypool let out a breath. The training session was proceeding well, all things considered. The cats chosen to split off to the other clans had each met up with the leader and a strong warrior from the clan they would be assisting. Hollyleaf was off practicing with Toadfoot of Shadowclan and Dapplenose of Riverclan, each of them training under Onestar and Gorsetail. Bumblestripe, Leaftail, and Pouncetail were bound for Shadowclan and worked now with Blackstar and Olivenose while Mistystar and Pebblefoot worked with Spiderleg, Ferretclaw, and Weaselfur. Firestar and Sandstorm had taken a group of their own: Tawnypelt from Shadowclan, Heathertail from Windclan, and Mallownose from Riverclan, the three cats who would soon be fighting at Thunderclan’s side.

I don’t even know where I’ll be, Ivypool realized. Given the Dark Forest’s experiments with herself, Breezepelt, and Redwillow, she anticipated the trainees being sent into camps with the residents, which would allow them to choose for each cat to go to any clan the leaders wanted them to. There weren't any trainees at the gathering aside from her, regardless, and Ivypool realized with a bit of heaviness that she barely knew any cats who weren’t her clanmates in Thunderclan or the Dark Forest. 

At least she wasn’t alone in that regard and had found herself a group with Dawnpelt, apprehensively, along with Hollowflight and Sneezecloud of Riverclan.

“I don’t know how they expect us to share techniques here,” Dawnpelt huffed. “It’s not even dark out. Most of Shadowclan’s unique battle strategy revolves around moving and attacking in the shadows.”

“You could tell us, at least,” Hollowflight suggested. “Then Sneezecloud and I could take you down by the water and-”

“No thank you,” Ivypool cut the tom off quickly. “I’m perfectly fine staying dry.”

“But what if Riverclan needs help during the battle?” Sneezecloud meowed softly. “I don’t mean it’s a guarantee but we don’t know which of our camps could be overrun. We could be sent anywhere at any time if the other clans need backup.”

“That’s true,” Dawnpelt conceded. “And Blackstar does want us to trade skills as much as possible, but I don’t see how any of us could get used to fighting in totally different environments in a single day.”

“We can’t,” Hollowflight agreed. “But if we can at least get some basic tips, it might be enough. Then the warriors actually from a clan’s territory can do most of the specialized fighting.”

“Don’t forget we won’t be the only cats with this knowledge,” Ivypool pressed. “We’re not fighting a fox or group of rogues. These cats once lived in the same clans we do, and received the same training. The only difference will likely be in their willingness to take it to lethal ends.”

Sneezecloud dipped his head, though his whiskers quivered as he spoke. “We’d better make the most of this time then. We’ll share what we can and take this back to the cats who couldn’t be here.”

“Sure,” Hollowflight agreed. “Why don’t we go first then?”

Ivypool was fairly sure that Hawkfrost had taught her all the Riverclan techniques she would ever know, but she wasn’t about to stop Hollowflight from sharing if he wanted to.

“We don’t need to go to the lake, right?” Dawnpelt mewed hesitantly.

Thankfully, though, Hollowflight shook his head. “Riverclan has more skills than swimming, you know. We use our strength and reflexes to close in on opponents and make attacks too quick and powerful to fend off. Sometimes we even bush up our thick pelts to intimidate the enemies before we’ve landed a single blow.”

I doubt the Dark Forest cats would be intimidated by puffed fur. But pointing that out wouldn’t help anything. Every cat knew, to some extent, what danger awaited them. If Riverclan’s technique worked at all when they were fighting other clan cats, maybe it would have some small effect on at least a few of their opponents in this battle.

“And what about Thunderclan?” Sneezecloud prompted after a few heartbeats.

“Well-” How could she describe Thunderclan’s battle tactics? To her they just felt like how all fighting worked. Although if they were going by the differences in their territories, maybe there were a few things she could say. “We do fight head-on a lot in actual battles, but we’re trained to use the brush and foliage as a cover for stealth and to keep our movements sharp and contained, putting as much force as possible in as small a blow as possible so we can fight in enclosed spaces.”

“That’s admittedly closer to Shadowclan’s style of fighting,” Dawnpelt cut in. “We often find places to ambush from that will give us height and momentum advantages and, during battles, attempt to move into the dense woods with deeper shadows, where we assume our enemies will be less adept at fighting.”

“You’re used to thicker canopies where we’re used to thicker undergrowth,” Ivypool concluded.

Dawnpelt nodded stiffly. “Although we of course also have the advantage of the shadows. It’s not as if the majority of our skirmishes can take place at night, but Shadowclan apprentices spend extra time learning to move fluidly about in the dark, paying special attention to the sounds and smells around us while we wait for our eyes to adjust.”

“That could be useful, if they do attack at night,” Hollowflight commented.

“Or if the battle lasts long enough,” Dawnpelt added darkly.

“We’ll have a better chance if it doesn’t,” Ivypool pointed out. “But with the living and dead warriors on their side-”

“Yeah,” Hollowflight breathed. “I don’t like the thought of hurting Rushtail, or any of our clanmates.”

Sneezecloud nodded his agreement, his purple eyes darkening as his gaze dropped. “I still don’t really understand why they would choose to hurt us. They didn’t lie about loving us, but I don’t think they’re lying about liking the Dark Forest either.”

Dawnpelt seemed to bite her tongue. “Multiple priorities,” she meowed simply. “Ones I sorted out long ago. Some cats never had the heart to choose between any of their desires.”

“They don’t have much of a choice now.” Ivypool’s head dropped. “But maybe that means we have the chance to convince them to stand with us, seeing as the alternative is hurting us.”

“It’s worth a try, at least.” Hollowflight’s eyes sparked with hope.

“But there’ll still be a battle to fight, even in the best case,” Dawnpelt grunted. “Perhaps we should see if there’s a Windclan cat available, to round out our perspectives.”

The group quickly consented, moving to find one of the other broken groups around the clearing, but Ivypool couldn’t help a thought now pricking at her mind. They didn’t have a chance to stop their clanmates until the battle started, but she still might at least be able to make that task easier. The Dark Forest could be watching her whenever she was awake, but tonight, she would find her friend alone and, whatever it took, she was going to help Blossomfall. It could well be her last chance.

Ivypool lunged forward, sleeking her fur back in the last moment to dive smoothly under Blossomfall’s belly. Using her momentum, she dug the claws of one paw into the earth beneath her and extended her legs as she twisted to the right, knocking her friend’s front paw out of place. With the tortoiseshell off-balance, she dove upwards, out of the way of Blossomfall’s thrashing paw, and sent the she-cat flying a tail-length away. Blossomfall almost crashed onto her side, but managed to twist herself in the air to land on her feet.

“Well done Ivypool,” Hawkfrost purred. “It’s great to have you back.” 

“Yeah!” Blossomfall agreed, heaving. “I didn’t mind tagging along with Rosepetal and Sunstrike but it’s nice to actually see you here again. Did the other elites not need you for anything tonight?”

Ivypool shook her head. “They’ve got things all settled.” More than I’d like. She wasn’t sure if Ebonystar even wanted Ivypool to help anymore, or just how much she knew. But it wasn’t her priority tonight. “And I really wanted to see you again, and spend some time with you.”

“With all of us, I assume,” Mapleshade cut in. “Just because you’ve graduated doesn’t mean there’s nothing left for you to learn here.”

“Of course not,” Ivypool agreed immediately. “But we’re so close to the-oh-” She forcibly drew back, conjuring an expression of moderate concern on her face. “Apologies, do the other trainees know yet?”

Blossomfall tilted her head. “Know about what?”

“They haven’t been told everything,” Mapleshade answered. “But as we will be setting out tomorrow night, the elites have agreed to share that information tonight.”

Hawkfrost dipped his head. “Tomorrow night, once every cat arrives, we-” He swept his tail between himself and Mapleshade. “We will all be coming down with you, straight to each clan’s leader to finally make our case and get us all the world we deserve.”

“Really?” Blossomfall breathed. Ivypool watched her closely, seeing a small fluctuation between hope and worry. “Um, how would we do that?”

“We’ll ask, of course,” Mapleshade purred. “What else? We have leaders here who truly understand the cats we’re serving and what it will take to change the clans for the better. We’ll tell them to step down, and then we can take over to change the code and finally make the clans into the world we’ve all dreamed of.”

“It…it sounds wonderful,” Blossomfall admitted. “But I don’t know if the leaders would agree to that, especially given your reputation. It sounds like they’re preparing for a war.”

“Well-” Hawkfrost took in a deep breath, letting his claws briefly sink into the earth beneath his paws. “If they want a war, we’ll give it to them. The clans will have a chance to back down peacefully, but if they’re so determined to see us as enemies, we will fight for what we believe. We have more fighters, more training, and more resolve in our cause. If the clans choose to fight, they will only be hurting themselves.”

Ivypool was relieved when their lecture finally ended. Hawkfrost and Mapleshade were already warping the clans’ choices to sound as if they were the instigators. But was there any chance the clans would change without a fight? If the Dark Forest cats weren’t leading the charge, they wouldn’t have to go to war, but they probably wouldn’t have resumed their truce in the first place. Was there any way out of this where the trainees could really be happy? After the battle, she promised. It was something she could offer, that the clans could offer, if they could figure out how to listen for once. And it might well be the only way that the battle could really end.

“You already knew?” Blossomfall asked after they had padded away. “Is that why you didn’t speak up at Firestar’s meeting?”

Ivypool dipped her head shakily. “It wasn’t a surprise. The elites have been planning some things for a while. They even tested sending cats down into the living world with Breezepelt, Redwillow, and I.”

Blossomfall turned away slowly, shaking her head slowly in disbelief. “Rosepetal was right,” she finally meowed. “This is what we’ve been training for. But-” She shut her eyes tightly. “Never mind. It shouldn’t matter.”

Ivypool leaned forward. “What is it?”

The she-cat’s yellow-green eyes finally met her’s again, though her head still hung low. “I know I haven’t gotten along with-well, most of my family for a while. But since we’re going to change the clans, and anyone who doesn’t change will have to fight until they do…” A long sigh escaped her. “I don’t want Bumblestripe or Briarlight, Graystripe, or even Millie to get hurt because of all this.”

“And you’re worried they would be,” Ivypool finished. “When the battle begins.”

“I’m sure that no cat here would want to hurt them,” Blossomfall insisted. “But the clans aren’t exactly receptive to change, and I don’t think I could stop them from fighting unless I talk to them first.”

Ivypool tilted her head. “Didn’t Bumblestripe come talk to you?”

“He did,” Blossomfall confirmed. “But I couldn’t be totally honest with him; I didn’t even know exactly what the elites were planning yet. Also…I think I need to talk to Briarlight and Millie.”

“Didn’t you speak with Briarlight already, after she and Toadstep became mates?”

“Sort of.” Blossomfall shrugged, her gaze darting away. “I apologized, but it didn’t exactly- Well I mostly just congratulated her. But if the battle is actually coming they deserve the truth.”

Ivypool’s heart fluttered with hope. “I can be there, if you need,” she offered.

The tortoishell’s face finally cracked into a small smile, her shoulders notably loosening in relief. “Thank you, Ivypool.”

“First thing in the morning, then?” Ivypool asked, looking down to see her paws already fading away as she prepared to wake. “I imagine we’ll want to be prepared by sundown.”

“Of course,” Blossomfall agreed. “I can fetch my littermates. Would you mind-”

“I’ll find Graystripe and Millie,” Ivypool answered immediately. “Don’t worry about it.” No matter what, she was going to make this conversation run smoothly. If this family could find a way to heal, there would finally be some hope for every cat.

The dawn patrols had already gone out when the two of them awoke, but thankfully it didn’t seem as though any of Blossomfall’s family had been sent on them. Although Ivypool hadn’t spotted Dovewing anywhere. Maybe she was out at one of the borders. In any case, she was able to smoothly fetch the cats she needed to and, save for an exorbitant amount of time spent trying to wake Graystripe up, was able to easily join Blossomfall out by the halfrock. By the time she had finished though, her friend was already there with both of her littermates.

“Good morning,” she greeted politely, almost stiffly.

“Good morning,” Millie responded. “Now, Ivypool told us there was something you wanted to talk about, Blossomfall. What is it?”

Bumblestripe ducked his head sheepishly. “Does it have to do with that stuff you were talking about yesterday?”

Blossomfall dipped her head. “Well, sort of. I guess I have some things to get off my chest.” The tortoiseshell met Ivypool’s gaze and she dipped her head encouragingly. “Ever since the tree fell, I’ve felt…there’s no way to say it other than ‘jealous.’”

Briarlight’s eyes lit up with recognition. “Is that what you were trying to apologize for on the day Toadstep and I became mates?”

Blossomfall nodded. “Because it’s not fair, and it was never about you,” she insisted. “Millie only paid attention to you anymore, even after she learned not to coddle you.” 

Finally, Millie began to catch on, taking a pawstep forward as she fiercely shook her head. “I still love you Blossomfall; I always have.”

“Not enough to come to our warrior ceremony,” Blossomfall responded. Ivypool could almost feel her effort to not let too much emotion enter her voice. “Not enough to even pay attention when I could have been sick. Not enough to even see when I led my first patrol.”

Millie’s blue eyes darkened with sorrow. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t even realize how much I was missing. It’s just-” Her eyes shut tight as she dropped her head. “Nothing like this ever happened when I was a kittypet. There was never any danger that our h-that twolegs couldn’t save us from. Seeing Briarlight as hurt as she was, never even knowing if she was going to make it-”

“I know,” Graystripe soothed, brushing his tail along her back. “You were worried.”

“And I know too,” Blossomfall cut in. “I-I understand, logically. I know what your life was like and I know how scary it was. And it was scary for me too!” she added quickly. “I didn’t want to lose my sister. I just didn’t want to lose my mom either.”

“It’s not like you just had Millie though,” Bumblestripe cut in. “Graystripe and I were always here for you, weren’t we?”

Blossomfall dipped her head. “That’s why I say I’m selfish. I just didn’t want to lose what I had. There was no one else who treated me like Millie did when we were apprentices, or how she still treated Briarlight.”

“I didn’t want to be treated like that though,” Briarlight meowed carefully.

“I know you didn’t,” Blossomfall agreed immediately. “But I still got jealous of you, and I shouldn’t have been. I know you never wanted any of this, but it still always ended up feeling like you were better than me. You were special, somehow getting a good relationship with the grumpiest medicine cat in the clans and a great mate who loves you a lot.”

“I’m not special for being injured,” Briarlight pointed out gently.

“No but you were only injured because you instinctually ran in after Longtail to save him and Mousefur, even knowing the danger.”

Ivypool’s eyes widened slightly as she took in Blossomfall’s words. In all the time they had been friends, she had never heard Blossomfall bring up this point. Has she been hiding it, or did she not even know herself?  

“You’re a really good cat, Briarlight,” Blossomfall continued, a small crack entering her voice. “I was there too, but I never thought to go in and save anyone. I was too selfish to think of anything but my own safety. But I could have been you; I could have had your life and you wouldn’t have to be injured anymore”

“Blossomfall,” Bumblestripe cut her off. “I’m sorry but you’re being mouse-brained. Do you think it would be any better if you were hurt instead of Briarlight? I’d still have to be scared for a sister.”

“It wouldn’t be any easier for me to nearly lose you instead of Briarlight,” Millie added, staring, almost glaring, intently at her daughter.

Blossomfall’s gaze dropped away. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know what you meant,” Ivypool meowed. “But it isn’t a crime to not put yourself in danger. You were absolutely right to stay safe.”

“The clans might put a little too much emphasis on what you give the cats around you,” Graystripe murmured. “But not having sacrificed for Thunderclan doesn’t make you less valued. No one could actually ask you to do that.”

“I chose to go back in there,” Briarlight whispered. “And it didn’t even help in the end. No good came of it. Longtail still died, and I was left like this. I wouldn’t ever want a cat, especially a sister I love, to do what I did, let alone ask them to do it.”

Blossomfall was still for a long time. Her eyes had closed. Her brow had furrowed in some combination of pain and contemplation. Her head had dipped low. Ivypool dug her claws into the earth as she waited for any sign of a response. Bumblestripe had moved to law a paw over Blossomfall’s, and Briarlight scooched over to lean against her shoulder. Graystripe and Millie each padded forward, perfectly positioned to lay their heads on hers as she sat silently. Ivypool herself took a couple pawsteps forward, ready to intervene if necessary, but she heard only a faint whimper emerging from the center of the pile.

“They cared about me,” Blossomfall managed to get out. “The Dark Forest cats, they cared about me no matter who I was or what I felt or what I had done. That’s why I joined them.”

Graystripe pulled back, just enough to stare her right in the face. Ivypool didn’t detect a single hint of disappointment on his face. “Maybe,” he finally meowed. “I don’t know what it’s actually like there for you, so maybe you do have cats who care about you no matter what. But you have cats like that here too.”

Bumblestripe nodded fiercely. “Always. And if you need help with anything, we’re here.”

“No…no wait.” Blossomfall shook her head. “I-it’s not me who needs help. They’ll be coming, tonight. And I promise you, they-we, we really are trying to change the clans for the better. There’s so many cats who would have better, happier lives if it works, but they are going to fight if the clans don’t accept them and…I think we’ll win.”

“Are you asking us not to fight?” Briarlight whispered. “I don’t think that’s a-”

“We’ll do what we can,” Bumblestripe promised.

“At the very least,” Millie breathed. “We can do our best to not get hurt. Then you won’t have to worry about it.”

“Actually I vote that none of us get hurt ever again!” Graystripe added. A quiet chuckle swept through the familial pile as they leaned in to embrace. A part of Ivypool still didn’t believe that the clans could avoid a fight, but at that moment, it didn’t seem to matter. They finally had some small bit of hope, and, if only in this family, both sides were willing to compromise.

Chapter Text

It was pointless for them to truly have dawn patrols that morning; they weren’t blocking the other clans out anymore, and the Dark Forest would ignore their borders entirely. But of course, this wasn’t going to be a regular patrol.

“I know the Shadowclan border already,” Cherrypaw assured her mentor.

“But do you know what’s beyond it?” Brightheart prodded gently. “You’ll need to cross over all of the territories, especially to each of the camps.”

The apprentice’s amber eyes shot wide open. “Are you saying-”

Brightheart nodded. “We’ll be visiting Shadowclan’s camp. Rosepetal is taking Molepaw to Windclan with Cloudtail and Brambleclaw, since they’ve visited the camp before, and we’ll both meet up in Riverclan before we go home.” Hopefully Cloudtail, being Poppyfrost’s mentor, would put her more at ease with her kit being in the middle of unfamiliar territory without her.

“Don’t tread too far,” Poppyfrost warned Cherrypaw. Dovewing was glad Brightheart had allowed the she-cat to come along with at least one of her kits as they explored the other territories. “You’ll only need to cover half of the territory during the battle, so I don’t want to hear you’ve been caught up in Windclan’s affairs.”

“I won’t,” Cherrypaw promised. “This is much better, having Shadowclan’s whole territory to myself!”

“And remember to take breaks where it’s safe,” Poppyfrost added. “We don’t know how long the fight will go on, but you can’t run forever.”

“Mom, I promise.” Cherrypaw stared straight at her mother, willing her to accept her sincerity. “I’ll stay safe, as long as you do too.”

“Dovewing,” Brightheart murmured, falling back a few paces to speak with the gray she-cat. “Would you take the lead from this point? Even with Shadowclan allowing us here, I’d rather not spend much time traipsing about their territory.”

Dovewing nodded quickly. “Of course.” Ultimately, she knew she was only here because her ability would allow them to easily find the Shadowclan camp, but it didn’t stop her heart from swelling with relief that she might have a chance to see Tigerheart once more before the battle began and this time, they wouldn’t have to meet in secret.

Not all of the Shadowclan warriors were in their camp; some appeared to be off training or exploring the other territories as they were, but Blackstar and Tawnypelt were waiting near the entrance, and she spotted Shrewfoot speaking with Tigerheart only a few fox-lengths away from them. She pulled back at that point, not wanting to intrude on their conversation.

Given how close they were to camp already, it looked like Riverclan’s patrol would arrive first: Rippletail and Mintfur. Which of them is going to be Riverclan’s messenger to Shadowclan?  

Blackstar and Tawnypelt soon greeted them at the entrance, leaving the center of camp vacant as they padded off to speak at the side of the camp. There wouldn’t be anyone to greet them immediately as they arrived, but now they would be able to learn together.

“Are we getting close?” Poppyfrost asked, leaning in towards her.

Dovewing nodded. “It shouldn’t be much longer.” The camp was just over the next crest now, barely out of sight. Shadowclan’s forest was denser in its canopy than Thunderclan’s, but there wasn’t nearly as much underbrush, except around the camp. In addition to the rises of the hollow that surrounded the camp, Shadowclan had a thick wall of brambles and low-hanging branches that kept the area out of sight.

As they slipped through the thorn tunnel–just like the Thunderclan one except for its lack of incline–Dovewing’s gaze quickly caught the rippling tabby fur of the tom she had been looking for.

Tigerheart turned and met her, his brow momentarily rising in surprise before his face softened into a smile. Dovewing could still hear as Molepaw approached the Windclan camp, Firestar greeted Furzepelt in Thunderclan, and discussions continued between Mistystar and Mothwing about how serious their battle was to be. But somehow, in that moment, all of the noise seemed to fade away into a dull, indiscernible murmur.

“Blackstar!” Shrewfoot called. “Thunderclan arrived.” Her eyebrow rose as she looked over their patrol. “And they seem to have brought an apprentice.”

“Hey!” Cherrypaw bristled. “I’m going to be a messenger!”

Brightheart dipped her head. “I assure you she is capable.”

“And this will be the safest place,” Poppyfrost added quietly, stepping a few pawsteps closer to Shrewfoot in hopes that her daughter wouldn’t overhear. “She hasn’t had much time for battle training yet.”

The gray Shadowclan she-cat paused for a moment, but eventually dipped her head. “I suppose I wouldn’t want young apprentices in this fight either.”

Poppyfrost shot Shrewfoot a grateful look, dipping her head.

“You’re right on time,” Tawnypelt purred as she approached. “The Riverclan messenger just arrived as well. Come with me.”

As Shadowclan’s deputy gestured with her tail, Cherrypaw marched ahead to walk right behind her, but Brightheart and Poppyfrost weren’t far behind. Shrewfoot followed as well, standing a few pawsteps away from the group as they gathered around Blackstar and the Riverclan toms. She kept her eyes trained on them as if she were stalking prey.

Now she and Tigerheart were left alone. “Hi,” the brown tabby finally whispered. “I didn’t realize you would be here.”

“I didn’t expect to be,” Dovewing responded. “Brightheart asked me to come so I could lead everyone to the camp.”

“Right, because of your-”

“I could smell it from Thunderclan,” Dovewing finished quickly. It wasn’t a secret anymore, at least, but- “Tigerheart?”

“Yes? Oh wait no let’s uh-” Tigerheart’s eyes shifted around. “Maybe we should at least move out of the middle of camp if we’re going to talk.”

“Right,” Dovewing nodded quickly, following him as he led her to a shaded patch of earth underneath a tight canopy of ferns. It was a small space, definitely not a den, with barely enough earth for each of them to sit on. “Is this okay?” she asked hesitantly.

“I wasn’t sure where else to go,” Tigerheart meowed. “It would probably be more awkward to go to one of the actual hiding places while everyone is looking and-”

Dovewing shook her head. “No I mean, is it okay that I have this power?”

Tigerheart’s head tilted. “I don’t know why it would be. How long have you had it?”

“Since I was born,” Dovewing mewed sheepishly, feeling her neck retreat into her shoulders.

“Well then of course it’s okay,” Tigerheart exclaimed. “How could I take issue with something that’s just a part of who you are? I might not have known about it but it was always there and it was always a part of the cat I-” He cut himself off, glancing towards one of his clanmates as they chatted over what looked like a frog. “It was always a part of you, I mean,” he clarified. “And I’ve always liked who you are.”

The tension in Dovewing’s chest loosened as he spoke, and by the end she was able to meet his gaze again. Just like Ivypool, she realized. Her sister had told her something similar the night Dovewing told her about her power, even though it made her jealous. Now Tigerheart was assuring her in the same way, maybe even knowing that it put them on opposite sides of the upcoming conflict. 

Despite everything between them, despite everything he could do that night or that she might have to do against him, his amber eyes glittered with nothing but sincerity. “Good luck,” she found herself meowing. “Whatever happens, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I could say the same for you,” Tigerheart pressed. “It…sounds like it will be tonight.”

Dovewing nodded. “I heard.”

“From Ivypool,” Tigerheart guessed. “I don’t think it’s much of a secret anymore, even if the cats up there may want it to be.” 

Dovewing spotted his tail twitching irritably behind him. “Is something wrong?”

Tigerheart shrugged. “Oh, just everything.” He seemed to bite his tongue. “I didn’t think creating a world where clan cats can just get along would end up needing this much bloodshed.”

“It still might not,” Dovewing offered. “We probably can’t avoid a battle, but maybe we can avoid too many cats dying.”

“I hope so…” Tigerheart breathed. He closed his eyes for a few moments before he spoke again, lowering his voice. “Tawnypelt volunteered to go to Thunderclan for the fight,” he whispered. “It makes sense; she has more connections to you than anyone else here, but I thought she would at least have her clanmates to look after her.”

“Do you think-” Dovewing shook her head. “You wouldn’t be asked to fight her, right?”

Tigerheart shook his head. “They wouldn’t expect me to do that. I just-Dovewing, could you keep her safe?”

“Of course.” She didn’t know how much she could do, but at least she knew she would be in Thunderclan for the battle, and it would reassure Tigerheart to know someone was able to look out for his mom. “And, for what it’s worth, my clanmate Bumblestripe will be coming to Shadowclan.” 

“The tom with the black stripes?” Tigerheart clarified. “I think I saw you together after one of the gatherings.”

Dovewing nodded. “That would be him. If you end up here for any of the battle, maybe keep an eye out, make sure he's safe.” He was never the most skilled or agile of toms, she added silently. Though outside of hunting, neither was I.

“I’ll do my best,” Tigerheart promised, but it did look as though there was a glimmer of hesitation in his eye. “Is he-” He shook his head, as if unsure how to word his thoughts. “Is there something between you?”

“Oh, no.” Dovewing shook her head quickly. “We just grew up together.” Although, it wasn’t entirely true, was it? There wasn’t anything between them anymore, but Bumblestripe had made his affection for Dovewing known for a long time. “He liked me,” she meowed carefully, “but I never felt the same way about him, and he knows it now so there isn’t anything to worry about.”

“Oh!” Tigerheart nodded, ducking his head down to rapidly lick his chest fur. “Right, of course. That makes sense.”

“I just don’t want him to get hurt,” Dovewing clarified. “He’s not a bad cat honestly, and I know he has a lot of friends and family who would miss him if he-if the battle doesn’t go well. I think he may finally be getting a chance to turn things around and find his own life.”

“And you don’t want to ruin that,” Tigerheart finished. “I get it, Dovewing. You don’t have to love someone to care about them.” He chuckled softly. “It really shouldn’t surprise me that you have a bit of a soft heart. When we first met you even seemed eager to spend time with Breezepelt, despite the attitude he was giving you.”

Dovewing’s eyes narrowed playfully. “I just wanted to come away from that trip with some friends.”

“Didn’t you?” Tigerheart puffed up his chest, flipping his head back in mock haughtiness as he placed his paw on his chest fur.

Dovewing couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course. How could I forget?” Her breathing evened out as she thought about it. That trip certainly didn’t go like she expected it to, but she had it to thank for her relationship with Tigerheart. She wasn’t sure they ever would have met so easily if they only had a chance of finding each other during some tense, short gatherings where they both happened to be invited. “It was rare that we were even allowed to look across the borders without hostility,” she finally added. “I think I just wanted to make the most of that chance, to finally be who I am instead of the model warrior that the clans expect everyone to be.”

“I know.” The brown tabby’s voice softened as he met her gaze. “I love that about you. And really, if you had enough time, I think a friendship with Breezepelt would have worked. I don’t think there’s any cat who could truly hate you forever.”

Dovewing felt her heart flutter with happiness, a comfort and freedom that enveloped her in this private space between them. But in her mind there was a tingling darkness too, urging her to remember what lay just outside, and what was coming that night. She let her gaze drop away. “I hope you’ll be on the right side when everything’s done,” she breathed.

Tigerheart’s eyes darkened. Dovewing watched as his smile faded, leaving a heavy sorrow in its place. “I could say the same for you,” he meowed quietly. “If everything goes well, there won’t be sides at all anymore. But there probably will be some bloodshed, and with you being part of this prophecy-” He shook his head, letting out a deep breath to clear something from his head. “I’m worried you may be caught up in it whether you like it or not.”

You’re not wrong. She was caught up in this war before she even knew that the Dark Forest was a threat. But Tigerheart was in more danger. If he fought with the cats who had trained him, he would need to fight his friends and family, maybe even her, and she didn’t know how well she could expect the clans to treat trainees after the battle was won. On the other paw, if he did turn against the Dark Forest, it wouldn’t take long for the leaders to realize and turn against him, and they would have no qualms about taking a random warrior out of the equation if Tigerheart would threaten their success. 

“Maybe just think things over,” she finally responded. “You know I’d love for the clans to get along as much as you do, but the world we want might not be what every cat is looking for, on either of our sides. We may face backlash from both sides of the battle.”

“But there has never been a side between us,” Tigerheart promised. “Who cares if some cats still don’t like us being together? We’ll be on our own side, and when cats like us get a chance to remake the world, we’ll make sure that there never have to be walls between cats who want to be close.”

Dovewing dipped her head. “That’s what we’re both looking for,” she confirmed. But she wasn’t willing to be ruled by the Dark Forest leaders for the chance to dissolve clan borders. They would find a way to make everything work with the clans, somehow. But it has to wait until after the war. “Whatever it’s worth, I wish you luck, Tigerheart.” At the very least, Dovewing would try her best to get him, and all of the trainees, out of this mess somehow. None of their wishes would really come true until the Dark Forest leaders weren’t involved.

“Tigerheart?” Tawnypelt’s voice pierced through the foliage. “Are you in there? Rowanclaw and I were hoping to speak with you and your sister before I have to leave.”

Tigerheart flinched at his mother’s voice. “Coming!” he called hurriedly, already moving to duck out of their sheltered corner before he turned back. “Oh, and good luck too, Dovewing. I love you!”

Dovewing felt her breath come quicker and sharper than intended. He loves me. She had never heard him say the word aloud. Even when they mentioned their possible future, it felt like something that would always have to wait. Yet here he was, dropping his feelings so casually, surrounded by his clanmates. Was he really so confident that they could have a future together? And was it the Dark Forest or Dovewing he trusted to make that possible? 

Whatever the case, she wasn’t willing to give up on them if they had a chance, and if they could get past this battle, she was sure they would. “I-I love you too!” she purred. I’ll fight, she promised silently. But the real work will begin when all this fighting is over.

Chapter Text

“Is there any point to sending out battle patrols?” Sandstorm whispered harshly. Her tail flicked in either indignance or anxiety as she glanced toward the other senior warriors around her. “We can almost guarantee they will appear in our camp.” Lionblaze wasn’t sure if he was really invited to that discussion; however important he might be for the upcoming battle, he wasn’t one of Thunderclan’s leaders. Although, that didn’t mean he couldn’t listen in to get some idea of the plan.

“Then spreading out our warriors would only make things worse,” Dustpelt concluded. “There won’t be as many cats left here to protect our most vulnerable.”

“Do you think we could find a place for them to hide?” Graystripe suggested. “If we could sneak off the elders and queens, they wouldn’t have to be involved in the battle.”

Maybe the abandoned twoleg nest? It was sheltered and more defendable than most other areas of the forest. But with such a well-known landmark, it might be the first place the Dark Forest would look.

“It would still be splitting our forces,” Dustpelt argued. “We would have to send as many warriors as we could to protect them, wherever they are, and as soon as even one Dark Forest cat finds them, the lot of them can raid the base to put us on the defensive.” His brow furrowed with barely-hidden worry. “The strongest den can’t keep out a cat who can appear wherever they choose.”

“We will keep them safe,” Firestar promised. “If they can’t leave camp, we’ll just have to protect them here.”

“We should set up a patrol in front of the medicine den as well,” Sandstorm meowed. “Jayfeather and Leafpool can’t be worrying about an attack if they’re going to properly heal cats mid-battle.”

“Right,” Graystripe dipped his head. “And maybe Briarlight should stay here too, to help with the herbs of course.”

Firestar chuckled. “And this has nothing to do with you not wanting her near the fighting?”

“But that wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Sandstorm  smiled at the gray tom. “The medicine cats will need all the help they can get, and Briarlight does have more training in that area than any of our warriors.”

“Not to mention that Jayfeather may need to leave at some point if this prophecy business pans out,” Dustpelt added. “Leafpool shouldn’t have to handle the work on her own.”

Prophecy business… Was it just Dustpelt who thought that? Sandstorm, Graystripe, and of course Firestar knew that the three weren’t destined to stop the Dark Forest; did they expect Lionblaze and the others to step in regardless? We did promise to do anything we could to help, he reminded himself. I just don’t know if that would be anything special.  

“I’ll be on the patrol to guard the medicine den, then,” Firestar declared. “It’s imperative that the area stay safe for any injured cats to go to.”

“Firestar,” Sandstorm hissed, leaning in towards him so that Lionblaze had to prick his ears to hear clearly. “This is your last life. You can’t risk losing it now. Your clan needs you.”

“They need me to fight,” Firestar replied.

“But what will they do if you’re killed?”

“They’ll fight harder.” Firestar’s green eyes glowed. “My warriors have only one life, and they are willing to give it up for their clanmates. I’m no different. My place is beside them.”

Sandstorm pressed her cheek against Firestar’s. “I love you,” she breathed.

“I love you too,” Firestar murmured.

Graystripe shook his head heavily. “I can’t imagine a Thunderclan without you.”

“You knew one once,” Dustpelt pointed out. “If only for a few moons.”

“Maybe.” Graystripe shrugged. “But he’s had such a big impact on what Thunderclan is, not to mention who I am.”

“I think it’s fair to say we all changed since we first met you,” Sandstorm purred. “Some of us more than others.”

“There’s a lot we should thank you for,” Dustpelt admitted

“And a lot you already have,” Firestar cut in pointedly. “I’ll always love you guys, and the lessons you taught me as we grew up, but I don’t want this to feel like a goodbye.”

“Because it won’t be,” Graystripe finished, straightening up enough that it almost looked as though he believed it.

Sandstorm dipped her head. “Then maybe we should at least discuss how to approach the…trainees.”

Firestar’s whiskers twitched at his mate’s comment. “Well, after the fighting concludes I think it should be possible to open a dialogue. We can talk about what led them to make the decisions they did and, with the other clans’ permission, it might even be possible to make some of the changes they were looking for.”

“Not after the battle,” Sandstorm clarified. “I mean during it. Fighting our own clanmates, friends, or families may be difficult for them, but they have been preparing for it. We haven’t.”

Graystripe shook his head heavily. “Whatever has happened, I can’t fight Blossomfall.”

“Ferncloud would take it poorly if I faced off with Foxleap,” Dustpelt added in a grumble.

“I don’t expect either of you to go into battle against your kits,” Firestar assured them. “I would say to avoid them during the battle so you don’t have to contend with that situation, but it might be difficult, especially if the Dark Forest ever aims them at you.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t avoid them then,” Sandstorm meowed, her eyes narrowing as she thought of a plan. “The cats closest to the trainees would be the most likely to get through to them. Even if there’s some sort of baggage that aligns them with the Dark Forest, facing them and talking about it would be the best way to show them we don’t need to be enemies.”

“It could work.” Dustpelt nodded stiffly. “We are a clan, after all, and more for many of us; they will remember that if we give them a chance.”

We’re a clan. Not just a clan, but the clans. If they were going to make it out of the battle as victors, they would need to stand together like the Dark Forest had learned to. The clan leaders had already agreed to a truce and were doing their best to combine the clans’ talents and even cats for the battle, but that wasn’t all they would need. There couldn’t be any individual grievances between cats anymore, not if they were going to fight together. 

I really don’t envy Hollyleaf, Lionblaze realized. She would be fighting in Windclan with Crowfeather, Breezepelt, and Heathertail among others, meaning she would need to find some way to at least co-exist with them. He probably didn’t need to go that far but even in Thunderclan, there were cats-well, one cat anyway, who he probably needed to find some peace with before that night. He wasn’t a Dark Forest trainee–they knew that now–so they would have to fight together.

Scanning the clearing, Lionblaze’s gaze quickly landed on the tom he was looking for. “Berrynose?”

The cream tom stopped licking his paw mid-stroke spinning around to look at Lionblaze with narrowed eyes as he approached. “What do you want? I would think you’d have better things to do, being such a special prophecy cat and all.”

“Look-” Lionblaze stopped the growl in his throat, biting his tongue to prevent himself from jumping onto Berrynose’s comment. “I’ve come to apologize, okay?”

At this, Berrynose’s eyes shot open for a moment, but they quickly sharpened as his muzzle curled up in a snarl. “What for? H-have you heard something?” He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Did Cinderheart tell you?”

Cinderheart? What would she know about Berrynose? “Tell me what?” He shook his head. Whatever it was, Lionblaze at least knew it wasn’t what he needed to say. “I’m sorry that I thought you were training with the Dark Forest. You’ve been a thorn-” He let his head fall back for a moment. “I mean, we’ve been rivals since we were kits, and I was convinced that we would end up on opposite sides of this battle.”

Berrynose let out a snort, stiffening up as he took in Lionblaze’s words. “We don’t get along. That doesn’t make me evil, does it? Maybe some cats just can’t get along no matter how hard they try.”

“Berrynose you-we’ve never tried to get along,” Lionblaze meowed hesitantly. “Just now you nearly got angry at me for thinking I had learned something about you! Really, is something wrong?”

“It’s none of your business!” Berrynose hissed. His ears instantly flattened back against his head. 

Lionblaze had seen Berrynose annoyed and painfully cocky plenty of times, but never quite this…angry. “Maybe not,” he dipped his head. “I’m probably the last cat you would confide in, but if something’s bothering you this much you should talk to someone about it. Would Birchfall be able to help?”

“No,” Berrynose growled. “Because Birchfall still has a great loving relationship.”

“And you don’t?” The tension in Lionblaze’s muscles dissipated as his sympathy dripped away. “Are Poppyfrost and your kits not enough for you?”

“Poppyfrost isn’t my mate anymore!” Berrynose’s eyes flared as he whipped around to look Lionblaze straight in the eye. 

“What?” Was he serious?

For the first time, Lionblaze spotted a flinch of vulnerability on Berrynose’s face as he turned away, digging his claws into the ground either in a sign of anger or to steady himself. “She told me she doesn’t want us to be mates anymore,” he whispered. “Apparently she’s been thinking about it for a while. Even mom-Daisy knew about it before me.”

Lionblaze hadn’t heard about this at all. Did Cinderheart know? Did Jayfeather? If it was something personal to Poppyfrost, they probably wouldn’t have talked to him about it, but it still seemed strange for all of this to have happened right under his nose before he had a chance to notice. “Was this today?”

“Yesterday,” Berrynose corrected. “Before she went with everyone to the training thing.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Lionblaze stammered. “I don’t really know what happened but-”

“You’re right. You don’t.” Berrynose declared firmly. “You were right earlier. We’ve never tried to get along. There’s no reason you should know anything about me or my life.”

Was he really so determined to keep that attitude up even now? Maybe there’s a reason Poppyfrost didn’t want to be your mate. But Berrynose had always been like this and, for whatever reason, Poppyfrost had still fallen in love with him at one point. There probably was more going on than he could know as a cat looking in on them. 

Although, he did have at least one way to know what Berrynose could be feeling. “You’re right,” he admitted. “I don’t know you, but I do know what it’s like for a relationship to end.” It seemed a lifetime ago, when he and Heatherpaw had played in the tunnels each night and it felt to Lionpaw like there was something special growing between them. But she never felt the same way. He had been the one to break off their nightly meetings, but it was her who broke his heart when she said she had never loved him.

“You? Really?” Berrynose scoffed. “Perfect little Lionblaze managed to find someone who wasn’t immediately taken by his unearned strength?”

“I don’t think anyone actually has been ‘taken in’ by my strength!” Lionblaze shot back. “My mentor tried to murder me in a fire, I never learned to fight properly, more cats have been scared of me than liked me, and I did actually kill the Shadowclan deputy! This isn’t a good thing.”

For a few moments, Berrynose didn’t respond. When he finally did speak, his voice was even, free of its usual arrogant lilt. “Then why were you always so determined to prove you were better at it than me?”

“What?”

Berrynose rolled his eyes. “Even as a kit you were off trying to fight a fox while I was just learning how to navigate the territory without getting scared of finding another fox trap. As an apprentice you were plowing through your training just by throwing your muscles around while I was still trying to learn how to balance enough to use any of the techniques warriors are supposed to know. Now you even managed to get a good relationship with Cinderheart while I got one of her sisters killed and drove the other one away from me.” His eyes darkened. “If you really didn’t notice how you were showing me up all these seasons, maybe you are just a mouse-brain.”

Was that really how he saw it? But he’s the one who always said he was better than me! Being a good warrior wasn’t supposed to be a competition, but Berrynose had made it one. “I’m sorry,” he finally meowed. “But you’re wrong; I wasn’t trying to show any cat up. Most of the time I was just trying to be good enough for any of the other cats in my life. I only tried to be better than you because I thought you were trying to be better than me, for no reason.”

Berrynose let out a sigh and the stubby tail behind him thumped against the ground. “Then I suppose I should say sorry too,” he muttered at last. “There are some things I’ve said to you that I probably shouldn’t have.” He shrugged half-heartedly. “And if Poppyfrost didn’t want to be with me anymore, maybe there’s something wrong with who I’ve been.”

He seemed almost…earnest. The initial knot in Lionblaze’s stomach at having to fight by this warrior’s side was loosening more than he ever thought it would. Maybe it’s time to do what I came here for. “We don’t have to be best friends,” Lionblaze told him softly. “I honestly don’t think it would be great for either of us to feed our competitiveness. But I do want you to know that we’re clanmates, and whatever loyalty I have to Thunderclan extends to you.”

Berrynose dipped his head. “Whatever else I could say about it, I do owe a lot to Thunderclan. My life would have been very different if we’d stayed at the horseplace.” He let his head sink into his shoulders. “Fine. I can at least say I’ll fight beside you tonight, Lionblaze, if it comes to that.”

“That’s all I need,” Lionblaze promised.

The conversation with Berrynose left Lionblaze feeling much lighter than he had expected to be. The final battle still loomed, inching closer with every tick of the sun towards the horizon, but there was a levity in his heart as he considered fighting alongside his clanmates. If even he and Berrynose could come to an understanding, then the trainees could come around too. 

There was just one more thing he knew he needed to do. Lionblaze promptly veered off towards the nursery, ducking under the bramble tendrils as he approached. Cinderheart was there as he had hoped, with Sorreltail fussing over her on one side and Briarlight purring with amusement on the other.

“Well you should have the softest nest!” Sorreltail insisted.

“Mom,” Cinderheart chuckled, “I don’t need anything like that.”

“I promise-” Sorreltail leaned forward. “It’s not just because you’re my daughter. Queens should be comfortable if they’re going to be here for moons on end. Not to mention, your kits will appreciate it.”

“Mooooom!” The high-pitched squeak of Lilykit cut through as she battered her mother’s side with tiny, uncoordinated strokes. “Can we see?”

“She has a big belly, right?” Seedkit added. “Daisy said that’s what happens when queens are going to have kits.”

“Not right now darlings,” Sorreltail purred, licking each of their heads in turn. “Once Cinderheart gets settled, then you can have a peek.”

“They can look now,” Cinderheart cut in. “I’m not going to settle in just yet.”

“It’s okay to get special treatment sometimes, when you need it,” Briarlight put in. “You’re not taking it away from some other cat; we just want you to be comfortable.”

Cinderheart raised an eyebrow teasingly. “Oh, have you taken to quoting Jayfeather? Or would that be Toadstep?”

Briarlight ducked her head down. “They give good advice. Really though, it’s only a few moons, and there’s plenty of moss out there. Leafpool came back with a fresh batch just this morning.”

“I’ll take a good nest eventually,” Cinderheart purred, winking at her former apprentice. “But I should be able to last a good quarter moon more in warrior duties.”

“Could I weigh in?” Lionblaze meowed, announcing his presence. 

“Oh Lionblaze!” Briarlight looked startled. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt,” he apologized.

“It’s not an interruption,” Cinderheart assured him, padding forward to touch her nose to his. “These two were trying to convince me to make a nest in the nursery.

“Which you should,” Sorreltail added.

“I…kind of agree, for the battle at least,” Lionblaze meowed hesitantly. “I know you’re still a fearsome warrior, but you’ll be slower than usual, and the Dark Forest may go for queens first since they know the clans care for you.”

“And they may target me first because they know you care about me,” Cinderheart added pointedly. “I know, but it doesn’t mean I won’t fight.”

“Of course it doesn’t,” Lionblaze agreed. “Just that, maybe, you would agree to fight from here, helping to protect Sorreltail and her kits, not to mention Ferncloud and Daisy if they need it.”

Sorreltail flinched. She quickly ducked away, but it wasn’t fast enough to avoid her daughter noticing. “Mom? Is something wrong?”

“Are you okay?” Lilykit added. “Are you scared of the Dark Forest cats?”

“Don’t worry!” Seedkit mewed. “I’ll fight them off for you!”

“Darlings,” Daisy cooed, gesturing with her tail. “Why don’t you give your mother a moment to speak with the warriors?”

“We still need to practice bundling under the moss for when the fight begins,” Ferncloud reminded them.

Seedkit’s eyes lit up with excitement. “They’ll never find us!”

“I’ll hide so well, even Tigerstar won’t see me!” Lilykit added just as both kits scampered off to the pair of nursery caretakers, with Seedkit only tripping on her own paws once along the way.

Sorreltail let out a sigh as her kits drifted away. “It’s happening again,” she whispered.

Lionblaze tilted his head. “What’s happening?”

The tortoiseshell she-cat turned back towards them, though she still refused to meet his, or Cinderheart’s, gaze. “Cinderpelt was here the last time I had a litter of kits in here,” she began. “She wanted to protect my kits and me too, when the enemy came right into our camp just like the Dark Forest will, and she ended up being killed in that battle.” 

“But I’m not Cinderpelt,” Cinderheart meowed. “I know you’re worried, mom but I don’t plan to die tonight. There are some cats I need to stick around for.”

Lionblaze felt his heart warming at her words. “She won’t be alone, either,” he added. “I wouldn’t dream of letting her fight by herself.”

“I could say the same for you,” Cinderheart scoffed teasingly. “We might have to part ways at some point if you need to save the clans, but I will fight by your side as long as I can.”

Briarlight chuckled, but after a moment she pushed herself up straighter. “That reminds me! I should check in with Jayfeather soon.”

“Maybe we should leave for a while then,” Cinderheart suggested.

“Before you go-” Sorreltail cut in, “would you at least consider staying here tonight?”

Cinderheart hesitated for a moment, though eventually she dipped her head. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll stay here and make a nest with you before nightfall, if I can get a bit of fresh air with Lionblaze and Briarlight first.”

The queen’s eyes sparkled with amusement, but genuine relief softened the creases around them. “I think I can agree to that. Just don’t be too long. We don’t know exactly how long we’ll have.”

“I’ll be safe,” Cinderheart meowed solemnly. “I promise, mom. You won’t lose anyone else.”

As Lionblaze took his first pawsteps out of the den, though, he nearly ran into a bundle of black and white fur. “Oof!” Toadstep cried. “Lionblaze? What are you doing here?”

“Visiting Cinderheart,” he answered, reaching over with his paw to brush Toadstep’s chest fur back into place. “What are you doing here? I didn’t know you made a habit of visiting the nursery.”

“I don’t!” Toadstep laughed. “Not that often, anyway. But Bumblestripe told me that Briarlight might be here.”

“I am,” Briarlight purred, brushing past Lionblaze to touch her nose gently against her mate’s. “Though I really should be checking in with Jayfeather soon.”

“That’s why I wanted to see you,” Toadstep explained. “I figured you would be busy during all of this, but I wanted to see you before everything starts.”

Cinderheart peered at him worriedly. “You’re not going to be out of camp, are you?”

Toadstep shook his head. “But I don’t know if I’ll be guarding the medicine den specifically, and both of us would be too caught up in the battle to talk much anyway.” He leaned his head down just enough to lick her head. “You’re going to do great. I’ll be there as much as I can but take care of yourself too, okay?”

Briarlight dipped her head. “Of course, and the same goes for you. I don’t want to see you trudging into that den with a pawful of wounds for us to patch up, okay?”

Toadstep winked. “Deal. I won’t get hurt anyway. I have some cats I need to protect. You, naturally, but also this big lug.” He unexpectedly flicked his tail over in Lionblaze’s direction.

“Hey!” Lionblaze grumbled. “I can take care of myself too!”

A chuckle passed through Toadstep’s chest. “I know you can,” he meowed, “but every cat can use some help sometimes. Even a Starclan-chosen indestructible tom isn’t perfect, right?” The tom’s face brightened, his ears perked up, and the smile created tight crinkles around his eyes. He was genuinely confident that they would make it through this, wasn’t he? 

Lionblaze let his head fall naturally to the side. Toadstep saw him as an equal, finally. They were a pair that could protect each other, and as long as each of them were safe, they would be free to protect all the other cats they each loved. “And I never was,” he breathed.

“You don’t have to be,” Cinderheart whispered. “None of us are alone anymore, and that’s what is going to help us win.”

Briarlight nodded. “That’s supposed to be what it means to be a clan,” she murmured. “We can rely on each other when we’re weak, or when we’re facing insurmountable odds.”

His friends’ words reverberated through his head. For a long time, that didn’t feel like what a clan was at all. They were always at war, even within their own borders, and he constantly had to prove he was the best among his peers while fearing the power he couldn’t control. But it never should have been like that. There was never a real competition. Every cat’s strength adds to the clans’ strength. He finally understood that. And with his friends and even old rivals beside him now, he was sure that the power of the stars wouldn’t just be his. The clans were going to win, standing together.

Chapter Text

“Brightheart,” Firestar called his deputy over from where she had been chatting with Cloudtail and Whitewing across the clearing. 

Jayfeather sat beside the leader already, his tail thumping impatiently. There was only so much time before the Dark Forest would arrive and they needed to make preparations. But Firestar had been insistent that he have a chance to talk to the two of them before everything began.

“Yes, Firestar?” Brightheart meowed as she trotted over. “Was there something you needed?”

A moment of silence passed, but Jayfeather could already hear the anticipation rising in Firestar’s mind. What to say- It might not be that serious- But they have to- “I wanted to speak to both of you before the battle,” he finally began. “I believe you’re both well-aware of who all we may be fighting.”

Jayfeather let out a snort. “Tigerstar, Hawkfrost, Ebonystar, a plethora of other Dark Forest cats, along with a smattering of living clan cats, if not our own clanmates.”

“Darkstripe, Brokenstar, Clawface,” Brightheart continued the list. “Plus just about every villain you’ve heard about in nursery tales.”

“Yes,” Firestar breathed. “Well I wasn’t around early enough to hear as many of the nursery tales but I do know for a fact that plenty of the cats up there have unfinished business with me. I know many will want my death above all others, and I have no doubt that, with so many cats on their side, they might actually get it.”

“You don’t know that,” Brightheart pressed. “You’re still a leader. They would have to-”

“I’m on my ninth life, Brightheart,” the leader cut her off. “I’m sorry. I really should have told you sooner. Sandstorm is always trying to tell me that I need to stop taking on problems by myself.”

“I remember Whitestorm trying to give you the same advice,” Brightheart murmured. “When I was his apprentice.”

Whitestorm…Firestar’s first deputy, if Jayfeather remembered correctly. He had died in the battle with Bloodclan, the one that took Firestar’s first life as well.

“Heh.” So much dull grief lit Firestar’s quiet chuckle. “He was a great warrior.”

“A great deputy,” Brightheart continued, “for the few days he got to be one, anyway.”

“Indeed.” Jayfeather heard a shuffle as Firestar shook out his fur. “And you’ve been a great deputy as well. And Jayfeather-” The grass rustled as he turned to his medicine cat. “You have been an extraordinary medicine cat. I’ve known many talented cats in your position but you have truly done things for your clanmates that I couldn’t have imagined were possible.”

If only I… The thought trailed away from Brightheart’s mind before it could fully coalesce. “I’m sorry I didn’t see you earlier, Jayfeather,” Brightheart breathed. “When I first became your mentor, I far overestimated our similarities. I didn’t realize just how different the world would be for a cat who had never known sight. I had to design my own techniques to help me do my duties, and I should have let you do the same.”

“It might not have helped,” Jayfeather grunted. “I don’t know if I ever could have become a good fighter. I can’t assess where a cat is fast enough to respond.”

“You might have found your own way,” Brightheart pointed out. “Or you might have not. There’s really no way to know now what your future would have been like. I wouldn’t give up on it, if it’s something you ever want to try.”

“M-Maybe not tonight though?” Firestar cut in. “This is kind of the worst time in the history of the clans to pick up fighting for the first time.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Jayfeather groaned. “Don’t worry. I’m not that much of a mouse-brain.”

Brightheart chuckled. “Firestar is right, anyway. You have truly flourished as a medicine cat, and I couldn’t be happier to have you to rely on.”

“Right.” Coughing pointedly, Firestar continued. Jayfeather could imagine him straightening up in an attempt to match his deputy’s height. “You will have to rely on each other. As the clan’s deputy and head medicine cat, I leave the clan in your paws. If-when, I go to Starclan tonight, you need to keep Thunderclan safe.”

Oh Starclan… The anxiety was plainly obvious in the tone of Brightheart’s thought, but it only appeared as a quiver in her speaking voice. “If it comes to that,” she pressed. “We’ll carry on in your pawsteps.”

“Thunderclan will always be safe with us,” Jayfeather promised.

“Good.” Firestar let out a breath, exhaling a last bit of worry. “Now get along. I know every cat has plenty to do before…well before everything happens.”

Jayfeather drew his paw over the rocky outer-wall of the medicine den. It was one of the only dens in camp not made, at least in part, from reinforced brush or trees, and as such would be one of the last Dustpelt came around to check on. Even so, it felt better for Jayfeather to feel for any cracks in the wall himself to reassure himself that everything would be all right. At least there would be protection around him while he tried to take care of everyone else. Oh Starclan, let us make it through this, he prayed uselessly. Starclan was gone; the clans were all that were left. Maybe his prayer simply amounted to a wish for good luck, then, that they would lose less lives, be stronger than the Dark Forest expected, or last long enough to get through to the trainees.

He was so focused on the wall that he didn’t even notice the sounds of pawsteps until they were only a couple of tail-lengths away from him, but he immediately recognized the scent. “Poppyfrost?”

A quiet chuckle emitted before he heard a reply. “Is it even possible to sneak up on you?”

“It’s possible,” Jayfeather granted. “Though I imagine you’d have an easier time sneaking up on most other cats.”

“I’ll have to send Molepaw and Cherrypaw to practice on you sometime,” she replied teasingly. Although, at the mention of her kits, Jayfeather detected a darkness at the back of her thoughts. If they live through tomorrow.  

Jayfeather let out a breath. “Weren’t you going to go with one of them to the other clans’ camps today?”

“I did,” Poppyfrost answered, “with Cherrypaw. We just got back. Cherrypaw should know the way to both Shadowclan and Riverclan now. And she knows to hide if she sees any warriors coming.”

Jayfeather padded forward, reaching his paw forward to place it on hers. “They’ll be okay,” he whispered. “It’ll be safer for them as messengers than they would be fighting in camp.”

“I know,” Poppyfrost murmured. “And the Shadowclan cats were actually really reassuring. I just-I can’t help but worry about them.”

“Of course you can’t,” Jayfeather agreed. “And you wouldn’t want to. Even when it hurts, our care for those closest to us is the only thing that can motivate us no matter what is going on up there.” He gestured with his tail in the vague direction of the sky. “We need you, and every cat, to care if we want to make it out of this battle.”

“Yeah…” Poppyfrost breathed, inhaling deeply as she tried to calm her nerves. “And it’s not just for my kits, you know. I’m worried about Sorreltail and Cinderheart and Cloudtail and even Berrynose…and I’m especially worried about you.”

“Me?” Jayfeather narrowed his eyes. “I won’t be fighting much, if at all. I’ll be healing cats from my den. There won’t be nearly as much danger for me.”

“But the Dark Forest does want you specifically, as a medicine cat and as one of the three.” Poppyfrost flicked his nose gently with her tail. “And before you say that you aren’t destined to defeat them, I don’t think that matters. You still have power beyond any of them that I know you’ll use in any way you can to stop the battle. That’s something they’ll fear, regardless of whether or not Starclan sent you to do it.”

“I suppose,” Jayfeather admitted at a grumble. “Though I still haven’t worked out how hearing their thoughts could help us defeat them; we already know what they want.”

“Then we need to make sure you have the time to figure it out,” Poppyfrost declared firmly. “Which is why I’ll be standing outside the whole time, protecting the medicine den so you can focus on what you need to do.”

It would put her in danger, but admittedly there weren’t many places where a cat wouldn’t be in danger that night, and Jayfeather could already tell that Poppyfrost’s wild thoughts were calming down as she thought of what she could do, rather than on the fate of her kits that she couldn’t control. “If that’s what you want,” he meowed.

“Jayfeather-” Poppyfrost’s voice stilled. “You saved my life with that power of yours, pulling me away from Starclan itself. I have no doubt that you’ll be able to save everyone, as long as we can save you first.”

Jayfeather padded forward, hesitating only a moment before pressing his neck gently against his friend’s. “Thank you,” he murmured. 

Maybe his power could be useful for something. Connection to cats’ minds meant connection to their dreams when they slept. If cats were close to death, he could try to pull them back, as best he could. But even in that case, they would need physical healing as well, and he would need help for that. “I think I need to speak with Leafpool.”

“Go ahead,” Poppyfrost replied. “I can finish checking the den wall. If there are any cracks I’ll get Dustpelt to see to it right away.”

Dipping his head gratefully, Jayfeather ducked back into the medicine cat den, padding quickly through the entry cave; Leafpool’s scent led him back into the store. “Comfrey…burdock…chervil…cobwebs, of course, the moss is all fresh…” She was muttering herb names under her breath, a familiar collection to anyone who had been trained in medicine. All of the herbs for wounds.

“Leafpool?” he called to get her attention.

“Oh, Jayfeather.” He heard her turning around. “Did you finish checking the wall?”

Jayfeather nodded. “Poppyfrost is checking over the last few places, but I wanted to check in with you about something.”

“What is it?” The shuffling sounds had stopped as Leafpool pulled back from her work with the herbs.

Did she even know how he had saved Poppyfrost all those moons ago? He had never explained it, even though she knew he could enter dreams; it was how she had finally decided he had to be a medicine cat. Maybe it would be best to start there. “Did you ever guess how I saved Poppyfrost’s life during the greencough outbreak?”

Leafpool paused for a moment. “I assumed Starclan was merciful to her,” she meowed carefully. “You were, and are, a good healer, but I doubt much could have been done for her by any cat if they hadn’t given her another sunrise for you to heal her in.”

“They didn’t,” Jayfeather cut in. “Starclan didn’t give us any time. By the time I got to her, she was already on her path to join them.”

What? Leafpool’s mind pricked with confusion. “How did she survive, then?”

“I went into her dreams,” Jayfeather explained. “I used my power to follow her and plead with her to return, against the will of Starclan or fate or whatever you’d like to call it.”

“That’s-” Leafpool’s voice cracked. “Jayfeather, that's incredible. I-I didn’t realize how strong you were.” She breathed a sigh of disbelief. “I mean, I have saved some lives before but not like that.”

“That’s my point,” Jayfeather muttered. He didn’t need endless praise, especially if it was going to waste any more of their precious time…though he had to admit it felt quite nice to hear it from his mentor and mother. “It didn’t have to be for that one time. If cats come into the den injured from the battle, I can try to do the same thing I did for Poppyfrost.”

“Well that’s wonderful!” Leafpool purred. “If you think you could do it again, it would certainly be an advantage.”

“But I can’t do it alone,” Jayfeather continued quickly. He didn’t want her believing that this would be an easy solution. “If I’m going to be walking into cats dreams, I can’t be present here. I can’t close up their wounds or stop infection or keep them here in any way but through their own mind. I’m going to need you to be ready to work on your own if necessary, and with a lot of cats.”

If you’re not here…nothing is stopping some cat from- Leafpool seemed to shake the thought from her head. “I’ll do everything I can,” she promised. 

“You won’t have to be totally alone though, will you?” Jayfeather’s ears flicked towards the sound as Briarlight moved into the den. “I can be here for the battle. I’ll fetch anything you need and I can treat some of the wounds. I mean, I know the basics, at least.”

“You certainly do,” Leafpool purred. “We’d be happy to have you with us.”

“Thank you.” Jayfeather dipped his head. “I’ll feel much safer knowing you’re both watching over the cats in the medicine den.”

“And you too,” Briarlight pressed pointedly. “I haven’t forgotten all my warrior training either. Any cat who comes near you while you’re helping someone will get a load of just how strong my front legs have become.”

Her front legs. She said it so casually, and even probing into her mind Jayfeather could only find bare hints of resentment in the back. She’s finally accepting it. Although, it wasn’t in the way that he had accepted his commitment to the prophecy, or to medicine cat duties at first. She seemed to be taking pride in who she had become as a result of her experiences, and the different skills she had grown because of them. The injury, the forced destiny, didn’t weigh her down anymore. Of course, he could hope that he and Toadstep had helped her with that, but a large part of changing how you think has to be done by yourself.

“You’re a strong cat,” he agreed with a deep meow, hoping the remainder of his feelings might come across. “I promise you’ll make it through all of this, and you and Toadstep can have a long, happy life together.”

All sounds of movement from Briarlight quieted as she sat with his words, silent for several moments. “I appreciate it, Jayfeather,” she finally meowed, “but you can’t promise that.”

Jayfeather let out a sigh. It wasn’t his destiny, it wasn’t any cat’s destiny for the clans to win; no cat was sure of their futures. But that hadn’t stopped Briarlight, Hollyleaf, Squirrelflight, Brightheart, or any other cat from being willing to and able to fight for the futures they wanted. “If I can’t, then my ‘power greater than Starclan’ is useless,” he replied. “We’re going to win tonight, somehow, and I don’t plan on losing you in the process, any more than you plan on losing me.”

Jayfeather… Briarlight’s mind breathed. I have no doubts that you can.  

The brief pause of silence was only broken as a rustle was heard in the front cavern of the medicine cat den, Graystripe and Millie by the scents. “Briarlight?” Millie called. “Are you in here?”

“Oh, uh, yes!” Briarlight called back in a stammer. Jayfeather heard her back legs sliding across the floor as she walked out to greet them. “Did you need something?”

“Mhm.” Jayfeather imagined Graystripe nodding, dipping his head to her. “The senior warriors have decided we’d like you to stay in the medicine den for the battle, to help out here with whatever they’ll need.”

Leafpool chuckled. “Then the senior warriors are a little too late,” she purred. “Briarlight has already decided that for herself.”

“Oh thank Starclan,” Millie breathed. “I was afraid you would take it badly.”

“It’s my way of helping,” Briarlight explained brightly. “I’d be more use protecting cats in here than trying to fight out in the clearing, and I know there’s cats that need my help in here.”

“You’re right,” Millie agreed softly, her purr cracking as Jayfeather heard her take a step forward. “I am so proud of you.”

“Thanks mom,” Briarlight purred warmly. “And thank you for letting me do this on my own.”

“Oh!” Graystripe spoke up suddenly. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin the moment but I think I heard someone come into camp just now.”

“The warriors from the other clans?” Leafpool guessed.

Jayfeather shrugged. It was likely to be at least one of them. “Let’s go see.”

The chatter was evident as soon as they entered the main clearing again, although it took closer inspection before Jayfeather was able to identify who had arrived.

“Tawnypelt,” Firestar greeted warmly. “It’s good to see you again.”

“And you Firestar.” The Shadowclan she-cat’s mew was more curt than Jayfeather would have expected, but it was clear to see why. Shadowclan sent me back here again- She was back in the clan that she had once tried to escape; too much warmth here might look like a conflict of loyalty, even if it was during a truce.

The other cat with her though…Heathertail.

“Onestar sends his regards,” the Windclan she-cat meowed diplomatically. “Where would you like us to go?” It was surprising that Onestar had even allowed his daughter to leave for the battle, but perhaps it was a matter of choosing a cat he trusted not to get too friendly or wind up in a fight with Thunderclan.

Jayfeather quickly scanned the area for his brother, finding him pressed up against Cinderheart a few fox-lengths from the nursery. I’ll need to keep an eye on him. Hopefully Lionblaze had moved on from their tense relations in the past few seasons, but fighting right beside her again would certainly be difficult.

“Most of us will be stationed around the nursery, elders’ den, and medicine den for the battle,” Firestar explained. “Structures can be rebuilt if necessary but we don’t want many lives to be lost tonight.”

“Of course,” Tawnypelt agreed. “Perhaps I could stand with the nursery guard then.”

“And I can help around the elders’ den,” Heathertail added. “Unless you’d have us somewhere else.”

“No, that should work well,” Firestar assured them. “Then when the warrior from Riverclan arrives, I’ll send them to the medicine den.”

The clearing had certainly filled up substantially, with the last of the braces being added to the dens and cats stretching or sparring with each other in practice for the upcoming battle. A cascade of different thoughts threatened to wash Jayfeather away, but he pushed it back, focusing on his own thoughts as much as he could. The mingling of hope and fear echoed well enough in his own head. The Dark Forest was coming, and despite all their preparations, Jayfeather wasn’t sure they could be fully ready for it. But they weren’t about to go down quietly, and he was more than ready to use his power to stop them in any way he could. If he had gone against the will of Starclan in saving Poppyfrost, the Dark Forest would be no different. I’m stronger than you, he warned silently. You can’t take them away from me.

Chapter Text

“You knew Onestar had to send some cat,” Cinderheart soothed as Hollyleaf approached.

“But why did he have to send her?” Lionblaze whined.

Ah, Hollyleaf caught on quickly. The couple had to be discussing Heathertail’s arrival. In some ways, it was good to know for sure that Lionblaze didn’t still harbor romantic longings towards the Windclan she-cat, but this distaste might be worse when it came to fighting beside her.

“I don’t know, but he didn’t pick Heathertail specifically to annoy you,” Cinderheart reminded him. “Maybe you could just try to tolerate her for this battle.”

“But I just managed to find some common ground with Berrynose!” Lionblaze complained. “I was all confident and stuff about how united we were going to be and-”

“We still will be,” Hollyleaf cut him off as she approached. “The clans are sending warriors to each others’ camps, not just to share skills, but as a sign that we stand together, just as the trainees may want us to.”

Lionblaze’s head dipped down, his face flushing with shame as he finally noticed his sister’s presence. “But…what if I can’t?” he whispered. “Heathertail, Breezepelt, Crowfeather-” He shook his head. “Every time I’m around them I get out of control. What if I- I mean during the battle-”

It wasn’t just a matter of hating Heathertail, then. He’s scared of himself, Hollyleaf realized…well, recognized would be a better term for it. “Lionblaze,” she meowed softly. “You can’t live in fear of yourself forever. We’re all capable of doing wrong, but the more you separate yourself from your own power, the less you will be able to control it…and it will become more likely for you to hurt someone you don’t mean to.”

Cinderheart peered curiously at her, her blue gaze softening as she noticed the meaning behind Hollyleaf’s words. “She’s right,” Cinderheart meowed, turning back towards her mate. “Your time with Heathertail was a long time ago, Lionblaze. I can see how much you’ve changed since then, and even since the battle with Shadowclan. You’re strong, and you always have been, but I know, if you focus on what matters, you can move on. Your deeds don’t have to haunt you.”

She was talking to Lionblaze, and even the golden tom himself seemed to collapse into his mate at the words of trust and relief, but Hollyleaf couldn’t help the feeling that it was advice meant for her as well. Have I changed enough too? Was it all right for her to move on from the deeds that had defined her in her own mind for seasons? She wanted to be different, to be someone worthy of the care cats still gave her despite everything, but in good conscience, could she even make that choice herself?

At least, she knew one thing. She was grateful to the cats who stood beside her now and, whatever her past was, she wasn’t going to make the same choices she did before. She was ready to stand with the clans for their sake, and her friends even more so. “Thank you, Cinderheart,” she breathed suddenly.

Lionblaze swiveled around to give her a confused expression. “W-wait you’re thanking her? Why?”

“Oh I-” Suddenly it didn’t seem like Hollyleaf’s place to intrude on their moment anymore. “I just wanted to say before I leave, thank you, you know for caring for me and helping me like you’ve always done.” Even with her reservations, Cinderheart had agreed to continue being her friend after her confession, and even helped to break the ice with Hazeltail again. “You really are the best friend a cat could ask for,” she meowed, “and one I didn’t really ever deserve.”

Cinderheart held her gaze for a few moments, silently scanning her for something Hollyleaf couldn’t guess. But eventually, she dipped her head. “It’s not just me, you know. I became friends with you in the first place because of what you were giving me, maybe without knowing it.”

Is she serious? “Beyond a partner to spar with, I don’t know what that could be.” They had already known each other as kits, but it wasn’t until Hollyleaf started training as a warrior that she truly saw their friendship start to grow. She had always assumed that they became friends mostly through exposure. Her first time in battle training, she was put up against Cinderpaw, and her natural instincts for reading an opponent's moves had impressed Cinderpaw’s mentor as well as her own. Was this friendship just another thing she had unfairly attributed to her innate prowess?

Cinderheart’s face cracked into an amused smile. “Well, that too of course,” she admitted. “But I meant that you were always so driven, and assertive. It seemed like you were never afraid to speak your mind because you knew exactly who you were and what you fought for.” Her head dipped down for a moment. “If it hadn’t been for you, I might not have learned to fight for myself, for my warrior assessment or to get past my injury. You and your brothers showed me that I could make my own destiny if I wanted to.”

And all of that disappeared, Hollyleaf realized, flinching instinctively as she was reminded of her younger days. Was she ever actually that sure of herself, or was it just a front so she could feel some sense of purpose like her brothers, parents, or grandfather had as they grew up? Looking back, she could notice the cracks in her perceptions, but she never questioned it at the time. Maybe that confidence, imperfect as it was, had been able to inspire someone.

“You don’t have to feel bad about it,” Cinderheart cut in quickly, apparently reading her emotions through her body language. “Sure, you’ve changed, but I can see a lot of what I first loved about you still there. You’re still strong-willed and driven, enough to confess to the clan and accept what they think of you, enough to face the Dark Forest, enough to return to Windclan today, even though you know who you’ll run into there.” Giving Lionblaze a comforting brush along his back as she stepped away, the gray tabby padded towards Hollyleaf, laying her paw on her friend’s. “And the strength you’ve given me has helped me to fight for you too, which isn’t going to stop.”

Hollyleaf felt her eyes scrunching up in gratitude. “You really are the best friend a cat could ever have.”

Cinderheart chuckled. “I should hope so! I’ve worked hard to earn that title. Although, speaking of friends, have you-”

“Not yet,” Hollyleaf cut her off. She was going to mention Hazeltail and Icecloud, right?

Cinderheart dipped her head. “Well, you should say goodbye before you leave. Hazeltail has her qualms about you but I know she wouldn’t want you in danger either.”

“We’ll all be in danger tonight,” Hollyleaf pointed out. 

“Stay safe, please,” Lionblaze murmured.

“I’ll do my best,” she promised. “See you later.”

“We’d better,” Cinderheart meowed. Her tone was teasing, but her expression had grown dark. 

Hollyleaf could only hope she would be able to uphold her promise. She wasn’t just surviving for herself anymore.

Glancing off to the side she was able to spot the pair on the halfrock, checking over the den walls. The black she-cat gave her friend a quick waved tail in farewell and, taking a deep breath, trotted over.

“Hollyleaf-” Icecloud was the first to greet her. “It’s nice to see you. Are you heading to Windclan soon?”

Hollyleaf nodded. “I just had a few cats I wanted to speak with first.”

“And I’m one of them,” Hazeltail guessed. Her voice was as even as ever, but Hollyleaf did notice the stiff disdain she had grown accustomed to had dissipated somewhat since Hollyleaf’s initial conversation with her after her confession. “I suppose we could spare a few moments.”

Hollyleaf had to wonder why the bile was rising uncomfortably in her throat. It wasn’t as if this was the first time she and Hazeltail had talked since her confession, but Cinderheart had always been there to mediate before if they were talking casually, and when they happened to be on patrols together, they did little more than small talk. Still, she knew she couldn’t leave for this battle without checking in with her old friend. “Good luck,” she finally meowed unhelpfully. Most of what she wanted to say had been said a long time ago.

“You too,” Icecloud responded immediately. “And don’t worry, we’ll keep the camp safe while you’re gone.”

“Of course,” Hollyleaf agreed. “Thunderclan couldn’t be in any safer paws.”

Hazeltail’s gaze trained more firmly on Hollyleaf. “I could say the same for Windclan,” she meowed casually, in spite of her firm expression. “They’re awfully lucky to be sent your help. Make sure they know that.”

Is she- “I don’t know about that,” Hollyleaf stammered.

“Well I do,” Hazeltail declared. “Hollyleaf, I’m not about to erase what you’ve done or pretend I’ve forgotten it, but you are and always have been a fierce warrior, and in more than just your claws. When you believe in something, you would fight until the end for it, be that the warrior code or a cat’s danger to us or even your own lack of worth.”

Hollyleaf narrowed her eyes. She danced easily over the three phrases as though none had more meaning than the other. Don’t you care that I murdered a cat?  

Hazeltail let out an annoyed snort. “You helped us from the shadows for moons because you were fixated on how little you deserved to be here. Since you returned you’ve been tip-toeing around me and selflessly jumping at every opportunity to help someone or punish yourself because you believe you can’t ever be more than a murderer.”

Icecloud leaned gently towards her, prompting the gray and white she-cat’s shoulders to loosen slightly. “Not entirely without reason,” she whispered.

Letting out a sigh, Hazeltail dipped her head. “I said I’m not going to forget what you’ve done, and I meant it. But I’m not going to forget any of what you’ve done, before or after your crime. I apologize that it took me this long to realize but, as much as you’ve changed across the seasons, you are still Hollyleaf. The very same traits that drove you to fight by my side also prompted you to murder a cat and run away without telling anyone.” Her tail twitched behind her. “I am aware that the cat you are is capable of doing wrong, but I can also see that you don’t want to, and I don’t feel like participating in your continued punishment if it’s going to prevent you from seeing who you are.”

“Hazeltail?” Hollyleaf breathed in disbelief. “What are you saying?”

“You’re a strong cat,” Hazeltail continued, paying no notice to her comment. “And I believe, now, that you have that strength pointed in the right direction. So when you go to Windclan, and find a way to help them and end this battle, I know you’ll do it with all of the strength and passion that you’ve always had. That is why Windclan should be grateful to have my friend fighting for them.”

Hollyleaf could hardly believe her ears. She stood, slack-jawed, as Icecloud smiled and reached over to lick her mate’s cheek. “I believe she’s saying, we trust you, Hollyleaf.”

Am I being forgiven? Maybe by some measure, at least. Somehow, Hazeltail’s impassioned words seemed like something different, more complicated than forgiveness. But she had called Hollyleaf a friend. That had to be a start, at least. “Thank you.”

“There’s no need,” Hazeltail grunted. “Just make sure to get back here safely. It would be awfully disappointing for me to hear you had died over there.”

“You too,” Hollyleaf meowed seriously. “I only just got some of my friends back. I don’t want to lose you again so quickly.” 

Speaking of… He had asked that they not speak again, but if there was a chance she would die that night, and if the Dark Forest had any say in it there was, she couldn’t let that be the last of their conversations. “Do you think I would have a chance with Thornclaw?”

Icecloud drew in a long breath before she replied. “Maybe,” she meowed. “I wish I could give you a more definitive answer than that. Although, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to try.”

Hazeltail dipped her head. “Just keep in mind that his opinion, and any cat’s opinion for that matter, won’t change your quality as a cat. You’re the only one who can do that, and you are making an attempt at least.”

She would have to face him, however painful it turned out to be. But Hazeltail was right too; not every part of her worth was in how other cats saw her. Maybe relying so much on that was just another symptom of her selfishness in the end, desiring the approval of others over any true worth within.

Even so…as she left Hazeltail and Icecloud, she veered towards Dustpelt first. The tabby tom was giving a last check over the nursery, his narrowed eyes scanning every mouse-length of it for weaknesses. “Hey Dustpelt,” she greeted, waving her tail as she approached.

“Hollyleaf?” He swiveled around, standing instinctively straighter as he spotted her. “I assumed they had already sent you off.”

“They will soon,” Hollyleaf guessed.

Dustpelt’s face stiffened. “Of course. Then, good luck in Windclan. Don’t let those rabbit-munchers get in your head, all right?”

“I won’t,” the black she-cat promised. Remarkably, despite the tom’s worry, and Lionblaze’s fussing earlier, she didn’t feel such a strong aversion to fighting with Windclan. “It’s gotten better,” she admitted.

The brown tabby’s eyes narrowed. “Did you speak with them?”

Hollyleaf shook her head. “Nothing like that. It’s just that…well, I know I’m a Thunderclan cat, I suppose. It’s what I’ve always chosen to be and what you’ve allowed me to be again. I’m not going there to join Windclan; I’m going to represent Thunderclan, and I will.” 

For a moment, it seemed like Dustpelt wasn’t going to respond, but his expression softened just enough as he dipped his head. “Firestar wouldn’t have chosen you if he didn’t trust you.”

Hollyleaf could remember, the night she revealed their secrets, how much revulsion she had felt at even the sight of Windclan’s moors. It was as if her heart was trying to rip whatever ties she had to them out. She still wasn’t a Windclan cat, and never would be, but the disgust had faded. “Even if I have some Windclan blood in my veins,” she continued, “it doesn’t really matter. Crowfeather doesn’t want me, and that’s his loss. It’s not as if I want him either. I have enough family in this clan.”

“Blood doesn’t have to determine our family,” Dustpelt agreed. “I grew up treating Sandstorm like a sister, despite her being born a rogue, and Ferncloud and Daisy have become parental figures for so many kits beyond their own.”

“Like me,” Hollyleaf whispered.

Slowly, Dustpelt dipped his head. “You weren’t mine,” he meowed softly. “But I’d have been proud to be your father.” With those words spoken, he drew back, standing taller. “Now run along. See whoever you need to see, but they’ll expect you in Windclan by sundown.”

Hollyleaf felt her mouth cracking into a smile at his tone. “Right,” she agreed. There’s one last cat I need to speak with.  

Dipping her head in a final farewell, she turned around to scan the clearing, her eyes quickly falling on the golden brown tom she was looking for as he practiced his swipes against the tendrils growing out from beyond the thorn tunnel. Carefully, she padded towards him, ensuring that she came from the side so he could see her as she approached. 

As expected, Thornclaw froze as he spotted her, not letting her leave his sight as he lay his paw back down on the ground. “What are you doing here?” His question sounded like a challenge to an intruder at the border. “If you’re looking to leave for Windclan, you don’t need to stop on my account.”

“I will,” Hollyleaf clarified, “but I was hoping you might be willing to talk first.”

As soon as she’d made her request, Thornclaw broke eye contact, turning back to the thorn tendrils as he raised a paw to continue his practice. “I can’t stop you,” he muttered, “but I don’t know what there is to say.” He took a swipe at one of the tendrils. Hollyleaf heard it crack and fall to the ground. “You’ll be in Windclan, so it won’t even be an issue, but if it came to it, I would fight by your side. You’re a part of my clan and I’m not about to turn my back on Thunderclan because of my personal feelings.”

“That…wasn’t what I was worried about,” Hollyleaf murmured carefully. “I never doubted your loyalty.”

“Nor did I,” Thornclaw breathed, squeezing his eyes shut. “I still don’t understand it. You’ve explained it yourself and I still can’t understand how the Hollyleaf I knew felt driven to do that. But between you and Ashfur-” He shook his head, lifting the other paw in the air. “Maybe I just don’t know any cat as well as I thought I did.”

“You did know me,” Hollyleaf insisted. “I wasn’t ever pretending around you. I-if I’m being honest I don’t think I knew myself, who I was. I just knew what cats wanted me to be, what I wanted myself to be so that they would like me.”

“Was that all that mattered to you?” Thornclaw’s voice was perfectly even. “Being liked?”

Was it? She wanted to be a ‘good cat’ and to help others, to uphold the warrior code and be a mentor or leader, but were any of those intentions noble, or did every one of them stem from her wish to be recognized and loved? But if Cinderheart and Hazeltail were right, she at least followed things through until the end when she was set on something. That determination was a part of her. Where did the rest come from? “I…don’t know,” she finally answered. “I don’t know how to judge myself fairly anymore. I’ve done so much thinking about myself, through so many different lenses, that I can’t tell which ones are true.”

“Hm.” Thornclaw grunted. Hollyleaf couldn’t tell if he was satisfied with her answer, but it was at least as close as she could get to the truth. “If you don’t know who you are, can you expect me to trust you? If you don’t know what you’ll do, how can I?”

“I know what I’m going to do.” That part at least, she was sure about. “I don’t know yet how to wrestle with all of my past, how I should view myself, or what I’m deserving of in the future, but I am on a mission right now, and it’s one I don’t intend to give up on. I’m going to help everyone defeat the Dark Forest, and then I’ll help the three in any way I can to negotiate with the trainees, and find a way to bring Starclan back if we can.” Her voice came out clear and strong, more confident than she had felt all day. “I can’t tell you exactly why I’m doing that yet, but I do believe it to be the right thing to do, and right now that’s the best path I have.”

Thornclaw didn’t reply immediately, instead letting his swiping paw, and head, fall gently towards the ground as he let out a slow, quiet breath. For several moments, the silence stretched out and Hollyleaf found herself holding her breath as she waited for a reply. No, she told herself, forcibly letting the air out of her chest. Thornclaw’s feelings mattered to her, but she couldn’t get hung up on them. It was her own road to improvement that mattered. Every cat in the world could forgive her, and she would still have to walk it. Or, no cat could forgive her, but if she reached the end of her journey and came out a better cat, those forgivenesses wouldn’t matter.

Eventually, the silence was broken, though not by Thornclaw. Instead, a light brown tabby tom appeared, scampering through the thorn barrier as a look of shock appeared on his face. “Woah! When they told me your camp was through a tunnel I figured you lived underground somehow.” A few faces across camp perked up at his sudden presence, and Bumblestripe and Spiderleg stood to make their way towards the entrance.
The first to arrive, though, was Brightheart, chuckling lightly. “No, although it is certainly sheltered. Welcome to Thunderclan, Mallownose.”

Mallownose. The warrior from Riverclan. They really were running out of time to leave then, if even the warrior from across the lake had arrived.

“Firestar was hoping you’d help in protecting the medicine cat den,” Brightheart continued. “Do you mind?”

“I’d be happy to.” Mallownose dipped his head.

“We’re setting up already,” Jayfeather added as he approached. “Brightheart will be leading the warriors there, so you’ll have plenty of guidance.”

“I won’t need it,” Mallownose replied. “I know how important your job is, Jayfeather, especially now. No one will get past me.”

Brightheart dipped her head. “I hope you’re right. Follow me; I’ll show you the area.” Flicking her tail, she quickly led the Riverclan tom across camp. 

Jayfeather stuck behind for a moment, turning his head towards Hollyleaf. “Stay alive,” he meowed simply. “We can’t protect you out there.”

“You won’t have to,” the black she-cat promised. “I can protect myself.”

“I know you can,” Jayfeather agreed, shaking his head subconsciously. “I just hope it will be enough.” 

The medicine cat promptly turned around to march after Brightheart and Mallownose, leaving Hollyleaf, once again, alone with Thornclaw at the entrance. In that time, the golden brown tom hadn’t spoken once, and had barely turned his head to look at, let alone acknowledge the incoming Riverclan warrior. 

Hollyleaf opened her mouth to reply somehow, but before she could find the words, she heard pawsteps approaching behind her. “Hollyleaf,” Spiderleg meowed. “Are you ready to go? We should be heading out.”

“You especially,” Bumblestripe guessed. “How long does it take to get to Riverclan?”

“Starclan knows,” Spiderleg huffed. “I’ve never been, myself.”

Thornclaw finally turned around, meeting his friend’s gaze before Hollyleaf’s. “It should be at the middle of the main river past the horseplace, a small island if I remember right.”

Hollyleaf nodded. “I remember Willowshine talking about it. It was a little alcove between two streams, shaded by a tree.”

Spiderleg shrugged. “I don’t think there’s a chance of me missing it if I just follow the river then.”

“Just get there quickly,” Thornclaw demanded. “If you get caught alone on the territory when the Dark Forest comes-”

“We know,” Bumblestripe cut in. His breathing had grown shaky.

“That goes for all of you,” Thornclaw continued. “So go. Now.” His gaze finally landed sternly on her. Whether he had any concern for her safety or still wanted her to leave his sight as soon as possible, she couldn’t tell. But in either case, he didn’t want to talk anymore, and he was probably right not to.

“Okay,” she agreed, breaking his gaze to look first at Spiderleg, and then Bumblestripe. “Let’s go, everyone. We have some clans to protect.”

Chapter Text

The camp was still electric with tension as warriors scurried between the dens, making any last adjustments or saying final words to their friends. Ivypool could spot Hollyleaf, Bumblestripe, and Spiderleg all rushing out of the thorn den to head off to their respective clans, and the Riverclan tom had arrived just before them. Not long now. The sun was dipping down below camp, and soon enough it would lower into the lake.

Partially just to ease her nerves, Ivypool decided to circle the camp, taking note of where every cat had been placed for the battle. Jayfeather was set up inside his den and there was a strong patrol of warriors outside, ready to protect the clans’ healers and herbs. Lionblaze would be among the patrol guarding the nursery, and Dovewing had volunteered to help around the elders’ den. Ivypool herself hadn’t bothered to get an assignment but if, by some miracle, she was sent to Thunderclan tonight rather than one of the other clans, she would fight with her sister.

“Hey,” Dovewing greeted quietly as she approached. “Is it time?”

“Just about,” Ivypool confirmed. “I think all that’s left is for the trainees to go to sleep.”

Dovewing dipped her head carefully, although Ivypool could see her tail quivering behind her. “Good luck tonight,” she meowed. “I-I know we’ll be in the same camp but, you know, just in case you’re assigned to a different den-”

“I understand,” Ivypool confirmed. “I love you too, Dovewing. Protect everyone here, at the elders’ den, okay?”

Dovewing stared at her, the serious expression not looking quite right on her soft features. “Always.”

“We’ll finish this,” Ivypool promised. One way or another, everything would end that night. “But we’ll need you, and everyone, to make sure it goes well.” Even without any powers or authority attached to it, Ivypool couldn’t think of a single cat other than her sister who would be able to so easily understand what many of the trainees wanted.

“They might not listen to the trainees, in the end,” Dovewing admitted. “But if I am one of the three, they might listen to me.”

Ivypool nodded. “Exactly. But first…we do have to survive, so keep yourself safe too, all right?”

“I’ll try,” she meowed earnestly. Dovewing padded forward, just enough to press her neck against her sister’s. “I don’t want this battle to split us up again.”

Ivypool felt a pit of dread in her heart as she opened her eyes to the dim pink light of the Dark Forest. The remaining heartbeats of daylight had passed far too quickly, but even though she had delayed her own slumber as long as she could, many warriors clearly had not, and they all appeared that night in the central clearing. 

Ebonystar and Tigerstar stood side by side atop the Great Rock, alone; even the elites weren’t with them, instead muttering amongst themselves at the base of the rock while many of the trusted circled the clearing, either speaking with apprentices or making sure they didn’t leave.

“Ivypool!” Blossomfall trotted over with Rosepetal as she spotted her friend. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it. Were you held up?”

“Dovewing wanted to talk,” Ivypool explained, having prepared this particular excuse. “I didn’t tell her anything, of course, but I couldn’t refuse right before the battle either.”

“Of course,” Rosepetal dipped her head. “I did the same for Daisy and Toadstep earlier, although I don’t know how much they appreciated it.”

“Any little bit can help,” Blossomfall soothed. “If they know you care about them, they might believe us and stay out of the way.”

“Exactly,” Rosepetal agreed. “Although, even so, I do hope I’m not sent into Thunderclan. If it comes to a battle, I don’t know who there I would have an easy time fighting.”

“There is Spiderleg,” Blossomfall offered.

Rosepetal chuckled. “Perhaps, but he will be in Riverclan tonight, so the point still stands.”

“I doubt the elites would send us into our own camps,” Ivypool guessed. It might make it easier for her if they did. She would be closer to her sister and the three, and if the other Thunderclan trainees were there, they would be more likely to listen when she tried to stop them from fighting on the Dark Forest’s side. Then again, both of those were reasons for Ebonystar and Tigerstar to choose not to send them to Thunderclan, especially if they were on to her as she suspected.

“We’ll have to see,” Rosepetal shrugged. “I do hope we at least get sent with our training groups. Sunstrike and I have made great strides in learning to fight together.”

Blossomfall giggled, nudging her gently in the side. “Oh sure, just fighting together.”

“It might be more one day,” Rosepetal defended herself quickly. “But we already made up our minds that neither of us are willing to start something right away, even once the clans combine. I have Molepaw to train, and I wouldn’t want to fail him, despite everything.”

Was that worry in her mew? “He’ll be out of the way tonight,” Ivypool promised softly.

Rosepetal let out a huff. “I know. I’ll just be happy when it’s over.”

So will I… As Ivypool’s gaze dropped away, she caught sight of a familiar face on the opposite side of the clearing. Birchfall and Applefur seemed to be speaking with Tigerheart, Foxleap, and Icewing.

“Oh, did you want to see your father?” Blossomfall asked, apparently having followed her gaze.

Ivypool dipped her head. “In case we aren’t sent to the same place, I just-”

“I should have guessed,” Rosepetal cut her off. “Go on. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“Thank you!” It was only a matter of time until the elites decided it was time for them to attack; at any moment, if everyone was there, they could call the meeting together. She needed to act quickly.

Thankfully, though, it didn’t take long to swerve through the crowd and approach the remaining two-well, the last two living trainees of Thunderclan. “Ivypool,” Birchfall scampered up towards her as she approached, walking her the rest of the way to the group. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was worried you wouldn’t make it in time.”

“We were just talking about where we might be sent,” Foxleap told her. “Our mentors weren’t clear on that part.”

“We did only officially hear about it last night,” Icewing pointed out. “Perhaps they hadn’t even decided yet.”

“Well they have to have decided now,” Applefur meowed.

“Wait, Ivypool,” Tigerheart turned to her. “You got promoted, right? Did they tell you anything about where we’ll be tonight?”

Ivypool shook her head. “I may know more than you about what we’ll be doing, but I don’t know where every cat will be.” She paused. The trainees had been briefed on at least part of their upcoming battle during the previous night. “Honestly, I might not know more than you at all, by this point. What all did they tell you?”

Foxleap tilted his head. “Well, that we would be going down tonight. Apparently they found a way to send us into the waking world from here.”

Birchfall nodded. “Right, and the cats here will be coming with us.”

“We’ll be going to the leaders of each clan and making our case,” Foxleap continued. “Well, the elites will be, at least. We just have to be there to show that they’re speaking for us.”

Birchfall leaned down to lick his chest fur. “I’ll admit I’m glad that I won’t have to do much of the speaking.”

Icewing’s expression darkened for a moment. “There is another thing we’re needed for, remember.”

Applefur dipped her head. “Not necessarily.”

“But most likely,” Icewing cut back in, “if the clans refuse our offer, we need to be ready to attack in order to prove how certain we are about wanting a better world.”

Of course that’s how the Dark Forest told it. They had to fold in the attack somehow, but even that was framed as though it was a last resort and would only be done to give the trainees what they had always wished for.

Birchfall let out a resigned breath, wrapping his tail protectively around his daughter. “We don’t have to hurt them much.”

“We won’t,” Tigerheart agreed immediately. “But the clans are stubborn. We all know they don’t tend to listen without a threat of some sort.”

“Maybe that’ll be different, when we’re in charge,” Foxleap mused. “We won’t have to argue with each other anymore, so maybe cats won’t mind letting their guard down, or letting us be less-than-perfect.”

Applefur closed her eyes, a small smile cracking on her face. “We can only hope.”

“Ivypool.” A sharp meow forced her to turn, and she quickly caught sight of a familiar cream pelt. “We need to talk.”

“There’s a meeting soon,” Ivypool meowed sharply, “in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Yes.” Fawnskip’s amber gaze shot briefly to the other trainees behind her. “And we need to speak before it.”

Ivypool swept her tail towards the other warriors. “I did have some friends I wanted to talk to.”

“It’s okay.” Birchfall leaned down to reassure her. “You’re not a trainee like us, anymore. I’m sure they need you for some important duties.”

“It’s important,” Fawnskip insisted.

Ivypool let out a final sigh. “Fine.” She followed the cream she-cat to the edge of the clearing, barely covered by a clump of thorny tendrils. “What is it?” she meowed, dropping the disdainful tone she had used earlier.

Fawnskip raised her head, looking once more to see if any cat was watching. “Ebonystar is onto us,” she whispered.

Ivypool felt her head drop instinctively. “I know,” she huffed. “I figured that out the night she recruited every other Dark Forest cat herself.”

“But it means-” Fawnskip bit her tongue. “Look, Ebonystar and Tigerstar are the ones choosing where we go tonight. I’d count on her keeping us apart from each other, if not trying to sabotage us completely.”

“All right.” Ivypool nodded hesitantly. “I mean, it makes sense. Just do your part in whatever clan you’re in and I’ll work in mine.”

“She won’t necessarily send you with any cats you know, Ivypool,” Fawnskip insisted.

“But we don’t have to stay,” Ivypool pressed. “If we can find clans we’ll do more good in, we can always move. We don’t have to follow orders anymore once we touch down.”

“That’s if you can get away,” Fawnskip hissed. “You’re right that we don’t have to follow orders anymore, but she doesn’t either. Once we get into the living clans, especially if we turn against the Dark Forest, she’ll have no problem sending all her forces against us before we can breathe a word to any cat.”

A pit fell in Ivypool’s stomach. “And she’ll have set up exactly which cats are surrounding us,” she continued.

Fawnskip nodded. “Helping the living clans is still our goal, of course, but we’re both going to have to get a target off our backs first, you especially.”

Ivypool drew back. “Why me?”

Fawnskip rolled her eyes, even letting her head roll back emphatically. “Oh stars. You’re alive, of course. And you’re different from most of the trainees here.”

“Because I’m one of the trusted?”

“No!” Fawnskip growled, barely managing to contain her volume again. “Because you don’t believe in the Dark Forest anymore. You don’t want to be here, and you don’t agree with them. If one of our trainees dies tonight, they’ll appear here and Ebonystar can send them right back out into a different clan to fight. If you die though…”

Ivypool nodded slowly. “I’ll be sent to Starclan, and shut off like the rest of the ancestors.” This would make things more complicated. She hadn’t before worked out just how exploitative the Dark Forest’s control over the afterlife could be. The number of cats who fought for Starclan would only dwindle while the Dark Forest’s army would never fall. “We’ll just have to make sure I don’t die then,” she meowed.

At that moment, a strong voice cut through the air. “Let the meeting commence!” Ebonystar called. Within only a few heartbeats, the clearing’s last conversations had quieted as every cat turned to look at the leaders on top of the Great Rock.

“As all of you now know-” Tigerstar took up the conversation. “It is time to bring our family out of the shadows. Tonight, we will show the clans just how strong and numerous we are.”

Ebonystar dipped her head, although she didn’t turn her gaze, let alone her head, to look at her fellow leader. “Cats like us, outcast and disconnected from the broken society the waking world lives by, will finally be in charge. They won’t be able to disregard us anymore, or consider any of us to be singular, misguided agents. We are united where the clans are divided; we have conviction in our vision where they hold on to long-outdated traditions. Our victory is assured.”

Tigerstar seemed to grow before them, his chest puffing as his glare hardened. “When I was alive, I made it my mission to join the clans as one under my rule, however-” Ivypool thought she caught his shoulders tense, as though he were trying to dig his claws into the rock. “I didn’t account for how strong some cats’ hatred for me was. Whatever words I spoke, whatever cause I championed, some were doomed to stand against it simply because I was there.”

“But we all know better, now,” Ebonystar cut in quickly. 

How much of that did Ebonystar want him to say?  

“We have spent time getting to know all of you, as you have for us, and we stand together with one goal in mind,” the indigo she-cat continued. “No matter what the cats below have called us, or what they call you now, we aren’t alone anymore, and our cause will ring true.” Her sharp green eyes narrowed as she swept her gaze across the clearing. Ivypool’s tail quivered for the moment it landed on her. “We will make the clans as united as we have become, and when we are in charge, we can uproot every absurd rule that has come in the way of our happiness.”

A cheer quickly swept through the clearing, starting with the cats along the base of the rock but quickly spreading to each cat in the forest. Ivypool yowled her approval as quickly as she could, unwilling to lose any more trust before the battle began.

“Elites!” Tigerstar called over the roar, waiting until every cat had quieted before he continued. “You know where each of you are headed. Split up so we may send your patrols to you.”

Ivypool quickly looked towards the base of the rock. The elites had split into four groups, spreading out in front of the Great Rock as they prepared for their warriors to join them.

“Elites will be in command of each party!” Ebonystar added quickly. “When we touch down to the clans, follow their orders. Do not attack without a signal but, if the clans don’t agree, be ready to follow them into battle. We have trained for this. We are prepared.”

“Thistleclaw, Featherstar, and I will take Thunderclan!” Tigerstar declared. “If you hear your name, join them beneath the Great Rock now.”

Please, she prayed silently. Please let me go to Thunderclan.  

Tigerstar cleared his throat. “Darkstripe, Sparrowfeather, Raincloud, Frostfang, Cypressfire, Beetlescar, Pricklestar, Bearstar, Jaggedtooth, Petalshade, Tornleaf, Honeywhisker, Oakfur, Graymist, Smokefoot, Ratscar, Owlclaw, Rushtail, and Boulderfur!”

Not me. Ivypool felt her heart sink. Not only that; there are no Thunderclan warriors at all. Where would they be going?

“I-” Ebonystar held her paw against her chest, “will be going with Silverhawk and Mapleshade to Riverclan. Those I call now should join them at the front of the clearing until I join you.”

As she waited, Fawnskip met her gaze from across the clearing. Ivypool thought she spotted the cream she-cat dipping her head hopefully. Maybe they would be together at least, with some of the warriors they had recruited. It would make sense, from the leaders’ perspectives, to put newer recruits with the cats who had recruited them, right? Unless she suspects us already, Ivypool reminded herself. Pricklestar and Bearstar were going to Thunderclan. What about Thrushstar, Graywing, and Beefur?

“From among the residents, Archfern, Hawkfrost, Snowtuft, Mousewhisker, Driftmist, Quailcall, Slateclaw, Talonswipe, Aspenleaf, Perchstripe, and Fleetheart will be joining us.” Ebonystar stared pointedly at each warrior as she called them. Ivypool was shocked to hear Hawkfrost in the list. He was a Riverclan cat of course, but he was more loyal to Tigerstar than anyone, perhaps excepting Darkstripe. If he was going, did that mean- “And from the living, Otterheart, Rainstorm, Minnowtail, Blossomfall, and Ivypool.”

She had been put with her former mentor, and only Blossomfall would be right alongside her. Neither Fawnskip nor any of their recruits would be joining them. How carefully did you craft these patrols?  

Ivypool was only able to keep a vague account of the leaders’ continued calls as she joined the Riverclan patrol at the front of the clearing. Ripplestar and Shredtail soon welcomed Fawnskip, ready to attack Shadowclan, and her patrol, too, lacked any of their recruits. Instead, Larchflight and Rushtooth had been placed at her side, and Ivypool spotted Thrushstar, Graywing, and Beefur all with Brokenstar and Maggottail in the Windclan patrol. Pairs of fearsome cats to keep everyone in line.

“We leave now!” Tigerstar finally called as he joined his own patrol at its head. “Follow the elites’ instructions so that we may all get down to the living world safely.”

“Go well,” Ebonystar wished them, her eyes landing on Ivypool as she continued. “And remember, this is when your family needs you most.”

Chapter Text

Dovewing sensed them a heartbeat before they appeared. A faint woosh touched her ears, as if a breeze was blowing in from the lake, and then, suddenly, the Dark Forest warriors were appearing in her camp. She couldn’t recognize any of the dead cats by sight alone, but she guessed that the massive brown tabby leading them was Tigerstar, if for nothing else than his clear resemblance to Brambleclaw. Among the living trainees though, Graymist and Rushtail from Riverclan, Boulderfur from Windclan, and Smokefoot, Owlclaw, and Ratscar from Shadowclan were all among them. There’s no cat from Thunderclan.  

Even so, they didn’t immediately move to attack. Every cat, living and dead, instead fixed their gazes firmly at the warriors around the clearing, staying still and silent as the brown tabby stepped forward. Firestar quickly stepped up to meet him. “Firestar,” Tigerstar meowed evenly. “It’s been an awfully long time.”

“It has,” Firestar agreed, his eyes narrowed. “I believe the last time I saw you, you were trying to take over the forest. I guess not much has changed.”

“Ah-” Tigerstar held up a paw. “That would be where you’re wrong. My aims, my allies, my strength, everything has changed since I left the living world. I, we, have come to make the dreams of so many cats a reality, dreams that you and cats seasons prior have been forced to thrust away in the name of tradition.”

Two cats, one a gray and white tabby tom and the other a pale gray she-cat, stepped up to his side, and to Dovewing’s surprise, Tigerstar didn’t stop them. Are these the elites? Dovewing guessed.

“Tigerclan will rise again,” the dark tabby continued. “Larger and stronger than ever. The jealousies, aggression, and mistakes that clan borders have brought you will never exist again, once the Dark Forest’s plan has been set into motion.”

“So, Firestar,” the gray and white tabby cut in. “What is your answer?”

“We’re giving you a choice,” the pale she-cat explained. “There doesn't need to be a battle at all if you just accept the wishes of your own clanmates and ancestors. Let our family help you to mend yours.”

No. Dovewing answered silently. Not like this. They would fix the clans; the leaders had promised to think about it. But if Ivypool didn’t trust these cats, Dovewing didn’t either.

Thankfully, Firestar didn’t seem to be convinced either, as he fixed his gaze back on Tigerstar. “I cannot accept any plan where you will end up leading, Tigerstar” he declared. “The clans are capable of changing on their own.”

“I won’t be the only leader, Firestar.” Tigerstar drew his head back, as if shocked. “The Dark Forest doesn’t operate like the failed clans do; we have many leaders, elites who have the experience and wisdom to help us make optimal decisions. Thistleclaw and Featherstar even spoke to you just now, and yet you refuse to acknowledge them as the rulers they too are.”

Dovewing tensed up her shoulders, feeling Whitewing’s fur against her as they stood outside the elders’ den. She could feel the fight approaching, only moments away.

The Thunderclan leader’s eyes had narrowed to slits. “And I reject all of you. Those who have committed unspeakable deeds and hold such contempt for the clans they left behind will never be fit to lead them.”

Tigerstar shrugged. “It’s your life, and your loss. I feared this would happen.” He turned back towards the cats lined up behind him. “I told you that the clans’ hatred was too strong for us to move forward without a fight. Now you see I was correct in my judgment.”

Firestar’s eyes flared with anger. “Because you murdered-!”

“If they cannot accept that we have changed, that the clans must change, we have no other option.” Tigerstar cut him off, his voice strong and loud despite its solemn tone. “Clanmates, family!” he called, sweeping his gaze around to each of his cats before he turned back towards Thunderclan. “Attack!”

In a heartbeat, warriors swarmed through the camp and Dovewing was put face to face with a large ginger tabby tom. His amber eyes blazed as he leapt at her, hissing. Even compared to her normal training partners, he was much larger, so for once she knew exactly what to do, flattening herself to the ground and leaving him to soar over her. Once she was positioned under his belly, she flipped around and kicked up with her back legs, the strongest force she could put out.

Not enough, though. She realized as he was pushed back only enough to come crashing down on top of her. Dovewing had to quickly roll out of the way to avoid his outstretched paws.

“I’ve got him,” Whitewing assured her, making her own leap onto the ginger tabby’s back and quickly digging her claws into the tom’s shoulders, pulling all of her weight backwards to send him tumbling down off his paws. 

As he fell, she hopped out of the way, leaving him to crack painfully, and vulnerably, down onto his back. “Learned that while fighting some badgers,” she huffed, stopping for only a heartbeat before she dove for the tom’s belly.

Feeling pride in her mother’s skill swelling in her chest, Dovewing took the moment to look for Tigerstar, quickly locating him as he faced off with Firestar. His face cracking into a smile, he stepped backwards towards the base of the high ledge. “What are you waiting for, Firestar?”

“I could say the same thing,” the orange tom growled. “Would you leave your army to fight without you?”

“Of course not,” Tigerstar put a paw to his chest, as if hurt. “But our battle, Firestar, will have to wait. I want to see your clan fall around you. I want to see you beaten by those who have chosen me over you, and then, when you realize how thoroughly you have lost, I will erase you from this world.”

Firestar opened his mouth to reply, but only managed to get a single sound out before Tigerstar dashed past him, towards the medicine den. “If I were you, Firestar, I would look out for your clanmates first.”

To Dovewing’s horror, Tigerstar’s gaze briefly connected with hers before another cat stepped between them. Thistleclaw! Dovewing barely had a moment to connect him to the name Tigerstar had used before he lashed out with his front paw, managing to leave a gash in her shoulder just before she ducked down.  This was the cat who had hurt Ivypool too, wasn’t it?

“You’re mine.” The gray tabby’s growl sounded as though it rumbled even in the pit of his stomach. He took advantage of how low she had ducked, pouncing onto her and digging his claws deep into her shoulders as she instinctively squeaked in pain. “So kind of Tigerstar to give me the honor of killing you. You’re the one that can hear a lot, right?” He laughed above her as she struggled to pull herself away, leaning down until his teeth were right by her throat. “Listen to this, then.”

Dovewing shut her eyes to guard against the sight, but just as she felt Thistleclaw’s teeth touch her neck, the weight was harshly pulled off of her. Firestar’s growl ripped through the air as he pulled Thistleclaw backwards, leaving him to stumble on his paws. “You will not harm my clanmates.”

“You don’t get a say in that,” a she-cat hissed. Dovewing spotted a dark cream she-cat with purple eyes launching to join Thistleclaw’s side. “You had the chance to accept our offer peacefully, and you turned it down!”

Dovewing struggled to her paws, feeling the sting where Thistleclaw’s wounds remained in her shoulders, but before she could move to help her leader, Sandstorm ducked in to join Firestar at his side. “There is no peace where Tigerstar rules.”

Left to her own devices, Dovewing was quickly able to note Hazeltail and Icecloud with their backs to each other, seeming to sense each other's movements and protect each other as they dove in for blows against Owlclaw and Rushtail. 

“Watch out!” she caught Hazeltail’s fierce whisper a heartbeat before Owlclaw struck out his paw. The she-cats ducked down just in time to avoid the strike, giving Hazeltail a moment in which to lash back out at her opponent.

“We don’t need to fight!” Icecloud growled, her paw colliding with Rushtail’s shoulder.

“No, we don’t!” Rushtail grunted. “But we want the clans to change, and if you won’t without a fight, you’re bringing this on yourself.”

Meanwhile, Berrynose and Heathertail were fighting against a pair of warriors, one a cool white tom with gray and black markings and the other a spotted warm gray she-cat. The spotted she-cat bared her teeth, getting Berrynose and Heathertail’s attention for a moment long enough to allow the white tom to slide under Berrynose’s belly. 

The cream tom reared up on his hind legs, but didn’t have enough time to balance himself properly, likely made harder for him to begin with because of his stumpy tail, and shook, beginning to fall backwards.

Dovewing dove forwards to support him just before he fell, giving him just enough time to remain steady. “Thanks,” he grunted softly.

But it seemed the spotted she-cat had taken advantage of the heartbeat in which he was left vulnerable as she had a paw outstretched and her mouth wide open, ready to crash down on Berrynose’s belly. However, before she could, Heathertail dove in front of her, batting the she-cat aside. Berrynose dipped his head in thanks and Heathertail acknowledged it with a grunt before both of them turned back to their opponents.

They didn’t even come from the same clan, barely knew each other, and yet they were able to fight in tandem with the skills they had each learned. If even two strangers can work this well together, that has to be a sign that we can all be closer, when this finishes.  

To her shock, with the other warriors fighting in front of her, Dovewing was left alone for a short while. Rather than dive straight back in, she opted to skirt backwards into the elders’ den they guarded.

“Hey young’in!” Purdy greeted warmly. “How’re ya doin’ out there?”

“For now, I think we’re okay,” she answered. “Are you doing all right in here?”

“Of course,” Mousefur assured her. “We’re ready to join you whenever you need us to.”

Purdy nodded firmly. “We heard everythin’ that ‘Tigerstar’ was babbling about before the fightin’ started. I’m about ready ta take ‘im on myself!”

“Don’t go out unless you absolutely need to,” Dovewing stressed, feeling a flutter of anxiety in her chest. “I know you’re both good fighters but we’re protecting you for a reason.”

Mousefur narrowed her eyes. “But you need protection too. I don’t want anyone else to die saving me.”

Anyone else? Was she still thinking of her old friend? “We aren’t dying yet,” Dovewing tried to assure her. “So far, every cat is managing and working together; it’s why I had time to come speak with you.”

“We can help out if we hear anythin’,” Purdy reminded Mousefur, gently laying his tail across her back. “They’re all right outside, ‘member? If anythin’ goes wrong, we’ll be the first to know.”

Mousefur’s head dipped down as she nodded. “You’re right.” Letting out a deep breath, she turned back to Dovewing. “Can you…hear what’s happening in the other clans, right now? Do you know if they’re okay too?”

“I can check,” she offered. She had heard when every cat touched down, but since then she had been so focused on Thunderclan that she hadn’t noted anything more specific than the dull roar of battle across the clans. But now she could check, especially if it would put Mousefur’s mind to rest.

Casting out her senses, Dovewing first focused on Windclan’s territory, the sounds of the cats moving in it standing out the most against the otherwise quiet moorland. Before she could reach the Windclan camp, though, another sound caught her attention.

“Oh Starclan-OH Starclan…” She recognized Molepaw’s panicked mew before his form dotted into view. The brown and cream tom was barely hidden in a thicker patch of bracken, breathing heavily with his ears flattened against his head. He was lucky the dark night with less than a quarter moon hanging in the sky provided enough shadows to keep him in cover.

Is he hurt? Quickly, Dovewing focused in on the apprentice’s fur, though she didn’t see any bleeding. Maybe he had been scared by something? Dovewing did her best to scan the area, but only Crowfrost was nearby, perhaps bringing news from Shadowclan as he ran further into the territory, and Molepaw wasn’t near the camp, where the fighting was taking place.

“Rosepetal…” he breathed.

Oh no…of course. The young tom must have discovered that his mentor was on the side of the Dark Forest. But in that case-

Dovewing shifted her focus to the Windclan camp, searching for Molepaw’s mentor first. It was difficult to tell who was on what side just by looking, but of the scents she recognized, Grasspaw seemed to have been sent in from Riverclan and Sedgewhisker and Swallowtail were fighting together against their own clanmates with Breezepelt not far behind. Foxleap seemed to have been sent here too, as he was battling with Emberfoot outside the medicine den, and Dovewing felt a swell of relief as she spotted Hollyleaf not far away with Onestar. At least the black she-cat had made it in time. 

Dovewing’s high spirits didn’t last long, however, as she finally sensed her father and Applefur fighting together by the elders’ den. You knew he was on their side already, she reminded herself, though it didn’t do much to help.

Despite everything, she didn’t see Rosepetal, or Ivypool either. Considering Crowfrost’s presence near Molepaw, though, she knew the next place she had to check.

The Shadowclan camp was bustling with warriors, enough that Dovewing had to flatten her ears to her head to block out some of the noise, but it took only a few heartbeats before she caught a whiff of the scent she was looking for and narrowed in on the pink-tinted fur of Rosepetal, pressed back-to-back with Sunstrike from Windclan as the Shadowclan warriors surrounded them outside their medicine den. They fought well together, even as they were outnumbered. Had they trained together in their dreams? Either way, I’m sorry Molepaw. When he came around to the camp, or really when this battle ended, they would need to talk.

Another sight pricked her interest as dark tabby fur swept past the two she-cats. It was unmistakable; Tigerheart had been knocked away by someone. But Tigerheart? They had really sent him to his own camp? And as far as she could tell, he was fighting, even if he regretted it or was holding back.

“Dovewing?” Purdy’s voice called her back to attention. “Did ya hear anythin’?”

“Oh, uh, a lot,” she confirmed. “Sorry. I-it seems like Shadowclan and Windclan are doing well. But I think Molepaw just found out that Rosepetal is on the Dark Forest’s side and-”

Mousefur’s gaze darkened. “Poor little tom…” she breathed. “Maybe we should have kept the apprentices in here with us.”

“Ya know they wouldn’t a liked it,” Purdy reminded her. “They’re even more stubborn than you.”

Mousefur dipped her head reluctantly. “You know, you’re the only cat who can ever call me stubborn without getting a swat in the face,” she muttered. “Don’t get any tips from him, Dovewing.”

Dovewing felt her face cracking into a smile. “I won’t.”

“Good.” Mousefur nodded emphatically. “Now get back out there and let us know if you ever need our help.”

As she nodded and ducked back out into the clearing, Dovewing was relieved to find that her clanmates were still doing well. Tigerstar had been caught by Brightheart, Thornclaw, and Cloudtail by the medicine den, Thistleclaw had left camp entirely and was stretching his wounds in the forest, and her mother had managed to catch a free moment to turn and look at her as she emerged. “Are they doing all right?”

Dovewing nodded. “Antsy but not hurt.”

“Good.” Whitewing’s gaze fell away and she seemed to be surveying the fighting warriors as she continued. “Birchfall and Ivypool aren’t here,” she commented. 

Dovewing noticed her mother’s claws digging into the ground. Slowly, she shook her head. “No they’re-”

“Both fighting with the Dark Forest,” Whitewing finished, letting out a heavy sigh. “Where?”

“Birchfall is in Windclan,” Dovewing answered quickly. She had to take a few moments to confirm her guess before she could answer for her sister, but if Ivypool hadn’t been in Windclan or Shadowclan- She caught her scent, exactly where she imagined it would be. “Ivypool is in Riverclan.”

Whitewing’s eyes closed briefly, but even as her shoulders tightened, her claws retracted. “Well, I’ll have to deal with that later then.”

“They don’t mean any harm!” Dovewing protested. She didn’t want her mom to be mad at her dad, or especially her sister. “They were tricked, and we don’t actually know if they’ll attack us in the end and-”

“I know.” Whitewing cut her off. “Every cat is facing tragedy tonight, of a kind. All we can do for now is win this battle so some cat will be willing to talk to us.” She finally looked back at her daughter, her green eyes, a reflection of Dovewing’s, boring holes into her head. “Come on. Our clanmates need us.” And before either of them could get another word in, she jumped back into the fray, leaving Dovewing with no choice but to follow.

Chapter Text

All it took was for Ivypool to blink. It felt exactly like she was waking up from her dreams, except that she wasn’t in her nest, or even her camp. Even having experienced it once before, it was quite disorienting. There was no telling what the other trainees around her felt. Ebonystar stood at the front of the patrol as they appeared in Riverclan’s camp, though Mapleshade and Silverhawk weren’t far behind. Hawkfrost stood right next to Ivypool herself. Mouse-dung.  

“Greetings,” Ebonystar announced, scanning the crowd only briefly before her eyes landed on Mistystar. The dim light of the moon rippled on her fur and brought out the prominence of her white patch. “My name is Ebonystar. I understand if none of you recognize me; it has been a while since I walked in the living world.”

“I know enough.” Mistystar meowed curtly. “You’re from the Dark Forest, correct?”

“Indeed,” Ebonystar admitted, dipping her head. “However, you truly have no need to fear us. We are clan cats just as you are. In fact, some of your clanmates stand with us.” She turned, gesturing for Otterheart to come forward. Rainstorm waited with her, and although Minnowtail stood with Mousewhisker and Snowtuft, she too was clearly visible. To Ivypool’s surprise, Ebonystar allowed Otterheart to pad all the way up to her side as they stood before Mistystar. It even seemed that she was inviting her apprentice to speak.

“Mistystar,” Otterheart began, “I know what this must look like.”

“A betrayal.” Mistystar’s eyes had narrowed. “It’s either that or my deputy is a minnow-brain.”

Ebonystar leaned forward, giving Otterheart some sort of comforting or goading look before gesturing with her chin. “I cannot do it for you,” Ivypool thought she heard the indigo she-cat whisper.

Otterheart let out a firm sigh, meeting her leader’s gaze. “It’s nothing like that,” she insisted. “This fight that you, all of you, have been preparing for, isn’t necessary. All any of us want is to make things better. Our traditions have held us back for too long. The isolation our clan faces has been a direct cause for many of our deaths, and our warriors could learn so much more if they were allowed to reap the benefits of the skills the other clans have developed.”

“Are you suggesting we merge?” Mistystar asked evenly.

Otterheart dipped her head. Ivypool detected a moment of hesitance, but by the time she looked back up, she was standing tall. “The clans should be made one,” she declared. “Cats from all across clan history have come together to realize that dream. If you stand against us, you stand in the way of the progress we have needed for generations.”

A growl emitted from the leader’s throat. “You’re young,” she finally meowed, a bit of the grit creeping into her voice. “But even you must know of my history, Riverclan’s history. I have seen every pawstep of this before, when Tigerstar first tried to take over the clans. Just because he decided not to show his face in this clan again doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten.” 

She stood taller, sweeping around to let her fiery gaze land on each of her clanmates, both those with her and from the Dark Forest. “The clans aren’t separated without cause. They need each other in order to keep themselves in check, to stop uprisings from those who want to abuse the power of loyalty and fear.” Finally, Mistystar’s gaze landed back on her deputy. “I am a half-clan cat myself; I’ve faced the harsh sides of the warrior code. But I will never accept a world where the clans must all be ruled under a tyrant again.”

Otterheart’s lip curled up briefly, forming an instinctual snarl. “You know, as much as Ebonystar told me this exact thing would happen, a part of me still hoped we could convince you.”

“We can talk,” Mistystar corrected. “I’m willing to hear what you’d like to see changed. But there are some things I cannot, in good conscience, agree to.”

“That is it, then,” Ebonystar declared, stepping in with a glance towards Otterheart to be sure the she-cat would step back. 

Dipping her head, Otterheart acquiesced. 

“If you cannot be convinced with words, there is no choice left for us. My family!” Ebonystar called. Her tail flew up straight to gather her forces together. “Attack!”

This is it. She couldn’t attack loyal clan cats, whatever it cost her. This was the moment where she would have to turn on the Dark Forest. Ivypool ran forward, away from Hawkfrost’s side, and raised her paw to crash down on the first Dark Forest cat she saw, a thick, golden-furred cat with pale blue eyes that she recognized as one of the last cats to be recruited by Ebonystar. They had made a move towards one of the guarded Riverclan dens, though, and whoever was inside, Ivypool needed to protect them.

“What are you doing?” the golden cat growled, pulling back from her swipe. “I’m on your side!”

“I cannot side with the Dark Forest in this battle,” Ivypool hissed back. “They have lied to all of us. They only want a world where they can be in charge.”

“We will be in charge,” the cat retorted. They had stiffened their muscles and seemed prepared to pounce if necessary. “All of us who belonged there, including you!”

“It’s not true,” Ivypool insisted. “I heard it myself. They don’t care about any of us; they just want-AGH!” She winced as her cheek was rapidly sliced through. Already she could feel blood pulsing towards the scratch. 

“If you won’t fight with us, I can’t let you get in the way,” they growled. “Run or fight.”

Suddenly, Blossomfall appeared between them, baring her teeth at the cat in a warning. “What’s going on here?”

“She’s turned on us!” the golden cat hissed, gesturing with their paw.

“What a load of fox-dung!” Blossomfall whipped her head around, though her eyes hadn’t narrowed yet. “Ivypool, what are you doing?”

“I’m not betraying you,” Ivypool promised. “Never you or the trainees. I want you all, us all, to be free to live our lives like we’ve wanted to, together. But the elites have been lying to us. Tigerstar and Ebonystar only used this plan so they could take over the clans like they always wanted to. They don’t care about us.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Blossomfall exclaimed. “Come on, you don’t really think they would-”

“I heard it myself,” Ivypool cut in. There wasn’t time for tact. “I trusted them just as much as any of us, but I know what I heard, and I know what I’ve seen since.”

Blossomfall stared at her for a moment, her smile fading as she examined Ivypool’s expression. “You’re serious,” she breathed. “W-Why didn’t you say anything earlier?!”

“I was afraid,” Ivypool confessed. “The Dark Forest is their world. They could kill a cat there and no one would even know. If I turned against them, or if I even let you or any other cat in on it earlier, they could have gotten rid of me.”

Blossomfall shook her head in disbelief. “And you’re absolutely sure that’s what they’re trying to do?” she confirmed. “You didn’t mishear anything or-”

“No,” Ivypool grunted. “I promise you; the Dark Forest can’t get you what you want.”

The fighting still swept on around them, and the golden cat seemed ready to attack them both, but Blossomfall’s face was softening as she took in what she was hearing. Ivypool waited with baited breath for her response. Come on! You don’t have to follow them! she pleaded silently.

Finally, the tortoiseshell she-cat gave a, very subtle, nod. “I trust you,” she whispered. In an instant Ivypool’s friend had turned around to lunge at the golden cat behind them, and Ivypool was left free, for a moment. 

Oh thank you. She breathed a sigh of relief. And good luck with the rest of it.  

Scanning the battlefield, her eyes quickly landed on the familiar sight of Spiderleg, although he was up against… Mousewhisker. They had to know they were both from Thunderclan, right? Spiderleg was old enough to have known Mousewhisker when he was alive. Although, despite both cats’ spiked fur and bared teeth, it seemed like they were talking. Ivypool ducked around the edge of the clearing to approach.

“I can’t say I expected to see you here,” Spiderleg hissed. “Though I suppose I can see now what my old apprentice has gotten up to.” Apprentice?  

“Did you ever expect anything of me?” Mousewhisker meowed. His blue-green eyes were fixed on the black tom across from him, devoid of his usual casual attitude and awkwardness.

“I expected many things,” Spiderleg shot back. “I expected for you to stay in your own clan, to dedicate yourself to your training. But by your warrior ceremony I had come to realize you were more of a slacker than a fighter.”

Mousewhisker’s shoulders stiffened. “I fight when I have to, for what I believe in.”

“And do you believe in this?” Spiderleg whipped his tail around to the rest of the clearing. “Standing by the clans’ oldest enemies and letting cats you supposedly care for die?”

“I do care about them!” Mousewhisker growled. “I care about everyone. You don’t even care about the cats you’re fighting with right now!”

“I’m fighting because my clan ordered me to, and despite how much you say you care, you’re here, fighting me while Daisy could be dying across the lake.” Spiderleg let out a quick grunt. “Maybe it’s because you never really became a clan cat. You don’t understand what loyalty is.”

“I am a clan cat!” Mousewhisker’s eyes blazed with fury. “I’ll never leave the barn behind, but I’ve been a clan cat since I was an apprentice. If I wasn’t, do you think I would have ended up in the Dark Forest when I died? Do you think I would be fighting for this now?”

Minnowtail approached him first, her tail entwining with his as they both turned on Spiderleg. “Do you need any help?” she murmured.

Mousewhisker shook his head silently, letting out a sigh. “I never thought you would accept me if you knew,” he whispered, quietly enough that Ivypool had to strain her ears to catch it over the roar of battle. “About Minnowtail and I, or how lost I felt in Thunderclan, or especially…well, being a part of this.” He gestured with his tail to the Dark Forest warriors around them both, making their ways towards the guarded nursery and medicine dens. “But now it’s all here,” he continued, his voice getting stronger as he focused back on his mentor. “The rules are changing, Spiderleg, and whether you like it or not, you’re going to have to change with them.”

For once, Spiderleg was silent. Ivypool watched as the intensity drifted away from his eyes, and, maybe for the first time, he seemed to really see his former apprentice. “Mousewhisker…” he breathed. “I-”

Before Ivypool could catch his words, she felt claws dig into her back, hauling her away towards the reed tunnel that she had to imagine was the camp entrance. “Ivypool!” She instantly recognized Hawkfrost’s growl. “Did you really think you could avoid me after that?”

“After what?” Ivypool hissed, pulling herself away with a wince so she could turn to face him. How much had he seen?

“Your betrayal.” Hawkfrost’s eyes had narrowed into slits. “Ebonystar warned me to keep an eye on you but I didn’t want to believe that you had honestly turned on your family.”

“You were never my family, you piece of fox-dung!” Ivypool’s tail lashed behind her and she lunged forward, ducking down at the last moment with the lightning-fast reflexes he had instilled in her to reach his soft belly fur.

Hawkfrost, however, managed to pull back, flipping over just in time to have his leg grazed instead and stretching his arm out to leave a long scratch along Ivypool’s side. He gave a guttural laugh, haunting in its darkness. “I never should have gotten my hopes up about you,” he declared. “You were useless all along.”

Ivypool lurched forward, managing to snap her teeth around his injured leg. “You were saying?” she meowed smugly, albeit with some difficulty through the thick fur in her mouth.

Hawkfrost tore himself away, blood streaming from the wound but leaving him standing. “Dovewing would have been a much better choice,” the dark tabby hissed. “Imagine, having the power of Starclan on our side, and enough kindness to believe what the Dark Forest seeks. The only thing fueling you was jealousy.” His muzzle lifted so he could look down at her. “Of course your loyalty is fragile. You didn’t care about anyone who couldn’t make you feel important. At least your sister has the capacity to care about other cats.”

He’s trying to get under my skin. Even so, all it was actually doing was making her angry, and she would make that anger dangerous for him. “Dovewing and I do love each other,” Ivypool growled. “And we aren’t the only ones. Friendships have been formed, for us, for the clans, and for every Dark Forest trainee that will outlast whatever ‘family loyalty’ you’ve been trying to create. Your love is fake, and now that some of us have realized that, it’s only a matter of time before your whole army comes tumbling down.”

Not willing to waste another moment, Ivypool reared up on her back legs, crashing down with a swipe straight across Hawkfrost’s chest. The tom let a growl build up in his throat, rolling flinching backwards for only a moment before he took up the fight, ramming into her with such force that it knocked the wind from her and forced her to skid backwards.

Gasping for air, she felt claws rake her side. Hawkfrost’s pelt flashed at the edge of her vision a heartbeat before he grabbed her from behind. “You made a mistake in challenging us,” he hissed. “The dead can’t die again!”

Teeth and claws ripped her pelt. Pain seared her flesh. You can’t die, but I won’t die easily either! Terror sent power surging through her. With a roar, Ivypool reared up and sent her former mentor flying off of her.

Hawkfrost landed neatly on all four paws. “I trained you too well,” he snarled. Though as his gaze dotted away for a moment, a sickening smile grew up on his face. “Though do you really want to be fighting me? It’s no use holding off one cat. The Dark Forest is still strong without you, Ivypool. Have a look at what we can do.”

Too late, Ivypool followed his gaze to the nursery, where Dark Forest warriors had managed to break through their guards and now streamed into the den. “You would harm kits?” she growled furiously.

“Never kits,” Hawkfrost corrected her. “They can be taught about the new world in time. But we know how much the clans care about their elders. There’s a lot they would do to ensure their safety.”

Ivypool rushed forwards without responding, but she was forced to stop short as Silverhawk came out with a dilute calico tom behind him, carrying an elder by his neck. Weaselfur’s teeth bared in fury but he didn’t seem ready to further endanger the elders’ body.

“Voletooth!” Pebblefoot called frantically, trying to push past the warriors to reach the old tom.

It’s too late. Despite Pebblefoot’s desperation, it was clear at first glance that the elder had died.

“Voletooth?” Parting through the crowd, Minnowtail approached with Mousewhisker at her side. “Silverhawk…what-”

“I’m sorry.” The silver tom cut in quickly. His voice was as even and monotoned as ever, but he looked at his trainee with what approximated sorrow. “He got in the way.”

Minnowtail’s eyes squeezed shut uncomfortably. “He…was my mentor.”

“I know.” Silverhawk dipped his head. “I wouldn’t have let him die if I had a choice.”

“You could have chosen not to attack any of the elders!” Ivypool hissed. She couldn’t let him, or any Dark Forest cats, hide behind their lies anymore. Sweeping around, she locked on to each of the trainees. “Is there any honor in this? Does our fight mean anything if cats we care about die?”

“W-we don’t have a choice,” Minnowtail pleaded. “Of course none of us want this to happen, but we can’t let the clans keep living like this for a hundred more generations. T-they’ll have happy lives in Starclan. And they’ll see we’re right.”

“Your mentor is dead!” Ivypool growled, unable to keep the desperation from her voice.

“I know!” Minnowtail shot back. “But it was an accident! He didn’t-Silverhawk would never-!”

Her words were drowned out by a screech cutting through the clearing. Ivypool managed to whip around just in time to see Archfern nearly throwing Mothwing out of her own den. There was blood dripping down over her eye, and it looked like fur had been ripped from her shoulder. Two more warriors swept in to block Willowshine and Ferretclaw in while Hawkfrost stalked out behind them.

The dark tabby crept silently up towards Riverclan’s medicine cat, towering over her as she lay on the ground, but Mothwing quickly scrambled to her paws, wincing from the pain. “H-Hawkfrost?” she breathed. “You were-”

“It’s been a long time, sister.” Hawkfrost cut her off. “But I see you’ve been doing well for yourself. What do you think?” He lifted his muzzle. “Do you believe in our ancestors now?”

Mothwing’s eyes narrowed. “I believe in what I see. And however it may be, I do see you. What I don’t understand is why?”

Hawkfrost dipped his head. “The Dark Forest has grown much more powerful since our father-”

“No.” Mothwing shook her head firmly. “I mean why are you attacking us? When you were alive, I could at least understand what you wanted: power, whatever it took for you to get it. But that path has burnt to a crisp; no one here will ever listen to you.”

“I understand what you never did,” Hawkfrost snarled. “The clans were never going to give us a real chance. They hated our father and they hated us for being his. If I didn’t take the chances I did, we never would have been respected.” He turned around, stepping between his sister and the rest of her clanmates as he continued. “How would you feel if you knew your medicine cat never believed in Starclan? How would you feel if you knew she was only made your medicine cat because I faked a sign that got her chosen. Starclan never approved of her. They never approved of either of us!”

Ivypool felt a sharp inhale leave her mouth. From what Hawkfrost had told her about his own past, she had guessed that he had a less-than-perfect relationship with his sister, but she never expected for him to be the reason Mothwing became a medicine cat. Revealing it to the clan, though, that’s just like him. He wanted to prove their fears correct, show again that the clans wouldn’t accept any of them unless the Dark Forest ruled.

But Mothwing stared back at him, unaffected. “I already told them,” she declared. “Soon after Mistystar became leader.”

“And we let her stay,” Mistystar broke in, shoving a brown and cream tom aside. “We all know how much she has done for us as a healer. However she got her position, we’re lucky to have her now.”

Ivypool watched as Hawkfrost’s eyes lit up with fury and he dove at his sister, teeth bared and claws outstretched. As quickly as her reflexes would allow, she sprinted towards them, but there was no time. They were already too close to each other.

Just as Hawkfrost’s claws got within a whisker-length of Mothwing’s throat, though, a black pelt slid in between them.

Spiderleg! She barely had time to register the thought before the black tom collapsed, blood streaming from around his throat. Ivypool arrived a heartbeat too late, landing on top of her Dark Forest mentor and pinning him to the ground

“Mouse-brain!” Mousewhisker cried, sprinting back towards his side. “What in Starclan’s name did you just do?”

Spiderleg coughed, a drop of red falling out onto the thin grass under his paws. “He was…going to kill her.”

Mousewhisker’s gaze flitted over to the dark tabby under Ivypool’s paws, and a flicker of worry showed in his eyes. “But y-” He shook his head. “I-if that’s what you were trying to do, why couldn’t you just knock Hawkfrost aside?”

“I’m not…strong,” Spiderleg gasped. “Not enough, anyway. I couldn’t have.”

“It doesn’t make sense!” Mousewhisker exclaimed. “Hawkfrost wouldn’t kill his sister; you wouldn’t sacrifice yourself to save a Riverclan cat.”

“You were right.” Spiderleg looked the gray and white tom straight in the eye. “The rules are changing. I needed to face that. The sides-” He let out a heavy breath. “The sides here aren’t Riverclan and Thunderclan. They’re cats who are willing to kill and cats who aren’t. But maybe…maybe the lines aren’t where you think they…are.” The last word barely coming out in a whisper, Spiderleg’s head dropped limply to the ground.

Now Mousewhisker’s mentor had died too. Ivypool glared down at the tom under her paws, lunging forward without a second thought to finish the job she had started before Voletooth died. 

She felt her teeth sink into his neck and heard his muffled screech of pain. Unlike Spiderleg, though, Hawkfrost had no chance to die tonight, which made it all the more surprising when, in a flash, he disappeared from under her paws. Where did he go? But a flash of realization hit her as quickly as the question came to her mind. Back to the Dark Forest. He could touch down anywhere, at any time, as soon as he had recovered from the momentary pain his spirit was capable of.

“Hawkfrost is gone!” Ivypool recognized Rainstorm’s meow.

“It’s all right,” Archfern assured him. “He’ll be back. Besides, we have who we need here.” She gestured with her chin across the clearing.

Ivypool followed her gaze and, feeling her heart drop into her stomach, she saw Mistystar pinned against the camp wall. A blue-gray she-cat and ginger tom bordered her on either side, but it was Mapleshade who was biting into her throat. The Riverclan leader had gone limp, but her body shook again a moment later. How many lives does she have? Ivypool suddenly wondered. She was a new enough leader, right? Maybe she hadn’t lost any of them.

But Mapleshade didn’t stop. As soon as Mistystar jerked back to life, Mapleshade turned on her again. “How many?!” she growled, as if she expected anyone to be able to answer.

“This next one shall be her last,” Ebonystar answered.

Ivypool’s eyes flew open. “How could you possibly know that?”

“Hm?” Ebonystar raised an eyebrow casually. “Well Otterheart told me of course.”

“What?!” The deputy drew back in shock. “No, no I never asked for this! I never told you-”

“You did,” Ebonystar meowed. “When you first became deputy, you mentioned how Mistystar had seven lives left and you believed that would prevent you from becoming a leader.”

“I-” The words seemed to hang in Otterheart’s throat. “But I never meant for-”

“It’s done!” Mapleshade’s cheer rang through the clearing. “Finally, his line is gone.” She turned around, her quickened breaths and wild gaze overflowing with euphoria. “Seasons upon seasons of waiting have finally brought me a chance for peace!”

Around them, the remaining Riverclan warriors seemed to be falling back, either in shock or fear. Ebonystar raised her tail and the Dark Forest warriors halted their assault, keeping a line up to stop the Riverclan cats from escaping but not advancing any further. Taking only a moment to check that they were in line, Ebonystar turned her attention to Otterheart. “You are Riverclan’s leader now,” she told the dark brown she-cat. “Tell them to stand down now, and they will have to listen.”

“No, Otterheart!” Ivypool called frantically. “Come on, she just killed your leader! She used you to find out how easy it would be! You have to see that she doesn’t care about what you want!”

“This…” Otterheart stared in shock at her mentor, her gaze only flitting briefly towards Ivypool. “Was this your plan? Were you really just out for revenge?”

“Mapleshade was, dear,” Ebonystar corrected. Her tail flicked behind her and Archfern quickly moved to stand behind Ivypool in a warning. “I did allow her to come with us, but only because I knew her dream could coincide with yours. You know I cannot possibly be out for my own revenge; Splashstar is tucked away in Starclan.”

“She uses everyone,” Ivypool cut in. “She used all of us to find a way back into power in the living world. She used Mapleshade to kill Mistystar. She’s using you right now to put someone she knows she can manipulate into power!” 

“That is a ridiculous notion,” Ebonystar meowed evenly. “I am a leader; I make use of the skills I know my cats have. However, it is all in service of our collective goal. We need not kill any more cats today. We can finally build the paradise you have dreamed of, the one you argued for when we arrived.”

Ivypool held her breath as she waited for the Riverclan she-cat to reply. If she did side with Ebonystar, the Riverclan cats wouldn’t really listen to her, would they? They had to know they were really surrendering to the Dark Forest. She is the rightful leader, though, her mind reminded her unhelpfully. If Brokenstar and Tigerstar were allowed to lead their clans- She shook her head. It was Otterheart’s choice that mattered right then. She didn’t want to start thinking about what-ifs.

Finally, the dark brown she-cat stilled, fixing her amber gaze firmly on Ebonystar. “I did want to be leader,” she meowed. “I wanted the chance to make my clan, and the rest, into a place where everyone was free of the senseless violence and aggression  of the past. But this is only another form of that senseless violence. Doing what you’ve done to Mistystar-” She paused, closing her eyes as she inhaled sharply. “That isn’t the path to the paradise I want.”

“Of course it is,” Ebonystar insisted. “I realize it's difficult but, if the old leaders don’t die, how would the new ones take over? If the clans don’t realize how strong we are, how will they ever listen to us?”

“They won’t listen to me!” Otterheart growled. “Even if we can get past every perceived wrongdoing of the past, the way we are taking power now will still make them hate us. That isn’t the way I want to lead, ever, and if that’s really the way you see things, then maybe it’s the trainees, not the elites, who should be in charge of the new clans.”

For the first time, Ebonystar’s muzzle flinched in the beginnings of a snarl. “What are you saying?”

“You brought us together, and we have been united.” Otterheart let out a snort. “But we don’t have to be united with you. Any cat who wants a real chance for the clans to change, whether you're living or dead, a Dark Forest trainee or not, you need to fight with me now. Riverclan?” She whipped around to gaze at her clanmates, every one of them, even meeting the gazes of Snowtuft and Silverhawk with a nod. “Attack!” 

To Ivypool’s shock, within only a few heartbeats the tide of battle had turned yet again. Riverclan’s warriors and the visiting cats seemed to be filled with more confidence after Otterheart’s order, Rainstorm, Minnowtail, and Mousewhisker had all quickly joined the fight with her, and even a couple of the Dark Forest cats, including the golden cat Ivypool had fought earlier, were moving to guard the dens rather than push into them. Suddenly, it seemed possible for them to actually win this.

Before Ivypool herself could dive back into the fight, she heard some heaving breaths coming from just outside camp and turned to see Molepaw’s brown and cream form rushing towards them. “I came to…” He shook his head. “Wait, Ivypool? What are you doing here?”

“I came with the Dark Forest,” she answered quickly. “But it’s all right. I never fought on their side. Actually, none of the trainees here are fighting on their side anymore.”

Molepaw visibly relaxed. “Oh thank Starclan some cat has good news,” he breathed. “What happened?”

“Well after Mistystar died, Otterheart brought everyone together and-”

“Mistystar is dead?!” Molepaw gasped. 

“Oh,” Ivypool’s head ducked down. “Well yes.”

Molepaw ducked to the side, likely trying to see past her to catch a view of the leader’s body, but Ivypool stepped back in front of them. “What about the other clans? Have you heard from Thunderclan?”

Molepaw shook his head. “Not recently, anyway, but they were doing all right last I heard. Windclan is facing a lot of cats right now, though. It sounds like Brokenstar is leading the attack.”

“Maybe we should go help, then.” Ivypool turned to see Blossomfall and Otterheart trotting up at her side. “We can say what happened here, at least. Maybe we can convince some of them to join our fight.”

“I agree,” Otterheart added. “Both of you should go.”

“Are you sure?” Ivypool raised her eyebrow.

Otterheart nodded confidently. “We can handle ourselves,” she promised. “Thank you for the help, but I’m certain other clans need it more now. I can take care of Riverclan.”

Ivypool held the Riverclan she-cat’s gaze for another moment before she dipped her head. “All right. Good luck.” With Blossomfall at her side, she turned back to Molepaw. “Can you lead us back to Windclan?”

The large tom nodded, a spark of confidence returning to his face. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

It felt as though Lionblaze was perfectly in his element. His opponents couldn’t be hurt any more than he could, but that meant, for once, he didn’t have to fear what he could do. No cat was going to even come close to invading the nursery with him there. A mottled brown tabby she-cat lunged towards him, but he bushed up his fur, outstretching his claws to become an impenetrable wall and she crashed into him instead, bouncing off without managing to do any damage.

“Frog-dung,” he heard her mutter before she dove off into the crowd.

“Yah!” Cloudtail’s cry split the air as he struck another cat by the medicine den.

Brightheart winked, or blinked at him gratefully before landing her own blow on the cat they appeared to be fighting together.

Cloudtail let out a snort. “Never thought I would be fighting dead cats.”

“To be fair,” Brightheart mewed, “nor did I.”

A growl sounded beside Lionblaze. “I wish Tigerstar would show his face,” Brambleclaw muttered as he pushed another warrior away. For a moment, it seemed as though the Dark Forest cats were holding back from their den. “I’d love to have the chance to take him on.”

“You and me both,” Lionblaze grunted. He hadn’t even noticed the leader’s disappearance, but indeed he didn’t seem to be anywhere around the clearing. Coward. He had said it himself earlier, he wanted Firestar, maybe all of Thunderclan, to already be beaten before he crushed them. He couldn’t even stand to fight alongside the cats he had tricked.

“What was that about Tigerstar?” Ferncloud barely poked her head out from just inside the den.

“He’s not here,” Dustpelt responded with a snort. “He’s either gone to one of the other clans or he’s waiting for us to be weakened before he makes his move.”

“Piece of fox-dung,” Ferncloud muttered quietly.

“At least we’re safer for now,” Daisy pointed out. “No cat has even come close to breaking into the nursery.”

“And they won’t,” Dustpelt finished. “Not on our watch.”

Brambleclaw nodded. “If Tigerstar thinks we’ll be beaten before he can even arrive, he really must be a mouse-brain.”

Ferncloud’s gaze darkened. “Tigerstar was many things, but mouse-brained wasn’t one of them,” she murmured. “He may be underestimating us, but I can’t imagine him abandoning his own army without reason.”

“Especially considering who’s here,” Brambleclaw added. “Firestar, me, the three, I can imagine he would have qualms with many cats here.”

“He was a Thunderclan cat, once,” Ferncloud reminded them, glancing quickly at Dustpelt. “That gave him time to make many…well, more personal enemies.”

Daisy shook out her fur. “Wherever he’s gone, we need to focus for now. If he comes back, we can be ready for him, but the battle hasn’t stopped yet.”

Almost as if on cue, at that moment a black she-cat burst into camp: Pinenose, Shadowclan’s messenger. She looked around the camp for a moment but, seeing as the nursery was the closest of the occupied dens and also the least surrounded at that moment, it was inevitable that she would choose towards them. Although, on second thought, maybe it had more to do with Tawnypelt, her clanmate, being beside them. 

Pinenose’s wild gaze was only broken by what looked like tears forming at the edges of her blue eyes. “Blackstar lost a life!” she whispered frantically. “Shadowclan was being overrun when I left. We need help, quickly!”

Oh Starclan, no!  

Tawnypelt had already stepped up to stand before Pinenose before he even had time to let the shock register on his face. “Who all was hurt?”

“I-I don’t know,” Pinenose shook her head. “I didn’t stay long enough to see. As soon as Blackstar went down I knew I had to go to the other clans as soon as I could.”

Tawnypelt dipped her head. “You did the right thing. Go warn Windclan. I’ll send over a patrol from here.”

With only a quick nod to assure them that she had heard, Pinenose sprinted back out of camp, off towards the Windclan border.

How had Shadowclan been hit so hard? Thunderclan wasn’t flying free, but no cat had died yet, and it didn’t look as if any of the dens had been broken into. Some of the Dark Forest cats had even retreated outside of camp to recover before they came back. But Tigerstar isn’t here, he reminded himself. Like Ferncloud said, there had to be some reason behind that. And Thunderclan does have more cats than the others right now.

“We can spare some warriors here,” Brambleclaw promised his sister. “You should go help your clan.”

“I can come with you,” Graystripe offered. “I don’t know how much help I’ll be in a fight but I can carry cats to the medicine den easily.”

“Me too,” Lionblaze added. This was his job, right? Shadowclan needed help with fighting off their enemies, and he was the best cat in the clans to do that. Plus, he did owe it to them, after Russetfur. 

“Thank you both.” Tawnypelt blinked gratefully. Turning back to her brother, her gaze darkened. “Whenever you get a chance, can you tell Firestar where we’ve gone? I don’t want him to send too many cats away from your camp but-”

“He’d want to know,” Brambleclaw finished. “Of course.”

“And maybe-” Graystripe swiped a quick glance at the medicine den. “Could you tell Millie too? And Briarlight?”

Brambleclaw dipped his head in understanding. “As soon as they have a moment alone.”

“Toadstep-” Lionblaze turned to the black and white tom. “Can you take care of C-of the nursery while I’m gone?”

A small teasing smile appeared on Toadstep’s face, but he only dipped his head. “Obviously.”

“And I’ll take care of Toadstep,” Cinderheart added with a snort of amusement.

“Thank you,” Lionblaze purred, taking a moment to brush his neck against both of his friends’. “I’ll be back soon,” he promised.

Tawnypelt led the way as the three cats streamed through the forest, and Lionblaze had never been happier to have Shadowclan’s deputy with him to guide them through the forest. It had been a while since Lionblaze was in the Shadowclan camp, and he had never been there at night, and somehow the territory was even darker than usual, with long shadows coating the brush. From what he remembered, though, they had to be getting close: a good thing as he could hear Graystripe heaving beside him. The senior warrior had never been the best at speed or endurance, but there was a whisper of what resembled a wheeze to his breaths that reminded Lionblaze of how old the tom was getting. Maybe he could join the elders’ den with Millie soon after the battle. They definitely would have earned it.

Graystripe curled his lip. “Why are you looking at me like that? Come on! We’ve got a battle to fight.” He hared after Tawnypelt, crossing the last threshold into the camp.

As they crossed through the thorn tunnel, Lionblaze heard the screech of battle cries. Holes had been torn in the boundary. Outside, the bracken was crushed and spattered with blood. Swallowing against the stench of fear and Dark Forest scent, Lionblaze ducked through a gap in the brambles.

Nearly every cat in the clearing was injured, and they huddled around the medicine den, with only a few cats left to surround the elders’ den as Dark Forest cats had completely broken inside. 

A dark brown tom with a tabby tail, old, lay unmoving outside. “Snaketail…” Tawnypelt breathed, as if she couldn’t believe the old tom was dead. 

A ragged line of Shadowclan warriors stood facing the Dark Forest cats who hadn’t yet broken through, and Lionblaze spotted Bumblestripe alongside Pouncetail from Riverclan. “Agh!” The gray tabby tom exclaimed as a warrior swiped at him. In a moment though, he had caught Graystripe’s gaze from the entrance. “D-Dad?”

Graystripe nodded, a small smile cracking as he caught his son’s gaze.

For a moment, Lionblaze caught a flash of familiar dark tabby fur at the back of the clearing. Tigerstar?! The instant he noticed it, though, it flitted out of view, and the tom was gone. As Graystripe pulled up behind Lionblaze, a black and orange tom stomped out of the elders’ den with another elder between his teeth, this time a long-furred white she-cat.

“Whitewater!” Rowanclaw’s petrified shriek shook the air. “How could you?”

“You had your chance!” The fearsome tom growled. “We’ve given you a thousand chances to listen to us, and you never do. This is the only language you understand!”

“Guard Littlecloud,” Tawnypelt ordered quietly.

Graystripe nodded, immediately skirting around the edge of the clearing, pushing past the warriors and into the medicine den.

“Blackstar has fallen!” A scarred, ragged brown tabby spoke from the front of the Dark Forest pack. “Do you yield?”

“Never,” Tawnypelt stepped forward. “They still have me, remember.”

“And Blackstar isn’t finished!” Scorchfur added. “You may have taken a life but he has nine to defend us with, unlike you.”

The Shadowclan leader’s ear flicked just as he stood again, stretching out one shoulder at a time until he was prepared to stare straight back at the intruders. “And I’m…not going down without a fight,” he meowed, his voice husky but stilled with certainty.

The orange and black tom laughed heartily. “You really don’t know who you’re dealing with, do you?” he hissed. “I am Ripplestar, once a Shadowclan leader like you. I was given the same lives as you have.”

The ragged tabby shot him a quick glare. “And we don’t have to be a leader to live through this,” he cut in. “My name is Shredtail, not a leader or even a deputy when I was alive, but more than ready to fight for what I believe in, and now, that fight can last forever. Spirits cannot die again. It would be wise for you to give up before you lose more of your own.”

“Not every spirit is on your side,” hissed a tan and white she-cat. Was this that cat Ivypool contacted? Fawn…step or something?

Shredtail looked from side to side. “I don’t see anyone else with you, Fawnstar. Perhaps you’ve made a mistake?”

Fawn-star? let out a growl of frustration. “I had allies. You’ve separated them from me.”

“Or maybe,” Ripplestar mused. “You thought your asinine quest would have more support than it truly did. Now, enough of this. If Shadowclan still wishes to fight, we can give them their wish.”

Taking it as an order, the Dark Forest patrols sprinted back into motion. Dawnpelt, Scorchfur, and Starlingwing stood side by side with Leaftail of Windclan, keeping tight and slashing furiously against a river of stinking pelts as Graystripe and Snowbird ushered injured into the medicine den for Littlecloud’s treatment. Shrewfoot and Olivenose pressed together at the entrance to the elders’ den, determined to not let any more cats get through.

Feeling his chest tighten, Lionblaze spotted Rosepetal fighting back to back with a Windclan she-cat, on the Dark Forest’s side. Icewing was there from Riverclan, Harespring and Antpelt had joined from Windclan. I’m glad Ivypool isn’t here to see this, he thought suddenly. He didn’t know what he would do if he had to come face to face with Russetfur again. But most harrowing of all was that Redwillow and Tigerheart were here, fighting against their own clanmates.

“Redwillow, please!” Olivenose cried. “Whitewater was your mentor. Surely you see that this is only hurting the cats you love.”

“This is the only way to save the cats I love!” he hissed.

“Redwillow,” Shredtail called to him, causing the mottled tom to instantly look in his direction, as if waiting for an order. “He’s yours. I won’t steal this chance from you again.”

Redwillow’s eyes blazed with an eagerness, almost a hunger as he dashed off towards his weakened leader. Blackstar limped up to meet him, the scent of death still on him.

Snowbird stepped in his way. “Blackstar, I think he really means to fight you.”

“I know he does,” Blackstar declared. “But I am still leader of this clan. I need to do something.”

“Bravato is all you have.” Redwillow let out a snort. “You’ve proved too many times that you don’t have the real strength that it would take to lead this clan.” 

In a flash, he lunged towards his leader, grasping his neck in both outstretched paws and using all of his muscle to push forward until Blackstar staggered just enough to fall. “I only wish I had been able to do this earlier, before Russetfur died,” he hissed. “She was always ready to lead this clan, even when you weren’t. But even Tawnystar would be a better name to champion than yours.”

Lionblaze felt the impulse to rush towards them, but there was a chance he couldn’t make it in time, and an even higher chance that he would accidentally kill Redwillow or Blackstar along the way. Russetfur’s form flashed before his eyes for a moment, but he shook it away. I can’t just stand here! He told himself. I came to help.

Before he could reach the toms, though, Redwillow had already raised his paw to come down into Blackstar’s neck, and a different warrior managed to dive between them, taking the brunt of Redwillow’s strike before he pushed the mottled tom back. Leaftail? Blood gushed from the wound Redwillow had inflicted, pulsing onto the forest floor. Redwillow stared in astonishment, trying to catch his breath, but Leaftail quickly collapsed. “Mouse-brain!” he cried with some difficulty. “Why would you-”

“You’re wrong,” was all the Windclan tom managed to force out.

Blackstar stood, facing his warrior with a strength he didn’t have before. “The clans can come together,” he declared, perhaps finishing Leaftail’s thought. “We can cover each other's weaknesses and be strong. You have shown, though, that you cannot be a part of that. You cannot trust that we are capable of change, and so cannot change yourself.” With a flash, the leader bared his teeth and sliced into the chest of the mottled tom.

Redwillow glanced down at the gash. Legs buckling, he collapsed. As his head thumped onto the pine needles, his eyes rolled and turned dull.

Ripplestar turned on Blackstar. “You killed my loyal warrior!”

Blackstar met his gaze, unflinching. “I’ve killed one traitor. But our fight is not done.”

Ripplestar’s eyes lit. “Perhaps you missed it earlier, as you were lying defeated, but I cannot be killed.”

“Perhaps,” Blackstar admitted. “But I don’t see myself losing to you again.”

Not wanting to waste another moment, Lionblaze launched himself at a nearby Dark Forest cat, a warm gray tom whose sleek tail had a patch of fur torn from it already. A weak spot. Twisting around, he gripped the tom’s tail in his teeth and yanked it backwards, throwing him off balance enough for Lionblaze to get a strike in before he was able to hiss back.

“Fawnstar!” A she-cat’s voice cried out from behind him. Lionblaze could only catch a brief glimpse of her pale brown fur as he wrestled with his own opponent. “What are you doing? Let Wrenskip go!”

“If I thought they wouldn’t attack any more Shadowclan cats, I would,” Fawnwhatever growled.

“They’re our friend!” It was a tom who complained this time, a light brown tom with a long tooth protruding from his mouth.

“I’m not friends with any of you,” Fawn could-someone-please-just-tell-me-her-name responded. “Not anymore. And it’s Fawnskip again now; I’m done with deluding myself over my past. I’m just sorry I led the two of you along the same path I took.”

Fawnskip! That was it. He turned his attention back to the warm gray tom, letting the words pass through his ears as he puffed up his fur, standing as a firm wall that prevented the Dark Forest cat’s exit.

“Fox-dung to that!” the pale she-cat swore. “I didn’t regret being here! We’re finally getting what we wanted: the chance to change the rules forever!”

“And you’re killing cats to do it!” Fawnskip shot back.

“We’ve both killed cats before,” the pale brown she-cat hissed.

“And don’t you regret it?” 

“That’s it,” the white cat, Wrenskip, let out a snort. “If you aren’t going to listen, then we’ll fight, right?”

The warm gray tom he faced seemed to have taken one too many blows, as his wild eyes oscillated between anger and fear. “What is wrong with you?” he growled. “Why won’t you die?”

“I have the power of the stars,” Lionblaze answered ominously. “Whatever you do, you cannot stop me."

In any other case, that might have been a difficult sentiment to believe, but now the warm gray tom’s face lit up with realization. “You’re-” He shook his head. “Well at least I kept you distracted.” Giving one last hiss, he turned to join another of the cats on his side instead, leaving Lionblaze to look around for what the tom could have been referring to.

After only a few heartbeats though, he found it, and his heart dropped. At the entrance to the prickly bush that made up Shadowclan’s medicine den, a ginger tom lay bloody and unmoving, and Lionblaze caught the whip of a brown tabby tail inside. They broke in. There was only an instant for Lionblaze to register the thought before he sprinted over. He met Snowbird’s gaze for a moment from outside and the she-cat nodded, indicating that Starlingwing was, in fact, dead. I have to stop this!  

Inside, Littlecloud and Ivytail had pressed themselves against the store of herbs and bared his teeth in a hiss while Shredtail stood in front of him with a long-furred golden she-cat pinned under his paws. “No!” Ivytail’s cry came too late as Shredtail dug his claws into the she-cat, causing her to shriek in pain as the blood came streaming out of her. 

“That should be enough,” Shredtail meowed casually, stepping off to turn his attention back to the other cats in the den. “Now, let me through to those herbs.”

“Never,” Littlecloud hissed.

Ivytail snarled. “You have bees in your brain if you think we’d let you destroy our herbs.”

“That’s too bad,” Shredtail sighed. “Two more then. Shall we begin with Littlecloud? I’d hate to take away the possibility of more kits, but I’m not above killing a queen.”

“No!” Lionblaze sprang between them. “Fight me!” He narrowed his eyes at Shredtail. “Or maybe you’d rather turn tail like your clanmate did.”

Shredtail whipped around to face him. “I know who you are. But I have come too far and taken too many lives to be scared of a simple tom like you.” With a hiss, the ragged tabby leapt at him.

Lionblaze felt the thud of muscle against his chest, surprised for a moment by Shredtail’s strength. He dug his hind claws hard into the needle-strewn earth and reared up, ready to swipe Shredtail’s muzzle. But Shredtail backed away and crouched down, his eyes gleaming as if he knew every move that Lionblaze would make.

Lionblaze paused. Shredtail thinks he can win. Doubt pricked his belly. He batted it away and attacked. Hurling himself at Shredtail, he twisted and hooked a paw around Shredtail’s forelegs.

Shredtail hopped backward. “I may not be able to hurt you but I can stop you from interfering with my work.” He lunged for Lionblaze’s throat. Lionblaze dodged just in time, flinching at the snap of empty jaws beside his ear. He stood up on his back legs, ready to slam Shredtail with his forepaws, but Shredtail spun away too quickly and thrust his hind paws into Lionblaze’s belly so hard it sent him stumbling backward.

Shredtail lashed his tail. “When are you going to start fighting like a real warrior?”

“Now!” I have tricks you don’t know either. If he couldn’t kill Shredtail, there was no need to hold back. Focusing for a moment, he let his fur prick up, feeling comforted by the sharp edges he now knew could aid him. 

As Lionblaze leaped forward, the ragged tabby stretched out his paws to catch him, but he flinched back as those paws connected with his fur. “Mph!” He quickly stifled his wince, glaring back at Lionblaze, he gripped the golden tom against the pain and bared his teeth. They had been stained with blood. The blood of Starlingwing, Kinkfur, and who knew how many cats before them.

Energy surged beneath Lionblaze’s pelt. Exploding from the ground, he sunk his teeth deep into Shredtail’s throat while pine needles showered around them. The softness of flesh in his mouth and the taste of blood made him gag, but he held on, tearing deeper and deeper until, gurgling and thrashing, Shredtail collapsed and disappeared. Back to the Dark Forest, he knew. Good riddance. Even if it was only for a few minutes, Shadowclan would have time to recover too, with less opposition.

“T-Thank you,” Littlecloud stammered.

Ivytail dipped her head, but appeared to be choosing a less sentimental approach. “How long do you think he’ll be gone for?”

“Not forever.” It was Blackstar who answered in place of him. “But enough time for us to push them back.” The Shadowclan leader hadn’t completely healed. One of his ears had a raw nick in it and there was a scratch along his shoulder, but he stood tall. “Lionblaze? I’m proud to fight beside you.” He nodded toward the battle. “Now shall we get rid of these other fox-hearts?”

Lionblaze dipped his head. “With pleasure.”

The battle outside still raged, even with Shredtail’s disappearance. Tawnypelt had both moved to join the remaining Shadowclan cats and visitors from the other clans by the elders’ den, and only a couple of skirmishes were going on away from the dens.

However, just outside, there was a new addition that felt like a stab in Lionblaze’s head. In addition to Starlingwing’s body, there was a new, familiar lifeless figure. Graystripe…how?  

“He was up against two of the Dark Forest cats,” Scorchfur explained, seeing his expression. “They were trying to get in to help Shredtail, but he managed to fight them off.”

“But he died,” Lionblaze breathed, hardly believing it himself.

“As a hero,” Snowbird promised. “Shadowclan will never forget what we owe him.”

“No…” Bumblestripe’s faint mew almost seemed like a gasp. Shrewfoot braced to give him support as he nearly fell backwards.

“Do you need any more reinforcements?” Tawnypelt called after a moment.

Blackstar turned back to the medicine den, taking stock of the cats still there. Other than Littlecloud and Ivytail inside, only Snowbird, Scorchfur, Pouncetail, and Lionblaze and Blackstar themselves were there. The rest of their guard had moved further into the clearing or… Lionblaze shook his head, trying to look away from Starlingwing and Graystripe’s bodies as they were carried off to the side to rest until the battle was over.

Blackstar nodded, although no words emerged from his throat as he looked at how thin Tawnypelt’s forces had become as well.

“I’ll stay with you,” Fawnskip cut in.

Blackstar narrowed his eyes. “You think I would let one of you guard my cats?”

“I’ve been fighting on your side through this whole battle,” Fawnskip shot back. “So bite your stubborn mouse-brained tongue and let cats who are willing to help you save your lives.”

“We can trust her,” Lionblaze offered. However prickly she was, if Ivypool had trusted her, he was sure they could too. Besides, she had fought for them already.

Blackstar stared at him, and then Fawnskip, for a moment, but eventually dipped his head. “Very well,” he growled. He shook his head, ready to change the topic. “Where did Dawnpelt run off too? She was meant to be standing guard here as well.”

“Blackstar…” Snowbird tapped his shoulder, gesturing with her chin across the clearing, to where Dawnpelt stood face to face with… Tigerheart?  

“I’ve tried to help you, over and over!” Dawnpelt cried, circling her brother.

“I didn’t need your help!” Tigerheart protested.

“Obviously you did,” Dawnpelt hissed. “It’s not as if I don’t understand, Tigerheart. I spent just as much time with Thunderclan as you did; I even admired some of the cats there, just as you did. But we are Shadowclan cats and we have to act like it.”

“Why do Shadowclan cats have to be this, though!?” Tigerheart’s brow furrowed in worry. “Pushing the other clans away, ignoring the feelings we have for each other, never asking for help until our clan genuinely has been destroyed! Would you have ever gone after Jayfeather if you weren’t so caught up in the other clans being our enemies?”

“Tigerheart!” Ripplestar marched up behind the brown tabby. “We’ve done enough talking. You know they won’t listen to us without a statement.”

“I-I can’t fight her though,” Tigerheart breathed. “She’s my sister. A-And she’s seen more of the world than most of my clanmates; I know she can come around.”

“I will not!” Dawnpelt hissed quickly. “The cats you’ve allied with, the cause you champion, I can’t accept any of it.”

“You see?” Ripplestar cut in. “But it’s all right if you cannot take this particular fight. We’ll simply have another cat step in for you.” Flicking his tail, he called Antpelt over, as well as the pale brown she-cat who had spoken with Fawnskip earlier.

Quick as a hare, they surrounded the cream she-cat, striking her from both sides with Ripplestar covering the third so it was impossible for her to dive away. As they held her, Ripplestar padded up and dug his claws into her throat from the back, holding on for a few moments too long.

“No…” The squeak of disbelief left Tigerheart’s mouth. “R-Antpelt! How could you-”

“It’s all right,” the Windclan tom assured him. “The same happened to me once, but it really is okay. She’ll go to Starclan, live in peace there, and we can have our paradise here.”

“But-” This time it was Rosepetal who spoke as she approached. “We wanted her to share that world with us.”

The Windclan she-cat with her dipped her head in mourning. “Our paradise wouldn’t be complete if the very cats we conceived it with can’t be here.”

“Sunstrike…” Antpelt breathed, his face falling. “I-I didn’t know. But come on, you heard her just now. She sounded just like-”

“And I wouldn’t want to kill him either,” Sunstrike cut him off. “He’s a stubborn mouse-brain, but I want to prove him wrong about us. I can’t do that if we become the monsters they imagined us to be.”

“Not all of us are,” Tigerheart insisted. “But…maybe there’s a line cutting us off from cats who want our paradise, but don’t care who is able to join them in it.”

“Redwillow tried to kill me,” Blackstar cut in darkly. “More of the Dark Forest cats have killed our clanmates. Look at the damage they have brought! You cannot possibly believe they care about any of us.”

“They…care about us,” Antpelt protested softly. 

“Of course we do,” Ripplestar cut in. “You’ve known since the beginning what the price would be for our family to finally change the world. It may be painful, but it also must be done.”

“No.” Tigerheart mewed, taking a moment to furrow his brow before he looked straight at the leader. “It doesn’t have to be done. You know Dawnpelt was one of the cats most likely to join us, outside of the Dark Forest. She was my sister. she was Sunstrike and Rosepetal’s friend. I told you that, and you had her killed anyway.”

Rosepetal dipped her head. “Tigerheart is right. You shouldn’t have killed Dawnpelt, unless, in truth, you wanted to.”

“Have you been lying to us?” Sunstrike demanded. “How much of this was a lie?”

“Well-” Ripplestar held up his paw. “It is possible that I could have made a better choice in this particular case but I wouldn’t say that means-”

“In a lot of cases,” Icewing cut in. “It seems we do have different goals after all. I admired your initiative, you know. I had thought you had changed the direction of your determination. But you still relish in needlessly taking the lives of others just to prove yourself.”

“Did…did I not have to die either?” Antpelt breathed.

“Of course not!” Harespring cried. “You have no idea how much I wish you could have stayed with me, here."

“But I’m still-” Antpelt shook his head. “I’m a member of the Dark Forest now. I can’t come back with you, even if I-”

“You don’t have to,” Fawnskip cut in. “We can’t change what we did, or what happened to us, but we can do what we believe to be right now.”

“May we join you then?” A dark tortoiseshell she-cat stepped out from the crowd, alongside a black tom with white socks. “I think both of us have had enough needless violence for a lifetime.”

“Multiple lifetimes,” the black tom corrected. “And we apologize for the death of your warrior.” He gestured towards Graystripe’s body. Were they the ones who killed him?

Fawnskip let out a snort, but eventually dipped your head. “No cat is beyond the possibility of a second chance, or a third. Though I wouldn’t ask for too much trust until you’ve earned it.”

The tortoiseshell she-cat nodded hurriedly. “I would expect as much.”

“Tigerheart?” Icewing shifted her attention to the dark brown tabby. “Shall we?”

“Me?” He narrowed his eyes in confusion.

“It’s your clan,” Icewing explained. “If any of the trainees here were to make the call, it should be you.”

“Right…” Tigerheart shook out his fur. “Well then, let’s drive these cats from our camp!”

The clearing quickly erupted into growls and skirmishes once more, but with so many trainees and Dark Forest cats switching sides, the balance was tilted in the other direction. Blackstar broke off as he came near. “You may return to your own clan.” His request had the done of an order. “Shadowclan has no need for the extra help now.”

Lionblaze dipped his head. “If you’re sure.”

“I am,” Blackstar meowed immediately.

“Lionblaze?” Tawnypelt’s mew took him by surprise. He turned and saw the orange and black warrior rushing up to him with Bumblestripe at her side. “Can you give my regards to my brother? I’d like to stay and fight with Shadowclan, if it’s all right.”

Lionblaze dipped his head. “Of course.” With only one of her kits left alive, and so many of her clanmates in danger, it was no wonder she wanted to stay, even as the tide of battle turned. “Do you want to come, Bumblestripe?”

The gray tom paused for a moment, but eventually shook his head. “I still want to help out here. And then maybe…maybe I could be the one to bring dad home after all of this?”

Blackstar nodded. “Make sure Firestar knows of Graystripe’s bravery today. His and Leaftail’s bodies will be sent to their clans as soon as this mess has been dealt with.”

“Tell Blossomfall,” Bumblestripe added. “If you see her, anyway. Maybe she’ll see what the…what her friends are really doing.”

“I will,” Lionblaze promised. “Let’s just hope we can end it quickly from here.”

“That is our job,” Blackstar declared. “It will be endless if every cat doesn’t find a way out.”

“But we will,” Lionblaze answered. The Dark Forest wasn’t invincible. They couldn’t be stopped, but stalling was a possibility, and both the living and dead could be convinced to join their side. “Good luck here.”

Blackstar dipped his head, already turning back towards the hoard of cats in his camp. “To you as well.”

Chapter Text

The battle was already raging in Windclan when Pinenose showed up at their camp, and Onestar was busy fighting off with a thin gray tabby tom, Maggottail based on his introduction. “Onestar!” Hollyleaf called, flicking with her tail towards the other black she-cat and diving in to take his place in the fight so he could speak with her. He needed to speak with his messenger, but she wasn’t going to leave the medicine cat’s den unattended.

Maggottail was no easy match, as she would expect of the elites leading this battle, but he seemed to be relying more on quick movements and reflexes than brute force or tight techniques. It was effective in his paws, but not like any full grown warrior she was used to fighting. Who had he been in life?

His eyes were easier to track as well. They scanned her wildly as he tried to calculate a decent place to aim, and finally settled on what Hollyleaf was sure, to him, was the easiest or most efficient option. As expected, he rapidly made a dive for her throat, but she dropped down, flat against the ground, leading him to fly over her head, only managing to draw a scratch along her back before he landed. “Did they not teach you to fight in the Dark Forest?” she hissed.

“I’ve made my own way,” was all he growled simply.

“Then let’s see if your way can compete with mine,” Hollyleaf responded. She had all of her clan’s techniques behind her, and some from her time in exile. She had no intention of losing to him. He had easily identified all of her weakest areas: her neck, stomach, even narrowing in on her whiskers, sensitive for most cats but especially for her after using them so extensively in the tunnels. His vicious style of fighting didn’t leave much room to hide his intentions, but if he could hit even once, it would hurt. Which means I can’t let him hit once. It wasn’t a technique she would usually employ on such a lithe cat, but now, she dodged to the side, attempting to find a blind spot at his backside quick enough to launch herself onto his back, out of range of his claws and teeth.

However, as she crossed out of his vision, Maggottail whipped around to face her again. “You must be mistaking me for a mouse-brain,” he chided. “I’m not some mindless brute. I can kill you later, when you aren’t looking.” Failing to explain any further, he turned and fled towards the elders’ den instead.

“Nice one,” Crowfeather grunted from beside her, though even now he didn’t meet her gaze.

Hollyleaf let out a snort. “I don’t need your thanks,” she muttered.

Onestar was returning anyway, and the dark gray tom seemed more than ready to turn his attention away from Hollyleaf. “What did Pinenose want?”

“Shadowclan isn’t doing well,” Onestar explained, “but we can’t spare any warriors at the moment. It sounded as if Thunderclan was sending some cats anyway.”

Hollyleaf had to hope they would do all right in Shadowclan. Much as it worried her to hear another clan doing badly in such a short period of time, Onestar was likely correct. Both dens Windclan was guarding were overloaded with warriors, and even the living trainees were fighting on the Dark Forest’s side. Birchfall and Foxleap were fighting with a Shadowclan she-cat and a Riverclan apprentice, but they seemed caught up in fighting the Windclan cats and refused to even meet her gaze.

“Foxleap!” she called, galloping over to stand between him and Whitetail. They had been apprentices together, even if for a short time. He couldn’t simply ignore who he was fighting. “You don’t honestly think this is right, do you?”

Foxleap’s eyes briefly widened as he met her gaze, but he quickly shook his head. “Don’t you? After everything you’ve done, I thought you would understand why the rules need to change.”

“But not like this!” Hollyleaf protested. 

“Not like what?” Birchfall cut in. “I’m trying to give my daughters the world they deserve. Look, I know it’s a fight. I wish it didn’t have to be but-”

“It doesn’t have to be!” Sedgewhisker’s firm mew seemed to answer her from outside the elders’ den. The brown tabby stood with Swallowtail as they had been left face to face with Gorsetail. Their mother! Hollyleaf remembered. The kits she and her brother had once saved had certainly grown, into members of the Dark Forest’s army. 

“Please,” Swallowtail begged. “I know you wouldn’t accept any help from Brokenstar but can’t you trust us?”

Sedgewhisker nodded, pressing helpfully against her sister. “We’ve thought about this for a long time, before any of these cats showed up in our dreams. There have been cracks in our world since before we were born. We’re going to break unless we make something new.”

Gorsetail’s blue eyes flitted from one daughter to the other, but within a few heartbeats she had bowed her head. “I’m disappointed in you,” she meowed quietly. “I knew you were free spirits but I would never have expected you to turn on your own, or to champion the cause of that monster.” A growl entered her voice as glared at Brokenstar, fighting only a couple of tail-lengths away. “Is this because of Thistleheart? Is it because of your father?”

“What?” Sedgewhisker’s’s gaze filled with genuine confusion. “Mom what are you-”

“It doesn’t matter,” Gorsetail cut her off, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I was a hare-brain to think even they would be able to tell you something like that.”

“Mom we-” Sedgewhisker’s breath caught in her throat. “Thistleheart has nothing to do with this. I’m sure they would have joined us if they had lived long enough, but they never got a chance.”

Hollyleaf watched as Swallowtail’s head dipped down. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing quickened. “Maybe we shouldn’t have gotten into this,” she whispered.

“No.” Sedgewhisker laid her tail on her sister’s shoulder. “This is what we’ve been working for. We can finally get the answers we need, even from our mom.”

Breezepelt tore away from Dapplenose of Riverclan to meet Sedgewhisker’s gaze. “I might already know,” he hissed, his glare turning towards Gorsetail. “Maybe Crowfeather wasn’t the only disloyal warrior in this clan.”

“She’s not disloyal!” an elder growled from inside. “You know how Windclan has been, Breezepelt. Some of us found mates outside the clans, but we never chose them over our clan. We needed kits.”

“Windclan has been…broken, some would say, for quite a while,” Ashfoot admitted. “We don’t hold ill will towards those who have brought our clan life.”

“I’m not suggesting she found a loner like you did, Webfoot,” Breezepelt shot back. “If she’s so keen to hide it, maybe she did find a mate in the clans…just not her own.”

Swallowtail’s jaw dropped open. “Mom…is he….?”

Gorsetail stared at her in silence for a moment, before dipping her head. “Your father was a tom named Beechfur, from Riverclan. We met on the Great Journey, but I promise you it never went further than that. He didn’t even know that I had his kits, and we never spoke again-”

“Beechfur…” Sedgewhisker breathed her father’s name. 

Hollyleaf felt a surge of sympathy, thrusting her back into the feelings she first had, seasons ago, when she learned of her own parentage. Maybe it wasn’t as uncommon as I believed it to be, back then. She hadn’t even known of the many cats in Windclan who had found mates in loners. How many more cats across the clans were half-clan, without even their knowledge? 

“He caught greencough,” Sedgewhisker continued. “Didn’t he? Mistystar said he died, before Otterheart became deputy.”

Gorsetail nodded. “He did. But I’m sure he’s watching you now, from Starclan.”

“Is he?” Swallowtail meowed quietly. “By your rules, shouldn’t he have gone to the Dark Forest with us? He broke the code, right?”

“Oh, no, sweetie no,” Gorsetail soothed. “Starclan judges cats’ hearts. They don’t send cats away for the smallest of slights.”

“That is such a load of fox-dung!” Breezepelt growled furiously. 

“Breezepelt,” Nightcloud stretched out her paw to her son. “Calm down. You don’t need to do this.”

“Yes I do,” Breezepelt hissed. “There are no rules anymore! No cat cares! All of you should just go off and have fun in Starclan; leave us alone!” Raising his paw in the air, he flexed out his claws, lashing them down on the Riverclan she-cat in front of him.

Dapplenose! The mottled gray she-cat collapsed before them, the color quickly draining from her face as her eyes glazed over.

Brokenstar padded up behind them, his stiff face curling into a momentary smile as he saw the tom’s work. “Well said,” he meowed. “Let’s burn them to the ground. They have their own sanctuary to return to, but this world should belong to us.” 

He flicked his tail, signaling a gray point she-cat and a sturdy brown tom to rush behind him and continue their attempts to break into the elders’ den. Brokenstar himself stalked forward towards Ashfoot, his lip curling into a snarl as he met the deputy’s confident gaze. Without a word, he dove forward, gripping her neck between his paws to pull her back into a wrestle that drifted further and further from the den. 

An older, dark ginger she-cat blocked Hollyleaf’s view, briefly reminiscent of her mother before she caught sight of the almost-red amber eyes. The she-cat, whoever she was, bared her teeth at Hollyleaf and aimed a blow on her shoulder with her outstretched claws. Hollyleaf ducked away a heartbeat too late and instead felt the claws rake into her cheek. She winced audibly, choosing to take the energy from her fall to swipe at the she-cat’s paws, causing her to fall forward and giving Hollyleaf a single moment to notice as more Dark Forest cats flooded in behind them. 

Foxleap had joined the Riverclan apprentice in fighting Whiskernose. Onestar was now being fended off by Birchfall and that Shadowclan cat working together. Owlwhisker and Whitetail stood back to back as they fended off a pair of warriors, pitch black and bright white respectively, and both Crowfeather and Emberfoot were outnumbered two to one by oncoming cats. Starclan help us, she prayed silently, more out of reflex than anything else. Starclan couldn’t help them now, not until they managed to help themselves.

The dark ginger she-cat had recovered enough to leap towards Hollyleaf, landing on her back just as the black she-cat had intended to do earlier. Hollyleaf felt the she-cat’s claws dig into her shoulders and hips and felt a yowl of pain bubble to the tip of her mouth. She managed to contain most of the sound, but a squeak still emitted from her. 

I need to get her off! Leaning forwards to give herself some extra tension, Hollyleaf launched herself backwards, falling back onto the she-cat and causing her to hop off with a yelp as her tail and one of her legs were caught under Hollyleaf’s form. As quickly as she could, Hollyleaf too rolled off and stood again. That was risky, she reminded herself. If any cat had caught her while she was on her back, they would have full access to her stomach. But it worked.

Hearing a screech from her side, Hollyleaf saw Emberfoot collapse under a dark gray she-cat’s weight and blood quickly streamed out from his stomach. Not for everyone, though!  

Owlwhisker’s eyes lit with panic as he saw the same, and Whitetail rushed to take his place in fighting both the pitch black and bright white Dark Forest warriors while Owlwhisker carried his son inside the medicine den. It’ll be okay, Hollyleaf told herself. We knew there were risks. That’s what Kestrelflight is for.

Maybe they were doing better at the elders’ den? After another swipe at the dark ginger she-cat and one more against the dark gray she-cat that had taken Emberfoot, Hollyleaf stole a glance over to the other den. The gray-point she-cat had reared up to launch into a fight with Gorsetail, the sturdy brown tom was taking on Nightcloud, and Breezepelt faced off with Willowclaw with a spotted rusty she-cat at his side while Sedgewhisker and Swallowtail, their regret melting slowly off their faces, stood up to Toadfoot. Every warrior was occupied, if not outnumbered. The elders’ den was free for any cat to take, and Hollyleaf could spot Maggottail slithering inside. The elders!

Was she meant to leave her post? It wasn’t as if they were doing any better over here, especially with Emberfoot pulled into the medicine den. Only six warriors, herself included, were fighting on Windclan’s side. Kestrelflight wouldn’t be able to treat anyone if he was fending off attacks himself. But he also couldn’t treat the elders if they were dead before he reached them, and all of the cats by the elders’ den were too busy to help.

Feeling her breaths quicken, Hollyleaf ducked her head into the medicine den behind her.

“-sorry.” She heard Kestrelflight’s desperate apology. “I’m so so sorry.”

Owlwhisker stared, petrified, at his son’s still body while Kestrelflight sobbed beside him. “He’s…” Hollyleaf couldn’t bear to say it. It had only been a few moments.

“Dead.” Owlwhisker finished. The tears threatened to well at the corners of his eyes too, but instead he fixed his gaze back on Hollyleaf, blazing with fury. “We have to win this,” he growled, “whatever it takes.”

Hollyleaf nodded firmly. “Of course.” 

She turned, taking in a deep breath before she let her attention go back to the battle before them. To her horror, she already saw Maggottail dragging the limp body of an elder out of his den. Webfoot! But the terror didn’t quite get to stop there, as Brokenstar finally marched back towards them as well, leaving Ashfoot, with a vacant stare and blood dripping from her neck and mouth, behind him. Finally Hollyleaf’s attention was stolen by Gorsetail’s screech of pain as the gray point she-cat shook her by the scruff, digging deeper and deeper into her neck as she flailed frantically, trying to break free but only making her cuts dig deeper. 

The broken bodies filled her mind, each bleeding out with intention and malice behind them. Her mind flashed unwillingly back to Ashfur’s body, lying by the river where she had left him. No. She told herself firmly. Not now. Windclan needed her to have a clear head. They had lost their deputy, an elder, and two more respected warriors. If they had been outnumbered before, they had no chance now. Maybe we should have asked Pinenose to take a message to Thunderclan for us, she thought grimly, trying to contain her panic.

There was only one way to help this turn in her favor: if cats started fighting for different sides. She could make an attempt with Foxleap and Birchfall again, and she would have to as soon as she could figure out how, but there was only one cat in this camp whose turmoil she was intimately familiar with to any extent, one cat who she knew she had a chance of reaching. I have to talk to Breezepelt.  

It was a bit of a challenge to navigate out of the way of the medicine den, but as she met gazes with Owlwhisker, the older tabby tom nodded once and slid into her place. The elders’ den did only have three guards around it now. If she could draw some of the Dark Forest warriors and trainees away, the remaining guards could move Tornear into the medicine den so they could consolidate their protection. And maybe, just maybe, they could get a few more guards on their side as well.

“Breezepelt!” She called to announce her approach, an awful decision strategically but she was trying to open a conversion with him anyway. 

The black tom whipped around, leaving the spotted red she-cat to fight with Willowclaw as he turned his attention onto Hollyleaf herself. “Hollyleaf.” He spit out her name as if it were dung stuck in his mouth. “They even let you fight here?”

“The clans are working together,” Hollyleaf answered, trying to take the perspective off of her. “They’re changing. They’re willing to keep changing, if you, all of you, help to figure out how.”

“I didn’t want anything to change!” Breezepelt hissed. “Not like this. Not for you. Everything has been going wrong!”

Hollyleaf dipped her head shakily. “I understand,” she meowed quietly. “I felt the same way, like the world was warping and my paws were coming out from under me. I didn’t know what was true or who I was anymore, and in that state, I did some things that I will forever regret.” She let in a slow inhale. “But I’ve learned to do better, to be better. The world we knew as kits is falling away, but that means we get to choose what replaces it. You don’t really want a world ruled by Brokenstar, Tigerstar, and the rest, do you?” 

For a moment, Breezepelt stayed silent, even as his pelt bristled. Maybe she had a real chance to help him. “You can come back from this,” she continued. “I’m sure of it. You don’t have to become the monster just because it’s what you’ve judged yourself to be.”

Breezepelt’s yellow eyes seemed to flare with a warmer shade. “I’ve never been a monster!” he hissed. “It wasn’t me. It was never me. You’re the one who ruined everything! You and Crowfeather and Leafpool and your mouse-dung brothers have ruined my life. Now you’re just trying to ruin me again!”

He launched himself at her and quickly pushed Hollyleaf to the ground. The black she-cat held up her paws to keep him from reaching her throat but kept her claws sheathed. This won’t work if I can’t prove I’m not his enemy.  

Breezepelt let out a growl of frustration, lurching his head forward towards her neck. Hollyleaf yanked herself out of the way just in time to avoid his teeth. “Fight me!” he demanded, digging his back claws into her legs.

Hollyleaf had to hold her breath as the pain rolled in waves through her head, but as soon she was able to take in a breath she hurled herself upwards, throwing Breezepelt off of her, though he twisted to land on his paws only a couple of tail-lengths away. “No,” she declared as soon as she could stand. “I’m not going to prove what you think about me. My brothers and I have done nothing to you; your life was always your own. No cat can choose the circumstances of their birth, but you can choose what you do now, and you, Breezepelt, have.”

“I chose my family!” Breezepelt shot back. “My real family, the cats that love and care for me instead of tossing me aside.”

“You did,” Hollyleaf heaved her agreement. “But it doesn’t mean you can’t make another choice now. You’ve killed someone Breezepelt. You’re fighting your own clanmates. Don’t you see where this path will lead you?”

Breezepelt’s amber eyes narrowed to slits. “Exactly where I want to go,” he hissed. As he spoke, his gaze flitted behind Hollyleaf, widening for a moment as he spotted something. 

Hollyleaf stole a glance behind her and, to her shock, saw a large brown and cream tom leading two she-cats, one a gray and white tabby and the other a tortoiseshell, as they all barrelled into camp. “Molepaw? Ivypool? Blossomfall? Where did you all come from?” 

“Riverclan,” Ivypool answered quickly. “They’re doing better now.”

Blossomfall nodded. “Otterheart is leading the trainees against the Dark Forest cats that won’t fight with them.”

“I’d like to pass along the news to Onestar or Ashfoot,” Molepaw explained, “If they’re free, anyway.”

Hollyleaf knew the grief had to be showing on her face, as Ivypool bowed her head. “I see,” she murmured. “Well then we had better work fast.”

“We can help here,” Blossomfall added. Nodding to Breezepelt as if she expected him to help, she sped off to the unguarded elders’ den, already batting the sturdy brown tom away as she spoke to Sedgewhisker and Swallowtail.

“It’s not just the trainees who can help us,” Ivypool continued as she scanned the clearing. “Thrushstar! Graywing! Beefur!” 

One by one, the spotted rusty she-cat, a silver tabby fighting against Crowfeather, and a muted gold she-cat battling with Owlwhisker paused, turning to look at Ivypool. She knows them, Hollyleaf realized. Hopefully that was a good thing.

“It’s all right,” the gray and white tabby continued, stepping towards them. “You’re not alone here. We don’t have to fight with them.”

The two cats by the medicine den met each others’ gazes, and then turned towards their partners in combat. The muted yellow cat, Beefur, Hollyleaf guessed, was the first to bare her teeth and leap at the other Dark Forest warrior, but Thrushstar and Graywing were quick to follow in her pawsteps, and as Blossomfall finished murmuring something to Swallowtail and Sedgewhisker, the pair of sisters stepped away from Toadfoot as well, turning instead towards the gray point she-cat who had killed their mother. Counting Ivypool and Blossomfall, the clan’s army now outnumbered the Dark Forest’s. 

“Dad!” Having dealt with her first order of business, Ivypool hurried towards her father. 

“Ivypool?” Birchfall leapt back. “What are you doing here?”

“Weren’t you sent to Riverclan?” Foxleap stepped in. “Did something happen? Are you in trouble?”

Ivypool shook her head. “Well, something did happen, but I’m not in trouble.”

“Then what?” Birchfall pressed. “What happened?”

Ivypool planted her paws firmly as she began. “The clans have agreed to hear us out without all of this fighting, and all of the trainees in Riverclan have turned against our mentors” she explained quickly, sweeping her head to look at Foxleap and the Riverclan and Shadowclan trainees as well. “The only reason we’re still in this battle is because the elites want to rule the clans again. I promise you, you don’t have to be alone, but we don’t have to hand them our world for us to be heard.”

It wasn’t far from what Hollyleaf had tried to tell them herself, but coming from another trainee, a daughter for one of them, and hearing what happened in Riverclan had to count for something. Birchfall’s face softened, and eventually Hollyleaf saw him dip his head as he murmured something out of earshot.

My turn. She wasn’t giving up on Breezepelt just yet. With the other trainees coming around, he had to see it was possible for him too. “They aren’t your family,” Hollyleaf insisted, hoping he had heard at least some of Ivypool’s words. “You still have a chance to make a real one, whether with your parents or clanmates or even friends from the Dark Forest. I know you want a connection with someone but it doesn’t have to be with cats that want to use you for-”

“Shut. Up.” The grit in Breezepelt’s growl seemed to ripple through his body, pricking the fur on his back and down to his tail. The black tom sprinted towards her, pulling back her head and smacking it against the ground. Hollyleaf tried to shake him off, but Breezepelt only held on tighter. “Brokenstar doesn’t use me. I chose him, because he was the only cat who understood what I was capable of. He helped me see that I didn’t have to put up with Windclan treating me like a piece of crowfood, Crowfeather avoiding me, Nightcloud coddling me, you and your siblings shaming me forever.”

“But you don’t have to attack us either!” Hollyleaf protested.

“Don’t.” Breezepelt hissed. “That load of fox-dung doesn’t work on me, even if Blossomfall was right and Otterheart fell for it. I don’t care if the clans are uprooted. I don’t care who’s in charge. I care about getting my revenge on all of you, and that’s something I need to take for myself. Brokenstar said he would make sure I could be the one to face my father, but first, I get a chance to finally kill you.”

Hollyleaf’s muscles tensed as she realized his intentions. He’s not going to back down!  

Breezepelt leaned down, coming within a whisker-length of her throat. “Stay dead this time,” he ordered.

As Hollyleaf fell limp, preparing to make a last effort at throwing him off, she saw a deep gray pelt flash by. Crowfeather? The Windclan warrior sank his claws into Breezepelt’s shoulders and hauled him back. Hollyleaf scrambled to her paws. “This has to stop!” Crowfeather pinned Breezepelt to the ground. “I can’t let you harm anyone else.”

Breezepelt writhed, snarling. “I always knew you hated me!”

“I never hated you!” Crowfeather growled. “I’m sorry I wasn’t a better father to you. I was too caught up in my own hare-brained problems to give you a better life, but this is taking everything way too far.”

“Don’t you dare turn this on me,” Breezepelt screeched. “Because of you, I was left all alone. Because of you, no one here believes in me. Because of you, I have to carry the shame every day of having those Thunderclan fox-hearts as my kin!”

“You were never alone,” Crowfeather shot back. “Whitetail tried to help you every day. Heathertail has been reaching out to you since you knew her. Nightcloud has tried to be the best mother she could to make up for my failings. Even your peers in the Dark Forest have been here for you, and they can still understand now how the clans are willing to listen to them. If you are still turning against every cat who cares for you now, that is no cat’s fault but your own.”

Breezepelt stared back at his father, though the anger in his expression seemed to falter for a moment. “I-I’m not wrong,” he insisted. “I’m not the bad one. You’re-”

“No,” Crowfeather hissed. “I’m not letting you blame me for everything, Breezepelt. You’re never going to grow until you see where your choices have brought you.” He hauled Breezepelt to his paws and flung him away. “Either join us in this fight, or leave. We don’t need more enemies in this battle.

Breezepelt stared at his father, eyes wide, then turned and raced from the camp.

Hollyleaf stood, heaving, as she stretched out her sore muscles, streaked with wounds and splashes of blood. “T-thank you,” she murmured hesitantly. 

Crowfeather nodded absentmindedly. “It wasn’t just for you,” he explained. “But if I’m going to be any sort of good model for my son, perhaps I shouldn’t be an awful father to my other kits either.”

Breezepelt would always be the most important of his kits, and Hollyleaf still wasn’t certain of whether she would ever want him as a father, especially when she had Brambleclaw and, to some level, Dustpelt as well. But he was trying to be better like almost every cat was, and she didn’t want to discourage that. “I think Breezepelt will come back,” she offered. “It’s impressive, what a cat can come back from when they try.”

The dark gray tom dipped his head as some measure of thanks, but didn’t get a chance to say another word before a brown and white she-cat raced into camp. “Mossyfoot,” Crowfeather greeted her. “Do you have more news from Riverclan?”

Mossyfoot shook her head. “Thunderclan, actually. Another wave of Dark Forest cats just arrived. I saw Mapleshade and Hawkfrost leading them.”

Ivypool quickly trotted up to meet them. “They must have moved on after the tides turned in Riverclan.”

“Then Thunderclan could use some help,” Hollyleaf guessed.

Crowfeather nodded, flicking his tail towards Blossomfall as well. “You three should go home, then. You can come back if you need to, Hollyleaf, but make sure your clan is safe first.”

“Are you sure everyone will be all right here?” Hollyleaf asked. Although, as she looked back, she could already see the trainees fending off some of their former mentors as Tornear was shepherded into the medicine den. Only eight Dark Forest cats were left fighting for their side, and now almost all of Windclan, plus several visitors, had come together to protect one den.

It wasn’t difficult to trust Crowfeather when he assured her. “For now at least, I know we’ll be fine.”

“Blossomfall!” Ivypool called to her friend, who scampered over as soon as she had ducked away from the claws of a dark gray she-cat. “Thunderclan needs us.”

“Then let’s go,” she agreed quickly. “Hollyleaf, are you coming too?”

Windclan was safe, for now. Her duty wasn’t over, but there was only so much more she could do from here. Your clan needs you. The thought rang in her head, however accurate or inaccurate it was. At least, they could use her help, and she was ready to give it. “Of course,” she answered. “We won’t be able to beat the Dark Forest cats to the camp, but we shouldn’t take too long if we run.”

“It’s in your blood,” Crowfeather meowed quietly, fixing his gaze on her. “You have my long legs, and whatever Windclan endurance or speed might have spilled into you.”

“You’re right,” she admitted. Once upon a time, the thought that there was anything Windclan-related running through her veins would have, and did, fill her with horror. But it didn’t have to dictate her loyalties, or her actions. A part of her did come from Windclan, and she could use it to reach her family.

Ivypool dipped her head, a small smile forming on her face. “Then let’s see how fast you can go.”

Chapter Text

Lionblaze didn’t know precisely what he had expected when he returned to Thunderclan, but this definitely wasn’t it. Cloudtail and Whitewing had both moved to stand guard by the nursery, there were definitely more Dark Forest cats than before, and, most hauntingly, Lionblaze spotted a familiar face leading the charge of the new wave.

“We won’t be beaten!” Hawkfrost hissed, raising his paw over Squirrelflight’s head.

Suddenly Lionblaze’s message to Firestar was forgotten as he hared past the nursery and elders’ den, straight to the outskirts of the medicine clearing. “Step away from her!” Even he was surprised by the ferocity in his growl, and it was enough to make Hawkfrost turn to look at him with a narrowed gaze.

“Tigerstar said he spotted you in Shadowclan,” he meowed. “Did you just come back for me?”

“Get away from my mother.” Lionblaze wasn’t going to make idle chatter with him now.

“Is this?” Hawkfrost put on a face of mock confusion as he turned to Squirrelflight and back. “No no, I was sure it was Squirrelflight, not Leafpool I was fighting.”

“And I told you to get away from my mother,” Lionblaze repeated. “You must not have been paying much attention if you believe she stopped being my family.”

“I’ve had other priorities,” Hawkfrost admitted. “But you can’t expect me to bow to your orders, Lionblaze. You were never the mentor in our world, and never a good mentor in yours.”

Lionblaze could feel his fur pricking up along his spine. This piece of fox-dung still thinks he can control me! He would show how far he had come since he left the Dark Forest.

“Lionblaze,” Squirrelflight cut in firmly. “Focus. You don’t have to listen to anything he’s saying.” Without even waiting for the dark tabby to say another word, she slid under him, pressing her tail flat so she could glide smoothly under and rip a long cut into his stomach, causing Hawkfrost to screech in pain.

Lionblaze shook his head in disbelief. “Wow,” was all he could manage to say.

“You didn’t think you were the only good fighter, did you?” Squirrelflight asked rhetorically. “We all have different strengths. I’ve learned to handle myself just fine.”

“Would you-” Lionblaze watched as Hawkfrost stumbled back, trying to rapidly stop the bleeding with his paw so he could continue for longer. “Do you need any help here?”

“I can handle myself,” Squirrelflight assured him. “They…might need you at the nursery.” The dark ginger she-cat didn’t seem ready to devolve into weakness or grief as she fought, but Lionblaze could detect a layer of darkness in her tone. What happened?  

Dipping his head, Lionblaze jumped out of the throng of skirmishes around the medicine den, racing through the center of the clearing, around the packs of warriors that had built up outside of the guarded dens, to reach the nursery. As he approached, he saw Whitewing furiously hauling a lean gray tabby tom out of the den while Cloudtail slid in to guard the inside of the den. They broke in, Lionblaze realized suddenly.

“Was it not enough for you to almost kill her before?” Cloudtail hissed. “You had to come back from the dead just to finish the job?”

Who did he kill? His heart tightening with anxiety, Lionblaze slid into the den and immediately caught sight of Cinderheart, staring in shock and grief at a limp calico body. Sorreltail? No no no NO! Why hadn’t he gotten back in time? He should have stopped this!

The gray tom snarled. “I didn’t even remember that useless kit,” he shot back. “We have a new mission, and she wasn’t part of it. Who knows? Maybe she’ll be happier now, off in Starclan with her mate.”

“No cat is happier being dead!” Cinderheart growled, whipping her head towards him. Her eyes blazed with a shocking amount of fury. “If you had any intentions of making us join you, you should know we never would. The cats you kill may not be able to fight back anymore but those left behind will never forget.”

“Join us?” The gray tom’s face wrinkled in confusion, and for a moment he stopped trying to squirm out of Cloudtail’s grip. “We don’t want you to join us; we want you to bow to us.”

“Maybe you do Darkstripe.” Cloudtail’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think the rest of your army would agree with you. Every cat who trained with you has only come out pleading for us to understand them. Even your favorite tom asked Firestar of all cats-”

“To submit to us,” Darkstripe cut him off. “Though it’s not like any of you bee-brained living cats figured that out. Tigerstar’s plan is perfect, and we’ll see it succeed.” Leaving no room for a response, the  gray tabby tore himself away, snarling in pain, and hared off towards the camp entrance.

Lionblaze watched Darkstripe go, not taking his eyes off the gray tabby until his tail had disappeared completely into the thorn tunnel. Coward. He wasn’t even in any danger, and he still wanted to run away rather than face the wrath and anger he had incurred. “What was that fox-heart talking about?”

“No idea,” Cloudtail growled. “But it might not mean much. Darkstripe was never the clever fox, especially around Tigerstar. He would think his plan was genius even if it was just to attack aimlessly with barely a couple patrols of warriors.”

Lionblaze wanted to hope that Cloudtail was right, that it was nothing, but he couldn’t forget what Ferncloud had said. Tigerstar was many things, but mouse-brained wasn’t one of them. Even if Darkstripe wasn’t crafty, Tigerstar was, and he wouldn’t have abandoned a camp full of old enemies without some reason.

Whatever it was, he was given no more time to ponder possibilities as Cloudtail slid past him into the den, peering worriedly at Cinderheart. “Are you-”

Cinderheart shook her head quickly. “Not now,” she murmured. “Not me.”

Lionblaze followed her gaze to Daisy and Ferncloud sitting in the corner while two little heads threatened to poke out from either side. “Shh,” Daisy soothed. “You can let it out.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Lilykit demanded. “Why can’t we see her?”

“Did that cat-” Seedkit seemed frozen. “Is she in Starclan?”

Ferncloud began to nod. “She’ll be safe-”

“No!” Lilykit cut her off. “I don’t want her to be in Starclan! She needs to come back to be with us!”

Daisy leaned down to touch the young she-cat’s forehead. “She can’t,” she murmured softly, her closed eyes scrunching up in pain. “We’ll do our best to take care of you though, all right?”

Seedkit’s panicked gaze flitted between the two queens. “But…but-”

“I know she would want to be back with you,” Ferncloud cut in, her tail twitching behind her even as she tried to keep a gentle expression. “She loved you so, so much.”

“It’s not fair!” Lilykit cried indignantly.

Ferncloud shook her head. “It’s not.”

“Not at all,” Daisy agreed.

Lionblaze felt a moment of shock at how blunt the she-cats were being. When he was a kit himself, they would have sooner tucked him into his nest and told him that everything would be all right. Maybe it was different, when it was your parents you were losing.

“Telling them a lie would hurt them more, in the end,” Ferncloud murmured as she turned her head towards him, reading his thoughts nearly as well as Jayfeather could. “It was all right there for them to see.” Quickly, the she-cat turned her attention back to the kits, curling around them and providing a comfortable place to feel a piece of their home remaining, or just to cry in anguish or frustration. Lilykit and Seedkit would have to grow up without either of their parents. As devastating as that was, it would be a thousand times more so without the aid of the nursery queens.

“And as for you, Cinderheart” Daisy began, turning back around as Ferncloud settled with the kits. “How are you taking it?” The grief evident in the cream she-cat’s own eyes as she stepped up towards Cinderheart made it obvious that she knew perfectly well how the gray tabby would be doing. Still, maybe the question itself would reveal how she was handling her distress.

“I’ll…be fine,” Cinderheart stammered quietly, pressing subtly against Lionblaze’s shoulder as she spoke. “I need time but-” She shook her head. “I’ll have it later. We need to win first.”

“You can take some time in here, as well,” Daisy reminded her. “The nursery is being guarded even more heavily than before, and even Ferncloud and I can put up a fight if it comes to it. You should be allowed to have a moment with your mother.”

The gray tabby nodded, seeming almost defeated already as she fell limply in front of her mother’s body. However hard Lionblaze fought, he couldn’t bring Sorreltail back for her, or Brackenfur, or Honeyfern before them. He had to keep moving forward though, if he was to prevent even more cats from being lost. But Cinderheart more than deserved a moment of reprieve. 

As soon as he was sure his mate was safe, Lionblaze slid out into the clearing, just in time to see Cherrypaw race into the camp, heading straight for Firestar at the elders’ den and rushing past the nursery as she did. “Firestar!” Lionblaze caught the she-cat’s call as she approached. “News from Riverclan.”

The orange tom was in the middle of batting Thistleclaw in the shoulder although a scrape had been left on the side of the leader’s face as well. 

“We’ll take this,” Icecloud meowed quickly. Within a heartbeat, she and Hazeltail had moved as one to shove the Dark Forest cat away, leaving Firestar free to speak with the messenger.

“What is it?” 

A wave of discomfort seemed to crash over the young she-cat’s face. “Well, they’re doing all right now,” she began. “Otterheart took over after Mistystar died and it looks like all the trainees are on her side.” 

She’s dead!? Mistystar was made a leader when Dovewing was an apprentice! He had never expected her nine lives to pass so quickly.

Firestar’s eyes shot open. “Mistystar-”

Cherrypaw nodded. “Yeah, and also…Spiderleg.” She dipped her head in an apology as she spoke the name. “Mothwing promised me that he died saving her life, and they’ll send him over as soon as all of this is done.”

They’ll send over the-OH! How had he forgotten? “Firestar!” he hared over to Cherrypaw’s side, letting Brambleclaw slide into the space he had left behind. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you as soon as I got back.”

Firestar took a moment to focus on him, but eventually narrowed his gaze. “From Shadowclan? Did Graystripe and Tawnypelt need more help?”

“No.” Lionblaze shook his head. “They’re doing fine. I think some of the new Dark Forest cats may actually be coming from the ones we defeated there.”

“And in Riverclan!” Cherrypaw added. “There were a lot less cats fighting on their side when I left.”

As happy as the news should have been, Firestar’s gaze darkened. “And all of them are coming here as soon as they reach the Dark Forest.” In a heartbeat, his focus had turned back to Cherrypaw. “Warn Shadowclan, and the other messengers. The Dark Forest isn’t done with us yet. I think they may be planning to congregate here.”

The momentary energy that had returned to Cherrypaw’s expression quickly melted away as she nodded stiffly. “R-right.” As quickly as her legs would take her, she sprinted back off into the forest.

“But Firestar,” Lionblaze continued once she was gone.

“I haven’t forgotten,” Firestar cut him off. “If Shadowclan is doing well, you should have come back with Tawnypelt and Graystripe. Where are they?”

Lionblaze slowly dipped his head, gulping to buy him a moment of time. “Tawnypelt is all right; she just chose to stay with her clanmates with how many of them had been injured, or worse. But Graystripe…”

Firestar’s head bowed silently. “I see,” he whispered.

“Th-they said they would send his body over to us after the battle is done. There was another cat, Leaftail from Windclan, that they’ll need to return as well.”

“Thank you,” Firestar cut in, “for the news. I’m glad that he was able to die for something he believed in, at least.” The orange tom shook his head gently, as if trying to push the thought to the back of his head. “Get back to the nursery now. We’ll deal with the rest of this later.”

“Of course.” Lionblaze dipped his head shakily as he dashed back to where he had come from. There would be plenty of time to mourn, for every cat, and Lionblaze was sure that no cat would blame Firestar if he took a few moments to compose himself as Cinderheart had. But it seemed that the leader had become used to putting his feelings aside for the good of the clans, if only for a time.

As he approached the nursery, Lionblaze spotted a large ginger tabby tom, pinning a cat straight to the ground as they lashed furiously. “You have a lot of nerve attacking me,” he growled.

Toadstep? No no no; he was not going to let any more cats he loved die. Picking up his pace, he leaped the last tail-length onto the ginger tom and tore him off Toadstep, taking a few chunks of fur as he did. 

“Yah!” The instant Toadstep was free, though, he launched himself straight back at the ginger tom, giving him a messy slash across the chest that didn’t have enough force behind it to do much other than graze him.

“What are you doing?” Lionblaze hissed through gritted teeth. Putting as much strength into his muscles as he could, he ran straight into the ginger tom and butted him with his head, sending him skidding back away from the skirmish.

“I’m fighting!” Toadstep shot back. “They need to pay!”

“For what?” Lionblaze’s face scrunched up instinctively in confusion.

“For Spiderleg!” Toadstep responded immediately. “They killed him; I should be avenging his death!”

“W-what?” Lionblaze shook his head. “What are you talking about? I mean, I know he died but he wasn’t the only-”

“He was my father!” Toadstep cut him off, stamping a paw against the ground. “I’m supposed to-I should be more angry than this! I should be hurt. I should be mourning him like Cinderheart or fighting for him like Firestar!”

Oh, now it made sense. Letting out a breath, Lionblaze let his tail rest on the tom’s shoulder. “He wasn’t really your father though, was he? He didn’t ever care about you, or spend time with you; he barely knew you existed. He was a clanmate, but otherwise he was a stranger. I understand if you’re upset because you never got to know him, but he had a hundred chances to get to know you and he turned down every one of them.”

Toadstep’s head had bowed as the energy drained from his body. “Wouldn’t you be angry if Crowfeather died?” he whispered.

Would I? Lionblaze’s situation wasn’t too dissimilar from Toadstep’s, although it had taken him a long time to even know he had an estranged father, and that father hadn’t known him either. They had barely even interacted since, and Crowfeather made it quite clear that he didn’t need his Thunderclan kits, and they didn’t need him. “Maybe a little,” Lionblaze finally admitted, “but not nearly as much as if I lost Brambleclaw, or you. It’s the cats you truly bond with that become your family.”

Toadstep slowly lifted his gaze to meet Lionblaze’s. “Does that mean- A-are we family?”

“Of course,” Lionblaze agreed immediately. “You’ve always been my little brother.”

Toadstep snickered. “Oh Starclan now I’m getting embarrassed about how much I trod on your paws as an apprentice.”

“I’m glad you did,” Lionblaze assured him. “It was good for me to have someone who looked up to me, and you ended up teaching me a lot too.”

“Thanks.” The black and white tom pressed gently against his side for the moment. “Well, even if I’m not fighting for Spiderleg specifically, I don’t want to lose more cats.”

“You and me both,” Lionblaze agreed. “Let’s make sure they don’t. Just, don’t get reckless, all right? You’re one of the cats I don’t want to lose.”

Toadstep dipped his head. “You’ve got a deal.”

He and Toadstep fought in sync for a short while, batting Ratscar, Rushtail, and a few Dark Forest cats away from the nursery. The younger tom’s fighting style wasn’t as reliant on brute force as Lionblaze’s was, but it wasn’t as crisp as Hollyleaf’s either. He didn’t really have the muscles or, well, the confidence in his invincibility as Lionblaze, so it made sense that he had learned to rely on more quick movements and dodges to avoid attacks rather than frontal attacks, but he also hadn’t developed the quick and sometimes manipulative tactics of reading his opponent and striking in opportune moments. True to his word, he wasn’t being reckless, avoiding the other cats’ attacks as often as he could and making them trip over their own paws more often than not. 

Fighting with him was much easier, as he was able to avoid Lionblaze’s sharp, lumbering body as much as he could avoid the enemies attacks and Lionblaze was left to bowl over their enemies with his looming form and prickly fur with ease.

All of that was cut off, though, when he spotted a matted tortoiseshell pelt dragging Sandstorm away from the elders’ den, holding her claw’s threateningly against the pale she-cat’s throat. I know her! He realized suddenly. So many seasons ago, she had tried to recruit Stormfur… “Your best friend is gone, Firestar,” Mapleshade taunted. “Are you willing to let your mate die too?”

Sandstorm bristled. “He won’t-” Her words were quickly stifled as the Dark Forest cat pressed her breath out of her throat, extending her claws just enough to give a taste of what she was willing to do.

Firestar’s whiskers quivered with anxiety, but he held his glare on the she-cat. “I’m not putting Thunderclan in your paws.”

“Thunderclan is mine!” the she-cat hissed. “It was my home first before you destroyed my life.”

Firestar frowned. “What’s your name?”

The tortoiseshell leaned down over Sandstorm. “Mapleshade.”

“Mapleshade,” Firestar repeated. “If you were a Thunderclan cat once, there’s no reason you can’t be again. This doesn’t have to end in more bloodshed. If you call off your warriors then-”

“Never!” She dug the claws from her other paw into Sandstorm’s shoulder, causing the pale she-cat to let out a stifled squeak. “I have a new home, a new family, and we don’t need to bow to you to get what we want. I give the orders here, Firestar. You’re not in a position to challenge me for anything.”

They need help. Lionblaze was sure of it, and he was the only one who wouldn’t have any risk to take by stepping in. Mapleshade was staring at Firestar, waiting for him to make any move. Would she manage to notice Lionblaze? If she did, it could mean Sandstorm’s death, but if Lionblaze didn’t do anything, Firestar would be left up with that impossible choice. 

“What will it be?” Mapleshade continued. “Your clan, or your mate?”

There was no time to think. He just needed to hope he could be fast enough. Lionblaze raced to help them, springing towards Mapleshade as he stifled a growl. He couldn’t make any noise if-YES! She whipped her head around to face him a moment too late as he caught hold of her shoulders and thrust himself backwards with as much force as he could muster. Sandstorm’s gasp of pain touched his ears but he had to hope that Mapleshade’s claws hadn’t done enough damage on the she-cat’s neck.

Mapleshade flipped herself around as she landed belly-side up, catching a swipe at Lionblaze as she did. Finally, as she was left to face her attacker, her eyes widened, and she leaned back. “Y-you…”

“Me,” Lionblaze agreed stiffly. “And if you know me, you know how this fight will end. Run back to that forest you’re so fond of, or I’ll make you.”

“I have no reason to fear you,” Mapleshade hissed. “I cannot be killed!”

“And nor can I,” Lionblaze declared. “But I can keep you busy, and I am fully capable of hurting you enough to send you back to your afterlife for a while. You threatened my clan, and my family. I don’t think you’re in a position to be challenging me, Mapleshade.”

The tortoiseshell stared at him for a moment, perhaps considering how long it would take her to recover from a fight with him before she could return. After a few moments though, she bared her teeth. “I’ll be back,” she promised. “You don’t get to be their hero forever. We already had an opening before.” Leaving no more time for a response, Mapleshade pelted up through the thorn tunnel, either to await somewhere in the forest or to return to the Dark Forest until she felt it was safe to come back, or the opportunity was right. She’s not gone, Lionblaze reminded himself. Not forever.  

Sandstorm coughed behind him, and blood dribbled from her throat, but she was breathing, and Millie quickly approached to usher her into the medicine den. “Come on,” she murmured quietly.

“Is everyone else all right?” Lionblaze turned back to approach the elders’ den.

“We’re fine!” Mousefur called. “They couldn’t even reach us in here.”

“Wait til they do!” Purdy added indignantly. “I’ll show ‘em how I dealt with dogs and foxes ‘fore I came ‘ere.”

“They won’t get in,” Heathertail insisted. “We’re here to keep you safe.” Lionblaze’s pelt ripped with discomfort as he met the she-cat’s gaze. “I’m here to help,” she told him, apparently noticing. “We don’t have to be friends, but I’m not about to let any of you die.”

Firestar’s gaze had been fixed on the medicine den, but it finally dropped away. “Mapleshade didn’t even want the elders,” he whispered. “She just wanted Sandstorm to get to me.”

“They’re taking advantage of every cat,” Heathertail reminded him. “That’s what the Dark Forest has been doing this whole time. It’s why we need to protect each other.”

Lionblaze dipped his head, shockingly, in agreement. “Not just the queens or elders or medicine cats, but everyone. It’s our love for each other that they’re trying to use against us.”

Firestar nodded, letting out a sigh as he turned back to the battle. “I know. And thank you, Lionblaze, for helping her when I couldn’t.”

Lionblaze shook his head. “Don’t mention it.” He didn’t need thanks for saving someone, especially a clanmate. Besides, the work wasn’t finished just yet.

As the next wave of attacks swept in, Lionblaze ducked out of the way to head back towards the nursery, his gaze quickly locking onto Dustpelt. The dark tabby had reared onto his back legs, claws outstretched, and came down precisely onto the stomach of a pale gray tabby she-cat. The she-cat gasped, falling backwards limply as the blood pulsed out of the wound. 

For several heartbeats, Lionblaze waited for her to disappear, and he could see Dustpelt doing the same. The brown tom’s expression grew increasingly more panicked as the she-cat stilled in front of him. “Sh-She wasn’t…”

She wasn’t from the Dark Forest.  

“Oh Starclan.” Dustpelt seemed to fall backwards by a couple of steps. “She was alive! I-” He shook his head. “I should have known! I should have recognized her!”

“She was from Riverclan!” Lionblaze argued. He couldn’t recall her name, but he had seen her at gatherings a couple of times. “You wouldn’t have seen her much. It makes sense that you wouldn’t-”

“Because I never tried to,” Dustpelt cut him off. “I never paid any attention to who the warriors of other clans were. I’ve never had to figure out who my enemies were outside of Thunderclan.”

“No cat did.” Lionblaze hesitantly took another step towards him. “This battle is new for everyone. Our clanmates may be opposing us and the other clans are our friends.”

“But it’s something I have to adjust to,” Dustpelt responded. His amber eyes, oscillating between grief and anger, were still locked on the Riverclan she-cat. “If Foxleap, or Birchfall , are ever going to come around, I have to understand what made them turn away in the first place. I have to change as the clans do. And this is…” He shook his head. “Would they even forgive me? They might have trained together. Who’s to say she wasn’t their friend?”

“It was in a battle,” Lionblaze cut in. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t sympathize. The circumstances were different, but he had a death on his conscience as well. “I know it doesn’t make it any better, but you didn’t intend to kill her, and with how much is going on here, you can’t be expected to catch everything that-”

“Dustpelt! Look out!” Ferncloud’s cry came a moment too late as Lionblaze’s head whipped around to see a deep blue-gray she-cat a tail-length away from Dustpelt, already in the air with her teeth bared and claws outstretched.

Ferncloud herself had already moved as well, though, leaping between her mate and his attacker as she attempted to shove them away, claws outstretched to deliver a fearsome scratch to her shoulders.

The blue-gray she-cat was left to skid backwards, but her lunge had already let her catch the back of Ferncloud’s neck between her jaws. Left on top of the queen, the attacker tore her head back, leaving a gaping wound. Ferncloud’s expression briefly morphed into horror as, with the last of her strength, she threw her back legs up, hurtling the attacker off of her before she collapsed and, with a grunt, fell still.

Dustpelt stumbled backwards, staring at his mate’s body. “Ferncloud?” He stiffened. “Ferncloud!” He raced to her and tugged at her pelt with a frantic paw. “No no no you can’t have-”

Lionblaze stepped a few paces towards him, and he could see Whitewing joining them from the other side. Her eyes glistened as she gazed at the queen’s still body.

Dustpelt jerked around. “Don’t just stare! We need to get her to Jayfeather.”

Whitewing dipped her head. “Dustpelt…it’s too late for that.”

Eyes bright with anger, Dustpelt curled his lip. “I was supposed to save her! Why didn’t she stay in the nursery? She could have been safe!”

“And you would have been dead!” Whitewing hissed. “She wanted to save you just as much as you ever wanted to save her.”

Heaving, the blue-gray she-cat finally looked back up at Dustpelt with a glare. “You should have died…to pay for the life of my apprentice. But it’s clear enough that this she-cat’s death will be enough to make you suffer.”

“Why do you even care?” Lionblaze growled. “Won’t she just come to join you in the Dark Forest?”

“She was alive,” the she-cat shot back. “She had a family, a future. Nothing ever changes in the Dark Forest, even if we want it too. You stole her chance to make something of herself, to be remembered as anything but one of the bad guys.”

“It’s her own fault,” Whitewing snorted, stepping protectively in between them. “She fought with you.”

“She fought for a better world, where all of us can be recognized for who we really are,” the she-cat shot back. “Do any of you know who I am? Do you care?”

Slowly, Lionblaze shook his head. It had to be someone from the clans’ history, but it wasn’t as if he had memorized every cat from generations past by appearance.

“My name is Raincloud,” the she-cat explained. “I was Darkstar’s deputy.” Her head fell back. “Although seeing as he was a leader of Skyclan you’ve probably even forgotten him.”

A Skyclan deputy! Sol’s claim to being part of them had been a lie, but here was a real cat from that forgotten chapter of history.

“The point is,” Raincloud continued through the gasps of shock, “I fought against the code that said a leader’s word was law because I saw the damage it could do. It was made specifically to shut my mouth and take away whatever power or argument I had, and I am seen as being on the wrong side of history because of it. That’s what you’ve doomed Graymist to. She died fighting for something she believed in, but you will only know her as an enemy.”

“Graymist…” Dustpelt finally spoke, breathing the fallen Riverclan cat’s name. “I’m sorry I didn’t know that name sooner.”

Raincloud’s glare whipped towards him. “You don’t get to apologize now. It’s too late!”

“As it is for Ferncloud,” Dustpelt growled. “You’ve taken that cat away from us too, a mother to dozens and the most cherished cat in my life. I’m apologizing for my part in your pain and Graymist’s, but I can’t allow you to forget what you’ve done to Ferncloud.”

“It was a mistake,” Raincloud insisted. “If I could have killed you, I would have.”

“Graymist was a mistake too,” Dustpelt shot back. “But if you intend to kill at all, you have to take responsibility for the deaths you’ve incurred.”

The blazing fury faded slightly from Raincloud’s gaze as she dipped her head. “Ferncloud will weigh on my conscience, I promise you.”

“And I will do my best to see that your cause is heard,” Dustpelt promised. “After the battle. The clans will hear what the trainees have to say as soon as they are ready to listen rather than fight.”

Raincloud’s narrowed eyes didn’t give the impression that she was ready to believe him, but perhaps she was at least ready to give it a chance. “We’ll see if the others agree with you,” she finally hissed, her paws already fading as she returned to the Dark Forest. 

Maybe she’s welcoming in Graymist, Lionblaze guessed. Or maybe she’s planning to show her the way back down so they can keep fighting together.  

Even the Dark Forest residents had cats they cared about, and reasons to stop fighting. But that didn’t stop them from continuing the battle, or killing more and more warriors all across the clans. With each passing moment, the clans’ army grew smaller, while the Dark Forest would never let up. The residents couldn’t be killed, and even when the trainees died they could be brought back down to fight again. All the fighting they were doing was only hurting the clans, no matter how much it seemed like they were winning. What chance did they really have of coming out alive, let alone honoring Raincloud’s wish? Would the clans be ready to listen after all they had lost? Oh Starclan, he prayed uselessly. Let me find a way to end this.

Chapter Text

The sky was still black as Hollyleaf approached camp with Ivypool and Blossomfall at her side, but she could see the first signs of a lighter blue approaching across the lake. I wish I had managed to get any sleep yesterday. Some cats had taken the time after sunhigh to nap in preparation, but Hollyleaf had been too antsy to rest.

Ivypool and Blossomfall couldn’t be doing much better, though. Neither of them had slept before nightfall, knowing that for better or worse, it would land them in the Dark Forest. “How are you feeling?” she asked just as they reached the thorn tunnel.

Ivypool shrugged. “I’ll be better when all this is over,” she muttered. “We’ll see how long that takes.”

“Not too long, I’m hoping,” Blossomfall breathed her wish. “I know I’m fighting with you now but…I really don’t want any of the cats here to be hurt.”

Hollyleaf dipped her head. It was the best that could be expected, really, and the trainees were in a difficult position with how genuine some of the bonds they had formed were.

The three cats burst into camp and their ears were quickly filled with the sounds of battle. Guards were bunched up in front of the three dens they had chosen to protect and all of them were evenly matched with if not entirely overrun by Dark Forest cats. She couldn’t spot Mapleshade or Hawkfrost with them at the moment, but clearly they had brought a few other warriors with them. 

Within only a few heartbeats, though, Hollyleaf’s attention was directed to her father, a fox-length from the nursery, being dragged away by a tall, pale gray she-cat. Dad! Her brain didn’t even have time to register more before her paws were carrying her across the clearing, pushing the she-cat off of Brambleclaw with a hefty swipe. She bared her teeth furiously, standing in between him and the Dark Forest warrior.

“Hollyleaf?” Brambleclaw gasped in surprise.

“Get lost,” the she-cat growled.

“I’d say the same to you.” Hollyleaf narrowed her eyes. “You’re in my camp.”

“I didn’t see you defending it before.” Her opponent let out a snort. “Someone who would abandon their clan has no right to call themselves a clan cat.”

Hollyleaf took in a quick breath to stop her chest from tightening. This cat didn’t even know what she was talking about; she had no idea who Hollyleaf was or what she had done. “The clans are helping each other tonight. I came back because I heard Thunderclan might be in danger. I see now I was right.”

“Featherstar!” Ivypool’s voice cut into their conversation as she called from outside the medicine den. The pale gray she-cat turned towards the sound, her eyes flying open in shock as she spotted them.

“Ivypool…Pricklestar? ” Her narrowed gaze had fallen on a calico she-cat standing beside Ivypool. “What are you doing? Attack!”

“We’re not fighting with you,” the calico, Pricklestar, replied firmly. “Not anymore. The clans may be willing to see sense, if we give them a chance, but all this fighting is going to do is drive them further towards revenge.”

“This is the only way the clans ever see sense!” Featherstar hissed. “You know that better than anyone, Pricklestar.”

“I stood by you before,” Pricklestar admitted. “But it was wrong. Even if the outsiders were responsible for Acorntail, it doesn’t mean all of them had to be thrown out.”

“It’s not just her,” Ivypool cut in. “Cats all across the clans are joining us. They understand how destructive the Dark Forest’s plan is. They trust in us, and our relationships with our leaders, to change the clans without more bloodshed.”

From the elders’ den, a ginger tabby tom batted a wiry, rose-tinted she-cat away. “I’m sorry I didn’t join you earlier,” he meowed, meeting Ivypool’s gaze. “I wasn’t sure if I was alone here.”

“It’s all right,” Ivypool dipped her head. “Just do what you can from here.”

Bringing Ivypool back did more than add her skills to Thunderclan’s forces, it seemed. Some of the cats she and that Dark Forest cat had recruited were here, and now, as in Windclan, they knew it was safe to fight on the side of the living clans.

As Featherstar backed away from her in a panic, Hollyleaf was left to face Brambleclaw again. “Are you all right?” she whispered.

Brambleclaw nodded. “Yeah,” he huffed. “She didn’t manage to do much before you arrived.”

Hollyleaf caught a cracked sigh from Dustpelt behind her, and she turned back to see him, brow furrowed, as he stepped back from a skirmish as one of the warriors dissipated away. “I wish you had come sooner,” he breathed softly.

“What?” Hollyleaf trotted up to him, peering from below to try and catch his gaze. “What do you mean? What happened?”

“Ferncloud died,” he meowed after a gulp. “Sorreltail too. If you had come back, maybe more of the warriors would be convinced in time. Maybe you could have saved me instead of Ferncloud. Maybe you could have stopped me from-” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not your fault.”

“Ferncloud-” Hollyleaf felt the breath catch in her throat. “She’s…” The gray she-cat had acted as her second, or perhaps third mother. She had raised so many of Hollyleaf’s friends, and even helped some of them through starting their own families. What was Thunderclan going to be like without her? Or Sorreltail? How were her kits taking it, now without either of their parents? How was Cinderheart, or Poppyfrost? “I am sorry,” she finally managed. “Windclan needed me too. I was doing the best I could there, and we came as soon as we could.”

“But you still left,” Dustpelt cut in. As he met her gaze, it felt like he wasn’t talking about Windclan anymore. “We’re hurt when you’re not here.”

Hollyleaf bowed her head. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I should have thought about you, about every cat, when I left. I was too wrapped up in my own pain to think of who else I was hurting.”

“No, I’m sorry. I know all of this.” Dustpelt shook his head, seeming a far cry from the noble, stoic warrior she was used to. “When you came back, I assumed you had taken enough pain, and needed someone to be on your side. I wanted to be there for you.”

“Thank you for that,” Hollyleaf cut in gently. “I honestly don’t know how well I would have managed without some cats letting me back into their lives.”

Dustpelt nodded. “But it did mean…I never let myself feel the anger I had built up, and it stopped me from ever fully forgiving you. I know you’re not a bad cat. I’ve met them; I’m fighting some of them tonight, but I couldn’t understand what would make you kill someone, regardless of the circumstances.”

“It wasn’t right,” Hollyleaf began to explain. She wouldn’t justify herself.

“No,” Dustpelt agreed. “It wasn’t. But I killed someone too, tonight, and I didn’t consider the consequences until I was forced to see them, by my enemy, no less. I realize we’ve handed you a-” He furrowed his brow as if trying to work through a puzzle. “-A complicated world,” he finished. “I hope we can make it less so, after all of this, but I do understand.”

“You don’t have to forgive me,” Hollyleaf meowed quickly. “I did kill your apprentice, and I didn’t have to. The world being complicated doesn't justify what I did.”

“But it explains it, for me,” Dustpelt responded. “I still wish Ashfur didn’t have to die–I wish he didn’t try to kill you to begin with–but I also still love you, and I know you’ve been doing your best to help the clan since you got back, arguably even before. For whatever it’s worth, I would like to forgive you now, honestly.”

Her heart swelling with gratitude, Hollyleaf dipped her head. “In that case, maybe you should think about doing the same for Birchfall and Foxleap. I know they fought with the Dark Forest, in Windclan, but they were tricked as much as any cat, and they do have their reasons. I think both of them could stand to have a conversation with you.”

“You’re probably right,” Dustpelt admitted. “I think there will be a lot of conversations in my future, assuming of course that we-” He froze mid-sentence as his eyes flew open. “Hollyleaf watch out!”

The black she-cat twisted around a heartbeat too late as a hauntingly familiar indigo she-cat landed on her back, pressing her to the ground with claws dug deeply into her shoulders as her neck was bit into with the cat’s teeth. Hollyleaf couldn’t help a yowl of pain as she hadn’t been able to brace for anything, and her head instinctively tensing up only made the teeth sink in further.

“Don’t move!” Ebonystar ordered, lifting her head for only a moment to meet the gaze of whichever cat was trying to approach. Hollyleaf was aware of a crowd of cats flowing in from either side, some joining the battle but many staying around Ebonystar like a guard wall of their own. “You’ve only just gotten her back. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to lose her again so soon.”

“Hollyleaf!” Brambleclaw sounded frantic.

“Bearstar!” Ebonystar continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Help Rushtooth by the medicine den.”

“Rushtooth?” Hollyleaf recognized the voice of the ginger tom Ivypool had spoken with earlier.

“You didn’t think we would leave you alone for this, did you?” Another, much coarser, voice answered. “You may have agreed to stand with us but Ebonystar knew you might need some extra encouragement from an old clanmate if you were going to keep your word.”

“But she-” There was a pause as the words caught in Bearstar’s throat. “She shouldn’t have worried. I’ll fight with you.”

“What?” Ivypool’s voice split the air. “Bearstar, you don’t have to! We can solve this a different way, remember? You said you regretted what happened.”

“I do,” Bearstar growled. “I regret what happened to Rushtooth, and all my clanmates. Ebonystar’s plan won’t mean the living clans’ destruction as you claimed. We’re fighting so all of them can be better.”

“Oh you absolute mouse-brain!” Pricklestar hissed.

“And now for you,” Ebonystar cut back in, nearly tossing Hollyleaf across the clearing.

The black she-cat landed heavily, heaving as blood poured from her wounds, but she was only offered a moment of release before Ebonystar’s pressure returned, this time pinning her onto her back to ensure that Hollyleaf could look her in the eye. “Do you think you-” She took in as deep a breath as she could without the pain searing deeper. “Do you think you can threaten me?”

“Not at all,” Ebonystar assured her. “You had your chance long ago, remember? I came to you personally, and you refused. I don’t intend to threaten you, or ask you to join us, or plead for your sympathy. You’ve made it known that you want to be our enemy, so you can be.” She leaned down, letting her claws dip sharply into Hollyleaf’s arm’s as she whispered. “You can simply die.”

“Fox-heart,” Hollyleaf spat thrusting her chest upwards enough to weakly toss Ebonystar off, though she landed on her paws close by, and Hollyleaf found with terror that she couldn’t rise to her paws, finding it difficult to even catch a breath through her broken throat. Within only a few moments, the indigo she-cat had returned to her place.

“We had a perfect plan, you know?” Ebonystar continued, keeping her voice to a dull whisper that barely touched Hollyleaf’s ears. “Many of the clan cats would join our side to correct the faults in this world, and with the rest, it was easy enough to prove that killing them is necessary. Even if you care about your clanmates, you don’t care about killing the ‘bad guys.’ Dark Forest residents and even living cats from other clans would fall, and our army would be ever more sure that this battle is the only way to success.”

“You…” Hollyleaf’s eyes began to widen with shock. “You wanted cats to be killed?”

“Well it doesn’t much matter for us, now, does it?” Ebonystar meowed, nonchalantly drawing her paw over her ear before placing it back on Hollyleaf. “We can’t really die, and even our trainees will only become like us when the clans kill them. Tigerstar is waiting up there right now, shepherding every cat who lands in the Dark Forest back into the living world, simply to different camps.”

“Why are you even telling me this?” Hollyleaf hissed, with some effort. “Do you honestly believe I won’t tell everyone else?”

“You’re mistaken,” Ebonystar soothed. “I know you would try, but I also know you are dying, and I’m sure you know it too. You’ve felt it before, right? You came so very close, once.”

It wasn’t something Hollyleaf had even wanted to acknowledge, but the suffocation from losing access to her throat, the pressure of Ebonystar’s body weight on her, the pulsating waves of pain that could barely come through as individuals through Hollyleaf’s overwhelmed brain, all of it was familiar, in a different form, from when she first landed herself in the tunnels on the night of the gathering. I need more time!

“I see you understand,” Ebonystar whispered. “You could have joined our army then, but instead you let some cat save you to give yourself another unearned chance at life.”

“I wouldn’t-” Hollyleaf dug her claws into Ebonystar’s paws as a way of steadying herself, and saw a satisfying flinch on the she-cat’s face. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she meowed. “Fallen Leaves saving me let me help every cat here, every cat I care about. Even if I haven’t yet earned my place, I deserve the chance to try, to change and learn to move past everything that I’ve done. I can accept it without forgetting it, and use the lessons it taught me to make myself something better than I was before.”

“Mouse-brain,” Ebonystar growled fiercely, tearing herself away from Hollyleaf. “It will never work. The clans have never been able to accept change; not in their territories or their values, and definitely not in their opinions of a single cat.”

“You’re wrong,” Hollyleaf shot back, hauling herself onto her front paws just enough to take a swipe at the she-cat’s cheek, tarnishing her flawless image. “The thing you’re offering them is what isn’t real.” She raised her voice as much as she could, tensing against the throbbing pain in an effort to get her words out. “The clans have problems, but a big battle won’t solve any of them any more than murdering a cat who stands in your way would. Both sides need to be safe so they can listen to each other. We need to put down our pride enough to look at our own faults, along with those of the cats we disagree with.”

“Do you just wish to look good in front of your clanmates in your last moments?” Ebonystar demanded. “You know none of what you’re saying is true. Ashfur was going to ruin you. He nearly killed you and your littermates! He deserved what he got, and you cannot possibly argue that you didn’t feel better with him dead.”

“There are cats who won’t listen to us,” Hollyleaf admitted. “But it doesn’t mean we’re hopeless. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t better possibilities than murder!”

“Oh what, and watch him change?” Ebonystar scoffed. “Oh yes I’m sure Ashfur would come around eventually. Or maybe he wouldn’t have; maybe his time in exile would be a better fate than getting to live in Starclan?”

“His life was cut short,” Hollyleaf growled. “I don’t know that he never would have changed; I didn’t give him a chance to.”

“But you didn’t want to!” Ebonystar hissed, barging in as she knocked Hollyleaf back onto the ground. “I know what that feeling is like. I would kill Splashstar a thousand times if I could, and enjoy every moment. He ruined me at every stage of my life.” 

Splashstar. She didn’t recognize the name, but with the vitriol Ebonystar used, Hollyleaf could only imagine this was the enemy she spoke of when they first met, the one she had fought with all her life that became a leader before her.

“No,” Hollyleaf shot back. “You ruined yourself. You made the choice to make the Dark Forest. You made the choices to start your war with Splashstar in the first place, to bring this army here, to even begin a war with the Dark Forest and the living clans. The blame will only ever lie with you for that.”

Ebonystar opened her mouth to speak again, but the breath was blown out of her as a flash of golden-brown fur flashed by, knocking Ebonystar away. Hollyleaf felt the fur on her shoulders tear further as the Dark Forest cat’s claws were ripped away, but she was free to watch as Ebonystar tussled with the new cat, wrestling in a rushed heap as each cat threw furious blows at each other.

“You think you can challenge me?” Ebonystar hissed.

“Shut your mouth!” Thornclaw shot back. 

Thornclaw? What was he doing there? 

The warrior was ignoring Ebonystar’s taunts as he shoved her from the side, unbalancing her just enough to potentially get another strike in. Thornclaw dove towards the side, trying to slash into her chest, but as he did, Ebonystar reached out the paw that was slipping out from under her and sliced into Thornclaw’s stomach.

Thornclaw growled against the pain, but the blood was already streaming from the wound. Hollyleaf felt her heart drop, willing herself to stand once more to save her former mentor, but she caught a breath of relief when Dustpelt came in from the other side, digging into Ebonystar’s shoulders and throwing them both backwards, away from Thornclaw and Hollyleaf. “This one’s dead, right?” he grunted through the fight.

Hollyleaf nodded shakily. “Yeah…yeah don’t worry.”

“Won’t make that mistake again,” Dustpelt muttered. With the permission, though, he dug in deeper, aiming for more vital spots with his strikes. Their spar was pushed back in the direction of Thornclaw and Hollyleaf, but the golden-brown tom seemed to have just enough energy left to join them, albeit from Ebonystar’s back. Dustpelt had managed to unbalance her once again, and this time, with Thornclaw’s weight on her back, Ebonystar momentarily collapsed to the ground.

“Go back to whatever…wretched world you came from,” Thornclaw growled, finally biting deep into her neck until the indigo she-cat disappeared.

Without her form under him, Thornclaw too collapsed to the ground, and both he and Hollyleaf seemed to fall limp as the adrenaline from the battle wore away. Hollyleaf’s eyes closed against the oncoming blackness, but she was still aware of several cats screaming around her in words she couldn’t bring the energy to parse, and at one point a cat had picked her up gently onto their back. She could feel the gentle rock of their movements as she was taken somewhere else.

When the world finally came back into focus, Hollyleaf recognized the bramble ceiling and interwoven roots that made up the medicine den. Craning her head, she spotted Leafpool and Jayfeather arguing about something, and Briarlight leaned above her, pressing something soft into her neck. Moss, maybe, or cobwebs? Something of the sort. “It’s all right,” she murmured. “We’re not going to let you go.”

Hollyleaf shifted her attention to her right, where she spotted Thornclaw’s barely-lucid form receiving a similar treatment from Brightheart, only on his stomach. The she-cat’s blue eye flared with panic but she tried to smile as she looked down at him. We’re dying, Hollyleaf realized. This isn’t right! It was supposed to just be me.  

“I can’t do this!” Jayfeather screeched suddenly. “She’s my sister!”

“And he’s my brother,” Brightheart pleaded.

“I know,” Jayfeather growled. “And Hollyleaf wouldn’t ever forgive me if I chose to let him die.”

“There’s no time,” Leafpool argued, stepping between them. “If we wait too long, we’ll lose them both.”

“Can’t you help both of them?” Brightheart asked. “Maybe the power of the stars is strong enough for that.”

Jayfeather shook his head. “I can’t be in multiple cats’ dreams at once. If this is going to work at all, Leafpool will need to heal them while I go into their mind, but by the time we manage it for one of them, the other will definitely have died.”

“Her.” Thornclaw coughed weakly before turning his head to meet her own shaky gaze. “Save her.”

“Thornclaw!” Brightheart’s meow sounded frantic. “Are you-”

“I’m sure,” the golden-brown tom cut her off, now turning his attention to Hollyleaf alone. “You and Ashfur,” he began slowly, “weren’t the cats I thought you were. You both had capacities for hate and-and violence that I never imagined. But you’re changing.”

Hollyleaf gasped desperately to try and form a reply. “That doesn’t mean-”

“I was worried that you were trying to throw away everything you had done.” Thornclaw continued as if he didn’t even hear her; maybe he didn’t. “Murder, sharing your family’s secrets, abandoning every cat who tried to help you, faking your death and leaving us to mourn you for moons.” His eyes shut as his head faintly shook. “But when you spoke with that cat- I saw you do mean to carry it with you, and find a way to move on anyway, trying to make up for what you did and help the rest of the clan-clans, as best as you can.” 

His eyes opened once again and, in their depths, Hollyleaf spotted the almost surprised pride that she had noticed after the daylight gathering, the first time that her mentor took her seriously. I never could have asked for a better mentor, she thought, wishing that she still had the strength to speak those words aloud.

Thornclaw, though, seemed to understand. “You should get the chance to become a cat you can be proud to be again, even if it isn’t the same cat I trained. I know what you did, and what Ashfur did, will never be erased for me…but I think I can forgive you. From your first day as a warrior I could tell that you intended to grow beyond me. Maybe this will be the chance for you to do that.” His head fell limply backwards as his gaze fixed on something unseen above them. “And maybe, if Ashfur learns to do what you’ve done, I can accept his friendship one day…from Starc-”

Hollyleaf couldn’t be sure if it was herself or Thornclaw that had fallen into unconsciousness first, but the world quickly fell away in either case, leaving his unfinished words as the last in her ears. But it was okay. The message was clear enough. Thank you, she thought silently.

There was a familiar blackness, a fogginess that seemed to pervade her every sense. Her thoughts had slowed, broken only with flashing images of an indigo she-cat and a golden-brown tom, each bringing with them feelings of terror, grief, and somehow, acceptance. Cutting through them was a flash of three cats standing shoulder to shoulder: two toms, one a muscular golden tabby and the other a wiry gray tabby, along with a fluffy gray she-cat. The strength emanating from them seemed to calm her nerves as she considered her circumstances. She could trust them to handle whatever this was.

Strangely, despite the swirls of emotion and the fogginess of her mind, she wasn’t confused about or afraid of the darkness itself. The crushing silence, the total lack of scents or sensations on her paws, it was something she had felt only once before. When was that? 

The tunnels. Suddenly her brain thrust the answer towards her: a memory of her lying at the bottom of a tunnel, mangled and pressed underneath some fallen rocks. She had laid there too, dying for the first time, and now, as she thought of it, the rock seemed to form under her paws until she stood, completely surrounded by the tunnels. 

There were still no hints of light, but in here there never were, and even so, it felt like home. For a time, a long time from what she could remember, it was her home. She could navigate easily with her whiskers, stretching out her senses to be sure she detected any flinch of them contorting against the cave walls, and most of the trails were ones she knew well anyway. The only thing missing…was the company she was sure she had always kept. Even when they were separated, she at least knew that tom shared this home with her, and they would see each other again eventually. For the time she lived here, he was her only remaining friend, arguably the only cat keeping her sane. He’s not here now.  

“Hollyleaf?”

The she-cat turned towards the sound, almost expecting her mind to recognize the sound as the voice of her tunnel companion, but a different identity was attached to this cat. That powerful, resilient, temperamental and ever-compassionate tom from the trio in her memories. My brother. “Jayfeather?”

“Thank Starclan,” the tom breathed. “Why is it so dark? Isn’t this a dream? I should be able to see.”

“We’re in the tunnels,” Hollyleaf answered easily. “I was thinking about them because it was the first time I was like this.”

Hollyleaf caught a sharp inhale from her brother, as if something she had said, or maybe the way she had said it, had upset him. “You won’t die tonight,” he declared firmly. “You need to come back with me.”

“Back where?” Hollyleaf shook her head slowly.

“To Thunderclan,” Jayfeather answered. “To your real home. You don’t belong here, Hollyleaf. You have friends, family, cats you’ve saved more than once. They want to see you again.”

“This is my home too,” Hollyleaf argued. “I know how to get along here. I know how to fend for myself, even helping other cats in the meantime. I had a friend here, too, even if it wasn’t the same.”

“You came here to run away,” Jayfeather growled. “You can’t possibly think it’s your real home.”

“It wasn’t then,” Hollyleaf admitted. “But it could be now, couldn’t it? My mind…I know it’s still foggy, but that bad stuff out there, you have it handled, don’t you? You and our other brother, and that gray she-cat.”

“The three,” Jayfeather clarified, lowering his voice to a mutter. “Of course we’re still in your head, even now.” Hollyleaf heard his fur shake before he continued. “But we’ve never been able to solve everything; you know that, somewhere. It was you who showed us who we could be, when we put our fates in our own paws. I thought we were destined to stop everything but, Hollyleaf, the Dark Forest can’t be defeated without the rest of the clans, and certainly not without you.”

Had she done that? Nowhere in her mind was the notion that she compared to any of them, the three. They were familiar to her, friends, family, just as Jayfeather had said. But even if she had helped them, she wasn’t their equal. She had never been their equal. She had made herself worse than them, eventually. If the clans needed cats to save them, she would do all she could, but she would just be one of the crowd. “I don’t think you have that right,” she murmured. Slowly, she turned around, ready to pad away, deeper into the tunnels.

A moment of silence passed, but eventually she heard a perfectly clear, serious meow. “A good friend of yours just gave up his life so you could have a chance at your own.”

Hollyleaf paused. The golden… She shook her head. Thornclaw. Thornclaw was dying now, because he had asked Jayfeather and Leafpool to save her first. He saw what she had chosen to become. He believed she was a better cat than she had been before. He was giving her this chance now to become someone she could be proud of. But maybe if she came back quickly enough- “I’ll come,” she answered. “Whatever you can do. Get me back. Let me see him.”

Waking up was a much harsher and more visceral process than falling asleep. The thoughts that had been a dull murmur in her slumber had risen to a panicked roar and the pain that had faded completely now came sharper as she tried to take a breath. “Is he-” Hollyleaf immediately leaned over, prompting a frantic Leafpool to reposition her dressings, as she went to catch a glance of her old mentor.

The golden-brown tom lay completely still. Even as a slight breeze flew into the clearing, carrying the pre-dawn scents that he once rose each morning to catch, his ear didn’t even flick. Her heart sinking into the sandy earth beneath her paws, Hollyleaf was already certain of the answer before she heard the reply.

Brightheart shook her head, tears forming at the corners of her gaze. “I’m sorry. He’s already gone.”

Chapter Text

Ebonystar was gone again, but that didn’t mean the war was over. If the Dark Forest’s leaders had their way, Ivypool was sure it would never be until all of the living clan cats were dead or had submitted to their rule. Being near the medicine den herself, Ivypool could hear the clamor inside as she fought, and she could only hope that Hollyleaf and-well, or Thornclaw, would be okay.

“Careful!” Pricklestar’s sharp mew cut through her thought as she dodged in to block a blow from a masked black and ginger she-cat that Ivypool didn’t recognize.

“Thanks,” Ivypool meowed quickly, baring her teeth as she lunged back at the warrior. It still made her chest tighten for a moment as she was reminded of the other recruit here, the one who had turned on her. He was tricked too, she reminded herself. As much as the trainees were. They could reason with each other, after all of this was done.

“How’s it going out there?” Briarlight ducked her head out of the den just as Ivypool’s opponent backed away.

“As good as it can be, I suppose,” Ivypool grunted. “But what about in there?”

Ivypool caught Briarlight’s faint sigh, enough of an indication to how well they were doing before she heard any of the answer. “Jayfeather has gone to save Hollyleaf,” she murmured. “Thornclaw wanted to give her a chance to make a better life.”

“But he could save them both, right?” Ivypool pressed. “If they work fast enough.”

“Brightheart and Leafpool are doing their best right now,” Briarlight explained. “But Jayfeather has only saved a cat once before now, and it was from sickness, not a fatal wound. I don’t-I don’t know if he can do it that quickly.”

“But he might,” Ivypool concluded. She almost sounded like her sister for a moment, with how much hope she was forcing into her words, but the truth of the matter was that she didn’t want to lose any more warriors. The Dark Forest couldn’t lose as long as they were still fighting, so the living clans needed all the help they could get.

“I trust him,” Poppyfrost meowed sincerely, batting away her own opponent: Smokefoot. “Jayfeather has the strongest will of anyone I know, and the talent to back it up. He’ll do whatever he can to save his sister, and Thornclaw.”

Briarlight nodded. “I know he’ll do his-” Her words stopped short as she apparently caught sight of something. Ivypool followed her gaze towards the nursery, her heart sinking as she noticed the black and white tom that Hailface had on his back. Toadstep!  

“Toadstep!” Lionblaze echoed her thought.

“Don’t take another step,” Hailface hissed. “I can kill him now if you’d rather.”

“Don’t you dare.” Lionblaze’s growl barely sounded like a voice anymore.

“I won’t, assuming you cooperate,” Hailface continued evenly. “It’s not as if I want to fight you, Lionblaze; any cat here should know that would be a fruitless endeavor. But there’s a stalemate coming between us, unless you choose to back down before more of your cats get hurt.”

Faster than Ivypool even realized was possible for the brown she-cat, Briarlight had slipped by Ivypool and was heading straight for the pair of tussling warriors. Hissing ferociously, Briarlight stretched out one of her forepaws and struck Hailface’s cheek, apparently including enough force to cause the gray-faced she-cat to stumble away from her prey. She had wisely avoided announcing her arrival as Hailface was left blindsided by the attack.

“Briarlight?” Toadstep’s voice squeaked as he tried to regain his breath. “How-Why-?”

Briarlight shot him a quick glance, smiling softly. “You thought I wouldn’t protect you?”

“No, it’s just-” Toadstep shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Graystripe is dead. Millie needs you.”

“And we need you!” Lionblaze protested. “I only just got you as my family.”

“Dad is-” Briarlight’s mouth fell open. “What?”

Toadstep shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. You were in the medicine den, right? Weren’t you with Jayfeather and Thornclaw and Hollyleaf?”

“You’re a medicine cat?” Hailface peered with a level of interest at the brown she-cat, gently rubbing her scratch with her front paw. “I’m impressed with your strike, then. In my time, medicine cats weren’t afforded the training to build up this much strength behind a blow.”

“I’m not a medicine cat,” Briarlight answered, her voice still shaking slightly. “I do help out in their den, but I trained as a warrior. Right now, though, I could see that my mate needed my help more.”

Hailface’s lip curled in anger. “You thought you could have it both ways?” she hissed. “The clans have a rule: help your clanmates, or find love. You aren’t allowed both.”

“What are you talking about? She said she’s not a medicine cat!” Toadstep cut in. “That rule has nothing to do with her.”

“Oh no, not with your precious mate, I’m sure.” Hailface rolled her eyes. “She managed to skirt the rules just enough so that the clans wouldn’t throw her out didn’t she?” Refusing to listen to another word, the point she-cat lunged at Briarlight, only momentarily gesturing with her tail to send Rushtooth after Toadstep and Frostfang and Cypressfire to both keep Lionblaze busy.

No! Hailface was trying to rope Briarlight into a wrestling match. It was undoubtedly that Briarlight’s front legs were some of the strongest in the clan but she wasn’t prepared for a full body tussle, being unable to move her back legs or even easily flip herself up if she was turned onto her back. 

“Briarlight!” Toadstep’s frantic meow sounded from under Rushtooth’s paws, but he couldn’t get up.

Baring her teeth in warning at a stocky dark golden tom who seemed to be approaching, Ivypool dashed away towards the nursery, ready to intervene with Hailface.

However, it seemed not to be necessary as, by the time she arrived, Blossomfall had already rushed over from the elders’ den and torn the gray point she-cat clean off of her sister. “You have some nerve picking on her,” she growled. “Do you have no way to win other than exploiting cats’ weaknesses?” In a matter of moments, the two she-cats had tumbled out into the center of the clearing, becoming a writhing mass of claws and teeth.

Ivypool helped Briarlight up as she approached, flipping the she-cat onto her front side to give her more mobility. “Thanks,” she murmured quickly.

“I use what I can,” Hailface hissed, flipping Blossomfall over in their struggle. “Sometimes the weakest warriors are the most pitied, anyway. Isn’t that your sister? The one who stole your mother’s attention?”

“She didn’t steal anything,” Blossomfall grunted, rolling the two of them over again until she was on top. “She didn’t even want Millie’s attention, not in the way she got it.”

“Oh I see.” Hailface snarled, digging deeper and deeper into the tortoiseshell she-cat with her claws. “You got to solve your own personal problems and now you think you don’t need the Dark Forest, right? You think you can abandon us whenever it suits you?”

“You abandoned us first,” Blossomfall spat, a spurt of blood coming from her mouth and landing on the other she-cat’s light gray fur. “You lied to us, manipulated us. All you ever really wanted was cats to fight the battle you couldn’t win on your own.”

Letting out a screech of fury, Hailface rocked them into a directionless tumble again. Ivypool had half a mind to step in herself and break the she-cats up, but Blossomfall and Hailface were so tightly interlocked that she’d be just as likely to hurt her friend as her foe.

“Starclan help her,” Briarlight breathed beside her. Her pawsteps were taking her towards the pair, but she couldn’t possibly think that anyone could successfully get between them now, could she?

“That’s it!” Hailface hissed, slashing out a forepaw to steady herself while on top of the tortoiseshell she-cat. “If you think you’re too good for the Dark Forest, you can die alongside your kin!” As she finished, her head lunged down and her teeth dug deeply into the soft flesh of Blossomfall’s neck.

“No!” Ivypool cried, haring towards the pair and snatching Hailface’s shoulders in her claws, pulling the she-cat backwards and off of her friend. As she did, though, she heard a tear and a shocked, stilted gasp from the point she-cat. Hailface’s form started to dissipate before her, and the she-cat’s final growl was cut off as she fled to, or was forced back to, the Dark Forest.

Looking down in confusion, Ivypool spotted one of Blossomfall’s paws outstretched. Her claws were tipped with blood. “I wouldn’t have…let her go,” she gasped.

“Blossomfall!” Briarlight raced over to her sister, but to Ivypool’s surprise, another cat quickly joined her, sprinting over from the medicine den.

Millie’s eyes were wide with panic as she joined her daughters. “Darling, what did you just do?”

“Saved her…” Blossomfall breathed quietly. “Like you’d want.”

“I wanted all of my kits alive!” Millie protested.

“I know.” Blossomfall nodded weakly. “But I asked you not to get hurt last night, and I couldn’t let that promise be broken.”

“Blossomfall!” Briarlight’s voice was cracking. “We’ve already lost dad tonight. I can’t lose you too.”

“You won’t,” Blossomfall promised. “I’ll be watching over you from now on…from Starclan.”

“Starclan?” Ivypool hadn’t even realized she uttered the word until she heard herself. None of the trainees who had died had gone anywhere but to the Dark Forest.

Blossomfall’s gaze flashed with determination. “I’m never going back to that dank forest, ever again,” she growled. “If they can choose where they go, then I choose not to join them. I don’t need to, now that I have you.”

“You might not get there,” Briarlight breathed. “Starclan was cut off.”

“Then I’ll just have to cut back through to them.”

Millie looked about ready to burst into tears, but she only curled around her daughter protectively, gently licking her head. “I’m so proud of you,” she whispered. “I only wish you could stay.”

“I know,” Blossomfall breathed, her own eyes closing. “I’ll say hi to Graystripe for you.” Her eyes opened a crack to meet Briarlight’s gaze. “Live well,” she wished. “Love Toadstep. And…I’ll see you-again…” As the last word left her mouth, Blossomfall’s head fell back limply, and even her fur was only ruffled for a moment by the swift breeze that passed them by.

The silence seemed to press in against Ivypool’s ears as she padded up to the still body of her friend, ready to at least carry her to the medicine den to keep her safe. 

As she began to lift the tortoiseshell onto her back, though, a choked voice cut in. “Wait,” Millie meowed. “I’d like to carry her.”

Ivypool dipped her head silently, gently moving towards the gray tabby she-cat so it would be possible to move Blossomfall’s form onto her back. Millie leaned into Ivypool, creating a gentle slope for her daughter to slide on as she traveled from one cat to the other. Briarlight came along on Millie’s other side to steady her, ensuring that Blossomfall wouldn’t fall off and that Millie didn’t collapse under the sudden weight, both physical and…well, in her mind.

It was numbing enough for Ivypool to see her best friend and her greatest ally among the trainees stripped of her life; Ivypool couldn’t imagine what her family was going through.

Millie, with Briarlight at her side and Blossomfall drooped on her back, began trudging slowly back towards the medicine den, each pawstep falling as heavily as a stone thrown into the lake.

Ivypool was aware of two other cats, Firestar and…Dovewing, rushing over to fight off some oncoming warriors but the sounds felt muffled on her ears, and even the visuals around the edges of her gaze felt like they were getting blurry. 

What would it feel like if you died? The thought appeared in Ivypool’s mind unwillingly. If Ivypool’s own sister fell tonight, how much worse would it feel? What would it even be like to live in the clans without her? Dovewing had been such an ever-present force in her life, whether they were joined at the hip, stewing in resentment and jealousy, or fighting together against their oncoming threats. If she had to face the world alone after tonight, what would she do with herself?

Either way, they’re doing the right thing. While Blossomfall’s sister and mother had grief this fresh, they would be vulnerable. Firestar and Dovewing were probably sparing more lives by helping out. 

Which is what I should be doing. If she couldn’t carry Blossomfall herself, she could at least protect her family while she was being carried away. Baring her teeth in a snarl, Ivypool tried to put as much anger back into her heart as possible, letting the passion flow out to tighten her muscles as she struck out at her foes. The sadness, the emptiness, the numbing grief, all of that could come later, when it was safe. Her clanmates still needed her now.

She barely noticed the cats passing by her claws as she kept the attackers off of Millie and Briarlight, only taking a heartbeat at a time to ensure it wasn’t a trainee or a clanmate she was facing. Thankfully it seemed that the only warriors willing to go after a grieving family were ones she wouldn’t want to save anyway.

Amongst the commotion though, one voice in particular pierced her ears. 

“Darkstripe!” Mousefur’s hiss sounded from outside the elders’ den. Wait, outside? “I hoped I’d never see you again.” The old she-cat lashed out at a snarling tom.

Why is she outside? She and Purdy were supposed to be waiting inside the elders’ den, weren’t they? But Firestar and Dovewing were both guarding them before. Did Mousefur think they needed her help now? Did she think she could, or should take on Dark Forest cats by herself?

Before Ivypool could think to move, though, Darkstripe hit the elder back, sending Mousefur reeling. “You didn’t give me much to come back to,” Darkstripe shot back.

Hazeltail dove in from the side, momentarily knocking the tabby tom away from Mousefur. She turned towards him, lips drawn to show bloodstained teeth. 

Thank Starclan, Ivypool breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to her own opponents.

“Go for his ears!” Icecloud landed beside her mate. “I’ll go for his legs.”

“Of course.” Hazeltail swiped at Darkstripe, her paws fast as birds. He stumbled as Icecloud hooked his forepaws from under him. Hazeltail battered his muzzle into the earth.

“Very nice.” Icecloud sprang onto Darkstripe’s back and began scrabbling at his spine with her hind claws. “Now let’s see if we can-Oh!” Her mew was cut off as Bearstar and a scrawny black and white tom pulled Icecloud off of their ally, soon joined by a rose-tinted she-cat taking a blow at Hazeltail. The two she-cat’s pressed up against each others’ backs to fend off the three attackers.

Once more, Darkstripe was left to face Mousefur, stretching up his shoulders to clear them of the pain.

“Need any help?” Purdy meowed, stepping out beside her. 

“You took your time,” Mousefur muttered. “Always late, that’s your trouble.”

“But ’m here now, aren’t I?” Purdy shrugged. “You ready?”

“Never more so,” she replied firmly. In a matter of moments, the two elders had arched their backs against the honeysuckle den and began fighting.

As Purdy tried to swipe with as much force as he could manage at Darkstripe’s face, Mousefur leapt onto his back with remarkable agility, hissing as she churned at the tabby’s spine with vicious hind claws. “You shouldn’t have come back.”

“Ah, she’s serious,” Purdy added, locking eyes with the tabby tom. “Been a while since I seen her this angry. Ya’d better watch yerself.”

Instead of fear or even anger, though, Darkstripe’s expression melted into…satisfaction. “I should be saying the same to you,” he purred. “You see, I didn’t come alone this time, and my friends are more than a match for a couple of snotty, rickety elders.”

As he spoke, Jaggedtooth lunged from behind, locking his jaws around Mousefur’s neck and pulling the old she-cat off of Darkstripe’s back. Surprise lit Mousefur’s gaze as she stumbled and fell.

“No!” Purdy dived for the ginger tom, shoving him backwards with a strength and ferocity Ivypool had never seen from the old tom. He slashed sloppily at the Dark Forest cat over and over, finally biting down at the top of his spine when he was able to loop around. Jaggedtooth gasped and let go, letting Mousefur’s body fall to the ground.

“Come on! Get up!” Purdy snatched Mousefur’s scruff in his teeth and tried to drag her to her paws, but she slumped onto her side. Ivypool stared in horror. Mousefur’s head was twisted strangely, her eyes dull. “You’ve gotta get up! Ya said ya wouldn’t go’n sacrifice yerself fer any cat! Ya promised we’d get outta this together!”

“Purdy…” To Ivypool’s surprise, it was Berrynose who approached the frantic old tom. “I’m sorry. She’s- Do you need any help?”

Purdy’s muzzle was smeared with blood, but his eyes softened to simply glitter with grief as he met the cream tom’s gaze. “She died a warrior’s death after all…she said it was what she wanted.” He shook his head, sending Berrynose away with a flick of his tail. “Go back ta the fight,” he murmured. “I’ll watch over ‘er.” Carefully, he picked up Mousefur by the scruff and carried her back into the elders’ den, dropping down just as he got inside and burying his nose in his denmate’s pelt.

Ivypool felt dizzy, turning as much of her attention back to her own battles as she could. They had reached the medicine den once more, laying Blossomfall’s body to sit beside Thornclaw’s. Just Thornclaw’s? Ivypool swiveled to look around the den, checking for-

“Hi,” Hollyleaf meowed weakly, barely managing to meet Ivypool’s gaze. “How’s…how is-”

“Blossomfall’s dead,” Ivypool answered quickly, swallowing back the bile in her throat. “And Mousefur now as well.”

Hollyleaf’s eyes shut tight, as if she was blocking out the visions of her fallen clanmates. “I almost wish I had stayed asleep,” she murmured faintly.

“You still need to rest,” Ivypool went on quickly. “I’m glad you’re alive, really glad, but you’re in no position to start fighting again so soon.”

“Some cat has to,” Hollyleaf breathed, meeting her gaze even as she shook trying to stand on her four paws. “The clans can’t take much more of this.”

“I know.” There was no fight to be had there. Every moment they spent fighting could mean another life lost. Somehow, someway- “We need to end this.”

Chapter Text

Overwhelming. Was that the right word? It was becoming difficult for Lionblaze to even keep track of who had died, who could appear before them again, and how long they had been fighting. 

The only thing that had really become clear was that he couldn’t prevent everything from happening. Cats kept dying, even right in front of him, and the Dark Forest cats only seemed concerned with holding him back by threatening the cats he loved most. Not just overwhelming. Frustrating. Terrifying, maybe.  

It wasn’t the sort of anger that he had grown used to, the kind he could let out in battle with his enemies. This feeling was bottled, restrained, like there was nothing he could do to stop his loved ones from getting in danger. Helpless, he finally decided, as if deciding on a word made it any better. His power could only be guaranteed to protect himself. Forget trying to protect cats in every clan; he couldn’t even protect those closest to him.

“Firestar!” Dovewing’s call rang out and for a frantic moment Lionblaze was terrified that some cat had gotten to him as well, but as he followed the gray she-cat’s gaze he saw Firestar’s orange tail disappearing into the thorn tunnel.

“What happened?” Lionblaze called.

Dovewing turned towards him. “Those cats who killed Mousefur, we managed to get them away but they ran outside of camp, and I saw that some of the messengers were outside so he followed them. I know he can handle it but-”

“It’s a bad idea for him to be out there alone,” Lionblaze finished. “I can go after him.”

“Not just that.” Dovewing shook her head. “I just caught Hawkfrost’s scent out there, too. Firestar might run straight into him if they get far enough.”

“I’ll come too, then,” Brambleclaw declared. “I could use a talk with my brother.”

“Who would watch the nursery then?” Cloudtail looked between the two of them. “It’s not like I won’t protect Cinderheart, Daisy, or the kits but if both of you left-” He paused to ram into an oncoming attacker appearing to prove his point. “There’s a lot of them, you know?”

Before they had a chance to respond, a dark ginger streak flashed by, knocking a Windclan tom away. “I can take over here,” Squirrelflight assured them. “Do what you need to.”

“Squirrelflight?” Brambleclaw looked at her with shock.

“Go,” she repeated. “Just make sure my father is safe, okay?”

“Please,” Cloudtail added weakly.

Brambleclaw held the she-cat’s gaze for a moment, but quickly dipped his head and started sprinting towards the thorn tunnel. Lionblaze followed closely behind while Squirrelflight slid in to close the gap they had created.

As they burst out of camp, Lionblaze was able to catch a glance of the first traces of light filtering through the trees from across the lake. The pink glow was barely able to warm the cool tones of the dim forest and the hollow they had just left. Dawn. They had been fighting all night. How long would the battle last for?

“Facing Hawkfrost,” Brambleclaw murmured under his breath. “I’d rather have-Ah!” His ears perked up as he caught sight of two cats heading towards them, one a dark gray tabby tom and the other a gray and white she-cat. “You’re messengers, right?”

The she-cat dipped her head. “I’m Furzepelt, from Windclan.”

“Rippletail of Riverclan,” the tom introduced himself with a bow of his head.

Brambleclaw dipped his head in acknowledgment of the two. “Could you find Tawnypelt and Mothwing? Hawkfrost is here; Tigerstar might be too, soon enough, and I think they’d want to be here.”

Oh! Was that what he wanted? Lionblaze knew, of course, that Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt were siblings, and Hawkfrost was also Tigerstar’s son, but he had completely forgotten that Mothwing was their sister too. Every cat Tigerstar raised is coming together, Lionblaze realized. And I can’t imagine most of them are very happy with him, or Hawkfrost. But Tigerstar coming was still a long shot. It seemed like he had every intention of staying in the Dark Forest for most of the battle. Although he may come for Firestar, Lionblaze mused. The dark tabby had a pretty clear grudge against Thunderclan’s leader.

“Right,” Furzepelt agreed immediately. “I can go to Shadowclan to see Tawnypelt.”

“And getting Mothwing shouldn’t be much trouble,” Rippletail continued. “Riverclan seems to be fairing the best among the clans right now.”

“Thank you.” Brambleclaw bowed his head deeply. “Tell them to meet us in the forest. I don’t think Hawkfrost is coming back to the camp.”

Giving one last nod to show they understood, the messengers each flew off towards the Shadowclan border, leaving Brambleclaw and Lionblaze to hare off in the direction they at least thought Firestar would be. It would be nice, in that moment, if Lionblaze had Dovewing’s ability, but for now they would have to resort to tracking the orange tom the old fashioned way.

Brambleclaw led the charge through the brush, either certain of the way through his tracking or faking confidence to hide some other emotions. Thankfully, it didn’t seem that they had been able to get especially far from camp anyway, so hopefully the fact that Lionblaze barely had a chance to take a breath in at each pawstep, let alone to analyze the directions of scents, wouldn’t hinder them.

As they approached though, a new scent touched the air he breathed in, a sharp, metallic, far-too familiar odor to ignore. Blood! A lot of it. Brambleclaw’s pace increased and Lionblaze followed without a second thought. Whose blood was it? The Dark Forest cats did bleed, even if they didn’t die, so it was possible that-even though Firestar was facing multiple-even if Hawkfrost had managed to catch him-it was still possible that-

The possibilities-the wishes, that Lionblaze’s mind was conjuring were halted immediately when he caught sight of the scene. Darkstripe and that other tom who had killed Mousefur were there. But in addition to them, a gray point she-cat, a tall ginger she-cat, and a pale brown she-cat, the latter two being recognizable from his time in Shadowclan’s camp, were there too, all pinning Firestar helplessly to the ground as Hawkfrost loomed over him. Blood was splattered against the grass around the clearing, and it looked as though a pool was forming under the leader’s body.

“Firestar!” Lionblaze screeched his name instinctively as they approached, leaving all six of the Dark Forest cats to look in his direction.

A ragged meow sounded from the center of the pile as Firestar’s head swiveled towards them. “Lion-”

“No!” Hawkfrost’s fearsome growl cut him off. “I’m not letting either of you get in my way this time. You had a chance to stand here with me, and you turned it down.”

“I’d never let him die,” Brambleclaw hissed, sprinting towards his brother.

Before he got close enough, though, Hawkfrost dove down and dug his teeth deep into Firestar’s neck. One last, small squeak sounded from the orange tom before he went limp, his tail falling completely still as his eyes went glassy.

“No!” Lionblaze heard his own voice cry. That was Firestar’s last life! Did Brambleclaw even know? Did Hawkfrost?

Brambleclaw had fixed his gaze on his leader, his brow furrowed in a forceful hope that Firestar would rise again.

Hawkfrost, however, didn’t seem ready to wait. “Take them,” he ordered, sending the other warriors with him to hold Brambleclaw and Lionblaze down. Lionblaze himself felt himself topple to the ground under a pin, being too stunned with shock to react. “If he moves, I can just-”

“Why?” Brambleclaw growled, even as he was quickly held down by a couple of the Dark Forest cats. “I’m not even deputy anymore. There’s nothing to gain from-”

“This isn’t for you!” Hawkfrost hissed, cutting his brother off. “I told you; you turned your back on me. This…” His voice trailed off as he looked down at Firestar, his claws still digging threateningly into his neck as if he was waiting for the leader to come back. After a few moments though, it seemed he was convinced. “This is for someone who never gave up on me.” He raised his head towards the sky, letting out a yowl so loud that Lionblaze had to flatten his ears against his head. “Dad! I have something to show you!”

A few moments of total silence passed, without any cat daring to move, but soon enough the massive brown tabby appeared, shaking his head as if waking from a dream. 

“Hawkfrost, you know how important it is that I-” His words broke off as he caught sight of the body laying under his son’s claws.

“I got him for you,” Hawkfrost murmured softly. “Firestar is dead, exactly like you wanted. Thunderclan is yours for the taking now.”

Lionblaze expected for a smile to cross Tigerstar’s face, the sort of wicked grin that would reveal just what he had wanted all along from this battle. But no smile appeared. In fact, his face seemed to be contorting into a mask of…fury. “You took this away from me?” he growled lowly.

Confusion pricked at Hawkfrost’s eyes. “I-no of course not. I did this for you. I knew you wanted him dead and-”

“I was to kill him!” Tigerstar screeched. “He was my enemy, my prey, this was my battle to win! I can’t have any other cats taking away my victory!” Rearing onto his back paws, he crashed down on Hawkfrost, slashing across one of his eyes and down his cheek.

Hawkfrost lept back in shock. “I-I just wanted to-”

“Oh give it a rest!” Darkstripe snarled. “You should have known he wanted Firestar to himself. What gives you the right to kill a leader, let alone that one? You’re not even an elite!”

“Shut up.” Tigerstar’s head whipped around to face the gray tom. “You believe you are any better? You helped him. You didn’t even try to turn him away.”

“I didn’t know what he would do!” Darkstripe protested. “He could have just been holding him for you.”

“Oh you knew,” Tigerstar growled furiously. “You’ve never had a truly loyal bone in your body, Darkstripe. You’ve abandoned me twice to whatever strong cat you can lay your eyes on.”

“No, it’s not like that!” Darkstripe meowed, actually taking a step off of Brambleclaw’s body. “I told you what happened with Bloodclan a-and this was your son! If I could trust anyone else I figured it would be-”

“Silence!” Tigerstar’s screech nearly shook the clearing, quieting to a bare whisper as he heaved. “You both knew just how important it was that I finally get my revenge, and you took it from me anyway. What do you expect me to do in the face of such disloyalty?”

The ginger she-cat among the Dark Forest cats backed up a few pawsteps, and even the pale brown she-cat’s eyes flickered with uncertainty.

“You…” Hawkfrost shook his head slowly, dropping for a moment all of the strength and poise that Lionblaze had come to associate with him. “I did everything for you. I thought this would make you happy; when you agreed to stay in the Dark Forest I figured you had managed to put that personal revenge aside, for all of us.”

“You didn’t ask, now did you?” Tigerstar snorted.

“But you-” Hawkfrost paused to shake his head as some of the blood dripped into his eye. “Did you ever really care about me?” 

To Lionblaze’s shock, he found a prick of empathy sprouting in his heart. Many seasons ago, when Tigerstar had attacked him in his sleep, Lionblaze came to the very same realization that Hawkfrost was now. He never cared about any of us.  

“No, he didn’t.” This time it was Brambleclaw who spoke, standing up and launching the point she-cat off of him, now that he had been freed of Darkstripe’s grasp. “We were useful to him, if we were loyal and strong; he probably wanted us more than he would want another warrior. But he didn’t care for us in the way a father should. He didn’t, still doesn’t, ever include us in his goals, or…listen to us when we have a point.” His glance briefly flitted over to Lionblaze, and the golden tom had to wonder if he too was thinking of his recent reconciliation with Lionblaze’s mothers. “A father who really cares wouldn’t need everything to go his way for him to love us.”

“I’d say so.” Tawnypelt’s voice sounded behind them, and within a few moments Lionblaze felt the weight lifted from his back as both remaining warriors were shoved off of him. As he was able to stand, he turned to see both Tawnypelt and Mothwing had arrived. “It took you long enough to realize, brother.”

Brambleclaw showed a hint of surprise, but it quickly dispersed as he dipped his head. “My path was longer than it should have been,” he admitted. “But how did you both get here so quickly?”

Lionblaze nodded. “We only sent off the messengers as we were leaving camp ourselves.”

“You didn’t need to,” Mothwing answered quickly. “Once the messengers sent word that the fallen Dark Forest cats were heading to Thunderclan, Tawnypelt and I assumed that Hawkfrost or Tigerstar would show themselves.”

“But you’re a medicine cat!” Lionblaze protested. “Doesn’t Riverclan need you?”

“They’re in safe paws,” Mothwing assured him. “I left Willowshine in charge of the den, and Troutstream is assisting her. She had been showing interest in herbs for the last couple of moons anyway as some sort of extra training on top of her warrior duties. But regardless, Riverclan is actually doing quite well now, in comparison, and I knew Thunderclan might need me more.”

“Well, we’re happy to have you,” Brambleclaw purred.

“Now, dad,” Tawnypelt’s attention focused back on the seething brown tabby. “I think it’s time you run back to that dank forest. We don’t need your filth here anymore.”

The three siblings quickly encircled the Dark Forest leader, slashing, dodging, and working with near synchronicity to take down their father.

Much as Lionblaze himself would have liked to pummel his former mentor, Tigerstar’s kits obviously had it covered, and they needed Lionblaze to fend off the other warriors while they worked. And I can take it. He didn’t have to fear his power here. Even if it wasn’t designed for this battle, this was exactly how he could make it useful. He might not save the clans, but he could give his father and his family a chance to air their grievances, along with defeating one of the two most important cats in the battle, of course.

Darkstripe and that large ginger tabby tom lunged for him immediately, but Lionblaze pricked up his fur and sent them back, wincing at their new cuts. The gray point she-cat tried a different tactic, leaping onto his back, but he easily rolled over onto her and evoked a screech of pain from what must have felt like a thousand tiny thorns jabbed into her. Lionblaze turned his attention to one of the last Dark Forest cats, the tall pale ginger she-cat, but she wasn’t poised to attack. 

Uncertainty flickered in her eyes. “We’re supposed to be making the clans better,” she finally murmured. “This petty revenge stuff…we were supposed to have left that behind. They were uniting us.”

“They lied to you,” Lionblaze explained easily. “The clans have agreed to listen to the trainees, to see what can be changed, but this battle is only happening so those at the top can use you for their own ends, either getting back at cats they still hate or just enjoying the power.”

“I didn’t believe it.” The she-cat shook her head. “I didn’t believe what the clans were saying about us. But Tigerstar…”

“You don’t have to stand with him,” Lionblaze pleaded. “The clans will never be made better if half of our warriors are dead. This is only going to make more cats hate you.”

The she-cat closed her eyes for a few moments, but when they opened again there was a new resolve blazing in them. “My name’s Echowind,” she introduced herself. “Sorry, I’d just rather be known as something other than ‘one of the Dark Forest cats.’” Not leaving any more time for words, Echowind leapt into action, pummeling the large ginger tabby back with her paws.

Lionblaze was left to face the last of the Dark Forest cats, Hawkfrost, but his scornful gaze didn’t seem quite as directed as he would have expected. “This battle is for more than petty revenge,” he hissed, apparently having heard Lionblaze’s conversation with Echowind. “And I know the leaders plan to repay all of us when it’s over.” His brow furrowed “But I’ve been the most loyal and useful warrior Tigerstar could possibly ask for. If he thinks he can shove me aside when it suits him, then I need to remind him who he’s working with.”

Hawkfrost dove forward but, to Lionblaze’s shock, he didn’t feel the dark tabby even brush against his fur, instead spotting him swoop to Brambleclaw’s side to crash his claws against Tigerstar’s shoulder.

Tigerstar’s eyes blazed with fury. “Was it not enough for you to steal my victory? Now you attack your own father?”

“This is your own fault,” Hawkfrost growled. “It was your choice to turn on the only cat who would never abandon you or let you down. You need to be taught how to respect the cats who do your work for you.”

Lionblaze wasn’t able to catch the rest, busy with beating back Darkstripe and the other three Dark Forest cats with Echowind, but when they had finished and either forced or scared their own enemies back to the Dark Forest, Tigerstar, too, had disappeared.

Brambleclaw’s ear had been torn, scratches dotted Tawnypelt’s chest and shoulders, patches of fur had been torn off of Mothwing’s pelt, and in addition to the blood dripping down Hawkfrost’s face, he had acquired a bite in his front leg. But all four of them are standing, together at last.  

Hawkfrost spit the ground where his father had disappeared, sending a small drop of blood down with it. “See how well you do without me on your side?” he muttered.

“Hawkfrost…” Mothwing turned towards him, her brow furrowed in a hesitant hope. “Are you-”

“I’m not joining you,” Hawkfrost cut her off. “The Dark Forest will win tonight, no matter what you do. Even defeating Tigerstar now would only delay our victory a short while. There’s a conversation with him waiting for me when I get back up there; I know it, but frankly it was worth it.”

“You don’t have to fight beside him, you know,” Brambleclaw offered gently.

“I don’t have to,” Hawkfrost agreed. “But you seem to be forgetting that I want to. When this war ends, I get the future you stole from me. I get to rule the clans again, even if it’s with him.”

“Why do you have to rule the clans at all?” Tawnypelt snarled. “You’ve heard the stories. You’ve seen what he’s done.”

“He’s effective, most of the time,” Hawkfrost replied calmly. “And he must have done something right, for all of his kits to be deputies or medicine cats.”

“I turned down that life,” Brambleclaw meowed. “And it’s been better for me. I’ve been able to become comfortable with my family, my clanmates, and even myself. I didn’t need power to feel fulfilled into the clan, or become a warrior others could respect.”

“I turned down Tigerstar outright,” Tawnypelt added. “He offered me the same training you got, Hawkfrost, and I didn’t want it. I understand he’s a strong warrior, determined and brave; those are things I admired about him and don’t want to forget. But my path from his death onwards has been my own. I only want to be known for what I have done.”

“And my being a medicine cat had nothing to do with him,” Mothwing hissed. “Whatever he, or Starclan thinks of me, I’m a healer and I will continue to keep my clanmates safe.”

“Which you can only do because of me,” Hawkfrost snarled. “Like it or not, you never would have been made a medicine cat if I hadn’t faked that sign. Starclan wouldn’t ever accept you, some worthless kit of a loner and a murderer who didn’t even believe in them.”

“I don’t owe you anything, anymore,” Mothwing declared. “You’ve put me through far, far more grief than was ever owed by that favor, one I never even asked for.”

Hawkfrost’s eyes narrowed. “It doesn't matter. I don’t need you anymore, either, sister. I’ve been standing on my own for a long time, and now I don’t even need Tigerstar to do it.” His paws began to fade beneath him. He’s leaving! “I’ll see you again soon enough. Don’t think you’ve won just yet.”

Once the tabby’s form faded away, the cats were left in silence for several heartbeats, regaining their breath or simply processing their experiences. Five cats stood alive, well, four alive and one Echowind, but Firestar’s body lay completely still.

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Brambleclaw breathed softly.

“He needs to be taken back to your camp,” Tawnypelt added, her voice stiffening to hide any grief. “Leaving a body out in the forest won’t do it any favors.”

“I can take him,” Lionblaze announced, already moving to pick up their leader’s body.

“I can help,” Brambleclaw added quickly. “The travel will go faster if we’re splitting the weight.”

Lionblaze dipped his head in thanks before turning to the she-cats behind them. “Mothwing, Tawnypelt, uh, Echowind too, do you need to get back to your camps?”

“Actually I’d like to come to Thunderclan if that’s all right,” Mothwing responded. “I initially came here to offer Leafpool and Jayfeather my assistance, especially if more cats arrive or if there’s something you ‘three’ need to do.”

“Thunderclan welcomes you,” Brambleclaw meowed gratefully.

“I’d like to get back to Shadowclan, though,” Tawnypelt admitted. “We’re not overrun anymore but we need some rebuilding, and they need their deputy.”

Brambleclaw bowed his head. “I heard what happened to Dawnpelt,” he whispered.

Tawnypelt nodded faintly, her gaze darting away from them. “It seems that every cat has lost someone tonight.”

“Would you mind-” Echowind cut herself off to shake her head. “Could I come back with you? If the clans are really ready to listen to us I want them to see that not all of us have bad intentions.”

Tawnypelt raised an eyebrow. “I recognize you. Weren’t you in the first attack on our camp?”

Echowind dipped her head guiltily. “But I promise I wouldn’t attack any of your warriors.”

“She was fighting with me while you were dealing with Tigerstar,” Lionblaze put in. “And she’s not the first Dark Forest cat to switch allegiances.

Shadowclan’s deputy let out a sigh. “Your presence might not be welcome,” she explained. “And I can tell you if you put a paw out of line, I would send you back to the Dark Forest myself.”

Echowind nodded hurriedly. “You won’t have to.”

“Fine then.” Tawnypelt tossed her head in the direction of the Shadowclan camp. “Let’s go. And Brambleclaw?”

“Hm?” The brown tabby turned to look at her.

“Stay safe, please. And give my regards to Firestar, when the time comes.”

Chapter Text

Jayfeather heard a sharp inhale as he pressed another poultice-coated cobweb against Hollyleaf’s throat, but she didn’t let out any verbal sign of pain. “This will make it better,” he whispered. “But it still takes time to heal when you’ve slashed your throat open.”

“I know,” Hollyleaf said. Oh Starclan, even speaking hurts!  

She wouldn’t be heading back into the battle that day. Jayfeather was sure of that much. Even if she wanted to be a hero, there wasn’t much she could actually do if she went back out, and it had taken enough work making sure she was able to stick around the first time. It didn’t bode well for the rest of the clans, given how much quicker the Dark Forest cats could come back from similar injuries, but Jayfeather couldn’t be upset when his sister was still alive. We have a chance. We just have to use it.  

“Jayfeather?” The bramble screen shuffled quietly as Dovewing poked her head into the den. “I-I have some news.” How do I even-no, he might figure it out even before I tell him.

I could if you would actually say it, Jayfeather complained silently. Still, it had to be something serious for her to even be coming over from her post at the elders’ den. “What is it?”

Can anyone else- Jayfeather heard Dovewing shake her head. They’ll all learn soon enough. “Firestar was ambushed outside of camp,” she announced, her voice quivering. “Hawkfrost and a few other cats cut him off while he was chasing down a couple of warriors and they killed him.”

Jayfeather felt a sharp inhale shake his chest.

“Dad is…” It was Leafpool’s who responded, her voice laced with innumerable levels of pain. Oh Starclan!  

“I know,” Dovewing’s mew cracked. “I didn’t want to believe it either but…I looked. Lionblaze and Brambleclaw are bringing his body back to camp now.”

“Then we’re losing,” Brightheart breathed. “Two clan leaders are gone, along with several warriors in each clan, and we haven’t been able to meaningfully fight back at all.”

“The fight is-” Hollyleaf gulped hard. “It’s pointless. They’re just trying to make…us angry, enough to justify the battle for the…trainees.” 

It sounded as if she was breathing hard. Jayfeather went in to press some moss in against her throat as a shield. The cobwebs were already peeling at the edges from her having to breath and speak. 

Thank you, she told him silently.

Jayfeather only responded with a grunt.

“The Dark Forest cats can come back again as long as they need,” Hollyleaf explained. “But if a cat siding with the clans dies, they’re blocked off. No matter how long it takes, the Dark Forest can always win.”

“Not…always,” Jayfeather murmured, his eyes narrowing as his brain processed the words. Ultimately, what was letting this battle continue, what was letting the Dark Forest win, was that Starclan was cut off. In the living world, they couldn’t do anything about that. “If Starclan was able to come back, we would have a chance.”

“But how could they?” Dovewing asked. “You said yourself we can’t even get to them in dreams anymore, and the Dark Forest took control over the Moonpool.”

“The reason they were able to come together in the first place is because of Lionblaze,” Jayfeather began, a familiar prick of resentment rising as he remembered the tom’s revelation. He was tricked, Jayfeather reminded himself. He didn’t even know it was possible to affect the Dark Forest. Shaking his head, he continued. “If that’s true, then maybe we three can change it back, on our own terms this time. We have the power of the stars, afterall. We should be able to do what Starclan once could.”

“It’s worth a try,” Leafpool murmured softly. “Anything to stop all of this.”

“I don’t…really know how all of this works,” Brightheart admitted. “I don’t know if any cat, maybe save for you, Jayfeather, would. But Firestar already gave his word before the battle that you three should be given the ability to go off and save the clans in your own way if you need to. I’m not about to reject one of his last requests to the clans.”

“And you…shouldn’t,” Hollyleaf stammered. “If Jayfeather is this sure…I have no doubt…that this will work.”

Jayfeather dipped his head in thanks for the she-cats’ approval. Now he just had to hope that his logic was correct. 

He and Dovewing turned to make their way out of the den, but only a few steps away, Dovewing shoved him to the side. For a moment, Jayfeather felt a flash of indignation until he heard the screech of an attacker only a whisker’s length away. Jayfeather stumbled, off-balance, while Poppyfrost, by the scent, tore the Dark Forest cat away. “Th-thank you,” he breathed quietly.

“No problem,” Dovewing responded easily, laying her tail gently on his shoulder for a moment to lead him around the throng forming outside their den. “You know I trust you Jayfeather,” she continued softly, “but you’re asking us to leave in the middle of the battle. Thunderclan is overrun as it is, and we’ve lost a lot of cats. We might not have enough to hold them back, especially if you and Lionblaze are gone.”

“Yes you will.” Jayfeather’s head swiveled towards the response. The voice was coming from the entrance, with an odd scent and the voice of a tom he never believed he would hear again.

“Stormfur? Brook?” Squirrelflight had apparently caught sight of them. “A-Are you really here?”

“And we’re not alone,” Brook purred. Jayfeather was able to hear a thunder of pawsteps as more cats entered the camp. “

Tribe cats! That was the scent he had smelled. How many were there? Stormfur, Brook, Talon and Night were there as well, and at least…six or eight other cats. “But why are you here?” Jayfeather cut in.

“Stoneteller received a message,” Night announced, “telling her that the clans needed help. She says it was from the first Stoneteller.”

Did that mean…she was still watching out for them, wasn’t she? Thank you, Half Moon, he prayed, hoping she would understand his gratitude even from a different sky.

“Well thank you, for coming,” Sandstorm purred. “Though we may need help in other camps as-”

Sandstorm’s words were cut off as another shuffling occurred near the entrance, and Jayfeather heard a series of muffled apologies as Tribe cats got out of the way. The scent of death washed over him before he even had time to recognize the cats with them. Firestar’s body. He knew it immediately. Lionblaze and Brambleclaw were carrying him as Dovewing had said, and a different scent followed behind them.

“Mothwing?” Leafpool appeared behind them.

“I thought you might need help,” the Riverclan cat answered before her friend was even able to ask the question.

Leafpool purred. “You’re always welcome.”

“Wait-” Lionblaze shook his head. “Did you miss the body we have?”

“They didn’t miss anything,” Jayfeather grunted. “Dovewing heard you coming. And we need to talk to you.”

“I can help with his body,” Squirrelflight offered, managing to make her voice crack only once as she spoke of her father. “It’s not safe leaving him out in the middle of a battle.”

“Crag! Swoop!” Talon called. “Protect them as they take care of Firestar.”

“Of course,” an unfamiliar she-cat voice mewed. It was any cat’s guess whether it was Crag or Swoop who had spoken.

“And we should begin sending cats to the other camps,” Talon continued.

“Not in Riverclan, if that’s any help,” Mothwing cut in. “We’re doing well. It seems as though Thunderclan is being hit the hardest for the moment.”

“Very well,” Talon agreed. “And the others-”

“Shadowclan and Windclan,” Brook whispered.

“Night, you’ll stay with Brook, Stormfur, and I in Thunderclan,” Talon announced. “Bird, take Storm and Splash to Sc-Shadowclan, and Jag, bring Screech, and Pebble to Windclan.”

“Fine,” Stormfur growled, some effort showing in his voice as he tussled with someone. “Then let’s get to it.”

It was admittedly more challenging than Jayfeather would have preferred it to find a moment of solace with Lionblaze and Dovewing. In the end, they had to resort to crowding into that little nook between the warriors’ den and nursery, the very one that he, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf had met in so many times in their early seasons. But there was no time for sentimentality. The war still raged outside, and even if Jayfeather’s plan worked, as he hoped it would, every moment passing before enacted it could result in another cat’s death, in Thunderclan or elsewhere.

“Dovewing said you have an idea?” Lionblaze meowed.

Jayfeather dipped his head. “You were able to bring the Dark Forest together,” he began.

“Hey!” Lionblaze exclaimed. “I didn’t know-”

“I know,” Jayfeather growled. “My point isn’t to blame you. I believe your actions may have proved what the power of the stars means for us. Just as Starclan held some power over the clans’ afterlives, we do too. We can bring them back, if we can find that barrier Ivypool mentioned seeing them close off.”

“The one between Starclan and the Dark Forest?” Dovewing confirmed. “You think we could open it again? But that would just let the Starclan cats into the Dark Forest, right? Would it do anything for us down here?”

“I think so,” Jayfeather grunted, recalling Yellowfang’s explanation to him, so long ago. “We can’t just give Starclan’s power back to them. They used it up themselves to make us; that’s why the Dark Forest was able to grow in strength. But if we can break that barrier completely, they should share the power. The Dark Forest may still be able to use it, but Starclan will too, and there are many more of them.”

“How would we even get there?” Lionblaze asked. “They won’t exactly come to us in our dreams right now, and we can’t get to Starclan.”

“But we can get straight into the Dark Forest,” Jayfeather pointed out. “No matter who invites us in. That’s the penalty of taking over the Moonpool. We can get to the barrier from their side.”

But…Tigerstar! Hawkfrost! Every cat is up there! Lionblaze’s thoughts began to run wild, flashes of opponents he must have fought appearing in his head.

“It won’t be easy,” Jayfeather granted. “But I believe we can do it, with the skills we have.” Most of the plan could be explained in time, but to assuage Lionblaze’s fear- “You weren’t given some sort of super strength, Lionblaze. They’re ghosts; it would be useless anyway. But you’re resilient. You can be just as immortal as they are. Down here, that might create a standstill, but up there…it could be a distraction.” Feeling the golden tom’s mind ease slightly, Jayfeather turned his attention to Dovewing. “Is there anyone coming?”

Dovewing was silent for a few moments, and Jayfeather risked a glance into her mind before drawing back from the seemingly-endless expanse of the world she was taking in all at once. “Clear,” she reported, “for now.”

“Then we need to go,” Jayfeather declared, already standing to leave. “Have either of you been to the Moonpool before?”

“Uh…no,” Lionblaze meowed cautiously.

“I’ve seen it, though,” Dovewing offered.

“Follow me anyway,” Jayfeather grunted. “Just to make all of this faster. Dovewing? Let me know if anyone is coming our way so we can take another path.”

“We’ll hold them off!” Cloudtail whispered as they emerged. “Just get out, fast. Do what you need to.”

“Thank you,” Dovewing purred gratefully.

Jayfeather nodded his thanks hurriedly, but his focus was already on examining every detail of the battle around him. He could risk running into even one fight on their way out. 

They were beginning at the front of the clearing, which was a good start, but even so Jayfeather caught the tell-tale hisses, growls, and thuds of skirmishes in the central clearing, approaching the warriors’ den, and even in front of the thorn tunnel. Jayfeather could easily keep track of one or two of them at the same time, but he still, biting his tongue, had to rely on the warriors at his sides to help him dodge around stray attackers.

However humiliating the initial steps in the journey were, it didn’t matter once Jayfeather took the lead as they exited camp, and he knew it would matter even less if their work could save the clans. ‘The blind medicine cat’ was a part of who he was, and there were some inescapable times where that would become a hindrance. But not now. Not with this. He was going to be the blind medicine cat who saved every mouse-brained cat around the lake, and no one was ever going to forget it.

Led by him, with interjections by Dovewing, the group eventually reached the path leading to the Moonpool: stone steps that he hadn’t trod on for moons. Walking up them nearly flew him back into a memory of one of their half moon meetings, with Kestrelflight and Willowshine’s saccharine words, Mothwing and Leafpool chattering away like blackbirds, back when Littlecloud was able to speak with Barkface without the somber grief over Flametail, and Barkface was still even there for them to speak with. Jayfeather almost got lost in it, but his mind retained enough sense to stay on task. They could bask in nostalgia and normalcy as much as they liked when they succeeded, when they had Starclan back.

For now, it was time to approach the Moonpool. Jayfeather took one last scan of the area, looking for any scent or sound of a cat waiting for him. Thankfully, it seemed that the Dark Forest hadn’t placed a guard here, maybe assuming that no one would willingly walk into their forest, knowing what awaited them. 

“Woah,” Lionblaze breathed in awe as he caught sight of it.

Dovewing chuckled softly. “It is gorgeous.”

Jayfeather let out a snort. “Yes, I’m sure it’s beautiful, but right now it’s also dangerous. We can’t afford to let our guards down.”

“Right,” Lionblaze agreed hurriedly, giving a sharp, audible inhale. Jayfeather could almost picture him puffing his chest as he padded to Jayfeather’s side.

“Sit down,” Jayfeather ordered. “Right at the side of the Moonpool. Once you lap from it, you’ll start being pulled into dreams, so wait a moment.” 

The shuffling of paws on stone could be heard as they sat down, with Lionblaze on his left side and Dovewing on his right. “Ordinarily,” he continued, “when the medicine cats come here, we all appear in Starclan separately, in random parts of Starclan. Even without a particular cat calling us in to speak, I’ve never seen two cats end up in a dream together, aside from when I’ve gone into others’ dreams.”

“But we’ll need to find each other,” Dovewing guessed at his thoughts. “And fast. The Dark Forest doesn’t sound like a place you want to linger in, from what Ivypool has said.”

“It isn’t,” Lionblaze growled.

“But Jayfeather,” Dovewing murmured. “You learned how to bring us into your thoughts. Do you think you could do the same with your dreams? Bring us to you?”

“I-” He hadn’t actually considered it before; he had only ever tried to go into others' dreams. But it wasn’t as if his different abilities were all that separate. If he learned to let cats share his thoughts, sharing a dream shouldn’t be all that different. “I can try, at least,” he meowed. “Though, Dovewing, if it doesn’t work you need to find us both as quickly as possible.”

“Start with Jayfeather,” Lionblaze ordered. Jayfeather was already opening his mouth for a sharp retort, but his brother cut him off before he could. “You don’t need the help,” Lionblaze promised. “But like you said, I’m as immortal as a Dark Forest cat right now. I can last longer than either of you on my own.”

“Fine,” Jayfeather sighed. “In that case, let’s begin. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Dovewing declared.

“As I’ll ever be,” Lionblaze breathed.

It only took one word. All three of them were poised above the surface of the water. Jayfeather focused all his attention on the two of them, willing their dreams to come to be pulled in with his. They had prepared as well as they could, and the clans were counting on them. The three weren’t built to save the clans, but they would. Jayfeather was going to ensure it. “Go.”

Chapter Text

It definitely didn’t feel like an ordinary dream. There was no expansive sky, endless new-leaf, or an oddly-flying version of Purdy to greet Dovewing. This wasn’t to mention, she could tell it was a dream, immediately. The vision was hazy. Dovewing could almost manage to lock her gaze on one of the trees before her, but her sight quickly blurred, causing the trunk to wave back and forth like a leaf. What’s going-

Before her thought could even conclude, the forest before her was whisked away and she felt…almost pulled, as if she was being picked up at the scruff by her mother. Her body felt weightless, and there was no sense of brushing against branches, brush, or even a breeze as she moved, only the sense of motion until- She stopped.

Daring to blink open her eyes again, Dovewing was finally able to take in the environment around her. Tall trunks led up to winding branches, intertwining with each other almost as tightly as in Shadowclan, but lacking any leaves to completely block out the near-starless sky. The only brightness came from the eerie glowing mushrooms dotting the trunks, and an odd swirling mist that seemed to coat the ground. The Dark Forest.

“It definitely looks different than when I trained here,” Lionblaze mused. Wait, Lionblaze? Dovewing turned to see the golden warrior standing on Jayfeather’s other side, opposite herself. “You can actually see the sky now.”

“Lionblaze?” Dovewing breathed. “And Jayfeather…so it worked? We’re all together, for real?”

Jayfeather nodded, notably breathing harder than normal. “I’d say so.”

“I knew you could do it,” Lionblaze purred. “Now, where are we headed? Whose butt do I have to kick?”

“That would be up to Dovewing,” Jayfeather murmured, turning to face her. “We’re looking for the barrier, the place where Starclan and the Dark Forest’s territories connect.”

“But Ivypool’s the only one who ever saw it,” Lionblaze protested. “And you two haven’t been here before. The Dark Forest is big, like really big. I don’t know if there’s any real way to navigate it without someone to help.”

“Like me,” Dovewing meowed quietly, catching on to Jayfeather’s plan. “I couldn’t search the Dark Forest from the waking world, but now that we’re here-” She trailed off, letting her senses expand to take in as much of the unfamiliar landscape as she could. She probably wouldn’t be able to smell the barrier and it probably didn’t make any sound, which meant she would need to use her sight. Silently, she sent a thanks to Hollyleaf back in Thunderclan’s camp. If she had never pushed them to expand their powers, they would be entirely in the dark now.

It was definitely a new experience, not already being intimately familiar with most every nook and cranny in the territory. She hadn’t felt like this since she was a kit. The landscape itself barely changed, broken up by a small clearing or field of jagged rocks on occasion, but mostly composed of dense forests. It was easy enough to catch sight of many of the residents, though. Tigerstar himself was perched at the base of a huge rock overlooking a clearing, and a clump of warriors stood around him, ever shrinking as they were ushered back into the waking world. Dovewing thought she could recognize Shredtail and Hawkfrost, along with the white and black pair from Windclan, that ginger tom who had helped to kill Mousefur, and the compact spotted silver she-cat from Riverclan, Ebonystar’s right-paw cat. Worst of all, though, Redwillow and Graymist were both there, fallen in the battle and now permanent residents of the forest.

Eventually, however, her senses passed over something…nearly invisible. There was a very slight ripple in the air at the edge of the forest, so small that she nearly missed it. It was as if a drop of water was distorting some cat’s reflection, but there was no water in sight. This has to be it! She couldn’t see into Starclan, and even in trying to push her senses past the barrier she found herself unable to, but she couldn’t imagine it was anything else.

“I found it!” Dovewing announced. “Follow me.” She flicked her tail  in the direction of the barrier as she prepared to lead her friends towards it, but quickly realized her lapse in judgment. Sorry Jayfeather, she apologized silently. “Just let us know if you need us to slow down,” she meowed. “I know brand new environments can be difficult for-”

“It’s not a problem here.” Jayfeather’s grunt cut her off. “I can see in my dreams.”

“Oh-” Dovewing could feel her face contouring in confusion. He could see in his dreams? Had it always been like that? Why was it like that? Starclan could heal wounds when you died, but in your dreams? And Jayfeather had been born blind. What was there to heal?”

“I don’t know,” Jayfeather huffed. “Frankly I don’t think even Starclan knows. Our ancestors aren’t as wise as kits think.”

“Don’t know what?” Lionblaze tilted his head.

Jayfeather shook his head. “Look, it doesn’t matter right now. I’ve never minded it. It doesn’t make me less blind when I’m awake. And right now, we have a job to do, so Dovewing, lead on.”

The journey took longer than Dovewing would have liked, even at top speed, but eventually they did reach the barrier she had located. The ripple still showed in the air before them, bending the image of the trees. “We’re here,” she announced.

“Are you sure?” Jayfeather narrowed his eyes. “This just looks like the rest of the forest.”

Dovewing nodded. “Positive. Look carefully. There’s a…sort of ripple, right? Like things aren’t lining up the way they should.”

“She’s right!” Lionblaze cried, reaching out a claw to follow one of the wrinkles as it spread away. “That has to be the barrier.”

“Then we have to try.” Jayfeather dipped his head, his expression hardening as he stared at it. “Focus on the barrier. We need to get it open.”

Straightening out her tail behind her, Dovewing stared at the barrier with a furrowed brow. Open. Open. Open! She ordered the barrier repeatedly in her mind. Let us through to Starclan! Dovewing could feel the fur pricking up along her spine. It came from them. It needs to bring them back!  

Dovewing wasn’t sure how long they waited, muscles tensed as they concentrated with all their might, but eventually she saw what appeared to be a crack. There was a sliver of gold and green poking through the dense purple forest, outlined in a swath of light. Starclan!

“We’re doing it!” Lionblaze cried happily.

“Keep going,” Jayfeather insisted. “We’re not done yet.”

“Are you with me, or not?” Dovewing’s ears caught unwillingly onto Tigerstar’s voice, a short ways away from the clearing she had spotted him in before. “You know this battle is worth your while.”

“It’s worth your while,” Hawkfrost shot back. His paws thundered on the ground as he ran beside his father. At least two…no three different sets of paws accompanied them. “How can I believe you’d agree to share any power with me?”

A growl grew in Tigerstar’s throat. “Firestar was mine,” he hissed quietly, “but the clans aren’t like that. I don’t need to rule every cat alone, and it’s not as if the other elites would be happy with me if I tried to.”

“I’m going,” Hawkfrost growled pointedly. “I might even do better against Lionblaze than you would.”

Against Lionblaze? Dovewing looked towards the golden tom, still funneling all of his energy into the barrier, and finally she realized why those sounds were getting so close. “They’re coming!” she called. “Tigerstar and Hawkfrost and some other cats. They know we’re here!”

“What?” Lionblaze nearly jumped out of his fur. “How close are they?”

Dovewing pursed her lip. It was still difficult to judge distance in the Dark Forest, but with the speed they were going- “They’ll be here soon.”

The golden tom squared up, taking in a deep breath as he nodded once. “Then you two need to keep working,” he declared. “I’ll fend them off.”

“All of them?” Jayfeather raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll be careful!” Lionblaze promised. “But this is what I’m here for, right? I’ll be keeping them away from you. No matter what they do, they can’t hurt me.”

“Good l-” Dovewing shook her head. “May Starclan be with you.”

Lionblaze dipped his head gratefully. “May Starclan be with all of us, soon.” Laying his tail one final time on her shoulder, and then Jayfeather’s, Lionblaze dashed off.

“Concentrate,” Jayfeather meowed after a moment. “He’s giving us the time, but we need to make use of it. If the barrier doesn’t open, all of this will be worthless.”

He was right, of course, and Dovewing did look back towards the barrier, willing it to open as best as she could. But she couldn’t just leave Lionblaze out on his own, could she? She had become more used to blocking out the sounds further away, trying to stay focused on the cats she was actually with, but if she didn’t use her power now, when would she? I just need to know that he’s safe.

By the time she found out how to keep opening the barrier while letting her senses expand, Lionblaze had already caught up with the Dark Forest cats that were approaching. She could barely even catch his scent underneath the pile of the Dark Forest cats, and a faint scent of blood wafted around the area. At least she knew that none of it was his, and from the look of things as the scene blotted into view, Lionblaze’s prickly fur or fearsome strikes had done something to keep his opponents warry.

“Did you think you could get in without us noticing?” The ginger tom growled.

“Jaggedtooth,” Shredtail hissed. “Back off, he’s mine. I have a score to settle after Shadowclan.” He turned his fearsome aqua eyes on Lionblaze, blazing with fury. “You can’t hurt me here,” he warned. “I’ll stay standing, no matter what.”

“And so will I,” Lionblaze shot back. “You can’t beat me, whatever you do.”

As he was speaking, Hawkfrost butted into his shoulder, shoving him aside. The golden tom quickly rounded on him, pummeling his shoulder with outstretched claws.

“What are you even doing?” Lionblaze growled. “I thought you and ‘dad’ had a falling out.”

Hawkfrost’s gaze sharpened. “I said what I needed to,” he hissed. “Tigerstar never valued me properly, but there are other cats who will, when this is over.”

Shredtail laughed. “We’re working for far more than one cat’s glory,” he purred. “The clans will never be the same.”

“And we’ll be on top in the end,” Jaggedtooth added. “All of us who were loyal.”

Lionblaze let out a snort. “If you really think Tigerstar, or Ebonystar, would willingly give power to you, you’re all more bee-brained than I thought.”

Tigerstar cuffed him around the ears, sending him into Shredtail’s claws. The scarred tabby’s eye twitched as he caught Lionblaze’s fur, but he didn’t let go, and soon enough Hawkfrost and Jaggedtooth had swept in from either side to grab his haunches. Lionblaze fought on, exploding outwards to thrust the cats off of him as best he could, and before Dovewing was able to catch it he was buried in a writhing mass of fur and claws.

“He’s doing well,” Jayfeather meowed. “If he’s able to hold his own against four other cats.”

Dovewing looked towards him in surprise. “How did you-” Wait. The question was useless, wasn’t it? This was Jayfeather; he must have been looking into her thoughts, seeing what she was seeing, to an extent. “You were watching too?”

Jayfeather shrugged. “He’s my brother; I was just as curious as you, and I knew you would be keeping track of him.”

A rush of energy coursed through Dovewing’s body, and by Jayfeather’s shiver, she guessed he had felt it too. For an instant, the Dark Forest seemed to contract, and all the corner they were in was all that existed in the world, but soon it returned. Dovewing could see more of Starclan popping into clarity beyond the barrier, and she could swear there were more cats in the forest than there had been before.

I felt something too, Jayfeather’s thought sounded in her head. There was…total silence, for a moment.  

What do you think it is?

Jayfeather shook his head. We’re feeding the power we have back into the barrier, he answered. Our abilities might have been affected, with all that energy going away. A deep breath rippled through his stomach. But it’s all right now. We haven’t lost them yet.  

Maybe that’s why he had opened up their channel: he wanted to test that his power still worked. The gray she-cat dipped her head shakily. “You think he’s okay, then?” she meowed, speaking aloud once again.

“He’s Lionblaze,” Jayfeather snorted, of course knowing exactly who she was talking about. “As long as he’s keeping the cats away from us, he’ll be more than okay.”

As if trying to prove his brother right, Lionblaze was, in that moment, pinning Hawkfrost down, digging his back paws into the ground to avoid being pulled off by the other warriors. “You’re not beyond hope, you know,” he whispered intensely. “This battle won’t go in the Dark Forest’s favor, whatever you all do. Cats are coming over to our side, realizing the lies you’ve told them, and right now we’re bringing Starclan back to take you head on.”

Hawkfrost rolled his eyes. “We’ll see about that.”

“My point is,” Lionblaze cut him off. “That when you lose, you’re going to have an eternity to think about what you’ve done, who you’d stood with, and where it got you. Cats from the Dark Forest have already started fighting on the clan’s side, including you for a minute.”

“I didn’t fight with you,” Hawkfrost growled.

“But you could,” Lionblaze insisted. “One day, if you honestly make an effort, I think you could change. You don’t have to be some kit’s nightmare for the rest of your existence.”

Dovewing waited for a flicker of realization, guilt, anything to flash in Hawkfrost’s gaze, but what actually appeared was…a smile. Maybe even a smirk. The dark tabby met Shredtail’s gaze and the ragged tabby nodded once.

“How much time do you think it would take to truly defeat us?” Shredtail asked him. “You can’t kill us, we can’t kill you. You actually would be stuck here for an eternity.”

Lionblaze chuckled. “Maybe, but this time I’m not working alone.”

Tigerstar peered down at him. “Neither are we.”

“It must be hard to have a minnow-brain like yours,” Hawkfrost laughed. “I can spell it out for you.” He leaned forward just enough to whisper in Lionblaze’s ear. “Just who do you think was the distraction?”

Oh no. The picture flickered out once again, leaving Dovewing alone with Jayfeather by the barrier. It had opened to be larger than her head now, but that was all there was. She couldn’t see how Lionblaze’s battle was going, couldn’t smell beyond the clearing, couldn’t hear who was thundering no-doubt towards them in an ambush, but she couldn’t stop either. They needed to keep funneling their energy in or the barrier would never open! 

“What’s wrong?” Jayfeather meowed, his voice tense.

Dovewing drew back. “You don’t know?”

Hesitantly, Jayfeather shook his head. “I can’t hear anything, right now.”

“It’ll come back,” Dovewing assured him, trying to convince herself as well. “Just like it did before.” How long would it be though? It had only been a few moments the last time.

Dovewing shook her head. There was a more pressing issue. If Shredtail was right, if Lionblaze was the one being distracted, then she didn’t need any other senses to know what was happening. “But someone’s coming,” she told Jayfeather quickly. “Probably a lot of cats, and Lionblaze won’t be with us to stop them.”

Chapter Text

Jayfeather caught their pawsteps a moment before they attacked. Ebonystar crashed in with her own patrol: Graymist and Redwillow along with ten other warriors, some of whom were recognizable from their scents in Thunderclan’s camp. What were he and Dovewing even supposed to do? Fighting this many cats, immortal ghost cats, would lead to a quick death, and they were the only ones capable of opening the barrier to Starclan. Maybe our deaths would give Starclan back their power. The morbid thought crossed his mind. If the power was in their paws again, they could do with it what they wished.  

He shook his head firmly. They couldn’t know that for sure, and even if they did, Jayfeather would rather he and Dovewing come out of the battle alive.

Just keep focus on the barrier, he told Dovewing. No matter what, opening it is what matters. It was the only way the clans had a chance of survival.

“What are you doing?” Graymist exclaimed. “H-how-” 

“They’re trying to break the Dark Forest, see?” Redwillow cut in. “It’s just like they told us. We were beating them in the living world so they decided to hurt our home.”

“Exactly,” a gruff voice agreed…one that was hauntingly familiar, from Jayfeather’s night with Poppyfrost at the moonpool. Brokenstar?! “But we can stop them.”

“Don’t let them destroy what I built for you,” Ebonystar ordered. “Starclan’s power has no real meaning here. You don’t need to listen to them.”

“Where’s the strong one?” A pale brown she-cat asked.

“Not here,” a white and tortoiseshell she-cat replied. “Tigerstar’s patrol is taking care of him.”

“You’re safe,” a compact spotted she-cat promised. “Now, no more questions. Follow Ebonystar’s order.”

The cats quickly launched themselves at the remaining members of the three, and Jayfeather could instantly feel himself shoved away from the barrier as several sets of claws dug into his pelt. A pair of cats, one pitch black and the other pure white, lunged down to pin his legs to the ground and Jayfeather barely had a moment to kick up at a gray point attacker before he was immobilized on the ground by a pale brown she-cat.

Across from him, he could see Dovewing in a similar situation, pinned down by Graymist and a dark blue-gray she-cat while Darkstripe and a mottled she-cat kept her back legs and tail steady. It’s only been a few moments! With such a large advantage, in numbers and in focus, it was obvious that they would lose eventually, but this was worse than Jayfeather had predicted.

Jayfeather? Dovewing’s thought came to him faintly, as if she were almost out of earshot. I don’t want to alarm you but…there’s more cats coming.  

Jayfeather felt a sinking feeling as he pricked his ears up again, trying to ignore the pain of his wounds as he looked for what Dovewing had sensed. He couldn’t see it in the same way Dovewing could, but there were definitely more pawsteps, popping down onto the floor as if each of them was being dropped from a short distance. The other residents, he realized. They’re coming back. As if they weren’t outnumbered enough.

As the first batch of warriors arrived, though, Jayfeather spotted sleek silver tabby and a scarred white tom, led in by a familiar face. “Mousewhisker?”

“Hi Jayfeather!” the tom called. “We’ve got you; don’t worry.” As the medicine cat watched, his old clanmate and these two Dark Forest cats leapt into battle, pulling each of the cats off of Jayfeather and into fearsome wrestles.

“Aspenleaf, Graywing, Beefur, get those cats off of the solid gray one, and be careful. She can still die,” the silver tom ordered. To Jayfeather’s shock, a cascade of new warriors streamed in, following the tabby’s direction and fighting against the other Dark Forest warriors. “Talonswipe, Thrushstar, Fawnstar make sure you keep the others off of us.”

“Fawnskip ,” a tan she-cat hissed. “And I’m capable of giving my own orders. Let’s not forget I didn’t ever fight for the Dark Forest.” The cat Ivypool had allied with barged in with a few other cats at her side. “Mossfire, Jumpfoot, Antpelt, stand guard over Dovewing. Pricklestar, Echowind, and I can help Jayfeather. Remember that neither of them should be fighting with us, so you’ll need to keep a close eye out.” Without another word, Fawnskip raced towards him, tearing the pale brown she-cat off of him to free his hind legs.

“You really hate us so much?” the she-cat hissed. “Enough that you would destroy your own home?”

“It’s not my home, Larchflight,” Fawnskip growled. “And frankly I don’t know that it is going to be destroyed. I just know that I won’t let more cats’ lives be taken in the name of Ebonystar’s lie.”

“You’re the one who lied.” A new voice spoke, coming from a glossy brown tom, as more cats streamed into their clearing. “And you’re not the only one who has backup, Fawnskip.”

One after another, Thistleclaw, Featherstar, Oakfur, more elites and Dark Forest cats streaked into the clearing to combat the suddenly-meager patrol fighting on the three’s side. Has every cat who lives here come back?  

“Just focus on getting to Starclan,” Pricklestar whispered. “We’ll hold them off.”

Jayfeather nodded once, dodging away from a strike and quickly dashing to Dovewing’s side as cats filled in to cover the space left behind. 

Flattening his ears against his head, he tried to focus back on the barrier as best he could, and thankfully saw the sliver of a hole they had created had grown. Starclan was plainly visible on the other side, and he could see Dovewing’s eyes lighting up with joy. I…I can see it! she exclaimed within her mind. I can see all across Starclan!  

That’s a good sign. Jayfeather dipped his head. It means we may-

But that’s not all, Dovewing cut him off hurriedly. It’s not just the land itself. There are cats coming towards us, a lot of them!

Who is it? Jayfeather peered towards her intently.

Dovewing focused in harder, her eye twitching as if she were struck by a thorn. There’s-  

Suddenly, the thoughts seemed to be torn from Jayfeather’s mind, and he reeled back from the spark of pain. Dovewing had flattened her ears tightly against her head, likely experiencing the same thing. “Are they gone again?” he asked. “Your senses?”

Dovewing only nodded quickly, but didn’t have a chance to respond before the barrier opened further, now wide enough for a cat to step through, and on the other side, Jayfeather was able to see what Dovewing had lost. What looked to be an entire clan of cats was thundering towards them, with none other than Firestar leading them on. “We can get through now!” he called. “Onward, Starclan!”

One by one, Firestar, Mistystar, Ashfoot, Dawnpelt, and a stream of all the warriors who had fallen in the battle streamed into the Dark Forest. 

“I hope we’re not too late,” Mistystar breathed.

Dovewing shook her head. “Of course not. Thank you so much for coming.”

“Do you really believe we’d leave the clans to die?” Dawnpelt snorted, locking her eyes with Jayfeather. “We’re clan cats above all, and if you’re planning to save them, we’re not going to let you lose.”

“Well said,” Ashfoot purred. “Now come on, everyone. We have a battle to win!”

“Wait!” Dovewing exclaimed. “Lionblaze is still out there alone with Tigerstar and a few other cats. A-and if our powers are fading-”

“He could be in danger.” Firestar finished. “Don’t worry. I’ll find him. Graystripe? Brackenfur? Would you come with me?”

“Always,” the gray tom dipped his head.

From through the barrier, Thunderclan’s old deputy stepped out, shining with a new resilience and purpose. “Of course I will.”

“Make sure you bring him back,” Jayfeather warned. “We might need all three of us to fully open the barrier.”

Brackenfur dipped his head before the three warriors cantered off in sync while the rest of Starclan confronted the Dark Forest cats. 

Mousefur struck a blow against a cat with the strength of a brand new warrior, thrusting him into Thornclaw’s paws. “It’s good fighting alongside you again,” Thornclaw purred.

“It certainly is.” Spiderleg raced out behind them, crashing into a black and orange tom before landing beside his old mentor. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you this spry.”

“You never saw me in my prime, but being an elder didn’t make me forget how to fight!” she taunted playfully.

“Hey!” Jayfeather recognized Longtail’s cheerful meow, younger and stronger than he had heard it since he was a kit. “You weren’t going to fight without me, were you?”

Mousefur shook her head. “I wouldn’t dream of it, old friend.”

“Hey Jayfeather!” Flametail meowed as he brushed past. “We’ve got you, don’t worry.”

“Reedwhisker!” Mistystar called to her son. “I need some help over here.”

“Coming!” he purred. “Beechfur, Copperfin, would you join us?”

“You’re not the only leader here, Mistystar.” Leopardstar let out a snort. “Dapplenose, Voletooth, come with me.”

“It’s good to see you again,” Barkface dipped his head respectfully to Jayfeather as he went to join Morningflower, Leaftail, and Webfoot, fighting alongside a tall black and white tom.

“But better to fight with you, Tallstar,” Webfoot purred. “It’s been so many seasons since I’ve seen you.”

“We were always watching,” Tallstar replied, touching his tail gently against Morningflower’s shoulder before he launched himself into the battle.

Emberfoot brushed up alongside Thistleheart, nudging them gently as they swatted away another warrior. “I see you’ve still got it after all this time.”

The long-haired white cat, so much stronger and more self-assured than the kit Jayfeather had rescued in his youth, scoffed confidently. “You didn’t think I’d spend my time in Starclan lazing away, did you? Besides, my sisters need saving, and there’s no one else who would do that job as well as me.”

Gorsetail shot them a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

Thistleheart laughed. “Yes, mom, I am. But it doesn’t mean you wouldn’t protect us with your last breath.”

“Shadowclan, to me!” Russetfur’s sharp call split the air as she streamed in with Starlingwing, Kinkfur, Snaketail, and Whitewater all behind her.

“Snaketail!” Whitewater called to her former-denmate. “Let’s show these Dark Forest cats that we’re not weak elders anymore.”

Snaketail chuckled. “I like the sound of that.”

“Yah!” Sorreltail roared as she reared up against a blue-gray she-cat pinning her down to give room for Ferncloud to pummel them.

 “Blossomfall?” Mousewhisker’s voice pricked up in surprise. “I thought only the dead trainees were here.”

Blossomfall dipped her head. “Well, yeah.”

“Oh…” Mousewhisker’s gaze darkened, but the tortoiseshell she-cat shook her head.

“It’s okay. I saved my sister and went to Starclan. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

“Better than me, then,” Mousewhisker admitted. “I’ll still be stuck here when all this is over.”

Blossomfall laid her tail on his shoulder. “But we can fight together before that.”

“Not just you.” Trotting up to their side was a small black she-cat with a cream tail tip and ears and blue-gray eyes. Her voice almost sounded familiar, but something, maybe the richness, was dissonant to Jayfeather’s mind.

Mousewhisker’s eyes had flown open though. “B-Buzzardkit?!”

“Buzzardsong,” she corrected. “I did become a warrior eventually, as much as any Starclan cat can.”

Buzzardk-song: Toadstep and Rosepetal’s sister, Daisy’s third kit. The one I lost. “I’m so sorry,” he breathed. “I should have gotten that catmint sooner. You should have had your own life.”

“I did,” Buzzardsong assured him. “Just, differently than yours. But my family is still down there; I want to protect the living world as much as any cat.”

“Well said,” Honeyfern mewed, stepping out to the she-cat’s side with a gentle tail on her shoulder. The two shared a warm glance before they leapt into battle, working almost completely in sync as they took down a stocky golden tom. 

Was Honeyfern her…mentor? Jayfeather wondered

“Feathertail!” A familiar gray she-cat called as she broke through. “Come on! They’re on their way.” It was Cinderpelt!

“I’m coming,” the silver tabby, Feathertail probably, purred. “Sorry, it took longer than I had hoped for everyone to break through.”

“Step aside,” a gruff voice cut off the conversation, ushering both she-cats to push through and join the battle. Jayfeather turned to see a pair of familiar orange eyes staring back at him.

“Yellowfang,” he greeted. “Glad to see you.”

“Oh don’t get sappy with me,” she grunted. “There was no way I wasn’t going to show up for this, or that I wouldn’t bring help.” Turning, she motioned to a line of cats all slipping in behind her: Bluestar, Spottedleaf, and two toms: one a snowy white with yellow eyes and the other a thick furred golden tabby.

“It’s been ages since I’ve gotten a good battle,” the white tom purred.

“Even longer for me, Whitestorm,” the golden tom replied.

Spottedleaf’s tail rippled. “I’m happy to join you, Lionheart.”

Bluestar’s eyes twinkled. “If we’re lucky, Tigerstar might even show his face.”

Yellowfang let out a snort. “True. But Spottedleaf gets first pick with Clawface.” The tortoiseshell she-cat was already stretching out her claws in anticipation. “Oh, I nearly forgot.” Her focus shifted back to Jayfeather. “There’s another cat Feathertail invited.” She leaned down towards his ear. “I understand she wanted to speak with you.”

Jayfeather’s eyebrow rose in suspicion, but as he kept his focus on the barrier he didn’t let a moment pass to question what he knew would be arriving so soon.

“Jayfeather.” Standing before him, looking admittedly more guarded than the last time he had seen her, was Half Moon. “I’m glad you managed to reach us.”

Jayfeather shrugged. “Someone had to, and there weren’t a lot of options.”

Half Moon dipped her head, letting Fish Leap, Dove’s Feather, and Jay’s Wing, along with a thick-furred dark gray tom and a patched brown tom that Jayfeather didn’t recognize, filter in past her before she continued. “I really am sorry that your life turned out in the way it did, that I left you believing your life was set from the start. But I see how you’ve used what was always a part of you to help the clans when they needed it.”

“Thanks,” Jayfeather meowed quickly.

“I also know that any message wouldn’t mean much coming from me,” Half Moon continued. “I’m a part of this loop. But I have brought along some other cats, very important to my history as well as yours, to help. I hope it’s enough of an apology.” She turned, sweeping her tail to gesture first to a sleek dark gray tom, then a large ginger tom with white paws, onto a black she-cat, a wiry brown she-cat, and finally a thick-furred dark gray tom.

“Hello,” the ginger tom dipped his head. “My name is Thunderstar.”

Dovewing’s eyes shot open. “Wait, Thunderstar? The first leader of Thunderclan?”

The ginger tom nodded. “Indeed.”

Jayfeather narrowed his eyes. “And that would make all of you-”

“Shadowstar,” the black she-cat cut in.

“Windstar,” the brown she-cat added.

“Riverstar,” the silver tom meowed casually.

“And I’m Gray Wing,” the final tom meowed. “I didn’t live long enough to see the clans founded in the form they exist in today, but-”

“You’re Gray Wing the Wise!” Dovewing exclaimed. Quickly, she shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just I listened to all of the elders’ stories about you.”

Gray Wing chuckled, his deep voice vibrating. “I’m surprised to hear there still are any stories about me.”

“But that’s not why we’re here,” Shadowstar cut in, reminding him. “We, well, the four of us-” She gestured with her tail to the other founders. “We were the ones who received your prophecy, the first in Starclan to learn that cats with the stars in their paws would be born.”

“Also the ones to warn all of Starclan about you,” Thunderstar admitted.

“For a reason,” Windstar cut in sharply, turning back towards Jayfeather and Dovewing with slightly more warmth in her gaze. “None of us had any idea what you would do, or even what you would be capable of.”

“We should have been more honest about that,” Riverstar dipped his head. “If not as kits, then at least when you became warriors.”

“Are you apologizing?” Jayfeather asked sharply. “Because if so, I think saving the clans is a more pressing matter right now.”

“Of course.” Thunderstar dipped his head formally. “We’ve come to help in your fight. Where are the cats who have blocked us off for seasons?”

“There.” Shadowstar motioned with her head towards the battle. “Jayfeather is right. We don’t have any time to waste.”

“The clans need us,” Windstar agreed.

All three leaders lined up behind him, wriggling their haunches, ripping their tails, or stretching out their shoulders as they prepared to leap into the fray. Half Moon joined them.

“Wait!” Dovewing suddenly cried, only managing a quick glance toward them. “We-We don’t actually want to fight!”

Windstar narrowed her eyes at them. “What are you talking about? These are the cats who have been trying to take over the clans, aren’t they?”

“They are the clans!” Dovewing shot back. “And…well, I know some of them really are as bad as you’re thinking but a lot of the cats here and below have been lied to. We need to find a way to stop the war, not win it.”

“There is no winning here,” Jayfeather cut in. “None of you can die. Unless you agree to stop fighting, the war will simply go on forever.” He leaned his head down, squinting his eyes shut as he tried to compose the words through the effort of concentrating on the barrier. “The fact is, you’re not as pure as you think, Starclan. Many of the cats among your ranks have done deeds equal to or worse than those of cats here. The Dark Forest isn’t a land of evil; it’s just another land of lost clan cats. We need to find a way to show that to them.”

Dovewing nodded. “We’re not just trying to open the barrier,” she continued. “We want to break it, and we want the Dark Forest and Starclan’s permission to do it. Cats won’t be punished unfairly anymore, or thought of only for their worst deeds. Plus…well, maybe after, we could actually listen to all of the trainees who are fighting for the clans to change. If so many of them want a different world, it would be wrong not to even listen, right?”

The leaders were still for a moment, even as the battle raged around them. The sharp gaze Windstar had held before began to soften and Riverstar came up to lay his tail on her back, raising one brow as if teasing. “I don’t think you could argue with that.”

Shadowstar looked towards him, then at Half Moon, Gray Wing, Dovewing, and finally Jayfeather himself. “You know we’ve never been able to control your powers, or you,” she finally meowed. “We can’t stop you.”

“You can do whatever you want with it,” Riverstar continued. “The rules we made up don’t need to matter to you. If you’ve found a better way of doing things, go for it. You don’t have to get stuck on what we ended up making.”

“The code wasn’t that bad,” Thunderstar sputtered. “We went through a lot of trouble to make the clans better than what the forest had before.”

“Of course we did,” Windstar muttered. “But the Dark Forest didn’t exist when we were made leaders, and even many of the codes were added after our time. The clans have changed before, and if they need to change again, we’re ready to help in whatever way we can.”

“Th-thank you,” Dovewing murmured shakily. “I think every cat would be a lot more willing to listen if they knew you were on our side.”

Gray Wing smiled softly. “Oh little one, we were the first ones to make a change, remember? For us, becoming clans was a massive change. If anyone is going to understand what you’re looking for, it’s us.”

Half Moon shook her head slightly. “You’ve had your mind made up since you came to the Moonpool, haven’t you, Jayfeather?”

Jayfeather let out an affirmative snort. “And I’m not about to change my mind. This barrier was going to break whatever you thought of it.” But it’s good to have Starclan on our side.  

He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard a quiet chuckle coming from the white she-cat. “You’re right,” she meowed, “and you don’t need my approval. But I’d like you to know you have it, just in case our favor can help, here or with your stubborn clans below.”

As Half Moon brushed gently past him, Jayfeather realized that a near-impenetrable shield was forming around him and Dovewing, growing even stronger as each of the founders dove into the fight. It was hard to believe so many cats could even fit in front of the barrier but the fight had expanded out of Jayfeather’s sight. He caught Yellowfang barreling past, clutching Brokenstar by the shoulders and Bluestar interlocked with Thistleclaw but the image was quickly obscured as Ebonystar dashed in front of them, her eyes glimmering with pleasure as she caught sight of one of the newcomers: the thick-furred dark gray tom with amber eyes. 

“Splashstar,” she purred her greeting. “I wasn’t sure I would have the pleasure of taking you on today.”

Splashstar glared back at her sternly. “I wasn’t sure I’d have the burden of ever seeing you again. At least now I know where you’ve been all this time”

Ebonystar bared her teeth. “I wasn’t about to share the same afterlife as you.”

Splashstar let out a snort. “All this over a long-gone pile of rocks?” 

“It was never about Sunningrocks!” Ebonystar growled. “You, you and every clan cat, every cat in Starclan, never thought of Thunderclan as belonging before I came. We were just going to be the weak little side show to Skyclan if I let you keep that land.”

“And do you see what has come of it?” Splashstar hissed. “Skyclan is gone, the stupid rocks are gone, the whole forest is gone!”

“And Thunderclan are the heroes!” Ebonystar sneered. “Even the three-” She gestured with her chin towards Jayfeather and Dovewing. “Were all born into Thunderclan, kin of another prophesied, famed leader. I don’t care if those rocks are gone. Thunderclan is strong because of me!”

What exactly did Ebonystar even do? Maybe he could ask Ivypool at some point, in case she knew. Regardless, he was certain Thunderclan’s strength had nothing to do with her. She lived too long ago to make that large of an effect.

Across the clearing, Featherstar and Pricklestar seemed to have met their own confrontation, the brown tom with darker patches and gray eyes. Featherstar’s mouth had fallen open in shock, any hint of grim satisfaction. “A-Acorntail?” she breathed in disbelief.

“Featherstar,” the tom dipped his head, first to one leader, then the other. “Pricklestar.”

“I’m sorry,” Featherstar cried immediately. “I shouldn’t have let you die. I was supposed to look out for you-”

“You did,” Acorntail cut her off. “I wouldn’t have ever become the deputy I did without you, or without you, Pricklestar. Training you taught me how to lead.” He shook his head. “But none of what you’ve done since makes sense; it wasn’t the loners that killed me.”

“They took your food!” Featherstar protested. “They drained us of our-”

“Featherstar-” This time it was Pricklestar who cut her off. “I told you, we were wrong about that. It hurt, so much, to lose Acorntail but it doesn’t justify what we did, or what you’re doing now.”

Featherstar’s eyes flickered with doubt for a moment as she met the two cats’ gazes, and Jayfeather finally took the chance to focus in on her mind. Have I really- Down there they- Lie- Tigers- He could hear the words flitting in and out as if his ears were being regularly splashed with water, but the sentiment was coming across.

“Dovewing!” he whispered firmly. “Featherstar might be ready to be convinced.”

The she-cat’s green eyes lit up with hope. “Do you think I can talk to them?” she asked. “All of them, I mean. If one of the elites is considering it, and the founders are ready to compromise, maybe-”

“This fight doesn’t have to continue at all,” Jayfeather finished. Idealistic, sure, but it might work, given Ivypool’s description of the Dark Forest. Even now, it was evident that several trainees and even residents had been lied to, and others might still come around if they knew their genuine objectives could be achieved without total subjugation of the clans. “You can try, at least.”

Turning around to face the crowd, Dovewing stretched herself to be as tall as she could and took in a deep breath, preparing to address everyone.

“Listen up!” Jayfeather called, swiping his gaze around to meet as many cats’ eyes as he could. “Keep fighting if that’s what you want, but Dovewing has something you should all hear, if you actually want anything good to come of this war. You know it’s impossible to win like this. There are immortals on both sides of the fight now. It would do you well to listen for once.”

The gray she-cat dipped her head gratefully to him before turning her attention back to the crowd. A few cats actually had paused to look at her, though most shot only sideways glances as they continued in their quest to fend off warriors or reach Dovewing and Jayfeather at the barrier. “I-I don’t want to tell you all that you’re mouse-brained, or monsters, or even wrong ,” she began. “I just want to ask what it is you’re fighting for, right now. Ask yourselves how to get what you want. Your places here, in this war, but even in the Dark Forest, have been based on separation from the clans. You think they won’t accept you, that they never understood you, and won’t ever change to become the sort of place you could call your own. But-” She motioned with her tail, allowing the clan founders to line up in front of her. Riverstar leaned down to let her hop onto his back so she could stand taller. “We are changing. The living clans have agreed to hear what you have to say, many of their own clanmates agree with you and want to see you given a second chance, and even the founders of the clans have given Starclan’s approval. The clans are allowed to change, and thanks to all of you, and the trainees you brought here, they want to.”

“This fight is pointless,” Jayfeather spat. “Change doesn’t really come through war. It’s the trainees you brought here and the friendships they made, with each other and their clanmates, that have made the difference. All this battle is doing is taking more lives away.” His gaze landed squarely on Ebonystar. “And the only reason some cat would argue for it so strongly is if they didn’t really want a changed home. They wanted a place to rule, or satisfy their own petty revenge.”

Slowly, a few warriors chose to follow his gaze, being able to see the spark of anger in Ebonystar’s green eyes. “That’s ridiculous!” she growled. “I am bringing peace to all of you! I told you I would get you all a real place in the clans, and that is all I am doing.”

“If you want a place in the clans, to be respected and known as the individuals you are, that’s what we’re offering you,” Dovewing cut her off. “But killing will only make the clans view you as the evil Dark Forest more than ever.” Her head bowed as she tried to meet as many gazes as she could. “I know you all had really hard lives, but it doesn't mean your deaths have to be hard too.”

Around the clearing, much of the fighting had stopped as warriors paused to look at her. The pair of black and white cats had leaned in against each other with regret flickering in their eyes. Redwillow and Graymist had joined Oakfur, none of them able to look away. A couple of cats were looking with confusion at Fawnskip, who let out a satisfied snort.

“She may be right,” Featherstar murmured, tentatively letting her gaze rise off the ground. “I’ve been trapped in grief for seasons upon seasons, enough that it led me to harming other cats even more. But my beloved deputy is right there, waiting for me in Starclan, and it was only blind anger that has been keeping me from him.”

A growl rose in Ebonystar’s throat and she bared her teeth towards the pale gray she-cat. “I always knew you were a weak link,” she hissed. “You should have never been made an elite. I was the only one who would never back down to this bee-brained nonsense! I was the only one fit to rule!”

“You said we would all rule, Ebonystar,” Mapleshade meowed darkly. “We weren’t about to follow you if we didn’t get our share of the lake.”

“Share of the-” Redwillow shook his head. “What are you all talking about? Just because we were going to replace the clan leaders didn’t mean you would control the lake forever! I mean, you’re dead.”

“Redwillow.” Thistleclaw let out a growl of frustration. “How have you not learned by now? There are many cats here who would never have joined us if there wasn’t glory in it for them.”

“Then I guess we weren’t really unified, then,” the jet black tom spoke. “Hollowspirit and I, and I know many other cats too, only want to feel like we belong in our home.”

The white she-cat nodded. “Houndleap is right,” she meowed. “We’ve been dead for so long; it’s over for us. We never wanted to take back the ‘glory days,’ only to be able to rest in peace.”

“And you can,” Jayfeather promised. “But not if you’re forever known for this war.”

A small group of cats: most of the elites along with Darkstripe, that gray point she-cat, and the spotted silver she-cat, seemed to be backing away into each other, but by this point most of the Dark Forest had turned to join the barrier’s guard rather than breaking through it. Featherstar and that silver tom who initially led the resistance with Fawnskip even turned with a group of warriors to chase Ebonystar and those still following her deeper into the Dark Forest. Jayfeather listened until their pawsteps had faded from his senses before he focused back on the cats around him.

“The Dark Forest as you knew it is gone,” Pricklestar promised, letting out a sigh. “And I would say the war is over.”

“But we’re still stuck here,” Antpelt murmured.

“You might not have to be,” Jayfeather meowed, glancing back towards the barrier before he continued. “Ebonystar created the Dark Forest, splitting the power of the clans’ ancestors between it and Starclan. But when the clans began, there was only one body, one place that cats went when they died.”

“That’s how it is in the Tribe now as well,” Jay’s Wing offered. “I was honestly surprised to find the clans’ afterlives were split at all.”

“Because it wasn’t ever meant to be that way,” Jayfeather cut in. “And if Lionblaze had the power to break the barriers between cats in the Dark Forest, maybe, with the power of Starclan, we can do more than just open the barrier.”

“We can break it,” Dovewing breathed.

“Would that…be all right?” Flametail asked with a hesitant glance at their new allies. “I trust that you won’t try to hurt us anymore, but can you say the same for the cats you just chased away?”

“Not in a thousand moons,” Fawnskip snorted. “But we also don’t have to. If all of Starclan is open, and you have us on your side, a few cats trying to make trouble won’t be a threat.”

“And if I’m right,” Half Moon meowed softly. “Using this power to destroy the barrier might leave both of you with less. Starclan, or the Dark Forest, might not be able to come down to the clans at all.”

“That would be a comfort,” Ashfoot breathed.

“But could we still speak with the clans?” Spottedleaf cut in.

“You have your Moonpool, don’t you?” Dove’s Feather asked. “It would belong to the clans’ ancestors, which includes you. And you might well still be able to send signs, omens, or dreams.”

“It’s not as if this place ever divided the good from the bad either,” Jayfeather pointed out. “Cats only reached the Dark Forest if they felt like they belonged there, or didn’t belong with Starclan. Can any cat honestly say that Mousewhisker is an evil monster? Or that Ashfur or even Mudclaw are pillars of virtue? I know they’re in Starclan.”

“I was in a half-clan relationship,” Beechfur admitted suddenly. “I was…well, I think I might be your father, Thistleheart.”

“You are,” Gorsetail murmured, meeting the tom’s gaze. “I’m sorry I never got the chance to tell you.”

The white cat’s eyes shot open, flashing their focus between each of their parents. “H-how?”

“It was on the Great Journey,” Beechfur cut her off. “The borders seemed less firm then. But I broke the warrior code and I still went to Starclan. Maybe the lines we tried to draw weren’t as clear cut as we thought.”

“Let’s get to it then!” Fish Leap cheered. “Jays-Jayfeather, Dovef-wing? Are you ready?”

Half Moon stuck out her tail to stop him from rushing forward. “Not quite. Starclan’s power went into three cats. For something this big, I think all three of them would need to do it.”

“You’re in luck then!” A cheerful voice called as Firestar strutted back with Graystripe and Brackenfur. 

Behind them, a golden tabby tom stood with rippling muscles, bright golden eyes under a furrowed brow, and- There’s a nick in his ear.  

“Lionblaze! You’re hurt!” Dovewing exclaimed.

“They…” Lionblaze gasped through a tightened chest. “They told me it wasn’t going to kill me.”

“It won’t,” Jayfeather assured him. “But I see your powers flickered out too, at least for a time.”

“Yep.” Lionblaze dipped his head. “And I guess they won’t last much longer if we open the barrier.”

“Break it,” Dovewing corrected. “We’re breaking the barrier.”

“Oh?” Lionblaze raised an eyebrow. “O-okay. You guys discussed this without me?”

Jayfeather let out a snort. “If you hadn’t run off and gotten ambushed then maybe you could have participated.”

“Everyone agreed to it,” Ferncloud assured him. “Starclan and the Dark Forest. We’re ready for this.”

“All right then.” Lionblaze shrugged, seeming to shake the uncertainty out of his expression. “Are we ready?”

Dovewing nodded firmly, and Jayfeather quickly dipped his head. Turning back towards the barrier, with the strength and focus of seasons upon seasons of clans behind him, he prepared to channel Starclan’s energy. “Let’s begin.”

Chapter Text

Lionblaze hadn’t ever felt something quite like it before. The incessant pain was one thing but, with enough time focusing on that barrier in front of him instead of on his ear, it was possible to block most of that out. What he couldn’t avoid was a pull at his chest and stomach, as if something was sucking the energy from his body. It didn’t leave him exhausted but…he felt off. What is this? He couldn’t describe it. Suddenly he could feel the ridges in the twigs under his paws more sharply, and his fur prickled instinctively in response as a needle fell into it. It wasn’t like the pain he felt in his ear, or even what he’d felt when he got a thorn in his paw, but it just felt more…well, noticeable.

“It’s done.” Jayfeather’s announcement prompted Lionblaze to finally open his eyes that had been squeezed shut in the effort of their task. As he looked, though, he realized the crack they had been working at was gone. There was no hole and no phantom, uncrossable continuation to the Dark Forest. Instead, the dark, dry earth dotted with glowing pink mushrooms and swept with a purple mist that signified the Dark Forest faded neatly into bright, lush grasses opening up into fields and forests, rivers and swamps. He could even see a couple of the glowing mushrooms dotting the fields of Starclan on the opposite side while a few blades of grass poked out from the Dark Forest’s earth.

“Starclan…” Dovewing breathed, her eyes widening as she took in the scene, maybe more than any other cat could.

“What does this mean for us,” Copperfin asked hesitantly. “I-I mean are we even Starclan, now?”

“They can live in Starclan, at least,” Kinkfur suggested, sweeping her gaze around to some of the Dark Forest residents. “I realize it’s been your home for a while but surely Starclan would be a more pleasant place to live.”

“We don’t really have to choose, do we?” A mottled tabby she-cat met Fawnskip’s gaze.

“Of course not, Sparrowfeather,” Fawnskip assured her. “That was half the point of all this. ‘The Dark Forest’ is only its own place now as much as the-” She paused, narrowed a confused gaze at Windstar. “Well, as one of Starclan’s landmarks, whatever those are.”

“Exactly!” Dovewing exclaimed. “You can live anywhere, visit anyone you please, forever.”

“Even those you might not want with you now,” Jayfeather pointed out. “If, by some miracle, Ebonystar or Tigerstar ever genuinely changed, even they could join you as much as any cat could.”

“You’re really just…our ancestors, now,” Lionblaze meowed. “Not the good cats or the bad cats, just, us.”

“That’s what we always were, young one,” Yellowfang meowed gruffly. “But maybe this will stop the clans from idolizing us quite so much. It certainly made Blackstar’s situation difficult to handle.”

Oh Starclan, I had forgotten about that! Those cats who visited Blackstar when he had lost his faith tried to tell him that Starclan was just their ancestors seasons ago, and yet, in the end, Lionblaze and every other cat had still gone on thinking of Starclan as the answer to their problems. The golden tom let out a hefty sigh. Thinking of Starclan as their perfect guiding force was so baked into the clans at this point, even their language. He just used them, without even thinking! How were they ever going to explain what had happened back home.

“It’s going to take a lot of work,” Jayfeather answered his thought. “But the clans are already poised to change, and plenty of cats have been trained for moons in how to examine what’s wrong with the clans. This may be one of the only times in history where it’s possible.”

“Were you answering Lionblaze?” Dovewing guessed, only a mild amount of confusion showing on her face.

Jayfeather dipped his head. “I can’t hear everyone anymore but it seems if I focus on a single cat I can pick up at least some of their thoughts.”

Dovewing nodded. “It’s the same with me. I can smell some of Starclan if I focus on it, just not when I’m here.”

“We still have our powers, then?” Lionblaze guessed. “That’s great!”

Jayfeather held up his tail to halt his quickly-rising excitement. “You’re right, but I don’t think we’re honestly done yet. If we really do have a small amount of power left, there’s one last cat who needs it more than any of us do. Half Moon?”

Half Moon’s eyes widened beside them, and she met Jayfeather’s gaze with disbelief. “Y-you don’t mean.”

“Of course I do,” Jayfeather answered. “If we’re uniting the afterlives, we can’t leave a cat like him to stay in isolation forever.”

Shakily, Half Moon dipped her head. “You’re absolutely right. It’s just been so long since I-since any of us have seen him.”

Jayfeather dipped his head. “You managed to reach me in a dream by crossing out of Starclan’s lands, right? Do you think you could help us reach him too?”

“Maybe…” Half Moon seemed contemplative for a moment. “He’s still in the tunnels, you said?”

“Wait, who are we talking about?” Lionblaze exclaimed, stamping a paw emphatically. “Who lives in the tunnels? Hollyleaf isn’t there anymore, plus she isn’t dead!”

“It’s not Hollyleaf,” Jayfeather confirmed. “It’s Fallen Leaves: Hollyleaf’s companion from her time in the tunnels, and actually the cat who helped us save Sedgewhisker, Swallowtail, and Thistleheart when they were kits as well. He’s been trapped there since Half Moon’s time.”

“Oh…” Lionblaze shook his head. “Wait, since Half Moon’s time? That must be like a hundred seasons ago!”

“Even longer,” Half Moon confirmed. “We lived at the lake before the clans, or the Tribe, were founded, and it was Fallen Leaves’ death that helped spur us to leave.”

“Then we should definitely help him!” Dovewing exclaimed. “He’s been away from his family and friends for that long?”

Lionblaze shrugged. “If he’s Hollyleaf’s friend, that’s honestly enough for me, not that I would wish for any cat to be trapped for that long.”

Jayfeather nodded solemnly. “You both understand that this will almost certainly mean losing our powers, forever?”

Dovewing let out a breath, dawning a furrowed brow as she refused to look away. “Yeah. I’ll be okay.”

“I kind of thought that was going to happen already,” Lionblaze admitted. “I’ll live without it.”

“Can we come too?” It was a gray tabby tom who spoke up. “I’d like to be there when he gets out.”

“And if it doesn’t work,” a pale gray she-cat added, “we should at least be able to see him one last time.”

“Of course Jay’s Wing, and Dove’s Feather,” Half Moon purred, dipping her head to each cat in turn. “Fish Leap? Do you want to come along?”

A brown tabby snorted heartily. “Like I’d ever let you guys go see Fallen Leaves without me.”

“In that case-” Jayfeather lashed his tail in anticipation. “Lead on Half Moon.”

Lionblaze had gotten used to a lot of things in his life but today was definitely going to be marked down as a weird one: weird sensations, weird places, weird new ideas to take in, and a lot of weird new experiences. Up next on the list was just walking forwards, following behind Half Moon, Jayfeather, and Jay’s Wing, and having the earth under his paws actually change as he was walking on it. It wasn’t like he was walking from Thunderclan’s forest onto Windclan’s moors and gradually seeing more grass pop up ahead, no no no. Even if he was standing perfectly still here, the ground itself was changing, and when he looked back, he couldn’t see the place he had come from. Soon enough, he could barely see anything. The world around him grew dark, even more so than the Dark Forest without its glowing mists or mushrooms, and below his paws he could feel hard, smooth stone. Only a tiny crack of light lit the cavern ahead of them through a split in the rock above. The tunnels?  

If it wasn’t for the whole world shifting around him, it wouldn’t have even felt like a dream, because, for as little as he could see, this space was very familiar to him. He could actually picture Heatherpaw standing on top of the boulder ahead of him, addressing ‘her clanmates’ as she called her deputy, Lionclaw to come and join her. I guess this really is a dream. Shaking his head, he cleared the image away and focused back on the cats around him.

“Where is Fallen Leaves?” Dove’s Feather asked.

“He could be anywhere. The tunnels are much longer than they look.” Jay’s Wing’s tail ripped with anxiety. “Maybe we can reach him from outside.”

He was the one who asked to come. Why was the tabby so hesitant now?

“No wait,” Dovewing meowed, “I think he might be closer than we think.” 

Furrowing her brow in concentration, the gray she-cat led them forwards, shifting through a network of increasingly dark and narrow passages before she found a place that finally opened up wide enough for a few of them to stand shoulder-to shoulder. Most interestingly, though, was that inside, sitting down with a bowed head, there was a cat with quite small paws, though no details of their fur beyond a patched pattern was visible in the darkness.

“Fallen Leaves?” Jay’s Wing breathed.

The tom’s head shot up at the sound of his name, his eyes widening as he took in the sight, or perhaps just senses, of the cats in front of him. “Jayf-Jay’s Wing? Jayfeather too? Fish Leap, Half Moon, Dove’s Feather, and even Lionpaw-wait, no Lionblaze now, right! I-is this a dream? How are you all here?”

“We uh, came to find you,” Dovewing murmured, maybe a little uncomfortable being the only one not recognized by this new cat. “Sorry, hi I’m Dovewing.”

“Dovewing!” Fallen Leaves exclaimed. “Of course, Hollyleaf told me about you. Wait-” His brow furrowed as he examined the crowd. “Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing? Then you’re-”

“The three,” Jayfeather muttered. “Yeah I imagine Hollyleaf mentioned that quite a bit.”

Fallen Leaves shrugged. “Not as much as you might think, but yeah. Still, why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be preparing to defeat the Dark Forest or something?”

“It’s done,” Lionblaze answered simply. “Not just the battle, I mean the Dark Forest. A bunch of the cats realized their leaders were lying to them and switched sides and then the three of us tore open the barrier between Starclan and the Dark Forest, so they’re kind of just one thing now.”

Fallen Leaves shook his head faintly. “W-Wow.”

“And we’re here, old friend, to do the same for you,” Jay’s Wing murmured. “You never should have been trapped here to begin with. I should have come back to you before I went to join our ancestors. I shouldn’t have let our friends leave before we came for you-” He bowed his head. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no!” Fallen Leaves shook his head quickly. “Jay’s Wing, it was never your fault. It’s just been…well, bad luck, maybe.”

“But it doesn’t have to last anymore,” Jayfeather cut in. “We can do for you what we did for Starclan, break open the barrier keeping you trapped here. You can go free.”

“We think,” Lionblaze meowed softly, meeting Jayfeather’s quick glare with a snort. “You think breaking one ancestral barrier makes us experts? No cat has ever tried to break Fallen Leaves out, before. Who knows if it’ll actually work.”

“But you can try,” Fish Leap insisted.

Half Moon nodded, turning back to their friend. “Fallen Leaves, do you have any idea of where your barrier might be? It would be a place you can’t cross without immense effort, the end of your world to an extent.”

It took a moment but, shakily, Fallen Leaves dipped his head. “Of course. It’s the edge of the tunnels. I can’t pass where the light falls in.”

“Then could you lead us there?” Dove’s Feather asked gently. “By the end of today, I think you might be able to truly join us.”

Nodding more firmly, the old tom led them all through another series of passages, going even faster and more smoothly than Dovewing had. He really knows his way around, Lionblaze realized. I guessed spending hundreds of seasons in one place would do that.  

Lionblaze couldn’t parse out where any of them were and lost track of what direction they were even headed about three turns in, but eventually they saw a light ahead and the cavern began to widen. It was still definitely a tunnel, but the woods were almost visible outside. The light poured in as they got closure, illuminating Fallen Leaves’ orange and white fur and his green eyes. Each of the dead cats almost seemed to glisten in the light, as if coated in a thin layer of water. 

“It’s here,” Fallen Leaves announced.

Jayfeather nodded, stepping forward as he motioned with his tail for Dovewing and Lionblaze to follow. “Then we know what to do.” He took in a deep breath before focusing in on the barrier.

Hey- Lionblaze whispered the thought as he followed his brother’s lead. Whatever happens, you both will always be special to me.  

He caught Dovewing’s quiet chuckle running through his mind and realized Jayfeather had opened his channel. You never needed magic powers to be that.  

You’re telling me. Jayfeather’s grunt was almost palpable. This mouse-brain seemed to be born with a need to disobey every rule given to us.  

Hey! Lionblaze protested. That was just because we had such cool parents. Plus I had to show I was better than Berrynose. And besides, I never got to be as bad as Hollyleaf!  

Lionblaze could have mistaken it in the dim light of the tunnel entrance, but for a moment, he thought he saw a smile crack on Jayfeather’s face. No, I suppose you w-

As his words passed through Lionblaze’s mind, the sound grew dim and fuzzy until it was an indiscernible whisper and finally…his mind went silent. Lionblaze rolled his shoulders back, feeling his fur prick up as the tear in his ear grew more noticeable. “Is that it?” he asked. “Is it done?”

His question was promptly answered as the world once again fazed out around him, replaced with an unfamiliar…forest, if that was the right word for it. There were massive trees, almost bigger than those in Shadowclan, but only a few of them, leaving large swaths of untouched ground. The earth itself also seemed to have more rocky floors like the tunnel did than the grass or earth Lionblaze was used to. The rocks became especially notable as, immediately upon landing, the golden tom felt his toe collide with a particularly protruding stone.

Instantly a shot of pain rolled through him and he felt every muscle in his body tense instinctively. An involuntary “Agh!” left his throat as he winced backwards, but apparently not quick enough to avoid a lasting impact. The blood seemed to throb faster as it headed for his toe, culminating in a piece of his paw pad growing ever-more red by the moment. 

Fox-dung! Mouse-dung! Crow-food! Fox-breath! D-Dirt! It seemed that no amount of swearing was actually going to make the pain go away faster, but this was almost as bad as the day he first felt a thorn in his paw. Was this going to be what it was like for the rest of his life?

As he looked up, though, his gaze met his brother’s. The gray tabby stared back at him with a narrowed gaze, his mouth contorted into an expression of…confusion? It was definitely an odd look for Jayfeather’s face. “Is something wrong?” he asked aloud. “Did you hurt yourself?”

He doesn’t know, Lionblaze realized. Of course he doesn’t! He can’t hear me anymore, and I don’t think my foot is noticeable enough to see at a glance. “Uh, yeah,” he finally answered. “I hit my toe on a rock.”

“Stubbed it,” Jayfeather corrected. “The pain will go away in a minute. You didn’t hit anything hard enough for a lasting injury.” His tone appeared casual, if tight as his brother’s voice tended to be, but his claws dug into the ground below his paws, an easy sign of unease that Lionblaze was very familiar with.

“Could you…speak a little louder?” Dovewing asked softly. “Sorry it’s just-” She shook her head. “I don’t think I really knew before how little all of you can hear or smell.”

Lionblaze definitely wasn’t comfortable, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to deal with this amount of pain every day, but with how distressed, anxious, maybe even lost his friends looked right now… Maybe I got off the easiest.  

“Is this Starclan?” Fallen Leaves asked, honoring Dovewing’s request with a louder voice. “I-Is Hollyleaf here?”

Half Moon shook her head. “It’s where we lived.”

“Well, never you,” Jay’s Wing cut in, butting teasingly against her side. “But the friends we had who died here used to live here, before we moved to the mountains.”

“And Hollyleaf isn’t in Starclan either,” Jayfeather clarified. “But now she will be, one day.”

“She’d be going even if there was still a barrier,” Lionblaze added. “I’m sure of it. She wouldn’t ever think she belonged in the Dark Forest.”

Fallen Leaves ducked his head down as he smiled. “Things were…a little different when I knew her. But I’m so glad that she’s found herself, and that she has all of her family and friends around her.”

“So do you,” Fish Leap pointed out. “You can come back with us now, see Broken Shadow, Stone Song, everyone! Everyone’s still there, and I know they would be thrilled to have you back.”

Jay’s Wing peered towards him, appearing to take in the momentary hesitation. “You don’t have to stay there all the time either,” he meowed softly. “You did die here, like me. We’ll be able to come back and wander these skies whenever you want.”

“You can see Hollyleaf,” Dovewing added. “And I’m sure she’d want to see you. Apparently you were a good friend to her.”

Fallen Leaves couldn’t hide a smile as he leaned into Jay’s Wing’s fur. “Could you give her a message from me?”

Lionblaze nodded. “Sure, what is it?”

“Tell her…” Fallen Leaves trailed off for a moment. “Tell her to live. Make the most of her time here, and know that I’ll be happy to catch up whenever she wants. I’ll always be her friend, as long as she feels that way about me.”

For a moment, from the way Fallen Leaves was talking, Lionblaze had actually thought that the tom was more than a friend to Hollyleaf, or at least wanted to be. But thankfully it looked like he wouldn’t have to have an awkward conversation about how he was pretty sure Hollyleaf didn’t want to be any cat’s mate. “I’ll tell her,” he promised.

“I can’t thank any of you enough for what you’ve done,” Fallen Leaves purred. “This is a tremendous gift, and I know what it cost you.”

“Nothing we were meant to have in the first place,” Jayfeather meowed, a hint of bitterness in his voice before he swallowed it down. “Honestly, it was a choice from all of us. Not being ‘special’ anymore was a small price to pay considering what we’ve been able to do for the clans, and for you.”

“It’ll just…take some getting used to,” Dovewing stammered. “But I don’t regret it. I promise.”

“With that said,” Dove’s Feather cut in hesitantly. “Maybe you should be getting back to those clans? I mean, they don’t know that any of this has happened yet, right?”

Lionblaze’s eyes shot open. “Oh yeah! They don’t even know the battle is over!”

Jayfeather raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t think every Dark Forest cat disappearing wouldn’t give them a clue?”

“We should check in with them anyway,” Dovewing meowed. “They deserve to know what happened, and we’re not done yet anyway. The battle only stopped because we promised the clans could change. Now we have to make sure that they do.”

Lionblaze nodded. “You’re right. Well-” He turned to the dead cats. “I guess this is goodbye then.”

“Goodbye,” Half Moon agreed, dipping her head as she leaned into Jay’s Wing’s shoulder. “And good luck to all of you.”

Jayfeather met her gaze one last time, holding it for a moment as the annoyance he usually wore on his face dissipated. But he barely had enough time to utter the word, “Goodbye,” before Lionblaze’s vision clouded and fell into darkness.

He blinked. And suddenly, the three of them were back together, awake and alive by the Moonpool. The water trickling continuously down from an unseen source above created a quiet but ever present drumming and the wind whistled quietly through the trees above as each of them rose to their paws. Jayfeather looked back at him, slightly out-of-focus with his eyes, back to normal.

“Hi,” Lionblaze whispered. “I guess…nothing’s really going to be the same again, is it?”

Jayfeather shook his head. “And that was always the plan. Now, I realize your first time coming out of St-the dream world can be shocking, but we really need to get moving.”

“Right,” Dovewing agreed, standing up shakily as she met Lionblaze’s gaze. “But um, Jayfeather, could you lead us home?”

“Of course,” the tabby agreed. “But we need to go quickly. There are some clans who I imagine will be waiting on us.”

“Right then.” Lionblaze shook out his fur, trying to ignore the swell of pain as his injured ear was brushed. “Let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

The battle roared just outside the medicine den entrance. Hollyleaf’s paws were itching to join, to help, to do anything other than sit in pain, but much as she would have wished it, she wouldn’t be much help until her wound had time to heal. She gulped, the shot of pain through her body reminding her of how true that was.

“It’s all right,” Leafpool’s soothing mew sounded from beside her. “You don’t have anything to prove to us, all right? We just need you to get better.”

Hollyleaf squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, but didn’t pull back as Leafpool leaned gently against her side for support. “I…tried to kill you,” she whispered.

“I haven’t forgotten.” Leafpool bowed her head. “No cat has. But I also remember the good you’ve done for us and how hard you’ve been trying to prove yourself a better cat. Most importantly, I remember that you’re my daughter, and I never did make things easy for you.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Hollyleaf insisted. She had blamed her mother in her spiral when she first found out about her parentage but it was a poor excuse to avoid seeing the truth.

“Maybe,” Leafpool admitted. “Not everything, at least. But I don’t want to spend seasons figuring out which of my family or clanmates or ancestors to lay blame on. All I really want to do is be able to love my daughter again without any of this getting in the way.” She looked up, her amber eyes staring right back at Hollyleaf’s. “I don’t need you to be a hero, or especially to get yourself killed trying to be one. I just-I’ve only ever wanted us to be a family.”

“We are,” Hollyleaf promised, almost dipping her head before she remembered what that would feel like. “And after all this is over, that’s all any of us will need to be.”

Leafpool almost deflated before her, a mix of relief and worry. “I hope they’re doing all right,” she breathed.

“Me too.” Jayfeather had gone off with Lionblaze and Dovewing to try and fix things. She had to trust that they would. “But somehow, I don’t think they could fail, not once they have their minds on something.”

Leafpool seemed ready to reply when her eyes shot to their widest state, and even her mouth dropped open in shock. Hollyleaf followed her gaze outside and…Oh Starclan!  

There were definitely far less cats than there had been before, and every remaining scuffle was broken off. Every Dark Forest cat had disappeared since she turned around, perhaps in less than a heartbeat. The dawn light shone in without effort to welcome the new day. As she padded carefully out to the entrance, she could see that the trainees from other clans still stood in their camp, but she could imagine their mounting confusion or even fear at being left alone. The three Shadowclan cats, Smokefoot, Ratscar, and Owlclaw if she remembered correctly, stepped back to huddle together, and the Riverclan and Windclan toms, Rushtail and Boulderfur pressed against each other, back to back. No Thunderclan trainees had been sent to go against their clanmates, it seemed, but that did mean there was more of a divide between those who had just fought on the Dark Forest or clans’ sides.

Around the clearing, every cat had gone silent, with even the trainees going still as they waited to see what any cat would do. Hollyleaf couldn’t be sure, of course, but she was pretty confident that this wasn’t part of the plan, at least as the trainees knew it. They went back to the Dark Forest, she knew that much. But were they forced back or are they going to fend off the three?  

“Did…did we win?” Cloudtail finally broke the silence, meeting Brightheart’s gaze first before his gaze swept around the clearing. Bodies lined the area, pulled off to the side for their safety, but hauntingly obvious all the same. Thornclaw, Firestar, Ferncloud, Blossomfall, Mousefur, Sorreltail, even Graymist from Riverclan. In some other clans’ camps, Graystripe and Spiderleg would be lying still too, and each camp had their own collection of fallen clanmates.

“Of course we did,” Hollyleaf felt herself saying. “We may-” She broke off, feeling her muscles tense instinctively at the rush of pain that came from trying to speak loud enough for the whole clearing to hear.

From across the camp, at the elders’ den, Icecloud met her gaze with a warm understanding. “We may have lost many cats,” she continued Hollyleaf’s words, “but we’re still here.”

“The clans are still here,” Hazeltail agreed. “And I doubt-” She fixed a stern gaze on the remaining trainees. “That we’ll need to lose more lives tonight.”

“It’s over.” Brightheart declared, dipping her head to Hollyleaf as she stepped out into the center of the clearing. “And we have work to do. Every cat -” She eyed each of the visitors from other clans and the Tribe, “-must be checked over by Leafpool and Briarlight. Get your wounds tended to, rest if they ask it of you, and if they say you are okay, our next priority will be gathering up the fallen warriors. Graymist can be taken to Riverclan by tw-no, three cats, once you are declared healthy enough. The rest will need to be prepared for vigils tonight.”

Ratscar’s expression stiffened defensively as he eyed the Thunderclan deputy. “What are you planning to do with us, then? Keep us here? Shame us in front of our clanmates? Or do you just plan to send us back and go on ignoring what the clans really need?”

“They killed Graymist!” Owlclaw hissed, a catch making its way into his voice. Smokefoot gave an encouraging nod alongside him. “Who’s to say they won’t do the same for us?”

“That was a mistake.” Dustpelt spoke up. “A horrible mistake, but I swear I didn’t intend to kill any cat. I’ll grieve for Graymist as much as I do for my own clanmates.”

“She was our friend,” Smokefoot growled. “Did you consider that? Owlclaw and I trained with her for moons.”

“I understand.” Dustpelt bowed his head. “I will accept whatever ire you feel is right to throw my way. But don’t assume all of Thunderclan would willingly make the same choice I did.”

“We’ve lost cats too.” It was Daisy who spoke this time, licking Lilykit on the forehead as she drew back to join a grieving Cinderheart in the nursery. “And that’s the very reason we want to stop fighting. No lives needed to be lost tonight.” She fixed her kind, almost pleading gaze onto Owlclaw. “Our clanmates, our friends, our kits stood with you tonight. If they trusted you, believed in you, then I know you can understand what that bond meant to us. We really have no more cause to fight, if you are willing to stop too.”

“Rushtail…” Mallownose stepped past Hollyleaf to greet his clanmate. “I get it. Riverclan could sometimes be hostile to Sneezecloud and I too, since we don’t know who our father is, and of course I’m heartbroken to see Mom dead. But I don’t take that as a reason for more violence.”

“Exactly,” Heathertail agreed as she padded up to Boulderfur. “I don’t like the idea of fighting against my mate or his former apprentice, and I know you wouldn’t have enjoyed fighting Furzepelt or Whiskernose if any cat put you up against them. All this battle has been doing is putting divides where they don’t belong.”

“We did make a promise,” Brightheart meowed, dipping her head to Mallownose and Heathertail. “The clans agreed to stand together for this battle because they knew how many of our own cats would stand with you. They know you have your grievances, and I am sure we are all now ready to hear them.”

Owlclaw’s stern gaze began to falter, and he stood straighter as he met Rushtail’s gaze, as if looking for assurance. “Really?”

Hazeltail nodded once. “She wouldn’t say it if she didn’t mean it.”

Rushtail shook his head in disbelief. “Wow. I didn’t think the clans would ever be willing to change.”

“Well it’s clear enough that something has gone wrong,” Daisy pointed out. “Friends and family have been driven to fighting each other and even before that, cats who hadn’t done anything deplorable were ostracized, scorned, or made uncomfortable by things they couldn’t control.”

Is she thinking of her kits or herself? Hollyleaf wondered. She could remember how, in her own childhood, Daisy’s kits had been the subject of a wealth of quiet gossip, even among other clans. They weren’t clanborn, but neither was Firestar. Neither was Cloudtail, or Millie, or Brook. Even Hollyleaf was a half-clan cat, born against the warrior and medicine cat codes. But Daisy was right, none of them could control where they came from, no matter how much they may have wanted to. Maybe that really did mean that the code itself was a problem, rather than the cats who lived under it.

“We’ll help you,” Owlclaw declared suddenly. “I-I mean we’ll need to get back to our own clans eventually, but just until you’ve gotten yourselves sorted out for the night.”

A warm smile grew on Brightheart’s face, and she bowed her head in gratitude. “We’d be happy to have your help. Just make sure you get checked by our medicine cat first. I meant it when I said I wanted every cat to be healthy.”

Shakily at first, cats across the camp began to break up and file towards the medicine den. Hollyleaf herself slipped out to give them room. She had already had her treatment; there wasn’t more that could be done until she got some rest. It didn’t make her wounds hurt any less, but Leafpool and Briarlight could definitely use the space and time to focus on every other cat in camp for now.

As she watched cats from each clan filing into medicine cat clearing, a brown tom burst into camp, one she quickly recognized as Molepaw. The rapid movements and determination in his gaze suddenly seemed out of place after the abrupt ending to the battle. “They’re…gone here too?” he breathed after a moment, whipping around to scan the clearing once for any remainder of the dead warriors.

Brook nodded. She was standing at the back of the pack awaiting the medicine den with the rest of the visitors from the Tribe. Their late arrival had left them with fewer injuries than many of the clan cats. “All of the Dark Forest warriors vanished,” she confirmed.

Molepaw nodded. “Do you have any idea why?”

Of course. The other clans, and therefore the messengers, would know that the Dark Forest cats had disappeared, but only Thunderclan had seen the three leave. 

“Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing left a short while ago,” Brightheart told him. “They were going into the Dark Forest themselves to stop it at the source.”

Molepaw let out a long breath, shaking his head in disbelief. “I guess it worked then.”

“It would appear so,” Talon agreed.

“I’ll pass that on,” Molepaw promised, straightening up as he internalized the news. “And as soon as every cat knows, I’ll find Cherrypaw and bring her back here to help in the reconstruction.”

“You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Poppyfrost meowed gently. “If you need to stay and get a scratch patched up, that would be perfectly fine.”

Molepaw shook his head. “Don’t worry, Mom. I stayed out of the fighting just like you said. But if Cherrypaw did, I’ll make sure she comes back first.”

Berrynose let out a snort of amusement, padding over to ruffle the fur on his son’s head. “You go do that.”

Saying one last quick goodbye to his parents, Molepaw scampered back off into the woods, leaving Hollyleaf to turn her attention back to the camp. Poppyfrost, Brambleclaw, and Sandstorm were the first to join the Tribe cats in the center of the clearing after the medicine cats saw to them and, without a word, they were already setting about bringing the bodies out for their vigils like Brightheart had asked. Eventually Squirrelflight brushed past her, carrying Thornclaw from inside the medicine den.

It’s not Thornclaw, she tried to remind herself. Thornclaw is in Starclan now. Ferncloud was with him, and Firestar- Hollyleaf had to sit back and squeeze her eyes shut for a moment. She had dealt with plenty of loss before, but never of a cat she was so close to or cared about so much. Even finding out Brackenfur was dead didn’t compare to what she felt now, seeing Thunderclan’s fearless leader, a cat who had cared for her since kithood like a mother, and the beloved mentor that she had only just reconciled with torn from the world. Nearly every cat in the clans might be feeling like that this morning, with the number of lives lost, many of which she probably hadn’t even heard about. What were they going to do next? Would all of the leaders, some brand new, actually agree to uphold their informal promise and hear the trainees out? Would the trainees even know what to say? How would each cat manage to move past the innumerable amounts of grief they might have to carry?

“Hey,” Ivypool meowed quietly as she sat down beside the black she-cat. Though her mind still wandered off into potential futures, most of Hollyleaf’s attention was brought back into focus as she heard the greeting.

“Hey,” Hollyleaf responded.

Ivypool let out a long sigh. “I can’t believe it’s finally over.”

“The battle?”

“The Dark Forest.” Ivypool met Hollyleaf’s gaze, full of an almost aimless disbelief. “Well, the battle too. It’s just, this whole ‘Dark Forest taking over’ or ‘battle against the Dark Forest’ has been this huge, oncoming force ever since I was a young apprentice. It feels like every moment of my life was focused on learning about it, joining it, or helping to stop it.”

“I get it,” Hollyleaf breathed. “I didn’t get into any of this as early as you but the day after I became a warrior was the day we learned about the prophecy…and it feels like it’s just been one long spiral since then.”

“It’s hard to even imagine…” Ivypool breathed.

What had it even been like to not know or care about the prophecy and the oncoming war that came with it? Her whole life wasn’t built solely around that, was it? No, of course not. She had been ambitious and cared deeply about the code, becoming a great warrior, mentor, or leader before she had ever been given the reason to. 

But she had been…well, aimless. She had known she wanted to be someone special, but she could never figure out what. As she was grasping for the straws of being a medicine cat or the ‘arbiter of the code,’ whatever that was, or a mentor, deputy, then leader of the clan, she didn’t have an intrinsic desire for any of it. Maybe I just wanted my life to mean something. And of course when the prophecy was revealed, she thought she had found it. This was the explanation for why she had always felt like she was destined for more. But it wasn’t true, not for her and not even for her brothers in the end. Still, even when she came back from the tunnels, she made it her mission to help them, didn’t she? Even when she had given up on her own role in the prophecy, supporting those who were a part of it became her sole means of redemption, or even of moving through the clan as she was.

“I understand,” she finally replied, taking a shaky, painful gulp. “You-we, found purposes in this battle, and now those purposes are fulfilled.”

Ivypool nodded silently, her brow furrowing to shade her face as she stared out at the bodies being brought into the clearing.

“We can take Graymist to Riverclan,” Sandstorm offered, stepping up beside Dustpelt with a knowing look. “Unless you need to rest.”

“No,” Dustpelt shook his head. “We’ll both have time to mourn later. Riverclan should get their warrior back so they can do the same.”

“I’ll come with you,” Mallownose announced. “I’d like to be there to explain what happened to Mom. Unless-” He turned towards Brightheart as she supervised warriors heading into the medicine den. “Do you need us to stay?”

Brightheart promptly shook her head. “Go on.”

Mallownose dipped his head in gratitude. “Rushtail?”

“Y-yeah,” the young tom stammered. “I’m coming.”

The four warriors gathered together to pick up the Riverclan she-cat’s limp body before slowly and carefully making their way out of camp. Ivypool’s tail thumped beside Hollyleaf as they watched together, waiting until the last tail tip had disappeared into the thorn tunnel.

“Then what comes next?” Ivypool asked quietly.

“Today?” Hollyleaf asked rhetorically. It would be easier to start with the immediate. “I’d say we need some time to mourn and remember the dead…perhaps take some time to rest and heal as well.” Perhaps putting aside the three, if taking a trip into the Dark Forest counted as restful slumber, she couldn’t imagine any of the clan cats had slept that night. “But we need to keep living, somehow, and find a new sort of purpose.”

Ivypool nodded firmly. “The clans have some changes that need to be made, and we can be there to help them, and change with them. The clans will survive. I’m sure of that after tonight.”

“Beyond that though,” Hollyleaf cut in softly. “There will come a time when this fight is really over, and the clans are already changing. There probably won’t be a purpose that stands out so well then.”

“Then I guess…” Ivypool trailed off, her gaze dropping to the ground as she genuinely considered their future. “We’ll finally get to live normal lives. How about that?”

‘Normal’ compared to what they had been doing for seasons, certainly. But if the clans were really changing, no one’s life would be ‘normal’ ever again in the way they knew it now. There would be a new normal for them to adjust to. Even so, Hollyleaf couldn’t help feeling like she was ready for that unfamiliar world. At least it could promise more peace and room for growth than the one before it. A small smile cracking on her face, she chuckled in a way that only reached her stomach. “How about that…”

Chapter Text

The silence in Jayfeather’s mind was immeasurable. He was walking paw-to-paw with Lionblaze and Dovewing for the entire journey back from the Moonpool, and yet none of them said a word. Jayfeather could imagine Lionblaze’s mind was pricked with reminders of his pain, or that Dovewing was contemplating life with her significantly decreased senses, or even trying to stretch them out again despite knowing they were gone. But there was no way he could know if any of that was true. 

Usually, when cats weren’t speaking was when their minds were the loudest, but he had lost access to that world. And, for the first time in his life, as Jayfeather padded along with the familiar earth underneath his paws, knowing exactly where his paws needed to take him to enter the camp, Jayfeather really felt blind. This was the price we paid, he reminded himself. Cats don’t normally have these powers to begin with. Losing them isn’t really a loss. As much as he told himself that, though, it didn’t remove the weight from his chest. This was something he would have to adjust to, It was something they all would have to adjust to.

As they took their last pawsteps into the thorn tunnel, Jayfeather could already hear the rising bustle of cats moving about the camp. It was certainly quieter than it would be on a normal day, but there were little conversations taking place everywhere, just too far out of reach to be parseable.

Thankfully that quickly changed as they stepped into the clearing, and Jayfeather could almost feel a dozen heads turn towards him as their conversations pittered out. In only a moment a cheer swept across the clearing and a few cats raced towards them to express their excitement up close.

“You did it!” Jayfeather recognized Icecloud’s purr.

“I don’t know what you did,” Hazeltail remarked. “But it worked. Is the Dark Forest really gone?”

“What happened up there?” Brambleclaw asked, seemingly half in worry and half in awe based on his tone. “What did you do?”

“It’s complicated,” Lionblaze began. “But we kind of-well, the Dark Forest isn’t gone, but they’re kind of the same thing as Starclan now?”

“We told you the Dark Forest wasn’t only a place for evil,” Dovewing reiterated. “There were plenty of cats there who were willing to fight with us when the idea of not being called evil forever came up.”

“They’re one body now,” Jayfeather finished. “They’ll have a mix of cats who meant us harm and heroes as both of them always did. But making that change did also mean giving up the power of the stars. Starclan-our ancestors, will be watching over us, but they don’t have enough power to come down physically, and I don’t yet know what their limits will be. But I believe that’s why the Dark Forest cats disappeared here.”

“C-can they still come to us in dreams?” It was an unfamiliar voice who spoke, Shadowclan by his scent, but Jayfeather couldn’t pinpoint who it was in the moment. “Oh sorry, this is probably weird. Uh, I’m Owlclaw, this is Smokefoot and Ratscar, and we’ll go home as soon as you need.”

They were fighting on the side of the Dark Forest. That was the unspoken but obvious explanation for their presence in camp. But if Thunderclan was tolerating their presence now, they couldn’t still be in the mindset of battle. “Stay here where you’re useful,” he grunted. “I’m not the cat you should ask to go home anyway.”

“Oh but-” Dovewing cut in gently. “We uh…we don’t really know if they can come to any cat in dreams anymore. They might just be accessible through the Moonpool in most cases.”

Cloudtail let out a hefty snort. “Like they should have been in the first place. ‘Fighting dead cats’ was not something I ever thought I would have to do.”

Whitewing’s breathing sounded uneven for a moment but she shook her head. “This will…take some getting used to. But that seems to be the case for everything this battle has brought into light.”

“Oh let them through!” Ivypool’s meow cut pointedly through the crowd as she marched towards the front. “We can grill them later but they need to be checked for wounds like every other cat.”

Hazeltail let out an affirmative grunt. “Precisely. And Jayfeather, once he has tended to himself, can help all of you with your own check ups. This will all be much more efficient if we can save the chatter for a later time.”

Dipping his head towards the source of the voices, Jayfeather waited a few moments until most of the crowd had dispersed before heading straight for the medicine den. He would need Leafpool to give him some ointment for his own scratches, but there was a cat he needed to see first and, to his displeasure, she was awaiting him outside of the den. “You should still be resting,” he muttered.

Hollyleaf let out a sigh. “The den was full after the battle,” she meowed with equal rigidity. “And I would have wanted to see you when you came back anyway.”

“There was something I wanted to tell you,” Jayfeather admitted. She could wait to be shooed into the medicine den until more cats had been taken care of. Moving her excessively right now could itself be damaging. “After we took down the barrier between Starclan and the Dark Forest, we did have a chance to do one more thing.”

“What was it?” Hollyleaf asked.

“We freed Fallen Leaves,” Jayfeather meowed. “He’s going to live with the ancients now, at least, mostly. But before he left he did leave a message for you. He wanted you to keep living, and to know that wherever you end up, he’ll try his hardest to find you. He…really values you, as a friend.”

A faint exhale touched his face as Hollyleaf heard the words, and Jayfeather could imagine a smile cracking on her face. “Those tunnels will be awfully quiet without him,” she breathed, letting a moment of silence pass before she spoke again. “Thank you for helping him to see his family again. He never really thought that was a possibility when I lived with him...and honestly nor did I. He always told me that life would be static until I reunited with the cats I loved, and feared most, and coming back here, I finally understand what he hoped I would find. I’m just glad that he has a chance to move past his pain too.”

She was taking it better than Jayfeather had expected, but it probably wasn’t quite the same as losing a clanmate in the battle that night. Fallen Leaves had been dead for longer than any clan cat had been alive, and he had promised to try and see her again one day. Maybe this was even something that they had discussed, considering Hollyleaf’s worries about where she would have gone if she had died in the tunnels.

“Uh, Jayfeather?” Lionblaze’s voice sounded from behind them. “I’m really sorry and I know you and Leafpool and Briarlight are all busy with every cat but could you please help with my ear? It’s getting hard to not pay attention to it.”

Jayfeather felt Toadstep’s scent grow stronger as the other tom leaned in towards his ear. “He’s being really brave about it,” he whispered.

Jayfeather rolled his eyes, but he knew, maybe better than any other cat, what it must feel like for Lionblaze right now. Motioning for Lionblaze to stay where he was, Jayfeather slipped into the medicine den and quickly located some of the poultice that Leafpool and Briarlight had already made in bulk for every cat’s scratches. He swiftly scooped a sliver of it onto a leaf and took it back outside where he laid it gently on his brother’s ear, certainly one of the easiest wounds he would have to tend that day.

“Thank you,” Lionblaze purred. “That actually feels better already. Now if you excuse me, I need to check on Cinderheart. I didn’t really get to talk to her after…” His voice trailed off. Ordinarily it would have been the simplest thing in the world to peer into his mind and see what his voice failed to say, but now he was left to guess. Thankfully, his brother was one of the most transparent cats he knew, and he was almost certainly thinking about Sorreltail’s death and the effect it had on her daughter. Jayfeather would need to check in with Poppyfrost as well, not to mention the extra care Lilykit and Seedkit would now need.

As Lionblaze and Toadstep moved back towards the nursery, Jayfeather took a moment to survey the clearing and the work that still needed to be done. Dustpelt and Sandstorm’s scents were nowhere to be seen–he would have to check with Leafpool about that–Poppyfrost, Brambleclaw, Hazeltail, and Icecloud were all in the center of the clearing gathering the bodies of their fallen clanmates, and Squirrelflight, Cloudtail, Berrynose, and Brightheart were already lining up for the medicine den while Purdy was being treated inside. A few cats were still in the nursery and Dovewing still stood at the entrance. Her scratches would need tending as well but as her scent mingled with Ivypool’s and Whitewing’s, Jayfeather knew they were catching up, and it wasn’t as if there was a lack of cats to treat in the meantime.

Dipping into the medicine den, Jayfeather took a moment to patch up his own scratches with the initial poultice and cobweb, for the wounds he could reach, and set about doing his job. The injuries and severity of the injuries cats had incurred varied wildly but with the preparation Leafpool and Briarlight had already done, most of the herbs they needed were right at paw, and thankfully the marks of claws and teeth were rather uniform in their treatment, if tedious. 

By the time they finished, Sandstorm and Dustpelt along with the cats who had been sent to other clans had returned and had their wounds seen to and even the remaining Shadowclan and Windclan warriors were patched up loosely before being sent back to their own homes. Graystripe and Spiderleg’s bodies had been added to the almost overwhelming mass of them in the center of the clearing, covering such a wide area that Jayfeather would have to pay much more attention to avoid tripping over them. The one cat who he hadn’t seen to was Brightheart, as she had consistently refused to be seen until every other cat was safe.

“Are you finishing up?” Poppyfrost’s mew caught his attention as she stepped into the den. “Can I ask when the vigil might be?”

Jayfeather dipped his head to his friend. “Only Brightheart is left. Is it sunhigh?”

“Past, actually,” Leafpool chimed in. “If the initial repairs on the camp are done we could start soon. There’s no need to wait for sundown, especially when every cat is so tired.”

Poppyfrost murmured her agreement. “Cinderheart and I don’t want to sleep until we’ve had a chance to say goodbye to Mom but I know the whole clan needs sleep.”

“I’ll get the herbs out now,” Briarlight announced. Already Jayfeather could hear her fur brush against the stone floor as she moved back into the store. “And you can see to Brightheart.”

“You need rest too,” Jayfeather grunted. “You’ve been working as a full medicine cat for this whole battle, and you lost your sister.”

“I could get the herbs for you,” Poppyfrost offered. “If you tell me what to look for.”

“No.” Jayfeather let out a defiant snort. “You were standing guard all night, and you only just found out that your mother was killed. You should be able to rest with your emotions now. Both of you should head out into the clearing.”

Briarlight purred softly as she pulled up alongside him. “Jayfeather, you don’t need to thank us. We wouldn’t have had it any other way.”

“If you really believed there was a scenario that didn’t include us helping or protecting you,” Poppyfrost cut in, “you might have rabbit fluff in your brain.”

Jayfeather could feel a sigh rising in his chest but he settled for shaking his head. “Sentimentality won’t get you out of rest. As your medicine cat I order you to leave. I promise we’ll be out soon.”

“I’ll take them,” Leafpool promised, her voice tinged with amusement. “I can start preparing the bodies for their vigils while you finish up.”

“Thank you.” Jayfeather dipped his head to his mother as she scurried off to the back to fetch the lavender and mint they would need. Soon she emerged, the pungent scents of the herbs wafting off of her, and led the other two she-cats into the main clearing.

Jayfeather was left to finally confront the last cat awaiting him outside. He padded out, finding her only a few pawsteps away. “Is everyone else done?” Brightheart asked.

Jayfeather nodded. “Would you come in now?”

“Of course.” Brightheart’s meow was stiff, contained almost. Was something wrong or was there something she was hiding from him? 

He nearly tried to dive into her mind before getting a hold of his own senses. Nothing would happen now besides me looking foolish, he reminded himself.

Once they had stepped in, Jayfeather quickly set about checking for wounds. She had a gash in her right shoulder that he patched up with poultice and cobwebs to avoid it getting infected and a deep bite in her tail that he had to wash before he could wrap it to get some of the dried blood out of the surrounding fur. The rest of her pelt was dotted with smaller scratches but thankfully, nothing severe.

Wait. He paused as he was feeling her fur for the final check. There was a slight tremor under her pelt as he felt her stomach. It was familiar and yet Jayfeather could barely believe it. “You’re expecting kits!” She couldn’t have possibly known, could she? She fought in the battle with the Dark Forest! Even a border skirmish was usually deemed too dangerous for a pregnant queen!

Brightheart barely missed a beat before replying casually. “Yes, I am.”

“How long have you known?” Jayfeather gasped. “Did you see Leafpool? You certainly didn’t come to me.”

“I’ve had kits before,” Brightheart reminded him. “I knew what it felt like, when I first noticed it yesterday. But I also knew that I had to fight by the clan anyway. I am their deputy, after all, and I will be these kits’ mother. I needed to give everything I was able if we were going to win the fight.”

She hid it purposefully. “That was mouse-brained,” he snapped. She knew the danger she was facing, and she went in anyway. Maybe after that talk Firestar gave the two of them, she had been even more determined to take part in the battle.

“Running into danger to protect the cats I care most about even when it might mean my death…” Brightheart breathed, a note of almost…sarcasm, in her voice. “I suppose that means I really haven’t changed since I was an apprentice.”

Every cat knew the story of how Brightheart, or Brightpaw really, got her scars while trying to track down some dogs that were threatening Thunderclan on Tigerstar’s orders. The cat who had accompanied her that day wasn’t even alive to tell the tale. Maybe she was just as mouse-brained as an apprentice. But it wasn’t quite that, was it? It would be mouse-brained to think the dogs didn’t pose any danger. It was mouse-brained to believe two apprentices could take them on their own. But if she knew it was dangerous, and she went in anyway in the hopes of helping her clanmates, that was almost heroic. Reckless, still mouse-brained, but maybe admirable too. “You shouldn’t have been so careless then either,” he grunted. “But, thank you for helping,” he added in a murmur.

“I don’t plan on throwing myself into danger again soon, if that helps,” Brightheart offered. “I don’t think any cat will.”

“It’s your decision now,” Jayfeather pointed out. Once upon a time, for a moon, she had been his mentor. But she was to be the leader now that Firestar had passed onto Starclan. They would need to be able to work more closely if Thunderclan was to work with the guidance from their ancestors. “Look,” he began, heaving a sigh. “I think you should know that I didn’t want you to be my mentor.”

Jayfeather thought he heard a quiet snort exit the she-cat. “Gee, thanks for telling me. I couldn’t really tell by how you acted during your training.”

“I’m not finished,” the medicine cat grunted. “I never told you why I didn’t want you to be my mentor. It really had nothing to do with you. I thought Firestar choosing you to mentor me was a reflection of what he saw in me, like he was throwing me, both of us, really, away. I thought ‘the blind cat’ was all I would ever be, and being mentored by you would never help me go beyond that reputation.”

“I asked Firestar to make you my apprentice.” Brightheart’s voice had softened by the time she spoke. “I didn’t know what it was like to be fully blind like you are but I did know what it’s like to have the clan never believe that you’ll measure up to them. Even though they liked me, I thought they wouldn’t ever see me as more than ‘good for what she’s been through.’ I was hoping I could help you through those same feelings, but I should have realized that grouping us together would only make some cats separate us more.”

“It’s in the past,” Jayfeather assured her. “And I don’t think that’s how our clanmates see either of us now. You were a great mentor to Icecloud, you certainly fought well tonight, and you have been a great deputy. I’ll be happy to serve you now that you’re leader.”

“Th-thank you,” Brightheart’s purr was stilted, either with shock or hesitance. “I-I hadn’t actually realized that’s what would happen now.” Jayfeather heard her fur shake as she paused. “It should have been obvious. There’s just been a lot going on.”

“I don’t think any cat could blame you,” Jayfeather pointed out. “Although it does mean we’ll have to go to the Moonpool tonight.”

A quiet exhale passed through Brightheart before she spoke. “You’re right. But there are some things I need to do first.”

Considering she would have to miss the main vigil, it made sense that she was laying beside her brother, paying respects, when Jayfeather emerged from the medicine den. He had made quick work of cleaning the medicine den once Brightheart left but cats were already gathering in the clearing waiting for Leafpool to begin their ceremony.

“Jayfeather,” Leafpool greeted him warmly. “Is everything done?”

Jayfeather nodded. “But would you mind taking over the vigils? I’m going to take Brightheart to the Moonpool.”

“Of course,” Leafpool agreed. “When are you leaving?”

Jayfeather shrugged. “As soon as Brightheart is ready.”

“You don’t need to wait long.” He heard Brightheart standing as she spoke. “I just need to say something to the clan first.”

Slowly, almost with hesitation at the beginning, her pawsteps passed over the earth at the bottom of the clearing and onto the stones of the highledge, where she climbed until she was at the very edge. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join behind the highledge for a clan meeting!” Her voice came out clear and strong when she spoke, as if she were trying to prove how well she could take on the new job.

With every cat already waiting in the clearing, it didn’t take long for all of them to swivel to face their new leader more directly, and the scattered conversations rapidly quieted.

“I would like to begin by thanking every cat here for their dedication and sacrifice tonight. Without every cat working together, we wouldn’t have survived even as much as we did.” Jayfeather thought he caught her breath shake briefly before she went on. “To those of who w-who fought with the Dark Forest tonight, I know it is possible to come back from that, and I imagine we have some things to think over as well. I want to honor Firestar’s wishes, and hear all of you out.” A moment of silence passed then. Jayfeather wished for a moment that he could peer into the minds of the trainees, but now they would have to resort to the ways other cats learned what cats thought.

“Thank you,” Birchfall murmured sheepishly. “Maybe it could be in private?”

“Not every cat may want to hear what we have to say,” Rosepetal pointed out. “Perhaps even you.”

“I trust you, Brightheart!” Foxleap called out pointedly. “I know you’ll make a great leader.”

“Thank you,” Brightheart purred her gratitude, though this time Jayfeather could tell it was stilted. “But I’m not leader just yet.”

“You’re getting your nine lives tonight though, right?” Foxleap asked more softly. “So you’ll really be our leader in the morning?”

“I am,” Brightheart confirmed. “Jayfeather and I will be going to the Moonpool so that I can receive my nine lives, and Leafpool will be conducting the vigils for our fallen clanmates while we are gone. This is a time for every cat to reflect and say goodbye. I encourage every cat to use it. And while I am gone, I will need someone to watch over the camp.” She paused for a moment, perhaps taking in a breath or making eye-contact with someone in the clan. “I say these words before Starclan, so that their spirits may hear and approve of my choice. Hazeltail will be the new deputy of Thunderclan.”

“Me?” Hazeltail’s voice had a higher uptilt than Jayfeather had ever heard before. “You want me to be Thunderclan’s deputy?”

A pause passed as Brightheart undoubtedly signaled her agreement. “I need someone grounded who can understand the value of the rules we will be challenging. But you are also clearly capable of seeing new possibilities, not looking down on your own differences in the past or present. You have the balance that not just Thunderclan, but every clan, needs.”

“I am honored,” the she-cat answered professionally. “And I accept.”

Hazeltail was Brightheart’s choice for deputy, then. She certainly had an attitude that Jayfeather could see being suited to the role, and there weren’t many cats who would openly disapprove of her position. 

“Hazeltail! Hazeltail!” The cheer swept through the clearing, and Jayfeather caught Hollyleaf’s voice among the first to begin it, not long after Icecloud’s. Her voice wasn’t as strong as some of the other warriors, hindered by the wound to her throat, but she seemed to be pushing her limits. Though whether his sister really felt happiness or jealousy for her friend, he couldn’t say. This was what she had always wanted: to be a mentor, a respected warrior, eventually using that to become a deputy and hero after the battle. But she had none of that.

Are you really happy?  

“Yeah,” Hollyleaf whispered, causing Jayfeather to stand straighter. He hadn’t realized he had even spoken the words aloud. “This was what I wanted,” she admitted, “but it wasn’t what I needed. I have that. I wanted to be a leader so I could be loved, so I could know for sure cats cared about and listened to me. Then maybe I would finally have the proof that I was someone worth caring about.” She paused for a moment. “But now I have something much better. I know who I am, and who I can be. And more than that, I have the cats I most wanted to be loved by, and I know I don’t need to be deputy for that love to matter. I can be something great, but it doesn’t have to be what Hazeltail has.”

Was that the truth? He couldn’t imagine Hollyleaf having said any of that seasons ago. Jayfeather shook his head. He couldn’t just look for the answers anymore, however much he wanted to or not. And Hollyleaf’s feelings, whatever they were, wouldn’t lead to the same problems as before. She had changed. Like Dovewing said, the clans all needed to change, and that included the three. This time, it was his choice to trust in what he didn’t know. He had to trust that, now, Hollyleaf would tell him her real feelings. “I’m glad.”

Chapter Text

Brightheart had never been to the Moonpool before. In the old forest, apprentices had traveled to the Moonstone before receiving their warrior names- Or, well, they tried to. She, Swiftpaw, Cloudpaw, and Thornpaw never got to go because of Bluestar’s…state, at the time. By the time she did receive her warrior name, she wasn’t even awake to hear it, and they certainly weren’t going to indulge in tradition to have her and Thornclaw walk to the Moonstone when Tigerstar and Bloodclan were threatening the forest. A few apprentices visited the Moonstone after all of that was over, but the tradition faded out completely when they reached the lake. Brightheart couldn’t say it didn’t feel odd, now, standing before the starlit pool filled by a consistently trickling stream of water as it reflected the dim pink light of the sunset.

“Do you know what it will be like?” she found herself asking. Jayfeather at least had more experience with their ancestors, perhaps more than any other cat around the lake by now given his experiences tonight.

But the gray tabby shook his head. “I know what dreams were like before,” he pointed out. “But I’ve never seen a leader’s ceremony, and things are different in the world of the ancestors now anyway. No cat really knows what this will be like.”

Brightheart softly shook her head as she turned back to the pool. “I still remember the day Firestar came back from getting his nine lives,” she breathed. “He looked so noble, strong, confident… It was like he had truly become a leader from that journey. I-I don’t know if it could be like that for me.”

“You’re not going to be Firestar,” Jayfeather snarled with his traditional lack of tact. “I can promise you that now so just get that thought out of your head.” As he let out a snort, he settled down by the water, motioning for her to do the same. “You’ll be your own kind of leader.” His brow furrowed as if he were staring at something. “All the clans will need to change soon, if we’re going to repair what’s been broken. We don’t need more of the same. We need–you need–to be something different than before.”

Brightheart was taken aback for a moment, but quickly dipped her head. “Thank you,” she purred. Jayfeather certainly wasn’t the most compassionate cat she had ever met, but he did have a way of cutting through the illogical nerves that went on in cats’ heads. She could understand why Poppyfrost was so fond of him. 

No, it’s more than that, she knew. She was lucky to have him, and Leafpool too, as her medicine cats now. She wasn’t really alone in this, as much as she had been trying to show that she could be. This wasn’t about proving herself to make cats respect her anymore. She needed to be the one to guide Thunderclan, and she needed to be all right with cats looking to her for strength. But with Whitewing, Icecloud, Cloudtail, even some clanmates she never would have expected to think twice about supporting her since she had become deputy, maybe I am ready for this.  

Taking in a deep breath, she leaned in towards the pool and touched the bare surface of the water, shocked for only a moment by its cold before she let her eye fall as she was whisked into darkness.

At first, there was only pain. Brightheart felt a sharp stab in her stomach as if she had accidentally eaten crowfood, and soon the pressure rose, following her to her head, chest, and legs until every muscle had stiffened and it felt as if she couldn’t breath. Her eye couldn’t catch a glimpse of anything aside from black, and even her paws failed to find their place on the steady earth.

She couldn’t be sure how much time passed before the world blotted into view, but as it did the pressure finally eased and she landed, lightheaded, in an expansive field encircled by trees of all sizes. The world was bright, tinged with…gold, in several places, an odd color for trees in green leaf. Yet there were splotches of rich blues and greens as well, and even a faint purple cast to part of the sky. Stars dotted the midday sky above, but even more impressively, they appeared to have fallen onto the numerous cats around her as well, causing their fur to almost sparkle.

Brightheart would have been stunned to silence by awe if not for the faces attached to this group of ancestors. Firestar was the first cat her gaze locked onto as he dipped his head. “Welcome to Starclan, Brightheart. And Jayfeather, thank you again for all you did.”

Brightheart’s head whipped around to her side. She hadn’t even noticed the gray tabby’s arrival with her. “I didn’t realize the medicine cat actually came came with you,” she breathed. “Will he stay for the ceremony?

Jayfeather shrugged. “Can I-”

“You can,” Firestar purred. “Though there might be some other faces here you’d find more interest in.” He motioned with his chin towards an alcover, and out of it stepped…was that Yellowfang? Brightheart hadn’t seen her since she was a young apprentice and could barely remember the talented medicine cat except through stories. How did Jayfeather know her?

There wasn’t time to ask though as Ferncloud approached Brightheart. Her eyes were bright and her fur was sleek enough to shine in the light, so different from the battered she-cat’s body that had been left behind in camp. “Would you pass on a message to Dustpelt when you get back?” she whispered. “Let him know…it’s okay. I’m okay, and I’ll see him again.”

Brightheart dipped her head. “Of course,” she purred. “All of Thunderclan will miss you.”

As the dappled she-cat faded back into line, Brightheart saw the cats she was standing beside. Sorreltail was there, now accompanied by Brackenfur again. “We’re together,” she meowed softly, catching sight of Brightheart’s gaze. “I only wish we were able to stay with Lilykit and Seedkit. Please just keep them safe, and let them know we love them.”

Brightheart bowed. “I’ll make sure they are looked after as well as if they were my own,” she promised. And I can only hope they’ll get along with my kits, when they arrive.  

Firestar chuckled. “She’ll make sure all of her clanmates know how much they are loved,” he purred. “But we do have business to attend to. Thunderclan needs a new leader.” He padded forward and the world seemed to grow brighter behind his shoulders. “Brightheart, are you ready to receive your nine lives?”

Brightheart took in a deep breath, trying to keep her mind trained on the seriousness of her commitment as she nodded solemnly. “I am.”

“Then, with this life, I give you faith,” Firestar continued, “the ability to fight even when it seems you have no chance of winning, stand your ground when every cat seems against you, and believe that right can come out in the end if you are there to guide it.” 

Without another word, he leaned forward to press against her forehead. Brightheart leaned down to meet him but instinctively almost tore herself away at the touch. True to his name it seared with a heat and drive that would burn down a forest. Through her quickly shut eye Brightheart could almost see the flames surrounding her, morphing into the vague shapes of cats. As she stood though, unable to move, she felt a weight set in her stomach, keeping her still against the onslaught. Above, she thought she could spot a small prick of starlight. As she fixed her focus on it, the heat began to fade and she was finally able to open her eye, though she found herself to be shaky on her paws. 

As Firestar finished, he let his muscles relax from the ceremonial pose, leaning down to whisper to her. “Was that too much? If this is anything like mine was, almost all of the lives will feel like this.”

Brightheart shook her head. “It’s definitely not the worst pain I’ve ever felt,” she admitted. She would be able to take what this ceremony had to give her. After all, it was for her clan, and she could already feel Firestar’s life settling in. She would treasure his faith, and use the strength it gave him to push forward into their future.

Another cat padded up almost alongside Firestar, someone Brightheart never would have expected to see here. Her blue fur rippled, almost as if pricked by anxiety, as she looked Brightheart in the eye. “I’m not here to give you a life,” Bluestar began, “but an apology long overdue. I had lost my faith in everything, even myself, but it was no excuse for branding you with cruelty as an extension of my own feelings.” The old leader bowed her own head until she stood lower than Brightheart herself. “You fully deserve the name you have now, and the one you will be receiving tonight. Thunderclan couldn’t be in any better paws.”

I never thought… Even her thoughts trailed off as she tried to internalize the apology she had long since given up the hope of hearing. Brightheart could feel her brow furrowing in shock and gratitude. “T-thank you,” she stammered, the words coming out only a heartbeat before both Firestar and Bluestar turned away, quickly replaced by a lanky black tom, another body that lay in the center of Thunderclan’s camp tonight. 

“Hey,” he greeted, informal as ever. “I’m also giving you a life tonight. It took me a while to figure out what I even could give you but-well, here.”

He too leaned towards her, and as his nose touched her forehead Brightheart felt jerked forward as if forcefully pulled along by another cat. Quickly though, she realized there was no one but her, racing through the forest at such a speed that the trees around her blurred. She couldn’t tell what she was chasing but it was a straight path, growing ever more certain as even the trees got out of her way. Finally the feeling began to fade and Brightheart stilled herself as she looked back at Spiderleg.

“With this life, I give you passion,” he meowed. “Use it to care about and pursue whatever you believe in, even if it goes against what other cats think, and even if what it is…changes.” He dipped his head apologetically. “Perhaps, we should have understood earlier that we are all clan cats, at the end of the day. The borders between us might not be as strong as I once thought.”

Brightheart dipped her head. It was what the trainees were saying too. But this passion was what it would take to stand strong and push for what she believed in. As a cat who had gone so long feeling directionless and without hope, she knew this gift would make her the leader Thunderclan needed. “Thank you,” she meowed. “I’m glad you were able to finally find some peace before you died.”

Hiding a smile, Spiderleg fell back into line, greeted promptly by a pale blue she-cat who dipped her head appreciatively. “Thank you for what you did for Riverclan,” Brightheart thought she heard Mistystar whisper. Before Spiderleg could respond, though, the Riverclan leader had dipped away, padding off to some other part of Starclan.

The next cat to approach was a spotted tortoiseshell she-cat, her yellow-green eyes pricked with determination.

“Blossomfall?” For a moment Brightheart’s heart fluttered at seeing the former Dark Forest trainee, but she had ultimately given her life to save her sister.

Blossomfall didn’t respond, ignoring Brightheart’s greeting as she leaned forward to touch the she-cat’s forehead.

Instantly Brightheart felt a pressure close around her, threatening to crush her under its might. The she-cat tried to force herself out, pressing against each side of this invisible weight, but as she did it only drew in closer and closer until even the breath felt driven from Brightheart’s lungs. Finally, with no recourse left, she fell limp, letting her breath out and her tail fall still. As she did, the pressure lifted completely. Color blotted into her vision as swirls of gold and purple dotted the grass and she was left starting back at Blossomfall.

“With this life, I give you evolution,” Blossomfall declared. “Use it now as the clans realize what drew so many of us away, and let the trainees know they are capable of change as well.” She shook her head softly. “If had spent any longer stuck in the mindset the elites taught us, it may have been my sister that fell instead of me.” The tortoiseshell drew away as she finished, coming to stand beside Graystripe as they both now waited in Starclan. 

The distortion of this latest life swelled within her, a feeling that…perhaps, many of the trainees were intimately familiar with already. She remembered Rosepetal’s hesitance and Foxleap’s desperate hope. They weren’t Tigerstar himself, even if they trained with him. These were still her clanmates, and they were afraid. They wanted help, but they didn’t know if their own clanmates could be trusted to give it. “I won’t betray their trust,” she promised. I’ll listen to all of them.  

As Brightheart waited, another long forgotten face appeared as a snow-white she-cat padded up to her on light paws, her blue eyes, so much like Brightheart’s, glowing with pride. “At the ceremonies of new leaders, it is common to see one of your parents, or a parent you are close to, pass on love for a kit. It’s a fearsome, protective, and loving energy that we can only hope will reflect your feelings about your whole clan.” Frostfur shook her head. “But, my daughter, you already know well what a parent’s love is, to Whitewing and to your future kits.” For just a moment, Brightheart caught her gaze flitting to her stomach instead, but it quickly returned to look back at her. “There’s no need to remind you of that. Instead, I would like to pass on something else.”

Feeling like a kit again, Brightheart leaned down to receive her mother’s touch. It began with the familiar stabs of pain, this time coming across her eyes, shoulder, stomach, tail, paw pad, neck, and finally into her heart. Every whisker-length of her felt torn by a barrage of different sources: teeth, claws, the weight of a badger or a rockslide, and the heartbreak of a lost love or kit. Yet, as her breathing quickened to stiffen against it, a warmth spread as well, the love, joy, comfort, and laughter shared with each pair of mates or friends and each parent to a kit. Even the security of being part of a clan filtered in unhindered. The feelings spread like a feather-coated nest to each of her paws, and even to the tips of her ears and tail. The world suddenly seemed brighter, as each cat she looked at glowed with potential and tenderness.

“With this life,” Frostfur purred, “I give you empathy. My only wish for you is to be able to see the care that every cat needs, whether or not you are close with them and whether or not they are from your clan.”

Brightheart bowed her head gratefully. “I can’t think of any better gift.” It wasn’t enough to see Cloudtail or Whitewing, or Icecloud’s lives made happy. She needed to have compassion for every cat in her care, even those she couldn’t understand. Her heart seemed to leap out after her mother as the she-cat padded back, yearning for just a few more moments with her.

Before long, though, a tom replaced her, pressing his head under her chin for a moment before he approached Brightheart. Brackenfur… Grief unconsciously filled her gaze as she shook her head. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to replace you. The tom was her brother as much as Thornclaw was, but thanks to their different upbringings she sometimes felt as if she barely knew him. She could only hope that he would understand how much she respected him as a deputy.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” the tom murmured, as softly as she remembered. “It was my time to go. Thank you for keeping Thunderclan safe when I left.” 

Brightheart stood straighter with surprise. “How did you know that’s what…?”

A smile cracked on Brackenfur’s face before he leaned forward, pressing his nose against her forehead to pass on her fifth life. In a heartbeat Brightheart felt the space around her fill up with faces, speaking a cascade of murmurs that she couldn’t discern. Each cat before her lit up as she looked at them, their words coming into clarity and their hearts swelling with emotions she could identify with ease. The words filled up each of her senses until she wanted to flatten her ears against her head, but found herself unable to. Finally, though, the image and sounds faded, and she found herself staring back at Brackenfur.

“With this life, I give you insight,” Brackenfur meowed as he caught her gaze. “Even if others believe you to be quiet or indecisive, waiting and listening can grant you the greatest strength of all, and the best chance of choosing a path that will benefit the cats you aim to serve.”

Brightheart bowed her head, thanking him as best she could. Brightheart hadn’t been the most loudspoken warrior either, so she could stand to utilize some of her brother’s hard-earned skills as she stepped into this role.

Brackenfur padded away, quickly intercepted and passed by his sister. The smoky gray she-cat couldn’t hide the widening of her smile as she approached Brightheart. Cinderpelt had always put her heart out in her paw for you, especially when it came to her patients. “I’m so glad you’re here,” Cinderpelt purred, the sound almost getting choked in her throat. “I always knew that your life wasn’t over after the dogs but I had no idea how far you would come.” Stifling a tear that appeared to be forming at the edge of her vision, she shook her head and stood taller. “With this life, I give you perseverance, not just for those in your care, but for yourself as well. Don’t ever give up on someone if there is still something you can do to help them.”

As this life connected with her, she felt a bolt of pain in her leg sharp as lightning, but as energy flowed into her chest and paws she felt herself steading as if she were marching forward. Another stab came at her stomach as if tearing her out from the inside, a third coming through her throat, causing her to cough until she felt her throat run raw, a fourth across her own scar, coming down from her ear to her face, and more. She felt dizziness as black splotches crossed her vision, scratches over her eyes, an ache in her stomach, and finally a long, thick, ragged gash in her side. Through it all, through, she felt her energy flowing forward, and the further she went, the less each pain struck her. Finally, shaky with relief, all of it faded away and she was left looking back at Cinderpelt.

The she-cat dipped her head apologetically. “I wish I could make this part better for you, but I know you’re going to be a great leader.”

“Because of you,” Brightheart breathed. It was thanks to Cinderpelt’s dedication, and the perseverance she was now passing on, that Brightheart had survived in the first place, and Brightheart knew that dozens of other cats owed her a great debt. Far beyond just healing injuries though, Cinderpelt, along with Cloudtail, was Brightheart’s greatest advocate, teaching her how to help in the medicine den and fighting for her worth and happiness when she couldn’t see anything of the sort herself. Even after she had been healed…Brightheart honestly owed her sister her life. “I’ll never be able to repay what you gave me.” 

There was so much more she wished she could say in that moment, seasons after her horrible sudden death and moments after receiving this treasured gift, but Cinderpelt was already stepping back. She could only hope her sister would be able to see the gratitude shining through on her face.

The next cat to approach was one she had most been hoping to see tonight, though even if she hadn’t gone to the Moonpool she would have spent all night by his side. His golden-brown fur glistened with stars as he strutted towards his sister. “I’m glad I get to see you again, one last time,” Thornclaw meowed, bowing his head. “Although, it is possible that I could pass on a message if Starclan makes a habit of speaking to you.”

Brightheart couldn’t help a chuckle. Jayfeather had said Starclan wouldn’t be the same anymore; would the way they passed on messages change too? How many messages would she even receive as the clan’s leader rather than a medicine cat? How likely was it that this was really the last time she would see her brother, until her own death at the end of her nine lives? I have to savor this moment then, she reminded herself. “Are you okay here?”

Thornclaw nodded. “Starclan has been good to me. Although, we actually just finished the battle here as well so I can’t say I’ve had time to see what ‘eternal rest’ is like.”

Brightheart’s whiskers twitched in amusement. “You never stop fighting, do you?”

Thornclaw shrugged. “I have to do something with my time, don’t I?”  Straightening up, Thornclaw let his face take on the exact stern expression he wore when he was about to report news from the border. “With this life, I grant you a strong sense of self. Use it to avoid doubt once you’ve chosen your path, and know that you can see your plans through to the end.”

At his brisk touch, Brightheart felt her vision close around her until only a thin beam remained visible. For a moment she could feel each hair on her felt standing up with discomfort or worry, but as she closed her eyes she felt her paws stilling to stone, almost drilling into the ground, and slowly that stillness crept up her shoulders and to the tips of her ears. Confidence, she thought, otherwise known as my brother’s stubbornness.  

It was all too familiar, even if it was so different from her. Before, she genuinely thought that she had experienced this already. Being a shy, obedient apprentice for so long, she was sure that going with Swiftpaw to take down the dogs would make herself known to the clan and give her some sort of status there, that their feelings would give Brightpaw her own confidence. But strength of self can’t be based entirely on others’ approval, and Thornclaw, even Thornpaw, always knew that. He didn’t ever need to be a hero. He only said and did what he knew needed to be done. It was admirable.

Her brother blotted back into view as the life faded into her, and she could see his lips tersing as he caught her gaze. “Don’t take any more risks,” he ordered softly. “Even with these new lives, even with everything that needs to be done in the clans. You don’t need to prove yourself to any cat.”

Brightheart’s gaze softened. Her brother was worried about her, even now? She wasn’t foolish enough to do what she did as an apprentice anymore…although Jayfeather’s reaction when he found out about her kits might be enough to qualify. Taking some risk was necessary to lead a clan well, to even be in a clan well. But Thornclaw was right. She couldn’t take risks out of a need to prove herself. Her clanmates trusted her, and she needed to trust them too, which would sometimes mean being okay with getting their help.

“We never really did.” 

Brightheart stood up more stiffly as she caught the all too familiar voice…though it was certainly deeper and more gruff than when she had last heard it. “Swiftpaw?”

The black and white tom had grown taller since she’d seen him last, almost rising to her own height, and his shoulders had filled out, still not comparable to Thornclaw but certainly strong. Most of all, his amber eyes now glowed with a confidence and contentment that Brightheart had been sure would never return to them. “My name is Swiftclaw, now,” he explained. “A cat called Sunstar finished my assessment and gave me a proper ceremony.” He shook his head as if to clear it. “I give you a life for judgment,” he declared. “You have always been brave, Brightheart, but you must know when to use your bravery.”

Swiftclaw lifted his head to reach her’s, and she gratefully bowed it to let him give his life. Instantly she was propelled into a whirlwind of strikes, evident and seemingly endless before and all around her. Her muscles tensed to run, to go through the pain and accept it as she had for her previous lives, but a prick in her head told her to wait. As she did, she felt the landscape shift around her as if she were turning, and a path around opened, one without pain or danger. All it took was willing herself towards it and the image faded, leaving her face to face with her old friend. Judgment… She shook her head softly. “Both of us could have used this a long time ago…”

Swiftclaw bowed his head. “I can’t say you’re wrong. But what I have learned here, you have with you now. I only hope you use it well.” 

Firestar, Spiderleg, Blossomfall, Frostfur, Brackenfur, Cinderpelt, Thornclaw, Swiftclaw… She recounted the names in her mind. Eight lives. Who would give her the ninth? She glanced around the circle, waiting to see movement from any of them. 

Her question was partially answered as Swiftclaw turned around, gesturing with his tail to motion for two cats to emerge from the crowd: the snowy white and pale tabby toms that had once been her and Swiftclaw’s mentors. Whitestorm’s calm yellow eyes fell on her with pride. “Brightheart,” he purred. “It is a true blessing to be here with you.”

Brightheart felt her breath catch in her chest as she looked back up at her old mentor.

“I had considered giving you a life of my own,” he continued. “But I taught you all I could when you were young, and I can see that you have grown since I left you. There’s another whose lesson you need more.” He turned to the other tom with him, who took a step forward ahead of Swiftclaw and Whitestorm.

Longtail looked much stronger and brighter than he had when she last saw him. By the time he died, he was finally showing the physical age becoming of an elder. Now though, he looked on her with a sharp gaze and a warm smile. “It’s something I should have told you a long time ago, but I know you can handle it.”

Before he spoke any further, Longtail touched his nose to her forehead and she took on one final wave of pain. This one came in churning, disorienting, moving through each part of her body without any ability to be predicted. As the pain passed, Brightheart caught images flashing by her vision: Tigerst-Tigerclaw and Darkstripe, each tabby fleeing camp, Firestar, Swiftpaw, the apprentice’s mangled form, Sootpaw, and then her vision growing black, the pain focusing on her face as she felt the scratches cross them. Finally, she felt moss beneath her paws and, slowly, several sets of laughter filled her ears as a calm swept over her and the pain ebbed away.

“With this life, I give you agency,” Longtail declared as he came back into focus. “In different ways, some that I know each of us regret, neither of our lives have been easy.” His gaze flickered momentarily with a reflection of the pain she had just felt, but he quickly shook it away. “But no matter what happens to you, or what cats around you do, know that you’ll always have the ability to choose who you are and what you do. You don’t have to be anything for any cat, be that a loyal lackey or a fearless warrior. Your life is your own, even as the clan is put in your paws.”

Brightheart could feel her eye glaze over as she stared at him. “I never did find out…did you choose to be an elder?”

A moment of hesitation stalled her answer, but soon the tabby dipped his head. “Firestar offered me the choice, and there were already warriors, even Mousefur at the time, willing to help me get used to my new senses. But honestly…I wanted the rest. I knew I wouldn’t disappear as an elder, but I had already gone through enough to feel content with my life.”

That’s not me. Brightheart knew immediately. The days she had spent healing in the medicine den were frustrating enough. She couldn’t imagine spending so much time in a den rather than out in the forest, leaping after birds or tussling playfully with Cloudtail. 

Longtail chuckled softly. “I know you probably don’t feel the same. I just want you to remember that, whatever your path, it can be your choice. Don’t give yourself because you think you need to. Do it because you want to, because you care about the cats you are helping.”

Brightheart bowed her head low. “I will. I promise.”

As she finished, Whitestorm too bowed his head, crouching further into his front legs until his head lay lower than her chest. “I have every confidence in you, and now you have the wisdom of your ancestors, all of your friends, family, and clanmates behind you. Let them help you to grow, and you too will be able to help them.”

They drew back, and Brightheart watched as more and more cats filled the clearing. More than the cats who had granted her nine lives, or even those from Thunderclan, Brightheart began to see cats from every clan lining up around her. She recognized Graymist of Riverclan, Gorsetail of Windclan, Dawnpelt from Shadowclan–plenty of the cats she guessed had died in this battle. Even before them though, Antpelt, Russetfur, Reedwhisker, Barkface, Buzzardkit…she was pretty sure, although the she-cat was certainly looking much older than before, everyone was flooding into the clearing.

As she stood, she felt fur brush against her shoulder and turned to see Jayfeather had returned. “I see you’re both finished then,” he meowed.

Brightheart narrowed her eye. “Both?” What was he talking about? As Jayfeather gestured with his chin, though, her gaze was led to her other side where, only a couple of fox-lengths away, Willowshine stood with Otterheart of Riverclan. Of course… Firestar wasn’t the only leader to have died that night.

“You have both received your nine lives,” Mistystar announced solemnly. “But as your ancestors, there is one more blessing we must pass onto you before you return to your clans.”

“This is a gift for every cat around the lake,” Firestar explained. “If you use it as you should. The clans cannot continue as they have been if we are to avoid another war. Cats everywhere have been hurt by the traditions we have for lifetimes. No piece of our code is worth the safety or happiness of so many of our warriors.”

Dawnpelt dipped her head. “And the more we deny that happiness, the more we push our friends, even family, away.”

“Our world is complicated,” Graymist huffed. “One friendship that was okay as we journeyed together can suddenly land you with a lifetime of guilt for that ‘mistake,’ and if any cat were to ever find out, you and your family could be shunned forever.”

“There’s a…a hierarchy to cats here,” Antpelt added hesitantly. “No matter how long you’ve been in a clan, if every cat knows you were born outside of it, or even that one of your parents was, you might never get the sort of respect that your clanmates do. Some cats-” He glanced quickly towards Firestar. “Some cats do manage to reach beyond those limits but not every cat is a famous hero who gets to save the lake.”

This time it was Blossomfall who joined them, laying her tail on Antpelt’s shoulder with the familiarity of an old friend. “With the defeat, the integration, really, of the Dark Forest into the rest of our ancestors, you have a real chance now to make right what has long been a problem in the clans.”

As she spoke, even more cats began spilling out to fill the space behind her. Brightheart had never seen so many cats in all her life. Some, she even recognized as opponents from the battle she just left and, despite herself, she found her muscles tensing in readiness. 

One tan and white she-cat stepped to the front to stand beside Blossomfall. “This isn’t a new problem,” she meowed gruffly. “Every cat here, cats throughout clan history, have been wronged by the warrior code or values the clans instill. Some of us did things we regret because of that ostracization, but it was seasons upon seasons ago. We aren’t the same cats anymore than you are who you were as kits. It’s why we’re so glad to have the Dark Forest dissolved, but you have work to do in your own world too, work that we don’t be able to help you with.”

“I understand,” Otterheart meowed. “We won’t be realizing Ebonystar’s vision, but I’ll eat moon-old carrion before I let the clans go on without changing the code.”

“Well then, Otterheart?” Brightheart turned towards the brown she-cat. “You already have a friend in Thunderclan. I promise you that I will support you in ensuring that the clans hear out all of the concerns of the trainees. After tonight, I think we all know something will need to change.”

“Thank you,” the she-cat dipped her head appreciatively. “But I don’t believe my name is Otterheart anymore.”

“Indeed, it isn’t,” Mistystar agreed.

Meeting Firestar’s gaze once to be sure they could begin together, Mistystar took up a call that quickly spread throughout the gathered crowd until it seemed as if every one of their ancestors was calling their names. “Otterstar! Brightstar! Otterstar! Brightstar! Otterstar! Brightstar!”

Their names encircled them warmly, with even Jayfeather and Willowshine’s voices adding to the call, as the she-cats turned to each other. Brightstar bowed her head respectfully. “Congratulations, Otterstar.”

“Congratulations, Brightstar.” Otterstar returned the sentiment. A smile was cracking on her face and Brightstar could see her tail twitching appreciatively behind her, but when she spoke again, her words were serious. “Now, it’s about time we wake up, don’t you think?”

Brightstar nodded. “I do,” she agreed. “There are clans that need us.”

Chapter Text

“May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter where you sleep.” Leafpool’s gentle tone finished the ceremony. Eight bodies lay around the clearing, more than Dovewing had ever seen in one place before, maybe more than anyone here had seen in one place before. How were they even going to send off so many warriors?

Hazeltail, now the deputy, lifted her head as she began to address the clan. “I suggest one cat speak for each of our fallen clanmates,” she meowed. “You can pay the rest of your respects during the vigils. I imagine…” She paused only for a moment, perhaps to swallow back some bile or prepare her next words. “Many of us will want to say farewell to several of these cats tonight.”

Leafpool dipped her head. “A fine idea.” Her encouraging purr was stilted with grief. “In that case, who would like to speak for…Mousefur, to start?”

“Me,” Purdy raised his paw immediately. “I may notta known ‘er long as some of ya have, but she was ma greatest friend, and I couldn’t ever find a way ta thank ‘er for all she’s given me. The den’ll be…so much less lively without ‘er.” He chuckled softly, the sound grating against his choked voice as a tear appeared in the corner of his eye. Dovewing moved to stand beside him, letting the old tom lean into her shoulder. “Thank ya, young’in.”

“Don’t mention it,” Dovewing whispered. 

How many other cats were grieving like this tonight? With all of the close friends, family, mates, and clanmates, she had to imagine that nearly every cat in the clans was gathered around their fallen friends just as Thunderclan were tonight. But I don’t know. She didn’t know if they were doing it now, if they had done it already, if they were still resting from the injuries of the battle. She didn’t know anything anymore. Softly, she shook her head. And I can’t think about that right now. Her clanmates had all lost far more than their powers. Focusing back on Purdy she leaned over just enough to support his head.

Hazeltail let out a soft breath before she continued. “Thank you. Now uh, would someone like to speak for Spiderleg?” Her gaze passed hesitantly over Daisy and her kits, but quickly she turned to Dustpelt instead, perhaps expecting him to speak for his son. 

“I’ll do it.” Dovewing’s head whipped around in shock to see Rosepetal of all cats stepping out to speak for her father. She let out a snort. “His friends are dead too and I’m not about to make Daisy speak for him.” With her tail rippling in discomfort or maybe anticipation, she began. “I’m not going to insult him at his vigil. Every cat deserves a safe journey into Starclan, and I know he finally realized how wrong he had been by the end.” Her head tilted hesitantly. “Whether or not he wanted to, he taught me a lot and I think–I hope–that I taught him something too. I know all of Riverclan will thank him for what he did tonight. And I-I just hope he will approve, or understand, what we do with the clans now.”

Hazeltail met her former apprentice’s gaze with a rare warmth, dipping her head gratefully. “I’m sure he will,” she promised.

“Would you mind if I speak for Sorreltail?” Leafpool asked, her gaze flitting to Daisy as she cradled Lilykit and Seedkit close, then to Poppyfrost and Cinderheart, each of them pressed against each other.

“Go ahead,” Poppyfrost whispered.

“I wanted to talk to her later, anyway,” Cinderheart murmured.

Closing her eyes, Leafpool took in a deep breath, as if she were in that moment connecting to the spirit of her departed friend. “Sorreltail was an extremely kind cat, giving her time and energy to anyone she found in need of help. When my sister was gone-” She met Squirrelflight’s gaze briefly. “-She was my greatest confidant, and even when we reached the lake, she went with me on a mouse-brained journey, trusting in my dreams enough to help me find the Moonpool. I’m so grateful to have had her as a friend, but all of us are lucky to have had her in our lives.”

“Momma!” Lilykit’s mournful squeak barely touched Dovewing’s ears as the medicine cat finished, and she could feel her heart breaking as Seedkit joined in the cry.

“Why can’t you come back…” the little she-cat mewed.

“Shh,” Daisy soothed. “Shh, it’s all right. Sorreltail is watching over you both, and I promise I will always take care of you.”

I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to have Daisy here. Now they kits had someone to look out for them. It wouldn’t ever be the same as having their birth parents back, but every cat knew just how nurturing of a mother Daisy was.

“Dustpelt,” Hazeltail meowed, turning away from her mother as she addressed the tom. “I assume you’ll want to speak for Ferncloud?”

Dustpelt’s brow furrowed instinctively at the mention of his fallen mate, but he nodded, letting his gaze fall onto her still form. “Ferncloud was a light in all of our lives. Those of our kits, the kits she took on as they passed through her den, and every queen who had their nerves eased in the nursery, but no cat more than me. Every mouse-length of energy that I knew she could put into fighting off enemies at our borders she put into making the next generations of warriors as strong and safe as they could possibly be. Whatever some cats have said of her, I can’t see that as anything more than a boundless strength, and I know how much of her decision was based on passion rather than cowardice. She knew exactly what she wanted to do, and carved herself a brand new path to ensure she could do it. I pray to Starclan that we don’t let that path drift away with her death, but I know I will never forget what she gave all of us.”

Wow… Every cat loved Ferncloud, none more than Dustpelt but Dovewing hadn’t ever heard a cat talk about her in the way the brown tom did just then. None of Dovewing’s generation, or even Lionblaze and Jayfeather’s, knew what it was like to grow up in the nursery with only your parents to care for you. Were there other cats who would want to follow in Ferncloud and Daisy’s pawsteps? If the clans really were changing, maybe that could be an option.

“Mom…” Foxleap breathed quietly. “I-I’m sorry.”

“I should have been here,” Birchfall added in a whisper. Dovewing watched as Whitewing offered her shoulder for the tom to lean into just as a sharp inhale indicated the start of his tears.

“M-May I um, talk about Graystripe?” Bumblestripe asked hesitantly as a quiet swept over the cats. His gaze locked hesitantly with Millie, but his mother dipped her head to let him go. “He was…a really great dad,” the tom began. “He taught us everything he knew, whether that was how to put as much strength as possible in your strike or just-” He paused as a stilted chuckle emitted from his throat. “How to choose the perfect time to take prey from the pile to make sure you get the best pieces. I know he was a great warrior, one of the cats Firestar could always turn to when he needed advice, but I really just want to remember him like that: my dad, who didn’t care as much about how we were doing in training or how good of a hunter we were as warriors. He just wanted us to be happy.”

“Like I should have…” Millie breathed, shaking her head. “I don’t know if I even deserve to be the one to speak for Blossomfall but I need to say something.” Her head bowed as she spoke.

“It’s okay,” Briarlight meowed softly. “I know she’d want to hear it from you.”

Her eyes shining with gratitude for her daughter, Millie began. “I made so many mistakes with her, with all of my kits. I was so worried about the dangers you could be in that I forgot to do any more than keep you alive, and my worries only made you less happy as time went by.” For a moment, she flinched away, unable to even look at any of her kits. “In the end, I only put you in more danger, driving you away from me into fears and, for Blossomfall, cats that wanted to hurt you, cats that you died to. I know it was your choice, but it was my fault. You shouldn’t have died tonight.”

“But you can’t blame yourself forever,” Briarlight offered. “Blossomfall wouldn’t want that. I don’t want that. We need to find a way to move forward, to remember what she did for us and carry on her wishes.”

Millie nodded stiffly. “Y-you’re right. Blossomfall…she was one of the most passionate cats I’ve ever known. It’s not surprising how easily she was able to break through the mental barriers so many clan cats set for themselves, and I’m so grateful to know she had such wonderful friends to keep her company when I didn’t.” One after another, she glanced towards Ivypool, then Rosepetal, the lacker of whom nodded in an almost professional acknowledgment. “In her honor, I promise the clans will be made better. We can’t let her vision be wasted.”

“You can bet on that,” Rosepetal growled. Her amber eyes had stiffened into bitterness as she avoided looking at the body of her friend. “The trainees aren’t about to back down from what we believe just because the war is over. You made a promise to actually listen to us, and we expect you to uphold it.”

“We will,” Hazeltail agreed, looking her former apprentice straight in the eyes. “You are our clanmates, and we will honor you. You all must be heard out, after this is over.” Her gaze swept the clearing, pausing for only an instant on a cat Dovewing couldn’t catch before she fluidly moved on. “But for now, is there anyone who wishes to speak for Thornclaw?”

“I will.” Hollyleaf raised her tail immediately. Dovewing could already hear how much quieter and more hoarse her voice was while her throat was healing.

“Are you sure?” Hazeltail pressed, her eyes narrowed almost as if in warning.

“I’m sure,” Hollyleaf confirmed. “I owe him that much.” With Ivypool supporting her, the black she-cat stood to look down at her old mentor. “I don’t know for sure, but I may know Thornclaw better than any other living cat now. He shared things about himself with me in-in an effort to help me see the danger of the path I was on.” She paused to breathe out, either gathering her thoughts or just staving off the growing pain. “I didn’t listen to him then,” she continued. “But I should have. He is the most dedicated, hard-working cat in the clans, without any of the selfish reasons I had for trying to be the same thing. He had no ambitions or vengeance of his own to pursue; all he ever wanted was to keep those he cared about safe, and he cared about every cat in Thunderclan.” Hollyleaf let her eyes close as she finished. “All of us will have to work hard to pick up his slack.”

A small smile grew on Hazeltail’s face, one she quickly hid as she ducked her head. “That leaves us with one last cat then,” she announced. “Who wants to speak on Firestar?”

There were so many options; so many cats had been personally touched by the old leader’s kindness and strength. His mate and kits of course: Sandstorm, Squirrelflight, and Leafpool, would have plenty of things to say. But Brambleclaw and Cloudtail were his apprentices and, oftentimes, just as much his family as the she-cats, and even Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and herself had him as a guiding force through their tumultuous relationship with the prophecy.

“I’ll do it,” Sandstorm spoke up, her chest puffing as she readied herself. “If that’s all right.” 

Squirrelflight dipped her head. “Of course, Mom.”

With her daughter’s approval, Sandstorm stepped forward until she stood almost right above her mate’s body. “There’s nothing I could say that all of you don’t already know. Firestar was a fearless leader, compassionate and persistent in following the path he knew to be right. He gave his life to save us and the other clans nine times over and he never once regretted his choices. Through his actions and strength of character, the clans themselves changed. He was the first kittypet we readily accepted as a leader, showing just how little of a cat’s potential was tied to their birth, and he never stopped fighting for those ideals. All I can say now is that…we won’t stop fighting either. The clans will never forget him, and his legacy will live on in the changes we are able to make.” Her eyes, burning with a firm passion, softened as she looked down at the orange tom. “Your fire has finally burned out,” she whispered. “So please, let yourself rest now.”

A silence fell over the clearing as each cat looked in on their fallen clanmates, letting themselves sit with the waves of emotion and countless memories they stirred. Dovewing heard a heavy sniff from Purdy beside her and across the clearing both Hollyleaf and Ivypool looked to be holding back tears as they gazed at the bodies before them.

“I think we’ll all need time to process,” Icecloud murmured softly, clearly trying to hold something back herself as she avoided looking at her mother among the fallen cats. With Hazeltail dipping her head in approval, the white she-cat continued. “Thunderclan, please take all the time you need tonight to spend time with and send your gratitude to the clanmates we have lost, but spend time with each other too. Every cat has lost tonight, and that loss…it won’t ever be easy, but it will be less painful if we can share it.”

“Exactly,” Hazeltail agreed. “And when you are done, please, get some rest yourselves. We won’t be able to continue any cat’s memory if we can’t make it through the night ourselves.”

“Icecloud?” Foxleap looked his sister straight in the eye as he hesitantly padded towards Ferncloud’s body. “C-Can we talk?”

Hazeltail met her mate’s gaze, dipping her head after only a moment. “Go ahead,” Dovewing thought she heard her whisper.

The white she-cat nodded, padding up to Foxleap’s side. Both siblings stood a tail-length from their mother’s body where Dustpelt was already tucking himself in. “What is it?”

Foxleap closed his eyes shut, his head lowing as he deflated before her. “I’m sorry,” he finally meowed.

“For tonight?” Icecloud guessed. “I mean, I accept, Foxleap but I still don’t understand. What’s been going on with you? You were avoiding me for seasons and then I found out you had joined the Dark Forest? What happened? Why didn’t you ever talk to me?”

“I was jealous…” Foxleap cut in, even now sounding hesitant. The words came out with strain as if he was forcing each sound. “I’ve always kind of been jealous of you. Your mentor is so great that she’s becoming clan leader, you’re a strong warrior in every way that seems to count, you keep a cool head no matter what crazy stuff comes up, and even though you became mates with a she-cat you have a fantastic relationship and everyone is fine with it and Dad still likes you best!”

Icecloud drew back suddenly, glancing towards her mate and father before her gaze settled back on Foxleap. “Brother…I-I didn’t-”

“I don’t want to be jealous of you,” Foxleap clarified. “I’m happy you’re a good warrior. I’m happy for you and Hazeltail. I know you’ll have a great life together and I wouldn’t want you to be any less happy just because I don’t have what you do. But the Dark Forest was kind of the only place where I didn’t have to be unfeeling or perfect to be loved. It was the only place where… I could see the cat I loved.”

That he loved?! Dovewing’s eyes shot open as she caught the conversation. Who was it?  

Foxleap shook his head. “The Dark Forest is gone though; I get that. I know some of them were manipulating us and I don’t wish they had won. I just still wish I didn’t have to leave behind everything I love to please the clan again.”

“To please me.” This time it was Dustpelt who cut in, his weary gaze meeting Foxleap’s as he raised his head away from his fallen mate, beginning to get to his paws. “Foxleap, I’m sorry, for the standards I set. This night has been teaching me just how limiting my views were. Being able to stand up and fight for what you believe in, even when cats you love may disagree, is extremely brave. It’s the mark of a strong warrior if you can help to change the world you live in.” 

His head swept around until he caught the light brown tabby he was looking for. “And Birchfall, I’m sorry to you as well. Whether or not you believe it, I really have always loved you both. I should have made that far, far clearer though.” His head dipped down. “Love isn’t always enough, though. And I trust you as well. I trust the warriors you have become. I trust that you will lead us to a brighter future, and, for whatever it’s worth, I want to give you the choice to do whatever you feel is right.”

Foxleap stared at his father in shock, but Birchfall’s eyes were already glistening with joyful tears. Before he could break into a sob, he turned to Whitewing. “I’m sorry too,” he cried. “I did really believe in what we were doing in the Dark Forest but I should have had the courage to tell you. And the same goes for you, Dovewing, but I guess you knew before because of Ivypool and the prophecy stuff you were doing.”

Dovewing shook her head. “It’s okay, Dad.” If she didn’t hold it against Ivypool she certainly wasn’t going to hold it against him.

Whitewing dipped her head. “It would be a hard thing to explain,” she admitted. “Though I hope…” Her gaze dropped for a moment. “That Shadowclan she-cat you trained with, Applefur, was she-”

“No, no!” Birchfall shook his head fiercely. “I promise it was never anything like that. I love you Whitewing, and I am…kind of shocked every day that you love me. It’s just kind of hard to live up to you sometimes, and with her, meeting just during the Great Journey and in dreams, we never really had to compare to each other. I liked having a friend like that, but I never ever wanted to leave you."  

“We shouldn’t need to compare ourselves to each other at all,” Ivypool murmured. “However well we did in some assessment, however strong or quick or beautiful we think we or other cats are, we’re all clan cats. Our job is to work together. It’s time we started acting like it.”

“More than that,” Dovewing purred, stepping up with her sister to where their parents waited. “We’re family, the real kind.”

Birchfall cracked a smile as he leaned down to lay his head on her’s. Dovewing quickly felt the swish of fur around her as her entire family, for the first time in seasons, closed in together for a moment of intimacy. “Yeah,” he breathed. “We are.”

The rest of the night had passed slowly, quietly, as cats visited each friend and clanmate to give their silent wishes before moving on, but eventually most cats had trickled into their dens to finally get some rest after the battle, save for those that decided to sleep by their loved ones instead. As they awoke the next morning, cats quietly set about working to bring out and bury each of the dead in their own spots around the territory, though Hazeltail ensured that only two cats at a time were buried so each could have a team of four warriors helping to dig the grave. With so many fallen cats, having Purdy or even the senior warriors work on the job alone wasn’t possible. Still, it had been equal parts painful and relieving to be with the elder on his patrol when they went to bury Mousefur. She wasn’t sure how Purdy would have fared if he ever had to perform that task on his own.

As the last patrol was returning though, two other cats followed them in: Jayfeather and-

“Brightstar?” Fittingly, Cloudtail was the first cat to greet her by her new name.

The she-cat nodded, her exhausted gaze softening as she met her mate. “Yes, I have my nine lives.”

“Brightstar! Brightstar! Brightstar!” Tired and battered as they all were, the clan quickly swept up the cheer to greet their new leader.

In perhaps the hundredth moment of shock over the last day, Dovewing realized that she hadn’t expected Brightstar and Jayfeather to arrive just then. She didn’t even know they were coming, by scent or sound, until she saw them in camp. Was this really what it was like for every cat? How did they search for prey? How strong did their borders have to be for them to be noticed?

“Brightstar,” Hazeltail dipped her head respectfully. “We’ve just finished burying our clanmates.”

“I guessed,” Brightstar assured her. “I managed to catch Thornclaw just before his grave was filled.”

“Are you okay?” Cloudtail probed quietly.

Brightstar nodded hurriedly. “I am, really. I actually got some closure with him last night.”

Jayfeather coughed pointedly. “I believe you’re not supposed to say much about what happened.”

Brightstar tilted her head in acknowledgement. “Save for the messages they asked me to pass along. But you’re right. Hazeltail?” She turned to her deputy before she continued. “Would you mind meeting me in F-in my den? I wanted to discuss something with you.”

“Of course,” Hazeltail meowed before marching off after Brightstar, the two of them climbing the rocks up to the den that now belonged to Brightstar.

Once, not long ago, Dovewing would have immediately, unconsciously, even, moved her focus into that den to get a sense of what announcements awaited them, or what difficulties the new leader was having, but she couldn’t do that anymore. Why did that feel wrong? Was she really so nosy that she couldn’t fathom giving Brightstar and Hazeltail a moment of privacy? Why couldn’t she just wait until they made their announcements to the whole clan? Why was she so sad about this when so many of her clanmates were grieving deaths? Sandstorm, Brighstar herself, Hollyleaf, Briarlight, Rosepetal, Millie, Ivy- Ivypool.  

It took longer than it should have, but Dovewing quickly located and ran towards her sister, only managing to catch the uneven rhythm of her breathing as she got close. “A-Are you all right?” Dovewing stammered. Of course she’s not all right, mouse-brain! Her mind shot back harshly. Her friend is dead!  

Ivypool’s gaze met hers, the shine seeming to swim through her blue eyes as they reflected against the tears at the edge of her vision. “It just…hit me, I guess,” she breathed, shaking her head in an attempt at clearing the emotion away. “I didn’t dream of the Dark Forest last night. Somehow, some part of me still assumed that I’d be able to see my friends. Being dead didn’t mean anything for Mousewhisker, or Oakfur, or even Antpelt, and Blossomfall was one of us. But s-but we’re living like the clans are supposed to now. We won’t see the dead every night.”

“And she really is gone,” Dovewing finished. Of course Ivypool was taking it harder than some others. The trainees weren’t just losing some clanmates, they were losing the cats and the place that had become their home for seasons. The bond the Dark Forest created was manufactured as a manipulation but not all of it was false, and some of it would really hurt to let go of.

Ivypool nodded. “She’s in Starclan though. She made a really hard choice to save her sister and turn against some cats she had trusted for seasons so that she could end her life on a high note. And I know she’s not really gone forever; I’ll go to Starclan at some point too, after all but-”

“It doesn’t matter if she’s not with you right now,” Dovewing pointed out. “Your feelings don’t care if you’ll see her in another twenty seasons when you pass on to-well, not Starclan, when you pass on to our ancestors. They care that she’s not with you now. You’re allowed to be sad about her death.”

“I know…” Ivypool let out a sigh. “I just can’t stop my brain from thinking about-well, about ‘the ancestors.’ We need to keep moving onward somehow. I need to make sure the clans actually hold to their promise to listen to us.”

“Starclan themselves agreed,” Dovewing meowed. “I don’t know how the clans could stand against that.”

“But they can be stubborn,” Ivypool grunted. “They always have been. I wouldn’t be shocked to see some of them more worried about breaking an age-old tradition than the concerns of their own clanmates, living and dead.”

Is that what I’m doing? Even if she hadn’t ever put trust in a lot of the warrior code, she did seem to care more about the loss of her power than about the grief she should have been feeling for her clanmates. As much as she had comforted Purdy or Ivypool or felt for Millie, Briarlight, and Hollyleaf, the grief wasn’t at the forefront of her own mind. “Am I selfish?” she found herself meowing under her breath.

Ivypool drew back in shock. “What? What are you talking about?”

“F-For-” Dovewing shook her head. “I keep thinking about how little I know now, how little I can see. I’m so focused on how to do anything now without my power that no other cats had in the first place and-well there’s so many more important things to be thinking about now: our dead clanmates, the changes to the clans and the code, taking care of our friends who are hurt! I shouldn’t care about my mouse-brained power at a time like this!”

“Why not?” Ivypool’s meow was firm, her brow furrowing as she stared back at her sister. “Dovewing, you can care about plenty of things at once. I’d trust you more than any cat to be able to do that; you spent your life caring about literally everyone, everywhere.” 

Dovewing felt a small smile cracking at the edge of her mouth.

As Ivypool paused, she dipped her head to make sure she was eye-level with Dovewing and laid her tail on her sister’s shoulder as she grew a smile to match Dovewing’s. “And this is a big change for you, more than any of us can imagine, I’m sure. It’s going to take some time to adjust, and that’s okay. I mean, all of the clans will probably be shaky for a while with all the changes. Even without the code stuff, Brightstar is leader now, Otterstar is probably the leader over in Riverclan-oh goodness I have no idea how they’ll feel about that one.”

“Because she was a Dark Forest trainee?” Dovewing guessed.

“Not just any trainee,” Ivypool insisted. “She was Ebonystar’s apprentice. Actually Ebonystar and her old deputy Archfern had picked out Otterstar and Rainstorm to be Riverclan’s leader and deputy. I think they were hoping to get leadership over there that they could puppet for their benefits. But I don’t know who-”

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the highledge for a clan meeting!” Brightstar’s yowl cut off their conversation as both sisters turned to look in the direction of the highledge. Hazeltail stood with the leader as they waited for the clan to gather.

“Clanmates!” Brightstar began. “Thank you for the warm welcome upon my return, and doubly so for taking care of the camp while Jayfeather and I are away. I know how much this battle took from so many of us, and I want to give every cat a chance to recuperate. However, our work is not done yet. As Otterstar and I received our nine lives, we received an order from our ancestors themselves to meet with the other clans and determine how to move forward, which yes, will involve change. We can’t continue with the system we’ve had until now when we know it has hurt or excluded so many.”

“We also know that many of you agree with this already,” Hazeltail cut in, meeting Brightstar’s glance briefly to ensure she wasn’t stepping on her leader’s paws. “Many of you have already promised to your friends, family, or clanmates that you would hear out their concerns, and this is what must be done for all the clans if we want our world to change rather than just our feelings today.”

Brightstar nodded. “Just as Hazeltail has said, all of the clans need to work together for change to be made, and for this, we will need to hold a gathering, tonight.”

“Tonight?” Birchfall glanced worriedly at his mate. “That soon?”

“The sooner the better,” Brightstar confirmed. “Your concerns need to be heard before they can have an effect. With that said, we will need to inform the other leaders to meet us at the island tonight.”

“Icecloud?” Hazeltail called for her mate. “Would you go to Shadowclan and tell Blackstar?”

“Of course,” the she-cat meowed respectfully.

“And Rosepetal-” This time the deputy turned to her former apprentice. “Would you go to see Onestar in Windclan?”

“I-” The pink-tinted she-cat seemed shocked to be chosen, but she dipped her head. “I’ll make sure they come,” she promised. “I have some friends there I would like to catch up with anyway.” She spoke it brazenly, openly, as if daring anyone to challenge the freedom she had to still hold feelings for the cats she had fought beside.

Brightstar didn’t challenge her. “I imagine you do,” she meowed, simply turning away as she focused on one last cat. “Finally, Dovewing, would you be able to speak with Otterstar in Riverclan? She shouldn’t give you too much trouble but I want to be sure she knows to bring her clan.”

“Right!” Dovewing stood taller. “I’ll let her know.”

“Good,” Brightstar dipped her head before focusing back on the rest of the clearing. “For the rest of you, we’ll need one hunting patrol today-”

“Which I can organize,” Hazeltail cut in.

Brightstar nodded in acknowledgment, only needing a moment of hesitation to adjust to the fact of that no longer being her job. “But for everyone else, I want you to rest. Recovery from wounds takes longer than one night will allow and exhaustion and grief take even longer to slip away. I need to be sure that you all will be able to take care of yourselves for now. The time to change the clans will come when night falls.”

Riverclan felt much further away now that she couldn’t lay the whole rout out in her mind, but thankfully Dovewing was still able to recognize the landmarks that would lead her on the path to their camp. She was intimately familiar with it from all the time spent looking in on their lives, but had she ever actually been to Riverclan? Not since I was an apprentice, she realized. She hadn’t actually put a paw on their land since she was delivering prey to Leopardstar, the first time she met Tigerheart. 

Her heart swelled with a sudden nostalgia as she looked across the territory, broken up with more streams and rivers than Windclan but with a clear view of the lake as the land sloped down. Trees, different from those in Thunderclan or Shadowclan, dotted the landscape. There were certainly fewer than she had become used to, but it did feel…nice, somehow, to be able to see further than a few tail-lengths ahead of you, and the constant rushing of the streams provided an ever-present background sound to avoid the crushing, pressing silence she had been subjected to since returning from Starclan. It was almost a comfort, a small return to the senses she was used to.

Before long, the gray she-cat had arrived at the connection of two streams, forming a small island in the middle that she knew to be Riverclan’s camp. Ducking her head under the tendrils of some willow trees and into a sedge tunnel, she stood momentarily at the entrance, not wanting to just barge in completely uninvited.

“Dovewing?” Minnowtail’s yellow eyes had lit up with surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I came to talk to Otterstar,” Dovewing stammered. “Brightstar sent me.”

“She’s in her den.” A mottled gray-blue tom, Rainstorm, raised his tail. “Just wait a moment though; I can get her.”

“No.” Dovewing turned to see the dark brown she-cat emerging from M-well, what was now her den. “I don’t need a moment. I’m here.” She stepped out, gesturing with her tail for Dovewing to come closer. “Rainstorm?” She turned briefly to the mottled tom. “Can you organize a fishing patrol while I speak with her?”

“Of course,” Rainstorm agreed, dipping his head respectfully before motioning with his tail. “Gather around Riverclan!” 

Gather around? That sounded more authoritative than she would have expected. Rainstorm wasn’t even a senior warrior yet. Was he…?

“Come with me.” Otterstar leaned forward as she whispered, leading Dovewing away towards their central tree. 

“Is-” Dovewing hesitated. “Is Rainstorm your deputy?” she asked quietly.

Otterstar paused for a moment, breaking her gaze with Dovewing as she dipped her head. “He is. He’s a strong and loyal warrior, and I already know we work well together.”

“But isn’t-” Dovewing shook her head. “Well Ivypool just said that Ebonystar and Archfern sort of picked you two to be the new leader and deputy here. Are you worried that-”

“I’m going to be my own leader,” Otterstar assured her, “not who Ebonystar wanted me to be. But I also don’t want to abandon the cats I stood beside. I want the clans to learn that they can trust us completely, even if we were trained in the Dark Forest. I want them to see that training together for so long made us a better team, not a threat.”

“Oh…” Dovewing didn’t know what she had expected the brown she-cat’s answer to be, but it wasn’t this. “That’s actually really noble,” she breathed. The other clans might distrust Riverclan’s leaders for a time, but they would also be the quickest example to show how trustworthy and even valuable the trainees could be. Maybe, with them as leaders, the other former trainees around the clans wouldn’t be as ostracized. 

As the last thought left her, Dovewing and Otterstar approached a small crest in the roots of the ancient willow tree where branches had been woven around and above to create a canopy just large enough to shelter the leaders’ nest. There was almost enough space for a second nest too, but none of Riverclan’s leaders at the lake had a mate to share their dens with, so the space had never been squeezed that tightly. You’re probably the only Thunderclan cat that even knows that, she realized. 

“I’ll be weaving some willow tendrils into it too, soon,” Otterstar explained, perhaps catching Dovewing staring at her nest. “I’ve never really been fond of plain moss. Perhaps even a few flowers or pebbles around the outside just to spruce it up.” After a moment, she shook her head. “Sorry, Thunderclan cats don’t tend to get as worked up over their nests, do they? I know it’s unnecessary but since I’m going to be sleeping alone from now on I wanted to at least make this den feel like home.”

“N-no!” Dovewing protested. “I think it sounds lovely, being able to put a piece of yourself into your den so you can feel comfortable there.”

“Heh,” Otterstar cracked a small smile. “Well I’m glad you think so. But for now, we should move on to business.” Straightening up, she raised her head so she could look down on Dovewing. “First of all, thank you for returning Graymist to us. I’m sorry she passed on in the way she did but Riverclan was grateful to have the opportunity to give her a proper vigil.”

“It was no trouble!” Dovewing insisted. “And you did the same for Spiderleg so we should be thanking you.”

Otterstar bowed her head. “Spiderleg saved Mothwing’s life. Riverclan owes him a great debt. It was partially thanks to him that we trainees were able to understand our leaders’ aim and turn on them as quickly as we did.”

“It’s thanks to you too, though,” Dovewing pointed out. “You rallied the trainees behind you and drove out the Dark Forest faster than any other clan. It’s not easy standing up to cats you trusted. I saw Ivypool go through it too.”

Otterstar nodded, her gaze darting away for a moment. “Your sister was wise to notice their intentions as early as she did.”

Dovewing shook her head. “I don’t know if she would have, though, if she didn’t have cats working with her. We, the three, I mean, wouldn’t have known about the Dark Forest without her but she wouldn’t have known to look into them without us. That’s kind of what Brightstar really wanted to talk about, actually.”

“Oh?” Otterstar’s brow raised in interest. “Does this have anything to do with the message Starclan gave us both, then?”

“Yes!” Dovewing nodded. “We know everyone needs to listen to each other if we’re going to change, if we’re going to move forward united. Brightstar is asking all of the clans to meet tonight at the gathering island so you can talk about it.”

“Well then,” Otterstar meowed. “You don’t need to convince me, Dovewing. Riverclan will be there tonight. I promise you that.”

Chapter Text

Ivypool took in an even breath, trying to still her breathing as she stiffened her shoulders against any shaking. She had spent all day trying to prepare herself mentally for this meeting. And for moons, seasons, really, before that, she had imagined what the results could be like. The Dark Forest had always pushed for the idea of the clans changing, of the code changing in particular, but that had been motivated by the elites’ desires to control the lake for their own desires. Separated now from that, would the trainees be able to help create a world they could be proud to live in? Would the other clans really be able to forgive them so easily?

Oh St-Ancestors, I’m not ready for this. What was she even meant to call them now? Would the former Dark Forest residents think of themselves as becoming part of Starclan, or would they want to be something new, together? Everything was uncertain now.

“Are you okay?” Dovewing leaned in towards her. “You look a little…well, stiff.”

Of course her sister was able to interpret Ivypool’s special attempts to not display her anxiety as a sign of those very feelings. Though perhaps, as a cat who knew her, it would be kit’s play to guess how Ivypool might feel now even without clues. “I will be,” she promised. “I just hope the meeting doesn’t-well, I hope it turns out well.”

Dovewing’s brow furrowed in sympathy. “We’ll make sure it does,” she purred. “All of us. And don’t forget, Brightstar and Otterstar will both be on our side from the start.”

Ivypool nodded hurriedly. Their leaders would most likely agree, especially having their ancestors’ message on their side. But what about every other cat? The trainees, save for herself, had all at least begun the fight against the clans. Some of them never switched sides, or died before they could. 

Across the clearing, many groups had divided completely along trainee or not lines, though some brave cats had crossed them. Ivypool’s gaze flashed briefly to a black tom who seemed to be making an attempt to conceal himself completely in the bushes, away from any of the rest. Breezepelt. He had never fought on the side of the clans. How did Windclan feel about him? How did he feel about them?

“Breezepelt?” she whispered fiercely.

The black tom jerked up at the sound of his name, as if struck out of some other thought. As he caught sight of her though, his eyes narrowed. “What do you want, traitor?”

Ivypool’s tail flicked behind her. She couldn’t let herself be drawn into an argument. “I didn’t see you again after you left Windclan.”

“I didn’t go back until it was over,” Breezepelt explained gruffly. "I was down here, actually, and no one even showed up cause everyone was busy bouncing around the territories.”

“You didn’t go to fight anywhere else then?” Ivypool pressed gently. “Or go back to the Dark Forest?”

“I-” Breezepelt stiffened, his face contorting into a snarl. “They failed me,” he growled, turning back to his own corner. “They said they could get me the revenge I was owed, and they didn’t. They abandoned me too, in the end, because they had only ever cared about themselves.”

“Exactly!” Ivypool exclaimed. “They lied to you. The elites never really cared about any of us.”

“But I’m not giving up!” Breezepelt shot back. “Those-those Thunderclan cats, will never be forgiven. I can’t rest until I find some way to get them back for what they stole from me, whether I have the Dark Forest or not.”

“Breezepelt…” Ivypool leaned back. He certainly sounded serious, and for all she knew he could be. She would have to warn Hollyleaf and her brothers about it regardless. But she couldn’t just leave without trying to reach out to a cat she knew had been so hurt, so corrupted, by the Dark Forest. “You’re not alone. There are a lot of cats willing to help if you just gave them a chance. But it means first facing the reality of what you’ve done.”

Breezepelt flashed towards her, baring his teeth as if he were going to speak again, but no sound game out, and his wide, angered gaze slowly fell into a narrowed one. “You cannot tell me what to do,” he grunted. “No cat can.”

“You’re right,” Ivypool admitted. “If you want a better life, you have to choose it. No cat can give it to you: not your father, not the Dark Forest, and certainly not me. Whatever you do next is up to you.”

Breezepelt’s muzzle raised, almost in a snarl, as he dropped his gaze completely and turned away. Ivypool waited for several moments to see if he would respond, but he had gone still.

I can only hope that helped at all, Ivypool thought. She let out a long sigh, turning back to Dovewing. “That…probably won’t help our chances either,” she breathed.

Dovewing shook her head. “I think that was the best you could do for him. Not every cat is ready to change right away, but no cat could stall the progress of all the clans on the example of a single cat being part way through his journey.”

Maybe she was right. At the very least, she had tried, and she would keep trying. The clans needed to change, and Breezepelt did too, eventually. Whether he plunged himself further into the dark now or finally faced the world, she would be ready for it, and she needed to make sure the clans were ready too.

“Are you ready?” Rosepetal’s voice called her away from her thoughts as she padded up with a familiar mottled she-cat by her side.

Letting out a breath, Ivypool nodded. “I have to be.”

“We all have to be,” Sunstrike meowed hesitantly. “It doesn’t mean we are. There’s no secrecy in any of this anymore. Whatever happens, we have to live in the open, and that might mean cats stopping us, judging us, hating us, even.”

“It was always where we were headed,” Rosepetal pointed out, leaning gently in against the other she-cat. “I’m sure Foxleap or Birchfall will take it the hardest. They always wanted to maintain their relationships here, rather than committing only to allies among the Dark Forest.”

“And you didn’t?” Ivypool narrowed her eyes. “You have Toadstep, Hazeltail, Molepaw, Spiderleg, even!”

“And I do care for them,” Rosepetal insisted. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I learned to distance myself, too. The clans are a dangerous place, whether or not cats like to think about it.” Her muzzle tightened. Ivypool had to wonder if there was a particular cat she was thinking of. Sunstrike too, flinched at her side. “Even for those who don’t die, they can be stigmatized, like my mother, and they can hurt each other, like my father did me. Even Molepaw-” Her claws dug into the ground and Ivypool could see her tail twitching behind her. “He was scared of me. He learned what I was doing and he was scared of me: his mentor, his clanmate.”

“But I know it is possible for them to listen,” Sunstrike insisted. “Several moons ago, I did finally have to talk with my own father…the clan-” She shook her head. “Windclan kind of exploded as everyone tried to figure out what was more important, but we talked for a long time, and we did learn to understand each other better, if not as much as we should have. I should have realized even then that the code itself was the problem. The clans call it an ideal when it’s usually just used to tear cats apart from each other.”

“Yeah!” Dovewing nodded furiously, though her speed slowed after a moment. “I-I don’t mean to speak over any of you, but I’ve always felt the same way. I guess my power, when I had it, made it a little easier to see but I could never see the reason in stopping friendships between clans.”

Rosepetal let out a snort. “Well it’s good to know at least one cat has some sense. Too bad you aren’t a leader.”

“She was one of the cats who saved the clans, though,” Ivypool pointed out. “And so am I…sort of. I-” Her tail still as she dropped her head. “Frankly, I’m not like you, any of you. I didn’t join the Dark Forest for a noble reason, and by the time I truly agreed with any of it I was already on the three’s side. But the clans may trust me more because of that, and they’ll definitely trust Dovewing. We can use what power we have to actually make the clans listen.”

Rosepetal nodded, letting out a long sigh. She didn’t seem wholly convinced, but it was something. “I hope you’re right,” she breathed. “Because we’re either coming out of this with a new age for the clans, or a load of badger dropping for every cat who dared to stand with their enemies.”

“At least they have a head start,” Sunstrike pointed out. “Otterstar was a trainee herself, Brightstar called this meeting, and Onestar…well you know I spoke with him.”

“You did?” Ivypool tilted her head. “When?”

Sunstrike ducked her head to lick her chest fur. “You’ll find out soon enough but…let’s just say I might have some small amount of trust with the clans too, if they accept me.”

Rosepetal chuckled softly. “Indeed. And I suppose that settles it, right? Once Molepaw is a warrior, I’ll be coming to you.”

Sunstrike cracked a small smile. “I guess it does, if you’re sure.”

Ivypool looked towards the front of the clearing, already seeing the leaders, deputies, and medicine cats finding their positions on the tree. Although…Ashfoot was missing, of course. Who had Onestar chosen to replace her? She shook her head. It was a miracle that more of their deputies and medicine cats didn’t need replacements. Many lives had been lost, too many, but the clans were still standing, and they could change. They have to.

“Looks like we have to go,” Rosepetal announced, following her gaze.

Dovewing dipped her head. “We’ll see you later,” she meowed.

“On the other side,” Sunstrike breathed, already turning towards the base of the tree with Rosepetal following alongside. If Ivypool didn’t know better, she would have though they were heading towards the base of the tree…

“Let the gathering commence!” Blackstar’s voice jolted her to attention. The Shadowclan leader held his gaze over the clearing until every cat had quieted and turned towards him, along with the other leaders now seated on the branches of the tree. It took a notably shorter period for every cat to quiet down. Cats had plenty of things to speak about tonight, but it wasn’t with each other. Not yet.

“Good.” Onestar shorted as the clearing quieted to a silence. “We should get started right away. I imagine we have a lot of business to discuss.” He shook himself as he straightened up, swiveling his head to look down on the Thunderclan leader sitting on the branch below his. “To begin with, welcome to the new leaders joining us tonight. Brighstar, thank you for calling this meeting. The clans will mourn Firestar alongside you but we welcome you as Thunderclan’s new leader.”

Brightstar nodded politely. “Thank you. I will do my best to uphold our legacy.”

“And Otterstar,” Blackstar continued, shifting his own focus to the proud brown she-cat. “We recognize you as well. I trust Starclan has given you the gift of a leader as well?”

His question was pointed, as if- He doesn’t trust that Starclan would have given her nine lives. Ivypool felt her fur bristle instinctively.

Otterstar, however, just stared back evenly. “Of course. Brightstar and I faced the final moments of our ceremonies together, in fact.”

Brightstar dipped her head in support. “I’m sure you remember the circumstances before your own leader ceremony, Blackstar,” she meowed gently. “And yet you turned out to be an honorable leader for your clan. Otterstar led her clanmates, both trainees and not, to join together, and they became the first clan to banish the Dark Forest from their camp. There is no reason to aggravate her.”

The Riverclan leader’s eyes widened slightly for the first time that night as she met Brightstar’s gaze. She was expecting more opposition, Ivypool guessed. I can’t blame her. Even Ivypool herself hadn’t been sure if Brightstar would trust her. 

Blackstar’s lip pursed in discomfort, but he shook it away. “She will have her chance to prove herself, as any cat has,” he promised. “For now though, I would like to request that we all have a moment to remember our dead. I realize, as we all do, that we have come here for other business, but I cannot contemplate the future of the clans before we’ve had a chance to remember the cats who brought us to this point.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Otterstar assured him. “Would you like to begin?”

Blackstar dipped his head in acknowledgement, standing taller as he swept his gaze across the clearing. “Cats of the clans!” he called. “Join me in silence as we remember the fallen.”

Ivypool bowed her head, catching glimpses of several other cats around the clearing acting in kind. We’ve all lost, she thought silently, and whether or not you believe it, we all care.  

“From Shadowclan,” Blackstar continued solemnly, “our elders, Snaketail and Whitewater, our queen, Kinkfur, and our warriors, Dawnpelt, Starlingwing, and Redwillow have left us.”

He mentioned Redwillow, she realized, even though the tom had, reportedly, tried to kill him. But he did also say the warrior’s name last, and said they left rather than passed onto Starclan. Was Ivypool analyzing his words too thoroughly? What did Blackstar honestly think?

A few moments of silence passed over the clearing before Onestar’s voice cut through. “From Windclan,” he meowed, “we have lost our warriors, Gorsetail, Emberfoot, and Leaftail, our elder, Webfoot, and our beloved deputy, Ashfoot.” His eyes had squeezed shut in grief as he finished, letting the silence hang in the clearing before he continued. “I have appointed Sunstrike to take her place.”

Sunstrike? Ivypool perked up. So that was the power she was talking about! But how?

“Sunstrike?” Rowanclaw echoed her thought, drawing back in shock. “But she’s never had an apprentice!”

Sandstorm nodded. “I don’t mean to be rash but surely a more experienced warrior would do better in such a position.”

“Not to mention it’s against the code,” Rippletail growled. “If anyone cares about that anymore.”

“Of course we do!” Foxleap protested sharply.

“Sunstrike is a capable warrior,” Onestar cut in evenly. “One I trust and know is deserving of yours as well. Those who fought on the Dark Forest’s side must be forgiven if we are to begin to listen to what they have to say.”

He chose her because she was a trainee! Ivypool realized suddenly. Maybe her assumptions that the harsh Windclan leader would have resistance to their ideals were misplaced.

“I promise I will serve Windclan to the best of my ability.” Sunstrike stood tall as she turned to address the clearing. “And I will never take advantage of my position.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Sandstorm meowed, dipping her head gently to the new deputy before turning her attention back to Onestar. “But she still has not had an apprentice.”

“And you well know that Windclan had not had as many recent opportunities to test our warriors’ competence with mentorship,” Onestar replied. “She will be given an apprentice at the first opportunity.”

You mean you haven’t had any kits, Ivypool sighed. Boulderfur and his siblings had been the last, and they were made apprentices only a short while after Sunstrike had been made a warrior. She definitely wasn’t too young for an apprentice now, though. Rosepetal was named shortly after Sunstrike and she had an apprentice now in Molepaw.

“We’ll hold you to that,” Brightstar promised. “But would you mind if-”

“Your dead,” Blackstar cut in. “Of course, you haven’t yet had time to honor them yet. Go ahead.”

Dipping her head politely, Brightstar turned back to the crowd. “From Thunderclan,” she meowed, “our elder, Mousefur, our queen, Ferncloud, our warriors, Thornclaw, Spiderleg, Blossomfall, Sorreltail, and Graystripe, and yes, our leader, Firestar, have all passed on to Starclan. Thunderclan grieves for them all.”

Once again, the silence swept over the clearing, lasting even longer as the clans took in just how many cats had been lost. Some they may have known personally. Others, at least Firestar, were renowned across the clans for their almost legendary bravery and resolve. Thunderclan would need a long time to discover what their clan was like without so many of their clanmates. So many friends. Ivypool felt a paw land upon hers as Dovewing met her gaze.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered in a barely audible tone.

Ivypool shook her head. I’ve had time to grieve over Blossomfall. Her lost friend had given her life to save her family and stop the cats she no longer wanted to stand beside. She had gone to Starclan a hero, and no cat could take that away from her.

“And from Riverclan,” Otterstar finally meowed, “Starclan has welcomed our elder, Voletooth, our warriors, Dapplenose and Graymist, and our leader Mistystar, as well.”

Only four cats. One of them was a leader, and one had died in Thunderclan’s camp, to a Thunderclan warrior’s claws, no less, but that was awfully small compared to the other clans. Maybe it was a testament to how large an effect it had been when Otterstar decided to switch sides and rally her clan behind her. Even if not as directly, she saved lives.

Following the final moments of silence, Onestar raised his head. “Thank you, Blackstar, for allowing us these moments of shared mourning,” he began. “Though I think we should now move into the business Brightstar has called us here for.”

“Not just Brightstar,” Otterstar cut in. “She called for the meeting, but Starclan ordered both her and I to help the clans change in the ways they must be changed now.”

Blackstar let out a quiet snort, but turned to Brightstar as he acquiesced. “In that case, Brightstar, why don’t you say what you need to?”

“Very well.” Brightstar took in a deep breath, looking over the clan until her eyes locked with Jayfeather at the base of the tree, then Lionblaze, and finally Dovewing, a whisker-length from Ivypool herself. “Though I am only able to share a small piece of it, myself. I’ve brought us together tonight so that we can all learn of the battle, what led to it, what ended it, and most importantly, how we can move forward. Some of us in Thunderclan have been given a cursory summary of what transpired at the end of the battle, but I have brought the three cats who know that best. I am also here to honor Starclan’s wishes, and our unspoken promise, to hear what the former Dark Forest trainees among us have to say. Their silent suffering over the seasons is what led us into this battle, and it is our duty to make sure this does not happen again.”

Jayfeater stepped up, raising his tail to attract attention. “I believe we can take it from here.”

Together, the three, or the cats that used to be the three, told the entire story. Starclan had been blocked off by the Dark Forest and was inaccessible for the battle which is why the Dark Forest warriors could always come back. The three had ventured into the Dark Forest themselves through the Moonpool, fighting their way through when necessary, to locate and finally begin to open the barrier. Cats who had died in the battle itself and those long whose lives had ended long ago banded together to fend off those trying to stop or kill the three, but finally, they managed to convince both Starclan and the Dark Forest that they would fulfill their wishes without any more bloodshed. Most of them never wanted to stand with the elites for the sake of taking over the clans. They just wanted peace and the certainty that no one would be hurt by the clans like they had been. They three would change the code and clans that had pushed all of them to the Dark Forest in the first place, and the first step of that was breaking the barrier permanently. They tore it down, bringing Starclan and the Dark Forest together as one body of ancestors, and used up much of their energy in the process.

“Then the Dark Forest,” Willowshine meowed hesitantly. “Is it still a threat?”

Kestrelflight nodded. “You said most of the cats didn’t stand with the elites. What about those who did? Could they come back?”

“No,” Jayfeather declared firmly. “And they never will be again. We used up too much energy in getting our powers and taking down the barrier. They wouldn’t have enough power to come down physically.”

Lionblaze shrugged. “Frankly even a Starclan cat couldn’t do much harm if they wanted to,” he mused. “All of our ancestors’ power will be more limited now.”

“But even in dreams, I doubt they’d be able to gather enough support,” Dovewing cut in, casting a worried glance over at the golden tom. “There really aren’t enough cats left who would follow Tigerstar or Ebonystar.” With a smile, her sister turned towards her, tilting her head encouragingly.

My turn. They had planned for this too, hoping that an actual trainee stepping up to lead the discussion would help the other trainees to speak as well, and at least would give a chance for the rest of the cats to understand. It didn’t make it any easier for her, but at least she had her sister there. There were cats in this clearing she could trust to support her, and that was something other trainees didn’t have.

She stood, standing tall as she addressed the clearing. “As Lionblaze mentioned before all of this, cats went to the Dark Forest if they didn’t want or believed they didn’t deserve Starclan. There was no more meaning to it. Cats who may have been bad or who broke the code have gone to Starclan, and plenty of near-innocent cats were sent to the Dark Forest.” 

“Ivypool, isn’t it?” Blackstar addressed her.

Ivypool nodded.

“And you were on the Dark Forest’s side, I take it?”

Ivypool felt her ears flatten against her head. “I wouldn’t phrase it like-”

“She never fought with them in the battle!” Dovewing protested. “She was a trainee but she learned about them long before the battle and she fought on our side. In fact, it was thanks to her that so many of the other trainees were able to stand up to the elites, and that we-the three, I mean, knew that the Dark Forest was coming at all!”

“Really?” This time it was Otterstar who breathed the reply, her face falling in shock. “You had been-you knew for that long?”

Ivypool nodded shakily. “I wasn’t sure how safe it was to be open with what I knew at the time, but now that the battle has passed we need to look back.”

“She can be trusted!” Sunstrike called, meeting her gaze from across the clearing. “I promise, she speaks for the living clans as well as the trainees some of us were.”

Onestar dipped his head to his deputy. “Then, Ivypool, if you and so many of the trainees and members of the Dark Forest were all innocent, why were you attacking at all?” 

Of course there was more she needed to say. It wouldn’t be that easy. But this next part wouldn’t look good. “The elites, a small group who orchestrated this whole conflict, did aim to take over the clans,” she admitted. “Tigerstar and Ebonystar were the leaders, but others like Brokenstar, Hawkfrost, Mapleshade, Shredtail, and Thistleclaw knew what they were doing and joined them for a chance at sharing in the power. They lied to all of us, living and dead, about their intentions. I only found out by chance one day when I stumbled across them.”

“That doesn’t explain anything,” Blackstar growled. “Even if you didn’t know they wanted to take over the clans, you would have to be the biggest mouse-brain to believe attacking the clans could lead to anything good!” His voice had risen by the end, his words laced with the grit of anger and…hurt? “Why would any loyal warrior follow them? Why did no cat back down? Why did you attack us?”

To Ivypool’s surprise though, she didn’t have to prepare a response, as another cat spoke up instead to meet Blackstar’s ire. “It was a family,” she meowed evenly. The Riverclan she-cat shook her head, dropping her gaze for a moment. “Parts of it were fake; I know that now. Many of the elites never cared for us. But for many, the Dark Forest was a place where everyone could grow strong and bond together. There were no rules or borders or forced hostilities between cats who could otherwise be the greatest of friends.” 

Tawnypelt narrowed her eyes. “It is possible to have friends without going to war over them.”

“I know,” Minnowtail insisted. Her head rose once more as she planted herself in the ground. “I was one of the first warriors to join the Dark Forest, when I was an apprentice, before any of the other residents were revealed, before anyone started ‘training’ there, before Ebonystar and Tigerstar had made any schemes. I-” She shook her head as if to clear it. “Mousewhisker and I met at a gathering when we were very young, and at every gathering after until he-well, you’re all aware of his passing. But we loved each other, fiercely, and there was no chance that our relationship would end happily in either of our clans. In the Dark Forest, though, when our mentors pulled us into our dreams just to talk and laugh, we could imagine a life together. Eventually the Dark Forest became our life together. Some days I felt more at home with him in my dreams than I did awake in Riverclan.”

“Exactly!” Foxleap added, nodded furiously. “It’s the same with me. I-I met Tigerheart, and Flametail and Dawnpelt, when they stayed in Thunderclan to get away from Sol. You remember that, don’t you Tawnypelt?”

The orange and black she-cat looked taken aback to be addressed here, but she dipped her head. “Of course. My kits all spoke highly of your hospitality.”

“Oh, aw.” Foxleap’s face flushed as he ducked his head into his shoulders. “Well, yeah, but I mean, I felt like that too. I liked having them as friends, and then all of you were just…gone.”

Tigerheart, too, stood from across the clearing. “I felt the same way,” he announced, locking his gaze with Foxleap.

The dark ginger tom ducked away. Ivypool thought she caught him murmuring, “No you don’t,” but it was too quiet to tell for sure.

“As soon as we got back to Shadowclan,” Tigerheart continued. “I was suddenly expected to pretend I hated every cat I had grown to know so well. A-And that never really stopped.”

Ivypool suddenly felt Dovewing squeezing her paw as support. “Even with a cat you might have really wished the borders didn’t exist for,” she admitted. “Tigerheart and I…might want to be mates one day, but right now, that would make us outcasts from both of our clans. I was never a part of the Dark Forest but I-I understand why they would want a space to not feel ashamed of their feelings.”

“I-” From the back of the clearing, a bright ginger tom stood, from Windclan by the scent. Weaselfur? I think? “I can sympathize. Actually, Graymist and I had a relationship as well, long ago, though it ended when we realized neither of us could abandon or be scored by our clans. Even after we had kits, we kept our meetings to the nights of gatherings where neither of us were attending to be sure we wouldn’t be discovered.”

“K-Kits?” Sneezecloud’s eyes had shot open. “With Graymist?”

“Then…” Mallownose shook his head. “Are you our father?”

Shakily, Weaselfur dipped his head. “I am. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you before. Graymist and I decided it would be best for you if you could grow up feeling like you truly belonged in your clan.”

“It’s happened again.” Hollyleaf’s voice came out in a bare breath at first, but Ivypool watched as her gaze hardened and she stood to address the crowd. “The scandal I told all of you about seasons ago, the truth of my and my brother’s family, it was never unique. Weaselfur and Graymist, Tigerheart and Dovewing, and I’m sure there are a hundred more examples littered through the clans’ past, maybe even present, that cats have simply kept their mouths shut about. That love, even across borders, can be strong, and it can’t possibly feel wrong to the cats involved with it.”

“Not until it’s over,” Weaselfur grunted. “Until you remember the laws of our world.”

“But it’s not all bad,” Leafpool murmured hesitantly. “I-Crowfeather and I, we were happy for a short while. But I needed to return to my clan and he needed to go to his.”

“That’s how it always is!” Hollyleaf declared sharply. 

For a moment Ivypool stiffened in worry. The black she-cat wasn’t going to repeat her actions from the infamous gathering, was she? Hollyleaf, be careful, please.  

“That love happens, it always happens, no matter how many rules we put in place,” Hollyleaf continued. “But plenty of couples get to live happy lives and never feel guilty for their feelings. Leafpool and Crowfeather were happier when they left the clans entirely, because it was preferable to the shame and ridicule they knew they would face here. Weaselfur and Graymist broke up over nothing but the divides in their clans, and Dovewing and Tigerheart haven’t even truly gotten together before they’re worried about what could happen.” Her gaze swept fiercely across the clearing. “Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, every known half-clan cat, and even…Breezepelt-” She looked briefly towards the black tom. He met her gaze in shock. “So many cats unrelated to any of this have been swept up in guilt for actions that were never problems to begin with! The Dark Forest convinced cats to fight because enough of them saw that this was wrong. Even if the elites’ goal was corrupt, they were taking advantage of a weakness the clans have always had.”

Was she saying what Ivypool thought she was saying? “H-Hollyleaf? Are you saying that-?”

“The warrior code.” Hollyleaf confirmed. “It’s broken, something I should have realized long ago. We fight each other endlessly for the sake of maintaining borders and punish any cat who dares to think of other clans as cats in their own right. We’ve all been brought up to believe a leader’s word so strongly and follow them into battle that none of the trainees thought twice about fighting us under the orders of leaders who only ever meant to do them and us harm."

“It seemed necessary,” Birchfall admitted sheepishly. “Seeing how quickly the clans returned to hostility after the great journey, I couldn’t believe that anyone would agree to change the code without being forced to.”

“And I am sure plenty of good cats have followed a bad leader through the clans’ history,” Brightstar pointed out. Ivypool wasn’t sure if she mistook the rapid movement of her head but it seemed as if she had looked over to…Blackstar.

A light gray tabby, Mintfur if Ivypool if Ivypool’s guess was correct, seemed to be nodding along. “And there are some other parts of the code that we don’t always listen to as much as we should.”

“Deputies have to have been a mentor,” Rippletail muttered, shooting a resigned glare at Sunstrike. Ivypool caught Rosepetal shooting an equal glare back at the Riverclan tom, but she wisely chose not to speak in the moment.

Dustpelt bowed his head. “A cat doesn’t need to kill to win a battle.”

“Then maybe we could set some rules with more conviction than before,” Onestar suggested. “In addition to de-emphasizing others.”

“Perhaps a deputy-” Sunstrike meowed, “Perhaps they should need to have truly mentored an apprentice, for more time than a day, to be considered, to make sure this doesn’t happen again. I-I imagine that was the intent of the code anyway.”

“Plenty of the code needs to be changed,” Ivypool meowed. “Though, I honestly believe fixing this will require more than swapping a few words.”

“If we’re really doing this,” Hazeltail cut in, “there were several augmentations we made for the battle that might be worth continuing.”

“And it would be nice if we could make sure cats have more chances to see and get to know each other,” Rainstorm added. “The Dark Forest isn’t there anymore, after all, and I think most of us would still like a chance to see our friends.”

“It could help us to share skills as well,” Otterstar pointed out. “So that we can all work together more easily.”

“Our shared goals certainly must be emphasized,” Brightstar agreed. “We need to make sure that the clans aren’t enemies to each other.”

“Maybe-” Ivypool meowed hesitantly. “If there are cats who would feel more comfortable in another clan, to be with their mate or a friend or just find a new environment, maybe we could make sure they’re allowed to switch.”

“But,” Blackstar cut in, “we should allow for the explicit possibility to change the code in the future. If we regret anything, or…find more that needs to be changed.”

“I have a request as well,” Dustpelt meowed. “There are some positions, unofficial, of course, that my mate and good friend used to take up in our clan. I made a promise that I would continue their legacy even though they are gone.”

Hazeltail bowed her head knowingly. “Ferncloud and Brackenfur deserve the acknowledgment of a true position.”

“And above all,” Tawnypelt finished, “lives must be protected above all. No cat is worth a clan’s pride or a need to work within the bounds of the clans.”

Ivypool felt a slow breath leave her body and, before she knew it, her muscles had relaxed as she fell back into a sitting position. The voices of cats all across the clans, trainees and not, every cat from leaders to apprentices to elders, echoed in her ears. Cats were sharing their thoughts, sensibly, figuring out how to rebuild everything the clans had ever known. Somehow, they had found a way to agree that things needed to change. “I-I think this is going to work,” she breathed.

Dovewing purred, pressing up against her side. “Of course it is. Ivypool, you don’t need to worry anymore.” Her green gaze fixed solemnly on her sister. “We’re going to make it through this, and on the other side, I know the clans will finally be what we always wished they were.”

It barely seemed possible that Dovewing could be right, but Ivypool had to believe her. She had to believe her own eyes. The clans really are going to change. Maybe the fight really was over. Even if there would still be more to do, maybe, for the first time, she could trust that more cats were working with her. Maybe she would finally be able to belong in the clans too.

Chapter Text

The Warrior Code

This code was agreed upon by a gathering of all four clans and with the approval of leaders Blackstar of Shadowclan, Onestar of Windclan, Brightstar of Thunderclan, and Otterstar of Riverclan following the battle against the Dark Forest. From this day onward, each member of the clans is expected to uphold and enforce these laws. The code encompasses both what a clan is, what opportunities exist for its members, and what rules its members must follow.

Code 1: Each clan will be comprised of the following ranks of cats:

• One Leader, granted nine lives upon their promotion by their ancestors
• One Deputy, chosen by the leader to sort patrols, learn to lead, and assist the leader
• At Least One Medicine Cat, trained from apprenticeship to heal the sick and injured
• At Least Two Messengers, trained from apprenticeship to take messages easily from one clan to another in times of trouble
• Warriors, adults in their clan who do most of the duties needed by the clan
• Apprentices, younger cats in training to become full members of their clans
• Kits, the youngest members of a clan who are to be taken care of by all members of the clans and whose job is to learn clan history and the code
• Elders, the oldest or most frail members of a clan who are taken care of in return for their service or wisdom

Code 2: Unless delayed by the leader due to injury or misbehavior, all kits will become apprentices after their first five moons of life.

Code 3: All apprentices will begin with one moon of warrior training in order to learn the basics of self-defense, the layout of their territory, and the schedule of a warrior. During this moon, they will not be allowed to fight in genuine battles or go out on their own for their protection. After their first moon, they may choose to become a messenger or medicine cat apprentice if recommended by those already in the profession, or continue in warrior training.

Code 4: An apprentice’s training will last seven moons unless delayed due to misbehavior or failure to learn the required skills. 

Code 5: During the final moon of training, apprentices will spend a quarter moon each in all of the other clans’ camps to learn the unique skills of other clans and help them make a decision on their clan of residence when they become warriors.

Code 6: During the last quarter moon of apprenticeship, apprentices will return to their original clan and assessments will be conducted in all of the relevant areas by the apprentice’s mentor and at least one other cat in the field. With their approval, the apprentice will be allowed to become a warrior.

Code 7: Newly appointed warriors and messengers will keep a silent vigil for one night after receiving their full name. This is a time to consider the weight of your vows and the responsibility you now hold for all the lives around you. Medicine cats complete their ceremonies at the Moonpool and will hold their vigil with their ancestors.

Code 8: Once a cat becomes a full warrior, messenger, or medicine cat, they have the option to choose any of the clans to live in, and they may make this choice at any time for the rest of their life if there is somewhere they would rather live or someone they would rather live with.

Code 9: After a cat has become a full warrior, they may choose to take up the permanent or temporary position of a queen aid or architect, positions that will consist of aiding new mothers and kits in the nursery and building and maintaining dens and other clan structures respectively. These positions may augment warrior duties or replace them.

Code 10: At least one messenger must be present and on-duty in each camp at all times so they can take a message at a moment’s notice.

Code 11: Medicine cats may take mates but may only have kits only once there is at least one other fully trained medicine cat to assist the clan in their possible absence. 

Code 12: A cat cannot be made deputy without having mentored an apprentice for at least a full moon prior to the day of the ceremony.

Code 13: After the death, retirement, promotion, or exile of a deputy, the new deputy must be chosen as quickly as possible so as to solidify the leadership of the clan, ideally by moonhigh.

Code 14: The deputy will become clan leader when the leader dies, retires and gives up their remaining extra lives, or is exiled by the clan for disobeying the code.

Code 15: The leader of each clan is responsible for decisions and discipline within the clan and for diplomacy between clans and those outside of clans. A leader may not make rules or orders that contradict other parts of the warrior code, but outside of its purview, they have ultimate authority and must be respected within their clans. They must work as examples to uphold the values of their clan and all the clans.

Code 16: All clan messengers must meet every third night, excepting those that fall on full moons, to bring news of each clan to the others. All medicine cats must meet at each half moon to bring news from the ancestors to advise their clanmates.

Code 17: A gathering of all cats in the clans is held at the full moon to share news and for friends across borders to spend time together. 

Code 18: Do not hunt on another clan’s territory without their permission. If the necessity arises for more prey due to a natural problem in your territory, you may go to another clan and request a time period in which you can hunt on their territory. Unless that clan is low on prey too, the leader should accept the request.

Code 19: Elders, queens, and kits must be fed before all other cats. If a cat is sick or injured, they may eat with the elders, queens, and kits. 

Code 20: Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to your ancestors for its life.

Code 21: A warrior should not kill cats to win battles or for any other reason, unless it is necessary for self-defense.

Code 22: No cat can neglect a kit in pain or danger, even if that kit is from another clan or outside the clans entirely.

Code 23: Medicine cats must transcend borders and clan-specific loyalties to assist any cat in need.

Code 24: Defend the clans, even with your life. Always be sure to keep your skills and mind sharp, because if anything threatens the clans, you need to be ready to protect them.

Code 25: Each clan has the right to be independent and unique, but if trouble threatens any one clan, they must fight side by side to protect the clans as a whole so that no clan will fall.

Any adult clan member may propose additions, subtractions, or alterations to the code during a full-moon gathering. If over half of the cats of warrior and higher rank agree, the change is made and shall be amended in this code.

Chapter Text

Allegiances

Thunderclan

Leader: 

Brightstar (F)-white she-cat with ginger patches and a dark blue eye

Deputy: 

Hazeltail (F)- gray and white she-cat with yellow-green eyes

Medicine Cats:

Jayfeather (M)- light gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Leafpool (F)-light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Messengers:

Squirrelflight (F)- bright auburn she-cat with white front paw and green eyes

Toadstep (M)- black and white tom with yellow-green eyes

Warriors: 

Dustpelt (M)-dark brown tabby tom with dark amber eyes

Sandstorm (F)-pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Millie (F)- gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Toadfoot (M)-dark brown tom with light green eyes

Robinwing (M)-pale-furred tortoiseshell and white tom with green-blue eyes

Berrynose (M)- cream tom with dark amber eyes and short tail

Owlclaw (M)- light brown tabby tom with yellow-green eyes

Poppyfrost (F)- white she-cat with orange and black splashes and light blue eyes

Lionblaze (M)- light golden tabby tom with dark amber eyes

Hollyleaf (F)- jet black she-cat with striking green eyes

Icecloud (F)- snowy white she-cat with bright blue eyes

Ivypool (F)- white she-cat with gray tabby patches and blue eyes

Grasspelt (M)- light brown tom with blue eyes

Cherryfall (F)- ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Molewhisker (M)- large brown and cream tom with amber eyes

Queens and Kits:

Daisy (F)- long-furred cream she-cat with lighter chest and light blue eyes

Taking Care Of:

Lilykit (F)-dark gray tabby she-cat with white patches and blue eyes

Seedkit (F)-golden brown she-cat with yellow eyes

Cloudtail (M)-long-haired white tom with bright blue eyes

(Mate: Brightstar)

Father To:

Amberkit (F)-pale ginger and white she-cat with bright blue eyes

Dewkit (M)-gray and white tom with dark amber eyes

Cinderheart (F)- gray tabby she-cat with deep blue eyes

(Mate: Lionblaze)

Mother To:

Thornkit (F)- dark gray she-cat with blue-green eyes

Sorrelkit (F)- dark brown she-cat with amber eyes

Blossomkit (M)- dull yellow tabby tom with dark blue eyes

Briarlight (F)- sleek dark brown she-cat with sky-blue eyes

(Mate: Toadstep)

Adoptive Mother To:

Songkit (M)- white and orange tom with green eyes

Elders:

Purdy (M)-plump tabby former loner tom with gray muzzle and orange eyes

Shadowclan

Leader: 

Blackstar (M)- large white tom with huge jet black paws and piercing yellow eyes

Deputy: 

Tawnypelt (F)- bright orange and black she-cat with white muzzle and chest and green eyes

Medicine Cats:

Littlecloud (M)-small white tom with warm gray back, tail, and head and blue eyes

Messengers:

Crowfrost (M)-black and white tom with gray eyes

Applefur (F)-mottled brown she-cat with orange eyes

Warriors: 

Rowanclaw (M)-dark ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Smokefoot (M)-long-legged black tom with dark green eye

Ratscar (M)-brown tom with long scar along back and dark green eyes

Whitewing (F)-white she-cat with green eyes

Birchfall (M)-light brown tom with lighter back and darker stripes and paws and amber eyes

Snowbird (F)-pure white she-cat with light green eyes

Scorchfur (M)- dark gray tom with ragged ears and orange eyes

Mintfur (M)-light gray tabby tom with green eyes

Olivenose (F)- black she-cat with orange spots and gray eyes

Shrewfoot (F)- gray she-cat with black paws and amber eyes

Ferretclaw (M)- cream and gray tom with amber eyes

Pinenose (F)- black she-cat with blue eyes

Beetlewhisker (M)- white and brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

Queens and Kits:

Ivytail (F)- long-furred white she-cat with orange, brown, and black along her back and tail and dark blue eyes

Mother To:

Mistkit (F)-spike-furred pale gray she-cat with dark blue eyes

Patchkit (M)-white tom with gray patches, one blue eye and one hazel

Doekit (F)-fluffy dilute-tortoiseshell she-cat with specks along her back and light blue eyes

Sparrowkit (M)-mottled brown tabby tom with hazel eyes

Elders:

Cedarheart (M)- dark gray tom with brown eyes

Tallpoppy (F)- long-legged light brown she-cat with pale light green eyes

Windclan

Leader: 

Onestar (M) -light brown tabby tom with white chest and yellow eyes

Deputy: 

Sunstrike (F)- mottled brown and black she-cat with one white spot on her forehead and golden eyes

Medicine Cats:

Kestrelflight (M)- mottled gray tom with white splotches and green eyes

Messengers:

Harespring (M)- brown and white tom with pale green eyes

Sedgewhisker (F)- light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Warriors: 

Crowfeather (M)-dark gray tom with blue eyes

Brambleclaw (M)-dark brown tabby tom with orange eyes

Owlwhisker (M)-light-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Whitetail (F)-small white she-cat with green eyes

Weaselfur (M)-lithe ginger tom with white paws and green eyes

Dewspots (F)-spotted gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Willowclaw (F)-gray she-cat with green eyes

Foxleap (M)- dark red tabby tom with lighter muzzle and paws and green eyes

Mallownose (M)-light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Rosepetal (F)- lithe pink-tinted cream she-cat with amber eyes

Bumblestripe (M)- very pale gray tom with black stripes and amber eyes

Hollowflight (F)- dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Furzepelt (F)- gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Whiskernose (M)- light brown tom with golden eyes

Queens and Kits:

Swallowtail (F)- dark gray she-cat with dull green eyes

(Mate: None)

Adoptive Mother To:

Slightkit (M)-black tom with a flash of white on his chest and yellow eyes

Hootkit (M)-dark gray tom with a black tail and amber eyes

Elders:

Tornear (M)-wiry gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Riverclan

Leader: 

Otterstar (F)-dark brown she-cat with amber eyes

Deputy: 

Rainstorm (M)-mottled gray-blue tom with blue eyes

Medicine Cats:

Mothwing (F)-dappled golden she-cat with pale yellow eyes

Willowshine (F)-light gray tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

Messengers:

Rippletail (M)-dark gray tabby tom with pale gray eyes

Petalfur (F)- gray and white she-cat with orange eyes

Warriors: 

Icewing (F)-snowy white she-cat with blue eyes

Nightcloud (F)-black she-cat with amber eyes

Minnowtail (F)-dappled dark gray and white she-cat with yellow eyes

Pebblefoot (M)-mottled gray tom with green eyes

Sneezecloud (M)- gray and white tom with green eyes

Heathertail (F)- light brown tabby she-cat with purple eyes

Breezepelt (M)- lean black tom with yellow eyes 

Rushtail (M) - light brown tabby tom with red eyes

Tigerheart (M)-dark brown tabby with amber eyes

Dovewing (F)- light gray she-cat with green eyes

Pinefur (F)-very short-haired tabby she-cat with dark green eyes

Troutstream (F) - pale gray tabby she-cat with purple eyes

Mossyfoot (F)- brown and white she-cat with green eyes

Boulderfur (M)- large pale-gray tom with green eyes

Queens and Kits:

Mosspelt (F)-brown and black tortoiseshell she-cat with white chest and paws and blue eyes

Duskfur (F)-brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Mother To:

Curlkit (F)-pale brown she-cat with soft fur and dulled green eyes

Podkit (M)-stocky gray-and-white tom with amber eyes

Elders:

Pouncetail (F)-ginger and white tom with amber eyes

Chapter Text

The sun shone high in the sky, unobstructed by any cloud or rain. Through the clear sky, even the faint outline of a near-full moon could be seen, waiting to be brought into focus when the sky darkened that night. A light breeze rushed into the hollow, pleasantly cooling Hollyleaf’s thick black fur against the raging heat it had picked up in the green-leaf sun. Three moons… Had it really been that long since the battle?

“Feels good,” Ivypool breathed beside her. “I was worried the wind wouldn’t ever pick up today.” As the pair reached the center of camp, they set down their prey, a mouse each plus a squirrel they had caught together. “Leaf-fall can’t come soon enough.”

Hollyleaf chuckled softly. “We could always take Cinderheart up on her offer to take us to the lake.”

Ivypool shook her head fiercely. “I’ll leave that to Dovewing, thanks.” The gray she-cat had made the decision to leave Thunderclan less than a moon after the new code changes. It seemed she and Tigerheart were going to make their way in Riverclan now, and she did seem happy when they had seen her at the gathering. Still, Hollyleaf knew it couldn’t feel good being away from a littermate, especially one as close as Dovewing was to Ivypool by the end. 

“Besides,” the gray and white she-cat continued, drawing their attention away, “she has plenty more to worry about now.”

Hollyleaf’s eyes shot open suddenly. The kits! She had forgotten to check in on them that morning. The nursery would be packed now, with three different litters of kittens, and Jayfeather had only that morning agreed to let every cat see the latest member of Thunderclan. She still didn’t even know the kit’s name.

Ivypool’s eyebrow raised teasingly. “And you want to visit them, I’d imagine?”

Hollyleaf dipped her head sheepishly. “To see Cinderheart, at least.”

“Go on,” Ivypool urged. “We can catch up later. Owlclaw and I were thinking of working with Robinwing on some of his stalking today.” 

The tortoiseshell tom had only arrived to Thunderclan a half-moon before, the latest of four cats to have chosen Thunderclan rather than their previous homes. Of course, they had learned when Grasspelt arrived that coming from Riverclan was quite different from coming from Shadowclan, as they had spent their lives developing a completely different skill set for hunting, so when Robinwing arrived they agreed to train him more explicitly from the beginning. Hollyleaf couldn’t help being grateful that, with the new system, all of the future apprentices would get a taste of the skills required by every clan before they had to make their choices of where to live.

As Ivypool padded away, Hollyleaf ducked under the bramble tendrils that hung gently from the thick woven tendrils overhead in the nursery. The dim light filtered in just enough to shine against the brighter fur of some of the cats inside. Daisy’s light cream fur shimmered along with the movements of her thick fur as she padded gingerly towards the entrance “Cloudtail?” She called to the bright white tom. “Are you doing all right?”

Cloudtail nodded. His eyes had darkened with parental exhaustion but still glimmered with joy. “Amberkit and Dewkit are just getting a little hungry, I think,” he chuckled.

Daisy dipped her head. “I’ll make sure to call Brightstar over when she’s free. I know she’s grateful to have you in here with them, though.”

“Are you kidding?” Cloudtail drew back, causing Dewkit to almost topple over as the fur he’d been leaning against was pulled away. “I wanted this,” the white tom insisted, leaning down to lick his son’s head, then his daughter’s. “I almost missed out on Whitewing’s kithood. I wasn’t about to do it again.”

“In that case, I’m going to go check in with Lilykit and Seedkit,” Daisy announced. “And with Brightstar of course.”

“Hollyleaf!” Cinderheart’s happy greeting cut off their conversation as she met her friend’s gaze Daisy was already brushing past Hollyleaf as she exited the den. 

Lionblaze was already at her side, pressing his nose gently against the forehead of his yellow tabby son before he drew back to look at his sister. “Did you come to visit?”

“Of course not,” Cinderheart butted against his shoulder. “Obviously she wanted to see the new kit.”

“Yeah!” The dark gray she-kit hopped ecstatically. “We can see him now too, right?”

“And play with him!” the dark brown she-cat added.

“Now Thornkit, Sorrelkit, you know we can’t play with him yet,” Lionblaze pointed out.

“What? But Jayfeather said!” The golden tabby squealed emphatically.

“Jayfeather only said he was ready for visitors, Blossomkit,” Cinderheart cut in. “He’s still too young to play. A kit that young could get hurt.”

Thornkit. Sorrelkit. Blossomkit. The fur ripped along Hollyleaf’s spine as she heard their names again. Lionblaze and Cinderheart had decided to name their litter after some of the cats that had died during the final battle. Sorreltail, of course, as Cinderheart’s mother, along with Thornclaw and Blossomfall. Blossomfall by Briarlight’s request and Thornclaw…well Lionblaze had chosen him for Hollyleaf without her having to ask.

“Ohhh,” Thornkit nodded slowly. “Like when Amberkit and Dewkit were even littler?”

“Exactly,” Lionblaze nodded. “We need to be gentle with them.”

“Okay!” Sorrelkit agreed cheerfully.

Blossomkit’s dark blue eyes widened until Hollyleaf could catch slivers of white at their edges. “But…we can still see him, right?”

“Of course,” Cinderheart purred. “Go ahead. Just make sure you listen to Briarlight and Toadstep.”

“We will!” Blossomkit promised, already leading his sisters over to the pair of mates on the other side of the den.

“I hope you guys are staying cool in here,” Hollyleaf purred, turning her attention back to Cinderheart.

“Oh we have it easy,” Cinderheart scoffed. “During the expansion, Dustpelt wove the roots so tightly that barely any light or heat gets in, even at sunhigh. Not to mention Daisy and Jayfeather come by every day with some water.”

“Maybe I should be a queen…” Lionblaze breathed.

Cinderheart purred in amusement. “You’re welcome to at any time! Cloudtail does it, and I’d love a chance to stretch my legs.”

“Or go for a swim,” Hollyleaf finished. “I can only imagine that it feels even better in green-leaf.”

“Oh…” Cinderheart’s eyes glazed over as she thought of the rushing waves. “That would be really nice.”

Hollyleaf’s whiskers twitched in amusement. “Sometimes I wonder why it was Dovewing who joined Riverclan instead of you.”

Cinderheart shook her head. “I wouldn’t think of it. All of my best friends are here. You, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather wouldn’t want to even touch the water but I’m not going to change clans just so I can swim. I was a Thunderclan cat who liked the water before and I still am now.”

Lionblaze dipped his head, his smile loosening slightly. “Dovewing was a bit of a different case. There was a lot of…pressure here, because of how she had been since she was born into the prophecy. Plus it sounds like she and Tigerheart both ended up really enjoying swimming as a way to relax or something.”

“It’s hard on Ivypool,” Hollyleaf knew. “Especially with Blossomfall gone, and Rosepetal moving to Windclan with Sunstrike." Molewhisker and Cherryfall had been named only a few sunrises ago, leaving the apprentice den entirely empty and Rosepetal done with her duties save for those to her old friend. “But I’m sure it would be an awful lot harder if they couldn’t visit each other whenever they want.”

Lionblaze nodded firmly. “I don’t think she would have left at all if she could only see Ivypool once a month.”

“Or you and Jayfeather,” Cinderheart pointed out. “But Hollyleaf, have you actually seen the new kit yet?”

Hollyleaf shook her head. “I was hoping to when your kits were done.”

Cinderheart giggled. “Oh they’ll be over there for ages. You won’t get in the way.”

“Exactly!” Briarlight purred as she met Hollyleaf’s gaze. “Toadstep loves keeping the older kits busy anyway. Come on over.”

As if to prove his mate’s point, Toadstep laughed. “What, is my tail more fun than even the new kit?”

“You’re a messenger!” Thornkit breathed. “You must be like, one of the fastest cats in the clan!”

Toadstep ducked his head. “I don’t know about that. Most of the time we just share news.”

With the queen’s confirmation, Hollyleaf crept over to see the little tom resting at the crest of Briarlight’s belly. The poor little tom kit who had been brought in by Toadstep after one of his messenger patrols had certainly grown stronger since Hollyleaf had last seen him. Where before his fur hung against his bones and he could barely manage a squeal, now he had grown a little round belly and his ears gently perked up as she approached. His bright ginger and white fur shone brightly against Briarlight’s rich brown and even his white fur was a warmer tone than Toadstep’s. It might be clear to everyone that they weren’t related by blood. But Hollyleaf with her three, arguably four parents was the last cat who was going to complain about it, and every cat knew that Briarlight and Toadstep would be fantastic parents. 

“We’ve decided to name him Songkit,” Briarlight purred softly. 

Hollyleaf's face fell into a smile. “That’s a beautiful name.”

“We still haven’t found a sign of who his parents might have been or what he was doing at our border,” Toadstep cut in. “But…at this point I almost hope we never find out.”

So he can be yours, Hollyleaf finished silently. It wasn’t the same thing; she knew that. But she still remembered what it had been like, letting that fox cub race back to his mother. As close as she had felt to him, for so brief a time, she hadn’t been his mother. For Briarlight and Toadstep, this could be their only chance at having a family, and the Ancestors knew they both deserved one.

“We’ll keep looking,” Briarlight insisted, “but I would be-well, happy to raise him.”

“Oo! Oo!” Sorrelkit bounced suddenly. “Toadstep, can you give us a badger ride?”

Toadstep chuckled and then tilted his head as if he needed to deeply consider their question. “Maybe I could…but you’ll need to catch me first!” Briefly, he met Lionblaze’s gaze, and the golden tom nodded affirmatively before Toadstep led the kits to the entrance and out into the clearing.

“You definitely deserve to be parents,” Hollyleaf murmured quietly as she turned back to Briarlight. “And really, for whatever it’s worth, I wish you luck.”

The clan outside was lively as cats filtered in from their mid-day patrols and swapped conversations. Ivypool and Owlclaw were practicing more careful stalking with Robinwing, and it seemed Grasspelt had joined them, happy for once to be more experienced than his older clanmate. Even Toadfoot, who usually spent far more time with Owlclaw or on his own, was today eating with Dustpelt and Sandstorm as they chatted about something or other.

More odd, admittedly, was the number of familiar faces that were gone. Dovewing had gone with Tigerheart to Riverclan of course, and Rosepetal had recently moved on to Windclan, but Foxleap and Bumblestripe had both gone to Windclan moons before, almost immediately once the option was opened, and soon after, Whitewing and Birchfall had moved to Shadowclan. Most heartbreakingly, a half-moon after the new code was created, Brambleclaw had taken herself, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather aside to say that he was leaving too, joining Windclan in order to leave Squirrelflight in peace and find a way to improve himself away from the baggage he had in Thunderclan. Now Hollyleaf wouldn’t be able to visit her real father without seeing Crowfeather, though considering the two of them had once been…at least acquaintances during their journey, maybe it was more of a benefit to Brambleclaw than a hindrance. 

“Hello Hollyleaf,” Hazeltail greeted her as she reached the center of the clearing. She and Icecloud looked as though they had been engaged in a serious conversation prior to her arrival. “Did you see the new kit?”

Hollyleaf nodded. “They’ve named him Songkit,” she purred.

Icecloud’s face lit up with joy. “That’s adorable.”

“It is,” Hazeltail agreed. “I do hope this is a sign of good luck for them.”

“If the mother…” Icecloud shook her head. “If either of the birth parents were to ever appear, I can’t imagine the strain it might put on them.”

Hollyleaf’s tail rippled absentmindedly. “I wouldn’t even know how to handle it.”

Hazeltail dipped her head to her mate. “Perhaps you should tell her your idea, darling,” she whispered. “If you’re serious about this, more cats really should know.”

“You’re right,” Icecloud agreed, taking in a deep breath before she turned a narrowed blue gaze on Hollyleaf. “My mother ended up carving out her own path, creating the nursery aid position that didn’t exist before her, and now it’s even part of the code. I…don’t know if I’ll get that far, but I think I’d like to do something like that too.”

“Be a nursery aid?” Hollyleaf tilted her head. “I mean, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. The nursery is pretty full now even if Cloudtail is trying to help Daisy out.”

Icecloud shook her head. “Making a new position, I mean. I’d like to spend my time, well some of my time, lending cats an ear. Not like a medicine cat but just, for when you need someone to talk to, to listen to your problems, or offer advice. You know, if you can’t talk to a friend.”

Interesting… Hollyleaf had certainly never heard of anything like that being a job, but she could already see it being useful, and Icecloud seemed well-poised for a position like it. “That makes a lot of sense,” she meowed. “Honestly, it might have been helpful for me if you had been doing that seasons ago. I was…well, talking to a friend about everything I was feeling felt like it would be giving in even more to weakness.”

“But it wasn’t,” Icecloud insisted. “Whatever you thought…whatever Foxleap thought as well, no cat can always be strong. Some just manage to avoid being as vulnerable in public because they’ve spent time talking to other cats they trust.”

“Like me,” Hazeltail cut in softly, She shook her head, her gaze dropping as the furrowed brow faded away. “When you first-well, the night of the gathering, the night we believed you died, I couldn’t sleep. I ran out of camp that night, almost to the lakeshore. I was…so frustrated. With you, I had finally opened myself up to the possibility of mutually beneficial friendship, you proved just how different you were from me, from everything I thought you were. You lashed out at me just for noticing something was wrong!”

Hollyleaf felt her spine prickle. “I’m so sorry.” How had she never noticed, or even thought about, how she was affecting her friends back then? I was caught in my own head. She knew it was true, but it was only more reason for her to work to be better than she had been then.

“But-” Icecloud laid her paw on her mate’s, causing Hazeltail to relax as she looked her mate in the eye. “I noticed her leaving that night. I followed her and, while we were there, we finally had a chance to talk through our feelings.”

Hazeltail nodded, her shoulders loosening. “All of them. And at the end of it, she told me I wouldn’t ever have to worry about her.”

“I would stay with you to the ends of the world,” Icecloud breathed, her gaze locking with her mates. “That’s when…well it’s when it became official to us, at least.”

Hollyleaf shook her head slowly. “I never knew any of that,” she meowed.

“No one did,” Icecloud pointed out. “Because it was a private moment. That’s what it takes sometimes for cats to honestly work through what’s in their head.”

“Exactly,” Hazeltail huffed, “which is precisely why your idea is brilliant. We should speak to Brightstar now, if you’re ready, that is.”

“I am.” Icecloud nodded, turning once to Hollyleaf to wave her tail. “We’ll see you later, all right?”

Hollyleaf nodded quickly. “Of course!” Honestly, she did really hope Icecloud’s idea became a reality. Even if the clans weren’t as tense as they once were, she couldn’t imagine a world where no one ever had something they needed to talk through. She could really help a lot of cats.  

“Just make sure you visit, then,” A gruff voice pulled her away from her thoughts as Jayfeather and Poppyfrost padded away from the medicine clearing. “Taking care of the garden would become awfully boring without some sort of chatter around me.”

“Visit?” Hollyleaf swiveled towards them. “Visit who, where?”

Poppyfrost’s amber gaze met hers, and her expression softened. “Well-” She briefly looked towards Jayfeather as if seeking support before turning back to Hollyleaf. “Brightstar told me there’s a ceremony today that I want to be here for but after that…I’m going to leave Thunderclan.”

“What?” Hollyleaf drew back. “Why? Why now?”

Poppyfrost shook her head slightly. “My kits are warriors now, and my sister is starting a family. My parents and Honeyfern are dead, and…well honestly I would mostly like some space away from Berrynose. A lot of my life has been built around ignoring, chasing, or abandoning my feelings for him. I want to see what, who, I can really be when it’s just me.”

“I still don’t think Berrynose should be able to dictate anything about your life,” Jayfeather snorted. “Why can’t he be the one who leaves?”

“Because he didn’t choose to,” Poppyfrost pointed out. “I don’t honestly want to leave you, Jayfeather, or Cinderheart, but the borders are so much looser now. We can still visit each other whenever you may want.” 

“Where will you go?” Hollyleaf asked.

Poppyfrost’s amber gaze flashed away for a moment as she considered. “I think…Shadowclan,” she finally meowed. “I refuse to be in the same clan as Breezepelt. With or without the Dark Forest I don’t want to live alongside a cat who tried to kill me. But I also don’t particularly enjoy the idea of having to swim every day. Besides there are some nice cats there, at least, or there were before the final battle.”

“Good luck then,” Hollyleaf meowed.

“And make sure you say goodbye to Cinderheart before you think of leaving,” Jayfeather added. “I’ll never hear the end of it if she finds out her sister just disappeared without warning.”

Poppyfrost chuckled. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t do that to either of you.”

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the highledge for a clan meeting!” Brightstar’s call echoed through the clearing, and it only took a short while for every cat to gather at the base of the highledge. Hollyleaf settled in near the middle just as the leader was ready to continue. “Thunderclan, faces new and old, I have been your leader for three moons now, and it has been my absolute pleasure learning how best to serve you in the new world we have been creating together.”

“Brightstar! Brightstar!” Cloudtail took up a cheer that quickly swept through the clearing, though it quieted down as Brightstar motioned with her paw.

“A few sunrises ago,” the leader continued, “I had the true honor of naming my first two warriors, Cherryfall and Molewhisker. Now, I have the chance to promote Thunderclan’s first two apprentices since the final battle.” She looked down, her gaze quickly finding a golden-brown she-cat and dark gray tabby she-cat waiting at Daisy’s paws. “Lilykit, Seedkit? Please come forward.”

“Your parents would be so proud,” Daisy whispered her promise, pressing her nose against each kit’s forehead. In the absence of their parents, many Thunderclan cats had taken on the roles of ensuring that the kits grew up happily, but Daisy was undoubtedly their main foster mother. “Good luck.”

Unable to contain their smiles, the two she-cats pranced up to the front of the crowd. Lilykit puffed up her chest while Seedkit’s whiskers twitched in excitement.

Brightstar smiled, quickly trying to contain a giggle as she began the ceremonial words. “Lilykit and Seedkit, you have reached the age of five moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed to your preliminary positions. From this day onward, until you receive your full warrior names, you will be known as Lilypaw and Seedpaw.”

“Lilypaw! Seedpaw! Lilypaw! Seedpaw! Lilypaw! Seedpaw!”

“As for your mentors-” Brightstar continued as the cheers died down. “Ivypool, come forward.”

The warrior’s deep blue eyes shot open as she heard her name. “Me?” Apparently she hadn’t been asked, or warned, about this particular appointment.

But Brightstar nodded. “You are ready to take on an apprentice. The fortitude and insight you displayed during your time as a warrior have proven you to be a boundless source of experience. I know you will pass on all you have to Seedpaw.”

As soon as she had finished, Ivypool bowed her head deeply, padding up to the golden brown she-cat and completing the ritual. “I’ll do my best,” she promised.

“As for Lilypaw’s mentor-” Brightstar spoke once more, casting her gaze over the clearing until it landed on-It can’t be! “Hollyleaf, would you step forward?”

I’m going to be a mentor?! As the crowd parted for her, Hollyleaf hesitantly stepped forward, already eyeing the apprentice she knew would soon be hers.

Ivypool cracked a smile as she met her gaze. “Well, I admit I feel better about doing this with you.”

“You too are beyond ready to take on your first apprentice,” Brightstar purred. “You are diligent and intelligent, having come a very long way from the days where you were first made a warrior. You have already proven yourself able to train your friends and clanmates in skills you alone have developed and your sense of reflection is admirable. I am confident that you will pass on all you know to Lilypaw.”

“Go on.” Suddenly Hollyleaf heard the quiet murmur of her mother’s voice in her ear, and she turned just in time to see Squirrelflight’s shining eyes. “You’ve earned this.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Eyes shining with pride, Hollyleaf padded forward, feeling her heart warm joyfully as she finally pressed her nose against Lilypaw’s and felt the she-cat lick her shoulder dutifully. 

“I can’t wait to learn from you!” she insisted.

Seedpaw nodded fiercely. “Both of you!”

Ivypool’s face was reflexively cracking into a smile as her tail twitched uncontrollably, reflecting the excitement Hollyleaf, too, felt. “We promise to make you both the best warriors you can be.”

Hollyleaf let a breath of the dense new-leaf air flow in through her lungs as she stared ahead at the apprentice, her apprentice. Her ears were already filtering out the calls of Brightstar concluding the meeting and cats dispersing back into their lives.

I’m a mentor. Once upon a time, this was what she thought she longed for more than anything else in the world. Being a mentor meant having responsibility over another cat, and more than that, it was the key to being a deputy, then leader. Sometimes it felt like everything wanted in her early life came down to one thing: power. Being a medicine cat, a leader, a member of the prophecy or an ‘arbiter of the code.’ Wherever she went, whatever she was doing, she sought out a position that would prove she was worth something to other cats. But that wasn’t what she needed anymore. She had seen the lowest of pits and climbed out of them, not only by her own will, but with cats who loved and wanted her no matter what status she had.

The customs and cultures, the looming threats and promised destinies, everything that had driven her and so many other cats forward and held them all back was fading away. The final battle and everything preceding it took so much from every cats’ lives, but now these new apprentices could grow up in a world where they would know they were cared for no matter who they were and that they had choices to make for themselves. However much Ivypool or Hollyleaf’s perceived heroism had earned them these positions, Lilypaw and Seedpaw would not need to grow up into herself or her friend. They could be something better. All of the clans could become something better, now.

“A tour of the territory seems as good a place to start as any,” Ivypool was telling Seedpaw. As she finished, she met Hollyleaf’s gaze. “Are you and Lilypaw coming?”

Hollyleaf let her muscles relax and her eyes close as she lifted her head towards the oncoming full moon in the bright, clear sky. Ancestors, thank you for all you have given us over so many lifetimes, she prayed. She didn’t know if any of them could hear her anymore, if they ever could, but it was worth saying. I hope now you can have as many seasons of rest as the clans have peace. Whatever the future brought, whoever these apprentices became, all she knew for certain was that she wanted to be a part of it, and change along with them.

“Yeah!” she called back, motioning with her tail for Lilypaw to follow as she trotted up to the thorn barrier. “We’re coming.”