Prologue
Firestar watched as his Clan's world tumbled down around him. Everything he had been brought into, everything he had built and restored, and everything he had grown to love, was finally coming to an end. What kind of leader was he to just sit and watch in despair as his Clanmates died in this cruel war?
Brightheart was drowned in a pool of her own blood only a few nights before; this was only a warning of what was yet to come. Firestar had underestimated the Dark Forest cats, and now his old rival Tigerstar finally had what he wanted.
He shook thoughts of the dark tabby away. He suddenly spotted Brambleclaw being killed quickly by a fiery ginger tom he had not seen before. Reedwhisker of RiverClan was slain by Breezepelt before his very eyes. Squirrelflight's ginger pelt was smudged red by her blood, and her eyes no longer shined witht the green fire that Firestar loved. His thoughts flickered back to dawn when Leafpool's neck had been broken when she tried to run back in to camp to warn her Clanmates. His family and friends were falling, one by one, and he could do nothing about it.
In the corner of his eye, Firestar spotted Dustpelt and Ferncloud ushering their kits away.
"Go!" Ferncloud yowled in the midst of the turmoil. Fallowpaw and Treepaw were frozen to the spot, but Dustpelt was desperately trying to get them to escape.
"You must leave us! Have your own kits and pass down the legacy of the Clans to them. Let us live on."
Fallowpaw nodded, and Treepaw lifted her chin. Firestar couldn't send them away without doing one last thing.
He leapt down from the Highledge and padded up to the four cats.
"Fallowpaw, from this moment you shall be known as Fallowbreeze. StarClan will honour you forever."
Fallowbreeze looked shocked to recieve her warrior name in the heat of a battle.
"Treepaw, from this moment you shall be known as Treesong. StarClan will honour you forever."
Fallowbreeze and Treesong's eyes were filled with pain as they walked away from their home and their Clan for the last time. Dustpelt and Ferncloud watched them leave with more sadness than Firestar could wish upon any cat. Suddenly Dustpelt whipped around, his eyes full of pure hatred.
"Why are you letting this happen? My kits could die and you're just stood there without hel..."
His cold meow was cut to a choking babble by Blossomfall when she came up behind the brown tabby and sliced his neck with her claws.
"NO! Dustpelt!" Blossomfall leapt on Ferncloud's back before she could say anymore, and swiftly killed her.
"Why are you doing this, Blossomfall? This is your Clan! They have loved you and looked after you since you were born!" Firestar cried, but the young she-cat's eyes were filled with no pain and regret, only open malice and bitterness without boundary.
"My mother never loved me. The Clan only loved Briarlight after her accident. Me and Bumblestripe were cast aside by the whole Clan!" she spat at him, scraping her claws on the ground.
"Onestar, Mistystar, and Blackstar were all killed by Breezepelt. But you're mine."
Panic gripped his heart as Blossomfall edged closer to him. He knew this was his last life, and his Clan would be lost without the deputy to take over. A voice echoed in his mind.
"Keep your eyes open, Fireheart. Keep your ears pricked. Keep looking behind you. Because one day I'll get you, and then you'll be crowfood." Tigerstar's last words to Fireheart when he was exiled were finally about to come true.
As the ThunderClan warrior lifted her paw for the killing blow, Tigerstar's ghost appeared beside her.
"Goodbye, Firestar. Enjoy your time in your precious StarClan." The dark tabby sneered, and all Firestar saw after that was Tigerstar's bloody smile as he watched his rival die.