New story-Yay! One of my favourites that I've written and *fingers crossed* it's not simular to anyone else's ideas:) Please R/R!

A/N: Forestclan and Meadowclan are allies, so mates from different clans are allowed. The only reason they have two clans and not one is because your clan is determined by how you prefer to hunt. –You can choose your clan when you become a warrior.

Disclaimer: I don't own warriors, Erin Hunter does.

Summary

Arrow. He was the rising champion of illegal two-leg cat-fighting. But then he met a tom that told him about freedom. About the clans. Now he must escape, but will he be able to live with his vicious past and settle down to the peaceful life of the clans?

Lilyheart. The beautiful daughter of Lionstar. Smart, brave and talented, she has her choice of toms. Shadeclaw, her ex, wants her back, but will she choose him against her mother's warnings?

The black and ginger tom's thick muscles bunched as the metal gates opened. The cold air knocked the breath out of him but that was the least of his worries; here, it was survival or death. Comfort had no meaning.

It happened so quickly, but Arrow was quicker. He sprang to the left in a blur as the opposing grey tom streaked past, extended claws shining fiercely. He made a sharp turn at the edge of the arena, which was a circular stone cage with gaping holes for weak-skins to peer through. The tom also turned, and pounced onto him, belly up. Arrow could feel the sharp claws piercing his skin and releasing blood into his matted fur. It felt sticky and warm, quickly drying in the heat of battle. Twisting back around, he managed to knock the other cat off then swipe his own unnaturally long claws at him, leaving deep gashes.

The cat screeched in pain and shock; this was the moment Arrow had been waiting for. He lunged at the grey tom, and turned mid-air to be facing the same way as the tom, but on top of him. He then sunk his teeth into the cat's neck until he felt the body go limp in his jaws.

The weak-skins were making loud yelling noises, some happy, some angry. The angry weak-skins poked and prodded him wih sharp sticks and he was forced back into his cage. Hissing viciously, he managed to get the happy-weak-skins attentions and they stopped the angry ones from hurting him. Their words were unintelligible to him but their intentions were clear: Behave or be beaten.

Arrow stayed quiet the whole time, uninterested in his surroundings. They were always the same. Smoke that made him cough, lights that made him dizzy, smells that made him choke and the ever-present cage. He was taken to a weak-skin mover which stank even more than the building they were just in. Thrown into the dark cave it had, he felt so unloved and hurt. Why didn't they care for him? He did what they wanted. He killed his opponents. Shouldn't they love him more? But his pleas went unanswered as the mover bounced along the rugged black road.

"But father, must I really go?" complained the silver tabby angrily. Couldn't Lionstar see that she didn't like any of the toms in this or any clan?

"Lilyheart, my dear daughter, why do you whine so much? We have plenty of good-looking toms in Forestclan. Plus, there's always Meadowclan. I know Shadeclaw's quite a catch…" The she-cat shook her head fiercely.

"No! I don't care what you say! I hate Shadeclaw as much as I hate you!" she yowled, running out of the leader's den in a tantrum. How dare he propose that she and Shadeclaw would become mates-how could he even think that? And then she remembered.

"Lilypaw, can I speak to you?" he had asked seductively, and she had nodded happily.

"Sure! What is it?" The dark grey tom smiled brilliantly, his glossy fur glowing it the starlight. He moved closer to her and whispered in her ear.

"I love you…" Lilypaw had moved back, shocked.

"…really?"

"Really. Forever." He replied, intertwining his tail with hers…

But then…

"Shadepaw!" meowed Lilypaw, running to his side. "Why haven't you been talking to me?" she demanded, her blue eyes blazing. It had been three days…

"Lilypaw, I have something to tell you." He meowed, not looking at her.

"..What is it?" she replied calmly, though her heart was racing.

"We can not be together." Shadepaw meowed straight-forwardly, turning his amber eyes to her. "I love Juniperpaw, not you. Not anymore." Lilypaw almost screeched in hatred. They had been together for four moons…they were almost warriors…

"No! How? How!" Shadepaw did not even blink, not even shed a tear.

"I only realised three days ago how incompetent you were. How stupid, how oversensitive. Now I know that Juniperpaw is better off for me. We were never meant to be. Never truly in love." He stalked off, leaving her alone and broken-hearted.

"I hate Shadeclaw…" she muttered as she entered her den, tears spilling out like waterfalls. "I hate Lionstar…" she rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes. "I hate love."

Arrow was dropped into his bigger cage and his food-bowl was filled with disgusting pellets, not fit for rats. They didn't bother cleaning his water-bowl, instead they just topped it off with more filthy water. He shared his cage with no-one, as only lower ranking fighters did that. And ones that didn't attack their cage-mates. But the cages must have been full, because the next thing he knew a brown tom was shoved into the cage. The tom looked weak and hungry, probably a rogue. He looked fearfully at Arrow and then at the water-bowl. Arrow, water-bowl, Arrow, water-bowl. Even if he was a killer, he still had a heart and could tell how thirsty the rogue must've been.

"Go ahead." He muttered, lowering his head to his paws in apparent disinterest. The rogue attempted a thankful nod and bent down to lap up the water, one eye ficking back to Arrow every now and then. He was actually was quite interested in this new cat. Rarely did he get new cage-mates, as he was among the highest ranked and they rarely lasted when he did, because most died in their first battle. "What's your name?" he asked once the tom had settled in a corner to his far opposite. The brown tabby blinked for a second then spoke.

"..My…my name's Elmwood…I'm..I'm a warrior cat…" Arrow blinked back at him. Warrior cat? The rogue seemed to understand that he didn't know what that was because he continued explaining. "I..come from Meadowclan-they're a group of cats that live in peace near another clan called Forestclan. We have territories and meet every moon-high to discuss news, swap cats and decide punishments. We're called warrior cats." Arrow nodded in understanding. He never thought cats lived differently to how he lived. Maybe killing like this wasn't the only way to survive… "Where am I?" Elmwood asked, all traces of fear gone. Arrow sighed. This poor cat would die all to easily in battle.

"You're at a place where there is two teams: Fire and Shadow. This is the Fire team." Elmwood looked confused. His happy tale about clanlife was so different to Arrow's.

"We battle eachother to the death, one on one. If you win, you get a higher ranking and fight again the next day. If you don't well…" The warrior cat stared at him horrifically. He couldn't seem to believe that you had to kill another cat to survive.

"..I'm not going to survive, am I?" he asked, although it wasn't a question. It was a statement. Arrow felt a pang of grief for him.

"…I don't know…"

"Fernstream, what am I going to do?" meowed Lilyheart to her best-friend. The white she-cat shrugged her shoulders.

"I have no idea. I wish I could help you, but I'm clueless!" she sighed, placing her fuffy white tail onto Lilyheart's silver back. "Just go anyway, just to please 'father dear'. Starclan will show you the way." Lilyheart didn't feel hopeful, but atleast she didn't have to decide now.

"Thanks, Fernstream." The she-cat smiled and left her alone. Lilyheart watched her touch noses joyfully with her mate, Dunethorn and pad away. If only her life was all honey and flowers. Just as she got up to leave, Cedarsky ran up to her. Just what I need, she thought grimly. Cedarsky was alright, but he always boasted about this and that, and had the most annoying crush on her.

"Hi, Lilyheart!" he meowed excitedly, "Want to come hunting with me?" Lilyheart sighed.

"..oh, um…" luckily, Lionstar padded into camp just then. "I'd, uh, love to, Cedarsky, but I can't because I have to speak with Lionstar." The brown tom hung his head.

"oh, okay. Maybe another time then." Lilyheart ran off to her father. The magnificent golden tom turned to her instantly. Was that approval she noticed in his golden eyes?

"Lilyheart! My beautiful daughter. Cedarsky is a nice tom." he meowed suggestively, but Lilyheart quickly shook her head.

"Uh-No, I mean yes, but not in that way." She meowed sternly. Lionstar saw her reaction and frowned.

"You're so lucky, Lilyheart. You need to be more appreciative of your gifts. There are many nice toms around, and I think you should come to the gathering tonight." Lilyheart sighed. She knew it would come to this.

"Yeah, that's what I came here for. I want to come tonight. I will come tonight." Lionstar shook his big head, surprised. "Really." She meowed surely.

Elmwood was taken away early the next morning. Not sure that they would see each-other again, they had said farewells. Now Arrow was lonely again. Even if Elmwood survived his first battle, how would he survive the next? Arrow and the other fighting cats were bred for this-he was just an everyday forest cat. But even fighting cats die… A voice seemed to whisper and Arrow froze. It all seemed to come to him so quickly. Why hadn't he thought of it before? It was as if a shining star was guiding him. He and Elmwood would somehow escape when they fed them, then they would run away to the clans! It was so simple. Arrow knew his way around here, Elmwood knew his way back home. There was only one flaw; what if Elmwood didn't come back?

It was getting darker when Elmwood returned. But not in one piece. The cruel weak-skins shoved him insde the cage, a bundle of tabby fur and blood. One of his legs was unnaurally positioned and claw marks dragged down his bloody sides. His shallow breath was barely audible and Arrow immediately ran to his side. "Elmwood! What happened?" the tom shuddered.

"…Big…tom…managed to…defended…broke leg…won…" Arrow sniffed his body. The warmth was being sucked out by an invisible paw and Elmwood was rapidly getting weaker.

"No, Elmwood! Don't leave me! I need you! We can escape-go back to the clans, your home!" The tom sighed and smiled faintly.

"..home…past the rising two-legs…over fallen trees and rushing water…fields of honey…" he paused, his breath going fainter and fainter. "..believe..in Starclan, Arrow…" Spasms errupted in Elmwood's body and then the figure before him lay still.

So what do you think? I don't like the first parts but after that it gets good:)~I hope…

Please review! You know you want to! Even just one word….

~Jaffa Maze