A bright greenleaf sun stretched its paws over the edge of the trees, turning the sky above pink and cream. Dew sparkled like starlight in the shadows, cast beneath smooth, sun-warmed boulders.

The shape was little more than a flicker beneath the surface of the water, a mere quivering shadow against the lightness of the bottom of the river. Gorsepaw kept perfectly still, not a hair on his pelt twitching, waiting for the fish to come closer. Another flicker, less than a tail-length away, and Gorsepaw shot out one paw, his unsheathed claws slicing through the cold water. When he felt his paw curl around the fat, slick body, he curled his paw and sliced it towards him. The fish flew out of the water, scattering silver droplets, and landed on the bank beside him, where he finished it off with a swift blow.

"Hey, Scorchpaw!" The savory flavor of the fish danced upon his tongue, which he swiped across his muzzle. "Look what I caught!"

Scorchpaw ignored him. In the shadow of Sunningrocks he crouched, his fur bristling, his eyes glinting like amber. His tail twitched agitatedly, and even from his place beside the river, Gorsepaw could hear a growl rumbling threateningly in his throat.

"Sunningrocks is ours," he snarled, fangs bared. "ThunderClan have humiliated us once too many times." His eyes glimmered. "They must be subdued. Once and for all."

Gorsepaw carried his fish over to Scorchfur and stood beside him. "Maybe you should focus less on fighting - and trouble - and more on hunting," he mewed lightly. His heavy white belly fur brushed against the ground.

Scorchpaw's mew was deep, and hoarse with rage. "I fight hardest when I'm angry," he muttered.

"Fish brain," Gorsepaw purred. "You're not as tough as you seem."

"One of those dogs makes me as angry as I'll ever need to be!"

Gorsepaw sighed. Scorchpaw was insisting upon acting all weird and serious. "Angry enough to run away, if you've got enough sense. The thing we need most is not more wounded warriors."

Sunningrocks used to be an island in the center of the river, which could only be reached by RiverClan due to their ability to swim. But one leaf-fall, a great flood came and changed the course of the river, so that it was now joined to ThunderClan's territories. Before the next sunrise, ThunderClan had claimed Sunningrocks as their own, swarming across the rocks to mark the new territory. The Clans had fought over the rocks many times since, and at the moment the scent markers lay on the far side of the rocks, keeping ThunderClan firmly out.

Gorsepaw stiffened as another scent drifted towards him on the breeze. He narrowed his eyes. Two ThunderClan cats were creeping along the edge of the trees, head and tail low. They were half hidden by the shadows cast by the treetops, but their leaner, sleeker-furred appearance was unmistakable.

A pale tabby turned his head, his eyes glinting coldly at Gorsebelly. With an arrogant flick of his ears, he put his paw against the border line. Gorsebelly felt his hackles rising.

"Scorchpaw," he hissed, brushing his white tipped tail along his friend's flank.

Scorchpaw's eyes widened in surprise. A hiss built in his throat, and he unsheathed his claws. "I'll back you up," he whispered.

"How? Turning your back and running off?" Gorsepaw's taunt sounded feeble.

Scorchpaw growled impatiently. "Don't worry about me."

Gorsepaw felt fear crawling through his fur. In the last battle against ThunderClan, Scorchpaw had nearly died from his wounds. A jagged, ugly scar now parted the fur along his flank, and Gorsepaw ran his tail across it. "No, really," he insisted. "I am worried about you!"

Scorchpaw winced when Gorsepaw's tail touched the furless flesh, but his amber eyes narrowed again. "Let's not start a fight," he meowed. "Let them start something."

The four warriors glared at each other for what was probably only a few heartbeats, but what felt like to Gorsebelly moons. Hatred glinted in their eyes. A bird nervously broke into song.

At the sound of the bird, both ThunderClan cats glanced at each other, ears pricked. Then simultaneously, they both slid back into the trees, fronds of bracken rustling behind them.

Scorchfur broke the silence with a snort. "Look at that. They're so cowardly that they didn't even say anything! ThunderClan cats are such drypaws-"

Both ThunderClan cats burst out of the trees, yowling wildly. Their paws drummed against the hard-packed earth. An old looking, very large crow flapped its way ahead of them, squawking. With a tremendous leap, the pale tabby tom reached for the bird with outstretched paws and missed by a mouse-length. The bird soared over the border, and the ThunderClan cats scrabbled to a stop against the scent line, hissing and spitting.

Gorsepaw ran towards the scraggly creature, but Scorchfur was already sprinting ahead of him. He sprang into the air, snagged the bird out of the air, and pinned it to the ground. Gorsepaw finished it off with a swift bite to the neck.

"You stole our bird!" The accusing yowl came from the pale tabby again. There was still a slight kit fuzz lining his face, and Gorsebelly sneered in satisfaction. He looks like a kittypet!

Scorchpaw puffed out his chest with pride. "I did catch a bird," he smirked. "And an impressive one, too."

The pale tabby fluffed out his fur until he looked like a pinecone. "But that was a ThunderClan bird!"

Scorchpaw stiffened, and Gorsepaw saw uncertainty flicker in his eyes. Scorchpaw leaned towards Gorsepaw and whispered, "Is it against the warrior code to have caught this bird?"

"Of course not," Gorsepaw replied, faintly surprised. "If it's on our side of the border, it's our bird."

Scorchpaw stood tall again, triumph in his mew. "There you are!"

Both ThunderClan cats yowled, "Prey stealers!"

Gorsepaw felt the fur on his shoulders rising. "Are you trying to start a fight?" he asked.

"Start a fight?" meowed the tabby apprentice sarcastically. "Oh, of course not."

"But if you are, I'm fine with that." Scorchpaw flexed his claws in anticipation. "Better than fine, in fact."

ThunderClan scent became stronger in the breeze. Gorsebelly opened his mouth to drink in smells and stiffened when he recognized the cat scent. A heartbeat later, a white, gray, and black tom stepped out of the brambles, his muscles rippling beneath his battle scarred pelt.

Gorsebelly pointed with his tail. "Look, here comes more ThunderClan," he hissed to Scorchfur. We must fight now!"

Scorchfur crouched down, and growl building in his throat, as he spotted the warrior. Suddenly he yowled, "Fight, if you are warriors!"

Gorsebelly's legs buckled as paws slammed onto his back. Burrsharp claws gripped his pelt. Instinctively, Gorsebelly rolled over, crushing his opponent beneath him. The cat gave a loud huff as the breath was knocked out of him, and Gorsebelly wriggled free.

Jumping to his paws, he spun around to face the pale tabby; the name Adderpaw flashed through his mind, but this wasn't a Gathering. Individual warriors didn't matter in a battle. Only winning did.

"Gorsepaw, remember how to slash! "Scorchpaw was tusseling with his opponent, who was caught in a paw lock and struggling fiercely. Gorsepaw hissed in annoyance. He should be worried about Scorchpaw, not the other way around!

Adderpaw leaped at him again, but this time Gorsepaw was ready. He ducked aside, spun around, and sank his claws into his back as he crashed into the ground. Adderclaw screeched in pain and flipped onto his side, scoring bloody trails along Gorsepaw's flank.

Snarling with rage, Gorsepaw whipped around, preparing to shred Adderpaw's ears, but before he could something white and black and gray barreled into him.

On unsteady paws, Gorsepaw crouched and stared up at the huge, battle-scarred ThunderClan warrior, his eyes the color of sunbaked sand. It was Birchclaw, one of the most respected – and feared – warriors in all the Clans.

Birchclaw raced over to where Scorchpaw and the ThunderClan she-cat were shrieking, locked in a whirling ball of teeth and claws, tufts of fur drifting through the air around them. With a single paw, Birchclaw swiped Scorchpaw's legs from beneath him and rolled him over. Birchclaw lunged for Scorchpaw's throat, but rather than biting into his neck, he grasped him by the scruff and dragged him a tail-length away through the dirt.

The ThunderClan she-cat hissed with satisfaction and leaped at Scorchpaw's exposed belly, but Birchclaw turned on her, hackles raised. "Stop!" he yowled. Panic was alight in his pale eyes. "Stop. Sheathe your claws. You don't know what you're doing."

"Don't bother fighting with these kittens."

Gorsebelly let out a small yelp as he turned around, tail rigid for fear. A menacing figure crouched in the shadows, looking upon them with eyes like yellow flame. He elegantly stepped into the light, his sleek fur gleaming. From the shadows emerged a black-pelted warrior, his whiskers dripping water from a recent swim across the river. His claws glinted like talons.

Thank StarClan! Gorsebelly neared purred. It was Darkfang, his mentor - and also possibly the most terrifying warrior in the claws. Thought Birchclaw was huge, he could find only distaste for the thick-pelted warrior. Obsessed with the warrior code and fearful of StarClan, the mouse-hearted thundercat might as well keep his tail tucked between his legs.

"Turn around, Birchclaw," Darkfang meowed silkily, his voice edging towards a hiss. "Turn around, and look upon your death."

Birchclaw spun about very slowly, digesting this turn of events calmly. The fur on his shoulders was deliberately laid flat, and his paws were round and smooth.

"I'm only trying to keep the peace," he meowed. "Sheathe your claws, or use them to help me stop this fight."

Gorsepaw sneered. What a fox-hearted coward! Birchclaw has no honor. Gorsepaw knew well of warrior honor - and it was no stoic indifference to pain or insults. One must always defend his honor whenever it is transgressed against, and this law was held with as much regard as the warrior code itself, and was essential to all warriors. And this Birchclaw... Birchclaw's about to get shredded!

"What?" Disgust tinged Darkfang's mew. "You attack my warriors and then talk of peace? I hate peace, like I hate all of ThunderClan." He sneered and bared his fangs. "And you. Fight, coward!"

Darkfang reared up and slammed his massive paws down on Birchclaw's spine. Birchclaw rolled over and raked a set of scratches into Darkfang's flank, leaving scarlet beads of blood. With a yowl, Darkfang whipped around and darted forwards. With perfect balance he aimed a swipe at Birchclaw's face, and Birchclaw howled as his blood splattered onto the ground.

Suddenly, a new scent bathed Gorsepaw's tongue. He turned around, but he wasn't quick enough. Claws sank into his shoulders. A ThunderClan warrior was on his back. Another warrior slipped underneath him and raked at his belly with thorn sharp claws. Gorsepaw yowled with rage. Panic rising, he tried to shake off the warrior on top of him while staggering away from the other, but one of them rolled and knocked him off his paws.

Suddenly, one of the ThunderClan cats gave a screech and rolled clumsily off of his back, blood dripping from her ears. The other warrior gave a hiss and squirmed away. Gorsepaw looked up to see Scorchpaw wrestling the tom. The other warrior batted him away, but Scorchpaw dived down and quickly bit the cat's forepaw. The ThunderClan cat gave a scream and wretched his paw away. Limping badly, he slipped away into the trees.

Gorsepaw gave Scorchpaw a grateful nod, but his friend had already flung himself into the battle. It amazed him how swiftly chaos had descended. More patrols from each Clan must have come, and Sunningrocks had become a whirl of teeth and claws and calls for blood. The rocks thrashed and rippled like a river full of salmon. Shrieks and screams issued from senior warriors howling out battle orders which permeated the clamor of the battle. "Strike! Beat them down!" "Down with RiverClan!" "Down with ThunderClan!"

Another RiverClan patrol was ascending from the water, with the thick-pelted, solid brown form of Acornstar among them. The other RiverClan warriors bounded up the slope and leaped into the battle without even shaking the water from their fur.

Acornstar sprang atop one of the tallest boulders, with his mate Blossomlight standing beside him. Her pure-white fur, still wet from her swim across the river, glimmered in the light of the greenleaf sun.

"What's going on?"Acornstar unsheathed his claws and lifted his head. "I must fight!"

Blossomlight weaved her way in front of him, lightly barring him from passing with her tail. "No, Acornstar," she murmured. "You are too frail. Please, stay here."

Gorsebelly suddenly sensed more paws drumming into the clearing. He whipped around to see ThunderClan cats swarming onto the rocks. A young apprentice, little more than a kit, stumbled blindly into him, and Gorsebelly satisfied himself with a quick slash across the ears before stepping back, allowing the apprentice to flee back into the trees.

Among this new patrol he spotted Molestar's well-groomed black pelt, and felt the fur on his shoulders rise. Acornstar's caterwaul rose above the shrieks and howls of the battle; "Look! Molestar is here. Now I must fight for my Clan!

Molestar crouched atop one of the boulders, surrounded by warriors flanking each side. "Crowstar!" he bellowed. "You tyrant!" He turned roughly to Flamebird, his mate, blocking his way, and nudged her with his broad shoulders. "Get out of the way, Flamebird!" he hissed.

Flamebird stepped gently on his paw. "I cannot let you leap blindly into danger," she mewed.

There were cats on all sides now, wrestling and shrieking, the world like a tangled bramble of Clans. Two ThunderClan warrior brushed against him, and Gorsepaw had no time to think about battle moves, about landing each blow perfectly. Instead he spun and slashed and snarled until the rocks blurred around him. Delicate ear skin caught under one of his claws, and with a wrench, he ripped his paw clear and felt a thin spray of blood land on his muzzle.

The battle was slowing; many cats were slumped sideways on the dewy grass, bleeding and motionless. But to Gorsepaw's horror, he spotted some of RiverClan's elders swimming choppily across the river. With their stiff limbs they clambered out and paced among the wounded warriors, ready to lash out at any cat who stirred.

Great StarClan, Gorsepaw thought. Help us!

"You rebellious subjects of StarClan!" someone yowled faintly from above. "You enemies to peace, you who disrespect the fellowship of the Clans!" The voice lowered, and Gorsepaw strained to hear. "Will they not listen?" Now his howl soared over the battling cats, so loud and deep Gorsebelly felt as if it reverberated within his bones.

"Stop!" The cat screeched. "Stop this battle!"

The clamor of the battle stopped as every cat turned to face the voice. A WindClan patrol stood atop the very tallest boulder, looking down at the bloodstained rocks. They parted to reveal Emberstar, the leader of the WindClan cats. A slight breeze ruffled his marbled pelt as he fixed his intense yellow gaze upon them.

"You fox-hearts, every one of you - you quench that fire of Clan pride and rage with mouse-brained, bloodstained battles! On pain of death, sheathe your bloody claws and hear WindClan's verdict!"

The distinctive slink of sheathing claws echoed through the rocks. Gorsepaw knew every cat was obeying. ThunderClan and RiverClan were each powerful in their own right, but WindClan had not been so strong since Windstar had reigned over them. Emberstar was, without a doubt, the most respected and legendary cat in all Clans, and some thought that in Clan lore he would never be forgotten. He had utterly demolished ShadowClan once, and ever since all Clans lived in fear of them.

"Three battles," he yowled. "Three pointless battles, bred by border skirmishes and raids and pride, all organized by you, old Acornstar and Molestar. Battles that have thrice disturbed the peace of our Clans, and forced even elders to leave their dens to wield old claws to part your cankered hate."

Emberstar suddenly looked up at the sky. Gorsepaw tipped his head back. A single, proud star resisted the light of the sun, and Gorsepaw shivered. StarClan has been watching us.

"If ever," Emberstar yowled, "you fight for Sunningrocks this way again..." Emberstar paused for a moment, blinking hard, and then his voice rose again in a fierce caterwaul. "Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace."

There were gasps and mutters from the onlooking cats, and Gorsepaw shifted his paws, his fur prickling uncomfortably all over. Somehow, he thought despondently, it has come to this.

"This battle is over," Emberstar meowed loudly, too loudly through the eerily silent breeze. "All may depart."

Gorsepaw turned away heavily, the pain of his wounds only now reaching him. His back and shoulders were covered with scratches, and his belly felt battered and stiff. But as he limped wearily off, his ears pricked as Emberstar spoke again.

"You, Acornstar, shall go along with me," Emberstar ordered. Acornstar hesitated briefly, and then nodded. It was not wise to defy the strongest cat in the forest.

"And Molestar," Emberstar continued, "You come at sun-high to the Fourtrees." Before waiting for a reply, Emberstar sprang atop a boulder, his chest swelling as if with pride. "Once more, on pain of death, all depart!"

For the last time, Gorsepaw turned away from Sunningrocks. He padded heavily down to the shore, his Clanmates stalking beside him, but none left with a sense of dignity. Even Blossomlight, who was leading them, left her tail dragging limply in the dust, her eyes dull with defeat.

ThunderClan thought StarClan had moved the river for them, and that's why the river belonged to them. But Gorsepaw knew better. StarClan didn't give them that river – it was a curse, not a gift, and StarClan somehow must've been angry.

StarClan, he thought dimly, entering the river with neat, clean strokes. He spotted Scorchpaw erratically bobbing through the water, and behind him was a thin trail of blood. StarClan can't help us anymore.