Yep. Everything rewritten. Hope you enjoy it!

You don't always win your battles, but it's good to know you fought - Lauren Bacall

Prolouge

The forest was deathly still. The only sound was the rippling of the water in the river nearby. The water moved smoothly, glowing white in the moonlight. It was a full moon, casting light so even a cat with difficulty seeing could see were they were going. But suddenly, the quiet of the forest was distrubed as a quiet rustling came from the bushes nearby. A snowwhite she-cat stepped from the bushes, a silver silholete in the moonlight.

She sat down near the river and tucked her tail over her paws neatly. She waited, waited for the familiar splash of water, the familiar rustle of the bushes, and the famliar crunch of the leaves.

Then, a sound came from across the river. A splash and the she-cat flicked an ear in anticepation. Then, a rustle sounded from behind her and a sleek black tom stepped forward, nodding at her in greeting before sitting next to her, flicking his tail impatiently. Then, from the mist that hovered over the river came the shadow of a ginger colored she-cat, swimming against the current. When she made it to shore, she pulled herself out of the water and shook off her pelt, spraying water droplets everywhere before placing herself between the two cats, flicking her tail in greeting.

Then, a crunch of leaves singled the arrival of the final member. A golden brown tabby tom stepped from the undergrowth from upstream and also sat down. The four cats nodded in silent agreement and huddled in a circle.

"Must we do this tonight, Perish?" rasped the black tom, voice cracked with worry. "I mean, the Gathering -"

"Makes it perfect, Darkheart," the white she-cat answered, her voice delicate, flicking her ear in silence. "All we have to do is steal the kits. That's it!"

"She's right, Darkheart," the golden brown tabby growled, swishing his tail in excitement. "I've waited moons for this!"

"We know, Sharpfang," the ginger she-cat purred in amusement, her voice slightly slurred. "It's all you've talked about in our...meetings."

The golden-brown tabby scoffed fakily. "And what about you, Bleedingsoul? Talked about the weather the whole time?" His voice was low, but there was a hint of amusement and humor in it.

There was suddenly a rustle in the bushes and Perish hissed for silence. The 4 cats stood rigged, backs arched and fur bristling, until a water vole dashed out. Without a word, Darkheart leaped forward and killed it. The 4 cats shared the pitiful meal and purred in satisfation. Darkheart looked back at the bushes he appeared from, obviously anxious about something. Perish looked up at the sky, watching as the moon snuck lower in the sky. Then, after about half an hour, the white she-cat stood up. Her eyes shimmered evilly as she flicked her tail at her compaions.

"Tonight is the night we get revenge," she mewed. The cats nodded, unsheating their claws. "These clan cats have told us what to do for moons. Now, it's time to tell them what to do! FangClan shall live on and win this battle!" As the cats yowled their agreement, Perish screeched a war cry and darted into the bushes in which she appeared. Close behind her alliance followed her, claws and fangs gleaming in the moonlight.

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Everything was quiet inside ThunderClan camp. Only a couple warriors were stationed at camp, as the rest were at the gathering. The last apprentice was sneaking into the den, ready to get a full nights sleep in. The clan was almost motionless except for two warriors stationed near the entrance, chatting as they guarded their clan.

"Have you seen Perishsong's kits? They look just like her," mewed the dark brown warriors stationed on the left. He lifted a quick paw to scratch behind his ear before continuing, "Well, except for one. It looks like Ashfoot."

The other one, a pretty Russian Blue she-cat, purred in response. "Yes. What did she call it, Coalkit?" she mewed, looking over at the other warrior with a questioning glance. The tom nodded.

"Yes. Snowkit, Whitekit, and Coalkit." He looked down questioningly at the older she-cat. "And aren't you supposed to be kitting soon, Featherpool?"

The she-cat purred, half closing her eyes and nodded. "Yep. About another week or so. And when's Dreamfeather due, Brackenpelt?"

The tom scratched behind his ears. "About...another moon or so..."

Featherpool purred in teasing. "And is the lucky father proud?"

Brackenpelt was about to give the she-cat a nip on the ear but before he could, something leaped out of the bushes at him. A swift flash of white and Brackenpelt fell to the ground dead, blood pouring from the wound on the back of his neck. His eyes were staring lifelessly forward, and his face was frozen in a look of surprise.

Featherpool screamed and trembled as the white she-cat that had attacked so swiftly turned to her, grinning. Her eyes stared at the she-cat in horror.

"P-Perish..." She muttered, eyeing the lifeless body of her best friend lying just a few feet away.

"Yes. Yes it's me, Featherpool," the white she-cat purred in morbid amusement. "I thought you would be a bit happier to see me..." She turned to the body lying a few inches from her paws. "It's ashame he had to die so quickly." She turned back to the frozen with shock she-cat. "Maybe you'll put up a little more of a fight..." As if on cue three other cats stepped from the bushes, grinning evilly.

"Get her."

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A yowl of pain echoed in the camp, awaking the dim gray warrior inside the warriors den. In concern, he got quickly to his paws and padded out of the den just in time to see two cats dragging the motionless body of Brackenpelt into the woods. With horror, the tom layed eyes on the managled body of Featherpool, lying in a pool of her own blood. He felt his blood boiling in anger and in panic. The Clan must be warn!

"Attack!" he screeched loudly, hearing a ruslte from the bushes a moment before a flash of black emerged, heading right toward him. "Attack on ThunderClan!" He was quicker than his attacker though and he sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the tom's claws. He leapt at the right moment, pinning the tom on the ground. He looked down into the face of his attacker and gasped.

"Panthershadow?"

The sleek black tom grinned evilly. "Of course. Aren't you happy to see me, Cinderfang?" In his moment of shock, Panthershadow had enough time to turn the tables and flip Cinderfang on his back. He lunged for his throat but Cinderfang had recovered. Quickly he reached up and bit the toms neck as hard as he could. Panthershadow yowled and loosened his grip a bit, giving Cinderfang the edge he needed to throw the attacker off and pin him down.

"Why is RiverClan attacking?" Cinderfang spat, but his question was answered as 2 more figures darted into the camp, attacking the remaining warriors. It wasn't RiverClan?

"It's not RiverClan you need to worry about!" Panthershadow hissed. "It's FangClan!" FangClan? Cinderfang struggled with the larger warrior, trying to pin him down under his weight. But Panthershadow was too strong and large for Cinderfang, and with a swift, powerful bite to his forepaw, he was free. Cinderfang, paw throbbing, chased after him.

As he chased the RiverClan cat, Cinderfang noticed the two other cats. Lionpelt of WindClan and Amberfur of ShadowClan! What was going on? And who was FangClan? Cinderfang had no time to think upon this before he was bowled over by another cat.

He didn't know if it was the force of the blow or the face of the cat that had attacked that had knocked out his breath, but once it was back, he hissed in amazment.

"Perishsong!"

"Yes, it is I, dear brother," she purred, pinning him down with amazing strenght. "I am the leader of FangClan!" Cinderfang couldn't believe it...his own sister!

"You're a coldblooded monster!" Cinderfang hissed in rage as he flipped the she-cat over onto her back, exposing her belly. With a fierce cry of anger, he bit her ear and raked her belly with his claws. She yowled and tried to push the tom off, but in vain. Cinderfang weight more than her.

Suddenly, in the middle of his attack, he was bowled over by Lionpelt, and when Cinderfang looked over his shoulder, he saw the lifeless form of one of his apprentices. A feeling of cold dread filled him as he struggled.

"Give it up, Cinderfang," he hissed. "FangClan will rule the forest!" Cinderfang's eyes instinctly flew to the nursery, and to his horror he saw Perishsong squeezing in. Of course they would let her in. She was a queen!

"Don't let her in! Traitor! Trai-" he was cut off as Lionpelt placed his paw on his throat, blocking his windpipe. He struggled again, kicking and frailing. But no matter what he did he couldn't get free. Just when he thought he was going to faint from lack of oxigen, something bowled into the traitorius tom, knocking him off Cinderfang. Cinderfang took a deep breath, savioring the fresh air in his lungs. He got to his paws and, without looking to see who saved him, darting toward the nursery. Perishsong was exiting with three kits in her mouth. Snowkit was among them!

"No!" he yowled, tackling the she-cat in a way that wouldn't harm the kits in her mouth. The kits mewled pitifully as they were thrown from Perishsong's mouth. Perishsong hissed.

"Mousebrain! Just give up! FangClaw will rule!" She swiped Cinderfang across the face with a paw, but Cinderfang just retorted both verbally and psychally.

"There will always be only 4 clans in the forest!" he hissed, taking his claws and raking them down the side of her face. Perishsong yelped in pain, and struggled under his grip. Just as she was about to attack again, the warriors and apprentices appeared. With a fierce yowl, she pushed Cinderfang off of her and disappeared into the forest, Lionpelt, Panthershadow, and Amberfur behind her. Cinderfang, panting and exhausted, got shakily to his paws. His eyes flew to the kits, squealing pitifully, but they were unscratched. Sighing with relief, Cinderfang limped over to the three kits and picked them up, returning them safely to the nursery.

When he returned to the camp, he watched as the warriors limped off to see to the dead. Cinderfang winched as he saw 2 bodies lying motionless on the ground. He realized, with a pang of grief that one was the deputy of ThunderClan. His throat was ripped open, and blood continued to gush from the wound. He looked at the other and sighed.

"Cinderfang! What happened?" came the angered mew of his leader, Icestar. Cinderfang turned to her, watching her blue gray pelt shimmer in the moonlight. "Speak!"

"Rouges..." he mewed. Then, his blood began to boil again. "A betrayal. From each Clan. They formed a new one! FangClan." He watched as his leader looked at him incrediously. "Lionpelt, Panthershadow, Amberfur and..." he paused, the pain from his sisters betrayal stinging him more than the deep wound on his leg.

"And...one from our Clan?" Icestar muttered, looking down at her paws. "Who?"

"...Perishsong..."

Cinderfang looked down and closed his eyes. Memories from his kithood filled his mind. He and his sister had been the closest of the siblings. They were even apprenticed together! The thought of his sister betrayal made him feel sick. How could a once innocent cat turn into a cold-blooded rouge?

"Cinderfang, follow me," Icestar suddenly meowed, and started for her den. Cinderfang followed, suddenly feeling numb. Before he knew it, they were at the den and he was sitting under Icestar's watchful gaze.

"We have lost four cats, correct? Including...Lunarshadow..." her voice was thick with grief. Lunarshadow had been the warrior. Cinderfang nodded.

"Featherpool, Gorseheart, and Brackenpelt were the others, Icestar," Cinderfang pointed out in a monotone voice.

"I see...Four cats lost their lives to 4 other cats ignorance," Icestar mewed, anger mixed with grief in her voice. It was silent what seemed like moons to Cinderfang after that comment. Cinderfang avoided his leaders gaze, but he could feel it, boring into his pelt, reading his mind...The clan would forever see him like his sister...

"The time has come to choose a new deputy, unforunately," she sighed, eyes closed. "And it seems my desicion is already made." Without another word, Icestar exited the den, and Cinderfang, after a moment, followed.

When he exited the den, the cats were already gathered beneath the High Rock. Cinderfang padded with heavy paws toward the back, feeling all the cats eyes on him, mocking him, turning away with disgust. He sitted himself alone, away from the other cats, and looked up at his leader.

"While we were at the Gathering, it seems 4 warriors, each from a different clan, desided to turn their backs on their clans and join together to form a new clan, FangClan." Their were gasps and growls from the clan around him, and Cinderfang narrowed his eyes in agreement. "Because of these four cats, fours of our own loyal ones lost their lives. Featherpool -" A dark gray tom yowled in grief "Gorsepaw, Brackenpelt -" A Russian Blue she-cat wailed in grief "and our beloved deputy...Lunarshadow." Yowls of grief and anger rippled through the clan, and this time, Cinderfang joined in. Thats when he noticed a light brown tabby padding toward him. He lowered his gaze and she sat next to him, pressing her pelt against his in comfort. Cinderfang was numb to it, though.

"Who were the cats that..." mewed the she-cat next to him. Icestar looked at her in anger, but not toward her, toward the traitors.

"Oakstripe, I don not think you want to know, but for your safety I shall tell you," She stopped, closing her eyes. "From WindClan...Lionpelt." Yowls of disbelief filled the clearing. "From RiverClan...Panthershadow." Again, more yowls. "From ShadowClan...Amberfur." No sound this time, for the cats were bristling. They were obviously wondering who the traitor from their clan was.

"And from...ThunderClan...Perishsong..."

Cinderfang closed his eyes as the growling and hissing of his clanmates continued. He felt several eyes bore into his skin, but he didn't open his eyes. He felt Oakstripe press more into his pelt, and hiss a warning at the other cats. Icestar yowled, silencing her clan. The cats turned back to their leader, but Cinderfang could feel theis bristling pelt.

"And now, sadly, the time has come to appoint a new deputy..." Icestar sighed and opened her eyes, looking up at Silverpelt. "I say these words before the body of Lunarshadow, that his spirit may hear and approve my choice." She paused, and the cats waited silently not moving or speaking.

"Cinderfang is the new deputy of ThunderClan..."

All eyes turned to Cinderfang as he jerked up his head. Him? Deputy? He felt Oakstripe purr encouragingly to him and he got shakily to his paws and padded toward the High Rock, ignoring the stares from the other cats. He stopped at the base of the rock, faced the clan and took a deep breath.

"I...I don't think I deserve this...but...I accept." At once, he caught the eye of Oakstripe and she smiled at him. The gazes were not hostile, they were curious and accepting. Above his, Icestar nodded and leapt from the High Rock, stalking toward the body of her former deputy, and placing her muzzle into his flank. She whispered something and begun sharing tongues with him for the last time.

---End of Chapter---

Ohh...good chappie! I think anyway. Espically rewritten. Hope you enjoyed!

SoL