Life without a Warrior Code... is nothing more than Death to the Living…

Ever since the sinister cat Thornclaw had shrouded the Lakeside Forest in fear, the Clans had lived in terror. Thornclaw destroyed the Warrior Code just moons after he had betrayed Brambleclaw and Firestar. Ever since he saw the BloodClan leader Scourge take the evil tyrant Tigerstar's nine lives in one blow, he had been inspired. Thornclaw would play the trustful cat until it was his time to rule the forest, and when that time came, he would show his true colours.

First Thornclaw had helped Hawkfrost to attempt to kill Firestar. He knew that he was stronger than Brambleclaw, but he had to get Firestar out of the way before he tried anything. The attempt failed, Firestar had lived and Brambleclaw had killed Hawkfrost. Thornclaw watched from the brambles just beyond, and knew he couldn't save Hawkfrost. It would ruin his chances at ruling the forest. But then, after all this was over, he betrayed Brambleclaw by turning on him in the middle of a battle between ThunderClan and ShadowClan. He killed Brambleclaw with the instant death attack that he watched Scourge perform many moons ago. No one had seen. Later that evening he was made Deputy. Everyone was just as surprised as he was. Everyone including him thought the next Deputy to be Brackenfur. He had always liked Brackenfur and was relieved to see that he need not kill him. All that stood between him and his ambition was Firestar.

After carefully practices his death blow on a family of foxes he had known to be living in a hollow near the WindClan border, he was ready. He took Firestar out into the forest for a hunt, and killed him the same way Tigerstar had died. Thornclaw's excuse was that Firestar got kidnapped by Twolegs. Luckily when others went to investigate they found the scent of a struggle (the one between himself and Firestar), and a strong scent of Twoleg. Thornclaw buried Firestar in the forest to the north of the Lake before went to warn the Clans, and was careful to cover the scent of Firestar being dragged along the forest floor. Thornclaw received his nine lives the next night and told the Clan the horrifying news of Firestar and Brambleclaw. Even though the Clan despised him they could not go against him since StarClan had accepted his Leadership.

Thornclaw, now known as Thornstar then threatened the other Clans and even got a band of ShadowClan followers who bowed down to him out of fear. As soon as ShadowClan's leader Blackstar heard of Thornstar's connection to Tigerstar and Hawkfrost he was bowing down to the tyrant. Thornstar then broke the Warrior code and turned the whole forest into one Clan: TigerClan. Soon everyone was against everyone. All of the cats were starving. The Warrior Code was broken. But there was a small group of resistors that included mainly ThunderClan cats, and some from WindClan and RiverClan. But there was only two cats from ShadowClan. Leafpool, ThunderClan's old medicine cat, had told of a Prophecy that would destroy Thornstar's reign. Three cats, one of Soul, one of Strength, and one of Intelligence, will dissolve the Shadow of Madness. It was their only hope.

After the Prophecy was foretold Leafpool told Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Brightheart to keep a close eye on any three cats that showed signs of soul, strength, or intelligence. While Dustpelt and Graystripe had bravely found resistors of Thornstar from all of the different Clans, Ferncloud and Squirrelflight made sure that all of the kits were fed. Leafpool and the blind elder Longtail had finally found a time and place for a meeting to take place. The Moonpool, where all cats except Thornstar were forbidden to go. Of course Thornstar rarely went, so they would wait until Thornstar went next, and go the very next day. In only a quarter-moons time, they saw Thornstar stalking off towards the Moonpool. The historic meeting of the resistors would begin at dawn.