I was the ThunderClan deputy when I died. Deputy to Bluestar. I am a tortoiseshell tom with my signature ginger tail.

Who am I? I am Redtail.

Tigerstar's first victim.

It was night in newleaf. It was another battle of the seemingly unending war with RiverClan for Sunningrocks.

Long ago, the river that separated my Clan with RiverClan surrounded Sunningrocks, and thus belonged to RiverClan. But one hot Greenleaf StarClan narrowed the river, which made the Sunningrocks accessible by ThunderClan. Ever since then, the two Clans had fought over the pile of stones.

I stared blindly ahead of me, filled with shock at the sight several fox-lengths away. While fighting with the RiverClan deputy, Oakheart, I had knocked him into the side of the Sunningrocks. This had made the rocks start to crumble, and heartbeats later, crushed Oakheart. I knew as soon as the dust cleared, he was dead.

But something had grabbed my attention right before Oakheart was killed. I though I had heared him whisper, "Goodbye, my Bluestar," but I figured it was just me.

I know now that I was wrong.

Anyway, creeping a little closer, just to be sure the RiverClan deputy was dead, I could make out the aftermath.

I saw only his bracken-colored paw stick out from under the rocks. Blood pooled all around the edges of the rocks, and I stepped back, having enough of the presence of the crushed corpse.

Climbing to the top of the Sunningrocks, raising my voice above the caterwauls below, I yowled, "Oakheart is dead!"

Suddenly, everything went silent, all eyes fixed on me. The silence was broken by a grief-filled wail from the RiverClan warrior, Stonefur, who was also Oakheart's son.

The gray tom darted to where Oakheart's body lay crushed under the rocks. I saw him push his nose into the fur of his father's paw, ignoring the blood that lapped at his own paws and whispered, "Oh, why StarClan? Please, why?"

Keeping my voice strong and steady despite the sudden death, I continued, "RiverClan, take your deputy's body and go home. The Sunningrocks belongs to ThunderClan now, and will for quite a while."

I leaped down from the Sunningrocks and watched as the RiverClan battle patrol retrieved Oakheart's body and carried it to the other side of the river.

I heard the bushes rustle behind me and I assumed that my battle patrol was heading back to camp to report to Bluestar.

I was wrong.

There was still one cat the remained.

I hadn't expected the blow that was coming to me a few heartbeats later. I let out a screech of pain as I felt claws score across my back.

I was flung into the air for a few moments and slammed against the Sunningrocks. Terror filled me to my ear-tips. Not just from the ambush, but also the fear of meeting the same fate as Oakheart.

Fear and confusion hit me as I saw my attacker. "Tigerclaw?" I meowed, staggering to my paws, "What is the meaning of this?"

The dark-brown tabby warrior snarled at me, his amber eyes blazing with hunger and ambition, and his fangs glistening in the moonlight. "If it wasn't for you," he began, "We would have had Sunningrocks in the last battle."

"I had to order to retreat," I challenged, "If I didn't cats might have been killed. What would have you done?"

"I would have kept my warriors fighting," Tigerclaw replied, "Fighting until every one of those RiverClan crowfoods had retreated."

Was that pride in his tone? I know now it was. Rage filled through me. This cat was willing to end innocent lives to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. Was this what being a warrior meant to him?

"You're a weak fool, Redtail," Tigerclaw added, and with a tiny smirk he murmured, "And I know just how to fix that. Oakheart won't be the only cat to die tonight."

Tigerclaw lunged at me, his long claws extended. I quickly darted under him and slashed at his soft belly. I had managed to maneuver from between his hind legs to above him, planning to bite into his scruff, but my plan failed when I felt Tigerclaw's fangs sink into my foreleg, and he threw me down to the hard ground.

The breath was knocked out of me as I slammed onto the ground. I begged for StarClan to help me, and give me the strength to run, but Tigerclaw had me pinned before I could escape.

"Oh, do not worry, Redtail," Tigerclaw sneered, "ThunderClan will be left in good paws. Bluestar will make me deputy once I nobly return your corpse to our Clanmates, and announce my victory. And once Bluestar dies, I will take over ThunderClan and make it the most powerful Clan in the forest. More powerful than TigerClan!"

The massive tom leaned to my ear and whispered, "Greet StarClan for me."

Pain slammed through me as Tigerclaw sank his fangs into my throat. With dying eyes, images of the cats I would be leaving flashed past.

My apprentice, Dustpaw. I had hoped to announce to Bluestar when he would be ready to become a warrior, and call out his warrior name to StarClan, but now that would just be dreams that would never come true. But I had watched him sit in his vigil as Dustpelt, and couldn't been more proud of him.

My beautiful mate, Brindleface. I had been so pleased when she told me she would be expecting her second litter of kits. I had hoped to nuzzle the little scraps of life at the day of their birth, but I could never do that now. I had waited for her in StarClan, and watched the suriving two, Ashkit and Fernkit, grow up to be Ashfur and Ferncloud.

My wonderful daughter, Sandpaw. I had loved her so much, and in my final moments wished that I had visited her in the nursery much more than I had. I had watched her as she sat in vigil with Dustpelt as Sandstorm, and watched more with pride as she bore her two daughters, Squirrelflight and Leafpool.

And finally, my noble leader, Bluestar. I didn't want to leave her in this time, when I knew of Tigerclaw's motives. She would be in danger when she had made him deputy, and watched with sympathy as the shock and heart brake ravaged her mind in her final seasons.

With my last amount of life force I meekly whispered, "You'll regret this, Tigerclaw." And I finally gave in to the cold darkness of death.

I was greeted warmly by my mother, Swiftbreeze, and father, Adderfang. My older sister, Leopardfoot, also greeted me, but it was hesitant and regretful, and I knew exactly why.

Tigerstar, the cat who had murdered me, was her kit. I was killed by my own nephew.

My highest regards are with Firestar, the former kittypet that Bluestar had brought to the Clan the very same day Oakheart and I died. And not to mention Ravenpaw, the loner who had witnessed my death when he was Tigerstar's apprentice.

Firestar and his friend, Graystripe, had taken the skinny black tom to a barn beyond WindClan territory to protect Ravenpaw from Tigerstar, who had suspicions that he had knew the truth of my death.

On the day when Tigerstar's band of rogues had attacked ThunderClan, Firestar had revealed the truth about Tigerstar and my death. Bluestar had exiled him, but he had soon taken over ShadowClan.

Hungry for more power, he had allied himself with BloodClan, a large group of rogues, and their leader, Scourge.

In the end, Scourge took all nine of Tigerstar's lives by slicing him from between his eyes, and almost to his tail.

Tigerstar now walks in the Place of No Stars, but just because he is dead, doesn't mean his dark, ambitious spirit has died along with him. He has plans of great doom coming to the Clans: a great war between StarClan and the Place of No Stars.

But I can assure you, whenever that time comes, we will be ready.