Lionblaze leapt over Cloudtail as the white tom stepped in front of him, landing in the middle of the clearing, alone with Firestar. "Well, hello," Lionblaze sneered. "Finally gotten back up again, have we? To recap what happened while you were dead, Firestar, Dustpelt and Longtail, the traitors to Tigerstar they were, have gone into Starclan with the useless old she-cat, Mousefur."
Firestar narrowed his eyes. He had seen all this happen while he was dying. Still no Starclan cats had come to help or guide him. What's going on? Has one of the Three blocked out even Starclan?
Lionblaze growled, looking for an opening to pounce. The leader was a skilled fighter. "This is a pretty pathetic clan, if one cat that's alive and two dead cats can stop a clan and kill its leader. It's probably the leader's fault he has such a soft clan. Once a kittypet, always a kittypet, I guess."
The taunt worked, though not exactly how Lionblaze had planned it. Cloudtail leapt forward, growling with all his long fur bristling. Hawkfrost sighed to himself. Why do I have to be crowd control while Lionblaze and father get all the fun taunting? Hawkfrost barreled into Cloudtail, scratching at his leg and forcing the tom back towards the masses of the clan. Firestar got distracted by his nephew, and while he turned his head, Lionblaze leapt at the tom's shoulders, and Firestar ducked, but he was too slow. Lionblaze was on top of his back, the larger tom forcing all his weight onto Firestar's front legs, as his sharp claws dug at the fur on his shoulders. Firestar noticed that Lionblaze's back paws were straddling the ground on either side of Firestar's body. With a massive effort, Firestar managed to rear up, twisting his body around when Lionblaze's paws left his shoulders in order to land on top of the younger cat as he fell on his back.
But Lionblaze was a step ahead of the tom. As Firestar twisted his body the tom sliced through the leader's stomach. Firestar's back legs slipped off the ground as Lionblaze's felled his blow, and the leader fell onto Lionblaze, who wriggled away from the leader's now-limp body, feeling Firestar's blood soak through his fur.
Lionblaze got to his paws and stared at his clan. Nearly all of the faces he saw were frightened, too frightened to move. He had wondered how Tigerstar and Hawkfrost were keeping them back so effectively. In truth, most of them only dared trying to get past once, and never coordinated these struggles.
As Lionblaze gazed around the camp, his eyes snapped on one furious face. Berrynose, and his stupid, also kittypet, siblings. Not worthy of living in this clan.
"Oh, look, more kittypets. I can't believe I lived with you three useless scraps for so long," Lionblaze taunted, hoping that sneering words would draw out the three warriors.
Berrynose swelled up with rage, forgetting what had just happened to other cats that came in front of Lionblaze. "Why don't you say that to my face, coward!"
Lionblaze grinned. "Oh, I suppose I just don't feel like rubbing fur with a kittypet, I just washed, you know."
Berrynose felt his siblings close in around him. They could take on this stupid warrior. Berrynose leaped at Lionblaze, who had started towards the three warriors, while Hazeltail and Mousewhisker stalked towards the sides of Lionblaze.
Lionblaze, expecting the leap, darted to one side and slashed through Berrynose's throat. Mousewhisker and Hazeltail leaped on him from either side. Lionblaze grunted as he fell to his side, landing on top of Mousewhisker. Hazeltail sliced through Lionblaze's shoulder, crouching over the ginger warrior. Lionblaze gathered up his back legs and thrust the she-cat a foxlength away. Mousewhisker shoved from underneath Lionblaze, and the two warriors scrambled to their paws. Lionblaze made quick work of Mousewhisker, jumping on the tom's back and delivering a fatal bite to the back of the neck.
Lionblaze heard a shocked gasp somewhere by the nursery. Daisy. The Lionblaze leaped towards the nursery. Daisy gasped and tried to turn tail and run into the nursery, but Lionblaze leaped on top of the she-cat, scratching down her shoulders, and bit down on the back of the kittypet's neck. Daisy crumpled from underneath him. Lionblaze heard a shocked, enraged yowl from the center of the clearing. Oh yeah, Hazeltail is still alive.
The bloodstained ginger tom leapt back towards the center o the clearing. The moment he landed Hazeltail was on top of him. Lionblaze quickly rolled over onto his back, crushing Hazeltail underneath him and leaping back onto his paws to keep from anyone taking advantage of his exposed belly. Hazeltail got up and leaped at Lionblaze, aiming for the warrior's head. Lionblaze ducked, twisting his body and leaping at Hazeltail as the warrior landed. Hazeltail's shoulders were hit by Lionblaze's forepaws, and the young tom was pinned down. Lionblaze unceremoniously ripped out his throat.
Lionblaze heard a low groan behind him. Whipping around, he saw Firestar blinking his eyes open. Oh, come on. How many lives does that furball have left? I'm getting tired. And I still have to go to moonpool. Lionblaze pounced on Firestar's back before the tom was fully conscious, and bit the back of his neck. Firestar again went limp.
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Firestar again found himself in the clearing where the shadow of himself was. Before, no Starclan cats had come. Now Bluestar was standing before him.
"About time. I've been getting killed more times than I'm able to count with all that's been happening around my camp. Why is Starclan letting Lionblaze do this?"
"Firestar, you forget. Any cat has the power to mess with a cat's destiny. We have little control, and can only guide the living cats below us. As for why no Starclan cat has come to see you here, we've mostly been working on bringing the other deceased from you're clan to Starclan. It's been particularly hard to get to Berrynose; I don't think he's believed in Starclan for a while. Hazeltail and Mousewhisker have only just been able to get to him. It's panic in Starclan as much as it's panic in your clan. This could lead to the destruction of all the clans. By the way, you have one life left, but you need to rest here for a little while more."
Firestar, knowing it was no use being impatient, settled down onto the ground, and looked over to the sleeping form of his other lives. There were the other leaders sleeping near him. Leopardstar's was nearly as solid as Firestar's; she must have two lives left. Blackstar's was about halfway between, Firestar estimated he has four or five lives left. Onestar had the most translucent image possible, showing that he had only lost one life. Interesting.
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On a completely different portion of the general area, Lionblaze was standing over Firestar's body. He had been standing there for a while. He was running out of energy. But there was one cat that he wanted out of submission that filled his mind. He found the light gray tabby near her mate. He closed his eyes, summoning his energy, and leapt towards his enemy with a snarl.
Millie started back in surprise as Lionblaze landed in front of her. He glared at her through the blood that coated his face. "Kittypet," He snarled. He slipped underneath her as she tried to leap on him, turning around and pouncing on her back with bloodstained claws piercing her neck. Graystripe gasped and snarled, lunging towards the ginger tom. Lionblaze leapt off Millie, and he stalked back to the center of the clearing. He felt his power flowing back into his tired muscles, feeling fresh and ready for a good fight.
Graystripe was stalking towards Lionblaze, eyes filled with the grief of losing another mate. Lionblaze snarled and started to circle with Graystripe, sizing up the gray warrior, when powerful caws flung him backwards. He turned his head to see his second attacker. Firestar stood above him, eyes filled with fury. Lionblaze spat and gathered his limbs underneath himself. He leapt up, forcing Firestar off his back. When he was on hid hind legs, Graystripe pounced on Lionblaze's shoulders, forcing the warrior on his back. Lionblaze pushed Graystripe off himself with his back legs. Firestar was charging at his side. Lionblaze leaped straight up, landing on Firestar's back, causing the warrior to fall on his side, while Lionblaze ripped his throat out.
Graystripe stopped in shock. That was his leader and friend's last life. "Firestar! Firestar's dead!" he yowled, and collapsed next to the leader's body. Lionblaze growled and prepared to leap on the mourning warrior, when Tigerstar stepped in front of him.
Tigerstar frowned. "You're taking this a bit too far. May I turn your attention to the two standing over there," Tigerstar flicked his translucent tail to Jayfeather and Hollyleaf. Lionblaze growled. His cousins, the spawn of Leafpool and Crowfeather.
Lionblaze leapt at Jayfeather, but the blind cat was blocked by Hollyleaf. Tears were in the she-cat's eyes. "Lionblaze, you need to stop this! You're breaking the warrior code!"
"I'm getting rid of the cats who break the warrior code, either in actions or just existing, like you, half-clan scum," Lionblaze growled in his cousin's face. He lunged forward, hooking his claws in her throat. Her body convulsed once, and then, as Lionblaze flung her to the ground, she became still.
Lionblaze stood over his dead cousin's body, ready to finally move on to his male cousin, when a scene near the entrance of the camp distracted him. Hawkfrost was trying to keep his half-brother, Brambleclaw away from the entrance in order to escape. Impressive, Lionblaze thought, He's the first cat who's even thought of escaping. Panic really does make you senseless. How on earth did I miss killing him before now? Lionblaze bunched his muscles to leap at the deputy.
Jayfeather turned his head up, ears angled towards Lionblaze. With all his focus, he could hear Lionblaze's deep breathing, and a loud thumping. His heartbeat, Jayfeather realized. Lionblaze's focus was on Brambleclaw, this was his only chance to stop his cousin's madness. Sensing when Lionblaze's muscles bunched, Jayfeather also bunched his muscles, jumping at an angle to intercept his cousin's leap, Claws extended, reaching for the heartbeat that filled his ears.
Claws pierced Lionblaze's chest. Lionblaze turned his head mid-leap, lunging blood-stained teeth into the throat of his attacker. Jayfeather felt his claws pierce that ringing heartbeat, slowing, quickly. Slowing in time with his heartbeat, as he felt teeth tear his throat.
Hawkfrost grinned at his half brother and disappeared. Brambleclaw turned and saw two bloody cats falling towards him. He froze, his mind blank with fear from Tigerstar, and the hurt of his only son's betrayal.
And as the two cats thumped to the ground, they died, landing right in front of the paws of the surviving deputy, Brambleclaw. Tigerstar grinned, padding back to the dark forest to welcome his grandson, and whispered in his live son's ear.
"There goes your mind…"
Author's Notes:
Isn't this an amazing chapter? It feels like it could be the ending of a story! But this is only the beginning, of the story and the death.
I have Lionblaze fall on top of Mousewhisker because I was annoyed with Mousewhisker, I can never remember his name. Or gender, for that matter.
The first thing I completely plotted out in my mind for this story was the ending of this chapter, with Lionblaze ripping out Jayfeather's throat while Jayfeather's claws pierce Lionblaze's heart.
I love sad endings.
Did you know that the editor of Warriors, Vicky Holmes, got married?
That was random. Anyway, I'm sorry about how long this took; it's sort of hard to type through about 10 cat's deaths without getting bored or extremely repetitive. If I have too little or too much detail, please say so.
My sarcasm finally found it's way into the story, didn't it?
Is this chapter shorter than the first? Let me check… Yep, about a page shorter. It was sort of hard to type.
The next chapter involves Brambleclaw mostly. Now I need to plan his leader ceremony.