A beautiful, slender tortoiseshell she-cat padded towards the darkness of a forest, followed by a magnificent blue cat and three others: a white she-cat with gray ear-tips, a big white tom, and a large golden brown tom with fur like a lion's.

The blue cat paused, her eyes wild. "Do we have to go on, Spottedleaf? You know I don't like this place."

The tortoiseshell shuddered. "Yes, nor do I, Bluestar." She closed her eyes. "Clawpelt will be here. He killed me, just like Tigerstar almost did to you." Her eyes flashed back open. "But I know there is something going on in here. I can feel it in my fur."

The white she-cat whisked her tail away. "My mate's here," she sighed. "Poor Thistleclaw. If only I had known he would turn out like that."

Bluestar rounded on her. "I told you, Snowfur! But you didn't believe me!"

The other white cat stood in between the angry sisters. "This is no place to fight," he mewed softly. "Snowfur wouldn't have known. I am not proud of my father, but without him, would I have been born?"

Bluestar sighed. "You speak of the truth, Whitestorm," she mewed to the tom. "You would have made a great leader one day."

Whitestar flicked his tail but said nothing. Instead, he turned to the golden brown tom. "Lionheart, have you got anything to add?"

"About what?" the golden tom snarled. "Thistleclaw was my friend, a good warrior, and loyal, but he was too agressive. Can you blame Tigerstar for turning out that way when his mentor was as blood-thirsty as he was?"

Snowfur started to bristle, but Spottedleaf shouldered her way through the cats. "This is not a good argument. In here, we may not be harmed by these cats, nor can we harm them. But be wary; I can feel their hatred towards us."

The four cats continued on their way, Bluestar occasionally jumping at each sound. Then, an enormous tabby padded up to them. "What are you doing here?" he snarled. "You are not welcome." He glared at Whitestorm and Lionheart. "Ah, my friends."

"We are not your friends, Tigerstar," Lionheart snarled, unsheathing his claws. "I thought you were a good warrior, but you and your rogues killed me, no?"

Tigerstar twitched his ears. "And where did that get me?"

"Where you belong." Whitestorm glared at his former Clanmate. "You were my first friend," he meowed, his eyes clouding with memories and pain. "But why did you turn this way?"

"Your father was an excellent mentor," Tigerstar hissed. "He was rightfully leader until you-" He glared at Bluestar. "-you sniveling, cowardly cat took over. Ha! Without you, poor Firepaw wouldn't be in this mess!"

"He's a great leader!" snarled Bluestar. "And his name is Firestar!"

Tigerstar looked innocently up at her. "Oh. Oops. I forgot. Puny Firestar is leader, right?" He unsheathed his claws. "Not for any longer."

A gray tabby tom, bigger even than Tigerstar, shouldered his way through the forest and brightened at the newcomers. His eyes were only on two cats-Snowfur and Whitestorm. "You two! Did you come back to see me?"

"Thistleclaw!" Snowfur raced up to greet him, but Bluestar held her tail out.

"He's dangerous," she whispered.

"He's my mate!" Snowfur retorted, and bounded up to greet him, while Bluestar watched in horror. But Thistleclaw did nothing to hurt her. He purred and twined his tail with hers, looking mockingly at Bluestar.

Whitestorm padded up to him, but didn't try and act respectful. "You could have been a great leader, Father. Why did you leave me here while you killed yourself in your own bloody mess?"

"I was protecting my boundaries from RiverClan when a stupid tom attacked me," he snarled. "Bluestar should have sent me with a patrol, or her brave little deputy Redtail should have." He sneered. "But no. Those puny kittens didn't do anything, Whitestorm. And I had to leave you early. Did I even get a proper burial? I don't think so. Cats thoguht I was great until Bluestar revealed the lie about me being a battling, blood-hungry cat."

"You are," Bluestar growled.

"I wasn't! I was only loyal to my Clan!"

Spottedleaf shook her head. "This is no time for memories. I can tell you are planning something on the forest. What is it?"

This time, Tigerstar spoke. "Ha! YOu know, don't you? We want revenge. Revenge on Firestar, for what he did to me, revenge on RiverClan when he killed my mentor, revenge on SHadowClan when they joined you to attack Scourge, revenge on everything ever done wrong!"

"Yes. Revenge on WindClan, too," growled a new voice. A huge tom with a broken tail appeared. He loomed over the visitors. "And firestar, too."

"Brokenstar," Bluestar growled. "ThunderClan did so much to help you. Why betray us?"

"He was right," Brokenstar mewed, signalling to Tigerstar. "ThunderClan is a weak Clan. Yellowfang and Raggedstar were weak. They couldn't even hold back what plans I had for the forest-what incredible plans I had! And...that stupid medicine cat killed me. Why? Because of her new weak Clan." His voice was jagged with rage. "Do you understand now?"

Many more mangy cats appeared, their battle-scarred pelts gleaming in the night. Spottedleaf took a step back, but Tigerstar padded up to her and pulled her to his side. "Don't you just love this anger? This hatred? This fury?"

Spottedleaf pushed him away and bristled. "I love nothing here! Now tell me what you're planning!"

"We already told you. We challenge you, StarClan, and the forest, to a battle beyond description."