Avatar Cat 2: Legend Of Owlflame: Stars

by Taurus The Dragon

A few moons have passed since Anubis had fallen, and Owlflame starts training with her uncle Cinderstar in the ways of StarClan. But civil wars, corrupt business partners, and going into StarClan itself keep her busy while trying to find a peaceful way to keep the two Clans of WaterClan from fighting. Rated T for language, blood, violence, and some rude humor.

4. The Civil War (part 2)

Cody The Pikachu: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to another chapter of Legend Of Owlflame Book 2! I finally managed to upload the newest chapter for Kataang Island Adventure 2, so I'll be hard at work on this story and a few others.

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day, a day that celebrates the man who helped America become one. I know you know that back then, racism was the norm. MLKJ (which is short for Martin Luther King Jr.) had also given out his most famous speech ever, and that is "I Have A Dream". And that dream is seeing an America where both black and white people live side-by-side in peace. For that, I regard him as one of the greatest African-American people America has ever seen.

So now that this is done, let's get on with the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: Remember that I don't own Legend Of Korra or Warrior Cats. They and their characters belong to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Erin Hunter.

Uploading Date: January 19, 2014

Enjoy!

...

The Civil War (part 2)

Owlflame felt like several days had passed before getting back into the real world. Cinderstar had arrested her parents even though they had done nothing wrong. She herself had thought that Tanrock was part of the rebellion who tried to kidnap his own brother...but she now saw that he was innocent. He didn't deserve to be thrown in jail, and her old fondness for her father had just bloomed back into life.

But why Mom? Owlflame thought as she was led to a police van with a chain around her neck. Her heart nearly wrenched in two when she saw Dovesong look back with a scared and sad look. She turned to face her uncle as the warriors shut the doors to the back of the van, got in the front, and drove off.

"Uncle, you're making a big mistake," Owlflame meowed. "Please reconsider."

"I wish it hadn't come to this," Cinderstar meowed. "But your parents held meetings with the rebels, right here in their home. It felt natural to arrest them here and then."

Owlflame sunk her claws into the snow. "I can't believe you're doing this to your own family! Don't you care about them at all?!"

Seeing this, Cinderstar rested a paw on her flank. "Peace, Owlflame. I have appointed Judge Hailfur to supervise the trial. He is the most fair and honorable cat in the Clan I know."

"Uncle, my parents had nothing to do with the cats who attacked you," Owlflame tried again. "You can't imprison them for being innocent!"

"I'm sure you're right," Cinderstar meowed, but he didn't sound convinced. "So we should have nothing to worry about."

Owlflame looked around uncertainly. "I hope so," she mewed.

But on the inside, she knew for certain that there had to be a way to get her parents to be proven innocent. Owlflame knew that there had to be someone to get them out of the trial as quickly as possible.

...

Redblaze prowled around at Dodger's decorative lounge, animal heads mounted on the walls, a fur rug, and even a stuffed polar bear standing on its hind legs. He looked over at Emerald, who was sitting at the windowsill and perhaps waiting for Dodger. Stonetail was reclining on the other end of the couch with Timon napping on his chest. The ginger tom himself was waiting to hear if Owlflame was okay after the rebellion from the other night.

"Where is Dodger?" Emerald sighed, leaping down from the windowsill. "We should've closed our deal an hour ago."

"Would you relax?" Stonetail yawned and stretched luxuriously. "This place is awesome! And the best part about it is that Duskpaw doesn't know I'm here."

But as he meowed this, the double doors to the lounge room opened, and several cats marched in. They were flanking Cinderstar's kits, Duskpaw and Palepaw, as they entered the room.

As soon as he saw Duskpaw, Stonetail hid his face behind his paws, mewling, "I wasn't hiding. Hey Duskpaw."

"Calm yourself," Duskpaw meowed tonelessly. "I am not on the hunt for you...currently."

The warriors began to search through the entire room, looking through dressers and the like. Redblaze was confused; what happened to make them look through Dodger's stuff? As a detective he could work with them, but they would not thank him for it.

"We are searching for Dodger," Palepaw meowed. "Our father wishes for him to stand trial."

Emerald looked shocked. "Really? What did he do?"

Duskpaw replied, "He is a traitor to the WaterClan, along with our aunt and uncle."

That caught Redblaze's attention right away. What did Tanrock and Dovesong do to get arrested? He asked the apprentices, "What did you say? Owlflame's parents were attested?"

Palepaw replied with a sneer, "Yes. Your powers of deduction are so impressive."

Stonetail looked up and retorted, "Yeah, because he's a cop. That explains it."

They were about to retort when a warrior came up and meowed, "Dodger's not here."

"Very well. Let us continue our search elsewhere," Duskpaw meowed. But as they turned to leave with the warriors, she told Stonetail, "Bow to me when I exit."

"Yes, my sweet river otter," Stonetail whimpered, lowering himself onto his belly.

Duskpaw smirked cruelly down at him. "You are so cute when you grovel." And with that, she and Palepaw left the room.

Redblaze frowned after them before looking down at his brother. It was mean of them to pick on Stonetail while he was in the room, but he had hoped he broke it off with Duskpaw sooner. Yet what she had done proved that the break-up did not happen.

Beside him, Emerald looked disgusted before telling Stonetail, "How can you let her treat you that way? Stand up for yourself."

Stonetail stood up with a pout, "I tried to break up with her, but Redblaze gave me terrible break-up advice. Thanks for nothing by the way, you cheating bastard," he added with a glare.

"What?" Redblaze asked, offended. "Wait a minute, how are your dating problems my fault?"

"Redblaze, let me handle it," Emerald told her former mate. She meowed to Stonetail, "Look, you just need to be honest with her. Tell her how you really feel."

"Ha! Honesty is for fools, kid!"

A muffled yet familiar voice had rung out to them from out of nowhere, making them look around. The fast-talking salesperson voice was too familiar to ignore.

"Dodger?" Stonetail asked. "Uh...where are you?"

Dodger's muffled voice replied, "Never mind that, kid. If you want to ditch this lady, then you gotta make yourself scarce. Disappear, like I did!"

Emerald looked around too. "Where are you, Dodger?"

"Somewhere in a place where Cinderstar will never find me." All of a sudden, the bicolored tom's white head emerged from the maw of the stuffed polar bear. "Here we are! Inside good ol' Boo-Boo! How we doin'?"

Redblaze wanted to ask how he squeezed himself into the stuffed bear, but he didn't want to know. Instead, he meowed, "The coast is clear. You can come out now."

Dodger shook his head. "No way, my good mister. Not until I know it's absolutely, one hundred and sixty four percent safe." Just then, a brown paw lifted a teacup up, which Dodger accepted as he emerged out of the maw over his shoulder. "Thanks, Julie. You're a lifesaver, girl!"

"Your assistant's in the bear too?" Emerald asked as she looked more confused.

"Yep. She never leaves my side." Dodger sipped at the tea the way a normal Twoleg would do, but then he spat it out in disgust. "Ugh! Where's the honey?!"

"Sorry, sir," Julie's voice meowed. "There isn't any in here."

Dodger looked around. "No honey?! We're in a bear, for cryin' out loud!"

Don't polar bears eat mainly fish and seals? Thanks to his mate being a WaterClan cat and living among ice, he knew that polar bears were more carnivores than any other bear. But why was he standing there and thinking of polar bears when he should be seeing Owlflame and her parents? Going to support them during the trial was much more important than pondering about wildlife in the arctic.

"I'll go see how Owlflame's doing," Redblaze meowed before turning and heading to the doors. He had to go see if Owlflame was doing okay, if she was still fine after her parents' arrest.

When Redblaze left, Dodger meowed, "Hey Stonetail, I got a little something for you 'round back. It's underneath the bear's tail."

The polar bear's short stubby tail lifted up, and a thick wad of money was dropped out to the floor. Stonetail padded over to pick it up, but he was confused of what it was really for.

"Now listen up," Dodger meowed. "That money's not for you...yet. Cinderstar's arranged this trial, no doubt about it. So I need you to make sure my trusty rebels stay out of prison and out of that guy's grasp."

Stonetail stood up with the wad of cash in his teeth. "So what's the money for?"

The bicolored tom chuckled. "Bribery, of course! You know, there's always someone willing to look the other way for a few bucks."

"I got it, Dodger Bear," Stonetail meowed, but he raised a brow at what he was saying.

...

"Plumpaw!" Sunstar yowled, climbing down a rock. "Plumpaw, where are you?"

He had been searching all morning for Plumpaw, having rested in a tree hollow to avoid ground predators like bears and wolves. Now that it was nearly sunhigh, he could continue his search while dodging the other animals. But that didn't mean he was safe from certain other animals like hawks, just like when two of them just came to peck at him.

Sunstar swiped a paw up at them and hissed, "Shoo! Go bother someone else!" When the hawks left, he muttered, "You two are just as bad as Seashell and Rockfall!"

But he closed his mouth at the sound of his littermates on his tongue. The argument he had with them the other night was still ringing loud in his ears, hearing them yell at him for getting their father's attention all the time. It wasn't true; Goldstar loved them all equally...it was just that he needed to teach Sunstar about carrying on AirClan culture.

Maybe I shouldn't be thinking that... Sunstar thought. But he thought on, No, they have bullied you for most of your life. They're in the wrong, not you.

But as he stalked on, he heard a familiar young voice mew, "Okay, everybody here?"

"Plumpaw!" Sunstar mewed to himself. "Thank StarClan!"

He ran off towards a cave, where Plumpaw's voice was coming from. Once he got closer, he heard Plumpaw mew and an unknown animal grunt, followed by more grunting. Sunstar peeked inside to finally see her sitting in between two dragon hatchlings and two brown bear cubs, the darker cub laying its paws on the rock.

"Happy Cupcake Puppy, paws off the table please!" Plumpaw was meowing to the cub. "This is going to be a civilized breakfast. Daddy always says a blessing to StarClan before we eat, so..." One of the bear cubs hopped and stumbled over its sibling, flopping to the ground on its back. "Be quiet and listen up!"

The bear cub flipped itself right-side-up while Sunstar watched from the cave's entrance, happy that his daughter was watching over these babies. Plumpaw went on, "We thank StarClan for this super yummy food and for being the bestest new friends in the whole wide world...but we thank StarClan mostly because Foxkit and Ivypaw aren't here because they stink," she added with a bitter tone in her normally cheerful mew.

Sunstar looked at his daughter in concern. Was she going through the same thing he was doing with his siblings, arguing with them and splitting up? Perhaps spending time out here with his daughter could clear the mugginess and frustration in his mind. He cleared his throat, and the bear cubs squealed while the dragon hatchlings shrank away.

"Oh!" Plumpaw turned around and noticed her father, looking down. "Hey, Daddy. Do I have to come back to the temple now?"

Sunstar shook his head. "Not if you don't want to. Is there room for one more?"

Plumpaw looked indecisive as she looked around at the cubs and hatchlings. They gave some grunts, and she turned back to say "Uh, sure. You can sit next to Strawberry Goat Cookie. He's the baby dragon with more green scales on his face."

"Nice to meet you, Strawberry Goat Cookie," Sunstar greeted the dragon, noticing the scales on the hatchling's face. Perhaps dragons came in scale variety instead of fur like years ago.

"And that's his sister Princess Unicorn," Plumpaw meowed. "The bear cubs are Twilight Sparkle Bird and Happy Cupcake Puppy. Twilight Sparkle Bird is the blonder cub, and the darker one is Happy Cupcake Puppy. They're my new brothers and sisters."

Sunstar looked around. "New ones? Can they be my new brothers and sisters too?"

Plumpaw replied, "Maybe, but only if they say it's okay. I'll ask them."

The gray tabby she-cat sat close to the dragon hatchling beside her, as if listening to something being whispered. Sunstar heard the dragon growl something and Plumpaw mutter things like "Uh-huh, uh-huh", "No, no, he's nice", and "He's my dad". At last, she meowed to her father, "They say it's okay as long as you treat them nice."

With an encouraging headbutt on the shoulder from "Princess Unicorn", Sunstar sat down with the youngsters. This relaxing tea time was what he needed after the argument with his siblings. Or so-called siblings, he thought with bitterness that was washed away by Plumpaw's antics.

...

The court took place in the usual dining hall, which had been converted into a courthouse with benches filled to capacity with spectators. At the hall's end was a table where the defendants including Tanrock and Dovesong sat while Owlflame, Redblaze, and Cinderstar sat off to the side and looked on. Redblaze laid his tail on Owlflame's flank to reassure her, but Owlflame could not be comforted. What if Tanrock and Dovesong were found guilty?

Stonetail was finding a seat next to Emerald in the benches, looking cocky. Owlflame wondered what he was doing until she leaned in closer to hear what he was saying.

"We're good to go," the tabby tom was telling Emerald. "I gave all the money to some guys over there. I told them to 'take care of it', and then I winked like this," he added with a wink. "Pretty sure they got the message."

In another bench, two goofy-looking cats were counting the thick wad of bills Stonetail had just given them. They grinned and gave Stonetail a wink, which Stonetail gestured in return. Emerald slapped a paw to her face exasperatedly as a gavel was heard pounding.

"This trial will now come to order!" a cat yowled. "Judge Hailfur presiding."

Owlflame looked up at Judge Hailfur. He was a serious-looking old gray cat settling into the judge's chair at the center of the dais. She could see how he got his name; specks of white were decorated on his fur, looking like he had been snowed on.

Meanwhile, Stonetail gasped and hissed, "Damn! I should've paid him!"

"You think?" Emerald hissed back with a roll of her eyes.

Then the trial began. The first witness to come up was, of course, Cinderstar. Owlflame found herself hoping that he wouldn't give any false witnesses to his own brother. She knew Tanrock would never try to hurt Cinderstar, but what would the leader do with him?

Cinderstar began his testimony: "I was asleep in my chambers when the rebels attacked. They overpowered me, and when I woke up, I was in the snow after Avatar Cat Owlflame had saved me. I would have been dead if not for her."

Dead? That sounds a bit harsh, Owlflame thought with a wince. But she was called forward to confirm what her uncle just said.

Hailfur glanced down at her from his spot with steel-colored eyes. "According to the leader's testimony, you attended a meeting where Dodger tried to provoke a civil war between the two Clans. Is that true?"

Owlflame hung her head. "Yes."

"And were these cats present at that meeting?" Hailfur pressed on.

"Well, yes, but-" Owlflame tried to explain, but Hailfur overrode her by continuing, "And where exactly did this meeting take place?"

Right before Owlflame could answer, Stonetail loudly yowled, "Objection!"

"Quiet in the court!" Hailfur called back. As Stonetail sat back down, he meowed to the Avatar Cat, "I'll ask you one more time. Where exactly did the meeting happen?"

Owlflame did not want to get her parents into even more trouble, but there was no denying that the meeting took place at her place. Finally, she mewed in a low voice, "My parents' house."

Hailfur nodded. "And who led this meeting?"

"Your honor, if I may..." Stonetail meowed, standing up again.

"May what?" Hailfur asked icily.

Stonetail looked completely bewildered as if thinking of pleading. Then he mewed, "May I, uh...declare a mistrial?"

Hailfur did not look amused as he growled, "Sit down." Stonetail did so, looking like a scolded kit, before the judge went on, "Dodger and your father led the meeting, did they not?"

Owlflame stood up, feeling fire in her blood already. "Yeah, but my parents are innocent!"

"I've heard all I need to," the judge replied while standing up to leave the room. "I'll return shortly with my decision."

And then he left. Owlflame looked down at her paws, unable to figure out what to do now. So far, the trial seemed that it was somehow rigged, and she didn't know why. What if it really was rigged, and her parents were found guilty?

Once the intermission began, Stonetail slid away from Emerald and quickly padded to the hallways. It was his time to stand his ground and break up with Duskpaw, to let her know that she couldn't treat him the way she treated him anymore. Like Toube (his and Redblaze's canine mentor in Pro-Bending) always said, it's now or never.

Stonetail made it out to the hallway, where he saw Duskpaw sitting to the side. The pale gray she-cat was looking untroubled by the trial Owlflame's parents were in.

"Hey Duskpaw!" Stonetail greeted her. "Can we talk for a bit?"

Duskpaw nodded. "Yes. I shall grant you permission to speak freely."

Stonetail sighed. "Good. Look, I just wanna be honest with you. When we first met, there was this crazy spark as if I was being lit on fire...but I'm feeling like that spark is fading."

"I agree," Duskpaw suddenly replied. "It is as if a great chasm has formed between us and nothing can bridge it."

"Really?" Stonetail meowed in relief. "Thanks StarClan alive you understand!"

Duskpaw nodded. "Nothing, that is...except marriage."

That made Stonetail stop dead with shock as she held up an engagement necklace with a skull. Her eyes were even wide with slight craziness as she fastened the necklace around his neck, yanking him to her with it like a dog. Stonetail now felt the good feeling fading away; this was not where things were going.

"We will wed at sunset, and then we will mate," Duskpaw meowed, though her voice now held some insanity. "You may express your joy through tears."

Then she pulled him away, Stonetail mewling, "No, I...I got an important...this necklace is choking me. Can I get some water? Can I?"

...

"Dovesong, please step forward."

Owlflame saw her mother stand up and pad cautiously forward. Now that she was getting to be called either innocent or guilty, she looked frailer than ever, especially with the chains around her neck. She wanted to go embrace her right away, but she knew she had to wait.

"I declare you innocent of all crimes," Hailfur meowed. "You are free to go."

Hearing this, Owlflame felt herself sigh in relief and watch with joy as Dovesong was released from the chain around her neck. She hurried over to the gray she-cat and embraced her, letting her gently lick her cheek and making her glad she was her mother.

Hailfur turned to the rest of the defendants, including Tanrock. "You, on the other hand...on the charge of treachery at the highest, you are all found guilty. The ultimate punishment for this crime is...death."

Owlflame shared shocked looks with Redblaze before letting her mother press against her in sadness. Tanrock, in the meantime, looked up in surprise before bowing his great head in defeat. Owlflame did not want to see her father and the other rebels die, though she thought she saw a glimmer of grim satisfaction in the green eyes of a certain cat. It was Cinderstar.

Why did he look excited at seeing his own brother being killed? She knew they didn't like each other, but like Tanrock said, he didn't want to hurt Cinderstar. But why would the leader want to see him being put to death just because he was innocent of the crime?

...

Commercial Break

...

As Hailfur stalked away from the judge's chair after having made his decision, Owlflame felt her horror being replaced by anger. He shouldn't put her father or the rebels to death! Was Cinderstar going to let him get away with this? So with a growl, Owlflame took an aggressive stance and yowled her opinion of the sentence.

"You can't do this!" she snarled after him. "If you kill them...I'll kill you!"

Hailfur looked around at her, and Owlflame relished in seeing fear or surprise in his eyes. But before she could intimidate the judge even further, she felt a paw rest on her shoulder and saw that Cinderstar had approached her.

"Calm down, Owlflame. I'll talk to him," her uncle assured her. He approached Hailfur and meowed, "I know I promised to respect whatever decision you made, but I must ask of you to reconsider this decision. Show these cats and my brother mercy."

Tanrock looked surprised by what his brother said, then he looked touched. Owlflame felt a purr get caught in her throat, guessing that the brothers did care for each other for once.

Pondering for a moment, the judge finally announced, "Very well, I'll change their punishment. You lot will not be put to death...but you will live them out in prison."

The defendants all sighed with relief, and so did Owlflame. As they were led away by the Northern warriors guarding them, Cinderstar returned to his niece's side.

With a grateful nod, she meowed, "Thank you so much, Uncle. I don't know what WaterClan would do without you."

Cinderstar nodded.

...

Sunstar let out a loud yawn and a stretch while the dragon hatchlings cuddled next to him. It felt good to spend time with his daughter like this along with the dragons and bear cubs. No annoying siblings and no interruptions from being a leader for a day. Plumpaw was a spinning ball of air for the bear cubs to chase while Sunstar petted the green-scaled dragon named Strawberry Goat Cookie.

"You like that, don't you, Strawberry Goat Cookie? Yes, you do," he cooed with a deep rumble. The dragon hatchling purred like a contented cat, and he looked around at Plumpaw. "You know, Plumpaw, I think I could get used to hanging out here. No one's yelling at me or telling me I'm useless."

"It sure is!" Plumpaw purred. "Hey, we should have Uncle Rockfall and Aunt Seashell come visit. I bet they'd like it too!"

But Sunstar was unwilling to do so, not wanting his siblings to see him hanging out in a cave and messing with him. So he meowed, "Er...let's not. They'll only ruin the good mood."

Plumpaw tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean, Daddy? Aunt Seashell is super nice and beautiful and always asks me how I'm feeling. And Uncle Rockfall is the funniest cat in the world! Like grand-uncle Ashfeather."

"But how about Foxkit?" Sunstar suggested. "He's hilarious too, and you never know what'll come out of his mouth. And Ivypaw can be so sweet and gentle."

"And mean and bossy," Plumpaw mewed with a sour look. But then her face softened as she went on, "Being in a family is hard, huh, Daddy?"

Sunstar nodded, resting his head on his forepaws. "I couldn't agree with you more."

Suddenly, a roar came from outside the cave, and the cats and bear cubs ran outside to see a big female grizzly bear, who was licking the cubs' faces. Meanwhile, the dragon named Strawberry Goat Cookie looked up and flew out of the cave to be with its siblings, where their two larger-sized parents were waiting for them. Two other hatchlings were with them, both covered in fur unlike their lost nestmates.

Plumpaw sat down next to her father. "But being in a family isn't bad after all. I guess the nice part about a family is they'll always be there for you and support you. Even though Twilight Sparkle Bird and Happy Cupcake Puppy fight often," she continued, flicking her tail to the bear cubs wrestling with each other as the bears walked away, "they still love each other and support each other."

I hadn't thought of that before, Sunstar thought. Despite having been picked on by Seashell and Rockfall, there were surely good times they had together. He felt that he had been too selfish and lofty towards them and realized that he owed them a big apology.

He looked down at his daughter proudly. "That's very wise of you, Plumpaw. I wouldn't be surprised if you became leader of AirClan one day."

Plumpaw smiled back up at him. "Thanks. We should probably head back, huh?"

"I suppose so," Sunstar meowed as they got up and padded away from the cave. "We had a good time, but we can't hide in that cave forever."

"Don't worry, Daddy," Plumpaw assured him. "We can always come back and visit Strawberry Goat Cookie. I know you really bonded with her."

Sunstar purred with a rumble, loving how the baby dragon loved having her chin tickled with his tail tip. "Yes...yes, I'd like that very much."

...

Thankful for her uncle showing mercy, Owlflame waited for Tanrock and the rebels to be led away to their cells. Then she and Dovesong went after them to try and see them, but she wanted to rescue her father. Since he was a prisoner in his own Clan, then it would be easy to get him out thanks to many cats supporting him. But if he was going to be in this place, then how would his southern Clanmates react? Would they be sad to see him in their due to being in the same Clan...or just jeer at him?

Owlflame and Dovesong managed to find Tanrock in his cell. Unlike some of the other rebels who were locked up together, the big light brown tabby tom was locked up on his own. As soon as he saw them at his prison door, he rushed forward to embrace the two she-cats.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Dovesong mewed, gently licking his cheek.

Tanrock nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good," Owlflame replied. "Now let's bust you out of this hellhole right now."

"No." Tanrock's reply made her stop rambling. "Getting me out of here would only start a war. If fighting were to break out, the North would crush the South, but we'll all be okay. Just promise me you won't do anything reckless, okay?"

Owlflame lowered her ears at this, not fine with this. But she knew that Tanrock was making her promise himself; at least he was one of the few cats she could trust. So she sighed and looked down, muttering, "Fine...I promise in the name of StarClan."

They shared a few words before finally going back home. Dovesong went inside on her own, but Owlflame decided to go hunting to keep things calm. She went out to find a snow pheasant, which was her parents' favorite prey. Owlflame found a flock of them pecking on the ground for some plants, but as she crouched low, she was reminded of how Tanrock taught her to hunt. Thus, she pounced, causing the birds to fly away in anger and making her quit.

But when Owlflame got back home from this unsuccessful hunting trip, she saw a heartbreaking scene. Dovesong was on the family sofa, tears falling down her face as she tried hard not to cry. She felt her own heart break as she padded to the gray she-cat, leaping up and placing a large paw (large paws ran in the family) on her mother's shoulder reassuringly.

"It's okay, Mom" Owlflame murmured. "It'll be okay."

"I-I know," Dovesong wept. "It's just...I-I just hate feeling so helpless."

Owlflame lowered her gaze. "I know. I wish there was something I can do."

I can't bear to see Mom like this, she thought to herself. Dad made me promise not to bust him out...but I don't want to let Mom suffer.

That was what she decided to do: she needed answers from the judge. Why would Cinderstar arrange for Tanrock to live only to send him away from his home? And she recalled seeing the dark satisfaction in her uncle's eyes when the death sentence was announced. Perhaps if she used Nisa as a means to get the judge to talk, then so be it.

So she gave a few more comforting words to her mother before leaving with Nisa. Their main stop was at a Thunderpath on the side of the snowy mountain that towered over the city. A monster was driving down the Thunderpath, and when Owlflame looked closer through the back mirror, she saw that Judge Hailfur was resting in the lap of a Twoleg. It was time for her plan to unfold and catch them by surprise.

Owlflame steered Nisa up to the Thunderpath until they were gaining on him fast. Hailfur had spotted them and yowled as the monster tried to stop, the tires squealing and making it spin even faster. The monster rounded a corner at a reckless speed, tipping dangerously close to the cliff, and Nisa rushed up behind the car and leapt into the air, knocking the machine off-course. The Twoleg tried to steer the car's direction straight. The vehicle veers to the cliff's side of the road, then skids and crashes into the opposite side against snow and rocks.

As the engine sputtered and died, Hailfur tried climbing through the window when Nisa roared and tore the door away with a swipe of her claws. Owlflame saw the Twoleg in time and was glad to see him unconscious, but she leered at the fleeing gray tom as Nisa continued growling. Leaping into the monster through the window, she pulled the judge out by the scruff in her fangs and threw him to the ground, looming over him dauntingly.

"What the...what do you want?" Hailfur hissed angrily, but there was fear in his voice too.

Owlflame got off of him. "It's not about what I want, Judge. It's about what Nisa wants. She wants you to let my father out of prison or else."

As Nisa stalked towards him, still growling, Hailfur rolled away from them. "I-I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do anymore. I was just following Cinderstar's orders."

"What in the hell are you meowing about?!" Owlflame snarled.

"I..." His eyes widened as if he had let something slip. "I-I think I've said too much."

With a hiss, Owlflame grabbed him by the scruff again and thrust him to Nisa's big paws, saliva from her fangs dripping down onto him. Normally, Owlflame wouldn't entirely do this, but she was a violent cat, and she was willing to do anything to save her father.

The Avatar Cat growled, "You listen to me, punk. If you don't wanna be Nisa's afternoon snack, you better talk. Or else."

Hailfur hid his face behind his forepaws. "I-I've worked for your uncle for many moons! He said he needed everyone to think the trial was fair when he was rigging it!"

"So Cinderstar told you what to say?"

"Yes! Every word!"

Owlflame felt her trust towards her uncle fade, but she wanted to be sure. "Then why did he make you free my mother and change your sentence, huh?"

The judge tried inching away. "He's trying to keep you on his side, but he also wants your father out of the way, dead or alive. Just like when he got your father exiled from the North."

What did he say? Owlflame thought in shock. From what she had heard, Tanrock had ruined the spirit forest in the North, getting him kicked out of the Clan. But she had never really heard if from his side before; Cinderstar must have been watching him like a hawk.

"What do you mean?" Owlflame asked Hailfur.

"Nothing!" Hailfur mewled. "I've said too much!"

With a snarl, Owlflame swiped her claws across his muzzle, seeing his blood stain the snow. She stooped in closer and hissed into his ear, "Keep talking."

...

The afternoon after the fight he had with Sunstar, Rockfall began wondering something. What if Goldstar really didn't love him or Seashell because they weren't AirBenders? Or because HE wasn't a Bender at all? Despite being the goofy and happy-go-lucky cat he was, Rockfall had to think this all over. So that was why he headed into the room where he could find the answers.

He looked around the vertical statues of all the Avatar Cats in the Southern Temple, recalling his uncle telling him stories of this place. It seemed so very long ago that Goldstar, Silverheart, and Ashfeather had visited this place for the first time. Actually, it really was a long time ago when they visited. Once he finished walking around the statues, he stopped at the one statue he had been longing to talk to: the statue of Goldstar.

"Uh...hey, Dad. You're looking swell," Rockfall started the talk with a wag of the tail. But then his ears and whiskers drooped as he continued, "Look, uh, I'm sorry I wasn't an AirBender like you hoped, but I tried my best to keep the world safe. Hope I made you proud."

At first, the brown tom had been expecting the statue to come to life and hug him...but of course, statues couldn't talk. Rockfall hung his head and felt wetness around his eyes, indeed hoping that Goldstar did love him the way he was. That was what he had practiced when he was still alive, so why couldn't Sunstar do the same for him and Seashell?

"Of course he'd be proud of you, Rockfall."

Rockfall spun around. Seashell was at the entrance of the statue room, tail wrapped around her paws and her blue eyes shining in the dark.

He cleared his throat and licked some dust off his fur, mewing "Hey. I was just, uh...cleaning Dad's statue. It's so dusty they should get birds to sweep it up!"

Seashell rolled her eyes playfully. "Come on, big guy, you know you can't fool me. Now come here. You need a hug."

"Thanks, sis," Rockfall rasped, stepping forth to accept the hug from his sister. "You always know when I need a hug."

"No problem." Then... "Do you think we were too hard on Sunstar?"

Rockfall nodded. "Yeah, I've thought of that...and you're right. We were being jackasses to him. Yeah, he was Dad's favorite, but we took out our anger on him. We gotta apologize."

Seashell smiled. "Spoken like a true warrior, Rockfall. Now let's wait for him and Plumpaw to come back. I got something to show him."

...

That...that BASTARD! How could he do this to our Clans?!

Owlflame was fuming with pure rage ever since she finished interrogating the judge, who had told her everything. Cinderstar wasn't trying to unite the Clans; he just wanted to gain all the power for himself. He had also gotten Tanrock banished by hiring those marauders to attack his own Clan and frame his brother. And all the time, he had been turning her against her father and Sunstar to use her for his own schemes.

Dad...and Sunstar...I'm so sorry, Owlflame thought, closing her blue eyes. Much as she was still angry with them for keeping her in the compound, she realized that they did it because they cared for her...unlike Cinderstar.

She went over to Dodger's lounging place, where Redblaze and Emerald were talking with Dodger, who was apparently inside a stuffed bear.

"You'll never believe what I found out," she growled as she approached them. "Cinderstar is nothing but a liar and a traitorous motherfucker!"

"See?" Dodger had poked his head out of the bear's maw. "I've been trying to tell you that from the start."

Redblaze padded over to her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Calm down, Owlflame. Just tell us what happened."

Owlflame calmed down enough to say, "I found out the truth about Dad's banishment. It was Cinderstar who hired the rogues to attack their Clan, his own Clan. Then he told them to hide in the spirit forest, knowing Dad would go after them."

"So Cinderstar wanted your dad out of the way so he could become the leader?" Redblaze asked, amber eyes wide as Emerald looked dismayed. "It was a setup!"

"Yeah, just like the whole trial. I can't believe I trusted him over Dad and Sunstar!" She looked into her mate's amber eyes and begged, "I have to bust my father and the rebels out of jail. I need your help, Redblaze."

Redblaze gazed back. "You do know that if you do this, there's no going back."

Owlflame nodded determinedly. "I know that."

"Then I'm coming with you to help," Redblaze finally meowed with a nod.

Emerald unsheathed her claws. "Me too. I can use a little action."

"Count me in!" Dodger's voice came from the stuffed polar bear to the right as its arm raised up. Owlflame wondered how he managed to get into there.

Just then, the sound of the door opening made everyone turn. Stonetail was standing right in the doorway wearing a spiked betrothal necklace, dressed in the same oppressive robes as her on occasional affairs, and his pelt shined to a ridiculous degree. Timon was wearing the same robes as well, fitted especially for the little meerkat. Both of them looked cowed and depressed, Timon blinking to the awkwardness of the situation.

Redblaze gawked at him before saying, "You know what? I don't even wanna know."

Emerald looked at him caringly. "So breaking up with Duskpaw didn't go well?"

"No, no, the honesty thing worked out great," Stonetail growled with a sarcastic tone. "So great that she decided we should get married and mate!"

Emerald blinked an apology.

Owlflame gawked at him the same way Redblaze did. "That's messed up. I thought the guy is supposed to give the girl the betrothal necklace."

Stonetail's frown grew bigger. "I guess she didn't get the memo!"

"Look, the only way to deal with crazy chicks is to lie big and leave fast," Dodger meowed from the stuffed bear, poking his head out. "Lucky for you, good ol' Dodger's got your stumpy little rabbit tail, kid. Now gather 'round Boo-Boo. Let's talk plans here."

...

After Dodger told them what to do, Owlflame, Redblaze, and Emerald went over to the Southern WaterClan prison. It was a detainment facility located on the edge of a cliff situated high in the mountains, constructed entirely of stone and watchtowers located at every vertex. The three cats had disguised their scents with arctic fox dung, Emerald mewing something about getting her fur cleaned all over again. Once they were all disguised and covered with the filthy stench, they made their way inside, slipping through with ease.

A warrior was walking down the prison corridor before Emerald yanked him into a hole in the floor and knocked him out with a swipe to the temple. The calico she-cat took a peek to be sure the coast was clear before leaping out, putting an electric paw on her own. Redblaze leapt out after her, holding the guard's keys in his mouth, and Owlflame followed him.

Once the coast really was clear, the three cats stalked down the hall, Owlflame sniffing for her father's scent. Her mouth was partly open to drink in the scent of Tanrock, and the strength of the smell told her that he had been around here recently. And as she passed by a door, the scent became much stronger than before.

"My dad's in there," she told the others, kicking open the stone door with EarthBending.

But when she looked inside, she was dismayed. Tanrock had disappeared.

Owlflame looked around, mewling, "Where is he? Where did he go?"

"I'm sorry, Owlflame. You will never see your father again."

She spun around and saw the cat she now wanted to confront: Cinderstar.

...

Commercial Break

...

It was the first time Owlflame had encountered her uncle ever since the trial. All the past praises he had given her had sailed out of the window, for she felt nothing but anger at Cinderstar now. She let her claws slide out, and Cinderstar did the same, the stern look still on his face.

"Where's my father?" Owlflame snarled. "Where is he, you bastard?"

"He is on a ship headed to the Northern Clan," came the reply, but his voice was now cold and ruthless unlike the calm tone he had often used before. "He'll serve out his sentence there for the rest of his days."

Owlflame felt her lips peel back to bare her fangs. "You either bring him back, or I'm taking you and the rest of your warriors out."

Cinderstar then backed away as he meowed, "Remember who you are, Owlflame. As the Avatar Cat, you cannot made war. You must remain neutral, or WaterClan will never find unity. And do not let Sunstar and Tanrock sway you-"

"Don't you DARE give me that bullshit!" Owlflame spat. "You're not trying to unite WaterClan; you just want power. You've always been jealous of my father, haven't you? You got him exiled so you could be the leader, and I bet it just killed you to learn he sired the Avatar Cat. No wonder you kept trying to turn me against him. And you turned me against Sunstar too! Yeah, I'm still pissed that he and Dad kept me in that compound...but they care about me!"

"All I wanted is to help you realize your destiny," her uncle meowed convincingly.

But Owlflame was no longer fooled. She snarled, "Well, I don't want your help anymore. You turned me against my father and my true mentor...but no more!"

Cinderstar took another step forward. "If you start a war, the dark spirits will crush the South, and even I will be powerless to stop them. It will be all your fault if we do not work as one."

"Even so, I'm done being used by you," Owlflame growled with a snort as she turned away. "You bring my father back, then you and your troops will return to the North."

"And why would I do that?" Cinderstar asked, a threat now rising in his voice.

Owlflame turned back around. "Because you still need me," she taunted him. "You need me to open the Northern portal."

Cinderstar spoke in an arrogant tone, "Actually, I don't anymore. You've served your purpose, and StarClan will forgive me for ridding of you now."

Yeah right! Owlflame thought in fury, her claws sinking into the ground. Cinderstar reminded her much of Tigerstar, an ancient leader who tried to take over the four ancient Clans by force...and Darkstar, the leader of FireClan who would have destroyed the Clans if it hadn't been for Goldstar. And he's just as bad as they were!

Fueled by rage, Owlflame pounced at her uncle, fire twisting around her claws. But Cinderstar used WaterBending to wash her down, water tentacles appearing before him.. When the flames were doused in mid-air, he shot long spears of ice down the corridor at Owlflame. She recalled her fight with Hawkfrost and deflected one to the side and barely dodged the point of the other one knocking her aside, its jagged edge scratching her pelt.

Redblaze ran up from behind her and lashed his fire claws at Cinderstar with a spinning slash attack. Cinderstar leapt to the side and sent a blast of water right at him, knocking him back to the wall. He lashed some other tentacles at Owlflame, who performed a backflip over it as it coursed beneath her. She looked back to see if Redblaze was okay, and he was getting up with help from Emerald. When she landed, she Bended a powerful blast of air at Cinderstar before following it up with a Battouga, spinning hard at him. Owlflame caught a glimpse of the dark gray tom's surprised expression before the attack caught him on the head, sending him tumbling down the hall until he hit the wall at the other end.

Owlflame panted and gasped from exhaustion as she felt the blood dripping from the side. Despite now hating her uncle, she didn't want him to get seriously injured. However, rage and shock had kept her from caring; what mattered now was getting to where Tanrock was.

"Come on," Redblaze meowed as he and Emerald ran over to help her up. "If we get to Dodger's boat, we can still save your dad."

"Yeah..." Owlflame waited until she was okay to stand on her paws. "Let's go!"

So the three cats made their way out of the prison, leaving Cinderstar dazed on the ground with a bleeding forehead. But once they saw the dark gray tom recovering, they hurried out of there as fast as they could.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the WaterClan city, cats were watching as Stonetail strolled down the street with Dodger's stuffed polar bear on a leash, walking on all fours. Timon rode atop the bear's back, but he squeaked as they came to a stop in front of two Northern warriors standing in their way. So far, the plan was doing good; Owlflame was off rescuing her father, and he was helping Dodger get past the guards and to his yacht.

"Hey," one of the guards growled. "You got a license for that animal?"

"Uh..." Stonetail glanced to the side. "You fellas ever saw a traveling circus come here before?"

While he stalled the warriors, Dodger meowed from the inside of the polar bear, "Okay, Julie. Do the thing."

The bear's stubby tail lifted up, and bills of money came flying out of its rear end, complete with flatulent sounds. This caused everyone to stare at them in surprise before the silence was broken.

"Hey everyone!" a cat yowled. "That bear is crapping out money!"

"FREE MONEY!"

The crowd rushed forward, yelling as they collected the money on the ground. Once they were all distracted, Stonetail and the stuffed bear started hurrying up the ramp onto the ship. They made it to the cockpit, where the bear's paws slid switches forward and grabbed a handle ad Dodger started running the ship and steering while inside the polar bear. In time, the other cats had arrived, leaping off the dock and landing perfectly on deck before joining them.

"Hey Owlflame," Stonetail meowed as they reunited. "Did you get your dad yet?"

Owlflame shook her head, "No, he's on a ship headed north. You think we can catch up to it?"

"Sure," Dodger replied while steering. "Once you get us past our friends from the North, that is."

They all looked up and noticed the Northern WaterClan's blockade of the harbor.

"If only we had a plane to get us close to those ships," Owlflame muttered. "I could WaterBend them out of the way."

Dodger looked around back at her. "A plane? Well, why didn't you say so?"

And right away, he pressed a large red button.

Some doors on the ship's deck opened up as a biplane with folded wings was raised on a large hydraulic stand onto the main deck. Once on deck, the wings folded out fully like a bird of prey's wings. While the cats watched on in awe, Dodger's stuffed polar bear was now seated and wearing a captain's cap.

"Why do you have a plane on your boat?" Redblaze asked.

"In case the boat sinks, of course," Dodger replied from his seat.

"But there's no runway," Emerald pointed out. "How are we supposed to take off?"

Dodger looked like he was just realizing she has a point, for he called to Julie, who was still in the suit with him, "Julie! Take a note: build runway."

"Yes, sir."

"Hey guys," Owlflame meowed after some thinking. "I got an idea."

As soon as the plan was made, Emerald got into the cockpit of the plane, putting on some pilot's goggles. Owlflame and Redblaze were standing on the lower opposite wings and holding on, avoiding the spinning of the propellers. When they got nearer the blockade, Owlflame flicked her tail to set the plan in motion.

"Now!" she screeched.

Holding onto the wing with her forepaws, she blasted a jet of fire behind her with her hind paws, Redblaze doing the same on the other side. It was like what she had planned: the jets of fire were giving the plane a huge speed boost. The plane zoomed up two planks serving as ramps and then disappeared over the edge of the bow. Seconds pass, and then the plane flies back into view at a further distance, heading for the blockade.

The plane flies towards the blockade with the ship going in the same direction below, cruising quickly. It was high in the sky now, and that meant the two cat no longer had to use fire for propulsion. Once the plane was high in the air, Owlflame began to focus on going into the Avatar Cat State, feeling the power of the stars wreathe around her from her head to her paws. When she opened her eyes, she felt them glowing and moved her tail in circular motions, thrusting her paws out and raising them slowly.

A mass of water was rising into a mound below as it picked up speed and more mass while rolling toward the blockade. Then Owlflame made the mound of water slam into the Northern ships, forcing them aside to make way for Dodger's ship. Warriors onboard one of the ships were stumbling and falling as their ship rocked violently. Owlflame pulled out of the Avatar Cat State, cracking a victorious smile. So far, things were doing great for them; soon, Tanrock and the rebel cats would be saved.

Dodger's ship cruised past the blockade ships while a Northern guard and a captain watched from the crow's nest of their ship. The guard was watching through a spyglass while Stonetail was hugging the stuffed polar bear with the captain's cap steering the ship. To them, this was one bizarre sight.

"Captain, you're never gonna believe this," the guard reported. "A cat's hugging a polar bear!"

Back at the plane and ship, Owlflame looked around and spotted a ship off in the distance. By the scent she had scented back at the Southern prison, she had found where her father was at.

"There!" she called to Emerald. "My dad's on that ship! Bring the plane down some more!"

Emerald steered the plane down and drove it towards the ships. Two Northern cats talking on the deck looked up and spotted the plane overhead, their eyes wide and pelts bristling. As they tried to flee, the plane went into a steep dive toward the ship.

They were close enough. With a loud voice, Owlflame yowled, "Jump!"

All three cats leapt from the plane and into the water while the plane tumbled into the water for a few flips before exploding; there was no getting that back. They began swimming underwater to the ships with a massive air bubble Owlflame was Bending around their heads. When they got near enough, the Avatar Cat Bended a massive swirl of water that snaked out and over the deck, dropping them onto the ship. Owlflame ran forth with tentacles of water trailing from her legs, leapt into a spinning movement, and lashed the tentacles at them, throwing them all overboard. To her right, she spotted a fleeing cat and WaterBended in his direction, freezing him in a spatter of ice against a wall, and he began struggling against the ice trapping everything below his neck.

"Where are the prisoners?" Owlflame growled, pinning his throat with a forepaw.

He pointed away from him and into the ship, giving the cats the keys. They headed into the cell rooms, where they managed to find Tanrock and the other cats trapped inside. Tanrock had looked very surprised at seeing his daughter here, but Owlflame had to answer him later. She led him and the defendants from the trial down a hallway, looking around for a way out.

"Owlflame...what in the hell have you been doing?" Tanrock panted, dazed and shocked. "You promised me you wouldn't do anything rash."

"This is one promise I had to break," Owlflame told her father. "I'll explain later."

When the cats made it out, they spotted some warriors at the edge of the ship's side, sending their water attacks at them. They dodged the attacks and sent a plank down onto Dodger's arriving ship, Redblaze and Emerald fending off the warriors as everyone leapt onto the deck of the other ship. Owlflame and Redblaze were the last ones to make it, Owlflame firing one last fire blast in the warriors' direction before the ship sped off.

We made it, Owlflame thought. And without a scratch too! But...we started a civil war. She looked down at her paws in shame. What would StarClan say about this?

...

Sunstar felt very tired, but he didn't care. He had managed to find Plumpaw and spent time having a tea party with her, two dragon hatchlings, and two bear cubs. There, he learned the true meaning of having siblings; of course Seashell and Rockfall pestered him, but all in all, they were siblings until the end. The same could be said for Plumpaw.

They made it back to the the AirClan courtyard, showing Dawnfall, Seashell, Rockfall, Ivypaw, and Foxkit waiting for them. They all turned around when they see Sunstar approaching with Plumpaw beside him. As fast as she could, Dawnfall stood up and ran over to Plumpaw, instantly embracing her.

"Sweetie! You're okay! I was so worried!" the golden-&-white queen murmured, covering her daughter in licks. Looking up at Ivypaw and Foxkit, she asked in a slightly stern voice, "Isn't there something you'd like to say to your sister?"

They nodded before Foxkit squeaked with a grin, "I'm glad you're back."

"Yeah," Ivypaw added, looking ashamed. "We're sorry we made fun of you. It wasn't right."

Plumpaw smiled at them. "That's okay. Wanna play Air Soccer?"

Ivypaw smiled back. "Sure."

So the three young cats ran off as Dawnfall hurried after them to keep an eye on them. As for Sunstar, he approached his siblings cautiously, knowing that this was the first time they spoke since their argument. To his surprise, they looked ashamed as they looked at him.

"I wanted to apologize for how I acted the other day," Sunstar meowed. "I've been working so hard to carry on our father's legacy that I ignored the parts of him that were something he worked hard for. And that I had forgotten was the importance of having siblings in one's life. So for that, I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," Seashell meowed. "And we're sorry for throwing our frustrations with Dad on you."

"Yeah, you didn't deserve that," Rockfall meowed. "We were being big stupid douches."

Sunstar nodded back as he accepted the apology. Just then, Seashell meowed, "Hey, you two wanna see this? Mom gave it to me before we left. I think this is why she wanted me to bring it with us."

She pulled out an old photograph and laid it out on the ground. Rockfall took one look at it and purred, "That's one good-looking family, eh?"

At this, Sunstar looked down and smiled, knowing that this was back when Goldstar was alive and when they were kits. Goldstar was sitting beside a younger Silverheart with a gentle and handsome smile, Rockkit riding on top of his head. Silverheart herself looked so beautiful back then, a gorgeous smile on her face as Sunkit sat in between her forepaws. And Seakit was sitting in between them, standing up since she was the oldest of her littermates. What made Sunstar feel happier was that they were all smiling, making him realize that despite some hard times, they were ultimately a family.

"Yes, I couldn't agree more," Sunstar purred, his whiskers twitching with pride. "That is one happy family."

...

Once they all got away, Owlflame had decided to tell her father and the rebels everything the judge told her. She told them everything from Cinderstar arranging his brother's exile to how he intended to take over the South as well. All the cats except for Tanrock let out yowls of shock and anger, and Owlflame now realized that she should have let them take Cinderstar away.

"So once I knew the truth, I couldn't sit by and do nothing," Owlflame explained. "And I didn't want Mom to suffer either. That's why I broke my promise."

Tanrock was surprised at this before lowering his head. His voice was composed but furious as he hissed, "My own brother betrayed me and our entire Clan! And he had the nerve to call all of us traitors!"

"What's our next move?" the dark brown rebel leader asked. "We gotta make that bastard pay!"

"I'll need to face my past; I've been running from it for so long," Tanrock meowed. He held up his head and went on, "And it's time to make my brother realize he made a big mistake in messing with us."

The cats nodded before the dark brown rebel leader meowed, "You have our support. And when he gets overthrown, we'll be happy to have you as our leader...Tanstar."

Owlflame felt thrilled when they chanted her father's leader name, yowling, "Tanstar! Tanstar! Tanstar!" She felt so jubilant that she meowed, "I want to fight beside you too, Dad. You should've been leader, not Cinderstar."

"...no," came the reply.

"What?" Owlflame mewed, her voice sounding slightly like a kit's. "But you said the South doesn't stand a chance against the North. I can help you out."

Tanrock nodded. "I know. However, the best way for you to help is by getting the President of the United Nation on our side. The South can handle Cinderstar for a while, but we'll need the army in order to win this war." With a small purr, he added, "And don't call me Tanstar yet; I haven't received my nine lives and leader name."

Owlflame glanced down sadly, but she knew the army was good...and that was thanks to a friend named Ironclaw leading them all. So she looked up at her father with firm resolve and replied, "Okay, I'll get you all the help you need. I love you, Dad," she added, padding forward to nuzzle him in a daughterly way.

"I love you too, my daughter," Tanrock rumbled back with a smile, returning the nuzzle.

So the two groups had split up to go their different ways, Tanrock WaterBending a platform of ice the rebels, until they arrived on the opposite shore. Once the ice touched land, they all hopped off, and Tanrock looked back toward Dodger's ship in the far distance. Owlflame wished she could join her father in the fight, but he had a Clan to take back. That, and she had started a civil war, a civil war that could be as dangerous as the Fourteen Year war that started nearly twenty three years ago.

She never knew this kind of work onwards was tough and harsh. This would be perhaps her second time living through a war due to fighting against the Equalists from moons before. It could also be her third time due to Goldstar helping fight FireClan in the Great War.

"Hey Owlflame?" Stonetail had padded up next to her. "Thanks. It's all good now."

Confused, Owlflame asked, "For what? I started a civil war. How the hell is that good?"

Stonetail smiled brightly. "Because now, Duskpaw and I are no longer mates!"

"Well, it looks like we have company..." Dodger meowed while still inside the polar bear, Julie holding up a spyglass for him. "...and not the fun kind!"

Everyone joined him by the larger window. Off in the distance...was a water wave heading right towards them.

"What is that?" Redblaze asked with a twitch of the ear.

Stonetail took the spyglass and looked through it...before jumping back and gasping, startled. Rubbing his eyes as if in disbelief, he looked through the spyglass again, and Owlflame joined him in looking through.

It was Duskpaw. Her pale gray fur was scruffy, her face contorted in rage, and her mismatched eyes glittering insanely. Owlflame had never seen her like this before, and quite frankly, she had a guess why this happened. They (Duskpaw and Stonetail) were supposed to be married, and he had left her at the altar.

"That would be my darling little Duskpaw," Stonetail gulped. To Dodger, he asked, "Hey, quick question: Is this ship fast enough to escape my crazy WaterBending former mate?"

"Sure thing!" the bicolored tom replied with a grin. "Why do you think I built this boat?"

And with that, he started the ship again, and off they went.

To be continued...

...

Cody The Pikachu: Well, here we go, folks! The end of this chapter has arrived! If there is anything wrong with this chapter, let me know. In the meantime, before the protection from the computer goes down, I'll upload my stories the best I can.

Like I said, I haven't put any songs on this story just yet...but I will. I might include some from either Phil Collins or Elton John...or both. I like these guys; they sang songs from The Lion King, Tarzan, and Brother Bear. Speaking of that, I might include some scenes from those movies into here in Avatar Cat form. That, and I plan on doing the same for my Kataang Island Adventure 2 story...with something else in there.

Read and review, folks! Anyone who reads and reviews this chapter will get a virtual pizza or other dinner of their choice and a plush Pabu doll. I don't allow any flames on this story or any of my other stories; otherwise, they'd be used to make firewood. I DO, however, allow advice and constructive criticism as long as it's not harsh. Now here's the preview for Peace Corps.

Preview: It's brother versus brother in the WaterClan war. After Owlflame discovers that Cinderstar tricked her and her father, she turned against him, sparking a civil war. The Southern cats rallied around Tanrock, but they are vastly outnumbered. So Owlflame is going to United City to seek aid. But will she be able to persuade President Shang to send troops to help her Clan? What kind of plan is Dodger coming with now? And can Sunstar teach Foxkit to properly train his hawk named Crunchy?

See ya next time!