Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.

Thanks to everyone that reviewed (: Especially Firestorm75 and Silverpelt--leader of StarClan, they've really showed they care! ;D *tear* Haha, anyway, to the reviews: "Does Lani have a split personality?" and "Please tell me this won't turn out to be a Raven x Barley fic or a Blue x Raven fic..." No, Lani does not have a split personality. She's just a nice cat in general, but she knows to defend her territory. And no, this is not a Blue x Raven or a Raven x Barley. Both pairings disgust me, honestly. XD Okay yeah, sorry for the long authors note.

Chapter 8

Ravenstar blinked a few times.

This can't be happening. The shape of the huge tom still didn't disappear. While frozen in place, Ravenstar didn't move as Tigerstar stalked over to him.

"You'll never be a leader," the dark warrior taunted him, "You're just as soft as a kittypet!"

Ravenstar hissed in hatred and swatted his claws at his former mentor. Tigerstar seemed to dissolve. The black tom stared in disbelief. Everything was changing in his life now, and if it meant he had to deal with the dead Tigerstar in order to be leader, then so be it.

His heart was still pounding, and his eyes were still huge. Calm. He thought to himself. It was just a vision. Ravenstar heart Lani stir in her nest and her head popped up. She blinked sleep from her eyes.

"Hello Ravenstar," she mewed, still laying in her nest, "What are you still doing up?"

"Bad dream,"

"Oh," Lani meowed, "Would it help if you talk about it?"

"Not really," he sighed, "Thanks though."

Lani nodded and lay her head down again. Ravenstar wondered if she was thinking of staying here. If she did stay, though, the Twoleg's themselves would have to drive her out. He heard her sigh and felt pity for the she-cat. Soon enough, Lani's breathing came in slowly and deeply, and Ravenstar realized she was asleep.

The tom flinched as Tigerstar's face filled his mind again. He still couldn't believe that happened. Tigerstar must have had some other reason for coming to Ravenstar. Not just to taunt him, but what? And why hadn't he stayed to finish what he had started? Ravenstar growled, and fear shot through him at the thought of the dark warrior returning.

"Help us!" A she-cats voice pierced through the night air. Lani's head whipped up as if she hadn't been sleeping in the first place, and Barleys ears pricked as he lifted his head. Ravenstar had already leaped up with his fur bristling. Through the bushes shot a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat, and Ravenstar stiffened. It was the cat he'd fought near the barn! He glanced over at Barley and noticed his friends fur was beginning to rise.

"Help…me, please!" she panted, lowering her head in exhaustion.

"What's wrong?" Lani and Ravenstar demanded at the same time.

"My mate, Bane, he's…been trapped by the tree-killers!" the she-cat wailed. Ravenstar wondered how she'd gotten over here so fast. It had taken him and Barley half a day. But that didn't matter right now.

"Where is he?" Ravenstar asked quickly. They would have to hurry in time to save him.

"Ravenstar," Barley meowed, "We'll never make it in time!" his friend finished by muttering something about the fight they'd had before with the two cats.

"He's back at home," the she-cat began to catch her breath and looked at Ravenstar with pleading eyes, "Please. You have to help him." The tom didn't point out that he didn't know exactly where her home was, but she would take him. It was her mate, after all.

"I'm going," Lani said determinedly, Ravenstar and Barley both agreed. Ravenstar noticed a flicker of hope in the tortoiseshell's eye and she sped off while yowling, "Thank you!"

XXX

Ravenstar was exhausted by the time they'd even gotten near the barn. They still had a few fox-lengths up the hill they'd passed yesterday. A few heartbeats later, he stood atop the hill, panting for breath. As he stared at what was below him he gasped. Lani and Barley both chorused him in fright. The tree-eaters were still tearing up Mothermouth along with many, many trees.

What Ravenstar was most shocked about was the large gray tom in the field. The sleek black tom didn't have to see closely to know that Bane's eyes were round with terror.

"Help him, please!" The she-cat pleaded, taking off again. Still out of breath, Ravenstar pelted along the grass, Lani and Barley behind him.

"Tally!" Bane's voice was thick with shock as the she-cat came into view. So Tally was her name. The tortoiseshell jumped back as a monster roared in front of her, heading for another tree.

"We've come to help you!" Lani called over the obnoxious roars of monsters. Bane's eyes widened as he noticed Ravenstar and Barley. But he hadn't time to think of the past; the tom had to get out of the circle of monsters as quickly as possible. Ravenstar was shocked Bane hadn't already been killed. He heard the gray tom yowl out a 'Thank you' to all the cats.

One of the monsters rumbled to life and it edged toward Bane.

"Bane!" Tally cried, "Get out of there!" The tom looked around wildly, the other monsters that were circling him had begun to wake up.

"I can't!" he yowled back, wrinkling his nose at the stench of monster. Ravenstar stared in horror as the monsters started going closer to Bane, and he didn't have an escape.

A thought flooded Ravenstar's mind.

"Bane," he meowed loudly, trying to be louder than the monsters, "Jump over the monsters' face! You'll be able to have a chance to escape!"

Bane stared at the smallest monster. Ravenstar guessed he was measuring the distance of the jump. The tom gave a massive leap in the air and scratched painfully at the monsters face. A Twoleg yowled inside its belly.

Ravenstar was overwhelmed with the reek of the tree-eaters. There were so many. Lani and Barley were rooted to the spot, their jaws gaping in horror. Bane's claws made a terrible scraping sound on the monsters pelt. The Twoleg yowled louder. The gray tom jumped again and tumbled to the ground in front of Tally. Bane panted and moaned in pain.

"Oh, Bane!" Tally cried and began covering him with comforting licks. Bane managed to pull up a raspy purr.

"Lets get out of here, quick." Lani said desperately, and all five cats took off. Bane leaned against Ravenstar and Tally. Neither tom took notice that they used to be enemies.

XXX

"Thanks again for saving me," Bane meowed gratefully to all the cats. Tally hadn't left his side since he'd gotten to Lani's forest.

"Do you think they'll come here?" Lani mewed, her voice shaking.

"No," Barley meowed, "Monsters are stupid creatures." Lani and Tally glanced around nervously, as if expecting a monster to bundle out of the trees. Bane licked a wound in his foreleg, but he wasn't badly injured. Ravenstar wondered if they'd join the soon to be EchoClan. He felt a prickle of excitement. He wouldn't bring it up until later, though. Ravenstar didn't want to rush them, and he wanted to make sure they trusted him enough.

"I never got a chance to introduce myself," Tally said, "I'm Tally, though you probably already know that."

"I'm Ravenstar," he meowed in a friendly tone, "And these are Lani and Barley," Each cat dipped their head at the sound of their name.

"I'm Bane," the gray tom pointed out, his introduction muffled by licking his wounded paw.

"You know," Lani meowed, "A cobweb should stop the bleeding."

"Great idea!" Tally mewed excitedly, for once bounding away from her mate to find cobweb. Then a thought struck him. What about a medicine cat? He suddenly felt hollow, and not just because of hunger.

The sun was beginning to rise now, and Ravenstar sighed.

"I'm going hunting," he murmured to Barley, and his friend followed. Lani pricked her ears and followed them along with the scents of prey. Tally and Bane were sleeping off their fright in a heap of moss they'd found earlier. But Ravenstar didn't think they'd eaten yet.

XXX

"Yes!" Lani cheered as she brought down a rather large blackbird. She'd killed it swiftly in the air with her teeth before it could sound an alarm call. Ravenstar purred congratulations. He and Barley had caught four mice and a sparrow together and they all padded happily back into Lani's territory. Bane and Tally stirred at the scent of prey and Ravenstar flicked his tail toward the pile, signaling they could eat anytime.

After all the cats had finished eating, the sun was highest in the sky. All that remained in the fresh-kill pile were two mice, but they had all day to hunt. The group all lay cozily in the grass, sharing random thoughts and laughing with each other. Lani flicked Ravenstar's ear with her tail, and the black tom knew why.

"Um…Tally, Bane," he started once he'd gotten the cats' attention, "There's something I have to ask you."