A/N: So, in general, people seem to prefer "The Third ShadowClan Reich" for the new title. You've got until the next chapter if you want to tell me otherwise.

Something I glossed over last chapter: as in canon, Jaypaw became the medicine cat of ThunderClan and Hollypaw went to being a warrior. Just so you know.

Anyway, it was about three quarter-moons after the Gathering and the tunnels to send mail were roughly have done. Mostly WindClan cats did the digging, because let's face it, they're the only ones who like being underground. I did try helping dig for a bit because I was small enough at six moons, but dirt got in my nostrils pretty quickly and I retreated back to the medicine den.

"Oh, hello, Snakepaw," Littlecloud meowed as I padded back in. "Would you mind helping me sort these herbs alphabetically?"

"No problem." We had already moved the herbs out of their typical niches, which I had labelled A-F, G-O, and P-Z in perfect Comic Sans.

Picking up a bundle of comfrey in my mouth, I placed it approximately in the middle of the A-F niche.

"What would make life better would be having a computer." I muttered to myself. "But we don't have a generator..."

"Snakepaw, what are you talking about?" Littlecloud asked in puzzlement. "Is this another innovation you just came up with."

"Yes." I replied.

Suddenly, I remembered something from my Twoleg days.

Specifically, a book.

Lest Darkness Fall, it had been called. The author had some unpronounceable French name. We'd read it in English class, but despite that I found myself liking it.

The general idea had been that a historian named Martin Padway had been thrown backwards to immediately after the fall of the Roman Empire. Known as Martinus Paduei to everyone in the past, he introduced new technology like double-entry bookkeeping, Arabic numerals, newspapers, and so on, and eventually managed to avert the Dark Ages through his actions.

And that was a parallel to my situation, wasn't it? I was trapped "back in time," albeit in the past of the Warriors series, knowing everything that was to come, and being able to help my adopted group with my knowledge of the future as well as the technology I was able to pioneer.

And then with a chill I remembered a short story with a similar premise I had read on my own called "The Man who Came Early." The main character had gone back in time to 10th century Iceland but made several blunders because his knowledge and customs did not fit in to that time and finally was killed without changing history much at all.

What if I end up like that? I thought, and shivered.

"Snakepaw, are you okay?" Littlecloud asked.

"I need to change everything." I whispered, and tore out of the den.


My pistol clenched between my teeth, I pelted across the edge of ShadowClan territory. I need to change what I can while I'm still alive. Up to now I've been obsessed with trivialities like new weapons and territorial expansion... such a fool. I need to change history for the better, and what better way to throw everything into reverse than taking out a key target?

And I'll need help to do it.

I peered in through the windows of a few houses before remembering the one where we'd stolen the guns from.

It was empty, the windows dark, a "FOR SALE" sign in the front yard.

Let's hope there's still something here... I managed to wriggle in through an open window with some difficulty and dropped on to the floor.

The house was eerily silent, almost all of the curtains drawn. All of the furniture was gone. The empty feeling of the house filled me with trepidation.

There was nothing worth taking on the bottom floor, so I ventured upstairs.

In the bedroom where we'd killed the Twoleg, there was a police officer standing there.

"Holy shit!" I shouted in surprise. Why's there a policeman there? Wouldn't that Twoleg's murder case have gone cold already or have been written off as a suicide or something?

The officer swung around in surprise. He said something, but I couldn't understand it. I knew it was something along the lines of, "Aw, look at the little kitten," though.

Then he seemed to notice my gun for the first time and screamed, but I was quicker. I pulled the trigger and the bullet smashed into his shoulder. He fell over to the ground, blood dripping from the wound. He quickly lost consciousness.

I winced as I realized that I'd just probably crippled him for life. Might as well search him. I found a service pistol and a Taser, as well as a set of handcuffs and a walkie-talkie. I took the first three but left the last. Jumping onto him, I carefully tore the fabric on his shirt with one claw to spell the word, "sorry."

Turning on his walkie-talkie, I did my best impression of a human scream into it, then raced down the stairs. Maybe his police friends will help him out.

I heard the door open as I left the way I came.


"What's this stuff?" Blackstar asked me as I dumped the handcuffs in front of him.

"We can use these on prisoners." I explained. "We simply clasp this part around them and attach the other part to a tree or something, and there won't be any need for a guard."

Blackstar pawed at the handcuffs. "Interesting. Thank you, Snakepaw. You are dismissed."

Grabbing my new Taser from the medicine den, I exited the camp with it clasped in my teeth. Snowbird dipped her head to me as I left. "What's that?" she asked.

"It's called a Taser." I told her. "I'll explain when I get back."

It took a short amount of time to get to the ThunderClan border, and hesitantly I crossed it. Heart pounding, I crept into a tree and waited.

I waited a long time. To this day I'm still not sure how long. All I know is that eventually Ashfur passed under me, alone. He was presumably tracking prey, judging by his position. He looked quite retarded from my aerial position.

It's time. I pounced down behind him and fired the Taser at him.

Ashfur groaned in pain as the electrifying power smashed into him. After a few moments, with a sigh he fell to the ground.

Hiding the Taser in the bushes, I grabbed him by the scruff in my teeth and dragged him down to the lakeside. He was a lot heavier than I expected, and I had to stop several times.

As I reached the shore, he stirred and moaned. I knew I had to act fast and shoved him into the water, kicking at his body to make it drift farther away.

Watching in satisfaction, I saw him drift further to the center of the lake, slowly sinking. By the time he woke up, if he even did, it would be much too late for him.


I didn't explain the Taser to Snowbird when I got back because she didn't ask again. She apparently didn't care.


The next Gathering came and of course I was there.

Firestar was pontificating on and on, and I was only listening to him with one ear, more focused on my future plans.

"Finally, one of our warriors, Ashfur, has disappeared." Firestar finished.

My ears perked up. Let's see if you have anything to say about that.

"He was last seen a quarter-moon ago on a hunting patrol near the lake."

Firestar didn't say anything else useful, so I ignored him.

Blackstar didn't have much to say, either. This was somewhat good.

Onestar only commented on fertile hunting conditions and new apprentices, but since he was talking in such a boring voice I ignored him, too.

Then it was Leopardstar's turn. She stepped up to the edge of her branch. "RiverClan is-" she started, but never finished.

A gunshot rang out in the night.

Leopardstar tottered on her branch for a moment, then plummeted down to the ground. She impacted near to me, close enough for me to see the entry wound of a bullet right under her chin... and the grotesque exit wound atop her head.

Chaos erupted.

Cats were yowling and screeching every which way. I couldn't hear or see a thing for the throbbing mass of pelts around me.

Dark clouds passed over the moon.

"StarClan is angry!" somebody screeched.

I turned to Littlecloud with wide eyes. "Who did this?" I yowled.

"I don't know!" Littlecloud looked just as confused as me. "No ShadowClan warrior would do this... right? But if they didn't, that means somebody else got a gun somewhere."

The moon's light was totally obscured, and even the stars were beginning to be covered.

"So who did this?"

A/N: Well, nobody expected THAT, did you? You thought this was an only semi-serious trollfic/crackfic/ordinary fanfic, didn't you? Well, now you're wrong! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (laughs maniacally for several hours)

No, seriously, though, who do you think assassinated Leopardstar? Please say in the reviews.