Chapter Eleven: With a Little Help from My Friends

A black shadow was crouching atop of the Highrock, looking down at the fighting cats from his perch. Ice blue eyes surveyed the carnage with amusement, as if he was watching a couple of play-fighting kits. The two sides were evenly matched now, BloodClan and the temporary 'LionClan'. Cats of all shapes and sizes were ripping each other to shreds, though most often it was BloodClan cats fleeing the scene. The once-defeated LionClan wasn't holding back.

A strange mixture of satisfaction and hatred bubbled in Firestar's chest as he started towards the great rock. Here was Scourge, finally showing his cowardly face so that Firestar could rip it off. After two moons, every death would finally be avenged.

But before he could reach the BloodClan leader two identical white toms blocked his way. They lunged at him, mirroring each other's movements and dragging their claws along Firestar's sides. Screeching, Firestar whirled around to face one of them but he dodged away just as his brother's teeth met in Firestar's scruff. The cat pushed Firestar's face into the bloodied grass, cackling madly though the leader's fur in his mouth.

Firestar struggled violently, his claws ripping up huge chunks of grass and dirt. But with his nose and mouth being crush against the ground, he couldn't breathe, and soon the world started to go fuzzy. The sounds of the battle began to fade, and his vision went black.

I awoke shortly after, still at Fourtrees. But the fighting, screeching cats were gone, replaced by a peaceful summer night. I knew what was happening; I was losing my second life, again to a BloodClan cat. It couldn't have come at a worse time, though. By the time I came to again, Scourge could be gone, killing some other cat the way he killed Cloudtail and Fernpaw.

"Come out, StarClan!" I shouted to the empty clearing, my voice echoing eerily around the four great oaks. "Come out and show me you're still watching us!"

A starry form materialized out of the shadows, stalking out of the bushes and into the middle of the clearing. Bluestar's icy blue eyes flashed dangerously and her starry pelt rippled over her muscles. For a moment I felt like an apprentice again, caught sneaking out of camp with Graystripe.

Coming nose-to-nose with me, my old leader growled, "We're always watching you, Firestar. Don't give in to the same doubts I did." Suddenly there were hundreds, even thousands of StarClan warriors behind her, turning Fourtrees into Silverpelt on earth. I took an uneasy step back, my eyes widening in awe. Beside Bluestar stood a faded reflection of myself, transparent but more real than the last time I had seen him. My two lives already lost.

"Have faith in StarClan Firestar, and we'll repay the favor." It was Bluestar's mouth that moved, but she spoke with the voice of every cat in the clearing; every ancestor new and old. The youngest kit and the most weathered elder. The voices of Cloudtail and Brightheart, standing side by side, and the voice of Ravenpaw, his sleek black pelt glittering with points of light. "You owe your life to StarClan. Live it well."

The StarClan cats merged into one, a huge cat with fiery white-hot eyes and a pelt studded with blindingly bright stars. It lifted its paw and brought it down towards my head. With a startled yowl, I was sent back to earth.

Firestar jolted involuntarily and gasped as breath returned to his body. His green eyes flew open and without another moment of hesitation he jumped to his feet. Looking around, he spotted the white BloodClan twins battling with Bramblepaw and Water Droplet Clinging to Leaf.

The two apprentice-aged cats attacked with no mercy, meeting the twins at every turn and clawing at their fur at every chance. Finally they lunged forward as a single unit and sunk their teeth into the white toms' throats. Firestar watched the twins write in pain, their eyes bulging, before collapsing motionless at Bramblepaw and Droplet's feet.

"That was for Firestar!" Bramblepaw spat, kicking a clod of dirt onto one of the tom's twisted face.

"Good job you two." Firestar complimented, brushing past them as he dove back into the battle. Droplet gave a startled scream when she saw the leader come back to life, but Bramblepaw only grinned knowingly.

Firestar sidestepped group of wrestling cats, searching out one cat in particular. He only paused to drag a lithe silver-spotted tom off Sandstorm, throwing him into the bushes from which he did not emerge. Sandstorm gave her leader an affectionate lick and jumped at another nearby BloodClan cat. Finally Firestar's eyes spotted a shadow flit behind one of the trees, one white paw standing out against the rest of his pelt. With a growl, Firestar went after the black cat.

Scourge was waiting for him behind one of the great oaks. When Firestar rounded on him he was ready with lashing claws, reinforced by sharpened dog's teeth. The claws ripped through one of Firestar's ears as he jumped back with a yowl, ripping it to shreds. Before Firestar could regain his balance, Scourge was coming at him again. He only barely managed to dodge the downward swipe that had taken away his first life in the first battle with BloodClan.

Skidding back a few steps, Firestar shook his head, spraying droplets of blood from his shredded ear. It was only a moment he had to rest before Scourge was striking out again, a twisted smile stretched across his face. Cold blue eyes stared right through Firestar, carefully calculating every move before he could make it.

There was no way Firestar would ever be able to match Scourge's speed; the black monster's small size gave him an immense advantage. Firestar would have to rely on his size and wits to get him out of this with at least a few of his lives intact. Staying light on his paws, Firestar leapt into the air high above Scourge. At the last moment he threw his tail upwards and kicked out at the air, propelling himself down towards Scourge's back. His outstretched paws met in the smaller cat's haunches and Firestar threw is weight to one side, toppling the two over. Scourge gave a scream of fury, ripping himself out of Firestar's grasp.

"Is that the best you can do?" the BloodClan leader jeered, sliding back on the grass made slick with blood. He bared his teeth bravely at Firestar, but his eyes betrayed his fear. "I don't know how you came back again, but I've killed you once and I'll kill you again!" Unnaturally long claws slashed through empty air as Firestar sidestepped his next attack, scoring another line of scratches along Scourge's sides as he went by.

But unlike Scourge, Firestar was pulsing with renewed energy. All the weariness of the past two moons of travelling was gone, erased away with his lost life. He was a new cat, fighting with the strength of all the StarClan cats that seemed to fill Fourtrees now, wreathing through the battling cats and slashing at every BloodClan cat they met.

The glimmer of fear in Scourge's icy blue eyes turned to true terror when he saw the starry warriors striking down his cats left and right. He stepped back a few more steps, crouching low to the ground. "This isn't possible! BloodClan can't lose!"

Firestar's only reply was to rear back on his hind legs, towering over the tiny BloodClan leader. Behind him a giant starry cat rose up behind him, huge paws lashing at the air. Its lighted mane shook as it open its jaws in a soundless roar, powerful muscles rippling under its transparent golden coat. Moving as one unit, Firestar and the lion dropped down onto Scourge, claws slamming into his skull and fangs meeting in his throat.

Scourge gave one last strangled scream of pain and hatred, then fell to the ground, dead.

It was over.

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I feel like the dialogue in this chapter is way too cliché. :/ Oh well. I like it.

EDIT: There were some typos and such that I cleaned up in here…The next chapter will be up soon!

And yes, the next chapter will be the last. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!

Enjoy~