AN: As Forest would say, to answer your questions: Northstar isn't related to Blackfoot/star, but I liked his appearance so much I kind of copied it, Forest isn't a Clan cat, so he does know what years are; Clan cats also know, I believe, or at least they know seasons, Silverstreak's eyes are blue, Brownfur is Fear, and the ShellClan warrior that you guys like so much from the first few chapters is the same one helping Lion, we'll learn his name in this chapter, and who doesn't like Smash Brothers Brawl?

C h a p t e r 11

Slaughter's eyes had lost their deathly coolness; they glittered at him, sparkling with rage, his face absolutely livid. Lion was still smiling, and he flicked his ruined ear, sending fresh blood spattering the battlefield.

"Come on, Slaughter; don't have the courage to actually fight?" he sneered. At this, Slaughter seemed to become even angrier, his rage twisting his features into something that Lion couldn't tell if it was a snarl, or a smile. Slaughter couldn't back down now, not with all of his followers watching, already shaken by the nine deaths they had just witnessed. Some of them would be rooting for Slaughter, a select few would be on Lion's side, and most of them were simply waiting to see who would win, who they would pledge their allegiance to. These were mostly the cowardly cats, after all, those that had betrayed their Clan in hopes of landing on the winning side; if Slaughter lost, most of TalonClan would switch sides again, following Lion.

Lion's golden gaze flicked to the side, seeing the ginger face of the ShellClan cat. He was closer to the battlefield than when Lion first started fighting, and he gave Lion a slight nod when he realized he was watching him. Lion nodded back, and then slowly dragged his gaze back to Slaughter. The tip of his bushy golden tail twitched, mocking him.

To his credit, Slaughter kept his composure, seemingly easier than Lion would have guessed.

"My guards were weak, I suppose," he announced to his Clan, "but I, Slaughter, am not. I will finish this murderer, and you will all watch!" Behind his fierce words, Lion saw the slightest flicker of fear in his eyes, before he turned back to Lion. "Let's finish this."

Lion simply smiled back, his friends flashing before his eyes: Grinning Zig, serious Blue, fierce Tiger, gentle Clover. It didn't matter whether he won or lost this battle; he had already lost them. But that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

They began circling each other, golden tom and darker tom, watching each other's movements closely. Lion's right ear was useless now, ruined, but it wouldn't make a difference in this battle; Slaughter couldn't sneak up on him from his deaf side, with such close quarters, and Lion would see him do it anyway.

His deep shoulder wound ached with each step, and with each step he knew he was losing precious blood from his other wounds as well. This battle would have to be swift; he needed to engage Slaughter and end him as quickly as possible.

With that decided, he suddenly lunged, hoping to take Slaughter by surprise. Instead, he was the one surprised as Slaughter's sleek pelt escaped his claws. Slaughter grinned, baring his fangs. He was waiting for Lion to bleed out, Lion realized; it was cowardly, but pragmatic. TalonClan would be under his spell once more as soon as he let out another rousing speech; it didn't matter how Slaughter fought, so long as he won.

It would be up to Lion to bring the fight claw-to-claw, then. He sprang again, only for Slaughter to dodge the blow once more. Lion gritted his teeth in frustration; unlike many TalonClan's cats, Slaughter's pelt had few scars to show, showing his prowess as a warrior and his ability to stay away from his enemy's claws.

Lion stopped, sizing Slaughter up for a moment. Any attack he launched would simply send the tom running again. So, he just had to maneuver Slaughter into a position where he couldn't run, keeping his back against his own cats.

"Running away like a kit, are we"? Lion challenged, distracting him. Slaughter's eyes flashed, but he only smiled.

"I'd hardly call dodging the blows of a lumbering simpleton running," he sneered back, moving to the right as Lion feinted another lunge. Lion smiled back, keeping his body positioned so that his muzzle was left of Slaughter's, but just barely.

"A lumbering simpleton, huh? Interesting, how a simpleton managed to defeat nine of your highest warriors," he replied. Slaughter's face twisted in a snarl, but he quickly turned it into another smile.

"Don't confuse brawn with brains, murderer."

"Murderer?" Lion laughed, sending Slaughter to the right again with another swipe of his huge golden paws. "I'm the murderer? You as good as killed your leader Northstar, sending his Clan after him like that, running him out of his territory. And you were watching Frozenstar die, weren't you?"

Slaughter let out a hiss, but quickly composed himself again, moving to the right a third time, not realizing that he was being slowly backed into a corner; the TalonClan cats had attempted to create a circle for the battlefield, but they couldn't construct a perfect one; it was more oval-shaped, and Lion was slowly forcing Slaughter into one of the tapering ends, distracting him so he wouldn't notice it. Slaughter was more concerned with his image in the eyes of his followers than the battle at hand.

"I had to remain hidden, or Northstar would have killed me on the spot," Slaughter said smoothly.

"So you let him come to power and gain his nine lives?" Lion's eyes were narrowed, and he swiped at Slaughter again, forcing him closer to the edge of the oval.

"I…." Slaughter faltered for a moment, but regained himself once more. "It was the only thing I could do; Northstar was a brilliant commander. We lost few cats under his rule."

"Except for the battle that killed my family, however, but their lives were worth nothing, right? Aside from that, it sounds like Northstar was a brilliant leader. He treated the warriors with respect, did he not? My friends here tell me he was gentle with those that patrolled for him, rewarding them. Have you rewarded your warriors? Have you earned their trust and guidance with anything besides fear of execution and pretty speeches? Northstar killed Frozenstar because Frozenstar was senile, costing FrozenClan warriors their lives. And yet after all he did for you, you cast him out, after he had done your dirty work and secured the forest Clans!" Lion was yowling now, not just to Slaughter, but to every other cat listening. "And you chased him out for this, threatening to kill him if you found him, while the real traitor was Slaughter…or should I saw, Crowtalon!"

Slaughter's eyes were blue flames as the Clan began murmuring to one another, passing Lion's words to those who could not hear them, beyond the battlefield. Slaughter bared his fangs, and this time it was he who struck.

He knocked Lion down, tearing at his soft stomach, only to fly back from a kick of Lion's powerful legs. He was on the thin part of the oval now, and when Lion sprang at him there was nowhere for him to run. Lion pinned him down, raking his claws down Slaughter's chest and stomach, striking for his neck with his fangs, only to find himself with Slaughter's shoulder; the tom had managed to move and dodge the killing blow. Lion bit down, feeling his teeth scrape against blow, and Slaughter let out a chilling howl of pain that seemed to make Lion's fangs rattle. Lion released him, only to let out a grunt of pain as Slaughter copied him, kicking his golden stomach. The breath knocked out of him, Lion was forced to roll away, landing on his side, the side with the wounded shoulder. He let out a hiss of pain and attempted to get to his paws, only to have his bad shoulder fail him and send him crashing to the ground. Slaughter rose slowly, triumph glittering in his eyes. He took a step forward, planting his paw on Lion's good shoulder, eyes gleaming.

"This is what happens to those that rise against TalonClan!" he roared, and prepared the death blow. Lion closed his eyes.

There's nowhere after this, for me…but I tried, Clover, if you're lingering there, waiting for me before going on. I tried for you, our family, and our kits.

Slaughter's hiss of vengeance suddenly turned into a cry of surprise. Lion opened his eyes just in time to see a ginger streak rush forward, knocking Slaughter on his side.

"You scum! You filth!" the ginger ShellClan tom spat. TalonClan's murmurs rose into a cry at the unfairness of the tom coming to Lion's aid, but the tom simply spat at them in reply.

"He sent six warriors on Lion at once, and he only fought him after he defeated three others!" the ShellClan tom roared. "From day one I have opposed his rule; the only reason I am not dead is because if my voice was silenced, it would leave a gaping hole. I am simply balancing this fight!"

With that he took a step back. Lion rose to his paws slowly, thanking him with a nod. This time it was he who padded towards the fallen warrior. Slaughter stared up at him, pure hatred and fear in his gaze.

"You won't do it," he sneered at Lion. "I'm evil by your standards, certainly, but even in the stories the hero never slays the villain! You'll let me go, and I'll run off. My Clan will follow me, and we will kill you in the night!" His eyes were wild. "End this charade. Free me!"

Lion stared down at him, and then a predatory smile curled his muzzle.

"This isn't a story, and I'm no hero," he snarled, and with that he raked his claws down Slaughter's throat. Slaughter let out a gasp – filled with surprise? Regret? Anger? – as his blood pooled around him, quickly turning into a gurgle. Slowly, the fiery rage in his blue eyes left him, as they glazed over until they stared up at the cave's ceiling blankly.

With that, Lion turned towards TalonClan, feeling weary. He waited for some sense of accomplishment, pride perhaps at taking down such skilled warriors, or joy at avenging his family. However, he felt nothing except the ache of his throbbing shoulder and the pain in his ruined ear. He had killed Slaughter, and for yet? TalonClan was broken now, with no leader, but that hadn't brought Clover back, now had it? She was still dead, and he was still alone.

Or was he?

As he blinked at the warriors staring at him, he saw a strange look in their eyes; awe, perhaps? Reverence, even, for defeating such powerful cats? They were looking to their new leader, he realized: Him. They had no one to turn to now, with Northstar gone and Slaughter dead. They needed someone to lead them, and he had defeated not only Slaughter's nine guards, but Slaughter himself.

They were waiting for something, but he didn't know what. He wasn't a motivational speaker; his family had never required him to be.

An image of the old leader, Fadedstar, flashed in his mind for a moment. Fadedstar had been a smooth talker, insisting that as long as Lion followed the plan, his family would be safe. Lion felt a flash of anger rippling through his pelt; Fadedstar had lied. Lion's family was dead, and probably would have been even if Zig hadn't launched the attack early. There had simply been too many warriors for them to defeat alone, and Fadedstar had known it. Lion saw everything so clearly, suddenly: Lion's group was a liability, a danger. Sending them to fight FrozenClan was like striking two mice with one swipe; both would be lost, leaving BirchClan standing alone and proud.

He realized his teeth had been bared in a snarl without realizing it. What was it that he had heard, lurking among TalonClan? Several BirchClan cats had fled like cowards, running out of the mountains. And one of them was Fadedstar's daughter….

The plan fell into place, so easily that Lion couldn't help but smile. He would have his revenge, not only on FrozenClan, but on BirchClan as well. Now, Clover would truly be avenged.

"TalonClan!" he yowled, and the Clan rippled, waiting eagerly for his words. "I have defeated your leader, and every cat that could hope to have a claim to leadership! There is no one else here who has the strength or the power to lead you. TalonClan, I, Lion, shall be your leader!"

TalonClan roared back at him, cheering, switching alliances without a second thought for their fallen leader.

"This is my friend, Brightfire," Lion flicked his tail at the ginger ShellClan tom. "He shall be my second in command; my deputy, as you cats used to call them before Slaughter blinded you. I need a medicine cat to tend to my wounds."

There was no motion for a moment, before the cats began moving to the side, allowing four young cats through, barely more than kits. They stared at Lion with wide, anxious eyes.

"We are the, ah, advisors," one mewed nervously. "That's what Slaughter chose to call them, after outlawing medicine cats speaking to StarClan…."

Lion studied them for a moment. One from each Clan, he noted. One from BirchClan. His eyes narrowed, as he realized every coward in BirchClan would be here. For a moment, he considered asking Brightfire to point them out to be executed, before realizing that he could use them to fight against their own kind, the three BirchClan cats that remained. He would hunt down Fadedstar's daughter and her friends like prey; only then would he kill off the remaining BirchClan cats, extinguishing their Clan.

"W-Will you come to our den?" one asked with a trembling voice. Lion glanced at Brightfire, who simply smiled at him warmly, his eyes glowing with pride at having helped overthrow the tyrant. Clearly, he thought that Lion would right what had been wronged, and split the four Clans once more. Lion didn't plan to, but he would allow Brightfire to think of it, for the moment.

He followed the four 'advisors' into a small den, stinking of herbs. They instructed him to lie down, and so he did, while the four of them looked him over. One bound his ruined ear, one tended to his injured shoulder, and the other two saw to his various other wounds quickly and efficiently; the medicine cat had taught them as if her life had depended on it, and it had until Slaughter had decided he had no more use for her and had her killed.

The BirchClan advisor was a gentle creature, named Feather for her soft tabby markings. Her pelt was silver-gray, and Lion guessed she was nearly seven moons old, the oldest of the four advisors. She said nothing as she licked his dirty fur, exposing another bite, but her face had a kind, thoughtful look to it.

"You'll have to stay here for at least a day, sir, while you heal," one advisor, name Berry, told him. Lion nodded, resting his head on his paws, feeling as if he had aged a year with every battle. He let out a soft sigh, only for his lip to curl as he thought of Fadedstar's treachery once more.

Clover, I've only taken the first step, he thought. But I'm not stopping, understand? I'll see this through to the end. For you. I'll kill every BirchClan cat with my own four paws, if that's what it takes to avenge you.

. N o r t h s t a r .

"Come on, where did you go?" she wheedled. "Come on, tell me! Please? You spent the first two days here being all boring, just watching everyone all creepily, and then we finally take you on patrol and you disappear before we even get home! And you came back with a gleam in your eye and blood on your claws, I could smell it. Did you sneak off and eat prey without sharing? Is that why you're looking so sneaky?"

Northstar let out a groan, opening his eyes to stare at Rabbitpaw, wishing she would go away. "Foxclaw isn't your father," he said nastily, hoping to cause her enough pain that she would run away. It was true that Foxclaw was probably not her father; Mousepaw had inherited his mother's fur, but Rabbitpaw's fur was white splashed with gray, meaning her father was almost certainly not Foxclaw.

Instead of looking hurt, Rabbitpaw just giggled at him, infuriatingly. "Of course not," she laughed. "Foxclaw didn't want kits, but Fawncloud did. They're mates so we act like he's our father, but Stoneheart is, I think. He's gray, so it makes the most sense, right?"

Northstar simply stared at her. "Your father isn't your father? And the Clan is fine with this?"

Rabbitpaw's whiskers twitched. "Of course, silly. Sometimes queens and toms just don't see eye-to-eye, kits-wise. So they compromise, you know? Everyone does it. It happens all the time; just because a pair can't agree on kits doesn't mean they shouldn't be happy, right?"

Northstar stared at her in disbelief. FrozenClan had been a bit of a shaky Clan, but they looked like StarClan compared to these cats.

Not wanting to hear any more of her nonsense, Northstar abruptly rose to his paws. Rabbitpaw opened her mouth, probably to enquire as to where he was going, only to find herself with a mouth full of fur as Northstar's tail silenced her.

"I'm leaving, and you're not following," he growled. Rabbitpaw frowned, and made a muffled sound through the fur on his tail.

"Because I'm going to visit Rosedapple," he said, seizing the first idea that came to him; Rabbitpaw wouldn't want to visit the depressed queen. Rabbitpaw frowned again, but said nothing, even after Northstar released her from her silence. With that, Northstar padded out of the den, heading towards the sandy entrance marking the nursery.

Rabbitpaw was too nosy for her own good; he should have been more careful to wash the blood from his claws, but he had simply felt so satisfied. That loner had been a lucky find, skulking around the undergrowth, just the right type of cat for Northstar to take his anger out on: Anger at Crowtalon for stealing his Clan, anger at Lightstar for leaving Rosedapple so broken, anger at all of PeakClan for being so backwards and foolish in their ways.

He had left the tom either dead or dying, it didn't matter much; the tom was a fool for sticking around where Clan cats hunted, although the Clan cats were also fools for not having noticed him.

His thoughts buzzed about him like flies as he entered the nursery, only to blink in surprise at the black tom there sitting with Rosedapple. The tom turned as Northstar entered, blinking in surprise and quickly rising to his paws.

"Bye," he meowed to Rosedapple, giving her a quick lick on the ear before leaving the nursery. Northstar watched him go, and then turned back to the queen.

"Who is he?"

"Blackmoon," Rosedapple whispered in her gentle voice. "My friend."

Northstar's eyes narrowed. "Blackmoon?" he growled. The moon was sacred; the Gatherings revolved around it, the StarClan-greeting rituals depended on it, and now they were naming lowly warriors after the silver orb?

Rosedapple nodded slowly, staring down at her paws. Northstar glanced over his shoulder, relieved that Rabbitpaw hadn't followed him.

"So, how are you?" he asked, sitting down and wrapping his tail around his paws. Rosedapple glanced up at him quickly, as if surprised to be asked, before returning her blue gaze to her paws.

"Fine," she said softly. Northstar couldn't help but stare at her stomach, round with Lightstar's kits.

"Any day now, huh?" he asked. Rosedapple's blue gaze darkened, and she nodded, only to twitch with surprise as he touched her flank with his tail.

"You promised you'd wait until they were born, before you made any sort of decision," Northstar reminded her. "Until they're old enough that they don't depend on you for everything."

Rosedapple nodded again, still not looking at him.

"My mother didn't give me a choice," Northstar found himself saying, surprised at himself for dragging the words out. "She attempted to throw herself off a cliff. My father saw her and tried to save her, but could not…he was forced to cut open her belly and save us, her kits. There were three of us, all brothers. Two of them were white like my father and mother, but only I had my mother's black paws. My other two brothers were dead before my father could save them, but I lived…if I only had my mother's spirit, perhaps he would have loved me. My father never knew why she jumped. I never knew her." His eyes were dark and cold, and he was staring at Rosedapple without truly seeing her. She seemed to realize it, for when he cleared the fog in his mind, he found her staring at him with her gentle blue eyes.

"I'm sorry," she mewed, and it was the first time he had heard true emotion in her voice.

Northstar simply nodded, and the two of them sat there in silence for a moment, a gap between them. Northstar's pelt ruffled slightly at the awkward silence, and he finally rose to his paws.

"I'll…see you around, I suppose," he meowed. Rosedapple smiled at him, and he padded out of the den.

Rabbitpaw's mentor appeared to have fetched her, for the annoying apprentice wasn't in camp. Relieved, Northstar selected a mouse from the fresh-kill pile and settled down to eat alone, still feeling strange. He didn't know why he had told Rosedapple about his mother; it was as if her sorrow had somehow pulled the story out of him, as if she needed to hear it despite his own feelings about his mother.

He found himself reflecting on the kits themselves; what would they look like? Would they bear Lightstar's golden pelt, and cause Rosedapple daily pain? Or would they carry Rosedapple's gentle shades of gray and blue?

He turned suddenly as a black tom sat down beside him. He recognized him as Blackmoon, Rosedapple's friend, but said nothing.

"So, you and Rosedapple know each other?" The tom's voice was friendly, but his blue eyes were as intense as the startling blaze of white on his chest. Northstar glanced at him, took a bite of his mouse, and chewed slowly.

"Yes. Don't act as if you don't know it; Rabbitpaw says everyone knows I saved her from killing herself."

Blackmoon flinched at Northstar's phrasing of the incident. "Don't call it that."

Northstar's eyes narrowed. "That's exactly what it was. If I hadn't stopped her and convinced her to live long enough for the kits, she'd be dead now."

Blackmoon's eyes widened. "And then after the kits…?"

Northstar shrugged coolly. "Not my problem, now is it?"

Blackmoon's blue eyes clouded. "She's your Clanmate though, now. It is your problem."

Northstar snorted. "From what I've seen, half of the cats here don't give a lick about the warrior code. Why should I care about my Clanmates, then? Your name is as ridiculous as they come."

Blackmoon stared down at his paws. "I know. I hate it."

It was Northstar's turn to blink in surprise. "What?"

"Lightstar named me for my spirituality; I was wild as a kit until I fell out of a tree and nearly died. It scared me half to death, and gave me this." His tail flicked to his face, where there was a small scar, the only one that Northstar could see on his sleek pelt. "I was more serious and in tune with StarClan after that. I should have been the medicine cat, not Graywing, but she loved her duties then. She loved StarClan." His eyes had a far-away look to them. "And then she and Lightstar fell in love."

Northstar had stopped chewing. "You don't like the way this Clan is run?"

Blackmoon smiled at him. "It isn't for me to decide; I'm neither leader nor medicine cat nor deputy. My opinion doesn't really matter…but no, I don't like the way PeakClan is run, not at all. Even our name smacks of arrogance towards StarClan; we place ourselves on this pillar not for protection – we have no enemies, yet – but to place ourselves above the forests, where StarClan should reside."

Northstar stared at the black tom for a moment, and smiled. "It's good to see there is one sane cat in the Clan, at least."

Blackmoon smiled back and him, and then rose to his paws and padded away without another word. Northstar watched him go, and then finished his mouse.

It was then that Rabbitpaw returned, along with two other apprentices, a ginger tom and a dark brown tom. In Rabbitpaw's jaws was, of all things, a plump rabbit. She was smiling proudly as she set her catch down on the fresh-kill pile, and she grinned at Northstar.

"It's impressive, huh?" she asked, and continued without waiting for his grunt of acknowledgement. "Volepaw caught a really bit thrush, but he ate it on the way here. It was really cool, the way he jumped up and caught it…." Her eyes were glittering with admiration as she stared at the ginger apprentice.

"It was nothing," he said coolly, but his stomach was puffed out slightly.

"Well I caught this mouse!" the brown apprentice butted in, dropping his catch on the pile as well.

"It's just skin and bones," Rabbitpaw giggled, keeping her eyes on Volepaw.

"Your rabbit was a good catch," Volepaw said generously. "It was fast, but you were faster."

Rabbitpaw turned back to Northstar, clearly expecting some sort of praise. Grudgingly, Northstar had to admit that the rabbit was a catch, although its size would have slowed it down somewhat. He gave her a slight nod, but from the way she beamed at him it was as if he had handed her a star.

"Why don't you take your catch to the elders?" a dappled she-cat asked Rabbitpaw gently. "I'm sure they'd love a tender rabbit."

"Good idea!" Rabbitpaw chirped, grabbing her catch and racing towards another den.

"Wait for me!" the brown tom called, grabbing his mouse.

"Hawkpaw, your catch was barely enough for a kit to eat!" Volepaw yowled after him, before heading for the apprentice den. The dappled she-cat smiled at Northstar warmly.

"Apprentices, am I right?" she asked with a roll of her green eyes. Northstar nodded in agreement.

"Rabbitpaw's over the moon about you, you know; always chattering about how you saved Rosedapple and how you're so mysterious; as if we didn't already know!" Her voice was joking, but her green eyes were piercing. "At first I thought she had a crush on you, but hunting with Volepaw changed my opinion of that." Her whiskers twitched with amusement. Northstar simply blinked, unsure of how to reply to such comments. He hadn't asked for the apprentice's adoration, after all, following him around like a stray leaf buffeted by the wind.

"Although, it seems that Volepaw is trailing after Icepaw," she continued. "What is apprenticeship without a love-web, right?" She smiled again.

Northstar nodded, glancing away from her. Many apprentices had such troubles, he knew; Northstar himself had never truly been involved. He was always too shy, too quiet, only himself when with Brackenheart or racing. There had been one she-cat, Birdpaw, whose energy and life had captivated him. He had been working hard to become stronger and impress her, only to lose her in the same battle that claimed Brackenheart, more bodies piling up due to Frozenstar's folly.

Perhaps, he reflected, that was when his heart had iced over.

"My name is Dapplefern," the she-cat continued. "Everyone knows your name, of course; from what I've heard, it was quite a rescue, when you saved Rosedapple. She was going to throw herself from the cliff, wasn't she?"

Northstar shifted his paws slightly; it was one thing to tell it to Blackmoon, a friend of Rosedapple's, and quite another to tell it to this she-cat; she unnerved him, for reasons he couldn't quite explain.

"That's not for me to say," he said stiffly, and Dapplefern smiled, nudging him with her side.

"Oh, relax; Rabbitpaw was right, you're so uptight, you know? I think you just need to relax." Her tail touched his shoulder for a moment, sending an irritating prickle through his pelt. He moved to the left slightly, away from her touch. She smiled at him, but her eyes were strange as they traced over his pelt. Finally, she rose to her paws and padded away with a wink, leaving Northstar more puzzled than ever.

AN: It's very satisfying when you can get not one, but two villain bait-and-switches; first we set everything up for Northstar to be the villain, only for him to be dethroned in chapter one. Then we brought in Slaughter, a Hitler-style kitty…and now we have our Lion, who you guys were rooting for. Hee~

Blackmoon is my brother's character; the name's bad, but it helps with the corruptness of the Clan. His original character was named Newmoon, but I promptly put my foot down on that! Even PeakClan wouldn't be that ridiculous. ;)

I changed a few names (mostly swapping prefixes for suffixes, to make more sense) from the create-a-cat reviews. :D