A/N: Um. Yes. It's been a long time. I had many details worked out for this chapter, but I didn't write them down so I forgot them over the course of NaNo. Thus, this is probably not how I originally planned the chapter. On another note, I think you will probably be getting longer chapters in this fic now, because doing NaNo basically taught me how to do longer chapters – not too long, but longer than my way too short previous chapters.

Oh – and yay, I read Dark River! The Erins didn't mean it, but they made a new pairing – Jaypaw x Stick. xDD Funniest part in the book.

Disclaimer: Would the word no answer your question?

Chapter 10


Firestar was, to put it simply, a great leader. Though once a kittypet, he had proved his worth, becoming a great fighter and hunter and a brave, kind warrior, with which almost any benevolent adjective could be described. He had uncovered Tigerstar's wicked plottings, dealt with Bluestar when she was insane, defeated Scourge and BloodClan, and remade the lost Clan of SkyClan. According to other cats, he had done all these deeds and more with the utmost confidence and skill, each defeat an easy one; child's play. Firestar had accomplished enough to be passed down as a legend for countless moons to come.

Obviously, this was not in the least true. Like any other cat, Firestar approached battles not with unlimited confidence, but with trepidation and nervousness. He himself believed many of his early victories could be dismissed as nothing but luck, and day after day he had always felt that because of this, he was nothing but a liar, a fraud; he sometimes felt as if he had let down the Clans. He especially felt this way with BloodClan; it seemed to him the only way the Clans had gotten a victory over them was because StarClan had been on their side. That, and Scourge had never heard of the play dead move, or was too confident he would be the victor in the battle to even think of the possibility or prepare himself for it.

This always troubled Firestar. He knew that despite his many flaws, Scourge had been a brilliant, genius leader, using his cats to his full advantage and succeeding in this also – that took skill and leadership. Firestar doubted one could preside over BloodClan in any way if they didn't have these distinct qualities.

So as soon as BloodClan had made its comeback with their leader Heat, and started making a regular appearance at Gatherings, the acclaimed ThunderClan leader knew it was definitely time to worry. Discovering Talon was Scourge's grandson and Heat his own long lost granddaughter did not help any either – it just made Firestar worry (and know) that surely Talon must have inherited Scourge's power and cunning, and Heat the same qualities plus good leadership from her two grandfathers, Tigerstar and Firestar. The leader wouldn't be surprised if Tigerstar was looking down at her from some StarClan forsaken place, smirking in his smug way every time she obtained a victory, however small.

So it was that on the way to the giant Twolegplace, with Mousepatch and Specklewing, to retrieve Oakbranch; where BloodClan obviously lived, such strong worries were troubling Firestar, no matter how optimistic and confident his outlook seemed to be to his young companions and Clan cats. After Scourge's death by his paws, the play dead move would have been memorized by every BloodClan member, probably to go so far as to have kits learn it as soon as they could take in such information. Firestar doubted Heat's fighting training had been deprived much.

Mousepatch sniffed the air deeply, nose wrinkling. "Firestar, I smell something odd – the makings of Twolegs!" he meowed, jolting Firestar out of his thoughts.

Firestar nodded. "That certainly means we're close to the big Twolegplace. Now, when we get there, you'll surely be surprised. Twolegplaces such as this one are huge and noisy, with raucous screams and yells coming from every cat – and Twoleg – possible, and from monsters, too. There are many more things there than you can imagine, most of it belonging to Twolegs. It is an ugly place, far different from any place on the Clans' territory."

Mousepatch and Specklewing both nodded. Specklewing screwed up her nose and looked up at the pale blue sky as she attempted to imagine what Firestar had informed her and Mousepatch of; Firestar observed she had failed, judging from the slight, annoyed frown on her face moments later.

A few minutes later, Specklewing cried, "Look! There are tall Twoleg nests in the distance. But…but tall, really tall!" She motioned with her tail up toward the sky; Mousepatch followed it and gazed in awe at the tall spires and reflecting square Twoleg nests in the distance. They seemed to touch the clouds – maybe they could even touch the stars!

Firestar nodded calmly, glancing at the gigantic Twoleg nests. "This is what you should prepare yourself for," he suggested. "There are many more of these in the Twolegplace which can't be seen from here, and many shorter and smaller (yet still huge to us) Twoleg nests."

Only a small twitch of the tail (from Specklewing) and a slight flick of the ears (Mousepatch) indicated that the two young ThunderClan warriors had heard what Firestar had said, so involved they were in the awe inspiring Twoleg nests. Their mouths hung open, slack jawed, and their eyes stretched wide.

Firestar gave each of them a light tap on the back with his tail. "You'd better stop staring at those Twoleg nests," he informed them, starting to walk again. "We still have a ways to go until we get to the Twolegplace – and then we have to find Oakbranch and avoid BloodClan, too."

A deep frown crossed Specklewing's face from the mention of Oakbranch, all but forgotten while she had ogled the Twoleg nests. "Yes, I suppose so," she muttered, catching up to Firestar's steady pace. "Come on, Mousepatch!" she called. Abruptly, Mousepatch jumped up from his fixed position – perfect for watching tall Twoleg nests up in the sky – and ran up to the other two ThunderClanners, still giving the occasional glance of disbelief and awe upwards.

-------

His eyes snapped open and darkness flooded his sight, only marginally lighter than the darkness of his eyes closed had been. He could dimly make out a pair of glowing amber eyes, gleaming with satisfaction. Father off, the tom could see a set of eyes that were a brilliant icy blue, their gaze fixed on him and him only; no one else. It rather unnerved him, that gaze; it also reminded the tom of another icy blue gaze that had been spoken of in tales…and what cat did those icy blue eyes belong to? They belonged to Scourge! And didn't that other cat, his descendant, inherit those same icy blue eyes? T – T – Talon! Yes, Talon! The BloodClan leader, Heat's advisor, Talon! Wait – didn't Heat have amber eyes? Eyes widened, the tom's gaze flickered back to the set of amber eyes – they still gleamed with satisfaction, but the tom was sure he could also catch some other sort of emotion in those eyes – malevolence? The cat stared into the eyes harder – yes, definitely ill intent of some kind. Those eyes sent shivers down his spine, just by looking at him – well, it was Heat, leader of BloodClan, after all…that sort of effect was bound to happen.

Suddenly, it kicked in what he had just said. He had seen the eyes of Heat and Talon. He definitely was not in the midst of a dream. Which meant…

"I'm a true mousebrain," Oakbranch muttered to himself, letting out a deep breath. "And I've bungled up my mission good and truly now."

------

"…This might not be so easy as I thought it would."

Specklewing's words summed up what all the three, excluding Firestar, thought, as they took their first step inside the huge Twolegplace. Huge or any other synonym – big, gigantic, giant, enormous, tremendous, large – were the only words a cat could come up with to describe the Twolegplace the first time they saw it, unless that cat had grown up in the Twolegplace and made it its home.

With such a place as huge as the Twolegplace, it certainly would be no easy task to locate Oakbranch and bring him back home to ThunderClan territory. Hindering the three ThunderClanners' mission even more was the noise of the place. Just as Oakbranch had thought when he encountered the Twolegplace, and Scorn, moons ago when he was still Ferretpaw, the sounds alone positively overwhelmed them. Every sound imaginable could be found there – name a sound and soon you'd hear it, and it would be certain that after one left the Twolegplace, they'd leave knowing many more sounds than they had entering it.

Specklewing tentatively sniffed the air, obviously hoping to catch a whiff of Oakbranch's scent – but the effort was useless; what with all the other animals and Twolegs and objects around, millions and millions of them, trying to scent one cat that probably wasn't even in or near the vicinity could be confirmed as nothing but an impossible task.

Mousepatch shook his head ruefully, sighing. "Finding Oakbranch amid all of…all of this will take moons, with how gigantic this Twolegplace – how many Twolegs are here? Just here are more than I've ever seen in my life…"

Firstar shook his head, appearing calm as always like a good leader should. "You're exaggerating all this, Mousepatch," he said, looking around. "I doubt Oakbranch got far, maybe a little farther in than we are right now. What I'm more concerned about is BloodClan all around us – most of these cats probably aren't simple kittypets."

Mousepatch screwed up his nose. "True," he admitted. "But even if Oakbranch isn't that far in, just in the middle of this endless Twolegplace, the threat of BloodClan just makes this mission so much harder…and so much more dangerous. If only BloodClan hadn't made its comeback…if only."

"You mean, if only Squirrelflight hadn't given birth to Heat," Specklewing pointed out in her usually blunt way.

"Er, yeah, I guess I meant that." Mousepatch muttered.

Specklewing shrugged. "You're not the only one who thinks it odd to find out what they really meant to say."

Firestar stepped in between the two ThunderClanners, setting a brisk pace. "C'mon, we can't spend our time chattering like chipmunks; we need to find Oakbranch and bring him back to ThunderClan territory."

Mousepatch and Specklewing closed their mouths and ran after Firestar, slowing to his pace.

Three cats, one a brilliant fiery ginger, one gray and white, and one white with a ginger foot, muzzle, and tip of tail, making their way unobtrusively among the huge Twolegplace, thinking they were going unnoticed.

Yet slit eyes watched their every move, waiting for the right moment to spring their attack – hopefully an attack that would leave a particularly strong imprint on the three pathetic ThunderClanners.

------

"Why am I here?" Oakbranch hissed, eyes narrowing at Heat's amused amber ones.

Heat's amber eyes flashed. "Why do you think? You are a part of my plans. That much should be obvious."

"Why? What use am I? All I'm trying to do is…" Oakbranch's sight blurred as he thought of his plan, his mission to bring back – to rescue – Sc – Ferretpaw. A mission that he knew inside would inevitable fail, despite what he kept on reassuring himself.

Heat snorted, rolling her eyes. "You think I'll tell you? I didn't become leader of BloodClan by being some mousebrain who tells her every enemy the plans she's made for them." Her eyes darkened as she pointedly sniffed Oakbranch's scent deeply as she said, "Unlike some Clans, one has to have actual skill to be a leader here in BloodClan."

Oakbranch flinched. "Don't insult Firestar!" he hissed, glaring at Heat. "You're just jealous, because you know he's a much better leader than you'll ever be!"

The leader of BloodClan laughed, her smile showing complete contempt for Oakbranch's words. "Jealous? How could I ever be jealous?" Heat laughed again, throwing back her head. "Indeed, the best thing I ever did was crawl out of the ThunderClan nursery as a kit, blind to what I was doing – with Talon then finding me. I consider myself forever in debt to him for what he did – yes, of course that shows I'm jealous of the leader of ThunderClan." Heat curled her lip.

"Firestar's your grandfather!" Oakbranch cried. "How can you simply despise him? He's much better than your advisor, Talon, and every mangy warrior in BloodClan!" Oakbranch immediately flinched as he realized fully what he said – did he really think his own brother Ferretpaw was a mangy warrior of BloodClan, the lowest of the low?

Heat sneered, curling her lip again. "Shared blood means nothing," she said. "It's not like something horrible will happen if I kill him, not like I'll feel any other extra pain because he is a family member. I think soon you'll understand that quite clearly."

Eyes widening, Oakbranch stared at Heat. Was she so far gone, so evil she couldn't even care about someone she shared blood with, someone who was the father of her own mother? He shivered.

"And before you ask," Heat said abruptly, breaking the silence that had only just begun to descend upon them, "That doesn't mean I'm far gone, it doesn't mean I've got the mind of a squirrel, and it doesn't mean I'm evil and wicked to the extreme – it means that unlike many other cats, I'm sensible, I understand how leaders should really act like, and that such sentimental stuff only weakens me – and I need to stay powerful."

Oakbranch blinked. What Heat was saying sounded so strange, so odd that he half expected for her to suddenly blurt out, "Just kidding!"

Before Oakbranch could even open his mouth to say something in response, Heat cut in and said, "And no, I am not going to suddenly exclaim I was kidding – that's not how this works, Oakbranch."

Oakbranch's jaw fell open as he gaped at Heat. Had – had she just read his mind, or something? And now that he noticed it, she had done something like that before – he had thought her far gone, and she said that before he'd ask, she was not far gone. Heat was even more of a force to be reckoned with than Oakbranch had thought – if she could read minds…not even Firestar could do that – or at least, he had showed no evidence of it.

"It's not reading minds!" Heat snapped, tail flicking up and waving agitatedly. "How many times do I have to tell cats – even BloodClanners – that? It's called interpreting one's facial features and body movements – not as if any pathetic ThunderClanner could master that skill, though."

Wrinkling his nose, Oakbranch glared at Heat, eyes narrowed. She just had to make her every word to him an insult to ThunderClanners, didn't she? Though something about it was rather good – besides insulting him, she was also giving away valuable information about herself and her motives. Firestar would do well to hear this. A small grin settled inconspicuously on Oakbranch's face as he turned his face away from Heat – with her powers, she would understand as soon as she spotted his expression why he was grinning.

"You are a particularly foolish ThunderClanner, aren't you?" Heat remarked, opening her jaws in an elegant yawn. "Much more mousebrained than the rest of your Clan, and that's saying something, considering what ThunderClan is like. Do you really think I'd say this information knowing you might escape here? I think not." A hollow laugh filled the room, coming from Heat, making an involuntary shiver run up Oakbranch's spine.

Oakbranch shivered as Heat's ominous words echoed in his head. Would he really ever come out of Heat's cave alive?

"By the end of the day, you'll know." That was Heat speaking again, using that eerie mind reading – or interpreting facial features and body movements, according to the BloodClan leader. "But if you're too impatient, then I suppose you'll discover the answer pretty soon." Heat smiled, the expression ill fitted with the thinly veiled threat that had just come out of her mouth.

The ThunderClan tomcat shuddered. "Yes, I suppose I will."

-------

"I can scent him!" A yowl of triumph erupted from Mousepatch's mouth as his head darted up into the air in surprise, a look of glee on his face.

Specklewing took a tentative sniff at the air, then scowled, glaring at Mousepatch. "Stop taunting us, Mousepatch."

The gleeful expression instantly fell of Mousepatch's face, replaced by a hurt and indignant one. "I'm not taunting you!" he cried. "I really scented Oakbranch – just barely, but I did!"

The she-cat snorted. "Yes, and I just smelled a random blade of grass deep in the middle of this StarClan forsaken giant Twolegplace. Be serious, Mousepatch."

Lips curling in a silent snarl, Mousepatch shot Specklewing a glare and muttered mutinously, "But I did catch Oakbranch's scent, I know I did! It was just a tiny whiff, barely there, but it was definitely there." So overcome by his annoyance and anger with Specklewing's disbelief, Mousepatch suddenly whirled around at her and yowled, "Why don't you try getting a whiff of Oakbranch, and actually try while doing it, instead of sniffing ever so lightly and disbelieving what I claim – which is true!"

Rolling her eyes, Specklewing hissed, "Fine," and stretched her head up into the air, taking in a deep sniff. A small frown crept over her face, showing her failure in scenting Oakbranch. Several more big sniffs followed, each succeeded by an annoyed expression. Finally, Specklewing hissed, "Why don't you just stop lying – I know you are!"

Tail whipping around in the air, Mousepatch hissed, "Why would I lie? I want to find Oakbranch as much as you and Firestar do!"

Specklewing's unsheathed claws made ear shattering noises as she scraped the hard, gray ground of the Twolegplace. Hissing, then snarling, a silent challenge was sent to Mousepatch. As the two started to hiss and snarl, circling each other and looking for the best place to attack, Firestar stepped in between the two young ThunderClanners. "Stop!" he mewed in a firm voice, tail lightly hitting both Specklewing's and Mousepatch's backs.

Claws sheathing reluctantly, Mousepatch and Specklewing stepped a pace back from each other, challenging expressions still on their faces.

"This is not a time for fighting," Firestar meowed, no trace of annoyance – though there must have been some – on his face. "We are supposed to be on a mission to find a ThunderClanner disillusioned, so sad he is for the loss of his brother, not a time for petty battles."

The two cats nodded, eyes shifting. Such lectures from Firestar made those he was lecturing always prone to some kind of shame.

"Anyway," Firestar continued, "I believe Mousepatch may have caught a whiff of Oakbranch's scent. After all, he is one of the best hunters in the Clan, which means one thing he must have is a very good sense of smell."

Specklewing bit her lip. "I never thought of that…" she mewed, looking away from Mousepatch guiltily. Looking back to him, she opened her mouth to give him an apology.

But Mousepatch wasn't paying attention to any attempted apology. Eyes bright and nose sniffing rapidly, he ran farther and farther down the hard gray Twolegplace path. Seeing Specklewing's confused look he turned his head around and cried as he ran, "I've found Oakbranch's scent again, and it's stronger now, too! Follow me!" Not saying a word, Firestar and Specklewing glanced at each other for a brief moment, then ran after Mousepatch, paws skimming the ground in a whirr.

The three cats ran and ran through the Twolegplace, bumping into other cats and running past without calling an apology, and skidding through the legs of slow, lumbering Twolegs, dodging the eager hands of Twoleg kits. Finally, Mousepatch skidded to a stop near the end of one of the Twoleg paths, an area where a cloud of stink had settled, its source an alley that could be entered by turning right at the end of the Twoleg path.

"Why have you stopped here?" Firestar asked, observing his surroundings and wrinkling his nose from the rotten smell that was lingering by them.

"Oakbranch's scent is really strong here," Mousepatch said slowly, as if getting each word out was a task in itself.

"So why did you stop?" Specklewing said. "Oakbranch is probably just around the corner. And probably having a good doze," she added, rolling her eyes.

"It's just…" Mousepatch hesitated. "Something…something just doesn't feel right – and it's not only because of that terrible foxdung-like stink, it's something else. Like – like danger…" the young tom trailed off, faintly shivering.

Behind bits of trash, walls, and other such stuff, a large tom surveyed the three ThunderClanners, eyes cold. "If we wait any longer they'll stumble upon Heat," he hissed to the other various cats surrounding him. "You heard that ThunderClanner. Let's go – attack!" The last word morphed into a snarl at the end, as the BloodClanners leaped from their cover and silently stalked the unsuspecting ThunderClanners, who, unused to so many scents from so many different things and overwhelmed by the stink nearby, had not even caught a whiff of the BloodClanners.

Just as the leader of the BloodClan group began to pounce, starting the battle, Firestar's eyes widened. "BloodClan," he whispered. "I can scent them, they're somewhere here. They–" As Firestar began the first word of what he was about to say, he was interrupted by the group leader, who yowled a fearsome shriek. He whipped around and grappled with the BloodClanner, as the other BloodClanners rushed toward Specklewing and Mousepatch.

It soon became obvious to the group of BloodClanners that Heat had overestimated, though it didn't hurt her in the least. The pathetic ThunderClan leader had only brought two other cats with him, which was hardly enough to even make up a Clan patrol!

"How did Heat know?" gasped Mousepatch as he locked claws with a sinewy BloodClan warrior. "How could she know that we'd be coming here?"

"Because Heat is all knowing, all powerful," the lithe BloodClanner hissed as he raked his claws down Mousepatch's forehead, emitting a yelp of pain from the ThunderClanner. "She is a true leader, far more capable for the task than your pathetic Firestar." He sneered. "Look at how he struggles with our group leader – one could almost think that it wasn't Scourge this Firestar had killed in the battle between BloodClan and he other Clans, but an unconvincing replacement!"

"How dare you insult Firestar!" Mousepatch hissed, fighting with more fury than before; with the BloodClanner's insults driving him, he managed to strike a blow on the BloodClan warrior's stomach, making him double back in pain – but only for a moment. Though Mousepatch did not know it, endless training and practice made the BloodClanner's seemingly immune to such strikes, leaving them ready and fit again in seconds and feeling almost no pain – or at least appearing to.

A small screech of terror came to Mousepatch's ears; he turned around for a moment and saw it was Specklewing, who was sandwiched between two wily looking BloodClanners. But that wasn't the only reason why the noise had escaped from Specklewing's mouth – Firestar had lost a life. Mousepatch watched in speechless horror as Firestar lay on the gray Twoleg ground, his stomach not rising or falling. He was so shocked he scarcely felt it when the BloodClan warrior he was battling delivered him two scorching blows, one to his back and one to his ear and head. After finally seeing Firestar rise again, looking almost none the worse, did Mousepatch relax and turn back to his battle.

Eventually Mousepatch secured a shot to the clever BloodClanner that left him lying on the ground, making the ThunderClanner sigh in relief – perhaps now he could regain his strength. But to his horror, he suddenly found another BloodClan warrior facing him, fresh and ready to fight. Looking beyond him, Mousepatch saw – and suddenly very acutely scented – more BloodClanners, none that had gotten the chance to fight yet. Just the sight filled Mousepatch's heart with dread – three ThunderClanners could never defeat a dozen fierce BloodClan warriors!

And like Oakbranch had speculated, just fox-lengths away from where Mousepatch was currently standing, Mousepatch thought, Will I ever leave here alive?

------

A dull sound filled Oakbranch's ears, making his eyes slowly flutter open and blink several times. Bleary sight returned to him, and for a moment he wondered why he was in an unfamiliar, dark cave. Then he remembered the previous events and let out a heavy sigh. He lay there for a few moments, with only that dull roaring to be heard – some fight between a few dogs or something must be going on near the cave.

Wait…only that roaring? Suddenly alert, Oakbranch's head shot up and without any yawns to accompany it, he jumped up and looked around. He couldn't see or smell Heat – had she forgotten about him? Maybe he could escape! His mood considerably lightened, Oakbranch cautiously walked a few steps, getting near the plants hanging down at the cave's entrance.

"Don't even think of trying to just walk away, ThunderClanner. I'm still here, and watching you."

Eyes widening, the ThunderClan tom quickly turned around and responded, voice quavering, "Who said I was trying to leave?"

"Well, I doubt you were going out the cave for have a nice stroll," the voice from the shadows said dryly. Its speaker emerged from the shadows, a smirk etched on its face. Talon stretched and let out a tremendous yawn, lazily laying down with his tail curled around him. But throughout the whole appearance of general relaxation, Heat's advisor's icy blue eyes stayed fixed on Oakbranch, burning into him.

A small, involuntary shiver rippled down Oakbranch's spine. "Yes, I guess you're right."

The nearby roaring, in which there had previously been a small lull, began even louder again, raising Oakbranch's interest. Trying to sound casual, Oakbranch asked, "Do you know the source of that sound from nearby?"

His answer was short and, like Heat's were, slightly threatening. "I may or I may not, but either way, I don't think you have the right to know – or ask."

Sighing, Oakbranch pricked his ears and craned his neck, trying to hear more of what was going on. He winced as a faint, but particularly high pitched yelp came into his hearing. Whatever was going on, it was definitely a fight of some sort. Though he couldn't possibly know for sure, Oakbranch felt the one who had yelped was on the losing side. Silently, he wished that side well.

------

Specklewing felt a plethora of emotions swirling inside her – dismay, disbelief, anger, determination, and fear. Each one made a raucous in her head, clamoring for attention and bumping about.

Anger – because of the BloodClanners, attacking them and because of their unfair fighting. Specklewing knew battle wasn't fair, but that thought still surfaced in her head.

Determination – she, Mousepatch, and Firestar had to defeat the BloodClanners, had to! How else could they rescue Oakbranch and return home to ThunderClan camp?

Fear – would she and her companions get out of the giant Twolegplace alive? Even just thinking of the possibility that she might die made Specklewing shiver.

Dismay – they were losing! The BloodClanners were rapidly overpowering her, Firestar, and Mousepatch. They were going to lose, and the Clan would never know what happened to them…

And, disbelief – for Firestar was losing another life.

But the way you're saying it makes it sound like he's helpless, can't even be a capable leader. Specklewing shook her head and frowned, nose wrinkling. Because it wasn't how it sounded. Firestar had been overpowering a BloodClanner when suddenly another one – noticing how his fellow Clanmate was losing – tackled Firestar's free side, and it was suddenly two against one. But the ThunderClan leader was more capable than he looked, and Firestar seemed to be almost free and battling off the both of them when yet another BloodClan cat leaped onto him – and that was more than even Firestar could fight off. With three strong and cunning BloodClan warriors all attacking him all at once, Firestar was soon exhausted and overpowered, all the heavy injuries enough to make him lose a life.

And of course, Specklewing was also feeling guilt. Guilt because she didn't save Firestar. Even if she couldn't have saved him, busy fighting a BloodClan warrior, she still felt as if she could have, single handedly defeating the three BloodClanners and defending Firestar so he wouldn't have lost a life.

But that hadn't happened, and Specklewing could not have done that.

"Do you know how many lives Firestar has left?" Mousepatch gasped to Specklewing while in the midst of battling a heavy BloodClan warrior.

"I – I don't know," Specklewing rasped, narrowly dodging a strong kick for the wiry BloodClanner she was fighting. "I once overheard Firestar telling Leafpool all the Clan thought he had two more lives than he really did, so they wouldn't get worried about him – I've been keeping track of them minus two ever since then now." Specklewing paused, sprinting to the BloodClanner's back in hopes of catching him by surprise. No such luck – he was soon facing her again. "The – the Clan would think he has three now, but minus two, that's…" – Specklewing's eyes widened – "He only has one life left then! StarClan!" The words tumbled from her mouth in shock, and Specklewing instantly realized what she had done – given away vital information to BloodClanners!

"I am such a stupid, idiotic, mousebrained piece of foxdung!" Specklewing muttered, cursing herself as she continued to fight the sprightly BloodClanner.

Heart heavy in her chest, with what she had just stupidly announced to all the BloodClanners, a blunt realization stayed in Specklewing's mind – with only one life left, and a dozen BloodClanners, Firestar would not make it out alive.

Mousepatch seemed to observe what she had realized. "But we have StarClan on our side," he whispered. "They can bring miracles, and a miracle can save Firestar."

A slight grin spread across Specklewing's face. She had forgotten about StarClan! Surely they'd save ThunderClan's most beloved leader. And though it was daytime and the stars could not be seen, the fierce she-cat felt as if the wise StarClanners were watching over her, whispering, "Don't worry, Specklewing. We will save Firestar, and all will be right. All will be right…"

Smiling amid the bloodshed of the battle, Specklewing knew StarClan was right.

------

Laying miserably on the damp, dank floor of the cave, Oakbranch yawned and tried to stay awake, in hopes he would be able to get a clearer hearing of the fight outside. If only he could go outside to see what was going on – but with Talon watching his every move, that would never happen. Talon had been staying rather silent for the past few minutes, making Oakbranch feel alone – a strange feeling after the usual hustle and bustle of Clanlife. It wasn't like Talon to stay silent, though – usually he'd make a small remark, usually threatening, but he'd speak all the same.

What if he's not here? Hardly daring to believe the thought that had just flashed through his mind, Oakbranch shook his head and wrinkled his nose.

But there's no harm in trying…

Almost as if someone else was directing his own paws, Oakbranch got up without making a sound, and with the utmost stealth, padded lightly through the draping plants, the plants coolly trailing down his back, tickling him. Oakbranch could hardly believe it. No one had caught him yet! Not dropping his quietness, though, Oakbranch walked through the tunnel, feeling some open air starting to wash over his face. He could even see the tunnel's entrance when suddenly a big, dark shape was blocking his view – Talon! Eyes widening, Oakbranch swallowed and tried to make a run for it back to the cave, but his paws refused to obey him, staying firmly planted on the damp ground. His legs had just started to become capable of moving again, though shaky, when Talon was almost in front of him. The ThunderClanner could see a look of confusion and anger on Talon's face, and hear a "What are you doing here?" coming from his mouth.

Oakbranch knew even if he went back to the cave, he'd be in immense trouble. There was no harm now if he tried to escape – or at least, he'd get the same punishment as for being in the tunnel. His shaky legs suddenly becoming strong, Oakbranch whipped past Talon, who gave a hiss of surprise, and ran to the tunnel's entrance, sprinting out before the two guard cats could catch him. He finally emerged into fresh, open air, and rushed out to the side, where he could hear the battle going on.

And found the battle going on between a dozen BloodClanners and none other than Mousepatch, Specklewing, and Firestar.

------

"Oakbranch?!" The yowl of surprise tumbled from Specklewing's lips as soon as she glimpsed the tom, who was wearing an equal expression of bewilderment on his face.

"I – I was caught in Heat's cave – I just escaped! Why are you here?" Oakbranch mewed, eyes widened.

"To rescue you!" Specklewing hissed, claws raking a BloodClanner's stomach.

An unbidden smile flashed on Oakbranch's face. "You look like you need some rescuing yourself."

Specklewing's cheeks burned. "Shut up!" she spat. "Why don't you try and help, instead? Look at Firestar!" At her last remark, a sudden breath billowed out of Specklewing's mouth, her eyes stretched wide in fear.

Oakbranch's gaze switched over to Firestar, who was being attacked by none other than the BloodClan leader herself, Heat – wait, Heat?

"He's already lost two lives and he's on his last!" Specklewing hissed.

Oakbranch ignored her remark, still in disbelief that Heat was there. "Don't you know who he's battling?" he hissed.

Specklewing's face was blank. "No. some BloodClanner who's the best fighter out of the group, I guess."

Eyes widening, Oakbranch said, "That's Heat – you know, the leader of BloodClan?!"

"What?!" The exclamation ripped from Specklewing's mouth as she looked over to Firestar and Heat again, gaping. The BloodClan leader didn't even seem to be feeling any sort of sympathy or guilt for what she was doing – yet she was battling her own grandfather! If anything, there seemed to be a bloodthirsty enjoyment on her face, a wide, fanged smile.

"And she's doing exactly what she hinted she would," Oakbranch whispered, voice hoarse. "She said she'd feel no extra feeling if she killed Firestar – and she was right."

A sudden high pitched yowl came from nearby – Firestar, lying cold and still on he hard Twoleg ground.

A chill came in Specklewing's body and stayed there.

StarClan wasn't right. StarClan lied. StarClan was wrong. StarClan didn't save Firestar.

Unwillingly, Specklewing's eyes were drawn to Firestar's unmoving body.

Firestar couldn't save himself.

Mousepatch, Specklewing, and Oakbranch stared at Firestar; Heat stood above him with a smug smile on her face in triumph, with blood dripping from her mouth and claws.

The cold realization sank into Specklewing's heart and mind, until no other thought or feeling remained.

Firestar's dead.


A/N: And how's that for a dramatic ending? And also, my longest chapter ever in Heat of the Sun and all my other fanfics, clocking in at around 5900 words! Hope you enjoyed it – but if you didn't, I'd really appreciate the constructive criticism.