A/N Thanks for pointing out my mistakes (I don't remember who pointed this out to me but anyway…) The dogs are at SNAKEROCKS! Not sunning rocks. Sorry.

"Firestar, don't even think about it!" Cinderpelt cried. Firestar blinked.

"Think about what?" he asked innocently.

"You are not participating in this plan. You are going to stay at sunning rocks like everyone else!" Firestar's eyes flashed and for a moment he looked ready to skin Cinderpelt. Coalheart shrank back from his smoldering glare.

"You expect me to go to sunning rocks, like…. Like an elder?" Frostfur snorted at her leaders harsh words. "Give me one reason why I should go!"

"You know why!" Cinderpelt retorted calmly, though her blue eyes glittered. Firestar flattened his fur with a brisk lick and slowed his breathing, calming down. He let out a snort of laughter,

"I remind myself of Bluestar! Of course I'll go to Sunning Rocks."

A cry echoed from the camp entrance and the crowd of cats turned to see Squirrelpaw staggering into camp.

"It's too late." She sputtered. Her neck and sides were bleeding heavily. "There already here." She collapsed, but nobody paused to mourn for at that moment four dogs tore into camp, huge jaws snapping. Frostfur and Goldenflower picked up Birchkit and hurtled into the nursery as if it were an attack. The dogs tore apart Squirrelpaw's corpse and Coalheart watched her sister being brutally devoured, and leapt. She fell upon the dogs back and yowled savagely, ripping up the flesh beneath her with renewed ferocity. Tears fell down her face as she numbly scratched. She barely felt herself fly off the dogs back and land with a hard thump against the fallen tree that made the elders den.

She saw Graystripe being pinned down by the pack leader and jumped up to help. Who cares? A part of Coalheart urged. He lied to you. In your face. You ain't part of Riverclan and you know it! Coalheart shook herself in confusion.

No! she contradicted herself. I love Graystripe! He's really nice, he just didn't want me hurt! It was noble! Now an overpowering wave of hate overcame her, and Coalheart's heart turned to a black chip of ice. Ambition and greed for power and merciless strength sent her staggering into Dustpelt, who glared at her, before jumping into the fray to help the Clan defeat the four dogs.

You are mine now! Laughed a voice inside her head. She knew it was Tigerstar. You can't escape me, weakling. You aren't a warrior. Unlike you, I am a leader. I'm saving you!

No, no, NO! screamed a part of her, but it was somehow swept aside. She laughed to herself, madness creeping into her like an infection. She would kill all who lied to her, and she would rule!

A bloody mass convulsed in the center of the camp, and she raced towards it. Finish it off fast and easy! She thought. She pulled it up and caught a glimpse of green eyes. They were glazed over, but as Coalheart watched, dumbfounded, Firestar blinked and leapt up.

"I'm on my last life." He murmured, then spotted Coalheart. A yearning desire to murder the strong tabby in front of her was raging a war against love and passion.

"I-I guess our plan might have worked better than this?" Coalheart attempted weakly, trying to smile. Firestar blinked.

"Are you okay?" Coalheart couldn't answer the question, so Firestar licked her ear. Coalheart glimpsed a dog break free of Rainwhisker, Graystripe, Sorreltail, and Leafpaw and hurtle at Firestar behind his back.

"F-f-f-!" she tried desperately. NO! NO, YOU COWARD! Yelled inner Tigerstar thoughts. Do it. said a whisper, it was dying. Please.

"FIRESTAR LOOK OUT!" Coalheart screamed. Too late! The dog pounced on Firestar and Coalheart gasped. She didn't need to be a medicine cat to see Firestar's back bone break under the impact of the dog.

"FIRESTAR! NO!" Coalheart wrenched her mind from Tigerstar and watched her leader, her father, fall. And for the first time since she was a kit, Coalheart murmured the name. "No, Daddy, don't…" she couldn't bring herself to say the words don't die. He was already gone.

A scream of rage and fire flowed through her, as fierce as the flames of hell. Tigerstar returned to her mind but could not overpower her rage. His power was mixed up with hers as she mercilessly leapt onto the dog and dug her fangs into the dog she hated so much.

And suddenly everything was clear. Love, hate, revenge, passion, death, fall, faith, secrets. The answer… the answer to everything. She understood why not even Starclan told her of her identity, not even Bluestar. It was not because she was too young to know, no. It was because knowing her secrets would release Tigerstar inside of her.

She even laughed, but her joy caught in her throat as she looked around. Corpses. Four dogs were crumpled and bleeding, but many cats joined them. Firestar, Rainwhisker, Thornclaw, Mousefur, Sandstorm, Ferncloud, and Spiderpaw were crumpled. Squirrelpaw was half-eaten. Coalheart shuddered.

Dustpelt was burying his nose in Ferncloud's fur, but he wrenched himself away from her when he saw Birchkit, frightened and shaking, emerge from the nursery. Coalheart watched Dustpelt wrap his tail around the young kit and lick him softly. The two mourners, Coalheart reflected sadly. Yet they might too be separated one day.

The thought made her sick and Coalheart wretched. A warm touch on her shoulder and she turned to see Graystripe looking at her. He had lost his two most imported friends. She had lost her mother, father, and sister. But they still had each other, and Coalheart buried her nose into her mentor, new leader, and what was as good as her second father. He licked her ear and the two cats sat there for a moment, as the moon rose silently, emerging from the frosty gray clouds.

Two sunsets later, Coalheart noticed Cloudtail and Dustpelt talking to each other quietly. They spotted her and shuffled over.

"We wanted to say were sorry, both of us. We should, me in particular, not judge you for how you were born. You have the potential of a great warrior." Cloudtail muttered. Coalheart struggled to keep a strait face.

"Do you expect me to forgive you?" the two older warriors looked ashamed. Coalheart giggled and licked them gently. "I do, don't worry! I know why you didn't-," she broke off as she saw a broad gray face poke into camp.

"Graystripe, er, star!" she yelled, hurtling towards Graystar and burying her nose into his fur. "Your back!" Graystar had traveled with Cinderpelt to get his nine lives last night. Graystar nodded, then leapt onto great rock.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath high rock for a clan meeting!" Cats spurted out from the dens throughout the camp and gathered beneath Graystar. "Um, Starclan accepted me into the midst of the leaders. I am now known as Graystar, and have received my nine lives!" cats cheered, and Birchkit squealed,

"Did you see Bluestar?" Dustpelt, with a meaningful glance at Coalheart, hissed,

"Of course he didn't! And don't pester Graystar with questions like that!" Graystar smiled.

"It is now time for me to appoint a deputy to serve me in the many moons of serving my favorite clan. I say these words before you now, and hope that Starclan may hear an approve my choice." He took a deep breath. "I have thought on this the entire journey back from mothermouth; your new deputy will be Coalheart." Coalheart started and stiffened. No, not now. It was silent in the clearing and Coalheart flattened her ears nervously.

"Yay! Go Coalheart!" Birchkit yowled, and Coalheart felt pleasure as she heard the kit (who was nearing six moons) call out for her like that. He didn't know about her yet, but that secret was best kept hidden.

A/N SO HOWS THE NEW PROLOGUE! I hope the exchange between her thoughts wasn't too confusing. If it was, here:

Please: Bold and italics is her inner conscious that's like, good

You are mine: bold, underline, and italics are Tigerstar emerging from her heart

They lied to you: italics are her evil conscious. I guess it's like scourge.

THANKS PEOPLE!