A/N: I'm sorry it took so long for an update. I've been really busy lately and I've been working on my novel and such and I really don't want to go back to school... Okay, well here's the next chapter.

Mistyheart scrambled up and out of her nest, emerging from the warriors' den. Flamepelt followed her out and what they saw was the beginning of chaos.

It was still night. The stars shone brightly in a cloudless sky. A flood of cats was forcing its way into the camp, crashing through the barriers, ripping through the thorn tunnel. By now, all the clan was awake, streaming out of the dens to attack the intruding rogues.

Mistyheart rushed forward and sprang through the air, claws extended. She crashed into a tabby rogue, knocking him off his feet with a screech. They rolled across the ground, clawing and flailing, Mistyheart struggling to keep hold of the thrashing tom. Claws flashed and she jerked instinctively, a stinging pain in her muzzle.

The rogue scrambled to his feet and lashed out again. Ducking the blow, Mistyheart countered with one of her own, bringing her claws down on his shoulder. The rogue rolled to the side and, seeing an opportunity, Mistyheart struck out again. But she failed to realize until too late what he was doing.

The tom pulled back and kicked out at her with his hind legs, catching her in the stomach and flinging her away to land, winded, in the dust.

Mistyheart shook her head to clear it as she got to her feet, once more facing her adversary. She charged again.

Rainstar bit down hard on the shoulder of the pale gray she-cat until she let out an agonized shriek. He let her go and she leaped away from him, crashing into Lionfur. The startled warrior whipped around and lunged at her, driving her back through the crowd.

The battle raged fiercely around Rainstar. He saw Icewhisker and Flamepelt fighting side-by-side against a pair of identical ginger rogues. The apprentices were attacking a black tom twice their size. Even Raggedfur was fighting despite his permanent limp.

Rainstar spotted Leopardtail backed against the side of the apprentices' den and fighting a shadowy rogue that could only be Imber. Leopardtail was already bleeding from several wounds and one of her eyes was swollen shut, but she stubbornly refused to give up.

Racing across the clearing, Rainstar leapt to the she-cat's side, slashing at Imber who spat and hissed in rage.

"Get out of here!" Imber snarled, swiping a paw at Rainstar. "This place does not belong to you."

Rainstar dodged the blow and went for one of his own. "This is our home. It is you who are the intruders."

"And who do you think lived in this forest before the clans?"

Rainstar's head snapped up and pain lanced through him as Imber's claws made contact. The rogue's eyes gleamed.

Rainstar went to attack again and this time he bowled Imber over to land heavily on the ground.

"The Ancestors have been waiting many generations for this," Imber said. He lunged for Rainstar's throat. But Rainstar threw himself to the side and Imber's teeth sank into his shoulder instead, tearing a pained scream from his throat. He shook from side to side until Imber released his hold.

Blood trickled through Rainstar's fur.

"And tonight, their prophecy will come true," Imber stated, a menacing glow in his mismatched eyes. "We will drive out the four clans one by one, starting with this one. And then the forest will belong to us once again."

"I'm sure there must be a real reason behind it," Rainstar said. "Why did they leave the forest in the first place?"

"Because your clans drove us out!" Shadestar snarled and lunged again.

Rainstar tried to move out of the way but then the rogue slammed into him, knocking him into the outer wall of the apprentices' den. He snapped at Rainstar's neck, all trace of sanity gone in his desire for revenge, however twisted.

Rainstar jerked and flailed with his paws, trying to push the larger cat off him. But Imber was relentless, digging his claws in and ripping away tufts of blue-gray fur. Rainstar yowled in pain and bit down on Imber's ear, drawing blood. Claws scored across Rainstar's face and he jerked away.

Then, just as Imber was about to deliver another blow, something came and pushed him aside. He turned his head, ears flat, and bared sharp teeth.

Leopardtail hissed. She threw herself at Imber, all anger and ferocity unleashed upon the leader of the rogues.

Rainstar would have joined her but for the fact that another rogue had arrived. A wiry dark tom. Maelstrom. He launched himself at Rainstar and, though Rainstar was bigger, he could feel the strength in Maelstrom's rippling muscle. The rogue had landed on his back, pressing him against the ground.

Grunting with the effort, Rainstar managed to push upward, throwing Maelstrom off. When he turned, the rogue was back on his feet and attacking again.

Unlike Imber, Maelstrom did not seem to wildly plunge into battle. His eyes were narrow and calculating, each move practiced a thousand times before battle.

Rainstar realized it would take much more than he had in order to defeat this experienced fighter. He called upon everything his mentor had taught him, remembering the long training sessions as an apprentice with Raggedfur. He remembered practicing his fighting skills with his littermates, Blackpaw and Snowpaw. Both now dead, one a traitor.

He snarled and lashed at Maelstrom's face, his claws scoring through fur. Maelstrom let out a howl of pain and blood began to trickle into his amber eyes. He blinked it away and swiped at Rainstar. The ThunderClan leader staggered under the disorienting blow to the side of his head and rammed into Maelstrom. They fell to the ground in a flurry of fur and claws, fighting under the night sky and the watching eyes of the stars.

Mistyheart lunged at the tom when a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and a moment later, she was crashing onto her side.

Zenith hissed and tried for her throat but Mistyheart managed to squirm away in time, receiving a scrape to the shoulder instead.

"I know why you're doing this," Mistyheart said, getting to her feet. "You really think this is what your Ancestors want?"

"What do you know of the Ancestors?" Zenith spat. She already had several scratches from the battle, blood soaking into her fur.

"I know your leader was lying," Mistyheart said boldly. "That he turned his back on the Ancestors and is twisting their words."

"You know nothing."

"I've spoken to one of the Ancestors. Her name was Dusk. She told me about your prophecy."

"How could you know that?" Zenith inquired suspiciously. "The Ancestors do not speak to outsiders."

"This one did," said Mistyheart.

Zenith narrowed her eyes. How was it that a clan cat could know such things? She flexed her claws against the grass.

The voice of Shadestar whispered in her mind, Do it. This is what you have been waiting for. Strike her down and the whole of ThunderClan with her.

Claws extended, Zenith prepared to pounce. Mistyheart readied herself. Then the two cats collided and an aweful screech split the air. Claws raked through fur.

A white light flashed at the edge of Mistyheart's vision but it didn't register. Blood welled in her fur as she attacked the rogue, bent on defending her home.

Another white streak lit up the sky just above the treetops. Then another.

Mistyheart pulled away from Zenith, stumbling to regain her balance. She noticed that she was not the only one to stop fighting.

Several cats gasped and shrank away from the lights. Many were staring in shock up at the sky and Mistyheart followed the path of their gaze.

Then the silence was broken by a single, fear-filled voice.

"The stars!" someone exclaimed. "They're falling!"