Hey, all! Ready for Chapter 14? *whooo~!*

Review Replies:

LegendaryHero: :D Thank ya! I tried to keep Firestar in character and figure out what he'd do if Graystripe really died. :3 Glad you liked it! Thanks for reading~ *hug*

Katie Ladmoore: Thank ya! :3 Hope you enjoy this chappie! x3

Warriors-Skywing: *girlish giggle* I know, right?? :'D Thanks for readin'! *huggles*

Revriley: Cloudtail and Longtail ROCK 8D *confetti falls in honor of them* xD Thank ya for readin', Rev! *glomptackles*

Macey-the-Invisible: Yaaaaay, go Fiyastaaah! xDD He's just a little cooler now. x3 Nyumba! What does that mean?? xDD Thanks for readin'! ^-^ *glomples*

Chat et Chocolat: Heehee, I shoulda just skipped Chapter 13 and called it Chapter 14. That woulda been funny~ xD And actually, *puts on glasses and points to a blackboard like a teacher* Moonhigh is not when Gatherings are held-- Moonhigh is a Warriors word for midnight. ^-^ Teehee. Thank yaaa for readin'! *glomples*

Onto the more-lucky-than-Chapter-13 chapter~ 8D *shot*

Chapter 14

A Shooting Star

There was a tension in the air, painfully thick and noticeable. Few cats spoke as we made our way through the dark forest, Firestar at the lead. The ginger tom had been given a new kind of fire, a new kind of spirit; his emerald eyes were now narrowed, his head bent low to the ground as he glared at an unseen being in front of him. Sandstorm was close at his side, their pelts occasionally brushing; the she-cat was obviously worried about him, but she didn't say a thing.

Me, Mourn and Ross walked in a close bunch towards the middle of the crowd; a few warriors gave us small, almost apologetic smiles, as if they were trying to say they were sorry for leading us into a battle only days after we'd joined the Clan. Those exact words were never said, of course.

I shivered as an unexpectedly cold breeze blew by, the noise of rustling leaves filling my ears... That and the soft footsteps and murmurs of the cats around me. My heart was pounding a bit, my fur bristling involuntarily as we grew closer to ShadowClan with every step. I wondered if they were expecting a battle. Perhaps that's what they wanted all along-- bloodshed. Of course, they were the ones that killed Graystripe. No, not us-- them. ShadowClan. And I had a feeling that even more lives would be lost tonight. If anyone has to die, I thought bitterly, then let them pick Ashfur and Rainwhisker.

"Are you nervous?" whispered a voice in my ear; I glanced sideways to see Brightheart walking beside me. Her one green eye shimmered smoothly, a soft frown on her face. She looked almost concerned for me. Did she think I was unable to fight for myself?

I smiled a bit and shook my head stiffly. "No, I'm not nervous," I replied quietly, turning my gaze back in front of me. "Just worried. I hope no lives are taken tonight." The she-cat was quiet for a few moments before replying.

"I was thinking about that too." Her voice was almost muffled, and she was now looking sadly at the ground. "They killed Graystripe; they must mean business. But why would they go this far...? Is the battle really just over food?" I let out a sigh and shrugged softly, about to reply when a voice cut it.

"If any of them die, so be it," Cloudtail muttered, his blue eyes narrowed as he stepped forward to walk beside his mate. "They murdered our deputy in cold blood. This isn't some sort of game-- they want to go all out with us, and they've made that perfectly clear."

"You're being foolish," growled Ross in a low voice as he looked over at the fluffy white tom. "If we kill any of them, then how will we be better than them?"

Cloudtail snorted softly. "Well, Firestar looks like he's just about ready to slit Blackstar's throat. We'll see how it all turns out when we get there." Brightheart lowered her head mournfully, looking too shaken up to speak.

"Darkwhisker's right," murmured Mourn, looking to be in a condition quite similar to Brightheart's. But he raised his head, his amber eyes glimmering with resolve and confidence. "I don't want to kill anyone if I don't have to." I looked over at him quietly, but he avoided my gaze. I sighed, and no one said anything more for quite a while.

I found myself sinking to the back of the crowd; by then, I was in my own little world, but I quickly broke free when I saw Rainwhisker taking up the back. Ashfur wasn't with him; come to think of it, I think I saw him talking with Squirrelflight at the front of the crowd. He had been soft, trying to soothe her. I never knew that was possible for him.

I sucked in a breath and padded over to the gray tom's side, walking next to him. He glanced over me, narrowing his eyes, but I cut in before he could say anything.

"Hey," I murmured quietly, acting concerned. "You okay?" Rainwhisker pulled back his lips a bit, studying me and wondering what I was up to.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he muttered, turning his gaze away from me. I sighed, lowering my head.

"Well, ShadowClan killed Graystripe, and--"

"Did they, now?" murmured the warrior, observing me from the corner of his blue eyes. Tsk. He may have been right about our being spies, but he was wrong about this. Hadn't he also accused me for hurting Thornclaw, back when I found him at the trap...? Of course, once he saw that he had only gotten himself caught in a snare, he let it go. I wonder what Rainwhisker would have done, though, if I had just found Thornclaw bleeding like that-- no trap or anything. And what if he was dead? Maybe that would've been the end of our plan, right then. Right there. Would any of them believe me if I told them he had been just lying like that? Maybe a fox did it. Maybe it was ShadowClan. No, back then, I doubt they would have listened. Just goes to show how little time it takes to earn a whole Clan's trust. Well, almost a whole Clan.

"Look," I sighed. "I want to forget everything that's happened between us. I know you don't trust me, but I want you to. Please."

Rainwhisker looked at me, his expression uncharacteristically hard to read. For a moment there, I thought that he would at least say, "I'll think about it." Oh, how wrong I was.

"I'll never trust you," he growled slowly, his eyes narrowed to slits. And, without giving me any time to reply, he turned and walked further up into the crowd. I watched him go, my whiskers twitching. I made a mental note to kill him first when our rogue band was to face off with ThunderClan.

It wasn't long until we finally reached the ShadowClan border. Firestar lashed his tail, bringing his cats to a halt.

"We'll split up into two groups from here," he announced. "We will approach the camp from opposite directions. When you hear my signal, we will launch our attack." He paused, quickly looking over the crowd. "I will lead Squirrelflight, Leafpool, Whitepaw, Brightheart, Rainwhisker, Cloudtail, and Darkwhisker. Sandstorm will lead Ashfur, Brackenfur, Snowclaw, Duskfeather, Birchpaw and Brambleclaw." I pricked my ears and weaved my way through the crowd, gathering with Sandstorm. Mourn popped up at my side, a sullen look on his face.

A few cats murmured brief good lucks and goodbyes to each other. I watched as Birchpaw and Whitepaw shared a tender moment; the usually obnoxious tom licked the she-cat's ear, smiling softly and whispering something inaudible. Whitepaw smiled back. Brambleclaw was talking quietly to Squirrelflight; I had never realized how close they were. Ashfur seemed to be staring at the two, as if he wanted to say something but was held back. I wondered what ever went on in that tom's head.

We broke apart, Sandstorm leading our group deep into the forest of ShadowClan. The moon was quite large; it would be full in just a few days. Its light was bright enough to illuminate our faces with a faint silver glow. Stars twinkled peacefully, and it was almost deathly quiet. What a perfect night for a battle, I thought sarcastically as I quietly walked beside Mourn. I let our pelts brush, trying to soothe my obviously anxious brother. He glanced over me, his amber eyes shining worriedly; I could tell he didn't want to fight. But that was something he would have to learn to deal with.

I found myself thinking of Thornclaw, sitting back at camp, alone with Dustpelt, Spiderleg, the elders, and the queens and kits. Had he never got caught in that trap, maybe he would've been beside me at that moment. Maybe he would have told me something reassuring, and I would have smirked, rolled my eyes jokingly and told him not to worry about me. What am I saying? Of course I didn't wish for any of that. I didn't care for him at all.

...I mean... Right...?

The scent of ShadowClan was getting stronger; we were quite close to their camp. I sucked in a breath of air, holding it for a moment and nearly forgetting to let it go. It was almost time. And what the outcome of this battle would be... I hadn't a clue. The important thing was to make sure that Mourn and Ross stayed alive. I looked over at my brother, who was watching the ground as he walked. I sighed and let my tail rest on his back, but I said nothing.

Soon, Sandstorm stopped and glanced over her shoulder. "We're here," she whispered. I pricked my ears and tried to look over the cats in front of me. Curse my shortness.

As quiet as we could be, we slowly stalked forward, keeping ourselves against the ground. I gave Mourn a gentle shove when I noticed that his long tail was sticking straight in the air. We were now standing at the edge of ShadowClan's camp, at the top of a shallow hollow hidden by low-hanging tree branches. For the moment, I couldn't see anyone-- perhaps they were all in their dens. After a moment, I saw cats appear at the other side of the camp-- Firestar's group. We were in position; Sandstorm and Firestar met each other's gazes, giving themselves a nod. From where I was, I watched as the leader slowly stepped forward, his head held high as his green eyes narrowed. He looked almost respectable.

Puffing out his chest, he opened his mouth and bellowed, "ThunderClan, attack!" Battle cries were yelled as cats plummeted down the slope, all of us prepared to fight for Graystripe's life.

...But there was no one there. No cats came out of the dens, and when I glanced inside a few of them, they were empty. Alarmed, a few ThunderClanners started exclaiming things such as, "Where are they?" "What happened!?" It was true; the camp was completely abandoned. But why? Why would they leave their own Clan's camp? Not even any elders, queens or kits were present. The medicine den had not a soul in it, either.

"What's going on?" whispered Mourn frantically, quickly glancing around this way and that. It would be only a matter of seconds before we'd find out.

"Firestar!" a voice suddenly called-- a voice very familiar. But who was it...? We raised our heads, and, to my horror, saw Blackstar standing at the top of the camp's slope. His warriors slowly began to appear, surrounding us from all sides as they looked down at us. I narrowed my eyes and pulled back my lips as I glared up at Blackstar.

"Damn them," I muttered quietly. "They knew we were coming. This was all a trap."

"Blackstar!" growled Firestar, taking a step forward. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"The meaning?" echoed the ShadowClan leader loosely. "Of what? Of my camp being filled with your warriors? Yes, what is the meaning of this, Firestar?" In the moonlight, I could have sworn I saw Blackstar smirk a bit. He really was enjoying this.

"You know very well why we're here," replied Firestar, his voice nearing a snarl. "You murdered our deputy."

"Did we, now?" Blackstar growled back, reminding me of Rainwhisker's words from just that night. "And you want a battle because of it, don't you?" I bit my lip; there was something about Blackstar's attitude that I didn't like. He was too smug, considering the circumstances-- what was he planning?

"Yes," replied Firestar, growing impatient. "Now come down here and fight us." Blackstar lifted his white head, sneering as he looked down at the ginger tom.

"Very well, Firestar." And, in one swift motion, the huge cat lifted his head and roared, "ShadowClan, attack!" His warriors let out snarls and growls as they ran down the slope, immediately colliding with ThunderClan. Before I had time to react, I was bowled to the ground, a paw placed at my neck as claws dug into my shoulder. I hissed and craned my head, looking up to see Oakfur glare down at me. I narrowed my eyes and smirked at the sight of the tiny warrior.

"Good to see you again," I chuckled darkly as I lifted a paw, swatting it out at his face. Drops of blood splashed onto the ground, and the tom let out a snarl of pain as he took a step back. I leaped to my paws, facing him as I lashed my tail.

"You," he growled deeply, lowering himself to the ground as he prepared an attack.

"You?" I repeated, unsheathing my claws. I leered at him before saying smoothly, "My name is Duskfeather." I lunged myself at him, leaping to the left at the last minute, tripping him with my tail as I ran past him. I swiftly turned around and pinned him down while he was still on the ground, slashing my claws violently down his back as I bit into his right ear. Oakfur yowled out, trying to get to his paws; I snorted at his attempt.

"Why don't you try fighting someone your own size?" I whispered as I kept my teeth in his ear. "Like an apprentice, perhaps?" I ripped my jaws away from the flesh of his ear, leaving a nick to remember me by. He snarled in fury and blindly leaped at me, lashing out wherever he could. I leaped to the side to avoid him, but he managed to slice my shoulder. I growled and whirled around, lashing my claws out at his neck as he rushed by. He gasped and froze, coughing up a bit of blood. I guess I'd hit him a little harder than intended.

By now, his brown pelt was darkened with red, drops of blood dripping off of clumps of his fur and onto the ground, But he wasn't done yet. His eyes gleamed irately in the moonlight as he ran at me, sending his claws flying at my face. I tried to leap back, but was a bit too slow-- I winced as a sharp pain crossed over my eyes; I was lucky I didn't wind up having the same fate as Longtail. I thrust myself at the warrior before he had time to counter, ripping at the flesh of his chest and bringing my other paw pounding against his head, knocking him over. I stood over him, pinning him down and letting my claws enter the skin of his shoulders.

Leaning down, I whispered in his ear, "Surrender." The cat glared up at me, pulling his laps back defiantly.

"No." And, in response, I lifted my paw, lashing it down the soft flesh of his belly. Oakfur cried out in torment and tried to wriggle free, but I kept the small warrior pinned down to the ground. After a moment, he snarled, "Fine, I surrender! Let me go!" I got off of him, watching him carefully with narrowed eyes as he got to his paws. Part of me was expecting him to attack again, but instead he turned and ran off, disappearing into the throng of hissing cats.

I spit out a bit of blood as I glanced around, looking for another enemy to fight. I spotted Mourn fighting against a she-cat; he looked like he was doing quite well, despite himself. It must have been his apparent desire to protect ThunderClan. I cringed as the she-cat sliced her claws across his flank, staining his snow-white pelt. I ran over to help him; snarling, I leaped at the unaware tortoiseshell and knocked her to the ground, swatting her head with unsheathed claws. The cat hissed and glared up at me with angry, green eyes. I paused for a moment, noting that her bone structure was quite similar to Brambleclaw's. Could they have been related?

Just as the enemy opened her mouth to say something, a loud wail cut across the clearing. "No! Stop fighting!" I lifted my head and glanced at Mourn, and the two of us quickly pushed our ways through the crowd to see what was going on. The others around us were slowly ceasing their combat, blinking in confusion as they tried to figure out what was going on. Some, however, continued to fight, oblivious to anything else.

Breaking through the crowd, I froze, seeing what was wrong. A cat lay on the ground, its body mangled and covered in blood. At first, I could barely tell who it was, but when it opened one green eye to look at me, my fur stood on end. Brightheart. Beside her stood Cloudtail as he looked down at her in horror.

A few ThunderClan cats took several small steps towards the scene, and after a minute, I followed, trying to get a better look. A tiny she-cat darted through the crowd-- it was Whitepaw, Brightheart and Cloudtail's only daughter.

"Mom!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening as she looked down at the mortally wounded she-cat. "W-What happened to you...!?" Brightheart let out a quiet cough, hacking up blood as she dully looked up at her daughter and mate.

"...This is... what you get when you... fight, isn't it...? I--" She broke off abruptly as she began another fit of coughs, much more violent this time. Cloudtail, his blue eyes huge, lifted his head.

"Where's Leafpool!?" he demanded, panic filling his voice as he flattened his ears against his head.

"I'm here," came a voice, and the light brown tabby quickly made her way to where Brightheart lay, bundles of herbs and cobwebs in her jaws. She quickly got to work, pressing the spider webs against the cat's worst wounds. But, from where I was standing, I thought that I could see a flicker of doubt cross the healer's expression.

"Leafpool," rasped Brightheart as she closed her one eye, smiling softly. "You... don't have to... burden yourself... with m--" Another painful gasp as she hawked up more blood.

"Brightheart," whispered Cloudtail, vigorously licking the wounds that Leafpool wasn't currently dealing with. "Y-You don't have to talk. Just hang in there..." Whitepaw stood beside her parents, her green eyes sparkling with fear.

"Cloudtail," Brightheart murmured, her eye half-closed. "I... I'm sorry, I..." She swallowed and let out a staggered breath of air. "...I-I'm not... going to make it..." She grinned slightly up at Leafpool as she closed her eye. "...Am I, Leafpool...?" The medicine cat flattened her ears and took a step back, bowing her head.

"...No," she whispered, her voice shaky. "No, Brightheart. I... I'm sorry."

"No," murmured Cloudtail with disbelief as he stumbled backwards. He stared at Leafpool, his sadness replaced with anger. "Don't stand there and do nothing!"

"Cloudtail," coughed Brightheart, opening her eye again to look at him gently. "...Stop. It's... It's okay."

"You almost left me once," whispered Cloudtail, trembling, his blue eyes glimmering with emotion. "Back when you fought that dog pack with Swiftpaw." He shook his head slowly, his voice squeaking when he said, "Don't leave me now...!"

"Mom," breathed Whitepaw, her legs shaking so much that she had to sit down. Brightheart let out a raspy sigh, still smiling softly to both of them.

"I love you," she whispered. "Whitepaw and Cloudtail, I..." Her smile drooped into a frown as her green eye began to shine with grief and sorrow.

"Brightheart!" cried Cloudtail. "No! You can't! You can't leave me!"

"...I love you... so much..."

"Brightheart!"

...Those were her last words. The she-cat, now beaten and bloodied from the fight, closed her one eye for the last time. Her breathing began to slow until it came to a halt, leaving Cloudtail and Whitepaw staring at her, devastated.

"Brightheart...!"

"Mom!"

The matching white cats fell to the earth, burying their faces in their beloved one's fur. "...I love you too," whispered Cloudtail, clenching his eyes shut as he breathed in the warm scent of his mate. "I... I l-love you... too..." I closed my eyes, bowing my head in sadness. Mourn stood there, his mouth open slightly and his eyes wide with incredulity. I lifted my head, opening my eyes to the sky. The stars twinkled brighter than ever, and I knew that Brightheart was making her way up there right now. I knew it.

After a few moments, Cloudtail slowly and shakily heaved himself to his paws, his white fur now stained in Brightheart's blood. His eyes narrowed and flashed angrily before he snarled, "Who did this!?" I have to admit, I almost flinched at this; he was so aggressive it was almost scary. Just when you think you've got a cat's inner personality figured out, you realize how wrong you really are.

A cat stepped through the crowd, and I glanced over to see who it was. He paused when he reached the front and looked over at the small family, his amber eyes dull with what looked like boredom. His white fur was bloodied, yet he appeared to be unharmed-- perhaps it was only the blood of other cats.

"Blackstar," whispered Mourn. I narrowed my eyes as I glared at the leader.

"She was in the way," he said nonchalantly. "You are the ones that attacked us. This is one of the prices you will pay."

"Blackstar!" yowled Cloudtail, his fur bristling as his tail lashed wildly. "You did this! You killed her!" Without thinking, the fluffy white tom ran at the ShadowClanner, lunging furiously at him. Blackstar, however, caught him by the throat, ramming him painfully into the ground.

"Do you really think it's wise to fight me?" the huge tom growled. "Considering the new circumstances...?" Cloudtail shakily got to his paws, his lips pulled back and his blue eyes narrowed to slits as he glared at the tom.

"What 'new circumstances'?" he demanded in a low voice, watching him carefully. Blackstar smirked and raised his head, indicating to the top of the slope. At first, I didn't see what he was pointing to, but my eyes widened as I saw another group of cats appear, an unusually spotted golden-brown tabby in the lead. I watched as Firestar stepped forward, panic flickering in his eyes. Could this be another Clan...?

"Leopardstar!" he bellowed. "What's going on? What is RiverClan doing here!?" So this is RiverClan, huh? I thought quietly, watching as everyone else stopped fighting and now stared up at where this new Clan appeared.

Leopardstar gazed coolly down at ThunderClan's leader, her amber eyes narrowed and gleaming under the light of the moon and stars. "Blackstar offered us a deal," she told him smoothly. "If we aid them in this battle, then we will share any newly gained territory from ThunderClan."

"What!?" exclaimed Firestar, pulling his lips back. "You can't...!"

"You see, Firestar?" chuckled Blackstar as he casually flicked a tail. "You can't win this time. Not against ShadowClan and RiverClan. Now give us some of your territory or we will not hesitate to attack and wipe you out." The ginger tom narrowed his green eyes, hesitating for a moment.

"...Fine," he growled reluctantly. "How much of my territory do you want?" Blackstar smiled, content that the ginger tom had decided to comply.

"The area between the current ShadowClan border and the Twoleg path."

"What?" snarled a ThunderClanner-- Squirrelflight. "You have a huge territory as it is!" Firestar sent her a small warning glance. As reluctant as he was to give up so much territory, he knew that in order to protect the rest of his Clanmates, it was the only thing to do.

"...Fine," sighed the tom, defeated. "That area is now ShadowClan's."

"And RiverClan's," confirmed Leopardstar with a nod. Firestar narrowed his green eyes, sending a resentful glare to the she-cat; but if she had noticed, she payed no mind.

"Now leave," Blackstar said dismissively, smirking slightly. "Or we'll make you leave ourselves." Cloudtail had been watching the ShadowClan leader the whole time, and he now seemed to be shaking with fury.

"Blackstar!" he hollered again, taking another attack at the huge white tom. He lashed his claws out at wherever he could reach. "You piece of fox--"

"Cloudtail!" snarled Firestar, stepping forward. "Stop!" But the tom ignored him; he slashed his unsheathed claws out at Blackstar's face; the latter tried to dodge it, but the ThunderClanner managed to give him a scratch on the cheek-- though it was pitifully small and not the kind of wound that would inflict much damage. Cloudtail prepared another blow, this time aiming for the foe's throat.

"Dad, stop!" cried Whitepaw, running forward. At this, the warrior paused, panting as he stumbled backwards, looking around as if he had just awoken from a dream. He looked down at his daughter; eyes of green met eyes of blue, and they stayed like that for a few moments. Finally, Cloudtail sighed and hung his head, his tail drooping and shoulders shagging as he staggered back to where Brightheart's broken body lay.

There was silence as ThunderClan's cats began quietly forming together, preparing to leave. I watched as Cloudtail and Whitepaw lay at Brightheart's corpse, Brackenfur coming to tell them that they had to go. They didn't move for a few moments, but finally got up, letting the golden-brown tom heave the she-cat's body over his back-- Brambleclaw came to help. I flattened my ears; why was I feeling so sad about all of this? I felt a tail rest gently at my shoulder; I turned to see Ross standing close by my side. Our eyes met, amber and shimmering sadly. He blinked slowly and gave a small bow of his head before turning and disappearing into the crowd as our Clan began to leave.

And as we walked quietly on into the night, a shooting star passed over our heads.

I-I... I'm not too good at writing death scenes... *runs away* T.T

Review and get a plushie of Brightheart with angel wings and a halo~ :'3 CC equals love.

Till next time, my loves!

Pearly~!