Chapter 14 is here! (It's amazing what happens when you wake up at a ridiculous hour of the morning… Lol! I know my last chapter was kind of short, but this one will certainly be much longer!) Enjoy!

Graystripe paused under the overhanging branches of a willow tree, digging through the roots until he found the 2 water voles he had managed to catch in an afternoon of hunting. Snow drifted lazily to the ground, and the gray warrior impatiently shook the flakes from his pelt. Careful to stay hidden, he tucked into the smaller of the two water voles, saving the other to slip to the prisoners later, when Tigerstar ordered them all to rest for the battle.

Loudbelly padded up to him, dropping 2 fish. "I caught three and ate one." He reported, and Graystripe nodded. "Good. We all need our strength." Loudbelly dipped his head, then took the fish and padded away. As he left, another, more lithe form took his place. A pale silver cat with jet black stripes and spots decorating his fur, his eyes a pale, piercing green.

Graystripe jumped up, his fur bristling, but the other tom merely twitched his whiskers in amusement. "Calm down." He murmured, glancing around. "If you make a commotion, I'll never get the chance to tell you what I know." His voice was quiet, but powerful. Graystripe could only guess that he held a high rank among the rogues.

"My name is Lightning." He mewed, extending his paw in a form of greeting unknown to Graystripe. "I just want to talk. But…" He glanced around. "Perhaps somewhere less… Noticeable…?"

Graystripe flattened his ears, but stood, stashing his second vole back in the roots. "Come on then."

Without checking to make sure the rogue was following him, Graystripe stalked brusquely to the shore, where he crossed the stepping stones and padded to the Sunningrocks. None of ShadowClan warriors came here—probably because even crossing the stepping stones you were bound to get your paws wet—so Graystripe sat and curled his tail around his paws.

Lightning sat in front of him, taking a moment to survey the surrounding before he spoke. "I will stand beside you."

Graystripe blinked, surprised and more than slightly confused. "What…?"

The tabby sighed, motioning with his tail across the river. "The big tabby, Tigerstar. My cats dislike him as much as you do."

My cats…? So is he like… Their leader…?

"We came only because he promised us a better place to live, and while this is infinitely better than what we imagined… That cat is a poor leader at best, and hardly deserves the nine lives given to him."

"So are you their leader…?" Graystripe asked cautiously. The rogue seemed guarded.

"We have no leader, not really, but many follow me. Your ways intrigue me, as do your rituals and territories. I dreamed of the forest for so long…" He shook his head. "I cannot watch it be destroyed like this."

Graystripe blinked again, trying to process everything he was hearing. "So why tell me now…?"

Lightning's pale green eyes seemed distant for a moment, before he shrugged. "Raggedstar said now would be best, so I chose now."

Raggedstar?! That was ShadowClan's leader before Brokenstar! Is he dreaming of StarClan…?

"I see…" Graystripe dipped his head. "Thank-you, Lightning. I'll be sure to tell Leopardstar."

The silver and black tom nodded. "Good. But just know—we are many, and only a paw-full follow me." He began to trek back to the stepping stones before stopping to glance back at Graystripe. "Oh, and I'll send my friend, Sleet, to gather that vole if you would like. He is to guard the prisoners later, it would be no problem for him to slip that to your friends."

Graystripe was once again surprised. "S-Sure…" He stammered. "Thank-you."

The rogue dipped his head in farewell before crossing back to the other side of the river, leaving Graystripe feeling dumbfounded and pleasantly surprised. The more cats they had to fight Tigerstar, the better.

And now we wait… By moonrisw tomorrow, we could be free of Tigerstar forever… Graystripe though optimistically. Then small voice in the back of his reminded him of his doubts and fears, speaking louder with one quiet whisper than any could with a yowl. Or we could be dead.

"Leopardstar…!" Graystripe hissed, weaving his way through the ranks of rogues and RiverClan cats to his leader's side, Lightning close behind him. "This is Lightning." He murmured, flicking his tail towards the slightly smaller tom. "He made sure a couple of friends of his are guarding the cave-hole, so around sunhigh, Stonefur will lead them here to fight with us."

Leopardstar gave the rogue a suspicious look, but seemed to trust Graystripe's faith in him, dipping her head. "Very well. Thank-you. Every cat we have with us helps."

Lightning dipped his head in return. "Glad to be of assistance."

Hush fell as Tigerstar returned from setting the guards up at the cave-hole where the "prisoners" were being kept, and Leopardstar made her way forward to stand beside him.

"Are you ready, Leopardstar?" The huge tabby growled.

"Let's get this over with." Was Leopardstar's only gruff reply, and Tigerstar gave her an approving glance before turning to face TigerClan.

"You heard her! He yowled. "Let's go!"

Yowls of excitement broke out around the clan before they fell into silnce, following Tigerstar to Fourtrees. Only a small patrol waited in the Clearing, the rest left only for when they refused, first to chow the size of his ranks, then to attack when he gave the order.

You're in for a nasty surprise, Tigerstar!

Moments after sunhigh, Tallstar and Firestar appeared, stalking side by side into the clearing with their clans behind them.

"Well…?" Tigerstar asked, his tail-tip flicking in what Graystripe could only guess was excitement. "Have you made your decision…?"

Firestar exchanged a glance with Tallstar before stepping forward. "We will never join our clans with yous…!" The flame-pelted tom spat, his tail lashing. Tallstar stepped forward as well.

"There have always been four clans in the forest. That the way it should stay."

Tigerstar flicked his ears—that was their first sign, the ranks sliding through the trees to line the lip of the hollow, Graystripe standing between Lightning and Mosspelt as they advanced. He saw Tallstar's eyes widen, and prayed that he wouldn't lose hope.

"You fools…" Tigerstar was meowing now, his own tail lashing. "I came here in peace, trying to join us together, and you still refuse… If that's the case, then we will fight you. And you will die." He paused, before tipping back his head and yowling, "TigerClan! ATTACK!"

Firestar yowled the same to his clan, and Tallstar to his as the surged forward, and as they did so, Leopardstar spun around to face her own clan. "RiverClan!" She yowled, her eyes flashing. "Attack!"

Tigerstar stumbled mid-attack, but before he could say anything, Leopardstar bowled him over, and Graystripe lost them in the screeching mass of cats. He launched himself down into the hollow, landing heavily on tortoiseshell rogue with torn ears.

"You don't belong here!" He hissed, raking his claws down the tortoiseshell's side before turning to spring onto his back, his aim perfect as he brought the other cat tumbling down, his soft belly exposed. Showing no mercy, he raked his hind claws across the cat's stomach, until finally with a screech of pain the tortoiseshell tore himself away and ran for the bushes. Before Graystripe could pin-point another enemy, he felt claws sink into his haunches, and turned to see Jaggedtooth, a ShadowClan brute, snarling fury at him.

Growling, Graystripe turned and slashed his claws over the tabby's face, satisfied as he felt the other tom's grip loosen, taking advantage and sinking his teeth into his scruff and giving him a rough shake. There was streak of blue-gray and suddenly Stonefur was there, slashing at Jaggedtooth's exposed stomach. When Graystripe felt he had learned his lesson, he released the ShadowClan warrior, watching smugly as he ran wailing. He blinked warmly at Stonefur.

"It's good to have you back." He purred.

"It's good to be back." Stonefur agreed, giving the gray warrior a gentle head-butt. "Now let's show this scum what they get for thinking they own RiverClan…!"

Graystripe yowled an agreement, diving back into the thick of the fighting. Briefly he saw Firestar fighting side-by-side with Onewhisker, and Sandstorm and Dustpelt going at two huge gray-and-white toms. Lightning flashed past, yowling encouragement to the cats that followed his lead, and then he saw Leopardstar doing the same.

We can win this…! He told himself forcefully as he chased off yet another ShadowClan warrior. Yet another rogue replaced him, and Graystripe turned to attack the tabby she-cat instead. Slowly but surely, he realized that no matter what, the rogues still outnumbered them, and though all three of the other clans had joined together plus some of Lightning's rogues, this was a battle they seemed to be losing.

"Stay strong!" He heard Firestar yowl as he chased another rogue. "We must win!"

Graystripe yowled an agreement before twisting to face his next opponent. We must win… But how much longer will we be able to fight…? He could see the mangled body of a WindClan warrior lying in the blood and dust, and with a pang recognized Whitestorm weakly struggling as Blackfoot released his throat, dropping the ThunderClan deputy to die in the mud.

"Blackfoot!" He screeched, launching at the white warrior. Whitestorm had been a part of his life for so long… "You'll pay for that!" His initial attack sent the flying in a whirlwind of teeth, claws, and fur, until Blackfoot managed pin the gray RiverClan warrior.

"Will I really?" He sneered, pressing Graystripe's muzzle into the ground. With a surge of fury, Graystripe pushed up off of the ground, launching Blackfoot into the air, and twisting to barrel him over and pin him down.

"Yes!" He hissed, slicing his claws across the warrior's throat. Blackfoot died with hatred in his eyes, blood gurgling in his mouth as Graystripe looked on in disgust. "StarClan will never except you into their ranks."

He turned back to the battle, announcing for encouragement, "Blackfoot is dead!" He saw Cloudtail yowl his approval, and then something much more worrying. Tigerstar was battling fiercely against a weakened Stonefur, and though one of the strongest cats Graystripe had ever known, moons of imprisonment had taken its toll on the blue-gray warrior. Before Graystripe could step in to help though, Firestar was there, tackling the huge tabby with a screech of raw fury.

That is Firestar's battle. Graystripe told himself, turning to find a different opponent. The rogues were thinning out, but they still outnumbered them 3 to 1. Choosing a dark tabby, Graystripe forced his paws to keep moving, despite the brutal wounds he had received in the fight already. All of the cats were taking damage, and as far as Graystripe could tell, not a single clan cat fighting against Tigerstar had fled. They were going to win or they were going to die.

Jumping to Stormpaw and Featherpaw's aid against a big black tom, Graystripe blinked proudly at the apprentices before moving to pick his next target. Before he could move though, the crowd seemed to part, revealing Firestar standing over Tigerstar's body, the setting sun shining on his flame-colored pelt, lighting as it had on the first day he entered ThunderClan.

"Tigerstar is dead!" One of the rogues screeched, it's eyes huge. Then again, "Tugerstar is dead!"

Immediately, they began running, tearing themselves away and running like their tails were on fire. Graystripe let out a jubilant yowl which the others quickly took up some even chasing the rogues to the lip of the hollow, some beyond. Graystripe took a deep breath, looking around.

We won… He thought quietly. We really won… then with a wince: But what was the price…?

That was when he heard Leopardstar's pained wail, whirling around to see her pushing her nose into a motionless mound of blue-gray fur. And with a sudden constriction in his heart, Graysripe recognized the torn, bloody b=pelt and battle scarred ears.

It was Stonefur.

End of chapter 14! I hope you enjoyed! I know that I up-dated these pretty quickly, so there wasn't much time to review, but thanks for reading and hopefully you'll review this chapter:D Lots of love~