Fireheart hurtled through the trees, muscles bunching and stretching as he drove himself on. But when he reached the ravine, he realized that he had not run fast enough. The hindquarters and tails of the last of the rogues were just vanishing into the gorse tunnel. Launching himself down the steep side of the ravine, with Lightpaw scrabbling down behind him, Fireheart let out a yowl.

"ThunderClan! Enemies! Attack!"

He hurled himself into the tunnel and at the same moment he heard another yowl from the camp ahead.

"To me, ThunderClan!" It was the familiar battle cry, but the voice was Tigerclaw's. He burst into the clearing just as Tigerclaw whirled on the band of rogues, who scattered, yowling, from his attack. The deputy certainly looked as if he were trying to drive enemies from the camp, but Fireheart was close enough to see that his claws were sheathed.

"You fox-hearted rat!"

He had brought these enemies, but he was still able to conceal his own treachery. There was no time for any more thought. However they had come here, the rogue cats were now attacking the camp. Fireheart turned swiftly to Lightpaw.

"Go and find the patrols and tell them to come back," he ordered. "Whitestorm and Cloudpaw somewhere along the RiverClan boundary, and Sandstorm went to Snakerocks."

"Yes, Fireheart." Lightpaw raced back into the tunnel. Fireheart sprang at the nearest rogue, a dark mottled tabby, and raked his claws down his side. The rogue snarled and twisted toward him, paws splayed for attack. He tried to pin Fireheart down, but Fireheart's hindpaws pummeled his belly, and the rogue broke away howling. Fireheart scrambled to his paws and crouched with tail lashing and fur bristling as he looked around for another enemy. Outside the entrance to the nursery, Goldenflower was wrestling a rogue with a pale coat, the two of them rolling over and over as they tried to get hold with teeth and claws. Brindleface and Speckletail were fighting against a warrior twice their size. Near the warriors' den, Darkstripe dug his front claws into the shoulder of a huge tabby, while his back claws shredded their flank. Fireheart froze at the sound of a pained yowl. At the other side of the clearing, one of Brokentail's former warriors had pounced Dustpelt, fastening his teeth in the younger cat's throat. Dustpelt was struggling furiously to free himself.

Fireheart plunged across the clearing to help Dustpelt, but before he even got halfway he was bowled over by a rogue cat. His flank stung as claws raked down it. Green eyes glared a mouse-length from his own. Fireheart bared his fangs and tried to bite down into the enemy's shoulder, but the rogue cat batted him away. Claws ripped into his ear. His belly was exposed and he couldn't twist free. Suddenly his attacker let out a wail and released him. Fireheart caught a glimpse of a young warrior, Thornclaw with his teeth fastened into the rogue's tail. The rogue dragged him through the dust until Thornclaw released him and the enemy fled. Panting, Fireheart scrambled to his paws.

"Thanks," he gasped. Thornclaw nodded briefly before racing off to where Goldenflower still battled in front of the nursery. Fireheart looked around again. Dustpelt had vanished and the ex-ShadowClan tom was stumbling farther into the clearing, letting out a weird wailing that struck a chill into Fireheart's heart. The former ShadowClan cat possessed a terrifying power that seemed driven by something more than mortal. The clearing heaved with struggling cats, but as Fireheart poised himself to rejoin the fray he recalled the chilling purpose of this attack.

He had to find Bluestar!

In a heartbeat, Fireheart realized that he couldn't see Tigerclaw either. He dodged around Willowpelt, who was clinging to the back of a much bigger rogue, her teeth fastened in his ear, and made for Bluestar's den. To his relief, as he approached the entrance he heard Bluestar meow from inside, "I always knew this day would come." She scowled. "Fireheart wanted you gone immediately, but I made that mistake with your mentor. I needed solid proof of your actions before I ended this permanently."

"Remember me to StarClan, Bluestar!" Tigerclaw sneered. "The reign of Tigerstar starts with your death!"

"And ends with yours!" Fireheart roared as the lichen swirled around him.

He flung himself at Tigerclaw, slashing at his eyes. The deputy reared back, forced to release his grip on Bluestar's throat. Fireheart felt his claws rip through the deputy's ear, spraying blood into the air. Bluestar scrambled to the side of the den, looking half stunned. Fireheart could not tell how badly hurt she was. Pain lanced through him as Tigerclaw gashed his side with a blow from his powerful hindpaws. Fireheart's paws skidded in the sand and he lost his balance, hitting the ground with Tigerclaw on top of him. The deputy's amber eyes blazed into his.

"Mousedung!" he hissed. "I'll flay you, Fireheart. I thought I could trust you!"

Fireheart summoned every scrap of skill and strength he possessed. He knew Tigerclaw could kill him, but in spite of that he felt strangely free. The lies and the need for deceit were over. The secrets, his and Tigerclaw's, were out in the open. There was only the clean danger of battle. He aimed a blow at Tigerclaw's throat, but the deputy swung his head to one side and Fireheart's claws scraped harmlessly through thick tabby fur. The blow had loosened Tigerclaw's grip on him. Fireheart rolled away, narrowly avoiding a killing bite to his neck.

"I didn't train you to fight like a kittypet, did I?" Tigerclaw taunted, flexing his haunches to pounce again. He threw himself at Fireheart, but at the last moment Fireheart darted aside. As Tigerclaw tried to turn in the narrow den, his paws slipped on a splash of blood and he crashed awkwardly onto one side. At once Fireheart saw his chance. His claws sliced down to open a gash in Tigerclaw's side Blood welled up, soaking into the deputy's fur. He let out a high-pitched caterwaul. Fireheart pounced on him, raking claws across his belly again, and fastening his teeth into Tigerclaw's neck. The deputy struggled vainly to free himself, his thrashing growing weaker as the blood flowed. Fireheart let go of his neck, planting one paw on Tigerclaw's outstretched foreleg, and the other on his chest.

"Bluestar!" he called. "Help me hold him down!"

The greyish leader was crouched behind him in her moss-lined nest. Blood trickled down her forehead, but that did not alarm Fireheart as much as the look in her eyes. They were vague and clouded, and she stared horror-struck in front of her as if she was witnessing the destruction of everything she had ever worked for.

She'd been hoping I was wrong…

When Fireheart spoke, she jumped like a cat woken suddenly from sleep. Moving with dreamlike slowness, she crossed the den and pinned herself across Tigerclaw's hindquarters, trapping him. Even with wounds that would have stunned a lesser cat, Tigerclaw still fought to free himself. His amber eyes burned with hatred as he spat curses at Fireheart and Bluestar.

A shadow fell across the entrance to the den and Fireheart heard hoarse, ragged breathing. He turned his head, expecting to see one of the invaders, but it was Darkstripe. Dismay flooded over Fireheart at the sight of the other tom. He was bleeding heavily from his flank and one foreleg, and blood bubbled from his mouth as he stammered.

"Bluestar, we-" He broke off, "What with StarClan?!"

"Tigerclaw attacked Bluestar," Fireheart told him quickly. "He brought the rogues to attack us." Darkstripe went on staring, and then shook himself as if he had just climbed out of deep water.

"We're losing the fight," he meowed. "There are too many of them. Bluestar, we need your help." The leader looked at him but did not reply. Fireheart could see that her eyes were still dull and unseeing, as if the discovery of the truth about Tigerclaw had bruised her spirit beyond repair.

"I'll come," Fireheart offered. "Darkstripe, can you help Bluestar hold on to Tigerclaw? We'll deal with him when the battle's over."

"You can try, kit," Tigerclaw sneered through a mouthful of sand. Darkstripe limped across the den and took Fireheart's place, planting his claws on Tigerclaw's chest. For a heartbeat Fireheart hesitated, uncertain that wounded Darkstripe and Bluestar in a state of shock would be a match for Tigerclaw. But the deputy was still losing blood, and his struggles were definitely getting weaker. Swiftly Fireheart turned and raced outside again. At first glance the clearing seemed to be filled with rogues, as if all the ThunderClan warriors had been driven out. Then Fireheart caught a glimpse of familiar shapes here and there—Longtail squirming underneath a huge tabby tom; Patchpelt scrabbling just out of reach of a skinny gray outlaw, whirling around to rake his nose with outstretched claws before he hurled himself at the rogue's belly. Fireheart tried to collect his strength. The fight with Tigerclaw had exhausted him, and the wounds where the deputy had clawed him burned like fire. He knew that he couldn't do this forever. He rolled over instinctively as a ginger she-cat tried to drive her claws into his back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a lithe, blue-gray body racing across the clearing, yowling a challenge. Mistyfoot? What's she doing here?!

With a massive effort Fireheart tore free of the ginger cat and scrambled to his paws. RiverClan warriors were pouring out of the tunnel. Leopardfur, Stonefur, Blackclaw…

After them came Whitestorm and the rest of his patrol. They were strong and full of energy, and they fell on the invaders with claws outstretched and tails lashing in fury. Terrified by the sudden appearance of reinforcements, the rogue cats scattered. The ginger she-cat fled with a shocked howl and others followed suit. Fireheart staggered a few paces in pursuit, hissing and spitting to speed them on their way, but there was no need. Surprised when they thought their victory was certain, and leaderless now that Tigerclaw had been caught, the rogues had no fight left in them. Within a few heartbeats, they were gone. The RiverClan cats were gathering together again with murmurs of concern as Fireheart limped across to them.

"Thank you," he meowed. "I've never been so glad to see any cat in my life."

"I recognized some of Brokentail's former warriors." Leopardfur informed him gravely.

"Yes." Fireheart didn't want to say anything yet about Tigerclaw's involvement. "How did you know we needed help?" he asked, puzzled.

"We didn't," replied Mistyfoot. "We came to talk to Bluestar about—"

The kits, probably.

"Not now," Leopardfur interrupted. "ThunderClan needs time to recover." She dipped her head graciously toward Fireheart. "We are glad to have helped. Tell your leader we will return soon."

"I will," Fireheart promised. "And thanks again."

He watched the RiverClan cats leave, then looked around, feeling his shoulders sag with tiredness. The clearing was littered with blood and fur. Yellowfang and Nutleaf were beginning to examine the injured cats. Though Fireheart hadn't noticed them in the fighting, they both bore the marks of enemy claws. He took a deep breath. It was time to deal with Tigerclaw, but he could barely summon the strength to walk. His wounds throbbed with pain, and every muscle in his body shrieked a protest with each step. As he limped toward Bluestar's den, a voice sounded behind him.

"Fireheart! What happened?" He turned to see Sandstorm, newly returned at the head of her hunting patrol, with Lightpaw panting just behind her.

Good job! Fireheart smothered his nephew in mental praise.

"Oh Sandstorm, thank StarClan." Fireheart murmured, stumbling forward. "I love you." He panted as she raced forward to ease him to the ground.

"You're not leaving me to raise Stormkit and Featherkit alone!" She hissed. "Now what happened?"

"Brokentail's outlaws," he grunted.

"Again?" Sandstorm whined. "We're supposed to be done with them!"

Fireheart felt unable to explain right then.

"Sandstorm, will you do something for me, and not ask questions?" Sandstorm shot him a suspicious look.

"Depends what it is."

"Go to Bluestar's den and deal with what you find there. Better take another warrior. Brackenheart, can you go? Bluestar or Darkstripe will tell you what to do."

Or so I hope… Fireheart sighed. Sandstorm, eyes wide with realization, jerked her head at Brackenheart and headed for the Highrock. Out of everything that had happened, what disturbed Fireheart most was how Bluestar seemed be reverting back to what he'd seen in her later years the first time around. Fireheart stood numbly in the center of the clearing, watching as Yellowfang and Nutleaf examined each cat in the Clan.

Turning away from Yellowfang, Fireheart saw Sandstorm emerging from the den beneath the Highrock. She was followed by Tigerclaw, who struggled forward with an odd, lurching gait. His fur was matted with dust and blood, and one eye was half closed. He stumbled to a halt and collapsed in front of the rock. Brackenheart trailed him closely, alert for any sign that the deputy intended to attack or flee. Behind him came Bluestar. Her head was drooping and her tail dragged in the dust. Fireheart's worst fears flooded back. The strong leader Fireheart had respected seemed to have vanished, leaving instead this frail, wounded cat. He could handle this, of course he could. He had the first time around… but he couldn't bear to watch her fall apart all over again!

Last of all, Darkstripe limped out of the den and sank down on his side in the shade of the Highrock. Nutleaf hurried over to him and began to inspect his wounds with an anxious frown.

Bluestar raised her head and looked around.

"Come here, all of you," she rasped, beckoning the clan to her with a flick of her tail. While the rest of the Clan were gathering, Fireheart padded over to his sister.

"Can you give Tigerclaw anything for his wounds?" he asked. "Or just some poppyseeds?" He thought he had wanted to defeat Tigerclaw more than anything, but now smothered the urge to wail inconsolably.

I was a mouse-brained fool to ever believe that he cared a morsel about family. Stars, he tried to kill us all, just like I knew he would, and he still managed to blindside me completely!

Nutleaf looked up from her examination of Darkstripe. To Fireheart's relief, she didn't challenge his request for her to treat the treacherous deputy.

"Of course," she meowed. "I should get what I need for Darkstripe as well." She loped in the direction of Yellowfang's den.

The Clan cats had taken their places by the time she returned. Fireheart could see them looking at one another, uneasily wondering what all this might mean. Nutleaf padded over with a wad of herbs in her mouth. She dropped some of them beside Tigerclaw, and gave the rest to Darkstripe. The deputy sniffed the leaves suspiciously and then began to chew them.

Bluestar watched him for a moment and then began to speak.

"I present you with Tigerclaw, now a prisoner." She began solemnly. A chorus of worried murmurs interrupted her. Cats were looking at each other in shock and dismay.

"A prisoner?" Longtail echoed. "Tigerclaw's your deputy! What has he done?"

"Tigerclaw's a traitor!" Dustpelt sneered, weaving through the crowd to stand beside Fireheart and Sandstorm.

"He tried to kill Bluestar in her den just now." Darkstripe confirmed wearily.

The murmurs of protest grew into fierce yowling, and nobody had any clue what was going on.

"I should've handled this better," Fireheart panted. "I could've seen-."

"Nothing." Sandstorm insisted gently. "You could have seen nothing, because you've done everything you could."

"This is obviously a mistake! Tell them, Tigerclaw!" Longtail jeered. "Tell them the kittypet is wrong!"

"I know who killed my father!" Sandstorm roared, lunging for the tan tom. "Fireheart and Ravenpaw, wherever he is may StarClan watch over him… Fireheart and Ravenpaw were there at the battle for Sunningrocks. They saw what happened after everyone left. I didn't want to believe them when they told me, but it's true. That's the reason they were both walking ghosts after that battle! That's why Fireheart has been running around like a mouse on catnip. He's been trying to keep an eye on Tigerclaw and still prove himself to ThunderClan. And after all this time, you still have the nerve to call him a kittypet?!"

Sandstorm was far beyond livid, and woe unto anyone who dared to cross her on this. The entire Clan was silent now, and Fireheart took the chance to speak.

"Tigerclaw expected to be made deputy then," Fireheart went on. "But Bluestar chose Lionheart instead. Then Lionheart died fighting ShadowClan, and, well, you all know how I reacted that night. I'd hoped that being deputy would be enough for him, that all his talk of wanting what was best for his family could be true… but he was a liar to us all." Fireheart scowled. "Right before Nutleaf had her kits and the Clan had greencough, Tigerclaw set a trap for Bluestar by the Thunderpath. The turn that monsters make on that surface is not something the Twolegs can predict, so any cat who crossed a monster on that part of the path is guaranteed to be injured somehow. My entire bloodline could have been extinguished that day, but the monster was bigger than usual and had no chance to catch us in its claws."

Cats meowed their sorrow and outrage, most of them starting to turn on Tigerclaw by now.

Fireheart searched for Goldenflower, who stared at her mate. Disbelief glazed her eyes just like it had Darkstripe's, and while Fireheart had figured they'd have a hard time of things, he couldn't help but hear his heart ripping itself to shreds at just the thought of what Goldenflower was going through.

"Have you anything to say in your defense?"

Whitestorm was the cat who spoke now, and his bitter tone reminded Fireheart of exactly how much history he and Tigerclaw had. They'd practically been brothers! Forget Bluestar, Whitestorm was the one to worry about now.

No, he'll be fine. She'll be fine, they'll all be fine! They just need some space.

"There is nothing to explain." Tigerclaw snorted, turning to Bluestar. "I know what Goosefeather suffered from, and I think you're starting to show the signs. I thought I could be a better leader than you, that I could protect my family, my kits better… but I had to get there first. And Redtail certainly wasn't going to die by natural causes."

Tigerclaw sounded extremely bitter for some reason, and Fireheart couldn't help but wonder why. He had to know how this would end.

"Better her than you!" Whitestorm sneered, positively fuming. "Better a cat who might forget a patrol was sent out than one who's willing to kill his Clanmates!"

"Whitestorm, I would never hurt you." He insisted.

"I have no such proof."

"We grew up together! We fought and played together. What makes you think-?"

"Thistleclaw grew up with Bluestar." The white tom growled. "My father was your mentor, Tigerclaw, you took his name! Do you remember what happened to him?!" Whitestorm scowled. "Remember how we found him? Because I do. And you were content to end up just like him."

"I'm nothing like Thistleclaw!" Tigerclaw roared. "I didn't do this because I wanted power! I saw a problem with Bluestar that no one was prepared to fix! So now what, I've been stopped. You still have issues! What happens to the next deputy when Bluestar begins losing her Stars-given mind?!"

"We'll deal with it. Eventually she'll step down, become an elder or something, but we don't turn on our own just because there's a problem. We work together, we figure out solutions and help each other. That's what a Clan is for!"

"And just who, aside from you and Spottedleaf, who Thistleclaw also tried to impact, helped me when I needed it most?" Tigerclaw huffed. "You must think I'm so evil, oh, Tigerclaw killed Redtail, Tigerclaw killed Bluestar… preach about a Clan to a cat who hasn't seen everyone turn their backs on him, Whitestorm, because while you two were there… it wasn't enough. Don't presume to know what I wished to accomplish, and don't think you've ever been enough to keep your father's darkness at bay. Help watch over my kits, Whitestorm. You and Bluestar will be good for that, I suppose."

Tigerclaw rose to his paws and walked toward the camp entrance. The Clan cats parted to let him through, every eye tracking him as he went. The great warrior was not completely steady on his paws. His wounds bothered him in spite of Nutleaf's herbs, but he never slowed. The gorse tunnel swallowed him up, and Tigerclaw was no more.