eaglenation: Hey, MinionClan! Since Rainstalker is off on an important mission, I'll do a quick disclaimer. I don't own warriors, only the plot and my own characters.

I also have a contest for you guys! It's time for my OC Loonpaw to recieve her warrior name. She is a dark brown she cat with one blue and one blue eye and a hint of spots on her back. She's from RiverClan.

The contest is for her warrior name. If you think you have a name that suits her, put in in your review! The winner gets a special mention and can create two kits for my story Wings of a Butterfly!

Now, I have a sad, sad announcement. There are only two chapters left! Yes, my minions, only two more chapters of Splinterbird and Sparkfur as the story draws to a close. However, there's always my new story, Wings of a Butterfly, and my half-finished story that is sort of a prequel to Slivers, called Moon Eyes!

And maybe there will be a sequel to this story as well...*grins evilly*

Well, let's get on with it!

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Splinterbird couldn't understand why Sparkfur looked so distressed. She was doing the right thing for everyone. She was saving all the Clans! Why did he stand in front of her, panting, claws unsheathed? Couldn't he see that she was saving him, too?

"Splinterbird, wake up!" Sparkfur screamed at her. "You can't do this!"

Splinterbird turned to Shatterstar in confusion. The phantom-like she-cat stretched her mouth in a toothy grin. "Oh, my dear Sparkfur. There's no getting her back now. She's a MurkClan cat."

Splinterbird nodded in agreement. "Yes. I'm MurkClan." She confirmed. "I'm going to rule the Clans. This is where I belong."

The yellow tom in front of her hissed. He rounded on Shatterstar. "What have you done to her?" He spat.

"I chose her." Splinterbird answered.

"No. Tell me she's lying." Sparkfur hissed at Shatterstar. Splinterbird glanced at him, confused. Why was he so angry?

"I'm not lying, Sparkfur." She said. She tried to approach him, calm him, but he hissed and stepped back. "NO. NO!"

Sparkfur launched himself at Shatterstar, who vanished. Sparkfur's paws grabbed thin air, and he tumbled down the rise.

Frozenstar chuckled. "You made a good choice, daughter." He brought his face close to hers and they touched noses.

Suddenly, a figure ran up the cliff, a red and white tom. Splinterbird's heart leapt with joy as she recognized him. Her brother.

"Frozenstar! We've captured all the ThunderClan cats, but we haven't been able to capture their camp yet." He called. Then he caught sight of Splinterbird, and his eyes widened. "Splinterpaw! What are you doing here?!" He asked.

"Deathpaw?" Splinterbird purred. "Is that really you?"

"It's Deathstrike now. He's my deputy." Frozenstar said proudly.

Suddenly, Splintedbird realised something was wrong. If Deathstrike was here, then where was her mother?

As if reading her mind, Frozenstar answered, "Tearpool is pregnant with kits again."

Splinterbird purred in surprise, a warm feeling spreading through her body. She was going to have more siblings!

The feeling was suddenly shattered as something jerked Frozenstar and he whipped around to face Sparkfur again. Sparkfur's pelt was matted with blood and mud, making him look more furious than ever. The old scars across his missing eye had opened up again, staining his yellow fur red. Splinterbird was afraid for him. She hated seeing him in so much pain, but as she stepped forward towards him, Frozenstar pulled him down the rise again, and they tumbled down, spitting and hissing.

Splinterbird ran after the two ferocious toms. "Stop! Stop!" She screamed.

Frozenstar had Sparkfur pinned by the chest. Sparkfur struggled, but Splinterbird could see his energy depleting.

"Splinterbird, this tom is an obstacle to taking over the Clans. He must be removed." Frozenstar said. Sparkfur shook his head, but Frozenstar pressed his paw against Sparkfur's face.

Splinterbird understood. Anything that presented an problem to her new reign had to be destroyed. She knew that. She had to make sacrifices for a better world.
She nodded and padded up to Frozenstar, leaning over Sparkfur, who let out a muffled hiss, but then caught sight of Splinterbird and relaxed.

His one eye glimmered with destroyed hope, caring, and some other feeling that Splinterbird couldn't put a paw on.
She wondered how he had lost his other eye. Something tugged at the corner of her mind, a faint flavour on her tongue like prey she had eaten long ago. That feeling, what was it? She felt like she should remember what had happened to his eye, but she couldn't.

She shook her head and raised her paw, unsheathing her claws, which glimmered visiously in the light of the sun. She lowered it, testing her aim, then raised it again.

Sparkfur flinched, then closed his eyes slowly. That strange feeling glimmered in his closing eye, swirling in blue and white. It caused Splinterbird's heart to falter slightly, and suddenly, all the memories came surging back like a river.

Sparkfur, sleeping by her side.
Sparkfur, whispering to her at night.
Sparkfur, asking her to be mates.

Love.
It was love.
I was the everlasting feeling of devotion, promises, and caring. The fluttering in her heart when she saw him.

Love.

With a scream, Splintbird brought her paw down on Sparkfur's throat. At the last second, she changed direction, and her claws slashed across Frozenstar's face, who let out a shriek and tumbled down the rise.

Sparkfur opened his eye with a jerk, and he sprang nimbly to his paws and ran to Splinterbird, who was half kneeling as all her memories rushed back to her, striking her one after another.
Her father's tyranny.
The reason she had ran away.
How Sparkfur had lost his eye.
And finally, the one who had done all this too her.

Sparkfur twined his tail around hers, pushing closer and supporting Splinterbird.
"I knew you would come through." He whispered.

"No." Splinterbird shook her head. "You came through. You saved me." Her eyes snapped open as she glared at empty space in front of her.

"Shatterstar, show yourself, you fox-heart." She hissed. She and Sparkfur watched as the calico she-cat materialised, her teeth spread in a sadistic grin that might have been supposed to mimic warmth and welcoming.

"Splinterbird." She said, her eyes narrowing. "So you found a way to get me out of our mind, did you? That's all right. You can still be a ruler. I'm sure Frozenstar would agree not to punish you and-"

"I renounce your legacy." Splinterbird spat.

Shatterstar's eyes widened into large, round saucers. Her claws unsheathed and her pelt bristled. In a second, she went from welcoming to furious. She quickly regained her composure and shook her head. "Surely, you don't mean that, my dear. You're just a bit flustered!"

"You heard me." Splinterbird growled in a wolflike manner.

"Say it again." Shatterstar hissed. "Or are you afraid?"

Suddenly, Splinterbird was conscious of all the MurkClan cats that rallied behind Shatterstar. Frozenstar stood to her left, and Deathstrike to her right. Behind her, a whole army of hissing, spitting cats had amassed.

The cats that had been guarding ThunderClan had left their post to join Shatterstar, and ThunderClan slowly revived. Those that were healthy ran to join Splinterbird, while the less wounded cats helped the more wounded ones to safety. Lionstar stood behind Splinterbird, his massive form warming her pelt.

"We follow your move." He said, nodding his massive head.

Splinterbird was suddenly conscious of the huge pressure of leadership. She looked behing her to meet the eyes of the few ThunderClan cats that remained. Half of them were wounded or had ran to help re-enforce the camp. Only seven remained, along with Sparkfur. Lionstar, Duckpaw, Dovewing, Speckledclaw, Vaporpelt, Poolwater and even Galewind looked ready to fight, no matter how small the possibility of succeeding was.

They faced a huge army of spitting, hissing, ready-to-kill cats.

The possibility of success was very small.

Splinterbird stood nose to nose with the flickering, ghost-like form of Shatterstar.
Fear began to penetrate Splinterbird's heart, and only now did she realised she's been afraid since the battle started.
She could hear curses hissed and claws unsheathed over the pounding of her heart.

Suddenly, a cacophony of yowls broke out from the forest as a group of cats tore through the trees. For a minute, Splinterbird was scared, until she recognized the pelt of Rainstalker at the head. Her cousin ran side-by-side with Luke, the once-Clan cat that had saved her life once.

The cats charged up the rise and broke ranks, joining the ThunderClan warriors with a hissing fury, milling about. Rainstalker and Luke stood beside Splinterbird, and Splinterbird gaze them a look that she hope expressed her gratitude, love and relief, all at the same time.

Then she realized she had just endangered their lives too as she glanced back at Shatterstar and Frozenstar.

One thing was for sure. It was time for the final showdown.