They had soon made it to a spot to rest and hunt. It was only a short distance to Mothermouth now, and Tigerclaw began to mentally prepare himself for the trip to the Moonstone itself. There was no way in StarClan he was running away this time.

The setting sun cast long shadows across the land, and Tigerclaw watched them carefully, hoping the shadow cat didn't make an appearance. He peered at Highstones as he ate a mouse alongside the apprentices, recognizing the archway that led to the Moonstone. Soon, Bluestar would ask him and the kittypet to join her as she headed into the cave. Tigerclaw wasn't looking forward to it, but at the same time he was going to prove that he could do it this time without running away.

Soon Firepaw and Graypaw padded away by themselves, leaving Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw alone.

Tigerclaw was content to rest in silence. Unfortunately, Ravenpaw decided this was a good time to talk. "Thanks again," Ravenpaw mewed. "For saving me from that monster, I mean. I didn't mean for all that to happen. I-I just froze..." The skinny black tom began to give him a halting, stammer filled apology, which Tigerclaw tuned out.

Tigerclaw snorted. He was still annoyed that his apprentice had forced him to risk his life. But as he watched Ravenpaw now, (the black tom was nervously waiting for him to respond as though his life depended on it) Tigerclaw knew that Ravenpaw had the potential to be just as loyal of a follower as Darkstripe. And if he played his moves just right, Ravenpaw would be more useful too. Perhaps Tigerclaw could somehow convince him to betray the kittypet; it would be helpful having an additional cat to back him up. Tigerclaw frowned, intrigued at the thought. It was another idea that he could use, but he'd need to be careful to avoid causing suspicion if he decided to use Ravenpaw as his spy. While Tigerclaw had no doubt Ravenpaw would be easy to intimidate into keeping a secret, after all, in his first life he'd intimidated the apprentice into not telling anyone about a murder, he still didn't want his apprentice to suspect anything.

"Um, Tigerclaw?" Ravenpaw's soft mew interrupted his scheming.

Tigerclaw nodded gruffly, trying to figure out how to respond to Ravenpaw's apology even though he hadn't listened to half of it. He finally gave Ravenpaw a stern growl. "Throughout all your training, you've been a coward," he began bluntly. "That stops today."

The mouse-hearted apprentice lowered his gaze to the ground. "Yes, Tigerclaw," he murmured, looking downcast.

"I'm not training you to be a kittypet. I'm training you to be a warrior, and that means that you need to start acting like one."

"Yes, Tigerclaw," Ravenpaw replied, blinking.

"I expect you to cross the Thunderpath by yourself on the way home. And if you don't-" Tigerclaw paused, narrowing his eyes into slits- "you won't be coming home at all. The patrol will go ahead, and you can figure out how to cross on your own time. No more of this kittypet softness."

Ravenpaw bowed his head. "Yes, Tigerclaw."

Sensing that Ravenpaw was going to try to continue to talk, Tigerclaw cut him off before he could begin. "Now, go find your denmates," he ordered.

"Yes, Tigerclaw." Nodding, Ravenpaw scurried away. Purring, Tigerclaw drew his paw across his face to wash away the last remnants of his meal. Ravenpaw's unquestioning compliance was starting to remind him of Darkstripe. He wondered if Ravenpaw actually believed Bluestar would allow him to be left behind for refusing to cross a Thunderpath; he supposed it didn't matter as long as the tom was sufficiently terrified, but it was always convenient having a cat that trusted your every word.

Once the moon had risen above the rocks, and the blackness of the night fell around them, Bluestar raised her tail. "Come. It is time." She began to pad toward Mothermouth, and Tigerclaw fell into step beside her. He was not about to trail behind like a scaredy mouse. She stopped to address them when they reached the entrance. "Ravenpaw, Graypaw, you will guard the entrance. Firepaw, you will accompany me and Tigerclaw to the Moonstone."

The kittypet's face gained an expression of enthusiasm, and if Tigerclaw hadn't been so distracted by the fact that he was about to walk into a dark cavern to face StarClan he would have made a sharp remark about it.

But now he had no idea what was about to happen, and something about it filled him with foreboding. Tigerclaw considered declining the invitation before shoving the cowardly thought away. He was Tigerstar, leader of the Dark Forest! He could confront StarClan, hadn't he done the same many times during his first existence? And even when he had still been alive, the fools had no choice but to give him his nine lives even though they objected to the idea of his leadership! The weaklings couldn't do anything.

Bluestar padded into the cave and was swallowed by darkness. After a moment's hesitation, Tigerclaw followed her.

The darkness was all encompassing, but Bluestar steadily led the way. Tigerclaw remembered vaguely where he was from his old memories of when he had come down here.

Soon a glow began to shine through the darkness. It grew brighter and brighter, until they emerged into the large cavern that held the Moonstone. The eerie light washed over the cave, rippling like silver water. It was quiet, but at the same time Tigerclaw felt as though voices were whispering in his ears.

Pelt twitching, Tigerclaw wrapped his tail around his paws to prevent himself from moving. He wasn't going to run away this time. No, he would stay while Bluestar spoke with StarClan, even though he felt completely exposed. Even though it felt as though cats were present that shouldn't be, judging him, reading his every thought. Like the shadow cat. It wasn't like the shadow cat though; there was no proof of any cats being present aside from himself, Bluestar and Firepaw, and usually the shadow she-cat at least left an oddly shaped shadow.

He remembered the undercurrent of overwhelming terror he experienced during his nine lives ceremony... No, it hadn't been terror- it had been caution, which had been entirely justifiable given the fickleness of StarClan. Tigerclaw certainly didn't fear StarClan, after all he had even gone to war with them. Pelt still prickling in the silver light, Tigerclaw snorted. The starry spirits had the gall to disapprove of his leadership when they had chosen a treacherous kittypet to lead ThunderClan! The hypocritical traitors!

But the presence was still there, coursing through his fur and into his bones. While he could hear his heart thrumming in his ears, he was also aware of the complete silence all around him.

The kittypet gave him a confused look. Tigerclaw knew the traitorous apprentice could smell his fear scent, and he glared back at Firepaw, daring him to say something about it.

Wordlessly, Bluestar lay down beside the Moonstone and touched her nose to it. She immediately fell still.

Shuddering, Tigerclaw crouched down and rested his head on his paws. Was that how he had looked when he had received his nine lives, rigid and unmoving apart from his eyes? He rhythmically sheathed and unsheathed his claws, feeling reassured by their sharpness. The kittypet rested a few fox-lengths away. Tigerclaw ignored the tom's irritating attempts to make eye contact.

This could be a long night, Tigerclaw figured.

Noticing a dark flicker in the very corner of his vision, Tigerclaw looked up. The Moonstone's shadow was working its way along the cavern floor, dark as the blackest night even through the moonlight shining in the cave. He didn't have any time to be afraid before the darkness touched his paws, and his eyelids slowly closed as the shadow fell over him.

The sound of screeching and yowling split his ears. He opened his eyes. The Moonstone was no longer there; instead he was sitting at the edge of a ravine.

This was odd. Tigerclaw scowled; was he actually receiving a vision from StarClan for once? Perhaps, after seasons upon seasons of hating him, they had finally realized their mistake and recognized that Tigerclaw was the rightful leader of ThunderClan.

A shriek rose into the air, snapping him out of his musings. He stood up and began to approach the sound. He didn't know what possessed him to run toward the battle instead of trying to determine his next course of action. He supposed it didn't matter a whole lot; Tigerstar, leader of the Place of No Stars, and future leader of StarClan could take on any cat in a fight.

Pushing his way down the slope and through a barrier of thorns and brambles, Tigerclaw paused. Cats were grappling with each other, slashing at enemies, and fleeing for their lives all around him.

"They're back!" called a voice.

Tigerclaw glanced around wildly, taking in his surroundings. The Highrock was fox-lengths away, and the warriors' den was a bit further. He was in the ThunderClan camp.

Bluestar appeared behind him, as well as Ravenpaw, Firepaw, and Graypaw, their pelts bushed out in fear. They leaped past Tigerclaw into the battle.

Something wasn't right. The cats all around him, the ShadowClan ones anyway, were unrecognizable. Their scents, although distinctly ShadowClan, couldn't be separated into individual cats. Tigerclaw glanced around, deciding to determine the cats' identities by sight instead, but when he looked at their faces he ran up against a mental block; for the life of him, he could not put faces to names.

Tigerclaw let out a snarl. Was this supposed to be prophetic? Was StarClan or whatever higher power that had given him this dream purposely obscuring the identity of the cats he would soon fight? This was clearly the battle that was scheduled to take place in less than a day, and whoever had sent him this dream was purposely sabotaging him!

Overcome with rage, Tigerclaw began to lash out at the ShadowClan cats, only vaguely aware of what he was doing. Even looking at their pelts, his mind was sluggish, unable to remember which cats were tabby or black or white, or even their names at all. He focused solely on attacking ShadowClan. Curse you, StarClan!

Suddenly one of the faceless cats appeared in front of him and slashed its claws across his throat. Tigerclaw staggered, unable to believe what was happening. Blood was gushing from his neck and pooling at his paws. He gasped, trying to draw breath, but it was no use; he only succeeded in sending another scattering of blood droplets onto the ground.

Tigerclaw braced himself to wake up, but he didn't. He collapsed onto the ground. Looking at his paws, he would have let out a yowl of shock and rage if he had been able.

His paws were transparent. He could see the pale sandy ground through his dark brown fur, and the bizarre see-through effect was spreading further up his legs even as he watched. Tigerclaw felt a jolt of pure horror. It was how they had looked in the tiny set of moments before he'd faded from his first existence, after Firestar had landed a killing blow.

Tigerclaw tried to reach out with a paw, and found that it went straight through his Clanmates, as though they weren't there. This couldn't be! He couldn't die in a dream!

But the pain was so real.

Cats were swarming all around him, their mews echoing incoherently in his ears as the ThunderClan camp faded from his vision.