A/N: Support Erin Hunter, the creator of this wonderful series! Please and Thank you!

Ch.20: Deliverance From Evil

"And where are you three going?"

To none of the trio's surprise, it was Darkstripe. They turned to face the warrior whose tail was lashing impatiently. "Well?" He demanded.

Firepaw scowled deeply, having had just about enough of the dark warrior. But before the ginger tom could tell him to stick it, a new, more welcome voice interrupted them.

"Darkstripe," Tigerclaw rumbled as he came up behind his former pupil. "Leave them be, I've sent them on an errand."

Darkstripe turned in surprise to the deputy, briefly speechless until he shook his head. "But," he stammered, "surely this isn't the time or weather for errands?" His voice couldn't have sounded meeker if he tried. A small thorn of satisfaction pricked Firepaw's pelt.

Tigerclaw blinked, "One of Brindleface's kits has a cough. It's best if it doesn't spread around the nursery or camp. We need herbs even if Spottedleaf has perished." He finished somberly.

The grey warrior rubbed his paw in a circle on the ground, "Yes…but-"

"Are you seeking to argue with the Clan deputy?" Tigerclaw questioned with narrowed eyes. "I taught you much better than that."

Darkstripe only sputtered at his former mentor's accusation. Eventually he petered out and his tail went between his legs, his eyes on his paws. "Yes, Tigerclaw," he mumbled as he stalked off.

"Uh…thanks…" Graypaw mewed awkwardly to the tabby, though he had a small smirk of pleasure. Firepaw and Ravenpaw echoed him with less hesitation.

Tigerclaw nodded with a look of confidence to his flame-colored apprentice, who nodded back. "Thank me by getting gone before any other cat notices," he said matter-of-factly. "Go! Yellowfang's not the only one counting on you all." With that reminder, he stalked off and the apprentices determinedly dashed for the camp boundary.

They loped through the stormy forest, ignoring the dampening of their coats and their coats clinging to their bones. It seemed like only moments later that the rain stopped and the scents became clearer once more. Almost frettingly, Firepaw detected Yellowfang's fear-scent. It only made the orange tom move faster, his friends almost straining to keep up. Dismay set in as Firepaw realized that they were in fact heading towards the ShadowClan border. Doubt threaten to creep into him for only a second. No! Yellowfang is a wise, strong healer. She doesn't have it in her to harm defenseless kits no matter how harsh she can be. I don't need our strange bond to tell me that!

The group approached the scent markers that made up the ShadowClan border and the group slowed to halt.

"I always thought I'd have a few more warriors with me when I finally enter ShadowClan territory." Graypaw confessed as he looked around nervously.

"Not scared, are you?" Ravenpaw teased.

"Aren't you? My mother warned me about the stench of ShadowClan many times!"

"My mother never taught me such things," Firepaw meowed, standing to his full height. "There's not time to be afraid of thieves and cowards." He declared heartily.

His friends nodded in agreement before they pressed on. They almost threatened to lose Yellowfang's scent. That was until, they scented something much, much worse.

"It's kit-scent," Ravenpaw murmured with alarm. "There's kit's blood here!"

Firepaw and Graypaw inhaled deeply and shuddered as they took in the scent as well. However, Firepaw felt a familiar niggling at the back of his brain; they were close to finding who they were looking for. His eyes scanned the area and sure enough, he spotted Yellowfang sheltering behind the split trunk of a blackened Ash Tree.

His companions noticed as well and dropped into stealth crouches, cautious instincts getting the better of them. A flick from the ginger's tail told them not to bother as he approached her with quick, passionate steps. "Yellowfang!"

The old girl startled for a second, hackles raising. They fell just as quickly when she realized who had called her. He orange eyes looked relieved but tired. "Aw," she rasped. "Firepaw. I should have known you'd be the first to chase after me."

The young tom gave a quiet purr, "I've stuck my neck out for you before, haven't I? I wouldn't be me if I didn't have your back now."

"Indeed," Yellowfang nodded with a chuckle. She spotted the other two approaching and her tone became defensive. "I did not steal the kits," she mewed coarsely, though Firepaw could tell having to even declare it stung her pride.

"I know that," Firepaw soothed as his ears drooped a bit. "I…know you didn't kill Spottedleaf either."

There was no mistaking the look of shock in the old cat's eyes. "Spottedleaf is dead?"

The ginger apprentice flinched at being the one to break it to her.

"You didn't know?" Ravenpaw asked quietly, immediately recognizing the truth in her voice.

"How could I? I left camps as soon as I heard the kits were missing."

Graypaw still looked slightly suspicious but seem to relax a bit more.

"I know who has taken the kits," she continued. "His scent was all over the nursery."

"Who?" Firepaw asked as a burning sensation set itself between his paw pads.

"Clawface-One of Brokenstar's warriors. And as long as ShadowClan has the kits, they're in danger!"

"Is ShadowClan so heartless as to harm kits!?" The ginger tom's voice shook with indignity and anger at the thought. Not to mention, Clawface was most likely Spottedleaf's murderer as well.

"Brokenstar is," spat Yellowfang. "He intends to use them as warriors."

"But there only three moons old!" Graypaw gasped.

"This hasn't stopped him before. He's been training kits as young as three moons old since he became leader. At five moons, he sends them out as warriors!"

Then it hit Firepaw like a ball of ice to the stomach. The small apprentice he'd seen at the Gathering, he'd been a kit! Probably all the apprentices were. How could he be so irredeemable!?

As if Yellowfang has read his thoughts, she hissed, "Brokenstar is ruthless. He has plenty of kits and if they run out, he has no problem stealing them from other Clans!" Her voice mirrored Firepaw's own building rage. "We're talking about a cat who killed kits from his own Clans!"

The trio was stunned into utter silence.

"How has he avoided punishment?" Firepaw asked with a raspy, harsh whisper.

"He lied," Yellowfang growled in a hard, bitter voice. "He accused me of murder and ShadowClan believed him!"

"That's how he drove you out…You have to come back and tell Bluestar about this!"

"Not without the kits!" Yellowfang protested.

"How can a leader kill kits from his own Clan?" Graypaw asked.

The medicine cat then proceeded to tell the story of how Brokenstar trained two underage kits and pushed them until they died. When their mother found out, the bastard blamed Yellowfang for their deaths. Because Brokenstar was a leader and noble Raggedstar had been his father, his word was law.

"We rescue the kits together, tonight," Firepaw mewed, his voice quaking with determination and a thirst for justice. His nose picked up the scent of a ThunderClan patrol approaching from far off. Thankfully, he recognized at least one scent among them. "It appears we don't have to do it alone, either."

"You sure they won't attack first and ask questions later?" Ravenpaw puzzled.

"We can trust Tigerclaw more than you'd think," Firepaw assured him. At least I hope…

"You can smell him from this far?"

"I guess I can…"

"If you're sure about your mentor," Yellowfang began. "Then I can probably find us some help from inside ShadowClan as well. Not all cats support Brokenstar. When he became leader, he forced out the elders. They had to live on the boundary and hunt for themselves. These are cats that have grown up with the Warrior Code. Some might be willing to help us."

"Then do it," Firepaw urged. "I'll tell the ThunderClan party what the situation is."

"Are you sure we can trust her to bring back help?" Graypaw interjected, not quite as convinced.

"If you can't trust her, trust Firepaw," Ravenpaw told him. "You have up to this point, haven't you?"

The gray apprentice looked to the black apprentice with a bit of surprise before flicking his ears slowly in agreement.

Without another word, Yellowfang sprang into the bushes and the trio awaited the arrival of the patrol.

When the warriors did arrive, Tigerclaw was leading the group. Whitestorm followed him along with Mousefur, Runningwind, and Willowpelt. Firepaw stepped forward to meet the tabby. "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't make it," he purred.

The scarred warrior eyes gleamed with relief, "Why wouldn't I?"

"What's he doing here?" Whitestorm growled.

"Bluestar sent him ahead of us," Tigerclaw spoke up in his defense immediately. "To figure out what Yellowfang's part in this really was."

The white warrior looked intrigued but asked no more.

"There's no time to waste!" Firepaw insisted. "We know where the kits are; we can rescue them tonight, even. But it will mean raiding ShadowClan camp."

"Can you lead us there?" Runningwind asked eagerly.

"No but Yellowfang can. And she's promised to bring allies that can help us."

Mousefur glared at him and her tail lashed angrily, "You actually found Yellowfang?"

"Of course he did!" Tigerclaw hissed impatiently.

"And she didn't take the kits, nor did she murder Spottedleaf," the ginger apprentice reported preemptively. "She wants to help us rescue our kits."

"As I figured," Tigerclaw murmured. "I don't know Yellowfang very well and we're not exactly friends. But she would never hurt innocent kits; she's above that kind of petty behavior."

"Well said, Tigerclaw," Yellowfang stalked out from behind the Ash Tree and sat down. "You're not the only one who can sneak up on someone." She meowed to Firepaw. "Remember the day we met? You were looking the wrong way then, too."

Three other ShadowClan cats emerged from the trees and settled on either side of Yellowfang. The ThunderClan cats, Tigerclaw excluded, bristled with alertness and suspicion.

At first, the two groups only stared at each other. Eventually, a gray tom spoke and told them of the situation. Brokenstar's rule had hurt ShadowClan. The sick and elderly were slowly starving, which meant resistance to the raid would be almost nil. The only cats really dedicated to protecting their leader were but a small group of elites. The rest would turn on him when they realized he was losing the fight. Yellowfang painfully explained that the Clan wasn't like that under Raggedstar's rule. Shadowclan's strength had once came from loyalty and the Warrior Code, not fear and bloodlust. Unfortunately, the noble leader died from an ambush patrol. ThunderClan's ShadowClan allies consisted of Ashfur the elder, Nigthpelt the senior warrior, and Dawncloud-a mother of two kits that died driving out WindClan.

The two temporarily allied Clans hatched a plan to retrieve the stolen kits. Stealth wasn't an option, they would have to attack openly. They would have to rush down Brokenstar and his guards. Yellowfang would be lead into camp under the guise of being captured by her Clanmates. Once all of ShadowClan was out in the open, she would signal ThunderClan to attack. With a strategy established, Tigerclaw asked Yellowfang to lead the way.

As they loped along, the tabby signaled to Whitestorm to take the lead as he fell back. Firepaw could tell that he was expected to do the same. A considerable length behind the group, Tigerclaw began to speak.

"You did well," he nearly purred.

"Did you expect less?" Firepaw cheeked.

"Never," the tabby meowed proudly.

"Thanks again for getting Darkstripe off us earlier," the apprentice acknowledged with genuine gratitude. "I was surprise he didn't try to worm his way into the patrol."

Tigerclaw's face became a barely suppressed sneer. "Me and Bluestar insisted he stay to guard the remaining kits." His features then softened as he gazed at his pupil. "Why didn't you tell me he had spread lies about you?"

Firepaw instinctively flinched, "You heard?"

"Spottedleaf's death made for looser, careless lips in the Clan."

"I…I didn't think it would actually change anything. I mean, you could scold a cat all you want but you could never change what was in their hearts. It was my burden to bear…" He paused. "I sound foolish now, don't I?"

"You do," Tigerclaw meowed. "But, I don't know if I would have reacted differently. Especially not when I was younger. "My challenges belong to me", is what I use to think. Though, if that was so, why did I have Clanmates to begin with? I never thought to ask that until I met you, Firepaw." His tone sounded grateful, almost of character.

"Uhh…"

"Look at me getting all sentimental," Tigerclaw scoffed, saving his young ward from his stupor. "Come on, let's get those kits back and go home." His amber eyes shined. "I think you'll have earned your warrior name after this."

"Y-yes!"

They two rushed to the front of the group, as if StarClan was calling their names.

It didn't take long to reach ShadowClan camp or for the battle to begin. Nearly the instance Yellowfang's "capture" drew out the Clan, the raid party attacked.

The ShadowClan allies wrestled with six vicious warriors in the muddy clearing. Brokenstar and Blackfoot were among them. Much of the Clan stayed back however, as they were scrawny and poorly fed. They recoiled from the mayhem entirely. Firepaw was determined to deal with what little interference there was so that Brokenstar was left defenseless and at his mercy. He quickly dispatched a silver tabby, too fast for its surprise attack. A single bite from his teeth into soft flesh sent the warrior fleeing. The next moment orange tom batted away an apprentice that thought to throw himself at his senior.

"This is not you fight!" He hissed to the poor, fearful thing. The youngster listened to him and fled the camp.

Suddenly Dawncloud's screech drew his attention "Firepaw, watch out! Clawface is-" He didn't hear the rest as a heavy brown tom crashed into him. Immediately, Firepaw dug his claws into the ground and turned to fight! He seethed internally at the warrior's loathsome face. Clawface, murderer! Spottedleaf's murderer! Can't forgive! Must punish! Something inside the ginger tom snapped free. Blood roared in his ears and his heart pound slowly, deeply. Everything around him seem to be going in slow motion. He could see the air moving around him. His scream was deep and twisted as he let it out, "CLAWFACE!"

Faster than any normal cat could have perceived, he darted forward, grabbing Clawface by the tail and dragging him into the forest beyond. Firepaw moved at the pace of the air itself. Just as sharply he stopped and hurled the bastard into a tree. The snapping of his spine was audible. Horrifically, the warrior survived.

Having no idea what had all just occurred, he choked, sputtered, and twitched at the agony. His eyes were filled with fear as the apprentice-the monster- before him seem to be having some sort of fit.

"Can't let him…get away with it!" Firepaw hissed as his eyes rolled back into his head and his voice tore and distorted. "Took it all away...from me!" In his mind's eye, he saw many bodies of cats. Many bodies like Lionheart and Spottedleaf's. Yet they looked bigger, too big to be modern Clan cats. But he recognized all their faces, all their eyes stuck open in terror, their bodies mutilated. "They think it's funny!" He laughed harshly, brokenly. "Can't let them get away…got to teach them! I know the way I…" He choked out a sob. "I was…"

Powerless!

"NYYYYYAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!"

That awful cry that broke the air nearly distracted every warrior in camp. Especially Tigerclaw. As distorted and grotesque as it was, he knew it was the voice of his apprentice. He had just suddenly vanished from the battlefield, after all. But he couldn't break away to join him now. Not when him and Yellowfang practically had Brokenstar backed into a corner.

The corrupted leader was bleeding from several wounds and his breathing was starting to turn dogged. What he said next chilled Tigerclaw to his core. "I never thought you'd be harder to kill than my father!" He snarled at Yellowfang.

The old she-cat's face twisted in shock and grief. "You killed Raggedstar!?" She wailed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Brokenstar eyed her coldly. "You found his body. Didn't you recognize my fur beneath his claws? He was a soft and foolish leader. He deserved to die."

Anger racked Tigerclaw's body as Yellowfang's eyes glazed with sadness. The sight of Brokenstar had made the tabby feel eerie back at the gathering. Now he knew why. Brokenstar, there was a time when we were hardly dissimilar. Looking at you now, I know in my heart that I would have been just like you. Firepaw saved me from such a world.

"No!" Yellowfang hissed. "And Brightflower's kits? Did they deserve to die too?" She rasped.

Brokenstar growled and hurled himself at her. Tigerclaw wouldn't have it. He tackled the fox-dung out of midair and pinned him to the ground. His claws were at his throat. "Those kits were weak!" He croaked out, clearly bent on taunting Yellowfang, even as he squirmed beneath the massive tabby. "They would have been of no use to ShadowClan. If I hadn't killed them, some other warrior would have." The wail of a queen rang through the clearing, but the cruel leader ignored it. "I should have killed that old bitch when I had the chance! It seems that I have some of my father's weakness in me."

The ThunderClan deputy glared down at the mad psychopath he may have one day became. "You're just digging yourself a deeper whole," he growled. Brokenstar just hissed up at him.

"Don't waste your time, warrior! I have shared dreams with Starclan. You will have to kill me nine times over before I join them. Do you think you're strong enough for that?" His eyes glowed with confidence and defiance.

"No!" Tigerclaw roared in his face. "I don't deal with things like that. And I never will again!" He leaped off Brokenstar, grabbed him by the scruff and flung him to the edge of the clearing. With growing hope, the ShadowClan cats that were once just watching the fight began pacing forward, hissing and snarling. Half-starved as they were, the mad leader was now outnumbered. "Less I end up as sad and unwanted as you!" The tabby taunted.

The tyrant seemed to understand that he was beaten as his eyes gleamed and he backed up into the bushes, following his broken warriors. "This isn't over, ThunderClan filth," was the last thing he hissed before vanishing into the forest.

"Should we go after them?" Mousefur questioned as she came up beside him.

Tigerclaw looked to the cat he had once saved from a RiverClan warrior. His gut filled with shame and then hope. He had once been a savior and he could be that way again. But he would seek to do it the right way this time. "No," he meowed. "He knows very well his time as leader is over."

The moment of triumph was undercut by Yellowfang acknowledging an important detail.

"Where did Firepaw go?"

A/N: Hey gang! I have question for ya'll. Mistress 1296 brought up a fair point. Firepaw isn't the same character he was in the original timeline. (As seen in this chapter.) So, do you guys think I should give him a better fitting name or leave it the same? Tell me, please, with a review! Thanks so much for all that you do!

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