Chapter 23
To all of you living in Canada, happy belated Canada Day! :D (And Independence Day, for those of you in the States) I'm completely amazed I managed to get this chapter up as soon as I did. Yes, I know it wasn't very early, but I had major writer's block after I wrote the last chapter. I know for sure now that there is only going to be one more chapter after this - but don't worry! There will be a sequel, although I might take a short break before I start writing it. Oh, and just a note about this chapter before you read: I had almost completely finished the second half of this chapter when Word decided to shut off. So, everything past the break might be a bit sucky. I hope you can forgive me for that.
WildCroconaw - Yes, it was a very good thing! I don't think anyone would be very happy with me if Blackpaw died. xD And yes, Hawkstar really did die. Nightpaw will learn why he didn't just lose a life in the next chapter.
WarriorsAddicted - Those are some good names. (: I've already got Nightpaw's and Blackpaw's names picked out, but I might consider one of yours for Firepaw.
Aximilli2 - Yup, it was your second guess! x) You'll get to see Hawkstar's death in more detail this chapter, because it starts in Firepaw's POV a bit before the end of the last chapter.
Lightkit - Yes, Hawkstar is dead! w00t! xD Yeah, I've got Blackpaw's and Nightpaw's names picked out. As for the ending 'storm', I'm already using it for one of the other two - but I'm not telling you which one! Mwahahaha!
bloomforever - w00t! Hawkstar is dead! Gone forever! xD I'm happy too, even though I was planning it all along. Ahah.
Kinkajou Karata - I hate Hawkstar too! Especially in the books. I wanted to rip his furry little head off. xDD Ahah, I would've been afraid it would blow up too! That's why I never touch any bug that flies. And yes, I did know that you're Leafdapple. I was amazed I actually figured that out. I'm a bit slow. x)
Dovekit - Hmmm, Fireburst, interesting. xD And thanks! I'm glad you do!
Marshpelt - x) No, Nightpaw didn't get possessed again. I'm not going to be that mean to her! As for the person who killed Hawkstar, it was a Twoleg hunter with his gun. That's why Blackpaw heard a bang.
Tiggystar - Yeah, I noticed all the baddies were ShadowClan cats, too. That's mainly because most of the cats in the other Clans don't seem to have "evil" personalities. I tried to balance it out by making undeveloped characters in the other Clans evil, but I guess I failed. xD As for the ending being sudden, that was what I was going for. I was trying to show how Hawkstar could be killed in a split-second. Don't worry though - you get to see much more of Hawky's death in this chapter. As for the nice comment, yay for cheesecake! x) Thank gawd Hawkstar is dead! He annoyed me so much, even though this is my own story. I've already got names for Blackpaw and Nightpaw, but I'll consider your Firepaw names - especially Fireblaze. Actually, I think I might use that one! :D Wow, this is a really long reply isn't it?
Honeyfern - I can't tell you, or that would spoil it. You'll just have to read this chapter to find out. ;)
Firepaw raced frantically across the soaking moorland, struggling to keep his grip on the slippery ground. Thunder crashed ominously over his head, and lightning lit up the sky. The young tom wanted nothing more than to stop and find shelter from the storm, but he knew that if he even thought about slowing down, his life would be over. The heavy pounding of the Twoleg's boots behind him was a reminder of that.
After the orange tabby apprentice had left his brother and sister, he had charged across WindClan's old territory as fast as he could until he reached the Twoleg camp. The plan was to lure both a Twoleg and Hawkstar to the same place, so the human could take out the dark leader out with one of it's shiny sticks. Firepaw could only hope the sticks had enough power to eliminate all nine lives at once.
Firepaw had gotten the mouse-brained Twoleg to chase him easily enough, and he had pointed himself back in the direction of TigerClan camp. It had almost been too easy - until he had realized how much stamina the Twoleg hunter possessed. While Firepaw had begun to slow with exhaustion, the human kept up the same steady pace. Soon enough, it would catch up, and the ginger tom would be done for.
Suddenly there was a loud bang, and one of the shiny rocks lodged itself in the mud in beside him. Firepaw was snapped out of his thoughts and forced to run even faster than before, despite his growing fatigue.
I hope the others are close, he thought, straining to see his siblings through the pounding rain. I can't keep this up for much longer.
The young tom rounded a corner, only to see Blackpaw pinned down by a large brown blob that could only be Hawkstar, while Nightpaw raced to help him. They were far away, and Firepaw didn't know if he could keep up his pace for that long - but he had to try.
Taking a deep breath, the tom sped up until he knew he could go no faster without collapsing in the mud. His sides heaved with the effort, and his breath came in ragged gasps, but he ran on anyways. He had to save not only Blackpaw, but the future of the Clans as well.
As the ginger tom drew ever closer to his siblings and their mortal enemy, Nightpaw came up on Hawkstar's side and knocked him away from Blackpaw. At the same time, Leafpool appeared out of nowhere to drag the black apprentice away from the fight and into the bushes.
"Nightpaw!" Firepaw yowled as loudly as he could, hoping his sister could hear him over the pounding rain. "Get out of the way!"
Nightpaw's head snapped up at the sound of his voice, and her entire body melted with relief at the sight of her brother. She quickly jumped off of her enemy and scrambled towards the bushes, leaving a confused Hawkstar sprawled in the mud. Firepaw darted out of the way at the same time, glad to be rid of his pursuer, who was now racing towards the dark leader with it's shiny stick held up to it's eye.
"Let's get into shelter before the Twoleg comes after us as well," Nightpaw meowed, touching Firepaw on the shoulder with her tail.
"You go," Firepaw replied. "I want to see this."
Nightpaw gazed at him worriedly for a moment before turning and racing towards the bush where Leafpool and Blackpaw had disappeared.
Firepaw's eyes swerved away from his sister and locked on the scene in front of him. Hawkstar had managed to get to his paws and he was slowly backing away from the advancing Twoleg, his expression twisted with fear.
The Twoleg pointed it's stick straight at the dark leader. There was a deafening bang, and a shiny rock flew out of the stick's mouth and lodged itself in Hawkstar's chest. The huge tabby tom instantly crashed to the ground, his icy blue eyes that had been so filled with terror becoming dull and lifeless in less than a heartbeat.
Firepaw stayed frozen to the ground, and he stared at the motionless leader before him. But no matter how long he stared, Hawkstar didn't move. He hadn't just lost a life - he was dead.
The orange tabby apprentice's expression lit up with triumph, and he pelted towards the bush where the others were waiting. The moment he had realized that Hawkstar was completely dead, never to terrorize the Clans of the lake again, such a huge weight had lifted off his shoulders that he felt as if he could fly.
The tom burst into the hollowed out bush, his elated grin growing even wider as he joined his siblings. Taking a deep breath, he gathered up all his energy and announced, "Hawkstar is dead!"
Blackpaw and Nightpaw stared at him shock for a moment until joy began to light up their expressions. Leafpool, however, stayed wary, her muscles tense.
"Are you sure he didn't just lose a life?" the tabby medicine cat asked, her amber eyes flashing with doubt.
"I'm sure," he meowed reassuringly. "He hasn't moved at all since the Twoleg shot him."
"I want to see!" Blackpaw proclaimed, and he tried to stand up, but instantly fell back down again with a wince. The pain of his injuries was obviously too much for him.
"You aren't moving a muscle until I say you can," Leafpool meowed sternly, placing a tail on his shoulder. Blackpaw didn't protest, having just discovered what would happen if he tried to get up.
"Is the Twoleg gone yet?" Nightpaw asked Firepaw, obviously itching to get outside as well and see Hawkstar's body for herself. Firepaw shrugged in reply.
"Let's go check, then," she meowed. With that, the two siblings, followed by Leafpool, peered cautiously out of their temporary shelter. Fortunately, the only thing in sight was Hawkstar's body, a brown pile of fur lying lifelessly in the mud.
The three cats cautiously padded towards the corpse, their eyes flickering from side to side in case the Twoleg came back. Eventually they reached the body, and the three stared down at it with wide eyes. Hawkstar's fur was covered in mud, and blood poured out of the wound in his chest. Firepaw had to admit that in death, the dark leader looked almost vulnerable - the fear that had been frozen in his blue eyes only emphasized this.
As the two apprentices and their former medicine cat stared down at the body, the rain suddenly stopped and the clouds cracked open. A single ray of sunlight shone onto the lake, illuminating it's surface with radiance.
"It's a sign from StarClan," Leafpool whispered, staring at the lake in shock. "The storm is over. The tiger is finally dead."
The immensity of what Leafpool was saying hit Firepaw like a rock. The prophecy had been fulfilled. The tiger had risen and fallen once more. Fire in the blackest of nights had prevailed.
"Nightpaw," the medicine cat meowed suddenly, turning to the gray she-cat. "Go back to the camp and bring everyone here. Tell them about Hawkstar's death. This fighting must end."
For once the apprentice obeyed orders without protest and darted off in the direction of TigerClan camp, her paws flinging up mud as she ran.
"What do we do now?" Firepaw asked, his eyes still fixed on the body that lay in front of him.
"Now," Leafpool meowed. "We wait."
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A while later, the sound of voices alerted Firepaw, and his head snapped up in time to see a huge crowd of cats make their way over a rise with Nightpaw in the lead. It seemed as if everyone had come to witness Hawkstar's body for themselves - the oldest elders hobbled alongside the youngest kits, and even Brook, Swiftkit and Thrushkit had appeared from wherever they had been hiding during the battle. Every cat was covered in injuries, and they all looked exhausted.
Firepaw watched them tensely as they approached. He was afraid of everyone's reactions. He knew the rebels would be happy, but Hawkstar's supporters might start another battle. If that were to happen, very few would survive.
Nightpaw joined her brother as the crowd approached, followed by the first few cats in the group. They stared down at Hawkstar's body in amazement.
"Hawkstar is dead!" Cloudtail yowled, his voice loud enough for every cat to hear. The crowd began to rush forward as fast as they could, wanting to see the body for themselves. Once they had all gathered around the bloody pile of fur, every one of them fell completely silent. It sounded almost as if they were all holding their breath. Firepaw wouldn't be surprised if they were. Suddenly, the quiet was broken by a loud voice that the ginger tom recognized as Reedwhisker's.
"We're finally free!"
At his words, a cacophony of noise filled the lakeside as the rebels yowled in victory, their tails waving in the air. Firepaw wasn't watching them, though. Instead his eyes were locked on Hawkstar's supporters, observing their reactions. Almost every single one of them was staring at Hawkstar's body with confusion in their eyes, as if they had been broken from a trance. In fact, only four cats, standing on the edge of the crowd, looked angry about the tyrant's death - Blackclaw, Ashfur, Rowanclaw and Owlwhisker.
"This is preposterous!" Blackclaw yowled, his voice carrying over the rebels cries of success. Every cat fell silent once more and turned to look TigerClan's deputy, who was glaring at them with narrowed eyes.
"What do you mean, Blackclaw?" Beechfur meowed, padding out of the crowd and facing the fuming tom.
"Why are you all so happy about Hawkstar's death?" Blackclaw growled. "All he wanted was to bring us together in peace. We're already going through a hard time without fighting each other!"
Firepaw could tell the tom was lying - he knew just as well as everyone that the only thing Hawkstar wanted was power.
"That's not what it seemed like to the rest of us," Beechfur replied, his voice surprisingly calm. He had probably expected this to happen.
"Then you're all blind!" the dark-furred tom exclaimed. He glanced angrily at his three companions.
"We're leaving this place," Rowanclaw suddenly announced, stepping forward and glaring at Beechfur, as if daring him to protest. "We refuse to live in a place where everyone opposes Hawkstar's vision for the future."
The huge orange tabby tom narrowed his eyes and scoured the crowd. "Does anyone wish to join us."
There was silence. No one moved.
"Fine," he growled, before turning to the others. "Let's go."
With that, the four of them turned and stormed off towards the moors. No one said a word as they watched the warriors leave. Firepaw was glad most of Hawkstar's supporters had seen the light. He just hoped they wouldn't try anything when peace finally returned to the Clans.
"It's time we all split up once more!" Beechfur suddenly yowled, attracting the crowd's attention. The light brown tom was standing on a large rock, so everyone could see him.
"We must return to our original Clans. The borders will be the same as they were before all this mess, and you may only cross territories if you stay within two tail-lengths of the lake. Gatherings will be held at the full moon, and there shall be no fighting whatsoever. The same goes for medicine cat meetings at the half moon. Does everyone agree?"
There was a collective yowl of consent as Beechfur finished speaking. The tom smiled happily before leaping off his perch and joining the crowd once more.
"Let's go find our Clanmates," Nightpaw meowed, placing her tail on Firepaw's shoulder. "It's time we returned to ThunderClan."
Firepaw grinned broadly, and the two of them began making their way towards a group of ThunderClan cats milling about by the lake. TigerClan was no more. The four Clans had returned.
"This is so exciting!" meowed a nearby voice. Firepaw and Nightpaw turned to see Blackpaw grinning beside them as he leaned heavily on Leafpool's shoulder. Firepaw smiled.
"Yes, it's very exciting," he meowed. With that, the three of them, plus Leafpool, joined the crowd of ThunderClan cats, glad to finally be part of a true Clan once more.
"Nightpaw! Firepaw! Blackpaw!"
The siblings grinned at the sound of the familiar voice as Stormfur appeared in front of them, Brook and their kits by his side.
"I'm guessing you three managed to fulfill that prophecy of yours," the muscular gray tom meowed with a wink. Firepaw purred in amusement.
"You bet we did!" Blackpaw rasped. He suddenly began to cough, bending over with the force of it. Leafpool had to grab his scruff before he fell over and pull him back up again.
"Try not to talk too much," she meowed softly. "You've lost too much blood to be wasting energy like that."
Blackpaw nodded feebly and clamped his mouth shut.
"Let's go join the others," Stormfur meowed, sweeping his tail towards the other ThunderClan cats. "We don't want to be left behind."
The other three Clans had already begun to leave. Beechfur led RiverClan, Russetfur led ShadowClan, and Ashfoot led WindClan. ThunderClan, on the other hand, were leaderless. Ashfur was gone and Bramblestar was dead.
After a moment of stumbling about in confusion, the ThunderClan cats eventually organized themselves into a haphazard group and began marching towards the forest that was their true home. It was at that moment that Firepaw realized how important a leader and deputy were for a Clan. Without one, the warriors had no idea what to do with themselves. He could only hope that they would find a leader soon.
By the time the ThunderClan cats reached the edge of the stone hollow, the sun had fallen below the horizon, and night had plunged the forest into darkness. Firepaw couldn't believe how incredibly fast the day had passed, and yet how incredibly slow at the same time.
With a tired sigh, the ginger tom trudged into the apprentice's den and collapsed on an old pile of moss that was still there from Bramblestar's reign, too exhausted to put together a real nest. His last thought before he slipped into unconsciousness was one of happiness. Hawkstar was dead, there were four Clans instead of one, and peace had finally settled over the lake once more.