Chapter 27

The clearing had become quiet as Dewstep sat beside the medicine den, Ivypool laying down beside him and half-asleep as the moon had begun to rise in the distance. Bramblestar had been surprised that Dewstep had returned, along with Ivypool, who was standing beside him when they reentered the camp. When Bramblestar questioned him, Dewstep gave the best answers he could.

"Weren't you going to go with your mother?" Dewstep shook his head. "Are you going to harm the clan any further?" Dewstep replied with what felt like a sorrowful glance towards Ivypool, shaking his head again. A few more questions about his mother required more words than Dewstep could speak before his throat bothered him further.

It hadn't been long until Jayfeather called Dewstep over to check his wounds, and Jayfeather had spent the last few days fussing that Dewstep continued to leave the den and the safety of the camp constantly.

"I don't mind that you remain in camp, but can you limit yourself to the camp?" Jayfeather growled as he exited his den from behind Dewstep.. "I need my senses to be checking on that wound, I would prefer you don't open it up again because you make some stupid mistake!" The blind cat made his way around and blinked a bit. "Sorry for being so loud," he meowed a bit quieter, since Ivypool had fallen asleep against Dewstep. "Is she fussing over you too?"

Dewstep blinked a bit and brought his gaze to the pretty she-cat, his tail curling around her gently. He nodded in response, keeping his voice in case he had anything important to say later. "Well, let me put a bit more cobweb on it, and is it hurting further or has the wound been feeling better?" Jayfeather asked as he started to place a poultice on the wound and then wrapped the cobweb around it. Dewstep shook his head once more, Jayfeather nodding a bit and slowly.

How does he know when I move my head? Dewstep blinked after a moment, forgetting that the warrior was blind.

"Anyways," Jayfeather continued to speak as he stood and looked around the clearing. His gaze was filled with pain, his tail gently flicking across the dust that settled outside his den. "I need to get some rest, tomorrow night is the gathering, and I suggest you get ready as well. A part of me thinks Bramblestar is going to bring you anyways, as a way to tell the clan that you are trustworthy." Jayfeather brought his pale blue eyes back to Dewstep, who looked back down at Ivypool. "It will be a long time before the clan accepts you for who you are, but even I can see that you are one of the best cats this clan could ever ask for. You'll be a wonderful warrior, some of us are just too stubborn to believe anything else." Jayfeather smiled a bit. "I see more than they do, and remember, I'm blind."

Not many cats make jokes about their physical problems… I'm glad to see that someone can make fun of his own blindness, Dewstep smiled a bit and didn't move further. As Jayfeather padded back into the den with quiet pawsteps, he only brought his gaze up to the stars that had slowly begun to appear in the sky.

Come get it! Darkfire's little kit voice echoed in Dewstep's mind.

That's not fair! Dewstep had replied as he tried to run, only to stumble over his own pawsteps.

Trying not to laugh, Dewstep quickly placed a paw against his own mouth. Even if his brother was missing from the clans, he could remember all the good times they had. From kits to apprentices, Dewstep could remember finally being able to get the moss ball from his larger brother when he learned that his best ally was speed. A small body like his own could be devastated by heavier attacks, like any from Darkfire, but his speed was what helped him dodge everything that came close to touching him.

I was literally a whisker from death, Dewstep thought as he felt an itching sensation from his throat. And yet, here I am, with the best she-cat in the world and a clan to be living in… This group has become my real family…

"How're you feeling?"

The voice made Dewstep jump and he looked to his right to see a large, dark cat. At first, he thought it was Darkfire, the eyes almost yellow enough to look like him. Then, as the features slowly came together, Dewstep realized it was Raven. Nodding, he tightened his tail around Ivypool, who groaned in her half-sleepy state, more asleep than Dewstep may have realized.

"Dewstep… I'm really happy that you forgave me, but I think it is time for me to take my leave…" Raven seemed awkward and he had curled his tail around his paws. "But that doesn't mean I'm leaving you permanently, of course!" Raven blinked a bit and looked up, as if he needed to explain himself. A soft purr escaped Dewstep's throat, not hurting as bad as it would have a few days earlier.

"Mouse… brain…" Dewstep smiled a bit and nodded, leaning forward and licking Raven's shoulder out of respect.

Raven blinked and smiled a bit as he sat beside Dewstep. "I'll visit every few moons, I promise…" Raven mumbled, pressing his nose between Dewstep's ears. "I'm sorry for never being there when you were growing up, but I'm more than happy to take responsibility for my absence. I'll be operating in Tanglewood with my own group of rogues, we have decided to create our own clan." He sighed a bit and stretched his shoulders. "I only hope your mother will be there to see it," Raven meowed as he looked up towards the sky.

"I'm sure… she will…" Dewstep looked up towards the sky as well, finding himself mesmerized by the stars. Hollyleaf would surely love to go back with Raven to Tanglewood when she was finished doing her mission.

I will fix everything I began… Hollyleaf had said before, and Dewstep suppressed a shiver.

Hopefully that doesn't mean killing Darkfire, Dewstep thought as he kept his gaze on the sky. All he wanted was acceptance, but it is the acceptance of parents that he really wanted… Without Raven, it seems that Hollyleaf never gave enough to make Darkfire happy. I wish there was something we could do to help him, but Jayfeather will keep me confined to camp with everything he has. As much as I would like to leave…

A bright white streak stretched across the sky, Dewstep blinking a bit as it disappeared in less than a few heartbeats. A falling star… Dewstep smiled a bit, liking the sight as another star streaked across the sky, disappearing as fast as the other. This is wonderful, Dewstep thought before he felt another itching sensation against his shoulder.

Something bothered Dewstep now as he realized he felt as if he was forgetting something important. What was it…? Dewstep thought, trying to remember but finding nothing but the gathering he had been to came to mind. The gathering… something happened at the gathering that I need to remember… Dewstep bit his lip as he watched another star streak across the sky, heading in the same direction as the others. It was repeating the same process, a few times there were two stars, but it was mostly one.

Falling stars will lead the way…

Dewstep blinked as he slowly stood up, his mouth parted open slightly as Raven glanced at him. "Something wrong, Dewstep…?" Raven asked, his head tilted as Dewstep didn't answer.

Blood will make the pools of the moon run red…

Falling stars will lead the way…

Dewstep slowly pulled away and realized that he had to do something, anything. Follow the stars! Dewstep thought as he looked back to the medicine den. Sorry, Jayfeather, but this is something I have to do! He turned towards the entrance and found Raven's tail touching his shoulder.

"Where are you going? I heard what Jayfeather said, you're supposed to be confined to camp until your wound is better…"

Dewstep glanced at him for a moment, Raven's eyes filled with worry over Dewstep now. I'm sorry I can't tell you, I wouldn't anyways but… It is better that I remain silent now than before. Dewstep pulled away and took a deep breath, then bolted out of the camp, looking up through the trees and following the falling stars. They headed towards the Windclan border at an angle, and Dewstep didn't take long to find himself following the stream heading up a small hill.

He knew that this was far more important than anything he had witnessed before, everything would be here. Dewstep knew this was the place where everything would fall into place as the moon began to rise further away from the horizon.

The reek of blood hit his nose and Dewstep slowed down, almost to a halt but didn't care. In the sky above, the stars had stopped streaking across the black vastness. This was it, everything Dewstep had learned would come out here.

"-was soon at hand," a she-cat's voice reached above the rocks, one that Dewstep didn't recognize. "But you had to go and kill my champion, didn't you… Hollyleaf?"

Dewstep rose over a few rocks, using his size to hide himself as he heard his mother's name. There was a she-cat standing over a black-furred cat, whose blood was leaking into the pool that had been shining since the dawn of the clans. Dewstep kept his gaze where it was, watching the two.

The black she-cat looked up with weak green eyes and hissed in defiance.

"He was not… yours to control!" Hollyleaf growled, the she-cat hissing back and grabbing Hollyleaf by the scruff and dragging her closer to the pool. The black she-cat tried to struggle but the blood loss had made her weaker to the she-cat. Dewstep's eyes widened and he bolted out, not going to let his mother die in the pool of water.

"No!" Dewstep tried to shout, only air leaving his breath and he tackled the she-cat, making her fly across the rocky surface that bordered the pool. He breathed heavily, since he had made a long run to get here, not expecting to fight.

The she-cat growled and slowly stood up, she was weakened by the blow and her red eyes crossed Dewstep's. "You…" she growled before grinning darkly. "You have never understood, have you?" Dewstep continued breathing, he would let her talk until he was satisfied he had his breath back. "I am the she-cat who once held the clans by the throat many moons ago," the she-cat padded forward until she was within swiping distance of Dewstep. Hollyleaf had collapsed again, unable to stand on her own from her weakened state. "I actually brought the clans together," she growled. "I used to be a -star to, but Starclan told me I didn't follow their rules like I should have! The warrior code needs to be restructured, rebuilt!"

"Oh?" Dewstep gasped, taking another breath before speaking. "I didn't ask who you… were. I don't really care."

The she-cat seemed taken aback as Dewstep grinned. "You should know your history, have the clans really forgotten about one such as I? I am Featherstar!" The name wasn't familiar and Dewstep raised the fur above his right eye in confusion. "Of course you don't remember me, the moons have been so long that I bet Starclan has even forgotten," she growled and smacked Dewstep with a paw, incredible speed behind her muscles and knocking him into the rock. "I once had the entire clans, even Skyclan, by the throat with everything I had. I gave them a new structure, but before I could give it to them, one of my allies betrayed me and started a war! It wasn't long before they invaded the Skyclan camp, where I was speaking to their leader at the time. I was caught in the middle, and I knew there was nothing more I could do that day, within that lifetime."

Featherstar growled slowly, pressing her claws against the other side of Dewstep's throat. "I wanted to fix the clans, because all their infighting was insulting to our warrior code. Starclan have made the clans become a decaying body, and I thought Tigerstar would bring them back to glory. No, I lived in the Dark Forest with him for a very long time and I realized he wasn't in it for the clans. He was in it for revenge, well so am I. But I don't want revenge on the clans, I want revenge on Starclan for forcing the clans to become this decaying body!" Her tail flicked as she lifted her claws.

In that instant, Dewstep saw his life flash before his eyes until a blur streaked above him and Featherstar's weight was knocked off of him. Taking a deep breath, he watched as that same black streak was knocked back and landed close to the water. The moon was starting to reflect at the edge of the pool, stained red from the blood that littered the arena. Hollyleaf had gasped and was almost still now, she had attacked Featherstar.

"Stay out of this!" the she-cat growled and turned back to Dewstep. "I used your brother to destroy those who broke the code, to prove to Starclan that the code needed to be destroyed and reconstructed from the flames of the dead. Now I stand before you, a real member of the new Starclan, to command you to obey!"

Dewstep felt as if this sudden speech was just that… sudden, he didn't care who this cat was or if they came from Starclan or the Dark Forest.

"Look…" Dewstep coughed a bit. "As nice as your speech is… and all… I don't think you… understand the code… anymore… You're long… forgotten by the clans… And this Skyclan… is nothing I know of." Dewstep took a deep breath as he watched the she-cat's shoulders slump, her will slowly becoming eroded. "The code is not… broken. It is better… than it ever has been…"

"No!" she growled, as if all her strength instantly returned and she streaked across the blood-stained rock. Dewstep tensed his muscles and prepared for the first attack, which he quickly responded by rolling his body to the side and flicking his tail over her eyes, fluffing his tail and blinding her. The she-cat screeched in fury and tried to hit him with blinded eyes now, only her attacks met nothing but air.

"It is time for you to be put to rest," Dewstep sighed a bit and began swiping his claws into the she-cat's body in several areas. Blood came out of the already dead cat, spraying against the rock and staining it more with the scars of the past being repeated into today. By the time he was done, Featherstar had almost as many cuts as Hollyleaf had. "Sure," Dewstep spoke, keeping his voice light to avoid more damage to his throat. "The clans have done… questionable… things, to say the… least. But they have become… stronger from their struggles…" Dewstep took a deep breath as Featherstar, the unknown leader to today's cats, took several steps back. "I wanted to change… them too, but that's… now how it works… Your time was long ago… Just sit back and… watch the clans from a distance… Leave us be, your explanations… are useless… after everything you've done…"

Featherstar growled and tried to swipe, far slower than before.

Dewstep ducked easily, the attack could be seen a fox-length away from even the smallest kit. "Especially… after you tore… my family apart." Dewstep leaped forward and thrust his teeth into the she-cat's throat. She cried out in pure rage, trying to throw him off, but Dewstep rolled and took her along, then let go. Her body splashed in the water, only a few bubbles rising as the water fell still and darkened with even more blood.

Breathing heavily, he stood up and almost stumbled, then turned to see Hollyleaf's eyes were paling. With a fresh strength, he ran over. "Mother!" he tried to cry, but as before, it came out more as air than an actual voice. Dewstep quickly tried to look around, to find something to stop her bleeding.

"Don't be scared…" Hollyleaf's voice slowly came from the body, her eyes closing as her tail curled around him. "I'm very proud of you… Be nice to your mate, you hear me…? I swear I will haunt you if you do something stupid…"

"What about Raven?" Dewstep sniffled and pressed his nose against the fur of his mother's neck. "Don't leave… please… we have so… much to talk about…"

Hollyleaf seemed to laugh softly, she licking between his ears. "I'm sure we will meet again, my son… For now, be happy with what you have… I did this to save you the trouble, but I guess Starclan had plans for you to come here already… I'm sure I will go to the Dark Forest, I have made many mistakes and I feel it is best…"

"No…" Dewstep whispered, able to speak more with just air than his voice. "I was told that you would be able to join the ranks of Starclan if you tried to fix your mistakes… That you had one chance to do it… I'm sure you did…"

There was a slight pause but Hollyleaf only smiled and licked again. "If that is true… I'll see you in your dreams… s… soon…" Her voice slowly died away. "I… love you… Dewstep… Be good… for me…" With that, her body fell completely limp and Dewstep sniffled.

"M-Mom?" Dewstep pressed a paw against her side and realized there was no more breathing from the body. "Mom!" He felt tears stream down his face as he stayed there for a long time. Maybe it was only a few heartbeats, but it felt like the night was almost over when three cats quickly entered the rocky surface of the Moonpool. Dewstep had gone silent in mourning the passing of his mother, no scratches on his body and only his scar against his neck.

"Oh Starclan…" A voice mumbled, it was Ivypool's own. Along with her was Jayfeather and Raven, the large tom running over and trembling at Hollyleaf's body. Dewstep pulled away, letting the tom have a moment with her as he began whispering about the things they could have done together. Looking over to Ivypool, he noticed that Jayfeather seemed almost emotionless, except for the tears streaming down the sides of his muzzle as he took note of the blood that surrounded the Moonpool.

"Couldn't you have picked a different place to make this fight happen?" Jayfeather growled, his voice cracking slightly. "This is a place of power for Starclan, not for your stupid battles…" But Jayfeather seemed out of it as he went over to Dewstep. "Any injuries?"

"No…" Dewstep breathed out, his throat a bit agitated as he passed by Jayfeather, not going to answer any further questions as Ivypool ran up to him. She had tears streaming down her cheeks as well, worried for the cat she had come to love. "I'm sorry for leaving… without you…" Dewstep whispered, only to find that she buried her head into his chest and smacked his shoulder with a paw.

"Shut up…" Ivypool whispered. "Don't you ever do that again… Let me know when you're going to do something so stupid!" She began to cry into his chest and Dewstep pressed his nose between her ears before looking around. Only Hollyleaf's body remained in the clearing, there was nobody else…

-AN-

Up last is the epilogue, this is the last full chapter for this story so I hope you all enjoy what Dewstep and Darkfire's journey has brought to your phones and computers! This has been a blast to write (and screw up several times) but the end is here. I'm sure everyone will enjoy the epilogue, which should be out within the next few days!