Very interesting chapter that we've got here if I do say so myself! Had some troubles writing it because it made me feel very sad :( Very very sad :( And it made me not want to do something that must be done… but… oh well… Very short, sorry but I got a lot of stories updated today!

Starbomb: Oh yes, you might feel a little sorry for him, honestly I do

ScourgeXScarlet: Hm I haven't read Rise of Scourge so honestly I wouldn't know; you'll have to tell me how similar it is :) Arg I keep spelling Scourge like Scrouge for some reason…

Stormfeather of IceClan: Hey there! Thanks so much for all your compliments! You wouldn't believe how much it makes my day to read these :) And well here is your long awaited (what a day?) Chapter! :)

Stunningfire: Thanks! Here is Adderstar's past!

Pengirl: Thank you! Post the next chapter of ASSOTAC soon! I really wanna know what happens next! :3

Question of the Chapter: Does anyone remember the cat that died in the battle with ShadowClan? Just wanna see whose paying attention :)

Chapter 28: Adderstar's Story

Adderstar's POV (Didn't see that coming did ya? Or rather Adderstorm's POV as it is when he's a warrior)

"Adderstorm!" Adderstorm turned around and a smile erupted on his tortoiseshell face. He saw a flash of tawny fur bullet towards him and bowl him over. The huge tom let himself fall over loosely as the cat knocked into him.

He smiled and purred in amusement as the kit bounced around his paws. "Easy now, Bloomkit." He meowed, batting at her gently with his paws.

Bloomkit purred, still leaping around in joy. "Bloomkit," A familiar voice scolded. Adderstorm looked up into the face of his beloved mate, a light brown tabby she-cat named Heatherflower. "Bloomkit! Give it a rest!" Heatherflower purred, knocking the ginger kit off of Adderstorm gently.

Adderstorm got to his paws only to be knocked over by Bloomkit again. He couldn't help but smile and purr. "What a great warrior you'll be Bloomkit." He said to his daughter.

Bloomkit grinned. "I'll be an apprentice soon enough!" She squeaked, jumping off of her father and onto the ground.

Adderstorm purred. "Of course you will." He meowed, grinning down at her.

"Can you take me outside?" Bloomkit asked. "I'm really sick of being in camp all day! Please?"

Adderstorm gave a weak smile and exchanged a hopeless glance with Heatherflower. Then he shook his head. "Sorry Bloomkit, but you'll be an apprentice soon! Then we can go out whenever you like." He meowed.

Bloomkit glowered up at him, her amber eyes shining. "You promise?" She asked.

"I promise." Adderstorm said solemnly.

Bloomkit smiled for a moment before whipping around and dashing off to pounce on Gorgekit. Adderstorm smiled as he heard a squeak of surprise from Gorgekit. Bloomkit was so energetic, so cheerful.

He looked over at Heatherflower who too gazed lovingly after her kit. She heaved a sigh. "I swear by StarClan that kit will be the death of me." She meowed.

Adderstorm purred and padded over, entwining tails with her and giving her a lick over the ear. "And I'll be right alongside you." He meowed.

Heatherflower smiled. "Adderstorm! Dawn patrol!" Adderstorm's head snapped up at the call of his name.

"See you later." He meowed to Heatherflower as he padded over to join the tabby, Grayclaw. Grayclaw had dark fur and burning eyes. In all truth, Adderstorm couldn't stand him, but he guessed he had too. Only for one patrol. He thought.

A few cats joined them and they headed off. Adderstorm breathed in slowly as the wind blew his fur back gently. He loved the wind, he wouldn't be able to stand being in ThunderClan or ShadowClan, he loved it too much.

Grayclaw strode ahead of Adderstorm, his stance high and proud. Adderstorm rolled his eyes. How cocky the deputy was. Adderstorm dreaded the thought of Grayclaw ever becoming leader if Yellowstar were to die. He shivered at the very thought.

Suddenly, Grayclaw's ears pricked up, his black nose twitching. Adderstorm parted his jaws to breathe in the familiar scent of a rabbit. Grayclaw suddenly took off, bolting in direction of the rabbit. Adderstorm rolled his eyes at Grayclaw. The deputy was so easily distracted as well. A senior warrior on the patrol, the ginger tom, Badgerflame nodded to Adderstorm.

"Go after him." Badgerflame meowed.

Adderstorm sighed and nodded to Badgerstorm. "I will." He meowed. What a burden. He padded off after the scent trail of Grayclaw, the rabbit's entwined in with his. He pushed himself to a trot, how far could Grayclaw have gone in such little time? He peered against the moor, finally catching the shadowy outline of two figures in the distance.

Adderstorm picked up the pace, forcing himself to a run. "Grayclaw?" he called out, his limbs stretching apart as he neared them. Now Grayclaw's figure was clear, and whatever was beside him was lying dead. Well at least Grayclaw had made him somewhat useful by catching the rabbit. But the closer Adderstorm got and the harder he looked, it seemed like there was another figure beside the rabbit. He twitched his nose. What could that be?

Then it was all clear to Adderstorm.

"No!" A sob emitted in his throat. The rabbit was not a rabbit. It was Bloomkit. Her ginger fur hung in clumps of still oozing blood. And behind her was the lifeless form of Heatherflower. How could that happen? What had Grayclaw done?

Grayclaw's eyes narrowed when they flashed over and met Adderstorm's eyes. His jaw dropped open and Adderstorm could smell the fear inside of the tom. Cold and hard fury boiled inside of Adderstorm. With a blood-curling battle cry, he launched himself forward. He didn't think of Bloomkit or Heatherflower at the time, just revenge.

He heard Grayclaw's cry of fear as his ivory claws slid into the gray coat of the tom and farther, farther still. He smiled in cold satisfaction as the blood pooled around his claws. With that symbol, he dragged his paw alongside of Grayclaw, deepening and widening.

Grayclaw cried. "No! Adderstorm!"

"What would you possibly want you flea-bag!" Adderstorm snarled, deepening his claws inside of him. Anger and cold rage was inside of him. He couldn't believe what had actually happened.

"I…" The light was dying in Grayclaw's eyes. "I… didn't… kill them," Grayclaw shuddered out one last breath and fell limp, dead at Adderstorm's paws.

Adderstorm stepped back, dazed. He'd just killed a cat. Grayblaze said that he didn't kill Heatherflower or Bloomkit… but could the deputy really be trusted? Wait… the deputy. Adderstorm hadn't just killed any cat but the deputy of his Clan.

He shuddered and shivered as he made his way over to Bloomkit's body. Her claws were feeble and flexible, her fur stiffening and her eyes clouded over. His daughter. His beloved daughter would never become Bloompaw. Never would they go out hunting even though he'd promised that they would. For the first time, he felt his gaze become foggy. He felt tears leak down from his face and drip onto his daughter's dead body.

No.

This couldn't be right.

He sobbed quietly beside her in regret, his voice crackling and choking.

"Adderstorm?" Adderstorm stiffened at the voice of Badgerflame. He barely tilted his head to meet the eyes of the warrior who looked absolutely terrified and horrified. "Adderstorm! What have you done?" Badgerflame whipped around.

No! He couldn't let him go back and tell the Clan! This wasn't Adderstorm's fault! Feeling a burst of anger he leapt at the black and white tom. Badgerflame gave a cry of surprise as the bigger tortoiseshell knocked into him.

"Let me go!" Badgerflame snarled, struggling under Adderstorm's grasp.

Adderstorm shook his head fiercely. "No! Badgerflame! You need to understand- this wasn't my fault!"

"Wasn't your fault!" Badgerflame spat. "Yeah right Adderstorm!" The warrior pushed at Adderstorm with his back legs and Adderstorm let himself fall off. But Badgerflame didn't face him; he turned around and sprinted towards camp.

No! This can't be happening! Adderstorm raced after Badgerflame. He couldn't show mercy this time. Badgerflame would never believe him. He was gaining on the older tom now. He took chances and leapt forward, his claws nearly missed Badgerflame's pelt. But luckily, they latched on.

Badgerflame gave a cry of surprise at the claws digging into his pelt. Adderstorm pushed Badgerflame down approaching to his throat. "I'm sorry Badgerflame." He choked, taking his claw and slicing the tom's throat. Badgerflame struggled for awhile after but then he fell limp.

Adderstorm felt the tears fall down his face. This was the second cat he killed today, and this one wasn't for revenge, this was out of cold blood.

What would he tell the Clans? A badger and her cubs came along. He suggested to himself. And the others didn't make it. That would work. He didn't bother licking the wounds that Badgerflame and Grayclaw had given him; he needed to look as pitiful as possible.

He padded back to Heatherflower and Bloomkit's bodies and lay by them once more. What had happened? He felt something missing in him and somehow it wasn't their presence. Was it revenge? Yes it must be. He must have revenge on this Clan that took his family from him.

"Adderstorm?" At the horrified voice of Yellowstar, Adderstorm smiled. Things would go just fine now. He could make up for Bloomkit and Heatherflower's absence for ambition. It would take his mind off of things. So he turned around and gave a weak smile.

"Yellowstar…" he made his voice sound devastated which in truth wasn't too hard. "I'm sorry."

Rushfall's POV

"So the Clan looked to him as a hero afterwards." Rushfall meowed. Her eyes shining in fear as she spoke in the darkened cave of the Moonpool. "Yellowstar appointed him the next deputy and…" she shivered. "He ended up killing her with no other cat knowing, not even all of StarClan knows, because they granted him his nine lives."

"Then who did know? Who told you? Surely Sparrowkit wouldn't know." Rosewater meowed. Her blue eyes glistened with curiosity and wondered, though Rushfall could smell the fear scent on her too as she crowded against Stonefang.

"The one cat who he wanted most to show up for him receiving his nine lives. His daughter, Bloomkit." Rushfall meowed. "She told me that she knew what Adderstar did but she didn't want to tell another cat. However, she did say something else which honestly made me cringe." Rushfall just cringed right now from the memory.

"Well? What was it?" Rosewater pressed.

"She told me that he must be stopped. And you, Rosewater must do it."