Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter

Oops, did I say I was going to post this yesterday? Oh well, you get it now anyway, I was caught up with things.

Thanks to my reviewers: Icethroat21, VioletteRose, Warriors-Skywing, and Emberheart0

They can have Dapplekit and/or Acornpelt plushies as thanks for their dedication in reading and reviewing this story.


Chapter 28: Betrayed

I stared at what was the left of my partner. She was dead. She'd bled from her belly, from the wound her own father had given her. The end had been quick, but so sudden I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't expecting her to flee. I'd thought she'd wait. Her Clan wasn't likely to kill her! No cat did that out right. It wasn't part of the warrior code! Living with RiverClan had taught me that. They had rules for StarClan's sake, and yet this proved me wrong.

My eyes darted to Scorchtree. He'd killed his daughter. He didn't looked sad at all, just cold. My eyes went back to Eveningbreeze. She was so much different now that she was dead. She lay there, her strength and energy gone. The cat I'd known for the longest of seasons and had called my friend was now gone. She'd passed on. To StarClan? I wondered. Something in me shrank at the idea.

I didn't know what was going on in the Clan as I stared at Eveningbreeze's body. I was just so stunned and lost all time. Her death was actually dawning on me. I felt something in me give just a little bit. I was horrified and sad all at the same time. I didn't know what to do! Would they come for me next?

And then I heard my name. It was spoken by the cat that meant to me more than Eveningbreeze. I looked over at Fallingsnow, her voice a perfect chime, clear through the horror my life had just become.

"We don't have to fight," Fallingsnow meowed. "We can give them Deepforest."

I wondered what she was talking about. What had the Clan been saying? I wracked my memory. Something about WindClan and RiverClan and a battle and stopping it? I opened my mouth to protest. What was she doing?

"We can tell them he's been stealing the prey. We can let them deal with him. That way we don't have to," she continued as if I was not there.

"Like with Sol," Rowanclaw nodded. "ThunderClan gave him to us and we dealt with him."

By ShadowClan's fierce grins I could tell that wasn't good, and then I remembered Sol and what I knew of him and what RiverClan had said ShadowCLan had done with him. I shivered.

"Look," Fallingsnow meowed. "I'll lead the healthiest cats over there. We can give Deepforest to them. Then we only have to worry about Fernstripe. She should be easy to find."

I stared at my tabby. She didn't look at me. It was as if I wasn't there. She didn't realize what she was saying, surely?

Rowanclaw agreed to her demands and a few cats volunteered. They surrounded me. I hissed at them. I startled Fallingsnow and Batwing, but Darkfire nudged me forward, not putting up with my useless threats.

They forced me from the camp. We left the tattered ShadowClan far behind. On the way to WindClan I tried to escape when I could, bounding over their heads, or ramming into them. But there was just to many of them. Many strong cats. Fallingsnow had known what she was doing when she selected the cats. My heart seized when I thought of her. Why had she betrayed me like this? I had saved her life, shown how much I loved her, but she was giving me over to die? Didn't she love me at all?

They led me past the lake and to the WindClan moor. As we neared, I stopped struggling. I had to be patient. They were too wary for now. As we got closer, fear made my limbs shake. Still in my head I could see Eveningbreeze's death and hear Fallingsnow's words "We don't have to fight. We can give them Deepforest." Did I know nothing of my Fallingsnow after all?

We quickly crossed over the border. As we topped the rise, growing ever closer to the cries of battle I tried one last thing I could think of doing. Reasoning. Surely they felt pity in their hearts somewhere for me?

"Please don't do this. I'll leave. I promise. I don't want to take over the Clan."

I'd go home. See Rabbit and Sky again, tell them everything I'd done and never cross the mountains again. If only they'd let me go!

"Yeah right," Batwing purred dangerously. "You wanted to with Eveningbreeze. What made you change your mind? Just because she's dead? I doubt she would have done any of this if you hadn't come."

I shrank away from her. She had no sympathy.

"Batwing is right," Tigerheart meowed. "We can't trust you. You would just come back."

"I wouldn't," I protested, pleading.

I cast my eyes on them, looking for one face that was concerned that would weaken. I looked at Fallingsnow. She quickly glanced away.

"You killed Snaketail," Darkfire reminded the other tom. "ShadowClan can't let that go unpunished. Perhaps WindClan and the others will be lenient on you."

It was as if he was trying to reassure me. But his voice held no conviction. Besides he wasn't letting me go. His words did not help me.

"Let's go," Fallingsnow meowed. "The sooner we do this, the sooner we get back to camp and can repair it."

I looked at her. She didn't even care about me. Just 'lets get back to camp and repair it!' I was so confused. Everything I knew about her had changed. She caught my look and turned away. She continued to lead the patrol she'd formed to my doom. I couldn't feel hate for her, just confusion. I'd done this for her but she didn't know it. My mind went back to Eveningbreeze's death. One last jump, one last try and she'd been brought down. That was mine. There was no more hope for me.

We crossed the rise and looked down into battle. Down into the WindClan camp. The sight took my breath away. Never had I seen so many cats before. Never had I heard so much pain or seen so much death. Many cats lay on the ground unmoving, overs moved though they should have been on the ground. Fur and limbs hung. Bones were bared to the air. It was a massacre.

The cats with me seemed to think the same.

"Stop this!" Fallingsnow shrieked, horror in her voice and more emotion than I'd ever heard.

None of the fighting cats heard her. Darkfire took over.

"Stop!" Darkfire roared. His deeper voice carried farther and the cats nearby hesitated. They only glanced at him and the cats on the bank before fighting again. More cats could be good or bad for them and they'd just have to see whose side the newcomers would support.

I almost hoped they ignored us and the ShadowClan cats let me go. But it was not to be.

"We have to find the leaders," Fallingsnow meowed.

She was determined to see my end. I felt sadness. I closed my eyes and didn't watch as Darkfire arranged the guards around me. He placed the larger cats in front, smaller cats behind.

"Hickorypaw, Tigerheart," Darkfire meowed. "Stay in front of Deepforest. Batwing, Fallingsnow, the back. Scorchtree take the very back. Deepforest. You'll be the safest at the middle so don't go anywhere."

I blinked at him and gulped. We were actually going in there? What was the matter with these cats. We would all die! I'd never seen this much devastation in my life before! Why did we have to go down there?

"Let's go," Darkfire meowed after calmly meeting my gaze.

He took the front and led the way, pushing cats out of the way. I noticed that as we went many cats fell from exhaustion and pain. Even Darkfire yelling scattered them. Some didn't move again.

After a long while we reached the center of the heaving mass. I saw the leaders fighting each other. Onestar was pinned by Firestar as Leopardstar clawed her adversary's legs. It looked brutal. They had to have lost lives.

"Firestar!" Darkfire yelled. "Leopardstar!"

The two leaders looked up. Onestar shoved Firestar off of him. They stood facing the ShadowClan cats.

"You've come to help?" Onestar demanded, looking at them anxiously.

He needed it badly. Everyone was against him. I nervously realized why as Darkfire and Fallingsnow continued.

"We've come to help," Darkfire agreed.

"Good," Onestar meowed, his eyes looking around at what his camp had become. Before he could say more Fallingsnow spoke.

"We are here to stop this battle," Fallingsnow meowed, pushing her way forward.

"And how are you going to do that?" Leopardstar demanded. My former leader looked as if she'd attack us. She obviously didn't want any interference.

"We have the prey thief," Fallingsnow meowed.

The leaders blinked at her.

"We all heard him confess it," Fallingsnow meowed. "He and Eveningbreeze had it all planned out that you'd fight and they'd take over."

"Who is this traitor?" Onestar demanded.

My heart almost stopped. That was me. They were giving me over so quickly.

"First stop the fight," Fallingsnow meowed calmly.

Leopardstar looked annoyed but nodded. She quickly raised her head and sent up a yowl. The other leaders quickly joined her. The cats fighting wound down to stillness. The gaunt, bleeding cats looked at us, chests heaving. Many just lay down. They'd done all they could. They'd been fighting for a long time.

"They have the prey thief," Leopardstar called out. "We are not going to fight again."

"Who is it?" a WindClan cat called out. The voice too harsh to distinguish.

"Well?" Leopardstar turned her eyes on Fallingsnow.

"Deepforest." She waved her tail and the cats in front of me stepped back. "The cat that also killed Snaketail."

"Deepforest?" Leopardstar looked at me. She was stunned. Her eyes looked over me in confusion. Did she remember me after all this time?

I felt everyone's eyes on me. I could feel their hate. It made me uncomfortable. I shifted, uncertain. Cats started to growl behind me. I knew that if I turned, I would see it was mostly RiverClan. They'd known me and my actions were a betrayal on their part.

"We have brought him here to you," Fallingsnow continued, "so you can judge him. He has hurt your Clans as well as ours."

She was just giving me up! My fur prickled.

The leaders looked at the ShadowClan cats in silence for a long time. It was as if they were trying to figure out if they were lying. I sat and waited for the decision.

Please say no thank you, I pleaded.

Finally Firestar heaved a sigh. "Onestar, I am sorry. I was wrong to attack your Clan."

Onestar nodded his head, but still looked extremely angry. He turned his gaze on Leopardstar, waiting for what she had to say.

The golden tabby muttered something. It could have been an apology. Onestar knew that was all he'd get from her.

"I accept," he meowed. "I will take Deepforest. My Clan has been the most affected by this rogue. We will give him the punishment."

I gulped as the other leaders nodded. I guess I was hoping Leopardstar would vouch for me take me back in, give me some simple punishment. She was my only other help. Fallingsnow wasn't at all caring like I'd thought. My kind-hearted she-cat was only in my mind.

"ThunderClan," Firestar raised his voice. "Back to camp."

He started walking. Then he hesitated. "The severely wounded. Can they be left here for the night? I'll give you Toadheart to help."

Onestar looked angry at the thought but with a curled lip he nodded. He didn't have to let them stay, but now Firestar would owe him something. At least I thought so.

"You will have Willowshine and herbs from me," Leopardstar offered. Then she swept her cats up. However, I noticed many left behind. But in her ranks I saw the pale brown fur of Mudpaw. She never once looked back.

Onestar, now with a tired look on his face, looked at the ShadowClan cats. He was left with the devastation and all of the wounded cats. It would be a hard night for him.

"I will take him from here," Onestar meowed.

"Do you want us to stay?" Tigerheart offered. "We can help."

"No," Onestar shook his head. "You've done enough."

"Then we will go," Tigerheart meowed. He dipped his head.

Onestar returned the gesture.

ShadowClan left my side then, leaving me open to the gaze of the WindClan leader. The warmth left my side as a cold breeze whipped around me. I gulped as I stared at Onestar.

He hissed at me. He waved his tail and a few cats surrounded me. I could see their wounds and smell the blood as it covered them. They almost swayed on their feet.

"In the morning you will be dealt with," Onestar meowed, his voice hard. Then he turned away to help his cats.

The guards with me stayed right there. We didn't move at all. But as the leader left me, the hope blossomed again. I wasn't going to die. Not yet. There was still a chance, I thought. I was not down. Not like Eveningbreeze. I would survive.