Chapter 35

HOWSITGOINGBROS

I'm back, and better than ever!

I think...

Anyways, this chapter will be the beginning of the end of the first book. The climax will begin to build up here, and will culminate at the end of Sunrise. As a result, some of the chapters will begin to skip over a few days instead of going day by day. So, get excited- Jaggedscar's gonna have a hell of a time for the next few weeks.

Also, sorry for the long wait between chapters- I'm involved in my school's drama production, so time's pretty tight. Also, this is the longest chapter I've ever written, so...

I woke up to sunlight piercing through my eyelids. At first, I had no idea where I was, or what I was doing.

Then, I remembered everything.

The vision I had, the sickness ripping through the Clan like the Black Plague, the excursion into WindClan... I couldn't believe it had all happened in a few short weeks. I rose up to stretch and get my bearings straight. I remember what happened three days ago- after getting Jaypaw the catmint from WindClan, I had gone back to the house to watch Firestar die. Something had changed in me when I saw that, but I didn't know what. All I knew was that I felt more... mature.

I remembered where I was, as well. After being declared healthy by Leafpool, I had come back to the Clan. I was not the first- Cloudtail had taken that honor, going back after just two days of treatment. I had been welcomed back by everyone, especially Jaypaw- Or, Jayfeather, now. After he had found the catmint, Leafpool had given him his full name, just as I remembered. I was glad everything was going as written.

I stepped outside to be greeted by Hollyleaf.

"Good morning," She said sweetly. My god, she was beautiful. I didn't know I could feel that way about a cat.

"Morning," I murmured, yawning as I woke up fully.

"Brambleclaw wants us for a hunting patrol," Hollyleaf said, pointing to the thorn tunnel with her tail. there I could see Brambleclaw and Brackenfur waiting for us.

"Okay," I said. "has anyone else come back yet?"

There were still a few cats left sick- Millie, Briarkit, Thornclaw, and Spiderleg. Firestar, of course, was keeping to his word, and stayed even after he had recovered.

"No, not yet," Hollyleaf mewed.

"Jaggedscar, come on!" I turned around. Brambleclaw waved his tail at me. "We don't have all day!"

"Coming! I shouted, and, with a smile at Hollyleaf, I bounded out the tunnel with the patrol.

"Ha!" I snarled as I pounced on an unsuspecting mouse. The small creature let out a feeble squeak as it died, and for a moment I savored the taste on my tongue. Then, I carried the prey back to the fresh-kill pile our patrol had set up near our hunting grounds.

I was the last one back, as I saw all three of the others sitting around the pile. I deposited my prey and sat with them.

"So, what now?" I asked.

"Well," Brambleclaw said, "I think we'll take the prey back to camp, and then check the WindClan border."

I nodded. "Good plan."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Brackenfur announced, jumping up. 'Let's get going!"

We all grabbed a few pieces of fresh-kill, and marched back to camp. As we entered the thorn tunnel, I couldn't help feeling relieved when I saw all the cats bustling about. The Clan was recovering from the devastating illness, and with only a few sick cats left, we would soon be back at full strength.

After putting our catch on the fresh-kill pile, we turned to go back out the thorn tunnel. On our way out, though, we were met with a pleasant surprise- Thornclaw was trudging down the tunnel with Jayfeather.

"Hey, Thornclaw!" Brackenfur said, ecstatic. "You're okay!"

Thronclaw smiled proudly. "Yeah, I'm fine," he puffed. "I wouldn't let some sickness take me down."

Jayfeather rolled his eyes. "That sickness almost killed half the Clan," he muttered. "Don't get too cocky."

I chuckled at Jayfeather's indifference. However, things got serious when he looked me in the eyes. "Hey, I know I don't usually say this, but... be careful. Something doesn't feel right these days, and I'm worried. Just... We can't lose you, okay?"

I nodded. "No problem. Careful is my middle name." Jayfeather just looked at me wierd. "Uh, forget that happened."

The patrol raced out the tunnel at full speed. I had never been much of a runner, but after being cooped up in an abandoned house for a week, I was grateful to have a reason to move. We ran up a hill that overlooked the WindClan border, and stared down upon the moor. I couldn't help but admire its beauty. The morning sun bounced off of the wheat like a beam, causing it to glow golden.

"Okay, just a sweep," Brambleclaw said. "Mark the borders and lets get out of here as fast as possible. I don't want trouble." The rest of us nodded and went down the hill to remark the borders. I began marking the area closest to me. I was about to finish up when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked up to see a WindClan patrol coming our way.

I went over to Brambleclaw. "Look out," I murmured. Brambleclaw looked, and his gaze hardened.

"Patrol, finish up," he said, loudly enough for the WindClan cats to hear. But they kept coming. I felt my stomach churn. Something was wrong.

"Hey, we better get out of here," I muttered to him, but he stood his ground.

"I said hurry up, we have to leave, now!" This time, you could hear the urgency in his voice. So could WindClan, and they put on a burst of speed. I could count now- ten warriors.

"Let's go!" I shouted, as the enemy patrol came up to the river. Brambleclaw was about to issue a command when a WindClan warrior- Tornear- jumped the river and pounced on him.

"Brambleclaw!" Ishouted in despair. I watched as four WindClan cats pounced at him, and he was lost under a sea of fur. I turned back to look at Hollyleaf and Brackenfur.

"Get help! Hurry!" I snarled. Hollyleaf fled immediately, but Brackenfur roared and charged at the mass of cats covering Brambleclaw. I turned but was hit by Antpelt coming at me. I fell over and threw him off with my hind paws. I struggled to get up, but another WindClan warrior slammed into me, clawing down my side.

"Get OFF!" I shouted, throwing the warrior into the river. He flew down the water, but I watched him get out. I was turning, WindClan was everywhere, and I came face to face with Crowfeather.

"You're time here is over," he snarled, and came at me with a swipe of claws. I backed away just in time, and his claws tore my fur. I looked into his eyes, blue fire sparking in my own. "Shut up!"

I ripped through the air with my claws, barely missing Crowfeather's face. I ducked as he swung back, and nicked my ear. Rage at the unprovoked attack exploded in me, and I leaped forward.

I went at Crowfeather with a ferocity I hadn't used since the Great Battle. I swiped and bit and slashed, but there were too many enemies. Soon, Brambleclaw and Brackenfur, along with myself, were surrounded by enemies. I was still swiping and growling, when Ashfoot, the deputy, held up her tail. Suddenlly, the WindClan onslaught stopped. I held my breath, surveying our odds. they weren't good; we were outnumbered three to one, and then some.

Ashfoot stepped forward. "If you surrender, you can live," she said.

"What?" Brackenfur yowled. "What did we do? We were marking the border!"

Ashfoot must have heard him, but she gave no sign. "If you wish to live, surrender."

I stepped forward, voicing our thoughts. "We aren't hostages, Ashfoot."

Ashfoot looked down, like she was really saddened to have to kill us. "Then... I'm sorry." She lifted her tail. I tensed my muscles, preparing to use my power, even though revealing it would spark a flurry of questions. But Bramblclaw suddenly stiffened.

"Look!" he shouted, then pounced on the nearest warrior. Chaos erupted, and a volley of ThunderClan warriors ripped through the WindClan patrol like a flame. I saw Lionblaze, Poppyfrost, Honeyfern, and countless other warriors. I began fighting again, suppressing my power for now. I would use it when it was really needed.

Blood was all over me, but I kept fighting. I was slashing at invisible warriors, a single pelt of darkness. I tore at some cat's pelt, and felt the blood beneath spurt out onto my face. I spat it out,and angrily continued my attack. The river was alive with the sounds of battle, and I could feel our warriors pushing WindClan back. I bit and slashed until suddenly I hear a voice shout out.

"Run! They may have won this battle, but we'll win the war." Suddenly, the shroud lifted. WindClan fled as soon as they'd appeared. I was left in a daze, and I stepped into the river to wash my pelt and get my senses back. As I let the water flow over me, I heard a conversation on the ThunderClan side of the border.

"We can't let them get away with this!" I heard Berrynose say. "They've crossed the line this time!"

"I agree," Poppyfrost said, looking down at a gash on her side. "What happened?"

"We were just marking the border, and they came out of nowhere!" That was Hollyleaf. "That's when I got you."

"Calm down," Brambleclaw ordered. "I'm sure we'll get this figured out at the Gathering tomorrow."

"I think Firestar should say something about this," I offered. "If another Clan is attacking us, we should have our leader say something about it."

Brambleclaw shifted uncomfortably. "I agree, but I don't know if Firestar will come. After all, there are still a few sick cats left. "

"But this is important!" Honeyfern, who had just been declared healthy the day before, stood forward. "We need to send them a message, show them that we're still strong!"

Something Honeyfern had said made me uncomfortable. Being attacked was one thing, but so soon after half the Clan was incapacitated? I felt like there was some sort of a connection.

"Does anyone else find it odd," I began, "That this attack came so soon after the sickness?"

The others turned to look at me. "What are you saying?" Berrynose growled.

"I don't think that this is a coincidence," I said. "I think that WindClan might have known we were sick, and tried to attack us while we were weak. We're lucky the attack didn't come sooner, or we'd have been in trouble."

"But how would they have known?" Poppyfrost asked anxiously. "There can't be any... traitors in ThunderClan, right?"

We stood around in a circle, all silent. Berrynose voiced our thoughts. "It wouldn't be the first time. We should've known it would happen again."

Brambleclaw stepped forward. "Listen, I'm going to call a Clan meeting. I don't know if there are any traitors in ThunderClan..." I saw Brambleclaw's eyes narrow, as though he was imagining the enemy in our camp. "They will be dealt with accordingly if they are found."

As the cats began to go back towards the camp, I couldn't help but wonder about going back to the Dark Forest. Maybe, if there was a traitor, they would be there tonight. I decided it was worth the risk. It was time to go back, and solve this mystery once and for all.

Our Gathering party neared the tree bridge. I sniffed the air- WindClan. They were already here.

"Listen up," I heard Firestar say. After Brambleclaw had told him the news about WindClan's attack, he decided that it was important for him to go to the Gathering. He felt like he had to intimidate WindClan. "I don't want any figthing. If WindClan starts trouble-"

"Which they will," I heard someone mutter.

"- We will leave without starting another fight. I don't want any more wounded warriors." Firestar turned around and began walking onto the island, with Squirrelflight following him closely. I came aboard after them.

As soon as we crossed onto the island, a hushed silence came over the other Clans. We were the last ones there, so that we could make an entrance. he also chose to bring everyone who had been in the battle, to show the other Clans what WindClan had done. I had a wound on my side that was dressed in cobwebs, and it stung like fury. I watched as the other Clans turned there heads as we walked by, taking a spot by the bridge in case we needed to leave.

Firestar stalked towards the oak with cold fire in his eyes. He leaped up and took his spot on the tree without so much as a glance to the other leaders. I saw Mistystar and Blackstar look at eachotehr, but they didn't say anything. Onestar didn't look at all.

"Now that we are all... present," Blackstar began, "I would like to say something. ShadowClan has ridden themselves of the rogue cat, Sol. We are now a Clan once again, and we apologize for anything that may have transpired while we were... away."

I looked up, shocked. The Three hadn't interfered with ShadowClan's buisiness, or started the fake prophecy. Come to think of it, Tawnypelt and her kits hadn't come to ThunderClan, either. What could have happened over the border that caused ShadowClan to reunite with StarClan?

"In other news, we have a new apprentice, Nightpaw."

"Nightpaw! Nightpaw!" Although all Clans were cheering, ThunderClan cats were only giving it half of there effort. We were still shaken up by the battle.

"Very good, Blackstar," Mistystar said. She stepped forward on the oak. "As for RiveClan, we have three new kits; Mosspelt gave birth to them two days ago." At this news, even ThunderClan gave a decent cheer. There was no reason not to celebrate new life in another Clan.

However, we soon fell silent as Onestar stepped forward. I leaned in, wondering if he would give any mention of the raid his warriors had made on us.

"WindClan may not have been blessed with new kits or warriors this moon, but the moors are still running with prey, even so close to leaf-bear," the WindClan leader said smoothly.

"We will continue to thrive off the bounty of the land."

At this, Onestar stepped down. The other three leaders looked expectantly at Firestar, who had sat up. He stalked up to the branch, and leaped upon it with frightening speed.

"ThunderClan would have good news to report, but something terrible has happened. As you can see, most of our warriors here bear fresh wounds. They were not brought upon by foxes or badgers, no- these were made by cats."

I looked behind me to see Ashfoot and Crowfeather chatting nervously. I saw Antpelt look down in horror. The rest of the cats held their breath, waiting to see what the ThunderClan leader had to say.

Firestar threw ferocious glare at Onestar. "WindClan has declared war on us!"