Thanks for the reviews. You all are my inspiration to keep going. Anyway, we are going to be leaving Heathertail in DarkClan for the next chapter or so, as we are going back to the war and the HollyxBlack relationship.

Chapter 35

Siege

The war had begun half a moon ago now, and the warriors fighting for StarClan had somewhat scattered now. Several small encampments had been made throughout the territories. Several warriors were now under siege in the ThunderClan camp.

"We can't hold them off much longer! We'll surely starve here! And if we go outside to hunt, we'll be killed!" wailed a cat.

"No! There must still be hope. There is always hope," Foxleap snarled. Spottedflower stood beside him, eyes flashing in agreement.

"We can still defeat them," she mewed.

"You're wrong! They have us surrounded. We may as well just give up and die now," a cat hissed.

Foxleap leapt onto the Highrock. "You're all wrong! As long as we have hope, we can still win this battle!" he yowled.

A few cats glanced nervously upward, as if warry of the enemies who were hiding in the bushes above the camp.

Foxleap gestured towards the warriors' den, and he and the other cats in the camp made their way inside.

"There's not really much point in strategy, as we have no idea where our enemies are. However, we will still fight them. If you are injured, come back to the camp. The apprentices can do there best to make this place impossible for enemies to enter and navigate by knocking rocks on their heads is enemy warriors come in. But only enemy wariors."

The apprentices nodded vigorously.

"Warriors will fight if they wish, but I encourage each of you to. That will increase our chances for victory. This is one of the most important bases we have, as all medicine cats are here." Foxleap turned to Jayfeather. "Jayfeather, is it possible for you to enter our enemies dreams and try to frighten them away?"

Jayfeather blinked. He had never thought of using his power that way. "That just might be the best idea you've ever had, other than trying to rally these warriors to fight. I'll try that right now. It's getting dark, so some of them will likely be sleeping now." Jayfeather left to go to his den to sleep and try to enter the dreams of their enemies.

The other medicine cats also left to help the apprentices with gathering rocks to throw at their enemies. The warriors prepared for battle.

Kill him. Jayfeather is asleep, it will be an easy kill. Kill him! Do it now! Spottedflower swueezed her eyes shut and gasped for breath. She knew it was a Dark Forest cat speeking to her, once again urging her to murder one of the three. No! I won't!

"Are you alright?" Spottedflower turned to see Foxleap staring at her, concern evident in his bright green eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine." She leaned against the cat she loved.

"When all this is over, we will be together, forever," Foxleap promised. Spottedflower purred.

Foxleap gave the signal, and the cats left the ThunderClan camp. They scattered through the forest, battling the cats stationed around the perimeter.

Spottedflower quickly killed two enemies. Suddenly, the sounds of fighting cats vanished from her ears. She glanced wildly around. The sound of her own heart pounding filled her ears as Brokenstar appeared before her.

"You cannot win this war," he mewed. "Not on the side that you believe you are on." His words were all she heard, other than her heart pounding in her chest.

"You're wrong!" she mewed determinedly.

"You are not a warrior of StarClan, but a warrior of the Dark Forest. As a kit, we gave you special abilities, abilities that would help you kill the three. You are our chosen assassin. It is your destiny to destroy them. It is what you were born for."

"No!" she shrieked, but visions overcame her. Dark Forest cats, granting her powers to rival the three, to destroy them. StarClan looking down upon her sadly, unable to save her from the fate the Dark Forest had created for her. Spottedleaf joined her and Brokenstar, looking at her sadly.

"I'm sorry," the former ThunderClan medicine cat mewed, sympathy in her voice. "It's true."

Spottedflower let out a yowl of horror as the two cats faded from her vision and the sounds of battle returned. Foxleap suddenly ran over to her.

"Are you alright?" he mewed, staring at her in shock. He had heard her horrified yowl.

"Stay away from me!" she mewed, voice high and shrill.

"What;'s wrong?"

"I don't want to hurt you!" She was clearly terrified.

"Why would you hurt me?"

"Because of the Dark Forest!" She was now standing perilously close to the cliffs that formed the ThunderClan camp.

"What do you mean?"

"Thaty've had control over me since I was a kit! I never knew it till now, but they made me their assassin! I don't want to be! They are trying to make me kill the three! I don't want to do it, but they'll force me to!" The fear in Spottedflower's eyes was evident as she stood at the edge of the cliff. She was trembling, and her breath came in short, ragged gasps. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I can't go on like this, not knowing what I am destined to do because of them. I love you, Foxleap." She turned then, and without another word, jumped off the cliff and fell to her death.

"No!" Foxleap yowled. Around him, the battle was ending. Yowls of victory from the warriors fighting for StarClan sounded.

He truned and went to the camp entrance. No enemies had made it into the camp. Cats were beginning to gather around Spottedflower's broken, bleeding body. All her wounds but one came from the fall. The fall. It was not a fall, but a jump. She had killed herself.

Jayfeather left his den and made his way over to her."What happened?" he asked, looking at Foxleap in particular.

"She killed herself. She jumped from the cliff," Foxleap mewed.

"Foxleap, tell me everything," Jayfeather mewed.

As Foxleap told them everything that Spottedflower had told him, their eyes widened.

"She chose death over obeying the Dark Forest and destoying the clans," Jayfeather mewed. "She died a hero. She was very brave."

All the cats bowed their heads to keep a vigil over Spottedflower as Foxleap pressed his nose into his beloved's fur one last time.

Well, that was a tragic chapter. The cats won't be speaking at all this chapter. Next one will have more HollyxBlack.

Hollyleaf: Will not!

Aduial Rana: Hey! You're not supposed to be speaking!

Hollyleaf: Well deal with it!

Aduial Rana: Grr. Well, don't forget to vote on the poll I have on my profile! Also, Review! 10 more before next chapter is posted, and I also want three more people to vote on my poll as well before I post another chapter. And to encourage you to review, I will be giving away plushies on each chapter to every reviewer! Plushies for this chapter: Foxleap and Spottedflower plushies! And you don't have to choose from the two, each reviewer gets both!