Be ready. This is the start of what the whole book has been leading up to.

~Cara Lea

Chapter Thirty-four –Blood and Birth

"Great StarClan!" Dustcloud hollered, watching as another ripple passed over her mother's flank. "Our Clan is literally fighting with itself and her kits are coming!"

You couldn't have chosen a worst time, kits!

Sagepool put a paw on Gingertail's stomach as she undulated once again. Now that she was officially in labor, she started screaming in earnest. Her eyes seemed to roll back into her head and her voice cracked with the strain of screaming. Dustcloud shuddered involuntarily. She didn't have to be a medicine cat to know that this was not going well at all.

The white queen gaped up at Dustcloud in horror. In that shared look, something passed between the two queens that brought an understanding to the brown she-cat. If they didn't do something for her mother now, she was going to die.

"I'll get Moonblaze," she stammered, heading to the exit.

"Wait!" Leafkit squeaked from behind her.

"Mommy don't go!" Marshkit added.

"You'll die!" Tumblekit whimpered. Cedarkit was staring at Dustcloud as if he had never seen her before.

"Don't leave me like Petalsong did!" he begged. Dustcloud drew her ears back. She didn't want to hear her kits' pleading. Seeing the look on Cedarkit's face was horrible. He had already been abandoned by his real mother. Was Dustcloud going to abandon him too?

"I'll be right back," she promised. "I promise."

She turned her back before their bidding could turn her back. She needed her sister, and she would have to leave her kits to do it.

She burst into the clearing and choked in disbelief. Creampelt hadn't been lying. A small distance away, she could see Graypetal and Tealfur fighting side by side against Snakefang. Not far from them, Talonclaw had Spottedwhisker pinned down and was biting at his neck. Cedartail batted against Quickflight and Lichentooth to try and get into Briarstar's den. A dark mound lay on the ground outside her den already. A swooping sensation in her stomach almost made her throw up.

There were other cats there too. Banesong from ThunderClan swung his massive paw and sent Palemist sprawling. Quietstep, Poppycloud, and Whiskertail leaded onto the massive tom together. Ashpaw and Stonepaw had jumped onto the Clanrock and were swiping claws down into a cat that Dustcloud didn't know, but thought she might have seen at Gatherings.

A hiss sounded behind her, and she turned to see Petalsong approaching her. "Petalsong!" she breathed in relief. The queen seemed to be okay. There was a scratch bleeding on her cheek, and a chink was in her ear, but she was standing and otherwise unhurt. "Oh Petalsong, thank StarClan! Cedarkit was scared for you!"

But the small queen wasn't listening. She had unsheathed her claws and drew back her lips in a snarl. "I have been waiting for this, mouse-fodder!" she bellowed in triumph. "Believe me, I will enjoy it!"

And she leaped. Dustcloud screamed and jumped to the side. What on earth was Petalsong doing? Why was she attacking her own Clanmate? Why were any of them attacking their own Clanmates? She didn't have time to contemplate the answer, for Petalsong had recovered and was pouncing again.

Dustcloud ducked to the side and this time jumped on her. "Petalsong, stop!"

The dark tortoiseshell didn't listen. Instead she rolled onto her back and kicked at Dustcloud with well aimed paws. The breath was knocked from the dusky brown she-cat as she hit the dirt. She was going to die, she suddenly understood. Petalsong was with them, and she was fighting to kill. Her mind briefly went to the dark mound outside Briarstar's den. Was Dustcloud about to join one of her beloved Clanmates? Or was that cat with them too?

She realized that she didn't care. StarClan wouldn't have her anyway. If she fought for her Clan, she would be attacking Clanmates, but if she didn't fight, she would be letting her Clan down. StarClan be kind to my kits.

Petalsong licked her lips and made her leap. In midair, she was cat. It was Tinyclaw. The tom head-butted the dark queen, sending her off her course. Petalsong landed on her paws and faced the orange tom. "You?" she shrieked. "What are you doing?"

Dustcloud sat up and stared at her brother in confusion. She drew her ears back in horror. Petalsong looked surprised that Tinyclaw was facing her. That must mean…no. Tinyclaw had saved her. Hadn't he?

A scream from the nursery behind Dustcloud brought her to her senses. She didn't have time for this! She would find out later from Tinyclaw exactly what he was doing. Pushing her way through the throng, she made slow progress to the medicine den. She had to duck and swerve several times to avoid getting caught in the clash. Several times, she found herself facing a wounded Clanmate and not being able to decide just who they had been fighting for.

When she entered the medicine den, a large weight landed on top of her and a familiar voice sounded in her ear. "What do you want with us?"

"Moonblaze!" she cried in relief. "Moonblaze you have to come quickly!"

The weight lifted, and Dustcloud sat up. Her sister was sitting a short distance from her, staring at her uncertainly. "What's going on? Whose side are you on?"

Dustcloud shook as a powerful emotion took her. Did her sister believe she had come to attack her? "It's Gingertail! She's kitting."

"What?" Swanfeather's voice sounded from the shadows at the back of the medicine den. She padded out of the darkness, her eyes wild. "Right now?"

"Right now," Dustcloud answered. "And something's wrong. I don't know. We need a medicine cat!"

Swanfeather nodded. "Right. Moonblaze, we need burnet, and raspberry. Dustcloud, get some soaked moss." The head medicine cat raced back into her den. "Hurry!"

Dustcloud followed them back into the stocks. It was too dark to see, and she had to find her way by touch alone. Soon, she found herself in the very back, where moss grew on the damp stone. She clamped her jaws down on a large bundle of it and raced to the entrance. There, she collided with her sister as she stopped abruptly.

The crowd of fighting cats had parted, and Soddenpelt appeared. The old, senior warrior crouched in a hunter's crouch. "What is this?" he growled. "Going to help the enemy."

"No!" Swanfeather sobbed. "No, Soddenpelt, it's me, Swanfeather. I'm a medicine cat, remember! I'm honestly not your enemy."

The dark mottled tom unsheathed his claws. "If you're not with us, then you're with them!" he jerked his head to where the dark mound lay outside Briarstar's den. Swanfeather was shaking now, muttering soundlessly. Dustcloud wondered who it was over there, and who Soddenpelt was fighting for.

He didn't give time for more talk. His muscles flexed as he prepared to make his leap. "No!" came a new, but all together comforting voice. "You can't have her too!" And Cloverspirit appeared in Dustcloud's line of vision. The old gray warrior had been close to retiring, she knew. But as the two cats began to grapple, the old she-cat's muscles rippled in what little light the stars provided. Dustcloud glared up at the sky. StarClan had covered the moon. They weren't happy with what was going on in ShadowClan.

"Hurry!" Moonblaze's voice cut through Dustcloud's reverie. She looked down to see her sister nudge the older medicine cat with her head. "Remember, Swanfeather. Gingertail needs us!"

The she-cats raced across the clearing, batting cats away from them when they could. Squeezing into the nursery, the sounds of the battle became background noise when they saw what was waiting for them. Gingertail was panting, her eyes glazed with pain. Sagepool was licking her fiercely, but each of the dark queen's breaths was becoming shallower. There was blood everywhere. Sagepool's pretty white coat was covered in it. Red once more stained her mother's fur like it had after the battle with WindClan.

The kits had all been moved to the back of the nursery. Creampelt, Violetcloud, and Frecklecloud were all back there. They arched their backs and hissed in unison, then stopped when they saw who was there. Whitebirch and Geckotail were sitting at Gingertail's head, giving soft encouragements to her nearly unconscious daughter. Weedfoot was back with the kits. But as the medicine cats and Dustcloud entered the nursery, it became too crowded. Weedfoot nodded to Dustcloud as he passed her to head into the clearing. She sighed in relief. At least she knew which side he was on.

She set down the soaked moss. "Dustcloud!" Tumblekit called in relief. "You came back!"

The dusky queen trembled as she crossed over to them. "My brave kits," she breathed. "I'm going to have to ask you to be even braver tonight, okay my sweets?"

The kits glanced at one another. "Where's Petalsong?" Cedarkit asked from behind Frecklecloud. Dustcloud didn't look at the kit when she answered.

"She's out fighting, Cedarkit." She glanced up at Frecklecloud and knew that the tortoiseshell understood. By fighting, she didn't mean that in a good way.

"Mommy, what are you going to do?" Leafkit asked quietly. Dustcloud shivered.

"I'm going to go outside again, and stand watch from out there." She looked over at Sagepool, Whitebirch and the three medicine cats. They needed space. As long as Frecklecloud and the two queens were here, Dustcloud felt secure in leaving her kits. She knew that she could trust these three. They had always been close, and she couldn't imagine them letting a kit get hurt, let alone hurting one themselves. They had all been there when the battle had first started. Their surprise had not been something she could imagine them faking easily.

Dustcloud backed out of the nursery, ignoring her kits despair once more as she plunged into the cold of the outside world. Weedfoot, Rushclaw, and Leapwing were all there, ready to defend the nursery. As Dustcloud joined them, Rushclaw gave her one weary look. In that shared moment, relief swamped Dustcloud so thickly that she almost collapsed. He was fighting for whatever side she was. He would never hurt her, or let their kits get into trouble so young. He was on the same page she was. They were well and truly together.

Most of the fighting had died down a bit. Several mounds now littered the clearing. Dustcloud exhaled as shock began to filter into her. Warriors had collapsed where they fought. The dusky queen couldn't be sure who was dead, or who was too tired to remain standing. What looked like Quickflight's slim shape was lying in a heap outside the medicine den. He was thankfully still breathing. Dustcloud could see his chest rising and falling even from this distance. However, the cat next to him was lying ominously still. She thought her heart would burst right out of her chest as she recognized Cloverspirit. A soft sob escaped Dustcloud's throat. How could her Clanmates do this to one another? Cloverspirit had been old enough to retire. She had given her entire life to the Clan, and this was how she was repaid for it?

Over outside the warriors' den, Spottedwhisker had pinned Talonclaw. There was a long scar going down the dark tabby's stomach, and it bled freely. He was still alive, however, and was twitching irritably as Spottedwhisker dug his claws in.

Cedartail and Lichentooth, however, were circling one another outside Briarstar's den. "You fool, Lichentooth!" Cedartail slashed at the she-cat. "You could have joined us! You would have gotten so much from it!"

"You mean I would have been disgraced by StarClan!" she hissed, ducking his outstretched claws by barely a mouse-hair. "Fighting to kill my own Clanmates!"

"You could have had power!" he screamed, jumping for her. "But you were too cowardly to take it!"

Lichentooth ducked his pounce. "StarClan wouldn't grant power to a sore loser like you, who's been licking his wounds since Gorsefur got made deputy instead of you."

It was her turn to leap. As she pinned him down, his shrieking laughter rang out for all of the cats in ShadowClan to hear. "No, Lichentooth! It is you who have lost! Briarstar is dead! And Gorsefur got what was coming to him." The long-furred she-cat dug her claws into his throat. "Go ahead and kill me!" he spat gleefully. "But remember, it was I who won tonight! ShadowClan is leaderless!" His words were cut off in a gurgle as she tore her claws broke away from his throat, leaving a large gash that oozed with blood. The gray tom twitched and then was still.

Lichentooth took a step back from the body and gave a large caterwaul. Cats were now breaking apart. Spottedwhisker gave Talonclaw a contemptuous kick before stepping back. The dark tabby didn't even notice; he was too busy staring at his dead father in horror.

Geckotail brushed past Dustcloud, Swanfeather hard on his paws. The two medicine cats raced to the medicine den to get their supplies. Slowly, the dusky queen registered that now that the fighting was over, it was time to begin healing those who were injured.

Did that mean that Gingertail had stopped kitting? Dustcloud spun around on her paws and raced back into the nursery. Her kits surrounded her, squeaking indignantly that she had left them. She gave them each a lick, but eyed her mother. She was curled up between Whitebirch and Moonblaze, fast asleep. Suckling at her stomach were two healthy kits.

Rather than fill her with happiness, the sight of Gingertail's newest litter made her want to throw up. The first was a little white tortoiseshell she-kit. She was a pale copy of her grandmother. It was easy to see the family in her. The little tom, however, was a long-furred black tabby. He almost looked like a wisp of smoke, he was that fuzzy. But he already had his tabby markings, and it was that ultimately that made Dustcloud's blood run cold. He looked exactly like Rootclaw had in life.

Dustcloud collapsed into her nest, covering her muzzle with her paws. Her Clan was torn in two, with many of the cats on both sides now walking with StarClan. She had no idea who had died fighting for what, all she knew was that they had once hunted with her, and they had betrayed her. She had almost been depending on the ending of the battle to mean that her mother was safe. But if what Cedartail said was true, ShadowClan was leaderless, without a deputy, and now had numbers that couldn't even look at one another. And after everything that happened tonight, the birth of Gingertail's kits now signified another war was on the way. Because if ThunderClan ever got wind of what these kits looked like, they would surely fight to keep them.

Oh StarClan! she moaned inwardly. How could you be so cruel?

If StarClan was watching, they didn't answer her silent prayer.