This chapter is the last one. Excepting the epilogue. I really enjoyed writing it. Lots. Oh, you guys...you have no idea how exciting it was to finally spell out the last few letters of this chapter and see it all happen. From the beginning to the end, War of Shadows was an adventure that I loved.

I don't own Warriors. These are my ideas, but I got a lot of inspiration from The Last Hope and the other books in OotS. Enjoy!

Chapter 35

Lionblaze

Four will become two, Lion and Tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest. ~The Darkest Hour

"There's no end to them!" shouted Brambleclaw. Lionblaze glanced back at his foster father for a brief moment, ducking under a fast-moving shadow cat. "I don't understand why he can keep calling more! I thought they had stopped coming!"

Lionblaze fought back to Brambleclaw's side, and the two cats stood beside each other facing opposite directions, both panting, as the circle of shadow cats grew taller.

"We'll have to get to Tigerstar directly," said Lionblaze.

"How do we do that?" said Brambleclaw. "He just keeps summoning up more. We've been fighting and killing these things for half the day already!" He said all this in between beating another shadow cat senseless. Lionblaze nearly lost sight of him by trying to keep his own attackers back. Even he was growing tired; his muscles ached from the routine kicking and scratching, and he hadn't even summoned up a growl. It was routine at this point – a constant monotone that never ended.

"We'll fight in one direction," said Lionblaze. "He's on the other side of this stack, I know it. If we drive a path through the cats, we can reach him."

"Right," said Brambleclaw, returning to Lionblaze's side.

"So…" said Lionblaze. "You walk forward. Just keep walking forward. Cut a path in between them. I'll follow behind and keep the shadow cats off of you. Sound good?"

"Risky, but it's the only plan that stands a chance working," said Brambleclaw. "I'm ready when you are."

Lionblaze swept a shadow cat out of the air and pounced, sinking his teeth into it. Then he sprung back up to claw at the underbelly of another.

"Ready," he said. Brambleclaw nodded, and, fearing for himself when he did it, Lionblaze turned his back on the small amount of cats behind him and faced forward. Brambleclaw reared into the air and started moving, while Lionblaze jumped and swiped and kicked shadow cats out from both sides of him. His paws ached, and his claws were starting to hurt from cutting through so much shadow dust, but he still had power to rely on, and it served him well as he crisscrossed through the tide of shadow cats.

You can do it, Lionblaze! From out of nowhere, he felt Hollyleaf's voice weave around him, and though there was no accompanying spirit, he felt his heart lighten. He hadn't heard Hollyleaf's voice in…countless moons. Hearing it ringing in his mind, even though it may have just been his imagination, made his claws move faster. Then a swoop of air passed him from the back, and Lionblaze glanced up for a heartbeat to see a streak of fire glowing through the shadows.

"Firestar," he whispered.

"What?" said Brambleclaw, stopping in his tracks for just a moment to spin around. They both stared up, for a moment forgetting about the shadow cats, as a dancing cat of stars and flame moved through the shadow cats, green eyes glowing. For a second, the shadow cats paused all around them, and the spirit of Firestar rushed down to the ground, beaming.

"I don't have a real presence here," he said, and his voice seemed far away.

"Firestar…" said Brambleclaw. "I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you."

"I'm just glad I could protect my Clan this one last time," said Firestar. He looked between Brambleclaw and Lionblaze, and his green eyes were so powerful and ethereal that no shadow cat dared to swoop down upon them. "I entrust ThunderClan to you, Brambleclaw."

"If we survive this, it will be my only priority," said Brambleclaw. Firestar blinked once.

"Then survive," he said. "This is the final fight. Make it matter. I will stay beside you, but I cannot hold back these shadow warriors."

Brambleclaw nodded. Lionblaze nodded. Firestar held his head high, and then the trio turned and stared through the curtain of darkness.

"Let's finish this," said Lionblaze. Brambleclaw nodded, and he sprung forward again. Lionblaze leaped to his feet, Firestar coming in flashes beside him as Lionblaze pounced and clawed and bit. Brambleclaw was moving quicker now, so he didn't have as much time to hold back the shadowy warriors.

The sliding form of a half-shadow, half-tabby pelt caught their attention.

"I'll hold them back," said Brambleclaw. "You go after Tigerstar."

"Are you sure?" said Lionblaze. "Are you sure you can hold them back?"

Brambleclaw glared at him half-teasingly.

"I may not be invincible like you," he said. "But I can hold back a pawful of mangy shadow cats. Besides, this is your fight."

Lionblaze darted forward, Firestar at his side and Hollyleaf's scent still wavering in the air. He felt like he had all of their support.

Good luck, whispered Hollyleaf. I spent too much of my energy helping Jayfeather, so I can't stay with you. But I believe in you. I know you'll win this fight.

Lionblaze gasped out, not quite putting together the pieces on what this meant. Then Tigerstar stood before him, all power and might, and Firestar fell back behind Lionblaze.

"Make sure Brambleclaw is okay," Lionblaze said to Firestar. "I'll handle this."

"So brave," said Tigerstar in a voice hard and steely. He laughed, stalking forward. "Show me your power, first of the Good Four." He sneered the words. Lionblaze growled, summoning his strength, and then he pounced. Tigerstar waited for him, and Lionblaze could see his paw lifting. It all happened in what seemed like slow motion, as Tigerstar lifted his paw and moved, and Lionblaze saw it and dodged it. He flipped, using his tail for support, and feinted backwards, landing gracefully out of reach. As Tigerstar's paw extended, Lionblaze leaped at it instead and sank his teeth into the forepaw before throwing all his weight backwards. Any other cat would have been thrown.

Instead, Tigerstar merely took a step forward and slammed Lionblaze across the head with a massive paw. Lionblaze sank down, his ear throbbing and the scent of blood rising.

"I will finish you," said Lionblaze. "You should never have started this war."

"I will finish this war," said Tigerstar. "Then I will start a new world, one where the boundaries of dead and living aren't so clear. Where the Clans are strong and proper again."

This time, it was Tigerstar who struck first, and Lionblaze flattened himself, moving forward quickly and receiving a strike on his flank for his efforts.

"You may be quick," spat Tigerstar as Lionblaze reeled from the pain. "You aren't quite enough. To me, you're just a kit, powers or no."

Lionblaze glared back at him, trying to focus through the pain. He was stronger than this. He could do this. Back behind him, Brambleclaw was fighting for all he was worth to rid them of these pesky shadow cats. He couldn't let Firestar, let Brambleclaw, let ThunderClan down! With that in his mind, Lionblaze reached for Tigerstar again, and to his surprise, a feint and a zigzag paid off, and he was able to sink his teeth into the side of Tigerstar's neck and topple him. The great dark tabby rolled easily, sending Lionblaze crashing into the waiting claws of a tide of shadow cats. Lionblaze sliced through three at a time and propelled himself back into Tigerstar. The toms went down together in a hissing fit. Lionblaze felt Tigerstar's claws in his back, in his side, in his soft underbelly; he was well rewarded with the blows and scratches that Lionblaze inflicted in turn. Through a wall of shadow they fell, until at last Lionblaze felt warm throat under his jaw, and he squeezed with all his might. Tigerstar cast him back with one paw at his carelessness.

Lionblaze skidded to a stop, looking up at the leader of the Dark Forest.

"You cannot kill me," he snarled. "I! I am shadow itself! I am unbeatable."

He threw Lionblaze back, and Lionblaze crashed into a tide of shadowy warriors that ripped into his skin and tore at his wounds. Lionblaze cried out as something sharp dug into his chest, and for a second, everything stopped. He was released, and he fell sharply as pain shot through his body.

"Lionblaze!" Firestar's ghost was somewhere nearby. Lionblaze watched as Tigerstar growled at him for a few seconds before laughing. He felt his body go stiff, go into a strange sense of paralysis. Lionblaze looked down at his wound and saw darkness, inky and horrible darkness spreading along with his own blood.

I've been bitten, he thought. Lionblaze staggered to the side, trying to focus on Tigerstar, but the pain was so intense, so relentless, like a fire that blazed on forever…

His vision blurred, and in his blurry daydreams, he remembered Icecloud grinning up at him, such devotion and admiration in her eyes. He remembered her pushing him in the side when he made a silly joke and pushing him to the ground in their practice training bouts. He remembered her playing with Bouncepaw and Crouchpaw and standing there furiously while yelling at him. He remembered her sitting down all intense and interested when he told her about the prophecy, and how she always did something to help, and her little casual touches. He remembered every time she had ever said she loved him, and how she dreamed of having lots of kits one day – kits that were all so beautiful and tumbled over each other on their way to explore the new world.

He remembered Doveheart when she was first born, a tiny fluffball that grew up into a bigger fluffball. He remembered learning of her senses, and supporting her as they traveled to find the water, and how he had always worried about the way she looked at Tigerheart. He remembered relying on her for help with the prophecy, and spending time training her to become a warrior, and glowing as she stood up there getting her warrior name. He remembered all those times when she was sad or jealous of Icecloud and Cinderheart getting the attention from him and Jayfeather, and when she had walked away, her mind in another world. He remembered teasing her and making her laugh and laughing alongside her, and working so hard to rescue Rosepetal. He remembered sheltering her from everything that had ever been…wrong.

He remembered Jayfeather and Hollyleaf fighting over a piece of moss with him in a game, and how Jayfeather had never let his blindness get in the way of their games. He remembered sitting there under Brambleclaw's glaring knowing that Jayfeather could have been hurt because of their kithood adventure, and how Jayfeather had been so angry as an apprentice while Lionblaze enjoyed himself. He remembered how Jayfeather had finally become a medicine cat, switching places with Hollyleaf, and how he seemed disgruntled but secretly happy with what he was becoming. He remembered standing in the fire along his littermates and seeing their horror, feeling his own. He remembered Jayfeather pulling him back as the tunnels collapsed and Hollyleaf was pulled away from them forever. He remembered all the times Jayfeather had yelled at him for not paying attention to Cinderheart or Doveheart or the prophecy or just watching where he was going. He remembered Jayfeather looking sort of disgruntled but worried nonetheless when Lionblaze went out as a liaison, and he remembered his brother telling Ivypool the truth and yelling at Firestar because that was what Jayfeather had thought was right.

Icecloud was the bravest cat he had ever met. Doveheart's soul was so blindingly light and determined that it recharged him, too. Jayfeather's sense of right and wrong was stunning. He would be brave, too. He would be determined, too. He would do what was right.

Howling as he stood, Lionblaze got to his paws and faced Tigerstar.

"I will destroy you," said Lionblaze. "I will condemn you to the darkness, and you will burn forevermore." Then he reached into his chest and yanked the ball of shadows out of his wound, screaming harder at the white-hot pain nearly dragged him down.

"Impossible," sneered Tigerstar, but his amber eyes seemed worried. Lionblaze took the ball of darkness in his paw and leaped, growling, thinking of Doveheart and Jayfeather and Icecloud, and his jaws fastened around Tigerstar's throat. His claws sank deep into the dark chest fur, all wrapped in shadow, and he felt himself make contact with shadow itself. Lionblaze recoiled, tugging with all of his might.

Tigerstar stared at him, amber eyes glassy and suddenly afraid as Lionblaze spat out a mouthful of his ink-colored blood. The shadows had taken their hold, and Tigerstar staggered before collapsing in a heap. A moment later, and he vanished in a puff of asphyxiating smoke. Lionblaze coughed as it cleared.

Then he stood on just another hill in WindClan's territory. There was so much blood and shadow dust that the lake was red and violet at the edges, but there were cats standing there, on the edges staring at him. Cats by WindClan's camp staring at him. Cats in every hill and in every valley, just staring, just waiting. Cats that couldn't stare anymore resting in blood and shadow dust in their last resting places.

Lionblaze turned around to find Brambleclaw, wary of it all. Firestar stood there, blinking, as his starry pelt began to become transparent again.

"You've done it, Lionblaze," said Firestar. "You won."

Then the ThunderClan leader's spirit was gone, and Lionblaze saw Brambleclaw drag himself forcibly up the hill to where Firestar's corpse was still lying. With the last of his strength, Lionblaze pulled himself up beside Brambleclaw.

"We did it," said Lionblaze. Brambleclaw nodded solemnly.

"At heavy sacrifice," he said. Lionblaze stared down at Firestar, their great leader. Firestar had been a constant. He didn't know of a time when Firestar hadn't been their leader, pulling them through every great war there was. Because of Firestar, ThunderClan was…what it was. A wonderful home. A family. Something to believe in.

"Brambleclaw!" Lionblaze looked up to see Blackstar, Mistystar, Onestar, Doveheart, and Tigerheart thundering up the hill. "What is…" Blackstar fell silent as he laid eyes on Firestar's body.

"No…" said Onestar. He took a few hesitant steps forward.

"It was Thistleclaw and Tigerstar," said Brambleclaw in a heavy voice. "I wasn't quick enough to save him."

"You stopped Tigerstar," said Mistystar.

"Lionblaze stopped Tigerstar," said Brambleclaw, giving Lionblaze a long look. They all observed him. Doveheart took a few steps forward to press into Lionblaze's pelt. He smiled at her. She smiled back. It was a sad smile, a smile that had seen a lot of pain, but it wasn't so detached and depressed as before. "He had the strength to finish this battle. I sincerely hope that he will become ThunderClan's next deputy."

Lionblaze looked up at Brambleclaw at this pronouncement. Brambleclaw gave a dip of his head.

"Without your courage, none of this would be possible," he said. "I know that there is a ceremony that goes along with this, but I wanted to ask you."

"I would be honored to serve my Clan in whatever way you see fit," said Lionblaze. Doveheart purred and nudged his shoulder.

"Firestar was a great leader," said Blackstar, nodding down at the flame-pelted corpse that lay at their paws. "But I am ready to see what you will bring to ThunderClan, Brambleclaw."

"I will honor Firestar in my every action," said Brambleclaw. "He gave nine lives for ThunderClan. I would easily do the same."

"Though we cannot be united as we have on this day," said Mistystar, "I would still like to keep this peace that we have had."

"It is a good peace," agreed Onestar. "A hard-fought one is ahead."

"If there is anything that any of you should need," said Mistystar, turning to look at Blackstar, Onestar, and Brambleclaw. "Anything at all."

"We will all provide for each other to reconstruct," said Blackstar. "Especially you, Onestar. We essentially destroyed your home."

Onestar looked out over the moorland.

"It will recover," he said. "Just like we will. Then we will be stronger than we were before."

The others nodded solemnly.

"Brambleclaw," said Lionblaze. "I'll be back with you in a moment. I want to find Jayfeather." Brambleclaw nodded. Weary, mostly leaning on Doveheart, Lionblaze let her guide him away and up towards WindClan's camp.

They found Jayfeather and Bumblestripe and Leafpool settling Ivypool into a nest.

"You're covered in blood," was the first thing Lionblaze said.

"I killed Breezepelt and Brokenstar," said Jayfeather.

"Oh," said Lionblaze.

"You're covered in shadows," said Jayfeather.

"I killed Tigerstar," said Lionblaze.

"That's good to hear," said Jayfeather. He glanced down at Ivypool. "So, she's the fourth."

"She defeated Hawkfrost," Bumblestripe said, settling down beside his mate and nuzzling her chest fondly.

"She brought StarClan to help us," said Doveheart. "Without her, this battle would have been lost."

"Doveheart called the Clans to peace," said Jayfeather. "You were important, too."

"Without any of you, this battle would have been lost," said Leafpool.

Inside her nest, Ivypool stirred and lazily opened a blue eye.

"Ivypool!" Doveheart said warmly, licking her littermate's forehead. Ivypool muttered something that may have been Doveheart's name. Lionblaze wasn't sure.

"Can I talk to the three of you for a moment?" Jayfeather asked, his tone of voice changing. Bumblestripe and Leafpool recognized it and moved away, albeit reluctantly.

"Ivypool is the fourth," said Jayfeather. "She did brilliantly."

Ivypool didn't respond, but Lionblaze could nearly feel the shy excitement radiating off of her.

"That being said," said Jayfeather. "I believe that our destiny isn't quite fulfilled."

"What?" said Doveheart, her eyes going big. "This isn't it? Did we not win?"

"We won," said Jayfeather. He turned his eyes upwards, as if he was still in a conversation with StarClan. "But this is only half of our destiny. Next, we are to guide the next generation of heroes. I wanted to make sure you were okay with that."

"Guiding doesn't sound so bad," said Doveheart softly. "What do you say, Ivypool?"

Caught off-guard at being included, Ivypool shrugged.

"It sounds nice," said Ivypool. Lionblaze nodded his agreement.

"Excellent," said Jayfeather curtly. "And Lionblaze, by the way."

"Hm?"

"You should find Icecloud. She has something important to tell you."

Lol. I'm so happy to be ending a chapter on a light-hearted note. Especially a chapter like this.

I want my big farewell to be said in the epilogue, so do read on! If you have a final note for Lionblaze or any of the other characters, I would love to hear them. Lionblaze and the others really swung around for me in this story. I love them dearly.

~Elsi