Hey, guys. Now it's time to see some real action. The battle begins!

"Featherheart, I found the cat who killed you," I said. Featherheart nearly dropped her possum in shock. "Who?"

"It's Hareflight of RiverClan," I said triumphantly. "He was convicted as a Clan traitor and sent off to live with some loner. I don't know what kind of a punishment that is. Anyways," I added, snorting, "I still don't know his location as of now, but I'll work on it."

"Yeah, work on it," agreed Flowerstar.

"Here's the plan," Sandfur said. "After you and Featherheart deal with Hareflight, go and catnap a RiverClan cat, preferably someone close to Sassafrasstar, and bring them here. Make sure your scent trail is strong so that we can lead Sassafrasstar straight back to us. We can then torture and kill her ourselves."

"I'm going to sleep," Featherheart yawned, heading to her moss nest.

I found some moss and arranged it right next to Featherheart, curling up beside her. Everything was going perfectly. Only three more days until it was all over.

CHAPTER 33: THE BATTLE BEGINS

Whitepaw's POV

That day, I went to sleep as soon as I got home. All the medicine supplies and stretchers were stored in the medicine den. It also took up some space in Bluemist's den, so he and I had to share a room. I tried to fall asleep, but throughout the night I kept having nightmares.

Just before the morning, I had the strangest dream. I was in a tunnel underground, and suddenly, the ground below me was shaking. I screamed and tried to run, but then the exit in front of me was blocked. Then the tunnel collapsed on top of me, and I felt myself suffocating…

I screamed. The scream woke Bluemist up, and he shook me awake. "Whitepaw!" he yelled.

I opened my eyes to see him in front of me.

"Are you all right?"

"No," I said, sounding hysterical. "Do I look alright? The tunnel just collapsed on me and" –

Bluemist shoved something into my mouth. I swallowed, and recognized the taste of thyme. I started to relax.

"You were having a nightmare," he said.

"Oh," I said, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry."

"I had a nightmare too," said Bluemist grimly. "I dreamed that the Legion defeated us. And then… I saw Goldensun being killed in front of my eyes."

"I'm sorry," I murmured, feeling even guiltier that my dream hadn't been about the Legion. It had been about some stupid tunnels. "We should get up. The battle will be starting soon."

"You're right, it's almost sunrise," he agreed. "Let's go."

I helped Bluemist lug some of the medicine supplies out. Everyone was going, except for the queens, elders, kits, Greennose and Heronclaw. They were going to guard Soot and help the queens hunt for the Clan, if necessary.

WindClan had already arrived at our camp, and Mapleleaf helped us with the stretchers. Soon ShadowClan arrived, and then lastly ThunderClan.

"Listen up everyone," said Whitestar, climbing up the Lakeledge, "we are going into a very tough battle today, with cats who have no sense of honor. Some cats will die."

Wow, very reassuring, I thought sarcastically.

"We will go into battle to rescue our cats who were captured," Whitestar continued, looking around. "We will fight for the right to keep our claim to this land, which our ancestors came to a long time ago. Together, we will win!"

A cheer rang among the Clan cats as they yowled, "Whitestar! Whitestar!" But the cheer was interrupted by the annoying sound of Darkstar's voice.

"We don't need the pep talk," said Darkstar impatiently. "Let's just go."

There was a gasp of anger from the cats, as if they couldn't believe Darkstar was interrupting an important speech. Darkstar? I thought he was sick, I thought. Why did Darkstar have to come?

Oh well. We would have to have him along. He wasn't nominated as leader of the alliance, thank StarClan, so it wasn't like he'd be able to do anything.

"Ready for this?" I whispered to my siblings. They nodded.

"Let's just go," called Whitestar, clearly noticing Darkstar and the anger that some Clan cats were displaying. "I think it would be better not to delay the battle." We began the march into the Legion's territory.

Talon met us at his home.

"How is Hareflight?" asked Sassafrasstar.

"I told him to stay home today," he answered, gesturing to the Twoleg den to the right of us. "What are you here for?"

"We're going to fight the Legion," answered Sassafrasstar. "Clove is going to fight with us. Will you join?"

Talon grunted. "Well, only a cold-hearted fool would leave his sibling to fight a battle alone," he said. "I trust my sister's judgment. If she believes that your cause is worthy, I'm in."

"Good," said Sassafrasstar. "You are going to join a group of cats who are going to rescue the cats in the high-security vaults."

"Alright," said Talon. "Is my sister in the patrol too?"

"Naturally," answered Sassafrasstar. "We think since you and Clove know this area well, you can help us defeat the Legion."

"Well, we don't know this place that well," Talon grunted, "but we'll do our best." He glanced out at the stream. "Will Hareflight join in the fight?"

"No," answered Sassafrasstar, shortly. "He's not a member of RiverClan."

"Cats of the Clans, get ready for the attack!" shouted Whitestar. "Look, the river is over there."

Whitestar had chosen Sunstreak to hunt the prey. She found a squirrel on the ground and promptly killed it. Blood dripped from her paws, forming a nice trail on the ground. "This should attract them," she said.

"Sassafrasstar, you lead the first patrol," said Whitestar. "I'll lead the second one. Good luck." He and his group disappeared into the forest.

"Whitepaw," whispered a voice. I looked up to see Clove. "We're going to stay here for a while, then when the second patrol attacks, we'll make a run for it."

I nodded. "Will do," I said, following her to the forest, where the ThunderClan-WindClan patrol was.

We waited for a while, until the scent of Legion cats came into the air. I shuddered, but remembered to be calm. The battle would go fine. It had to.

"Why, hello," I heard a she-cat's voice. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Kettle, temporary deputy of the Legion until our friend Soot comes back." Her eyes flashed. "What have you done with him, by the way?"

"He's a RiverClan prisoner," answered Sassafrasstar. "That's what happens when you wander on our territory."

"I can't believe you were stupid enough to come into our territory and think you'd escape alive," she sneered. "Legion, attack."

It happened so fast that I could barely breathe. The Legion cats barreled onto the warriors, attacking mercilessly. But the warriors fought back. Just – not so well.

"Now it's time to go!" Whitestar whispered. "Our turn to attack!"

Everyone except me and the rescue-patrol cats ran out after Whitestar, attacking the surprised Legion cats. They clearly hadn't expected reinforcements.

"It's now or never," Frostheart whispered. "Let's go."

Meanwhile…

Swanpaw's POV

I fought a russet-furred she-cat, wincing as I hit my paw against a stone. That one move was enough for her to pin me down, my paw uncomfortably twisted under me.

I pretended to be limp for a second, then sprang up. This surprised her as I twisted out from under her, like a snake. I dove straight into the water, any RiverClan cat's sanctuary, and began to splash. The she-cat was blinded temporarily, and I took advantage of that to shove her into the water.

The she-cat gasped as I held her down firmly, stopping her from breathing. Suddenly I froze.

I was doing the exact same thing to this she-cat as Hareflight had done to Featherheart.

I removed my paws from her back. She sprang up to the surface, beginning to cough. She glared at me.

"Get out," I advised her. "And don't come back again."

The she-cat spat a mixture of blood and water out of her mouth and stormed away.

So far, it seems the battle has been going fairly well. There have been some injuries, but all the injured cats have been able to go to the medicine cats on their own. There have been no deaths or major injuries – well, at least not yet.

I kept that thought in mind as I searched around for the next Legion cat to battle.

Meanwhile…

Sweetsong's POV

All was according to plan. No cat had seen us slip out from the battlefield, and we made it to the prison area. Now we had to figure out how to rescue the others.

"Are you okay?" I asked Whitepaw, who was staring quietly at the ground. He flattened his ears.

"I'm fine," he said softly. "Just worried about my siblings."

I sighed. "I'm worried about Hareflight too."

"You know, about Hareflight"… Whitepaw shifted his paws. "I think you should forgive Flamepaw."

I stared at him in surprise. "But Flamepaw insulted Hareflight," I exclaimed. "He said Hareflight wasn't fit to be a warrior. How can I forgive him for insulting my brother?"

"He's been through a lot," Whitepaw answered. "He misses Eaglekit more than any of us, and"…

I snorted. "All of us miss Eaglekit. Besides, that doesn't give him an excuse to be rude."

"You know Sweetsong, I honestly think he likes you," said Whitepaw suddenly.

I stared at him. "Likes me?" I repeated incredulously. "What makes you think that?"

"Ever since you went with him to ShadowClan, he's always admired you," Whitepaw answered. "I think he looks up to you like a big sister. He just doesn't know how to show it."

I sighed. Whitepaw was my friend, but he wasn't always right about other cats' feelings.
"I don't think so."

"Trust me," Whitepaw insisted. "You're the cat he needs to get over Eaglekit. If that happens, he'll easily forgive Hareflight."

"Guys, enough chatter!" Frostheart called out to us. "There are guards over there!"

Sure enough, four cats were standing in front of the prison, not really hearing us. Fortunately, they looked a bit tired and would seem easy to overcome, but we couldn't underestimate the Legion. There could be more of them around.

"How do you plan on diverting the attention of those guards?" asked Talon.

"I have an idea," said Clove. "Sweetsong, Whitepaw, and I will go and rescue the missing cats. The rest of you should attack those guards."

"Sounds good," agreed Frostheart. "I'll lead the patrol." She marched out with the other cats behind her.

"What are you Clan cats doing here?" one of the guards demanded. "Well guess what? You're going to become prisoners!"

"Yeah, not going to happen. ATTACK!" Frostheart roared. Everyone threw themselves at the guards.

Although these guards were supposed to be strong, there were only four of them on duty and they were no match for eight cats. They struggled, but could not fight.

"Now's our chance," Clove whispered. We ran to the side of the Twoleg den and tore the brambles apart. "Let's go."

Meanwhile…

Flamepaw's POV

The first major injury happened quickly.

I saw Cedarpaw fighting a Legion cat, barely able to hold it up. He slashed the apprentice hard in the belly, and Cedarpaw wailed. Then he slashed his legs, which made him unable to stand up.

"Bye bye," the Legion cat laughed. For a moment, I thought he was about to kill Cedarpaw, but he instead just walked away, laughing, leaving Cedarpaw to suffer on the ground.

I was furious. "Hey, siblings!" I shouted. "I need a stretcher over here!"

"Got it!" yelled Swanpaw. She, Waterpaw, and Foxpaw dragged a stretcher to where Cedarpaw lay.

Since me, my siblings, Cedarpaw, Foxpaw, and Featherpaw were the only apprentices across all the Clans, Mapleleaf put us in charge of transporting cats to stretchers. If we saw a severely injured cat, we should carry them onto one. Unfortunately, Cedarpaw had been goaded into fighting the Legion cat and wasn't able to defend himself properly. But thankfully, that was what we were here for. I helped them lift Cedarpaw onto the stretcher.

Then came the tricky part. From there, we had to carry the stretcher back to the medicine cats. It took four of us to carry it, since none of us were anywhere near as strong as a full-grown warrior. When we reached the medicine cats, we had to let down the stretcher very carefully. First, Swanpaw came out from under the stretcher and carefully placed her corner on the ground. Then Waterpaw had to let it down. Then next came me, and last, Foxpaw.

"Good work," Bluemist praised. He and Mapleleaf lifted Cedarpaw off the stretcher, so it could be used for another cat. They placed Cedarpaw on the ground.

"He'll be fine," said Mapleleaf after a minute. "He just can't fight for a while." She placed cobwebs on his fur.

Suddenly I heard a scream. I turned around to see Darkstar battling with Kettle. Kettle kicked him to the ground and slashed his legs. "Bye, Stupidstar," she laughed. "It was nice knowing you. Have a good life – what's left of it." Still laughing, she walked off as Darkstar lay groaning on the ground.

"Darkstar!" gasped Featherpaw. "Let's go!"

We grabbed another stretcher and rushed to his rescue. It was difficult to lift Darkstar onto the stretcher, but we somehow managed. We lifted the stretcher onto our backs, but staggered with the weight.

When we reached the medicine cats, Oakleaf and Mapleleaf lifted Darkstar off of the stretcher and placed him on the ground. Mistfur let out a hysterical scream. "Darkstar!" she yelled.

"Flamepaw, go get me some cobwebs," Bluemist said. I nodded and dashed to the pile of herbs.

"No!" Mistfur yelled. "Darkstar, you can't die!"

"What's the big deal?" I asked. "It's not like he can't come back to life another time"…

Bluemi st shot me a warning look. I stopped, surprised.

"So Darkstar is on his last life?" asked Swanpaw.

"Yes," cried Mistfur. "He won't survive."

"Let's see if we can try to save him, instead of crying that we can't," Oakfur said sensibly. "She-cats," he muttered, picking up some marigold and applying poultice to Darkstar's wounds.

Darkstar looked up at Mistfur, and then at all of us. It was a small glance, but somehow, I knew what he was trying to say, but couldn't. This was it. This meant goodbye. He closed his eyes for the last time, and then his body went very still.

"Oh no!" cried Mistfur.

"Mistfur, we have to keep on top of ourselves," said Oakleaf firmly. "We have more cats to save. You cannot grieve for Darkstar now."

I stood and stared at the ongoing battle, wondering how many more lives it would take.

Meanwhile…

Whitepaw's POV

Inside the den, there were three stalls stuffed with brambles. I looked at them and knew at once that the three prisoners were in there.

"We'll each take one," whispered Clove.

I opened one of the stalls, undoing the brambles. As I finished, I suddenly felt something hit me. Blood dripped down my shoulders, and I yelled in pain.

"You guards are not going to taunt me anymore! I don't care what you do to me after this!" the voice yelled.

"I'm not a guard," I said quickly. "I'm here to rescue you!"

"You are? What's your name?" asked the tom.

"Whitepaw," I said. "I've the RiverClan medicine apprentice."

The tom squinted. "I'm Runningpaw."

"Well, Runningpaw," I said, "we have to get out of here. My friends Clove and Sweetsong are liberating Swiftwind and Goldensun."

I heard a squeal of delight behind me. Sweetsong was affectionately licking her father's shoulder.

"It was pure torture in there," Goldensun muttered. "But I'm happy to see you again, Sweetsong." He cast her a loving glance.

Meanwhile…

Turtlepaw's POV

I stood in the Twolegplace, looking for Talon's home.

Ahead of me, I could see a fight was going on. The Legion and… the Clans? I squinted to see. Sure enough, the cats in the Clans were fighting together against the Legion cats. So they had planned an attack that I didn't know about.

I felt a twinge of shame, and for a moment, I considered joining them. But that would be counterproductive to my plans. Besides, I was now independent. I couldn't be a part of a Clan. They'd never welcome me after what I'd done.

They've never welcomed you before, I thought. Why should you ever do them a favor? They don't deserve it!

Suddenly I caught it. A whiff of Hareflight's scent. It was very vague, but it was still there. I stopped dead, trying to figure out where it was from.

It's coming from that Twoleg den, I realized. I've got to find him!

I ran out from the trees, towards the Twoleg den. I had to get to Hareflight. It was time for my revenge.

Flamepaw's POV

Suddenly, I saw something in the distance. A tortoiseshell she-cat was running from the forest, across the meadow and into Talon's home. It all happened very fast, but I saw it quite clearly.

"Flamepaw? What is it?" Swanpaw whispered to me. I was thinking about the tortoiseshell she-cat. Who could she be?

With a flash, I suddenly knew who it was. I could be wrong, but if it was her, Hareflight would be in big trouble! I had to go after her.

I didn't know why I was doing this. I hated Hareflight, so why was I going to help him?

But somehow, this felt right. No matter my personal feelings of Hareflight, he should at least be given a chance. And I knew Turtlepaw would never give him any chance.

"Oh, Swanpaw?" I said. "Listen, you and Waterpaw stay here and help all the injured warriors. And whatever you do, do not follow me. And especially don't let Waterpaw."

"Flamepaw? What are you talking about?" demanded Swanpaw.

"Well, um – Look, just trust me, okay?" I said. "Stay right here."

I sped off towards the Twoleg den before I could change my mind.

Hareflight's POV

I sat in the room Talon had given me, wondering how the Clans were doing. Talon had specifically told me to stay inside while he went to talk with Sassafrasstar. But I'd listened on their conversation, and heard every word.

When Talon had asked if I would join the battle, Sassafrasstar's answer was curt and short. No. He's not a member of RiverClan. That crushed me. I knew I had betrayed RiverClan, and it was no cat's fault but my own, but couldn't she trust me? Couldn't things go back to the way they used to be?

A sudden creak in the door drew my attention. A tortoiseshell she-cat entered the room.

"Turtlepaw?" I asked in surprise. "What brings you here?"

The she-cat glared at me, claws outstretched. Then she pounced.

I gasped as I hit the ground. "What are you doing?" I screeched.

"You killed Featherheart," Turtlepaw snarled. "You stupid little fox-heart." She drew her claws deep into my flanks, and I gasped in pain. "You filthy little traitor. I can't believe you thought you could betray the Clans and kill my friend." She bared her teeth. "Prepare to share her fate."

I tried to defend myself, but Turtlepaw was too strong. She laughed at my weak attempts to shove her off.

Then suddenly, the door slammed open, and I heard a yell.

"STOP!"

Meanwhile…

Whitepaw's POV

"It's time to go," said Swiftrunner. "We'd better go, before the Legion cats turn up here."

I agreed. There was no way I wanted to be caught by these cats a second time. Once was bad enough.

We started to walk outside, making sure to keep our pawsteps quiet. We turned the corner towards the clearing.

And then I had the biggest shock of my life.

Twelve Legion cats were standing in the clearing, all of them holding a Clan cat captive. I saw Darkbird struggling with her captor and Yellowstripe shooting me a desperate look. A thirteenth cat entered the stage – Luke. When he spoke, his voice was smooth and silky.

"Greetings," he purred. "I seem to remember you as the scrawny apprentices who escaped me before." His eyes shot daggers at Sweetsong and me. "Too bad you won't be escaping again."

Ooh, cliffie! For two POVs! What's going to happen next? Stay tuned for the next part!

Next chapter:

- Whitepaw and Sweetsong have to figure out a way to escape from Luke and his Legion cats.

- Flamepaw and Hareflight see what is going on with Turtlepaw.

- Swanpaw and Waterpaw are left to fight the Legion cats, and must help their Clan win the battle.

AOTD: I got a music stand. I've been wanting a decent one for a while, because I have this dinky portable one which just collapses all the time. But then I got one which actually works now. I also got a game for Wii U. It's Super Mario 3D World and it's pretty cool.

QOTD 1: With the whole argument between Flamepaw and Sweetsong, which one of them do you side with? Do you side with Flamepaw and think that Sweetsong is being overemotional? Or do you side with Sweetsong and think that Flamepaw is a jerk?

QOTD 2: What do you think is going to happen with Hareflight, Flamepaw, and Turtlepaw?