This is the last chapter until I put up an epilogue, but I'm not sure when I'm going to do that.

It burned.

Bone watched hollowly as smoke filled the reddening sky. The building that had once been Frost's home burned to ash before his eyes, erasing the existence of the dead cats inside. The flames lifted into the night and even from the other side of the street, Bone could feel the heat. He had started the fire intentionally with some live electrical cords and he knew it wouldn't be long before the emergency housefolk arrived to try and put out the flames. But they wouldn't be fast enough to save the remains of his mate and the others he had left to burn. Lost's sharp teeth were now a permanent part of his collar but everything else would be kept safe in his memory.

He turned away as the mechanical wails began to fill the night air, a sign that the first-responders were on the way, and began his slow saunter back to his hideout. His legs felt heavy with emotion- but it wasn't grief. He didn't know what it was. He felt in him an emptiness that stripped meaning away from all the things he used to care about. All he had left was a cold and black fire fueled by hatred.

He shook his head, trying to remember what it felt like to love again, but all he could picture was his mate's blank lifeless face as it stared at him when he had entered the room. Maybe it's for the better, he thought, taking the final turn in the street and padding down the dark alleyway. The dirty towels in a box that he called his bed promised a long and restless night as he wrestled with his own thrashing thoughts. She would have wanted to die fighting.

He made it back to his den without meeting any other cats- luckily for them; he might have ripped them apart on sight. He arrived in his cold corner of the alley and, fittingly, the one light that had hovered over his box had burned out leaving him in shadow. He curled up in his dirty nest on icy paws and closed his eyes without even removing his dog-tooth claws. His mind hurt too much to think about anything right then, so hopefully in the morning he would know what to do about his violent mix of feelings.

"Well done, Bone! I'm so proud of what you have accomplished in my name."

His eyes shot open to find himself face to face with his old leader in the derelict houseplace of his nightmares. The tiny cat's black pelt seemed to meld with the shadows but his piercing blue eyes were as cold and real as they had ever been. "What do you want, Scourge," Bone growled sourly, really wishing he could have had a normal dream to rest his tired heart.

The small cat purred evilly, relishing how uncomfortable he made his old deputy. "Aww, you don't sound pleased to see me at all." His eyes flashed. "What's the matter, still moping over your she-friend's death?"

A spark of hot fury erupted from Bone's chest at the comment and he took a deep breath. "Be careful what you say about my mate," he warned in a deathly cold tone.

But Scourge ignored the threat. "Bone, you did what I wanted you to do and now every house cat will remember us as the cats who took over the forest. Those other cats who perished to achieve our dream mean nothing. You've grown soft if you've forgotten the ultimate purpose of being leader of BloodClan: power."

Bone's paws quivered with rage the more Scourge spoke. "You're wrong," he hissed, his voice shaking with disgust. "I didn't take over the forest just for me, I did it for every cat living in the houseplace. Especially those loyal to me who gave up their lives for my cause."

"Pshh, are you talking about cats like Snipe or Lost? Or maybe even Reaper?" Scourge's voice became even shriller with sick laughter. "They are nothing! The only thing that matters is BloodClan won and we will trod gleefully over the corpses of every cat who has died to get us there."

"So cats like you?" Bone asked.

The corners of Scourge's toothy grin quivered slightly at Bone's openly mutinous statement. "No, Bone, I will be remembered as one of the cats who took over the Clans since I started the war. I won in the end."

It was Bone's turn to laugh. "You failed! You died at the very beginning and we all walked on your corpse to achieve victory. There is no our BloodClan, there is only my BloodClan, and I've treated my cats with respect because we all want the same thing." He paused to take another shaky breath. "If any cat is to be left behind it's the failure named Scourge whose cats abandoned him after he died. When I fell, BloodClan kept fighting because I taught them what it means to be a Clan who fights for themselves, not just to please their tyrant!"

The smile had fully disappeared from the small black cat's face and it had been replaced by a look of pure loathing. In the past, Bone would have been afraid of a look like that, but not now. Now he was just as much a monster as Scourge was. "Bone, everything you have ever done has been in my shadow. It would be unwise to make the shadow displeased."

But Bone had heard enough. "I've outgrown you, Scourge. BloodClan will forever remember me as the leader who took over the forest to feed his subjects, while you will be remembered as the cat who gave kits nightmares. You will soon be forgotten but my story will continue through the generations long after I'm dead."

Scourge's eyes flashed. "Then allow me to speed along your passing."

Bone barely had time to duck as the tiny creature flung itself at his head. But he wasn't quite quick enough cause he felt his ear tear as a tiny paw flew out as it whooshed by.

Bone found a comfortable fighting stance, aware of how real the pain in his ear felt. He didn't know if Scourge would actually kill him in real life if he killed him in a dream, but he couldn't take the chance. There was no time for words since the small black monster was already lining up for another attack and Bone knew the fight would end if Scourge managed to get behind or beneath him. The damage those dog-tooth claws could inflict- but he doesn't have those in the dream realm. He's just normal a regular cat with his own tiny claws. Scourge was still a threat without his reinforced claws and Bone dodged again as the lightning bolt of evil struck again.

Bone lunged forward with his jaws agape, aiming for the smaller cat's neck, but Scourge dodged effortlessly and landed another painful blow to Bone's muzzle as he danced to the side. Bone yelped as his own blood got in his eyes and out of pure instinct leaped to the side in his moment of blindness. At the same time he felt his fur rustle as Scourge dashed by.

"Who would have thought you would have been so difficult to kill," Scourge sneered humorlessly.

"I know all of your tricks," Bone growled, blinking the blood from his eyes so he could see again. "Nothing you do will surprise me."

"Is that so?" Scourge challenged, but without waiting for a response, he attacked again, anticipating Bone's dodge and seeming to change direction in mid-air. He landed squarely on Bone's huge shoulder and immediately sank all four sets of claws into the big cat's flesh, tearing into it with hysterical vigor.

Bone howled in pain and aimed a bite at his enemy's back, but Scourge scurried like a rat across his fur until he was out of reach on Bone's spine. Knowing how vulnerable he was, Bone did the only thing he could think of and rolled over just as he felt the tiny teeth pierce him between the shoulder blades.

Scourge gasped as all of Bone's weight came crushing down on him but he slithered free before Bone could catch him in his claws. Bone leapt to his paws. The shadowy cat was on his feet too but he clearly looked out of breath so Bone made the next move.

He aimed for Scourge's throat again, knowing he could end the smaller cat with a single bite. Scourge tried to dodge to the side but Bone had already anticipated it and readjusted accordingly. Scourge's eyes grew wide as Bone came thundering down on him with his teeth bared. I got you!

But suddenly Scourge dropped, falling limp to the floor and Bone tripped over him at full speed. There was a loud crack as Bone's hefty paw caught Scourge in the hind leg and Bone himself came crashing down on the cold hard stone of the ghostly houseplace. His teeth were smashed together as he landed hard on his jaw.

Scourge was on top of him in an instant, even with a broken leg, his claws sank deep into Bone's sides as he aimed the killing blow at the back of Bone's neck.

But Bone knew one more trick Scourge had never seen. Using a move he had learned on the streets, he kicked his hindlegs forwards, sending himself and Scourge lurching backwards. At the same time, he snapped his head backwards to smash his unbalanced enemy hard in the face with the back of his broad head.

Scourge let out a scream of agony as Bone crushed his muzzle with the force of his own body. The smaller cat tried to jump clear but Bone caught him with a powerful kick before he could leap away.

Scourge slammed hard into the ground and this time he didn't get up.

Bone stood up and padded over to his enemy who lay in a matted clump in the darkness. "It's over, Scourge," he panted as he drew closer to the limp body. "You've lost."

"Die!" As soon as Bone was within reach, Scourge lunged upwards, teeth and eyes gleaming hungrily.

Bone was caught off guard by Scourge's final attack and he gurgled as sharp teeth sank into his throat. He reared up on his hindlegs carrying them both into the air but Scourge held on tight, sinking his teeth deeper and deeper until Bone couldn't breath. Scourge swung about like a dead rabbit but no matter how much Bone slashed at him, he wouldn't let go.

Terror flooded Bone's mind as he felt his strength wane as Scourge choked the life out of him. The pain made him dizzy and he stumbled. He sank to the ground, jaws open begging for air but Scourge had gotten him in the end. His vision blurred as his life trickled away and he let his eyes close. I'll be seeing you soon, Lost...

Bone's eyes flew open and he took in a huge gulp of air as the pressure released from his throat. Dizzy and confused he clambered to his paws, gasping in the precious air. Before him lay a small black cat with one white paw and half-closed icy blue eyes. The tiny cat's pelt was wet with blood and his legs were sprawled out at unnatural angles. Scourge was dead.

Bone tried to make sense of everything and he slowly formed an explanation in his head. Scourge had died of his injuries before he could finish the his deputy off, and as the big cat stared down at him, his black and broken body began to dissolve; decomposing before Bone's eyes until there was nothing left. Bone straightened up, regaining his composure and catching his breath. His own body was laced with fresh wounds but he had won the hardest fight of his life. It was all finally over.

There are no cats left to challenge the true leader of BloodClan.

Well that's it, the grand finale. After 2 reviewless chapters in a row I guess I'm making this just for my own closure.