The two groups clashed almost instantaneously. Greypaw ran fearlessly into the fray as her clanmates collided with their opponents. Painful screeches and fierce yowls echoed all around her. Greypaw shook her head, bothered by the sound. It was just like her dream.

She felt a warrior coming at her from the side, so she quickly ran by their grasp, slashing their fur as she went. She heard the cat let out a painful screech behind her, but Greypaw continued forward.

Greypaw leapt through the air to attack another cat, but was quickly rammed mid-jump by an unseen force. She landed on the ground with a hard thud and quickly regained herself, whipping around to snarl at her attacker.

"Figures you didn't see that attack coming," a mocking voice echoed. Greypaw's eyes widened slightly from the voice.

'Eaglepaw?'

Eaglepaw smirked and leapt at Greypaw, causing the both of them to roll over. Eaglepaw was effectively pinning her down and tried to snap at her neck.

Greypaw avoided his bite easily and rammed her hind legs into the tom's underbelly, causing him to recoil and give her the opportunity to wiggle out from under his grasp.

Once onto her paws, Greypaw lashed out at Eaglepaw, striking him across the chest. The tom hissed in pain and made another move to tackle Greypaw. The she-cat smirked and rolled onto her back just in time to kick Eaglepaw roughly in the stomach again.

The tom went down after having the wind knocked out of him and Greypaw quickly went in for another attack. She slashed her claws along his side, making a long scratch that began to bleed heavily.

Eaglepaw let out a growl and attempted to stand back up again, but was quickly pushed over by Greypaw. He tried again only to have Greypaw slam into him causing him to collapse.

He was breathing heavily and blood oozed from his numerous scratches, Greypaw stood over him with a look of contempt on her face.

'Who's pathetic now?'


Sunstar threw off another attacker and surveyed his surroundings. DarkClan was vastly outnumbered, around him he could see many of his clanmates taking on several cats at once.

The golden tom weaved his way through the crowd of fighting cats, eyes searching. He had yet to find Willowstar anywhere.

He passed by Ivyfoot who had easily just taken down two TreeClan warriors and saw Blizzardpelt struggling with two other she-cats. Her white pelt was stained with blood and he could see that she and the others were becoming tired.


Greypaw slammed her paw into Eaglepaw's stomach once more, causing the tom to curl up in pain before she returned to the fray.

Her eyes widened as she heard a painful screech, the voice was familiar and rang through her ears.

'Mom!'

Greypaw ran through the cats, shoving away several attackers as she tried to follow her mother's voice. Cats were fighting all around her and the sound of their screeches only made Greypaw more paranoid.

Greypaw jumped as she heard Longtail's screams. Not far from her, Longtail was lying on the ground bleeding heavily on one of her hind legs. A large tom was pulling on her hind leg, trying to drag her away.

Greypaw let out a furious yowl and ran toward the large tom. He turned in surprise as the small apprentice bowled into him, tackling him to the ground.

"Don't touch her!"

Greypaw let her anger completely take her over as she dug her claws into the cat's body and bit down hard on his neck.

The large warrior hissed loudly and tried to grab Greypaw, but the she-cat effectively evaded his grasp. Now that the cat had released Longtail, the she-cat was dragging herself back to the forest where Rosepaw was calling her over from behind a fallen log.

She was panting heavily and collapsed at the forest's edge. Rosepaw quickly ran from her hiding spot and grabbed hold of Longtail's scruff, proceeding to drag her the rest of the way.

Rosepaw gasped as she saw the damage done to Longtail's leg and quickly grabbed a clump of cobwebs, pressing them onto where the scars were bleeding.

She then scanned her blue eyes over Longtail's leg and gently touched her paw to it. The she-cat winced and let out a sharp hiss, causing Rosepaw to pull back her paw.

Rosepaw frowned sadly. 'The bone is broken.' Longtail's eyes were clenched tightly in pain and her body shuddered.

Rosepaw chewed up several of the alder leaves she had taken with her and applied them to the gashes on Longtail's hind leg to prevent infection. There wasn't much she could do for a broken bone, but Rosepaw applied some comfrey poultice to help the bone mend and began to wrap Longtail's hind leg in leaves.

Longtail's breathing had slowed considerably now and the she-cat was attempting to get up, but Rosepaw easily pushed her back down.

"You can't fight anymore Longtail, you need to rest," she meowed seriously.

"No...Greypaw...I have to..."

But whatever Longtail was going to say was lost as the she-cat passed out.


Lostpaw had managed to chase off a few young apprentices during the fight and was now leaping at a large tabby.

The tom swatted her away like a fly, knocking her to the ground. Lostpaw pulled herself up quickly and tackled the tabby.

Lostpaw tried desperately to overpower the larger cat, but she wasn't strong enough and the tom pinned her down with ease. He sneered down at her and lifted a paw, revealing sharp claws.

Lostpaw thrashed desperately under him trying to get out of his grasp as he brought his claws slowly towards her neck.

She turned her head away from his outstretched claws and tried to free herself from his grasp. Through the mass of cats, Lostpaw felt a rush of hope as she saw a golden pelt flash a few tail lengths away.

"Sunstar!" she called desperately.

The golden tom easily threw off his attacker and turned, trying to locate the cat calling him.

"Sunstar, help me!"

The tom pinning Lostpaw down laughed at her pathetic attempts. Sunstar's green eyes shifted and met Lostpaw's own. He stared at her for a brief moment, causing Lostpaw to fill with hope.

But her heart dropped as she watched Sunstar turn away.

"Sunstar!" she cried.

"Dad!"

The golden tom paid no attention to her words and ran off to fight another opponent, as if he had never even seen her.

The tom pressed his claws against her neck, preparing to crush her. Lostpaw clenched her eyes shut.

'No...not this time!'

The tabby watched in shock as Lostpaw's eyes shot open and he met her determined red gaze. With a final burst of strength she didn't know she had, Lostpaw slammed upward after catching the cat by surprise.

She successfully knocked the tom off of her and ran from him as fast as she could. Lostpaw's eyes widened as she saw Ivyfoot taking on several cats at once not too far away.

The powerful grey tom defeated them with ease and swarms more came to attack him only to be beaten down.


From across the stream, Willowstar sat on a large boulder overlooking the battle with a small group of warriors by his side.

His yellow eyes narrowed as he recognized Ivyfoot, DarkClan's deputy, sending back several of his warriors.

The sleek black tom sitting below the rock watched his leader's eyes darken. Willowstar turned to the tom and his group of warriors and flicked his tail. The tom's eyes shimmered and he grinned sinisterly before racing off with his warriors following behind.

Willowstar returned to watching the battle from his point of safety, his eyes landing on Sunstar as he watched the leader fighting his cats valiantly.

The TreeClan leader clenched his claws against the hard rock and ground his teeth as he watched his brother.

'It's useless! No cat will ever defeat me. I am the most powerful cat in the forest!'

The large cat could feel the rage pulsing through his veins and he stood up to get a better view of the fight.

'Destroy them all!'


Cherrynose breathed deeply as she fought off another she-cat. This battle seemed endless and it didn't even look like all of TreeClan was there.

The scratches on her body bled profusely, but Cherrynose ignored them and a quick idea entered her mind.

Her brown eyes scanned through the array of cats until she caught sight of Sunstar. The golden tom had just finished chasing off a spotted cat and was now looking for another enemy to fight off.

She quickly rushed to his side, surprising the leader.

"Sunstar, this is endless, there are too many of them! But I have a plan!" she meowed seriously.

Sunstar blinked once and looked around at the battle raging around them.

"What is it?"


"Okay," Sunstar meowed, nodding seriously to Cherrynose. The brown she-cat grinned and quickly ran off to find Greypaw. She located her apprentice among the other cats and helped her fight off another warrior before pulling her to the side.

"Quick, Greypaw! Come with me!" Cherrynose meowed.


Ivyfoot breathed deeply as he fought off another tom. A gash on his shoulder from earlier was beginning to bother him, but he bit back the pain and focused on his enemies. He easily fought off the three cats that ran at him, jabbing one quickly in the stomach and slashing their face, while grabbing hold of another with his claws and slamming the cat into their clanmate.

Ivyfoot leapt forward past the group of cats and prepared himself as he saw another wave heading towards him.

At their head, Ivyfoot recognized the sleek black pelt of Viperfang, TreeClan's deputy, flashing towards him. The cats from behind Viperfang raced ahead of him and weaved in and out as they attacked Ivyfoot. The two cats jumped onto him at the same time while the rest slashed at his body.

Ivyfoot growled in rage and ripped one of the toms off of him while three more latched on with their sharp claws in an attempt to bring him down.


Lostpaw's eyes widened as she saw several cats beginning to swarm Ivyfoot and a tabby tom also running at him from the side, Lostpaw ran forward in a desperate effort to reach him.

Two TreeClan warriors slid in front of her, holding her back as she tried to run through them. Cats were everywhere and she couldn't see Ivyfoot anymore. She struggled desperately as they tried to block her path.

"Ivyfoot!" she cried.

Lostpaw froze as sickening splatter pierced her ears and she saw blood fall. With the cats distracted, Lostpaw came to her senses and pushed her way through. The cats that had previously blocked her view began to clear as Lostpaw flew by.

Everything around her seemed to slow down and no noise could reach her ears as her eyes fell onto Ivyfoot lying in a pool of blood.

Lostpaw quickly rushed to his side, trying to hide the sharp pain in her heart as she looked down at her mentor.

His head slowly turned to where she stood, his once vibrant green eyes now dull and fading fast. A large gash in his neck bled horribly, staining the ground around him.

His eyes rolled to the side tiredly to where Lostpaw stood over him, watching in shock. She couldn't help the tears forming in her eyes as they dropped to the ground beside him.

"No, you can't leave me too," she whispered.

Lostpaw watched as the blood dripped from either side of his jaws and his mouth quirked into a smile.

"...Lostpaw..." he breathed quietly.

Lostpaw blinked and opened her eyes, tears still rolling down her face as she looked down onto her mentor.

"...Lostpaw...d..." his voice was cut off and replaced by short chocking sound as blood gurgled in his throat.

With one final gaze, Ivyfoot's head lolled backwards and a final breath left his nostrils.

Lostpaw collapsed by his side, her body racked with sobs.

'You can't leave me...You're the only one I have...I don't want to be alone...'

Ivyfoot's kind, smiling face appeared in her mind.

He had always treated her differently from the other cats, like she wasn't any different, he acknowledged her.

Lostpaw suddenly looked up from Ivyfoot's body and at the surrounding cats paying no attention to them.

Her eyes dulled as she stood. It felt almost as if something in her had died. Just then. Her eyes scanned through the crowd and hardened as she caught sight of the tabby.

Brushing past Ivyfoot's body, Lostpaw stalked across the field toward the cat. A TreeClan she-cat made an attempt to jump Lostpaw on her way across the clearing, but could only gasp in shock at the horrible cold eyes that burned into her and stopped her in her tracks.

The tabby smirked as Lostpaw padded up to him.

"You think you can take me on, kitten?" he growled mockingly.

Lostpaw's glare hardened and the tom felt something prickle inside him when he met her strange eyes. Without even giving a sign of her intentions, Lostpaw leapt forward with claws outstretched, violently attacking the cat.

He screamed in pain as her sharp claws dug into his skin and she tore through his pelt. A nearby she-cat leapt at Lostpaw, hearing the screams of her clanmate.

Lostpaw turned on the she-cat instantaneously, causing her to fumble in surprise. With one quick motion, Lostpaw lashed out and dug her claws into the she-cat's chest before tearing through her skin.

The warrior could only gawk at the blood now dripping from her chest and backed away after Lostpaw wounded her before collapsing altogether in the grass.

From all around her, TreeClan warriors hissed in rage and surrounded Lostpaw. Three cats leapt at her at once and latched onto her with their claws; the two made their move to attack. Before the tom could lay a paw on her, Lostpaw suddenly pulled herself free from the cat's grasp and rounded to face the other cats.

Remembering everything Ivyfoot had taught her, Lostpaw dashed forward and slashed one of the cats' stomachs before whipping around and slipping past a cat who had been about to bite her.

The cat howled in rage and Lostpaw could feel the other cats attacking her as well, their claws as they tore at her pelt. There was a sudden pinch on her side and several jabs causing her to wince in pain.

A claw had even come down, slashing across her face. The wound stung horribly and Lostpaw had to clench one of her eyes shut out of pain. She could feel the blood dripping from the wound and down her face.

She grabbed out wildly until she caught hold of the cat closest to her and pulled them to the ground giving her an opportunity to regain herself.

With one eye still clenched firmly shut, Lostpaw surveyed the group in front of her. There were only three cats left and all seemed to have several scratches and bite wounds from where Lostpaw had managed to catch them.

They stared at the apprentice before them, trying to ignore her impassive stare. How could she remain so calm like that? They had seen this apprentice at the Gathering. Most cats had. She wasn't hard to miss and many were wary of her strange presence.

Now, standing across from the she-cat they couldn't help feeling fear.

One of the cats backed away and ran off into the array of fighting clan cats, causing his clanmates to gape and return their gaze to Lostpaw, but the apprentice had already moved.

The tom barely had time to react as she appeared in front of him.

He had no time to dodge as her paw hit him in the side of the head at full force and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. Lostpaw's eyes shot up at the last remaining tom, who jumped as he caught sight of her eyes and quickly ran off.

The tabby behind Lostpaw struggled to get away and gasped as he felt sharp claws hold him down. He struggled wildly and was surprised when he was able to get back onto his paws.

He turned to look at his attacker, but was slashed across the face. He hissed in pain and backed away until he was pressed up against a tree.

The tom looked up in horror at the ominous black figure now approaching him, the red from her eye gleaming in the moonlight.

The color of blood.

He scrambled against the tree as she stood before him and watched in horror as she unsheathed her bloody claws.

"Please!" he cried, scrambling to get away. "I have a mate and kits!"

Lostpaw said nothing and stepped closer to the shaking tom.

"Please!" he said again, desperately this time. "Can't you find it in your heart to let me go?"

Lostpaw's eyes flashed in the moonlight as she tore through the cat's throat, ignoring the sickening sound of blood splattering to the ground.

She let the tom's body slump down against the base of the tree and turned back to the fray.

A young apprentice was watching Lostpaw with fear in his eyes. He gasped as Lostpaw's eyes connected with his own and he ran off into the mass of cats.


Greypaw panted as she chased after Cherrynose across the fields and to the base of the cliff. "Where are we going?" she called.

Cherrynose leapt over the stream and began pulling herself up the rocky slope. "I have an idea," she called back. "We have to create a landslide, that way TreeClan won't be able to continue the attack."

Greypaw's eyes widened at Cherrynose's plan, impressed with her cleverness. She didn't question Cherrynose any more as she followed her pawsteps and scrambled up the rocky cliffside.

Below them, Greypaw could hear the screeches and yowls of her clanmates as they continued to fight. She ran up the sloped path with Cherrynose until the two found themselves at the mouth of the cave.

"You have to go back now," Cherrynose meowed.

Greypaw blinked and stared at her mentor in confusion. The she-cat turned and grinned at her.

"Someone has to go in there and set off the landslide," she said pointedly.

Greypaw's eyes widened in realization.

"Greypaw-"

Greypaw jumped as Cherrynose said her name and gasped as she was pushed over the edge of the cliff, her paws giving out beneath her.

It felt like her body was moving in slow motion as she tipped over the edge, her eyes staring blankly up where Cherrynose stood.

'Why?'

Greypaw fell through the air, wind blowing through her fur, body twisting desperately at the feeling of weightlessness.

With a crash, she sunk into the water below.


Sunstar's ear twitched as he heard the crash of water and looked toward the cliffside.

'That's the sign.'

Sunstar's eyes hardened.

"Everyone, retreat! Quickly, retreat!" he yowled.

The cats of DarkClan immediately heeded to the call of their leader and raced back towards the safety of the forest. The TreeClan cats let out ferocious cries and chased after them across the fields, but froze when they heard the sound of low rumbling.


Cherrynose watched sadly as Greypaw fell over the edge of the cliff, but what caught her was the look in her eyes. Cherrynose watched her plummet down the cliff and smiled sadly.

'Sorry, Greypaw.'

She turned away from the edge of the cliff and ran determinedly into the tunnel. She crouched by one of the large sticks and closed her eyes, listening carefully.

"DarkClan retreat!"

Cherrynose's eyes shot open and she rammed into the stick with all her might, causing it to come falling down. The cavern gave a horrible lurch as rocks crumbled down and the side of the cliff began to fall apart.

The TreeClan cats howled in fear and ran desperately to reach their side of the territory while the entire side of the cliff came crashing down, a wave of dirt and rocks.

The cries of the cats in the back were swallowed up as they were covered by the debris while the rest of the warriors retreated into their territory.

From the safety of the dark trees, Sunstar sighed in relief and looked around.

Now he just had to find everybody.