The moment the two toms stood across from each other, a thick tension beginning to rise over all the cats as the two clan leaders stood completely still, eyes locked. This was the moment both toms had truly been waiting for. For Sunstar, this may have very well been the single most important battle of his life. Everything from the past had led up to this moment; all his friends, his family- they had sacrificed themselves so he could get here, and he would not allow their deaths to be in vain.

Willowstar had murdered his mentor, their leader, and he was responsible for the death of his closest friend. Last time, he had been unable to attack his brother; but he had grown stronger since then. Willowstar was not the same cat he had known in his kithood; and any remnant of pain, regret, or pity he might have felt in the past was now replaced with an unending rage.

The wind blew around them, but neither tom took the first move, prolonging the tense atmosphere around them and their clanmates. From where she sat, Lostheart could see Pineneedle and Eagleclaw at the head of TreeClan's group, grinning. Beside them sat Morningstar and Brisingstar who both had TreeClan warriors on either side of them; the two former leaders watched the event unfold with dull eyes, feeling entirely powerless having been stripped from their rank so easily. Their clan had been taken from them and there was nothing they could do.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Sunstar and Willowstar's eyes had remained locked, both toms watching the other for even the slightest indication of movement; that's when Sunstar saw it, the slightest flicker in Willowstar's eyes. Sunstar bolted forward in a flash of golden fur as Willowstar, who had read his movements, thundered to meet him at the center of the makeshift ring. Their bodies met with a loud clash as the two toms savagely tore out against each other, each fighting for the upper hand in battle.

Willowstar's impact had nearly toppled Sunstar over, but he had managed to hold his own and was now attempting to push the larger tom back, his claws tangled in the other's wild fur. Sunstar hissed as he felt himself being pushed down, and he knew he wouldn't be able to overpower his brother. Twisting his body, he tore himself away from Willowstar and leapt back a good tail-length or so.

But the other tom gave him no time to rest and almost immediately upon his release had dashed after him with claws outstretched. Sunstar felt his blood run cold for a split-second as Willowstar suddenly re-appeared above him in preparation to strike. Acting on instinct, Sunstar was able to avoid Willowstar's blow and slip around him, leaping onto his back in the process. Willowstar threw back his head in an attempt to shake Sunstar off, but the golden tom was determined and managed to hold on.

The TreeClan leader laughed as Sunstar struggled to keep his grip while attempting to tear through his thick brown fur. Willowstar suddenly twisted his body and grabbed Sunstar with his forepaws, ripping him off of his back and onto the ground. Sunstar was unable to defend himself as Willowstar's next blow came to his stomach, causing his body to roll back slightly. The wound on his hindleg where Willowstar had dug his claws in was bleeding profusely, and five small holes could be seen clearly on his thigh. The blow to his underbelly felt like something had exploded inside of him, and Sunstar couldn't help the slight trickle of blood that flew from his jaws.

It was painful, but he pulled himself up, holding back the burning he felt inside of him. He knew he couldn't afford to take such large blows from Willowstar; he was too powerful. The tom in question stood watching him only a few tail lengths away, simply waiting for him to get up. His claws were stained red with blood, but Willowstar had yet to receive any wounds himself.

Sunstar could feel the rage burning inside him as he looked at his brother. Willowstar acted as if he was nothing! With a yowl Sunstar kicked off the ground and leapt at Willowstar. "Are you happy now?!" he cried, "We're the two most powerful leaders in the entire forest , just like you always wanted!"

Willowstar's narrow, yellow eyes instantly snapped to his attacker and in an unexpected move he leapt upward and rammed himself powerfully into Sunstar mid-jump. He had chosen to attack the exact same place he had earlier, succeeding in causing Sunstar to flinch in pain as he fell onto his back.

Seeing his opportunity, Willowstar's claws shot forward and dug into Sunstar's chestfur, staining the soft, white pelt of Sunstar's underbelly red as blood trickled down as he dug his claws in deeper. Sunstar let out a pained gasp that caused Willowstar to grin sadistically as he held the golden tom up.

"You are wrong, brother. I am the single most powerful leader in the forest!" he hissed. Sunstar struggled against the growing pressure and felt a wave of fear reach over him as he suddenly began to feel weaker. His struggles against Willowstar slowed as his limbs grew tired and moved to hang simply beneath him. "Who's the best now?!" Willowstar hissed lowly, teeth clenched.

"Not...you..."

Without any warning, Sunstar suddenly swung his body forward with what little power he had left and tore at Willowstar's face with the claws on his hind legs. The release was immediate as Willowstar threw his head back and dropped Sunstar to the earth. Willowstar let out a roar at the bleeding scratches now scarring his forehead and shook his head, spattering small droplets of red blood onto the grass.

One TreeClan cat had instinctively taken a step forward from the crowd and was immediately rounded on by Willowstar. "Nobody move!" he hissed, blood now trailing down his muzzle. Sunstar took the short opportunity to collect himself as he searched his mind for the strategies he had thought up earlier.

The DarkClan side of the field had remained completely silent, each cat watching in anticipation; and the apprentices in awe. Above them, a loud rumble boomed, shaking the ground with it's might. Lostheart felt strange looking at Sunstar's beaten form; she had never expected for Sunstar to do something like this.

Sunstar ran at Willowstar while the tom was distracted and plowed into his side, causing the large tom to stumble ever so slightly; when he did, Sunstar slid beneath him in an attempt to claw at his underbelly. The situation backfired, however, when Willowstar suddenly stood straighter and caused Sunstar to miss by an inch. With Sunstar still on his back, Willowstar leapt onto him, holding him down with both forepaws as the golden tom attempted to pull himself up.

He really was a loyal DarkClan cat.

Willowstar bit into the scruff of Sunstar's neck as he tossed the wide-eyed leader to the side before promptly slamming back down on him again with the full force of his weight. Sunstar yowled in anger as he tried to rise up on shaky paws from beneath the large claws holding him down.

Willowstar laughed and tore his claws down the other's back, causing Sunstar to shriek in pain. Willowstar then slammed him to the ground; blood now seeped from a new wound on the side of the golden tom's head as the fearsome leader pulled him back up again and slammed his head down once more, crushing it between his paw and the earth.

Sunstar's vision was beginning to blur now, but he still thrashed beneath Willowstar in an effort to get loose. His head throbbed dully as he was lifted again; and this time, Sunstar fought with all his might and put the entirety of his strength into leaping up. As he went, he could feel the light release of Willowstar's claws and an immediate sense of relief washed over him.

The feeling did not last however as, quicker than lightening, Willowstar's claws were back at his neck; and before Sunstar had time to react, Willowstar slammed his skull back to the earth.

Browneyes and Thistleprick turned rigid, and all of DarkClan stood watching with shocked expressions. Lostheart in particular could only stare at the unmoving figure and the blood that now stained the earth where he lay. Willowstar was breathing heavily as he took a step back, face stained by blood.

The tom then let out a short chuckle, a chuckle that soon escalated into a maniacal laugh. Grinning tightly, Willowstar pushed Sunstar over with one swoop of his large paw.

The tom lay motionless, blood still trailing down from the wound on his forehead. Willowstar's entire form began to shudder as the tom stepped back once more and laughed at nothing in particular as he looked seemingly up into the empty space.

Greysight felt her heart drop, and her pelt grew cold with the eerie sound of Willowstar's laughter. Sunstar...was he? Greysight's focus was immediately pulled to the motionless body, and her eyes slowly lowered.

'...Wait!'

Greysight's head suddenly snapped up; a motion that did not go unnoticed by her clanmates. Immediately they turned their attention toward the two leaders as well while Willowstar continued to laugh on.

The tom's ear twitched for a moment and his laughter suddenly died down, his face losing any trace of joy or insanity. "Eh?" Willowstar turned, sharp yellow eyes snapping down to Sunstar's body.

A few short gasps could be heard from the crowd as they looked to see Sunstar shakily rising to all fours, face shadowed beneath him. "I said..." Sunstar muttered, "Is that all...you've got?" The golden tom's head suddenly snapped up, green eyes burning with rage.

"Still have more lives left do you?" Willowstar sneered.

Sunstar met his brother's eyes evenly and took up a defensive position across from him, moving slowly to the side. Willowstar's face was set in an even line as he followed his brother's pattern and the two toms circled across from each other, each watching the other with the utmost concentration. Sunstar's head hung low as he limped weakly along, pawsteps revealing just how utterly exhausted he was. This continued for a few more strides until Sunstar's neck fur finally bristled and he shot off unexpectedly from the spot at which he stood.

"Willowheart!" Sunstar roared, dashing forward on weary paws. Willowstar's eyes narrowed in anger at the use of his former name; how was the golden tom even alive?! Sunstar's sudden burst of speed was completely unexpected, and Willowstar had no chance to react as Sunstar appeared in front of him and slammed a single paw across his face.

The action managed to cause a few stray drops of blood to fall from the tom's muzzle, only increasing Sunstar's determination. One after the other, Sunstar inflicted rapid blows and short scratches to Willowstar's face, shoulders, and legs as he danced around him; causing Willowstar's frustration to rise dramatically as he clawed frantically after his brother in an attempt to touch him.

"You weren't meant to be a leader!" Sunstar cried. "Shadestar was only trying to do what was best for you!"

Willowstar hissed loudly and finally tackled Sunstar, causing the two toms to thrash about in the long grass, cutting each other up with short slashes of their claws and sharp bites from their teeth. "I am the most powerful leader who has ever existed!"

Sunstar had tried to avoid being pinned down again, but Willowstar had once again managed to gain the upper hand.

Sunstar struggled against his brother's weight as Willowstar pressed himself down and took hold of one of Sunstar's forelegs in his jaws in an effort to hold him still. Sunstar's eyes widened at the dark look on his brother's face and immediately moved to scratch at his bright, yellow eyes with his free paw, but he wasn't quick enough.

Sunstar let out a howl of pain as Willowstar's teeth dug into his foreleg and the familiar crimson liquid began to bleed through his fur, but Willowstar wasn't done yet. His grip tightened painfully and he began turning his head, much to Sunstar's horror. His foreleg was immediately powered against him and Sunstar cried out in pain as Willowstar continued to apply more pressure. In one quick move, Willowstar twisted his neck and sharp crack was heard throughout the clearing.

Greysight flinched at the sound, and bit back the utter feeling of sheer horror she got from this fight. It was one of the most violent exchanges she had ever experienced, and it pained her to watch it. It must be truly disturbing, she realized, for cats who could actually see and not just envision it like she did.

Sunstar dragged himself away from Willowstar while his foreleg hung limply by his side. The sheer amount of pain he had felt was unbelievable, and now, he could not even feel the appendage. Willowstar watched his brother's pathetic display with contempt, his ears perking up curiously when Sunstar suddenly turned back around. Sunstar's hard green eyes met his own in a challenging manner as they stood across from each other, fur swaying in the wind. Sunstar's green eyes shone vibrantly with determination despite the bleeding scars on his body, and the mangled foreleg hanging beneath him.

'You really are a fool Sunstar.'

The clans watched as the two toms ran at each other from opposite sides of the clearing, Sunstar as best he could on three legs. Another loud clap of thunder shook the ground beneath them, but caused neither tom to falter in their attack.

Morningstar, Brisingstar, TreeClan, DarkClan, and Lostheart all watched the scene with wide, deeply immersed gazes. As Sunstar ran at his brother, time seemed to slow down, and once again Sunstar was met with the face of Willowkit; only this time, he wouldn't hold back.


The clearing had suddenly become completely silent, all eyes fixed on the two figures in the very center of the clearing. Even the wind had stopped blowing, and the grass and trees grew still- only the clouds continued moving above.

Sunstar and Willowstar's faces stood little more than a tail-length apart, eyes locked as Willowstar stood above the body of his brother, claws deeply embedded in his neck. Sunstar's eyes fell slightly and the corners of his bloodied mouth quirked slightly.

Drip.

"Got..you..."

Willowstar's eyes were wide in shock, and slowly, the tom looked down in horror to see blood dripping from his neck where a large slash had torn across his throat. He had never felt anything like this before, and despite the warm, aching sensation, he felt his body grow cold. Slowly, shaky eyes moved upward to meet those of his brother's as the tom let out a small choking sound.

The crowd watched in shock as Willowstar stepped to the side and off of his brother, the blood from the deep gash on his throat continuing to drip onto the ground as it filled his throat and jaws. Willowstar's eyes narrowed in rage as the tom made an attempt at a snarl, but the only noise that came from him was one of a strangled choking before he was slowly pulled down beside his brother. Willowstar twitched as the tom made one final sneer in an effort to pull himself up, but his body froze in place.

The clans were stunned; Brisingstar and Morningstar in particular couldn't believe what they were looking at.

Lostheart sat motionless from her spot on the sidelines; the she-cat didn't even blink as she felt something short strike her forehead, but looked up slowly into the dark sky hanging above. The short droplets continued to fall as a light rain came over the fields and the bodies of the two leaders lying side-by-side in the clearing.

Sunstar's eyes remained open as his vision slowly began to blur; despite this, the tom couldn't stop smiling to himself. For above him, he saw the pale form of a familiar she-cat; her soft, gentle gaze greeting him with a warm smile. The soft raindrops fell onto his pelt, but the he didn't feel them.

Nothing seemed to even exist anymore; and all he could see around him were the smiling faces of his friends together as apprentices, sitting beneath the maple tree. Neopaw,Windpaw, Cherrypaw, Ivypaw, Shadestar...

'I've been waiting...'

'Silentshadow.'


AUTHOR'S NOTE

Song inspirations:

The Duel- Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian

Love and Truth- Yui