AN: Okay, I lied. There are going to be two chapters left and an epilogue. And this part of the battle comes in Tigerheart's point of view in case you were wondering :) Also, have you ever heard music from the group Tenth Avenue North? Beautiful music. My favorites are Worn, Losing and Lamb of God. Definitely a must-listen to :D


-Chapter 49-

Panic rushed through Tigerheart as he pounced on a third cat. He remembered all of his training with Tigerstar and ShadowClan. But it didn't seem to be enough as a rogue managed to pin him to the ground. All around him the sounds of battle erupted as the second wave came. Olivelight rushed in with Hollyleaf and Graywhisper flanking her. The rogues were caught off guard by the sudden change in numbers. Tigerheart hissed in frustration as he pushed forward with his back legs. The rogue that had pinned him down jumped back in surprise when he landed in front of her. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits, but she didn't have time to fight back as Tigerheart swept his paws under her legs.

The rogue fell to the ground with a yowl of surprise. Tigerheart took the opportunity to bite down on her ear. The rogue screeched in pain as he tore at the fur. It was a battle move he had been taught in his old Clan. The strike was enough to cause pain but not kill. It would leave a bitter reminder of the she-cat's loss. Once he decided she had enough he released his grip and let her flee from the battle field. She ran towards a hill and disappeared beyond the horseplace.

"At this rate we're going to lose!" Snowfire gasped. Tigerheart whirled around to see that she was right. Much to his dismay most of LakeClan's warriors were surrounded by the rogues. He couldn't even see where Dovestar had gone. His heartbeat quickened as he glanced around frantically. The stench of blood lay heavily in the air as cats were injured in the battle. Injuries were a common thing in battle, but this seemed much too similar to the battle against the Dark Forest.

"StarClan help us," he whispered as he faced another rogue. This rogue was a broad-shouldered gray tom. His lips were twisted in a snarl as he lunged forward. Tigerheart had begun to notice that they were all lunging for the throat. It was an obvious attack that he had learned to defend himself from. Tigerheart dodged easily to the side and swiped a claw across the tom's side. The rogue hissed in pain as a fresh wound opened. "You can run now or make this more humiliating for yourself," Tigerheart snarled when he turned to face the gray tom.

The rogue's eyes narrowed into tiny slits before he realized that Tigerheart was giving him a chance to run. Without a second thought the tom fled. He ran towards the same hill the she-cat Tigerheart had fought before fled.

"Graywhisper, Honeylight and Pineheart, I want you to follow them," he ordered when he realized that there must be a hiding place nearby. If they could find out where the rogues were hiding than maybe they could scare them away. The three named warriors nodded and rushed off towards the hill as well. It was a dangerous mission, and if they were successful they would be honored for moons to come.

Tigerheart was about to rush into the battle once more when something odd caught his attention. Horror coursed through the dark brown tabby when he spotted Dovestar's gray pelt. She was further away from the crowd of rogues that were being fought off. Standing in front of Dovestar was Lightning. His appearance was menacing compared to the rest of the rogues he managed to rule. His pelt was standing on end as he stalked closer towards Dovestar.

"This ends with your blood on my claws!" he cried.

Without thinking of the consequences, Tigerheart leaped towards them. Rogues jumped out of the way when he made his way towards them. Tigerheart's fur stood on end as he watched Dovestar grab Lightning by the scruff. Though she was smaller she was smarter. She used her size to her advantage and kept avoiding the claws that could easily end her life. Tigerheart was about to jump in when something pulled at his tail. Pain seared through the skin. He whirled around to see that Minnowtail had grabbed hold of his tail.

"You are nothing but a traitorous fool to the Dark Forest!" she snarled. The venom in her voice rose to a fevered pitch as she barreled into him. Tigerheart staggered back in surprise at the explosive attack. His ears flattened in disbelief when she called him a traitor. "Tigerstar was right to call you a coward and disown you," Minnowtail added when she managed to pin him to the ground. Memories of Tigerheart's violent past suddenly rushed before his vision. He remembered training alongside Minnowtail and Ivypool. The three of them had become good friends before the moons of the battle. But when the days of the battle had begun, Tigerheart realized that his heart lay elsewhere.

"You are the traitor," he spat after struggling out of her grip. "Look at you Minnowtail. You used to be a respected warrior of RiverClan. Thanks to you RiverClan was destroyed. And now thanks to you LakeClan will be destroyed. Do you really want to be remembered as the one who destroyed the Clans?" Minnowtail's ears flattened when he mentioned her part in the Dark Forest battle. She had fought alongside the Dark Forest warriors. Though Tigerheart didn't mention it to Dovestar or the others, he had seen her kill her own Clanmates out of blood-lust. Even when she was expecting kits she had killed. She was hiding a past that couldn't remain hidden forever. "Think about it Minnowtail... don't you want to be remembered as a hero?"

"I am a hero," she hissed through gritted teeth. "I am a hero to the Dark Forest. They will welcome me with open paws. My name shall be remembered! I am their dark queen!" She let out a piercing yowl and leaped forward, tackling Tigerheart into the ground.

He hissed in surprise and used his back claws to rake her underbelly. Minnowtail hissed in fury as she jumped away from his claws. This time it was his turn to strike first. Tigerheart took the opportunity and dove forward, headbutting Minnowtail until she saw sent a mouse-length across from him. The dark gray she-cat's lips twisted in another snarl as she lunged forward. This time she managed to rake her claws across his shoulder. Tigerheart restrained a grunt of pain as fresh blood oozed out of the wound.

Okay, not the best idea, he thought. Suddenly an idea came to him. Tigerheart slumped to the ground just in time to avoid Minnowtail's claws once more. He sensed her growing confusion as his body grew still and rigid. Minnowtail let out a victorious purr when she realized that he must have given up. Tigerheart forced back a smirk when his eyes flashed open. Minnowtail was still gloating at her success. She should have known by now that this was one of the easiest ways to victory. Without warning Tigerheart sprang up and used his heavier paw to knock her to the ground. In her exposed position Minnowtail fell and gasped in shock.

"I'm giving you one last chance Minnowtail," he growled when he held her pinned to the ground. "Stop fighting now or I'll have to kill you."

Minnowtail's eyes flashed with triumph. Tigerheart looked at her in surprise.

"Do you really expect me to just give up? After all these moons of careful planning," she rasped. "No... You are going to kill me and turn into your grandfather." Alarm coursed through Tigerheart when he realized that she was right. By killing Minnowtail he would become the murderous traitor that was his grandfather. He couldn't do it. His heart wasn't into it. The dark gray she-cat stared at Tigerheart triumphantly as he struggled with his thoughts. "You see? No matter what you are going to become like the great Tigerstar. A heartless, coldblooded killer!"

"No he won't!" Tigerheart and Minnowtail froze when a new voice bellowed in the midst of battle. A flash of dark gray fur rammed into Minnowtail's muzzle, sending her flying. Tigerheart gaped in disbelief when he watched Mintwhisker glare at his mother. "I'm not going to let you destroy my Clanmates," he spat. "Stoneheart is dead because of you!"

Tigerheart's eyes widened in shock. Stoneheart was dead? When did that happened? He glanced around to see that Hollyleaf was stalking away from the fallen body. The black she-cat looked more irritated than sad that she had killed.

"This ends now!" Mintwhisker yowled.


AN: Tigerheart's inner-conflict is understandable, right? I mean, he was trained by Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. So obviously Minnowtail believes that he is still a cold-hearted killer. And more info on Minnow's past comes up. Fun stuff, right?