Author's Note: So you guys liked the last one. If you've ever read any of my other stories, you probably know I either finish a story or at least outline the whole thing and have a few chapters backed up before posting. I'm not doing that this time. I've been having Warriors writing block so I'm just going to go with the flow. Reviews are basically fueling this story.

Also, in case this wasn't clear, the events of this story are non-canon mostly because I don't really remember what happens and I don't want to look it up. It's somewhere in the middle of Omen of the Stars after Flametail died.

Also thank you guys for all the amazing reviews. I forgot how much you guys on this site like my Warriors stuff. It really means a lot.

A lot of you have made guesses as to what is going to happen next. In the next chapter, I'll probably ask what you guys want to see but if you have any ideas right now, feel free to drop a review and let me know.

It was well after dawn when Ivypool finally reached the island. Around her, dozens of cats from all cats stalked stiffly, fur rough and wild from spending a night running through the rain. The storm had reduced to a light morning drizzle but that didn't ease the cats' spirits in the slightest.

Or maybe it did. Ivypool couldn't tell. She could just feel the lightning-like anger buzzing through the air.

Ivypool cast her gaze to the great oaks where the leaders were quietly hissing at each other. She tried to catch Firestar's green gaze but the tom was staring at his paws with the most guilty expression on his face. Had he known this would happen? Ivypool couldn't help but wonder. Three kin of his kin… He was probably the first to know about the prophecy. Ivypool knew very little about it herself. Was Firestar hiding something vital?

Ivypool felt a tail tip on her shoulder, snapping out of her thoughts. Blue eyes filled her vision, blinking with concern. "Are you okay Ivypool?"

"I- Yeah. Thanks Cinderheart," Ivypool sighed. She swallowed, trying to regain her composure. "You knew too, didn't you?"

Cinderheart sighed and nodded. "I did."

"And how did you…?"

"How did I what?"

"How did you react? The first time, I mean. When Lionblaze told you."

Cinderheart blinked. "Does it matter?"

Ivypool pawed the ground. "I just don't understand why the clans…"

"Lashed out? Responded with anger and fear?"

"That."

Cinderheart let out a long breath and sat down. Around them, warriors and apprentices lounged and paced. Ivypool longed for some privacy but none of the cats were paying attention. StarClan, the cats were practically ignoring each other. There were a few tight groups of warriors from mixed clans, likely patrols from the previous night, but that was about it. The four clans were together yet so distant.

"How did you react?" Cinderheart questioned instead of answering. Ivypool opened her mouth, an annoyed retort ready on her tongue, but she closed it and ducked her head as memories came flowing back.

"I… I guess I reacted just as badly," Ivypool admitted, staring at her paws. "I was upset. And angry. I think I was jealous? And I took it out on Dovewing. I knew I couldn't tell anyone but we fought a bit. It was probably our worst fight. I don't think we really talked for days."

Cinderheart nodded sympathetically. "I don't know why Lionblaze told me. I think he wanted to give me reason not to worry but that just made me push him away more."

"Really?" Ivypool questioned, surprised. Lionblaze and Cinderheart always got along so well. Or at least she thought. They were always friends, at least. As an apprentice, she picked up some hints of drama between them but she assumed that was just because they loved each other and weren't facing that fact.

"His destiny was greater than mine. I didn't see where I had a place in it."

Ivypool chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. She supposed she saw the situation with Dovewing similarly. Her sister was so much more than her and she was just… so much less. It was jealousy that prompted the Dark Forest to take interest in her in the first place and Dovewing's revelation just fueled the fire. "But we were close to them. Our clanmates and the other clans…"

"We responded with anger and we love them. They don't love them so isn't their reaction understandable?"

"It's wrong! We just drove out three of our clanmates!"

"Understandable doesn't mean right! Three clans just discovered that ThunderClan has a warrior that can defeat all their warriors single pawed, another that can spy on them at any given moment, and a medicine cat who can figure out anything and everything about them. Don't they have a right to be afraid?"

"But our clanmates…"

"Just learned that their trusted kin have been lying to them. And that they're so much more than them." Cinderheart paused. "I never thought they would react to this extreme. I thought maybe WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan would turn on ThunderClan for keeping this kind of power to themselves but ThunderClan… We have a lot of mousebrains but it's not just the mousebrains acting up."

"My father led one of the patrols," Ivypool said quietly. "He sounded so angry. Why was he angry?"

"Group hysteria?" Cinderheart offered half heartedly with a shrug. "I don't know. I just know cats are afraid. I mean, living cats with the power of the stars? We honor and respect our ancestors but we still fear what they can do. The three are greater than even StarClan. Fear, even to this extent, is perfectly understandable."

"You've really thought about this, haven't you?"

Cinderheart nodded. "It took me awhile to accept Lionblaze. I was never afraid of him but it was the only thing I thought about for days. I never thought anyone would find out but I wondered about it. I never could've guessed this would happen. I'd like to say it was just bad timing but I don't think that had anything to do with them. If the clans always had the potential for this kind of… of… mutual rage, it was going to happen no matter what."

Ivypool didn't move. She wanted to nod but she was too deep in her own mind to move the muscles to do so. She knew Cinderheart's reasoning was sound. Any cat with half a brain and a heart clear of anger or fear could figure this out. Still, doubt and unease lingered in Ivypool's chest.

It wasn't that she didn't believe Cinderheart. She just couldn't wrap her mind around such cruelty. The clan cats seemed ready to kill her sister. And Lionblaze. And Jayfeather. Jayfeather was a medicine cat for StarClan's sake! It was against the code to harm him.

It was storming last night too, Ivypool realized. StarClan was angry. They didn't want the clans to lay a claw on the three but the clans ignored StarClan's warnings. Were they really that… that… Ivypool didn't know the word. Possessed? It certainly felt like it. Possessed with fear and anger, a cat could do anything. Even kill a comrade.

Ivypool tore her eyes away from Cinderheart to scan the island. After last night's pursuit, most of the cats returned to the Gathering island. Clan borders seemed to have disappeared and Ivypool could barely tell which cats were from which clans. Maybe Cinderheart had a point with that group hysteria theory.

The sun was rising, hitting the water in the most beautiful way. It was nearly green-leaf and the weather was warm and calm. The water and forest were calm. It was like nothing had ever happened.

The warriors were tranquil yet restless. Like something inside them had died but was still fighting to surface again. Ivypool feared what that something was.

"How did this happen?" Ivypool asked, centering herself and snapping back to reality. "I wasn't at the Gathering last night."

Cinderheart's gaze seemed empty somehow but she didn't hesitate to answer. "The medicine cats figured something out. I'm not really sure how. I assume StarClan told them something. It was Littlecloud who spoke up so maybe it has something to do with everything that happened with Flametail. I don't really know. I just know that the medicine cats spoke up during the Gathering and suddenly every warrior and apprentice turned on Jayfeather and Lionblaze. I doubt they intended to cause this kind of reaction but…"

Cinderheart trailed off and Ivypool didn't push for more details. There was nothing more she could ask. Nothing more either of them could do.

Cinderheart padded into the camp with a heavy heart. The camp was in disarray. Whether it was because of the storm or the events of the night prior, she didn't know. She just wanted to collapse in her nest and sleep for a moon.

She didn't know. She knew she'd be plagued by nightmares.

Besides, there was too much going on in the camp for her to relax. Cats were agitated and demanding answers.

"Any cat old enough to catch their own prey gather around the highrock for a clan meeting!"

Firestar's voice rang through the camp but it didn't seem to have the same effect as before. Normally cats appeared from their dens with curiosity and a sense of duty. Now the cats seemed bitter and annoyed, like they didn't wish to answer the summons.

Did the clan blame Firestar? The thought never occurred to Cinderheart. She'd know soon enough.

"We need to talk about last night," Firestar said levelly once all the warriors gathered in the clearing.

"What is there to talk about? Oh wait, you kept secrets from us," Dustpelt accused. "Secrets that were a danger to us."

"It was StarClan's will," Firestar said but he didn't sound defensive. If anything, he sounded tired. "You angered StarClan last night."

"And?" Thornclaw spoke up. "StarClan are our ancestors and we follow them faithfully but in the end, it's their duty to watch over us, not for us to serve them. We're alive. They're not. If they're unhappy about us protecting ourselves-"

"But you weren't protecting anyone!" Ivypool snapped, stalking up to the senior warrior. "Lionblaze and Dovewing are your fellow warriors! And Jayfeather is your medicine cat! If anything, driving them away is hurting the clan."

"They have the power of the stars in their paws," Thornclaw argued. "That's not right!"

"Not even StarClan has that kind of power," Berrynose butt in. "It's not natural for living cats to be able to do those kinds of things. They don't belong to be around others! Imagine what kinds of things they've done because we didn't know about their powers!"

"You mean protect you?" Ivypool snarled. "They're all loyal ThunderClan cats and you-"

"Settle down, Ivypool!" Cinderheart hissed, shouldering her former apprentice as hard as she dared.

Berrynose's eyes suddenly narrowed. "You knew."

Cinderheart lifted her head to face him. "What?"

"You knew," Berrynose accused. HIs stump of a tail waved wildly. "Both of you knew! And you didn't tell us!"

"Of course we knew," Ivypool snapped. "Dovewing is my sister!"

But Berrynose wasn't listening. He began pacing, coming to an abrupt stop in front of Bumblestripe. "Did you know?"

Bumblestripe recoiled back. "What? No!"

"You didn't join in the chase."

"There were enough cats on it! I'd just found out the she-cat I love has been hiding something from me. Give me a break, will you? I didn't know how I felt yet."

Berrynose took a step back and growled. "Briarlight, did you know?"

The she-cat cocked her head. "Why would I have known?"

Dustpelt's eyes gleamed and he rose to his paws to pad over. "Both Lionblaze and Dovewing told the cats they trusted most but Jayfeather was always a distant cat. You're the closest thing he has to a friend."

"We are friends," Briarlight responded defensively, sizing herself up as much as possible to meet his eyes. "But he never told me anything. I was his assistant, not his apprentice. He never told me anything about StarClan business."

Dustpelt opened his mouth but Graystripe was suddenly pushing him back. "Enough Dustpelt! What's done is done. We can't accuse our clanmates of… Well, anything. It's ridiculous to be upset with them."

"I think it's understandable," Rosepetal spoke up. "Those three, they're not even cats, are they? Cats can't do the things they can."

Cinderheart and Ivypool exchanged a glance. This needed to end and fast.

"Of course they're cats!" Whitewing exclaimed. "You all knew them as kits. They were born into ThunderClan. They-"

"Whitewing," Birchfall soothed. "Even if they are ThunderClan, you can't deny that there is something wrong with them. It was out of our paws but-"

"There's nothing wrong with Dovewing," Ivypool snapped. "What are you saying? She's your daughter!"

"Everyone enough!" Firestar yowled. The clan fell silent as Firestar leaped off the highrock, muscles rippling under his orange pelt. A sun beam struck him, setting his fur ablaze with color. Anger roared in his emerald eyes. "What's done is done. You mousebrains just drove out three cats chosen by StarClan. Two of our best warriors and our medicine cat. If you're angry with me, fine but I am clan leader and the warrior code says my word is law. You've already angered StarClan and I doubt you want to push it much more. Now stop this bickering or the consequences will be drastic. Am I clear?"

The clan fell silent. Firestar was always a relaxed cat. Serious but kind and calm. Now, he looked alive with fury, like he was ready to take the pelt off any cat who crossed him. Cinderheart swallowed. Whatever the clan leaders said this morning must've gotten to him.

"Am I clear?" Firestar bellowed again.

"Clear as the sky, Firestar," Dustpelt murmured first, lowering his head.

"The sky isn't very clear right now, Dustpelt."

Dustpelt sighed. "I won't cross you, Firestar. You know that."

Firestar bit his lip, fury still dancing in his eyes, but it seemed his respect for Dustpelt won out. He turned to the rest of the clan. "The rest of you? Swear to me you will seize this and we can begin focusing on recovering."

The clan exchanged a few hushed murmurs before Firestar's gaze was met with a series of nods.

Firestar sighed. "Very well. The most important thing at the moment is that we're down a medicine cat and Jayfeather had no apprentice. Briarlight, I'm sorry to do this to you but I'm putting you in charge of the medicine den."

"What?" Cinderheart spoke up before she could help herself. She clamped her mouth shut quickly but it seemed she wasn't the only cat who'd spoken out.

"Why not Leafpool?" Sorreltail said, tilting her head. "Shouldn't she…?"

"I don't want to anger StarClan more than they already arem" Firestar sighed. He turned to his daughter. "I'm sorry Leafpool. I know you just lost your last two kits and I know how much it would mean for you to become the clan's medicine cat again but I just can't let you do that right now. If Briarlight needs help, help her but you're still a warrior right now. We need all the paws we can get with Lionblaze and Dovewing gone."

"I understand, Firestar," Leafpool said, resigned.

Firestar met her response with a curt nod. "Now, the storm and carelessness has damaged our camp and it needs repairs. Whoever was out last night, you're getting your assignments first. See Brambleclaw for instructions. Anyone else who's not too tired to work, join them please. The rest of you get some rest. I'll be in my den. I… I need to think for a bit."

Cinderheart watched wordlessly as Firestar turned around and slipped into his den. For a moment, she couldn't move. Firestar just looked so defeated.

Ivypool nudged her. "You should get some rest."

"You need it more."

"We can both rest," Ivypool said. "Move your nest next to mine? I don't know if I can make it through the night without Dovewing next to me."

Cinderheart swallowed and nodded. She knew Ivypool was lying for her sake. Ivypool would be fine, it was Cinderheart who needed the comfort. She appreciated the offer nonetheless.

So, it was with a heavy heart Cinderheart and Ivypool stepped into the warrior's den, sank into their rests, and fell into a deep, uneasy sleep with nothing but each others pelts to ward off the fears and worries haunting their minds.

Author's Note: I don't actually dislike any of these characters but I'm breaking away from what my heart is telling me to do for the sake of the story. The majority of the cats are going to be out of character to make the plot believable. For now, I stuck with the cats that are easy to make antagonists but in the future, who knows what will happen.

I tried offering some explanation as to why everything happened but that's not the focus of the story so I'm not going to get into the details. If you have any ideas or theories, feel free to share.

Also I thought I posted this yesterday but apparently I didn't. Whoops. While I do not have an update schedule like I usually do, I promise I will not be a mousebrain in the future.