Chapter 9

Suguha's ears twitched as the sound of pawsteps could be heard coming from the camp entrance. The scent of ThunderClan also aided it as well. Curious, the she-cat turned her attention towards the entrance and saw that it was Squirrelflight, the ThunderClan deputy's fur matted and messy, almost as if she had just been in a fight.

"Squirrelflight!" The black she-cat got to her paws and she walked over to her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Bramblestar's exiled me from camp."

"That's terrible!"

"Can you take me to Tigerstar, please?"

"There's no need." The ShadowClan leader meowed. "What are you doing here?"

"She said that Bramblestar exiled her from ThunderClan." Suguha explained.

"What? The cat controlling him went that far? No cat opposed him?"

"It would've just gotten more cats exiled, or worse, killed." The she-cat explained. "The number of cats supporting him in ThunderClan outweigh the cats we have against him. I'm sure that most of them would do whatever he told them to at this point." Squirrelflight looked around the camp and saw all of their eyes on her. "I'm here to ask for a place to stay for the time being, at least until this is all over."

"You're more than welcome here, Squirrelflight." Tigerstar looked around camp. "Everyone, as of today, Squirrelflight will be staying with us. She has been exiled by Bramblestar and needs a place to stay."

"What?" Scorchfur looked at him in surprise. "If she's been exiled, she's a codebreaker! We can't keep her here." Murmurs of agreement were heard throughout the Clan.

"We have to let her stay." The ShadowClan leader let out a sigh. "There's something that you all don't understand. I've been keeping this a secret with a select few, but my Clanmates deserve to know before anything horrible happens." He looked over at Suguha. "Care to explain to everyone, Suguha? I think it might be a bit more believable coming from a non-Clan cat."

"M-Me?" Suguha looked around the ShadowClan camp and gulped. "I'll try, but Kazuto and Asuna would be way better at doing this."

"Please give Suguha your attention, everyone." Tigerstar meowed before stepping away from the she-cat.

"W-Well…the truth is that…the cat leading ThunderClan right now isn't Bramblestar." She began. "When he died in the clearing, another cat was able to take control of his body. Right now, that evil cat is leading ThunderClan and could put all the Clans in danger! Kazuto, Asuna, and I were exiled from ThunderClan by this cat, and now even Squirrelflight's here, too. I know it's hard to believe at first, but this is the threat that we're dealing with right now. We can't let him try to manipulate any more cats like he's done with ThunderClan."

"A cat getting possessed? Is that what you're telling us has happened?" Flowerstem asked.

"Yes. We know that it most likely happened when Bramblestar lost a life on the moor."

"Are you just trying to blame Shadowsight now?" Yarrowleaf wondered.

"No, she's not trying to blame me at all." Shadowsight stepped forward. "Suguha's right that this might've happened because Bramblestar died on the moor. Everything that's been going on is my fault, and I'm sorry for it all. The voice that's been talking to me wasn't StarClan. I thought it was…but I realized that I was wrong. Whoever has been talking to me wants the Clans destroyed, one way or another."

"But what about StarClan? Does this mean they're still silent?" Stonewing meowed, Shadowsight replying with a nod.

"But what about the codebreakers? Maybe fixing the issue with have with them will bring StarClan back." Sparrowtail suggested.

"You all don't get it." Kirito meowed, letting out a sigh. "There's never been any codebreakers at all. Whoever's been talking to Shadowsight told him there were codebreakers to stir up trouble. That was their first step in causing chaos, and they've obviously succeeded." The black tom stated. "Whoever's controlling Bramblestar wants these cats to suffer. That's all we know."

"So, our own medicine cat put the Clans in danger?" Scorchfur meowed. "How could you not tell the voice wasn't from StarClan?"

"There's no need to blame Shadowsight." Asuna meowed. "He knows that he made a mistake and he's ready to help amend it. We can't be fighting amongst each other or the cat possessing Bramblestar will get exactly what he wants."

"Can we all believe this is true?" Flowerstem asked. "You three were with ThunderClan, after all, and here's Squirrelflight now, too."

"If there was something going on, this one would've done something already." Suguha said, nudging her cousin.

"Plus, the fact that these three are here proves Bramblestar isn't himself. Would he ever exile cats from other worlds, especially these three and Lelouch, who have been with ThunderClan for moons?" He asked his Clanmates. "And Squirrelflight, his deputy and mate. Would he have been this aggressive on her just to exile her?" The ShadowClan cats began to talk with each other, but it still seemed like they weren't persuaded.

"We can prove it!" Kirito exclaimed. The cats stopped talking and looked at the tom.

"You can?" Tigerstar asked, looking at the tom in surprise.

"Can we?" Suguha said, worry in her meow.

"Yeah. Just let me make a call real quick." Kirito swiped a paw down to open his menu interface and swiped over to his video call screen. He tapped on Makoto's name and began to wait with the other cats in camp. "We might as well show everyone we can do this now, right?"

"What exactly is that?" Cinnamontail asked.

"It's a way we keep in contact with the others in ThunderClan and SkyClan." The tom explained. In a few seconds, the screen in front of his changed, everyone now seeing Makoto.

"Hey Kirito. What—." The she-cat could see behind the tom and saw other cats. "Are those all ShadowClan cats? And Squirrelflight, too?"

"This is…strange." Tigerstar meowed. "We're really talking to her as if she's here." Other cats who couldn't see what was going on pushed their way behind Kirito so that they could see the screen that was in front of the tom.

"I'm guessing you're fine with showing them this now?"

"We've told them the truth about everything." Asuna explained.

"Yeah, but some cats here still don't believe it. You think you could bring Rootpaw here to prove it?" The tom asked.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Great. Thanks, Makoto." The she-cat ended the call and the screen in front of the tom faded. Kirito looked around and saw that the cats all seemed to now be in shock about the ability he had to make video calls. "Uh…it's really nothing special, everyone."

"Well, to cats with no sort of technology it is." Suguha told her cousin.

"So, do you think bringing Rootpaw here can prove anything?" The ShadowClan leader asked.

"Yeah. We'll just do what we did to prove it was real to Squirrelflight." The tom assured him. "Bramblestar's her mate, so he's the only one who would know mostly anything about her. There's no way Rootpaw would know that much about Squirrelflight."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Makoto made her way back to SkyClan after finishing her unexpected call with Kirito. She was still surprised that the tom had let all of ShadowClan see him make the call. Maybe it's safe now to do the same here. They all know the truth now to an extent. She thought as she crossed through the entrance. The red-eyed she-cat made her way over to Leafstar, the SkyClan leader watching her Clan from outside of her den.

"Is everything alright Makoto?" The she-cat nodded.

"Everything's fine. I just have a request to make involving Rootpaw." The SkyClan leader tilted her head.

"Is it about Bramblestar's ghost?"

"Yes. The reason I went out of camp was because Kirito had called me. My friends and I, along with the others in ShadowClan, have the ability to communicate with each other." She swiped a paw down to show Leafstar the smartphone menu screen she was able to summon with a swipe of a paw. "I've been using this to keep in touch with them regarding Bramblestar. Right now, ShadowClan's warriors need proof of Bramblestar being possessed in order for Tigerstar to gain their trust. I'd just like permission to bring him over to ShadowClan."

"Very well."

"Really?" Leafstar let out a small laugh.

"You seem surprised by my answer. We need as many Clans to believe this Bramblestar leading ThunderClan is an imposter. The sooner we get rid of him, the sooner our lives will all return to normal." The SkyClan leader stated. "Take Tree with you. I'm sure he could help make things easier to understand."

"Yes, ma'am." The she-cat bowed her head in thanks before she walked over to the apprentice's den. She looked inside and saw Rootpaw resting in his nest. "Hi Rootpaw. I need you to come over to ShadowClan with me and your father."

"ShadowClan? Is something going on?"

"We need to prove that Bramblestar's ghost is real so that they'll believe that the one leading ThunderClan isn't the real Bramblestar. I'm guessing Tigerstar told the whole Clan about the situation."

"Okay. We should get going then." Rootpaw followed the she-cat out of the den before speaking with Tree and making their way over to ShadowClan.

"I'm not sure why Leafstar wants me coming along. Wouldn't Lelouch be a better fit?" Tree meowed as he led the two through the forest.

"Well, he can't speak to dead cats. You know what Rootpaw's going through more than any cat." Makoto replied. "It'd be easier to explain to everyone. Squirrelflight's over there, so we really need to just prove it the same exact way we proved it to her before."

"Yes, but that worked because it was only Squirrelflight." The yellow tom responded before he stopped walking. "Maybe…we need Rootpaw to actually summon Bramblestar."

"W-What? Can I do something like that?"

"Possibly. If you inherited this power from me, then it must work exactly the same way." His father replied. "I know it's going to be a lot for you to try this for the first time in such an important situation, but you have to, Rootpaw." The young apprentice seemed unsure about the idea. The task turned from being simple, to being something he didn't expect to even do at all. "You just need to close your eyes and concentrate. Imagine Bramblestar actually being there in front of you, as if you want everyone to see him. He's your ghost, and you're the only one who can guide him." Rootpaw gulped.

"I'll try my best."

"That's all I can ask from you." Tree gave his son a lick behind the ear.

When the trio arrived in ShadowClan, they saw that every cat in camp was still situated in the middle of the clearing, waiting for them to show up this entire time. Tigerstar walked over to the three and greeted them with a nod of his head.

"Give Leafstar my thanks when you return to camp." He meowed. "Kirito told us you might have a way to prove Bramblestar's spirit is lingering outside of his body. Is that true?"

"Y-Yes." Rootpaw meowed, the tom still anxious about summoning Bramblestar's spirit for the first time ever.

"Do you mind showing us?" The tom nodded. "Great." The Clan seemed to form a circle around them, Makoto taking a spot with them to watch.

"Where's Bramblestar?" Kirito wondered. "Usually we can see him."

"Are you saying that he isn't here right now?" Squirrelflight asked, worry in her meow.

"I'm sure he'll be here. We just need to be patient." Asuna assured her. The Clan now stood in silence as Tree and Rootpaw stood in the middle of the Clan. Tree whispered into Rootpaw's ear one last time before the apprentice closed his eyes. The tom's ears and tail began to twitch as he followed his father's advice. The cats watched in awe as a ghostly outline of a cat slowly began to form next to him, the details of the cat slowly coming to fruition to reveal that it was Bramblestar's ghost.

"I can't believe it…" Tigerstar stated in shock. "It really is Bramblestar."

"Yes, and you all must help me! Some cat has stolen my body and is now leading ThunderClan! Don't listen to him, he's an impostor!" His eyes looked over at Shadowsight. "Shadowsight's not to blame for any of this. He was tricked. Whoever is in control of my body wants to harm the Clans. You must all prevent that from happening!" The tom's spirit slowly began to fade from view, Rootpaw opening his eyes and catching his breath.

"We weren't the only ones able to see him that time!" Kirito exclaimed. "That was awesome, Rootpaw!"

"You did it, Rootpaw. I knew you were able to do it!" Tree cheered, the apprentice letting out a sigh of relief.

"Now, do you all believe me when I say that the cat leading ThunderClan is an impostor?" Tigerstar asked his Clanmates. They all unanimously nodded. "Excellent. Now, we need to think of a way to get rid of him."

"We can try to warn RiverClan and WindClan again." Asuna suggested. "Puddleshine, Shadowsight and I can talk with the medicine cats at the next half-moon meeting.

"That's a great idea. In the meantime, we still can't let Bramblestar know that we know the truth about him." Makoto added.

"Which means I should go back into exile." Dovewing stated.

"What? It's dangerous out there." The ShadowClan leader responded.

"I won't be far. This is for all the Clans. If Bramblestar finds one tiny thing that goes against him, we'll have RiverClan, ThunderClan, and WindClan to possibly deal with. A fight is the last thing any of us want." Although he was still reluctant, the leader agreed with his mate. "I promise that I'll be safe." Hope filled Makoto as there was now one Clan now fully against Bramblestar. This is one of the biggest steps we've had in stopping Bramblestar. If the other Clans cooperate with us, this imposter will finally meet his downfall.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The half-moon shimmered in the sky above as Asuna, Puddleshine, and Shadowsight were ready to attend the medicine cat half-moon meeting. Tree and Rootpaw were waiting for them, the two tagging along to help convince the other medicine cats that the Bramblestar leading ThunderClan was an impostor.

"This is it. If we can get the other medicine cats to side with us, we'll be able to finally do something about Bramblestar." Asuna meowed.

"Right. I just hope it'll be enough." Shadowsight replied. The three joined up with Tree and Rootpaw at the camp entrance before leaving.

"Wait!" From the leader's den, Tigerstar ran out, Dovewing following behind him. "Shadowsight, you can't go. You have to stay here. Asuna and Puddleshine can tell the others."

"What?" Shadowsight looked at his father in shock. "I have to do this."

"You can't!" Tigerstar let out a sigh. "Remember when you went to the Moonpool and felt an ominous presence? What if that thing can hurt you?"

"Your father's right, Shadowsight. We're dealing with an enemy who can silence StarClan and also possess living cats." Dovewing added. "We just want you to be safe."

"But we need to bring Shadowsight. The other medicine cats might realize something that we've been missing from his experience." Puddleshine meowed.

"I know that you're both worried about me, but I need to do this. It's for the sake of all the Clans." Shadowsight told them.

"Don't worry. He won't be alone either. If any cat tries to harm him, I'll make sure they regret it." Asuna assured them, placing her tail on Shadowsight's shoulder.

"Just be careful out there, okay?" Tigerstar told him, his son replying with a simple nod. Dovewing pressed her muzzle to the tom's cheek.

"Be safe."

"I will." With that, the five cats left camp and made their way to the Moonpool, worry still filling Dovewing and Tigerstar's gaze as they watched them leave.

The forest seemed to get darker the closer the group got to the Moonpool. Eerie silence filled the air, the only time it was intercepted was from their paws crunching any fallen leaves on the forest floor. When they reached the ThunderClan border, they stopped.

"What's wrong?" Shadowsight asked.

"We should travel through the Greenleaf Twolegplace." Puddleshine suggested. "It'll take longer, but who knows what could happen if any of our scents are caught on ThunderClan territory. It's better if we're cautious."

"He's right, Shadowsight. We'll get there later, but we'll cause less potential trouble if we go this way." Asuna told him. The tom nodded and the group made their detour towards the Twolegplace. As they were walking, a sudden screech broke through the air, causing them all to jump.

"What was that?" Rootpaw asked, his voice shaky.

"I don't know." Asuna meowed, tasting the air again. "Mint? Here?"

"Right. Mint doesn't grow here at all." Puddleshine said.

"So…could a cat be in trouble?" Tree suggested. Again, the same pained yowl echoed through the forest.

"It has to be! We have to go help them!" Shadowsight meowed.

"It's this way!" Tree told them, breaking into a run, Rootpaw following close behind. Asuna quickly swiped her paw down to view her inventory.

"I'm out of cobwebs!" The she-cat fretted.

"You and Shadowsight go find some! I'll go see what I can do." Puddleshine told them, following the SkyClan cats.

"Asuna, I think there's some over here!" Shadowsight told the she-cat. The tom bundled them up and gave them to the she-cat, Asuna placing her paw over them. They disappeared as the she-cat stored them in her inventory.

"Puddleshine, we'll be right there!" Asuna called out, but there was no answer. "Come on, Shadowsight, let's go."

"Right!" As the duo ran through the forest, the shadows seemed to consume them. They couldn't cat the scent of any of the others. They had no idea if they were going in the right direction. Suddenly, paws slammed into Shadowsight, the sudden sound causing Asuna to turn around.

"Shadowsight!" Asuna watched as the tall, shadowy figure of a tom stood over Shadowsight. Quickly, the she-cat unsheathed her claws and leapt towards the tom's attacker. She brought him to the ground and had him pinned when suddenly, jaws bit into her scruff and pulled her off, tossing the she-cat to the ground. The cat had gotten to his paws and now pressed Shadowsight's body onto the forest floor. The tom watched as the other cat dug his claws into Asuna's throat, the she-cat letting out a cry of pain, blood now flowing from her wound. Shadowsight struggled to break free as the cat on him now lowered his claws towards his throat. Blood roared in the tom's ears as the claws slowly punctured into his flesh, the tom trying his best to still struggle, despite it being hopeless. His breaths became slow as pain took over. He took one last look at Asuna, the she-cat not moving at all. The fear of her death being on his paws was the last emotion the tom felt as his vison faded to black.

Foxstripe stood watch next to the thorn tunnel leading into ThunderClan. He had originally assigned Rosepetal to the assignment, but the she-cat was tired. He agreed to switch with her after a while, so now it was his turn to watch over the camp. I know I'm sided with Bramblestar, but I at least want my Clanmates to still like me. He thought. His nose twitched as the smell of catmint permeated through the air. He also heard pawsteps begin to come closer into camp. Foxstripe watched as Bramblestar and Berrynose walked through the thorn tunnel.

"Foxstripe! What are you doing here?" Bramblestar asked the tom.

"I'm on guard duty." He meowed. "There hasn't been any trouble tonight, luckily."

"That's good to hear." The ThunderClan leader meowed. "We'll be going to sleep now. Keep up the good work." Foxstripe dipped his head in thanks and watched as the two went to their respective dens. As he was talking to Bramblestar, he noticed blood on both his fur and Berrynose's. He did notice that Bramblestar seemed to have a scratch on his face, too. Why were those two even out so late? I remember seeing them both sleeping, too. Could they have just went out to hunt? No, they didn't even bring back any prey. But maybe they just ate it while they were out? Bramblestar does make up rules out of thin air often. Excuse after excuse filled Foxstripe's mind as he pondered about what the leader and deputy were doing. Foxstripe's thoughts then leaned towards the ThunderClan leader's wound. But…the scratch on Bramblestar's face…that was definitely from a cat.

The next morning, Foxstripe shared a piece of fresh-kill with Ren. Over the night, he couldn't stop thinking about what he saw. He had to talk with the tom about it.

"Ren, can I talk to you about something?" He asked as the tom took a bite of the mouse.

"What's up?"

"It's about something I saw last night." He meowed. "While I was watching over camp, Bramblestar and Berrynose seemed to return from something. They smelled like catmint and their fur was covered in blood in some places. Bramblestar even came back with a wound that looks like it came from a cat."

"Really? Do you think those two were fighting some other cat?"

"What else could it be? There's no way they just went out to hunt."

"If only I knew they were going out. I could've followed behind them." Ren said. "I'll try to keep an eye on them at night from now on." From the leader's den, Bramblestar emerged, the ThunderClan leader looking down at his Clan.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting." Once cats were gathered, the leader began to speak. "Last night, Alderheart and Jayfeather returned from the medicine cat meeting at the Moonpool. Apparently, Shadowsight has gone missing, along with our dear friend, Asuna." Foxstripe's eyes widened in horror. No…could Bramblestar and Berrynose have attacked Shadowsight and Asuna? The leader continued. "I believe Shadowsight fled the Clans, and Asuna helped him as well. He couldn't live with his mother being a codebreaker and that all other codebreakers should be punished. He was weak, and him fleeing shows it." That has to be it. I know Shadowsight and Asuna well. They'd never leave the Clans when they knew they could help save them. His paws began to shake as he looked at the ThunderClan leader and the wound on his face. They both tried fighting back…but failed? Could they be…dead?

"Foxstripe, do you think that…"

"Yes…" The tom's voice escaped his mouth softly.

"Jayfeather! Lionblaze! Twigbranch!" The leader called out. "We must set the ideal example for the Clans. As codebreakers, you three must atone!"

"What? We already took your ridiculous oath! What else do you want from us?" Jayfeather asked.

"You three must be exiled from ThunderClan!" The leader demanded.

"You can't do that! Jayfeather and I have never broken the warrior code at all!" Lionblaze retorted.

"Yes, but you're half-Clan, making you codebreakers! As for Twigbranch, I know I don't need to explain what you've done." The she-cat began to shake, avoiding the ThunderClan leader's gaze.

"P-Please, let me atone. I want to stay in ThunderClan. Please, I'll do anything!" The she-cat begged. The ThunderClan leader just looked down at Twigbranch, reveling in her fear, feasting off of it. He stayed silent for a few moments before he spoke.

"Very well. I want you to spend half a moon away from the Clans. In that time, you're to hunt for twenty pieces of prey and bring them back for your Clanmates."

"Twenty! B-But I'll be alone…"

"It's the only way. You want to stay in ThunderClan, don't you?" The she-cat nodded. "Then you'll obey my command."

"Y-Yes, Bramblestar."

"Wait." As Twigbranch turned around to leave, Bramblestar stopped her. "Come over here, Twigbranch." The she-cat reluctantly stepped towards the ThunderClan leader. "If any of you decide to become codebreakers, there will be harsh repercussions from me. Twigbranch here will be our first example. Now, stand still." Foxstripe watched in horror as the ThunderClan leader unsheathed his claws. He was going to attack her. He looked around camp. No cat seemed to want to do anything about it. He noticed Ren unsheathe his claws. We can't do anything yet. We can't let him know. Time seemed to slow down as Foxstripe watched Bramblestar leap towards Twigbranch, the she-cat standing still. Is this what this Clan has turned into? A Clan not caring that their leader is about to attack their own Clanmate? He thought. I have to do something. I don't care if I'm exposed as being against this monster! As Foxstripe prepared to break through the crowd of cats, a transparent blue light appeared in front of Twigbranch right as Bramblestar's claws neared her muzzle. Right when they touched her, a burst of light appeared, knocking Bramblestar away from the she-cat. When the light faded, a black tom now stood in front of Twigbranch, his muzzle covered with a strange scarring when Bramblestar's claws would've hit.

"You okay, Twigbranch?" The tom asked her. The she-cat's green eyes began to glisten with tears when the tom's blue eyes looked back at her.

It was Noctis.