Feathertail spoke. "Why would she act so strangely? And… try to murder a cat?"
"It is very odd…" Bluestar mused. Then her eyes narrowed. "Do you think this has to do with Firestar?"
"How so?" Feathertail asked, wondering what Bluestar meant by this.
"You know that Spottedleaf once had feelings for Firestar," Bluestar murmured.
"I doubt it," Feathertail shifted her paws. "Firestar probably doesn't have anything to do with this."
Bluestar locked gazes with her. "Then how do you explain this?"
Feathertail shook her head. "I have absolutely no idea."
Bluestar gave herself a mental shake. "Okay, now. Let's continue following her scent."
The two of them padded on. The scent led directly toward the Dark Forest boundary with the deadly bushes.
"We do not need further evidence," Bluestar announced. "This proves that Spottedleaf has murdered Appledusk. You are right, Feathertail. Why she is doing this, I have not the slightest clue."
The two cats were traveling back to camp. They had absolutely no idea that a tortoiseshell she-cat was following them silently, and that's exactly who they were thinking about.
As soon as Feathertail and Bluestar neared the camp, they could hear some voices. "Oh, no!" "The Dark Forest cats!"
"What are they up to now?" Bluestar raced off. Feathertail followed her.
Crookedstar was the first cat to reach Bluestar. "Bluestar, come quick! It's the Dark Forest! They are attacking the Clans!"
"What?" Bluestar stared at him.
"Come!" Crookedstar raced off in the direction of the three pools of water. The third one had the shapes of cats fighting. They were RiverClan! She spotted some cats in the shadows, which leaped up and ambushed the unaware Clan cats.
"We must help." Dawnstar mewed. "We will greatly outnumber them in size."
"Perhaps not in strength," Bluestar murmured. Then she began to get herself together.
"Dawnstar, gather everyone together to travel to the Starpool. This time, we will be fighting with the Clans, too."
The she-cat immediately ran off back to the camp.
Bluestar turned back to Feathertail. "Forget Spottedleaf for now. We have a battle to win."
Mapleshade padded through the trees. Behind her, a group of recruits were following her and Shrewtail.
"We're nearing the RiverClan camp," Shrewtail told everyone. "When I give the signal, we will attack. She stared out beyond the trees.
"One. Two… attack!" she leapt out of the trees and landed squarely on a RiverClan cat. The pair immediately started clawing at each other. Mapleshade darted into the camp and dealt a blow to a warrior as she passed. She saw one of the recruits nail a she-cat to the ground, and the two of them hissed at each other. Perfect. Clans fighting Clans.
She leaped at Mistystar. She clawed with all her might and managed to leave a wound that was so vicious that it knocked Mistystar unconscious. She was about to deal the killing bite when a furry body knocked Mapleshade from the side. It was a tom. Reedwhisker, Mistystar's deputy. Mapleshade snarled, whirling to glare at the tom. Reedwhisker's paw darted out, raking across Mapleshade's face. The she-cat yowled in mingled pain and fury. She leaped directly onto Reedwhisker's head, clawing his spine. She nipped Reedwhisker's legs and he collapsed to the ground. Mapleshade kicked him into a pile of moss. He lay there, unable to move, blood forming a pool underneath him, growing with every breath he took. Mapleshade looked for another opponent, but nobody was attacking her. Perhaps she could attack some of the warriors to weaken them. She saw a recruit struggle underneath one of the RiverClan warrior's blows, and Mapleshade bowled him over and swiped at him. The warrior was no match for the superiority of her attacker.
Before long, the RiverClan camp's warriors were covered in blood, too exhausted and torn to move or defend themselves. That should be enough. Fitting vengeance for what RiverClan once did to me.
It's probably time to go join the others at ThunderClan.
She yowled to Shrewtail, and she and the recruits raced toward the other side of the lake. They passed by the WindClan camp, which was full of yowling and screeches.
"We should help them," Mapleshade yowled to Shrewtail. The cats joined in and raced toward the moor. The cats inside were fighting, the WindClan cats were still fighting, covered in wounds but still fighting for their lives.
Mapleshade dealt a blow to a brown apprentice, who howled in pain, darting backwards. The Dark Forest she-cat pursued him, cornering him. The tom lashed out, sweeping sharp claws across Mapleshade's flank. With a sneer, she whipped around, pinning the tom to the ground. He writhed frantically, trying to escape the she-cat's steel grip. Mapleshade slowly sank her claws into the soft flesh of his stomach, driving them deep into the young apprentice. He wailed in pain, trying to pummel the tortoise-shell she cat with his hind legs. She only smirked back at his pathetic face, ripping open his belly with her claws. Blood flowed like a river from the gaping wound, and the tom's eyes glazed over and lifeless, his breath coming to a rattling halt.
Mapleshade snarled in satisfaction, and leapt back into the battle.
Feathertail darted after Bluestar, as the regal blue she-cat ran through the woods.
The StarClan cats arrived at the ThunderClan camp, astonishing the ThunderClan cats who were there.
Feathertail saw Brokenstar. He was pressing a she-cat to the ground. She saw Dustpelt run over. "Ferncloud! No!"
Yellowfang yowled, "Not again!" and leapt over. She snapped Brokenstar's neck. Feathertail exploded into battle, dealing a blow to a Dark Forest warrior. It was Clawface. Graystripe was stunned.
"Feathertail?" he stuttered.
"Help me!" she yowled back.
"Okay!" Graystripe helped Feathertail, and they drove him backwards. Graystripe nipped with such ferocity that Clawface buckled to the ground. He got up almost immediately. Feathertail unbalanced him with a clean swipe, and Graystripe raked his claws over Clawface's neck, drawing blood.
Feathertail nodded to Graystripe thankfully. He nodded back.
She suddenly saw Sandstorm. She was staring into the woods. "Who's there?" Sandstorm hissed.
"You should know who I am," a voice hissed back. "ThunderClan ruined my life!" A heartbeat later, a tortoiseshell she-cat leaped from the bushes. It was Mapleshade!
Feathertail rushed to help, but a pelt flashed by and knocked Mapleshade to the ground. It was Spottedleaf! Spottedleaf wrestled Mapleshade to the ground, but the Dark Forest she-cat took the StarClan cat by surprise.
Feathertail was forced to watch as Mapleshade sliced open Spottedleaf's throat, draining the life out of her.
Feathertail leapt toward Mapleshade in a fury, but Sandstorm had already bolted at her. Mapleshade ran off, her tail streaming behind her, Sandstorm close behind.
Firestar was bending over Spottedleaf. "No!" the ginger tom whispered. "Spottedleaf, you promised to greet me in StarClan."
"I'm sorry," Spottedleaf murmured. Then she whispered a couple of inaudible words that Feathertail could not hear.
Then her body became limp. "Spottedleaf?" Firestar could not believe his eyes. Then he let out a heartbroken wail.
Spottedleaf was dead. How could that be true? And the truth is not yet revealed. How?
But another cat had slinked from the shadows. It was Tigerstar.
"Time for my long-lost revenge, kittypet," he snarled. "The Dark Forest will rule the Clans endlessly."
Firestar was unmoved. He leapt onto Tigerstar, battling viciously against the stocky tom.
Graystripe stepped forward to help Firestar, but was blocked by Whitestorm. "This is not your battle to fight. Firestar must fight by himself."
"You lived like a rogue, you can die like a rogue." Firestar dealt a blow that made Tigerstar crumble like ashes to the ground.
But a streak of lightning hit the tree right above Firestar, and was set ablaze, fire licking up the branches, and burning them beyond recognition. There was a loud boom and an explosion, and a cloud of dust formed. When the dust cleared, Firestar was not there. There was only one body, and it was of a muscular tom, Tigerstar, which was slowly fading.
Firestar dead too? How could that be possible? He was a noble leader.
Sandstorm was shocked, her eyes overflowing with grief. "I knew you shouldn't have wasted your final life," she whispered.
Feathertail was moved too. The battle was won, but the price had been much too high. She padded away and glanced at the ground where Spottedleaf had been killed.
The grass was tinged red with blood, but there was no sign of the starry cat's pelt anywhere.
It has all gone wrong, Feathertail thought. But the truth has not yet been found.