Swallowstar called the Clan to the Tallrock and Volepaw could tell just by glancing around, she knew what was happening. Jumpingpelt flexed his claws, Meadowsong lashed her tail and Antfire hissed. It was time.

"It is time to attack SolarClan and RiverClan, and avenge Runningbird! For this battle, I will take Meadowsong, Graybird, Antfire, Volepaw, and Hollowpool."

The WindClan warriors yowled in approval as their leader got down from her spot on the Tallrock. Swallowstar padded over to the medicine den and Sunbird came out of the fox burrow.

"Sunbird," the blue-eyed she-cat meowed. "Have you enough herbs to care for the injured?"

The brown tom looked behind him at his apprentice and Rabbitpaw gave him a nod, signaling that they had enough herbs.

Volepaw gulped nervously, trying to find Jumpingpelt and Ivysong in the crowd of cats. The tan she-cat found them by the fresh-kill pile, sharing a hare. Volepaw looked away from the two friends when the gray deputy walked to her, his brown eyes narrowed and his ears pushed back.

"Swallowstar didn't want you coming?" she inquired.

"No, she didn't," he answered. "Remember what I taught you, Volepaw."

The apprentice gave him a nod and turned her attention to the Elders den. She thought about going to see Dustblaze and Tallfrost.

"WindClan!" Swallowstar wailed. "Time to head out!"

Some of the cats yowled in approval, others staying quiet. Volepaw padded after her Clanmates as they followed their leader through the gorse tunnel. Volepaw saw that most of the cats, except for Antfire and Meadowsong, were angry.

The apprentice's heart clutched as they raced over the Thunderpath, and she felt the hard ground beneath her paws. Graybird and Meadowsong made their way into a burrow and down to a tunnel.

I know this trick, Volepaw thought. We're going to trick SolarClan and RiverClan into thinking we only brought three cats!

...

Volepaw could see Swallowstar glaring at Harestream, Berrypaw, Flameblaze, Grassnose, Silentstalk, Shadespring, Fishleap, and Creekstorm.

"Swallowstar," the SolarClan deputy meowed. "What are you doing on our territory?"

"You know why we're here," the white she-cat hissed.

Hollowpool stepped up. "You killed Runningbird and crossed over into our territory!"

The RiverClan warriors took some steps back. Harestream held her tail erect, and the cats stopped.

"We had no part in Runningbird's death," the gray she-cat told them.

"Lies!" spat Antfire.

The SolarClan cats' fur bristled, their backs arched.

"We're not lying!" Creekstorm claimed. "We had nothing to do with the death of Runningbird!"

Volepaw pushed her way through the cats. "They're telling the truth! But then again, why were you in our territory?"

Harestream ignored the question, narrowing her eyes at the apprentice.

"Attack!"

Everything was a blur. Volepaw had locked her jaws around Berrypaw's leg, only to be kicked. After rolling to a stop, Volepaw forced herself up and threw herself at the SolarClan apprentice.

Harestream dodged Antfire's claw swipes, moving left and right. He did the Front Paw Strike, slicing downward with his front paw on the gray she-cat's face.

Swallowstar jumped in the direction of Fishleap, twisted in mid-air, then kicked the warrior in the face with her back leg. As the she-cat tumbled to the ground, Silentstalk threw herself at the WindClan leader, yowling and claws unsheathed.

Graybird and Meadowsong jumped out of a nearby hole and raked their claws down the SolarClan warriors' pelts.

"What in-" was all Flameblaze could get out before Meadowsong lashed at him.

Grassnose yowled as Graybird bit his tail and the SolarClan tom twisted around, then Graybird felt his sharp thron-like claws across his nose.

Volepaw bit Berrypaw and flung her to the side. Looking around, she saw Harestream and attacked her. The two she-cats rolled a few fox lengths away from the fight and Volepaw got thrown off. After landing on her paws, the brown-eyed apprentice coughed.

"Harestream! What's gotten into you? Why has Daystar said to raid our territory?"

The gray-eyed deputy moved to the side and jumped, tackling Volepaw and pinning her to the ground. The tan she-cat wiggled under the warrior's hold, her claws digging into her fur.

"You don't understand!" Harestream shouted. "I didn't have a choice!"

Volepaw used her back legs to get the cat off of her with a powerful push.

"What do you mean!?" she asked as she got up. While the SolarClan cat shook her head to clear it, Volepaw jumped onto the attacker's back. Harestream felt claws dig into her skin and yowled. She started thrashing around, trying to fling the apprentice off. "You Snake-heart!" she spat.

Volepaw leaped off as the deputy rolled onto her back. She lashed her tail and slashed her claws into Harestream's belly fur, but not deep enough to kill her.

"Stop the battle! I'm sure Daystar will understand if we talk with him."

"No, that's not possible!" the warrior defended.

"Why!? Why isn't it possible?"

"Because it isn't, okay!?"

"But why!?" Volepaw screeched.

"Because Daystar is dead!" Harestream yowled.

The apprentice stood in her place, her eyes wide. Slowly, she got off as the Solar Cat got to her paws, tears running down her face, though the scowl was still there.

Both of them were dead silent until Volepaw broke it. "What do you mean... he's dead?"

Harestream stood across from the brown-eyed apprentice, her head turned away. "Daystar... Daystar is dead. He was... killed. I'm trying to keep his death a secret to SolarClan."

The WindClan apprentice slowly approached and gave her a lick on the ear. "How... How did he die?"

There was another long moment of silence.

"Harestream, how did Daystar die?" Volepaw asked again.

The deputy took a breath, then answered.

"Echostar."