It wasn't Manglethorn.

Laurelleaf stared at the two cats. It never was.

"You were taking out all your anger and blame on the wrong cat," Grasswhisker's mew flashed in his mind. Then the final sign appeared in his head: a mangled thorn in the shape of a star, surrounded by darkness that spread all around the environment. Bugs burst from the branches. White, wriggling bugs with spindly legs that swallowed him whole. Maggottail was the true evil. It was Maggottail; the bugs represented Maggottail.

It was Maggottail who would spread darkness around the forest. Manglethorn was manipulated the entire time. It was Maggottail who forced him to kill so many cats—and I missed out on how Beetail died—and Maggottail who actually wanted all of Laurelleaf's family dead. Surprise and fear hit him, deep and strong, but the agony on his body forced him from standing up. He moaned, wanting to curl up forever and get out of this mess.

For once Laurelleaf could imagine Manglethorn as an innocent cat, who just wanted to become leader and achieve his destiny and live a normal life with his family. A tired deputy who was deprived from his normal life by dangerous missions that risked his life and ruined his reputation among the Clans, making him among the most misunderstood cats of the forest. "Your mate!" Maggottail hissed. "Your kits! Who cares about them? After you die, I'll kill them. I'll destroy ThunderClan, and WindClan, and RiverClan, and ShadowClan, and every cat that has lived!"

"You would never!" A surge of protectiveness rushed into Manglethorn's eyes as he screeched and lurched forward. "My kits and mate are my business! You deserve to die!" The two cats tumbled together, claws on each other's heads and throats, and Laurelleaf longed to scramble up and run away. Brightspirit swirled out of the air and held him down, gazing into his eyes, her claws unsheathed. "What—" Laurelleaf asked, but Brightspirit stopped him. Suddenly the environment changed, and Brightspirit meowed, "You need to see some visions."

Laurelleaf struggled under her grip, but she held him down firmly. "Sto-op!" He gasped, trying to break free, but Brightspirit hissed into his ear. What visions? He thought desperately, the image of Manglethorn and Maggottail fighting starting to dissolve into the background. Not right now!

The sky turned blue, and Laurelleaf found himself back at camp. He collapsed onto the grassy ground, where soft soil wrapped over his paws, and he shook his head. A wind too warm to be from leaf-bare blew over his fur, ruffling his pelt and causing his stripes to flow. He could smell the milky scent of the nursery, and he turned around. Whitewhisker had her paws tucked in and her tail around her pregnant belly, her blue eyes huge in fear. He and Brightspirit were standing and watching a scene, a familiar scene...

"The first battle?" Laurelleaf gasped. "The battle when I was a kit?"

WindClan and ThunderClan were clashing, cats screeching and yowling and clawing each other. Blood soaked the earth, staining the grass red and making the ground underpaw wet. The dens were shredded and torn, and Laurelleaf searched around. The injured body of Windyfrost, the mighty spirit of Oakstar... White flashed past Laurelleaf, and he turned to see the unhurt pelt of Manglethorn heading towards the nursery. His long white tail lashed, flicking into another cat's face and cutting across the grass. "To kill Grasswhisker and me!" Laurelleaf exclaimed, memories nearly swallowing him. Rage nearly rose into his veins again, but what appeared next surprised him.

Manglethorn was gazing at the young Laurelkit, his emerald-green eyes big. Grasswhisker was gasping at his side, and Laurelleaf stiffened when Manglethorn stood in front of his young self. Eyes fierce, the white deputy carried Laurelkit by the scruff and stood over him protectively as the battle raged on outside the nursery. Manglethorn shielded off any ThunderClan attacks that went for Laurelkit, whose eyes were scrunched close, and Laurelleaf instantly became speechless. Bloomheart of ThunderClan lurched forward to Manglethorn, but he growled and covered Laurelleaf with his tail-tip. Finally, Grasswhisker came, misunderstanding Manglethorn's act of kindness and attacking him. Teeth and claws flashed in Laurelleaf's vision, but he was too shocked to talk. Manglethorn was trying to protect me when I was young! The realization hit him like a thousand jagged rocks. He was trying to kill me or Grasswhisker! The scene shifted, and Laurelleaf was now standing in a clearing surrounded by oak trees and bushes.

Cats came out and went in holes and dens created by the trees, and Laurelleaf realized that he was in ThunderClan camp. Soft sunlight filtered through the branches, lighting the ground and making the cats' pelts shine with light. The ground thumped with the sound of the paws of three kits as they bounded across the clearing, their little tails bushed up, their squeaks cheerful. Laurelleaf turned to see the kits bouncing right over him, through his body, to somebody standing behind him. He recognized the white tabby pelt of Manglethorn, who have just came back into the camp with a mouse in his jaws. His eyes were warmer than the shining sun, so warm that Laurelleaf felt a pang of homesickness for the nursery.

"Papa!" One of the kits, a cream-furred she-cat, laughed. "Papa!"

"Mintkit!" A voice sounded from the nursery. "Get back here!" A ginger tabby she-cat poked her head out of the nursery, and she stopped when her eyes were landed on Manglethorn. They were full of love when she looked at him, and with a mrrow of laughter he ran into the nursery with his three squeaking kits, who were nearly climbing all over his pelt. His family. Laurelleaf's heart tugged as Manglethorn nuzzled Applewing's cheek with his, licking her ears fiercely while the kits pawed his flank.

"Papa, will you bring us around the Clans to explore?" Mistlekit asked. Laurelleaf saw that she looked the most like Manglethorn: white tabby pelt, but with gray stripes instead of black. "We'll explore and beat all the Clans," Forestkit, the ginger tom-kit who looked like Applewing, boasted with a puffed-out chest. "ThunderClan will be the strongest of all!"

The family played and laughed in the nursery, and Manglethorn rested his head on Applewing's pelt. Her purr rumbled through her throat, almost striking into Laurelleaf's heart, until the scene shifted again. The ground beneath Laurelleaf's paws hardened into stronger soil, and sticky wetness tinged to it. This time, Laurelleaf found himself back in the battle clearing. Manglethorn was still fighting Maggottail, his teeth bared and his claws sharp, his eyes fiercer than any beast of TigerClan.

Your time to go. Brightspirit dissolved into the air, sending a burst of energy into Laurelleaf's body, and Laurelleaf sprang. Despite all his wounds and all his pain, he gritted his teeth and strode towards the two fighting cats. Blood dripped from his face and his legs and his spine and his pelt, but he shrugged it all off. The real enemy was there the whole time. It wasn't Manglethorn.

It was never Manglethorn.

Wind screamed as Laurelleaf crashed on Maggottail, who yowled in alarm. He landed a slash on the pale old cat, then clawed at him hard on the face. Manglethorn stared as Laurelleaf clawed Maggottail, backing a step.

For once, when Laurelleaf looked at Manglethorn again, sympathy poured into his heart. Images of Brightspirit's visions, of Manglethorn's family, who was waiting for him to return back at camp, and him standing over young Laurelkit, protecting his little pelt from all of the battle, flashed in his mind. "Come on and fight!" Laurelleaf yowled, his ribs burning with effort, and Manglethorn leapt in without hesitation. Sharper claws pierced skin as the two cats clawed at Maggottail. The pale brown elder screeched and escaped from their grips. He dissolved into air and flew across the two cats as a wisp of dirty air.

At this moment, Laurelleaf quickly turned to Manglethorn. His paws ached, but he held firm ground. "Thank you for protecting me when I was young," he meowed quickly. Slight embarrassment burned in his pelt. "I... I misunderstood you. I misunderstood you, Mangleth... I'm sorry. You're not the enemy at all, Manglethorn. I owe you an apology. You don't deserve… what you went through."

Manglethorn's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Maggottail materialized again behind him and crashed on him. Laurelleaf yelped as the impact of the attack caused him to be knocked backwards along, and he leapt away. The sun was finally rising to its height, but clouds were starting to cover it. Purple clouds. Blood-red clouds. Golden clouds. The sun made them shine like blood. Blood spurted from Laurelleaf's wounds, but another burst of Brightspirit's energy helped him flip over and claw Maggottail's neck fur.

Laurelleaf relished the feeling of the attack, satisfaction tipping is claws. However, Maggottail turned, hissed, and bit Laurelleaf's paw. Laurelleaf yelped in pain while Maggottail ran far east. Laurelleaf leapt after him, and Manglethorn followed up hesitantly behind. Laurelleaf turned around and faced the white tom for a split second. He came here today because he was about to become leader. I am wrong to fight him, because he wouldn't do any harm now that Maggottail escaped. But we would need to destroy Maggottail before he does more harm to any other cat.

"Go!" He yowled. Manglethorn didn't hesitate again. His muscles rippling as he ran beside Laurelleaf, eyes on Maggottail, breathing fast and determined.

Fighting for his family and his destiny.