Bluestar stiffened as a row of BloodClan cats lined up at the edge of the clearing, effectively trapping their forest-dwelling neighbors. Down below, she could hear several cats whispering indignantly to each other. Fireheart was among them, as were the rest of the ThunderClan attendees and Bluestar's older children. She turned her attention back to Scourge, who was still standing at the base of the Great Rock. As their eyes met, she thought she saw a flicker of recognition in the black tom's eyes, but it was gone before she could be entirely sure of what she saw.

"Greetings, Scourge," Bluestar meowed after realizing that none of her fellow leaders had any intention of speaking up. "I am Bluestar, the leader of ThunderClan. What is your purpose in coming here to our territory?"

"It doesn't matter why they came," Tigerstar broke in before Scourge could respond. "This is a sacred meeting place. We don't welcome rogues, here or in any other part of the forest. You and your Clan must leave at once."

At that, the self-proclaimed BloodClan leader's eyes snapped to look at Tigerstar. Even Bluestar, who despised the ShadowClan leader, was startled by the expression on Scourge's face. It was beyond anger, it was pure, unadulterated hatred. Judging by the way Tigerstar's fur prickled along his spine, she guessed he wasn't entirely unbothered by the loathing in the smaller tom's eyes. She couldn't help feeling puzzled as well; Tigerstar had certainly spoken disrespectfully and she could understand if Scourge was angry that the dark tabby hadn't allowed him to answer Bluestar's question, but his reaction went beyond that of simple resentment over a lack of courtesy and she wondered if there was some sort of history between the two that she wasn't aware of.

"I brought my Clan here to make a proposition," Scourge meowed, his voice as cold as the bitterest leaf-bare. "A recent...ally that I had the good fortune to meet informed me that you would all be gathered here tonight in peace under the full moon."

"And just who told you that?" Bluestar asked warily.

Even as she asked the question, however, she was certain that she already knew the answer. Sure enough, several BloodClan warriors parted at the edge of the clearing to reveal a familiar dark gray tabby. He was noticeably thinner and he was now bearing a teeth-studded collar of his own, but there was no mistaking those yellow eyes. Tigerstar stiffened a few tail-lengths away and several warriors from all four Clans raised their hackles and snarled at the newcomer.

"Good evening, everyone," Darkstripe sneered. "I see you've met my new friends."

"What are you doing here, traitor?" Stonefur spat, his fur bristling.

The former ShadowClan deputy's eyes narrowed. "Traitor? Oh no, Stonefur, it is you and everyone else here who are the traitors. You abandoned me to become a kittypet. Do you have any idea how shameful that was?"

"As if we should care about the dignity of a murderer!" Silverstream yowled shrilly, causing Onewhisker, who had the misfortune of being seated right next to her, great distress.

"You!" Bluestar didn't need to look to see who was speaking this time; the rage and hatred in the voice told her all she needed to know. Willowpelt pushed her way forward, her hackles raised and her eyes blazing with blue fire. "You murdered my son! How dare you show your face here again? I'll teach you and every cat here what happens when you hurt my family and have the nerve to stand before me again!"

"Your little brat got what he deserved!" Darkstripe sneered, and several cats gasped. Bluestar couldn't blame them. Did he truly feel no remorse over the fact that he had murdered a defenseless kit? "He was in my way. I was serving my Clan–"

"You were stealing prey from ThunderClan territory," Fireheart interrupted, his tail lashing.

Darkstripe flicked his tail. "My Clan needed to be fed. It matters not where the prey came from. Anyway–"

"As I recall, it matters a great deal. The warrior code states that we cannot hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory!" Mistyfoot snapped.

The dark gray tom glared at her. "The warrior code means nothing!" he snarled. "What do I care about Clan traditions or loyalty anyway? You all betrayed me, all of you! You, Tigerstar! I was your most loyal ally. I gave up my home and lived as a rogue to follow you. And how do you thank me? You allow me to be driven out of Clan territory and then you don't even bother to search for me! Instead, you replaced me with that pathetic kittypet! But you'll get what's coming to you, all of you will! Mark my words. My new allies and I will drive you from your homes, one by one. And if you cross my path, I'll kill you just like I did that worthless, good-for-nothing ThunderClan brat!"

That was the final straw for Willowpelt. With a terrifying screech, she launched herself at her son, her claws outstretched. Darkstripe barely had time to react before she had pinned him to the ground, her fangs buried in his throat and her claws raking his belly. He struggled against her grip, but Willowpelt was a powerful fighter and her rage over her dead kit's memory being insulted appeared to lend her strength beyond what was mortal. She slashed her claws over Darkstripe's eyes, and the shriek of horror and fear that erupted from the treacherous tom told Bluestar that the strike had blinded him. There was no doubt that she could have easily killed him by now, but Bluestar realized that Willowpelt was trying to make Darkstripe's death as slow and painful as possible. She glanced over to see if any of the BloodClan warriors would come to Darkstripe's aid, but all of them were watching with a sort of icy indifference.

Some allies they're turning out to be, Bluestar thought to herself in amusement.

"Willowpelt," Darkstripe's voice gurgled as blood bubbled up in his mouth. "Have...have mercy. It's me, your son. You–you wouldn't..."

Willowpelt glared down at the dark gray tabby coldly before bending down and hissing something into his ear. Although her voice was soft, every single cat in the clearing heard her words as clear as day.

"You are no son of mine," she snarled. "May our ancestors renounce you just as I have."

With that, she slashed her claws over his throat one more time. Darkstripe didn't even have time to whimper in pain before his life was snuffed out, leaving him in a pool of blood in the middle of the clearing. Willowpelt stepped off of his body and turned to walk back to her Clanmates, her expression full of grim satisfaction. Most of the clearing was silent as everyone tried to digest what they had just seen–everyone, that is, except for the ThunderClan cats, all of whom congratulated Willowpelt on giving Darkstripe exactly what he deserved. Bluestar glanced up at the moon, which was still shining as bright as ever. Clearly, their warrior ancestors approved of what the pale gray queen had done.

After a few moments, Scourge spoke up again. "We...regret the loss of your son," he meowed in a voice that said the exact opposite. "However, as I mentioned earlier, I came to the forest with a proposition. My Clan has too many mouths to feed, and the town cannot possibly sustain all of us, not to mention not everyone enjoys eating carrion. With your territory, we would be able to feed ourselves a hundred times over."

"And you expect us to just bend over and leave, is that it?" Tallstar asked contemptuously.

"No," Scourge meowed evenly, looking up at the WindClan leader. "I expect you to fight. That brings me to the second part of my proposition. The forest should belong to whichever group is the strongest. You agree with me on that, I'm sure. Therefore, I will give each of you a quarter moon to sharpen your battle skills. When that time is up, we will meet here again and battle for three sunrises. Whoever has the most cats left alive by the end of those three days will earn the right to the forest."

"And how can we expect you to keep your deal if you lose?" Leopardstar sneered.

"I have honor," Scourge replied, and Bluestar had to suppress a snort. "So, what do you say? Do you accept my offer? Let us see which of our groups truly deserves to call the forest their home."

Tigerstar was the first to reply. "ShadowClan accepts your bargain. We will battle your warriors in a quarter moon–and we will see to it that all of you suffer the same fate that Darkstripe did tonight."

"WindClan accepts as well," Tallstar added.

Leopardstar stepped forward next. "RiverClan will fight to the death to defend our home," she hissed, her eyes flashing. "We accept your offer."

Now it was Bluestar's turn. She knew what her answer had to be, but she also realized what implications it could have for her Clan. Even if all went well, she would undoubtedly be sending at least a few of her cats to their slaughter. How could she call herself a leader if she did that? The well-being of her Clanmates was supposed to be her top priority. Yet as Bluestar looked at the warriors she had chosen to attend tonight's Gathering, seeing the determination and fury on their faces, she felt a spark of pride. They knew what they were getting themselves into and they were ready to do whatever it took to protect their home. Her gaze locked with Fireheart's, and the ferocity in his emerald-colored eyes gave her the final push she needed.

"ThunderClan accepts your offer as well," Bluestar meowed, her voice ringing out loud and clear. "And let it be heard today that any blood that stains the ground will be that of BloodClan warriors."

Scourge dipped his head. "Very well," he meowed. "Until a quarter moon from now, then. My Clan and I will return to the town while we wait."

Until a quarter moon from now, indeed, Bluestar thought as she watched Scourge lead his warriors away from Fourtrees. And we will see to it that it's the last time you and your band of rogues set a single paw on our land.