A/N: It's amazing, but I just realized that this is my fourth chapter in one day. Amazing isn't it? Though some might say it's not much, cuz they're all pretty short chapters. Well :-P to that! I've upped the rating to T because of violence and gore in this chapter. Other than that, just read and enjoy!

Shadow Ascension

By Catgirl the Crazy

Chapter 5: First Victory

Brambleclaw sprang up. "What do you mean, translucent cats?" demanded Tawnypelt. Spiderpaw, apparently only just noticing Tawnypelt and Littlecloud, looked shocked and angry.

"You let two ShadowClan cats into our camp!" he yowled furiously. "When they're attacking everyone at the Gathering!"

"They've told us why they're here," Cloudtail mewed grimly. "And what you've just told us makes me inclined to believe them."

"Oh? And just what did they tell you?"

"There's no time to explain," Mousefur replied quickly. "We have to go help. Brambleclaw. Rainwhisker. Cloudtail. Spiderpaw. Littlecloud. Tawnypelt. You come with me. Ferncloud, you're in charge of the camp."

"You're just going let Tawnypelt and Littlecloud come with us?" Spiderpaw mewed incredulously.

"They know most about who we'll be fighting."

"But-"

"No buts, Spiderpaw! Now let's go!" The six of them, with Mousefur in the lead, ran as quickly as they could towards Fourtrees. As they drew closer, they began to hear the faint yowling of hundreds of fighting cats. Brambleclaw's heart pounded in his chest. Please StarClan, he thought, get us through this alive.

"Dark Shadows, attack!" Blackstar yowled. Leafpaw had no idea no who the Dark Shadows were, but when ShadowClan and the strange new cats surged forward, she instantly knew that it must mean their attackers. A ShadowClan cat lunged at her. Leafpaw crouched and sprung up to meet him. She rammed into him head long. He fell to the ground, winded. Leafpaw slashed at his throat, and blood gurgled from his throat. He yowled, failed at her with his claws. And then he lay still. The cat was dead.

Leafpaw shivered. So this is what it feels like to kill a cat, she thought. She felt slightly sick. Snap out of it, she scolded herself¸ it was you or him. The sound of Squirrelpaw's yowling brought her back to the real world. On her left, Leafpaw saw Squirrelpaw battling with one of the translucent cats, a small, black and white she cat. Without thinking, Leafpaw lunged at the she-cat, her claws outstretched. Instead of landing on the strange she-cat, as Leafpaw expected, she went through her. It was an odd feeling, a lot like going through mud. This unbalanced Leafpaw, causing her to awkwardly. This gave the she-cat the opportunity to slash at Leafpaw with her claws.

Leafpaw braced for the blow, but strangely enough, it left a much smaller wound than a blow like that should have done.

"What the-" she cried, bewildered, but stopped in mid-sentence. "Sorreltail!" she called out. Indeed, the tortoiseshell she-cat was fighting a massive, translucent ginger-tom. The tom leaped on Sorreltail and pinned her down. Leafpaw bounded towards her friend and leaped at the tom. Because he was so busy fighting Sorreltail, the tom never saw her coming. Leafpaw slashed at his face and the tom yowled in agony. Sorreltail wriggled out from underneath him and Leafpaw leaped again, and clamped her teeth on one of his hind legs. Sorreltail took the opportunity to slash at his throat, and after failing for a few heartbeats he lay still.

Leafpaw thought the tom was dead, but he let out a yowl, and a dark brown translucent tabby tom leaped out of the ginger cat. "Brambleclaw?" she mewed, shocked. What was Brambleclaw doing here? And how in StarClan's name had he become translucent like that? She glanced Sorreltail and saw shock as well as horror and fear in her friend's eyes. What could have scared her so much? Leafpaw wondered. She looked back at the tom and realized who he must be.

"Great StarClan," she breathed. "It can't be!"

The tom glared at them with utmost loathing. "You haven't seen the last of me!" he spat, and bounded out of the clearing.

Leafpaw looked down at the ginger tom. He seemed to be looking at something up in the sky. "I'm free," he murmured, and then died.

"What in StarClan's name was that about?" Sorreltail, sounding as bewildered as Leafpaw was.

Before Leafpaw could reply, they heard a voice yowl, "Dark Shadows, retreat!" She looked across the clearing and saw Blackstar looking at Leopardstar, his eyes filled with hate. "You've defeated us today, but we will be back!" he yowled. He stood there for a heartbeat and then whirled a round and dashed back with his Clan mates towards ShadowClan territory.

She heard Sorreltail sigh with relief. "Finally," her friend mewed quietly. "It's over." Sorreltail collapsed to the ground.

Leafpaw limped over to the tortoiseshell she-cat. "You okay?" she asked concernedly.

Sorreltail looked at her, trying to hide her pain and exhaustion. "Yeah I'm fine," she mewed. "Just tired and a little beat up. Nothing I won't survive."

"I'll go get some cobwebs and herbs for those scratches on your face. They look nasty."

"Ok. Thanks."

Leafpaw looked around the clearing as she started to head back to camp for her supplies. Injured and dead cats lay everywhere. Squirrelpaw padded over to her. Squirrelpaw didn't ask if Leafpaw was alright. She already knew Leafpaw was injured from their special connection. "And where do you think you're going?" Squirrelpaw demanded.

"Back to camp," Leafpaw replied. "I need my supplies to treat the wounded."

"Oh no you don't, you stupid furball. You're staying right here," Squirrelpaw mewed sternly. Her resemblance to Sandstorm had never been more striking. "I'll get your supplies. You rest. With that injury, you'd just collapse half way there, and then you'd be no use to anyone."

Leafpaw opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. It would be useless to argue with Squirrelpaw. "Fine," she mewed in defeat. "You, go I'll see who needs help most." Squirrelpaw nodded, turned and left.

A/N: Chappie 5 done people, now read and review!