Author's Note: Death warning in this chapter.

Hollyleaf didn't know what Ivypool, Tigerheart, and Harespring were planning to do when they announced the Dark Forest was coming. For StarClan's sake, these were the cats who turned against the cats destined to protect them. Panic and hysteria had come over them once before and Hollyleaf wasn't surprised in the slightest when it became clear fear was running rampant through the clan.

At the moment, Fallen Leaves and Hollyleaf were padding into camp, fresh-kill in their jaws. Things only seemed to have gotten worse in their absence. Firestar was managing to keep things under control but it was clear that control was just an illusion covering the panic beneath.

The tom and she-cat put the fruits of their hunt on the pile before selecting a piece of prey each and settling down to eat. Hollyleaf let out a long, satisfied breath as she bit into the warm meat but the sounds of her clan mates sharing tongues prevented her from fully relaxing. She didn't need Dovewing's hearing to pick up every word being said.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Icecloud was whispering to her brother.

"I can't believe we're inviting other clan cats into our camp," Mousewhisker muttered to Toadstep a few tail lengths away.

"We really messed up, didn't we?" Thornclaw said as he sat down beside Brackenfur.

"I really think we did," Brackenfur agreed, sounding tired. "But we'll stand together until the end, won't we?"

"You bet."

The two senior warriors' exchange provided Hollyleaf's troubled mind some solace but it did little against the rest of the things she was hearing.

"You trained with Hawkfrost?" Whitewing hissed at Birchfall not for the first time.

"I'm sorry. I know I've doomed us."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Birchfall."

"Do you think the Dark Forest knows the three are gone?" Rosepetal asked Blossomfall on the other side of camp where the she-cats were sharing fresh-kill. "What if they were just going to attack because they were afraid of the three?"

Blossomfall's response was too quiet for Hollyleaf to hear but the shattered look on her face said it all.

"I can't believe this is my kin's legacy," Fallen Leaves muttered, drawing Hollyleaf's attention back to her immediate surroundings.

Hollyleaf sighed and put a tailtip on his shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to see this."

Fallen Leaves shook out his pelt. "Don't be. This is the nature of cats. I died young but I saw plenty of it."

Hollyleaf wanted to ask what he meant but the distant, sorrowful look in Fallen Leaves' eyes told her that was a bad idea. A heavy feeling filled her heart at the sight of it and she hated that she had to bite her tongue. With a sigh, she shook the lingering weight from her mind and rose to her paws.

Fallen Leaves got up, looking at her with curiosity. "Where are we going?"

"I want to talk to Ivypool," Hollyleaf answered, casting her gaze around camp. She didn't really know what she wanted to talk to Ivypool about. She just hoped whatever she said would put her mind at ease. Ivypool knew what she was doing. Right? She hoped she did. "I think we were part of the last patrol of the day so she should be in camp. Any idea where she could be?"

Fallen Leaves shook her head. "I haven't seen her all day. Maybe we could ask Whitewing and Birchfall?"

Hollyleaf glanced in the pair's direction and leaned back slightly at their hushed hisses. Birchfall was sitting on his haunches, the most pitiful look on his face. Whitewing was on her paws, ears pressed flat against her head, and she looked pretty pissed. Hollyleaf looked away in distaste. She did not want to step into that.

Fallen Leaves made a face sharing her sentiments. "She's probably in the warriors' den."

"Yeah," Hollyleaf agreed, eyes flickering to Whitewing and Birchfall again. "I'm sure she doesn't want to listen to all this."

"What cat does?" Fallen Leaves murmured as the duo headed toward the den. Worry for the tom twinged in the black she-cat's belly but she said nothing. Her heart went out to her friend but Hollyleaf knew it wasn't her place to push. She couldn't imagine what he was going through right now. Being back in the land of the living, seeing the future of catkind, facing whatever was coming- It seemed impossible to bear but Fallen Leaves was handling it better than any cat could. And for that, Hollyleaf admired him.

Hollyleaf reached the warriors' den first, sticking her head in before stepping in without hesitation. Almost immediately, she spotted a silver form curled up in one of the nests. She padded to her side and poked her with one paw. "Ivypool? Ivypool?"

The silver tabby didn't even stir.

Fallen Leaves frowned and pushed passed Hollyleaf to place a paw on Ivypool's flank. He closed his eyes for a moment, gastly form flickering as he focused. A few heartbeats ago, Hollyleaf hadn't been worried in the slightest but Fallen Leaves was scaring her. "Is everything okay?"

"I think… I think she's in the Dark Forest right now," Fallen Leaves murmured almost silently. He jerked his head back, eyes snapping open, and turned to Hollyleaf. "Go get Briarlight."

"What can she do? She's not, y'know, a real medicine cat. She doesn't know anything about-"

"Just go!"

Hollyleaf gave him a curt nod and turned tail, streaking out of the warriors' den. The camp wasn't all that big so she made it to the medicine den in just a pawful of long strides but it was enough to get the blood roaring in her ears. Or maybe that was just from fear. She didn't know. Neither answer really added up but her body was telling her to move and just do something to help.

"Briarlight!" Hollyleaf called as she burst into the den. "I need help."

Briarlight was up in an instant and dragged herself over to the herb stores. "What's wrong? Who's hurt?"

"No one's hurt. At least not yet," Hollyleaf said with a shake of her head even though Briarlight's back was turned. "It's Ivypool. Fallen Leaves says she's stuck in a dream. She's in the Dark Forest."

Briarlight froze and dropped the herbs she had in her mouth to look over her shoulder at the black she-cat. "I don't- I'm not connected to StarClan like other medicine cats and I don't have powers like Jayfeather…"

"I know but you still might-"

"Maybe you should get Leafpool?"

That was a good idea actually. Firestar still wasn't lifting her punishment but Hollyleaf didn't really care at the moment. Leafpool probably was the better choice and Hollyleaf was too worried about Ivypool to be thinking about her grudge against the she-cat who had kitted her. However, it was Briarlight standing in front of her right now, not Leafpool. Hollyleaf had her doubts but she knew Briarlight's two working paws were as capable as any cat with four.

"I don't think she can do much of anything either but you're the medicine cat right now, Briarlight," Hollyleaf said firmly, meeting the other she-cat's gaze. "Even if herbs can't help and you don't understand how the stars guide our paws, you're smart and you know how to keep cats calm. Just being there would help a lot."

There was still conflict in Briarlight's eyes but she nodded like she had a duty to fulfill and began dragging herself out of the den. Hollyleaf stifled a breath of relief. That determination… She didn't know Briarlight well but from what she'd seen, it was that spirit that defined her and Hollyleaf was relying on that right now.

Hollyleaf burst back into the warriors' den with Briarlight on her tail. Once again, Fallen Leaves was sitting at Ivypool's side with his eyes closed and a paw on her flank. Hollyleaf padded to his side and put her muzzle on his shoulder. "Fallen Leaves, Briarlight's here."

Fallen Leaves didn't move.

"Fallen Leaves?"

Still, no movement.

Briarlight frowned and dragged herself over. Lifting one paw, she poked the tom in the face. Like Hollyleaf, she got no response.

"Come on, Fallen Leaves," Hollyleaf begged. "This isn't funny."

"I think… I think he's in her dream?" Briarlight suggested. "Like Jayfeather. He's technically dead so it makes sense he'd be able to do the things StarClan can do."

"I don't think-" Hollyleaf started but cut off as Fallen Leaves's form flickered, confirming Briarlight's theory. Hollyleaf's eyes grew round with worry. "Oh Fallen Leaves, what did you do?"

Ivypool was running.

She could barely remember falling asleep, just opening her eyes to meet Hawkfrost's icy gaze and the overwhelming fear that followed. Her pads burned and she was sure she was hurt somewhere but the adrenaline coursing through her body was numbing it and pushing her to keep moving forward. The Dark Forest was endless and this wasn't her domain but she didn't care. She just had to get away. She had to get somewhere safe because she was in dangerdangerdang-

And then she was falling.

The ground caught up with her in a heartbeat and all four paws slammed into the earth with a lump. Her mind swirled at the sudden change and she blinked, trying to take in her surroundings, only to find she couldn't see anything. Panic welled in her chest and she crouched, ready to defend against anything that came at her. And something did.

She felt something touch her shoulder and with a yowl, she exploded onto her hindpaws and came crashing down on her attacker, claws out. Or at least she tried.

"Ow!" she yelped as the back of her head rammed into something, jarring her and forcing her to fall back to the ground and cringe inward in pain. She tried to get back to her feet but she was too disoriented to do much of anything.

A soothing tongue lapped the back of her head. "Calm down, Ivypool. It's me. I pulled you out of the Dark Forest. They can't see you down here."

"Fallen Leaves?" Ivypool questioned, looking up. "I- What are you doing here?"

"I pulled you out of the Dark Forest. They can't see you down here," he repeated, waving his tail. Ivypool's eyes began adjusting to the dim light and she was vaguely able to make out his outline. She looked up, trying to figure out what she hit her head on. She couldn't really see anything past Fallen Leaves. Everything around her looked the same and it was just too dark to really tell what it was.

"Where are we?" Ivypool asked. "This doesn't look like the Dark Forest but it doesn't have any stars. Is it the Tribe of Endless Hunting?"

Fallen Leaves shook his head. "This is my realm."

"Your realm?"

"The tunnels," Fallen Leaves told her. "Or rather, the place between life and death."

"Wait, the tunnels are the place-"

"Sorry," Fallen Leaves chuckled, licking his shoulder fur with embarrassment. "I said that kind of funny. I exist in a place between the waking world and Silverpelt. The tunnels are my home."

"I… I see."

"We're in the waking world right now," Fallen Leaves told her, "and the tunnels are too deep for Hawkfrost or Brokenstar or whatever other cats might be looking for you but we're not really, uh, here, you know?"

Ivypool shook her head. She didn't know.

Fallen Leaves sighed but he didn't seem upset with her. If anything, he seemed frustrated with himself. "This is so hard to explain. We're… projecting? Our bodies are somewhere else but our spirits are wandering."

"Like ghosts?"

"I'm a ghost," Fallen Leaves corrected. "When I'm in my body, that is. I'm still solid but I do ghosty stuff and you guys can see me. We're still connected to Silverpelt right now. We're here but not really here."

"I'm so confused."

Fallen Leaves sighed again and waved his tail dismissively. "Nevermind. Come on, I'll take you back to your body and everything will go back to normal."

Ivypool hesitated, glancing around to look at her surroundings. This place could protect her from the Dark Forest. From Hawkfrost. What if she just- no. She couldn't hide down here. She had a duty to her clan. She knew she was going to die but at least she'd do it with honor, fighting to protect those who had a chance of surviving the oncoming attack. Turning to Fallen Leaves, she squared her shoulders and nodded.

"Lead the way."

"Cloudtail. You're leading the hunting patrol. Take Birchfall and Bumblestripe. Sandstorm, you lead another hunting patrol. Brackenfur, Sorreltail, Rosepetal, go with her. Spiderleg, patrol the WindClan border with Millie, Squirrelflight, and Hazeltail. Thornclaw, you're on the ShadowClan border. Take Berrynose, Icecloud, and Cinderheart. Everyone dismissed."

Cinderheart padded away from the rock where Brambleclaw was assigning dawn patrol to look for her patrol leader. Thornclaw waved his tail, calling his patrol over. Berrynose, Icecloud, and Cinderheart were at his side in a few heartbeats. "Everyone ready?"

"I think so," Icecloud replied while Berrynose and Cinderheart murmured in agreement. Thornclaw blinked once before turning and heading out the camp entrance.

"Why are we even doing border patrols?" Berrynose whispered to Cinderheart as he fell in step beside her. "We have an alliance with the other clans."

"Doesn't mean we don't have to check for foxes and badgers," Cinderheart answered. "Plus, fresh border markers are a sign to the other clans that we're still okay."

"That's a good point," Berrynose conceded, nodding thoughtfully. "I never thought of it that way."

Surprisingly, Berrynose fell silent. Cinderheart didn't know if he was pondering her words or if it was something else. Either way, it was kind of nice. Even if Berrynose was her friend and trying to be better, he was still a bit of a furball. She didn't know if they'd ever spent time together in silence like this.

"Do you hear something?" Icecloud spoke up after a while, coming to a stop to prick her ears and listen.

Thornclaw lifted his nose to the air. "I smell blood."

Berrynose sniffed. "I don't smell anything."

"My nose is older than yours."

"I don't think-" Berrynose was cut off by a piercing yowl in the distance. "Okay nevermind. I think we have other things to worry about. Where did that come from?"

"I'm not sure," Cinderheart replied, looking around. "I don't think it came from here in the forest though."

"Let's keep moving forward," Thornclaw ordered. He looked uneasy and that made Cinderheart uneasy. It took a lot to get a senior warrior like Thornclaw to get worried. "And hurry."

The tom and the two-she cats nodded and hurried after the senior warrior toward ShadowClan. When they broke the treeline and the half bridge came into view, Cinderheart saw something she never thought she'd see.

RiverClan cats were littered across the lake, all swimming toward the shores. And next to them were pools of red. Periodically throughout the whole lake, red liquid was oozing into the clean blue. Before she could fully realize what was happening, Cinderheart saw a light brown tabby tom she recognized as Mallownose get pulled under the water with a fearful yowl. A few heartbeats later, even more red bled into the waters.

"The Dark Forest is attacking the RiverClan camp!" Berrynose shouted. Cinderheart jerked her gaze away from the spot Mallownose vanished to see what Berrynose was looking at. He was staring at the opposite shore where she could see… Was that a fire? It looked like chaos over there. She didn't know how but it looked like the territory itself was hurt. Did the Dark Forest even have that kind of power? If they did-

"Everyone! There's a fallen tree up ahead on ShadowClan territory. Help me push it into the water! Maybe someone will be able to grab it," Thornclaw said. His voice was thick with shock but he was strangely calm, level headed in a way only a senior warrior could. "Cinderheart, run into ShadowClan territory and yowl your head off. Don't take too long, we need your help, but I think we can spare a few heartbeats if you can get some ShadowClan cats to help."

Cinderheart was already running into the pine forest. As ordered, she threw her head back and caterwauled with everything she had. Normally she'd feel a bit silly but by StarClan he just vanished in the water was he dead he was probably dead they were all going to die this was terrifying and she couldn't-

"What are you doing?" a voice asked and Cinderheart realized she was practically halfway to the ShadowClan camp. Panic was glazing her thoughts. All she could do was yowl and run. It was the only thing she could do to let out everything building up inside her. Blood roared in her ears and she could feel her heart in her throat. Was this how the others felt when they chased out Lionblaze? She hated them for that but right now, with so much ice cold fear flooding her body and her vision so tunneled, she could maybe understand why they did what they did.

"Cinderheart, calm down." Who was that? Oh, it was Tigerheart.

Cinderheart pulled her thoughts back together and began running back toward the lake, making sure to breathe. The ShadowClan patrol followed her but more out of confusion and curiosity than urgency. They had to go faster. "Come on! There's no time! RiverClan is being destroyed!"

Tigerheart's eyes widened. "Snowbird, run back to camp and-"

"There's no time!" Cinderheart shrieked. "Move your tails!"

Tigerheart, Snowbird, Crowfrost, and Starlingwing didn't argue. Breaking into a run, they followed her back to the lake.

"That was fast," Thornclaw grunted as the group approached. He, Berrynose, and Iceloud were pushing all their weight against a long pine tree. An oak would've been sturdier but a pine was easier to move. "Help us. Now."

The ShadowClan cats didn't waste time being put off by the ThunderClan cats' odd, demanding behavior. The urgency in their voices and eyes was enough. Together, the eight cats pressed their paws into the bark and pushed the pine all the way into the water.

"Another!" Thornclaw barked.

"I saw a big log on the way over," Cinderheart spoke up. "Only a few tail lengths away."

"Good. You and Starlingwing push it in."

"What's happening?" Starlingwing asked, eyes wide as he and Cinderheart hurried over to the stocky chunk of wood lying on the bank.

Cinderheart nodded in the direction of the lake, hoping it wouldn't distract him but he had to know. "The Dark Forest attacked RiverClan. Some of the warriors fled into the lake but the Dark Forest cats are picking them off. We can't swim so we're hoping they'll be able to grab onto these."

"Good plan," Starlingwing responded with an edge of fear in his voice. He grunted as he dug his hindpaws into the earth, forcing the log forward. Cinderheart's muscles and chest screamed as she pushed but soon the log was on its way and rolling into the lake. Turning to look for her allies, she found that they'd managed to push down another tree and joined them in sliding it into the lake.

"Get into the water and do whatever you can," Thornclaw ordered, already wading into the water, water lapping over his golden brown paws.

"Into the water? Where the Dark Forest cats are picking off RiverClan cats?" Snowbird questioned. "Are you mad?"

"Yes! This is more serious than anything we've faced and I remember the day Scourge killed Tigerstar! Get in there!" Thornclaw snapped, taking Cinderheart by surprise. Thornclaw was really scared but he was using that fear to fuel his actions and help. Respect for the older tom washed over Cinderheart and she wasted no time following his instructions. Nodding to Starlingwing, Tigerheart, and Berrynose, the four grouped up and waded into the water. Sticking close to one of the pine trees, they pushed it out as far as they could with their paws still touching the bottom of the lake. The water was cold and unpleasant but no cat complained.

"Hey! Over here! Someone, get over here!" Berrynose yowled, rearing up so his forepaws were on the tree and his hind paws sank deep into the underwater sand. "We can help!"

"He has the right idea," Tigerheart noted. He looked to the younger ShadowClan warrior beside him. "Starlingwing, get up there. Cinderheart and I will hold onto the tree."

The tom swallowed his fear and nodded, joining Berrynose in his yowls. Cinderheart dug her teeth and claws into the tree, keeping it from drifting out of her reach. She couldn't tell what was happening with her view blocked but she soon heard splashing and frantic yowls. The tree bobbed, signalling more weight was thrown onto it. They'd managed to grab some cat before the Dark Forest could get their claws on them.

"Move, move, move!" Berrynose barked. Cinderheart and Tigerheart were spurred into movement. They both gasped in air and ducked into the water, moving to the other side of the tree to push. For a moment, Cinderheart could see a she-cat darting at them underwater, yellow eyes blazing. Surfacing, she took in a big gulp of air and began pushing.

Cinderheart was a strong swimmer, having been taught by Jayfeather when her leg was broken, and Tigerheart was a large, well-built tom. The two were powerful here and together they propelled the tree and its passengers toward the shore with astonishing speed. But it wasn't fast enough.

Claws sank into Cinderheart's tail, jerking her away from the tree. Tigerheart froze, turning to see what was wrong. A weight came crashing down on her back from behind and claws sank into her shoulders. His eyes widened and he stepped to help her but Cinderheart shook her head as she furiously tried to throw her attacker off. "Go! Get-" Who was it on the log? Oh, it was Willowshine. "-Willowshine to the shore! I'll be okay!"

"Berrynose, Starlingwing, paddle! The ground is solid here," Tigerheart told the pair of toms as he threw himself at the cat on Cinderheart's back, snarling with fury so intense that it had to be personal. "Get out of here, Mapleshade!"

Cinderheart didn't know who Mapleshade was but she seemed to know Tigerheart. "Traitor!"

"You're the traitor!" Tigerheart spat as he ripped the Dark Forest cat off Cinderheart and threw the she-cat as far as he could into the depths of the lake. He turned to Cinderheart. "Come on, let's go! She'll catch up again soon. She's a better fighter in water than either of us."

Cinderheart nodded and dove back into the current, swimming toward the shore as fast as she could. Her tail screamed in pain and her shoulders were throbbing from the claw marks. She was sure she was leaving a trail of blood in the water but all she could think about was getting away away from this lake of death how many cats were dead at the bottom would the lake run red oh StarClan they were dead there was no more-

"Cinderheart!" Berrynose's voice called joyously, snapping Cinderheart from her spiraling thoughts long enough to realize she was almost on dry land. Her wet fur clung to her body, making her look far smaller than she actually was. The tom was at her side in a heartbeat, lapping her fur and pressing his flank against her. It was nice. He was warm.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked with a shaky breath. Thornclaw, Crowfrost, Snowbird, and Icecloud were on the bank too, Thornclaw and Crowfrost soaked to the bone, with Robinwing shivering beside them. A few tail lengths away, Reedwhsiker stood. He must've grabbed onto the log. Or maybe the other group had just been more successful than her and Tigerheart. Cinderheart didn't waste time thinking about it. She was just happy to see that a few cats were relatively okay, physically at least. He looked shaken but there was something else brimming in his eyes.

It took Cinderheart longer than it should have to realize it was anger.

"How can we be okay?" Reedwhisker answered, something rough and gravelly in his tone. "Our clanmates are gone."

"But you're alive," Icecloud told him softly. "As long as you're alive, there's hope."

"How can there be hope?" Reedwhisker growled. "RiverClan is dead and the rest of the clans are next."

Author's Note: Damn, I forgot how much I enjoy writing scenes like that last one. Back when I decided Harespring, Tigerheart, and Ivypool were going to be a little rebel group, I knew I had to do something with RiverClan but I didn't know what so I just had "RiverClan fucking dies" in my notes for the longest time. This *gestures to Cinderheart's part of the chapter* was not planned but I am happy with how it turned out. And yes, I did not save Mistystar. Not because I'm one of those people who thinks Mistystar needs to die. I just didn't want to save the obvious characters.

I almost had Mapleshade kill Cinderheart. Battles write themselves and I know that one was only like 2 seconds but I was very tempted to just let Mapleshade drag her into the lake. However, I killed Cinderheart in another story once before and you guys didn't like that so I let Tigerheart save her. Don't assume she's safe though. No one is.

Starlingwing is an actual character. I'd never heard of him until I looked at the allegiances to decide which cats were going to be on the patrol. I like him. Don't know what I'm going to do with him or if he'll come back.

Edited 4/9/2021: A few sentences added, minor changes