A/N: We're getting near the end everyone! Just a few more chapters to go! That won't be the end of this series though, as I have a few projects in mind to accompany this fic! I hope you guys stick around the read those as well :)

FrostedShadowx- Thank you so much for the review! It means a lot! And as for your questions, as all good things, they come in time! But don't worry, it won't disappoint, haha. I hope you'll enjoy what left this story has to offer :)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Shadowheart sat at the edge of camp, watching the Clan mill around with their duties for the evening. He flexed his claws anxiously, eager to speak with Lily and find out what the rogues were planning. Pinefrost had treated the rogue queen's wounds, and Lily had been sound asleep since. Now it was just a waiting game for everyone involved, and Shadowheart itched with frustration at not being able to do anything but wait for his foster mother to awaken.

In spite of the tension surrounding the Clan, the camp carried on as normal. Redfur, and Foxstar's kits were busily chasing each other around near the nursery; Softstep's smaller kits looking on with wide eyes. Bluepaw, Dapplepaw, and Daypaw were busy showing off their battle moves outside the apprentices' den, Minkpaw looking on from where he ate a thrush. Foxstar was at the base of the HighOak, Lionclaw and Alderleaf in deep discussion with her. Nettleleaf, Frosttail, and Timberfall were outside the elders' den, and Shadowheart felt a startled at just how fragile Timberfall looked.

It was no secret that the older warrior had retired from a mysterious illness, but it was even more apparent now just how bad that illness was. He was gaunt and shaky on his paws, and his eyes were dull with exhaustion and pain. His pelt seemed to be simply hanging off his bony frame. Nettleleaf gently guided him to a warm patch of sunlight, her eyes deep with concern for her denmate.

"I've tried all the herbs I can think of," Pinefrost's voice startled Shadowheart. He looked behind him to see sadness shadow his friend's green gaze. "He's in the paws of StarClan now. It's a shame he will probably not see his new litter grow up."

Shadowheart murmured quiet agreement. He looked towards the hollow log that made up the medicine cat den. "How is Lily?"

Pinefrost sat down, curling her tail neatly around her white paws. "She's sleeping peacefully now," she told him. "I treated her wounds with some poultices, and gave her poppy seeds for the pain and shock. Whatever happened, it was clear some cat wanted her dead."

A chill ran down Shadowheart's spine. "Who would want to kill her?" he asked, his eyes wide with shock. A sense of anger burned in the pit of his stomach. Lily was a kind and loving cat, and had raised him and Cinder with nothing but that. How could his sister allow the cat they considered their mother get in this condition? She let Blackflame die, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised, he reminded himself bitterly.

"I don't know," Pinefrost's quiet mew brought him out of his brooding. "I'm just glad she made it here safely. Who knows just how bad it has gotten back at the gorge?"

Shadowheart met his friend's gaze. "You're worried about your parents and Leaf, aren't you?"

Pinefrost's eyes flashed with a small trace of guilt, but it quickly faded. She scuffed her paws a bit. "Why wouldn't I be?" she defended herself. "No matter what happens, they are still my kin. I may be loyal to LeafClan now, but I could never just forget about them."

Her words struck a cord with Shadowheart. He knew just how his friend felt, with a father in another Clan and his sister back in the gorge with the rogues. If anything, Shadowheart had learned just how hard it was to not have divided loyalties when it came to the cats he cared most about. For once, he was grateful for the rogues. If they had not driven Lily to the Clan's, he may have went the rest of his life without seeing her. Now more than ever, he felt tugged towards the medicine cat den. He needed to see Lily, the cat who had raised and loved him. Even though she had not been his mother by birth, she was the only mother he truly knew or had. With the threat of the rogues hanging heavily over them, he urgently had the need to protect her from any more harm.

"Can I go see her?" he found himself asking Pinefrost. "I know she's sleeping, but I just want to be beside her. I...I've missed her."

Pinefrost got to her paws. "I don't see what harm it would do," she answered, glancing at her den. "Just make sure you don't wake her up. She's had a rough few days, I'd venture."

Mewing in quiet agreement, Shadowheart stood and headed into the medicine cat den. Lily was in a nest near the back of the hollow log, her breathing steady as she slept. Padding quietly over to her, he curled around her body, careful not to wake her. Resting his head gently on her flank, he breathed in her familiar and comforting scent. Memories of his kit-hood came flooding back, lulling Shadowheart into a peaceful sleep.

When Shadowheart awoke, it was dark. Moonlight filtered in through the den from a tiny hole in the roof. Across the den, he saw the sleeping bodies of Ravenfeather and Pinefrost in their own nests. Lily was awake now, her eyes staring at the entrance of the den. Feeling Shadowheart stir, she craned her head to the side to look at him.

"You're awake," Shadowheart mewed quietly, sitting up, blinking sleep from his eyes. "How do you feel?"

Lily purred softly, blinking warmly at him. "Much better. Pine- I mean, Pinefrost, has become such a calm and talented cat. Who knew the plants from the forest could do so much to help?"

Shadowheart gave a tiny nod. "She has definitely found her place here," he agreed quietly. "Bringing her to LeafClan was the best thing for her."

"It seems to have been the best thing for you, as well," Lily murmured, looking ahead. "I can see how much you fit here, in the Clans. You were never meant to be a rogue, and I'm so sorry Hawk robbed you of your true home for so long."

Pressing his muzzle to hers, he gazed into her eyes. "You don't ever have to apologize for what Hawk has done. I may not have known my birth mother, but I didn't need to. You were the best mother I could have ever asked for."

Eyes glistening with emotion, Lily closed them and trembled a bit. "Thank you," she breathed softly.

Nuzzling Lily, Shadowheart let out a gentle purr. It felt good to be alone with his foster mother after all this time apart from her. While he had learned about who his mother was, and met Silversky in StarClan, she wasn't the cat who had raised and loved him. Shadowheart knew she would have, had she not been forced to her death, but that didn't replace or change what Lily meant to him either. Relishing in the few moments of contentment, he pulled away his muzzle at last.

"What are you going to do now?" he dared to ask, worried that bringing up Hawk would upset her.

Lily opened her eyes, and let out a deep sigh. "I'm not sure," she admitted softly. "I fled here to your home, because of what Hawk plans to do. I didn't think any further than just getting here safely."

He looked at her wounds, still covered in poultices and cobwebs, and felt the familiar stir of anger. Swallowing it down, he stared at her. "What happened?"

Shuddering, Lily squeezed her eyes shut tight. Shadowheart worried that it would be too much for her to answer, but after a few moments, she opened her eyes again. The moonlight made her silver eyes glow, and she seemed to burn with a surge of confidence Shadowheart had never seen before.

"I overheard Hawk telling Dune and a few other of the rogues his plans," she began, flattening her ears. "He plans to attack the Clans when you are all gathered in some ravine during the full moon. He said you would be more vulnerable there, since it's so open and it won't be the entire Clan. He also plans to send a group of some of his more vicious rogues to attack that moorland camp, since their leader won't be there to protect them."

Cold dread shot through Shadowheart's body as he listened. Just how long has he been planning this ambush? Shadowheart shuddered at the amount of casualties this battle would have caused if the Clans were unprepared. Gulping, he forced himself to remain quiet as Lily went on.

"During the fight, he intends to have multiple rogues ambush and single out the healers of the Clans. He said that without them, the Clans wouldn't have any cat to help treat the wounded. Once they were dead, he planned to focus on the warriors, so they couldn't protect their leaders. Oh Shadowheart," Lily's eyes were wide with distress. "It was horrible! I was so stunned to hear just how cold and calculated Hawk was when he discussed these terribly wretched plans!" she trembled and let out a tiny, fearful, wail.

"When he saw that I had overhead, he accused me of spying! He said I was probably going to ruin his plans and go and warn you. I tried to persuade him that I wasn't going to do anything like that, but he didn't believe me!" she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "He attacked me, and that's how I have all these wounds. I was just barely able to escape, because Cinder had overheard all the noise and intervened. If it weren't for her, I probably would have been killed!"

Shadowheart growled, furious that Hawk would go as low as to attack his own mate—the cat who had been beside him all these moons, and did whatever she could to make him happy. Digging his claws into the mossy floor, he gave a lash of his tail. "What a fox-heart!" he whispered to her angrily, as to not wake his Clanmates. "This plan of his, did he say how soon it would be?"

Lily frowned, trembling. "He said the next full moon," she answered, sitting up in her nest. "That's only a quarter moon away though! How could the Clans possibly prepare for that?"

"They will have to," replied Shadowheart grimly. He touched his nose to her ear. "Get some more rest. I need to go and tell Foxstar about this. The sooner we can prepare, the better."

Licking his cheek, Lily nuzzled him. "Do your best," she murmured. "I will always be beside you, no matter what."

Blinking warmly at her, Shadowheart hurried out of the den. The camp was deserted, everyone asleep in their nests. The moon hung low in the night sky—a waxing gibbous—reminding Shadowheart just how little time they had to prepare for this battle. He rushed towards the HighOak, peering through the lichen into Foxstar's den.

"Foxstar!" he called quietly. When she didn't answer, he hissed her name a bit louder. "Foxstar!"

A stirring in the den, followed by an annoyed growl, told Shadowheart that he had awoken his leader. He didn't wait to be invited. Quickly he slipped into the den, watching as Foxstar lifted her muzzle to look crossly at him.

"Shadowheart, it's the middle of the night!" she hissed. "What in the name of StarClan are you doing waking me?"

He didn't have time to worry about offending his leader. This was more urgent. "Lily told me what Hawk is planning. I decided it couldn't wait until morning."

Shifting in her nest, he could see Foxstar's attitude quickly change from irritation, to that of wariness and curiosity.

"Well?" she prompted, her green eyes glowing in the darkness. "What did she say?"

Quickly, Shadowheart explained what happened. How Lily had overheard Hawk's plan, and his attempt to silence her. And how Hawk had planned to ambush the Clan's at the next gathering, while also slaughtering all of BreezeClan during the attack. Foxstar gazed at him as he told her, her expression full of horror. She sat up in her nest, fur fluffed out and bristling as he finished telling her.

"Great StarClan," she breathed at last. Seeming to shake off the shock, the ginger she-cat jumped to her paws. "We need to tell the Clan. I also need to send warriors to the other Clans. Shadowheart, I'll need you to take a patrol to ReedClan. I feel like they are most likely to listen to you if you went."

Nodding in understanding, Shadowheart followed his leader out of her den. "I'll go wherever you need me to."

Blinking gratefully at him, Foxstar climbed onto the HighOak and let out a loud yowl. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the HighOak for a Clan meeting!"

Shadowheart paced at the base of the HighOak, watching as his Clanmates stumbled out of their nests in confusion. Snowfoot, and Rainfall—who Shadowheart had guessed was on night watch outside the camp—came rushing through the hollow log with wide eyes. Shadowheart caught Firelight's eye as she gazed at him questioningly from the throng of cats. Foxstar stood on the HighOak, her eyes blazing as she gazed at her gathered Clan.

"What is the meaning of this?" came the cranky mew of Frosttail, fixing Foxstar with a glare. "It's the middle of the night, for StarClan's sake!"

Multiple cats murmured their agreement, fur ruffled from being awoken abruptly. Foxstar raised her tail for silence.

"I assure you," she began sharply. "That I wouldn't call a meeting this late if it wasn't important."

"Spit it out then!" Shadowheart heard the grumble from Brownclaw, the warriors' light brown fur rippling with annoyance.

Glancing towards the medicine cat den, Shadowheart saw the pale tortoiseshell fur of Lily's flash at the entrance. Pinefrost and Ravenfeather were beside her, their eyes wide with worry. As he met lily's steady silver gaze, he gave a tiny nod. He turned his attention back towards Foxstar, waiting for her to deliver the news of the upcoming battle.

"Our guest has finally shared what she knows," Foxstar started, giving a tiny nod to Lily. "And it will change everything as we know now. Hawk and his rogues plans have finally reached a final conclusion, one that endangers us all," as she spoke, the camp grew silent. Pelts bristled with unease as she went on. "In a quarter moon, when the moon is full and we gather with the other Clans, Hawk intends to ambush us. It will be a full on attack while we are all exposed and vulnerable. No doubt Hawk planned the attack knowing this. The first cats he intends to attack our of medicine cats," Shadowheart saw Ravenfeather and Pinefrost bristle with horror, and Ravenfeather let out a tiny whimper that she cut off as Foxstar continued. "We no longer can deny the inevitable. The final battle is upon us, and we must fight with everything we have left. I will be sending patrols to every Clan, to warn them of the danger. I intend to work with the other Clans, so long as their leaders agree."

The camp erupted into chorus of fear, anger, and worry. Shadowheart watched his Clan with wide eyes, knowing just how much the shock of this news brought them all. Firelight ran over and she pressed herself to his side. Grateful for her silent support, he waited for the clamor to die down once Foxstar called for order.

"I will be sending Shadowheart, Dawnrise, and Larkflight to ReedClan," Foxstar called out. "Firelight, Batwing, and Sandpool will travel to PineClan. Lastly, I'll have Yellowsky, Hollycloud, and Tigerfrost head to BreezeClan."

Foxstar lifted her muzzle, eyes full of traces of fear as she addressed the Clan. "The rest of you are to get as much rest as you can," she ordered. With a deep breath, she gazed up at the night sky. "May StarClan guide us all."