Yeah, I did it! And without 'The Rise of Scourge' manga, too! I had checked out 'The Darkest Hour' from the library, but then I lost my comic. I was looking for it for a while, then decided to start writing again before I have to turn this book again.

So, Tigerstar shows up. Scourge is mad. Claw is just there. Where's his mom? Claw's growing up, so she's becoming a minor character, kinda-sorta.

I'm gonna shut up and let you read.

7

A Proposition

About a week after Socks and Ruby left, one of Dad's dreams came true…partially. As for my dream? You know, the scary one? It was looming closer and closer.

So, what happened, exactly? The Tiger's Paw came.

You see, a few moons ago, a cat named Boulder decided that BloodClan was 'too dangerous' and 'never had enough food to go around'. He was actually a rather dramatic and greedy cat, and spoke with a British accent. Not just that, but he was also rebellious. So before Dad could drive him out, he announced that he was leaving BloodClan to 'find a better life' in the forest. Dad encouraged it. He told Boulder that any cat who didn't appreciate that they were alive and fighting for food should leave. But later, he had told Ivy and I that he found him snooty and annoying.

But today, he came back, and decided to bring a guest with him.

Rain was pouring down, pooling in puddles at our paws. The reflection of harsh orange streetlights rippled in puddles. Cats were searching for dry food in the other dumpsters that Twolegs used.

Dad and I were eating under the shelter of a doorframe. For awhile, the only sounds we heard was the rain pounding on roofs and cats padding through the territory. Then, all was quiet. The air nearly stilled as every cat nearby stopped moving. Although muddled by water, the scent of trees rose in the air. A new cat had arrived, apparently.

Scourge and I poked our heads around the den. At the same time, Bone stepped in front of the new arrivals, blocking our view. I heard his voice loud and clear in the otherwise dead silence.

"Identify yourselves." He ordered "We don't like strangers here."

"Greetings, Bone. Remember me?" a snooty British accent said. Immediately, I scowled.

"…so you've come back, have you, Boulder?" Bone spat. Yes, Boulder was back; and just when I thought I'd never see his sorry tail again! "You told us you were going to find a 'better life' in the forest. What are you doing here?"

With the soft sound of claws unsheathing, Bone said "We want to see Scourge."

'Boulder's trying to play tough guy again! He doesn't stand a chance against Bone!' I thought with a snicker. Meanwhile, Bone snorted in contempt and laughter.

"I can't imagine that Scourge will want to see you. And who's this with you? I don't recognize him."

"My name is Tigerstar. I've come from the forest to speak with your leader." A deep voice growled.

We just listened to them talking. Apparently, Boulder and the mystery cat were pretty desperate to see Scourge. His eyes narrowed at the thought.

Then they came. One was Boulder, but the other I didn't recognize. But I think Dad recognized him, for his eyes just narrowed even more, and there was even a growl added to it. Dad only growled when he was annoyed, angry, or in psycho-killer mode.

The tabby's eyes scanned the clearing, and skipped right over us. Boulder nudged him and jerked his head towards us. "There's Scourge…and is son."

"That's Scourge?!" the tabby exclaimed in disbelief. I already knew the routine; guests get stared down and entrance to our den. Bone stops them halfway to see what they want, and the guests think that the leader's gotta be bigger and badder than him…and then they see us. "He's no bigger than an apprentice!"

"Sh!" Boulder hissed. I didn't miss the flash of panic in his eyes. "This may not be a Clan as we know it, but these cats would kill if their leader ordered them to."

"It seems I have visitors." Dad hissed. His voice sounded icy; his guard was up now. "I wasn't expecting to see you again, Boulder. I thought you left to live in the forest."

"Yes, Scourge, I have." Boulder replied, crouching into a submissive pose.

"So what are you doing here?!" Scourge snapped "Have you changed your mind and come crawling back? Do you expect me to welcome you?!"

"No, Scourge." Boulder seemed to remember himself and sat up, holding my father's gaze defiantly. "It's a good life in the forest. There's plenty of fresh-kill, no Twolegs—"

"You haven't come to extol the virtues of forest life, have you? Squirrels live in trees, not cats." Dad flicked his tail, and Boulder decided it'd be best to shut up. "So what do you want?"

At this point, the tabby boldly stepped forward, shoving Boulder aside. "I am Tigerstar, leader of ShadowClan," he growled "And I have a proposition for you."

Scourge turned to him only later would I realize that Dad had almost completely ignored the tabby until he had spoken up. He definitely had something against this cat; he was just being subtle with it.

"So Boulder dragged you over here? Alright, what do you have to offer?"

"I have a few enemies in the forest."

"How many?" I asked. Scourge gave me a stern glare that clearly said 'This is business; watch and learn' before turning back around.

"ThunderClan, WindClan, and RiverClan." Tigerstar listed. Scourge and I turned to each other, a bit shocked at 1) how many different clans there were and 2) that this guy wasn't on good terms with any of them.

"…alright." Dad finally replied.

"I have come up with a plan to get rid of ThunderClan. I have found a pack of dogs a little ways into their territory. I will train them to kill ThunderClan."

"That's a very…interesting plan."

"Indeed. Once I get rid of ThunderClan, then I shall send Boulder back over to take you to the forest. I understand that you are expert killers; I would like you to kill the other Clans for me."

"What's in it for us?" I blurted out. Scourge gave me a dirty look, and I decided to shut up.

"Although you have a good point, Claw," he growled "Please stop blurting things out. This is business."

"I was getting to that, either way." The tabby said impatiently. "Once we kill the other Clans, we'll be the only clans in the forest. We shall split the territories amongst ourselves…evenly."

"Hm…Claw, what do you think?" Scourge asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"It's tempting, but how do we know this cat isn't lying? He might make us kill the other Clans, and then kill us so he can have all the territory for himself." I said "I don't trust him."

"What your son says is not true. I will split the territories evenly and fairly." Tigerstar said.

"…well, Twoleg place is a big place, but it isn't big enough. We have many cats here, and not enough prey and dens for all of them." Dad stated. Then he turned to Tigerstar and said "I accept your offer, but don't try any funny stuff." The tabby dipped his head in thanks.

"I shall get started as soon as possible."

"Um…Tigerstar? With all due respect, I think we should go. The dogs you mentioned wont be there forever, and the sooner ThunderClan is dead, the better." Boulder stammered.

"What's the rush?" Tigerstar asked. But he let himself be lead out of the alley. Before he left, he turned to Dad "Cute kid." Then he turned around and left.

I began to blush, but Dad's eyes narrowed and followed the two cats out. "I haven't forgotten you, Tigerpaw." I heard him mutter "But I see that the time for us to settle our…differences has not come yet. But I can be patient."

"That was the Tiger's Paw?" I asked, shocked. I recognized the similarities between Tigerstar and the story Dad told me. Big tabby, amber eyes, long claws…but I had never thought he'd come back.

"Yes, it is. He thought changing his name would make me mistake him for someone else. He was wrong."

"…so you don't trust him?"

"I trust him to lead himself to his death…at my claws."

Later that moon, Dad mentioned the meeting at the Gathering. He got all the other cats excited about a battle that would come soon, a fight for new territory. I even saw Skye smirking a bit, his claws sliding in and out. Concrete, on the other hand, looked a bit nervous. I don't think she ever fought anyone before, and she was probably worrying about that matter. I, for one, was indifferent on this subject. Dad had told me that Tigerstar would lead himself to his doom, but he also mentioned a battle coming soon. Would this be the battle that I saw in my dreams? Will Dad lead himself to his death?

Only time will tell, I guess. But if I was right, then all I wanted now was for time to stop.

Alright! So, some random questions are being answered right now. If you want to ask me a question, just review! Please reviewed.

A random question some of you may be wondering; why did Claw get a dream from StarClan? Because I felt like it. Socks and Ruby know about StarClan since Jake was curious about the Clans, he probably found out about it and told Quince, who told her kits.

Alright, gotta go to church. Adios!