DISCLAIMER: Erin Hunter owns Warriors, not me

Chapter 4:

Shadefrost's mouth gaped open at the news as the silver tabby crept back, visibly shaken. "His body is in the middle of the camp… Looks like it's been there a while."

"They're probably having a longer ceremony for him… Blackstar was a great leader," he said, nodding.

She gave him a sharp look before Blazingsun interrupted. "Can you tell who's running things now?"

Shimmerstar plunged back into the leaves, shaking her head as she came back. "No sign of any apparent leader. They're still in mourning." She drew her head up and finished off, "we head back to camp. They will send out a warrior soon to inform the other Clans of his death."

"Why'd you come at all then?" Came the perturbed voice from behind.

All three cats whipped around to see a creamy she-cat with bright, malevolent green eyes. She sat at the very base of the tree limb, leaning against the trunk. Two other warriors stood on surrounding branches, claws unsheathed.

"Dawnpelt," Shimmerstar growled, tail lashing at the sight of the arrogant Shadowclan warrior.

"Dawnstar," one of the warriors that sat at her call sneered, stepping forward a bit. "She's our leader now."

Blazingsun growled, the fur along her spine slowly beginning to rise. "You took Blackstar's place?"

The new Shadowclan leader laughed, and tipped her head to the side, as if thoughtfully considering her words. "Yes. He chose me as deputy after Rowanclaw's death. But he's gone." Her ears flicked. "So I'm in charge now."

She turned to one of her warriors, not taking her eyes off of the three. "Tigerheart, lead them back to camp."

Shimmerstar hissed, sliding out her claws. "We're not going anywhere." Blazingsun and Shadefrost stood at her side, bristled with anger.

They attacked before the Thunderclan cats could say another word, knocking them out of the tree and sending them hurtling towards the ground. They turned in midair, just barely landing on their paws. The ginger she-cat and gray tom hared away, expecting their leader to follow.

They were wrong.

The tall silver she-cat had stood her ground, blue eyes flashing as the Shadowclan warriors dropped down, surrounding her on all sides. "Not running away with the rest of you Clanmates?" Dawnstar growled.

"I will fight," she responded coldly, smirking. "I don't care if my Clanmates don't stand with me. I will fight you, and anyone else who dares to challenge me, or my Clan."

Dawnstar flicked both ears, and the two warriors launched themselves forward, slamming into her from opposite sides. She slipped under Tigerheart's legs and turned back, sending him flying with a kick from her back legs. Scorchfur, the other tom, snarled and raked his claws through her ear, quickly dodging out of the way as she brought her other paw around to hook his shoulder.

Tigerheart leaped onto her shoulders as she turned to face the gray tom, digging his teeth into her scruff. Dawnstar smirked as she watched her collapse under his weight, legs buckling. "Next time you'll think twice about defying an order from Shadowclan's finest warriors."

Closing her eyes, she said nothing for a moment, sitting crouched silently as the dark warrior pushed down on her back with his front paws, scruff still clutched in his jaws. "And if you had even a mouse-worth's of sense…" she mewed softly, muscles flexing. "You would have known better than to harm my Clanmates!"

She exploded into motion, tossing Tigerheart off then immediately turning on Dawnstar, pinning her by the neck to a tree trunk within the second. "I will not hesitate to kill her if you make another move," she hissed, speaking to Tigerheart and Scorchfur. "I want you both to take five steps back."

The grudgingly did as told, prickling with fury. She nodded to them, then turned back to face the Shadowclan leader, face inches away from hers. "Today, I will spare your life. Do not force me to make that decision again."

With those words, she was gone, leaving Dawnstar gasping for air and bleeding lightly.

Shimmerstar shot towards the border, not stopping until she was back safe in her own territory. A ginger she-cat and gray tom stepped out of the shadows, looking relieved.

"You're okay!" Shadefrost exclaimed, rubbing up against her cheek. "When we saw you weren't behind us, we panicked, and-"

The silver tabby flung him off with unsheathed claws, glaring menacingly at him as blood dripped down from her shredded ear, falling into her eyes and turning her vision red. "If you were really worried you would have stayed behind. You would have fought with me."

Blazingsun stepped forward as well, pressing up alongside him. "It was suicide!" She growled, green eyes narrowed into slits. "And not to mention wrong. We were snooping in their territory, on their camp!"

"That doesn't change the fact that she attacked us!" Shimmerstar snapped back sharply. "Knocked us straight out of the tree! We could have died!"

"They were defending their territory! What would you do if you found Shadowclan cats spying on our camp?! And besides that, you got away! They had the grace to offer you mercy, and let you go with a couple of scars!"

The silver tabby curled her lips back, revealing teeth fresh with blood. "No thanks to you two! I fought back against three, on my own, and won!" She turned and began to walk back to camp, but not before adding, "if all you're going to do is defend the enemy, you might as well say goodbye to Thunderclan now."

Blazingsun opened her mouth to give a scathing retort, but was silenced by a vicious battle cry from across the border, followed by similar caterwauls.

"That was…" Shadefrost trailed off, eyes wide with shock."

"Mistpool," Shimmerstar finished, coming back to stand between them. "That mouse-hearted traitor followed us. Now she'll just have to learn the hard way what happens when you disobey your leader." She swiveled around again and started to trot away.

"You…" the ginger she-cat bowed her head. "You fox-heart! You would leave your Clanmate out in enemy territory to die just so she could learn her lesson?!"

Shimmerstar looked back at her with disdain, but reluctantly came back. "Fine. We go back, we rescue her, we get out. If there's too many to fight, we leave her."

She ignored the horrified looks of them both, and pressed forward, diving back into Shadowclan territory.