"I'll never let you have my kits!" Firestorm cried.

Nightfang smirked. "Then I suppose I will have to dispose of them."

Amberpaw glared at the black tom, her fur hot with anger. "What would you benifit from killing two kits?!"

"You and the other apprentices are also on the verge of becoming warriors," Elmstar replied. "That way, neither Clan will have apprentices."

Amberpaw snarled at the tom and she-cat. Just like that, they had turned from as close to friends as they could be to enemies. Looking towards Echostorm and Blackpaw, she hissed, "We have to get out of here!"

Echostorm nodded and turned back to the LeafClan cats. "There will be no bloodshed today." To the others, he added: "Come!"

Amberpaw turned and dashed out of the den, only to be stopped by a Clan full of warriors. They planned this! she thought angrily.

"We'll never win!" Minnowpaw gasped.

Jayfeather looked around, studying the size and hostility of the cats. "We'll have to try."

-------

"We have to help them!" Firestar looked at the cats surrounding him. "We can't expect them to fight with these odds. Even with Jayfeather."

"We have to protect our borders as well, Firestar," Sandstorm mewed gently. "We need all the cats here."

"So you're willing to watch these cats die?"

"Stay calm, Firestar," Tallstar rasped. "These cats will find a way."

"Not without them getting killed," the ginger tom growled.

"So what do you say we do?" Dustpelt challenged.

"We should send cats to help them. Preferrably the ones who chose them to go in the first place."

"Some of those cats are needed here, Firestar," Bluestar protested. "Including you."

He spun around to face his former mentor. "Don't you think I realize that? But we can't die in this battle. They can! How could you choose yourselves over the ones that we ordered to leave in the first place?" He stepped towards the pool that they had surrounded. "I'm going."

"You can't go by yourself!" Sandstorm stepped forward. "That's completely mouse-brained!"

Firestar looked around. "Very well. Does anyone wish to go with me?"

His hackles began to rise when he was met by silence. Suddenly, a gray tom with a darker stripe down his spine walked up to him. "You never have been wrong before," he meowed. "I will go."

The tom nodded. "Thank you, Graystripe."

"Don't forget about us!" Cloudtail bounded up. Beside him was his lifelong mate, Brightheart.

"I will go as well," Angerstrike stalked forward. "My kit is at stake."

Firestar looked around, his green eyes glittering. "Thank you four." Turning back towards his mate, he asked, "Sandstorm?"

The light ginger she-cat looked away. "No, Firestar."

"I see," he said, his voice full of dissapointed. "Now I know where your priorites are."

"No, Firestar! I- But it was too late. Firestar and the others had dissapeared.

-------

"Tigerstar! Bramblestar! Help!" Amberpaw shrieked as the battle exploded. They were heavily outnumbered. This is it! she thought. I'm going to die!

Suddenly, two tabbies appeared on both of her sides. She wasn't surprised when one was Bramblestar, but when she looked at the other, she gasped.

"Father!"

Angerstrike nodded as he batted a small mottled brown tom away. "Hello, Amberpaw. I wish I could greet you on better circumstances."

Bramblestar, on the other hand, hissed. "StarClan is here as well?!"

For a split second, the two's eyes met. "Yes, StarClan is here," Angerstrike snarled. "And it's a good thing, too."

-------

Gingerpaw let out a screech as the white apprentice from before went to snap at her neck. She desperately clawed her underbelly, but with no avail. Suddenly, a flash a flame-colored fur barreled into the she-cat. Gingerpaw scrabbled to her paws to see her rescuer.

"Firestar! It's you!"

Firestar nodded. "That it is, young one. Are you alright?"

"I will be." She looked around. "What about Firestorm and her kits? Are they safe?"

"Brightheart is tending to them."

-------

Tallpaw snarled as he took down the brown apprentice. How are we expected to win against these odds?! he thought angrily. Quickly giving the tom a sharp nip, he let him run off and looked around. He let out a hiss when he saw a gray tom approaching Birdpaw. "Birdpaw, watch out!" he cried as he barreled into the cat.

"Woah woah woah!" the tom yowled. "Hey! I'm on your side! I have stars in my fur. See?" Sure enough, his pelt was shining with the stars of Silverpelt.

"Sorry," Tallpaw muttered.

He nodded. "I understand. I'm Graystripe, by the way. Warrior of ThunderClan- er, StarClan now, I suppose."

-------

"Elmstar!" she pricked her ears as her medicine cat came towards her. "Elmstar, we must stop fighting."

"And why is that, Blackspots?"

"Look!" the she-cat pointed towards the kits that had cause the fight. Beside them and their mother were two cats with shining pelts. "They have the cats of StarClan on their side!"

"What?" she exclaimed. "How is that possible? StarClan doesn't choose sides."

"Unless it's not their will. We have to stop!"

Elmstar hissed angrily, but agreed. Climbing up onto a tree branch, she screeched, "Cats of LeafClan! Stop! This isn't the will of StarClan!"

"What do you mean?!" Nightfang countered.

"Look."

The black tom turned around to see a ginger tom with stars in his fur. He let out a hiss, but sheathed his claws.

The flame-colored tom nodded. "Leafstar, this battle isn't neccesary."

"We need these kits."

"They're ours!" The she-cat known as Amberpaw growled. The tabby beside her whispered something in her ear and she grew quiet.

"Surely we can come to some agreement," the tom from before meowed.

Elmstar paused, deep in thought, before saying, "Very well. We will only request one of the kits."

"Never!" Firestorm caterwauled. The ginger and white warrior beside her said something, and Firestorm's glare rested on her.

"Is there no way I can convince you to leave the kits out of this?" the ginger cat ventured.

Elmstar stood up taller before replying, "Warrior of StarClan, my respect for you is endless, but I must put my Clan first. Without one of these kits, our apprentices will become warriors and we will have no young cats for moons to come."

His green eyes dulled for a moment. Suddenly, he turned towards Firestorm. "Firestorm, you must understand. This is for the best."

"You can't honestly expect me to choose between my kits!" her voice was growing desperate.

The she-cat beside her mewed, "Firestorm, we understand your pain, but think about it. No harm will be brought to that kit, and you'll see either one at Gatherings."

"No!"

Elmstar sighed. This was much more complicated than it needed to be. She met the ginger tom's eyes and if some form of agreement was met, she nodded towards Nightfang, who went to pick up Rainkit.

"Rainkit!" Firestorm dashed towards the deupty, but was blocked by the white StarClan tom and one of Elmstar's warriors, Brindlefur. "You can't take her!"

"I'm sorry," Brindlefur whispered.

"Cloudtail," the tom meowed, "you and Brightheart lead Firestorm towards the entrance. We're leaving."

"Wait," Elmstar yowled. "You cats may have the clearing deeper in the forest. Redwhisker will show you the way." At that, a dark ginger tom stood up.

Firestorm walked away willingly, but when she and Sunkit reached the entrance, she turned around a glared at Elmstar. "I will never forget this," she bared her teeth at the leader. "I will hate you for the rest of my life."