There was little wind that night. When an occasional gust did come along it rattled the trees on ThunderClan's border, stirring them. They creaked and howled, moaned and groaned. What little moon there was just peaked out from the blanket of clouds, doing nothing to illuminate the dark, foreboding moors. If a human was to look upon that scene, they would not notice the hundreds of cats, as there eyes would be immediately drawn to the sky.

There were no stars that night.

If you were to look at the hundred or so cats your eyes probably wouldn't fall on the inconspicuous tortoiseshell she-cat with a large white mark on her head. But she was there, oh yes she was there.

The creaking of the trees and the harsh, rare silence that swept over the waiting clans would usually scare Sunstrike, but tonight her mind was on other things. To be perfectly honest with herself, she had to admit that she didn't expect to survive the night. She was a small she-cat, vulnerable and not at her full fitness from just having kits, her fighting skills were okay. Not great. And so as Sunstrike stood there with the legions of other clans in her head were the regrets of her life, and the legacy she was to leave behind if she didn't live to see the next day. Her kits barley two moons old, slept in the nursery, guarded by battle-weary elders and just-apprenticed 7 moon old kits.

She remembered last moon, when Onestar had addressed the clan, telling them the truth, which was the place of no stars was going to attack the clans and StarClan, to wreck their terrible revenge. But for what entirely? Nothing. Yet it was the evil, malicious natures of these cats that even StarClan wouldn't except that made them angry. They hated every thing from the bottom of there hearts, if they had any. These were the cats that had broken the warrior code so many times it almost lay tattered at their feet.

Sunstrike was no angel. She had broken the warrior code to; she had fallen in love with Thornclaw, a cat from another clan and bore his kits. She had also broken his heart, which she felt lay tattered at her feet. The kits that slept in the WindClan nursery right now were his. However WindClan thought they were her friends Leaftail's. He was posing as the father. And so, if she were to die this very night, on a barren and lifeless moor, stripped of al life by the relentless leaf-bare they had had would she go to StarClan? Or would she be bound for a much eviler, darker place? She didn't know.

Beside and behind her were leagues of battle hardened warriors, preparing they fight for what they believed in. But not everybody who should be there was. Roughly a third of all the clans has defected, left to join the dark forest, she remembered the horror of when her best friend's mate Antpelt had joined them to. She remembered. I wonder if Swallowtail will fight beside us tonight? Sunstrike thought to herself.

Around her, there were a few whispers, Sunstrike let her mind wonder to her kits. She remembered the look on Thornclaw's face when he had seen her with her kits, so many conflicting emotions. So much hurt. She couldn't see Thornclaw in the rows of cats, and she hadn't seen him at the border, the previous moon had been devoted to battle training, and practising fighting skills. A wave of emotion spread over her. She didn't want him to perish on this awful night. As for Leaftail? He stood beside her. Staring straight ahead, lost in thought.

Just then a mournful caterwauling sound pierced the air. Sunstrike's head snapped up, as did Leaftail's. Warriors, both deceased and alive stood at the top of the hill; some of them had ghostly grey outlines, the lifeless ones. But then all of a sudden spirits weaved there way through the clan cats; familiar scents and comforting words surrounded them. And then it happened, Leaftail turned to Sunstrike and mewed "Sunstrike if we both die tonight, then I want you to no something, I love you extraordinarily much and always will." Sunstrike stared in astonishment but some how managed to meow "I love you to."

And then it began.

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