Chapter 12

Tsk, tsk, I'm very disappointed in you all. Only 5 reviews? Oh well. The last chapter wasn't too great for reviews either.

Niah-Miyoki - Well, that's what I'm trying to do. I'm amazed it's actually working.

AliKatNyah - Close. It was actually Ivypaw. Tawnypelt's kits aren't apprentices quite yet. Soon, though. Me, a superior? XD I'm not that great of a writer am I? Well, I'm my worst critic, so I obviously think I suck.

Rubyheart481 - Yup, they do. This probably won't be mentioned in the actual story, so I'll just tell you now - they actually received their nine lives from the cats of the Dark Forest. Y'know, Tigerstar, Darkstripe, Brokenstar, Clawface, Mudclaw, etc.

Tigerstar-Demon - I don't like the names too much. I think the Erins could do a little better, though the names are still cool. I'm already trying to think up warrior names for them! XD

Wild Ninja Paige - Meh. I think I suck at them. XD Maybe you could use TigerClan and LionClan? Those were my second choices. I just used BrambleClan and HawkClan because Tigerstar named TigerClan after himself.

Blackpaw shivered as he padded across the bridge to Gathering Island. He hadn't wanted to come to this battle, claiming he was still sick, but Bramblestar had forced him to come anyways. If they wanted to win against HawkClan, they would need as many cats as they could spare.

As the tom stepped onto the bank, he noticed the ominous silence, louder than even the most deafening of noises. There didn't seem to be any other cats nearby, though the area was smothered in the foul scent of HawkClan. Blackpaw was comforted by Firepaw and Nightpaw, who were standing so close by his side that their fur brushed, but there were still butterflies in his stomach.

The crowd of BrambleClan cats parted as Bramblestar stepped through them, looking as strong as ever as he walked. He stopped at the head of the crowd and locked his amber eyes on a clump of ferns on the edge of the clearing.

"Come out and face me like a real warrior, you coward," the tabby leader snarled. At these words, there came a malicious laugh from the undergrowth, that seemed to grow and surround the BrambleClan cats.

"Why should I, Bramblestar?" came Hawkstar's cold voice. Blackpaw shifted nervously and pressed up closer to his siblings. "Why should I give up the element of surprise, when it is grasped so firmly between my paws?"

Bramblestar's only response was an angry growl, which was answered full force by the hidden HawkClan warriors.

After this there was a tense moment of silence, seemingly stretched out longer by the knowledge of what was to follow. Not a sound could be heard in the night - it was as if everything were holding it's breath.

Blackpaw felt his claws slide instinctively out of his paws, and he dug them in the soft earth. Around him, many cats did the same, their teeth bared and the glint of battle in their eyes. The black apprentice felt he could take the suspense no longer when the cry finally came.

"Attack!"

In less than a heartbeat, the still island had erupted into a flurry of movement. Dozens of cats hurled themselves out of the bushes and threw themselves upon the BrambleClan cats, who met the challenge with a whirlwind of claws and fangs. Blackpaw felt a large weight crash down on his hind legs, and he caught the shape of Marshwhisker out of the corner of his eye.

"BrambleClan scum!" the warrior spat, digging his claws into Blackpaw's rump. The apprentice hissed in pain and he squirmed his way out of Marshwhisker's grip. He then whipped himself around and immediately flung himself at the tom. He felt his claws catch onto his shoulder, though they were shaken off before they could do much harm.

The warrior leaped at Blackpaw, and this time he came down on the apprentice's body. Blackpaw found himself pinned to the ground, with a merciless tom on top. He tried to get away, kicking out with his hind legs and struggling as much as he could, but it was hopeless.

Suddenly, a familiar yowl sounded from behind Marshwhisker, and Nightpaw leaped right on top of him, digging her claws into his back. Marshwhisker growled angrily, and in his attempt to shake the she-cat off, his grip on Blackpaw loosened.

Taking advantage of the sudden distraction, the black tom slammed his hind paws into the warrior's belly. Marshwhisker yelped in pain and staggered backwards. Nightpaw slunk off his back, sliding her claws across his side on the way. She bounded towards her brother, who had lifted himself to his feet, and the two of them padded toward their enemy, shoulder-to-shoulder.

Marshwhisker's eyes widened, and he began to stumbled backwards, shaking his head. "No more," he mumbled, the pain he was feeling expressed in his voice. "No more."

Together, Blackpaw and Nightpaw chased the warrior off, making sure they were right on his paws. As they ran after him, they burst through a wall of frozen cats and found themselves staring straight at Bramblestar and Hawkstar.

The two brothers were fighting one another mercilessly, welts covering their pelts and staining their tabby fur deep crimson. Bramblestar seemed to be taking the most blows, and he was currently sprawled on the tainted grass, Hawkstar standing over him.

"Well, Bramblestar," Blackpaw heard him growl. "This is where we say good-bye. Say hello to Tigerstar for me."

The HawkClan leader lunged forward, and in one swift movement he had flipped Bramblestar over and ripped his claws along the tom's belly and bitten into his throat at the same time. Smiling maliciously, he backed away from the convulsing heap of fur, and the cats of the two Clans watched in horror as a scene from so long ago was repeated, and all nine lives of the seemingly impenetrable leader were torn away from him all at once.

When the body finally fell still, a malicious laugh erupted from Hawkstar's throat, one filled with more cruelty than Scourge had held in his entire body. Watching from the blackness of the Dark Forest, even the great Tigerstar felt a flicker of fear towards his son.

A cry was suddenly taken up among the cats. In some cats, this cry was filled with grief, while in others, it was overflowing with triumph. It was a cry that made everything in the world seem to stop and fall silent.

"Bramblestar is dead!"

It took few heartbeats for Blackpaw to realize what had happened. And when he did, he felt a rush of conflicting emotions - a sort of gladness that Bramblestar was dead, a worry for what was to come, but most of all amazement that the cat he had thought almighty, unbreakable, was lying broken and cold before his very eyes.

Two cats who Blackpaw recognized as Blackclaw and Oakfur rushed forward and began to speak to Hawkstar in hushed tones. When the leader replied, nodding his head slowly, they hurried back into the crowd, their heads together.

Every BrambleClan cat began towards Ashfur - Blackpaw, Nightpaw and Firepaw included - looking for some sort of guidance.

"I guess we go home now," Blackpaw's father meowed carefully. He, too, seemed shocked that Bramblestar had actually died.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere," snarled a familiar voice. Hawkstar pushed his way through the BrambleClan cats, his head held high. Many cats were now glaring at him with new hatred in their eyes.

"You don't control me or my Clan, Hawkstar," Ashfur growled, his fur bristling. "If I say we're going back to camp, then that's what we're doing."

Hawkstar laughed again, making Blackpaw shiver fearfully.

"BrambleClan is no more," the tabby leader meowed calmly. "You will come with us to our camp by the river, and as one, we will complete the TigerClan that was started so long ago."

"You're a mouse-brain, Hawkstar," Cloudtail meowed suddenly, his blue eyes glinting angrily. "If you think you can bring us all together, then you're just as stupid as Tigerstar was."

Hawkstar snorted, and surprisingly, he didn't lash out at the white tom. "No, I am much greater than my father ever was. Because, unlike him, I will succeed."

He flicked his tail, and suddenly, every able-bodied cat in HawkClan appeared around the BrambleClan cats, their claws unsheathed, their teeth bared. BrambleClan was outnumbered.

"I suggest you come with us, unless you all want to die," Blackclaw growled, appearing beside Hawkstar. He was much smaller than the huge leader, but he still looked intimidating, muscles rippling under his sleek black pelt, his amber eyes flashing.

Reluctantly, the BrambleClan cats allowed themselves to be driven off the island and toward the former RiverClan camp. No cat said anymore, though tension crackled like lightning in the air.

"What about the elders and the queens?" Blackpaw growled to his siblings. Apparently, Reedwhisker, who was padding nearby, had heard him.

"We're going back to fetch them tomorrow," he meowed. He seemed unlike most of the HawkClan cats - calmer and kinder. He reminded Blackpaw of Leafpool, making him take an instant liking to the tom.

--

After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few minutes, the cats reached HawkClan camp - or was it TigerClan camp now? It was a small island, with the river forking off around it. The only way to cross seemed to be a set of slimy stepping stones.

Gradually, the BrambleClan cats made their way across, the HawkClan cats swimming around them. The camp wasn't that big. Backed onto the river were two large dens, which Blackpaw guessed were for the warrior's and apprentices. The whole thing actually looked quite disorderly, and there probably wasn't enough room for all the cats. As Blackpaw stared around, he heard Dustpelt's meow indignantly from somewhere behind him.

"You expect us to live here?"

A/N: Yay, Brambly's finally dead! But now they have Hawky to deal with. O.o Hawky's probably gonna be a whole lot eviller than Brambly, and Nightpaw will discover plenty of interesting things about the two of them next chapter in a dream. And don't worry, this is only half of the story. There's still a whole lot more to come. Hehe.