Chapter 15

Wow, lots of reviews for the last chapter! That lifted my spirits! I can't believe this story needs only four more reviews to reach the magic 100. I'm going to try making this chapter long, due to my lack of updating yet again, but I can't be sure yet. It depends on how everything turns out.

AliKatNyah - Phew, that's a relief. I don't want to die! Yeah, I feel sorry for Stormfur, too. Graystripe may be back, but that doesn't help him too much in this story, since Graystripe is just a shell of his former self.

smedly.norbert -Hmmm, good point. :P Thanks!

Foxstar24 - Yup, awesomeness. Nope, Graystripe isn't dead. He's just very distant from most of the Clan, and he doesn't talk much, so he isn't really noticed by Firepaw, Blackpaw or Nightpaw.

Wild Ninja Paige - Yeah, I loved Stormfur in the last chappie, too. He's one of my favourite characters, so of course I'm gonna make him awesome! Lol

Rubyheart481 - I don't like it. It's too… obvious, I guess. But I'm glad you like it! I can't believe I have so many reviews either! I was expecting hardly any, since this idea has been used so much.

Kossie Pipmas - You'll have to read some of the more recent chapters to figure out what happened to Brambleclaw. Mwahahahaha! -coughs- Anyways, thanks!

Summersea - Eek! I'm too young to die -cowers- Fine… -reluctantly hands over pitchfork then runs away screaming-

As Firepaw padded out of the horseplace, he noticed it was almost sunhigh. This fact only made him even more nervous. He had been out for hours, and hadn't even caught a thing! What would Spiderleg say?

The tom hurriedly sniffed the air, but instead of the smelling prey, the strong scent of cat wafted into his nostrils. His green eyes widened and he looked around, searching for the source. At first, everything seemed to be calm, and he relaxed slightly. He lifted a paw, about to pad forwards, when he heard a rustling in a nearby bush, and saw a flash of back.

The ginger apprentice froze and slowly swivelled his head in the direction of the other cat. His eyes went even wider as the sleek shape of Reedwhisker stepped into view. Surprisingly, he didn't look angry, or even stern. Instead, he looked… understanding?

"Hello, Firepaw," came the warrior's voice. He was smiling warmly at the apprentice, which only confused Firepaw more.

"Reedwhisker, I was just-"

"You don't need to apologize to me," Reedwhisker meowed, cutting him off. "I know the cats in there. Leafpool saved my life once. I would visit them myself, if it hadn't been for Appletail."

"Appletail?" Firepaw asked quietly, dreading the answer.

"Hawkstar mentioned it at the last Gathering, I think. He said she was killed for meeting a gray cat by Horseplace. That cat was Stormfur." He sighed and shook his head, grief evident in his voice. Firepaw gasped.

"Before she died, she founded a group of rebels against Hawkstar. Plenty of HawkClan and BrambleClan cats have joined. I'm among them." The black tom glanced down at Firepaw thoughtfully. "Perhaps you and your siblings could join as well. We're meeting tomorrow in the former ShadowClan camp. You should come."

The apprentice nodded. "I will," he meowed. The thought of discussing actual rebellion around so many terrified him, but he knew he had to do it. After all, he was destined to save the Clans, as were Nightpaw and Blackpaw.

"Here, you'll need this if you don't want to get in trouble," Reedwhisker meowed. He disappeared into the bush, and came back out a moment later with two mice dangling from his jaws. He dropped them in front of Firepaw. The apprentice stared up at the warrior gratefully.

"I suggest you get going. Even with these, you'll be a little behind," the black tom meowed.

He nodded. "Thanks," he breathed before bounding off in the direction of BrambleClan's old territory.

--

Nightpaw's POV

Nightpaw trudged through the undergrowth, dewy plants soaking her underbelly, ferns brushing against her sides. This territory was unfamiliar to the she-cat, and so she had to grudgingly rely on Reedwhisker, who was walking in front of her.

A sad sigh escaped her as she padded along, staring straight ahead. She hadn't wanted to come. She wasn't one of Tigerstar's supporters anymore, but she knew that he would eavesdrop on the meeting through her. He had actually forced her to follow her two brothers to the group of rebels, threatening to take over her body and go anyways if she didn't.

Blackpaw glanced at her suspiciously. "You don't seem happy to be here," he meowed. He raised an eyebrow. "You aren't one of Hawkstar's supporters, are you?"

Nightpaw stared at him, appalled. "Never say that to me again!" she hissed. "I hate Hawkstar! He is the most horrible, blood-thirsty cat I have ever met!"

Her brother looked taken aback, but she didn't care. A few days ago, she would have shrugged the question off, laughing, and maybe felt a little guilty about it. But now, she knew she would never follow Hawkstar. She knew he too was being controlled by Tigerstar, though not in the way Bramblestar had been. Following him would mean she would be trailing after the former ShadowClan leader yet again, something she had sworn not to do.

"We're almost there," Reedwhisker called from up ahead. Nightpaw turned her blue eyes away from Blackpaw and back onto the trail ahead. The undergrowth began to thin, and suddenly she was staring at a small thorn tunnel, surrounding by a bramble wall. Reedwhisker glanced briefly back at the three apprentices, and then padded inside.

Cautiously, Nightpaw padded into the tunnel. Thorns tugged at her fur, reminding her of BrambleClan's old reinforcements. When she emerged through the tunnel, a sight greeted her that nearly brought tears to her eyes.

The old ShadowClan camp, which was a large dip in the ground, had long since been abandoned. The dens, made of various protective materials, were crumpling to the ground, bits and pieces of them scattered about the camp. It looked as if a great battle had once taken place here. A strange stench lingered faintly here, slightly familiar to HawkClan's distinctive odour.

But the state of the camp wasn't what made a lump rise to her throat. In the center of camp, surrounded by a group of warriors with grave expressions, was the body of a cat. Nightpaw recognized her faintly from the short time she had lived in TigerClan - Mosspelt. Her tortoiseshell pelt was matted with blood, and a terrified expression lingered eternally in her lifeless eyes.

Reedwhisker rushed forward, his eyes wide. "What happened?" he called, his voice shaking with obvious grief.

Nightpaw, Blackpaw and Firepaw approached the group of cats more slowly, the same look of wariness and fear on their faces. They hadn't known Mosspelt long enough to feel real grief, though they could sense that the she-cat's death was tearing the rest of the warriors apart. Nightpaw wondered whether she had held a high position among the rebel group.

"Hawkstar ordered her to guard the BrambleClan cats last night, and she refused, saying they were more noble than he would ever be," a cat Nightpaw recognized as Beechfur answered. A couple cats gasped in admiration.

"He let it go at first, with a warning. But then she continued to insult him. She told him that one day he would be overthrown by the prophesized cats," Nightpaw felt Firepaw tense beside her, "and the Clans would become peaceful once again. So he attacked her, and eventually killed her. Somehow, in the fight, she managed to take one of Hawkstar's lives before she died. We all know that Mosspelt appointed myself as deputy of this group, and so, with great sadness, and pride, might I add, I took over her position as leader."

Reedwhisker nodded mournfully before he spoke again. "I have three new cats who have joined our cause," the black tom meowed.

He ushered Nightpaw, Blackpaw and Firepaw, who had been listening with great fascination, forward with his tail. Nightpaw looked proudly at the other warriors with her head held high.

"This is Firepaw, Nightpaw and Blackpaw," Reedwhisker continued, glancing down at them. The group of cats suddenly became a tide of whispering, with warriors occasionally glancing at the apprentice.

Straining her ears, Nightpaw caught a few words of what they were saying, and what she heard nearly made her stumble backwards in shock.

"…Prophecy…"

"…Fire in the blackest of nights…"

"…Will destroy the tiger…"

"…Only hope…"

The gray she-cat glanced at Firepaw, who was looking around with wide, fear-filled eyes.

"You know something about this, don't you?" she asked forcefully. He nodded slowly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "I'll tell you and Blackpaw later," he whispered quietly.

Nightpaw sighed, shaking her head slightly. Waiting for the various conversation to end, she began to examine the group of rebels, and realized quite few BrambleClan cats were among them. Sandstorm, Cloudtail, Brackenfur, Sorreltail, Brightheart, Ashfoot, Crowfeather and Whitetail. The only HawkClan cats that she recognized were Beechfur, Reedwhisker, Minnowtail and Pebblestream, though there were a lot of them as well.

Minnowpaw, Pebblepaw and Pouncepaw had been made warriors the day before. They were now named Minnowtail, Pebblestream and Pounceflight.

"Everyone, quiet!" Beechfur called. The former ShadowClan camp immediately fell silent, and the TigerClan cats turned to face the tom who they believed was their true leader.

"It is obvious we have found the prophesized cats, or rather they have found us, whether they know it or not," he began, shooting a glance the three apprentices' way. "The issue now is, how do we drive Hawkstar out - or even better, kill him?"

Nightpaw noticed that many cats were now staring up at Beechfur with admiration in their eyes, and she realized that he seemed like a natural-born leader. This was probably the first meeting he had ever led, yet the rebels were staring up at him, rapt with his speech.

"Firepaw met with Leafpool, Stormfur, Brook and Millie yesterday," Reedwhisker called out, pushing the ginger tom forward. "He may have some ideas."

Firepaw stared up at Beechfur, pure terror in his green eyes. The rebel leader smiled down at him warmly, though Nightpaw could tell her brother wasn't comforted in the slightest. In fact, he was shaking now, as if this were the worst possible thing that could happen to him.

"L-L-Leafpool didn't s-say how to f-fight Hawks-star," he stuttered. "Sh-She just s-s-said that Blackpaw, N-Nightpaw and I were d-destined to def-f-feat Tigerstar."

"Are you sure she said Tigerstar?" Beechfur demanded doubtfully. Firepaw nodded, shrinking under the tom's fierce green gaze.

"I think what she meant," Nightpaw meowed loudly. "Is that both Hawkstar and Bramblestar are and were controlled by their father. But now, Bramblestar has been defeated, so to get rid of Hawkstar would mean wiping the last of Tigerstar's line from the forest."

Beechfur eyed her carefully. "You are wise for your age,' he meowed. "And you are probably right. After talking to Stormfur, I doubt Bramblestar would have become what he was if it hadn't been for Tigerstar messing him up."

He paused before speaking again. "Nightpaw, Firepaw, Blackpaw, you will go to Leafpool and Stormfur again tomorrow, at any cost. You will discuss ways to defeat Tigerstar with them. They have been a constant source of information since Appletail founded this group. I pray to StarClan they don't fail us now. Meeting dismissed."

With that said, many of the cats lifted themselves to their paws and began to pad towards the tunnel, the three siblings included.

You will tell Hawkstar about this.

Nightpaw stumbled as the harsh voice of Tigerstar echoed in her head. The she-cat quickly straightened herself and glanced around her to see if anyone had noticed before she replied.

I will not, she retorted angrily when she had decided no one was looking at her. You can't make me do anything.

Actually, I can, his voice snorted. Surely, you haven't forgotten Bramblestar already?

I don't care if you take over my body. I would rather you betray my entire family in my body than betray them myself because you think you can scare me with your petty threats.

Very noble. But useless. Continue to defy me, and I will possess you.

I hate you.

Well, that decides it then, doesn't it?

Suddenly, the strangest feeling came over Nightpaw. It was as if some foreign entity had entered her body, slowly pushing her conscious away, and there was nothing she could do about it. Her vision began to dim, her mind began to swim. The she-cat crumpled to the ground, right there in front of the rebel cats, and everything faded to black.

--

Nightpaw dazedly blinked open her eyes, her mind sluggish, as if she had been asleep for hours on end. Lifting her head, she looked around, and her eyes widened. She was lying in an unfamiliar hollow, under a starless sky. The only source of light in the dark sky was the full moon, quivering brightly over the trees.

When she finally tore her eyes away from the strange sight, she realized something. How could the moon be full again, only a few days after the last Gathering? Without realizing it, the apprentice's heart began to beat faster, and the blood pulsed loudly in her ears. Something was very, very wrong here.

The hollow itself was something different altogether, a place she had heard described in stories, but never thought it possible to see. Four tall oaks towered over her, protecting her from the things that could be lurking atop the steep hills. In the center of the hollow was a great rock, bigger than she had ever seen before. It had been worn down with paw prints and claw marks, an indication that many cats had tread there before. Somehow, Nightpaw was lying in the middle of Fourtrees, undamaged by Twolegs, more beautiful than any place she had seen in her life.

"Nightpaw, you're awake!"

At the sound of the familiar voice, Nightpaw whipped around. Her eyes went even wider. Running towards her, her fur littered with stars, was her dead mother.

"Squirrelflight?" she cried. "But you're dead!"

"And thank StarClan you're not!" her mother replied. The she-cat began to cover her in loving licks, and Nightpaw had to admit, it made her feel a lot better, no matter how confused she was. It was obvious she was in StarClan - she realized that now - but how could she still be here, and not be dead?

A/N: Ohhhh, cliffy! Don't worry, I will be continuing with Nightpaw's POV next time, so you don't have to hear me drone on about the others while waiting for this. I'm very, very sorry for how long it took me to update. Nearly a month, was it? I was actually on an end-of-year school trip to Quebec City for the past two weeks. I thought I was going to finish this chapter before I left, but apparently not. So, to make up for it, I made it long. 2500 words. 7 pages on Microsoft Word. 2 hours to write. This is a very long Author's Note, isn't it?