Chapter 20

So, I suppose this is a pretty late update. I seem to be falling back into my old habits, which was something I was trying very hard to prevent. I'll try to make update faster next time, but there are no guarantees. I have reasons for not updating for so long, you know. Anyways, to compensate for not updating for so long, I made this the longest chapter yet - 3747 words and 10 pages on Microsoft Works. By the way, almost every time I say "Tigerstar" in this chapter, I mean Tigerstar in Nightpaw's body, not Tigerstar himself.

Lightningstreak - x) Not exactly. He just decided to actually eat something. Graystripe isn't an anorexic emo anymore! :D

Tiggystar - Tigerstar doesn't exactly try to slaughter them in their sleep, but he tries to slaughter somebody in this chapter. O.o

Spottedpath - Thanks! I always wondered that, too… that's why I wrote this story! x)

Nightpaw lay in the mossy nest she had built in the shadow of the Great Rock, staring forlornly up at the lightening sky. She let out a low sigh. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hold off the homesickness that was creeping into her mind - even though her home was no more.

"Is something wrong, Nightpaw?" mewed a deep voice. Firestar appeared in the she-cat's line of sight, a concerned look on his face. Nightpaw shook her head.

"No, I'm fine," she meowed. "I'm just… a little homesick."

In the living world, Nightpaw would never have admitted her weaknesses as freely as she was now, but Firestar was a StarClan cat. Even if she hadn't told him, the former ThunderClan leader would know exactly what she was feeling.

Firestar nodded sympathetically. "I get homesick sometimes as well, even though it's impossible for me to go back to the lake. My time was up long ago." The ginger tom sighed.

"What was it like to die?" Nightpaw asked boldly, staring up at her grandfather. He raised an eyebrow at her, but spoke anyways.

"It was confusing," he admitted. "I had been so sure Brambleclaw would choose to save me. I didn't even realize he had tightened the fox trap until I was in StarClan, losing every single last one of my lives."

"And after that?" Nightpaw meowed curiously.

"After that, I came here, and Bluestar sent me up to StarClan." Firestar smiled. "I'll admit, it is paradise, but sometimes I miss being around my old Clanmates - and leading them of course."

The tom shook his head. "Enough of such depressing talk. Are you getting any closer to retaking your body?"

"I think so," the gray apprentice replied, her voice lightening considerably. "I've managed to enter Tigerstar's dreams a few times. Thankfully, he can't do anything to me while he's in my body."

Firestar nodded and smiled. "That's good. You'll be able to go back soon enough - hopefully before Tigerstar causes even more trouble."

"Nightpaw! They're waking up!" yowled a voice from the other side of the hollow. It was Squirrelflight.

Nightpaw's blue eyes widened and she raced towards her mother's voice. The ginger she-cat was staring into the starpool, her tail twitching impatiently.

"Did anything happen?" Nightpaw asked.

"A patrol passed by during the night, but they didn't suspect anything," Squirrelflight replied. Nightpaw let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know what she would do if either of her brothers were hurt.

"I assume you want to watch now?" her mother meowed. She nodded.

"Alright, you can take over," Squirrelflight said with a smile. "Firestar and I have to go back to StarClan for awhile anyways."

As she spoke, the path of stars that led into StarClan's true territory formed in front of the ginger she-cat. She and Firestar stepped onto it, their star-covered fur turning silver in the light it gave off.

"Bye!" Nightpaw called, watching the two former ThunderClan cats pad up into the sky until they disappeared altogether. She then turned back to the starpool, where an image of WindClan camp had appeared, the sun just beginning to appear above the horizon.

It had been a quarter moon since Blackpaw and Firepaw had escaped from Hawkstar's clutches. Nobody had found them yet, but Nightpaw knew that even if the evil TigerClan leader gave up his search, Tigerstar, in Nightpaw's body, would ensure that the two brothers were either captured or killed.

Down by the lake, the three cats were just beginning to wake up. They all stood by the entrance of their makeshift den, stretching and yawning in the dawn light. Firepaw and Blackpaw were standing as far away from Tigerstar as possible, and every few minutes they would eye him warily. Nightpaw sighed. She hated that her brothers thought she was a traitor and a menace, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Sighing, the she-cat settled down, ready for another long day of watching her siblings and wishing she could help them.

"I'm amazed Nightpaw hasn't tried anything," Blackpaw was muttering to Firepaw, his eyes narrowing as he watched the cat who he thought was his sister..

Firepaw nodded solemnly. "I'm surprised, too," he replied. "We'll just have to keep watching her closely. We can't let her get away with anything that might give us away."

As they spoke, Tigerstar was snuffling around the den, resembling a dog with his nose to the ground. After a few moments, he looked up and announced loudly to the two toms, "A TigerClan patrol passed by here during the night."

"That means we can go hunting today," Firepaw meowed, raising his voice to include both of his siblings. "Hawkstar probably won't send out any other cats for awhile."

"Don't be so sure about that," Blackpaw mewed. He was staring wide-eyed into the distance. The other two cats followed his gaze, and Nightpaw stiffened in fear with them. A lithe black cat was padding in the direction of WindClan's old camp. By now, it was close enough to easily spot the refugees.

"Get into the den," Firepaw hissed. Blackpaw instantly darted towards the abandoned badger set, but Tigerstar didn't move a muscle.

Oh no, Nightpaw thought. He's going to reveal himself.

Firepaw began pushing Tigerstar, trying to shove him into the den, but it didn't work. Even though Firepaw was a tom, his body was smaller and less muscular than Nightpaw's. Tigerstar could easily overpower the small ginger apprentice.

"Will you stop that, mousebrain?" Tigerstar growled. "It's only Breezepaw."

Nightpaw's heart flip-flopped in her chest at the name, and she peered closer at the image of the black cat. Sure enough, Breezepaw was padding across the moorland, his amber eyes shining with excitement as he spotted the she-cat he thought was Nightpaw. He quickened his pace until he was running, and he reached Tigerstar in a heartbeat.

"Hey, Breezepaw," Tigerstar meowed silkily, twining his tail with the black apprentice's. Nightpaw growled angrily at his actions, unsheathing her claws. She wished she could sink her claws into his mangy pelt, even though he was in her body. She absolutely hated that he was taking advantage of Breezepaw like this.

"My name is Breezepelt now," the black tom meowed, puffing out his chest with pride. "Hawkstar gave Heathertail and I our warrior names last night."

Tigerstar purred, his eyes shining falsely. Nightpaw could see the hidden threat within their depths, and it sent a shiver down her spine. "That's wonderful, Breezepelt," he meowed with a smile.

"Does that mean Hawkstar doesn't know you fought on our side?" Blackpaw asked. He had come back out of the den when he'd realized no one was following him. Breezepelt glared at him irritably. He obviously didn't want anyone interrupting his conversation with Tigerstar.

"No," the black tom growled, as if it were obvious. "He didn't punish anybody."

Blackpaw nodded. "That's good. Was anybody hurt?"

Breezepelt's eyes grew wary. "Everybody was fine. Except for Appletail."

Nightpaw's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped in shock. How could Appletail have been hurt? She was in the prison den the whole time… wasn't she?

Apparently, Firepaw was thinking the same thing. "What happened?" he asked, speaking for the first time since Breezepelt had arrived. "Wasn't she kept in the den?"

"The door was left open after you were taken to Hawkstar's den. When the fighting broke out, she leaped in to join us. When we found out she was alive, we were so happy to have her back." By now, Breezepelt's voice was quivering, surprising Nightpaw even more than the announcement about Appletail. Breezepelt was the kind of cat to never show weakness to anybody, not even her.

"And then," the young warrior continuing. "She was taken away from us once more."

The little group was silent for a moment until Blackpaw spoke. "What do you mean?"

"Hawkstar saw her fighting, and he attacked her. Even though she was still weak from her imprisonment, she managed to escape with only a long cut along her underbelly. She died from it soon after."

All four cats hung their heads in mourning, though it was obvious Tigerstar was still faking. Instead of staring sadly at the ground with hunched shoulders, he flashed a triumphant grin and flexed his claws. To him, Appletail's tragic death was just another step in his mission to conquer the Clans.

"Right, I didn't come here to act like some depressed kit," Breezepelt meowed, breaking the silence. He turned to Tigerstar. "Nightpaw, do you want to come hunting with me? Hawkstar isn't sending out anymore search parties today, and we haven't done anything together in such a long time…"

No, don't do it! Nightpaw yowled in her head. She knew that if Breezepelt was alone with Tigerstar he was going to try something - and she didn't think she could handle it if the tom she had come to love died because of it. The gray she-cat's heart clenched at the mere thought.

"I would love that," Tigerstar purred. A smile lit up Breezepelt's face.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "I thought we could go to ThunderClan's old territory. Nobody ever really goes over there anymore except for the rebels."

Tigerstar nodded. "Sounds good to me," he meowed. The false cheeriness in his voice was so obvious that it made Nightpaw want to gag, but Breezepelt was completely oblivious to it.

"It seems we actually agree on something for once," the warrior meowed, twining his tail with the cat he thought was Nightpaw. The two of them padded out of WindClan camp, leaving Firepaw and Blackpaw to stare after them with worried expressions on their faces.

"I'm going after them," Firepaw mewed after they were out of earshot. Blackpaw turned to him in amazement, and even Nightpaw's jaw dropped in shock. When had Firepaw become the reckless one?

"What are you talking about?" Blackpaw meowed. "You can't go alone! If something happens, Nightpaw will have your pelt!"

"That's not going to stop me," the ginger tom replied, though his voice was shaking. Nightpaw could see his entire body trembling.

"Then I'm going with you," Blackpaw meowed defiantly. Firepaw shook his head.

"No you're not. If there are two of us, we'll be seen. Besides, I need you to stay back and make sure nobody discovers our hiding place."

Blackpaw paused hesitantly before nodding his head. "Fine. But be careful, alright?"

Firepaw smiled and placed his tail on his brother's shoulder. "I'm always careful."

With that said, the young apprentice turned and bounded after Breezepelt and Tigerstar, his nose raised to the air as he followed their scent. Nightpaw watched fearfully, her claws digging into the ground. Please StarClan, don't let him get hurt.

The mere thought of Tigerstar injuring her brother made Nightpaw want to tear his fur off all over again. If I ever get my paws on him, she thought angrily. He'll be sorry he ever tried to mess with me.

Firepaw traveled quickly across the moorland, his pace as swift as a WindClan warrior. He'd always been the fastest one of the three siblings, and it helped him now. He soon reached the stream that had once been the border between WindClan and ThunderClan. The ginger tom splashed across it as quietly as he could, not wanting to alert the two cats he was tracking , as they were just in front of him by now.

The tom shivered as he stepped out of the water, but it didn't deter him. He set off at a steady pace, ducking and weaving between the familiar ferns and tree trunks. Even though it was the beginning of greenleaf, the leaves were lined with dew, soaking Firepaw's pelt even more as he padded through them.

As Nightpaw watched him pad through the forest, she couldn't help but feel another pang of homesickness. With the exception of her brothers, the gray she-cat missed the leafy canopy most of all. It seemed like so long since she had walked among the sheltering trees. She missed the feeling of the canopy towering high above her head, and warmth of the sun on her pelt as it shone through. The thought of it made her paws tingle with sadness.

The she-cat hadn't even realized she had lost her focus until she heard voices coming from the starpool, and realized Firepaw was crouching at the edge of a clearing, with Breezepelt and Tigerstar talking nearby.

Breezepelt was speaking. "Look, Nightpaw, I didn't bring you out here just so we could hunt," he meowed, his voice confident and even defiant. This was the Breezepelt Nightpaw remembered.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Tigerstar asked in a high-pitched voice, his blue eyes worried. Nightpaw had to admit, he was a pretty good actor.

"No, nothing's wrong," Breezepelt mewed hastily. "It's just… I have something to tell you."

Nightpaw's heart clenched, and she felt a lump rise up in her throat. She knew what Breezepelt was about to say, and he was saying it to the wrong cat.

"Well?" Tigerstar whispered, moving closer to the black tom. His expression was so innocent at that moment that even Nightpaw could believe he was a perfectly normal cat who had happened to fall in love.

"I think I may have fallen in love," Breezepelt mewed. He brushed his tail along Tigerstar's side and looked deep into his eyes. "With you."

At his words, Nightpaw's heart melted. Even though she wasn't the one in her body, she knew the tom was saying those words to her, and to her alone. He didn't know what Tigerstar had done. He didn't know that the former ShadowClan leader had betrayed the rebels, and tried to kill the cats that everyone thought were his siblings.

"I love you, too, Breezepelt," Nightpaw whispered, a single tear falling from her deep blue eyes. She willed Tigerstar to say the same thing, to let Breezepelt believe that he really was Nightpaw. Of course, the dark tabby tom had other plans.

"That's too bad." he meowed.

Breezepelt growled and his fur began to stand on end. "What do you mean?" he snapped. He was obviously trying to maintain his pride, but Nightpaw could see the pain and confusion that twisted his expression.

"Well, you wouldn't want to be thinking that about your murderer, would you?" Tigerstar growled, unsheathing his claws.

"What-?"

Before Breezepelt could finish his sentence, Tigerstar pounced, crashing into the other tom, and making him lose his balance. The dead leader quickly sent the black tom sprawling sideways with a hard blow to the side of the head.

"No!" Nightpaw cried. "Firepaw, do something!"

The ginger apprentice stayed frozen among the ferns, staring at the fighting cats with a horror-struck expression on his face. He obviously wasn't as brave as he had tried to make Blackpaw believe.

A loud screech sounded, and the gray apprentice quickly returned her attention to the opponents. Somehow, Breezepelt had managed to regain his balance before Tigerstar attacked, and he had managed to get his claws into the other tom's shoulder, leaving a long gash in the gray fur. Tigerstar stumbled backwards, and Breezepelt caught him in the chest with a well-aimed kick.

With Tigerstar nearly falling over, Breezepelt spun around and leaped on top of the tom, wrestling him to the ground. The black tom was much bigger than his opponent, and he easily pinned the dark leader.

"What's wrong with you?" Breezepelt spat, glaring down at his enemy. Tigerstar spat in response and kicked at Breezepelt's belly, sending the young warrior flying off of him. As he leaped back to his feet, Nightpaw could have sworn she saw the outline of his true form standing beside him, the hugest and most formidable cat she had ever seen, especially compared to her own small frame.

Tigerstar lunged, grabbing hold of Breezepelt's leg and pulling as hard as he could. There was a loud snap as he dislocated it, rendering it useless until a medicine cat could put it back in place. Breezepelt shrieked in pain and attempted to swipe at the tom with his other paw, but instead he stumbled forward, losing his balance once more.

Tigerstar quickly took the chance to overpower his opponent, and he rammed his whole weight into Breezepelt's side. The black-furred warrior instantly crashed to the ground, and he let out another cry of pain as he landed on his injured leg. Tigerstar easily pinned him to the ground, and he stared down at his victim with a sneer on his lips.

"Say hello to StarClan for me," he growled before lowering his head towards Breezepelt's throat.

"No!" Nightpaw shrieked, feeling her heart breaking into a million pieces.

After that moment, time seemed to move in slow motion for the gray she-cat. As Tigerstar's teeth grew ever closer to the throat of her one true love, she began to force her presence into his mind, as she had practiced many times before. She knew that the only way she could save the black warrior was to retake her body, and she had to do it in a matter of a heartbeat.

The she-cat threw her entire being into Tigerstar's mind, wrapping every thought and feeling she had ever had around him and forcing it inside. She felt her enemy falter in his movements, and she threw herself at him even harder. Suddenly, everything went black.

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When the blackness cleared only a moment later, Nightpaw found herself standing over Breezepaw and looking through her own eyes. Her jaw dropped in amazement. She had done it! She was back in her body! The she-cat sucked in a deep breath, elated to be able to taste the familiar scent of the forest on her tongue, and feel the soft grass beneath her feet.

Suddenly, the she-cat felt movement beneath her, and she realized she was still pinning Breezepelt down. Her eyes met his, and she stared at him with more joy than she had ever felt in her life.

"Oh, Breezepelt," she meowed, about to explain what had happened, when an orange flash came flying out of the bushes and knocked her to the ground.

"Run, Breezepelt!" Firepaw's familiar voice yowled. Nightpaw heard the scuffling of paws on the forest floor as the young warrior scrambled to his feet and charged into the forest, running away from the cat that had tried to murder him.

Before she could do anything else, Firepaw was pinning her down, a furious expression on his face.

"I tolerated you before," he spat. "I thought you might change, might turn into the sister that I remember. But this time you've gone too far, and I'm not going to stand by and watch. You're a traitor, Nightpaw, and I'm ashamed to call you my sister!"

Nightpaw stared up at her brother in utter shock. That was the longest, angriest speech she had ever heard Firepaw make in his life. She hadn't even known he was capable of it, but judging by the expression on his face, Tigerstar's actions had finally pushed him over the edge.

"Firepaw, I can explain-" she meowed breathlessly.

"You won't explain anything!" the ginger apprentice growled. "I don't want to hear anymore of your lies."

"But Firepaw," she cried desperately, needing him to understand, and growing irritated that he was ignoring her pleas. "This new Nightpaw that you know - it wasn't me!"

That made Firepaw stop for a moment, his green eyes so like his grandfather's clouding with confusion. "What do you mean?" he meowed, his voice quieter than before.

"I mean," Nightpaw continued, relieved that her brother was listening. "I wasn't the one controlling my body - Tigerstar possessed me."

Firepaw snorted in disbelief. He had always been the rational one. Nightpaw wasn't surprised he didn't believe her. "That's ridiculous," he growled. "How could Tigerstar possess you? He's been dead for ages!"

"That's exactly how he managed to possess me!" Nightpaw exclaimed, frustration creeping into her voice. "He'd already managed to influence me in my dreams, so all he had to do was push his presence into my mind and force me out."

Firepaw began to look even more doubtful. But it was his next question that Nightpaw really didn't expect. "What do you mean, he influenced you in your dreams?"

The gray she-cat froze. "Well, um…" she meowed slowly, staring down at her paws. "He… he visited me in my dreams-"

"And you let him?!" Firepaw exploded. Nightpaw's eyes narrowed defiantly, and her gaze snapped back up to her brother. Even though the smaller tom's anger surprised her, the need to defend herself was stronger.

"He promised to teach me how to fight!" she meowed belligerently. "He said he would make me the best warrior in the forest! You know I can't turn down an offer like that, Firepaw!"

"I knew your ambition would be your downfall," Firepaw muttered, becoming quiet again. He looked up and stared Nightpaw straight in the eye, his smouldering green gaze demanding attention.

"I might believe you," he meowed. "But you have to show me I can trust you again."

Nightpaw's eyes blinked in surprise, and she licked her brother across the ear. "Thank you, Firepaw!" she meowed. "I swear I'll do everything to earn your trust."

The huge smile that crossed the gray she-cat's face made Firepaw's expression lighten a little. Maybe she could regain the other apprentice's confidence. She just had to work harder than she'd ever worked for anything before.