Chapter 22

Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! The final battle between the rebels and Hawkstar! Obviously, this story is nearly over, and if everything goes according to plan, there will only be 2 more chapters after this one. So, because of that, I have a question for you guys - what do you think Firepaw's warrior name should be? I'm debating between Fireclaw and Fireshadow, but you guys can come up with names, too! As well as that, sorry about the delay, but I actually have a really good excuse this time! xD Basically, I had to get ready for grad on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Then I had to go to grad on Thursday. Then I had to cry my eyes out and be all depressed on the last day of school, then go with a bunch of friends to the movies so we could get even more depressed on Friday. Then I had to go to LIT training for half the day on Saturday. And finally, I had to go to a horse show on Sunday. As for all the other days, I was just too lazy to write. Wow this is a really long author's note, isn't it?

Dovekit - w00t for Hawkstar's death! x) I hate his guts, too.

Lightkit - Ahah, you were close enough! -throws cookie- And yes, Hawkstar's going to die! Finally! :D

Kinkajou Karata - EW, you touched it? x) You're braver than I am. I'm terrified of bugs! They're so creepy and crawly, and it just grosses me out! And while I'm on the topic of moths, the albino one came back. Now it's sitting on the white Wii remote, so you can hardly see it.

JayFeatherXCinderHeart - Ahah, in my story he would! x) You have to read further on to figure out why he did that.

Lightningstreak - They're going to receive their warrior names at the very end of the last chapter. So go vote for Firepaw's warrior name! xD

Aximilli2 - One of your guesses is right, but I'm not telling you which! x) Read on to find out which one! -throws cookie-

Marshpelt - Blackpaw isn't very smart at times. x) I think I've mentioned that a few times throughout the story. Let's just say he's a bit of an airhead.

The next day, dark gray clouds covered the sky, and the air was heavy with the scent of rain. The sun couldn't be seen through the heavy cloud cover, though Blackpaw was guessing it was nearly at it's highest point in the sky.

"It's time," he meowed solemnly, turning to look at his siblings. All three of them were tense with anticipation, and the black apprentice felt a thrill of fear race up his spine. Their entire future relied on this battle. If they failed, Hawkstar would destroy the rebels, and the Clan would have no choice but to obey his every order. This dark time would continue for countless seasons, until no one remembered the time of peace when there were four Clans instead of one. To Blackpaw, the thought was absolutely terrifying.

Both Firepaw and Nightpaw nodded tensely and Blackpaw could tell from the expressions on their faces that they were thinking the same thing.

"I hope it doesn't rain," Nightpaw mewed, glancing up at the sky apprehensively. "The marshes are already slippery enough without even more water pouring down on them."

"At least Hawkstar will be slowed down if it rains," Firepaw meowed, turning his gaze towards the threatening heavens as well. The siblings shivered as a cold gust of wind blew up from the lake, and Blackpaw marvelled at how different the weather was from the day before. Did StarClan not approve of the upcoming battle?

Shaking his head, the young tom sighed, and placed his tail on his brother's shoulder. "We should get going now," he meowed. "Are you sure you can do this? You won't be too long, right?"

Firepaw nodded shakily, not even trying to conceal his fear. "I'm the only one who can do this," he meowed, trying to sound confident and failing miserably. Blackpaw smiled at the ginger tom comfortingly and turned to Nightpaw.

"Let's go," he meowed. The gray she-cat nodded in agreement, and with one last glance at their terrified brother, they turned and began to lope steadily across the moorland. Firepaw watched them for a minute before he turned himself and began to run in the opposite direction.

As Blackpaw and Nightpaw jogged across WindClan's former territory, the smell of rain began to grow ever more potent until it blocked out every other scent. Suddenly, there was a loud crash of thunder that shook Blackpaw to the core, and the heavens opened. Driving rain began to crash down on the apprentices' pelts, and within a few heartbeats they were completely soaked.

"This weather is horrible!" Nightpaw yowled as lightning streaked across the sky, her dark blue eyes narrowed as she tried to see through the wall of precipitation.

"It must be even worse for Firepaw!" Blackpaw replied, feeling sorry for his brother, who was on even higher ground than them at the moment. His sister nodded tersely in agreement and turned away, her expression becoming guarded. She was obviously feeling bitter towards Firepaw's constant mistrust. Blackpaw didn't see why the orange tabby apprentice was so suspicious of Nightpaw. Her story seemed perfectly believable to him.

As the siblings reached RiverClan's old territory, the ground became so boggy that it took all their strength to lift their paws out of the mud. The rain had softened the terrain so much that it was now more water than anything else.

The TigerClan camp still wasn't in sight when Blackpaw began to hear the yowling. Even though the rain was pounding loudly around him, the sound echoed clearly in his ears. The battle had already begun.

The two apprentices increased their pace, and the camp soon came into view. They could barely see the fighting cats through the trees that guarded the island, though it was obvious the ear-splitting screeching was coming from the small triangle of land that was TigerClan's headquarters. Nightpaw and Blackpaw raced down the slope towards the camp, hardly noticing the mud sucking at their paws or the rain pounding on their heads.

Surprisingly enough, Blackpaw reached the stepping stones first, and he leaped across until he was balancing on the very last one. From here, he could see everything.

The black tom quickly surveyed the camp, searching for his target. Nearby, Brackenfur was grappling against Smokefoot, his golden tabby pelt matted with blood. Beside them, Cinderheart and Poppyleaf had teamed up against Rowanclaw, and the huge ginger tom looked disconcerted by the speed with which the she-cats were attacking him. To the left, Sandstorm was locked in a fight with Russetfur, while to the right, Stormfur, Leafpool and Millie, who had obviously returned from wherever they had been hiding, were fighting against Oakfur, Weaselfur and Owlwhisker. Even Breezepelt was struggling against Ashfur, fighting with all his strength despite his recently dislocated leg.

Blackpaw's intent amber eyes found many more fighting cats - Owlpaw and Harepaw, Sorreltail and Spiderleg, Honeyfur and Pounceflight, Graystripe and Voletooth - but no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find TigerClan's dark leader.

Finally, his gaze landed on Hawkstar's den at the other end of the camp, and he spotted the tabby tom standing outside and watching the battle with furious blue eyes. Blackpaw nudged Nightpaw, who had landed on the rock beside him, and gestured with his tail towards the evil tom. "Over there."

The gray she-cat nodded resolutely, and the two of them leaped off the stepping stone and into the island. They immediately charged into the crowd of battling warriors, darting in between fighting cats as quickly as they could and always keeping each other in sight. As they did so, Blackpaw couldn't help but remember the last battle, when Nightpaw had tried to kill him - but this time, she was on his side, not the other way around.

As he ran, Blackpaw suddenly felt a huge weight crash into his side, and he was sent flying sideways, nearly colliding with Birchfall. Shaking his head, the black apprentice scrambled to his paws and realized with dread that it had been Blackclaw, Hawkstar's sinister deputy, who had attacked him.

Before Blackclaw could pounce again, there was a loud yowl, and Nightpaw suddenly leaped onto the warrior's back. She dug her unsheathed claws into his pelt and began tearing at him wherever possible, even ripping his ear between her teeth. Blackpaw quickly joined the fight, aiming a vicious back kick at the tom's chest. Blackclaw staggered backwards in shock, though instead of giving up, he lowered himself onto the ground and rolled, crushing Nightpaw under his weight.

Blackpaw winced, expected Nightpaw to be completely destroyed under the huge deputy's mass. As he watched helplessly, Blackclaw suddenly howled in pain and began racing away from the two apprentices, exposing a long wound along his back. Blackpaw's eyes widened in surprise, and he turned to look at Nightpaw in amazement. The young she-cat slowly staggered to her feet and gave her brother a breathless grin.

"Are you still fit to run?" he asked her, looking her over apprehensively. Her fur was covered in mud from being crushed into the wet ground, and her breath came in ragged gasps.

"I'm fine," she meowed stubbornly, squaring her shoulders and glaring at Blackpaw, daring him to disagree. Knowing it was impossible to change her mind, the young apprentice shrugged. "Have it your way."

The two apprentices turned and began scanning the battlefield for their original target. They quickly found him locked in a vicious scuffle with Beechfur, his icy blue eyes flashing maliciously as he tore at the rebel leader's pelt with thorn-sharp claws. Blackpaw growled angrily and he began racing through the crowd once more with Nightpaw on his heels.

"Hey, Hawkstar!" he yowled once he was close enough for the dark tom to hear. "Guess who's back?"

Hawkstar's head shot up in surprise, allowing Beechfur to rake his claws triumphantly down the side of the TigerClan leader's face before racing off to join the rest of the battle.

Hawkstar growled and started padding towards the littermates, the blood already washing out of his fur in the rain. Blackpaw grinned at him mischievously, and he and Nightpaw began racing back into the crowd. "I bet you can't catch us!" he yowled over his shoulder.

Blackpaw heard the tabby leader hiss furiously before charging after the apprentices. A victorious smile spread across the young tom's face. Their plan was working!

Blackpaw and Nightpaw weaved through the crowd of warriors even faster than before, knowing that this time they were racing for their lives. Despite this, adrenaline was beginning to spread through the black apprentice like wildfire. He had never run this fast before. For once, he was keeping pace with his sister and managing to outrun someone else. It was the greatest - and most terrifying - feeling he had ever had in his life.

The two siblings burst out of the crowd without any incidents, and they began to leap across the now slippery stepping stones as fast as they could. Blackpaw could hear both of their claws scraping against the gray rock as they struggled to keep their balance, but they managed to reach the other end before Hawkstar could catch up.

Once they reached land, Blackpaw began to run even faster than he had in TigerClan camp. Rain blurred his vision, and thunder crashed in his ears, but he barely noticed. He was running, faster than Nightpaw, faster than Hawkstar, faster than the wind itself. The young tom yowled in exhilaration, throwing his head towards the angry sky.

Suddenly, Nightpaw passed him, her dark blue eyes frantic. "Run faster, Blackpaw!" she cried over the howling wind. "He's catching up!"

Oh no, Blackpaw thought. He risked a glance backward, only to see that Hawkstar was indeed speeding up, his eyes narrowed into slits, his expression twisted with fury. Blackpaw also realized at that moment that he hadn't been running as fast as he'd thought at all - Nightpaw had merely been keeping pace with him, so he wouldn't be left alone.

Terror replacing exhilaration, the black apprentice lowered his head and tried to run faster, but it was impossible. He was already moving as fast his legs would allow him. Soon enough, Hawkstar's heavy breathing came into his hearing range, as did the pounding of his paws on the marshy ground.

"You'll regret the day you ever crossed me, Blackpaw," Hawkstar hissed, and the black apprentice could imagine the expression on his face. The thought took his attention away from the terrain in front of him, and he suddenly stumbled on a rock lodged in wet ground.

He let out a wordless yowl as he tumbled to the ground, his paws flying out from underneath him. That yowl was suddenly cut off as his face crashed into the mud, filling his mouth with the disgusting sludge.

Blackpaw managed to drag himself weakly to his feet, spitting out the mire as he did so. He was just getting ready to run again, when Hawkstar's huge weight suddenly hurtled into him, and he was knocked over once more. This time, the massive leader pinned him to the ground, blocking any escape. There was almost no chance the black apprentice would survive.

"Why don't we make this slow and painful?" Hawkstar hissed maliciously in Blackpaw's ear. "Just to show your pathetic little siblings what will happen when I catch them as well."

Blackpaw couldn't reply. Hawkstar's weight was so crushing that he could barely even breath, let alone talk. Suddenly, he felt the dark leader's tom pierce his pelt and begin to tear the skin in a line all the way from his shoulder blades to his hindquarters.

The young tom winced in pain and began to struggle. He had to escape. He had to get away from this horrible, lingering torture. Already the pain was beginning to overwhelm his senses, and he knew there was a lot more to come.

Almost as easily as if he were a fly, Hawkstar crushed Blackpaw's face into the ground, ending his struggles with a single movement. "Now, now," he growled. "We don't want any of that, do we?"

With that, the massive tabby tom ran his claw down Blackpaw's other side, and pain ripped through the apprentice like wildfire. This time, however, he was forced to keep still with his head still mashed into the ground.

Hawkstar continued to run his thorn-sharp claws along Blackpaw's body, allowing the pain to continue for as long as possible. The apprentice's black fur was stained with blood, and he could smell nothing but it's rusty scent, feel nothing but the pain and the crimson liquid that covered his pelt, see nothing but the redness in his eyes.

Soon enough, the pain completely overwhelmed him, and he began to pass in and out of consciousness. He was sure now that he was going to die, and yet the torture continued. StarClan! he pleaded in his head. Take me! Let me join you!

StarClan did not answer. Letting out a weak, defeated sigh, Blackpaw closed his eyes and waited for death to creep up on him, and end this horrible torment.

Suddenly, Hawkstar let out a startled yowl above him, and the huge tabby's weight disappeared. Blackpaw tried to open his eyes, but the red film in them clouded his vision and he was unable to see.

"Help," he whispered, using up all his energy to say this simple word. As he spoke, he felt strong jaws latch into his hind leg and start dragging him across the marsh. Too weak to protest, the young tom lay limp and allowed himself to be dragged away.

Eventually, Blackpaw felt branches begin to snag at his fur, but he was still unable to see what was happening to him. Moments later, the stranger dropped his leg, and began moving around. For a heartbeat, everything was silent, then a bundle of cobwebs was pressed against one of Blackpaw's wounds.

"What-?" he began, attempting to open his eyes once more in surprise.

"Shhhh," whispered a very familiar voice. "It's Leafpool. Don't waste all your energy talking. You'll need it if you ever hope to heal."

"Leafpool?" Blackpaw meowed, his voice rising with shock. He opened his eyes once more, and this time he realized his vision was starting to return.

"I saw Hawkstar chasing you and Nightpaw out of camp, so I decided to follow in case you needed some help," the tabby she-cat meowed. "I guess I was right about that. Here, eat these."

The strong scent of herbs appeared nearby, and Blackpaw quickly lapped up the leaves with his tongue. The vile taste of ragwort and poppy seeds enveloped his mouth, and he could barely resist the urge to spit the disgusting herbs out. Instead he began to chew them, wincing with every bite until they were crushed up enough to swallow.

The medicine took affect immediately. Instantly, the apprentice felt the pain lessen and the strength begin to return to his limbs.

"Thanks, Leafpool," he meowed, his voice slightly stronger than before. She smiled warmly down at him.

"Your welcome," she purred through the marigold she was chewing to a pulp in her mouth.

Blackpaw laid his head between his paws, and a sudden thought struck him - a thought that he was ashamed to admit he had forgotten completely about.

"What happened to Firepaw and Nightpaw?" he asked, his muscles tensing with worry. He didn't think he could handle if they had died while he couldn't do anything about it.

"Relax," Leafpool meowed, pressing marigold pulp onto one of his wounds. "They should be joining us momentarily. I'm surprised Nightpaw isn't here already."

A heartbeat after she spoke, Nightpaw burst into the bush they were hiding in, her eyes wide and her sides heaving. She barely had enough time to take in her surroundings before there was a deafening bang from outside, and Firepaw raced in as well. He was panting heavily, but his expression was lit up with triumph.

"Hawkstar is dead!"