MountainXBlue fans, the time has come.

Chapter 29: Gathering Shadows

Mountainstone shouldered through the bushes that scraped feebly against his fur and pushed forward, his thoughts fixated. His ears could pick up the turmoil in ShadowClan's camp that had erupted nearly the same time Honeyleaf had come into their camp with the announcement they'd been waiting for. He called out to Willowleaf again as hard as he could.

Mountainstone, I…Something in Willowleaf's thoughts was tumultuous, and her words weren't coming through their link. Mountainstone gritted his teeth. He'd just find her and speak to her face-to-face.

He let his ears pick up the scents of the forest. The fresh-kill had gone below, and the birds had fled, sensing the imminent blood flow. Now there were only the sounds of the leaves in the trees in this part of the forest. Beyond, back towards the WindClan border, the chaos of fighting cats had begun. He could taste the blood in the air and hear each hiss and snarl of ally and enemy. But now, Mountainstone knew he had to focus on his sister. If something had happened in ShadowClan unrelated to the RiverClan-WindClan attack, then it would be impacting only Willowleaf.

His nose twitched at the uncomfortable and overwhelming scent of ShadowClan as the border approached him, but Mountainstone shot over it, unstoppable and zigzagging through the pines. He could hear a patrol respond to the frantic sound of his paws against the ground, but that didn't matter. They couldn't catch him now. He kept pushing, ignoring the burn that was beginning in his lungs. The sounds of fighting in ThunderClan's forest began to get quieter. Mountainstone didn't like losing the pound of the battle or the chaos, but he let go of that. Suddenly this need overwhelmed him: he needed to get to Willowleaf as soon as possible.

He raced into view of ShadowClan camp, and the guards at the front entrance sprung to attention, every inch of their fur up and bristling. Mountainstone wanted to slam past them and take the attacks necessary, but that would be mouse-brained and un-necessary. He focused on Dawnpelt and Toadfoot.

"Willowleaf," he said, trying to form thoughts. "RiverClan, WindClan – "

"They've begun to attack already?" Dawnpelt's bright eyes met his, and her paws shifted as she imagined the battle. Mountainstone nodded urgently. "Please, come in."

Mountainstone didn't wait any longer, shouldering past the guards. Toadfoot followed, calling for him to pause, but Mountainstone pushed his way in. His lungs had started to burn from the run. Seeing him, Squirrelflight, Snowfeather, and Bumblestripe turned and meowed towards him. A shiver ran up Mountainstone's spine as he felt a chill in the air, like a leaf-bare frost.

"Mountainstone!" called Rowanclaw, bounding to meet him. "What is this about?"

"RiverClan and WindClan have begun to attack our territory," said Mountainstone. Squirrelflight rounded on Rowanclaw.

"You must send support," she demanded. "Please, Rowanclaw."

"Where is Willowleaf?" Mountainstone ground his claws into the ground. He identified this cold breeze. Willowleaf's powers were at work. Rowanclaw turned his muzzle to Oakstar's den; Mountainstone didn't wait for an invitation. He bounded up the rock and pushed his nose into the den.

Willowleaf stood in a small pool of water that dripped from the tips of her chest. Mountainstone took a step back as he took in the scent of mixing blood, but at that moment, Willowleaf and Doveheart were walking towards him.

"What are you doing here?" said Willowleaf, peering up into Mountainstone's face. Mountainstone tried to look past her into the den. He could see Flametail picking his way through the blood, over towards a dark bundle of fur.

"What…?"

"We need to get herbs to heal Oakstar," Doveheart mumbled, her eyes downcast, and she pushed past him. Mountainstone stepped back again, out of the den, appalled. Rowanclaw was running up to him, but he and Doveheart met on the slope. Mountainstone watched as Doveheart's words caused Rowanclaw's ears to flatten back into his head, but his hearing was elsewhere – on the cries of bloodlust and vengeance surging through the trees, barreling towards them at full speed.

"They are coming." He could feel the surge of eager paws driving against the earth – RiverClan warriors primarily, determined that what they were doing was the right thing to do. Mountainstone felt a chill rush up and down his spine. Pushing past Doveheart and Rowanclaw, he bounded into the center of ShadowClan's camp and turned to his frantic Clan-mates.

"They will be here soon," said Mountainstone.

"We should do as much as we can." Squirrelflight's ears twitched, and she hurried up to join Doveheart and Rowanclaw on the slope.

"Mountainstone." Willowleaf spoke in a soft voice, her face entirely shut down, like showing her emotions would be too much effort for her. "I am such a bad cat."

"Why would you say that?" Snowfeather's purr was insistent, and she pushed up against Willowleaf. At once, feeling the moisture against Willowleaf's pelt, the white she-cat stepped back. Her nose wrinkled. "What happened? Why are you wet?"

"Tigerheart betrayed ShadowClan and attacked Oakstar," said Willowleaf. "So I killed him."

It was so matter-of-fact. Willowleaf didn't bother to look at any of her Clan-mates, who stood surrounding her with various degrees of fear evident on their faces. Sighing, Willowleaf looked up at Mountainstone. His heart went out to her, but he had no idea what was on her mind. She just blinked.

"Let's go," she said. Mountainstone glanced back up at Doveheart and Squirrelflight. His paws itched to meet battle. When he didn't respond, a growl sounded in the base of Willowleaf's throat. "Let's go."

"We need to return," agreed Bumblestripe. He hopped between his paws. Mountainstone didn't know what he was thinking – whether he was measuring the likelihood his family would be safe, or if he, like Mountainstone, thirsted for the energy of a good fight.

Doveheart and Squirrelflight bounded down towards them. ShadowClan in its entirety had shifted to stare at the drama happening, as Rowanclaw moved quickly, calling out orders they didn't understand.

"Will ShadowClan support us?" demanded Snowfeather.

"ShadowClan has their own trials to face now," said Doveheart. Her ears twitched as she, too, picked up the RiverClan warriors snarling in ShadowClan woods. "We must protect ThunderClan."

"Are we not allies in this?" Bumblestripe bristled.

"We are all warriors fighting against our invaders," said Doveheart. "If that makes us allies, then sure, we're allies."

She cast another glance backwards, her amber eyes hiding so much. Mountainstone didn't care to ask right now. Wrapping his tail around Willowleaf briefly, he turned and led the way out of ShadowClan's camp and into the wild trees beyond.

Squirrelflight fell into the lead, sensing the distress Doveheart couldn't contain. Mountainstone felt a degree of that pain, but his reverberated from the very thought that this could be it. This could be the last fight, the end of their time. For Willowleaf, matching him stride-for-stride, this night meant a very imminent threat of catastrophe.

I killed Tigerheart. Willowleaf sent him her surface thoughts only. With my ability to freeze. But I also melted the ice.

Melted the ice? Mountainstone cast a glance at his sister, thoughts of battle on hold. You can do that?

It turns out we weren't told the whole truth. She was even icier now than before. Littlefalcon doesn't have power over water – I do.

But then…? He didn't know how to phrase his question. Willowleaf's eyes flitted up to meet his for the first time. Maybe they were bluer than before. Mountainstone couldn't tell.

He's not elemental. Her thoughts hurt as they infected Mountainstone's mind, and he peeled back through layers of memory: Littlefalcon as the cool surface of the river and the churning current, as the intensity of the rain and the drizzle of fresh dew on the grass in the morning. He couldn't see his brother any other way. He certainly couldn't see Littlefalcon as normal.

The reek of blood tore his senses away from any confusing thoughts, and as they crossed over the ShadowClan border again, Mountainstone picked out scents among the others. He reeled back just in time as Bluemoon and Honeyleaf split out of the undergrowth. There was a long streak of blood along Honeyleaf's flank; seeing it, Snowfeather squeaked and flew to her sister's side. Bumblestripe made a relieved noise, but Bluemoon didn't look at her father. Instead, she held Mountainstone's gaze; he once again felt like she was demanding something of him. Captivated by the sudden onslaught of purpose, Mountainstone stood still and forgot the background noise.

"Is ShadowClan going to help us?" Bluemoon spoke in slow motion.

"They have their own problems to deal with." Mountainstone thought of Oakstar's limp body and shivered. If Tigerheart was a traitor, that meant he may have timed this with RiverClan and WindClan in the attack. ShadowClan remained as vulnerable as they needed not to be.

"We won't win." Bluemoon gnashed her teeth together.

"We will." Mountainstone's stomach hardened. He saw Bluemoon roll her eyes, and in her hopeless, Mountainstone growled so loud it shocked everyone. "StarClan, Bluemoon, we will win this!"

"We have to," said Doveheart quietly. Mountainstone remembered them then. Doveheart stepped up, her tail waving lightly. "We have no other choice."

"What is the price of winning?" murmured Willowleaf. Bluemoon glanced at her. Mountainstone took a deep breath, trying to focus on a way to stop Willowleaf's words from having such a huge effect on everyone else.

"It doesn't matter now," he said. "Let's fight."

He could taste the arrival of his enemies on the roof of his mouth; when the howling sounds of warfare broke out, he was ready. His muscles tensed, snapping into their divine purpose, and he sprung just as the first wave of WindClan warriors, possibly in pursuit of Honeyleaf and Bluemoon, raged through the tight undergrowth.

Mountainstone's claws moved like boulders collapsing, and after a few moments, the weight of StarClan and whatever else faded in favor of this incredible feeling. The feeling of victory reigned in his system, as he ripped through skin and muscle. He pulled the cries of pain from WindClan's warriors without remorse, thinking only of the way Icecloud had writhed in feverish pain for days. These cats were wrong, and he would show them why they had sinned.

Bluemoon materialized by his side as they pursued a new wave of RiverClan warriors into the trees.

"You know, you're kind of endearing when you're ripping apart other cats," called Bluemoon, her pelt flashing its signature blue color in the early night light. Mountainstone only spared her half a glance as he pounced upon his quarry, his claws sinking into the hind legs of a RiverClan she-cat. She went down with a cry as easily as a rabbit would, and Mountainstone shoved her away rapidly, sending her crashing into a tree. He could have pounced, but instead he spun and watched Bluemoon, battling a WindClan tom on her hindlegs. Each of her muscles stood out against her pelt. She looked like some sort of odd moon spirit, a raging wind of celestial energy.

"You are great," was all Mountainstone could manage to say. As Bluemoon batted away her opponent, she turned, confused.

"Tongue-tied?" As she wrinkled her whiskers, Mountainstone recognized that the panic and animosity she always fostered in these situations was as much of an obstacle as anything else. And Bluemoon would fight away her fear with flirting. Flirting, with him of all cats. Mountainstone did feel tongue-tied and out of place, like he had suddenly woken up on a different plane. For one thing, he couldn't place how the concept of flirting with Bluemoon made a very sharp surge of heat rush into his chest and constrict him.

"How could I not be?" he managed to say, "You're the perfect warrior."

"Oh, is that what you find lovely?" Bluemoon laughed. She turned her head as Mountainstone tensed, and together they leaped to intercept a WindClan warrior that descended from the bough of a tree. If it was an attempt to use ThunderClan's technique against them, it was poorly executed. Mountainstone grabbed the dazed warrior by the scruff and shook him before dropping him, and Bluemooon fell right into the game, her claws scoring across his shoulder. The WindClan warrior hissed and looked up, but he had the spinning look in his eyes like he was seeing double, and so he staggered backwards, falling unceremoniously into a bramble bush. Bluemoon and Mountainstone exchanged a look.

"I find you lovely." He had never felt the need to flirt with Bluemoon, but if he really thought about it, hadn't it been flirting all along? All their feuding and pointless hatred, hadn't that just been a way to exert this kind of tension?

"That's a first." But Bluemoon found it in her to purr, her tail rolling up along her back. Mountainstone remembered that this was probably how Brackenheart had seen her, all poised and energized, all her passion for a fight channeled into contained spirit.

"No, I always have." That, he found, to be absolutely true. Bluemoon had been shifting her weight between her paws, and now she stopped, turning up to face Mountainstone. She drew close to him, so he could be reminded of how odd and yet perfect they were together: him this looming form, her this perfectly lithe example of what a she-cat could be.

"Don't lie, mouse-brain," said Bluemoon. "I can see right through that."

Maybe it was the adrenaline from the fight or the sense of finality, but Mountainstone was struck as if by lightning with the frenzy of how much he wanted her beside him, bantering like this, a perfect counterpart. She would never be his, and he would never be hers, but they could still owe each other something. How soon had it been since Bluemoon had lost a mate? She couldn't possibly want him to fill the void Brackenheart had left, and yet here she was, grinning at Mountainstone and promising him that she felt something, too.

Be it finality, be it adrenaline, Mountainstone didn't care.

"Once this is over, I want to try loving you and not hating you." Bluemoon's tail stood up straight, and she purred, tilting her head to the side.

"Silly Mountainstone," she said. "You've been doing that for moons."

Before he could reply, the fresh scent of enemy came back, and the two of them fell back to back as a ring of cats approached from all sides.

"Mountainstone." A RiverClan she-cat with crusted blood on her chin sneered his name. "Do you know how much trouble you've caused?"

"Not nearly enough," snapped Mountainstone. Bluemoon flanked him. Together they slowly revolved, side-by-side and facing opposite directions. Mountainstone understood: these cats thought him one of the biggest enemies they would face. They were right. If he was a major enough target that specific task forces had been sent to capture him, he would prove himself. Here, on this field, for Bluemoon.

Bluemoon. As long as she lingered with him, she would be in danger. Tasting the air, Mountainstone knew that there were other ThunderClan cats fighting in the brush nearby.

"You should join Squirrelflight and the others," said Mountainstone in a quiet voice. "Staying with me will get you into trouble."

"Don't be ridiculous." Bluemoon lashed her tail, hitting him gently in the shoulder. "What fun would running away be?"

StarClan, if she wasn't the greatest she-cat he had ever encountered.

The others spun around them, snapping their teeth and tearing up dirt as they pawed at the ground. They were waiting for something. Mountainstone felt every muscle in his body tense, and he felt Bluemoon taught against him, preparing herself for the attack. He could see their movements before they even began to swarm upon him. It made him want to smile, but his smile came out as a grimace.

They came upon him like swarming bees that moved too slowly. Mountainstone felt every nerve light up like Silverpelt, and he became a beacon for destruction. Three WindClan warriors pounced for his right shoulder, and a fourth rushed to try and claw at his left side, but he kicked the one on the left back and then turned to take the three. He sneered, saliva falling from his jaws. He didn't recognize anyone in his rage – they were all just cats in his way, cats that threatened his Clan. Mountainstone swept out with his claws, tackling the one on the right and pushing her to the ground, digging his claws into her tender underbelly as he shoved her down. She screeched, and as her Clan-mate swept in, Mountainstone rolled, shoving his first victim to trip the second. His teeth sunk in on a warrior's ear, and he felt the stringy flesh disconnect in his jaws. The cat, a narrow tom he probably would have recognized on any other day, screeched as half his ear was torn from his head, and he fled backwards, taking a swipe at Bluemoon as he passed.

Recalling her, Mountainstone pushed back towards Bluemoon, to find that she was wrestling with a RiverClan she-cat with white paws. Mountainstone grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and threw her, hard, into the bramble bush nearest them. He stood still as Bluemoon got to her paws, nodding her appreciation. He gave her one quick look to find that she was just smeared with a few cuts and RiverClan blood, and that her eyes were still bright. Then he turned around.

There were still six warriors, a mix of RiverClan and WindClan but all his enemies at that moment, who dared stand up to him. At least three of them looked like they were starting to regret this decision. They stood in a pack, tightly knit together, the only one sneering still the one in the very front.

"Look at them, all bunched up," said Blumeoon. "Like mice backed into a corner."

Then a shiver raced up Mountainstone's spine, harsh and dislodging him suddenly from that moment, and the night grew colder and darker around them. The enemy cats turned tail and fled as suddenly, the shadows in the bushes took form, flying out from the clearing to form into one massive form before Mountainstone. He felt his heart beating, warrior instincts reminding him that this was still a battle. And the sight of the massive tabby tom before him just made him angrier.

"Tigerstar," spat Bluemoon.

"Hello, kits," said Tigerstar, his whiskers twitching. His paws were wreathed in shadow, like he was only partially here. Mountainstone narrowed his eyes and growled from the base of his throat, a sound that filled the trees. Tigerstar laughed.

"You will lose," said Mountainstone. "We will stop you."

"And lose everything along the way?" asked Tigerstar.

"Don't listen to him," said Bluemoon. "He's just trying to get into your head."

"It won't work." Mountainstone relaxed every muscle in his body, feeling himself grow calm again. He found the rock-hard center of his heart and focused in on that serenity, on the peace he knew he had still. Then he looked up at Tigerstar and focused on becoming that solid warrior, immovable as the mountain itself. He could not be hurt.

Tigerstar rushed to meet him as Mountainstone pounced, and Mountainstone felt his teeth meet the thick, syrupy shadow but make contact, and he held on tight, locking into Tigerstar's shoulder. His enemy writhed under his grip, lashing out against Mountainstone's stomach with claws that sliced and made Mountainstone want to let go. He spun and slammed them both to the ground, Tigerstar beneath him, but they rolled into the center of the clearing. Tigerstar kicked out with huge paws, and Mountainstone's chin snapped back as he disconnected from Tigerstar, one of his teeth snapping painfully as he was sent across the clearing.

"Mountainstone…" Bluemoon looked up, her eyes wide, and Mountainstone turned to see that the shadows on all sides of them had taken form as massive cats of the Place of No Stars. These were the villains of tales and stories. They surrounded him now as Tigerstar made his way to his paws, amber eyes bright as the moon. Mountainstone evaluated the situation and felt dread take over him. He could survive an attack from all these claws, but could Bluemoon?

"Get out of here," said Mountainstone. Bluemoon shook her head.

"Where would I go?" she said.

Mountainstone locked his claws into the ground and with all his might strained at the earth, and rock walls shot up into the air around them, cutting through the still-forming shapes of the cats wreathed in shadows. With a hiss and a puff of smoke, they reappeared, closer. Tigerstar laughed.

"What are you going to do?" he asked. "Darkness itself cannot be beaten by mere stones."

"Mountainstone…" Bluemoon pressed into his side.

"I'll protect you," said Mountainstone. "I'll protect you."

His words faded into whispers as his powers started to falter, for he had warrior instincts. All warriors knew what battles they simply could not win.

The world fell to darkness as the shadows dove in upon them.

This chapter was originally going to have more in it, but then it got SUPER LONG, and I decided on something better...a more exciting, fitting fate for these wonderful characters. I love them dearly.

We're going to go to Doveheart's head now for her final chapter! And then back to Mountainstone and Bluemoon. Because I couldn't leave it like this. MountainXBlue fans, this is the hour of celebration. Enjoy it...

~Elsi