Chapter 23

A/n Hey guys, we get a lot of drama in this Chapter. A lot. Enjoi!

Day 25

I open my eyes to the cold. Oh.

Blinking my eyes, I look around the clearing as I step out of the den. Brambleclaw giving orders for patrols and hunting parties, elders eating while the kits play around them, Firestar sitting under the Highledge with the other senior warriors, hey I'm early this morning.

Graystripe catches my eyes from the crowd and make his way over to me. "Ready to go?"

I nod. I can eat later.

When we head into the forest and I follow Graystripe to the training hollow.

Training is fun the first few times, but frankly, it gets frustrating. Especially when I don't have much patience. Graystripe manages to stay calm, but he normally leaves me alone to practise moves until I was ready to show him.

Graystripe starts on showing me this move; it's to get on your back and be able to kick your enemy's head. He twists, about to roll, but just before he does, grabs the air with both of his forepaws and then land on his back. "You're supposed to get their head."

"I'd hate to be the owner of that head." I grin deviously. After a few turns, I manage to perfect it. It actually came quite naturally to me.

"Do you want to hunt a bit as well?" He asks as he stretches. "I'm running out of training moves to show you. Besides, the fresh-kill pile looked pretty empty."

I frown. "Empty?"

He nods. I follow Graystripe through the forest and a buzzing fills my ears. I shake my head in attempt to keep the flies away. Then I realise it's not flies, but the boats of the two-legs down by the lake. Today is pretty hot. How come I didn't see them earlier?

We split up, I go towards WindClan, he goes a little towards the lake. That's when I hear a screech.

Confusion is replaced with fear. What is it? Why is this happening? No one is supposed to get hurt at this point of the books, right?

I skid to a stop when I see Sol. Sol?! He promised not to come back to our territory. I'm not surprised to see him here though… I never should've trusted him.

That's when I notice there's no one else here. Who screeched? I move around the bushes to get a better view. Then Sol starts talking to the ground. "Now that you're going to die, everything will be ruined. You won't be able to save anyone without Three in your prophecy."

I gasp when I see the small black body next to him, her breaths becoming even shallower. Hollyleaf! I run out and tackle Sol to the ground. "You bastard!" I screech. He looks up at me, surprise and alarm flaring in his eyes.

My attention is taken by Hollyleaf, who is still lying on the ground gasping. She's not dead! I can help her back to the camp so she can be healed! She looks up at me when I rush to her side. "Featherpaw," her voice is croaky. There's so much blood… All over her neck and face and paws.

"Listen to me, I'm going to help you out of here and we're going to-"

"No, it's no use."

"Please, Hollyleaf. Let me try!" There's a pain in my neck and I screech, throwing my head back. I bring my paws up and grab Sol's head. Then I somersault, still keeping a grip on him. I pin him down to the ground and bare my teeth.

I slash my claws through his neck and blood splashes into my eyes and mouth. I cringe at the metallic, thick taste that runs down my throat on its own accord. Sol wriggles under me, and then I'm kicked back to the ground. When did he learn to fight?

I hear thudding, but my senses are blocked with blood, so I can't see, smell or taste. There's a yowl. Sol grunts.

Then I hear something I wish I hadn't. And darkness shuts me out.

When I open my eyes I see the roof of a den. The aroma of mint fills my nose; it's touched with the faint smell of blood. Memories come rushing back to me and I stagger to my feet. My eyes dart around the room and land on the grey fur. "Graystripe!" I run to his side and look him over. He's sleeping, but looks up drowsily when he hears me. "Huh?"

"Are you okay?" I sniff through his fur.

A chuckle rumbles from his belly. "I'm fine, Featherpaw."

"What happened?" I ask.

"I heard you screech, and then when I came to find you, Sol was there. I attacked him, but he managed to dodge them all. Then he went on offense and caught me off guard. I didn't realise he had the strength to do any of that until it was too late. He escaped."

"What did he injure?"

Graystripe rolls off his side to show me back and belly, long deep slashes scoring down to his sides, hidden in grey fur. I feel tears prick my eyes. "Oh StarClan… Graystripe…"

He smiles weakly as he strokes my head with his tail. "It's alright. I'm alright."

I stand up. My best friend; she was close to death last time I saw her. The thought makes my voice crack. "Hollyleaf… How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long, you can still sit vigil for Hollyleaf tonight." He meows.

First, there's pain. I knew that she wouldn't have survived. There was so much blood… So much of it, she couldn't have lived after it. She died slowly, waiting as her life ebbed away through the wounds Sol caused. Then relief floods me. At least I can say good bye to her. "Okay. I didn't want to miss it." I look back at him. "Sorry, is there anything you need?"

"No thank you." Graystripe murmurs. "I'm going back to sleep."

I nod. "Okay."

I notice the cobweb swathed neatly around my neck. Sol tried to kill me. I'm going to kill him. For Hollyleaf and Graystripe. He won't get away. I'll find him.

Leafpool enters the den and looks over Graystripe before turning to me. "Hello, Featherpaw. How are you feeling?"

"Alright..." I hurt more than anything. I lost my best friend. But I guess you'd feel the same because she was your daughter too. I'm sorry.

The words don't leave my mouth though. All I can think about is Hollyleaf and Sol. Sol and Hollyleaf.

Leafpool doesn't seem convinced. "Let me look at you." Her scent comforts me briefly. She smells a lot like Hollyleaf.

"I- I'm sorry." I mew hoarsely. "I tried so hard." My voice seems to be getting thicker, the tears threatening to release. "I wish I saved her; wish it was me who died."

Leafpool raises her eyebrows. "Don't ever say that, Featherpaw! I know you miss her, I miss her too. But we need you. Jayfeather needs you." Her voice drops to a whisper. "The prophecy needs you."

I widen my eyes. "The prophecy? No, I know who the third cat is."

"So do I," she murmurs to me. "It's you."

I step back. What? The Three's prophecy that isn't mine to fulfil; she must be deluded. Dovewing is the third cat! Maybe she misunderstood the sign. "How are you sure?" I ask.

"Last night, I was told about the prophecy. Spottedleaf had said a cat in the Clan has more knowledge than anyone else, and that cat is part of the prophecy. A silver feather drifted from the sky this morning. It had blue streaks in it, the same colour as your eyes." Leafpool meows. "It has to be you. You knew about the battle, the tree, you even stopped Ashfur from killing Jayfeather, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf."

I shake my head. "No, it's not me."

Leafpool leans closer, continuing. "You even know they are my kits." She whispers. "I can see the sympathy in your eyes; the way you looked at Brambleclaw because he didn't know before."

Oh… "But I'm not Firestar's kin."

"Does it matter? It's so clear that it's you!" She presses.

It can't be me! I have to get revenge on Sol! I don't even have any powers anyway! Leafpool is crowding too close to me, and I feel suffocated. It can't be me!

I choke slightly, but nod before backing out of the den. The sun is setting already; most of the cats are in the clearing, lying beside Hollyleaf's body. A shudder racks me as I breathe in her beautiful scent. All the blood that covered her earlier is gone, washed away by someone else's tongue rather than her own.

She's really gone. There's no hope, no belief that she might still be alive. No, there's none at all. She's really gone.

When I close my eyes, I can imagine her standing there with the distrust in her eyes as I greeted her as a stranger, yet she was supposed to treat me like

This time, it's not even the feeling of being torn apart, between her family's lies and the thing she had most faith in. It was Sol, who didn't want her to fulfil the prophecy. But why? What drove him to come back and kill her? Who taught him?

The questions race through my head and it sends shivers down my spine at the possibilities. That's why I need to find him. Before Jayfeather can even stop me, I will go. I won't procrastinate otherwise it might be too late. StarClan might confirm Leafpool's predictions and I'll never be able to find out why he did those things. I can't leave those questions unanswered.

I bury my face into the fur of Hollyleaf's neck, wishing that this is only a terrible dream, not a waking nightmare. But it's not. I know that, at least.

A/n Wow! Over 100 hundred reviews! Thank you so much, I love you. I love you all. And how do I thank you for giving me 100 reviews? I reward you with the death of Hollyleaf, of course. Yeah.. Sorry... Haha :/... This is awkward.

Don't let this put you off though! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review. I'll... I'll... give you horsey rides, and you can pretend to be a knight. Eh? Eh? :D