Wow. I didn't expect that many people to get upset when I killed Cedarheart. I mean, he was supposed to die from the very beginning. He was one of the planned deaths. Mudfur wasn't planned, remember, and surprisingly, neither was Blackstar. They just kind of happened to die, if anyone can really... happen... to die... Anyways, Ii'm already working on the final chapter and I've decided that yes, there will be an epilogue. I need to polish off the details on that, but can I just say that the next chapter will be so goddamn epic you will SHIT YOUR PANTS. And not only that, but you will SHIT GOLDEN EGGS that will hatch into GOLDEN EAGLES and fly circles around the Earth AT MACH 5. THAT is how epic the next chapter will be, and don't you forget it.

Chapter 10: The Gathering of Four is brought to you by Fuck It, because when you're planning a story, Fuck It and go batshit insane.

tufted titmouse: Still have not figured that out... I really need to :( but anyways, enjoy!

PianoGirl24: He's dead. Dead as a doorknob. As that stick Jayfeather is in love with. As dead as a rock. A chair. A dead... thing. He's DEAD.

ADHD kid in jail: His death was essential to the plot. You shall seeeeeee...

Whisperfang: I'm glad you're in love with it, and I liked Cedarheart too. Thanks for the review :)

Procella: Hm. I'll have to go dust off my anti-stalking kit again. Lesse, I need new land mines, grenades, bullet for my M16, barbed wire... I got it all, COME AT ME IF YOU DAREH!

GlimmerIcewood: I love killing characters. Just. Love. It. :)

Whitepaw felt a shiver run up her body again, tucked her nose under one paw, and pulled her tail in closer to her body. She was already curled into the smallest ball in the corner of Mistystar's den that she could be, but every time one of those chill river winds swept into the hollow, accompanied by the cold mud beneath her and the scent of RiverClan around her, she couldn't help but shiver and try to become even smaller than she actually was. She struggled to lose herself in the darkness and, at the same time, struggle not to think back in time. But whenever she closed her eyes, whenever she blinked or dozed, the vision of Cedarheart's strong, lean body falling limp beneath Blackclaw's claw would catch her and seize her throat in its teeth and squeeze, threatening to kill her right then and there.

Whitepaw whimpered, praying to StarClan for help, for Cedarheart to descend from the heavens and fight his way through RiverClan to her and take her away forever, back up to the stars with him. But no matter how much she prayed and how much she whispered his name, Cedarheart did not come, and the only vision she could ever see was of him falling limp and lifeless beneath Blackclaw, and the desperate look in his amber eyes as he met her eyes for the last time. Whitepaw whimpered again.

Eventually the black apprentice she had seen at Fourtrees padded into the den quietly with a water vole and placed it by her paws quietly. When he did not turn to leave, Whitepaw looked up at him, sniffed at the water vole, and turned her nose away. She couldn't smell the prey. She couldn't even feel her hunger.

"Mistystar says you need to eat and gain your strength," said the apprentice, "We're going to take you to Fourtrees today, to ransom you back to Firestar."

Whitepaw said nothing but shove the vole away when he nudged it closer. The apprentice shifted uneasily.

"You really did love him?" he finally asked quietly.

Whitepaw stared at him, and then lowered her eyes and nodded, "I didn't know him for that long but… he was so nice to me and… I don't know…" she lowered her head to her paws and squeezed her eyes shut. Cedarheart fell limp and lifeless beneath Blackclaw again and she trembled, "It would have never worked, but I had always hoped that… Something could change. Somehow we could be together, without having to hide it."

The apprentice stared at her for a long time, even after Whitepaw opened her eyes again and looked up at him. He didn't say anything, but after a while pushed the vole towards her again. Whitepaw didn't push it away this time.

"Eat," was all he said, "We're leaving soon. It's just past sunrise."

Whitepaw pulled the vole closer towards her and sniffed it tentatively, then took a small bite. She looked up at Reedpaw, her green eyes flat and quiet, "He won't want me back," was all she said, "Firestar only wants blood."

Tallstar had not slept well for the past few nights. His warriors reported Mistyfoot, Runningnose, and Heavystep traveling across the moors together, and that Firestar had killed Leopardstar through some dark arts. When the three had crossed back over the moors, Mistystar had gotten her name and lives, but Heavystep had been rejected by StarClan, his dream of being called as a Medicine Cat seemingly false, which troubled Tallstar more than he realized. Runningnose seemed content living in RiverClan and helping them find a Medicine Cat, but he was obviously frustrated as well. It was then that Tallstar learned of Blackstar also dying, and Russetstar taking his place on the same night as Mistystar. It was all too strange for the old cat, and he felt a shiver run up his spine.

He walked alone along the ridge that surrounded WindClan's camp, glancing down every once in a while to see the apprentice and warriors, queens and kits and elders. He was their leader, their protector. And yet it felt as if he was running away from what was really important. But what that was he didn't know. Tallstar turned and started towards the moors, his paws content to lead him wherever he desired. He walked absently around the entrance to the camp when he caught a scent that should not have been there and paused. He lowered his nose and sniffed again, and felt dread sink into his stomach.

Ashfoot had left the camp again. Tallstar sighed and sniffed again, his nose almost to the ground. The scent was not fresh, but it had been laid down perhaps in the late morning. Perhaps an hour or two before. He waved his tail to Whitetail as she passed, and she walked over.

"Have you seen Tornear?" he asked. Whitetail shook her head.

"I think Mudclaw sent him off on an early morning patrol, but he should be back soon."

Tallstar nodded, "I want you to find him right now and tell him to follow me. You don't need to know why, trust me, but I'd like for you to move as fast as possible."

Whitetail's eyes opened wide but she nodded and didn't ask any more questions, darting off towards the ShadowClan border in search of Tornear. Tallstar sniffed the ground again and began to pad down the rise, following Ashfoot's scent. She took a clear trail that Tallstar often led the camp down when he was leading the cats to the Gathering, and he felt his heart sink. Ashfoot could arrive at Fourtrees while ShadowClan and RiverClan were confronting ThunderClan, and the last thing he wanted was the confused mother to witness another bloody battle.

He was halfway to Fourtrees when Tornear caught up to him, panting and slick with sweat.

"I smelled Ashfoot and came as fast as I could," he panted, "Whitetail told me to follow you a-and… Do you think she's gone far?"

"By now she's probably made it to Fourtrees," Tallstar murmured and glanced at the sun, "It's almost sunhigh, come, we should hurry."

Firestar felt Burntfur return to him late in the morning, her sour scent materializing from seemingly nowhere and her ashlike, ghostlike body stepping from the rock and shadows. He rolled onto his paws and stood, his legs trembling and his mouth dry. How long had it been since he had eaten? How long was it since he had drunk? Or dreamt peacefully? Ash and fire and blood were all that danced in his head now, and it seemed as if the living world was becoming no different. Burntfur lowered her head when he rose to his paws, then lifted it slowly, her green eyes bright in the darkness.

"Leopardstar and Blackstar's deputies have become leaders now," she said quietly, "Mistystar and Russetstar have chosen their new deputies: Blackclaw and Cedarheart."

"Were you seen?" Firestar demanded.

"Yes."

"Did they know you were from ThunderClan?"

"Yes."

"Excellent work," Firestar growled in pleasure, but noticed the lack of happiness in Bunrtfur's own eyes. His growl turned harsh, and he whipped around at Burntfur, smashing an open claw against her head. Burntfur fell against the stone and trembled, but stood again and stared at Firestar, blood dripping down both sides of her face.

"Something is wrong," growled Firestar, staring at her long and hard, "Tell me, what has changed? Leopardstar and Blackstar are dead, I have nothing to fear from either of them any longer. Why do you look at me like that?" Butnfur did not reply and Firestar snarled, "Do not look at me like that!"

He clubbed Burntfur again on the head, sending her stumbling again and splattering more of her strange, four-colored blood onto the ground. White blood. Red blood. Black blood. Gray blood. Firestar felt ice crawl down his spine and snarled again, and Burntfur stood up again, her head low to hide her eyes.

"You may have nothing to fear from Leopardstar and Blackstar, my Light," she said quietly, tonelessly, "But Mistystar and Russetstar have sworn revenge, and will not stop until they see you've left the forest or died."

"The fools!" snarled Firestar, "Do they not know that I'm doing this for them? That I'm going to make their lives into better ones? That they are tricking themselves into a slow, painful death rather than a quick, merciful one? I will kill them, I will scatter their blood and break their bones between my teeth and they and their ancestors will rue the day that they decided to raise their claws and battle cries against Firestar, Leader of ThunderClan!" He whipped around to Burntfur again, "We will kill them. We will kill all of them, we will burn their bodies and souls and turn this forest into a pile of ash and watch it be born again. They will not stop the Change!"

"Firestar, are you alright?"

Firestar spun and hissed as Graystripe entered his den and the big gray warrior paused, uncertain. The feverish light in Firestar's eyes had grown to a blaze, and the undeniable smell of sickness and sour sweat hung like thick vines around the den and Firestar. His eyes slid uneasily to the small she-cat with short, gray fur in the back, who looked up at him slowly. Between the strange, four-colored blood on her face he could make out two bright green eyes, which almost looked familiar. Graystripe shivered and turned back to Firestar.

"What is it?" hissed Firestar. His breath was far more sour than the scent around him, and Graystripe stirred uneasily.

"Whitepaw didn't come back last night, and we've been searching for her all night. We tracked her for Fourtrees and… well, we found…"

"…Cedarheart…" whispered Burntfur behind Firestar. Graystripe flinched at the sound of her voice, but Firestar raised his head and pushed past Graystripe, leaving his den. Firestar blinked a few times as sunlight caught his eyes, his den had made his eyes sensitive, but that would soon change. Cedarheart sat at the base of Highrock to his right besides Mousefur and Cloudtail while Cinderpelt and Dovepaw treated his wounds. One particularly nasty wound scraped down the side of his head, and Cedarheart winced whenever Cinderpelt touched it. All cats fell silent when they realized that Firestar had left his den, and Cinderpelt and Dovepaw scooted out of the way as he stalked over.

Cedarheart was a tall cat, built lean and strong but not wiry. His amber eyes were clouded, but with what Firestar could not tell. He lowered his head respectfully to Firestar when he walked over, and Firestar flattened his ears warily. Behind him, Burntfur walked out of his den behind Graystripe and stood quietly behind Firestar. Cedarheart's eyes moved from Firestar to Burntfur slowly, but he said nothing.

"Cedarheart," Firestar said coolly, "The ShadowClan deputy now, correct?"

"That is correct, Firestar," Cedarheart answered, betraying no uncertainty or nervousness.

"And tell me, why did my warriors find you at Fourtrees while we were searching for our lost apprentice?"

"I was patrolling alone, Firestar, trying to clear my head after becoming deputy, when I heard a commotion at Fourtrees, so I crossed the thunderpath and came across an apprentice I had met before named Whitepaw struggling with a RiverClan patrol. I didn't want to see an apprentice torn to shreds, so I tried to stop the fighting but…" he indicated to the wound on his head, "I was knocked out, and Whitepaw was dragged away."

"I see," Firestar said quietly, "And Cinderpelt and Dovepaw have been seeing to you wounds. Why did you decide to return to the ThunderClan camp with our patrol?"

"I was in need of assistance and despite the animosity between our Clans at the present, Firestar, I hope to help my friend."

Firestar stared at him for a long time, watching the minute flick of his eyes and ears, the way his eyes darted around the camp from time to time and the back to Firestar, the way his tail twitched when he said Whitepaw's name… Firestar almost laughed out loud, and Burntfur came up to him and whispered in his ear what he had learned from himself. He clubbed her again over the head, and Burntfur staggered to the ground. Dovepaw made to help her, but Cinderpelt held her back, her blue eyes large.

"I already know," hissed FIrestar at the second part of his soul. Burntfur said nothing but stood again, lowered her head, and backed away. Firestar turned back to Cedarheart, "I know why you went to Fourtrees and assisted Whitepaw, but I will not say, the look on your face is enough to tell me that my suspicions are true. Have her, for all I care, take her back to ShadowClan and make her your whore, run away and have as many kits with her as you like. But if you want her to be alive the next time you see her, you will help me in what's going to come next."

Cedarheart paused for a long time, collecting his emotions and then said, steadily, "And what is going to come next?"

Firestar's eyes glittered, "Blood and fire."

Just then Sootfur darted into the camp, out of breath and dappled with sweat. Graystripe walked over to him at once and steadied him, and Dovepaw raced to help as well. Firestar turned to him, his eyes cold, and watched as he managed to say something to Graystripe through puffs and wheezes. Graystripe nodded and padded back to Firestar, his face troubled.

"Sootfur met RiverClan warriors at Sunningrocks," he said, "They told him that Mistystar would take Whitepaw to Fourtrees at highnoon and would wait for you in order to negotiate her return." Graystripe glanced towards the sky, "If we leave now, we should be able to make it in time."

Firestar grinned and turned back to Cedarheart, "This is my blood and fire."

Firestar whipped back to Graystripe, his feverish green eyes sparkling in the sunlight, muscles rippling with excitement under his ratty, matted pelt, "Gather the warriors, gather all of them, no hunting patrols today, no border patrols. I want every warrior able to fight to prepare to leave for Fourtrees. Gather the apprentices, even Dovepaw, tell the Queens to prepare to leave their kits if they're not pregnant. Pull Whitestorm out of the elders den. Make sure everyone has eaten and sharpened their claws. Cinderpelt, is he fit to fight?"

Cinderpelt slowly nodded and Firestar grinned.

"Good then. Cedarheart, you're coming with us. Prepare yourself."

Firestar spun away, back to his den, and with a flick of his tail sent Burntfur to fetch prey for him. Graystripe quickly fell into step besides him, his yellow eyes filled with worry, "Firestar, what is it you hope to accomplish with this?"

"Fire and blood, Graystripe," Firestar laughed, "I'm about to turn this meeting into a massacre."

Burntfur watched the warriors prepare, some glancing at each other uneasily and others saying good-bye to their loved ones. She knew them all by name, knew their personalities by heart. They would glance at her uneasily and her strange four-colored blood that was drying and sticking to her face. She would have to clean herself later. But none of them recognized her, though she had expected that. She turned her eyes to Firestar, who was hissing at Graystripe, and felt something that could have been a heart grow still and sad in her chest. Firestar was not who he used to be. Not who he should be. But it didn't matter now.

She walked forward and stood behind Firestar, always at his side, always looking after him, and kept her eyes on him. Her eyes had always been for him. Firestar called to his Clan one last time and began to lead them out of the camp, and she followed behind him, on his opposite side, Graystripe. It was bittersweet.

The Four are coming together, she thought, looking up to the sky, At sunhigh, I will finally be at peace.

Guess who's a lying sack of crap?

I AM.

-insert long break while I laugh hystarically-

I love lying. I really do. It's just so much FUN! I really need to remember this in the future when I'm getting interviewed about my future fantasy epics. People will be like:

"You told us that XYZ was dead!"

And I'll be like:

"I lied."

GAH. That would be amazing. Anyway, you know the drill. Search for my errors, kick my ass, review, and, most of all, enjoy! Next chapter will be up as soon as possible!