Lionblaze finally surrendered to the alluring embrace of sleep. He felt the familiar rushing through his pelt and knew almost instantly his mind was deciding what to show him, what to dream about. Suddenly, the rushing and tugging at his fur stopped. Lionblaze felt cold, so very cold. The freezing agony ripped at his insides, forcing him to open his eyes. He forced open an amber eye. The eerie screech of an owl echoed through his head. Lionblaze perked his ears and opened his other eye. No…no…no. He lifted his head up. The black trees, bent and gnarled with twisted with evil loomed above him. This dark place was all too familiar to Lionblaze. He rapidly got to his feet. The orange sky was as sticky and warm as he remembered. The heat clinging to his pelt like water. Lionblaze had hoped he would never come back to this place. He climbed to his feet, panting in the fruitless attempt to cool down. Lionblaze put all his senses on high alert. He began to walk, cautiously taking light pawsteps and stopping at the tiniest noise. He suddenly became aware of another cat nearby. He unsheathed his claws and raised his hackles. There was rustling in the bushes and a dark figure loomed towards him. Lionblaze growled and puffed out all his fur. He was totally unprepared to face the cat who stalked towards him.
"H….H…Hollyleaf?" Lionblaze squeaked. His sister was sitting in front of him. Totally calm apart from the agitated flickering of her tail as it curled around her paws.
"Lionblaze," She mewed cooly. Lionblaze sheathed his claws.
"What are you doing here?" Lionblaze asked. Hollyleaf rolled her eyes.
"Helping you escape mouse-brain," She spat playfully. Lionblaze didn't like the expectant look in her cold green eyes.
"Why should I trust you?" Lionblaze yowled, "You killed Ashfur!"
Hollyleaf didn't even flinch.
"Yes, I killed Ashfur," Hollyleaf admitted, "But we can catch up later, now we have to escape."
Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. He thrashed his tail.
"Why should I trust you?" He challenged. "You're a Dark Forest cat!"
Hollyleaf bore a smug expression that made Lionblaze feel uneasy.
"Actually, I'm not," She mewed calmly, "I'll explain later, but now we have to move."
Lionblaze noticed tremors shaking the earth below his paws. Hollyleaf looked distinctly worried now as the tremors grew stronger.
"Run!" She yowled. Lionblaze obeyed. He and Hollyleaf dashed through the forest, Lionblaze followed his sister's sleek black pelt.
Lionblaze suddenly felt the tremors subside. Hollyleaf stopped and panted harshly, her black chest heaving with the effort.
"What in the name of StarClan was that!" Lionblaze demanded. Hollyleaf held his gaze.
"The Dark Forest is growing," She panted, "Those tremors are small compared to….compared to what can happen if we don't get out of here."
Hollyleaf turned her back to him and began to stalk away.
"Wait!" Lionblaze mewed. Hollyleaf looked around, "I…if you're not a Dark Forest cat, why are you here?"
Hollyleaf padded back to him and sat down in front of him again.
"I don't belong anywhere," Hollyleaf explained, "I was not good enough to be accepted into StarClan, nor was I bad enough to be exiled to the Dark Forest."
Lionblaze perked his ears in interest.
"Okay," He mewed, "So if you aren't on either side…what is your purpose?"
"I was just getting to that," She meowed, "StarClan promised me that I would be reborn when I had gotten over my…er….insanity."
Lionblaze nodded.
"Have you?" He asked, trying to mask the hope in his voice. Hollyleaf nodded.
"Yes," She said, "Ashfur too, we have a truce, me and him."
Lionblaze tilted his head.
"Ashfur is here?" He asked curiously.
"He's around, either on the StarClan border or in the forest somewhere," She mewed, "He's ready to be reborn too."
"This is all very nice and all," Lionblaze mewed, "But why am I here?"
Hollyleaf looked like she was deep in thought.
"Not sure," She said, half to herself, "I was just in the right place at the right time I suppose."
Lionblaze heard a ripple of laughter echo through his head. He and Hollyleaf span round. Lionblaze felt his claws automatically unsheathe.
"Welcome back Lionblaze," Tigerstar growled. The dark tabby was sitting about a tail length away, his amber eyes glinting with hatred. Hollyleaf hissed angrily.
"Tigerstar!" Hollyleaf spat defensively.
"You're evasive," He commented, "I'll give you that but your running away ends here."
Lionblaze suddenly felt another cold presence. He turned around to face behind him.
"Hollyleaf!" He yowled. But he was too late. Hawkfrost was just a mouse length from Hollyleaf. Lionblaze watched in horror as Hawkfrost landed on his sister's back, digging his claws into her. Hollyleaf gave one last look of despair to Lionblaze before vanishing like a puff of smoke. Lionblaze wanted to attack Hawkfrost, feel his life drain away beneath his claws and have the taste of his blood in his mouth.
"You killed her!" Lionblaze yowled, his voice full of grief. Tigerstar rolled his eyes.
"He didn't kill her," Tigerstar hissed, "He banished her back to StarClan! Half Cats aren't welcome even here."
Lionblaze felt a flood of relief crash over him. Hollyleaf would still be reborn.
"What do you want from me!" Lionblaze spat. Hawkfrost sat down beside his father, his icy blue eyes glinting with satisfaction. Tigerstar didn't answer, he just stared at Lionblaze intently, as if trying to read his mind.
"Well?" Lionblaze hissed expectantly.
"Heathertail has a secret Lionblaze,"
Lionblaze turned around to see who had spoken. A spiky furred gray tom was crouched about a fox-length away, his fangs bared and amber eyes in slits.
Lionblaze heard a low growl from Tigerstar.
"Leave now Thistleclaw," He meowed angrily, "This is not your business."
Thistleclaw sat up, his thin mouth twisted in a forced smile.
"I think you'll find it is, Tigerstar," Thistleclaw mewed calmly. Lionblaze was reminded of the wind tossing dead leaves every time the gray cat opened his mouth. Thistleclaw padded up to Lionblaze, his tail erect. Lionblaze watched the gray tom cautiously, his tail thrashing.
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Thistleclaw taunted, "It's blisteringly obvious, only a fool couldn't see it."
Lionblaze tried to look tough but inside he was slightly angry that Heathertail could keep something like this from him. Lionblaze shook himself from his thoughts.
"You knew I would die for her!" Lionblaze yowled. Thistleclaw smirked, his amber eyes betraying no emotion.
"Oh but Lionblaze," The gray cat whispered, "How long is it until someone finds out."
Lionblaze didn't know what came over him. He leaped at Thistleclaw, his fangs ready to sink into the other cat's neck and rip him to pieces. Thistleclaw scratched at Lionblaze's belly and he let out a yowl of anger. Tigerstar quickly leaped into action. Lionblaze felt the brown tabby's long claws rake down his back, the pain was intense. Lionblaze screeched and backed off of Thistleclaw, panting. Hawkfrost jumped onto Lionblaze's back and started biting his head. Lionblaze reared up onto his back legs and tried to dislodge Hawkfrost but it was pointless. Every time Lionblaze seemed to overpower one of his enemies, another would take over. He was growing weaker and soon wouldn't be able to fight back. Lionblaze was defeated. He lay on his back and panted. He forced himself to look at his three attackers. Hawkfrost had several nasty bite wounds on his side and Thistleclaw's ears were torn but Tigerstar looked intact.
"Weak," Tigerstar muttered, "Even the most tiny Dark Forest kit could've done better."
Lionblaze didn't acknowledge the insult; he was totally and utterly wiped out. His strength had seemed to desert him with every blow. Thistleclaw stood over him and prepared to do the death blow. He raised a huge gray paw. Lionblaze closed his eyes and prepared to meet StarClan for real.
Suddenly, Lionblaze heard Thistleclaw yowl in pain. He opened his eyes. Thistleclaw was at the mercy of a shaggy gray speckled tom. The cat that had very nearly killed Lionblaze was pinned down with a paw on his throat. Lionblaze identified his rescuer.
"Ashfur?" Lionblaze mewed in shock. The gray tom Lionblaze had once resented turned around to face him, a triumphant look in his round blue eyes.
Thistleclaw started to bite Ashfur's paws but Ashfur didn't succumb, he pushed harder on Thistleclaw's throat but not hard enough to kill him. Tigerstar and Hawkfrost had been sitting in shock up until that moment, Lionblaze watched helplessly as Tigerstar bunched his muscles to pounce on Ashfur. Lionblaze was about to yowl a warning when a black cat counter-attacked Tigerstar in mid air. Hollyleaf wrestled Tigerstar to the floor, spitting furiously. She bit Tigerstar's face and placed one back foot on his tail. Tigerstar was literally immobilized. Lionblaze could detect fear scent coming from Hawkfrost as he fled into the shadows. Lionblaze puffed a sigh of relief that was short lived; soon, the ground began to shake again. Hollyleaf and Ashfur released their captives and moved close to Lionblaze. Thistleclaw and Tigerstar sprinted after Hawkfrost. Lionblaze clambered to his feet.
"More tremors," murmured Ashfur. Hollyleaf looked around protectively. This tremor was worse than the first one. Ashfur turned his head to face Lionblaze.
"It's time for you to return to Heathertail," He mewed, his blue eyes fixed intently on Lionblaze, "You'll hear from us again soon."
Lionblaze nodded, he tried to suppress the grief that welled up inside him at the thought of Hollyleaf and Ashfur being born into another Clan.
"We don't have much time," Hollyleaf meowed sadly. She padded over to him and touched her nose with his. Suddenly, everything went black.