A/N: Hi Guys! One day late, but better than last time! This chapter is sweet and sour (in that order XP)

Replies to reviews:

Silver wolf rain- same here, though I plan to read the books soon!

Stormfeather of LakeClan- well, I hope your story gets more reviews soon =D

Dragonflywing- same here ;)

XxSilverslashxX- yep, I do private messaging... yeah, the music rocks. The one song at the end of Prince Caspian is by my favorite band.

Indigostar12(Guest)- books? cool!

Wishheart01- ikr? Thanks ;D

Hmm... seems like that was one popular question...

Chapter Fourteen: Circles

The sun streamed through the dying leaves, dappling the mossy ground that soothed Ravenheart's paws. Stormdance sat at his side, daintily grooming her gray coat. His mint green eyes were focused on the flocks of birds traveling across the sky. Numerous, countless. He sighed, if only he could be free to go where he liked like the birds did. Stormdance rested her tail across his shoulders, looking up from her grooming.

"You okay?" she asked, "You seem depressed again."

"I'm fine," he growled back, biting his tongue as he realized he had snapped at her, "Sorry. I just wish everything could be normal again."

Stormdance gently purred, "Life was never met to be that way. Don't worry; Rabbitpaw will be your apprentice once again soon."

"Don't remind me."

The prophecy. Exactly half a moon ago he had learned of it. Now the meeting was coming up and he still couldn't make sense out of any of it. His life had been shaken around and flipped upside down in only a couple moons.

"Ravenheart, you're drifting off again," Stormdance's voice knocked him out of his thoughts, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm worried about you, Storm," he said, "I don't want anything to happen to you."

She gave him a small smile, "Nothing's going to happen to me, mouse-brain. I'm a warrior, I can take care of myself… and now that I'm going to be moving to the nursery soon…"

"I know you're a warrior- wait… did you just say… nursery?" he looked up; his mint green eyes wide with excitement, "I'm the father… right?"

"I don't know," she teased, "Maybe it's…"

Ravenheart gently cuffed her over the ears, "I just wanted to hear it from you!"

"Mouse-brain," she growled, "Feathersky said that they should be here in a moon."

Ravenheart grinned, "I'm going to be a father! I'm going to be a father!"

Take that, birds! You might be able to fly but I've got my Stormdance and I'm a father!

"The scent- it leads to this den. She must've come here only moments ago!" Wildsong whispered, her fur bristling.

"There's two ways out," Glacierslide pointed out, "Two open windows, I'm pretty sure that's it."

Wildsong snarled, "We've got her, one exit for each of us. You take that one," she pointed to the window on the ground floor, "And I'll take the second story window, I can climb that tree to get to it."

Glacierslide nodded uncertainly, "Are you sure you don't want to wait for reinforcements?"

Her white fangs glistened, "She stole my sisters. It's time for justice to be served now."

"Please, let's just wait-"

She cut him off, "Stop being a coward."

With that she leaped up the tree and spared Glacierslide a final glance over her shoulder. He nodded and with one swift jump leaped through the window. Wildsong took a deep breath, determination surging through her pelt, and leaped off the tree. Her claws barely caught at the seal of the window and for a moment she was holding on for dear life. The brick siding scrapped at the bottom of her paws and with a grunt she used it to pull herself up into the room. All her senses were on high alert as she scoured the room for her target.

"Well, it looks like you finally made it."

"Darkstar!" Wildsong hissed.

The black tabby let out a sickening purr as she sat down in the open window where Wildsong had been only moments ago. Wildsong surged forward but Darkstar waved her tail.

"Oh no, dear. Don't think you're going to be pushing me out of this window anytime soon," she leaped over Wildsong in a heartbeat and landed daintily on her paws.

"What did you do with my sisters?" Wildsong's claws hooked into the carpet, "I will flay you if any harm befell them."

Darkstar laughed, "Flay me? If I was you I would be more worried about me flaying you. Now look behind you."

"Very funny," Wildsong snarled, "Like I'd fall for that decade old trick."

"Wild-" the voice was muffled but Wildsong knew who it was almost immediately. Without taking her eyes off of Darkstar she called for Glacierslide.

"Oh, you are more foolish than I thought. Glacierslide won't be helping you, he's on my side," Darkstar smugly stated, "Glacierslide, dear, come here. Bring the two with you."

The tom's gray ears were pinned back alongside his head as he approached, Shadowpaw and Smokepaw in front of him. Wildsong met her sister's frightful gazes.

"Why, Glacierslide?" she choked.

He looked away, much to Darkstar's delight, "See, I have all the power here. I was once the leader of BrightClan but they betrayed me. I once allowed my heart to love; no longer. You three will be the first to pay the price for being clan… for being blood."

"I'm not one to go down without a fight," Wildsong lashed her tail.

"I never expected you to just submit. But either way I'll win, after all I do have the nine lives of a leader."

"It doesn't make a difference to me," Wildsong leaped at her.

With a feral hiss Darkstar landed her paws into Wildsong's belly, sending her daughter skidding across the room. As the black tabby stepped forward to finish her work Smokepaw burst away from her captor and stepped between them.

"Getting brave now, are we?" Darkstar chuckled, flashing out an unsheathed paw at Smokepaw's face.

"Wait, stop!" Glacierslide let Shadowpaw up to her paws, "Surrender, Darkstar. You're outnumbered."

"Going with the wind now, aren't you Glacierslide? You always know how to join the winning side… shame you never counted on my next move," Darkstar let out a long yowl that sent Wildsong's fur on end.

The shadows of cats began to move out of the darkest corners, slowly revealing themselves to be in fact living, breathing cats.

"See, while you were all playing around I was busy making myself an army!" Darkstar flicked her tail for the fight to begin.

At first the cats didn't move until some brave soul spoke out, "We aren't your army. We don't follow your commands, we follow Rezkin's."

A huge dark gray tom entered the room, "Frost is right, Darkstar, but luckily for you I still need you around. Otherwise… well you wouldn't be so lucky. Just make sure that it never happens again."

Darkstar snarled, "I have nine lives, remember?"

"How could I forget? You remind me every second of every day. Frankly it is quite annoying," he strode forward until he was in front of Wildsong.

She looked down, glaring at the ground. Every muscle in her body was tense, waiting for the chance to strike.

"My, my, my, aren't you a pretty little thing," he whisked his tail under her chin and pulled her head up until he was starring directly into her eyes, earning a hiss from Darkstar.

"Can I kill them now or what?"

He unsheathed his claws, "You know what, why don't I just kill you instead?"

Darkstar visibly gulped, "Because you said so yourself, you need me Rezkin."

"Not that much," he replied, "Fine, pick one of them. I'll take the traitor for myself."

Darkstar smiled, "Good. I pick her, that one's been nothing but trouble."

"Dear, what is your name?" Rezkin asked Wildsong.

"Your worst nightmare," the golden she-cat hissed back.

"Eh, well, you see Darkstar, Nightmare is to pretty for you to kill. This one lives. Pick another."

Darkstar screeched, "Fine! I'll choose the brave one," she leaped onto Smokepaw, her fangs bared.

Wildsong surged forward; not going to allow her to take her sister without a fight, but Rezkin caught her first and held her back. She struggled but didn't stand a chance against the bulky tom. There was a sickening crack and then silence and Rezkin let her up.

"You're a lucky one today," he purred, "Now take your remaining sister and go."

Wildsong spat, shaking out her pelt, "You'll all regret that!"

Shadowpaw pressed against her, "Let-let's g-go."

The warrior gave one more defiant hiss and fled out the window alongside her sister.

A/N: eh, the ending was... oh well, please review! Poor Smokepaw! Oh, and did you catch how hesitant Glacierslide was to go into the building...? he didn't want to betray Wildsong but you could imagine what Darkstar probably threatened to do to him or his family if he didn't. And Darkstar mentioned her nine lives twice? or was that three times? ;)

Q) If you were Wildsong would you stay and fight to avenge your sister and possibly save Glacierslide from Rezkin or would you flee like she and Shadowpaw did?

ME: I would flee, personally, cause' I would be afraid for Shadowpaw more than anything... anyways there's like a zillion cats that you'd be fighting if you stayed... ehh, but then I might try to save Glacierslide but I don't think the chances of winning are very high since Rezkin can like beat them all one-pawed. So yeah, I would flee. XP

Adios,

~Willow