Elsi: YAY! The actual story is here! Isn't this exciting, Trek? I get to write an entire fat book in existing canon characters! I don't think I've done this...heh.

Trek: You mean the characters that you don't own? **wink**

Elsi: Clever disclaimer, but yes. So, anyways! Here's the first chapter! It's in Lionblaze's point of view...hence me calling the chapter simply...Lionblaze.

Trek: Sigh. Read and review, folks!

Chapter 1

Lionblaze

Lionblaze's amber eyes opened, and he jerked upright. Foxleap recoiled, and Lionblaze looked into his denmate's eyes with relief. They weren't being attacked. His memory, and a sense of reality came back to him, and he shook out his pelt. It was dawn. Three terrible nights had passed since the battle with ShadowClan, the one in which he had killed Russetfur.

"Sorry," he said, trying to ignore his guilt. "Dawn patrol?" Foxleap nodded, and the two warriors moved past the other ThunderClan cats, pushing out of the still-under-construction warrior's den. Sunlight splashed down on his golden pelt, and Lionblaze stretched with a yawn. His dreams had been troubled again. Death surrounded him, a million Russetfurs, a million dying Firestars…he shook himself. Firestar had only lost one life in the battle. Just one. He would still be there to lead them.

Cloudtail and Dustpelt waited in the center of the clearing.

"Run and grab Dovepaw," Dustpelt meowed to Lionblaze, and Lionblaze did, turning towards the apprentice's den. He poked his head in, lightly prodding Dovepaw with a claw. A few seconds passed, and the fluffy grey apprentice opened her amber eyes with a jolt. Something haunted floated there for a moment, but before Lionblaze could ask, it was gone.

The two of them trotted out, not saying a word. Lionblaze had learned to read Dovepaw, and her silence was uncharacteristic. Clearly, something had happened in her dreams. He would have to work the truth out of her eventually, but the dawn patrol called.

"Where are we headed?" he asked.

"ShadowClan," Cloudtail responded quietly. "We want to make sure that nothing's happened on the border since the battle." Lionblaze nodded, but he suddenly felt uneasy. Was it really a good idea for him to go to ShadowClan, after what happened with…?

He took a deep breath. He had to stop worrying about what had happened with Russetfur. It was an accident, and StarClan had willed the battle to happen. Surely, they had meant for ShadowClan to lose their deputy. Lionblaze forced himself to trod on, through the trees, ignoring the chiding and uncertain side of his mind.

After a few minutes of silence, he turned his eyes down to Dovepaw. As her mentor, he should be asking her questions. He needed to get his head out of his nightmares!

"What do you smell out here?" he wanted to know. Dovepaw glanced up, recognizing the deeper question in his words. She took a deep breath in, and Lionblaze wondered what she could sense apart from prey. Would she even tell him?

"The prey is out today," she answered distantly. "There's mouse, sparrow, I think, and vole. A fox has been in our territory, but…" She thought. "It's at least a day old." Lionblaze sent her a warning glance, reminding her that she couldn't list everything. Dovepaw rolled her eyes in return, and he relaxed slightly. Nothing was amiss, it seemed. Maybe she was just tired, but he was still worried. Dovepaw had seemed terribly concerned about something when he had woken her, and he was determined to find what it was.

"Good," he continued, cutting her off from her next comment. "What about ShadowClan? Do you think they're on their own side of the border?" He scented the air himself, a little concerned on that front, but ShadowClan scent seemed no stronger than the day before.

"I think so," Dovepaw answered, but she seemed uncertain. "It's hard to tell with all of the…" Death. She could leave that word out. Lionblaze found a lump in his throat, and he pushed it down, furious with himself. He had to stop feeling guilty for something that would never undo itself!

The dawn patrol slowed to a stop, and Cloudtail bent down to check the border.

"Nothing to report," he said thoughtfully. "It seems like ShadowClan is respecting who won the battle."

"For now," Dustpelt agreed, peering suspiciously into the trees. "But for how long? After what happened with Russetfur, will they really wait so long?"

Lionblaze shifted uncomfortably, getting a pitying look from Foxleap. He knew that he had the support from the young warrior, which was something he was incredibly grateful for.

"We'd best be prepared for anything," Lionblaze put forward. "I hope ShadowClan won't fight again, but they might." He began forward, planning to mark the border, but Cloudtail nudged him back. His eyes flashed a warning, and Lionblaze stepped back in confusion.

"Don't," he advised. "ShadowClan warriors probably have you on the top of their lists of warriors to watch out for. If they scent you here, they'll think it was a challenge."

Lionblaze let him push past, baffled. Were ThunderClan warriors blaming him for what had happened with Russetfur now? He scented the air, looking out for Tigerheart, but all he could taste was death. So much of it had marked this border barely three sunrises ago. Maybe he was to blame for all of the damage. He was supposed to stop the fighting, not start a war. What would ShadowClan warriors do now that he had killed their deputy?

"Lionblaze didn't do anything wrong," protested Dovepaw, becoming even fluffier in outrage. "He was fighting to defend his Clan!" Dustpelt gave her a dark look.

"A warrior never kills without good reason," he said in annoyance. Lionblaze looked at his paws, his stomach dropping. "The battle had too much un-necessary bloodshed."

"On both sides," added Foxleap hopefully. Cloudtail gave a grunt of agreement, and Lionblaze felt Dustpelt's eyes turn away from him. He knew that he had a right to be angry with Dustpelt and Cloudtail for accusing him of being a terrible warrior, but he didn't feel angry at all. They were right, of course – there was no need for him to kill Russetfur, and now he had to deal with the consequences. He hated consequences, really, but he knew how to deal with them by now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lionblaze smiled to himself as he followed Cinderheart through the trees. It was nice to work so closely with her, because of Ivypaw and Dovepaw. Maybe, just maybe, she could become something more than a friend to him. That thought made heat rise to his pelt, and he forced his gaze down to Dovepaw. He shouldn't think about Cinderheart now, not while there was training to be done. Maybe he could deal with Dovepaw's problems!

"Are you alright?" he wondered. Dovepaw glanced up at him, nodding curtly. That was too short of a response - something was wrong. "You should tell me, if anything happens."

"I'm fine, Lionblaze," insisted Dovepaw, glaring up at him. Lionblaze recoiled from her, surprised at the outburst. Yes, something was wrong. Why didn't she want to trust him with it? Sighing, he turned his attention back to Cinderheart and Ivypaw, who were waiting up ahead.

"We're battle training today?" Ivypaw asked, delighted. Her whiskers quivered with excitement. "This is great!"

"Relax, Ivypaw," Cinderheart meowed, but her whiskers twitched in amusement. "Firestar thinks that ShadowClan is preparing for another attack, and he wants us to get you two into shape. That battle was tough for all of us."

"Not me!" declared Ivypaw enthusiastically. Lionblaze gave her a cautious glance. Why was she so excited about battle all of a sudden? It had to be the competition with Dovepaw, although he remembered Ivypaw's bone-chilling words about her dream from StarClan. Had StarClan really sent a message to ThunderClan? And why through Ivypaw, anyways? What did she have to do with StarClan's plans? Shouldn't they have sent their message through Dovepaw? She was the one chosen by the prophecy!

"We'll just go over a couple of moves now," Cinderheart continued. "Lionblaze, help me out?" Lionblaze tore his eyes away from the two apprentices, facing Cinderheart. They had planned to do a few easy moves, nothing too advanced; Dovepaw and Ivypaw weren't ready for anything extreme. Cinderheart rocked back on her legs and pounced. Instinct tried to tell Lionblaze to meet her head on, but he pushed his powers away, sliding forward so that Cinderheart sailed over his head. When she crash-landed, he was already springing backwards to land on her shoulders.

"Woah!" cried Ivypaw, excited. Cinderheart purred, wriggling out from Lionblaze's paws. She nodded, turning to face the two apprentices.

"We'll show you one more time, so you can really get a sense for what we're doing," Cinderheart went on. She gave Lionblaze an excited glance, and he sat back. It was his turn to pounce.

"When I jump at Cinderheart, she's going to go under me," Lionblaze instructed, pushing off the ground and flying forward. Cinderheart slid under him, quick as a rabbit. He forced himself to land clumsily, not wanting to ruin the move, and found Cinderheart's paws at his shoulders, pushing him down. Lionblaze knew that he could easily wiggle free, but he let Cinderheart help him up. She smiled broadly.

"The tricky part is to recover quickly from your slide," Cinderheart continued. "You need to be quick and low to the ground, but you can't get stuck." She cast a look at Lionblaze, who knew that he needed to jump in.

"It helps if you don't put all your weight on your front paws," he added hopefully. "Then you can recover quicker." That should suffice. He turned to his apprentice. "Dovepaw?"

Dovepaw stepped forward, and when Lionblaze pounced, she slid easily. He tried to land off-balance, but he regained stability and turned around to catch her off-guard. With a powerful bat of his paw, he sent Dovepaw sliding. She sat up in the dust, shaking her head. Lionblaze stopped right away. Had he hurt her? But Dovepaw climbed to her paws, looking simply disappointed with herself.

"You slid a little too far," Cinderheart instructed carefully. Lionblaze sensed the caution in her tone; she had noticed something about his power, too. "It's an easy mistake to make. Ivypaw, do you want to try?" The tabby nodded, and Lionblaze switched positions with Cinderheart. When Cinderheart pounced, Ivypaw dived gracefully, stopping carefully and whirling around. Cinderheart was recovering by the time Ivypaw pounced, but it was quick, and she managed to get a paw on her mentor. Cinderheart wrestled her down easily, but Lionblaze was impressed. That didn't look like Ivypaw's first go at the move, but he knew it was. How had she taken his tips so effortlessly?

"That was great!" praised Cinderheart. "I didn't think you'd get there so quickly!"

Ivypaw smirked over at her sister, making Dovepaw bristle. Quickly, Lionblaze cleared his throat, hoping to dispel hard feelings before they went too far.

"But you still weren't steady on your paws when you made an attack," he continued, gaining Ivypaw's attention. "Your slide was great, and your recovery was quick, but make sure you know where you're jumping before you get there. Dovepaw, again."

They went back and forth for a while, until Dovepaw could hold Lionblaze down by the shoulders, and until Ivypaw could push Cinderheart to the ground. He was surprised by the reversal in roles; usually, Dovepaw was the quicker learner. Something had changed in Ivypaw's behavior, and he wasn't sure he liked it. Maybe it was that Dovepaw was off.

"Here's an idea," suggested Cinderheart, looking at the two apprentices. "How about you two work together to take down Lionblaze?"

Lionblaze glanced at her in surprise, but Cinderheart grinned. There was a devilish twinkle in her eyes, one that made him want to purr. It was a great idea – the two littermates needed to get over whatever was between them. ThunderClan would need all of its warriors if ShadowClan attacked again.

He crouched as Ivypaw attacked him, batting her away with a strong paw. She landed on her feet, surprising him with a powerful leap. Dovepaw was waiting as Lionblaze rolled out, and the fluffier apprentice locked her claws into the scruff of his neck. Ivypaw pounced as well, and the two of them used their combined weight to knock him sideways. Lionblaze smiled as they yelped in victory, allowing them a moment to celebrate. They seemed together. Then, he ruined their excitement, using his tail to pull Ivypaw's legs out from under her. She gasped out as he held her down with one paw, but Dovepaw attacked, pushing him off of Ivypaw. Lionblaze kicked his apprentice away forcefully, leaving her sprawling. As she recovered, he turned back to face Ivypaw. There was something dark in the tabby she-cat's eyes, and she attacked, her claws unsheathed. That look terrified Lionblaze, and he gave into his powers. Instinct took over, and Lionblaze sprung back, pinning Ivypool down by her shoulders. She squeaked as he pushed her down.

"That's enough," Cinderheart called quickly. Lionblaze rocked back, amazed at himself. Ivypaw crawled up from under him, her ears flat to her head. Momentary fear danced in her eyes, and when Lionblaze turned to Dovepaw, his heart sank. He'd been too rough with the apprentices, and he knew it. Dovepaw still looked dazed from hitting the ground so hard. Horror at himself welled in his chest, and Lionblaze stared at his paws. He wasn't the only one angry; there was a scathing look in Cinderheart's eyes that he didn't want to deal with. "Let's go back to camp. You've had enough for one day."

They walked back in silence, and Lionblaze watched Dovepaw and Ivypaw grab fresh-kill and return to opposite sides of the camp. Separate again, it seemed. Cinderheart turned to him, her blue eyes full of fire.

"We're walking," she snapped. Sheepishly, he followed her out of camp, preparing himself for her lecture. "What has gotten into you lately? First you're completely out of focus. You couldn't train Ivypaw and Dovepaw today! Something was holding you back, and then you get totally rough with them!" Her eyes demanded answers, answers that Lionblaze didn't know if he had. "Well? What's wrong, Lionblaze?"

So many things were wrong. He couldn't get in touch with Dovepaw anymore – she was keeping secrets from him, and that he couldn't handle. The prophecy was looming upon him like the branches overhead, always threatening to drop on him. What if he couldn't handle the stress? Then there was his own strength, which had been on his mind ever since he had killed Russetfur. He hadn't even meant to kill! Something like that could easily happen again; it kind of already had. Dovepaw couldn't possibly train with him when he could wound her with a flick of his paw. And the Clan hadn't forgiven him for Russetfur's death, which made sense, as he couldn't forgive himself, either. He could have started a war!

"Russetfur," he finally said. That much, he could admit to Cinderheart. "I killed a cat, Cinderheart. That can't be okay." Cinderheart's anger turned to pity, and she pressed beside him, a warm pelt to help him. He was grateful for the support, and he leaned into her shoulder.

"Russetfur lived a long life," Cinderheart promised him. "And you did what you had to. She would have taken more of Firestar's lives, if you hadn't pulled her away."

"But I didn't need to kill her…" trailed Lionblaze. Cinderheart shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe not," she agreed. "But you can't do anything about that now. Russetfur was growing old, Lionblaze. I know that you didn't mean to kill her. Don't you know that?"

Lionblaze nodded cautiously, amazed at her blind trust in him. Cinderheart probably hadn't seen him in the battle. She probably hadn't seen him attack viciously, but she trusted his heart, all the same. Was that possible?

"Then it wasn't really your fault," Cinderheart pressed. "Oh, cheer up, Lionblaze! No one will forgive you until you forgive yourself."

Lionblaze looked at her, doubtful, and she nodded in encouragement.

"They will forgive you," she promised. "I already have. I think you did what you had to, and the rest was an accident." Cinderheart nudged him, making him smile.

"Cinderheart…" he began, unsure of what to say. He was incredibly grateful to her; she was there for him, when he didn't really deserve it. Cinderheart laughed lightly, touching her nose to his ear.

"Come on, mouse-brain," she purred. "Let's get back."

Purring to himself, Lionblaze followed her.

Elsi: Aw. Cute Lionblaze and Cinderheart. NOT FOR LONG! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Trek: Should you be giving away spoilers?

Elsi: Oh, shush. Let's think. Most of them know who the kits' mother is in Elemental. If they don't, well, I guess I won't say who it is. :D