Elsi: Okay, so, here's a bit of a warning. I KNOW you came for what you thought would be a JayXCinder and LionXIce scenario, I know, I know. And you may be reading this chapter and being like "Am I reading the right story, or is this a bit heavy on the LionXCinder and the JayXBriar?" No worries. You're not delusional. It's kind of sort of there. Well, the former of the two is - I'm not sure about the latter, but as I was writing, I realized that it must look like that. Hold on a minute and read the next two chapters just taking that with a pinch of salt.

Elsi: On another note, HI! IT'S BEEN LIKE TWO DAYS! AND HERE I AM! WITH MORE FOR YOU!

Elsi: Okay, I should just get on with this. Welcome back to Elemental: War of Shadows, the prequel to my four-book series Elemental. Like you know, this story picks up right after Fading Echoes and is my AU on what happens between that point and, well...the end of the series, I guess. At this point, we're...**checks timeline** about a moon and a half/two moons into the story. That's exciting! For reference, the entire story spans about 12 moons. YES!

Elsi: This is a Lionblaze chapter. It discusses...Lionblaze. :D That's all well and good, so enjoy!

Chapter 5

Lionblaze

Lionblaze crouched behind his apprentice, his ears turned up for any noise in the forest, listening, learning. Dovepaw knew what she was doing, it seemed, and the dusky grey she-cat crept forward, her tail twitching lightly behind her. She had to stop that habit, Lionblaze reflected, but as if she was hearing and understanding his thoughts, Dovepaw's tail slowled, and she bunched her paws up underneath her. Lionblaze silently judged the distance with approval, watching Dovepaw's form during her leap and watching with immense pride and satisfaction as the she-cat's claws dug into the unsuspecting vole. It wasn't a great piece of fresh-kill, but for leaf-bare, it would definitely do.

Dovepaw turned, giving Lionblaze a serious nod, smiling slightly, and bouncing off into the trees. Sometimes, Lionblaze hated her super-senses; she wasn't supposed to be aware of him during her assessment, but from that smug look, Lionblaze knew that Dovepaw was not only tracking her fresh-kill, but him, and probably Cinderheart as well. Sighing, Lionblaze slunk back to the clearing where he'd promised to meet his apprentice, waiting for a few moments as she collected her fresh-kill.

Cinderheart burst into the clearing herself, her smile wide, her blue eyes gleaming. Lionblaze grinned in spite of himself; he loved that look on her face, when she was all excited about something. It made her shine even more than she usually did.

Dovepaw trotted proudly in to join them, looking between them. At once, Lionblaze's attention went straight to his apprentice, and he smiled wider, making Dovepaw's confidence visibly shake. That saddened Lionblaze. He knew very well that his sweet little apprentice was still unhappy to talk to him outside of training, not liking his request to spy on her Clan-mates. What Dovepaw didn't understand was that she wasn't spying, she was simply trying to pick out individuals with unusual powers – how was that spying in any way?

"You've done wonderfully," Lionblaze praised, holding himself back. What he really wanted to do was approach her and lick the top of her head to show her all the protective pride he had stored up in him…but he didn't. There was one thing that Lionblaze didn't want to do, and that was estrange her even further. Dovepaw tilted her head, nudging her three catches at her feet.

"A scrawny vole, a squirrel, and a thrush with less on it than a newborn kit," Dovepaw said with disdain. "I don't think this qualifies as wonderful."

"For leaf-bare, it does," Lionblaze said, cutting her short. Now he did approach her, meeting her doubting eyes. "Every little bit counts. That will feed Ferncloud, and feeding Ferncloud means feeding Mousekit."

The newest member of ThunderClan had been born only a few days ago, but had already opened his eyes and made himself known. He had Dustpelt's coloring, but Ferncloud's bright eyes – Lionblaze thought he was adorable. Cherrykit and Molekit, however, were less-than-impressed by their new den-mate, as they could no longer make as much noise as they wanted while in the nursery. Poppyfrost had her hands full with those two.

Now Lionblaze turned back to Dovepaw, who had seemed to take his words into account. He remembered when she was nothing more than a ball of fluff with two little amber eyes gleaming out. Smiling in spite of himself, Lionblaze nodded.

"Did I pass my assessment, then?" teased Dovepaw.

"This has been the best apprentice assessment I've watched," Lionblaze said flatly, and Dovepaw rolled her eyes, knowing very well that she was the only apprentice he had ever had. Saying that just meant that she had topped herself.

"I thought your form was excellent," Cinderheart chimed in, making Dovepaw smile in appreciation. "And I would have missed that squirrel entirely. I'm amazed you could even pick up that scent."

Lionblaze exchanged a sly look with his apprentice, pleased by Cinderheart's words. That was exactly what he needed – a moment to remind Dovepaw of the connection they shared in her secret. Then he waved at Cinderheart and pulled Dovepaw aside, making her take a deep breath.

"I know you don't want to talk about it," he began, and Dovepaw glared at him.

"With Cinderheart here, I can't be impolite," Dovepaw whispered, lashing her tail. "You sneaky, fox-hearted…"

Lionblaze smirked at the fact that she couldn't find a good insult to call him, and that she had caught on to his timing.

"Look, Dove," he began uncertainly. "You're right in that it's wrong to spy on our Clan-mates, but you won't be doing that. You won't. I promise."

"Then what do you call what you want me to do?" demanded Dovepaw. Lionblaze took a deep breath, trying to get the phrasing perfect. He had practiced this response a million times.

"You're just going to use your powers to help us solve this mystery," he explained, "by taking a look every once in a while, like you usually do, and make sure that none of our Clan-mates are hiding something supernatural from us." He exhaled quickly. "That's not spying."

"It's all spying," sighed Dovepaw, but after a few seconds of impatiently clawing the ground, she looked up. "I guess I have to. We need the fourth for this…whatever this is. And that's a good thing to talk about," she continued, starting to get impatient with him. "Do we actually know anything about why this is all happening to us?"

Lionblaze juggled the question for a few seconds, but he had no response, and he shrugged.

"I don't know, but StarClan seems to want us to find the fourth, so we'll find the fourth," he said abruptly. "They wouldn't tell us to do something that wasn't absolutely essential."

"I said I'd do it, furball," Dovepaw meowed shortly, but she was teasing him this time, and Lionblaze nudged her shoulder. "Now are you done making me uncomfortable in front of Cinderheart?" Lionblaze nodded, pushing her away. Hissing playfully, Dovepaw returned to her small pile of fresh-kill.

"You did really well today, Dovepaw," he praised, looking after her fondly. She waved her tail at him. "You always do well."

He saw Cinderheart's face, and Lionblaze stopped abruptly, alarmed at the odd look she was giving him. Was something wrong?

"Dovepaw…why don't you run off to camp…give the squirrel to the queens and then you can rest…" He was distracted now; Dovepaw looked between the two warriors as if sensing the tension in the air, and then dashed off. "Cinderheart? Is something the matter?"

"No," Cinderheart snapped, but the lash of her tail suggested that something was bothering her. She made to stalk after Dovepaw, but Lionblaze cut her off, and Cinderheart raised those bright blue eyes to meet Lionblaze's. She gave him the most angry, incredulous look, and then melted, sitting down where she was standing. Lionblaze sat with her and waited, knowing very well that Cinderheart was one of those she-cats who needed her own time.

"I just think," she began in a tight mew, "that it's rather unprofessional to keep me here while you and Dovepaw work out your problems, and that you and Dovepaw shouldn't even have problems, because she's just your apprentice, and she's barely old enough to fight her own battles, and…and…"

"Cinderheart!" Lionblaze said harshly, cutting her off. She had drawn close to him, her blue eyes burning, and after a moment of staring at him a little too intently, she dropped back, breathless. "Cinderheart, I don't understand…" What was making her so angry? What did she mean, that Dovepaw was "just his apprentice" and that they "shouldn't have problems?"

"I just don't want you to drag me into your stupid fights," she mutters. "I just…if you're going to become mates, fine, but-."

"What?!" gasped Lionblaze, appalled. "Who said anything about me and Dovepaw…me and Dovepaw…what?!"

The idea baffled him entirely, making Cinderheart take a step back in surprise. Suddenly she looked at him in a new light, and then she was very embarrassed. Scuffing her paws into the dirt, Cinderheart didn't speak for several seconds.

"You're so close…" she meowed, sounding hurt. "And you're always showering her with compliments, and when you were fighting, you weren't happy. You're always together, and closer together than a mentor and apprentice should be. I just thought…"

"Dovepaw…" Lionblaze began, and then his words turned to dust on his tongue. "She's like another littermate to me. She's like my sister, like…"

"Like Hollyleaf," Cinderheart monotoned. Lionblaze nodded, ashamed of his own train of thought. "I know you miss her. I miss her, too. But you can't replace Hollyleaf with Dovepaw, no matter how heard you try."

Lionblaze looked at his paws then, barely aware that any of this was really happening. He had never admitted it to himself; the thought hadn't crossed his mind until now. Was he really trying to lighten the blow of losing Hollyleaf by turning Dovepaw into her? He couldn't do that…he had to let her grow into her own spot in his mind. She was already so important to him, anyways.

Cinderheart pressed into him, her pelt soft and warm. She smelled like ThunderClan, Lionblaze thought, leaning back into her. Like ThunderClan, and like Cinderheart.

"You're right," he murmured. "You're almost always right."

"That's not true," Cinderheart meowed, pulling away to look up at him. He sighed – Cinderheart was one of his best friends, and the only one of his friends that didn't know about the prophecy. She was important to him, too. "Lionblaze, you must not take yourself into account. You're…amazing."

Cinderheart's dark blue eyes glowed, and Lionblaze felt his throat get very dry as he read the look in her eyes. She was about to say what he thought she was about to say, wasn't she? He didn't…he couldn't…what was he supposed to say in return?

"You're amazing, Lionblaze. You're brave, and smart, and you're good with Dovepaw and Ivypaw, except when you get angry. Even when you get angry, you're still such a good cat. You're an amazing warrior, and an even better friend. You…mean a lot to me, and-."

"Lionblaze! Cinderheart!" Spared by the arrival of a desperate Dovepaw, Lionblaze and Cinderheart broke off their conversation, whirling around. "Come quick! It's Rosepetal and Squirrelflight! They're-."

Lionblaze didn't need to hear any more, taking off into the brush blindly, trying to pick up his Clan-mates' scents. Squirrelflight may not have been his real mother, and she may have lied to him, but she was still the cat who had raised him, and both Squirrelflight and Rosepetal were his Clan-mates. After a few seconds, Dovepaw had taken the lead again, as she was much smaller and faster than he was, and she led him ahead. Lionblaze could feel the scenery going past, and hear Cinderheart's footsteps and breathing as she sprinted along behind him. Then suddenly, his foster mother's golden pelt came into view, and Lionblaze skidded to a stop as he came to face a huge, black cat.

"Thank StarClan!" meowed Rosepetal, and out of the corner of his eye, Lionblaze saw the cream-pelted warrior standing protectively before Squirrelflight's limp form, one paw raised in evident pain, and covered in blood. Then he didn't care what to do.

The cat – or was it even a cat? – surged up in front of him, and with a growl of spite, Lionblaze launched himself at it, Dovepaw right beside him. His claws moved into a rhythm of fury, and Lionblaze hacked and slashed at fur that seemed to slip through his very paws, but he churned them, fighting for balance, and landed hard against the floor. Something dark swirled around him, and Lionblaze shook his head, looking up for his opponent.

As a dark substance peeled from the shadowy cat, Lionblaze stood up, growling a warning. With a hiss, the obviously-wounded monster ran off. Lionblaze looked down at his paws, but there was no sign of blood, only slightly darker wisps of darkness that sped off into the forest after the shadow cat.

He turned around, regaining his breath, and saw that only Cinderheart remained.

"Squirrelflight?" asked Lionblaze, running over to the quartet of she-cats. Cinderheart's eyes were wide.

"Dovepaw helped her and Rosepetal back to camp," the silvery she-cat answered. "She's alive, but…"

Unable to stand not knowing, and unable to sit next to Cinderheart any longer, Lionblaze turned back towards camp.

Elsi: What did Lionblaze just fight off? Will it come back? What will Lionblaze say to Cinderheart? Will Squirrelflight live?

Elsi: If you want to know the answers, kindly leave me a handy dandy review and READ ON! Usually, I'm an annoying author and would make you wait forever for the next chapter, but I wrote it, and this is a bit of a cliffhanger. READ ON, DEAR FRIENDS, READ ON!