A/N - Hello reader!

This author's note was originally like 8 paragraphs long, but since then I've just decided to only include one important piece of information for you to know before continuing further… so here we go:

*This story will rely on OCs to further the plot, but there will be VERY few of those and everything will basically be driven by characters from the real story.

...Whelp. Awesome! With that being said - on to the story!


Disclaimer: Warriors is owned by Erin Hunter/HarperCollins Publishers LLC


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Attack on ThunderClan

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Fireheart bounded through the forest, his flame-colored pelt speeding through the undergrowth. His newly made apprentice, Cloudpaw, had to run as swiftly as he could to keep up with his mentor. The fluffy, snow-white tom trailed Fireheart's left flank, his eyes were focused ahead when he heard his mentor call out to him.

"Cloudpaw, can you still see them?"

Fireheart's paws were aching, but he didn't pay it any mind. Cloudpaw panted as he narrowed his eyes ahead of him.

"No, not anymore... *huff*... I'm just following you, Fireheart!"

The apprentice was small, and could hardly focus on anything besides keeping up with Fireheart as it was. The two of them were in the middle of a hunting mission when Cloudpaw had seen Tigerclaw, the deputy of ThunderClan, speaking with a group of suspicious cats all by himself. The rogues had stunk of ShadowClan, and though Cloudpaw had never dealt with them before, he knew that any good ThunderClan cat would never think to commune with them.

He rushed to tell his mentor what was happening, but by the time Cloudpaw had brought Fireheart to the scene, Tigerclaw had suddenly called the rogues to him and started racing through the forest. Tigerclaw merely talking with them had been particularly concerning to Fireheart, but it was when they all suddenly leaped up and pelted through the forest towards the ThunderClan camp that he knew Tigerclaw must have been up to no good.

Fireheart raced to keep up with them. Despite his best efforts, the rogues had seemed to be pulling ahead. He grimaced, giving his apprentice a nod.

"If you can't see them anymore, then you must scent them, right? I can still make them out in the distance," Fireheart said, looking back to where the pelts of rogues could be seen weaving through the trees.

Cloudpaw's eyes gleamed.

"Yeah! I can practically taste the smell of those disgusting cats!"

"Good. You'll at least remember their smell if we can't get anything else out of this," Fireheart stated. He was concerned with how his apprentice would handle a situation as serious as this, and seeing Cloudpaw's labored breathing only served to remind him of how untrained and inexperienced the young tom was.

"You really… *huff*… you really think Tigerclaw's leading them?" Cloudpaw asked between breaths. He was growing tired, Fireheart could tell. By ThunderClan standards, it was a pitiful display of stamina, but the apprentice was only just recently dismissed from his kithood. Nobody expected him to run from border to border as fast as he could without growing a little tired.

"Yes, I do. But now's not the time for this, Cloudpaw," Fireheart rasped. He was starting to get winded himself. "Though it doesn't surprise me to see Tigerclaw isn't above communing with rogues."

"But… why would he do that?"

Fireheart shot his apprentice a look. "Later."

Cloudpaw ducked his head slightly.

"R-right."

The two ran through the forest for a little longer before Fireheart began slowing down. The rogues had torn ahead of them, and Fireheart aimlessly padded through the trees trying to scent which direction the rogues were headed. Though they couldn't be seen anymore, Fireheart still caught their scent - growing fainter with each whiff he took. He growled in frustration; the rogues would beat them to the camp!

Cloudpaw reared his head up, noticing his mentor's change in pace.

"What's wrong? Is Tigerclaw still with them?" he asked. Fireheart shook his head.

"No. They may have let him go on ahead so he could make it to camp first," Fireheart said, before picking up his speed again.

"H-he's going to attack the camp?!" Cloudpaw exclaimed.

"Well, where else do you think the rogues are headed?" Fireheart spared a glance towards his apprentice.

"Tigerclaw?... Attacking his own clan?" Cloudpaw muttered to himself, staring blankly ahead. He stumbled in his stride for a moment. His mind couldn't comprehend the thought, and Fireheart didn't blame him. The ginger tom huffed.

"Come on, Cloudpaw! Keep up with me!" Fireheart yowled, before breaking into a sprint. In the short time it took for him to lose the rogues' scent, he simply decided to just head straight for camp. Fireheart had no doubt it was where they were going in the first place.

Cloudpaw quickly snapped out of it before running to catch up to his mentor. The two of them stayed silent - only the heaving of their lungs could be heard - as they continued through the forest. It wasn't long before they spotted the entrance to their camp in the distance. To Fireheart's surprise, what looked to be the last of the rogues could be seen scrambling through the gorse tunnel. Their tails disappeared by the time Fireheart had arrived.

"Mousedung! They beat us," Fireheart cursed before quickly coming to a stop in front of the tunnel. He sat there catching his breath before turning towards his apprentice. Cloudpaw groaned loudly as he flung himself next to him, clearly exhausted, but Fireheart knew this was no time for either of them to rest.

"Cloudpaw, go find all the patrols and bring them back right away! Sandstorm is near Sunningrocks, and there's another patrol around the RiverClan border. Hurry!"

"Okay…" Cloudpaw groaned, sitting up. He wasn't excited about having to run across the entire forest again. "What about you?"

Fireheart narrowed his eyes, giving his apprentice an assured look.

"I'll be fine, now go!" he ordered with a flick of his tail. Cloudpaw understood the urgency and nodded.

"Yes, Fireheart."

The ginger tom watched his white-furred apprentice scamper off into the distance. He ran towards the RiverClan border first, hopefully where the patrol would still be around. Fireheart didn't spare another second before turning back towards the gorse tunnel.

At least, my apprentice will be spared from this. He thought to himself.

Fireheart shifted his attention towards the tunnel's entrance, quickly getting to his paws and racing through the opening where he had seen the rogues just moments earlier. Soon enough, he found himself bursting from the tunnel straight into the ThunderClan camp. It was just as he entered the clearing when a thundering voice shook the air.

"To me, ThunderClan!"

Tigerclaw's call sounded throughout the camp. Fireheart whipped his head around and watched as the large tabby threw himself at one of the rogues. The act surprised Fireheart, now wondering if he had been wrong about Tigerclaw leading the rogues to attack ThunderClan. Was it true the deputy was being chased instead?

It was then Fireheart saw the two begin exchanging blows, noticing the aberrant lack of blood and unsheathed claws. Fireheart's fur bristled - both warriors were fighting with their bare paws! Now it was clear, the ThunderClan deputy must have been allying with the rogues after all!

As for the rogues themselves, they seemed to have split off on their own and attacked the first cat they could get their claws on. Graystripe, along with the queens Speckletail and Brindleface, could be seen wrestling against two of them in front of the nursery. Their claws and teeth battered the rogues with ferocious intent driven by the will to protect the clan's young. Mousefur was fighting another rogue near the warrior's den, her claws tearing into him as he tried to pin her down.

Past all of them, Fireheart could see that the clan's prisoner Brokentail had sprung into battle as well and was lashing out at his guard, Dustpelt. Brokentail snapped at the warrior's neck, who had narrowly avoided it before quickly swiping his claws across Brokentail's muzzle.

The former ShadowClan leader had already been made blind, so a blow to the face wouldn't stagger him much. Brokentail was a formidable fighter despite his condition, and his wails of pain and anger only proved he was more bloodthirsty than ever. Fireheart rushed to aid Dustpelt, but a sudden yowl from beside him abruptly stole his attention.

Out of nowhere, a rogue had suddenly burst into Fireheart's view - claws unsheathed and screaming for his blood. Fireheart skidded to a halt, just before the rogue could tear into him. Fireheart reared his head to avoid the blow, and he felt a sharp pain in his ear. He already felt the blood start to seep from it, but he quickly focused his attention on the rogue, who'd now begun to pounce again.

The dark, mottled tabby threw themselves at Fireheart, charging directly for the neck. Fireheart swatted at them with his front claws, beating the rogue away for a moment. He leaped to attack, only for the rogue to duck underneath him and clamp his jaws over Fireheart's front leg. He grunted as he was tossed onto his flank, the rogue pinning him to the ground with their surprisingly immense strength.

Fireheart braced for another bite, but to his surprise, the rogue suddenly yelped in pain and turned away from him. Fireheart quickly looked over only to see another ThunderClan apprentice, Thornpaw, had latched onto the rogue's tail. They dragged the apprentice a fox-length before shaking him off and quickly fleeing away. Fireheart lifted himself off the ground before looking towards the apprentice.

"Thank you, Thornpaw," Fireheart panted. Thornpaw quickly nodded before racing off towards the nursery where Graystripe was struggling to pin another rogue.

Fireheart glanced back towards where Brokentail and Dustpelt had been fighting earlier. The two of them were still clawing at each other, with Dustpelt gaining ground before Brokentail suddenly lunged forward and clamped his jaws around Dustpelt's neck. The warrior struggled hard to break free, but Brokentail held on tight.

Fireheart quickly leaped to his paws and bounded across the clearing towards them. Brokentail had been distracted enough not to hear him approaching and yelped in surprise as Fireheart pounced on top of him, raking both claws across his matted pelt. The ShadowClan cat bellowed in pain before stumbling away from him.

"Thank StarClan, Fireheart!" Dustpelt exclaimed. It was likely the happiest he had ever been to see the former kittypet. Fireheart gave him a quick nod before turning back towards Brokentail.

"You should probably get him," Fireheart said, glaring at the former leader as he struggled to limp away.

Dustpelt snorted before scrambling to his paws, heading straight for the blind, helpless cat. Fireheart looked back towards the clearing to see the other cats fighting. He couldn't tell if they were driving the rogues back or not, but there was one thing on his mind that unsettled him more.

Bluestar isn't here.

Fireheart scanned the camp before realizing Tigerclaw was nowhere to be found either. Knowing these two things, Fireheart was quick to assume the worst.

Tigerclaw must be after Bluestar!

Fireheart felt a chill run down his spine as he realized the meaning of this attack. Tigerclaw had been seen sharing tongues with Brokentail before. He heard them whispering to each other when the clan slept as well. They must have planned this ambush together… an attempt between Tigerclaw and Brokentail to destroy ThunderClan!

Fireheart ran across the clearing, brushing past the figures of his clanmates fighting for their lives against the rogues that invaded the camp. He passed by Willowpelt, who was fighting back a rogue twice her size, before stopping in front of the leader's den. He figured Bluestar must have been in her den when the rogues attacked and probably didn't make it very far out of it before getting jumped by one of them.

Fireheart then realized that he could hear growling from beyond the curtain of lichen.

Bluestar is under attack!

Fireheart scrambled forward and burst into the den, but froze in shock at what he saw.

"Ah, so the apprentice has finally arrived."

Tigerclaw's menacing voice had filled the den. Tigerclaw. The ThunderClan deputy had fresh claw marks all over him, yet there he was, sitting calmly on his haunches. Bluestar laid next to him, bloodied and unmoving. A nasty bruise could be seen on the side of Bluestar's head, and blood was leaking from her neck as well. Tigerclaw was licking his paws clean before he raised his head at Fireheart's sudden entrance.

"You're too late, kittypet," he sneered. "Bluestar's trusted apprentice has failed her."

Fireheart barely paid any attention to his words as stared dumbfounded.

Tigerclaw, he-… he killed Bluestar!

Snapping out his petrified gaze, Fireheart turned to bolt out of the den, but the massive pelt of Tigerclaw suddenly appeared in front of him. Fireheart hissed with fear as he was shoved back further into the den by the massive tabby. Tigerclaw glared at him as he blocked the entrance to the den.

"You…" Fireheart muttered. "You killed Bluestar!"

Fireheart hoped his words were loud enough to be heard in the camp. He watched as Tigerclaw just flashed him an evil smile, causing Fireheart to growl again.

"She… she was your leader!" he trembled. His fur bristled sharply as he took a few steps further back into the den, allowing Tigerclaw to advance.

"She was no leader, you fool. Allowing filthy kittypets like you to join the clan was enough proof of that," he said, sparing a glance towards the blood-stained corpse of their former leader.

"How could you! S-she named you deputy!" Fireheart scolded, forcing himself not to sound as scared as he was, yet clearly failing.

"And it was the best decision she ever made," Tigerclaw rebuked. Fireheart's eyes flashed with fury.

"How could you do this! The clan trusted you!" he yelled. "And why... why did you have to kill her? You would have become leader anyway!"

Tigerclaw snickered as if he was holding back laughter.

"Oh, that is certainly true, but you see, the clan is in desperate need of new leadership as soon as possible," he stated, sounding almost proud. "With each passing day, ThunderClan continues to grow weaker with soft kittypets and half-clan runts - we will never be strong if Bluestar keeps having to choose a new deputy every moon."

Fireheart raised his hackles even more. He couldn't believe Tigerclaw would take his ambitions this far.

"Oh, and I didn't kill Bluestar, I'm afraid," he continued.

Fireheart dropped his guard slightly as he perked his ears. "W-what?"

"How could I?" Tigerclaw mused. "After those rogues started their attack, I knew I had to check her den to see if she was alrig-"

"Rogues that were led here by you!" Fireheart cut him off.

Tigerclaw glared at him for a moment. He must have been sure of the fact that nobody had seen him leading the rogues into camp, but Tigerclaw didn't push Fireheart for what he knew any further.

"-but when I burst inside her den…" he spoke again in a low growl. "I see her throat getting ripped apart by her own former apprentice! I tried my best to stop him, but the damage had already been done. Fireheart murdered his own leader in cold blood. He knew she was on her last life and had to act quickly, but the deputy just had to barge in before he could slink away."

Tigerclaw grinned as Fireheart looked at him appalled. The ginger tom lowered his head, absorbing everything he'd just heard. At first, Fireheart was confused, but then it suddenly made sense why Tigerclaw would come up with something like that. How else would he have explained Bluestar's death knowing Fireheart had caught him?

"You seriously think anyone will believe that you fox-heart!?" Fireheart snarled, looking back up at the tabby with a challenging glare. Tigerclaw simply scoffed.

"And who would they believe? The loyal and respected deputy of ThunderClan, or a short-tempered clan-hopping kittypet who is angry at the fact that he is being rightfully mistreated?"

Tigerclaw grinned as he watched Fireheart's glare soften. The warrior knew he was not on the greatest of terms with the clan after everything that has happened since he became a warrior. Tigerclaw had everyone's trust already, and that fact made Fireheart's stomach lurch.

"You don't understand, kittypet. I've won," Tigerclaw growled, looking smug. Fireheart let his fury go straight to his head.

That look… Nrgh- I've had enough of this crowfood!

Fireheart suddenly sprang to life as he leaped towards Tigerclaw. He mentally snickered when he saw the deputy was caught off guard, his claws managing to score a blow to the large tabby's head. Fireheart saw him stumble back a bit, before quickly pouncing again in the hopes of scoring another hit.

Unfortunately, Tigerclaw had recovered almost instantly, lifting his massive head away to barely dodge the attack. Tigerclaw quickly whipped around - faster than Fireheart anticipated - and sank his teeth into Fireheart's scruff. Fireheart winced in pain as Tigerclaw used his powerful muscles to drag him to the back of the den where Bluestar lay, ignoring the struggles of the cat in his jaws.

Fireheart then yelped in surprise. Tigerclaw suddenly drove the flame-pelted tom to the ground, shoving his face into a pool of blood next to Bluestar's body. Tigerclaw released him then, allowing Fireheart to scramble to his paws as he tried spitting away the blood on his muzzle in disgust. He wouldn't dare lick it.

As Fireheart staggered away from the corpse beside him, Tigerclaw suddenly leaped forward. One of his massive claws could be felt tearing into Fireheart's flank, ripping through his thin orange pelt and into his skin.

Fireheart cried out in agony before feeling a sharp pain around his neck. Tigerclaw sank his teeth into Fireheart's throat before shoving his claws into his chest, forcing him to the ground. The bite drew blood, but it wasn't enough pressure to crush his throat. Tigerclaw retracted his teeth from his neck before spitting away the blood.

"I'm the new leader of ThunderClan kittypet, and I won't tolerate traitors in my clan," he muttered deeply as he pushed his claws deeper into Fireheart's chest. Fireheart grunted in pain as he coughed up his own blood. He opened his mouth to protest, but a sharp pain in his throat silenced him. The part of his neck where Tigerclaw had bitten him was screaming in agony. Fireheart couldn't even begin to think of what he wanted to say; it hurt to utter a single word.

Tigerclaw looked about ready to claw him again before a distant rustling could be heard outside of the den. Tigerclaw whipped his head around to see the lichen parting, revealing a shaggy gray tom stumble into the den. It was Graystripe!

"Bluestar! We-" he began, before catching Tigerclaw's glare. He widened his eyes at the scene in front of him. Fireheart winced as he craned his head around, only to see his friend staring at him.

"Fireheart?" he whimpered. Fireheart opened his mouth to reply, but pain once again forced him to be silent.

"Graystripe! Help me restrain this traitor!"

Tigerclaw's order barely seemed to reach Graystripe as he continued staring at the bloodied scene before him.

Please, Graystripe! Don't listen to him - he killed Bluestar! Fireheart desperately thought. The moment his throat stopped writhing was when Firehear would unload everything he'd just witnessed onto his friend. He'd tell everyone, that is if Tigerclaw hadn't killed him yet.

"Graystripe!"

Fireheart watched his friend snap out of his stupor and quickly bound towards them. Graystripe laid his paws gently across Fireheart's flank before looking towards the deputy.

"The clan is losing to the rogues! A RiverClan patrol just arrived to help us!" he blurted out. Tigerclaw's piercing glare moved from Fireheart to the gray-pelted warrior.

"Graystripe - hold him," he ordered sternly.

"But, what-"

"Silence! Do as I say!" Tigerclaw roared. Graystripe winced away as he looked back towards Fireheart.

"Yes, Tigerclaw."

His yellow orbs were clouded with confusion, but he obeyed the deputy's order. Fireheart couldn't blame him for not questioning Tigerclaw further, since both of them shouldn't risk getting on his bad side, especially now. Of course, Fireheart knew he stood no chance of that - as if he ever had - but Graystripe still did at least.

Graystripe took over for Tigerclaw as the large tabby padded out of the den; his paws resting against Fireheart's bloodied pelt, and his eyes darting between the ginger tom and their slain leader a fox-length away. Unlike Tigerclaw, his claws were sheathed, much to Fireheart's content. He was grateful his friend didn't hold him down as forcefully as Tigerclaw had as well.

Please trust me, Graystripe. I would never betray you!


In ThunderClan camp, Tigerclaw could be seen quickly parting through the lichen of the leader's den. He glanced around just in time to see the RiverClan patrol batting away the last of the rogues. The bloodied, defeated cats scrambled into the gorse tunnel; their will to fight seemed to have completely vanished after seeing the new wave of warriors.

Tigerclaw watched as the RiverClan deputy, Leopardfur, and the warrior, Blackclaw, hissed at their tails as they retreated. Following behind them were another pair of warriors - Mistyfoot and Stonefur. As soon as the last of the rogues had departed, the patrol wearily sank to the ground. Tigerclaw saw them mumble between one another, looking warily around the devastated camp. He turned away to scan the camp, determining that the only enemy who remained was Brokentail. The blind, beaten elder was slowly trudging towards the medicine cat den, all the while Dustpelt was nudging him along.

Speckletail and Brindleface wore exhausted looks as Cinderpaw could be seen hurrying out of the medicine cat den. She held bundles of herbs in her mouth as she rushed over to queens. Yellowfang followed her apprentice out of their den. She studied Brokentail with a saddened frown before beckoning Dustpelt into her den. Thornpaw could be seen limping towards Cinderpaw as she was tending to Brindleface, with Mousefur following close behind.

Tigerclaw opened his jaws and scented the air, confirming to himself that the rogues had left. As he did, the scent of familiar cats quickly filled the air. A moment passed, and Tigerclaw watched as the patrols he'd assigned earlier burst through the gorse tunnel.

Whitestorm, Darkstripe, and Sandstorm along with the rest of the patrols burst into the clearing. They quickly noticed the RiverClan patrol sitting exhausted near the entrance, and growled at them, their fur bristling. Longtail hurriedly padded towards them, uttering a few words Tigerclaw could not hear. Although, whatever he'd told them seemed to quell their worries about the RiverClan patrol in their camp.

Cloudpaw was the last cat to crawl through the tunnel into camp, panting heavily as if he had been running nonstop since the last Gathering. Tigerclaw stiffened his gaze as he watched the young white tom. Cloudpaw hadn't been in the fight at all, he noted to himself. Not only that, but he also caught the scent of this apprentice when he was meeting with the rogues earlier, but Tigerclaw dismissed the thought, now having shifted his gaze onto the Highrock.

Not wanting to waste another second, Tigerclaw quickly jumped atop the structure. He scanned the clearing for a moment before raising his tail as he faced the clan.

"Hear me, ThunderClan!"

Tigerclaw's words echoed throughout the camp, putting whatever conversation there had been in the clearing to an end. Some cats jumped at the sound of his call. Most, if not all of them, were still on edge following the sudden ambush in their camp. Tigerclaw waited until all eyes were looking up at him before continuing.

"You have all done well defending our camp from the rogues, but I have some terrible news to share with you all," he said. Many cats shared looks of concern, and murmurs could soon be heard.

Tigerclaw couldn't hear most of them, but he picked up a few cats whispering their concern as to why Tigerclaw had called a meeting instead of Bluestar and why he had done it so unconventionally as well. Tigerclaw stiffened at the mention of the ThunderClan leader, but he retained his composure as the murmuring settled down across the clan, thus beckoning him to continue.

"Our leader, Bluestar, is dead."

The clan went completely stiff. Soon enough, a sweeping array of shocked expressions were filling his view. Cries of denial could be heard, and the murmuring flared to life again, now with much less concern for confidentiality. This time, Tigerclaw could easily perceive the horrified mews from the cats below him.

"H-How?"

"Bluestar is dead!?"

"Did the rogues get her?"

Tigerclaw listened and absorbed their reactions - even the RiverClan patrol looked to be deeply disturbed by the announcement. Although, this was exactly what he'd been expecting. Nearly all cats in the clan had known Bluestar their entire lives, including Tigerclaw. If she never became clan leader, then Bluestar likely would have joined the elders' den some time ago.

Tigerclaw knew it would be natural for the clan to be upset, but the clan's response to Bluestar's passing still bothered him. It seemed he was the only one that recognized the foolish decisions Bluestar had been making the past few seasons. A leader so feeble-minded that they accept a kittypet into the clan should never be so highly revered.

Tigerclaw quickly forced those thoughts away, as none of that mattered anymore. It was now his time to lead.

"This attack was premeditated by a member of ThunderClan," Tigerclaw suddenly proclaimed. The clan quickly grew quiet at the sound of his voice, and their attention swiftly fell back into his grasp.

"I watched them kill Bluestar - in her den while the rest of the clan was distracted by the rogues."

Again, mews of distress sounded throughout the clan. Whitestorm bounded through the crowd of cats and looked towards Tigerclaw with a mix of horror and anger.

"Tigerclaw! How is that possible!?" he exclaimed. "Who could be responsible for such a thing?"

Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes towards the white tom. He was Bluestar's nephew, so Tigerclaw understood his outrage, but he didn't like how it was directed towards him. Whitestorm also seemed to favor Fireheart, which was something Tigerclaw looked down on the warrior for. However, after what was about to be revealed to him, Tigerclaw had a feeling that Whitestorm would become a cat he could trust again.

"Graystripe! Bring him!"

The clan waited in anticipation as Tigerclaw turned his head towards the curtain of lichen covering the leader's den. Some muffled sounds reached his ears before Fireheart could be seen limping out of the den. His flame-colored pelt was soiled with blood, most of it seeping from the large claw marks that could be seen on his flank as well as the bite marks around his neck.

Fireheart looked around the camp after Graystripe had ushered him out of the den. The warrior followed closely behind Fireheart, nudging him gently through the lichen and towards Tigerclaw. Fireheart met Tigerclaw's glare as the large tabby beckoned him closer with a flick of his tail. Fireheart looked towards Graystripe; who gave him a solemn nod, signaling the warrior to go without him.

Fireheart grimaced as he approached the Highrock. He struggled to climb due to the injuries Tigerclaw had given him, but eventually, he came to sit at the top next to Tigerclaw. The large tabby then, without warning, sprang towards him, biting down on his scruff. Fireheart hissed but could do nothing as Tigerclaw dropped him onto the edge of the Highrock for all the clan to see.

"This cat is the one to blame," he growled. Fireheart growled knowingly as he slowly hunkered back onto his paws. He kept his head down, cringing as he listened to the many gasps of horror that had erupted from his clanmates.

"Fireheart has killed our leader, Bluestar!"