The shade on her left rears up in mock pain and Hollystar splits its throat. Black ichor splatters across the ground, and Hollystrike follows her momentum into the downswing. It catches the next shade in the head, soft skull giving away between dirt and claw.
Hollystar slides backward, hackles raised, and two more shades collapse onto her former position, trying to flank her. Hollystrike sees the moment, forepaws lashing forward, and she strikes both of them simultaneously. The impact reverberates around the clearing, one of the shades tumbling, form collapsing like water, but the other shade bounces back up. Liquid ichor, the darkness between the stars, pulls upwards in a sloshing motion, and the shade heals itself with its fallen brethen's body.
Hollystar twitches.
Her jitteriness lets her spring sideways just in time to avoid another shade coming up from behind her. She rolls with her fall, two – three - now four shades snipping at her heels. A quick blow to trip the one in front of her snout. A slide and jab to force another one back – just in time to catch the third blow. Another one appears from the darkness, five now in total, and it goes for a low blow across her leg into a reaching bite.
Hollystar copies her evade from watching Lionblaze.
Three of the shades miss. Another takes fur from her back hindleg.
The last shade reorients mid-strike. It's slow, makeshift sentience turning in thought and then pain rips into Hollystar.
Teeth latch onto shoulder bone, and Hollystar twists to shake the shade off. Her shoulder stretches, flesh and fur breaking, but the shade holds firm as it rips its paws into her right flank.
Hollystar eats dirt.
She kicks out with her legs, pushing the shade into the ground. Dirt hits the still air, forming a dust cloud. Something gives in the tumble and the shade collapses.
The pain in her shoulder crystallizes her anger.
Instead of coming up, she goes low, crawling close enough to the ground to scrape dirt across her belly, sliding under the next shade, and ripping its belly open. Half-dense ichor rolls on top of her, and she explodes out of it, turning her leap into a blind, brutal blow across the next shade's cheek.
Hollystar twitches. Three shades to go.
She's mobbed on three sides. She tucks inwards, protecting her throat, dancing sideways as blood pools across her coat. Two shades rip into flanks, but she focuses on the one before her. They go down into a grapple. Dark beady eyes and a sharp jaw go for her face, but Hollystrike is faster. Her jaws bite into rotting flesh, what is a snout and jaw turn to mush inside her mouth, and then she bites further and deeper - beady and dark eyes are torn apart. She unleashes a flurry of blows with bloody claws, and the shade collapses, faceless and legless.
Muscle alongside her flank is exposed. A shade bites down on blood veins and ugly tissue. Hollystar falls. Her tumble gives her distance from the remaining two shades.
One shade bites down on her left hindleg's paw, a crippling blow, and Hollystrike returns the favor by pressing down with the paw until she feels the shade's jaw give. She kicks upward with her half-eaten paw, blinding the same shade.
The other one goes for her exposed belly.
Exposed muscle eats dirt, and Hollystar twitches into a retreating spin.
Her spin kicks up dirt, and Hollystar feels something in her back tear. More dirt hits her exposed injuries, the pain lances through her body like physical unsheathed blows, and Hollystar almost feels herself go under. The world flickering not with the darkness of The Place of No Stars but the darkness of unconsciousness.
But pain is an old friend.
She lands on two paws, her third hitting a heartbeat later and the fourth making contact with the last shade. It goes to bite her already broken paw. She sees the blow incoming, and Hollystar lets it land. The pain makes her jerk, and she slams the shade down in the same motion, hard enough for its head to bounce. Her whole left hindleg burns sharply, then goes numb, but Hollystar ignores it in favor of carving the last shade's head open with her forepaws.
Silence with a rush of vertigo.
"Impressive," Tigerstar meows.
Hollystar turns towards her original opponent.
"You fight with my old motivation with ambition and purpose on the line," Tigerstar meows, the monster of the Clans two fox-lengths away from her. "Time and judgment corrected me. It will correct you as well."
"I'm nothing like you," Hollystar hisses, biting through pain. "You killed for power, not caring about the cats you left behind. You're a fool."
"Granddaughter," he meows, shaking his head and drawing the darkness to him. "A great choice is laid before you." He smiles, all charm and strength as if he's seen a hundred Hollystars speaking. "I wasted my time on your brothers, trying to see if Firestar and I had finally bred true after the failures of our first litters, fostering the lesser granddaughter onto Mapleshade, but I see now I was mistaken. Don't make the mistake of betraying me so soon as you come to our destiny. The time of Clan's destruction is here, and I see now that you will bring it into existence."
He doesn't know. Hollystar's smile blooms as Mapleshade, sitting nearby, grits her teeth, and Hollystar gets to watch Tigerstar's whiskers curl in anger when he realizes he's missed something. He is a moon late.
"Haven't you heard? It's big news," she taunts, knowing he hasn't. "Leafpool slept with Crowfeather. Squirrelflight lied and now Brambleclaw is dead. You have no sons. Your daughters - a Medicine Cat and another you abandoned. You have no grandkits, no family, and no one to succeed you. Only Firestar's blood lives on in me! Foolishness is not part of my blood," she speaks, eyes foggy from her injuries. "I can't say the same for you!"
Tigerstar growls like a rabid dog, long, bending claws unsheathing. His fake charm evaporates into a rage. "Stonefur it is then," he replies. He growls, flicking his tail towards his companion. "Mapleshade, leave Hollystrike to me."
The tortoiseshell flicks her own tail in reply, but her eyes make contact with Hollystar's own.
I'll kill you if you break your promise.
Hollystar flicks her own ear in reply – secret communication hidden from the third member of their party. Attention divided between Tigerstar and Mapleshade, she can only quickly stare at the ancient tortoiseshell. Trying desperately to read her enemy.
I'm not a liar. When I say something, I make it happen.
"Very well, Tigerstar. If you insist on having all the fun, finish her," Mapleshade meows. "Hollystar has chosen her side."
Then Tigerstar is upon her.
All that's left is faith. And war.
Tigerstar is shockingly fast, and he takes two swipes at her before Hollystar can even react. Instinct saves her, saves her eyes, as she only takes one gash across the left cheek before she stumbles backward outside of the second swipe. Tigerstar chains the motion, already moving into the next rotation, and then he's on the offense again.
Hollystar ducks, trying to go for belly blows, but Tigerstar nimbly dodges out of the way. He spins then charges, powerful muscles launching him at incredible speeds, before — contact!
Hollystar goes into a controlled tumble, one hindleg down, as Tigerstar's unnaturally long claws seemingly catch on her fur and flesh before ripping upwards. Unlike the Shades, who rely on instinct alone, Tigerstar's entire body is his weapon, and he uses his hindlegs to bat away Hollystar's returning jabs. She reaches out, desperate for blood, but Tigerstar is already gone and out of reach. They circle each other like hungry foxes.
The tom is bigger than her, faster than her, and more experienced than her.
How did he even die?
The story comes back to her. Firestar is in the nursery, Jaykit and Lionkit are beside her.
Where are they now?
Hollystar spits blood out of her mouth.
Tigerstar's next assault pushes her back into one of the trees. It's a rainstorm of blows, the tom drawing the pain out until he gets his killing blow. A hit to her ribs, each leg, a second to her left forepaw, blood across her snout and face and eyes – every hit drawing blood, every blow the ripping sound of her flesh.
Hollystar dodges right and Tigerstar's leap goes wide into the tree. He bounces, the tree shaking and bending slightly from the impact, and then leaps towards her.
A belly wound from head to toe. Made from dog teeth, it splits him in two. StarClan fails him, or perhaps they abandon him in his hour of need, or perhaps they were never there at all, but he dies, and dies, and dies.
Hollystar crouches and goes down for his belly.
Tigerstar predicts it; maybe he's learned his lesson, but he catches Hollystar with his right forepaw in the chest as she rears up. The blow knocks the air out of her and his momentum continues. Tigerstar's bulk and weight flip her from a crouched position backward into the sky, such is the impact, and Hollystar is momentarily staring up at the tree line. Tigerstar lands, still holding her, and then slams down, his claw in the intersection between her throat and ribs.
The impact scatters dirt, and Hollystar's vision goes dark for a heartbeat.
"Mapleshade is an excellent warrior," he whispers, "but her teachings will never be enough for me."
She scores a light blow across his chest, ethereal blood flying, and in response, Tigerstar shoves his left forepaw, still buried in her neck, deeper. Hollystar chokes, and maybe that's it for her, but Tigerstar pushes forward across the ground and drags her across the dirt by her bloody neck. He unleashes his momentum, teeth now buried in her scruff, and Hollystar temporarily leaves the earth again.
Mapleshade's promise won't matter if she loses this badly. She needs to turn this around. She needs — Her back hits a tree, her lungs once again breathless, and Hollystar gasps for air. Tigerstar leaps at her, seeing her neck exposed. Great gaping claws —
In panic, she lances out with her power. They sink in and Hollystar's eyes open in elation. The strands meet resistance, but she pushes through, energy flo— Hollystar's guard comes up too late. Claws split her throat, blood gushes from the wound, hot and angry, and Hollystar screeches. Tigerstar smiles, and for good measure, his second swipe slams Hollystar's head into the tree. The world goes wild. She —
Vision leaves her.
She sees—
"This moonrise, we sit vigil for Rosekit and Toadkit. Daughter and son of Spiderleg, may StarClan guide them to Daisy," Firestar speaks. "…The fire took them from us too soon. May they find better fortune in StarClan. The loved ones may now speak their piece and begin their vigil."
Spiderleg looks sick, fur slick and damp from the rain, and he stands shocked like he was struck by lightning. Ferncloud and Dustpelt stand by his side, looking almost as bad. Spiderleg looks up to her, and despite her better judgment, Hollystrike shoves encouragement down the thread.
Be brave.
"I…" he chokes out. "I didn't visit them in the nursery as much as I should have, but I knew that Rosekit was smart and her brother was brave. I'm sure they would've become great warriors. They're with Daisy now, and I'm sure they're happy. May StarClan have mercy on us more than them."
Ferncloud wraps her tail around her son while Dustpelt whispers something into his ear. Hollystrike feels out of place, even when others begin chiming in, either comforting the grieving father or saying something kind about the kits.
I should've helped them escape the fire instead of being obsessed with my problems.
She pumps more courage down Spiderleg's strand.
The tom pulls his head up, eyes gleaming, some sort of life returning to them, and he looks up to her, making eye contact. Hollystrike remembers their past conversation and feels a blush of embarrassment. She doesn't need to give him any wrong ideas.
Spiderleg licks up spittle gathered on his lips and grumbles something under his breath. He looks back down at his dead kits. Firestar meows something to the family, but Hollystrike misses it.
If Jayflight or Lionblaze died, she couldn't imagine the pain Spiderleg was going through.
I'm sorry. I failed you, too. All this power and I still can't save my Clan.
The energy pool in her mind bubbles, eager to be used, and she uses it to convince everyone that it's okay for her to stay by Rosekit's and Toadkit's sides. A relatively minor and safe use of her power.
Hollystrike ignores the attempts at conversation, eager to get to the silent part of the vigil, pretending to be distraught alongside Spiderleg, and eventually, they all get the message. Those unrelated to the tragedy are first to clear out, but ultimately, even the grandparents leave their son to grieve. At a certain point, only Spiderleg and Hollystrike remain at the vigil. She is left with time to reflect, and Hollystrike reflects on Leafpool and Squirrelflight.
Anger fills her, and —
"Never knew how to deal with Daisy and the kits," whispers Spiderleg. "Daisy died, and I chased your tail, dreaming about a new mate. Now my kits are gone as well. I hate that I can't stop thinking about you even now."
Moonlight lights the clearing, leaving only Spiderleg and her. Hollystrike has to blink the sleep from her eyes to focus on what he's saying. The anger leaves her.
She's a half-breed. A disgrace to ThunderClan. And yet, Squirrelflight and Leafpool gave everything up for her. They shouldn't have, shouldn't have tarnished their own legacy, tarnished her, but they did anyhow. Would Spiderleg have done the same for Daisy if it hadn't been for her? She didn't know the tom that well, but they slept in the same den, and she would like to think he would.
"…Sorry," she mutters because she has to say something. Her power has ruined him. "I don't want a mate, but… I could've spent more time searching for your kits during the fire. If I had…"
Spiderleg breathes out and shakes his head. "It's not your fault. The blame is solely mine. I'm going to have to live with that. I just…" He stares at her with longing.
Spiderleg has nothing now, and it's all her fault.
He wants to be a father now but can't because Hollystrike has killed everyone he's loved and replaced it with artificial adoration that she can't remove because it would expose her. She hates it, hates it, hates it because Toadkit and Rosekit would be alive if…
Hollystrike shifts closer to the grieving father, brushing him with a friendly gesture, and she meows, "What about being friends? I'm not looking for a lover, but I could be looking for a friend?" She pulls her whiskers up in a small smile when Spiderleg pulls his ears back in shock.
There's a pause where Spiderleg's heart beats in fear, but then he lightly brushes against her in return. "Friends," he says, snorting up snot and looking a little less sick, and then he nods more eagerly. "Friends for the foreseeable future seems nice. Time to wrap my mind around everything." Hollystrike ignores the strands latched tightly to Spiderleg, giving off a faint cheer and breaking the gloom and tension.
"You could leave now, Hollystrike," Spiderleg meows. "I'm not holding you here for the rest of the moonrise. Friends don't do that. This vigil should be mine alone anyhow."
"Well—" Hollystrike whispers, trying so hard to maintain a respectful vigil of silence, "—Friends also stick together." Spiderleg shoots her an odd look but sees that Hollystrike isn't planning on leaving. "I'll leave in a bit. I can't keep you from your beauty sleep forever."
Spiderleg grumbles.
"What?" Hollystrike teases, leaning over mischievously. "Spiderleg can't deal with being stuck outside in the moonrise with a beautiful she-cat?"
"Pain in the tail," Spiderleg hisses, but his heart isn't in it as they settle on friendlier terms. A friend sounds good right now.
Hollystrike settles in for the longest vigil of her life, trying to think of happier memories of Toadkit and Rosekit. Besides Spiderleg, she rests, paying her dues to the fallen, and it's moonhigh when she's disturbed again. She spots Squirrelflight out of the corner of her eye, up late at moonhigh, staring at her from the warriors' den. Hollystrike knows what she needs to do.
"I should go. I hope you find what you're looking for, Spiderleg," she whispers. The tom nods in response but doesn't say a word. Hollystrike politely excuses herself.
Squirrelflight is waiting for her.
"Hey," she meows.
Hollystrike whispers back, "Hey."
An awkward silence takes them.
"You used your power on Spiderleg? I wasn't aware you two were so close," Squirrelflight meows, going straight for the jugular. She opens her mouth as if to tease Hollystrike but then stops.
"I think we're friends now," Hollystrike replies. "I just… feel like I failed him, I guess. Could've saved his kits during the fire." Moonlight chills her pelt, and she takes a spot next to her mother at the entrance of the warriors' den. A claw-moon is in the sky tonight.
"It's not your fault."
"I'm a warrior. I should've been there to evacuate the nursery first instead of going straight to Jayflight. He would've been fine, the kits wouldn't have – weren't," Hollystrike finishes.
Squirrelflight doesn't have a reply to that.
…
"Tell me. Give it to me," Squirrelflight meows finally, expecting condemnation.
Hollystrike feels cold, but she pulls her heart up. It's time to be better. She can be better than Tigerstar or Mapleshade or Sol. ThunderClan has lost enough, she decides.
"I forgive you," she meows, and Squirrelflight looks shocked. Hollystrike continues: "I was angry at first, but then I thought about it. I can't imagine what it's like to lose a sibling. I'd do anything for Lionblaze or Jayflight – anything, and us being half-breed codebreakers doesn't change any of that. Family is who you love. You taught us that. I think I can live."
Hollystrike tampers down the fear and lies. She'll live because she can fix this. Forgiveness is the first step. The second will be changing The Warrior Code. Everything will be better then.
Squirrelfight curls into herself, shivering. "I never thought that I'd outlive my own sister. I'm sorry, Hollystrike. If only I'd known – well, a lot of things. You could've changed us, helped us."
"Are you afraid of me?" Hollystrike meows. She has to ask, even if she doesn't want the answer.
Squirrelflight shakes, eye darting towards Hollystrike and then back. "I love you," she mews, "but that's why I'm afraid."
Hollystrike thinks about all the lives she's ruined. None of them even knew it was her. Then she looks at her shivering, shaking, afraid, and grieving mother. She gets it. She really does.
Even still, she attaches a strand to her mother.
She looks back to Spiderleg, Ferncloud, and Dustpelt across the clearing. At some point during her discussion with Mom, Dustpelt and Ferncloud returned to support their son, and they are with him now. No one should grieve alone, especially for their dead kits. Lives snuffed out far too soon.
I vow to you this: never again.
Fear makes enemies of them all.
The next memory is even more fragmented.
"I'm so proud of you… I'm so proud of you," Brambleclaw meows, but the strands connecting her to him don't lie; instead, his words rush like water between her paws. "My father died when I was young, but for me, he never really left. You've never let that bother you. Drag you down and—"
Hollystrike curls her forepaws inwards until she can feel the wet moisture of the dirt between her toes. The claw moon above her bathes the cold air in humidity, and she drinks it through her nose and mouth until the impossibly thick air begins to drown her.
It's real.
"It's always been real," Mapleshade whispers, hot breath across her ear.
Past her line of sight, in the darkness beyond, there's a flash of movement, and her power lances out at nothing. Hollystrike twitches, her bout of insanity not noticed by Brambleclaw. Their guard duty has her paranoid.
"Your mother and I have been talking and—"
He doesn't know.
The suspicion turns into cold realization, the depths that Squirrelflight is willing – had gone for Leafpool. It's worse than she ever imagined, her memory flickering back to Hawkfrost crushing her skull. Her uncle, whom she was never told about. Her whole family is filled with liars and cheats. That is her legacy.
What has Firestar lied about?
Hollystrike opens her mouth to reply, but her mouth is filled with blood. Her eyes widen in shock as her throat splits open and breathe leaves her. Brambleclaw doesn't notice.
"…I would like you to be my deputy. Seasons from now, but I want my daughter to lead ThunderClan with me." Her power glows, thick strands of energy that have, at some point, gotten thicker between the beginning of this discussion and now. "Well?" her father finishes, completely subsumed beneath her power.
Hollystrike stumbles, her pelt covered in blood and grit. Everything feels slow and sluggish. It's impossible to respond to her father, but she needs to try. There are so many things she needs to tell him. Squirrelflight's lie. Her powers. The need to expand the Clans' territories. Tigerstar's plot. Mapleshade's torture. There's a war on the horizon with ShadowClan falling into madness, RiverClan losing territory, and WindClan's hatred for them.
She has to stop it. Somehow. And she doesn't have seasons – she doesn't have sunrises.
The lake laps her legs, the water turning murky red from her blood.
Deputy… Hollystar.
"Are you okay?" Brambleclaw mews, looking down at her bleeding form. He can't see her.
She is not okay. Hollystrike feels her life leaving her again. Above, the stars twirl and glimmer, the silver pelt strong and beautiful. A star for every cat before her – she'll have her own one sunrise – coming together into a web of starlight that's stronger and better together. All the Clans hunt together in the end. She goes limp – covered in her wet, sticky blood. StarClan – strong and beautiful.
StarClan? Are you there? I could really use your help right now. Tell me what I need to do. Please.
…
…
Hollystrike prays.
StarClan does not come.
"Together, we sit vigil for Whitewing and her kits," Firestar meows. Even now, with the lake rising and the sun going out, her grandfather stands as steady as a boulder. He keeps his posture low in mourning and respect. She copies him.
Birchfall, Cloudtail, and Brightheart look devastated. Dustpelt and Ferncloud support their son from both sides, but their eyes are sunken and hollow. Whitewing was pregnant when she died. It's a tragedy large enough that it somehow stacks onto everything else this sunrise.
There's a wail of grief.
"We'll kill WindClan for this!" some cat yowls.
There's a rallying yowl and then cries of objections.
A wave of discontent hits ThunderClan, and Hollypaw knows it must feel like an inferno of emotions to Jaypaw. Even her power catches the pings of rage and sadness, burning down her strands until it settles in her gut.
Firestar opens his mouth to speak and—
"This sunrise, we sit vigil for Mousefur and Longtail."
The scene changes.
Firestar continues, "Those close to the two may come share tongues for the last time. When they are done, others may come and wish better hunting in StarClan."
Hollystrike isn't invited, but the grief from her power settles in her stomach anyhow. The plague took them, but it feels like Sol's fault. It's easier blaming him than chance. Or herself.
She flicks her two ears. She needs answers. Sol—
"This sunrise, we sit vigil for Poppyfrost," Firestar speaks from the Highledge.
Hollystrike flicks her remaining ear. It's a small price to pay for vengeance.
Jayflight is there beside the decaying corpse of Poppyfrost. Whiskers and nose to her flank. He blames himself and Hollystrike doesn't need her power to feel his grief.
She fails again.
"This moonrise, we sit vigil for Leafpool," Firestar meows. This time, his voice is shaky. "With her kindness, she served us all. Though our vigil for her is late, we shall honor her not through sadness but through love." Firestar holds himself up, his voice becoming stronger. "It was for love that she worked, love for her Clan, love for her family. This moonrise and for the next, we shall hold ourselves to the same standard!"
Hollystrike pulls herself into a shaking Squirrelflight. Her father, Brambleclaw, is next to them and adds weight to the hug. Something is breaking in her mother and…. She has never seen Mom so weak before.
Jayflight stands next to her. Standing tall, back straight, he is now her rock in the storm. He is ThunderClan's Medicine Cat – now more than ever. Hollystrike wonders how he can look unaffected when their mother is a wreck.
"We shall now share tongues with the deceased. Please step forward," Firestar meows. This time, the leader of ThunderClan steps down, coming closer to Leafpool's corpse. This time, he is the first to mourn. "Goodbye, my daughter. May you find a better life in StarClan's fields," he whispers. His whiskers brush Leafpool's still form and then pull away.
Then it's Mom's turn.
Brambleclaw holds her up, and Squirrelflight sucks snot back up her nose and then speaks. "Loving your other half is like loving yourself," she meows. "And you can treat yourself like fox-dung sometimes. I loved Leafpool probably far more than I should've and not enough still to make the difference."
ThunderClan fills with muttering and discussion. It feels more like a confession than a message of mourning, but Hollystrike knows… What does she know?
"The moment you know that you would commit murder for someone is when you know how deep your love goes. Love is sacrifice. I sacrificed everything for Leafpool – I'd do it again – and now that you're gone—" Squirrelflight kneels above Leafpool's corpse. She speaks this time directly to the deceased: "I'll sacrifice even more. I won't let your legacy die. Goodbye, my better half."
This is what I know.
With one last flourish, Squirrelflight pulls herself away from Leafpool, her tail brushing Hollystrike in gesture. And then it's Hollystrike's turn. She muster words that she no longer has.
I only knew her half as much as I should have. In that light, what can I possibly say?
Hollystrike leans down anyway, closing her eyes to pay respects. Her whiskers brush Leafpool's pelt, and she brea—
She opens her eyes to Ashfur's corpse.
The tom stares blankly into the unknown, his form bloated from river water. The stickiness from the river muck clings to his whiskers, dampening her senses. He leaks, deflating in front of her even as she jumps back in shock until river water cascades around her toes. Someone in ThunderClan yowls in surprise, and then all the cats around her react to the inflated corpse.
"Murder!" Brightheart yowls.
Her father jumps her, claws unsheathed, and Hollystrike catches him midair, reacting on instinct and Mapleshade's beatings, her blow knocking him sideways and down. She wants to say something to defend herself, but the words get stuck in her throat. She only has time to fight.
With her claws sheathed, she can only defend herself from her Brambleclaw's brutal onslaught, pushed back toward Ashfur's corpse. She's faster and more skilled, so she weathers it. It's nothing. Pain is nothing.
There's a sound behind her, and she twists to lash out.
Ashfur moves, returned from death, beady eyes locking onto her. ThunderClan erupts into diabolical panic, and Hollystrike strikes with bloody claws towards the resurrected cat.
"Eliminate the threat," the voices whisper.
"Hollystrike! Let me die for you! Let the rocks take me if only to have a single moonrise with—" Ashfur's voice turns into a gurgle when she splits his throat in a perfect strike.
Ashfur is just as obsessive in death as in life.
Her second strike whips around and splits blood from Brambleclaw's brow. A two-point blow forces her father onto the defensive, and then Hollystrike has him. Her reach is longer, putting blood in his eyes. Her right forepaw takes the air from his lungs, and her teeth take his throat.
She's not soft. She can't be. She has too many enemies. Too many problems.
River water and lake water flood between her legs. The lake rises, water from upstream pushing down into RiverClan and swallowing everything. The sun goes dark, blinding darkness shattering the sky – an eclipse more terrible in memory.
She looks down at her father's river corpse. Then, she looks up to her mother.
Squirrelflight bows. "How can I serve?" she meows. The words finally find Hollystrike.
"No, no. This isn't what I wanted!" Hollystrike yowls. "I wanted peace! I wanted unity! I wanted us to be happy – our family. I just… wanted us to be happy."
The water rises to her chest, and with it, Brambleclaw's corpse sinks into the dark, cold water below. It swallows the Stone Hollow – Foxpaw and the kits scream somewhere – and everything begins to sink as the river muck rises.
Squirrelflight shakes her head and then looks Hollystrike in the eyes.
"Don't lie to yourself," Mom meows. "This," she waves her paw in the muck and blood, "will never leave, not in ThunderClan, nor in RiverClan, or WindClan, or ShadowClan. Focus Hollystar. Focus on what's coming. Someone needs to stop the Place of No Stars, and you're the only one with the commitment and drive to do it. Take it or leave it, Hollystar, but decide now."
Hollystar looks at her mother as if she's a rogue.
"No matter what you decide, I'll be there for it –" Squirrelflight leans close, whispering with venom, "—after all, you made me care."
ThunderClan cheers for her.
"Hollystar! Hollystar! Hollystar! Hollystar! Hollystar!" they yowl.
She doesn't have her nine lives, and she doesn't have their love. It's as fake as the strands of power connecting them to her. It's as fake as her name. The Place of No Stars will welcome her one sunrise, but until then, Jayflight and Lionblaze have dreams. Her parents and grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins have dreams. To make them true, she needs ThunderClan. And ShadowClan. And RiverClan. And WindClan.
They love her. They will. Lionblaze agrees.
Off to the side, Jayflight stares disapprovingly and plots.
Firestar's den, which is her den now, is enclosed in cold, low stone. Maybe it was Sandstorm's presence, but how her grandfather slept soundly in the claustrophobic space is beyond her. Perhaps he didn't – maybe he, too, was crushed by the burden she now bears. Ironically, her grandfather now sleeps better than her, out with her warriors where there is warmth, space, and good company.
She'll find a better nest soon.
Her ear pricks when she hears rough paw steps, and she breathes deep to take in the scent. Jayflight. "Anything to report?" Hollystrike asks.
Jayflight looks right at home in the rock and stone. His old slink returns as he leans down through the den's entrance until deeper, where he has more space to stand up. He brings the draft of cold air with him, and Hollystrike pulls the moss in her nest tighter around her in response. She needs sleep, not whatever her brother is bringing.
"It's too quiet out there. Your work, I presume?" Jayflight meows. Hollystrike snorts but lets Jayflight continue. "Our grandparents are settling nicely into the warriors' den. I'd ask how much work that took to make happen, but I'm not sure if I want to know."
Worst-case scenarios of Jayflight trying to instigate something flash through her mind, but Hollystrike shakes it out. Jayflight doesn't understand. The normal problems with the transition of power can be avoided and have been avoided due to her power. No rebels. No traitors. No civil war.
"Quiet is good," she decides on saying. "Quiet means less of a mess for us to clean up later. I want this to be as easy and bloodless as possible."
Jayflight sighs. "It won't happen like you're imagining. There'll be blood in the lake before you realize where you put your paw wrong. The other Clans will resist – and you'll be the next Tigerstar." Hollystrike opens her mouth to retort, but Jayflight continues: "I can see more than just one future, Hollystrike. I see all futures. Like branches from a tree, every choice from every cat turns our destinies into a pile of leaves.
"You have led us to six branches where ThunderClan is destroyed. Eight branches where ShadowClan and RiverClan unite against us. Another twenty-three branches where you win, but more than a quarter of all Clan cats die in the process. After that, excluding two, The Place of No Stars kills us because there are not enough cats to put up a fight."
Jayflight flicks his ears in a respond-now gesture, and Hollystrike knows he's challenging her. He's begging her to explain herself and justify her actions. Hollystrike's chest tightens. Her dream is so close now.
If you can read minds, you should know already, brother.
Jayflight doesn't react to that.
"I'll find those two branches," she speaks. "I'll take ShadowClan first. They're weak from Sol's influence and RiverClan's attacks. Without their natural advantages in the riverland, RiverClan will be an easy sweep. WindClan will have no choice but to surrender. Minimal loss of life."
Great StarClan. Saying it out loud makes it more real, somehow.
Jayflight's tail lashes, betraying his thoughts as he takes another step towards her. His body bristles and Hollystrike wonders for the first time in her life if she can take him in a fight. She can. She's sure of it. Jayflight has had, at best, some self-defense practice while she's been trained by Mapleshade and Tigerstar – she's worth at least three warriors in a fight.
Jayflight pauses and then meows, voice unnaturally stern and commanding, "Words cannot describe what I'm feeling right now. I suspect your rashness and foxbrain have led us to this point – to the utter annihilation of the Clans – but even then, something else must have gone wrong to convince you that you can stop the Dark Forest like this." Jayflight makes his play.
"Are you going to let a Medicine Cat push you around?" Mapleshade whispers.
It's been a long sunrise.
"I don't know why you decided now was the time to go against me, but—" Hollystrike snaps.
"To level with you," Jayflight interrupts.
"Then what's your plan?" she hisses, letting her anger boil over. "Tigerstar and Mapleshade have an army, numbering us six to one, and you're sitting in your den sorting plants!"
She doesn't know what she's looking at, but it is beyond her and anything she has ever known…
Jayflight doesn't have a response to that.
"That's what I thought." Hollystrike coughs and spits out with more venom than she expects. "Because that's who you are, brother. You just let things happen to you, like how you let Brightheart and Leafpool roll you over when I did everything I could to give you your dream! And here you are telling me I'm dooming the Clans when you have nothing. No plan. No solution."
No reaction. No response. Hollystrike pushes harder, getting up, taking a step forward, and pushing Jayflight backward, forcing him out of her den.
"Step aside, Jayflight. The real warriors take what they want. I have more power than any cat that has ever come before, and I will stop the Place of No Stars! I will unite the Clans as the founders should have generations ago! I'm taking victory by force," she hisses. Hollystrike feels relief when discomfort races through Jayflight's pelt.
He reaches out. "The Warrior Code—" It's an empty plea.
"You know me enough by now that I've never given a rat's whisker about the Warrior Code. I won't start now."
There's a pause, and Jayflight's shoulders slump in defeat.
"You'll lose," he meows, looking at her straight in the eyes, whiskers almost touching. Said like an omen or a prophecy – but Hollystrike only knows one prophecy in her life.
"I have Lionblaze."
"Please don't bring me into this scruffle. Things are already weird enough with Cinderheart, and I don't need to hear about you two arguing," Lionblaze whines. He is wasting everyone's time, eating a squirrel while Cinderheart makes a round around the territory. One might think that the cold Leaf-Bare air would motivate Lionblaze to move and warm himself up by doing something invigorating, but instead, he seems to draw warmth from cold sunlight and laziness.
Miraculously, thank StarClan, it hasn't snowed, but Hollystrike isn't holding out on the weather or StarClan's forgiveness.
"Weird because Cinderheart wants kits or because Hollystrike has every cat mind-controlled?" Jayflight meows while rolling his eyes. Is that sarcasm?
"Weird because Hollystrike has every cat mind-controlled," Lionblaze echoes.
Hollystrike wrinkles her nose at the comments. "We need your help," she meows, scooting around to Lionblaze's left. She can tease Lionblaze about his love life later.
"She needs your help," Jayflight interjects, "because I refused to help her invade ShadowClan and RiverClan. She's desperate."
Hollystrike flicks her ear to get Jayflight to shut up, and then she continues: "ShadowClan is already bleeding from our last fight with them. Easy pickings. You know what's at stake, Lionblaze as a cat who's actually been in the Dark Forest. If I can get ShadowClan—"
"I'm kinda done with The Dark Forest. The last time I was done there, I gave Mapleshade and Tigerstar a beating and told them if I ever saw them again, I would kill them. Which I don't plan on doing, obviously, but don't tell them that," Lionblaze babbles in between stripping his squirrel of its organs.
Hollystrike stumbles, feeling another part of her world come apart. "Since when were you done with the Dark Forest?" she meows incredulously. Mapleshade and Tigerstar don't just leave you alone once you've caught their interest.
"Since I realized they were making me into a cat I didn't want to be," Lionblaze meows, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious. Obvious to him.
Hollystrike blinks as she feels the smug superiority coming from Jayflight. "I feel like I've missed something," Hollystrike mumbles, this time some shame creeping up her pelt. There's a story here that only Lionblaze and Jayflight are privy to.
"You said that we're assaulting ShadowClan again?" Lionblaze meows, interrupting her thoughts. His eyes are still on her, and there's something there that Hollystrike can't quite read.
It doesn't matter. She still has Lionblaze on her side.
"You're with me?" she meows.
"Always, duh." Her brother takes another bite from his squirrel.
Hollystrike sighs in relief and then lightly bounces on her toes.
This is for them.
"Well, any words from our wise Medicine Cat?" she meows, twisting back towards Jayflight. Her grey brother blinks but just sighs and nods, which is all the confirmation she needs. Jayflight won't stop her now.
Jayflight shuffles around her to match her position alongside Lionblaze and then leans down. "Talk to me after," he says, not bothering to hide his scheming from her. Then he turns to Hollystrike, meowing, "I don't approve of your plan, but there's nothing I can say to convince you two otherwise."
"Liar," Lionblaze meows jokingly.
"Lionblaze!" she says. She doesn't need Lionblaze giving Jayflight ideas.
"What?"
"I'll leave you two flea-brains with the mess," Jayflight speaks up. "Hollystrike, Lionblaze, don't do anything you'll regret." Then he's gone. Heading back to his hole. Hollystrike watches him leave, silent until he disappears into the medicine den.
Lionblaze pats the ground next to him, inviting her to lie down while mumbling something unintelligible under his breath. Hollystrike sighs and joins him.
She grabs the hind end of the squirrel and rips the carcass open, taking a massive chunk of the meat into her mouth. Lionblaze cries in protest, but Hollystrike mumbles through the flesh, "It's mine now, beebrain." The meat is hard and chewy, and she scissors it along her back fangs to grind it down. It's an ungraceful, disrespectful scene, but she doesn't care.
"Rude."
"You love me anyways," she meows, flicking Lionblaze with her tail. For a moment, it's just them enjoying a squirrel, and Hollystrike feels young again. Before…. everything.
"I won't kill any cats for you."
And then she's back in the present.
"I wouldn't ask you to," she replies. Her brother sags with relief beside her. "Come on! Did you really think I would ask you to kill cats?" she adds, bumping her shoulder into her brother. Lionblaze is as solid as a rock and doesn't budge as usual.
"I think… that sometimes you focus on the goal and forget the cost," Lionblaze mews cautiously, pausing in his chewing while his words sink into their frames.
Hollystrike tilts her head, opening her mouth to mutter a reassuring platitude, but the words get caught in her throat. She's too far in now to stop.
From her angle in the Stone Hollow, her strands are almost blinding. Crisscrossing strings of light form a spiderweb, expanding in all directions. Little pulses of energy race from her on impulse, on thought, adding to the web until nineteen voices are silenced and suppressed. The twitching legs and pelts, blinking eyes, blood between the teeth, a vole sliding down a throat – she feels it all.
"Sometimes… you have to make bad decisions," Hollystrike settles on. It's not the answer he's looking for, but it's all she's got.
Lionblaze sighs, turning to face her, close enough to where their noses can touch, "I'm serious, Holly. This—" he waves his forepaw to the quiet ThunderClan camp, "—I will follow your dream, even at the cost of Cinderheart, you've already changed her, but if this ends in death, I'm out." Lionblaze puffs up his chest to intimidate, but Hollystrike could never be afraid of her brother. No matter what strength he's hiding.
"Trust me," she purrs. "It's going to work out fine!"
What am I even saying?
Lionblaze snorts, but Hollystrike's thoughts go to the approaching Cinderheart. Through the strands, she feels the queen coming.
"Hey, Hollystar! Can I join you in sharing tongues with your brother?" Cinderheart interrupts, and Hollystrike gets flashbacks to a past conversation.
Cinderheart can't hide from Hollystrike, not now with so many strands, but it's still irritating to be interrupted. Cinderheart automatically shrinks under Hollystrike's returning glare. Lionblaze saves her, flicking Hollystrike in the back, and Hollystrike gives a reluctant sigh, twisting her ear in a weak "join us" gesture.
"Thanks," Cinderheart whispers to her mate, and then Cinderheart shoves her way in between them. Hollystrike expects her to start lavishing Lionblaze with her tongue – flirtatious grooming – but Cinderheart turns to her and starts grooming her instead.
The nibbling teeth trigger a reflex that Hollystrike bleeds out with a growl. "What are you doing?" she hisses, pushing shame down into Cinderheart's strand until the grey tabby quakes with fear scent.
It's Lionblaze that hisses in response, letting Hollystrike pull back.
"Sorry," Cinderheart mutters, much more subdued, then she pops back up when Hollystrike pressure relents. "I was just checking to make sure our new leader was all groomed! We can't have ThunderClan's new leader looking unkempt!"
Hollystrike looks back to Lionblaze and then back down to the squirrel when he responds, "See? This is what I meant!" Apparently, she's the focus of every cat's attention now. That's fine. She can handle that now.
She's faced worst.
"So, Hollystar, how's leader life treating you?" Cinderheart meows, trying to appease ThunderClan's new glorious leader, thick feelings of adoration coming from her strand. It's awkward, and Hollystrike doesn't have the heart to tell her that Jayflight hasn't brought her to the Moonpool to receive her nine lives. He isn't planning to, by his accounts.
She twists the strand, compelling her to turn her attention to Lionblaze, to lavish him with her love and affection. A bit of lust, too – to stop Lionblaze from playing coy with her.
Cinderheart takes the bait, and Lionblaze yips when she pounces on him, turning the orange tom's belly to the sky. For a moment, Hollystrike thinks she's pumped a bit too much lust – that Cinderheart will try to proposition Lionblaze right here in the middle of ThunderClan, the Stone Hollow is mostly clear, but she releases a breath of relief when it's just a hug.
If Lionblaze notices the sudden change, then he doesn't mention it, and Hollystrike takes the opportunity to leave the loving couple quickly. It's not her relationship.
I have an invasion to plan for the next sunrise. I'll need a battle patrol to take control of ShadowClan and RiverClan. And it needs to happen quickly – The Dark Forest is still out there. I'll be ready when they make their own invasion.
Mapleshade and Tigerstar must be stopped. Whatever it takes. Whatever she has to give. Hollystrike will lose every part of herself before she sees the Clans fall.
"I see ThunderClan is in good paws, Hollystar." Firestar sits beside Sandstorm on the outskirts of her battle patrol, where he lightly curls his tail around Sandstorm. Her grandfather's voice is light, a great rock has been lifted from his shoulders; the least Hollystrike could do was make the leadership transition painless.
"Thank you," Hollystrike mutters, feeling her emotions roll in her gut. Firestar's words are fake, but the meaning is there regardless. "The…. transition has been different," she finishes, then turns her snout sideways when her father comes around the bend with Squirrelflight. Mom looks flighty and bouncy as ever, but Brambleclaw's claws are unsheathed, with coiled tenseness rolling in his frame. He's ready for a battle.
They blink at each other when they make eye contact, saying, "Ready when you are," and then he joins the rest of the patrol.
It's with an awkward realization that she realizes she's in the front position, facing the entirety of ThunderClan. Lionblaze pushes his head up from the back and waves with his ears. He twists his ears backward and then around, practically pulling himself forward, and with his weird movement, Hollystrike blinks, a purr racking her frame.
"Speech! We demand a speech!" yowls Cinderheart from the back of the battle patrol, and then the rest of Hollystrike's family meows in agreement. The sentiment spreads like wildfire across her Clan. Her parents flick their ears – Squirrelflight even chuckles under her breath – and Hollystrike feels her control slipping.
She breaths. Reorients her thoughts and then focuses.
"This sunup," she starts, "we take ShadowClan." There's an awkward pause, and then, she lets go. "With my power, we'll only need to reach ShadowClan's camp, their heart, and then I'll have them. Because of this, we'll be aiming for suppression instead of violence. We're not aiming for territory, vengeance, or anything else personal. We must save ShadowClan. We need to make them ours. ShadowClan has been ravaged by Sol, and it's our time to fix his damage. I can fix Sol's damage, but I'll need your help."
She pauses, pushing excitement to her clanmates, and she feels the Clan vibrate and bounce – her energy becoming theirs. Sandstorm and Greystripe yowl, warriors twice her senior, following her lead.
"Hollystar! Hollystar!"
"It's going to be quick and bloodless," she yowls to finish her speech and to remind herself.
She turns, ThunderClan moving in eerily motion behind her. Two steps become three, and suddenly, she's moving, an army of cats behind her. With every cat under her control, it's almost as if they're an extension of herself. They make fast time to the ShadowClan border.
She doesn't notice the border stench because her world falls out beneath her. The local shrubbery hones down until her vision sharpens into seeing motion alone. Familiar hostile scents and trails fall before her, but it's hard to care when she begins to hear blood pump through her remaining ear, reminding her that she's alive.
Battle is an older friend to her than peace, and it retakes her when she spots a ShadowClan patrol. The battle frenzy fills her blood, choking everything else, and she wheezes in her throat. Hollystrike's paws skip, holding her in the air for a heartbeat, and she lets Brackenfur and Sorreltail overtake her in the rush.
"Retreat! To the camp! Let us kill them there!" yowls Ratscar. The ShadowClan tom falls back from the sudden ThunderClan rush, preparing to bolt. His comrades, the apprentice's Shrewpaw and Scorchpaw and the warrior Snaketail, follow his lead, pivoting on a hasty retreat.
Hollystrike yanks them down to earth. Kneel.
The ShadowClan patrol falls prone just as Brackenfur rips into Snaketail's shoulder. The tom hisses, trying to lash out, but Brackenfur pulls back, dodging his retaliation.
Hollystrike binds the ShadowClan patrol to her will, adding them to the mob. She turns, ThunderClan turning with her, and she lets Brightheart take the lead alongside Firestar. "Lionblaze!" she calls out, flicking her tail forward, prompting him to join the duo.
"On it!" Lionblaze takes point alongside them.
Hollystrike twitches, moving forwards, and then all of ThunderClan is moving again – now four stronger. The pine trees blur. ShadowClan is upon them.
The thorn tunnel to ShadowClan's camp is barely big enough for a single cat to squeeze through. It's small enough to be a problem and small enough to be a nasty chokepoint. With the surrounding thorn barrier, it would be enough to wade off almost all regular invasion attempts.
Nothing about Hollystrike and Lionblaze is normal.
Hollystrike yowls, and on her command, Lionblaze charges. He charges, and with a devastating crash, the thorns and bramble bush are ripped away. It carves an entrance into ShadowClan's camp that Brightheart and Firestar eagerly use.
ShadowClan yowls, and then chaos ensues.
ThunderClan falls upon ShadowClan like the wrath of StarClan – her wrath. ShadowClan warriors are caught unaware and mobbed. Even now, after multiple tragedies, ThunderClan outnumbers ShadowClan, and it shows as she has Spiderleg and Birchfall tag team Whitewater, the ShadowClan queen, going down in a scuffle.
Her power beats in the back of her mind, more powerful than ever, and she uses it by pumping energy into Birchfall, pushing energy into his frame, and then, with a second glance, into Whitewater, adding her to ThunderClan. Her mind and body open up to Hollystrike, and Hollystrike seizes control — somewhere else, a strand in her web goes dark.
"It's Hollystar! Kill her!" Russetfur yowls from across the clearing. The ginger deputy marks her, instinct seeing her as the threat, and Hollystrike feels the ShadowClan eyes rake over her.
How does she know?
Toadfoot disengages from Greystripe and Firestar, sacrificing a tuff of fur to do so, and then darts towards her. Hollystrike sees the attack coming, reaching out with her po— the ground leaves her with a rush of vertigo, and then her world spins as she hits the ground in a tangle of limbs.
She rolls with it, launching back up to her paws, twitching towards Toadfoot – now a rabbit length away – and again, she's sabotaged when her right forepaw sinks into solid dirt.
Sol's tricks.
Even now, the tom curses her from his grave.
For a heartbeat, Hollystrike's mind leaves her body as she feels Dustpelt coming in to intercept Toadfoot, and then she's a part of him as they crash into Toadfoot, the force of their speed knocking Toadfoot into a devasting grapple. She catches Toadfoot in her line of sight and then has him. She fully returns to her body when she rips her paws out of the dirt.
ShadowClan can teach ThunderClan their little tricks when she has them all.
Five more ShadowClan warriors and apprentices charge her in reckless abandon, and she uses their warriors – Toadfoot and Snaketail – to body-block them. Her eyes flit over them. Kneel. Fear me. They fall and are bound.
Across the clearing, there's a boom as Lionblaze rocks the earth, kicking up dirt and sand as he takes on three warriors by himself. The orange tom bounces, form contorting midair to dodge an attack – another strand in her web goes dark – and then his returning counterattack with sheathed claws hits so hard that it sends the tomcat skittering sideways. Tawnypelt, the cat she once thought was her aunt, slams down on Lionblaze with a double blow attack, but it's like hitting a boulder. Hollystrike almost laughs from across the clearing.
Hollystrike binds her. Tawnypelt should've stayed in ThunderClan.
Fight! Push them down!
And then, just like that, all that's left is to cut the head from the snake.
Russetfur puts up a fight, but it's five to one as she pants from exhaustion. Hollystrike binds her and then picks off the stranglers. Littlecloud and his apprentice just surrender. Fatigue begins to wrack her frame, but her power hums only half empty, and she powers through.
Blackstar's den hides beneath the large boulder, surrounded by brambles with the Pinebranch above it, and it's there where she finds him, huddled in a nest of moss and leaves. The infamous ShadowClan leader looks shriveled and weakened as Hollystrike looms over him.
"Finish it," he rasps, not even looking up to her.
"Blackstar —"
"It's always ThunderClan," he mutters, heaving it out with his breath, and Hollystrike has to stretch her ear to hear him. His eyes roll to some point in the brambles, and he snorts, "Thundercat's favored by StarClan again." Hollystrike coughs, and this time, Blackstar turns to look at her."Hollystar I presume?"
"Hollystrike," she interrupts, flicking her tail in agitation. "ShadowClan has fallen on hard times. I'm here to help. Change things for the better —"
"Hollystar. Don't pretend to be anything else."
Hollystrike breathes and meows, "Even still, under my leadership, I can lead the Clans back to prosperity. We'll expand, take up more land, more sharing of prey and herbs, and —"
Blackstar sighs like a walking corpse. "I was alive when Tigerstar still roamed the forest," he meows. He pauses. "ShadowClan never fully recovered. We never even recovered from Brokenstar. I was put in charge of a ShadowClan falling apart and in desperate need of divine assistance. It never came – and now, like an insult from our ancestors, you stand before me. This time, there is no choice at all."
The tomcat turns back to the stone boulder, staring at something only he can see. "I fell for Sol's trick, wisdom earned that I cannot use against you."
"There's always a choice," Hollystrike meows. "Yours—"
"Do not take me for a fool, Hollystar," Blackstar hisses, hackles raising, eyes glaring at her. She looks at him, but there's still barely any life left in his bones. "I do not know ShadowClan as much as I should, but even still, it would take greater forces than you to make them turn traitor so easily. Finish it."
Hollystar breathes deep.
He knows about my powers, then.
She binds him.
On the way out of Blackstar's den, Lionblaze calls her.
"Hollystrike!"
She pushes through the bramble tunnel, the ensorcelled Blackstar on her heel, and then she goes further into the mob. Cats bend around her as she spots Lionblaze by the medicine den alongside Flamepaw. Littlecloud is deeper inside the medicine den. She pushes Cinderheart out of the way, using her power, stepping out into the sand, and— The still form of Brambleclaw and Crowfrost greet her. Nearby, Ivytail and Birchfall nurse battle injuries, wounds stitched together with web and sticks.
Littlecloud pushes his head out of the medicine den, a buddle of herbs in his mouth, and spits them when he sees her. "Ah, Hollystar," he mutters. "I was just tending to our injured warriors and the dead."
Hollystar breathes.
"Explain," Lionblaze meows. The uncomfortable edge in his voice pricks the fur along the back of her neck and scruff. Hollystar realizes her brother is angry.
"Yes, because I obviously killed our father. A brilliant decision I made," she meows, sarcastic venom and sorrow in her voice. Eyes rake over Brambleclaw, seeing the bloody belly wounds and ripped neck.
"Neck injuries require delicate work, a quick response, and StarClan's grace to survive," Littlecloud adds unhelpfully. "Brambleclaw and Crowfrost unfortunately had none of those in the battle."
"They just kept fighting, Hollystrike! I saw Squirrelflight step over Brambleclaw's bleeding body to keep fighting! Explain that!" Lionblaze continues.
Because I wanted them to keep fighting.
"I'm not responsible for every warrior, Lionblaze," she replies, keeping her voice steady. I have to be strong for him. "Brambleclaw died a true warrior. We'll honor our father this moonrise."
Lionblaze's left forepaw hits the ground with a meaty thump, and Hollystar feels the impact in her toes. He glances down at their father, who's dead, and then back to her. He's mad, but he'll be okay. We'll be okay.
Squirrelflight overpowers some aspect of the mind-control and pushes forward behind her, burying her neck into Brambleclaw's corpse. Her mother looks small and shriveled now in the aftermath of the battle. It's irrelevant, though, compared to what Hollystar feels.
Lionblaze and Squirrelflight exchange words, but Hollystar can't hear them. She pulls her Clan, now almost twice the size, and then meows, "We return to ThunderClan. We'll reorganize into our new patrols there." The mob moves immediately, so absolute is her power, and she forces the ShadowClan and ThunderClan cats to mingle.
This time, she takes her position alongside the back of the group, Lionblaze turning ahead to help Squirrelflight pull Brambleclaw's corpse back to camp for a vigil.
Dad wanted me to be his deputy one season.
Sorreltail glances at her from her right.
Don't look at me.
Sorreltail turns away and marches. Hollystar, because that's who she is now, follows closely behind with unsteady limbs and paws.
She has to be strong.
"This moonrise, we sit vigil for Brambleclaw," she speaks from the Highledge. A hundred beady eyes stare back at her. Jayflight and Lionblaze are but four of them huddled around the medicine den. She stands alone.
What could I possibly say?
The words come to her…
…By early sunup, Lionblaze and Jayflight are gone.
At early sunup, Hollystar is knocked awake by Leaf-Bare's chilling wind, forcing herself to shake the cold out of her pelt. The dawn patrol is preparing to leave the Stone Hollow, with new patrol-mates in tow, stretching their legs in preparation for the extended journey. The route now stretches across ShadowClan's territory.
Even with fresh moss and leaves, Firestar's den is unnaturally cold. Hollystar supposes that Sandstorm used to share her warmth with her grandfather, but here now, Hollystar has no one – not even the warmth of warrior comrades. It's an entirely different cold that sinks into her heart.
She can start her sunrise early.
Leaping down from the rocky edge, Hollystar peels around the edge of the Stone Hollow, spot-checking the sunning rocks and bramble defenses. Part of the nursery is falling apart, bramble thickets falling to the packed earth, and she reminds herself to get some of her warriors started on repairs.
Squirrelflight's strand pulses and the red and white molly moves, slipping out of the warriors' den. Her mother wakes early – looking ragged and tired. She trots, all formal-like, to Hollystar's right and then right by her.
"Hey! Wait!" Hollystar calls out suddenly, pausing Squirrelflight, and she turns to raise her eyes at her. Hollystar blushes under her fur and meows: "Just wanted to say that I hope StarClan lights your path this sunrise. For when you're on the east border patrol. "
"You too, Hollystar," Squrrelflight meows softly, quickly making eye contact and then turning to leave.
The awkwardness of it all has her reeling.
Mom has deep bags under her eyes, and part of her head looks knotted and tangled. The pattern goes down her entire backside, a long moonrise of twisting and turning apparently, and Hollystar decides her mother shouldn't be heading out in such a condition. She feels her toes going numb from merely standing in one place – it's likely to snow soon. Maybe she could call off all the border patrols for just a single sunrise?
"You should stay here," she meows, watching her breath come out in frost. Then, she adds: "With me."
Great, StarClan, it's cold.
Squirrelflight turns wordlessly until she lies beside Hollystrike on one of the sunning rocks. Even now, in the middle of Leaf-Bare, the stone, typically reserved for elders when they're not sleeping, hums with a soft warmth, and Hollystar makes sure to pull her mother in extra close.
"Can I?" she meows, indicating with her head towards Squirrelflight's knotted mess of a pelt. She can help groom her while sharing tongues.
"Yeah, go ahead."
Hollystar is halfway through working down a nasty fur knot when Squirrelflight starts purring. The sound is soft, barely there, but it's there. "Feeling better now?" Hollystrike purrs back.
"Yeah," Squirrelflight replies.
Hollystar breathes out. "That's good," she whispers, looking back across the Stone Hollow. "That's very good," she repeats. "Things are going to be different from now on, but they'll be better when it's all over. Give the Clans some seasons to live together without boundaries, maybe get some other half-clan kits to be born, and mix the blood so much that it doesn't matter anymore. Then drop my power, let everyone make their own decisions," she finishes, lovingly shoulder-bumping her mom.
No response.
"We'll get Lionblaze and Jayflight back from wherever they've gone. They won't be able to hide from me – from us. It'll be a better life for them when it's all over." Hollystar brushes Squirrelflight's shivering form and then breathes deep.
The scent of fear.
Hollystar twitches, looking down at Mom. Squirrelflight is afraid. She is afraid enough that her fear scent passes through the mind-control that compels loyalty and devotion. Mom is afraid, sad, and silent. Mom is terrified of her.
Hollystar fills her with happiness and hope. Squirrelflight's ears perk back up, and her bounciness returns to her frame. Green eyes flood with warmth and artificial color returns to the Stone Hollow.
"Right, of course," she meows, her red fluffy tail bouncing alongside Hollystar's backside. "We should ready a patrol to find them. We have no time to waste, Hollystar! I'd like to be on it, I also think—"
There's no going back. Hollystar has chosen the hill she'll die on. It'll be her LionClan or death.
—The memory ends in the blood spray. Hollystar blinks in the moment after Tigerstar slams her head into the tree, and she sees bloody sinew once attached to her neck splatter onto black dirt. Her blood hits the ground next, little droplets that she can somehow make out in perfect clarity. They remind her of rain hitting the ground, soaking the dirt until it's muddy.
Time distorts, and then Hollystar can't talk or breathe or move.
"Hey, so when you survive this, you'll have an awesome neck scar to show off," Squirrelflight meows from a rabbit-length away. Her mother looks beautiful. Luscious red fur glows red hot like embers of fire, curling around her form in a shimmering mirage. The enormous fluffy tail gives shape and meaning to her frame until Hollystar reaches for her mother's soft, round face, trying to brush whiskers. Bright green eyes stare back at her, a look that Hollystar remembers from her kithood – when her mother was happier.
Hollystar opens her mouth, but the only thing that comes out is a blood-filled gurgle. Squirrelflight brandishes her own wicked scar, running from flank to chest to hindleg, and a nicked ear from ancient badgers. They match.
"I know, it's looking pretty bad right now! Choking on your own blood and guts, but death is as much part of our lives as the Warrior Code is – and we've all been there. The scariest moment I ever had as an apprentice was facing down Sharptooth in the mountains. The sunrise where Feathertail died." Squirrelflight pauses, then sighs, leaning down until her warm belly fur brushes the cold, sick earth. "You're going to have to remain strong. It's not just your brothers now. You've got a whole Clan to look after now. You'll have to be stronger than me, and that's pretty flea-brained strong."
You're not my mother.
"So, what do you say? Is my daughter just going to lie down and take it? Leafpool was tough as a badger when she wanted to be, and I knew your father, Crowfeather, when he was an apprentice, barely out of kithood. He never took a rat's whisker from no cat. I've even seen my father fight, all fury and sense combined. How much fight do you have left?" Squirrelflight meows, interrupting her thoughts, her mind. She bounces to Hollystar in two leaps, putting her forelegs around Hollystar's breast and then reaching with her teeth to grab her scruff.
Squirrelflight begins to lift. Hollystar pulls herself back up to her paws.
Tigerstar's eyes widen, caught off guard, and at that moment, Hollystar, neck still bleeding out and unable to speak, goes for a brutal grapple and spin. One forepaw grabs Tigerstar's breast, and the other snatches the fur above his eyes and rips down and sideways. Tigerstar's legs leave the ground, and he tries to recover by twisting his weight against her, trying to knock her off her paws, but Hollystar's seen the move from Lionblaze. Tigerstar can't compare. She braces her stance.
The weight slams into her - a massive tomcat slamming his whole weight into her shoulders.
She holds just barely. Her paws slide and sink, and in the motion, she loses her opportunity to deliver a death blow. Instead, she does everything in her power to slam Tigerstar into a tree. Blood splatters wildly, but it's not entirely her own. Hollystar thinks she spots a glimpse of fresh fear in the spirit's eyes.
Tigerstar recovers, pulling himself up with the force of will and dark speed, and then he leaps at her, seeing her fumble the finishing blow. Blood spills from her mouth, and her vision goes dark for just a heartbeat. Hollystar, with will alone, holds her blood-soaked, stinging eyes open – it saves her life as she sees Tigerstar's incoming attack – a perfect, brutal, death-dealing leap.
She pulls on herself this time, drawing on some invisible reserve, demanding more. The well in her mind swells, ordering her to stop, but Hollystar demands more. She digs deeper for anything, for something she's missed, and finally, after seasons and seasons, she finds it. The well hisses, bubbles, spitting fire in her skull and leaving exhaustion battering her frame. It tries to break her, but something else breaks instead.
She sees Tigerstar and lets it all go.
The strands sink in, meeting resistance, failing to puncture that last boundary…
…And then they sink in deep where Hollystar rips him down to earth.
She sees herself return the brutal neck slice, but hers sinks in that much deeper because Tigerstar is compelled to lean into it, and then the famous TigerClan leader hits the ground hard enough that there's an audible pop from his neck and head. The world shifts. In a heartbeat, he lies breathless and dead.
She's done it. She's won.
With nothing left to give, Hollystar collapses beside him, his corpse turning into an aether. Their blood makes a shared pool beneath them, and with it, relief washes her through the pain. She's finished in a single battle, which Firestar couldn't do in seasons.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that," Mapleshade meows. Her last enemy arrives – confident in her victory. She doesn't realize that she's next. The tortoiseshell walks until she's a fox-length away, then looks down at the blood pool of Hollystar and Tigerstar. "You were right, you'll never stop." Her eyes glimmer. "But it doesn't matter. You don't have nine lives."
"I'll only need one." Hollystar tries to speak, but she just swallows Tigerstar's blood. It tastes the same as hers – mixed so deeply in the pool.
Mapleshade's whiskers touch the ground beside Hollystar's head.
"Hey," she mutters, grinning ear to ear. "Try not to die before I see you destroy everything you love."
The world washes Hollystar away and into unconsciousness.
Hollystar comes too, like a queen who has just given birth to her first litter, covered in blood and yowling in the camp.
"Get Littlecloud! Hollystar is dying! Now! Neck injury! Neck Injury!" some cat yowls, probably Graystripe, maybe… She feels her body begin to move, dragged by the scruff, but she can't make out the details with patchy eyesight and stinging pain from blood-covered eyes.
Another cat rushes over to her, and she feels rock underneath her. The light changes.
"Get me some fresh cobweb and moss. Chances are low that Hollystar survives this," Littlecloud mutters urgently, panic in his tone.
Hollystar isn't concerned.
Hollystar rises.
