Scorchstar bounded over the hills and towards the scene where Briarsnow had reported that a battle was occurring. Scorchstar's amber eyes narrowed as he saw Harewhisker commanding the patrol. Peartuft's cats were battling a group of WindClan and ThunderClan cats. They're faring the same as always, Scorchstar thought. When he narrowed his eyes, he spotted Lord Doomsayer and Lord Artemis in the ThunderClan patrol. Woah… The combined strength of Doomsayer and Artemis was pushing Peartuft back, nearly obliterating the patrol.
Shimmerwing's tawny pelt was visible from the patrol as she yowled a retreat to her own cats. RiverClan is here? The RiverClan deputy physically pulled Peartuft away as FierceClan pelted away from the stream, back into their hills into their own home. Scorchstar watched, baffled as he bounded down the hills, towards the patrol. Harewhisker sat down, giving the ThunderClan patrol a nod. Sunfire, who had been leading the patrol, walked over to Harewhisker.
"Well done," Sunfire said.
"Not me." Harewhisker shook his head. "I've never seen your Dragon Cats in action. If Peartuft hadn't fled, Lord Doomsayer would've killed him."
Scorchstar picked his way down until he approached Harewhisker and Sunfire. He nodded to Sunfire. "I watched the entire thing. They're definitely helping, aren't they?"
Sunfire nodded. "Peartuft is launching several raids into our territory, and each time, our patrols, which often have a Dragon cat on them, are able to send them back to their territory. They're failing. It won't be long until we land the final blow. Have they been attacking your lands?"
Scorchstar shook his head. "If what you say is true, that means all their energy is focused on you, and they're being defeated by your cats. I guess we won't have to worry about them."
"I suppose you're right," Sunfire said, "but let me know if he ever tries anything. I'm sure we can spare one of our cats."
"You talking about us?" All the three cats looked over to see Doomsayer walking over to them, Artemis behind him. Doomsayer looked unfazed, even though he had been fighting a massive patrol. Artemis bore no wounds whatsoever, she simply sat down and drew a paw over her face. The only thing wrong with her was that her usual, well-groomed fur was ruffled. These cats are something else, Scorchstar thought. I'd love to keep them to myself, but I know they're needed in ThunderClan.
"Yeah," Sunfire said, lowering his head. "Thanks for your help."
"Thank me again and I'll shred your ears." Doomsayer's eyes were dark. "All that gratitude… it makes me sick to my stomach."
"I still see that Doomsayer struggles to convey his true feelings," Artemis said, flicking her tail. "That's his way of saying that he's honored to help."
"How dare you translate what I say?" Doomsayer's fur bristled. Scorchstar looked over his shoulder to see the young ThunderClan warrior, Icefrost, walking over to them.
Icefrost lowered her head to Sunfire. "Shimmerwing and Peartuft have retreated back into the hillsides. They're gone."
"Good. Thanks, Icefrost." Sunfire tousled Icefrost's head with his tail. "Great job."
"Yeah, great job running after them," Doomsayer grumbled.
"Hey!" Icefrost whirled on Doomsayer. "I fought just as fiercely as you did, just so you know!"
"Oh?" Doomsayer tilted his head. "And what prizes do you have to prove that?"
"Do you want to see just how hard I fought?" Icefrost growled. "I can do a perfectly good demonstration on you! And—" Their voices died out as Artemis pushed the two cats further into the forest. Scorchstar watched him go, his amber eyes wide. He glanced at Sunfire.
"Ahem." Scorchstar cleared his throat. "Quite a show you have, there."
"I would be lying if I said camp is quieter than it was before they got here," Sunfire meowed, whiskers twitching.
Scorchstar swallowed at his comment. Camp for them was much quieter since Hawkfire, Redmoon, Frostpetal, and Iceheart had disappeared. It had been half a moon since they had left, and there was no sign of them. Please, bring them back, Scorchstar prayed to the gods. I trust Brambledusk, but I need them back. All of them.
"Let's get back to camp," Scorchstar said to Harewhisker. Harewhisker nodded and looked at the WindClan border.
"Is anyone hurt?" Harewhisker called out.
The patrol, consisting of Wildheart, Cinderfall, Briarsnow, Skyheart, and Turtledove. Most of them had scratches, but nothing that looked deadly. Scorchstar let out a sigh of relief as Harewhisker led the patrol back towards camp. Scorchstar watched the patrol pass him, with Sunfire tilting his head as he gazed at Scorchstar.
"How's Russetstripe?" Sunfire asked.
"She's doing better," Scorchstar replied. "I really appreciate what Lord Nightstalker did. She's getting more animated with every day. It reminds me of the old her." A purr swelled in Scorchstar's throat.
"I remember her in our camp," Sunfire meowed. "She was so brave and helpful."
"Right." Scorchstar shifted his paws uncomfortably. He gave the yellow tom a nod before walking away and following Harewhisker's tiny figure in the distance. He bounded over the hills and found his camp. He slipped down the walls and his paws landed into the damp grassland – the snow from the previous days had melted to leave the moor wet.
Another day in camp without my kits, Scorchstar thought miserably as he checked the entrance for any sign of them. I hope I didn't lose them forever. The ginger-and-white tom felt his shoulders hunch. I know that I yelled at them, but I wish I had one more chance to tell them I loved them. Scorchstar let out a heavy sigh and walked over to his den, wishing that he could sleep until Brambledusk and his kits came back. He's brought them back once before. He'll do it again.
A week after the last attack led by Lord Doomsayer and Lord Artemis, Scorchstar opened his eyes to a shaft of sunlight beaming through a gap in his den. Scorchstar got to his paws, letting out a long yawn before he exited the roots. It was his morning duty to look through the entrance of camp and search for any signs of Brambledusk or his patrol. Nothing. Scorchstar sighed with defeat as he flopped down on his haunches. His ears pricked as he heard thundering of paws echoing through the moorland, heading towards his camp. He leaped to his paws. Brambledusk? Hawkfire? Redmoon?
But the cat who burst into camp wasn't any of those. No, it was Seedberry. The gray dappled she-cat was panting heavily, her ears flattened, her eyes wide with fear. She gazed at Scorchstar, who stepped back, lashing his tail.
"Seedberry, what's wrong?" Scorchstar asked. He had never seen Seedberry look like this. What had she seen, that put such terror, such fear on her face?
"You'll never believe what I just heard!" Seedberry exclaimed.
"What is it?" Scorchstar gasped at the fear vibrant in Seedberry's eyes.
"Dapplestar burned ShadowClan's territory to the ground," Seedberry reported, her entire frame trembling with terror. "She took Talonstar's head and wiped out ShadowClan entirely."
"Wha…" Scorchstar stared at Seedberry, his jaw dropped as he tried to comprehend her words. No. Dapplestar had burned ShadowClan's territory? How? How could a cat burn another Clan's territory to the ground? And she had killed Talonstar? Wiped out ShadowClan? That… that can't be. Even though Scorchstar's blood ran cold, he saw no hint of a lie in Seedberry's eyes. He took a deep breath. Dapplestar… has finally proven what she's capable of…
"Come with me," Scorchstar finally found the words to speak, urging Seedberry into the center of the camp. "Tell me how you heard, and what you know."
"I was at the RiverClan border," Seedberry explained, "and I was chasing a rabbit. It crossed into the territory and I didn't even notice until it was too late." She hung her head. "I'm sorry, Scorchstar."
"It's fine," Scorchstar said. "Go on."
"I heard Shimmerwing and Shellfall talking," Seedberry went on, her eyes darting around the clearing as she began to draw a crowd with her hysterical voice. "Shimmerwing said the entire territory was burned to the ground, with the queens, kits, and elders not even being spared. Talonstar was killed, too. Dapplestar took his head as proof."
"Dear StarClan…" Scorchstar felt sick to his stomach as he imagined the scene. Furious orange flames engulfing the pine forest, snatching cats who were too slow to escape them, followed by bloodthirsty RiverClan warriors who cut down the cats that had been lucky to escape the flames – queens, kits, apprentices, and elders alike. It's horrible, he thought. So, Dapplestar has finally shown her true colors. I knew she was brutal, but I never realized just how ruthless and cruel she is. He took a deep, shaky breath.
"What if we're next?" Turtledove whimpered. "What if Dapplestar is going to attack us? What if she'll do the same thing to us, too?"
"I…" Scorchstar could hear the cats sharing Turtledove's same worries. I can't let Dapplestar do the same thing to my Clan, too! But Talonstar had been a powerful, strong leader – one of the best in the history of the Clans, and yet he had fallen to Dapplestar's brutal methods. What was stopping WindClan from falling, as well? No. I can't let my Clan get hurt, too. Should we flee? Should I send some cat to spy in RiverClan, to figure out their plans? Scorchstar was wrapped in his thoughts when he felt Wildheart nudge his shoulder.
"You need to say something to them," Wildheart told him.
Scorchstar shook his head and looked up at his Clanmates, who were staring at him, searching for comfort and reassurance. The WindClan leader flexed his shoulders and lifted his head, feeling the morning sunlight silhouette his pelt.
"I promise that I will do whatever it takes to protect WindClan from this brutal adversary," Scorchstar said, feeling the resolve in his promise harden his voice. "I swear to you that even if it costs me the rest of my lives, I will never let Dapplestar subjugate this Clan. WindClan is strong in our convictions and in our pride. Those who are prepared to die for a cause are very strong of heart. Once you have chosen to accept your fate with grace, you have to stand for that… you can't pretend like that resolve meant nothing."
"WindClan! WindClan!" Wildheart led the first chant, and the rest of the Clan slowly began to join in, although Scorchstar could still see the fears shadowed in their eyes. They think they're next, Scorchstar thought, and they're probably right. I'll have to double the patrols on the RiverClan border. I can't let Dapplestar destroy WindClan like she destroyed ShadowClan. As the rings of "WindClan" resonated through the clearing, Scorchstar turned to Harewhisker.
"We need to double the patrols on the RiverClan border," he told his deputy. "I don't think we need to worry much about Peartuft – he's clearly very occupied with trying to destroy ThunderClan. Our biggest foe right now is Dapplestar. That is the cat we need to defeat."
"Understood." Harewhisker nodded firmly. "I'll tell the others."
"Thank you." Scorchstar watched as Harewhisker melted away to tell the rest of the senior warriors – and his heart ached as he realized that Blackdove was at the corner of the camp, watching with sorrowful eyes. Scorchstar turned his head, unable to forgive Blackdove for her crimes. She had brought Runningflame into the camp. Runningflame was probably a crucial part of the destruction of ShadowClan territory.
Sympathy for the ShadowClan cats made Scorchstar's heart ache as he wondered what happened to them. Had Dapplestar really killed every single one of them? Had some survived? Where were the survivors? If Dapplestar had killed every one of them, that meant that ShadowClan was no more, and there were only three Clans by the lake. I don't know what's going on, but I need to focus on my Clan first. Rootstar shares a border with them, maybe I'll ask him if he knows of any survivors. Scorchstar let out a sigh as he glanced down at his paws. And Talonstar… how did Dapplestar take off his head?
"Scorchstar?" Scorchstar swung his head to gaze at Russetstripe, who stared at him with wide green eyes. "Is it true, what everyone is saying? That RiverClan burned ShadowClan to the ground?"
Scorchstar scrutinized his sister with narrowed eyes. Wait, is she still seeing Runningflame? No way. I've had her in camp since when she woke up. There's absolutely no way she could've snuck out to meet him. "It's true."
Russetstripe let out a horrified gasp as terror burned in her green eyes. "No… that can't be…"
"Russetstripe." Scorchstar touched his sister's nose. "You know how Dapplestar is. I don't know what Runningflame told you—"
"Stop," Russetstripe whispered.
"—but Dapplestar doesn't want unification. She wants to control the Clans under her, and she'll do anything to get it, even if that means killing the cats who have nothing to do with it." Scorchstar let out a sigh as Russetstripe shrank back in her fur. I said the wrong thing again, didn't I.
"Russetstripe…" Scorchstar murmured as the ginger she-cat turned and limped away from him. He wanted to follow her, but he also didn't want to upset her. He knew just how sensitive the she-cat was – how odd, she had never been sensitive before. He looked at his paws, wondering what he could do to help her. Am I the cat who can help her? he wondered. Should I ask Lord Nightstalker to come back? Just when he was about to walk over to the medicine den to ask for Sedgefall's advice, a familiar scent, one that he loved so very much, drifted into the camp. He swung his head towards the entrance, gasping as several figures made their way in.
"You're…" Scorchstar's voice trailed off as Brambledusk, Hotaru, Hawkfire, Redmoon, Iceheart, and Frostpetal entered camp. They looked well, their fur sleek with no visible injuries. Scorchstar had expected to see them in a ragged shape, but they were healthy and vibrant. They brought back Hotaru! But there was something else. Something Scorchstar hadn't expected. Brambledusk, Iceheart, and Hotaru were carrying kits in their jaws. Wha…?
Scorchstar bounded over to them. "Who… who are those…?" That was the first question that burst out of his mouth, even though he had so many more.
"They're Iceheart's," Hawkfire meowed. "And Hotaru's." The three words left her mouth quickly before she pressed her head against Scorchstar's chest. "I missed you, Father."
Iceheart's kits shocked Scorchstar, but when he felt his daughter pressing against him, he shook it out of his mind for a few moments to lick his daughter's cheek. Redmoon brushed his muzzle against Scorchstar's, and Scorchstar purred loudly, relieved to have his kits back with him. He could hear Wildheart's light pawsteps as the tortoiseshell she-cat bounded over to them, and she licked Hawkfire's fur roughly before pressing her nose against Redmoon's cheek. I'm so glad, Scorchstar thought, feeling tears of relief sting at his eyes.
"You're back," Scorchstar rasped. "Where did you go?" He couldn't find it in his heart to be angry at them – they were back in one piece, and that was all that mattered. But he had to know where they went.
"We went to the mountains to find Hotaru," Hawkfire replied.
"And we did!" Redmoon exclaimed. "Plus, we fought these two cats from Iga. And we defeated them!"
"Defeated them…?" Scorchstar looked around. "Wait, where's Lightningtalon? He should be with you."
Redmoon and Hawkfire looked at their paws.
"Did he stay behind…?" Scorchstar stepped back. "Or did he…" At the shadows that formed in his kits' gaze, Scorchstar's heart dropped. "Did he…"
"Yeah." Redmoon nodded. "When we were fighting Momochi and Hotaru's brother, Iceheart… um, the kits kinda came at the same time. Hotaru's brother was running towards her, to kill her or the kits, but Lightningtalon threw himself in front of her. His brother killed him. Lightningtalon died saving Iceheart's life."
By the gods… Scorchstar felt his mouth hang open as he stared at his kits. I just sent off another cat to die, didn't I.
"Don't, Father." Hawkfire lifted her head to touch noses with Scorchstar. "He died bravely. If it weren't for him, Iceheart and her kits – and I'm sure the rest of us – would've died. He protected all of us."
Scorchstar looked over his shoulder to see Cinderfall walking towards them. He must've heard, Scorchstar thought as he spotted grief glazing Cinderfall's eyes. The gray tom hung his head and sighed. "So, I have lost another brother."
"Didn't you hear what I said?" Hawkfire asked. "He saved Iceheart, and he saved us. He helped defeat Momochi. Iga will never attack us."
"How was Momochi defeated?" Scorchstar asked.
"Brambledusk led him off a ledge, and he fell off the mountain," Redmoon replied.
"And Hotaru's brother?" Wildheart pressed.
"He fled," Hawkfire said. "He said he wanted nothing more to do with Hotaru now that Momochi was dead, and he left. Iga basically broke apart when Momochi died. He was the only thing holding them together. Now that he's gone, I don't think you have to fear an attack by them."
Thank the gods. Scorchstar let out a sigh of relief. The threat of Iga had been lying in the back of his mind for years now, ever since he had been alerted to it by Hotaru. But if the WindClan cats had defeated the cats holding Iga together, that meant Iga was no longer a threat, and Scorchstar could focus on the main danger – Dapplestar. Scorchstar shut his eyes for a few moments to lament Lightningtalon's death, and he allowed Cinderfall to grieve silently as Hawkfire touched the gray tom's nose in sympathy. I'll miss you, Lightningtalon. You were brave until the very end.
Scorchstar walked over to Brambledusk, Iceheart, and Hotaru. They had placed the kits on the ground, where Waspberry was purring loudly as they played with their grandmother. Scorchstar felt a rumble escape his chest as he gazed warmly at the kits. I didn't know Iceheart was expecting. He walked over to Iceheart, who looked up at him. "They're beautiful. What are their names?"
Iceheart pointed to each kit separately with her tail. "Cloudkit, Rainkit, and Brightkit. I'm sorry we took so long to come back, Scorchstar. The kits were too small to travel. Even traveling with them now was a gamble."
"You must be proud," Scorchstar said to Hotaru.
"I am!" Hotaru puffed his chest out.
Scorchstar glanced over at Brambledusk. "You say Iga is no longer a threat?"
Both Brambledusk and Hotaru shook their heads. "Momochi is dead," Brambledusk said.
"And my brother is gone," Hotaru added. "Iga has fallen apart. We were even able to stay in their old home until we came back."
"Good." Scorchstar sighed in relief. He glanced back at the kits, warmth swelling in his chest for the smallest members of his Clan. He recalled Redmoon's comment that Iceheart had given birth while the attack was happening – he couldn't imagine how frightening it was, and how selfless that Lightningtalon had given his life for the kits he neglected in his life. Scorchstar skirted around Waspberry – he would greet the kits later. He approached Brambledusk, who gazed up at him steadily. "Thank you for bringing them all back." Scorchstar's voice was thick with gratitude.
"You're welcome," Brambledusk said.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Scorchstar meowed. "Our loss. Redmoon told me how he died."
Brambledusk's gaze shadowed for a moment. "You know what's funny, Scorchstar? On our way to the mountains, Lightningtalon told me he wanted to rebuild his relationship with his daughters. I guess he did it by giving his life for them."
Scorchstar brushed his tail against Brambledusk's shoulder. "He was very brave."
"I know," Brambledusk meowed, sitting down as he gazed softly at Iceheart's kits. "I miss him. I love him. But if it weren't for him, these kits would be good as dead. I'm glad we brought them to camp, though. I don't think they could've stayed much longer in the mountains."
"How was it?" Scorchstar asked.
"Cold. Brutal. Dangerous." Brambledusk shook out his fur. "Lightningtalon nearly fell off the ledge. I led Momochi to the same ledge and threw him off it. He was too strong to fight, I had to think of another way to defeat him. When he died, Saizo, Hotaru's brother, had nothing to fight for. That's one enemy out of the way." He glanced up at Scorchstar. "What happened here? Why does everyone look like they've seen a ghost?"
Scorchstar swallowed the lump in his throat. His glee of seeing his children and his Clanmates back from being gone for such a long time had temporarily numbed his shock from what Seedberry had told him. Brambledusk's pale yellow eyes narrowed as Scorchstar told him, "Dapplestar has burned ShadowClan to the ground."
Brambledusk stood, still in place, his narrow face carved from brown tabby stone. He let out a sigh. "Knowing what we know of Dapplestar… this was bound to happen, wasn't it."
"I think so," Scorchstar said. "I just have to protect WindClan when she wants to attack us."
The pale tabby nodded, but his face was shadowed with grimness. "Let's pray it's not anytime soon."
Scorchstar gazed at his warrior and sighed.
But I fear it will be.