Scorchstar watched the remains of his Clan go about their daily business. The atmosphere in camp was tense and quiet, and their temporary housing was so small that graves they had buried for the dead warriors had been larger. Scorchstar pressed his lips in a straight line as he watched Hawkfire walk over to him. His paws burned as she approached him – she had been the cat to last be with Mallowleaf and had failed to bring her back from the flames.

"Hawkfire," Scorchstar greeted her coldly as she sat down.

Hawkfire's green eyes blazed. "Father," she growled. "Admit it. You blame me for Mallowleaf's death."

Scorchstar flinched. "No, I don't," he said through gritted teeth.

"I see the way you look at me!" Hawkfire snapped.

"Look…" Scorchstar sighed irritably. "You were the last one with Mallowleaf, in the fire! You could've pulled her back!"

Hawkfire gasped, her green eyes stretching wide. "Yeah, and you could've given her more escorts, or sent her with Sedgefall! Sedgefall would've been able to bring her back! Or you could've evacuated camp earlier or sent out scouts to realize that RiverClan had set the fire and was attacking! It's not my fault! It's your fault!"

"Gah…" Scorchstar stepped back, staring at Hawkfire with round amber eyes. "How dare you say it's my fault?" Guilt burned inside Scorchstar's heart. "I tried! I tried so hard!"

"Yeah?" Hawkfire lashed her tail. "So did I."

Father and daughter stared at each other, their tails lashing furiously. Wildheart raced over to them, tugging at Scorchstar's pelt with desperate yellow eyes. "Please, stop!" she begged. "It's not your fault, and it's not Hawkfire's fault!"

Scorchstar bit his lip, staring at Hawkfire. Hawkfire raced away, heading towards Redmoon, who watched her with a tilted head. He was about to say something to Mallowleaf when he heard a piercing hiss resonating through the temporary camp. He looked over his shoulder, spotting a glossy black-and-white pelt with a round face and tattered ears. The scent that wafted from the cat's pelt was something that Scorchstar would despise for the rest of his life.

"RiverClan!" Scorchstar snarled. He recognized it as Swiftcloud of RiverClan, and she was out of breath. She jumped to the side just as Scorchstar lunged at her.

"I'm not here as an enemy!" Swiftcloud gasped when the rest of WindClan started to prowl around her, their claws unsheathed. "You need to listen to me!"

"Why?" Scorchstar hissed as he circled Swiftcloud. "I saw you in the battle!"

"Please, hear me out!" Swiftcloud pleaded. "Dapplestar is dead."

Scorchstar stiffened. "What?" Dapplestar is dead? Does that mean… does that mean we can go home? But it didn't seem real. Was Swiftcloud lying? How could the most powerful cat in the land die so quickly?

"She was killed by Shimmerwing," Swiftcloud said. Scorchstar's eyes stretched wide. Shimmerwing had killed her Clan leader? But Shimmerwing had always been known for being so honorable and loyal! Honorable and loyal to her morals, maybe. If she killed Dapplestar, then I'll throw her a parade. He didn't want to get into the semantics. If Dapplestar was dead, they could go home!

"Okay?" Scorchstar growled, sensing there was more Swiftcloud wanted to say.

"Shellfall challenged Shimmerwing for leadership because he didn't want a traitor running the Clan," Swiftcloud explained. "RiverClan broke into two, and now they're fighting near the hills. Shellfall looks like he's going to win, he has more cats on his side and more strength. If he wins, I'm afraid he's going to be another Dapplestar. I need your help! I've gathered ThunderClan and ShadowClan, but to really defeat Shellfall, I need WindClan, too!"

Scorchstar gazed into Swiftcloud's eyes. There was no hint of a lie in her amber gaze – albeit a trace of plotting. But it really didn't matter to Scorchstar. Shellfall was Dapplestar's most loyal warrior – if he were to inherit leadership of RiverClan, there was no doubt he wouldn't give the moors back to WindClan, and he would continue Dapplestar's reign for "unification." He gave Swiftcloud a quick nod.

"Okay," Scorchstar said. "We'll help Shimmerwing." He swung his head over his shoulder. "Blackdove, Brambledusk, Russetstripe, Hawkfire, Redmoon, Heathercloud, and Harewhisker! You're with me. Seedberry, Wildheart, Hotaru, Frostpetal, please guard Iceheart, her kits, and Sedgefall."

There were virtually no complaints as Scorchstar's named cats followed him. Harewhisker pelted towards his side as they ran off after Swiftcloud. Harewhisker whispered, "Are you sure this isn't a trick?" His voice was trembling, and Scorchstar realized that he hated RiverClan just as much as Scorchstar did.

"Why would Swiftcloud lie about Dapplestar being dead?" Scorchstar asked. "And Shimmerwing fighting Shellfall? It's too elaborate of a story to be made up. I do believe her, even if she's a sniveling, no-good RiverClan cat. And even though I hate Shimmerwing, if she's the cat that got rid of Dapplestar, and Shellfall is fighting for Dapplestar, I'd rather have Shimmerwing on my border."

Harewhisker nodded slowly as Scorchstar quickened his pace, following Swiftcloud as the black-and-white she-cat brought them through the charred remains of the moor. Scorchstar's heart fell as he examined his barren home. He looked up to see dark clouds swelling in the sky, and raindrops started to fall, landing on Scorchstar's nose. The rain became stronger by the moment, turning into a downpour. But that didn't stop Scorchstar or Swiftcloud.

As they continued their pursuit, Scorchstar could see the rolling hills, and just beneath them, a massive, full-scale war breaking out beneath them. Blood splattered in the hills, littering the corpses of dead bodies and injured cats as hiss resonated against hiss. The sound of claws ripping against skin and teeth against bone was too familiar to Scorchstar, and he unsheathed his claws. He recognized Shimmerwing's broad tawny body as the she-cat sat on the top of the hills, watching the battle unveil.

Scorchstar looked to his side and saw Rootstar and Nightfire approaching them. Rootstar brought a full-size patrol behind him, while Nightfire only had a few cats with him. Scorchstar recognized them as Cactusclaw, Snakenose, Splashpelt, Hawkflight, and Owlfang. Scorchstar wasn't surprised to see Nightfire alive – Brambledusk had told him. But to see such a small number of cats from what a mighty, big Clan had once been, made Scorchstar's heart drop to his chest. He sighed as Swiftcloud quickened her pace, reaching Shimmerwing before the reinforcements could. Rootstar skidded to a halt, ordering with his tail for the other Clans to stop. When Shimmerwing snarled something at Swiftcloud, sending the black-and-white she-cat back to the battle, Rootstar flicked his tail and led the reinforcements down towards Shimmerwing.

Shimmerwing's sea-blue eyes were wide when she turned to face them. Rootstar let out a little sigh as he said, "Little bellflower, what have you done?"

"I…" Shimmerwing stared at Rootstar.

"Enough of this," Scorchstar snarled, shouldering his way towards Shimmerwing. He didn't care what she had done, so long as it had gotten rid of Dapplestar. "Swiftcloud told us Dapplestar is dead, and that you are fighting for leadership against Shellfall. Is that true?"

"What does it look like?" Shimmerwing retorted, flicking with her tail towards the battlefield. Scorchstar followed her line of sight, and then let out a heavy sigh.

"If Shellfall wins, he'll just be another Dapplestar," Scorchstar mused, thinking of how the dappled gray tom had led the attacks against WindClan with Moonshade.

"That is why we have come," Nightfire chimed in. He focused his burning amber eyes on Shimmerwing. "I will never forgive you for what you have done to my Clan, Shimmerwing. But I cannot stand aside and let Shellfall win. He's fighting for Dapplestar, isn't he? I don't want a Dapplestar supporter on my borders."

"Neither can I," Scorchstar agreed. He glanced at Nightfire, slightly impressed by the young cat's leadership in hard times for his Clan. "Nightfire and I are of the same mind. I will never be able to look past what your Clan did to mine, Shimmerwing. But, even I acknowledge that you will be a better leader than both Dapplestar and Shellfall. That is why we are here today. We're here to end the wars between the Clans forever."

"I see Peartuft among you," Rootstar meowed. Scorchstar gasped as he followed Rootstar's gaze. The black-and-white tom was right – Scorchstar would recognize Peartuft's sleek gray tabby pelt from anywhere. He was wrestling with a pale brown she-cat. "Your warriors aren't faring well, are they, little one?"

"They're not," Shimmerwing admitted. "We don't have enough to take Shellfall down."

"Well, now we do," Nightfire snapped. "If we stand here talking, all of Shimmerwing's cats will die, and Shellfall will win. Do we want another repeat of Dapplestar?"

Shimmerwing dipped her head to Nightfire. "Thank you all for coming." She tilted her head for a moment, as if thinking. Scorchstar used her moment of distraction to turn around and gather his cats. He looked around at his battle-ready warriors, here, ready to fight, even after their home and their families had died. He lifted his head, proud of every single one of them. His gaze swung across them.

He focused his eyes on Harewhisker. His loyal deputy, who had served him without any hesitation and had proved to be a good leader. Brambledusk, who he had so many issues with in the past but had managed to get past that and see for what he was – a good warrior with a good heart, even though he had followed the wrong path once. Russetstripe, his sister, his family, the ginger she-cat that, although was stubborn and strong-headed, he would always love. Blackdove, a close friend of his, who he had been through a lot with, and he hoped that she could win back his trust in this battle. Redmoon and Hawkfire, his two children, who were both strong in battle and had his complete trust. I only wish I didn't argue with Hawkfire before this battle, he thought sadly, fixing his gaze on his daughter. And there was Heathercloud – the oldest of them all, who had served Swiftstar and Scorchstar, and the most decorated, respected warrior in the Clan, the warrior Scorchstar knew he could rely everything on. With this group of cats, there is no way we will fail!

Scorchstar turned his head towards Shimmerwing, waiting for her command. Shimmerwing's blue eyes watered with emotion as she yowled, "Attack!"

And, with that command, Scorchstar belted down the hillsides, his warriors after him. His ginger-and-white tail streamed after him as he caught a glimpse of Rippleheart, one of RiverClan's most dignified warriors. He was on Runningflame, pummeling his stomach with his paws. So, Runningflame is fighting against Rippleheart? Scorchstar thought dryly as he threw himself on the gray tabby, rolling with him in the ground.

Rippleheart's blue eyes widened with shock at the arrival of unexpected reinforcements. He swiped his claws across Scorchstar's face, and Scorchstar scrambled to his back paws to grab Rippleheart's throat in his grip. He squeezed with his paws, but Rippleheart slipped out of his grasp easily like a fish before pelting away. Scorchstar wondered if he was retreating from the battlefield, but he saw Rippleheart racing up towards Shellfall, giving a report to the dappled gray tom. He's telling Shellfall… Shellfall's face hardened when Rippleheart gave him the news, and then the dappled gray tom lunged into battle himself.

Scorchstar shot Runningflame a burning glare. I didn't do it for you, he thought as Runningflame gazed at him. The ginger-and-white tom gave him a tiny dip of his head before bounding away into the midst of the battle. Scorchstar leaped away, searching for another opponent to fight. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Moonshade, prowling around the clearing, his claws unsheathed. You! Scorchstar lunged at Moonshade, his long claws digging into Moonshade's skin as they rolled in the peaty grass, their fur soaked to the bone as the downpour refused to relent.

Moonshade bared his teeth at Scorchstar and sank them into his chest. Scorchstar hissed at the agony that jolted through the wound like burning fire, and he slashed his claws against Moonshade's ears, to loosen his grip. Moonshade snarled at him and lanced his claws right through Scorchstar's side. Scorchstar bit back a howl of agony, snapping at Moonshade's stomach with his teeth. Moonshade jumped back in time before Scorchstar could land the blow. Scorchstar growled. Every move he made, Moonshade parried. It's like fighting Dapplestar herself. She still lives on, even in her Clanmates. Scorchstar circled the black tom.

The RiverClan cat lunged again at Scorchstar. Scorchstar caught him just as he landed and rolled with him through the soaked earth, grappling with him as they wrestled furiously, none of them willing to give up. Blood splattered Scorchstar's vision as they endured more wounds by the moment. Scorchstar gasped as he felt Moonshade pin him down and glanced up to see the tom's blazing blue eyes. He shut his eyes as Moonshade lifted his claws, ready to deal the death blow.

But it never came. Instead, the weight off him was lifted, and he recognized the battle cry that caused it. He opened his eyes to see Blackdove fighting with Moonshade, her blows tried and true, her tail lashing furiously, kicking up wet earth. Moonshade narrowed his blue eyes as he skirted around her, and as Blackdove turned on her heel to meet him, he lunged straight at her, sinking his teeth into his throat. Blackdove let out a choked cry as Moonshade's fangs sank deep into her sensitive skin.

"No!" Scorchstar screamed. He leaped at Moonshade, pulling him off with a strength he didn't know he had. Moonshade grunted as he hit the ground, and Scorchstar raced over to Blackdove, who had fallen, blood pulsing from the deep wound in her throat. Scorchstar pressed his paws to the wound, trying to staunch the bleeding, but he had fought in enough battles to know that this was a fatal wound. And she took it for me.

"Blackdove," Scorchstar rasped as the black cat beneath him slowed her breathing. "No… why did you do that…? After I told you I couldn't trust you, and I demoted you, why would you give your life for me…?" He dug his head into her beautiful black fur. "Why…?"

"Because… I love you, Scorchstar," Blackdove whispered, her voice thick with pain. "I always have, and I always will. It's… okay, though… I don't need you to be mine – I'm the happiest cat in the world, just knowing that you exist."

"Blackdove…" Scorchstar groaned as her tightly sealed confession finally came to light. He loved her, but just as a friend. He treasured her deeply – he didn't want her to die, to risk her life for him. She did it because she loved him? But I treated you so horribly, after you brought Runningflame in…

Wait. You brought Runningflame in because you know he loved Russetstripe. Just like… you loved me. Oh. "I see it now," Scorchstar gasped. "I know why you did what you did for Russetstripe. And I want you to know… I forgive you. I'm so sorry for punishing you in the first place. I should've tried to understand."

"I know why you did what you did," Blackdove croaked out. "So, I don't blame you. And just know that… I didn't regret a second of my life. Not a moment of it. Thank you for being a cat worth loving, and I'm thankful that I have loved you. And… I love you enough to let you go." A serene smile spread on her face. "Thank you, Scorchstar."

Scorchstar swallowed the lump in his throat. "Blackdove," he whispered, pressing his nose into her cheek. If it hurts me so much to say goodbye, I'm sure we'll meet again, one day. "I'm the one who should be thanking you. You saved my life…"

"So you could go back to Wildheart," Blackdove gasped, "and Hawkfire and Redmoon. The cats you love."

"I love you too, Blackdove," Scorchstar said softly, resting his head on top of Blackdove's cheek, feeling the life start to leave her body. Maybe not in the way you want… "I'm sorry."

"You've loved someone as naturally as breathing, and without them, you'd cease to exist." Scorchstar clenched his teeth, recalling those words. She meant me.

He had grown up with Blackdove in the nursery – she had been one of his closest friends. They trained together, they fought together, they became warriors together. Blackdove had been in the medicine den with him when he had been mauled by Adderstripe as a young warrior. She had supported him in his bid as deputy, and she had even taken care of his apprentice's training when he had neglected his duties as a mentor, showing no ill will. She had trained Hawkfire to be an excellent warrior, and she had served her Clan loyally and dutifully, even with the feelings she had for Scorchstar. She is the best warrior I have ever known.

Blackdove lifted her head shakily and licked Scorchstar's cheek before resting her head down. With the smile still on her face, she closed her eyes, and gradually, her breathing continued to slow until her sides no longer rose. Scorchstar shut his eyes and pressed his nose into her fur. Oh, Blackdove, he thought. Thank you. For everything you've done for me. He got to his paws, feeling his limbs shake. And for letting me fight. Grief was heavy in his heart for Blackdove as he joined the battle once more, fighting like a cat possessed. He threw a cat to the side after breaking the neck of another RiverClan warrior, yowling his fury for Blackdove's death, for Mallowleaf's death, for all his Clanmates' death, and the loss of his home. He forced his way through the crowd until he approached a small white-furred apprentice. Her blue eyes were flat as she looked Scorchstar up and down.

You're just an apprentice, Scorchstar thought, turning away. You shouldn't be here. Just as he walked away from her, he felt an extreme, burning pain in his side, and he looked up to see the white she-cat hanging onto his back, churning her hind legs into his spine viciously. Gah…?! He collapsed on the ground as the apprentice tore at his skin, attempting to shred him into pieces. No! he panicked. Blackdove saved me from losing one life! I can't lose another! He rolled over, trying to grab the apprentice's throat in his paws, to end her life, but the apprentice was faster. She grabbed Scorchstar's throat in her jaws as if he was a piece of prey, and Scorchstar closed his eyes as the pain took over his body and the world turned black.