Descent Into Madness

by Titanium Shortcake

"Blood will rule the forest..." We all know how the story went when little Tiny ventured into the forest and ran into Tigerpaw…and we know that from that experience, Scourge was born. What if it wasn't the Twolegplace he escaped to…but ShadowClan? (ABANDONED; see last chapter for notes about the ending and the sequel I had planned.)

13. I FOUND MY NOTES Here's everything :D

You guys are never going to believe this. Twelve years after posting the first chapter, nine years after its last update and at least eight years since I thought I'd lost every copy of my notes and plans for Descent Into Madness: I found a backup on one of my flash drives.

I have all of my chapter notes, and I even have the plans that I made for a sequel that never came to fruition. So I thought after all this time, I would merge them and give you all a glimpse at what the rest of this story would have been. For everyone who keeps favoriting and following after all this time, and everyone who might still want to know how things would have played out.

My journey on FFN was the learning experience that kept me writing into my teens and beyond. I grew up on this website, writing Warriors fanfiction. I have new stories to tell, now, but sincerely – to every author I followed here and who followed me, to everyone I ever had beef with on the forums or in DMs, I hope you're all doing well in your lives. To everyone who ever wrote a review, thank you so much for your encouragement and your criticism.

Onwards and upwards! Here are my initial timeline and chapter notes:

Timeline notes:

By the time Tiny wanders into the forest, the following events have happened;

ThunderClan

- Thrushpelt is a young warrior

- Moonflower is dead

- Leopardfoot, Patchpelt, Dappletail and White-eye are warriors

- Bluefur and Snowfur become warriors

- Sunstar is leader following Pinestar's choice to become a kittpet; Adderfang is acting as deputy due to Tawnyspots' illness

- Leopardfoot has given birth to Pinestar's kits - the two she-cats, Mistkit and Nightkit, die.

- Thistleclaw is a warrior

- Sweetpaw has died of illness

- Rosepaw becomes Rosetail

- Tigerpaw is an apprentice

- Whitekit is born; Snowfur has died

- Lionheart and Goldenflower are warriors

- Poppydawn is an elder

RiverClan

- Duskwater, an elder, dies in a flood

- Crookedjaw is a warrior

- Beetlenose, Voleclaw and Petaldust are warriors

- Oakheart is a warrior

- Ottersplash is in the nursery

- Brightsky is in the nursery; she dies giving birth to Mudfur's kits. Only Leopardkit survives.

- Willowbreeze and Graypool become warriors

- Blackpaw, Skypaw, Loudpaw, Reedpaw, Sedgepaw, and Leopardpaw are apprentices

- RiverClan owns Sunningrocks

ShadowClan

- Silverflame has died

- Raggedpelt and Yellowfang discover Raggedpelt is half-kittypet

- Yellowfang is a medicine cat apprentice

- Cloudpaw is Raggedpelt's apprentice

- Stonetooth has retired and Raggedpelt is deputy

- Red, a kittypet and Raggedpelt's half-sister, and Boulder, join the Clan. Red becomes Russetpaw.

- Kittypets led by Marmalade and Hal attack ShadowClan, thinking Red and Boulder are being held prisoner. Raggedpelt confronts his father, Hal, and kills him.

- Yellowfang and Raggedpelt stay mates, even though it's forbidden for a medicine cat to take one

- Frogpaw becomes Frogtail

- Rowanberry, Newtspeck, Ashheart, and Nutwhisker are warriors

- Foxheart and Wolfstep are warriors

I tried so hard to keep the canon timeline straight, along with who was alive and who was dead. I don't even remember why; most of these named characters don't have significant roles.

Chapter notes -

[1] (Leaf-bare) Tiny is attacked by Tigerpaw. Wounded, he staggers in the wrong direction from Twolegplace, and makes it to the Thunderpath tunnel that connects ThunderClan and ShadowClan territory. There, he sleeps. In the morning, he is found by a ShadowClan patrol led by Raggedpelt.

[2] Tiny is taken to see the ShadowClan leader. Someone offers to bring the kittypet home, but Cedarstar takes pity on Tiny. Tiny is given a tour of the camp and introduced to the Clan, and given a half-moon to decide if he wants to stay.

[3] Small time skip. Tiny has grown somewhat accustomed to the Clan and made friends with Blackpaw and Clawpaw. He decides to stay, and is taken in as an apprentice by the name of Icepaw, named for his eyes. Finchflight mentors him. Training chapter.

[4] (Leaf-fall) Same time jump as Yellowfang's Secret. Spans from Cloudpelt's injury to the birth of Brokenkit. Icepaw continues to learn the ways of the Clan.

* [Deaths; SC: none; TC: Mumblefoot, Weedwhisker; RC: Rainflower, Shellheart, Troutclaw]

[5] Spans from Brokenkit's birth to Cedarstar's death. Runningpaw is named Yellowfang's apprentice, and Brokenpaw Nightpelt's. Icepaw receives the name Iceheart following a scrap with a ThunderClan patrol. After Raggedstar is named leader, Brokenpaw also receives the warrior name Brokentail, after merely five moons of training. (newleaf) Crookedstar becomes leader of RiverClan.

* [Deaths; SC: Cedarstar, Sagewhisker; TC: Mosskit, Goosefeather; RC: Hailstar, Tanglewhisker, Splashkit, Morningkit, Willowbreeze, Willowkit, Minnowkit]

[6] Spans from Brokentail's naming ceremony to his deputy ceremony. Bluestar becomes leader of ThunderClan. Iceheart begins having nightmares about the night he was attacked, always ending in his own death, beginning to fracture his sanity.

* [Deaths; SC: Foxheart, Cloudpelt; TC: Sunstar, Tawnyspots, Stormtail, Swiftbreeze, Poppydawn, Thrushpelt, Thistleclaw, Featherwhisker; RC: none]

[7] Spans from Brokentail being named deputy to Yellowfang being exiled from ShadowClan. Iceheart continues having nightmares, the dreams becoming more and more violent.

* [Deaths; SC: Raggedstar, Mosspaw, Volepaw, Badgerpaw, Deerleap; RC: Oakheart; TC: Redtail]

[8] Begins with ShadowClan forcing WindClan from their home. Spans to Spottedleaf's murder. First appearance of Iceheart's insanity; as a ThunderClan she-cat cowers beneath him, he envisions himself killing her and wonders if anyone would notice or care. He goes so far as to draw back for a death blow, but Finchflight stops him.

* [Deaths; TC: Lionheart, Rosetail, Spottedleaf SC: Badgerpaw WC: Stoneclaw]

[9] End of Into the Wild. Yellowfang leads a ThunderClan patrol to ShadowClan's camp. Brokenstar is driven out by ThunderClan. Several warriors, including Russetfur and Clawface, go with him, but Iceheart is not one of them. It pains him to hear Clawface beg him to come with them, and he vows to himself that he won't become close to any cat again. (in ThunderClan, Fireheart becomes a warrior)

[10] Beginning of Fire and Ice. Nightpelt takes leadership, Cinderfur being named deputy after Blackfoot fled the position. Iceheart is given an apprentice and continues to have nightmares about Tigerclaw. WindClan are brought home. Iceheart runs into Tigerclaw on a border patrol, and is recognised. Tigerclaw taunts him. Iceheart hisses coldly, "The last thing you will ever hear will be yourself, choking on your own blood." When asked if that's a threat, he responds that it's a promise.

* [Deaths: RC: Whiteclaw]

[11] Spans to the end of Fire and Ice. Iceheart's nightmares grow darker and blood-soaked. Unbeknownst to ShadowClan, Brokenstar attacks ThunderClan's camp again, and is beaten back. Clawface dies in said attack. Fearing a lack of enough prey during leaf-bare, Crookedstar and Nightstar launch an attack on WindClan, which is thwarted by the arrival of ThunderClan. Iceheart sees Tigerclaw refuse to help a Clanmate, and has to resist the urge to kill him - it would be easy, in the thick of battle, but the time is not yet right.

* [Deaths: Clawface]

[12] Beginning of Forest of Secrets. Word gets back to ShadowClan that ThunderClan is sheltering Brokentail, sparking outrage. Someone makes a teasing comment to Iceheart that Amberleaf has a crush on him. Having spent time with her and finding he's warming up to her, Iceheart agrees to father her kits when she asks. The river floods, forcing ThunderClan to trespass on ShadowClan territory to get to the Gathering, where Nightstar lets everyone know they're sheltering a hated enemy.

Chapter Twelve was never written, but an author's note for it was.

"A/N: Wow, do I have a lot to explain! I am so, so super sorry that this chapter has been in the works for over a goddamned year. 2016 has been, as with many people, an absolute shitstorm. To summarize:

- My old laptop died last winter. I got a new one. It's pretty fuckin' sweet, even if it did put a nice dent in my savings. (Don't worry, I still have my notes and previous chapters saved. Score one for backups!)
- I had a friend visiting from overseas. Between him and I working, I was showing him what few sights there are around here.
- My grandfather got sick. Like really, really sick. He was in and out of the hospital several times over the start of 2016, and he passed away in the spring.
- The aftermath of the funeral. Enough said.
- I started going to school part time to learn to be a massage therapist this fall, so I've been juggling that and work lately.

With that out of the way, I apologize again. I did not expect to get hit with a freight train's worth of shit. But hopefully, I'll find it in me to finish this baby and get started on other projects that I have waiting in the wings."

This is like a time capsule of my mental state. In the years since, I graduated and became a fully licensed massage therapist. The friend who I mentioned here, visiting for the first time, was the person who would go on to become my partner. We're still together! I've still been writing, working with him on a collaborative writing project that has ballooned to well over 1,200 pages in length. It's set in our own fantasy world and we hope, one day when we've finished polishing it, to publish it as a series.

[13] End of Forest of Secrets. ShadowClan and WindClan attack ThunderClan's camp. The floods begin to recede. (Tigerclaw attempts to murder Bluestar and succeeds. He kills Fireheart as well, becomes leader, and names Darkstripe his deputy. Yellowfang kills Brokentail.) Sickness begins to spread through ShadowClan, spread by a rat that's brought back by an apprentice. Nightstar and many of the Clan, including Iceheart and Amberleaf fall ill.

* [Deaths: Brokentail]

[14] Beginning of Rising Storm. The sickness worsens, to the point where Nightstar can no longer leave his den. Littlecloud and Whitethroat sneak off to seek help, promising they'll bring back a remedy. Amberleaf, badly weakened, admits to Iceheart that she's expecting kits. Runningnose searches desperately for a cure, but despite his best efforts, Amberleaf and her unborn children die, sealing Iceheart's descent into madness. He swears he'll never mate again.

* [Deaths: SC: Nightstar, Cinderfur, Amberleaf, Brightflower, Scorchwind, Rowanberry, Nutwhisker, Brackenfoot, Mousewing, Mudclaw, Archeye, Crowtail, Littlebird, Lizardfang]

[15] End of Rising Storm. (A fire sweeps through ThunderClan territory, killing Yellowfang and two elders.) Littlecloud returns with a remedy given to him by Cinderpelt in secret and Iceheart begins to recover. The Clan is weakened, without a leader or deputy, and unsure what to do. They eventually appoint Blackstar as leader, as he was once deputy of the Clan, and he chooses Iceheart as his deputy, unaware that Amberleaf's death has shattered Iceheart's mind...

* [Deaths: Whitethroat; TC: Patchpelt, Runningwind, Halftail, Yellowfang; SC; Nightstar]

At some point I must have been shuffling chapters around, preparing to have to split them. The scenes below are from what I'd saved as an unfinished chapter 15, and don't align with the notes.

"Fifteen

Iceheart was completely numb. His body itself seemed to forget his illness as time stood still for an instant.

Amberleaf. Dead.

She was going to have -

They would have...

And now she was dead. He would never hear her purr again, never turn to her to ask which bit of prey she wanted. No more long walks through the forest, no more staring up at the moon together. No more comfortable conversations.

No future.

He didn't hear Runningnose murmuring his condolences. He didn't see anything but his mate's face, her eyes closed forever. His eyes traveled to her stomach, which had only just started to show - pregnant with kits that would never take their first breaths.

A broken voice that seemed to come from miles away was whispering nearby. It sounded like it came from so very far away...that couldn't have been his voice.

"You can't take them. You can't, you can't, you can't take the last good things in my life away from me!" Iceheart's voice rose to a thin wail. "What kind of monsters are you?!" he demanded of StarClan. He broke off into a fit of harsh coughing, his chest racked with pain as he coughed so hard that he could hardly get air back into his lungs.

If he'd had the strength, Iceheart would have gone to Runningnose and begged for deathberries. As soon as he caught his breath, he used the last of his strength to drag himself forward and press his muzzle into Amberleaf's fur.

She was already growing cold.

"I love you," he told her, his voice the softest it had ever been. "I love you so much. Wait for me, Amberleaf. I'll be with you again soon."

But Runningnose would neither give him deathberries nor let him refuse Littlecloud's cure.

"The Clan needs you," meowed the medicine cat.

"I need her," Iceheart whispered.

-0-0-0-

The following days were the worst Iceheart could remember. There were many, many bodies to be buried and not enough cats to do the job. The Clan would survive, but they were weak. Many were exhausted just from the act of taking the bodies out of the camp. Iceheart insisted on being the one to bury his mate, and he talked to her body constantly as he dug her grave.

"I'll visit every day," he rasped, pausing to catch his breath, his thin flanks heaving. "I know you'll miss me if I don't."

At one point he stopped and jumped from the hole just to press his cheek to hers. She smelled like rot; like loss. Like the body wasn't her at all."

[16] Beginning of A Dangerous Path. Tigerstar tempts Leopardstar to join him and uses a rogue dog pack to try to force the other Clans to form a new TigerClan. Blackstar urges RiverClan and WindClan to join them so they can fight the dogs off, but only WindClan agrees. They train for days, practicing and strategizing, until they seem almost of one Clan. They all sleep at Fourtrees that night, not two Clans, but one, united briefly against Tigerstar.

[17] End of A Dangerous Path. Blackstar's plan succeeds, but at a terrible cost; he is killed by the lead dog, who Iceheart brutally murders in revenge, slamming its head against a huge rock. One of its teeth falls out, giving Iceheart an idea. He sends the rest of the Clan home, claiming he needs time to mourn, and spends the night forming his iconic dog tooth studded collar and fearsome claws.

[18] Beginning of The Darkest Hour. Iceheart receives his nine lives, taking the new name Icestar. He takes no single deputy, instead announcing that Boulder and Russetfur will give the orders and organize patrols. His Clanmates, wondering at the dog teeth, question his sanity for the first time. Icestar begins using fear to keep them in line, flashing those claws at anyone who questions him. Any ThunderClan patrol trespasses, he personally rips them apart and sends them back to Tigerstar severely wounded and with a message: "I'll never forget".

[19] Tigerstar, having allied himself with Leopardstar to create TigerClan and driven WindClan from their home once more, challenges Icestar to a battle for the forest. Icestar agrees, and begins training his Clan in the art of killing. The medicine cats are also trained, and told that they don't need to worry about healing any longer. The old and sick are cast out to live or die on their own. For just a moment, Icestar wonders what things would be like if his Amberleaf had survived, but he shakes the thought from his mind and prepares for the fight he's been waiting for all along.

[20] Icestar's madness comes to its peak. His paws are covered with blood, his borders marked over and over again with it, his lust for death and torture now well known. The ShadowClan of old is no more – their young cats are trained to be bloodthirsty from birth. Medicine cats are considered unnecessary, and the old and the sick must fend for themselves. Icestar has declared they will be known as BloodClan from now on.

Tigerstar and Icestar battle and the fight is ferocious, speed against brute strength. Even their Clans stop fighting to watch them. In the end, Tigerstar slips in a puddle of blood, allowing Icestar to rip open his stomach with a single blow.

Icestar: "Look well, Tigerstar, and know even StarClan can't save you."

Tigerstar: [dying, struck down by Icestar] "Wh…what are…you?"

Icestar: [remembering his mother's words, spoken long ago] They're a scourge on the name of all cats... [spoken with a twisted grin on his face] "My name is Scourge."

Chapters 16-19 were also never written. In hindsight, given the length I was willing to dedicate to a chapter (6-9 pages on average), this would have been (and was, as some noted) a breakneck pace. There surely would have been many more chapters needed for this story to feel complete.

Chapter 20 is written in "full", complete with questions I imagined my readers might want answers to. The confidence in my ability to finish the project on top of the amount of work I had to do for school, while balancing my job...in hindsight, I'm amazed I was ever this optimistic.

"Twenty

The day of the final battle dawned bright and clear with barely a cloud in the sky. Icestar sat atop the Clanrock, shifting his paws whenever the chill bit into them, and thought he'd never seen a more unassuming sky. It was as if StarClan themselves had fled before what was to come.

Shaking these thoughts from his mind, he stretched, scraping his claws over the rough stone, and yowled the summons to his warriors. They came slowly, looking very subdued. The cats moved among one another, nuzzling, comforting, and exchanging quiet words of encouragement. Icestar allowed them this. One way or another, some of them wouldn't be coming back to the place they called home.

After a short while, he announced, "It is time. Come." The small black leader leaped from his perch and stalked to the camp entrance. The crowd parted silently, apprentices, queens and kits watching as the warriors filed after their leader. None dared to object.

Across the territory and under the Thunderpath they went, walking in total silence. They tensed further with every step they took closer to TigerClan territory; no one trusted Tigerstar not to set an ambush.

It seemed, however, that despite the cunning and ambition that had allowed him to climb the ranks and claim leadership of ThunderClan, Tigerstar had never found the tunnel to what was now BloodClan territory. Just as well, Icestar mused to himself. If it hadn't come to this, they could have used that to launch an attack of their own.

He ordered his cats to wait out of sight while he crept forward to see if their enemies had arrived. The clearing was empty, but the combined reek of ThunderClan and RiverClan wafted toward him. He hadn't expected anything different.

Icestar worked his claws against the frozen earth for a second, then summoned several warriors and sent them to flank the sides of the clearing. They were to find out where the TigerClan cats were hiding. His scouts came back swiftly, reporting that Tigerstar was doing exactly what they were; waiting. The only difference was thanks to the wind, Icestar had the element of surprise for now.

Excellent.

Tigerstar would think Icestar wasn't going to show and get impatient or bold before long. He so loved to gloat, after all...

Sure enough, Icestar and his warriors hadn't been waiting long at all before Tigerstar's impatient voice yowled, "Come on, Icestar! I know you're out there, runt! What, are you too afraid to come and face me?"

Icestar let silence be his answer.

Tigerstar snarled and stalked out of the undergrowth, head held cockily. "If you cannot honor our agreement to fight here, I will take this to your camp!" he announced, flicking his tail. His warriors swarmed out behind him, racing for the opposite side of the clearing. Above their growls, Tigerstar yowled, "The blood of your kits and queens will stain your paws!"

This was it. This was what all of his patience and careful planning had come to.

Silently, Icestar gave the tiniest of nods, and the BloodClan cats fanned out and ran down the hill to meet the TigerClan cats with tooth and claw.

In the next few moments, the clearing that had seen the Clans come together in peace so many times had become a roiling mass of writhing, screaming felines. Perched on the lip of the incline, Icestar watched with wide, maddened eyes. He couldn't tell which cats were on which side, and really, it could have been everyone for themselves down there. It was chaos.

It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Nearly straight across from him was the huge form of Tigerstar. Icestar couldn't see his expression at this distance, but he could almost feel that amber glare searing his black pelt. After moons of watching, planning, biding his time...the moment had finally come.

Time to end this.

The two leaders moved almost as one, standing and racing into the melee. Where cats saw them coming, the fighting parted briefly to let them through. Where they didn't, the barriers were struck down. Icestar's cruel claws scored through fur and flesh without him taking note of whether he was striking friend or foe.

Suddenly Tigerstar was in front of him. Those long talons, stretched out before the mad leader, split the skin of the big tabby's nose, and that felt really, really good. Icestar found himself having to retract his earlier thought. The spray of blood following the blow was the single most gorgeous view he'd seen in his lifetime.

Then Tigerstar was on him and there was no time to think.

All of Icestar's training, every border skirmish - none of them could compare to the ferocity of this fight. Their hind legs were a blur of motion as they sank their claws deeply into one another's shoulders and tried to score a fatal blow with their wildly snapping jaws. Their screeches rose above even the sound of the surrounding cats, and as the leaders fought on, that gradually died away.

The cats of their Clans slowed to a complete stop, some with their jaws inches from their opponent's throat, mesmerized. While they had been trying not to kill unless necessary, their leaders were obviously locked in true mortal combat. Even as the warring Clans stilled, Icestar and Tigerstar still writhed and flipped, howling for blood, neither willing to let go until the other was dead.

Seconds later, though no one caught the move that had done it, Icestar had been kicked away from Tigerstar. He nimbly landed on his feet and snarled, frothy drool dangling from his lip. It was impossible to tell which leader was worse off, though both were missing sizable chunks of fur and spattered with blood.

Tigerstar growled low in his throat, arching his back to appear even bigger than he was. "You made the wrong enemy," he hissed.

Icestar knew better than to waste his breath on words. He'd just spotted the opportunity he needed...all that he had to do was manipulate the bigger tom just so. Circling to his left, he forced Tigerstar to move in the opposite direction.

Nearly...nearly...now!

Icestar sprang, bushing out his pelt and snarling ferociously. TigerClan's leader hissed and reared to meet him with teeth and claws -

- and almost anticlimactically, one of his hind paws slipped in a pool of what could easily have been his own blood. It would be his last mistake. He crashed to the ground awkwardly, spitting his rage and disbelief.

It was just as planned, and it was the only opening Icestar needed. He landed short of Tigerstar and lashed out with one forepaw, sinking the dog tooth claws deep into Tigerstar's throat. In a smooth motion, he ripped open his opponent's belly, feeling soft organs yield and tear. It was over in seconds and Icestar jumped back to avoid Tigerstar's flailing limbs.

The screams were such sweet music to his ears.

They came from the cats around them, of course - Tigerstar's throat was far too ruined to produce much more than a wet gurgling as he tried to cling to life. Even as the small black tom sat down and licked his gore-soaked paw delicately, the big brown tabby shuddered and lay very still.

A small copy of Tigerstar stepped forward uncertainly, whispering, "Father?" This must have been Bramblepaw, the son Tigerstar took so much pride in.

"Look well, kit," Icestar meowed coldly. He raised his voice so all of the cats in the clearing could hear him. "This is what happens to those who make an enemy of BloodClan!" He raked his icy blue gaze over the TigerClan cats and felt a wave of smug satisfaction when every one of them shrank away, horrified. "You are all part of BloodClan now," he went on, his voice dangerously soft, "and I do not tolerate traitors." The crowd shifted uneasily, but the unspoken message received was clear.

Tigerstar chose that moment to draw in a gasp. With detached curiosity, Icestar turned back to watch his old enemy die once more. Dying nine times over. How...appropriate.

The blood poured from the massive leader seemingly endlessly. The healing sleep StarClan provided could do nothing for him, and each time he returned it was to the same agony. After the first three lives fled his body, the rage and pain in Tigerstar's gaze was replaced with terror before his eyes glazed over once more.

Icestar hissed softly, finally content that he'd made good on the promise he delivered so many moons ago. He was surprised when Tigerstar, seeming to be able to speak again after so many attempts at healing, rasped out, "Wh...who are...you?"

Who am I?

Sick amusement crashed over Icestar. He threw his head back and purred so hard that his entire body vibrated. When he calmed, Tigerstar was dead again, and he waited for StarClan to revive the dying leader before he leaned down to whisper in his ear. He paused before speaking his name, though.

Icestar didn't really fit him any more, though his heart certainly had been iced over when Amberleaf died.

What had Quince called the forest cats so very long ago?

"Those cats are..."

It had been a lovely word. A very fitting name for the new ruler of the forest.

"...a scourge on the name of all good cats."

Icestar bared his teeth mockingly, puffed out his chest so the teeth on his collar caught the pale leaf-bare light, and announced for all to hear:

"My name is Scourge."

-0-0- To be concluded. -0-0-

A/N: And here we are at the end of the road...for now. This is the first story I've actually finished in a very long time, and despite needing to fiddle with the official timeline to get us here, I'm very pleased with how it's turned out. I tried something different this time - I wrote the beginning, then the very end, and then all of the middle bits. Hopefully this way if anything is weak, it's the middle.

With that said, some questions have definitely been left unanswered - sometimes deliberately. I'll cover a few of them here:

What's up with this story's timeline exactly?

Initially, I believed that I'd be able to make the events of Bluestar's Prophecy, Crookedstar's Promise, and Yellowfang's Secret mesh pretty seamlessly. But due to certain inconsistencies between the books (e.g. Mudfur being called Mudpaw when introduced to Yellowfang) and the fact that Yellowfang is considerably older than Bluestar, I realized it wasn't going to work unless I pulled some strings and switched some things around.

For simplicity's sake, I decided to focus on the last quarter or so of both books. This is when everything goes down in Yellowfang's Secret and conveniently it's also the point in Bluestar's Prophecy where Tigerstar attacks Tiny.

So to put that in perspective, Descent Into Madness begins in winter. The following autumn is when Whitestorm receives his warrior name and Yellowfang is named a full medicine cat. Everything before that can be said to have happened during the same time frame.

Shortly after Whitestorm and Yellowfang receive their titles, Brokenstar is born, Bluefur begins her brief tryst with Oakheart, etc. As soon as we hit the events of Into the Wild, you can presume the story follows canon up to Forest of Secrets. ShadowClan still suffers the sickness, but after that almost nothing is the same as the books.

What happened to Bluestar and Fireheart? If the story follows canon up to that point, why do ShadowClan believe Tigerstar's version of events?

Because the story takes place from ShadowClan's perspective, we don't get explicitly shown that Tigerstar betrayed his leader. They believe that Bluestar was killed by rogues. Several other warriors died in the attack, including Fireheart - and so the truth about Redtail and Bluestar died with him.

What about Graystripe? Why didn't he say anything about Tigerstar's betrayal?

I know what happened to him, but for now his fate is up to you to interperet. Did he die with Fireheart and Bluestar? Did he join TigerClan to protect his kits? Did he flee with them or fight for their sake in the final battle? Were he and his kits killed by Tigerstar? The possibilities are as many as you can imagine.

Remember, though, in the books he was always a little skeptical of the idea that Tigerclaw killed Redtail at all. It was only after he discovered Fireheart and Tigerclaw in Bluestar's den towards the end of the rogue attack that he realized Fireheart had been right all along. If Tigerclaw was prepared to disguise their deaths as the actions of a rogue, Graystripe and the rest of the Clan would probably believe him - at least at first. Once Tigerclaw was named Tigerstar, even if the truth came out, there wouldn't really be much they could do.

And WindClan?

Once again, I know what happens to them, but I leave it up to your imaginations for now. I will say they were pretty battered because they fought until they absolutely had to flee or risk being wiped out. What becomes of them is yet to be seen.

Why did you kill Amberleaf off? If she'd lived, none of this would have happened!

Are you so sure? Perhaps she could have soothed Iceheart's troubles away...given time. However, this was never going to be a soft, romantic story with a "happily ever after" attached - I'm not good at writing such things. Tigerstar would still have eventually taken power in ThunderClan and things would still have ended in a similar way; it would only have been dragged out quite a bit longer.

You did a lot of "telling instead of showing" when you were following the canon storyline. Doesn't that hurt your story?

Probably, but if I rewrote everything that happened in the books here, it would not only be borderline plagiarism, it would be extremely redundant. It also wouldn't have made sense for Scourge to automatically know what Yellowfang or Fireheart knew. I chose to focus on Scourge, and maybe that hurt the story-telling overall, maybe it didn't. I'll leave that to you to decide.

"To be concluded"?! Don't leave us hanging like that!

Huehuehuehue. eue

Look for the sequel and conclusion, It's Worth Dying For, next month!

With that, I bid you lovely readers farewell. Until next time,

Steeltalon."

"Next month". Oh, younger me. Always underestimating my ability to lose files and leave projects unfinished.

"It's Worth Dying For" was meant to take place a year and a half after the death of Tigerstar. BloodClan would have been the forest's only Clan. Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt were kept alive and have been used as Scourge's punching bags/a reminder of Tigerstar's fate every time the remnants of ThunderClan and RiverClan start to get restless. The plot would have loosely followed the same structure as Midnight, with Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt sharing the role of the protagonist. Very little of the story was actually written, but I made enough notes that the skeleton of what it would have been survived.

This would have been a foil to Scourge's path; a story of heroes who lived through tragedy and resolved to be better, refusing to let the world make them cruel.

Here is everything that I have written of it:

"Title: It's Worth Dying For

Summary: Scourge has led the newly born BloodClan for more than four seasons. Under the vicious cat's iron-clawed rule, Brambleclaw fears for his life and the life of his sister. One day, he knows, Scourge will choose them to "remind" the Clan why they should obey him. But Brambleclaw is not prepared to hedge his bets on surviving until and after "one day". His very nature will put him at odds with not only the most feared cat in the forest, but other dangers he knows nothing of.

Warnings: Extreme AU. Blood, gore, character death, among other unpleasantries.

(Another pretty long) Author's Note: Hello, hello! Welcome back to the story of Icestar/Scourge - except this time around it's not quite his story. As the summary says, we're following Brambleclaw this time around. Where will he go and will he survive until the end? Everything in good time...

Some small notes before we begin:
- If you've found yourself here first, you really should read Descent into Madness before It's Worth Dying For. IWDF completely spoils the ending of DIM and certain things (read: The entire plot) will probably make a lot more sense to you.

- If you insist on carrying on anyway, the recap of important details is this:
After being attacked by Tigerpaw in ThunderClan territory, Tiny fled to and rose to leadership in ShadowClan, losing his mind due to a succession of traumatic events along the way. He was there throughout the last events of Yellowfang's Secret and the first arc. With a few differences, the major plot elements from the books (e.g. the flood in FoS, the fire in RS, etc.) have happened.
Though it wasn't explicitly seen because I wrote from ShadowClan perspective, Tigerstar succeeded in murdering Bluestar and Fireheart in this story, and took power in ThunderClan. Tigerstar allied with Leopardstar to create TigerClan. WindClan was driven out a second time by TigerClan to make a point and so that ShadowClan wouldn't have any allies in the final battle.
No Firestar means no hero to save ThunderClan after Scourge kills Tigerstar. It's Worth Dying For follows what happens next.

- Hawkfrost and Mothwing won't be part of the Clan because I find it hard to believe that Sasha would leave them to the care of BloodClan.

- You also won't find Stormfur or Feathertail in the allegiances because I think it's very, very likely that without Firestar to save them, Tigerstar would have them killed. ("What about Graystripe?" I hear you cry. Patience, dear readers.)

- Mistyfoot and Stonefur, on the other hand, are here because without Fireheart's intervention, they would likely never have learned Bluestar was their mother, and thus RiverClan couldn't have known they were half-ThunderClan.

- With all of that established it should be obvious, but no, this story does not follow the plot of The New Prophecy. There are stray plot details that will probably seem similar, but that's really all.

So, here's our cast, and then on with the story.

x-x-x

BloodClan

Leader:

Scourge: A small black tom with ice blue eyes and one white front paw. Wears an old, worn, tooth-studded collar that's so stained with blood it's impossible to tell what color it once was. His claws are reinforced with sharpened dog teeth.

Deputies:

Russetfur: dark ginger she-cat

Boulder: silver tabby tom

Medicine Cats:

Littlecloud: very small light brown tabby tom

Mudfur: long-furred light brown tom

Warriors:

Oakfur: small brown tom
(Apprentice: Smokepaw - very dark gray tom)

Cedarheart: dark gray tom

Rowanclaw: ginger tom
(Apprentice: Talonpaw - brown tabby tom)

Tallpoppy: long-legged light brown tabby she-cat

Leopardfur: unusually spotted golden brown tabby she-cat with green eyes; former RiverClan leader

Mistyfoot: blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

Stonefur: dark gray tom with blue eyes

Blackclaw: smoky black tom

Heavystep: thickset tabby tom

Mosspelt: tortoiseshell she-cat

Mousefur: small dusky brown she-cat
(Apprentice: Spiderpaw - long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly)

Dustpelt: dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm: pale ginger she-cat with faint darker stripes

Brackenfur: golden brown tabby tom

Brightheart: white she-cat with ginger patches

Thornclaw: golden brown tom
(Apprentice: Shrewpaw - small dark brown tom)

Brambleclaw: dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Tawnypelt: tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Ashfur: pale gray tom with darker spots and dark blue eyes

Rainwhisker: dark gray tom with blue eyes

Sootfur: gray tom with blue eyes

Sorreltail: calico she-cat with amber eyes

Queens:

Dawnflower: pale gray she-cat

Ferncloud: pale gray she-cat with darker spots and green eyes

Cats Outside the Clan

Ravenpaw: small black tom with a white spot on his chest and a white tail tip. Formerly of ThunderClan. Lives on a Twoleg farm at the edge of the forest.

Cinderpelt: dark gray she-cat with blue eyes and a twisted hind leg. Lives on the farm with Ravenpaw.

Goldenflower: aging pale ginger she-cat. Lives on the farm with Ravenpaw.

Speckletail: pale tabby she-cat. Lives on the farm with Ravenpaw.

Dappletail: tortoiseshell she-cat. Lives on the farm with Ravenpaw.

Longtail: pale tabby tom with dark black stripes; blinded by a rabbit. Lives on the farm with Ravenpaw.

Frostfur: white she-cat. Lives on the farm with Ravenpaw.

Runningnose: gray and white tom. Lives on the farm with Ravenpaw.

Shadepelt: dark gray she-cat. Lives on the farm with Ravenpaw.

Loudbelly: dark brown tom. Lives on the farm with Ravenpaw.

Sasha: cream-colored she-cat with dark brown ears and tail; former kittypet

Dodger: small dilute calico she-cat; lives outside the forest as a rogue and travels with Ace

Ace: aging ginger and white tabby tom with piercing green eyes

Streak: pale tabby she-cat with dark black stripes

Chapter notes:

[1] Six seasons have passed since the death of Tigerstar and the formation of BloodClan. There is a clear hierarchy, with former ShadowClan cats treated the best and former ThunderClanners getting the short end of the stick. Brambleclaw in particular is used as an example to the rest of the Clan because of his resemblance to his father.

Chapter One

If there was one piece of advice Brambleclaw would give to any newcomer to the Clan, it would be simply, "Keep your head down and you'll get to keep most of your ears."

Okay, maybe that was easier said than done. And maybe it required a bit of explaining. For the most part though, it was advice that had kept him and his sister out of trouble. Staying out of trouble in their Clan often meant the difference between life and death.

Of course, that didn't mean Scourge wouldn't sometimes pick a cat at random and "make an example of them" for no particular reason. Maybe he just enjoyed causing pain.

Brambleclaw wouldn't put it past him.

For the past six seasons, there had been only one forest Clan - BloodClan. Its formation had involved the merging of the remaining three Clans, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and ThunderClan. WindClan had been missing for a long time, now. It was impossible to say whether or not there still was a WindClan.

Brambleclaw's stomach growled as he watched Oakfur drop a couple of mice on the fresh-kill pile. The former ShadowClan cat looked very sleek and healthy, given that it was the middle of greenleaf, and the action was a very normal one.

On the surface, at least.

The young tabby looked around him. No one was watching. If he said Littlecloud had told him to get a mouse for Tawnypelt, he might get away with just a solid whack around the ear. He decided to risk it.

At the same time as BloodClan had formed, its leader had made it clear that there was a new hierarchy. He was spotted as soon as he approached the fresh-kill pile.

"Hey!" That was Russetfur, and the deputy's ears were pressed flat to her head. She stepped closer and spoke through gritted teeth. "You know the rules. You get your share after the rest of us have eaten."

"I'm sorry, Russetfur." Brambleclaw widened his eyes, doing his best to look properly intimidated and scolded. He'd had a lot of practice lately. "It's for Tawnypelt - she's ill, and Littlecloud says she needs to eat to get better."

Russetfur sniffed and her tail lashed once. She glanced around and lowered her voice. "Be quick about it, then - and don't let me catch you again. You're on thin ice as it is, Brambleclaw."

"Yes, deputy," Brambleclaw meowed, dipping his head. He snatched a still-warm mouse and hurried away, feeling Russetfur's amber glare scorching his fur all the way back to the warriors' den.

None of the original four camps had been big enough to hold such a gathering of cats, so Scourge had told all of the elders to "find their own space", sending the crippled Cinderpelt with them. He'd then moved BloodClan to the hollow at Fourtrees. At first, the place had reeked of blood and death, bringing up hair-raising memories - several cats had lost their lives here, in the battle between ShadowClan and TigerClan.

At least Scourge had let the Clan move and bury their dead.

But over the moons, the smell had faded, and the roots of the four Great Oaks had become dens for the warriors, apprentices, queens, and medicine cats of BloodClan. Scourge himself claimed the base of the oak that was closest to where ShadowClan territory had been.

I guess even that vile excuse for a cat misses his old den, Brambleclaw thought, narrowing his eyes. He pushed his way through the brambles - carefully woven by the warriors over many days - and was relieved to see Tawnypelt was the only one still in here.

"Is that for me?" his sister's voice questioned, sharp with alarm. "You didn't steal that, did you? Scourge will skin you alive!"

"It's alright," Brambleclaw soothed quietly, dropping the mouse at Tawnypelt's paws. "Only Russetfur saw me. If anyone asks, you're sick."

Tawnypelt snorted. "You'll lose what's left of your ears when it turns out I've suddenly 'recovered' in time for the night patrol," she hissed, but she did tug the fresh-kill closer and tuck in without further argument. Brambleclaw breathed a sigh of relief. She looked far too thin for his comfort these days.

Yes, there was definitely a new heirarchy in the Clan, he reflected, glancing around to be sure they were still alone. And the former ThunderClan cats were right at the bottom.

"I know that look," Tawnypelt mumbled around a mouthful of prey. She was glaring at him. She swallowed and went on in low tones, "Stop it. I've told you again and again not to draw attention to yourself. We're lucky to still be alive."

Brambleclaw sighed and sat down next to her. "I know," he mewed, "but we can't keep going like this." He flicked one of his tattered ears - torn by the fearsome claws of Scourge himself. "How long do you think he'll be content to beat on us? He killed our father without batting an eye. We should - "

"' - run away and find someone to help us get back to the way things were'," Tawnypelt finished with him, rolling her eyes. "Where would we run to, Brambleclaw? There's nowhere to go. Scourge has the whole forest under his paw."

"No, he doesn't," the young tabby argued. "The whole forest is too big for one Clan to patrol. He doesn't influence everything in the world. Even he couldn't chase us forever."

Tawnypelt looked at him, her face clouded by such sorrow that he had to look away. "Where would we go?" she repeated flatly. "To WindClan? To random rogues who wouldn't give a rat's tail about us? Face it, we're stuck here."

The siblings abruptly fell silent and stiffened warily when a head poked into the den. "Russetfur says Tawnypelt is sick," the newcomer meowed gently. "I came to see how she was feeling."

Brambleclaw relaxed marginally. It was only Mistyfoot; she was the closest thing the siblings had to a friend in this backwards Clan.

"I'm fine, Mistyfoot," Tawnypelt meowed. "This stupid furball risked his neck to get away with stealing prey from the pile, that's all."

Mistyfoot sighed and pushed her way inside. "Brambleclaw," she mewed, "I know you want what's best for your family - StarClan knows I do, too - but you have got to be more careful."

The tabby shuffled his paws, unable to meet her eyes.

Her expression softened even further, if that were possible. "I miss the old Clans, too," she mewed, leaning forward to give him a brief lick between the ears.

"Then let's do something," Brambleclaw meowed pleadingly. "You and me and Tawnypelt - let's get out of here."

But Mistyfoot was already shaking her head. "You already know my answer, Brambleclaw. I couldn't leave. My brother would get himself killed trying to come after me." She stood, giving the siblings a sympathetic look. "Please, just...stay out of trouble. Scourge won't lead us forever. Things will go back to normal when he's gone."

Brambleclaw sighed and rested his chin on his sister's flank. She pushed her nose into his fur, trying to comfort him. It didn't work, but he was grateful that she'd tried.

x-x-x

Before the night patrol left, the Clan all came creeping out of their dens to gather in a solemn semi-circle. Brambleclaw found himself seated between Leopardfur and Cedarheart; Tawnypelt was waiting at the bottom of the slope with Thornclaw, Mosspelt, and Rowanclaw. They couldn't leave until after Scourge had finished with the Clan.

Their leader appeared shortly, and Brambleclaw suppressed a shudder. Though small, Scourge was a sight that he never got used to; the glint of the full moon's light on his tooth-studded collar made him remember all too vividly the screams of his dying father. Ripped open in one blow - all nine lives gone, just like that.

Though Tigerstar was overly ambitious and at times outright condescending to some Clanmates, he had been good to his kits. Witnessing his death was not a memory Brambleclaw liked to dwell on.

Scourge settled at the base of the Great Rock and peered around at BloodClan. In the deep shadows, his icy blue eyes were just about the only thing visible, and they were glittering with anticipation. That was never a good sign. It seemed not one of the Clan dared to so much as breathe. Their leader's high, cold voice echoed slightly in the dead silence.

"Tonight, Clanmates," Scourge began smoothly, "we stand united in the very spot where once, there were separate Clans." He glanced from Leopardfur to Tallpoppy to Dustpelt. "You all have scars from battles fought over the smallest shift in borders, the mere idea that one of your Clans was stealing prey. Now you are part of a greater Clan. There is no need to sneak around and lie to your Clanmates." His eyes snapped straight to Brambleclaw.

The young warrior wished he had the ability to turn invisible. Sadly, it seemed StarClan wasn't in the mood to grant any wishes tonight.

"Brambleclaw."

He flinched. "Y..." His voice rasped painfully in his throat, which had gone dry with fear. He coughed and tried again. "Y-yes, Scourge?"

"Come here," Scourge ordered coldly. As Brambleclaw approached slowly, the small leader turned and announced, "Young Brambleclaw needs a reminder that he and his sister may have their share of fresh-kill after everyone else has eaten." His gaze picked out every single former ThunderClan cat in the crowd. "And I do mean everyone."

Brambleclaw tried to brace himself. Scourge was half his size, but very quick and very strong. Before he knew it was happening, their leader had knocked his forepaws out from under him and pinned him with a paw on his neck. He dared not breathe. Those cruel claws were a hairsbreadth from sinking in and tearing his throat open.

"There will be no next time, little warrior," Scourge hissed into his ear, so quietly that it didn't carry. "Your father was very easy to kill. Your sister will be even easier."

He could practically hear Tawnypelt silently begging him not to rise to the bait, but the flare of rage prompted Brambleclaw to snarl, "You lay a single claw on her, and I'll be the one ripping you open!"

Scourge looked coldly amused. "You know," he remarked, "I once said something similar to Tigerstar." Before that had a chance to properly sink in, Scourge lunged downward and gave Brambleclaw such a vicious bite on the shoulder that the small leader's teeth scraped bone.

He would have liked to be able to say that he didn't scream, but he did."

Chapters 2-24 were never typed up. However, there was an alternate version of 24 that I apparently liked so much, I wrote it before I'd finished planning out or writing anything else. Here are my notes and what exists of the ending:

"[2] Tawnypelt visits her wounded brother after she gets back from patrol. She knows he's right, that it can't go on like this, but she doesn't know what they should do. She spends the day doing her best to avoid Scourge in case he decides to punish her too.

[3] Brambleclaw manages to sneak out of the medicine den and find Tawnypelt. After an argument, he finally convinces her that they have to leave. He doesn't know where they'll go, but their first destination is the barn on the edge of what was once WindClan's territory. They flee that night and are pursued by BloodClan.

[4] Traveling chapter. Neither of them knows exactly where they're going, but they do know that it's unlikely that Scourge's warriors would pursue them beyond BloodClan territory. By sheer luck, they stumble into Ravenpaw.

[5] Ravenpaw brings Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt back to the barn, where they're delighted to find out that their mother and the other banished cats have been safe. There are plenty of mice and rats to go around, and they eat well. Longtail asks why Scourge let two such young and bold warriors go. Brambleclaw tells them they're on the run. One of the elders confesses that Ravenpaw knows where WindClan went and suggests they go find them.

[6] Ravenpaw comes back from a successful rat hunt. Though delighted that Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt want to find WindClan, he cautions them that the journey will be long and they may not find WindClan at all if they aren't careful. Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt promise to be careful, spend one more night in the barn, and leave in the morning, following Ravenpaw's directions.

[7] Traveling chapter. Brambleclaw has a nightmare that Scourge finds them and kills them; his whimperings attracted a dog. He and Tawnypelt get separated in the chaos.

[8] Brambleclaw searches for Tawnypelt and is relieved to find her unharmed. They continue their journey, resolving to do better about staying together the next time they run into trouble.

[9] More traveling. The siblings are hungry, tired, and snappish after walking from sunup to sundown, and the cooling nights promish a harsh leafbare if they don't find somewhere to shelter. They run into a trio of rogues - Sasha, Hawk, and Moth. Sasha at first thinks Brambleclaw is Tigerstar and hisses that he can't take her kits. He's understandably confused.

[10] Sasha calms down and explains that she also knows where WindClan has gone, and reveals that she pointed another tom and his kits that way seasons ago. She wonders if they're looking for him too, and Brambleclaw says they might be. He asks if she's headed that way, and she replies that she thinks her surviving kits might be safer in a Clan. Sasha, Hawk, and Moth tag along with Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt.

[11] A few more days of traveling later, the cats are attacked by rats. Tawnypelt is injured and the wound becomes infected. Brambleclaw wishes he knew what a medicine cat would do, and Sasha encourages him by telling him that WindClan isn't far now.

[12] The next day, WindClan scent is on the breeze - faint, but getting closer the more they walk. Tawnypelt does her best to keep up, but it's very obvious that she's in a lot of pain. Sasha sits with her to clean her wound while Brambleclaw entertains Hawk and Moth. The sound of kits playing attracts a familiar but unexpected face - Graystripe.

[13] After the initial confusion, the new comer explains that he's not Graystripe, but he is his son, Stormfur, and that yes, Graystripe is still alive. Tawnypelt and Brambleclaw are thrilled. They're reunited with their Clanmate and Tawnypelt gets medical attention from Barkface after Graystripe brings them to WindClan's makeshift camp. Sasha, Hawk, Moth, and Brambleclaw get settled as they wait to meet WindClan's leader.

[14] Mudclaw welcomes them as though he is leader, leading Brambleclaw to ask where Tallstar is. Mudclaw sorrowfully explains that Tallstar didn't survive the journey here. They mourn for a moment before Mudclaw asks why Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt are so far from home. Brambleclaw explains what happened in the forest after WindClan's exile, and pleads with Mudclaw to bring his warriors home so there could be four Clans again. When Mudclaw asks, "Wouldn't it be two?", Brambleclaw tells him that he plans to kill Scourge and get rid of BloodClan.

[15] Mudclaw is shocked, but promises to discuss it with his senior warriors. He leaves their guests to rest and catch up with Graystripe. Tawnypelt asks why Graystripe let them think he was dead, to which Graystripe replies that if he hadn't left and taken his kits, Tigerstar would have had them killed. He explains that Tigerstar had a hatred for anyone that wasn't of pure Clan blood - Stormfur and Feathertail are the result of a tragic coupling between their late RiverClan mother and ThunderClan father. As it gets late, he leaves Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt to rest.

[16] The following morning, Mudclaw comes and asks if Brambleclaw can be sure that this attack wouldn't be a suicide mission. Brambleclaw is sure that ThunderClan will fight with them. Mudclaw isn't convinced that will be enough, but when Tawnypelt puts in that she doesn't think RiverClan will right for Scourge, he agrees to try. In two days, WindClan will begin the journey home with them. Sasha, Hawk, and Moth agree to come along and see this to the end.

[17] Day one of preparation. The warriors split up into groups to hunt down as much prey as they can catch. Brambleclaw ends up on patrol with Stormfur and Feathertail, and over the course of hunting together the three become fast friends. Tawnypelt makes friends with a few of the WindClan warriors as well.

[18] Day two of preparation. The warriors practice their battle skills. The WindClan warriors have a few moves to teach the ThunderClan cats; Graystripe is gentle and patient about guiding Sasha and her kits through the basics of warrior-to-warrior combat. Hawk and Moth are genuinely fascinated by the idea of living in a Clan.

[19] The Clan moves out. Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt are careful to avoid the places where they were attacked. Travelling chapter.

[20] Travelling chapter the second. The cats relax around one another, practicing fighting moves when they rest and sharing tongues when they're too exhausted to practice. They meet Streak, Dodger, and Ace, who caution them not to head the way they're going. "Cats who go into the forest don't come back out," they say, but the Clan cats and their rogue friends press onward.

[21] When the cats recognize Highstones, a decidedly tense atmosphere settles around them. WindClan expresses their determination not to lose this battle, and Brambleclaw replies that he's confident they'll have numbers on their side. They settle in WindClan's old camp for the night and decide that tomorrow, Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt will find a patrol with ThunderClan cats in it and explain the plan.

[22] Dawn breaks. Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt return to the territory around Fourtrees, well aware that there's nowhere to hide when they're approaching from this direction. They still try, and by a sheer stroke of luck, they're not spotted by the first patrol that passes, which is entirely former ShadowClan and RiverClan cats. The second patrol is made up of Sandstorm, Brackenfur, and Mousefur, who are shocked to see Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt alive.

[23] Tawnypelt explains where they've been and who they brought back. Brambleclaw launches into his explanation of what they intend to do. The ThunderClan cats promise their help and quickly get on with the patrol. The siblings return to WindClan with the news that they have the ThunderClan portion of BloodClan as allies.

[24] The final battle for the forest; Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt rally WindClan, their loner and rogue friends, and storm the camp. The former ThunderClan cats of BloodClan join them willingly. RiverClan hangs back, uncertain, until it's clear that the tides are in their favor. Most of ShadowClan does not join the fight on either side; Scourge, outnumbered but still a force to reckon with, kills several warriors before he finally loses a life. Brambleclaw, having scored the killing blow, doesn't let go, suffering many deep wounds to his face and shoulders, but keeps his teeth in Scourge's throat until the leader finally dies.

[Alternate 24] Brambleclaw tells their allies to wait while he speaks with Scourge. The young tabby approaches, but keeps his distance. Scourge regards him coldly and the two start a conversation that ends with Brambleclaw implying he came back to kill Scourge. Scourge doesn't react as expected - instead of mocking him, the leader sits taller as though welcoming the threat. The conversation eventually leads to Brambleclaw realizing that once, Scourge wasn't so different from him. Time and tragedy changed the BloodClan leader. Scourge leaves his throat open, prompting Brambleclaw to kill him - implying as he dies that there's someone he kept waiting for an apology for too long.

Twenty-four (alternate version)

They shouldn't have been planning a strike on the night of a full moon, but perhaps StarClan didn't care - the sky remained clear. BloodClan wouldn't be expecting them on a night that had always been one of truce. Brambleclaw had felt sick as he conceded that point to Mudclaw; not only was it a sound tactic, but it gave the WindClan cats and their few allies the chance to gather their strength and say a few last goodbyes. Some of them, if this went exceptionally badly, would not be returning to their camp.

"You'd better come back," Hawk told Brambleclaw as the cats gathered to leave. "You haven't finished telling me about how there used to be four Clans!"

Brambleclaw purred and touched noses with his younger brother. "I'll tell you that and more when I get back," he promised. He gave Moth a lick on the head to ease her worry as well. "And we'll find out if our medicine cats would teach you," he told her.

Mudclaw beckoned and Brambleclaw turned away, falling into step beside Sasha. She gave him a short nod. Fear was flickering in her blue eyes, but she was proud enough that she would never admit it.

The walk seemed entirely too short as the party approached BloodClan territory. As Sandstorm had promised, they missed the night patrol, though the scent marks were very fresh. She must have actually convinced Scourge or his deputies to send the patrol early.

Brambleclaw halted at the top of the slope, and Mudclaw came forward to stand at his shoulder. Behind them, the cats of WindClan sat very tensely, prepared to leap into battle. "At your order, Brambleclaw," he murmured.

Somewhat awkwardly, he nodded to the older tom. He wasn't used to giving orders by a long shot, but he drew a deep breath and meowed just as softly, "I want to talk to him before we attack. Maybe we can resolve this peacefully."

Mudclaw twitched his ears doubtfully, but he nodded. "I warn you, the moment it looks like there'll be trouble," he mewed, "we'll attack." There was no need to ask why. Scourge was a fearsome opponent who had killed one of the forest's best warriors. Even the slightest underestimation would prove fatal.

"Thanks, Mudclaw," Brambleclaw mewed. He glanced at the other tom. "Whatever happens now, I'm glad you've got my back."

The WindClan warrior snorted. "There'll be time enough for goodbyes after this is all over," he muttered. After a pause, he added, "You're a brave young warrior, Brambleclaw. Perhaps the bravest and most foolish I've ever known. Go carefully. We'll see each other again soon." The unspoken one way or the other hung heavily between them for the second before Brambleclaw turned away and slipped into the undegrowth, making his way down the gentle incline with careful steps.

The clearing was devoid of RiverClan warriors when he stepped into it. The ThunderClan cats were huddled together near the warriors' den. Sharing tongues, or nursing wounds? Brambleclaw wondered. The ShadowClan cats were milling about as though expectant of something. And Scourge...

Was staring right at him, he realized with an ice-cold rush of horror.

The young warrior swallowed hard and forced himself not to duck his head or otherwise break eye contact. He wasn't here to fight, at least, not yet. He approached the tiny black tom slowly, pawstep by pawstep, until he was standing right in front of Scourge. Those dog and fox teeth bristling from his collar looked even more fearsome up close like this, he noted.

"You've returned," Scourge meowed evenly, ice blue eyes narrowing.

Brambleclaw knew better than to be deceived by the pleasant tone. "Not alone," he replied. "Scourge, you've ruled the forest with fear for too long. There were always meant to be four Clans, and I've only come back to BloodClan to put things right. I don't want to have to do it through bloodshed, though, so this is your only chance - surrender and give up your leadership willingly."

The former ShadowClan cats glanced at each other, but did not interfere. Brambleclaw was grateful.

"Do you honestly expect it to be that easy?" Scourge questioned softly. He twitched one ear, but his claws remained sheathed, their dog tooth coverings poking out from under the dark fur. "Brave little warrior."

"Shall I escort him out of the camp?" Russetfur offered, stepping forward.

Scourge glanced at her, seemed to consider it, then replied, "Not yet. He and I will talk, and we will find out if his mission is truly so important to him." The faintest mocking look crossed his face when he turned back to Brambleclaw. "Little warrior," he meowed, "surely you are not so naive as to think this will end without bloodshed."

Brambleclaw tensed. Was Scourge about to kill him? Would he die as horribly as Tigerstar had? "I don't want to fight," he repeated, "but I will if I have to."

"So you're not only brave, you're a fool," Scourge interpreted. His whiskers twitched with faint amusement. "You remind me of myself when I was a young warrior." The leader's voice had unexpectedly softened.

The young tabby had no idea how to respond to that.

Luckily, Scourge kept talking. This was probably the longest conversation he and Brambleclaw had ever had. "I will humor you. What makes you think four Clans are so much better than one?" The little tom tilted his head and narrowed his eyes to blue slits, waiting.

"StarClan gave us four Clans," Brambleclaw began. "Just like we have Fourtrees, four paws, and four seasons, the forest needs four Clans to be balanced."

"Why?"

The question halted Brambleclaw's explanation. "Why what?"

"Why must there be four to be balance in the forest?" Scourge asked quietly. "Why not six, or ten?" He paused and his whiskers twitched again. "Or one?"

"There is no balance in BloodClan," Brambleclaw pointed out, forcing his fur to lie flat. "You threw out the elders and anyone you thought was useless, and put what used to be ThunderClan at the bottom of the Clan while the cats who used to be ShadowClan thrive. This..." He looked around. "This isn't right," he finished, somewhat lamely.

"Given a few generations," Scourge meowed, "There would only be one Clan. No more fighting over borders, no more dying in those skirmishes." He lifted his chin. "What exactly is so abhorrent about that to you?"

He has a point; maybe even a good one, Brambleclaw thought. Still... "It's our differences that make our Clans what they are," he meowed quietly. He looked at Russetfur. "ShadowClan is made up of the sneakiest and most cunning cats in the forest." She straightened unconsciously, pride lighting a fire in her eyes. "WindClan cats are swift and lean because of the way they hunt. RiverClan's warriors have adapted to hunting in the river, and ThunderClan has learned to use the trees we lived among to our advantage. Being different is a strength, not a weakness, even if we never will agree on how much territory we all need or which prey tastes the best." Brambleclaw drew a deep breath. "I am a ThunderClan cat, like my father before me," he announced loudly enough to be heard by every cat. "And I will fight to protect and defend my Clan, even at the cost of my own life!"

Yowls of agreement from the ThunderClan warriors startled him. Even some of the ShadowClan warriors looked impressed. And Leopardfur, watching from the warriors' den entrance, gave Brambleclaw a nod of approval.

"You swore the same thing once," Brambleclaw finished, turning to Scourge. "Didn't you fight to protect ShadowClan before all of this? Don't you remember that?"

Scourge had been looking thoughtful; at Brambleclaw's question, his expression became stony. "Do not presume to know everything about me, little warrior," he meowed, and it was the eerie calm in his tone that unnerved the young tom.

The fearsome leader took several calculated steps forward. Brambleclaw retreated instinctively. "Of course I remember," Scourge hissed. "I made BloodClan so that none of my Clanmates would face death at the claws of a rival Clan! I made this Clan" - he looked around at the watching cats, his voice rising - "so that none of us, or our kits, or their kits' kits, would have to feel the pain of losing a mate or a friend in battle!"

"You took my mother and my father from me," Brambleclaw interrupted quietly. "Sure, Goldenflower is still alive, but how is separating Clanmates not making us feel loss?"

Littlecloud timidly stepped forward. His voice quavered slightly, but he got out, "Runningnose was my mentor and Cinderpelt is m-my best friend, and you sent them away."

Scourge stared at his medicine cat, then whipped around as Boulder added, "Brambleclaw's got a point, Scourge. Why don't we just forget BloodClan? It isn't going to work."

The small leader looked utterly lost for a second. Then rage sparked in his eyes, but it died as soon as he realized this wasn't a fight he would win. "I gave you all six seasons of peace," he meowed tiredly. Brambleclaw had never seen a cat look so defeated.

"You put us through six seasons of fear!" Stonefur growled.

Scourge ignored the RiverClan warrior and turned to Brambleclaw. "Do it, then. Kill me. ShadowClan can't have a new leader while I still have nine lives." He sat down and bared his throat.

Brambleclaw was floored. "I - what? No!"

"I already said it once," Scourge meowed. "This is what you came here prepared to do anyway, isn't it?"

Yes, Brambleclaw thought, staring at the smaller tom, sickened. But I didn't expect you to just...give up.

"What are you waiting for?" That was Sandstorm, the fiery she-cat working her claws in the grass. "Do it now!"

"What's it to be, little warrior? I won't wait forever," Scourge added. He tensed and started to lunge, as though to spring at Brambleclaw instead.

Several things happened in that moment. Mudclaw yowled and the WindClan cats came racing down the slope. Instinctively, Brambleclaw reacted, throwing himself on the small leader and sinking his teeth deep into the exposed neck. And he noticed just before he dealt the killing blow - Scourge's lunge had been a fake-out. The black tom hadn't even unsheathed his claws.

He didn't expect there to be quite so much blood. It filled his mouth almost instantly, and the urge to gag was incredible. To suppress it he bit down harder, harder, until his teeth scraped bone and Scourge's feeble struggles stopped. Do I have to hold on until he dies nine times? Brambleclaw wondered, the thought filling him with dread. He didn't think he could.

Scourge's throat had been shredded beyond speech by the time Brambleclaw let go and stepped back. He couldn't watch the small leader take his last breath. The tabby tom turned away, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to block out the horrible, rasping gurgles. After much, much too long, Scourge went still. Brambleclaw waited, dreading the possibility that the corpse would twitch and he'd have to bite down again.

But either Scourge did not want to return for another life, or the wound - like Tigerstar's - was too great for StarClan to heal.

For just a second, Brambleclaw could have sworn he heard an unfamiliar she-cat's voice on the breeze, too indistinct to make out the words. The shadow of a ghostly whisper? Then it was gone, and he was left with the stickiness of blood on his chin and the weight of what he'd done.

"Brambleclaw?"

It was Sorreltail. The young tortoiseshell was approaching carefully, wariness in her amber eyes.

Brambleclaw winced. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Where have you been? Where'd you find WindClan?" Sorreltail meowed.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing himself not to retch. "It's a long story," he mewed, "and I'll tell it later. Right now what's important is that there is no more BloodClan." He looked around to meet the eyes of Mudclaw, Leopardfur, and Russetfur. "BloodClan is disbanded," he repeated, "and so we must rebuild the four Clans."

"Then I will take back the name Leopardstar," the spotted golden tabby announced, drawing herself up. "And I will take RiverClan's warriors back to where we belong - the river awaits!" she yowled.

"The river awaits!" Mistyfoot echoed, and the other RiverClan warriors took up the joyful cry.

Russetfur waited until the yowls died down and spoke more solemnly. "ShadowClan," she began, glancing at Scourge's body, "is in need of a new leader once again. If there are no protests, I will take the position." She glanced at Boulder, who dipped his head.

"I'm sorry, Russetfur," Brambleclaw meowed. "I didn't want..." He trailed off and resisted the urge to look at the small corpse between them.

"He was right," sighed the new ShadowClan leader. "It was the only way it could have ended."

"WindClan," Mudclaw meowed, striding forward at the head of his warriors, "has obviously returned." He raised one paw to stop any questions. "It is a tale that must be told later. We are reclaiming the moors, and let it be known that we are here to stay." The WindClan warriors yowled their agreement.

"What about you, Brambleclaw?" Sandstorm asked quietly. He gave her a questioning look, prompting her to elaborate, "Have you and Tawnypelt come back to stay?"

"Of course!" he blurted, shuffling his paws embarrassedly immediately after. "I - I mean, yes. ThunderClan has always been my Clan."

"And mine," Tawnypelt put in quietly, speaking for the first time as she emerged from among the WindClan cats. She lifted her chin, daring anyone to question their loyalty.

Sorreltail bounced over to welcome Tawnypelt back while Dustpelt and Sandstorm exchanged glances.

"There's something else you should all know," Brambleclaw meowed to the ThunderClan cats. "Sasha, come here, please."

Sasha, Hawk and Moth strode forward nervously. The proud loner lifted her chin, her expression daring any cat to say anything about her presence.

"These are my half-brother and sister, Hawk and Moth." Brambleclaw brushed past them affectionately, lending them what confidence he could under the curious scrutiny of the four Clans. Hawk's obvious resemblance to Tigerstar drew more than a few whispered comments. "And their mother, Sasha. They wish to join the Clans."

[25] Rebuilding chapter. The four Clans separate and begin to focus on getting their lives back in order. Leopardstar reclaims her leader name, Mudclaw becomes the WindClan leader, Russetfur takes over as ShadowClan's leader, and the ThunderClan cats decide that Brambleclaw should become their leader. He goes to receive his nine lives when Cinderpelt announces he can leave the medicine den.

Epilogue

Four seasons after the fall of Scourge and the dismantling of BloodClan, the full moon shone down upon the four restored forest Clans once more. Sitting on the Great Rock, Bramblestar sucked in a lungful of the warm air and let it out in a content sigh. It had been a good four seasons. The Clans were looking as well-fed as was to be expected in greenleaf, and WindClan in particular was back to thriving on the moorland.

To his right, Leopardstar sat tall and proud, her beautiful spotted pelt sleek and her eyes bright. To his left were Mudstar, who returned Bramblestar's glance with a nod, and Russetstar, who held her chin high, ready to begin the Gathering.

"Go ahead, Bramblestar," murmured Leopardstar.

He nodded, cleared his throat, and yowled, "Cats of all Clans, welcome back to Fourtrees! Let the Gathering begin." He looked down at the gathered cats, adding, "Mudstar wishes to speak first." The youngest of the leaders stepped back to allow the WindClan leader to shuffle forward.

"Thank you, Bramblestar," Mudstar rumbled. He spoke calmly and clearly. "The rabbits are running as well as ever, but they're still not too fast to catch. We have three new apprentices: Crowpaw, Harepaw, and Eaglepaw. We've also named a new warrior." He looked down and caught the ginger and white tom's eyes. "Gorseclaw."

Gorseclaw stood straighter and lifted his chin as the four Clans welcomed him, calling his new name and congratulating him.

Leopardstar stepped forward next. "RiverClan, too, is eating well," she mewed. "As always, the river provides us with plenty of fish, and there's no shortage of voles and squirrels. Our newest apprentice, Ashpaw, couldn't be here tonight, but our two newest warriors are. Splashpool" - a blue-gray she-cat with white patches straightened with pride - "and Pebblefur." Beside her, a gray tabby gave his chest a self-conscious lick.

There were more welcoming calls and cheers, and when they died down, Leopardstar concluded, "We also regret to bring the news that one of our elders, Loudbelly, has joined StarClan. He was a well-respected member of our Clan, and he will be missed."

Bramblestar exchanged glances with Russetstar. "Would you like to go next?" he offered.

She shook her head. The young tabby tom stepped forward, taking another deep breath to calm his nerves. No matter how many times he did this, it was a little unsettling to have so many eyes trained on him.

"Things are just as well in ThunderClan," he meowed, looking down and hoping to meet his mate's gaze. He couldn't see her. "The woods are full of prey, and our nursery full of expectant queens. Though we have no new warriors this moon, we have named four new apprentices, and two of them are here tonight." He scanned the crowd and spotted them. "Owlpaw" - beside Sandstorm, her son puffed his chest out and looked around - "Goldenpaw" - his sister, almost a carbon copy of her mother, ducked her head shyly - "Sparrowpaw, and Finchpaw." Bramblestar waited for the yowls to die down before he finished, "We look forward to an even better greenleaf than last season."

Russetstar moved to the edge of the rock as Bramblestar stepped back. "As with the other three Clans, our territory is full of prey, and ShadowClan is thriving," she meowed. "Just this morning, Tallpoppy announced that she is once again expecting kits, and we are proud to welcome Honeyshade, Hawkfrost, Smokefoot and Talonstrike as our newest warriors, and Mothwing as Littlecloud's apprentice."

Honeyshade? That might be Sasha. Bramblestar looked around, wondering if Honeyshade was here. Ah - there she is. Looking up at him, calm and dignified as ever, was the cat he'd most hoped to see here. She blinked at him encouragingly, and he purred back, though he was sure she couldn't hear.

Russetstar had concluded the reports and already leaped down from the Great Rock. Bramblestar followed suit. He wanted a quick word with Honeyshade before they left.

She touched noses with him in greeting. "I'm glad to hear ThunderClan is doing so well," she meowed in her usual slightly cool, even tone.

"And I'm happy to see you decided to stay with the Clans," Bramblestar purred. "How are Hawkfrost and Mothwing doing?"

"Very well," Honeyshade mewed. "I'll let them know you asked after them - Hawkfrost is dying to know more about his 'awesome older brother's adventures'." A teasing note entered her voice. "And Tawnypelt? How's she?"

Bramblestar's whiskers quivered with amusement. "Frustrated at being stuck in the nursery," he replied. "She loves her kits, though."

"Birchkit and Tigerkit will be apprenticed soon, right?"

"In two moons. The way they boss Ferncloud's newest litter around, though, you'd think they were already 'paws." They purred together, amused.

"Honeyshade!" Russetstar called, beckoning with her tail. The other ShadowClan cats were gathered and ready to leave. "It's time to go."

"Coming, Russetstar," Honeyshade meowed. "See you around, Bramblestar," she added, turning and trotting over to join her Clanmates.

"Ready to go, love?"

Bramblestar turned and greeted his mate with a purr and a quick lick. "Yeah. Let's head home, Sorreltail."

As he matched Sorreltail step for step and led ThunderClan home, he reflected on how lucky he was. He'd lived through his escape, lived long enough to meet some extraordinary cats and bring WindClan back, and killed the most feared cat in the forest's history. All because Scourge had let him live to begin with.

"You know," he commented to Sorreltail, "I really think this is the start of something beautiful."

~ Fin ~

A/N: "Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked."

Oh, the story's over already? Oops! Ah, well. I already had my dark ending in DIM - so here's a happier one.

Huge, gigantic, mega-ultra-super fantabulous hugs, kisses, and cookies to EVERY reviewer (and everyone who read but didn't review)! You guys are awesome and kept me motivated to keep writing to the very end. Stay fabulous, everyone!

Until next time, this is Steely, signing off.

~ Steeltalon"

And that's it. Everything I have, laid out to bring this chapter of my life to a close. I didn't expect to stumble on all of this, but I hope that it's as pleasant a surprise for you all as it was for me. As ever, time rolls on, and we change and grow as writers. I hope that someday, I'll be looking at my own works lining the shelves of a bookstore.

Take care, everybody. If you're still here, thank you, and good luck in all that you do.