:Rise Above T H E M:

[Quick Fox]

Twinestar heard a lot going on around him, then Nightstar. To change deputies in a fight could only mean one thing - she had but one life left. He would have helped, but he intended to take one of Shadestar's life. He knew this would happen from the day he let that mangy Fireclan cat onto his territory. From the day he lost a life. He wasn't shaken at all. Today would be the day he proved to the other leaders that eh was worth more than they gave him credit for. If Nightstar was going to see ths before she died, he'd have to make it quick.

The stars were on his side, as determined as any others to get rid of Fireclan once and for all. He felt a rush of power, and jumped once more onto Shadestar's back. As Shadestar tried to roll over like he had last time, Twinestar jumped off. He hissed in a low-pitch, so only Shadestar could hear, "Payback." Then he clawed at Shadestar's side.

Shadestar scored a few hits, clawing at his stomach. He had to do this now. He stood up fora few seconds, and the he lunged down to make a killing bite, right at Shadestar's neck. He struggled for no more than a few seconds, and then gave up. Twinestar had hit the jugular, right on. His life began to wither away, and Twinestar knew that it was no joke. Shadestar just lost a life.



Winterwind looked over at Nightstar as she yelled. He didn't feel the heart-breaking sadness that he could have felt, he knew it would happen. He knew that Nightstar would never really trust him as leader. It was always clear that in her dying moments, she would choose another. The blow was still hard though. It was all he had worked for. So why lead him on like he maybe had a chance of becoming leader, just to snatch it away? He wanted to ask her why.



Badgerpaw hadn't felt good about this from the start. His stomach was quesy, and he was worried. Not so much about the fight, but about being in Shadowclan territory.

The last time he had been there was last fight. It was a mistake to follow poor deaf Sablepaw back, but he didn't know that then. Slipping in the covers of the dark, keeping quite, he followed her then. Finally, she must have heard him snap a branch. she turned around, wild-eyes, and saw him. A fight ensued, she was not about to let him kill her. It took quite a while for her to wear out, but she did. Then he swiped at her neck. He never wanted to kill her, just teach her a lesson. But she fell, and he left. She was still breathing, but she didn't last long in the cold.

[Shadewing]

Ravenfeather was about to open her mouth when Redeyes flung himself at Milkystar. She cringed back, not wanted to interfere with the leader's fighting. She had been trying to care for Mothkit along with the rest of her kits, pretending that the strange eyed kit was one of her own. She kept the little kit inside with the other six kits, making sure that nobody got into the nursery. Not FireClan, not anybody. She didn't want the toms possibly killing her kits if she agreed with another Clan. And she knew that she would be nearly defenseless, after hearing how FireClan ignored Shadestars orders to fight at ThunderClan's battle.

"Get out of the nursery!" Ravenfeather screeched to the two toms, her fur prickling. "Take another step towards any of the kits, and Flameshade and I will personally make a point to rip your little pelts off!" she didn't know if Flameshade would agree, but one queen ripping apart a cat didn't seem as threatening as two angry queens ripping a cat apart.

Ravenfeather put her body horizontally, her body acting as a shield against the two fighting toms, her prickled fur making her look large. No kits would leave this nursery with FireClan so close.



Jade hissed at her new attacker, and used the same move she had tried on Nightstar again. She quickly dropped to the ground, and flipped so that Dustfeather was below her. Luckily the black cat she was fighting seemed to be out, so she could risk exposing her belly for a few seconds.


Orangesky's mouth hung open, as he saw her getting attacked. He wriggled away from Fireclaw, and ran towards Nightstar, who seemed to be dying on the ground. He yowled: "Nightstar! Leave the battle! I have no experience as a deputy, you must live and guide me, even for a few more moons!" he turned his head over to Shadestar, who was flipped over and looked like he was just getting back up from passing out.



His bloody, scarred face turned to the scene, and he quickly went to desert Twinestar, mostly over curiousity out of Nightstar, out of fear of Twinestar, and to use a different strategy. The ThunderClan cats were stronger than him anyways, so he'd need to use his sly skills to hopefully win the battle. However, he really wanted to investigate Nightstar. She was lying on the ground, bleeding heavily. Shadestar's eyes widened, wondering if StarClan could cure those wounds. He turned his head away from the leader, and spun up a tree. He looked down on the cats from the other Clans, and yowled to them below in an angry tone:

"RiverClan, ThunderClan, WindClan! Why have you come to attack us? ShadowClan has never lost a battle on their own turf, and you have nothing to gain from this battle but revenge for ThunderClan! Is revenge worth losing lives over?!"

Great StarClan, his brother was always a better speaker than him, but he hoped that maybe his mother had passed down even a little bit of charm to him, to make all of the cats go away. ShadowClan was barely in fighting condition, and they couldn't afford losing land or another long fight. He needed to shorten this.

[Twilight]

Destinycall came into the nursery, shoving the two spitting toms back with her claws. She hook her head, some of her blood spattering the ground. Her eyes had a laughter in them as she spoke to the two she-cats. "I'm terribly sorry about that, young queens. Sometimes my mate's hotheadedness can get him into trouble." Another fighting pair was about to fall into the nursery, and she clawed them back, turning back to the she-cats. Her request was simple. "Might I have my grandson reutrned to his clan? That's all we intended to do, as well as try to kill of some more FireClan beasts. She stood there, breathing hard, as Mothkit let out an overjoyed cry, running to her. Mothkit's white pelt that held his brown tabby splotches was a contrast to her silver, but the one of his eyes matched ehrs almost equally. "Gramma!" he cried.

Having Jade torn off of her, she managed to stand and face Shadestar, although her life was bleeding out of her, slowly but surely. Her rasping voice cut into the fighting. Everytime she let out a word, a small gush of blood would ensue. She had enough life left to tell them all something. "STOP! Shadestar... You have to end this. FireClan is not only ruining our clans, but yours as well. You know that. You see it everyday, -" she coughed up a clot or two of blood, " and I know it bothers you. I can see the doubt, the fear, and the guilt in your eyes every gathering as your clan gets weaker and weaker. I myself see that same fear mirrored in every other leader's eyes for their own clan, including mine. My last life is slipping away from me now as I speak, and I know I have left my clan in good hands." Her eyes shot to her deputy. "I just hope you've taken heed of this. You may have brought FireClan into your own intending to do good, but all it is brining now is death." She collapsed, her wearied, broken, and bleeding voice continuing on. "even now, the paws of StarClan are on me. I se all o my fallen clanmate's forms, stars in their fur. When I'm gone, life will be easier. I won't have to fight anymore. Shadestar, I want you to have this same fate. I want you to be able to see your fallen clanmates, the stars putting them in their most pristine condition, not the darkness and lonliness of the Dark Forest. I would wsh that on no cat like yourself. Make sure you-" Her words were cut off as she coughed up the remaining of her life, her black pelt going limp against the ShadowClan camp floor, staining in a pool of her own blood. What little wind there was picked up, and a silvery tabby form with blue eyes, standing next to a fluffy black form, Twilightstar and Midnightmoon, could scarcely be seen meeting a black cat with fiery eyes on the horizon where the clouds had cleared and the setting sun cast a most heavenly glow.

[Shadewing]

Ravenfeather brushed Mothkit's muzzle with her tail, and then looked at Destinycall. She said nothing to the queen, but her tail pointed at the fighting cats outside. She clearly wanted to keep her mouth shut, and didn't want anybody to hear her. Not with FireClan out here, not with FireClan out here..


Shadestar looked down from the tree at Nightstar's now lifeless form. There was a moment where there was an unbroken silence, and Shadestar clung onto his branch still, looking down upon the few fighting cats.

"Everybody, stop fighting! Nightstar's not dead, she's almost dead! We can bring her back, I'm sure!" Shadestar called, though uncertainty was definately in his voice. Shadestar bit down for a moment, and only a few fighting pairs remained.

"Get Nightstar back to WindClan camp! Maybe she can still be saved! Please, quit attacking us!" If Drydusk wasn't so banged up from the last battle, Shadestar would have told his brother to resolve things, since Shadestar had a feeling his words weren't working around the cats much, and he was only making ShadowClan appear weaker.

[Twilight]

Flameshade stepped out of the nursery and looked at Nightstar's form. There was no doubt, the great she-cat was dead. Her last lives were ripped away from her like rats away from garbage by a FireClan harlot. All the fighting had almost stopped, and Destinycall was hiding in the nursery, with Mothkit with her. She holwed over what fighting was left to her leader. "Ravensong and I, as the quuens who are taking care fo him, have agreed to give Mothkit back. There was no order from you to take him, and no order sor us to care for him. He belongs with RiverClan. The raid that stole him was not even ordered. It was a random attack. They have what they want now, and FireClan be damned, I gladly gave it to them! I don't care what any FireClan cat says, that was not an order and so should not have been done. I say, Shadestar, that every cat that was involved in that should be punished, butt honestly it is your call."

[Shadewing]

"Oh, um, really. Then it's all yours. Go ahead and take it. You can leave the territory now," Shadestar meowed, unsure of himself clearly. I just saw a cat die. They're never coming back.. damn, damn damn.. Shadestar's pelt shook a few times, as he slowly came down the tree. "Take the kit, and don't come back here. You've scared all the prey away." the long black furred tabby hissed, looking at FireClan's angry eyes on him.

He narrowed his eyes at Milkystar, and then flicked his tail, wanting him gone right away. Stupid RiverClan. Claim they're so great and peaceful, and then they rush right into battle and get a cat killed.

[Twilight]

Destinycall was let out of the nursery by Flameshade. Little Mothkit was in her jaws, and she trod over to Milkystar. Flameshade acccompanied, shielding her and the kit from the angry eyes in front of them. Destinycall looked up at Shadestar. "We'll leave,. but know that the only reason we attacked was because of FireClan. It was a harlot - that harlot-" she said, pointing with her tail to Jade, " that stole Milkystar and mine's grandson. Blacksnow would have come to finish her off herself, but she's to badly hurt to avenge for her son. We left Tigerpaw at home, knowing he would most likely kill a certain cat, and we didn't really want that."[/b] She flicked her tail and added something. "Nightstar's death is both inexorably regretful, but at the same time, inexorably appreciated. As it soe seems, her death might change things in the foret. She left a great warrior in her steed." Her violet gaze trained onto Orangesky, having heard Nightstar tell him he was deputy. With that, she slipped out of the camp and started on her way home.

[Silky]

Dustfeather had felt Nightstar's life ebb away. She raked her claws down the she-cats belly, and pushed her paw into her throat. "I'll kill you for what you did to Nightstar!" She cried, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Nightstar had been so kind to her; she'd taken her in when she'd had enough of FireClan, she'd made a warrior like she had deserved, and taught her things that Shadestar would never hope to teach.

Dustfather squirmed out from beneath Jade, and turned to face Shadestar, green eys blazing like a forest fire. "If you were HALF the cat my father was, you'd know, taking in these cats was a mistake. It killed your daughter, your own DAMN DAUGHTER!" She cried again. "This is why I left in the first place. You're so goddam caught up with stupid little things, that you don't see the pain and trouble you've caused! Good cats... Good, kind cats have all died because of you got too big for your paws. You never deserved the leader spot, and I'm not saying that because I love Drydusk, either! I thought my father made a mistake when he chose you. A mistake that would cost the lives of many many cats." She bared her teeth, and took a heavy step towards the tom-cat.

"You, Shadestar, are an idiot. A blind, arrogant fool. Sure, you want the best for your clan, but you don't see the pain you've caused for some of your cats. For cats like me, and my new friends in WindClan, and those I knew from my time in the harem. You remember that fiesty little calico, right? You didn't even bother to ask her name. She was called Dusky, and although she pissed me off at times... I felt like she was the only friend I had. And cats like that whore over there," She flicked her tail at Jade. "made my life a living hell, and that was nothing compared to what they," she indicated at the FireClan toms. "did to me."

The dusty she-cat sat down, and closed her eyes. "Sometimes, I think to myself what a wonderful world, and I wished those toms killed me, instead of breaking me, raping me, torturing me, and killing the kits I bore... I thought I could leave, but I didn't have the guts. Not til Redeyes dragged me here from the damn city, and forced you into an alliance. Jesus, you should have said no. Hell, yeah, I was the old leaders' daughter, but one life would have stopped this. MY LIFE!" She opened her eyes, and they were burning again. She padded over to Nightstar, pressing her nose to her fur.

"And it's too late. Because of your stupid arrogance, a great leader is dead. You're not half the leader she was, or my father was!" Dustfeather's fur prickled. "I hope your happy. I hope you die in your sleep and join the cats in the Place of No Stars!"

[Silky]

Milkystar had kicked Redeys off of him. The battle was over, and a great leader, a good friend of Milkystar's, was dead. He fluffed up his fur, shivering with the cold. He had a line of deep red blood trickling down his forehead, and he stared at Shadestar.

"You see, Shadestar, I asked Nightstar and Twinestar to aid me in this battle because the three of us knew we could not afford to let your... ambitions, shall we say, get in the way of the warrior code. Those cats, the cats you let into your clan because you didn't want one cat to die, have killed many of my family and my clan. The father of my grandsons, our medicine cat, my son... And so many to name... The mistake you made was thinking you could control these cats. That was a terrible presumption from your point.

"I've seen too many cats die. Nightstar knew the risks here, and I take responsibility for her death. Had I been the brash young warrior I once was, that harlot would be dead right now, but I know not to kill without fair reason, as I, and my clan, follow the warrior code true to heart." Milkystar said, looking up at Shadestar with an unblinking gaze of his one pale eye. "My father. He was a lot like you. Ambitious, rash, strong-willed and strong-headed. That killed him 'cause he didn't have lives to spare. He was killed, and I got my scar. The scar that still hampers me at times today." He brushed his tail against his back leg, where a long scar ran down, fur missing from it.

"Shadestar. I know what it is like to lose a kit. It tears at your heart and all you want is for the cat who killed him to die. Sometimes I wish I could kill the cat who murdered my son, and i know he is here now. Had Tigerpaw not remained in camp, that cat would certainly be dead." Milkystar said. He turned. "RiverClan are returning to camp. It would be unwise to follow us or our comrades from ThunderClan or WindClan." He nodded to Twinestar, and to Orangesky. "I appreciate your assitance, but... Nightstar's death was not what I had wanted..." 'If anyone's it would have been Shadestar's I would have relished.' He continued those word in his head.

"Come RiverClan."

[Shadewing]

"I let FireClan in to save you and your mother's lives! Funnily enough, you seem to be the two most ungrateful cats in the forest!" Shadestar hissed to Dustfeather, jumping down from the tree, branch at a time. "I let FireClan here to save your life, your mother's life, and all of the queen's lives! FireClan would have snapped your pitiful little neck and then would have killed your mother next, and only StarClan knows what they'd later do to ShadowClan! I don't think that you'd be so angry at me if you were dead! I wish I had let Redeyes take your sorry little life from you, it never once crossed my mind that you'd make matters worse! We nurture you, and then you get pissed for not being made a warrior when you can barely hunt! Then you leave us, and spill ShadowClan's secrets! You're never welcome on ShadowClan territory, Dustfeather, and I hope you realize that your little misfit mouth wouldn't even be moving if it weren't for me!" Shadestar snarled to Dustfeather, fur prickling again, eyes narrowed. "I've called this battle over, and you are going to respect my descision, or I will allow my cats to leap on you and rape you until all of your fur comes off, like they were going to do seasons ago!"

Orangesky had Nightstar scruff, where he had started to drag her body over to WindClan's cats. When the the threats started coming out of Shadestar's mouth, he growled to him: "You will do no such thing to any of my cats, Shadestar, unless you want to get back into this mess again! And as you've already said, ShadowClan doesn't seem ready for the mess, does it!" Shadestar's hard gaze faltered for a moment, but then his lips curled back in another hiss.

"My word is to be listened to on my own territory, Orangesky. No kittypet and FireClan cur should go against that. " He hissed, and he twitched his tail. Some of the more able FireClan cats went closer to the WindClan cats, seeming to still be itching for a fight. "If another word comes out of any of your Clan's mouths that's not an apology or a leaving cry, they'll tear you apart."

[Silky]

"I have honour Shadestar. Something you don't seem to have yourself. I would never risk the lives of my friends from here... Not my mother's, my sisters' and brothers'... And especially not Drydusk's." She meowed, twitching the tip of her tail. She wasn't afraid of Shadestar. Hell, if she had her own way, she'd kill him right here and now; send him to the Place of No Stars like Crueleye had gone. "You never deserved to become leader." She hissed, turning to Orangesky. She put her teeth around Nightstar's back, and flicked her eyes over at the nursery, towards Ravenfeather and Flameshade, her eyes soft.

'Take care of Drydusk for me...' She thought to them as WindClan left.

[Shadewing]

Shadestar glared at Dustfeather as she left. "And you seem to lack something I have. Ears." FireClan cats looked back at Shadestar, who stood rigid with anger, his head low like a cat stalking his prey. His black ears pinned back, and his blue eyes danced with anger.

"Make sure that they never come back on ShadowClan territory," Shadestar hissed, growling lowly at Dustfeather. The cats spaced out to form a U around Dustfeather and some of WindClan who haven't already left. "You are to travel in the exact footsteps you came here in. If you do so much as step a paw out of turn, I'll have them break your little skittish legs." Shadestar hissed, as Orangesky tapped Dustfeather with his tail, and signalled ahead of him, telling her to go first.

"I'm sorry Shadestar if we offended you or any of your cats!" Orangesky called, looking back at Shadestar, hoping that he may grant them a little bit of respite for the forced apology.

Shadestar snorted. "Your words are wasted breath, Orangesky," he said, not looking back at the WindClan cats, walking right into his den, tail swishing.