Snow fell slowly to the march of paws on frozen ground. Clump. Clump. Clump. Clump. It sounded like war drums, like the sound of soldiers marching to war. Breath froze in midair as cats watched Moonstar, who stared back, blue eyes gleaming in pure anger, and under that, insanity.
Phoenixwing shivered.
"The patrols." she said, pacing back and forth on her branch of the Great Tree, "Will be as follows. The first patrol, the fastest cats- Ripplefoot, Bluewing, Ivywhisker, Growlclaw and Rivertail!"
The cats huddled in one corner of the camp. "Patrol two, Sunstrike, Scarletheart, myself, Clawpelt, Phoenixwing and Nightsky."
They yowled in shrill delight, ready to fight.
"Finally, Sandclaw, you will lead the apprentices in darting in and out of the trees for reinforcement. Raindrop and Starpaw will come with you, carrying basic herbs for hurting cats.
He nodded.
"Go!"
The cats spread over the forest, Phoenixwing in the middle. She felt alive, despite the snow. The comfort of other pelts along hers, a pure, powerful pleasure. As the sun set she raced down the familiar slushy path to RainClan. The snow was bitterly cold, but she reminded herself that it could be worse.
Suddenly, Moonstar stopped, the first group going ahead. Phoenixwing watched from the trees, her tail flicking back and forth, haunches raised. The camp was silent. Then, the first warriors rocketed onto the dry hump of land that consisted of RainClan's camp. The warriors were first to spring out. Starved, vicious cats locked jaws with the upsurge of DragonClan fighters.
Ripplefoot found Mistfeather in the fray, she was darting through cats, trying not to get hurt. The two of them retreated into the warrior's den. Bluewing said nothing to the two of them, but another warrior saw Ripplefoot and knocked him across the face, and the two fought hard.
Moonstar ran across the clearing, now the apprentices and even a few older cats had joined in.
Wails of pain rose from the clearing, but RainClan was not surprised, by the looks of it. They had been expecting this for a long time.
Where's Silentpelt? thought Phoenixwing, distracted as she bat away a tabby she-cat. Moonstar was grappling with Longclaw, but the she-cat was no match for a full grown leader. Moonstar slung the grey warrior into the cold water. She screamed for help but none came. "DIE, YOU SHE-FOX!" Moonstar growled.
Phoenixwing worked her way to fight with Nightsky. Guarding each other's backs, the two whirled around, Phoenixwing shouldering off death bites.
Nightsky fell with a thump, and Phoenixwing saw the tom who had helped kill Petaldust fighting her friend. "Nightsky!" Tears welled in her eyes as she saw her fallen friend, and as the tom pounced, Nightsky's back legs flew up, hitting him squarely in the chest. He coughed as she stumbled backwards, and Nightsky dusted herself off.
Suddenly, all the warriors backed off. Surprised DragonClan warriors stood in shock as Silentpelt ascended the rock. "Silentstar! Silentstar! Silentstar!" yelled all the warriors.
The past leader seemed to be nowhere in sight, until Phoenixwing noticed that Silentpelt was wearing a fur of some sort. Not any fur- cat fur. Silentpelt was wearing the old leader's pelt like a battle trophy. "Oh DragonClan, I've been expecting you." He purred.
"You sick maggot-loving crowfood-eating black fox of a cat!" Moonstar blurted out a string of insults, but none of them fazed the golden cat.
"Isn't she lovely? She'd make a great pelt. Maybe I'll wear her next." He chuckled.
"StarClan would never give you nine lives." Moonstar growled.
"They didn't. StarClan has lied to us all! The Dark Forest gave me the lives I need to make things right..." Silentstar told the gathering crowd.
"StarClan would never lie!"
"They are watching over us as we speak."
"That's not possible!"
"Then why would they let an entire clan go to waste?! What about SnowClan?!"
A brindled she-cat, who was most likely Silentstar's medicine cat, spoke up-
"Far up over mountains cold
lies a clan forever lost and old
frozen fire in their tears
and doomed to freeze for all their years
a clan once mighty as the day
but Thunderstar lead them astray
a silent assassin lead them to fight
the clan that rules the forest bright...
They fell on the forest like a rolling wave
it seemed impossible it'd be saved
but Moonstar knew just what to do
and ended the war to start anew...
A dark cat left to spy up there
but she fell astray in the mountain air
her mate cried long but the moon stopped his pain
Lightning and Moon, together lived again
SnowClan still waits dying in snow
but two kits come to live below..."
No one spoke. "I was one of the cats who came down from the mountain. The other, who will hopefully join me in revenge, is here with me tonight."
Silentpelt scanned the watching cats, and with a seductive purr said, "Old friend... why don't you join me on the Highrock?"
