Conflagration [A Warrior Cats AU]

Chapter Forty-Eight

Bluestar stumbled. The clearing had gone silent. Cats from the Clans gathered around Brokenstar. Most of them didn't respect him- some downright hated him- but they all shared the thought that he didn't deserve to die that way. Thistleclaw ran over to Scourge, eyes lit up in fury. "He was our ally!" He snarled. "Why did you do that?"

Scourge stared blankly at Thistleclaw. "He provoked me," he meowed coolly. "He said he was going to kill me and I was a kittypet and no older than a kit."

Thistleclaw's eyes widened. Even he knew how much of a mistake that would be. He reluctantly dipped his head. "Fine. Blackfoot will lead ShadowClan then."

"Blackfoot is dead too," Bone growled. 

For a second, fear flashed in Thistleclaw's eyes, to be replaced by the familiar arrogance Bluestar had grown used to. He backed away and spun around, leaping away and starting the battle up again. Bluestar stared at Scourge and Brokenstar for a moment longer, horrified that his cruel death was pushed away in this horrible battle. 

But she didn't have time to think, as Whitestorm shoved her over and pinned her down fiercely, staring down with fury flaring in his amber eyes. "It's time for you to die!" He snarled. sinking his claws into her throat. 

"Whitestorm, please!" Bluestar choked out desperately. "Can't you see what you're doing?"

Whitestorm looked blinded by fury, sinking his claws in deeper. "Yes, I can. I am finally giving you what you deserve!"

Bluestar couldn't breathe. She just stared up at Whitestorm with terror in her eyes. Whitestorm stared back with a kind of scary grin on his face. "Finally you will pay for what you did. How you made me feel. Why can't you understand how horrible I felt afterwards? I blamed and hated myself because you left me! Thistleclaw was all I had. That's why I 'ended up like him', as you'd say. Because you abandoned me!" 

Bluestar tried to make Whitestorm let go of her. His grip loosened and Bluestar realised his eyes were shining with emotion and he didn't really want to kill her. She inhaled deeply and then looked up at her nephew sympathetically.

"Oh, Whitestorm. I never meant to do any of that. I never knew it would make you feel that way. I always thought you could come and join me if you wanted to," she murmured. "I've loved you so much as you grew up and I feel like it's such wasted potential that all of your strengths are being used for evil."

Whitestorm's eyes glazed over and he sheathed his claws, staring down at Bluestar. "I've always thought Thistleclaw was evil- I'm not stupid. It's just I've always felt obligated to be with him and by his side because he's my father. But... Maybe I don't have to."

Bluestar smiled. "You don't. Come to RiverClan. You can be happy with Willowpelt and your kits. The first step is... letting me up?"

Whitestorm's eyes flashed with surprise. "Oh, of course-agh!"

His mew was cut off as Willowpelt leapt at him and pinned him into the ground. "You!" She snarled. "How dare you! I was your mate and we had kits and you left us!"

Whitestorm's eyes widened. "So that's how it felt..." he mumbled, before raising his voice. "Willowpelt, please! I don't want to harm you anymore! I want to join you in RiverClan, and-"

His yowl was cut off as Willowpelt bit into his throat. She didn't stop, her eyes glistening with the fury of a mother that was unloved by her mate. Whitestorm went limp and Willowpelt stepped away, gaze full of emotion. "He's dead," she murmured. "I killed him."

A bit of Bluestar felt like leaping at Willowpelt and saying the grey she-cat's mate had changed, but she knew that would be a horrible thing to do to a grieving queen. She padded over, stricken by grief and taken aback that it all happened so fast, and rested her tail on Willowpelt's shoulder. "He'll be in StarClan," she murmured, hoping it was true.

"Will he be, though?" Willowpelt asked. Bluestar was surprised that there was no bitterness in her voice, only deep regret and sadness. She must've still loved Whitestorm after everything.

"I'm sure of it," Bluestar whispered. "I promise."

Her words comforted Willowpelt a bit, or at least Bluestar hoped, because she nodded and sprang away to fight. Bluestar saw Tigerclaw stumbling over to Whitestorm, looking distraught. He had scratches all over and his eyes were glazed. He stared at the body and then turned to Thistleclaw who was looking at his son with no emotion in his gaze.

"How dare you!" Tigerclaw screeched. "It's because of you that your son died! It's all you! Foxheart!" 

Thistleclaw met Tigerclaw's gaze evenly. "It isn't my fault," he meowed calmly. "It's her's."

He pointed with his tail to Willowpelt, who was now up and on her paws, meeting the brown tabby's eyes.

Tigerclaw sunk his claws into the ground and Bluestar flinched away. The brown tabby looked insane. His shining amber eyes were so wild and terrifying. "You made all of this happen, you snakeheart!" He screamed, leaping at Thistleclaw. 

The grey tom was ready and merely lifted a paw, slashing it across Tigerclaw's throat. With a strange choking noise, the brown tabby tom crumpled to the ground with a thump. He stared up at Thistleclaw, a surprised expression permanently etched on his face. Thistleclaw looked up from Tigerclaw's dying body, staring right at Bluestar. Tigerclaw tried to talk but made a gurgling noise instead as blood filled his throat and mouth. Bluestar watched sadly. In his last moons of life, Tigerclaw had seemed so troubled and sad. What had happened to make him feel that way?

She met Thistleclaw's gaze, tail lashing. "You killed him. He was your apprentice," she choked out.

Thistleclaw licked the blood from the paw he slaughtered Tigerclaw with. "He betrayed me," he replied simply, tail tip twitching.

Bluestar suddenly felt overwhelmed. The cat standing in front of her was a heartless killer, not caring if his own son died and killing the cat he trained for moons and moons.

He didn't care about anyone.

"You and me," Thistleclaw meowed calmly. "We both have one life. We fight to the death."

The grey tom raised his voice. Cats began to stop fighting to stare at him. "If I win, BloodClan and ShadowClan call off their warriors. If she wins, WindClan, ThunderClan and RiverClan join to become TigerClan. Either way, the battle will be over. Are you up for it, Bluestar?"

Feeling peer pressured, Bluestar reluctantly agreed. "Yes, Thistleclaw," she meowed, raising her voice in a vow that she desperately hoped wouldn't be broken.

"And I promise, I will kill you."