WARRIORS The Moons of the New Great Battles

Chapter 12

Dreamstar darted behind a tree. "I'm Flamestar and I say Branchkit is exiled!" she announced in a boyish voice.

"Aw!" Branchkit choked, "I love ThunderClan!"

"Join my Clan, Branchkit," Dreamstar offered, stepping out from behind the tree.

"Never!" Branchkit squeaked.

"Dreamstar's pretending to be Flamestar!" Breezefeather yowled, turning to face the rest of the Clan cats, "I-I have a c-confession. Moonfall, Icepool, and Cloudpaw are my kits."

"I knew it was a RiverClan cat, but you? All this time? And you never told us?"

"I'm sorry. Frostshade of ThunderClan is your father," Breezefeather added.

"You were like my second mentor!" Icepool exclaimed.

"I-I-" Cloudpaw stammered, running out of the clearing.

Suddenly, a white-hot pain shot threw Birchbranch's chest. He staggered, and fell off the Highledge. He was weak, and the Highledge was tall. His breath was jagged and shallow. He felt the faint rise and fall of his chest. The last thing he ever saw was Bloodfang of ShadowClan, padding away from him. Then, a wave of blackness swept over him, and he fell still, dead.

"Birchbranch!"

"No!"

"Is he okay?"

"Who's our leader now?"

Th shocked yowls rang through the clearing.

"Give me your territory, and I'll give you Flamestar," Dreamstar cackled.

The cats looked around uncertainly. Suddenly, the Dark Forest and ShadowClan launched themselves at the ThunderClan cats.

Rosebreeze ran around the clearing, and yowled, "Is anyone hurt?"

Mapleshade leapt at Rosebreeze, slicing her neck.

An ear-splitting shriek of pain made Dreamcloud shut her eyes tight and flatten her ears against her head. She opened one eye warily and saw Rosebreeze moaning, blood pouring out of a jagged wound in her throat, and the blood spilled and washed over Dreamcloud's paws.

"Rosebreeze! No!"

"ROSEBREEZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"But we destroyed all of the Dark Forest cats!" Dreamcloud gasped.

"Dreamstar brought us back somehow," a dark brown tabby with a white underbelly and ice blue eyes smiled, "Even I, Hawkfrost, and my friends Tigerstar and Brokenstar are back!"

"Kill Dreamcloud," Dreamstar turned to all of the Dark Forest cats.

Hawkfrost launched himself at Icepool first.

"It's either kill us, or StarClan and the Clans except for ShadowClan, SkyClan, and WindClan get killed," Tigerstar snarled, "We're in the debt of Dreamstar. We will do what she wishes."

Dreamcloud shielded Icepool and looked up. Dread swamped over her. She had to do, in her opinion, the worst thing ever, the one thing that will stop you from being a true warrior: kill. She killed Hawkfrost easily. 

The Dark Forest cats launched themselves at her. She killed every cat, except one: Tigerstar. 

Dreamcloud and Tigerstar circled each other, spitting and hissing. Dreamcloud raked her claws down his belly. 

"I HATE killing," she choked, "But this is the only way." 

She prepared to deliver the death blow, but Dreamcloud slipped on a pool of blood. Her paws scrabbled as she sank into soft earth.

"Mouse dung!" Dreamcloud cursed silently.

Tigerstar managed to stagger to his paws and sank his fangs into Dreamcloud's throat.

Unbearable pain flooded over Dreamcloud. A white-hot pain whipped at her, and she felt her mind explode. Then, she got washed into a wave of blackness.