It had reached the end of the moon for Dreamcloud and her Clanmate prisoners.
"You have to give us your answer now!" Apple growled, "What do you pick? Join us, or die?"
"Join you," Dreamcloud and her clanmates chorused.
"Great!" Apple purred, "You'll need your strength. Go pick something out from the fresh-kill pile."
The ThunderClan cats ignored the rats and took two mice, two voles, or a mouse and a vole to eat.
Strength flooded into Dreamcloud's pelt and the proper meal made Dreamcloud feel as if she could soar over the DeathClan cats and defeat them. She enjoyed the warm, musky, plump meat of the mice as she crouched to eat it. Licking her lips, Dreamcloud saw and purred in satisfaction when she saw her clanmates had finished their meals.
"I'll help guard these StarClan cats," Snowfall offered.
"I'll help guard the trapped StarClan cats in the dark forest," Bristlefrost meowed.
"Very well," Apple mewed.
"Well?" Apple demanded eagerly, turning to Whitepaw and Dreamcloud, "Where is ThunderClan's camp?"
Dreamcloud led the way to ThunderClan's camp. She heard Lilystar yowl, "ThunderClan, attack!"
The outlines of Harestar, Pouncestar, Kitestar, and Oatstar appeared. They yowled for their warriors to attack.
Dreamcloud tried to glimpse a warrior in need of her among the heaving mass of cats. She saw Braveclaw fighting a fierce DeathClan warrior twice his size! Braveclaw didn't seem to need help though. The DeathClan warrior scrambled away like it was a kit crying for his mother. Dreamcloud nodded briefly at Braveclaw, who winked at her. Dreamcloud thought she could see, yes, Mousefoot, who was tussling with Apple!
"Dreamcloud!" Mousefoot exclaimed, "Help me!"
"Dreamcloud won't help you!" Apple shot back, letting out a "mrrow" of evil laughter, "She's one of my warriors now!"
"You are wrong, Apple." Dreamcloud meowed, launching herself at Apple, and digging her claws into Apple's shoulders.
"What?" Apple gaped at Dreamcloud.
Dreamcloud saw Apple tremble in fury.
"You joined us!" Apple stammered.
"And you were SOOOO mouse-brained to believe it wasn't a trick!" Dreamcloud growled.
"Kill Dreamcloud!" Apple yowled to seven DeathClan warriors.
Dreamcloud managed to fend off five DeathClan warriors at once, and then intelligently used the duck and twist move and then threw the DeathClan warrior, whose jaws were wide open in surprise, on the last DeathClan warrior, and the last DeathClan warrior, who's neck had been torn apart by the other alive DeathClan warrior's fangs on accident's body convulsed, his eyes dark pits of hatred as he led out a shiver, and lay still, dead. Dreamcloud leapt onto the shocked DeathClan warrior and sank her claws into his neck, letting him drop, lying in a pool of blood, throat torn, head lolling, and his sightless blue eyes gazing at the sky. Dreamcloud backed away, her eyes huge at the sight of the dead DeathClan warriors. These were the first cats who's death lay at her paws. The warrior code said to never kill in battle unless absolutely necessary. In this battle, it would be necessary, but that didn't stop Dreamcloud from hating killing cats.
Dreamcloud sighed in relief as she saw Snowfall and Bristlefrost leading all of StarClan to the camp as they, along with StarClan, launched themselves into the battle.
Dreamcloud smiled as she realized that all of the cats outnumbered the number of warriors Apple had brought.
Dreamcloud raced over to where she had spotted Apple.
She skidded to a halt as she recognized Stormcloud's dead body. The deputy's fur was stained blood-red. Dreamcloud let out a yowl of grief, shared tongues with him for the last time, and raced back into the battle.
Dreamcloud stared in horror as she realized Clawface was blocking her. She had not realized that the Dark Forest cats had arrived as well.
Cherryfall yowled, "Come to face me, you mangy flea-bag!"
Clawface raced after Cherryfall, giving Dreamcloud time to bolt over to Apple. Before Dreamcloud could attack Apple, Lilystar yowled, "I say these words before the body of Stormcloud, so that his spirit may hear and approve my choice. Flamepelt is the new deputy of ThunderClan."
"Flamepelt?" Dreamcloud asked curiously.
"He arrived at ThunderClan a few days after you were attacked," Lilystar explained, beckoning to a flame-colored tom with green eyes. "He arrived with a younger cat, who I made his apprentice. His apprentice is dead now, unfortunately. Flamepelt's apprentice's name was Briarpaw."
"Ha, you're dead, you stupid old bag of bones!" Clawface yowled triumphantly.
Dreamcloud whirled around to see Cherryfall. With a horrible feeling of dead, Dreamcloud saw Cherryfall's dead body lying beneath Clawface's paws.
"No!" Dreamcloud choked.
Dreamcloud leapt at Clawface. His eyes widened in surprise as he was knocked down. Clawface managed to wriggle away, bolting out of the ThunderClan camp like a rabbit.
"No!" Whitepaw sobbed.
Dreamcloud stared at where Whitepaw was looking. An anguished expression spread over Dreamcloud's face, as she screeched, "Lilystar!"
A small tabby she-cat with with white patches' blue eyes were glazing, expressionless. Then she came back.
Dreamcloud sighed in relief. It wasn't Lilystar's last life!
But then Apple sank his fangs into Lilystar's throat. Then he sank his claws into Lilystar's throat. This time, Lilystar did not come back.
Dreamcloud let out a yowl of fury and launched herself at Apple, who immediately raked his claws along Dreamcloud's flank. Dreamcloud let out a yowl of pain and sank her fangs into Apple's throat, letting him fall to the ground, dead. Dreamcloud still hated killing and turned away as quick as a fox so that she wouldn't see the frightening dead body of Apple.
Dreamcloud saw Hopwhisker fighting two massive looking DeathClan brutes who towered over her, though Hopwhisker was winning. The DeathClan toms saw the dead body of Apple, and shrilled, "Apple! No!". The Dark Forest cats were fading too.
The DeathClan cats backed away, and fled back to their barn. The clan cats let out yowls of triumph. They had won the battle.
The StarClan cats smiled at the clan cats and jumped into the sky, one by one. Stars reappeared along with the newest ones, Lilystar, Stormcloud, and Cherryfall.
"Nice try, Dark Forest and DeathClan!" Dreamcloud thought, "StarClan is back, and if you try to attack us again, we will win again!"
