The sun was slowly disappearing behind the tall trees, foreshadowing the darkness that would come when night fell on them. The wind rustled the leaves, picking a few off the branches and letting them settle on the ground below. Far away, a crow called to its mate and an answering cry was heard, but no one in the rogues' camp heard anything, but the heavy breathing of the cats that surrounded them. Airstorm glanced at his friends and enemies and stared at them with unseeing gray eyes.

Lakesky and Squirrel had both moved towards the collapsed twoleg den after their mates had been buried underneath and Airstorm watched as they attempted to dig through the rubble, but with no success. He wondered if they even knew they were working beside one another. Their kits certainly didn't. Dawnpaw was sitting in between Titan and Kendra, Squirrel's son and daughter, watching their mothers work to find their fathers. Cody, Titan and Kendra's brother, stood close by them, Waterdrop watching the two she-cats as she waited for some sign that they had found her brother and her mate's father.

Flamepaw stood a little farther off to the side, unsure of what to do with himself, while his father, Maroonfeather, was trying to coax Gingereye to her feet. She was unresponsive though, staring straight ahead, looking for a son that wasn't going to reemerge. Even farther away sat three young cats, younger then Flamepaw and Dawnpaw, staring at the scene with wide, scared yellow eyes. These were the rogues' apprentices and Airstorm wondered how if they had had a choice in joining the Clan of killers. Or had their destinies already been determined? Like Toby's… like Cody's… like Darkshadow's… and like Airstorm's. Did they have a say in anything?

"You pieces of foxdung!" Airstorm's head snapped towards Squirrel who was snarling at Lakesky who began to backup towards Dawnpaw, ready to defend her daughter if necessary. Waterdrop and Flamepaw joined the two she-cat, their fur bristling, their claws unsheathed. Both Airstorm and Maroonfeather were ready to defend their Clanmates while Gingereye just stared at the feuding warriors, not comprehending the situation. The rogues, now leaderless, were nothing, but a small group of cats. Cody padded up behind Waterdrop, ready to defend his mate against his mother, while Titan and Kendra padded towards the apprentices, clustering together. "This is all your fault! It's your fault that Cody betrayed his kin! Your fault that Toby is now dead!"

"Don't blame us," Lakesky growled softly at the snarling Squirrel, "Don't blame us. We didn't want this to happen. We wanted to rescue a young cat from a choice he didn't want to make," Cody bowed his head in shame and Airstorm realized that his sister's mate was blaming himself for the death of Darkshadow and Toby, "We wanted to protect him in a way you, his mother, couldn't. And by rescuing a rogue, we lost one of our own! We lost a brave warrior who was a mate, a father, and a friend to us! Do not blame us for this fight! You forced it onto us!" Dawnpaw gave a yowl of pure grief and Flamepaw instantly surged forward, comforting his friend over the loss of her father. There were no words he could say though.

"My friends attack!" Squirrel snarled, but there was silence. "Come to me, my friends! Attack these Clan cats!" Again there was nothing. Titan was looking down at his paws while Kendra was staring at the Clan cats, her eyes wide with fear. The three apprentices were huddled together, glancing at Squirrel and her kits, wondering what they were expected to do. "What is this? Treason? Attack these Clan cats now!" Finally, a brown tom stood up. Airstorm unsheathed his paws, ready for the attack, but nothing came. The tom stalked by him and Airstorm really noticed the cat for the first time.

The tom had a thin brown pelt and his muzzle was graying with the stress of his lifestyle. He wasn't old though. His gold eyes were bright and Airstorm realized he couldn't be much older then Volestar or Sunfoot. He was a senior rogue and when he turned his head, the Clan cats all let out a simultaneous gasp. His right eye was missing and his entire face was scarred. His ear was completely shredded and his lip was curled up in a permanent snarl, showing several sharp teeth. This cat was a fighter and Airstorm realized that he was something to be feared. Should he turn on the Clan cats, not all of them would survive. It was clear, however, by his sheathed paws that he wasn't looking to fight. At least not with them. He glared at Squirrel.

"Enough," The tom growled softly, swinging his to glare at all the cats, "Enough. There has been enough blood spilled on this day for another fight before the sun has even set. We have lost our leader and you, Clan cats, have lost one of your own." The tom glared at his companions who shrunk under his stare, even Squirrel seemed hesitant to interrupt the older cat, "We are leaderless, my friends. Should we fight now, we will be fighting for blood, not for the honor of obeying our leader. We may be rogues, but we're not killers." The tom then switched his stare back to the Clan cats, "I am Scar, a cat of honor. You will have my word, Clan cats, that no rogue will attack you for a moon. Use that time to morn your friend and we will do the same." The tom lifted his head, "Goodbye, Clan cats."

Lakesky stared Scar before gathering her Clanmates with a sweep of her tail and leading them out of the rogues' camp. No one looked back and no one said anything as Cody followed Waterdrop, leaving his past and his kin behind him forever.

The journey back to JayClan's camp was long and quiet. Lakesky led the way with Maroonfeather helping Gingereye forward and when they reached the treebridge, the dark ginger tom helped her up, making sure she didn't get hurt along the way. Airstorm stepped to the side and watched as Flamepaw and Dawnpaw jumped onto the bridge, Flamepaw helping his fellow apprentice in the same way Maroonfeather had helped Gingereye. Airstorm followed them, hearing Waterdrop and Cody bring up the rear. They had arrived back to their camp, but they were one warrior short. The twoleg den had been destroyed so severely that there had been no way for them to retrieve Darkshadow's body and allow his Clanmates to say goodbye to the brave warrior.

"Volestar, they're here!" Airstorm looked up as Dustpaw saw them and within seconds, every other member of JayClan surrounded them. They hadn't even waited for the group of cats to enter the camp. They came, moths to a flame. Dustpaw was the first to approach them, followed more slowly by his brother, Cavepaw, and they surrounded Flamepaw, questioning their brother on the fight and looking disappointed when Flamepaw gave them no answer. Featherpaw surged forward and tackled Dawnpaw to the ground, giving his sister licks and checking her kin for any wounds on her body. She sniffed her bleeding shoulder in disapproval, but there was relief in her amber eyes as she realized the wound wasn't fatal.

Reedtail and Orangepelt approached the group of cats next, Reedtail checking on Lakesky and his other kin while Orangepelt covered Maroonfeather's face with fierce licks. Duskflower followed Orangepelt and nuzzled her face against Airstorm's shoulder while he coaxed her to sit and rest, her pregnant stomach slowing her movements. Sunfoot and Songbird eyed their Clanmates while Beechstripe stared at them with an almost terrified stare. This was his first time seeing the blood and the danger of Clan life. His fear left though when he approached Airstorm and Duskflower, relieved that his friend's mate had survived. Volestar stood towards the back, looking relieved that none of his warriors looked close to joining StarClan.

Talonclaw was the first to realize that Darkshadow wasn't amongst the group of cats.

"Where is Darkshadow?" The medicine cat asked.

"Yes, yes, where is my former apprentice?" Volestar's eyes glanced around before widening. He had pieced it together, but he was one of the few. Featherpaw glanced at Lakesky who wouldn't catch her daughter's stare and the young medicine cat apprentice turned to Dawnpaw who was staring down at her paws. As the silence continued, everyone realized what had happened and Gingereye let out a mournful yowl, Maroonfeather and Orangepelt attempting to comfort their Clanmate. Volestar stared at Lakesky and whispered, "Great StarClan. How…" Volestar's stopped as he struggled to overcome his own grief. He and Darkshadow had shared the bond of mentor and apprentice, but they weren't friends. However, that never meant they weren't incredibly fond of one another. "How did it happen?" No one answered him. "Lakesky?

Lakesky was silent and Airstorm realized that the deputy of JayClan had no words to say regarding the death of her mate and love.

"He died fighting," Waterdrop spoke up suddenly. She had been silent during the greetings between her Clanmates, preferring to hide in the back with Cody. She padded forward and stood next to Lakesky, staring into Volestar's eyes, "He cornered Toby on top of an old Twoleg den. As they were fighting, the den collapsed. Darkshadow killed Toby and left the rogues leaderless. He died to protect us." Waterdrop paused and Airstorm padded up to his sister, pressing his body against her's. They had lost their brother… their friend. "He died a warrior's death, Volestar."

Volestar nodded slowly, "I knew he would."

A day passed since Darkshadow's death and life went on. For some it was harder. For some it was unbearable.

Volestar grieved for his former apprentice, but he was a leader and a leader could not spend too long mourning the death of one cat, not when he had an entire Clan to care for. He had spoken to Dawnpaw though and apologized for her father's death. The young gray cat had been surprised to receive attention from the Clan leader and even more surprised when he announced that she, along with Flamepaw, would earn their warrior name that night for the bravery and skill they had showed during the battle with the rogues. Their mentors, Airstorm and Lakesky, agreed with his decision.

Talonclaw privately mourned for the son no one knew he had fathered, but his grief wasn't seen by many. Airstorm had stumbled upon the medicine cat the night of Darkshadow's death and heard the tom murmur a prayer to StarClan to watch over his son. Airstorm hadn't wanted to interrupt so he left without getting the poppy seeds for Gingereye. The next morning, however, Talonclaw began focusing his attention to helping Featherpaw overcome her grief. Featherpaw had no one. She had friends, but no one to help her through her depression. Lakesky had Reedtail and her fellow warriors while Dawnpaw slept in between Flamepaw and Dustpaw, the two toms comforting her as she dreamt. Cavepaw too helped Dawnpaw in anyway he could.

Sunfoot and Maroonfeather had helped a lot around the camp since Darkshadow's death. They led patrols when Lakesky couldn't bring herself to and they organized hunting parties. All cats stayed close to the treebridge though. They didn't know if they could trust Scar's words. Sunfoot had even helped Waterdrop and Gingereye by taking Cavepaw and Dustpaw out training the day of Flamepaw and Dawnpaw's warrior ceremonies. Gingereye was the worse though.

She slept in Volestar's den who had given it up to her so that she could mourn her son as well as his brothers and her mate who she had lost previously. The pale ginger cat seemed to have given up hope and she barely talked when a cat asked her a question, not even acknowledging her presence until they pressed her. Airstorm had slept with his mother the night of Darkshadow's death, worrying about her, and he stood over her now, silent. He heard pawsteps behind him and he turned before facing his sleeping mother once more. "I thought you were leading the hunting party."

"Sunfoot offered to take Cavepaw and Dustpaw out for some fighting practice with Reedtail," Waterdrop mewed softly, "He said he would come back with fresh prey for the Clan." There was a moment of silence shared between the two of them. A moment that Waterdrop broke. "This past day has been difficult. More difficult then I could have ever imagined. I still can't believe it. Darkshadow is dead. He was the strongest, the bravest of all of Gingerye's kits."

"He truly was," Airstorm whispered. Darkshadow had been so young. There was so much he hadn't been able to do. He hadn't been around to witness Dawnpaw's warrior ceremony and he would miss Featherpaw when she took on her full name, eventually succeeding Talonclaw as medicine cat. Darkshadow would miss the birth of Airstorm's kits and he would never watch his kin grow up. Darkshadow was the last cat who should have been called to join StarClan.

There was silence again. This time Airstorm broke it.

"Maybe this is our destiny."

"What?"

"Our destiny," Airstorm stared at Waterdrop, seeing the confusion in his sister's eyes, "Four will take one and make five, making history repeat itself. Thunder will fall on the lake and the Clan of birds will be no more. The end is now." Airstorm repeated the prophecy that he and his sister knew by heart, the prophecy that surrounded himself, Waterdrop, Darkshadow, Cloudleaf, and in a way, Thunderpaw. The former JayClan apprentice had died for a prophecy he knew nothing about. "Maybe our destiny as the chosen cats is to leave JayClan forever. Maybe that is how we fulfill the prophecy."

"You're mental," Waterdrop whispered and Airstorm continued.

"Think about, Waterdrop. Cloudleaf was one of the chosen cats and she left JayClan to stay with SkyClan past the mountains. I think the only time we will ever see her again is when we are all called to join StarClan together," Airstorm's voice was sad. He missed Cloudleaf terribly. "And then Thunderpaw drowned and now Darkshadow. We are supposed to be these cats who save JayClan, but we aren't doing anything helpful."

"I don't believe so," Waterdrop's voice was soft, "I think our warrior ancestors know what they are doing."

"Do they?"

Waterdrop was saved from answering Airstorm's question by Volestar who entered his den. The gray she-cat dipped her head to her leader and Airstorm followed in suit, "Volestar."

"I am going to hold Flamepaw and Dawnpaw's warrior ceremonies soon," Volestar explained, "Airstorm, you should be with Dawnpaw." Airstorm moved to leave, but Volestar stopped him, "Not yet though. I want to discuss something with both of you." Volestar glanced at Gingereye before turning to leave his den, "Follow me."

Airstorm and Waterdrop obeyed and followed Volestar to the spot underneath HighTree. No other cats were around the tree. Lakesky was by the apprentices' den, grooming Dawnpaw, while Orangepelt groomed her own son, Maroonfeather and Featherpaw looking on with amused eyes. Their amusement didn't soften their grief though. Sunfoot was coming into camp with Cavepaw and Dustpaw, their jaws filled with freshkill. Reedtail was talking to Songbird about something, his eyes flashing to Volestar, before he kept on talking, Songbird nodded her head, listening intently.

Volestar stopped them and began talking once more, "I'm concerned about Gingereye. She has lost so much in such a short amount of time. First Cloudleaf and then Woodstar and then your brothers. She is depressed and unwilling to eat or talk to any cat other then you two. That is why I am asking you to do this."

"Do what?" Airstorm questioned, "You haven't asked us anything yet."

"I want you to ask Gingereye if she would want to move into the elders' den with Songbird for the time being," Volestar explained and Airstorm suddenly knew what Reedtail had been talking to Songbird about. "I think its what would be best, but you two are her kin. I trust your judgment more than my own at the present moment."

"What about Dustpaw?" Waterdrop instantly asked.

"I was thinking of asking Sunfoot to mentor him," Volestar glanced where Sunfoot was talking to the young apprentice, Cavepaw having left to join Featherpaw in watching Flamepaw and Dawnpaw's discomfort. Sunfoot was very fond of Dustpaw and vice versa. Airstorm approved of Volestar's decision. He would have done the same thing if he had been in the position to give Dustpaw a new mentor. "Until Gingereye is ready to return to her duties as a mentor."

"What if she doesn't return to being a warrior?" Waterdrop asked, voicing her concern for her mother.

Volestar bowed his head, "Songbird would help her with her grief. If Gingereye does not want to leave the elders' den then she will be a warrior no longer." Airstorm sighed sadly, "I'm sorry, you two, but time is an enemy we, as warriors, cannot defeat. In seasons to come, you may join the elders in their den." Volestar flicked Airstorm on the shoulder, their amused purring lasting for a heartbeat. Everything was serious once again. "Airstorm, you are free to see Dawnpaw now." Airstorm dipped his head and bounded over to his apprentice. "Waterdrop, there is one other thing I want to talk to you about."

"Yes, Volestar?" Now Waterdrop was really curious. What did her leader want with her personally?

"I want to talk to you about Cody," Waterdrop followed Volestar's gaze to where it rested on her mate who was sitting next to Talonclaw. "He has been sleeping in the elders' den because he has felt unwelcome in the warriors' den. I know several cats distrust him because of his former allegiances. I know you have a lot right now, with Cavepaw and Gingereye, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would talk to some of your Clanmates about learning to trust Cody. They can obey me as their leader, but I cannot change what they feel in their hearts. Perhaps you can." Volestar then walked away from Waterdrop, leaping up to sit on top of HighTree. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, please report underneath HighTree for a Clan meeting."

Waterdrop was already there and she walked towards Talonclaw and Cody, sitting next to her mate as Featherpaw joined them a couple of seconds later. Within seconds, every cat in the Clan circled HighTree, Flamepaw and Dawnpaw sitting in the center, Volestar's eyes on the two young cats.

"In the battle with the rogues yesterday, Flamepaw and Dawnpaw showed remarkable bravery and strength and it is time they were made warriors," Volestar leapt down from HighTree so that he was standing in front of the two apprentices, "Flamepaw, Dawnpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and promise to protect the Clan even at the cost of your life?"

Both cats nodded and Airstorm, who was close to Dawnpaw, saw Beechstripe nodding his head along with them. It wasn't so long ago that the former kittypet was made into a warrior.

"Then I give you your warrior names," Volestar continued, "Flamepaw from now on you will be known as Flameheart. StarClan honors your fierce loyalty to your friends and the warrior code and we welcome you as a full warrior of JayClan." Flameheart licked Volestar's shoulder before the leader of JayClan turned to face Dawnpaw, "Dawnpaw from now on you will be known as Dawnlight. StarClan honors your love for your family, Clanmates, and Clan and we welcome you as a full warrior of JayClan."

"Flameheart! Dawnlight! Flameheart! Dawnlight!"

Those two names echoed in the camp for the rest of the night and Airstorm wondered if Darkshadow was watching his daughter.

"How much farther?"

Featherpaw glanced back at her sister and purred in amusement. It was the halfmoon and Talonclaw was taking Featherpaw to the Moonpool, the place where leaders and medicine cats showed tongues with their warrior ancestors. Volestar was still paranoid about the rogues attacking, not trusting Scar's words, so he had asked the newly named Dawnlight to accompany them.

"Not much farther now," Talonclaw meowed as they walked through WindClan's territory. After a couple more minutes, they arrived and Featherpaw entered the ancient area while Talonclaw stayed above ground with Dawnlight. "Now remember, Dawnlight, we will be with StarClan for awhile. You are free to hunt and eat. We will come to you when we have concluded our business here." And with that Talonclaw entered the sacred area, leaving Dawnlight alone.

Heartbeats passed and then longer seconds and then minutes. Dawnlight stretched in boredom. She was tempted to leave and hunt and had gotten to her paws when Talonclaw emerged, Featherpaw following him. Featherpaw had a bounce in her step and as her eyes landed on Dawnlight, she leapt at her sister, purring loudly while Dawnlight stared at her kin with confused dark eyes.

"What is it, Featherpaw? Good dream?"

"No!" Featherpaw purred loudly, getting off her sister, her amber eyes glowing, "And I am no longer Featherpaw." Dawnlight cast a glance at Talonclaw who nodded slowly, his own eyes bright with excitement for his apprentice, "I am now Featherwing." Featherwing's happiness couldn't be controlled and soon Dawnlight found herself purring alongside her sister, "I have my full name."

"Your father would be proud," Talonclaw meowed, flicking Featherwing on her shoulder before turning to Dawnlight, "We should start heading back to camp." Talonclaw led the way, leaving Dawnlight and Featherwing to talk in secret. And there was one thing that Dawnlight wanted to know.

"Did you see him?"

Featherwing cast a glance at Dawnlight and sighed, sobering up, becoming the serious cat she normally was, "You know I can't say anything about my dreams as a medicine cat, Dawnlight. StarClan forbids it."

"Does he… does he look good?"

Featherwing sighed once more and quickened her pace, joining Talonclaw once more, leaving Dawnlight along with her thoughts.

Author's Note: I know I kind of jumped between character's POVs a bit during this chapter, but I wanted to fully capture the grief felt by JayClan as a whole. Scar, the honorable rogue, will be mentioned more in later chapters. So what did everyone think of Airstorm's feelings towards the prophecy? Is he correct? Are they destined to leave JayClan in order to fulfill their destiny? So far two of the four are gone forever. Or are they? StarClan works in mysterious ways. Who knows what will happen next? Well, I do of course. We are heading close to the ending of the story as of now, but who knows? Maybe my muse will inspire for a total twist.

Also, Dawnlight's name was originally Dawnfall, but I decided to change it to Dawnlight as sort of a slight symbol of Darkshadow. Light and dark… ah well. I thought it was creative. So please drop a nice little review and tell me what you lal thought, please.