Finally finished.. It's only been over six months.. New story coming soon, I believe. A rewrite of Inconsistency without the switching of styles.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Love you guys.

Chapter 12/Epilogue

Mountainkit's POV

Mountainkit approached what he believed to be the border, feeling hollow inside. The unfamiliar scent of MapleClan was incredibly strong here. Anxiety lifted the fur on his neck. He was leaving everything he had known, placing his life in the paws of complete strangers.

"Wait for a patrol, then pretend you're lost. Remember, you're Mountain now. They'll give you your name back soon," Sanddune had instructed.

"How do you know they'll accept him?" Serenity had asked.

"I just know."

The night had given way to dawn by the time Mountainkit scented a patrol. He got up from where he had crouched at the base of the first maple tree he saw and began picking his way clumsily through the undergrowth. It wasn't too hard to fake fear. He was terrified.

Even though Mountainkit knew that the cats were close by and approaching quickly, he was still caught completely by surprise when a cat melted from the shadows and knocked him right off his paws. Fangs bared in his face and his view was completely blocked by two bright blue eyes.

"Let him up, let him up," a female voice growled in a bored tone.

The hostility in those eyes became a mask to hide the hurt, and the cat withdrew.

Mountainkit got unsteadily to his paws, studying the two nervously. The cat who had pinned him down was smaller and obviously younger than the other she-cat. It must be an apprentice.

"I'm M-Mountain," Mountainkit meowed, only slightly faking the uncertainty.

"You're on MapleClan territory, Mountain," the mentor stated, with a superior smugness.

"Pretend that you recognize what a Clan is but don't know much about it." Sanddune's words echoed in his head.

"A Clan?" Mountainkit inquired, brightening. "You're in a Clan?"

The mentor narrowed her dark green eyes. "What do you know about Clans?"

"I just know that they're hated by rogues."

"Are you a rogue?"

"Not if I can join your Clan."

The she-cat's eyes glittered with amusement, yet she was somewhat impressed by the light brown tom. Her ginger paws took two steps forward. "How old are you?"

"Six moons."

She let out a breath through her nose, satisfied. "I'll take you to see Nettlestar. I'm sure you could join our Clan."

Mountainkit let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

The she-cat studied him for a moment. "You remind me of someone…" she murmured but really wasn't talking to him. "I'm Juniperberry by the way."

Mountainkit thanked the stars that Juniperberry looked away to introduce her apprentice. If there was one emotion he couldn't hide, it was recognition. He felt as if a tree had fallen on top of him.

Juniperpaw!

"And this is Mistpaw."

Mountainkit recovered himself, saving his complete shock for later. He gazed at the apprentice, getting a better look at her. She was silky gray with beautiful blue eyes. He felt something tug at his thoughts. There was something familiar about those eyes…

Mistpaw…

.

Sanddune's POV

Sanddune watched Mountainkit's brown tail melt into the ferns of OakClan's camp entrance, his wet eyes narrowed with determination.

Serenity gazed at him, a confused look in her eyes. "Sanddune," she murmured, drawing his attention, "Your Clan couldn't have been this small."

Sanddune nodded. As much as he had hated looking at the bones of his Clanmates, he had quickly noticed that also. "They let them live."

"So what now?"

"We've got to find them." He looked at the ground, his eyes darting this way and that with a sudden passion. "Whoever's left."

"Sanddune…" He felt Serenity's gaze. "Sanddune, do you think she could be alive?"

Sanddune shook his head. "I don't know. She… She was alive when I left. I don't know, I don't…" His eyes were blazing with a new light. Hope.

There was hope.

"What could've happened? I thought you said…"

"I don't know. I just… I can't…" Sanddune could hardly find words. Emotions were flooding through him. Confusion at the vision of the flood of furious cats pouring into the camp that night, grief at the amber eyes of Leapingflames that became as dull as the dirt his head contacted with when his lifeless body fell, hope at a crude reenactment of what could have happened: Riverbend, alive. Riverbend, alive! But what changed MapleClan's revenge-clouded minds?

.

Juniperpaw's POV

The Battle

Juniperpaw was one of the last ones to enter OakClan's camp and she felt like her breath had been snatched from her when she saw the mass of writhing, hissing, biting, scratching, yowling cats that had become the clearing. She could barely tell the difference of one cat from another but she could make out one thing… Red. The pouring rain was blurring her vision, but she could swear that it was everywhere. The limited visible ground was swirling with it. The bodies in the camp that had already gone still were covered in it. As she merged with the mass, she stumbled over one of those bodies. Creamy white fur, dull amber eyes… She recognized him. Leapingflames.

The blinding anger had already faded. Her memory couldn't bring back Autumnleaf's still body, even though he had died only moments before. All she could see was right in front of her. A loyal warrior. A fierce friend. A cat that would never ever kill an unsuspecting foe. This was OakClan, ripped to shreds and trampled into the dirt because of one cat's hate. OakClan hadn't killed her mentor. Yet now her Clan was killing them. It was her fault. Her emotions had gotten the best of her, and she wasn't the one to suffer from it this time. And suddenly a yowl was rising from her throat. It was a louder sound than she ever thought she could muster.

"STOP!"

.

Of course, the cats didn't stop the first time. So Juniperpaw kept on yowling, making her way through the crowd until she reached the Cliffledge. She leaped up, still yowling. She suddenly sounded like Autumnleaf, all those moons ago trying to stop her from attacking Riverbend, yelling "Stop! Stop!" But this time, the cats were listening. MapleClan cats seemed to snap out of their focused fighting trance and realize that they were easily overwhelming their foes. In fact, they were slaughtering them. They began to join in with the yowling, pulling their Clanmates away from their opponents. As the fighting slowed to a halt, gaps began forming in the camp as horrified cats shied away from the already dead.

Juniperpaw's thoughts raced. What would happen now? Would the dangerously weak OakClan continue to live under MapleClan's territory-hungry shadow? No. Clan competition can't function with such odds. So should the two Clans meld together? No. The present remaining OakClan cats would be scorned and the future generations would experience the same discrimination. So what would happen now?

The fighting had ceased, leaving Juniperpaw above the crowd wondering why she had to be the one to stop the battle, even though she knew why. And thinking of that, her gaze grazed the crowd looking for the culprit behind the chaos, the cat who had killed her mentor. She was surprised to not find him.

Juniperpaw drew back from her thoughts, feeling hot as all eyes looked to her expectantly. Nettlestar didn't make a move to take her place, not that she expected him to. She took a deep breath and raised her voice.

"The f-fighting must stop! We all know who is going to win this battle." Her voice shook at first but grew steady. "The one who k-killed Autumnleaf isn't even among us! It was Watervapor! He's the one we must seek revenge from!" Her dark green eyes blazed as she again relived the moment when Watervapor's claws ripped her mentor's life away. The cats in the crowd also looked around for him, their gazes sharp and angry.

"Where is he?!"

"We have to find him!"

"OakClan's hiding him!"

This time claws were brought onto throats. "Where is he?!"

Juniperpaw felt panic rising. "OakClan wouldn't hide him! He's a traitor! Killing in cold blood!"

The remaining OakClan cats, some ferociously and others nervously, confirmed her statements. As the tension lessened, Juniperpaw steadied herself once again.

"We can't live as two Clans anymore…" The crowd's immediate confusion soon gave way to realization. "…and neither can we live together peacefully." Juniperpaw received nods and fearful looks. "Therefore all remaining OakClan cats must leave… and never return." Her last words were drowned out by raised voices. The camp once again collapsed in a battle, but this time it was a battle of words.

"We can't leave!"

"This is our home!"

"We can unite as one Clan!"

"No!"

"I'm not sharing a den with you!"

"I agree; we can't live together!"

"They must leave!"

"Never return!"

The arguing went on, but the outnumbered OakClan cats began to back down. It was death or banishment, whatever they preferred.

"Any injuries will be treated and then you must leave!" Nettlestar called, attempting to take charge, although MapleClan's medicine cat was whispering in his ear. "If your injuries are more severe, you can stay for a few sunrises. MapleClan will leave a patrol here until we can figure out what to do with the new territory."

Juniperpaw leapt down from the Cliffledge. She was met with a strange sight. The severely injured cats of both Clans were being separated from the ones mostly untouched. Goldenmaple and the MapleClan medicine cat were wandering among the injured, giving out orders. Both OakClan and MapleClan cats were dragging herbs from the medicine cat den and heading off into the forest to find more. Suddenly the camp was filled with friendship as the cats intermixed and helped each other when not too long before they had fought against each other with the ferocity of revenge and survival.

Juniperpaw hardly had time to appreciate the moment before she was overcome with a new panic. Where was Sanddune? Where was Riverbend? Were they alive? Were the kits alive?

"Juniperpaw."

She whirled around and relief coursed through her.

"Riverbend, you're alive."