Hollystar felt a bit guilty knowing she would need to dupe cats into fighting with her, but there was no way that she would let StarClan go without a fight.

The dark leader looked at some of her most trusted warriors, hoping against hope that they would come with her. After being woken by Bumblestripe and Lionblaze, Hollystar had summoned a meeting of the Clan in the cool shadows of the Two-leg den. Dovewing had refused to leave the side of her sick sister at first, but with gentle coaxing from Lionblaze, she came away from the sweaty silver and white bundle. At first the Clan was reluctant to accept that their warrior ancestors wanted them to keep fighting- enough cats were missing or dead that they felt chilled by their situation, conceded to their fate and cautious of straying from the one haven they had discovered. It had been almost a full day without fighting and the Clan had grown scared and demoralized.

"But Hollystar, what if we can't fight?" Sorreltail mewed, her face drawn with fear. Her kits were still missing yet there had been no attempts to find them. Hollystar felt deeply troubled that she had forgotten to order someone to help the new queen.

"We need to rid our territory of monsters in order to search for those we've lost. Jayfeather, Lilykit, Seedkit, Mousewhisker-" Her voice failed her as she realized how many cats they were missing- and how many would never come back. She couldn't tell if some names escaped her memory because of her endless fatigue, or possibly that the souls attached to the names had perished. Looking to Lionblaze, she saw the pain on his face as well. "Hopefully as the Clans draw together to fight the Dark Forest, they will leave the territories in peace. When we draw them away with the fight, you'll be free to look for anyone and get them out…" The idea of some spiritual force driving out all the dark forces entered her mind. It was such an easy option- to let StarClan wipe out all the Dark Forest cats, and all they would have to do is walk away… But there was so much more at stake than just her Clan- she had to know that all four survived and escaped as well- what if they hadn't received the message? Then there was the matter of the missing cars from her own Clan that had to be found… It was not as easy as StarClan thought to up and leave their homes.

"So we're still going to run away? After all of this?" Bumblestripe mewed, the collective confusion mounting as he looked around at the other cats.

Hollystar froze, then blinked and raised a paw to groom her dark paws, ears twitching as she wondered how to explain the situation to her Clan. After a few moments of tense silence, Hollystar breathed in deeply and explained her dream from One-Eye. As she spoke about the starry cat, she left out all the wishes of not fighting and fleeing instead. "One-Eye didn't tell me much about this… supernatural attack. But it seemed that this assault will rid the area of all spirits… maybe even the ones that we will become when we die." Hollystar had never questioned the form that cats took when they died, but this entire battle forced her to think about and put words to something that their entire culture had overlooked. That it was possible for spirits to die- to disappear entirely and be wiped from physical memory of the living. "When One-Eye spoke to me, it sounded as if we wouldn't be able to stay here- maybe even return for generations. The best thing to do would be to split into two teams- one to search for the missing-" With a nod to Sorreltail, it became obvious that the tortoiseshell queen would lead the party. "- and one to go find the other Clans and help fight." She looked around at the gathered cats, hoping for them to volunteer one way or another, saving her from forcing those who wished to find their loved ones to walk away into a fight.

"I'll stay with Sorreltail" Cinderheart offered, ears flicking back and forth, worried someone would judge her. Hollystar only nodded, and nodded again as Bumblestripe offered as well. Dovewing looked back at her sister and volunteered herself as well. Hollystar mentally noted that she had to talk to the gray cat about the state of Ivypool- that the she-cat could not carry on with the rest of the Clan, and it would be merciful to let her be remembered as a hero in the battle than a handicapped warrior, destined for the elder's den, or even worse, left as prey for other predators with Dovewing trying to protect her.

"I'll fight with you," Lionblaze huffed, as Hollystar knew he would. They both felt the pull to find their youngest brother, but a tug in her gut told her that the Dark Forest was holding her brother somewhere within their heart. Berrynose stood next to the golden tom, their differences put aside and ready to fight for their lost siblings. Poppyfrost stood with her mate, ready to avenge her kit, Molepaw. Slowly, the rest of the Clan stepped up to fight beside Hollystar, and her chest glowed with pride. The reassurance of their ancestors allowed the Clan to help achieve her goal of saving their starry forebearers.

With a contented purr, she rubbed cheeks with Lionblaze and progressed through the rest of her Clanmates, mingling and sharing tongues for a last time before they departed. The knot of cats moved and thrummed with energy, rubbing each other and spreading the strong ThunderClan scent among the surviving members in a show of united confidence. All too soon, the cats came to a standstill, eyes glowing as they separated into their two groups with only a few last mews of farewell. Their eyes were bright with hope and sadness, but with one nod between the leader and deputy, the fighters split into the forest, away from their place of safety. The cats dithered in the shadow of the Two-leg nest, hesitant to leave their only place of safety for the duration of the war, before finally heading out through the territory. Hollystar led the way, passing silently through the underbrush as if she were hunting. Even though she didn't want to show how petrified she was to pass through the abandoned grounds, the she-cat found it hard not to look over her shoulder every couple of minutes, just to check for shadows tracking them through the woods.

The trees themselves were bathed in golden light as the sun began to fall to the western horizon, spilling light so that darkness formed in bars along the forest floor and clouded the opposing horizon above the canopy. Fireflies, the last of the season, gleamed on and off in the early evening, intensifying in numbers as the cats neared the clearing that was the Greenleaf Two-leg place. The clearing itself was lush with long fronded grasses, heavy with seeds and flowers at the tips. From within the surrounding forest, the air came whispering across the field, hot and weighted with a sweet, indistinguishable scent close to rotting meat. The cats hesitated slightly at the edge of the clearing, their luminescent eyes scanning the foliage in and around the open area before proceeding. Luckily, nothing moved within the clearing, and other than the hazy, hypnotic flutters of the lightning bugs, the land itself seemed dead and silent. As had become usual, not a bird chirped, not a mouse scuffled as the patrol lined the dark river that fled down into the basin of the lake. One by one, the cats slipped into the darkness, scattering droplets of gold and sending ripples across the near-perfect surface. Each cat reflected this same color as they climbed out on the other side, setting off for ShadowClan territory without a sound.

Steadily, the strip of land that ThunderClan had once given to ShadowClan- full of deciduous trees with bushy leaves- became tall dark spires of pine needles; the telltale rustling of bramble bushes gave way to the silence of thorns and lichens that draped from the low branches of fragrant spruce saplings. Mosses muffled the footsteps of the felines as they pushed through tall milkweed and heavily-flowered thimbleberry bushes on their way deeper into the boreal forest of ShadowClan.

Lionblaze, who insisted on heading the patrol into the enemy territory, slowed to a trot, then a walk as the ground sloped downward into the thorn-shrouded hollow of the ShadowClan camp. From upon the rocky edge that the ThunderClan cats stood on, it was obviously abandoned and empty. Holes were torn through the protective bushes and pools of dark mud and scuffle marks littered the once-smooth floor of the small clearing. The large tree that Blackstar must have addressed his cats from had numerous claw marks driven deep into the pale flesh, the bark ripped away with such animosity that shards littered the ground for tail-lengths in any direction. Dark Forest scent covered the area like a thin mist, and though the scent was stale, it made the hairs on Hollystar's back arch.

"It seems that ShadowClan has been driven out of their camp as well," She murmured to no one in particular, but the silence made her voice carry to all her Clanmates' ears.

"We should check for survivors," Berrynose breathed, all too aware of the looming forest around them. Above them the clouds were dyed a bright pink around the edges, with the wind blowing them steadily northward. Hollystar opened her jaws, letting the markers left in the ground around them be swept up into the scent glands in her mouth. Once she was sure that the coast was clear, she signaled to Whitewing and Berrynose to check the area below. When the two younger warriors raced off, the remaining cats spread orderly about the hollow, always within sight of one another, checking for presence of Dark spirits.

Berrynose returned first, trotting up to Hollystar with his tail low. Without a greeting, he dipped his head slowly and looked up at her. "No survivors but something happened in the nursery… there was blood everywhere and tiny bones… almost like prey…" The tomcat shook his coat, Hollystar felt sick and fought off the image of a Dark Forest warrior clawing at the kits that must've been taking shelter in the den. "Whitewing is checking Blackstar's den but we don't think there's anything left alive down there." His voice caught and the black she-cat touched the creamy tom gently. Berrynose disregarded the calming gesture and lumbered off, eyes misted with revulsion and fear.

The black cat sat down, her long tail sweeping back the fronds of various plants that she seemed to half-know while she waited for the appear of the white warrior that had yet to emerge from the camp. A rustling disturbed her attention, and with a soft growl, the battle-ready cat spun on two paws and crouched, ready to fight whatever appeared from the waving ferns. Through the waves of Dark Forest scent, she realized in a few heartbeats that it was only her brother, and sheathed her claws before standing quickly. Her fur was still ruffled when he strode out of the quickly-darkening green fronds to sit beside her.

"I'm sorry I startled you," He dipped his massive golden head, whiskers brushing Hollystar's ears at a point.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, I should've been on my guard." The leader dismissed quickly, and turned her ears in quick circles, unwilling to be surprised again.

Her brother nodded gravely, then froze and scuffled his paws. The movement was so familiar to Hollystar that it made her nostalgic for her kithood days- it was his sign that he had something secretive to tell.

"I found the scent of ShadowClan, they headed toward the Lake." He wrinkled his muzzle, remembering the unpleasant smell of dampness that followed the Clan. "We could follow that if there's nothing here to be helped."

The shuffling continued and Hollystar waited a couple of heartbeats, anticipation growing.

Finally the tabby tomcat growled and unsheathed his claws. "I found the scent of our brother too... I don't know what he was doing here, but it's gone now."

Her breath caught in her throat- Jayfeather had been here? Why so far into ShadowClan territory? "How old was the scent?" she croaked out, excitement and hope making her hoarse.

"It must've been this afternoon. Hollystar, there was a concentration of Dark Forest scent around him too… and blood. I- I want to-" The tom tore at the mossy needles beneath their paws, sending dirt flying. It was obvious that he wanted to go after the cats keeping Jayfeather hostage, but he was divided along the duty of also serving his Clan.

"Lionblaze," Hollystar muttered quietly, steeling her nerves for the next words which were going to make her dizzy. "Go after Jayfeather. You must understand that I can't send any other warriors with you, but I see how much this matters to you. I trust that you can take on the Dark Forest scum." She purred weakly and bumped his muzzle upward as his tail lashed destructively, emotions still torn. The black cat felt her own heart rip- she knew it meant a lot to Lionblaze- a lot to both of them!- to find Jayfeather, especially if he was in danger. But to let both her brothers leave her in a situation such as this… It was terrifying to think of. "Promise me this though," The she-cat began, staring intensely into his amber eyes. "This last battle will not last long: the warriors are spent, and there aren't many of us left. You must be out of the territories by moon-high, no matter the cost." Her neck prickled at the chilling thought of losing both her brothers "That means with or without Jayfeather."

The same pain filled both siblings' hearts as they thought of abandoning their spitfire brother to be lost in whatever spiritual wasteland that StarClan would create on their behalf. But Lionblaze nodded and rose stiffly to his paws, focusing on something else. Hollystar turned to see Whitewing picking her way up the needle-covered slope to get to the two of them, and noted that something was immediately wrong. When the white queen arrived, the leader signalled her to speak without delay.

"Blackstar is dead." She coughed, and the scent of bile streamed from her mouth. With a sinking sensation, Hollystar realized that the she-cat must've been retching at the scene she had found. "Dead in the leaders den…"

"You don't have to describe it." Hollystar cut her off quickly, hoping to relieve the white warrior of such a disgusting task. "Thank you for the report." She rested her head on the older cat's shoulder, feeling the shivers run through her body. "We'll leave right away, don't worry."

The cat staggered away, just as Berrynose had done, and Hollystar felt guilt shoot through her heart, making her jaw clamp shut. She was subjecting her Clanmates to the intense horrors of war, but there was nothing she could do to aid it, or heal them.

"That's why they were headed to the Lake," Lionblaze broke her train of thought. "Rowanclaw would need to get to the Moonpool as fast as possible- before the Dark Forest could kill him. StarClan will lend them the last of their power and pass on the message then. You must go there before they move again."

As much as Hollystar didn't want to leave Lionblaze, she knew he was right, and looked at her brother sadly before tapping his nose with her own. "May StarClan light your path," She whispered, ears flattened with fear for the tomcat.

"And may they light yours," He rumbled, resting his head atop hers for a moment before flexing his claws and heading into the underbrush without a backward glance.

The dark leader watched as the foliaged ceased to move around his shape before she pushed her own way to the initial ledge ThunderClan had first come across the macabre scene on. As expected, all three of the other warriors- Whitewing, Poppyfrost and Berrynose- were waiting for her there. "Lionblaze has gone off in pursuit of a few nearby Dark Forest warriors." she explained with a clipped tone, burying her emotion, "He'll rejoin us when we reach the Moonpool. For now, we have to hurry and join with ShadowClan before they flee…" Or are wiped out. She didn't want to say the words, but they seemed to be understood wordlessly by the cats with her.

Without hesitation this time, the small patrol sent out on a winding path toward the shoreline, weaving between scraggly bushes and buoyant lichen patches until they broke from under the trees' cover. The sky was now tinged a deep shade of maroon, coloring the dark water of the lake the shade of drying blood- one that Hollystar had become much too familiar with. Pebbles crunched underfoot as the cats journeyed back the way they came, pounding at a furious pace until the land swooped upward into soaring hills and a fairly murky stream crossed their way along the shoreline. Hollystar looked with disbelief at the tiny tributary, confused with the dark coloring of the water. Normally the Moonpool water was crystal clear, the reason why the Clans believed in its magical properties. But now it was stained a dark, brackish color that was not quite as dark as the undulating lake at her back, but was approaching it. With a sickening feeling, she turned and led her patrol up the shingle and onto WindClan territory as the moon began to rise above them on the streaming grassy hills, lighting the way to the despoiled pool.

AN: What's this? Another chapter so soon?

We're getting toward the end, I'm as excited to write it as you're excited to read it :3 They're getting longer by the way... ;) Maybe the last chapter will just be one giant, 5000 word saga, you never know ;D