"Spiderstar!"

Spiderstar looked up to see Heronpaw racing up to his den. The young apprentice skidded to a halt inside the leader's den and gasped. "Rogues! They're attacking Magiclan's camp!"

Spiderstar felt his whole body tense up and he hissed. Ever since Rabbitstar had gone to find Lightclan, it was getting harder and harder to maintain such a huge territory. Monsterclan's territory now stretched over three whole territories. It took an entire day just to patrol the furthest border. And to add to all the stress, Rabbitstar had dumped the Magiclan elders, kits and queens on him. Monsterclan were barely surviving with so many mouths to feed. Sometimes Spiderstar wished Lightclan hadn't been chased out all those moons ago.

"What do we do?" Heronpaw asked, his eyes stretched wide.

Spiderstar stood up, biting back a hiss when his empty stomach yowled painfully for food. "I'll gather a battle patrol, but there's no way we can get there in time."

"The rogues will kill everyone in the Magiclan camp! My patrol won't be able to hold them off, there's only three of them!" Heronpaw yowled, following Spiderstar as he stalked out of the den. To relieve some of the stress, Spiderstar had sent the elders, kits and queens of both clans to live in Magiclan camp. Some warriors and apprentices had gone with them to protect them and watch the borders but if rogues attacked, they were defenseless.

"Heronpaw," Spiderstar hissed, "calm down."

"I can't!" Heronpaw cried. "Larkpaw is there! I left her to fight those rogues!" The young tom let out a soft wail for his sister. "She'll die!"

"Larkpaw is strong. She will be fine, I promise." Spiderstar ducked inside the warriors den and yowled. "Everyone get up I need a battle patrol right now!"

Sunsetgaze, Voleclaw and Springbreeze jolted to their paws. "What's happening?" Voleclaw asked.

"Rogue attack on Magiclan camp." Spiderstar meowed grimly. "We must hurry, come on."

The four Monsterclan cats bounded out of camp with Heronpaw scrambling after them. Spiderstar forced his legs to move faster, leaping nimbly over fallen branches and problematic leaf piles. His patrol pounded close behind him, their laboured breathing the only sound he could hear.

The battle patrol reached the faded Lightclan borderline and dashed through the dense woodland. With Lightclan gone, their old territory looked even more wild. Deserted, dark and eerie. Spiderstar led the way straight past Lightclan's old camp, racing beside the overgrown camp wall.

They finally reached Magiclan's moorland. Spiderstar's pace had slowed, his warm breath billowing out in clouds in the cold morning air. He heard Sunsetgaze mutter to Voleclaw. "By the time we get there, we'll be too tired to fight." Spiderstar slowed the pace even further after that to let them catch their breath.

"We're getting closer..." Spiderstar murmured, his ears pricking when he heard the distinct sound of fighting cats.

Magiclan's camp came into view and Spiderstar lifted his tail for the patrol to approach slowly. They crept right up to the camp wall and Spiderstar peered through to see blood everywhere. The kits, queens and elders were huddled in a tight group while the three warriors circled around them, fending off the rogues who had trapped them. A limp body lay in a pool of dark red blood nearby. Heronpaw's wail of grief confirmed Spiderstar's worry- Larkpaw had been killed.

Starclan was right when they told me Monsterclan was going to die. He felt his claws slide from their sheathes and he lashed his tail.

Spiderstar bared his teeth and got ready to attack the five rogues circling the defeated warriors.

__________________________________