"Tigerstar, they're here," Darkstripe called.

At that moment, the bushes rustled as ThunderClan and WindClan appeared, with Firestar at the head.

Good, they came, Tigerstar thought. He flicked his tail at Blackfoot, Darkstripe, and Leopardstar, and stepped out.

"Greetings, Tigerstar," the ThunderClan leader meowed coolly. "You came then. Not still looking for those prisoners you lost from RiverClan territory?"

Tigerstar snarled. Arrogant fox-heart. "You'll regret that day's work, Firestar."

"Try and make me," he retorted.

Oh, you will, he thought, then flicked his tail, and the rest of TigerClan came out, with BloodClan still hidden.

"Have you thought about my offer?" Tigerstar growled, "I'm giving you the choice: join with me now and accept my leadership, or be destroyed."

Firestar spoke with defiance in his voice; "We reject your offer. The forest was never meant to be ruled by one Clan, especially not one led by a dishonorable murderer."

"But it will be," Tigerstar said, trying to keep his anger under control. "With you or without you, Firestar, it will be. By sunset today, the time of four Clans will be over."

"The answer is still no," Firestar snarled. "ThunderClan will never submit."

"Nor will WindClan," Tallstar growled.

Tigerstar was struggling to control his temper, and he couldn't keep a growl from his voice as he added, "Then your courage is matched only by your stupidity." He watched the warriors of ThunderClan and WindClan as hungrily as if they were his next meal.

Then he heard one of the ThunderClan cats call out "Tawnypaw!" He already knew it was his son, Bramblepaw. "What is she doing there?" Brackenfur, Tawnypaw's ThunderClan mentor, gasped. "Tigerstar did steal her!"

"Steal her?" Tigerstar was amused. "Not at all. Tawnypaw came to us willingly." He noticed Firestar studying the apprentice carefully. Mouse-brain, he growled under his breath.

"Tawnypaw!" Bramblepaw's voice was filled with pain. "What are you doing? You're a ThunderClan cat - come back to us!"

"No, Bramblepaw," Tigerstar said. "You come to us. Your sister made the right choice. TigerClan will rule over the whole forest, and you can share our power." He paused. "What do you say?" he said at last. "ThunderClan is finished. There is nothing there for you."

"Join you?" his son growled. "Join you? After what you've done? I'd rather die!"

You just might, Tigerstar thought. "Are you sure? I won't make the same offer twice. Join me now, or you will die."

"Then at least I'll go to StarClan as a loyal ThunderClan cat," he spat.

"Fool!" Tigerstar had to use every last drop of will power in his body to keep himself from launching himself at the apprentice. "Stay, then, and die with the rest of these fools."

He looked at Blackfoot and nodded. The TigerClan deputy raised his tail, and the cats of BloodClan came out. Tigerstar could tell by the amazed looks on the faces of the warriors of ThunderClan and WindClan that they had not been expecting this, and a rush of satisfaction passed through him.

"Well?" he asked coolly. "Are you still sure that you want to stand and fight?"

Somewhere from the ThunderClan cats, a cat called, "Collars? Look at them-they're kittypets! We won't have any trouble beating them." Tigerstar looked to see a small, gray tom with darker flecks and he recognized Ashpaw, a ThunderClan apprentice. His mentor, Dustpelt, whispered something that Tigerstar did not catch.

Firestar stepped up and asked, "So, Tigerstar, do you want to tell us who your new friends are?"

"This is BloodClan," he declared. "They came from Twolegplace. I have brought them to the forest to persuade you foolish cats to join with me. I knew you wouldn't have the sense to agree on your own."

After the hisses died down, he continued. "You see, Firestar? I am even more powerful than StarClan, for I have changed the Clans from four to two. TigerClan and BloodClan will rule together."

He expected Firestar and Tallstar to agree at that, but the ThunderClan leader was defiant. "No, Tigerstar," he meowed. "If you want to fight, let us fight. StarClan will show who is more powerful."

"You mouse-brained fool!" Tigerstar could hardly control himself at this point. "I was prepared to come here and talk with you today. Just remember that it was you who drove us to this. And when your Clan mates are dying around you, they will blame you with their last breath." He turned to the cats of BloodClan. "BloodClan, attack!"

But no cat moved.

The only cat that moved was Scourge, the small, black tom who led the Clan. He glanced at Firestar and said, "I am Scourge, the leader of BloodClan." Then, he turned to Tigerstar, his ice-blue eyes blazing with a cold fire. "Tigerstar, my warriors are not yours to command. They will attack when I tell them, and not before."

Tigerstar stared at the BloodClan leader, shocked that this runt was going to stand up to him. He was so shocked that he didn't notice Firestar walking up until he literally stood right in front of him.

He turned to the leader of BloodClan, speaking loudly and clearly so all could hear him. "Greetings, Scourge. I am Firestar, leader of ThunderClan. I wish I could say you are welcome here in the forest, but you would not believe me if I did, and I have no wish to lie to you. Unlike your supposed ally here"- he pointed at Tigerstar with his tail-"I am a cat of honor. If you've believed any promises he made you, you're mistaken.

How dare he, Tigerstar thought contemptuously.

"Tigerstar told me he had enemies in the forest," Scourge said coldly. "Why should I believe you instead of him?"

Tigerstar looked expectantly at Scourge, telling him not to listen to Firestar without using words. But if the smaller cat saw it, he made no sign of it as Firestar spoke; "Cats of all Clans, and especially cats of BloodClan, you have no need to believe or disbelieve me. Tigerstar's crimes speak for themselves."

He's really going to do it, Tigerstar thought. I can't try and stop him as it will show he's telling the truth.

Firestar continued. "When he was still a warrior of ThunderClan, he murdered our deputy, Redtail, hoping to be made deputy himself. First Lionheart was chosen as deputy, but when that noble warrior died in a fight with ShadowClan, Tigerstar achieved his ambition at last."

Good riddance, Tigerstar growled under his breath, and then added, more audibly, "Mew away, little kittypet. It won't change anything."

When he said that, Scourge shot him an angry glance. Tigerstar tried to ignore it.

"Being deputy wasn't enough," Firestar went on. "Tigerstar wanted to be leader of the Clan. He set a trap for Bluestar by the Thunderpath, but my own apprentice strayed into it instead. That's how Cinderpelt came by her crippled leg. Then Tigerstar conspired with Brokentail, the former leader of ShadowClan, who was ThunderClan's prisoner. He brought a pack of rouges into ThunderClan camp, and tried to murder Bluestar with his own claws. I stopped him, and when ThunderClan had beaten off the attack, we drove him off into exile. As a rouge, he slaughtered yet another of our warriors, Runningwind. Then, before we knew what he was up to, he had made himself leader of ShadowClan.

"But Tigerstar still wanted revenge on ThunderClan. Three moons ago, a pack of dogs got loose in the forest. Tigerstar caught prey for them, and then laid a trail of dead rabbits between the dogs' lair and the ThunderClan camp to lead them to us. He murdered one of our queens, Brindleface, and left her near the camp to give the dogs a taste for cat blood. If we hadn't found out in time to escape, the whole of ThunderClan would have been torn to pieces."

"Good riddance," Tigerstar growled, as he knew where this was going.

"As it was," Firestar said, "our leader, Bluestar, died the bravest death of any cat, saving me and all her Clan from the pack."

He paused, and glanced around the clearing, and then continued. "This is Tigerstar's history. It all shows one thing-that he'll do anything for power." Speaking specifically to Scourge, he added, "If he promised you a share of the forest, don't believe him. He won't give up one pawprint, not to you or any cat."

No, don't tell him that, even if it is true Tigerstar thought angrily. He turned to Scourge, who said, "Tigerstar told me what he was planning to do with the dogs when he visited me two moons ago." He turned and glared at Tigerstar. "He did not tell me his plan failed."

"None of that matters now," Tigerstar's voice shook as he spoke, and he couldn't tell if it was from fear or anger. "We have an agreement, Scourge. Fight beside me now, and you'll have all I offered you."

"My Clan and I will fight when I choose." The black cat turned to Firestar. "I will think about what you have said. There will be no battle today."

At that, Tigerstar couldn't control his anger anymore. He launched himself at the small cat, with his long claws unsheathed.

But by the time he landed, Scourge had dodged his outstretched claws. Tigerstar turned to face the BloodClan leader, who lashed out with a paw with sharpened dogs' teeth that landed squarely on his shoulder. The blow was powerful enough to unbalance Tigerstar. He fell on his side, and in that same heartbeat, Scourge sank his claw into Tigerstar's throat. Pain shot through him as the smaller cat ripped him down all the way to the tail in a single slash. Tigerstar cried out in pain, and then everything went black.

When he woke a few heartbeats later, he saw a gray tom with spiky fur standing beside him. He recognized Thistleclaw, his mentor and one of the cats who gave him his nine lives. His amber eyes were filled with sorrow. Tigerstar got up. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, but Thistleclaw only said, "I'm so sorry." He looked beside him and saw the faint outline of a broad-shouldered dark tabby.

I just lost a life, he realized. So why does Thistleclaw look so sad?

But before he could ask, everything went back to normal. Then why was his stomach still opened up?

Then, everything went black again. When he woke up, he saw that his outline was more defined. Tigerstar felt his blood run cold as he realized what was happening.

"No!" he gasped. He was dying nine times.

When he came back, he tried to fight off his fate, but everything he tried did nothing to help.

Everything went black again, and Tigerstar saw that his outline was getting even more defined.

"Thistleclaw!" he gasped. "Help me!"

Then he heard his voice say, "I'm sorry, Tigerstar. There is nothing any cat can do to help you at this point."

Tigerstar's terror grew when he was sent back. No, he thought as he tried to stop the inevitable. There must be something I can do. But, yet again, his world went black, and he was sent back down. He saw that his own warriors were rushing out of the clearing, just before his world went black. Then again. And again. And again. Then Tigerstar, exhausted, look at Scourge, his eyes cold and unmoved. Then, he realize that he could not do anything to save himself, and so gave up fighting and accepted his fate.

When he woke up, he was in the dark forest where he had been given his nine live. He looked at his lifeless body, and looked at the horrified faces of the ThunderClan and WindClan warriors.

A soft voice whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry, Tigerstar. Not even StarClan could have saved you." He looked at Thistleclaw. His mentor had such sadness in his eyes that Tigerstar had to look away.

"Come on, let's go," Thistleclaw meowed softly, and walked off. Tigerstar looked down at his body, still flowing with blood, one last time, then followed Thistleclaw into the gloom.