Froststar awoke in his nest. Sitting up, he let out a long yawn. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he got up and stretched. With a jolt, he realized what today was: the final attack on WindClan! Today is the day! They will either fall or surrender! The fur on his back fluffed up with excitement, but he quickly smoothed it down with swift strokes of his pink tongue.

Finally, you're awake! I had to stop myself from waking you. 

I guess you're as exited as I am. Froststar understood that it was a twisted type of excitement, for who would be exited for killing and wiping out an entire Clan? That's why he roamed the dark forest, where he belonged. Slipping from his den, Froststar was greeted with a cold leaf-bare sun. Frost cracked under his paws as he walked. It will warm up. We haven't had snow yet. Once outside his den, Froststar looked around. Quickflash yawned, and trotted off to the warrior's den to sleep. Silverspark followed: their vigil was over. Most likely they would sleep all the way up until the time they attacked WindClan. Oneflower and Crowflight were sharing tongues by the fresh-kill pile, which held a few stiff mice. They would have to catch fresh prey before the battle.

Besides them, the only other cats that were up were Shadeblossom and Mousetuft. Froststar nodded to them before leaping up onto high ledge. He spotted Coldrose slipping from the dirtplace tunnel, and she bounded over to him, leaping up by his side. "We're attacking WindClan today," he told her.

"I know, you said it five times yesterday," Coldrose snorted. Froststar rolled his eyes at his deputy, then yowled for a clan meeting.

Cats appeared in the den entrances, still fuzzy-eyed from sleep. Shaking out their fur, one by one they bounded over and sat beneath high ledge. Froststar's gaze swept over his warriors, mentally listing all their names. He glanced at the nursery, and caught Mistfeather's eye. He couldn't read her expression.

"Cats of ThunderClan," Froststar began with a mighty yowl. "Today is an important today, you might be able to guess what we're going to do before I tell you. Today we will finally take down WindClan!" His words were met with silence. Then Shadeblossom broke the silence with a yowl of joy, and soon others followed until his ears were ringing with the sound of yowls. Froststar raised his tail for silence.

"This is not the first time in history this has happened, you know. WindClan was once driven out by ShadowClan. SkyClan, by all the Clans, ShadowClan, by rogues and their own clan mates," he began, launching into a speech. This time, however, we will be removing WindClan permanently. I will not make Brokenstar's same mistakes. "A Clan that is not strong enough has no place here. I have given every warrior an opportunity to prove themselves, and prove yourselves you have. Because of it, our kits will eat well this leaf-bare. But, I will not make any WindClan warriors drive out their former Clan. That would be cruel, and that is not the point of this." Sageweed cackled in his head. '

That would cruel, and that is not the point of this' gosh, you are hilarious!

"I have decided that I will let anyone- apprentices included- volunteer for this final battle. So, anyone?" he asked.

"I will go!" Pigeonwing declared, puffing out his chest.

"Then so will I!" called his sister Pebbleleap, as she leaped to her paws beside him.

"I will come of course," Shadeblossom purred, then nudged the russet-colored warrior next to her. "What about you, Poppyfeather?" her sister blinked.

"Um, sure," she replied.

"We're coming!" Bloodpaw yowled, leaping to her paws with Marshpaw and Fiercepaw.

"Yeah, we wouldn't miss chasing those hare-brains out for anything!" Fiercepaw added. Froststar saw some WindClan warriors wince, and the WindClan apprentices Dirtpaw and Mothpaw pressed themselves to the ground.

"We'll come too," said Cedarfur, the maple-brown SkyClan tom with russet stripes, and cedar-leaf green eyes. His sister Berryleaf, a brown she-cat with splashes of white, and an all-white chest nodded in agreement.

"I want to come!" Amberpaw said excitedly, skipping around happily. Shame, she has no idea what she's doing.

"Count me in," Fernclaw growled, unsheathing his claws.

"I'm coming," Flowerbreeze said, almost at the same time as him.

"That's plenty," Froststar said, before any other cat could volunteer. "We'll go at dusk. Coldrose will gather a hunting patrol and border patrol before then," he concluded, leaping off high ledge. Immediately, his paws lead him to the nursery, where the queens were just slipping back inside. The ThunderClan leader entered the dim den, and was greeted with a sweet milky scent.

"Froststar!" Leopardkit squealed, and both Specklekit and Treekit popped up next to her. Froststar nodded at them but kept going, stopping at Mistfeather's nest. For a heartbeat, sorrow flashed in her eyes, but was quickly replaced with warmth and a purr.

"Froststar!" she reached over and brushed muzzles with him, as the kits tumbled out of the nest. "Guess what day it is! It's time for the kits to try their first fresh-kill."

"Is it really?" Froststar asked, bending down so he was level with his four kits. "You four are growing so fast!"

"We are! 'Cause we're two and a half and a fourth of a third moons old!" Sprucekit declared proudly. Froststar nodded, even though none of what the kit said made any sense.

"I'm going to try the biggest prey piece there is!" Tigerkit declared.

"No, I am!" Darkkit said, and both kits began to wrestle. Mistfeather sighed.

"They never stop." She bent down, pulling the kits apart.

"What prey will you try, Dawnkit?" Froststar asked his youngest daughter.

"I think..... I'll try a mouse," she replied. "I'll be the Clan's best hunter," she continued. "Because Tigerkit and Darkkit will be the best fighters. Sprucekit isn't sure what he wants to be good at yet," she told him.

"I'm confident you will become the best hunter in all the Clans," Froststar purred. Dawnkit blinked happily. Mistfeather was nudging the other three kits toward the nursery entrance.

"Let's go, let's go! And maybe finally Cloverbreeze's kits can get some sleep," Mistfeather said.

"We don't need sleep, we're not little kits," Galekit said, popping up out of Cloverbreeze's nest. Ravenkit popped up next to him. Cloverbreeze pushed them both back down.

"You are too little kits," she said, looking nervous as always. "Now get some rest." Froststar and Mistfeather herded their kits outside.

"Since the hunting patrol hasn't returned yet, we'll learn battles moves first," Froststar told his kits.

"Yay!" they cheered, bouncing around him in a circle.

"How about that, kits? Your first battle move!" Mistfeather purred. "Nothing too advanced, though. And we're stopping the second you get tired."

"Actually, we already know a few moves, Nightpaw and Stormpaw taught us some," Tigerkit said.

"When did this happen? You are very naughty for not telling me," Mistfeather scolded.

"Oh, come on! Kits will be kits," Froststar said, then directed them into a line in front of him. "Now you have to do exactly what I do," Froststar said, and crouched. His kits copied him. "Mistfeather, I'm going to attack you. Show our kits the duck and twist," he said. It was a defensive move, but he knew Mistfeather wouldn't let him teach them anything advanced. In time, I will show them every trick I know. Well, almost every one....

"Ready kits?" Mistfeather asked, and all four of them nodded, watching intently. Froststar sprang at the queen, who ducked, dropping to the ground neatly and twisting away, rolling back onto her paws, now positioned at his flank and ready to strike. I almost forgot how graceful she was.

"I want to do that! I can do that!" Tigerkit bounced around, and so did Darkkit. Dawnkit and Sprucekit were better at keeping themselves under control, but even they were having trouble keeping still.

"Let's partner up. Tigerkit with Darkkit, and Dawnkit and Sprucekit," Froststar said, but Tigerkit was already leaping at her brother, who growled in response. Dawnkit nodded at Sprucekit to leap at her. Froststar shared an affectionate glance with Mistfeather, curling his tail around her as they watched their kits practice. What a perfect life I have...

It felt like no time at all had passed when Coldrose's hunting patrol returned. Coldrose was in the lead, and dropped a pigeon on the pile. Wow, a great catch for the beginning of leaf-bare. Squealing, his kits bounded over to the fresh-kill pile and began sifting through it. "First time, eh?" Mossypelt chuckled. Froststar nodded, and followed his kits with Mistfeather. Dawnkit found herself a mouse, and Sprucekit was sniffing a sparrow. As expected, Tigerkit and Darkkit were fighting over the only vole. Darkkit won, because Tigerkit had lost interest when her eyes landed on a fluffy squirrel. He was about to then argue about the squirrel, but a stern look from Mistfeather made him think otherwise.

His kits had just started taking their first bites when the border patrol burst into camp. Pigeonwing- who lead the patrol- scampered over to him. "What is it?" Froststar asked.

"We saw a WindClan hunting patrol," Pigeonwing blurted out. "Milkwhisker was hunting! If the medicine cat is hunting, things must be bad," he said.

"Good observation, Pigeonwing," Froststar said. The tom's chest puffed out in pride. So easy to make him feel important.

"I change my mind," Froststar announced. "We will attack WindClan now- after we've eaten." From the corner of his eye he saw Mistfeather's face darken, and she stalked off towards the nursery. He was too busy talking to give it much thought. "So eat up and sharpen your claws- we're about to go make history."