Ashstar snapped open his eyes. He looked down at  his paws. What....what is happing?  Ashstar felt something choking his throat. He looked at his belly. It was cut open. He wasn't gray. Instead, he was a dark tabby. Ashstar blinked. He scrambled to his paws. He coughed and spat out blood. It bubbled up from his mouth, making his mouth taste of blood. Ashstar closed his eyes. "T-Tigerstar?" He meowed. A ghostly figure slid out of him.

"Ashstar, as long as I'm with you, you'll have unlimited power. As I had said," Tigerstar meowed. "Let's keep this up."

Ashstar let out a small wail of fear. "No! You're hurting my daughter! My mate! My son," Ashstar meowed. He unsheathed his claws. "I  must get rid of you," He growled.

Tigerstar drew his lips back in a snarl. "I don't care about your mate or your kits," He snapped. "They have to die. This is what power feels like. You have to kill your mate, or, at least get rid of her. And. Persuade your kits to join your rage to kill," Tigerstar meowed. "Now, remember the deal?"

Ashstar felt a growl rising in his throat. I can't show my fear. "I won't let you hurt my daughter," He growled. "Or my mate and son!" He growled. He lunged for Tigerstar but he leaped onto Ashstar's back and drove in his claws. Ashstar wailed.

"I shall be back in business!" Tigerstar meowed in triumph. His soul slid back in Ashstar.

Ashstar narrowed his eyes. "I will kill my kin," He whispered. "Blood will rule ThunderClan."

Jaypaw parted her jaws to sniff the air. "Have you found anything? Foxpaw? Icepaw? Stonepaw?" She meowed.

Bumblepaw lifted his head. "Not yet," He meowed. He put his nose to the ground. "I think I found something!" He wailed.

"What? What?" Jaypaw meowed.

Bumblepaw darted into the bushes and raced through the snow covered forest.

Jaypaw followed him. There, Foxpaw lay on the ground. He was curled up beside Icepaw.

"Icepaw! Foxpaw!" Jaypaw and Bumblepaw called.

Icepaw rose to her paws. She gasped. "F-Foxpaw..."

"W-what? What happened?" Bumblepaw meowed.

"H-He won't wake up!" Icepaw meowed. "Oh no! Oh no!" Icepaw wailed.

"Foxpaw! Wake up!" Bumblepaw yowled. "Please!"

All of a sudden, Foxpaw twitched. "Cold....." He rasped.

"Don't worry! We'll get you somewhere warm!" Jaypaw promised.

"I shall have some cats to leave the Clan!" Ashstar yowled.

Meows of protest echoed through the Clan.

"Silence!" Ashstar meowed. "Which cat would like to leave the Clan?" He asked.

Squirrelflight rose to her paws. "I will!" She growled.

"Ok," Ashstar hissed. Pathetic she cat.  "Anyone else?"

"I will!" Ferncloud yowled. "I won't stay with you and your cruel rules!" She hissed.

"We will leave!" Brightheart and Alderpaw  and meowed. They stalked over to Ferncloud and Squirrelflight. "We're no use as warriors," Alderpaw hissed, his eyes narrowed.

"Very well," Ashstar meowed. "Daisy and Millie will leave the Clan!" He meowed.

"If Millie leaves, I leave to!" Graystripe hissed.

Briarpaw ran over to her father. "Graystripe, I'll come with you!" She meowed.

"So, Squirrelflight, Ferncloud, Brightheart, Alderpaw, Graystripe, Millie, Daisy, and Briarpaw will leave!" Ashstar meowed.

"I'll leave with Daisy and get my kits!" Spiderleg meowed.

"Spiderleg, you and your kits will stay. But, Hazeltail will leave. We have no room for weak warriors," Ashstar meowed. "So, leave my sight at once! I will take some warriors with me to escort you!" He hissed.

The escorts started padding away through the camp entrance, the escort patrol behind them.

"Get lost!" The warriors called as they ran off.

"What will we do now?" Graystripe meowed. "Two of my kits are missing!" He growled. "Our kits."

"My mate and kits are back at camp with that fox-hearted fool!" Daisy hissed. "I only have one of my kits," She licked in between Hazeltail's ears.

"I have an idea," Brightheart meowed. "We should be safe at the Moonpool."

"Hmmm, I agree," Alderpaw, her apprentice, meowed. Alderpaw flicked his ear.

"Yes. Very well," Squirrelflight meowed. "We should go to the Moonpool," She meowed.

"Alright," Millie meowed. She rose to her paws. "We can't stay out in the open like this," She meowed.

"Wait!" Briarpaw meowed.

"What?" Ferncloud meowed.

"WindClan patrol!" Briarpaw yelped.

Ashfoot exploded from the ferns, Harespring at her side. Crowfeather, Tornear, Heathertail, Breezepelt, Willowclaw, and Sunpaw emerged.

"Has ThunderClan forgot about boundaries?" Ashfoot hissed. She unsheathed her claws and turned to her patrol. "I think we should teach them a lesson," She growled.

"Yeah!" Harespring meowed. He leaped onto Ferncloud.

Ferncloud bit his shoulder and clawed at his ears. Harespring hissed and clawed Ferncloud's flank.

"Attack!" Ashfoot hissed.

"Stop!" Squirrelflight rose her voice. "We never came here to fight! We left ThunderClan because of Ashstar!" She hissed.

"I'm sorry. I can't trust you," Ashfoot meowed. She sprang on Squirrelflight.

Squirrelflight battered at her belly. She kicked Ashfoot with her hind legs.

Ashfoot scrambled to her paws.

"If you want to fight, we'll bring it!" Graystripe hissed. Briarpaw was hiding behind her mother Millie.

"We are not going to fight, we will leave," Squirrelflight glared at him.

"Are you to scared to fight?" Ashfoot hissed. She sprang on Squirrelflight again.

Biting her shoulder, Squirrelflight managed to shake her off. "Fine," She hissed. "Attack!" She yowled.

Ashfoot scrambled to her paws and leaped at Squirrelflight's side, clawing her flank.

Squirrelflight turned around and struck a blow to Ashfoot's shoulder. Ashfoot fell back and hit the ground. Squirrelflight leaped on top of Ashfoot and sunk her teeth into her throat. Ashfoot struggled beneath her.

"Let....go...!" She rasped.

Squirrelflight let go and saw the blood oozing from the WindClan deputy's throat. Blood bubbled in her mouth.

Squirrelflight felt the burning pain of the scratch on her flank and saw the blood staining her ginger fur. She held a paw on Ashfoot's throat, claws sheathed. "Give up?" Squirrelflight hissed.

"Don't kill me!" Ashfoot snapped, her eyes blazing.

As Squirrelflight was about to speak, Ashfoot sprang up and clawed a gash in Squirrelflight's ear. Blood spattered and hit Squirrelflight's eyes. Her eye burned. Ashfoot lashed out with her forepaw and knocked Squirrelflight back. She stumbled backwards and tripped over a rock.

Squirrelflight snapped open her eyes and turned her head. She was dangling over the stream.

Ashfoot was on top of her. Her dark gray paw was placed on Squirrelflight's throat. "Once I kill you, ThunderClan will never mess with WindClan again!" Ashfoot growled.

All of a sudden, a dark gray pelt flashed and knocked down Ashfoot. It was Graystripe.

Squirrelflight rushed over to help Graystripe. He held down Ashfoot with his weight. His paw was raised, claws unsheathed. Then, he struck down and made Ashfoot screech in pain. Blood leaped out at Graystripe. "Never mess with ThunderClan again!" He hissed. He leaped off of Ashfoot.

Ashfoot staggered back. Her left eye was closed and bleeding. "You won't win so easily next time!" She growled. She lifted her head. "Retreat!" She yowled.

Squirrelflight staggered back. "Thank you. You saved my life," She meowed to  Graystripe.

Graystripe purred. "No problem!" He got closer to Squirrelflight and they watched as the WindClan cats ran up the slopes in defeat.

"Come on. We have to hurry to the Moonpool!" Squirrelflight meowed.

Jaypaw, Bumblepaw, Icepaw, Stonepaw, and Foxpaw raced through the ThunderClan territory.

"We are almost there!" Jaypaw called to them. All of a sudden, they burst through the ThunderClan camp.

Ashstar starred at them. Every cat came running over. "Foxpaw! Icepaw! Bumblepaw! Jaypaw! Stonepaw!" The Clan yowled.

"Did you make it?" Ashstar growled.

Jaypaw felt bad to admit it. "N-No," She stammered. "W-we got lost!"

"Yeah!" Stonepaw growled. He stood beside his sister. "Foxpaw almost died!"

"I don't care. You didn't make it. Now, I shall ask you to leave the clan, you foolish apprentices!" Ashstar growled.

"W-what?" Cinderheart yowled. "No!" She hissed. She ran over the Jaypaw and Stonepaw. "If they leave, I leave to!" She growled.

Sorreltail ran over. "No! Cinderheart, I can't loose you! You are my only kit right now!" She cried.

"If you wish to leave, LEAVE!" Ashstar wailed.

"Ok, we'll leave," Cinderheart meowed.

"But, Bumblepaw, stay!" Ashstar growled.

"B-But!" Bumblepaw complained.

"Fine, Blossompaw will leave with you then," Ashstar meowed.

Blossompaw darted across the camp and touched muzzles with her brother. "Oh Bumblepaw, Graystripe and Millie left," She meowed. "Along with Briarpaw," She added.

"I won't leave my family alone in the forest!" Bumblepaw growled.