The sun shone down on the black figure, and a large white head was visible, along with a dark gray body. Claws flashed through the air, and Ashstar could make out Vally. 

The large white cat landed on Harestar, his teeth sinking into the tom's neck and his claws slashing at him. 

"No! Harestar!" Gorsetail cried. He leaped on Vally and slashed at him.

Ashstar leaped on Vally and sunk his teeth into his scruff. He heaved the large cat in the air and threw him off Harestar. 

Harestar lay still on the ground, blood streaming from his neck.

Mothwing gasped in horror. She turned to Whitetail and Antpelt. "Find cobwebs!" She gasped.

Dark red blood stained Vally's mouth. He licked his lips. 

More rogues came from the bushes. Flame, Brindle, and Scar. They realized they were outnumbered. 

"Leave!" Ashstar hissed to the rogues. 

"Never! Not until I avenge Kindle's death!" Vally hissed. 

"You're outnumbered, and would never win this fight!" Ashstar pointed out, his tail flicking. 

Vally's eyes clouded with fear. "I'll kill all of you if I have to," He growled.

Ashstar sprang on him, slashing his ears. 

Vally stumbled back. Blood trickled down his face. He bared his teeth. 

Ashstar then sprang forward again, raking his claws down Vally's side. Blood sprayed his gray pelt and spattered on the ground. 

Vally backed away even more.

Ashstar knocked him off his paws and pinned him down, putting a paw on his throat. "Give up!" He hissed. 

Vally spat at him. He turned his head to look at his rogues. "Don't stand there, help me!" He screeched.

Scar sprang forward and leaped on Ashstar quickly. The tom unsheathed his claws and sank them into Ashstar's shoulders. 

"I'll kill you," Scar hissed. He raised his paw, about to slash Ashstar's throat.

Jaywing leaped from the side and landed on Scar, clamping her jaws around his neck. 

Ashstar struggled to his paws and saw Scar on the ground. Jaywing pinned him down. Scar was limp.

Jaywing leaped off of him and leaped towards Ashstar. "Are you ok?" She asked her father.

"Yes, I'm fine," Ashstar rasped. 

Jaywing turned and bared her teeth at the rogues. Vally, Flame, and Brindle fled into the bushes. Their noisy paw steps was enough to scare away all of prey in the forest.

"Oh StarClan! Harestar's losing lives!" Mothwing cried. 

Harestar was on the ground, laying in a pool of his blood. Whitetail raced down the mountain trail, a wad of cobwebs on her paw. She raced over to Harestar.

"This is terrible!" Whitetail whimpered. She gave Mothwing the cobwebs. 

"Great StarClan, Harestar just lost two lives, and he's losing another one!" Willowshine cried. 

Ashstar bristled. He padded closer to Harestar. He lay on the ground, in a pool of his own blood. His body then shook, and his paws flailed in the air, then he fell still again.

Mothwing was shaking. "One, two, three, four, five," She murmured. 

"Oh no," Gorsetail gasped. "How many lives does he have left?" He asked.

"Five," Mothwing choked out. 

Harestar jerked awake again, this time, his paws didn't flail, and his body didn't fall limp. His flanks were rising and falling, and he was alive. 

"He's recovered!" Willowshine gasped.

Harestar's eyes closed and he rested for a moment.

Paw steps sounded at the edge of ShadowClan territory. For one terrorizing moment, Ashstar thought that it'd be the rogues again, but instead, Ferncloud and Reedwhisker appeared. Two mice hung from Ferncloud's jaws. A squirrel was in Reedwhisker's jaws. Ferncloud gasped in surprise as she saw Ashstar. Reedwhisker's eyes widened in awe. Then their happiness faded as they saw Harestar lying in a pool of his own blood. 

"What happened?" Ferncloud gasped. She dropped her prey on the ground next to Reedwhisker's, then raced over to them. 

"What happened to Harespring?" Reedwhisker gasped.

"The rogues attacked us and Vally killed him," Ashstar explained. "He lost five lives," He added.

"Five lives?" Ferncloud gasped. 

"I'm ok now," A low voice rasped. Harestar rose to his paws. 

Antpelt raced from the bushes, cobwebs wrapped around his paw. He stared at Harestar. "Oh, was I too late?" He asked, his tail flicking. 

"Harestar lost five lives," Ashstar told him. "Whitetail brought him cobwebs, and he's ok now," He meowed. 

Antpelt gave his shoulder fur a couple of embarrasses licks. He looked up and saw Ferncloud and Reedwhisker. "Hey! You're back!" Antpelt purred. He raced over to them.

Ferncloud padded closer to Ashstar and touched noses with her brother. "I've missed you!" She purred.

"Where did you go?" Ashstar asked.

"I got lost during the flood," Ferncloud explained. "I'm so glad that I found Reedwhisker, Mothwing,  Willowshine, and Duskpelt!" She purred. 

"I know what happened," Ashstar sighed. "Crowfrost told me," He explained. 

"Whitetail, Antpelt, Gorsetail, we're about to go home, so come to me," Harestar called in a raspy voice. His warriors gathered together in a group. Harestar padded over to Ashstar. "I hope everything works out for you," He meowed, his tail flicking. "Hopefully you can build a new ShadowClan and a new RiverClan," He sighed. 

"Hopefully," Ashstar sighed. 

"Well, me and my warriors are going home. May StarClan light your path," He meowed to Ashstar. The worn out leader turned to Crowfrost and Cloverfoot. "Thanks for finding my warriors," He purred.

"It was nothing," Crowfrost murmured.

"Well, you're welcome," Cloverfoot purred. 

Harestar turned to leave, his warriors following behind him. Antpelt and Whitetail were talking together, and Gorsetail was up at the front, walking beside Harestar.

"Make sure you get that wound treated!" Willowshine called after them. 

Every cat sat there until the WindClan cats padded out of sight. A light rain began to fall and the sun had already sunk beyond the moor, the moon coming to take its place.

Ashstar turned to his warriors, water streaming down his whiskers and wetting his pelt. "Lets go home," He meowed.

"To your territory?" Cloverfoot asked.

"Well of course," Ashstar meowed firmly.

"Ugh, ThunderClan, always helping and being soft," Crowfrost muttered.

Ashstar felt a growl rising in his throat. He turned to glare at Crowfrost. "Then you go can sit out here in the rain if you want!" He hissed.

Crowfrost flattened his ears. "I'm just saying that ThunderClan always helps and acts like kittypets!" He growled.

"Why don't you just be glad for our help?" Jaywing growled. "If we didn't help you, you'd be out in the rain and the rogues would kill you. It's best if you come to our camp, and then stay for a few days until we decide who the next ShadowClan leader shall be," She spat.

"My daughter's right," Ashstar meowed. "So are you coming or not?"  He asked.

"Alright," Crowfrost sighed. 

Jaywing padded up to Ashstar's side. The two of them walked at the head of the group. Ivypool, Bramblehawk, Firestorm, Tigerheart, Crowfrost, Cloverfoot, Ferncloud, Mothwing, Willowshine, Duskpelt, and Reedwhisker followed. It seemed like ShadowClan and RiverClan would be growing as fast as WindClan. Duskpelt was also expecting kits, and that was good news for RiverClan.