Theme: Write an alternative ending to “The Last Hope”.

"You're no leader, Tigerstar." Firestar padded closer. "You never were."

Tigerstar snarled, "I'm a better leader than you could ever be."

"A leader puts his Clan first." Firestar lashed his tail. "Instead, your Clanmates are made to fight their battles, not theirs."

"Real warriors love battles," Tigerstar sneered. "I give them a chance to die for cause."

Dovewing searched Tigerstar's gaze. Was he mad? Countless cats have died in battles. Does he really believe he'd done them a favor?

Firestar's pelt rippled, his muscles twitched. "And what have all your battles been for, Tigerstar? What cause is worth the lives of so many warriors?"

Tigerstar's eyes burned. "Deafeating you, of course."

Firestar met his gaze. "You haven't defeated me yet."

Dovewing held her breath. There was a wildness in the dark warrior's eyes that terrified her.

"That's why I am here," Tigerstar growled.

"No!" called Bluestar. Every cat turned to her. Firestar turned to his old leader, surprised. "Tigerstar . . . no matter how many times you may kill Firestar, this battle for you may never end how hard you fight and how hard you train." Her eyes blazed with truth and wisdom.

Tigerstar sneered. "What are you talking about?"

Bluestar sighed. "If Firestar dies . . . if he gets killed . . . there is always another cat who will come . . ."

Rock padded from behind Bluestar. "That's enough," he ordered. "This is Firestar's battle."

"Rock correct," Midnight said. "Future will form in the paws of present." She dipped her head. "Good luck, Firestar."

Firestar turned to Tigerstar. Dovewing watched, her bones burning, her eyes longing to leap in and just end it all. Bumblestripe walked up from behind him and touched his pelt to her's. "It's okay," he murmured. "Firestar is the best leader any cat may ask for. He is unbeatable . . ."

"Every cat can fall," Dovewing murmered back to Bumblestripe, "no matter how great they are."

Tigerstar growled to himself. Firestar straightened his posture to look more stronger. "The Dark Forest will never be able to beat the Clans!" Firestar declared. "They all know that no matter how hard they try, they will only win with the goodness in their hearts."

"I don't need them." Tigerstar glanced at the cats bristling at the edge of the clearing. "I only have to beat you. And when you're gone, I'll start picking your Clanmates one by one, moon after moon, till there's no one left."

Firestar's gaze flitted from Ferncloud's body to Hollyleaf's. "I'm not going to let you harm any of my cats, not ever." His tail swished low over the ground.

"Then you're gonna have to kill me."

Firestar narrowed his eyes. "Has it been worth it, Tigerstar? All the hate? All the death?"

Tigerstar flattened his ears. "Every moment." Eyes slitted, he attacked. Hooking his claws deep into Firestar's shoulder, he raked his spine with churning paws. "Ever since Bluestar found you I became nothing! I all this time for my revenge!"

Firestar twisted free and slashed at him. The dark warrior ducked back, head low, and grabbed Firestar's hind paw in his teeth. Biting hard, he dragged Firestar onto his belly, then reared up and slammed his forepaws onto Firestar's spine. "When you're dead, I can rule the Clans or kill them!"

Graystripe darted forward, teeth barred. "Never!"

Whitestorm blocked him. "No, Graystripe. This is Firestar's battle."

Firestar heaved himself onto his hind paws and turned to face Tigerstar. "You will never have the forest as long as I am alive!" He leaped for the dark warrior. Swerving in midair, he landed a whisker away from Tigerstar's flank. As Tigerstar spun to defend himself, Firestar smashed his paws into the dark warrior's side. Unbalanced, Tigerstar staggered and fell. Firestar rained slashing blows onto Tigerstar's head.

Writhing away, Tigerstar struggled to his paws. He blinked blood from his eyes and lunged at Firestar's throat. The ThunderClan leader lurched backward. Tigerstar clung on, his claws spiking Firestar's neck.

Sandstorm leaped forward, hissing with rage, but Sorreltail reached out and heaved her back by the scruff. "You can't change his destiny, Sandstorm."

Firestar dug his claws into Tigerstar's belly and thrust him off. Fur ripped at the ThunderClan leader's throat. 

No! Dovewing held her breath, waiting for blood to pour through. But only pale skin showed through. Tigerstar's clumsy grip has ripped nothing but fur.

Firestar jumped to his paws. "You have lived like a rogue. You can die like a rogue." Flashing like lightning across the clearing, he flew at Tigerstar, aiming for the dark warrior's throat. With a vicious snarl, he sunk his teeth deep into Tigerstar's throat. He held on until Tigerstar thrashed and staggered and finally collapsed into the ground.

Firestar kept hold of the dark warrior as blood flowed over his paws. When Tigerstar stopped twitching, he finally let go of his throat. He straightened up and watched Tigerstar fade away, his gaze blank.

Dovewing turned to Ivypool, shaking. "Tigerstar has gone!"

As she spoke, a large crash sounded. The tree Firestar stood under was tipping. No other cat noticed it, but her. "Firestar!" she called. "Watch out!" 

Firestar's eyes widened as he looked at her. But she was too late. The tree tipped and fell right where the ThunderClan leader stood. Dovewing gasped, and Sandstorm stiffened. The dust began to fade in the air and Firestar's limp body began to show through the dust.

"No!" yowled Sandstorm.

Dovewing froze and looked at the midst of all the dust. No cat may have noticed . . . all their attention was drawn to Firestar's limp body . . . But she saw something in the shadows. She slowly padded over to Lionblaze and Jayfeather, who stood side by side in shock.

She ran up. "D-did you see that?" she asked.

"Firestar's limp body? Yes!" Lionblaze gasped. He was about to run forward to the injured leader, but Jayfeather stopped him. 

"No. That's not what she means," said Jayfeather. "I sense something . . ." The medicine cat turned his gaze over to the darkness where the tree fell. "I sense a presence. It's evil. His thoughts are swarming with bad ambitions."

Dovewing turned back to the shadows, to see a glint of red eyes shine. "That's who pushed the tree!" she exclaimed. Her heart was pounding with fear. 

Bluestar was walking up from behind all of the wreckage. "Three," she said softly. "Firestar is dead . . ."

Dovewing gasped. "Wha--no!" She looked down to her paws and she began to grieve. Lionblaze's tail touched her spine.

"Look," he said.

Bluestar was obviously not done talking. "I presume you can see it too," said the old leader. 

Dovewing heard Rock's paw steps approaching before she could see him. She could also see that Midnight was walking right by him. "Something terrible is rising," Bluestar continued.

Rock and Midnight had just got there. "Creature killed Firestar," Midnight muttered to them. "Something terrible is rising."

Rock nodded. "Firestar's destiny was to die," Rock meowed. "So that another's destiny is to rise."

A breeze stirred Dovewing's pelt. The ThunderClan cats began chanting Bramblestar's new name. Grief swallowed in her throat.

Jayfeather brushed his pelt to her's. "He gave his life to what mattered most: his Clanmates," said Jayfeather. "He truly has the stars in his paws now. You will see him again when it is time."

There will be three cats, with the power of the stars in their paws. They will find the fourth and the battle between light and dark will be won. A new leader will rise from the shadows of his death, and the Clans will survive beyond the memories of his memories. That is how it has been and how it will always be.

"New danger is rising," repeated Midnight.

Dovewing looked up to the badger's narrow face. Rock was continuing: "Firestar's heroic and brave end has lead to many more up-comes for the future. Tigerstar is at his end, but there will be one darkness rising after the next, and that will be after the next."

Dovewing stared at the creature nobody else noticed in the dark. It was staring back at her.

"As the stories get older, so will these prophecies and omens. The path of the Clans has been broken." Rock's voice trailed away as she watched him leave. Midnight followed. She also noticed that Bluestar was gone. Everything for her went black.

Dovewing's eyes opened again. They widened at what she was seeing.

A queen was licking her newly born kits softly and gently, cradling them close to her belly to let them have milk. Her eyes were soft and gentle, their father stood over lovingly and protectively. The moon was up at the same position it was in at the scene of Firestar's death.

The kits looked nothing like their parents. The queen was a white she-cat with warm amber eyes, and their father was a golden tom cat with green eyes. The first kit that Dovewing saw was black and white, and the other was completely black.

Right in the distance, a loud creature hissed. Nobody seemed to hear it but Dovewing. That's right. They can't hear like me.

She narrowed her eyes into slits as she looked at where the screech came from. Then . . . she noticed . . . it was the same creature that she had seen in the forest. The same exact one. How had it traveled so fast? Dovewing's head shook with horror as she stared.

"This can't be happening . . ." she murmured. She saw those kits for a reason. They were part of their future. She wondered if they were new heroines or just more trouble. But she definitely knew that the creature that had killed Firestar will haunt her future, as well as everyone else's. "Oh StarClan, it's not over."