The Start Of Something New

The sky was dark and Dreamstar leaped onto the Lake Rock.

"Cats of LakeClan, tonight we will mourn for our lost, and tomorrow we shall bury them. We all fought bravely and valiantly, and the dead died fighting for their family. Because that's what LakeClan is, family. While we were out in our territory we found some new cats. We welcome Nettle, who is expecting kits. She will stay in the medicine cat den until the other dens are rebuilt. The main dens are still intact, so that will be fine. We also have Lotusmoon, Ivy and Ash joining us. Ivy and Ash, please step forward.

Until you have received you warrior names, you will be known as Ivypaw and Ashpaw!

Lotusmoon, please step forward. Train your apprentice well. I will also train an apprentice this time.

Lotusmoon, you shall mentor Ashpaw. 

I shall mentor Ivypaw."

Dreamstar leaped off the rock and touched her nose to Ivypaw's.

"I hope our clan can thrive once more. Let us welcome Nettle, Lotusmoon, Ivypaw and Ashpaw again."

"Ivypaw! Ashpaw! Lotusmoon! Nettle!"

"There is not much prey to go around, but the same rules still apply. Nettle will have the first piece of prey, then so on. I hope you can all show our new members around and teach them about clan ways. I have one last ceremony to perform."

She closed her eyes briefly, thoughts flickering through her mind. 

"I say these words before Starclan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of LakeClan is Birchstorm! 


You are a brave cat, and have been through much in your life. I trust you will be a good deputy."

Dreamstar dipped her head.

"If there are any wounds, please go see Nestflame."

The One's Left

Break looked at the cats who were left alive. Less than 30. He snarled and leaped at a tortoiseshell she-cat. He heard a tom yowl and he looked up.

"No! Not her! You can't kill her!"

Break narrowed his eyes and bit into her throat, all the way staring straight into the tom's eyes. His eyes flickered to blue and the tom snarled.

"You! You're the one who almost killed me! You killed my father! And my mother too!"

Ridgefeather leaped at Break but he leaped backwards leaving Maple  breathing shallowly on the ground. Ridgefeather advanced, his pelt on end.

"You betrayed us all! You killed, then came to the clan!? I heard you fell in love too! I wish I was here to see that! Just to tell that sorry she-cat what kind of cat you really were! If you're going to kill... do it quickly! I would trade my life with hers any day."

Break stopped where he was. Hearing Ridgefeather talk about Maple, it reminded him of Ebonywing.

"N-no!"

Ridgefeather snarled.

"Give her back her life and kill me! If anyone deserves to live, it's her! I brought her here when we could've found new housefolk! It's not fair!"

This threw Break over the edge and he roared, his eyes now a glistening blue.

"Nothing is ever fair! My life has never been fair! You don't know the meaning of fair! I loved her! I killed her! Do you know how that feels!? To have the blood of the cat you love in your mouth!?"

Break towered over Ridgefeather, his eyes showing pure pain.

"I had no choice though! I have no free-will! If you say 'Break', well there goes my life! Everything I've known here seems to be thrown away! I can't control myself! Do you know how that feels? Sure, you might've lost someone you loved, but you never had to feel the guilt and blame of being the one who ended their life! Their existence."

Burst breathed deeply and he backed up, looking around the clearing that was scattered with bodies. Sear and Flare were staring at him, as were the rest of the cats who were left. Burst shook his head.

"This isn't right. This was never right!"

Then, he spun around and raced into the still flaming forest.

::---::

Ridgefeather glanced at Sear and Flare who's eyes were turning back to normal. Then he turned back to Maple.

"Maple..."

She looked up at him, her eyes glistening.

"Ridgefeather, I love you. I'm glad I came."

Ridgefeather shook his head.

"You can't die! It should be me! Please!"

He lifted his head to the smoky sky and yowled.

"Why can't you switch my life with hers!?"

He then buried his head into her fur and sobbed quietly. He felt a tail touch his soldier and he looked up into Nestflame's face.

"Ridgefeather, she's gone. I'm sorry."

Ridgefeather wailed and licked her frantically.

"No! No please no!"

Nestflame leaned against Ridgefeather and slowly moved him away from Maple's body. The distraught tom weaped and buried his head in his paws. 

"Ridgefeather, it's over. They're gone. They won't come back again, and your kits are safe."

Ridgefeather looked up as five apprentices came out of the medicine cat's den, looking around warily. Ridgefeather looked up at Nestflame, his eyes suddenly seeming older. The tom stood on shaky feet and stumbled to his sons. Crowpaw looked around at the cats left.

"Where's Strongspirit!?"

Dreamstar shook her head. She had lost two lives in this battle, and now only had seven.

"We'll find out soon enough where she is. We have to clean all the deceased and prepare them for vigil tonight."

She bent down and licked Fleckrain's ear.

"They were all so brave..." 

She looked at the cats standing around her. Frostysky, Nestflame, Birchstorm, Sweetpaw, Featheredpaw, Grayshadow, Bluegaze, Ridgefeather, Crowpaw, Oakpaw, Ink and Rippleblaze. She nodded at them and they all got to work with grooming each cat's pelt of blood.

::---::

 Burst ran through the forest and eventually stumbled and fell. He gasped and lay on his side, staring into the sky.

"Ebonywing! I never wanted this! Please!"

Then he saw a starry figure form next to him. He gasped and struggled onto his stomach.

"E-ebonywing! I'm so sorry! I never... This wasn't supposed to happen!"

Ebonywing smiled slightly.

"Oh Burst. You've had such a tortured life."

She shook her head sadly and Burst closed his eyes.

"Please! I want to go with you! I can't live without you! Ebonywing!"

Ebonywing tilted her head, sighing.

"You cannot. You are still living."

She ran her tail down his face gently.

"Then I'll die! Please! Oh Ebonywing."

"No Burst. It's not your time."

Burst stared at her as she slowly disappeared. He yowled then saw his brothers come out from the ruined land.

This Is The End

Burst twitched slightly and stood up. He looked at Singe and Flash, and nodded slightly. He padded out of the camp with the two toms following close behind. When they were at the edge of the territory Burst turned and looked at his brothers. Their eyes were already glowing red, and Burst knew his eyes were too.

"Sear, Flare. It's time."

Flare turned around and ran back to the camp, waiting closely outside the entrance.

I'm here. 

Sear nodded then turned around and started to walk back to the camp. The forest quickly went up in flames, though the air was frigid. The only part of the forest not touched by flames was the path that Sear walked on. The deep snow quickly melted in the heat of the flames, and prey scattered from their burrows, trying to find a way out, but there was no way out. The flames created a circle around the entire LakeClan territory. They slowly advanced on the camp, with only one path out, the one Break would soon take. It was like he couldn't feel the heat of the flames as they closed in around him, blocking the path. He looked to the sky, and smiled slightly as he saw a huge pillar of fire reach into the sky. He bounded forward, right through the flames. He could already hear the yowling of cats, and as he followed the path set by Sear the sound grew louder and louder. He snarled and his paws seemed to light on fire as he ran faster, bursting into the camp to find Sear and Flare standing near the entrance, preventing any cat from moving. Flames licked around Break's feet as he stopped and surveyed the mass of shuddering cats. He saw Dreamstar step forward, her eyes glinting. She'd been through so much in her life, she would die protecting her clan.

"What are you doing!? We are your family!"

Break shook his head.

"My family is the Dark Forest. We were made for this. For the destruction of LakeClan. Now, there's no where to run. "

He leaped forward at Dreamstar, but his flaming claws caught in fur before he could reach out. He snarled as he saw a gray and white tom on his claws instead of Dreamstar. The life was slowly bleeding out of him.

"You won't hurt her. Not after everything she's been through."

Break through Spiritsky still body aside and looked back up to see the clan fighting for their lives, but it was hopeless fighting against them. Three cats against 300, an easy win. Break leaped into the battle, a blue of glinting, red eyes.

(Please comment saying which cats you want to keep alive. Any cats not posted underneath in two days, will be proclaimed dead. Have fun RPing too! ^^ )