Thistleclaw padded into an alleyway with Boulder of ShadowClan in the lead. Tigerclaw stumbled along next to him, to Thistleclaw's disgust. He didn't even want to find that traitor. He'd heard the brown tabby's treasonous words, trying to poison his own son, and he much preferred the idea of killing him right here and now.

But Whitestorm would be devastated. If he wanted his son to stay loyal to him, he had to let Tigerclaw live, even if it was reluctantly. He looked sideways at the tom. His gaze had cleared, but his ribs still stuck out and his eyes were full of rage and fury. You deserve this sickness, this insanity, he thought. Even he thought it a bit far to think that and silently apologised.

"We're here," Boulder meowed, looking positively terrified. He flinched as a large light grey tom stalked towards him.

"Boulder," he snarled. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I came to see Scourge," Boulder stuttered. "I've got Clan visitors."

The light grey tom took a step forward, but a cold voice interrupted him before he could attack.

"Bone, move out the way," the voice mewed, and Bone obediently stepped away to reveal a small black tom sitting on top of a twoleg storage box. He leapt down and stared at Boulder coldly.

"You have come back after all this time?" Scourge hissed. Then his icy blue eyes widened as he saw Tigerclaw and Thistleclaw and he let out a coldhearted laugh.

"Clan cats. What do you want?" He mewed.

Thistleclaw shouldered Tigerclaw harshly and stepped forward. "Scourge," he greeted. His claws sunk into the stone floor.

"I have a proposition for you."

--

Bluestar watched in surprise as cats from all four - or five - Clans came rushing at each other below her. BloodClan cats took on WindClan and ThunderClan cats, meanwhile more ThunderClan cats fought next to BloodClan cats. She glimpsed Fireblaze sprinting into the whirlpool of cats with a BloodClan cat racing next to him. She was distracted from what was happening in the hollow by Tigerclaw scrambling onto the great rock. He stared at Whitestorm clearly, the glazed over look Bluestar glimpsed before gone.

"What are you doing?!" He yowled over the fighting noises. "Standing with him of all cats?!"

Whitestorm looked confused. "What-"

Tigerclaw leapt onto Whitestorm and pinned him down. "You're on the traitor's side!" He screeched.

Whitestorm stared up at his friend with wide eyes. "Tigerclaw, what are you talking about?! He's my father!"

Tigerclaw spat in Whitestorm's face. "He's a murderer and a traitor is all he is! He doesn't love you!"

Bluestar, unnerved from the insanity in Tigerclaw's gaze, took a step away from the fighting toms. She stared at the other leaders and then leapt off of the highrock and down to the fighting.

She was almost immediately tackled by a grey tom Bluestar recognised as Greystrike of ThunderClan. The warrior pinned her down and spat in her face. Bluestar managed to push him off, giving him a scratch on the cheek as she did. Greystrike snarled and slashed at her muzzle, slicing a bit of her nose open.

The two stared at each other now, tails lashing. Greystrike fell into a crouch and leapt. Mid-leap, he was pushed over by a black tom of ThunderClan called Ravenscreech. The two toms tussled in the ground until Ravenscreech leapt away and swiped at Greystrike's front paws, knocking him over. He scratched Greystrike's belly fur, making him yowl in pain. Ears flattened to his head, the grey tom leapt to his paws and ran off to fight someone else.

Bluestar smiled gratefully at Ravenscreech, who gave her a nod. "I can't believe Greystrike would be one of the traitors," Ravenscreech mewed grimly. "Good luck, Bluestar."

The leader watched as Ravenscreech went off to drive off another traitor. She spun around as Sandstorm and Fireblaze nearly bowled her over as they fought. Sandstorm looked pained and terrified and Fireblaze looked furious. As they passed, Bluestar managed to leap at Fireblaze and tackle him off of the she-cat. Fireblaze stared up at her in surprise and for a second Bluestar saw the gentle face she had only seen in visions of alternate universes.

But the softness was gone after a moment, so fast Bluestar wondered if it was real, and Fireblaze looked furious again, pushing her off of him and pinning her down.

Bluestar went limp and stared up at Fireblaze defeatedly. Fireblaze looked down, eyes glimmering triumphantly, and didn't expect Bluestar to shove him off and bite on his ear. He let out a screech as Bluestar ripped a bit off. Ouch, she thought as blood ran down Fireblaze's ear and face. That must hurt.

Then a relieved look crossed Fireblaze's expression. Before Bluestar could turn to see what he was happy about, Spottedleaf leapt onto her, scratching at her belly with her hind paws and biting on her ear. Bluestar screeched in pain, struggling to get the ex-medicine cat off of her.

But she did and she managed to kick her into Fireblaze, knocking the two of them down. She stared down at the two dazed cats, gaze emotionless. She looked up to see Sandstorm, eyes full of rage and claws unsheathed. For a second Bluestar was nervous she was going to leap at him just as Spottedleaf and Fireblaze did, but she had respect in her gaze as she padded over and stared at Bluestar. "I'll take care of him," she mewed coldly as she stared down at Fireblaze. The ginger tom struggled to move Spottedleaf out of the way.

Bluestar nodded and turned to fight another cat. She found in front of her Brokenstar and Scourge. She backed away as Brokenstar leapt at him and Scourge ripped him open, head to tail. She let out a screech at the event happening right before her.

Brokenstar fell to the ground and didn't stir. Bluestar waited for him to get up. He had nine lives left, after all. But he didn't. With a sinking feeling, Bluestar realised what had happened. She stared up at Scourge with newfound fear growing. It felt like the feeling was strangling her, making her unable to breathe.

Scourge was able to take a leader's nine lives, all at the same time.