Firepaw roared, leaping once again. This time, he managed to swipe his right paw under Tigerstar's hind leg, latching onto it with his claws. The older tom grunted and crashed to the ground, but was quickly back on his paws. Firepaw clawed viscously at his mentor's flank, while the leader writhed and growled.

   After a few heartbeats of struggling, Firepaw had Tigerstar on his back, the dark brown tabby's belly exposed. Firepaw placed a paw on his mentor's throat, claws unsheathed, and his other forepaw on Tigerstar's shoulder, holding him down firmly. He worked furiously with his hind claws to shred Tigerstar's belly.

   The ThunderClan leader roared in fury, slashing upward so suddenly that Firepaw felt flesh tear. The apprentice yowled in pain, placing a paw over his nose. Sure enough, a nasty scratch was pouring blood down him muzzle, matting his fur with crimson stains. Tigerstar hissed and pinned Firepaw on his back, using his superior strength to crush Firepaw into the dirt.

   The dark ginger tom went limp, faking defeat. It was his favorite move, and never failed to trick his opponents. He heard Tigerstar mutter something about "pathetic kittypet" as the larger tom slackened his grip.

   He surged upward, bashing the top of his head into Tigerstar's chin. He heard a faint grinding sound as the leader's bottom jaw was bashed into his top set of fangs. He let out a startled cry of pain, before slicing at Firepaw's hind leg and pinning him in the dirt.

   "Stupid kittypet," he growled, looming over Firepaw's throat. "Don't ever cheat again."

   "Cheat?" Firepaw spat. "So bashing your jaw is cheating, but ripping out cats' throats isn't?"

   Tigerstar's tail lashed out behind him. "Killing enemies is not cheating. But we are no longer enemies, Firepaw," the tom smirked. "You belong to me now."

   "I do not!"

   The leader purred. "Oh? Were you ready to end Cloudpaw's miserable life?"

   Firepaw gritted his teeth. "No."

   "That's what I thought." The dark brown tabby stepped off of his apprentice and gast a glance up at the sky. He growled at the stars shining high above. "We're done for today. I expect you to be ready at dawn tomorrow as well."

   "Where are you going?" He called after Tigerstar as the other tom began to climb the slope out of the hollow.

   "To meet the other leaders at Fourtrees."

   "Oh," Firepaw meowed. He had almost forgotten about the deal the leaders had made at the last Gathering. "Then why are you heading back towards camp?"

   "I need to fetch my warriors." Tigerstar didn't even glance back at his apprentice.

   "But you told the other leaders to come alone!"

The leader stopped walking and turned to look at Firepaw, a smirk on his face. "So? Would you come alone if you were leader?" He snorted. "Who am I kidding? A stupid kittypet like you would never be leader."

Anger boiled under Firepaw's fur as he watched his mentor saunter away. Are you just going to let him talk to you like that? A strange voice hissed in his mind.

Who are you? Firepaw asked.

I'm a part of you, of course, the voice purred. You should follow him. What if he attacks the other leaders, who will not have an army of cats to back them up? More cats could die, Firepaw.

You're right, the dark ginger tom stamped his paw on the ground. But what if I'm caught?

Don't worry about that. Do what you know is right, Firepaw.

Puffing out his chest, the apprentice strode out of the clearing. I'll make sure no more cats die at Tigerstar's paws. Once he was out of the Training Hollow, he began to slink silently through the undergrowth in the directing of Fourtrees. I can't go to camp because Tigerstar might see me, he reasoned. So I'll have to hope that I can hide at Fourtrees.

As he reached the clearing of the four great oaks, he searched for a good spot to hide. He sniffed around a large rock near the base of the Great Rock, but he figured that he would be scented. He then padded over and prodded at some tree roots that sheltered an old badger set, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to hear anything above him if he went down into the earth. Finally, he settled on an old, hollow tree stump near the outskirts of the clearing, bordering WindClan territory. It'll have to do, he thought as he struggled to get comfortable in the cramped space that smelled of mushrooms and crow-food.

          ~~❤︎❤︎❤︎~~

   Firepaw yawned, blinking sleepily. All of the other leaders were inside the clearing, but Tigerstar had yet to arrive. Leopardstar, Tallstar, and Nightstar were clustered at the base of the Great Rock, talking in low, anxious tones.

   "...Tigerstar...say no... end of us..." the apprentice managed to pick up a few words that the leaders were saying, and Tallstar did not sound happy.

   Neither did Leopardstar as she replied with a scowl on her face. "RiverClan...at his claws."

   Poor Nightstar was just hunched over beside the two arguing leaders, staring miserably at his paws. Firepaw felt in ache in his chest as he realized that he could count every one of the pathetic leader's ribs. He looks sick. ShadowClan may be in grave danger.

   Finally, Firepaw heard a rustling in the undergrowth from across the clearing. The others must have heard it too, because they all stopped talking immediately and snapped to attention.

   "Greetings," Tigerstar purred roughly as he stepped out from the bushes. Firepaw scanned the tree line and thought that he could make out a few flashes of fur, but the rest of the ThunderClan cats seemed to be well-hidden.

   "Hello, Tigerstar," Tallstar narrowed his eyes. "I assume that you came alone, as you requested that we do?"

   The ThunderClan leader didn't even look at the WindClan leader. Instead, he called to the bushes near Firepaw's stump. "I know you're there. You can come out here."

   Runningnose and Mistyfoot stepped out of the undergrowth, both ducking their heads sheepishly. "S-sorry Tigerstar," The ShadowClan medicine cat stuttered. "We came to offer guidance from StarClan."

   Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. "But she is not a medicine cat. She is a deputy."

   "RiverClan does not have a medicine cat at the moment," Mistyfoot growled warningly. "So I am the closest cat to StarClan other than Leopardstar."

   "Have you brought any cat, Tallstar?" The ThunderClan leader growled.

   The black and white tom looked appalled. "Of course not!" His neck fur bristled in defiance. "I am a tom of my word."

   Tigerstar nodded, then turned to face all of the leaders at once. "You all know why we are here. I hope that you have all thought over my proposal. I believe that it could benefit all of the Clans greatly, especially going into leaf-bare."

   "I have thought about it, Tigerstar," Nightstar stood shakily, and had to lean on Tallstar when he almost fell back to the ground. "And my Clan will join you."

   "What!?" Leopardstar roared.

   "Is this wise, Nightstar?" Tallstar hissed. "Are you sure that you want to give up the Clan that you lead?"

   "I have no other choice," the dark brown tom's eyes glazed over. "My Clan is nothing but a band of well-mannered rogues at this point. We are battered by sickness, and I fear that my last life will be over soon."

   The RiverClan and WindClan leaders gasped, but Tigerstar remained emotionless. "A very wise decision, Nightstar," Tigerstar nodded to the pathetic tom. "How about you two? Do you wish to recreate the days of the Ancient Clans, back when us cats ruled the forest?"

   Tallstar stood, more steadily that Nightstar. "No, Tigerstar. My Clan will not grovel at your paws. I will fight to my very end if it means that my Clan keeps its honor."

   "Think carefully, Tallstar," the dark brown tabby meowed quietly. His voice sounded so dangerous that Firepaw inhaled a quick breath. "Do you believe that your Clan can defeat me in battle? Is it worth all the bloodshed that is certain to come?"

   "Yes," the WindClan leader meowed firmly, holding the ThunderClan leader's blaring amber gaze. "My Clan's name is worth every life I was ever given."

   Firepaw could see that Tigerstar was trying very hard to keep his fur lying flat. "Very well. And you, Leopardstar? Surely after you've seen my Clan's excellence in battle, you'll find it worth your while to join us?"

   "No," the spotted tabby growled. "I'll die before I unite with an evil cat like you."

   "Very well," Tigerstar hissed, whipping around. "Come, Nightstar, let's fetch your Clan. We'll bring them to our camp and call a meeting."

   Firepaw gulped. That's it? The leaders nodded to each other and started padding towards their respective territories. No battle or bloodshed? Just a peaceful resolution? Tigerstar is planning something.

   No sooner had Firepaw finished the thought when Tigerstar whipped around and yowled. "ThunderClan, slaughter them all!"