Chapter Twenty-four: Sun and Snow

A battle was raging in the camp of SwiftPack. Wolves snarled and tore at each other, eyes blazing, and though they were much fewer than Akando, SwiftPack seemed to have the spirit of Nova with them. They weren't just fighting for territory-they were fighting for honor. They were fighting to get this menace out of their home.

"Try to take over, will you?" Swift growled, attacking a male. "Then I guess it's ok if I take something of yours, too!" Quick and sharp, she ripped off one of the creature's ears with her powerful jaws.

Crying and yelping, the wolf tore off into the woods. Sahale watched him, and turned snarling to Swift. "How dare a she-wolf do that to one of my finest males?" He demanded. "Taborri, come! Help me finish her!"

Blizzard, who had been fighting with another male, quickly moved to his mate's side, but there was no need. Taborri stared fearfully at Sahale for a moment, but that frightened look became an angry glare. Head held proudly, she stepped to Swift's side as well.

"If you want to harm this good she-wolf," She warned. "You'll have to go through me first. I'm through with you and your pack, Sahale, and I'll join SwiftPack if they can forgive me for going along with madness like yours."

"We can," Swift replied. "I knew you weren't like him, Taborri. Is it all right with you, Blizzard?"

After a moment, the pale wolf nodded. "Yes."

Sahale shook his head. "Traitor. It looks like we'll have to settle this in battle, won't we my dear Taborri?"

"She's not alone," Blizzard assured him.

xxx

Calicofur stared at the cats pouring out. To her relief, a little black figure sprang out with them, hissing and spitting in fear. Instinctively, she rushed out to meet him, covering him with licks and crouching protectively over him.

"Nightkit!" She cried, treating him like any mother would. "Thank StarClan you're safe!" Angrily, she looked up at the DeathClan and hissed, pelt bristling. They chuckled, and one reached out, but Calicofur angrily swiped her claws across his face, making him leap back. "I still have the training of a warrior, and I'm going to protect this kit with all I'm worth!" She threatened.

"Stay calm, Calicofur," Dreamstar warned. "I know that you want to kill them for stealing him-trust me, I've had the feeling- but you can't. It will endanger all of us, and you don't want any suspicions rising, right?"

Slowly, Calicofur nodded, realizing that some may find the fact that she was so motherly to Nightkit strange. She could still protect him though, and would.

"Sun and Snow together," Tigerstar growled. "How charming. However, don't think a little bit of ice and some rays of light are going to stop us."

"Of course they won't," Dreamstar quipped. "We will." She turned to Windstar, meeting his eyes, and repeated, "We will."

Windstar couldn't help but ask, "We will?"

"Yes. We will." Somehow, the words took on a whole new meaning when coupled with that look in Dreamstar's eyes. It held forgiveness, trust, and worry... for him. It was exactly the look he had been longing for ever since he was tricked by Robinpelt.

Windstar took his place at Dreamstar's side, just as he had many times before. This time though, they were literally looking death in the eye.

"Calicofur," Dreamstar stated in a calm, level voice. "I want you to go back to camp. Take Nightkit with you, of course. Tell ThunderClan to prepare for battle."

"Ah," Tigerstar purred. "So you take the challenge."

"Without a doubt."

"Dreamstar," Calicofur replied bitterly, blue eyes pleading. "I'm not leaving you! You're my best friend, and you could die right here."

"Think about Nightkit," Dreamstar told her softly. "Think about the Clan. You can't let them suffer. And I won't die, at least not yet."

Calicofur looked from Dreamstar to her kit back and forth for a moment, before sighing, "I'll see you at camp," And picking up the young one in her mouth, running off.

"What do we do now?" Windstar whispered in Dreamstar's ear, his voice low enough so that DeathClan couldn't hear.

"We stall so that Calicofur can warn the Clan," She replied just as quietly. "Then we run. If you want, you can go to ShadowClan and bring your warriors to ThunderClan to fight. But I need you to be there. Sun and Snow is what the Clans need to survive."

"Of course I'd be there," Windstar assured her, daring to give the sun-colored she-cat a lick on her muzzle. She didn't seem to mind at all.

Suddenly, Windstar was bowled over by a familiar warrior. He caught a glimpse of white paws on his shoulders, a bracken-colored pelt, and angry amber eyes.

"Windstar!" Dreamstar cried in shock and worry, just as she was faced by a warrior Windstar didn't recognize.

"Robinpelt," Windstar spat, freeing himself from the tom's grasp. "I see you've left Littlecloud's body. At last."

"Yes," Robinpelt's eyes gleamed with satisfaction and anticipation. "I left the old fool so that I can finally fight you in a body that is strong enough to kill."

"I'm not a conceited cat, Robinpelt," Windstar laughed. "But there is no way you're going ot defeat me."

xxx

"Oh, Nightkit, you're back!" Palelegs meowed happily, bathing the kit with her tongue just as Calicofur had done. The medicine cat simply watched, stunned for a moment. "Thank-you," Palelegs continued, voice sincere.

"Thank-you," Calicofur said softly. She raced to the middle of camp, throwing her head up and yowling for the Clan to gather. She felt a bit better when she saw that Scarletpaw was back and looked fine, leaning on Rockpaw's shoulder as Birdpaw kept a close eye on her.

"Calicofur," Birchpelt greeted her. "You're back! And you've found Nightkit, good job."

"It was nothing," She replied quickly, not wanting to have to answer so many questions. "Listen now, all of you, I have important news." A worried murmur ran through the crowd.

"Wait!" Mousefur rasped. "Where's Dreamstar? Shouldn't she be the one calling meetings and telling us this?"

"Dreamstar's back facing Tigerstar and his warriors," Calicofur confessed. "Don't look at me like I'm crazy... you all know the tales of DeathClan. You all know the prophecy of Sun and Snow. Now, both Dreamstar and Windstar are ready to fulfill their destinies, and we must stand by them. DeathClan is all of our worst nightmares-Tigerstar, Scourge, Hawkfrost, Mudclaw... all of them. And they are going to be attacking ThunderClan soon."

Gasps circulated as the cats spoke. "Not Scourge and his BloodClan allies," Goldenflower whispered, eyes wide. "Please not them!"

"All of them," Calicofur repeated sadly.

"Well," Birchpelt suddenly growled, stepping forward. "Why are we worrying so much over this? We must prepare! All queens and kits, into the nursery, queens, you may have to protect your young ones. All elders into the elders' den, but be ready as well."

The Clan now seemed to be one pulsing group of cats, all working together to get ready for the attack. Calicofur hadn't seen them this synchronized in a long time.

xxx

Dreamstar bared her teeth in the face of Scourge and dodge as he tried to rake his dog-fang enforced claws down her shoulder. "You're not going to kill me like you did my foolish grandfather," She spat. "I'll defeat your Clan just as my other grandfather did-Firestar. Except this time, I won't be the only cat working." She shot a glance towards Windstar, who was clawing Robinpelt with all the anger of a protective mate and father. But though she and Windstar were fresh now, it would wear off soon enough with all these warriors against them. They had to leave now.

Kicking Scourge's stomach with back paws, she knocked the breath out of him long enough to scramble to her paws.

"Windstar, now!" She yowled, and began to run into the forest, the white tom and DeathClan hot on her heels.

"I'm going to ShadowClan to get warriors," Windstar's breath was barely in her ear before he vanished discreetly into the forest. DeathClan were too focused on the cat who started this all to notice him.

It was going to come down to a battle that upstaged all battles.

xxx

"Windstar, what did you do to yourself?" Applebird mewed, staring at his scratches.

"I did nothing to myself," Windstar snapped back. "Somebody did this to me! But there's no time for that. I need all the warriors here."

"Why?"

"Applebird, my friend, my deputy," Windstar flicked her shoulder with his tail tip. "We are going to save the Clans."

xxx

Dreamstar skidded to a stop into ThunderClan's camp. Every cat seemed to be moving, and she was still dazed as Calicofur raced up to her.

"Thank StarClan you're here," the medicine cat breathed.

Looking behind her shoulder, Dreamstar hoped desperately that Windstar had made it back to camp. She felt a presence near her.

"Dreamstar." The menacing voice that came from the forest seemed to silence everyone, making them still with fear and anguish.

Well, it silenced everyone but our heroine, who, according to many, CAN'T be silenced.

"Yes?" She asked sweetly, stepping forward, tail-tip twitching. "I'm waiting, grandfather."

One by one, the cats of DeathClan stalked out, eyes burning with the intense desire to kill, to taste the blood of their enemies, watch it stain their paws... and the problem was, Dreamstar felt this desire as well. She had never felt it before, and it wasn't towards any of her Clanmates... it was towards the cat staring in front of her.

Jaws open in a battle cry, Dreamstar lept towards Tigerstar, using all of the weight in her small body to push him over so that the two were a mass of tabby and ginger fur. DeathClan and ThunderClan cats met each other fighting, yowls ringing across the clearing.

Calicofur gathered her herbs in her den, looking outside. Today would be a day where events would turn... she just knew it.

Dreamstar raked her claws across Tigerstar's broad shoulders, catching enough time to take a quick look around. Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw were fighting as well, and Dreamstar was pleased to see that her father seemed to have the upper hand, his fangs buried into his half-brother's neck.

Still... how could they win this? These cats were already dead, so wouldn't they just stay here, never dying?

"Thinking about your options, aren't you?" Tigerstar growled, eyes gleaming with his evil nature.

Suddenly, a yowl of warning came across the camp. Once again, all cats, even the DeathClan ones, seemed to freeze and looked up. Windstar stood, eyes frosty, a torrent of warriors and apprentices behind him.

"Looks like somebody got reinforcements," Scourge snarled, glaring at Tigerstar. "You didn't tell me that this would happen."

"I don't see into the future, Scourge," Tigerstar retorted coldly. "Besides, this will not hold us back."

"Maybe we won't," Windstar hissed, pelt bristling. "But maybe she will. Nova?"

As Dreamstar wondered who Nova was, a large she-wolf stepped out from the woods. Her pelt seemed to be made of starlight, all but her face, which was pale, like the color of Blizzard's fur.

"I had a bad feeling that something like this would happen," Blackstar growled, suddenly coming up to face his son. "My own kin allying with the pathetic 'Great Mother'."

"I'll seem a lot less pathetic once I have my teeth in your throat, cat!" Nova bared her fangs as she took a step towards the DeathClan cats.

"I don't have time for this," Blackstar said angrily, suddenly jumping to attack his own son. Dreamstar shook her head. This was bad.

xxx

Though he had lost all real track of time, Windstar suspected that the battle had been going on for a long time by now. All this time, he'd been fighting his father. Blackstar met his eyes for a moment, and there seemed to be some emotion in them.

"I had plans, Windstar," He panted. "You were going to be my deputy, my successor. I was so proud of you, the healthy, strong kit, especially compared to your... weakling brother."

"Magpiepaw was a better cat than you'd ever be," Windstar spat. "And you killed him. Why?"

"All I needed for a son was you," Blackstar hissed. "Magpiepaw wasn't wanted or needed by me. Of course, then you began to grow stronger than me, and I worried. But I convinced myself that you could never hurt me! That was when I heard the Sun and Snow prophecy. Something told me the Snow was you, and the Sun was Firestar's meddling granddaughter. So I had to betray you. We all have reasons for things. You had your reasons for rejecting Dreamstar... so why do you hate me? We aren't all that different."

"Yes we are," Windstar snarled, raking his claws over his father's face. "I'd kill you again if I could, but it looks like I'll have to settle for sending you back to that forest of death where you came from."

Suddenly, he heard a sharp cry. Spinning around on his paws, he stared in shock. Dreamstar was pinned under Tigerstar's paws, and the tabby's powerful jaws were inches from her throat. Surely he wouldn't make it in time... but he had to try.

xxx

Dreamstar couldn't believe it. She was going to die under her grandfather's paws. Bravely, she met Tigerstar's eyes. If she was going to die, she would die the death of a warrior. Channeling her fury over all that DeathClan had brought, Dreamstar raked her claws down his stomach.

"Get off of her!" Tigerstar's entire body was suddenly thrown off of Dreamstar, and Windstar's face was in front of you. "Are you all right?"

Considering her various wounds and the large amount of blood she had lost, Dreamstar shook her head. "No," She admitted. "But I'm strong enough to fight." Meeting Windstar's eyes, she murmured, "This is what we were born for, Windstar. To fulfill the prophecy. To fulfill our destinies."

Windstar pressed his face against hers. "To fulfill our destinies," He repeated, then faced Tigerstar. He caught Nova's eyes. She was easily keeping many DeathClan warriors at bay, but paused to look at him.

"Good luck, Windstar," She howled. "I must leave you to save the forest by yourselves." Slowly, she faded away again.

Dreamstar turned her head to Calicofur's den. "I just want you to know," She called gently. "That you are my best friend."

Both Windstar and Dreamstar lept at Tigerstar at the same time, and as they did so, were perfectly in synch. They could practically hear Bluestar's voice in their heads, calm, and sure that what she was saying was the truth.

Sun and Snow shall be the only ones who can save us all. Only together can they do this, for apart, they are nothing.

It was true. Apart, they were nothing. That was true. But together, they were unstoppable. No one, not Blackstar, not Robinpelt, not Tigerstar, could defeat them. Determined to put a stop to this madness, Windstar pushed Tigerstar down on his back as Dreamstar leaned down.

"I shall never call you my kin," She hissed. "You will never be a grandfather to me. The only grandfather I have is Firestar."

Firestar's voice resonated in her mind, the voice she had been aching to hear for moons. You have made me proud, Dreamstar. You and Windstar are doing what you are both destined for, the same destiny I had-to save the forest.

Wondering what would happen as she did this, Dreamstar sank her fangs into Tigerstar's throat, and finally tasted his blood. It was as if this was what was controlling the DeathClan warriors, because they halted, staring in shock. However, this didn't stop the ThunderClan and ShadowClan warriors, who simply took advantage of the situation.

"Do not... think this is... the last time I will torment you..." Tigerstar growled, eyes glazing over. "Watch out... for your kits... for you know what I am... capable of." With that, his body faded, just as Nova's did.

"Don't worry," Windstar said softly to Dreamstar. "The kits are strong. If he does visit them, he will have a hard time."

Dreamstar opened her mouth to reply, but simply left it that way as a phenomenon occured before the cats. Falling stars were everywhere, coloring the now peaceful night sky with a brilliant light. They were as bright as the sun.

There was a loud thump as one hit right in the middle of camp, and Calicofur raced out of her den, touching her nose to it.

"It came down bright and hot like the sun, but is now cold like the snow," She murmured. "Sun and Snow. It's over."

xxx

The wolves stared at the falling stars in shock.

"What's happening?" Swift wondered aloud, drawing all her pups towards her though they were older now.

"Look!" Blizzard cried, standing. One by one, the falling stars hit the wolves of Akando, until every single one of them was dead. SwiftPack was fine, even Taborri.

"Sun and Snow," Swift whispered. "Only they could have caused a miracle like this. Blizzard... they must have fulfilled the prophecy!"

xxx

It was three suns after the DeathClan battle. All of the evil cats had faded away, and though her Clan was still recuperating, Dreamstar needed to make a special trip. A trip she should have made long ago.

Nervous, she gave her creamy white chest fur a few quick licks, looking around. Was he going to come? She couldn't blame him if he didn't. Even though Windstar had been the first to start everything, she had waited this long to talk to him again...

There he was, padding towards her, a light in his eyes. The realization of how much she'd missed him nearly overwhelmed her, and she stood, calling softly, "Windstar."

"Dreamstar." He returned her affectionate gaze and pressed the side of his face against hers. She licked his muzzle.

"I'm sorry," Windstar apologized, true grief and regret in his voice. "I should have known that everything was a lie. Please, Dreamstar, don't think that-"

"Stop," She commanded, looking into his eyes. "You made a mistake. We all do that. Maybe it was a test on us... to see how loyal we were to each other. At first, we parted. But then, when it really mattered, we were Sun and Snow again, enduring the worst together."

"Sun and Snow," Windstar said thoughtfully, twining his tail with hers. "I will stand by you for as long as live, Dreamstar."

Sun closed her eyes and laid her head on Snow's shoulder, love consuming her heart. Love for her Clan, her kits, her mate...

"Forever."

The End

Well, there you have it. The final adventure of Windstar and Dreamstar. I promise to get Bloodstained Sky up soon! Oh... the first person to review Bloodstained Sky gets a deluxe Dreamstar, Windstar and kits plushie set!