She woke up in the middle of a battle.

Her green eyes widened, and she pushed herself to her somewhat shaky paws. She could feel clotted blood at her throat, and unsheathed her claws. She leaped to the lowest part of the gorge. "Stop!" She yowled, rage burning in her eyes.

The effect was immediate.

All the cats looked up, GorgeClan and MohntainClan alike, blue, green, Amber, and yellow eyes all looked up at her. The tangle of ripped fur, blood, slight growls deep in the throats of the more battle hungry cats. Her eyes were burning with rage, the blood clotting the fur at her throat making her look even more intimidating. Her claws were out, glinting in the sunlight, and she leaned back slightly, as if preparing to strike. Truly a lurking snake.

"What is the meaning of this?" She asked, voice practically dripping with anger. Her rage was actually causing her to shake, flank trembling, her green eyes narrowed. Her grey fur was ruffled, her hackles raised, and she waited, tail lashing, for her attackers to answer.

"Well?" She demanded, her green eyes narrowed. The grey and white she cat whirled to face Bluestar, feigning calm. "Bluestar, what is your excuse?" She screeched, lifting a paw.

"A GorgeClan cat killed my mother."

She lurched back a bit, confusion in her green and blue gaze. "A what? GorgeClan cats? Murder? Hah! We wouldn't murder, we wouldn't lie, we wouldn't," she locked her green eyes with Bluestar's amber ones, "steal."

"Steal?" The blue grey tom said, sounding offended. "MountainClan would never steal, especially not GorgeClan prey." Lurkingstar snorted derisively. "Been stealing from the kittypets? Too lazy and fat to hunt your own prey, but too cowardly to even talk to a kittypet. That's MountainClan for you."

She felt a fierce satisfaction at the anger beginning to boil in the MountainClan cats' eyes. "Fat? Lazy? Cowardly?" Bluestar asked, outraged. The blue tom snarled and lashed out with silver claws at her face.

But she was ready for it.

She ducked and dove under his belly, clawing at his front legs. He gasped, and she struck the place under his shoulders, and his front end fell. As his muzzle was crashing to the ground, she swiped up, and his lower jaw slammed upward into his upper jaw. he collapsed after a moment of shock, in which Lurkingstar scrambled out from under him.

She was almost panting, but she slid smoothly around to face the tom. Bluestar lay on his flank, panting, his blue fur matted with his anger over the last moons.

"Lurkingstar?"

There was a small voice piping up. She turned to see Dawnpaw, his fluffy grey pelt ruffled with the tension, small pink nose wrinkled with fear scent, his green eyes wide with nervousness. "Yes?" She asked, baring her teeth at Bluestar, who had opened his eyes and fixed the amber orbs on her. She turned her grey and white head back to the apprentice, blue eyes narrowed, though he knew that the hostility was not aimed his way.

"I heard from Petalshine that Bluestar's parents were rogues. I also heard from Rainpaw that he was raised by his father until he was seven moons old. Limptail also told me that he joined then, his name was Blue . He had become very close to Greenstep, who he said was like a mother to him. Greenstep also had a history as a rogue, and had joined exhausted, and that someone had said that she had stumbled into camp like a queen who had just given birth."

She nodded, encouraging him to go on.

"When, after the battle, Greenstar died, Lurkingstar, it was you. She...hit her head too hard on the ground when you leaped on her. It's not your fault."

But Lurkingstar didn't hear his last words, but just sat down in shock.

I killed Greenstar.

"When she died, Bluestar stayed in his den for days, refusing to get his lives. I know now."

"Greenstar is his mother."