Skypaw screeched on the top of her lungs, lunging at the ShadowClan leader. Feeling her claws rake the dappled fur, Dapplestar hissed, Willowleaf's blood still on her claws. Willowleaf staggered back, shock plastered on her face.

"Sunstar!" The ThunderClan medicine cat yowled. The flaming pelt of the ThunderClan leader erupted from his den, his eyes groggy with sleep. Skypaw scowled at him.

Sleeping during battles and while you ordered your Clan out hunting? She hissed to herself.

"What in the name of Sta-" Sunstar snarled before he was cut off by a mighty battle cry. The white pelt of Moondust landed squarely on top of him, leaves from the trees falling after her. Sunstar swiped at her, only to have his strong paw pinned by a more superior she-cat.

Skypaw looked around for any sign of the ThunderClan warriors, but there weren't any in sight. Including her sisters, Sunstar had ordered the Clan be productive during the harsh time of leaf-bare.

As if on cue, yowls of ThunderClan cats echoed throughout the territory. ShadowClan were everywhere!

"You again!" Dapplestar hissed, stalking around Skypaw.

"Yes, me again," Skypaw returned the hissy tone. "You are invading my camp, after all."

Dapplestar cuffed Skypaw's ear, her bloody claws stinging against her skin. Scowling at her, Skypaw leaped, barreling her over. Landing a few blows on the leader's face, she put forth all of her moons of training.

Glancing around, Skypaw noticed the camp was mostly deserted. Sunstar was lazily pinned by Moondust, Willowleaf was racing to her den to get herbs, and Featherfur and Flowermoon cowered in the nursery, protecting their young.

"We need more warriors!" Skypaw yowled. "I can't fight two of them and defend camp by myself!"

"What in the-" Appleleaf burst from the elders' den. His eyes were wide as he realized the unprotected camp. "Dear StarClan!"

Skypaw was totally taken off guard when Appleleaf let out a battle cry, leaping up the tumbled rocks where Sunstar threw insults at Moondust. She felt Dapplestar's claws rake her shoulder, but she didn't care. Surprise echoed through her mind as she saw Appleleaf barrel over Moondust, freeing the ThunderClan leader.

Looking at the fighting elder for another moment, she spun back around to face Dapplestar.

"Ever since Nightflare told me that Russetsky had kits, I've wanted them dead," The ShadowClan leader snarled. "This couldn't seem like a more perfect time for you to perish, and that's what I've come for."

"You're insane," Skypaw shot back. "StarClan will never allow it!"

"They allowed me to ally with Sunstar," Her eyes glinted evilly.

"He's not your ally!" Skypaw said the words with confidence, only hoping they were true.

"But he is," Dapplestar continued to stalk around the ThunderClan apprentice. "Together, we'll take over all of StarClan!"

"I cannot even," Skypaw meowed before landing a heavy blow on Dapplestar's face. "believe the amount of nonsense coming from your-" Skypaw hissed when Dapplestar's teeth sank into her tail. "mouth!"

"Well, believe it, foxbreath," Dapplestar snarled. "because we will take over all of StarClan," Skypaw ducked as the ShadowClan leader aimed a powerful blow at her face. "And the Clans will be ours!"

Skypaw couldn't ignore the growing fear growing inside of her. Dapplestar and Sunstar had allied? That wasn't in the prophecy! Skypaw said she didn't believe what was happening to Dapplestar, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. She could totally see Sunstar teaming up with the evil ShadowClan leader, thinking together, they were powerful to get what they both wanted.

Authority.

However, Skypaw couldn't understand why. They were both chosen leaders by StarClan and had both recieved nine lives, why would they want anything else? They were the highest ranks in the Clans, being two of the four leaders that conducted the well being around the lake.

Darkface's eyes flashed in the bushes, snapping Skypaw out of her thoughts. She hadn't even realized she was still fighting Dapplestar, and by the looks of the tiring, old ShadowClan leader, it appeared she was winning. Examining the she-cat, she was surprised at what she saw.

A raggedy, dappled pelt was brought to her eyes. It looked unkempt and matted, not even crossing Dapplestar's mind. Her gray eyes were dark and gloomy with evil and despise, and Skypaw figured that if the ShadowClan leader wasn't as horrid, her eyes would appear much brighter and prettier.

Her fur was parted in all different directions, their parts scars. Tufts of fur were missing from her flanks, and both of her ears were torn. Her tail was dirty, and as Skypaw took in a whiff of air, she realized the leader reeked of dirtplace.

However, the thing that stuck out to Skypaw the most was that Dapplestar was simply unhappy.

Pity filled Skypaw's heart. Almost as if Dapplestar had invited Skypaw to peek in, she stared at her grandmother's eyes. She was taken back many moons, seeing a beautiful, happy ShadowClan warrior. She was wonderful at fighting, hunting, and being there for her Clan. Lapsing ahead a few moons, Skypaw found herself looking at a dappled queen. Happiness shone in her eyes as she cuddled three, healthy kits.

Skypaw instantly recongized the black pelt of Nightflare. Next to her, Russetsky's shadowy gray fur snuggled into her mother's tail. However, the kit that was next to Russetsky, Skypaw didn't recognize.

Her eyes focused in on the kit, and suddenly she was brought to the ShadowClan medicine den, a place where she had only seen once. An elderly gray tom shuffled through his herbs, desperation plastered on his face. Skypaw swung her head to the side, and a pain filled wail was brought to her ears.

Dapplestar grieved over a small, russet pelt. Skypaw instantly recognized the kit that wasn't known to her, the cat that was her new-found uncle. The young ShadowClan leader looked up at the medicine cat, the same look of desperation on her face.

"Please, Grayfoot!" The dappled queen wailed. "He can't die, he can't!"

"I'm sorry, Dapplefur," The medicine cat that had just been given the name Grayfoot replied, his voice raspy with age. "I can't heal him. He has greencough, and we do not have any catmint. ThunderClan stored all of the plants at the border."

"But certainly Snowcloud or Willowpaw could lend us some?" Dapplestar replied. "He can't die!"

"He's already on his way to StarClan, Dapplefur," Grayfoot explained. "I'm so sorry."

"Redkit!" The ShadowClan queen wailed. "Please, come back to me!"

Dapplestar prodded the small limp body with her paw, however, the russet kit would lay still forever.

*

Once again, Skypaw was brought ahead a few more moons. A proud dappled mother stood in front of two fighting apprentices, and she cheered for a more than familiar pelt.

"Russetpaw, you got this!" Dapplestar yowled. Skypaw studied this younger version of her mother. No muscles shone underneath her shadowy pelt, and Skypaw guessed that this was her first battle lesson. Russetsky's mother had come to watch, trying to improve her daughter's skill as much as possible since her other only kit had decided to train with Grayfoot in the medicine den.

It only took Skypaw a few moments to realize that Dapplestar hadn't approved of Nightflare's decision to become a medicine cat. She had wanted her daughters to train and fight as hard as warriors.

As soon as the thought struck her mind, Skypaw was brought to the ShadowClan-ThunderClan border. In front of her was Dapplestar's spiked pelt and an angry ThunderClan patrol. Skypaw studied her Clan's patrol.

*

Among them stood a young Stormpelt, his gray fur sleek and shiny under the canopy of trees. Sandstar stood next to him, and judging by the cat that she had only heard nursery tales about that stood on the other side of the sandy she-cat, Skypaw realized that this must have been before Sandstar recieved the rank as leader. The cat was Graystar.

"Dapplefur, I'm sorry, but Russetpaw wants to train as a ThunderClan warrior," Graystar's deep meow was calm, despite his unsheathed claws. Skypaw hadn't even noticed the shadowy pelt of her mother cowering behind the ThunderClan cats.

"But, she can't!" Dapplestar hissed. "She's ShadowClan! No cat can just change Clans!"

"Russetpaw has made her decision, and I will not kick her out of my Clan. If she wants to stay, she will, and we will defend her decision at all costs." Graystar replied.

"You're mousebrained!" Dapplestar spat. "She'll betray you all! She's ShadowClan blood!"

"Dapplefur," The young version of Stormpelt spoke. "You shouldn't be fighting for a battle you will never win."

At Stormpelt's words, realization clicked in the dappled mother's eyes. Hatred replaced it, and she was quick to reply. "Fine, if you want to betray the Clan that has done nothing but love you, Russetpaw, go ahead! I can't believe my only warrior apprentice kit would do such a thing! You should know better! But this is not my problem, it's yours and ThunderClan's. ShadowClan and StarClan will hate you for this! You don't deserve to live! Or to be happy anymore! Good luck, Russetpaw, living a life without any kin and dying into the Dark Forest."

With that, Dapplestar spun around and raced away, kicking up marsh as her hetic paws bolted as fast as they could go to get away from the cat she had grown to hate.

*

Skypaw thought she had seen everything she had needed to see, and surprise struck her body as Dapplestar's words repeated in her mind. However, she was brought to another setting.

A misrable looking dappled she-cat was slouched in the ShadowClan leader's den. A bold cat, who Skypaw had assumed was the ShadowClan leader, stood before her.

"Dapplefur, you need to stop grieving for a kit that has done nothing but betray you," The tom stated. Dapplestar didn't look at him.

"Why? If she doesn't care about this Clan, neither should I." She replied.

"ShadowClan needs you," The leader meowed softly.

"They didn't need her!" Dapplestar hissed.

"You're right," He agreed. "She was too mangy for us anyways, going for those ThunderClan scumpelts,"

"There is nothing you can do to make me happy," Dapplestar rolled her eyes.

"Oh really?" The leader's eyes gleamed mischievously. "Not even giving you the rank of ShadowClan deputy?"

Dapplestar's eyes lit up. She looked at her leader seriously. "Really, Oakstar?"

Oakstar nodded. "I would do anything for my dear mate."

"Okay," Dapplestar nodded her head. "I will take the place as ShadowClan deputy."

"Good," Oakstar purred. "Let me just take care of Fallenleaf. Or should I say, Fallenwarrior?"

Dapplestar purred as her mate exited the den, claws unsheathed.

*

Zipping through a time period one last time, she saw the new ShadowClan leader. Dapplestar stood by the ThunderClan border as rain fell from the sky, and her eyes were narrowed as she gazed into ThunderClan's forest, wondering what her kit was up to now.

~*~

Skypaw snapped out of her thoughts, her eyes focusing back on the gray eyes of Dapplestar. Dapplestar nodded simply.

"Those were my memories," The ShadowClan leader meowed softly.

Skypaw didn't know what to say. No wonder why Dapplestar had turned out to be such an evil, sad cat. Her only tom kit had died of greencough, all because of ThunderClan. When her two remaining kits finally became apprentices, only one of them trained as a ShadowClan warrior. The other one had followed a different path, one that Dapplestar had clearly despised because Grayfoot couldn't save Redkit.

And then, her only living kit that had trained as a warrior, the only one she had paid any attention to, watched grow and train, had betrayed her by becoming a ThunderClan apprentice.

So, ThunderClan had been the death of two of her kits in Dapplestar's heart.

Dapplestar had spent her time as leader trying to go after ThunderClan, trying to kill their medicine cats and Russetsky out of hatred and despise. When the ShadowClan leader had found out that Russetsky had given birth to three healthy kits, all that would become ThunderClan warriors, she had lost it.

Skypaw was about to open her mouth to say something when a single lightning bolt crashed from the sky, lighting up the clearing as it struck a dappled pelt.

OMO! Almost 2,000 wordsss c:

Now, I feel I could have wrote this better, so sorry if it was confusing. I hope it wasn't, because you guys just saw the insight of Dapplestar's life, and why she hates ThunderClan so much. Comment what you thought of it!

Why the long chapter, you ask? Because this is the final chapter of Skyfall.

However, don't panic, I still have the prophecy to complete! I am proud to announce that there will be a second book to the Skyfall series!

YAY!

Thank you ALL for reading, voting and commenting! You mean the world to me. <3 Please comment what you thought of the first book of the series, and this chapter.

Thank you for 3.2K views and over 300 votes! AHHH!

I'll get started on the second book tomorrow! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

YAY SMILEY FACE SPAM! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

-Kaylin, proud author of Skyfall and an even prouder owner of the Final Dawn warrior cats server.