Sparrowstrike yawned, opening her eyes. She smiled as she looked around her sleeping clanmates. She lived in a strong clan. The prey was running well this greenleaf, many kits were here, and the apprentice den was full. She shuddered to think of the dark times. She was only a kit when they came. Their old leader was Firestar, but he was killed in these times. Many cats were. graystripe, a loyal warrior, was killed. She was there, there to see Firestar die. Rogues invaded the camp. Firestar was guarding the nursery, when a black cat with a white paw strode up to him. He said something about revenge, all sparrow kit knew was that Firestar was shocked, stammering something about the cat being dead. The cat chuckled, and darted forward, grabbing fire stars neck in his claws and tearing the last of his lives from him. And sparrow kit couldn't do anything.

The cats name... What was his name? Oh yeah.

Scourge.

Sparrowstrike shook away the memories. She didn't want the vision of fire stars throat being ripped open, his life bleeding out, the cats manical laughing, and blood, so much blood haunting her dreams. She pleaded starclan, she took poppy seeds. Nothing helped. His kits, one a medicine cat, the other a warrior, died from old age. Their kits went on a mission from starclan. They never came back. But one kit was waiting for one to come back, one named lion heart. Sparrow kit waited and waited, but her father never returned.

Sparrowstrike nearly clawed herself. Stop thinking about that! She told herself. She padded quietly over to blazestep. She prodded him awake.

"Huh?" He gasped, his voice drowsy, "oh it's you Sparrowstrike. Make it quick."

"I just wanted to tell you I'm going hunting," Sparrowstrike mewed politely.

"Oh. Yeah, ok. Go ahead." Sparrowstrike nodded thanks and padded away. She heard blazestep murmur, "I almost had that squirrel," before she reached the entrance to the den. Some hunting would clear her head. She ran through the ferns, brambles tugging at her pelt. She didn't care. She halted suddenly, scenting mouse. She dropped into a hunters crouch and stalked forward. Something in front of her jumped through the undergrowth, straight for the furry creature. The something was a cat, and the cat had a clumsy jump, which scared the mouse away.

"What the crap was that for mousebrain?!" She hissed. The cat whipped around at her with a panic stricken look. It was runninggrass from wind clan. "HEY!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY TERRITORY!!!!" Screeched Sparrowstrike, hackles rising.

"Dang it!" Hissed runninggrass. He let out a yowl, and three more cats padded out to stand by his side. It was a whole patrol! Rabbitwhisker, rockynose, and brackenburr curled back their lips.

"Better back off fleapelt" hissed brackenburr. Sparrowstrikes claws slid out.

"Back off?! You're in my territory!" She gasped in fury. She opened her jaws to yowl a warning to camp, but rockynose saw what she was doing. He jumped forward, pinning her by the neck, claws sliding out. He pressed the other paw over her mouth.

"Now, we wouldn't want some... Shall we say... Accident to happen, now would we." He growled, smiling, fangs flashing. His claws cut cruelly into her fur. Sparrowstrike winced. She bit down hard on his paw, and he jumped back with a screech, blood pouring from his paw.

"Mouse brain!" Hissed rabbit whisker, "grab her! She's going to alert the entire thunderclan!" Sparrowstrike jumped to her feet, racing off into the undergrowth. The wind clan cats were faster, but clumsy in the forest terrain. Brackenburr jumped forward, tearing his claws down her side. She screamed in agony, and ran faster. She felt teeth sink into her leg, and looked back to see runninggrass, eyes ablaze in fury. She kicked him away, and headed straight for the brambles. They wouldn't follow her in there. She smiled in satisfaction as she heard hisses of annoyance from behind. Sparrowstrike managed to creep out of the brambles undetected, and sprinted all the way back to camp. She ran to bramblestars den.

"Bramblestar!" She hissed down.

"Mm? What?"

"I need to talk to you!"

"Come in." Sparrowstrike ran down. Bramblestar gasped when he saw Sparrowstrikes side and leg bleeding.

"Bramblestar there's a patrol of wind clan cats they were hunting!" Gasped Sparrowstrike, "hunting in our territory!" Bramblestar nodded.

"We must take action immediately." He bounded out of the den with Sparrowstrike a taillength behind. "LET ALL CATS OLD ENOUGH TO CATCH THEIR OWN PREY GATHER BENEATH THE HUGHROCK FOR A CLAN MEETING!!!!" He yowled. Slowly, warriors began slinking out of their dens. Grumbles of:

"Dawn patrol isn't even out," and

"He's got bees in his brain," could be heard. When the clan had gathered, Bramblestar told them the news.

"What are we going to do?" Patch pelt called.

"We orginized a patrol. Sparrowstrike, I want you to take patch pelt, redeye, sooty foot, and little nose. Go, now!" He yowled. Sparrowstrike took off at a run, her patrol following her. She led them to where she had left the hissing wind clan warriors. She tracked their scent to a little clearing. She halted the patrol with her tail. The unsuspecting trespassers were looking around, probably for a patrol to ambush. Sparrowstrike smiled. They'd give them a patrol. She kinked her tail, and the patrol surged forward as one, landing on the astonished wind clan cats.

"NO!!!!" Screamed rabbit whisker. "I TOLD YOU BRACKENBURR! I TOLD YOU SHED TELL THEM!" She cut off as Sparrowstrike dashed in, slicing her side. Rabbit whisker screeched in fury and grabbed Sparrowstrike with astonishing strength, flipping her unto her belly. "I will end what brackenburr should've." She growled, slicing Sparrowstrikes bellyful with triumphant eyes. "Scourge said to eliminate fire stars blood lines." Sparrowstrike had been fighting back, but at the sound of that name, that cursed name, she froze. 

Rabbitstrike didn't though. She sunk her claws deep into Sparrowstrikes belly. She grabbed the cat by her neck and flung her against a tree. Sparrowstrike crumpled at the bottom. "Scourge will be triumphant," hissed the wind clan cat, stalking towards Sparrowstrike, "we will take over the clans, making one huge blood clan, the forest will be ours!" Sparrowstrike squeezed her eyes shut tight and leapt forward with a screech, feeling her claws sink into rabbit whiskers side. Rabbit strike gasped. She smiled, despite her bleeding side. "Oh good. I like a good fight before the kill," she hissed. Sparrowstrike slipped under her belly, shoving upward with all fours. Rabbit whisker stepped to the side, slicing across Sparrowstrikes face. She was aware of the battle raging beside her.

What was wrong with these cats? They were fighting like all of starclan was inside of  them, or something else, because starclan would never help these accursed cats. Sparrowstrike remembered her father telling her he could never be hurt in battle. She wished she had that power now. She wished her father was here. Sparrowstrike clawed rabbit whiskers face now too. She suddenly remembered Firestar telling her of the battle of scourge.

"you can't be working for scourge!" She hissed, "Firestar killed him long ago!" Rabbit whisker spat out blood.

"That's what everybody thought, isn't it. But he lives. He thrives. He survives on a rage boiling deep inside him. Hatred for Firestar, and all of his kin." Rabbit whisker stared straight into Sparrowstrikes eyes. "And that means you." Sparrowstrike sank to her knees. 

"That can't be! You'd abandon your clan, for him?!"

"Of course! And I'll follow his every order." She pinned Sparrowstrike down by the neck, choking her. "I'd invite you to join us, but orders are orders. Pity. You'd make such a good-" Sparrowstrike yowled suddenly, springing up and slicing her claws across the traitors neck. Rabbit whisker staggered back a few paces, eyes wide. "What?" She staggered forward, slashing out. Sparrowstrike sidestepped, and rabbit whisker fell to the  ground, claws stretched out and arm extended, eyes closed. 

Sparrowstrike nodded curtly, looking out over the battle. They were winning easily. Brackenburr looked over through his good eye, the other bleeding. His gaze fell on rabbit whiskers body.

"Retreat!" He yowled bitterly. He raced over, grabbing rabbit whiskers scruff and shooting a look of fury at Sparrowstrike, before dragging rabbit whisker away into the undergrowth, his patrol following.