Chapt 48

"No...no...no!" Jayfeather whispered in shock. Lionblaze was approaching Hollyleaf. The two were talking to out on the highledge. Jayfeather could only listen as his littermates argued.
"Just leave us alone Hollyleaf," Lionblaze warned,"I don't want to hurt you," Jayfeather took a step forward, he knew what he would have to do if the pair broke into fighting.
"Stop? After all this? Seems like you never knew me too well, Lionblaze," Hollyleaf chuckled. "I won't give up until I'm dead! Oh wait, it seems like that already happened!" She hissed.
"Hollyleaf, listen to me!" A cat yowled from the camp hollow. "What Leafpool and I hid from you was wrong, but would you have it any other way?" It was Squirrelflight, she was begging Hollyleaf.
"We should have never been born!" Hollyleaf hissed.
"No, you should have. You should have been born, because you had three parents that loved you through and through. And-and if you don't then your just selfish!" Squirrelflight spat. Hollyleaf snorted.
"Breezepelt, Hawkfrost, and Ivyshade, restrain her." Hollyleaf ordered. Jayfeather could hear Squirrelfight struggling under her aggressor's strength.
"Ivyshade please," Lionblaze approached Dovepelt's sister,"You know what is right,"
"Get away from her," Hollyleaf hissed at her brother, thrusting him backwards.
"Ivyshade come on! You know how a warrior acts! Cinderheart trained you to know right from wrong!" Lionblaze pleaded.
"B-but the warrior code..." Ivyshade stammered.
"Yes Ivyshade! You are doing this for the warrior code!" Hollyleaf encouraged.
"A warrior helps those in need. A warrior stands up for what is right." Lionblaze recited carefully. "A warrior does not watch kits suffer, a warrior does not attack a medicine cat, a warrior defends her clan!" Lionblaze huffed.
"These warriors have appointed deputies that haven't had apprentices, made kits apprentices before six moons, have had kits with mates from other clans, eaten prey without feeding the elders first, the list goes on and on! We must kill these cats to protect the code!" Hollyleaf mewed furiously.
"Warriors don't need to kill one another to win a battle," Lionblaze argued. Jayfeather hissed, this was going no where and the battle was to start again soon if Hollyleaf got angry enough to attack Lionblaze.
"I-I..." Ivyshade murmured.
"Come on Ivyshade! Remember what we said together when we found each other in the dark forest, about never leaving each other alone?' Breezepelt hissed in her ear, just loud enough for Jayfeather to hear. Jayfeather hissed, who could ever love his flea pelt half brother?
"Ivyshade please? We were best friends as apprentices! I want my kits to honor your name, not be ashamed of it!" Dovepelt pleaded to her sister. It was true, Dovepelt and her sister were very close as apprentices and when they had just become warriors.
"I... can't do this..." Ivyshade whispered. The younger she-cat joined Lionblaze and stood at his side.
"Fine. I'll do it without you, but be warned, Ivyshade. When we destroy these mange pelts, you'll join them." Hollyleaf murmured. She backed away and began to watch Squirrelflight struggle beneath Breezepelt's and Hawkfrost's weight.
"Cats of Starclan, Tribe of Endless Hunting, and the ancients. Please watch over us today," Jayfeather whispered to himself. Sleet rained down from the sky still, like and endless thunder in the hollow. He took a pace forward.
"Hollyleaf," He hollered to his sister,"Hollyleaf!" He heard Hollyleaf's pawsteps stop.
"What?" She hissed impatiently. That was all Jayfeather needed. He launched himself at his littermate and the cats in the hollow burst out fighting. He swatted at her ears and tried to hold his grip. But he knew he was nothing against a seasoned warrior. Thankfully his brother joined him.
"What are you doing!" Lionblaze hissed.
Jayfeather ignored his question,"What ever happens, you have to let me do it. By myself." He hoped Lionblaze would understand, he couldn't bring himself to say the exact words. But his brother didn't understand.
"Get off me you cowards!" Hollyleaf spat,"Breezepelt! Hawkfrost! Get rid of her!" The sinster she-cat hissed crazily. Jayfeather could hear Squirrelflight's shrieks of pain as his half brother and Bramblestar's half brother attacked his aunt. Jayfeather struggled under Hollyleaf's weight, she was ripping deep wounds in his shoulders. Lionblaze was on her back, wrenching her flank out with his teeth. Squirrelflight was still struggling. Another scent hit the roof of his mouth, and Jayfeather was prepared to fight this cat too. But the cat ran past him, sending waves of stars and wind into his nose. This cat was from Starclan.
"Ashfur!" Lionblaze mewed in amazement. Then Jayfeather realized he could see the gray tom and the whole clearing, the cats fighting and dying. A whole patrol of cats reigned down from the sky, Bluestar, Firestar, Cloudtail, Graystripe and many more. Then Feathertail swam down the sleet filled sky leading a group of cats with mud smeared on their fur, The Tribe of Endless Hunting had come as well!
Jayfeather gasped, then fell short when Hollyleaf bit his flank. She had no mercy for her brothers. Another larger tom ran past Hollyleaf's shoulder, Bramblestar! Bramblestar was greeted by Ashfur who was defending Squirrelflight.
"Ashfur! What are you doing here?" Bramblestar growled.
"I know I can never be her mate, and what I did was wrong, but I want to apologize. Please let me help," Ashfur mewed, dipping his head respectfully. Bramblestar nodded and joined in on protecting his mate.
"Lionblaze," Jayfeather gasped as Hollyleaf swung a claw down his nose,"Help me!" Lionblaze swung around and picked Hollyleaf off Jayfeather. Jayfeather got up and panted. His fur was cold and wet with sleet, and mud stuck to his sides. Finally, he could tell that they were even with the Dark Forest's assault. But where was Skyclan?
"Jayfeather, watch-" Lionblaze yowl was cut off as four Place of No Stars warriors leaped onto his back. Hollyleaf sprinted full force at Jayfeather, knocking him off his paws. Winded, for a moment, he sprang to his paws. But again Hollyleaf swiped her claws under him. He fell to his side.
"You think you can defeat me!" Hollyleaf spat at his face. "You can't Jayfeather! You're blind!" She swiped her claws down his face, scarlet blood trickling down his forehead into his eye. He was beginning to feel transparent, like he was floating away. He tried to feel the ground but it was not underneath him. He thought he could hear Hollyleaf taunting him more but it sounded distant.
"Jayfeather..." A voice whispered. Jayfeather spun around, trying to catch the voice, but all that was there was air.
"Jayfeather... open your eyes..." The voice whispered louder. Jayfeather had thought he was still blind, but as he opened his eyes, he could see the clearing below him, and a gray tabby tom standing in front of him.
"Jayfeather..." The tom whispered. Jayfeather stared him straight in the eyes. Something about him was familiar. The tom stepped towards him and touched noses. Jayfeather felt coldness sear trough his body like a blade of wind. All the warmth he had ever felt was ripped away. He almost fell to his knees, rocked by the fierce coldness that seeped into his bones. His whole body shook. Jayfeather tried to call out, but his voice seemed to frozen within his throat, stuck there forever. He could only watch as the mysterious tom floated down, his body almost transparent except for the outline of Jayfeather's own gray tabby pelt. The two cats had switched bodies, or at least minds. Jayfeather tried to follow but he could not move his frozen paws. He began to panic.
"Please...." He whispered so quietly he wasn't sure he had actually said anything. He tried to follow the tom with his eyes, but they seemed to freeze over in the wind. Finally, Jayfeather blacked out, but his paws were frozen in mid-air, his legs stiff and rigid, so he did not fall.

"Help! Help me please!" Jayfeather was in a forest he did't recognize. His paws ran faster than he ever had before, but whatever was chasing him was catching up. Jayfeather pumped his legs faster and faster, but the beast seemed to take two steps when he took one. Jayfeather turned back, but all he could see was the bushes behind him. When he wasn't looking, a root took him off his paws. He hit the ground with a thud. Jayfeather struggled to get up, but the monster over took him. It had no distinct shape at first, but gradually, it's face began to grow small green eyes. It's body began to shrink down to the size and shape of a cat. Jayfeather struggled under its weight. The beast looked exactly like Hollyleaf. She threw her claws over his face, ripped flesh from his face. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to imagine waking up. The pain finally stopped and he opened his eyes. the beast was now a helpless kit, but still looked like Hollyleaf. How could a kit change to a monster so quick? He approached it cautiously, sniffing it when he came close enough. Instantly it changed back to the original glob of darkness. It began to turn pale orange, then gradually growing brighter until it's pelt was like a flame. The eyes stayed green and it shrunk back to a cat. The cat padded up to him, he ducked away but it began to purr and lick his head gently, just like Squirrelflight had done in the nursery with him as a kit. He stopped squirming and enjoyed the gently rasp of her tongue. He closed his eyes and dozed. When it stopped he looked up. he figure was gone. Jayfeather stood and looked over his shoulder. The ginger cat was sitting, its back to Jayfeather . Jayfeather approached her. Waves of grief and fear flowed off her. Jayfeather stood beside her. She looked up and sighed. She seemed to not notice his presence, just looking past him. Jayfeather turned to look at what she was looking at, and when he looked back, the dark figure returned. Jayfeather backed away. Another cat formed, his eyes dark with anger. The cat was black. Jayfeather retreated, thinking it was Hollyleaf again. But the cat sneered and followed him, stalking him slowly. Jayfeather started to run, breaking through the ferns and undergrowth. The cat hissed and followed. The black cat's eyes haunted him, the amber eyes scorching through his pelt. 
"Get back here you coward!" Breezepelt's voice whispered in his ear. Jayfeather ran until he the ground vanished from beneath his paws. Jayfeather was falling into a stone hollow. Jayfeather cast a glimpse back behind him. Breezepelt had turned into a red beast with a long snout and its tail streaming out behind him. Jayfeather hit the ground, his bones feeling broken. But the blur of blackness had drifted down the wall. Its form was hidden, until the blackness turned gray, then white and split into two. Jayfeather gasped. The one cat turned bright ginger, while the other faded into creamy gray.
"Help me Tigerheart!" The she-cat with creamy fur called. Jayfeather could only watch as an invisible figure began ripping tufts of fur across her body. The ginger tom tried to get to her but another force blocked him. He was lifted in the air, blood gushing from his throat. Tigerheart fell to the ground, his body limp and rugged. 
"Tigerheart no!" The she-cat whispered. She tried to push the forces away but they pushed her down, slicing a gash down her throat. Jayfeather had seen this before, in the first battle with the Place of No Stars. He closed his eyes, wishing for this nightmare to be over. When he opened his eyes, the blob was approaching him, threatening to swallow him up. But the mass shrunk in size, its black color fading to gray, then white. Green eyes showed love. Half Moon! She padded towards him, wrapping her tail around him. Jayfeather purred. She licked the top of his head. They sat there for a while.
"I love you Jay's Wing," Half Moon whispered. Jayfeather winced.
"Half Moon, there's something I need to tell you," Jayfeather murmured. Half Moon turned to him.
"What is it?" Half Moon murmured. Jayfeather licked the top of her head, and opened his mouth to explain. But her form was fading.
"Half Moon no!" Jayfeather yelled. She was morphing into the black blob again. The cloud of fog inched forward. It grew larger and larger and moved faster. It threatened to cover him completely. Jayfeather hissed threateningly. But his body ached from the fall. The dark mass covered his eyes, suffocating him. He tried thrashing about but he lost consciousness.


Jayfeather breathed in suddenly. His body was no longer cold and he was in his own body back on the ground. His vision was gone once again.
"Get off me Jayfeather," A ragged voice hissed underneath him. Hollyleaf! What was she doing under his claws? Her breathe was rasping and her struggles were growing weaker.
"Strip you of your soul..." A voice whispered in his ear. Jayfeather flinched. He didn't want to do this.
"Send you to blackness..." The strange cat continued. It sounded like all the cats that had ever died were speaking through him.
"Strip you of your soul," Jayfeather closed his eyes, picturing what he was about to do. The battle raged on around him.
"Get off me you fox heart!" Hollyleaf screeched below him. Jayfeather shuttered.
"Will not harm again..." The voices echoed.
Jayfeather stuttered,"W-will not harm again."
"What is he doing?" A cat hissed nearby, clearly over hearing Jayfeather's strange chant.
"Will not harm again..."
"Will not harm again," Jayfeather whispered. A tear swam down his cheek.
"Get him off her!" Tigerstar raged, his pawsteps growing nearer.
But the ancient voices did not waver,"Will not see again..."
"Will not see again," Jayfeather cringed when Tigerstar's pawsteps grew so close he could hear the sleet patter off his coat. But the assault never came.
"Keep going Jayfeather!" Lionblaze hissed,"I'll protect you!" Jayfeather breathed in deeply. His brother must have been listening the whole time, not understanding what Jayfeather was doing, but he somehow must have known it was important.
"The evil will not be seen... the evil will not be heard..." The ancients murmured.
"The evil will not be seen, the evil will not be heard." Jayfeather could hear the words he was saying being echoed around him. Lionblaze was performing the ceremony with him, but on Tigerstar!
"Your memory shall vanish with your spirit..."  They whispered. Jayfeather repeated it, but his tone was no more than a whisper.
"By water, wind, fire, and earth..." The voices grew louder.
"By water, wind, fire and earth," Jayfeather grew louder with them.
"I condemn you to a soulless afterlife! You will never harm anyone again!" Jayfeather and the spirits mewed in harmony. Hollyleaf gasped as Jayfeather lunged at her throat, biting her flesh until her could taste the salty blood. She scratched his sides, he flinched at the pain of her claws digging into his fur. But he held on. She began to quiver as spasms ripped through her body. Jayfeather knew there was no way she could recover. He stepped off her. His body was shaking. Hollyleaf let out strange gurgling noises and tried to screech. A few tail lengths away Lionblaze was repeating the same verses.
"Thank-you Jay's Wing..." Thousands of cats whispered in his ears. Jayfeather tried to listen for Half Moon's gentle voice, but there were too many there.
"Thank-you Jayfeather..." Jayfeather's own warrior ancestors whispered in his head. It seemed the starry cats were leaving the clans to finish the battle. Jayfeather could hear the battle raging on around him still, but he was no longer worried. Hollyleaf and Tigerstar were gone forever. Peace surrounded the clans like a mother protected her kits.
"Tigerstar is gone." Lionblaze approached him. Jayfeather nodded. "Where did you learn that... that curse?" Lionblaze shivered.
Jayfeather ignored his question,"You should keep fighting. Or at least go looking for Skyclan," He couldn't believe the Skyclan cats could be lost for this long with Heathertail to guide their way.
"Skyclan arrived while you were battling Hollyleaf." Lionblaze reminded. Jayfeather thought back. All he remembered was Hollyleaf under his paws. Somehow, he had fought, defeated, and killed Hollyleaf. He thought he remember feeling weightless, but his paws were as heavy as stone, and then there were his nightmarish dreams. Jayfeather shuttered inwardly.He couldn't shake the feeling of another gray tabby watching him.
"Come on," Lionblaze mewed,"We haven't won this battle yet," Jayfeather's brother sprang back into battle. But the Dark Forest warriors were being driven off without the presence of the two scariest cats the forest had ever seen to guide them. Sighing, Jayfeather yowled his thanks to whatever ancestors were listening and followed his brother into the battle.