This is the last chapter in the story, but don't worry- there will be a sequel! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, all your precious time has paid off and here's the finished thing, ready for your enjoyment. So, read away!

Disclaimer- i don't own Warriors, in fact, i don't even have a cat.

Chapter 9

Everything Changes

It was six days later and as Orangestar awoke, she realised with a jolt that it was a moon ago that her kits had been made apprentices. She leapt to her paws and raced out of her den, fully expecting to see a mass of writhing cats and rats outside. But when she got to the entrance, everything was quiet. Orangestar sighed and padded out into the chill dawn air.

All of a sudden, the leader of Skyclan heard a wail come up from her sentry, Icestorm, and she raced over to find him swamped in a mass of hundreds upon thousands of writhing, racing, black rats. Orangestar knew there was no way she could save her sentry as he was overcome and she turned and fled back into the heart of the camp, calling her already assembled clan to guard the queens in the nursery and the medicine cat’s den first and foremost, above everything else.

As the rats swarmed into the main clearing, Orangestar braced herself for an attack. But instead of fighting, the rats stopped a foxlength away from the clan cats and stood there, staring at them, as their master slunk around to lead them…

--

Riverpaw stared in disbelief as all his worst fears were confirmed. The rats stopped a foxlength away from Orangestar, and Dawnpaw sidled around to the front of her army.

“Dawnpaw!” cried Orangestar from the front of the clan, “Why ever have you done this?!”

“You banished me,” replied the ginger she-cat coldly, “You banished me and left me without hope of saving this clan. But Tigerstar told me how I could. And the first step is by seizing control. Surrender your clan now, mother, or I will take it.”

From across the clearing, Riverpaw stared shocked into his sister’s eyes, and saw that she meant every word of it. And as he read her thoughts, he saw, with a sickening twist is his stomach, what she planned to do next…

“Orangestar, surrender Skyclan! I know what she plans to do, and what she’ll do if you refuse! Do as she says!”

The Skyclan leader stared at her son, then her shoulders sagged and she turned to her daughter.

“Very well, Skyclan is yours, Dawnpaw.”

Dawnpaw sneered at her mother.

“It’s Dawnstar now.”

She turned to the rats.

“Kill her.”

--

Riverpaw watched as the mass of rats tore his mother apart. Even with most of her lives left, no leader could survive the injuries inflicted upon her. There was simply not enough of Orangestar left to heal, and, worst of all, the rats were eating her.

Riverpaw had known this would happen to his mother, ever since he had read Dawnstar’s mind. He had seen that if Orangestar surrendered, she would kill her and become leader, and if his mother had refused, Dawnpaw would have done this anyway, to seize the clan.

When Orangestar was no more, Dawnpaw bounded up onto the mound at the centre of the clearing and called to her new clan.

“Cats of Skyclan! I am your new leader, Dawnstar, and I have promised the rats the forest area of our territory in which to live in peace. They will not violate the boundaries I have set for them and none of you are to hunt them!”

The Skyclan cats passed nervous looks between one another, but none dared speak out.

“Furthermore, I have made a new deputy. He was formerly the kittypet Harry, but he is now Duskfur, deputy of Skyclan, and my mate!”

In her mind, Dawnstar thought, Heh heh, Dawn and Dusk, nice one.

The newly-named Duskfur stepped forwards and then leapt up onto the mound, beside his mate.

As the rats then dispersed from the camp, Dawnstar carried on.

“As well as the rats, I have a second army. I have gathered together some rogues under my command and they are joining Skyclan. Come here Stone, Rage, Ice, Frost and Claw!”

The five cats stepped into the clearing and Riverpaw observed them carefully. Stone, Rage and Claw were all grey toms, and Ice and Frost were both white she-cats. They sat at the base of the mound, gazing out at the clan with hard, hate-filled eyes.

“I have also learned a trick from my mentor, Tigerstar. Bring forth Hawkkit!”

Instead of his mother, Shiningheart, bringing her kit to Dawnstar, upon this command, Rage rose from his paws and marched into the nursery. There came a wail from inside, followed by the sound of slashing claws, and then the tom returned, and brown and white tabby kits dangling from his jaws.

Hawkkit was placed before the mound, and the former rogues all moved back, to give their leader room to do whatever she planned to do.

Dawnstar stepped down from the mound and padded lightly over to the kit. She closed her eyes and rested her muzzle on top of Hawkkit’s head. In an instant, the kit’s eyes shot wide open, and then he slumped down onto the ground, unconscious.

“You monster! What have you done?!” screeched Shiningheart, from the nursery entrance.

Dawnstar observed the queen coldly, then leapt back up atop the mound and addressed her clan.

“With the powers granted to me by Starclan, I have let Tigerstar, my mentor and ally, be reborn inside the body of this kit!”

The clan gasped and Dawnstar, with a flick of her tail, ordered Hawkkit to be returned to the nursery. As one of her rogues obliged, Dawnstar continued by summoning her sister and brother before her.

“Bring forth Riverpaw and Stormpaw!”

As her siblings stepped before her, the leader meowed,

“Riverpaw, Stormpaw, you are both a part of this prophecy too, for only together can we save the clan from the terrible disaster which is set to unfold. I wish to make you both warriors and allow you to be part of my senior group. What do you say?”

Stormpaw took a step forwards and glared up at her sister.

“Never!” she called, “Can’t you see? You are the disaster! Tigerstar has corrupted you! He has used your power to revive himself, and one day he’ll kill you with his own claws! I’m leaving Skyclan!”

Dawnstar hissed down at her sister, then cried out,

“Rogues! Kill her!”

As the rogues sprang forwards, Stormpaw leapt back and turned, sprinting out of the camp. The rogues glanced up at their leader, silently asking whether or not to give chase.

“Leave her,” Dawnstar replied, “She’ll die soon out there, anyway.”

The rogues returned to their positions and Dawnstar turned to her brother.

“And what about you, Riverpaw? Do you wish to flee too?”

Riverpaw turned to gaze at the entrance to the camp, wondering what to do. Out there, Stormpaw could get help; maybe even find the other four clans. He could do just as much good here, trying to bring down Dawnpaw from the inside.

“No, I’ll accept your offer. Make me a warrior.”

Dawnstar purred and nodded, a sinister smile stretched across her muzzle.

“Very well. Riverpaw, from now on you shall be known as Riverheart. We welcome you as a full warrior of Skyclan.”

The rogues began to cheer his name and, reluctantly, the other Skyclan cats joined in too.

As Riverheart retreated to the warriors den and the meeting broke up, he couldn’t help wondering if the will of Starclan had gone horribly wrong.

--

Epilogue

As Stormpaw ran, words echoed in her head. The prophecy from the day of her birth was the loudest of all.

The children of the storm, though they should never be, are Skyclan’s only hope.

Had she failed Starclan? Should she have done more to stop her sister?

Suddenly, she had a thought.

The children of the storm.

Her name was Stormpaw.

Would it be her kits that were to save Skyclan?

Starclan hope so.