| abstract
| - A Second Chance was the 18th episode of Season 9 of Roseanne, also the 216th overall series episode. It was written by Cynthia Mort, and was directed by Mark K. Samuels. It originally aired on ABC-TV on February 18, 1997.
- In the Place of No Light, or aka the Darklands, a place for cats eviler than Tigerstar, the full moon was shining. This was a special time for the cats of the Darklands, for this would be the only light for a year. A black cat with one white paw, a purple coller with cats' and dogs' teeth, and reinforced claws, was staring at the full moon. "StarClan, if you can hear me, can you forgive me? I've seen my life for myself, and I know I had potential to be a good cat, but power and revenge blinded me. May I have a chance to reedeem myself?" A unflamiliar voice spoke behind the small black cat, "Yes you may have another chance, Scourge." Scourge whipped around to face the blue-gray she-cat behind him, expecting a fight, to remember her by the name of Bluefur, the cat who saved his life from Tigerstar when he was a kit. "Bluefur? Is that really you?" "Yes, but now I go by the name of Bluestar." Bluestar pointed her tail at a ginger tabby tom with white paws, then a tom completely ginger. "This is Thunderstar and Firestar." "The Firestar who killed me?" Scourge's muscules tensed. "No," Bluestar answered, "This is the first leader of Fireclan. And if you remember correctly, the Firestar that killed you is a tabby, this Firestar isn't. But..." She looked right into Scourge's eyes, "You will have to pass a couple of tests to confirm that you do deserve a second chance. The first one is controlling your anger, and not killing the Firestar that killed you. The black cat's eyes widened at this. Bluestar continued, "We will send you to Fireclan's territory now, where he is leader. Your age will be knocked down to apprentice age, and I will acompany you to Firestar." Firestar looked upon his clan, and remebered the other time he'd been reborn, and his first life. He looked at his daughters in this life, the second time he'd been reborn, Flamekit, Skykit, and Foxkit. All of a sudden, his deputy, a redish-brown tom named Burningfur, came running into the camp, shouting. "Intruders! Firestar! They want to see you!" Firestar leapt from his den, the hardest place to reach in camp. "Where are they?" He asked Burningfur. "They are heading here, using the main path!" "How many?" "Only two, Firestar." "Ok, send for three warriors. If there is a fight, I want some backup." "You got it, Firestar!" Burningfur ran off to the warriors den to choose three warriors. A white she-cat named Icefire came out first, followed by Nightburn, a black tom. The last to come out was Darkleap, a gray tom with black stripes. Then he saw the intruders come into camp, and his heart stopped. It was his old enemy from his first life,without his reinforced claws and coller, accompanied by Bluestar's spirit. "Scourge!" Firestar unsheathed his claws, ready to shout an attack command. "Wait!" Bluestar yowled. "I can explain!" Bluestar told Firestar how Scourge asked for forgiveness, and that Scourge could have walked a warrior's path, if not for Tigerstar. "That flea-bitten, no good traitor!" "I agree," this was the first thing Scourge said since he saw Firestar. Bluestar nodded then explained to Firestar about how she, Thunderstar, and the less-famous Firestar had knocked down his age to six moons, so he was ready for apprenticeship. "My three daughters are also ready for apprenticeship. I shall name them now. Thank you, Bluestar." Bluestar nodded, than faded. Scourge saw Firestar leaping to the high ledge on the other side of the camp. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, join here beneath the HighLedge for a clan meeting!" He walked with the rest of the cats toward the HighLedge. He sat down and looked around the camp. He saw three she-cats his age bound exitedly out of a den covered in brambles. One she-cat was a sky blue, one was redish with a white chest and tail, and one was a pretty ginger she-cat that looked exactly like Firestar, with a white chest. The only difference was the she-cat's fur was a lighter ginger, and she had a large, fluffy tail. All three sat next to a white she-cat near the front of the crowd. Firestar continued, "It is of great importance to our clan that we name apprentices. And a new cat wishes to join us." Firestar beckoned him with his tail. Scourge stepped out of the crowd. He saw a gray tom with a darker gray stripe on his back gasp, and a light ginger she-cat joined him. Firestar spoke again, "This is Scourge. He was once an evil cat, but I killed him in my first life, back when there were only four clans. Now he has been reborn by StarClan, and wishes to join FireClan. Scourge," Firestar now turned to him, "Do you wish to learn the way of the warrior, to learn the noble code of our ancestors?" "Yes, I do." Scourge answered. "Then by the name of StarClan, I give you your apprentice name. Until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Purepaw, and we welcome you as an apprentice of Fireclan." Everyone cheered, even the gray cat and the light ginger warrior. "You mentor," Firestar continued, silencing Fireclan, "Will be Nightburn." A black tom stepped up, and they touched noses. Purepaw felt raw exitement flood into him. I belong to a clan now! He and Nightburn stepped back into the crowd. Firestar named the three other new apprentices. The sky blue one was Skypaw, the redish one Foxpaw, and the ginger one Flamepaw. When the cerimony was done, Nightburn came up to him. "Listen Purepaw, apperantly you have a lot to learn. Go to sleep in the apprentices den," Nightburn pointed to a smaller den near the right side of camp, "and we'll start training tomorrow." "Ok Nightburn, see you then." Purepaw padded into the den and fell asleep the second he closed his eyes. Purepaw woke to a rising sun, and saw the five other apprentices awake. He padded out to join them. "Hi," he meowed. "Hi, I'm Flamepaw." The ginger apprentice who was named last night with me said cheerfully. "I'm Skypaw." The blue apprentice had as much enthusiasem as her sister. A tan tom with jet black stripes came up, "I'm Snakepaw, you must be Purepaw, the new addition to the clan." Purepaw felt proud to be reconized. "Yes I am." A golden she-cat with white paws stepped up now. "I'm Sunpaw. And that over there," she pointed her tail at the redish she-cat with the white chest and tail-tip, "Is Foxpaw. Sorry, she doesn't like cats who aren't clan-born." "It's ok. It's nice to meet you all." Purepaw looked around at all the different dens, clearly confused. "Want us to show you around camp?" Snakepaw offered. "Sure!" "Alrighty then, follow us!" Snakepaw bounded away to the den covered in brambles, the rest of the apprentices following, all except Foxpaw, who stalked into the den. Purepaw followed the others. "This is the Nursury. All the kits are cared for here." Sunpaw sat next to the entrance. "You can look inside, but don't make any noise. Everyone is still sleeping." Purepaw crept inside and saw three kits sleeping next to their mother. "Wow..." Purepaw breathed. He turned around and crept outside the den. Flamepaw pointed to the last den with her tail, "And that's the warriors den!" All the apprentices eyes shined at this, and it was clear all of them wanted to be warriors, as did Purepaw. They all raced back to the den. Purepaw noticed that time had passed really slow, for the sun was still rising. The apprentices spent the rest of the time telling who their mentors were. "I got Nightburn!" Purepaw's chest puffed out in pride as the other apprentices congratulated him, telling him what a great warrior he was. "I got Icefire!" Skypaw was clearly happy about her mentor. "Was that the white she-cat you were sitting next to during our apprentice cerimony?" Purepaw was curious. "Yup!" "I have Darkleap." Sunpaw said. "I have Burningfur, the deputy!" Snakepaw said. "Wow! It must be so cool to have the deputy as your mentor." Skypaw voiced Purepaw's thoughts "Yeah, but I have Firestar as my mentor!" Flamepaw said, pride laced in her voice. "Wow!" This time Purepaw spoke first, "That's awesome!" "Yeah, congrats Flamepaw!" Said the other three. "Who's Foxpaw's mentor?" Purepaw just had to ask. "Swiftwind. He's a black and white tom." Flamepaw answered. "Hey look," Skypaw turned to the warriors den, "The warriors are waking up." A red tom with amber eyes stalked out. "That's Volcanoclaw. He used to be a Magmaclan warrior. He decided that Fireclan was better just after he became a warrior and joined us. He's been wary at the Gatherings ever since." Snakepaw explained. A dark ginger she-cat with golden eyes came out after Volcanoclaw. "Hi," she stepped up to greet Purepaw, "I'm Duskeyes." "Nice to meet you, Duskeyes." She nodded and walked toward a redish tom. "That's Burningfur, my mentor and deputy." "What does the deputy do? The leader's dirty work?" Purepaw asked, remembering Bone. "No," Snakepaw said, "The deputy organizes the patrols. Border patrol and hunting patrols. And when we go into battle, he organizes battle patrols." "Ohhh!" Purepaw no understood. A bunch of warriors came out, the last one Nightburn. "Good morning Purepaw. Up to a little hunting practice?" "Sure!" Purepaw couldn't wait to learn how to hunt correctly. I probably hunted wrong back when I was the leader of Bloodclan. He followed Nightburn out of camp. "First, I'll show you around the territory. Follow me." Nightburn went left, with Purepaw in tow. They stopped outside a clearing. "This is the Iceclan border. The clearing would be a good training place, but it belongs to Iceclan." After they explored the territory, Purepaw learned how to really hunt. "Pretend I'm a squirrel," Nightburn said to Purepaw, "I want to see how good a hunter you are now before giving you some tips." Purepaw nodded and raced off into a nearby bush. Moving silently, he crouched behind his mentor's back. He ran out of the bushes, but Nightburn was quick. He dodged and ran into a bush, disappearing from sight. Purepaw was ready to run after him when his voice came from behind him. "Your paws were too heavy. If you were chasing a mouse, it would have ran off before you were ready to race out. And that's another thing; don't run." Purepaw turned around to face Nightburn. "You should always leap. Use your strong hind legs to your advantage. Try again." Purepaw did. But this time, he leapt where he would've ran. He landed right on Nightburn's shoulders, knocking him to the ground. "Gotcha!" Nightburn writhed under him. "We all see that. Now get off of me, you lump of fur!" Purepaw backed off beaming. "Nice. now let's try on that mouse over there..." It went on like that all day until sunhigh, and the two returned to camp carrying the prey that Purepaw caught. "Nightburn," Burningfur called him. Nightburn bounded over. "Yes?" "Firestar wants to see you in his den." Burningfur growled. It was most likely because he didn't like his apprentice, Purepaw. He leapt up the rocks to Firestar's den. "Firestar, is there a problem?" "No not at all. I wanted to let you know that you'll be attending the Gathering. And Purepaw will too." Firestar said. "Thank you Firestar. I shall tell Purepaw this?" "Yes, of course, go ahead." They both nodded to each other before Nightburn left the den. He padded up to Purepaw. "Hi Nightburn!" "Hey Purepaw! I have good news. You'll be attending the Gathering with us." "What's a Gathering?" "It is held every full moon, and all eight clans come together to share news in peace." "Don't fights break out?" Purepaw didn't know the entire Warrior Code yet. "No, it is against the Warrior Code. If a fight breaks out or looks as if it's going to break out, Starclan covers the moon and everything goes dark. Almost no cat can see." "Woah..." Purepaw looked curious but a bit scared at this thought. "Cats attending the Gathering, it's time to go!" Firestar's call rang around the camp. Purepaw still didn't know everyone, he had only been here for two days. They both saw Dawnflower emerge from the Nursury. "That's Dawnflower, one of the queens. They take care of the kits. Dawnflower is Duskeyes' sister." Then the Fireclan cats raced out of camp, Firestar in the lead. They ran until they reached the edge of a cliff. They all looked down, seeing the other clan cats. "Come on, Fireclan!" They raced down a thin pathway, right into the bottom of the shallow cliff. If you were to see it from the sky, it would be a circle. That's why this cliff is called the Circle Cliff. He explained it all to Purepaw. There was a huge rock in the middle, known as the Leader Rock, for only the leaders could sit on it. When all of the leaders were on the rock, Firestar stepped up. "Fireclan is doing well. There is much prey, we have new kits, and four new apprentices. Flamepaw," Flamepaw stepped up when her name was called, and the other apprentices did the same when their names were called, "Skypaw, Foxpaw, and Purepaw. That is all." Firestar stepped back, allowing a light gray tom with peircing blue eyes step up. "For Fireclan's new apprentices, I am Miststar, leader of Waterclan. All we have to say is that we also have new kits." He stepped back, and a golden tom with amber eyes took his place. "I am Sunstar, leader of Lightclan. We have encountered a vicious fox, and drove it out," Sunstar turned to Firestar, "It seemed to be headed for your territory, we must warn you." "Thank you for the warning, Sunstar." Firestar addressed the Lightclan leader. Sunstar allowed a red tom with almost black eyes step up. "I am Lavastar, leader of Magmaclan. The prey is plentiful, and the wolves have woken from their leaf-bare sleep. They have been raiding our hunting patrols but," Lavastar cast a mean-looking glance at Firestar, "We don't need help. We can take care of our own problems." Lavastar stepped back to allow a tabby she-cat with golden eyes and wings step forward. "I am Windstar, leader of Airclan. I have no news to report." She allowed a white tom with eyes that were almost black, and silver paws to step up. "I am Silverstar, of Iceclan. The same wolves raiding Magmaclan's patrols are bothering us too, though I know we will cope." A large gray tom with gray eyes took Silverstar's place. "I am Stonestar of Earthclan. Like Airclan, we have nothing new to report." An unusually large black tom with pure black eyes pushed Stonestar out of the way before the gray tom could move. "I am Shadowstar of the mighty Darkclan. I have a request," the Darkclan cats' eyes had an evil glint and started to lean in, "We need to hunt in half of every clan's territory." Every cat outside of Darkclan (except for the leaders,) yowled in surprise and anger at this. "We are having bunches of new kits! We need food to sustain them!" Lavastar padded next to Shadowstar. "You can hunt up to the river in our territory." Magmaclan yowled in protest. Lavastar silenced his cats with an angry hiss. Shadowstar yowled to every other clan, "We need food! If you don't give us food, we'll take your food and your territory!" Flamepaw was furious. The eight clans have never let another clan hunt in their territory, much less take it. Why now? Why? It was complete nonsense. "You know tons of mice live near Twolegplace. You could send patrols there to hunt instead of hunting in territory that doesn't belong to you," Firestar was acting calm dispite the situation. "NO! There are dogs with white foaming mouths there. This is easier and less life-threatening." Shadowstar was extremely hard to convince. Flamepaw heard about him in the Nursury. The queens mentioned things like this. Firestar beckoned to the five remaining leaders with his tail. She heard bits of a conversation. "Is this..." "Give our..." "Ok let me..." Then Firestar approched Shadowstar. "The rest of us have decided that we will think about it and give our answers at the next Gathering." "Very well," Shadowstar's eyes were narrowed when he heard what Firestar said, "Then this Gathering is over. To me, Darkclan!" Shadowstar and his cats left the Circle Cliff using a rather shadowy path. Flamepaw thought it suited them. She shrugged then raced to the gathering Fireclan cats, who were getting ready to leave. They left using the same path they came down. They all padded through the forest, toward home. Flamepaw raced to her father. "Are we really going to let them hunt in our territory?" "No," Firestar answered, "We're not. I said we'll give our answer next Gathering so we can have at least a moon of peace." "Yeah! Peace or no peace, those mangy flea-pelts aren't going to take our territory! Not while we're Fireclan!" Meows of agreement rippled through the cats. When they got to camp, Firestar announced what happened at the Gathering. "We will need to keep half of the warriors and apprentices up late so we can start preparations. Burningeyes, you will take care of that. Clan meeting over." Firestar did a huge leap to his den. Burningeyes padded up to Flamepaw. "You will be one of the three apprentices up to prepare." "Yes, Burningfur." Flamepaw padded to Snakepaw, and the two went with the "Moonhigh patrol" to hunt. Flamepaw was padding back with a sparrow and a blackbird in her jaws. Snakepaw was carrying two mice. The Moonhigh patrol, which including a silver she-cat with blue eyes named Flyingfire, her sister, who is a silver she-cat with indigo eyes named Featherflight, Graystripe, and Duskeyes. All five heard screeches and yowls, and raced toward camp, Flamepaw and Snakepaw burying their prey first. They raced into a battle scene which should have been the camp. Flamepaw raced for a white tom with black stripes. As the tom turned around, she saw his red eyes. Burningfur was writhing underneath him. Flamepaw leapt and scored her claws right through both of his ears. The tom shrieked in pain and leapt for Flamepaw, who was backed against a wall... Purepaw was fighting for his life. After chasing off a red tom with black eyes, he heard two toms, a black one with red eyes, and a gray one with red eyes, talking to each other. "You take care of the black apprentice, I'll help Longclaw with the ginger one, Thistlescar." "Yes, Evil." Uh oh, thought Purepaw, they are coming to kill me! The gray tom, Thistlescar, was already barreling toward him. Purepaw remembered a patch of brambles where Foxpaw got stuck in yesterday. They had to send Skypaw, the smallest of the apprentices, in to loosen the brambles in order to get her out. It might work on this guy. He leapt over Thistlescar, and the gray tom crashed into the brambles. Purepaw felt satisfied when he heard claws scratching the brambles, trying to get loose. For a moment he wanted to race back to the brambles and kill Thistlescar. But wait a minute, killing is against the code. I'll be either killed or exiled. Life in a clan is much better. While Purepaw was pondering, he heard two growls of satisfaction. He whipped around to see the black tom, Evil, and a white tom, who must've been Longclaw, corner Flamepaw. Evil was on his hind legs, raising a paw for the death blow. Purepaw ran faster than he ever did before, in both lives. He leapt onto Evil, and the two became locked in battle. Purepaw heard a challenging yowl as Flamepaw leapt onto Longclaw... Flamepaw didn't even know what she was doing anymore. She just kept clawing until her opponent retreated. Then she leapt for the tom fighting Purepaw. She raked her claws down the black tom's side. He yowled in pain then fled for Shadowstar, who was fighting Firestar. She raced after him, when the same gray tom Purepaw dealt with leapt in front of her. She kept fighting, and she knew that Firestar might lose a life if this fight keeps going. She turned to Snakepaw, who had just chased a green furred she-cat away. "Get Sunpaw and go help Firestar!" She yowled. Snakepaw nodded and raced of to get Sunpaw. Flamepaw turned around and continued to fight the gray tom. She was pinned to the ground when Purepaw showed up. "You again, Thistleclaw?" "How do you know my name?" Thistleclaw growled. "I hear things. Including a conversation between Evil to kill me!" Purepaw looked satified as Thistlescar's eyes widened for a moment. Then he leapt for Purepaw. Flamepaw raised her paw, and felt the soft flesh of Thistlescar's underbelly rip between her claws. He howled in pain then fled, not even bothering to touch Purepaw. "Darkclan, retreat!" Shadowstar was- scared? How was that even possible? But it was there. The facial expression said it all. Then Shadowstar and his clanmates fled out the entrance, their faces filled with fear. Fireclan had won. Snakepaw looked around camp. Every cat who had fought had injuries, from a huge gash to a tiny cut. He and Sunpaw had the worst. He had a gash down his side and his sister had a large cut on her underbelly. The pretty medicine cat, Ashfern, a gray she-cat with chestnut colored eyes, was walking around camp and treating everyone's wounds. He got treated last. He looked over at Flamepaw, and that sensation came again. He didn't know what it was-yet. Then he saw Firestar leap onto the HighLedge and announce a clan meeting. "This battle has been rough, but we have won. And out of this we'll have two new warriors. Burningfur, is Snakepaw ready to be a warrior?" Snakepaw couldn't believe it, he was going to be a warrior! "Yes, he is." Burningfur looked like he was going to explode with pride. "Darkleap, is Sunpaw ready to be a warrior?" "Yes. She is as ready as she'll ever be." "Good. Snakepaw and Sunpaw, step up," Firestar beckoned them with his tail, "Snakepaw and Sunpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" Sunpaw spoke first. "I do." In these next words, Snakepaw felt more pride than ever, "I do." "Then by the name of Starclan, I give you your warrior names. From now on, Snakepaw, you will be known as Snakestripe. Starclan honors your courage and loyalty. Sunpaw, you are now Sunstep. Starclan honors your quick thinking and courage." "Snakestripe! Sunstep! Snakestripe! Sunstep!" Every cat was cheering. Snakestripe was ready to do anything now. Snakepaw is gone, he thought. There is only Snakestripe. I am a warrior. He looked over to Flamepaw, and he felt that sensation all over again. Except that he knew what is was now- love. Flamepaw was exausted. Her head swam with images of the battle and Snakestripe and Sunstep's warrior ceremony. She laid down in her nest and fell asleep as soon as her eyes closed. She awoke in the middle of camp. She quickly realized her clanmates weren't there. She raced around camp in a panic. She finally collapsed outside the apprentices' den, the only place she didn't check for her clanmates. "Get up," a voice said. It was very flamiliar. "You again?" Flamepaw looked up to find a cat exactly like her. The same age, height, everything. The only difference between the two is that the other she-cat had a red mask that looked like wings across her face. "All these moons-I haven't seen you ever since I became an apprentice!" Flamepaw was happy to see her kithood friend. She had only seen this masked she-cat in her dreams. "You will see me much more often now," the masked she-cat said, "I am within. You are having this dream because StarClan is letting us change." "What do you mean?" "I mean this. From now on we can thought-speak. We can also let each other take control of your body, even though you are the true owner." Flamepaw was starting to get the picture. "I see now. Will we have the same personality?" "No," the other one said, "You will have your personality, and I will have mine. But I must admit, I am more war-like than you, and less merciful. Use that information wisely when considering letting me take control." "I will." Flamepaw felt herself fading. "Wait! I want to ask you something!" "What is it?" the other one asked. "What's your name?" The other cat hesitated before saying, "You can call me Flamepaw too." Then the original Flamepaw, the one without the mask, faded. Purepaw woke to a beautiful sunrise. He got up and stretched a little before padding out to find Nightburn. He found him near the fresh-kill pile, eating a thrush. Purepaw padded up to Nightburn. "Hi Nightburn." "Hey, Purepaw. Ready for your final lesson?" "Yep!" "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" They raced toward the training hollow. When they got there, Nightburn leapt up onto a low tree branch. "Your final lesson is the most important. It is the control of fire." "WHAT?! Are you mouse-brained? Cats get killed by fire!" Purepaw couldn't hide his disbelief. "Not nesesairaly," Nightburn continued, "All Fireclan warriors can use it, even if you were not born in Fireclan. You see, every cat has the fire within. Just look at us! We can take that fire, and make it real. We are Fireclan!" It seemed that as he said these words, a sort of fog lifted from his eyes. Purepaw saw, deep in Nightburn's eyes, flames. The flames burned in Nightburn's eyes, and Purepaw knew he was seeing only a glimpse of this tom's power. "Why didn't you use it at the battle with Darkclan?" "Because our fire can kill if it comes to a battle. We follow the code. Now to bussiness. If you can't get this right, you can't be a warrior." Purepaw shuddered. "Now, close your eyes, and feel the fire within." Purepaw sat down and closed his eyes. He felt the fire, and soon flames engulfed the blackness of his vision. "Good!" Purepaw heard Nightburn's voice. He opened his eyes and looked at his fur. What he saw surprised himself. His fur was on fire, but it didn't hurt. "Fireclan cats are immune to fire and magma. They can't burn up." "Why are we immune to magma?" "Long ago Fireclan and Magmaclan were just Fireclan," Nightburn explained, "They were one clan until they got too big, and the cats who could control magma left to make their own clan." "Ohh I see." "Amazing...your fur is still burning. Most cats would stop because of the distraction...you are ready for the Giftspring. All of the remaining apprentices are, in fact." Nightburn looked pleased. "What is the Giftspring?" "The Giftspring is a magical little spring- the twolegs call it a 'natural fountain'- that you go to discover your special gift, or power. You only go when you are an apprentice and are ready to be a warrior. We shall leave for the Giftspring tommorow." "Wake up guys! It's time to go! We're going to the Giftspring!" Flamepaw instantly woke up when she heard Skypaw say "Giftspring." Purepaw did the exact same thing. All four apprentices bounded out of the den toward the entrance, where Nightburn, Swiftwind, Icefire, and Firestar were waiting. "Come on, guys!" Icefire was in the perfect mood for the occasion. "All right, now that we have everyone gathered, let's go." Firestar led the way out of camp, everyone headed for the Airclan border. The group raced until they reached a clearing with a little "natural fountain" in the middle. "Here we are," Nightburn said with awe, "This is the Giftspring. Now, wait until the water pours out, then lay down in the middle of all the falling drops and catch at least one in your mouth. You will fall asleep instantly. Got that?" All four apprentices nodded. They all waited until the fountain started bubbling. "Now!" Firestar said. The apprentices raced for the fountain and layed down in front of it, just as the water exploded from the Giftspring. The apprentices caught a drop then fell asleep instantly. Purepaw woke up in a clearing of stars, and knew he was in StarClan. Bluestar appeared at the edge of the clearing and padded slowly toward Purepaw. Pawsteps came from behind him. Bluestar turned toward the sound and gasped. Purepaw turned around to find three cats standing a few fox-lengths away. One was a pure black tom, one was a white she-cat, and the last was a black she-cat with white stripes. The black and white she-cat spoke first. "I am Destiny, the leader of the Cats of Time. We control everything that happens, then we send clues to StarClan, where they create a prophecy and send it to the living cats. This," she pointed with her tail to the white cat, "Is Lightshine. She represents all things good. This," she pointed to the black tom, "Is Darkshadow, and he represents all things evil. All three of us decide what will happen in the world of the living. We control everything. Lightshine, bring her in." Lightshine glowed for a moment, then a bright light appeared to his left, and Flamepaw appeared where the light once was... Flamepaw was transported from the Darklands, into StarClan. "You...you guys were right. You didn't leave me there." "Where?" Purepaw was here too. "I was in the Darklands, where you used to live-er-you know what I mean." Purepaw shuddered then nodded gravely. "We've come to give you special gifts, for you see, you are destined for much more than you'd believe right now. Purepaw," Destiny bekoned Purepaw with her tail. Purepaw slowly padded up to her. Destiny, Lightshine, and Darkshadow touched their noses to Purepaw's forehead as Destiny said, "I give you the gift of Time. You are able to go to the past in your dreams, and learn things no other cat is able to learn." Purepaw shuddered then passed out. Flamepaw backed up a little in shock. "No need to be afraid, his power is just settling in. Now it's your turn." Flamepaw padded up a bit more eagerly than Purepaw did. "I give you the gift of Prophecy. You are able to recieve prochecys from us and know what they truly mean. However, you cannot speak of what you know, ever. That will be included in this gift, and every time you try to say the true meaning, you will forget instantly." A shudder passed through Flamepaw, then she blacked out... They both woke up in the Giftspring's clearing. Purepaw saw Nightburn, Icefire, Firestar, and Swiftwind waiting at the edge of the clearing. "How did it go?" Nightburn asked, "What power did you get?" "I got the power of Time. I can go to the past in my dreams." "Cool! What did you get, Flamepaw?" "I got the gift of Prophecy." "Great, but I thought only cats destined to be medicine cats recieve the power of Prophecy." "Yeah, I know. Oh well." Skypaw woke up next. "I got the power of Flight." "What?" Flamepaw looked surprised, "I thought that was for Airclan." "Yeah, you'd think that. I dunno why I got it." "Oh well." Foxpaw woke up last. Purepaw thought he saw a look of hunger and ambition pass Foxpaw's face. Then it disappeared. "What did you get?" "Does it matter?" Foxpaw growled. "Geez. I just thought I'd ask. Don't need to get so grumpy about it." Purepaw bounded toward the mentors and they all raced back to camp, to loud wails. "What's going on?!" Firestar started to look a little panicked. "Sparrowleap! And the kits! They're GONE!" Dawnflower wailed. Redheart moaned nearby. "We went out to get some fresh air and some prey. When we came back, they were gone!" "We searched everywhere!" Dawnflower continued, "They were nowhere to be found!" Purepaw was shocked. Sparrowleap was kind, but always ready to fight. How could she be gone? Purepaw sniffed the bedding, and a flamiliar scent seemed to smack him in the face. He jerked up then raced out of camp when no one was looking. He raced toward the Circle Cliff, with one thought on his mind: Thistlescar. Flamepaw knew there had to be some traitor. But who? Then she realized Purepaw wasn't around. Had he somehow caused this? Was he a traitor? No way, she thought, Purepaw was with us the entire way. He couldn't have done it. Firestar leapt onto the HighLedge as it started to rain. "Cats of Fireclan, our kits have been stolen!" Everycat was in the middle of camp already, so they just turned to face Firestar with shock on their faces. "It seems that we have a traitor, because how else would someone know that I was gone for a while." "I think I know who it was!" Foxpaw looked excited momentairaly. "Who?!" Burningfur looked ready to burst with fury. "Purepaw! He's the traitor!" Foxpaw yowled. "I knew it! I knew that outsider would betray us!" Burningfur wasn't shocked, instead he looked glad. Firestar looked shocked, but as Flamepaw looked deeper into her father's eyes, there was a flicker of disbelief. She knew Firestar didn't believe Foxpaw and Burningfur. The clan was in an angry turmoil. "Very well. I will send a rescue patrol after the storm." "But we'll lose him!" Foxpaw's eyes betrayed her surprise. "We'll lose him if we try now. We have a better chance after the storm." Burningfur and Foxpaw reluctantly agreed. "Now. I will see Burningfur, Graystripe, Flyingfire, Duskeyes, and Volcanoclaw in my den." The five warriors padded to their dens. Firestar leapt down the HighLedge. "Skypaw, Flamepaw, come here." Flamepaw padded to her father, seeing Foxpaw stalk into the den. "What is it, father?" Skypaw asked. "I need you for a mission. You need to bring Purepaw." "Why?" This time Flamepaw asked. "You know as well as I do that Purepaw isn't a traitor. I just need a way to prove this to the clan. You can do that yourselves. If you are succesful, and bring Purepaw to me, I will make you warriors." Flamepaw saw Skypaw's eyes widen in excitement. "We understand," Flamepaw said, "We will bring you Purepaw." Purepaw raced out of the Circle Cliff on Darkclan's usual path. He slowed as he passed the border. Darkclan's territory was frightening. Shadows were everywhere, and he couldn't see the sun. It seemed like a moonless moonhigh, even though it was sunhigh. Purepaw heard pawsteps, but he barely heard it. He dived into a nearby bush just as the patrol passed. "Evil, do you smell Fireclan?" "I do...Thistlescar must have carried it back when he stole that queen and those kits." "I don't know...are you sure it was Thistlescar?" "Are you doubting me, Gorsetail?" "Of course not! We should continue!" "Wise choice," Evil muttered as Gorsetail padded past him. Purepaw's eyes narrowed. Perfect, he thought, those mouse-brained cats gave me the information I needed. Purepaw leapt out of his hiding place and dashed in the direction Evil and Gorsetail came from. Darkclan's stench got stronger, until it was almost overwhelming. He leapt into a tree and peered into their camp. Thistlescar was guarding what looked like a prisoner's den. He heard the squeals of kits and Sparrowleaps angry growls. Purepaw was getting ready to leap off and charge into the camp, when he heard a voice behind him. "We finally found you!" He whipped around, then relaxed. It was Skypaw and Flamepaw. "What are you doing here?!" Purepaw hissed, "Are you two completely mouse-brained?" Flamepaw leapt higher into the tree as Evil and Gorsetail padded into the Darkclan camp. He did the same. "We came to take you back to camp. Firestar's orders." Flamepaw hissed. "No way!" Purepaw hissed back, "Not until I rescue our clanmates!" The rain had already begun to stop. "Purepaw," Flamepaw spoke slowly, "Foxpaw called you a traitor. Burningfur and most of our clanmates believed her. Firestar didn't want to see the clan torn apart over this, so he pretended to be shocked and organized a patrol. They should be on their way now. Burningfur is with them." Purepaw's eyes widened. "There is a way however," Flamepaw said, "Graystripe is with them. He doesn't believe you are a traitor. If we can convince him, maybe the rest of the patrol would be convinced too and help us get Sparrowleap and the kits back." "That sounds good," Skypaw spoke up, "But there are too many Darkclan warriors. We'll be outnumbered." "Not nessesarily," Purepaw cut in, "If we have a couple of Darkclan warriors on our side. Maybe I can find some who've had enough of Shadowstar." "Great idea!" Flamepaw meowed. "I'll stay here," Skypaw said, "So you guys can meet back here." "Thanks, Skypaw. Good luck, Flamepaw." "Good luck Purepaw." And Purepaw leapt into another tree. He found a fear scent of Darkclan and followed it to a makeshift camp. There were mostly senior warriors and elders, but there were a couple apprentices and younger warriors. There were even a few queens and kits. He saw three young warriors leave the "camp." There were two she-cats, one with leaf-green fur and white paws and blue eyes, and one had long, brown fur and golden eyes. The tom was black with red paws and deep brown eyes. He followed them until they reached a large tree. He spied a mouse crawling over the roots. Appearantly the tom did too. He leapt for it and missed. "Curse Shadowstar!" He growled. "Here we are, starving and living off of crow-food, while those mangy supporters of his eat more then Waterclan!" Purepaw only then noticed that all three warriors had their ribs showing. "I wish he was never born! Much less leader!" The brown she-cat hissed. "Maybe," Purepaw said, "We can get rid of Shadowstar." He leapt down and the Darkclan warriors growled. "Wait!" Purepaw spoke quickly, "Maybe you can help me get rid of Shadowstar. He took one of Fireclan's queens and he took all of our kits!" "Ugh, that flea-bitten fool!" The red tom hissed, "I'm Foxleap. This is Foreststep and Treespring." He pointed to the green she-cat first, then the brown one. "We've been cast out of camp for disagreeing with Shadowstar's methods. All of the elders and a few senior warriors got cast out too. Eventually a few queens, kits, and apprentices followed. Life without a full clan is harsh. Maybe you can help us." "Of course. Just follow me..." Purepaw reached the tree where he, Flamepaw, and Skypaw had last met. He, Foxleap, Treespring, and Foreststep leaped into the branches, to find Flamepaw and the patrol from Fireclan. "Don't worry," Purepaw said as Fireclan started to hiss, "These three are going to help us. This is Foxleap," He pointed to the back tom, "This is Foreststep," He pointed toward thegreen she-cat. "And I'm Treespring," the brown she-cat said. "We've had enough of Shadowstar, and we're willing to help you get rid of him and rescue your clanmates." "All right, Fireclan," Graystripe meowed, "When I give the signal, half of us are going to do a direct attack, and half will drop from the trees." "Hey!" Burningfur looked offended, "I thought I was deputy!" "Well, I wasn't mouse-brained enough to believe Purepaw was a traitor!" Graystripe hissed. Burningfur turned around, growling. "You don't need to worry about most of his warriors. You only need to worry about Shadowstar's elite warriors," Foxleap pointed to each one, "Longclaw, Evil, Thistlescar, Gorsetail, and Blackheart." Blackheart looked exactly like Shadowstar: a black tom with black eyes. Maybe they were twins. "We'll surprise them first." Foxleap and the other two crouched at the edge of the branch, ready to spring. "Darkclan! ATTACK!" They all leapt forward into the camp. Gorsetail yowled in alarm as Treespring pounced on him and stuffed her tail into his mouth. Longclaw raced for Foxleap. "Traitor!" He yowled. "Fireclan, ATTACK!" Graystripe led everyone down the slope toward the Darkclan camp. Purepaw unsheathed his claws. He was ready... Flamepaw leapt for Blackheart and slashed his eye. He yowled in pain and fled, one paw up to his eye. She saw Longclaw pin Foxleap down. Man, does he have huge claws! That's were his name came from I guess. Flamepaw raced for Longclaw and barreled into his forelegs, toppling him over. Foxleap leapt to his paws and scratched Longclaw's underbelly while Flamepaw kept him down. Longclaw screeched, scrambled to his paws, and raced out of camp the funniest way. She heard a hiss and Shadowstar landed on her shoulders. I'm gonna die... Then she saw his underbelly. She trust her hind paws up into it. Shadowstar gasped for breath. She kept kicking, even though she knew Shadowstar would soon get over it... Purepaw launched himself into Shadowstar. He went down hard, hitting his head on a rock. Shadowstar almost passed out. While Shadowstar was in his trance, Purepaw scratched his underbelly badly. Skypaw and Flamepaw came and made a huge gash in Shadowstar's belly. He was instantly broken from his trance and screeched. He raced out of camp, his former clan hissing and spitting at him as he passed. Some even scratched him. He raced out of the camp and was gone. "Thank you, Graystripe." Foxleap padded up to him. "We will get rid of hunting patrols in your territory immediatly, I promise." "Your welcome, Foxleap. We should be heading home now." He gathered the kits and Sparrowleap and sped away, his clan following him. They reached Fireclan's territory pretty quickly. Firestar was waiting on the HighLedge. "You've got the Sparrowleap and the kits! Even Purepaw!" He said. He smiled. "Let everycat old enough to catch their own prey, join here beneath the HighLedge for a clan meeting!" Fireclan gathered. "Sparrowleap and the kits have been rescued!" "Thanks to Purepaw!" Flamepaw yowled. The clan was surprised at first, then cheered. Even Burningfur cheered. The only cat who didn't cheer was Foxpaw. "Our four apprentices are ready to be warriors!" Firestar meowed when the clamor calmed down. Flamepaw and the others couldn't believe it. "Flamepaw, Foxpaw, Skypaw, and Purepaw, do you wish to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life. "I do." they all said at once. "Then I give you you're warrior names. From this moment on, Foxpaw, you will be known as Foxheart. Fireclan honors your determination and your courage. Skypaw, from now on you will be known as Skywing. Fireclan honors your kind heart and spirit. Flamepaw, from now on you will be known as Flamespirit." Flamespirit felt a surge of pride build in her chest. "Fireclan honors your kind heart and courage. And Purepaw, you will be known as Pureheart. Fireclan honors your courage and infinite loyalty." The four new warriors stood up and their chests swelled with pride as their clanmates cheered. Pureheart dashed into the Nursury. Sparrowleap's kits were about to be born. Her mate Swiftwind, and the medicine cat Ashfern, were helping her out. One of Redheart's kits, a redish she-kit with long legs and silver eyes,was getting a little too close. "Runningkit! Redheart hissed, "Get over here!" Runningkit groaned then padded back to her mother. Her siblings, Emberkit- a dark gray tom with blue eyes, and Mosskit- a blue-gray she-kit with amber eyes, were playfighting with Leopardkit, one of Dawnflower's two kits. Leopardkit was a light ginger tom with golden eyes. His sister was Indigokit- a silver she-kit with indigo eyes. She joined in the playfighting too, eventually. Pureheart was enjoying watching the fight when he heard a cry of joy. He turned to see four kits beside Sparrowleap. One was a brown tabby tom, one was a white tom, one was a ginger and black tom, and the last was a ginger and white she-kit. "What will you name them?" Pureheart asked. "I think the she-kit should be Flowerkit."Swiftwind meowed. "That's perfect for her. That brown tabby should be Brambleit, the white tom Cloudkit, and the ginger and black tom Tigerkit. Good thing he looks nothing like Tigerstar!" "Yes, that evil tabby tom. He won't go near our kits!" Swiftwind vowed. "They are fine, healthy kits." Ashfern meowed. "They will grow up to be fine warriors." Sparrowleap brightened at that. Pureheart padded out of the den, but he didn't see Foxheart, looking at the kits, eyes glowing an evil glint.
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