Eye of the Tiger

Warrior Tribes

Dawn of the Tigers

(Contribute to Erin Hunter’s Warrior Series)       

Book #4 Eye of the Tiger

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​Tribe Cats

Star Tribe

Leader: Sky of the Night (Nightsky)-a pure black she-cat

Deputy: Halfmoon (Half the Moon)-a whitish-grayish tom

Healing Cat: Swiftfoot (Swift on her Feet) –a grayish- bluish and white she-cat
Tigerheart (Tiger’s Heart)-an orange tabby tom with black stripes

Warriors:                      
Starynight (Stary Night) –a gray tom
Sunset (Setting of the Sun) –orange tabby tom
Sunrise (Rise of the Sun) –yellow she-cat
Duskpelt (Dusk of the Night)-brown tom
Darkmoon (Darkest Shade of Moon)-black she-cat
Cometblaze (Blazing Comet) –a golden tabby she-cat
Sunstrike (Strike of the Sun) –a golden tabby tom
Cloudwillow (Cloudy Willow) –a fluffy gray she-cat
Skywatch (Watcher of the Sky) –a cream colored she-cat
Wintersky (Sky of Winter)-white-gray tom
Midnightshadow (Midnight’s Shadow)-a ginger tabby tom
Risingspirit (Spirit Rising)-gray tabby she-cat
Asteroidleap (Asteroid’s Leap)-a silver and gray she-cat with black blotches and one blind eye
Dusttail (Dusty Tail)-a dusty pale brown tom
Apprentice: Weatherstorm
Duskfur (Dusk Fur)-a dusky dark brown tom unable to move with his hind legs due to severe injuries
Starflight (Star’s Flight)-an orange tortoiseshell she-cat
Moonshift (Moon’s Shine)-a blue tabby tom with a unique fur pattern
Meteorflare (Meteor’s Flare)-a red tabby tom with two unusual yellow stripes on his forehead
Fireeclipse (Fire Eclipse)-a handsome orange tom
Breezetail (Tail in the Breeze) –a black and grey tabby she-cat with white markings

Daylight Warriors:       
Hitchclaw (Hitch)-black and white tom
Roseheart (Rose)-a brown she-cat

Apprentices:
Weatherstorm (Stormy Weather)-a blue and white she-cat

To-Be-Mothers:    
Snowpetal (Petal of Snow)-a whitish-reddish she-cat
Dawnflower (Flower at Dawn)-dawn colored she-cat (mother of Starynight’s kits, Night-a white tom and Sky-a blue tom)

Elders:
Shinningnight (Shinning Stars of the Night)-a white she-cat
Skypelt (Pelt of the Sky) -bluish-grayish she-cat (retired early due to failing sight)

Tornado Tribe

Leader: Fur in the Gorse (Gorsefur)-greenish-brownish tabby tom

Deputy: Tallbreeze (Tall Trees in the Breeze) gray tom

Healing Cat:
Jadestep (Step of Jade)-a white she-cat with black spots
Sonicboom (Sonic Boom)-grey she-cat

Warriors:
Summerair (Summer in the Air)-an orange-yellow-reddish she-cat
Apprentice: Horizonflash
Rainstorm (Storm with Rain)-blue-gray tom
Stormcloud (Stormy Cloud)-blue-gray tabby tom
Cracklefur (Crackle of Lightning)-brown tabby tom
Apprentice: Lightningshear   
Boomingthunder (Booming of Thunder)-grayish tabby tom
Whirlwind (Whirling Wind)-a silver tabby she-cat
Apprentice: Graydawn
Sunshadow (Sun’s Shadow)-a pale yellow she-cat

Apprentices:
Lightningshear (The Lightning’s Shear)-a black tabby tom
Horizonflash (Flash of Horizon)-a golden brown tabby tom
Graydawn (Dawn of Grey)-grey she-cat with white paws

To-Be-Mothers:
Floodwater (Flooding Water)-blue-gray she-cat (mother of Rainstorm’s kits; Thunder (black and grey she-cat and Tycoon (a blue and white tom)

Elders:
Lightningscar (Scar of Lightning)-an orange-yellow tabby tom with a scar running down his eye onto his neck

Winter Tribe             

Leader: Fur of Crystals (Crystalfur)-pure white she-cat

Deputy: Winterair (Air of Winter)-white-blue she-cat

Healing Cat:
Firefrost (Fire’s Frost)-a red tabby tom
Apprentice: Southwind

Warriors:
Hawkfrost (Frost of Hawk)-brown-white tabby tom
Apprentice: Northstar
Frostytrail (Trail of Frost)-a black tom with jet white paws
Icyclaws (Claws of Ice)-a pure white tom
Hailfoot (Sky of Hail)-white-gray tom
Snowstorm (Storm of Snow)-white she-cat
Coldfangs (Fangs of Cold)-pale white tabby tom
Icecloud (Cloud of Ice)-pure white tom
Clearsnow (Clear Snow)-pale gray tabby tom
Icefire (Ice Fire)-a blue tortoiseshell tom
Frostfire (Frosty Fire)-gray she-cat
Frostflower (Frost Flower)-a black she-cat

Apprentices:
Jetfrost (Frosty Jet)-black tom with a white tail
Northstar (Northern Star)-black and white tom
Southwind (Windy South)-a pale yellow she-cat

To-Be-Mothers:                   
Snowfern (Ferns in Snow)-tortoise shell she-cat (Mother of Frosytrail’s kits (Frosted-a grayish-whitish tabby tom and Flake-an unusual black spotted she-cat)
Snowdrop (Drop of Snow)-a bluish and whitish she-cat (mother of Icecloud’s kits; Blizzard-bluish-grayish she-cat and Chill-white tabby tom)
Apprentice: Jetfrost

Elders:
Dewspot (Spots of Dew)-a gray she-cat with one huge white spot on her back

Rainbow Tribe

Leader: Tail of Cinder (Cindertail)-brown she-cat

Deputy: Redlight (Light of Red)-red tabby tom

Healing Cats: Bigheart (Big Heart)-a brown tabby tom who is completely blind
Ivyleaf (Ivy’s Leaf)-brown-greenish she-cat

Warriors:
Goldenheart (Heart of Gold)-yellow she-cat
Silverfoot (Foot of Silver)-silver tortoise shell she-cat
Apprentice: Swiftheart
Smokynose (Smoky Nose)-a smoky black tabby tom
Ashtail (Ash Tail)-a white-brown tabby
Springshine (Sign of Spring)-white-brown she-cat
Blackheart (Heart of Black)-pale black tom
Pinefur (Fur of Pines)-short haired tabby tom
Waterflow (Water’s Flow)-bluish white tom
Greenpoppy (The Green Poppy)-a reddish-black she-cat
Daylight Warriors:
Rebelstreak (Rebel)-a light brown tabby tom
Hickoryspirit (Hickory)-a brownish-gray she-cat

Apprentices:
Swiftheart-a blue and white she-cat

To-Be-Mothers:
Kinkpelt (Pelt of Kink)-gray-brown she-cat
Morninglight (Morning Light)-a tortoiseshell she-cat
Forestleaf (Forest Leaf)-grayish greenish tortoiseshell she-cat (mother of Pinefur’s kits; Blossom-a yellow and red tabby she-cat and Light-a black tom)

Elders:
Runningrainbow (Running Rainbow)-white tom
Tawnyfur (Tawny Fur)-tortoise shell she-cat
Dustfur (Dusty Fur)-dusky pale brown tabby tom

Swift Tribe                           

Leader: Weasle Fur (Weaslefur)-brown tabby tom

Deputy: Shrewfern (Shrew in the Fern)-gray tabby tom

​Healing Cat:
Voleear (Vole’s Ear)-pure white she-cat with two brown ears
Apprentice: Lionroar

Warriors:
Birchfall (Falling Birch)-light brown tom
Earthwing (Wings of Earth)-brown tortoise shell she-cat
Rabbitfoot (Rabbit’s Foot)-white she-cat with pale brown paws
Mousewhisker (Whiskers of a Mouse)-a brown tabby tom
Apprentice: Eaglescreech   
Grizzlynose (Grizzly’s Nose)-a black tom with a huge nose
Beetleeyes (Eyes of a Beetle)-greenish-grayish she-cat
Birdtrail (Trail of a Bird)-red-brown she-cat
Harespring (Spring of Hare)-white-brown tabby tom
Apprentice: Snaketeeth
Toadpelt (Toad’s Pelt)-dark brown tabby tom
Bumblestripes (Stripes of a Bee)-an unusually black stripped tom
Apprentice: Leopardpath
Squirreltail (Squirrel’s Tail)-a ginger she-cat with a bushy tail
Starlingfeather (Starling’s Feather)-a reddish she-cat
Apprentice: Coyotehowl
Wolfclaw (Wolf’s Claw)-a brownish gray tabby tom
Beestripe (Bee’s Stripe)-a pale yellow tabby tom with black stripes

Daylight Warriors:
Hawkeye (Hawk)-dark brown tabby tom

Apprentices:
Leopardpath (Final Leopard Path)-an orange she-cat with an unusual black spotted fur pattern
Snaketeeth (Snake’s Teeth)-whitish black she-cat with razor sharp teeth
Lionroar (Lion’s Roar)-yellow tabby she-cat
Coyotehowl (Coyote’s Howl)-grey and white tabby tom
Eaglescreech (Screech of an Eagle)-yellow she-cat
Beargrowl (Bear’s Growl)-a white tabby she-cat)

​To-Be-Mothers:
Bluebird (Blue Bird)-bluish she-cat
Fishtail (Tail of Fish)-a silver-white she-cat
Dragonfrost (Dragon’s Frost)-red and black she-cat (mother of Wolfclaw’s kits; Lynx-black and gray tabby she-cat with white and Lynx-a gray and black tabby tom with unusual spots and stripes)

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​Chapter 1
Sweet scents filled the healing den as Tigerheart stretched his aching joints. It had only been several seasons since the last fire in Star Tribe’s territory which had severely injured Duskfur’s hind legs. Even though no more fires had exploded randomly in Star Tribe’s territory, the fires were still appearing in the other territories. Tigerheart couldn’t wait until it was time for him to go into battle with the Evils so the fires would stop. One thing that still worried Tigerheart was that he hadn’t discovered his power yet. “Tigerheart.” meowed a voice from outside the den. Tigerheart turned around to find forest green eyes staring at him. “It’s been three seasons now. When can I walk again?” Tigerheart watched in sorrow as Duskfur dragged his hind legs on the ground into the healing den. “I-I don’t know.” stammered Tigerheart. “Y-y-you might never be able to walk again.” Duskfur sighed in despair. “I still have feeling in my legs. I can even wiggle my paws.” Tigerheart looked up at him in surprise. “Really?” Duskfur nodded his head and struggled to wiggle his paws. Tigerheart had to admit, that was impressive. Maybe he does have a chance, he thought. “There is a possibility you might be able to walk again but it might take a few eclipses. You can keep trying to move your legs and paws for training but for now you’re stuck in camp.” explained Tigerheart. Duskfur nodded his head and headed out of the den to continue practicing.  The tabby tom left the den in search of Dusttail. He spotted the tom talking to Asteroidleap a few paw steps away. “Dusttail!” greeted Tigerheart padding up. The brown tabby tom turned around. “Could I talk to you about something.” Dusttail nodded his head and followed Tigerheart into the healing den. “What do you need?” he asked. “I wanted to ask you,” Tigerheart started. “About Duskfur.” “What about him?” Dusttail replied. “I know I’m a healing cat in all but, do you think Duskfur could ever walk again?” Dusttail went silent with sorrow. “I wish he would’ve been more careful back then.” he sighed shaking his head. “I don’t think he could ever be able to contribute to warrior duties again.” Tigerheart nodded his head. “That’s all I wanted to ask, if you see Swiftfoot tell her I’m heading to my nest.” meowed Tigerheart heading to the back of the den as Dusttail flicked his tail in fair well. It was pretty dark in the healing den since the sun had started to set over the horizon and it made Tigerheart feel sleepy. His eyelids started to drop as he settled in and soon the world went pitch black.

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Chapter 2
A gray and black tabby pelt stood before Tigerheart. Shudderpelt’s light, blue eyes were filled with confidence and happiness. “Are you all ready?” asked Shudderpelt looking at the five chosen cats proudly. “We’re ready.” meowed Summerair standing in an attack stance. Every cat nodded their head in agreement. Shudderpelt nodded his head before stepping back beside Spottedsong, Heatherbracken, Brightlight, and Mistypool. “Then we wish you good luck.” All five cats headed towards the Eerie Forest border. We have to win, thought Tigerheart, there’s no other way to stop those things but make them retreat and give back the Peace Ring. The four cats stopped at the border. “Are you guys ready for this?” asked Greenpoppy. “Oh yeah.” growled Leopardpath. “Don’t forget to stick to the plan.” added Icefire. “Greenpoppy goes first, then Leopardpath, then me, then Summerair and Tigerheart.” The healing cat nodded his head before Greenpoppy disappeared before their eyes. “She’ll attack without being noticed.” mumbled Tigerheart to himself. “Next Leopardpath will scout ahead and fight the ones closest to the border.” “Ok I’m heading in.” whispered Leopardpath after she finished sniffing the air. “Next, Icefire will race past each Evil and hope that he is able to claw their throats to weaken them before racing back and trying to finish them off.” continued Tigerheart to himself as Icefire sped away. “Then me and Summerair will listen for Icefire’s paw steps to follow them to where all the weakened Evils will be so we can also help finish them off.” “You ready Tigerheart?” asked Summerair. Tigerheart nodded his head. “Just going over the plan in my head.” “Well now it’s time for us to play our part.” meowed Summerair signaling Tigerheart to be quiet so she can listen to Icefire’s paw prints. “This way!” she whispered scampering into the territory. “Try to take as much cover as you can.” whispered Summerair as they spotted an evil. But the Evil had noticed them already and started to charge towards them. “Mouse dung.” growled Summerair unsheathing her claws. Tigerheart did the same; even if he was not that great of a fighter his lessons must’ve surely paid off. “You can’t fight me Sky Tribe cats.” sneered the tom clawing Summerair but she swiftly dodged. Summerair clawed the tom across the face as Tigerheart got ready to lunge at his throat. “How is this possible?!” exclaimed the Evil. “Here’s something that might interest you.” snarled Summerair as Tigerheart bit into his throat. “We’re not from Sky Tribe and we will destroy you all!”

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Chapter 3
Tigerheart let go of the Evil’s limp body as he forced his teeth into its neck. “Good job Tigerheart.” meowed Summerair. “That’s one Evil down.” “Something is bothering me though,” exclaimed Tigerheart. “How did that Evil know we were there? We were already hidden in the bushes but it still sensed us. These things might be harder to beat than we thought.” Summerair nodded her head. “You might be right. We should keep a sharp eye now. I just hope everyone else is doing fine.” Tigerheart led the way deeper into the territory. “Icefire’s foot prints are getting a bit fainter which means we’re falling behind. Let’s hurry up a bit.” explained Summerair trotting past him. “There aren’t many Evils here either. I don’t see a single one.” Tigerheart had to agree. “It probably means everyone else has been spotted but us.” Summerair and Tigerheart raced further and further into the Eerie Forest and soon they saw Leopardpath fighting an Evil in the distance. “She’s in trouble.” meowed Summerair as she saw three other Evils creeping up on the young apprentice. Tigerheart bolted towards one of them and clawed its legs. Summerair rushed in and grabbed it by the throat. All of a sudden Tigerheart felt himself being forced to the ground. A pain hit his back as he struggled to get up. Summerair kicked off another Evil and dove under its belly as it coughed up blood from her kick. Tigerheart fought the other Evil as it swiped Tigerheart in the face. The tabby tom racked his claws deep into the Evil’s shoulder before letting Leopardpath finish it off. “There,” panted Leopardpath. “Now we can keep moving.” “How about a thank you?” teased Tigerheart. “We sort of saved your life.” Leopardpath didn’t reply as she looked past them in horror. “What?” meowed Summerair turning around. Tigerheart froze at the sight. “What?” growled Leopardpath unsheathing her claws again. “It’s like those Evils won’t stop coming. No matter how many we kill more just take their places.” “We have to keep going.” growled Tigerheart getting ready to spring. “We can’t back down now. Plus, Icefire and Greenpoppy still haven’t been detected from what Summerair has told me. We still have a chance.” Both she-cats nodded their heads and lunged themselves at their opponents. We have to win, he thought getting ready to spring. We can’t lose! All of the tribes are counting on us!

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Chapter 4
“This isn’t right.” mumbled Duskfur looking down on Tigerheart. His friend had been sleeping past sun high and still showed no sign of waking up. Duskfur struggled to nudge Tigerheart with his paw. Not being able to stand on all four legs makes me feel so weak, he thought miserably. Duskfur reluctantly struggled to shove Tigerheart again as the tom didn’t move. “What’s going on?” he muttered. “This isn’t like Tigerheart at all.” Duskfur bit Tigerheart’s ear hard enough for any cat to feel it. Tigerheart stayed perfectly still as if he were dead but Duskfur could see the tom’s chest rising and falling. “Who’s in here?” asked a voice from behind. Duskfur struggled to turn around and face the cat behind him. “Oh hello Duskfur.” greeted Swiftfoot putting down a bundle of herbs. “How are the legs doing?” “Fine.” replied Duskfur quickly. Swiftfoot sighed. “He’s still sleeping?” she asked her voice filled with uncertainty. Duskfur nodded his head. “I wonder what’s going on.” meowed Duskfur. “Something is happening in his brain.” explained Swiftfoot looking down on her former apprentice. “This is something we don’t know whether to be concerned about or not. All we can do now is hope we don’t have to be worried about him. We just have to continue to let him sleep and see how it turns out.” Duskfur nodded his head but was still uncertain. All of a sudden Duskfur started to see tiny drops of blood come off of his shoulder. “H-he’s bleeding in his sleep?!” exclaimed Duskfur bewildered. Swiftfoot hurried to see. “This wound is fairly deep. But how did he get it?” meowed Swiftfoot racing to get some cobweb. What’s happening to Tigerheart, thought Duskfur. Cats don’t bleed in their sleep. “W-what’s going on?” exclaimed Swiftfoot after she had placed the cobweb on the wound. Tigerheart had started to flail his legs around wildly in his sleep and he seemed to be baring his teeth. “This definitely is not normal.” objected Duskfur struggling to sit down. “I’ve never seen a cat act like this in their sleep.” exclaimed Swiftfoot as another wound appeared on Tigerheart’s shoulder. Swiftfoot patched up the wound again before sitting down next to Duskfur. “Whatever is going on inside his head,” meowed Swiftfoot. “He’s fighting it off.” Was that really what was happening inside his head, thought Duskfur. Was someone forcing him to stay asleep so he could fight whatever he was fighting off? ​

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Chapter 5
Leopardpath looked at him in bewilderment. “How can you fight with those wounds?” she asked as she continued to fight. “I-I don’t know.” stammered Tigerheart helping Summerair with two other Evils. “It seems as if someone is healing me from back down in Star Tribe.” “Tigerheart watch out!” yowled Summerair as a soul slashed at his face and hit his check. “Mouse dung!” he spat wincing in pain. All of a sudden he felt his wound being patched up again. “Whatever is happening it’s helping you from having to retreat from the battle which is a good advantage.” meowed Summerair as she beat down the Evil and gave it a death blow. All three cats slowly caught their breath. “I feel like we’re getting nowhere.” panted Leopardpath as they continued to walk with no Evils in sight. “Those things just keep appearing. I hope Icefire and Greenpoppy are doing more damage than we are.” Every cat stopped as Leopardpath and Summerair used their abilities to tell where everyone else was. Tigerheart felt embarrassed; he didn’t feel like he was helping in anyway. “Icefire hasn’t been directly found by the Evils yet.” reported Summerair. “And by the smell of it, he hasn’t been attacked either. I don’t smell any blood coming from his pelt.” added Leopardpath. “Greenpoppy hasn’t been detected either.” “Greenpoppy is very far ahead; I can barely hear here anymore.” exclaimed Summerair. “Icefire is staying behind though to finish off more Evils.” Leopardpath let out a frustrated hiss. “I feel like I should’ve been given a different power. My power isn’t really helping like Icefire’s and Greenpoppy’s are. The Evils don’t even smell like anything!” “Oh come on mouse-brain.” snapped Summerair. “We have what we have. Plus Sky Tribe wouldn’t have given these powers to us for no reason. They must be for further ahead in our mission.” Tigerheart nodded his head in agreement. “Summerair is right. But for now we should keep moving, from what you guys have said we are pretty behind everyone else. We have to defeat the Evils that stand in our way a bit faster.” Leopardpath let out a snort. “Fine.” All three cats raced deeper and deeper into the Eerie Forest. Tigerheart looked at his surroundings; the trees seemed to be getting taller and more undergrowth started to appear. We must be getting close to the centre, he thought. Icefire and Greenpoppy had taken out all the Evils in their path so far. “They really did a good job.” muttered Leopardpath looking around at all the lifeless bodies. All of a sudden Summerair stopped. “I just had a thought,” meowed Summerair nervously. “Once we get to the middle, what exactly do we do? How do we get the Peace Ring back?” Tigerheart froze and looked at Leopardpath who seemed to look a bit afraid. “T-they never told us how.” exclaimed Tigerheart. “But my theory is that we must defeat all of them in order for us to get it back.” “What? Are you mouse-brained?” snapped Summerair lashing her tail in frustration. “That could take ages!” “What other explanation do we have?” growled Leopardpath. “We should just stick with that plan for now; after all, Sky Tribe didn’t tell us how to get it back so this is our only option till something better pops up.” Summerair sighed. “I guess so.”
They continued to head into the territory before they came across a huge pack of Evils that looked like they had been waiting for them. “Fox dung!” spat Leopardpath racing towards them. “Looks like Icefire and Greenpoppy went even further ahead and left a job for us. Let’s go!” Tigerheart’s heart filled with dread, there were thousands of them. How would they defeat them all? “What are you standing there for Tigerheart?” yowled Summerair as she battled five of them at once. “Are you going to help or cower there forever?”

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Chapter 6
Dusttail sighed in exhaustion. He and Weatherstorm had been training all sun high to work on her assessment before she became a warrior by sun down. Weatherstorm’s eyes were filled the excitement as she continued to battle train with Asteroidleap. “I think she’s ready to be a warrior, don’t you Dusttail?” meowed the she-cat looking at him with her one good eye. Dusttail nodded his head but didn’t say anything. “Are you still fussing over Tigerheart?” she asked. “Maybe.” muttered Dusttail shuffling his paws. “He’ll be fine.” meowed Asteroidleap softly putting her tail on his shoulder. “Swiftfoot says he’ll be fine.” Dusttail didn’t reply but nodded his head. “Can we head back now Dusttail?” asked Weatherstorm happily. “My ceremony will be soon!” “Let’s head back.” agreed Dusttail padding beside Asteroidleap and Weatherstorm.
“Dusttail come quick!” meowed Duskfur as he came back into camp. Dusttail perked his ears. “What is it?” he asked. His brother struggled to drag his legs over to his brother. Dusttail winced in pain. If only his brother had rushed out of camp right away. “It’s Tigerheart!” he meowed. “He’s still bleeding in his sleep but this time a lot.” Dusttail left both she-cats to stare after him as he raced into the healing den where Swiftfoot was talking to Fireeclipse to grab more cobwebs from their territory. “What’s going on?” demanded Dusttail racing past the young warrior. “Tigerheart is bleeding more heavily.” explained Swiftfoot patching up another wound. Dusttail looked worriedly at his friend. This isn’t like you Tigerheart, he thought. “It doesn’t look like he can go to The River of our Ancestors tonight.” she meowed shaking her head. “But I can’t leave him here alone. It looks like I’ll have to ask you, Dusttail to go tell the other healing cats tonight that I won’t be making it because Tigerheart is in bad condition.” Dusttail nodded his head shakily. “I hope whatever is happening to him is going to stop.” meowed Duskfur. Dusttail nodded his head. For the first time, he was scared for his friend. I don’t know what’s happening to you Tigerheart, he started to tell himself; but whatever is, you need to make it stop.

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Chapter 7
Tornado Tribe’s camp was bustling with energy as every cat struggled to rebuild camp after another fire broke out that day before. Sonicboom was inside the healing den, looking after Summerair who hadn’t woken up for quite some time and seemed to be frozen. The she-cat had started to mysteriously bleed in her sleep which concerned both Sonicboom and her former mentor Jadestep. Tonight was the night that the healing cats had to go to the River of our Ancestors to talk to Sky Tribe. Jadestep had told Sonicboom that she would leave Whirlwind in charge of Summerair till they got back since the warrior had been a close and good friend of Jadestep’s who also knew a few herbs. Sonicboom sighed in frustration. What’s going to happen to Summerair, she thought. Sonicboom shook her head; she shouldn’t show that she was concerned about Summerair, for the sake of her other tribe mates. “It’s time to leave.” meowed Jadestep poking her head into the den. Sonicboom shook her pale grey pelt as she padded out of the den. Whirlwind dipped her head in farewell as she took Sonicboom’s place.
As Sonicboom padded up the hill, a shiver went down her spine. Only a few cats were waiting and not as many as there should be. “Where is every cat?” asked Sonicboom dipping her head in greeting. “Firefrost had to stay behind because he was concerned with Icefire; he was bleeding in his sleep.” explained Southwind shyly. “Same with one of our apprentices, Greenpoppy; Brightlight had to stay behind because she was also bleeding in her sleep.” agreed Ivyleaf. “Voleear had to stay behind to treat Leopardpath’s wounds.” added Ivyleaf. Sonicboom shivered. “Same with Summerair; she’s also bleeding in her sleep. We left one of our warriors in charge of her.” exclaimed Jadestep. “This doesn’t feel like a coincidence.” Every healing cat murmured in agreement. “But where’s Star Tribe?” exclaimed Ivyleaf. “They should be coming soon.” “Star Tribe’s healing cats could not make it.” meowed a voice coming up the hill. Dusttail appeared from Star Tribe’s territory. “Tigerheart is bleeding heavily in his sleep so Swiftfoot forced herself to stay behind.” “What?” meowed Sonicboom outraged. “It’s that bad?” “Are you coming to represent Star Tribe?” asked Lionroar bewildered. Dusttail shook his head. “No. Swiftfoot told me to come tell you so you wouldn’t wait any longer.” “Well then,” meowed Southwind. “We should be on our way.” Sonicboom couldn’t believe what she had just heard. One cat from every tribe was bleeding in their sleep? Then another thought hit her; she was going to tell Tigerheart something very important tonight! How am I supposed to tell him now, she thought fustratedly as they came up to the river. All of a sudden a thought hit her; maybe I could talk to him through Sky Tribe, she thought.
Cries of fury pierced Sonicboom’s ear as she stood up. She was in Sky Tribe. “Where am I?” she murmured looking around. Sonicboom’s fur raised as she looked around. Dead bodies of souls were everywhere. “A-are these Evils’ bodies?!” she exclaimed avoiding them. “This means; someone is fighting them?! But who? Sky Tribe cats can’t touch them which means…” All of a sudden she spotted Summerair, Leopardpath and Tigerheart battling a whole army of Evils. “So they’ve been fighting in Sky Tribe? That’s why they aren’t waking up?” she meowed to herself. “That must explain why they’re bleeding in their sleep! We’re allowing them to continue to fight without being hurt.” Sonicboom raced up to the cats. “Leopardpath! Summerair! Tigerheart!” she yowled. All three cats took a quick glance and looked at her in surprise. “Sonicboom get out of here!” yowled Tigerheart as they continued to fight. All of a sudden an Evil was right beside Sonicboom. “Sonicboom!” shrieked Tigerheart racing towards her. But it was too late, the evil lashed at her ear. Sonicboom got ready to feel the pain, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes to see the Evil was furiously trying to make a mark on her but the Evil’s claws went through her. “Sky Tribe won’t let you interfere.” gasped Tigerheart wide-eyed. Sonicboom looked just as shocked but then wiped the look from her face. “I need to talk to you.” she meowed. Tigerheart looked at her in bewilderment. “Look around you Sonicboom!” he meowed. “This isn’t the best time!” Sonicboom struggled to stay calm as she continued. The she-cat walked up to Tigerheart and put her nose on his nose. All of a sudden a huge flash came and before she could open her eyes; she felt the clearing go silent.
Sonicboom opened her eyes and stepped back from Tigerheart who also opened his frightened eyes. “W-w-where are we?” he asked spinning around warily. “We’re somewhere where it’s quiet so I can talk to you.” meowed Sonicboom. “But I need to help them!” he growled softly, annoyance showing in his voice. “I’m doing this to save the tribes!” Sonicboom looked at him sternly. “Tigerheart.” The tom instantly became silent by the tone of her voice that she used to say his name. “I know you didn’t want to hear about it again,” she started. “But-“ “I know.” he meowed not meeting her gaze. “And about what I did to you, how I was angry at you for saying those things and,” she continued looking at his ear in sorrow. “You didn’t deserve what I did to your ear. You were right from the start, Tigerheart. I should’ve never done what I did back there.” Tigerheart didn’t reply. “I was thinking for a long time about what you said, and it really came to me; we are in different tribes after all and are healing cats. So no matter what, we never could’ve been together.” Pain broke into her voice. “I-I’m also sorry for saying those things to you.” he added looking into her eyes. “I guess I was a bit too harsh but I was scared of betraying my tribe. I-I guess this means we will only be friends from now on.” Sonicboom nodded her head but she knew her feelings for him would never leave her alone. “I’ll bring you back to the Eerie Forest.” she meowed quietly. “Y-yeah.” he meowed awkwardly. “One thing Sonicboom, do not tell any cat about what’s going on; everyone would just panic. I trust you.” Sonicboom nodded her head and touched noses with him and soon she could hear the painful cries again. Sonicboom opened her eyes and found herself back in the Forest. Tigerheart stepped away and waved his tail in farewell. Sonicboom looked after him to see Summerair and Leopardpath looking at him in bewilderment.
Sonicboom slowly opened her eyes as she felt the sun’s rays slowly start to seep into her fur. All the other healing cats were already awake and chatting amongst themselves. “You’re finally awake!” exclaimed Jadestep noticing Sonicboom as she padded over. “Did you happen to find out why some of our cats are bleeding in their sleep?” she asked. “No Sky Tribe cat has told us what is happening.” Sonicboom knew why but Tigerheart had told her not to tell anyone and she knew he trusted her to tell no one. Sonicboom shook her head and headed down the hill with the rest of the healing cats.

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Chapter 8
“What just happened?” shrieked Leopardpath as Tigerheart raced over to Summerair and the apprentice. “Where did you just go?” “I-I honestly don’t know.” replied Tigerheart helping Summerair battle five Evils. “It happened too fast.” “We’re almost finished!” yowled Summerair as more Evils crashed to the ground. All of a sudden there was dead silence as the last Evil dropped to the ground. “D-did we do it?” asked Leopardpath panting. “I-I’m not sure.” whispered Summerair. “This doesn’t feel right.” Tigerheart searched the Eerie Forest for any signs of the Evils. “Do you think we defeated them all?” he asked warily. “I don’t think so but judging from all those Evils we just took down we’re getting pretty close to the core.” replied Summerair quietly as they continued forward. “That means we’re almost finished defeating all the Evils!” yowled Leopardpath happily. “Quiet mouse-brain!” hissed Summerair shooting her a glare.
“They sure took down a lot of them.” exclaimed Tigerheart looking at their bodies. The three had been walking around for some time with no Evil in sight. “They’re still pretty far away though, their scents are starting to become faint.” sighed Leopardpath shaking her head. “It feels like we’re not even close to defeating these guys.” Every cat became silent. “But thanks to Greenpoppy and Icefire we’re getting even further.” Tigerheart pointed out. “You’re right.” growled Leopardpath in annoyance. “They’re doing everything for us! I need to get in on the action too!” Summerair and Tigerheart looked at each other in confusion. “Are you mouse-brained?!” spat Summerair lashing her tail. “We’ve been helping too!  We took down just as much as they did!” “Look around you, Summerair!” hissed Leopardpath. “There’s not an Evil left standing! They took hundreds of them down together! Just the two of them! And we’re having problems just taking down five at once!” “Guys we need to focus-“ “Well have you forgotten they have different powers than us?!” retorted Summerair interrupting Tigerheart. “Greenpoppy can never be detected and Icefire can run as fast as the wind!” Leopardpath bared her teeth aggressively. “That’s enough!” growled Tigerheart loudly. Both cats didn’t say a word but didn’t look at the healing cat. “We need to focus and catch up to everyone else instead of argue! The fate of the tribes is resting on our shoulders! Now let’s go!”
It felt like forever that all three cats had wandered around their territory in silence with no sign of the Evils or their companions. “We’re getting fairly close.” muttered Leopardpath. “Icefire and Greenpoppy have both stopped moving.” “That means they could be at the center of Soul Tribe!” meowed Tigerheart excitedly. He felt everyone’s confidence grow at the mention of the center getting close.
But soon Tigerheart felt confused; they hadn’t seen an Evil for quite some time and there were no bodies on the ground either. “This doesn’t feel right.” murmured Summerair as if she could read his thoughts. “Where are they?” “Icefire’s scent is getting stronger-“ Leopardpath stopped mid-sentence as the she-cat whirled around. “Greenpoppy?”  The brown tabby she-cat stepped out of the shadows with terrified, wide eyes. “W-w-we failed.” the she-cat whispered. “Icefire was captured by Evils. I managed to escape. I came back to warn you guys that you’ll be captured too.” “What?” meowed all three cats in disbelief. “But Icefire is super fast! How could he have gotten caught?” protested Summerair. Greenpoppy shook her head. “I don’t know how!” “How far away is he?” asked Tigerheart calmly. “He’s not very far away.” she replied. “He’s at the center surrounded by thousands of Evils.”

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Chapter 9
“At the center?!” exclaimed Tigerheart quietly hoping the Evils wouldn’t hear them. “What are they going to do to him?” “That’s what I’m afraid of!” whispered Greenpoppy. “I don’t know what they’re going to do to him!” A shiver went down the healing cat’s spine. “We have to hurry!” shrieked Greenpoppy in panic. “Not so fast.” spat a furious voice behind them. Every cat froze with fear and turned around silently; behind them stood thousands of Evils. Where did they all come from, thought Tigerheart in panic. “You’re coming with us.” snapped the biggest Evil in a bitter tone as the rest surrounded them in an instant. Greenpoppy tried to use her power but an Evil grabbed her roughly by the scruff. The apprentice bared her teeth aggressively but the soul didn’t seem to notice. Summerair put down her head in shame and Leopardpath looked like she was ready to attack. Tigerheart shot her a pleading look; they were surrounded and nobody had the will to fight any longer. Is this the end, he thought miserably. Have we lost?
Leopardpath let out a low, threatening growl as an Evil shoved her forward to move faster. They were at the center of Soul Tribe but Icefire wasn’t in sight. “Stay here.” hissed one of the Evils as they formed a tight circle around them. “How exactly would we get out anyway.” murmured Summerair shaking her head. “Make way!” cried an Evil as the rest of them cleared a path. Greenpoppy gasped as they saw a grey, blood soaked pelt being dragged into the small clearing. It was Icefire. Icefire weakly opened his eyes as the Evil dropped him roughly onto the ground and wandered back into the crowd. “H-h-how did you guys get here?” he rasped weakly lifting up his head. “Never mind that, what happened to you?” asked Summerair. “T-t-they captured me.” he meowed letting out a pitiful cough. “T-t-they attacked in groups of hundreds until I could no longer stand.” “Will he be ok?” asked Greenpoppy. Leopardpath stayed silent and didn’t move. Tigerheart didn’t reply; what was he supposed to say? For once he didn’t know what was going to happen to Icefire, after all, he was a fairly strong warrior. “You guys need to get out of here now!” whispered Icefire. “This will happen to you too if you don’t get out of here.” “We’re not leaving you behind.” hissed Leopardpath sharply. “We’re a team. We need everyone’s help to defeat these guys.”

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Chapter 10
Summerair sheathed and unsheathed her claws in fast motion. Everyone was trying to think of a plan even though they were still surrounded by the Evils. Tigerheart could tell they were at the center of Soul Tribe; there were more Evils than he could count. Sky Tribe counted on us to do this, he thought in bewilderment. It would take eclipses to get past all of them! Greenpoppy slowly came up to Tigerheart and shook her head. “Icefire’s growing weaker. They really beat him up badly. Have you thought of a plan yet?” she meowed quietly. Tigerheart shook his head. The warrior sighed and lowered her green eyes. Tigerheart twitched his ear; someone was calling his name. The healing cat turned around in search of the cat who was calling his name; he was surprised to see the Evils were looking around for the voice too. “Tigerheart!” cried the voice. “What’s going on?” meowed Leopardpath looking around wildly. A brown tabby tom with struggling to get to Tigerheart. “Duskfur?!” meowed Tigerheart. “What are you doing here?!” All of a sudden Tigerheart realized that Duskfur’s legs weren’t restored. Usually in Sky Tribe they restore what you lost unless… Tigerheart stopped thinking; this was no time to be thinking about that. “Tigerheart! I can’t get through!” he yowled. “It’s important!” “Duskfur!” he yowled. “You can walk through them!” Duskfur looked at him with a puzzled look. “How?” Tigerheart shook his head. “Never mind that! Come on!” Duskfur went through the Evils as they tried to attack him until he was at the center. “What are you doing here?!” asked Leopardpath lashing her tail. “And what happened to your legs?” “Lightningclaw sent me here!” he explained ignoring her question. “He told me what power you have!” Tigerheart froze. Maybe his power could help them get out of here? “Tell us!” meowed Summerair in annoyance. “He can turn into the spirit of a tiger.” Every cat became silent in disbelief. “A-a-are you serious?” asked Greenpoppy. “That can’t be it.” Duskfur nodded his head. “That’s what Lightningclaw told me.” “Even if it is true I don’t know how to use it.” added Tigerheart. Duskfur stayed silent. Nobody knew what to do.

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Chapter 11
Duskfur knew it sounded like a bunch of mouse-dung but he couldn’t bear to think Lightningclaw had lied to him. “What now?” meowed Greenpoppy despairingly. Duskfur sighed. How was he supposed to convince everyone to believe him? Or how to activate Tigerheart’s power? “Try clawing the ground.” suggested Leopardpath unexpectedly. “It might help you activate your power.” Everyone looked at her in shock. “You actually believe this pile of mouse-dung? There’s no way that’s going to work!” asked Summerair agitated. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Summerair.” snapped Leopardpath. “The only reason I’m doing this is because we’re out of options. Now try it before I change my mind Tigerheart!” Tigerheart took a deep breath and clawed the ground. Duskfur waited silently for something to happen. There was complete silence. “And nothing.” meowed Summerair shaking her head. “Told you nothing would happen.” “Try clawing the air instead.” suggested Greenpoppy chiming in. “You too?” exclaimed Summerair in bewilderment. Duskfur watched in silence as Tigerheart clawed the air. “Whoa!” exclaimed Tigerheart his eyes looking at the ground. “What’s that light coming from my paws?” “Is it actually working?!” exclaimed Summerair curiously as the orange sparkles swirled around Tigerheart. A strong gust of wind blew as Tigerheart disappeared inside the tornado of light. “What’s happening?” rasped a weak voice. Duskfur looked around curiously as he squinted his eyes; he didn’t see anybody else except Greenpoppy, Leopardpath, Summerair and Tigerheart. Was someone else here? The strange black souls seemed to be looking at them curiously as the light got brighter. Duskfur closed his eyes as a huge flash exploded into the air. Every cat opened their eyes slowly as the noise faded and the wind died down. Duskfur’s mouth opened wide as he saw what stood before him. Fierce, deep green eyes looked down at Duskfur with rage showing in his eyes. His pelt was glowing with orange and black stripes wrapped around his body. “D-d-did I change?” asked a loud but frightened voice. Summerair nodded her head slowly. “You definitely changed in size and fur color.” Tigerheart lifted up his paw. “Huh?” he exclaimed. “I didn’t change at all! I’m still me.” Every cat looked at him in shock. “What are you talking about mouse-brain?!” meowed Leopardpath. “We’re standing right in front of you! You changed into a Tiger!”“But how is possible that you can see me as a Tiger and I can’t?” asked Tigerheart. Duskfur thought for a moment. When Lightningclaw had told him about Tigerheart’s power, he mentioned something about being a hallucination. A hallucination? A hallucination! “That’s it!” yowled Duskfur out loud. Every cat turned to Duskfur with a puzzled look. “It’s a hallucination! Only Tigerheart can’t see it!” “It is?” exclaimed Tigerheart wildly. “Does that mean the Evils see it too?” Duskfur nodded his head. “They should be able to.” “Judging by the looks on their faces, they see it too.” exclaimed Greenpoppy looking around in amusement. “Well then,” meowed Leopardpath flexing her claws. “Let’s get to it.” Duskfur watched as every cat sprang at a nearby Evil. Tigerheart hit five Evils at once with his massive paw and sent them flying backwards. “I didn’t even touch them and they’re gone!” exclaimed Tigerheart wildly. “It’s a hallucination!” yowled Duskfur. “But somehow the hallucination has come to life! Now you really are a tiger!” Tigerheart’s eyes filled with determination as he swiped his humungous paws around over and over again. Duskfur nodded his head, his job was done. There was nothing else to do but return to Star Tribe. After all, Sky Tribe wouldn’t let him interfere with the battle.

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Chapter 12
Evils were sent flying from every direction. With my power, he thought. We’ll defeat them all even faster than we thought. Tigerheart bared his humungous fangs and continued to swipe his paws around wildly. A painful yowl sounded from the distance. Tigerheart looked around desperately trying to find the cat who was in pain. He saw Leopardpath and Greenpoppy a distance away. Summerair was fighting closer to Tigerheart and had noticed the cry for help too. “It’s Icefire!” exclaimed Tigerheart trampling Evils as he raced towards the cries. A battered up cat was fighting for his life as Evils surrounded him and continued to bite him everywhere. Tigerheart raced towards his friend and threw the Evils off of him. “T-T-Tigerheart?” he asked weakly. “Don’t waste your time on me.” Tigerheart looked at him in bewilderment. “I can help you! I’m a healing cat!” “There are no herbs on this side of the border!” snapped Icefire resting his head. “The Sky Tribe border is too far away anyway. Just help everyone defeat these piles of fox dung.” Tigerheart shook his head. “I can’t do that. We’re in this together.” Icefire looked up at him with pleading eyes. “The tribes are counting on you to stop this madness. Are you going to throw away everything that we’ve worked for?” meowed Icefire his voice growing quieter and weaker. Tigerheart didn’t meet Icefire’s dull gaze. “Tigerheart,” rasped Icefire his breath shortening. “Do it for the future of the tribes.” Icefire’s breath disappeared and his eyes glazed over. Tigerheart looked away in grief. He would finish this, not just for the tribes, but for the sake of Icefire and Sky Tribe. “I’ll do it.” he meowed softly turning around. The number of Evils was decreasing rapidly. “We can’t lose now. We’re about to win this for good and return the Peace Ring to its rightful owner.”

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Chapter 13
Dusttail paced outside of the warriors den. His brother had been sleeping for a very long time and nobody could seem to wake him up. I hope he’s not going through what Tigerheart is, he thought worriedly. “Dusttail what are you doing?” asked a sleepy voice. “Duskfur?” asked Dusttail in relief. Duskfur slowly walked out of the den with his hind legs dragging behind him. Dusttail noticed that Duskfur was almost standing up on them. Was he recovering, he thought. Weatherstorm raced up to them with a concerned look on her face. “You guys should check on Tigerheart. Something strange is going on.” she meowed hurrying away. Dusttail looked at Duskfur in confusion. Wasn’t it already weird enough for everyone to believe that he was bleeding in his sleep?  Both siblings headed over to the healing den where Swiftfoot was inside sorting herbs. “Here to check on Tigerheart?” she greeted. Dusttail nodded his head. “Glad to see you’re awake Duskfur. We were almost convinced you were falling into a deep sleep like Tigerheart was.” Duskfur shook his head. “I just had a long dream that’s all.” “So what’s wrong with Tigerheart this time?” asked Dusttail walking up to Tigerheart. “Weatherstorm told us that something else is happening to Tigerheart?” Swiftfoot nodded her head. “He’s began to growl and claw the air wildly in his sleep. He seems to be mumbling about a hallucination as well.” “He’ll be fine.” reassured Duskfur flicking his tail. Dusttail and Swiftfoot looked at him in shock. “You call bleeding in your sleep fine?!” he snapped. Duskfur sighed. “Just trust me Dusttail. He’ll be fine.” Dusttail could see his brother was hiding something from him. Did he meet Tigerheart in his dream; he thought curiously but didn’t dare to ask. Duskfur could’ve mentioned it himself if he wanted to. Swiftfoot sensed it too and nodded her head in acknowledgement. ​

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Chapter 14
“You’re back!” exclaimed Summerair as she dodged a claw to the face. Tigerheart swapped the Evils away. “I think we’re almost through with these guys.” he exclaimed. There only seemed to be a few left. “I guess I can change back now.” Summerair nodded her head and continued to fight her opponent. Tigerheart closed his eyes as the sound of wind swirled around him and soon vanished. The tabby tome opened his eyes. Summerair nodded her head. “You’re back.” “Turn yourselves in or we kill them!” yowled a bone-chilling voice. Tigerheart looked around the clearing and found Spottedsong and Heatherbracken being held captive by a group of Evils. They were the only Evils left in the entire territory. “Turn yourselves in or we kill them!” he repeated. “They’ve got Heatherbracken!” exclaimed Summerair racing over. “And Spottedsong!” “Don’t do it!” meowed Spottedsong calmly. “Defeat the rest and you will save all the tribes.” “We’re already dead anyway.” agreed Heatherbracken. “What do we do?” meowed Greenpoppy trying not to panic. “We can’t let them die again. This time they’ll never return!” Tigerheart didn’t know what to do. Maybe I could change back into a tiger, he thought. “It’s worth a shot.” he muttered under his breath as he activated his power. “Tigerheart what are you-“ Leopardpath didn’t have time to finish her sentence as the orange tornado swirled around the tabby tom. The healing cat opened his forest green eyes. It was time to end this. The rest of the Evils just stared up at Tigerheart’s hallucination with a terrified look. “You can kill us but Blood Tribe thrives on!” he yowled before Tigerheart instantly killed them all with a swipe of his massive paw. “I-I-It’s over?” asked Greenpoppy warily. The forest was silent with lingering fear. “It is.” meowed Spottedsong happily. “I’m glad you are all safe-“ “Where’s Icefire?” interrupted Heatherbracken shooting Spottedsong an apology. Tigerheart shuffled his paws as he turned back to normal. “He fought bravely in battle. He will never be forgotten.” Grief overwhelmed everyone as Tigerheart finished his sentence. “Too bad he didn’t get to see how it ended.” muttered Summerair. “He deserves to know how it all ended.” “He will know soon enough.” reassured Heatherbracken. “He is in Sky Tribe now and will look over his tribe for many seasons to come.” The four remaining cats nodded their heads. “I guess it’s time we get back now?” exclaimed Leopardpath. Spottedsong nodded her head beckoning them to go to sleep. “You will be brought back by the stars.”

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