Without her memory of fighting techniques, as the four cats rushed into battle, Ashleaf had no idea what to do. She decided to follow Darkstorm, Pantherstep, and Sunpaw. Once she got to the battle, however, she would decide if she wanted to stay.

After running for a reasonable amount of time, Ashleaf began to pick up unfamiliar scents. They smelt...almost like Sunheart from MeadowClan, the cat she had met at the border, but yet different in their own way.

It's the scent of MeadowClan, Ashleaf thought, wondering why she hadn't thought of that in the first place.

The four cats jumped through the grass into another patch of dry earth. Ashleaf hissed in disbelief as she saw an assortment of cats, fiercely attacking one another. A jolt of fear shot up her spine. As her comrades raced into the quarrel, Ashleaf stayed behind, frozen with fear. 

She watched as her Clan attacked the MeadowClan cats. While she lay in the grass behind, StormClan fought against MeadowClan, blood splattering the dry dirt, hisses and yowls piercing the air, and flurries of fur and tail ferociously tangled together in war.

What is happening? Ashleaf thought in horror, Innocent cats are dying for no reason! Why are we fighting? What could be so serious that we have to turn on one another? 

Ashleaf caught Mudfoot, her new deputy, on top of a spitting, dark red she-cat. The losing cat was hissing and thrashing wildly, trying to escape Mudfoot's deadly grasp. However, on the other side of the battle, Wisetail and Redear, two brothers, were surrounded by a mass of MeadowClan cats. 

More cats arrived at the MeadowClan border, ready to attack. 

Ashleaf's heart sunk as she realized that they were outnumbered greatly. She knew that she could not go out and fight. She would be killed quicker than she had been made enemies with Pantherstep.

Horrified, she watched as a small golden tabby tom ripped the fur from the face of one of Ashleaf's younger apprentices, Mousepaw. It formed a gash upon the white she-cat's face, and Mousepaw wailed in agony. 

We're losing, Ashleaf thought.

Suddenly, Snowsong appeared behind her. "Oh my StarClan," Snowsong whispered, dropping herbs at her feet, "Again? Rosestar's brought more warriors this time, too." 

Ashleaf whipped around abruptly, fear-scent flooding the air. "Snowsong, what do I do?" She mewed fearfully, "I don't know how to fight! I can't help!" 

The medicine cat glared at the tabby she-cat and blinked her eyes slowly. When they reopened, they hit Ashleaf with a fierceness that struck Ashleaf like a badger's claw. "Get back to camp," Snowsong hissed under her breath, "I'll cover for you, but make absolutely certain no cat sees you. I'll be back after the battle, but I can't promise every cat will make it out. Now, go!" She hissed. 

Heart pounding, the tabby darted away into the grass, away from the heat of the battle. Piercing yowls and caterwauls rise from behind her. As she neared camp, she slowed her pace, suddenly feeling guilty. She was leaving her entire Clan behind her to suffer the consequences of fighting. Despite the fact that she was following medicine cat orders, she just couldn't leave StormClan behind.

Ashleaf turned tail and dashed back to the MeadowClan border as fast as she could. The wind blew through her pale fur, leaving an exhilarating feeling in her bones. When she could sense the MeadowClan battle, she poked her nose through the grasses to watch the battle. If she couldn't fight, she would observe the fighting. 

It felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her as she caught sight of the bloody scene. StormClan was in worse condition than it had been when she had left.

Mudfoot, her new deputy, lay wailing on the ground, a deep gash in her side. Her mother, Pineneedle, was trying to fight off a large, red-brown she-cat but failing. Wisetail, a golden brown senior warrior lay unconscious beside her. Lilyblossom and Panterstep fought side by side, but both were battered, bloody, and beaten up by another MeadowClan warrior. 

Ashleaf shook in horror as she watched the scene unfold. Mousepaw was pinned under Sunheart, crying wails of pain. She saw Redear, her father, unmoving on the bloodstained earth. Ashleaf closed her eyes. She couldn't take much more of it. 

However, she was forced to open them up again when she heard a loud caterwaul rise up from the clearing. Her eyes snapped open to witness a long-haired brown she-cat bounding into the battle. "Where is she?!" The she-cat hissed.

A striking sense of familiarity struck Ashleaf. It was eerie how familiar that this she-cat felt to her. 

"Has the almighty Ashstar refused to show her face in battle?" The she-cat hissed in mock surprise, "I was hoping to meet her face to face! Now that she's leader with nine lives, we shall be equal matches!" She spat.

Ashleaf's fur bristled and she shivered slightly in fear. This cat was looking for her, and by the way it sounded, she appeared to be the leader of MeadowClan. 

But why? The tabby wondered, Why does she want to fight me? What's going on? Of course, I can't go out there and fight her. I'd die instantly. But what should I do?

Ashleaf fought down the confusion and fear and realized that the cats in the battle had stopped fighting to look for her. They had all realized by then that their leader was nowhere to be seen. Fox dung, Ashleaf thought, Do I run or stay?

The brown cat sniffed, and her yellow eyes widened. Her ears flicked. "Coward!" She yowled, "I can smell you! Come out and fight me yourself! Isn't this what you've been waiting for?! We can settle this once and for all! I thought this is what you wanted, Ashstar, a chance to prove yourself against me! Or are you just too scared? Not so mighty now, are you?"

What? Ashleaf's mind rushed. How arrogant of a cat had Ashleaf been before she lost her memory? Why did this cat want to fight her? What had they done to create such a feud between each other?

The MeadowClan leader waited quietly as the battle halted to a standstill. Cats were lifting their heads to try and locate Ashleaf. The tabby leader stood frozen in the grasses, terrified and confused, praying to StarClan no cat would find her.

Suddenly, a cry of pain echoed across the clearing. The MeadowClan leader turned sharply and Ashleaf saw Loudpaw, a golden-brown apprentice, trying to stand, her thin legs shaking and blood dripping off her pelt. 

"Would you look at that?" The MeadowClan leader mewed softly, her yellow eyes shimmering with devious amusement, "A puny apprentice!" She padded over to Loudpaw, and the golden apprentice's eyes suddenly glazed over with fear. "Greatly fit for MeadowClan. We need apprentices. Now, what is your name, apprentice?"

Loudpaw trembled before the brown she-cat, "L-loudpaw," She stammered.

"Loudpaw," The brown cat echoed, "Perfect," The leader turned to the battle-stricken cats in the clearing, "I have an announcement to make! Until the new StormClan leader, Ashstar, reveals herself and proves she is worthy of being an equal match for me, I shall claim this apprentice as MeadowClan, and train her as my own. She will not be permitted to attend Gatherings, nor hunt near any of the borders, as punishment for her own Clan leader's weakness. And until the moment when Ashstar dares to show herself, StormClan shan't see this apprentice again. Is that clear?"

Yowls of outrage and horror sounded through the field. Perhaps the loudest caterwaul of them all came from Pineneedle, Loudpaw's mother. Ashleaf felt her insides turn to stone. This leader knew exactly what she was doing. She was taking Ashleaf's sister.

"No!" came a choking cry from Mousepaw, Loudpaw's littermate and closest friend. "You can't do that!"

The brown she-cat's golden eyes glittered evilly, "Watch me," She hissed, lifting Loudpaw by the scruff of her neck, and then signaling with her tail toward the MeadowClan territory. The MeadowClan warriors slowly got up and followed their leader.

Ashleaf, shaking with disbelief, horror, anger, and plumb fear, took a step back. The StormClan cats were beginning to stir, and soon they'd be rushing back to hear an explanation from Ashleaf for not being there to save Loudpaw.

But I am here, Ashleaf thought, a wave of guilt crashing over her, And I didn't save my sister.

Struck by emotions too heavy to process, Ashleaf turned tail and dashed back to camp as fast as her paws would take her. She had a churning feeling in her belly, whispering to her that this would not end well. 

She ran into Snowsong's den, trying as hard as possible to avoid any attention. Thank StarClan, no cat saw her. She gasped to catch her breath, shivering and gasping, dreading the struggles that were conspicuously yet to come. 

However, before she could inhale for the third time, she was met by a flaming amber gaze, searing into her own eyes, the anger radiating from the cat across from her. Ashleaf froze, a startled mew caught in her throat.

It was Pantherstep, and he was furious.