Ravenstrike's yellow gaze darted to where the moon rose high above the horizon. Moonhigh. He had until moonhigh to decide how to deal with Crystalflight. The moon was so near though. He looked down again, catching a flicker of a gray-brown pelt, melted into the shadows of the plain. A glint of hazel eyes looked at him, and Ravenstrike could almost hear the cat speaking:
"Get her out of the way."
  A deep breath entered the black tom and suddenly but speedily, he leapt at Crystalflight, knocking her over.
  "Ravenstrike! We're supposed to be guarding not-" she stopped as Dust exploded from the grass, followed by the rest of the Dust Whips. She opened her mouth to yowl, but Ravenstrike placed a paw firmly over her mouth.
  The she-cat's soft amber eyes lit in surprise and confusion. All the black tom could do was look down at her with sad yellow eyes. He heard yowls coming from camp and he stepped off Crystalflight.
  "Ravenstrike! Why did you do that? Are you with them?" Crystalflight sounded hurt.
"You don't understand Crystalflight. Dust just doesn't want us to be under bad leadership."
"Ravenstrike! He's killing cats. He wants to destroy RushClan, not help it!" With that, Crystalflight ran off down to camp.
The black tom followed, annoyed that the molly didn't understand. He rushed down into the camp, leaping on the first of the cats he saw from RushClan. It was Rootpelt. The brown-tan tom's eyes flickered with surprise. He kicked up, but Ravenstrike was much stronger, and withstood the kicks. He sent an unsheathed paw down for the throat of the tom, but he was knocked away by an equal force. Only one cat had equal force to him. The black cat upon him had blue eyes full of hurt and anger.
"Crowpool..." he muttered his father's name.
"Why are you betraying RushClan? Betray me?"
The words hit Ravenstrike like a blow, but he shook it out with a growl.
"I'm helping save RushClan!" He shoved up, lifting Crowpool off him.
He couldn't face his father, he just couldn't. The black tom ran off to find Rootpelt again. Finding the tom, Ravenstrike leapt, but this time Rootpelt was more ready. The tan-brown tom sidestepped, lashing out to take Ravenstrike's side.
As the claws scoured down his side, the black tom gripped Rootpelt's paw on his teeth and shoved the tom, letting go and leaping onto him. Ravenstrike brought his paw down over his opponent's throat, feeling the warm blood seep over his paws.
"You're not the cat I thought you were, Ravenstrike. You're just like them." Ravenstrike looked up to see Crystalflight, soft amber eyes sad, looking at him.
"No I-"
"They're using you Ravenstrike! Use your head!" Her voice turned indignant.
Ravenstrike replayed all he'd seen of Dust. As the pieces clicked her realized Crystalflight was right.
"I'm a monster," he mumbled.
"You can change that. It's not too late."
Ravenstrike smiled, but it quickly faded as a dilute cream pelt ran up behind Crystalflight. "Watch out!"
He rammed into the ginger-and-white she-cat, rearing to meet the new cat's attack. Crystalflight reared up from her spot, unbalancing the opponent. The cream cat screeched as she fell, flurries of blows from Crystalflight rained on her. Ravenstrike didn't want to leave her side, and so his yellow gaze wandered around the field in case someone tried to sneak up on them. Upon the cream molly's leave, Crystalflight and Ravenstrike went to take on another opponent- a gray tom with a white tail. Ravenstrike struck the first blow over the tom's head while Crysralflight took to slashing at a leg. The tom whipped a claw out to rake Ravenstrike over the muzzle, but he bit down on the tom's paw.
  The black tom let the paw go and leapt forward, not missing a beat. He sliced his claws across the gray cat's face. Ravenstrike's opponent struggled, trying to get the black warrior off of him. With a growl the black tom gave the his opponent a last slash across his side and got off, bushing his pelt so he looked twice his size.
  The gray tom got up and rushed away. Ravenstrike turned to face his next opponent. Not finding any cats, he let his yellow gaze drift around the cats. He noticed that Crystalfligiht had left to fight someone else, but he also noticed the fight was thinning out. Though it was a relief that it was thinning, the black tom was anxious that it seemed to be the Dust Whips who made up most of the fight. A defiant screech cake from somewhere at Ravenstrike's side. He turned to see a familiar gray-brown tabby. His hazel eyes were blazing with battle and the pelt under his claws was struggling underneath him.
  A growl rumbled in Ravenstrike's throat as he jumped into action, ramming into Dust's side. The black tom placed himself between the gray-brown tom's victim and Dust himself.
  "Why do you fight for them? They're the ones who bring you down for not reaching stupid standards. Why do you still protect them?" Dust growled.
  Ravenstrike's tail lashed behind him. "Because this is my home, and it is perfect just the way it is. They may bring me down, but they also bring me up."
  He cast a yellow glance at the cat he stood in front of, receiving a smile from the ginger-and-white molly. The black tom looked back at Dust.
  "And you used me."
  Dust opened his mouth but another voice broke in.
  "Dust! This ends now." Moments after a pale brown blur rushed into the gray-brown tom.
  Ravenstrike recognized Heatherbreeze.
  'Wait. Dust never introduced himself.... how does she know him?'
A delighted look blazed in Dust's hazel eyes as he flipped Heatherbreeze.
  "Yes, it will end now." Dust paused, extending his claws to dig into Heatherbreeze's throat. "With me on top, as I always was."
  Ravenstrike began to leap, but black fur was there quicker. The second black tom was on top of Dust in seconds, overpowering him. The only thing different about the cat from Ravenstrike was the blazing blue eyes that held the flame of battle. Crowpool was slicing across the tom's face, but Dust used the little leeway he had to roll and unbalance the tom.
  Ravenstrike watched as Dust raised a paw with claws extended, prepared to lash down at the exposed stomach of his father. Crowpool kicked his back legs out and got up. The blue-eyed tom began to run towards Dust again but another cat from the Dust Whips interjected. Ravenstrike noticed Dust heading back towards Heatherbreeze, who was crouched down in an attack position. The yellow-eyes warrior began to head over, but a yowl behind him made him stop.
  "Ravenstrike! Watch out!"
  The warming came too late as a force took him off his feet. Instinctively, Ravenstrike struck out with his back legs to throw the cat off. The silver she-cat had dodged to the side and leapt onto the black tom. Before she could send a blow, Crystalflight was there, throwing her off with a growl. Ravenstrike jumped up and nodded to the Crystalflight, who nodded back. The two cats approached the silver molly from opposite sides. Their opponent's pelt bushed up and she was hissing and spitting, but her amber eyes flickered with indecision and fear. All the cats froze at a triumphant yowl that rang through the air.
  "I did it! Heatherbreeze it dead!"
  Dust's yowl sent fury spinning through Ravenstrike. He turned and ran towards the tom, half-blinded by anger.
  "And you will follow soon after!" He yowled as he launched at the tom.
  The gray-brown tom seemed surprised as Ravenstrike landed on him, but he recovered quickly and struck out against the black tom, sending him a few tail-lengths back. His yellow eyes slitted as he faced Dust. The tom's hazel eyes sparkled with battle and agitation.
  "You may have beat my finest warriors, but you have never fought me before, take your best shot. Even if I were to die. Would your Clam really want someone who killed one of their own and trained with the enemy?"
  Ravenstrike stiffened in surprise at how Dust had rose his voice to reach all the cats in the clearing, and he had to admit he hadn't fought Dust, but he had studied to tom's fights with others. He could hear an uneasy silence among the Clan, as if everyone had stopped their fighting to watch this standoff. Not taking another moment, the black tom ran forward to the tom.
  'He prefers his left side.'
  As he neared and saw Dust begin to move to the right, he turned to the left. As expected, his opponent had changed his direction last second and took Ravenstrike's attack full force. A growl rumbled form both toms' throats. Dust rolled, but the yellow-eyes warrior knew his tricks and had jumped back. The gray-brown tom rushed forward, taking to the left side.
  Ravenstrike leapt for the tom as he neared, but the tom dodged away, so his attack only sliced down his side, but Dust returned the favor. The black tom flicked his tail away and bit down on Dust's fleeting tail. With a pull, Ravenstrike sent the gray-brown tom back towards him, but Dust was prepared. He turned in Ravenstrike's grip and raked him across the face. Momentarily blinded by blood dripping into his eyes, Dust had retreated. Shaking his head, Ravenstrike regained his sights, but his opponent was too near with his attack to be countered and the black tom was bowled over. Dust raised a paw with claws extended and Ravenstrike rolled. His opponent hadn't expected it and toppled down, leaving Ravenstrike time to get up and send a claw towards his head as he got up. The black tom's claws raked across Dust's face. The hazel-eyed tom didn't stop, going forward to slash across Ravenstrike's unwounded side. The black tom tried to to to bite at his tail, but Dust flicked it away and bit down on his opponent's leg. Ravenstrike hissed in pain but pulled his bitten leg hard, sending Dust flinging around. Spinning on his paws, Ravenstrike crashed down on Dust's shoulders. He huffed, feeling the wounds on his pelt stinging. The gray-brown tom looked defeated, but the yellow-eyed tom took caution as he flipped the tom and quickly raked his claws down Dust's exposed belly.
  The tom twitched once and then laid still. Yowls erupted around Ravenstrike, both of cheer and dismay. He saw Dust Whip cats run out, their leader now slain. When all Dust's cats had gone, the black tom surveyed the battleground. Bodies of Dust Whip and RushClan  cats littered the clearing. The black tom felt a pierce in his heart as his gaze landed on Rootpelt.
  'I'm the reason he's dead, but I'm also the reason Dust is dead.'
  With a sigh, Ravenstrike turned to the remaining RushClan cats. He was dismayed to see that all eyes were glaring with distrust, except Crystalflight's soft amber eyes as the she-cat exited the crowd to stand beside the black tom.
  "Look, they might not trust you, but I trust you, and I know you're a hero, you just got caught up on something you didn't understand."
  Ravenstrike leaned into the she-cat. His yellow eyes were lit with affection.
  "I know, and that's all I need."