Fight for Freedom

### Summary

After DreamClan declares war on the newly formed SootClan, they must decide whether they leave their home or fight. But things aren’t as they seem in the Clans and loyalties are tested in the conflict.

### Sequence

Previous: A New ClanNext: The Fall

***Fight for Freedom*** is the third book in Independence or Death. It features Goldenpaw as the POV.

## Allegiances

### DreamClan

Leader: Dreamstar - pale ginger tom with green eyes

Deputy: Sandclaw - pale ginger tom with blue-gray eyes

Warriors: Firestorm - gray and white tom with fiery orange eyes

              Quietbreeze - brown tom with blue and yellow eyes

              Creeperclaw - green tom with green eyes

              Antfrost - siamese tom with blue eyes

              Darkheart - tortoiseshell tom with green eyes

              Purpleclaw - pale ginger tom with purple eyes

### SootClan

Leader: Sootstar - brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Warriors: Whiteeyes - dark brown tabby tom with clouded eyes

Apprentices: Goldenpaw - yellow tom with light blue eyes

                    Beepaw - small fluffy brown tom with dark blue eyes

                    Foxpaw - orange tom with black paws, a white tipped tail and amber eyes

## Fight for Freedom

### Prolouge

The tom crept through the night. The rest of his Clan was asleep, but he was out hunting. They would need all the prey they could get with what was coming. War.

As he was thinking, the scent of a shrew drifted past him. He quickly dropped into a hunting crouch and began stalking towards the scent. He caught a glimpse of the shrew and made sure he was downwind. The tom tensed up and leapt at the prey, biting it sharply on the neck.

“Good job,” a voice said from behind him. The tom quickly turned around. He hadn’t even noticed that there was another cat here.

“You shouldn’t be here,” the tom growled.

“I know,” the newcomer replied simply, “But I have an offer for you.” The tom was intrigued. What could he possibly have to offer?

“We both know our Clans are going to war,” the newcomer continued, “We also know that both sides will spill blood before backing down. Why would you condemn your Clanmates to a fight they cannot win?”

“Because I have honor,” the tom hissed, “Something you know nothing about.”

“Honor doesn’t win wars,” the reply sent shivers down the tom’s spine, “You have the power to make your end the war quicker, spare your friends the suffering. I am proposing that you join me.” The tom couldn’t believe his ears. Betray his Clan?

“If you do,” the newcomer added, “I would make you deputy.”

“But Sa-”

“Has already agreed to this,” the tom’s words were interrupted, “All that’s left is you.” The tom considered this for a moment. His Clan was few, and the war would undoubtedly hurt them. Perhaps agreeing to this could spare some blood from being shed.

“I’ll think about it,” he responded. The newcomer smiled.

“That is all I ask.”

The tom picked up his shrew and walked away from the scene. He had thought he had known that his place was in the Clan, but could he really just watch them die?

### Chapter 1

Goldenpaw watched Sootstar’s den. Then brown tom hadn’t come out since they had gotten back from the patrol.

“Are you okay?” Beepaw’s voice came from beside him. His friend looked nervous, though everyone did after that encounter.

“I’m nervous about him,” Goldenpaw replied, still looking at the leader’s den, “He seemed just as scared as the rest of us, maybe even more so.”

“Then talk to him,” Beepaw mewed. That was a good idea. Goldenpaw got up, gave Beepaw a quick lick behind the ear, and headed towards Sootstar’s den. He peered through the lichen that was in front of the entrance and saw his friend pacing back and forth.

“Sootstar?” Goldenpaw mewed. His friend looked up as though he hadn’t noticed he was there.

“What is it Goldenpaw?” Sootstar asked.

“I just wanted to check on you,” the apprentice walked into the den, “Are you alright?” Sootstar’s expression softened.

“I’m fine,” he said, licking Goldenpaw behind the ear, “I’m just nervous. I don’t know what to do.”

“You don’t have to make this decision alone, you know,” Goldenpaw hated seeing his friend like this, “I’m sure the others will help you.”

“You’re right,” Sootstar sighed, “Thank you Goldenpaw.” the brown tom nuzzled him affectionately, and the latter playfully batted him away.

The two toms walked out of the den together and Sootstar leaped up onto the leader’s rock.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here for a Clan meeting,” he yowled. The cats in the clearing looked anxiously up at their leader. Sootstar continued, “I’m not going to sugarcoat this, we all heard what Dreamstar said. We need to decide what we’re going to do.”

“I think we should leave,” Foxpaw spoke up. Goldenpaw stared at him in shock. Was he really so ready to leave everything behind? The orange tom continued, “We’re outnumbered by warriors who have far more fighting experience than us. Do you really think we can win?”

“But you’re suggesting that we just back down without a fight,” Whiteeyes pointed out, “Could we really call ourselves warriors if we run away, tails between our legs?”

“Would you rather us die instead?” Foxpaw shot back.

“We’re a Clan,” a small voice spoke up. It was Beepaw. The brown apprentice had been silent so far, “We deserve to be here just as much as DreamClan. I think that’s something worth fighting for.”

“Well, what does Sootstar think?” Whiteeyes asked. The leader looked down for a moment before he mewed,

“I came here to make a Clan, and I’ve made one. I’m not about to give this up without a fight.”

Whiteeyes nodded, and Foxpaw looked down at his paws, not protesting.

“Let's spend the rest of the day training,” Sootstar ordered, “Tomorrow, we’ll show those fox-hearts that they won’t defeat us so easily.”

Goldenpaw padded over to Beepaw and smiled. His Clan wasn’t going to be defeated in this war. Not without a fight.

### Chapter 2

Goldenpaw lay in his nest. His muscles were sore from training all day, so he had fallen asleep quickly. The camp was quiet, with only the sounds of the forest to break the silence. That was until Goldenpaw heard a yowl that broke him from his slumber.

He bolted awake and looked for Beepaw. The small tom had his fur fluffed up and he looked at the entrance to the den terrified. Goldenpaw ran out and saw the source of the yowl. Dreamstar had Sootstar pinned to the ground.

“I told you little kit,” the pale tom spat, “We are at war.” He raised his paw to strike Sootstar. Goldenpaw yowled out and rammed into Dreamstar’s side, throwing him off of Sootstar.

“Run!” Goldenpaw yowled. He helped Sootstar to his feet and ran into the forest, taking advantage of Dreamstar being knocked down. He just kept running, looking back every now and then to see that Sootstar was still behind him.

Once they were far into the forest, Goldenpaw stopped to catch his breath and to take in what had just happened. Dreamstar had invaded their camp in the dead of night and tried to kill their leader.

“Goldenpaw,” Sootstar gasped, “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” Goldenpaw shook his head. Sootstar breathed a sigh of relief and pressed his muzzle against the apprentice.

“We need to find the others,” he breathed out, “He brought warriors with him. If anything happened to them...” He stopped his sentence midway, as though the thought was too unbearable.

Goldenpaw walked through the forest, keeping an eye out for his friends or Dreamstar. Then he heard something moving in the undergrowth. He flicked his tail to tell Sootstar to stop, then he pounced into the bushes. He landed on a cat. It was Foxpaw.

“Get off me,” he growled. Goldenpaw listened. A few moments later, Beepaw came out of the undergrowth, his eyes still wide with fear. Goldenpaw walked over to him.

“Did they hurt you?” he asked. Beepaw shook his head. Goldenpaw licked the small tom between the ears, “It’s okay. We’re going to be alright.”

“But they attacked our camp,” Beepaw protested, “They have control of our territory.”

At that moment, the bushes started to rustle and Whiteeyes walked out. He looked just as distressed as the rest of them.

“They have the camp,” he reported, “What are we going to do?”

Everyone looked at Sootstar.

“I don’t know,” the leader replied, “But it’s alright. I’ll figure something out soon.” he reassured them. The groups sat there while Sootstar tried to think of what to do next. Goldenpaw was nervous, but he had faith in his friend. Suddenly the silence of the forest was interrupted by a branch snapping. Goldenpaw froze. Everyone was accounted for.

“Stay behind me,” he hissed to Beepaw. The brown tom moved as the other unsheathed their claws. Then the DreamClan warriors sprang out of the bushes.

Quietbreeze rammed into Goldenpaw’s side, biting into his leg. Goldenpaw yowled out in pain and rolled over, knocking the breath out of his attacker. He took this opportunity to slash at Quietbreeze’s ear. The brown tom yowled in pain as Goldenpaw bit deep into his scruff, sending him running.

Goldenpaw didn’t have any time to relish in this victory though, because he heard Beepaw yowl out. He looked around, and when he found his friend, he was pinned down by Firestorm, the latter trying to bite down on his throat. Goldenpaw rammed into the larger warrior, sending him flying off of Beepaw. Together the two apprentices fought side by side, trying to beat him.Then Goldenpaw heard Sootstar yowl out,

“Retreat!”

Goldenpaw turned away from Firestorm and ran into the forest. He could feel Beepaw’s fur brush against his as the two ran away from the battle. They were so busy trying to get away that they almost ran into Whiteeyes. The rest of the warriors were panting, blood dripping out of their wounds. At this rate, they would never defeat DreamClan.

“We’re never going to win,” Foxpaw cried out, almost echoing Goldenpaw’s thoughts. “Let’s face it, they’ve beaten us,” he turned to Sootstar.

“Not yet,” Whiteeyes spoke up, “I found a place while hunting. I think we could stay there until we figure out what to do next. What do you say?” He looked at his leader.

“I think this place is the best hope we have,” Sootstar mewed grimly, “Take us there.”

### Chapter 3

“How far is this place?” Foxpaw hissed.

“Not far. We’re almost there,” Whiteeyes told him. Goldenpaw walked behind the warrior with Beepaw. His wounds had stopped hurting as much, but he still felt uneasy, as though the DreamClan warriors could be around every corner.

“We’re here,” Whiteeyes told them. Goldenpaw looked up and saw a small opening in the ground. Whiteeyes went inside, and Goldenpaw hesitantly followed. The cave was dark and he only had the small glimmer of moonlight through the cave entrance to help him see.

“I found this place while I was hunting,” Whiteeyes explained, “I didn’t think much about it at the time, but I think we’ll be safe here.” Goldenpaw thought there was something off about his tone, but he couldn’t recognize it.

Eventually the group reached a large area of the cave. Goldenpaw saw Beepaw looking around in awe. Whiteeyes was staring at another dark opening.

“What’s down there?” Sootstar asked. The thick furred tom didn’t answer.

“Whiteeyes,” Beepaw’s voice echoed from across the cave, “What’s wrong?”

“My friends,” Whiteeyes’s voice sounded somber, “I’m sorry. But it was never meant to be.”

His words sent a shiver down Goldenpaw’s spine. What did he mean by that? The apprentice didn’t have to wait long to find out.

The DreamClan warriors sprang out of the dark opening. Goldenpaw heard someone yowl out in terror. He ran for the exit, barely hearing the screams of his friends behind him. A cat pounced on his back and spun him around. Dreamstar. The green eyed tom had a look of triumph in his eyes, before he bit down sharply into Goldenpaw’s neck, and everything went quiet.

Goldenpaw woke up, his neck sore. Had that just been a dream? He looked around, and the thought was instantly disproven. His friends lay around him, blood staining their fur. They had all lost a life.

Sootstar, who had woken up a few moments ago, rushed over to Foxpaw and pawed at his side. The orange tom began to stir, and Sootstar breathed a sigh of relief. He began to lick his son’s fur, like a parent would their kit.

Goldenpaw’s eyes rested on Beepaw. The apprentice hadn’t woken up yet. He hurried over to his friend and nudged him. The brown tom’s eyes opened and he asked,

“Where’s Whiteeyes?”

“He’s gone,” Goldenpaw responded, pressing his muzzle to Beepaw’s cheek, “They all are.”

“We were friends,” Beepaw’s voice sounded small, like all of his usual happiness had been drained. Goldenpaw licked his fur, not sure what else he could do to calm his friend He hated feeling this helpless. They had trusted Whiteeyes and he had betrayed them.

“Goldenpaw,” he heard Sootstar’s voice call his name as he beckoned for the apprentice to come closer. Once he did, the leader continued, “I think we need to surrender. The Clan isn’t worth the bloodshed.”

“What?!” Goldenpaw couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “This isn’t just about making a Clan,” he protested, “It’s about our honor. We can’t show Dreamstar that he can just push us around all he wants. We have to show them that we are just as strong as they are. We have to prove that we belong here just as much as he does.”

“But how?” Sootstar sounded defeated, “They’ve taken our first lives. One of our own betrayed us to help them. How can we prove anything to them?”

Goldenpaw couldn’t believe that Sootstar was going to give up so easily. He stormed out of the tunnels, hearing his Clanmates call after him. Once he reached the outside, he yowled, “Let’s finish this Dreamstar! You and me!”

### Chapter 4

Dreamstar padded out of the undergrowth, with his warriors following close behind. At the sight of how few wounds they had, Goldenpaw felt another rush of anger.

“What do you want, little kit?” Dreamstar taunted.

”To challenge you to a fight. You and me. One on one,” Goldenpaw growled. He tried to read the leader’s expression, but was cut off by Sootstar darting in between them and nudging Goldenpaw away.

”Are you mouse-brained?” he hissed, “You can’t fight Dreamstar!”

Goldenpaw felt a step of annoyance, “Yes I can. You got to trust me. I can help save our Clan.”

There was still hesitation in Sootstar’s eyes, but eventually he sighed, “Alright. But please be careful.”

”I will,” Goldenpaw assured him, nuzzling him affectionately. He turned back to Dreamstar and the pale tom looked confident.

”I accept your challenge,” he smiled, “If I win, you must leave the forest.”

”And if I win,” Goldenpaw added, “You leave us alone.”

”Deal.”

And with that, Goldenpaw made his way to the end of the clearing, with Dreamstar doing the same. As he walked, he saw Beepaw and Foxpaw watching anxiously from the tunnel’s entrance. The apprentice unsheathed his claws. He was doing this for them.

Goldenpaw looked Dreamstar in the eyes. He could see that the other cat’s tail was twitching, perhaps from excitement. Goldenpaw waited for a moment more, then sprang forward hoping to catch his opponent by surprise.

Though he quickly realized that he had underestimated Dreamstar. The pale ginger tom jumped to the side and clawed at the apprentice’s flank. Goldenpaw yowled in pain before sharply turning around and jumping on Dreamstar’s back. But before he could give him any serious wounds, the leader rolled over, breaking Goldenpaw’s hold on him, and scampered away.

Once he regained his footing, Goldenpaw saw Dreamstar staring smugly back at him. Filled with a sense of fury, he leaped forward. Dreamstar ducked, and even though Goldenpaw couldn’t see what he did next, he felt claws ripping through his underbelly.

When he fell to the ground, he could see blood pooling beneath him. His vision started to blur as he saw his Clanmates running towards him. And although he couldn’t hear what they said, he remembered seeing the concern and panic in Beepaw’s eyes before he drifted off into the abyss.

### Chapter 5

Goldenpaw woke up to the sight of his friends all around him. He could see their faces flood with relief as they realized he was awake. Sootstar in particular wrapped his body around Goldenpaw’s and began cleaning his fur. For that moment, Goldenpaw let himself be reassured by that familiar sense of comfort.

Then he stood up and looked around. “Where are the DreamClan warriors?” he asked.

”They left,” Beepaw explained, “After you… lost, they went back into the forest.”

”So what we do now?” Goldenpaw asked.

”Are you kidding me?” Foxpaw snapped, “We leave! They’ve proven that they’ll kill us if we don’t.” Goldenpaw was surprised by his bluntness, but as he looked at the other, he could tell they agreed.

”No. We can’t! This is our home!” he protested.

”Goldenpaw-“ Sootstar started.

”No! Just let me talk to Dreamstar. I can convince him!” he begged.

”He’ll just kill you again,” Sootstar told him.

”Actually I don’t think he will,” Beepaw mewed, “He thinks that he’s beaten us. Dreamstar’s not the type to kill for no reason. He did it to scare us off.”

Sootstar looked torn. Goldenpaw knew that this was the way to win against Dreamstar: with words. Sootstar was a quiet a moment before sighing. He looked at Goldenpaw and nodded softly. The apprentice brushed his muzzle against Sootstar’s, before heading through the bushes.

As he walked through the forest, Goldenpaw saw that the sun was starting to rise, turning the sky a nice shade of purple. He took in a shaky breath and called out.

“I know you’re there Dreamstar. I want to talk.”

After a moment, the tabby walked out of the undergrowth. If Goldenpaw didn’t know any better, he wouldn’t have thought that the leader had just been in a fight, his gaze calm and collected.

“I’m assuming Sootstar sent you to declare your surrender,” Dreamstar commented, almost tauntingly.

“No,” Goldenpaw corrected, “I’ve come to negotiate a compromise.” Dreamstar twitched his ear. Clearly he wasn’t expecting that answer.

“There is nothing to negotiate,” he mewed bluntly, “We have defeated you. You can’t possibly hope to beat us.”

“I know,” the apprentice continued, “But if you let us go and live in peace, then we will move our borders further back. Then, we won’t have to cross paths.”

Dreamstar actually looked a little shocked. Goldenpaw felt a small feeling of triumph as he could see the DreamClan leader considering it. Maybe this could actually work.

“If we agree to this,” the pale ginger tom finally replied hesitantly, “Do you promise that we will never find your warriors anywhere near our borders?”

Goldenpaw felt his heart leap up in excitement, “Yes!”

“Very well,” Dreamstar replied, still seeming on edge, “If SootClan holds up on your side of the agreement, then so will DreamClan.”

And with that Dreamstar flicked his tail and left. Goldenpaw could also hear movement in the forest, presumably from the other DreamClan warriors.

Goldenpaw stood there for a moment taking in what had just happened. They had won. He had managed to convince Dreamstar to let them go. He hurried back into the clearing where his friends still were and yowled, “We did it!”

“What?” Sootstar stared back at him in disbelief, “How?”

“I told Dreamstar we would move the borders, and he said that he would let us go,” Goldenpaw explained.

“And he didn’t claw your ears off?” Foxpaw spoke up, “That’s surprising.” The cats continued to relish in the victory for a moment before Sootstar said,

“Well what are we still sitting around in this cave for? Let's go home!”

### Chapter 6

Once they had made their way back home, Goldenpaw took a good look at the camp. It was in a bad state from the previous night, but they could fix it quickly. After all this was their home.

As Foxpaw began to patch some of the holes in the apprentice den, and Beepaw was licking his wounds, Sootstar leaped onto the leader rock.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan meeting.”

Goldenpaw looked up in surprise. What could the meeting be about? Dropping his formal tone, Sootstar mewed,

“Our Clan has gone through a lot last night. We lost our lives. We lost a warrior,” the leader paused for a moment at that admission, “But we have also triumphed. We have saved our home, and I can think of no better way to celebrate that than to name new warriors.”

Goldenpaw felt shock run through his body. He had always had this moment at the back of his mind, but now it was actually happening.

“Beepaw, please step forward,” Sootstar commanded. The small tom looked like he was shaking as he made his way to the leader rock, “Beepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do,” Beepaw’s normally quiet voice was full of confidence.

“Then by the powers given to me as leader, I give you your warrior name. From this moment on, you will be known as Beeheart. SootClan honors your compassion and thoughtfulness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of the Clan.”

Sootstar pressed his nose to Beeheart and the new warrior walked away.

“Goldenpaw,” Sootstar continued, “please step forward.”

Goldenpaw did so, feeling the weight of every pawstep.

“Goldenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” Sootstar’s voice echoed across the clearing.

Goldenpaw took in the moment. He had been waiting for this for moons, ever since he had heard the stories of the Clans. And now he had one to call home. One that he had saved. So he answered,

“I do.”

“Then by the powers given to me as leader, I give you your warrior name,” Sootstar’s eyes shone with pride, “From this moment on, you will be known as Goldenheart. SootClan honors your bravery and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of the Clan.”

Goldenheart dipped his head and felt Sootstar press his nose against it. “Thank you,” he murmured.

As the leader turned back towards the clearing, he added, “And as for you Foxpaw, you have also served your Clan greatly. But you are still young, and I think a few more moons of apprenticeship will serve you well. However, this is not to downplay how well you have done, and how proud I am of you,” the leader promised.

Foxpaw still looked a little reserved, but dipped his head and mewed, “Thank you Sootstar.”

And with that, it was over. Beeheart went to go excitedly talk to Sootstar, while Foxpaw began work on the broken camp. Goldenheart looked around with pride. He now had a place to belong. A place where he could be with his friends in peace, without Dreamstar looming over them. No, now he had a home. Now he had SootClan.