❦ story ❦

what bee had gathered from frecklewater and havenecho's previous conversation was that they had a leader named 'hornetstar' and a cat who knew how to heal wounds named 'peonylinger'. she'd been imagining a small collection of cats living in the forest in a makeshift camp like the hive's.

what she hadn't expected was this.

havenecho had gone on ahead to the camp, claiming to need to 'tell the others'. she had no idea where he'd gone, but frecklewater seemed to know the way- well, seeing as it was where he lived, it made sense.

now, as frecklewater careened, bee caught a glimpse of the inside: it was a clearing bustling with cats as younger ones played around and older ones sat down and seemed to be grooming one another. directly opposite of the entrance was a droopy-branched tree that caught a vine-covered boulder in its shade, and even on top of the rock, bee could catch a cream-colored pelt with white painted over the bottom and on their paws and forelegs, eating some kind of fresh-kill as their eyes distractedly scanned the clearing.

bee shivered as the cat's gaze found her.

instinctively, bee pulled farther behind frecklewater in order to cover herself from view. she didn't trust anyone here, couldn't afford to show herself. just because frecklewater had faith in them not to attack her didn't mean she did. they were enemies of the hive, so why should they not chase her out?

because you're not one of them anymore, bee reminded herself.

that doesn't mean that they should welcome a stranger! the only strangers who alka let in were intakes- what do they stand to gain?

frecklewater was already heading in. bee's paws jerked as she forced herself to follow. what happened now? she made herself appear as nonchalant as possible- head raised, tail high, take on a stride and look like you're supposed to be here. but bee couldn't ignore how these cats' gazes pinpointed her like those 'lasers' that wasp had described from his former kittypet life: sharp, bright and thin beams that could lock onto a cat and evade them at a moment's notice. no cat spoke, and the whispers among their own faded away as they noticed her one by one.

there were enough cats here to rival the hive.

"explain, frecklewater." an older, blue-blotched cat broke the silence. their gaze found bee's; their nose twitched as they took in her unfamiliar scent. "havenecho told us to expect a visitor, but not why her presence is necessary."

"she is injured, dolphinriver." frecklewater dipped his head to the white and blue cat. "we need peonylinger to have a look-"

"she's a rogue, mouse-brain, she can take care of herself!" a cat yowled from a far corner of the camp. bee couldn't see who it was, but the voice sounded feminine.

"and you expect us to leave her out there for something she can't control?" now it was havenecho's turn to speak. his eyes seemed to be locked onto whoever the speaker was. "we're not heartless, you know!"

a clamour of fighting broke out between the cats, some defending bee, and some opposing her presence. bee could hardly discern a single coherent sentence: "place- protect- chase- rogue- stoop- wound- fend-"

a caterwaul burst from above the chatter, and everyone went silent. it was the cream and white cat that bee had caught a glance of before. their head was raised with an air of authority, and a pair of copper eyes glared down at the grounded cats.

with one leap, the cat gracefully landed onto the ground. cats parted to let them pass- no, let her pass, bee thought, as an almost ambrosial scent, definitely belonging to a she-cat, floated towards bee. her face up close looked severe and somewhat unnerving.

"summon peonylinger," bee heard her say to the nearest cat. the tortoiseshell floated past the she-cat and disappeared into a stout stone cavern.

"as leader, the decision of whether of not this newcomer can stay falls onto me, whether you like it or not." the she-cat's eyes and fur shone like brass in the light, and the aura she exuded dared her cats to speak. "if she is in dire need of shelter, she may stay; otherwise, she will be escorted off our territory."

"... look, erm... my lady..." bee shrunk away. "had the choice been left to me, i would never have come here. it was your cat who insisted that i come... if you order me to leave, i will do so, and if you wish for me to remain here, i will not overstay my welcome."

the she-cat's gaze fell on bee once more, reading her as her gaze scanned bee's pelt up and down. her eyes rested as she found bee's wound- an unsightly crevice of crimson red, as deep as a cat's claw. "what's your name, young one?"

"... bee. simply bee." the golden she-cat's gaze stayed glued to the compact ground.

"how did you get this cut?"

bee thought for a moment, choosing her answer carefully. she didn't want to lie at all; if she was found out, she would inevitably make an enemy of all these cats simultaneously- but she didn't quite trust them enough to say the whole truth... nor did she want to relive the shock of it all.

"i was attacked," came bee's reply.

the she-cat waited, but bee said no more.

a muffled cry. bee looked up to see a sleek, yet long-furred she-cat with a cloudy sort of brown over her body and an especially dark face, ears and legs. a bright purple and yellow blossom was rooted behind her right ear; bee wondered how she moved around without letting it fall off, or how she'd even gotten it there in the first place. her deep brown paws moved in circular motions that reminded bee of a fox's gait. in her jaws was a wad of herbs, most of which were unknown to bee, wrapped in what looked like a dried blackberry leaf.

the she-cat slowly blinked her greenish-blue eyes and placed her parcel onto the ground as she caught sight of bee. shooting her leader a questioning glance, she approached bee cautiously. catching sight of the wound, her eyes narrowed as thoughts seemed to come and go in her head. she closed her eyes...

... a bright flash of light seemed to catch in the she-cat's fur, turning the air around her silver for the blink of an eye, as if spirits floated around her.

the ghosts disappeared.

... when she returned to consciousness, her gaze was more serious. "bee is lucky not to have passed out yet. you must let me heal her." though the she-cat was still looking at bee, she could tell that it was her leader whom she was addressing.

a murmur rose within the cats. bee couldn't tell if it sounded more like suppressed complaint or reluctant assent.

"... very well." hornetstar nodded at the she-cat. "bee, please follow peonylinger to her den, where she can tend to your wound in peace."

cats collected on either side of the clearing, gazing in wonder and giving peonylinger and bee their space as they headed towards the same stone den that bee had seen the tortoiseshell disappear into.

as bee glanced around, she caught the eye of a leggy ginger she-cat with broken stripes running throughout her fur. she stared at bee with a calculating look in her eyes, then after bee stared back, lowered her gaze.

but bee didn't let the hostility bother her. after all, she didn't belong here anyway. she'd be gone in a flash, and then...

... and then what?

***

the following evening, the ginger she-cat made a reappearance.

peonylinger had ordered bee to rest and not to leave the den, which was fine- bee couldn't have done anything good for these cats anyway. but it did get incredibly boring.

bee's eyes were closed in an attempt to go to sleep, but the scent of herbs battered her head, and she wasn't as tired as she'd been yesterday. so she lay there, the aromas of bitter plants rising in fumes around her, not asleep no matter how hard she tried, with cobwebs and marigold poultice slathering her wound.

"hey."

bee grimaced and opened one eye, barely being able to make out a cat's silhouette sticking to the den wall.

"you eat forest prey, right?" the cat nudged something on the floor closer to her- a red squirrel. bee wasn't a big fan of squirrels, but she wasn't about to complain: another cat had tried to give her some sort of wet, furless creature with spiky protrusions on its spine and tail, as well as these thin flakes on its skin that got everywhere as she tried to eat. the creature hadn't tasted so bad, but its bulging eye had stared at bee the whole time she was trying to swallow its flesh... bee would rather stick to her familiar birds and mice.

bee looked up at the she-cat, recognising her silhouette as the one who had glared at bee yesterday. her legs were distinctively long and skinny.

the she-cat watched as bee self-consciously took a bite out of the offering. the first bite was hesitant, but after that, bee's nips came progressively quicker. soon, only the creature's bones remained.

"my thanks." bee swiped a paw over her jaws, clearing off any blood that remained there. "but from the manner in which you assessed at me yesterday, i suspect that you were ordered to be here."

"well, i wasn't- i mean, i didn't want you gone or anything." now it was the stranger's turn to be self-conscious. "but i can analyse other cats pretty easily. every cat knows you're eager to leave, but i can tell that there are places you'd rather not be than here."

bee nodded, her suspicion slowly fading.

"they say that you were a rogue. mapledawn, for one, thinks you're a threat. but you're only the age of an apprentice; you can't be older than nine moons. not old enough to survive alone with all the enemies around here claiming all the territories." irritation crept into the she-cat's voice, and she rolled her eyes with a scoff. "at least none of them have tried to challenge us yet."

"actually..."

bee wasn't sure what made her tell the stranger, but she felt like this cat wouldn't distrust her word, even if she barely knew her. her voice and scent told bee that she was young, not yet completely distrusting of cats purely for their origin... hopefully.

for a few seconds after bee finished, the she-cat was silent.

"well, uh... i assume i can tell hornetstar this?"

bee mumbled something that the older she-cat took as assent.

"should i do it now?"

"... why are you not suspicious of me? i have yet to offer you a reason to trust me-"

"well, you haven't done anything un-trustworthy so far." the she-cat ducked her head, ears twitching, suddenly defensive. "um... i'm celosiapaw, soon-to-be warrior. hopefully i haven't judged you wrongly... i'm willing to trust you, since you don't distrust me."

"see for yourself at the summer solstice. you have my word." bee buried her face in her nest, suddenly tired. "they know where you are, so prepare yourselves. the hive knows how to fight."

"summer?" celosiapaw's head tilted to the side. "what is... summer...?"

bee raised her head to stare blankly at celosiapaw.

"... the hottest season of the year is summer. is this a trick question?"

"oh." celosiapaw looked baffled. "we call it greenleaf here... i just assumed everyone did."

"... it is unimportant. go and inform your leader of what i have told you..." bee curled tighter in her nest. "... and let me rest. i will need to have recovered somewhat by the time five sunrises have passed."

***

the day before the solstice, at dawn.

bee was still asleep in the medicine den. the wound on her leg was now a less angry red, and the cut was now slimmer than before, with the edges slowly healing thanks to peonylinger's expertise.

in the days past, celosiapaw had taken to visiting bee after her 'training'- where a 'mentor' personally taught an 'apprentice' their skills. in the hive, a kitten's parents would usually tell them how to hunt and fight, but here, the leader personally paired two cats who they thought would benefit from the experience.

every day, bee eagerly compared celosiapaw's culture to the hive's. she had no idea that two groups with such differnlent customs could live so close to each other without knowing- well, the hive had only just arrived and was planning to attack sometime tomorrow...

so the majority of the cats were practicing their fighting techniques. even during her visits, bee described the hive's fighting style to celosiapaw and, in the last two days, her brother sallowpaw, who she'd brought along with her. though she wasn't supposed to move around because of her wound, bee instructed celosiapaw and sallowpaw on how to use and counter the hive's attacks, and somehow they understood her descriptions.

everyone was anticipating the battle at the solstice, where a group of cats as big as theirs would fight them for their territory.

the day before the solstice, at dawn, a patrol of four returned with scratches everywhere, already reporting to hornetstar about the wave of cats they'd fought.

"there were four or five of them, waiting to ambush us," the patrol leader reported as peonylinger ran around checking everyone's wounds: cardinalblaze, a fiery ginger tom with a white streak on his forehead and amber eyes bright to match the name blaze. "rogue cats who melted out of the bushes, already prepared to attack us as we came. we won, but one of them mentioned that there would be more coming. they seemed to know when we were coming. it's like bee told celosiapaw- they must've been planning their assault for some time now."

"but bee said that they'd come the day after today." a pale brown classic tabby narrowed her eyes and frowned. "she could've lied."

"she told us what she knew!" celosiapaw, cardinalblaze's apprentice, bristled as her clanmate threw suspicion towards bee. "for her to know about the assault, she must've been told about it by a high-ranking member of her group. would their leader want a renegade to know their plans? they could've changed their plans after bee left, and she wouldn't know any better!"

"if her old leader was that type of character, then why did she give us old information?" the brown tabby retorted. "she should have realized-"

"for starclan's sake, petrelcall, she's eight moons old. she's not a master of cynic strategy."

"can we focus on what we can control?" hornetstar shot a stern look at both petrelcall and celosiapaw. "is there anyone still scouting at the border? were there any indicators for when the assault will happen? we must remain prepared."

"when the time comes, hornetstar, i may need an apprentice to help me with the herbs," peonylinger murmured. "according to bee, their numbers are nearly equal to ours- and they have no warrior code to follow."

"i can help you," celosiapaw mewed with a swift glance at her mentor, who nodded with approval.

"thank you, celosiapaw, that's very kind of you." hornetstar nodded at the apprentice.

"but what about our opponents? what if petrelcall is right?" the fourth member of the patrol spoke up. "bee could be feeding our enemies with information about us. why should we trust her?"

"bee has not left the medicine den in four days, and no one has seen her leave," hornetstar said coolly. "unless you can provide evidence that she slipped past our night patrols to meet with any unknown cats, palmfrond, then you can save your suspicions until they are due."

"it just doesn't seen right! why would she tell us so much about her former allies-"

"because one of them attacked her, you-" celosiapaw's sudden fire was cut off by a distant yowl from the forest.

hornetstar scowled. "safe to assume that's another battle with the same enemies... dolphinriver!" hornetstar looked around the clearing and raised her voice. "fetch mapledawn and elderfrost and go help whoever that was- it could be either nutmegriver's patrol or blizzardquill's; send a cat back from whichever you find first."

dolphinriver sprang up, gave hornetstar a curt nod, and rushed off to find the named cats.

"this battle will be hard enough without infighting." hornetstar glared at the four cats in front of her. "warn the queens to be ready to defend their dens and the remaining warriors to fight. celosiapaw, please wake bee. she needs to be here; if nothing else, she'll show whether or not she really wanted to infiltrate us for her old allies."

***

"hornetstar, listen to me. you can't fight them alone. i have to be out there."

in the time that it had taken for celosiapaw to wake bee, two more fights had broken out, one of which was inside deltaclan territory. fewer than half of deltaclan's warriors remained in camp- even peonylinger was running across the forest to deliver her remedies to the injured.

now, as screeches of old and new allies rang through the forest, bee blocked out her ears from all of it. she knew that she wanted the cat who'd betrayed her- and indirectly almost killed her- to fall. but what did hornetstar think? was she convinced that bee would rejoin the brainwashed hive? bee's gut twisted as she pictured herself alongside alka, battling the cats who, had she not left, would have been her foes.

never. i'd rather die than become alka's slave like the rest of them.

"bee, listen. some of my warriors still don't trust you." hornetstar, standing outside the medicine den with bee, flicked her tail to indicate her remaining warriors- how many of them doubt my drive? i may not be loyal to them, but i would never let alka beat them.

they deserve their place here.

"besides, how about your leg? it still has yet to fully heal-"

"better to fight with this than not at all." bee narrowed her eyes, but not with hostility. "you stand no chance of winning without a cat who knows their tactics and weaknesses on your side, and i am left as your only option. i could tell you here and now about how each cat would react, but how would you match names to faces, having never met any of them? i know that sting's left hind paw is permanently twisted, so disabling either his other hind leg or his left foreleg will lead to an easy victory. apis and swarm are cunning and will fight two on one; they're agile and they know each other well, but they're both smaller than average, so send a larger warrior who can fight two cats at once to overpower them. alka will change tactics depending on what they think their opponent's weaknesses are, but their default is to fight dirty... face them with your most experienced cat, the one who knows how to hide their weak points. alka is a tough opponent."

bee took a breath to continue, but hornetstar stopped her with a lifted paw. "i know that you must want them gone more than any of us, bee, but i'm only thinking for your health.

"with all due respect, hornetstar, you can't stop me. you're not my leader." bee's hard gaze met hornetstar's; unflinchingly, both she-cats stared, saying nothing, one infinitely older than the other, one young and passionate and vengeful.

then hornetstar's mood shifted; bee could pick up a trace of amusement from the older cat. "underneath that polite mask, you've got fire, bee."

bee blinked, unsure of what to do with the unexpected compliment- or at least, she would choose to take it as a compliment. she opened her mouth to reply...

... and caught the wisp of a familiar scent in her jaws.

bee's head whipped towards the camp entrance. a cat burst through- a smoke tabby with extremely faint stripes. bee's heart lurched and she reared back, claws extended to slash at the cat who she thought was alka... then she realized that this cat's scent was not one that she knew. relaxing, she noticed the cat's solid-coloured paws, a feature that alka did not share.

... then where did hive scent come from?

the newcomer only said one word: "invasion."

then another cat burst through the entrance, and the clan cat rose to meet them- yellow, bee recognized, the source of the scent she'd caught- one of the two cats who were supposed to lead the way here.

which meant alka would be here any second.

"at least five on the way- follow my scent trail! they're more intimidating than this one-" the smoked tabby caught yellow's shoulder with his outstretched forepaw, and the two exchanged rapid blows.

"jellyfishbright, slatedusk, jaguarflame, firescar, wrensong!" hornetstar wasted no time now, yowling the names over her shoulder. "you're coming with me into the forest. bee," hornetstar added and looked down, "come along. tell us when you can detect more rogues."

bee nodded, and hornetstar raced away, leaping and soaring over her warrior and yellow, not waiting to look back and see if her cats followed. alka always checked if their cats were all together- making sure nobody was lost, checking because they cared, as they always said. but seeing hornetstar's blind trust, and watching a stream new cats- presumably the ones she'd named, though bee didn't know any of them- rush after their leader into the forest, it dawned upon bee that maybe alka didn't trust his cats not to leave him.

bee caught up to the sleek tail of a silvery spotted tabby and rushed to follow her.

bee was a traitor to her kind. she knew it. she'd abandoned her birthright to defend the hive and give them the best lives possible. but now, there was no wool over her eyes- no more of alka's lies to make them seem like someone who cared, no more starry-eyed regular cats putting their blind faith in alka when they didn't even care about them in return- only the ones who would carry out alka's will mattered.

the camp disappeared behind the trees. bee opened her jaws, tasting the air. they're already close, bee thought with a flash- she recognized alka's scent, flanked with sting's, swarm's and apis's- cats who she had all anticipated coming. but there was one she hadn't expected, one who her sense of smell recognized, but her mind was slow to place-

suddenly, two cats gave a simultaneous caterwaul- one that must've belonged to hornetstar, and the other bee knew was sting's.

a yowl, and a crash. bee couldn't see clearly what had happened. she craned her head up. where was sting? where was hornetstar? she slipped out to the side of a huge black smoke tom. grappling sting was hornetstar's black-patched tom. sting's back was on the ground, and both screeched with fury as they slashed and kicked at each other with brute force.

"and so we have found the one who we were searching for."

bee froze as alka's low purr caught her ear. the smoky tabby stood out in the brightening daylight... perhaps that was a good thing; alka would be far harder to defeat if they couldn't be seen.

still, bee didn't want to look at them- the disgrace who twisted others to their will with shallow words of loyalty.

"well played, bee. i must admit that i had enough faith in you to not expect you to join our enemies- but the hive chases down its foes until they are beaten, bee." alka gave bee a sly grin. "one of us tracked your scent all the way here, the same cat who first suspected your defect. knowing that you had joined our foes' side, of course i had to execute our plans earlier than you would anticipate. why would i want our enemy to know better?"

bee's heart skipped a beat as alka said the word enemy. an enemy to the hive... bee had never imagined that she'd be one. still, the golden she-cat snarled at the cat she'd once revered. by leaving, by joining the hive's adversaries, wasn't that what she'd promised to the hive now- being their enemy?

bee's nerves steeled, already prepared to launch herself at alka. but her fervour melted away as she spotted the cat who was crouched at alka's right. the hive was so tight-knit that she knew every member and their strengths and weaknesses. still, some she'd liked more than others, and some she'd be willing to forget.

but she'd never forget that half-split face. distinctively sliced down the middle, a pair of baleful eyes fixed bee with a cold glare: green on the ginger half, and blue upon the black. tortoiseshell fur, mostly ginger except for her shoulder, throat and leg, where the colours were inverted...

bee had never found hoverfly so intimidating.

"if i were to make a guess on any one cat who would betray me, i would likely have suspected an intake- yet the roles are reversed here." alka prowled closer to bee. "you, a hive-born, are now one of our foes... meanwhile, hoverfly, an intake, proves themselves by tracking you all the way here, even when your scent is marred with that of our enemies." alka's tail slithered over hoverfly's shoulders, and their gaze turned to her instead. "i have been ever so grateful," alka purred, "and so impressed by hoverfly's loyalty that i let them join my elites." alka's golden eyes snapped back towards bee. "who knew that an intake could show more allegiance than a hive-born? but perhaps that simply proves that i cannot judge cats by their origin. i cannot have faith in one of my own simply because they belonged here."

under alka's touch, bee saw hoverfly stiffen. she looked panicked for a moment... but that emotion quickly disappeared, and her gaze fell back into its mismatched acrimony.

"and look. that's one down..."

bee followed alka's gaze to watch sting pin the white and black tom to the ground. she saw sting go in for a bite- bee wasn't sure if he was aiming for a shoulder or the throat. bee lowered herself, ready to pounce, but hornetstar was faster. in an almost invisible blur, the she-cat tackled sting, and the tangle of three rolled around in a new fight.

"do you know what you have done, bee?" alka grinned. "making an enemy of the hive was a foolish choice indeed. you know what we can do."

"i was born and raised in the hive," bee shot back. "i do know exactly what you can do. which means i know exactly how to take you down."

bee's face flashed towards hoverfly again. her expression hadn't changed...

... how strange it was to think that she and this hostile rogue had once been friends.

sting and the white and black cat were still clawing at each other, but hornetstar had freed herself and lunged towards alka. "well said, bee." the she-cat flew through the air, class extended. "deltaclan-" she scored alka square in the ribs-

"attack!"

alka released a wordless, animalistic battle cry. immediately, sting seemed to fight harder, and cats surged from the forest. two new cats dropped down from the trees- bee knew that tactic: a sky attack using the high branches to pin down your foe or knock the wind out of them. she had to shove the black smoke tom aside to avoid him from getting hit by his feline projectile. he let out a surprised grunt, but he noticed the two new enemies, still on their feet even after soaring from that height, and didn't turn on bee.

bee eyed the tom: long-furred and black with a white undercoat. he was muscular and large, a perfect match to bee's description for someone to defeat apis and swarm at once.

"take both of them at once," bee hissed. "they're agile, but you can fight both with brute force and win."

before bee could tell whether or not the tom had heard, she'd already slipped past him. her heart lurched as she and hoverfly locked eyes.

hoverfly, the one who had betrayed her to alka and earned a spot among the most important hive members in exchange.

"why?"

bee had always been a tough cat- all hive members were. but some kind of hurt caught in her voice as she said the simple word.

"alka asked to find you." hoverfly's meow was flat and unsympathetic. "i only did what i could. we are all supposed to be loyal to them above all else."

"i thought we were friends, hoverfly," bee spat. a quiver still escaped her harsh tone... "but i see how it is. serve alka first and foremost, no matter what the cost."

"alka saved my life. loyalty is only the least of i can give them." hoverfly's gaze glittered balefully in the light as she raised her muzzle. "how about you? what have you to say for yourself?"

"that i cannot give loyalty to a cat who cares not for me in return." bee turned to show hoverfly the cut on her hind leg. "this is from alka, you blind fool- this was inflicted by a cat who thinks that any opinion other than theirs is an outrageous one."

"you disobeyed them and challenged their plan to give the hive a better life. i warned you not to step out of line, but you refused to listen. what right have you to complain?"

"so you are content with being alka's plaything," bee snarled. "so go ahead! abandon all your troubles and all your will at alka's paws. you may be satisfied with a life wasted on another cat's ambitions, but i am not."

"why do you think we're even bothering with you, bee?"

bee hesitated, confused by the question. why? why what? alka just wanted land...

but the thought of alka's words came back: "the one who we were looking for."

"alka wanted to give you a second chance." hoverfly's meow grew impatient and sharp-edged, but her gaze softened into something else. "you're a young cat, and you were upset. alka hoped that you would learn from your mistake."

"a chance? then i'll rake it through the mud." bee's eyes widened with blatant derision. "alka is the one who expects unwavering obedience from their followers. going back would force me to return to my old status as alka's plaything."

"yes, and you're so free here amongst the enemies of the hive."

bee puffed out her chest and curled her lip. "i and the other cats here are more free than i've ever been in the hive. i won't go back, hoverfly. i cannot slave away as alka's minion anymore."

"... so be it." hoverfly narrowed her eyes. "you won't back down, will you. you're stubborn enough to stay... after everything the hive has done for you? the hive doesn't need such an ungrateful wretch."

"good." bee sank into a ready crouch, her voice and her mind both stony with the weight of her decision, and frosty with the newborn coldness she now held against hoverfly. "i won't miss you."

in the moment, bee didn't know whether or not she was telling the truth. but she let her actions speak for her- leaving the hive, spilling their weaknesses to hornetstar, and now fighting against them. bee threw herself at hoverfly, determined to fight.

hoverfly and bee knew each other far too well, and both knew the other's battle style down to every move they'd make. the two weaved in and out, as one swiped and the other ducked, one reared and the other diving under, like an orchestrated dance of war without the ugly pain- indeed, neither cat had managed to draw blood.

but if bee were to switch fighting styles... would that work?

as hoverfly lunged, bee dodged aside instead of launching herself up or rearing back as she normally would. twisting to face hoverfly, bee batted a forepaw to her side; suddenly, hoverfly was defending as bee burst out a flurry of powerful forward strikes. but the chimera quickly caught on and managed to parry bee's every blow.

"just give in. you've met your match." hoverfly's gaze darted to the other battlers, trying to see how each battle was going. she was breathing harder than bee was.

bee stole a glance to the side. the black smoke tom from earlier had joined hornetstar and alka's battle and was pulling back on alka's scruff as alka's paws flailed towards hornetstar. apis and swarm were nowhere to be seen. seemed this tom had won his initial battle.

sting and the black-patched tom were still tussling, but they were now joined by the silver spotted tabby. she merely stood her ground, looking at nothing. as bee watched and began to wonder what her plan was, sting broke free from his foe and rushed her with a screech. the she-cat leapt straight up just as sting's claws were about to reach her and landed on his shoulders, beginning to tear away as soon as she touched solid mass.

how many more were there? bee didn't know how many cats were in this battle team. she was fairly certain that most of the hive was fighting, she just didn't know who was where. as for the warriors...

a reddish colour flashed from the woodland behind hoverfly. well, bee now knew where one of them was.

hoverfly noticed bee looking in her direction and opened her mouth, undoubtedly to throw more scorn her way.

bee sliced upwards with her forepaw the moment before the warrior came crashing out from the trees to pin hoverfly to the ground.

"you know all their weaknesses, right?" the stranger, a she-cat with a low and somehow lyrical voice, fixated bee with a pair of striking saffron eyes. "go tell deltaclan how to defeat their enemies!"

"can you take her?" bee leapt back, inclined to listen to the she-cat's order, yet reluctant to leave her alone.

"i have more battle experience than you've had mice. now go; this isn't the time for arguing!" the she-cat swing her head round to deliver a bite to hoverfly's shoulder; distinctive golden flecks the shade of bee's own fur glimmered on her cheeks. hoverfly screeched and rolled over, trying to dislodge the cat on her back.

bee backed away, watching the two she-cats for a moment. and then she turned and ran.

the hive members had no qualms with turning on their former ally, and bee had to avoid two or three cats who abandoned their own battles to target her. bee didn't even bother looking to see who they were.

there was a hive member with thin gashes on his neck and chest towering over the badly bleeding body of a warrior. bee didn't even hesitate to dive under his rearing body and knock him over. slash after slash appeared on his stomach as bee raked it over and over. the hive member clawed at the ground and dragged himself away, disappearing into the forest, undoubtedly running back to the hive's makeshift camp.

the warrior lay on the ground, panting hard. blood flowed from a wound that stretched from her right shoulder to her belly- its tip almost parallel and crossing the end of another equally long scar...? but this wasn't the time to wonder... the wound was losing so much blood... bee tried to put her paws on the cat, but she flinched and gasped in pain, and bee leapt back.

"can you move?" eyes round with worry, bee's paws shifted their weight, unsure of what to do.

the warrior's half-lidded eyes found bee. a beautiful shade of fiery orange, but they were glazed with pain... she said nothing.

peonylinger must come soon. i don't know what do to for her.

the hive wouldn't have any problem with attacking an already weak cat, not if they thought that they'd get something from it. i can't let them get her.

careful not to handle her roughly, bee slipped her muzzle under the bleeding she-cat and tried to carry her as safely as possible without moving her too much. she froze whenever the smell of blood pulsed stronger... but she could feel the she-cat breathing still, and determination and desperation kept her going.

take every step carefully. can't afford to drop her. can't afford to move her any more than i have to... bee carried the cat behind a gnarled, knobbly tree and settled her down between two of its thick roots.

"hang in there," bee murmured. she knew she couldn't afford to stay with her, and she did feel a pang of guilt at leaving this cat behind, but did she really have a choice?

the warrior didn't reply, but bee couldn't let herself get too distracted. without waiting, she threw herself back into the fray of the battle.

there were only a few hive members left. sting was still battling his foes, even though he was bleeding from an abundance of gashes. only the white and black tom remained fighting him; the silver she-cat had taken a new opponent.

as bee watched, the silver warrior slashed both forepaws at her foe, one at eye level and one at leg height. the hive member leapt back, barely missing the warrior's claws, and she lost her balance and crashed into the ground. bee's paws raced over the ground as she watched the hive cat prepare to pounce. aiming for where she knew the hive cat would be, she knocked them away from the deltaclan warrior just as they were going to fell her.

"don't let up." bee's claws flurried on the hive cat's pelt. the silver tabby was wildly flailing her head, confused and lost for a brief moment before bee yowled her command louder. the silver tabby looked sharply in her direction then, quickly bounding forwards, letting out a battle cry, and leaping onto her opponent just as bee jumped to avoid her. only then did bee notice the silvery she-cat's clouded white eyes.

hornetstar and alka were still facing each other. both stood still, panting hard, both bleeding from shallow and heavy gashes in various locations. brown and golden eyes both narrowed and still fiery. alka's gaze betrayed their muted amazement, but it was mingled with a certain type of nervousness as they finally began to realize how resilient and hard their foes could battle...

"still not ready to admit defeat?" the snarl on hornetstar's face deepened. "or do i have to give you more wounds to lick upon your inevitable defeat?"

"you're one to talk." alka scoffed as they watched the blood dripping from hornetstar's underside. "if i must kill you in order to offer my cats the richness of your territory, then so be it. if you do not admit defeat now, i will be forced to take your life."

"have fun doing that." hornetstar attacked first, claws outstretched and ready to taste more of alka's blood. alka knocked the older she-cat aside with a powerful swipe and cast her body crashing into the ground. but as alka pounced, hornetstar bit into their foreleg and twisted her hindquarters, kicking off the ground with her hind legs, and suddenly she was on top of alka...

slowly, every battle in the forest ceased as cats of both deltaclan and the hive were only focused on their leaders' fight- one with an honour code and one without; one with everything to lose and one who was willing to sacrifice anything but their own life. both weak, but unable to show it, unable to let up in any way.

bee had seen the kinder sides of both of these cats. now, as they tussled on the ground, fur and screeches flying, the violent sides of both were blatantly clear. it was impossible to think of the cat who had trusted bee enough to let her come to the fight against the hive... as the dusky-eyed hurricane of claws and teeth who now was trying to force alka to submit to her will.

and as bee watched, as alka seared a new gash on hornetstar's chest, she didn't even flinch and returned the blow, slicing vertically down their chest. at this, alka's energy seemed to drain away, and they lay on the ground, suddenly relaxed.

bee knew that strategy. make your opponent think that you're admitting defeat... and then, as they let up, burst upwards and go for the kill. it was a last resort finisher, one that alka had no problem with using if they thought that the opponent could reasonably see that they were tired.

but hornetstar didn't let up. instead, she leaned closer in to snarl in alka's face. "surrender and i'll let you and your cats leave in peace."

alka was poker-faced for a good few seconds. then, fast as light, they threw a paw at hornetstar's side. but the cream she-cat blocked the hit and, as alka's throat was left open, lunged. jumping off the ground with her hind legs, she thrust her legs at alka's stomach, while still holding their throat in her jaws. alka let out a strangled cry, but its fury wasn't there anymore.

"let me go." the words came out strained and quiet.

hornetstar did.

"..." alka stared at hornetstar; the menace was still there, but their expression let bee know that they were ready to give up.

"i'll go. keep your land."

alka waved their tail, and one by one, the cats of the hive filed in, accepting their defeat. deltaclan's warriors made no attempt to follow, or attack while their backs were turned. bee saw alka stumble and stop, huffing for a while until sting whispered something to them and got them moving again.

but hoverfly only stared.

"go on." bee stalked over to her ex-friend. "go on, follow them."

for a brief second, hoverfly's gaze shone with fear as she looked at bee. it was gone so quickly that bee could've imagined it. but she knew she hadn't.

"back to the hive," bee pressed. her lip curled in a sneer. "is it not what you wanted to skulk under alka's shadow forever? why are you hesitating? why don't you follow them, hoverfly?" bee's voice grew harsher with every word. "you sacrificed your freedom and any attachment to me, all for their sake. now you're an elite. it's everything you've wanted! now go!"

a fleeting moment came where hoverfly's gaze darted to the cats who remained in the clearing- all deltaclan cats. the fear came back, but it wasn't directed towards her enemies. then bee snarled, and hoverfly flinched and speed-walked away, limping on one hind leg.

"wrensong, firescar, please escort these cats out of our territory," hornetstar murmured. and then bee noticed that she too was swaying on her paws. "the battle is over."

the red she-cat with the gold-splattered face got up, but bee saw no other cat step forward. she couldn't tell whether one of them was too tired to follow, or...

with a jolt, bee remembered the warrior she'd found in the forest: a ginger cat, with a long gash running over an already existing scar that looked just as deadly- could that be her? but if she wasn't here...

sparing no seconds, bee rushed to the tree where she'd put the wounded warrior. she felt everyone's gazes on her, but she didn't stop to snap at them. the acrid tang of blood, almost overwhelming, threatened to stop bee from reaching her warrior. but she did. and she looked, and there she lay...

... bee blinked a few times as she saw the limp body. same bloodstained fur. same scar. same open wound. except now her amber eyes were closed, and... and...

... she didn't look like she was breathing anymore.

bee didn't even feel her muscles tensing up as she approached the she-cat's figure. cautiously, gently, she placed an ear over her chest. if she was alive, bee would be able to tell.

bee's stomach seemed to turn over, her paws flash-freezing to ice.

she couldn't.

"oh, stars." bee nuzzled the warrior tenderly, as if she had been a close friend. "i don't even know who you are, but i'm sorry." bee choked as she thought of the hive's cats, and then, blinking, seeing the reality of their brutality- of alka's greed. "this didn't need to happen. i don't- i don't even know you," bee laughed bitterly, "the hive would've ridiculed me for caring so much."

"her name." another cat sidled up to bee, and bee almost jumped, for the colour of her fur was nearly the same as the fallen warrior before her. "it was firescar. my mother's name."

bee looked up to see the golden-faced warrior beside her. slowly, she settled herself down, burying her muzzle into her mother's fur. "... i wish this was a dream. i wish i could sleep forever. i don't want this reality."

bee stepped back, giving who she assumed was wrensong her space. her stomach flipped again, but now it was sadness mingled with resentment. had peonylinger been here, would she have been able to stop this?

bee smelled hornetstar's scent before she saw her, and suddenly bee remembered that there were other cats on this battlefield. she looked behind her. the black smoke tom and the white and black tom looked somber; the blind silver she-cat's realization was only just dawning on her face as she tasted the heavy blood-scent and grief in the air.

"give wrensong her space," bee heard hornetstar murmur. her eyes didn't leave the two red warriors. "jaguarflame, go after the hive."

the black smoke tom grunted and left.

"... slatedusk, you should follow..." hornetstar's meow was softer than before.

now the black-patched tom nodded and disappeared.

"i tried to protect her." bee's words escaped her without consent. she looked bleakly up at hornetstar, who dipped her head and closed her eyes, listening. "she was wounded and not moving, and i carried her as carefully as i could, just to keep her away from the fight. but i couldn't help her."

"you..." hornetstar half-opened her eyes and fell to the ground, her legs seemingly buckling beneath her. "you did what you could, bee. none of us could've done anything."

"w-what about peonylinger? what if she were here?"

"firescar was old. some cats would have retired by her age. she died honourably, bee. tonight we will send her spirit to starclan safely, but there's nothing else to do."

hornetstar's eyes fluttered shut again.

the way she remained still chilled bee to the bone.

after some hesitation, she nudged hornetstar. she didn't respond.

"you can't be... hey!" bee turned to the blind warrior. "h-how do we summon your medicine cat? we need her!"

the she-cat only raised her head and sniffed. "she's coming. relax."

a yowl erupted from the forest, and then peonylinger showed up.

"jellyfishbright." peonylinger nodded.

"peonylinger. the hive fought viciously." jellyfishbright hesitated. "firescar has died. have you met any casualties?"

"olivebranch." peonylinger blinked, and only then did the dullness in her gaze fully show. "and sharpfox."

jellyfishbright exhaled, like she'd known that there would be more. "then may they be happy in starclan."

"what about hornetstar?"

jellyfishbright turned her head sharply in bee's direction; even though bee knew she couldn't see her, she still shivered under her gaze. "she's not... she's just suddenly unresponsive...?" bee prodded hornetstar again, harder this time. no response.

peonylinger approached bee. "hornetstar... how long has she been like that for?"

"not an insignificant amount of time..."

"but fairly recent?"

bee hesitated. "i suppose so."

"then she'll recover." peonylinger merely blinked at her leader's unmoving body. "we should wait for her. she won't be long."

bee hadn't noticed peonylinger hadn't brought any herbs until then, when she'd wanted to tell her to use some on hornetstar. but now, as she took in peonylinger, and her paws, stained with plant juices and with blood, bee felt her former resentment drain away. she had underestimated the weight that peonylinger carried on her shoulders- and even then, there had been other casualties.

hornetstar's eyes fluttered open. peonylinger was the first to notice.

"welcome back, hornetstar. i hope that this battle wasn't too hard on you."

"peonylinger." hornetstar greeted her medicine cat warmly and stretched her forelegs, with her hindquarters rising only a bit above the ground. bee stared at her chest. alka's wound that they'd inflicted only moments ago had seemingly disappeared. in fact, so had a number of the deeper gashes on her belly...

"i'll survive, peonylinger," hornetstar continued casually. "i only lost one life, if that's what you meant."

"wh- how did you- wait, what do you mean, only one life?"

bee stared at the somehow living cream tabby and white she-cat. the same one who she'd been sure was dead just a second ago.

"our leaders are bestowed with nine lives by our ancestors." peonylinger, drawing closer to hornetstar to inspect her wounds, whispered in bee's ear. "with every life comes a gift, which they use for the rest of their time in service to their clan."

"nine lives? h-how many has she left?" hornetstar certainly isn't the youngest cat i've seen.

peonylinger pretended not to have heard her question. "bee, why don't you run back to camp and bring some marigold. you'll remember the scent from when i used some for your wound."

"my... oh, stars, i'd forgotten about it..." bee twisted her head to try and get a good look at her cut. it trickled a fairly steady stream of blood. suddenly, bee's leg muscles felt like they'd ran non-stop over a mountain range.

"good thing you and jellyfishbright only have minor cuts." peonylinger turned back to her leader, her attention diverged for too long. "jellyfishbright, why don't you go with bee? it'll be better if everyone knows that we can trust her, if a warrior is with her."

jellyfishbright nodded and waved her tail, beckoning bee to follow her.

so you've decided that you can trust me now?

... that's a fairly large compliment for me to take.

***

(A/N: here's the stuff that actually matters)

afterwards, bee was gradually accepted as a cat of deltaclan.

bee would deny staying here because of her own attachment to them, but celosiapaw could see right through her. actually, it was celosiaswift now- she and her brother sallowcrane had become warriors after the battle against the hive.

bee still remembered the ceremony: honouring celosiaswift's courage and sense of justice, and sallowcrane's faith and loyalty- did all warriors get to feel so important and empowered? and then hornetstar had surprised bee by offering her an apprenticeship among her own warriors. bee's first instinct had been to ask why- but then, she had seen bee fight alongside her own, seen bee's effort to protect the dying firescar from harm.

bee didn't know how many warriors were still wary of her, even after hearing from their leader what she'd done. but she had nothing better to do, and nowhere better to go. maybe part of her was just willing to do anything to put her life in the hive behind. so she took on the name beepaw, accepting a new apprenticeship under wrensong.

beepaw was eight moons old, two moons older than when an apprentice usually began their training. but there were things that beepaw already knew from living in the wild- deltaclan just taught her more. deltaclan were primarily fishers, and beepaw had spent her life hunting on land... so she spent some time showing wrensong her land hunting skills. turns out that deltaclan had more land prey than they knew how to find before.

and growing up in an environment where fighting skills and trickery were highly valued, beepaw already had a few tricks up her tail to display in one on one combat. she showed the younger apprentices her fighting style- somewhat pretentiously, but she did show it. though she was friendly to swanpaw, celandinepaw and helixpaw, her closest friends would always be celosiaswift and sallowcrane.

so, owing to beepaw's previous expertise and quick learning capabilities, she was able to become a warrior at twelve moons like the others did, right alongside swanrose.

swanrose, the she-cat with heterochromatic eyes that reminded beepaw so much of hoverfly's. but traitor to traitor, she knew that she could leave hoverfly in the past. she'd left alka in the past, and their now fleshy pink and totally painless scar. she hadn't dwelled on any of them in moons. no, she hadn't dwelled at all.

hornetstar gave beepaw the name beebramble, a name which, according to celandineswift and swanrose, symbolised her anger taking the form of spite against everyone who had wronged her, like brambles clinging onto a cat's pelt. but it also represented beebramble's strength and ferocity- constricting under stress, but thriving and majectic under wrensong's careful training. hornetstar had chosen to commend those two qualities at her ceremony- swanrose's had been integrity and pride over who she was.

beebramble knew that her strength didn't just mean physical strength. it also meant the strength to do what she thought was necessary, to make the right choices and stick with them. and she had made the right choice.

she wouldn't be leaving deltaclan anytime soon. not ever.

because even though she was an intake, once a rogue and now a warrior,

as she laughed and played and heard her new clanmates cheer hers and swanrose's new names,

she knew she'd never leave.

❦ winners ❦

first place: _creamtea_ with beebramble

second place: shadedatlas with beefire (actually i was going back and forth between first and second)

third place: Varulven15 with beeflash

(A/N: i am so fucking sry lmao)