"Sometimes the worst place you can be is in your own head."

~•~•~•~•~

The screeches of terror echoing loudly outside the den sent a shiver down Flamepaw's spine. It kept her awake the whole night, only progressing to get louder and louder until cries began to follow it.

Flamepaw wasn't only kept awake from the yowls of agony but from the memories of what had happened earlier that day. The memories flooded around her as if a giant lake, forming around her and pulling her down into it. She was drowning and suffocating in her mistakes and sorrow, a current of guilt flooding over her as well.

A flash of agony tore through her heart and allowed tears to sting her eyes. If she had never assisted Spark in murdering Chirpbark, would Quailpaw have ever been hurt? It was even worse than the time that Flamepaw had harmed him herself but there was one thing that was still the same this time. It was the fact that Flamepaw was involved.

At least this time Flamepaw had done something to try and save him. The apprentice had turned herself in, speaking out that she was the one who had murdered Chirpbark. Flamepaw could tell that Archangel had his suspicions, but the tom still had her thrown into the empty elders den and spoke of deciding on her fate sooner or later.

It didn't matter anymore to Flamepaw, as long as her attempt to save Quailpaw had worked. Hopefully, her brother was healed by now and sitting amongst Dimstar, Cloverpool, and Splashsky. They would have smiles upon their faces, laughing and forgetting what happened. As long as Quailpaw was still alive, Flamepaw didn't care about the possibility of her death. She had been a terrible sister, daughter, and Clanmate.

If there was another way to redeem herself, Flamepaw would take it. By now though, this seemed to be the only way to do so.

As Flamepaw thought on, the cries of pain continued but grew softer. She turned her head to peer out of the den but she spotted no movement. What was going on out there? There had been no cats severely injured in the battle, so what could possibly be taking place?

The ginger she-cat knew it was risky to step outside the den, but just a peek would do. If Archangel had taken a rebellion cat prisoner and ordered their execution, she wouldn't let that happen. The she-cat vowed to never let Archangel harm another soul, even if it meant losing her's to make sure of it.

She rose to her paws and squinted her eyes as he gaze focused in on the opening to her den. Flamepaw didn't bother stretching and didn't make a sound as she stumbled over to the opening, her legs trembling and eyes bloodshot. She was in fact apprehensive of what may be happening outside, also she was tired and weak. Flamepaw needed to see what was going on though and not just out of pure curiosity.

Her paws rooted to the ground as soon as she stood in the opening. The night sky loomed over her, speckled with stars which seemed to shine dimly these days. The trees nearby rustled in the breeze, their branches swaying and dancing along. Small specks of white fluttered down from the sky, allowing the scenery a calm and beautiful mood to be added to it. The only downside of the calm scenery was the cries of sorrow or pain coming from the medicine cat den.

Flamepaw's eyes stretched wide when a hiss then erupted from the medicine cat den. The familiar, frail frame of Slap, the medicine cat, stumbled out of the den. Slap's eyes were widened and blood stained the tom's paws, the sight making Flamepaw's fur stand on its end. Some cat had to be injured and Slap was trying to heal them. Slap would never do harm to another cat.

Moments later, a different cat stepped out of the medicine cat den, its form more bulk and larger than Slap's. The two cat's eyes locked, and the new cat's jaws parted to release a menacing hiss filled with hatred. Flamepaw's claws unsheathed when she recognized the new cat, her eyes narrowing. It was Hollowstorm, the tom who had betrayed all of EchoClan and killed Pinekit and Galestorm.

Hollowstorm seemed to not only be angry, but hurt and broken. The tom's eyes were brimmed with tears, his tail lashing to and fro and his ears pinned against the back of his head. Whatever had happened must have broken Hollowstorm emotionally and caused the tom to have a burning hatred against Slap. Why would any cat hate Slap? Sure he was a coward, but the tom was sweet and loyal as well.

"You are a pathetic excuse for a medicine cat! You can't do anything right! You let her die!" Hollowstorm spat at Slap, raising an unsheathed paw.

Before Slap could reply to the tom, Hollowstorm's paw flung forward. The tom's claws slashed across the medicine cat's face, leaving behind a set of scratches over Slap's muzzle. Slap stumbled back, his eyes squeezed shut and his jaws parted to release a yowl of pain as blood seeped from the new wound upon his face.

Flamepaw was still frozen in place despite the urge she had to stop Hollowstorm from harming Slap even more. There had to be a reasoning to Hollowstorm hurting Slap but the tom had no reason before to murder Galestorm and his own kit in cold blood. He was cruel, but to Flamepaw he seem to have some reasoning for this harm he had done to Slap.

Moments before Hollowstorm could lunge at Slap, a new cat sprung forward and stood in between the two. Hollowstorm jumped back, his back arched and his lips pulled back in a snarl. It was Snakeleap, the former deputy of EchoClan before all the chaos had happened and Slap's loving mate.

"Hollowstorm! You cannot blame Slap for the death of Shadefur! There was nothing more that he could do, she was already going to pass no matter what Slap did!" Snakeleap told the warrior calmly, his tail lashing to and fro as he stood defensively in front of Slap.

Hollowstorm's eyes flashing with hatred and the tom's claws dug into the earth. Flamepaw studied the tom, who seemed to now be shaking with sobs instead of rumbling with a growl. Flamepaw did feel a slight bit of pity for the tom, for he did just lose his mate. But somewhere inside of her Flamepaw was laughing menacingly at Hollowstorm's pain. I guess it may just be SpiritClan's punishment for him murdering his own kit and Galestorm.

Flamepaw watched as the brown tom then turned and retreated back into the medicine cat den. Her teeth clenched as her gaze scanned over to Slap and Snakeleap, the two now close to one another. Snakeleap had his tail curled around Slap as his tongue drew over his mate's wound.

As her gaze wandered back over to the medicine cat den, Flamepaw's eyes shifted into slits at the sound of Hollowstorm's soft cries. Now you know what it feels like to lose a loved one, don't you Hollowstorm? It hurts, doesn't it? Don't worry, it will stick with you for the rest of your life as well.

"Flamepaw."

The voice startled the ginger she-cat and she turned to face the source of the voice. She froze like a statue and her eyes widened when she faced Slap, who was leaning onto Snakeleap's side. Were the two here to scorn her for the murder of Chirpbark, Slap's brother, that she never actually commited?

Her heart began to beat faster but the two seemed awfully calm. Snakeleap's eyes narrowed but besides that their claws were sheathed and their expressions were emotionless. Before padding away, Slap parted his jaws and spoke a simple phrase in a quiet mumble to the she-cat.

"When the flower begins to wilt, the seeds must go off and begin to grow their own flower. We must do the same, before it's too late."

Flamepaw desperately wanted to ask questions but the two instantly padded back off without another word. Her gaze flickered around camp to make sure the coast was clear. If Archangel or any of his loyal followers saw Slap speaking to her, they would automatically grow suspicious.

The ginger she-cat's ears flattened and she sunk back into the den. The specks of snow and the glowing moon disappeared from her sight as shadows devoured her. Flamepaw laid back down on the cold, den floor. She rested her head on her paws, her gaze locked on the wall of the den.

As soon as she began to think about what Slap told her, Flamepaw began to come to realization. She clenched her teeth, her tail lashing back and forth across the ground behind her. What Slap had said suddenly made sense now, and it had to be done.

The wilting flower was EchoClan and they were the seeds that needed to break off.