YAS, I drew the above picture. :3

~Ken
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Lionpaw stayed in the grass for a long while, his eyes closed as he didn't know what to look at. He didn't want to look at the sky, he didn't want to look at the grass, he didn't want to look at his paws. He just wanted to forget himself.

"Why didn't you just kill her kits?" Tigerstar materialized behind Lionpaw, who gave a hiss and glared at the older cat.

"I love her. I don't want her dead. And I want her to feel what I feel right now." Lionpaw muttered.

"And now you've lost her completely, forever." Tigerstar snickered at him.

"I did what I had to!" Lionpaw snapped, leaping to his paws. "And what do you do? You mock my pain! You're pathetic!" Lionpaw hissed, stalking off. His pelt hid him well amongst the golden stalks, but Tigerstar could easily track him by scent and followed.

"You're being immature and childish." Tigerstar snapped. "Grow up." He swiped at Lionpaw's tail. Lionpaw hissed and spun around, lashing out at Tigerstar's nose. Tigerstar merely chuckled and disappeared.

"Screw you!!!!" Lionpaw screeched, claws digging into the ground. He stalked back to camp, figuring he should hide in the medicine cat den, where no one would bother him.

He slipped inside easily, starting to sort some of the herbs that were drying.

A screech sounded from somewhere inside camp, an  Lionpaw's head snapped around. That screech was familiar, he knew that sound.

"Help! Please!" Someone rushed into the medicine cat den. Lionpaw's eyes drifted around, looking for Camofur. He was nowhere in sight.

"What's wrong?" Lionpaw asked flatly, sighing as he moved to follow the cat. They lead him to Venomstar's den, and inside was a screaming Swiftflame. She screamed incoherent things, obviously in pain.

"The kits are coming." Venomstar hissed. "You're going to deliver them. Even if she's going to die. I want those kits to live." He snapped, padding out of the den.

Lionpaw hissed after him and seated himself at Swiftflame's side dolefully. "They're too premature." he said flatly. "They're going to die." he mumbled.

"No! No no no no no!!" Swiftflame cried, thrashing around. The pain was as if she'd been bitten by fifty adders and she couldn't take it anymore.

"Shhhhh...." Lionpaw's eyes filled with pain for the she cat. Maybe he was mad at her, but he didn't think she deserved this. "Push." he murmured. She did as he instructed, screaming and gasping for air. She was bleeding heavily, too heavily.

"It hurts!" Swiftflame sobbed, screaming. The first kit was born, miraculously alive, a little tiny white tom. He screamed at the top of his lungs, thrashing around. Lionpaw gently groomed the kit the wrong way and placed him by Swiftflame.

"There's one...." Lionpaw said quietly, nudging Swiftflame. "Keep pushing...." he murmured. She did, and the next kit was born. This one was stillborn, too young, as was the next.

"D-don't tell me... They're dead..." Swiftflame let out what sounded like the mix between a whine and a scream, her eyes squeezing shut. She was terrified, and the two dead kits sent her into a panic.

"Hey now..... Shhhh...... Calm down...." Lionpaw murmured, nuzzling her gently. The next kit was soon born. This kit was weak and couldn't seem to breathe correctly. Lionpaw pulled it to his chest and started licking it, but it died in his paws a little while after.

Swiftflame passed out after that, and so Lionpaw watched over her one live kit. He was very tiny and reminded Lionpaw of himself when he was that young. He also was sure to take the dead kits out of the den. It was best for Swiftflame not to see them and get attached. He quickly buried them and returned.

By the time he reentered the den, Venomstar was there with Swiftflame, clawing her ears. "You stupid piece of crow-food!" he snapped.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY BABY!" Swiftflame snapped protectively, shielding her little one from Venomstar. Her fur was spiked in fear, as was the little kit's.

"You stay away from her." Lionpaw snapped at Venomstar, putting himself between the she cat and the leader. His own fur spiked in rage, his eyes burning with the fire of eternal hatred.

"Get out of my way. Now. That little scrap of fur is WEAK. He will never grow to be anything." Venomstar snapped.

"You will leave them alone, or you will lose your life." Lionpaw hissed, taking a threatening step forward. Venomstar snapped and leapt for him, his jaws closing round Lionpaw's leg.

"L-Lionpaw!" Swiftflame cried, her jaw falling open.

Lionpaw just gritted his teeth and tore at Venomstar's ear with his teeth. The blood streamed into the leader's eyes, blocking his vision. Lionpaw used this to take Venomstar's scruff and drag him out of the den. The leader clamped down harder on Lionpaw's leg, and so Lionpaw simply reached down and bit the back of Venomstar's neck, snapping his spinal cord.

When Venomstar realized he couldn't move anything, he released Lionpaw's leg and tried to stand. This attempt didn't work; fear flooded Venomstar's eyes.

"Now you know how it feels to be helpless." Lionpaw huffed and started dragging him by the scruff, out, and up, and through the tall golden grass. Venomstar begged for his life the entire way.

Lionpaw set him in the center of a field, slashing marks everywhere all over Venomstar, but not enough to kill him. "The field mice and rats will enjoy feeding on you. Goodbye." With that he stalked off back to camp.

Venomstar's screams could be heard all the way from underground as the rats converged upon him, tearing and biting.

All Lionpaw could feel was coldness and indifference. He didn't care. When he got back to camp there was cheer in the air, everyone was smiling.

"I-I chose Sh-Shiningoak to be leader.... I-I don't w-want to be..." Swiftflame was saying from high rock. "D-dismissed...?" she said awkwardly, jumping down. Lionpaw rushed to her and blinked.

"Are you alright....?" he asked, frowning. Swiftflame curled with her kit in her chest fur and looked away without answering. "Swiftflame...."

"Get out." she snapped quietly. "Get out of my life..... You killed my kits, you killed my mate.... Get out."

".............. I saved your life." Lionpaw whispered, hurt in his eyes, his ears back.

"And let three go to do that. Three innocent new lives." Swiftflame muttered, glaring at him. Lionpaw stayed silent, eyes gathering with tears. No matter what he did, it was never good enough for her.

The little kit peeked out from his mother, blinking at Lionpaw. "What's his name?" Lionpaw asked her, his voice cracking.

"Goldkit. Now go." She pulled her kit protectively closer.

Lionpaw simply padded off dejectedly. He didn't know what else to do. Now that Venomstar wasn't a problem, he didn't..... Didn't have purpose. There was nothing for him to do with his life besides carry on in misery. He would be better off dead. He wouldn't be able to make mistakes that way.

He stopped, remembering the waterfall. The pool had to be somewhere above on the ground. He'd go there....

He found his paws taking him there before he even knew he'd decided, and he paused at the very edge of the large pond. He took a shaky breath, closing his eyes a moment to take in the sounds around him.

They were soft, low sounds, sounds of leaves and grass rustling, of the wind gently blowing. He sighed quietly and looked around one last time.

He decided after a moment it was time. He took one last long glance at the sky before leaping into the deep pond. He easily fell under the surface, as he'd never learned to swim. He watched as the surface grew ever more distant.

As his eyes closed, he sent up one last prayer to StarClan, praying for forgiveness for his mistakes.

And with that, the world turned black.