Sunkit's mewling in the night kept me awake. Heatherleg wasn't a mother and I wondered how she was going to feed her. Surely Sunkit was old enough to eat prey anyway? But that didn't exactly matter. No one had prey at all. Not since the day it begun.

As if on cue, Whitetooth climbed down to my branch. He only sat there. Suddenly, Whitetooth's stomach - and mine too - growled loudly.

"We should hunt while it's quiet," Whitetooth whispered. I snorted, looking over at him.

"Hunt what? Leaves? Flesh-eaters? We can't hunt at night, there aren't any prey." I retorted, sitting up. Whitetooth sighed and gave me a Are you that mouse-brained? look. "DarkClan has night patrols to catch the frogs that don't sleep at night, plus there are plenty of nocturnal creatures in our territory, too. We can hunt them," Whitetooth suggested.

I forgot about that. But what if they were infected? I shook my head and then my pelt. "Lets go." I whispered and he nodded, searching for flesh-eaters before hopping down.

I followed him, coming in beside him, as he sniffed around.

"It's hard to smell prey when all there is to smell is blood!" Whitetooth sneered to himself. I heard paws fight to catch up and Whitetooth and I whipped around, fur spiked up. I forced my fur to lie flat when I realized it was only Venomsoul and Leopardstar.

"Might as well join you," Venomsoul growled, his eyes narrowed as he padded by. Leopardstar went one way and Venomsoul went another. Whitetooth followed Venomsoul and I went forward.

"Don't cause trouble." I hissed to Whitetooth but he didn't acknowledge me.

I parted my jaws to search for any scent and got the smell of a mole not far away. I narrowed my eyes and searched the forest for the tiny creature. I caught sight of it as it scurried to a tree, chewing on something. Stalking carefully toward it, my paws trembled and my stomach threatened to growl. I clenched my jaw and focused on the mole. Taking careful steps, I came so close to it I could almost just grab it with a paw.

Instead, I leaped silently at it and landed squarely onto it, biting down onto its neck. It won't come back alive, right? I wondered. I drove a claw into it's head just to be sure.

Looking around, I made sure no one was around. I dug into the mole and finished it in no time. No one will know. I purred to myself, digging a hole and burying the left overs.

I scurried away, sniffing around for more prey. I passed tree after tree, bush after bush, and finally I came across the smell of a crow. I stalked toward the smell and found myself at a clearing full of a whole bunch of crows.

I stalked silently closer, being quick. Crows don't tend to stick around. What a lucky night, I thought, leaping towards the murder of crows. I landed onto one of them just as someone else came for another one. Leopardstar killed one with a final bite and I did so too.

The other two crows fluttered off, calling to others in warning.

"Good job," I commented but she only padded away, tail high.

She grabbed a dead vole from a hole in the ground and I followed her. "We should go to the marsh in DarkClan. I've heard there are plenty of frogs there," I suggested through a mouthful of feathers.

"Our territory is full of the infected. Do you think we can actually get through there without getting eaten or even a simply scratch? No," she replied. Her voice was hoarse and muffled from the tail of the vole and the crow's tail.

I narrowed my eyes. "We can drop off the prey at our trees and hide our scents by going in a mud puddle or in a puddle of their blood?" I mewed, twitching my ear. Leopardstar whipped around, fury raging in her gaze. "Just because there's a deadly infection spreading, doesn't give you any reason to go to our marsh and steal our prey." She spat, dropping her fresh-kill.

"We won't be, you're with us-" I began but she shoved her muzzle into my face and shoved me back. "I didn't agree to be with you, Reedstar. Shut your mouth before I do it for you. The marshland will always be my territory."

Rage pulsed through my blood and I shoved my face into hers. "We offered help and my territory. The least you could do is give us prey from your marshland!" I tried to keep my voice low but fury made it go higher.

Her ears went flat to her head. "I don't have to be in here. I could leave whenever, but I need a medicine cat. I won't just give you my prey." She took a step back, eyes sizing me up as her lip curled in disgust.

"By the smell of it, you already had something to eat. Maybe if you weren't such a selfish leader, you wouldn't need my prey."

And with that, Leopardstar grabbed her prey and stormed off.

*****

Just as the sun came up, I found my way back to the tree. Birdfeather was awake and alarmed.

"Where were you? I thought a flesh-eater had gotten you!" She gasped when I climbed the tree. I had gotten a mouse on my way back, plus the crow and another vole. What are you, my mother?

I sighed, dropping the prey carefully on the base of the branch - where it was thickest. "I went out for prey, we haven't eaten in at least three days."

Birdfeather nodded and looked around, "Whitetooth never came back." She mewed, worry edging her tone. I nodded, "He'll be back. Venomsoul wouldn't let him die." I reassured, looking up at the tree. "Anyone hungry?" I called up and heads immediately popped over their branches.

Bluewave came down first, grabbing the mouse. "Blackpaw, we can share." She mewed as she climbed up.

Poppyheart came down next, grabbing the crow. "Come Birdfeather, you can eat with me. Reedstar can have the vole." She gestured with a nod of her head and Birdfeather looked at me. I dipped my head and she climbed up.

"Cloudjaw, you can have the vole. I can wait," I called up and he slowly climbed down. Like a vicious lion, he grabbed it and rushed away. His eyes were glazed in hunger and his stomach was deflated. I remembered how he didn't eat for about four days, not like three like the rest of them.

Cloudjaw refused to eat until everyone else ate. He didn't want to be selfish. So about four days without a morsel of food? I couldn't do it. I needed to be strong and healthy. I needed fresh-kill.

And if Cloudjaw hadn't of wanted to eat, so be it.

I shook out my pelt and watched for anything out in the forest. I took a brief look over to the right where the tree that held Leopardstar's little group of DarkClan was perched. Sharppaw, Heatherleg, Boldface and Venomsoul included. Sunkit was there, too, always huddled with Heatherleg.

Bushes swayed in the denser part of the forest and Venomsoul and Whitetooth popped out. Whitetooth carried a mouse and a thrush while Venomsoul carried a robin and a squirrel.

Whitetooth separated from Venomsoul with a nod.

Whitetooth dropped his catches on my branch and I scooted over a bit. "Here, you look like you're hungry." He nudged over the thrush and I dipped my head.

Might as well have two! Everyone else is fine, I need more prey and they don't! I tore away the feathers and dug in. I only got a bit into my thrush when moans started to come closer.

"The flesh-eaters can smell our flesh-kill..." I muttered half to myself.

"Throw the rest to the ground, hopefully they'll eat it and stay away from the trees!" I instructed and a few bodies of fresh-kill fell from the tree.

Flesh-eaters hurried toward the smell of blood and flesh and fought their way to get to the crow and vole. I quickly finished my thrush and threw it toward them, farther than the rest. A huge group of flesh-eaters - seeming to be from ten to twenty at least - had came back from DarkClan.

A small group stumbled to the thrush and groaned at each other, shoving them out of the way. Whitetooth licked his lips and threw his toward the group, hitting one straight in the eye.

The flesh-eater didn't care, it just fought to get to the mouse before the rest. The prey didn't hold off, though. Within heartbeats, they began to stagger their way to the trees, mostly to ours.

Groaning, the large group of cats clawed at the tree slowly and weakly. Blood stained the tree trunk as their bloody stomachs and paws rubbed against the bark. My pelt bristled up. I jumped in fright as one cat started to climb over the others, reaching for the branch and slipping. It missed by a whiskers-length.

"I don't think we can stay here much longer. If someone doesn't make noise or if LightClan doesn't get attacked soon, more flesh-eaters will come and pile up!" Whitetooth growled to me, keeping his voice low so only I could hear it.

"I know." Was all I replied with. Silence in the tree came after that.

Leopardstar broke the silence. It felt like boulders were lifted off my shoulders when her call caused several flesh-eaters to stumble to her tree.

Boldfang - who had been on a low branch - scurried up to the next branch as cats tried to pull him down.

"We need to leave. LightClan could use our help anyway." Leopardstar called over and I snorted. "Really? Two things. One: how are we suppose to get down and two: they wouldn't accept it even if we begged!"

She glared at me through the branches for a heartbeat before Boldfang scurried up the tree more. Claws of the infected dug into the tree and climbed over cats. A few flesh-eaters got to the first branch.

My tail lashed and I looked down to the flesh-eaters below. I growled inwardly. You ruined my whole life. Everything would be so different of you fools hadn't of come along.

"We need to find a way to leave, quick." Boldface called over, worry edging his tone as flesh-eaters tried desperately to get up. "And how will we do that? Sacrifice more warriors or kill them off?" I retorted, giving him a look.

He didn't seem to notice, watching the flesh-eaters tear at the tree. A screech rose among the tree and everyone's necks snapped toward LightClan's moor - including the flesh-eaters.

"Good timing Crystalstar." Whitetooth muttered as the flesh-eaters stumbled away.

I saw a branch on the ground. For some reason it caught my eye. I also found myself finding vines hanging from a few trees not far off.

The ground cleared off quickly with more screams coming from the moor. I hopped down silently and grabbed a few long, thickish branches. "Whitetooth, Cloudjaw, come here." I called up to the cats.

The two white cats hopped down. "Find vines and thick branches like this one... I have an idea." They hesitated but left to find the materials.

With the branch I had, I began to chew on the end to make a point. I didn't stop until it was sharp. Pointy enough to puncture someone. I grabbed the vines and waited for the two to come back. I heard paws coming toward me and my head shot toward it. Luckily, it was only the alive cats - from DarkClan and SpiritClan.

"What's your idea, Reedstar?" Blackpaw mewed. Without looking up, I replied, "You'll see."

Within heartbeats, Whitetooth and Cloudjaw were back with vines and thick branches under their chins and in their mouths. "Alright, chew the end of the branches until it pointy." Whitetooth and Cloudjaw passed the branches among the cats.

The group of cats chewed the ends of the sticks until they were pointy enough. "Cloudjaw, come here." I mewed to him and he padded over, the stick in his jaws.

I grabbed the stick from his mouth and held it onto his side. I wrapped the vine around his ribs. I pulled it as tight as I could.

"Help everyone out and do as I did." I announced and they turned to each other to do it. I, for one, stood and watched. Cloudjaw fixed me up with one and then I sat down.

The stick on Cloudjaw was out a bit farther than his muzzle. The vine was wrapped thickly around the end and to the middle of the stick.

Another screamed pierced through the air, more tom-like. Loud moans lifted to the sky and was brought here, causing shivers to course through my spine.

"Also, you'll need a back up plan. Drag some rocks with you and point up the ends of more sticks to carry in your mouth," I added, sighing.

I've never felt so anxious in my life. Well, maybe a few times... Also I'm exhausted. I've never wanted to fall asleep and never wake up in my life until now.

I waited for several long heartbeats for them to be done, and then stood up again.

Unsheathing my claws, I growled, "Now let's go kill some flesh-eaters."