A message to all of those people who have older or younger siblings: they can be a pain, can't they? One moment, they're nice and friendly with you, allowing you to barge in and do whatever or mess around with each other. The next moment, they're after you screaming their head off and they become the literal spawn of the devil. It's a hit or miss when it comes to them; they're either an angel with that golden halo over their head or they're either a demon with those pointy horns sprouting out of their head. You argue over topics that you see differently and neither of you will back down until you pound the other person to the ground - unless you're submissive to them. Whatever the case is, your siblings are either a twin in disguise or a little troublemaker ready to fire and then run away laughing their heads off as you chase after them cursing their name into the sky.

But the times when you settle down and get to spend time together and it doesn't involve ripping each other's hair out or pinning the other to the ground until they cry uncle. Those times when you can have some quality time just talking to one another about your life or the things you've seen or even problems you have. Despite the times when you've fought, when you both don't have a reason to fight and can just talk to each other, it feels nice and you've forgotten about those times when you've been mad at them. Siblings are a pain but a gift, even if we don't really want to see the truth behind that smile they flash when they know they're in trouble and then adding to the fact they get away with it.

Granted, it doesn't really take long to get angered by them and want to fight and it doesn't take long to sit by them and watch a movie late at night, does it?

X X X

"I remember you," Honeypaw said with a quick nod, welcoming her brother and sister closer. Her friend, Scarpaw, stayed at her side, backing away from her siblings cautiously. From her view, Mothpaw thought he was hiding behind a strong and tough demeanor and inside, he was simply a skittish and skeptical cat. The golden she-cat gave her a weak smile, nowhere near the bright one the two apprentices have known. Beechpaw made the first move and glanced behind his shoulder at Breezepaw and Whitepaw, who were messing around with the kits, giving their exhausted parents a snooze in the sun.

For once, Tigerfrost and Lionfur looked defeated, their great strength finally leaving them as long as six tiny heads scampered around them, absorbing their energy like roots. The two warriors rested against one another, eyes shut in peaceful sleep, kits somewhere else and in the paws of two strangers. The rest of the camp allowed the two to have some kind of rest while they organized patrols and supplied for leafbare. Seeing the two cats Mothpaw and her family had looked up to when they were younger falling down, bones weary, was strange, but by now, seeing strong cats sag to the ground like a falling tree, that hopeless feeling began to fade.

She tried not to occupy herself with it too much. Every cat in the Clan was the same: unbearably patient and debilitated.

There were times she'd imagine MeadowClan in a state of prosperity, thriving like the new seeds of greenleaf. One that had a strong, independent leader that could split the world underneath his paws. Nights, where she could share her fantasies and imagination with Beechpaw, were nights she longed to treasure for an eternity.

"Do you mind telling us what exactly happened that day?" Beechpaw urged, hoping to crack his sister. "You've gotten a lot bigger; you're nearly the same size as me now." He chuckled, waiting for his sister to react and she did giggle with him the slightest.

"I... Ripplestone just wanted me to follow him so he could hopefully end this once and for all. He has a good idea but very few cats that will support him," she admitted. "Maybe you could join—"

"No way." The fur along Beechpaw's spine rose angrily. Venom seethed out of his mouth as his rage grew, causing Mothpaw to drop her head and Honeypaw to sigh. That sigh was enough for her and her brother to notice, and before the silver apprentice could retreat, a rough paw grabbed her side and yanked her close. A spitting ball of confusion and anger, her brother glared at the two outsiders.

"Don't tell me you've taken his side." Beechpaw, still dragging the lump of fur with him, positioned himself in front of his other sister, blocking Scarpaw. The other tom looked hurt and wanted to join, but Mothpaw gave him a silent plea with her blue eyes, begging him to stay away. As she much as tried to put emotion in her expression, that proved ineffective when the burnt tom stepped forward. Then Honeypaw twisted her head and mouthed something to him, making him pause.

Scarpaw backed away, turning his skinny back to the three, flattening his ears to his skull to deafen the conversation. Even if Mothpaw was stuck in a tight embrace with her sister and brother, she wanted nothing more than to break free and leave the two alone. This was supposed to be something she looked forward to, but in the end, it felt like she was being taken prisoner against her own will. An ice-cold, warm pelt on her right and a searing-orange, icy pelt on her left. She tried to breathe through the smoke and frost, but she could hardly stay between her two older siblings any longer.

Beechpaw didn't make that an easy thing to escape. He kept the three together tightly, refusing to let one of them wiggle free. Honeypaw did show some signs of discomfort, making Mothpaw's heart soar. The two sisters shared a look of assistance and when they noticed the other reflecting the same look, they burst out laughing, causing their older brother to pause as if he didn't believe the sound emitting from the two.

And that's when Mothpaw felt like she could breathe again. Her sister's voice sounded old and parched as if she hadn't drunk in moons. Hearing her laugh again along with her softer one made things better, and the ice in Beechpaw's pelt began to melt away with each warm breath of laughter from his sisters. In her sister's golden, icy pelt, Honeypaw lowered some kind of guard and seemed truly happy that she and her little sister still shared a common trait and could mirror each other's actions.

Are you back...? Did we get Honeypaw back...? Mothpaw prayed to Echoflight, wishing she could be with them. A sense of motherly love surrounded the group, and eventually, Beechpaw fell into the bundle, the three siblings connecting themselves together without the help of a mother or father.

"Beechpaw..." Honeypaw started out, voice somehow different. Maybe it was lighter and more open than before. It didn't remind Mothpaw and Beechpaw of the silent and empty Olivepaw, who only looked through the world through blind eyes. Whatever it was, it was a step towards having their sister back in their lives.

"You're squishing me, though," gasped Mothpaw, struggling to take a gulp of air. Beechpaw and Honeypaw didn't seem to notice and ignored her, moving on with their conversation. A part of her wanted to snap at them, but another part attempted to stay quiet as her heart banged against the two pelts rapidly.

"I... I know you're not the happiest with our father and I get that, he never loved us when we were younger and there," she murmured. "But right now... it's like Echoflight's death changed him. He's still distant, but he seems to care more about his kits, even Gorsekit."

"Then why isn't he here if he cares for you?" Beechpaw growled, concealing his anger. "Did he send you off to get something from here? More cats?" Eyes darkening and voice lowering to a deep growl of hate, he snarled, "Did he want us? Mothpaw and I?"

"Not at all," she answered truthfully, lifting her paw, allowing some kind of space for Mothpaw to breathe again. Collapsing to one side, the she-cat let out a choked gasp, taking in as much of the sweet, invisible substance as she could. Beechpaw gave her a worried look through one eye but didn't help her back up. Staying on the ground was better, anyways. At least she could breathe and hear the argument.

"Then... forgive me for sounding rude, but why are you here if you don't plan on joining us?" he questioned, frowning. "I don't... I trust you, honest."

That's a lie, Mothpaw realized within seconds. He doesn't trust Honeypaw, even after she's back. Why doesn't he trust her? She's our own sister that came back and she knows who we are... She didn't want to question her brother's motives when she didn't even understand her own desires. Distracting herself with the fact their optimistic sister came back was a poor solution, but she clung onto the illusion that there was still a flame of energy sparking and igniting in their sister's bones.

"Maybe you could tell us what this raid is? What exactly did you leave us for...?" That was probably the most useful thing that came out of her brother's mouth in a long time, as much as Mothpaw knew he would deny it.

"... Do you remember that one camp you went to? I think you might've run into Shattedstar's group of rogues." Honeypaw got two nods and she continued, motioning Scarpaw over. When the older tom approached, Beechpaw curled his lip into a threatening snarl, telling the apprentice to be careful. In the other tom's shadow, Mothpaw found a feeling of safety and fear, but she leaned into her brother's striped pelt, letting the touch of his warm pelt return a sense of security back.

Flicking a tail, their sister pointed at her friend and explained. "Scarpaw was one of the first cats I met when I left MeadowClan. Leaving MeadowClan... I don't know whether it was a good or bad thing, honestly. However, Ripplestone knew him and sent him as a little spy to gather information. In a way, he could be a messenger."

"Don't call me a messenger," Scarpaw said, lowering his head. "When you say messenger, that makes me think I'm nothing more than a cat who can deliver news accordingly."

"Moving on," Honeypaw cut off the tom. "He found out there were two groups of rogues, which we assume have a majority of the missing cats. As you saw, Sagefeather and her kits were there."

"You didn't save them when you knew they were there?" Mothpaw spoke up, heart freezing. Her eyes darted behind her, searching for the tiny body of Tumblekit. Splashpelt watched his son gingerly as the kit sat in the far corner of the small fight raging on between the kits. The tom didn't hear their conversation well and she lowered her shoulders, holding back the rest of her comments.

But with that in her mind, Beechpaw's words began to weave their way through the tight locks, unlocking a door to something she knew and denied.

"I didn't save them because we were outnumbered. Breezepaw, Whitepaw, Scarpaw, and I against an entire Clan. How do you expect us to fight back with that small number? We needed a way to alert the Cans about Shatteredstar's location, so Whitepaw suggested we go to CinderClan rather than MeadowClan. That's when we found the other camp, which we believe could pose a threat to that tree-loving Clan."

And that's when we came, isn't it? Vineclaw got injured by that other Clan that lives so closely to CinderClan, but why would they make a camp so close to a Clan that could easily wipe them out? There has to be something in that Clan they want, but it's not like they some kind of treasure or prize worth taking, she pondered. Beechpaw shared the same thought process and the two siblings gave each other a flash of curiosity, knowing where their next target was going to be. Mothpaw did question how they were going to get to CinderClan without crossing the borders, but that was something she wanted to worry about later.

Along with all this chaos in this Clan, it almost seems we're tearing the Clan apart just by snooping around. Tigerfrost lied to us about Ashstar's second sister, who is still alive and somewhere else, Dapplefur had kits with Ashstar in hopes of sacrificing the kits to StarClan so they'd finally do something, Honeypaw's in some kind of group with Ripplestone who is trying to track down the source along with Scarpaw, and if I had to guess, Amberfeather has to play some kind of role in this. Also Daystar, the cat that was spied on by Ashstar's other sister. Mothpaw groaned, not wanting to swallow all the information at once. Beechpaw sensed the change and leaned over, whispering into her ear.

"And don't forget the fact that raid Dapplefur talked to us about," he added, adding another mouthful to swallow through her narrow throat.

"... Adding those points together, we came here because we want to attack the other group. If that group is killed and disbanded, then maybe this missing cat problem will go away," Honeypaw concluded, a chunk of the story missing.

"That raid," Beechpaw said, catching Honeypaw and Scarpaw's attention. "That's for the other group, isn't it? You're going to use MeadowClan to fight them, a Clan that's in CinderClan's territory. Why don't you let that Clan deal with the problem? It's not ours."

"MeadowClan has more missing cats compared to CinderClan," Honeypaw countered, placing a paw on the small dirt drawing she sketched out. "Smaller numbers are a good thing, and besides, what if CinderClan doesn't have the strength of a thousand warriors? If we bring MeadowClan into the situation, cause enough mess that'll catch their attention, then maybe Aspenstar herself will be drawn toward the fight and help clean out the second rogue group."

"Those rogues that got away or weren't killed probably fled toward that camp," Scarpaw mentioned. "Meaning the forces should be larger than before. Having MeadowClan and CinderClan fight together once again would be a nice experience."

"Then why don't you ask CinderClan directly instead of intentionally dragging them into a fight without doing a single thing?" Mothpaw questioned, narrowing her eyes at the drawing underneath her sister's yellow paws. "I feel like that's just a waste of time, but then again, that's just more time wasted because you never know if they're going to accept."

"Yes," Scarpaw confirmed, making her heart flutter. "That's exactly right."

"Last question for you." Beechpaw looked at the exit. There was a flash of confidence and bravery flowing through his eyes and with that goofy yet determined grin splattered across his face, Mothpaw felt a small laugh rise in her stomach. "Are we going to have to fight as well?"

"No," Honeypaw said, licking her paw and promptly began to clean herself. "You won't be fighting in this battle."