Anytime we see a friend that needs help or support, we're usually one of the first to notice and dive in. We come in and do whatever we can to help them, whether it means we have to fight for them or talk them through problems, we won't stop until our friend is better. Some friends are like that and others aren't as quick to do something, they tend to wait until things are at a stage where they can't get any worse. They jump in and fend off whatever problem faces their friend or comrade, regardless if it's going to cost them. After all, their friend's problems become theirs. 

Watching someone swoop in and easily defend their friend is something that makes us all wonder how close the two really are. If they're comrades and just allies in battle, then maybe when they come in and save them, it's only for work and nothing more. Other times it could be out of love or protection, making sure nothing harms a single bone of their friend. Either way, the moment someone comes in to fight for their friend, the people or gang that have started the problem or messed with their friend is going to have to fight someone else, and sometimes, they don't know how strong that defender is. 

They could be the strongest person or being alive for all they know. 


X X X

"After many days of discussing, we have finally decided on the cats we're going to take. Out of the twenty apprentices that competed, we will only accept five into our close group. The rest of you will do your best as a normal warrior, and we thank each and every cat who tried." Nightfall looked at the crowd of eager apprentices, all watching him with a hopeful look on their face, waiting for their name to be called. Far away was Nettle, who eyed his sleeping den carefully, wondering how easy it would be to slip away from the black tom.

A gray cat beside him, Shattered, had her eyes shut and whispered a few words under her breath. Nightfall, looking satisfied dipped his head to the audience and began to start his entire speech from the beginning once again. This was something he didn't want to be around anymore. Nettle lifted his foot to leave, but another tom beside him - he didn't bother memorizing their names anymore since a majority he'd never see again - grabbed his tail between his teeth and painfully forced him back on his rear.

He would've attacked the other tom had not Nightfall start his speech with a shout.

"Jagged, you have been selected for your strength. We hope to relay on it during further missions and wish the best upon you as you grow." A small, but muscular-looking cat stood up and lifted his head above the rest, basking in the short frame of glory. He marched up and stood beside Nightfall, eyeing the crowd to see who else he'd work with for the rest of his life.

"Soul, you have been selected for your speed. It will come as a great blessing to you as you grow and you will soon find yourself in a good seating if this keeps up." The gray tom got up, not as boldly as Jagged did, but a gleam of triumph flashed across his eyes and he bounded over, smirking at the other cats as he passed by them. Standing next to Nightfall, the gray tom puffed his chest out, hiding his excitement and relief rather poorly.

"Shattered, you have been selected for your combat skills. We've watched and seen your skills and hope that you will continue to develop more battle tactics in the future to help all of us grow." The gray cat beside him sprang up suddenly as if the ground had become lava. Her energy went out of control and she practically jumped over to the three toms, crashing clumsily on her awkward paws.

"Nettle, you have been selected for your accuracy. Each jump and attack you do has always hit the target you're after and I'm proud to watch you get even faster and stronger all the while balancing your other skills." Hearing his name was a shocker, as he was sure that annoying tom next to him had a better chance than him. Nevertheless, cats urged him to walk on the platform and take his place next to Nightfall.

And that was quite possibly the last place he wanted to be.

"Cedar, you have been selected for your intelligence. Everycat is impressed at your speed at calculating battle plans and strategies, easily spotting holes and fixing them with alternate solutions that still keep our forces strong." The last she-cat gave a lazy smile toward Nightfall and slowly made her way, passing by angered and disappointed looks she received, her being the last one to have been chosen. The only thing that made the rest of the crushed apprentices happy was the fact she randomly fell over, already sound asleep before she hit the ground.

The four cats around him were the cats he'd have to spend the rest of his life with. Nettle didn't know how he felt about it being paired up with sleepy-head, rabbit-brain, a loud bird, and an energetic bird that didn't die no matter how many times he stomped over her feathers. These four, painfully annoying cats were his life now.

Nightfall looked proud at the five - even if one wasn't on the same platform with them. Jagged's eyes were shining with a bright light that the sun couldn't outshine, and seeing a cheerful look on his face was something that didn't suit him. Soul absorbed the attention just like any other day, gloating in the face of the ones who failed as he rose to the sky, wings spread out to touch the golden rays. Shattered was seated and still, paws trembling as if she couldn't believe she was one of the five that were left. Cedar was fast asleep and already dreaming with a mouse-brained grin on her face, not budging when cats prodded her to stir, hoping she'd awaken.

This was his life now.

Nettle felt like kneeling down and hurling up the little mouse he had in the morning; this wasn't a place where a cat like him should be. There was someone else out there that had a better chance and would most likely do better things than what he would. He forced a smile when the crowd cheered, knowing that they now depended on the five - possibly four. A small part of him grinned and sneered at all of the cats that had failed.

The cats that he'd beat and won. Ones that were unworthy of even standing next to Nightfall.

Maybe there was joy in this position.

"I know you'll make us proud."

~~~oOo~~~

"Nobody wants to kill other cats. Nobody wants to extend their claws out to suck the life of another right under their eyes and then move on if they were nothing more than prey," Nettlestar explained, and Mothpaw had a flashback to Shatteredstar and some of the last words she ever spoke. A desire to kill but not to raise a single paw in harm, yet forced to because something was controlling her, killing her every step of the path.

And he mentioned something about being ordered or cats higher than him, she considered. If Nettlestar's the group of cats that took over CinderClan, then there has to be a third group of rogues. Her heart sank to her stomach at the thought of another merciless leader commanding hoards of cats into battle. A cat that held both Nettlestar and Shatteredstar in one paw, manipulating each of them to do their bidding. Whoever that cat was, Mothpaw feared they had planned this battle and sat somewhere far away with a sneer, patiently waiting for the injured cats to stumble back home.

"So why do you do it? Why'd you kill my sister?" challenged Beechpaw, not threatening the rogue, his voice more like one of a wondering, impatient kit.

"She's not dead." Nettlestar pressed his paw against his chest. "If anything, I only knocked her out with that toss. The bite was to slow her down."

To test him, Mothpaw slowly crawled out from underneath her sister. Beechpaw look relieved to see her unharmed, but his eyes stayed on the blots of blood on her pelt. With a dull, golden pelt, Honeypaw's chest heaved with breath every few seconds, face twisted in pain. The color had faded away and had been replaced by a rusted one instead; one that didn't shine as bright as it used to. The silver she-cat leaned and put her ear to her sister's chest, closing her eyes to concentrate on the faint beating.

She could finally breathe at the sound of the pulse, pushing against the scars and injuries denting the body. Mothpaw reopened her eyes and confirmed Nettlestar's words. The leader turned to Beechpaw, who had collapsed on his paws, head pressed against the ground. Olivepaw watched the group with keen interest, noticing a shift, but remaining in her protective shell, hardly paying attention to the battle.

"We didn't want to do this," started Nettlestar, giving Mothpaw a solemn look. "But, if any of us wanted to survive, we had to go along. All I really want is to go home and return to the cats I care about."

"You make it sound like you're controlled by a cat or group, or you're doing something you don't want to do just because they're saying you have to. Is that true?" questioned Beechpaw, looking confused.

"I grew up with fifteen other cats my age separated from where my real parents were. Only five of us were allowed to get a higher rank and possibly, closer to Nightfall. The rest were returned as normal warriors and cats, but the five of us stood out and had something to be proud of." Hearing those words come out of Nettlestar's mouth made it sound painful, and Mothpaw questioned what made the tom back away from the attention. There was some kind of coating around him that shielded him away, but she felt safer around him.

Is it because he's like an adult me? It's like he's afraid of the attention and wants something else that nobody knows. Mothpaw squinted at the rogue, observing each scar and tuft of hair on his pelt. She found nothing that stuck out and dropped her shoulders, pushing her nose into the dirt to block out the stench of Honeypaw's blood. 

"Five? There's more than just you and Shatteredstar? Does that mean there are three other groups of cats we'll have to fight?" Beechpaw asked, dread swallowing him entirely. "There are three other cats just as strong you as guys?!"

"No, only Shatteredstar and I got to rule these groups, Clans as you call it. The other three are back home, most likely honing their skills to improve. The only reason I got these cats was because something about me stood out."

Nightfall, Mothpaw thought with a shudder. He must be the cat that controls everything. Take him out, and then things should be taken care of. She felt thrilled that she had a piece of information that Ashstar might find useful. Then again, Beechpaw could always do the same, and she silently hoped his anger would kick in and his selective hearing would activate.

"And then you killed millions of cats and stole them." The anger returned in waves, causing Beechpaw to curl his lips back. His fur spiked up and he gave Nettlestar an accusing glare with one, amber eye.

"If you grew up like me, you'd most likely understand. It's been the only thing I've known and grew on, hearing stories about you and this StarClan was entirely new and filled everycat at home with rage. I was probably one of the very few cats that saw something else from those tales. The other cat that shared the same idea and wanted a change is gone."

"Wait!" Mothpaw called, bursting beside the rogue. "Shatteredstar saw something in us like you? She acted like she wanted us all dead and out of her life though! What I saw... I saw a cat who was willing to kill others to rise to the top. It didn't bother her denouncing StarClan and all of her sanity."

"Stop, what did you see in us?" pressed Beechpaw, standing in front of Mothpaw. "Answer me first, please. What exactly did you see in us that others can't? And if you two were the only cats that could see something great, why couldn't the others?!"

"It was obvious the older cats were trying to hide something from us. Shatteredstar was the only cat that talked to me about it, and we promised one another to find a way to figure out what was happening behind the scenes. The only way we could think of was to become leaders of the two groups, but killing was justified for the sake of their cause. It never affected us when we slaughtered innocent cats; if I were to kill you now, you wouldn't receive any kind of grief from me."

"I don't care about what you feel when you kill cats anymore!" Beechpaw roared, growing impatient with the tom. "Just tell us what you saw! Why did that make you realize something was messed up with your leaders?!"

"You guys weren't evil cats who despised our leader with such burning hate. I found a group of cats who were fighting just to survive in the world our superiors forced us into," Nettlestar answered, firmly placing his paw on the ground while touching Beechpaw with his tail lightly on the shoulder. 

"Forced...? You... You really aren't lying? You're making it sound like you're a pawn in some game, ready to be thrown out despite the rank you have," studdered Beechpaw, shaking his head back and forth. Mothpaw stepped up and comforted her brother, but his fur was cold, and she flinched, backing away. 

"That's all there is," admitted Nettlestar. "Raised to kill, promised a good rank and life, but treated like prey, ready to be tossed once we've rotten. Shatteredstar, Jaggedstone, Soulfrost, Cedarsky, and I have all been caught in this, but only two were smart enough to see through the illusions."

"Nettlestar?" Mothpaw whispered, creeping closer until she stood in front of Nettlestar. Instead of shaking and wailing like a kit, she felt unafraid, even if she knew what the tom was capable of. She tried to block out visions of him unleashing his razor-like claws and raking them down her side and face, blinding her before her soul was swept into another world. His calm demeanor and exhausted plea dragged her closer, and she gave him a weak smile. 

And she'd never forget the look on his face. Surprise, sorrow, bewilderment, joy, confusion, sadness, loss, and hope all packed in one look. Nettlestar, the tom she heard Sleekfeather say would step on tails to rise, afraid and thrown off guard by a simple, genuine smile. 

Mother, I know you might think I'm crazy, but I trust him, thought Mothpaw. 

"You loved Shatteredstar, didn't you? I bet when you saw cats pile in, you were shocked to know that she had fallen," she said softly, hoping it would cause Nettlestar's temper to snap like a twig. The rogue's face slowly dwindled into contentment, and then understanding, and then sympathy. 

He nodded. "It was actually her that first told me that she liked me. It wasn't until a few moons ago until I responded to them, but she was gone before I could do anything."

"StarClan's sake," Beechpaw growled, holding back a scream. "If you're lying to me you piece of fox dung, I'm going to kill you. You not only loved Shatteredstar, but you're claiming there are some other cats, Nightfall, maybe? Those are the ones who are responsible for the missing cats. You have to know why they're going missing."

"I was not in charge of handling that." Nettlestar stopped for a brief moment and slowly trailed his eyes across Beechpaw, Mothpaw, and Olivepaw. He pondered about something and then reached a paw out, taking her shoulder gently to pull her close. Her brother joined and the rogue held both of them with a single paw, the broken shards inside him slowly lifting off and patching themselves together. 

Stay, begged Mothpaw. I know you'll most likely turn on us and kill us in our sleep but please, stay. 

"Maybe you guys can do a thing," the leader whispered. "You might've noticed with Shatteredstar, but you had to kill her nine times before you truly died."

"Nine times?!" Beechpaw and Mothpaw shouted at the time, jumping over Nettlestar, but his grip was strong and prevented them from tackling him. 

"It's the same with me, and I'm sure one of the other three cats have already gotten nine lives after news spread about Shatteredstar's death," Nettlestar pressed, talking loudly over the apprentices. "I don't know which one, but if you were to stop them and our leader, I'm sure you'd have to defeat them at least nine times."

"Nine lives are only a thing you can get from StarClan! How are you saying this?! Why would StarClan give lives to cats that steal other cats!" Beechpaw roared, shaking with outrage. "Are you guys that notorious they finally notice you and decide to do something?!"

"No," Mothpaw gasped. "Nine lives come from StarClan only, and the only way to receive those lives is to be a leader of a Clan. You said that you have your own Clan... FogClan, and something about Shatteredstar ruling her own? If there's a possible third one, then that means there are a total of five Clans out there. Only two have fallen, CinderClan and DawnClan. The only ones we know that are still out there... us and FogClan. The last one is unknown." 

"Nettlestar, you have---"

"Beechpaw! Mothpaw! Get away from him right now!" A rash shout bellowed over them and they scrambled back just as Nettlestar let out a snarl and whirled around, barely making it in time to clash heads with an angered Sleekfeather. The deputy let out snarls as the rogue switched to a defensive tactic, holding up his paw to block her attacks. Before any of the apprentices could do a thing, the MeadowClan deputy sent a flying kick their way, smashing into their underbellies with a force that knocked them aside.

Landing with a thud and on her injured shoulder, Mothpaw coughed, spitting out chunks of blood and spit, her body jerking violently with each hack. Her brother had the same treatment and landed a few tail lengths away, curled in his own ball as he regained his breath. She forced herself to claw her way back to reality as snarls and yowls rang in a never-ending lullaby. All she could do was throw herself on her good side and watch Sleekfeather demolish Nettlestar, slipping between the leader's swipes and kicks and quickly reappearing from the back to wrap around his body like a snake. 

Claws latched on Nettlestar's sides, Sleekfeather let out a roar and tossed the two on the ground and jumped back up, preparing for a counterattack. It took a few moments for the rogue to gather his senses together, but she advanced and took advantage of his hesitation, going for the kill. One of her paws smashed into the side of his face and he recoiled with pain, stumbling on three paws. She jumped and unbalanced him from the back and snapped her jaws around his pelt, sinking her teeth in hard, a trickle of blood flowing out of the bite. 

In her jaws, the brown tom twisted around, slamming both paws at the sides of her neck and thrusting his paws down, leaving jagged wounds. Sleekfeather roared in pain, releasing her opponent, and Nettlestar dropped to his paws and didn't hesitate, easily twisting his paws in the right direction and sprang, grabbing her by her shoulders. He threw her on the ground forcefully, pinning her down and rendering her attacks useless. She didn't give in quite yet and stretched her head up as far as it could go and managed to grab onto a pinch of flesh. 

Nettlestar ripped away and Sleekfeather fell back on her head, pulling only tufts of fur with her. The grip on her shoulders tightened and a fine trail of blood began to pour out and she withered, biting her tongue to keep quiet. She acted fast and brought up her hindlegs and before the tom above her could release his grip, she dug her back claws into his exposed underbelly. That caused him to rear back and she lunged, a clawed paw ramming into an open wound, making the tom flinch. The she-cat smirked and turned the odds against him, throwing him on the ground, keeping her backlegs balanced on his stomach. 

Beechpaw struggled to stand up, screaming with all his might, but his voice coming out as a whisper that went unheard. "No... Sleekfeather, stop!" Mothpaw shielded her eyes away from the she-cat and wished for Nettlestar to get back up and stand his ground against their strong-willed deputy. 

But Sleekfeather was far from listening. Whether she intentionally meant for all this damage, she didn't notice her backlegs shaking as they sunk into the white underbelly of Nettlestar. The deputy leaned closer, shoving her face in his fowl breath, squeezing his shoulders. His actions were slowing down and he was eyeing the pool of blood resting on his stomach more than the she-cat. When he finally managed to weakly lift a paw to bat her aside, she snarled like it was fire. 

"Sleekfeather, stop!" cried Beechaw and Mothpaw, pleading with their deputy. 

A gray ear flicked, signaling that she heard them. Sleekfeatherturned around, giving them a worried look. Beechpaw's eyes were planted on Nettlestar, begging her to back off and leave the rogue alone. She noticed the desperate pleas on their face and eyed the tom suspiciously, slowly releasing pressure. The deputy furrowed her brow and shut her eyes, two sides ripping her apart. Underneath, the dark-brown tom gave up, watching her with round eyes, ready for whatever she did next. 

And then another rogue came out of the battle, paws extended for Sleekfeather. Mothpaw's warning came too late and the black and orange she-cat hooked the deputy in her claws. The deputy let out a roar and let go of Nettlestar, but the incomer had already wrapped herself around her foe, front paws sinking into the sides of the gray she-cat's neck. Beechpaw let out a hoarse scream and stumbled back on his paws and weakly padded toward the brawl.

Nettlestar let out a growl and unleashed his claws and surprisingly, hit the intruder instead of the deputy. She let out a snarl and he quickly pulled his paw back before she could snap. Sleekfeather hissed and ripped the cat off her, tearing flesh and fur in a bloody mess. The skinnier cat tumbled down but regained her footing faster than Mothpaw thought she would and lunged again. Beechpaw took a feeble leap and the she-cat got him instead of the MeadowClan deputy, who instantly growled at the sight of the brave apprentice. 

Sleekfeather flattened her ears and released Nettlestar and pounced on the scrawny calico, but her enemy's speed was faster than her, and the she-cat got away and sunk her teeth into the back of the deputy's neck. Mothpaw's jaw fell open and she could only watch as Nettlestar struggled to get up but continued to fall back, this time being the fifth attempt. She sunk her claws into the dirt and crawled over to the rogue, hoping that she'd avoid the other rogue's battle with the deputy. When she passed by the dual, she squeezed her eyes shut.

Beechpaw was crying and screaming something in the far distance even if he was beside her. Mothpaw managed to get to Nettlestar and fall over, looking at the scars and wounds that painted his underbelly. As the scarlet blood ran out and created a pool of blood, she watched his life drain out in waves and drops of red. The rogue fought to get on his paws, but each attempt resulted in collapsing and more blood to pour out of him. She gritted her teeth and reached a shaking paw over, shuddering at Sleekfeather's howl. 

"Stop her..." Nettlestar gasped, coughing up blood, falling down for the seventh time. Mothpaw's heart began to quicken and she hurried over to his stomach and pressed both paws down, hoping to stop the bleeding. He gently pushed her aside and hit the ground for the eighth time. Her heart shattered for a rogue who she barely even knew. 

"No! Don't you dare die! You can't die! We still need you!" she cried, looking at Sleekfeather's battle. Her ears fell back and her eyes became slits of horror. The intruder held the deputy on the ground with one paw and kept Beechpaw back with one of her backlegs. There was a massive gash on the gray she-cat's neck, and the calico didn't look amused as she went for the killing bite. 

With a single slice, Sleekfeather's head jerked violently to the side, snapping the neck bone, cutting the slim line of reality, and a spirit rose to the sky. 

"Sleekfeather!"

"CinderClan's camp," Nettlestar coughed just as the calico dropped the act, trambling over Sleekfeather's corpse. Beechpaw's fur spiked out twice as much and he unleashed his claws, trembling as the rogue crept closer. Mothpaw felt her paws wanting to leap across the field and clash heads with the she-cat, but roots had tied her to the ground and forced her to stay put by the dying rogue leader. 

"Go there and you'll find them. We were not the ones who invaded back then," finished Nettlestar, giving her a stern look through pained eyes. Mothpaw's world spun faster as the rogue tipped over, hitting the ground for the last time, the excessive breathing in his chest slowing to a halt. He gave her one look from his amber eyes, and then death came over and closed his eyes. 

And she stood there, horrified as death wandered past her, its icy tail sweeping her off her paws. The black cat rose back into the air in a cloud of dark mist, giving Mothpaw a cold sneer before fading into the gray sky, the wind getting colder and colder as the mystical cat swept into the air, disappearing like a breath.  

On her side, the calico twitched her ear and saw Nettlestar, cold and lifeless. She narrowed her eyes at Mothpaw and twisted her paws, leaping straight toward her. Beechpaw howled and ran after her, but the rogue landed beside her leader, prodding his body with her nose. Rage and fury enveloped her and she lashed her tail, growling her hate to the sky. 

 Then she stormed toward the battle and commanded, "Go back! Right now!"