There's always that one person who we're attracted to that makes us act differently. Whether it may be a friendship, family, or just a love interest, we get an urge to protect and help them whenever we can. When we know they're in danger, we do everything to help and comfort, making sure they can be safe. It's strange how close we can be when we find someone worth our time, and soon enough, you can't really imagine what your life would be if you hadn't ran into them. Thinking about the day when you have to part ways is something you never want to cross your mind, but we all know that good and bad things all come to an end one day. It really stinks, doesn't it?

So we have to fight to protect the ones we love and to keep the bond between us. It doesn't have to be an actual battle where swords and bows are involved - it can be a verbal battle and to me, those are the most powerful and hardest things. Regardless how we act when we know a bond could be destroyed with a single event, there's a part in us that tells us that we can't just sit by and watch as time steals something important to us. I bet time has stolen something from us all at one point and whether we stole it back is all up to you.

Do we fight or do we give in to something we can't even see?

X X X

Raging and fuming, she marched onward, refusing to stop and take a break. There wasn't any need to hunt down any fleeing mice or soaring birds - she did steal all the prey before she left. She was plenty full, but where she was headed was unknown. All she needed was to go far away, a place where she wouldn't have to face them. Not for a while, at least. Going back home was the end goal, but right now, she pushed herself farther away from the place that welcomed her.

The place where she was at home, playing with her siblings and messing with one another until the sun set. The she-cat stopped in her tracks and looked at the horizon, gazing at the clouds that streaked the skies haphazardly. Carried by the soft wind, they floated and merged with other clouds, forming entirely new shapes. She wished she could be like that, changing into someone new without anyone recognizing her. After what she did, there was no chance of hiding her identity or turning into someone new. Her own skills and mouth would betray her in the end.

There was a thunderpath stretched before her, each end traveling somewhere else and out of her sights. She looked left and tried to identify any familiar landmarks and did the same with the right. Obviously, this had to be where she came from. The she-cat sighed and placed a shaking paw on the gravel path, flinching at the roughness of the surface. She threw her remaining paws on and crept across, holding her tongue as the sharp, little rocks dug into her pads. The sun blazed overhead and cast an uncomfortable wave upon her, causing her to clench her teeth and squint as she passed through.

Her mind resurfaced memories of the fight to counter the heat and pain squeezing her on both sides. Words she had said and snapped at her siblings and how that arrogant and foolish look stayed on her brother's face the entire time made her claws slide out. Then her sister, supposedly older than her but acted like the youngest. The fight had been over nothing and hearing both of them cast her ideas away when they knew her suspicions were normally right. Why did they not trust her back then?

'Was it because I got ahead of myself?' The she-cat thought, eyes softening as she neared the end of the thunderpath. 'It's true that I don't have much evidence against any of this, but I just know that they're too blind to see anything!' Whirling around and ready to storm back to her home, the she-cat turned around, ignoring the sharp jab in her paws, and raced over.

"I've seen it myself," she declared, stopping at the end. "I've always been able to see through her illusions and tricks. Why couldn't they?" The she-cat sighed, looking at the direction of camp. A place that was under the control of a tyrannical cat. She unleashed her claws and raised a paw, ready to storm back.

"You've always been naïve," her words echoed in her head. It rang and made her hesitant, paws turning back to the gray path. She stood there, taking in deep breaths to calm herself. The she-cat shut her eyes and crossed the thunderpath again, flashes of bright and vivid colors blaring in her mind. Faces of those she hated and loved stabbed her, each face of a cat she once called a friend. One cat stood out particularly, her green eyes filled with pain and obliviousness to their leader. She pushed her aside and stopped, staring at the yellow line that split the gravel path in two.

Her paws vibrated as an incoming monster sounded in the distance. She glanced over and saw bright stars rise out of the ground, charging straight toward her. Instead of panicking, the she-cat stood where she was, holding her breath as the loud roars came closer. The monster grew and the stars shone with a blinding white. In two seconds, her body reacted and she turned around, readying herself to jump.

"Amberfeather..."

What?

She hesitated, still preparing herself to jump. The stars blinded her, forcing her to shut her eyes as the sound got louder. It shook her entire body head to toe, causing a great struggle to stand. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep herself from falling over. Gravel and pebbles bounced around her like fleas. Shielding herself, the she-cat gritted her teeth and fought the vibrations to stand and jump.

"Amberfeather... can you hear me...?"

I...

"Amberfeather, get out of there right now!"

In two seconds, a massive force smashed into her side, knocking her body across as if she were a fly. The monster's lights became brighter and burned her body. Bones screaming and feeling draining out as the blow stunned her, she was only a lump of fur as she flew. The world turned upside down and an unbearable pain at her side began to beat like a pulse. No longer in control, her vision was ripped away and the only thing she could remotely see were her dangling paws. Everything went into black and white with the world shutting off with a loud roar and crash of a monster.

~~~oOo~~~

"Use your back paws! Don't let her win!" Speckleflash snapped, circling Beechpaw and Slatepaw's mock battle. The gray apprentice twisted out from under her foe and threw her paws on his shoulders, dragging the tom down. Landing on the ground, the two apprentices snarled as they got tangled in a knot. Her brother, who had his paw wrapped around the she-cat's throat, fought to keep his other three paws down. The CinderClan apprentice held the larger tom with her jaws, attempting to rip him off forcefully.

Lakestalk and Mothpaw sat together, watching the duel with eager eyes - but it was more her that loved watching the two fight. The tom's piercing eyes watched and evaluated Slatepaw's every move, catching every detail about his apprentice's posture and attacks. The fight had drawn more attention, the CinderClan and MeadowClan apprentices surrounding the duel, taking sides and betting who would come out victorious.

All that did was bother Speckleflash even more, and the she-cat did her best to keep her temper in her inside so it wouldn't explode and come pouring out at the young cats. Her gaze did brighten and her ears perked up when Beechpaw let out a yowl, twisting himself around and straining to drag Slatepaw with him. Using the smaller she-cat's body as a leverage, he unbalanced her and rolled around, throwing both apprentices on the ground, but at least her brother landed on the gray she-cat's stomach rather than the ground, where the CinderClan apprentice had fallen. Letting out an angered yowl, the apprentice tried to push the older tom off, but he had efficiently tucked under and pinned her down, rendering her useless.

Defeated and unable to squirm, Slatepaw let her shoulders sag. Beechpaw smirked at the younger she-cat and got off. Mothpaw held her breath, expecting the apprentice to throw a surprise attack, but, surprisingly, she slunk off to Lakestalk's side, throwing her head on him. The tom shoved her off and whispered something harsh in her ear. Speckleflash raced over to her apprentice and pulled him close as the striped tom let out excited sounds and jumps.

Runningpaw came over, dragging Finchpaw with him. The tiny she-cat had a wide look on her face as she came closer, throwing herself on the older apprentice, praising him in a way. Beechpaw broke away from his mentor and adjusted his paws to hold the tiny she-cat. Mothpaw padded closer and congratulated her brother while disappointed and exaggerated protests rang from the CinderClan apprentices at their clanmates defeat. Slatepaw payed no attention to their shouts and comments, keeping a paw on her mentor the entire time.

"You did it! You destroyed her so much! She couldn't even stand a chance against you!" Runningpaw bounced around his friend, twitching with excitement. "Take that, CinderClan! You can't even beat us!"

"Do you want to go?!" Slatepaw roared, whirling around, giving a black apprentice a kick in the face. "Just because I lost to Beechpaw doesn't mean I can't stand my ground against someone like you! Look, I can take you right now!"

"Guys, stop it!" Finchpaw begged, stepping between the older apprentices, little voice striking all of the nearby cats like thorns. Trembling and unsure what to say, the she-cat bit her tongue and spoke out despite the anixty hovering above her like the snow. "It doesn't and shouldn't matter who wins mock battles! We're all in this together!"

Huh, she spoke up, Mothpaw thought, trying to deny the fact she doubted Finchpaw's bravery. Everything about the golden brown apprentice reflected and screamed her younger self; quiet, unsure, nervous, and cautious, but unlike her, she was bold underneath that pelt and would act on a whim. Slatepaw raised an eyebrow and scoffed, moving past the MeadowClan apprentice until she was face-to-face with Runningpaw, whose fur rose, making himself seem bigger. She didn't bother and kept her fur flat, letting remarks slide off her shoulders - except for the that threat.

"At least I know when I can lose a battle," Runningpaw threatened. "I don't like to waste my energy and time on a cat that would lose in less than ten seconds."

"And what exactly would you use that precious energy for? Healing your sister that your own medicine cat can't even figure out?" Slatepaw mentioned with a frown, seeming uninterested in Runningpaw's angered reaction. She tipped her tail to the side where a dense aura emitted from two cats: Olivepaw and Tumblekit. They sat a few inches apart, watching the camp with dull, cloudy eyes, hearing and seeing nothing except unfamiliar shapes in the form of cats.

Before Finchpaw could headbutt the older she-cat, Runningpaw unleashed his claws and lashed it across, barely avoiding the she-cat, and Slatepaw reared on her hindlegs, unleashing hers as well, lips curling back into a menacing snarl.

"Enough! Both of you should know not to get yourself into these kind of things! It's nothing more than a kit's game if you do!" Lakestalk barked, placing a clawed paw on Slatepaw's back, digging it into her skinny pelt a little too much. Her face twisted and she held her tongue from speaking out and still sent icy and murderous glares at Runningpaw, who landed on the ground with a huff. Finchpaw blinked and scampered over to him, comforting him with a small purr.

Mothpaw shook her head and trotted over to Beechpaw, who, for once, didn't get involved in a small fight. Confusion painted over his face, she could tell that he wasn't listening to the argument and rather, distracted himself with a small pebble he found. Brother and sister shared a heartfelt look and went to the apprentice den, excusing themselves from the chaos.

Not waiting, Beechpaw spilled out, "What are we even going to do, Mothpaw? This has been going way too long now. I want to solve this problem as fast as I can. That way, we can finally live in peace and not have a Clan full of cranky elders at our side all the time!" He made sure to keep the last part of his sentence in a low hiss.

"How should I know? It's not like I know the answer. All we can really do is attack the rogues at CinderClan's camp, but right now we're all in bad condition and shape," she offered. "Do you wonder sometimes how some cats like Ashstar live their entire life with this missing cat problem over their heads? It makes me wonder how they can do that."

"Maybe it really is just Clan life. You know mothers and how they'll tell stories full of sunny skies and sweet honey to keep the truth away from their kits. That's what Echoflight did to us, anyway." His gaze darkened and he cast a foul look at his paws. Mothpaw rested a paw next to him, clearing the cloudy skies in his amber pools.

"Do you really think that Echoflight never wanted to have kits?" she whispered. "It sounds strange, doesn't it? The one cat that loved us so much never wanted us in the first place."

"If I didn't believe it, then why would I say that? This world... it's sick and cruel, taking cats and shoving these starry cats in our faces, making us believe they'll be out for us. Think of it this way," he explained, extending a paw out to take two stones, setting them in the space between the two. Beechpaw used his claw to draw little marks around one stone and kept the other one away and unmarked. Mothpaw payed close attention to the stone he was detailing.

I never did notice this before, but when did he start to get an obsession over pebbles and stones? wondered Mothpaw. I know Slatepaw uses them to mess around with, but has he been hanging at with her more often?

"It's like a friendship," he started out. "One cat has another cat's back no matter what. When time shakes the ground and causes trees to crash to the ground, they stand there firm, unflinching and knocking all of these disasters like rotten prey. In order for that to last, you need to have trust and always support each other."

Beechpaw moved the pebble without the marks around it a few inches away. "This is where things start to change. Something happens and they start becoming distant. You could notice it and maybe you don't notice, but the distance gets greater." His tail pushed the two rocks farther apart until the tiny object was out of Mothpaw's reach.

Her brother nodded and pointed with his paw at the marked rock. "This is us right now. We've done a bunch of stuff to get our friend, or maybe in this case, StarClan back. That's what these tiny marks mean. But, as you see." Beechpaw got up and stomped in the ground and as he got closer to the other rock, his stomping became quieter and less obvious. Mothpaw peered her eyes at the ground, seeing faint pawprints and claw marks dotting the ground.

Staying where he was, Beechpaw called, "As time moves on, our attempts at getting them to notice us starts to fade. It's obvious right here. In enough time, I think we forget in time and end up forgetting about them."

"So what will happen when we all forget about StarClan?" Mothpaw countered. "All the stories we've heard are about Clans with StarClan. Unless my memory's going blank, I don't ever remembering a story without StarClan."

Beechpaw frowned and then smiled. "Hey, think about this: if StarClan is fake and nothing more than a lie and a way to force kits to behave, then our tale will be called that!"

"A story without StarClan?"

"Yeah! We're the Clan that starts the story without StarClan!" he announced, puffing out his chest. "You think the other apprentices will like it?"

A story without StarClan... I've already told myself over and over that there's no such thing as StarClan. If there was a Clan like that, then why have the stories told us that they'll be with us and protect us? Were those all lies? But if StarClan is real, where are they? Do they not hang out in the sky and they just lie in the... Mothpaw looked around for an alternate solution to her question.

Ground? Do they dwell in the ground and not the sky? Is that why they've ignored us? We could be worshiping the wrong thing. Mothpaw made sure Beechpaw wasn't looking at her when she whispered a short prayer to the dirt.

The moment had to end too soon. From the entrance of camp, a CinderClan cat came running through, out of breath and exhausted. Instead of falling to her paws, she looked around with fearful eyes, unable to see clearly. Aspenstar raised her head worriedly and then let out a strangled yowl when a swarm of unfamiliar scents and pelts rushed through, sticking out instead of taking the Clans by surprise.

Yelping and causing a mass panic, the CinderClan warrior was the first to fall under a heap of cats, claws out and tails lashing like a whip. Mothpaw couldn't stop the scream falling out of her mouth in time and threw herself behind Beechpaw, who was quick to abandon her and join the fray, going for the closet cat he could reach. Exposed, she turned tail and jumped into the apprentice den, pushing her back against the wall, holding her breath to conceal her presence.

Icepaw and Flintpaw looked up at the sound of yowls and snarls and padded out, curious to see what was going on. A mottled gray pelt sprung, clashing with both toms, pinning them down with one paw each. They snarled and unleashed their claws, preparing to fight but let out a yowl when the she-cat's claws sunk into their underbelly. Mothpaw's heart lunged out of her chest at the sight of the two and took a weak leap into the air, landing on the incomer's back, screaming in hopes of the petrified sound would distract her.

It didn't, and she was only shaken off like a loose cobweb. Flintpaw let out a gasp and raked his claws down the she-cat's legs, drawing a small trickle of blood as Icepaw reached up and bit the paw holding him down, squeezing his eyes shut all the while holding his scream inside. Mothpaw gathered her strength and barreled into the she-cat's side, knocking her the slightest, but it was enough for the gray apprentice to wiggle free and spring onto his paws, battle ready. The other apprentice stayed where he was and started yowling, piercing their ears.

And another pelt barged into the den, rage boiling in every nerve in her body. Mothpaw yelped and threw Flintpaw out of the way just as Tigerfrost came crashing down, squashing her son and the rogue under her. Icepaw let out a moan, a flash of relief flickering through his blue eyes, but withered in pain as the weight on his stomach increased. The orange warrior hurriedly threw the paw holding him down and shoved her youngest out of harm's way.

In two seconds, Tigerfrost snapped her jaws around the she-cat's neck and bit until the efforts of escape underneath her began to dwindle. Mothpaw, still over Flintpaw, didn't move as the warrior got off and searched the den for the two kits. Icepaw let out a cry and ran to his mother's side, crying in her leg as the gray apprentice squirmed out, wanting to fight. She just stood there as yowls or war thundered.

This can't be happening... I... does this mean CinderClan's camp is empty? Or is this a new threat? This can't be happening, right? Her legs trembled and she didn't dare to look through the slivers of space in the cracks of the den. Tigerfrost sensed this and gave her a dark look.

"You have got to be kidding me, Mothpaw," she spat, curling her tail around Icepaw protectively. "You've been training for how long now? And now you can't fight? Don't you realize every cat in this camp right now is facing the same feeling of fear as you?"

"B-but...!"

"I don't have time to argue with you," she declared, no longer the voice of the caring queen Mothpaw had known for the past moons. Tigerfrost turned her back, dragging out Icepaw and Flintpaw by their tails. One was ready to go while the other complained and cried out, digging his claws into the leafy nests.

"Tigerfrost, I---"

"Either fight or die hiding," Tigerfrost snarled, stamping one foot on the ground. "It's cruel, isn't it? Hiding seems like the best option right now, but that'll only prove to yourself how weak and despicable you really are. We're warriors and we fight even if we're scared. Use that to propel your actions."

"I'm still an apprentice! I'm not the strongest and I can't hold my ground in a fight!"

"Then how did you survive Shatteredstar's group?" she countered, and Mothpaw held her breath, hoping that the orange warrior didn't know the truth. Whether she did or not, Tigerfrost moved on. "If you can't fight, then everything you've worked for and believed in becomes nothing but a memory and pointless."

"And what about you?!" Mothpaw snarled before she could think things through. "You're fighting for what? I'm sure every cat here is fighting to protect Ashstar right now! A cat that is supposed to lead us without StarClan's guidance! That's what you're going to do right now, aren't you?" Her fur rose along her spine and she curled her lips back, knowing that facing a cat like Tigerfrost was a lethal mistake. Never once did the icy glare from the warrior's eye die out, even with those words stabbing her.

"I'm not fighting just for Ashstar. That's what StarClan would want us to do; become great warriors that respect our leader with our entire lives and obey their sacred rules. You've noticed this now and the fact StarClan seems to have gone missing. Well, now what? Are you one of those cats that sit back and cry and hope?"

"You know---"

"If you are, then you aren't a cat of MeadowClan. If StarClan's not going to come out, then I'm doing what I want to do. I'm fighting for my family's sake and Ashstar's protection. That doesn't mean this is all for StarClan. It's for my own selfish being, it's never been for StarClan." Tigerfrost shared no sympathy, her eyes blazing with a fight, thorn-like claws sunk into the ground, ready to slice, and the only thing Mothpaw could see was a queen driven by selfish desires.

And maybe, that's our entire Clan now.

Mothpaw paused, letting the words sink into her, unable to say anything. Tigerfrost didn't waste anymore time and rejoined the battle with a cry, the two apprentices following their mother or mother figure. She hesitated, wanting to fall back into the nest at her paws and pretend she was dead so she wouldn't have to raise a paw. Every battle she fought caused a cat close to her slip out of her paws like water. The wound that drained Echoflight's life and the deranged Shatteredstar who snatched ahold of Olivepaw's cheerful self and dragged it down to the grave.

She held her breath, her entire body shaking. I can't lose anyone anymore. I'd rather die for them than see them slip out of my life. I'm willing to do it. I'd gladly take a killing blow if it meant saving Beechpaw. And she froze, dropping her head and letting out a quiet moan and snarl.

"That's the first cat that comes to mind, isn't it? Not even my own sister would follow... Runningpaw would be the next cat, then Olivepaw... Honeypaw's not even on my mind anymore," she choked out, shaking her head. That made the world spin faster and faster, leaving her to trip and stumble over thoughts as she struggled to run after the flow.

Get it together! Fight even if you're scared! If I'm gonna die or if a cat I love is going to die, I wanna stop them! Even if it's in vain, I'll do it! Mothpaw, before she could doubt herself any longer, faced into the field and collided with a certain CinderClan apprentice. Slatepaw gave her a look and then yowled, locking shoulders with a tom twice her size. Adrenaline shot through her system and she unleashed her claws, doing her best not to get in the way, but also to help throw the tom to the ground.

If there's one thing I really want... Mothpaw thought, holding her breath as Slatepaw let out furiously shrieks from underneath the tom. Clinging onto the back of the thick-furred tom, the silver apprentice growled and slashed her paw across his neck, barely digging into the flesh, but sending enough pain to cause the tom to look over his shoulder. She took advantage of that and threw her entire body on his face, trying her best to balance on the small surface. As she struggled, her claws stabbed the tom in the face and he let out snarls and shook her around to throw her off.

Slatepaw jumped to her paws and locked herself around his neck, holding tight. Now unable to see and a lethal necklace around his chest, the rogue could only stumble and stomp around as the two she-cats held on. They didn't need to fight or attack, all they had to do was hold on and hope that their claws could stay on the tom. Mothpaw saw Cloudpaw race over and he took a leap into the air, landing on the rogue's back squarely, causing the group to fall to the ground as the white tom wrapped his paws around the tom's sides.

Please, let me save Beechpaw.