Panting. I'm breathing like a kit drawing it's first breaths, weakly and desperately.

    Paws on dead grass. So brittle it feels like bones that I'm clattering over.

    Huff. Huff. The sound is as steady as my heart as I launch myself forwards, looking for someone. Who is it? I can't remember. I stop in my tracks, grinding the fresh dirt.

    My ears ring suddenly as I hear a shattering screech fill the air. My fur stands on end, and I turn around slowly as the screaming turns to wailing. Someone is heartbroken, but over what? Gently, slowly...

    I run to her, the calico she-cat sobbing over a dead body.

    It's Volcanoheart's.

    "He will never know StarClan... nor will he know the Dark Forest. His star has fallen. You set him free."

    "You... nightmare cat..." I sputter, but she shakes her head.

    "I told you at the start my name was Wolfpaw. You insist on calling me nightmare cat."

    "Wolfpaw? But Volcanoheart called you his mate..."

    "Clan life isn't for everyone. I ran away... but when I died, I learned that kittypets do not have an afterlife as neat or beautiful as yours. I was promised a new chance. You took it from me... and now you took him." She grins.

    "I'm not afraid of you."

    "Nor am I of you. I believe we've both received our revenge. However, I know there's still one way for me to get what I deserve..."

    She lunges at me, and I snap to reality, fur spiked and face bared in a snarl.

It was a bleary morning, albeit a sweet one. The smell of freshly fallen leaves in the air is both soothing and bittersweet. Once again, the season of leaffall is upon us. Last leaffall, I was a silly apprentice who knew nothing of loss. I was even friends with the monster who is now Cinderstar, ruling atop a kingdom of blood and broken promises.

    Now, I just watch as she and the phantom cat control my life.

    No. Not anymore.

    Firepool nudges me. "I'm on my way to go on patrol." He purrs.

    "Did Mothstar already list off all the patrols?" I ask, dismayed.

    "Yes." He replies. "Don't worry. You're fine."

    I nod, not feeling fine at all, and go off to Mothstar, who insists I take a day off. I ignore her and go hunting. As usual, I skirt the FrostClan border, looking for ghosts of my past, and then head towards StoneClan.

    There, I see Rabbitfoot.

    He's facing another cat, a dark colored tom I know all too well. I watch in the shadows. Is this another trick of Wolfpaw's? Will he die, too?

    "Bonemoon, I will never go with you."

    "Then you'll die." He laughs as he tackles my son, and I dash forwards to help him. Bonemoon is fast and powerful, but he's frail as ice in the summer. We twirl around, I try to attack from the back while Rabbitfoot slashes and keeps his attention at the front. He turns, and I have a clear shot at his side for only a moment.

    I reach for a good kick to his underbelly, but something holds me back.

    This is the revenge of Wolfpaw. My final moments. Bonemoon turns to me, and pounces, claws unsheathed, and my stomach exposed. Rabbitfoot tackles him mid pounce, and blood splatters the clearing. With relief, I realize it's not mine.

    "You are no friend of mine." growls Rabbitfoot. Bonemoon glares defiantly up at him. Then he slashes Rabbitfoot's face. I run to him, ready to attack Bonemoon, but he's already disappeared into the foliage.

    "We can't go after him. You're hurt. Did he try to lure you to him again?"

    Rabbitfoot nods, wincing as I survey his wounds. "I'm fine. You found me so easily."

    "I learned from my mistakes."

    We're silent for a while. Rabbitfoot looks down at his paws, blood dripping from his scarred eye. "Snowpaw..."

    I purr reassuringly, even though the loss still hurts me as much as it must hurt him. "Not your fault."

    He tries to purr, but something catches in his throat. He coughs a bit and then squints his good eye. "Can we go back to camp?"

    I nod.

    "It'll be okay."

    Never before was such a serious lie uttered.