My muscles hurt from fighting. They're tense and powerful, but right now, they're also tired. I sit in my den, wheezing. I get to my paws finally, which are still shaking. Cinderpaw is already up, in the clearing, talking to Everkit. The two of them have hit it off from the start. Firekit is much more like me, personally. He reminds me of Pinepaw. Pinepaw's in the clearing too, and he beckons for me to sit with him.

"Firekit's going to be an apprentice today!" Pinepaw tells me gleefully.

Bluefrost walks over to me, Halftail at her side. "You kits having fun?"

"I'm not a kit for much longer!" Firekit says, puffing his throat out like a valiant lion.

"I'm not a kit at all. I'm an apprentice." I tell Bluefrost, whose hateful tone just proves she's making fun of me. "After all, I don't go running back to my dad whenever I'm in danger. Oh, daddy, help me!"

"My father is a warrior of DragonClan. Unlike yours, who's a rogue who never even saw his own children!"

I dive at her, cranky and vicious. Aiming for the throat, I can taste blood when Mothflight comes over and pulls me off. "What are you doing?!"

"No one insults my father. Ever." I assure her, claws unsheathed, like thorns on my tiny paws.

She looks at Bluefrost, and says softly, "Yes, she is a fox and deserves to die in the dark forest. That doesn't mean you can hurt her."

"So I should just let her get away with everything?!"

"No. You should wait for a real excuse to hurt her. Then you can really go at it." She smiles sweetly.

I purr, rubbing against her, and go to the Hightree. Wolfstar is staring down at us, proud and almost terrifying. I wonder if I'll ever be that powerful. It would be amazing, but for now, I'd just like to be a warrior. Anything more is just a dream until I'm ready.

"Pinepaw, Icepaw, Talonfall, and I will be patroling the FrostClan border. Mothflight, you do the rest of the patrols. We need to set out early."

"Why?" asks Mothflight.

"There's been a lot of scents way too far over the border. We need to put an end to this." Wolfstar tells her.

She looks worried but ascends the Hightree and swiftly continues the patrols.

Pinepaw, Talonfall, Wolfstar and I head out of camp together. I'm trembling with excitement. I've been to other border patrols, of course, but I've never gone to a Gathering. After all, those only happen once every ten moons. The clans are so violent towards each other that it's a wonder they ever happen.

"Wow! FrostClan. Cool right?" Pinepaw whispers.

I shiver. "Real cool. Cold." I attack him with my apprentice-sized claws sheathed. "Brrr!"

We tumble, rolling and yelling at each other, me biting his ear and him yowling in mock pain. Wolfstar chuckles but walks right past us, leaving us to catch up, tumbling after him.

"Come on." Talonfall says, nudging us along.

"I'm coming!" I yell.

The air gets colder, the illusion of greenleaf fading into what this season truly is- a beautiful early leaffall. It makes me smile but at the same time, it's chilling down to my soul.

The leaves crack beneath my paws, and I hear something rustling behind the now sparse trees. My ears twitch, once, twice, and again.

"W-who's there?" I ask, backing up slowly.

Wolfstar gapes in horror. From behind trees, at least six FrostClan warriors appear, claws unsheathed. "It's an ambush."

A white warrior, his glossy pelt as smooth and luxurious as the pelt of an arctic fox, steps forwards, his paws causing the sparse leaves to fly away. He smiles, as if we're good friends and he's telling a joke. "Oh, it's no big deal. After all, StarClan decreed this."

"What are you talking about?!" Wolfstar snarls, unsheathing his claws.

"Your warriors are training with the Dark Forest. We are going to put an end to that." He says, "FrostClan, attack to kill!"

They spring forwards as my heart falls to the pit of my stomach. "N-no way! You can't!"

The white warrior attacks me with savage force. Wolfstar throws him off, the two of them locked head to head. Blood flies as he pummels Wolfstar to the ground, but Wolfstar attacks back, his jaws flashing like a real wolf's.

The two of them go back and forth, Wolfstar about to win, when another warrior cuts in from the side. "Dawnpaw, kill him!"

Dawnpaw hesitates, retracting her claws. I watch from a distance, blood roaring in my ears as I dart between warriors, trying to keep a clear view of Wolfstar so I can come in and help him. I run under a warrior, to see something that makes my stomach churn.

"Finish him, you stupid cat!" Hailstorm beats his apprentice, again and again. Her bloody form lays still on the ground, Wolfstar weakened by age and the continued hits unable to get up. A FrostClan cat lies defeated, another retreating, but another is attacking Pinepaw. Unable to stand by any longer, I rush to him, screaming.

The she-cat standing over him is a black cat, her white markings glittering in the mid-day heat haze. "That's what you deserve." She growls, walking away. I throw myself at her, and she attacks, shaking me off and pinning me. She aims for my throat but is intercepted by Talonfall. "Run!" He pleads, turning to hold her off. I run back to Pinepaw, who's scarlet blood now litters the floor of the forest.

"Icepaw?" He asks, and I nuzzle him.

"Shhh. It'll be okay."

"It's too late now. But... I love you."

"I love you too. I love you too." I repeat the words over and over, as if it will heal him.

Finally, he croaks, "Good..." and falls silent.

I look up, tear-filled eyes, and see Hailstorm plunge his unsheathed claws into Wolfstar's throat.

"WOLFSTAR!" For a second my screech echoes through the bloodied clearing. Wolfstar shudders once as his final life is torn away from him, and then he's silent.

Talonfall doesn't waste time. Bloodied and bruised, he drops the black warrior he's fighting, takes me by the tail, and runs like the Dark Forest is chasing him.