I leave the warriors den this morning, tail entwined with his. I'm resting my head ever so slightly on his, which he doesn't respond to.

Our clanmates react quite well when we tell them- most of them just shrug it off, or smile, and a few find us first to congratulate us. Among the few are Nightsky, Hawkpaw, Dawnpaw (who already knew), and Flintfang, who gives me a curt nod.

"Well, guess what's happening to me today!" Hawkpaw says.

"What?" I ask him, giving him a friendly pat on the back with my tail.

"Not only is it my final test to become a warrior, but I also have a new brother." He puffs out his chest with pride, and a tiny black and white kit that looks like a tiny badger toddles out to greet me by sinking its tiny fangs into my tail. I purr, amused, ignoring the pain in my leg. "This is Bonekit!"

I'm about to protest that he wasn't born in the clan and doesn't have any siblings, but then I remember Tigerfang taking him in. I congratulate him, even though I have bad experience with both Tigerfang and his kits, although I haven't heard from the former in a long time- nor do I ever want to hear from him again.

Firepool nudges me away, right before I lick Hawkpaw behind the ears in a motherly fashion, and then follow him to the Hightree where Mothstar is already announcing all the patrols for today.

"Firepool, Icestorm, Flashstorm and Beesting will be patrolling the ...StoneClan... border." Mothstar hesitates on the words, rolling them over like they're uncomfortable in her mouth, which they should be, considering it's a clan made out of rogue kits and traitors and shouldn't even exist.

I glare ahead, looking into the forest, and then motion to my patrol, "Let's go."

They follow obediently, and we slowly trod into the dark forest ahead. As we go on, it becomes more and more ominous, the way ahead littered with sharp rocks, as if it's a cat's claws, slashing at us, urging us to turn back. Then I see that one of the claw-like rocks has a cat on it, who jumps down.

Everkit.

"Well, well." he says, jumping down from the huge stone to encircle us, "Featherpaw! Clawpaw!"

Two cats, younger than him, with the furry tinge of kit fur still around their fluffy heads, run up from the surrounding area, snarling and puffing out their fur so they look much bigger.

"Is this supposed to intimidate us? Two kits and a traitor?" Beesting asks, her gold eyes surveying them, almost laughing.

"Everkit, you shouldn't have gone along with this. Come home. Come back to your real clan. We will forgive you. You don't have-" Flashstorm is cut off suddenly.

Everkit reaches out, slashing down Beesting's throat. "I don't want to come back. Not now, not ever again!"

He withdraws his claws from Flashstorm's throat, the silver tom still gagging on his own blood. "My name is Evershade now. And no, we aren't supposed to intimidate you... this is."

At least three, no four, no six more cats withdraw from the shadows, but these look different. The ribcages are showing, the red in the eyes- these are DarkClan cats.

"StoneClan, attack!"

I scream in surprise as I'm charged by a starving cat who smells of crowfood and if possible, darkness itself. He's desperate- but so am I, and I'm aware he isn't going to stop when I retreat. Firepool screeches, lunging forwards, to be hit back in midair by another one of the dark cats.

He falls beneath two, and when I pause to try to run to him I'm kicked in the chest by my current foe and fall to the ground, he stands over me, bloodshot eyes so much like the ones in my nightmare. These cats... are they the souls? "Ice will freeze the storm of souls." Am I destined to defeat them? Now, it doesn't matter. He dives for the kill and I unsheathe my back claws, tearing straight down his stomach. He screeches in pain, his bloody body falling to the side.

I run to Firepool, tearing a cat off him, and I see the other about to strike when I throw myself in the way. Blood oozes down my face, my teeth gritted in pure pain and agony as my head begins to sting and my vision slowly blurs into nothingness.

"F-firepool..."

"Icestorm!"

He opens his mouth to speak, but I hear Mothstar's voice. "DragonClan, attack!"

It's Lilypaw and Hawkpaw! Mothstar! Talonfall! All four of them charge forwards, Mothstar fighting like the ancient warriors of ThunderClan, one of the legendary four clans.

Hawkpaw courageously bites the warrior I pushed aside, and then Lilypaw joins in, the two of them fighting back-to-back. Mothstar seals the cat's fate, cracking it's spine in two. While it's blood pools out on the forest floor, Mothstar goes cold when she sees me.

Firepool defends my body, my vision slowly blurring as I watch his struggle. I can't see... I can't feel... Everything is so numb now.

Firepool picks me up, sharing my weight with another... I don't know. All that I know is that I am safe, I am with him, and I am going home.

In that distinct moment, I feel a tiny kick to my stomach, almost unfelt among the pangs all over my body, like a drop of rain in a raging storm, yet so distinct.

Oh StarClan, no.