Moonstar sat there as the fox tore at her, laughing. "Your turn, your turn." she chorused like a kit singing a nursery song.

"Your turn." The smile froze on her face as her eyes rolled up in her head, and the fox greedily bit out it's prize. The tender heart snapped beneath it's jaws, the blood rolling down it's chin.

Phoenixwing shivered in the cold, just standing there. Unable to run. Unable to help. Unable to scream. Unable to cry.

The foxes eyes focused on her, and instinct kicked in. Still terrified and numb, Phoenixwing shot up the tree. The fox had it's teeth bared in a snarl, it's claws digging into the wood. Ripplefoot sprinted the other way, towards his dead mother.

"Wake up. Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up." He whispered into her ear over and over, a silent and repeating plea.

The fox's ear twitched. Finally, Phoenixwing reclaimed her voice. "Run!" Ripplefoot, too, managed to sprint up a nearby tree, panting, terrified, and shaking just as much if not more.

The feather curled up, warm against Phoenixwing's ear. She had always expected her destiny to be some glorious thing, a fight with both armies fighting for victory. It was much more than victory, it was life or death.

It was a game Phoenixwing didn't want to play, but it was much too late for that now.

She focused on the seething shape below her. Through the tangling branches, she looked at her mom, watching from the stars. I'll join you there soon, she thought.

Ripplefoot had a life to live. He would make a great leader, Phoenixwing reflected. Heck, even Mistfeather. But she... she would never get to see him, except from above and in his dreams.

"Please forgive me." The words left her mouth as she rocketed towards the earth. The fox looked up at the sky as crimson sparks blazed from her fur. Tufts of it stood on end like large, glorious wings. With a crash, she fell to the earth and the fox sidestepped. A fire burned bright in her eyes. Ripplefoot scurried down, his eyes blue and similarly glowing. His features were exaggerated, stronger, bulkier, and frozen fur like horns were evident on his head.

A phoenix and a dragon. The two beasts who had nurtured Dragonstar.

Their presence was like sunshine flowing through the two cats. They stood side by side, resilient and young as buds in spring and old as time all in one.

The fox looked undeterred, and lunged. Phoenixwing sidestepped, and the fox turned on a leaf and headed for Ripplefoot, who blocked him head on. The two clashed, the fox much quicker but Ripplefoot much stronger. The fox slid under, but Ripplefoot slashed him with a backpaw. Phoenixwing grabbed his throat and through him down against the snow. It aimed for her own now unguarded throat with a direct hit to it, and Phoenixwing felt blood pour openly onto the snow.

Even with the ancient beast helping, things began to go fuzzy. She swiped at him, and in a yowl of fury, Ripplefoot went at him. The two struggled desperately in the snow, wounds showing on both sides.

Phoenixwing, trying to walk over, fell in the snow. It stained red as the clay on the old RainClan banks where Starheart had lain dying.

Finally, a triumphant crack as Ripplefoot cleaved the fox's spine in two. It's broken corpse lay on the ground, dead. It's maw was suspended in disbelief and endless surprise. Phoenixwing felt something lift as the feather fell off. The sun was shining. She smiled up at it. I'm coming home, she thought, I'm finally coming home.

Branchkit, Wavebreak... all of them... they were calling for her. The disappeared like mist as a hazy shape said in a familiar voice, "Phoenixwing?"

"Fire?" she called out to him, trying to raise a paw, but nothing happened.

"Oh, oh no. We're getting you home. Now."

Third time's the charm, fought Phoenixwing, as everything faded to black.