Dawnlight

"Do you really trust him?"

Dawnlight twisted her head at the hiss to see an angry Raccoonpelt.

"Yes."

"But he's-" Raccoonpelt started to spit but was interrupted.

"But he's going to help the poor she-cat that you almost killed." Foxstep growled at the gray and black warrior.

Raccoonpelt's ears flattened at his venomous words and moved away to trot by Quailpaw and Stonefang.

Waterpaw came up from behind Foxstep and Dawnlight, "Why do you have to be so misunderstanding? She didn't mean to do that to... To..."

"Otterheart," Risingleap offered kindly, only a few mouse-lengths away, the ThunderClan cat still hung from his jaws.

"Yeah, her." Waterpaw nodded, glancing at Risingleap in acknowledgment and gratitude.

"Because," Dawnlight mewed, picking her words carefully. "Even a ThunderClan mouse-brain deserves respect."

Foxstep nodded in agreement, his whiskers twitching in respect and agreement.

Waterpaw had nothing to say to that, she just bowed her head and continued on in silence. When Dawnlight looked, she noticed the apprentice's tail was drooping and Waterpaw refused to look up from her paws, which made the deputy's heart sink at the younger cat's sadness. But Dawnlight continued on, keeping her emotions from clouding her judgement.

Suddenly, the ThunderClan apprentice froze, his brown eyes wandering as his ears swiveled to locate a sound. After a moment, he started forward again; this time he was racing through the trees and undergrowth at a nearly impossible pace to carry a she-cat in. But, somehow, Risingleap didn't drop the cat as they barreled into the ThunderClan camp.

Dozens of cats turned to glare in shock at the RiverClan group, their shock quickly turned to anger and hatred as their eyes found Otterheart in Risingleap's jaws.

A big, brown tom came bounding out of a group of cats, his green eyes blank. The tom approached, but he only glanced at the RiverClan cats, his attention was drawn to Otterheart and the ThunderClan apprentice.

"Cougarpaw, get Amberdawn and Doepaw." The tom meowed blankly, his pelt giving off a sense of stress and concern.

The apprentice turned to do so but an amber she-cat and a brown apprentice was already sprinting towards them, herbs and cobwebs dangling from their jaws.

"Place Otterheart down," ordered the amber she-cat. Risingleap did as she said. "Doepaw, give her the poppy seeds, make sure she chews them well."

The brown apprentice flicked her tail in response, she picked a tiny black seed and began trying to make Otterheart chew it. While the amber she-cat worked on stopping the bleeding wounds with cobwebs.

A light gray tom rushed in from the crowd of cats, his blue eyes clouding in grief.

"You did this!" He yowled, raising his burning gaze to the RiverClan cats. "If she dies, then you better hope StarClan takes me before I get my claws on you." He hissed, unsheathing his claws.

"Tallclaw," a warning growl rose from the Clan, a golden she-cat crept into sight. Her eyes clouded in sadness. "She may still have a chance; if StarClan sees her fit to continue. Please, stop."

The tom - Tallclaw - turned to look at the she-cat before inclining his head and backing off to nuzzle the she-cat in grief and worry.

Dawnlight flinched at the hate and spite that had been in his voice, her fur bristling in worry and sorrow. The she-cat curled back to flatten her fur with rough licks.

××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

Brokenkit

Brokenkit watched from the entrance to the nursery, the milky scent not enough to block out the fresh scent of blood, making her wrinkle her nose.

I wonder what happened to her... Did those water-cats hurt her? Brokenkit tilted her head in thought, her mind whirling as she stood and made her way through the legs of the larger cats.

Brokenkit made it to the front and what she saw made her freeze up; a gray and brown she-cat was stretched out on the ground, blood pooling around her, her eyes darkening, and two she-cats were working on helping her.

Brokenkit could feel Otterheart's spirit pulling out from her pelt, she could see the she-cat stand. Only it wasn't the she-cat: it was her soul. Brokenkit watched as Otterheart swiveled her head to look at Brokenkit, before smiling a sad expression on her face as another deceased cat fell from the sky.

The second cat was small, his body seemed to be more she-cat than tom, even though he was a male. The tom whispered something to Otterheart, who nodded in agreement. Then he turned and started walking back into the sky, Otterheart on his tail.

"Brokenkit," a meow broke her concentration and turned her attention to a large tabby tom with golden paws. "This is no place for a kit."

"I-I... I saw her..." Brokenkit flattened herself against the ground, her fur fluffed up in fear.

"Saw who?" The tom asked, his voice surprisingly gentle despite his size. Then it hit Brokenkit; the tom was her father, Falconblaze!

"Otterheart... She... She flew away with another tom..." She shivered, remembering the sight.

"Shh, it's fine. You'll be fine." Falconblaze purred, although his blazing amber eyes betrayed his worry.

Brokenkit nodded, falling into the soft fur of her father. Closing her eyes, she let sleep take her away...