Swiftflight's POV

My paws that had been slamming into the ground in a run slowly came to a stop as Goldenshine, Thornclaw, and I finally made it to the end of the stream, and I watched, a chill running down my spine as Ashfur's still, blood-covered body slowly faded into nothing.

For a moment, I didn't even take notice of Goldenshine and Thornclaw storming past me, or the two barely-moving bodies that they were urgently running up to in order to assist them.

I was practically dizzy with astonishment, and I was almost sure that what I'd just witnessed couldn't have been real.

The cat that had been in my life since I was three moons old; the cat that had probably, in a way, taught me more than my ThunderClan Clanmates had; Ashfur - my former Dark Forest mentor that had manipulated me, and had tormented so many for countless moons, is... gone. Ashfur isn't even dead anymore. He's just... gone. There is no way that he can bother me anymore. Or any of us!

I probably could have stood in that clearing for days just trying to process this fact, and it wasn't until Goldenshine waved her tail right in my face that I was pulled out of my amazement and denial, and I was able to finally break my gaze from the spot that Ashfur had vanished from.

My mother's gaze was sharp with impatience. "Do you enjoy the sight of extremely injured cats all of the sudden?"

I shook my head quickly, blinking in shock at the golden brown tabby she-cat's question. "What?"

"It just seems like you'd prefer to stare at the two bleeding cats over there rather than help them!" Goldenshine hissed back at me, lashing her tail to where Snowstorm and Lilypetal were attempting to rise to their paws.

Before I could even attempt to apologize, my mother then whipped herself back around, and she quickly ran over towards Snowstorm. "Come on, we need to get Lilypetal and Snowstorm to Leafpool and Jayfeather, pronto!"

Goldenshine's words had been more than enough to get me to snap out of my daze, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with urgency as I followed just behind her.

Beside where Snowstorm was lying, Thornclaw was already gently trying to help Lilypetal to stand up. Luckily, it seemed as if the tabby-and-white she-cat was somewhat able to stand up on her own, but she still leaned into Thornclaw, her breaths shallow as she finally stood up on all four of her paws.

Goldenshine was attempting to nose Snowstorm up, and my heartbeat quickly doubled in pace as I immediately was able to see just how weak and frail my best friend looked. There was more red than white along her pelt, her eyes were nearly closed as if she were sleep-deprived, and she almost seemed too feeble to even wince at the pain of her wounds anymore.

I could barely stand to look at her for even a moment, and I quickly pelted forward to help Goldenshine in getting Snowstorm to stand up. With my help, we finally managed to get her up to her paws, although all four of her legs shook and trembled as if she couldn't even carry her own weight at all.

I felt absolutely terrified as I stared down at my best friend, and I wondered if she was even able to feel any sort of sense of accomplishment or triumph at what she had just done, and what had led up to this point. Ashfur is dead, I recalled, the thought sending a shiver through my fur each time it crossed my mind. And Snowstorm is the reason why.

Although it had only been just moments ago, it honestly felt like an entire lifetime ago that Thornclaw, Goldenshine, Snowstorm and I had been following Ashfur's and Lilypetal's scents through the ThunderClan forest. I had been absolutely sure that Ashfur and Lilypetal, whatever they were doing, were somewhere further down the stream.

The four of us had been walking along the water that marked the border between two Clans, me and Goldenshine taking the lead, when I suddenly heard a set of pawsteps abruptly stop behind me.

I had glanced over my shoulder to see that Snowstorm, who had been trailing in the back the entire time, had stopped in her tracks. Her white fur had been bristled out, and even thought she was standing up, her eyes were closed as if she were in some gentle, light sleep.

In that moment, I wished that I could've said that I was confused, but I unfortunately likely had a pretty clear idea of what could have been going through my friend's mind, and it made my fur begin to bristle with dread.

Goldenshine and I had exchanged a nervous, mystified glance, and I then watched as my mother had slowly and warily approached the white she-cat. "Snowstorm?" Goldenshine nearly whispered.

Snowstorm hadn't answered, her eyes still closed.

This had very visibly frightened my mother, and she pressed against Thornclaw, who had run up to stand next to his daughter. "Snowstorm?" she said again, a bit louder. "Snowstorm, are you alright?"

I then had nearly flinched, my heart racing with alarm as Snowstorm's eyes flew back open. And I hadn't been sure if it had been the moonlight reflecting against her gaze, or... something else that had made her deep blue eyes seem to spark like a wildfire for a single heartbeat.

And her voice when she spoke - a voice that sounded just a bit higher and a bit softer - certainly didn't help matters. She stared straight ahead as she meowed evenly, "I'm great."

She then shook her head, then stared ahead with determined eyes. "And I have to go."

My heart had then seemed to skip a beat as she had pelted forward past Goldenshine, Thornclaw and me, not even waiting for any sort of response from any of us. "Snowstorm, where in the name of StarClan are you going?" I called out to her, not waiting a single moment to begin to chasing after her. "Come back! What are you-"

I heard another set of pawsteps rapidly approaching from behind me, and I let out an exasperated hiss as Goldenshine swerved in front of me, blocking the way. "Swiftflight, stop!" she commanded. She then slowly turned her head to look further down the stream before glancing back at me, her gaze now hard and solemn. "Let her go."

"Let her go?" I had growled, my claws digging into the earth with impatience. "Are you insane?"

My mother had snorted, shrugging. "Yes, but not in this instance."

I shook my head dismissively, and then took a step closer to Goldenshine, giving her a challenging look. "Don't you realize where she is heading?"

Goldenshine had given a slow nod. "Yes, I do - exactly why I let her go." She then peered past me to look back at Thornclaw, who seemed to reflect her apprehensive, yet certain gaze. She then met my gaze again. "Don't you realize where she is heading?"

I then began to shake my head in amazement just seeing how relaxed the two golden brown tabbies seemed to be. "Yes, but-"

"Then you'll understand that this is something that she must face on her own," Goldenshine meowed sharply.

As much as I had wanted to protest even more, I bit my sharp tongue and forced myself to trust my mother's words, as much as I didn't want to. But Snowstorm... I thought worriedly. Just because she is meant to put herself in this kind of danger doesn't mean that I have to like it...

After a few moments of complete quiet, I had flicked my ears in surprise as Goldenshine then turned away from me, beginning to walk along the stream once again. She beckoned Thornclaw and me forward with her tail. "Okay, let's go."

I didn't immediately comply, and simply stared at her as I shook my head slowly. "I don't think I've ever seen someone contradict themselves so quickly."

Goldenshine abruptly stopped and turned back around to face me. "Hey, I only meant to give Snowstorm a head start in the first place!" she called back, her eyes narrowing as they glinted with tenacity. "We may not be able to be there to help her in the midst of her mission, but that doesn't mean that we can't be there to pick her back up when she's done."

And although Goldenshine's words had probably been figurative, I hated the fact that now, Snowstorm was actually having to be picked up after the fact. After she... fulfilled her destiny... I realized, my stomach twisting up into a knot. But... if she truly has fulfilled her destiny by defeating Ashfur once and for all, then... what is supposed to happen now?

Curiosity and worry was beginning to rise inside of me as Goldenshine and I got Snowstorm to her paws. Her legs immediately began to fail her, and she leaned to the side, putting all of her weight on me.

But Goldenshine had quickly helped to balance the white she-cat, flanking her on her other side to keep her upright. "Snowstorm? Snowstorm, are you alright?" my mother whispered to my friend, her eyes wide. "Say something."

I watched, my own legs beginning to shake as Snowstorm blinked a few times, her deep, water-blue eyes glazed over. "...something?" she then croaked.

I then looked up to see that Goldenshine seemed to be frantically searching Snowstorm's gaze. "How... how do you feel?" she pressed. "Does something seem different?"

To my dismay, Snowstorm seemed too weak and exhausted to even comprehend the meaning behind Goldenshine's words. "I'd say that having bleeding gashes all over your body that weren't there before qualifies as different..." she rasped. It seemed to take a lot of her strength to do something as little as speak.

But to be honest, that wasn't what worried me for the moment, and I exchanged an anxious glance with Goldenshine. What is going on? Does Snowstorm still have Snowflight's spirit? She doesn't seem to be aware of the fact that she ever did! "H-how are you?" I then asked Snowstorm, having to push away those thoughts for the moment. "Will you be able to stand upright to get back to camp?"

Snowstorm leaned deeper into my flank. "I'm in pain..." she breathed. "And I'm really, really dizzy and lightheaded... but..."

She then closed her eyes, her breath quickening as she seemed to take a moment to cope with her pain. She didn't finish her words, as if she were too weak to say anymore.

I stared worriedly down at Snowstorm, then flashing Goldenshine a bewildered, confused glance. And by the look in my mother's eyes, I could easily tell that she was just as concerned and perplexed as I was. "Goldenshine, what-"

Goldenshine screwed her eyes shut, and raised her tail to silence me. "Later, Swiftflight," she muttered sharply, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that Thornclaw and Lilypetal were ready to go. "I wish that we could say that there was time to waste."

Thornclaw, who had been guiding Lilypetal with his tail wrapped around her back, let Goldenshine take her mother's weight for a moment as he then pelted to the nearest dead birch tree. "Too much time has been wasted already!"

I then watched, wide-eyed as the older warrior stood on his hind legs, pressing his forepaws into the birch tree and letting out a grunt as he pushed it over. The tree let out an earsplitting cracking noise before slowly breaking away from its stump, then proceeding to land across the stream - making a bridge for us to cross into our own territory.

Thornclaw then quickly ran back so that he could continue assisting his mate. "Come on," he barked to us, wrapping his tail around Lilypetal once again as she leaned her head into his shoulder. "This will be much quicker than walking further down the stream and wading across the water."

My heart then began to race once again as the five of us made our way towards Thornclaw's makeshift bridge. The golden brown tabby tom was helping Lilypetal step onto it first.

I blinked in surprise as the she-cat then shook her head and took a step back towards Thornclaw. "Let Snowstorm go first," she insisted weakly, twitching her tail as if to urge Goldenshine, Snowstorm and me forward.

Thornclaw looked down at his mate, his pale blue eyes wide with disbelief and anxiety. "What?" he nearly yowled. "Lilypetal, but-"

Lilypetal flashed her mate an urgent, anxious look, clearly just as aware as the rest of us of Snowstorm's condition, which I had to admit was worse than hers. "Please. I insist." She then weakly beckoned the three of us with her tail again. "It's okay. Go on."

Before Thornclaw could protest any more, he instead let out a sigh, looking down at Lilypetal with deeply worried eyes as she leaned back into him. The tabby-and-white she-cat gave us an urging, yet reassuring look as she watched us begin to guide Snowstorm across the log.

The task was actually quite difficult, as Snowstorm barely had any strength to hold herself up. But thank StarClan, we made it to ThunderClan's side of the border, Goldenshine and I having only have exchanged a few frustrated bickers with the challenge.

Lilypetal and Thornclaw followed just behind us, and once Thornclaw had helped his mate take her final step onto the ground, the five of us began to make our way back to camp as quickly as we possibly could, with two injured cats in our group. Goldenshine and I continued to guide Snowstorm, while Thornclaw flanked Lilypetal. I was relieved to see that she actually was somewhat walking on her own, and she just seemed to be tired and bothered by her wounds at this point.

Snowstorm, however, was still having trouble, and she unfortunately seemed to be getting weaker and weaker the further that we went. I was almost tempted to stop before the travel took away every single piece of strength that she had left. But what else can we do but get her back to camp, where she can actually be cared for?

With that thought, I was filled with relief again as the camp entrance finally came into sight, meaning that Snowstorm and Lilypetal would be able to see a medicine cat within heartbeats.

But at the same time, I was filled with unease. Something didn't sit right with me.

I looked back at Goldenshine to see her staring ahead, her ears pricking. "It's quiet..." she murmured. "Really quiet. What happened?"

Thornclaw lifted his head from where he had been licking a wound on Lilypetal's ear, narrowing his pale blue eyes as he stared ahead. "Maybe the battle has finally ended."

I then heard Goldenshine gasp in excitement. "Maybe it did!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "And maybe we won!"

For some reason, the current circumstances clumped with Goldenshine's optimistic words still left me feeling strange and troubled. My fur was tingling with caution, and all of my senses seemed to be heightened, as if I was awaiting some presence to burst into sight. Just how I always seemed to be when I was in the Dark Forest... I thought, finally realizing what felt so off-putting. They're not all gone yet.

I looked back at Goldenshine and Thornclaw, my eyes narrowing. "I can't be so sure... about either of those things," I admitted in response to the two cats' words. With Snowstorm still leaning against me, I then led the way into camp. "Not yet, at least."

As the five of us then made our way into the clearing, I felt my eyes slowly widen as I took in the circumstances, which were completely different than what they'd been when we'd left.

To my complete dismay, two cats - Ferncloud and Mousefur - had seemed to have joined Hollyleaf up in StarClan, and were lying close to the black she-cat's body near a fallen, moss-covered tree. May they have a safe, smooth journey to StarClan...

And while StarClan cats still seemed to be present, none of them, nor the living Clan cats either, were fighting, and there wasn't a single Dark Forest spirit in sight, as far as I could tell. Is... is the battle really over?

My gaze then shifted over to the medicine den, where many injured cats were gathered. I felt my heart sink as I immediately recognized the dark ginger pelt of my former mentor, Foxleap. The older tom was lying on his side as he was being looked over by Leafpool, and he seemed to be severely wounded.

I was no medicine cat, but I could already predict what the tom's fate would likely be, and I felt my heart beginning to feel heavy with grief. Oh, StarClan, no...

I then looked down at Snowstorm, who was still pressed against my side, vowing to myself that she wouldn't be in that same position. She's going to be fine. She has to be fine, doesn't she? I tried to convince myself. And once she's feeling better, we'll be able to figure out what's going on when it comes to Snowflight's spirit, maybe?

Welling up with urgency once again, I guided Snowstorm deeper into camp, Goldenshine still pressed against her on her other side.

And as the two of us began to guide Snowstorm over to where many of the injured cats were, all of my worries, anxieties, any negative feelings at all seemed to dissolve for a moment as I glanced across the camp, a certain cat instantly catching my eye.

I was overwhelmed with relief and warmth as I stared back at Cherrypaw from where she stood near the elders den. My heart practically leaped, and my stomach seemed to flutter just as it did every time I looked at her. She's safe. Cherrypaw is back, and she's safe, I thought, feeling so immensely thankful that the she-cat was no longer missing, and that she didn't seem to be hurt at all. I was so worried about her that I could barely stand it. But, now, we'll be able to...

I then trailed off of my own thoughts, narrowing my eyes as I looked back at the ginger she-cat, observing that her amber eyes seemed to be wide with alarm. I'll be able to...

For a moment, I wondered what Cherrypaw could possibly be looking at in such terror, but a booming voice from the center of camp quickly silenced my concerns.

"Has it been worth it, Tigerstar? All the hate? All the death?"

I then turned towards where the voice came from, and instantly felt an overwhelming wave of horror and dread. Behind me, I heard Lilypetal let out a petrified gasp.

Firestar stood in the middle of camp, his ginger fur bristled out as he stared back at an opponent. A chill ran down my spine as I instantly recognized the dark brown tabby pelt of Tigerstar - a pelt that I hadn't seen since my Dark Forest training.

But the discomfort of seeing a cat that was associated with such a dark time in my life only lasted a moment. Instead, I stared, completely shocked by the scene in front of me, so much so that I barely felt Snowstorm's weight on me anymore.

Tigerstar's amber eyes blazed as he looked back at Firestar. "Every moment," he muttered, then proceeding to hook his claws into Firestar's shoulder, raking the ginger tom's spine with churning paws. "The moment Bluestar found you, I became nothing! I have waited all this time to have my revenge."

You didn't become nothing, Tigerstar, I thought. You let yourself become nothing.

I then continued to watch in fear as Firestar then twisted free of Tigerstar's grip, managing to slash back at him. Tigerstar ducked back and grabbed Firestar's hind paw in his teeth.

I held back an alarmed gasp as he then dragged the ThunderClan leader onto his belly, then proceeding to rear up and slam his forepaws onto Firestar's spine. "When you're dead, I can rule the Clans or kill them."

No!

I then began to frantically look back and forth between Snowstorm and the two fighting cats, having to hold back the urge to leave the white she-cat and leap into the fight. Why is no one coming to Firestar's defense, or helping him?

I then could just barely hear Graystripe's growl from a few fox-lengths away. "Never," the gray tom growled, crouching down as if to brace himself to leap into the battle.

But a faded, glittering large white tom held him back with his tail. "No, Graystripe," the tom meowed to the warrior. "This is Firestar's battle."

I blinked in surprise - those words sounding so similar to what Goldenshine had said to me just earlier. She said the same thing to me about Snowstorm, and we let her face her own destiny on her own, I realized.

I was then filled with even more anxiety as I was reminded that Snowstorm hadn't even been showing signs that she had even done so, and she only seemed to be deteriorating. But... what did we do wrong?

I then forced myself to look back towards the two leaders, just in time to see that Firestar was heaving himself to his paws. His green eyes were blazing with valor and determination. "I will not die until the forest is safe from you," he hissed just before leaping at the Dark Forest warrior.

Oh, no...

I then looked over my shoulder as I heard Lilypetal let out another gasp. "Firestar, no!" she then cried, and she looked as if she wanted to pelt ahead to help her Clan leader.

But she'd only taken a couple of pawsteps when Thornclaw raced forward to intercept her. "Lilypetal," he growled sharply at his mate. "Don't you dare."

The she-cat's hazel eyes were wide with pleading and obstinacy. "But-"

Thornclaw cut off Lilypetal's words as he settled down in front of her, his pale blue eyes softer, but urging. "Please. I need you to think of yourself right now," he whispered to her, gently running his tail along her flank. "Let someone come to your defense for a change."

Lilypetal didn't protest anymore, and simply closed her eyes for a moment before peering past her mate to look at Firestar. Her shoulders seemed to sink with defeat as she then returned her gaze to Thornclaw.

She gave her mate a look full of sadness, wariness, and love all at the same time as she let out a sigh. "Okay," she whispered back. She then took a shaky breath, closing her eyes and leaning into Thornclaw as he began to lick at her wounds again. "Okay."

My head then jerked towards Goldenshine from where I'd been staring back at the two older cats when I heard her let out what sounded like a relieved sigh. I followed my mother's gaze to see that Jayfeather was approaching us.

I managed to feel a bit relieved as well. Not only would he be able to assist with Snowstorm's wound, but maybe he'll have an explanation when it comes to Snowflight and her destiny!

As the gray tabby medicine cat made his way towards us, I just briefly caught his blind eyes flashing with alarm, as if he was shocked my how injured Snowstorm was.

Goldenshine let me take all of Snowstorm's weight as she ran up to meet the medicine cat. "Jayfeather," she meowed worriedly as she walked beside him. "Jayfeather, she's-"

Jayfeather didn't seem to hear Goldenshine, and was simply staring in horror back at Snowstorm as if he could see. "Where has she been?" she asked, referring to the white she-cat, I assumed. "What happened?"

"What happened?" Goldenshine exclaimed, running up to stand next to Jayfeather, her gray eyes frantic. "What happened was what we thought was supposed to happen, but... nothing's happened!"

Jayfeather looked back at Goldenshine from where he'd been sniffing at Snowstorm's wounds. "She..." he trailed off for a moment. "Did she-?"

"She killed Ashfur, Jayfeather. I just barely saw her give him the killing blow to the neck," Goldenshine meowed so quickly that I barely understood her. Her eyes then managed to widen even more as she shook her head in amazement. "But she's not... nothing seems to have changed!"

My mother then exchanged a nervous glance with me. "At least, we don't think-"

"No, you're right," Jayfeather murmured gravely, taking a step back from Snowstorm. "Snowflight hasn't been released yet."

I felt my fur beginning to rise with panic as Goldenshine turned on Jayfeather. "What?! But how?" she nearly cried to him. "We were so sure that... that this was right! Where did we go wrong?"

Although Jayfeather seemed just as troubled and confused as his friend, he simply narrowed his eyes. "Hold on," he muttered, then turning around to walk away. "I'm going to get her cobwebs."

Goldenshine's gaze stayed on the medicine cat as he quickly padded towards his den. "Please hurry!" she called back to him.

My mother's words had sounded fuzzy, and my mind was practically swirling as I looked down at Snowstorm, whose head was leaning on my shoulder. What does this mean? I thought anxiously. The fact that Jayfeather doesn't seem sure makes this even worse. Is Snowflight's spirit just going to be trapped inside of Snowstorm forever?

My attention was then jerked back to the fight between Firestar and Tigerstar as Firestar seemed to be rising to his paws once again, his ginger pelt now covered in scratches. "You lived like a rogue," the leader then growled, slowing lowering down into a crouch. "You can die like a rogue."

I then felt my eyes widen, and my fur prickle with fear as Firestar then flew straight at Tigerstar, bending his head forward to sink his teeth deep into the dark brown tabby's neck. He kept his grip, ignoring Tigerstar's thrashing and staggering under him.

Then, after what had felt like the longest moments of my entire life, Tigerstar finally collapsed onto the ground, and Firestar didn't let go of the warrior until he had stopped twitching and moving entirely. The ThunderClan leader let the tabby drop to the ground, straightened up, and then watched as Tigerstar's spirit faded away - another one of my worst enemies now gone.

Dovewing's voice was the first to rise above the silence. "Tigerstar has gone!" her voice had not been much louder than a whisper, yet seemed to carry just as much as the most earsplitting yowl would.

Alarm then seemed to spread through the whole camp, and I instinctively wrapped my tail protectively around Snowstorm as thunder cracked the sky, followed by lightning that directly struck the fallen beech tree that lied next to Firestar.

I then felt my mouth drop as the tree burst into flame, quickly causing smoke to spread throughout the camp, covering Firestar's ginger pelt completely. Then just as quickly as the fire had arrived, it hissed and slowly diminished as it began to rain.

The smoke vanished along with it, revealing a body lying beneath the fallen beech tree.

And my heart sank as I instantly realized who it was. Tigerstar had faded away, so...

"Firestar!"

I then looked to my side to see the pale ginger pelt of Sandstorm racing ahead towards her mate's body, her emerald eyes glowing with dismay.

"Firestar?" Lilypetal's brown tabby-and-white pelt then brushed past me. "Oh, no!"

Sandstorm ran up to Firestar, and dug her nose into his ginger fur. "I told you not to waste your final life," I could just barely hear her whimper.

Brambleclaw slowly padded up to stand beside Snowstorm, putting his tail tip on Lilypetal's shoulder, who looked just as upset as if Firestar had been kin. "He didn't waste it," he gently reassured Sandstorm.

I tried to be calmed by the deputy's words myself. He... he saved all of us. He protected and defended his Clan at the cost of his life, just as a true warrior and leader would.

"Fire will save the Clan," Leafpool then meowed softly over by the medicine den.

I then felt my heart sink all the way to the ground as I watched Firestar's oldest friend crouch down beside the ThunderClan leader. "I would have taken your place," Graystripe meowed, "if you had let me."

"Firestar!" Dustpelt then exclaimed as he ran up to join the others. "Tell Ferncloud that I love her."

The dark brown tabby tom's words drove me to look back towards the elders den once again, where I knew that Cherrypaw still was. I felt another immense wave of sadness as I immediately could tell just how crestfallen she was. She stood tall, her tail wrapped around her paws as if she were trying to stay strong and optimistic for the other apprentices, but I knew her - her eyes revealed everything that she was truly feeling.

And I wanted more than anything to pelt across camp to comfort her, but I knew that I couldn't for the moment. Unfortunately, right now, Snowstorm needs me a bit more, I told myself as I then looked down to my best friend. I'll go and be with Cherrypaw once I'm sure that Snowstorm is being taken care of.

I then averted my gaze back towards the camp clearing to see that cats from the other Clans were slowly beginning to make their way out of camp, giving their condolences to each ThunderClan cat that they passed.

I then turned to look back a Brambleclaw as I noticed him lift his head. "The battle is over," the deputy proclaimed. "Our victory belongs to Firestar!"

The battle is over.

I then felt another chill run down my spine, and I took a deep breath as I watched the cats of ThunderClan either lowered their heads in grief, or let out yowls of celebration and triumph for their leader. The battle is over.

And I'd only been able to feel the smallest bit of ease, when suddenly felt myself being pushed off of balance, and I realized that Snowstorm's weight suddenly seemed to feel much heavier.

My heart began to pound with alarm like it never had before as I glanced down at my friend, whose eyes nearly seemed lifeless now, and it seemed impossible for her to stand up anymore. "Snowstorm?" I meowed shakily.

The white she-cat didn't answer, and my heart continued to race with panic as I struggled to keep her upright. "Snowstorm, are you okay?" Oh, no. Oh, no... StarClan, please, no!

I then flicked my gaze upwards to see Goldenshine staring back at me, her gray eyes wide with horror. "Oh, no," she breathed. She then whipped herself around, practically flying towards the medicine den. "Jayfeather!" she then cried out. "Jayfeather, we need you right now!"

I could be absolutely sure that Jayfeather would be able to hear Goldenshine's yowl from the medicine den.

But I also could be sure that he would already be too late.

I felt dizzy with horror as Snowstorm's legs completely gave out from under her, and she collapsed, her body thumping limply against the ground.