CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

An uncomfortable silence dragged across the atmosphere, mimicking the claws dragged upon dry ground in the battle they recently witnessed. White noise, static as a brewing storm, spattered across Hero's mind and hauled him into a sense of disorientation, his steps automatic and puzzling to him. How could he keep going after what he'd seen? How could he continue to walk with ease when Foxspring could not move at all? His own privilege disgusted him, but it reminded him time was short. That crimson smudge would forever remain in his heart.

He sensed Roach's retained despair as she walked, breaths sharp and painful. He turned away, not wishing to envelop himself in negativity, though that was the path he trod. Estelle kept her eyes forward with sympathy silent and rather curt, while Lilypool and Smokewhisker trotted side by side exchanging brief words to one another. He didn't care to listen to what they spoke of, it would only intrigue him. He shook his head as his motives became unclear. Why was he doing this? Whiteshadow, he repeated, Whiteshadow.

A hush of commotion became audible further in the distance, and Hero perked his ears upwards to hear. Juvenile voices, it seemed, ones of sharp words and an unwanted ruckus. Their silhouettes became visible in the distance after a short while, and expression became bold when their eyes met. Three small cats, apprentice age by Clan law, gaining on them with ragged pelts and menacing glares.

"Hey! You!" one hollered, receiving a chorus of urges from his companions.

Hero ignored them, pretending he hadn't heard their feeble attempts at intimidation. Smokewhisker growled, but he was soon calmed.

"Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" he cried again, smiling arrogantly.

He grunted, unimpressed, but it seemed Smokewhisker rose to the task of dealing with such a nuisance.

"Why don't you watch your mouth, runt?" he challenged him, spitting at the small cat as they came closer.

"What did you just call him?" a slightly heftier member hissed, stepping towards him. "I said, what did you call him?!"

Smokewhisker smirked, scanning the reddish-brown imbecile up and down until he was satisfied he would win in a fight against him.

"I called him a runt, he couldn't fight a mouse," he scoffed. "Beat it."

Hero eyed the third, silent cat observantly. Though his face remained placid, he could sense a fire brewing behind his amber eyes, feel his fury begin to churn in his blood. He glanced across to Smokewhisker who, in his element, seemed rather proud of himself, while Estelle, Roach and Lilypool hung nervously behind. Hero didn't like the look of the silent cat, and the silent cat didn't like the look of him.

"Want to test that little theory?" the smallest cat of faded grey tabby markings spat, unsheathing his claws.

"I might," Smokewhisker smirked, copying his stance, "what does it mean to you?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Hero caught sight of the silent cats fur flare upwards, a pair of sharp fangs glinting in the light behind his tufted brown mane. He arched his back and prepared to leap, and Hero caught him in the act.

"Everything."

He launched himself towards Smokewhisker, tearing past Estelle, who dragged Roach away as she sobbed. The similarity pained her, it seemed, though it left the two remaining cats vulnerable. He tore into Smokewhisker, but he defended himself skillfully, batting away his fiery attacks with solid kicks of his paws. Lilypool's eyes darted back and forth, her mind torn, and with a single wrong move, Smokewhisker fell out of sync. The silent cat caught his chest and he fell from the impact, landing with a thud against the dusty ground.

"Get him, Sphinx!" the grey tabby encouraged nastily, cheering for his friend.

Sphinx grinned deviously, raising his paw to strike, but with one bold move he was thrown off from his moment of glory.

"Get off of him!" Lilypool cried defiantly, sinking her teeth into his back and attempting to pull him off.

He growled and hissed at the pain seeping into his bones and shattering down his back. He swerved, twisting back to attack and giving Smokewhisker enough time to squirm free. He hopped away, proud, calling back to Lilypool.

"Get him, Lilypool!" he mimicked him.

"Don't worry, I've-."

Her battle cry was cut short. As she strained her neck over Sphinx's shoulder to call, he took his chance. He slashed his paw viciously against her throat, slicing her skin and disturbing an eruption of blood pouring tirelessly from the wound. Lilypool wheezed, air knocked from her lungs, and she tumbled forward. The battle stopped. Sphinx stepped back, a little horrified at his actions, and his friends ordered for them to flee. Their pawsteps thundered back into the distance, commotion leaving with them, and the white noise grew static once again.

Static as the quiet wails pulsing from her.

"Lilypool!" Hero cried, rushing forward.

He observed her wound, wincing at the damage. Her breathing had been severely impaired by the slice, blood frothing from where air should've passed through with ease. He glanced upwards to Estelle, who whimpered a touch.

"Can you move?" she asked with a small voice, brushing her tail against her.

Lilypool gasped, agonised and paralysed with pain and fear. Hero shook his head, worry and nervousness filling his lungs.

"We need to get her somewhere safe," Estelle ordered knowledgeably. "Roach, do you know a place?"

The grief-stricken she-cat nodded. "There's an empty building down the path, you can find shelter there."

Her uninterested, dejected tone filled Hero with only remorse and broken hope, but he took what he could get. Smokewhisker nudged his friend, his nose sinking deep into her fur. Guilt splattered against his expression, despite the fact it was clear he held Sphinx responsible, rightfully so. He signalled to Hero, who took her hind legs in an attempt to carry Lilypool with him.

"Aren't you coming?" Estelle asked despairingly, time slipping through her claws.

Roach shook her head. "I'll just get in the way."

She turned tail and began in the opposite direction, head hanging low and swinging to a downbeat tempo. Estelle hurried a few steps forward, calling after her, but to no avail. She sighed, defeated.

Hero's heart fluttered with masked fear as he felt Lilypool's strain surge through her body. He knew he saw something in that cat, knew he was dangerous, and if he had spoken, perhaps she'd be okay. It was his fault, not Smokewhisker's, and he wasn't sure if he could carry that burden. His breathing escalated and he whipped his head around, impatient and desperate.

"Are you coming, Estelle?!" he hissed, aggravated.

She cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm sorry, let's go."

"Go on ahead and find that building, we'll be alright," Smokewhisker suggested assertively, and she did not argue.

As Estelle hurried on ahead, galloping like a wayward deer towards a small block of rejected buildings up ahead, Hero felt Lilypool's tail drag against his ear. It quivered slightly and he frowned, her fear unable to be contained as the life drained from her throat. He heard Smokewhisker murmuring soft words to her, sensing her fear, and he only wished he could provide such comfort. He only knew she had limited time and that they had to hurry; time orientated was he, and he cursed himself for it.

To his surprise, a set of pawsteps gained on them once again, and they were met with a flustered Estelle with eyes wide and chest thumping. She skidded to a halt.

"We have to hurry," she ordered, dragging Smokewhisker along with her.

He protested, mindful of Lilypool. "Why? What's wrong?"

"They're coming back, and they're bringing more cats, older, bigger," she sputtered, pulling them forward.

Hero felt his heart lurch as the mortifying chanting of a large band of cats became apparent over the anxious white noise engulfing his mind. He could just see their claws now, defined and polished, sturdy and pointed. They pressed on forward, paws almost tripping over one another, until Estelle turned into the nearest building. It creaked as they retreated inside, a musty scent lingering which Hero turned his nose up at. He and Smokewhisker lay Lilypool against the wall, bordering up the door with as many materials as they could gather before the cats came for them. A race against time, and they were losing.

"Where are they, Sphinx? Lead me to them!" one cat screeched, their voice deafening.

Smokewhisker sprang into action, paws stiff. "I'll fend off any cat who spots us, stay with Lilypool, Hero."

He gasped gently. "You can't handle them alone."

"I'll have to, won't I? Lilypool needs someone with her, not just Estelle. Concentrate on what matters, will you?" he told him patronisingly, scaling the wall and slipping through an open window.

"You mean to say you don't matter?" he questioned him, watching his tail swish back and forth.

"No, but Lilypool matters more right now, wouldn't you agree?"

He glanced back at him, frowned, and nodded. Estelle scraped the few lifelines of moss she could find into her paw and pressed it against her wound, the blood soaking and darkening it almost immediately. She croaked, eyes barely open, until a thud of the building prized the weariness from her soul. The world seemed to shake, their haven unstable and ready to collapse.

"We can't stay here, it's not safe," Hero warned Estelle urgently.

"What else can we do?" she questioned him.

"I won't last."

Lilypool's gasps caught their attention, and Hero slid to his belly in an attempt to understand her. She locked eyes with him, desperation and hurt dulling her blue eyes grey. He winced, extending a paw for her to hold, hoping it could provide some comfort.

"I'll die," she spoke swiftly.

He shook his head. "No no, you mustn' think that. It'll be okay."

He knew he was kidding himself, for she didn't believe him, and he didn't blame her. he didn't believe him either. Smokewhisker rattled the roof as he confronted a trespasser, but he thought nothing of his movements. Their words exchanged were a little more gentle than he imagined, and with more attention paid he began to realise he was giving this cat way.

"Smokewhisker?" Estelle called up. "What's going on?"

He leaped down from her post, waiting for his conversation to join his. When they did, an apparent tom-cat, his eyes shot towards Lilypool's wheezing figure, and his frame seemed to freeze. Who is he?

"Lilypool..." Smokewhisker began, taken aback by her deteriorating figure. "You had a brother, didn't you?"

A smile formed through her pain as the tom-cat gained on her, their resemblance apparent the moment both were seen together in frame. He bent down and nosed her, casting Hero aside, and he watched without words as the two rejoiced quietly together. Though she relaxed into his scent, his presence, he found she stiffened a little as he touched her. The cat gazed down with sad eyes, his tail swishing.

"Duskpaw..." she trailed away.

"It's just Dusk, now," he corrected her, swallowing his emotions to shed alone. "I don't deserve that 'paw now."

He settled down, wrapping his tail around his paws and staring her down with sincerity and hope. "I waited so long to find you, so long to tell you I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she breathed, extending her paw. "I will always forgive you."

He shook his head viciously, grinding his teeth. "I don't deserve forgiveness, Lily, and I never will. I'll never amend what I did, I'll never prove myself to you, MossClan, or our leader. I'll always be a murderous psycho, always. I still hear MossClan screaming that, still see you leaving our home because of me."

His voice broke as he finished his speech, and Hero couldn't help but bite his tongue in respect for the cat. Smokewhisker however, was not as forgiving.

"What in StarClan's name did you do?" he questioned bluntly.

"I..." he began, digging up memories like digging up a grave. "I went mad, one day, and I tried to kill our leader, MossClan's leader. They exiled me, and Lily moved to AshClan. Thistlestar promised she'd keep her secret, the secret about her-."

"Her brother... yes..." he completed his words for him, the story one he'd heard before to some extent.

Lilypool touched his paw weakly, her smile feeble. "I forgive you."

"They're in there! Get 'em!"

The sound of nearby voices in dangerous numbers snapped the siblings from their reunion, a callous rattling turning to thundering as the walls were scratched and ripped apart. Smokewhisker scarpered to his post, but when he saw the ruckus from outside, he couldn't bring himself to leave security.

"There's too many of them to fight!" he cried, outraged.

"We have to try," Hero encouraged them. "Even if we die, we must try."

Lilypool heaved, moaning. "No..."

She wheezed, her voice croaking to a pitiful mewl as her life drained away, blood dripping down her chest. "You go... all of you... I'll distract them..."

Hero's eyes widened, and he stomped his paw. "No, I won't. I can't do that to you."

Estelle brushed against his shoulder, urgency in her eyes. "Hero, Lilypool's dying, there's no use in trying to save what we've already lost. She's right, we need to leave."

"For Whiteshadow," Smokewhisker reminded him. "He's who we came for."

Hero glanced around, outraged. "We can't just leave her! What's wrong with you all?!"

Dusk halted in front of him, a flame of determination sparking in his eye. "I'll stay with her, you go. You've bigger things to die for."

Hero shot a sharp look at Lilypool, who nodded in approval. Dusk kept his distance as Hero sighed in defeat, knowing escape was his only way to continue forward. For Whiteshadow, he had to sacrifice his friend. His friend...

"Lilypool, I don't want to leave you," he began, starting towards her.

"I know," she rasped, smiling feebly at him as he placed his paw upon hers.

Hero felt a certain awkwardness fall upon him as he stared into her eyes, his heart fluttering. Even as blood soaked her fur, her eyes dull and face gaunt, he still saw a certain perfection in her features. He couldn't lose that, but he had no choice.

"You're remarkable Hero, you know that?" she strained against lifelessness, catching his attention.

"W-What?"

She settled into a comfortable position, resigning to her fate. "You can find anyone or anything you put your mind to, but you can't see love when it's staring you in the face."

Hero froze, his bones frosted and left for dead. He stared into her eyes again, those words swimming in his mind as his mouth gaped, his heart pounded, his paws longing to drag her away to a land where she could live. Live with him. All too late, it seemed, Hero found the reasoning behind the butterflies locked in his stomach, and the answer lied in Lilypool as she lay dying before him.

"Come on Hero!" Smokewhisker screeched, grabbing hold of his scruff.

"No!" he protested as she dragged her away. "No! Let go of me! No!"

Estelle latched onto him, their force something he couldn't match, and he screamed as Lilypool faded from sight, her eyes now fixed on her brother. Hero felt his heart shatter as his legs told him to run, the band of cats focused on the two remaining siblings inside that musty building. He cursed the sun for it's light, cursed the moon for it's dark, cursed the world for unveiling the light in his path of darkness as that light burnt out. Lilypool was gone, and his world remained dark.

"Dusk...?" Lilypool croaked towards him, panting away her final breaths.

"Yes, Lily?" he asked, tears in his eyes.

"You forgot something... when you left..."

"What did I forget?" he questioned her.

She gasped. "Your warrior name... Duskp-pool."

She spluttered, choked, found a smile in her to die with, and with that Lilypool let life wash away from her as the cats broke free of their barriers, charging into the building. Dusk screamed her name, wailed a battle cry fiercer than anything he'd spoken before. He fought relentlessly with her in mind, but she wasn't around to see him slash the hearts of those who slashed her throat.

Lilypool left with a hero in mind, just as she always wished to die.

~I'M NOT CRYING YOU ARE. Man, this was brutal to write. Written by Hazel, who's honoured to have written such a sad chapter for a book she love from the start~