Flailing, the white and gold she-cat fought to survive. No! This can't be happening! She internally wailed.

Claws lashed across her throat, and with a gurgled yowl the feline crumpled to the ground, gradually feeling the life slip from her bones as the gray tom stared coldly down at her.

"You're too weak to be in line for leader." The words whispered around her as she felt herself slip away into the claws of death, her last breath coming out as a heaving gasp.

Littleshine's vision grew dark, her thoughts swirling with terror. It seemed like forever as she remained in a void of emptiness, before finally gathering her senses and stirring. Her eyelids fluttered, her vision blurry and strange.

As the feline picked herself to her paws, her legs trembling and ears flat, she noticed that it was nighttime. The trees around her rocked gently back and forth, the small murmurs of unseen critters whispering through the air. Uncontrollably, the molly was shaking as she looked around. Her injuries stung and dry blood was caked over them. Snow drifted down from the sky and stars glowed through the clouds, twinkling kindly down at her.

Stiffly, Littleshine looked around, panic seizing her heart as she didn't find herself to recognize where she resided.

"H-Hello?" She croaked, her voice raw from a wound on her throat. Wincing with pain, she ducked her head, calming her breathing with a shaky sigh.

"Littleshine."

Bolting upright, Littleshine's head jerked up. She couldn't seem to recognize the voice that had spoken her name, and her fur rose as a brown tom slipped out of the shadows and approached her. The snow that fell almost looked like stars glowing around the tom, and he padded forward with his head low in a passive gesture.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Littleshine hissed, backing away as the tom neared. Her movement was oddly swift and fluid, and it caught her off guard. Tripping over her own paws, her stumpy tail lashed as she fell to the ground.

With a small yelp of surprise, she scrabbled back to her paws, her ears flat. One of her ears was nicked and crusted with blood, and it itched as she pinned it against her head.

"Where am I?" She repeated, her voice more firm with a slight shake to it. She stared straight into the tom's eyes as he sat himself down a few tail-lengths away, his yellow gaze calm and unreadable.

Lifting a hindpaw to give himself a scratch behind the ear, the brown tom remained in silence, allowing Littleshine to grow more anxious and impatient. "Well?" She pressed, her stubbed tail beginning to flick to and fro.

With a reluctant sigh, the brown tom answered her.

"You're dead."

His words sent a shiver coursing down her spine, like cold claws digging to her bone and tearing it out. That phrase sent her world to a stop, and she fell still with her eyes wide.

"I'm dead?" She echoed, disbelief tainting her words and a discouraged crack to her mew.

The brown tom nodded. "Yes. StarClan is yet to recover you, Littleshine."

Littleshine's nose wrinkled, and she looked the tom up and down. "Then who are you, if you're not from StarClan?"

"I am Springedjoint. Although I am not in StarClan, I maintain a spiritual level similar to theirs."

Littleshine let out a hoarse laugh, her lip curled. "That's funny, I love the joke. Can you please stop now?" Her voice was bitter, and she felt unease ripple through her fur as her wounds stung.

In the back of her mind, she knew that Springedjoint was right.

I really must be dead.

Springedjoint, clearly understanding her thoughts, billowed a sigh.

"Littleshine, there's a reason as to why you have not been discovered by StarClan yet. I made sure to take you quickly, to allow your death to be less painful and so I can speak to you before they find out." Springedjoint meowed, his voice slow as he chose his words carefully, however not carefully enough.

"Take me?" Littleshine snapped. "What do you mean, take me?"

The brown feline stiffened, and spat a small curse beneath his breath. Inhaling softly, he gathered himself. "When a cat is suffering and near death," he began carefully, being sure not to meet the warrior's gaze through the snow between them. "Spirits have the ability to guide them to a quicker death, one less painful and full of less suffering. And that, I did for you."

Littleshine's limbs grew stiff, and a furious growl erupted in her lungs. It pained her, but she could not control herself as she snapped at the tom. "You made me die? I could've had a chance! I could've warned the clan about Pebblestar!" She yowled, her voice raising to a wail.

"Imagine how many others he could have killed? How many more he can kill?" The white and gold feline began to pace, her voice caught in her throat.

"Great StarClan, calm down!" Springedjoint exclaimed, darting forward and touching his nose to Littleshine's shoulder. The molly whipped around, snapping her jaws at his face. Springedjoint quickly ducked away, his eyes flashing with surprise.

"Chill out, Littleshine." He growled, taking a step back. "Let me explain myself, please. You were going to die either way, whether or not I ended your life quickly or allowed your life to end naturally. I needed to speak to you before StarClan could find out about your passing."

Littleshine's eyes grew sharp, and she warily eyes the tom as he sat down, his shoulders hunched.

"I know you've had a bond with your friend, Snowdrift, for awhile now." Springedjoint said softly. "He and Streamflower are going to be leaving the lake, and they need a new kind of StarClan to guide them."

"Because you know Snowdrift, and you happened to have been killed, I want to know if you'd like to join this new StarClan. But keep in mind, if you do choose to come with us, you will be leaving your family behind and will not be able to see them ever again."

Littleshine's expression changed throughout the tom's whole explanation, to calm, all the way to furious.

"You expect me to what? How can you just throw that at me?" Littleshine yowled. Her eyes were sharp with fury and her claws sank into the ground. Her breath came out in sharp whisks of white air. "I-I don't want to choose! Why are you doing this to me?"

Litteshine felt tears spill from her eyes, and she fitfully choked back a sob, her lip curled as she tried to fight back more tears.

Springedjoint's face grew solemn as he met his gaze with Littleshine's. "I'm sorry, Littleshine." He meowed. "But you have to choose."

"You don't know what it's like to be killed by your own leader! Not even your own clanmate! How are you supposed to understand anything?" Littleshine cried, her stub tail now lashing furiously back and forth as much as it could.

Springedjoint's face hardened, and he parted his mouth to intercept, but the former deputy didn't even give him a chance to speak.

Littleshine shook her head at him, stepping back. "How can I just leave my family behind? How can I just abandon Snowdrift? A-And Streamflower?" She was struggling to speak now, panic rising like a wave in her chest.

Springedjoint stepped forward to give the molly reassurance, but she shook him away with a scowl.

"I-I need some time to think about this. You can't just expect me to be able to choose between family and friends!" With a whimper, the warrior whipped around and vanished into the trees, Springedjoint watching as her figure faded from view.