"FALCONFLIGHT FOR STARCLAN'S SAKE KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN!" 

The sharp yell snapped Falconflight's attention back to Kestrelstar, and Falconflight murmured an apology, her pelt practically on fire as she realized that she had fallen asleep, once again, in the middle of a Clan meeting.  Not only that, but Kestrelstar, leader of WindClan, had just shouted at her in front of the entire Clan from her position on the Tallrock because of it.

Her leader's stern green eyes seemed to glare at Falconflight's equally green eyes before returning to addressing the Clan, who quickly averted their eyes back towards their sandy-brown-pelted leader.  Nothing could've been more embarrassing for her, but despite the Clan leader yelling at her, Falconflight was still having trouble focusing and staying awake.

She felt her eyes close, and struggled to open them, trying to appear as if she were awake and attentive, but in reality, she couldn't even hear Kestrelstar anymore.  Her eyelids felt heavy, the world seemed incredibly blurry, and Kestrelstar's commands seemed like nothing more than background noise.

Thankfully, the meeting was called to an end, and Falconflight was about to stumble over towards the warriors den to sleep some more, but before she was even halfway there, her Clanmates, Duskfoot and Elmpaw called her over.  Begrudgingly, Falconflight trudged over to where they stood by the camp entrance. Can't I sleep just a little bit longer?  Falconflight thought to herself, dragging her paws reluctantly through the sand as she reached them.

"Hey, don't look so glum.  We're only going on a hunting trip Falconflight, lighten up."  Duskfoot mewed, his blue-eyed gaze cheery, but Falconflight could only stare at him blankly, the words "hunting trip" causing her to nearly burst into tears.  "Let's just go," was all she could manage to say, before stumbling through the gorse tunnel and out onto the moor, leaving tufts of her creamy fur behind as she did so.

Duskfoot quickly took the lead, and his apprentice, Elmpaw, trotted beside him, her hazel eyes looking around alertly for any sign of rabbit, though, Falconflight thought, Her light brown pelt and small size make her look a little bit just like one.  Amused at herself for thinking of that, Falconflight's mood improved a little bit, and she took the time to actually appreciate the feeling of the late morning sun on her fur, and the springy grass beneath her paws.  However, the appreciation didn't last long though, because Duskfoot soon stopped the patrol, spoke some soft words that Falconflight didn't hear, dropped into a hunter's crouch, and motioned with his tail for Elmpaw and Falconflight to do the same.

Elmpaw swiftly dropped into a neat crouch, her tail still and fur flat, Falconflight did her best to mimic the young apprentice, but to no avail.  Her form was sloppy, and her tail was brushing the ground, yet thankfully, a rabbit that Duskfoot was stalking didn't seem to notice.

Falconflight watched as Duskfoot quietly stalked up on the rabbit, his paws setting down lightly on the grass as he headed closer and closer towards where the rabbit sat among some heather tussocks.  However, Duskfoot began circling around the rabbit, where he would be upwind, and where the rabbit would smell him.  Oh, he's gonna to scare it, and then it'll run right towards us. Falconflight realized, thankful that she wouldn't really have to run. 

Duskfoot was now out of view, and Falconflight slumped into the grass, feeling completely drained of energy, yet not knowing why.  Time seemed to drag on as the rabbit remained where it was, sniffing around and nibbling on the purple-tinted stalks.  It seemed as if moons were passing, and Falconflight was getting more and more comfortable in her position, finally, she simply closed her eyes, sighing in relief as she got some rest.

All of a sudden, Falconflight was rudely jerked awake by the feeling of something scrambling over top of her, followed by the all-too-familiar yell of, "FALCONFLIGHT WHAT WAS THAT?!"

Falconflight's eyes flew open, and she staggered to her paws, looking around frantically, hating herself for once again, falling asleep.  Her eyes spotted the rabbit, far away and running swiftly towards a nearby hole, within seconds it had disappeared.  Slowly, Falconflight turned to see a livid Duskfoot, and a smirking Elmpaw.

Duskfoot's eyes gored holes into her own as he shouted at her once more, "What was that?!  YOU JUST LET THE RABBIT WHIZ BY YOU, AND ALL BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN?!  YOU'RE SUCH A PIECE OF UTTER FOX DUNG!"

By now, Duskfoot was shrieking, and Falconflight looked like she had just witnessed her father's death.  "I'm so sorry!  I don't know what's wrong with me!"  She wailed, her eyes stinging with unshed tears as she apologized profusely, guilt pooling inside the pit that had grown in her stomach. "SORRY DOESN'T FIX ANYTHING!" Duskfoot shrieked once more, turning right around and stomping towards camp, Elmpaw following suit.

Falconflight hunched over, her tiredness replaced with a sense of dread. Her rapid blinking showed that she was fighting back tears, and she allowed herself to slump to the ground. Tears blurred her vision as her thoughts blurred her mind. Why am I like this? Why can't I be normal?

However, one thought seemed to rise above the rest.

I hate myself, and I hate this.

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It was nearly sundown when Falconflight awoke, but dull energy replaced the dragging fatigue that she usually felt. Usually, that would make her very eager to move, to do something for once, but not today. Despite that, Falconflight couldn't simply waste the energy she badly wanted, so she pulled herself to her paws, and began the walk back towards camp.

Her paws no longer dragged on the ground, but the sadness she felt seemed to weigh her down equally. She hadn't expected such an outburst from Duskfoot, who was normally such a happy, easygoing cat.

As she passed through the gorse tunnel into the camp, Falconflight immediately felt a warm bundle of fur crash into her side, and a purr erupted from her throat as her green gaze met the gaze of her amber-eyed sister, Honeyface.

"Falconflight, where have you been?!" Honeyface mewed worriedly, stepping back to look over Falconflight's pelt. "I'm fine, Honeyface. I swear, ever since you became a medicine cat you've acted like mom." Falconflight chuckled, giving her a light shove.

However, Honeyface seemed far from amused. Instead, the golden-furred she-cat gave Falconflight a dark look, saying quietly, "Duskfoot came back to camp and told everybody about the rabbit, though I have a feeling that he exaggerated the part where he had to wake you up, and that you yelled at him because of it. Regardless, you told me that the sleepiness had stopped, has it come back?" Honeyface's concerned eyes shone with love for her sister, and Falconflight's heart melted.

"The sleepiness kinda, maybe, never went away..." Falconflight murmured, guiltily looking at her paws. At this, Honeyface's expression soften even more, and she gently lead her towards the Medicine Den.

As they made their way across camp, Falconflight noticed that cats had stopped to look at her. Kestrelstar, Duskfoot, Cranestep, Badgerpaw, and so many other Clanmates that she'd grown up with, were all staring at her like she was a lazy mistake, an embarrassment to the Clan.

Falconflight fought back tears for the second time that day.

Yet before she knew it, her sister had led her inside the medicine den, where Sedgeleaf, the black-pelted medicine cat who seemed as old as the moonstone, looking up from sorting leaves, his amber gaze softening once he spotted Falconflight.

"I figured you'd be coming by, but I'll let you two talk before I do anything else." Sedgeleaf rumbled, making his way outside the den. Falconflight watched him go with a heavy heart, knowing that he probably wouldn't live past the next leafbare.

"Why didn't you tell me the sleepy feelings weren't going away?" Honeyface asked softly, her amber gaze overflowing with love and concern.

"I don't know, I just wanted to be normal, so I figured that if everyone else thought that I was normal.. that maybe... I'd go back to being normal." Falconflight whispered, her head hanging low and her shoulders shaking. "I don't want you to look at me differently, I don't want you to look at me the way everyone out there did." Falconflight rushed on, sounding desperate.

"I just want you to look at me like you look at every other cat. Normally."

"Oh Falconflight," Honeyface whispered, "I could never look at you differently, never." With that single statement, Falconflight broke down, tears flowing freely, and sobs racking her body as she cried. Honeyface let out a small sound, and comfortingly pressed herself against Falconflight, tears blurring her own vision as she supported her sister.

"I love you so much." Falconflight whispered, closing her eyes gratefully as she cherished the moment, though soon enough, Sedgeleaf came lumbering in.

"Now, can you explain to me what this "sleepiness" that Honeyface has been telling me about is?" He rumbled, motioning for her to sit in a nearby nest while he talked, which Falconflight did readily.

"It's... just this feeling of being tired almost all the time. I never seem to have any energy, and what little energy I do sometimes have dissipates quickly. This usually means that I'm falling asleep all the time, whether it be during a hunting trip, while I'm eating, or even during a Clan Meeting. Whenever I'm awake is worse though, because I can barely walk halfway across the camp without wanting to curl up in my nest, or even right where I'm standing. I just... I'm trapped in this cycle of sleeping and wanting to sleep." The more Falconflight spoke, the more she realized that she couldn't go on like this. She wanted, no, she needed help. She wanted to enjoy her time awake, not spend it wishing that she wasn't.

"Hmmm..." Sedgeleaf pondered, not saying anything for several minutes before finally announcing, "I want you to sleep here tonight, and don't get up until noon, I want to see how long your energy lasts."

"Oh thank you." Falconflight breathed out, slumping down in the nest she had previously been sitting in. Sedgeleaf said nothing else, simply turning around and motioning for Honeyface to follow as Falconflight rolled onto her side, gazing at the drinking pool beside her.

She could feel her eyelids closing as she listened to the quiet murmurs of her Clanmates as they settled down by the fresh-kill pile for the evening meal. Falconflight knew that she should be out there with the rest of WindClan, sharing tongues and being normal, but now she was too fatigued to even think about getting out of her nest, and as her eyes began to close, she fell asleep with one thought in her mind.

What's wrong with me?

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"Falconflight! Hey Falconflight! You have to go soon, get up!"

The voice of Honeyface roused Falconflight from her sleep, but this time Falconflight awoke feeling more refreshed and not asleep. Falconflight's eyes blinked open, and she sat up slowly, enjoying a nice stretch as she did so. Energy flowed through her paws as she gratefully at the mouse that had been for her by Honeyface presumably, though she nor Sedgeleaf were anywhere to be seen now.

After she wolfed down the mouse, Falconflight stepped outside of the Medicine Den and into the daylight, enjoying the sunhigh warmth. As her gaze traveled across the camp, Falconflight noticed the sunhigh patrol getting ready to leave, let by Duskfoot.

Determined to prove that she was a capable warrior, Falconflight confidently walked up to him and tartly asked, "May I join your border patrol?"

Duskfoot smirked and responded with a low tone, "Sure, but only if you can keep up." With that, he turned and sped through the gorse tunnel, the rest of his patrol following. Falconflight kept pace with them as Duskfoot sped towards the RiverClan border.

Soon Falconflight began passing cats as she was running, first the light-brown pelt of Elmpaw, then the sleek, white furred body of Plumtail, after her, Falconflight passed the tortoiseshell pelt of Coppernose, but before she could reach Duskfoot, a sharp yowl split the air.

The scent of fish, reeds, and water overwhelmed Falconflight's nose, and she stopped, whirling around, suddenly confused by the scent of RiverClan. Yet before Falconflight could do much of anything, the adrenaline of the run seemed to wear off, leaving Falconflight heaving for breath.

Just then, Falconflight spotted a massive group of RiverClan cats charging straight towards their small border patrol, and Falconflight immediately grew stiff with fear. However, the rest of the patrol let out battle cries and charged straight towards the group of RiverClan cats, tails lashing, and claws tearing at the grass.

We're outnumbered, Falconflight realized, there's at least six or seven RiverClan cats and only five of us.

At that moment, the WindClan and RiverClan cats clashed together in tangles of fur, teeth, and claws, causing Falconflight to finally spring into action. She quickly began pelting towards the camp to get help, soon realizing with a jolt of horror that her paws, once again, felt heavy. The energy she had previously possessed was no longer present, and her run turned in to a trot.

Determined to get help for her Clanmates, Falconflight pushed on, doing her best to run as fast as she could, and soon the camp was in sight. With a final heaving breath and a burst of speed, Falconflight tumbled through the gorse tunnel and began yowling frantically, and shouting, "RiverClan! RiverClan is attacking!"

Falconflight then collapsed onto the sandy ground, struggling desperately to catch her breath, and that's all she remembered.

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"I can't believe those fish-eating, fox-hearted, pieces of mouse dung!"

The enraged shout of her leader roused Falconflight from slumber, and she quickly realized that she was, unsurprisingly, back in the Medicine Den, only this time there were several other cats with her.

"What happened?" Falconflight croaked out, feeling as if she had run to Highstones and back. Her head was filled with a dull ache, and her throat felt dry and cracked, not to mention the fact that her vision was fuzzy and warped.

"Oh, you're awake!" Honeyface chirped, pushing a small bundle of water soaked moss towards Falconflight, who gratefully drank it. "I was so worried when you collapsed in the middle of camp yelling something about RiverClan attacking, I thought you'd gone insane! Thankfully, though, Kestrelstar-"

"Honeyface," Falconflight interrupted, "What happened?"

Honeyface's expression grew remorseful, but before she could speak a word, the livid voice of Kestrelstar was heard first, "RiverClan killed three of our Clanmates," she growled, "And you're going to help tell all of the Clans how it happened at tonight's gathering. So get ready, because we leave now."