Luckystar paced around the den, twitching her whiskers nervously. "I'm sorry for dumping this all on you," she mewed softly to the cat almost hidden in the shadows.

"No worries," the cat responded, finally stepping out.

Luckystar took one more moment to appreciate the beauty of the cave. It was a suitable place for the White Dove. Beautiful, natural and peaceful.

"Echoflight, I'm worried. I have only two lives left. Dark could very well take all of them," Luckystar mewed wearily. She was getting older, she could feel it. Her sister, Goldenperch, had already retired. All the cats in her generation that had been born in ThunderClan were dead or retired.

It's just me left.

Loneliness washed over her. I can't keep this up much longer. I'm weak. Only growing weaker.

"Don't go there," Echoflight suddenly mewed sharply. "Don't go to the place in your head where everything seems lost. Don't."

"I try," Luckystar replied. "It's hard, though. We're going into a war."

Luckystar had a secret. No cat knew. It would just make everything too hard. She recounted a few nights ago, when a StarClan cat had visited her.

"Hello, Luckystar," Ravenwing mewed, his black pelt shining with stars.

"Hi," she mewed, tucking her paws underneath her as she struggled to get comfortable.

"I come with bad news. I'm not supposed to tell you, but I must." Ravenwing's eyes were filled with sorrow and grief.

"What's wrong?" Luckystar immediately shot up. "Who's dying?"

Ravenwing hesitated. "I'm so sorry. But you are."

Luckystar felt like she had lost all her lives and got them back. "What? I still have three lives, though!"

Luckystar shook her head, taking herself back to the present. That was before I lost another life to the wind-spinner. ThunderClan just didn't announce it.

Now, she knew she was going to die, and nothing was going to stop it. I feel helpless. I know I'm going to die, yet I'm still going to offer to go help the Dynasty. I'm a mouse-brain.

Echoflight touched her tail to Luckystar's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Of course!" Luckystar acted cheerful. "I'm just worried about my lives."

Echoflight seemed relieved. "Well, that's natural. Being a leader taking their Clan into war is stressful. I'm sure you'll be fine. Is that all?"

"Yep!" Luckystar lied, walking back to her camp.

It's not all. That's just a tiny portion.

I'm going to die.