As light from the sun cracked through the sky and a deceptively sunny atmosphere took over the day, Lightblaze found himself once again padding through the Clan, lost.

He had woken in the middle of the night when a cat from night patrol rudely stepped on him on his way back from patrol. The cat had made no move to apologize, seemingly indifferent toward Lightblaze's hiss of pain. The sound woke up a few cats around him, all of whom shot him dirty looks and pulled away, denying him the warmth of his Clanmates.

Now, as he stepped towards the fresh-kill pile for a bite to eat, the stares were following him across the clearing. He looked up to see Pebblestar eyeing him from across the camp. When the brown tom noticed him looking, he only shook his head and walked away dismissively.

A thick feeling of shame and embarrassment filled Lightblaze's gut. What was it about him that made Pebblestar distrust him so much? Even before Whisperstone started manipulating Pebblestar, the leader had simply dismissed his words. Was Lightblaze a bad warrior? Had he done something wrong to make so many cats distrust him?

Disgusted with himself, he lifted a small mouse from the pile, knowing that he wouldn't be able to stomach anything more. He finished the prey in a few quick bites, burying the remains with a precise kick of dirt.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Whisperstone slip out of the camp. Lightblaze's hackles raised, and he had to put significant effort in stopping it. Without a second to think, he dashed over to Waterwind, who was assigning cats to patrols for the day in Plainfoot's absence.

"I'll go hunting." Lightblaze offered. The disdainful look that she shot him made Lightblaze realize that Pebblestar or Whisperstone must have told her what happened.

"Go right ahead." She dismissed, turning her head to a different cat for a new conversation. Lightblaze didn't argue, just turning to dash out of the camp. The sick feeling grew stronger.

"No one would want to patrol with you, anyways," a cat said from behind him. Lightblaze flinched, but continued to run.

Soon, the cream colored tom tracked Whisperstone to the same place as before, on the border of BrightClan and GlowClan. The pale gray tabby she-cat was already there, the two already conspiring.

"...It won't be long now," she was saying. "All we need to do is remove Pebblestar, and have you take over the Clan."

Whisperstone let out a dry laugh. "His murder will be an easy thing," the brown tom chuckled. "He is a soft, careless tom. More importantly, he trusts me. All it will take is a fake patrol and some rogue scent."

"Just remember to wait until he has officially named you deputy," the she-cat reminded him. "We want a peaceful takeover. That way, we can make sure that we don't lose any cats, while also ensuring that every cat trusts us."

"He'll have named me deputy by moonrise tonight," Whisperstone dismissed confidently.

"And if he doesn't choose you?" the she-cat challenged with narrowed eyes.

"Then we kill the new deputy," he finished. She snickered, turning away with a flick of her tail.

"Send a message when you finally kill him," she told him, before disappearing into the undergrowth.

Lightlbaze sighed, digging his claws into the dirt. Was there a point to even tell anyone this new occurrence? Pebblestar certainly wouldn't believe him. The only thing that would happen, is that everyone would hate him even more.

The cream colored tom felt a thick darkness weigh on his soul. What was the point? Was there a point? Did anyone even care that he was trying to be a good Warrior? He just wanted the Clan to be safe, to prevent Whisperstone from taking over and murdering every cat.

He began walking back towards the camp, ears pricked for any other cats. Fate was kind to him, making both a mouse and a squirrel appear on his trek back. He caught both in quick succession, a little more violent than usual on his killing bites due to his frustration. At least no cat could complain that he wasn't pulling his weight in the Clan.

He padded through the camp entrance, watching as all the cats in the Clan had paired up, and were happily sharing tongues as the sun dimmed in the sky. He didn't dare to approach them, scared of their reaction to his presence. He simply dropped the prey on the pile, slinking back towards the Warriors den.

As he approached the entrance, a cat shouldered their way out of the den. It was Whisperstone.

"Excuse me." He grinned at the frightened cream tom, moving around his still body.

Lightblaze felt his stomach rebel and something clog in his throat. He ducked his head and slipped into the den, curling up in a small ball and just willing the world to leave him alone.

written by Blaze