From start to end, we're all in one race called life. Some start running before others and sprint as fast as they can to the very end while others take their time and enjoy the run before the finish line reaches their sight. All of us are running right now on this race, one where there is no winner or loser. We run side by side at different paces but all of us will end in the same place at the very end. No matter how much we deny it, we're all bound and destined to finish running one day. It's a fact about life and nobody's been able to avoid it. 

We have to take advantage of it while we can. Even if we were dealt with a bad hand, we have to push through and live. Do things and see the world because it's the only one we have. There's no way to rewrite the past or revisit in unless it's in our memories, so we have to accept what happens with our heads held high. Continue running even though we're out of breath. The end is our final warning, and we have to face it. 

What is waiting for us at the very end? 

X X X 

Honeypaw... Why didn't Beechpaw do anything?! Mothpaw thought from her position on the ground, coughing up chunks of blood. Beechpaw let out a cry and batted Daystar with his front paws weakly as Ripplestone took the rogue leader on, claws locked around each other. She looked at Honeypaw's limp body and scanned the field for Scarpaw but couldn't find the tom. Fighting against her nerves, she stood back up and was about to lunge forward when Cedarsky coughed, rolling on her good side, the wounds from Soulfrost stinging her pelt.

Through pain, the calico rogue gestured toward her leader, hissing, "If you want to beat her, you need the strength of five. She may only have one life left, so she fights tooth and nail, but that doesn't make her invincible. Even if she just wanted her home back... None of us 'chosen ones' ever wanted anything to do with it. Shatteredstar, Nettlestar, Jaggedstone, Soulfrost, and I... We never wanted anything to do with this." Cedarsky leaned over as her eyes began to flutter shut. Mothpaw held her breath and bared her fangs as the rogue ushered, "All I wanted was to sleep."

"Those are your last words?!" She snapped, letting her anger out on a dying cat. "Out of all the things to say you go down..." Mothpaw curled her claws in the dirt and roared, unleashing what little anger and annoyance she could towards the rogue. Cedarsky's sides began to relax, life slipping out as loud snores. The MeadowClan apprentice said and did nothing except stare at her paws, wishing that she could just dig a hole where she was and jump in it, sheltering her from the battle raging on and leafbare. 

She hung her head and let out a loud yowl, piercing the empty sky with her sorrowful cry, the walls shattering like glass as they cut into her ears, ringing an endless nightmare. Her family still fought with Daystar as she handled the warrior and apprentice, using Ripplestone's weight to her advantage as she swung a swipe at Beechpaw, bashing into his hind. He tripped and rolled, letting out a dangerous snarl. Cries of fallen cats rose to the sky and watched from above with their fears falling and crystallizing into the white snow that buried their homes. Blood encircled the camp, opening its wide mouth to swallow them up. Mothpaw gasped, staring at the snowy ground in horror, eyes shaking. 

Mountains of corpses rested among each other, the stench of death and gore rising and wrapping its foul scent around her neck, choking her. Glossy eyes open and staring at nothing, her own petrified expression reflecting in their blind eyes. Pelts soaked in one color of scarlet feathers, riding identities of the fallen ones. More cats fell into the opening, their screams and pleas of help being the last time she ever heard their voice. They fell like flies and hit the pile, adding another body to the toll, and the ones that stayed alive and on the edge cried out, reaching to help their friend. Some fell in and shouted for help, still alive when they hit the bottom, a mixture of pain and horror ruling their voice as they looked for assistance. 

Mothpaw could only watch as Cloudpaw fell, sinking next to a broken body of Palemoon. Frostlight lay beside Firefleck, the two siblings finally reunited through death's paw, limp tails intertwined as they sunk into a dark world. There were kits as well, their lives cut off by the sharp knife of a short life. Gorsekit's unrecognizable pelt beside Mallowkit, surrounded by a heap of CinderClan bodies. Echoflight was there, too, her silver face staring directly at her, sending shivers and thorns across her body as she looked at her dead mother. Another shout from the left and she jerked her head in the direction, watching as Berryfur and Alderfang tumbled down together, the two warriors still fighting to escape even as they fell into death's open mouth. 

Cedarsky hung on the edge, paws gripping the dirt for life as her body leaned forward, ready to fall. Then there was a golden flash and Mothpaw's eyes widened, ears dropping at the sight of her sister falling like a wingless bird, back-first into the stomach of cats. Her paws reached for the sky for something to grab ahold of. She did nothing and screamed as Honeypaw hit the bottom next to Stonepaw. 

It hurts... she thought, choking. It hurts so much. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Mothpaw leaned over, ready to hurl when a black cat materialized before her, paws hovering open the stomach. Its icy eyes pinned her in place, holding her attention. The black cat crept closer and reached a paw out, touching her cheek and she flinched, shivering. 

"I'm still hungry," the cat taunted, tilting their head to the side, a cruel grin spreading along their emotionless face. A gluttonous spark ignited and the cat laughed, looking at the meal below. "All of them put together are satisfying as a snack. I still want more... You do understand starvation." 

Mothpaw let out a gasp and spun on her paws, spotting Daystar pin Beechpaw down with one paw with Ripplestone on the side, sneaking around, watching his son struggle against the larger cat. Her brother suffered from a shoulder wound and a swollen eye, unable to block the attacks effectively. A yowl and the ex-warrior sprung into the air and came crashing down on the silver cat, squashing the apprentice underneath. With the strength of a lion, the gray tom ripped the leader off his son and threw her to the ground. 

"I want to go home," she prayed, remembering Echoflight's warm smile. "Please, just take me home." 

Daystar yowled and twisted around, raking her claws down Ripplestone's face, who snarled and pushed forward, claws sinking into her chest. Beechpaw, although weak and stumbling, weakly joined and smashed into the leader's back, claws locked around her as he yanked on her ear. Cedarsky's body went unmoving and Mothpaw tried not to hear death's laugh as it swallowed another cat down its throat like a mouse. She felt her paws sink and her eyes snap open, watching her family fight as she stood faraway, chained in place. 

Tigerfrost stood over an injured Lionfur, fiercely protecting her mate as three toms approached her, luring her into a tight corner. Leopardpaw rode on the back of one of them, clinging to his ratted pelt with Firepaw and Icepaw on another one. Flintpaw broke through with a determined shout, taking a back blow meant for the orange warrior, who swirled around and noticed the apprentice's sacrifice, his body falling back. Her face twisted into rage and fury toward the tom, who clashed heads with her eagerly. Finchpaw wasn't anywhere to be seen, her tiny body disappearing under snow's blanket. 

Lakestalk fought with his apprentice who limped on two paws. Clearwhisker stood on one she-cat, digging her claws into the rogue's face, keeping a tight grip on the thrashing pelt. Aspenstar knocked a skinny tom out of the way and came charging for the next rogue, throwing them to the ground and dealing the killing blow a moment later. A larger tom burst through and smashed into the scrawny leader and the white deputy cried out, releasing her victim and jumping onto the black tom. Brindleface fell under a she-cat and yowled, scoring her claws along the rogue's underbelly but fell still just as the rogue's jaws snapped shut, cracking the bone. 

"Take me home, now!" cried Mothpaw. 

I have to do something or else I'm going to end up like Honeypaw. Most of the rogues have been defeated or killed, so that makes things easy but Daystar still stands. If she falls, there's a chance that the rogues will stop fighting and listen, or they'll continue to fight to the bitter end. She squeezed her eyes shut and unleashed her claws, ignoring an icy presence form.

Even if Daystar truly had a good reason to kidnap cats just to bring back FogClan and DawnClan, forcing cats who didn't want to fight isn't the right way to go about it. If there was another path... one where she opened up to us about bringing back those lost Clans... maybe it could've worked out. She let out a sigh, a part of her not wanting to lift a paw against a cat in her family. Would Echoflight be mad at her if she learned that her daughter killed her mother? Mothpaw tried to not let that weigh her down and focused on the enemy, clearing any dwindling thoughts of kinship.

"If I can prove myself useful, let it be now," she muttered, shutting her eyes as memories flashed throughout her head. Waking up to Echoflight each morning with a bright smile. The games she used to play with her siblings, Runningpaw, and Olivepaw. Gazing at the highrock as Ashstar made announcements. Hiding behind her mother's pelt each time word of another missing cat filled the camp. Looking up at the height of the Moon Tree and finding Breezepaw and Whitepaw high in the branches. Foxes slaughtering brave warriors and her mother. Running into CinderClan and fighting with them against Shatteredstar. Learning the hidden truths in MeadowClan. Finding her sister again, alive. Living with CinderClan for the past moons as they fought against Nettlestar's forces. Heading out to end the struggle. Crossing paths with her father before leaping into the fray. 

All up until now. 

She jumped in front of Daystar, blocking the attack meant for Ripplestone easily. Using her size and speed, she slipped under her paw and came up, managing to reach the leader's neck and secure her teeth around it. Pain like thousands of thorns stabbing her rained down her back as razor claws ripped fur and flesh, leaving jagged scars. She held on and cried as her grip became weaker. Beechpaw snarled and smashed his paw against the rogue's face, blinding her in one eye. Their father got back and slammed his paws on the she-cat's shoulders, bringing all three of them down. 

Not wasting time, Beechpaw sunk his teeth on the back of Daystar's neck while Mothpaw, her legs twisted in awkward angles and going numb, still clung onto the tuft of silver. She growled and fought to lift a paw, digging it in one spot along the leader's neck over and over, hoping to worsen the wound. If she had enough room, she found an opening to slip under the white underbelly and attack from there, hoping that it would drain away her last life quicker. Instead, she was stuck in place, digging at silver fur until Ripplestone stepped aside and gave her enough space to drag her broken body out. 

Pain overwhelmed her body, weakening her grip. She screamed out of fear as her paws came down, claws matted with blood and silver fur. Her ears went numb, the only sound she heard was the sounds of her own shouting and Daystar's stomping to remove the three cats, trying to find an opening. Ripplestone forced her head down while Beechpaw danced on her sides and back, ripping away her strength one by one. Blood poured out of her neck, dripping onto Mothpaw's own face and paws, causing her to wrinkle her nose in disgust. 

Daystar's figure stumbled, showing signs of defeat.

Then Ripplestone leapt away. Beechpaw followed and landed beside his father, curling his lips back as he leaned against the tom for support, walking away from his hate for a brief moment. Mothpaw let go and summoning her energy into her front paws, she turned tail and crawled to her father and brother, meeting their eyes. She felt her jaws curve upward at their victory, heart skipping a beat. Hovering behind the two toms was the black cat, eyes sharpened and cursing. 

Something stabbed her in the back of the neck, wrenching itself through her muscles and organs, making the world flip. 

Beechpaw's face dropped and Ripplestone snarled, jumping over his daughter, smashing into Daystar, who leaned away after her blow. The black cat's eyes sparked with joy and laughed, coming closer to the ground, the snow continuing to rain. Mothpaw fell to the ground, paws unable to move as pain erupted like a volcano on her neck. It throbbed and when she felt a hard paw press against the wound, she jerked and cried out, blood flowing out of her mouth faster and without an end. Her paws shook and her heart skipped a beat, running away from the danger that came closer, her body no longer able to defend itself against open paws. 

There was a faint cry and then Mothpaw couldn't feel anything else. She blinked, hoping to shake away the sleepiness that overcame her. Beechpaw was standing over her, eyes wide with fear, something she hardly saw on him anymore. He shook her shoulders violently, snapping at her, but she let them slide off her searing back. The ground rumbled and Ripplestone came closer, shoving the tom out of the way as he dropped to his paws. She tried to follow him but couldn't, eyes becoming heavier each second that passed. Wanting to fall asleep, she let her eyes shut.

And something smacked her on the forehead, making the world spin faster. There was someone else standing around her, a pink nose shoved in her face. Mothpaw leaned away, surprised how much effort it took. Beechpaw got back up and then he crumbled to the ground, and then Ripplestone snatched his son, forcing him in her face once again. Confused, she narrowed her eyes at him, his figure becoming blurry. 

"Don't... me," Beechpaw cried, pressing his head against her forehead. "Not... yet. I... lose... too...!" 

Who... Beechpaw... she thought, letting out a long sigh. I... I... 

"Love... you," he whispered. "I love you, Mothpaw...! Not my... other sister... Not you... too...!"

She didn't hear anything else from her brother. She felt more paws run around her body, voices going unheard. Something stirred inside her like a warm light finally shone above her pelt and lifted her spirit. There was definitely something going around her that she couldn't figure out. Blurry shapes became less visible as her blue eyes lost their light, eyelids falling down at an agonizing pace. The last of her breath came out and her head began to fall, the last fuzzy shape she saw being one of two toms leaning over her, one whose pelt was the color of bark with a set of amber eyes that reminded her of the morning sun, and the other one with a pelt of rushing water with a similar set of amber eyes that reminded her of the setting sun. 

Her eyelids descended, placing a gentle paw over her ears that silenced the world. 

There was nothing but black and tranquility.

She sensed a black figure move closer and like a waterfall, their pelt color changed from black to a warm and welcoming white, the ice from their blue eyes morphing to amber ones that emitted a small heath. The scent was pure and clean and didn't have any traces of blood and death that lingered over them like a cloud. Something grazed her fur, no longer cold to the touch but soothing and peaceful. Sounds of dying and suffering cats faded with the morning bird's song overpowering it. 

A quiet voice whispered into her ears, prompting her to get back up on her shaking paws. Encouraging her to leave and explore new lands. Rise to the sky with new courage and hope, no longer weighed down by starvation and thirst. The voice was relaxing and tempting, soothing and sweet, bearing no harm or hate. The voice promised something new and great, a world that couldn't be found in any story or tale passed down by elders. The voice let out a purr, bringing her the same warmth she felt when she was surrounded by her mother's pelt. 

And then her eyes opened.