Name that one person you can't really stand that much. Sometimes the best answer is to avoid them at all costs because anytime you guys are in the same room, chaos unfolds and you don't want to spend all day fighting with them. Then there comes some kind of moment when you have to be with them and actually get along without some world war breaking out. Maybe there's a chance one side actually wants to try to get along, but each time you open your mouth and say something, the other person only ignores you or says something back.

It's really hard when both sides know that they don't get along. Anything you do or even attempt gets some kind of comment. I've been there before when I've been paired with people that judge and snap each time I try to do something. It's a combination of both that make things hard, not just one person even if we see it that way. Perhaps both sides are trying to get along but both people don't actually want to get along. Counterproductive, isn't it?

And talking to them makes things hard because you don't know what they'll say and you don't even know yourself if you even want to listen to them.

X X X

"You have absolutely no right to speak to me or my real sister," snarled Beechpaw, marching ahead of Honeypaw to connect to Mothpaw's side. "You never came to visit when you were still around and I'm not letting you start controlling my life to grant you the moons you lost."

Please just drop it, Mothpaw begged, flattening her ears. It's bad enough he's back at the worst possible time with a small batch of cats, but if I want to go into a battle over standing here...! She glowered her over shoulder at Honeypaw and their companion, one she didn't know how to feel. Obviously, Beechpaw didn't take it to heart and constantly lashed and cut out, vowing to drive all of them insane to take out his long-awaited vengeance. How Ripplestone managed to stay clam and accept each attack was a wonder, but she didn't feel like entering her brother's rampage.

The journey to CinderClan camp seemed longer with him around, and Mothpaw picked up the pace each time her loud-mouthed brother happened to speak. Lasting a few more moments with him rambling and ranting would surely cause her to explode before they breached the war.

Even though a part of her wanted to talk to her father and ask him all kinds of questions that were never answered. Why Echoflight was against kits. Why he left. What plan happened all those moons ago and did it fail or succeed? Mothpaw fought the urge to talk to him with Beechpaw lingering around her pelt. She couldn't recall a time when she opposed the idea of her brother being a leech, as she never cared - or at least showed that she cared - when he got praise for thoughts she had. He might've sucked her brain clean, but she didn't mind because he was still there.

It was better then him not being there at all, but in this situation, she counted in her head how many steps it would take until they got to CinderClan.

Her paws were lighter as they approached the camp, knowing she'd have to fight and not hide. Even if she did hide and turn tail, she assumed a certain calico rogue would be after her neck now that a battle happened and all she had to say was she was killed by a different rogue - or she'd be sound asleep in a den. Then again, Mothpaw figured checking each den to see if Cedarsky lay waiting wouldn't harm anything. Unless Honeypaw got fed up with her and decided to drag her out into the frenzy herself, she hoped watching and picking out the leaders would be her best shot.

Cedarsky, Jaggedstone, and Soulfrost, she thought, the names sending chills down her spine. Watch out for those cats. Nettlestar said they were just as strong as him and Shatteredstar. Mothpaw held her breath as sounds of distant howling and hissing entered her ears. A battle would unravel and she'd be forced to join, fighting for her life. Then, after the dust settled on a pile of corpses floating in a sea of mud and blood, would their problem be over - hopefully.

Then what?

Would MeadowClan and CinderClan part ways and never see one another until another disaster struck that called for the two to join forces? Even if the apprentices were annoying and bossy, she still forged a friendship with some and learned tactics and solutions that her own mentor hadn't mentioned in her training. Where would Honeypaw and Scarpaw go? Whitepaw and Breezepaw were staying, obviously, since they were reunited with their mother and father. Beechpaw wouldn't hesitate kicking Ripplestone out of the camp, so that solved one thing. She still wanted to spend time with Lifekit, Lightkit, and Deathkit when they finally had enough strength to jump and play, and yet they stayed back at camp with Raccoonstem, all by her lonesome.

If she and her kits went missing, then Mothpaw placed the entire blame on the queen for staying away from the protection of her Clan. Her mind wasn't swayed even when Cedarsky taunted her, claiming that her kits would make easy targets for the taking. The only vow anycat got out of her was, "If I really do go missing and my kits are slaughtered, then I will fight and fight until I see CinderClan's glory again. If that means I have to fight the stars themselves, then so be it." There was only one cat that was proud of the warrior's decision, and that was the ticket to the she-cat's escape.

What would her new life be like without a missing cat problem? MeadowClan would still have to fight leafbare and all its trials and tribulations, but there shouldn't be a fear of going missing. Hunting would become a primary objective and the prey portions would get smaller and smaller each day. Mothpaw hesitated, wondering how many cats would be left after the battle. Just by guessing, she could tell her Clan was going to lose at least two cats, regardless if they fell in the battle.

And if she ever wanted to talk to her father, it had to be now or never.

Mothpaw slammed her paws to the ground and whirled around, hitting her brother in the scruff with her tail. Ripplestone stopped before her and gave her a tired look, examining her features. She but her tongue, wondering what exactly was going through his mind and if he saw any differences between the tiny apprentice all those moons ago and the one standing before him. Beechpaw scowled and put a paw on her shoulder.

"Just leave hi—"

"Tell me an honest answer," she started, pointing to herself with her paw. "What was this plan of yours that caused Honeypaw to leave?"

"It never worked out," he replied, flicking his ear. "There is no use wasting time on failed plans when it could be used to serve the Clans."

"What do you think of us when you look at your own kits?" she challenged, flicking her tail to her siblings. "And I mean all of them." Mothpaw tried to make her voice drop and eyes flash, but Ripplestone shook his head, dismissing her demands.

"Mothpaw, leave it," snapped Beechpaw. "If he wanted to answer them, then he would've done it already. Now's too late. He'll never love us like Echoflight did." His gaze darkened and with every ounce of poison leaking out of his mouth, snarled, "Don't you think it's funny how the cat who wanted kits never paid attention to them?"

"How do you know—" Ripplestone's comment was cut off by Mothpaw, who stepped even closer to him.

"What do you think of us?" This time, she channeled every part of her to snap and lash at him. Her lips curled back into a snarl she had seen so many times and the arch in her back mimicking the pose of her favorite villain from the stories her mother told her. A tiny, black cat with the strength of thousands with a fang of a dog or cat studded in a collar that strangled him throughout the day, whether she had heard him written down as a villain, she always wondered what mimicking him would he like, but with her current situation, there was nothing but mockery.

Before I rush into a battle, let me hear the words of my father.

"What do you want me to say, exactly?" prompted Ripplestone. "You're looking for something, aren't you?"

"Answer me," she argued, fighting back the 'sorry' that bubbled in her throat. She ignored Beechpaw and made sure to keep Honeypaw out of her sights. Ripplestone narrowed his eyes and for a fleeting moment, Mothpaw shook at a hidden emotion.

But her father shoved it aside. "I'm no father figure even if I did want kits. Echoflight was my only love and when you guys entered the world, I knew I had to protect you. I've never had the strength to walk up and openly show care, but if your old father could do one thing in your life, it'd be ending this problem all together."

"You're saying you're just a coward! Sure, what if you weren't sure how to approach us?!" snapped Beechpaw, stomping his paw down. "Whatever you say, I'm not buying it! Those long nights where you never showed up long after they fell asleep... Do you know what it's like to be lonely?!"

"More than you know it," Ripplestone sighed, motioning the rest of his group forward with a heavy paw. They asked no questions and passed by, exchanging curious and content looks with the apprentices. When it was just Mothpaw and her siblings left, he continued.

"Imagine falling in love with a she-cat that carried a burden on her shoulders when her own mother, the leader of MeadowClan, suddenly went missing. Then eventually, you become her mate, but then she loses her sister, and you lose a valuable sister. She refuses to give birth to kits out of fear but eventually conseves them. The moment you land on your eyes on your four kits, everything just freezes. There's so much to do with them yet you can't move because of the fear of the outside. One goes missing, leaving the family in pieces. The rest slip out one day and return with their dead mother, and your dead mate. Manage to bring one of them in hopes of protecting them only to realize she's changed."

Honeypaw's paws quivered and she looked at the ground, unable to say anything. When Beechpaw glared at her, the apprentice gave him a cold shoulder and marched away, heading for the battle. Mothpaw let her sister slip out of her paws, again. She watched her figure walk further away and join the hidden war, the yowls of cats ringing in the air like thunder.

"Knowing that your only living son bears immense hate for you and your youngest kit is torn between her faith and family," finished Ripplestone, eyeing Beechpaw and Mothpaw. They lowered their ears and the striped apprentice unleashed his claws, silently growling. "I understand if you hate me, but hold your tongue and let me fight alongside you just once."

Why did we ever leave and think we all could be rebels that day? Mothpaw growled, bumping her brother on the shoulder. He glanced in her direction with the face of a grumpy elder. With her stomach twisting, she snatched his neck between her teeth and dragged him closer to Ripplestone with much effort.

Once he noticed her intentions, he rooted his paws in the dirt, hoping to slow her. Instead, she summoned enough strength in her jaws for a forceful yank, her brother stumbling. She held tight and caught him by the neck, making sure he wouldn't fall entirely. Then she ran and threw her brother at Ripplestone and soon after, she jumped in as well, letting out a loud purr. Their father shifted and froze like a statue, staring at the fully grown apprentices as if a single touch would kill them. Mothpaw buried her nose in Beechpaw's pelt, adapting to his vain thrashings.

"What the—? Mothpaw, get off me!" scowled Beechpaw. "We have to join a battle! Move, already!"

"Father... You're the worst, you know?" She talked over him, wrapping her tail around Beechpaw to keep him still. Mothpaw gritted her teeth and embraced both brother and father closer, making sure her mind could snap an image of this. Paint every detail down to the very core so that she would have something to think about when they parted ways. Down to Ripplestone's statue-like pose and face of a frightened kit with both of his forgotten children wrapped around him - even if one was blistering with detest head to toe. Her brother's furious look stuck between a cat he loved with all his heart and a cat he'd love to see burn with all his heart.

It was the closest thing she could get to a family reunion, and Mothpaw grabbed ahold of the chance before it could slither out of her reach.

If only Echoflight, Honeypaw, and Gorsekit could be here.

"You're really despicable and disgusting to look at. You leave out of fear when all of us are suffering the same thing. The first moons you left were by far the longest, too," she spat, holding back the venom. "Then you come back after we've learned to stand on our own, claiming your actions were justified. What a sick move. I hope you know that even if you returned back, you aren't going to just force yourself in our lives. But, do know that even if Beechpaw hates you... I may not have liked or enjoyed your scar on him... I still don't know if I'm sure myself, but I l-love—"

"You don't need to say it," Ripplestone butted in. "If you're forcing yourself to say it, then it means nothing. Besides, I'm still your father even if I had no part of your life."

"Eww, gross! Get your paws off me!" Beechpaw snarled, pushing against Ripplestone's chest with his front paws.

"Do know that the gross part of me is already in you, Beechpaw," Ripplestone added and made his son snap and hiss, breaking away. Mothpaw and him shared a giggle and Beechpaw licked his pelt clean, smacking his tail against the ground rapidly to cleanse himself clean of their father's scent. He shook his pelt out and stomped in circles, cursing. She found that to be entertaining, seeing her brother jump as if fleas showered him.

Mothpaw snapped her jaws shut and shut her eyes, curling her lips back. "Listen, you can try to be a part of our lives or you can't. But don't get mad at us if we put up a fight when you enter the picture."

"I believe you're just assuming things right now," Ripplestone said, standing up to go to CinderClan. "But I won't tell you what you can and can't do. What I will do is try to protect you---"

"Which I don't need," snarled Beechpaw, flicking his tail. "I don't want anything to do with you, ever! Even if you could understand how much it hurt to see other kits and their loving fathers..." The apprentice's pelt shuddered and his face cracked like ice. He marched away without a second thought, leaving Mothpaw to deal with their father. Alone, she flattened her ears and skipped ahead of Ripplestone, keeping her distance.

But she wanted to run into his embrace one last time and have him close.

What happened was in the past, she thought, shaking her head. I have to enter a battle without doubt or fear... I can't just sit around and hope it'll end. Mothpaw gulped, her paws trembling like a newborn deer as she neared the camp with new screeches ringing like thunder.

I might die here.

"Echo- Mothpaw," Ripplestone corrected and she froze, her mother's name washing over. Mothpaw's eyes dropped to her silver paws and her coat, knowing she walked around as a second Echoflight. A small wave of anger pricked at her sides that her father still clung onto the lovely image of the silver warrior he'd fallen in love with moons ago. She unleashed her claws and wheeled around, blue eyes flashing. The look on her father's face stiffened, the exact image of his mate standing before him.

"I look exactly like her, don't I?" she challenged, voice low, "and I bet you think I'm just her doppelganger, right? That's really all I am to you." Mothpaw turned and before she could stay any longer, thrust herself forward, leaving a trail of snow behind her. She ran and ran for what felt like moons until she finally broke into the battlefield, the color of blood falling from the sky like rain. The apprentice hesitated, watching as Beechpaw already forced himself on a rogue's back that was dealing with Runningpaw.

Clearwhisker teamed up with Aspenstar to drive a hoard of rogues into the open claws of Ashstar and Speckleflash, the leaders and deputies taking down groups of rogues at a time. The CinderClan apprentices grouped together in a formation that shielded all of them and left enough room to attack incoming rogues that wanted to break their circle. Deerleaf hopped from back to back of each rogue, lasting only a few seconds before she gathered enough strength to reach the next enemy. Cedarsky's striking pelt was nowhere to be seen, and Mothpaw eyed each den, noticing the old leader's den unoccupied.

Right there, she thought, aiming her sights on the den. Why haven't Aspenstar and Ashstar gone for it yet? Dread set in her stomach as her mind whispered the unspoken answer. The two cats the leaders fought now were a skinny, gray tom that wove their wave between attacks and struck at any opening while the thick-furred gray and brown tom took on both of the leaders at a time, dealing impressive blows. Mothpaw swallowed and heard Ripplestone approaching, her paws taking her away before the tom could get any closer.

Fight, fight, and fight, the words gave her little strength in the face of a war. Mothpaw curled her claws in the dirt and set her sights on the leader's den. If I can just get there and get a better angle, I should be able to find the leader of this all. That's all I need, a better angle.

She sprang into the fray without a second thought, her father's last warning lost in the distant cries of a war.