I'm going to explain what "fighting for your life" to me means. You don't need to agree or disagree; I know we all have different opinions and we've all had to do some kind of debate before where we're split by our views. Taking a step back, I've never had a moment where I've fought tooth and nail to survive. I haven't been chased by someone trying to hurt me, gotten myself into a situation where I had to fight to live, or vice versa. My description may be off, but here's what I think.

I think that from the books we read or the media around us, we get an idea of what can happen in the real world. However, this is a slam to myself as well, no matter how many times we go over a situation in our heads, whether it's for a math test, sports competition, or spelling bee, we find ourselves lost and sometimes overwhelmed. It goes so well in our head, we think we have everything planned out and ready for anything, but sometimes, depending on the person, our mind draws a blank, making us scared and uncomfortable about our situation. Now add the fact you have to fight, and I bet that you'll tend to freak out and do whatever comes to mind. It's natural to do what our minds tell us, but if we make it out alive or finish the challenge, does anyone feel disappointed that all of the planning, training, and support all vanished in one moment?

What do we do when we're in the face of danger with something as rare, valuable, and precious as your life on the stake?

X X X

Mothpaw let out a strangled cry when a she-cat threw her against the ground, knocking the wind out of her for a brief moment. Unable to think, her attacker dove for her exposed throat, teeth locking around her painfully. Struggling, her back legs kicked frantically as her air dwindled. The she-cat was taunting her, making her death slow. The silver apprentice choked out a snarl, bringing her back legs up, pressing them against the rogue's underbelly. Mustering what little strength she had and using up the last ounce of oxygen left, she forced all of it into her legs, throwing the taller cat off her.

Lungs free, they instantly opened up, gulping down any air it could get. She rolled over, coughing into the ground as she regained her breath. The she-cat got back on her feet and advanced while she was done. Hacking up another wad of saliva, Mothpaw sprang off of wobbling legs, barely avoiding the incoming attack. A yowl and a black and white pelt went soaring across the small den, crashing into the she-cat. Whirling around, she spotted Splashpelt on the rogue, pinning her down while he caught her off-guard.

"Get up! Don't just stare!" he demanded, leaning in for the killing bite. The rogue slithered under his grasp and rammed her head into his underbelly. Mothpaw dashed forward numbly and wrapped her paws around the cat's neck, unleashing her claws. She was jerked around when the rogue twisted back and forth in a vain attempt. Splashpelt recovered, and he raked his claws across her face, and a yowl split the den as both warrior and apprentice teamed up.

Mothpaw stumbled back and Splashpelt advanced, jumping in the air, and smashed onto the rogue's back. Before she could help, he lashed out, clamping his teeth around her neck, and snapped his jaw shut. She froze, the life of the rogue draining out before her with a warrior she knew and trusted standing above it. The calico tom didn't show any signs of regret or distraught, all that was on his face was pure fear.

He doesn't want to kill, but they'll kill him if he doesn't make the first move, she realized, taking a step back. The weight of Beechpaw flying at her had enough force to knock her out of her thoughts. Her brother scrambled to his paws, shoving her out of the way as he lunged again, locking shoulders with his opponent. Mothpaw gasped, pushing herself to her paws and gave Splashpelt one last look.

Just as she expected, the rogue was dead, and Splashpelt didn't have an ounce of sympathy on his face.

"Mothpaw, move!" Slatepaw growled, barreling into her just as another rogue was thrown across the small den by Lakestalk. The silver tom sprang forward, catching the rogue before it crashed, locking his claws into the rogue's thin pelt. Mothpaw scampered out of the way when the apprentice next to her let out a yelp when a black tom pounced, shoving the tiny she-cat to the ground with a painful thud.

Forcing the pounding fear in her heart, she twisted around, avoiding a quick swipe from a white she-cat, who was pushed against the dirt by a surprise attack from Speckleflash. The two met eyes before the cream warrior yowled, ripping away at the fur between her claws. Mothpaw returned her attention towards Slatepaw, who thrashed side to side to avoid getting stomped on. Racing over, she threw herself on the tom's back, back legs failing to grip properly. Like she was a loose cobweb, she was shaken off.

Landing on the ground, she caught herself, forcing herself back up on her shaking legs. Slatepaw let out a snarl, and Mothpaw sprang at the rogue's tail, clamping her teeth around the skinny bone. It was enough to slow the tom, but not enough to give the CinderClan apprentice time to wiggle free. Instead of waiting, the other apprentice snarled, unleashed her claws, and attempted to throw the rogue off. Still clinging onto the tail, she squeezed her eyes shut when the rogue stumbled.

That was enough time for Slatepaw to break free, and the skinny she-cat slipped out, and then sprang at the neck of the rogue, locking herself around him like an angry snake. Mothpaw let go of the tail and bunched her muscles together, pumping enough strength in them to leap on the rogue's wide back. She nearly fell off due to the tom's romping in an attempt to throw the she-cat coiled around his neck. The CinderClan apprentice held on, seeming to freeze and unable to move without losing her grip.

Kill him, a darker side of her mind whispered. Gulping, she snapped her jaws around the rogue's ears, missing the exposed neck. Slatepaw let out a strangled gasp and was tossed aside, her body hitting the ground at an awkward angle, rendering her useless. Mothpaw's fur spiked up and her ears pinned against her skull, fear flowing up her legs like a tree absorbing rain.

"Slatepaw---"

"Last one!" Beechpaw announced, charging toward the two. Mothpaw got distracted by the intrusion and didn't notice the tom whirl around, causing her legs to topple over. Before she could recover, the tom pinned her down, making her squirm and thrash. Something sparked in her mind like lightning. She looked at the eyes of her opponent, and a low growl began to rise from her throat, something she thought she couldn't do.

Like before, she reached her front paws on the chest of the tom and pressed her back legs against the rogue's stomach, gathering enough strength to throw the cat away. Beechpaw came flying in, ramming his head against the rogue's shoulder, and she forced any strength she could muster into her back legs. With the two forces striking him at once, the rogue stumbled, jumping up in surprise, eyes flying after her brother's figure.

Beechpaw circled around the rogue and bunched his muscles together, hurling himself in the air with a yowl. Mothpaw scrambled back up and quickly stepped back, just as her brother came down, his front paws coming down on the tom's head. The rest of his body fell, and he snarled, raking his tiny claws furiously down the rogue. She peeked behind her shoulder and noticed Speckleflash pounce, missing her target by a few inches. The she-cat growled and got on her feet just as her opponent whirled around, lashing a paw in the air. A lingering prescience made her jump back when a skinny she-cat crept behind her.

"You're going to lose the battle," the rogue taunted, a cold sneer spreading along her face.

Mothpaw let out a fearful yelp and smashed her paw against the rogue's eye, and the rogue hissed. Another pelt came in, aiding her as she switched into a defensive stance. She caught a whiff of Rabbitbranch's scent, and the brown warrior pinned the she-cat down with ease. However, her lean figure allowed her to slip away and take advantage of the situation. With a growl, she wrapped herself around the tom's body, and sunk her teeth into the back of his neck.

She let out a snarl and pounced, claws hooking into the white pelt. Mothpaw frantically looked around for a way to free the warrior, and then she fought her way underneath the rogue's neck. From Rabbitbranch's struggling, she could feel the rogue's grip loosen as she struggled to fit her head between the narrow space. Letting out a hiss, she thrust her head through, momentarily stopping rogue. The brown tom began to wiggle free, but the she-cat's claws sunk into him like thorns. She summoned her strength into her legs and abruptly stood up, knocking the rogue back a few inches. Her claws ripped away some fur, but the warrior managed to break away.

The rogue came crashing down on her, squashing her. Mothpaw tried to move underneath her weight but was unable to with shaking and sore legs. She saw Rabbitbranch trudge over with a limp, blood still running out of the wound. Lakestalk came in with Slatepaw in tow, the silver tom barreling into the rogue over her - he didn't notice his tail whipped her directly in the face - and the apprentice stood in front of the injured warrior. Free, she scrambled out and looked for her brother, heart beating against her chest, breath caught in her throat.

Her body sagged to the ground in relief to see her brother, though covered in scratches, was unharmed. The last cat in the room was Splashpelt, who sent a tom scampering off with a single slash across his face. Speckleflash jumped in, landing on the back of the fleeing tom, pinning him down as he thrashed about. The rest of the cats in the den was the patrol, and Mothpaw raced toward Beechpaw the moment his mentor secured the silver tom beneath her. Slatepaw and Lakestalk examined one another for wounds while Rabbitbranch slowly trudged over, the wound on the back of his neck no longer bleeding.

"You need help," Slatepaw observed, pointing her nose toward the senior warrior. "What's your apprentice's name? The medicine cat one."

"Stonepaw," Lakestalk growled over Splashpelt. "If I had to guess, he's running for his life right now."

"You don't know that," the black and white calico tom countered. "Stonepaw could be in another den tending to other cats. We're lucky we managed to fight in this cramped space and win."

Minus those who have died, Mothpaw thought with a sad glance at the rogues. Are we just fighting because our views are different? They have families and friends too, right?

"Enough talking," Speckleflash snarled at the group, hackles rising, venom dripping out of her mouth while her eyes began to burn with rage. Her claws sunk into the rogue's shoulder harder, making him squirm and growl. The cream warrior bent down, balancing herself as he rocked back and forth.

"I know our orders were to return to the camp once we finish, but I'd like to know what you're doing." The she-cat flipped the rogue over on his back, pressing her front paws on his chest. Beechpaw and Mothpaw huddled together as his mentor began to advance. "What are you two standing there for?!" She snapped, causing them to jump at the snarkish lash. "Get out there!"

"But what about you?" Beechpaw cried worriedly, almost clinging onto his mentor like he did for Echoflight. Mothpaw shook her head, ridding her mind of the silver she-cat that kept them close, forcing the cream she-cat fighting to pin the rogue down away from a motherly love. Speckleflash curled her lip back, glancing over her shoulder at the two siblings. Warmth flooded into her green pools, but there a burning fire still raged inside her that shoved away hesitation. The warrior pointed her tail toward the exit.

"Don't worry about me! Use that stubborn head of yours and do something useful for once in your life!"

"You didn't have to make it personal," Beechpaw mumbled, lowering his head as Mothpaw became torn between laughing at him or crying at him.

"You heard her!" Splashpelt barked, bouncing back with renewed strength and confidence. "Ashstar needs us!"

"Aspenstar needs us!" Slatepaw roared, and Lakestalk gave his apprentice a soft shove on the shoulder, warning her not to speak. The silver apprentice rolled her eyes in disgust but padded off after the tom, slipping out of the den and entering the fray outside. Rabbitbranch staggered to his feet, placing himself beside Speckleflash, promptly placing his paws on the rogue to keep him down.

"I'm staying with you," he growled. "After all these moons, you still can't remember the basic skills." Speckleflash scowled, but a hint of laughter and joy spilled out of her throat along with the venom. The rogue underneath looked back and forth at the two cats and fought to break free.

"Go!" Speckleflash roared at the two apprentices. "Get out of here!"

Just to fight another battle.

"Speck---"

"Enough!"

"But---"

"Beechpaw!" Mothpaw begged, throwing herself in front of him, puffing her fur out to make herself bigger. Eyes pleading with him and hoping her voice could reach him, she said, "Our clanmates are fighting right now and we're staying in this den! Sure, it's safe, but I don't want to sit around knowing that Runningpaw or Olivepaw are fighting for us! Even CinderClan's fighting with us - don't you want to fight with them?"

"Not really," he grumbled, flattening his ears to his skull. A small spark of rage lit inside her and she stormed around, giving Speckleflash and Rabbitbranch a look of hope. The cream she-cat didn't return the gesture with relief or gladness, only annoyance and anger. Mothpaw heard footsteps behind her, signaling Beechpaw was following her.

"I don't want to lose Speckleflash," he whispered, soft enough for just the two to hear. "She's strong, brave, bold, and everything I want to be. Maybe it's because she's my mentor, but I can't lose her."

"Sounds like she's become important to you," she responded, flicking her whiskers at him. "I wish Sparrowblaze was here, you know."

"Then I'll just make up for his absence," Beechpaw confirmed. "Ready?"

"I'm not ready," she muttered.

"Then..." Beechpaw trailed off, frowning. The two siblings exited the den to an explosion of painful yowls and cats jumping in the air and squashing one another. She noticed Splashpelt had already thrown himself back into the battle, forcing himself between two rogues and an injured Stonepaw, which made her heart leap. The medicine cat apprentice struggled to turn around, and then he fought to get away. Ashstar clashed two heads together while Aspenstar jumped around delivering blows and slashes.

"Be ready then," he finally stated. "Ready as you'll ever be."

"Ready as I'll ever be?" Mothpaw repeated, raising a brow at him. "It sounds better when you say it, you know."

"Get over it," Beechpaw snapped, jumping back into the battle without another word. Mothpaw felt her paws race after him instinctively, jumping and dodging cats as they were thrown across the field or pinned down. She passed a hoard of CinderClan apprentices taking down a she-cat, Runningpaw and Olivepaw danced around a black tom, each avoiding his attacks by mere inches, and Clearwhisker surrounded a group of she-cats on all sides.

Please, I don't want to die today, she prayed to nothing. Please, don't let me die or my brother. Runningpaw, Olivepaw, anyone... Don't let them die.

Don't die.