I've bet we all have come across a time when we've reunited with an old friend or family member after years or months. Seeing them again after so long makes you happy and excited and when you still get along even after not speaking to each other, it's even better. When you don't expect them to show up or you run into them again, I bet your heart skips a beat at the sight of them. You may hug or shake hands, but you're happy to see they're alive and well.

Then the time comes for them to leave, and you know you won't be seeing them for a while. You part ways and watch as they leave, waving them goodbye and then pondering how much time has to pass before you can see them again. Thing is, you don't know if and how they change, so when you run into them again, they could be a complete stranger to you. Depending on the person, they'll either wonder what happened or they try bringing them back so they can have fun together once again.

So does that mean we have to treat every goodbye like it's the last?

X X X

There was a moment of silence. It felt strange and unnatural like they were grieving the loss of a fellow warrior. Instead, each cat in the blood-stained camp shared the same, undeniable expression: bewilderment. Even Ashstar and Aspenstar were silent, faces unreadable through their masks of blood. The gray she-cat was sprawled across the ground, face frozen in a merciless laugh.

Shatteredstar's lips were curled back, jaws hanging open in a laugh. Her eyes lost all their color and they stared at the sky. Pelt mattered with blood, the rogue's spirit rose from her ruined body, finally free. Mothpaw wondered where the she-cat had gone. Did she open her eyes to stars and a misty forest? Or did she find herself stuck in a darkened forest, one where thorns pricked her sides and the metallic scent of blood clogged the air? Those questions remained unknown, and they would never be answered.

Aspenstar was first to move. She turned toward Clearwhisker's direction and lowered her head, showing her gratitude. "Clearwhisker, thank you for standing your ground against her. She wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't stepped in and fought. I'm proud to call you my deputy."

I think those are the first words of gratitude I've heard from her, Mothpaw noted.

The deputy shook her head and lashed her tail. Cats around her scrambled to hold her down, careful not to worsen her injuries. The white she-cat, on the ground, faced her leader boldly. "There isn't any need to thank me, Aspenstar. I would die nine times over to protect CinderClan, and I would put my life in front of my clanmates any day."

"Don't think about leaving me," the leader snarled, unleashing her claws. "I still need you to protect the Clan. If you die early, I will hunt you down in StarClan and drag your spirit back into your body."

Clearwhisker smirked, letting out a soft laugh. CinderClan glanced at each other, their hope refreshing one another. "I'll look forward to that day, but I'll do everything in my power to make sure that day never happens."

"I hate to break up this happy conversation," Speckleflash interpreted, butting in on the CinderClan leader and deputy. The two looked slightly annoyed but neither said a word. The cream warrior turned toward Shatteredstar's remains, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the mutilated corpse. "But did anyone find Deerleaf and her troublesome gang?"

Ashstar shook his head. "My daughter won't back away from a fight. If she wasn't here, then that means she found something else. I have a feeling these rogues aren't the same ones that Deerleaf chased after."

"How can you be sure?" Aspenstar fired. "What if there's another hidden den? Your daughter—"

"If she were here, you know she'd be torn to know that you can't even call her by her name," Ashstar suddenly growled. Apparently, the old tom didn't notice the words that came out. He slammed his jaws shut and the CinderClan leader didn't flinch. Her face was in deep thought, but she looked angry at him for interrupting her.

"I'll call her by whatever comes up first, Ashstar," Aspenstar finally replied, adamant. "Even if she's your kin, that doesn't make her my responsibility just because we're both leaders."

"Like it or not, I know you care for her," Ashstar whispered so quietly Mothpaw thought she imagined it.

Mothpaw held her breath, turning her ears toward her leader. She stayed silent, but her eyes spied on other cats, hoping they caught onto the words. Beechpaw had his eyes on Olivepaw, who was still in Runningpaw's embrace, traumatized to the bone. Speckleflash and Splashpelt didn't seem to hear it, as their eyes laid on the two leaders, both promptly waiting for orders or answers.

Why would she care for Deerleaf? If we're going off of that, shouldn't we all worry about each other? Mothpaw froze, suddenly remembering the tiny kit in the den. Along with the remains of Sagefeather. Her heart dropped to her stomach, realizing Splashpelt stood in the very camp his mate passed away in. The calico tom didn't sense anything; he looked fully tuned to Ashstar.

"Enough about your daughter," Aspenstar growled. "Where do you propose she went? Is she still on a hunt for the other rogues?"

"That's my best guess," the gray tom noted. "If she's not there, then she's somewhere else. There's no way someone like her would return to camp after a failure." Ashstar lifted his head, facing the direction of the two Clans. "There's no way she'd go back."

"So you've lost three cats, one being your daughter," the brown she-cat hissed. "And you're already in horrible conditions. With those three missing, it's going to be harder to survive, isn't it?" Aspenstar padded toward her Clan. She turned around, glowering at Ashstar with her entire Clan behind her. "Is this going to be the last time I see you?"

"Hold on! You can't just say that!" Speckleflash insisted, jumping ahead of herself. "You can't say because we're down three warriors we're as good as dead! You've lost cats before and you're still alive! Who says we can't survive?!"

"Because unlike you I know what to do and when to do it," Aspenstar fired back. "I'm not burdened by setbacks. I move forward even if other's think it's painful."

"Like you're one to talk! I can't believe you'd use—"

"Speckleflash." The threat lingering in Ashstar's voice made the warrior freeze. Whirling around, her leader had stepped up and pushed her aside. She slammed her jaws shut, but annoyance crept through her face. Splashpelt came up and whispered a few words in her ears. The cream she-cat flattened her ears and gave her fellow warrior a cold shoulder.

"When we get back, I want to discuss a few things with you," Ashstar declared, not waiting for a response. Speckleflash squeezed her eyes shut, revealing her teeth as she sunk her claws into the ground to let out her rage. Beechpaw padded over to his mentor, stopping a few feet away, unsure whether to come any closer. The she-cat shook her head, seeming to understand her apprentice's desire. The apprentice backed away and shot over to Mothpaw, nearly colliding with her. Back with her brother, the two siblings embraced each other and checked the other's wounds.

"Are we done here? Our source of information is dead, and I'm sure Thistleshade is back at camp waiting for us." There was a flash of empathy in Aspenstar's eyes. She approached Ashstar and, to Mothpaw's surprise, the two leaders touched noses. When the CinderClan leader opened her eyes, they were full of sorrow.

"It was nice seeing you again, Ashstar," she meowed, stepping back. Mothpaw, still clinging onto Beechpaw, noticed there was a deep passion burning in the she-cat's eyes. Excitement tingled at her paws at the thought of the two leaders working together once again. They gave one another one last nod of their head before they left, Aspenstar gathering her Clan up and leaving while the gray leader rounded his Clan together for a short discussion.

Suffering from a shoulder wound and limping on a single paw was Rabbitbranch, injured and defeated but alive. The old tom flicked his ear and brought a paw up to his muzzle and began to clean himself. Splashpelt's fur was mattered with blood, chunks of fur ripped out of it, but the black parts of his body hid the wounds he revived. Speckleflash still radiated uncontrollable energy, ready to fight, charging back into the fray relying on the adrenaline that still coursed throughout her body. The cream she-cat didn't suffer many scratches, but the warrior could tumble over once her body finally settled down.

Just as the rest of CinderClan left, Beechpaw snatched a glance from Slatepaw, who proudly lifted her head at the tom. The striped she-cat marched away after her Clan, following the tail of Lakestalk. Mothpaw and her brother shared equal wounds, but the energy difference between the two was the only thing that separated them. She had energy to spare since she hid during the last part of the battle - which she swore never to tell any cat. Her brother still took massive breaths, attempting to regain himself. Runningpaw and Olivepaw looked fine, except the two were still comforting each other, the black apprentice still traumatized by Shatteredstar's words.

Ashstar looked at all of them with sad eyes, noticing the missing apprentice they had lost. Mothpaw shivered, thinking about Deerleaf's words and warning to him about sending Stonepaw off into a battle. In the end, he did it anyway and the little she-cat was correct. She bared her teeth, the thought of who she trusted more splitting her in two.

Why would Ashstar ever send anyone to their death? Doesn't he need as many cats as he can get? Is he going to force one of the kits to become a medicine cat? And Deerleaf may be smart, but I don't think she's ready to gain anyone's entire trust. Mothpaw bit her lip, waiting for her leader to speak.

"Splashpelt," Ashstar started, and Mothpaw felt her stomach twist, already knowing what was going to happen. The tom perked his head up at the sound of his name. The MeadowClan leader gave him a sorrowful look, and the warrior's face started to morph into concern.

"Ashstar? What do you need?" he responded, voice starting to shake. "Did something happen?"

"Follow me."

Mothpaw thought she'd never erase the heart-wrenching sound from Splashpelt. There was too much rage, sorrow, love, fear, and regret packed in that single yowl. The other cats were silent to pay their respects as the tom mourned over their lost queen. The she-cat that had gone missing only to come up alive, with four kits at her side, three dead and lost forever and the other one hanging onto the slivers of life. The tom curled around his mate's still body, transferring any warmth that he could into her cold pelt, holding back the temptation to cry out.

The only kit that survived stared at his father, unable to recognize him with his dead mother and siblings at his side. The tom kit did resemble Splashpelt, a spitting image almost. However, the kit reflected the same expressionless and dead demeanor his mother had right before she died. He didn't say anything when his father tried to get him to talk or react. All the broken kit did was stare into darkness, no longer able to understand the situation.

"Sagefeather..." Speckleflash whispered, leaning forward. "No, you can't be dead..."

"No... This can't be her, she couldn't have died here," Rabbitbranch told himself, but it was useless, as Splashpelt continued to mourn his mate's loss.

"Does anyone know the kit's name?" Runningpaw asked, holding Olivepaw, who had stopped crying, but she was silent and clung onto her brother. "Did she name them?"

"Tumble," the kit rasped, hearing the apprentice's question. "Tumble." Then the tom kit returned to his monotonous look.

"Tumblekit," Runningpaw declared. "He's..."

"Sagefeather," Splashpelt sobbed, dipping his head to the little kit. Tumblekit didn't say anything, his body only swayed when his father touched him. "Tumblekit..."

The kit didn't shift his gaze. Tumblekit stayed where he was, staring at nothing. His chest heaved once every breath, but other than that, he was as still as a stone. Then quietly, his raspy voice filled the den.

"Who are you?"

Ashstar stepped up, nudging Splashpelt's shoulder. Grief-stricken, the warrior answered his leader, keeping Tumblekit near him. The MeadowClan leader hesitated, but then he pushed away the doubt and touched his shoulder with his tail. Mothpaw lowered her head, letting herself fall into her brother's side to slip away. She did her best not to look at the soulless body of Stonepaw.

"Let's go home."