Teamwork. That's when more than one person joins together with other people when assigned something like a group project. Some people are better at it than others, others like me, not so much. Perhaps it depends on the person and who exactly we're working with. I bet we've seen a pair of people or duo that work well together that can complete near-impossible tasks. In order to do that, I bet there has to be some kind of trust shared. How strong does that trust need?

I want to go back to the time when I talked about best friends and how they seemed to have some sort of telepathic communication that only they can understand and hear. I bet that takes a lot of trust as well, so when paired together, they must be able to complete hard tasks and somehow read one another's mind. I always wonder how it works, even though I can semi-predict some actions of my friends.

Whatever the case is, I bet knowing exactly what the other person is thinking and coming up with a plan in mere seconds with both people - or more - knowing what to do and how to do it takes a lot of trust and knowledge of each other.

X X X

Shatteredstar stood over Olivepaw's body and gloated at Ashstar, who crouched himself into a better position. Around them, most of the rogues had fled or were dead, and the CinderClan and MeadowClan warriors had stopped, waiting for the command to attack the gray she-cat. The black apprentice had her eyes pinned on the leader above her, but her body had been defeated. Mothpaw held her breath at the sight of her friend.

Nearby, Runningpaw was on his toes, eyes glued to his sister as a fierce fire burned in throughout his body, washing away the pain in his wounds. The older tom was by Slatepaw and Cloudpaw, who practically held the MeadowClan apprentice down by his tail. Ashstar circled around Shatteredstar, who didn't flinch and merely smirked at the attempt.

The she-cat looked different in the sun. Her frame was much skinnier, almost deathly skinny. Mothpaw was surprised how much muscle the gray she-cat had in her despite the twigs holding her up. Had she not killed Bluestone, Sagefeather, and stolen a life from Aspenstar, she could've mistaken the leader for a starving rogue fighting on the brink of death. Thinking about the CinderClan cat, she glanced behind her, hoping to see the brown she-cat crawl out and spring back into the battle, claws out and ready to go with refound strength.

Ashstar didn't attack, but the circle he paced around Shatteredstar slowly shrank. The rogue leader curled her claws around Olivepaw's head tighter, causing the apprentice to wither in pain and Runningpaw to raise his voice in a low growl. The MeadowClan leader didn't seem worried about his apprentice's life on the edge, which made a part of Mothpaw want to scream and snap at his carelessness.

"Are you just going to admire me? Or are you actually going to do something? I'm starting to get bored standing here," Shatteredstar taunted, lowering her head to cover Olivepaw. Mothpaw noticed her friend's tail curl angrily, claws unleashed but unable to strike.

"I'm starting to wonder if you're blind," Ashstar commented, not removing his gaze from her.

"Oh? Why do you think that? I can prove I'm not blind, watch," she instructed. She blinked rapidly and faced the sun, which she abruptly jerked away, ears falling. Shatteredstar continued the jeer since her gaze had dropped as well. The she-cat lifted her head, eyes firm as a smirk crossed her face again.

"I can tell you that this pretty she-cat underneath my paws has a black pelt that reminds me of the night sky or the dark. Her body's weak, I could crush her if I desired." She went on and Runningpaw broke free of Slatepaw's hold. Beechpaw and Lakestalk came up and sprang, throwing the tom on the ground. Shatteredstar's eyes flew over and her green eyes bulged with excitement.

"Aw, how sweet!" she exclaimed, licking her lips. "Who is this? A lover? No, you seem too young for that. Unless you two are still living in fluffy clouds. This has to be your brother, isn't it? That has to be it!" Shatteredstar purred loudly in Olivepaw's ear, and the black she-cat struggled, wanting to break free.

"I'm asking you to release the apprentice," Ashstar threatened. "If you kill her, I will not hesitate to kill you just like how your rogues fell."

"But don't you need information?" Shatteredstar frowned, pretending to be disappointed. She rolled her head back and glanced at the fallen rogues. "Yeah, I know you killed them. That was kinda rude, you know. Since you killed them, they can't tell you information. If you kill me, you don't get to learn anything and I bet you'll be back to picking at bones. Killing me isn't the smartest choice, even if I'm a threat to you." She lifted her head high, promptly showing off. Ashstar let out a snarl, unleashing his claws. The old tom stepped closer and the she-cat lowered herself on Olivepaw, putting her entire weight on the she-cat. Mothpaw's friend let out a cry and Runningpaw let out a snarl, fury spilling out of him like a swarm of angry bees.

"Let my sister go right now you good-for-nothing rogue!" he roared, managing to throw himself up a few inches. However, the warrior above him shoved him to the ground, keeping him down. Runningpaw let out a yowl and fought, eventually wearing himself down. Mothpaw stayed where she was, afraid to move a single paw out of place. Shatteredstar and Ashstar looked ready to kill, and the venom seething out of their eyes clogged her vision.

"Let go of the apprentice, we'll find other ways to get information about you," stated Ashstar. "That's my final warning."

"You're going to attack me even though your apprentice is at my mercy?" Shatteredstar laughed, throwing her head back as her claws clenched Olivepaw. "You know, I seriously thought you guys were smarter than this! All of those stories I thought were rumors were true! This is too good to be true!" She kept her head back, laughing and shouting to the sky above. Cats around the deranged leader stiffened, prepping themselves to run or fight.

"What stories have you even heard?" This time, it was Clearwhisker that stepped up beside Ashstar. "Why do you think of us as mere entertainment purposes than cats with lives? Every cat here has families, hopes, and dreams. You can't justify us all because of pure stories. If we lived on stories, then we'd be fatter than an old mole!" The CinderClan deputy stood up, fur rising along her spine, claws unleashing into the dirt below.

"What I'll never get with you Clan cats is the fact you worship this StarClan. Yes, I've heard you truly believe StarClan has left you. Let's face it: they probably have," she said those words with hate and enjoyment, seeing rage directed toward her filled her lungs. Shatteredstar looked at each cat, and Mothpaw felt her fur jump off her pelt when the crazed flash in her eyes landed on her. The gray she-cat's chest began to heave with immense excitement, breath coming out as gasps. Her eyes twitched uncontrollable as her words flew out of her tongue.

"So why are you still following their rules? Healing cats shouldn't have kits, but they still do today! Kits aren't supposed to start training until a certain amount of moons, but you make them train before they reach that age! You're supposed to meet somewhere for peace, but you ignore it out of your own fear! You're breaking so many rules yet you still beg for them to come to you and send you some useless prophecy!"

Make it stop! Stop it! Make her stop, please! Stop her! Stop her!

"Choose a side already! Are you really hapless cats who can do nothing on your own and seriously need a dead cat's spirit on your shoulder telling you what to do every single moment of your life? Or are you cats who say StarClan isn't real, break their rules, but hope they come back to give you some nonexistent guidance? It sounds like you're scared of them even though you've pronounced them dead! How can you fear the dead? They're dead! They're dead! They're dead!"

Ashstar threw himself at Shatteredstar while she gloated and celebrated, ramming into her side. The she-cat let out a shriek and fell off of Olivepaw and crashed onto the ground. The black apprentice scrambled onto her paws, tears in her eyes, and she ran toward Runningpaw, who Lakestalk released. The brother and sister reunited, with the black she-cat sobbing into his shoulders as he fiercely protected her.

Shatteredstar hit her back and yowled, but her eyes were yearning for more. The gray she-cat spun around and lashed out just as Ashstar came crashing down on her. Clearwhisker turned around and darted left, sneaking behind the rogue leader from behind. While the MeadowClan leader managed to throw the she-cat across the field, the CinderClan deputy sprang, claws landing on her stomach. The white she-cat snapped her jaws around her oponent's neck, drawing blood. The rogue leader snarled, blood flowing out of the wound. She thrust her both her legs up, claws stabbing the deputy in the underbelly.

Distracted, Shatteredstar slipped out, lean as a snake, and wrapped herself around Clearwhisker, front paws pushing against the deputy's back, back paws and legs supporting herself. The leader snapped her head around, grabbing a chunk of flesh in the deputy's neck, ripping away patches of white fur. The white she-cat yowled and attempted to break free, but the rogue around her was like a snake. She thrashed around, causing the grip around her neck to jerk, causing more pain.

A gray pelt came flying in, claws sinking into the sides of Shatteredstar. Ashstar yanked the she-cat off and smashed the she-cat onto the ground. The gray she-cat's claws ripped away fur and more flesh as she fell, which made Clearwhisker yowl. However, the white deputy threw her front paw down, smashing it against the rogue's face, catching her in one eye. The rogue let out a laugh rather than a yelp of pain. The she-cat seemed to absorb pain, and she used that to keep pushing herself further, despite the neck wound that poured out her strength.

On the ground, the she-cat used her back legs and tossed Clearwhisker across camp. The deputy crashed into a group of CinderClan cats, who immediately rushed over to help her. When she struggled to lift herself back on her paws, they pushed her back down, voices overlapping in her safety.

Then the rogue dealt with Ashstar, grabbing his shoulders with both of her paws. Despite the disadvantage, Shatteredstar put up a fight, yanking her paws down, claws scaring the tom's shoulders and front paws. Mothpaw's leader backed away for a split second, but that was all the she-cat needed to get back up. She sprang onto her paws and lunged, smashing into him. They hit the ground and the she-cat pinned him down. Her back was hunched, an indescribable lust lingering in her eyes. The MeadowClan leader was unable to move, and the rogue loomed over him.

"Where's StarClan now?" she demanded, voice loud so every cat could hear them. "Gone? Guess what? StarClan's gone now. StarClan's gone. Now you'll be gone, right? Nine lives, I see," she mused, tilting her head. "Yes, killing you nine times."

Cats began to advance toward the two leaders.

"Stop," Ashstar snarled at his Clan.

"StarClan's gone. Gone, gone, gone, gone!"

"Stop boasting," growled the MeadowClan leader. "It's going to be your fall."

"Fall? Like how StarClan fell?" Shatteredstar's eyes flashed. "I'd like that very much. Falling and ceasing to exist. That sounds lovely."

Why would you ever want to...?

"If I don't exist, I don't have to kill," she explained. "You think I want that? No! It's so much fun though, so much that the desire is killing me."

"Then get off me," Ashstar offered.

"But killing... I... I have to! It's too much fun! I can't just abandon it! So, say your dumb goodbyes!"

"It's time," Ashstar growled, shutting his eyes. "Go, Aspenstar."

Directly behind the two leaders, a brown pelt sprang out of the hidden den, aimed straight for Shatteredstar. Aspenstar crashed into the rogue she-cat, paws placed directly on her enemy's neck. The two hit the ground and a loud snap emitted throughout the camp. Not waiting for another chance, the CinderClan leader slashed at the she-cat's face, knocking it back and forth like it was a game of mossball. The firey she-cat snapped her jaws around the broken neck and sunk her thorn-like teeth in, drawing as much blood as she could. The fire in her eyes burned, burning away any weakness or injuries, burning away at the cat at her mercy.

Shatteredstar's eyes fell on the neck wound. She jerked once and fell still. Then her eyes opened again and she fought but fell still for a third time. She continued to fight, resting her eyes hoping to recharge her dwindling energy. Mothpaw watched with wide eyes as the rogue jerked a forth time. Then she did it for a fifth time. Then a sixth. Finally, she snarled on the seventh jerk and fell limp in Aspenstar's jaws.

The CinderClan leader dropped the body, letting the gray pelt hit the ground with a loud thud. Cats stared at the gray pelt as if they didn't believe the sight. Laying in the center of the camp was Shatteredstar, life sucked away by a broken neck.

And for once, there was silence.