There are those kinds of people in your life that are known to be happy, joyful, and can smile when times are tough. You know that their eagerness and possibly naiveness makes them who they are, and some people find it fascinating to watch them shine. But like every human being, all of us have days where we want to close our eyes and let the next day come. We have bad and off days where the light in our eyes or our energy just seems drained from our bodies that we walk around with our lips glued shut and mind off somewhere else.

Now, taking the fact that so-and-so is always there to brighten someone, what happens when we see that their light is gone and replaced by a lost soul? I'm sure we all know what a blank stare looks like on someone. Thinking about someone who is loud and practically emits energy turning into a walking puppet is hard to see. It feels wrong to see them like this, that dead stare, lifeless eyes, and clipped speech doesn't suit them. I may get angry comments for saying this, but I'm sure nobody wants to be lifeless - metaphorically speaking - and emotionally dead. When I say emotionally dead, I mean depression. Nobody wants that. I don't believe anyone wants that. 

But I bet there are people out there, maybe they aren't an expert at this, who don't want to see people like that and do everything they can to help so one day, they'll be able to see a spark.

X X X

"You make this so boring, come on," Shatteredstar whined like a kit, sitting down. Mothpaw kept quiet with the tom's paw on her back, watching the scene unfold. It threw her off guard that the leader had the impatience of a kit and the strength of ten warriors. The gray she-cat looked rather bored and didn't seem affected that her cats were outside fighting for their life against MeadowClan and CinderClan's forces. The other cats in the room were a she-cat who held down a wrestling Lightningpaw and two toms.

Stonepaw didn't say anything and kept his mouth shut. The gray she-cat standing in front of him resembled a starving rouge rather than a leader, and the peckish look in her eyes gave Mothpaw more than enough reasons to believe she was insane. Kinda like Aspenstar, when she thought about it. Shatteredstar rolled around like a kit until she bumped into Lightningpaw, who lashed out, claws scoring across her flank.

With that, she stopped and raised a threatening eyebrow. The apprentices went silent as the she-cat pulled herself up, legs quivering. The attack didn't faze her, but the fact the little tom attempted to scratch her seemed to catch her interest. Mothpaw shrank lower to the ground, keeping her eyes low, trying to hide even more. She did steal glances at the entrance of the den for a cat to come tumbling in. 

In the far corner, she spotted Sagefeather, the queen who she believed was dead, keeping a watchful eye on the MeadowClan cats. However, she didn't act, and all she did was slide back into the make-shift nest she rested in. 

"Why is your name Shatteredstar?" Lightningpaw snarled, swallowing his fear. "No cat like you should ever have a name like that."

"How rude," the she-cat said with a pout, shoulders dropping. "I guess you could consider my name as a mockery, but then again, I think a name is something special, there's no need to be ashamed of it. Does it bother you too much?" She leaned closer like an incoming snake, and the gray apprentice squirmed under the cat above him. Stonepaw let out a low growl, catching her attention.

Come on, Ashstar, Mothpaw prayed, squeezing her eyes shut. Find this den already! 

"You should never have star at the end of your name!" Lightningpaw protested, gaining his confidence, pushing himself onto his paws. The tom pinning him down looked amused, but his hold on the CinderClan apprentice didn't falter. Shatteredstar twirled on her feet, excitement sparking inside. "Only true warriors have that! You aren't one!"

"Oh? Who made that rule up?" challenged the rogue. A delightful lash of her tail sent Lightningpaw back a few inches. "It seems like someone wants to control you, but why would they do that? I believe each and everyone shouldn't be burdened by something as silly as a simple name. It almost sounds like you're afraid of whatever the cause is." She paused, waiting for any of the apprentices to respond to her question. When they didn't reply or give a single peep, her ears dropped to her skull in annoyance. The she-cat let out a groan, unleashing her claws into the ground.

"You guys are so boring. Were you ever taught how to answer questions?" She whirled around and faced Mothpaw this time. She jumped in her grip, fur spiking out as a protective shield as ice water ran down her back. "Well, I guess it's not hard to guess what you're all afraid of. It's StarClan, isn't it?"

Silence.

Joy flickered throughout her murderous green eyes. Shatteredstar threw her head back and let out a laugh. "You are afraid of them! And here I thought those were all nothing but lies and rumors!" She danced around the cramped den, feet stomping all over the dirt ground as she laughed to herself. The other rogues in the den only watched as she celebrated, not moving an inch to intrude on her parade. 

"And what do you know about StarClan?" Stonepaw snarled. "Shouldn't you be afraid of them if your name is Shatteredstar?"

"StarClan? No, not really. They're nothing but fake stories to tell. I'd love to see them prove themselves, but they don't. Why should I believe in them? It's a waste of energy, and I could be using that for hunting." Shatteredstar licked her paw and began to clean herself, a purr rising in her throat. 

Then her ears pricked up she went still. Her eyes narrowed and she eyed the entrance of the den. The rogues around her spotted the change and glanced at the exit, waiting for something to happen. Mothpaw held her breath as her heart began to beat against the ground, causing her entire body to move. Sagefeather lifted her head weakly, eyes straining to see a cat fall through. Instead, Shatteredstar returned her gaze toward her prisoners.

"It seems to me that you don't believe in this StarClan, but you still fear them. It's strange and why I find your Clans interesting, you know? Every day, I hear stories that you're worshiping those stars, and you're still going against them. You're supposed to have a huge meeting at a tree that could fall over any day every moon? Looks like that hasn't happened." She snorted, toying with them further.

"You aren't supposed to make cats apprentices until what, six moons or something? Don't care, anymore," she snapped. Mothpaw felt her heart freeze as her mind shot back toward her apprentice ceremony. Stonepaw cast her a fleeting look of concern. Lightningpaw flattened his ears and bared his teeth. 

"I heard that there was a Clan who made those apprentices too early. Now that was a good story. I think the best thing I've heard is the fact there was a supposed, banned love? Too sad and so so good. Granted, those stories are kinda common. That StarClan-loving cat that can heal falls in love and a cat from another Clan and eventually runs away to join that Clan. Brilliant! Might as well drill that tale into young kits."

"Leave those stories in the past!"

All of the rogues in the den jumped in the air as a brown pelt came flying through the entrance, smashing into Shatteredstar. In a blaze of furious snarls and renewed strength was Ashstar, and a skinnier pelt came through the entrance, being Aspenstar herself. Mothpaw felt her heart soar with the two leaders in the den. The rogues let out a surprised yelp as the two crashed into their leader.

Stonepaw and Lightningpaw took the chance and whirled around, catching their captors off-guard. Mothpaw held her breath and Ashstar came barreling into the rogue holding her down, causing the apprentice to scramble to her paws. Aspenstar locked claws with Shatteredstar, the two she-cats matching strengths. Instead of aiding Lightningpaw or Ashstar, she bolted to Sagefeather, who was on her side. Skidding over, she knelt by the queen's side and investigated, looking for wounds.

Her body was thin and weak, fragile to the touch. Mothpaw feared that a single touch to the cream pelt would shatter it. The queen's chest heaved up once every few seconds, her organs and soul still fighting to cling onto life. She faced the she-cat, looking at her closed eyes. Then Sagefeather peered one eye open, and the apprentice's heart dropped to her stomach. Scarred on the left side of her face was an ugly scar that reminded her of a raging river. Her left eye was sealed shut, and her right struggled to stay open.

They locked eyes and Mothpaw dropped to her paws, whispering, "It's okay, Sagefeather. We'll save you."

"Save him..." she murmured, clearly not hearing Mothpaw's words. Confused, Mothpaw glanced up and screeched at the sight of Shatteredstar pinning Aspenstar down. Lightningpaw took into the air with an enraged snarl, landing on the skinny she-cat's shoulders. The CinderClan leader thrashed under the grip, yowling as her opponent's claws sunk into her flesh. Stonepaw was backed into a corner, with Ashstar covering his small body as he dealt with the two rogues that held down the apprentices. 

Sagefeather rolled onto her side and, covered by her tiny figure, was a black and white kit, who looked more like a corpse rather than a living cat. Mothpaw's eyes drifted to the other figures next to the kit, and her face showed all her horror at the sight of three, cold, lifeless bodies. The remaining kit didn't look any better, and when the cat noticed her expression, they turned to look at their siblings around them. The queen lifted her head and gave the kit a small lick, which caused the kit to tumble onto the ground.

No... That... That can't be a kit... 

"Get out of here, Stonepaw!" Ashstar's roar snapped her out of the trance and Mothpaw abruptly jerked her wide eyes to her clanmates. Limping on a single leg was her leader, who struggled to hold the rogue over him and keep himself up. Behind him was Stonepaw, who was forcibly dragged out from his leader's grasp. The tom snarled and clung onto the ground with all his might but to no avail. 

Regardless, Stonepaw whirled around, ripping his own fur to get away from the rogue. Before his captor could catch him again, the tom ran. Mothpaw felt her heart flutter as his paws carried him to the exit. Then dread crashed over her when the medicine cat apprentice turned around and sprang into the air, smashing directly onto Shatteredstar's open back. Lightningpaw let out a yelp as the rogue leader came crashing on her paws with the impact. Refusing to give in, the gray apprentice let out a snarl, pouring out hatred as his claws sunk into the she-cat's neck.

The she-cat wasn't giving in so easily. Shatteredstar rolled onto her side, causing Stonepaw to come falling down, losing his balance. Lightningpaw stumbled back with an agonizing yowl as her back claws scored him across the face. On the ground and hapless for mere seconds, the medicine cat apprentice shook his head to recover. The rogue leader twisted around, grabbing his head between her two paws, and slammed it against the ground. 

Mothpaw ducked, using Sagefeather as a shield and squeezed her eyes shut as the leader let out a triumphant snarl. Within seconds, she heard the medicine cat apprentice yowl. She pressed her ears flat against her skull, biting her tongue to keep herself from shouting. Perhaps her hiding place wouldn't be revealed, but she felt her heat yank her toward the slaughter. She instantly regretted her choice at the sight of Stonepaw's head underneath the Shatteredstar's paw, a clean bite scored across his neck. His pale eyes stared at nothing, jaw hanging open.

"StarClan, if you're real, forgive me."

"Stonepaw..." Mothpaw whispered, voice growing in her throat. Ashstar let out a roar and whirled around, smashing the rogue over him to the ground. Aspenstar hurdled over, colliding with Shatteredstar, and caused the gray she-cat to spin. The two leaders grappled with one another, claws digging into each other's shoulders as they reached for their opponent's neck. The rogue leader got the advantage by transferring all her strength into her back legs and lunged forward, using that surprise to lock her jaws around the CinderClan leader's neck. Caught, the brown she-cat reared on her back legs, still fighting despite the lock around her neck. 

A yowl, and Shatteredstar broke free, causing Aspenstar to fall. Without a second to waste, she darted out of the den, slightly limping, and back into the battle above her. Mothpaw glanced back at the kit, who was still under his mother's head. Holding her breath, she gently lifted Sagefeather's head off the tiny kit, and the black and white kit glared at her. 

"Get back here!" Aspenstar hissed, standing on her legs, which made her wobble. Lightningpaw, who had one eye sealed shut, jumped over and offered his help, and was shoved away. The she-cat stumbled and collapsed on herself, blood flowing out of her neck. The CinderClan apprentice yelped and scrambled around, checking the wound. Again, the she-cat pushed him away and glared at him, locking eyes.

"Forget about me! Go get her!" she mustered out and then fell, head hitting the ground as her eyes fluttered shut. Ashstar, now standing over the limp rogue, looked at the slim she-cat and narrowed his eyes. Then he noticed Mothpaw and he recognized Sagefeather. He sprinted over and looked at the queen, fur rising at her still figure. The silver apprentice lowered her head, afraid to look at his eyes. 

"Shatteredstar," she dared to say. "It's Shatteredstar. She killed her. I'm sorry."

She lifted her head after a moment of silence, figuring the tom didn't hear her. Instead, she met a face of rage. Ashstar bared his teeth and stormed past, ignoring the helpless kit, and roughly snatched Lightningpaw from his leader's side. The apprentice snarled and fought to break free, but the MeadowClan leader's grip was strong. Mothpaw glanced at the kit and then back at the den. She leaned down, reaching the kit's height.

"Can you stay here?"

"She's dead," the kit rasped out, and Mothpaw identified the kit's gender by the voice. The skinny, pale tom stared at her with soulless eyes. It was something she never expected to see in a kit's bright, optimistic ones. The tom glanced at his mother, and then back to the rogues around her. He had to be starved and famished, she assumed, judging by his twig appearance. She leaned in and gently dragged him out, and even at that little force, the kit let out a soft yowl of pain.

I have to help them, she thought, looking at the slim exit, her teeth clutching the kit. He's not going to survive without his mother, could Tigerfrost take another kit? That's piling too much on her. Mothpaw whisked her tail around her back paws and set the tiny kit down. She towered over the tom, who looked up with an unreadable expression. Seeing him in this condition made her heart ache, and she wanted to see the tom grow back his muscles so he wouldn't fall over with the smallest wind. 

"I need you to stay here, just for a little bit longer," she promised. The tom didn't reply. Mothpaw backed away a few inches, and the kit didn't move. He continued staring at her with those dead eyes, revealing nothing but a lost spirit. She figured if she continued staring, then she'd never move and prove herself useless to her Clan - unless Ashstar thought staying with a half-dead kit was better than fighting. 

"Stonepaw," she muttered, forcing her gaze away from the kit. The unmoving body of the tom gave her another stab to the heart, knowing that she had spoken to him just moments ago. His voice rang in her head, the little confidence he had left in him shining when he heard after so long. And located a few inches away was Aspenstar's body, still unmoving from Shatteredstar's blow. Mothpaw returned to Stonepaw, dipping her head in respect.

"I'll bring StarClan down with my own paws." 

"You did it, Stonepaw. You dragged StarClan to the ground with your own paws."