Tigermask growled, glaring daggers at Meadowclaw. He knew he could easily over power her, but it would be a lot harder to so with how outnumbered he was. He glanced behind the three-legged feline, frowning at the sight of his leader's lifeless body. He relaxed his shoulders, sheathing his claws- accepting Meadowclaw's offer. "Ivysong." He called for the Sunclan deputy, before grabbing Dieselstar's body. Eclipseclan would get their revenge.

Stormblaze had watched the entire scene, dread filling his chest at the sight of his clan-mates ripping the eclipseclanner apart. He made a move to step forward, but stumbled, still a bit drowsy from the blood loss.

Midnightstorm watched as Yellowthorn took the second of Dieselstar's life, and leaned down, crunching the back of her neck easily between her teeth as all eighteen of his claws digging into her soft flesh and tearing deep gashes that all spilled her blood heavily onto the ground, deeper than StarClan would be able to heal. He smirked softly, relishing the taste of her blood in his mouth as he pulled away, spitting the red fluid from his mouth and watching as it spatter over the ground. He kept her pinned to the ground, watching as her lives passed her by, the hunger still in his icy eyes.

Dieselstar's eyes had rolled back in her skull as Tigermask yowled, her consciousness so far from him that that even the loudest screech could not reach her where she was, grasping for the starry forms of her ancestors. She was helpless, dead, but not dead, left defenseless against the MoonClanners' attacks.

Dieselstar's vision began to waver as the bloodloss and pain overtook her. She could feel her blows becoming weaker, her attempts to free herself growing inexact and powerless. Her image flickered, uncertain, as she felt her breath leaving her and white spots appearing before her.

StarClan, she thought, grasping for certainty and shape to the white spots, the field of starry cats she'd been taught to expect, some meaning in the deep sense of grogginess rising from stone-heavy limbs she couldn't move as she tried to get to her feet, suddenly feeling weight across herself as though she were laying down. One of the stars? Cats? Nothing but the air-starved gasps of her bending mind, desperate for another chance? It broke from the crowd and walked toward her at a slow, rolling pace, and she cried out to him, but his pace did not quicken-

Yellowthorn hadn't anticipated the she cat would turn on him again so quickly. It was evident now that he was a rather poor fighter, but everyone around him seemed oblivious to the fact for now. He screamed as her claws met his face, dragging through his fur from his ear, over his left eye, and down to his nose. He backed away immediately as blood poured over his face, blinding him. The tom stumbled around the battlefield, bumping into Midnightstorm and the EclipseClan leader before reaching the safety of the sidelines and collapsing onto the ground in pain. His one good eye watched as the warriors screeched around him and fur went flying through the air. He knew it would only end with either Dieselstar's death or the obliteration of the MoonClan patrol and for once, the tom actually felt fear for what happened next.

Tigermask pinned Stormblaze to the ground, barring his teeth at the younger feline. Blood caked a wound on his shoulder and blood flowed from a cut above his eye but other than that, the striped warrior was raring to go. His claws sunk into the soft underbelly of the moonclanner, a pained yowl meeting his ears as he swipped his paws downward. Three deep gashes were left in the white and grey warriors stomach, blood staining his pelt further. Stormblaze struggled and twisted underneath the large eclipseclanner. He managed to flip the over, coughing up some blood as he did so. Stormblaze slipped away from the fight, wobbling slightly on his paws.

"I thought you'd put up a fight. Guess I was wrong." Tigermask taunted, dashing forward to slash at Stormblaze's already scarred face.

The child-like tom-cat let his signature toothy grin spread across his face, ocean blue eyes glinting. As soon as the eclipseclanner swiped his paw downward, Stormblaze side-stepped. Adrenaline fueling his movements as he ducked away and surged forward. His fangs enclose around Tigermask's throat and the force with which he propelled himself sent the striped warrior backward. Tigermask's lost his breath, the weight of the moonclanner squishing him against the ground. He took notice of the way Stormblaze babied his shoulder. Taking advantage of this, tigermask swung his paw which collided with the other tom's shoulder.

Stormblaze yowled, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he fell to the ground. He growled slightly, glaring up at Tigermask as he stood over him/

Midnightstorm jolted out of his thoughts, icy eyes glancing around quickly. The coldness came back as he saw Dieselstar attacking his Clanmates, a snarl ripping from his throat at the sight. He jumped at her, landing on her back and digging his claws in, teeth aiming for the back of her throat. He growled again, back claws raking at her sides, huge front paws pinning her to the floor to keep her in place.

It was a disaster. Stormblaze was thrown off of Ivysong rather weakly, the nimble tom landing on all fours before he looked up at the battle field before him. Midnightstorm was facing off against a striped warrior who stood over the body of a queen. Meadowclaw and Juniperspring were double teaming dieseltooth, Yellowthorn did his very best to fight against Sunclan's deputy. Panicked filled his chest when he found no traces of Stormpaw. His ocean blue eyes frantically scanned the battle field finding her just behind ivysong and yellowthorn. Stormblaze could finally breath again, but this time he had to choose which of his clan-mates he would help.

Midnightstorm seemed frozen to the spot and with the moonclan deputy distracted, Tigermask lept forward only to be shoved away by the appearance of a white and grey warrior. "Midnightstorm! Snap out of it!" Stormblaze yowled before he collided with tigermask with claws outstretched.

Dieselstar aimed one last blow at Stormblaze as he left her to attack Ivysong and scrambled to her feet, bracing herself in a defensive pose as Meadowclaw slammed into her. Meadowsong didn’t send them both crashing to the ground, but her bite landed true and Dieselstar almost gasped as Meadowclaw’s teeth sunk into the musculature of her chest. She dropped her weight forward onto Meadowclaw, bending her neck to land a bite high on Meadowclaw’s neck, just where it met the base of her skull. She couldn’t get a good enough grip to break the cat’s neck, but her teeth sunk deep and she held on, resolved to take flesh with her when Meadowclaw bucked back. However, in doing so, she strained the skin of her chest and tore ragged stretches from Meadowclaw’s jaws, dripping blood against her legs and down her stomach.

Juniperspring flipped herself back to her feet as Midnightstorm shoved the EclipseClan queen off of herself, her ears roaring so thickly with the heat of battle that the words of the cats’ exchange was lost on her as, with Meadowclaw, she streamed toward Dieseltooth and landed a bite on her flank just as Dieselstar yanked herself upward to take hold of Meadowclaw’s neck. Dieseltooth released Meadowclaw and yanked herself free, then lashed a heavy paw backward toward Juniperspring, catching her against the jaw and sending the she-cat reeling backwards. She pounded toward the cat, as quick as she had been in the full flower of her youth and crashed into her, pinning her down and thoughtlessly grabbing hold of the she-cat’s throat, yanking upward and spilling blood against the filthy rocks of the riverbank.

As he tore Robinflame's throat open, the sight of her blood spilling over his paws, he realized it wasn't quite enough. He wasn't sure why, he felt so detached that he didn't even regret it, or feel bad about it, but as Tigermask pulled him off of her and yowled at him, something inside him cracked. Midnightstorm glanced up at the striped warrior, not really feeling the claws and teeth that the other had used to pull him away, his eyes a bit hazy as the words spilled from his mouth. "A queen..." He repeated, his mind not quite catching up yet. The mockery didn't even really get through to him, as his mind worked to put himself back together, turn him back into the cold, unfeeling monster tragedy had turned him into.

The gray and yellow patched tom fell onto empty dirt with a defeated grunt, frustrated that his quite obvious incoming attack failed. He paused, crouched, and waited for her counter-attack but the she-cat was too quick and he felt the sting of claws in his side as she ripped the fur from his body. He bared his teeth and hissed, retaliating this time with force and swinging out his claws toward the she-cat's head, determined to scratch her pretty and untouched face.

Ivysong was prepared, and as she scanned her surroundings she saw Yellowthorn leap her way. She quickly dodged to the side, her small size giving her the advantage of being able to move quickly, before turning back around and swinging her claws at the tom's flank, trying to catch him off guard.

Yellowthorn had trailed off behind the patrol and went to do some hunting. He wasn't inclined to stay and listen to call the cats trade insults while following Midnightstorm - a zombie. He noticed the tom had completely lost himself recently and Yellowthorn credited himself though it had nothing to do with him. He dropped his meager catch at the bottom of a tree and jogged off to catch up with the patrol. They weren't hard to find; screeching cats near the EclipseClan border only meant one thing. The tom sped up until he reached them, nearly colliding with Midnightstorm as he emerged from a bush. The black tom was fighting off an EclipseClan warrior and he watched for a split second, amazed that the deputy could fight at all. Yellowthorn didn't care why, but he was glad there was finally a fight he could join in. His gray eyes spotted a she-cat who seemed to be just standing about and he took his chance, lunging forward and leaping up into the air above her in an attempt to attack her back. He had skipped out most of his apprentice training and he would soon show the price he would pay for it.

Stormblaze’s first blow landed true and his claws tore through Dieselstar’s face and left an ugly, ragged cut from her brow to her jawbone. Just as he went forward for a bite, she threw her weight to the side and his bite caught only her fur as the went flying into the mud, her landing squarely against him and digging his wounded shoulder into the muddy ground. She wildly tore out, aiming a raking claw strike across his flank while she had him momentarily pinned.

Juniperspring fell back as Robinflame tackled her, taken aback by the queen’s ferocity. However, in doing so, Robinflame had exposed her stomach even more to the she-cat and Juniperspring aimed another kick up at her soft underbelly.

Midnightstorm's claws flashed in the light as he fought back, snarling and managing to switch their positions so that he was pinning Tigermask instead, tearing at his sides and stomach with his back claws. He barely noticed Stormblaze come to his defense, but he appreciated it in his own way, tail flicking slightly.

Dieselstar let Midnightstorm go as Tigermask took up the fight with the cat, instead focusing her attention on Stormblaze's challenge, which she responded to with a wordless yowl and plowed into him, aiming an unforgiving bite on his shoulder.

Juniperspring tussled with Robinflame, struggling to put the she-cat's heavy milk scent out of mind as she aimed a clawed kick against her stomach.

At the same time the battle started, Stormblaze abandoned his post beside his apprentice. He yelled back over his shoulder for the young she-cat to stay put while he ran to assist his clan-mates. He was at Midnightstorm's side, and then he was headbutting Dieselstar in the chest. He blocked the eclipseclanner's view of his deputy, determined to keep Midnightstorm from doing something he might regret or worse, getting himself killed. "Back off." The grey and white tom-cat snarled.

----

Tigermask wasted no more time and launched himself into battle, his eyes ablaze. Dieselstar's words rang in his head as he ran. He propelled himself into Midnightstorm, his claws dug into the Moonclanners shoulders. They tumbled together, claws slashing and teeth clashing until the striped warrior had Midnightstorm pinned.

----

Robinflame collided with Juniperspring then, doing her best to fend off the Moonclanner with her inexperience with fighting. She was also a little weak from her time nursing her kittens.

The deputy snarled and almost immediately regained his balance, swiping at her face viciously, icy eyes narrowing slightly as he moved into a defensive stance.

A growl ripped itself from Midnightstorm's throat at the taunt, and he glanced at Meadowclaw for a brief second. "Well, here's your chance. Make the most of it." Then he turned and hurled himself across the border, unusually long claws flashing in the light as he landed square on Dieselstar's shoulders, his claws digging into her fur, his teeth bared.

Stormblaze decided to distract Stormpaw from their clan-mates argument by showing her some defensive battle moves. From where he stood, the Eclipseclan/Sunclan patrol couldn't see him. "A really good battle strategy my brother and I used to practice as apprentice is called Partner fighting. You could also call it back-to-back, whatever you'd like." The last thing he wanted was to fight, but when push comes to shove it's hard to avoid. The more Dieseltooth chose to insult his clan-mates, Stormblaze would have no choice but defend the cats he cares about. "What you do, is stand back to back with your partner. You help watch their back and they help you watch yours. Fighting as a team becomes real dangerous for enemies because not only are you defending yourself and your clan-mate, but you're also attacking as well." He smiled at her, hoping it made sense without a demonstration. "We can practice it later, once we're finished up here."

----

Tigermask turned toward Dieselstar, wondering what his leader was waiting for. He could understand why she wanted to wait for the Moonclan patrol to attack first, but the longer they stood out here, the longer he continued to get soaked. "It seems they're too afraid. Moonclan is full of weak pieces of Mousedung."

Stormblaze decided to distract Stormpaw from their clan-mates argument by showing her some defensive battle moves. From where he stood, the Eclipseclan/Sunclan patrol couldn't see him. "I really good battle strategy my brother and I used to practice as apprentice is called Partner fighting. You could also call it back-to-back, whatever you'd like." The last thing he wanted was to fight, but when push comes to shove it's hard to avoid. The more Dieseltooth chose to insult his clan-mates, Stormblaze would have no choice but defend the cats he cares about. "What you do, is stand back to back with your partner. You help watch their back and they help you watch yours. Fighting as a team becomes real dangerous for enemies because not only are you defending yourself and your clan-mate, but you're also attacking as well." He smiled at her, hoping it made sense without a demonstration. "We can practice it later, once we're finished up here."

----

Tigermask turned toward Dieselstar, wondering what his leader was waiting for. He could understand why she wanted to wait for the Moonclan patrol to attack first, but the longer they stood out here, the longer he continued to get soaked. "It seems they're too afraid. Moonclan is full of weak pieces of Mousedung."

He growled again, his eyes flashing. "I am being a deputy. You need to learn when to speak, and when to shut your mouth." He hissed, tail lashing. "I don't lie, and no leader in their right mind would willingly fight for no reason. That isn't cowardice, it's the intelligent thing to do."

Meadowclaw's eyes narrowed, "Now you're lying through your teeth," she said, standing straight. Now, they were in familiar territory. "Midnightstorm, no cat is without emotion. That's the way it has been, and its the way it'll always be. You can't hide from it- StarClan made you that way. I felt sadness when my mate died, and I feel anger when I look down on you. This is cowardice. I don't know what happened, but you better process it in your own time," a lash of her tail, "and be a deputy right now."

Meadowclaw turned back, her head low. Midnightstorm was a bigger cat, but Meadowclaw had experience, and she was confident that she could get a few dangerous blows in before Midnightstorm pummeled her into submission.

"I said," a gulp of anxiety, "I never should have voted for you as leader! Things happen, Midnightstorm, but you can't take your anger out on your clan, even if we deserve it. I never saw you do it before, and now I understand why StarClan must be asked to approve a leader's choice after every ceremony," she said, the taunt hidden behind a veil of religion.

At those words, he snarled, tail lashing as he turned to her. "How about you say that to my face?" He sneered, claws unsheathing and burying themselves in the dirt below his paws.

"They are being pathetic, using words to fight their battles for them. If they want a fight, let them start it." He growled, still ignoring the EclipseClan patrol completely. He wasn't so easily swayed, especially now that his emotions were closed off, it was a waste of energy to him.

Meadowclaw grit her teeth, looking at Midnightstorm. "Midnightstorm, please-" she said, sinking into the mud with one paw as she took a step forward towards Dieselstar. Her torn ear twitched, her stump moved as she prayed to be able to run at her foe. Battle was always exhilirating for Meadowclaw- and EclipseClan had slain her beloved as well. She had as much reason as any to attack them.

"If we attacked, we would win- they're not used to fighting in mud, me and you could tag-team their deputy- take her out- Blossomstar, he would understand!" she said, grief clouding her judgement.

"That's good to hear!" Dieseltooth shouted back, giving the she-cat a haughty look, hoping that with just a touch more pressure, she'd snap and wade her way across the border. It would be more cause than they needed to attack fully.

"Let them start it-- and take down that black tom, when they attack." Dieseltooth answered, in a low growl that barely carried to the ears of her own patrol. And if we're in luck, they'll carry Ivysong off with them... She thought, shifting to a more defensive posture before shouting over to the MoonClanners, "How's the kit?"

The red tabby queen was certainly out of her element as the rain began to fall harder, her thin coat did nothing to protect her from the chill. She glanced around at the cats she'd journeyed here with. Her intentions were to stretch her legs, not get pulled into a border skirmish and the tension that clung to the air certainly made it seem like a battle wasn't to far away. While Robinflame was internally panicking, Tigermask was struggling to keep still. He'd heard Dieselstar's growl and knew that if he made a move it wouldn't end well for him. But among the Moonclanner's he caught sight of a familiar pelt. They brought along the she-cat who had killed Hydrantbreath. He released a frustrated growl, yellowish green eyes focused on the enemy patrol. Tigermask's claws digging into the the ground. "If we don't want a fight, then we better leave now before I start one." He let his feelings be known to his leader.

----

The rain helped to wash the mud from Stormblaze's pelt, however, it soaked him to the bone. His pelt clung tightly to his form and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep his teeth from chattering.

"Do not initiate an attack. Do not make me say it again." The deputy responded quietly, his tone slightly warning as he turned to her. "If there is a fight, it will be because they started it, not us." He continued to ignore them, but his ears flicked in their direction, listening for anything that might lead to a fight.

"Tigermask..." Dieselstar cautioned, her growl rumbling deep in her throat. Through the thick rain, the words of it would not reach the MoonClanners, but the sound would. How many of them are there? Dieseltooth wondered as she took stock of the patrol. If they attack, we should not have a hard time throwing them back. Just as well if they do, if it gives us a chance at that deputy of theirs...

"Midnightstorm-" Juniperspring meowed in a low tone, her ears pricked forward as she overheard Dieseltooth's growl.

Meadowclaw looked through the rain at the shadows of cats on the other side of the border. It was a large patrol- but hers was too- and Meadowclaw recognized the ragged pelt of Dieseltooth. She remembered the last encounter she'd had on the border- Meadowclaw had killed the innocent Hydrantbreath for a percieved threat to Blazingkit. Meadowclaw wondered if she remembered while her body remained poised, yellow eyes narrowing at the deputy from across the pond.

"Of course, not even DawnClan was around then..." Dieselstar began, then trailed off as she squinted across the border, the shapes of the MoonClanners coming into focus as they emerged from the forest. "Foxdung," She muttered under her breath, trying to make out exactly who was with them. That brute of a deputy of theirs, at least... She glanced toward Tigermask, gauging his reaction- the cat had been involved in Hydrantbreath and as much as she respected Tigermask, he had enough of a tongue on him that she didn't feel paranoid in wondering if his feet would follow, given the right circumstances.

Juniperspring heaved a sigh as Midnightstorm dropped the argument but continued to brood like a love-lorn apprentice. StarClan willing and he'll get over it soon, she reflected as she followed her gaze to the EclipseClanners.

"StarClan, is that both deputies with them?" She snorted, unaware that Dieselstar had taken over for Fencewalker. "That's brave."

The young warrior grinned down at his apprentice, excited to learn she knew a bit more about hunting. He may be equally skilled in the art of battle and hunting, but prey capture had always been his favorite! "I'll make sure you get to hone those skills. I've got a few nifty tricks to show you." While his ocean blue eyes were focused on Stormpaw, his ears were angled in the direction of the bickering cats in front of them. He knew Midnightstorm was upset about something, but that didn't give him the right to treat his clan-mates like the dirt beneath his paws. Stormblaze was torn between both conversation that he failed to noticed the tree root in front of him. His paw got stuck sending him flying into a mud puddle, the brown mush staining the white parts of his coat brown. His fluffy pelt was now clinging to his lean-muscled build, a goofy grin finding it's way onto his face. The child-like warrior glanced sideways at his apprentice, a breathy laugh escaping him when he noticed he managed to splash some onto the young she-cats face. "I think it's a nice accessory." He pushed himself to his paws, muscles tensing with the movement. As he stood, he flicked her shoulder playfully.

----

The large striped warrior listened intently as his leader spoke, his yellowish-green eyes focused on surveying their surroundings. The last time they had come to this border, Hydrantbreath had been killed. That thought pulled his lips into a frown. He still wasn't over the fact that she was gone. Most of his feelings stemmed from disappointment on not being able to keep his first apprentice alive. A small part of him, though, was upset for the loss of the idiotic she-cat. She'd come to be like a little sister to Tigermask.

Dieselstar's patrol reached the southwestern corner of EclipseClan's territory, where the Burnt Woods met Snake Gorge and rose to overlook Hawk's Tree. She squinted to look across, the form of the ancient, weathered tree just barely visible in outline as rain beat down in great sheets upon her patrol.

"Let's get to it, then," She grumbled, turning northward to trek along the border. As the land evened out and the ravine turned to a more ordinary riverbank, the river had jumped its bank and left waterlogged mud at its extended borders.

"We're gonna get you back to camp now." She grabbed one of the kittens and started to head for home. (Poofs back to SC-ECC)

Spotting the apprentice, Moonsplash's anxiety and fear lessened, and she smiled softly, reaching forward as the she-cat touched noses with her. She rubbed a paw across her face to dry her tears, gesturing with her tail towards Winterjay's still form beside her. "He's....He's right here.." She meowed softly, her voice threatening to break. She glanced up at the medicine cat, at least, that's what she assumed he was, trying to stay strong. She knew he would need answers.

----

Blizzardheart paused among the trees, glancing back in the direction his mother was, his heart heavy at having to leave her so soon. He would find a way to visit her again, even though he knew painfully well how much that would be breaking the Warrior Code. He couldn't not get to know her now, he'd never gotten a chance to meet his parents, and now she was all he had.

He nodded. "Hello. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. You seem hurt, and I'm here to help." The small black cat looked around. "I was told your mate was with you...w...where is he, may I ask...?"

"Let's hurry south, then, before it gets too much darker," Grousethorn decided and turned the patrol that way, his thoughts darkening the longer the rain pattered down on them. (MC-EaC Border)

(Sorry for the thread change, guys, I just don't want us getting to mixed up between our patrol and the Moonsplash/Nightwhisper scene :) )

Moonsplash looked up at Nightwhisper, her ice blue eyes wide. "Wh-Who are you...? You don't smell like EclipseClan.." She pulled her kits closer against her protectively, but she could tell the tom wasn't going to hurt her or them, it was just instinct. "My name is Moonsplash…" She said quietly, lowering her head down onto her paws sadly, still nosing at her mate gently.

"Maybe we should start checking along their border as well, just to make sure that no badgers or some other danger has been flooded out and headed into our territory," Grousethorn suggested, his tone turning serious.

Grousethorn lead his patrol toward the border, his mood dampening as the rain continued on and on.

"Jeez, if this keeps up, EarthClan's kits better learn to swim soon..." He grumbled, squinting up at the sky. "Was last new-leaf this wet?"

Blizzardheart's ears pricked up at the voices, and he looked up, eyes widening to catch more details in the underbrush. He stood, giving his mother one last lick to her forehead, whispering, "I have to go mom, but I'll find a way to visit you, okay?" and dashed off back towards his border, heart pounding in his chest. He knew they'd find the body of his father and most likely blame him for it without giving him a chance, and he didn't want that. He didn't want to cause unnecessary fighting, though he hated having to leave his mother like that.

----

The silver queen heard the voices as well and tried to curb her sobs, looking up as her son got up. She nodded slightly, not wanting him to leave, but knowing the dangers of him staying, flicking her tail to let him know she was okay with him going. "Alright, love, be safe. I love you!" She murmured through her tears, curling closer to Winterjay's now-cold body, trying to imagine his warmth again to comfort herself as her kits curled up at her stomach.

Moonsplash held her kits closer, hiding her face in her son's thick chest fur as he tried to comfort her. It made her chest swell with happiness, but wasn't enough yet to overpower her grief at losing her soulmate, and her tears didn't slow, her sobs echoing around the trees, and reaching far back into the territory. She couldn't stop them, nor did she care to at this point, she just held her kits closer and let her grief be known to StarClan, not caring who heard her.

----

The silver warrior pressed closer to his mother, tears in his eyes at her utter despair. He nuzzled her head, giving it gentle, soothing licks every now and then, just trying to be there for her, because StarClan knew she needed it right now.

"Yes, Winterkit, my love." She purred, nuzzling him lovingly while trying to keep her sadness pushed away for now so he remembered her with happiness and love in her eyes. She could tell he was fading, and she held his gaze, letting all the love she had for him show in her eyes so he would always remember it. "I love you so much, Winterjay." She murmured, leaning closer to him and also memorizing his face so she wouldn't ever forget it, not like she'd be able to forget her soulmate in a million years. He was her universe, and she could feel her world crumbling beneath her with every second he moved farther and farther away from her and towards StarClan. She held her tears in until his eyes closed, then couldn't anymore, and burst into tears, the sobs wracking her weak body and she nudged Winterkit back towards her belly so that she could feed more.

----

Blizzardheart pressed closer to his mother, his heart breaking at her utter despair at the loss of her mate and his father, and his own tears spilled over, running down his cheeks and dripping off his whiskers. He started sharing tongues with her, trying to help her calm down, or at least feel some comfort, thought he knew he wouldn't be able to do much, not with how close they were and the level of her grief.

Winterkit mewled at the male cat voice. She moved and placed a tiny wet nose on her father, though she didn't know that. She kneaded at the cat and mewled at his coldness. She couldn't understand why this cat was so cold. What had happened to the warm belly that had provided her with that delicious milk?

It was getting increasingly hard to breath, but he made the effort to inch just a little closer to Moonsplash's belly. He nuzzled a small kitten that had the exact same coloring as himself. His lips twitched slightly, a small smile forming. "Winterkit?" He had the audacity to make a joke, golden eyes shifting up toward his mates face. He tried to memorize her beautiful face, if anything, her face was the last thing he wanted to see. He's blinking began to slow until he finally closed his eyes for good, his chest stilling. Winterjay didn't have the greatest start to life, but the end had been pretty good. He got to spend most of his life with the love of his life.

The silver queen gasped softly, lifting her head to nuzzle Winterjay, her eyes filling with worry and grief. "Winterjay! Are you alright? Come meet your kits, my love, stay with me.." She could see the light in his eyes fading slowly, and tears filled her own as she rubbed her cheek against his, nudging their kits closer so that they could at least smell him and meet him. "Little ones, this is your daddy, say hi to him." She murmured, watching as they stumbled over his paws playfully. She wanted to find a medicine cat, or someone who could possibly help him, not wanting to think that it was too late to save her soulmate as she pressed closer to him.

----

Blizzardheart settled down on his stomach next to his parents, forming a sort of circle that the kits could stumble around inside as they acquainted themselves with their parents scent. He smiled slightly at the sight, but could also feel grief welling up inside his chest at his father's state, knowing that even a medicine cat wouldn't be able to help him now, despite the look in his mother's eyes.

Winterjay took a step forward, as if he was going to chase after the rogue. He would've fallen over if it hadn't been for Blizzardheart. "T-Thanks." He managed to cough out, golden gaze void of all life. He didn't want Moonsplash to see him like this. How could such a good day end so horribly? He'd been thrilled to have kits with her, but it started to seem he wouldn't get the chance to watch them grow up.

"Moonsplash, love?" He said softly, a half smile on his face as he looked down at the nursing kits. He didn't have much time left, but he was glad he got the chance to see his kits before he left.

He crumbled to the forest floor beside his soulmate, eyes focused on the tiny furballs at her belly. "They're perfect." He breathed, the pain starting to fade.