Yellowthorn spotted Midnightstorm slipping away into the forest, not knowing that would be the last time the MoonClan deputy was seen. He shrugged and glanced back at their patrol, victorious just as it should be, spotting Stormblaze stumbling. He padded over to the tom and stood next to the warrior for support. "We should head back and report the victory to Blossomstar." he meowed triumphantly, flicking his tail to beckon Meadowclaw over. The adrenaline hadn't left his body yet and he was oblivious to the gaping wound that crossed his face and the scenery around him started to become blurry. "Let's go before they come back." he urged them. (MC camp?)

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.

Dieselstar’s corpse lay splayed in the muddy puddles, bloody gashes and bites littering her flanks and stomachs, the back of her neck a knot of exposed muscle and bone. Her eyes were open, staring lifelessly toward the rainy sky above as the Yellowthorn and the others stepped away, the skirmish seemingly at a standstill.

Yellowthorn paused as the black deputy joined in taking the leader's lives. He watched with surprise that Midnightstorm had it in him to do that. His heart raced as he watched the tom take her lives, joining in where he could in a tag-team effort. Nobody knew how many lives she had left, and it seemed unspoken between the two they would keep going at her until she didn't come back. Suddenly they were interrupted, and he almost hissed at his own clan mate for it before he backed away and sat down to wash the blood that dripped from his brow.

Meadowclaw was part of the team that systematically dismantled Dieselstar's lives- she hadn't even known she was leader, and now, as she spat the hot blood onto the muddy ground and stepped away, she looked down with a heaving chest and sense of victory.

"Nobody threatens them," she said softly to herself, turning as she heard Tigermask's yowl to intercept him. She lifted her tail and lowered her head, small, but deadly.

"Stop where you are- she's gone," she snarled, "You can either leave now and take her body, or not leave at all," she threatened, claws slipping from their sheathes, leaning heavily on her one foreleg. Tigermask was outnumbered, outmatched, and outmaneuvered by the MoonClan patrol, but Meadowclaw would ensure that the clan had the chance to give their dead a proper burial in the eyes of StarClan.

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.

Another life slipped through Dieselstar as Yellowthorn attacked, torn away from Dieselstar before she could wake from the lost of the first life. Her wounds started to knit once more, but she remained at their mercy, her heart in jolts between bloodloss and StarClan's healing.

Yellowthorn spotted Dieselstar lay vulnerable in the fray of cats who seemed to be oblivious to her downfall. With a bloody smirk, the raggedy warrior prowled up to her lashing his tail side to side as he approached. "What do we have here?" his voice completely changed from the moments before. A dirty paw pressed on the leader's ribcage as he stood on top, staring down into her eyes. This was his chance to show not only MoonClan, but EclipseClan that he was worthy of his warrior status. He leaned down, going to the kill with razor sharp teeth aimed right at her throat.

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.

Tigermask tumbled slightly, paws sleeping on the wet ground as a smaller cat body slammed him. It took him a few moments to regain his balance but once he did, he focused his eyes on Stormpaw. She was tough, he'd give her that, but now he wanted to see if she could really handle facing off against a trained warrior.

Stormblaze coughed, blood dripping from his mouth and onto the forest floor. His vision was blurry and he had a splitting headache, but he would live... hopefully. He couldn't leave his clan-mates behind, especially Stormpaw. He'd just started to get to know the she-cat and he wanted more time to spend with her. The grey and white warrior pushed himself to his paws, chest heaving with the effort to move. "I'm good." He said while covered in blood, mostly his own. He looked up at the younger feline, catching a glimpse of movement. Stormblaze couldn't see what it was, but he moved on instinct. He collided with tigermask once again, managing to swip his claws across the eclipseclanner's flank.

Tigermask yowled, backing away to glare at the duo. He's stronger than I give him credit for. He thought, taking this as his chance to catch his breath. His yellowish-green eyes fell on Dieselstar, anger rising in his chest at the sight of both Midnightstorm and meadowclaw double-teaming his leader. He left Stormblaze and Stormpaw and dashed off to help his leader.

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-

Stormpaw whipped her head away from Deiselstar when she heard her mentor cry. She spotted him, injured as he lay below Tigermask and immediately ditched the EclipseClan leader to help Stormblaze. She bolted over, jumping and slamming herself into Tigermask, hoping she had enough force to knock him down for a few seconds. She got back on her feet, turning to Stormblaze, "are you alright?" she asked, a genuine look of worry on her face. She stood ready for an attack from Tigermask, but her focus remained on her mentor.

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/

Stormpaw caught Stormblaze's eyes for a moment, giving him a brief smile before joining her clanmates in the attack on Dieselstar, sprinting over to scratch her across her face, doing a fair bit of damage despite the fact that she had not had much training, and that this was her first battle. The practice she had done on her own was paying off.

Dieselstar cried out as Midnightstorm unexpectedly dislodged Meadowclaw and bucked backward in a desperate gamble to unbalance him, even at the cost of his claws raking further against him. She swerved her head back and grabbed his leg, biting with full force but in doing so, leaving her front open to attack by a third cat.

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.

Juniperspring twitched then fell still as Dieseltooth loomed over her, the sides of her chest heaving as she regained her breath. Dieseltooth turned to assess the battle field just as Meadowclaw landed on her and she bucked backward, trying to throw Meadowclaw off before she had a chance to gain a solid hold.

Meadowclaw let out a husky shout of pain as Dieselstar's fangs pierced her neck, the holes beginning to leak red. She was forced to let go of Dieseltooth's chest, finding the blood that coated her own white fur a satisfying penance, but not near so distracting as her fang was, torn from its socket in her jaw and embedded in Dieseltooth's wound. Frustrated with her own efficacy, she watched as Juniperspring's throat was thrown onto the rain-stained ground, and the queen bellowed as she hot-headedly rushed forward, murder on her mind, even if it was only Juniperspring.

Shaking out the stiffness in her neck and ignoring its agony, Meadowclaw leapt upwards to land on Dieseltooth's flank, her back claws hoping to rip open the gash Juniperspring had started on her flank. Starting in the battle late gave Meadowclaw the advantage; she was not as fatigued.

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.

Ivysong felt the tom's claws scratch her face, leaving an awful cut on her ear that she knew would leave a scar. She barely had time to react when Stormblaze jumped on top of her, collapsing to the ground. She used all her strength to roll him off of her back, before turning back and swiping at his side, then twisting again to strike Yellowthorn, aiming for his face like he had done for her.

"An eye for a scratch," Meadowclaw said as she pelted towards Midnightstorm. She had no pity for Robinflame; she had no business being on patrol while her kits still suckled. Meadowclaw had learned that lesson quite vividly. It paid off, for now she battled alongside her own daughter. She'd fallen back, having had trouble crossing the high-flowing water in its turmoil. She was up now, and streaking towards the fight. Her blood pounded in her ears, giving her a high she coveted every morning when she awoke. At the last second, she diverged, leaping over to land in the space Dieselstar was currently occupying; her intent was to send both of them sprawling. The warrior's tabby patches blended in with Dieselstar's tabby coat when they made contact, Meadowclaw aiming a bite at Dieselstar's breast, if she failed to make full-body contact.

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.

Tigermask was still weak from his previous run in with Jupiter, he'd been beaten pretty bad by the scrawny warrior and his shoulder had never been the same since. He was much slower than he used to put, having to be careful not to re-injure himself. He stumbled slightly, a hiss of pain falling from his lips as Midnightstorm struck his sore shoulder. It took him a few moments to regain his balance, but by that time it was too late. The striped warrior looked up just in time to watch Moonclan's deputy tear into Robinflame's throat. A strangled "NO" ripped out of his throat.

Robinflame blinked up at Midnightstorm in surprise, one moment she'd been attacking Juniperspring and now she was laying flat on her back with a monstrous tom standing above. She struggled to push him off, but her scrawny frame was no match to his broader one. She recognized the look in his eyes and as his teeth clamped around her throat, she let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed throughout the battle field. She sputtered for air, blood squirting from the wound on her neck. The image of her kits flashed through her mind, tears falling down her cheeks as the light faded from her eyes. She'd never get to see her little ones grow up.

Tigermask had made a mad dash toward the two, yellowish-green orbs falling on Robinflame's still form. The milk-scent still clung to the queen, a frown marring his scarred features. He grabbed Midnightstorm from behind, biting and clawing at his back before throwing him off of the she-cat. Tigermask had killed plenty in his life-time, but never a queen. Robinflame may not have been his clan-mate but the sight of her with a whole in her throat and blood pooling around her lit a fire in his chest. "Some honorable cat you are. Killing a queen, you're disgusting." He growled. He had never been one to pray but for this she-cat, he sent a silent prayer to Starclan that they received her well. "A deputy, tearing a family a part." He mocked, turning around to face the dark-furred warrior.

The deputy growled as Tigermask clawed at him, seeing past the fake-out and dodging the bite, instead using his shoulder to bowl the striped warrior away. His icy eyes glanced up at he saw Stormblaze run past, then flicked quickly around. A warrior from EclipseClan was pinning Juniperspring down, and he only gave himself a split second to decide before he leapt away from Tigermask, headbutting into Robinflame and pinning her easily. He could see she was disoriented from the attacks sustained from the elder warrior, and he smirked slightly, digging his claws into her shoulders, but shifting his position enough to protect his belly from being clawed at. He leaned down, fangs flashing in the light, eyes sparkling with an emotion he hadn't felt before: hunger.

Stormblaze twisted away from Dieselstar's claws, barely missing her attack by a hair. He managed to knock the she-cat off of him, a low growl erupting from his throat. The long-legged warrior lept to his paws, ocean blue eyes focused on the she-cat before him. Part of him wanted to convince her to stop this fight before either side lost any cat to this pointless fight. He wanted to go back home, comfort his sister and hang out with his brother. He didn't want to continue to fight a meaningless battle- well a battle he thought was meaningless. The sound of a growl a few paw-steps away caught his attention and he jerked his attention toward Yellowthorn. The tom who had hurt his sister was struggling against a she-cat barely bigger than himself. That's when he made the conscious choice to ditch Dieselstar and help out his clan-mate. He jumped over Yellowthorn and landed on Ivysongs back.

----

Robinflame yowled, tears threatening to spill as Juniperspring raked her underbelly. Fresh blood stained her white underbelly. The pain blurred her vision momentarily which gave the moonclanner the chance to gain advantage of the fight. The queen couldn't help but think about her kittens back in the nursery. All so young and not ready to be on their own.

----

Midnightstorm's attack barely caught Tigermask's shoulder, a small scrap left behind by the deputy's claws. The striped warrior found himself on the ground again, staring up at Midnightstorm's icy blue eyes. What the moonclanner failed to notice is how expose his stomach was to Tigermask's claws. Much like before, he pushed upward with his back claws. Raking down the middle of the dark furred cat's belly. He maneuvered in a way that he was able to thrown him off. It didn't stop there, the large tom ran at Midnightstorm and faked a swipe to his left side before aiming a bite at his shoulder.

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.

Midnightstorm snarled, lashing out and catching Tigermask's shoulder, slashing a deep gash in the flesh, blood spraying onto the ground. He shook out his fur, his own blood spattering over the grass, and launched himself at the other tom, pinning him to the ground again.

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.

Stormblaze glanced over his shoulder, a smirk appearing on his face. Pride filled his chest at Stormpaw’s words, pleased that she was applying his lessons already. In his brief moment of weakness, Stormblaze was caught off guard when Dieseltooth attack, pained shivers running down his spine as her teeth clamped down on his shoulder. His body, as a reflex, recoiled from the pain. It only made it worse, however, because chunks of fur and skin were ripped away with his movements. Blood stained his white coat red, a shift of emotions flying across his face as he fell into survival mode. At this point, he wasn’t thinking. His change in demeanor might’ve had something to do with all of the stress and anxiety he’d been feeling over the past couple of days but there was no time for him to reign in control over his emotions. The white and grey warrior collided with Dieseltooth, meeting her in the middle with paws raised- like the scene from lion king with Scar and Simba. He managed to take a swipe at her face, his large paw clawing down her forehead and down past her chin. Stormblaze’s other paw clung to the back of her head, claws digging into the nape of her neck and pulling her head backward in order to get a mean bite at her throat. Unfortunately with the rain, his back paws slipped out from underneath him sending them both flying into the mud. The impact caused him to release his hold on the eclipseclanner, his wounded shoulder absorbing most of the fall.

----

A growl erupted from Tigermask’s throat, blood spurting from the gashes Midnightstorm inflicted on his belly. The striped warrior blocked a really nasty blow to his face causing the dark warrior on top of him to lose his balance. Tigermask took his chance and pushed upward with his back paws unsheathed. Warm liquid fell on to his pelt, mixing with his own blood as his claws buried into Midnightstorm’s lower belly. He managed to pushed the Moonclan deputy off with some effort. He coughed while he stood, his cheek cut from Midnightstorm’s claws. “That all you got?” He taunted, grinning from ear to ear as he squared off against the warrior.

----

Robinflame, as out of practice as she was, dodged Juniperspring’s blows rather quickly. It was a little half hearted, seeing as her opponent seemed to be hesitant in her movements. The reddish tabby she-cat tackled the moonclanner, clawing at her chest.

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.

Refusing to stay put, Stormpaw chased after her mentor. She stopped behind him, making sure she wouldn't get in the way, before calling out, "Ill watch your back, like you just told me" she said, speaking loud over the pouring rain as she turned away and stood back-to-back with Stormblaze, getting in position to defend any attack that may come her way. "I may not know everything yet, but I will not going ti stand by and watch when I could be helping"

Ivysong watched as the fight broke out, taking a deep breath to calm herself before running out to the battlefield to prepare for attack. She stopped besides her clanmates and stood, ready. It had been a while since her last fight. while she was nervous, she never allowed herself to show it.

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.

Juniperspring tore through the flooded river alongside Midnightstorm, barely managing to keep her footing as the water threatened to sweep it out from under her. Dieselstar braced as she saw Midnightstorm coming and was ready for his attack as he struck, her own unusual size and strength a match for his, and her coolheadedness a match to his fire and youth, at least momentarily. As soon as he struck her shoulders, she snapped upward, catching his leg in her jaws and yanking as hard as she could, using his momentum against him to send him crashing to the slick, stony ground beneath them.

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."

Those last words hit him like a monster, but he did his best to hide his feelings, only his eyes showing the hurt that broke through the icy walls momentarily before being shut off again. He didn't respond, just glanced over at the EclipseClan patrol, eyes narrowing slightly. His mind was having a war with itself, he wanted to keep from resorting to violence, but the new indifferent side of him was arguing, saying it could be fun, to let off some steam and get back at them for what they'd already done. He wasn't sure what to do.

Meadowclaw's tail-tip twitched, "It might be for you, but not for me. I watched my little kitten whimper in her sleep for moons because of what those cats put her through," a lie, considering Meadowclaw was the one who killed Hydrantbreath for merely running at her kitten.

"And now I'm presented with a perfect situation, for us to take out their leader, for you to show your might, and for MoonClan to show our strength, and you ignore it," she said, but she took a step back. Her yellow eyes bored into his.

She said it not to be crude, not to insult. Rather, the statement was born of innocuousness to Midnightstorm's situation and her own insensitivity to such emotions.

"Maybe if you had kits, you would understand."

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."

"I have done no such thing! How dare you accuse me of such behavior!" He growled, icy eyes colder than leaf-bare. "I have no emotion, showing anger isn't possible for me." He turned away again, claws ripping up grass and whatever else, his eyes dulling again.

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.

"You weren't fit to be deputy in the first place," Meadowclaw mumbled under her breath as she turned away to continue marking the border. The rain muffled her words, but surely someone heard.

"Midnightstorm, this is your chance," Juniperspring meowed, her tail lashing as she gave Meadowclaw a fiery glare-- couldn't she see they were fighting the same battle?

"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 recoiled- she would saw gently stalk a squirrel to get it to fall into a desired trap, and Juniperspring would careen over it to where the squirrel would run up the nearest tree. Meadowclaw looked towards the she-cat with venom.

"Would you close your mouth and think before you talk, just once?" she snapped.

"We can't just let them taunt us like this!" Juniperspring protested, easily taking Meadowclaw's side. "We're at war and that deputy looks about ready to croak- think how the clan will receive you if you come back to the clan with her head in her jaws!"

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.

Meadowclaw's heart stopped- she did remember. The warrior took the words as a direct taunt, her lips drawing back in a snarl before she could catch herself. The two sides of her psyche pulled at her and for a second she was paralyzed- beg Midnightstorm to fight back, or take it herself? Blazingkit had been traumatized from that night- and with no more blame to place on Blossomstar, Meadowclaw focused it on Dieseltooth for muddied reasons. For one, she couldn't believe they'd left the body of the apprentice at the border for carrion.

She looked at Midnightstorm, a gleam in her eye, begging, before she overcame her submission and shouted back, "Just fine," she ferally shouted, "Without your warriors appearing in her nightmares!"

Ivysong glanced at the MoonClan Patrol, taking a step back to make sure she wouldn't get in anyone's way. She looked around, taking note of everyone's positions and her surroundings, preparing herself for any sort of attack that may happen.

Stormpaw laughed again when Stormblaze threw more mud on her pelt, shaking it off as best she can. However, her smile soon faded when she say the other patrol, running up to stand behind her mentor. She wasn't scared, she just wanted to be ready for anything that could happen.

"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.

"I'm not saying we should attack, I'm saying we shouldn't turn our backs on them..." Juniperspring grumbled, eyeing Meadowclaw. Juniperspring remained rooted in place, watching as the EclipseClan patrol shifted. "Kitkillers..." She muttered under her breath, just loudly enough to be heard.

"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.

The deputy ignored the EclipseClan patrol, not even acknowledging Tigermask's words as he continued to renew their scent markers. "Yes, Stormblaze, I had intended to do just that." He replied without looking at him, his voice toneless. He shook his head slightly, wondering why they'd try to force a fight to happen. It was pointless to him. "Don't acknowledge them, just continue with remarking the border."

Robinflame had decided to tag along with the patrol last minute, hoping to catch a break from her little bundles of joy. She was happy to have them, but she needed to stretch her legs. A grown captured her lips at the sight of the Moonclan patrol, pale grey eyes shifting to look at Ivysong. She was prepared for a fight if one broke out. ---- Tigermask was not subtle in his acknowledgment of the enemy patrol. He glared daggers at the group of cats, sneering when Midnightstorm popped into view. "Looks like they've got their weakest cat leading the patrol." He'd never been a big fan of Moonclan, and seeing the opportunity to insult their deputy wasn't something he could pass up. He was baiting him, claws itching for a fight, but he wouldn't initiate it. He knew Dieselstar wouldn't appreciate it. Tigermask positioned himself in front of Robinflame. He knew that the queen would be no good in a fight, but where he stood gave him the best access to countering an attack of it was thrown at Dieselstar.

----

Stormblaze chuckled, warmth flushing his body at the sight of the she-cats smile. At least he accomplished one good thing today. He hadn't been able to help Fadewhisker much and cheering Midnightstorm up was a lost cause but seeing Stormpaw's happy expression seemed to brighten up his day. "Oh yea! I think you could use some more mud." He shook himself, the mushy material flying from his pelt. Sometimes his clan-mates complained about his childish antics, told him that he should grow up, but if his goofing off managed to make someone else's day then it didn't matter what other's said about him. Hiddenstrike had taught him that. As they continued to walk, the long-legged warrior noticed the tension building in the air. He followed Midnightstorm's gaze across the ravine, spotting Dieseltooth right off the bat. Stormblaze made his way to the front of the patrol. "I think we should try and avoid a fight. Stormpaw's barely had any proper battle training yet and there could be more Sunclanners and Eclipseclanner's on the way." He knew his clan-mates were capable warriors, but he was more concerned with the consequences.

"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."

Stormpaw watched as Stormblaze tripped. "Watch out!" she called, but knew it was already too late, turning her head as the mud flew at her. her eyes still closed, she shook her head, trying to get it off "are you ok-" she started to ask, but stopped when she heard laughing. She brushed off the last of the mud and blinked open her eyes, only to see Stormblaze with a goofy grin on his face. She coulden't help but laugh, seeing as he had even more mud on himself than she did. "You don't look so bad yourself" she exclaimed, with a small smile of her own forming. It wasn't very often that she loosened up and had a little bit of fun, this was a nice change.

"Really?" Ivysong exclaimed, "That's really interesting, I never knew" she thought about it, looking out at the territory and trying to picture herself and her clan-mates living there. It was strange to think of how different the past was compared to now.

"I don't think my rank makes me 'wise in all things', bit I know when to speak, and when to be quiet." Midnightstorm turned away, claws digging into the ground. It doesn't matter, Midnight. Just ignore them. Getting angry is showing emotion, you have no emotion. He told himself, the anger fading again, replaced with indifference. "Fine. Talk if you want, I won't stop you. It doesn't matter anyway." His icy eyes caught sight of Dieselstar, but flicked away again as he remarked the scent border.

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.

"This was SunClan territory, generations ago." Dieseltooth answered, distantly remembering a story she'd been taught as an apprentice. "SunClan owned it when the fires happened and all those old trees died-- though you can hardly see them now, through the saplings, and only MoonClan squabbles with us over them now. All the more reason to be careful here, especially this far north..."

(EDIT)

[From MC Terr]

"Midnightstorm, listen to yourself. We can barely hear ourselves talk over this rain, they aren't going to be able to make anything out over Snake Gorge." Juniperspring answered, meeting his anger with a mask of pure calm. "I have served this clan as a warrior for seasons before you were even born-- don't think that your rank makes you wise in all things."

Hearing Dieselstar speak to her, she took a few leaps to get closer so they wouldn't be screaming at each other over the rain. "No I haven't, I've only ever been in SunClan territory. It is interesting to see how different this is from our normal home" she responded, truly fascinated by how the other clans lived.

Tigermask wasn't too interested in being on this patrol. He loved to serve his clan and what better way to do that then accompany his leader on a patrol to check the borders. Unfortunately, the large tom-cat had been itching to get some battle training in. He wanted to relieve some stress, especially because of his new found feelings for a certain snowy white she-cat.

"Have you been on this part of the territory before?" Dieselstar asked Ivysong, having to raise her voice to a shout to be heard over the rushing rain.

Ivysong followed behind Deiselstar, keeping out of his way. She nodded when he spoke, but otherwise didn't say anything. She gazed out over the landscape, finding it quite beautiful. Her only complaint was the rain, something she had always very much disliked. She hated being cold and wet, and the mud was also a pain to have to trudge through.

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)

Winterkit mewled triumphantly from where she stood upon her mother’s back. When she heard new voices she cocked her head and mewed curiously. Being young and confused, she didn’t know how to be scared of these new cats.

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.

The young Bengal she-cat padded over to the queen, a small smile spread across her face. "Moonsplash! Thank Starclan you are alright." She stepped forward touch noses with the she-cat, trying her best to ignore the scene of blood beside her. Her pale grey eyes shifted from the queen to the small bundles of fur suckling at her belly. "They're beautiful."

Spottedpaw glanced toward the white and black striped warrior beside them, She'd find the Moonclanner who did this.

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 :) )

Winterkit purred at the sudden warmth from being pressed against her siblings. She moved clumsily around them until she was climbing up her mother. Her thistle sharp claws pricked at the fur beneath her paws. She mewled triumphantly when she reached what seemed to her to be the highest point.

Valleystorm nodded as she walked behind Grousethorn, "That is probably a good idea" she agreed, before turning to nod towards Opalfur as well.

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.

Opalfur nodded, her expression serious, while inside she was a shaking mess. "I can never remember a new-leaf this wet before." She meowed.

"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.

Valleystorm followed Grousethorn through the trees, trying to avoid the large puddles on the ground. "I don't remember" she said, shaking her head at the thought. "This is a lot of rain though" she agreed, looking at her reflection in a particularly large puddle as she jumped over it.

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?"

Nightwhisper rounded the bush, and his eyes widened in shock. “Oh no.” He immediately ran over to the queen. “Ma’am? You’re going to be okay ma’am, I can assure you.”

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.

Spottedpaw padded after the long-legged tom-cat, pale blue eyes scanning the surroundings. It smelled of death, and Moonclan. She scrunched her nose in disgust as she followed the sounds of sobbing. "Over here!" She called toward Nightwhisper.

Nightwhisper walked towards the border, sniffing the air. “It definitely smells like a queen over here, she’s probably close.“

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.

Winterkit purred while she drank the delectable liquid that came from that warm body though, something was clearly off. The body seemed to shake ever so slightly for some readon. She mewwed both curiously and concerned. She looked up at her mother, though she was too young to know that yet. Her face resembled that of a female version of Winterjay and soon, it would be discovered she had his elegant amber eyes as well

"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.