do you remember, when we were young? wrote:
"Stay off of our land." Patchfoot hissed, circling the enemy cat.
"And why should I?" the rogue retorted, extending his claws. "I see no reason to let go of land if you aren't protecting it in the first place."
"This is FrostClan territory, and you need to leave or be killed!" unsheathing her claws, she screeched and slashed him in his face - startling him, but as he recovered, he growled and tackled Patchfoot.
They tussled in the grass, screeching and slashing - until Patchfoot felt that she was losing energy - no, I can't lose...
Suddenly, she saw a black shape launch over-- Shadowstrike? -- at the rogue, releasing his grip and pummeling him.
He dropped. Her vision blurred for a second as she regained her energy-- and when she could finally focus she noticed him on the ground.
He wasn't moving.
"Don't make me save you again. Don't want to get demoted, do you?" while she spoke the truth, Patchfoot noticed how her face betrayed humor in the situation. Due to the nature of the Clan, getting beaten in a fight wasn't funny... but Patchfoot knew Shadowstrike was a good friend.
"I'll try harder. Maybe one day I'll save you!" Unlikely, but I have high hopes.
Shadowstrike only smirked and turned back. She's so quiet and mysterious. I'm glad to have her as a friend. Even if she's not.. the most expressive about it.
The day had passed- Patchfoot, when questioned, mentioned how a particularly vicious fox had ran in the territory, and sent it fleeing for its life with Shadowstrike; although Lightstrike expressed doubt, she had let it slide.
She was on the verge of sleep.
Patchfoot heard a whisper, cold and betrayal edged within. "Traitor."
Her blood ran cold. I didn't do anything! I didn't betray my... huh? Her eyes slightly opened.
Nobody else was awake but her-- the cat whispered to was not her, yet she saw Lightstrike - the deputy - standing over... Dewstorm? No, it couldn't be.
She was viciously dragged to the clearing-- no other cat woke up, due to Dewstorm sleeping on the outer side of cats. What's happening?
"Redstar. It was her." the deputy spat, shoving the terrified molly in front of her.
He bared his teeth. "Deathberries? Cowards poison. If you had honor, you would fight."
Deathberries? They thought she sneaked deathberries into his food? No--
her blood ran cold once, more, but for a different revelation.
"I've heard some supplies went missing from the medicine den," Dewstorm murmured, gazing in its direction. "especially deathberries. I've heard they're being extra careful with Redstar and Lightstrike's prey now. Good, because I'm certain they'll catch those cowards." she added, looking back at Patchfoot and shifting her paws.
"Oh. Yeah. Cowards, amirite?" she was focused on the erratic Skywhisper. He was attempting to get something out of his pelt... but making sure not to use his tongue. Strange.
It was a sticky, pinkish substance stuck near his paws-- too light for blood, but just the right consistency for something else... like berry juice.
He caught her gaze-- narrowing his eyes, and slunk away.
She knew about the extra precautions being taken. She knew she wouldn't have been able to poison the leader due to that.
It wasn't her.
For a second, Patchfoot considered letting them know that Dewstorm was innocent. Yet she knew that that... would not go well. She was frozen in fear.
"Be grateful you won't have to suffer much more pain," Redstar hissed quietly. "I can't let the whole Clan wake up to this."
"What?" her eyes opened. "No, no-- you have to hear me out, I'm one of your most loyal warriors--"
I can't watch this any more.
As she desperately tried to shut out the confrontation, Lightstrike flashed her gaze to where she slept.
Don't see me-- don't see me..
But nothing came of it, and she only snarled and dragged Dewstorm out-- presumably so no witnesses would watch her unfair death-- or hear.
"You're not putting all your effort into this. What's wrong, Patchfoot?" Shadowstrike glared, stepping off of the aforementioned molly, lashing her tail. They commonly sparred as a way to show their rivalry-- Patchfoot, while the less-skilled, often came up with clever solutions to win battles, much to Shadowstrike's slight amusement.
However, today... she shifted her paws. "...something was off about Dewstorm's execution, wasn't there?"
"...you noticed too, didn't you?" the dark molly sighed. "Something's not right with this Clan."
"I don't feel safe," she agreed, "I don't know if Lightstrike saw me when... it happened. I'm terrified she did."
While the molly hardly responded, Patchfoot added, "I have an idea to get out of here."
Most more-trusted warriors were allowed to guard certain points of territory. Once Shadowstrike was assigned-- they were out.
One day, Shadowstrike had received her duty.
Patchfoot slowly left-- certain nobody had even noticed she was gone.
After all, who would care to notice a low-level warrior?
They wordlessly communicated-- simply escaping, turning one paw after another...
"You thought I didn't notice you two fools." an icy voice-- tinged with desperation and exhaustion-- cleared through, behind them.
"Look at me. You think you'll get the secret out-- you think, oh, you think--," Something's wrong, she realized. Something's horribly wrong.
"She's mad with revenge... you know she worships the ground Redstar stands on. And if that ground is desecrated - or even has the possibility to be..." Shadowstrike whispered, eyes fixated on the furious molly.
Lightstrike lunged-- digging her claws on Shadowstrike, tumbling into a tree-- and Lightstrike raised her paw, eyes bearing into hers-- and screeched, "You won't get away with this!"
I can't let her win.
Before she knew it, she had pried the lighter she-cat off- giving Shadowstrike a chance to catch her breath- and fought as if she were Redstar himself.
"She's down for a second. We run." Shadowstrike gasped-- and they both turned away into the woods.
We had separated as two paths-- the same history, but new lives.

And we live.
[1000/1000]