oneshatter peeled open one eye, his stomach flipping over. He could sense something wasn't right. Getting up quickly, the large white and silver tom pushed his way out of his den just as the first few StoneClan warriors broke into the clearing. He yowled, as loud as possible, flinging himself at a now-terrified looking russet tabby.

~

Mudstar jumped, heart starting to race when she heard a deathly wail of a yowl echo through the camp. She tore out of her den at high speeds, feeling faint when she saw the commotion beginning to unfold; Boneshatter was fending off three cats, a large russet tabby, a grey she-cat, and a small golden tabby who looked to be an apprentice. One cat ducked into the nursery, which was empty, coming back out with an angry look in his eyes. Stoneclan was attacking. She wasn't ready. 

Scared and half-mad, Mudstar raced into the throng of StoneClan cats and jumped onto the back of a brown tabby she-cat, praying the rest of the Clan would wake up.

~

Darkwing stumbled out of the warrior's den, half-asleep, about to ask what the commotion was about when something pummeled him from the side. Startled, he retaliated on instinct alone, claws raking through black fur and white fur. The cat fled, and rising to his feet, he saw his fears were confirmed. Another Clan was attacking, and judging by the scent, it was StoneClan. 

Before he had time to poke his head in the warrior's den and warn the others, a silver tabby she-cat lept onto his back. 

~

Jadewhisper's eyes flew open, heart leaping to her throat when she heard some cat yowl; it sounded like Boneshatter, but it was hard to tell because he hardly ever made noise. Concerned, she stood up, but not before tripping over Shadefang with a snarl. "Move," she snapped, making her way out of the den more carefully. Just in time, she saw Darkwing fending off a silver she-cat, and then dive onto another StoneClan cat. They were out-numbered, 3-to-one. 

But not necessarily out-matched. Jadewhisper began to fend off a tortoiseshell she-cat she knew as Dustpelt, using her speed to avoid the other cat's sharp claws. Landing a blow on her shoulder, Dustpelt fled, and she turned to face another cat, this time a stranger.

~ 

Deathnote yawned, stretching out lazily. Sunlight filtered through the trees' canopy, making his brown fur sparkle as he starting to get up from his perch in the willow. Below, he could see, was a pile of fresh-kill, but no trace of whoever had caught it all. He knew, on instinct, that it was Chain. But he was still gone.

~

Tessa grimaced as she stood, expecting pain, but her shoulder didn't seem to remember being mauled by a dog. Relieved, and slightly skeptical, she padded out of the little den under the willow and into the bright sunlight. She looked at her shoulder, smiling when she saw that most was healed, the skin now light pink instead of angry red. There was no sign of infection.

~

Ravenfeather rolled over in his sleep, nose pressing against something warm and soft. He wasn't sure what it was, but by the way it moved he was sure it was alive. Then he opened his eyes, startled to see that he had his face shoved in another cat's fur. Jumping onto his feet, he began to mutter apologies, not aware of who it was he was apologizing to.

~

Chain purred, arching his back happily as he rubbed against the rough bark of an oak tree. He had a full stomach, and was standing in a patch of sunlight not far from where the Clan cats were. He knew he'd have to meet up with them soon, but was hoping that the prey he'd left for them was enough to keep them busy for a little while longer.

Boneshatter grunted in response. He easily avoided the apprentice, seeming to pretend he wasn't even there as he fended off the grey she-cat. Every time he battered the small cat away, his claws were sheathed. "I'd say the same," he muttered. "But we're under attack and I'd rather save my breath." Striking quickly, like a viper, he lashed out with sharp claws. The she-cat took off, left eye wounded beyond repair, the apprentice quick to follow. Before he could stop to catch his breath, a burly brown tabby was quick to take the two cats place.

__

A flash of silver, and the orange and white tom was on the ground. Jadewhisper hissed, raking her claws down his stomach. He lashed out with strong back legs, a blow to her stomach throwing her off balance. They wrestled for a moment before he took off, Jadewhisper turning to continue helping Shadefang. There were new scratches along her sides. Slipping to stand next to him, she puffed out her fur angrily. "Hey you," she said playfully, eyes not straying from the three cats surrounding them.

__

Mudstar howled in pain, a much larger black tom with white paws pinning her down. She struggled, though she was unable to score her claws, kicking out with her back legs. Cruel laughter echoed in her ears. "Your nine lives will not save you from me, Mudstar!" As he ducked his head to bite down on her throat, she went limp. They've been spying on us all along... 

___

Darkwing was being dragged into the center of the clearing by three apprentices, all nearly the same size as him. His bad leg was bleeding, horribly, as it had been the target for almost every cat he'd run into. How did they know about his weakness? He dug his claws into the ground, but the continued to slash at him unrelentlessly, taunting him, fully aware he wouldn't be able to fight back. He lashed out his one paw, weakly, missing a small brown she-cat as she darted out of the way.

___

"Sorry," Ravenfeather repeated, settling back down next to her. He felt warm wherever he brushed against her. Setting his head on his paws, he glanced sideways at her lazily. "You look tired... did you sleep at all last night?" he whispered. 

__

"Probably the same as always," Deathnote said quietly, voice tinged with both sorrow and longing. "A morning patrol, most cats waking up right now. Boneshatter sitting in his den, Cougarstar waking up anyone who hasn't gotten up yet.." He blinked. "I didn't think I'd get homesick so fast, but.." 

__

"No thanks to you guys," she purred, shaking out her thick black/brown fur. Tessa's collar rattled as she did so. "When will we be heading off, Batear?" The cat's name sounded odd to say, and she repeated it a few times in her head afterwards.

__

Chain wandered back into their make-shift camp, silver fur smooth and sparkling. Her dark blue eyes were unreadable, but looked friendly enough. He ignored most everyone, eyes sweeping over Batear, and then Tessa in turn.  

"Starclan be with you!" he called, rolling onto his back. Boneshatter knew full well he shouldn't expose his stomach, but his planned work; he crushed the air out of the younger tom, who flailed about beneath him. Leaping onto his paws, he left the tom to catch his breath, taking out a white and grey she-cat who was obviously not aware of him until he was ontop of her, pinning her down. "Jaysong!" he spat, blue eyes angry for the first time. "What are you doing here? Medicine Cats have nothing to do with clan wars!" He never got his answer from the pretty she-cat; another cat tackled him from the side, and he was forced to turn his attention to him.

__

Jadewhisper lunged at the white she-cat, letting an angry snarl fly loose. She was met with sharp claws and equally angry eyes. Her claws dug into the other cat's shoulders as the white cat's claws dug into her shoulders. Pain shot up her neck, but she ignored it as they began to grapple, standing on just their back legs. Each swiped at the other, claws trying to meet their target, teeth aiming for the throat.

__

Mudstar rolled out from under the black tom, meowing a breathless thanks to Cloudfeather. Her words were drown out by the screeching of cats, and through the now-smaller crowd of cats, she could see a tom laying on the ground, motionless, Boneshatter standing over him. She didn't stare long, though, as he disappeared and she had to turn her attention to an angry-looking apprentice. He looked hardly older than five moons, but his eyes sparkled with hatred. She ducked, avoiding his claws, unable to make herself attack back.

__

One apprentice took off, afraid to meet Honeywhisker in battle, the other taking the chance to slash at Darkwing's throat with unsheathed claws. Then he disappeared as well, leaving Darkwing alone. With a gurgle, he rolled onto his stomach, tasting blood in his mouth. Head spinning, it took him a minute to realize the blood spilling onto the ground was his.

___

"It is," Ravenfeather agreed, mind slightly fuzzy. He pressed closer, slightly, and smirked. "I'm feeling much better today, you know.There's hardly any pain any more."

__

"I hope so," Deathnote said. "I just... I'm scared. What if we find Sealkit and Greykit, and they don't want to come back with us? What if they don't like the Clan?"

__

"I don't have many other choices, do I?" Tessa replied, rolling her eyes. "But more than that, I really do owe you guys a lot. If it weren't for you, I'd probably have bled to death by now, or worse." She shivered.

Boneshatter pushed the grey tom off of himself, some cat calling his name. He got up, weaving through the wrestling cats in search of the cat who needed his help. Once he found Honeywhisker and Darkwing, however, his pace quickened to a near sprint. He skidded to a half next to her, eyes focused on the gagging multi-colored cat sprawled out on the ground in front of him. "What happened?" he shouted over the noise, eyes darting from side to side. He watched as more StoneClan cats fled, but there were still a lot and StrikeClan was tiring. More than ever, he wished the travelling cats were here.

"Watch him while I get cobwebs from my den!" he told her sternly. "Do not let anyone near Darkwing- this is life or death, Honeywhisker." Sprinting, he flew past other cats, heart pounding in his ears. It was if he could hear every word that came from Darkwing.

"...Honeywhisker? I don't understand... I haven't even been a warrior for a moon. I can't- I can't die. Not yet..." He choked on the blood in his mouth, legs splaying out at his sides as he struggled to breath.

__

"Behind you!" Mudstar yowled, eyes widening. She was too late, however, as Lonestar had already sprung, aimed straight for Eageltalon. Anger, and hate, fuelled her next actions; she knew that Lonestar had done much to destroy her clan, and maybe even killed Cougarstar. "No!"

She launched herself over Eagletalon, slamming into the other leader mid-air. They crashed to the ground, wrestling in a blur of claws, teeth, and hissed curses and insults. Over the commotion she managed to call for her deputy, asking for as sistance. She didn't want to chase Lonestar off; she wanted to wrestle them down, tire them out, and keep them there so some of her questions would be answered.

__

Jadewhisper and the she-cat had taken the battle to another level. Now they were rolling back and forth over each other, knocking over other cats as they did so. Her teeth were buried in the white cat's throat, the other's claws slashing deep scratches in Jadewhisper's sides and legs. When she let go, the she-cat tore off, and she turned to help Shadefang again. But this time, she hesitated, and opted to watch for a moment to make sure he didn't need anymore as sistance.

__

"Probably hunting," Ravenfeather muttered, closing his eyes. "Who cares?"

__

"We don't even know what we're doing," Deathnote muttered. I don't even know what I'm doing... "I have the feeling that not all of us are going to make it back to StrikeClan, Dawnshadow."

__

"If you say so," Tessa said with a shrug. She glanced behind them, where Chain was just clawing his way up the willow. "He's the silver one right there, right? I'm still trying to get names and everything, so. I haven't been around more than one cat for a long time."

"I suppose so. I'd like to live very much..." Darkwing mused, setting his head on the ground. His ears were ringing, the swarm of cats a blur to him. He wasn't scared of dying... he was scared of leaving Honeywhisker by herself. 

Boneshatter* bowled over a cat without realizing it, moving as fast as he could on three paws; his front right paw was swathed in cobwebs, his mouth stuffed with herbs. It wasn't all for Darkwing, though; he grabbed enough to help any other cat who needed his help. He skidded to a halt in front of the hardly-conscious tom and began to work feverishly on him, not bothering to check behind him for any StoneClan warriors. He knew Honeywhisker would cover his back.

__

Mudstar's claws dug angrily into Lonestar's face, back legs pummeling his stomach. "Don't let him get away!" she told Eagletalon, unable to part her gaze from those angry, hateful eyes staring into hers as he tried to free himself of the two warriors. But deep down, she thought she saw something else in Lonestar; maybe a little sadness, and the slightest bit of pity flashed through her.

__

Jadewhisper had just swatted the tom on the side of the head, hard, when she felt teeth sink into the back of her neck and claws latch onto her sides. She started to panic, as she was unable to reach her attacked with claws or teeth. Without thinking, she slammed her back into the stone wall, a sickening crunch snapping her back into reality. When she moved away the tiny cat slid off of her, flopping onto the ground, motionless. The she-cat's head lolled to the side, her eyes open but starting to glaze over. Had she... killed the little apprentice? Then she realized that the crunch she'd heard might have been her skull, or her neck, or even her spine. Maybe she was just paralyzed. 

Either way, guilt made her stop and stare. 

__

"Don't you ever wonder why you were picked to come too, Tiger?" Ravenfeather asked with a stifled yawn. "I mean, I always ask myself why I was picked to go."

__

"And if one of us dies?" Deathnote said, voice unusually tense. "What would have happened if Ravenfeather didn't make it back there, Dawnshadow? What would we say to his mother, or to his sister? What would I tell Shadefang and Mudsplash if something were to happen to you? What if half of us died, and Greykit and Sealkit don't even stay a moon? Everything would be for nothing." 

__

"Are you all so...big?" Tessa asked nervously. She looked small compared to the others, except O'Brian, Gucci, and Tiger. Chain was the only non-Clan cat who was somewhat large. He was shorter, about Ravenfeather's size, with wide shoulders and a thickset body. In her head she noted that the others were probably older than her; she was about ten moons old, roughly, and had been a kittypet/loner for as long as she could remember.