Prologue

Green eyes gleamed in the night, tears drowning their strong shine. "......Lovestrike.." a voice choked, barley audible and sadness dragged through the word. " W-Why..?"

A tan she-cat with a brown heart-shaped circle on her eye looked up, smiling, tears also in her eyes. She sat there in her own blood. " I-It's my time." she meowed softly, and flinched when her wounds suddenly stung. " Take care of our kits."

The brown striped tom looked down at Lovestrike lovingly. " Y-You.. can't go!" he wailed. " Our kits are waiting at camp! You can't leave!"

Lovestrike's head fell, she purred silently. " No, your kits are waiting. Tell them I love them. And I love you too, Oakstripes." she meowed, and slowly began blinking her eyes.

" No!" Yowled Oakstripes. " Stay with me, Lovestrike!" he wailed like a lost kit. He nuzzled her. " Goodbye.." he muttered sadly.

A ginger and white tom cat instantly ran to him. " Sh-she's dead.." muttered Cometspot, the medicine cat. " We must bring her to camp."

Oakstripes hissed. " No! Where are those mangy Midnightclaners!" he growled, sniffing the air.

Cometspot put a tail on Oakstripes's shoulder. " They're gone. The battle is won. Lovestrike died an honorable death."

Oakstripes growled. " She shouldn't have died! She shouldn't have even gone into battle! She's a queen! Just because we needed extra warriors on hand.." he trailed off.

Cometspot blinked. " She asked to go into battle."

Oakstripes snarled. " Her kits are a quarter-moon old! And you let her go!" he snarled, not really angry at his own clan. Just angry with MidnightClan.

Cometspot nodded. " Yet I'm sure her sacrifice will be in great honor to the clan."

Oakstripes sighed in defeat and the two toms lifted the she-cat, and slowly walked back to camp.