As you can tell, this is a challenge from LightingClan. Shout out to them, they're awesome! when I heard this prompt, I immediately found that it could work in my Step One: Survival story. If you haven't read that, please go check it out/review, but you don't have to know the story to read this since it's a prologue.

Most of the characters in the allegiances (which is not complete, I only put in the cats mentioned in the one-shot) are submitted. So thanks to all the submitters from SOS!

Cats Mentioned in the Story:

Leader: Barkstar—Large light brown she-cat with amber eyes. Apprentice, Shadowpaw

Deputy: Crookedwhisper—Scarred ginger tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Redberry—Bright ginger tom. Apprentice, Mintdapple

Warriors:

Stonewalker—Small she-cat with dark brown mink fur and turquoise eyes

Rabbitstrike—Small tom with cinnamon mink fur and dark turquoise eyes. Apprentice, Briarpaw

Yewdust—Brown tabby tom with bright green eyes

Junefrost—Cream she-cat with seal points and blue eyes; former kittypet

Grasshawk—Light brown she-cat with white paws and grass-green eyes

Apprentices:

Mintdapple—Blue-gray she-cat with hazel eyes. Pregnant.

Briarpaw—Brown-and-white she-cat with dark green eyes

Shadowpaw—Smoke-patterned tom with dark green eyes

Queens:

Robinpelt—Small she-cat with a dark brown coat and yellow eyes (Mother of Crookedwhisper's kits: Sunkit—Pale ginger tom with amber eyes, and Bravekit—Gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes)

Elders:

Brushfall—Large tomcat with a pale brown smoked fur pattern

"If you could have a wish—any wish—granted for you, what would it be?"

"Barkstar! Barkstar! Help!"

A wailing suddenly erupted in camp, and said she-cat looked up from where she had been conversing with Crookedwhisper about the day's patrols in alarm. Her heart froze as she watched Rabbitstrike and Briarpaw stagger into camp, dragging a body limply between them.

"What's going on?!" Crookedwhisper demanded, standing up. Barkstar was quick to follow suit, and together, they dashed into the center of camp, watching as Rabbitstrike and Briarpaw stumbled in to meet them, the cat still between them.

Barkstar's breath caught in her throat she she recognized the bright ginger pelt of the cat. It was Redberry, their medicine cat, mangled almost beyond recognition. The ginger tom had gone out only that morning to search for some more goldenrod, while Rabbitstrike had been out teaching Briarpaw battle moves. The three never should have met, especially in these circumstances. What had happened?

"Briarpaw," Crookedwhisper was the one who spoke first, voice distant with shock. "Keep the kits in the nursery. They don't need to see this."

"But—" The poor apprentice looked to almost be in shock, ears flat and almost shaking.

"Do as he says, Briarpaw," Barkstar put in gently, stepping forwards. Pushing down her grief at having lost her medicine cat and close friend, she motioned for the seven-moon-old apprentice to leave. "You'll be able to stand vigil for your father tonight. What happened, Rabbitstrike?"

The cream tom shrugged, looking completely lost as the apprentice rushed off. "Briarpaw wanted to get some prey for the elders after we finished training. We stumbled across her while hunting, covered in the scent of rogue. I think Briarpaw's in shock over it."

"We'll have to make sure Mintdapple knows about this," Crookedwhisper announced heavily. Rabbitstrike winced.

"Oh, what am I going to tell her?" He asked quietly, grief-stricken. "She's expecting my kits; when she finds out that her mentor is gone—who's going to help her give birth?!"

"We'll figure something out," Barkstar murmured, shaking herself and trying to stay professional as she attempted to process this sudden and devastating news. "We'll worry about the kitting later, but I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I have to go tell her," Rabbitstrike's voice caught in his throat. "May I—?"

"Of course," Barkstar answered quickly. "And make sure the warriors are on guard, in case the rogues get close. Crookedwhisper, get Stonewalker and Junefrost. We need to try and track down this rogue."

"Yes, Ma'am," the two toms nodded, and together split up to take different directions through camp. A small crowd had started forming around them, all shocked at the sudden death of their medicine cat, but Barkstar dismissed them with a flick of her tail, waiting patiently as her deputy fetched their two best warriors.

What had happened? Sure, there had been an abundance of rogues over the past season, and even some skirmishes had erupted, but nothing like this had happened before. A murder in cold blood? Barkstar almost couldn't believe it, but Redberry had always been gentle and kind. Her old friend couldn't hurt a cat if he wanted to.

Either way, this was a definite threat to the clan. If some cat was going around killing her warriors, she was going to have to step up and make sure that they were put to justice. Shadowpaw and Briarpaw, EclipseClan's only two apprentices and Redberry's own kits, were barely seven moons old. They and Crookedwhisper's young kits, Bravekit and Sunkit, would have to be protected as well until they caught the culprit. Afterwards the borders would have to be strengthened and the clan guarded. Now that their sole medicine cat was a pregnant and soon-to-be-nursing queen, they were going to have to tread very cautiously.

It was only a few minutes before Crookedwhisper returned with Stonewalker and Junefrost trailing behind him. The two warriors looked serious and ready for battle, which Barkstar was grateful for. She couldn't afford to send out warriors who were emotionally compromised and risk losing them.

Together, they left the camp by climbing out of the ravine and into the forest. Greenleaf had just begun, meaning that the leaves left dappled shady trails across the forest.

"Junefrost," Barkstar turned to the cream she-cat. "You're the one with the best nose. Can you lead us to the sight?"

Junefrost nodded, and Barkstar stepped aside to let the former kittypet take the lead. After taking a deep, long breath, she dashed to the right, allowing the other three cats to follow at a run. Together, the four of them raced through the forest, past the training hollow and to a dense section of the undergrowth, where they stopped.

"The rogue scent begins here," Junefrost announced after catching her breath. She tilted her nose towards a clump of plants growing the near the base of the tree. Almost half had been taken, and the other half was flecked with droplets of blood. "I think this is the spot, considering the goldenrod and how the rogue and Redberry's scent mixes. It's pretty close to the border, too."

Barkstar nodded.

"Fan out," she ordered. "We need to find this cat."

So that's what they did. Crookedwhisper took a close sniff of the leftover marigold and turned to the right, vanishing into the brush. Stonewalker took the opposite direction, and Junefrost and Barkstar found themselves going forwards.

"Why would a cat do something like this?" The cream she-cat asked quietly, grief lacing her voice. "I don't understand. Redberry posed no threat to them, and we may had rogue problems these last few moons, but never anything to this extent."

"I'm not sure," Barkstar admitted, ducking under a low-hanging bush. "We'll only find out when we find the cat who commited to deed. Sometimes we cannot understand why someone does what they do."

Junefrost sighed. "Redberry didn't deserve this." She looked so tired, and for a moment Barkstar saw the young she-cat who had joined the clan as her apprentice three leaf-falls ago.

Barkstar shook her head, and when she spoke, her voice was heavy with grief.

"No, he didn't."

"I want all the rogues gone. I want to make sure they can never hurt my clanmates again!"

They found the body on a dawn patrol.

Several days had passed since the murder of Redberry, and the clan had been coping. Mintdapple was near inconsolable, and only the thought of her coming kits was enough to make her eat and generally take care of herself. Rabbitstrike had hardly left his mate's side. Shadowpaw and Briarpaw had grieved for days, and only then were they beginning to come out of their shells and start training again.

Barkstar had been leading the patrol with her apprentice, Shadowpaw, at her side. Junefrost and a brown tabby by the name of Yewdust had joined them as well. But in the end, it had been Shadowpaw who spotted the mangled corpse first, bounding ahead to see if he could scent some early-rising prey.

"Barkstar?" The young apprentice called shakily from where he had gone on ahead. The leader of EclipseClan blinked in surprise—usually, Shadowpaw was full of vibrant energy, even on the dawn patrol—and rushed forwards.

The smoke-patterned tom quickly stepped back behind her when she came into sight of the body, and Barkstar almost took a step back in surprise.

The corpse looked to perhaps have had gray fur, though through the blood it was hard to tell. It was covered in long-gushing wounds, making it impossible to decipher its gender. Junefrost was the first to tentatively step up to it, sniffing the body experimentally, then wrinkling her nose. It was then that Barkstar realised that the body was surrounded by severed lavender and mint plants, saturating it in a sharp, almost painful scent.

"It's a female," Junefrost announced, voice wavering. "A nursing queen from the milk scent. And judging by her wounds—" she flicked her tail at some scratched that were obviously feline. "She was murdered by a cat."

Shadowpaw gasped and even Barkstar's eyes widened. Even for rogues, this kind of treatment was particularly brutal. And to be so close to the border….

"There is a good chance, then, that this cat was killed by the same rogue who killed Redberry," Barkstar mewed. She turned to her apprentice. "Shadowpaw, I need you to get Crookedwhisper for me, alright?"

For a moment, the smoke patterned tom didn't move, only taking nearly silent short breaths, frozen in fear and horror. Junefrost shot Barkstar a worried look, and the brown she-cat was quick to cover the body from Shadowpaw's point of view.

"Shadowpaw," she repeated gently. "I need you to go get Crookedwhisper for me. Can you do the?"

The young apprentice's tail twitched, then he nodded and whisked off without another word, dashing into the undergrowth. Barkstar turned over to Yewdust, who had begun digging a shallow grave for the she-cat as Junefrost continued to inspect the body. Silently, she joined her clanmate in helping to dig the grave.

"Is the milk fresh?" Barkstar asked after a couple minutes, voice heavy.

"Yes," Junefrost responded, voice still shallow and quiet. It seemed that Shadowpaw wasn't the only one almost completely frozen by the situation. After knowing her former apprentice for so long, Barkstar realized that she was operating almost. "I can track down the kits. See if they have a father."

"I will go with you," Barkstar agreed. "Yewdust, can you stay here and wait for Crookedwhisper? We won't go far beyond the border."

The brown tabby nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he murmured, eyes flickering over the the corpse and back again, almost as if staring at it for too long would burn him. Barkstar pulled herself from the hole, which was now growing quite sizeable, and nodded to Junefrost. Together, they stepped past the border, something rarely done in the solitary clan.

Once again, Barkstar stepped aside so Junefrost could utilize her tracking skills. The cream she-cat sniffed the air experimentally, tilting her head in the direction that the she-cat's scent hinted at where she had come from. Her ears pricked and her eyes widened slightly as she sniffed. Barkstar followed her example, her blunter nose still detecting the tinge of iron in the air, intermixed with lavender, mint, and the she-cat's scent.

"Whoever killed this cat did it outside of the clan," Junefrost breathed in horror. "And dragged her body here. If he did, then the kits—" There was no need to continue, and in unison, the two she-cats sped off in a dead sprint, following the scent of lavender and blood. After a time, they came across a small clearing that was splattered with blood, and the two she cats couldn't help a sigh of relief when they discovered that the mother hadn't been killed in front of her kits. At a slower pace, they continued the search. It only took a couple more minutes before Junefrost announced that she scented more cats, and one or two more until Barkstar caught the scent.

It seemed that the rogue had made her den in an abandoned badger set. It was rather secure, surrounded by brambles and hidden by said plants, and Barkstar couldn't help but nod in approval. If the she-cat had hidden her kits this well, she would be surprised if the killer had found his way to the den.

"Is anyone there?" She called quietly. "My name is Barkstar. I only want to talk; I mean no harm."

"Are they even old enough to understand?" Junefrost asked softly. Barkstar shrugged.

"If they are, I don't want to startle them," she whispered back. Before the cream warrior could reply, there was a shuffling sound from inside the den.

As they watched, a small kit, probably just under a half-moon old, poked their head out of the nest. He had dark, almost black fur, with a lighter belly and large blue eyes. They widened once they landed on the two clan cats, and he squeaked out a brave: "Who are you? Where's Mama?"

Junefrost winced slightly while Barkstar felt her heart break. There was no doubt in her mind that this kit and any siblings he may have were going back to join the clan now. She was definitely not going to leave them to defend themselves in a world where they would almost certainly die. Quickly, she composed herself and spoke again, making sure that she looked unthreatening as possible.

"My name is Barkstar," she repeated her first statement again. "This is Junefrost. We're… friends of your mother's. She asked us to come and fetch you and your siblings to take to our home. We have a lot of friends who want to meet you."

The dark gray kit looked at her sharply, as if trying to discern if she was lying or not, then seemed to take a leap of faith and trust her with the youthful innocence that Barkstar had been betting on to get the tom to trust her.

"Hey, Ash, Star!" He called down into the den. "It's alright! These cats said they're here with Mama!"

He stepped out of the den, revealing the entirety of his tiny frame. Two other she-kits followed him, a green-eyed she-kit with her mother's gray fur, and a golden she-kit with blue eyes.

"I'm Vine!" The kit introduced himself proudly. Barkstar smiled at him, even as her heart broke.

"Come." She waved her tail. "I'm here to take you home."

"Why do you ask, though? It's not like you can do anything about it."

Barkstar watched quietly as Star and Crow, now Rosekit and Crowkit, roughhoused playfully in front of the nursery with Bravekit and Sunkit. She was lucky, the aging leader supposed. Robinpelt's kits were just around the age that Rosekit, Crowkit, and Ashkit were, and the queen was able, with some borage supplements from Mintdapple, to nurse all five of them. Crookedwhisper didn't seem to happy about it, but that was more because he was worried for his own kits, at least from what Barkstar could see. He had never openly protested, though, signalling his approval of not leaving the kits to die.

Meanwhile, Mintdapple had finally moved into the nursery in the half moon since the three rogue kits had been adopted by the clan, leaving EclipseClan dangerously vulnerable without an on-duty medicine cat. And the clan was still on guard, even as more and more dead rogues popped up on the border.

Crookedwhisper was sitting nearby, watching the kits. He was speaking softly with Shadowpaw, the young apprentice nodding and murmuring back every once in a while. Briarpaw, meanwhile, was closer as she discussed training with Rabbitstrike. Junefrost and Stonewalker were sharing a rabbit together.

It disconcerting. Ever since Redberry, not a single warrior had met their demise on the border. Nothing save for the scent of lavender and mint.

Lavender and mint. Those were scents alone seemed to terrify Shadowpaw and Briarpaw, who tended to find or be in the most patrols that found the bodies. The scent that expertly masked the killer from being identified.

Rogues, who EclipseClan had always seen every couple days, now seemed to be actively avoiding the area. But the bodies kept on showing up, appearing every couple days on the border, dragged from further and further distances. Junefrost had spoken to one of her littermates, who was still a kittypet, about it, but had gotten little besides the fact that all the rogues were starting to think that EclipseClan was the one committing the murders.

Barkstar could do nothing, and it angered her. She watched helplessly as body after body appeared at the border, unable to do a single thing about it.

And that was the worst feeling of all.

"I can."

"Junefrost, where are you going?"

"Stonewalker! You startled me! I'm just going to go fetch some more borage for Mintdapple and Robinpelt. With Mintdapple so close to kitting, Rabbitstrike wouldn't let her go out to get some."

"You want someone to go with you? I can call Grasshawk or Yewdust if you like. I'd go myself, but as you can see, I'm on guard duty."

"No, I'll only be out for a little while."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Don't worry, Mintdapple showed me what the herbs look like. I'll be back before you know it."

"Alright. I'll let Barkstar know you're gone."

"I'll see you shortly!"

"Really?"

They found Junefrost near a patch of borage, covered in the scent of mint and ginger fur caught between her claws.

Barkstar went to the Shining Hollow in a whirl of grief, demanding answers as to why this was happening.

Creeksong, her mother, had simply whispered soothing words in her ears, and told her that the killer was in plain sight, and that all she had to do was look.

Barkstar looked. But she couldn't see.

"Why would I lie? I want the rogues gone just as much as you do. I just have one request."

"My kits! Have you seen my kits?!"

Robinpelt's frightened yowl split the air, causing Barkstar to immediately leap out of her nest and out of her den. The poor she-cat was standing in the middle of camp, ears flat and low as she yowled in terror. Immediately the warriors were out of their dens, and as Barkstar rushed towards the young queen, she could distinctly see Bravekit and Sunkit watching from inside the nursery with wide eyes, Mintdapple watching over them with a hawk.

"Robinpelt!" Rabbitstrike exclaimed, dashing over to the worried queen, Barkstar right on his heels. "What happened?"

"My kits…" The queen gasped, clearly terrified. "My adopted ones. They're gone!" Her voice transformed into a wail by the end of the sentence. Barkstar's stomach dropped. In the last moon, the queen had come to see the rogue kits EclipseClan had adopted as her. Losing them would be a harsh and terrifying blow to her. And true to Robinpelt's claim, Barkstar couldn't see Crowkit, Rosekit, or Ashkit anywhere.

"Do you have any idea where they might be?" Barkstar asked, almost demanding an answer. Shivering, Robinpelt shook her head. Barkstar cursed to herself, heart aching as she wished Junefrost was here to they could track the kits easier, but she hid the grief that had yet to fade after her former apprentice's death. "Does anyone?"

Grasshawk stepped forwards, looking just as frightened as the mother herself. "Crookedwhisper might've seen them. He went out to make dirt just a couple minutes ago."

Barkstar nodded. "Rabbitstrike, Stonewalker, come with me. Shadowpaw." She turned to her apprentice. "I need you to find Crookedwhisper for me. He should only be a little ways outside of camp."

The young smoke-patterned tom, standing next to Briarpaw, said nothing, simply shaking silently and pressing his fur against his sister. Barkstar blinked, off-put. Shadowpaw and Briarpaw had been acting off for a couple days now, but usually her own apprentice kept a clear head under pressure. He had a lot of talent and potential, the only reason Barkstar even considered sending him out of camp alone, short of a walk it may be.

"Shadowpaw?" Rabbitstrike asked, confused. "What's wrong?"

Her apprentice only made a strangled sound and buried his face into his sister's fur. Briarpaw gave them a helpless look, seeming to feel just as lost as them.

Slowly, a horrible understanding came upon Barkstar. She stepped forwards quietly, motioning for Rabbitstrike not to follow, and crouched in front of Shadowpaw, the apprentice she loved so much, heart breaking. Shadowpaw noticed her presence as she moved closer, and moved so that his face was out of sight within Briarpaw's long brown-and-white patched fur. The poor tom was practically shaking.

"Shadowpaw," she murmured. "You know someone's taken them away, don't you?" It was a statement, not a question. Briarpaw sent a shocked look to her leader, and she could hear the clan pause in surprise. But Barkstar pretended not to hear them, instead opting to watch a Shadowpaw gave an anguished yet affirmative noise. "Do you know who it is?" There was no response, and so she pressed again, though more gently. "I'm not angry. But these kits are in danger, and only you can help them."

For a moment, there was no movement. Then, ever so slowly, Shadowpaw turned to face her, looking as if he was about to collapse into sobs then and there.

"He-he said…" he whispered quietly. "That he could avenge Redberry. That the rogues would never… that they would never hurt a clan cat again. Then he killed Junefrost, because she'd been born a kittypet. He said he'd kill me too if I told anyone."

And suddenly, everything made sense. Barkstar drew back, conflicting emotions of denial, rage, and betrayal flooding through herself. Crookedwhisper. Crookedwhisper, the withdrawn yet quick-minded tom who'd she'd grown up side-by-side with her. Crookedwhisper, her deputy. Crookedwhisper, who'd sustained several cat-like scratches along his pelts from a rosebush when Junefrost had died. Crookedwhisper, who had been getting more and more tired over the last moon.

And finally, Barkstar saw.

"Rabbitstrike, Stonewalker!" She yowled, forcing down every emotion necessary and drawing up her regal persona of the leader of EclipseClan. Said warriors started, looking at her in surprise. "Crookedwhisper is the killer. When we find him, subdue him. Kill if necessary." A gasp rippled through the clan but Barkstar paid no attention to it, turning back over to Shadowpaw. "Do you know where he might be?" She asked.

A nod. "He told me not to tell."

"Shadowpaw, please."

That was all she needed to do for him to break. "The hollow log! The one near the northern border!"

Barkstar nodded to herself. She knew the spot.

"Let's go!" She cried.

She didn't wait to see if Rabbitstrike and Stonewalker followed—she couldn't afford the time—racing out of camp and onto the familiar path that lead to the northern border. Her paws, aided by adrenaline, skimmed the ground, and the familiar crack of a twig in the nighttime air informed her of the two warriors following her. No words needed to be said—none needed to be. Barkstar's orders had been clear, and Stonewalker and Rabbitstrike were the two best warriors in EclipseClan. Together they ran to the hollow log, and after what seemed to be an entire season, they were there.

At first, Barkstar saw nothing save for a wisp of mint. Clever. She was just angry now, only allowing the emotion to course fiery-hot trails underneath her skin because it chased away the grief and betrayal she felt that her deputy of all cats could commit such a deed.

And then there was a small, terrified whimper of a kit from behind the log, and she burst into action, leaping over the fallen tree and onto the other side with a practiced ease that accentuated her SkyClan ancestry.

Crookedwhisper, paws drenched in blood and saturated with mint and lavender, never saw his leader go in for the attack.

Barkstar barrelled into the ginger tom, eliciting a cry from the tom. Together, they rolled on the ground, and Barkstar got several blows in before he managed to recover and fight on his own.

Almost instantly Barkstar was reminded why Crookedwhisper was that clan's deputy. He was strong, and no doubt the best fighter in the clan. He immediately pushed her off of him once he got the chance, and leader and deputy separated, both gasping for breath as Rabbitstrike took the brown she-cat's side.

"We've caught on to your plot, Crookedwhisper," Barkstar hissed, eyes narrowed. "Stealing your own kits? That's low, even for a mass-murderer."

"My own kits?!" The ginger tom let out a hoarse, sharp laugh, more like a bark than anything, turning his bright amber eyes on his leader. "They were never 'my kits.' Their blood is as worthless—at this he stamped one of his blood-stained paws on the ground—as the dirt we stand on. Cats of their blood don't matter. They kill—like they killed Redberry—for sport. So why shouldn't we? If Robinpelt and Shadowpaw cannot see that, they're just as worthless."

"Crowkit and Rosekit are dead," Stonewalker's voice was heavy as it sounded from behind her, and it shook with grief. "Ashkit is safe." As if on cue, there was pitiful whimpering from the small she-kit. Barkstar's anger rose, and a growl rose deep in her throat.

"As they should be," Crookedwhisper laughed. "Soon Ashkit will join her littermates."

Barkstar could take it no more. She launched herself at her deputy, and they entangled themselves in battle once again. And once Rabbitstrike joined in, there was no more fancy battle moves, no exchanging threats or taunts. Just pure fighting, no restrictions. And Crookedwhisper, even against two warriors, was an amazing fighter, able to hold off both of them at once.

But 'holding off' only meant that he could do so for so long. Eventually, the cuts accumulated across his body, and finally, Barkstar saw an opening and took it, claws cutting into Crookedwhisper's face like a wet leaf from the spot between his eyes, down his muzzle and to the teeth. The deputy screeched at the wound, which instantly began bleed profusely.

Breathing heavily and sporting several cuts of their own, Rabbitstrike and Barkstar pulled back after this move, watching as Crookedwhisper bled out in the nighttime air.

"You are no longer my deputy," Barkstar declared, feeling almost empty as she spoke the words. "And from this moment onwards, Crookedwhisper, you are banished from EclipseClan."

For a moment, no one moved.

And then everyone did.

It all happened in the space of four or five heartbeats. Crookedwhisper, in a feat of strength she had never before seen, leapt onto his feet and burst at her. Caught off guard, Barkstar was left completely undefended as Rabbitstrike let out a shout. Teeth curled into her throat, Ashkit cried, Stonewalker screamed, and Rabbitstrike's light brown fur tore Crookedwhisper away from her, gouging out the ginger tom's own throat in the process.

Barkstar thudded to the ground only moment's before Crookedwhisper's body did. Suddenly is was almost impossible to breathe, and Barkstar looked up to see Rabbitstrike shouting for help, sounding almost on the verge of a breakdown.

He was one of the few who knew that she had been on her last life.

"Rabbitstrike." It hurt. It hurt so much to speak. But she had to. Her former apprentice, who had graduated only ten moons ago, looked at her, and for a moment she felt pity for what she was about to do. He was so young, but the only one she could really trust. "You… are deputy."

She looked up, and saw the stars, twinkling above knowingly.

Not such a bad way to go out, after all.

"Don't tell anyone. This is our little blessing."

Prompt: A warrior/medicine cat seeks something and wishes for it. Unknowingly to him/her, their wish comes true—but at a price.

Phew. Well, I hoped you liked this one-shot! I rushed the last section a bit, but I hope it flowed smoothly enough :-)

So... yeah.