SEASON: Newleaf.
DAY: Twenty-five.
TIME OF DAY: The sun has yet to rise.
HOURS UNTIL DREAM: Twenty four.
CURRENT LOCATION: Shadowclan territory, near the border to Riverclan.

"Leave me at once, Breeze-eye. Pull back and lead the kits, queens and elders to safety," a rough voice commanded the she-cat her order, but the tabby did not budge from her spot.

"I will not leave you here alone to face Stonestar, this is a foolish move," she hissed back. "I will come with you to fight her and when we have rid her of our fur I will go back and make sure that the rest of the Clan is safe. You cannot face her alone."

"Why do you refuse me? Go now, Breeze-eye, I can take care of myself." And as if to prove this false, a cough shuddered from the throat of the tom, so hard that he had to duck his head to keep from spitting the blood onto his companion.

The sun had yet to rise, and already her leader was this sick and tired. She had not seen him in such a state since his last disappearance, on in which he came back with two lives less than he had left with. She knew that something was happening to him, something that the medicine cat could not stop, something that Starclan could do nothing about. How could she convince him that this battle against the other leader was a mouse-brained decision? Stonestar would take whatever remaining lives that he had from him in seconds, and then she would claim rights to their territory or kill every last Shadowclanner to retrieve it anyway.

"Fox-dung, where is that blasted Juniperfrost when you need her?" the Shadowclanner spat beneath her breath, jerking back when she noticed that the tom was rising again. "You're coming back to camp with me, I will not allow you to fight like this. If you insist on someone confronting Stonestar, let me go. I will defend Shadowclan with my life, but I refuse to let you risk yours. You are the Clan's leader, Pinestar. You need to live."

"And what kind of leader am I if I allow my deputy to be killed for…" another cough shook him, nothing came up this time, "a foolish reason like me being a little unhealthy." He wore a tight frown.

"Your humor evades me," bluntly put, her words crawled from her throat accompanying a muted hiss. Turning her head from her stubborn leader, the she-cat could hardly contain the slight tremor of her jaw. "Go back to camp, Pinestar. I will fight for you, for the Clan. I will die."

"And what will that accomplish, you silly kit? Then she will just come here anywhere, that arrogant she-cat she is. She will not stop until I am dead and this land is hers. You go back to camp, you keep them safe. If she comes, kill her. Kill her first, ignore any warriors. Just… keep the Clan safe when I am gone."

Breeze-eye spat on the ground, right in front of her leader, an obvious disrespect. She was already disrespecting his wishes, why not go further? Besides, she had no intention on letting his silly speech get to her. This monologue he spoke was useless, it did not move her. Instead, she turned her head from left to right, keeping an eye out for the girl that she desperately needed to scout out. Juniperfrost had a way with words, better than her coarse speeches. The deputy could not inspire, but the medicine cat could demand. Certainly her strong words would compel Pinestar to return to camp.

Jerking her head back and forth, the dark she-cat began to shout out for the one she was seeking, "Juniperfrost! Juniperfrost—get your mangy tail out here!"

"Wha—what are you doing? Stop that racket," the accompanying tom spat at her, claws unsheathing in barely concealed anger. "I don't need Juniperfrost, she doesn't know what's wrong with me. Starclan doesn't know what's wrong—"

"Starclan does not speak of cures for fools," smooth, foreign, the accented tongue of the mysterious Juniperfrost broke in the middle of Pinestar's speech. "You will return to camp, your mate and kittens are running amuck crying for you. No one can settle down with that crying around."

From the shadows of the sparse pines came the owner of that voice, her tortoiseshell coat blending among the darkness that surrounded her. While the sun had not yet risen, there was still a dim illumination of pale blue, and shining from that light came her unusual bi-colored eyes. It was obvious that she was not from the Clans by the way that she moved, smooth movements unknown to Shadowclan, too perfected to be of Riverclan, and not the stumbling steps of clumsy Thunderclanners. Some suspected that she was from the mountains by the way that she spoke, but all of these were just assumptions. Her age and her past were still completely unknown to everyone, including the leader who had accepted her into his Clan.

"I will fight for my Clan—"

"The kits are too young to be under this stress, if this continues their bodies will not be able to handle the emotional pressure and they will—"

"—for my family, for my life! I will not—"

"—get sick if you do not return quick. Do you really want your precious children to succumb to sickness now of all times? Prey is already ridiculously low for newleaf, Pinefrost."

"—let Stonestar take away what is precious to me."

"If you cherish it so deeply you should return to it."

The tom's eyes were locked in a cold stare against her's, but he knew that he was not meant to win this battle. Juniperfrost had won since the time that he had begun to cough, no—since the time that he had left his kits and his mate. The Clan needed him, but how could he save them from Stonestar if he did not confront her now? How was he going to protect his family if she was still there to ring terror over them? He was the Shadowclan leader, he was supposed to be the one striking terror in the souls of the other Clans. Not Riverclan, not Stonestar.

Breeze-eye was glad to see that he was being taken down by Juniperfrost's words, there was no one else who could have taken him down to this level. Though mentioning his children was a very dirty trick, if it was the only one that would work on him, the she-cat was glad that it had been used. The sickness that was tormenting him could possibly take him anytime, they did not need to lose him any sooner than he was already deteriorating.

"Juniperfrost…" she started out hesitantly, but knew that she had to continue this. "I will go to Stonestar," she ignored the immediate response from Pinestar, his hiss of anger, "I will attempt to settle things before they get too out of hand. If I cannot… ask Starclan for their blessing, even if I am part of the foolish they no longer care for."

"No, no, no. I do not allow this. I am your leader, you will listen to me. If I am returning, you are returning with me. Breeze-eye… Breeze-eye—Breeze-eye!"

She had already turned, her black tail waving her goodbye to him and Juniperfrost. The medicine cat had firmly placed herself in front of her leader, preventing him from catching up with his deputy. Her form was rolling down the hill that lead to the Riverclan border, to the ones that wanted to kill her. She did not look back at her leader once, did not look back at the medicine cat who was murmuring the prayers that she had implored for. Starclan, perhaps, would look down at this valiant soul. Breeze-eye, their deputy for so many moons.

"May Starclan walk with her," the tortoiseshell grimly spoke aloud, bi-colored eyes narrowed to slits. "Now let us go back to your family, Pinestar. I have given the best try I could for Breeze-eye, her life is up to herself and those above. I hope that they can recognize honor where it deserves to be seen."

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DISCLAIMER ! The WARRIORS series belongs to Erin Hunter (...well, the people who actually make it...). Characters in this story belong to A-B-D.