This is War
His black and white fur stands on end as he paces in mindless circles around a ginger and white she-cat.
Why couldn't we be warriors too?
His teeth are locked in a silent snarl of rage.
Why did Cloudtail get to be a warrior? He's just a worthless kittypet!
The she-cat gives his small shoulder a quick lick as he passes her.
He stops and cocks his head at her.
She doesn't need to ask what he is thinking, solitude had strengthened their bond
Why aren't you mad?
He digs his small, but strong claws into the dusty ground.
"If we're so special to the clan, why can't we be warriors?"
Brightpaw has no answer to her friend's question.
"Why don't they just come out and say it, we're useless to them. We can join another clan, we can be happy there!"
Despite his angry appearance, she can tell that his loyalty would never allow him to leave the clan.
"I'd fight every single enemy that attacked the clan! And what would they do? Ignore me!"
He shakes his head and snarls at the sky above.
"You hear that Starclan? Are you going to make me a warrior?"
Her expression deepens and suddenly becomes much older and sorrowful, she knows what he is thinking.
"Brightpaw, lets go and get those monsters at Snakerocks. We'll show them. We'll be warriors, I promise!"
He rubs against his only friend's shoulder and trots off to Snakerocks with a faint smile tugging at his mouth.
She sighs and follows him, she could never let him go alone.
She knows that they probably wouldn't survive, but she can't stand the thought of crushing her friend's dreams.
He pauses and turns to the she-cat.
"And when we become warriors, we can be mates. And we'll be happy for once!"
She can't help but smile at his hopeful expression.
But then he suddenly becomes mean, his teeth locked in that silent snarl.
"This is war! We'll fight this battle for them! And every battle after that! We'll win! We'll beat Bluestar! We will be warriors! We will, I promise!"
Then he bounds away towards Snakerocks, the blood rushing to his head.
She follows more slowly, then that walk becomes a lope, then a flat-out run to catch up with her friend.
We'll be warriors, she thinks.
If we survive that long.
"A warning to the people, the good and the evil
This is war
To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim
This is war
It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight
To fight, to fight, to fight"