Gone Forever by xX Tiger Princess Xx and edited by Moon of Silent Night

Summary: My sister was courageous, cunning and loyal. I am timid and quick. My sister is Gone Forever and Never coming back. I was left behind and I grieve for my sister daily. Merry Christmas PinKat!

For the LawlClan Secret Santa Event. The prompts that I received were Gone, Forever and Never.

My sister was courageous, cunning and loyal. I am timid and quick. My name is Pebblepaw and my deceased littermate is Graypaw. We were best friends and proud apprentices of BirchClan, unaware of our fate of being separated in the near future. We were two peas in a pod, and we cared for each other above all else. We trained together, we laughed together, and we hopefully would soon get our warrior names together.

I have no idea how I can survive any longer without my sister, who protected me night and day.

Graypaw and I looked similar as well, she being the long-haired gray she-cat with amber eyes and I the light gray medium-long furred cat with a white underbelly and white spots that presented me with the name Pebblepaw. Instead of amber eyes like my father and sister, I inherited ice-blue eyes from my mother, always displaying uncertainty.

My sister was outgoing and brave, while I am shy and used to always hide behind her. I yearned for a personality like hers and not for the shyness that StarClan granted me with. Graypaw always told me that she loved me for who I was when I asked her, which always comforted me.

We were members of a prosperous Clan called BirchClan and were happy with the life that we had. That was before the battle happened. Now my sister no longer has a life, unless you count living in StarClan as a life to enjoy.

I remember the day of the battle as clear as the flawless blue sky in Green-leaf, how could I not? It was one of the worst days in my life being my first battle.

~~Flashback~~

I awakened to Graypaw shaking me, desperately wishing that I would rise from my mossy nest. One of her ears was torn, a long scab running through it. Battle screeches roared, coming from outside the apprentice den. How could I have slept through that? I leaped onto my paws and raced after my sister into the clearing, where the silhouettes of battling cats could be seen. I recognized the swift shadows of cats as the StreamClan warriors, our once allies who had just betrayed our trust by invaded our camp. BirchClan needed every warrior, apprentice, and medicine cat to perform their duty.

It was hard to spot anything in the starlight because it wasn't that bright. The moon was still new, but it and the stars combined offered enough illumination to be capable of seeing the fierce warrior-cats, covering the clearing. How had they found the camp? I asked myself. The BirchClan camp was surrounded in thick bushes that were covered in thorns. The only way in was to locate a hollow dead tree that had fallen on its side, and walk through it. It was well hidden, in a cluster of trees. But I shouldn't ponder about that now, my swift talents were needed in the battle.

Why had StreamClan invaded our camp? That thought could wait as well. Sure, it was important, but not as important as fighting for my Clan.

I lunged, knocking into a senior long-haired white apprentice named Whitepaw that I recognized. Graypaw had introduced me to him at the gathering, and they were friends. But, there was no truce in the middle of the night and I unsheathed my claws. Whitepaw was too quick for that simple move. Swiftly, he battered me aside and I landed on a fellow Clanmate. Oof! My Clanmate yelped in surprise as I barrelled down on her. She carefully got out from below me and skidded away towards a group of warriors who were needed her help. I was left behind, and I was dazed as my head throbbed violently, making me feel as if the forest was shaking.

Regenerating enough strength I was able to strike Whitepaw by surprise. Soon he was on the ground, and it was an easy kill from there. But I didn't kill him -I couldn't! I allowed him to scurry off like the weakling he was.

Confidence overtook me: BirchClan was winning the battle! For a split-second I was filled with triumph! My first battle and BirchClan won in no time whatsoever! My feeling of achievement soon drained when I suddenly spotted our Clan deputy Volewhisker being lifted into the medicine den and I knew then that the battle wasn't over yet. Cats were still getting hurt and it was unfair that I was sitting there while it was proceeding.

I darted to Graypaw's side and aided her as she was on her back, desperately fighting with all four paws. I pounced onto her opponent, colliding into a warrior who was in great shape. He flung me back to where I started, and despite the fact my pelt was covered in scattered thorns and the physical and mental pains were great, I got up again. Once off the ground, my courage settled back inside me. No one could defeat me that easily! My back ached where I had landed on it, and leaves were sticking to my back. Quickly, I dusted myself off. Then, I got into pounce position and leaped.

Rage cascaded in my head, and I didn't lift a paw trying to pursue it. The young warrior, Shadeflight, rammed into me, catapulting me off my paws. Pain seared inside me and there was a slight bit of shock in my emotions. I hadn't expected battles to be like this! After battles every cat boasted about all the scrapes and scratches they had received from a fiercer, more experienced warrior. They always said that it didn't hurt a lot... but this was a pain worse than stepping on a thorn as the young, clumsy kit I had been.

Shadeflight carried on clashing with Graypaw, but by this time my sister was on her feet. We defeated Shadeflight together, and began to help our fellow apprentice, Leopardpaw, in her skirmish against a strong and determined warrior named Oakstorm. I turned to look at her in the split second that I had. Her eye was red and puffy. Had a sharp claw pierced her eye? I had asked myself, then shivered at the thought.

I pleaded with her to go to the medicine cat den and I would fight Oakstorm. At first she didn't agree, being the strong, loyal, and determined cat she was. Then, I got forceful.

I pushed her in the direction of Brownpaw, and then, against Oakstorm, used the fighting skills that I had learned from my mentor, Bluecloud. With Leopardpaw gone, Oakstorm and I were left to battle. Graypaw was nowhere in sight, having most likely raced to another cat's aid in the fierce battle.

A swift slash of my extended, thorn-sharp claws and my opponent yelped. He tried to cuff me, but all his claws did was rake the mossy ground. Thinking his claws were occupied, I made a risky move, my claws flying, but... my soft white underbelly was exposed. Truth to be told, his claws weren't busy. They were waiting for me to take a chance that could have cost me my life.

I was pinned in the moss next to a big maple tree, and my chances of making it out of the battle mostly unscathed just plummeted. Downwards. I closed my eyes tight and waited... and waited. I opened my eyes to see Oakstorm staring up into the large maple tree. I looked up.

A gray she-cat was precariously balanced on a thin branch, looming above where Oakstorm was standing, and I was on my back. Graypaw! How did she climb the tree? Every cat in BirchClan knew that Graypaw was horrible at tree climbing. How was she able to push herself up the maple?

Would she save me? Or was it already too late? I didn't hope for the latter, but that had the highest percentage of happening. I was still pinned down and Oakstorm was no fool. He wouldn't sit and wait for Graypaw to slowly climb down the tree. Nope. Never. Not going to happen. I was done for and wouldn't be saved. My sister, Oakstorm and I were isolated in the forest. Everyone else was fighting in the clearing of camp.

Oakstorm glared towards me, and prepared his claws. I closed my eyes and hoped Graypaw would do the same. Neither she nor I wanted to see this. Dread engulfed me at the thought of what would soon take place. I had never fought in a battle before. From the stories, it had always seemed like a place to boast and show off your skills to another Clan. Not to have a near-death or death experience.

Thump! Crack! I heard a yelp of terror as my sister flew off the maple tree adjacent to us, landing half on the ground, a quarter on a rotting yet hard splintering branch, and the last quarter on Oakstorm! Both cats had yelped, for both cats were damaged from the experience. Inside I cried as I saw the emotion on Graypaw's face. Pure pain. It was a tall tree, and I was surprised that jumping from it didn't kill her.

Once again, Graypaw had protected me, this time saving my life. I would have run up and thanked her, but there was still a battle going on.

The three of us fought an equal battle. Graypaw could barely move, which made the battle Oakstorm vs I. Oakstorm was a warrior, and was much more experienced and skilled than me, but he was also more injured than I, thus it was anyone's game.

The battle ended, BirchClan being the winning Clan. Rainstar of StreamClan led his Clan home, thanking StarClan that every one of his Clanmates were able to walk. A few of the warriors were bitter that they lost, but Rainstar would not stand that complaining. Soon they were quiet.

Most of the cats of BirchClan were okay, except for Graypaw, Volewhisker and Sootfeather who were wounded.

~~ Small Flash-forward from Battle~~

I had never known a sentence to be more heartbreaking. Hazelstorm, the medicine cat, had announced the worst possible news. From jumping off the tree and saving my life, Graypaw had broken her back.

After the battle I had alerted Spiderstar of her injury and the amazing Clan leader carried Graypaw all the way back to the camp, where she was laid in the medicine den until further notice.

I visited her daily, but every day she became more and more depressed. Was it really the life of a warrior to be locked in a den, unable to move?

One day the news came. Graypaw, my sister, my best friend, my protector, had perished. Greencough had plagued her during leaf-bare, and she had no strength to fight it. I sat at her vigil, grieving for her. My friend Leopardpaw stayed up the whole night with me, giving me as much support as she could. She was a good friend. Was she as good a friend as Graypaw? If she had a choice, would she give her life to save mine? If it came to another cat saving my life, I would live with guilt heavier than the forest on my shoulders.

~~Back to present time~~

Graypaw visited me in a dream last night. She and I were on some rocks next to a flowing and foaming waterfall, water-gushing and spraying on the mossy stream-bed beside it. It must have been the StarClan hunting grounds, what Hazelstorm had told me about in a story when Graypaw and I were young kits.

We talked and laughed together, just like we used to when we stayed up late in the apprentice den.

She told me to stop regretting the past and look to the present and future, in her good natured, humorous way. Of course, I should never forget about her, she had meowed. Graypaw always gave good advice. Both of us were intelligent, but it was different kinds. I had knowledge about battle plans, and Graypaw had interesting knowledge about life, and about the forest. She was born with wisdom.

We were close to each other, and I never wanted to wake up. My sister had changed, she sounded much more calm and relaxed. I would give anything to be able to talk to her again. It was a special night when that dream arrived. Little did I know, the following morning would be my warrior ceremony. If only she could have been with me: Graypaw.

Even though Graypaw could visit me in my dreams, she was gone forever and could never come back to BirchClan.

Happy Holidays :D