Hi Everyone!

This is my first FanFic so I would really love some critisism.

Thanks!

Disclaimer: Everything is Erin Hunter's

Ravenpaw's growled deepened as the unnaturally yellow, two-leg monster loomed closer. It's loud roar shook the earth and Ravenpaw heard two-legs shouting to one another, pointing at him. One of them approached him, and Ravenpaw unsheathed his claws and lashed out at the two-leg's furless paw, making blood stream out. The two-leg withdrew his hand and cried out. Bringing more two-legs running over.

"Barley! We have to go now!" Ravenpaw called out over his shoulder to the older tom. Barley shook his head and crouched lower in one of the haystacks.

Ravenpaw narrowed his eyes in frustration at his companion's stubbornness. His nostrils flared at the foul smoke the monster was breathing.

"If we don't leave now that two-leg monster will crush us!" Ravenpaw shouted over the roar of the machine.

Another two-leg made an attempt to grab Ravenpaw, but this time, the black tom flung himself at the two-leg with a yowl. Ears flattened on his head, Ravenpaw raked a wound on the two-leg's ugly face, and then leaped off and ran to the woods.

"Barley! Let's go!" Ravenpaw pelted away from the commotion and dived into the shadows of the undergrowth nearby.

He looked back towards the old barn house and his chest tightened when he saw Barley still there, still nestled in the pile of hay. Why wouldn't he leave? Ravenpaw wondered desperately.

But now, it was too late.

He watched the horrible scene unfold: a two-leg climbing into the belly of the monster... the monster coming to life, stalking closer and closer to Ravenpaw's and Barley's home... the monster raising a giant claw and suspend it in mid-air above the barn for a long heartbeat... then came the crash, as it slammed down on top of the roof.

Hay, wood, dust and splinters flew in all directions, hiding Barley from Ravenpaw's sight. The monster lifted the claw up again, and repeatedly rammed into the abandoned two-leg's nest. Ravenpaw tore his gaze away from the destruction of his home.

This is what happened to the clans, the thought struck Ravenpaw, and he looked beyond the barn's demolition and to the distance, where the forest had once been. Now, there were rows of thunderpaths and new two-leg nests, full of kittypets, dogs, and two-legs. Strange plants and fences. And Monsters.

Firestar, he thought, Graystripe. They all left before it was too late.

Barley, he thought. Why didn't he want to leave?

He turned back the two-leg mob. The abandoned two-leg place was gone, and in its place was a pile of debris.

And Barley.

The two-legs suddenly put the monster to sleep and left, talking loudly to one another in their language.

Ravenpaw waited a couple of heartbeats until they gone and out of sight before bounding over to the rubble.

He cautiously crept up to the ruin, his pale green eyes scanning through the settling dust-and found what he dreaded to find.

A tuft of black and white fur poked out of a gap between the wreckage.

Ravenpaw leapt over and dug as fast as he could to his friend.

Pulling back the last piece of rubble with his aching paws, the black cat revealed the broken tom.

Ravenpaw stepped back and stared in horror.

Barley's eyes were closed. His usually neat fur was shredded and matted with blood. His paw was twisted in a permanent angle. Shallow cuts laced the tom's body, but what worried Ravenpaw the most was the long, bleeding gash across Barley's throat and down his flank.

Desperately, Ravenpaw struggled to remember what Firestar, when they were both apprentices, had once told him about bleeding.

Cobwebs to stop bleeding.

Ravenpaw dashed over to the trees and returned as fast as he could to Barley with his paw swathed in cobwebs. He stretched them out and pressed them against the black and white tom's wound.

But everything was going wrong! In a couple of heartbeats, the cobwebs were drenched. The overpowering smell of blood was making Ravenpaw sick and dizzy.

Barley! Please don't let him be dead... Great Starclan... Please don't let him be dead...

Ravenpaw swayed on the spot, nearly collapsing.

Suddenly, to his relief, Barely coughed up blood and gasped for breath, his sides heaving. The old tom muttered something.

"Barley..." Ravenpaw whispered. He leaned forward to listen to his friend, and heard him say,

"Violet..." Barley croaked. "Violet..."

Then his eyes glazed over. The tom heaved his final breath, and then went horribly still.

This time, Ravenpaw knew he was dead.

Ravenpaw felt as is he had been the one to died. A wave of fire, then ice, washed over him. He stood still, shocked, breathless, for a lifetime. Then he threw back his head and caterwauled his grief.

Numb, he grabbed Barley's broken body by the scruff and dragged him away from the wreck. He pulled him to the edge of the forest, and dug a hole, deep so that foxes and badgers wouldn't dig it up. As if in a dream, a terrible dream, he gently placed the dead tom in, and buried him.

Limp with exhaustion, Ravenpaw collapsed onto the ground, not even attempting to clean his paws from the dried blood and dirt.

Barley, he thought. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

Memories flashed through his mind: Exploring camp for the first time as kits, with his brother, Dustpelt, Dustkit. Becoming an apprentice to that dark, evil tabby... Watching Tigerclaw murder Redtail, running back, telling the clan Redtail was dead... Meeting Firepaw in the medicine den, with his hurt shoulder... The trip to the Moonstone, meeting Barley, the rat attack... Shadowclan attacking, stealing the kits... Running away to the abandoned two-leg place... Saving Cloudtail... Saying good-bye to the clans without Graystripe... Barley... Two-legs coming... Barley... Monsters destroying the abandoned two-leg nest...

Barley...

Ravenpaw drifted off to sleep.