Rain descended from the heavy gray clouds above, cleaning the bloody Earth beneath it

Rain descended from the heavy gray clouds above, cleaning the bloody Earth beneath it. Thunderclan and Shadowclan cats were scattered everywhere on the border, just on the brink of death. A gray tom forced himself up; trying to figure out what happened. Then it hit him: The clans were at war with themselves. Prey was scarce and many cats had been stealing from other clan territories… Graystripe shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had to report back to Firestar and see what they were going to do now. The warrior walked past his recovering clan mates and tried to pinpoint his best friend. After a few minutes of intense searching, he saw a ginger figure lying in the mud. Graystripe burst into a quick run to reach him sooner.

"Firestar! What would you like us to do? Retreat or finish driving Shadowclan out?" The former deputy mewed. When his leader didn't respond, he nudged him gently with his nose. "Firestar…" Graystripe looked into Firestar's green eyes and realized that they were unnaturally glazed open. He bit his friend's tail to see if he would react in any way at all. Still Nothing. Graystripe started panicking. Ok what was the worst thing that could happen? Firestar could have gone into shock, or maybe passed out, right? But then he would have still been breathing.

"Oh, Starclan, not again!" Graystripe whimpered as memories started to flood his mind.

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came

"Firestar, please don't do this to me. I… need you…" The tom knelt by the cold body and licked Firestar's shoulder. His fiery pelt was glistening with warm blood. "You can't leave me… not yet." Graystripe had started to choke up. The pain was too much. This was the same feeling he had when Silverstream died. Except this feeling burned… Burned like a fire in his soul.

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Maybe if he had fought alongside Firestar this wouldn't have happened. Maybe, just maybe, he would still be beside him, breathing orders to his warriors. It hurt so much to see the proud leader like this. He had been so kind and understanding. The ginger tom would always give a cat a second chance at living… Why couldn't he have another chance? "Why, Starclan, why?!" Graystripe hissed to himself, not caring if anyone heard him or not.

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you

Graystripe screamed his heart out at that moment. It echoed through the forest, but was barely audible through the rain storm. Starclan had taken so much from him. His beloved Silverstream, then Feathertail, and after that, Stormfur left… And now, his best friend, his last reason to live was gone forever.

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

How much more could he lose? Starclan had robbed him of his heart. Now it seemed like there was an empty, hollow blackness of loneliness that took its place.

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came

The rain poured down harder, as if trying to wash away his loss. Firestar's voice started ringing in his head, reminding Graystripe of what good friends they were, and how much they went through. How many fights had they fought? How many times did they ignore the Warrior Code to do what felt right? Countless times.

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

It was over. Firestar was dead. Nothing mattered anymore. Graystripe knew that he would never recover from this. It was unbearable to watch all your loved ones die one by one. Thoughts of killing himself corrupted his thoughts. No, Firestar wouldn't want him to die like that. He would have wanted him to join Starclan in an honorable way. Graystripe ignored Sandstorm's grief stricken yowl. It didn't matter now… nothing did.

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life
How to save a life

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life

Graystripe closed his best friend's eyes, knowing that he would never see them again. The warrior lay his head on top of Firestar's. He needed a friend the most right now. He needed someone to understand what he was feeling. Someone who would listen and actually care. Someone like Firestar.

How to save a life