Hello, and this is a story about cats. Swiftpaw's death, precisely. However, this is going to get pretty gory. Don't like blood, turn back now. Well, this is pretty cheery for my first story! XD Please review and tell who I should do next! Also, the songs I listened to writing these were In the End - Linkin Park and Shattered - Trading Yesterday, both Warriors-related, sad, and epic. Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter. Enjoy! :D

Swiftpaw trudged through the ferns and bracken at Snakerocks, pausing every few seconds to scent the air.

"I'm not sure about this," mewed a quiet voice behind him.

He turned around to face Brightpaw, who seemed quite shaky.

Swiftpaw licked her cheek, "Don't worry," he whispered, "I'll keep you safe."

She seemed slightly reassured and comforted. Brightpaw asked, "Promise?"

"I promise." Swiftpaw added, smiling and looking into her gorgeous blue eyes.

Suddenly, a loud bark split the air above their heads and Swiftpaw turned to see a dog.

Not just a dog, however. There was an entire pack of four more tall, brown and black dogs, drooling and wagging their tails. The biggest dog, the leader by the looks of him, stepped forward and grinned. He seemed to say something in rough catspeak, "Pack pack, kill kill."

There was no time to run.

Swiftpaw twined his tail with the terrified Brightpaw. As fast as wind, the pack leader rushed forward and Swiftpaw leaped straight towards its mouth.

Brightpaw screamed out, tears streaming down her face, she reached out a paw, and barely brushed his tail. "SWIFTPAW!" she yowled in desperation.

Swiftpaw landed on the dog's head as it thrashed around, trying to bite him. Swiftpaw bit down hard on the dog's ear and he completely tore it off, blood splattering his fur and the ground. The dog roared in pain, bucking him off.

Then, the rest of the pack charged. Three of them went to help their leader. The one other dog rushed towards Brightpaw. She clawed and evaded the dog which lunged forward stupidly whenever she dashed away.

Swiftpaw was trapped by four dogs, all drooling madly. He picked one out and clawed its eyes, one of which fell to the ground with a splatter. The dog bit down on Swiftpaw's left back paw and twisted it upwards with a thrust of its head. The apprentice fell outside the circle in a heap of fur.

Swiftpaw cried out. He felt the bone break, he felt it almost burst through his fur, and he soon did not feel his paw at all.

He turned to look at his paw, which was dripping blood from the dog's teeth. It was permanent. Swiftpaw roared and leaped at the dog, leaving deep gashes in its side. The dog tucked its tail between its legs and limped out of the clearing, followed by another cowardly small dog.

Two down, three to go. The leader growled at the deserters but soon turned his attention to his partner. They snarled and barrelled down on Swiftpaw.

He was a frenzy as he clawed in any direction he could, as hard as he could. He thought he heard a high-pitched scream but the blood was roaring in his torn and broken ears, screaming at him to fight. Finally the leader's partner dragged itself out of the clearing, whining and limping.

The leader suddenly seized Swiftpaw's body in his jaws, and threw him as hard as he could against a thick tree.

The lower part of Swiftpaw's spine broke violently and he screamed so loud he thought he could be heard at Highstones. He fell to the bottom of the tree, splayed among the roots.

Through his blurred and bloody vision he saw the dog leave in the direction of his partner, both ears ripped off and bleeding. He snarled loudly and jumped into the ferns.

Swiftpaw observed his pelt, completely drenched in blood. He felt the dark seeping in, but pushed it away. He snarled through clenched teeth, "I-I m-m-must find B-Brightpaw." He spat out some blood angrily.

Swiftpaw leaned onto his two working front paws and dragged himself off the roots and onto the bloodstained grass. He took a rest and got up again, leaving a thick trail of blood in the grass. His vision cleared as he saw Brightpaw.

She wasn't covered in many scratches as he was. However, the right side of her head was on the ground and was saturated in a pool of blood. She had been crying.

Only a few more tail-lengths! Swiftpaw thought, so glad to see her.

Swiftpaw finally reached her and lay down next her. He gasped as he now saw her face, or what was left of it. Her right eye and ear had been torn away with the fur. Her now one blue eye opened and looked towards Swiftpaw. She reached out a paw painfully and whispered, "...S-Swiftpaw?"

He put his paw on top of hers, pulled himself closer, and whispered back, "I'm here." he repeated more silent, "I'm here."

Brightpaw smiled and sniffled, tears forming at the corners of her eye.

"Ssshhh," Swiftpaw smiled, "Just close your eyes and go to sleep."

She asked, "...D-Did you defeat the dogs?"

"I think I did."

"...Good. Swiftpaw?"

"Yes?"

Brightpaw closed her eye and sighed blissfully, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Brightpaw then sighed once more and seemed to fall into unconsciousness.

Swiftpaw felt the dark cradle him again, pleading him to come with it. Swiftpaw reluctantly closed his eyes and breathed out one last time.