Thanks to Jayfeathers Friend for:

favoriting and following me

reviewing this chapter

sending me his OC

and being the 100th review on Clan High!

You rock dude!

And everyone please listen to High Hopes the Megamix... it's so incredible.

Coalstrike raked a hand through his thick black waves. His feet pounded the gravel, pulling the girl with him. As he ran, his feet, well accustomed to the feel of it by now, made him feel like he was flying. He'd grown to love the feeling of running, the freedom and the escape... and the feeling of dread knowing it would end. That he'd go home, and they'd scream at him, where did you go, why weren't you here, you could have been the death of us all, you sorry excuse for a son, why did we adopt you... He shut his eyes for a minute, hot tears running down his cheeks before he shunned them away against the rising anger in his chest.

Closing his eyes was a mistake.

It brought him back...

Mom? Dad?

Empty hallway... a six-year old wandering an empty hallway

Goldenfrost?

Empty house... a six-year old wandering an empty house

Hello? Anyone?

Note on the counter

Written in blood

Whose?

Hello, Coalstrike

Your parents have been taken hostage

Ever want to see them again?

Ransom.

One million dollars.

Your doorstep. Midnight in three days.

No money? Oh, no. Too bad.

Your parents will be dead, then...

And they won't be killed quickly.

Love,

Dark Ones

Screams

Screams

We will not help you

This is too much

I'm sorry

Neighbor yelling

What do you mean no, their lives are on the line, how could you, people will die because of you, you will pay for this

A glimpse of a black and silver tiger pin, carefully hidden

I see why now

Grim understanding

The neighbor does not see, she pleads still

I can't do anything

The guards usher her away

BROKENSTAR, she screams

YOU CAN'T DO THIS

THIS CHILD, THE FUTURE OF SHADOW

HE'LL BE-

strangled her

Taken home, grandma's care

Three days later

Soft thuds...

Grandma?

Feet on wood

Noises fade

Door open? And-

No

No

No

No

NO

NO

Three bodies

Empty eyes open

Hands clawed

Mouths open and bloody

Scarred

Bleeding

DEAD

Mutilated

TERRIFYING

what is sanity now?

Coalstrike blinked his eyes open. He'd stopped running, and the girl was looking up at him. Blood soaked through her shirt where it wasn't torn.

"You're hurting me..." she whimpered. Coalstrike realized his fingers were digging into her injuries. He placed her down gently and sat beside her. He didn't usually want to protect people, but this girl was different. He almost felt like he needed to protect her. As he watched her relax, he felt his anger subside... taking moments, where it normally took days.

That was new.

He exhaled, pushing the last remnants of the memory away. Coalstrike had something to protect now. Even if he didn't know her.

"I'm going to take off your blindfold now, okay?" he whispered, voice rough with held-in tears. She nodded, and he pulled it off her eyes, leaving her pretty ginger hair to spill out over the ground. He felt a strange urge to put something under her to protect her body from the dust and the grime... but no, he'd just met this girl. She was no different than his foster sister... the tall blonde girl with false purple contacts and sharp heels... even if they seemed nothing alike. No. Like all girls he'd met... like all the people he'd met... she'd hurt him eventually.

Her eyes blinked open... large, and trusting, and... and so very green, like an apple or a ripe lime... he gritted his teeth. She smiled. "Thank you for helping me." He grimaced. "Yeah. I'm Coalstrike."

She looked up. Those eyes again. "Why did you save me? My friends-"

"Your friends think you're DEAD." he snapped.

She quieted and he regretted being so harsh with her.

"O-oh." she sighed. "Ah... I guess I'm Poppyfrost then." Crowstrike smiled grimly. "Great, so now we're all buddy-buddy. Come on, we need to get food and water and hit the road some more." He pulled some bandages out of his back pocket and reached for Poppyfrost before shying away. "Is it okay if I..."

"Please do." She cut him off. "I can feel the blood sticking my shirt to my back-" Poppyfrost winced. "-and getting it off once it's dried won't be pretty." She sat up, back to Coalstrike.

Coalstrike inhaled sharply. His own screams from the abuse of his childhood suddenly rang in his ears at the sight of his blood. He groaned, letting out a hysterical laugh, and tried to focus on Poppyfrost, still letting out a few bursts of maniacal laughter. After a minute, Poppyfrost's right shoulder and middle-lower back were fully covered, and he'd removed his sweatshirt (why for a stranger?) to cover what the bandages and shirt remnants did not. (a/n: ahEm, although it's not like he was looking... *he wasn't though* ;) ) After that, he helped her to her feet. She studied him. "Something interesting?" he snapped. She flinched and Coalstrike immediately felt guilt... for what? Hurting a stranger he'd saved from a horrible fate? He groaned and sank to the ground. No, no, no, she's going to leave me now, just like everyone else... no, no, no... He rocked back and forth a little to try and soothe the demons in his mind.

No one loves you

Useless

Hopeless

brainless

lonely

stupid

why is she still here

why hasn't she run

hasn't she realized WE CAN'T DO THIS?

I can't do this

Why did I save her?

I don't want her to end up like my parents.

"C-crowstrike?" Poppyfrost watched the boy who had just saved her from a fate worse than death succumb to something she could not see, mumbling "useless" "hopeless" "parents" to himself. She dropped to a crouch, ignoring the pain in her back.

"I know it's hard, but we have to keep going. You need to be strong." She gave a wry laugh. "Look at me, the wounded one, the one you wouldn't expect to give the pep talk. I should be in your place right now. But I'm not. We need to keep going. They'll find us if we stay. I don't want to know what comes next." She sighed. Stretching out a hand, she leaned a little closer to place it on his back. Below the thin fabric of his blue T-shirt, she could feel the ridges of scars. Slowly, she brushed her fingers up and down his spine, trying to figure out how may there were and what kind. "Crowstrike..." she gasped. He looked up at her, a rage and a sadness in his eyes, and a longing too.

"Please don't." he whispered. "I can't take it. You'll leave me too." he gasped. "Everyone does eventually." Poppyfrost bit her lip. She made a decision right there, right then, to be the person who would stay. Because even if she'd never seen him before in her life, even if she loved someone who might sometime love her back...

Poppyfrost decided to give it all up. Because stranger or not, Crowstrike would need her. Whether he knew it or not.

She tied her hair up in a bushy-wavy high ponytail using the blindfold. Then she rubbed a bit of dirt where a football player's eye black would go. Finally, she took out a pair of large veggie glasses that gave her a "hot-librarian" look. She pulled Crowstrike to his feet. "We need to look different. We need to get out alive. You need me, whether you like it or not. So disguise yourself by putting a bush on your head or wearing a squirrel for a scarf... I don't care. But we need to leave." She smiled. "Are you with me?"

Crowstrike nodded.

The survival of the fittest had begun.

I know what I said about this chapter. But I got an OC, and I started writing... and it was hard to stop. I can thank Jayfeathers Friend (once again) for that. Wow. Over 1,415 words. That's a personal best for me. And early- weeks early- to boot. I suspect that now that I have a bit more of a storyline, I will be more motivated to write.

On another note, I may decide to end Clan High when this story gets to the 15th chapter. I know it's already on a hiatus... but honestly? It had a crappy first fifteen chapters- the chapters typed at 6 AM on a Saturday over the course of two hours a year ago. Wow.

And while it's improved... when my parents told me in September 2018 that... well... anyway (no divorce or anything... something else) I just couldn't write anymore.

Two Warrior High AUs are more than enough. Details and OCs from that story, including the Ferntail plotline, will be gradually incorporated here. This story has more potential. That's why I'm telling you all that from the 25th onward, this will be the ONLY Warrior High AU I will continue to write. Thirty chapters is a good run. 100 reviews is incredible. So I'm extending thanks to the following people:

Jayfeathers Friend, review 100.

Blossomfrost, my first reviewer when I was a fledgeling writer.

Coraldawn107, my IRl friend and fellow writer.

Cheries, who hasn't contacted me lately, but who was a loyal reviewer all the same.

Azureflower Fur Life, who decided I was an amazing writer (a title I don't believe I deserve...) and who was a great reviewer.

Artistic-And-Wild-Justice, my close friend who has changed her username so many times by now that I can barely remember... but she's been an incredibly loyal reviewee of the story in later chapters. I'll be forever grateful for that.

Mintblast, who doesn't have an account, and who reviewed and left me OCs... I hope she comes to review this one too.

twistedflower, a new reviewee, who wished me solace when I broke the news about the hiatus back in October.

x yaomomo x, also a new reviewer... thank you so much for taking time to review!

Furyfeather, who used BOTH her accounts to review... hope you're doing all right.

babypop1000, who is the author of one of my FAVORITE fanfictions, who reviewed a few chapters a while back... I'll forever appreciate that.

PheonixRune, who I haven't heard from in awhile, who was a loyal friend and a great advice person.

FalloutKat, an early reviewer... thank you so much for everything.

Spottedice, who left great feedback.

Mothstar of Cloudclan, a good friend and reviewer who I also haven't heard from in a while.

Wingfur, who acknowledged my Hamilton references... she may not live to see our glory, but she will gladly join the fight.

Stormbreeze and Snowfall, two guests who left very excited reviews. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sharpbreeze, with questions and advice, thank you...

And myself (HEAR ME OUT) because somehow, even I noticed my own mistakes and pointed them out. Not like Azure-me listened... ha, ha... ;-;

Thank you also to the Guests who left feedback for me. I appreciate it.

That's everyone. By now we're up to over 2000 words. Wow. Okay, that's better than I thought. This started as a document I could never finish because my MOTHER, every five seconds, was like,

"Homework! Piano! Walk the dog!"

"Ok, ok, Mom, jeez... *can't get a damn thing done...*"

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" "Nothing, nothing, sorry..." and now look where we are! Hopefully chapters will be this long in the future...

Thank you to everyone.

See you soon!

Azure