Sparrowtail sighed. She was extremely tired, but she couldn't sleep.

"Battles today," Sparrowtail mumbled sleepily.

"What?"

Sparrowtail lifted her head up. Someone else was up this early too?

"Hi."

Sparrowtail turned around.

"Dawnlight?"

"Yeah," the calico warrior answered.

"What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep either," Dawnlight yawned.

Sparrowtail smiled lightly. Dawnlight was such a sweet cat, and great to talk to. Hardly anything bothered her.

"Battle's today," Dawnlight repeated what Sparrowtail said.

"Yeah."

"Sparrowtail? When the battle comes, I was wondering if you'll...protect me?" Dawnlight looked at her with large bright amber eyes.

The moment their eyes clicked together, a strange feeling swept over Sparrowtail's body. It was like someone wrapped her in a warm silk. From then on, it didn't matter the battle was today, it didn't matter that Redwood left, and it didn't matter that Duskstar was going to steal the kits. Nothing mattered anymore. Everything was going to be fine. And it defiantly didn't matter that the battle was going on right now...Wait...WHAT?! Sparrowtail blinked a couple times to realize what was going on. Dawnlight was in front of her, fending off any warriors that got near her.

"Glad to see your awake! You've been sitting their like a moon-struck rabbit for some time now!" Dawnlight aimed a blow to a DuskClanners leg.

That was so strange. It was like the feeling she got whenever she looked into Duskstar's eyes, but different. Could there be a connection?

"Koo ja 'elp ee?" Dawnlight had her fangs clamped around the warrior. (Could you help me?)

"Oh yeah!" Sparrowtail made a jump for the DuskClanner.

A tawny haired man tackled Pinestar.

"Get off!" the dark haired leader kicked the older man in the gut.

The tawny man howled in pain and rolled over. Pinestar attempted to get away, but Tawnyfang grabbed her leg. He was about to sink his fangs into her ankle, but then noticed the bulge in her stomach. He ginned evilly and charged upwards toward the bulge. Pinestar let out an ear-splitting scream that would startle a peice of prey several fox-leghths away. Tawnyfang smirked and went off to look for the kits. Pinestar choked back her tears and staggered over to Frostclaw, who was busy defending the nursery with Manzanitapaw and Reedfang.

"F-Frostclaw! The kits...c-coming!" Pinestar managed to choke out.

Frostclaw's eyes widened.

"NOW?!"

Redwood glared up at Sandfur. Sandfur, well, he was just tense and nervous.

"You know how much I hate you?" Redwood snarled.

"A lot?" Sandfur guessed.

"You really are smarter than you look, aren't you rule boy?" Redwood snickered.

Sandfur growled and aimed a front paw strike. The spiky ginger warrior easily dodged and kicked him in the jaw. Sandfur stumbled back in shock. Her knew Redwood used to take martial arts, but he didn't know he was this good.

"Surprised? I wasn't a martial arts junior teacher for nothing!" Redwood gloated.

Sandfur hissedand tried a few more hits. Fifteen hits, only three landed.

"Face it. I'm better."

Sparrowtail slashed the brown spotted warriors ear. Branchtail grabbed his bloody ear in pain. Dawnlight saw her chance and chomped into his unnaturally stiff tail. Branchtail forgot about his ear and looked at the little calico dangling from his tail. He smirked and swung her right into a tree.

"H-his tail! It's d-dead!" Dawnlight coughed out.

"Hehe. Smart kit," Branchtail sneered.

"I'm not a kit! I'm a warrior now!"

Branchtail chuckled and turned back to Sparrowtail.

"I don't appreciate that scar on my ear," Branchtail growled.

"And I don't care," Sparrowtail snickered.

Branchtail hissed and lashed out with his claws. Great StarClan he was fast! Everytime she tried to attack, he would slash her! When she saw his claws heading for her, she would recoil for every hit. Sparrowtail dropped on her knee's and curled into a ball. Scratch after scratch fell on her body. But as soon as a scratch landed on her back, something in her mind clicked. Sparrowtail's eyes turned misty as she became lost in thought. She remembered he fisrt time she trained Duskstar. When she was teaching her how to fight. She remembered how little Duskpaw brutally clawed her back and wouldn't stop. She remembered how much she hated that, and how it stung her for a whole quarter moon! Sparrowtail's eyes became cold and steely as she suddenly turned around and tackled Branchtail. It was her turn to lash out.

Pinestar wailed in pain. Giving birth was a lot harder than she thought.

"It's okay, you're going to be fine!" Frostclaw tried to soothe his forbidden mate.

"Bite me!" Pinestar snapped.

Frostclaw sighed. This was going to be very unpleasant. After fifteen minutes of screaming, soothing, and an unnatural amount of blood gushing out of - wait, what was that last part? Frostclaw rechecked the amount of blood, there was defiantly too much blood.

"Pinestar, I need you to spread your legs out some more."

Pinestar nodded painfully and did as he told. Frostclaw examined it thoroughly to see what was wrong. When he saw the problem, he gulped.

"Pinestar...the opening...it's to small. The baby can't get out," he said slowly.

"What?! Is there another way?" Pinestar screeched frantically.

Frostclaw looked creepily thoughtful.

"Yes."

"What?!"

Frostclaw turned to her, his eyes suddenly cloudy.

"Have you ever heard of a c-section?"

Pinestar nodded.

"Whatever it takes."

Frostclaw blinked away his tears as he unsheathed his claws.

Sandfur's breathing was heavy. He couldn't go on much longer. Redwood saw his chance and whipped around to Sandfur's back.

"This is going to hurt you a lot more than it's going to hurt me," he snarled.

Redwood bent his arm behind his back and pulled him down to his level. The ginger deputy then slammed the sandy warriors head into a small wooden spike on a tree. Probably where a branch used to be. He didn't slam his head hard enough to kill him, just enough to knock him unconcious. Blood leaked down the side of his head. Just before darkness over took him, he turned his head to look at Redwood.

"Why do you hate me?"

Redwood looked rather surprised at the question, then glared.

"You stole my sister."

The next ten minutes went on rather fast.

"DuskClan! Retreat!" Duskstar yowled.

Duskstar walked toward her old clan as her clan rushed back to their camp.

"This battle went on for too long. We will be back soon. And Dawnlight, meet me by Frozen Cave tomorrow night," Duskstar then padded off.

The concious members of the Clan gaped.

"Why would she want to talk to you?" Featherheart questioned.

"I don't know. Maybe I should ask Pine-" Dawnlight began.

"Don't. She's dead," Frostclaw entered the clearing.

An eerie silence came over the clan. Some didn't know whether they should beleive it or not.

"H-how?" Sparrowtail broke the silence.

"Giving birth." Frostclaw said sadly.

"She was pregnant? Whose kits?" Reedfang's eyes widened.

"Mine."

Another shocked silence...Until a scream pierced the air. Manzanitapaw entered the camp, carrying a certain blonde apprentice on her back.

"I went out to get herbs, and found Shrimppaw hanging from a tree!" she cried.

Frostclaw's eyes looked dead.