'There is no end
There is no goodbye
Disappear
With the night.'

'Wait' - M83

¢нαρтєя тнιяту-тняєє: тнє тнιяd dєƒєαт

His head ached. Not a dull ache, no, this was an ache that demanded to be felt. It thundered in his head, knocking against his skull like a warrior aiming to kill. Why was it always his head? Why couldn't he wake up after a fight and have his back ache instead? He groaned. Now he was starting to sound like Rainpatch. Eaglestrike opened his eyes to dim light and bland walls.

He got his wish. When he moved his spine began to ache, inducing a low gasp of pain. Where he was he didn't know, but he figured it was nowhere good. A tongue rasped quickly over his head and he flinched, jerking away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump."

Eaglestrike twisted his head to look over his shoulder, smiling gently at who he saw. "Apollo," he greeted warmly. "Where are we?"

"In Titan's prison."

"Titan's prison...? How did we end up in Titan's prison?"

Apollo laughed bitterly. "Pure bad luck. Roma's patrol had been sent to snag cats from Miraz, you just happened to be on that patrol."

He groaned, rolling over to look at the city cat. She was sitting near a hole in the bland walls criss-crossed with a tough looking kind of fence, rust practically encased it. Flakes of wall were peeling off everywhere, folding towards the ground in a strange sort of bow. The ground was cold and uncomfortable, jagged stones poking him in the belly. His breath gusted out in front of him with each exhale.

"Okay, then how'd you end up in here? You weren't with us," Eaglestrike didn't take his eyes off Apollo as she sighed and looked away.

"This time I can blame Miraz. He'd sent us your way to do a job, Lathai and I. We stumbled across the fight going down between your patrol and Roma's but we were far too outnumbered."

A memory played out across his eyelids of being crushed under the weight of countless enemies, his blood coming out in rivulets, splashing to the ground in puddles, a voice calling out to him telling him to hold on, a pressing darkness dragging him away. "You called my name," he murmured.

"I did," Apollo's answer was quiet, uttered under her breath like it was something bad, something forbidden that she wasn't supposed to say.

"Why?"

She glanced at him, features tugged into a pained expression. "I didn't want you to die," she whispered near silently. "I couldn't..."

"I'm not...I'm not worth worrying about," he fumbled with his words, trying to get across to Apollo that he wasn't worth the trouble, not with who he was. He swallowed uncomfortably, oh how he sounded like his father.

"Stop," Apollo hissed, "just stop talking. Please don't say that, don't ever say that. I've been around for far too long and I have never met a cat that wasn't worth worrying about. You don't know how much you mean to others..." There were words left unspoken as her sentence trailed off. Eaglestrike would have to have been stupid not to pick up in them, and he was not stupid. His breath caught in his throat as he caught the look of utter loss in Apollo's eyes.

Would she reject him? Would she push him way because of the terrible things that had happened to her in the past? He certainly wouldn't blame her if she did. The fact that she'd managed to come out the other side and still remain strong was amazing. He'd give anything to have her. A soft smile spread across his face. He knew who he wanted now, and it wasn't Littleflame.

"How much do I mean to you?" he dared to ask.

"Too much."

He patted the ground beside him with a forepaw, not that the uneven stone looked very comfortable. "Come here."

"You don't want me, I'm bad luck," she shuffled further away, pressing up against the furthest stone wall. "Trust me."

"I don't care," he offered a warm smile, and then decided to take a risk. "I already know, and I don't care."

Apollo's head snapped up, a shocked anger seeping into her gaze. It faded almost as quickly as it appeared, and she hung her head with a sigh of defeat. "Lathai told you, didn't she? Never can keep her mouth shut. Well now you know everything there is to know about me, all the terrible things I went through when I was younger, so should I be expecting your pity?" her tone was scathing.

"What? No. You don't need my pity, you're strong enough without it," Eaglestrike answered honestly.

She laughed bitterly. "Do you think less of me for what happened? Of course you do, what cat wouldn't? I murdered half my Clan then fled into the night because I was too weak to face my destiny. Some leader I was."

"No!" he shouted. "I don't think less of you! Why would I? Since the moment I met you you've been nothing but brilliant and strong, you're plan to draw away Crimson saved our lives, you took down two ancients to help Willowclaw. You've done all this just to help us. How could I think less of you? Not every destiny is worth wasting your life over."

There was guilt shadowing her expression and he didn't know why but it scared him. "Do you really want to waste your time on me?" He hated the way her voice sounded so broken.

"It wouldn't be wasting time," he tapped the ground again.

This time she didn't say no. Stepping lightly she drew away from the wall and joined him, keeping her eyes on the ground the entire time. When her pelt brushed against his Eaglestrike felt like he must just explode. Littleflame had never made him feel like this. The thought made him feel a little bad. Explaining this to her would be difficult, but it was an issue for another time.

He curled himself around Apollo, she was only a little smaller than him but it still worked, encasing her in his warmth. She rested her head on his shoulder, eyes closed. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, "for whatever happens to you because of me."

"Nothing's going to happen. The Council aren't here to mess around with you anymore," he nuzzled her ear.

"They're always here," she sounded so tired.

Eaglestrike swallowed, debating whether he wanted to ask the question on his mind. He figured she'd either answer him or shut him out. "What happened to the kits?" He felt her stiffen, regretting the question immensely. But it was too late now, the words hanging in the air around them. He waited for her to push him away, for her to get up and never say another word to him again; he didn't know if he'd be able to handle that.

The moment she pushed away never came; in fact Eaglestrike could have sworn he felt the tension in her body just fall away. "Four went to another Clan, only three of them made it to be the strong warriors I'd always envisioned them as. Greencough is a battle no kit should ever fight," a shaky breath rattled through her. "Four came to my Clan, and I spent each day pretending like they were not my own. Each milestone, each defeat, they were not mine to share. Three..." she trailed off. Eaglestrike wasn't going to pressure her to continue, he knew the gist of what had happened to the last three.

He was surprised when her words picked up again. "The last three were perfect, and they were mine from the moment they breathed their first breaths. I loved them, Ravenflight loved them. Finally I had a family. The Council took them all from me. In the end I was left with nothing." She shrugged, "it doesn't matter anymore, it happened a long time ago."

"Time doesn't make things any less important," he murmured.

"Doesn't make them hurt less either."

He hummed in agreement. "What is Titan going to do with us?"

"Me, he'll attempt to get information out. You...you he'll kill," Apollo admitted quietly, "yet another thing taken from me."

Eaglestrike's heart thudded against his ribcage. "I'm not going to let him kill me. There's far too much left that I want to do. I won't let him take any of that away from me, or from the others. We'll get out, just watch."

"Don't get your hopes up too high, just makes it hurt more when they come crashing back down. I think you're forgetting where you are. This is the city. No one knows who you are or cares who you are. All they care about is that you're Clan cats, most likely allied with Crimson. You'll be executed for spying."

"Won't Miraz do anything?" he said meekly.

Apollo snorted, and then curled closer. "He won't risk the already-fragile deal between him and Titan for the lives of a few Clan cats."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Eaglestrike squeezed his eyes closed.

"Hope that no one's told Titan who you are."

They fell silent, wrapped up in each other on the cold floor in the cold prison, each wondering how the other would vanish. For Apollo it was in a tide of blood, swept away into the cruel clutches of the Council; one moment he would be beside her and the next gone; a ray of sunshine overcome by the shadows. For Eaglestrike it was in squall as violent as the one in which they'd truly met, beside him she stood in all her glory and beauty, head thrown back to embrace the rain. In a strong gust of wind she was ripped away, her agonised scream echoing over the clashing of thunder. The lightning flashed the colour of her eyes.

For the first time in seasons Apollo fell asleep warm, heated by the crushing embrace Eaglestrike had her wrapped up in. To her it felt as if he was afraid if his grip loosened she would slip away, felt like he wanted to stay there forever. She knew he could not, and it hurt – she had not missed the needle like pain that came with caring for someone else. His future lay beyond her reaches, in a grapple for the world with Crimson; and after that...after that he had a Clan to return to. She eased gently into sleep not knowing what the future held.

Eaglestrike did not lay awake mulling over the future, instead he mulled over the present. He wondered where the others were, if they were safe, if they were worrying like he was. For a brief moment his thoughts flew to Littleflame. She would be scared, that he was certain of, but she would have to deal with her fear. Trapped in the territory of an enemy was not the ideal time for paralysing fits of fear. He hoped she had Rainpatch or Icepetal with her. His thoughts flew out of the city, through the forest, over the grasslands, and into the tribe camp where Willowclaw was. He wondered if the RogueClan warrior was safe, if the tribe was treating him well. Icepetal would be thinking of him, she was always thinking of him, even it was subconscious. That was love, and that was what those two had.

To the she-cat sleeping peacefully beside him his thoughts came back to. In all the chaos of a world ruled over by Crimson he had found her, this broken yet marvellous cat that never ceased to amaze him. A Clan cat in the past, a Clan leader. A brief surge of pride shot through him. He would have loved to have seen her in her prime, ruling over a Clan. She would have looked incredible.

He knew he was dreaming the moment after his eyes finally closed. A memory was playing out before him; one that had taken place only a few days before they'd stumbled upon Padshiy in the tribe's territory.

Littleflame was laughing, expression pulled into pure delight. Willowclaw and Rainpatch were wrestling, flattening grass under their rolling bodies. Icepetal was returning with a squirrel dangling from her mouth, eyes focused on one tom only. And he, well his dreamself was doing what he always did. His dreamself was watching over his friends, smiling at their antics.

It was strange to watch himself move, to see what he had failed to notice at the time. Littleflame looked at him with utter adoration; Icepetal regarded him with respect; Rainpatch viewed him with companionship; Willowcaw glanced at him with a guarded curiosity.

These four cats had been his only companions for over three moons. There hadn't been another Clan cat since they'd left the valley. Over three moons of constant exhaustion, of fear, of wondering what they would return to. Yet in the midst of it all there had been good moments, moments that had made it all worth it.

Now that was all at risk.

Far too soon there was a paw shaking him awake and someone whispering urgently in his ear. "It's time."

"That doesn't make me want to wake up," Eaglestrike muttered, rolling away from Apollo, regretting the loss of warmth almost immediately.

He heard her laugh quietly. "Would you rather walk out of here with your dignity, or be dragged out?"

Opening an eye he found it to still be as dark in the prison as it had been when he'd fallen asleep. He sighed, shifting to get up. "Neither of those sound very appealing. How do you know they're coming to get us?"

Apollo sat near the fence, hunched over and ears pressed flat against her skull. The fur along her spine bristled as a loud clang rang out through the stifling silence. Her mouth formed words that he couldn't hear. "I can see them opening other prisons," she looked at him over her shoulder, features grim. "Must be getting the others."

"Can you see if they're alright?" Eaglestrike hurried over to join her, nearly tripping over his own paws in his rush. He squished his face against the cold fence desperately trying to catch even a glance of his friends to see if they were okay; he needed to know that they were okay.

Feline shadows moved in the dull darkness, none he could put a name to. His heart clenched painfully. Apollo pressed against him. "You'll see them before Titan does anything; he'll want you all together."

"Thanks, I think," he smiled weakly. The smile she gave him in return was tired, but warm. It helped, even if it was for a brief moment.

"If we open the gate will you come nicely or do we have to drag your comatose bodies out?" a crisp voice addressed them.

Apollo smothered a smirk, claws flexing against the stone ground. "We'll play nice for now," she replied.

"You'd be the first," a tom grunted.

With a painful screeching the 'gate' was wrenched open, raking through a narrow trench engraved in the thick stone, following a natural arch till it smacked into the wall, clang echoing down the dim hall that smelled damp.

Titan's cats didn't look like much, pelts hanging off thin frames. Both looked absolutely exhausted, eyes dull and shoulders sagging. They didn't stand with pride or aggression, just slouched. Still-healing wounds laced them most looking a little infected. The she-cat had only one eye, the tom had tattered strips of flesh for ears.

Eaglestrike felt his heart tug. These were cats fighting desperately for their home, just like he was, only they seemed to be losing, if their injuries were anything to go by. He didn't want to make their day any worse than it might already be, so he followed them out of the prison and down the hall – Apollo had informed him what the long, enclosed alleyways were – without making any attempts to escape or kill them.

The sun looked like it was stuck at sunrise when they resurfaced, climbing up a sheer wooden wall to breathe in air that didn't taste wet. Its rays were even duller than usual. It worried Eaglestrike. Surely others had begun to notice the failing sun? Had Crimson? Was she worried? Did she know it was her fault?

"Wonder if it'll rise tomorrow," the tom said, making Eaglestrike's thoughts known.

"Who cares? Won't stop Crimson," the she-cat growled.

He opened his mouth to mention that that was what he and his friends were supposed to be doing but figured it wouldn't help their situation. At least none of them had mentioned him being a Clan cat, which was promising. Maybe it meant no one had told Titan, they might be able to get out of this if that was the case. He swallowed, giving Apollo a sidelong glance. The meaner city boss more than likely wouldn't want to give a cat so close to Miraz up. He bit back the growl and silently promised Apollo that he'd get her back to Miraz in one piece.

"How goes the battle?" Apollo spoke up. Eaglestrike blinked, waiting for Titan's cats to snap at her, surprised when they didn't.

The she-cat exhaled a long breath, "not well. Crimson keeps pushing against borders we can't afford to keep losing. Miraz better be ready to strike, it won't be long before Titan finally gives in and starts a battle that will either win or lose the city. Is your side ready, Apollo?"

Eaglestrike couldn't quite grasp the fact that Titan's cat was divulging information to another cat belonging to an enemy territory, let alone the fact that they knew Apollo's name. The tom must have caught his confused expression for he said with a wry grin: "Everyone knows Apollo."

"Why?" he asked no one in particular.

"It doesn't matter," Apollo answered hurriedly, nodding to the crumbling building rising before them, two lines of silent cats creating a path to the open door. They were unnerving, watching with eyes that told stories of the horrors they'd faced. A kit no older than five moons bared the wounds an elder might carry. Confronting didn't seem like a strong enough word to use.

"Welcome to Titan's home," the gruff tom announced upon reaching the open doorway. If there had been a door keeping the world out at one point Eaglestrike imagined it to have been as ruined as the building. Inside was no better. Cobwebs clung to every surface, wooden sticks bent and fastened into strange shapes and structures were stacked in haphazard piles all over the place. Shadows, warped, moved along the walls, so big they stretched nearly to the roof. Everything about the place made Eaglestrike uncomfortable.

That discomfort grew to unsettling levels when they rounded a corner and a mound of bones, yellow and white, rose up. Seated atop the bones looking like he could rule the world and not break a sweat was Titan, Eaglestrike knew that without a doubt. The tom wasn't as big as Miraz, but he was tall, long legs only adding to his height. His short fur was a sort of golden, sandy colour, changing to a black upon meeting his legs. Titan flicked ears sporting tufts then turned his head to stare with mismatched eyes – one green, the other yellow. He nodded once, "bring out the others."

Guards Eaglestrike hadn't noticed slipped away and they were alone with Titan. "When my patrol came back speaking about having caught the Apollo I refused to believe them. But here you are, this is a most wonderful day. Tell me, how is my daughter doing?"

"Much better now that she's away from you," Apollo's reply was mockingly sweet.

"I suppose she is. You'll keep her safe, won't you?" Titan looked pained. "I can't lose all my kits in one war."

Apollo flinched but ducked her head slightly, "Lathai won't come to any harm whilst she's with Miraz, he promised you that, and so did I."

"Good. Now let's get down to business."

"Eaglestrike!" Rainpatch shouted at the top of his lungs, straining against the three cats holding him back. Behind him Icepetal snapped at her captors, teeth bared and tail lashing, fur bushed up. In a heart-stopping moment Eaglestrike noticed that Littleflame was not with them.

Titan roared, "Enough!" The chaos came to a shuddering halt.

"Care to explain why we're all still here alive?" Apollo growled.

"You know why you're still alive," Titan responded. "For the promise you made, and for the information you possess. But I should kill you for the job you took a few moons back. Miraz should have killed you for that."

Eaglestrike looked at Apollo quizzically. "What job?" he whispered.

He found it hard not to flinch when she looked at him with so much guilt painted across her face. "It doesn't matter."

"This is touching and all, but I do have a schedule. Would you like to know why I gathered you all here instead of having you murdered in your cells?" Titan smirked.

"I assume you're going to tell us anyway?" Icepetal remarked.

Titan glared at her. "Shall I show to you the traitor in your midst? Bring her out!"

"Traitor?" Eaglestrike pretended he hadn't noticed the way Apollo cowered into him. "There isn't a traitor amongst us."

"Oh but there is, Clan cat."

Eaglestrike knew instantly that they were going to die in the city at Titan's paws. The city boss knew who they were. The city boss that hated Clan cats. In a flash all the possible ways that he could be killed played across his eyes.

A strangled cry of dismay brought him back to the present and to the movement occurring at the foot of the mound of bones. Two guards were dragging a cat that pulled violently against them, snarling and hissing at them with every forced step. Eaglestrike could hear Icepetal screeching the moment the 'traitor' came into view but everything else just faded into background noise. He couldn't breathe, couldn't form words, all he could feel was the blood pumping through his veins and the solid thudding of his heart against his ribs.

The 'traitor', beaten and bloody, was Littleflame. She was thrown onto the ground, colliding with the bottom of the bone mound. Bones tumbled over her but she made no attempt to move, just laid there looking absolutely terrified.

"No," Rainpatch mumbled. "No."

"It can't be. This is a lie. You're lying to us!" Icepetal screamed.

Titan picked his way down the bone mound, kicking Litteflame in the stomach once he made it down. "I'm not lying to them, am I, sweetheart?" he crooned.

"No," Littleflame sounded utterly heartbroken. "He's not."

"What did you tell him?" Eaglestrike choked out.

She glanced at him, and then returned her gaze to the ground, mumbling her reply. "Everything."

"Quite a journey you Clan cats have been on. I am surprised to finally see you taking action; we were all thinking you'd just surrendered to Crimson. Would fit our weakling imagery of you all. Yet here four of you are," Titan seemed to be impressed. "Such a shame it had to come crashing down now, especially when you are so close to Crimson."

"Are you going to kill us?" Eaglestrike's voice was hoarse.

Titan sighed dramatically. "I haven't decided yet. But one of you is going to die today, and it is the fault of this little she-cat here. How will I pick? Maybe it'll be you, Icepetal. Wouldn't it be so sad for your friend Willowclaw to remain in that tribe forever? Or it could be you, Rainpatch. Your mate would never get to have that family you promised. How about you, Eaglestrike? Just like your father, vanishing on your family."

"You told him all that!?" Icepetal shrieked, scrabbling at the cats holding her back. "How could you tell him all that?! What did you think it would achieve!?"

"He promised me he'd let us all go through the city safely! I did it for you, for all of you! I didn't think he'd lie!" Littleflame cried. She shouted when Titan stamped on her ribs.

Apollo looked about ready to commit murder, a storm brewing in her eyes. "Cats lie, Littleflame, all the time. Did you just think Titan would just let us go? You're like a kit, bumbling around, running into things, expecting others to clear up your messes!"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Littleflame sobbed. "If you have to kill anyone, kill me! I'm the one that deserves it! I'm the traitor! Don't make them pay for the mistake I made."

"My cats and I will take it into consideration," Titan tapped Littleflame lightly on the head. "For now, we will hold a trial. The loyal habitants of my city can decide what will happen to you, traitor. The others can watch, it might be a learning curve for them to see how a functioning group of cats deals with enemies."

"We aren't enemies though!" Rainpatch protested. "Crimson is just as much our enemy as she is yours!"

"You Clan cats are the reason she's alive in the first place," Titan snarled. "Bring them to the pit."

Shoved and pushed by countless city cats the Chosen had no choice but to follow Titan, who was dragging Littleflame by her scruff, past the bone mound and into a hall with a low roof. An overwhelming sense of fear gripped Eaglestrike. He had no idea what was going to happen, had no idea who was going to die or when or even if. Apollo's presence by his side did little to soothe his racing heart.

Every few moments he would look at Littleflame and just wonder why. What had made her so scared that she'd made the fateful decision to tell Titan everything?

She was taken away from them before he could voice his question, handed over to a group of greedy looking city cats with cruel looking claws. They were swept away, down a hall branching off from the one the other Chosen were forced to continue down. The cold silence was beginning to get to Eaglestrike. He swore he could hear a faint buzzing whenever he wasn't concentrating.

"What's the pit?" he mumbled to Apollo.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "But it doesn't sound good."

Icepetal growled, "I'll kill them if they try anything."

"You can't take on a whole city," Rainpatch reminded.

"I can die trying."

Rainpatch made an exasperated noise. "Not everything can be solved with violence."

"Would you rather throw squirrels at their heads?"

"It might be worth a try."

The hall opened up into a large room filled with cats mingling with each other, talking in hushed, excited tones. Their excited talking ceased when Titan entered, followed by his prisoners. With his head held high Titan strolled over to the edge of a round, circular hole in the floor. It wasn't overly deep, but deep enough to ensure that whoever fell in wouldn't make it back out. The ground of the hole was sandy, the walls spattered with blood. Eaglestrike's fear was shared with the others.

"My loyal followers!" Titan captured the attention of the room swiftly. "You have all been gathered here to witness a trial of sorts. A traitor has been discovered amidst this ragtag bunch of strangers, and she must be dealt with accordingly."

"Why are those strangers watching?"

"Since when did strangers watch trials?"

"They won't like what they're about to see."

"Let them watch! Let them know our power!"

Rainpatch leant closer to Apollo. "I have a feeling we aren't going to enjoy this trial."

"Titan has a reputation for being overly morbid just to prove a point. We're about to witness what those rumours are all about," Apollo replied.

There was a shifting sound followed by wood scraping against wood. A bundle of orange fur rolled into the hole from a small door hidden in one of the walls. Littleflame scrambled shakily to her paws, swinging her head to take in all that was surrounding her. She cowered as close to the ground as possible, practically flattening herself against the sand.

"Welcome to the pit, Littleflame. In there your fate will be decided. You will either stay a traitor or come out forgiven. Are you willing to take the trial? Or would you rather be marked a traitor and be executed as per our laws?" Titan queried. It sounded like he had given that speech many times, too many times.

Littleflame was shaking but Eaglestrike could see her trying to put on a brave face. "I-I-If I take the trial w-will the other be s-s-safe?"

"Perhaps, that all depends on the outcome. Your decision?"

Clearing her throat she answered with only a slight waver in her voice, "I will take the trial."

Titan's grin was chilling. "So be it. Release them!"

A different wooden door revealed itself this time, much bigger than the last, shrieking open to reveal the trial. Cries of horror rose from the Chosen, two huge monsters prowling from the shadows to enter the pit, growling and gnashing terrifying jaws that dripped saliva. Litteflame shot back so quick her rump smacked into the far wooden wall.

"What are they?" Eaglestrike gasped.

"Dogs," Apollo breathed. "Dogs."

The dogs, dark brown in colour, were milling around the opposite side of the pit to Littleflame, sniffing the ground and scraping at the wall. They didn't seem to be taking any notice of the terrified she-cat trying to quietly haul her way out of the pit. Her claws kept slipping into grooves made by previous inhabitants of the pit, sliding back down the wall. A quiet thud heralded her third failure at climbing. It also alerted the dogs to her presence.

"No. This isn't right. We have to stop this. There has to be another way," Eaglestrike was beginning to panic, seeing no other end to this nightmare but death.

"Don't try anything, Clan cat," a city cat spat. "We'll tear you apart before you can even move a whisker. At least have some faith in your friend. The trail is a way of weeding out the ones not worthy of a second chance."

Rainpatch looked mortified. "Does this sort of thing happen a lot?"

"It never used to. But war does odd things to cats," the city cat shrugged.

The dogs barked their attention now on Littleflame. The she-cat only stared up at the monsters as they prowled nearer, licking at their muzzles with long tongues. "Do something, Littleflame!" Icepetal shouted. "Fight back! You can win! You can do this!"

Whatever Littleflame managed to hear over the loud baying of the dogs did something to her, because she seemed to kick herself into action. Leaping at the closer one she ripped her claws down its muzzle, dancing out of the way of the snapping jaws before they could clamp down on her midsection. The dogs were big and slow their heavy bodies not quick enough to catch Littleflame as she slipped frantically between them. A solid blow to the cheek left one of the dogs reeling, yelping as it shook the blood from its fur.

Sides heaving Littleflame ducked under a slow swipe to her head, only to be flung against the wooden wall by the other dog. She winced but rose to her paws any way, snarling at the dogs with all the ferocity she could muster. With a powerful jump she landed on the head of one of them, scrabbling with her hind-legs to find purchase to push herself onto its shoulders, creating shallow cuts in the face of the dog. It howled, throwing back its head to throw her off, only managing to help slide her to where she wanted to be.

On its shoulders she had the perfect advantage to wreak havoc on the back of its neck, ripping and tearing with tooth and claw till blood poured to the ground. Shouting its pain to everyone in the room, and quite possibly anyone in any of the nearby buildings, the dog jumped and angled its body midair, loosening Littleflame's grip on its neck. Tossed into the air she twisted to land upright, crashing into the other dog. Scouring deep fissures in its shoulder she pushed herself out of harms reach, skidding to a stop before she ploughed into the other one.

There was blood dribbling from a shallow wound on her back where one of the dogs had managed to land a glancing swipe. Refusing to allow the pain to slow her down Littleflame charged at the dog still bleeding down its neck, aiming for a killing bite to its throat. Her bite wasn't sharp enough to inflict a fatal wound, though it still drew plenty of blood, especially when she was torn away by the other dog grasping her by the tail and pulling. It dragged her away from its comrade, applying more and more pressure to her tail until its teeth went straight through and Littleflame shrieked. Twisting her back to face the dog she found the end part of her tail dangling from its mouth. Her jaw dropped in horrified shock.

It seemed that that momentary lapse of attention was all that was needed to shift the battle in the other direction. Heavy paws collided with her side and set her shooting across the sand straight into the other ones paws where it batted at her head clumsily. The end of her tail dropped to the ground beside her, abandoned for a better plaything. Dizzied by the blow to her head Littleflame only managed to get half her body up off the ground before her midsection was clasped in wet jaws that reeked of decay. She waited for the familiar sting of pain, but it never came. The dog, instead, tossed her high in the air, catching her in its jaws when she dropped back down.

They were playing with her. They didn't even see her as a threat even when she'd dealt plenty of damage to them. A pained yowl broke free when those jaws didn't catch her and she hit the ground with enough force to knock the air straight out of her lungs. Wheezing, black dots floating before her eyes, she pulled herself aimlessly in one direction hoping that it was to safety. When teeth fastened around her rump she opened her jaws in a soundless wail, thrashing in the grip of the dog, desperately trying to wiggle her way out. It looked like she might give up.

But Litteflame was a Clan cat. Giving up was something she would no longer do. So she turned in the grip, lashing out at the muzzle keeping her from escaping, tearing flesh from bone till the teeth left her rump with a sickening squelch. She didn't want to observe the damage; the burn was enough to tell her it was bad. Struggling to her paws once more she took one step then stumbled, hind-legs giving way. She swung her head to look behind her, terrified to see both dogs advancing on her with bloodied jaws.

She opened her mouth to cry out for help but stopped herself. Where would help come from? This was a trial she had to face, and face it she would. The others wouldn't pay for her mistake. She'd see to that. She'd prove to every cat here that she wasn't weak.

Eaglestrike could barely watch as Littleflame dragged her useless hind-legs behind her, turning to face the monsters head on. They were quicker than the exhausted she-cat now, not burdened down by crippling injuries, even if one was still gushing blood from the back of its neck. One extended a massive paw to drag her closer, yanking it back when she sunk her claws into it.

The other didn't take the same chance, leaping at her with lips pulled back into a snarl. Littleflame vanished under a huge body but resurfaced heartbeats spitting fur and skin from her mouth. She attempted to dart away but the other one was waiting, smarter this time after having learnt its previous lesson. A blow to the head knocked Littleflame back to the ground; the blow made her woozy and limp.

Teeth tore into her stomach, and into her neck, and into her back. Everywhere they inflicted the same torturous pain that came with having chunks of flesh stripped from bone. She howled and shrieked and screamed but the pain didn't stop. She begged and begged to die, for the pain to be taken away, for the burning sensation to fade. She felt her ribs crack and shatter. She felt her insides meet the outside air. She felt her heart begin to shudder. She felt those terrible teeth close on her head...and then she felt nothing.