~Briarsong~

The sharp, frightened wails of the kits made Briarsong's ears ring. They combined with the howling of the frigid wind, nearly deafening her. The lessened ability to hear only served to increase the panic that she felt.

The blizzard had been perfect cover for their attackers. Two ShadowClan warriors had seemingly come out of nowhere, colliding with the ThunderClanners who'd been told to protect Briarsong and the others.

StarClan, why had everything come to this? Briarsong's belly sank with dismay as she saw one of the enemies, a woman, throw Wolfsong to the ground. She could hear Bumbleheart hissing curses as she and Shortfoot tackled the male warrior. Wolfsong was on his own.

Briarsong's rational mind screamed at her to get up. To leave the old No-tail nest and help the man. But at the same time, her instincts forced her to stay put. She held Breezekit close in her arms, and wrapped her tail around Ravenkit and Sorrelkit. Her babies continued to cry alongside Fennelfur's children, far too upset by the cold and commotion to calm down. Her heart pounded at the thought of leaving her terrified kits for even a moment.

But Wolfsong needed help. Through the holes in the deteriorated walls, she could see the man try to stand, only for his leg to bend awkwardly and collapse beneath him. The limb was surely broken. Briarsong swore she could feel her own leg sting at the sight.

Adderstorm must have seen the man struggling. He growled, "I've had just about enough of this. No ShadowClan rats are going to kill my clanmates."

With that, the elder stood, ready to burst out of the safety of the nest and enter combat. Briarsong reluctantly set Breezekit beside her siblings. There was no way Adderstorm could go up against a younger, fitter warrior. The least she could do was prevent a casualty.

Fortunatley, Adderstorm paused when Hazelpaw jumped up. She stood between him and the exit.

"Bumbleheart said to stay inside," the apprentice stated. Despite her brave stance, the girl's voice was shaking. She was just as scared as everyone else.

Outside, Briarsong could hear a sharp cry above the wailing wind. Who was that?

"Bumbleheart is getting her tail ripped off," Adderstorm countered in a gravelly voice. There was a strange edge of desperation in his tone as he said the warrior's name. He growled, "Move, kit."

"Adderstorm, you're hardly fit to fight. It's been too long," rasped Maplewhisker, who sat in the corner of the nest beside Amberlight.

Before Adderstorm could hiss something at the woman, a shout of despair shocked them all. Briarsong turned to look outside, and gasped in horror.

Though the wind obscured her vision with swirling snow, Briarsong could see bright-red blood flowing from what was left of Wolfsong's right eye. He was trapped on his belly, the ShadowClan female crouched on his back. Desperately, he tried to drag himself towards the nest. But his efforts were futile, and Briarsong watched in horror as the woman reached around Wolfsong, pulling his head up by his dark hair.

Wolfsong cried something out. It was unintelligible, but the panic and fear in his voice made Briarsong's heart feel like it was being iced over. He sounded like a terrified kit.

And just like that, his throat was opened. Blood spurted out as Wolfsong tried to speak. Tried to breathe.

The ShadowClan warrior stood up then, leaving Wolfsong to writhe on the ground as he drowned in his own blood. She started coming towards the nest.

"Great StarClan…no…" Fennelfur whispered. A quiet whimper from Wolfkit was barely audible over the cries of the younger kits.

Every hair on Briarsong's tail stood on end. A sickening mixture of terror and rage filled her as the enemy drew closer. This woman had ended Wolfsong's life like it was nothing. Like all the times he'd helped build nests and joked with his brother were meaningless. Who could possibly do something like that and not break down with guilt?

And now that very killer was coming for her and the rest of her clanmates.

Briarsong forced herself to stand, even as Sorrelkit squealed at the loss of warmth. She'd fight if she had to. And StarClan knows she did. A sudden understanding for Adderstorm came upon her. He wanted to protect his clanmates just as much as she did.

But before the ShadowClanner to get to the nest, she was bowled over by an enraged Bumbleheart.

"You killed him! You bitch, you killed him!" the warrior growled. She was bleeding from a wound in her side, but that didn't stop her from overpowering the hissing ShadowClan woman. She kicked the back of her opponent's knees, forcing her down as she pinned her in place.

"No!" Dewflower cried. Briarsong had almost forgotten the dark-haired woman was there. She jumped up, ready to run outside.

"What are you doing?" Briarsong demanded, grabbing Dewflower by the arm. Of course, she knew the answer. Dewflower had clearly stated that she was loyal to ShadowClan. But she couldn't possibly mean to help her clanmate after seeing what she'd done.

Dewflower proved her wrong. The woman hissed, "Tigerflower is my best friend! I'm not letting that foxheart kill her!"

I thought that foxheart was your friend too, Briarsong wanted to say. Her blood boiled at the idea that Dewflower meant to betray them, and she wasn't even sorry about it.

"No, you're staying right here," Adderstorm growled, pushing Dewflower back from the exit. He'd been gentle, but Briarsong suspected that he wanted to be a lot rougher. The elder sneered, "After all, ThunderClan promised you safety. And you're going to have it, whether you like it or not."

An outraged cry came from outside, and Briarsong looked to see that Tigerflower now lay limp on the ground, only a fox-length from Wolfstep's still form. Bumbleheart stood over the woman, victorious.

Dewflower let out a wail as she spotted her friend's body. Her hands covered her mouth as she sobbed, "No! No! StarClan, what will I tell Featherclaw?"

Despite herself, Briarsong felt a pang of pity for the woman. Dewflower seemed to be truly heartbroken by the loss of her friend. That didn't last long; the ShadowClan queen's grief quickly turned into anger. She growled and cast a furious glare to the ThunderClanners around her.

Briarsong tensed when Dewflower's hateful eyes fell on her. The woman spat, "I hope you're proud. Look at what you've done!"

Dewflower lunged at her, and Briarsong steeled herself for the inevitable fight. But thankfully, Adderstorm intervened, grabbing Dewflower by the shoulder and forcing her back. Ebonykit scrambled out of the way as Dewflower fell against the nearest wall.

"Don't you put this on her," Adderstorm rumbled, "The ones at fault here are the warriors who are attacking us. Your friend brought her death upon herself."

Dewflower hissed wordlessly, but otherwise didn't reply. Subdued, the woman faced the corner, clawing at the rotting wood.

Just then, Hazelpaw jumped as Shortfoot entered from behind her. The woman was limping, clutching her hand close to her chest. Blood oozed between her fingers. Bumbleheart came in just behind her.

"Wolfsong is dead," the latter said numbly. She didn't seem to care that the space below her ribs was a bloody mess. The sight of the raw flesh would have made Briarsong gag if she hadn't just seen her clanmate die.

"We know," Adderstorm said, his voice oddly gentle. He urged the women to sit down, "We saw."

Amberlight shuddered from her place beside Fennelfur, "StarClan, Shortfoot! Were they trying to take off your hand?"

Said warrior had begun to inspect her wound. Briarsong looked down at it and grimaced. The top of Shortfoot's wrist had been sliced to a pulp, with the white of bone visible. It was bleeding even more than Bumbleheart's side, and Briarsong realized in a moment of horror that Shortfoot could very well die of blood-loss from the gaping injury.

"Maybe, I don't know," Shortfoot mumbled. She was even paler than usual, "I…I can't really feel it. I can't move my fingers…"

Though the warrior felt no pain, the blood was continuing to flow freely. A drop fell onto Ivykit's calf, causing the girl to shriek and pull her legs in, wrapping her arms around them. Something had to be done or Shortfoot would soon join Wolfsong in StarClan.

Briarsong looked around the nest, silently cursing as she saw there were no cobwebs. The only thing here was snow.

"Is there any sign other warriors? Did those two come alone?" Briarsong asked. She could remember a time when Sageblossom treated a cut on Badgerpaw's leg with snow. It had slowed the blood-flow. Hopefully, it could do the same for Shortfoot.

"Hm? No," Bumbleheart seemed to fight through a daze as she answered, "The man ran away, but he shouldn't come back. I cut him good."

Dewflower growled from her corner, but said nothing.

Briarsong frowned. Her heart still pulled her towards her kits, who'd now quieted down. But Shortfoot needed help. Bumbleheart too.

"Hazelpaw, come help me gather some snow. We'll press it to the wounds," she said. As the apprentice jumped to join her, she had a last moment thought, "And get Bumbleheart's knife. That warrior may still come back."

The apprentice nodded, plucking up Bumbleheart's blade, which the warrior had dropped on the ground. Together, Briarsong and Hazelpaw made their way outside.

The instant blast of cold that she felt made her want to race back inside. The wind was loud and harsh, making her hair billow around her face and chest. Snow hit her skin like thorns, sharp and shocking. Briarsong would have to move quickly.

Hastily, she and Hazelpaw crouched down, gathering snow and packing it tightly in their hands. Briarsong fought to ignore the drops of blood that stood out on the white background.

"How much do we need?" Hazelpaw asked, her voice barely breeching the howls of the blizzard.

Briarsong wasn't really sure. She replied, "Enough to hold in one arm. We'll come back out if we need more."

"Got it!" Hazelpaw said. The girl quickly scooped large handfuls of snow into the crook of her arm. Once they were both done, they stood. Briarsong began to move back towards the nest, but noticed that Hazelpaw hadn't moved.

"What is it?" Briarsong asked over the wind. Her whirling hair only made it harder for her to see the apprentice. Using one hand to push the brown locks aside, she saw that Hazelpaw was staring at the body of Wolfsong. The dead warrior laid only a couple fox-lengths away.

Hazelpaw croaked, "Shouldn't we bring him inside? The snow is still falling. What if he gets covered and we can't find him later?"

Briarsong's heart ached for both the apprentice and the lost warrior. She gazed at Wolfsong's corpse. What if Dewflower was right? What if the man and so many others died because of her and her mistake? Guilt settled in her gut. Was this really all her fault?

How many others were going to die because of her? With a pang in her chest, she thought of Ravenstrike. Of Smokeclaw and Coalfoot. Addertail, Copperwind, Darkwater, Swiftfall…

Her parents.

Any anger she had left for Hawkspeck and Sootleaf vanished. She forgave them. She understood them. How could she not, when she'd done the same thing they did? She mated a warrior over the border. She had half-Clan kits.

The only difference was that she'd caused an all-out war. And because of that, she may never see the people she loved again.

No, she heard Ravenstrike's voice in her head, You heard Adderstorm. It's Eaglestar who started all of this. Not you.

Although the warrior wasn't really here with her, she felt comforted by the thought of his steady tone. StarClan, she wanted him to be beside her right now. He'd probably wipe the tears from her cheeks and tell her to get back to business. Well, she'd do just that. Whether she'd caused this war or not, she didn't want any more warriors to die in it.

"We can't get him right now," Briarsong said as soothingly as she could, "But we'll makes sure to te—"

"Briarsong!"

Both queen and apprentice jumped at the voice. Briarsong whirled around to where she thought the call had come from. It had been loud. Loud enough to carry over the wind with such clarity that there was no mistaking who the person was calling.

She frowned, uncertain of what to do. Everything inside her screamed that she should grab her kits and run. The voice wasn't Ravenstrike's, and she didn't think it was Hawkspeck's either. Was it Darkwater? Copperwind? Maybe even Oakstar?

Through the driving snow, she could make out a shape trudging closer. She squinted, straining to make out any details. Whoever this was was too short to be Oakstar. So it had to be Copperwind or Darkwater. She was just about to call out when the figure hissed again.

"I knew you were hiding somewhere. Oakstar thought he could hide you, but I knew," the crazed voice spat. In an instant, Briarsong realized who he was, and her blood ran cold.

Eaglestar.

"Hazelpaw, give me the knife. Get back in the nest," she urged, just barely managing to get her voice above a whisper. Her heart started to pound as her old leader drew closer. Hazelpaw did not seem to hear her, standing tense and still, staring at Eaglestar's approaching form.

Eaglestar sneered, speeding up despite the intensifying storm, "For moons, I've waited for this. Do you hear me? For moons!"

Briarsong dropped her armful of snow, grabbing Hazelpaw and throwing her behind herself. She was able to snatch the blade from the apprentice's hand. She curled her fingers around the hilt and held the knife at her side. It had been so long, it almost felt foreign to her.

The leader was now close enough that she could make out his features. His disheveled state was so unlike the man she once knew. Patches of hair were missing from his head, rendering him nearly bald. His eyes were wide and crazed. Dark circles were beneath them, showing lack of sleep. Briarsong prayed that meant he'd be unsteady.

Some part of her had hoped there'd be a way to reason with Eaglestar. But just looking at him and hearing the madness in his voice told Briarsong that it wouldn't be happening. Eaglestar had started an entire war, had thrown so many lives away, all to get at her and her kits.

Bumbleheart, Shortfoot, and Amberlight were too injured to fight. Fennelfur was guarding the children. Adderstorm, though tough, was an elder who hadn't fought in years. Maplewhisker was the same. Dewflower would never help, and Hazelpaw hadn't had any battle training whatsoever.

Briarsong was the only defense they had.

Eaglestar stopped only a fox-length from her. He grinned madly, gazing at her belly, "The blue-eyed bitch was right! You have kitted! Where are they? Where are the stinking little vermin?"

The leader looked around as if the kits would appear from nowhere. He didn't even seem to notice the No-tail nest behind Briarsong, and she thanked StarClan for that.

At that moment, Hazelpaw got to her feet and stepped towards the leader. Briarsong mentally screamed at her to get away from him.

"Briarsong didn't do anything wrong! You're the one having everyone kill each other!" Hazelpaw growled bravely. Her small body was shivering violently, yet she stood as tall as possible. What was she thinking?

Eaglestar's grin turned into a scowl as he took in the girl's words. Before Briarsong could do anything, he grabbed a fistful of Hazelpaw's red hair, pulling her so she was forced to her toes.

He brought his face close to Hazelpaw's and hissed, "Don't you see this storm? Those clouds that have blocked StarClan's skies from us? This is StarClan's displeasure! So long as the cunt and her kits live, we shall not see the stars! Is that what you want? Do you want us all cursed to the Dark Forest? You stupid waste!"

Briarsong stared in horror as Eaglestar began to shake his fist. Hazelpaw clutched at her seized hair, crying out in pain as Eaglestar threatened to rip the locks from her scalp.

"Eaglestar!" Briarsong called, praying that Eaglestar would let Hazelpaw go if she got his attention. She continued, "Hazelpaw isn't the one you want! It's me. You said it yourself. I caused this. It's me you want, right?"

The leader stopped torturing Hazelpaw, his eyes falling onto Briarsong as if he'd completely forgotten about her. Again, a mad grin spread across his lips, and he roughly threw Hazelpaw to the side, earning a startled shriek. Briarsong shuddered as Eaglestar's attention once again set solely on her.

"Yes. Yes, yes, yes. You did this, all of this! And you're proud! Proud! Fucking bitch, you've sucked on Tigerstar's rotting cock and now look! His damned spawn live because of you! You! You! You!"

Briarsong hardly had time to react before Eaglestar launched himself at her. By the grace of the stars, she ducked in time to avoid his outstretched hands, which he'd surely meant to wrap around her throat. Eaglestar let out a rage-filled roar as he landed on nothing but snow. Eyes wild, he turned and started for her again.

This time, she was ready. Briarsong brought the knife down as Eaglestar tackled her, sinking the blade deep into the back of his shoulder. The leader shouted in pain, lifting himself up just enough that Briarsong was able to tuck her legs up, pushing herself from under him. But her grip on the knife was lost and she was forced to let go.

The snow made any chance of darting around the leader little to none. Briarsong settled on kicking the man as hard as she could in the face, aiming to stop him from rising. Her hopes were dashed, however, when Eaglestar completely ignored the blow and instead grabbed her by the ankle. Growling, he sharply pulled, causing Briarsong to slip. Even with the snow, falling flat on her back knocked the wind from her lungs.

She fought to recover, gulping for air. Just then, a sharp pain flooded her abdomen. Briarsong let out an agonized gasp. Looking down, she saw Bumbleheart's knife buried in her, just above her hip. Eaglestar had managed to pull it out. The man leered over her, a disparaging grin on his face. One of her wrists were clutched in his free hand.

His eyes chilled her to her very core. From the corner of her vision, Briarsong saw Hazelpaw coming closer. No, the girl couldn't get between them now. Eaglestar would kill her.

"Run!" she cried, "Get help!"

More warriors were the only hope they had. Even if she died, her kits and the others would have a chance of survival. She just needed to survive long enough for help to come. She almost thanked StarClan out loud when Hazelpaw reluctantly ran off, disappearing in the blizzard.

"At last," Eaglestar practically purred, "You're going to die. The stars will be pleased. So pleased when your rancid blood spills over this forest! You and your rats will fester in the Dark Forest and we will all be free! We'll be saved! Saved from your darkness!"

Strings of spit flew into Briarsong's face, and she wrinkled her nose against the foul scent of Eaglestar's breath. The man's teeth were bared in a savage, delighted smile. Briarsong cried out as he twisted the blade in her belly. The pain was deep, slicing and made her want to run far, far away from it. She could feel her blood welling up and oozing from her wound, hot and sticky. The metallic scent flooded her nose.

Gathering all of her power, Briarsong forced herself to stop clawing at the ground. Hitting him had done nothing, so she had to go with another means of defense. With her free hand, she quickly jabbed her thumb into Eaglestar's left eye. The reaction was immediate. Eaglestar howled, releasing her and grasping at his face.

Briarsong twisted beneath Eaglestar, flipping over and readying to jump back to her feet. Just as she started to rise, however, Eaglestar's hands grasped onto her hips and he threw her back down. Briarsong screeched when she felt the blade sink deeper as she landed.

"Bitch! Fucking bitch! You never should have been born! StarClan was right to try and kill your mother! Fuck her! Putrid snake!" Eaglestar rambled in a rage.

Briarsong was filled with terror as the man's hands latched onto her throat and began to squeeze. Her own hands clawed at his arms, trying to pry him off, but to no avail.

His full weight was on her. Thrashing did nothing to dislodge him. Desperately, she gasped for air, only succeeding in letting out pitiful rasps. She had no choice but to meet Eaglestar's mad, delighted eyes as the man enjoyed strangling the life out of her.

Slowly, Briarsong found herself weakening. She could hardly struggle beneath the leader, her hands feeling heavy and unable to scratch at him any longer. Her breaths grew shallower, lessening in small rasps. Her head started to spin, dark spots clouding her vision. She wanted so desperately to run away, but her life was slowly slipping away. But she couldn't die. Not yet. Not when everyone was still in danger.

She had to…stay alive.

Stay alive…

Stay…alive…

Everything was going dark. Her body was becoming limp. She wasn't even trying to breathe anymore. It hurt.

Ravenstrike was going to be upset. She just hoped he'd take care of their kits. That'd he'd protect them. She wished she'd told her mother goodbye. One last time. Her brothers too. And Hawkspeck…her father.

She loved them all so much.

She was sorry.

And tired.

So tired…

And suddenly, air was rushing into her lungs.

Briarsong's head ached, but her vision was becoming clearer. Black nothingness slowly returned to the empty white of the sky above. Snow was falling on her face. Some got in her mouth. She didn't care though. She could breathe.

Slowly, everything came rushing back to her. Her side was throbbing with pain. The knife was still there. But Eaglestar wasn't. He was gone. Had he thought she died and left?

Then, she started to hear voices. Eaglestar's angry growling and…her mother. Where was she? Briarsong couldn't see her. All she saw was the sky. She needed to get up. Figure out what was going on.

Painfully, Briarsong rolled to her side and looked around. Her head still felt fuzzy, and it was dizzying to move too much. But…Sootleaf was here.

Briarsong blinked. Her mother was here, and she was wrestling Eaglestar to the ground. Never had Briarsong seen Sootleaf look so viscous. Her mother's eyes were glaring with rage, her teeth bared threateningly. Despite being smaller than Eaglestar, she was easily his match.

Then, Ravenstrike's voice filled her ears. Briarsong could feel him beside her. He was saying something, almost in a pleading tone. But all of her focus was on her mother and would-be-murderer.

Sootleaf sank her fingers into the wound on Eaglestar's back, making the man yowl in agony. With him distracted by the pain, the woman kicked him hard in the knee. He buckled, and Sootleaf shoved him down. She straddled him, wrapping her hands around his throat, just as Eaglestar had done to Briarsong.

Just the thought of it made her head start spinning again. Her vision was getting spotty once more.

Eaglestar hissed and spat, reaching up and clamping his own hands onto Sootleaf's throat.

A sickening crack echoed through the forest.

And Briarsong's world went dark.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N:

haha

Hahaha

HAHAHAHA

Fun-Fact: When writing Eaglestar's scenes, I often play "El Tango de Roxanne" on repeat. The two voices sound a lot like what I imagine his sounds like before and after his madness. (This is also the song used in an amazing Ashfur x Squirrelflight x Brambleclaw animation)

Later, my lovelies~!

- Tina