The sky grew even darker, the dim reflections of the sun disappearing. The heat began to die down, along with the wind. The ash lay still on the ground, specks floating aimlessly in the air.

The white paw of a cat stirred it. A small cloud rose from the ground and into his face. The cat shook his fur, being careful not to disturb the ash again. He lightly stepped through the entrance and into the clearing.

A grey and brown cat jolted behind him, kicking up the ash once more.

"Whitestar, let me go with you," Christa said. "I need to tell her something important. Please?"

"No," the tom responded. "I know you are her littermate, but right now she needs to know that, no matter how stressed she is, her actions are unacceptable. I need to talk to her, leader-to-leader. I've already told Heavyclaw that he's in charge for the time being, and not to let anyone else out."

Christa's tail dropped to the ground as she moved further out of the entrance. "Please, Whitestar. I told her something terrible, and I can't forgive myself for it. It's hurting me just thinking about what I said to her… I don't care if she doesn't forgive me, or if she even wants to. But I just need to tell her I'm sorry. Please, let me go with you."

"You'll get a chance to talk to her when she gets back," he continued. "But I need to talk to her alone. Plus, that scratch on your paw could get you sick walking around out here. I know I treated it earlier, but keep it covered with one of those Twoleg wrap-things."

Christa opened her mouth to protest, but Whitestar was already walking away from the clearing.

He looked back at her. "We have only known each other for a short time. But you have never had a reason to distrust me before, right?"

"But you don't even know where she is," Christa protested.

"Actually, I know exactly where she is."

Whitestar coughed and shook his fur again, the large cloud of ash specs growing around the clearing. "There is a newly fallen sky-monster nearby. It is where Littlestar first went to get you and the other pets, by the Twoleg prayer-nest. If I have not returned by the time the sun has completely set, tell Heavyclaw and Blueclaw. They will send others after me."

She nodded her head and sulked back inside, closing the entrance behind her. It kicked up more ash specs. They had littered the air and blurred Whitestar's vision of the camp, even though he was still in the clearing.

"No way would any wildcat be near a destroyed monster." Whitestar spoke to himself. "Whatever prey was nearby would have been driven off by the crash, so it would not interest them… Someone has to put a stop to your self-destructive behavior, Littlestar. And it will first be me, then your friend, and then your littermate."

He took off running along the large thunderpath that separated the clan territories. The sky continued to lie still, but the heat persisted.

It destroyed everything in front of it when it went down. What was left of the sky-monster lay in the massive clearing.

The decorations and structures the Twolegs had built in the area were destroyed, including the stone Twoleg that stood in their prayer-nest. Without the light of nearby fires, the black ash and filth that covered everything would have made it impossible for her to see.

Littlestar was looking over what was left of that nest. The entire structure had caved in from the sky-monster's massive wings. One of them was missing. The other had destroyed another stone Twoleg in the back of the nest. The seating areas were nothing but ashes at her paws.

She leaped onto the wreck's broken off wing, staring straight at the side of the monster. In front of her was a different symbol. A blue circle surrounded a white one, with a red dot in the center. Littlestar's eyes were fixed on its scratched surface.

It's bigger than I expected it to be, she thought, peering into the clear barrier at the front.

It was completely smashed. She saw one figure, covered in their fake-fur. It was burned and dead, but Littlestar could not smell it. All she could scent was the ashes from the storm the night before.

This is where the true power lies. With the sky-monsters. That Twoleg all the others pray to didn't stop them. StarClan didn't stop them. They just keep coming. They keep coming and ruining everything.

A faint hum sounded overhead. Littlestar looked to the sky briefly, but she would never see it. It was low, but so were the smoke clouds

One of them is over me right now. One of those Achse ones… just one of them. How worthless. They can't even defend themselves anymore.

"I knew I would find you here." A light voice echoed through the destruction.

Littlestar did not turn to meet him, or even see where it came from. She only sat, staring at the Twoleg symbol on the side of the sky-monster, tapping at the trinket hanging from her collar.

"Go away," she responded. "Please just leave me alone. I can't bear to see anyone right now."

"Not until—"

"I said go!" Littlestar shouted, hissing as loud as she could before breaking into a coughing fit. "I command you leave me."

"You cannot command another chosen by the Stars."

His voice was closer. Littlestar could feel the cat's weight on the broken wing of the sky-monster as he leaped on, a cloud of ash rising against the windless sky.

"You said you would follow me," Littlestar spat. "That you would go under my command."

The black and white tom slid closer to Littlestar, careful not to touch her tail. He began staring at her neck, eyeing the white wraps underneath the collar.

"We both hold the name Star. We are equals." Whitestar glanced at the mass of dried blood that had clumped at the bottom area of her collar. What was left of it was already soaked up by it and the wraps.

"You need to get the back of your neck rewrapped," he said. "You were bleeding for a while, long enough to ruin them. They're all that is left seeing as I no longer have any usable herbs."

"That's not my blood," Littlestar whispered. "It's the blood of every cat I've tried to kill. Pineheart, Mousetail, Flyfoot… and Fleetheart. It's their blood. All mixed together. To remind me of all the pain I've caused my clanmates. To those who have only tried to help. And those I think of as kin."

"It is mostly your own blood," Whitestar said as he moved closer, now just a claw's length apart. His tail rested on hers, but she did not act, only sitting and staring straight ahead at the Twoleg symbol.

Whitestar decided to stare at it, too. "So they are the Twoleg attackers. The ones who Panzer spoke of, the Achse's enemies. It is because of them my cats have problems sleeping. Why the pets would panic every time that Twoleg siren went off. Even in death, its symbol remains, reminding all who pass just who did this to them."

"No, not them," Littlestar whispered. "Not entirely them."

She sulked deeper in her position. The only sound that could be heard was the crackle of distant fires and the hum of the sky-monster overhead. The rest was silent.

"It is true. StarClan has been powerless against them," Whitestar responded. "But even if they sent a cat down from Silverpelt, I doubt it would have been able to bring a monster like this to its death."

He continued to examine the monster. Most of its colors had faded in the fires that likely burned on its crash. He could only make out the colors on the body. The top was covered in brown and green splotches, and the bottom was deep black. Next to the round symbol they stared at were more red markings, but they were indiscernible.

The sides were riddled with holes of all sizes. Some too small to see, others big enough to fit a Twoleg through. One of the holes went right through the body. He could see what was left of all of the strange tools used to control it. But he could only find the remains of the operators in the front of it, like Littlestar had found.

They kept sitting in silence. Littlestar finally moved her head up and back at the symbol. Then towards Whitestar. He looked back at her, relaxing his face as much as he could against the bitter stench of the air. Littlestar stared into his bright, yellow eyes.

"You know what I think," she said. "I think you should go away. And take your cats with you. Go be safe and happy away from this place. After all, this isn't your war. It's not even your clan – your territory – that you're fighting for."

He shook his head. "I made a promise to you. Even if we are wanderers with no territory, this Twolegplace is just as much our home as it is yours… unless you leave, I will not leave. Not until we beat LeafClan."

Littlestar pulled her head away and back towards the Twoleg symbol. "Do you think we can even beat LeafClan?"

Whitestar did not look away from the grey she-cat. He could see the doubt on her face.

"We will fight until the end, Littlestar. And I will be there beside you when the time comes to confront Horseleaf. His worst offense is turning his back on our ancestors. StarClan will make him pay, somehow."

She was silent, staring straight ahead. Whitestar turned away, examining the sky-monster further. They sat in silence for a few more moments, taking in their quiet surroundings.

Littlestar flopped down on the wing below her paws, scratching at the rough surface as she did. Her tail curled around her. She rested her head directly in the ash.

"I almost killed Fleetheart," she whispered. "I almost killed the most important cat to me… only a weak cat would lose so much control of themselves like that."

Whitestar shook his head, resting his tail on Littlestar's coiled body. "You just need some help. Someone to take the pressure—"

"Do me a favor," she interrupted. "I want you to go back to camp. And I want you to lead them. I want you to tell them I ran away from it all, like Yellowstar. That I couldn't handle the death anymore. They'll believe you. I want you to tell—"

"You can tell her that yourself," Whitestar responded. "No one can replace you."

Littlestar ignored him. "And I want you to tell Fleetheart that I am exactly what she thought of me. And that as punishment for what I did to her and Mousetail I will wander with my story, the clan's story, like those many moons before this place existed. It will consume me. Then my body will consume me. Then the Place of No Stars will consume me. And I will cease to exist…"

Whitestar nudged the leader. She did not push against him or resist, but did not try to move, either.

"She could not afford to lose you, especially now… deep down she sees it, too. Just as I do. You are the only one of them fit to lead like Bonbon. To command her respect and her temperance. That is why Longstar and Yellowstar held so much faith in you. That is why Fleetheart and I respect you so much. You are how we all want to lead."

Littlestar continued to sit, her head remained still. Whitestar stopped nudging her and rested his paw on her back.

"If you will not come back for Bonbon's legacy, or the war, then do it for Fleetheart. And me. And Christa. And all the cats who are still alive with you. Who are worried about you."

The fires nearby began to glow brighter. Whitestar looked around; the last bit of sunlight had gone away. Only by the light of the fires could the pair be seen.

"If you do not leave, then Christa will come looking for you. I told them to do so if I did not return by the time the sun disappeared… I do not like this place at night. Especially with all that has happened recently. For the sake of her safety, will you please come back?"

Littlestar uncurled her head and looked straight at the round Twoleg symbol. Her tail began to slowly wave across the rough surface of the sky-monster's wing.

I can't have that. No one else should leave but me. No one else should be getting hurt anymore.

She stood from her spot, not even bothering to shake the mess from her fur. Her legs wobbled and her tail sagged. Her head hung below her shoulders.

"You must be thirsty," Whitestar said, eagerly hopping to his feet. "Let's get you back to camp so you can get something—"

Littlestar scrambled for cover. The sudden pop made her leap behind a part of the wing. She crouched low, waiting. The echo of the sharp ping rang in her ears and all around her. Only until it completely died down did she poke her head above her hiding spot.

Her ears immediately shrieked to her head. Her eyes were wide. Her fur was at its sharpest. She rested her paw on the limp cat before her, nudging him.

"Whitestar?"

She was speechless. His black and white lay still across his body.

"Whitestar, what's wrong? Whitestar—"

Only then did she see it. Tilting over his head, she saw his yellow eyes. Half closed and bulging out, staring right back at her. His blood began to leak onto her paw. And under him, a mass of clear fluid began to pool. Parts of his head were inside, and Littlestar immediately set him back down.

But… but… where did it come from?

She frantically looked around. She looked for a Twoleg. She found no one. They were all alone in the remains of the prayer-nest. Littlestar swerved her head back towards the sky-monster, her paw not daring to leave Whitestar's fur.

Inside the massive hole on its side, she saw it. She stared straight into a thunderstick. The deep scratches and broken ends told her all she needed to know.

No one was there, she thought, caressing Whitestar's face. No Twoleg was there to even use it… it just fell and went off and killed him. StarClan… the sky-monster killed him. The dead sky-monster killed him!

Littlestar buried her face into Whitestar's fur. His blood soaked into her paw pads as her belly threatened to loosen itself.

He didn't even have a chance. He didn't even have a chance!

Her paws began to shake. Littlestar felt heat well up inside her. She could not keep her fangs in her mouth. Turning away from the dead cat, she faced the Twoleg symbol, letting loose a torrent of hisses and snarls before leaping towards it.

This is all your fault!

She slammed into the side of the sky-monster, loosening the ash that piled onto it. It all tumbled down to the charred ground, Littlestar with it. She got up and kicked it off, letting her claws loose on the surface before her.

This is all your fault! The whole time. Not StarClans, yours! You help them take my friends, my leader! And then you take him from me. Why?

Her claws ached and bent, she kept slashing at the Twoleg symbol. It stayed, the colors barely visible amidst the darkness.

StarClan is powerless against you! They are powerless to do anything about you. Why can't you just go back to where you come from? LeafClan, the inferno, Longstar, none of it would've ever happened if this stupid Twoleg war didn't exist!

She leaped up and slashed as high as she could.

You come from far away, right? Then why are you here? Why are you attacking these Twolegs?

She leaped and clawed at it with her hind legs. They began to ache against the tough, once-shiny material of its body.

Why did you take my friend? He did nothing to you. I've done nothing to you! Why did you make this place like this?

She sprinted over to the wing, leaping and clawing her way back to Whitestar's body. She turned and hissed at the symbol.

"Answer me! Why do you torment us? What do you want with us?"

She sunk down into his fur, heaving and shaking all over.

"Answer me," she whispered. "Why. Please, why?"

Her whole face was buried into his neck. Her body kept growing hotter. She felt her eyes grow heavier. Her shaking was replaced by the bliss of exhaustion. It creeped all over her sore body.

Why you, Whitestar… why not me?

His blood trickled below her chin. She did not move.

No more, no more. No more of my friend's blood on it. The trinket was for my enemies' blood, not theirs.

She felt her mind drift away from her.

You don't care whose blood. Only that you get it. Isn't that right, Twolegs? Isn't that right, StarClan… that's why you took him from me?

Her mind wandered away. She rested amid the darkness in the limp body of her clanmate.

AchseClan… my clan of blood.