A/N: Yep, I spoke too soon. One of my professors decided it would be a nice idea to have two assignments due one after another (PLUS the midterm this week, the midterm draft, and that's not even including the stuff for my other class. Oh, and one of my classes starts this week too. Fun times!) I'm totally not drowning. In other news, I finished one chapter of my original story, and I'm trying to figure out if it's possible to write every week for it- while also doing Fanfiction- but it looks like this week I won't be able to because of school too. Let's see if I can make a miracle happen guys. (Also, Volume 7 of RWBY ended and I dunno what to do with my life anymore.) (PS: I think I failed one of my midterms… Welp.)

Speaking of miracles… Let's hope Blue Berry can pull one off for her trial, yeah?

Thanks to RosetheWriter, thee survivors, and The Curious Calico for following and/or adding this story as a favorite!

Reviews

Warriors27- Ooh, I like horses. Ferrets though… Yeah, I don't think I can properly take care of one, haha. Same. Sorry mom. No kids from this uterus.

silhouette amongst stars- Oh wow, umm… You welcome? I hate when professors do that, I'm convinced they just want to watch us fail half the time. Hmm, yeah give or take a year or two; depending on if I keep uploads consistent to every other week, push them to every week, and don't take hiatuses. Maybe three years. That does tend to happen, yeah; losing interest in a story cause it's very long. I will do my best to keep your interest with us till the end, but if I can't, I was just glad to have you along for the ride :). Yeah, Leafy's kinda digging herself a hole there, she best watch out. Blue Berry is right: bullying is wrong regardless, but bullying a disabled person? That's just irredeemable and all kinds of wrong. I adored writing Thorn-Soot bonding time (Thorn's considering naming his kit after Sooty, the kit hasn't been born yet. Soon). Uhhhh… *looks at outline* Yeah, no. Fluff will come later… in the far future… Maybe. Yeah, it hurt my heart writing it, just leading up to that line, but how can I not? Oh wow, that does sound like the dream. Very nice, very nice.

Happy (Guest)- Thank you! I'm always up for writing mentor-mentee bonding moments, I don't have enough of those in this story. :)... Sad and amazing and sad and cool and sad indeed (You have no idea what I have planned ;) Buckle up people). The trial shall commence!

AlderClaw (Guest)- Ooh, I like dachshunds. They're cute. Hey, nothing wrong with already knowing what you want. (I've always wanted a Husky or a Dalmatian.) I still think you should totally do it: only if you really want to do, lol, no pressure. I totally did not forget I have a character named Patchstorm until now, totally not (I totally did) :). I can comfortably debunk that theory: Wildfire is not Cherrypaw's father. How crazy would that have been, huh? Oh well, sorry about making you cry XD. I never want children- unless my wife really wants them, then I might consider for her. Who knows? Your characters and their small backstories are interesting, keep it up! Pfft, that was funny. Poor Darkpaw indeed, but he's gonna have a nice lovely home with Leafy there to protect him :) So don't feel too bad for him. Maybe.

PheonixRune- I don't have a cat- I have a lotta dogs though… Like, a lot- so I can't relate haha. Aww, don't cry. Things may change for our characters. Maybe. Possibly. I sowwy. (I don't know how to draw so XD Can't help, sorry.)

Jaguarstar23 (Guest)- I didn't either, it was nice to have them talk like that. I should bring Thornblaze in more often. He's best dad confirmed? Sooty deserves a bit of happiness, what better way than in the form of a mentor? To each their own, I don't really want kids, but that's just me XD. Sorry mom.

Thanks to everybody who reviewed, followed, and/or added this story as a favorite!

Let's get started!

Blazeclan

"Is she mute?" Tigergaze snarled as his curved claws vanished deeper into the rogue's- Prisoner's- white pelt, lilac-tipped ears forever flattened against their head. From where she stood beside Emberpaw tail-lengths away, Flarepaw could see the stranger grimace even more and bite their lip. "Or is she just stupidly stubborn?"

The large tom's grin turned even more wicked than it already was, muscles rippling as he began pulling down, opening devastating wounds that bubbled with blood. "Come on, just one little yell. Then I'll go easier, what do you say?"

Tigergaze was having a bit too much fun with this, the sight before her making her stomach turn as she closed her stinging eyes. Fatigue had quickly caught up to her, to Emberpaw as well, and all she wanted to do was go back to her den to sleep (or to the Medicine Cat den to curl up beside Sootpaw). But for some reason, even after both of the she-cat's told their story to the Grand Royal, he requested them to remain there. Well, requested wasn't the right word.

Anything the Grand Royal asked for was an order.

"Do you work for someone that goes by the name of King?" Redstar had never looked so… focused before. His normally dull yellow eyes were lit with something close to desperation, something close to raw anger. And while any sign of emotion from that gaze was a call for celebration, this one was a call for alarm. Flarepaw didn't like to admit that she was nervous because of the leader.

Even Wildfire, who stood on one side of the Grand Royal while Roseberry took the other, (interim) lead Royal and Medicine Cat standing firm with their conviction, was strangely silent. A frown was evident on his face, brows furrowed in deep thought, and his eyes were far away. Very, very far away. Flarepaw could imagine that it'll take nothing less than a slap to the head to wake him from whatever trance he was in, burning amber gaze facing the rogue.

At the question from the Grand Royal, the rogue did and said nothing to give her away. Mouth firmly shut, the pressure with which she clenched her teeth was bruising. Even as Tigergaze chose a different, untouched and pristine place to sink his claws into, the rogue remained silent. Save for the stray whimper that managed to escape, the Royal's ivory tips bleeding the sensitive skin of her flank.

"Why are you here?" Roseberry spoke up this time, lips forming a thin line of displeasure. Whether that distaste was directed at the rogue herself, the quality of the Prisoner's Den- there was the rank stink of what could only be death and dried blood clinging to the air- or Tigergaze's methods of getting a Prisoner to obey, Flarepaw didn't know. Perhaps it was a little bit of all three.

Again, the rogue stayed quiet, and Tigergaze was growing both more frustrated and excited. The longer the Prisoner remained quiet, the longer he could make her bleed. At this rate, Flarepaw knew they were going to get nowhere before the rogue bled out. Perhaps that's what she was waiting for…

"Grand Royal, if I may?" For whatever reason, the thought of the rogue dying here and now didn't sit comfortably within her mind. Not by the claws of a captor, not in such a dirty den, and not without someone there to mourn them. Stars, she thought to herself with a taste of bitterness on her tongue, I'm growing soft. Stepping forward and away from Emberpaw's side, earning a confused glance from her friend, Flarepaw's sudden movement caught the attention of everyone else just as quickly.

Including the rogue's.

Tigergaze, admittedly, appeared rather irritated at a change in the rhythm: the thirst to hear his captive cry out still unquenched. He would forgive her later for disrupting; and even if he didn't, Flarepaw imagined she could live without his forgiveness. Roseberry appeared the most concerned, ears falling flat against her head and eyes quietly screaming at her to not interfere. If she looked closely enough, the Grand Royal apprentice could see the Medicine Cat shaking her head.

Wildfire still looked lost within his own mind, good- she didn't need him to disrupt her with his games. Maybe he was sleeping with his eyes closed: it was certainly late enough for him to not care what she did. Grand Royal Redstar glanced at her with curiosity, yellow eyes flashing with interest at the change of pace.

And the rogue… Their blue gaze was piercing through her, watery with held-in tears and shining with something close to relief. It was almost revering once again, submissive as the rogue lowered her head into what could only be a bow. To Flarepaw. The apprentice felt an uncomfortable shiver roll down her spine.

The rogue looked at her as if she was someone to worship, glorify even. This isn't right, Flarepaw's confusion returned once more, even as she closed the distance between herself and her leader. Silver eyes glanced away from the mystified rogue, turning instead to face yellow with the breath of a sigh.

"May I attempt to get some answers out of her?" She really was just tired of seeing Tigergaze hurt another. No matter who they were, they didn't deserve that kind of physical punishment. She suffered through it most of her life and watching someone else get hurt in such a way without saying a word felt entirely wrong.

Redstar stared at her contemplatively and in complete silence, Roseberry chancing a nervous glance in his direction before troubled dark blue eyes looked at her once more. The only order the Medicine Cat had given her, once she had arrived into the den and gave each she-cat a quick once-over, was to be quiet. Don't say anything unless asked directly by the leader- or Wildfire- and don't even make sounds of disgust on behalf of what was about to happen. Flarepaw mentally apologized for having broken that rule.

But she had questions of her own that she wanted answered.

"You may," the Grand Royal said after a moment's contemplation, turning his yellow stare to Tigergaze and giving a jerk of his head. "Stand down for now."

The Royal brute snorted, and if only for a second, disobeyed. His claws remained firmly in the skin of the rogue, sinking only deeper now that he was ordered to stop. As Flarepaw patiently waited a step away, Tigergaze blew out a harsh breath through his nose before tearing his claws out of the rogue's pelt- truly unnecessary. The she-cat fought back the need to cower beneath his amber glare, annoyed only because she was the one to ruin his fun. With a nod, the tom walked by her to stand beside Wildfire.

Her father was staring at her curiously, a single brow raised in surprise. She thought he would at least try and interrupt her, but to her pleasant surprise, Wildfire remained as quiet as ever. Unusually so.

"What is your name?" Flarepaw asked, and immediately, she could hear Tigergaze snort at her from behind.

"Grand Royal Flarepaw," he spoke roughly, a threatening grin in his voice, "that knowledge is unnecessary to know. They're rats, that's all they are. If they have a name, they don't deserve to be called by it anymore. Not by us."

Unbidden, a memory sparked in her mind, from before she fell hopelessly in love with Sootpaw and, instead, thought it best to hurt him.

"Well, can you please just call me by my name."

"And I have to because?"

"Because it's just… wrong. It makes me feel like I'm just something someone uses before tossing it aside. A name is powerful. Once something or someone is given a name, it gives them an identity… a purpose. It makes them seem worthy of something."

And while Flarepaw didn't know what this rogue was worthy of, she did know she didn't deserve such a savage treatment. Nobody did. Everyone was worthy of at least the basic form of kindness, the smallest bit of compassion. If Flarepaw was the only one willing to show it in this room, then so be it.

Ignoring Tigergaze's words, Flarepaw asked again, "What is your name, rogue?"

The Royal opened his mouth to speak again, but a stern stare from his leader made him remain quiet. Flarepaw, as much as she wanted to, didn't turn her silver gaze away from piercing blue. The rogue returned the look unflinchingly, a contest to see who would blink first and whose will was stronger.

Perhaps it was something in Flarepaw's imposing stance as she hovered overhead the rogue, small as she was… Perhaps it was because the Grand Royal apprentice had yet to show any signs that she would attack as Tigergaze had… Or perhaps it was whatever made the rogue stare at her with such reverence that made her finally speak.

"Frost," the she-cat let out a pained breath, closing her eyes and giving Flarepaw the victory in their little staring match. "My name is Frost."

"Who sent you Frost?"

"I can't answer that."

Flarepaw bit her tongue, but not wanting to make the rogue close-off again, decided to brush the question away for later.

"Where did you come from?"

"I can't answer that."

"Who is King?" Flarepaw narrowed her eyes, "You mentioned them during our fight. Are they your leader?"

Frost's blue eyes appeared to sparkle in something close to amusement. It was clear she was having fun with this, dangling information over their heads and raising it higher each time Flarepaw tried to reach up and bite it. The beginnings of a smirk etched itself onto her white-furred face. "I can't answer that."

"This is useless!" Tigergaze's snarl caused Flarepaw to flinch, if only because of its unexpectedness. Ears twitching, she could hear the tom behind her stand up and pad forward. At the same time, a flash of mild alarm and anger appeared in Frost's blue eyes, her ears flattening once more. "Grand Royal Flarepaw, allow me to take over so you don't waste any of your precious time-"

"I didn't say I was finished!" Flarepaw snapped, her eyes remaining on the rogue at all times. "I still have questions."

More than a little shocked and bemused, the Royal zipped his lips before wandering back to his place, ears flattened at being scolded.

"Do you make the rules here?" Frost gave a slight purr, blue eyes flicking to those patiently standing behind her and then back again. "Or is he only good at following orders?"

Tigergaze snarled, but Flarepaw ignored him.

"One day, I might," the apprentice shrugged once before her eyes narrowed. "And you are threatening that future for me and everyone else I care about with your presence. So, I ask again, who is King?"

"...I already told you," Frost murmured in a quiet voice, almost… sad? "I can't answer that."

"Why are you here?"

"I can't-"

"Then what can you answer?" Flarepaw was quickly growing annoyed, exhaustion not helping to keep her temper in check. Frost wore a frown on her face, eyes narrowing slightly before one corner of her lips tilted upwards.

"Keep asking and find out," Frost chanced another glance to those behind her before back again, steel-like gaze growing softer with something close to admiration at her. "You're the only one I might feel inclined to answer to."

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Flarepaw didn't know if she wanted to know that answer, didn't know if she was ready to hear it. But it was too late, her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and now…

She could only brace herself for the impact.

And Frost was quick to deliver the killing blow.

"You are not dissimilar to my King," the words left her mouth with quiet breath, a gentle, fond curl to her lips now. "You just remind me of him, is all. Quite a bit, actually."

Flarepaw flinched backward, taking a few steps away from Frost and blinking with wide eyes. The tension in her muscles bled away as confusion took over.

"...What?..."

"Maybe it's just your appearance," Frost eyed her closely, uncomfortably, and Flarepaw felt her skin crawl. Analyzing blue met stunned silver firmly. "Maybe it's your attitude or your character, or the way you talk or the way you walk. Maybe it's your voice or your scent. Maybe it's everything, and maybe it's nothing at all and I am making a connection where one doesn't exist at all."

She had to leave. She couldn't… None of this made sense to her.

"Grand Royal Flarepaw…" Her leader's voice sounded so far away, his gentle presence at her back in another world altogether. "Are you alright?"

No, she wasn't. How can she be?

How can she be alright when she was told she was akin to what could possibly be the clans' greatest enemy?

"Flarepaw?" A gentle, deep voice knocked her out of her memories of this early morning. Or was it late last night? She couldn't remember. "Are you alright?"

Nope. "Hmm?" She numbly asked, blinking away from her thought as the turned her silver gaze to the tom sitting beside her. Gingerpaw was staring at her quizzically if a bit worriedly.

"You've been staring at the ground like it was going to swallow you whole," the tom muttered tenderly. "Are you still tired? I can handle this patrol alone with Emberpaw if you'd like to get some rest still. I know you've had a rough morning, and I don't know entirely what went on in there, but-"

"I'm fine, Gingerpaw," Flarepaw spoke, though perhaps she had said it too dismissively because her rival- and another close friend- gave her an unconvinced stare. The she-cat let out a huff of laughter, bumping him in the shoulder. "I'm fine. I'm not tired, I practically slept the day away and perpetually ruined my sleep schedule while I was at it. I was just… thinking."

"About?"

"I'm afraid that's classified information," her eyes twinkled with slight mischief.

"Oh, come on." The tom wrinkled his nose indignantly, pale yellow eyes flashing with playful aggravation at not knowing something she did. "The one time I don't follow Emberpaw out of camp to go and bug you and you two end up getting wrapped up in our rogue problem. You can at least tell me what happened, can't you?"

"Sorry, Gingerpaw," Flarepaw shrugged, giving a sheepish grin. "The Grand Royal told us not to talk about… anything that happened or was said in there."

"Is he bothering you now about that?" A third, welcomed voice sounded off to the side of the two Grand Royal apprentices. Emberpaw appeared to be less bothered by what happened during the interrogation; and either she really wasn't that bothered by the cruelty or she was really good at hiding it. Then again, she wasn't told that she resembled our enemy's leader. It still made her stomach churn, to look and act so alike to someone who was hurting the clans that her appearance alone demanded worship and respect from the enemy. "He hardly let me sleep today because he had so many questions."

"I'm a curious cat," Gingerpaw shrugged nonchalantly, earning a scowl from his sister.

"Yeah, and you made me want to claw you today!"

"Quiet down, Emberpaw," the tom's whiskers twitched with merriment, hiding a smile. "Our warriors are resting."

"Why you-"

"Umm… Is everything okay here?"

The three apprentices, who had started an impromptu wrestling match with Emberpaw trying to reach Gingerpaw and Flarepaw somehow being dragged into the middle of it, paused and turned their eyes to the rest of Blazeclan's apprentices. From Royal to Commoner, all of them stood a few tail-lengths away from the three higher-ups. Well, two. Emberpaw was a Royal now, but almost all of them still treated her like a Grand Royal apprentice (mostly because she still acted like one).

A part of her, the part that Wildfire so meticulously created, screamed that this sort of behavior was unbecoming of a Grand Royal apprentice. In a way, it was. But did she care?

Not really.

"Completely," Flarepaw huffed out a laugh before finally managing to escape between the two siblings. Gingerpaw stood as straight as possible, acting as though nothing happened at all. And Emberpaw was grumbling under her breath the entire time she left their sides and wandered over to the rest of the gathered apprentices. Amusement was written on most of their faces, Sootpaw saddled up between his Commoner friends and Sagepaw, and exhaustion was written on the others. The Grand Royal apprentice was just grateful for having gotten some rest today, considering Wildfire had the brilliant idea of putting this "training exercise" together.

Going against the Grand Royal's warning of: "don't go out at night," the lead Royal immediately thought it would be a wonderful idea to make the apprentices do just that.

Mimicking a similar exercise that Whiteshadow had done with them, the apprentices were tasked with leading their own patrols. Flarepaw, Gingerpaw, and- they decided- Emberpaw would choose who they would be with and each take one part of Blazeclan's territory to monitor for part of the night. They would each switch off with each other's locations at least once, and only when each patrol scoured every inch of the territory were they allowed to get some rest.

Yes, a brilliant idea indeed.

Brilliantly stupid...

The only small relief Flarepaw felt was the fact that Redstar would be waiting for their return, sitting vigil at camp until they all came back, safe and sound. Should anything go wrong, at least one of the apprentices would be able to make it back to camp to send up the signal. The apprentice just wondered why he would even allow it to happen in the first place, but if there was anything she learned, it was that Redstar was moved by the masses. If the High Ranks thought this was a good idea- which, unfortunately, they did- then all the leader could do to not aggravate his warriors and lose favor with them was comply with their wishes.

It was sad; the most powerful cat in their ranking ultimately being the weakest by choice.

Flarepaw wondered if she would be anything- if the day ever came for her to lead.

"Are there any questions?" The amber-furred she-cat blinked out of her thoughts as Gingerpaw spoke for the both of them, tail twitching languidly and head tilting just-so. The rest of the apprentices listened to him with rapt attention, some still blinking away the sleep from their eyes.

"Isn't this needlessly dangerous?" Her brother spoke up, sage green eyes flicking to her in questioning as he raised a brow. "The Grand Royal told us to be cautious and this seems… rather reckless."

It is, Flarepaw wanted to answer, but she imagined that wouldn't go over so well with the others. Still, she gave a small nod, releasing a short sigh before raising her head higher.

"It is in our beliefs that the rogues will be more cautious of us than we are of them at the moment- considering one of their own has been captured so soon. The Grand Royal and lead Royal Wildfire trust that we won't run into any of them tonight… but should that happen, Gingerpaw, Emberpaw, and I will do everything in our power to make sure no harm comes to any of you."

"So, you're kit-sitting us now?" Shadepaw wrinkled his nose a bit, mouth forming an uncomfortable scowl. "We are capable of defending ourselves, you know?"

"Most of us are at least," Amberpaw added with a sniff of disdain, stormy blue eyes noticeably drifting to the Low Ranks before rolling away. Flarepaw bit her tongue to keep herself from snapping at the haughty High Rank.

"Think of it as shepherding instead," Gingerpaw said, a kind twitch to his lips, and his eyes roamed over all. "The three of us are more watching over this patrol rather than leading it. It will be amongst yourselves to decide how to go about it, and we'll be there to correct any of your mistakes and answer any of your questions."

"And before anyone else complains," Flarepaw leveled a stern stare towards the Royal apprentices in particular before her eyes swept over them all, "it is mandatory for you to work together, regardless of rank. Also, if we do happen to run across any rogues or outsiders, you are required to retreat back to camp."

"But-" Shadepaw chirped, only to be silenced by a bump to the shoulder from Emberpaw.

"That is an order from the Grand Royal himself," dark green eyes flashed dangerously, "are you going to disobey him?" Silence met her threatening question, and the red and black she-cat huffed before she nodded and walked forward to, once again, join Gingerpaw and Flarepaw. "Our orders are to defend you all at any costs should danger arise, your orders are to run when we tell you to. Capisce?"

The apprentices, some more reluctant than others, gave a nod. Flarepaw glanced over at Sootpaw to see a heavy frown on his face, ears flattened with unease and sunset gaze quivering with concern.

"Very well," Gingerpaw cleared his throat before sparing a look to Flarepaw. "Would you like to pick first or do you want me to?"

"Do you have them all in mind already?" Flarepaw asked, ear twitching curiously. When Redstar had approached the two with their task- along with relaying it to Emberpaw later- he had told them to carefully choose a patrol that may not be what the apprentices want. The Royals would want to stay with one another, as would the Commoners, and the Artisans would try to bunch in with the High Ranks to feel like them and do everything to avoid the Commoners. Therefore, the two Grand Royal apprentices thought it would be easy to just pick one of each (with Sagepaw fitting in with whoever they thought best).

Gingerpaw nodded his head in response, and Flarepaw allowed him to pick first.

"Alright," the tom stood up tall, eyes roaming over the apprentices as if he was deciding who he should pick (such the actor he was). "Amberpaw, Icepaw, Adderpaw; you three will be accompanying me towards the Stormclan border first."

The three apprentices walked forward, the only Royal trying and failing to hide a face of annoyance at being stuck with two Low Ranks and easily taking the lead. Gingerpaw hummed to himself, eyes meeting Flarepaw's for a brief moment as he nodded his head before taking his patrol out of camp.

Flarepaw allowed them to leave before taking in a deep breath, sharing a glance with Emberpaw before stepping forward. She had been the first to pick who she would be taking with her- Gingerpaw easily agreeing and Emberpaw pulling her aside and making sure her logic wasn't being clouded with emotions.

Though, they probably were.

"Shadepaw, Yellowpaw, Sootpaw," the amber-furred apprentice called out, keeping her face carefully neutral. She would be damned if something were to happen tonight and she wasn't near Sootpaw. Flarepaw lost Darkpaw because she hadn't been there to keep him safe, she wasn't about to let the same thing happen to the one she loved. "You three are with me. We'll be checking the border of our old territory first."

Ignoring Shadepaw's excited shout at being chosen by her, a laugh managed to escape her lips at his antics, Flarepaw turned halfway to prepare to leave. Yellowpaw appeared rather nervous, his eyes roaming cautiously to Sootpaw- who looked like a mixture of surprised and relieved at having been chosen by her.

As he walked by her, following Shadepaw's enthusiastic sprint outside of camp already, golden-yellow met silver-blue for a brief second. And Flarepaw had to keep herself from recoiling.

Because in that single look alone, it told her everything she didn't want to hear.

Should they happen to run across the rogues tonight, there was no way in the name of their ancestors that Sootpaw would leave her to fight them alone.

He had told her multiple times that he was tired of having her defend him.

Now, if the situation would call for it, he would defend her.

Oh, Sootpaw, she blew a heavy breath out through her nose, sharing a nod with Emberpaw before trailing after her patrol. Please don't do anything reckless for me.

I can't lose you too.

"It's… quiet."

"That's because it's nighttime, Royal Shadepaw."

"...Right."

From where Flarepaw walked at the very back of the group, she stifled a laugh. Naturally, Shadepaw had decided to take the lead, and with the Artisan's natural support, there was nothing Sootpaw could do to argue against him without fighting two battles at once. Yellowpaw stuck to the side of the High Rank like a burr, paying more attention to him rather than their actual surroundings.

The sound of their pawsteps, minus Flarepaw's, was the only thing she heard. Which… was rather strange. Nocturnal creatures did exist here, even during the Leaf-bare season, so for there to hardly be a sound…

"That's not normal," Sootpaw spoke up from where he walked a step in front of her, glancing behind his shoulder to look at her and tilt his head. It was the first time he talked in the patrol, and while Flarepaw wanted nothing more than to talk with him, both of them knew she couldn't. Not with Shadepaw here, and worse, not with Yellowpaw here. She might be able to convince Shadepaw to keep his mouth shut, they were kind of friends, but Yellowpaw would be a different matter entirely. "Is it, Fl- Grand Royal Flarepaw?"

The she-cat had to hide the flinch that threatened to show at the usage of her title before her name coming from his lips. It was so unnatural. The only time he called her by title was when he was upset with her… or when they were in the presence of others.

The patrol slowed to a stop, Shadepaw and Yellowpaw turning around to look at them with eager eyes. Flarepaw forced herself to look away from the tom after she realized she was staring. Whiskers twitching, she let out a low hum.

"What do you think?" She addressed it to all, but her silver gaze flicked to Sootpaw specifically.

Yellowpaw was the first to speak up. "Maybe everything's asleep?"

"No, the Commoner's right," Shadepaw murmured after a moment, brows furrowing. "There should be at least shrews every now and then. Maybe the occasional squirrel and for sure some owls. But there's… nothing."

"And what does that tell us?" She had noticed it the night before, sitting at the graves for as long as she had before Emberpaw showed up and before they captured the rogue. The complete stillness of absolute silence… that wasn't normal in the oak forest no matter the season. There was always something awake at night- at night and not during the day when their warriors hunted more often than not. Whether it be close by or faraway, sound was everywhere and it was endless.

"They've been scared off," Sootpaw answered this time, glancing around with a frown on his face at the silent forest. "Or eaten… And not by us."

"...You're telling me those star-forsaken rogues are hunting on our lands too?" Shadepaw scowled deeply, muscles quivering to retain his anger. Flarepaw had never seen him like this before. The Royal may have been okay with treating the Low Ranks a little nicer than most others, but evidently, he had no tolerance when it came to rogues and trespassers.

"Exactly," Flarepaw nodded once with a heavy sigh, "it brings to question just how long they've been around here and we've failed to notice."

"Are we that inadequate?" Yellowpaw mumbled, disheartened. And while she knew he was one of Sootpaw's bullies, Flarepaw didn't like to see her clanmates so despondent.

"I believe most of our warriors' focus is on… other things," like hurting the Low Ranks for no reason, she left that part out, "but no, I wouldn't call us inadequate. Just… distracted." And that distraction is dangerous.

"You can say that again," Sootpaw grumbled quietly, and Flarepaw's ears flattened slightly before she could stop herself. The Commoner huffed before turning away nodding his head in Shadepaw's direction. "We should keep going."

"Are you giving him an order, Commoner?" Yellowpaw was quick to scowl, though if Flarepaw's ears weren't deceiving her, it almost seemed forced. Do all Low Ranks wear a mask too?

Does everybody?

"Just a suggestion," Sootpaw shuffled his paws to warm them up. "Leaf-bare may almost be over, but it still gets really cold at night and standing here talking isn't helping."

"Correct again, Commoner," Shadepaw chuckled goodnaturedly. "Are you always this right all the time?"

Sootpaw allowed a small smile on his face, and Flarepaw felt like she could breathe a little easier. Thankful for Shadepaw's nature, the only one she would have to try to keep in check would be Yellowpaw, and even he was well-behaved tonight.

"We're almost to the old border," Flarepaw spoke up, jerking her chin down the path they walked. "Just over the small hill and we should reach the end of the oak forest."

"Let's get this over with then," Shadepaw sighed before trudging along. "Who decided it would be a good idea to patrol at night when there's snow?"

"The Grand Royal and Wildfire."

"Oh, well, then this was a great idea."

Flarepaw chuckled lightly, shaking her head in amusement as they began walking once more. Shadepaw always had a way of lifting her spirits- he lifted everyone's spirits when they had been kits. While Flamepaw and her weren't allowed to be friends with the others, it was the light-grey tom who had always found a way to their sides. Mostly for Flamepaw, but the she-cat liked to believe he enjoyed her company too.

He would understand my decision to help the Low Ranks. If anybody could, it would be him.

"Hey… Do you all hear that?" Yellowpaw's voice was low as he spoke, quivering and confused as it was, and Flarepaw immediately went on high alert. Focusing on her surroundings and waiting for the others to stop walking as well, the she-cat gingerly closed her eyes as her ears twitched.

It took a few seconds longer than she would've liked, as turmoiled as her mind was tonight, to focus. But she heard it.

Pawsteps.

Heading straight for them.

Immediately, Flarepaw rushed forward, walking past all three of them and standing at the front of the patrol where the sound of coming from. Loosening her shoulders and standing lightly on her paws, the Grand Royal apprentice narrowed her eyes, tail readied to lash and signal for them to run. She just had to hope that they would listen without much complaint.

What appeared was not what she was expecting.

Sure, it was a stranger; but something told her it wasn't one of the rogues they were looking for.

A small tom, perhaps matching her small stature, stood beside a tree- panting raggedly with each withering breath he took in. His pelt was supposed to be a dark ginger, black coloring his lower jaw and painting his paws and right ear and the tip of his long tail midnight. Supposed to be… because it was dyed instead with a dark scarlet, wounds large and still bleeding and maybe even a bit infected, making Flarepaw grimace at the sight of it. Eyes of bright green were clouded with pain and exhaustion and desperation, and once they caught sight of her and those behind her, they glittered with what could only be the first signs of hope.

"Please…" His voice was breathless, agony twisted within and corded with downright begging. "Help…"

Apparently, the battle to remain conscious was one he had been fighting for a while, because as soon as the words left him, Flarepaw could see his eyes roll back before he collapsed against the ground. The Grand Royal apprentice blinked in surprise, all of the initial battle instinct fleeing from her body now that the potential threat was gone. Well, not gone… Fainted. But still.

The world stood in complete silence, and the she-cat was unsure of what to do. Was this a good reason to run back to camp and bring the Grand Royal here? And the tom was asking for help- Should she give it to him? Or-

Movement out of the corner of her eye made her inhale sharply, the fur on the back of her neck standing on edge, and her panic only rose at what she saw.

Sootpaw was rushing forward, the only one out of all of them to move, towards the unconscious stranger.

"Sootpaw, wait-" The words cut themselves off in her throat, voice shutting off with overwhelming panic. What if this was a trap and he was walking right into it? What if the tom was only pretending and he would strike the moment Sootpaw was within reach? What if-

"He needs help," Sootpaw spoke without looking back at them, hardly hesitating to sidle up beside the unconscious tom and gently nose his head. The fainted rogue was still breathing, however slight it was. The Commoner looked up afterward, gold meeting silver, his ears flattening. "We need to help him."

Flarepaw was still star-struck into silence. She knew Sootpaw's heart was always in the right place, even if that place wasn't the safest, but for him to so recklessly charge forward to help someone?

She knew just how selfless the tom was- yet it still surprised her.

And it terrified her.

Sootpaw would run head-first into danger for the sake of others, and if Flarepaw learned anything, despite how undoubtedly fast she was… She would always be too slow to try and stop him from doing so.

The tom she loved was too selfless for his own good…

She was afraid that, out of everything, his selflessness was going to get him killed in the end.

And she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Forestclan

The aspen forest was alive with the quiet sounds of nocturnal prey.

Yet, the sound of her heartbeat racing in her ears was much louder to Berrypaw.

She tried many times to calm her frantic heart through various breathing exercises, sometimes forgetting to breathe altogether and gasping for air before nearly blacking out, and all of them failed her. The crisp, sharp night air already posed a potential problem for her. Speed would be her only chance at victory- if she could make it to camp as quickly as possible without running into many warriors along the way, stars forbid she ran into Leafstar or Bramblepaw or Cherrypaw, then she wouldn't have to worry about the strain it put on her side. The scar left behind by the fox moved with her flanks with each deep breath she took, a small twinge every now and then an omen of what could happen if she fought for too long.

Berrypaw stood by the frozen river that marked the border between Forestclan and Stormclan, unfortunately unable to use the slow trickling of the water as a source to calm herself down. Stupid Leaf-bare. Of course, they just had to have the trial during this season. Why make anything easy for them?

Her paws shuffled rhythmically as she remained there, ears twitching every now and then and eyes roaming back-and-forth. The dark shadows of the night were all around her, imagination conjuring up devilish beasts that looked strangely enough like Ignis and his crew. Focus. She couldn't be thinking about her mistakes when she was quite literally about to fight for her title.

Not that she thought she could hold onto it much longer…

All she needed to wait for was the signal, and-

A sharp, unified yowl echoed from somewhere in the forest, seemingly all around as well. Seconds passed before others joined in, and before she knew it, the warriors of Forestclan were howling a terrifying song. The signal; a dissonant melody created by the sharp cries of her clanmates. Once the song started, Berrypaw and her rivals needed only to wait for it to stop.

The second it did, that's when the test would truly begin.

What appeared to be random sounds at first soon became clearer to Berrypaw the longer she listened to them. Some sounded closer than others, no doubt a few of the warriors were nearest to her already. One shouted a call, and someone on the opposite side of the territory would respond with one of their own. A back-and-forth conversation that the apprentices were not privy to. Noisy strategizing shaped as a farewell tune.

It said, "goodbye," to one of the apprentices.

A toll that grew softer and softer as the seconds ticked by, and just when Berrypaw thought it was about to stop completely, a single echo sounded from somewhere in the center of it all. She knew without knowing that it was Leafstar.

Just as soon as the consonance had started… it ended.

Even the sounds of prey were completely gone, scared away by the display of noise from the clan cats and the impending danger that could come across them.

The same impending danger that would come across Berrypaw.

Just like that, her test began, and not wasting another second that she already did reveling in the sudden silence, the blue-furred apprentice began her sprint. The map of her territory was etched into her brain long ago, it had to be for times like this, and the Grand Royal apprentice kept to the ground instead of immediately running through the treetops. Climbing and jumping were more tiring for her in the long run, and Berrypaw knew her stamina was already limited as it was.

The aspen trees were a blur as she ran by; all of her efforts and attention put into making sure her breathing was even and that her pawsteps wouldn't falter. She knew where she was going, now she just had to get there. As beautiful as the night was, the midnight blue of the starless sky free from clouds holding the threat of snow, there was no time for her to marvel at the frozen forest. Time and place, she huffed out a breath, swiftly hopping over a few tree roots that tried and failed to hide in the snow, there's a time and a place for everything.

This was neither the time nor the place.

Berrypaw managed to cover a considerable distance- with still more than half of the territory to traverse through- before her luck decidedly ran out. A figure burst from the shadows from where they had been hiding behind a tree, trying to tackle her as she ran by, but a last-minute leap backward saved her from being captured. Pawsteps came closer, and before she knew it, two more warriors appeared from the shadows to make her total opponent count to three- one standing precariously above them all in the branches and two on the ground in front of her.

Spottednose glowered down at her from the branches with his yellow glare, nostrils flaring and the beginnings of a satisfied smirk on his face. The farthest from her on the ground, Dapplewind's white and black pelt bristled both to protect herself against the chilly night air and to make herself appear larger. The one who had leaped at her from behind the tree was, strangely enough, the Commoner Queen- Hazelcloud. Even Queen's were allowed to participate, their kits being watched over by Blossomleaf for the night.

Two Artisans and a Commoner…

Three Low Ranks.

While a small part of her exhaled in relief, another larger part of her made her brows wrinkle with annoyance. For no High Ranks to go after her yet… Either the warriors were greatly underestimating her and saw her as a waste of their time, or the Low Ranks thought that they had a chance after all. Go after the weakest link; there was no possible way for them to stand a chance against the brute force of Bramblepaw and the swift mind of Cherrypaw, but at least against the Crippled Berrypaw, they did.

That's what you're thinking, Berrypaw's eyes narrowed as she raised her head higher, standing straighter as her teeth gnashed together with a bruising force. Right?

"Earth and Sky," Spottednose called from above, evidently the leader in this impromptu group. If there was one aspect of Leafstar's reign that the Forestclan warriors actually liked was the small change to their battle methods. While being masters of the terrain was a great skill to have, Leafstar expected more out of them. Everyone- not just High Ranks or Low Ranks or warriors or apprentices. Since the start of her leadership, the tactician drilled the art of organizing and employing their warriors in battle into each of their minds.

Different tactics and routines encompassing how each warrior fought and where and when they had to fight was only one of the reasons why Blazeclan and Stormclan hardly ever took a battle against Forestclan into their own home.

But while these methods worked against outsiders, who didn't know what the names of the tactics meant, it was quite insulting for them to think it would boggle Berrypaw's mind.

Earth and Sky: Two warriors approached from the ground, a head-straight charge that would either force the enemy to flee or jump out of the way to dodge. Once in the air, the third, who would wait for this exact moment in the branches above the battle, would drop down on them and disorientate the opponent- ending with them pinned to the ground, winded. Simple.

Berrypaw and the others had mastered it on their first week of being apprenticed so long ago.

Dapplewind was the first to reach her, Hazelcloud trailing behind and prepared to chase Berrypaw if she ran towards a path down the right or left. If she retreated back the way she came from, it would only be costing her time- time that she didn't have, quite frankly.

You've underestimated me, Berrypaw blew out a steadying breath, a sense of calm that she hadn't felt in a while washing over her before she opened her eyes, taking a half-step forward. You've greatly underestimated me.

The Low Ranks worked together perfectly, but they failed to fully comprehend the sheer danger that being a Grand Royal apprentice meant. Because not only had Berrypaw learned and mastered these simple tactics, she had been tasked with ways of countering it and even coming up with some of her own.

The Grand Royal apprentice made her move the second Dapplewind paused to strike instead of running straight into her, the Artisan finding her balance on her paws. Good.

Berrypaw needed a stable perch to leap off of.

Perhaps it was rather rude of her to jump onto the Artisan's head and shoulders, especially when one wasn't expecting it, but Berrypaw had long since stopped caring about what was rude and what wasn't. A squeak of surprise and affrontation sounded from the dappled she-cat, suddenly being thrown forward face-first into the snow from the momentum of Berrypaw leaping off of her and into the air.

She wouldn't quite reach the branches as they expected her to, but then again, that wasn't what she was aiming for. Hazelcloud made a small leap into the air, not enough to reach her, but also not enough to get in the way of Spottednose as the tom moved into action. Dropping down from the trees, the Artisan tom expected to land directly onto Berrypaw's unprotected back.

Imagine his surprise when Berrypaw not only managed to twist around midair- a daunting task for most who didn't feel comfortable falling back-first towards the ground- but also grabbed him instead in her tight grip. The tom's world spun as Berrypaw spiraled both of them down, straight to the snow-covered ground, and the she-cat grunted as she slammed him into the frost before- once again- using his body to leap away.

She wanted to take a moment to gloat, to look at their surprised faces, but Berrypaw instead took the opportunity of their stunned bodies and ran away- clearing all three of them in a single instant and disappearing into the aspen forest. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, drowning out any discomfort she should've been feeling from her scar- because that had been a bit more exerting than she would've liked- and the apprentice could feel the start of a thrilled smile on her face.

It had been too long since she fought to her full potential; at one point, she had been arguably the strongest of the current three. Of the many sparring sessions she had with both Bramblepaw and Cherrypaw, Berrypaw had the highest victory count. And while Blossomleaf had told her to take it easy, while she knew this would probably come and bite her later, it felt good. Great even.

It was a few moments longer just running, a bit faster than before with a delighted laugh threatening to bubble from her chest the entire time, before she ran into her next opponent. Well, opponent was probably giving them too much credit. It was one of the apprentices, the Noble tom Hawkpaw. He appeared rather surprised to see her, completely unprepared for her sudden presence.

His dark blue eyes widened in surprise, mouth dropping open as he muttered a curse before yowling. "A-Ambu-"

Ambush, she assumed. No doubt, other apprentices were hiding somewhere. But Berrypaw had no time to deal with more opponents. She was almost halfway at this point: she dreaded what could be waiting for her at the halfway mark. Besides, Hawkpaw made a pivotal error for a Forestclan apprentice. Perhaps he was just really tired tonight.

He failed to focus on his surroundings. Him standing in front of a tree… It was almost as if he was asking Berrypaw to tackle him into it.

So, that's what she did, shoulder-first into the tom's chest and sending him sprawling backward, back colliding with the trunk of the tree hard enough to make it shake. Berrypaw was close enough to see his mouth open into a silent yowl, eyes rolling back into his head before he limply fell to the ground. The Grand Royal apprentice grimaced to herself, muttering a quick apology, before stepping around the tom and the tree and continuing on her way.

Sorry Hawkpaw, she was starting to pant, which wasn't a good sign for her, I needed to keep going and you were in my way.

I'll make it up to you later… Maybe.

Well, he was planning to ambush her no doubt, so if you ask her, she'd say they were even.

Berrypaw slowed down to a slow trot from her loud sprint, breathing deeply through her nose and exhaling through her mouth to try and control her panting. Her lungs were burning, stinging with the cold air, and soon even the adrenaline flowing through her body wouldn't be enough to overshadow the pain from her side. She was steadily approaching her limit for the day; a day of nonmovement and rest and a leisurely walk at Sunhigh all that she had done today after her talk with Thornpaw this morning.

For the most part, she had been meditating in her den; something she hardly did even in her most stressful of times. But today was a special occasion, she supposed. It had certainly helped her plan for the dangers ahead.

Berrypaw knew she was in the middle of the territory the moment the thick canopy broke off into a wide meadow; completely open space where the High Ranks sometimes trained their apprentices. Stopping to observe her surroundings for a second, Berrypaw also used that precious time to catch her breath. Maybe an all-out sprint wasn't the best thing to do. Sure, she had gotten here quickly, but it drained her energy.

The clearing was empty, suspiciously so, and Berrypaw imagined that there was someone- or many someones- lying in wait for her to reach the center of it. She almost wanted to take the long way and go around the wide clearing, but that would take too long. It was time she already didn't have, and besides-

The rustling of dry bushes off to her side made her stiffen instinctively, ears falling flat as she took a couple of steps into the meadow, prepared to run at the sight of another enemy. But, as soon as she saw who it was, she didn't run.

Even though she really should've.

Cherrypaw stood a few fox-lengths away from her, chest moving deeply to control her own breathing. The black and grey she-cat had been assigned at the Blazeclan border, a diagonal direction towards camp and Bramblepaw had been assigned to the empty border opposite of her while Berrypaw had been in the middle of the two. The only way they would run into each other would have been if they specifically sought each other out… or met up at the halfway mark.

"Looks like... you were the first," it was a strange thing, to hear Cherrypaw so breathless. An airy chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head. "Who did you run into tonight?"

Berrypaw had half a mind to just ignore her and keep going. That would've been the smart thing to do. Cherrypaw was wasting her time making small talk, giving their enemies more time to come closer.

So it confused her why she felt compelled to answer. "Two Artisans, the Commoner Queen, and a Noble apprentice."

"Tch," Cherrypaw snickered, eyes narrowing gently as her icy blue gaze bore into Berrypaw's dark green. "Looks like you got off easy."

"They underestimated me," Berrypaw felt the fur on her shoulders rise, body shifting to face Cherrypaw better and subconsciously beginning to lower into a fighting stance. "Just because I'm Crippled doesn't mean I'm weak."

Icy blue flicked across her face carefully, a frown ticking at the other she-cat's lips before she let out a small scoff. "I guess we all underestimated you."

There was a bitterness in her soft tone that made Berrypaw flinch, but if she was hearing her correctly, there was also the slightest amount of respect. Cherrypaw had believed her rival would have given up by now- not take on anybody, no matter their rank, and just… quit.

But if Berrypaw had proven anything since the moment they were kits… It was that she wasn't a quitter. Despite everyone who was trying to make her one.

More rustling, this time from behind her, made Berrypaw's fur stand on end- instincts screaming "danger!" Immediately, the she-cat dove to the side, dropping into a roll and springing away from whoever had lunged at her. As soon as she was back on her paws, a growing sense of dread and despair.

Bramblepaw's large paws pressed into the space where the smaller she-cat had just been, the snow disrupted from the amount of force put into the blow. If it could talk, it would be screaming in pain. The moonlight illuminated them all, the only tom's light brown pelt rippling with muscles as he slowly shifted to face her. There were shadows in his green eyes, deep and dark and twisted and angry. He didn't appear to be out of breath at all, and Berrypaw was almost afraid to ask why.

She had seen Bramblepaw's tactic of taking care of an opponent swiftly, many times in fact. Whenever he was being timed. Whenever he had more than one opponent to face and he wanted to lessen their numbers.

Rendering someone completely unconscious was quite easy for the tom, most of his training going into his strength and precision. He was bulky and muscular and not at all built for drawn-out battles.

Against him, Berrypaw had to hope not even a single strike landed on her, or else she would be seeing stars.

"You've made me wait… so long for this moment, Blue," Bramblepaw inhaled slowly, wide-set shoulders moving with the interminable breath. His voice was ragged and rough, frustrated and excited and relieved all at once. "Do you know how long? How long you have made me wait to fight you?"

The tom took heavy steps in her direction, and as much as Berrypaw hated backing down from a challenge, the approaching hazard made her take an equal amount of steps away. Cherrypaw stood on the sidelines, simply watching and controlling her breathing with narrowed eyes. The blue-furred she-cat would be a fool to try and ask for help from her.

No, she was alone here. Just like she always was.

"I was looking for you, Berrypaw," the tom scowled at her before finally pausing, muscles tense and quivering. "But just like always, you were quick to run away."

I was looking for you… Berrypaw felt her heart in her throat from those words. Bramblepaw had been hunting her tonight. Tracking her down just to fight her. Maybe that's why he didn't look winded at all, not because he easily knocked everyone who crossed his path unconscious. Well, knowing him, he probably still did both.

"I'm flattered. You really want to fight me that bad?" Daringly, she granted him a taunting smirk, stopping herself from walking backward even more and leveling him with an amused stare. It was all an act, of course. Berrypaw, even though she didn't want to admit it to herself, was quite terrified. The scar along her side was aching, the adrenaline from before having slowed down the moment she made it to the meadow and stopped to catch her breath.

"More than anything," Bramblepaw breathed out, stare made of unwavering stone. "You've beaten many times before, and now it's my turn to win."

Sore loser… Some cats just can't let go of grudges now, can they? Berrypaw blinked at him before letting the laugh she had felt in her chest earlier erupt, amused by his ridiculousness.

"You want to-" Berrypaw paused for another bout of laughter before catching her breath, ignoring the strange stares from the other two. "You want to beat me? When I'm not even at my full potential anymore?"

Her smile turned sharper, eyes narrowing into a heated glare as she, bravely, took a few steps in his direction. "Will that make you feel better about yourself? Look at Bramblepaw, everyone! Beating a Cripple while she's down and calling it a victory. Does that make you happy?"

"Don't patronize me!" Bramblepaw snarled, his pawsteps heavy as he stalked forward. She was too annoyed and agitated to be intimidated by him any longer.

In a familiar yet now foreign display, the she-cat stuck her tongue out at him and closed one of her eyes in a wink, lips upturned in a teasing smile before she sent him a grin sharper than her claws.

"Whatcha gonna do about it?" As a kit, Berrypaw had been undoubtedly the most daring of them all, dragging the others into her games and laughing at any potential dangers in the face. That phrase, those mocking words, was always said by her before any play-fight started out of growing annoyance towards the jubilant she-cat. Most often than not, Bramblepaw, then Bramblekit, had been on the receiving end of those words countless times.

And no matter how much time had passed, the results were the same.

His nostrils flared, air blowing from his nose with forceful exhales and misting in the frosty air; pupils surrounded by a sea of green narrowed into thin slits, downright fury flashing within them; his fangs barred, the tom gnashed them together with a clack; light brown fur streaked with black bristled along his spine and shoulders. A cry of rage sounded from within his throat, harsh enough that it no doubt hurt him, before he launched himself forward.

She always did know how to push all of Bramblepaw's buttons at the same time.

And she always did know how to bite off more than she could chew.

Berrypaw let out a huff of breath, laughing more at herself than anything else really. When are you going to learn as well that you can't fight as well as you used to? The earlier skirmish against the Low Ranks would be absolutely nothing compared to a battle against Bramblepaw. This time, she couldn't find a solution where she could possibly hope to run… Other than running away.

The she-cat skipped a step back, creating a larger distance that was meaningless to how quickly it was rapidly closing with the tom's wild approach, before spinning around to run away. In the middle of the open field, there would be no possible way for her to win against him. But if she could just make it back to the safety of the trees, could use them to bounce off of like she normally did to disorientate her opponents, then maybe, just maybe, she might have a sliver of a chance. (That's considering Cherrypaw didn't interfere as well.)

Unfortunately, she overlooked Bramblepaw's determination to beat her. Sure, on a normal day, the tom was the slowest out of all of the apprentices. But when he was furious enough, the tom was surprisingly fast.

And stars was he furious right now.

Berrypaw let out a sharp squeal through gritted teeth, pain lancing straight up her spine from where Bramblepaw's teeth securely met her tail and pulled- dragged- her to a momentary stop. Just as quickly as his teeth were there, they were gone and suddenly upon the scruff of her neck- a bit lower than where it would've been painless. The skin between her shoulders was hauled roughly, stretching to its bare limits as she was suddenly sent flying the way whence she came.

Even making herself as limp as possible to roll with the throw did nothing to limit the pain, the breath knocking out of her. Luckily enough, she hadn't landed on the side where her scar was, but it still hurt nonetheless. Get up. Laying there on her scar-free side would do her no good in her quest to escape from the brutal tom. You have to get up.

Slowly, painstakingly, her limbs moved to do just that, but she wasn't fast enough. The tom must've leaped at her from a distance away, because the force with which his paws met her scarred side with startling precision made her cry out in breathless agony. His large paws connected directly with her ribs, she thought for sure at least one of them must have broken underneath all that sudden weight and force.

Apparently, Bramblepaw wasn't satisfied enough. Hovering over her, one of the tom's paws went to her shoulder to roll her flat on her back, her dark green gaze clouded with raw torture from the agonizing waves of pain came from her side. His shadowed green eyes were bright with anger, disappointment even, and mild satisfaction. Tilting her head back just so, dangerously exposing her throat to him, Berrypaw could just barely see Cherrypaw standing in her same spot, face expressionless as she stared.

No one can save you, Berrypaw looked back into Bramblepaw's eyes. You're on your own.

"Go to sleep, Blue," the light brown tom grumbled, lips pulling back in a sneer as he raised his other paw into the air, a firm grip on her shoulder. His claws weren't unsheathed, but for just a moment, she could imagine them glinting in the moonlight. A single blow to the head would be enough to knock her out, and Bramblepaw was going to do just that.

The only one that can save you is yourself. Her eyes narrowed as she stopped trying to struggle against his weight, mind racing for a solution out of this mess. No one is coming.

So, save yourself damnit.

The tom's huge paw came straight for her head with a practiced aim. She loathed thinking how many times Bramblepaw did this. Gritting her teeth, the she-cat used his own weight to her advantage, the paw holding her shoulder leverage for her to roll just enough onto her scarred, aching side and ducking her head so he would miss. At the same time, though she couldn't see him except for out of the corner of her eye, she brought her free leg up, smacking his muzzle with her paw with enough force as she could. To her great surprise, her little trick worked.

Off-balanced, the tom was forced to shuffle backward, the savage grip on her shoulder releasing her as he did so. Berrypaw, not wanting to count this as a victory just yet, scrambled to push herself against the ground with her backpaws, dragging herself upwards and out of his reach.

Still, Bramblepaw only needed so long to reorientate herself, and she wasn't nearly fast enough to get back on her paws with what little time she bought herself. Green eyes met each other, one naturally dark and the other a mirage of darkness created by moons of pent-up frustration and rivalry unfed. The tom's lips pulled back, revealing his sharp fangs before he reached towards her to grab her again.

Still shuffling away on her back, the she-cat kicked him in the muzzle, doing nothing more than annoying him and making his growl louder. He grabbed one of her hind legs, pulling her towards him and all of her efforts to get away were for naught.

"Stop with your little tricks and fight me like you mean it!" He snarled at her, still wrestling to get a firm grip on her like before while she tried to push and wriggle away.

"I can't!" Berrypaw snapped into his face, teeth biting mere inches from his nose and making him flinch back slightly. "Little tricks and spontaneous miracles are all I can do now. The Berrypaw you actually want to fight is gone, Bramblepaw, and she can't come back!"

The she-cat gasped out a growl when one of his paws managed to press against her throat, him taking advantage of her momentarily freezing up by putting all of his weight into it. Her claws unsheathed as she dug them into his leg, trying and failing to lift him off of her. She was kicking wherever she could, no doubt leaving bruises of her own against his underbelly, but Berrypaw didn't have enough strength to actually kick him off of her.

Black spots swam at the corner of her eyes, and suddenly, it was very, very hard to breathe. His dark green eyes were the only thing she could see at the moment, taunting and victorious as they were.

"Good riddance to her then," it was getting really difficult to stay conscious, choking for air as she was. His voice was a harsh rasp, low with the relief at finally winning. "You deserve nothing less for being such a failure."

She wanted to say, "yeah, a failure who always beat you," but she couldn't even breathe, let alone speak.

Her body met dangerous levels of oxygen deprivation, and Berrypaw knew it would only take a few seconds longer for her to pass out. Well… She tried, right? That's all that mattered. She knew it wouldn't have been possible with anything less than a miracle for her to beat Bramblepaw in her current state, but hey, she tried.

"Bramblepaw…" Cherrypaw's voice was an infinite distance away, Berrypaw could hardly hear it, but there must have been something in the way she said it that made the tom's grip on her throat loosen just enough for her to breathe. The blue-furred she-cat gasped for air, choking on just how much she took in and coughing.

Bramblepaw removed his paw entirely from Berrypaw, still hovering over her, but his attention wasn't directed down at her anymore. Blinking away the black dots, it took a lot longer than she would've liked, Berrypaw tilted her gaze up to see him looking behind his shoulder. Slowly, cautiously, the blue-furred she-cat looked around his legs and body to see-

Oh.

Oh, no.

Oh ancestors, please...

Have mercy on us.

Berrypaw felt like she was choking again, but not because of Bramblepaw, but because of her own fear and anxiety. Dark green eyes widened as she laid beneath the tom, panting.

A lone figure stood fox-lengths away from where the three Grand Royal apprentices conglomerated near the center of the meadow. Light grey and light brown fur tabby striped with white swayed in the chilly night air, the silvery moonlight giving them a white-blue shimmer as they gingerly walked forward. Light green eyes danced with amusement on the surface, but a closer inspection showed the underlying glimmer of disappointment and displeasure.

Grand Royal Leafstar was the greatest threat any of the three would face tonight… And she had arrived.

"How convenient," her voice was light, and for a few seconds, that was all that was said from her before a nerve-wracking smile appeared on her face. "You're all here. Now I don't have to waste my time searching for any of you."

Before they knew it, she was suddenly walking forward with a languid pace, unhurried and relaxed as ever. Bramblepaw was the first of the three to move, scrambling off of Berrypaw and taking a firm stance closest to the approaching leader. The blue-furred she-cat, still breathing quite heavily, carefully stood up- her right side baring her scar, and probably a broken rib or two, twinging in agony. Her pain was overshadowed by the fear, for now. Cherrypaw was the farthest, and if Berrypaw glanced back at her, she would see flattened ears and a waving face of neutrality.

"I hope you don't mind if I join in the fun you were just having," Leafstar's gaze flickered specifically to Berrypaw and Bramblepaw, narrowing on the latter. "Tonight I could finally see for myself just how formidable my apprentices are at their fullest potential and the highest level of desperation. I will not allow you to leave until I see for myself. As required, treat me as if I am your enemy… The question is, what will you do against me?"

The leader paused in her steps, analyzing the three one-at-a-time. Berrypaw shivered beneath her Grand Royal's stare.

"Will you run… or fight?"

Run. Definitely run. Already, Berrypaw was looking for a way out of here that didn't include going straight towards Leafstar. Looks like I'm going to have to take the long way around the clearing. Behind her, Cherrypaw was doing the same. As much as she would like to prove herself against Leafstar, the odds were greatly stacked against her tonight; not only had she used a great deal of energy to get here, but no doubt, the strategist that the leader was already had more than enough time to plan her victory.

No, if she wanted to fight Leafstar, Cherrypaw would do it in a spontaneous battle and not one like this.

Yet, Bramblepaw had other ideas than the two she-cats.

"Is that even a question?!" The light brown tom snarled, slamming one of his paws on the ground in his usual fighting spirit. "Forestclan warriors do not back down from any opponent!"

With that, Bramblepaw began charging straight towards the Grand Royal. Berrypaw wanted to yell at him to stop, but he wouldn't listen and she didn't know why she cared. Sparring a brief glance behind her shoulder, the blue-furred she-cat could already see Cherrypaw moving to run in a different direction, a diagonal charge that would take her back into the tree lines and still in the general path towards camp.

Not wasting another second to watch the one-sided battle that was a foolish, hard-headed tom and the unbeatable strategist of Forestclan- Berrypaw ran.

So much for warrior pride. There was such a thing as overconfidence though, and there would be no point in fighting a battle that was already lost.

The blue-furred she-cat barely made it back into the forest when things took a turn, and if she had been looking at just how quickly everything went downhill, she would've laughed at how ridiculously unfair this challenge was.

The moment Bramblepaw ran straight for her, Leafstar had already won. With a triumphant smile, the leader met him half-way; the only tom amongst her apprentices had always been the slowest, after all. It seemed as though he had been trying to just barrel straight into her with his shoulder, a head-long charge that most tom's his stature did. It was sloppy, really. With a graceful leap, the Grand Royal was upon his head and shoulders, using the momentum of gravity, the momentum of his charge, and her own strength to shove him face-first into the ground. It took both paws behind his head to instill the force she wanted, but that was fine. This would make him immobile for the few seconds she needed to catch the two runaways.

Bounding off of him like a platform, Leafstar sprinted towards Cherrypaw first- out of the two, she would be faster than Berrypaw because of the blue-furred she-cat's scar. If she had gone after the other first, Leafstar probably wouldn't have been able to catch her kin. Either way, Leafstar's lengthy strides brought her directly to Cherrypaw. The black and grey she-cat hadn't been expecting her, evidently, because as soon as Leafstar popped up at her side, the apprentice slowed down in surprise. Her critical mistake. Slowing down as she had put her directly into the path of the nearest tree, and taking a page out of Bramblepaw's methods, sped up her charge shoulder-first. Cherrypaw tried moving out of the way, but she simply wasn't fast enough to get her sprint started again. Being tackled straight into the tree, with her left side taking most of the impact, was an unpleasant experience. All the wind was knocked out of her in an instant.

Leafstar quickly grabbed hold of her scruff, dragging her backward with an occasional hop as well. It was almost with enough force to rip the skin straight off of Cherrypaw's scruff, but it withstood the muscle strength exuded by Leafstar. Once close to the center again, the leader tossed Cherrypaw aside, spinning along with her, and not staying by to watch the black and grey apprentice land on top of a slowly recovering Bramblepaw. She had one more to catch after all.

Keeping constant movement, Leafstar took off again. From her calculation, Berrypaw should have just entered the forest, just barely out of sight. And with her scar forcing her to limp, it slowed her down enough for Leafstar to catch up. Bursting from the undergrowth, the blue-furred she-cat let out a startled yelp when she was suddenly rolling in someone's grasp- not as powerful as Bramblepaw's had been, but with practiced strength on areas that she could grip the most. The two rolled into a small heap before Berrypaw was suddenly kicked away… the trajectory taking her directly into a tree. Her back collided with it, yet her leader wasn't finished. Leafstar jumped to her, holding her up against the tree with her own body for a heartbeat before suddenly twisting, throwing her straight down to the ground below and then landing on top of her.

Berrypaw was breathless and dizzy and all she could feel was herself being pulled away, suddenly back in the treeless meadow she had just escaped from. Leafstar dropped her off with the other two, making them into one big pile of limbs and fur, before backing away. Satisfied with herself, the leader sat lightly on her haunches a couple of tail-lengths away from them, giving them a few seconds to catch their breath.

Berrypaw groaned while her body ached, Cherrypaw struggled for breath, and Bramblepaw was rubbing his muzzle with a pained grunt. The tom, at the bottom of the pile, moved into a more comfortable position, the two she-cats sliding off his back and laying limply on either side of him. With shaky paws, Bramblepaw slowly raised himself up, just enough to send a glare to a slightly smiling Leafstar.

Berrypaw wanted to pretend to be unconscious; that certainly would be the easiest option here. There was no possible way for them to leave this by running away- Leafstar made that much clear- and there was no possible way for them to beat her unless they worked together.

And knowing their track record… Working together was out of the question. They would spend more of their time arguing with each other than actually fighting together.

"Good effort," Leafstar spoke after allowing enough time for the gravity of the situation to settle into their minds. Her eyes narrowed as her voice took on a lecturing tone. "But not enough… I already told you, I will not allow you to leave here until I am satisfied with the results."

The leader stood up again, beginning to walk in a circle around them. Berrypaw tried keeping her within sight, but she simply closed her eyes instead and tested how deep of a breath she could take without antagonizing her scar any more. She was right near her limits for the day- even her failed escape just now was a difficult task to do. It hurt to move, and before long, it would start hurting to breathe. They needed to finish this quickly.

"Unfortunately, retreat is not an option for you," Leafstar continued speaking as she walked circles around them. Bramblepaw was rising from his spot, sitting up and blinking away any dizziness that flashed across his vision. Cherrypaw was also trying to find her balance on the ground, remaining crouched while Berrypaw remained flat on her back. "Your only choice left is to fight me."

"So, fight me like you mean it," Leafstar stopped in front of them once more, her lips pulling back to show her fangs in a display of intimidation Berrypaw had never seen from her. It took a lot to get her leader angry, even more for her to actually show it with snarls and bared teeth. Surely, she wasn't that angry now, maybe, but she was good at playing the part. It was an act of intimidation that worked; Bramblepaw's glare withered as his chin tucked itself into his chest, Cherrypaw's icy blue gaze shifted to the ground, and Berrypaw- who was also trying to stand up now- felt every muscle in her body freeze at the sight.

"For tonight, I am your greatest enemy," light green eyes burned with alarming resolution. "Treat me as such. Restrain me, pin me down, beat me… Stars, I'll even allow a bit of leeway and let you leave if you manage to impress me enough. But that won't be possible if you run away now, so stay and fight. One day… That may be the only option you have left. Tonight… it is. If you fail to comply, none of you will pass. I'll see to it myself. So, stand your ground, get up… and fight!"

Were Berrypaw a lesser cat, she probably would start crying because of the dangerous task presented to her. A task she had no choice but tackling, despite how difficult it was. Sure, she felt like she wanted to cry, but she held in the tears as she slowly raised herself to stand by Bramblepaw's side.

The tom appeared less ludicrously angry than before, now his eyes were clear of delusional shadows and burned with a deluge of determination. His dream of beating Leafstar was greater than his wish to fight Berrypaw. Greater than his hope of becoming the Grand Royal. Beating the unbeatable was not only the greatest test of strength, but it was also an evaluation of how worthy he was. Dangerous or not, threat or no threat, Bramblepaw was determined to fight the leader.

Cherrypaw… Cherrypaw looked like she wanted to do this even less than Berrypaw did, but she found purpose in her task. Fighting Leafstar… It was the greatest challenge anybody had to face. Not many would come across it in their time, and many were too scared to actually take it when offered to them. But Cherrypaw… She had more than a lot to prove; to herself, to the leader, to the rest of her clan. So, even though she knew the possibility of winning was a small one, the black and grey she-cat, too, finally stood up.

Forestclan's Grand Royal apprentices stood side-by-side, facing down their greatest threat. At long last, together once more. If Berrypaw wasn't so focused, she might have allowed herself to revel in nostalgia at standing by their sides.

The Grand Royal of Forestclan stared at all three of them in return, head raised high and mouth a firm line.

It didn't feel like just a simple trial to any of them; each of them had something to prove and something to gain.

Each of them also had something to lose.

The question was; which side would fight the hardest?

The world quivered in anticipation, the air thick with tension that crackled when Leafstar shouted;

"Begin!"

A/N: Wow that was… A long chapter XD. I was going to end it right when Leafstar appeared but thought, nah! A snippet of a fight was better than nothing, and now we have an even better cliffhanger :). This trial was very fun to write, probably the best one so far in my personal opinion. Anywho, fingers crossed for our Forestclan apprentices, and also, a new challenger has approached Blazeclan? (Also Flarepaw might be having an identity crisis with her new info.) Fun times everybody, fun times!

Now, let me go in a corner and cry over failing my midterm :).

Question of the Day

Which of the three trials that we've seen do you think is the hardest?

Blazeclan's "Champion of the Arena"... Stormclan's "Faith in the Frost"... Or Forestclan's "Midnight Raid."

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Thank you and peace out!

~Wolfcreations20