Shimmerheart padded at the back of her patrol, which was being led by Ruskclaw. Seedwhisker and Eagleclaw padded directly in front of her. Leaf-bare had come in full-force now, and the whole Clan was doing their best to stay warm while also providing enough fresh-kill that the Clan desperately needed. Prey was scarce, but they were doing alright so far.

Meanwhile, Thistlepaw had fully integrated back into the Clan. He didn't need to be guarded constantly anymore, but he was still a little more irritable but he seemed to slowly be getting back to the old Thistlepaw that they all knew. Fernpaw still wasn't happy with sharing her den with him but she didn't complain too much anymore.

Suddenly Ruskclaw stopped, pricking his ears. "What is it?" Seedwhisker asked.

"Listen," Ruskclaw whispered. Shimmerheart, Seedwhisker and Eagleclaw pricked their ears. They began to hear faint sounds of growls coming from the border.

"The dawn patrol talked about remarking that border," Eagleclaw recalled.

"We need to go help," Seedwhisker mewed, her eyes widened in worry and fear.

"Come on!" Ruskclaw led the way, racing through the trees. Shimmerheart suppressed the fear that threatened to rise within her. Nightcloud and Specklewish had been on the dawn patrol. Please StarClan let them be alright!

The patrol finally spotted their Clanmates fighting with several rogues. Shimmerheart's eyes widened as she felt the chill in the force. "They're Sith!" she hissed. She counted about six rouges. Nightcloud, Specklewish, and Bluestripe each wrestled with two rogues who seemed desperate to kill them.

"But they don't smell like DarkClan," Eagleclaw added, her eyes narrowed in thought. "Where did they come from then?"

"We'll figure that out later. Right now we've got work to do!" Ruskclaw leaped forward, running to Specklewish's side. Seedwhisker went to help Bluestripe while Eagleclaw raced to Nightcloud's side. Shimmerheart was about to jump in and help when the Force screamed at her. She looked just past the patrol, noticing another shape moving through the bushes. Her eyes widened when she spotted another rogue, a muscular gray tom sneaking up on them, his red eyes fixed on Nightcloud. Nightcloud was completely oblivious to the danger in the bushes nearby.

"Nightcloud! Watch out!" Shimmerheart called as she ran to intercept the rogue but it was too late. The gray tom leaped out of the undergrowth, landing directly on top of Nightcloud's back. The gray tabby tom was stunned for a brief moment but that was all the rogue needed to slam his opponent's head into the ground. Shimmerheart tackled the rogue off her father, swiping her claws along the side of her head before jumping back before he could turn to pin her down. She crouched in front of him, defensively. "I'm giving you the chance. Surrender," she warned.

The tom let out a low chuckle. "As if you could defeat me." He lunged forward but Shimmerheart quickly reared up on her hind paws and pushed out her front paws. The tom was suddenly pushed back by her force push.

Shimmerheart dropped back down into the same exact crouch as before. "You were saying?"

This only made the tom smirk, interest sparking in his eyes. "Ah, a young Jedi I see. You might actually pose a challenge. This should be fun!"

Fun? This is fun to him? Even DarkClan Sith don't talk like that. Who are these cats? Shimmerheart didn't have time to think more before the tom was barreling into her. Shimmerheart stood her ground, digging her claws into the ground as she slammed her shoulders into his side. This hardly seemed to affect the rogue as he reached towards her neck, his long sharp claws unsheathed. Shimmerheart quickly ducked under the blow before quickly grabbing onto his paw with her jaws. The tom let out a yowl of pain as he shoved her off. He shot her a glare before lunging again. Shimmerheart dodged to the side before turning and tackling the tom from the side, raking her claws down his side. He quickly whirled on her, taking Shimmerheart by surprise as he shoved her to the ground. He didn't waste any time and pinned her down.

"Say goodbye, little Jedi," he sneered, preparing to lung forward and sink his teeth into Shimmerheart's neck. Shimmerheart called on the Force as she pushed up with her paws, managing to knock the rogue off her. Shimmerheart quickly got to her paws as the tom turned back to face her again, rage showing in his eyes. "Annoying little Jedi! I'll kill you!" He lunged forward, clearly not intending to back down no matter what. Shimmerheart reacted quickly, running forward to meet him. She ignored the claws sinking into her pelt as she quickly sunk her teeth into the rogue's neck. The tom froze for a moment before flailing around frantically, but Shimmerheart backed away. She watched as the tom crumbled to the ground, the light fading from his eyes. Shimmerheart took a breath. She hadn't wanted to take his life, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't a little shaken by doing this. She allowed the Force to sooth her, calming her conflicting emotions. Those can wait. My Clanmates need me.

"No!" Shimmerheart whirled around at the yowl, seeing a sandy colored tom gazing at the dead gray tom with grief in his eyes. His grief quickly turned to rage as they turned on Shimmerheart. Shimmerheart tensed up as she recognized those red eyes. "You killed my son!"

Shimmerheart bowed her head. "I didn't want to kill him, but he was threatening me and my Clan. I had no choice. Please don't make the same mistake."

The sandy tom dug his claws into the ground and, for a second, Shimmerheart thought he was going to attack, but then he called a retreat and ran off into the trees. The other rogues followed him quickly, spitting insults at the Clan cats as they went.

Shimmerheart watched the border for a moment, taking a moment to collect herself. Thank StarClan that's over. I was starting to think they wouldn't leave.

"Nightcloud!" Shimmerheart's eyes widened as she whirled around. She saw Specklewish crouched beside Nightcloud's motionless body, burying her face into Nightcloud's side. Shimmerheart's eyes widened as she rushed to her mother's side. He can't be gone!

Seedwhisker quickly was at Specklewish's side, trying her best to comfort the grieving she-cat. Eagleclaw watched with sad eyes. Shimmerheart took a few paw-steps back. She shut her eyes, doing her best to calm the waves of grief that were threatening to overwhelm her. I need to push past this. But my father is...

A tail rested on Shimmerheart's shoulder, and she opened her eyes, surprised to find Ruskclaw at her side. "He died an honorable death defending his Clan. We will honor his life."

Shimmerheart took a deep breath, finding a little comfort in his words. She managed to control her grief, nodding. The two patrols quickly regrouped and headed back to camp, Ruskclaw carrying Nightcloud's body on his back with Specklewish close by his side. Eagleclaw steadied Nightcloud from Ruskclaw's other side. The rest of the cats brought up the rear of the group, keeping watch for any threats.

When they reached camp, they laid Nightcloud in the center of camp and Ruskclaw and Bluestripe explained what had happened while Specklewish laid beside her dead mate's side. The Clan gathered around, grief for Nightcloud building around the camp.

Shimmerheart stood watching, unsure of what she should be doing. She wanted to go lay beside her father's side along with her mother, but she hung back, letting her Clanmates go up first. I'm so sorry, Nightcloud. I wish I could've protected you.

Ravenstripe and Rippleheart appeared at her side. "Are you ok?" Ravenstripe asked.

"I'll be fine, Ravenstripe," Shimmerheart assured him, though she wasn't sure herself.

Ravenstripe seemed to understand and looked back at Specklewish, who hadn't moved from where she laid. "I feel bad for her. She just found out she was expecting kits again. Now they'll never get to meet their father."

Shimmerheart blinked with surprise. "Specklewish is expecting kits?"

Ravenstripe nodded. "They were going to tell you, but they never got the chance."

Rippleheart rested his tail on Shimmerheart's side. "Go to her, Shimmerheart. She needs you." He paused before adding, "Go grieve for your father."

Shimmerheart was surprised to feel how much Rippleheart understood how hard it was for her to let go of her attachments. He's considered to be such a great Jedi, so great that he's deputy. But he's not upset that I have attachments.

"Specklewish needs you, and so will her kits," Rippleheart continued before padding away. Shimmerheart watched him for a moment before padding over to her mother's side. She laid down, their fur brushing. Specklewish glanced at her in surprise before giving her a sad smile. Shimmerheart nodded back and touched her nose to Nightcloud's pelt.

"Goodbye Nightcloud. I'll never forget you," she vowed as she settled in to keep vigil for the rest of the night.

So some characters are going to branch off slightly from how they act in the game, but I'm liking how this story is going so far. I hope you all enoyed this chapter! Be on the lookout for the next one 3