Here's my challenge guys! I hope you enjoy it, I made up new characters for it. It was a wild ride to write, I'll tell you that.

- Mossy

Blood pooled in the water, splashing upon the shore with the waves. Mintpool let out a sob. "It didn't have to be this way," she whispered, "You forced my hand." The corpse at her feet did not respond.

"Why?" she continued, "Why did you insist on going through with your plan?" The corpse just stared up at her with lifeless eyes. "I could have loved you," Mintpool laughed bitterly, "I did love you." Mintpool looked at her bloody claws and cried.

She let out a pained scream and drew the corpse closer to her as tears streamed down her face. "Why?" she whispered again, "Whywhywhywhy?"

"Elmheart," she sobbed into the corpse's thick, golden fur, "Elmheart, please…"

But Elmheart wasn't coming back because Mintpool had slit her throat. She lay in the water of the lake while her lifeblood spilled out. The setting sun reflected in the water, making the whole lake turn red, the color of Mintpool's paws.

Mintkit threw a snowball at Elmkit, hitting the other kit in the side. "Oof!" Elmkit grunted as she fell backwards into the snow. "Hey!" the fluffy, golden kit exclaimed, "What was that for?"

"Snowball fight!" was all Mintkit yelled in explanation. She had seen some apprentices doing the same thing and had thought that it looked fun. Elmkit huffed and chucked a snowball at Mintkit's head. Mintkit's eyes widened in surprise right before the snowball collided with her face. She glared at Elmkit and smirked, making the biggest snowball she possibly could with her paws. Elmkit's large, green eyes swelled to the size of saucers and Mintkit took a second to admire them before throwing the snowball.

The once bright green eyes now stared at Mintpool with a cloudy blankness. They had always had a clever light that Mintpool had loved, but she had extinguished that light. Mintpool let out a choked sob.

Mintpaw stared at Elmpaw from across the battlefield. "Be careful," she mouthed to her friend. She unsheathed her claws and swung at the enemy in front of her, a large brute of a warrior. She dodged a powerful swipe and stumbled backwards. Elmpaw flew across the battle to her, all golden grace. She leapt at Mintpaw's attacker, claws out. "You won't hurt a hair on Mintpaw's pelt!" she roared, slashing at the large warrior with her claws. Her green eyes were filled with a livid energy that sent chills down Mintpaw's spine. "I love you," she whispered to herself, watching as Elmpaw expertly exchanged a flurry of blows with her adversary. She couldn't help but smile and fall as the battle raged on around them.

Elmpaw shot Mintpaw a cocky smile and Mintpaw felt her heart skip a beat.

Elmheart's mouth was frozen in pained betrayal. Mintpool looked at her and she recalled the sharp cry that had rang out as Mintpool had dug her claws in her throat. Elmheart had looked at her, confusion and shock tinging the light that had rapidly faded from her eyes. She had let out a choked gurgle that resembled Mintpool's name, the last sound to ever escape her lips.

"You think he's right?" Mintpool gasped, "Elmheart, we can't kill the leader!"

"What did that old fool ever do for us?" Elmheart spat, "All he does is lead us into pointless battles!" She looked at Mintpool with tears in her eyes, "My brother lost his life in the last battle, him and countless others who should still be here."

"I know you miss Duskstorm," Mintpool whispered, "But I can't stand aside while you plot a coup."

"You don't have to be loyal to him, he hasn't done anything to earn your trust! Spiderleaf will be a better leader and he knows it," Elmheart placed one paw on Mintpool's shoulder, "Please… choose this, choose me."

Mintpool gazed into Elmheart's eyes and in that moment her honor almost cracked under the weight of her love for her friend. She wanted to pick Elmheart so badly, but her head won the battle against her heart. "I can't," she whispered, "I'm sorry Elmheart, this isn't right."

"Then you're a fool," Elmheart snapped, tears running down her face. Mintpool turn to walk towards the leader's den. She looked at Twigstar but couldn't bring herself to rat out Elmheart and the other rebels. She doubted they would act, and prayed they did not.

"If only you had been more loyal," Mintpool choked, burying her face in Elmheart's fur. Sobs racked her small frame, "If only I had been less loyal…"

Mintpool awoke to a battle raging within the camp. Screeches and snarls filled the air. An older warrior, Antfur, looked at her and said, "Mintpool, thank Starclan, a band of young warriors under Spiderleaf's leadership attacked in the night. They are trying to kill Twigstar!"

Mintpool nodded and flung herself into battle, searching for Elmheart. She was Spiderleaf's right hand, she could call off this madness. "We have to kill the leaders of this rebellion!" Twigstar yowled, "Cut the head off the snake!"

Mintpool wouldn't kill Elmheart, she could be reasoned with. She was Elmheart run out of camp and chased after her.

"You wouldn't listen to reason," Mintpool whispered to the dead Elmheart, "I had to do this." She had done the right thing in saving her leader, she had swore to abide by the code when she was made a warrior.

"I had too," she repeated to herself, not believing it. The water lapping against the shore almost seems to agree with her, whispering, "Nononono…" as it hit the rocks.