Emberblaze, though not wanting to offend Dappledleaf, curled up next to Rainshine, feeling a large amount of pity for her. Though he was hopeless at socializing with most cats and came across often as loud and annoying, this cat didn't ignore him.

He had always been a little forgotten since it had always been Dappledleaf and Feathersong, but since Feathersong had become a traitor, he was always bossed around by his other sister. Was that how Feathersong always felt?

He didn't want to worry about that, especially when Rainshine needed him. At least he hoped that she needed him. He didn't sleep through, waking often and just resting. Though he was much more energetic than his sisters, he felt obliged to stay, and he kind of liked the company. He had always, not disliked, not been too pleased about her existence and thought of her as a little irritating. Like how cats thought of him. He winced, realizing that he often ignored a cat who acted exactly like him.

Listening to Rainshine's soft snores, he gradually fell back asleep

"Feathersong!" Dappledleaf's mew cracked as there was still no answer. The sun was rising steadily and still, Feathersong hadn't returned. Her worst fears had been confirmed when she noticed a bit of blood beside a rock not too far out of the territory. Feathersong's scent was still fresh, mixed with blood and other cats.

Morning ran along the moor, and dew crested every blade of grass. Emberblaze was asleep, and Rainshine was awake and noticed the little dove. she ate the bird graciously, then her focus turned to the tom that laid around her. Emberblaze wasn't too social, because Rainshine would have known who he was if so. She felt the warmth through her soul and body, and soon she didn't feel cold and lonely anymore. Emberblaze brought a small bit of peace to Rainshine's untamed soul. Love had been something she gave out frequently, but finally, she realized how it's worth fighting for. Instead of giving in to a greater power, she was stopped and comforted by the presence of a fellow warrior.

"How could I ever thank you enough"Rainshine whispered softly and kindly, for one in her life...

Emberblaze peaked through his eyelids and saw the she-cat looking up at him. He looked down at her and saw a peaceful she-cat with glowing fur against the moors rising sun. How had they both never notice each other? Only starclan knows, but now a lesson was learned, a heart was healed, and a good deed was done. The two cats padded back to the camp shoulder to shoulder, and Rainshines tail laying on Emberblaze back.

A loud purr arose in Rainshine's throat,

Emberblaze noticed Dappledleaf sitting a little way off from the medicine cat den, looking miserable and regretful. There was a small cut on her cheek, crusted with blood. Emberblaze briefly wondered how she'd got it but his attention soon turned to Rainshine.

"It was..nice last night." He meowed, briefly hesitating as he wasn't sure how to explain it. He couldn't say that he enjoyed seeing a cat break down but he didn't mind. It was nice and he would gladly do it all over again. Rainshine was a nice cat and she deserved it.

Rainshine purred quietly, "Thank you again. For just being there with me."

"Thank you for letting me." Emberblaze grinned slightly. He was a sucker for making bad jokes when he felt awkward. Rainshine didn't seem to mind.

"Why did you help me anyway? We don't know each other." Rainshine asked after a moment.

"I don't know really. Maybe I'm just too nice to leave you crying. No cat deserves to cry alone."

Rainshine smiled a little.

Now was a perfect time. Emberblaze, a little nervously, asked: "Want to go for a hunt with me?"

Emberblaze was more in his shell when Dappledleaf was around. He was never normally shy nor was he quiet, yet there was always something about Dappledleaf. He knew that he had always been a third wheel, he knew that Dappledleaf was only with him because there was nobody else, he knew that they had only a small relationship yet still he tagged around with her everywhere and tried to join in with her and Feathersong. Now it was the other way round with Dappledleaf the odd one out.

He had opened his jaws to say a curt 'no' but Rainshine responded kindly. He looked at her in surprise and a little, not disappointment, something that couldn't be described.

Rainshine felt calmer than ever, and the camp she was in soon felt like home. Standing in front of her was Emberblaze, he was the nicest tom she knew living among the clan. She was listening to the tom, and her energy level wasn't off the charts anymore... it was normal.

"Yes, of course, I'll go hunting with you" She smiled over at Emberblaze, who looked relieved. Dappleleaf saw the two cats and was confused by the calm nature Rainshine was showing...

"Hey, may I join?" Dappleleaf asked, overhearing their conversation. Rainshine looked and Emberblaze who glinted embarrassment in his eye, as he ducked his head down. Rainshine quickly noticed his posture change, making him look smaller. To comfort the tom she ran her tail under his chin. His head was up, then Rainshine replied.

"yeah sure, you can join?" Rainshine told the other she-cat, the cats trailed out of camp and off to hunt.

Rainshine chatted a little but she was also a little reserved around Dappledleaf. The calico she-cat was rather surprised since Rainshine was known for her hyper and chatty personality.

Emberblaze found himself lagging as Dappledleaf and Rainshine talked a little. His tail twitched; again, he was the third wheel.

"Can you smell that bird?" Emberblaze interrupted them a little more snappish than he meant to be.

Rainshine looked at him in surprise and mouthed, 'You alright?'. Emberblaze chose to act like he hadn't seen. Truthfully, he was jealous.

He wasn't friendly like Dappledleaf, nor was he kind like Feathersong. He shook his head a little, trying to forget about that traitorous she-cat. He tried to act like Dappledleaf and resent her, yet he missed his sister so much. It didn't feel right without their little silver shadow following them everywhere.

Emberblaze leapt for the bird but missed, too deep in thought to concentrate on hunting. He let Dappledleaf and Rainshine hunt, though they both looked at him in surprise. He regretted asking. It had all been ruined by Dappledleaf. And it was all Rainshine's fault.

Grumpily, he stomped on behind them, wishing he hadn't come.

Rainshine noticed the tom was upset, but she ignored it for the first bit of the hunt. Rainshine whisked her head around at Emberblaze who was sulking. She playfully nudged the tom, he looked up at her glaring. Rainshine asked Dappledleaf to excuse them, the she-cat looked hesitant but went after a small mole anyway.

"Emberblaze, you could join us whenever you like" The calico she-cats mewed silkily to the tom, he looked a little surprised.

"No, I can't"

"Yes, you can. you have a right for some sort of interaction" Rainshine told the tom as she rubbed her head on the toms chin. A purr rose from the tom's throat. yet he stayed silent

"I'm here for you, you asked me on the hunt, and I wanted to meet your sister. I didn't know about your relationship" The She-cat continued, purring. Although Emberblaze was calm by the she-cat Dappledleafs present made the tom slightly nervous.

"Thank you Rainshine" Emberblaze thanked while Rainshine leaned on him lovingly.

"Wanna head back now and go again maybe later?" The she-cat asked looking up at Emberblaze with optimistic eyes.

"Yeah, I'd like that very much" Emberblaze sighed in relief. Rainshine told Dappledleaf they were heading back, and the she-cat nodded, then followed the two back to camp. Dappled leaf could only hear snippets of the two cats conversation, Dappledleaf was lagging so bad.

"I was going to say let's ditch her, but she seems mentally unstable without Feathersong" Rainshine explained to Emberblaze, who looked down at her kindly.

"You did the right thing" Emberblaze admitted, Rainshine smiled at him. Emberblaze's speech was improving, and Rainshine introduced him to her friends in the clan. She noticed his shaky voice was becoming smooth. Love pulsed in every ounce of Rainshine, for the tom and her contentment in the clan.

Emberblaze knew that Rainshine had some sort of feeling for him. He could hear it in her voice, the way she sometimes leaned on him. Emberblaze was new to love and didn't know what to think. He liked Rainshine but struggled to feel anything. He didn't want to friendzone her, though he didn't see her as a mate. It was getting to dusk already and they were chatting in their den. Rainshine had moved her nest beside him and they talked quietly, as a couple of cats were already getting ready to sleep.

"How are you," Emberblaze asked, slightly cautious. Feathersong always acted, well, different when he had ever asked. He thought of it as a harmless question but instead of answering with a 'yes', she had always avoided it or just walked off. Once she nearly burst into tears. Emberblaze had never understood Feathersong and felt even more confused with her disappearance.

"Better, thanks to you." Rainshine responded with a soft purr, "You?"

"Pretty good." He answered honestly.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's up with you and Dappledleaf?"

"She..well.." Emberblaze struggled to phrase it.

"You don't have to tell me," Rainshine meowed quickly.

"No, I just don't know how to describe it. She's always just been..different." Emberblaze thought a little. "She just kind of bosses me around a little or..attacks me."

"Attacks you? You don't look hurt." Rainshine looked extremely shocked.

"Not that kind of attack. She'd say something about how she hates me or how it was my fault that Feathersong ran away. She always apologizes but there's something that isn't right about her. Ever since Feathersong ran away. I'm..worried about her."

Rainshine listened, "Wow."

"Yeah. Sorry about telling you all that." Emberblaze meowed rather awkwardly.

"Don't be. After all, I also told you things." Rainshine purred and Emberblaze grinned.

"True."

Then it all happened out of the blue. "Emberblaze. I like you."

To his surprise, Emberblaze responded with an, "I like you too." Wait, I wasn't meant to-

And just like that, their noses touched.

Emberblaze replied with a ... "I like you to" almost immediately, in reaction to Rainshine. She knew the tom was new to almost every social activity, but he had gotten her through so much. She thanks the tom for it whenever there's silence, if he wasn't there as soon as he was Rainshine might not have returned to the clans... alive. Emberblaze was a nice tom though shy, they had been brought closer together, and in those few moments when the cats were touching noses, Rainshine came to the realization maybe she was going to fast. She truly hopes she didn't, but relief swept over her when he returned with... "I like you to".

She liked this tom, and hopefully, he knew that too.

His past is unfortunate, but maybe now things could turn around for him. The she-cat thought wistfully as she looked into his scarred from the past, ghostly eyes

Emberblaze had no idea that he had pretty much saved Rainshine's life that night a few days ago, but even if he knew then everything would continue as normal. Unlike his sisters, Emberblaze always forgave and preferred to think of the present and forget pasts and backstories. They had curled up together, ready to sleep, but both struggled to drift off. Emberblaze was too busy thinking and had no intention of asking why Rainshine wasn't.

The one thing that he struggled to forget was Feathersong. Everything else, he got over, yet every time he closed his eyes, he remembered his troubled sister sitting alone. Drowning in all of her thoughts. He no longer thought of her as a traitor and regretted how he had copied Dappledleaf with her dislike to her. He wondered if Dappledleaf also regretted it.

His other sister hadn't been right lately. Rainshine said that Dappledleaf was 'mentally unstable' yet he didn't see it like that. How could she be missing her sister when it was her fault that Feathersong left. Sighing softly to himself, he wondered how his life had become such a mess. He had always been energetic and chirpy yet Dappledleaf had, not manipulated, just put him back in his shell. Hurt him mentally, caused scars that nobody else saw. It was only earlier when he realized. Having thought it pretty normal, he was rather confused to find out that he had been her punching bag. The thing to beat up when she needed to. Emberblaze couldn't stand it anymore. He sat up, looking at the sleeping frame of Dappledleaf. Feeling..emotionless. No hatred, no pity. He saw her jump and cry out in her sleep, obviously having a nightmare.

Rainshine raised her head, "You sure that you're fine?"

"I just need to take a walk. Clear my head." "Can I come as well? I can't sleep."

Emberblaze nodded and the two of them walked together, Emberblaze admiring the moon as it stood out from the many stars that made up Silverpelt.

They sat together, not many words passing between them, just watching and thinking. Emberblaze assumed that Rainshine was doing the same and he longed to ask her what she was thinking about. Though remembering how Feathersong always acted, he kept silent.

Silvermist growled, she wanted to go out and hunt but the medicine cat told her that she wasn't "fit" enough to be out in the open.

"Your too skinny," Feathereyes had told her.

"I've always been skinny! Lean, Mean, Hunting Machine!" Silvermist had argued back.

Feathereyes had just shaken her head and made had Wolfshade stay in the den to keep watch. So now Silvermist was trapped with the medicine cat, herbs, and Wolfshade.

Feathersong lagged, limping a little as her leg still felt sore. Thoughts whirled around her head and she just felt so tired. All she wanted to do was just fall asleep right there, yet she tagged along, shooting one last glance behind. Here was perfect, though now everyone might be starting to worry about her since she had been gone for a while. Feathersong felt bad since she had run off too abruptly. She had to though, she had to leave her memories behind her. She blinked away the tears, blaming them for exhaustion.

She regretted leaving Silvermist since she had been so kind, though Feathersong expected her to tell. Now tears fell silently though thankfully nobody noticed, or if they did they left her be.

That was all in the past, all of the tears and drama. She was SkyClan, or NightClan as it seemed to be called. She was no longer WindClan

The three cats reached camp Nightstar shot the two cats a glare of approval. Azure looked back at Feathersong, then they both hurried off to the medicine cats den... six apprentices occupied the den. Feathersong was overwhelmed by eager apprentices. Azure shooed them out of the den so she could take a closer look at her leg. Not much later Nightstar asked the question he had to ask.

"Are you joining this clan?" The silver tom asked roughly and calmly.

Feathersong was taken aback. "You...That was quick!" She commented, desperately trying to ward off the question.

Nightstar narrowed his eyes a little. "Yes or no? A simple kit could answer this."

"A simple kit hadn't run from their family." Feathersong retorted, masking how she felt.

Nightstar twitched his tail, getting annoyed. Why couldn't she just answer? "Soooo..?"

"Y..yes," Feathersong mumbled.

Azure poked her head in, "You aren't rushing her are you, Nightstar?"

"No, not at all." He responded. "Anyway, repeat what you just said, Feathersong."

"I'm joining.." She meowed, staring at the ground. She just wanted to be alone, to think about it yet she couldn't. She had to stay because she had no other home.

Though as Nightstar left, she began to slightly regret her choice. She didn't know anyone here and what if they didn't like her?

Had she made a mistake?

Nightstream announced Feathersong's arrival and her new position in the clan. Taloncall was startled by the announcing of her name, he quickly ran to the medicine cats den for some answers. Feathersong was chatting with the medicine cat, Azure. Feathersong saw the "deputies" presence, and she was startled.

"Why are you here, and I'm not going home" Featersong mewed with a slight tone of stubbornness to her voice.

"I'm not either, and I'm here because Silvermist should be the deputy, not me, Why are you here?" The brown tom asked... Feathersong was unsure, at first, but ignored the question.

"No one knows you left!" Feathersong mewed calmly. Taloncall froze, of course, no one noticed. His only job is to send out patrols, but even that the clan does that on their own. He waited a bit before asking again.

"Why are you here?" Taloncall repeated.

Feathersong cursed silently. Why was Taloncall here? She had left to escape the clans but nope! Of course, there must be another nosey cat interested in her business. It wasn't like she was interested or anything, so why did she keep getting asked that over in SunClan and nowhere. If StarClan still helped them, they must love making her life as miserable as possible.

Taloncall was still waiting for an answer, Feathersong noticed. He looked patient enough but his tail twitched, showing his impatience.

"It's a long story.." Feathersong tried to make him change his mind but Taloncall wasn't having it.

"I can wait."

Praying that the outcome wouldn't be as awkward as the last time she had told, Feathersong told him quickly, looking away so she couldn't see his expression to it.

"My mother lived around here a long time ago and I.." She trailed off. She forced the tears away before continuing, her voice shaking a little, "I killed her. So being there, it felt as if she was always watching me there and it just didn't feel right. So I left."

Taloncall seemed rather calm, despite what she had told him, "And how did you kill her?"

"We were walking in a storm and a tree fell on her." Feathersong tried to act casual but her mew broke and there were tears in her eyes, though she tried to blink them away.

"That only sounds like half the story." Taloncall meowed.

"It's none of your business!" Feathersong cried quickly, "Why can't you WindClan cats just leave me alone!?" With that, she stormed out, ignoring the shocked calls from Azure. Why couldn't she just act like it was a bad dream? Why did every single cat want to bring it up?

She sat at the edge of the camp, hoping to be left alone for once.

Taloncall was stunned for a while. He only wanted to know about Silvermist. He also wanted to comfort Feathersong, since it wasn't her fault a tree decided to fall on her mother, yet the she-cat was still blaming herself for starclans mistake.

Azure glared at Taloncall before rushing after Feathersong, hoping that she hadn't runoff. To her relief, the silver tabby was sitting in the edge, crying softly. When she noticed Azure, she narrowed her eyes.

"If you are going to ask me what happened then just go away." She growled, Azure stepped back, stunned since this wasn't the same cat she knew.

"I don't care why you are here, I just want you to be happy." Azure came and sat by Feathersong, the other she-cat not bothering to push her away. Taloncall came out, looking rather confused and surprised. Feathersong looked away, relieved when he just left.

She wanted to tell Azure everything, yet she couldn't. She knew how Azure would act and so she kept her jaws sealed, ignoring Azure's kind words.

She didn't deserve to be comforted. No murderers were treated kindly and Feathersong didn't deserve it.

"Could I just be left alone?" Feathersong tried to keep hostility out of her voice but there was a small barb in her meow.

Azure looked rather hurt, "Oh, if you want." She headed back into the medicine cat den and Feathersong watched, glad to finally have some peace. Since she had told Dappledleaf, things had gotten worse. Now she would hopefully be able to put the past behind her and focus on the present.

That's what she had always said, but every little thing reminded her of her mother. Every storm, every fallen tree brought back memories.

How could she move forward if she couldn't get over the past?