TaigaClan challenge!

"WindClan! Attack!" The earsplitting yowl of the WindClan leader rang through the warrior's ears as she and her Clanmates went to invade the forest. The warrior dashed across the moor, her heart pounding against her chest.

"Ledgesnow! Let's go take on some mouse-hearts!" The call of the voice made the warrior light up with joy.

"Alright, Brownfoot!" Ledgesnow yowled behind her. A brown tom caught up to her, panting but seeming to want to press on.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go! ThunderClan needs some payback!" he ordered to the white she-cat. They both ran towards the forest, their paws pounding against the grass. The blood was pounding in the she-cat's ears as she was nearing the destination. Reaching the forest border, ruffled cats were standing guard. Ledgesnow noticed how they didn't seem battered yet. Ah, Sagestar is waiting for us to be the distraction. Clever.

The tom next to her crouched, flicking his tail for the she-cat next to him do the same. They both leaped forward after some time, catching the two cats off guard. The cat that Ledgesnow pounced on stared at her, his amber eyes wide with both fear and anger. He easily shoved the snowy-furred she-cat off of him, dazing her. Running towards the WindClanner, he gripped his claws onto her flank, making her let out a shriek of pain.

Ledgesnow whipped around, glaring at the cream tom. Hackles raised, she bunched her hind legs together and unsheathed her claws, gripping them on the grassy terrain beneath her. Just as she was about to launch herself, cats soon exploded from WindClan's side of the border, but so did ThunderClan's side. Cats around her were soon screeching as they were attacking their opponent, yowling in pain, triumph or a combination of both. Unfortunately, the cream cat caught her off guard as she was viewing her battle situation, and tackled into her, ripping away at her sides.

"Ledgesnow!" one of the warriors exclaimed. "I'll help you!" The pawsteps abruptly stopped as the tabby running towards her to help her out was knocked aside like a feather by another ThunderClan warrior. Ledgesnow meanwhile had the enemy's paws pummeling down on her. As the air was forced out of her, the white she-cat gasped for air with every blow given to her. Suddenly, the weight was lifted off of her for a moment, making her shoot right up. Looking for who saved her, she saw her sister, Finchpelt, was clinging onto the warrior's back, her claws deep in his pelt, so deep that a crimson liquid oozed between the white and brown she-cat's claws.

The ThunderClan warrior easily shook the warrior on top of him off, knocking her against the tree. Finchpelt was panting, unaware of the cat looming over her, his claws eerily glinting through the sunlight that shone through the tree leaves. Ledgesnow mustered up the energy to claw the enemy's legs, making him howl with fury. He immediately turned his attention to the white cat, drool dripping from his teeth as he snarled as though he was infected with rabies. Slashing at the WindClan warrior, she narrowly avoided her eyes from getting scratched. Her pelt matted with blood, she felt her strength dripping away from her. The warrior held his head high, his eyes glittering with insanity as he walked over to Ledgesnow. As he put his paw on her neck, his claws were slowly unsheathing on her.

In a desperate attempt to survive, Ledgesnow clawed his throat, ripping out his esophagus in doing so. The warrior gasped, the life fading from his eyes as more heartbeats passed. Falling onto the ground with a thump, a spasm racked through his body before lying still. The she-cat weakly got on her paws, looking down and staring in horror at the body in front of her.

His jaws were gaping in a screech of outrage, the normally energized green eyes dull with pain, his dirty, scarlet claws unsheathed with tufts of white fur between them, blood pouring out of his wounds and pooling around him. Ledgesnow looked at his body with wide eyes, ears flattened against her head. She struggled to find the words of what she'd done.

"I just killed a cat," she choked out. "I killed him!"

At the same time, ThunderClan was retreating from the battle. Insults were called out from WindClan, cats making faces at the losing clan while others were heading on their way back to WindClan.

"Ledgesnow! We're heading back!" Brownfoot called from the border. Snapping back into reality, the white she-cat turned to the tom, staring at him with an uncertain expression on her face. Staggering towards him, Finchleg ran over and stood by Ledgesnow's side, keeping her from falling. Blood making her pelt stick out as is she were a porcupine, Finchleg too held an unsure gaze.

"I'll get you to the medicine cat den when we get back, alright?" The white cat merely nodded before she drifted off into unconsciousness.

"Is she up yet? You said that her wounds would heal in a few moons."

The white she-cat wearily blinked open her eyes as the voice woke her. The leader of WindClan, Sootstar, stared at her warmly.

"Are you going to punish me?" Ledgesnow asked dejectedly. "I did just kill a cat."

Sootstar turned her attention to the warrior, sighing as she spoke. "It was against the code, but you had to defend yourself. Either he died, or you. We couldn't lose another warrior." Quickly changing the topic, the calico tabby looked at the medicine cat, who was all the way in the back of the den.

"There's a feast going on today, Fogtail. You should get something to eat," Sootstar meowed.

"But I have a patient to heal!" he replied, an edge to his voice. "How can I eat when a cat can die when I'm gone."

"Sheesh, you're so right. I'll send a warrior to get something for you two." Flicking her tail amusingly, Sootstar dipped her head and padded out of the den. The events of the battle replaying in her mind, Ledgesnow turned her head to the healer.

"I should've never killed him," Ledgesnow whispered. "I'm a monster."

"No you aren't. In this war, the code doesn't even matter anymore. Other cats like you also committed murder recently So, it's rather pointless to continue worrying about it," Fogtail snapped.

Ledgesnow was horrified at what the tom just said. The code binds us together, yet a medicine cat is telling me that it doesn't matter? Realizing that arguing wasn't going to do her any use, she had no other choice but to succumb to his words. "Guess you're right," the she-cat muttered. Padding out of the den, the warrior looked up at the sky.

Is this really what the war has been doing to us? Turning us into vile, blood-thirsty monsters? I just killed a cat, against the warrior code, and no one cares or even tries to give me a punishment!

Gazing outside the den, warriors and apprentices were eating, laughing, showing kits their battle moves, telling the elders their fight against ThunderClan. Cats congratulating each other for not getting murdered. She noticed how some cats were merrily telling each other who killed who even.

Does no one feel guilty of being the cause of another warrior's death? They can just eat and sleep soundly, just like that? I could've taken away someone's mate, someone's only friend, a cat who would always cheer up everyone they could. I could've killed a father! The leader's sibling! I could get killed for this, then end up in the Place of No Stars!

And yet, worrying about it is pointless. I can't turn back time. I have to face the guilt of everything I did, and accept what I did.

But that doesn't mean I will accept it.